"Thus says Jehovah: The heavens are my throne; and the earth is my footstool: Where is this house, which you build for me? And where is this place of my rest? For all these things my hand has made; And all these things are mine, says Jehovah. But such a one will I regard, even him that is humble, And of a contrite spirit, and that reveres my word. He that slays an ox, kills a man; That sacrifices a lamb, beheads a dog; That makes an oblation, [offers] swine's blood; That burns incense, blesses an idol: Yea, they themselves have chosen their own ways; And in their abominations their soul delights. I will also choose their calamities; And what they dread, I will bring upon them; Because I called, and no one answered: I spoke, and they would not hear: And they have done what is evil in my sight; And that, in which I delighted not, they have chosen. Hear the word of Jehovah, you that revere His word: Say to your brethren, that hate you; And that thrust you out, for my name's sake: Jehovah will be glorified, and He will appear; To your joy [will He appear], and they shall be confounded. A voice of tumult from the city! a voice from the temple! The voice of Jehovah! rendering recompense to His enemies. Before she was in travail, she brought forth; Before her pangs came, she was delivered of a male. Who has heard such a thing? and who has seen the like of these things? Is a country brought forth in one day? Is a nation born in an instant? For no sooner was Sion in travail, than she brought forth her children. Shall I bring to the birth, and not cause to bring forth? says Jehovah: Shall I, who beget, restrain the birth? says your God. Rejoice with Jerusalem, and exult on her account, all you that love her; Be exceedingly joyful with her, all you that mourn over her: That you may suck, and be satisfied, from the breast of her consolations; That you may draw forth the delicious nourishment from her abundant stores. For thus says Jehovah: Behold, I spread over her prosperity, like the great river; And like the overflowing stream the wealth of the nations: And you shall suck at the breast; You shall be carried by the side; And on the knees shall you be dandled. As one, whom his mother comforts, So will I comfort you: And in Jerusalem shall you receive consolation. And you shall see it, and your heart shall rejoice; And your bones shall flourish, like the green herb: And the hand of Jehovah shall be manifested to His servants; And He will be moved with indignation against His enemies. For, behold! Jehovah shall come, as a fire; And His chariot, as a whirlwind: To breathe forth His anger in a burning heat, And His rebuke in flames of fire. For by fire shall Jehovah execute judgment; And by His sword, upon all flesh: And many shall be the slain of Jehovah. They who sanctify themselves, and purify themselves, In the gardens, after the rites of Achad; In the midst of those who eat swine's flesh, And the abomination, and the field-mouse; Together shall they perish, says Jehovah. For I know their deeds, and their devices: And I come to gather all the nations and tongues together; And they shall come, and shall see my glory. And I will impart to them a sign; And of those that escape I will send to the nations: To Tarshish, Phul, and Lud, who draw the bow; Tubal, and Javan, the far distant coasts: To those, who never heard my name; And who never saw my glory: And they shall declare my glory among the nations. And they shall bring all your brethren, From all the nations, for an oblation to Jehovah; On horses, and in litters, and in coaches; On mules, and on dromedaries; To my holy mountain Jerusalem, says Jehovah: Like as the sons of Israel brought the oblation, In pure vessels, to the house of Jehovah. And of them will I also take, For priests, and for Levites, says Jehovah. For like as the new heavens, And the new earth, which I make, Stand continually before me, says Jehovah; So shall continue your seed, and your name. And it shall be, from new moon to new moon, And from sabbath to sabbath; All flesh shall come to worship before me, says Jehovah. And they shall go forth, and shall see The carcasses of the men who rebelled against me. For their worm shall not die, And their fire shall not be quenched; And they shall be an abhorrence to all flesh.
