The 1888 Message and it's rejection

The Everlasting Gospel of Jesus Christ Rejected (1888) “The Lord in His great mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Waggoner and Jones. This message was to bring more prominently before the world the uplifted Saviour, the sacrifice for the sins of the whole world. It presented justification through faith in the Surety; it invited the people to receive the righteousness of Christ, which is made manifest in obedience to all the commandments of God. Many had lost sight of Jesus. They needed to have their eyes directed to His divine person, His merits, and His changeless love for the human family. All power is given into His hands, that He may dispense rich gifts unto men, imparting the priceless gift of His own righteousness to the helpless human agent. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel's message, which is to be proclaimed with a loud voice, and attended with the outpouring of His Spirit in a large measure.” (TM 91). The above resume of the 1888 message on righteousness by faith is a portion of a letter written to O. A. Olsen (then General Conference President) on May 1, 1895, from Hobart, Tasmania. This section of Testimonies to Ministers which includes pages 91-94 could hardly be fraught with greater meaning to us. At the time of the 1888 message, God in His infinite wisdom and mercy had every intention of completing His work in His people, pouring out His Spirit in large measure and vindicating His character before all His creation. Put simply, it was His intention that His children receive the Holy Spirit in latter rain power, preparatory to giving the Loud Cry. This most precious message being His invitation for us to be in the Heavenly Canaan, so that the misery of sin could be ended for eternity. The fact that we are still here, some 120 years later (three generations) is unmistakable evidence that the 1888 Message and the Spirit of the Lovely Jesus have been rejected and turned away. Yes, we have lost sight of Jesus and the power of the Gospel to save from sin. This is a serious situation for, -“The time of test is just upon us, for the loud cry of the third angel has already begun in the revelation of the righteousness of Christ, the sin-pardoning Redeemer. This is the beginning of the light of the angel whose glory shall fill the whole earth.” (RH November 22, 1892) The “Messenger of Lord," also identified the 1888 message as “showers of the latter rain from heaven” (Special Testimonies, Series A, No. 6 p. 19). The sin of Unbelief is as witchcraft; Self was the ultimate reason for Church Leadership's refusal to humble their heart to accept the gracious message in “God’s appointed way”. “But that light which is to fill the whole earth with its glory has been despised by some who claim to believe the present truth. Be careful how you treat it. Take off the shoes off your feet; for you are on holy ground. Beware how you indulge the attributes of Satan, and pour contempt upon the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I know not but some have even now gone too far to return and to repent…. The Spirit of God is departing from many among His people. Many have entered into dark, secret paths, and some will never return. They will continue to stumble to their ruin. They have tempted God, they have rejected light.” (TM 89, 90). Some History “The history of ancient Israel is a striking illustration of the past experience of the Adventist body. God led His people in the advent movement, even as He led the children of Israel from Egypt. In the great disappointment their faith was tested as was that of the Hebrews at the Red Sea. Had they still trusted to the guiding hand that had been with them in their past experience, they would have seen the salvation of God. “If all who had labored unitedly in the work in 1844, had received the third angel's message and proclaimed it in the power of the Holy Spirit, the Lord would have wrought mightily with their efforts. A flood of light would have been shed upon the world. Years ago the inhabitants of the earth would have been warned, the closing work completed, and Christ would have come for the redemption of His people.” (GC 457, 458) “There is less excuse in our day for stubbornness and unbelief than there was for the Jews in the days of Christ. They did not have before them the example of a nation that had suffered retribution of their unbelief and disobedience. But we have before us the history of the chosen people of God, who separated themselves from him, and rejected the Prince of life.” RH, April 11, 1893 As early as 1850, it was evident that the warmth of devotion and true love for Jesus manifest in the 1844 movement had been replaced in the hearts of some by a “stupid and dormant”, “half awake” condition, caused by a love of self taking the place of a true love for God. (Please see EW 48-50 from January 26, 1850). The Advent believers lost sight of Jesus and in losing their first love had departed from His Spirit to walk unto “their own way.” As early as 1852 the messenger of the Lord was defining the Laodicean condition in our midst. “As I have of late looked around to find the humble followers of the meek and lowly Jesus, my mind has been much exercised. Many who profess to be looking for the speedy coming of Christ are becoming conformed to this world and seek more earnestly the applause of those around them than the approbation of God. "They are cold and formal, like the nominal churches from which they but a short time since separated. The words addressed to the Laodicean church describe their present condition perfectly. (See Rev. 3:14-20.) They are 'neither cold nor hot,' but 'lukewarm'. And unless they heed the counsel of the 'faithful and true Witness,' and zealously repent and obtain 'gold tried in the fire,' 'white raiment,' and 'eye-salve,' He will spew them out of His mouth.” (EW 107,8) (RH, June 10, 1852) The Advent movement lost sight of Jesus, and by 1859 was lukewarm (Laodicean), having lost its first love. “I was shown that the testimony to the Laodiceans applies to God's people at the present time (1859), and the reason it has not accomplished a greater work is because of the hardness of their hearts. But God has given the message time to do its work. The heart must be purified from sins which have so long shut out Jesus. This fearful message will do its work. When it was first presented, it led to close examination of heart. Sins were confessed, and the people of God were stirred everywhere. Nearly all believed that this message would end in the loud cry of the third angel. "But as they failed to see the powerful work accomplished in a short time, many lost the effect of the message. I saw that this message would not accomplish its work in a few short months. It is designed to arouse the people of God, to discover to them their backslidings, and to lead to zealous repentance, that they may be favored with the presence of Jesus, and be fitted for the loud cry of the third angel. "As this message affected the heart, it led to deep humility before God. Angels were sent in every direction to prepare unbelieving hearts for the truth. The cause of God began to rise, and His people were acquainted with their position. If the counsel of the True Witness had been fully heeded, God would have wrought for His people in greater power.” (1T 186) (1859.) God’s messenger of light identified the Advent Movement with the Church of Laodiceans as early as 1852. The frightful pronouncement that the testimony to the Laodiceans applied to the advent movement came in 1859. For this condition of profession