Truth.

 Truth.

Jesus is the way...the truth...

The truth sets us free.

The Spirit is of truth.

Jesus prays for us to receive the Comforter-  the Spirit of Truth.

We need to pray for the Spirit. 

Luke 11:13

If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?”

Asking- supplicating - praying for the Holy Spirit.

God help us know only His truth, Jesus is the truth. 

Excerpt- A.T. Jones

Notice the last half of the verse. 

(John 8:32): "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 

The effect of the truth is to make us free. 

The first half is the best promise in the Bible, if we could measure promises. But we cannot do that because one is just as important as another. All are the thoughts of God, and His thoughts are eternal. But this is an excellent promise, "Ye shall know the truth."  That, it seems to me, is a most wonderful promise. "Ye shall know the truth." Think you know it? Wonder if you know it? Wonder whether such and such a thing is true? No sir. "Ye shall know the truth." That is the promise of Jesus Christ to you and to me, that when we trust in Him and follow Him, we shall know the truth. And as certain as we yield to Him and follow Him, He will take care that we know the truth, and we trust Him for it.

"Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on Him, 'If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. And ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free.'" How are we to know the truth? Continue in His word, be His disciples indeed, and ye shall know the truth. Then His word is the word of truth. "Ye shall know the truth." We want to stick to that promise. It seems to me that if that promise were the only one in the Bible it would be all we would need. "Ye shall know the truth." Because Christ has promised that, this is for you and for me, when we follow Him and when we yield to Him. And because this is so, it seems to me that we ought to be the gladdest people on the earth, for that promise given, "Ye shall know the truth."

There will be plenty of opportunities, assuredly--there have been some already, no doubt, in just the first lessons which have been given--some opportunities already for persons in the classes to say, Well, now, is that so?  Probably some opportunity has already been offered for some to say, "Well now, I do not know about that."  There will be countless instances doubtless, before the six weeks are past, that the Lord has given us to study His word and ways, numberless times in which we will be called upon to say, Well now is that so? What is the promise? "Ye shall know the truth."

Now the Lord does not want us to take things because some one says them.  God does not want us to say when anyone says a thing, Well, that is so, because he says it. That is not the thing. We are to know it is true, because God says it. And I say that there is the promise, "Ye shall know."

There will be the opportunity for the query to arise, Is that so? How about that. There is the query, but there is the promise with it. Do not forget it. Jesus has said to you every time that query arises, "Ye shall know the truth."  Then, when that query arises from some thought in the lesson, what is the answer to you and me? What are we then to consider? What is the place for us to occupy just then? Here is some brother who will be speaking some day, and he will make a statement perhaps, reading a passage or two or three passages, and catch a thought there that is new to me, make an expression here that is new to me, and the query comes, Well now is that so?  What is the answer to me? "Ye shall know the truth." Then what am I to do just then with that new thought, with that query? Am I now just to hold that query, that new thought, that which is to me a new thought? Am I not to hold that right before Christ, and ask Him the truth? Or wouldn't I better go to some of the brethren and ask,  "What do you think about that? Brother A. says so and so. What do you think about that? That is new to me,  and I kind of half doubt it." "Well, I doubt it too," says the other brother. Well then, of course it cannot be so;  that settles it. It is not so. It is none of your business what I think about it.

I remember once in a camp meeting a brother read some scriptures right straight through--it was about all he did do; it was a Bible reading--but the thoughts he brought out in the Bible reading were new to a large number in the audience. About half a dozen came in a flock to me and asked, "Well, now, Brother Jones, what do you think about that?" I said, "It is none of your business what I think about it; what do you think about it yourself?"  "Well, we do not know what to think about it," they replied. Then I said, "Find out." Suppose I had said I do not believe it. Then they would have gone off and said, "I do not believe that, because Brother Jones said he did not." Suppose I had said it was so. They would have said, "That is so. Brother Jones says that is so." 

So I propose to tell you nothing about what I think. It is none of your business. You know for yourselves what is the truth. That is the position I propose to occupy in this institute. I expect to find some things coming out here that are new. I have never found a meeting yet where we have studied the Bible that the Lord did not give us something that was new, beautiful, grand, and glorious. But the place I propose to occupy is right upon that promise, "Ye shall know the truth."

