MID-WEEK MANNA FROM PASTOR NAT’S DESK:
September 6, 2023
God’s Saving Enmity
Part 34
THE AFFLICTIONS OF THE RIGHTEOUS AND THE TRUE GOSPEL
“The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open to their cry. . . Many are the afflictions of the righteous: but the Lord delivereth him out of them all.”Ps. 34: 15, 19 (1-21).
“Be not thou therefore ashamed of the testimony of our Lord, nor of me His prisoner: but be thou partaker of the afflictions of the gospel according to the power of God.” 2 Tim. 1: 8, KJV.
“In every age God’s chosen MESSENGERS have been reviled and persecuted; yet through their affliction the knowledge of God has been spread abroad. . . .
“How often this result has been seen in the HISTORY of God’s messengers? When the noble and eloquent Stephen was stoned to death at the instigation of the Sanhedrin council, there was NO LOSS to the cause of the gospel. The light of heaven that glorified his face, the divine compassion breathed in his dying prayer, were as a SHARP ARROW OF CONVICTION to the bigoted Sanhedrist who stood by, and SAUL, the persecuting Pharisee, became a chosen vessel, to bear the name of Christ before Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel [the Jewish nation in Christ’s time and their national religion].
“And long afterward Paul the aged wrote from his PRISON HOUSE AT ROME: ‘Some indeed preach Christ even of ENVY AND STRIFE.....not sincerely, supposing to ADD AFFLICTION to my bonds.....Notwithstanding, every way, whether in pretense or in truth, Christ [and His true gospel] is preached.’ (Phil. 1: 15, 16, 18).
“Through Paul’s IMPRISONMENT the gospel was spread abroad, and souls were won for Christ in the very palace of the Caesars [the cruel and depraved emperors of pagan Rome who worshipped the sun]. By the efforts of Satan to DESTROY IT, ‘the incorruptible seed’ of the Word of God, ‘which liveth and abideth forever’ (1 Pet. 1:23), is sown in the hearts of men; THROUGH THE REPROACH AND PERSECUTION of His children, the name of Christ is MAGNIFIED, and souls are saved.” (All emphasis and bracketed words supplied)-E.G. White, Thoughts from the Mount of Blessing, pp. 54-7. Who or what was the Sanhedrim, AKA Sanhedrin?
“An assembly convened for consultation, deliberation, advice, consideration, or agreement upon concerted action; in some cases, a permanent advisory, legislative, or administrative body. Various kinds of councils are referred to under different terms in the Bible, but nearly all the New Testament examples refer to a specific body, to which this discussion will be confined: the GREAT SANHEDRIN OF JERUSALEM, THE CHIEF JUDICIAL BODY OF THE JEWS for the Hellenistic period to A.D. 66…..
“Authority. It was the highest judicial body in the country and had power over LIFE AND DEATH (Josephus’ Ant. xiv. 9, 3, 4; Matt. 26: 3, 4, 59, 66). However, during the administration of the Roman procurators, its death sentences had to be confirmed by the governor (John 18: 31), although this seems to have occasionally been circumvented (Acts 7: 58). The norm of its action was THE LAW OF MOSES AND THE ORAL TRADITIONS that were pronouncements of leading Jewish scholars. It is generally agreed that the Roman administration also put in its hands the responsibility of collecting the taxes. The obligation was discharged by SELLING IT to tax purchasers or speculators, known as PUBLICANS in the NT.” SDA Bible Dictionary, Commentary Reference Series, Vol. 8, Review & Herald Pub. Asso., 1960, art. “Council.”To be continued next MWM, God willing. Bless all, NMF.