November 5, 2022
H A P P Y S A B B A T H , B E L O V E D !
Then the temple of God was opened in heaven, and the ark of His covenant was seen in His temple. And there were lightnings, noises, thunderings, an earthquake, and great hail. Revelation 11:19
The ark of the covenant in the earthly tabernacle contained the tables of God’s eternal law and was a powerful symbol of God’s presence with His people. It brought comfort and a sure reminder of the divine power of the LORD at work among men to guide and instruct them. Here, John the Revelator is shown the magnificent reality of the ark of His covenant in heaven, the very throne of Almighty God in the Most Holy place of the heavenly temple, and its direct connection with the earth—more explicitly, His divine focus to bring about His purposes in the lives of His beloved creatures.
The Holy Spirit-inspired use of sanctuary language in the Word is paralleled with military language. This is because we are in a war. Jesus Christ is our Commander in Chief, and we are to hear and obey Him. While He is infinitely more powerful than Satan, we must understand that humans are no match for the adversary. It is only under Christ’s divine leadership in an individual’s life that any of us are enabled to gain real, lasting victory.
Satan successfully deceived one-third of the heavenly angels, and he has set up his headquarters on the earth. We are taught from the beginning that he is subtle and crafty. Jesus withstood him in the wilderness by wielding the double-edged sword, also known as the written Word of truth. With such an Example, it is tragic that the enemy is not met with greater resistance. It is evident that the soldiers of Christ are sleepy and indifferent. There are numerous reasons for this, all stemming from a lack of a close, committed relationship with Him. Because sin—all sin!—is not viewed as repulsive, abhorrent, and deadly, there is a terrible lack of decisive determination to resist it.
The devil delights in our ignorance of the exceedingly evil and malignant nature of sin. He also delights in the fact that many professed followers of Christ ignore his very existence or have a weak, cartoonish concept of his appearance and workings. “They do not know that their enemy is a mighty general who controls the minds of evil angels, and that with well-matured plans and skillful movements he is warring against Christ to prevent the salvation of souls.” *
The sight of the ark of the covenant in the heavenly temple should be seen—even more so than the earthly copy of the past—as a comfort and a sure reminder that God is on His throne, seated upon His eternal law which stands, even though our subtle and crafty enemy has worked through deceived men in an attempt to alter it: he has deleted the second commandment regarding idolatry, shortened the longest commandment (the fourth) to only eight words while introducing a counterfeit Sabbath, and split the tenth commandment into two to make up for the deleted second commandment.
He shall speak pompous words against the Most High, Shall persecute the saints of the Most High, And shall intend to change times and law. Daniel 7:25a
*from THE GREAT CONTROVERSY by E.G.White, p.508