God's Character:

The Best News in

the

Universe

by Dr. Elliot O. Douglin

Author of The New World Economic Order, The Hour of His Judgment is Come,

Ministration of Holy Angels, Absolute Rest and Principles of Sabbath Rest,

The True Church Prepares For Her Final Conflict, The Mystery Of Three Choices,

The Gathering Of The Nations, The Sealing Work, Abiding In Christ,

The Power of God's Word in the Science of Faith...

Copyright © 2001 by

Truth For The Final Generation

Contents

Chapter Twenty-Three
God's Character And The Mystery Of Suffering

Chapter Twenty-Four
The Final Battle In The Great Controversy

Chapter Twenty-Three
God's Character And The Mystery Of Suffering

The eternal principle which is the foundation of God's throne is the principle of self-sacrificing love. This is the law of life for God and the universe. God is love and love is life.

In the Great Controversy God rests His case on Love's application of Wisdom, Righteousness and Truth to power. He will use His power only righteously, which is harmlessly (Romans 13:8,10). And He allows His creatures full freedom; freedom to think, to choose, to decide.

For those who choose God's way of using power wisely and righteously by love, He gives them His Love and Righteousness as free gifts in Christ through the Holy Spirit.

For those who reject his way, He leaves them free to follow their own way but He "bends over backward" to convince them of His way. If they ultimately reject Him, He will ultimately and absolutely leave them alone, and that will be the second death.

Because Love gives all of itself and because Love rests its case on right rather than might then Love is open to hurt and to the sacrifice of itself. This the principle of the cross.

Even in the beginning, when there was no sin, the God of love first ran the risk by making all His creatures free. He foresaw that sin would develop and would cost Him infinite suffering but there was no other way for love to travel than the path of self-sacrifice, the path of the cross.

To sinful, selfish creatures (on planet Earth), love's self-sacrifice seems like defeat and looks like foolishness. But in love's self-sacrifice are the seeds of eternal life.

Selfishness is always trying to save self. But in the self-saving of selfishness there are the seeds of eternal death. Luke 9:23,24.

The Satanic government of self-centredness attacks God's government of selfless love with falsehood and deception, and ultimately, with brute force and violence. But love defends not itself, it simply rests its case upon wisdom, righteousness and truth.

Divine Power always rests in Wisdom through Love, and Power's rest in Wisdom, is always victorious through Love by the pathway of self-sacrifice.

Because God is love then love must be eternal and never-failing, 1 John 4:8,16; 1 Corinthians 13:8. And since love rests its case upon truth and right then love can never be defeated 2 Corinthians 13:8.

We live in a moral universe, one in which the law of Love is supreme and in which the law of love fulfils every obligation to each being in the universe, whether to God or His creatures.

As we have already learnt, Agapé love, the Divine eternal love of God, is the love which loves because of its own inherent nature and not because of the excellence or worth of its object. This love is not primarily an emotion but is active, benevolent, sacrificial, out-going goodwill, working by the application of wisdom, righteousness and truth to power. The love of God is spontaneous, automatic love. God loves us unconditionally not because of who we are but because of who He is. It is His nature to love. Matthew 5:45.

There is no love without self-giving. There is no self-giving without the risk of being hurt. In our free and moral universe, in which the great conflict is in progress there can be no love without suffering. Suffering is an essential ingredient of love's victorious conflict with selfishness. God has not loved without cost. The Father and the Son suffered infinite pain in the sacrifice made to save mankind and to ensure a sinless universe in the eternity to come! 2 Corinthians 5:21; Romans 8:32; 1 Corinthians 13:4.

The Importance Of Suffering

The Church is being prepared to sit with Christ on His throne. In order to qualify for this exalted position of co-rulership with Christ in the future eternity, the church, the Bride of Christ, must be conformed to His image. Revelation 3:21; Rom. 8:29,30; Ephesians 5:27.

The members of the church must be conformed to the image of the Son firstly in character, while probation lasts, and secondly in body at the Second Coming of Christ. If the members of the church, the body of Christ, are to qualify for their future ministry to the universe in the eternity to come, then they must share the character of God Himself which is the character of Agapé love. And as we have already learnt, the character of Agapé love cannot be developed in fallen humanity without suffering.

Christ Himself won the victory through the pathway of suffering. Hebrews 2:10; 5:8.

Union with Christ in His sufferings is the pre-requisite to union with Christ in His glory, in other words, the cross is the means by which glory is achieved! 2 Timothy 2:12; Romans 5:1-5.

