From EDEN EDEN
<!--mstheme-->Lecture 1<!--mstheme--> <!--mstheme-->The Beginning<!--mstheme-->
A well-watered garden.
<!--msthemeseparator-->
"IN THE
BEGINNING." There have been many beginnings in the history of men
and nations. To which event or period, do we refer in our use of the
quotation, "In the beginning?" Obviously as our theme is God's
Plan, our appeal is to the Bible--to The Beginning, and development,
presented and outlined therein.
Whilst some
profess to disbelieve, and therefore reject, the Bible record, such rejection
does not necessarily disprove the account given in the Book of Books, which, to
many people, is still a revelation from God to man. No more satisfactory
account of the formation, or creation, of man is to be found than that which
the Bible presents with a definiteness which commands the attention of all men.
"At what
epoch of creation did man make his appearance upon the earth? Hardly more
than half a century ago unlooked for discoveries shattered all the old systems
of chronology, and proved that man himself had part in the geological
evolutions of our globe. Flints and bones shaped into axes, knives,
needles, arrow heads, and spear heads; bones of huge animals cleft lengthwise,
so that the marrow might be extracted for nourishment; heaps of shells and the
debris of repasts; ashes, the evident remains of antediluvian hearths; even
pictures traced on shoulder bones and slate rocks, representing animals, now extinct
or seen only in places very distant from those they then inhabited; finally,
human remains found unquestionably in the deposits of the quarternary epoch,
and traces of human industry, which seem to be detected even in the tertiary
strata,--prove that man lived at a time when our continents had neither the
fauna, the flora, the climate, nor the shape which they have today."
Durny's General History.
Interesting as this quotation, from the historian, is--and
hailed by some people as superior to the Bible account--it, nevertheless, does
not tell us when "man made his appearance upon the earth." Read
then another quotation, from Maclear's Old Testament History. "In
the beginning God created the heaven and the earth. With these simple
words begins the History contained in the Scriptures of the Old Testament,
teaching us that the world did not exist from all eternity, or, as some have
thought, owe its origin to Chance, but was called into existence by the will of
an Almighty Creator."
Many people have
rejected the Bible account of "the beginning," affirming that it does
not agree with, what are termed, scientific facts. The beginning of the
universe, the creation of the earth and of man, the purpose for which they were
created, and their ultimate destiny are themes which have occupied the minds,
and engaged the energies, of men upon the controversial platform.
Creation stories have been submitted, amended and rescinded in the field of
controversy; whilst the simple, yet definite, statement of the Bible has been
disregarded as though unworthy of serious consideration. A notable writer
and speaker once said, "Show me a man who objects to the Bible, and I will
show you a man who does not understand the Bible." --Thos. Williams.
Prejudice against, and ignorance of the true interpretation of the
Scriptures, undoubtedly has much to do with the world wide opposition to the
Bible. It would be well for those who object to the claims of the Bible
to consider this question: How is it that the Bible, although circulated by the
millions, is so little understood even by those who profess to believe and
accept its claims?
The many sects
and denominations extant, with their varied and opposing interpretations,
demonstrate the accuracy of the statement made in the above question. The
opponent often looks upon the claims of the Bible in the light of a divided
Christendom, and concludes that out of
In A.D. 1850,
Dr. John Thomas wrote as follows: "Revolving upon its own axis, and
describing an ample circuit through the boundless fields of space, is a planet
of the solar system bearing upon its surface a population of nearly a thousand
millions subject to sin, disease, and death. This orb of the starry
heavens shines with a glory similar to that of its kindred spheres.
Viewed from them, it is seen sparkling 'like a diamond in the sky'; and, with
the rest of the heavens, declares the glory of God, and shows forth the handy
work of Him that did create it. This celestial orb, which is a world or
system of itself, is styled THE EARTH. It is the habitation of races of
animals which graze its fields, lurk in the forests, soar through its
atmosphere, and pass through the paths of its seas. At the head of all
these is a creature like themselves, animal, sensual, and mortal. He is
called MAN. He has replenished the earth and subdued it, and filled it
with his renown. He has founded dominions, principalities, and powers; he
has built great cities, and vaunted himself in the works of his hands, saying,
'are not these by the might of my power, and for the honor of my
majesty'." --Elpis Israel, p. 1.
Consider now the opening words of the Bible, as we have
them in the A.V. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the
earth. And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness upon the
face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the
waters. And God said, Let there be light; and there was light."--
Gen. 1:1-3. Another statement, from the work of Dr. Thomas, is
worthy of quotation: "The general account of the work of the six
days is contained in the first chapter of Genesis; while in the second is
presented, among other things, a more particular narrative of the work of the
sixth day in the formation of the first human pair. Let the reader peruse
the history of the creation as a revelation to himself as an inhabitant of the
earth. It informs him of the order in which the things narrated would
have developed themselves to his view, had he been placed on some projecting
rock, the spectator of the events detailed. He must remember this.
The Mosaic account is not a revelation to the inhabitants of other orbs remote
from the earth of the formation of the boundless universe; but to man, as a
constituent of the terrestrial system. This will explain why light is
said to have been created four days before the sun, moon, and stars. To
an observer on the earth, this was the order of their appearance; and
in relation to him a primary creation, though absolutely pre-existent for
millions of ages before the Adamic Era."-- Elpis Israel, p. 8.
So we repeat the simple, definite proclamation which has
come down the ages, and which has survived the onslaughts of critics and
opponents: "In the beginning God created." Blind
"chance" fades away before the rising sun of creation's morning, and
we rest secure in the acceptance of the Word of the Infinite, whilst we try to
grasp the finite. A thought provocative of further comparison is to be
found in the following:--"Gen. 1:1. 'created: bara, to bring into
existence, to concrete. Rendered, 'made', Psa. 89: 47; 'make', Num.
Consider now the Bible
claim concerning "the heavens and the earth." We read:
"Behold, the heaven and the heaven of heavens is the Lord's, thy God, the
earth also, with all that therein is."--Deut.
10:14.
"Where wast thou when I laid
the foundations of the earth? declare, if thou has understanding.
Who hath laid the measures thereof, if thou knowest? or who hath
stretched the line upon it? Whereupon are
the foundations thereof fastened; or who laid the corner stone thereof; when
the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of
God shouted for joy?" Job 38: 4-7.
"Bless the Lord, O my soul. O
Lord my God, thou are very great; thou art clothed with honor and majesty.
Who coverest thyself with light as with a garment; who stretchest
out the heavens like a curtain; who layeth the beams of his chambers in the
waters; who maketh the clouds his chariots; who walketh upon the wings of the
wind; who maketh his angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire; who laid the
foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever." Psa.
104: 1-5.
"But our God is in the
heavens; he hath done whatsoever he hath pleased. Ye are blessed of the
Lord which made heaven and earth. The heaven, even the heavens, are the
Lord's; but the earth hath he given to the children of men." Psa.
115: 3, 15, 16.
"When I consider thy heavens,
the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou has ordained; What
is man, that thou are mindful of him? and the son of man, that thou
visitest him? Thou madest him to have dominion over the works of thy
hands." --Psa. 8: 3-6.
The
prophet asks, "who hath measured the waters in the hollow of his hand, and
meted out heaven with the span, and comprehended the dust of the earth in a
measure, and weighed the mountains in scales, and the hills in a
balance? Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his
consellor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed
him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and
showed to him in the way of understanding? Behold, the nations are
as a drop of the bucket, and are counted as the small dust of the balance:
behold, he taketh up the isles as a very little thing."--Isa. 40:
12-15.
"To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal?
saith the Holy One. Lift up your eyes on high, and behold who hath
created these, that bringeth out their host by number; he calleth them all by
names by the greatness of his might, for that he is strong in power; not one
faileth. Hast thou not know? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting
God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is
weary? there is no searching of his understanding."--verses 25,
26, 28.
But that is not all. Hearken again, "I am the
Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I form the
light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil; I the LORD do all
these. I have made the earth, and created man upon it: I, even my hands,
have stretched out the heavens, and all their host have I commanded. For
this saith the LORD that created the heavens, God himself that formed the earth
and made it; he hath established it, he formed it to be inhabited; I am
the LORD: there is none else. I declare things that are right."--Isa.
45: 7, 12, 18, 19.
"The heavens declare the glory of God; and the
firmament showeth his handywork."--Psa. 19: 1.
Is it any wonder that the Psalmist exclaimed, "O LORD,
how manifold are thy works! In wisdom has thou made them all: the earth
is full of thy riches."--Psa. 104: 24.?
<!--mstheme-->Man - In Formation<!--mstheme-->
AN early
development of God's Plan, "in the beginning," is to be noted in one of
the quotations from the prophets; a phrase of The Plan with which we are now
particularly interested. "for thus saith the LORD that created the
heavens; God himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it,
he created it not in vain, HE FORMED IT TO BE INHABITED: I am the LORD."
Fresh from the
hands of the Creator we see man--"formed,"
"created"--presented to us in the simple language of Genesis.
"So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him;
male and female created he them."--Gen. 1:27. "And
the LORD God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his
nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul." Gen.
2: 7.
Theories abound on every hand concerning the origin, nature
and destiny of Man; speculations originating in the minds of men--both
"religious" and "secular." Yet, whether these
theories profess to be based upon the Scripture record, or in opposition
thereto, they are contrary to--and out of harmony with--the Divine record.
Hence, even the supposed, or professed, acceptance of the Bible account
unfortunately interferes with the reception and acceptance of the true creation
story. "Created in the image of God" (Elohim) speaks to us of
the form of that which was created. There is nothing in the term
"image" which suggests, or requires, equality of nature. The
"man" was a formation "of the dust." This basis did
not guarantee continuity of life. The "man" was formed before
the "man" was alive. After his formation he became "a
living soul." This was accomplished by the application of
something not previously mentioned, or given, in the work of formation.
For, as we have read, God "breathed into his nostrils the breath of
life"; and in consequence of its operation upon the "man" or
dust formation, he became--what he was not until then--"a
living soul."
Much misunderstanding concerning the Bible Record, and the
nature of man, arises from the fact that theories which conflict with the Truth
are prevalent in the world; held and advanced by many people in the various
sects and denominations of the religious world. Were it not for such
theories, which for centuries have held captive the minds of men, the simple
truth of the Bible account could more readily be discerned and received.
Let me emphasize this thought--that whatever entered into the constitution of
"the man," before he was made alive by the breath of life, was that
which became the "living soul." The Bible does not teach here,
or elsewhere, that a "soul"--a separate entity from the body, and
immortal by nature--was put into the body. Dr. Young's Literal
Translation of the Bible gives a different rendering of the verse, under
consideration, as follows: "And Jehovah God formed the man--dust from the
ground, and breathed into his nostrils breath of life, and the man becometh a
living creature." If you ask why one translation gives
"soul," and the other "creature," the answer is that the
latter more accurately describes the meaning of the term so
translated. Whilst "soul" is the usual translation in the
A.V. there are other texts in which the same word is translated
"creature." Reference to a concordance will demonstrate this to
be so. The following quotation, from Notes in The Emphatic Diaglott,
is worthy of consideration.
"SOUL. The Hebrew word,
nephesh, of the O.T. occurs about 700 times, and is rendered soul
471 times; life and living, about 150 times; and the same word is also rendered
a man, a person, self, they, me him, anyone, breath, heart, mind appetite,
the body (dead or alive), lust, creature, and even a beast;
for it is 28 times applied to beasts, and to every creeping thing."
Dr. Young, in his Analytical
Concordance, gives a list of words translated from Nephesh, in
which we have, "any, appetite, beast, body, breath, creature, dead (body),
desire, ghost, heart, life, lust, man, mine, one, own, person, pleasure, self,
soul, thing, will." Dr. Young gives "Breathing
creature," as the meaning of nephesh: also "animal
soul."
From the 30 times in which nephesh
is rendered "person" let us take one illustration. "Whoso
killeth any person."--Num. 35: 30. As this
"person" is nephesh, the same as "a living soul"
is nephesh, the nature of the soul must be the same as that of the
person. Any "person" who can be killed, obviously cannot be
immortal!
We must now pass on from this
phase of our subject, dismissing it--for the present--with the words of Paul,
"There is a natural body." "And so it is written, The first man
Adam was made a living soul." "The first man is of the
earth, earthy...As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy."--1
Cor. 15: 44-48.
<!--mstheme--> THE GARDEN OF EDEN<!--mstheme-->
CHAOS HAD REIGNED: for how long we are
not informed. We are not told why the earth was "without form, and
void" of life. We may speculate and make deductions, for such is the
way of the human mind, but we find little in the record upon which to
build. The Bible Message has to do with the world as we now know it; what
we may term The Adamic Era.
Its testimony does not go before this period. It shows there was a
"before," and speaks of a "beyond," but its revelation is
confined to the period between. It confines itself with a message
to the sons of men; God's dealing wit the Adamic Race. This is The Purpose of God with man on the earth. And this
brings us once again to the word of God from Isaiah; "God formed the
earth, not in vain, but to be inhabited."
Man having been created, we are next
informed that "the LORD God planted a garden eastward in
Josephus states: "Now the garden was watered by
one river, which ran round about the whole earth, and was parted into four
parts. And Phison, which denotes a multitude, running into
"We read in Gen. 2: 10, 14, that of
the 'four heads' of the river of Paradise, one was called Phrat and
one Hiddekel, and that the latter goes to the east of Assyria.
The former is still called by those who live in the neighbourhood El-Frat,
'the good' or 'abounding stream.' The Greeks called it
As
We cannot, however, depend upon
dictionaries to elucidate Bible themes which re behind, or embodied in, Bible
words. "Heaven, as a place for souls after death" is a popular
doctrine, but is it declared to be so in the Bible? If
The writer in Bible Educator,
from whose articles on Eastern Geography of the Bible I have already
quoted, says of
"Concerning
When therefore, we think of
I<big> </big>think that I shall never see
A poem lovely as a tree.
A tree that looks at God all day
And lifts her leafy arms to pray.
Poems are made by fools like me
But only God can make a tree.
--Joyce Kilmer.
And so we read, "Out of the ground made the Lord God
to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food." --Gen.
2: 9. Two outstanding trees arrest our attention. They are
represented to us in the garden scene on the chart, nearby the illustration of the
mountainous region out from which flow the
Passing on to the third chapter of
Genesis we have the record of,
<!--mstheme-->THE
TEMPTATION AND FALL<!--mstheme-->
THE SUBTILITY of
the serpent is brought to bear upon the mind of the woman. A question; a
suggestion; false reasoning and a lie were all part of this subtility.
"Hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?"
The restriction of the Edenic Law was remembered, for the woman said, "We
may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree
which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it,
neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Whereupon came the
lie--the serpent's lie, "Ye shall not surely die." Next, the
false reasoning. Is it not a tree of knowledge? Therefore,
"When ye eat thereof, your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods,
knowing good and evil." There was truth in the statement, but it was
intentionally misapplied. The woman was lured thereby. The
Law of
"And the LORD God called unto Adam, and said unto him,
Where are thou?"
And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was
afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
And he said, Who told thee that thou wast
naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou
shouldest not eat?
And the man said, The woman whom thou gavest to be with
me, she gave me of the tree and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the woman, What is this
that thou has done? And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me,
and I did eat.
And the LORD God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast
done this thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of
the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days
of thy life:
And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel.
Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow
and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall
be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.
And unto Adam he said, Because thou has hearkened unto the
voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee,
saying, Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake;
in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;
Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
thou shalt eat the herb of the field;
In the sweat of thy face shall thou eat bread, till thou
return unto the ground; for our of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art,
and unto dust shalt thou return."--Gen. 3: 9-19.
Lasting effects and world wide results
were the outcome of heaven's condemnation upon the sinners. The sentence
being passed, we are told, "The LORD God said, Behold, the man is become
as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and
take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever: Therefore the LORD
God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he
was taken."
Thus were the sinners cast out of
Eden--out of "paradise"--out from the place of delight, favour, and
communion with God, into the outer world to experience therein the loss of
those blessings which were to have been theirs as long as they continued to
walk with God, and to enjoy that felicity which cometh only to those who truly
are in fellowship with God.
To prevent their return "at the
East of the garden of Eden" were placed "Cherubims, and a flaming
sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."
<!--mstheme-->AN ALTAR AND
IT'S SIGNIFICANCE<!--mstheme-->
ONE important
factor, having been passed by without comment and explanation, now, requires
attention. In Genesis 3: 21 , we read, "Unto Adam also and to his
wife did the LORD God make coats of skins, and clothed them." This
statement must be compared, and contrasted, with verse 7, where we read
concerning Adam and Eve, "they knew that the were naked: and they sewed
fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons." The knowledge of
human nakedness, with the desire to cover the same, came after transgression,
when, as we are told, "the eyes of them both were opened." The
human contrivance was rejected and discarded by God, for though it seemed all
that was necessary "for a covering," it was an early illustration of
what was afterward definitely stated. "There is a way which
seemeth right unto man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."--Prov.
14: 12. That God rejected their contrivance is manifest, being made
knows by the fact that He provided them with another covering, altogether
different from that of their own devising. To profit by this change they,
and we in our own time, must discern the principle underlying the necessity for
the same. That their own device was faulty, and more required, is obvious
even though not stated in this manner. Would there have been such a
change if the circumstances had not called for it? Whilst not stated in
detail the reason for the change can, and must, be deduced from that which is
given in the record. The significance of the coats of skins--an element
entirely lacking in the fig leaf garment--most probably gives the clue.
To quote one able expositor of Bible doctrine: "The intention of God to
remove sin from the world was made known at a very early stage in the disobedient
career of Adam and Eve. Before they were turned out of the garden, the
LORD God addressed to the serpent the following words: 'I will put enmity
between thee and the woman, and between they seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.'--Gen.
But how was this intention, and lesson,
submitted to the sinners? Not by oracular information only; for,
"The LORD God made coats of skins, and clothes them.'--Gen. 3: 21, an
act necessitating the slaying of animals, or shedding of blood; from which
incident may be learned this important, but much neglected lesson--that it is
utterly useless for man to patch together garments of his own device for the
purpose of covering or removing his guilt. No system of religion can give
a 'garment of salvation,' but that which has been instituted by the Divine
Being himself." --J.J. Andrew, in Jesus Christ, and Him Crucified. pp.
62-64.
"The man is become as one of us,"
said the Lord God. I what sense? To know good and evil!
We may well inquire, Had the Lord God also gone through this experience?
Such a thought is entirely out of harmony with our understanding of the
character of the Almighty, the Holy One of
"Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in
strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word....Ye
ministers of his, that do his pleasure."--Psa. 103: 20, 21.
"O Lord my God, thou are very great; who maketh his
angels spirits; his ministers a flaming fire; who laid the foundations of the
earth, that it should not be removed for ever." --Psa. 104: 1-5.
It is therefore permissible to conclude
that the angels had passed through an experience "to know good and
evil," and had, fortunately, passed the test satisfactorily, even though
others may have perished in the catastrophe which engulfed the world, and
reduced it to the chaotic state in which we find it introduced to us in opening
of the Bible.
<!--mstheme-->CONDEMNATION
AND ITS EFFECTS<!--mstheme-->
IN REVIEWING the
circumstances outlined in the foregoing comments certain questions might well
be asked: Why was a sacrifice necessary? How can sacrifice "take
away sin?" And how may we benefit thereby?
Let us go back to
Alienation from God was thus the first
"effect" of the condemnation "passed," there and then,
"upon all men;" for this is the application given to the sentence by
Paul, when he wrote: "As by one man sin entered into the world, and death
by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned"--not
actually, but by reason of being "in him" (Adam, see margin) when he
transgressed the Edenic Law. Man would continue "alienated from
God" as long as he lived, unless God provided a covering for sin, under
which he could return to favour if he complied with whatever requirements were
stipulated; but, however long he might live, the sentence passed went beyond
"alienation," for it was unto "death." It is
essential that these two phases of the condemnation be kept in mind; otherwise,
there will be difficulty in interpreting and understanding much that is later
"written for our learning." The sentence passed, "dust
thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return," upon the sinner became a
physical law of his being--corruption was set in operation, a slow process to
end in death; and this physical "effect" was to be transmitted to all
his posterity. The thought of sin, too, having conceived in his
mind and brought forth fruit, became a part of his nature, to be passed through
all of Adam's race, so that each one would be "born in sin and shapen in
iniquity." This is in harmony with the question, given and
answered, "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Not one!"--Job
14:4. Ass we have already seen in Romans 5:12, "death," with all
that the sentence involved, "passed upon all men." The
"very good" ceased to be, and in place thereof we have a creature, in
kind and condition, which must be described as bad--very bad! A viper can
only produce vipers; and from a poisoned stem we can expect but poisoned
branches; hence, the whole tree of humanity was condemned when the trunk
thereof fell. Upon the principle that "like begets like," and
recognizing that God cannot look with favour upon sinners, for "He is of
purer eyes than to behold evil," there is no injustice in thus condemning
those "not born," because of that "one offence." such a
thought being, however, repugnant to many, it is well here to force home the
fact that "the potter has power over the clay," and whilst it is true
that we had no actual part in that "one offence," yet every child
born, being an extension of Adam, is a standing monument before God,
significant of that "great transgression;" for each one born
under this constitution of sin, with all the evils that flesh is heir to, grows
up into the world to manifest the "carnal mind which is enmity against
God."--Rom. 8: 7. It is intended that we recognize fully
and appreciate, this truth; for the Apostle continued in repetition,
"Through the offence of one, many be dead;" "the judgment was by
one to condemnation"; "by one man's offence, death reigned by
one": "by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to
condemnation." "Sin hath reigned unto death."
"For by one man's disobedience many were made (i.e. constituted)
sinners."--Rom. 5: 15-18, 21, 19. What, then, is the
natural condition of every child born under this constitution of sin, and
dominion of death? Can it be any other than that which is stated by Paul?
Hear his words: "Remember that we being in time past Gentiles in
the flesh.....That at that time we were without Christ, being aliens from the
commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no
hope, and without God in the world. Y who sometimes were far off."--Eph.
2: 11-13. Although these words were addressed to certain men and
women who had changed their relationship, and were consequently no longer
"far off," but "made nigh," the fact of their natural
condition is emphasized by the very process of the change which had become theirs,
and the counsel given that they were not to forget what they had been, but to
"Remember." The opening verses of the chapter further
illustrate this. "You hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses
and sins; Among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the
lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and
were by nature the children of wrath, even as others."
"By nature the children of wrath" does not, indeed cannot, refer to
that condition of Adam when created from the ground, and designated "very
good." It can be applied to man only after his sin, from which time
henceforth "sin reigned unto death." Such was "the
fall" of man, by which Paradise "was lost" to him.
Paradise "restored" was beyond man; it could be accomplished only by
God, who would in His own time provide a WAY, by reason of TRUTH, which would
lead to LIFE.
<!--mstheme-->THE NATURE OF MAN AND THE REALITY OF
DEATH<!--mstheme-->
"AND ALL the
days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years; and he died."--Gen.
5: 5. This is illustrated on our chart. Somber, yet true, is the pictorial
representation. Appealing to all, "high and low, rich and poor
together," it cries aloud, "What man is he that liveth, and shall not
see death?" Stand, my friends, at the brink of the grave; look into
its depths when those we have loved, and lost, have been buried in the tomb,
and learn its lesson! Nearby we have another feature which must not be
overlooked. We read of it in the quotation from Genesis 3. It is
part of the sentence pronounced. "Cursed is the ground for thy
sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; Thorns also and
thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the
field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the
ground."--Verses 17-19.
Is the ground cursed today? Ask the man
who tills it. Do thorns and thistles grow in abundance, and that
without cultivation? Is bread provided without labour, or does man obtain
it by the sweat of his brow? From this thistle (on the chart) goes forth a
line, the end of which cannot be seen in section one; it runs to the full
extent of Section two, where it finds a place on the Cross, which will be
demonstrated in due time. Here we can but emphasize the various items of
the sentence passed upon the sinner, and the ground--for his sake.
Returning to the quotation from Genesis 5: 5, where we read "and he died."
Do you, my friends, believe it? Do you wonder why I ask this
question? Have you not heard it said, "There is no
death?" Of course that is not in the Bible, but many accept it as
though it was. "And he died." What is it to "die?"
Did Adam live 930 years, and then continue to live? Was
continuance in life, under any condition whatsoever, the sentence pronounced
upon the sinner?
WHAT IS DEATH? Cruden says,
"The separation of the soul from the body." But we have seen
from the Scriptures, that the soul is the body. The idea of separation is
far better expressed in the language of the Bible. There we read,
"Put not your trust in princes, nor in the son of man, in whom there is no
help. His breath goeth forth, he returneth to his eart; in that
very day his thoughts perish."--Psa. 146: 3, 4. Here is
separation of a vital character. Can any of the animal creation live
without breath? In creation the breath of life was blown into the
nostrils; in the day of death man ceases to breathe. Hence, with the
cessation of the life energy, imparted by the breath of life, the body--which
under its influence is alive--becomes inanimate. And this is death.
This is strictly in accord with the sentence passed upon Adam.
"Cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the
days of thy life; Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and
thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat
bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for
dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return."
The Nature of Man; The Reality of
Death, and the cessation of life when death comes, are subjects which form
part of "the first principles" of the Divine Plan in regard to the
salvation which is promised. The following scriptures are a
demonstration.
"Abraham answered and said, Behold now, I have taken
upon me to speak unto the Lord, which am but dust and ashes."--Gen.
18: 27.
"Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a
man be more pure than his Maker? How much less them that dwell in houses
of clay, whose foundation is in the dust."--Job 4: 17, 19.
"Thou hast made me as the clay; and wilt thou bring me
into dust again?--Job 10: 9.
"Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full
of trouble. Man dieth, and wasteth away; yea, man giveth up the ghost,
and where is he?"--Job 14: 1, 10.
"Nevertheless man being in honour abideth not; he is
like the beasts that perish. Like sheep they are laid in the grave;
death shall feed on them. When he dieth he shall carry nothing away; his
glory shall not descend after him. Though while he lived he blessed his
soul; he shall go to the generation of his fathers; they shall never see
light. Man that is in honour, and understandeth not is like the beasts
that perish."--Psa. 49: 12, 20.
"What profit is there in my blood, when I go down to
the pit? Shall the dust praise thee? Shall it declare thy
truth?"--Psa. 30: 9.
"For he remembereth that they were but flesh; a wind
that passeth away, and cometh not again."--Psa. 78: 39.
"Remember how short my time is; Wherefore has thou
made all men in vain? What man is he that liveth, and shall not see
death? Shall he deliver his soul from the hand of the grave?"--Psa.
89: 47.
"Thou turnest man to destruction; and sayest, Return,
ye children of men. All our days are passed away in thy wrath; we spend
our years as a tale that is told. The days of our years are threescore
years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is
their strength, labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly
away."--Psa. 90: 3, 9, 10.
"Thou takest away their breath, they die, and return
to their dust."--Psa. 104: 29.
"As the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have
all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast; for all is
vanity. All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust
again."--Eccls. 3: 19, 20.
"For the living know that they shall die; but the dead
know not anything, neither have they any more a reward; for the memory of them
is forgotten. Also their love, and their hatred, and their envy, is now
perished; neither have they any more a portion for ever in any thing that is
done under the sun. Whatsoever they hand findeth to to, do it with thy
might; for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the
grave, whither thou goest."--Eccles. 9: 5-10.
"That which is born of the flesh is flesh; He that is
of the earth is earthy and speaketh of the earth."--John 3: 6, 31.
"As the flower of the grass he shall pass away.
For the sun is no sooner risen with a burning heat, but it withereth the grass,
and the flower thereof falleth, and the grace of the fashion of it perisheth;
so also shall the rich man fade away in his ways."--James 1: 10, 11.
"For all flesh is as grass, and all the glory of man
as the flower of grass. The grass withereth, and the flower thereof
falleth away."--1 Pet. 1: 24.
"In Adam all die."--1 Cor. 15: 22.
"In death there is no remembrance of Thee, in the
grave, who shall give Thee thanks?-- Psa. 6: 5.
"Let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David,
that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this
day."--Acts 2: 29.
"For David, after he had served his own generation by
the will of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto this fathers, and saw
corruption; But he whom God raised again, saw no corruption."--Acts
13: 36.
These scriptures, with many others, clearly
teach that MAN IS MORTAL; that he lives by the breath of life, by the constant
process of inhalation and exhalation, which continues until "the day of
death;" when "no man hath power over the spirit to retain the
spirit."--Eccles. 8: 8. Therefore when "his breath
goeth forth, he returneth to this earth;" and ceases to be.
Consequently unless God provides a way of escape, man--having died--will remain
"in the land of forgetfulness"--Psa. 88: 12, and never again
see the light of day.
Death having been imposed on man, as a
punishment for sin, is not "a friend" as some have foolishly
declared. Death is a foe. Even as Paul teaches,
"The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death."--1 Cor. 15:
26. Death is a very stern reality--the very opposite of life.
We ask again, Why do men die? And some may answer, Because man is by
nature mortal, a dying creature! That is truly the physical reason, yet
we must realize the prior cause. Death is "an effect," which
came by reason of "a cause." The apostle says, "By man
came death." If death came "by man," it obviously was not
a part of the man when created "very good." It "came" to
him after he was created and placed in the garden. And from that day
until now it has remained in man, both young and old. Therefore the
apostle continues, "In Adam all die." Every child born into the
world, of the Adamic family, is "in Adam" by birth and heir to all
that Adam could bestow upon them. What is the "cause" of this
extensive "effect" upon the sons of men? Hear Paul yet again: "The
sting of death is sin."--1 Cor. 15: 21-22, 56. This principle is
further elaborated in another Epistle "Sin hath reigned unto
death." To "reign" signifies the controlling influence, or
holding supreme power. And SIN hath reigned over mankind for
6,000 years, sending generation after generation back to the dust from whence
they came, and will hold them there unless God opens up a way of escape.
Now since the Plan of God involves salvation, let me here say that "the
way" will only provide an escape for those who come under the redeeming
influence thereof. The logic of Paul's argument is very appealing.
"For if through the offence of one many be dead." "The
judgment was by one to condemnation." "If by one man's offence
death reigned by one." "By the offence of one judgment
came upon all men to condemnation." "By one man's
disobedience many were made sinners." Wherefore, as by one man sin
entered into the world, and death by sin."--Rom. 5: 15-19, 12.
<!--mstheme-->EVE<!--mstheme-->
Looking again at
the chart we
note that Eve is presented at the beginning of a line which is drawn the full
extent of sections one and two. Note also that the line is broken
and forms a second line which leads us to Abram, then to David, after which it
rejoins the main line. For the present we must stay at the beginning of
the line. Under the name "Eve" we have the scripture Gen. 3:15,
to which we direct your attention. God said to the serpent, "I will
put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it
shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Long
afterwards another declaration was made by an inspired Apostle, which has a
direct bearing upon Gen. 3:15, and is connected therewith. "For Adam
was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being
deceived was in the transgression. Notwithstanding she shall be saved in
childbearing."--1 Tim. 2: 13-15. Part of the condemnation
upon the woman was "in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children;" and
this has continued until now. Paul's comment, therefore, does not refer
to "labour and travail," from which woman is not saved.
If we compare the A.V. with the R.V. and Dr. Young's translation we find the
thought presented is rather, "she will be saved through
child-bearing." The connection is with the "seed of the
woman," who was destined to bruise the serpent in the head. And
consequently a promise, and prophecy, of One who was to come; who--in God's way
and time--should take away sin.
In Gen. 3:15, we have the first promise
of the Saviour. In that scripture we have also the hope of the
gospel. For if ever there was a time when a gospel of hope and salvation
was needed surely it was when "sin entered the world and death by
sin." If a gospel had not been introduced, and man had continued to
live under the cloud of sin, with the sentence of death over, and upon, him;
with children born under the same condemnation, bearing in their bodies the
sinister effects thereof all their days, with nothing but death as the end for
them--what a sad, hopeless state life would have been! "As a tale
that is told." One generation passing away, and another taking its
place--but all, as Paul says, "dying off." All because
"sin reigned;" and mankind "having no hope, and without God in
the world."--Eph. 2: 12. But this was not he will and purpose
of God, who created the earth and "formed it to be
inhabited." God must therefore introduce a new law whereby
some, at least, of those born under the condemnation might escape from the
final effect of the same; this must be upon a principle of obedience to the new
law, by reason of which those so responding might be "justified from
Sin" otherwise they must all remain victims of that broken law--servants
of sin unto death!
God therefore gave a promise in which
was the germ of life, and a hope of better things to come. We find a
reference to it, later, in the words: "Beloved, when I gave all diligence
to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the
faith which was once (for all) delivered unto the saints."--Jude 3.
We also find it in the opening words of the beloved apostle, in his record of
The Gospel: "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and
the Word was God."--John 1: 1. The "Word" was
the declaration of the plan and purpose of God regarding the salvation which he
alone could provide. "In it" truly "was life," which
was to be the "light of men." But think of the price at which
"the life" was to be obtained! "That God might be just,
and the justifier of him which believeth," as Paul expresses it in Rom.
3: 26. He who was to bruise the serpent in the head, for its
destruction, must first be stung in the heel.
So we follow the line, from the first
section to the end of 4,000 years, until we reach the Cross--Son of man and Son
of God--and thereby appreciate the concluding words of Paul when he says
"of him which believeth in Jesus."
<!--mstheme-->ABEL<!--mstheme-->
We now come to
Abel, of whom we cannot speak without remembering his brother. Cain and
Abel were diverse in character, aim and purpose. They represent the
two seeds, which were to be developed, as the Adamic race grew and extended
over the earth. As long as the Adamic dispensation continued there would
be perpetual warfare between the two classes represented in, and by, Cain and
Abel. The one should recognized as the serpent's seed, for
"they have gone in the way of Cain."--Jude 11. Jesus
met with, and identified, some of this class when He said, "Ye are of your
father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a
murderer from the beginning and abode not in the Truth, because there is no
truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own; for he is
a liar, and the father of it. And because I tell you the truth, ye
believe me not."-- John 8: 44. Whilst from amongst the sons of
men no class could be developed which would reach the height of holiness which
must characterize the true "seed of the woman," to whom the promise
was made, nevertheless there would be many who would seek to escape the
"way of Cain." To do this they must walk in the footsteps of
Abel.
