THE LOVE OF GOD AS REVEALED
THROUGH HIS WRATHSometimes in the midst of any kind of conflict it is difficult to see, let alone feel any kind of love. The reason for this is that when people are experiencing hurt, anger, pain and fear, which often leads to total frustration and chaos, most people are not able to either give or receive love. And this is basically the history of the human race known as the Great Controversy.
Small wonder then that most human beings have a difficult time understanding and/or feeling God's love for them in midst of this ongoing Controversy between Christ and Satan. Many ask, If God really loves me, why does He hurt me so much or at least allow it to happen? They do not see God as their friend but as their enemy and so they ask, Why does God permit circumstances and people to cause me so much pain? Some even ask why God allows them to hurt themselves. If He is God why doesn't He do something to stop all this suffering? As a parent I stop my children from hurting themselves.
And so it is that the majority of the human family find themselves alienated from their Heavenly Father by the events transpiring in their lives which they perceive as coming from or being brought upon them as a judgment from God for their sins. As we seek to unravel this great mystery and search for the answers which will bring understanding, peace and tranquility to our troubled minds, let us pray: Father in heaven, we thank you for your great love which we have seen through your only Son, Jesus. We come before your throne of grace, into the palace of your heart, seeking your insight and understanding. Help us to find the answers we are seeking. In Your dear Son's name, Jesus, we ask this. Amen.
The name Immanuel means "God with us." "'The light of the knowledge of the glory of God' is seen 'in the face of Jesus Christ.' From the days of eternity the Lord Jesus Christ was one with the Father; He was the 'image of God,' the image of His greatness and majesty, the 'outshining of His glory.' It was to manifest this glory (character) that he came to our world. To this sin-darkened earth He came to reveal the light of God's love,--to be 'God with us.' By coming to dwell with us, Jesus was to reveal God both to men and to angels." DA 18.The first two chapters of the book of Job clearly shows that Satan is the enemy of mankind. But how and when did this happen? Again from "Desire of Ages," we read. "The earth was dark through misapprehension of God. That the gloomy shadows might be lightened, that the world might be brought back to God, Satan's deceptive power was to be broken. This could not be done by force. The exercise of force is contrary to the principles of God's government; He desires only the service of love; and love cannot be commanded; it cannot be won by force or authority. Only by love is love awakened. To know God is to love Him; His character (what He is really like) must be manifested in contrast to the character of Satan. This work only one Being in all the universe could do. Only He who knew the height and depth of the love of God could make it known. Upon the world's dark night the Sun of Righteousness must rise, 'with healing in His wings.'" Malachi 4:2. Notice again the very first sentence of that last quote. "The earth was dark through misapprehension of God." What does that big word "misapprehension" mean? Well, let's first define the word "Apprehend." "To understand. To take hold of mentally; perceive, understand."
So, to misapprehend means the very opposite, i.e., "to not mentally grasp, perceive or understand."
We also read in the above quote that the "gloomy shadows" would be "lightened," or disappear and the world would be brought back to God only when "Satan's deceptive power was ... broken." Ok, so here is more insight into the beginning of all of our problems. Not only does Satan have "power" but the secret to this power is built upon and based on DECEPTION. In Hebrews 1 Paul explains that God brought His only begotten Son into this world in order to speak to us through Him, Heb. 1:2, and that Jesus was made (born/created and fitted him with a body like our own) lower than the angels for the purpose of suffering and tasting death for every man. Heb. 10:5; 2:9. And by going through that door of death He destroyed Satan's power which was and still is: THE FEAR OF DEATH.
Notice: "Since we, God's children, are human beings--made of flesh and blood-He became flesh and blood too by being born in human form; for only as a human being could he die and in dying break the power of the devil who had the power of death. Only in that way could He deliver those who through fear of death have been living all their lives as slaves to constant dread." Hebrews 2:14, 15. LB.
Now, when did this "fear of death begin?" It started with Satan, whom Jesus identified as a liar and murderer from the very beginning, John 8:44. And he began in heaven deceiving the angels themselves...insinuating doubts into their minds about the true character of the Father and His son. In Matt. 8:29 and Mark 1:24 we see, Satan, at the very outset of Christ's ministry attacking Him with the false charge that He had come to torment and destroy them. This false accusation was spoken through one of his victims. Notice: "And there was in their synagogue a man with an unclean spirit; and he cried out, Saying, Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou come to destroy us? I know thee who thou are, the Holy One of God." Mark 1:24. Jesus rebuked that unclean spirit and commanded him to come out of the man, which he did after he cried out with a loud voice, vs. 25, 26.
