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“I have seen his ways, and will heal him: I will lead him also,
From part one of this study on “Restoring for Him, His House”, we read that a Sanctuary is a Refuge a Safe Haven, a Tabernacle that is a Consecrated and Holy Place, to guide and show us The Way to The Father, our Most Holy PLACE. For it was revealed through David, who said, “I will remember the works of the LORD: surely I will remember thy wonders of old. I will meditate also of all thy work, and talk of thy doings. Thy way, O God, [is] in the sanctuary: who [is so] great a God as [our] God? Thou [art] the God that doest wonders: thou hast declared thy strength among the people. Thou hast with [thine] arm redeemed thy people, the sons of Jacob and Joseph. Selah” (Psalms 77:11-15). For the souls that seeks refuge, it is said, "Other refuge have I none; Hangs my helpless soul on Thee; Leave, Oh leave me not alone! Still support and comfort me. "Hide me, O my Saviour, hide, Till the storm of life is past; Safe into the haven guide; Oh, receive my soul at last!" (Maranatha, Page 67)
We are safe from the works of the adversary only when we have found that Safe Refuge and Comfort in The True Sanctuary of GOD’S Word of Life. In speaking of the people of GOD, who wanted to build a temple to honor GOD, Ellen G. White wrote and said, "...When God sees the efforts made to build a house for His honor, even if it be humble according to their ability, He will accept it and the heartfelt service of the worshipers. You will see by the prayer of Solomon that Israel's dependence was in the God of Israel. The people that built the Temple were many and the house that they built was large and grand and the Lord God of heaven honored them because they had built Him a sanctuary where they could meet to worship Him. Those that worshiped Him sincerely had His blessing.
"The first tabernacle, built according to God's directions, was indeed blessed of Him. The people thus were preparing themselves to worship in the temple not made with hands--a temple in the heavens. The stones of the Temple built by Solomon were all prepared at the quarry and then brought to the Temple site. They came together without the sound of ax or hammer. The timbers were also fitted in the forest. The furniture was likewise brought to this house all prepared for use.
"Even so, the mighty cleaver of truth has taken out a people from the quarry of the world and is fitting this people, who profess to be the children of God, for a place in His heavenly temple. We want the cleaver of truth to do its work for us. We are taken from the quarry of the world. The material must not be a dead substance but living souls, and these souls must be brought out of the quarry of the world, where the hand of God can fit them for the temple in heaven. We are here as probationers, and we must pass under the hand of God. All rough edges and rough surfaces must be removed and we must be stones fitted for the building. We are brought into church capacity with defects of character, but we must not retain them. We must be fitted and squared for the building. We must be "laborers together with God," for we are "God's husbandry," we are "God's building." In view of this we must see that our temple is not defiled with sin. We should be lively stones, not dead ones, but live ones that will reflect the image of Christ. We must be worshipers in spirit and in truth." (Manuscript Releases, Volume 3, Page 231) For it is said that The True House of rest for The Ark of The Covenant of the LORD is the hearts of men.
“Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation” (Isaiah 28:16). "In the Scriptures the figure of the erection of a temple is frequently used to illustrate the building of the church. . . . Writing of the building of this temple, Peter says, "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood . . ." (1 Peter 2:4, 5). . . .
“The apostles built upon a sure foundation, even the Rock of Ages. To this foundation they brought the stones that they quarried from the world. Not without hindrance did the builders labor. Their work was made exceedingly difficult by the opposition of the enemies of Christ. They had to contend against the bigotry, prejudice, and hatred of those who were building upon a false foundation. . . . But in the face of imprisonment, torture, and death, faithful men carried the work forward; and the structure grew, beautiful and symmetrical. . . . Through the ages that have passed since the days of the apostles, the building of God's temple has never ceased. We may look back through the centuries and see the living stones of which it is composed gleaming like jets of light through the darkness of error and superstition. Throughout eternity these precious jewels will shine with increasing luster. . . .
“But the structure is not yet complete. We who are living in this age have a work to do, a part to act. We are to bring to the foundation material that will stand the test of fire--gold, silver, and precious stones. . . . The Christian who faithfully presents the word of life, leading men and women into the way of holiness and peace, is bringing to the foundation material that will endure, and in the kingdom of God he will be honored as a wise builder.
