Not The Signs You'd Expect.

 

 Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

 

The temple of God.

The altar.

Them that worship therein.

 

We understand the measuring of a building, right? We can even understand the measuring of an altar, because it's an object. How do we measure the people that are worshipping inside that temple? You can take the measure of a man certainly, we measure each other all the time, don't we? We size each other up to what end? There are various reasons for sizing a person up. A boss may size a potential employee up to note their worthiness of the position being offered. A potential friend might be taking the measure of a person to see if they would make a good friend. We might even take the measure of a stranger trying to understand whether or not we should even make a gesture of a smile at them.

Here, John is told to measure the temple there is an importance to the temple but it's NOT the earthly temple. The heavenly temple is where our Savior went when he rose from earth and He is still there. We through Him are there with Him when we accept Him as our Savior. The measure of our worth is found in Him, in Christ our Lord and Savior.

 

John is also told this… 'But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months'

 

42 months  Rev. 13:5

 

1260 days  Revelation 12: 6.

 

3 1/2 times in Daniel 7: 25 and 12: 7, and Revelation 12: 14.

 

This time period is amazingly special and a marked period that God has given to us to realize how amazing prophecy is and how the plan He has is real and NOT to be denied, not to be ignored, not to be taken lightly.  We've studied this time period a few times now and we know that it ends in 1798- we know that the little book was opened about the same time and the understanding of people towards these prophecies was begun. 

 

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

 

During these 42 months, during the 1260 days there were TWO witnesses that would prophesize, only they would be covered in sackcloth. 

 

What does it mean to be covered in sackcloth?

 

sackcloth [ˈsækˌklɒθ]

n

1. (Clothing, Personal Arts & Crafts / Textiles) coarse cloth such as sacking

2. (Clothing & Fashion) garments made of such cloth, worn formerly to indicate mourning or penitence

sackcloth and ashes a public display of extreme grief, remorse, or repentance

 

Pasted from <http://www.thefreedictionary.com/sackcloth>

 

Worn to indicate mourning or penitence- display extreme grief, remorse, repentance.

 

For 1260 years the witnesses of God would be down trodden, they would be mourning, and when someone is in mourning, when there is a period of mourning people generally are NOT themselves, they are not alive as they should be in a manner of speaking. They don't shine as they normally would. We can think of mourning people and maybe today a lot of people don't mourn like they used to but mourning people used to be given a lot more respect than they are given today- at least in our country.  We've all had a reason to grieve, to mourn in our lives and we know what it means. The depression, the darkness, the feeling of being out of touch with the rest of the world which goes on and on not feeling the pain at all. We want others to understand our pain to know why things aren't alright in our world, why we feel like crying, why we feel as if things will never be good again.  When the mourning is over and time is a great healer of emotions, we do begin to look up again and start to live again.  This is something that happens over and over in our lives on various levels.

 

These two witnesses of God would mourn for 1260 years, but then they would live again.

 

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

 

Two olive trees.

Two candlesticks.

All standing before God, the Creator.

The witnesses-  trees that produce oil.

The witnesses- candles that produce light.

 

Oil and light.  Representatives of God. How do oil and light associated with the temple represent God?

 

Exo 25:6  Oil for the light…

Exo 27:20  And thou shalt command the children of Israel, that they bring thee pure oil olive beaten for the light, to cause the lamp to burn always.

Exo 35:14  The candlestick also for the light, and his furniture, and his lamps, with the oil for the light

 

The thing these two items have in common are they both can be used to produce light. 

Light in the Bible represents what? 

 

Psa 119:105  Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path.

Psa 19:8  The statutes of the LORD are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the LORD is pure, enlightening the eyes.

Pro 6:23  For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life

Eph 5:13  But all things that are reproved are made manifest by the light: for whatsoever doth make manifest is light.

2Pe 1:19  We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts

Psa 18:28  For thou wilt light my candle: the LORD my God will enlighten my darkness.

Psa 119:130  The entrance of thy words giveth light; it giveth understanding unto the simple.

 

Can we honestly believe that God's word could be representative by oil and light, by candlesticks? Jesus had this to say--

 

Joh 8:12  Then spake Jesus again unto them, saying, I am the light of the world: he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life.

Joh 9:5  As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world.

Mat 5:14  Ye are the light of the world. A city that is set on an hill cannot be hid.

Mat 5:15  Neither do men light a candle, and put it under a bushel, but on a candlestick; and it giveth light unto all that are in the house.

Mat 5:16  Let your light so shine before men, that they may see your good works, and glorify your Father which is in heaven.

 

Jesus is the LIGHT of the world! The light of life! Jesus told us we are the light of the world! And what does that mean really? That our light would shine before men and they would see our good works and they would GLORIFY the Father in heaven!  We would be witnesses of our faith.

 

God's word is His witness. 

 

We have God's word, His written word. We have the scriptures- scriptures JESUS referred to and read from and expounded on and we have the words of Jesus. We have TWO sections- an old and a new testament- TWO witnesses to God. Two amazing witnesses! And we KNOW that the word of God was great oppressed for many, many, many years. Even when the printing press was invented and the Bible could go to the mainstream it was still oppressed. The Catholic Church wanted full control over the word of God, they wanted only learned men of their church to have the Bible and give their interpretation to the people. You can study all this on the web, the history of the Bible being oppressed, the interference of the Catholic church it's all proven history.  Now WHEN did the Bible begin to be given to people without interference?

