Emmanuel, God With Us

by Sister Sabbay September 19, 2008

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Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a son, and they shall call his name Emmanuel, which being interpreted is, God with us (Matthew 1:23).

"You are in the most critical period of your life history. If you arouse the energies of the soul and direct them to securing things of eternal interest, and if you make everything subordinate to this, you will make a success of perfecting Christian character" (Testimonies For The Church Volume 3 page 43).

"We all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord." Christ is the sinner's advocate. Those who accept His gospel behold Him with open face. They see the relation of His mission to the law, and they acknowledge God's wisdom and glory as revealed by the Saviour. The glory of Christ is revealed in the law, which is a transcript of His character, and His transforming efficacy is felt upon the soul until men become changed to His likeness. They are made partakers of the divine nature, and grow more and more like their Saviour, advancing step by step in conformity to the will of God, till they reach perfection" (SDA Bible Commentary Volume 6 page 1096.4).

"The Lord has a great work to be done, and He will bequeath the most in the future life to those who do the most faithful, willing service in the present life. The Lord chooses His own agents, and each day under different circumstances He gives them a trial in His plan of operation. In each true-hearted endeavor to work out His plan, He chooses His agents not because they are perfect but because, through a connection with Him, they may gain perfection" (Christ Object Lessons page 330).

"God will accept only those who are determined to aim high. He places every human agent under obligation to do his best. Moral perfection is required of all. Never should we lower the standard of righteousness in order to accommodate inherited or cultivated tendencies to wrong-doing. We need to understand that imperfection of character is sin. All righteous attributes of character dwell in God as a perfect, harmonious whole, and every one who receives Christ as a personal Saviour is privileged to possess these attributes" (Christ Object Lessons page 330).

Behold a virgin shall be with Child and they shall call Him "Emmanuel, God with us" (Matthew 1:23). In a sinful, fallen world, we need a Savior: the beauty of the Gospel is that God is not ashamed to be identified with us (Romans 1:16,17). Until the end of time, Emmanuel means God with us. God with us implies that Christ had the human nature of mankind. Thus the interpretation of Emmanuel is good news for us, as it shows that Christ is not ashamed to be identified with us. Christ is God, as a part of the Heavenly Deity who became man "I and my Father are one"; thus it is a comfort to us, as Adam was perfect while in unfallen nature (John 1:1,14. John 10:30, 1 Timothy 3:16, 1 John 5:7). Christ with us, enables mankind to have the similar mind of Him. Christ, victorious over sin, has enabled us to be sinless. Humanity before the flood was far superior to ours, as Adam lived 930 years; thus humankind's lifespan has significantly shortened. Our understanding of the humanity of Christ is crucial for the plan of salvation. If Christ did not become humanity, then God would have been accused of not aligning with mankind, as Satan wanted to label the Most High as unfair.

As the body of Christ, although physically separate, we are all spiritually connected through Christ (Acts 17:26, Ephesians 4:13). The Messiah took on sinful fallen nature, enabling us to overcome the world and it's contents: "Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (John 1:29, Revelation 13:8). Every sinner needs a Savior and the plan of salvation was put into operation as soon as Adam sinned. Before we were converted God was not with us, and when God is not with us, there is no hope for salvation. Christ became a man, "in the likeness of sinful flesh", to redeem us from the sin of the earth (Romans 8:3, Philippians 2:5-11).

Romans 1:3 exhibits Christ's eternal purpose, stemming from the seed of David. Christ, our Redeemer, the seed of David, according to the flesh, being precisely forty-two generations from Abraham: as a generation is counted in this case as direct offspring (Matthew 1:1-17). Christ was born by the lineage of David, manifested in the flesh to redeem mankind from sinning (Galatians 4:4,5). Christ, living a sinless life edifies that all generations need not sin. Romans 7:14-24 exhibits how one's life in the flesh can take control, disabling one from being victorious over sin without the Savior. Yet, Romans 8 exhibits one's defeat of sin by obedience and faith in the Messiah (Exodus 20, Philippians 3:9). When the Holy Spirit is in control of our lives, we are overcomers, fed with heavenly, spiritual food "manna", honey wafers (Exodus 16:31, John 6:58, Revelation 2:17). Once we are converted, we are compelled to righteousness, aligning with Christ's propensity to be sinless (Acts 3:19, Revelation 14:1-5).