God as a Companion
Taking upon Him the form of a servant, He served. "The Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister." (Matthew 20:28) "I am among you as He that serves." (Luke 22:27)
If He had come to earth clothed with the glory of heaven, He could not have come near enough to sinful man to serve them. All would have been afraid of Him. Therefore He took upon Him the form of a servant; but He did not take upon himself that character of a servant, for He had that before. Although He is Lord of heaven and earth, He lives for the service of His creatures. So when He was here, "[He] went about doing good; and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him." (Acts 10:38)
Mark the expression, "for God was with Him." That is given as the reason why Christ went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed. This shows the character of God. God with Him did those works. "Believe you not that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwells in me, He does the works." (John 14:10)
He associated with the poor of earth, and ate with publicans and sinners, for "the common people heard Him gladly." (Mark 12:37)
Thus He was illustrating the words of God, "For thus says the high and lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones." (Isaiah 57:15)
And again: "Thus says the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that you build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all these things has my hand made." (Isaiah 66:1-2)
What are we to learn from all this? That as Christ and the Father are one, and Christ is but the manifestation of the Father; and as "Jesus Christ [is] the same yesterday, and today, and for ever," (Hebrews 13:8) and God says, "I am the Lord, I change not;" (Malachi 3:6) therefore God will be the companion of men today, just as in Christ He was the companion of poor sinners eighteen hundred years ago, provided they will let Him. Of Enoch it is said that: "[He] walked with God." (Genesis 5:22)
And they were men of the same nature as the men in this age of the world. The promise of Jesus is, "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and make our abode with him." (John 14:23)
To those who are "wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked," (Revelation 3:17)--He says, " Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice, and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me." (Revelation 3:20)
But we must open the door to Him, by acknowledging that we are poor and needy. God dwells with those who are of a contrite and humble spirit, because He himself is of a meek and lowly disposition. He could not dwell with any others, for if He could, they would try to lord it over Him; and although He is lowly in heart, yet He is Lord of all. Men feel themselves above the Lord, and therefore it is that He calls them to come and learn of Him. "He has showed you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you, but to do justly, to love mercy, and to humble yourself to walk with your God?" (Micah 6:8,margin)
Just think of it! Mortal men feel themselves too good to walk with the Creator of heaven and earth! And what a wonder! If they will but let their pride go, they may have Him for a companion, and He himself asks the privilege of being their companion! Could any higher honor be conceived?--Present Truth, June 1, 1893--Isaiah 66:1-2.
The Promises to Israel: Mount Sinai and Mount Zion
"Thus says the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that you build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?" (Isaiah 66:1)
Solomon, at the dedication of his grand temple, said, "But will God in very deed dwell with men on the earth? behold, heaven and the heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built?" (2 Chronicles 6:18)
All of God's really faithful children understood that the earthly tabernacle or temple was not the real dwelling-place of God, but only a figure, a type. So of the furniture which the sanctuary contained.
As God's throne is in His holy temple in heaven, so in the type of that temple on earth there was a representation of His throne. A very feeble representation, it is true, as much inferior to the real as the works of man are inferior to those of God, yet a figure of it, nevertheless. That figure of God's throne was the ark which contained the tables of the law. A few texts of Scripture will show this.
Exodus 25:10-22 contains the complete description of the ark. It was a box made of wood, but completely covered, within and without, with fine gold. Into this ark the Lord directed Moses to put the Testimony which He should give him. This Moses did, for afterward, in recounting to Israel the circumstances of the giving of the law, together with their idolatry, which led to the breaking of the first tables, he said: "At that time the Lord said unto me, Hew two tables of stone like unto the first, and come up unto me into the mount, and make an ark of wood. And I will write on the tables the words that were in the first tables which you broke, and you shall put them in the ark. And I made an ark of shittim wood, and hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and went up into the mount, having the two tables in my hand. And He wrote on the tables, according to the first writing, the ten commandments, which the Lord spoke unto you in the mount out of the midst of the fire in the day of the assembly; and the Lord gave them unto me. And I turned myself and came down from the mount, and put the tables in the ark which I had made; and there they be, as the Lord commanded me." (Deuteronomy 10:1-5)
The cover of this ark was called the "mercy seat." (Exodus 25:17) This was of solid, beaten gold, and upon each end of it, a part of the same piece of gold, there was a cherub with wings outstretched. "Toward the mercy seat shall the faces of the cherubim be.After these directions, the Lord said: You shall put the mercy seat above upon the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you,--which Moses did, as we have read. And there I will meet with you, and I will commune with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment unto the children of Israel." (Exodus 25:20-22)
God said that He would speak to them from "between the two cherubims. So we read, "The Lord reigns; let the people tremble: He sits between the cherubims; let the earth be moved. The Lord is great in Zion; and He is high above all the people." (Psalm 99:1-2)
The cherubim overshadowed the mercy seat, from which place God spoke to the people. Now mercy means grace, so that in the mercy seat of the earthly tabernacle we have the figure of "the throne of grace" unto which we are exhorted to come boldly, "that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need." (Hebrews 4:16)--Present Truth, December 3, 1896--Isaiah 66:1.
