Principles of God’s Government &
Issues Involved in the Great
Controversy
Introduction
Understanding the principles of God’s Government and the issues involved in the Great Controversy is imperative to the development of character in those who will constitute the Remnant of the Woman’s Seed. This essential knowledge has been masterfully hidden for centuries by the popular Church of the dark ages, and their traditions are handed down to us. We are now in a position to clear the rubbish of error that has been veiling the truth of the nature God’s government, that it may be vindicated to the world and the on-looking universe. This is the true meaning of the Cleansing of the Sanctuary.
“Satan misrepresented God to the world, as he did to Adam and Eve…”ST 5-16-00
“ Rome had misrepresented the character of God and perverted His requirements, and now men rejected both the Bible and its Author. She had required a blind faith in her dogmas, under the pretended sanction of the Scriptures. In the reaction, Voltaire and his associates cast aside God's word altogether and spread everywhere the poison of infidelity.” GC 281
“(Men) fail of a satisfactory understanding of the great problem of evil, from the fact that tradition and misinterpretation have obscured the teaching of the Bible concerning the character of God , the nature of His government , and the principles of His dealing with sin .” GC 492
Thousands have a false conception of God and His attributes. They are as verily serving a false god as were the servants of Baal. Are we worshiping the true God as He is revealed in His Word, in Christ, in nature , or are we adoring some philosophical idol enshrined in His place?” Faith I Live by 59
The Structure of Governments
A Government is comprised of a three distinct fundamental functions for the maintenance of order, discipline and wholesome restraint among its citizens. In ancient Monarchical governmental systems, all three of these functions were constituted in on man, the King. The evolution of earthly governments brought a separation of these functions from each other into three distinct bodies - the Legislature, Judiciary and Executive.
The Legislature :- a body of persons having the power to legislate. i.e. to make or enact laws or to cause, create ,or bring about by legislation. ( Making the Laws )
The Judiciary :- a branch of government in which judicial power is vested; of, or relating to a judgment; the function of judging; the administration of justice. ( Interpreting the laws )
The Executive :- a body designed for or relating to the execution of the laws and the conduct of public affairs. ( Executing the laws )
The Law Giver (The Legislature)
The laws of the governments of men are arbitrary, depending on the choice or discretion of arbitrators, which involves the element of selection by random, sometimes without reason, creating the environment which nurtures despotism and tyranny. Satan is the force behind earthly governments. Their laws are based on the exaltation of self above God.
“And the serpent said unto the woman, ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened , and ye shall be as gods , knowing good and evil .” Gen. 3:4,5
“… But when man fell, the law of self was set up . This law harmonizes with the will of sinful humanity...”
ST 1-25-99
On the other hand, the Law of the Kingdom of God is Absolute, Eternal and Immutable.
“The law of God is the expression of his character. God possesses absolute, invariable, and immutable independence, and his law is without variableness, unalterable, eternal, because it is the transcript of his character . No event can take place that will in any sense make it necessary to declare a law of a contrary nature. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul." Any change in the law would mar its perfection. The slightest variance in its precepts would give reason to the hosts of heaven and to unfallen worlds to think that God's counsels and declarations are not to be relied upon, but need to be remodeled, because they are of a faulty character. Should any change be made in the law of God, Satan would gain that for which he had instituted controversy.” ST 3-12-96
God’s law is as eternal as He Himself. God’s law was not made by Him for creatures, it is an expression of His own nature and character. Therefore, God cannot function apart from and above His own law. In order for God to work above His law, He must be beside Himself.
The Court of God (The Judiciary)
In the court of justice, examination is made of a case and a conclusion or judgment is determined based upon the evidence produced. This is called a Sentence.
A sentence in court is a conclusion given on request or reached after deliberation. It is formally pronounced by a court or judge in a criminal proceeding, and also specifies the punishment to be inflicted upon the convict.
The job of the judiciary therefore is merely to ensure that justice to the law, and to the one charged, is adhered to. It is to determine whether or not the defendant is guilty and if guilty affix the appropriate penalty. If not guilty of criminal charge, justice would therefore demand freedom for the defendant.
In the courts of justice of this world, not only are there unjust arbitrary laws, which clash against just men of God, but there are also dishonest judges who interpret the law according to their debase judgment. Consider the Papal system of justice which is based upon fire and the sword. Luther was brought before the court.
“…To bring their [Papist] arguments in contrast with the doctrines of Luther, which they knew they could not controvert, would prove a losing game to them. Justice and truth were principles which had no place in their system of faith or practice.The arguments which they could use with greatest effect against all opponents were fire and sword.” ST 8-2-83
In the Universal Court of Justice, the Judge Himself, God, is on trial while performing His task of judging. His every sentence must be seen in accordance with absolute righteousness, being transparently clear to the jury - the on-looking universe. Unlike in the courts of this world, He cannot work above and outside of the eternal law in the work of judgment. He cannot do as He pleases if what He pleases is outside of the law. But all that He pleases is always in perfect harmony with the law. Therefore, His verdict on every case will be seen as just because it will be simply a statement of fact in relation to the deeds by the one charged.