God sent His Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, condemning sin. The Most High sent His Son, the Messiah, in the flesh to meet the problem of sin, head on, eradicating the excuse for such. We must let the Word take full control of our lives. Philippians 2:7 describes the nature of Christ "But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men". Within Romans 8:3, Paul is identifying that mankind was in the likeness and nature of Christ. The law was weak through the flesh, as the flesh was sinful and unable to produce righteousness (Isaiah 64:6). God had to send His Son in the sameness of sinful flesh in order to condemn the latter. Paul is clear when emphasizing that the likeness of Christ was nature and substance.

Hebrews 2:14-18 edifies that the Messiah took on our fallen nature in order to become a propitiation for our sins, delivering us from the bondage of sin. Christ was born from the seed of Abraham, redeeming us exactly at the point of our problem of being in fallen flesh. Christ identified with us, so we could identify with Him, which helps us to recognize the victory that exists in the Messiah. Hebrews 2:18 proves that the Messiah was tempted as we are yet, without sin, clarifying that the Messiah identified with all of mankind. Hebrews 2:9 describes that the Messiah had to be made after death which entered after sin, which means that the Son of God had to die, allowing our victory in Him. Christ's name is "Emmanuel" which is "God with us" and in order to be with us, He identified with us. The Messiah was made a little lower than the angels, enabling us to have eternal life in Him (Hebrews 2:9).

The Gospel shows that we can be victorious over sin. 1 John 4:2,3 edifies that the spirit of the Antichrist was in the world, identifying as anyone against the doctrine of Christ. Anyone who denies that Christ came in the fallen flesh, is the Antichrist. John emphasizes that we must be grounded in Christ, being reborn and sinless in nature. We must be in Christ, as He proved His righteous, spotless work at the cross of Calvary. We are all legally and spiritually in the Messiah, righteously by faith (Philippians 3:9).

7 Steps to Chraracter Purity & Victory Over Sin

by Sister Sabbay
August 25th 2009



"But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him" (Hebrews 11:6).

"But put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ, and make not provision for the flesh, to fulfil the lusts thereof" (Romans 13:14).

"And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith: for whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Romans 14:23).

1. Abiding in Christ (John 15:1-7). Becoming best friends with Christ is the first step, telling Him everything about your life, confiding in Him fully, holding NOTHING back, having Him "formed in you" (Galatians 4:19). Additionally, we must accept His perfect Righteous Robe, clothing ourselves with it as a Shield against ungodliness (Philippians 3:9).

2. Praying for God the Father, the Pruner, to remove Character defects in your Character Experience, replacing them with the FRUITS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT (John 15:1, Galatians 5:22-23).

3. Studying daily and advancing with the new light you receive, focusing on Reproducing the Character of Christ (Proverbs 4:18, 2Timothy 2:15, Revelation 14:1-5). "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thou shalt be no priest to me: seeing thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I will also forget thy children." (Hosea 4:6). It is essential to have morning daily devotional time with the Lord. We should not permit anything to interfere with our relationship with God. If we neglect to spend time with God, we will suffer the consequences of such actions: we must refrain from making excuses. Jesus Christ made time for God the Father, spending morning hours in prayer with Him (Isaiah 50:4, Mark 1:35). If we surrender to the Spirit, He will wake us up morning by morning, empowering us to pray (The Faith I live By page 333).

4. Keeping the Ten Commandments, the Character Transcript of God, containing the Sanctified Sabbath, a visible manifestation of the living Sealing Truth (Exodus 20, Ezekiel 20:12). "Far more sacredness is attached to the Sabbath than is given it by many professed Sabbathkeepers. The Lord as been greatly dishonored by those who have not kept the Sabbath according to the commandment, either in the letter or in the spirit. He calls for a reform in the observance of the Sabbath." (Testimonies for the Church Volume 6 page 353. Making the Life of Christ, your life, "following the Lamb whithersoever He goes" (Revelation 14:4). The people of God must understand the seriousness of the times. We must evacuate spiritually from Babylon, following God with NO COMPROMISE. Seventh-day Adventists must reform their ways, teaching the world about the need to abstain from worldly, earthly appetites and lusts: unhealthful diets, smoking, drinking alcohol, dangerous meat eating, caffeine consumption, pornography, television addiction, romance novels, diabolical video games, cursing, worldly adornment, attending bars and worldly concerts, just to mention a few (Revelation 18:1-4, Ministry of Healing pages 125-127, Testimonies for the Church volume 3 page 43, Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers page 445, 507).