Dwelling in the House of the Lord
"Thus says the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that you build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?" (Isaiah 66:1)
God's house, then, is the whole universe. That is a fact, and yet there are myriads of people who do not dwell in God's house; they are in it as defilers of it, not recognizing the sacredness of the place where they are.
God dwells everywhere, and since His presence sanctifies, every place is holy. Now holiness becomes His house, and if everybody would but remember this, and recognize all space as God's dwelling place, all men would be holy. The temple sanctifies the gold, and the altar sanctifies the gift. (Matthew 23:19) Continually to recognize the presence of the Lord, is to make one a constant dweller in His house.
He who thus dwells in the house of the Lord, will behold the beauty of the Lord. (Psalm 27:4) He will discern the Lord's body, (1 Corinthians 11:29) for he will be dwelling in God, (1 John 4:16) and so he will live indeed. (John 6:55) And God will dwell in him, for he will not partake of anything but the perfect life of the Lord.
Thus beholding the beauty and glory of the Lord, he will be changed into the same image, (2 Corinthians 3:18) and overcoming the world, (1 John 5:4) he will be made a pillar in the temple of God, to go no more out. (Revelation 3:12) So shall he dwell in the house of the Lord for ever. (Psalm 23:6)--Present Truth, December 15, 1898--Isaiah 66:1.
Our Father's House
"Thus says the Lord: The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool; what manner of house will you build unto me? and what place shall be my rest? For all these things has my hand made, and so all these things came to be, says the Lord; but to this man I will look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my Word." (Isaiah 66:1-2,RV) "[David] found favor with God, and desired to find a tabernacle for the God of Jacob. But Solomon built Him a house. Howbeit the Most High dwells not in temples made with hands, as says the prophet, Heaven is my throne, and earth is my footstool; what house will you build me? says the Lord: or what is the place of my rest? 50 Has not my hand made all these things?" (Acts 7:46-49)
These words, spoken by Stephen full of the Spirit when he was on trial, charged with speaking blasphemous words against the temple, were considered by the Jewish rulers to be the sum of unpardonable blasphemy; yet in his prayer at the dedication of the first temple, which was one of the most beautiful buildings ever made by man, Solomon had said, as the Jews had read the words thousands of times: "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain you; how much less this house that I have built." (1 Kings 8:27)
Where then does God live? Where is His home?
"Am I a God at hand, says the Lord, and not a God far off? Can any hide himself in secret places, that I shall not see him? says the Lord. Do not I fill all things? says the Lord." (Jeremiah 23:23-24) "Whither shall I go from your Spirit? or whither shall I flee from your presence? If I ascend up into heaven, You are there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, You are there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; Even there shall your hand lead me, and your right hand shall hold me." (Psalm 139:7-10)
Heaven and earth are both within our Father's house; for it is not possible that His throne and His footstool should be outside of His house; therefore we see that the whole boundless universe is God's dwelling place, and every spot and every portion of space, is holy because of His presence.
