Gods Sabbath

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E NTERING INTO G OD ’ S S ABBATH R EST

agony; but that suffering did not begin or end with His manifes tation in humanity. The cross is a revelation to our dull senses of the pain that, from its very inception, sin has brought to the heart of God. Every departure from the right, every deed of cru elty, every failure of humanity to reach His ideal, brings grief to Him. . . “His Spirit ‘maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.’ As the ‘whole creation groaneth and travai leth in pain together’ (Romans 8:26, 22), the heart of the infinite Father is pained in sympathy. Our world is a vast lazar house, a scene of misery that we dare not allow even our thoughts to dwell upon. Did we realize it as it is, the burden would be too terrible. Yet God feels it all. In order to destroy sin and its re sults He gave His best Beloved, and He has put it in our power, through co-operation with Him, to bring this scene of misery to an end. ‘This gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come.’ Matthew 24:14.” Education , 263.1–263.2. Yet instead of being concerned for Himself in His suffering, God’s concern is for His creatures. He is infinitely patient in or der to give us every opportunity to repent. “The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some under stand slowness. He is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.” 2Peter 3:9. When we look back through the annals of history and see the ever-repeating pattern of a promising beginning ending in an other departure from the ways of the Lord, we could easily be come disheartened. If we count carefully, we will find that God has made six attempts in the past to initiate a movement in or der to finish His work on this sin-filled earth. But every single one of those movements has stumbled over the same point and drifted into apostasy. Once the Israelites reached Canaan in Joshua’s time, they made an excellent beginning. Following God’s instructions, they started to drive out the heathen. But the time came when they Repeated Opportunities