Man’s Viewpoint—God’s Standpoint

FOR the testing of the people of God, darkness has been allowed to cover the earth and gross darkness the people. Satan, the prince of darkness, has been permitted to have a large measure of control, with the result that he has put light for darkness, and has made darkness appear as light. (Isa. 5:20) In other words, the message and work of the called-out church has been misunderstood by those around them; and even to many claiming to be the Lord’s people the faithful have been regarded, as Paul puts it, “as deceivers; (and yet true).”—II Cor. 6:8

This, it will be at once seen, is one of the severe tests of the narrow way. Hence, our Master himself, whose ministry was confined to those who were in a nominal sense God’s people, and who spake as never man spake, found, on account of this blinding influence of the Adversary, that both his message and work were to a large extent misunderstood.

Some of the precious and eternal truths uttered by the Master were called blasphemy by the Jewish religious teachers. Even many of the common people were induced to say, “He deceiveth the people.” (John 7:12) The figurative robe worn by the Master, in spite of his perfect righteousness, symbolized in Scripture by fine linen, was to them a defiled, bespattered garment, for he was viewed by the majority as a blasphemer and deceiver. All the time, nevertheless, the Father saw him as clothed in white raiment, symbolic of the righteous acts of God’s holy ones.—Rev. 19:8

The humble and faithful followers of the Master have had similar experiences. Their message was, and is, to the Jews a stumbling block, and to the Greeks (the worldly-wise) foolishness. As Paul, in sorrow, was constrained to express the matter, “We are fools for Christ’s sake, … we are despised. … Being defamed, we entreat: we are made as the filth of the world, the off-scouring of all things.”—I Cor. 4:10-13

As the falling away developed after the death of the apostles (I Tim. 4:1, R.V.), the faithful among the Lord’s servants had to contend with mounting error, and with servants of error in ever increasing numbers. In a matter of a few centuries the voice of truth was well nigh stifled and darkness well nigh reigned supreme.

At the Reformation of Luther’s day the Lord’s faithful people had a similar experience. As they began to proclaim the further light upon the Word of God beginning to come to them (for instance, the doctrine of justification by faith, instead of justification through the sacrifice of the Mass and kindred papal superstitions), they found the majority of God’s professed people opposed to them. This meant suffering for the truth’s sake, for their faithfulness to the stewardship the Master had committed to them.

Those who participated in subsequent reform movements had similar experiences as they contended with giant errors entrenched in the minds of the people. Ability to appreciate the light of the Gospel was possessed by but few. The foregoing condition of things has continued down to the very end of the age, to this time when the thousand-year day of the Lord is beginning to dawn, and its light begins to break upon a waking church.

As God’s people are ready, one by one, to receive the harvest message, present truth, they immediately realize that they are surrounded by people believing some of the greatest imaginable misrepresentations of the divine character and plan relating to the penalty for sin, the salvation secured by Christ’s death, the future of both the church and the world; and that, through the influence of the great Adversary, practically every one of Christendom’s creeds is leavened with most grievous and deadly error. This means that as the beautiful truths of the divine plan are proclaimed the Lord’s people have similar experiences as did the faithful of earlier days. They too are considered deceivers, holders of blasphemous doctrines which deny fundamental truths of the Word of God. Hence their characters and work are sadly misrepresented by the Adversary’s servants, and they are made to appear as anything but the Lord’s faithful followers.

It is, therefore, a great comfort to realize the difference between man’s viewpoint and God’s viewpoint of his people. In the symbolic language of the Bible, God’s people (although covered with the white robe of Christ’s imputed righteousness) are represented as clothed in filthy garments (Zech. 3:3-5, garments defiled by falsehood and misrepresentation) to show how they have often appeared in the eyes of the world. But in due time this false viewpoint, super-induced by Satanic deceptions, will be removed, and God will vindicate the characters of his saints. The filthy garments will be taken away, and they will be seen as God’s righteous servants. Figuratively, they will be clothed in white garments.

This seems to be the thought of the Revelator in chapter 19. From their Master downward, the characters and work of the saints have been blackened by satanic deceptions. Few have been able to view them from God’s standpoint. But the members of the church in millennial glory, instead of being a “body of humiliation” (Phil. 3:21, R.V.), will indeed be a glorious and honorable body. Their vindication is thus portrayed by the Revelator, who wrote, “To her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is [represents] the righteous acts of the saints.—Rev. 19:8. See R.V.

The folds of this raiment may be thought of as picturing the good works of the individual members of the bride class, previously maligned and misrepresented. The word of the prophet may therefore be applied to the body members as well as our glorious Head, “They [erstwhile opposers of the truth and its servants] shall look upon him whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him,” (Zech. 12:10. See R.V., margin) deeply distressed at their course of opposition to the divine plan during the darkness of the reign of evil.

Mordecai, the servant of Ahasuerus, may be thought of as another typical character illustrating this feature of the divine arrangement. For a long time Mordecai suffered the enmity and persecuting spirit of Haman; but in due time, in the Lord’s providence, his character and faithful service were vindicated (Esther 8), and this vindication was shown in a change of garments, as well as in other ways. We read, “And Mordecai went out from the presence of the king in royal apparel of blue and white, and with a great crown of gold, with a garment of fine linen and purple: and the city … rejoiced and was glad.”—Esther 8:15

The lesson for us, however trying present experiences may be, is to hold fast to our faith and hope, continuing to be of good courage as we hold forth the Word of Life; not allowing Satan’s deadliest strife to beat our courage down; patiently waiting the Lord’s time for the vindication of his servants; allowing present experiences to work in us the peaceable fruits of righteousness.

“He shall bring forth thy righteousness as the light, and thy judgment as the noonday.” (Ps. 37:6) “And the Gentiles shall see thy righteousness, and all kings thy glory” (Isa. 62:2): “for that which had not been told them shall they see [exemplified in the Christ]; and that which they had not heard shall they consider.”—Isa. 52:15

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