MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
August 6, 2025
God’s Purposes Revealed by Inspiration
RESTORED AS PURCHASED POSSESSION BY PLAN OF REDEMPTION THE ORIGINAL DOMINION BECOMES ETERNAL HOME OF THE REDEEMED
What do you think?
On their own, how many professed followers of Jesus Christ, “the way, the truth, and the life,” would have discovered and recognized the glorious truth “bridges” that connect the Bible’s grand “twin peak” truths of Creation and Redemption—all centered on and emanating from Christ,” the Word from the beginning,” God Creator, and then “the Word was made and manifest in the flesh and dwelt among us,” Christ the Son of man, the world’s Redeemer?
Like all other “Scriptures we are to search that testify of of Him”, these are “spread abroad” in and throughout the Bible, both in “minor” and “major” prophetic books of the Old Testament and in the epistles and prophecies of the New Testament.
In addition to intellectually and spiritually following its to own prescribed rules of Bible study given in Isa. 8:20; 28: 9-13; 1 Cor. 2: 9-14; 1 Tim. 2:15, etc., the gift of “the Spirit of prophecy, which is the testimony of Jesus” (Rev. 12:17; 19:10) has been entrusted to the commandment-keeping remnant saints clearly identified in Rev. 14:12.
I must reiterate that it is from the pen of God’s last-day messenger that we continue quoting from in this series, as in all others, past, present, and future. Continuing from last week:
“When man [tAdam in Eden] became Satan’s captive [by yielding to temptation and disobeying God Creator’s command and word], the DOMINION [original earth] which he held, PASSED to his conqueror. Thus Satan BECAME ‘the god of this world’ (2 Cor. 4:4). He had USURPED that dominion over the earth which had been ORIGINALLY given to Adam.
“But Christ, by His sacrifice, PAYING THE PENALTY OF SIN, would not only REDEEM MAN, but RECOVER THE DOMINION which he had forfeited [by his transgression]. All that was LOST by the first Adam will be RESTORED by the second. [God incarnate in human nature].”
Now notice what the “sixth of the so-called Minor Prophets” wrote during the times of the southern kingdom:
“Says the PROPHET, O Tower of the flock, the stronghold of the daughter of Zion, unto thee it shall come, EVEN THE FIRST DOMINION.’ (Micah 4:8).
“And the APOSTLE Paul POINTS FORWARD [where?] to the ‘REDEMPTION OF THE PURCHASED POSSESSION’ (Eph. 1:14).
“God created the earth to be THE ABODE of holy, happy beings. ‘The Lord formed the EARTH, and made it; He hath established it, He created it NOT IN VAIN, He formed it to BE INHABITED.’ (Isa. 45: 18).
“That PURPOSE will be fulfilled, when, RENEWED by the power of God, and FREED from sin and sorrow, it shall become the ETERNAL ABODE OF THE REDEEMED. ‘The righteous shall INHERIT THE LAND, and dwell therein FOREVER.’ ‘And there shall be no more curse [of sin]; but the THRONE OF GOD AND THE LAMB SHALL BE IN IT [earth renewed!]; and His servants [the redeemed saints] shall serve Him.’ (Ps. 37; 29; Rev. 22: 3).” – E. G. White, Patriarchs & Prophets, Pacific Press Publishing Asso., 1913, p. 67.
It’s more than “high time to awake out of sleep” and quickly, humbly, and thoroughly “examine and prove ourselves whether” all the things we believed and taught as “Bible and Gospel truth” can truly stand the closest scrutiny of God’s Word which is “sharper than a two-edged sword.”
To be continued, God willing. Bless all, NMF.