<!--mstheme-->A MAN THE YAHWEH<!--mstheme-->
THE two brothers
were of diverse tastes and temperaments, they followed different vocations,
each good and necessary in regard to the daily requirements of family
life. The record is simple, clear and suggestive: "Abel was a keeper
of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. And in process of time it
came to pass, that Cain brought of the firstlings of his flock and of the fat
thereof. And Abel, he also brought of the firstlings of his flock and of
the fat thereof. And the Lord had respect unto Abel and to his
offering. But unto Cain and to his offering he had no respect."--Gen.
4: 2-5. Long afterward an inspired penman, writing of Faith,
commenced his list of ancient worthies by saying, "By faith Abel offered
unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain, by which he obtained witness
that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts; and by it he being dead yet
speaketh."--Heb. 11: 4. And then, connecting this early
part of Section One, with the latter part of Section Two of the Chart, we hear Paul
saying, "And to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood
of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel."--Heb.
12: 24.
It may be asked, Why was sacrifice
necessary? What was its import? And what made one sacrifice more
acceptable than the other? There can be no doubt that instructions
had been given to Adam and his family concerning the law of sacrifices.
That the details are not given to us matters not. The Bible
presents facts, and these are expected to be accepted as such.
Details of every transaction in the beginning and development of God's purpose
with man on the earth could not be given in a volume of Scriptures, such as we
possess. Furthermore, these are not necessary in our day. We
have sufficient in our Bible to direct us in the Way of Life, which is the real
purpose of the Revelation, together with a recognition of the Majesty of God,
who is able to perform all that He has promised. Much information can be
obtained by interpretation, deduction, and comparison of Scripture with
Scripture. "It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the honour
of kings to search out a matter."--Prov. 25: 2. If we
are not interested to "search the scriptures," what right have we to
expect to participate in the glory yet to be revealed?
Abel was a "keeper of sheep,"
and as such a type of Him who was to be revealed 4,000 years later; who, when
He came, testified, "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his
life for his sheep."--John 10: 11.
In confirmation of the foregoing we have the
following extract from The Ministry of The Prophets.. "Having
sinned, Adam and Eve took counsel between themselves and covered their
nakedness with a device of fig-leaves. But God rejected this, and
substituted 'coats of skins,' which, necessitating the slaying of animals for
their provision, brought a representation of death before them as the wages of
sin, and the necessary portion of the 'Counselor,' who, as the 'seed of woman,'
should afterwards bruise the serpent's head, and take away sin and death from
the earth. Thenceforward the counsel of God in its direction of human affairs
towards the goal of His purpose, as the first of its first principles kept this
fact to the front: that 'the wages of sin is death,' and that according to
divine appointment' without shedding of blood there is no remission,' no
effectual covering for sin apart from the recognition of God's insulted
majesty, and the humblest submission to His merciful provisions for
reinstatement. In harmony with these reflections is the history of the
accepted offering of Abel ('the firstlings of his flock and the fat thereof');
and the rejected offering of Cain ('the fruit of the ground'). The
comment of Paul in Heb. 11 is that Abel's was 'by faith ..... a more excellent
sacrifice' than that of Cain, whose faith (or lack of it; A.H.) did
not hold of God's promise and instruction."
"We look back. We see Adam
and Eve, our first parents, at perfect peace with God in a fruitful
garden, in unclouded innocence, delighting before God in the dominion He
had given them over the creation of His hand. We see sin enter, and all
is changed. Fear, shame, suffering and death are introduced, and to this
day continue to be the natural portion of the race. God 'put enmity'
in the beginning between the seed of the serpent and the seed of the woman; a
sentence that finds illustration in the enmity existing between Jesus and the
'generation of vipers' that withstood him and at last compassed his
death. The earliest illustration recorded in Genesis is the murder of
Abel by Cain. The acceptance of Abel's offering by God, coupled with the
rejection of his own, stirred Cain's resentment, and he slew him. 'And
wherefore slew he him?' asks John. 'Because his own works were evil and
his brother's righteous.' Enmity, then, between the righteous and the
wicked is the express and unalterable appointment of God." pp 155,
174.
The secret of the superiority of one
sacrifice over that of the other is given in the statement, already quoted,
from Heb. 11., "A more excellent sacrifice that Cain;" or "a
sacrifice exceeding that of Cain;" yet again, "a sacrifice more than
Cain." To offer "the fruit of the ground" as a
thank-offering under favourable conditions, and in the right spirit, would not
be out of place; it might be considered natural to "a tiller of the
ground." But if in so doing a requirement, which had been made
known, was ignored and neglected there is every reason why "the Lord had
not respect" unto such an offering. Enlightenment is given in
the words addressed to Cain, "Why is the countenance fallen? If thou
doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou doest not well, at the
opening a sin-offering is crouching, and unto thee its desire, and thou
rulest over it."
WHY WAS SACRIFICE NECESSARY?
"The necessity for either a priest or a sacrifice in any community is evidence
of the existence of sin. Previous to the introduction of sin into the
World, neither the one nor the other were to be found. Adam and
Eve, as long as they continued obedient to the Edenic law, were able to commune
with their Maker without fear or shame. But when they transgressed, they
were no longer able to hold up their heads as one whose 'conscience is void of
offence toward God." Concerning the more excellent sacrifice of
Abel, and God's rejection of the other, this writer continues, "The
explanation of this is partly to be found in the fact that Abel's offering,
being a lamb, contained blood, which, on the life of the animal being taken
away, would be poured out; whereas Cain's offering had no blood in it.
Abel recognized the principle that 'without shedding of blood is no remission'
of sin (Heb. 9: 22), but Cain did not. There must have been some
special reason for ordaining sacrifices of this kind: they must have been
appropriate for the purpose they were intended to serve. 'Of man and
beast "they have all one breath.' The life of all flesh is the blood;' 'it
is the life of all flesh.'--Lev. 17: 11, 14. "That which
befalleth the sons of men, befalleth beasts, as the one dieth, so dieth the
other.'--Eccles. 3: 19. In view of these truths, it cannot but
be admitted that the act of taking the life of an animal was well calculated to
remind man of his own position; of the fact that he had sinned against his
Maker: that in consequence of that sin he had been condemned to death; and that
when subjected to this penalty he would become as unconscious and devoid of
life as the animals he slew as sacrifices." J.J.A. What was its
import? "It further taught him that he could only be delivered
from this destiny by a more perfect sacrifice in the future, combined with his
own obedience to God's commandments........the animal sacrificed was simply
deprived of life--an appropriate symbol of the death which man had incurred by
sin." J.J.A. in Jesus Christ and Him crucified.
What made one sacrifice more acceptable than
the other? The answer has already been given in what has
been advanced upon this matter. In a few words--for any sacrifice
to be acceptable to God it must have been offered in faith; some recognition
must be shown that sacrifice, ordained by God, was with a view to man's
benefit, and the latter could only be conferred when the offerer realized that
those sacrifices were by typical of One who was to come, and that through Him,
and not the animal sacrifices, God's Plan would be accomplished.
When Cain was born we are told that Eve
said, "I have gotten a man from the Lord."--Gen. 4: 1.
Eve had not forgotten the promise made concerning the seed of the woman,
and probably thought this child was the "seed" referred to.
Subsequent events showed this was not so. Various renderings have been
given of the verse in question. "I have gotten a man with (the help
of ) the Lord," R.V. "I have gotten a man, a Yahweh, from the
Lord:" "A man, even Yahweh:" "eth
Yahweh-(the) He-will-Become." The preposition 'from' being omitted,
as not being in the original. The Name Yahweh is a prophetic
term; involved in it is the doctrine of the Name of Salvation, which will be
elaborated later.
<!--mstheme--> SETH<!--mstheme-->
At the birth of Seth, as
explanatory of the name given, Eve said, "For God hath appointed me
another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew." In this statement
there is a recognition of the truth, and the same is hereby emphasized, that
the way of the Lord was within restricted lines. The ways of the two
seeds were diverging further apart. We therefore find that the record
proceeds, "And to Seth, to him also there was born a son; and he called
his name Enos; then began men to call upon the name of the Lord."--Gen.
4: 25, 26. The marginal rendering for the last clause gives
another suggestion: "then began men to call themselves by the name of the
Lord." Another rendering is given by Dr. Young. "Then a
beginning was made of preaching in the name of Jehovah." But here
again we must leave this for a later demonstration; noting, however, that we
have a connecting line from Enos to the Exodus, associated with which we have
the MEMORIAL NAME, given in the A.V. as "I AM THAT I AM."--Ex. 3:
14. which line then joins the main line of the woman's seed.
<!--mstheme-->TWO FAMILIES<!--mstheme-->
"AND it came to pass, when men
began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born unto
them," Gen. 6: 1, they did what they have continued to do,
"they took them wives of all which they chose." The co-mingling
was of the "Sons of God" and "daughters of men."
There had been a development throughout these "generations" of the
two seeds. Not all who had lived upon the face of the earth had followed
the way of righteousness. To the "preaching in the name of
Jehovah" all did not respond. Those who did so were thereby
constituted "sons and daughters of God;" whilst others who rejected
the Word were merely "sons and daughters of men." They took
wives of all which they chose! This, irrespective of all that was
involved in the preaching of the Word. This simple record, interpreted in
the light of subsequent revelation, both in the Old Testament and the New,
shows unmistakably the evil associated with mixed marriages. Evil became
rampant in the earth. "And God saw that the wickedness of man was
great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was
only evil continually." Is it any wonder that "it repented the
Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart?"
Arising from these conditions "the Lord said, I will destroy man
whom I have created from the face of the earth." But there was one
man who pleased God. Noah, "a preacher of righteousness," 2
Pet. 2: 5, instructed by God, warned the people; but then, as now, the
multitude would not hearken. So "the flood came, and took them all
away."--Matt. 24: 39.--It was then that God "spared not the
old world."--2 Pet. 2:5. And "the world that then was,
being overflowed with water, perished."--2 Pet. 3: 6. Yet
not "all," in the strictly literal sense, "perished."
This I say because many people aver that "all" always
means "all" without exception, and do not allow
circumstances, and other testimonies, to illustrate the true application.
Such contention is the outcome of
desire, and determination, on their part to enforce the acceptation of their
own belief and interpretation, which can only be done at the expense of
disregarding other definite Scriptures. And so it came to pass, although
"the flood came, and destroyed all."--Luke 17: 27, we are
nevertheless told that God "saved Noah the eighth"-- "preserved
Noah with seven others" R.V.--2 Pet. 2: 5, "bringing in the
flood upon the world of the ungodly." The same apostle speaks of the
time "when once the long suffering of God waited in the days of Noah,
while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by
water."--1 Pet. 3: 20.
As with other items of the Bible Story the
record of the Flood has not escaped criticism from those who, denying the
divinity of the Scriptures, present the traditions of men in place
thereof. Our present task is to travel the Highway of Truth, and we
cannot therefore step aside to wander in all the by-paths of error. The
record of the Flood is endorsed in the New Testament, and hence we cannot
reject the one and hold to the other. About 76 years ago considerable
interest was aroused in consequence of the discovery of an account of the flood
amongst the sculptured slabs brought from Assyria. to the British Museum.
Even though the account was largely mixed up with Assyrian mythology, yet its
identity with the account by Moses was striking. Reference was made to
the building of a large ship, into which the builder, with others, entered
along with various animals. After the storm which destroyed those not in
the ship, a dove, swallow and raven were sent out. Sisit and his
wife, go out of the ship and one of the gods--Bel--establishes a covenant with
him, after which he builds an altar and offers sacrifice.
Ten years later another sensation was
caused by the reported "Discovery of Noah's Ark." Josephus
claimed the ark to be in existence in his day--2500 years after the flood.
The Levant Herald in which the report originated said:
"The expedition was fortunate in making a discovery that cannot fail to be
of interest to the whole civilized world, for among the fastnesses of one of
the glens of Mount Ararat they came upon a gigantic structure of very dark wood
embedded at the foot of one of the glaciers, with one end protruding, and which
they believed to be none other than the old Ark in which Noah and his family
navigated the waters of the Deluge. The place where the discovery was
made is about five days' journey from Trebizond, in Armenia, about four leagues
from the Persian frontier."
The Evening News, March 21, 1934
reported an interview with Mr. C. Leonard Woolley, excavator of Ur of the
Chaldees, who stated: "We have now sufficient knowledge to produce a
complete history of Iraq since the Flood. It is obvious that before the
Flood, Iraq was a swampy country--really a series of Islands. The Flood came
and gave the country a level surface."
<!--mstheme-->AFTER THE FLOOD<!--mstheme-->
IN due time the waters of the Flood
subsided, and the Ark rested, as we read in Gen. 8: 4, "in the seventh
month, on the seventeenth day of the month, upon the mountains of
Ararat." When the waters were dried up from off the earth Noah, at
the word of God, went forth of the Ark with is wife, his sons, and his sons'
wives. The command went further than this; it included "every living
thing that is with thee, of all flesh, both of fowl, and of cattle, and of
every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth; that they may breed abundantly
in the earth, and be fruitful, and multiply upon the earth."--Gen. 8:
17. When this was carried out "Noah builded an altar unto the
Lord, and offered burnt offerings on the altar." Noah, recognizing
the supremacy of the Lord, manifested his faith in God, and rendered his
thanksgiving for the mercy and goodness extended unto him and his family.
And in so doing he supplicated the continuance of the blessings from on high,
which he acknowledged to be so necessary. The Lord was well pleased with
this act of Noah, and the manifestation of faith which inspired it. The
Lord, therefore, gave His Word: "While the earth remaineth, seed time and
harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not
cease." Furthermore, "God spake unto Noah, and his sons with
him, saying, And I, behold, I will establish my covenant with you, and with
your seed after you.....neither shall all flesh be cut off any more by the
waters of flood, neither shall there any more be a flood to destroy the earth."
To emphasize this, "for perpetual generations; I do set my bow in the
cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the
earth......And the bow shall be in the cloud; and I will look upon it, that I
may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature of
all flesh that is upon the earth. And God said unto Noah, This is
the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and all flesh
that is upon the earth."--Gen. 9.
The repeopling of the earth, by the family of
Noah, went on apace, of which we read, "the whole earth was of one
language, and of one speech." Onward, To the East, seemed to be
their plan, seeking, as men have done ever since, a resting-place for the soles
of their feet. "And it came to pass, as they journeyed eastward,
that they found a plain in the land of Shinar; and they dwelt there."--Gen.
11: 2. Now it is written: "There is a way which seemeth right
unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death."--Prov. 14: 12.
Had the people been content to dwell in the land of Shinar, there to serve and
obey the Lord God who had delivered their father, Noah, and blessed his
inheritance, all might have been well. But, settled in the plain, the
people conceived a plan for their own salvation and glory. They had not
forgotten the former judgments of God, and probably feared lest another flood
should overtake them. To make a name for themselves was their
cry! And to prevent calamity, should evil befall them, they conceived a
plan for a city, fame, and a tower of refuge. "Let us
build us a city," said they, "and a tower whose top may reach unto
heaven."
But all this was known unto the Lord,
from whom nothing is hid; perceiving their purpose God was able to effectively
check them in their endeavours. Progress among the people was dependent
upon their co-operation. So God spoilt their plan by interfering
with their co-operation. For there God confounded their language,
"that they may not understand one another's speech." And the
next step was equally effective, "So the Lord scattered them abroad from
thence upon the face of all the earth; and they left off to build the
city. Therefore is the name of it called Babel."
The tower of Babel is significant of the
"way" of man, in opposition to the "way of the Lord."
<!--mstheme-->"WE HAVE AN ALTAR"<!--mstheme-->
DURING our journey down the stream of time we
have noticed two events which called forth the building of an altar, and the
offering of sacrifices. The altar, like the sacrifices, was not without
significance. More was elaborated under the Mosaic constitution, with
which we cannot now deal. Many things "in the beginning"
pointed forward to another "beginning," a new creation in Christ Jesus.
hence we read in Heb. 13: 10, "We have an altar, whereof they have no
right to eat which serve the tabernacle."So the significance has to do
with a second Adam, whose life of obedience would establish
"regeneration" and save from sin those who would come to God by, and
through, Him.
<!--mstheme-->SHALL BABEL PREVAIL?<!--mstheme-->
SIN entered the world, and death by
sin. Paradise was lost. Man fearfully and wonderfully made, sought
out many inventions. These, springing from the heart of man, could
only lead away from God. The tower of Babel is but a representation of
the stronghold of the traditions of men, by which they have sought to make void
the commandments of God; teaching for doctrine the imaginations of their own
hearts and minds. But this cannot continue. God's purpose in the
earth must be fulfilled. His Plan, even though it may involve 7,000
years , must be executed. At the end the vision shall speak.
This phase of our subject closes with a
lesson from The Ark. Heb. 11: 7, reads "By faith Noah, being warned
of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the
saving of his house; by which he condemned the world, and became heir of the
righteousness which is by faith." It is not difficult to
associate this with the salvation of God through Jesus Christ. The
apostle speaks of a time "when once the long-suffering of God waited in
the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight
souls were saved by water."--1 Pet. 3: 20. But can it be
that you and I, living nearly 6,000 years after that event, can find any
association therewith? It is one of those "things which
happened for ensamples."--1 Cor. 10: 11., and along with many
other things was "written for our learning." "They
are written for our admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are
come." So it was that Peter continued in his epistle, "The like
figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of
the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the
resurrection of Jesus Christ." This association of the past with the
future is further shown in the colorful arch on the chart, representative of the Rainbow, proceeding
from Ararat until it descends upon Olivet. Not that it ends there, for as
the illustration shows, Rev. 4: 3, speaks of One sitting on the throne,
"And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an
emerald." And again, "I saw another mighty angel come down
from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his
face was as it were the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire."--Rev.
10: 1.
JESUS CHRIST IS "THE LAST
ADAM." The firs man, Adam, brought sin and death into the
world. The "last Adam" by obedience, even unto death, became a
life-giving spirit. Jesus was raised from the dead by the power of God
"through the blood of the everlasting covenant." The bow in the
cloud (though reminding us of the past and speaking of the Covenant made of God
after the Flood) is significant of a new covenant. It speaks to us of
Jesus Christ. As the Lamb of God Jesus was the
covenant-victim. But He was victorious over the tomb; the grave
could not hold Him.
<!--mstheme-->In Him the tribes of Adam boast
More blessings than their father lost.<!--mstheme-->
God's Plan, as centered in Jesus Christ,
will be more fully shown as we proceed. In it we shall see the
fulfillment of the prophetic Word concerning Jesus: "Then I restored that
which I took not away."--Psa. 69: 4.
<!--msthemeseparator-->
<!--mstheme-->
Lecture<!--mstheme-->Lecture 2<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->THE CALL OF ABRAM<!--mstheme-->
Two Seeds, Egypt, Sinai.
The Old Covenant. Shadow of Good Things to Come.
The Cross Before the Crown
<!--msthemeseparator-->
THE former Lecture brought approximately 2,000 years down
the stream of time. We halted in the Land of Shinar. We saw the Way
of the Lord forsaken; ignored by men who followed their own heart's desires,
and meriting the condemnation of heaven, which was duly meted out to
them. We now take up another line of development, and find ourselves in
Ur of the Chaldees. Looking at the Chart we find a break in the line of
the Woman's seed. This is to demonstrate how, and through whom, the
promise concerning the seed of the woman should be brought about. The
fulfillment of the promise could not be brought to pass through any
woman's seed. God, who made the promise, would direct and guide until the
appointed end should be accomplished. In the promise much was
involved. It was not merely that a certain period, in the history of the
Adamic family, a seed should come through whom the things promised should be
accomplished. Four thousand dark and dreary years were to roll by before
the event. Meanwhile a Law of Truth was to be made known, and extended
among the sons of men to reach the hearts and minds of some who would hear it,
and believing would respond to it, that they might be saved. This we saw
in the quotation from Jude 3, "That ye should earnestly contend for the faith
which was once for all delivered to the saints."
The Law of
Faith, which is a Law of Truth, was made known after sin entered the world;
thereby to counteract the evil which had gained sway. Its development
was by precept--"here a little, there a little. Line upon line,
precept upon precept." The stream of humanity was ever widening in
its courses from the Way of the Lord. The faith appertaining to the
"common salvation" would reach some and direct them God-ward by the
Light of Life. Of necessity they must be guided by such revelation as was
given in their generation, serving God and manifesting their faith in His
promises; offering sacrifices in the light of their faith, both in thanksgiving
and in supplication.
Following the
account of the people being scattered, and their language confounded, the
record reveals "the generations of Shem," out of which we have
"the generations of Terah." To quote Dr. Thomas, "The
descendants of Noah were beginning to tread in the footsteps of the antediluvians.
They were ambitious of making 'a name' for themselves, irrespective of
the name of the Lord. This their was was their folly; yet their posterity
approved their endeavour. Idolatry was beginning to prevail; and they
proceeded to build a city. But the Lord came down and put a stop to
their enterprise. Noah had lived 292 years after the flood, when three
sons were born to Terah, a descendant of Shem, Terah being 70 years old.
Shem was a worshipper of the true God, whom Noah styled, 'the Lord God of
Shem.' Terah, however, seems to have departed from the simplicity of the
truth; Be this as it may, we find him in Chaldea at a place called Ur."--Elpis
Israel, p 202.
"Terah," we are told, "begat Abram, Nahor,
and Haran." They lived "on the other side of the flood," i.e
eastward of "the great river Euphrates," and there served the gods of
Shinar. "Haran died before his father Terah in the land of his
nativity, in Ur of the Chaldees; the name of Abram's wife was Sarai. But
Sarai was barren; she had no child. Terah died in Haran."--Gen.
11: 27-32.
Such is the introduction given us to Abram and Sarai, who
were destined to play so important a part in the Plan of the Ages. It is
therefore both interesting and profitable to spend some time now in company
with the Patriarchs. While Terah's family dwelt in Ur, the Lord appeared
to them, and said to Abram, "Get thee out of thy country, and from thy
kindred, and come into the land which I shall show thee." They
therefore removed from Ur of the Chaldees, and dwelt in Haran, where Terah
died. In thus obeying the voice of the Lord they separated themselves
from the idolaters of the Chaldean district of Mesopotamia.
THE CALL OF
ABRAM is simply, yet clearly, stated in the first nine verses of Gen. 12, from
which the following quotations are given:
"Now the Lord had said unto Abram, Get thee out of thy father's house,
unto a land that I will shew thee: And I will make of thee a great
nation, and I will bless thee, and make thy name great: and thou shalt be a
blessing. And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that
curseth thee; and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.
And Abram took Sarai his wife, and Lot his brother's son, and all their
substance that they had gathered, and the souls that they had gotten in Haran;
and they went forth to go into the land of Canaan; and into the land of Canaan
they came. And Abram passed through the land unto the place of Sichem,
unto the plain of Moreh. And the Canaanite was then in the land.
And the Lord appeared unto Abram, and said, Unto thy seed will I give
this land; and there builded he an altar unto the Lord, who appeared unto
him. And he removed from thence unto a mountain on the east of Bethel,
and pitched his tent, having Bethel on the west, and Hai on the east; and there
he builded an altar unto the Lord, and called upon the name of the Lord.
And Abram journeyed, going on still toward the south."
A famine caused
Abram to go further, even into Egypt. Incidentally, is Egypt a symbol of
light, or of darkness? But Abram did not stay long there. "He
went up out of Egypt, he and his wife, and all that he had, and Lot with him
into the south....very rich in cattle, in silver, and in gold."
Then on again, "from the south even to Bethel, unto the place where his
tent had been at the beginning, between Bethel and Hai....and there Abram
called on the name of the Lord."--Gen. 13: 1-4. Lot
separated himself from Abram, after which we are told "Abram dwelled in
the land of Canaan, and Lot dwelled in the cities of the plain, and pitched his
tent toward Sodom."
This
established another stepping-stone toward the grand climax, which, however, at
that date was in the far-distant future. This change having taken place
it was evidently appropriate for Abram to receive further instructions, and
more detailed information, which is made known to us in the closing portion of
Gen. 13. "And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was
separated from him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou
art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land
which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed for ever. And I
will make thy seed as the dust of the earth; so that if a man can number the
dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be numbered. Arise, walk
through the land in the length of it and in the breadth of it; for I will give
it unto thee. Then Abram removed his tent, and came and dwelt in the
plain of Mamre, which is in Hebron, and built there an altar unto the
Lord."
"Abram the
Hebrew" Gen. 14: 13, was not without trials and troubles.
His contact with the "battle of the kings" illustrates this. An
outcome of this incident was that Abram met Melchizedek, "King of Salem,
and priest of the most high God," by whom Abram was blessed, and to whom
Abram gave tithes. This notable event is stated in but three verses; it
is, however, not lost sight of, for long afterwards an apostle wrote of it, and
gave it the highest significance. Of this we cannot now speak
particularly. Attention must be directed to the definite statements
recorded in regard to the promise to Abram. And to these considerations
must be given if we would apprehend the full force of their application to the
development of God's Plan on the earth. For, as we proceed to unfold the
purpose of God and the hope of Salvation we shall find that the promises to
Abram constitute an important "first principle," without an
understanding of which we cannot perceive the Gospel of the Kingdom of God;
and, moreover, if we attain unto "the hope set before us" we must,
indeed, be "blessed with faithful Abraham."
When Abram was
99 years old, the Lord again appeared to him, and said, "I am the Almighty
God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant
between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell
on his face; and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is
with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy
name any more be called Abram, but thy name shall be Abraham; for a father of
many nations have I made thee. And I will make thee exceedingly fruitful,
and I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in
their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to
thy seed after thee. And I will give unto thee and to thy seed after
thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an
everlasting possession; and I will be their God."--Gen. 17: 1-8.
Following this announcement instructions were given
concerning the covenant of circumcision, and the name of Abram's wife was
changed to Sarah. At the same time a definite promise was made that Sarah
would bear a son of Abraham. So unexpected, and--naturally
speaking--impossible did this seem to be, that Abraham laughed, and said,
"Shall a child be born unto him that is an hundred years old? and shall
Sarah, that is ninety years old, bear? But God said, Sarah thy wife shall
bear thee a son indeed; and thou shall call his name Isaac; and I will
establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed
after him."
STEP BY STEP
THE PLAN OF GOD WAS BEING DEVELOPED. We now retrace our steps to consider
more fully the details of this development. We are noticing the more
salient features; these help us to condense the Plan as it appertains to the
Abrahamic Covenant, whilst the details enable us to perceive the reason why
this "this hope of the promise, made of God unto the fathers" had
within it the scheme of salvation. Following on, therefore, our
quotations from Gen. 17, we have these pregnant words in Gen. 21: 12.
"For in Isaac shall thy seed be called." Isaac grew, and the
love of the father was centered in his son; hope also, for the promise that
this son should be born had been fulfilled. Why then doubt that all other
things contained in the promises would also be fulfilled?
FAITH IN GOD
caused hope to shine brightly, even though at times dark shadows mantled the
brow of the patriarch. "And it came to pass after these things, that
God did tempt Abraham, and said unto him, Abraham: and he said, Behold
me. And he said, Take now thy son, thine only son Isaac, whom thou
lovest, and get thee into the land of Moriah; and offer him there for a burnt
offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of."
Meeting the test, perhaps with a heart bowed down, yet not doubting
the ultimate outcome of this unusual demand, Abraham was ready early in the
morning, when, with two of his young men, Isaac his son, wood prepared for the
burnt offering, ass saddled, he rose up, and went toward the place to which he
had been directed. "Twas not until the third day that he saw the place
afar off. Then, leaving the ass with the young men, Abraham said,
"Abide ye here: I and the lad will go yonder and worship, and come
again to you." So father and son went forward, with wood, fire
and knife, doubtless in quiet meditation until Isaac spake: "My father,
Behold the fire and the wood: but where is the lamb for a burnt
offering?" Heart-searching question: faith-testing words, yet not
hope-destroying thought! Isaac, as yet, knew not what had been required
of his father. Abraham, like another yet to come, in a much later day,
and for another more glorious manifestation, "kept these things, and
pondered them in his heart." For the immediate need all he said to
the lad was, "My son, God will provide himself a lamb for a burnt
offering." What was said as the altar was being built, and
preparation for the offering being made, we are not told. The record is
wisely brief. "Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife
to slay his son."
CONFIDENCE IN
GOD alone actuated the compliance with Heaven's mandate. How much Abraham
perceived of the hidden meaning we are not told; he had, however, seen
sufficient demonstration of the power invested in the Elohim since he first
received the call to get out from his father's house, and the land of his
nativity, to allow his trust not to be broken. Whilst prepared to carry
out to the full the obligation placed upon him, the patriarch went so far as to
tell the young men, "I and the lad will come again to you."
That was not the voice of pretence, but of hope based upon confidence as the
outcome of knowledge. So we find it recorded in an epitome of men of
faith:--"By faith Abraham, when he was tried, offered up Isaac; and he
that had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was
said, That in Isaac shall thy seed be called; accounting that God was able to
raise him up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a
figure."--Heb. 11: 17-19.
The knife in the stretched-forth hand was sufficient; it
demonstrated belief in God, and confidence that the Judge of all the earth
would do right. The angel called, "Abraham, Abraham," and
said, "Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto
him; for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy
son, thine only son from me." What relief to both father and son,
and with what satisfaction would Abraham "lift up his eyes, and behold
behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: And Abraham went and took
the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son."
The place was
named "Jehova-jireh: i.e., The Lord will see, or provide." Now
all this had been seen, and noted, by the angel who was the name-bearer of the
Lord, and the executioner of His will. Proof of faith, hope, confidence
and obedience having been so demonstrably given; the Lord well pleased, and the
men of His choice strengthened to continue and endure that they, and others,
might at last "receive the promise" in glorious fulfillment, a
further stage in the divine (and human) drama was consequently
established. Heaven's proclamation was once more heard; "The angel
of the Lord called unto Abraham out of heaven the second time, and said, By
myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou has done this thing,
and has not withheld thy son, thine only son: That in blessing I will bless
thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven,
and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the
gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be
blessed; because thou has obeyed my voice."
And so it came
about that "Abraham and the lad" returned to the young men, even as
he had said. Together they went to Beersheba, and Abraham dwelt
there. Such is the record given to us in Gen. 22.
We note in
passing the death of Sarah, and also of Abraham. "Abraham gave up
the ghost (breath), and died in a good old age, an old man, and full of years;
and was gathered to his people," being buried in "The field which
Abraham purchased of the sons of Heth; there was Abraham buried, and Sarah his
wife."
<!--mstheme-->ISAAC<!--mstheme-->
THE development
of God's Plan was now centered in Isaac, and therefore we find "the
promise" extended to him. Of this we read, "The Lord appeared
unto him, and said, Go not down into Egypt; dwell in the land which I shall
tell thee of; Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless
thee; for unto thee, and unto thy seed, I will give all these countries, and I
will perform the oath which I sware unto Abraham thy father; and I will make
thy seed to multiply as the stars of heaven, and will give unto thy seed all
these countries; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed;
because that Abraham obeyed my voice, and kept my charge, my commandments, my
statutes, and my laws."--Gen. 26: 2, 5.
Isaac had two sons, Esau and Jacob, "two manner of
people." It was foretold that "the elder shall serve the
younger." The subsequent history of these "two peoples"
showed the accuracy, and the wisdom, of this divine foretelling. Our
present interest is in the development of the Abrahamic Covenant, which permits
our passing over much of the domestic happenings in their family circle.
<!--mstheme-->JACOB<!--mstheme-->
WE take up the thread in Gen.
28. "Isaac called Jacob and said, God Almighty bless thee, and make
thee fruitful, and multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people;
and give thee the blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that
thou mayest inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto
Abraham." Isaac sent Jacob away, and Jacob followed the instructions
given to him. In the course of his journey, we read of Jacob: "And
he lighted upon a certain place, and tarried there all night, because the sun
was set; and he took of the stones of that place, and put them for his pillows,
and lay down in that place to sleep. And he dreamed, and behold a ladder
set up on the earth, and at the top of it reached to heaven; and behold the
angels of God ascending and descending on it. And, behold, the Lord stood
above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham they father, and the God of
Isaac: the land where thou liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed; and
thy seed shall be as the dust of the earth, and thou shalt spread abroad to the
west, and to the east, and to the north, and to the south; and in thee and in
thy seed shall all families of the earth be blessed. And, behold, I am
with thee, and will keep thee in all places whither thou goest, and will bring
thee again into this land; for I will not leave thee, until I have done that
which I have spoken to thee of."
What a dream
from which to awaken and wonder! Sensitive to the high calling which had
befallen him, he said, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it
not." Of the place he said, "This is none other but the house
of God," and of the revelation and promise extended to him, "this is
the gate of heaven," i.e., the knowledge of the will and purpose of God,
by reason of which an entrance may be found into the kingdom of heaven when the
promises made of God unto the fathers find their fulfillment; guaranteed by God
unto Abraham and his seed. Jacob called the name of that place Bethel, and
having "vowed a vow" went on his journey; found his uncle Laban, and
stayed with him twenty years.
A few years
later, again having been recipient of a divine favour, in that God once more
instructed him as to what he should do, and where to go, Jacob said unto his
household, and to all that were with him, "Let us arise, and go up to
Bethel; and I will make there an altar unto God, who answered me in the day of
my distress, and was with me in the way which I went." This was
accomplished, and in verses 9-12 of the chapter from which these events are
obtainable (Gen. 35) we read, "And God appeared unto Jacob again, when he
came out of Padan-aram, and blessed him. And God said unto him, Thy name
is Jacob: thy name shall not be called any more Jacob, but Israel shall be thy
name; and he called his name ISRAEL. And God said unto him, I am God
Almighty: be fruitful and multiply; a nation and (or even) a company of nations
shall be of thee, and kings shall come out of thy loins; and the land which I
gave Abraham and Isaac, to thee I will give it, and to thy seed after thee will
I give the land." The last verse of this chapter tells of the death
of Isaac. And in course of time Jacob (Israel) also died.