“…Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come…” Rev. 14:7
“…What will be the verdict of the judgment if you go to your farm, to your family, to your earthly affairs, and care not for the message of heaven? …” ST 8-8-92
“I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. 2 Tim. 4:1 The judgment scene will take place in the presence of all the worlds; for in this judgment the government of God will be vindicated, and His law will stand forth as "holy, and just, and good." Then every case will be decided, and sentence will be passed upon all. Sin will not then appear attractive, but will be seen in all its hideous magnitude.” Mar 284
“Like the waters of the Flood the fires of the great day declare God's verdict that the wicked are incurable. ” GC 543
God’s Executive System
An execution is a judicial writ empowering an officer to carry out a judgment. It is important to understand that the declaration of judgment is not the execution of judgment. The declaration of judgment states the sentence with its affixed penalty, while the execution of judgment is the carrying out of the sentence by enforcing its penalty.
Under the Divine administration, the guilty person cannot be arbitrarily cleared of the guilt for committing an offense. Every offense to the law must be justly acknowledged and executed to the satisfaction of that law. In declaring His character, His law, to Moses God says,
“…The LORD, The LORD God, merciful and gracious, longsuffering , and abundant in goodness and truth, Keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity and transgression and sin, and that will by no means clear the guilty:… ” Exodus 34:6,7
“Behold, all souls are mine; as the soul of the father, so also the soul of the son is mine: the soul that sinneth, it shall die.” Eze. 18:4
After the investigation of every case in heaven, there will be the declaration of judgment. Following, the executive judgment will commence. This is all pictured in Ezekiel 9.
“And, behold, six men came from the way of the higher gate, which lieth toward the north, and every man a slaughter weapon in his hand; and one man among them was clothed with linen, with a writer’s inkhorn by his side: and they went in , and stood beside the brazen altar. And the glory of the God of Israel was gone up from the cherub, whereupon he was, to the threshold of the house. And he called to the man clothed with linen, which had the writer’s inkhorn by his side; And the LORD said unto him, Go through the midst of the city, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof. And to the others he said in mine hearing, Go ye after him through the city, and smite: let not your eye spare, neither have ye pity: Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at my sanctuary. Then they began at the ancient men which were before the house.” Eze. 9: 2-6
This same scene is pictured in Revelation chapter 7
“And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel.” Rev 7:1-4
The four angels standing on the four corners of the earth are the destroying angels of God. The command is given not to destroy the earth until the sealing of God’s people. They are holding the winds in check, therefore, their method of destroying would be to release the winds.
After the sealing of God’s people, probation is closed for the earth.
“He that is unjust, let him be unjust still: and he which is filthy, let him be filthy still: and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still: and he that is holy, let him be holy still.” Rev 22:11
“What is the seal of the living God, which is placed in the foreheads of His people? It is a mark which angels, but not human eyes, can read; for the destroying angel must see this mark of redemption.” 4BC 1161
The wrath of God will be poured without mixture of mercy upon the dragon, beast and false prophet. These constitute the whole end-time world system of church-state union and the masses of people supporting that Babylonian system.
“The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb :” Rev 14:10
“And I saw another sign in heaven, great and marvelous, seven angels having the seven last plagues; for in them is filled up the wrath of God…And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. ” Rev 15:1,7
The destroying angels of Eze 9; Rev 7 and Rev 5 are the same. In Eze 9 they have slaughtering weapons. In Rev 15 they have vial filled with the wrath of God. In Rev 7 they are holding the four winds from blowing on the earth. Therefore, the slaughtering weapons are the vials filled with the wrath of God and are employed by releasing the four winds.
It is very interesting to note that even before the general closure of human probation, plagues from the vials will come upon the earth. The plagues are mixed with mercy because Jesus still stands as intercessor for His people.
“I want to tell you another thing. The vials of God's wrath and the sprinkling of them are already coming. What is the matter that we do not discern it? It is because the light of truth does not affect the heart. The Spirit of God is being withdrawn from the world.” 2SM 51
“The disasters of the past year in America have caused hearts to tremble, and similar disasters have fallen upon other countries. Already sprinklings from the vials of God's wrath have been let fall upon land and sea, affecting the elements of the air. The causes of these unusual conditions are being searched for, but in vain.” 3MR 312
“The destroying angels of God were at work. One touch, and buildings so thoroughly constructed that men regarded them as secure against every danger, quickly became heaps of rubbish…” A Call to Leave the Cities 9
“The destroying angels are today executing their commission. Death will come in all places....” PM 281
The destroying Angels destroy by allowing destroying agencies to be activated through the withdrawal of God’s Spirit.
“Angels are keeping back the destroying agencies ; for they have an intense interest for these rebellious sons, and they want to help them to return to the fold in safety and peace, that they may finally be over comers, and be saved, eternally saved with the family of God in heaven.” 7BC 923
“At this late hour shall the work of saving souls be retarded? Shall but little be done, when the curse of sin has grown to such proportions that already the Spirit of God, insulted, rejected, and abused, is being withdrawn from the earth? Just as fast as God's Spirit is taken away, Satan's cruel work will be done upon land and sea. Judgments by fire and flood will increase in fearfulness; for Satan claims his harvest of souls in the destruction.” YI 6-29-99
“While appearing to the children of men as a great physician who can heal all their maladies, he will bring disease and disaster, until populous cities are reduced to ruin and desolation. Even now he is at work. In accidents and calamities by sea and by land, in great conflagrations, in fierce tornadoes and terrific hailstorms, in tempests, floods, cyclones, tidal waves, and earthquakes, in every place and in a thousand forms, Satan is exercising his power. He sweeps away the ripening harvest, and famine and distress follow. He imparts to the air a deadly taint, and thousands perish by the pestilence. These visitations are to become more and more frequent and disastrous. Destruction will be upon both man and beast. "The earth mourneth and fadeth away," "The haughty people . . . do languish. The earth also is defiled under the inhabitants thereof; because they have transgressed the laws, changed the ordinance, broken the everlasting covenant." Isaiah 24:4, 5.” CH 461
However, the time will come when universal executive judgment will come upon the earth.