 

'The British and Foreign Bible Society, often known in England and Wales as simply as Bible Society, is a non-denominational Christian Bible society with charity status whose purpose is to make the Bible available throughout the world.[1]

The Society was formed on 7 March 1804.[2]'

 

Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/British_and_Foreign_Bible_Society>

 

The witnesses were in sackcloth! The witnesses were oppressed! The witnesses were covered in darkness for so long. And now… God's word was brought out of mourning and into the light of new life gone out to the world and soon Biblical prophecy was opened to the understanding of the world just as GOD PREDICTED!

This makes sense!  Perfect sense!

Do we want to believe this makes sense? Seriously, do we? Or are we looking for fantastical happenings?

The Bible tells us this--

 

Mat 24:37  But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be.

Mat 24:38  For as in the days that were before the flood they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day that Noe entered into the ark

 

Eating. Drinking. Marrying. Giving in marriage.

 

This is a normal every day happenstance around the world.  We eat, we drink, we marry, we give in marriage. This is such normalcy and it tells us that when our Savior comes A LOT of people will be going about their everyday lives as if nothing is different.

 

So many people want to believe that they will have some amazing warning, some television movie -like event , some epic special effects that will allow them to prepare, but they will be totally lost just as they were in the days of Noah.  There isn't going to be any OBVIOUS sign that will alert people, there will be signs for those who are watching and are looking for Christ's return and are truly His, known by Him. For all those who are waiting for two witnesses- two men of God- as portrayed in the fictional movies they could very well be waiting in vain. How sad it would be, how horribly sad for those who watch for signs that aren't going to come to pass. May God keep our hearts and minds open to His truth and ONLY His truth. May we NOT be deceived as so many will be. Please God help us! Please Lord, please! We want to be ready, we want to be Yours, wholly Yours! All through the grace and mercy of Your Son, our Savior, our Lord Jesus Christ and HIS righteousness.

Amen.

Little Book - Opened.

 

Rev 10:1  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire

BRILLIANT!

Rev 10:2  And he had in his hand a little book open

 

Dan 12:4  But thou, O Daniel, shut up the words, and seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be increased.

 

Little book open. (Book of Revelation)

Seal the book. (Book of Daniel)

 

One book was written LONG before the other.  Daniel was written long before Revelation. In Daniel we have a sealed book, a book that would remain sealed until the time of the end when many would be running to and fro and knowledge would increase. The book would be opened and in Revelation we read of an open book.   A MIGHTY angel has this little open book in his hand.

 

Rev 10:2 ...and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth

 

One foot of the might angel was put upon the sea the other on the earth.

If the sea represents - multitudes, nations, tongues, people

 

Rev 17:15  And he saith unto me, The waters which thou sawest, where the whore sitteth, are peoples, and multitudes, and nations, and tongues.

 

Then the earth it stands to reason would represent a without multitudes. 

Remember this- Dan 7:3  And four great beasts came up from the sea, diverse one from another.

 

We KNOW where those four beasts came up don't we? The land of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome. 

 

We know where the sea is… in a very populated area, hence we know where the earth is. A land that was largely unpopulated and becoming newly populated, the United States. A vast land founded hugely unpopulated except for the small population of Native Americans. I say small because compared to the highly populated lands of Europe, Middle East, and Asia- America was practically empty.

 

This mighty angel planted a foot on the sea and on the earth and the little open book rested upon his hand.  The time would come when this open book would go to the people, the same time would see a great increase in knowledge- biblical and secular. 

 

'The Industrial Revolution was a period from the 18th to the 19th century where major changes in agriculture, manufacturing, mining, transportation, and technology had a profound effect on the socioeconomic and cultural conditions of the times. It began in the United Kingdom, then subsequently spread throughout Europe, North America, and eventually the world.

The Industrial Revolution marks a major turning point in human history; almost every aspect of daily life was influenced in some way.'

 

'The First Industrial Revolution, which began in the 18th century, merged into the Second Industrial Revolution around 1850, when technological and economic progress gained momentum with the development of steam-powered ships, railways, and later in the 19th century with the internal combustion engine and electrical power generation. The period of time covered by the Industrial Revolution varies with different historians. Eric Hobsbawm held that it 'broke out' in Britain in the 1780s and was not fully felt until the 1830s or 1840s,[7] while T. S. Ashton held that it occurred roughly between 1760 and 1830.[8]'

 

Pasted from <http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Industrial_Revolution>

 

We've established a bit of a time frame for this little book open appearing, haven't we?  Late 1700's right on through …well, we are still advancing aren't we? I don't think we've ever stopped not since it was started.  If fully felt in the 1830's - 40's we can most assuredly understand the amazing Biblical advancement in the understanding of prophecy- can't we? 

 

For the moment - back to Revelation.

 

With one foot on the sea and another on the earth this mighty angel CRIED out with a loud voice- as a LION ROARING!

 

Rev 10:3  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth

 

You know what a lion's roar sounds like, don't you? Surely you've heard one on television if not in person. If you've never heard a lion's roar check it out on youtube

 

http://youtu.be/aUfDxRelPHg

 

Do a search for lion's roaring and listen to them.  One video caption mentioned the lion's roar being heard throughout the entire zoo they were in.  There is no doubt that the lion's roar is deep and ferocious, loud and worthy of great notice.  This mighty angel, this brilliant, striking angel cried out in that manner- loud, strong, commanding.  What was his cry? It doesn't say. In fact immediately after the cry seven thunders spoke.  Thunders spoke! An angel cries out like a lion and then thunders speak! 

 

Rev 10:3 ...and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

Rev 10:4  And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.         

