Letters and Manuscripts — Volume 9 (1894)

Ms 117, 1894

Revealed To Babes

NP

December 11, 1894 [typed]

Previously unpublished.

When Christ sent out the seventy he said to them, “Into whatsoever house ye enter, first say, Peace be to this house. And if the son of peace be there, your peace shall rest upon it, if not it shall turn to you again. And in the same house remain, eating and drinking such things as they give: for the laborer is worthy of his hire, go not from house to house. And into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you, eat such things as are set before you: and heal the sick that are therein, and say unto them, the kingdom of God is come nigh unto you. But into whatsoever city ye enter, and they receive you not, go your ways out into the streets of the same, and say, Even the very dust of your city, which cleaveth on us, we do wipe off against you; notwithstanding be ye sure of this, that the kingdom of God has come nigh unto you.” [Luke 10:5-11.] 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 1

They were not to speak this sentence upon the rejecters of mercy from motives of resentment or through wounded dignity; but because it is essential that men should understand that it is a grievous matter to refuse to receive the message and the messenger whom God sends. To mistreat the servants whom the Lord sends with a gospel message, is to mistreat Christ in the person of his saints. As Christ’s delegated messengers under the impulse of the Holy Spirit, they were to convey a solemn reproof to the people. Having thus instructed his disciples Christ said to them concerning the rejecters of his mercy, “But I say unto you, that it shall be more tolerable in that day for Sodom, than for that city.” Then in deep sorrowful accents the Saviour continued, “Woe unto thee, Chorazin, Woe unto thee, Bethsaida, for if the mighty works had been done in Tyre and Sidon, which have been done in you, they had a great while ago repented sitting in sackcloth and ashes. But it shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted to heaven; shall be thrust down to hell.” [Verses 12-15.] 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 2

The people to whom these woes were addressed had been privileged to have great light; but the light had been unimproved. If heavenly messages are disregarded, if the love of God is unheeded, the sin of men is the greater. This is the great sin of the world that light has come into the world, and that men have chosen darkness rather than light. The Spirit of God has been constantly drawing the hearts of men; but as light has shown upon their path, Satan has falsely represented the truth, and has presented error in an attractive light. The truth has been unpopular, for it has not been easy to deny self, to lift the cross and follow Jesus. When conviction comes to the mind, the Holy Spirit is striving, and calling upon men saying, “Behold now is the day of salvation. Harden not your hearts.” [2 Corinthians 6:2; Hebrews 3:8.] 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 3

The people of Chorazin and Capernaum hardened their hearts in refusing to receive light and evidence. Truth had been made clear and bright to their minds, and conviction had fastened upon them; but they had hardened their hearts, and had refused to be benefitted by the light that had shown upon them. The impression was wearing away, and now, while it is called today they hardened their hearts and woe fell upon them from the lips of Christ. Thus we see what peril there is in turning away from the truth. “He that heareth you heareth me, and he that despiseth you despiseth me; and he that despiseth me despiseth Him that sent me.” [Luke 10:16.] On another occasion the Lord said, “If the world hate you, you know that it hated me before it hated you, if ye were of the world, the world would love his own; but because ye are not of the world, but I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. Remember the word that I said unto you, The servant is not greater than his Lord. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they have kept my saying, they will keep yours also.” [John 15:18-20.] 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 4

Christ draws a sharp distinction between the world and his followers and yet that distinction is becoming obliterated, and instead of the church converting the world, the world is converting the church. When the church walks in the light as Christ is in the light, she will maintain her high ground as a representative of her Lord, and be chosen of God and faithful. The Comforter is the Spirit of truth. In false theories we have a deceptive perversion of truth; but there can be no genuine comfort in falsehood. The spirit of comfort is the Spirit of truth, which exposes error, calls it by its right name, and expels it from the soul. Truth does not exalt finite humanity, but glorifies Christ, and anything that shall make dim or eclipse Christ is a falsehood. Let us take home to ourselves the question, “Am I receiving and properly appropriating the light given me of God in his precious word?” 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 5

What is it that will convict Capernaum in the day of judgment? It will be the fact that they believed not the truth. Their hearts were wrought upon by the Holy Spirit. Distinct rays shown upon their pathway, and they were convicted of righteousness, (the righteousness that comes by faith in Christ) and of judgment to come. Their hearts were impressed with the solemn realities of the judgment; but they hardened their hearts and refused the light. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 6

Christ did not deceive his disciples as he sent them forth. He showed them the plan of the battle in the great controversy. He revealed to them the fact that they would meet with opposition for the truth’s sake. But on this occasion “the seventy returned again with joy, saying Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” [Luke 10:17, 18.] When Christ consented to give his soul an offering for the sins of the world, when the controversy ended at the cross, when he cried, “It is finished,” and died under the curse of sin, he made heaven eternally secure against accusations, the deceptions, the pretentions that Satan would instigate. No more would the enemy be able to gain sympathy from the universe of heaven, from worlds unfallen. Loyal angels never again would sympathize with him who had demonstrated that he was an accuser, a liar, and a murderer. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 7

Jesus said to his disciples, “Behold, I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” [Verse 19.] What a promise this is! Whosoever shall strike to wound and bruise one of Christ’s believing children, it were better for him, Christ has declared, that a mill-stone should be hanged about his neck and that he should be drowned in the depths of the sea. The life of every sincere believer is hid with Christ in God and though the outward man may suffer and perish, yet the inner life is safe with Christ. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 8

