Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

God’s Sabbath rest in the soul. The trials of life will then pass from the realm of mystery into an area of meaningful and even beauti ful purpose. What had previously been a cause for discouragement, doubt, or confusion, becomes instead comprehensible and a cause for peace and even holy gratitude. Reading the accounts of the martyrs reveals expressions of deepest joy as they realize they are accounted worthy to suffer the greatest sacrifice for their Saviour. There are several good reasons why God allows Satan to bring trials upon His children. One purpose which is easily understood is that God uses trials as instruments to shape the character aft er the divine pattern and thus fit the soul for heaven. Many of these trials are brought upon us by our own foolish course of ac tion, yet they serve to reveal weaknesses and deficiencies which need to be corrected. Such revelations, even though they come the hard way, are in fact a blessing and when seen aright will be regarded as such. But we will turn our attention to another, highly important reason for Satan’s being permitted to strike some of God’s people with disease and even death. This reason particularly applied in the cases of Job, John the Baptist, and Lazarus, for example. In order to understand this reason and find blessed Sabbath rest in its knowledge, we will go back to the dawning of rebellion. From the beginning, it was Satan’s argument that the law of God could not be kept under every circumstance. He argued that, for untold millenniums, God had withheld information from him because He did not trust him with that knowledge. During that period, Satan, who was then known as Lucifer, in his apparent ignorance had served God with undivided attention. However, once he imagined he had discovered God’s carefully guarded se crets, he felt he was left with no option but to rebel. Lucifer decided that the only possible course he could follow was to sever all connection with God. He left his position and in a pre tended show of loving, self-sacrificing consideration for the still loy al angels, endeavored to alert their minds to the “real” character of God whom he portrayed as deceiving and mistrustful. He claimed The Origin of Rebellion