without the power of the Gospel to develop, change and transform the life of the church left the individual without a correct understanding of their own condition of nothingness. The corporate body drifted into a dry formal experience without a connection with their only source of power, Jesus Christ. “As a people, we have preached the law until we are as dry as the hills of Gilboa that had neither dew nor rain. We must preach Christ in the law, and there will be sap and nourishment in the preaching that will be as food to the famishing flock of God. We must not trust in our own merits at all, but in the merits of Jesus of Nazareth.” RH, March 11, 1890 The powerful message of God’s Everlasting Covenant and Righteousness by Faith was sent for the express purpose of revival and reformation. To prepare a body of believers to be a living witness of what the Grace of God can do in the life. This most precious message was sent to His people in God’s appointed way through elders Jones and Waggoner during the 1888-1895 time perioud and repeated in 1950-1962 but was twice rejected by the organization. The controversy which arose at the 1888 General Conference didn’t happen in a vacuum there was much leading into the year 1888. E. J. Waggoner authored a series of articles in the Signs (ST August 28 through September 18, 1884.) dealing with the moral law in Galatians 3. At the College at Haldsburg in California in the year 1886 E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones taught the students on Galatians 3 and the added Moral Law. In the Sabbath School lessons published in “The Youth’s Instructor,” April-July, 1886, the topic was on the law and was authored by E. J. Waggoner. Then the “long series” on Galatians 3 in the Signs, was circulated later that summer of 1886 was circulated to some 20,000 Readers. This all led up to the 1886 General Conference in Battle Creek and the infamous “Theological Committee” appointed by Elder G. I. Butler. The 1886 General Conference was coined “that terrible conference,” by “the messenger of the Lord,” because of attitude of some of the ministers, G. I. Butler in particular. (See E.G. White, Letter to George I. Butler, October 14, 1888, Minneapolis, Minnesota. EGW 1888, pp. 92, 93.) D. M. Canright’s decision to be disfellowshiped from the Otsego, Michigan church on February 17, 1887 was fallout from “that terrible conference.” He left the truth because of His confusion over the Covenants. D. M. Canright had served on the Theological Committee which had been appointed by man and resulted not in the lifting up of Christ and Him Crucified. Just leading up to the 1888 General Conference there was the “The California Conspiracy” talk which the enemy of souls used to prejudice minds to the advancing light of the Everlasting Gospel. Two principal documents were prepared in the debate between Elder George I. Butler and E. J. Waggoner. George Butler prepared an open letter to the delegates of the 1886 General Conference session entitled “The Law in the Book of Galatians.” E. J. Waggoner’s response (1888) was entitled, “The Gospel in the Book of Galatians.” These two documents in part outlined the issues that were discussed at the 1888 Minneapolis General Conference. The titles of these two documents tell us much about each author’s emphasis with regards to the Epistle to the Galatians. Butler emphasized the law in Galatians. Waggoner focused on the Everlasting Gospel as it is in Christ in Galatians. At the 1888 General Conference, which took place in October and November, Waggoner and Jones presented lessons dealing with the Law in Galatians, God’s Everlasting Covenant, and Righteousness by Faith. “God gave to His servants, [Waggoner and Jones], a testimony that presents the truth as it is in Jesus, which is the third angel’s message in clear, distinct lines.” EGW Letter 57, 1895 (TM 93). The Everlasting Covenant (New Covenant) In presenting the true light on God’s Everlasting Covenant at the 1888 General Conference, E. J. Waggoner exposed the Laodicean Church to the advancing light of the Gospel. The 1888 Message of God’s unilateral promise to save helpless humanity from their bondage of sin is of vital importance. This message of God’s everlasting covenant was ordained of God to prepare a people to receive the latter rain and give the loud cry. Ignorance or rejection of the gospel light on the two covenants and righteousness by faith will eventually lead souls to depart from the genuine Third Angel’s Message. In the context of “a most precious message,” God’s messenger wrote: “The uplifted Saviour is to appear in His efficacious work as the Lamb slain, sitting upon the throne, to dispense the priceless covenant blessings, the benefits He died to purchase for every soul who should believe on Him. John could not express that love in words; it was too deep, too broad; he calls upon the human family to behold it. Christ is pleading for the church in the heavenly courts above, pleading for those for whom He paid the redemption price of His own lifeblood.” (TM 92.) The apostle Paul explained the relationship between the law and the promise: “And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect.” Galatians 3:17. Waggoner explained that the law “was the basis” or “foundation of the promise” or “one of the terms of the covenant.” “As the commandments were the condition of the Abrahamic covenant, so they are of what is known as ‘the second covenant,’ which is in every respect the same as that made with Abraham. (See Jeremiah 31:33; Hebrews 8:10)” (E. J. Waggoner, “Comments on Galatians 3. No. 2,) (ST 12. 27 July 15, 1886, p. 423.) The advancing light presented was that the new covenant and the old covenant can be seen as two parallel tracks or roads that have run from the fall of Adam until the time when Christ brings in His everlasting kingdom. They are conditions of the individual heart, not dispensations of time. One is the ministration of the righteousness of Christ. The other is the self-dependent promise of the people to be obedient. The New Covenant (Everlasting Covenant) was ratified by the blood of Christ. But “the covenant was confirmed in Christ to Abraham… in anticipation.” (ST. July 15, 1886.) E. J. Waggoner under the guidance of the Holy Spirit saw that the covenant made by God with Abraham was “in every respect” the new covenant. For Waggoner the condition of the new covenant given to Abraham was the law of God. The condition was fulfilled by Christ who gave “the promise of the Spirit through faith” (Galatians 3:14). There was only one condition for salvation. Waggoner said: “Faith in Christ is the only condition of salvation.” (E. J. Waggoner, Comments on Galatians 3. No. 3,) (ST 12, 28 July 22, 1886, p. 438.) The old covenant, (Satan’s Counterfeit,) on the other hand, was made by Israel’s promise to God as a nation at Sinai. This faulty human arrangement is the ministration of death, which produces bondage. "What are the two covenants?--The two women, Hagar and Sarah; for we read that Hagar is Mount Sinai, 'which gendereth to bondage.' That is, just as Hagar could not bring forth any other kind of children than slaves, so the law, even the law that God spoke from Sinai, can not beget freemen. It can do nothing but hold them in bondage. 