But I find people, and doubtless you have too, who seem to get upon the idea that the only sure way to know the truth is to raise all the objections they can and have them answered. But when I have raised and presented all the objections I know against a point and they are all answered, then am I sure what is truth? Am I sure of it? No,  because there are objections I never thought of. Don't you see? On that line can I ever be sure that it is the truth until every objection that is possible is brought against it by every mind in the universe--can I be sure of it until then? 

When these are all answered would that make me sure it was so? If it would, how can I live long enough to hear all the objections answered? Can we get at the truth in that way? Is there any possibility of getting at the truth by raising objections and having them answered? No sir. What is the use of starting on a road of which you will never reach the end--a wrong road of course? Better not start on it at all. 

Another word. Can there be any objections against the truth? Think of that closely. Well, when something is presented, are you and I to say,  "I see an objection against that?" Is that the position we are to take? No. We are to ask whether it is the truth,  and if it is, there is no objection. 

There can be no objection against it. Our objection is a fraud. Don't you see?  The thing we are to ask is, Is it the truth?

And then another way the people have of getting at the truth is to hear both sides of it. You have heard that thing yourself. "That is one side," they say, "but now I want to hear the other side before I decide." What is one side of the truth? 

Well, here is one side of the truth, and there is the other side of the truth. Then where is the truth? You get on either side of the truth and it is error. I have heard one side, and I want to hear another side of it! Then how can I tell what is the truth, anyhow? But suppose I have heard actual truth (and that is the need of it), and I am not satisfied until I hear the other side. What is the other side? Taking this one side to be the truth,  what is the other side? Error. 

Then we can decide best what is truth by hearing a lot of lies, can we? 

"Well," says one, "I have heard your side of it, and it looks to me as though it were true, but I want to hear the other side!"  

The truth is the word of God. 

Then he proposes by waiting to hear the other side, to know whether it is true or not by comparing it with a lot of lies and thus make a lot of lies a test of the truth.

We do not want to hear the other side. 

All we want is the truth. 

Here is one side of the truth, and there is the other side of the truth. He hears both sides according to his own plan; then how does he arrive at the truth? In his own way. He has heard this and that. Where is the truth? He must find it out some way. Does he not compare one side with the other and weigh one against the other and strike the balance and judge where the truth is?  Well, when he has done that, can he know he has the truth? Is he sure that is the truth? Is my mind, my judgment, my ability to weigh arguments and decide upon the truth--is that the infallible test of truth? Is a man's judgment, his faculties, the test of truth at all? When we want to test the truth so as to know it is the truth, the test must be an infallible one. Is not that so? 

It must be one that will never fail. To discern the truth and declare it,  it must be one that will never miss under any circumstances amid ten thousand arguments and errors. The one by which we must test the truth must be such a one as will strike the truth among ten million diverse opinions,  and strike it without fail in succession--every thought that may be raised among men. Is not that so?

Man's mind we know is not the test of truth. It is only his own idea and the truth that he settles upon. "But your thoughts are not my thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, says the Lord."

Now brethren, in the time in which we are, there are two reasons why that thing could not be worked, even if it were correct. One is, that the truth of God is developing so rapidly that we have not time to hunt out all the objections and listen to the arguments on both sides, because we would be everlastingly behind while we were listening to a lot of arguments and objections. But we do not want to stand in that place when probation closes.  The time is too short for that, and we would be left out when we get there. But there is the promise, "Ye shall know the truth."

Turn again to John 14:16, 17: "I will pray the Father and he shall give you another Comforter that he may abide with you forever, even the Spirit of truth."

 Spirit of what? Truth. Oh! Thank the Lord for the promise, "I will pray the Father." What is Christ doing tonight for us, who are here in this institute? Praying the Father. He will send us the Comforter? The Spirit of truth. What is the position to occupy before we come to the class each day?  Taking part in that prayer, that we may have the Spirit of truth, isn't it?

The Spirit of Truth

 Excerpt from- The Spirit of Truth -  A.T. Jones

'As we begin our Bible study I think it would be well to spend this hour, at any rate, in considering what we came for, and how we are to come to get any good. 

I suppose that every one came expecting to hear things we never thought of before; and not only expecting to hear things we never thought of before, but expecting to learn things we never thought of before. It is very easy to hear things we never thought of before, but we do not always learn what we hear.

But I suppose we have come expecting to learn things we never thought of before. It is simply saying we have come expecting the Lord to give us new revelations of Himself, of His word, and of His way altogether. I have come for this.