“Divine power will unite with our efforts, and as we cling to God with the hand of faith, Christ will impart to us His wisdom and His righteousness. Thus, by His grace, we shall be enabled to build upon the sure foundation.” (God’s Amazing Grace, Page 123)
Notice that it is by faithfully presenting The Word of Life, leading men and women into The Way of Holiness and Peace, which is The Way to The Sanctuary of Refuge, Which is found only in Christ Jesus, Who is The Way, The Truth, Who leads us to The Gift of Eternal Life; for we must be worshipers in Spirit and in Truth, to follow The Pattern of Christ.
It is written that, “The great plan of redemption, as revealed in the closing work of these last days, should receive close examination. The scenes connected with the sanctuary above should make such an impression upon the minds and hearts of all that they may be able to impress others. All need to become more intelligent in regard to the work of the atonement, which is going on in the sanctuary above. When this grand truth is seen and understood, those who hold it will work in harmony with Christ to prepare a people to stand in the great day of God, and their efforts will be successful. By study, contemplation, and prayer God's people will be elevated above common, earthly thoughts and feelings, and will be brought into harmony with Christ and His great work of cleansing the sanctuary above from the sins of the people. Their faith will go with Him into the sanctuary, and the worshipers on earth will be carefully reviewing their lives and comparing their characters with the great standard of righteousness. They will see their own defects; they will also see that they must have the aid of the Spirit of God if they would become qualified for the great and solemn work for this time which is laid upon God's ambassadors.” (Testimonies to the Church, Volume 5, Page 575)
We are our own judges of our own characters, when we review and compare ourselves not with ourselves, but with The Great Standard of righteousness, to see what needs to be cleansed from our own souls. The Word of Truth is the cleaver, by which we can scan our own hearts for the works of the enemy that by GOD’S Helping Hand of HIS Word, we can cooperate with HIM is cleansing our hearts from the sins of this world and the works of the enemy of our souls. It is by looking daily at The Great Pattern, and by beholding Him that we become changed.
It is said that, “Solomon, the wisest of Israel's monarchs, had completed the work. This temple was the most magnificent building which the world ever saw. Yet the Lord had declared by the prophet Haggai, concerning the second temple: "The glory of this latter house shall be greater than of the former." "I will shake all nations, and the Desire of all nations shall come: and I will fill this house with glory, saith the Lord of hosts." Haggai 2:9, 7.
"After the destruction of the temple by Nebuchadnezzar it was rebuilt about five hundred years before the birth of Christ by a people who from a lifelong captivity had returned to a wasted and almost deserted country. There were then among them aged men who had seen the glory of Solomon's temple, and who wept at the foundation of the new building, that it must be so inferior to the former. The feeling that prevailed is forcibly described by the prophet: "Who is left among you that saw this house in her first glory? and how do ye see it now? is it not in your eyes in comparison of it as nothing?" Haggai 2:3; Ezra 3:12. Then was given the promise that the glory of this latter house should be greater than that of the former.
"But the second temple had not equaled the first in magnificence; nor was it hallowed by those visible tokens of the divine presence which pertained to the first temple. There was no manifestation of supernatural power to mark its dedication. No cloud of glory was seen to fill the newly erected sanctuary. No fire from heaven descended to consume the sacrifice upon its altar. The Shekinah no longer abode between the cherubim in the most holy place; the ark, the mercy seat, and the tables of the testimony were not to be found therein. No voice sounded from heaven to make known to the inquiring priest the will of Jehovah.
"For centuries the Jews had vainly endeavored to show wherein the promise of God given by Haggai had been fulfilled; yet pride and unbelief blinded their minds to the true meaning of the prophet's words. The second temple was not honored with the cloud of Jehovah's glory, but with the living presence of One in whom dwelt the fullness of the Godhead bodily--who was God Himself manifest in the flesh. The "Desire of all nations" had indeed come to His temple when the Man of Nazareth taught and healed in the sacred courts. In the presence of Christ, and in this only, did the second temple exceed the first in glory." (The Great Controversy, Page 23, 24)
When the hands of the people of Israel made the first Sanctuary, they gave from their hearts the materials for the building of the Sanctuary. The first Sanctuary was a movable Tabernacle, Which was set up in the wilderness for The LORD God of Israel to dwell among HIS people, as HE led them as a GREAT Shepherd from their bondage of slavery towards The Promised Land of Canaan. The whole Sanctuary is a Symbol of the plan of salvation, that shows the movements of the house of Israel from out of Egypt, back to their one fellowship with GOD, WHO made HIS Covenant with Abraham and said, “…I [am] the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant [is] with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations.
“Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee, and kings shall come out of thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their generations” (Genesis 17:1-9).
Paul later confirmed The Promise that The LORD God made with Abraham and said, “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ” (Galatians 3:16). It was through The Seed of Christ that it was said unto Abraham that, “…in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed my voice” (Genesis 22:18).
Many have sought to comprehend The Sanctuary, not only the one that was here on earth, but also The Sanctuary that is up in heaven. As it was alluded to above about The Sanctuary, which is used as a Symbol, and a Pattern to follow, it is of the plan of salvation, that shows the movement of the house of Israel from out of Egypt, back to their one fellowship with GOD. The Sanctuary is a Pattern that is given, to bring a blessing to all men upon the earth. But this blessing can only benefit those, who enter by faith. For it is said that, “The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, "whither the forerunner is for us entered." Heb. 6:20.” (The Faith I Live By, Page 203) Christ is The Seed of Blessing to all men. But many do not enter within the veil, to receive the blessing.
It is said that, "The experience of the disciples who preached the "gospel of the kingdom" at the first advent of Christ, has its counterpart in the experience of those who proclaimed the message of his second advent. As the disciples went out preaching,
"The time is fulfilled, the kingdom of God is at hand," so Miller and his associates proclaimed that the longest and last prophetic period brought to view in the Bible was about to expire, that the Judgment was at hand, and the everlasting kingdom was to be ushered in. The preaching of the disciples in regard to time was based on the seventy weeks of Daniel 9. The message given by Miller and his associates announced the termination of the 2300 days of Dan. 8:14, of which the seventy weeks form a part. The preaching of each was based upon the fulfillment of a different portion of the same great prophetic period.
"Like the first disciples, William Miller and his associates did not, themselves, fully comprehend the import of the message which they bore. Errors that had been long established in the church prevented them from arriving at a correct interpretation of an important point in the prophecy. Therefore, though they proclaimed the message which God had committed to them to be given to the world, yet through a misapprehension of its meaning, they suffered disappointment.
"In explaining Dan. 8:14, "Unto two thousand and three hundred days, then shall the sanctuary be cleansed, "Miller, as has been stated, adopted the generally received view that the earth is the
sanctuary, and he believed that the cleansing of the sanctuary represented the purification of the earth by fire at the coming of the Lord. When, therefore, he found that the close of the 2300 days was definitely foretold, he concluded that this revealed the time of the second advent. His error resulted from accepting the popular view as to what constitutes the sanctuary.
"In the typical system,--which was a shadow of the sacrifice and priesthood of Christ,--the cleansing of the sanctuary was the last service performed by the high priest in the yearly round of ministration. It was the closing work of the atonement,--a removal or putting away of sin from Israel. It prefigured the closing work in the ministration of our High Priest in Heaven, in the removal or blotting out of the sins of his people, which are registered in the heavenly records. This service involves a work of investigation, a work of judgment; and it immediately precedes the coming of Christ in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory; for when he comes, every case has been decided. Says Jesus, "My reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." [REV. 22:12.] It is this work of judgment, immediately preceding the second advent, that is announced in the first angel's message of Rev. 14:7: "Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his Judgment is come."
"Those who proclaimed this warning gave the right message at the right time. But as they early
disciples declared, "The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand," based on the prophecy of Daniel 9, while they failed to perceive that the death of the Messiah was foretold in the same scripture, so Miller and his associates preached the message based on Dan. 8:14 and Rev. 14:7, and failed to see that there were still other messages brought to view in Revelation 14, which were also to be given before the advent of the Lord. As the disciples were mistaken in regard to the kingdom to be set up at the end of the seventy weeks, so Adventists were mistaken in regard to the event to take place at the expiration of the 2300 days. In both cases there was an acceptance of, or rather an adherence to, popular errors that blinded the mind to the truth. Both classes fulfilled the will of God in delivering the message which he desired to be given, and both, through their own misapprehension of their message, suffered disappointment.
"Yet God accomplished his own beneficent purpose in permitting the warning of the Judgment to be given just as it was. The great day was at hand, and in his providence the people were brought to the test of a definite time, in order to reveal to them what was in their hearts. The message was designed for the testing and purification of the church. They were to be led to see whether their affections were set upon this world or upon Christ and Heaven. They professed to love the Saviour; now they were to prove their love. Were they ready to renounce their worldly hopes and ambitions, and welcome with joy the advent of their Lord? The message was designed to enable them to discern their true spiritual state; it was sent in mercy to arouse them to seek the Lord with repentance and humiliation.