5. Preparing for Redemption from Earth or Translation from Earth, receiving new Heavenly bodies. Translation is death and resurrection instantaneously or in the "twinkling of an eye" (1 Corinthians 15:51-52, 1Thessalonians 4:16-17, Revelation 14:3).

6. Refuting FALSE Doctrines, like the Sunday rest, Immortality of the Soul and the Rapture theory, remaining pure (virgin-like), as Christ provided us with the undefiled WORD. False wine is False Doctrine (2Corinthians 11:2, Revelation 14:4).

7. Refraining from Deceitful ways and mannerisms, as Guile means Deceit, Gossiping and Back-biting (1Peter 2:22). Asking God to "create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me" (Psalms 51:10). "If we have in any manner defrauded or injured our brother, we should make restitution. If we have unwittingly borne false witness, if we have misstated his words, if we have injured his influence in any way, we should go to the ones with whom we have conversed about him, and take back all our injurious misstatements." (Mount of Blessing page 59).


Congratulations friend, as now you are a new creature in Christ! I can not wait to see you in heaven (2Corinthians 5:17).

Christ loves you and He is coming soon (2Peter 3:12-15).

Crown Him King, Christ Overcame the World

by Sister Sabbay September 5th, 2008

And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war (Revelation 19:11).

Christians are to obtain the Word, living an obedient and faithful life within a New Covenant Experience, absent from legalism. In order for any creature to benefit from nurturance it must have life. Similarly, in Christ we are new creatures, converted, thus benefiting from the Word, sustaining a life that is righteous. We must nourish this life, given to us by God. The law of God was given to us, thus it remains natural for us to keep the Ten Commandments of God, maintaining faith in the Messiah (Isaiah 8:20, Revelation 12:17, 14:12).

Christ was victorious at His encounter with Satan in the wilderness, triumphing over sin (Matthew:4:1-11).

Hebrews 8:6-10 reminds us that we must continue in God's covenant, as His children. Hence, we must abide in the Messiah, maintaining that relationship with our Maker and Creator. Jeremiah 31:27 describes why we need an abiding relationship with the Messiah. God and His protective hand was watching over Israel, attempting to prevent them from going into Babylonian captivity. Through the prophet Jeremiah, God was warning Israel about their consequence of disobedience, potential enslavement. God never intended for Israel to have a king, however, Israel's very first King Saul would not obey the prophet of the Lord, Samuel. King Saul , King David , King Solomon and King Rehoboam were all disobedient. The consequences of not abiding in God's ways is that by the third or fourth generation, God's judgment will visit the seed of those which continue in disobedience (Exodus 20:5). By the fourth king, Israel was judged and the monarchy was split into two, never to be reunified again. Israel wanted a king and monarchy even with God's forewarning of its consequence.

Similarly, within Adventism the 1859 onset of a Laodicean condition (Testimonies For the Church Volume 1 page 186) was as a result of disobedience and the rejection of the gospel since the Fall of 1844, the Great Disappointment. Those who followed on after the Great Disappointment, followed Christ by Faith into the Most Holy place, spiritually (Revelation 3:7,8). The earnest and sincere believers came out of the great Disappointment, only a handful in number. God brought back His Word and Power in 1888 with the teachings of Righteousness By Faith by Elders Jones and Waggoneer (Testimonies to Ministers and Gospel Workers page 91-92), yet Adventism has failed to receive it. God will show us that this will be a year of judgment as 120 years have elapsed since the onset of this precious message, righteousness by faith.

God intended that each one of us should be a dwelling place for the Holy Spirit, allowing us to be His children. The Holy Spirit can flow through us, if we abide in Christ (John 15). Christ offers His righteousness as a replacement for our iniquity, forgiving our sins and not remembering them.

Daniel 9:24-27 describes that a specific time was allotted for Israel to make a turnaround however, because of disobedience, the Messiah was brought in as a Redeemer for all. As long as we abide in the Messiah, receiving His Word, we can be victorious over sin (1 John 3:9). We can not claim God's promise without fulfilling its conditions. The Messiah, the son of God has the law written in His heart (Psalms 40:7,8). Israel claimed to be Abraham's children yet, failing to accept the Messiah created problems for this nation, spiritually. John 8:39-42 explains that spiritual children of God must have the law written in their hearts, while abiding in the Messiah, who finished it all at the Cross. The fruits we bear spiritually define our spiritual Father. The fruits of our life define whether we are children of God or children of the Devil (Matthew 13:38, John 8:44, 1 John 3:8-9).

