"A Brand Plucked From the fire"

"Garments of Splendor"

Sabbath School Today

With the 1888 Message Dynamic

Garments of Grace: Clothing Imagery in the Bible

Lesson 8: "Garments of Splendor"

  

There's a recurring nightmare that some children have of appearing in public naked. It's possible that Christians can "walk naked" (Rev. 16:15) if they do not "watch" lest their natural-born selfishness is exposed through dishonesty, anger, or infidelity to colleagues, family, and friends. It's possible for a self-confident Laodicean church to be spotted publically "naked" (Rev. 3:17), according to "the Son of man" who holds "the seven stars" in His "right hand" (Rev. 1:13, 16). Evidently it will take some terribly embarrassing public self-revelation that will eventually cause her to "abhor herself" and repent (Ellen G. White, Testimonies for the Church, vol. 8, p. 250).

Isaiah thought he could devote his life to the ministry until one day he wandered into the temple and saw "the Lord ... high and lifted up" (Isa. 6:1). He saw the character of God, "holy, holy, holy" (vs. 3), and it flattened him on his face. "Woe is me" for I am "a man of unclean lips" (vs. 5). He had a heart-humbling appreciation of the love of God. It was a revelation of the cross. He could never have written chapter 53 without the experience of chapter 6. Uplifting the cross he became a soul-winner.

Sin has left man exposed naked. Will there be in these last days "rebellious children" that seek to "cover with a covering" (Isa. 30:1). There is a subtle counterfeit righteousness by faith which has become a popular cover for sin which is a spider's web for protection in the great and dreadful day of the Lord. "Their webs ["works"] shall not become garments" (Isa. 59:6).

The false christ has set up shop in a first apartment ministry of mere legal righteousness to cover sin. "Satanappeared ... to carry on the work of God" (E. G. White, Early Writings, p. 56). Such evangelical concepts of righteousness by faith are a "cover [for] themselves with their works: their works are works of iniquity" (Isa. 59:6). Theologically manufactured, substitutionary garments, will never stand up to the "gold" standard "tried in the fire" (Rev. 3:18).

God does not cover sin, but He does cover sinners with His robe of righteousness--"a garment of splendour for the heavy heart" (Isa. 61:3, REB). "I will greatly rejoice in the LORD, my soul shall be joyful in my God; for He hath clothed me with the garments of salvation, He hath covered me with the robe of righteousness" (Isa. 61:10). "This robe, woven in the loom of heaven, has in it not one thread of human devising. Christ in Hishumanity wrought out a perfect character, and this character He offers to impart to us" (E. G. White, Christ's Object Lessons, p. 311). "The loom of heaven" was "His humanity." It is not alone a legal righteousness that He imputes to sinners. It is "a perfect character" He "impart[s] to us." This is the good news of the 1888 message.

Who among God's people is not sick and tired of sin and the world? Who does not long for the coming of Jesus? Yet, our thought patterns have subtly excused sin as a practical nuisance until Jesus comes and makes the great change. In so doing, we have demonstrated an antipathy to the second coming. The Lord diagnoses the problem: They "that take counsel, but not of Me; and that cover with a covering, but not of My Spirit, that they may add sin to sin" (Isa. 30:1). Our High Priest in the cosmic Day of Atonement says He ministers His righteous love from the holiest by means of "My Spirit." This is "the seal of God" (Rev. 9:4).

The ultimate meaning of the cross is the unique Adventist idea of the cleansing of the heavenly sanctuary which stops the flow of sin-pollution from the Laodicean church. Thus "your sins" are "blotted out" in "the times of refreshing [the latter rain]" (Acts 3:19). It is not a works trip program.

However, there is something the bride must "do" in order to participate in "the marriage supper of the Lamb" (Rev. 19:9). The "bride adorneth herself with her jewels" (Isa. 61:10). Finally, "the bride makes herself ready" by receiving from her Supreme Lover the message of the Crucified One in a heart-humbling, spontaneous response of repentance from a corporate body of 144,000. They have grown up by learning from the history of the failures of God's people for over 6000 years, including their own "remnant" biography. 1844 was "our" great disappointment, but 1888 was Christ's great disappointment. "The disappointment of Christ is beyond description" (E. G. White, "A Call to Repentance," Review and Herald, Dec. 15, 1904).