 

Amazing! Thunders utter their voices and they are not to be heard! Thunder! So loud, so commanding, we all have been known to jump a bit when we've been surprised by a particularly loud clap of thunder haven't we? Just imagine what John must have heard. He wanted to write it down but he was stopped. The utterances of the seven thunders were stifled, they were sealed. Amazing too is the fact that just as an open book appears the message of the seven thunders were sealed. There are things we CANNOT know. We are way too arrogant if we believe we should have all access to everything of God and that He should have nothing hid from us. All that is necessary to our salvation is revealed to us and not hidden, but God's ways are not our ways.

 

Isa 55:8  For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.

Isa 55:9  For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts.

 

Rev 10:5  And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

Rev 10:6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer

 

Who did this angel sware by?

 

Our Savior! Our God! Our Creator!  The Creator of the heaven and all in them, the Creator of earth and all in them, the Creator of the sea and all in them. 

 

What did he sware?  That there should be time no longer!

 

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

 

BUT before there would be time no longer the voice of the SEVENTH angel would sound, the mystery of God finished.

 

Rev 10:8  And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

 

The voice from heaven spoke to John again- the voice told John to TAKE the little book which is open in the hand of angel standing upon the sea and earth.   The mighty, brilliant angel held a book which you KNOW has to be very important, there's nothing about this angel that doesn't scream important.

 

Rev 10:9  And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

 

John didn't ask for the little book. John commanded the mighty angel to GIVE him the little book. John TOLD the angel to GIVE him the little book. But the mighty angel did NOT give the book to John, did he? No, he did not. He told John to TAKE IT, just as the other voice told John told john to TAKE the book. This book was willingly taken as directed, as commanded. And the mighty angel added something else after telling John to take the little book. He told John to eat the little book. Eat the book and your stomach is going to ache, but oh will it taste sweet!

 

How many times have you eaten something that tasted wonderful only to have it cause you a stomach ache afterwards? It's happened, yes?  Now what if I baked you a treat and told you it was going to taste great but afterwards it was going to upset your stomach, what would you think? Seriously? Take a moment to consider such a situation. Would you WANT to eat that sweet knowing what the end result would be? I'm sure you'd have to really think about it, I know I would. Because who likes having a bitter stomach? No one I know that's for sure. We avoid stomach aches for the most part, don't we? We take lots of antacids and bloating/gas relief products just to keep ourselves feeling comfortable, don't we? How many people take heartburn medicine? It's so common, so incredibly common for people to take medicine so they can continue to eat foods that would upset their digestion without that medicine. They don't want an upset digestive system because it's very unpleasant. 

 

Here John is told to take a book- eat the book- it will taste wonderful but it's going to upset his stomach.

 

Prophecy! The little book is the prophecy book of Daniel which had been sealed and would be unsealed at the time of the end. When people became enlightened to what the prophecies were, when they connected history so completely, so wonderfully to prophecy and saw the hand of God working undeniably in it all they were thrilled! How sweet, how wondrous the amazing insights unfolding before their eyes, their understanding was opened. Only… it didn't last. Why didn't it last? Because that sweet book was going to cause a lot of stomach misery later on. The disappointment was huge when the prophecies which so clearly seemed to point to the end of the world in their day, did NOT come to pass! Did that mean all the prophecies were wrong, that all the history proved prophecy was not what it seemed to be?  So many questions, so much heartache, such incredible dismay was felt. The bitter belly was awful!

 

Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

 

Rev 10:11  And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

 

John heard the mighty angel tell him what would have to come to pass. Those who ate this little book and received a bitter belly would have to PROPHESIZE AGAIN and not in a small measure but in a huge one!  The time of the very end wasn't there yet, but it was on its way and people needed to be warned. Those who newly discovered the wonderful truth in these prophecies so long hidden needed to go and take the truth of them to the entire world! Yes, it was a bitter disappointment to have to stay on earth after having such great expectation of Jesus' second coming, but it was for a purpose - God is long suffering towards us not willing that any of us should perish.

 

2Pe 3:9  The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance.

PRAISE GOD!

Prophecy-

 

(From a previous prophecy study- By the grace of God let us forever seek to read, know, and keep what we learn- even if that means rereading it over and over.)

 

Let's slowly read through the same verses we historically dissected previously before we start to  delve deeply into them again.

 

Rev 10:1  And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud: and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire:

Rev 10:2  And he had in his hand a little book open and he set his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the earth

Rev 10:3  And cried with a loud voice, as when a lion roareth: and when he had cried, seven thunders uttered their voices.

Rev 10:4  And when the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I was about to write: and I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered, and write them not.         

 

Rev 10:5  And the angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to heaven,

Rev 10:6  And sware by him that liveth for ever and ever, who created heaven, and the things that therein are, and the earth, and the things that therein are, and the sea, and the things which are therein, that there should be time no longer

Rev 10:7  But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets.

Rev 10:8  And the voice which I heard from heaven spake unto me again, and said, Go and take the little book which is open in the hand of the angel which standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.

Rev 10:9  And I went unto the angel, and said unto him, Give me the little book. And he said unto me, Take it, and eat it up; and it shall make thy belly bitter, but it shall be in thy mouth sweet as honey.

Rev 10:10  And I took the little book out of the angel's hand, and ate it up; and it was in my mouth sweet as honey: and as soon as I had eaten it, my belly was bitter.

Rev 10:11  And he said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.

 

Rev 11:1  And there was given me a reed like unto a rod: and the angel stood, saying, Rise, and measure the temple of God, and the altar, and them that worship therein.

Rev 11:2  But the court which is without the temple leave out, and measure it not; for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months.

Rev 11:3  And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth.

Rev 11:4  These are the two olive trees, and the two candlesticks standing before the God of the earth.