'The law worketh wrath:' 'for by the law is the knowledge of sin.' “The same is true of the covenant from Sinai, for it consisted merely of the promise of the people to keep that law which is an impossibility (We Will Do!), and had, therefore, no more power to make them free than the law itself had,--no more power than they already had in their bondage. Nay, rather, it 'gendered to bondage,' since their making it was simply a promise to make themselves righteous by their own works, and man in himself is "without strength."” E. J. Waggoner, “Glad Tidings” p. 98, 99 In rejecting the advancing light of the everlasting covenant, provided by God in His abundant mercy, we have turned away from the only covenant that God recognizes for the salvation of man. In rejecting the 1888 message and its messengers modern Israel has rejected the truth as it is in Jesus. “If you reject Christ’s delegated messengers you reject Christ.” (TM 97) Mrs. Ellen White encouraged prayerful bible study on the law in Galatians and the two covenants starting at the Minneapolis Conference. Neither E. J. Waggoner nor Uriah Smith’s word was to be taken as truth. She stayed out of the controversy by not taking a position on the law in Galatians or the two covenants for well over a year. But the time did come for God’s messenger to share what God thought about the two covenants. Light was sent from heaven to draw the leadership together in the truth as it is in Jesus---if they would just walk in the light as presented from Scripture. On Thursday, March 6, 1890, Ellen White was given insight as to what heaven thought about the two covenants. She wrote a letter to Elder Smith that following Sabbath, March 8, 1890. “Night before last, the Lord opened many things to my mind. It was plainly revealed what your influence has been, what it was in Minneapolis. I knew for day by day the Lord revealed this to me, and ever since that meeting I have known that you were deceived and deceiving others that you will not only have in the day of final accounts to meet your own course of action but the result of your influence upon other minds. “You have refused my testimonies given me for you from the Lord, just as much have you labored to make them of none effect as did Korah, Dathan and Abiram. You have done this and thus it is charged against you in the books of heaven…. “Night before last I was shown that evidences in regard to the covenants were clear and convincing. Yourself, Brother Dan Jones, Brother Porter and others are spending your investigative powers for naught to produce a position on the covenants to vary from the position that Brother Waggoner has presented, When you had received the true light which shineth, you would not have imitated or gone over the same manner of interpretation and misconstruing the Scriptures as did the Jews. “What made them (Jews) so zealous? Why did they hang on the words of Christ? Why did spies follow him to mark His words that they could repeat and misinterpret and twist in a way to mean that which their own unsanctified minds would make them to mean? In this way, they deceived the people. They made false issues. They handled those things that they could make a means of clouding and misleading minds.” “The covenant question is a clear question and would be received by every candid, unprejudiced mind, but I was brought where the Lord gave me an insight into this matter. You have turned from plain light because you were afraid that the law question in Galatians would have to be accepted. As to the law in Galatians, I have no burden and never have had.” Ellen White, Letter to Uriah Smith, March 8, 1890, Battle Creek, Mich., Letter 59, 1890 {1888 599,604} This was a strong endorsement by God’s messenger (Ellen White) regarding the advancing light on the two covenants as presented by E. J. Waggoner. Elder Smith was acting just as the Jews did in Christ’s day, who hung on all His words and misrepresented Him to the people. Ellen White said: “You have strengthened the hands and minds of such men as Larson, Porter, Dan Jones, Eldridge and Morrison and Nicola and a vast number through them. All quote you, and the enemy of righteousness looks on pleased.” lbid., p. 599 The day after she had sent her letter of endorsement of the covenants question to Elder Smith, Ellen White confided to her son W. C. White: “I have no brakes to put on now. I stand in perfect freedom, calling light, light, and darkness, darkness. I told them yesterday that the position of the covenants I believed as presented in my Volume I [Patriarchs and Prophets]. If that was Dr. Waggoner's position then he had the truth.” E. G. White, Letter to W. C. White and Mary White, March 9, 1890, Battle Creek, Michigan, op. cit., p. 617 {1888 617} God’s solution to the sin problem is His one-sided promise of salvation “unto all and upon all who believe.” The New Covenant is God’s promise to His people, ratified by the blood of Christ on Calvary, the only Covenant ever initiated and given by God. The sinner finds peace only by resting and trusting in the unilateral promises of God given to Adam at the entrance of sin. The contrast between God’s everlasting covenant and Satan’s counterfeit is seen through out the Scriptures. The covenants are conditions of the heart, not dispensations of time. God’s everlasting covenant, “The covenant of grace was first made with man in Eden, when after the fall there was given a divine promise that the seed of the woman should bruise the serpent's head. To all men this covenant offered pardon and the assisting grace of God for future obedience through faith in Christ. It also promised them eternal life on condition of fidelity to God's law.” PP 370 “This same covenant was renewed to Abraham in the promise, "In thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed." Genesis 22:18. This promise pointed to Christ. So Abraham understood it (see Galatians 3:8, 16), and he trusted in Christ for the forgiveness of sins. It was this faith that was accounted unto him for righteousness. The covenant with Abraham also maintained the authority of God's law.” PP 370 “Though this covenant was made with Adam and renewed to Abraham, it could not be ratified until the death of Christ. It had existed by the promise of God since the first intimation of redemption had been given; it had been accepted by faith; yet when ratified by Christ, it is called a new covenant. The law of God was the basis of this covenant, which was simply an arrangement for bringing men again into harmony with the divine will, placing them where they could obey God's law.” PP 370, 371 Our part is to believe and trust in the promises of God, what He will do in us. And then as a trusting child to allow Him to do the work of transformation promised. “The penitent who makes real progress is the one who comes to the Lord, saying,-- No preparation can I make, My best resolves I only break, Yet save me for Thine own name's sake, And take me as I am.” (E. J. Waggoner, “The Present Truth” December 27, 1894.) The Everlasting Gospel The 1888 Message, a revival of the basic Pauline concept of Justification by faith alone, to be followed by a call to go on unto perfection, a completion of the final atonement by faith alone in the merits of Christ, has been trampled in the dust. Since we are still here 120 years later (three generations) it is clear that we have rejected the 1888 Message and the Spirit of the Lovely Jesus. The fault lies with us (God’s People), who because of “unbelief” have separated ourselves from God. The Promise of God, that by faith alone, we are to enter the rest of God has been rejected, and we struggle on by human works to merit our own salvation. “Therefore have I poured out mine indignation upon them; I have consumed them with the fire of my wrath: their own way have I recompensed upon their heads, saith the Lord GOD.” Ezekiel 22:31 What is missing from the True Pauline Gospel is any mention of, reference too or emphasis on human