The Divinely Appointed Remedies:
"White Raiment" and "Eyesalve"
Chapter 8 (continued — part 3)
Note the source of the message: "The
Lord … sent". How better could we "buy" of
Him except to surrender our false concepts and humbly accept the
"message of Christ’s righteousness" that he sent to this
people, but which is not understood today?
It is "the angel of the church"
who is so counseled. It is not enough for us to stand idly by maintaining
a neutral stance in a time of crisis. We are to "buy" of Him —
actually receive. The message should be widely proclaimed by every means
available, in our books, our periodicals, our youth magazines, proclaimed
over the radio and TV, and taught in our institutions of learning, as well
as Sabbath by Sabbath in our pulpits. The mere issuance of a few booklets
containing the message will not suffice. In the 1888 decade, the
messengers were permitted the opportunity of pro-claiming the message
themselves in various ways available to them. But the movement failed
because the ministry as a whole did not wholeheartedly throw themselves
into the glorious proclamation of the message. Aside from Ellen White, the
very best support the messengers were given was half-hearted. (One
prominent historian recognizes that when the dark decade of the 1890’s
turned into the 20th century, no effective messenger among us other than
Ellen White was proclaiming the message. (cf. Norval
Pease, By Faith Alone, p. 164).
Certainly a neutral stance today would be
an improvement over outright opposition. But that would not answer the
call of the True Witness. Neutrality will never ensure the finishing of
Gods work in this generation. We must do better than the Persian
government in the days of Queen Esther who stood neutrally and merely
permitted the Jews to defend themselves. We have no illusions regarding
our previous attitudes being infallible as the Medes and Persians
considered their decrees that could never be altered. The time has come
now to support the truth wholeheartedly.
Let the "tidings of Christ’s
righteousness" permeate the church worldwide. Let the truth go to
work And let our modern methods of communication be fully employed in
proclaiming what Ellen White said is "a most precious message"
which "the Lord in His great mercy sent", "just what the
people needed".
Only then could it honestly be said that
we did our best to obey our Lord so that we could confidently expect He
would answer our prayers for revival and reformation in preparation for
the Latter Rain and the Loud Cry.
Our Lord utters another sentence when He
proposes a third remedy: "And anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that
thou mayest see" (Rev. 3: 18).
The eyesalve is to enable us to:
"Detect sin under any guise"
(4T88).
"Discern necessities of the
time" (CT 42).
"Distinguish between truth and
error" (ML 73).
"See and shun Satan’s wiles"
(5T 233).
In this context our blindness is seen to
be another term for being spiritually
unconscious.
The "eyesalve" is that which will bring unconscious sin to
consciousness. "The message of the True Witness finds the people of
God in a sad deception, yet honest in that deception" (3T 253).
If we will remember that the underlying
sin of all humanity is participation in the crucifixion of the Son of God
(cf. Rom. 3:19; DA 745; TM 38) we are prepared to see that the realization
of this sin is buried beneath the surface for the simple reason that
fallen men do not accept this conviction (ouk edokimasan, Rom.
1:28). And among the professed people of God in these last days there is
much confusion about the nature and depth of their sin. "Thou knowest
not."
Born of a virgin, Christ did not have the
barrier of unconsciousness as we do. Knowing no guilt, He had nothing to
repress or "sweep under the rug" as we do. What all men know
unconsciously in repression, Christ knew consciously. John spoke of this
miracle of the Saviour’s inheritance of our true nature and His
knowledge of it: "Jesus did not commit Himself unto them, because He
knew all men, and needed not that any man should testify of man: for He
knew what was in man" (John 2:24, 25).
We are prevented from a full knowledge of
our sin because the guilt would kill us. But God "bath made him
[Christ] to be sin for us who knew no sin" (2 Cor. 5:21). "The
Lord hath laid on Him the iniquity of us all" (Isa. 53:6). (This is
surely the opposite of an "exemption"!) Thus John told the truth
when he said, "Behold the Lamb of God that taketh away the sin of the
world’ (John 1:29). It is written that in a unique sense Christ
"hated iniquity" (Heb. 1:18). But he could not hate iniquity if
He did not understand it. Paul’s inspired insight presupposes for Christ a
full knowledge of man’s unknown mind. Only thus could He understand and
bear our iniquity. The "eyesalve" is original with Christ.
If the "angel of the church of the
Laodiceans" will receive the "eyesalve" from Christ and use
it, he will discern the full truth about himself and about the Saviour.
Not only will he gain a full knowledge of his sin, but also a full or
complete or "final" atonement for all the sin which is now
unknown. The Laodicean message assumes success: "I stand at the door
and knock … I will come in to him, and will sup with him and he with
Me". (Verse 20). This is closer intimacy with Christ than has been
known by any of the previous six churches. Will the ministry of the High
Priest in the Most Holy Apartment ensure this ultimate success? Will Gods
people at last truly become like Christ in character? The answer is an
unqualified "yes":
Now, while our great High Priest is
making the atonement for us. we should seek to become perfect in Christ.
Not even by a thought could our Saviour be brought to yield to the power
of temptation. Satan finds in human hearts some point where he can gain a
foothold; some sinful desire is cherished by means of which his
temptations assert their power. But Christ declared of Himself: " …
the Prince of this world cometh. and hath nothing in Me". (John
14:30) Satan could find nothing in the Son of God that would enable him to
gain the victory. He had kept His Fathers commandments. and there was no
sin in Him that Satan could use to his advantage. This is the condition
in which those must be found who shall stand in the time of trouble.
(GC 623. emphasis added).
For the first time in history, Laodicea
as a corporate body perceives the full dimensions of Calvary in relation
to the full dimensions of their own sin. Such a vision would truly annihilate them if
they did not "behold Him whom they have pierced’ (Zech. 12:l0). But
they confess and transfer to Christ the now fully conscious conviction of
sin and guilt. The "final atonement" solves the conflict in the
depths of the heart and guilt is reversed and annihilated. While the
saints will still possess a sinful nature and are humble and contrite,
sinning comes to an end.
At last the Lamb finds a "wife"
who can appreciate Him. His experience of Calvary was the full drinking of
the bitter cup of our human guilt. Now His Bride has come to understand
and appreciate what He did. Nothing more is required. This at last is
"faith" and the result is "righteousness" in harmony
with the cleansing of the sanctuary. Is this not the end purpose of the
Laodicean message?
An Epilogue:
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