Rev 11:5  And if any man will hurt them, fire proceedeth out of their mouth, and devoureth their enemies: and if any man will hurt them, he must in this manner be killed

 

Rev 22:19  And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book.

 

Rev 11:9  And they of the people and kindreds and tongues and nations shall see their dead bodies three days and an half, and shall not suffer their dead bodies to be put in graves.

Rev 11:10  And they that dwell upon the earth shall rejoice over them, and make merry, and shall send gifts one to another; because these two prophets tormented them that dwelt on the earth.

Rev 11:11  And after three days and an half the Spirit of life from God entered into them, and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.

Rev 11:12  And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.

Rev 11:13  And the same hour was there a great earthquake, and the tenth part of the city fell, and in the earthquake were slain of men seven thousand: and the remnant were affrighted, and gave glory to the God of heaven.

Rev 11:14  The second woe is past; and, behold, the third woe cometh quickly.

 

*******

It sounds amazing! So incredibly amazing! It is PROPHECY.

 

A beast is not always simply a beast. A crown is not always simply a crown. A star is not always simply a star. Waters are not always simply waters. Earth is not always simply earth.

 

Remember in the book of Daniel how grieved Daniel was because he couldn't understand the things he was being shown? He'd see these INCREDIBLE visions given him by God and he'd be just as confused as we are when we read them, more so really because He didn't have the wealth of Biblical knowledge we have at our fingertips. We have such a fantasic source of information available to us as we study prophecy. As Daniel wrote what he saw and lived in a state of confusion from what he witness we can only imagine his thoughts, his passion to understand. He prayed hard and sacrificed much just to hopefully, prayerfully, get answers. An angel was sent to him and opened Daniel's understanding at least to a degree. The angel also told Daniel that the book would be closed up- that it wouldn't be understood not until it was the proper time.

 

We have this amazing book- the Bible - and it's filled with prophecy starting right in the beginning and going all the way unto the end, no matter what order you believe the Bible should be read in. The Bible is not only filled with prophecy but history that in and of itself reveals God's plans for mankind over and over again - which become historical prophecy. We can look back at history- actual history - actual lives of people who lived just assuredly as you and I are alive, as our parents are or were alive and our grandparents and their parents and so on. No one can dispute our historical facts, no one. Do you dispute your own existence or the existence of your parents and so on? We can't. Our amazing God guided the lives of people who loved Him and those lives that were guided so amazing have been recorded for our learning, for our understanding of how wondrous our God is! We can look at so much in the Bible and see a guiding force beyond anything that we can fully comprehend and yet people refuse to believe! People still doubt! People would rather believe in false gods that have nothing to show them, nothing at all. People would rather worship the sun and moon than a living God, the Creator of the sun and moon!

 

This book of Revelation  is filled with cryptic imagery that is given to us for a reason.  Our Savior instructed us to WATCH and to PRAY.  Our Savior gave us PROPHECY, prophecy came from the lips of our Savior. Our Savior mentioned the prophet Daniel.

 

Mat 24:15  When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:)

 

We were pointed to Daniel by Jesus and in Revelation Jesus points us back to Daniel using John as His prophet to give us His message.  We are supposed to study prophecy. We are blessed when we study prophecy, so why do we neglect it so much? Why do we give up because we find it incomprehensible? Why do we not search it over and over again, praying all while for our eyes to be opened.  Jesus WANTS us to comprehend! Jesus wants us to be blessed! When we are given various meanings for prophecies given we HAVE a duty to search the Scriptures and find out where the truth exists in those meanings. We could be given a thousand different interpretations and it is our duty to examine those interpretations to see if they do fit into God's plan. Is my interpretation correct? Is my following the interpretations of another correct? God will guide me to know the truth I have to believe this just as every single one of us has to seek the truth for ourselves.

 

We are going to go through this section of prophecy slowly because so many people believe that the 'two witnesses' are supposed to be real men, real angels, real figures that show up and these people are waiting for them!  Is it possible there will be these special witnesses? I believe the devil can impersonate angels of light, my Bible tells me so. I firmly believe the prophecy fits so much more perfectly when we understand the witnesses to be figures of the Old and New Testament and how throughout our history the Bible has been abused over and over.  Like I said, I want to study this more, much more closely all by the grace of God! All by His love, through His righteousness, His mercy, His grace! 

 

 

Amen.

One Man's Obedience.

 

(Excerpt - Sermon On Righteousness #9)

 

Continued…

 

"As by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous."

 

That settles the whole question, as to whether you and I can do works that will make us righteous. It is by the obedience of one man. Now which man shall that be? Can I do righteousness that will do you any good? No. Can you do righteousness that will do me any good? No. Suppose that one man could do righteous works that would be set to his account as making him righteous--who shall he be? I cannot do it for you and you cannot do it for me. Then who is the man? Jesus Christ of Nazareth!

 

(Rom_5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous.

 

Jesus, by the obedience of Jesus shall many be made righteous.)

 

This settles the question as to whether justification by faith comes by the law. By the obedience of Christ are many made righteous or obedient. Righteousness is obedience to the law. Did you ever read or hear of any human being who kept the law perfectly? Or did you ever hear of anyone, however high his standard was set, who did not find something beyond, that he had not attained to? Even worldly men often have an ideal of their own, but the nearer they can come to that ideal, the greater lack they see in themselves. Anyone who is sincere in trying to reach a high standard, when he gets there, will see something beyond it.

 

There is one spotless life. There is one man, the man Christ Jesus, who resisted successfully all the powers of sin when He was here upon earth.

 

He was the Word made flesh.