Luke, one of Paul's most faithful co-workers, not only wrote the Gospel of Luke but the book of Acts as well. He testified in the first chapter of his gospel, Luke 1:1-3, that he had decided to write a fuller and expanded account of the life of Jesus. His motive was to compose a sequential biography of Christ, putting all of the events of His life in the order in which they happened. He explains this in a letter to a man named Theophilus, no doubt a personal friend of his. "Dear Theophilus: Many have done their best to write a report of the things that have taken place among us. They wrote what we have been told by those who saw these things from the beginning and proclaimed the message. And so, your Excellency, because I have carefully studied all these matters from their beginning, I thought it good to write an orderly account for you I do this so that you will know the full truth of all those matters which you have been taught."
Later Luke wrote a follow up letter to this same man detailing the works of the Holy Spirit in the life of Christ's disciples. In Acts 10:38 he clearly reveals that Satan was the one who was hurting and oppressing the people and Jesus was the One who was setting them free. "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with Him."
Jesus had said the same thing in John 10:10. "The thief comes not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly. I am the good Shepherd: (implying there is a bad or false Shepherd) the good Shepherd gives His life for the sheep...My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow Me." John 10:10, 11, 27. Christ was faithful to His calling, listening to the Father's voice each day. "Jesus said...my meat (food) is to do the will of Him that sent me, and to finish His work." John 4:34.
"Christ did not yield up His life till He had accomplished the work which He came to do, and with his parting breath He exclaimed, 'It is finished.' The battle had been won." The unfallen angels did not understand what was involved. "Not until the death of Christ was the character of Satan clearly revealed to the angels or to the unfallen worlds. The arch-apostate had so clothed himself with deception that even holy beings had not understood his principles. They had not clearly seen the nature of his rebellion. But it was in the life and especially the death of Jesus that the eyes of the holy angels were finally opened. "Heaven viewed with grief and amazement Christ hanging upon the cross...All heaven was filled with wonder when the prayer of Christ was offered in the midst of His terrible suffering,--'Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do.'...Satanic agencies confederated with evil men in leading the people to believe Christ the chief of sinners, and to make Him the object of detestation. Those who mocked Christ as He hung upon the cross were imbued with the spirit of the first great rebel. He filled them with vile and loathsome speeches. He inspired their taunts. But by all this he gained nothing. Could one sin have been found in Christ, had He in one particular yielded to Satan to escape the terrible torture, the enemy of God and man would have triumphed." DA 758-761.
But we know that Satan did not triumph. Jesus did. Praise His holy Name. "Satan saw that his disguise was torn away. His administration was laid open before the unfallen angels and before the heavenly universe. He had revealed himself as a murderer. By shedding the blood of the Son of God, he had uprooted himself from the sympathies of the heavenly beings. Henceforth his work was restricted. Whatever attitude he might assume, he could no longer await the angels as they came from the heavenly courts, and before them accuse Christ's brethren of being clothed with the garments of blackness and the defilement of sin. The last link of sympathy between Satan and the heavenly world was broken." DA 761.
There is also an unpublished statement which agrees with the above and gives more insight. Notice: "Christ's betrayal, trial, and crucifixion were all planned by the fallen foe. His hatred, carried out in the death of the son of God, placed Satan where his true diabolical character was revealed to all created intelligences that had not fallen through sin.
THE HOLY ANGELS WERE HORROR-STRICKEN THAT ONE WHO HAD BEEN OF THEIR NUMBER COULD FALL SO FAR AS TO BE CAPABLE OF SUCH CRUELTY. EVERY SENTIMENT OF SYMPATHY OR PITY WHICH THEY HAD EVER FELT FOR SATAN IN HIS EXILE, WAS QUENCHED IN THEIR HEARTS. THAT HIS ENVY SHOULD BE EXERCISED IN SUCH REVENGE UPON AN INNOCENT PERSON WAS ENOUGH TO STRIP HIM OF HIS ASSUMED ROBE OF CELESTIAL LIGHT, AND TO REVEAL THE HIDEOUS DEFORMITY BENEATH; BUT TO MANIFEST SUCH MALIGNITY TOWARD THE DIVINE SON OF GOD, WHO HAD WITH UNPRECEDENTED SELF-DENIAL, AND LOVE FOR THE CREATURES FORMED IN HIS IMAGE, COME FROM HEAVEN AND ASSUMED THEIR FALLEN NATURE, WAS SUCH A HEINOUS CRIME AGAINST HEAVEN THAT IT CAUSED THE ANGELS TO SHUDDER WITH HORROR, AND SEVERED FOREVER THE LAST TIE OF SYMPATHY EXISTING BETWEEN SATAN AND THE HEAVENLY WORLD (3SP 183, 184). 5BC 1149, 11
Comments from psychiatrist about Satan not having any feelings of love,,,etc.