In view of this, how much more forcible and comprehensive are the words of Christ: "In my Father's house are many mansions; if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there you may be also." (John 14:2-3)
We know of the New Jerusalem which is to be the capital of Christ's dominions, and with the presence of which this little earth is to be honored; but the scriptures already quoted preclude the idea that the New Jerusalem itself can fulfil the words of Christ. God's house is the universe, and the redeemed are to be given the freedom of it, to roam through it at will, as well as to "follow the Lamb whithersoever He goes," (Revelation 14:4) and to be perfectly at home in any of the innumerable shining mansions which awaken our admiration and awe on a cloudless night. Truly it is "a large place" (Psalm 18:19; Psalm 118:5) into which God brings His redeemed captives.
But wonderful as this is, there is something yet more wonderful. It is indicated in the last part of the verses quoted at the beginning. After making what house man can build for the God who has the earth for His footstool,--only a very small part of the furniture of His house,--the Lord says: "But to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and that trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2) "For thus says the High and Lofty One that inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy: I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit." (Isaiah 57:15)
Marvellous! Incomprehensible! The God whom the heaven of heavens cannot contain makes a humble mortal His dwelling place! "He has made everything beautiful in its time: also He has set the world in their heart, yet so that man cannot find out the work that God has done from the beginning even to the end." (Ecclesiastes 3:11,RV,margin)
If we read John 14:23, knowing that the word "abode," in the last part of the verse, is the same word in the Greek as that rendered "mansions" in the second verse, it will appear more striking than ever before. Thus: "If a man love me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him, and we will come to him, and make our mansion in Him." (John 14:23)
What infinite possibilities this opens up before man! We can pass by for the present the glory and beauty with which God will adorn His dwelling place, and think only of the wisdom and understanding that is indicated in the promise, "I will dwell in them. We read that:" (2 Corinthians 6:16) "God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the seashore. And Solomon's wisdom excelled the wisdom of all the children of the east country, and all the wisdom of Egypt. For he was wiser than all men." (1 Kings 4:29-31)
This was because in his youthful piety he yielded himself wholly to the Lord. What "largeness of heart" there must be when the God who fills the universe makes the human heart His mansion, so that through the Spirit the man is "filled with all the fulness of God." (Ephesians 3:19)
He puts the universe into every true believer's heart. "The Most High dwells not in temples made with hands;" (Acts 7:48) "For you are the temple of the living God; as God has said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them." (2 Corinthians 6:16)
A temple not made with hands, for "The Spirit of God has made me, and the breath of the Almighty has given me life." (Job 33:4)
Coming to Christ, the Living Stone, we are "built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:5)
Let no one become critical and give place to unbelieving questions as to how God can be our dwelling-place, and at the same time dwell in us; how He can contain the universe, and yet dwell in all His fulness in each person's heart, bringing eternity and the universe there. Leave the working out of the problem to God, and let us enjoy the blessedness of the fact. "He that dwells in love dwells in God, and God in him." (1 John 4:16)
We need not carry this subject further at this time. If we let the truth here set forth fasten itself in our minds, it will furnish rich food for meditation. To recognize God in our own bodies, to know His presence there continually, cannot but work a revolution in our lives. Life becomes a sacred treasure to be preserved with the utmost care, and our own body, as well as every other human body, is regarded as a holy thing, to be treated with the highest reverence.
The fact that we are the proper dwelling-place of God, and that holiness becomes His house, (Psalm 93:5) must give us serious thought as to how we have treated His temple. "If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." (1 Corinthians 3:17)
But we have all defiled the temple, for "We are all as an unclean thing, ... and our iniquities, like the wind, take us away." (Isaiah 64:6)
Are we then all doomed to destruction? No; for there is "a fountain opened ... for sin and for uncleanness;" (Zechariah 13:1) and of this cleansing of the sanctuary of God we shall, God willing, speak at another time.--Present Truth, July 5, 1900--Isaiah 66:1-2.