 

God in Christ reconciled the world to Himself.

 

He could stand before the world and challenge any to convict Him of sin. No guile was found in His mouth.

 

Heb_7:26  For such an high priest became us, who is holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens

 

He was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners, and made higher than the heavens," and by His obedience shall many be made righteous.

 

Then comes the question, how can this be? It is the same question that the Jews propounded to Christ, when He said, "Except ye eat my flesh and drink my blood, ye have no life in you." Said they, "How can this man give us his flesh to eat?" There are many today who may be found asking the same question when they say how can I have His life or His righteousness? Could Jesus explain to them how He could give them His flesh? He could not do it except by the words He spake unto them--they are spirit and they are life.

 

The plan of salvation cannot be explained to man. It was made by an infinite being, and we cannot understand it. As to how it takes place we are ignorant. Through all eternity we will not understand how it was done. It is only infinite power that can or could do it. It is only infinite wisdom that can understand it.

 

If we will eat the flesh of Christ and drink His blood, we will have the life of Christ. If we have His life, we have a righteous life; His obedience works in us and that makes us righteous.

 

(Joh_6:35  And Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst.)

 

This does not leave any room for the statement that Christ obeyed for us and that therefore we can do as we please, and His righteousness will be accounted unto us just the same. His obedience must be manifested in us day by day. It is not our obedience, but the obedience of Christ working in us. By those "exceeding great and precious promises," we take the divine life into us. The life we live is the life of the Son of God. He died for us, and loved us with a love that we cannot fathom. The righteousness that we have is His. Thanks be to God for the unspeakable gift. He lets us get all the benefit of that obedience, because we have shown our intense desire for obedience. That is why He gives it to us.

 

2Pe_1:4  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.

 

When you go to God, take these Scriptures on your lips, "We shall be saved by His life." "By the obedience of one shall many be made righteous."

 

Take them to God in prayer. They are true, for the Lord Himself has said so. How can these blessings be obtained? By faith! Take it by faith, and it is yours, and no one can take it from you.

 

Then you will have it, although you do not understand how it can be done. When you have it, you have life. What life? The divine life. Then when you come up to the time of temptation, the time when you have usually fallen, you can tell Satan that he has no power to make you fall beneath that temptation, for it is not you, but Christ that dwelleth in you.

 

There never was a time in the life of any man when of himself he had power to resist temptation. We cannot do it. That proves that we must have a life different from our natural life in order to resist sin at all. That must be a life that sin has never touched and can never touch. Repeat the glorious words over and over again, "His life is mine, I cannot be touched by sin. His strength is my strength; His obedience is my obedience, and His life is my life. That was a sinless life, and by faith I have it, I hold to it, because it is mine, and sin cannot touch it." That is the only way to resist them, and that will be successful every time.

 

1891 General Conference Sermons- Study #9 A.T. Jones -to be continued.

Salvation Is Within Reach of Everyone, Those Who Do Not Get It Do Not Want It.

(Excerpt - Sermon On Righteousness #9)

 

"Death reigned," it "passed upon all men." The twelfth and eighteenth verses tell us what this death is.

 

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

 

Why did it pass? Because that "all have sinned." "Judgement came upon all!" What for? What to? Condemnation. We are familiar with death; we see people being placed in their graves every day. But is that the death referred to? Good men die, with only two exceptions, all the good men that have ever lived upon the earth have died. Do they die under condemnation? No, certainly not. Do they die because they are sinners? No, if they were sinners, they were not good men. There has been no man in this world upon whom the death sentence has not passed, for there never was a man in this world that was not a sinner, and if he became a good man so that he walked with God as Enoch did, it was by faith.

 

If we say that the death which comes to all men--good and bad, old and young alike--is the carrying out of that judgment which "came upon all men to condemnation," then we take the position that there is no hope for anyone who has died. For there is no such thing as probation after death and therefore the man who dies in sin can never be accounted righteous. If it is said that the good do not die in sin, but only because of sins previously committed, the justice of God is impugned, and His imputed righteousness denied.

 

For when God declares His righteousness upon the one who believes, that man stands as clear as though he had never sinned, and cannot be punished as a sinner, unless he denies the faith. Jesus said, "Verily, verily, I say unto you, he that heareth my word and believeth on him that sent me hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation but is passed from death unto life." John 5:24.

 

When Adam was placed in the garden of Eden, the Lord told him, "in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." That does not mean "dying thou shalt die," as the marginal reading has it. That expression is neither Hebrew nor English. It means just what it says, that in the day that Adam ate of the fruit of the true of knowledge of good and evil, in that day he died. In the very day that Adam ate of the fruit, he fell, and the death sentence was passed upon him, and he was a dead man. Sentence was not executed at that moment, and for that matter we know that Adam was a good man and that the sentence never was executed upon him. Christ died for him. But he was in the same condition, after he had eaten of the fruit of the tree that Pharaoh was in after the first-born of all the Egyptians had been killed, when he arose by night and said, "We be all dead men."

 

When sentence has been passed upon a murderer, he is to all intents and purposes a dead man. But it was more than that in the case of Adam. He was dead, and the Son of God was to make him alive. It was only a matter of time till he should be blotted out of existence. But Christ comes in to give man a probation and to lift him up. All that Christ has to give to man is summed up in that one word--life.

 

Everything is comprised in that. This fact shows that without Him men have no life. Said Christ to the unbelieving Jews, "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life." Probably they replied, "we do not need to come, because we have life already."

 

In Ezekiel 13:22 we read, "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad, and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life." There is no life to the wicked. They have no life. They are dead.

 

Said Christ, "He that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him."

