Gods Sabbath

490

E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

The resulting attitude of the people is well summarized in the following paragraph: “The test was too great. The enthusiasm of those who had sought to take Him by force and make Him king grew cold. This discourse in the synagogue, they declared, had opened their eyes. Now they were undeceived. In their minds His words were a direct confession that He was not the Messiah, and that no earthly rewards were to be realized from connection with Him. They had welcomed His miracle-working power; they were eager to be freed from disease and suffering; but they would not come into sympathy with His self-sacrificing life. They cared not for the mysterious spiritual kingdom of which He spoke. The insin cere, the selfish, who had sought Him, no longer desired Him. If He would not devote His power and influence to obtaining their freedom from the Romans, they would have nothing to do with Him.” The Desire of Ages , 391.3. Israel’s troubles began at the point where they established themselves as plan makers in God’s place, but they could never see this. Consequently, they became more and more confirmed in their rejection of God’s ways until they had turned their backs on the only One who could help them. They justified their rejection of Christ on the grounds that His ways would never deliver Israel, but their nation which they thought to save by this decision, was destroyed because of it. Their objective was to obtain complete deliverance from the Ro mans and be exalted to the pinnacle of worldly greatness. In stead, the Romans destroyed them and razed their beloved city to the ground. They became a scattered and persecuted people. Worst of all, they totally disconnected themselves from heaven and lost the priceless gift of eternal life. It was far too high a price to pay for the doubtful honor of being plan makers in God’s place. When the Jews usurped God’s role as Plan Maker, they be came so obsessed with the thought of exercising authority over Christ that they were not content merely to reject Him. Once they realized that He would not serve them in the way they Revenge