In the human experience there can be no character development without suffering, therefore suffering is absolutely necessary for the future enthronement of the church.

Why The Need For Suffering

When God made Adam, He pronounced him very good. God's unselfish love in the Holy Spirit filled, and, controlled Adam's spirit and soul. But the fall produced massive damage to Adam and all humanity. By accepting Satan's lies, Adam and all mankind became SELF-CENTRED.

Self-centredness is the very essence of all sin and it results in self-destruction.

Sin originated in self-exaltation. Ezekiel 28:17.

Selfishness is death. Romans 8:6 (first part).

Self-centredness is the central foundation of hostility which is the basis of hell. Self-centredness issues forth into pride, hatred, violence, the exaltation of self by deception and by force, and ultimately, self-centredness, self-destructs (the second death). Romans 8:5-7; James 1:15.

In conforming an individual to the image of His Son, God must cleanse him of self-centredness. This begins at initial justification and the new birth, and continues in the process of sanctification. Philippians 1:6; 1 Thessalonians 5:23.

How Suffering And Tribulation Work To Decentralize Us

Sufferings and tribulation, failure and disappointment, sickness and death, all show us that we are nothing; that we cannot save ourselves; that we need to surrender to Someone greater than we are. Suffering therefore breaks down self-centred pride and works on the personality in such a way as to change it from being ego-centric to being Deo-centric. But all this depends upon the attitude of the person.

Sufferings and tribulation, especially annoyances, frustrations, delays, and disappointments also work upon us to expose deep-seated, self-centred defects such as: impatience, intolerance, cruelty, roughness, impoliteness, retaliation, self-protectiveness, greed, anger, and the desire for self-exaltation. These defects must be acknowledged, repented of, confessed, and cleansed out of the soul.

By recognizing our nothingness and our ugliness of character we will have a deeper sense of our need of Christ and His righteous character of love and humility. Moreover the believer must keep his mind fixed on Christ and His life-giving character of love. If the eye of faith is kept fixed on Christ and if the believer practices the attributes of divine love under every difficulty then there occurs the progressive growth in Agapé love which prepares the soul for glory.

Another important work of suffering and tribulation is that since they show us our nothingness, we will better appreciate the privilege of prayer. Prayer may be considered as an attitude of total dependence upon God which issues forth in communication with God. In every problem we are to see a call to prayer, that is, we are to recognize our helplessness and seek the all-sufficiency of God.

Through adversity, prayer and study of God's word we will develop a close, intimate union with Christ. And the Holy Spirit will impart the love and righteousness and humility of Christ into our souls.

One's Reaction To Adversity Determines The Results

Many people waste the wonderful opportunities for character building which adversity offers. Rather than allowing the Holy Spirit to use the adversity to change them from self-centredness to God-centredness, they entrench themselves in self-pity and ego-centric, attention-seeking techniques. They therefore become self-defensive, sensitive and devoid of any rest of soul.

On the other hand, suffering, from whatever source, whatever nature, and whatever intensity, plus submissive acceptance and surrender to God, produces Christlike character!

Affliction, triumphantly accepted in the present time, produces the qualifications needed for the extremely high rank which the redeemed will enjoy in the eternity to come. This is true because God uses adversity to slay and cast out the self-life, so that the believer is delivered from self-centredness and pride and is set free to love.

In the light of all which we have been learning in these lectures, it should be clear that murmuring, complaining, fretfulness, and discontent are all self-destructive and sinful.

The Apostle Paul advised his Corinthian congregation:-

"Neither murmur ye, as some of them also murmured, and were destroyed of the destroyer." 1 Corinthian 10:10.

Since "our light affliction…. Worketh for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Corinthians 4:17) and since we eagerly look forward to the glory to come, we should allow affliction to work for us by cheerfully submitting to God for His refining work on our souls.

An Ever-Deepening Death To Self

Union with Christ on the cross means suffering with Him and for Him. Union with Christ on the cross means an ever-deepening death to self and sin. The more

empty we are, the more we can be filled with the fullness of God's self-sacrificing love and humility. The Apostle Paul gives a clear analysis of these principles in Romans 6 and Galatians 5:16-19.

The faith which remains surrendered to the principle of self-sacrificing love under all circumstances, even under abuse, persecution, torture and in the face of death, is called in the Bible "Gold tried with fire." 1 Peter 1:7.