Every one of the 144,000 become soul-winners with the message of the cross to bear to the world--the third angel's message of justification by faith, the sin-pardoning Saviour--which lightens the world with God's glory.

The seal of God's Holy Spirit is the intersection of the revelation of God's love in the cross, with the cleansing of the sanctuary truth; which manifests itself in obedience to all the commandments of God, including the seventh-day Sabbath--the "mark" of God's power to restore sinners to the image of God.

"Awake, awake, Zion, put on your strength; Jerusalem, Holy City, put on your splendid garments!" (Isa. 52:1, REB). The beautiful garments of Zion are the beautiful garments of the inhabitants of Zion. What are they?--"To her it was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is therighteousness of saints" (Rev. 19:8). The call, "Put on thy beautiful garments," indicate that they are all prepared.

Rom. 8:3, 4 says that He was "sent ... to condemn sin in the flesh, that the righteousness [imparted, dikaioma] of the law might be fulfilled in us." The word "righteousness" used there means the righteous character of those who "walk after the Spirit." It's the imparted righteousness of saints. "And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness [imparted, dikaiomata] of saints" (Rev. 19:8). Whereas "by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life" (Rom. 5:18) is the imputed righteousness of Christ.

I give you a check for a thousand dollars and you have the check in your hands; but in fact you don't even have a dime. The money is still in the bank in my name. You only have an imputed $1000, worthless to you until you take it to the bank and "cash" it.

But even the paper money is worthless unless it is backed up by what is of monetary value--gold, silver, or platinum. We could say that only that in your possession is value imparted. Until then money anywhere has had only imputed value.

Revelation 14:1-5 describes a people at the close of time who "are without fault before the throne of God," who "follow the Lamb whithersoever He goeth." Not part way, but totally. They will 

refuse "the mark of the beast" and will receive "the seal of God" (Rev. 13:16, 17; 7:1-4).

--Paul E. Penno

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Garments of Splendor

"In the Shadow of His Wings"

Sabbath School Today

With the 1888 Message Dynamic

Garments of Grace: Clothing Imagery in the Bible

Lesson 7: "In the Shadow of His Wings"

This week's lesson study on the "shadow of His wings" has the stated objective to meditate on the psalms of David "on how God shelters us and covers our sin" (p. 56). This theme of "covering for sin" is presented throughout the daily studies, and it echoes the graphic on the quarterly cover, which was mentioned in Sabbath School Today for lesson 5. Zechariah clearly states (3:3, 4) that the "filthy garments" were to be taken away from Joshua, then he would be clothed with "fine vestments" (REB). Not that "fine vestments" would be placed over Joshua's "filthy garments."

"The only hope of any man lies through Jesus Christ, who brought the robe of His righteousness to put upon the sinner who would lay off his filthy garments. ... There will be no covering up of sins and faults to hide the deformity of character; no robes will be half washed; but all will be pure and spotless" (Sons and Daughters of God, p. 66, emphasis added).

On April 29 the world looked on as Prince William, second in line of succession to the British throne, and Catherine Middleton, were united in marriage in an elaborate royal ceremony. Time magazine described "Kate's" wedding dress as "one of the decade's most anticipated dresses." Do you think that underneath this gorgeous wedding gown was a dirty old dress or undergarments? Do you think God would do that to us--throw "fine vestments" over our "filthy garments"? Is God really just "covering up" our sins, or have our sins been washed away by the blood of the Lamb (not by "laundry detergent" and "bleach")? God does not cover up or conceal our sin; as humans we're good at that, as demonstrated by King David:

King David let himself be lured into horrible sin--adultery-murder-lies. For a year or more he was able to repress the painful guilt, stomp on it, and keep it covered up. And he bluffed and smiled his way through his royal appointments of state; but when in solitary the guilt finally caught up with him, his devastation of soul was horrendous. Nothing could have made him happy. But when God's forgiveness came, David wrote: "Happy are those whose sins are forgiven, whose wrongs are pardoned ["blotted out," REB]. Happy is the man ... who is free from all deceit. ... I was worn out from crying all day long. Day and night You punished me, Lord; my strength was completely drained, as moisture is dried up by the summer heat" (Psalm 32:1-4, GNB). Nothing in the vast universe is so joyous to receive than God's forgiveness.