works. (See Galatians 2:16, 20) What is mentioned is the helplessness of the human agent. (See Romans 3:9-24) We have no power or sufficiency to render obedience to the moral law and must depend completely on the merits of a risen Saviour. Justification is the work of God in laying the glory of man in the dust. Once a believer in Christ sees their own nothingness they are prepared to receive the righteousness of Christ which is of faith alone. "Being made righteous freely." How else could it be? Since the best efforts of a sinful man have not the least effect toward producing righteousness, it is evident that the only way it can come to him is as a gift. That righteousness is a gift is plainly stated by Paul in Rom. 5:17: "For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by One, Jesus Christ." It is because righteousness is a gift that eternal life, which is the reward of righteousness, is the gift of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord. (Christ and His Righteousness E. J Waggoner Pg. 60) (1890) Over arching the ancillary messages of the three angels of Revelation 14 is "the everlasting gospel." John declares - "And I saw another angel flying in the midst of heaven having the everlasting gospel to preach to them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people.” (v.6) This angel does not cease to proclaim the everlasting gospel when the second angel begins to sound his message, or the third his. Further, one must ask, from what did Babylon fall? The answer is simply "the gospel." The "beast" of which the third angel warns is "the mystery of iniquity" (II Thess. 2:7) in contrast to "the mystery of godliness" (I Tim. 3:16), "the everlasting gospel." Interchangeably in the New Testament, the gospel is called the gospel of God or the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ. Whether different aspects of this gospel are intended by the two designations, is not clear. However, Paul calls it "my gospel" (Rom. 2:16; 16:25) which he received by the direct "revelation of Jesus Christ." It is compassed in its entirety by "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." (Rom. 3:24) If the gospel we proclaim is not the gospel received by Paul through direct revelation, it is an alien gospel bearing the curse of God. (Gal. 1:8) God’s message (the everlasting gospel) and His messengers have been derided. The everlasting gospel—the good news, committed to the Adventist Movement is the full and complete gospel. It is a gospel based solely on the merits and work of Jesus Christ. Founded on the typical revelation that God gave to Israel, true Adventists see in the animals slain, a prefiguring of the Lamb of God who “taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) True Adventist’s perceive in the work of both the common priests and the high priest, not only the earthly ministry of Jesus, but also His ministry in the Sanctuary in heavenly places. (Hebrews 8:1,2) They understand with Peter – “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12) Modern Israel sees clearly, based on the type of the Hebrew sanctuary service --- two atonements. The record reads that should an individual, ruler or common person sin, he could bring his offering, confess his sin, and “the priest shall make an atonement for him, and it shall be forgiven him.” (Leviticus 4:26, 31) (Common Priest making an atonement) The beautiful message conveyed is that the forgiveness is so complete, that there is an at “one-ment” again between the sinner and his God. This was accomplished at the altar of burnt offering. On the great Day of Atonement, as the congregation of Israel afflicted their souls without the court and did “no work in that same day,” resting in the work of God on their behalf, the high priest made “an atonement” for Israel so that collectively and individually they should be “clean from all [their] sins before the Lord.” (Levitucus 16:30; 23:28,29,30) (High Priest making atonement) This was accomplished in type by the mediation of the High Priest beginning in the Most Holy place of the heavenly sanctuary. (Levitucus 16:33) It is referred to as the atonement of “atonements.” (Exodus 30:10) This second atonement was typified in an annual yearly service. The tenth day of the seventh month was called the “Day of Atonements” (Plural in the Hebrew, Leviticus 23:27, 28). On that day the High Priest alone ministered an atonement which resulted in cleansing. The text reads – “For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the LORD.” Leviticus 16:30 Therefore we see the Cross of Calvary prefigured in the alter of burnt offering, and the work of Christ as the High Priest after the order of Melchisedec prefigured in the annual ministry on the typical Day of Atonement, becoming the two centers of the everlasting gospel committed to the Advent Movement. Both these demonstrations of infinite love on man’s behalf to complete the plan of salvation involve atonement in the fullest meaning of the word. The advancing light on the atonement of the judgment (Final Atonement) was given as a sacred trust to the 7th Day Adventist Church and constitutes the uniqueness of Adventism. The spiritual condition of God’s professed people today is a testimony to the rejection of the everlasting gospel committed to the Adventist Movement which must include the Work of our High Priest in completing the Final Atonement in the Heavenly Sanctuary. The Church through its representatives has in the 1955-56 SDA-Evangelical Conferences and in the publication of Questions on Doctrines and in 1980, through its official action the General Conference in session, in voting the 27 statements of Beliefs, has denied the Everlasting Gospel involving “the hours of God’s judgment” – at which the final atonement will be made. The sacred trust of the “everlasting gospel” based as it is in the dual atonement concepts of the Hebrew sanctuary service has been betrayed. All those who have eyes to see, and ears to hear, should sense what the present advocacy of staying in and supporting such a betrayal will mean in the light of the corporate judgment upon the Church. “Men, maidens, and little children, all perish together” with the “guardians of the spiritual interests of the people,” who “had betrayed their trust.” (5T 211) How frightful it is to reject light from heaven. A most precious message came to modern Israel in the revelation of “Christ our Righteousness”, our sin pardoning redeemer. How solemn to be held responsible for keeping the light that is to lighten the whole earth from the world. Some were asking question, so should we? “I have had the question asked, What do you think of this light which these men (A. T. Jones and E. J. Waggoner) are presenting? Why, I have been presenting it to you for the last 45 years,-- the matchless charms of Christ. This is what I have been trying to present before your minds. When Brother Waggoner brought out these ideas at Minneapolis, it was the first clear teaching on this subject from any human lips I had heard, excepting the conversations between myself and my husband.” (MS 5, 1888) “Why, as professing Christians, are we so mixed and mingled with the world till we lose sight of eternity, till we lose sight of Jesus Christ, and till we lose sight of the Father? Why, I ask you, are there so many families destitute of the Spirit of God? Why are there so many families that have so little of the life and love and likeness of Jesus Christ? It is because they do not know God. If they knew God, and if they would behold Him by faith in Jesus Christ, who came to our world to die for man, they would see such