 

Christ came to give life to the dead. He gives life only to those who conscientiously lay hold of that life, who bring His life into their lives, so that it takes the place of their forfeited lives. He that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son hath not life. He is dead.

 

So Adam died, and because of that, every man born into the world is a sinner, and the sentence of death is passed upon him. Judgment has passed upon all men to condemnation, and there is not a man in this world but has been under the condemnation of death. The only way that he can get free from that condemnation and that death is through Christ, who died for him and who, in His own body, bore our sins upon the cross. He bore the penalty of the law, and suffered the condemnation of the law for us, not for Himself, for He was sinless.

 

"As by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin . . . even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."

 

What is the free gift? It is the free gift by grace and it appertaineth unto many. The work of Adam plunged man into sin; the work of Christ brings men out of sin. One man's single offense plunged many into many offenses, but the one man's obedience gathers the many offenses of many men and brings them out from beneath the condemnation of those offenses.

Then the free gift is the righteousness of Christ. How do we get the righteousness of Christ? We cannot separate the righteousness of Christ from Christ Himself. Therefore in order for men to get the righteousness of Christ, they must have the life of Christ.

 

So the free gift comes upon all men who are justified by the life of Christ. Justification is life. It is the life of Christ. "For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, even so by the obedience of one many shall be made righteous." These are simple and positive statements. No good can come to man by questioning them. He only reaps barrenness to his soul. Let us accept them and believe them.

 

"The free gift came upon all men to justification of life." Are all men going to be justified? All men might if they would, but says Christ, "Ye will not come to me that ye might have life." All are dead in trespasses and sins. The grace of God that brings salvation hath appeared unto all men. It comes right within the reach of all men, and those who do not get it are those who do not want it.

 

(To Be Continued)

 

1891 General Conference Sermons- Study #9 A.T. Jones

Joyful In Tribulation.

 

(Excerpt - Sermon On Righteousness #9)

 

Rom 5:10  For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. 

Rom 5:11  And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement. 

Rom 5:12  Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: 

Rom 5:13  (For until the law sin was in the world: but sin is not imputed when there is no law. 

Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. 

Rom 5:15  But not as the offence, so also is the free gift. For if through the offence of one many be dead, much more the grace of God, and the gift by grace, which is by one man, Jesus Christ, hath abounded unto many. 

Rom 5:16  And not as it was by one that sinned, so is the gift: for the judgment was by one to condemnation, but the free gift is of many offences unto justification. 

Rom 5:17  For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.) 

Rom 5:18  Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life. 

Rom 5:19  For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous. 

Rom 5:20  Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound: 

Rom 5:21  That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord. 

 

"For if when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life. And not only so, but we also joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now received the atonement." Romans 5:10, 11.

 

The eleventh verse states one of the fruits that must follow from a knowledge that we are "saved by his life." When men have a well-grounded assurance that they are saved by the life of Jesus Christ, when they realize it is so till it becomes a part of their very being, they will joy in God through Jesus Christ their Lord. There can be nothing but joy in the heart of an individual when he knows that he is saved by the life of Christ. That is the secret of joying in tribulation.

 

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned."

 

This verse contains a partially stated proposition. You will notice that commencing with the thirteenth verse and continuing down to the end of the seventeenth, there is a parenthesis. Then in the eighteenth verse, the proposition is taken up again and completed. The first part of the eighteenth verse is merely an equivalent to the first part of the twelfth; it is the same truth expressed in other words--"Therefore as by the offense of one judgment came upon all men to condemnation." Then the closing portion of the verse completed the proposition: "Even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life."

 

We can notice but briefly the intervening verses. They contain rich truths, but the time allotted for this subject is so limited that our remarks must be confined to the major points of the chapter.

 

In the fourteenth verse we have reference to the "reign of death." What is the reign of death? What was this passage of death upon all men? The apostle says that "death reigned from Adam to Moses." He does not mean by this that it did not reign at any other time and that it does not reign at the present time. The part of the verse referring to Adam and Moses is a part of a great argument, which has its starting point back in chapter four. It is a part of his argument on Abraham.

 

The argument in a nutshell is, that the entering in of the law did not in any way interfere with the promise to Abraham. In Romans 4:13, 14 we are told that the promise "that he should be heir of the world was not to Abraham or to his seed, through the law, but through the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect." In these verses the apostle is proving in a practical manner that the law does not enter into man's justification at all; that justification is solely by faith and not by works. Why is it that the law does not enter into the justification of man? "Because the law worketh wrath."

 

If Abraham had been left to be justified by the works of the law, there would have been nothing to be placed to his account but wrath, for that is all that the law can work. But on the other hand, when he is not justified by the law, which could only be the means of imputing wrath to him and is justified by faith, then there is life placed to his account. And life is what is wanted, not wrath. Life is what all men desire, not wrath. Whoever seeks to be justified by his works will reap only wrath. Abraham will receive the inheritance only by the virtue of the promise and he will receive his righteousness only by the faith that he had.

 

Some think that there are two ways of being saved, because the Lord gave the law at Sinai and death had reigned till that time, so of course that means that the law brought life. It is true that the Lord gave the law at Sinai, but the law was in the world long before its giving at Sinai. Abraham had the law, and through the righteousness of faith he was able to keep that law. So the entering in of the law at Sinai did not militate against the promise of God to Abraham. There was no different phase of the plan of salvation introduced at Mount Sinai or at the time of the Exodus. There was no more law after that time than there was before it. Abraham kept the law. If there had not been any law there, Abraham could never have been justified, but he kept the law by his faith. Death reigned through sin before the time of Moses, but righteousness was imputed unto life. This shows that the law was there already, although they did not have it in that written, open form, that they had it afterwards.