“The present is a solemn, fearful time for the church. The angels are already girded, awaiting the mandate of God to pour their vials of wrath upon the world. Destroying angels are taking up the work of vengeance; for the Spirit of God is gradually withdrawing from the world.” 7BC 983
“The apostle John in vision heard a loud voice in Heaven exclaiming, "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Fearful are the scenes which call forth this exclamation from the heavenly voice. The wrath of Satan increases as his time grows short, and his work of deceit and destruction reaches its culmination in the time of trouble. God's long-suffering has ended. The world has rejected His mercy, despised His love, and trampled upon His law. The wicked have passed the boundary of their probation, and the Lord withdraws His protection, and leaves them to the mercy of the leader they have chosen. Satan will have power over those who have yielded themselves to his control, and he will plunge the inhabitants of the earth into one great, final trouble. As the angels of God cease to hold in check the fierce winds of human passion, all the elements of strife will be let loose. The whole world will be involved in ruin more terrible than that which came upon Jerusalem of old.”
“A single angel destroyed all the first-born of the Egyptians and filled the land with mourning. When David offended against God by numbering the people, one angel caused that terrible destruction by which his sin was punished. The same destructive power exercised by holy angels when God commands, will be exercised by evil angels when He permits. There are forces now ready, and only waiting the divine permission, to spread desolation everywhere. GC 623,624
Finally, the slaughter will take place mentioned by Ezekiel.
“Ephraim is joined to his idols, leave him alone .” Hosea 4:17
“Therefore shall her plagues come in one day, death, and mourning, and famine; and she shall be utterly burned with fire: for strong is the Lord God who judgeth her…Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! For in one hour is thy judgment come .” Rev 18:8,10
“And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be prepared. And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon.” Rev. 16:12, 16
“The people see that they have been deluded. They accuse one another of having led them to destruction; but all unite in heaping their bitterest condemnation upon the ministers. Unfaithful pastors have prophesied smooth things; they have led their hearers to make void the law of God and to persecute those who would keep it holy. Now, in their despair, these teachers confess before the world their work of deception. The multitudes are filled with fury. "We are lost!" they cry, "and you are the cause of our ruin;" and they turn upon the false shepherds. The very ones that once admired them most will pronounce the most dreadful curses upon them. The very hands that once crowned them with laurels will be raised for their destruction. The swords which were to slay God's people are now employed to destroy their enemies. Everywhere there is strife and bloodshed.
“The mark of deliverance has been set upon those "that sigh and that cry for all the abominations that be done." Now the angel of death goes forth, represented in Ezekiel's vision by the men with the slaughtering weapons, to whom the command is given: "Slay utterly old and young, both maids, and little children, and women: but come not near any man upon whom is the mark; and begin at My sanctuary." Says the prophet: "They began at the ancient men which were before the house." Ezekiel 9:1-6. The work of destruction begins among those who have professed to be the spiritual guardians of the people. The false watchmen are the first to fall. There are none to pity or to spare. Men, women, maidens, and little children perish together.” GC 655,656
The Executioner of Death
Evidently, the destiny of man is in his own hands. We determine the outcome of our judgment. God as a righteous judge, in justice, must declare the final choice of every man, whether he has chosen life or death. If he has chosen life, then he is handed over to Christ to receive his reward. If he has chosen death, then he is handed over to the executioner. The important question is, “Who is the executioner of death?”
First, we will see that neither God nor His government is the executioner unto death.