<!--mstheme-->WAS THE LAND RECEIVED ACCORDING
TO THE PROMISES?<!--mstheme-->
THE promise of the inheritance
of the Land of Canaan had been given to them all. Did they receive the land,
according to the promise of God? In other words, Were the promises of
God, made unto the fathers and to their seed, fulfilled in the life time of
Abraham, Isaac and Jacob? If not--why not? These questions are
definitely answered for us, in one scripture, where we read, "These all
died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off,
and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were
strangers and pilgrims on the earth. And these all, having obtained a
good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some
better thing for us, that they without us should not be made perfect."--Heb.
11: 13, 39, 40.
We must again retrace our steps, and in doing so lay hold
of some of the details, which, when fitted into the general picture already
presented, will enable us to comprehend why the patriarchs, and many others,
"died in faith," without having witnessed the fulfillment of their
hopes in the consummation of the Plan of the Ages; so vividly made known to
them in the promises and testimony of God. The fifteenth chapter of
Genesis is extremely interesting, enlightening, and of the utmost importance in
regard to the promise to Abraham. Indeed, so much is involved in the
revelation therein given that we may truly say, it is astounding. That
Abraham (giving him now his later name) had thought long and well concerning the
promises made to him is quite evident. Without any lack of faith, or
distrust in God, Abraham could not fail to see the difficulties in the
path. Before the promises could become actualities the difficulties must
be removed. But how? Must he, himself, open up a way to overcome
the obstacles? It was natural that, without further enlightenment, he
should conceive such a scheme. The plan, however, was of God, and his
mind must therefore ever be God-ward. Abraham had been with Melchizedek,
priest of the most high God, who had blessed him, saying, "Blessed be
Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven and earth." And
Abraham had said to the King of Sodom, "I lift up mine hand unto the Lord,
the most high God, the possessor of heaven and earth ......I will not take any
thing that is thine, lest thou shouldest say, I have made Abram rich."--Gen.
14: 19, 23.
God knoweth our
thoughts, "even before they are our own," and so, He who has "by
dream, by oracle, by seer" made known His Will, approached the patriarch
to answer some of his troubled thoughts. "After these things the
word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy
shield, and thy exceeding great reward." God knew the mind of the man who
had so well responded to His call; and would not Abraham feel, when the vision
came to him, that here was an answer to the inquiry which had been formulating
in his mind? He would feel that this was a message to give him strength,
encouragement and hope, all being sorely needed to help him carry on amidst the
trials of a period of waiting and watching. He, therefore, placed his
hand in the hand of God, when he said, "Lord God, what wilt thou give me,
seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus?
Behold, to me thou has given no seed; and, lo, one born in my house is mine
heir."
There was the
problem which perplexed his mind. A promise to Abraham and his seed,
and yet he had no child. Was it that a human construction was to be
placed upon the promise, under the circumstance of his domestic difficulty,
which apparently was against the fulfillment of the promise, as the patriarch
might well have hoped it should be? The idea of an adoption seemed to
provide a solution. But if with man, it was not so with God. For
yet again the word of the Lord came, saying, "This shall not be thine
heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine
heir." Abraham probably did not realize that he was being tested
whilst also being prepared. Hence, the full knowledge of "how"
it should come about was not immediately made known to him. In God's own
time it would be imparted to him, and by the longer process Abraham would be
fortified to meet the requirements of the way. Having discarded the human
suggestion, and made known the seed should be direct, not adopted, the way was
not yet opened to Abraham. Nor had the time come for it to be made
known. Yet "the possessor of heaven and earth" thought well to
offer a means of strength to the man of His choice. He, therefore,
"brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell
the stars, if thou be able to number them; and he said unto him, so
shall thy seed be."
The experiences through which Abraham had passed had been
sufficient to engender in him a disposition of conviction, trust and
confidence. Therefore, even though he could not yet understand how and
when these things should be, he could still believe that what God had promised
He would fulfill. It is there recorded of him, "He believed in the
Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness."
Again Abraham
is reminded of the promise as it was first presented to him. And mark
this well, my friends; it was belief in the promise as given, and confidence in
the word of God that the same would be fulfilled "according to the
promise" that Abraham's "belief" was reckoned as the basis of
righteousness before God. This "hope of the promise" was a
"gospel" unto Abraham. Would any other interpretation placed
upon the promise, in regard to how, when and where it should be fulfilled, have
been acceptable to the Giver of the promise? Did it matter what
Abraham believed? Would any other view of this gospel-hope, than
that which is definitely stated, have been right before God?
And would any interpretation contrary to the specified terms of the covenant
have been acceptable, and sufficient to constitute Abraham "the friend of
God?"--Jas. 2: 23. Do you believe in the promise as
Abraham believed, and do you look for its fulfillment in the same way, and
in the same place, as he did? As if to emphasize the reality of the
"place," after God had directed attention to the "stars,"
and promised "so shall thy seed be," "He said unto him, I am the
Lord that brought thee out of Ur of the Chaldees, to give thee this land to
inherit it." But years were passing, and Abraham was not a young
man, and his wife apparently (physically) unsuited for the accomplishment of
what was involved in the promise. Hence the question, "Lord God,
whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?" Following is a
synopsis of what is revealed in Gen. 15. "In reply to this, he was
commanded to take 'a heifer of three years old, and a ram of three
years old, and a turtle dove, and a young pigeon.' Having killed
them, 'he divided them in the midst, and laid each piece one against another,
but the birds divided he not.' This sacrifice was representative of the
qualities of the Christ, concerning which confirmation was about to be made,
attestative of Abram's and his seed's possession of the land in the fullness of
the times afterwards to be arranged. From the time of the sacrifice until
the going down of the sun, Abram was engaged in watching the carcasses, so as
to keep off the birds of prey. It is probable that the sacrifice was
exposed about three hours; at all events 'when even was come,' and the sun was
going down, Abram fell into a state of figurative death, by a deep sleep, and
horror of great darkness coming over him. This was a very remarkable feature
in the case before us. Abram had built altars, and had called upon the
name of the Lord before; but there were no such attendant circumstances as
these. Here, however, he stands watching the exposed sacrificial victims
until even; and then is laid powerless in the similitude of death, and in the
intense darkness of the grave. While he was in this state, the Lord
revealed to Abram the fortunes of his descendants in the ensuing four hundred
years; the judgment of the nation that should oppress them; their subsequent
exodus from bondage with great wealth; his own peaceful death in a good old
age; and the return of his descendants into the Land of Canaan again.
The following are the words of the testimony: "Know of a surety that thy
seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not theirs, and shall serve them;
and they shall afflict them four hundred years, and also that nation whom they
shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great
substance. And thou shalt go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be
buried in a good old age. But in the fourth generation they shall
come hither again: for the iniquity of the Amorites is not yet full.'"--Elpis
Israel, p. 206.
Here, in part, was an answer to
the question, "Whereby shall I know that I shall inherit it?"
But that was not all. "And it came to pass, that, when the sun went
down, and it was dark, behold a smoking furnace and a burning lamp that passed
between those pieces." What did this answer reveal to
Abraham? "In the same day the Lord made a covenant with Abram,
saying, Unto thy seed have I given this land, from the river of Egypt unto the
great river, the river Euphrates." Affliction in a strange
land for the seed, i.e., natural descendants; a deep sleep--the sleep of death--for
Abraham; a burning lamp passing through the pieces of the slain animals; light
after darkness, i.e. life after death by a resurrection arising out of a
covenant-relationship, guaranteed by a sacrificial death. Truly
a revelation for one to contemplate! Especially for one who had been
told, on the highest authority, that he and his seed should inherit that
land--the Land of Canaan--for ever; "when as yet he had no
child."
The promise and covenant involved
a territory "from the river of Egypt, unto the great river
Euphrates." In Psa. 72: 8, we read, "from sea to sea and from
the river unto the ends of the land," i.e., the Mediterranean to the
Persian Gulf, and from the Euphrates at its junction with the Gulf, northward;
and from the Pelusiac branch of the Nile, to the entrance into Hamath.
Here, then, is a noble domain lying between Assyria, Persia, Arabia, the Red
Sea, Egypt, and the Mediterranean; capable, when peopled by an industrious,
enlightened, and well and strongly governed, nation, of commanding the commerce
and sovereignty of Asia, and the wealth of Europe and America. Such is
the land, containing, according to the survey of the British government,
300,000 square miles, concerning which God said to Abram, 'to thee will I give
it and unto thy seed for ever.'"--Dr. John Thomas.
It is interesting to note that
although the descendants of Abraham, at a later date, occupied this land, as a
kingdom and nation, they did not possess the full extent of the
territory. And when their past occupation of the land is compared with
the description of the land as it is to be divided among the tribes in a yet
future day we must realize that the past was but a partial fulfillment of the
terms of the promise and covenant.
We have already seen the record of
Abram's name being changed to Abraham; the covenant of circumcision; the name
of Abraham's wife changed to Sarah; the promise of the patriarch which made him
laugh, and yet how "The Lord visited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord
did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bear Abraham a son in
his old age, at the set time of which God had spoken to him."--Gen.
21: 1, 2. We saw also the suggestion to provide "a seed"
through the house Eliezer, which however was rejected. Even Sarah tried
the idea of accommodation, for, seeing she "bare him no children,"
she proposed to her husband that he take unto him her maid, "that I may
obtain children by her." Hagar, the Egyptian maid, bore a son, whose
name was called "Ishmael." Then trouble arose, as might have
been expected.
God waited, for with Him
"time," as we know it, does not count. In all that took place
God considered the end, for to Him "the end is known from the
beginning." And whilst laws were given for the time then present,
there were also lessons to be imparted for those who should come after.
It was so with the ordinance of circumcision; it was something since "sin
entered" and man was cast out of Paradise. It had to do with the
uncleanness of sin, and was incumbent upon those who would follow the ways of
the Lord. It formed a part of the "types and shadows"
appertaining to the cross of Christ. This Paul shows in his epistle,
"In whom also ye are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands,
in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of
Christ."--Col. 2: 11. The touching scene of the offering of
Isaac also engaged our attention, and which comes to mind as we look at the
pictorial representation of it on the chart.
One important feature of Heaven's
declaration of Abraham, after he had manifested such implicit faith in
God--evidenced by his obedience--must not be overlooked. It is found in
verse 17 of Gen. 22. "That in blessing I will bless thee, and
in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven,
and as the sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall
possess the gate of his enemies." Here are two
seeds. Obviously the first is multitudinous, and refers to the natural
descendants of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob; whilst the second is an individual
seed, and therefore personal. Were these promises fulfilled? If, to
the full extend,they were fulfilled in the days immediately following the
giving of the promises to the patriarchs they would not, in later scriptures,
still be referred to as "promises." And yet, as time went on,
some matters were fulfilled, as is seen in the history of the natural
descendants of Abraham. The partial fulfillment, however, does not
interfere with the ultimate accomplishment of all that was spoken.
If in one instance we read
"Thou has fulfilled," and in another, "Thou wilt perform,"
there is no contradiction. It is a matter of "rightly dividing the
Word of Truth," and this we are able to do, if we keep before us the fact
that the promises involved "two seeds," and that certain features
could be fulfilled during the period of development of the natural and national
seed, but other matters having reference to the individual seed could not, and
would not, be fulfilled "until the seed should come to whom the promise
was made;" and these would only find full fruition at "the appointed
time." As these promises have to do with the scheme of salvation it
behooves us to see things in their correct perspective. To accomplish
this we must do, as others of old; "So they read in the book in the law of
God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the
reading."--Neh. 8: 8.
To illustrate
what I have advanced in the preceding remarks, I now quote: "Thou art the
LORD the God, who didst choose Abram, and broughtest him forth out of Ur of the
Chaldees, and gavest him the name Abraham; and foundest his heart faithful
before thee, and madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites,
the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the
Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and has performed thy
words; for thou art righteous; and didst see the affliction of our fathers in
Egypt, and heardest their cry by the Red Sea. Thou camest down also upon
mount Sinai, and speakest with them from heaven, and gavest them right
judgments, and laws of truth, good statutes and commandments. Their
children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven, and broughtest
them into the land, concerning which thou hadest promised to their fathers,
that they should go in to possess it. So the children went in and
possessed the land, and thou subduedst before them the inhabitants of the
land, the Canaanites, and gavest them into their hands, with their kings, and
the people of the land, that they might do with them as they would."--Neh.
9: 7-9, 13, 23, 24.
Whilst this truly speaks of a fulfillment, and a possessing
of the land, it does not meet all the requirements of the covenant God
made with Abraham; therefore, there must be a further application. This
we find expressed by a prophet in these words: "Thou wilt perform the
truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou hast sworn unto our
fathers from the days of old."--Mic. 7: 20.
Hear now a summarization of "these things" given
by Stephen, when he answered the high priest, "Men, brethren, and fathers,
hearken; The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in
Mesopotamia, before he dwelt in Charran, and said unto him, Get thee out of thy
country, and from thy kindred, and come into the land which I shall show
thee. Then came he out of the land of the Chaldeans, and dwelt in
Charran: and from thence, when his father was dead, he removed him into this
land, wherein ye not dwell. And he gave him none inheritance in it, no ,
not so much as to set his foot on: yet he promised that he would give it to him
for a possession, and to his seed after him, when as yet he had no child.
And God spake on this wise, That his seed should sojourn in a strange land; and
that they should bring them into bondage, and entreat them evil four hundred
years. And the nation to whom they shall be in bondage will I judge, said
God; and after that shall they come forth, and serve me in this place."--Acts
7: 1-7.
This testimony is strengthened by the words of Paul, which
demonstrate conclusively to whom the individual aspect of the promise refers,
and clearly shows that though this individual seed is in process of
development, it yet remains for "the seed" to inherit the land, under
the terms of the promise, and "to possess the gate of his
enemies." Mark well the words of the Apostle to the Gentiles:
"Even as
Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness. Know
ye therefore that they which are of faith, the same are the children of
Abraham. And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall
all nations be blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith
not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is
Christ. And this I say, that the covenant, that was confirmed before of
God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot
disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. For if
inheritance be of the law, it is no more of promise: but God gave it to Abraham
by promise. Wherefore then serveth the law? It was added because of
transgression, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made;
and it was ordained by angels in the hands of a mediator. Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by
faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a
schoolmaster. For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ
Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on
Christ. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs
according to the promises."
Such is the
remarkable testimony of Paul in Gal. 3. Jesus Christ is definitely
declared to be the seed to whom the Abrahamic promise was made.
The statement, however, goes beyond the direct seed, the person of Jesus
Christ. Yet it is here interesting to note the opening words of the New
Testament. "The book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son of
David, the son of Abraham." Whilst carried beyond Jesus, we are also
carried backward. We recall "the way of the Lord," as made
known from the beginning. Men "called upon," and were
"called by" the name of the Lord. The truth underlying
"the name of the Lord" was embodied in the promises to the fathers,
and the highest Name-bearer was designated "the seed to whom the promise
was made." The work of the Father, in the Son, was to bring
"many sons unto glory."--Heb. 2: 10. These "many
sons" would also be "in the Name," because they would be
"in the way of the Lord." Hence, the word: "If ye
be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed." Thus the
individual seed was also to become multitudinous; but, first the natural and
then the spiritual. Howbeit, the spiritual, though multitudinous, were
one seed; "all one in Christ Jesus."--Gal. 3: 28.
That the promise to the fathers was not fulfilled in the
day when Jesus was upon the earth is so obvious that no one should hesitate to
affirm it; it must, therefore, appertain to a yet future period, of which we
shall see much more as we proceed.
And now, Paul,
what more will you say? "And now I stand and am judged for the hope
of the promise made of God unto our fathers: Unto which promise our twelve
tribes, instantly serving God day and night, hope to come. For which
hope's sake, King Agrippa, I am accused of the Jews." "But when
the Jews spake against it, I was constrained to appeal unto Caesar; not that I
had ought to accuse my nation of. For this cause therefore have I called
for you, to see you, and to speak with you; because that for the hope of
Israel I am bound with this chain."--Acts 26: 6, 7; 28: 19, 20.
Was Paul bound for "a hope" which had been fulfilled?
"The hope
of Israel" and "the hope of the promise made unto the fathers"
are one and the same. This will be abundantly demonstrated as we continue
to unfold the Plan of God for the ages. Referring to his "kinsmen
according to the flesh" Paul says, "Who are Israelites; to whom
pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of
the law, and the service of God, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and
of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came."--Rom. 9: 3, 5.
The "fathers," are Abraham, Isaac and Israel; the latter two being
spoken of as "the heirs with him (Abraham) of the same
promise." The sons of Jacob are styled "the twelve
patriarchs."--Acts 7: 8. And after many diversions, trials
and wanderings we are told "all the souls of the house of Jacob, which
came into Egypt were three score and then."--Gen. 46: 27. Great
events, and important developments, often have small beginnings.
"All the souls that came out of the loins of Jacob were seventy
souls." And yet it was decreed that the family of Abraham should
become "as the stars."
<!--mstheme-->ISRAEL IN EGYPT AND SINAI<!--mstheme-->
THE story of their going into
Egypt is known to every reader of the Bible. There the people grew
exceedingly, and this led them into sore travail. Egypt became, to them,
a land of horror and a furnace of affliction. Nevertheless, at an
appointed time, they came out of that land "with great substance,"
and were a mighty host. Moses, their leader, eventually brought them
"into the wilderness of Sinai," where we see a new chapter in the
development of The Plan. "In the third month, when the children of
Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into
the wilderness of Sinai. For they were departed from Rephidim, and were
come to the desert of Sinai, and had pitched in the wilderness; and there
Israel camped before the mount. And Moses went up unto God, and the Lord
called unto him out of the mountain, saying, Thus shalt thou say to the house
of Jacob, and tell the children of Israel: Ye have seen what I did unto the
Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles' wings, and brought you unto
myself. Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all
people: for all the earth is mine; and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of
priests, and an holy nation. These are the words which thou shalt speak
unto the children of Israel." This did Moses, "And all the
people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken we will
do."--Ex. 19: 1-8.
The statues, ordinances and commandments of the Lord were
then given to the people. "The Lord said unto Moses, Come up to me
into the mount, and be there; and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law,
and commandments which I have written; that thou mayest teach them."--Ex.
24: 12. This law became known as The Law of Moses; it was designed
to instruct, and to regulate a people released from slavery, who henceforth
were to live under totally different conditions to those in which they had been
cradled. Though referred to as "Moses' Law," we must ever
remember that it was the Law of God given through Moses. The period in
which it was destined to play its part in The Plan, was one of great
importance. It was "added" to the promises, and (as did the
promises) the Law pertained to the people to whom it was given;
and--directly--to no other people. If this principle of application is
not recognized and maintained confusion will be the result. And although
God's Covenant with the Children of Israel, under Moses' Law, came after
the promises were made to the fathers, we find it spoken of as "the first
covenant," and also as "the old covenant."--Heb. 8: 7, 13.
It was also "a shadow of good things to come."--Heb. 10:
1, a "shadow" in the sense of being a dim outline, or
type. It was not intended to supersede the covenanted-promises, and,
accordingly, it was not perfect, or complete. The meaning of this is
clear when seen in the light of Paul's testimony, where, in reference to the
Abrahamic covenant, he says, "the law was added till the seed should come
to whom the promise was made."
Moses" Law
must serve its purpose in relation to The Plan, for the specified period; when
that period should expire it would necessarily cease to operate. Being
taken out of the way, something else would take its place, which would be
another development of The Plan. When "added to," the Law had
also a relation to the promises. The effectiveness of The Law, in its
relation to the Abrahamic Covenant, is embodied in the words of Paul, when he
says, "which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the
law."--Rom. 2: 20. If this "form" was merely seen
as a form by the Children of Israel it would fail to enlighten them in
the eternal riches of the promises. When the meaning of the
"form" was discerned by the light of "the truth," which was
"in the law," it transferred the Israelite beyond the Mosaic to the
Abrahamic Covenant. The Children of Israel were thus born in the way of
understanding; it depended however upon the fidelity of the parents,
associates, and themselves as to whether they discerned the hidden
wisdom. If they failed in this, "the knowledge of the truth"
would not benefit them, and this their way would be their folly, even
as it is written, "The man that wandereth out of the way of understanding
shall remain in the congregation of the dead."-- Prov. 21: 16.
Without the discernment of the hidden wisdom of "the
truth in the law" obedience to the statues and commandments could only
benefit in the present life. Obedience tot he Law of Moses could not
bestow Eternal life upon any of the Children of Israel. One only, of all
Israel, ever kept the Law in all things, and even He did not obtain Eternal
life by so doing (using the term "eternal life" in the ordinary
acceptance of it--implying "immorality"). When Jesus had
"honoured the Law," and magnified the Name of the Lord by His perfect
obedience, it was still necessary for Him to comply with a requirement of the
Abrahamic Covenant. This was typified in various ways "in the
Law"--which is the meaning of "the form of knowledge and of the
truth" hidden therein. That the Law could not bestow
"life" is beyond dispute, being clearly stated by Paul as follows: "Is
the law then against the promises of God? God forbid: for if there
had been a law given which could have given life, verily
righteousness should have been by the law. But the scripture hath
concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be
given to them that believe."--Gal. 3: 21, 22. When the time
came for "blotting out the handwriting of ordinances" (which having
served its purpose) the same was then "nailed to his cross."--Col.
2: 14. These statements indicate the meaning of "which are a shadow
of things to come; but the body is of Christ."--Verse 17.
<!--mstheme-->SHADOWS<!--mstheme-->
THE sacrifice
of Jesus was prefigured in many ways. To one of these "types and
shadows" attention is now directed. The people of God's choose were
not long, after leaving Egypt, in demonstrating that they had "a
rebellious heart," out of which they "spake against God, and against
Moses." For this they were punished, as God "sent fiery
serpents among the people, and much people of Israel died." By this
they were brought to realize that they had transgressed; so coming to Moses,
they said, "We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and
against thee." And they besought Moses, that the Lord would take
away the serpents. Moses' prayer being answered, he was instructed of the
Lord: "Make thee a fiery serpent, and set it upon a pole: and it shall
come to pass, that every one that is bitten, when he looketh upon it, shall
live." This Moses did, "and it came to pass, that if a serpent
had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he lived."--Num.
21: 6-9.
In that we have the "shadow;" and where shall we
find the substance? There is no room for guess, speculation, or
interpretation here. The Great Teacher Himself has answered the
question; hear His words: "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the
wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up; That whosoever believeth
in him should not perish, but have eternal life."--John 3: 14, 15.
Wherein is the parallel and lesson? All mankind has been
"bitten" by the serpent--they have felt the serpent's bite, and the
consequences of sin are upon us all. And as they only who beheld the
serpent of brass were relieved of the plague and lived, so also they only who
"Behold the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world" can be
saved from the sting of sin, which hath reigned unto death. To look upon
the Lamb of God in this way does not require an actual sight of Jesus in a
physical sense. "Look unto me, and be ye saved."--Isa. 45:
22, is a mental process. Approach unto God is by "a strait and
narrow way."--Matt. 7: 14. That "way" is the Truth as
in Jesus. We may look upon Jesus by an intelligent understanding, and an
affectionate appreciation of the things of the Kingdom of God and the Name of
Jesus Christ. These things constitute the gospel of salvation, and when
we accept them, and are obedient to the requirements of the Gospel, we
"see Jesus," and may be saved by Him.
Now let us
demonstrate from the chart.
Commence with EVE, and follow the line marked "seed of the woman"
from its beginning to the cross, under which we have written John 3: 14.
"Even so must the Son of Man be lifted up." Going back to the
Book of Genesis we hear again the words to the serpent, "Thou shalt bruise
his heel." The first break in this line brings us to Abraham.
The "seed of the woman" was to be developed through the line of
Abraham. He would therefore be the seed of Abraham, as well as the seed
of the woman. The line, however, goes further--even to David. There
are promises which were made to David (of which we shall deal later) and these
form a very important element of the covenants of promise. Take now
another span, marked "Son of David:" this carries on to Bethlehem,
where Jesus was born--Son of Man and Son of God. Another line from ENOS
connects with the upper line.
<!--mstheme-->THE CROSS BEFORE THE CROWN<!--mstheme-->
"HOW is
it that the cross of Jesus has come to be so impressive a thing among
men?" A writer has asked this question, and doubtless many answers
can be given. "The symbol of The Cross" (whether seen in the
light of Truth, or viewed through the colourings of the many and varied
perversions which have come down from the dark ages, when Truth had almost
perished from the earth) has exercised a powerful influence over men and women
of different race, colour and creed. Sculptors have wrought, artists
have painted, many have composed and sung the praises of The Cross. Whether it
be "When I survey the wondrous cross," "Beneath the Cross of
Jesus I fain would take my stand;" or, "The old rugged Cross,"
the underlying thought of hymns and poems has been the recognition of the death
of Jesus, as the Lamb of God to take away the sin of the World. Comfort,
both true and false, has been the result to many through the generations.
God's Plan, as
revealed in the Scriptures, is to make known-- to those who will give heed--
what is Truth! Error is of darkness, Truth is of the
light. "I am the light of the world; he that followeth me shall not
walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life."--John 8: 12.
All who follow Jesus, in His way, and "continue in His Word"
are His "disciples indeed;" and consequently as they thus "know
the Truth," according to the Master's Word, "the truth doth make them
free." These "disciples indeed" look upon The Cross as the
climax of all that has gone before during 4,000 years in which THE PLAN had
been in operation, typically shadowing forth that "without shedding of
blood there is no remission."--Heb. 9: 22.
The true disciple sees in The Cross more than the cross of
Calvary. The sacrifice of Jesus was more than the death upon the
cross. That, tragic as it was, was but the culmination of a life of
sacrifice. "Conforming not to this world, but being transformed by
the renewing of the mind."--Rom. 12: 2. Oh, yes, this
principle can be applied to Jesus, even as to ourselves, for did He not say,
"nevertheless, not my will , but thine, be done"?--Luke 22: 42.
"Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he
suffered,"--Heb. 5: 8. Jesus was not "made
perfect" until after He had suffered, as the next verse
shows. And they who would follow in His steps must remember that
"the servant is not greater than His Lord;" and yet, it has been
testified, "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him."--2 Tim.
2: 12.
There is a battle to be fought, An
onward race to run, The race must come before the prize, The cross
before the crown.
Jesus Christ
lived and died, according to the will of God, to perform His part in the
execution of The Plan. To the Romans, Paul wrote: "Now I
say that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God,
to confirm the promises made unto the fathers."--15: 8. But
God raised Jesus from the dead, and exalted Him "to be a Prince and a
Saviour." He will come again, for God "hath appointed a day, in
the which he will rule the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath
ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised
him from the dead."--Acts 17: 31.
<!--mstheme-->IN HIS STEPS<!--mstheme-->
ARE we willing
to bear the Cross that we may also share the Crown? For such indeed is
the promise made to those who "follow in His steps." "Be
thou faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life."--Rev.
2: 10. Are we satisfied with "the old covenant," the mere
"shadow," and fail to grasp the Substance which is in Christ?
Are we satisfied with the covenant of Sinai, "which gendereth to
bondage"--"Jerusalem which now is"?--Gal. 4: 24, 25.
Or would we rather find "Jerusalem which is above is free, which is the
mother of us all"--verse 26? If so, we must find the
"two seeds'--the natural and the spiritual. We must comprehend the
"two covenants"--the old and the new. In so doing we will
"seek first the kingdom of God, and His righteousness." These
we may find in "the gospel of Christ, which is the power of God unto
Salvation to every one that believeth."--Rom. 1: 16. Being
fully persuaded of "that power," and believing with the heart, our
desire will be to comply with any condition made known in the Gospel, so that
at last our lot will be, "Then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham."--Gal. 3: 9.
<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->LL Lecture3<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->The History of Israel<!--mstheme-->
<div
align="center">
Two Houses. Many Days
Without a King
</div><div
align="center">
Destruction of Jerusalem
</div>
THE history of Israel involves not only the development of
the people but also that of the Land which was theirs.
Milman,
in History of the Jews, says, "The Jews, without reference to
their religious belief, are among the most remarkable people in the annals of
mankind. Sprung from one stock, they pass the infancy of their nation in
a state of servitude in a foreign country, where, nevertheless, they increase
so rapidly, as to appear on a sudden the fierce and irresistible conquerors of
their native valleys in Palestine. At length, united under one monarchy,
they gradually rise to the rank of a powerful, opulent, and commercial
people. Subsequently, they are weakened, overwhelmed, and are
transplanted into a foreign region. They are partially restored--are
engaged in wars of ...the most romantic gallantry in assertion of their
independence. Finally, they make the last desperate resistance to the
universal dominion of the Ceasars. Scattered from that period over the
face of the earth, hated, scorned, and oppressed, they subsist, a numerous and
often a thriving people; and in all the changes of manners and opinions retain
their ancient institutions, their national character, and their indelible hope
of restoration to grandeur and happiness in their native land."
"The most
remarkable race that lives or ever lived on earth, is the Jewish race; and the
most wonderful national phenomenon of this or any other age is the perpetual
existence and past and present condition of the Jewish people. With a
history that antedates the authentic records of all other nations, and a
literature more widely diffused than the literature of any other people; with
an experience more wonderful than that of any other race; they stand as they
have stood for thousands of years, a mystery which confounds the wisest, a
problem which baffles the skill of the most astute."
"The most
remarkable race that lives or ever lived on earth, is the Jewish race; and the
most wonderful national phenomenon of this or any other age is the perpetual
existence and past and present condition of the Jewish people. With a
history that antedates the authentic records of all other nations, and a
literature more widely diffused than the literature of any other people; with
an experience more wonderful than that of any other race; they stand as they
have stood for thousands of years, a mystery which confounds the wisest, a
problem which baffles the skill of the most astute."
"The first
republic known to history, consisting of the Twelve United States of Israel, established
and organized in the desert, on the basis of universal suffrage, the election
of officers by the people, representation by elders, or aldermen, selected from
the people, with inferior judges, and courts of appeal, was finally planted in
Canaan, the land being divided in fee--simple among all the people, one-twelfth
of whom were selected and appointed to care for the education and enlightenment
of the nation; one-tenth of their increase and of the produce of the land being
set apart for their support in their educational and religious work. This
federated nation, thus established, with an organic law, a written
constitution, and a form of government wiser and more humane than any which the
world had known; which guarded the rights of rich and poor, small and great,
servants and masters, rulers and people, wives and husbands, captives and
conquerors, protecting even the beasts of the field and the birds of the air,
and providing for the proper tillage of the soil, and the preservation of
trees, seeds, and fruits--was the pattern upon which all stable popular
governments have been based."--H. L. Hastings.
The foregoing quotations take us backward in the History of
Israel. Now a recent comment (1941) by Maurice Pearlman.
"The Jewish people, driven by an inspiration fashioned
by 20 centuries of tradition, history, hopes and longings, have wrought this
modern miracle of settlement and development. Half a million Jews,
manning Jewry's outpost, building Jewry's future, are the backbone of their
nation. Their achievements provide the main glimmer of light in the
darkness spread by the persecuting tyrants on the Continent. In the years
of twilight between the two great wars, there has been a steady upbuilding of
Jewish life in Eretz Israel, and a grim decline in Jewish life in Europe.
The last few years have seen the complete destruction of distinguished and
old-established Jewish communities on the Continent. Millions of Jews
have experienced at first hand persecution and discrimination, all the horrors
of Nazi brutality and torture....In the free countries of the world, the lands
in which Jews still enjoy the full rights of citizenship, the Jewish
communities are becoming increasingly aware of the indivisibility of the Jewish
problem and of the indivisible unity of the Jewish people."
<!--mstheme-->"THE PEOPLE SHALL DWELL ALONE"<!--mstheme-->
"THE
Land" and "The People" are so closely associated as to become
one theme. The reason is obvious. God made choice of the people for
Himself, also appointed the Land for their habitation. The Holy One of
Israel who made promises concerning the Seed of Abraham also made a covenant
concerning the Land of promise. And later, God made a covenant with David
concerning his throne, established in the Land, that "it should
endure." We are told, "In Judah is God known; His name is great
in Israel. In Salem also is His tabernacle, and His dwelling place in
Zion."--Psa. 76: 1, 2. "For he established a testimony
in Jacob, and appointed a law in Israel, which he commanded our fathers, that
they should make them known to their children."--Psa. 78: 5, 8.
For our present purpose The History of Israel must
be confined to a brief outline of the development of this people, given in the
Scriptures, in their relation to the 7,000 years Plan, in which they play a
very important part. It commences with Abraham "the Hebrew,"
whose descendants are spoken of as Hebrews; they are also designated "the
children of Israel" and "the Jews." It is necessary to
recognize that all these terms apply to one and the same people, especially so,
since in our time some professing interpreters of Bible teaching and prophecy
have sought to establish a theory based upon a distinction between
"Israel" and "Jew."
We have already
seen that "All the souls...were three score and ten."--Gen. 46:
26, 27. A small beginning, but "the children of Israel were
fruitful, and increased abundantly, and multiplied, and waxed exceedingly
mighty; and the land was filled with them."--Ex. 1: 7.
Fearing the consequences that might be felt from this growth of the people in
their land, "the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with
rigour; and they made their lives bitter with hard bondage." In this
sore affliction they were not forgotten. "God heard their groaning,
and God remembered his covenant with Abraham, with Isaac, and with Jacob.
And God looked upon the children of Israel, and God had respect unto
them."--Ex. 2: 24, 25.