 

In regard to the reign of death, (Rom 5:14  Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come.)  I am persuaded that we lose much of the good and the encouragement that there is in this fifth chapter (of Romans) simply by the misapplying of these words--"death reigned," and also the expression "death passed upon all men, for that all had sinned."

 

Why did death pass upon all men?

 

Because that all had sinned! By one man sin came into the world.

 

There are many who will stop at this point and philosophize and question as to how this could be and try to figure out for themselves the justice of it.

 

They will query why it is that we are here in this sinful condition without having had any choice or say in the matter ourselves.

 

Now we know that there was one man in the beginning, and he fell. We are his children, and it is impossible for us to be born in any higher condition than he was.

 

Some will shut themselves out of eternal life because they cannot figure that thing out to a nicety and see the justice of it.

 

The finite mind of man cannot do this, so it is better for him to leave it alone and devote himself to seeking for the proffered salvation. That is the important point for all to consider. We know that we are in a sinful condition, and that this sinful condition is a lost condition. Seeing then that we are in a lost condition, is it not best for us to devote our energies to seeking to attain to that state whereby we may be in a saved condition.

 

What would you think of a man drowning in the ocean who, when someone throws him a rope, looks at it and then says, "I know that I am drowning and that the only hope I have lies in my getting hold of that rope, but I will not take hold of it unless I know that it has really been my own fault that I fell into the water. If it was my own fault, then I will take it, because I am the only one who is to blame for my being in this condition. But if, on the other hand, someone pushed me into the water and I could not help myself, then I will have nothing to do with that rope." Such a man would be considered devoid of common sense. Then, acknowledging that we are sinners and in a lost condition, let us take hold of the salvation that is offered to us.

 

To be continued…

 

1891 General Conference Sermons- Study #9 A.T. Jones

Unspeakable Gift.

 Excerpt-  Romans 5

 

Rom_5:7  For scarcely for a righteous man will one die: yet peradventure for a good man some would even dare to die.

 

"For scarcely for a righteous man will one die." The word in the original signifying "righteous," is a different word from the one which is rendered "good." The word righteous here means a man who is strictly honest and upright, but having nothing peculiarly lovable about him. Scarcely for such an one will anyone die. But for a "good" man, one who is kind and benevolent, who would give all he had to feed the poor and clothe the naked, for a man of this class some would even dare to die. This is the highest pitch to which human love attains. "Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends." John 15:13.

 

But note the love of God. "But God commendeth His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." Romans 5:8

 

We too often measure God and His love by ourselves and our love.

 

The Lord through David said: "Thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself." The unregenerate heart treats as it is treated, and judges God by itself, but God's love is altogether different from human love; He loves His enemies.

 

How wonderful and how matchless is the love of God and to how great an extent was that love shown by the death of His dear Son! What had the world done to merit goodness at the hand of God? It had joined hands with the enemies of God; nothing but punishment was deserved. Some say they cannot accept Christ because they are not worthy. People who have been professed Christians for years will deprive themselves of the riches of God's grace because they say, "I am not worthy." That is true. They are not worthy. None of us are worthy. But God commended His love to us in that while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. Why did He die? To make us worthy; to make us complete in Him.

 

The trouble with those who say that they are not worthy is that they do not feel half unworthy enough. If they felt "without strength," then the power of Christ could avail them. The whole secret of justification by faith and life and peace in Christ lies in believing the Bible. It is one thing to say we believe the Bible and another thing to take every word in it as if it had been spoken by the mouth of God to us individually.

 

In 1 Timothy 1:15 Paul says: "This is a faithful saying and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners."

 

That is exactly what He came for--to save sinners. "The Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost." Oh, that men would realize that they are without strength!

 

When they reach that point, then they can have the strength of Christ. That is the strength that is worth something; it is worth everything.

 

It is a great thing to believe that Christ died for the ungodly. Sometimes we feel almost discouraged, the heavens seem like brass over our heads, and everything we do or say seems to come back in our faces as if it were worth nothing. We think our prayers do not ascend higher than our heads. What will you do at such a time? You must thank God. "Thank Him for what? I have no blessing; I don't feel that I am His child at all; what will I thank Him for?" Thank Him that Christ died for the ungodly. If it does not mean much to you the first time you repeat the words, repeat them again. Then light will soon come in. You feel that you are one of the ungodly; then the promise is yours that Christ has died for you. You are there before Him on your knees because you are a sinner, so you can have the benefit of His death. What is the benefit of that death? "Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life." Roman 5:10

 

Many act and talk as if Christ was dead and irrecoverably dead. Yes, He died, but He rose again and lives forever more. Christ is not in Joseph's new tomb. We have a risen Saviour. What does the death of Christ do for us? Reconciles us to God. It is the death of Christ that brings us to God. He died, the just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God. Now mark! It is the death of Christ that brings us to God; what is it that keeps us there? It is the life of Christ. We are saved by His life. Now hold these words in your minds--"Being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life."

 

Why was the life of Christ given? "God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish but have everlasting life." Then Christ gave His life that we might have life. Where is that life? what is that life? and where can we get it? In John 1:4 we read: "In Him was life and the life was the light of men." He alone has life and He gives that life to as many as will accept it. John 17:2.

 

Joh 17:2  As thou hast given him power over all flesh, that he should give eternal life to as many as thou hast given him. 

 

Joh 17:3  And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. 

 

Then Christ has the life and He is the only One who has it, and He is willing to give it to us. Now what is that life? Verse 3: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." Has a person who knows Christ eternal life? That is what the word of God says.