The Tabernacle of Witness
"Thus says the Lord, The heaven is my throne, and the earth is my footstool: where is the house that you build unto me? and where is the place of my rest? For all these things has my hand made." (Isaiah 66:1-2) "The Most High dwells not in temples made with hands." (Acts 7:48)
It is evident that the tabernacle built by Moses could not be the real dwelling-place of God, and every Jew ought to have been impressed by that truth every time he looked at it. Solomon knew it well, for at the dedication of the temple that he built, which was far larger and grander than the first tabernacle, he said, "Will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain You; how much less this house that I have built." (1 Kings 8:27)
What then is God's dwelling place? He himself indicated it when, after asking, "where is the place that you build unto me? and where is the place of my rest?" (Isaiah 66:1)
He said, "but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembles at my word." (Isaiah 66:2) "Know you not that you are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the temple of God is holy, which temple you are." (1 Corinthians 3:16-17)
The human body is the temple of the Holy Ghost. "What? know you not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which you have of God, and you are not your own?" (1 Corinthians 6:19)
This is the true dwelling place of God.--Advent Review, September 23, 1902--Isaiah 66:1-2.
Enforcement of the "Christian Sabbath"
The fact that people are sincere and earnest in their purposes, does not prove that they are correct in their motives. Inspiration has declared, "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked." (Jeremiah 17:9)
And then, to show that this declaration is needed as a revelation to man, the question is asked, "who can know it?" (Jeremiah 17:9)
Without the aid of God's word and Spirit man can never know himself. It is scarcely less difficult for the heart to know itself than for the eye to see itself.
By many, sincerity is held to be as good as the truth--an acceptable substitute for the truth. But a person may be quite sincere and still quite selfish. Indeed, intensely selfish people are always sincere; but they never understand their motives. There is no evil more prevalent than self-deception. Earnest belief, or strong feeling, is, in the estimation of some, better religion than right doing, or obedience to the commandments of God.
We have no idea that they who projected the Inquisition, or that which grew up into the inquisition, had any intention to war upon human rights. They intended to advance the cause of religion and the honor of God upon the earth. Their error was that they set out to serve God by a way of human devising, contrary to the method marked out in the Scriptures. God sent them forth as ambassadors, they chose rather to be legislators and executioners.
It is a common saying that, "History repeats itself." The Lord, by the prophet Isaiah, gives us a view of the religious world near the end of time. "Hear the word of the Lord, you that tremble at His word; Your brethren that hated you, that cast you out for my name's sake, said, Let the Lord be glorified: but He shall appear to your joy, and they shall be ashamed." (Isaiah 66:5)
Compare with: "For, behold, the Lord will come with fire, and with His chariots like a whirlwind, to render His anger with fury, and His rebuke with flames of fire. For by fire and by His sword will the Lord plead with all flesh: and the slain of the Lord shall be many." (Isaiah 66:15-16)
This indicates that another persecution shall arise before the Lord shall appear; that it will be against those who tremble at the word of God; that it will be--not against religion, but, professedly in the cause of religion; by those who affect to act for the glory of God; that, though they say, "Let the Lord be glorified," they are moved against those who tremble at the word of the Lord. Evidently they will hold something else--their traditions--above the word of God.
So it was in the dark ages. Persecutors were zealous for the glory of God, and tenacious of tradition; but careless of the written word. What the Doctors of the church had said was of more worth to them than what Jehovah had said. Their bitterest persecutions, even to the burning of Christians, were "Acts of Faith." Theirs was truly and literally a burning zeal. Who were more faithful to religion than they? We doubt whether the followers of the present age will be able to excel them.
The Apostle Paul, in 2 Timothy 3:1-5, gives a similar view of the religious world of the last days. Though they have "the form of godliness," they will be boastful and proud, false accusers, and despisers of those that are good. We recognize no standard of goodness but that which is erected in God's word. It is obedience to God. Where is obedience to God to be found, if not among those who keep His commandments? "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." (Ecclesiastes 12:13-14)
Here we are informed that we are to keep His commandments because He will bring every work into Judgment. Of course His commandments are the rule of the Judgment, and the measure of acceptance with Him. And it is known to everybody that the religious world are violently opposed to those who keep the commandments of God just as God gave them. If they can have the privilege of amending them, or putting a construction upon them which their words will never justify, then no objection will be raised.
