We want to understand the time in which we live. We do not half understand it. We do not half take it in. My heart trembles in me when I think of what a foe we have to meet, and how poorly we are prepared to meet him. The trials of the children of Israel, and their attitude just before the first coming of Yahushua, have been presented before me again and again to illustrate the position of the people of Yahuwah in their experience before the second coming of Yahushua. How the enemy sought every occasion to take control of the minds of the Jews, and today he is seeking to blind the minds of Yahuwah's servants, that they may not be able to discern the precious truth.
When Yahushua came to our world, Satan was on the ground, and disputed every inch of advance in his path from the manger to Calvary. Satan had accused Yahuwah of requiring self-denial of the angels, when he knew nothing of what it meant himself, and when he would not himself make any self-sacrifice for others. This was the accusation that Satan made against Yahuwah in heaven; and after the evil one was expelled from heaven, he continually charged the Master with exacting service which he would not render himself. Yahushua came to the world to meet these false accusations, and to reveal the Father. We cannot conceive of the humiliation he endured in taking our nature upon himself. Not that in itself it was a disgrace to belong to the human race, but he was the Majesty of heaven, the King of glory, and he humbled himself to become a babe and suffer the wants and woes of mortals. He humbled himself not to the highest position, to be a man of riches and power, but though he was rich, yet for our sake he became poor, that we through his poverty might be made rich. He took step after step in humiliation. He was driven from city to city; for men would not receive the Light of the world. They were perfectly satisfied with their position.
Yahushua had given precious gems of truth, but men had bound them up in the rubbish of superstition and error. He had imparted to them the words of life, but they did not live by every word that proceeds out of the mouth of Yahuwah. He saw that the world could not find the word of Yahuwah, for it was hidden by the traditions of men. He came to place before the world the relative importance of heaven and earth, and put truth in its own place. Yahushua alone could reveal the truth which it was necessary men should know in order that they might obtain salvation. He only could place it in the frame-work of truth, and it was his work to free it from error and to set it before men in its heavenly light.
Satan was roused to oppose him, for had he not put forth every effort since the fall to make light appear darkness, and darkness light? As Yahushua sought to place truth before the people in its proper relation to their salvation, Satan worked through the Jewish leaders, and inspired them with enmity against the Redeemer of the world. They determined to do all in their power to prevent him from making an impression upon the people.
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O,
how Yahushua longed, how his heart burned, to open to the priests the greater
treasures of the truth! But their minds had been cast in such a mold that it
was next to an impossibility to reveal to them the truths relating to his
kingdom. The Scriptures had not been read aright. The Jews had been looking for
the advent of the Messiah, but they had thought he must come in all the glory
that will attend his second appearing. Because he did not come with all the
majesty of a king, they utterly refused him. But it was not simply because he
did not come in splendor that they refused him. It was because he was the
embodiment of purity, and they were impure. He walked the earth a man of
spotless integrity. Such a character in the midst of degradation and evil, was
out of harmony with their desires, and he was abused and despised. His spotless
life flashed light upon the hearts of men, and discovered iniquity to them in
its odious character.
The Son of Yahuwah was assaulted at every step by the powers of darkness. After his baptism he was driven of the Spirit into the wilderness, and suffered temptation for forty days. Letters have been coming in to me, affirming that Yahushua could not have had the same nature as man, for if he had, he would have fallen under similar temptations. If he did not have man's nature, he could not be our example. If he was not a partaker of our nature, he could not have been tempted as man has been. If it were not possible for him to yield to temptation, he could not be our helper. It was a solemn reality that Yahushua came to fight the battles as man, in man's behalf. His temptation and victory tell us that humanity must copy the Pattern; man must become a partaker of the divine nature.
In Yahushua, divinity and humanity were combined. Divinity was not degraded to humanity; divinity held its place, but humanity by being united to divinity, withstood the fiercest test of temptation in the wilderness. The prince of this world came to Yahushua after his long fast, when he was an hungered, and suggested to him to command the stones to become bread. But the plan of Yahuwah, devised for the salvation of man, provided that Yahushua should know hunger, and poverty, and every phase of man's experience. He withstood the temptation, through the power that man may command. He laid hold on the throne of Yahuwah, and there is not a man or woman who may not have access to the same help through faith in Yahuwah. Man may become a partaker of the divine nature; not a soul lives who may not summon the aid of Heaven in temptation and trial. Yahushua came to reveal the Source of his power, that man might never rely on his unaided human capabilities.