This text is good advice for us all: "Verily I say unto you, Whosoever shall not receive the kingdom of God as a little child, he shall not enter therein" (Mark 10:15). Thus we have come to learn of the kingdom of God, to receive things of the kingdom of God, things new and old, old things in a new way, and new things in a new way.  Whosoever shall not receive it as a little child, shall not enter therein; cannot have it. Hence, we are all to come here and to sit down at the feet of Christ, looking to Him as our teacher, expecting to receive what He has to tell us, coming as a little child. Because, not only is this text here which speaks thus about those who would receive the kingdom of God, but in Matthew it is put in such a way as to cover all the time after we receive the kingdom of God from the first. "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying, Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said, Verily I say unto you, except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven" (Matthew 18:1-3).

Now if any one should say that the other text refers to any who are receiving the kingdom of God for the first time and admit the truth that they can receive it only as a little child, confessing that they know nothing of it themselves and cannot bring themselves to a knowledge of it, this verse shows that it goes beyond that, and that the idea goes with it even after we have received the kingdom of God; 

for in order to be converted we are to be as a little child, receive the kingdom of God as a little child, allowing that we know nothing of ourselves, no wisdom of our own. It is not our own wisdom that can make it plain to us, can open the way by which we can understand it all right as it is. We must leave all our wisdom out in order to gain it and by being converted become as a little child. "Except ye be converted and become as a little child, ye shall not enter the kingdom of God." What kind of children are mentioned? Little children. Little children have not much pride of opinion of their own. 

Grown up ones are not so ready to learn. 

Then this is spoken as giving us a model and example as to how we are to come to the word of God to learn. There is another verse that tells us the same thing and perhaps in a more forcible manner. "And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know it" (1 Corinthians 8:2). How many people does that cover? "Any man," all of us that have come here. Any one then who has come here, will it refer to us as personally as that? Every one. Any one of us then who have come here, that thinks he knows anything, how much does that cover? Thinks he knows how much? Thinks he knows what? "Anything." Does that cover all things then? Yes sir. Then the text covers all people and all things that may be known. Then if any one of us thinks he knows anything, what does he know? How much does he know? He knows nothing yet as he ought to.

Well, then, we will all assent that that is true, shall we? Just set that down for yourself. If you came here thinking you knew something, you must decide you do not know that as you ought to know it. Then shall we come to this study in that way? Shall we all come to this study tomorrow, next day, each time we come here, and just settle it in our minds that we do not know anything as we ought to know it? I do not care if it is the oldest minister in our ranks; he must come and say, "I do not know anything yet as I ought to know it; teach thou me."  And we will learn.

Every one that comes to this house that way will learn something every lesson he hears. And this includes that same oldest minister in the ranks. He will learn more than any of the rest of us, if he sits down like that. But how long a time does that text cover? How long will it remain there? Will we go beyond that time during this institute, think you? No sir. Very good then, we have that settled, for the whole institute, if we thought we knew anything.

There are some things we thought we knew pretty well. If there is one thing we thought we knew, just put it down, we don't know anything. We are always learning the most out of those texts that we already know best.  Don't forget that. We are always learning the most out of the texts with which we are already the most familiar.  Then don't you see that any one who takes any text or thought, and studies upon it for a long time and thinks he has got all the thought out of it that is in it, he just shuts himself off there? When he says, "Now I know it," he shuts himself off from learning what is really in that text.

Brother Porter here in the lesson of the previous hour spoke to us of God's purpose in making known to us these things. What kind of purpose was that spoken of? An "eternal purpose." And the Scripture is God's expression to us of His thoughts in that eternal purpose. The Scripture is the expression of God's thoughts on that purpose,  in carrying out and setting forth and making known that purpose. Well then, what kind of purpose is it? Eternal.  How deep then are His thoughts? How far-reaching is that purpose? Eternal. How deep then are the thoughts expressed in the scriptures? Eternal. In how many expressions in the Scriptures and in how many scriptures is the thought of eternal depth? In how many passages? Every one. Then it does take all the Scriptures that are written for the Lord to express to us what he wants to tell us, of His eternal purpose? Yes, sir. Then how deep is the thought in each passage of Scripture and the words that are used to tell it? Eternal. Then just as soon as any man catches one of these thoughts and thinks, I know it now and have got it, how far short is he? How far short is he from having the thought that is really there, from having the thought that is in that passage? (Voices: As far as his mind is from God's mind.) 