"The disappointment also, though the result of their own misapprehension of the message which they gave, was to be overruled for good. It would test the hearts of those who had professed to receive the warning. In the face of their disappointment, would they rashly give up their experience, and cast away their confidence in God's Word? or would they, in prayer and humility, seek to discern where they had failed to comprehend the significance of the prophecy?"
(88 Ver. The Great Controversy, Page, 353.1)
Notice that it was, as a result of adopting the generally received view that the earth was the sanctuary that led to the great disappointment, and the belief that the cleansing of the sanctuary represented the purification of the earth by fire at the coming of the Lord. There were popular errors that blinded the mind of those, who sought to understand and receive The Truth. It is stated that, “In the face of their disappointment, would they rashly give up their experience, and cast away their confidence in God's Word? or would they, in prayer and humility, seek to discern where they had failed to comprehend the significance of the prophecy?
To understand The Sanctuary, and the reason for drawing the wrong conclusions, and being disappointed, we need to look again at why it was that The Sanctuary was built in the wilderness. In part one of this study, it is stated that “…as the children of Israel--the house of Israel moved from place to place, setting up their tents in their encampments, to dwell before The Presence of The LORD their God, The LORD God said to Moses, “…let them make me a sanctuary; that I may dwell among them.” The LORD by HIS Word called HIS moveable Tent a Sanctuary. A sanctuary is a refuge, a safe haven, a tabernacle that is a consecrated and Holy Place, just as HIS Glorious Presence made the whole mountain Holy, the Sanctuary would be a Holy Place for HIS dwelling, to be among the people. And if HE made HIS Dwelling to be among the people, then His Presence would have made them Holy. They were to give from their hearts the materials towards the making of HIS Dwelling that HE by HIS Word might be among them, as they moved from place to place.” As it is stated above, “The whole Sanctuary is a Symbol of the plan of salvation, that shows the movements of the house of Israel from out of Egypt, back to their one fellowship with GOD, WHO made HIS Covenant with Abraham,” declaring to him that all nations of the earth will be blessed by his Seed, Which is Christ.
Through the prophet Hosea, it was revealed of The LORD God that, “When Israel [was] a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt” (Hosea 11:1). The same calling of HIS Son out of Egypt has been revealed at the birth of Christ Jesus. Speaking of the wise men from the east who came to see The New Born King, it is written that, “…being warned of God in a dream that they should not return to Herod, they departed into their own country another way. And when they were departed, behold, the angel of the Lord appeareth to Joseph in a dream, saying, Arise, and take the young child and his mother, and flee into Egypt, and be thou there until I bring thee word: for Herod will seek the young child to destroy him. When he arose, he took the young child and his mother by night, and departed into Egypt: And was there until the death of Herod: that it might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Out of Egypt have I called my son” (Matthew 2:12-15).
By going into Egypt to flee from Herod, Christ Jesus, as a young Child grew up in Egypt, to be called out from Egypt, to retrace the steps of the people Israel, whom He would call His people. As The Son of GOD, Who led the children of Israel out of Egypt by the hand of Moses and Aaron, He build His Tabernacle in the midst of them, because He wants to restore that oneness with man, which He had with Adam and Eve in The Garden of Eden. The Sanctuary is not just a building; it is a House of dwelling, or a means by which GOD reveals to us HIS dwelling in us by The Power of HIS Word, Who is HIS Son—The Christ. Just as the house of Israel is not a building, but a people, The Sanctuary is The House in which all are blessed to have The Gift of Life.
Paul wrote and said, “Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus; Who was faithful to him that appointed him, as also Moses [was faithful] in all his house. For this [man] was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as he who hath builded the house hath more honour than the house. For every house is builded by some [man]; but he that built all things [is] God. And Moses verily [was] faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end. Wherefore (as the Holy Ghost saith, To day if ye will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts…” (Hebrews 3:1-8).
Notice that Christ is both The House and The Son, Who lives in that House. In other words, each person has a body, which is their house. The person dwells within his own body. From The Seed of Abraham, came many nations of people, which all would be considered the house of Abraham. But The Sanctuary is The House of GOD, and Christ is a Son of GOD, Who dwells over His Own House, and The Father and HIS Son dwells in that House. But, since the children of Israel could see The Anointed Son of GOD, Who sits over His House, John testified of Him and said, “He was in the world, and the world was made by him, and the world knew him not. He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, [even] to them that believe on his name: Which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God. And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth” (John 1:10-14).