Jesus said to his followers, “Notwithstanding in this rejoice not that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven,” immortalized among the heavenly hosts. [Verse 20.] The seventy listened to the words of Christ as if spell-bound; for the Holy Spirit was impressing their minds with living realities, and writing truth upon the tablets of the soul. Their hearts burned within them as they caught the inspiration of the words that fell from the lips of Christ. Though multitudes surrounded them, and though many hearts were deeply impressed, yet disciples of Christ were as though shut in with God. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 9

Knowing that they had caught the inspiration of the hour, Jesus “rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes; even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy sight. All things are delivered to me of my father: and no man knoweth who the Son is, but the Father; and who the Father is, but the Son, and he to whom the Son will reveal him. And he turned him unto his disciples, and said privately, Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see; for I tell you, that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear and have not heard them.” [Verses 21-24.] They received a rich blessing in seeing by faith the invisible. The long promised Messiah, Jesus of Nazareth was among them, and they were commissioned to bear to the world the message of that which they had seen and heard. They were to make known to the people the fact that the Majesty of heaven, the Lord of glory had clothed his divinity in the habiliments of humanity, and had come to the world. Divinity flashed through humanity, transfiguring his countenance as he said, “I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven.” [Verse 18.] As he uttered these words the minds of the disciples were illuminated, and they realized that the mighty God, clad in the garb of humanity, was among them. They beheld him as a man, and yet as one infinitely higher than angels, the Creator of all worlds, and equal with the Father in dignity, glory, and blessing. Yet he was a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 10

Often as he had presented the Old Testament Scriptures, and showed their application to himself, and his work of atonement, they had been awakened by the influence of the Spirit, and lifted into a heavenly atmosphere, and through his interpretations had discerned spiritual things to a far greater depth than had the original writers themselves when moved upon by the Holy Spirit. The great Teacher left in their possession truths whose richness and power they little suspected. But Christ promised to send the Holy Spirit to recall to their memories these precious gems. Under the teaching of the Holy Spirit they were to fully comprehend the meaning of that which they had but dimly understood, and apprehend that the entire system of Jewish ceremonies was but a presentation of Christ. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 11

In the promise Jesus made that he would send the Holy Spirit, provision was made to make up for the deficiencies of finite beings through this agency, that we might be qualified to be witnesses for him unto the uttermost parts of the earth, becoming co-workers with God. The Lord Jesus was seen as never before by his disciples, for the Holy Spirit revealed his complex character of human and divine. After the outpouring of the Spirit the disciples realized that “the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us.” [John 1:14.] “For verily he took not on him the nature of angels but he took on him the seed of Abraham. Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people. For in that he himself hath suffered, being tempted, he is able also to succor them that are tempted.” [Hebrews 2:16-18.] Christ takes fallen man, degraded by sin, into unison with deity. The Word was made flesh and dwelt among us, and this flesh was associated with all the humbling conditions of a fallen race. Yet Christ exemplified the law of Jehovah in humanity, and exalted humanity by connecting it with the divine nature. Humanity and divinity combined may represent the character of Christ and the character of the Father. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 12

The most honored of the world, the so-called great and wise men, with all their boasted wisdom, saw not nor comprehended the character of Christ. They did not know Jesus, they saw not his beauty and loveliness; for the garb of humanity concealed his heavenly origin. They judged him from outward appearances, from the humiliations that fell upon him as a human being. He was to them as a rod out of dry ground; he had no form nor comeliness that men should desire him. But the Lord Jesus had given views of himself to his disciples, that had revealed to them the fact that he was the divine Son of God—the sacrifice for a sweet smelling savor. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 13

He had taken the fisherman and the publican from their lowly employment that he might educate and train them to communicate to the world the message of saving grace. He had brought them into covenant relationship with himself, as his chosen ones, his adopted children, and was making them one with himself and with his Father. When his disciples manifested the fact that they beheld divinity in his humanity, he rejoiced in spirit that though this knowledge was not possessed by the wise and prudent, yet it had been revealed to them. They beheld Christ “whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him; but ye know him, for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you.” [John 14:17.] Christ their educator was teaching them by precept and example, and bringing them out of their ignorance of God and Christ and of themselves, into covenant relation with the Father, taking them from the guilt of sin and the condemnation of the law, into the liberty of the children of God, that being fully accepted, they might behold him who is full of grace and truth, and come into the knowledge of their oneness with Christ Jesus. Hereafter they would read the Old Testament Scripture not as the sayings of the rabbis, not as the doctrines of the Scribes and Pharisees, but as a new revelation from God. In successive ages, and under different circumstances the prophets had given testimonies concerning the coming Messiah. One had testified concerning one part of his life and ministry, and another had testified of another part, but their revelation all clustered about the cross. They had foretold that the powers of earth inspired by Satan would do unto him as they should list, and that Christ would be betrayed, condemned and crucified. Jews and Greeks confederated together against the world’s Redeemer, and crucified the Lord of glory in fulfillment of prophetic utterances. After the resurrection and ascension of Christ, the disciples set forth Jesus Christ as the Messiah in the demonstration of the Spirit and with power, and showed that Christ is the truth symbolized by all the ancient types of the Jewish religion, the One foretold by all the prophets. 9LtMs, Ms 117, 1894, par. 14