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Part Seven of Seven
by
A. T. Jones
(All emphasis added)
Chapters Fifteen - Sixteen
Through the Christian era
The book of Revelation in prophetic symbols portrays the fatal consequences, and all history since the book of Revelation was written, gives the terrible facts, of the disregard of the these principles of divine truth.
There is seen,
"Death", on a pale horse, and "Hell" following with him, riding forth to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth, souls who were faithful to the Word of God and the testimony which they held. Revelation 6:8-11.
There is seen,
a great city, "spiritually called Sodom and Egypt", where again "our LORD was crucified". Revelation 11:8.
There is seen,
a great red "dragon" persecuting to the death "the woman which brought forth the man child", who "was caught up unto God and to His throne"; and persecuting "the remnant of her seed which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ". Revelation 12:13-17.
There is seen,
the great and dreadful beast in alliance with the dragon, "speaking great things and blasphemies"; opening "his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme His name, and His tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven"; making "war with the saints"; exercising his baleful power "over all kindreds and tongues and nations", demanding of them worship that is due to God only. Revelation 13:1-7.
There is seen,
an "IMAGE of the beast" in alliance with the dragon and the beast, exercising "all the power of the first beast"; deceiving them "that dwell on the earth" by the means of the miracles which he had power to do; causing "all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond", to receive a mark in their right hand or in their foreheads. And, that "no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name". And causing, "that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed". Revelation 13:11-17.
There is seen,
a "great whore", with whom the kings of the earth have "committed fornication, and the inhabitants of the earth have been made drunk with the wine of her fornication", sitting upon a "scarlet-coloured beast, full of the names of blasphemy". Revelation 17:1-3.
There is seen,
the "woman", arrayed in purple and scarlet colour, and decked with gold and precious stones and pearls, having a golden cup in her hand full of abominations and [the] filthiness of her fornication. Upon her forehead a name written, "MYSTERY, BABYLON THE GREAT, THE MOTHER OF HARLOTS AND ABOMINATIONS OF THE EARTH", and she herself "drunken with the blood of the saints, and with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus". Revelation 17:4-6.
Yet over all;
death and hell, dragon beast and false prophet, lewd woman and harlot daughters - the saints of God obtain the everlasting victory! [Revelation 15:2]
That victory is gained,
"by the word of the God and the testimony which they held",
[and] "by the blood of the LAMB and the word of their testimony",
[and] by the everlasting gospel.
Their faithfulness is manifested,
in [their] keeping of the commandments of God
and holding the testimony of Jesus Christ, Revelation 12:17.
[and] by [their] keeping the commandments of God
and [having] the faith of Jesus. Revelation 14:12.
Therefore upon them is pronounced the divine blessing, and to them there is given the eternal reward.
"Blessed are they that do His commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life. and may enter in through the gates into the city". And from the eternal throne goes forth the royal command, "Open ye the gates, that the righteous nation which keepeth the truth may enter in". Revelation 22:14; Isaiah 26:2.
"And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire; and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image, and over his mark, and over the number of his name, stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the LAMB, saying, 'Great and marvellous are Thy works, LORD God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints. Who shall not fear Thee, O LORD, and glorify Thy name? For Thou only art holy. For all nations shall come and worship before Thee; for Thy judgments are made manifest'." Revelation 15:2-4.
"And I saw thrones, and they that sat upon them; and judgment was given unto them. And I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their hands: and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years". Revelation 20:4.
"And I saw a new heavens and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, New Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying, 'Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain: for the former things are passed away'". Revelation 21:1-4.
"And there shall be no more curse; but the throne of God and of the LAMB shall be in it; and His servants shall serve Him, and they shall see His face; and His name shall be in their foreheads. And there shall be no night there, and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the LORD God giveth them light;
and
THEY SHALL REIGN FOR EVER AND EVER".
Revelation 22:3-5.
Thus is vindicated the loyalty of men to Christian principles, and the reward of Christian patriotism.
Christian loyalty
Everything that the LORD has ever done for mankind since the sin of Adam, has been done solely to bring man back into harmony with His law. The establishment of ordinances; the giving of His law; the sending of His prophets; the sending of His Son, "that Prophet", greater than the gift of His Holy Spirit - all, everything that has been given, established, or employed by the LORD, has been to bring men to obedience to His law.
In bringing men to His law He is bringing them to Himself, for it is written, "Thou testified against them, that Thou mightest bring them again unto Thy law", and, "[Thou] testified against them to turn them to Thee". Nehemiah 9:29,26. Read carefully the whole chapter and see the object of all that He did.