matchless charms in the Son that they by beholding would become changed to the same image. Now you see the wrong of conforming to the world.” (MS 12, 1894) “All self-exaltation and self-admiration are the result of ignorance of God and of Jesus Christ, whom He has sent. How quickly will self-esteem die, and pride be humbled in the dust, when we view the matchless charms of the character of Christ! The holiness of His character is reflected by all who serve Him in spirit and in truth.” (RH Dec. 22, 1896) What is the source of our redemption? The protestant reformation gave us some of the answers we are looking for. These terms growing out of the Reformation are – sola fide: "by faith alone;" sola gratia: "by grace alone;" sola Christi: "through Christ alone." The formula which associates these terms states that one is justified "by grace alone, through faith alone, because of Christ alone." Neuhaus, in his dialogue with Evangelicals, averred that this is a sixteenth century theological construct. (E&CT, p.200.) When it originated is at the moment immaterial. It does express the distinct difference between the Tridentine position of Rome, and the Everlasting Gospel. The question of primary concern is; Is this formula, and the terms used in it, Scriptural? This we need to carefully check. Let us start with the source of redemption - "the redemption that is in Christ Jesus". (Romans 3:24.) • Is it - sola Christi? Jesus Himself declared - "No man cometh unto the Father, but by Me." (John 14: 6.) Peter affirmed - "Neither is there salvation in any other for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved." (Acts 4:12.) Neither by any earthly priestly intercession, nor works of righteousness which I might do, am I awarded salvation - it is through Christ alone - sola Christi. • Through what medium does it come? Paul wrote to Titus - "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." (2:11.) It was "God [who] commended His love toward us, in that while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." (Rom. 5:8) It is this grace - God's grace - by which we are justified freely. "Nothing in my hand I bring, simply to the cross, I cling." It is sola gratia. • How do I respond to the provision of God? I believe. In the Greek, this is the translation of the verb form of the noun, faith. In English there is no verb for "faith." "For by grace are ye saved through faith." (Eph. 2:8) Paul said to Peter - "We have believed in Jesus Christ, that we might be justified by the faith of Christ, and not by the works of the law: for by the works of the law shall no flesh be justified." (Gal 2:16) Jesus Christ is even the author of saving faith. (Heb. 12:2) sola fide expresses this concept of Scripture. All - the source: "the grace of God;" the provision: "the redemption in Christ Jesus;" and the means of appropriation: "the faith of Jesus" - are outside of man, and come solely (sola) from God. That men would pervert the once for all atoning sacrifice of Calvary and turn it to mean "once saved always saved," does not nullify the truth of Scripture that we are justified by grace alone, through the exercise of faith alone, in the redemption found in Christ Jesus. Some try to make the case that we can please God by making commitments to Him. This all sounds good; we by an act of committing, pledging or promising can reconcile ourselves to our Maker and Redeemer. The Messenger of the Lord clears the air in this way: “It is beyond the power of man to please God apart from Christ. We may make resolutions and promises, but the carnal heart overpowers all our good intentions. We may control our outward conduct, but we cannot change the heart. The whole head is sick, and the whole heart faint” RH April 11, 1893 For common sinners who are saved, by grace alone, through the faith of Christ alone and by the redemption that is in Christ alone to make promises to God to obey is entering into an old covenant relationship which is doomed to failure. The solution for the helpless human agent lies in an abiding rest in the promises of God, trusting in Christ who is the sinner’s only hope! Yielding and submitting to Him who is able to keep you from falling. I can almost see those champions of human meritorious works frothing at the mouth over the concepts of "sola gratia" and "sola fide." They dare not take issue with"solo Christo" because it would be too revealing, so they continue to give lip service to the concept that man's hope must be placed in Christ. Now to those who wish to continue to expound works as a necessity to salvation, I will tell them, there is one thing a man can do and must do to be saved. It is stated in the Writings - "Kneeling in faith at the cross, he has reached the highest place to which a man can attain." (AA, p. 210) All else for man is "by grace through faith," which is God’s gift to us. The Message rejected by Leadership: The 1888 emphasis on Paul’s message of righteousness (love) by faith encompassed the infilling of Christ’s righteousness by the Spirit for the keeping all the commandments of God. (TM 92) This was to prepare God’s people for victory over sin and the outpouring of the latter rain. Generally speaking, our people did not recognize it as a God-sent latter rain message. They could have known, but prejudice and unbelief shut out the light of heaven. (See TM 467) “I see the beauty of truth in the presentation of the righteousness of Christ in relation to the law as the doctor (E. J. Waggoner) has placed it before us…. That which has been presented harmonizes perfectly with the light which God has been pleased to give me during all the years of my experience. If our ministering brethren would accept the doctrine which has been presented so clearly--the righteousness of Christ in connection with the law--and I know they need to accept this, their prejudices would not have a controlling power, and the people would be fed with their portion of meat in due season…. “There are but few, even of those who claim to believe it, that comprehend the third angel's message, and yet this is the message for this time. It is present truth. But how few take up this message in its true bearing, and present it to the people in its power! With many it has but little force. Said my guide, "There is much light yet to shine forth from the law of God and the gospel of righteousness. This message, understood in its true character, and proclaimed in the Spirit, will lighten the earth with its glory.” (Ms 15, 1888) Put simply the loving character of God would lighten the earth. The above statement by the Messenger of the Lord was spoken November 1, 1888 at the General Conference. Ellen White’s statement: “If our ministering brethren would accept the doctrine which has been presented so clearly--the righteousness of Christ in connection with the law--and I know they need to accept this,” ( EGW'88 164.) shows, of course, that some did not accept it. Battle Creek had been the center of the 7th Day Adventist work after the 1888 General Conference in Minneapolis. In Fact, almost one year of ministerial institutes had been held there to teach the 1888 message. Ms. Ellen White sent a message to them in 1895. Listen to her rebuke. It must have been hard for her to write: “I inquire of those in responsible positions in Battle Creek, What are you doing? You have turned your back, and not your face, to the Lord. There needs to be a cleansing of the heart, the feelings, the sympathies, the words, in reference to the most momentous subjects--the Lord God, eternity, truth. What is the message to be given at this time? It is the third angel's message. But