If you ask: Just what was the covenant that God
"remembered"? here is an answer. "Know of a surety
that thy seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall
serve them; and they shall afflict them 400 years; and also that nation, whom
they shall serve, will I judge; and afterward shall they come out with great
substance."--Gen. 15: 13, 14. The people truly were in a
land "not theirs"; they had been afflicted, and the period of their
sojourn in the house of bondage was drawing to a close. And this is what
God "remembered"--not that He had at any time forgotten His promise;
rather, that at the appointed time God called to mind what had been promised,
and proceeded to find the means of bringing it to pass.
In the meantime
Moses was born, and providentially preserved from the fate of the
"sons," which, by the decree of Pharaoh, was that they should be
"cast into the river." We pass over the life of Moses in Egypt,
from whence he fled before the face of Pharaoh, and read of him as a shepherd;
"Moses kept the flock of Jethro, his father-in-law, and led the flock to
the backside of the desert, and came to the mountain of God, to Horeb, where
from the midst of the burning bush, which was not consumed, the angel of the
Lord, speaking for God, said, "I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac,
and the God of Jacob. I have surely seen the affliction of my people
which are in Egypt. And I am come down to deliver them.........and to
bring them up out of that land unto a good land and a large, unto a land
flowing with milk and honey. Come now therefore, and I will send thee
unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out
of Egypt."--Ex. 3: 1-10. As we have seen, they were to
"come out with great substance;" and so it came to pass. For
the sons of Israel did according to the word of Moses; "they ask from the
Egyptians vessels of silver and vessels of gold, and garments, and they caused
them to ask, and they spoil the Egyptians."--Ex. 12: 35, 36. Dr.
Young's translation.
Of necessity we pass over much detail, and now take a look
at the people after they were out of Egypt. "And the Lord spake unto
Moses in the wilderness of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congregation, on the
first day of the second month, in the second year after they were come out of
the land of Egypt, saying, Take ye the sum of all the congregation of the
children of Israel, after their families, by the house of their fathers, with
the number of their names, every male of their polls; From 20 years old and
upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Israel: thou and Aaron shall
number them by their armies." "These are those that were
numbered, which Moses and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Israel, being 12
men; each one was for the house of his fathers. So were all those that were
numbered of the children of Israel, by the house of their fathers, from 20
years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war in Israel: Even all
they that were numbered were 600,000 and 3, 550. But the Levites after
the tribe of their fathers were not numbered among them" (consequently,
are additional to the number given in the preceding verse).--Num. 1: 1-3;
44-47. Such was the national growth at that time; it has been
computed that the people, men, women and children must have numbered "at
least 2,500,000." They had flocks and herds almost
innumerable. A mighty hose, indeed, brought out of Egypt from a life of
slavery.
But that was
"a land of civilization, thickly peopled, highly cultivated, well watered
and fruitful." And no small task awaited Moses and Aaron, to guide
and direct this people in a new land, and under such changed conditions.
This was quite the reverse of the land they had left behind. Moses speaks
of it as "a desert land, and waste howling wilderness."--Deut.
32: 10.
"That
great and terrible wilderness, where there was no water."--Deut. 8:
15. The Land of Promise was still behind them. Spies went out
to search the land, and to bring back a report. They brought back of the
fruit of the land, and said, "We came unto the land whither thou sentest
us, and surely it floweth with milk and hone; and this is the fruit of
it."--Num. 13: 27. Nevertheless, they gave an evil report,
"We be not able to go up against the people; for they are stronger than
we." It is not altogether surprising that the heart of the people
gave way to weeping. In the face of all that had been done for them, they
had not yet learned to trust in the Lord. They said, "would God that
we had died in the land of Egypt; or would God we had died in this
wilderness."--14: 2. Little did they think when they so
expressed themselves that "out of their own mouth they would be
condemned." Yet so it was. "As ye have spoken in mine
ears, so will I do to you, saith the Lord. Your carcasses shall fall in
this wilderness."--29. The spies who brought back "a
good report" were not included, but the others should wander "forty
years," and so bear their iniquity. When reading the brief Bible
record of the waywardness of the children of Israel, we--in this our late
day--probably do so as a matter of fact. We see their sin and the
punishment meted out. But we should endeavour to visualize the situation
from their point of view, if we would have the true perspective, and so be able
to correctly apply the lesson. As yet they were not a people disciplined
by the hand of God. They had been subdued by long servitude.
Though submitting obediently to their task masters, in return for their labour
they received the necessities of life. These were guaranteed to them,
even as a man will care for his beast of burden, that he might obtain the best
results therefrom. In the land of their affliction the children of Israel
had seen the arm of the Lord revealed in their behalf through Moses and Aaron,
and were rejoiced to witness their own deliverance from Egypt, with the
overthrow of Pharaoh and his host. But the long period of slavery had
crushed their spirit, and spirituality was little known amongst them.
They knew by bitter experience that Egypt was not their homeland; but the
fullness of the promises, and the covenant made with the fathers, had little
chance of fruition in their hearts and minds amidst the darkness of
Egypt. Truly, they were but a natural seed, even though the seed of
Abraham.
With the
characteristics naturally developed in this former environment, and the
disappointment so keenly felt "in the waste howling wilderness," it
was very easy for them to forget God. So whilst not taking away "the
exceeding sinfulness of sin," extenuating circumstances may help us to see
the why and wherefore of the sinner. If this be so, why are these things
recorded for our learning? That these lessons are not to be overlooked is
evident from the use made of them in apostolic days. "Moses verily
was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things
which were to be spoken after, Wherefore as the Holy Spirit saith, Today if ye
will hear his voice, Harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day
of temptation in the wilderness; When your fathers tempted me, proved me, and
saw my works 40 years. Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you
an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God. The word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard.
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the
same example of unbelief." These quotations from Hebrews 3 and 4
clearly demonstrate the lessons referred to.
We must now
return from this digression. Balak, the king of Moab, said, "Come,
curse me Jacob, and come, defy Israel." But Balaam, with the word of
the Lord in his mouth, answered, "How shall I curse, whom God hath not
cursed? or how shall I defy, whom the Lord hath not defied? For
from the top of the rocks I see him, and from the hills I behold him: lo, the
people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.
Who can count the dust of Jacob, and the number of the fourth part of
Israel? Let me kie the death of the righteous, and let my last end be
like his."--Num. 23: 7-10. "How goodly are thy tents,
O Jacob, and thy tabernacles, O Israel! As the valleys are they spread
forth, as gardens by the river's side, as the trees of lign aloes which the
Lord hath planted, and as cedar trees beside the waters. He shall pour
water out of buckets, and his seed in many waters, and his king shall be higher
than Agag, and his kingdom shall be exalted. God brought him forth out of
Egypt; he hath as it were the strength of an unicorn: he shall eat up the
nations his enemies, and shall break their bones and pierce through with his
arrows. He couched, he lay down as a lion: who shall stir him up?
Blessed is he that blesseth thee, and cursed is he that curseth thee."
Balaam said
unto Balak, "Now, behold, I go unto my people: come, I will advertise thee
what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days."
And what he said, was not what Balaam saw, or knew, of himself. His
"eyes had been opened." He testified that he had "heard
the words of God, and knew the knowledge of the most High," and having
seen the vision of the Almighty, he declared in prophecy of the things to come
"I shall see him, but not now: I shall behold him, but not nigh: there
shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel, and
shall smite the corners of Moab, and destroy all the children of Sheth.
And Edom shall be a possession, Seir also shall be a possession for his
enemies; and Israel shall do valiantly. Out of Jacob shall come he that
shall have dominion, and shall destroy him that remaineth of the city."--Num.
24: 5-9, 14, 17-19.
The thoughts here expressed in prophecy concerning
"the latter days" are readily associated with the things foretold in
"the covenant," which were to be developed before "the hope of
the promise made of God unto the fathers"--Acts 26: 6. could be
fulfilled in the inheritance of the land "for ever;" and the
individual seed to "possess the gates of his enemies."
The wanderings
in the wilderness continued according to heaven's decree, and the long journey
was coming to an end; wherefore, "Moses spake unto all Israel on
this side Jordan, in the wilderness, on this side Jordan in the land of Moab,
began Moses to declare this law, saying, The Lord our God spake unto us in
Horeb, saying, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount: Turn you, and take your
journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all the places nigh
thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the south, and
by the seaside, to the land of the Canaanites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great
river, the river Euphrates. Behold, I have set the land before you: go
in and possess the land which the Lord sware unto your fathers, Abraham,
Isaac, and Jacob, to give unto them and to their seed after
them."--Deut. 1: 1-8.
As for Moses (even him, of whom it was recorded, "My
servant Moses, who is faithful in all mine house."--Num. 12: 7)--who
was angered by the strife of the Israelites, "so that it went ill with
Moses for their sakes: Because they provoked his spirit, so that he spake
unadvisedly with his lips."--Psa. 106: 32, 33--we read "And
I besought the Lord at that time, saying, O Lord God, thou hast begun to shew
thy servant thy greatness, and thy mighty hand: for what God is there in heaven
or in the earth, that can do according to thy works, and according to thy
might? I pray thee, let me go over, and see the good land that is beyond
Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. But the Lord was wroth with me
for your sakes, and would not hear me; and the Lord said unto me, Let it
suffice thee; speak no more unto me of this matter. Get thee up into the
top of Pisgah, and lift up thine eyes westward, and northward, and southward,
and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes; for thou shalt not go over this Jordan.
But charge Joshua, and encourage him, and strengthen him: for he shall go over
before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which thou
shalt see." Deut. 3: 23-28.
<!--mstheme-->THE CHARGE BY MOSES TO ISRAEL<!--mstheme-->
MOSES accepted the divine conclusion; no doubt with sadness
of heart, but still with an endeavour to serve his God as he had continually
done. He must leave his people, but before doing so he must "charge
them before God" concerning their conduct, individually and collectively,
as a people to whom the Eternal God had revealed Himself in their behalf.
For our present purpose I can but give some definite quotations which show the
exalted position occupied by the people, and consequently the grave responsibilities
resting upon them. Moses submitted these to them, and urged upon them the
need to give heed thereto, and the absolute necessity of their compliance with
the "statues and judgments, even as the Lord my God commanded me, that ye
should do so in the land whither ye to to possess it:" if they would
remain the beneficiaries by divine favour.
Hear then the
charge by Moses.
"Now
therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statues and unto the judgments, which I
teach you, for to do them, that ye may live, and go in and possess the
land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you. Ye shall not add unto
the word which I command you, neither shall ye diminish ought from it, that ye
may keep the commandments of the Lord your God which I command you. Keep
therefore and do them; for this is your wisdom and your understanding in the
sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes, and say, Surely this
great nation is a wise and understanding people. For what nation is there
so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things
that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great that hath
statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you
this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest
thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from
thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them to thy sons, and thy sons'
sons. And the Lord spake unto you out of the midst of the fire; ye heard
the voice of the words, but saw no similitude; save a voice. And he
declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten
commandments; and he wrote them upon two tables of stone. Take ye
therefore good heed unto yourselves, lest ye corrupt yourselves. The Lord
hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace.
Furthermore the Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should
not go over Jordan. But I must die in this land; but ye shall go over, and
possess that good land. Take heed unto yourselves, lest ye forget the
covenant of the Lord your God. For the Lord thy God is a consuming
fire, even a jealous God. I call heaven and earth to witness against you
this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the land whereunto ye go
over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days upon it, but shall
utterly be destroyed. And the Lord shall scatter you among the nations,
and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen, whither the Lord shall lead
you. For ask now of the days that are past.........Did ever people hear
the voice of God speaking out of the midst of the fire, as thou hast heard, and
live? Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice. And
because he loved thy fathers, therefore he chose their seed after them,
and brought thee out in his sight with his mighty power out of Egypt.
Thou shalt keep therefore his statutes, and his commandments, which I command
thee this day, that it may go well with thee and thy children after thee, and
that thou mayest prolong thy days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God given
thee, for ever."
The forgoing
quotations are from Deuteronomy 4. Following are from the seventh
chapter:
"When the
Lord thy God shall bring thee into the land whither thou goest to possess it,
and hath cast out many nations before thee; thou shalt smite them, and utterly
destroy them; thou shalt make no covenant with them, nor shew mercy unto
them. But thus shall ye deal with them; ye shall destroy their altars,
and break down their images, and cut down their groves and burn their graven
images with fire. For thou are an holy people unto the Lord thy God:
the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself,
above all people that are upon the face of the earth. The Lord did
not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in
number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people: But because
the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto
your fathers. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the
faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep
his commandments to a thousand generations; And repayeth them that hate him to
their face, to destroy them. Thou shalt therefore keep the commandments,
and the statutes, and the judgments, which I command thee this day, to do
them."
<!--mstheme-->FROM THE JUDGES TO A KING<!--mstheme-->
When Moses
directed the men--one of every tribe-- to go and spy out the land, only two of
them brought back a good report. The others suffered the consequences of
their evil doing--"even those men that did bring up the evil report upon
the land, died by the plague before the Lord." "But Joshua and
Caleb lived still."--Num. 14: 37, 38.
"After the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it
came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minister,
saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jordan,
thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the
children of Israel."--Josh. 1: 1, 2.
After this came the time of the Judges, for about 450
years. These events were later summarized by the apostle Paul, in a
remarkable speech.
"Men of
Israel, " said he, "and ye that fear God, give audience. The
God of this people of Israel chose our fathers, and exalted the people when
they dwelt as strangers in the land of Egypt, and with an high arm brought he
them out of it. And about the time of 40 years suffered he their manners
in the wilderness. And when he had destroyed seven nations in the land of
Canaan, he divided their land to them by lot. And after that the gave
unto them judges about the space of 450 years, until Samuel the
prophet."--Acts 13: 16-20.
We have already seen in quotations from Exodus 19, the
entry of the children of Israel into the wilderness of Sinai. By the
covenant of Sinai they were established "a kingdom of priests, and a holy
nation." Here I wish to emphasize that the kingdom and nation so
established was not a monarchy, but the divine arrangement continued under
Judges, until against the expressed design and purpose of the God of Israel, the
people themselves desired a king. Although their request was granted
it was to their hurt--not to the glory of God. With but a few bright
spots in their long line of kings their history onward was mantled in darkness,
and disaster was their portion until the time came when no longer a king could
reign over them, and "lead them" as they had so urgently demanded in
the day of Samuel. Samuel the good, a prophet of the Lord, was now an
old man, and his sons whom he had made judges over Israel walked not in his
ways, but turned aside, took bribes, and perverted judgment. Such
procedure could only engender unrest and confusion among the people; hence, we
find "All the elders of Israel gathered themselves together, and came to
Samuel unto Ramah, and said unto him, Behold, thou are old, and thy sons walk
not in thy ways; now make us a king to judge us like all the
nations."--2 Sam. 8: 4, 5.
To change from
a Theocratic--democracy to a monarchy was the proposed solution suggested by
the people. They did not seek to remedy the evil by a readjustment of the
basic principle centered in the Constitution of Sinai, which would have been
acceptable to God. They were prepared to depart from God's arrangement,
and to establish their own way. In this, as in many things, "there
is a way which seemeth right to the sons of men, but the end" is not the salvation
of God! "Let us be like all the nations," was Israel's cry,
when Heaven's decree was for them to be a separated nation.
Samuel saw
beyond the vision of the people, and in his displeasure he approached
God. But the Lord answered, "Hearken unto the voice of the people in
all that they say unto thee; for they have not rejected thee, but they have
rejected me, that I should not reign over them."--Verse 7.
There we have the true situation, "the whole matter in a nutshell,"
they have forsaken me, and served other gods, so do they also unto
thee." Guided by inspiration of the Almighty Samuel did
"protest solemnly unto them, and shew them the manner of the king that
shall reign over them." They were told, "He will take your
sons, and appoint them for himself......he will take your daughters........ he
will take your fields, even the best of them, and give them to his
servants.......he will take the tenth of your seed......your young
men........your asses.......the tenth of your sheep, and ye shall be his
servants." How stubborn is the heart of man when set to do his own
way! "The people refused to obey the voice of Samuel; and they said,
Nay; but we will have a king over us.......that our king may judge us, and go
out before us, and fight our battles."
SAUL WAS CHOSEN to be their
king. But tragic and sad were the days of his reign. A brighter
page opened when the reign of David, who followed Saul, even though many a
cloud is seen both at the beginning and the end thereof. We are told,
"The men of Judah came, and there anointed David king over the house of
Judah."--2 Sam. 2:
4. This did not find favour with
all the people, for Abner took the son of Saul and made him king.
"Ishbosheth was 40 years old when he began to reign over Israel, and
reigned two years."--Verse
10. "There was long war
between the house of Saul and the house of David."--2 Sam. 3: 1.
Throughout all
this THE PLAN was being developed.
The children of Israel were being dealt with even as Samuel had
foretold. During the troublesome reign of Saul the people had ample
opportunity to remember the words of the prophet, and their own determination
to "have a king." In the development of the purpose of God in
the changed conditions of His kingdom there was need for the transfer of power
and authority to one who was more suitable for the dignity of the throne than
Saul had shown himself to be; and one who should also reflect, in greater
measure, the attributes of the Invisible King. Hence the call of David;
"To translate the kingdom from the house of Saul, and to set up the throne
of David over Israel and over Judah from Dan to Beersheba." For, as
the record shows, Abner had transferred his interests from Ishbosheth to
David. "Abner had communication with the elders of Israel, saying,
Ye sought for David in times past to be king over you; now then do it: for the
Lord hath spoken of David, saying, By the hand of my servant David I will save
my people Israel out of the hand of the Philistines, and out of the hand of all
their enemies. And Abner said unto David, I will arise and go, and will
gather all Israel unto my lord the king, that they may make a league with thee,
and that thou mayest reign over all that thine heart desireth."--2
Sam. 3: 17-21. And so it came to pass; for we read, "Then came
all the tribes of Israel to David unto Hebron.........Also in time past, when
Saul was king over us, thou was he that leddest out and broughtest in Israel;
and the Lord said to thee, Thou shalt feed my people Israel, and thou shalt be
a captain over Israel. So all the elders of Israel came to the king to
Hebron; and king David made a league with them in Hebron before the Lord: and
they anointed David king of Israel. David was 30 years old when he began
to reign, and he reigned 40 years. In Hebron he reigned over Judah seven
years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned 30 and three years over
all Israel and Judah."--2 Sam. 5: 1-5.
<!--mstheme-->DAVID<!--mstheme-->
WE are now
about 3,000 years down the river of time, as you may seen on the screen, in the
Adamic Era. This is an epoch, as important as that of Abraham. For
whilst the covenant with the "father of the faithful" is never lost
sight of in all the developments of The Plan of salvation, "the sure
mercies of David" form such an integral part of the same scheme that we
persistently see its theme in "the things of the kingdom," and
"the only name given among men whereby we must be saved."--Acts
4: 12. The prophet Micah cries, "Thou wilt perform the truth to
Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou has sworn unto our fathers from the
days of old." And the Psalmist adds his voice, saying, "Lord,
where are thy former loving kindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy
truth?"--Psa. 89: 49. What was it that had been "sworn
unto David"? The answer is to be found in some of the most
remarkable testimony contained in the Bible.
"Say unto
my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of Hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote,
from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: And I was
with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of
thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great
that are in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people
Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and
move no more; neither shall the children of wickedness afflict them any more,
as beforetime, And as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my
people Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also
the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days
be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed
after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish the
throne of his kingdom forever. I will be his father, and he shall be my
son. If he commit iniquity (or rather, in his suffering for iniquity), I
will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of
men (or, stripes due to the sons of Adam): But my mercy shall not depart away
from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine
house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne
shall be established for ever."
Such were the
words spoken by Nathan the prophet to David. They concerned David, his
house, his kingdom and his throne. They foretold the coming of a Son of
David, who would also be the Son of God. They depicted His suffering on
account of iniquity, though not His own wrong-doing. The mercy of the
Lord was guaranteed to Him. The throne to be given Him was to be
"for ever." And the nation of Israel after being moved from
place to place--afflicted, tormented--would at last find a resting place for
the soles of their feet, in their own land, under the beneficent reign of this
Greater Son of David. This future day of blessedness was perceived by
David, who "sat before the Lord" and acknowledged His
Supremacy. "Thou hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a
great while to come." In his ascription of praise David
declares, "Thou art great, O Lord God: there is none like thee, neither is
there any God beside thee, according to all we have heard with our ears.
And what one nation in the earth is like thy people, even like Israel?
For thou hast confirmed to thyself thy people Israel to be a people unto thee
for ever: and thou, Lord, art become their God. And now, O Lord God, the
word that thou has spoken concerning thy servant and concerning his house,
establish it for ever, and do as thou has said."--2 Sam. 7.
It is fitting to supplement the foregoing testimony with a
quotation from 2 Sam. 23: 1 to 7. I submit a translation of these verses
as given by Dr. Thomas in The Herald of the Kingdom, 1855. The
reader can compare it with the A.V.
"Now these
words of David, the last, are an oracle of David, son of Jesse, even
an oracle of the mighty man concerning an anointed one of the gods of
Jacob, and the pleasantest theme of Israel's songs. The Spirit
of Jehovah spake thro' me, and His word was upon my tongue; gods of
Israel spake to me, and the Rock of Israel discoursed, saying, There
shall be a just man ruling over mankind, ruling in the righteous precepts of
the gods. And as the brightness of morning He shall arise, the sun of an
unclouded dawn shining forth after rain upon the tender grass out of the
earth. Though my house is not perfect with the Mighty One, yet he hath
ordained for me the covenant of the age, ordered in everything and sure; this
is all my salvation and all my delight, tho' he cause it not to spring
forth. But the wicked shall be all of them as a thornbush to be
thrust away; yet without hand shall they be taken: nevertheless A man shall
smite upon them: he shall be filled with iron and the shaft of a spear, but
with fire to burn up while standing they shall be consumed."
That an
immediate fulfillment to the promises, in the preceding testimonies, was not to
be expected should readily be discerned by all who give heed to the language
employed. Indeed, such could not be. The house, kingdom and throne
of David were to continue. That which was spoken was "for a great
while to come." Hence, it is said, "David shall never want a
man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel."--Jer. 33: 17.
This does not teach that the throne of David would
"continue in perpetuity;" that it would always continue without a
break--that from that day onward there would be a throne somewhere in the world
which would be David's throne, and that a king would sit thereon and rule the
House of Israel! The facts are against such an
interpretation. The throne was established in the land which was the
choice of Israel's God. It is a land which the Lord God "cared
for."--Deut. 11: 12. Of that land we read: This is my rest
for ever; here will I dwell: for I have desired it. There will I make the
horn of David to bud."--Psa. 132: 13-17. It is a land not
forgotten even though for many generations a desolation.
The voice of
prophecy says, "Thou shalt arise, and have mercy upon Zion: for the time
to favour her, yea, the set time, is come. When the Lord shall
build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory. This shall be
written for the generation to come: and the people which shall be
created shall praise the Lord. To declare the name of the Lord in
Zion, and his praise in Jerusalem; when the people are gathered together, and
the kingdoms, to serve the Lord."--Psa. 102: 13-22. Where
is the throne of David today? Go through the length and breadth of the
land covenanted to Abraham, and will you find there the kingdom of David?
And is Jerusalem today graced with the throne of David? Read yet
again, "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have sworn unto
David my servant. Thy seed will I establish for ever, and build up thy
throne to all generations. If his children forsake my law, and walk not
in my judgments: If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments: Then
will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes.
Nevertheless my lovingkindness will I not utterly take from him, nor
suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter
the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness
that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his
throne as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the
moon, and as a faithful witness in heaven."--Psa. 89.
DID THE SPIRIT OF GOD, thus testifying to the continuity of
the throne "as the sun and the moon," expect us to interpret His
words as signifying that there never would be a day when the throne would not
manifestly be in existence? The next verse (39) prohibits such a
conclusion: "But thou has cast off and abhorred, thou hast been wroth with
thine anointed. Thou hast made void the covenant of thy servant: thou
hast profaned his crown by casting it to the ground. Thou hast made
his glory to cease, and cast his throne down to the ground."
There is no contradiction in these testimonies. The
reader who desires to understand The Plan of the Ages must acknowledge, and
follow after, the apostolic injunction: "study to shew thyself approved
unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word
of truth."--2 Tim. 2: 15. Failure to "rightly divide
the word" is the cause of many misconceptions and misapplications of the
Scriptures. As with the Abrahamic Covenant, which embraces a temporary
and a future inheritance of the land, so with the promise to David--the
continuance of the temporal kingdom was dependent upon obedience by the people
to the law of God. The final and complete fulfillment was dependent
upon the Son who should "suffer for iniquity," just as the
promise to Abraham looked for the "Seed to whom the promise was
made." The disobedience of the people which resulted in the
overturning of the kingdom, the casting down of the throne and profanation of
the crown, together with the scattering of the people--whilst creating a
suspension--did not negative the covenant. Therefore, in answer to the
question, in verse 49 of the Psalm, "Lord, where are thy former
lovingkindnesses, which thou swarest unto David in thy truth?" there can
be but one answer. They are in promise still!
WE MUST NOW RETURN TO, and follow, the history of the
kingdom of God--for such was the kingdom of Israel. Before turning into
the bypath of divine beauty from which we have just emerged, we left David
established upon the throne as king over all Israel and Judah. We take up
the story toward the close of his reign. David assembled all the princes
of Israel, captains of companies, captains of thousands, and of hundreds,
stewards, officers, mighty men and valiant men unto Jerusalem. David the
king, stood up upon his feet, and addressed the assembly.
"Hear me,
my brethren, and my people: I had in mine heart to build an house of rest for
the ark of the covenant of the Lord. But God said unto me, Thou shalt not
build an house for my name, because thou hast been a man of war, and hast shed
blood. Howbeit the Lord God of Israel chose me before all the
house of my father to be king over Israel for ever: for he hath chosen
Judah to be the ruler; and of the house of Judah, the house of my father; and
among the sons of my father he liked me to make me king over all Israel:
And of all my sons (for the Lord hath given me many sons), he hath chosen
Solomon my son to sit upon the throne of the kingdom of the Lord over Israel.
And he said unto me, I will establish his kingdom for ever, if he be
constant to do my commandments, as this day."
DAVID, THE
KING, urged the people to "keep and seek for all the commandments of the
Lord your God: that ye may possess this land, and leave it for an
inheritance for your children after you for ever." To Solomon he
gave the warning word: "if thou seek him, he Will be found of thee; but if
thou forsake him, he will cast thee off for ever."--1 Chron. 28.
Continuity was dependent upon obedience. David made
known his desires to the people, and in responding "The people
rejoiced, for that they offered willing to the Lord." And the
king blessed the Lord before all the congregation, and acknowledged,
"Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the
victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is
thine; thine is the kingdom, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above
all." "And they sacrificed sacrifices unto the
Lord............and did eat and drink before the Lord on that day with great
gladness." After this they made Solomon king, and Then Solomon
sat on the throne of the Lord as king instead of David his father, and
prospered." Such is the record of 1 Chron. 29, which closes
with the announcement of David's death. "And he died in a good old
age, full of days, riches and honour: and Solomon his son reigned in his
stead."
<!--mstheme-->SOLOMON--AND DECLENSION<!--mstheme-->
SOLOMON was now
king over all Israel. Times were good, and the people contented.
"Judah and Israel were many, as the sand which is by the sea in multitude,
eating and drinking, and making merry. And Solomon reigned over all
kingdoms from the river unto the land of the Philistines, and unto the border
of Egypt: And Judah and Israel dwelt safely, every man under his vine and under
his fig tree, from Dan even to Beer-sheba, all the days of Solomon."--1
Kings 4: 20-25.
Solomon built--what David had designed and purposed, but
was forbidden to do--an house for the habitation of God. After the
consecration of the temple "the Lord appeared unto Solomon by night,"
and acknowledged the prayer of the king. In doing so, however,
conditional promises were extended to the king and the people: "As for
thee, if thou wilt walk before me, as David thy father walked.....Then will I
establish the throne of thy kingdom, according as I have covenanted with David
thy father, saying, There shall not fail thee a man to be ruler in Israel.
But if ye turn away, and forsake my statues and my commandments, then
will I pluck them up by the roots out of my land which I have given them: and
this house, which I have sanctified for my name, will I cast out of my sight,
and will make it to be a proverb and a byword among all nations."
And when any who pass by shall say "Why hath the Lord done thus unto this
land, and unto this house?" the answer should be "Because they
forsook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them forth out of the land
of Egypt, and laid hold on other gods, and worshipped them, and served them:
therefore hath he brought all this evil upon them."--2 Chron. 7.
How lamentably sad that Solomon, who commenced his reign
under such magnificent and wonderful conditions, should at last fall so far
behind by disregarding the statues and judgments so definitely placed before
him! For of Solomon, when he was old, it is said, "his heart was not
perfect with the Lord his God, as was the heart of David his
father." Submitting to the allurements of the women of other
nations, concerning whom the Lord had said "Ye shall not go in to them,
for they will surely turn away your heart after their gods," Solomon
demonstrated the wisdom of God in forbidding such association. "For
Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Zidonians....and did evil in
the sight of the Lord." "Wherefore the Lord said unto Solomon,
Forasmuch as this is done of thee, and thou hast not kept my covenant and my
statutes, which I have commanded thee, I will surely rend the kingdom from
thee, and will give it to thy servant." Not immediately--"for
David thy father's sake: but I will rend it out of the hand of thy
son." And then, as though looking down the river of time, and seeing
the unfolding of the calamities which would befall this people, and remembering
the seed of Abraham and of David to whom the promises were made, and knowing
that the servant to whom the kingdom was to be transferred would not follow the
Lord, another promise was given; "Howbeit I will not rend away all the
kingdom; but will give one tribe to thy son for David my servant's sake, and
for Jerusalem's sake which I have chosen."
As forseen and
foretold, so it came to pass. Jeroboam, the son of Nebat, an Ephrathite
of Zereda, Solomon's servant, "lifted up his hand against the king";
for the prophet Ahijah had met him alone in a field, and taking from him a new
garment had "rent it in twelve pieces." Ten of the pieces were
given to Jeroboam, and the prophet said, "Thus saith the Lord, the God of
Israel, Behold I will rend the kingdom out of the hand of Solomon, and will
give ten tribes to thee." Solomon sought to kill Jeroboam, but he
fled into Egypt, remaining there until the death of Solomon, which occurred at
the end of forty years reign over all Israel. "And Solomon slept
with his fathers, and was buried in the city of David his father: and Rehoboam
his son reigned in his stead."
<!--mstheme-->THE KINGDOM DIVIDED<!--mstheme-->
THERE were now
two kings, and a divided kingdom. The position is stated as follows:
"And it came to pass, when all Israel heard that Jeroboam was come again,
that they sent and called him unto the congregation, and made him king over all
Israel; there was none that followed the house of David, but the tribe of Judah
only. And when Rehoboam was come to Jerusalem, he assembled all the house
of Judah, with the tribe of Benjamin, an hundred and fourscore thousand chosen
men, which were warriors, to fight against the house of Israel, to bring the
kingdom again to Rehoboam the son of Solomon."--1 Kings 12: 20, 21.
But this was against the decree of heaven, as the record proceeds to show; and
so being told not to go up, nor fight against their brethren, they
"returned to depart, according to the word of the Lord." But
Jeroboam was fearful, lest the tribes given to him might seek to return to the
house of David. "Whereupon the king took counsel, and made two
calves of gold, and said unto them, It is too much for you to go up to
Jerusalem: behold thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of
Egypt. And he set one in Bethel, and the other put he in Dan. And
Jeroboam ordained a feast, and he offered upon the altar."
THUS JEROBOAM
SINNED, AND MADE ISRAEL TO SIN. Two chapters further on (1 Kings 14)
we have judgments against Jeroboam, which were duly executed; and down the line
of kings which succeeded him, we hear the oft-repeated cry, that they
"walked in the way of Jeroboam, and in his sin wherewith he made Israel to
sin"; until finally the kingdom of the House of Israel came to an
end in B.C. 721.
<!--mstheme-->THE
HOUSE OF ISRAEL "REMOVED"<!--mstheme-->
THERE is
little, if anything, to the credit of the kings of Israel from the day of
Jeroboam to the end of their reign, when the ten tribes were led away into
captivity; the record of which is as follows: "The king of Assyria
came up throughout all the land, and went up to Samaria, and besieged it three
years. In the ninth year of Hoshea the king of Assyria took Samaria, and
carried Israel away into Assyria, and placed them in Halah and in Habor by the
river of Gozan, and in the cities of the Medes. For so it was, that the
children of Israel had sinned against the Lord their God......and walked in the
statutes of the heathen, whom the Lord cast out.......And the children of
Israel did secretly things that were not right......they set up images and
groves, and burnt incense in all the high places. They served idols,
whereof the Lord had said unto them, Ye shall not do this thing.
Therefore the Lord was very angry with Israel, and removed them out of his
sight: there was none left but the tribe of Judah only. For
the children of Israel walked in all the sins of Jeroboam which he did; and
departed not from them; Until the Lord removed Israel out of his sight, as
he had said by all his servants the prophets. So was Israel carried
away out of their own land to Assyria unto this day."--1 Kings 17, see
also 2 Kings 18: 11, 12.
In the prophecy
of Hosea we have the same matter foretold in these words, "For yet a
little while, and I will avenge the blood of Jezreel upon the house of Jehu,
and will cause to cease the kingdom of the house of Israel.....for I
will no more have mercy upon the house of Israel; but I will utterly take them
away."--1: 4, 5. "Ephraim is smitten, their root is
dried up, they shall bear no fruit; yea, though they bring forth, yet will I
slay the beloved (or the desires) of their womb. My God will cast
them away, because they did not hearken unto him; and they shall be
wanderers among the nations."--Hosea 9: 16, 17. So, after
about 300 years as a separate house from the House of Judah, the kingdom of
Israel was "smitten," "dried up," "cast out of his
sight," and "caused to cease" from being a kingdom, with no hope
of restoration until the House of Israel shall be re-joined to the House of
Judah, in a yet future day.