The Word, Who is The Anointed Son of GOD--The Christ, Who being Invisible to men, He dwelt in The Tabernacle of His Body of flesh and blood, which was made without hands. It is His Spirit that dwells in The Sanctuary of our souls, to give Light and life to all men, who will believe in Him. Then He has said, “Sanctify them through thy truth: thy word is truth. As thou hast sent me into the world, even so have I also sent them into the world. And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth. Neither pray I for these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me through their word; That they all may be one; as thou, Father, [art] in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world. O righteous Father, the world hath not known thee: but I have known thee, and these have known that thou hast sent me. 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 17:17-26).
“For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us. Heb. 9:24.” “The subject of the sanctuary . . . should be clearly understood by the people of God. All need a knowledge for themselves of the position and work of their great High Priest. . . .
“The intercession of Christ in man's behalf in the sanctuary above is as essential to the plan of salvation as was His death upon the cross. By His death He began that work which after His resurrection He ascended to complete in heaven. We must by faith enter within the veil, "whither the forerunner is for us entered." Heb. 6:20. There the light from the cross of Calvary is reflected. There we may gain a clearer insight into the mysteries of redemption. The salvation of man is accomplished at an infinite expense to heaven; the sacrifice made is equal to the broadest demands of the broken law of God. Jesus has opened the way to the Father's throne, and through His mediation the sincere desire of all who come to Him in faith may be presented before God.
"He that covereth his sins shall not prosper: but whoso confesseth and forsaketh them shall have mercy." Prov. 28:13. If those who hide and excuse their faults could see how Satan exults over them, how he taunts Christ and holy angels with their course, they would make haste to confess their sins and to put them away. Through defects in the character, Satan works to gain control of the whole mind, and he knows that if these defects are cherished, he will succeed. Therefore he is constantly seeking to deceive the followers of Christ with his fatal sophistry that it is impossible for them to overcome. But Jesus pleads in their behalf His wounded hands, His bruised body; and He declares to all who would follow Him, "My grace is sufficient for thee." 2 Cor. 12:9. . . . Let none, then, regard their defects as incurable. God will give faith and grace to overcome them.” (The Faith I Live By, Page 203)
He has revealed to us that we are made clean from all sin by His Spirit dwelling within us. If all, who believe in Him are made clean by Him, then He, Who dwells within us, and had made His abode among us as Immanuel--God with us, He is coming back to receive us unto Himself. The Tabernacle reveals to us The True picture of The Godhead, which is not like the gods of this world.
"For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Corinthians 4:6).
Provision has been made whereby the communication between heaven and our souls may be free and open. Finite man can place himself where rays of light and glory from the throne of God will be given him in abundance. The light of the knowledge of the glory of God which shines in the face of Jesus Christ may shine upon him. He may stand where it can be said of him, "Ye are the light of the world." Were it not for the communication between heaven and earth there would be no light in the world. Like Sodom and Gomorrah, all men would perish beneath the just judgment of God. But the world is not left in darkness. The long-suffering mercy of God is still extended to the children of men, and it is His design that the rays of light which emanate from the throne of God shall be reflected by the children of light. . . .
It is our privilege to stand with the light of heaven upon us. It was thus that Enoch walked with God. It was no easier for Enoch to live a righteous life than it is for us at the present time. The world in his time was no more favorable to growth in grace and holiness than it is now.
It was by prayer and communion with God that Enoch was enabled to escape the corruption that is in the world through lust. We are living in the perils of the last days, and we must receive our strength from the same Source. We must walk with God. A separation from the world is required of us, for we cannot remain free from its pollution unless we follow the example of the faithful Enoch. . . .