When he says, I have the truth; I have the thought, he has shut up his own mind from the wisdom of the knowledge of God, putting himself and his own mind in the place of God and His thoughts. The man that does that cannot learn any more. Don't you see, that at that instant he shuts himself out forever from learning? And the man who does that, of course can learn nothing beyond himself, and of course will never have the knowledge of God.

The expressions of thought conveyed in the statements of the Scriptures are as eternal depths. 

Then what limit can we set to ourselves in the study of these? No limit at all. Then does not that present the splendid picture and the grand prospect that the eternal and the whole mind of God is wide open before us for us to study upon?  Well, then, let us not forget that that is the field of study upon which we are to enter.

We have been in it a good while, and let us be careful that we do not think we know something. Let us be sure that we have not been inveigled into the idea of thinking that we know something as we are to know it. Let us just settle it now by the word of God that we do not know that thing at all.

There is knowledge in each line of thought for us to catch. And until all the depths and eternities are past we will never get to the place where we will have the right to think we know that thing and are done with it. Shall we? Well then, I am glad to know that we have such a subject as that to study upon, and such a length of time as that (eternity) in which to study it.  

Well, then, let us be glad to start with. That text is going to remain with us as long as we are in the world at least,  and it won't go then; it will go in this shape of course; the Bible, the word of God as put up in this shape, will go.  No doubt these Bibles will be burned up just as any other book of paper and leather. But the word of God will not be burned up. That text in this shape (in print) will last as long as the world does, but after that it will still exist in this shape (the body). Then that text will still remain with us all the time, even eternally. "And if any man think that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet as he ought to know." No, no man knows it. Are not you glad, brethren, are not you glad?

But we must not linger too long upon any one of these texts, for there are several texts we want to bring up tonight. Taking the thought we had a moment ago, we have come here expecting to learn many things that are new and many new things about what we have learned formerly. We have not come though, to learn anything but the truth. 

That is what we want. The only thing there is any power in, the only thing there is any good in, the only thing there is any sanctifying force in, is the truth, the truth as it is in Jesus of course, because there is no truth in any other way. Then coming with that purpose, to know only the truth, that is all we are to study, that is all we are to ask about. It is none of your business or mine whether a thing be old or new or who says it in this institute or whether it is for us to study or for any one else, is it? The thing for us to ask is, Is it true?

If it be true,  then take the Lord's word as He has given it to us, no difference by whom He says it, no difference in what way it comes, no difference if it comes in exactly the opposite way in which way we expected it to come--and the probabilities are that it will, "for your ways are not my ways, saith the Lord." Then when we have a way fixed up,  we may expect it to come another way.

The Lord will not allow any one to dictate to Him or to lay out plans for Him. We may take the Lord in that text,  "O God, verily thou art a God that hidest thyself." But we can see Him. He will hide Himself; we cannot fix the ways in which He is going to do things always, but the best of it is we will let Him have His own way to do things, and we will be in a position to do it all the time. Then we will be perfectly safe. Then we will never need to have any anxieties, need never have any thing to do with the management of it ourselves. He is all wise;  everything goes straight with Him, and we simply keep ourselves ready to see Him do it at any time.

And we have nothing to do but to enjoy ourselves in seeing Him do things. I have been greatly blessed in the study of the Bible and in watching the Lord do things. And when it is the darkest, the most mysterious, then it is the best study, because it takes us clear out of ourselves to see Him do it. If we could see just how it was coming out always it would not seem interesting. When it is the darkest, we can watch the more intently and with more interest, to see the Lord straighten it out.

So then we are to learn the truth only--no difference who speaks it. The Lord will speak it, of course, no difference by whom it is spoken or the way it comes. If we knew it before, thank God somebody else knows it now. If we did not know it before, then thank the Lord we now know it. The only thing to ask is, Is it true?

 You all know those verses in 2 Thessalonians 2:9, 10: "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish;  because they received not the love of the truth."

Any one who loves the truth and will receive the love of the truth, Satan will never have any chance to work in with all signs and lying wonders and all deceivableness of unrighteousness. No sir. Because Jesus has said it (John 8:32): "Ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free." 

Then every one who receives the love of the truth, this will make them free. Then the one in whom Satan is to work all signs and lying wonders, is he free? No, he is a fearful slave. As long as we have it settled in our minds that the only thing we shall ever seek or expect is the truth, and love it because it is the truth, and take it because it is the truth, then we need not be uneasy about whether Satan is going to deceive us or not.'

To be continued….

An Advance On Eternity.