We must have the law written in our hearts and in our minds. We can not make a profession or claim to be God's children, unless we have the law written in our hearts and minds. Thus identifying as the bloodline of Abraham is not enough for one to be considered a child of God, we must also be spiritually reborn. We must continue in the way of the Lord, having a New Covenant Experience. In order to be children of God, we must continue in a relationship with God daily, fulfilling our part of the promise by fulfilling the conditions within our hearts. Hebrews 6:18 edifies that once God makes a promise, we must fulfill the conditions of such a promise within our hearts. If we attempt to claim the promises of God without fulfilling the conditions, we are presumptuous. Similarly, we as Seventh-day Adventists and Sabbatarians, must abide in Christ wholeheartedly in order to fulfill this ultimate Promise.

The Apostle Paul was cognizant that Ancient Israel did not fulfill the conditions of their hearts, disallowing God from writing the laws in their hearts and minds. Following His ascension, Christ was anointed in the Holy Place. Hebrews 8:1-3 identifies that Christ was ordained for His ministry. Luke 4:18 edifies that Christ was Annointed to fulfill roles and functions, permitting him to Preach the Gospel to all who were willing to receive. Christ, following His ascension became our Great Heavenly High Priest. The Messiah is soon to be King once he departs from the Most Holy Place at the close of Probation for the world (Daniel 12:1, Revelation 22:11,12) as He takes off His Great High Priestly attire and puts on His Kingly Robe soon to manifest as King of Kings and Lord of Lords (Revelation 19:11-21).

The Apostle Paul in all his Epistles writes about the eternal purpose and work of Christ, explaining that while on Earth, Christ could not be Priest because the Sanctuary will only exist in heaven; never to be rebuilt on Earth (Hebrews 8:1-5). Type met Anti-type (Matthew 27:51-53, Ephesians 2:15). Deuteronomy 18:15-18, Isaiah 61:1-3, Luke 4:18-24 describes the actual fulfillment of Christ in His successive roles, Son of God on Earth, Great Heavenly High Priest and soon to be crowned King at the end of His Priestly Ministry (Revelation 19:11-21, Revelation 22:11,12).

Reproducing Christ's Character

by Sister Sabbay January 1, 2009

Christ, the Head of the Church, completed the work, however, His harvest, the body of Christ, his remnant, must be ripe in order for Him to return to reap the harvest (Matthew 5:48, Ephesians 4:12-13, 5:21-31, 1 John 3:9, Revelation 14:1-5, 14:14-16, Christ Object Lessons page 330, SDA Bible Commentary Volume 6 page 1096.4, Testimonies For The Church Volume 3 page 43). A reaper will not return for a harvest that is not ripe, so God the Father, The Husbandman and Pruner, must be granted permission from mankind to initiate the work of removing branches that are not Christ-like, replacing them with fruits of the Holy Spirit (John 15:1-7, Galatians 5:22-23). Sealing requires pro-activity on the part of mankind, as Christ promises to form and fill willing vessels with Latter rain, the Holy Spirit's Outpouring (Zechariah 10:1, Matthew 5:48; Galatians 2:20, 4:19; Colossians 1:27; 1 John 3:9). Remembering that Enoch and Elijah were not perfectly sinless throughout their lives, one can acknowledge that such Prophets did however reach a point where they were found completely blameless and faultless, successfully overcoming sin, reproducing the Messiah's character while clothed with His perfect righteousness, later being translated from this earth (Genesis 5:24, 2 Kings 2:11, Hebrews 11:5, Philippians 3:9, Revelation 14:1-5). Following our Divine teacher and Savior Christ, Yeshua, our Messiah (who overcame the world John 16:33), we must advance in sanctification, being made holy, daily walking with God, reaching the point of “the ear” as God will not be mocked by Satan (Mark 4:26-29, Romans 8:29-30, Galatians 6:7-8, 2 Peter 3:18). God's word will not return to Him void (Isaiah 55:11).