<!--mstheme-->THE HOUSE OF JUDAH<!--mstheme-->
THE kingdom of
Rehoboam did not come to an end along with the kingdom of Jeroboam.
Hosea, in depicting the end of the House of Israel, added these words:
"But I will have mercy upon the House of Judah." Following
down the line of Rehoboam one might find a few bright spots amidst evil
days. We read, "The Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in
the first ways of his father David, and sought not unto Baalim; but sought to
the God of his father, and walked in his commandments, and not after the doings
of Israel. And his heart was lifted up (encouraged) in the ways of the
Lord: Moreover he took away the high places and groves out of Judah."--2
Chron. 17: 1, 6.
It is
interesting to note the development, in numbers, of the House of Judah so far
as figures are given in two chapters regarding the fighting men. In 2
Chron. 11: 1, we have mention of 180,000 warriors of the House of Judah and
Benjamin; whilst in chapter 17 we have a total of 1, 160,000, representing a
growth of almost seven to one. The contrast with the House of Israel is
very striking, especially in view of the claims of some present-day
theories. They are described as "two little flocks of kids."--1
Kings 20: 27. About seventy years before that they were
"800,000 chosen men," twice as many as the House of Judah which at
that time mustered "400,000 men."--2 Chron. 13: 3. One
hundred and fifteen years later (than this 800,000) the picture of Israel is
decidedly worse than that of Judah, for we have mention of both
10,000--"fifty horsemen, ten chariots, and ten thousand footmen: for the
king of Syria had destroyed them, and had made them like the dust by
threshing."--2 Kings 13: 7.
The beauty of
Hezekiah's faith and trust in God (which, when he was "sick unto
death," brought him the favour of heaven, in that fifteen years were added
to this days, 2 Kings 20:6) was overshadowed by his reception of the
men from Babylon, to whom he "shewed all the house of his precious
things," his armour and his treasures. This did not meet with approval,
for Isaiah said unto Hezekiah, "Hear the word of the Lord. Behold,
the days come, that all that is in thine house, and that which thy fathers have
laid up in store unto this day, shall be carried into Babylon; nothing shall be
left, saith the Lord" verse 17. Hezekiah died, and
Manasseh his son reigned in his stead. And what then? But
twelve years old when he began to reign, Manasseh reigned fifty years in
Jerusalem: long and evil were his days. He built again the high places
which Hezekiah had destroyed, and "reared up altars for Baal, and
worshipped all the host of heaven. He desecrated the house of the Lord,
dealt with familiar spirits, and wrought much wickedness in the sight of the
Lord." "And Manasseh seduced them to do more evil than did the
nations whom the Lord destroyed before the children of Israel."--2
Kings 21: 1-9.
At the age of
twenty-two years Amon succeeded to the throne. But he did not improve the
situation. "He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord, as
his father Manasseh did." He was slain, in his own house, by his own
servants; who in turn were slain by the people. Then the cloud was lifted
for a while.
<!--mstheme-->JOSIAH AND THE PASSOVER<!--mstheme-->
JOSIAH came to
the throne, being eight years old. He reigned thirty-one years in
Jerusalem. How refreshing to read "he did that which was right in
the sight of the Lord, and walked in all the way of David his father, and
turned not aside to the right hand or to the left." When "the
words of the book of the law" were read before the king, "he rent his
clothes." He humbled himself before God, and endeavoured to destroy
the idolatry which he found in Judah. In hope of bringing the people back
to "the way of the Lord" Josiah the king commanded the people to keep
the passover. This act of the king was one of the outstanding events in
the chequered career of the Houses of Israel and Judah. Having gone
through the land, "breaking in pieces the images, and cutting down the
groves"; also, "the altar that was at Bethel, and the high place
which Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin, had made, both that
altar and the high place he brake down, and burned the high place, and stamped
it small to powder, and burned the grove," he returned to Jerusalem.
From this "city of the great king" he issued his decree:
"Keep the Passover unto the Lord your God, as it is written in the book of
this covenant."
WHAT IS THIS
PASSOVER, which pertains to the covenant? Here let us look at the chart. We go
back to Egypt, represented by the Pyramid. There, as we have seen, the
Egyptians had oppressed and cruelly afflicted the children of Israel. But
"He that keepeth Israel shall neither slumber nor sleep. The Lord is
thy keeper: The Lord shall preserve thy going out and thy coming in."--Psa.
121. That was true in the time of the Exodus, even as when the
Psalmist so beautifully expressed his confidence in God. To Abraham God
had said, "That nation, whom they shall serve, will I judge." God
did not forget. "He sent Moses his servant; and Aaron whom he
had chosen. They shewed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of
Ham. He sent darkness. He turned their waters into blood, and slew
their fish. Frogs came forth in abundance. Divers sorts of flies,
and lice in all their coasts. He gave them hail for rain, and flaming
fire in their land. He smote their vines and fig trees. The locusts
came and caterpillars without number. He smote also the firstborn in
their land, the chief of all their strength." As for the children of
Israel, God "brought them forth also with silver and gold: and there was
not one feeble among their tribes." No wonder that "Egypt was
glad when they departed."--Psa. 105.
Israel, however, did not come out of Egypt in full
strength, and with great substance, without first manifesting faith in, and
obedience to, God. On the chart we have depicted a small family outside
their dwelling. Mother and daughter look on, whilst the son holds a
basin: and the father is in the act of striking the lintel and the side posts,
on the outside of the entrance. This they did because they believed
in God. The Lord directed Moses and Aaron to speak unto "all
the congregation of Israel, saying, In the tenth of this month they shall take
to them every man a lamb......a lamb for an house. Your lamb shall be
without blemish, a male of the first year. And ye shall keep it up until
the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take
the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of
the houses, wherein they shall eat it. And they shall eat the flesh in
the night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread; with bitter herbs.....And
thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your feet, and your
staff in your had; and ye shall eat it in haste: it is the Lord's
passover."
IN WHAT SENSE
WAS IT A "PASSOVER"? God was about to show, very effectively,
His mighty power upon Egypt; and also to demonstrate how He could aid His
people and deliver them from their persecutors. This information was
given to His people, but not without impressing upon them the fact that they
could obtain His favour only by complying with His requirements. Hence
the detailed instructions. "For I will pass through the
land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of
Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods (or, princes) of Egypt I
will execute judgment: I am the Lord."
Did "all
the firstborn in the land" include the firstborn of the children of
Israel? Not is they obeyed God by keeping the law given concerning
the Passover! But if they disobeyed they, too, would suffer when the
avenging angel passed over the land of Egypt. By what sign were they
saved from the fate of the Egyptians? Could not God have saved them
without a sign? Was not the power of God sufficient of
itself? There are some today who reason along these lines in regard to
the "substance," of which the matter now being dealt with was but a
shadow! The power of the All-powerful is sufficient to accomplish all
His will, at any time and under all circumstances, should He choose to direct
His power to that end. But in the scheme of redemption God's Plan calls
for compliance, on the part of those to be benefited thereby, with whatever
laws and statutes He may see fit to impose upon them. Non-compliance
simply means that the benefits would not be conferred. Therefore the
sign. "And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the
houses where ye are: and I when I see the blood, I WILL PASS OVER YOU,
and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of
Egypt. And this shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a
feast by an ordinance for ever." Further instructions were given,
after which we read: "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and
said unto them, Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and
kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the
blood that is in the basin, and strike the lintel and two side posts with the
blood that is in the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house
until the morning. For the lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians;
and when he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the
Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto
your houses to smite you."
THIS WAS TO BE
CONTINUALLY OBSERVED "throughout their generations." And to
their children who should ask the meaning of such a service, they were to
answer: "It is the sacrifice of the Lord's Passover, who passed over the
houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and
delivered our houses." This happened at midnight, and when the
Egyptians realized it, they urged the children of Israel to get out of the land
in haste. This they did after first borrowing of the Egyptians such
things as they desired and required. So "they spoiled the
Egyptians," and came out with great substance. "And it came to
pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt. It
is a night much to be observed unto the Lord, in their
generations."
To emphasize
its significance and importance, an "ordinance of the Passover" was
placed on record: "There shall no stranger eat thereof. When a
stranger shall sojourn with thee, and will keep the Passover to the Lord, let
all his males be circumcised, for no uncircumcised person shall eat
thereof."--Ex. 12.
SUCH WAS THE PASSOVER, AND THE ORDINANCE THEREOF. In
the backslidings of Israel the ordinances had been disregarded, and abominable
practices had taken their place. It was the realization of all this that
stirred the heart of Josiah to such activity, that he took away those things
with which "the kings of Israel had provoked the Lord to anger"; and
which prompted him to seek the favour of God toward his people--by turning
their hearts, once again, to that Way of the Lord by which they had become the
people of God; separated from all peoples. The people responded to the
call of the king, when he commanded them to "keep the
passover." It was a red-letter day in the annals of a retrograde
nation; one bright spot on a clouded horizon--interesting and appealing while
it lasted; but it was unable to stem the tide, or to prevent the bursting of
the cloud, in which was the pent-up wrath and anger of the Lord, against that
people. "Surely," we are informed, "there was not holden
such a passover from the days of the judges that judged Israel, nor in all the
days of the kings of Israel, nor of the kings of Judah; But in the eighteenth
year of king Josiah, wherein this passover was holden to the Lord in
Jerusalem."--2 Kings 23: 21-23. What a tribute is extended
to him in the words, "And like unto him was there no king before him, that
turned to the Lord with all his heart, and with all his soul, and with all his
might, according to all the law of Moses; neither after him arose there any
like him."
The passover
was a feast intended--not only to commemorate Israel's deliverance from Egypt,
but also--to keep before the mind of the people the value of Sacrifices as
ordained of God. "Without shedding of blood is no
remission." This is Bible doctrine; its purport, necessity, and
application must be discerned before anyone, either type or antitype, can
approach God acceptably. Only when under cover of the blood, sprinkled
according to the ordinance, could even the houses of the Israelites be saved
from the avenger who passed through the land of Egypt; as if they themselves
were contaminated by the very association with the land of darkness and
iniquity. It was an added link to the chain of sacrificial instructions
and institutions, which originated when "sin came into the world, and
death by sin;" all of which were intended to show that none could escape
from the realm of darkness, sin and death, without the passover of,
and by, the Lord. This will be further demonstrated when we deal with the
anti-type.
WE MUST NOW
RETURN TO THE HISTORY OF THE PEOPLE. The sincerity of Josiah, in his
efforts to improve the condition of the people, was recognized by the Lord God;
even though that which Josiah had done could not change the decree which had
gone forth. l So it was said unto him, "Behold therefore, I will gather
thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered into thy grave in peace; and
thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this
place."--2 Kings 22: 20.
Josiah reigned thirty-one years, when he was slain at
Megiddo, where he sought to oppose the king of Egypt. The doom of his
kingdom had been foretold, "notwithstanding the Lord turned not from the
fierceness of his great wrath, wherewith his anger was kindled against Judah,
because of all the provocations that Manasseh had provoked him withal.
And the Lord said, I will remove Judah also out of my sight, as I have
removed Israel, and will cast off this city Jerusalem which I have chosen,
and the house of which I have said, My Name shall be there."--2 Kings
23: 26, 27.
Two sons of Josiah followed after his death, but both did
evil in the sight of the Lord. Jehohaz reigned but three months, when he
was removed by Pharohnechoh, who also made Eliakim king, and changed his name
to Jehoiakim, who reigned eleven years in Jerusalem. When "Jehoiakim
slept with his fathers, Jehoiachin his son reigned." He too,
"reigned in Jerusalem three months, and did that which was evil."
At that time Jerusalem was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon.
Jehoiachin was taken to Babylon, and Zedekiah was placed on the throne by the
king of Babylon. But the conqueror did not leave the treasures and might
of the kingdom behind him--those he carried away. "All the treasures
of the house of the Lord, and the treasures of the king's house, and cut in
pieces all the vessels of gold which Solomon king of Israel had made in the
temple of the Lord, as the Lord had said......men of valor, craftsmen and
smiths: none remained, save the poorest sort of the people of the land."--2
kings 24: 13, 14.
Zedekiah, on the throne, likewise "did that which was
evil in the sight of the Lord"; he also "rebelled against the king of
Babylon." So, "in the ninth year of his reign," the
forces of Babylon again came against Jerusalem, "and the city was besieged
unto the eleventh year of king Zedekiah." When famine prevailed, and
there was no bread for the people of the land, "the city was broken
up." The men of war fled, also the king; they, however, were pursued
by the army of the Chaldees. Zedekiah was captured and taken to the king
of Babylon to Riblah. The sons of Zedekiah were slain before him; his own
eyes were "put out," and then he, bound with fetters of brass, was
carried to Babylon. In the nineteenth year of king Nebuchadnezzar, his
captain of the guard came unto Jerusalem, where, "he burnt the house of
the Lord, and the king's house, and all the houses of Jerusalem, and brake down
the walls of Jerusalem round about." Many of the people he carried
away, leaving "the poor of the land to be vinedressers and
husbandmen." The "brass of the vessels" taken from the
house of the Lord "was without weight." All this, in addition
to gold and silver, "the captain of the guard took away." Chief
citizens, the chief marshal, and threescore men found in the city were brought
before Babylon's king, who "smote them, and slew them at Riblah in the
land of Hamath." "So Judah was carried away out of their land."--2
Kings 25.
Did the Lord God of their fathers entirely forget and
forsake His people during this development of events before the conquering
forces of Babylon came upon them? No indeed! Further details are
given in the Book of Chronicles. Zedekiah was made "king over
Judah and Jerusalem." Yet he rebelled against the one who had
made him king, "who had made him swear by God: but he stiffened his neck
and hardened his heart from turning unto the Lord God of Israel."
Not only the king "did evil," but also "the chief of the
priests, and the people." They transgressed, and polluted the house
of the Lord. Yet, for all this, the God of Abraham failed not to show
"that his mercy endureth for ever." As it is written, "And
the Lord God of their fathers sent to them by his messengers, rising up
betimes, and sending; because he had compassion on his people, and on his
dwelling place: But they mocked the messengers of God, and despised
his words, and misused his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose
against his people, till there was no remedy."
Then judgment fell upon the city and the people; "And
them that had escaped from the sword carried he away to Babylon; where they
were servants to him and his sons until the reign of the kingdom of Persia: To
fulfill the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah, until the land had
enjoyed her Sabbaths: for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to
fulfill threescore and ten years."--2 Chron. 36: 9-21. Well
might the Spirit testify through the prophet, "And thou, profane wicked
prince of Israel, whose day is come, when iniquity shall have an end, Thus
saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and take off the crown: this shall not
be the same: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn,
overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until he come whose right
it is; and I will give it him."--Ezek. 21: 25, 27.
In this way the
Kingdom of Judah came to an end about 130 years after the Kingdom of
Israel. The separation of the nation into two kingdoms, being the result
of the iniquity of the people, was not to the credit of any concerned.
The captivity of the people, with the overthrow of the two Houses, was likewise
a punishment for their sins. There was a partial restoration of the
people to their own land, and a rebuilding of the temple and the wall of
Jerusalem in the days of Ezra and Nehemiah. But the throne was not again
set up, and hence the kingdom was not restored. Indeed, it could not
be! The throne and kingdom were to be "overturned" until a
"set time" should arrive. And this "overturn" does
not signify that the throne should three times be turned over to
someone else-- a claim foolishly made by some people. The overturn was to
be an upsetting, or overthrow. The kingdom cannot be restored,
and the throne reestablished, "until He come, whose right it
is." If therefore a throne should be set up in Jerusalem, pretending
to be the throne of David, before He comes, USURPER would be the name
of whoever sat upon it. Now mark this well! The throne of
Israel cannot be set up in any other place than that in which it was
established in days of old. Zion cannot be found among the mountains of
the U.S.A. or the throne of David in the British Isles. "He whose
right it is" must be of the House and lineage of David. The true
heir to David's throne cannot be found on earth, among the sons of men.
He cam, but did not obtain His inheritance. He will come again,
and in that "day of His coming" He will obtain His
"right." The people continued, subject to the powers of the
kingdoms of men, until the time came for them to fill up the cup of their
iniquity, and then, they who did not perish in the siege of Jerusalem were
scattered, and remain so to this day.
These facts are
briefly presented by the lines and approximate dates along the top of the chart. The
illustration commences with the period of Israel's departure from Egypt.--B.C.
1491. Ex. 19: 1-6 tells of their going forth from that land, and
their coming into the wilderness of Sinai. God's message to them and
their declaration of obedience to Him. Then we have a cross line with
reference to Lev. 26, which chapter deals with blessings for
obedience, and punishments for disobedience. "Seven times for your
sins" (a matter for later consideration). Here we also have DAVID, B.C.
1048; the testimony of 2 Sm. 5, has already been given.
The next line presents SOLOMON, B.C. 1015. Then, having just
entered the fourth period (of the 7,000 years Plan) we have a break in the
single line with REHOBOAM, B.C. 975, and JEROBOAM; the upper line now
representing the Kingdom of Judah, and the lower line the Kingdom of Israel,
i.e. in their divided state. The latter, which first came to an end, B.C.
721, is shown in the short line, whilst the Kingdom of Judah, yet continuing,
is shown in the longer line. To one cross line we have the date B.C.
606, in which year "Nineveh was taken and desolated by the
Babylonians and Medes, according to the predictions of Nahum, uttered a hundred
years before. Assyria, now no longer an independent nation, was merged in
the Empire of which Babylon was the capital." "In that same
year the captivity of the Jews commenced by Nebuchadnezzer, who attacked and
made prisoner Jehoiakim, king of Judah."--See 2 Chron. 36: 6 and Jer.
25: 9.
By the next cross line we are directed to Ezek. 21: 27,
which, as we have seen, tells of the end of the "profane wicked prince
of Israel," and the "overturning" of the throne and
kingdom. B.C. 588 saw the desolation of Jerusalem, the captivity of
Judah, and Zedekiah, with others, carried to Babylon. The last date B.C. 536
refers to the release of the Jews from captivity, by the decree of Cyrus the
Persian, which led to a partial restoration, and rebuilding of the city wall,
and temple: which was finished and dedicated B.C. 515.--Ezra 6: 14-22.
We cannot emphasize too strongly that the calamities which
befell the two Houses of Israel arose from, and were the result of, their sin
against God: and were indeed the outcome of that which He declared to them
would arise in their midst, when they rejected Him, that "he should not be
king over them." Whether we consider "the ten tribes" of
"the two tribes" as separate houses or kingdoms the conclusion must
be the same. They sinned and were punished. There is
absolutely no foundation for believing that the scattering of the ten tribes
was for the purpose of exalting them to a position of greatness, in other land,
which they failed to accomplish in their own land. This will be further
elaborated when we deal with the restoration of the Jews to the
covenanted-land.
The way of both
the Houses of Israel--for such they were, irrespective of the necessary
distinctive appellations during the period of their operations as separate
"kingdoms"--is well expressed by Nehemiah. "Their
children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heave. So the children
went in and possessed the land. They did eat and were filled, and became
fat. Nevertheless they were disobedient, and rebelled against thee, and
cast thy law behind their backs, and slew thy prophets which testified against
them to turn to thee, and they wrought great provocations. Therefore thou
deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies, who vexed them: and in the
time of their trouble, when they cried unto thee, thou heardest from heaven;
and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them saviours, who saved them
out of the hand of their enemies. But after they had rest, they did evil
again before thee; therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies, so
that they had the dominion over them. Many times didst thou deliver them
according to thy mercies; and testifiedst against them, that thou mightest
bring them again unto thy law; yet they dealt proudly, and hearkened not, but
sinned against thy judgments. Many years didst thou forbear them, yet
would they not give ear; therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the
people of the lands. Now therefore, our God, the great, the mighty,
and the terribly God, who keepest covenant and mercy, let not all the trouble
seem little before thee, that hath come upon us, on our kings, on our princes,
since the time of the kings of Assyria unto this day. Thou are just in
all that is brought upon us; for thou has done right, but we have done
wickedly."--Chapter 9.
Hear now a
parable. "There was a certain householder, which planted a vineyard,
and hedged it round about, and digged a winepress in it, and built a tower, and
let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country: And when the time of the
fruit drew near, he sent his servants to the husbandmen, that they might
receive the fruits of it. And the husbandmen took his servants, and beat
one, and killed another, and stoned another. Again, he sent other
servants more than the first: and they did unto them likewise. But last
of all he sent unto them his son, saying, They will reverence my son. But
when the husbandmen saw the son, they said among themselves, This
is the heir; come let us kill him, and let us seize on his
inheritance. And they caught him, and cast him out of the vineyard and
slew him."
Compare this
parabolic language with the Apostle's later statement: "God, who spake in
time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days spoken unto
us by his Son."--Heb. 1: 1. Having presented the foregoing
parable, to the chief priests and Pharisees, the Master asked, "When the
lord of the vineyard cometh, what will he do unto those husbandmen?"
To this they answered: "He will miserably destroy those wicked men, and
will let out his vineyard unto other husbandmen, which shall render him the
fruits in their seasons." Having thus committed themselves, Jesus
saith, "Did ye never read in the scriptures, The stone which the builders
rejected, the same is become the head of the corner: this is the Lord's doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes? Therefore say I unto you, The kingdom of
God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits
thereof."--Matt. 21: 33-43.
The Pharisees now realized that Jesus spake of them in His
scathing denunciations, and sought to excuse themselves; saying, "If we
had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them
in the blood of the prophets." Wherefore, said Jesus, "Ye be
witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed
the prophets. Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers."--Matt.
23: 30, 31.
But before they "killed the son," Jesus came
near, and beholding the city "wept over it, saying, If thou hadst known,
even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace!
but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come, that thine
enemies.....shall lay thee even with the ground, and thy children within thee; because
thou KNEWEST NOT the time of thy visitation."--Luke 19: 41-44.
What depth of feeling, sorrow and compassion, was in the heart of Jesus when He
cried, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets, and stonest
them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto
you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord."--Matt. 23: 37-39.
When the populace clamored for the crucifixion of Jesus
they cried, "His blood be on us and on our children." The
record of the siege and destruction of Jerusalem A.D. 70 constitutes one of the
most horrible pages in the annals of time. Though the Romans were not
"the people" of God, as were Israel, nevertheless the armies of Rome,
under Titus, became the armies of God, which went forth "to destroy those
murderers," even as the parable had foretold. The temple was
destroyed, against the order of Titus, who said, "When I came near your
temple, I departed from the laws of war, and exhorted you to spare your own
sanctuary, and to preserve your holy house to yourselves" Josephus.
When the Romans became "masters of the walls, they both placed their
ensigns upon the towers, and made joyful acclamations for the victory they had
gained. But when they went in numbers into the lanes of the city with
their swords drawn, they slew those whom they overtook without mercy, and set
fire to the houses whither the Jews were fled, and burnt every soul in them,
and laid waste a great many of the rest; and when they were come to the houses
to plunder them, they found in them entire families of dead men, and the upper
rooms full of dead corpses, that is, of such as died by the famine; they then
stood in a horror at this sight, and went out without touching anything.
But they had not the same commiseration for those that were alive, but they ran
every one through whom they met with, and obstructed the very lanes with their
dead bodies, and made the whole city run down with blood, to such a degree
indeed that the fire of many of the houses was quenched with these men's
blood." The "soldiers were already quite tired with killing
men," therefore the order was given f"that they should kill none but
those that were in arms, and opposed them, but should take the rest
alive." "Fronto slew all those that had been seditious and
robbers; of the young men he chose out the tallest and most beautiful, and
reserved them for the triumph; and as for the rest of the multitude that were
above seventeen years old, he put them in bonds, and sent them to the Egyptian
mines." When he entirely demolished the rest of the city, and
overthrew its walls, he left the towers as a monument of his good fortune,
which had proved his auxiliaries, and enabled him to take what could not
otherwise have been taken by him."--Josephus, Wars of the Jews.
Milman's History of the Jews gives the following
figures, based upon Josephus: Killed before the War, under Vespasian, 129,500.
During the war in Galilee and Judea, 118,300. At Jerusalem,
1,100,000. After the Fall of Jerusalem, 8,660. Total killed,
1,356,460. Total prisoners, 101,700.
It had now
become a broken kingdom--a throne overturned: a people scattered. "Many
days without a king" (Hosea 3: 4) as the prophet had foretold, it
was to be.
<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->Lecture 4<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->The Image and the Stone<!--mstheme-->
Seventy Times. The Latter-day Image.
The Two Babylons.A New Covenant.
"Arise, shine, for thy light is come."
<!--msthemeseparator-->
THE LAST
LECTURE closed on a note of sadness, sorrow, and almost despair. And so
it would be were it not for the reality of "the Hope made of God unto the
fathers." Hence, although Israel should abide "many days,"
without the favour of Heaven manifested in their behalf--wherein they should no
longer see the king, a prince, a sacrifice, ephod or teraphim--a ray of light
is extended in the verse following the one from which the former words are
taken: "Afterward," says the prophet, "shall the children of
Israel return, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king; and shall
fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days."--Hosea 3: 5.
Many things have been revealed for our instruction, in the
Way of Salvation, which are not so readily discernible as others. Such
things are embraced in the statement, "It is the glory of God to conceal a
thing: but the honour of kings is to search out a matter."--Prov. 25:
2. In a soon-coming Day, many--who have been unknown in the day of
small things--are to be manifested as the associates of One who was
"declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."--Rom. 1: 4.
These (now glorified ones) will sing a new song, in which they will ascribe
glory and blessing to Him by whom they have been redeemed, and through whom
glorified, saying, "Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the
seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood
out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; And has made us unto
our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth."--Rev. 5:
9, 10.
These are the "kings" who, in a day of small
things, honoured God by searching out the matter! The captain of their
salvation had said, "Search the Scriptures."--John 5: 39.
Giving heed thereto they sought as for hid treasures, and paying more attention
to the Word, than to the prevalent traditions of men, they found "the way,
the truth, and the life."--John 14: 6. By that
"way," they came unto the Father in hope of life; for without the way
of truth there is no access to God. But when will the good things
promised by fulfilled? "When shall these things be? And
what the sign of thy coming and of the end of the world?" were
questions which exercised the minds of the contemporaries of Jesus before He
left the earth--and have been asked many times since. Do the Scriptures
give, to the believers, any indications as to when they may anticipate the
realization of their hopes? "The day and the hour" is not
known: neither have we direct testimony of the "year." Earnest
men and women have searched deeply for an elucidation of the hidden things of
the mystery of God, in anxious endeavour to know when the Lord will come and
have made their hearts glad, and hopes intensified, when they have concluded to
their own satisfaction that they have rightly and definitely solved the
problem--only to find as time went on that they were definitely mistaken.
It would therefore seem to be the path of wisdom to dwell rather upon the fact
than to seek to know the day and the hour. If we are to be "like
unto men that wait."--Luke 12: 36 there is to be an urge of
faith, and an element of expectation, at all times; this would, in a measure,
be interfered with if we know the actual "day of His coming."
Paul, the Apostle, wrote: "But of the times and seasons, brethren, ye have
no need that I write unto you. For yourselves know perfectly that the day
of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."--1 Thess. 5: 1, 2.
"Times and seasons" are associated with a period spoken of as
"the day of the Lord." This is a day which, unless the brethren
are alive to their responsibilities--walking in the light, and not embraced in
darkness--they are in danger of being "overtaken." They are,
therefore, counseled not to "sleep, as do others." Various
periods are mentioned in the Bible which come under the designation "Times
and Seasons." It is evident that the Thessalonians, to whom Paul
wrote, were alive to the significance of certain matters which he designates
"the times" and "the seasons." The apostle does not specify
which "times" and "seasons" are referred to in his
statement. Their knowledge of those things, however, is submitted as
being a basis for their understanding and acceptance of a greater fact,
appertaining to a coming Day.
Of this Dr.
Thomas wrote, "In 1 Thess. 5: 1, Paul tells the faithful in that city that
there was no need of his writing to them of the times and the seasons, for that
they themselves knew perfectly that the day of the Lord comes as a thief in the
night: and they they were not in darkness that that day should overtake them as
a thief. It was the times and the seasons that had
given them this knowledge, so far, at least, as they were not reserved of the
Father in His own power. The apostle also tells us in Col. 2: 16, that
holy days, new moons, and Sabbaths, are shadows of things which are to come;
and it is scarcely to be credited a' priori, that the times
of each Jewish rite, feast, and ceremony, should have been handed down to us
with such minuteness, unless they also, as well as the other scriptures, were
to be profitable to us. Besides, as the seasons refer to the
three times a year that all the males were obliged to appear before the Lord at
Jerusalem. The Passover, which was at the commencement of the
second feast of Pentecost, which was at the commencement of the second
feast of firstfruits; and the Feast of Tabernacles, after gathering in
the harvest of corn and wine; were inchoately fulfilled in the
sacrifice of Christ our passover; the gathering of the firstfruits of the
apostolic labors; and the ingathering at the end of their exclusive labors in
Judea, after which "the stranger," or Gentiles, became a gleaning of
the corners of the field. These feasts have only had a springing, or
germinant, which I have styled an inchoate, accomplishment; but will have their
fructiferous, or terminal, fulfillment after the appearing of the Lord in his
kingdom. The passover, Pentecost, and the feast of the tabernacles, were
commemorative and typical; the giving of the Law; and of their dwelling in
tents in the wilderness. They were typical of things spiritual and
national; sectionally, they were typical of things pertaining to the 'Sect of
the Nazarenes' during the apostolic ministration of the Spirit, as already
stated in brief. Nationally, the passover typifies the future vengeance
on the Gentiles, and the deliverance of Israel and the saints who are passed
over at the appearing of the Lord; the Pentecost, the wave-manifestation of the
firstfruits, and the giving of the law from Zion; and the feast of tabernacles,
the Lord's salvation, or rest for Israel and the nations, which come up to
Jerusalem to keep the festival there."--Herald of the Kingdom. Vol. 5.
As already stated, various periods are mentioned
in relation to "times;" as they refer to different epochs a citation
of various scriptures in which the terms appear will be helpful.
Psa. 102: 13. "Thou shalt arise and have mercy upon Zion; for the
time to favour her, yea the set time is come."
Dan 8: 17, 19. "Understand, O son of man; for at the time of
the end shall be the vision." For at the time appointed the
end shall be."
Dan 11: 40. "At the time of the end shall the king of
the south push at him; and the king of the north shall come against him."
Dan 12: 4. "Seal the book, even to the time of the end."
Hab. 2: 3. "For the
vision is yet for an appointed time, but at the end it shall
speak."
Matt. 16: 3. "O ye hypocrites, ye can discern the face of the sky
but can ye not discern the signs of the times?"
Luke 21: 24. "Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled."
Acts 1: 6, 7. "Lord, wilt thou at this time restore
again the kingdom to Israel? And he said unto them. It is not for
you to know the times or the seasons, which the Father hath put in his
own power."
Acts 3: 21. "the times of restitution of all things, which God
hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began."
1 Tim. 4: 1. "In the latter times some
shall depart from the faith."
2 Tim. 3: 1. "This know also, that IN THE LAST DAYS perilous
times shall come."
Thus we see
that although there is a "set time" appointed by God for His favour
to be poured out upon Zion, there was also to be a time of downtreading.
Whilst there was held out the prospect of the kingdom of Israel being restored,
there must also be a time when it should continue to be overturned. There
were to be "times of the Gentiles" before we could look for
the "times of restitution of all things spoken," and
revealed in the Word of God. There were to be times of declension, even
"perilous times," in which men would speak perverse things,
professing "a form of godliness," which would not be according to the
Word of God; but rather "denying the power thereof." The
challenge made by our Lord to "the hypocrites" of His day is
pertinent to all, even in our own day: "Can ye not discern the signs
of the times?"
Those to whom
Paul wrote did discern the bearing of times and seasons, consequently there was
no need for him to enlarge upon that aspect of the matter before his mind; he
could however, and did, credit them with the recognition of a basic truth;
"that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night."
So though we are now much nearer to the day of the Lord, than our brethren were
in the first century of the Christian dispensation, we are also further removed
from some of the things with which they were, by time and circumstances, more
familiar than ourselves.
There are some
outstanding features of the Eternal Plan, in its development, that all should
be able to grasp, and by interpretation --in the light of certain
scriptures--should be able to see the bearing of them upon the discerning of
the signs of the times (both past and present) in relation to the
downtreading., and subsequent uprising, of Israel. By this means we
should also obtain some understanding of the "day of the Lord."
Here we emphasize that a "day" in the scriptures does not always
signify the same length of time. To illustrate this--for the present--we
have the following testimony, given concerning the forty years wandering, of
the children of Israel, in the wilderness. "After the number of the
days in which ye searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year,
shall ye bear your iniquities, even forty years."--Num. 14: 34.
We must not forget, but ever keep in mind, that God's Plan
was being carried out from the beginning, and this consistently with a
pre-determined purpose. What might therefore appear to be changes, were
really developments. The call, on the part of the Hebrews, for a
king--whist obviously originating with the people, and not strictly in accord
with the way of the Lord--brought about a development which, humanly speaking,
presented a more striking picture of a kingdom than hitherto. So, as we
have seen, the people were developed into, what they conceived to be, a kingdom
of more practical dimensions. "Make us a king," cried the
people. And God answered, "I gave thee a king in mine anger, and
took him away in my wrath."--Hosea 13: 11. Appointments of
their own choice were to be thorns in their sides. "But if ye will
not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you; then it shall come
to pass, that those which ye let remain of them shall be pricks in your eyes,
and thorns in your sides, and shall vex you in the land wherein ye dwell."
--Num. 33: 55. see also Judges 2: 1, 3.
Long and bitter was to be the conflict which would continue
between the kingdom of Israel and the kingdoms of men. Even when the two
Houses, of Israel and Judah, were no longer recognized as kingdoms--the people
being scattered, and their land desolated, even then the conflict would be
seen. The "severity of God" (Rom. 11: 22) so heavily poured out
upon this people was the punishment for their sins. If therefore we find
any clue to the long, dark night of sorrows being ended for Israel, we shall
also see something of the closing days of the kingdoms of men; it being evident
that the two systems cannot co-exist again upon the earth. Of this there
can be no doubt. Jerusalem was to be "trodden down" only
"till the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."