Those who would overcome must put to the tax every power of their being. They must agonize on their knees before Yahuwah for divine power. Yahushua came to be our example, and to make known to us that we may be partakers of the divine nature. How?--By having escaped the corruptions that are in the world through lust. Satan did not gain the victory over Yahushua. He did not put his foot upon the soul of the Redeemer. He did not touch the head though he bruised the heel. Yahushua, by his own example, made it evident that man may stand in integrity. Men may have a power to resist evil--a power that neither earth, nor death, nor hell can master; a power that will place them where they may overcome as Yahushua overcame. Divinity and humanity may be combined in them.
It was the work of Yahushua to present the truth in the frame-work of the gospel, and to reveal the precepts and principles that he had given to fallen man. Every idea he presented was his own. He needed not to borrow thoughts from any, for he was the originator of all truth. He could present the ideas of prophets and philosophers, and preserve his originality; for all wisdom was his; he was the source, the fountain, of all truth. He was in advance of all, and by his teaching he became the spiritual leader for all ages.
It was Yahushua that spoke through Melchisedec, the priest of the most high Yahuwah. Melchisedec was not Yahushua, but he was the voice of Yahuwah in the world, the representative of the Father. And all through the generations of the past, Yahushua has spoken; Yahushua has led his people, and has been the light of the world. When Yahuwah chose Abraham as a representative of his truth, he took him out of his country, and away from his kindred, and set him apart. He desired to mold him after his own model. He desired to teach him according to his own plan. The mold of the world's teachers was not to be upon him. He was to be taught how to command his children and his household after him, to keep the way of the Master, to do justice and judgment. This is the work that Yahuwah would have us do. He would have us understand how to govern our families, how to control our children, how to command our households to keep the way of the Master.
John was called to do a special work; he was to prepare the way of the Master, to make straight his paths. The Master did not send him to the school of the prophets and rabbis. He took him away from the assemblies of men to the desert, that he might learn of nature and nature's Yahuwah. Yahuwah did not desire him to have the mold of the priests and rulers. He was called to do a special work. The Master gave him his message. Did he go to the priests and rulers and ask if he might proclaim this message?--No, Yahuwah put him away from them that he might not be influenced by their spirit and teaching. He was the voice of one crying in the wilderness, "Prepare ye the way of the Master, make straight in the desert a highway for our Yahuwah. Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low: and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: and the glory of the Master shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Master hath spoken it." (Isaiah 40:3-4). This is the very message that must be given to our people; we are near the end of time, and the message is, Clear the King's highway; gather out the stones; raise up a standard for the people. The people must be awakened. It is no time now to cry peace and safety. We are exhorted to "cry aloud, spare not, lift up thy voice like a trumpet, and shew my people their transgression, and the house of Jacob their sins." (Isaiah 58:1).
The light of the glory of Yahuwah shone upon our Representative, and this fact says to us that the glory of Yahuwah may shine upon us. With his human arm, Yahushua encircled the race, and with his divine arm he grasped the throne of the Infinite, connecting man with Yahuwah, and earth with heaven.
The
light of the glory of Yahuwah must fall upon us. We need the holy unction from
on high. However intelligent, however learned a man may be, he is not .png)
qualified
to teach unless he has a firm hold on the Yahuwah of Israel. He who is
connected with Heaven will do the works of Yahushua. By faith in Yahuwah he
will have power to move upon humanity. He will seek for the lost sheep of the
house of Israel. If divine power does not combine with human effort, I would
not give a straw for all that the greatest man could do. The Holy Spirit is
wanting in our work. Nothing frightens me more than to see the spirit of
variance manifested by our brethren. We are on dangerous ground when we cannot
meet together like followers of Yahushua, and courteously examine controverted
points. I feel like fleeing from the place lest I receive the mold of those who
cannot candidly investigate the doctrines of the Bible. Those who cannot
impartially examine the evidences of a position that differs from theirs, are
not fit to teach in any department of Yahuwah's cause. What we need is the
baptism of the Holy Spirit. Without this, we are no more fitted to go forth to
the world than were the disciples after the crucifixion of their Master. Yahushua
knew their destitution, and told them to tarry in Jerusalem until they should
be endowed with power from on high. Every teacher must be a learner, that his
eyes may be anointed to see the evidences of the advancing truth of Yahuwah.
