Day of Atonement

September 25, 2004

Greetings in the name of our best Friend who ever lives to make intercession for us.

I am so grateful the heavenly laundry has not yet closed. There is cleansing, I still long for in my life. I long and pray for growth. It seems there is so little time left, to

“Get ready “get ready” “get ready”

Our Challenge

Jer.17:1 The sin of Judah is written with a pen of iron, and with the point of a diamond: it is graven upon the table of their heart, and upon the horns of your altars;

That is what we are dealing with on the Day of Atonement.

Job 13:26 For you write bitter things against me, and make me to possess the iniquities of my youth.

Prov.8:36 But he that sins against me wrongs his own soul: all they that hate me love death.

We all have the record of sin in the fleshly tables of our hearts (our minds). Jesus never sinned so He never had a record of sin to drag Him down. Jesus could testify

John 14:30 Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me.

How I long for the day that that is the experience of God’s people.

Bad News :”Let none say, My way is hid from the Lord; God takes no knowledge of my ways. Now it may be it is not too late. Now it may be you can repent. But even if pardon is written against your names, you will sustain terrible loss; for the scars you have made upon your souls will remain.” {TM 447.1}

Good News: It is the purpose of redemption, not only to blot out sin, but to give back to man those spiritual gifts lost because of sin's dwarfing power. COL 266

Those scars are what I long to see dealt with in my heart and the hearts of all God’s children because it is what stands between us and our At-One-Ment with each other and God and the complete fulfillment of the New Covenant Promise. After describing the Zech.3 experience of “change of raiment” and the blotting out of sin,

Jesus does not excuse their sins, but shows their penitence and faith, and, claiming for them forgiveness, He lifts His wounded hands before the Father and the holy angels, saying: I know them by name. I have graven them on the palms of My hands. "The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, Thou wilt not despise." Psalm 51:17. And to the accuser of His people He declares: "The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" Zechariah 3:2. Christ will clothe His faithful ones with His own righteousness, that He may present them to His Father "a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing." Ephesians 5:27. Their names stand enrolled in the book of life, and concerning them it is written: "They shall walk with Me in white: for they are worthy." Revelation 3:4. [GC484]

Look at the promised condition of God’s people:

Thus will be realized the complete fulfillment of the new-covenant promise,

"I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." "In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the iniquity of Israel shall be sought for, and there shall be none; and the sins of Judah, and they shall not be found." [JER. 31:34; 50:20.] "In that day shall the branch of the Lord be beautiful and glorious, and the fruit of the earth shall be excellent and comely for them that are escaped of

Israel. And it shall come to pass, that he that is left in Zion, and he that remaineth in Jerusalem, shall be called holy, even every one that is written among the living in Jerusalem.” [Isa.4:2,3.{GC88 485.1}

The glasses remind me to pray two songs; “Open mine eyes that I may see, glimpses of truth thou hast for me” and Open my eyes Lord; I want to see Jesus. . . Open my ears Lord and help me to listen . . . Open my heart Lord; I want to be like Him.

The Victoria Falls Bridge built by the Rhodes Family around 1900 reminds me of

A Bridge over the Gulf.--By transgression man was severed from God, the communion between them was broken; but Jesus Christ died upon the cross of Calvary, bearing in His body the sins of the whole world, and the gulf between heaven and earth was bridged by that cross. Christ leads men to the gulf, and points to the bridge by which it is spanned, saying, "If any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross daily, and follow me" (MS 21, 1895). {7BC 941.8}

The arching rainbow below the bridge reminds me of the New Covenant soon to be completely fulfilled in the lives of those who follow Christ by faith in His closing Day of Atonement ministry.

The saving knowledge of God will accomplish its purifying work on the mind and heart of every believer. The Word declares: "Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from all your filthiness, and from all your idols, will I cleanse you. A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of your flesh, and I will give you an heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes." This is the descent of the Holy Spirit, sent from God to do its office work. The house of Israel is to be imbued with the Holy Spirit, and baptized with the grace of salvation. {RH, October 13, 1904 par. 5}