Those who profess the religion of Christ should understand the responsibility resting upon them. They should feel that this is an individual work, an individual preaching of Christ. If each would realize this and take hold of the work, we should be as mighty as an army with banners. The heavenly Dove would hover over us. The light of the glory of God would be no more shut away from us than it was from the devoted Enoch.” (In Heavenly Places, Page 70)
As Christ Spirit abides in us, that we might live by Him, and shine His Light though us to others, He has revealed His Sanctuary to those, who will follow Him by keeping His words. He said, “Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if [it were] not [so], I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, [there] ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and the way ye know. Thomas saith unto him, Lord, we know not whither thou goest; and how can we know the way? Jesus saith unto him, I am the way, the truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me” (John 14:1-6.) According to John’s witness of Jesus Testimony, He said that in His Father’s house, there are mansions. And if it was not, as He had said, then He would have told us. He has revealed that He goes to prepare a place for us. And if He goes, to prepare a place for us, He will come again and receive us unto Himself, that where He is their we will be also. Then Jesus has revealed that where He goes, we know, and The Way we know. But Thomas was not sure, but Jesus revealed to him and said that He is The Way, The Truth and The Life, no man can come unto The Father but by Jesus. And if we know Jesus, we know The Way to The Father.
Jesus said unto him that, “If ye had known me, ye should have known my Father also: and from henceforth ye know him, and have seen him. Philip saith unto him, Lord, shew us the Father, and it sufficeth us. Jesus saith unto him, Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou [then], Shew us the Father? Believest thou not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth the works. Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father. And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son.” (John 14:7-12).
Notice that Jesus has revealed to him that if he had known Him, then he should have known also His Father, because Jesus is The Expressed Image of The Father. For it is written that, “God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto us by [his] Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the worlds; Who being the brightness of [his] glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high” (Hebrews 1:1-3). If Jesus is The brightness of His Father’s glory, and is The Expressed image of HIS PERSON, then when Philip asked to see The Father, then by looking upon Jesus, he would have seen The Expressed Image of The Father’s PERSON in Jesus. And to confirm what Jesus said of The Father, The Father HIMSELF spoke by HIS Word, Who is Spirit, Who was dwelling within Jesus, HIS Body of flesh, which is the way in which He revealed Himself to man, because His True Nature is of Spirit.
Jesus said to His disciples, “Believe me that I [am] in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe me for the very works' sake. Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater [works] than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father” (John 14:11-12). And He said them, “…whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son. If ye shall ask any thing in my name, I will do [it]. If ye love me, keep my commandments. And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; [Even] the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also. At that day ye shall know that I [am] in my Father, and ye in me, and I in you” (John 14:13-20).
Notice that in His training and teachings to His disciples, Christ Jesus has revealed unto them the two natures of Himself. He has revealed to them that He is The Son of Man, Who was there with them, revealing to them The Pattern to follow of His Own Example as The Only Way to The Father. And He has also revealed to them that He is The One, Who is The Life to all, who will live by Him, to enable them to do The Father’s Will WHO sent Him. He was with them, and was known to men as The Son of Man. Yet, He was also The Son of GOD, Who veil His Divinity in the garment of flesh, which He wore to be like men, whom He came to save. And because He is The Life of men, to all, who will believe and live by following Him, all who abides in Him, as their House of dwelling, they shall live by Him.
As The Sanctuary on earth cannot be a Sanctuary without The Covenant Law of GOD in the Most Holy Place of His dwelling, neither can the dwellings of our hearts be a Sanctuary for His Spirit, if we are not willing to keep Him, as our Covenant of Life between us and GOD--The Father, WHO sent Him to redeem us unto HIMSELF. For Christ Jesus our Example said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him. Judas saith unto him, not Iscariot, Lord, how is it that thou wilt manifest thyself unto us, and not unto the world? Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings: and the word which ye hear is not mine, but the Father's which sent me” (John 14:21-24).
GOD--The Father, WHO is The HUSBANDMAN, HE works on building us up into a habitation--a Sanctuary for HIS Word, that by the receiving and the keeping of The Covenant of HIS Word, our hearts might become a Holy Place because of the indwelling of HIS Word of Life. Like The Patten of The Sanctuary on earth in the time of Moses, the clean and white linen represents the righteousness of the saints. And at the center of the court towards the west end of the Sanctuary dwelt The Tabernacle within the curtain, which did not have three compartments, but only two inside the court. One of the compartments was The Holy Place, Which represented The Things of Christ. The other compartment represented The Most Holy Place, Which represented The Dwelling Place of GOD. The Whole Sanctuary of The Tabernacle with the court represented the work of The Father and HIS Son in the work of redemption.
We are to be representatives of The True and Living GOD in representing HIS Word to men.