Forgiveness is great, but there is another dimension involved: the blotting out of sins. It is simultaneous with God's giving (and the church's receiving) the latter rain, which prepares them for the final issues of earth's history: "Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord" (Acts 3:19). When He forgives us He takes the sin away and dumps it in the depths of the ocean where no one can retrieve it--not even Himself. It's His objective act for us. But we can dig it up again like Judas Iscariot did (he had been baptized and ordained and even had worked miracles). We can "crucify Christ afresh" (Heb. 6:6).

But there is a difference in principle between the forgiveness of sin in the daily service of the sanctuary and the blotting out of sin in the Day of Atonement. Rain is rain, whether it falls in the early or latter season. Both the forgiveness and the blotting out of sin are by the blood of Jesus spilled at Calvary.

The "blotting out of sins" is plural, subjective; it concerns the sanctuary itself. It's the meaning of Daniel 8:14, "Then shall the sanctuary be cleansed." The forgiveness of our sins sets us free; the blotting out of sins sets God free. The accumulated burden of the sins of God's people is guilt He has taken upon Himself in the great controversy with Satan. It's for us a deep work of heart-cleansing that is done on the Day of Atonement. When sin is totally eradicated from the hearts of His people, the gospel is demonstrated to be at last effective, "the power of God unto salvation" (Rom. 1:16). Christ's sacrifice is fully rewarded. God is relieved of the burden He has carried all this long while.

True forgiveness that is not rejected by the forgiven sinner is continued by a further experience of repentance. Thus the High Priest is able to blot out the sins that have been forgiven. Paul captured the idea: "'Happy are they ... whose lawless deeds are forgiven, whose sins are blotted out'" (Rom. 4:7, REB). Forgiveness expunges the record, but God also "'counts' as righteous" (vs. 6, REB). In other words, forgiveness is God "giving-for" an alienated heart, repentance/reconciliation so "that the righteousness of the law may be fulfilled in us" (Rom. 8:4). "Forgiveness has a broader meaning than many suppose. … God's forgiveness is not merely a judicial act by which He sets us free from condemnation. It is not only forgiveness for sin, but reclaiming from sin. It is the outflow of redeeming love that transforms the heart" (Thoughts From the Mount of Blessing, p. 114).

But there must be a final end--that "blotting out" that Peter mentioned in Acts 3:19. The Book of Hebrews explains what our Savior is doing just now. It's never been done before--preparing a people (His Bride) for His personal, literal second coming.

In Ellen White's enthusiastic support of the 1888 message she said: "We are in the day of atonement, and we are to work in harmony with Christ's work of cleansing the sanctuary from the sins of the people. Let no man who desires to be found with the wedding garment on, resist our Lord in His office work" (Review and Herald, Jan. 21, 1890).

The 1888 message made the cleansing of the sanctuary to be a practical subject. She saw that the Adventist truth of the cleansing of the sanctuary with a more complete view of justification by faith was like the confluence of two rivers that had flowed separately but now joined to produce a tide that could bear the ship safely to port. She saw in the 1888 message the glorious means of divine grace to make a people ready for the coming of the Lord. This is how the two great rivers, the sanctuary truth and justification by faith, joined together. The message not only called for holy living; it also provided the means--the perfection of their character in Christ on the one hand; and on the other hand in the final destruction of sin and sinners and the cleansing of the universe from all taint of sin. It is Christ fully formed in each believer.