The beams of the Sun of Righteousness must shine into his own heart if he would
impart light to others.
No one is able to explain the Scriptures without the aid of the Holy Spirit. But when you take up the word of Yahuwah with a humble, teachable heart, the angels of Yahuwah will be by your side to impress you with evidences of the truth. When the Spirit of Yahuwah rests upon you, there will be no feeling of envy or jealousy in examining another's position; there will be no spirit of accusation and criticism, such as Satan inspired in the hearts of the Jewish leaders against Yahushua. As Yahushua said to Nicodemus, so I say to you, "Ye must be born again." "Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of Yahuwah." (John 3:3). You must have the divine mold before you can discern the sacred claims of the truth. Unless the teacher is a learner in the school of Yahushua, he is not fitted to teach others.
We should come into a position where every difference will be melted away. If I think I have light, I shall do my duty in presenting it. Suppose I consulted others concerning the message the Master would have me give to the people, the door might be closed so that the light might not reach the ones to whom Yahuwah had sent it. When Yahushua rode into Jerusalem, "the whole multitude of disciples began to rejoice and praise Yahuwah with a loud voice for all the mighty works that they had seen; saying, Blessed be the King that cometh in the name of the Master. Peace in heaven, and glory in the highest. And some of the Pharisees from among the multitude said unto him, Master, rebuke thy disciples. And he answered and said unto them, I tell you that, if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out." (Luke 19:37-40).
The Jews tried to stop the proclamation of the message that had been predicted in the word of Yahuwah; but prophecy must be fulfilled. The Master says, "Behold, I send you Elijah the prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful day of the Master." (Malachi 4:5). Somebody is to come in the spirit and power of Elijah, and when he appears, men may say, "You are too earnest, you do not interpret the Scriptures in the proper way. Let me tell you how to teach your message."
There are many who cannot distinguish between the work of Yahuwah and that of man. I shall tell the truth as Yahuwah gives it to me, and I say now, If you continue to find fault, to have a spirit of variance, you will never know the truth. Yahushua said to his disciples, "I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now." (John 16:12). They were not in a condition to appreciate sacred and eternal things; but Yahushua promised to send the Comforter, who would teach them all things, and bring all things to their remembrance, whatsoever he had said unto them. Brethren, we must not put our dependence in man. "Cease ye from man, whose breath is in his nostrils: for wherein is he to be accounted of?" (Isaiah 2:22). You must hang your helpless souls upon Yahushua. It does not become us to drink from the fountain of the valley, when there is a fountain in the mountain. Let us leave the lower streams; let us come to the higher springs. If there is a point of truth that you do not understand, upon which you do not agree, investigate, compare scripture with scripture, sink the shaft of truth down deep into the mine of Yahuwah's word. You must lay yourselves and your opinions on the altar of Yahuwah, put away your preconceived ideas, and let the Spirit of Heaven guide you into all truth.
My brother said at one time that he would not hear anything concerning the doctrine we hold, for fear he should be convinced. He would not come to the meetings, or listen to the discourses; but he afterward declared that he saw he was as guilty as if he had heard them. Yahuwah had given him an opportunity to know the truth, and he would hold him responsible for this opportunity. There are many among us who are prejudiced against the doctrines that are now being discussed. They will not come to hear, they will not calmly investigate, but they put forth their objections in the dark. They are perfectly satisfied with their position. "Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich, and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eye-salve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent." (John 3:17-19).
This scripture applies to those who live under the sound of the message, but who will not come to hear it. How do you know but that the Master is giving fresh evidences of his truth, placing it in a new setting, that the way of the Master may be prepared? What plans have you been laying that new light may be infused through the ranks of Yahuwah's people? What evidence have you that Yahuwah has not sent light to his children? All self-sufficiency, egotism, and pride of opinion must be put away. We must come to the feet of Yahushua, and learn of him who is meek and lowly of heart. Yahushua did not teach his disciples as the rabbis taught theirs. Many of the Jews came and listened as Yahushua revealed the mysteries of salvation, but they came not to learn; they came to criticize, to catch him in some inconsistency, that they might have something with which to prejudice the people. They were content with their knowledge, but the children of Yahuwah must know the voice of the true Shepherd. Is not this a time when it would be highly proper to fast and pray before Yahuwah? We are in danger of variance, in danger of taking sides on a controverted point; and should we not seek Yahuwah in earnestness, with humiliation of soul, that we may know what is truth?
