The Glory of Man and the Judgment Hour
William Diehl


What is the meaning of "justification by faith"? It is the truth of the cross of Christ which lays the gory of Man in the dust and does for poor, sinful, helpless Man what he is unable to do for himself. What is Man unable to do for himself? Man is unable to justify himself before God!

When the rich young ruler came to Christ and asked the Lord "Good Master, what good thing must I do that I may have eternal life?", the Lord's answer was simple, "Why do you call me good? There is only One who is good and that is God. If you will enter into life, keep the Commandments". The young fellow responded "I have kept the Commandments from my youth!" But the gracious Lord wishing to unmask the fallacy of the young man's reply, gently pointed out his utter failure to have kept the Commandments and the young man "went away" from the Lord "very sorrowfully."

Thus the "glory of man" was laid in the dust before the all seeing eye of the only One who is good and righteous and who alone has "kept the commandments" of God. The glory of the Law of God always lays the glory of man in the dust, because the Law is a revelation of the very righteousness of Jesus Christ Himself. He alone is good!

When Job, the most righteous man on earth beheld the glory of the righteousness of God, his only reply was "Behold, I am vile!" His glory was laid in the dust. The one theme among the final remnant people which will swallow up every other theme will be the "Lord our Righteousness". This is the Gospel message which will expose the "Image to the Beast" and cause his great fall at the end of time.

All the foolishness of human effort and good works to find justification and peace and acceptance before a holy and righteous God will be laid in the dust by the proclamation of the glory of the perfect life and atoning death of the Lord Jesus Christ. This simple truth destroys every principality and power which seeks to exalt its head above the worthy One.

All the burning candles, the rosary beads, the incense, the priestly robes, the gigantic cathedrals, monasteries, nunneries, confessional booths, holy water, crucifixes, pilgrimages, Sunday keeping, miracles, speaking in tongues, visions, the Virgin Mary, the intercession of the Saints, and a thousand other abominations by which sinful, self-centered, self-righteous and hopelessly lost Man seeks to justify himself, will come to an end in the proclamation that Christ alone is righteous and He alone can justify us by His perfect commandment keeping which He imputes to all repentant sinners who acknowledge His righteousness and their own vileness. From the manger to the Cross, He alone kept the Commandments.

"Jesus never fails! Heaven and Earth may pass away. But Jesus never fails." Thank heaven even though you and I have failed seventy times seven times—Jesus never fails.

Not only does justification by faith only in the blood of Christ pull down the religious strongholds of the Man of Sin, but the secular empires which are built upon the worship of the Beast will come tumbling down as well.

Truly "justification by faith" lays the glory of man in the dust and those institutions which glorify man are brought to nothing because human institutions are mere collections of men working together to bring glory to man. Is it any wonder that Paul said, "I determined to know nothing among you but Jesus Christ and Him crucified!"?

The Gospel of Jesus Christ declares that we are all called to the judgment—we are called to declare the hour of God's judgment to all the world!

What perfect life can we bring to the judgment? Our own holiness of life? Our Spirit filled life? Our Spirit filled commandment keeping? Who can come to the judgment? Who can stand before the glory of the Law of God? Only Jesus! Jesus stands for the people of God in the judgment! Because He "never failed" we can "enter into life eternal" for His righteousness sake.

Babylon has fallen, has fallen!! All the righteousness of Man has been laid in the dust!! It has fallen!!

All who have their own glory laid in the dust by the Law of God may come to the judgment claiming only the merits of our sinless great High Priest who has entered the Holy of Holies for us. They will receive the Seal of the Living God. They rest in the finished work of Jesus Christ, the creator and redeemer of all.

The Sabbath will be their sign of rest in that finished work! Nothing can take that sign away from them! It represents all that gives them hope in the world — the finished work of Jesus upon the Cross to atone for their sins! It is the Sign and Seal of the righteousness and perfect Law-keeping which is imputed to all who are accounted righteous by "faith without the deeds of the Law". The seal of the Holy Spirit will forever fix in their hearts and minds that Jesus Christ alone is the holy One and that Jesus never fails!

This is the first, second, and third angel's messages which will fill the earth with the glory of Jesus Christ.

This is the song of Moses. Only the Church of the Living God from Adam to the last sinner saved can learn the song of the "144,000" because it is the song of their redemption by faith in the blood of the Lamb.

Come quickly Lord Jesus!

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