Has God withheld His grace so that no former generation should be "ready" for the marriage of the Lamb? The ministry of the High Priest in the heavenly sanctuary is to accomplish for God's people what has never been accomplished through all the thousands of years of history. The High Priest "will purify the sons of Levi and refine them like gold and silver, till they present right offerings to the Lord" (Mal. 3:3, RSV). These will be offerings free from self-centered concern, which is the foundation of sin. The true Bride will marry her husband because she loves Him.

"I will abide in Thy tabernacle for ever: I will trust in the covert of Thy wings" (Psalm 61:4).

"The Sun of Righteousness shall shine forth with healing in His wings, and the whole earth shall be filled with His glory"

(Manuscript Releases, vol. 17, p. 10).

--Carol A. Kawamoto

Main Sources:
Robert J. Wieland, "Dial Daily Bread" and "Righteousness by Faith and the Cleansing of the Sanctuary."

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In the Shadow of His Wings

Elijah's and Elisha's Mantle

Lesson #6: Elijah's and Elisha's Mantle | 5/7/11

The greatest drought in the history of ancient Israel prevailed in the reign of King Ahab and Queen Jezebel. No rain, not even a drop of dew, fell on the parched land for three and a half years; people were dying everywhere in consequence of the national disaster.

Likewise, a crisis faces the Lord’s church in the last days if there is no “rain” of the Holy Spirit falling upon it worldwide in copious showers of grace. As many Israelites died in Ahab’s days of drought, so many in modern Israel suffer; lacking Heaven’s true showers of “rain” they fall prey to the clever counterfeits that the Enemy, in the great controversy with Christ, foists upon them. Youth and teens especially perish spiritually if they are deprived of fresh “bread of life.” Every wind of doctrine is blowing.

What ancient Israel had prayed for centuries was the fulfillment of their messianic prophecies. The purpose for their existence as a people hinged on the coming of the Messiah promised to their father Abraham. When Jesus was born in the manger of Bethlehem there were few who hailed his arrival, it went largely unnoticed.

The equivalent of ancient Israel’s Messiah for modern Israel is the outpouring of the latter rain consistent with the loud cry of the third angel’s message. This is the climax of Seventh-day Adventists’ purpose for existence in order to mature the grain for harvest and empower her to play a role in enlightening every soul on earth with God’s good news (Rev. 18:1). The prayers of God’s people have implored Him for this gift now for well over 167 years. Do we have the mantle of Elijah to recognize the Spirit when He speaks to us in a still small voice?

The “mantle” represents the Spirit and the message of Elijah (2 Kings 2:8-15). “Henceforth Elisha stood in the place of Elijah.” [1] “When the Lord in His providence sees fit to remove from His work those to whom He has given wisdom, He helps and strengthens their successors. ... They may be even wiser than their predecessors.” [2]

The message of Elijah was to turn “their [Israel’s] heart back again” (1 Kings 18:37). By absorbing a counterfeit Baal worship from the nations around them ancient Israel’s hearts were alienated from God. Baal is the worship of selfdisguised as the worship of Christ. It took about 100 years for such apostasy to break down the societal and family relationships of Israel both ancient and modern (Mal. 4:6).

When Elijah focused the attention of the people upon the altar and “the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice,” “all the people saw it” and “they fell on their faces: and they said, The LORD, he is the God” (1 Kings 18:38, 39). Israel as a corporate body received the gift of repentance by turning from Baal to “the Lord.” Elijah proclaimed the Spirit-indited message of the cross and it prostrated the people in their identification with the Crucified One.

The latter rain came as dew accompanying the Elijah message (“loud cry”), and following quickly on its heels was “a sound of abundance of rain” (vs. 41).

The Holy Spirit had wrought a signal victory for Israel on Mt. Carmel, but Elijah didn’t stay around very long to follow up and strengthen the people with good news. He fled his post of duty for fear of the consequences from Jezebel.

The same Holy Spirit spoke “the word of the Lord” to Elijah on his self-imposed exile at the cave by asking him, “What doest thou here?” (1 Kings 19:9). Though Elijah had fled Israel out of self-preservation—”they seek my life,”—he still understood properly his message: “I have been very jealous for the LORD” (vs. 10). He was concerned for the Lord who had staked His reputation on Israel through whom He had promised the “Seed.”