 Advanced Payment- how many of us have had advanced payments at some point in our lives? Not necessarily just monetary, but in other ways too. Has someone ever given you an advance of something with the expectation of your eventually seeing more? Try a few samples, there are more where that came from. Here's part of your order, the rest is on the way. An advance on a paycheck may be given by someone who expects something in return for give that advance to you, but not always. Sometimes people will give you an advance on your expected future work without making you pay for the advance. You've heard of singers and actors, as well as authors getting advances from the people they are working for, with the expectation of getting payment in full upon completion of their concerts, movies, etc. Authors will often get advances on expected income from future sales.  Why am I going on and on about Advanced Payments?  Because we are given an advanced payment on our inheritance in Christ! We are!

Right now we can get an advance on eternal life, our inheritance, I'm not making this up, this is God's word, His truth! What a marvelous truth it is that we can study and pray on. We are told to pray for this Advanced Payment as well…

Luk 11:13  If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children: how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that ask him? 

Yes, the Holy Spirit is our Advance Payment on our Eternal Life, right now! The Holy Spirit is the earnest of our inheritance until we are redeemed! 

Read the following enlightening excerpt, and may God bless us all with the Holy Spirit of promise, right now!

*******

'The Saint's Inheritance

We will now consider the saints' inheritance and see if in that we cannot also preach Christ and Him crucified. 

There was an inheritance promised to Abraham and his seed. It was promised to him and to his seed that they should be heirs to the world. That seed is Christ and all who are in Christ. The earnest, the pledge, of that inheritance is the Spirit of God. 

"In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, unto the praise of his glory." Ephesians 1:13, 14.

The Spirit of God is the advance payment on our inheritance, and then Paul prays that "the eyes of your understanding being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead."

The whole gospel has reference to the inheritance of the saints. That inheritance is obtained, not by the law, but through faith in Jesus Christ. 

If we are Christ's then are we heirs according to the promise. What is there in the preaching of the saints' inheritance, if we do not carry with it Christ, as the one through whom that inheritance is obtained? He is the One "in whom we have obtained an inheritance." The promise to Abraham was that in him should all the nations of the earth be blessed. In making that promise to Abraham, Paul says that God preached the gospel unto him. See Galatians 3:8.

Gal 3:8  And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed. 

Can we preach Christ in the resurrection? The resurrection goes with the promise of the inheritance. When God gave the promise to Abraham, he staggered not at it, but was fully persuaded that what God had promised He was able to perform. He had faith in God to raise the dead and that faith was shown in perfection when he offered Isaac on the altar. So his belief in the promise was based on his belief in Christ as the resurrection and the life. In Christ is the law and the Sabbath; in Him is the inheritance. Christ crucified and risen again is the means by which we can obtain that glorious home.'

Excerpt EJ Waggoner

Living By the Power of God.

 Satan has hidden the importance of keeping God's seventh day Sabbath holy. Satan has corrupted the minds of mankind so thoroughly that the majority have completely forgotten why the seventh-day Sabbath is truly so incredibly important. God has done all He could do to bring the importance of this day to everyone, but the blind insist on remaining blind.

The Sabbath commandment was given so man would NEVER forget the POWER of our GOD.  The creative power and the redemptive power of GOD. 

Our eternal lives depend upon the creative and redemptive power of God. Without God's power we do not exist. Without God's power we will not exist in eternity. Created and redeemed! This is the power of the Sabbath day, the reason for the blessing and holiness of this day. We need this entire day so we can truly comprehend the blessings given to us. Is it any wonder we are told this--

"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:13, 14.

When we honor the Sabbath this way we are comprehending it is SOLELY the power of God to save us! We do NOT and CANNOT save ourselves! If we keep this day for ourselves and ignore God, we are claiming to have the power in ourselves to redeem, which is a lie Satan wants everyone to believe. Satan deceives! He won't let anyone catch on to the truth if he can help it. He loves when people disobey God's commandment, whether they know they are doing it or not. He revels in the breaking of the fourth royal law. He does not want anyone to believe that keeping the Sabbath is the recognition- the FULL recognition of God's power over all! We are to give up ALL our own power, any power we even remotely think we possess and wholly live in God's power!  

May God bless us in this!

Excerpt- E.J. Waggoner-

'In the eleventh chapter of Hebrews, Paul brings to view the power of faith to work righteousness, but you will notice that the opening thought expressed is, "Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God."

Then by directing the minds of the young to the power of God in creating the universe, they will understand it by faith, and their minds will grasp the thought that the same One who made all they see is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him.

