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A Brand Plucked Out of the Fire, December 16
And the Lord said unto Satan, 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
.
Jesus speaks of His people as a brand plucked out of the fire, and Satan
understands what this means. The infinite sufferings of the Son of God in
Gethsemane and on Calvary were endured that He might rescue His people
from the power of the evil one. The work of Jesus for the salvation of
perishing souls is as if He thrust His hand into the fire to save them. Joshua,
who represents God’s people, is clothed in filthy garments, and stands before
the angel; but as the people repent before God for the transgression of His
law, and reach up by the hand of faith to lay hold on the righteousness of
Christ, Jesus says, “Take away the filthy garments from them, and clothe
them with change of raiment” (see
Zechariah 3:4
).
It is through Christ’s righteousness alone that we are enabled to keep the
law. Those who worship God in sincerity and truth, and afflict their souls
before Him as in the great day of atonement, will wash their robes of character
and make them white in the blood of the Lamb. Satan seeks to bind about
the human mind with deception, so that men will not repent and believe, that
they may have their filthy garments removed. Why will you cling to your
miserable defects of character, and by so doing bar the way, that Jesus may
not work in your behalf?
During the time of trouble, the position of God’s people will be similar
to the position of Joshua. They will not be ignorant of the work going
on in heaven in their behalf. They will realize that sin is recorded against
their names, but they will also know that the sins of all who repent and lay
hold of the merits of Christ will be canceled.... Those who have manifested
true repentance for sin, and by living faith in Christ are obedient to God’s
commandments, will have their names retained in the book of life, and they
will be confessed before the Father and before the holy angels. Jesus will say,
“They are mine; I have purchased them with my own blood.”—
The Signs of
the Times, June 2, 1890
.
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