that light which is to fill the whole earth with its glory has been despised by some who claim to believe the present truth. Be careful how you treat it. Take off the shoes off your feet; for you are on holy ground. Beware how you indulge the attributes of Satan, and pour contempt upon the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. I know not but some have even now gone too far to return and to repent.” (TM 89,90) We find in the above statement opposition to the light that would lighten the earth with its glory, which is Christ’s righteousness (love) imparted by the Holy Spirit. By receiving the infinite love of God into the life by faith the helpless sinner is to have a transformation of character and be empowered to live a victorious life in Christ. One can clearly see why Satan and the wicked angel’s oppose this message so, for when received in fullness by God’s children his (Satan’s) time will be at an end. It is the knowledge of the glory (Character of God) as revealed in the life and sacrificial death of Christ that the evil one is so opposed to for this knowledge received into God’s Church signifies His end. In the following statement from the RH April 11, 1893 again the messenger of the Lord compares our unbelief to the Jews. We have again and again told our Lord we want “our own way,” and “have barred the door to our hearts.” “The truth for this time has been presented from the holy oracles, and has been witnessed by the power of the Holy Spirit. It has been clearly shown that in the righteousness of Christ is our only hope of gaining access to the Father. How simple, how plain has the way of life been made to those who have a disposition to walk therein. Would greater evidence, more powerful manifestations, break down the barriers that have been interposed between the truth and the soul?--No. I have been shown that sufficient evidence has been given. “Those who reject the evidence already presented would not be convinced by more abundant proof. They are like the Jews to whom Christ said, "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rose from the dead." The greatest miracles performed before them would not sweep away their caviling and unbelief. They have sown stubbornness, and it has borne fruit according to the design of Satan. Unless the transforming grace of Christ cleanses and purifies the soul, they will go on from darkness to greater darkness…. “Light has been shining upon the church of God, but many have said by their indifferent attitude, "We want not thy way, O Lord, but our own way." The kingdom of heaven has come very near, and they have caught glimpses of the Father and the Son, but they have barred the door of the heart, and have not received the heavenly guests; for as yet they know not the love of God.” (RH, April 11, 1893) Can anyone learn the truth for this time by baring their minds to advancing light? Many in church leadership had a deep root of bitterness and prejudices against both E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones prior to even the start of the 1888 General Conference. Should not this be a warning to all of us alive in this day to prayerfully, humbly and meekly study the light God in His providence sees fit to put in our pathway! The Lord’s servant Ellen White: “An unwillingness to yield up preconceived opinions, and to accept this truth, lay at the foundation of a large share of the opposition manifested at Minneapolis against the Lord's message through Brethren {E.J.} Waggoner and {A.T.} Jones. By exciting that opposition Satan succeeded in shutting away from our people, in a great measure, the special power of the Holy Spirit that God longed to impart to them. The enemy prevented them from obtaining that efficiency which might have been theirs in carrying the truth to the world, as the apostles proclaimed it after the day of Pentecost. The light that is to lighten the whole earth with its glory was resisted, and by the action of our own brethren has been in a great degree kept away from the world.” Letter 96, 1896 (1SM 234, 235) The “preconceived opinions” of some connected with the business interests of the church and our institutions, made their influence felt well through the 1890’s. It was of such that Ellen White in 1895 wrote: “The righteousness of Christ by faith has been ignored by some; for it is contrary to their spirit and their whole life experience. Rule, rule, has been their course of action.” TM 363 A Turning away of the Holy Spirit: “Now our meeting is drawing to a close and …. There has not been a single break so as to let the Spirit of God in. “Now I was saying what was the use of our assembling here together and for our ministering brethren to come in if they are here only to shut out the Spirit of God from the people? (Sermon, Oct. 24, 1888, MS 9, 1888) “(The brethren) were moved at the meeting (Minneapolis) by another spirit, and they knew not that God had sent these young men to bear a special message to them, which they treated with ridicule and contempt (not realizing that the heavenly intelligences were looking upon them)…. I know that at the time the Spirit of God was insulted, and now when I see anything approaching to the same course of action, I am exceedingly pained. (Letter S 24, 1892) “Some of our breathren…. Are full of jealousy and evil surmising, and are ever ready to show in just what way they differ with Elder Jones or Waggoner. The same spirit that was manifest in the past (1888) manifests itself on every opportunity (1892); but this is not from the impulse of the Spirit of God…. I can never forget the experience which we had in Minneapolis, or the things which were then revealed to me in regard to the spirit that controlled men, the words spoken, the actions done in obedience to the powers of evil…. They were moved at the meeting by another spirit. (Letters 24, 1892) The Lord Jesus Christ Turned away: “I would speak in warning to those who have stood for years resisting light and cherishing the spirit of opposition. How long will you hate and despise the messengers of God's righteousness? God has given them His message. They bear the word of the Lord. There is salvation for you, but only through the merits of Jesus Christ. The grace of the Holy Spirit has been offered you again and again. Light and power from on high have been shed abundantly in the midst of you. Here was evidence, that all might discern whom the Lord recognized as His servants. But there are those who despised the men and the message they bore…. Unless you speedily humble your hearts before God, and confess your sins, which are many, you will, when it is too late, see that you have been fighting against God…. If you reject Christ's delegated messengers, you reject Christ.” (TM 96, 97) “To accuse and criticize those whom God is using is to accuse and criticize the Lord who has sent them…. There has been a departure from God among us, and the zealous work of repentance and return to our first love essential to restoration to God and regeneration of heart has not yet been done. Infidelity has been making its inroads into our ranks; for it is the fashion to depart from Christ, and give place to skepticism. With many the cry of the heart has been, "We will not have this man to reign over us." Baal, Baal, is the choice…. The religion of many among us will be the religion of apostate Israel, because they love their own way, and forsake the way of the Lord. The true religion, the only religion of the Bible, that teaches forgiveness only through the merits of a crucified and risen Saviour, that advocates righteousness by the faith of the Son of God, has