How plain it is why Satan has massed all his forces against that fourth commandment, because it is the one above all others that brings to view the power of our Lord Jesus Christ. Satan is antichrist and he does not do anything in this world that is not directed against Christ. That is why he has covered up that fourth commandment--that he may take the minds of men from God in Christ as Creator, because just so far as men lose sight of the creative power that there is vested in Christ, so will they lose sight of His power to redeem. So preach the Sabbath more and more, yet in so doing be sure that you preach Christ and Him crucified as the Saviour from sin.

"If thou turn away thy foot from the Sabbath, from doing thy pleasure on my holy day and call the Sabbath a delight, the holy of the Lord, honorable, and shalt honor him, not doing thine own ways nor finding thine own pleasure, nor speaking thine own words; then shalt thou delight thyself in the Lord." Isaiah 58:13, 14. Then the keeping of the Sabbath perfectly, as God wants it kept, is to delight ourselves in the Lord but this we cannot do, if we do not know Christ, and make Him our joy.

Creation and Redemption Power

 

Memorial For All Time.

 The Sabbath - created by God as a memorial for all time - even if we had NOT sinned. The Sabbath was created before mankind sinned. Think about that for a moment, a long moment. The Sabbath was to forever be recognition of creation, and by that a recognition of our Creator. Our Creator MADE the heavens, our Creator made the earth, our Creator made all of Creation that surrounds us, and when He originally made it- nothing was made with any deadly attributes, not a single thing. Sin's evil degraded so many, many things. The instantaneous result of sin was felt through the entire earth, nothing was left untouched by sin's evil, nothing. When people point out the evil results of sin and blame God they ignore the fact completely that Satan instigated the evil into the world and that altered everything. We don't think about the sheer reality of sins evil. When we lost our covering of Christ's righteousness, the light of His glory our very clothing, we realized our nakedness. All creation lost its covering of Christ's righteousness and all of creation was suddenly naked in sin's result. The lion was never to have the teeth of a predator, to rip and tear flesh from other animals. Those teeth of death were the result of sin. The poison in the venom of bees, snakes, frogs and so on-- did NOT exist before sin. Do you understand the reality of sin's evil? 

The Sabbath given before man sinned, continued after man sinned. The Sabbath was instituted into the royal law- the ten commandments because it is truly so important we are NEVER to forget it, never.  

Read the following excerpt and by the grace of God through the power of the Holy Spirit, by the righteousness and love of our LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST, may we comprehend the truth of our need for the Sabbath forever!

EXCERPT EJ Waggoner-

'Since the Sabbath is a memorial of God's wonderful work of creation, and is given that we may know that He is God, therefore the Sabbath is given that we may know God as a rewarder, for He is not anything else but a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him. this is conclusively proved in Ezekiel 20:12. "Moreover I gave them my Sabbaths to be a sign between me and them that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them."

Then the object of giving the Sabbath to man was that he might know that that God who gave it was a God that sanctifies him. That idea of sanctification is the one we want to make prominent in this connection.

It may be objected that the Sabbath was given before the fall of man, so that at the time it was given he was sanctified and therefore did not need Christ to save him from sin. Adam was placed in the garden of Eden by the Lord. He lived in spotless purity, but he could keep that purity only by faith in God. It was the power of God that kept him. Adam did not live in himself. Yes, he did at last--and he fell. But just so long as he was kept from falling, it was by the power of God and the Word of God. Then he needed the power of God to keep him from falling, as he did afterwards, when he had fallen, to save him from the sins which he had committed and to keep him from committing others.

We make the same mistake regarding the time after probation is closed. We think that because there will be no mediator then, that we stand in our own strength. There will come a time when there will be no mediator, but those who stand at that time will not stand in their own strength, but in the power of Christ that will keep us at that time, because we will be without sin, we shall need no mediator, but we shall need a Saviour every moment. Christ is the one "who shall also confirm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ." 1 Corinthians 1:8.

 Adam had never fallen, the Sabbath would have been there, as the memorial of the power of God to keep him from falling from the position and place in which God had made him.

 That is just exactly what the Sabbath is for now. It is to prove to us that God is our sanctification and that He puts His righteousness on us and in us by the same word by which He made the heavens and the earth.

Then the Sabbath is for the purpose that we may meditate upon the power of God and to remember that that same power which made the earth is the power that keeps us from sin unto salvation ready to be revealed in the last time.

We May Know God.