The Word was representing that Sanctuary--That Tabernacle of Himself--The Body of The Son of Man with its’ veil of flesh. He is The Priest, in Whom The Holy Place of His Spirit occupies His Own dwelling, to be The Light to men, and The Bread of Life to Men, and to intercede to The Father on man’s behalf. For in Him The Spirit of Christ is The Most HOLY Place, Wherein The Father makes HIS Abode, to speak by HIS Word through His Body of flesh, to the hearts of men, just as HE did when HE spoke by Christ Jesus to Philip, who wanted Him to show to them The Father. If Christ Spirit dwells in His Own Body of Flesh to dwell among men, then is His Body of flesh someone else? No. But this is what the Trinity doctrine teaches, which denies the union between The Divine and the Human combine, as one. The Sin of Adam in the Garden of Eden was a separation of the body of flesh from The Spirit of Christ, Who is The Light and Life of men. We are to be the members of His Body, to live by Him, Who dwells in us.
When we follow The Pattern, to be like Jesus, it is His Spirit, Who dwells in our flesh that we might partake of His Divine Nature in us. We are the earthen vessel in whom He comes and dwells with us. And if we have received Him--The Christ, to be like Him, then The Father comes to us through Him, to makes HIS abode with us through The Spirit of Christ, Whom HE has sent to dwell with us. By following The Pattern of The Divine Man Christ Jesus, we join with Christ Jesus, to be a new creation, not after the first Adam, but after The Second Adam Christ Jesus. Are we keeping The Word of Life, Whom HE--The Father has sent, to abide in us that we might become like Jesus in following His Own Example?
Notice that it is The LORD’S desire to restore man to that One Fellowship with HIMSELF by The Power of The Spirit of HIS Word, by Whom all things do exist. From the time that Adam sinned by separating himself from his on going connection with GOD; by breaking his union with The Spirit of Christ in his flesh, man has been kept in the dark by the works of the adversary that man might not be restored to GOD. Christ Jesus came into this world to show us The Way back to GOD, which is His work of Atonement. But The Example of Christ Life, Which was set before us, as a Pattern for all to follow, men, who know not the work involve, have labeled it, as a mystery.
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust" (2 Peter 1:4) "Partakers of the divine nature." Is this possible? Of ourselves we can do no good thing. How, then, can we be partakers of the divine nature? By coming to Christ just as we are, needy, helpless, dependent. He died to make it possible for us to be partakers of the divine nature. He took humanity upon Himself that He might reach humanity. With the golden chain of His matchless love He has bound us to the throne of God. We are to have power to overcome as He overcame.
To all He gives the invitation: "Come unto me.... Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls . . ." (Matt. 11:28-30).
We have a part to act in this work. Let none think that men and women are going to be taken to heaven without engaging in the struggle here below. We have a battle to fight, a victory to gain. God says to us, "Work out your own salvation." How? "With fear and trembling. For it is God which worketh in you both to will and to do of His good pleasure" (Phil. 2:12, 13). God works, and man works.... Thus only can we be partakers of the divine nature.
Here is the consistency of true religion. We are to be "labourers together with God," working in harmony with Him. "Ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building" (1 Cor. 3:9). This figure represents human character, which is to be wrought upon point by point. Each day God works on His building to perfect the structure, that it may become a holy temple for Him. Man is to cooperate with God, striving in His strength to make himself what God designs him to be, building his life with pure, noble deeds....
God asks us to live only one day at a time. You need not look a week or a month ahead. Today do your best. Today speak and act in a way that will honor God. The promise is, "As thy days, so shall thy strength be" (Deut. 33:25). (In Heavenly Places, Page 59)
Conformed to His Image
"But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Corinthians 3:18).
"Sin-burdened, struggling souls, Jesus in His glorified humanity has ascended into the heavens to make intercession for us. "For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace" (Heb. 4:15, 16). We should be continually looking unto Jesus, the Author and Finisher of our faith; for by beholding Him we shall be changed into His image, our character will be made like His. We should rejoice that all judgment is given to the Son, because in His humanity He has become acquainted with all the difficulties that beset humanity.
"To be sanctified is to become a partaker of the divine nature, catching the spirit and mind of Jesus, ever learning in the school of Christ. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." It is impossible for any of us by our power or our own efforts to work this change in ourselves. It is the Holy Spirit, the Comforter, which Jesus said He would send into the world, that changes our character into the image of Christ; and when this is accomplished, we reflect, as in a mirror, the glory of the Lord. That is, the character of the one who thus beholds Christ is so like His, that one looking at him sees Christ's own character shining out as from a mirror. Imperceptibly to ourselves, we are changed day by day from our own ways and will into the ways and will of Christ, into the loveliness of His character. Thus we grow up into Christ, and unconsciously reflect His image.