been slighted, spoken against, ridiculed, and rejected. It has been denounced as leading to enthusiasm and fanaticism. But it is the life of Jesus Christ in the soul, it is the active principle of love imparted by the Holy Spirit, that alone will make the soul fruitful unto good works. The love of Christ is the force and power of every message for God that ever fell from human lips. What kind of a future is before us if we shall fail to come into the unity of the faith?” (TM 466, 467, 468) “Men professing godliness have despised Christ in the person of His messengers (E. J. Waggoner and A. T. Jones). Like the Jews, they reject God's message. The Jews asked regarding Christ, "Who is this? Is not this Joseph's son?" He was not the Christ that the Jews looked for. So today the agencies that God sends are not what men have looked for. But the Lord will not ask any man by whom to send. He will send by whom he will. Men may not be able to understand why God sends this one or that one. His work may be a matter of curiosity. God will not satisfy this curiosity; and His word will not return unto Him void.” (FE 472) “I want to tell you, dear friends, that we have done great dishonor to our Master. Shall we continue to cherish the sin of unbelief…. We are not polite to Christ. We do not recognize his presence. We do not realize that he is to be our honored guest, that we are encircled by his long human arm, while with his divine arm he grasps the throne of the Infinite. We forget that the threshold of heaven is flooded with the glory proceeding from the throne of God, that the light may fall directly on those who are seeking the help Christ alone can give….” (GC Bulletin, 1901, pg. 36) “Some have turned from the message of the righteousness of Christ to criticise the men and their imperfections, because they do not speak the message of truth with all the grace and polish desirable. They have too much zeal, are too much in earnest, speak with too much positiveness, and the message that would bring healing and life and comfort to many weary and oppressed souls, is, in a measure, excluded; for just in proportion as men of influence close their own hearts and set up their own wills in opposition to what God has said, will they seek to take away the ray of light from those who have been longing and praying for light and for vivifying power. Christ has registered all the hard, proud, sneering speeches spoken against his servants as against himself.” (RH, May 27, 1890) Righteousness by Faith an overview: “The Lord in His mercy sent a most precious message to His people through Elders Jones and Waggoner…. It presented justification by faith in the Surety…. This is the message that God commanded to be given to the world. It is the third angel’s message.” (TM 91, 92) Before E. J. Waggoner gave his studies on Justification by Faith in November of 1888, he gave studies on the Law in Galatians and the Two Covenants. Some of the leading ministers were in bitter disagreement with his position on the law and the covenants and this caused prejudice against his presentation on Justification by Faith which followed. (See 1SM 234, 235) The Minneapolis Message of Justification by faith had two aspects, both Christ imputed and imparted righteousness, both our title and our fitness for heaven. “Righteousness within is testified to by righteousness without. He who is righteous within is not hard-hearted and unsympathetic, but day by day he grows into the image of Christ, going on from strength to strength. He who is being sanctified by the truth will be self-controlled, and will follow in the footsteps of Christ until grace is lost in glory. The righteousness by which we are justified is imputed; the righteousness by which we are sanctified is imparted. The first is our title to heaven, the second is our fitness for heaven.” --Review and Herald, June 4, 1895. Clearly our need of Christ imparted righteousness is brought to view in the above statement, but gives the believer no merit, it is only the believer’s fitness for heaven. “The proud heart strives to earn salvation; but both our title to heaven and our fitness for it are found in the righteousness of Christ. The Lord can do nothing toward the recovery of man until, convinced of his own weakness, and stripped of all self-sufficiency, he yields himself to the control of God. Then he can receive the gift that God is waiting to bestow.” DA 300 The fullness of God is available to those who see with clear vision their own helplessness. Only in total surrender is the gift of Christ righteousness made manifest in the life of the Christian. We do not earn salvation it is freely give to them that believe, but both aspects---imputed and imparted righteousness---are essential, and both imputed and imparted righteousness are found only in Christ. “To be pardoned (justified) in the way that Christ pardons, it is not only to be forgiven, but to be renewed in the Spirit of our mind. The Lord says ‘A new heart will I give unto thee.’ ” (RH Aug. 19, 1890) God’s plan for our redemption includes our total restoration and recovery from sin. We are to be “new creatures” in Christ Jesus. 2 Corinthians 5:17 Righteousness by faith is Christ’s love operating in two ways first, Christ is our substitute. We are the objects of “His pardoning love,” (TM 414); secondly, …the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them, transforming them into His own likeness….” (MB 55) “Righteousness is love, His very life is the outflow of unselfish love.” (MB 18, 77) “If they (the Pharisees) would open their hearts fully to receive Christ, then the very life of God, His love, would dwell in them, transforming them into His own likeness; and thus through God's free gift they would possess the righteousness which the law requires.” (MB 55) Righteousness by faith and Love by faith are one and the same thing. We are given the gift of God’s righteousness (love) in our hearts by faith, which is His Character of Love. “To learn of Christ means to receive His grace which is His character.” COL 271 “In the life of the disciple John true sanctification is exemplified. During the years of his close association with Christ, he was often warned and cautioned by the Saviour; and these reproofs he accepted. “As the character of the Divine One was manifested to him, John saw his own deficiencies, and was humbled by the revelation. Day by day, in contrast with his own violent spirit, he beheld the tenderness and forbearance of Jesus, and heard His lessons of humility and patience. Day by day his heart was drawn out to Christ, until he lost sight of self in love for his Master. The power and tenderness, the majesty and meekness, the strength and patience, that he saw in the daily life of the Son of God, filled his soul with admiration. He yielded his resentful, ambitious temper to the molding power of Christ, and divine love wrought in him a transformation of character.” AA 557 So we see here that John was sanctified by Christ’s divine love. We read above in RH June 4, 1895, that one is sanctified by Christ’s imparted righteousness. So John was sanctified by the imparted righteousness of Christ which is the divine love of God---His Character manifest in the live. We are all sanctified in the same way, by the divine love of God shed abroad in our heart by the Holy Spirit. Christ’s love and His imparted righteousness are interchangeable terms. God’s free gift of His imparted love does the work of perfecting Christian character in our lives. (See Romans 8:4; 13:10) “Those who take Christ at His word, and surrender their souls to His keeping, their lives to His