We therefore
ask, Was there, from God to His people, any intimation as to the length of time
He would punish them if they disobeyed His Will? Note how "the Lord
spake unto Moses in Mount Sinai," giving instructions to him that he
should "speak unto the children of Israel," placing before them the
demands of God concerning their manner of life in the land granted them for a
possession; the right of which, however, was to be retained by God.
"The land shall not be sold for ever: for the land is mine; for ye are
strangers and sojourners with me."--Lev. 25: 23. Blessings
"in the basket and store" were promised, but were dependent upon the
people manifesting in word and deed, their recognition of the supremacy of God;
and their desire to obey His Will. "Wherefore ye shall do my statutes,
and keep my judgments, and do them; and ye shall dwell in the land in
safety."--Verse 18. This principle is further elaborated in
the next chapter. "Ye shall keep my Sabbaths, and reverence my
sanctuary: I am the Lord. If ye walk in my statutes, and
keep my commandments, and do them." What then?
Would their performing the injunctions make their tenancy of the land worth
while? Hear the promise! "The I will give you rain in due
season, and the land shall yield her increase." That was something to
be assured of, but it was not all that God would do for them. "And I
will give peace in the land.....neither shall the sword go through the
land. Ye shall chase your enemies, and your enemies shall fall before you
by the sword."
Has peace been
maintained in that land, or has the sword gone through it? We know the
latter has been the portion thereof. But why? Did the people
"keep" and "walk" and "do" as they were
commanded? To ask, is but to answer these questions! And
the answer shows the reliability of that Eternal Power which foretold these
things, and which is able to perform even all the good which He has
promised. Read still further; "If ye walk in my
statues"--"I will walk among you, and will be your God, and ye shall
be my people." What a promise! Then we have the other side.
"But if ye will not hearken unto me......if ye despise my
statutes.....that ye break my covenant; I will even appoint over you terror,
consumption, and the burning ague.....and ye shall sow your seed in vain, for
your enemies shall eat it." The chapter is full of what would
befall this people if they persisted in walking in their own way.
"They that hate you shall reign over you." "And if ye
will not yet for all this hearken unto me, then I will punish you seven
times more for your sins." "I will bring seven times more
plagues upon you according to your sins." "And make you few in
number." "If ye will not be reformed......then will I also
walk contrary unto you, and will punish you yet seven times for your
sins." "I will bring the land into desolation."
"I will scatter you among the heathen....and upon them that are left of
you I will send a faintness into their hearts in the lands of their
enemies.....and they shall pine away in their iniquity."
THE VOICE OF
PROPHECY HAS BEEN CONFIRMED in the pages of history. Did God fail in His
purpose, or forget His promised blessings? Verily not! Israel were
a covenant-people; they accepted The Law at Sinai with its blessings and
curses, and undertook to be governed by those precepts and conditions.
God punished them because they deserved it, and yet to do them good--for
"if they shall confess their iniquity.....and their uncircumcised hearts
be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity: Then
will I remember my covenant with Jacob, with Isaac, and with Abraham: and
I will remember the land." Severity of God? Yes! But here
we see forbearance, and goodness. "And yet for all that....I will
not cast them away, neither will I abhor them, to destroy them utterly, and to
break my covenant with them; for I am the Lord their God."
<!--mstheme-->A "TIME" PERIOD<!--mstheme-->
IT IS GENERALLY
recognized, in relation to the prophetic periods of desolation and punishment
upon the land and people of Israel, that a "time" signifies a period
of 360 days. As, however, a literal day interpretation will
not--cannot--meet the requirements of the threatened punishment, it is obvious
that some other interpretation must be found which will more clearly help in an
endeavour to understand the time periods, as given in enigmatical form.
If the Bible did not furnish us with a suggestion, or alternative explanation,
the best we could do would be speculation on our part. Therefore our
first enquiry should be, Have we--in the Scriptures--any definite clue to
assist us in our efforts to "rightly divide the word of truth?"
Attention has already been directed to the testimony of Moses given to the
children of Israel; this scripture answers the question now submitted, and therefore
is worthy of repetition. "After the number of the days in which ye
searched the land, even forty years, each day for a year, shall ye
bear your iniquities, even forty years, and ye shall know my breach of
promise."--Num. 14: 34. Accepting this as a basis, we see
that a "time" being 360 days (literally), the same period
prophetically would represent 360 years.
To punish
Israel "seven times" therefore signifies a long period, even 7 times
360, which equals 2,520. A literal interpretation of this number "of
days" does not meet the situation, and we therefore must look upon the
number a figurative, not literal. A "day for a year" gives us
2,520 years, which unquestionably is nearer the mark than the same number of
days. Here, then we have a long period of time in which the people of
Israel were threatened with punishment if they failed to keep the Covenant
which God had made with them. "I will chastise you seven times for
your sins." In doing this the mantle of Heaven's favour would be
lifted from Israel, and yet the actual punishment would be effected by peoples
who were not Israel. "I will scatter you among the heathen,"
said God, "and will draw out a sword after you; and your land shall be
desolate, and your cities waste." This commenced to be fulfilled in
Old Testament times; and when we reach the time of our Lord we find they were
not ended.
When Jesus came
"to His own land" He did not fine "His own people"
established therein as an independent nation and kingdom. They had
already been "many days without a king," and were subject to a power
"strong as iron." Even so, Jesus foresaw and foretold of more
yet to come upon His people; "There shall be great distress in the land,
and wrath upon this people. And they shall be led away captive into all
nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times
of the Gentiles be fulfilled."--Luke 21: 24. During this
long period the kingdoms of men were to be in the ascendancy. The kingdom
of God had been overturned, and its throne was in the dust. It will
not again exist, and operate in the earth, until the kingdoms of men cease to
be. This is demonstrable from many scriptures, but one alone--in
words so well known, yet not so well understood--is for the present sufficient:
"The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of
his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever."--Rev. 11: 15.
Now whilst all peoples, who are not Israel, are a part of
the kingdoms of men, be they great or small, there are nevertheless certain
great powers in the earth which are particularly designated "the kingdoms
of men." In the ultimate all smaller peoples are included, even
though all may not share the same fate. The greater powers are presented
as oppressor of, and in opposition to, the kingdom of Israel; which was the
kingdom of God. The drama of nations is a portrayal of the uprise and
fall of these two distinctive forces in the earth.
The Kingdoms of
men are presented to us in Daniel 2, as "an image." On the
screen we show the head of gold, and the feet of iron and clay. The
breast of silver, and the thighs of brass, are not shown. This is to
emphasize that when "the image, and the interpretation thereof" were
made known to Nebuchadnezzar, the nations, represented thereby, were not all in
existence. No difficulty need be experienced in identifying the powers
spoken of, and represented by metallic parts of the image. They are:
<!--mstheme--><!--msthemelist-->
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<!--msthemelist--> |
<!--mstheme-->Babylon<!--mstheme--><!--msthemelist--><!--msthemelist--> |
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<!--mstheme-->Medo-Persia<!--mstheme--><!--msthemelist--><!--msthemelist--> |
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<!--mstheme-->Greece<!--mstheme--><!--msthemelist--><!--msthemelist--> |
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<!--mstheme-->Rome.<!--mstheme--><!--msthemelist--><!--msthemelist--> |
<!--mstheme-->
Obviously all these powers, or
empires, did not as such co-exist. Rome, as in the time of the iron feet,
certainly did not occupy a regal position cooperating with the head of gold in
Babylonian days. The identification of these four powers is essential to an
understanding of the subject-matter of the image. If we were left to
speculate upon the matter we would doubtless encounter many difficulties; but,
fortunately, it is not left to us to do so. We have direct testimony
which provides the identification. The first of the powers, represented
by the head of gold, is plainly stated to be that which was symbolized in the
king to whom the dream and the interpretation were given; "Thou art
this head of gold."--Dan. 2: 38. The second and third of these
great powers are briefly stated to be "the kings of Media and
Persia," and "the king of Grecia."--Dan. 8: 20, 21.
The fourth is mentioned (though not directly in regard to the image of Dan. 2.)
in Luke 2: 1. "There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus that all
the world should be taxed." In a brief epitome Daniel describes the
rise and fall of four universal empires, and presents a picture of yet another
manifestation of these four powers, which might be looked upon as a fifth
world power; then portrays their united demolition, to give place to another
kingdom more extensive than all preceding kingdoms and which will never be
destroyed. Has any human historian ever presented the equal in
descriptive briefness? Yet Daniel was a prophet, and testified beforehand
what should come to pass in the uprise and overthrow of these kingdoms--and did
so in a record which takes but a few minutes to read, and about thirty minutes
to write.
We cannot
emphasize too strongly that the nation of Israel occupies a prior place in
the Bible record, wherein many peoples and nations are spoken of, even to
the glory thereof. But Israel is first--all others secondary, and
referred to only in regard to their position and attitude relative to the Land
and people of God. The one is likened to a "vine," before whom
and for whose sake other peoples were cast out of their land, and the
"vine" planted therein. "Thou preparedst room before it,
and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land."--Psa.
80: 8, 9. The others were likened unto four beasts.--Dan. 7.
The "four great beasts" of Dan. 7, depict the same powers--from a
different viewpoint-- as do the metals of the image in the second chapter of
the same prophecy. The whole theme is worthy of a fuller and more extended
treatment than can be given in the present address. Now, our purpose is
to show the extent of the Kingdoms of Men in relation to the overthrow and
scattering of the Jews--the people and nation once planted and deep rooted in
the land of promise, but later uprooted, that it should no longer "cumber
the ground," and like the former inhabitants, "cast out" because
of unfaithfulness.
<!--mstheme-->THE DREAM<!--mstheme-->
"THOU, O
KING, sawest, and behold a great image. This great image, whose brightness
was excellent, stood before thee; and the form thereof was terrible. This
image's head was of fine gold, his breast and arms of silver, his belly and his
thighs of brass. His legs of iron, his feet part of iron and part of
clay. Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands, which
smote the image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and break them to
pieces. Then was the iron, the clay, the brass, the silver, and the
gold, broken to pieces together, and became like the chaff of the summer
threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that no place was found for
them: and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain, and
filled the whole earth."--Dan. 2: 31, 35.
<!--mstheme-->THE INTERPRETATION THEREOF<!--mstheme-->
"THOU, O
KING, art a king of kings: for the God of heaven hath given thee a kingdom,
power, and strength and glory. And wheresoever the children of men dwell,
the beasts of the field and the fowls of the heaven hath he given into thine
hand, and hath made thee ruler over them all. Thou art this head of
gold. And after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to
thee, and another third kingdom of brass, which shall bear rule
over all the earth. And the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron:
forasmuch as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things: and as iron that
breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou
sawest the feet and toes, part of potters' clay, and part of iron, the kingdom
shall be divided; but there shall be in it of the strength of the iron,
forasmuch as thou sawest the iron mixed with miry clay. And as the toes
of the feet were part of iron, and part of clay, so the kingdom shall be partly
strong, and partly broken. And whereas thou sawest iron mixed with miry
clay, they shall mingle themselves with the seed of men: but they shall not
cleave one to another, even as iron is not mixed with clay. And in
the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall
never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people, but
it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that THE STONE was cut out of the
mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron, the brass, the
clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to the king what
shall come to pass hereafter: and the dream is certain, and the
interpretation thereof sure."--Dan. 2: 37-45.
<!--mstheme-->IN THE LATTER DAYS<!--mstheme-->
AS already
stated, these four great kingdoms were to be successive, not coexistent.
"After thee shall arise," was to be the process. These separate
dynasties appeared and disappeared, each in turn playing their part in the
drama of nations, and to that extent proving the validity of the
prophecy. But there is one feature of the prophecy we require especially
to note. Daniel, to whom the dream and its meaning were given from God,
"in a night vision," informed the Babylonian monarch of the
underlying significance of the dream-image. Before doing so, however, the
prophet--realizing that the information so much desired "concerning this
secret" had been granted unto him--expressed himself in an ascription of
praise and blessing to the God of his fathers, in whom he had shown his faith
and trust. "Blessed be the name of God for ever and ever: for wisdom
and might are his: And he changeth the times and the seasons: he removeth
kings, and setteth up kings: he giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to
them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: he
knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with him. I thank
thee, and praise thee, O thou God of my fathers, who hast given me wisdom and
might, and hast made known unto me now what we desired of thee: for thou has
now made known unto us the king's matter."
Having done
this, Daniel requested to be presented to Nebuchadnezzar, to whom he said,
"There is a God in heaven that revealeth secrets, and maketh known to
the king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter days" Dan. 2: 28.
The image--which by the very nature of things could not stand upon its feet in
the past--is spoken of as being "broken in pieces together."
There must therefore be a latter-day manifestation of the image, when that
which was made "known to the king" shall come to pass "in
the latter days." How will this be brought about? Will it
be necessary for the ancient kingdoms to be restored in their former glory in
the lands of their possession? Such will not be required. We cannot
contemplate a Babylon as of old, alongside of a Medo-Persian Empire, both of
these powers to be co-existent with a third, which should "bear rule over
all the earth;" and yet find room for a fourth kingdom, strong to break in
pieces the other three. Such a view will not fit the case and
circumstances. Rather it will be accomplished by an aggregation of
forces--of the latter-day kingdoms--existing in the earth, which are
established upon, or in possession and control of those territories formerly
held by the four empires of the image. And this combination will be
antagonistic to the Jews and the Holy Land.
Here I submit, for your consideration, a statement by Dr.
John Thomas, published in 1869. "By turning to a map of Europe and
Asia, the reader may trace out the territory of the Kingdom of Babylon as it is
destined to exist in its last form under the King of the North in his Gogian
manifestation. The names of countries furnished by Ezekiel will lead him
to a just conception of its general extent. Besides 'All the Russias,' it
will take in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, Holland, Belgium, France, Spain,
Portugal, Italy, Switzerland, Germany, Prussia, Austria, Turkey, Persia,
Tartary, Greece, the Roman Africa, and Egypt. This will be a dominion of
great magnitude, extending from the North Sea to the Wall of China and
Afghanistan, and from the Ice-Sea to the Deserts of Africa and Arabia.
The organization which this vast empire will assume, when fully developed, is
represented in the second chapter of Daniel by a Colossus in human form, which
as an apparition flitted before the mind of Nebuchadnezzar in a dream.
Daniel says that the scene of which it was the subject, was representative of
what should be 'in the Latter Days.' This being admitted, it follows that
what is recorded in that chapter is yet in the future. The scene exhibits
a Colossus standing on its feet in unrivaled brightness of glory, and terrible
to behold. Standing thus for a time not indicated, another object appears,
even A STONE representative of a Power not in mortal hands. This
STONE-POWER smites the Colossus on the Feet, and it falls; after which the
Stone proceeds to reduce the broken fragments to dust which, by the violence of
the process, is carried away so completely that not a vestige of the Colossus
remains; and the place left void by the disappearance of the statue becomes the
territory of the Stone-power, which by the operation becomes a
Mountain-dominion, and fills the whole Image-earth. This scene has never
been exhibited before the eyes of the world, because the constituents of the
Colossus have never yet been put together so as to form the Image of the
scene. These constituents are represented by the different metallic
parts, as the Chaldaeo-Assyrian golden head; the Medo-Persian Assyrian silver
arms and breast; the Macedo-Assyrian belly of brass; the Greco-Assyrian, and
the Greco-Egyptian, northern and southern thighs of brass; the Latino-Assyrian
and the Greco-Assyrian eastern and western iron legs; and the Russo-Greek
Assyrian and Latino-Assyrian iron and clay feed and toes. Now, while the
head, breast and arms, belly, thighs, legs and toes, have all existed, the Feet
have not yet been formed: so that it has been hitherto impossible for the Colossus
Image to stand erect, as Nebuchadnezzar saw it in his dream. It is,
therefore, the mission of the Autocrat to form the feet and set up the image
before the world in all its excellent brightness, and terribleness of form;
that all men subject of the Kingdom of Babylon may worship the work of its
creator's power. It is impossible that Nebuchadnezzar's image can
represent any other imperial confederacy of nations than that under the King of
the North at the time of the end. The names given in Ezekiel's list of
Gog's army, are representative of the countries known to have existed under the
dynastic rule of the gold, the silver, the brass and the iron. Part of
Assyria proper already belongs to the King of the North, and pertains to the
gold; Persia is to be with him as the silver element; his Grecism is typified
by the brass; and his Gomerians by the iron; while his Magogians, Roshi,
Muscovites, and Siberians, with the central Asiatic Tartars of Togarmah's
house, are the clay, which he commingles with the iron to form the Feet as the
connecting medium between the Legs and Toes. Besides, no two such empires
as that of the Image and the Northern Gog could coexist in the latter days;
there would be neither population nor space for them in the Kingdom of Babylon.
As then the time and place of their existence are the same, they must,
therefore, be one and the same confederate power, the image being symbolical or
representative of the Gogian dominion of the King of the North, or Autocrat of
Russia" Exposition of the Prophecy of Daniel, Eureka, Vol. 3.
<!--mstheme-->PROPHECY BEING FULFILLED<!--mstheme-->
WE see from
what has been advanced that we have two Babylons--one of old, and another (of
which the first was typical) yet to come. In the prophecy Babylon's king
was informed, "Thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without
hands (which was not in hands: see margin reference), which smote the
image upon his feet that were of iron and clay, and brake them to
pieces."--Verse 34.
<!--mstheme-->WHO IS THE STONE?<!--mstheme-->
NO difficulty
should be experienced in answering this question, provided we are acquainted
with the true interpretation of "the things concerning the kingdom of
God," as outlined in the Promises, testified in the Psalms and the Prophets,
and assuredly preached to the Jews both by Jesus and His apostles. And
yet there are those who do not understand, and consequently misapply this
declaration. Being ignorant of the real Kingdom of God, and led away with
their own imaginations and what are actually fantastic notions, they seek to
apply "the Stone" to things present, rather than "to
come." They therefore teach that "the stone-kingdom" was
to be set up during and "in the days of each and all of those kings"
spoken of in Dan. 2, and therefore would be in existence, concurrent
with the image! They affirm "the Stone-Kingdom was intended to be
God's representative upon the earth, however imperfect and unworthy the
interpretation of the Image and its message, they ask; "Does the
Stone-Kingdom indicate the Christ?" Note the answer they will
give. "Nay. He is not the kingdom; never has been; never will
be. He is king of kings, reigns from heaven today--the spiritual king of
His spiritual kingdom."
It is not our
present purpose to wander down all these by-paths even though it would be
interesting to do so and to demonstrate the fallacies to be found in the
quotations given. We quote them to show how false foundations produce
erroneous ideas, and consequently men "teach for doctrine the commandments
of men," and no matter how sincere they may be, in believing what they
teach, the fact remains that "ignorance alienates from the life
of God." Eph. 4: 18, and it is only the "Truth as in
Jesus" than can save a soul from death. We dismiss these false
notions with but one observation; the "stone" which smites the
"image" accomplishes that work of destruction whilst it is still the
stone; it does not become a "kingdom" until later, when
--the wind of heaven having swept away the dust of the demolished image--the
stone becomes a great mountain, and fills the whole earth!
Who then is
the stone, or, who is represented by the stone? Here again, as in
many other matters, we must "compare scripture with scripture."
For Dan. 2: 35, is not the only verse in the Bible which speaks figuratively of
a stone. In the last blessing of Jacob, for his sons, mention is made of
"the hands of the Mighty God of Jacob;" and those words are followed
with the statement "from thence is the shepherd, the stone of Israel."--Gen.
49: 24. The prophet says of one:
"He shall
be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to
both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of
Jerusalem."--Isa. 8: 14.
Again we are told, "Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold I lay in
Zion for a foundation stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure
foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste (or, be confounded)--Isa.
28: 16.
Another testimony
is significant. "For, behold the
stone that I have laid before Joshua; upon one stone shall be
seven eyes: behold, I will engrave the graving thereof, saith the Lord of
hosts, and I will remove the iniquity of that land in one day."--Zech.
3: 9.
"Who art thou, O great mountain? before Zerubbabel
thou shalt become a plain; and he shall bring forth the headstone
thereof with shoutings, crying, Grace, grace unto it." --Zech 4: 7.
And concerning Jerusalem the same prophet declares
"For I, saith the Lord, will be unto her a wall of fire round about, and
will be the glory in the midst of her. Sing and rejoice, O daughter of
Zion: for, lo, I come, and I will dwell in the midst of thee, saith the
Lord."--Zech 2: 5, 10.
Speaking of the vision being yet for "an appointed
time," and making known that "at the end it shall speak, and not
lie" another prophet tells of a "proud man, who transgresseth by
wine, and cannot be satisfied, but gathereth unto him all nations, and ladeth
himself with thick clay!" Hab. 2: 3-6. It does not require
imagination to associate this prophecy with, and to see a similar picture of
what was revealed in Dan. 2 concerning "what shall be in the latter
days." In this connection we have the following statement;
"For the stone shall cry out of the wall." When
"the wall of fire round about" Jerusalem is in manifestation, surely
"the shepherd, the stone of Israel" will be there! And
the stone shall indeed cry out effectively. As a result the
"proud man" will be displaced--it is "woe unto him that buildeth
a town with blood." Though he "gather all nations," the
proud man will not succeed. Like unto the image ground to powder by The
Stone, and no place found for the dust thereof, so it will be with the
clay-laden proud man who having "cut off many people" will come to a
well-deserved end; and "the earth," being freed from such a
confederacy, will then "be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the
Lord, as the waters cover the sea."--Verse 14.
ENLARGING UPON THE STONE ASPECT of the "Lord Jesus Anointed,"
Dr. Thomas wrote, "In speaking of the appearance of the Man enthroned,
John says, 'it was like to a jasper and sardine stone.' He is in this
likened to a Stone most precious; not to a common stone, but to a very
brilliant and inestimable living stone. He is symbolized here by a stone,
because he is so designated in the prophets........This Shepherd-Stone is
typified in the two onyx stones of the Aaronic ephod, upon which the names of
the twelve tribes were engraved in the order of the birth of their fathers, and
which were to be borne before Yahweh upon the two shoulders of the one man
officiating as High Priest, for a memorial.--Ex. 28: 9, 12. The
prophecy that He was to be "a Stone of Stumbling," has in part been
accomplished, and we wait now for this stone to be laid in the identical place
where it was stumbled over; according to the words of the Spirit by the prophet
Isaiah, chapter 28: 16." (which scripture has been quoted above) Eureka,
Vol. 2, pp. 20, 21.
<!--mstheme--> THE STONE SMITES THE IMAGE<!--mstheme-->
IN the
preceding Lecture reference was made to the parable of the Vineyard as set
forth in Matt. 21. Attention is again directed to the same matter, but
this time our quotation is from Luke 20: 17, 18. "And he beheld them,
and said, "What is this then that is written, The Stone which the builders
rejected, the same is become the head of the corner? Whosoever shall fall
upon that stone shall be broken; but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind
him to powder." This is indeed the destined fate of the Image, when
smitten on the feet by the Stone of Israel. This same challenge, presented to
the chief priests and Pharisees, is expressed by Matthew and Mark as "Did
ye never read in the scriptures?" and "Have ye not read this scripture?"
to which is added "This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our
eyes." Mark 12: 11.
What is the scripture to which we are directed? Here
it is, the spirit of Christ in the Psalms; "I shall not die, but
live, and declare the works of the Lord. The Lord hath chastened me sore:
but he hath not given me over unto death. Open to me the gates of
righteousness: I will go into them, and I will praise the Lord: This gate of
the Lord, into which the righteous shall enter. I will praise thee; for
thou hast heard me, and art become my salvation. The stone which the
builders refused is become the head of the corner. This is the Lord's
doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath
made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" Psa. 118: 17-24.
"The Stone that smote the image," and according
to the prophecy is destined to become "a great mountain," is said to
be "cut out without hands" (marginal rendering, "which was not
in hands") verse 34 whilst in verse 45 "the stone
was cut out of the mountain without hands." Jesus was cut out of the
mountain of humanity "without hands," inasmuch as He was born Son of
man and Son of God. All that is involved in the destruction of the image
by the stone is comprehended in, and required by, the promises to the fathers,
and consequently were dependent upon the birth of Jesus; and also His second
appearing on the earth. This latter phase of Bible doctrine, so essential
to an understanding of the image climax, will be more fully demonstrated
in another Lecture. Here it must suffice to say that Jesus taught,
"If I go away, I will come again" John 14: 2, 3. HIS
COMING AGAIN is absolutely necessary for the fulfillment of the
Abrahamic and Davidic covenants; and for the obliteration of the image.
Jesus must return to the earth before He can take unto Himself His great power,
and reign on the earth--"King of kings, and Lord of lords."
Jesus was to be "a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence."
This He was to the Jews at His first coming, and what He was to them He will
also be to the Gentiles when He comes again. The Jews will ultimately
acknowledge the sin of their fathers, when they look upon Him whom their
fathers crucified; and the Gentiles in due time will acknowledge the follies of
an apostate "Christendom," when in the language of the prophet they
confess "Surely our fathers have inherited lies, vanity, and things
wherein there is no profit" Jer. 16: 19.
<!--mstheme-->SHINAR -- THE ENEMY'S LAND<!--mstheme-->
LOOKING now at
the screen, we see "the land of Shinar." After the flood, we
read, "And the whole earth was of one speech. And it came to pass,
as they journeyed from the east (or eastward), that they found a plain in the
land of Shinar; and they dwelt there."--Gen. 11: 1, 2.
"SHINAR is Babylon proper, the territory of the kingdom of Nimrod, the
mighty hunter of men and beasts before the Lord. It is the land of Babel,
where the children of men built the tower, and the Lord confounded human
language and scattered them; the land in which the Lord's nation was captivated
for its sins, and the vessels of His temple desecrated in the house of the god
of Babylon. It is the land whose chief city, as a golden cup in the
Lord's hand, made nations drunk and mad (Jer. 51:7.).......the land of
Shinar stands for all the territory of the enemy, where Israel is hunted
and captivated for their sins, and the saints, who are Jews inwardly, have in
past times shared the experiences of Daniel and his companions as far as
concern wild beasts and fire. The vision of Zech. 5, gives us this idea
of "Shinar" as Dr. Thomas has scripturally demonstrated (Eureka 1. p.
72). The house of the wicked woman there described, was to be built in the
land of Shinar, and established and 'set there upon her own
base'.....Babylon is condemned beforehand in the Revelation, and the prophets
and apostles are to rejoice over her downfall. In Isaiah 11, 'from
Shinar' suggests this secondary and antitypical view of a feature in the second
exodus. Of the number of Jews in the territory of ancient Shinar we know
little, but the spiritual extension of the territory necessitates the taking in
of nearly all the world; and the present estimation of the world's Jewish
population is from ten to eleven millions, whose rising watchword is ZION versus
BABEL, IMMANUEL'S LAND versus SHINAR." Ministry of the
Prophets, p. 232.
From an article dealing with the "Eastern
Geography of the Bible" by The Rev. H. W. Phillpott, M.A., Rector
of Staunton-on Wye, and Prelector of Hereford Cathedral; under the heading
MESOPOTAMIA we have the following quotation: "We notice that Nimrod was 'a
mighty one in the earth,' and that Babel, in the land of Shinar, 'was the
beginning of his kingdom' Gen. 10:10. The account of the tower
of Babel in Gen. 11 seems to tell us that as men journeyed from the east they
found a plain in the land of Shinar." Where, then, was the land of
Shinar? We find mention made of Amraphel, a king of Shinar, in Gen. 14:
1, and the name Shinar applied to the Assyrian country in Is. 11:11; Dan. 1:2;
Zech. 5:11; and also in the original of Josh. 7: 21, where our version renders
the words 'a robe of Shinar' by 'A babylonish garment,' a term which proves the
manufacturing celebrity of the district......Gen. 11:2, seems to say that Babel
was built by men who had come into the land of Shinar, 'from the east,' as if
the line of migration taken by this race of man had proceeded from its primeval
seat in Armenia first southwards and then westwards, a view which disagrees
both with the history mentioned above and with the native inscriptions which
have been lately deciphered. Accordingly, the phrase 'from the east' has
been interpreted to mean 'toward the east' as in the case in Gen. 13: 11, and
is thus made to agree with the view that the men who built Babel entered the
country from the south and west."--Bible Educator, Vol. 1 p. 263.
The obvious connection between "the land of
Shinar" and "the image" is discernible in the light of the
foregoing information. Throughout the ages there has been a conflict
between men and God. It was in that land that men sought to establish
their own way; but God tied their tongues and scattered the people. Since
then it has been Babel versus God: Babylon versus Zion, which
has been manifested in world conflict: "Babylon the great" versus
True Christianity. The Babylonian Image is to be destroyed by The
Stone and ground to powder; the ecclesiastical, or mystical Babylon is to be
"cast into the sea." Of this we read, "Babylon the great
is fallen. Alas, alas that great city Babylon, that mighty city! for in
one hour is thy judgment come. Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy
apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her. And a mighty
angel took up a stone like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea, saying,
Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and shall be
found no more at all" Rev. 18. Babylon therefore, in all ages,
is representative of secular and ecclesiastical powers which are antagonistic to
the Plan and Purpose of God, and in opposition to the rights and privileges of
His people. As the "head of gold" Babylon is
representative of the whole image when it is developed "in the latter
days."
The
subject-matter of the prophecy in Dan. 2, is extended more elaborately in
chapter 7, which records another dream--this one being Daniel's own;
"Daniel had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed." The
climax is the same. Being worthy of greater treatment than can be given
here, we must leave it for a separate treatise.
<!--mstheme-->LUCIFER'S FALL FROM BABYLONIAN HEAVEN<!--mstheme-->
IN the
controversy between Babylon and Zion it is assured that Zion will at last be
free. Briefly we present the demolition of the Image under quite a different
prophetic picture, which we find in the fourteenth chapter of Isaiah.
Though long trampled in the dust, "a byword and a reproach," Israel
will yet rejoice in a redemption which is likened unto "life from the
dead." So the prophet declares: "For the Lord will have mercy
on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land: and the
strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall cleave to the house of
Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to their place; and
the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord for servants and
handmaids; and they shall take them captives, whose captives they were; and
they shall rule over their oppressors." When the time comes
for "the Lord to give them rest from their sorrow, and from their fear,
and from the hard bondage wherein they were made to serve," they are
instructed to "take up a proverb," or taunting speech, "against
the king of Babylon." As the people of Israel, the Jews, are not yet
delivered from their enemies, obviously the time for the "taunting
speech" has not come. Therefore, it is evident that the king of
Babylon against whom the proverb is to be directed was not the king whose dream
"troubled his spirit, and brake his sleep from him" 2,500 years ago.
And before the proverb can be placed where it belongs another king of Babylon
must be manifested as the oppressor and persecutor of "the cedars of
Lebanon." Were it not for the fact that Nebuchadnezzar had been
shown what should come to pass "in the latter days" we might wonder
how to unravel the mystery. Isaiah's prophecy must likewise be a
revelation of what will be developed in the latter days. Lucifer
has both a "heaven" and a "hell," but these must not be
confounded with erroneous ideas concerning "heaven for the good," and
'hell for the bad." This "king" who ascends into
"heaven" is described as having "fallen from heaven," from
which elevation he "smote the people in wrath with a continual stroke, and
ruled the nations in anger." When the heights of heaven to which the
"king" had ascended could no longer retain his majesty the very
opposite of heaven was ready for him. "Hell from beneath is moved
for thee to meet thee at thy coming." HELL actually being the receptacle
of the dead, or the grave, "the dead" are represented as being
"stirred up," to make room for the king when he falls. Part of
the "taunting speech" is from "the kings of the nations"
who, having suffered at the hands of Lucifer, are found amongst the dead.
To this new-comer they say, "Art thou also become weak as we?
Thy pomp is brought down to the grave; the worm is spread under thee, and the
worms cover thee." Before this "king" did weaken the
nations, and was "cut down to the ground," he made great claims for
himself. Like the Babylonian king in the past, who "spake and said,
Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by
the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?"--Dan. 4: 30,
so this coming king of Babylon will boastfully vaunt his schemes. His
claims are
"I will ascend into
heaven."
"I will exalt my throne above
the stars of God."
"I will sit also upon the
mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north."
"I will ascend above the
heights of the clouds."
"I will be like the most
High."
Comparing "scripture with
scripture" will help to an understanding of these similes.
<!--mstheme-->THE MOUNT<!--mstheme-->
Isa. 27:
13. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great trumpet
shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in the land of
Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall worship the Lord in
the holy mount at Jerusalem."
Psa. 48: 1, 2. "Great is the Lord, and greatly to be praised
in the city of our God, in the mountain of his holiness.
Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth is mount Zion, on the sides
of the north, the city of the great King."
<!--mstheme-->CLOUDS<!--mstheme-->
Deut. 32:
1, 2. "Give ear, O ye heavens, and I will speak; and hear, O earth,
the words of my mouth. My doctrine shall drop as the rain, my speech
shall distill as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb and as the
showers upon the grass."
Deut. 33:
28. "His heavens shall drop down dew."
Prov. 3:
20. "The clouds drop down the dew."
We are told in Mal.
2: 7. "For the priest's lips should keep knowledge, and they
should seek the law at his mouth; for he is the messenger of the Lord of
hosts."
The priests,
therefore, were in the position of "clouds"; from them the figurative
"rain" fell upon the people.
<!--mstheme-->STARS OF GOD<!--mstheme-->
THE sun, moon,
and stars--literally--belong to the heavens; in the Scriptures they are often
used symbolically, and are representative of the higher positions and those who
occupy them. Of the family of Jacob, Joseph "dreamed, a dream more;
and, behold, the sun and the moon and the eleven stars made obeisance to
me"; the interpretation, given by Joseph's father, being "Shall I and
thy mother and thy brethren indeed come to bow down ourselves to thee to the
earth?" Gen. 37: 9, 10.