"Professed Christians keep altogether too near the lowlands of earth. Their eyes are trained to see only commonplace things, and their minds dwell upon the things their eyes behold. Their religious experience is often shallow and unsatisfying, and their words are light and valueless. How can such reflect the image of Christ? How can they send forth the bright beams of the Sun of righteousness into all the dark places of the earth? To be a Christian is to be Christlike.--Review and Herald, Apr. 28, 1891." (Ye Shall Receive Power, Page 63)
"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2:10). "Christ's likeness in us is a grand truth, a practical truth. I am not merely a thing that God loves, made to be left the sport of Satan's temptations; I am a child of God, begotten unto a lively hope, big with immortality and full of glory. We are to dwell in God, and God in us. Purity in us is like purity in God; love in my heart is a living principle, like the love in the heart of God; and all the treasures of heaven are at my command because I am redeemed by the blood of the Lamb. . . .
"We are sons and daughters of God. Satan is the destroyer and Christ is the restorer. He will make us partakers of His holiness. God does not make light of sin, but He seeks to rescue us from sin. There is not in Jesus Christ harsh, stern repulsiveness or resentment; and if we have the character of Christ we shall have His mold. There is no forcing us to holiness, but . . . He wishes us to imitate His character, to admire Him--true, pure, generous, and loving. . . .
"Happiness is composed of little things and great things. . . . If we would become like Christ and receive His fashion of character, we must in little things train the soul to daily progressive sanctification. We have no time to lose. Would you impress the seal to obtain a clear impression upon the wax, you do not dash it on by a violent action, but you place the seal carefully and firmly and press it down until the wax receives the mold. Just so the Lord is dealing with our souls. . . . Not now and then, but constantly the new life is implanted by the Holy Spirit after Christ's likeness.
"Acts make habits and habits constitute character. There is no fear of overlooking great things, but there is peril in overlooking and undervaluing little things. God is the God of the whole man, and the little things are essential. God is a God of the whole man, and not a God of the part. He made all, He redeemed all, and He must be served in all, and then He will bless all, soul and body. Our entire life will then be glorified, and every breath, every sound, every touch will be peace and light and happiness." (In Heavenly Places, Page 66)
"And ye are complete in him, which is the head of all principality and power" (Colossians 2:10). “You cannot enter heaven with any deformity or imperfection of character, and you must be fitted for heaven now in this probationary life. If you would enter the abode of the righteous when Christ shall come, you must have the deep movings of the Spirit of God, that you may have an individual experience, and be complete in Him who is the fullness of the Godhead bodily. Through the power of the righteousness of Christ, we are to depart from all iniquity. There must be a living connection of the soul with its Redeemer. The channel of communication must be open continually between man and his God, that the soul may grow in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord.
But how many do not pray. They feel under condemnation for sin, and they think they must not come to God until they have done something to merit His favor, or until God has forgotten about their transgressions. They say, "I cannot hold up holy hands before God without wrath or doubting, and therefore I cannot come." So they remain away from Christ, and are committing sin all the time in so doing, for without Him you can do nothing but evil.
Just as soon as you commit sin, you should flee to the throne of grace, and tell Jesus all about it. You should be filled with sorrow for sin, because through sin you have weakened your own spirituality, grieved the heavenly angels, and wounded and bruised the loving heart of your Redeemer. When you have asked Jesus in contrition of soul for His forgiveness, believe that He has forgiven you. Do not doubt His divine mercy, or refuse the comfort of His infinite love.
If your child had disobeyed you, and committed wrong against you, and that child should come with a breaking heart to ask forgiveness, you know what you would do. You know how quickly you would draw your child to your heart, and assure him that your love was unchanged, and his transgressions forgiven. Are you more merciful than your merciful heavenly Father, who so loved the world that He "gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life"? (John 3:16). You should go to God as children go to their parents.--Bible Echo, Feb. 1, 1892." (Ye Shall Receive Power, Page 61)
By Carron Lake @ www.thelightoftheword.org
and restore comforts unto him and to his mourners. I create
the fruit of the lips; Peace, peace to [him that is] far off, and
to [him that is] near, saith the LORD; and I will heal him"
(Isaiah 57:18, 19).
Whose House are We Dwelling In?
( Click of understanding )