“We cannot know how much we owe to Christ for the peace and protection which we enjoy. It is the restraining power of God that prevents mankind from passing fully under the control of Satan. The disobedient and unthankful have great reason for gratitude for God's mercy and long-suffering in holding in check the cruel, malignant power of the evil one. But when men pass the limits of divine forbearance, that restraint is removed. God does not stand toward the sinner as an executioner of the sentence against transgression; but He leaves the rejectors of His mercy to themselves, to reap that which they have sown. Every ray of light rejected, every warning despised or unheeded, every passion indulged, every transgression of the law of God, is a seed sown which yields its unfailing harvest. The Spirit of God, persistently resisted, is at last withdrawn from the sinner, and then there is left no power to control the evil passions of the soul, and no protection from the malice and enmity of Satan. The destruction of Jerusalem is a fearful and solemn warning to all who are trifling with the offers of divine grace and resisting the pleadings of divine mercy. Never was there given a more decisive testimony to God's hatred of sin and to the certain punishment that will fall upon the guilty.” GC 36
Satan Destroys and Blames God For The Destruction
“Satan works through the elements also to garner his harvest of unprepared souls. He has studied the secrets of the laboratories of nature, and he uses all his power to control the elements as far as God allows. When he was suffered to afflict Job, how quickly flocks and herds, servants, houses, children, were swept away, one trouble succeeding another as in a moment. It is God that shields His creatures and hedges them in from the power of the destroyer. But the Christian world have shown contempt for the law of Jehovah; and the Lord will do just what He has declared that He would–He will withdraw His blessings from the earth and remove His protecting care from those who are rebelling against His law and teaching and forcing others to do the same. Satan has control of all whom God does not especially guard. He will favor and prosper some in order to further his own designs, and he will bring trouble upon others and lead men to believe that it is God who is afflicting them.” GC 589
“It was generally believed by the Jews that sin is punished in this life. Every affliction was regarded as the penalty of some wrongdoing, either of the sufferer himself or of his parents. It is true that all suffering results from the transgression of God's law, but this truth had become perverted. Satan, the author of sin and all its results, had led men to look upon disease and death as proceeding from God,–as punishment arbitrarily inflicted on account of sin. Hence one upon whom some great affliction or calamity had fallen had the additional burden of being regarded as a great sinner. Thus the way was prepared for the Jews to reject Jesus. He who "hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows" was looked upon by the Jews as "stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted;" and they hid their faces from Him. Isa. 53:4, 3. God had given a lesson designed to prevent this. The history of Job had shown that suffering is inflicted by Satan, and is overruled by God for purposes of mercy. But Israel did not understand the lesson. The same error for which God had reproved the friends of Job was repeated by the Jews in their rejection of Christ.” DA 471
“The Jews had forged their own fetters; they had filled for themselves the cup of vengeance. In the utter destruction that befell them as a nation, and in all the woes that followed them in their dispersion, they were but reaping the harvest which their own hands had sown. Says the prophet: "O Israel, thou hast destroyed thyself;" "for thou hast fallen by thine iniquity." Hosea 13:9; 14:1. Their sufferings are often represented as a punishment visited upon them by the direct decree of God. It is thus that the great deceiver seeks to conceal his own work. By stubborn rejection of divine love and mercy, the Jews had caused the protection of God to be withdrawn from them, and Satan was permitted to rule them according to his will. The horrible cruelties enacted in the destruction of Jerusalem are a demonstration of Satan's vindictive power over those who yield to his control.” GC 35
Satan told Eve that disobedience to God would elevate her above God. Therefore, sin is making one’s self god. As we have noted before, a god possesses absolute, invariable, and immutable independence from any other. ST 3-12-96. In the final analysis, God will give man over to himself which in essence is the government established by Satan.
“His [Pharaoh’s] proud disregard of God's command, "Let my people go," confirmed him in his determination not to yield, though evidence was piled upon evidence; and every additional evidence of the power of God that the Egyptian monarch resisted, carried him on to a stronger and more persistent defiance of God. Thus the work went on, finite man warring against the expressed will of an infinite God. This case is a clear illustration of the sin against the Holy Ghost. "Whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." Gradually the Lord withdrew his Spirit. Removing his restraining power, he gave the king into the hands of the worst of all tyrants ,-- self .” RH 7-27-97
Man is his own executioner by choosing to disregard the God of heaven and earth and following the path of his own choosing. God simply gives him up to that government which he has chosen. The inevitable result is death, for no government can sustain life but God’s. So long as God withdraw His sustaining power from an individual there is no other power that can sustain him.
The Sword of Justice – The Cross
“The sword of justice was unsheathed, and the wrath of God against iniquity rested upon man's substitute, Jesus Christ, the only begotten of the Father.” 5BC 1102
“It is a fearful thing for the unrepenting sinner to fall into the hands of the living God. This is proved by the history of the destruction of the old world by a flood, by the record of the fire which fell from heaven and destroyed the inhabitants of Sodom. But never was this proved to so great an extent as in the agony of Christ, the Son of the infinite God, when he bore the wrath of God for a sinful world. It was in consequence of sin, the transgression of God's law, that the Garden of Gethsemane has become pre-eminently the place of suffering to a sinful world. No sorrow, no agony, can measure with that which was endured by the Son of God.” AG 168
“The mystery of the cross explains all other mysteries. In the light that streams from Calvary, the attributes of God which had filled us with fear and awe appear beautiful and attractive. Mercy, tenderness, and parental love are seen to blend with holiness, justice, and power. " AG186
“The fact that His own Son, the Surety for man, was not spared, is an argument that will stand to all eternity before saint and sinner, before the universe of God, to testify that He will not excuse the transgressor of His law. Every offense against God's law, however minute, is set down in the reckoning, and when the sword of justice is taken in hand, it will do the work for impenitent transgressors that was done to the divine Sufferer. Justice will strike; for God's hatred of sin is intense and overwhelming.” 3BC 1166
“Christ was now standing in a different attitude from that in which He had ever stood before. His suffering can best be described in the words of the prophet, "Awake, O sword, against My shepherd, and against the man that is My fellow, saith the Lord of hosts." Zech. 13:7. As the substitute and surety for sinful man, Christ was suffering under divine justice. He saw what justice meant. Hitherto He had been as an intercessor for others; now He longed to have an intercessor for Himself.” DA 686
“I ask the impenitent, What greater evidence do you want that God is a God of justice? If the sword of justice woke in its might against the Fellow of the Almighty, and was not sheathed until bathed in the blood of God's only begotten Son, what will be the punishment of those who refuse to accept the atoning sacrifice?” 18MR 336
And how did the sword of justice awake in its might against the Only Begotten Son of God?