Bringing men to His law is only turning them to Himself because "God is love", and, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments". [1 John 4:16; 5:3]. No higher attainment than the love of God can ever be reached by any soul in the wide universe. And since it is the love of God, and only [by] the love of God, "That we keep His commandments", it is the very certainty of truth that no higher attainment than the keeping of the commandments of God can ever be reached by any soul in the wide universe.
Jesus said, "I have kept My Father's commandments, and abide in His love", and, "I and My Father are one". There cannot possibly be any higher nor better attainment than ONENESS with God; than likeness to Christ, who is one with God. And as He kept the Father's commandments and abode in His love, and [also] abode in His love by keeping His commandments, so there is no higher nor better thing that could possibly be attainable than the keeping of the commandments of God.
The greatest gift of God to man is the gift of His only-begotten Son, Jesus Christ. Yet with this wondrous gift to men, even in Christ nothing avails on the part of men "but faith which worketh by love". [Galatians 5:6]. Faith is the gift of God, and, working by love, works only by the love of God. And, "this is the love of God, that we keep His commandments". Therefore it is certain that the one great object of the very gift of Christ, and of faith in Him, is to bring men to the keeping of the commandments of God, to faithful obedience to His law.
The greatest gift that God can bestow on men through Jesus Christ, the only means of this gift to men, is His Holy Spirit. Yet in this gift all that He does, all that He can do, is to cause men to know the love of God; for "the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us". Romans 5:5. And since it is "The love of God, that we keep His commandments", and, "Love is the fulfilling of the law", it is perfectly plain that the one purpose of this greatest gift of God through Christ is the keeping of the commandments of God, faithful allegiance to His law.
All the working of the Spirit of God, through all the diversities of operations, is to bring souls unto charity, the bond of perfectness, which is perfect love, the love of God. And, "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments". Therefore all the working of the Spirit of God, through His many gifts and operations, is solely to bring men to the keeping of the commandments of God.
By all this therefore, it is certain that the keeping of the commandments of God is the greatest blessing, the highest honour, and the richest gift that even God can bestow upon any soul. All other blessings, honours, and gifts are subordinate to this. They are given only to be conductive of this one thing; and they can be used only as a means of attaining this. For any person to use any of the gifts of God for any other purpose than to make himself a true keeper of the commandments of God, is for that person to miss the will of God, and to frustrate the object of the very gift which he would use. To be willing to use the word of God, to use God's gift of His dear Son, to use the gift of the Holy Spirit, or any of the gifts of the Holy Spirit, with any other aim than the perfect keeping of the commandments of God, is to miss the will of God, and to pervert the purpose of that word, or of that gift.
That one aim, and that alone, is true Christianity.
This is what Christian patriotism means. So to honour the law of God is what it means to be a true citizen of the commonwealth of Israel. This is what means loyalty to the government of God, and allegiance to the constitution of the supreme law of the Most High.
Are you a Christian patriot?
Is the keeping of the commandments of God your single aim?
Are all the gifts and blessings of God counted by you as only contributory to this one single object?
These questions are important.
This whole subject, as here presented, is of vital importance to every soul.
The loyalty of every soul to God, to His government, to His law, is to be tested to the uttermost in this time, when "The hour of His judgment is come", and when, of all who shall stand in the judgment and be saved, it is declared from heaven, "Here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus". Revelation 14:6-12.
Here are the commandments of God, His holy law.
"And God spake all these words, saying, I am the LORD thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, and out of the house of bondage".
1. "Thou shalt have no other gods before Me".
2. "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. Thou shalt not bow down thyself to them, nor serve them; for I, the LORD thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and shewing mercy unto thousands of them that love Me, and keep My commandments".
3. "Thou shalt not take the name of the LORD thy God in vain; for the LORD will not hold him guiltless that taketh His name in vain".
4. "Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour and do all thy work, but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the LORD thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates. 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".
5. "Honour thy father and thy mother; that thy days may be long upon the land which the LORD thy God giveth thee".
6. "Thou shalt not kill".
7. "Thou shalt not commit adultery".
8. "Thou shalt not steal".
9. "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbour".
10. "Thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house; thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, nor his manservant, nor his maidservant, nor his ox, nor his ass, nor any thing that is thy neighbour's". Exodus 20:1-17.
These commandments are summed up in the following two, because,
"ON THESE TWO commandments hang ALL the law and the prophets":-
1. "Hear, O Israel, the LORD our God is one LORD. And thou shalt love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength".
2. "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself".
This alone is Christian patriotism:
and Christian patriotism is, in every individual who possesses it,
the total separation of religion and the state.
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