There is a very important spiritual truth that very few understand. And is this: You cannot know or perceive evil until you understand and know what is truly good. For example, you cannot spot a phony, counterfeit $20 bill unless you know exactly what the genuine looks like. So, it is impossible to detect the deceiver (Satan) in his disguise until we know who God really is. That is why Satan has been so successful in deceiving the whole world, especially the religious world. Satan, as an angel of light, (2 Cor. 11:14, 15) has captured their imagination and they think they are worshiping the true God when they are actually worshiping the devil himself.
But the good news is that the deeper we go into the Father's great heart of love the more we will know about Him and His true character. The stated purpose of this article is to reveal the love of God by understanding the "Wrath of God." Here is the text that helped me to understand it. "But God commends His love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us. Much more then, being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." Rom 5:8-10.
Question: How does God save us from "wrath?" We shall be saved from wrath through Him.
Let's go to the story of the Death of the First born in Exodus 12:12; 24. We see from these verses that "the Lord" is claiming to be the one who is going to "smite" (kill/destroy) all of the first born in the land of Egypt. But there is a way of escape. Those who put the blood of the Lamb on their door posts will be saved. "For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when he sees the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the DESTROYER to come in unto your houses to smite you." Vs. 24. Here we have two personalities or entities:
The Hebrew word translated "Destroyer" is Shatach and always refers to Satan, the Devil.
The word "Destroyer" is only used seven times in the Bible. But only three times is it referring to Satan. Ex 12:23; Ps 17:4; I Cor 10:10. So, from the example of the death of the first born we can see that destruction only comes when God suffers or allows it to come. An example of how wrath is associated with God withdrawing is found in Numbers 12:1-10 when Miriam became a leper. The leprosy did not come upon her until the Lord departed. "And the anger of the Lord was kindled against them; and He departed. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle; and, behold, behold, Miriam became leprous, white as snow."
Most people define the "Wrath of God" to be when the Lord strikes down the sinner with sickness or disease or some calamity for punishment. But notice that in Psalm 78:25-29 it says that God's wrath is when "He gave them their own desire." Ps 78:29. This agrees with Rom 1:18-28 where Paul says that "God gave them up to uncleanness...God gave them over."
"He gave up their cattle also to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts. He cast upon them the fierceness of His anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them." Psalm 78:48, 49. Notice carefully that all the plagues that came upon Egypt of old were brought by "evil angels." Compare this with the story in Mark 5 about the demons who pleaded with Jesus for permission to go into the pigs when they were cast out of the man with the unclean spirit. "And all the devils besought him, saying, Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them. And forthwith Jesus gave them leave. And the unclean spirits went out, and entered into the swine: and the herd ran violently down a steep place into the sea, (they were about two thousand;) and were chocked in the sea." Mark 5:12, 13. And so the GOOD NEWS about the Wrath of God is that the Lord absorbs it into Himself and thus takes it away from us. This is what He did on the cross as He hung there dying and pleading for the Father to forgive them all because they did not know or realize what they were doing.
Notice in Rev. 7 that God's holy angels hold back the "winds of strife." They do not bring it. They are commanded to "hold" not to send. Big difference. Read the story of the death of King Saul on Mt Gilboa. Even though he committed suicide, I Chron. 10:4, 5 the Bible states that God killed him. So, no matter what happens the Bible writers always put the blame on God as Moses did when he wrote that "God hardened Pharaoh's heart," when we all know that Pharaoh hardened his own heart.
For more info read my books, "INTO THE FATHER'S HEART," and "THE WONDERFUL TRUTH ABOUT OUR HEAVENLY FATHER." Your friend, Pastor Mike Clute.