“The spotless Son of God took upon Himself the burden of sin. He who had been one with God, felt in His soul the awful separation that sin makes between God and man. This wrung from His lips the anguished cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken Me?" Matthew 27:46. It was the burden of sin, the sense of its terrible enormity, of its separation of the soul from God--it was this that broke the heart of the Son of God.” SC 13
“God forbears, for a time, the full execution of the sentence of death pronounced upon man.” 1BC 1085
The Sword of Justice Against the Finally Impenitent
Though there is a delay in the execution of the sentence against transgression, yet the event will come for the finally impenitent. As yet, the Son of God is the only One who has received such an awful experience. However, at the end Satan, his evil angels and all unrepentant sinners will receive the results of their choice. In this, God will be vindicated.
“Justice points to the broken tablets of the broken law and draws her sword against the transgressor. All apologies or excuses for sin are of no value with God.” TSB 179
“Christ felt the anguish which the sinner will feel when mercy shall no longer plead for the guilty race. It was the sense of sin, bringing the Father's wrath upon Him as man's substitute, that made the cup He drank so bitter, and broke the heart of the Son of God.” DA 753
“Christ felt much as sinners will feel when the vials of God's wrath shall be poured out upon them. Black despair, like the pall of death, will gather about their guilty souls, and then they will realize to the fullest extent the sinfulness of sin. Salvation has been purchased for them by the suffering and death of the Son of God. It might be theirs, if they would accept of it willingly, gladly; but none are compelled to yield obedience to the law of God. If they refuse the heavenly benefit and choose the pleasures and deceitfulness of sin, they have their choice, and at the end receive their wages, which is the wrath of God and eternal death. They will be forever separated from the presence of Jesus, whose sacrifice they had despised. They will have lost a life of happiness and sacrificed eternal glory for the pleasures of sin for a season.” 2T 2110
“He [The Sinner] will realize that because of transgression, his soul is cut off from God, and that God's wrath abides on him. This is a fire unquenchable, and by it every unrepentant sinner will be destroyed.” ST 4-14-98
“ Then the end will come. God will vindicate His law and deliver His people. Satan and all who have joined him in rebellion will be cut off. Sin and sinners will perish, root and branch, (Mal. 4:1),--Satan the root, and his followers the branches. The word will be fulfilled to the prince of evil, "Because thou hast set thine heart as the heart of God; . . . I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. . . . Thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more." Then "the wicked shall not be: yea, thou shalt diligently consider his place, and it shall not be;" "they shall be as though they had not been." Ezek. 28:6-19; Ps. 37:10; Obadiah 16.”
“This is not an act of arbitrary power on the part of God. The rejecters of His mercy reap that which they have sown. God is the fountain of life; and when one chooses the service of sin, he separates from God, and thus cuts himself off from life. He is "alienated from the life of God." Christ says, "All they that hate Me love death." Eph. 4:18; Prov. 8:36. God gives them existence for a time that they may develop their character and reveal their principles. This accomplished, they receive the results of their own choice. By a life of rebellion, Satan and all who unite with him place themselves so out of harmony with God that His very presence is to them a consuming fire. The glory of Him who is love will destroy them.” DA 763,764
Conclusion
As in the beginning of the Great Controversy between good and evil, so also it will be in the End. The Great Controversy will not be determined by force. God’s Government will be vindicated as just and true. The Sanctuary will be cleansed.
“God could have destroyed Satan and all his sympathizers as easily as one can pick up a pebble and cast it to the earth. But by so doing he would have given a precedent for the exercise of force. All the compelling power is found only under Satan's government. The Lord's principles are not of this order. He would not work on this line.” RH 9-7-97
“ It is no part of Christ's mission to compel men to receive Him . It is Satan, and men actuated by his spirit, that seek to compel the conscience. Under a pretense of zeal for righteousness, men who are confederate with evil angels bring suffering upon their fellow men, in order to convert them to their ideas of religion; but Christ is ever showing mercy, ever seeking to win by the revealing of His love. He can admit no rival in the soul, nor accept of partial service; but He desires only voluntary service, the willing surrender of the heart under the constraint of love. There can be no more conclusive evidence that we possess the spirit of Satan than the disposition to hurt and destroy those who do not appreciate our work, or who act contrary to our ideas.” RH 9-7-97
Justice and Mercy combined in Love
As the bow in the cloud is formed by the union of the sunlight and the shower, so the rainbow encircling the throne represents the combined power of mercy and justice. It is not justice alone that is to be maintained; for this would eclipse the glory of the rainbow of promise above the throne; men could see only the penalty of the law. Were there no justice, no penalty, there would be no stability to the government of God. It is the mingling of judgment and mercy that makes salvation complete. It is the blending of the two that leads us, as we view the world's Redeemer, and the law of Jehovah, to exclaim, "Thy gentleness hath made me great." We know that the gospel is a perfect and complete system, revealing the immutability of the law of God. It inspires the heart with hope, and with love to God. Mercy invites us to enter through the gates into the city of God, and justice is satisfied to accord to every obedient soul full privileges as a member of the royal family, a child of the heavenly King. If we were defective in character, we could not pass the gates that mercy has opened to the obedient; for justice stands at the entrance, and demands holiness in all who would see God. Were justice extinct, and were it possible for divine mercy to open the gates to the whole race, irrespective of character, there would be a worse condition of disaffection and rebellion in heaven than before Satan was expelled. The peace, happiness, and harmony of heaven would be broken. The change from earth to heaven will not change men's character; the happiness of the redeemed in heaven results from the character formed in this life after the image of Christ. The saints in heaven will first have been saints on earth.” RH 12-13-92