Such faith works by love to purify the soul (Galatians 5:6) and brings to the believer the victory of Christ which overcomes the world (1 John 5:4,5). This is the faith which thanks God and praises Him, even in adversity, thereby releasing the power of the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation from sin to those who believe (Romans 1:16,17). This is the faith of Jesus (Revelation 14:12), the gold which He freely gives to us to cure us of our lukewarmness (Revelation 3:18). He says to us, "I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire."

This faith of Jesus was made perfect through His (Jesus) sufferings (Hebrews 2:10). In other words, in Christ the gold has been tried in the fire and brought to its greatest possible purity. Such faith therefore enables the believer to be "tried in the fire" and emerge victorious (Revelation 3:12).

In the Christian warfare the battle to be won is the battle against self. At initial conversion self is dethroned and love enthroned in the spirit of the human soul. But deep in the conscious and unconscious minds are defects of character; the hereditary and acquired tendencies to serve self, defend self, assert self, depend on self, retaliate for the protection of human ego. All these defects must be cleansed out of our minds and be replaced with the beautiful attributes of divine love mentioned in 1 Corinthian 13. ONLY WHEN THE SOUL IS THUS CLEANSED OF ALL THE DEEP-SEATED DEFECTS OF CHARACTER, WILL THE LOVELY CHARACTER OF CHRIST BE FULLY REFLECTED IN AND THROUGH THE HUMAN SOUL.

The believer's victory is the victory of Christ. It is to be received as a free gift. It is not obtained by self-effort or by works. The victory is obtained by faith through prayer and study of God's word and through the various trials and temptations and crises of life. The troubles and calamities of life are caused by sin but are permitted by God and used by Him to show us the deep-seated defects in our souls that we may repent, confess, and, by faith, receive deeper infillings of the righteousness of Christ. This refining work is being supervised by our High Priest in the Most Holy Place of the Heavenly Sanctuary where since 1844, He has been patiently performing the work of preparing His final generation of living saints.

Laodicean lukewarmness has delayed this work for over a century but Christ will at last achieve what the Prophet Malachi foretold in Malachi 3:3,4.

As we learn, believe and receive the truth, our souls and spirits are cleansed of sin and filled with truth and righteousness until the character of Christ is fully reproduced in us. When this happens then the Heavenly sanctuary will be cleansed of our sin and the seal of God fixed in our foreheads; that means that by our choice the Holy Spirit will have fixed, with permanence, the righteousness of Christ within the human spirit and mind. To this end, Jesus, our High Priest in the Most Holy Place, performs the work of "a refiner and purifier of silver." There are certain attributes of character which cannot be fully developed in redeemed human beings without trials, adversity and fierce temptations. The Christian may read about patience, longsuffering, endurance, and perseverance in the Bible and think he is alright in these areas just by studying the word. But Christ our High Priest will permit trials, adversity and temptations to come upon the believer to show him the deep-seated defects of character in the soul and provide him with the very experiences needed for the development of genuine divine patience, meekness and humility. The great men and women of God in the Bible all underwent this refining process by which they were brought to higher experiences in character perfection and closer intimacy with God through Christ by the Holy Spirit. Christ himself, the captain of our salvation, was perfected in faith through sufferings and this faith he offers to us as a free gift. It is gold that has been purified in fire. And for us to fully reflect this faith of Jesus we need suffering too. 1 Peter 1:3-12; Hebrews 2:10.

This brings us to a very important point. Since the believer is surrendered completely to God, the Christian must thank God for, and praise Him in adversity. Rather than impulsively ask for deliverance from the adversity, the Christian ought to thank God and praise him for the refining work being done on him for the purpose of perfecting character. This is the mind of submissive faith, the faith of Christ, that must be exercised in adversity in order for patience to be fully developed to the Christ-like standard. James 1:1-4; Romans 8:31-39.

So we see then that it is through believing and receiving the word of God, through trials and adversity, that the soul is cleansed of every defect of character and filled with the truth until the character of Christ is fully reproduced in and reflected through the sanctified soul.

The Patience of the Saints in the Final Crisis

God overcomes evil with good. Our Lord Jesus Christ endured all the suffering, pain and death which Satan's government could have inflicted upon Him in His death on the cross. That was the decisive battle and the decisive victory. The battle was fought and the victory won. Satan used force, cruelty and deception; Christ overcame by employing love, truth and righteousness.

The Church, the Body of Christ must also endure its share of suffering in the process of defeating Satan's government without force.

"Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's sake, which is the church." Colossians 1:24.

Satan's human agencies will carry themselves beyond the boundary of God's life-sustaining, protective mercy by their onslaught of cruelty, violence and force upon the remnant people of God in the end time.

God's final generation of living saints will understand this and will therefore exercise patience during the final crisis.

Knowing that God will not intervene arbitrarily, that He will not put down rebellion by force but that He allows those who do not want Him to depart from Him thereby cutting themselves off from His life-sustaining grace, the saints will understand that they must wait patiently for sin to run its course of separation from God until all earthly governments collapse to utter ruin.

"And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying, The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever." Revelation 11:15.

Chapter Twenty-Four
The Final Battle In The Great Controversy

The Decisive Battle

Christ's victory on the cross decided the outcome of the Great Controversy between God's government and Satan's. Christ's victory was both decisive and incisive. Satan's government was defeated and utterly so. And he was defeated not by the power of might but by the power of right. In killing the Son of God, Satan's government wrote itself off! In dying, Christ triumphed over the forces of iniquity!

"Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage." Hebrews 2:14,15.

"And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it." Colossians 2:15.

"He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil." 1 John 3:8.

Satan's charges against God's government were all shown to be false. The Man Christ Jesus by His sinless life in our sinful flesh and by His infinite sacrifice on the cross, proved that God would go to whatever depth was required to save man. In giving His Son, God gave all. Moreover, God in the Person of His Son suffered the infinite pain of the death which sin causes in order to save the lost race from destruction.

"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not." 1 John 3:1.

Such love is without a parallel. Children of the heavenly King! The matchless love of God for a world that did not love Him. This is a theme for the most profound meditation! It has a subduing power upon the soul and brings the mind into captivity to the will of God. The more we study the character of God in the light of the cross, the more we see mercy, tenderness, and forgiveness blended with equity and justice; and the more clearly we discern innumerable evidences of a love that is infinite and a tender pity that infinitely surpasses a mother's yearning sympathy for her wayward child.

The Conclusive Battle

Can the Gospel of Jesus Christ reproduce His victory in His Body, the church? Can the decisive victory won by Christ produce a final generation of believers who will overcome as He overcame by making His victory their own by faith? Will there be a final generation of living saints whose character will be the character of Agapé self-sacrificing love as Christ's was?

Scripture answers YES!

"Forasmuch then as Christ hath suffered for us in the flesh, arm yourselves likewise with the same mind: for he that hath suffered in the flesh hath ceased from sin; That he no longer should live the rest of his time in the flesh to the lusts of men, but to the will of God." 1 Peter 4:1,2.

"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Revelation 3:21.

There will be a conclusive battle. The final generation of true believers called the remnant of the woman's seed in Revelation 12:17 will be the subject of ultimate Satanic aggressive warfare. Satan will make war with the remnant because they will keep the commandments of God and the faith or testimony of Jesus.

"And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Revelation 12:17.

God Is Now Waiting For And Preparing This Remnant

The Bible describes three special final messages which must prepare God's final or remnant people. These messages are written down in Revelation 14:6-12, the messages of three angels.

The foundation of this threefold warning is the everlasting gospel of God's love revealed in what He has done for, and given to, mankind in Christ.

"And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the everlasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people." Revelation 14:6.

This first angel's message announces the judgement and invites all men to worship God as Creator and Saviour in Jesus Christ.

"Saying with a loud voice, Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come: and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters." Revelation 14:7.

The second angel's message announces Babylon's fall. Babylon is false religion including false Christianity and it must fall because error and sin are self-destructive.

"And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication." Revelation 14:8.

The third angel warns against the image and mark of the best.

"And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb:

And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name." Revelation 14:9,10,11.

The mark of the beast system will obviously transgress the commandments of God because, in contrast to those who receive the mark of the beast, the saints are described as patiently keeping the commandments of God.

"Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Revelation 14:12.

Moreover the worshippers of the beast will be devoid of rest, therefore the mark of the beast must be the end-time enforcement of transgression of God's Seventh-Day Sabbath which is the sign of rest in the righteousness of Christ.

God Is Waiting For A Sealed People

The vast majority of people in this world are fully committed to Satan's government. According to the principles of absolute freedom God must ultimately give up this world to its chosen government of sin.

But He is waiting. He is waiting for His end-time servants to be sealed in the foreheads with the seal of the living God!

"And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree.