 

Again He says in John 3:36: "He that believeth on the Son hath everlasting life."

 

These are the words of the Lord Jesus Christ. How do we know that we have this life? This is an important question. "We know that we have passed from death unto life, because we love the brethren. He that loveth not his brother abideth in death. Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him."

 

Says one, "We know that we will get eternal life by and by." Yes, that is true, but it is better than that; we get it now. This is not a mere theory; it is the word of God. Let me illustrate: Here are two men--brothers--to all appearances they are alike. But one is a Christian and the other is not. Now the one that is a Christian, although there is nothing in his external appearance to indicate it, has a life that the other has not. He has passed from death--the state in which the other one is--to life. He has something that the other has not got, and that something is eternal life. The words, "No murderer hath eternal life abiding in him," would mean nothing if nobody else had eternal life abiding in him.

 

1 John 5:10: "He that believeth on the Son of God hath the witness in himself; he that believeth not God hath made him a liar, because he believeth not the record that God gave of his Son." God cannot lie, and so when we say that the words of God are not so, we make liars of ourselves. Now, according to this scripture, we make God a liar, if we believe not the record that God gave of His Son. What, then, must be believe in order to clear ourselves of that charge--of not believing this record and thus making God a liar? The next verse explains it. "And this is the record, that God hath given to us eternal life, and this life is in His Son."

 

Some people are afraid that this idea of justification by faith and eternal life will get men away from the commandments. But nobody but the one who is justified by faith--who has Christ's life--does keep the commandments, for God says that we are justified by faith, and if we say we are not, then we make God a liar--we bear false witness against Him, and we break the commandment. In the verse just quoted we are told what we are to believe in order to be cleared from the charge of making God a liar. We are to believe that God has given to us eternal life in Christ.

 

As long as we have the Son of God we have eternal life. By our faith in the word of God we bring Christ into our hearts. Is He a dead Christ? No. He lives and cannot be separated from His life. Then when we get Christ into our hearts, we get life there. He brings that life into our hearts when He comes. How thankful we ought to be to God for this.

 

When Jesus went to Bethany, He said to Martha, "I am the resurrection and the life." We have already read about passing from death unto life. How is that done? Only by a resurrection. In Christ we have a resurrection to a new life. Note the following: Paul prays that he may know Him and the "power of His resurrection." What is the power of that resurrection? In Ephesians 2:4, 5, 6, and 7 we read, "But God who is rich in mercy, for His great love wherewith He loved us, even when we were dead in sins hath quickened us [made us alive] together with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)."

 

Notice, He hath done this, and He "hath raised us up and made us to sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." We were dead, we are quickened, and we are raised up to sit in heavenly places with Christ Jesus. We must have, and we can have the life of Christ today, for when He comes, He will change our vile bodies by the same power by which He has changed our hearts. The heart must be changed now. It cannot be changed except by the life of Christ coming in and abiding in it. But when Christ is in the heart, we can live the life of Christ, and then when He comes, the glory will be revealed. He was Christ when He was here upon earth, although He did not have a retinue of angels and glory visible about Him. He was Christ when He was the man of sorrows. Then when He ascended, the glory was revealed. So with us. Christ must dwell in our hearts now, and when He comes and changes these bodies, then the glory will be revealed.

 

Christ gave His life for us. John 10:10, 11.

 

Joh 10:10  The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. 

Joh 10:11  I am the good shepherd: the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep. 

 

He gave all there was of Him. What was that? His life. He gave it for our sins.

 

Galatians 1:3, 4.

 

Gal 1:3  Grace be to you and peace from God the Father, and from our Lord Jesus Christ, 

Gal 1:4  Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father

 

We shall be saved by His life. It is the life of Christ that was Jesus Christ of Nazareth. No one could take life away from Christ. The wicked had no power to kill Him. He laid His life down. If He had not chosen to do that, no one ever could have taken it from Him.

 

God raised Him up, "Having loosed the pains of death; because it was not possible that He should be holden of it." It was not possible that death should hold Christ. He had power in His life that defied death. ?????

 

I live by faith on the Son of God, who loved me, and gave Himself for me." Yes, we are crucified with Christ; but is Christ dead? No. He has risen again; then we have risen with Him. But we are in the flesh. That is true; but in the flesh there may be the divine life that was in Christ when He was in the flesh.

 

We cannot understand these things. They are the mystery of the gospel. The mystery of Christ manifested in the flesh. Everything that is done for man by Heaven is a mystery.

 

Once there was a poor woman, who was afflicted with an issue of blood. In a dense crowd she touched the hem of the Master's garment. Said Christ, "I perceive that virtue is gone out of me." Now that woman had a real disease and when she touched the hem of His garment, she was really healed of it. What healed her? There was a real power which came out from Jesus and went into her and healed her.

 

These miracles were written for us. Why were they written? "That ye might believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might have life through His name."

 

The same life and power which went out from Christ and healed the body of that woman went out to heal her soul; Jesus is ready and willing to do the same today.

 

These things were put upon record that we might know that the same Divine power and life that went into the bodies of men to heal them goes into the soul of those who believe. We can take that same life into our souls to withstand the temptations of the enemy.

 

There is only one life that can resist sin and that is a sinless life, and the only sinless life is the life of the Son of God.

 

How many of us have been striving to get ourselves sinless. It has been a losing game. But we can have the life of Christ and that is a sinless life. Thanks be unto God for this unspeakable gift.  

 

2Co_9:15  Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift.

 

1891 General Conference Sermons- Study #8 A.T. Jones.