“Those who have an experimental knowledge of the truth are under obligation to God to communicate the precious light. . . . Some will be convicted and will heed the words spoken to them in love and tenderness. They will acknowledge that the truth is the very thing they need to set them free from the slavery of sin and the bondage of worldly principles. There are opened before them themes of thought, fields for action, that they had never comprehended. In Jesus the Redeemer they discern infinite wisdom, infinite justice, infinite mercy--depths, heights, lengths and breadths of love which passeth knowledge. Beholding the perfection of Christ's character, contemplating His mission, His love, His grace, His truth, they are charmed; the great want of the soul is met, and they will say with the psalmist, "I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness" (Ps. 17: 15). The divine object of faith and love they see to be Jesus Christ. With them the love of the world, the worshiping of earthly treasures, have come to an end.” That I May Know Him 216
“In the time of the Saviour, the Jews had so covered over the precious jewels of truth with the rubbish of tradition and fable, that it was impossible to distinguish the true from the false. The Saviour came to clear away the rubbish of superstition and long-cherished errors, and to set the jewels of God's word in the frame-work of truth. What would the Saviour do if he should come to us now as he did to the Jews? He would have to do a similar work in clearing away the rubbish of tradition and ceremony. The Jews were greatly disturbed when he did this work. They had lost sight of the original truth of God, but Christ brought it again to view. It is our work to free the precious truths of God from superstition and error. What a work is committed to us in the gospel! An angel's pen could not portray all the glory of the revealed plan of redemption. The Bible tells how Christ bore our sins, and carried our sorrows. Here is revealed how mercy and truth have met together at the cross of Calvary, how righteousness and peace have kissed each other, how the righteousness of Christ may be imparted to fallen man. There infinite wisdom, infinite justice, infinite mercy, and infinite love were displayed. Depths, heights, lengths, and breadths of love and wisdom, all passing knowledge, are made known in the plan of salvation.” RH 6-4-89
“But to make known to man the love of God and to bring them to share His grace,--even this was not the only purpose of the Saviour's life of suffering and death of shame. Results of yet deeper significance, of infinitely greater extent, flow from the sacrifice of the Son of God. By the death of Christ not only man is set free from Satan's power, and uplifted from the pit of ruin, but the justice and mercy of God, and the immutability of His law, are vindicated before the universe.” Bible Training School 12-1-08
“The Israelites had been guilty of treason, and that against a King who had loaded them with benefits and whose authority they had voluntarily pledged themselves to obey. That the divine government might be maintained justice must be visited upon the traitors. Yet even here God's mercy was displayed. While He maintained His law, He granted freedom of choice and opportunity for repentance to all. Only those were cut off who persisted in rebellion.” PP 324
“That day had now come to Jerusalem. Jesus, from the summit of Olivet, in a voice broken by irrepressible sobs and tears, makes his last appeal to the nation of his choice: "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace--" A little remnant of the day still remained, in which Jerusalem might see and repent of her fatal error, and turn to Christ. While the fast westering sun yet lingered in the heavens there was time for her to be saved. The angel of mercy had long pleaded for the impenitent city; but now she prepared to step down from the golden throne, while the words of irrevocable justice were spoken: "But now they are hid from thine eyes." 3SP 11,12
Eternal Security Through Christ’s Sacrifice
“The sacrifice of Christ for a fallen world draws not only men, but angels unto Him bonds of indissoluble union. Through the plan of salvation the justice and mercy of God are fully vindicated, and to all eternity rebellion will never again arise, affliction never again touch the universe of God.” Messenger 6-7-93
Satan Reflects on his Work
“Satan the first apostate, looked upon the fruit of his apostasy in the vast army under his banner, and his mind was made to comprehend the meaning of warfare against God and his Son. He saw how many he had by his subtlety led away from God, from happiness and holiness. The truth of his position and his efforts to overthrow God and assume his place, when he took with him vast numbers of angels who might have been a happy family in heaven, flashed over him. Never had the arch-deceiver such an appreciation of God and his throne, his holiness, his justice, his goodness, his amazing love, as when Christ hung on the cross. Mercy and Truth had met together; Righteousness and Peace had embraced each other. Mrs. E. G. White.” GCB 10-1-99
The Sword of Justice Applied Under the Theocracy
“An act of justice, stern and terrible, was yet to be performed. Samuel must publicly vindicate the honor of God, and rebuke the course of Saul. He commands that the king of the Amalekites be brought before him. Above all who had fallen by the sword of Israel, Agag was responsible as the upholder of the debasing heathenism of his people, and the instigator of their revolting cruelties; it was just that upon him should fall the heaviest penalty. He came at the prophet's command, in the pride of royalty, flattering himself that he could overawe the servant of God, and that all danger of death was past. Samuel's words dispelled his assurance: As thy sword hath made women childless, so shall thy mother be made childless among women." "And Samuel hewed Agag in pieces before the Lord." This done, Samuel returned to his home at Ramah, Saul to his at Gilgal. The prophet and the king were never to meet again.” ST 8-31-82