And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, Saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads." Revelation 7:1-3.

This sealed group called the 144,000 will have Christ's Father's name written in their foreheads. They will have the true knowledge of God's character both intellectually and experientially and will completely reflect the victorious righteousness of Christ.

"And I looked, and, lo, a Lamb stood on the mount Sion, and with him an hundred forty and four thousand, having his Father's name written in their foreheads." Revelation 14:1.

The truth of righteousness by faith will produce a Christian character maturity and perfection in the true end-time remnant!

Worldwide Religious Agitation

The enforcement of Sunday laws will evoke a vigorous response from God's people. Those most advanced in the truth will, under the latter-rain of the Holy Spirit, give the great final warning thereby calling all of God's true honest people to separate from all error and sin and to fully receive the righteousness of Christ which will be manifested in obedience to all Ten Commandments.

"And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habitation of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird.

For all nations have drunk of the wine of the wrath of her fornication, and the kings of the earth have committed fornication with her, and the merchants of the earth are waxed rich through the abundance of her delicacies. And I heard another voice from heaven, saying, Come out of her, my people, that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not of her plagues." Revelation 18:1-4.

Victory Over Lukewarmness

God's people must by then have obtained the full victory over Laodicean pride and lukewarmness. They must fully receive the faith and love of Christ, the righteousness of Christ and the spiritual discernment of Christ.

"I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore, and repent… To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne." Revelation 3:18,19,21.

The message of God's character revealed in the victorious righteousness of Christ in the everlasting Gospel guarantees deliverance from lukewarmness to those who genuinely believe!

"Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God." 2 Corinthians 7:1.

"Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you." Acts 3:19,20.

The eradication of all deep-seated sinful defects of character and the infilling with the righteousness of Christ are the two dimensions of the sealing work .

The Cleansing Of The Heavenly Sanctuary

In an ancient prophecy written down in Daniel 8:13,14 it was prophesied that the "sanctuary would be cleansed" or would "emerge victorious" after 2300 years. The 2300 years started in 457B.C and ended in 1844 October. We are therefore living in the time of the "cleansing of the sanctuary."

In the earthly Old Testament sanctuary the priests performed a daily ministry. In addition there was a once yearly ministry performed by the High Priest alone who went into the Most Holy Place of the sanctuary on the Day of Atonement to cleanse away all the sins that had "accumulated" in the sanctuary by confessions throughout the year.

Paul explains in Hebrews Chapter 9 that those Old Testament services were a figure or model of the New Testament Melchisedek ministry of Jesus in the Heavenly sanctuary.

"Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such an high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." Hebrews 8:1.

From the time of His ascension to the end of the 2300 years Christ performed His continuous intercessory ministry in the first apartment of the Heavenly sanctuary. But since 1844 Christ has been officiating in the second apartment of the Heavenly Sanctuary.

The Vindication Of God's Government

The Heavenly Sanctuary is the Headquarters of God's government and the Control Centre for the universe. God's government and His sanctuary have been blamed by Satan for sin and its consequences.

Christ's decisive victory would have cleared the sanctuary of all Satan's charges. But one question remains. Satan argues that what God has accomplished in Christ cannot be reproduced in His church.

In order to vindicate His government; in order to cleanse the sanctuary of any blame for sin, God must produce a victorious remnant fully reflecting the love and righteousness of Christ.

We can be sure of one thing; the remnant will be united in their understanding of the true character of God as revealed in Christ. They will know that God is not to be blamed for, and is not the cause of sin or death. They will fully reflect God's Agapé love and righteousness to the world thereby proving Satan wrong and God right, bringing the world to the final point of decision. All confessed sins and all blame for sin and evil will be "cleansed" out of the sanctuary and put on Satan and his government.

The Close Of Probation

When every mind has been made up for or against God's righteousness, probation will close.

The four angels will loose the four winds of the earth - the forces of evil - and unimaginable and progressive destruction, called the seven last plagues, will develop. The mark-of-the-beast system will sentence God's people to death but they will be delivered by God's voice and Christ will return in blazing glory to take His resurrected and translated saints to heaven for the 1000 years of Revelation 20.

At the end of the millennial reign in Heaven, Christ, and the Holy City with God the Father and all the Holy Angels will come down to earth. The unsaved will be resurrected to hear their final judgement before the great white throne.

Then God will totally give up all the unsaved, the separation will be complete, and in the final fires of destruction caused by that separation; the unsaved will die the second death.