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Prophets and Kings
kinsfolks, and friends,” even unto death.
Luke 21:16
. Their only hope
is in the mercy of God; their only defense will be prayer. As Joshua
pleaded before the Angel, so the remnant church, with brokenness
of heart and unfaltering faith, will plead for pardon and deliverance
through Jesus, their Advocate. They are fully conscious of the sinful-
ness of their lives, they see their weakness and unworthiness; and they
are ready to despair.
The tempter stands by to accuse them, as he stood by to resist
Joshua. He points to their filthy garments, their defective characters.
He presents their weakness and folly, their sins of ingratitude, their
unlikeness to Christ, which has dishonored their Redeemer. He en-
deavors to affright them with the thought that their case is hopeless,
that the stain of their defilement will never be washed away. He hopes
so to destroy their faith that they will yield to his temptations, and turn
from their allegiance to God.
Satan has an accurate knowledge of the sins that he has tempted
God’s people to commit, and he urges his accusations against them,
declaring, that by their sins they have forfeited divine protection, and
claiming that he has the right to destroy them. He pronounces them
just as deserving as himself of exclusion from the favor of God. “Are
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these,” he says, “the people who are to take my place in heaven, and
the place of the angels who united with me? They profess to obey
the law of God; but have they kept its precepts? Have they not been
lovers of self more than lovers of God? Have they not placed their
own interests above His service? Have they not loved the things of
the world? Look at the sins that have marked their lives. Behold their
selfishness, their malice, their hatred of one another. Will God banish
me and my angels from His presence, and yet reward those who have
been guilty of the same sins? Thou canst not do this, O Lord, in justice.
Justice demands that sentence be pronounced against them.”
But while the followers of Christ have sinned, they have not given
themselves up to be controlled by the satanic agencies. They have
repented of their sins and have sought the Lord in humility and contri-
tion, and the divine Advocate pleads in their behalf. He who has been
most abused by their ingratitude, who knows their sin and also their
penitence, declares: “The Lord rebuke thee, O Satan. I gave My life
for these souls. They are graven upon the palms of My hands. They
may have imperfections of character; they may have failed in their