But the Lord wasn’t finished with Elijah. He took him to Mt. Sinai and re-commissioned him as a “remnant” within Israel with a message. Someone, even if only one, must keep hope alive for the Promised One. Elijah must pass the test of faith (gold tried in the fire) that is motivated by an appreciation of God’s love.

And so there were cyclonic winds enough to move rocks the size of houses. There was an epic earthquake. There was an all-consuming fire. None of these tumults moved Elijah. “The LORDpassed by” and Elijah had the assurance of God’s presence (vs. 11).

That which induced Elijah’s awe and respect, was “a still small voice” of the Holy Spirit (vss. 12, 13). “It is the still, small voice of the Spirit of God that has the power to convict and convert men’s souls.” [3] It was this voice that spoke such penetrating truth to the soul of Elijah which caused him to wrap his face in reverence with “his mantle.” “What doest thou here, Elijah?” (vs. 13). Did I send you here?

The Elijah message focused on God’s everlasting covenant promise in Christ; God’s “altars”; and God’s “prophets” (vs. 14). The cross is the dynamic of the good news which delivers from sin, and this is the message of the gift of prophecy. All three aspects of the gospel were counterfeited by old covenant unbelief; an unthankfulness for the sacrifice; and, disrespect for the Spirit of prophecy.

As in John the Baptist’s fulfillment of the Elijah message, so the message that comes “before the great and dreadful day of the Lord” will “make ready a people prepared for the Lord” (Luke 1:17). It appears that “the third angel’s message in verity” (Rev. 14:1-12) and the “Elijah message” are the same: repentance permeating the “body of Christ.” Everything comes together: the “Elijah message” is that of the great “other angel” of Revelation 18:1-4; it’s the final “everlasting gospel” of 14:6-15; it’s the powerful repetition of “the fall of Babylon” of verse 8; it’s the “witness” of the Lord Jesus to “the angel of the church of the Laodiceans,” the last of the seven churches of history (3:14-21); it’s the call to “be zealous therefore and repent”; finally, it’s the appeal of the Disappointed Lover in the Song of Solomon to His Bride-to-be to consummate the long-delayed “marriage of the Lamb” (19:7, 8). And, Elijah reconciles her heart to Him!1888 was the beginning of our Elijah message—the “loud cry” and “latter rain”—which breaks the drought and feeds the youth and adults with fresh bread from above. “The truth of the gospel” may be recovered (Gal. 2:5):

(a) “God is agape” (1 John 4:8). “We love Him, because He first loved us” (vs. 19). God loves both bad and ugly people.

(b) The message of the cross is that each soul is worth the life of the Son of God and the Father who gave Him to the world (John 3:16). Our hearts are at enmity with Him and hence we need the atonement.

(c) It necessarily follows that it’s easy to be saved and hard to be lost as you see what it cost the dear Son of God to die for you.

(d) The ultimate meaning of the cross is the cleansing of the sanctuary truth. Our High Priest ministers His constraining love, giving us repentance (Rev. 3:19). A “remnant” of Laodicea will corporately repent.

(e) The sanctuary truth is a Saviour who is near to us, having overcome temptations. He took the “likeness” of our “sinful flesh” (Rom. 8:3). We may overcome “even as” He “overcame” (Rev. 3:21).

(f) The truth of the two covenants come into their own with the intersection of the cross, the Sabbath, justification by faith, the sanctuary, and the seal of God. A people are prepared to face the final examination of the mark of the beast and cast a vote for God in “the hour of His judgment.” With the love of God’s law imparted to the 144,000, they are righteous by faith in Him, and prepared for His second coming (1 John 3:3).

—Paul E. Penno

Endnotes (from the writings of Ellen G. White):
[1] “The Little Things,” The Youth’s Instructor, April 28, 1898.
[2] Prophets and Kings, p. 228.
[3] “The Necessity of Dying to Self,” Review and Herald, June 18, 1889.

Elijah's and Elisha's Mantle by Pastor Paul Penno