And so the most willful child will obey the order of his parents, if he is permitted to do it in his own way. But what kind of obedience is that? Can it be acceptable to God?
They who accuse their brethren of wrong, because they adhere closely to the commandments of Jehovah, are veritably "false accusers." In their accusations there is neither truth nor justice.
While they profess to seek God's glory, they would do well to examine their motives to see if they are not seeking to have their own way; to see if their pleasure in having the law of the land to sustain them is now somewhat increased by their consciousness that the law of God, strictly construed, is against them.--Signs of the Times, December 8, 1881--Isaiah 66:5, 15, 16.
His Offspring
God never forsakes His offspring. He does not cast off His children when they fall into sin. He fills every relationship in life. He is to us a Father, Mother: "As one whom his mother comforts, so will I comfort you," (Isaiah 66:13)--Brother, Friend,--everything.
But we are always children as far as He is concerned: "little children;" babes, also. We are to grow in grace and increase in knowledge; and yet in growing from infancy to old age, or from first conversion to ripened Christian experience, we do not at all diminish the difference between us and God in knowledge and understanding.
God will always be infinitely above us, so that the wisest man will always be less, as compared with Him, than the little babe is as compared with its parent.--Present Truth, March 29, 1894--Isaiah 66:13.
The New Creation
"In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." (Genesis 1:1) "In six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is." (Exodus 20:11)
At the close of each day's work, "God saw that it was good." (Genesis 1:10,12,18,21,25)
And at the close of the sixth day, when everything was finished, "God saw everything that He had made, and, behold, it was very good." (Genesis 1:31)
Man himself was perfect, and all was as good as God himself could make it. "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended His work which He had made; and He rested on the seventh day from all His work which He had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it; because that in it He had rested from all His work which God created and made." (Genesis 2:1-3) "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it." (Exodus 20:11)
The Sabbath was the sign of the power of God's word. He had spoken all things into existence; and now He rested in perfect confidence that His word would uphold that which He had created. The Sabbath of the Lord--God's rest--is therefore the mark of a perfect, new creation.
But man, to whom the dominion of the earth had been given, sinned. He sold himself to the enemy of God, and received death as his reward. By his sin the curse came upon the earth, so that God's perfect, new creation was everywhere marred.
But God was not defeated; His purposes cannot be thwarted, for: "[He] works all things after the counsel of His own will." (Ephesians 1:11)
Therefore His love devised means to insure the carrying out of His original plan. "God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believes in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." (John 3:16)
Christ was given to death, that man might receive the eternal life which had been lost through sin. But the cross of Christ is "the power of God." (1 Corinthians 1:18)
The Gospel is "the power of God unto salvation, to everyone that believes." (Romans 1:16)
But ever since the creation of this world the eternal power of God has been manifested in the things that He has made. "For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse." (Romans 1:20)
Therefore the cross of Christ--the Gospel--is the same power that is seen in creation. The same power of God, by which man was created in the beginning, is now manifested through the Gospel to re-create him--to bring him back to the perfection which he had at first. This is shown very clearly in the Scriptures. "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creature." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Or, as the Revision has it, "there is a new creation." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Of course there cannot be a new creature without there having been a new creation. So again, "We are His workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God before prepared that we should walk in them." (Ephesians 2:10,margin)
This new creation is signalized by rest. Christ says, "Come unto me, all you that labor, and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest." (Matthew 11:28)
Whoever comes to Him is re-created,--made new,--and then he finds rest--rest in the Word God. As this new creation is the same as that wrought in the beginning, and by the same means, the word of God, so it has the same mark, namely, the Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day. Notice these points:
1. In Christ there is a new creation. In Him all things are created in heaven and in earth. (Colossians 1:16)
2. With the new creation in Christ, there comes rest. Even so it was in the beginning.
3. Christ is of God made unto us "wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption." (1 Corinthians 1:30) He is the truth, and He sanctifies himself, that we may be sanctified through the truth. (John 17:19)
4. The Sabbath of the Lord, the seventh day, on which Christ rested when He had finished the new creation in the beginning, is the sign of sanctification, which comes only through Christ.