When "the heavens" of Israel were established in
the kingdom of God, the sons of Jacob occupied their respective places of
authority, under divine arrangement, and were set in "the heavens" as
the "stars of God." "Stars," however, are not always the
stars of God. From the burden of Babylon, upon whose constitution
the destructive hand of God was to fall, we are informed "For the stars of
heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light....Therefore I
will shake the heavens, and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the
wrath of the Lord of hosts, and in the day of his fierce anger." Isa.
13: 10, 13.
Of Rome also we read, "There appeared a great wonder
in heaven; a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon
her head a crown of twelve stars." Rev. 12: 1.
Of Him in whom all the promises of God are yea, and Amen,
we are told: "I am the root and the offspring of David, the bright and
morning star."--Rev. 22: 16. But the "morning
star" will not shine alone, for, "they that be wise shall shine as
the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever
and ever."--Dan. 12: 3.
<!--mstheme-->LUCIFER'S
IDENTITY<!--mstheme-->
"TAKE up this proverb against
the king of Babylon, and say, How hath the oppressor ceased! the golden
city ceased! (margin or, exactness of gold.)" Isa. 14: 4.
Compare this with the language of Rev. 18: 16. "Alas, alas
that great city, that was clothed in fine linen, and purple, and scarlet, and
decked with gold, and precious stones, and pearls!"
For the
identity of Lucifer, the king of Babylon of Isaiah's prophecy, we may take a
clue from the past, but must find
<!--mstheme-->A MODERN ASSYRIAN<!--mstheme-->
That there is to be a modern
Assyrian, or power in the earth in "the latter days," which answers
to the description of "Lucifer, the King of Babylon," is evident from
the following scriptures: "The Lord of Hosts hath sworn, saying, I
will break the Assyrian in my land, and upon my mountains tread him under foot;
then shall his yoke depart from off them, and his burden depart from off their
shoulders. This is the purpose that is purposed upon the whole earth;
and this is the hand that is stretched out upon all the nations."--Isa.
14: 24, 46.
It is interesting to compare the foregoing prophecy with
the record of what took place B.C. 710, when 185,000 Assyrians were slain in
one night."--2 Kings 19: 35.
Foretelling of One who was to come forth out of Judah, unto
God, to be "ruler in Israel," we read, "He shall stand and feed
in the strength of the Lord, in the majesty of the Name of the Lord his God;
and they shall abide; for now shall he be great unto the ends of the earth.
And this man shall be the peace, when the Assyrian shall come into our
land; and when he shall tread in our palaces, then shall we raise against him
seven shepherds, and eight principal men. And they shall waste the land
of Assyria with the sword, and the land of Nimrod in the entrances thereof: thus
shall he deliver us from the Assyrian, when he cometh into our land,
and when he treadeth within our borders." --Micah 5: 4, 6.
Such is the prophecy concerning the work of The Coming
Man, who at His first appearance "came not to send peace, but a
sword." --Matt. 10: 34. But "peace" will follow
the destruction of the latter-day Assyrian by "the Prince of
Peace." Recall now what we have seen developed on the Chart
regarding the name of the Lord. With that before us we consider another
prophecy. "Behold, the name of the Lord cometh from far, burning
with his anger, and the burden thereof is heavy: his lips are full of
indignation, and his tongue as a devouring fire; And his breath, as an
overflowing stream, shall reach to the midst of the neck, to sift the nations
with the sieve of vanity; and there shall be a bridle in the jaws of the
people, causing them to err. And the Lord shall cause his glorious voice
to be heard, and shall shew the lighting down of his arm, with the indignation
of his anger, and with the flame of a devouring fire, scattering, and tempest,
and hailstones. For through the voice of the Lord shall the Assyrian
be beaten down, which smote with a rod. For Tophet is ordained of
old; yea, for the king it is prepared; he hath made it deep and large;
the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream
of brimstone, doth kindle it."--Isa. 30: 27-33.
The long war between Babylon and Zion will end "when
the Lord of Hosts shall come down to fight for mount Zion, and for the hill
thereof. As birds flying, so will the Lord of hosts defend Jerusalem;
defending also he will deliver, and passing over he will preserve it. Then
shall the Assyrian fall with the sword, not a mighty man; and the sword,
not of a mean man, shall devour him; but he shall flee from the sword, and his
young men shall be discomfited. And he shall pass over to his strong hold
for fear, and his princes shall be afraid of the ensign, saith the Lord, whose
fire is in Zion, and his furnace in Jerusalem."--Isa. 31: 4, 9.
The glorious sequel will be, "Behold, a king shall
reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment."--Isa. 32:
1. Before this comes about the call goes forth to Zion "Awake,
put on thy strength, O Zion. Shake thyself from the dust, and loose
thyself from the bands of thy neck," for the day of captivity is
ending! "For thus saith the Lord God, My people went down to Egypt
at the first to sojourn there, and the Assyrian at the last oppressed
them." Louth's translation, Isa. 52:4.
In the soon-coming day when "Judah shall be saved, and
Israel shall dwell safely," neither Egypt nor Assyria shall afflict them
again; for the power of them both shall be broken for ever.
"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that they shall no more
say, The Lord liveth, which brought up the children of Israel out of the land
of Egypt; But , the Lord liveth, which brought up and which led the seed of the
house of Israel out of the north country, and from all countries
whither I had driven them: and they shall dwell in their own
land."--Jer. 23: 7, 8.
<!--mstheme-->"SET THY FACE AGAINST GOG"<!--mstheme-->
BEFORE the
Babylonian Image can stand upon its feet, "in the latter days," a
power must be developed and organized to such an extent that lesser powers will
comply with its demands, and be prepared to follow in its train. The
prophecy of Ezekiel, chapter 38, supplies the necessary indication, directing
the inquirer where to look for such a power. It is a mandate against a
European Power, which by its magnitude and intrigues will yet form a
combination of forces, the like of which has not yet been seen.
Quoting from Dr.
Young's Literal Translation here is the message: "There is a word of
Jehovah unto me saying;! Son of man, set thy face unto God, of the land
of Magog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophecy concerning him, and
thou has said: Lo, I am against thee, O Gog, Prince of Rosh, Meshech, and
Tubal." As the prophecy proceeds other lands are mentioned which
come under the dominion of Gog.
The time
appointed is "in the latter years"; the place of onslaught "the
mountains of Israel." To this central spot, O God, "Thou shalt
ascend and come like a storm, thou shalt be like a cloud to cover the land,
thou, and all thy bands, and many people with thee." Language
assuredly akin to Lucifer! The mountains of Israel, to which God
determines an attack, will be open to this storm-cloud when "my people of
Israel dwelleth safely." The direction--in relation to the Holy
Land--from which this confederacy will come is clearly specified; "Thou
shalt come from thy place out of the north parts, thou, and many
people with thee, all of them riding upon horses, a great company, and a mighty
army."
From out of the
North, the home of Rosh, whose leader will have obtained control also of the
land of Magog, this determined leader of so many forces will, at an appointed
time, "think an evil thought: And say, I will go up to the land of
unwalled villages; to take a spoil, and to take a prey. And thou shalt
come up against my people of Israel, as a cloud to cover the land; it shall
be in the latter days, and I will bring thee against my land, that
the heathen may know me, when I shall be sanctified in thee, O God, before
their eyes." So great is the indignation of God against these Gogian
hosts that the Lord God of Israel saith, "My fury shall come up in my
face," and "Surely in that day there shall be a great shaking in
the land of Israel."
This
"shaking" is in part caused by the interference of another power
against the progress of God, for we find "Sheba, and Dedan, and the
merchants of Tarshish with all the young lions thereof" (a lion-power in
the earth, which is said to sleep with one eye open). This Tarshish power
challenges the Northern forces, saying, "Art thou come to take a spoil?
hast thou gathered thy company to take a prey?" And with the second
eye now wide open the conflict begins. But God, who has brought Gog
against "His land," will not leave the decision to the forces of
Sheba and Dedan. God Himself will "call for a sword against
Gog." And saith the Lord, "I will plead against him with
pestilence and with blood; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and
upon the many people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and great
hailstones, fire, and brimstone."
By such
dramatic means, and conclusive evidence, will God "magnify myself, and
sanctify myself; and I will be known in the eyes of many nations, and they
shall know that I am the Lord."
As we have
already seen from the quotation given on p. 76 from Dr. Thomas, "By
turning to a map of Europe and Asia, the reader may trace out the territory of
the Kingdom of Babylon as it is destined to exist in the last form under the
King of the North in his Gogian Manifestation."
In the year
1849 Dr. John Thomas also wrote; "I have no doubt that the following
paraphrase will present the reader with the true import of the exordium to the
prophecy of Ezekiel concerning Gogue. 'Son of Man, set thy face against
Gogue., the emperor of Germany, Hungary, and autocrat Russia, Moscovy, and
Tobolskoi, and prophesy against him, and say, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold I
am against thee, O Gogue, autocrat of Russia, Moscovy, and Tobolskoi: and I
will turn thee about, and put a bit into thy jaws, and I will bring thee forth
from the north parts, and all thine army, horses and horsemen, all of them
accoutered with all sorts of armour, even a great company of bucklers and
shields, all of them handling swords; among whom shall be Persians, Ethiopians,
and Libyans; all of them with shields and helmet; French and Italians, etc.,
Circassians, Cossacks, and the Tartar hordes of Usbeck, etc.; and many people
not particularly named besides. Be thou prepared; prepare thyself, thou,
and all thy company that are assembled unto thee; and be thou Imperial Chief to
them.' From these premises, then, I think, there cannot be the shadow of
a doubt that the autocrat of Russia, when he shall have attained to the
plenitude of his power and dominion, is the subject of the prophecy contained
in the 38th and 39th of Ezekiel. This personage at present is only
"Autocrat of All the Russias,' that is of Ros, Mosc, and Tobl; while the
emperor of Austria holds the position of the Gogue of Magogue. But, as we
have seen elsewhere, the Austrian and German empire is doomed to extinction by
fire and sword; so that when this is broken up the Gogueship will be assumed by
the autocrat, or prince of Ros, Mosc, and Tobl." Elpis Israel,
p. 387.
A century has passed since that exposition of the
prophecies was written, and many changes have occurred in Europe; but nothing
has happened to interfere with the basic principle underlying that wonderful
treatise, to which the reader is directed for a more detailed elaboration of
the historic and prophetical development of the Kingdom of God.
<!--mstheme-->AFTER THESE THINGS<!--mstheme-->
"THE
DARKEST HOUR OF NIGHT IS THE HOUR BEFORE THE DAWN." And although the
things of which I have spoken portend a time of trouble and calamity for this
"sad, old earth," we must look beyond the horizon. In the last
message, given by divine inspiration, we are carried forward; "And after
these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying,
Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and honour, and power, unto the Lord our God:
For true and righteous are his judgments; for he hath judged the great whore,
which did corrupt the earth with her fornication, and hath avenged the blood of
his servants at her hand. And I heard as it were the voice of a great
multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty
thunderings, saying, Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. 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. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF
KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS."--Rev. 19.
And so Israel now being saved from the hand of their
enemies, the ancient people--having their kingdom restored and their land
freed--will enter into a new covenant with the Holy One of Israel. This
phase of the subject, now deferred, will be dealt with in another Lecture, The
Wandering Jew.
We close with the cry of their prophet ringing through the
years, "Arise, shine: for thy light is come, and the glory of the Lord is
risen upon thee. The Lord shall arise upon thee, and his glory shalt be
seen upon thee. And the Gentiles shall come to thy light, and kings to
the brightness of thy rising. Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the
ships of Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far. And the sons of
strangers shall build up thy walls, and their kings shall minister unto thee; for
in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour I had mercy on thee. For
the nation and kingdom that will not serve thee shall perish; yea, those
nations shall be utterly wasted. Thy sun shall no more go down; neither
shall thy moon withdraw itself; for the Lord shall be thine everlasting light, and
the days of thy mourning shall be ended."--Isa. 60. I THE LORD WILL
HASTEN IT IN HIS TIME! Amen.
<!--msthemeseparator--><!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->Lecture 5<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->A Crown of Thorns and A Crown of
Life<!--mstheme-->
<div
align="center">
God
so loved the World. Christ died for our sins.
</div><div align="center">
Gethsemane.
Olivet. He will come again.
</div><div align="center">
Go
teach all nations. If we suffer with Him, we will reign with Him.
</div>
<!--msthemeseparator-->
ONE of the best known verses of the Bible is John 3: 16.
It has formed the basis of so many evangelical sermons, and
appeals--from many and varied sources--to the sinner, that it has been styled
"a well-worn text." Children have recited it; men and women
quote it, and preachers labour it, as though it is the whole gospel; and all
one has to do "to be saved" is to accept it. Now whilst the
verse is usually quoted, and generally read, as though its application was, and
is, to the world at large, there is a more restricted sense of its primary
application. "For God so loved the world." It is
within the scope of honest enquiry for one to ask. Which world?
In our version of The Bible the word "world" is found to be
translated from different words, and from words which do not have the
same meaning. Therefore the meaning of the word "world" in our
Bible cannot always be the same, and the word itself fails to convey the idea
to the mind which was intended when first used. The "world" of
John 3: 16. (Kosmos--order or arrangement) is not necessarily the same
"world" as that mentioned in Matt. 24: 14, "and this gospel of
the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come;" or in Luke 2: 1, "And it
came to pass in those days, that there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus
that all the world should be taxed." It is not Kosmos in
these two verses, but "Oikoumene," which signifies the
"habitable earth," "civilized world," and 2, "the
Roman Empire."
The ministry
and preaching of Jesus were confined to certain places and to one
people. This fact is definitely stated, and should be carefully
considered in relation, not only to the theme now before us, but, to many
phases of the Divine Plan. We read, "And Jesus went about all the
cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of
the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the
people."--Matt. 9: 35. Having called unto him his twelve
disciples, and given to them power to deal with sickness and disease, Jesus
gave them a commission; "He commanded them, saying, Go not into the
way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not; But
go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel."--Matt. 10: 5, 6.
This restricted sense of the work of Jesus is further shown by the words He
spake to His disciples regarding the request of the woman of Canaan in Matt.
15: 24, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel." Yet Jesus helped her, because her faith was great!
The
"world" unto which Jesus came was the Jewish world, and although it
received him not, nevertheless that kosmos was the subject of the love
of God. "God so loved that world." Do you ask,
Why did God love a world which rejected His Son? Let the apostle Paul
answer: "For this is my covenant unto them, whom I shall take
away their sins. As concerning the gospel, they are enemies for
your sakes; but as touching the election, they are beloved for the fathers'
sakes."--Rom. 11: 28. And the same Eternal Spirit, which
directed the Apostle to pen those words, spake by the prophet, "But I had
pity for my holy name, which the house of Israel had profaned among the
heathen, whither they went. Therefore say unto the house of Israel, 'Thus
saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for
mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye
went."--Ezek. 36: 22. Truly God loved that world,
for unto it He had given "exceeding great and precious promises," and
had watched over them in individual and national development, sending to them
His prophets, and last of all His Son; even through whom the sine of the world
would be taken away.
But we live in
a period of the world's development when the love and mercy of God has been
extended beyond the confines of Israel. This is truly a distinctive
advance in the 7,000 years Plan. It brings us to the third section of the
Chart. This extension of divine favour is made known to us in the
following words: "Paul called the chief of the Jews together" and
addressed them concerning "the hope of Israel," which some believed
and others did not. Disagreeing, they departed "after that Paul had
spoken one word, Well spake the Holy Spirit by Esaias the prophet unto our
fathers, saying, Go unto this people, and say, Hearing ye shall hear, and
shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: Be it known
therefore unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles,
and they will hear it." Acts 28: 25, 28. We must not
conclude, from these words, that all the Gentiles to whom the Gospel should be
preached would favourable respond to its invitation, or be saved by it.
Rather let our interpretation be in accordance with another scripture;
"Simeon hath declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles, to
take out of them a people for his name."--Acts 15: 14.
And again, "Then Paul and Barnabus waxed bold, and said (to the Jews), It
was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you; but
seeing ye put it from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life,
lo, we turn to the Gentiles."--Acts 13: 46.
The Plan was, To the Jew first. Some received
the Word, and were saved thereby. The majority "did not profit
thereby."--Heb. 4: 2. The record therefore continues,
"For so hath the Lord commanded us, saying, I have set thee to be a light
of the Gentiles, that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the ends of the
earth. And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified
the word of the Lord: and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed."--Acts
13: 46, 48. The plan is to take out a people, not to save
the people as a whole irrespective of their response to the invitation of the
Almighty. The message of the Gospel, both to Jew and Gentile, is a call
for "the obedience of faith."--Rom. 1: 5. Why
faith? Because "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." Heb. 11: 6.
No one can "come to God" who does not believe in Him. To merely
understand what the Bible teaches as the way of Salvation --an intellectual
process--without belief and faith in the promises of God is not sufficient to
bring either Jew or Gentile to God. In such cases "the word
preached does not profit, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard." Heb. 4: 2. "Faith is the substance of
things hoped for"--not merely heard about. Also "it is
the confident assurance of things not seen."--Heb. 11: 1.
"Not seen," but promised by One who is able to perform what He has
promised.
No one can have
this "confident assurance" who is not persuaded of the promises,
and who is without faith in them. The Apostle appreciated this, for
the taught, "By grace ye are saved through faith; and that not
of yourselves: IT IS THE GIFT OF GOD."--Eph. 2:8. And what
is this faith? It is "the faith of the gospel." Phil.
1: 27. Faith in, and faith by, the gospel, alone enables
the readers to believe and obey, that they may be saved. It cannot be
emphasized too strongly that only such faith-inspired and faith-energized
persons can please God by accepting His Truth, as made known in the Gospel
of Salvation. To profess to accept the gospel for fear of hell-fire
torment, or any other kindred fallacy, would not bring about "joy in
heaven," such as is the case when --with a meek and quiet spirit, and a
contrite heart--a sinner truly and conscientiously repents, and seeks remission
of sins in the divinely appointed way. If such as are "poor and of a
contrite spirit," tremble at the Word of God, it is not necessarily for
fear of punishment, but rather because of the majesty and might of the God of
Israel--"who only doeth wondrous things"--in His magnificent offer
"to redeem a soul" from death. This true spirit of approach to
God is further illustrated by the Saviour, in His words to the woman of Samaria:
"God is spirit; and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and
in truth: For the Father seeketh such to worship him."--John
4: 23, 24.
The
"gospel" is "glad tidings," or "good news." The faith of the
gospel is something arising from that which is made known in the glad tidings;
something to be understood, believed, accepted and obeyed; if a person desires
to participate in the benefits set forth therein. Obviously the good
news, or the gospel, spring from "the Hope of the promise, made of God
unto the fathers" which we have elaborated in the previous Lectures.
The "promise" and "faith" are closely associated by Paul in
the following quotation: "For the promise, that he should be the heir
of the world, was not to Abraham, or to his seed, through the law, but through
the righteousness of faith. For if they which are of the law be
heirs, faith is made void, and the promise made of none effect: Because the law
worketh wrath; for where no law is, there is no transgression. Therefore it
is of faith, that it might be by grace; to the end the promise
might be sure to all the seed; not to that only, which is of the law, but to
that also which is of the faith of Abraham; who is the father of us
all."--Rom. 4: 13.
Here then we have the gospel to both Jew and Gentile; the
basis of its operation in all cases being faith, like unto
Abraham who was "strong in faith," and which "was imputed to him
for righteousness. Now it was not written for his sake alone, that it was
imputed to him; But for us also, to whom it shall be imputed, if we believe
on him that raised up Jesus our Lord from the dead; who was delivered for
our offences,and was raised again for our justification."--Rom. 4:
22-25. In this extended light and application we read again the
words of "that old-fashioned text," "For God so loved the world,
that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3: 16.
As demonstrated in a former Lecture when God gave His Son
it was necessary that "the Son of man be lifted up." When
John--the Baptist--"seeth Jesus coming unto him," he saith,
"Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world."--John
1: 29. Could Jesus "take away the sin" while He still
lived, as He then was and had been from His birth? Throughout His life
His record was "holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners."--Heb.
7: 26. Could Jesus by these attributes alone take away sin? If
He could, what meaneth then the scripture which saith of some, "Whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world."--Rev. 13: 8? And again, of the "Root of
David," we read: "In the midst of the elders, stood a lamb as it
had been slain; And they sung a new song, saying, "Thou art worthy to
take the book, and to open the seals thereof: For thou wast slain, and hast
redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and
people, and nation: Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive
power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and
blessing."--Rev. 5: 6, 9, 12.
Questions
may here arise, and rightly so. Why
must the Lamb of God be slain? Why did Jesus die? Could not God
save the people without the death of Christ? And, moreover, Could Jesus
obtain "the glory set before Him, without being slain?
THE TRAGEDY OF THE CROSS IS
OUTSTANDING IN ALL HUMAN HISTORY. Why was it "that thus it must
be?"--Matt. 25: 54. There must be some definite
principle involved which alone can account for this "must be." To
say that God required the death of Jesus, and therefore He submitted to have
His life taken away by wicked men, is not sufficient. Whilst true, it
does not explain why "thus it must be." Certain facts duly
considered will provide the answers to our questions and give a reason for the
necessity of a slain Lamb. We note that Jesus was "the seed of the
woman"; He was also "the seed of Abraham," and "the Son of
David." And whilst Jesus is spoken of as being "the Son of
God," He is also "Son of Man." In support of this
we have the following, among other scriptures:
"Thou
shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name
JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest:
and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:
And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom
there shall be no end."--Luke 1: 31, 33.
"Jesus saith, the Son of Man hath not where
to lay his head."--Matt. 8: 20.
"And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my
beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased."--Matt. 3: 17.
"And the multitudes cried, saying, Hosanna to the
Son of David....Who is this? This is Jesus the prophet of Nazareth
of Galilee."--Matt. 21: 9, 11.
"Pilate saith unto them, Behold the man!"--John
19: 5.
"Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made.
And to thy seed, which is Christ."--Gal. 3: 16.
"God ........hath glorified his Son Jesus."
Saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of
the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son
Jesus, sent him to bless you."--Acts 3: 13, 25, 26.
In Acts 2:22, 23, we have "a man approved of
God" taken, "and by wicked hands crucified and slain." To
understand and appreciate that all of this was according to "the
determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God," there are many things to be
considered which form the basis of the operation of God in the scheme of
redemption. Behold, then, the babe born in a manger, in fulfillment of
the word given by the angel. "Favour with God hast thou found, and
thou shalt bring forth a son! How shall this be? The Holy
Spirit shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow
thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be
called the Son of God." Over the fields of Bethlehem the angelic
host sang His praise; the strains of which have not yet died away from the
earth, but thrill the soul of man from year to year. At the age of 12
years, with Joseph and his mother, Jesus went according to the custom, to
Jerusalem, "at the feast of the Passover." There, in the temple, He
confounded the doctors, "both hearing them, and asking them
questions." The Spirit of the Lord was upon Him, making Him of quick
understanding in the fear of the Lord! The result being, "all that
heard him were astonished at his understanding and answers."--Luke 2:
42-47.
When "about thirty years of age" Jesus was made
known to the children of Israel. Having passed through, and overcome, the
trial in the wilderness, Jesus began to preach to the people, following
John--who had been "The voice of one crying in the wilderness, Prepare ye
the way of the Lord.....all flesh shall see the salvation of God."--Luke
3: 4-6. For a brief span Jesus "went about doing good, for God was
with him."--Acts 10: 38. Openly He condemned the leaders of
the people, because they failed to carry out the will of His Father, even their
God. Jesus said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses' seat:
All therefore whatsoever they bid you observe, that observe and to; but do not
ye after their works; for they say, and do not."--Matt. 23: 1-5.
"Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of sickness and all
manner of disease among the people."--Matt. 4: 23. It is
interesting to read that "the common people heard him gladly."--Mark
12: 37. How different with the Pharisees, even though they sat in
Moses' seat, and should have done as Moses did in his day! Of them it is
written, "Then the Pharisees went out, and held a council against him, how
they might destroy him." Jesus escaped, by withdrawing "himself
from thence."--Matt. 12: 14, 15. His condemnation of them
was severe and scathing: "O generation of vipers, how can ye, being evil,
speak good things?"--Matt. 12: 34.
Jesus unfolded many things, speaking often in parables, and
whilst many people could not understand and perceive His meaning, nevertheless,
they against whom His words were directed did discern their import, for
"when the chief priests and Pharisees had heard his parables, they
perceived that he spake of them. But when they sought to lay hands on
him, they feared the multitude, because they took him for a prophet."--Matt.
21: 45, 46. Maddened as they were, by this open condemnation of
their ways by Jesus, the Pharisees did not fail to see that "the common
people" responded more favorably to the teaching of the Nazarene; and so,
fearing the people, they must wait for a suitable opportunity to be rid of Him.
Then, as now, force is a convenient weapon with which to dispose of an
enemy, even though "the enemy:" be a righteous man. They could
not catch Him in His speech, even though they tried sending "officers to
take him." But these men returned without Him, and in response to
the demand, "Why have ye not brought him?" They answered,
"Never man spake like this man;" only to be met with "Are ye
also deceived?"--John 7: 45, 47.
Little did
those self-righteous Pharisees know, or care, that the Holy One of Israel was
directing the steps of His own Son; and that only when He, the Father, would
permit it could they, even with the people supporting them, take the Son.
Jesus testified of this when He was before Pilate, saying, "Thou
couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above:
therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin."--John
19: 11. But when the time came for "all things to be
fulfilled" which had been foretold, and "written concerning Him in
the Law of Moses, and the prophets, and the psalm"--Luke 24: 44, the
opportunity they longed for was provided; and the way opened for the
accomplishment of their evil designs. Sometimes, by ways altogether
unexpected, momentous events are brought about; for whilst "the chief
priests and Scribes sought how they might kill hem, satan entered into
Judas Iscariot, being one of the twelve."--Luke 22: 3.
Did Jesus, I wonder, at that same moment recall what was
written of Him in the Psalms? "All that hate me whisper together
against me; against me do they devise my hurt. Now that he lieth he shall
rise up no more. Yea, mine own familiar friend, in whom I trusted, which
did eat of my bread, hath lifted up his heel against me."--Psa. 41: 7,
9. Glad were they when Judas approached the chief priests and
captains--so glad that they "covenanted with him money." Judas
therefore promised, and "sought opportunity to betray him unto them in the
absence of the multitude." In the darkness of the night, rather than
the light of day; for "men love darkness rather than light" when
their deeds are evil. Later, Jesus said unto Judas "That thou doest,
do quickly." This mandate followed a verification of the application
of the above Psalm (which some may doubt or deny) to Jesus. "I speak
not of you all," said Jesus, "I know whom I have chosen: but that the
scripture may be fulfilled, He that eateth bread with me hath lifted up his
heel against me. Now I tell you before it come, that, when it is come to
pass, ye may believe that I am he."--John 13: 18, 19.
"Truly," said the Master, "the Son of man goeth, as it was
determined; but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed!"--Luke 22:
22.
<!--mstheme-->A LAST
SUPPER<!--mstheme-->
BRIEFLY let us
review some of the events which led to the cross. Judea becomes the
scene of contemplation. Nigh to Jerusalem, where two ways meet, the
disciples of Jesus find a colt, which being loosed is taken to Jesus, and upon
which He enters the City. They that went before, and they that followed,
are heard to cry, "Hosanna; Blessed be the kingdom of our father David,
that cometh in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest." The
scene changes. A large upper room furnished is found. The passover
has been prepared; all is ready that they may eat. When the hour was come
Jesus, and the twelve apostles, having entered the guest-chamber were ready to
celebrate the feast of unleavened bread. To them the Master saith,
"I have heartily desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer.
For I say unto you, I will not any more eat thereof, until it be
fulfilled in the kingdom of God." Leaving now the City we wend our
way
<div
align="center">
Beyond
where Kedron's waters flow
</div><div align="center">
(and
there)
</div><div align="center">
Behold
the suffering Saviour go
</div><div align="center">
To
sad Gethsemane.
</div><div align="center">
His
countenance is all divine,
</div><div align="center">
Yet
grief appears in every line.
</div>
From the seclusion of Gethsemane.,
in the solitude of the night, we hear the thrice-repeated cry, "O my
Father if it be possible, let this cup pass from me! Nevertheless, not
as I will, but as thou wilt." As we silently stand within the garden,
we hear the traitor's kiss, and see Jesus led away to the judgment hall.
We hear, and acknowledge, the good confession witnessed before Pilate, and find
ourselves at Calvary; there to behold and wonder?
Say, who hangs on yonder
tree,
Doomed, impaled in agony?
Body bleeding, scourged and
bare,
Pale and gashed that visage
fair;
Heart weighed down by shame
and grief,
Friend nor foe will give
relief.
Tell what crimes the man
hath done?
Justice, Truth, both answer
none!
Hear the lonely sufferer's
cry;
See Him bow His head and
die.
Bear Him to the cave away;
Soldiers guard it night and
day.
Reverberating through the ages
comes the voice of Israel's poetic prophet; "It pleased the Lord to
bruise him." "He is despised and rejected of men; a man of
sorrows, and acquainted with grief; he was despised and we esteemed him
not. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted; yet he opened not his
mouth. He was taken from prison and from judgment; and who shall declare
his generation?" Before the echo of the prophet's cry has passed
away, we hear the Apostle to the Gentiles declare, "I delivered unto you
first of all that which I also received, how that Christ died for our sins
according to the Scriptures; And that he was buried and that he rose again the
third day according to the Scriptures."--1 Cor. 15: 3, 4. So,
"Thus it behooved Christ to Suffer."
A man of sorrows! Who went about doing good!! Why,
oh Why, must it thus be so? Why did Jesus die?
<!--mstheme-->CHRIST CRUCIFIED AND YET
WITHOUT SIN - WHY?<!--mstheme-->
"TWO
things must here be kept in view--Christ suffering and yet Christ righteous and
approved. Christ crucified and yet Christ not crucified. This may
appear to be a contradiction of terms, but it is not. It was just for God
to require the crucifixion of Christ, else He would not have required it; and
yet Christ was without sin, and one without sin ought not to be
crucified. God's justice must be seen here, and yet His love
must find place. The explanation of this paradox is found only in a
discrimination between the life of Christ physiologically, and His life
biographically. Physiologically His life was Adamic--the life and the
flesh of the Adamic race, every member of which was condemned in Adam, Christ
(considered as a descendant of Adam, as a man and not as a character) included;
for if a chain is condemned every link in it must necessarily be condemned.
O, say some,
how you dishonor Christ when you say He was under Adamic condemnation, and that
He needed cleansing and perfecting! Superficially viewed it may appear
so; but look here, my well-meaning friend, come with me to the Garden of
Gethsemane.; look over there at the Son of God bowed in sorrow, bathed in
tears, sweating as it were great drops of blood. Come along with me to
Calvary, and I will only ask you to glance at the spectacle of our beloved
Saviour; it is really the Christ Himself that is nailed to yonder cruel
cross. I will not ask you to go close to the sad scene nor to hear the
heart-sickening words, 'My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?' Let
us turn back, and I will now talk with you about this matter of dishonoring the
suffering Christ by saying that He was not perfect and holy by birth, but had
to perfect Himself in an imperfect and sin-stricken nature. Judging after
the manner of men, and thinking of Him as the Son of God only I would
naturally, yes, naturally, rush to the belief that He was as pure as
Adam was before he sinned; yes, as good as an angel of heaven. But then
what about the scene we have just witnessed? Were you to see Adam
before he sinned on the cross what would you say? Were you to see an
angel crucified, if it were possible, what would your inmost soul exclaim?
Would you not declare it ought not to be? And I would answer you,
it ought not to be; and if Christ was as Adam before he sinned, I would say
of Him on the cross, 'IT OUGHT NOT TO BE.'
Now, then,
since He was crucified according to a pre-arranged plan of God, I am bound to
say it ought to be; but how can I intelligently say so? Shall I
blindly say so, or shall I accept the Spirit's offer, 'Come and let us reason
together?' When we do this we shall see the Christ considered in His
relation to Adam (Adamic condemnation that passed upon all in him, and Adamic
nature) I say, Christ considered legally and physically, typified by Moses
lifting up the serpent, a symbol of sin; typified by the scarlet of the
dividing vail of the tabernacle, typified in may of the Mosaic shadows of sin
condemned in the flesh that committed it; when, I say, Christ upon the cross is
considered in these relations we can see how, according to God's plan,
it ought to be. But Christ considered in relation to developed character
'holy, harmless and undefiled,' and this side only kept in view, it ought not
to have been.
Let us keep
both sides before us and all will be as clear as the 'great mystery of
godliness' can be to our weak and finite capabilities. It was therefore
Adamic life that was taken because of sin. It was Christ's life legally
and physiologically, if you will allow me the expression, that was crucified,
and that because of His relation to Adam's sin; and thus God's justice was
manifested in 'condemning sin in the flesh.' Biographically Christ's life
was not Adamic; it was of God, heavenly. It was never under
condemnation; and as soon as this life as a new mental and moral creature come
to the birth, in being 'born out of water,' Heaven's approving voice declared:
'This is my beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.' When Christ had
finished His work, in overcoming the evils the first Adam had entailed upon
Him, He passed out, on and up to redemption. He passed 'through the
vail--that is to say, His flesh,' into glory, honor and immortality, and became
federally for all in Him 'the way, the truth, and the life.' Now in the
crucifixion of Christ there was the shedding of blood, without which there is
no remission of sins.
That God should
require the shedding of blood is what causes many to stagger; and this arises
from a failure to see the relation of the race to the law of sin and
death. The law condemned the whole race in Adam because flesh and blood
became unclean in the sight of God through Adam's sin. By the one sin of
Adam flesh-and-blood man passed into a state in which the natural tendency of
the flesh was sinful, and therefore unfit for eternal living existence.