Nathanael heard John as he pointed to the Saviour, and said, "Behold the Lamb of Yahuwah, which taketh away the sin of the world!" (John 1:29). Nathanael looked at Yahushua, but he was disappointed in the appearance of the world's Redeemer. Could he who bore the marks of toil and poverty, be the Messiah? Yahushua was a worker; he had toiled with humble working-men, and Nathanael went away. But he did not form his opinion decidedly as to what the character of Yahushua was. He knelt down under a fig-tree, inquiring of Yahuwah if indeed this man was the Messiah. While he was there, Philip came and said, "We have found him, of whom Moses in the law, and the prophets did write, Yahushua of Nazareth, the son of Joseph." (John 1:45).
But the word "Nazareth" again aroused his unbelief, and he said, "Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?" (John 1:46). He was full of prejudice, but Philip did not seek to combat his prejudice; he simply said, "Come and see." (John 1:39). When Nathanael came into the presence of Yahushua, Yahushua said, "Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom is no guile!" (John 1:47). Nathanael was amazed. He said, "Whence knowest thou me? Yahushua answered and said unto him, Before that Philip called thee, when thou wast under the fig-tree, I saw thee." (John 1:48).
Would it not be well for us to go under the fig-tree to plead with Yahuwah as to what is truth? Would not the eye of Yahuwah be upon us as it was upon Nathanael? Nathanael believed on the Master, and exclaimed, "Rabbi, thou art the Son of Yahuwah; thou art the King of Israel. Yahushua answered and said unto him, Because I said unto thee, I saw thee under the fig-tree, believest thou? thou shalt see greater things than these. And he saith unto him, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Hereafter ye shall see heaven open, and the angels of Yahuwah ascending and descending upon the Son of man." (John 1:48-50).
This
is what we shall see if we are connected with Yahuwah. Yahuwah wants us to
depend upon him, and not upon man. He desires us to have a new .png)
heart; he would
give us revealings of light from the throne of Yahuwah. We should wrestle with
every difficulty, but when some controverted point is presented, are you to go
to man to find out his opinion, and then shape your conclusions from his?--No,
go to Yahuwah. Tell him what you want; take your Bible and search as for hidden
treasures.
We do not go deep enough in our search for truth. Every soul who believes present truth will be brought where he will be required to give a reason of the hope that is in him. The people of Yahuwah will be called upon to stand before kings, princes, rulers, and great men of the earth, and they must know that they do know what is truth. They must be converted men and women. Yahuwah can teach you more in one moment by his Holy Spirit than you could learn from the great men of the earth. The universe is looking upon the controversy that is going on upon the earth. At an infinite cost, Yahuwah has provided for every man an opportunity to know that which will make him wise unto salvation. How eagerly do angels look to see who will avail himself of this opportunity! When a message is presented to Yahuwah's people, they should not rise up in opposition to it; they should go to the Bible, comparing it with the law and the testimony, and if it does not bear this test, it is not true. Yahuwah wants our minds to expand. He desires to put his grace upon us. We may have a feast of good things every day; for Yahuwah can open the whole treasure of heaven to us. We are to be one with Yahushua as he is one with the Father, and the Father will love us as he loves his Son. We may have the same help that Yahushua had, we may have strength for every emergency; for Yahuwah will be our front guard and our reward. He will shut us in on every side, and when we are brought before rulers, before the authorities of the earth, we need not meditate beforehand of what we shall say. Yahuwah will teach us in the day of our need. Now may Yahuwah help us to come to the feet of Yahushua and learn of him, before we seek to become teachers of others.
By: Ellen White
Review and Herald
February 18, 1890
We have taken out from the original article all pagan names and titles of the Father and Son, and have replaced them with the original given names. Furthermore, we have restored in the Scriptures quoted the original names of the Father and Son, as they were originally written by the inspired writers of the Bible. -WLC Team