As diligent students of prophecy, we must look for the prophetic waymarks directly connected to the work of God. The Lord has given us His Word as a sure guide, edifying us about where we are in earth’s history. The Development of the world and the work of the enemy must be understood by the remnant, as we journey into the future, unto Christ’s imminent return. We view history based on what is happening in the church; worldly events can be considered as a barometer of such. We should always view history and events in direct proportion to the church. The winds of strife loosening imply that the spirit of God has begun the sealing work (Revelation 7:1-4, Early Writings page 36-38). Winds of strife in prophecy symbolize commotion, natural disasters and/or war. What we see happening in the church is an indication of forthcoming events in the world. Worldly occurrences are a direct indication of what is happening in the church. We must view everything in light of the work of God and His people on the earth.

The prophetic waymarks are an illustration of where we presently stand in history, as we embark now on Revelation 14, in the ongoing saga of the Great controversy. We are now living under the second beast in Revelation 13:11-18, the United States of America, the “Lamb-like Beast”. Such a ruling power is currently marshalling the global world, leading into a time when a death sentence, Enforced Sunday law will be imposed upon the righteous, 144,000, God’s remnant. Before the winds of strife are completely loosed, God’s people must be securely sealed; otherwise they will be symbolically swept away by America’s campaign for Sunday sacredness, unto the Mark of the Beast (Revelation 7:1-5, 13:11-18).

Revelation 14 is a significant chapter in the Seventh-day Adventist movement’s history as well as a significant time period regarding God’s work on the earth. In 1888, God resent the Everlasting Gospel, in full measure to the Adventist Church, through messengers Jones and Waggoner, empowering the Adventist world to proceed in completing His work (Romans 1:16,17, Revelation 14:6,7, Testimonies to Ministers & Gospel Workers page 91-92). This Seventh-day Adventist movement represents God’s attempt to bring an end to the great controversy (Revelation 14:1, Great Controversy page 662). It is thus the duty of the body of Christ, through the power of God to bring closure to His righteous duties.

Revelation 14:1-5 edifies mankind about peculiar individuals who will manifest the character of Christ (1 Peter 2:9). Revelation 14:6-12 is the message of the Gospel that will produce that character of Christ within His people, 144,000 in number. God’s remnant can not be perfected without the everlasting gospel which is God’s power. It required all of the Power of the Godhead to create the earth, bringing something out of nothing. Similarly, it will take something within the power of God to bring sinful man from a state of less than nothing to “having his father’s name written in their foreheads” (Revelation 14:1). Isaiah 40:17 states that as man is sinful, they are less than nothing. Thus, it takes God’s power to recreate, revive and reform mankind, aligning with the Elijah directives, as "the Reformation did not, as many suppose, end with Luther. It is to be continued to the close of this world's history" (Great Controversy page 148, Malachi 4:5-6, Matthew 3:2-3, 11:9-15). 2 Corinthians 5:17 edifies that if any man be in Christ, they are a new creature. This is why the gospel was given by God. Finally, Revelation 14:14-16 edifies that when God’s people are perfected, then God will return to claim them as His own.

The remnant, God’s harvest must be ripe, His character must be fully reproduced within us, leading into His return to claim us as His own. Spiritual Israelites, preparing for translation from earth must reproduce the character of Christ, following the Lamb, Yeshua, where ever He goes, refuting false doctrine with guile-free, deceit-free mouths (1 Corinthians 15:50-52, 2 Corinthians 11:2, 1 Peter 2:22, Revelation 14:1-5). The righteous living by faith, by placing themselves in perfect harmony with the Most High and keeping His Ten Commandments, will stand through the day of final destruction (Ephesians 4:30, Revelation 6:17, 7:1-4, 12:17, 14:12, 22:14). We must not fixate only on the Three Angel’s messages but, we must also focus on producing the spot-free character of Christ (Ephesians 5:27). As it appears throughout the course of the history of the Adventist World, teachers have been focused solely on Revelation 14:6-12, failing to preach the required reproduction of the Character of Christ,unto His consequent reaping of the harvest (Revelation 14:14-16). An indicator that one has the gospel of Christ is inherent Character Perfecting goals and objectives; and continual utilization of God’s full gospel power within one’s life (Romans 1:16-20). The Apostle Paul edifies that the gospel is not just a theory, but it is the power of God unto all who believe, delivering us from sin unto eternal salvation (Romans 1:16-17, 20).

Character Purity Ministries
Three Angel's Messages - Donations & Gift Offerings
Sanctified Sabbath
The Latter Rain
A New Covenant Experience
Purging Unto Perfection
Redeemed From Earth
Streams of Beneficence
Church and State Emersion