ordering, will find peace and quietude. Nothing of the world can make them sad when Jesus makes them glad by His presence. In perfect acquiescence there is perfect rest. The Lord says, "Thou wilt keep him in perfect peace, whose mind is stayed on Thee: because he trusteth in Thee." Isaiah 26:3. Our lives may seem a tangle; but as we commit ourselves to the wise Master Worker, He will bring out the pattern of life and character that will be to His own glory. And that character which expresses the glory--character--of Christ will be received into the Paradise of God. A renovated race shall walk with Him in white, for they are worthy.” DA 331 The light of the knowledge of the Glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ: Mrs. Ellen White heard at Minneapolis for the first time a doctrinal unfolding of that which she had been trying to present all along—the matchless charms of Christ. No human lips had preached it as clear hither to. A complete revelation of the glory of God, His matchless character as revealed in the life, death and resurrection of Christ. This revelation of the knowledge of the glory of God shining in the face of Jesus Christ enhancing or more accurately is the embodiment of the Everlasting Gospel. The benevolence of God’s character was fully revealed to all the unfallen worlds, as well as to man in the life and sacrificial death of Jesus Christ. “Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings.” DA 761 Men have lost sight of the goodness of God. A Final display of the Glory (Character) of God in the lives of fallen men will be the capstone that will expel sin from the creation of God forever. “It is the darkness of misapprehension of God that is enshrouding the world. Men are losing their knowledge of His character. It has been misunderstood and misinterpreted. “At this time a message from God is to be proclaimed, a message illuminating in its influence and saving in its power. His character is to be made known. Into the darkness of the world is to be shed the light of His glory, the light of His goodness, mercy, and truth. “Those who wait for the Bridegroom's coming are to say to the people, "Behold your God." The last rays of merciful light, the last message of mercy to be given to the world, is a revelation of His character of love. The children of God are to manifest His glory. In their own life and character they are to reveal what the grace of God has done for them.” COL 415 Thine eyes shall see the king in his beauty: they shall behold the land that is very far off…. But there the glorious LORD will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams; wherein shall go no galley with oars, neither shall gallant ship pass thereby. Isaiah 33:17, 21 “They shall see the King in His Beauty, and they shall also see the land stretching far to northward and eastward and southward and westward, as God promised to Abraham. Genesis 13:14-17 “‘And they shall see His face.’ ‘Thine eyes shall see the King in His beauty.’ What is the beauty of the King, that to look upon it shall fill up the measure of all happiness and bliss? Let us give it a little study, for when we know it and can recognize it, we shall find the joy of life, even in this sin-cursed earth, marvelously increased. “That the Lord is beautiful, the verse before us states. The prophet Zechariah, seeing in vision the Lord saving His people like a flock, was moved to exclaim, ‘How great is His goodness, and how great is His beauty!’ Zechariah 9:16, 17. His goodness and His beauty are linked together, for His beauty is the beauty of holiness. Now the goodness of God is infinite; it is the only goodness that there is in the universe; therefore the beauty of the Lord must be infinite. No tongue can possibly describe it; it must be seen to be appreciated, and seen not for a moment merely, but throughout eternity. “‘Strength and beauty are in His sanctuary.’ Psalms 96:6. Zion itself, His dwelling place, is ‘the perfection of beauty.’ Psalms 50:2. Even one of His creatures, the covering cherub that fell, is declared to have been ‘full of wisdom and perfect in beauty.’ Ezekiel 28:12-14. What must the Creator be? “David ‘the sweet psalmist of Israel,’ the one by whom the Spirit of the Lord spake (2 Samuel 23:1-2), spoke of the things touching the King, and he said, ‘Thou art fairer than the children of men; grace (Character) is poured into Thy lips.’ Psalms 45:1-2. To the psalmist wonderful revelations of Divine things had been vouchsafed, and so great was his appreciation of the beauty of the Lord that he said, ‘One thing have I desired of the Lord, that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to enquire in His temple.’ Psalms 27:5. To see the beauty (goodness) of the Lord was his sole desire, and that is to be the reward of the righteous. “‘The heavens declare the glory of God.’ Psalms 19:1. They tell of His glory by revealing it in their shining; for He has set His glory ‘upon the heavens.’ Psalms 8:1, R.V. Remember that everything exists only by the power of the life of God. All thing were created by the Word of God, and the Word is life. ‘In Him all things consist.’ Colossians 1:17…. “Think of all the beauty in earth and sea and the heavens, even the heaven of heavens, concentrated into one single Presence, and you have the measureless measure of the beauty of the Lord. And all this wondrous beauty the saints of God will be privileged to gaze upon, and they will be made able to endure the sight! Truly, the face of God will be enough to satisfy anyone. No wonder the psalmist exclaimed, ‘As for me, I shall behold Thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with Thy likeness.’ Psalms 17:15…. “The chief thing is to let us know the possibilities set before us even in this life, as expressed in the inspired prayer, ‘Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us.’ Psalms 90:17. If we but allow our hearts to be the sanctuary of the living God, then He that dwells between the cherubim will ‘shine forth.’ Psalms 80:1. ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee. For, behold, the darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people: but the LORD shall arise upon thee, and his glory shall be seen upon thee.’ Isaiah 60:1,2. “The beauty of the Lord is the beauty of holiness, and just as He has laid up great goodness for them that trust in Him before the sons of men. (Psalms 31:19), so does He impart to them His beauty. This world will not recognize it, for they did not desire the beauty of the Lord when they saw Him; their standard of beauty is not the Lord’s standard; nevertheless the beauty is present whenever righteousness is present; and it is beauty that will never fade. That is the true test of beauty (of Character). By beholding the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, we become changed into the same image, even in this life, and are thus prepared for the full revelation of the beauty of the world to come, when righteous shall shine forth as the sun…. “‘But there the glorious Lord will be unto us a place of broad rivers and streams.’ Is this literally true?—Most certainly; for God is ‘the fountain of living waters.’ Jeremiah 2:13. From Himself flows the river of water of life---His own life flowing forth for the everlasting refreshment of His people. But this is true now for those who have eyes to see spiritual things, and who know the reality of them…. Dwelling in the house of the Lord, we shall constantly see His face, and drink of the river of His pleasure.” E. J. Waggoner, “Treasures in Isaiah,” The King in His Beauty 179-183 (An article from “The Present Truth” England)