Sword of Executioner
“The apostle was looking into the great beyond, not with uncertainty or dread, but with joyous hope and longing expectation. As he stands at the place of martyrdom he sees not the sword of the executioner or the earth so soon to receive his blood; he looks up through the calm blue heaven of that summer day to the throne of the Eternal.” AA 511
The Amalekites
“The Amalekites were not ignorant of God's character or of His sovereignty, but instead of fearing before Him, they had set themselves to defy His power. The wonders wrought by Moses before the Egyptians were made a subject of mockery by the people of Amalek, and the fears of surrounding nations were ridiculed. They had taken oath by their gods that they would destroy the Hebrews, so that not one should escape, and they boasted that Israel's God would be powerless to resist them. They had not been injured or threatened by the Israelites. Their assault was wholly unprovoked. It was to manifest their hatred and defiance of God that they sought to destroy His people. The Amalekites had long been high-handed sinners, and their crimes had cried to God for vengeance, yet His mercy had still called them to repentance; but when the men of Amalek fell upon the wearied and defenseless ranks of Israel, they sealed their nation's doom. The care of God is over the weakest of His children. No act of cruelty or oppression toward them is unmarked by Heaven. Over all who love and fear Him, His hand extends as a shield; let men beware that they smite not that hand; for it wields the sword of justice.” PP 300
Uzzah’s Death
“The Philistines, who had not a knowledge of God's law, had placed the ark upon a cart when they returned it to Israel, and the Lord accepted the effort which they made. But the Israelites had in their hands a plain statement of the will of God in all these matters, and their neglect of these instructions was dishonoring to God. Upon Uzzah rested the greater guilt of presumption. Transgression of God's law had lessened his sense of its sacredness, and with unconfessed sins upon him he had, in face of the divine prohibition, presumed to touch the symbol of God's presence. God can accept no partial obedience, no lax way of treating His commandments. By the judgment upon Uzzah He designed to impress upon all Israel the importance of giving strict heed to His requirements. Thus the death of that one man, by leading the people to repentance, might prevent the necessity of inflicting judgments upon thousands. Conflict and courage 176
“But "when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his rashness;[* MARGINAL READING] and there he died by the ark of God." A sudden terror fell upon the rejoicing throng. David was astonished and greatly alarmed, and in his heart he questioned the justice of God. He had been seeking to honor the ark as the symbol of the divine presence. Why, then, had that fearful judgment been sent to turn the season of gladness into an occasion of grief and mourning? Feeling that it would be unsafe to have the ark near him, David determined to let it remain where it was. A place was found for it nearby, at the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.” PP 705
“Uzzah meddled with the ark, notwithstanding the plain command of the Lord to regard it with fear and trembling, and to keep it sacred. He had to be removed from the Lord's work. God changes not. To-day he is just as desirous as in the days of Uzzah that men shall know his ways, and that they shall reverence the methods he has outlined for their guidance. They are to carry out the plans he has devised. When men feel that it is unimportant to obey a "Thus saith the Lord" in carrying forward his work, but that their own plans should be followed, they thereby evidence unfitness for any position of trust in his cause. In every effort to advance the interests of his work, we must lose sight of self, and keep in view God's glory.” RH 9-14-05
“Then came King David, with thirty thousand chosen men of Israel, to bring it to his own city, with music and rejoicing, with great display and with signal honors. The ark was carried in a new cart; and when they came to a rough place in the road, Uzzah put forth his hand to steady it. God had commanded that no hand but that of a consecrated priest should touch the sacred repository of his law, and special ceremonies of purification and preparation were enjoined; but Uzzah touched it with sinful, unhallowed hand, and was slain before the Lord. "And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me?" And he left the ark in the house of Obed-edom; and the Lord blessed Obed-edom and all his household because of the ark.” ST 7-24-84
“The fate of Uzzah was a divine judgment upon the violation of a most explicit command. Through Moses the Lord had given special instruction concerning the transportation of the ark. None but the priests, the descendants of Aaron, were to touch it, or even to look upon it uncovered. . . .” Conflict and Courage 176
"And David was afraid of the Lord that day, and said, How shall the ark of the Lord come to me? So David would not remove the ark of the Lord unto him into the city of David; but David carried it aside into the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite." David knew that he was a sinful man; and he was afraid that, like Uzzah, he should in some way be presumptuous, and call forth the wrath of God upon himself. "And the ark of the Lord continued in the house of Obed-edom, the Gittite, three months; and the Lord blessed Obed-edom, and all his household."1SP 410
“But "when they came to Nachon's threshing floor, Uzzah put forth his hand to the ark of God, and took hold of it; for the oxen shook it. And the anger of the Lord was kindled against Uzzah, and God smote him there for his rashness;[* MARGINAL READING] and there he died by the ark of God." A sudden terror fell upon the rejoicing throng. David was astonished and greatly alarmed, and in his heart he questioned the justice of God. He had been seeking to honor the ark as the symbol of the divine presence. Why, then, had that fearful judgment been sent to turn the season of gladness into an occasion of grief and mourning? Feeling that it would be unsafe to have the ark near him, David determined to let it remain where it was. A place was found for it nearby, at the house of Obed-edom the Gittite.” PP 705