We read: "I gave them my Sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." (Ezekiel 20:12)
So now, as at the first, the Sabbath is the sign of the perfect, new creation. God has not changed, His power has not changed, neither has His sign changed.
But this is not the end. In the beginning God had a perfect earth as the abode of perfect men. So again He will have a perfect abode for the men who are made complete in Christ,--a new earth for His new men. He says, "Behold, I create all things new." (Revelation 21:5)
And again, "He that overcomes shall inherit all things." (Revelation 21:7) "We, according to His promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness." (2 Peter 3:13)
This will be the same new creation that was in the beginning, at the close of the first six days; for it will be "the times of restitution of all things, which God has spoken by the mouth of all His holy prophets since the world began." (Acts 3:21)
And since it is the same new creation, the same thing, namely, the Sabbath, will mark it; for we read God's sure Word to the new men whom He has created in Christ: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord." (Isaiah 66:22-23)
If we would be part of God's new creation, we must have it in God's own way, and not refuse to allow God to place His own seal of perfection upon it.--Present Truth, May 16, 1895--Isaiah 66:22-23.
A New Creation
Some people object to the fact that so much is made of the particular day of the Sabbath. They say that the Sabbath is spiritual. So it is, and it should never be considered as anything else. But all must see that we must have a Sabbath day before we can consider its spirituality.
"Spiritual" does not mean unreal or non-existent. What use to talk about the spirituality of a thing that has to us no definite existence? If our friends did not raise the question as to the existence of the Sabbath, there would be no need to talk about it; but let no one think that in dwelling upon the definiteness of the Sabbath day we are unmindful of its spirituality.
We may abstain from labor on the very day of the Sabbath, and yet not keep the Sabbath holy unto the Lord. But that does not warrant us in ignoring the day of the Sabbath. We may abstain from taking human life, and still not keep the sixth commandment; but that does not warrant us in killing men.
In the beginning God sanctified the Sabbath as a memorial of His creative power. He set it apart for the use of men, in order to remind them of His power to sanctify them. "Moreover also I gave them my sabbaths, to be a sign between me and them, that they might know that I am the Lord that sanctify them." (Ezekiel 20:12)
The Sabbath, which calls attention to creation, and thus shows God's eternal power, (Romans 1:20) makes known the sanctifying power of God, since sanctification is the exercise of creative power. "Create in me a clean heart." (Psalm 51:10) "If any man be in Christ, he is a new creation." (2 Corinthians 5:17)
Or, as the Revision has it, "there is a new creation." Christ is Creator, and He created all things. "For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by Him, and for Him." (Colossians 1:16)
The Sabbath comes to us from Eden, when the earth was new, to remind us of the power of God in Christ to make us new creatures, as perfect as man and all things were in the beginning. And this will be its office throughout eternity; for the Lord says of the time when He shall have made all things new, and shall have made men also new, that they may fittingly inherit His new creation: "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, says the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain. And it shall come to pass, that from one new moon to another, and from one Sabbath to another, shall all flesh come to worship before me, says the Lord." (Isaiah 66:22-23)--Present Truth, June 13, 1895--Isaiah 66:22-23.
Editor's Note
Apparently, E. J. Waggoner did not write a final article dealing with the last chapter, Isaiah 66, in his series on The Gospel of Isaiah. In its place, I have supplied a few articles that refer to verses from chapter 66. Only a few verses from this chapter were ever used in Waggoner's writings, and these selections are the best of those. In harmony with most of the previous articles, I will start with a quotation of the whole chapter from Lowth's translation.