Nadab and Abihu were Cut Off
This fact is illustrated in the case of Nadab and Abihu. The Lord had kindled a sacred fire, from which the priests were to take coals, for the burning of incense before the Lord. They were not to use strange fire in the services of the sanctuary; but, under the effects of strong drink, the sons of Aaron lost all sense of sacred things. They kindled their incense from common fire, and disregarded the commandment of God. The Lord did not excuse their sin because they had unfitted themselves for their sacred duties by indulgence in drink. They were cut off from the congregation of Israel. God's dealing with these transgressors should be a warning to the children of men to-day. You are to offer to God a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable. As these intoxicants are used, the same effects will follow as in the case of these priests of Israel. The conscience will lose its sensibility to sin, and a process of hardening to iniquity will most certainly take place, till the common and the sacred will lose all difference of significance.” ST 2-17-88
“…The minds of Nadab and Abihu were beclouded because of intemperance, and in the place of taking the fire God had commanded them they took the common fore, and God destroyed them.” Temperance 287
“…Nadab and Abihu, by drinking wine, beclouded their reasoning faculties, and so lost their sense of sacred things, that they thought they could as well offer common fire as sacred. God did not excuse them because the brain was confused. Fire from his presence destroyed them in their sin.” 4aSG 125
Elijah, The Fire of God and the Sacrifice
“And it came to pass at the time of the offering of the evening sacrifice, that Elijah the prophet came near, and said, Lord God of Abraham, Isaac, and of Israel, let it be known this day that Thou art God in Israel, and that I am Thy servant, and that I have done all these things at Thy word. Hear me, O Lord, hear me, that this people may know that Thou art the Lord God, and that Thou hast turned their heart back again. Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and licked up the water that was in the trench. And when all the people saw it, they fell on their faces: and they said, The Lord, He is the God; the Lord, He is the God."3T 283
“When Elijah sought God in the mountains, a devouring fire swept by; but God was not in the flame. A tempest rose, the thunder rolled, and the lightnings flashed; but God was not in all this. Then there came a still small voice, and the prophet covered his head before the presence of the Lord. It is the still, small voice of the Spirit of God that has the power to convict and convert men's souls.” RH 6-18-89
God’s Command to Men to Execute His Sentence
“Those who performed this terrible work of judgment were acting by divine authority, executing the sentence of the King of heaven. Men are to beware how they, in their human blindness, judge and condemn their fellow men; but when God commands them to execute His sentence upon iniquity, He is to be obeyed. Those who performed this painful act, thus manifested their abhorrence of rebellion and idolatry, and consecrated themselves more fully to the service of the true God. The Lord honored their faithfulness by bestowing special distinction upon the tribe of Levi.” PP 324
Conquest of Jericho
“In the taking of Jericho the Lord God of hosts was the general of the army. He made the plan for the battle and united heavenly and human agencies to act a part in the work, but no human hand touched the walls of Jericho. God so arranged the plan that man could take no credit to himself for achieving the victory. God alone is to be glorified.” TM 2114
“The Captain of the Lord's host must go before us, if we meet with success. There are difficulties that we shall meet, and our only hope of reaching the people in England is through Jesus Christ. The Captain of the Lord's host is just as ready to help us as he was to help Joshua. It is for us to obey orders, and it will be in our work as it was at Jericho. By obeying orders and marching round the city as the Lord had commanded, a mighty angel was sent to throw down the walls of Jericho, and the armies of Israel marched straight into the city. We must have much less self-confidence and much more of Jesus. We want now to place ourselves in right relation with Jesus; let self be sunk out of sight in Christ, who is acquainted with every heart, who can impress the workers with the right plans of labor, and also impress the hearts of those for whom we labor, which we can reach these precious souls.” RH 7-12-87
“The bulwarks of Satan will never triumph. Victory will attend the third angel's message. As the Captain of the Lord's host tore down the walls of Jericho, so will the Lord's commandment-keeping people triumph, and all opposing elements be defeated.--TM 410 (1898).” LDE 52
“To reduce Jericho was seen by Joshua to be the first step in the conquest of Canaan. But first of all he sought an assurance of divine guidance, and it was granted him. Withdrawing from the encampment to meditate and to pray that the God of Israel would go before His people, he beheld an armed warrior, of lofty stature and commanding presence, "with his sword drawn in his hand." To Joshua's challenge, "Art thou for us, or for our adversaries?" the answer was given, "As Captain of the host of the Lord am I now come." The same command given to Moses in Horeb, "Loose thy shoe from off thy foot; for the place whereon thou standest is holy," revealed the true character of the mysterious stranger. It was Christ, the Exalted One, who stood before the leader of Israel. Awe-stricken, Joshua fell upon his face and worshiped, and heard the assurance, "I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, and the mighty men of valor," and he received instruction for the capture of the city.” PP 487,488
“Suddenly the vast army halts. The trumpets break forth in a blast that shakes the very earth. The united voices of all Israel rend the air with a mighty shout. The walls of solid stone, with their massive towers and battlements, totter and heave from their foundations and, with a crash like a thousand thunders, fall in shapeless ruin to the earth. The inhabitants and the army of the enemy, paralyzed with terror and amazement, offer no resistance, and Israel marches in and takes captive the mighty city of Jericho.” 4T 161