God being holy, the flesh-and-blood man being unholy in his natural tendency,
the justice and purity of divine law lawfully required the crucifixion
of the flesh, the taking of life from it by the shedding of its blood.
This was the only way that God's justice could ever admit of His mercy saving
one who descended from Adam. But the shedding of the blood of a mere son
of Adam would not admit of redemption. If the one whose blood is shed is
a personal sinner as well as a sinner of Adam, neither justice nor
mercy can save him; justice cannot save an actual sinner, and mercy cannot
interfere in his behalf without colliding with justice, which would place one
attribute of God against another. There must be a situation formed in
which justice can be met by the shedding of the blood of sin's flesh, and yet
the one be saved. No man could form such a situation; only God could do
it, and in doing it He is the Saviour, and His goodness and mercy are
manifested."--Thomas Williams., in "Regeneration."
<!--mstheme-->NO FAULT IN THIS MAN<!--mstheme-->
THE foregoing
extract should help us to understand why "thus it must be"; why One
"who did no sin" should be called upon to die a sacrificial death,
and how those who seek to do the will of God may be cleansed and covered; and
that they may find a way of approach, and access to God, opened up for them.
We now go back
to where we were before giving the quotation. There are different aspects
of the death of Christ which need to be considered. Even Pilate knew that
the Jews had "for envy delivered Jesus unto him." Envy,
jealousy and hatred were the actuating principles on the part of the Jewish
leaders, who determined to be rid of the prophet of Galilee.
So Pilate, in
the part he had to play in this greatest drama of humanity, in his official
capacity, could do no other than he did--even when he desired to do so.
These all, from their natural point of view, performed their part. They
did not believe that Jesus was the Son of God.
It is certain
that Herod and Pilate were not interested in the religious claims of
Jesus--more likely they thought of Him as a visionary, but harmless,
fanatic. Pilates's first announcement, to the chief priests and the
people--after he heard their accusations--was, "I find no fault in this
man." Later he said,
"Ye have
brought this man unto me, as one that perverteth the people: and, behold, I
have examined him before you, have found no fault in this man touching those
things whereof ye accuse him: No, nor yet Herod: for I sent you to him; and,
lo, nothing worthy of death is done unto him." And when the people
cried, saying, "Crucify, crucify him," Pilate challenged them,
"Why, what evil hath he done? I have found no cause of death in
him." And yet, when their voices prevailed, Pilate "gave
sentence that it should be as they required."
This is the
testimony of Luke 23. And so "the Son of man must go, as it
was determined." "Being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God," He who did no sin, was about to be
"taken, and by wicked hands crucified and slain."--Acts 2: 23.
Here, then, is
testimony of Luke 23. And so "the Son of man must go, as it
was determined." "Being delivered by the determinate
counsel and foreknowledge of God," He who did no sin, was about to be
"taken, and by wicked hands crucified and slain."--Acts 2: 23.
Here, then, is another phase of the death of
Christ--"the counsel of God." It was therefore God's will and
"determination." But why? For what reason, and by what
cause? After Pilate "took Jesus, and scourged him," the
soldiers indulged in a little mockery--they "platted a crown of thorns,
and put it on his head." Jesus came forth "wearing the crown
of thorns, and the purple robe. And Pilate saith unto them, Behold the
man!"--John 19: 2, 5. Here we have "the man Christ
Jesus" with both the thorns and the purple. Whether intended or not
there is much significance in the picture. "The man" was of the
Adamic race. "By one man sin entered the world."
"Sin reigned unto death." Jesus died "to take away
sin." "The first man was of the earth, earthy." Part
of the condemnation upon the sinner, and therefore upon all who sinned in him,
was "cursed is the ground for thy sake; thorns also and thistles shall it
bring forth to thee." The thorns were carried with
"the man" to "the accursed tree," when "He died unto
sin." Had Jesus continued in death there would have been no need
for the purple robe; of this we shall speak later, noting here that "the
purple" was taken from Him, when lead out by the people to the
crucifixion.
A distressing
feature of the proceedings was the taunts of the mob directed against the
Saviour. How the wicked do rejoice to speak against the righteous!
How the bad would defile the good with, and by, their slurring, contemptible
and diabolical insinuations, taunts and accusings. The defence of their
own evil is in the expression of their grovellings and maliciousness. As
now even so 1900 years ago. "They that passed by railed on him,
wagging their heads, and saying, Ah, thou that destroyest the temple and
buildest it in three days, Save thyself, and come down from the
cross." Mockingly others said, "He saved others; himself he
cannot save." Did they expect to see such an exhibition of power in
Him, and from Him, that would convince them and soften their adamant hearts,
enlighten their understandings, and open their minds to the Will of God?
No, indeed; not one whit more so than when Jesus, in His parable, told them,
"If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded,
though one rose from the dead."--Luke 16: 31. "Let the
King of Israel," they cried, "descend now from the cross, that we
may see and believe." They did not believe that he
was the Christ, the Son of the Living God, the One spoken of in the prophets
"who was to come." They said He had a devil, and wrought by the
power thereof. They were unenlightened rejecters of the claims of
both God and His Son. Darkness mantled "the whole land until
the ninth hour." And then the grief-stricken cry was heard, "My
God, my God, why has thou forsaken me."--Mark 15: 29-34.
FORSAKEN OF GOD? Yes, but why? We
have seen the implication of the "crown of thorns"; now let Peter
speak of Him "who did no sin"; "Who his own self bare our sins
in his own body to the tree."--1 Pet. 2: 24. Having cried
again with a loud voice, and knowing that all things then to be accomplished
had been fulfilled, Jesus bowed His head, and died. A centurion
standing by, having beheld all that was done, "glorified God," in
that he declared "Certainly this was a righteous man."
<!--mstheme-->FORSAKEN BUT REMEMBERED<!--mstheme-->
JESUS, HAVING
"RISEN INDEED," joined Himself to the apostles when they were
gathered together, and reminded them of what He had told them "while yet
with them." He further "opened their understanding, that they
might understand the scriptures, And said unto them, Thus it is written, and
thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day."--Luke 24: 44, 46. They were in need of being
reminded, and of this instruction. Of the many things Jesus had
"told, while yet with them" was this: "Therefore doth my Father
love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again. No man
taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself. I have power to lay it
down, and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received
of my Father."--John 10: 17, 18.
Let it not be thought that this is a contradiction of the
other scripture, which says that Jesus was taken by wicked hands and slain.
Both statements are true, and correct in their place; even as we have
seen that the death of Christ was according to the predetermined counsel of
God. The statement "I lay down my life," shows the voluntary
action on the part of Jesus, who was willing to submit to the requirement of a
sacrificial death; strengthened as He was by knowing "that by the same
commandment" He had power "to take it again." This
power was not in Himself, but in God. Nevertheless, Jesus said,
"I have power." Wherein then was His power? Not in the
Spirit "given without measure" whilst He was manifesting God to the
people--for that spirit was withdrawn when Jesus cried, "Why has thou
forsaken me?" The power of Jesus was in His life of absolute
compliance with the Father's will, and in His "obedience unto the death of
the cross." From this death He could not escape, and be faithful
to God. For, on that dark betrayal night, He prayed, "Oh my
Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." It
was one of those moments in the trial of Jesus when He needed to call to mind,
"that thus it must be;" by which strengthening conviction He was enabled
to continue. "Nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt."
Later, the
Apostle writing of the Risen Lord, said, "Who in the days of his flesh,
when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears
unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared;
Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things which he
suffered."--Heb. 5: 8. Have we in this an answer to why
"thus it must be?" Why did Jesus die? Paul
clearly and definitely answers, "For in that he died, he died unto sin
once."-- Rom. 6: 10. Yet, throughout His life, "he did no
sin," but always pleased the Father. Why then must Jesus "die
unto sin," or by reason of sin? If He must die only because
He was mortal, even though this mortality came by sin, would not natural death
have been sufficient? That the death of the Cross was required of Him is
direct evidence that natural death would not meet the requirements of the
purpose of God centered in "the last Adam."
Jesus was born,
and "came into the world," not only to take away sin, but also to be
the Saviour of men. All the essentials, which together formulate the Plan
of Salvation, are the requirements, which have to be met. Outstanding is
the death of the cross, for which there must be an adequate reason. We
remember that "in him was no sin" i.e., no transgression of
law, even as He challenged those who were His adversaries; "Which of you
convinceth me (doth convict me) of sin?"--John 8: 46. And
as Peter wrote, "Who did no sin." I say, as we recall this fact
we are brought to realize that the call for His sacrificial death was not the
outcome of any wrong-doing on His part, for such there was not. Yet still
we read again, "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body."
Controversy and misunderstanding have arisen from this, and similar statements,
concerning the Lord Jesus Christ. Those who look upon "sin" as
being "transgression of law," and can see no other application of the
term, have difficulty in understanding how Jesus could "bare our sins in
His body." Some seek refuge behind the dogma of
substitution. But that does not explain the Truth. It is evident
that Jesus could not bare our sins, our transgressions of law,
actually to the tree 1900 years before we were born, and before such sins were
committed. And if we would restrict the words to those living with Peter
at the time of his writing, the difficulty is still there. Could Jesus
bare the actual sins of others? But if we look upon Jesus as a
representative of others who were to be saved by, and through Him, we have
quite a different matter.
The FIRST MAN,
ADAM, by disobedience brought separation from God, and death.
JESUS, THE LAST ADAM, by perfect obedience accomplished restoration, and
opened up the way of Life from the dead. He became "the first-born
of every creature." Not of the Adamic world, for the first man Adam
was the first there, and Cain (who "was of that wicked one" 1 John
3:12), was the first-born of that world. Jesus became the first-born of a
new creation, of which, "he is the head of the body, the church; who is
the beginning, the first-born from the dead; that in all things he might have
the pre-eminence."--Col. 1: 15, 18...
"Therefore," says Paul, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new
creature: Old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new."
How? "All things are of God, who hath reconciled us to
himself by Jesus Christ." And how was this reconciliation
accomplished, seeing we were all under sin, which reigned unto death? The
Apostle Paul, speaking of the work of God in Christ, says, "For he hath
made him sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness
of God in him."--2 Cor. 5: 17, 21. Here then we have
One "who did no sin."-- 1 Pet. 2: 22., "in whose mouth no
guile was found," made sin, and we through Him made
righteous. Unto what sin, then did Jesus die? "The sin
of the world," you say. Yes, that is so--whether you consider
"the world" to be Israelitish, or Adamic. But now, let me ask,
Was Christ one of the world, or outside the world? The answer
should be obvious to all who discern the Plan of God. As "the seed
of woman," "the seed of Abraham," "the Son of David."
"The Son of man,"--"The man Christ Jesus" must of
necessity be one of the Adamic race, and therefore one of the world. We
must acknowledge the conclusion that although Jesus was not a transgressor of
the law He, nevertheless, being one of the world, according to the Plan of God
came under the conditions of the world, in which reigned the law of sin and
death. All mankind being an extension of Adam and Eve, brought into the
world since "sin entered, and death by Sin," are born under--and
therefore have by natural inheritance in and upon them--the consequences of
Adam's sin in Eden. Provisional sacrifice was, however, provided by God,
and by this means His Own Son was covered from birth; this was operative until
the type should be overshadowed by the antitype. "Now I say,"
is the word of Paul, "that Jesus Christ was a minister of the circumcision
for the truth of God, to confirm the promises unto the fathers."--Rom.
15: 8. How could He to whom the promises were made (both as to the
seed of the Woman, the seed of Abraham, and the son of David) confirm those
promises?
Consider now
another testimony: "Wherefore when he cometh into the world." Which
world, and to what time does this refer? Not to the time of His
birth, for then Jesus could not have said what follows in the
subsequent verses. The world, of course, was that to which Jesus was
revealed as the Lamb of God to take away the sin which required His
sacrifice. So when Jesus came into the world, and during the days of His
ministry--as "Immanuel," God with us, "God reconciling the world
unto himself"--which culminated in the cross, we are told "He saith,
Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body has thou prepared me: In
burnt offerings and sacrifices for sin thou has had no pleasure. Then
said I, Lo I come (in the volume of the book it is written of me,) to
do thy will, O God. Above when he said, sacrifice and offering and burnt
offerings and offering for sin thou wouldest not, neither hadst pleasure
therein; which are offered by the law; Then said he, Lo, I come to do thy
will, O God. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the
second. By the which will we are sanctified through the
offering of the body of Jesus Christ once."--Heb. 10: 5-10.
Concerning the promise made to Abraham (see Gen. 15: and
22), the apostle says of God, "Because he could swear by no greater, he
sware by himself, saying, Surely blessing I will bless thee ......Wherein God,
willingly more abundantly to shew unto the heirs of promise the immutability of
his counsel, confirmed it by an oath."--Heb. 6: 13-17. Yet
there was room, and need, for the confirmation of the covenant to be effected
by Jesus Christ. And this by a circumcision which would confirm, ratify
or make valid, all the promises of God which "in him are yea, and in him
Amen."-- 2 Cor 1: 20. What was the circumcision by
which Jesus confirmed the promises? Not that operation "on the
eighth day," "when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for
him after the custom of the law" was as necessary for Jesus as for any
other male child in Israel, it, of itself, could not confirm the promises then,
any more than it could all down the ages since Abraham. It was but one of
the many types which needed to be "made sure" by the antitype.
And to this Jesus was a minister for the truth of God, that by confirming
the promises He would demonstrate the true value of the form of
knowledge and of truth in the law.
In reference to "the mystery of God, and of the
Father, and of Christ;" Paul says, "In whom are hid all the treasures
of wisdom and knowledge." The Father knew from the beginning by what
means the Plan would be carried out; the "secret" of it, however, was
hid in God until revealed through the Son. All that went before was the
"Shadow of things to come," waiting for the "due time" when
it would be seen that "the body is of Christ." To confirm the
"shadow" Jesus must be cut off in substance--the actual
body of "the sins of the flesh" must be "cut off," not
die a natural death; for that would fail to substantiate the shadow.
Paul therefore says of Christ, "Ye are complete in him, which is the head
of all principality and power; In whom also ye are circumcised with the
circumcision made without hands, in putting off the body of the sins of the
flesh by the circumcision of Christ; Buried with him in baptism, wherein also
ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath
raised him from the dead. And you, being dead in your sins and the
uncircumcision of your flesh, hath he quickened together with him, having
forgiven you all trespasses . . . .nailing it to his cross."--Col. 2:
10, 14. Thus the circumcision of Christ was consummated on "the
cross." Of necessity Jesus must die that He might live!
<!--mstheme-->IN ADAM ALL DIE<!--mstheme-->
AN outstanding
truth of both the Old and New Testaments is "By man came death."--1
Cor. 15: 21. And this man was "the first man, Adam"--the
father of the human family. Paul says further, "For as in Adam all
die." And as Christ was born in, and of, the Adamic family, even
though Son of God, He too must die. Not only was Jesus related to death
by being the seed of the woman; He also was a sin-bearer. Of Him the
prophet had long before spoken (concerning Israel's deliverer) of One who was
"despised and rejected of men." "A man of sorrows and acquainted
with grief." Further, "He hath borne our griefs, and
carried our sorrows." But that was not all. "He was
wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities." How
different He was to the people! "All we like sheep have gone astray;
we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the
iniquity of us all." What was it all about? "For the transgression
of my people was he stricken. It pleased the Lord to bruise him;
he hath put him to grief; when thou shalt make his soul an offering for
sin. . . he shall bear their iniquities. He hath poured out his soul
unto death: he bare the sins of many, and made intercession for the
transgressors."--Isa. 53.
There is but one way in which these "iniquities"
and "the sin of many" could be laid upon Jesus, as we have already
seen. He was one of the people, "made in all points like unto his
brethren," consequently being the same "flesh and blood," or
nature, whatever condemnation rested upon them rested also upon Him. This
condemnation came by reason of the sin in Eden which brought death upon
all. The apostolic comment upon this is interesting and edifying.
"But one
in a certain place testified, saying, What is man, that thou art mindful of
him? or the son of man, that thou visitest him? Thou madest him a little
lower (or, a little while inferior to) than the angels: thou crownedst him with
glory and honour, and didst set him over the works of thy hands: Thou hast put
all things in subjection under his feet. For in that he put all in
subjection under him, he left nothing that is not put under him. But
now we see not yet all things put under him. But we see Jesus, who
was made a little lower than the angels--for (or by) the suffering of death
crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death
for every man. For it became him, for whom are all things, in
bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their salvation perfect
through sufferings. For as much then as the children are partakers
of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that
through death he might destroy him that hath the power of death, that is, the
devil; Wherefore in all things it behooved him to be made like unto his
brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things
pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people."--Heb.
2: 6-10, 14, 17. "But Christ being come an high priest of good
things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands,
that is to say, not of this building; Neither by the blood of goats and calves,
but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place having obtained
eternal redemption. How much more shall the blood of Christ, who offered
himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the
living God? For where a testament is, there must also of necessity be
the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are
dead: otherwise it is of no strength at all while the testator liveth."
These two
verses (16, 17) are rendered by Dr. Young as follows, "For where a
covenant is, the death of the covenant-victim to come in is necessary, for a
covenant over dead victims is steadfast, since it is no force al all when the
covenant-victim liveth." Literal Translation "Now once
in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
himself. So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto
them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto
salvation."--Heb. 9.
<!--mstheme-->SHALL
SOULS BE LEFT IN HELL?<!--mstheme-->
IN the last
chapter of this Epistle we have one of the most outstanding statements of the
whole Bible. There are others equally important, but this particular
verse is so fully comprehensive that it takes in almost the whole Plan of
God. It sweeps away the former 4000 years of type and shadow, during
which no solution had been found, or manifested. Generations came and
passed away. Lives were spent "as a tale that is told."
Through the long, dark night of the reign of sin death had prevailed. Who
would, or could, solve the problem? Should souls be always "left in
hell" (sheol; the grave)? The spirit of Christ in the Psalms had
spoken of this, but as yet the problem was not solved. Promises were
given; covenants entered into; and yet they who were directly concerned in them
"died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them
afar off, and were persuaded of them," yet though embracing the promises,
as such, they "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the
earth." Such is the testimony of Heb. 11: 13.
But he of whom the Psalmist wrote, having set the Lord
always before him, did not waver. "Therefore my heart is glad, and
my glory rejoiceth; my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt
not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see
corruption. Thou wilt show me the path of life; in thy presence is
fullness of joy; at thy right hand are pleasures for evermore."-- Psa.
16: 8-11.
Here was One who could, and did, solve the problem.
And the reason--He was the Holy One, having attained to righteousness
by complete obedience, wherein all others had failed. He thereby
demonstrated the meaning, "I lay down my life, that I might take it
again"; showing how that He must die that He might live. The Eternal
God was His refuge. The confidence of Jesus in the Father never
failed. He truly "trusted in God," as the revilers said; but,
unlike them, Jesus knew that in God's own time "He would deliver
him." God would not leave Him in death, therefore He cried
"unto him who was able to save him out of death, and was heard in that he
feared."--Heb. 5: 7. Just as it was "not possible for the
cup to pass from him," except He drank it, so also it was "not
possible for the grave to hold him." Peter, addressing the men of
Israel, on the day of Pentecost said,
"Hear
these words: Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and
wonders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves
also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of
God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath
raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that
he should be holden of it. For David speaketh concerning him, I foresaw
the Lord always before my face, for he is on my right hand, that I should not
be moved: Therefore did my heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad;
moreover also my flesh shall rest in hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul
in hell, neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou
has made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of joy with thy
countenance. Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the
patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us
unto this day. Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn
with an to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the
resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh
did see corruption. This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we
all are witnesses."--Acts 2: 22-32.
<!--mstheme-->THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT<!--mstheme-->
ALL this is
involved, and summarized, in the statement referred to as "one of the most
outstanding"--"Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the
everlasting covenant."--Heb. 13: 20. Foreshadowed in Abel's
"more excellent sacrifice"; in Abraham's offering of his son Isaac;
in the typical confirmation of the covenant narrated in Gen. 15; in the Noahic
sacrifice, after deliverance, and the "bow in the cloud;" and also in
the many requirements "under the Law." These all illustrate the
divine principle that "without shedding of blood is no remission;"
and that as sin hath reigned unto death it requires a law of righteousness to
give life after death. Moreover it required the death of Christ to
establish a law of resurrection, which was so essential to carry out
the 7,000 years Plan.
Without a
resurrection all would "sleep a perpetual sleep and not awake," and without
a law of resurrection-- to counteract the law of sin and death-- the Grave
would hold all therein, whether good or bad. The Plan, however,
required the law of resurrection, and to accomplish this the life of the Holy
One must be "cut off in the midst of his days." he must
"pour out his soul unto death." As the Lamb of God, prefigured
as "slain from the foundation of the world," the blood of Jesus must
be shed. It was shed "to confirm the promises." It
therefore became "the blood of the everlasting covenant," and it was
through this, or by reason of it, that "God brought again from the dead
our Lord Jesus," and without the blood of the covenant there is not
guarantee of a resurrection for others; for "As in Adam all die, even
so in Christ shall all be made living."
Up from the grave He arose,
With a mighty triumph o'er
His foes;
He arose a Victor from the
dark domain,
And He lives for ever with
His saints to reign:
He arose! He arose!
Hallelujah! Christ arose!
On one of the highways, about
threescore furlongs from Jerusalem, we beheld two men walking; as they walk
they talk together of those things which had happened. The horror of
darkness had settled hard upon them, even as upon the other disciples; they had
previously heard many things spoken of which must come to pass, yet they had
failed to comprehend the meaning and force thereof. "For as yet they
knew not the scripture, that he must rise again from the dead."--John
20: 9. "Bowed in sadness, bathed in tears" was the
attitude of the followers of the Galilean Teacher, in whom they had placed much
confidence and had looked for great things. They had not discerned
"the lamp of fire" which was sure to follow the sacrifice. So
with heavy hearts and bewildered countenances they journeyed on.
Thus proceeding
and communing they were unexpectedly joined by one who to them appeared to be a
stranger. Noting their demeanor He inquired of them the cause of their
sadness, and the manner of their communications. Strange indeed it
seemed to them that one should ask this, for all Jerusalem and beyond had
witnessed and heard of the great tragedy. And yet to converse with one
who apparently "knew not those things" was a welcome relief to the
feelings of the downcast and saddened disciples. So one of them, Cleopas
by name, also asked a question; "Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem,
and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these
days?" Still "holding their eyes that they should not know him,"
He asked, "What things?" Feeling that one who did not know of
these things must be a stranger indeed the disciples were eager to make them
known. "And they said unto him, Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which
was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how
the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death and
have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should
have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, today is the third day
since these things were done." They then told of "certain
women" who had been early at the sepulchre, when the body was not found,
but seeing "a vision of angels" learned "that he was
alive." Others also went, and found as the women had said, "but
him they saw not." It is not surprising that thee men "wondered
as they wandered."
Jesus listened,
and then said unto them, "O foolish ones, and slow of heart to
believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have
suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?" They had
believed some things, but had failed to discern all the facts. So
"beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all
the scriptures the things concerning himself." Later, as He sat at
meat with them, "their eyes were opened, and they knew him;" only to
find that He then ceased to be seen of them. The fact that "the Lord
is risen indeed" was again demonstrated after those men had joined the
eleven and others with them, at which interview He said, "These are the
words which I spake unto you, while I was yet with you, that all things must be
fulfilled, which were written in the law of Moses, and the prophets, and the
psalms, concerning me. Then opened he their understanding, that they
might understand the scriptures; And said unto them, Thus it is
written, and thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the
third day: And that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his
name among all the nations, beginning at Jerusalem." Luke 24.
What had previously--to those who forsook Him and
fled--seemed to be "unbelievable, idle tales," now became the true
light, shining more and more to the perfect day; dispelling the horror of
darkness, and placing the disciples where Abraham was when the became the
Friend of God; with however this difference--what Abraham saw by faith, they
beheld by sight! Well might Peter exclaim, "Blessed be the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath
begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from
the dead." 1 Pet. 1: 3.
<!--mstheme-->"GO, TEACH ALL
NATIONS"<!--mstheme-->
THE promises "made unto the
fathers" having now been confirmed (Poem. 15:8), and the disciples
encouraged, strengthened, and prepared for the work before them, they were
commissioned by their Lord to go forth, and carry on His Work; "Go ye
therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit; Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you always, even unto the
end of the world. Amen."--Matt. 28: 19. Jesus did
not leave them immediately, but having "shewed himself alive after his
passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking
of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God."--Acts 1: 3, the
Risen Lord "led them out as far as Bethany."--Luke 24: 50.
He conversed with them concerning the theme which had so often engaged
their attention, and for the fulfillment of which He had taught His disciples
to pray, "Thy Kingdom Come." Contemplating the things spoken,
pertaining to the Kingdom of God, caused the disciples to ask: "Lord, wilt
Thou at this time restore again the Kingdom of Israel?"--Acts 1: 16.
That the kingdom would be restored was the hope of a nation, as it was the
testimony of the prophets. But concerning the time of restoration they
were not aware. And the Master did not enlighten them as they
desired. His answer was, "It is not for you to know the times or the
seasons, which the Father hath put in His own power." Having given
them such information as He could then impart, and urging them to "tarry
in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be endued with power from on high,"
which would enable them to discern more fully all things involved in the
Gospel, which they were sent forth to preach, Jesus "led them out as far
as to Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them." Luke 24:
49, 50. Having "Spoken these things, while they beheld, he was
taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."
Although Jesus
had previously taught that He would "go away, and come again unto
them" (John 14: 2, 3) they were not altogether prepared for the
ascension. Had we been there we would undoubtedly have done as they
did. "They looked steadfastly toward heaven." With varied
emotions, doubts and fears, wonder and hope, they saw the cloud receive Him, as
He passed from their sight. But Jesus had said, "I will not leave
you comfortless; I will come to you;" and immediately "comfort"
by confidence was extended to them. For "while they looked
steadfastly toward heaven as he went up, behold, two men stood by them in white
apparel; which also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into
heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven."--Acts
1: 9, 11. With this parting word the disciples "returned unto
Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet." This event is depicted on
the Chart.
Ages ago in the Eastern lands
They watched for Him,
List'ning oft for His chariot
wheels
As the days grew dim;
Expecting that He would come again
to Olivet.
On the strength of a parting
promise they looked
But He tarries yet.
Every year over the winter's snow
with watchful eyes
Eager disciples have watched for
Him
Who mounted the skies.
They have died at their post on
the beacon heights
And, now, we take their place.
We look, as they looked in the
olden days,
For the sight of His face.
But the years pass on, He comes
not yet;
Still, God's time is best.
The
resurrection was now an accomplished fact. And we cannot do better than
emphasize some of the thoughts already developed from the scriptures which have
been quoted. "If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain,
and your faith is also vain." "If Christ be not raised, your
faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins." Apart from the resurrection
which is in Christ, and through whom the apostles "preached the
resurrection from the dead" (Acts 4:2), they who have placed
their faith and hope in Christ "are of all men most miserable."
How so? Well, those Corinthian believers who were "in
Christ" were in that relationship because they had been baptized into His
death, thereby becoming associated with "the blood of the everlasting
covenant," by reason of which, as we have seen, Jesus was "brought
again from the dead."
Baptism is
therefore the basis of association with Christ, who is "the resurrection
and the life." His resurrection, and their baptism into the death of
Christ, is placed as the guarantee of their resurrection from the dead.
Inasmuch as "we are buried with him by baptism into death: For if we
have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall
be also of the rising again."-- Rom. 6: 3, 5. This guarantee is
based upon their having been "planted," and if this is not reliable,
what is the use of being baptized? For, "if the dead rise not at
all, why are they then baptized for the dead?" If there be no
efficacy in baptism as the basis and guarantee of a resurrection from the dead,
the believers may well be "of all men most miserable"; for in such a
case "Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are
perished"; which obviously is the portion of those who fall asleep not
being "in Christ." And now Paul rises majestically above
those who say there is no resurrection. "But now is Christ risen
from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept." That
is his definite affirmation. Then comes his argument, which none can
refute. "For since by man came death, by man also the resurrection
of the dead." Do I hear someone say that others were restored to
life before the resurrection of Christ? Granted, but such cases were an
exhibition and manifestation of the power of God, and were not "resurrection
by man"--if they were so, how could Jesus be the firstfruits of them that
slept? Paul's argument--to force home the truth of this doctrine--
continues, "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made
alive." All in Adam die, because sin hath reigned unto death.
Those who are "in Christ" have "passed from death unto
life"; their relationship being changed when in baptism they "put off
the old man," which is thereby "crucified with him."--Rom.
6: 6. Hence we have the two classes, "in Adam" and
"in Christ"; just as in the beginning we had the sons of God,
"who called upon the name of the Lord"; and the children of men, who
were not named by that Name. "But every man in his own order:"
says Paul, "Christ the firstfruits, afterward they that are Christ's
at his coming."
<!--mstheme-->THE RESURRECTION<!--mstheme-->
THIS notable
treatise by Paul in 1 Cor. 15, is a clear explanation of the different standing
of the two classes of the human race in relation to the Plan of God, which
involves death for all who remain in their native state; "By nature
children of wrath" (Eph. 2: 3), and "life from the
dead" for all who by covenant-relationship are in Him, who is "the way,
the truth, and the life." Jesus conquered death, and demonstrated
the validity of the Psalm which said of Him, "my flesh shall rest in
hope." We have already seen from the quotations taken from Acts 2
that the sixteenth Psalm was prophetic of Jesus Christ. It is well to
compare the rendering in verse 11 of the Psalm, with verse 28 in Acts 2.
"Thou hast made known to me the ways of life; thou shalt make me full of
joy with thy countenance." The resurrection is emphasized in verse
32. "This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are
witnesses."
A "witness
of His resurrection" was essential for the work of the apostles.--Acts
1: 22. It fortified them against opposition, and strengthened them
to endure whatever might come upon them, when they went forth to perform the
arduous task of proclaiming the gospel to Jew and Gentile. They had seen
Him die; they had trusted and yet lamented His death, feeling their hope was
lost; they had been brought out of their stupor by the reality of His resurrection.
This fact could not be gainsaid. The Jews might cavil as to what
"that deceiver said while yet alive"; and Pilate, not sharing their
fears (or even caring) having so far performed his part, could give them
"a guard and a seal."-- Matt 27: 63, 66. But the fact
remains-- the empty tomb was there, and the angel testified "He is not
here; He is risen." Jesus appeared unto Mary and convinced her that
He was alive again; she in turn told the disciples, and so prepared them for
His manifestation to them. Assembled together, with the doors shut for
fear of the Jews, the disciples were surprised by Jesus standing in their
midst, who showed them "His hands and side." This evidence
provided conviction by sight! "Then were the disciples glad,
when they saw the Lord." Thomas, however, was not with them,
and was not convinced by what they told him: "Except I shall see in his
hands the print of the nails, and put my finger into the print of the nails,
and thrust my hand into his side, I will not believe."--John 20: 25.
And so it came to pass eight days after when Thomas was with the disciples
Jesus again stood in their midst, and willing to help and to convince the
doubter, said, "Thomas, reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and
reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but
believing."--Verse 27.
By such means the immediate followers of Jesus were brought
back from despondency, and "begotten again unto a living hope."
Taking another thought from the second chapter of The Acts (from which we have
already quoted), we are informed, "For David is not ascended into the
heavens; but he saith himself, The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right
hand, until I make thy foes thy footstool."--Verses 34, 35.
WHY WAS DAVID "NOT ASCENDED INTO THE HEAVENS?" If the common
belief is true that "good people go to heaven"; or that there is a
sky-kingdom for the righteous to which they go at death, surely David should
have ascended! If, reader, your belief is such, had you not better ponder
this question and seek for an answer? Now the promise of salvation, and a
participation in the kingdom of great David's greater Son, had been given to
the former King of Israel. But he had not ascended! What then
had become of him? Peter answers, "Let me freely speak unto you
of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is
with us unto this day."--Verses 29, 30. Paul also speaks on
this wise: "For David, after he had served his own generation by the will
of God, fell on sleep, and was laid unto his fathers, and saw
corruption."--Acts 13: 36. Why did David see corruption?
The answer is, Because man is mortal, being under sentence of death; as it was
said, "unto dust shalt thou return."
<!--mstheme-->MORTAL AND CORRUPTIBLE<!--mstheme-->
THAT MAN IS
MORTAL is a first principle of divine teaching, and he who would be saved must
understand and believe "the first principles of the oracles of
God."--Heb. 5: 12. How can a person be saved from what he
is, if he believes himself to be altogether different to what he really
is? Any doctrine which negatives, or violates, any first principle--or
definite teaching of the Bible, in regard to the gospel of salvation--must of
necessity be rejected. Both Peter and Paul, in the chapters already
quoted--Acts 2 and 13--emphasize the difference between David and Jesus.
The one died, and remained dead--the other died but rose again. Paul
especially expresses the difference in this way: "David . . . . saw
corruption; But He, Whom God raised again, saw no corruption."
David could not "by any means redeem" himself, or give to God a
ransom that would save him from corruption. But the Son of man, Son of
David, and also Son of God was superior to all who had gone before.
"Being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient
unto death, even the death of the cross." And as the grave
could not hold the Holy One, "God also hath highly exalted Him, and given
Him a name which is above every name."--Phil. 2: 8, 9.
Now mark
this well! The sentence pronounced
upon the sinners of Eden, and extended through them to the human family, was
death; but not eternal death. Had it been such there could have been no
release from it, and therefore no Plan of Salvation. Righteousness alone
can counteract the effect of sin. For 4,000 years the Adamic family had
continued under the reign of sin. Many illustrious ones had played their
part, but not one had lived without sin. When therefore there was
"no arm to save," God stretched forth His own arm, and brought
salvation; opening up the way of life for others also through the Son of His
love. Jesus Christ was made strong to perform the Father's will, by
overcoming sin, within and without. If He shrank from the cruel cross, in
this He did not sin. No voice of condemnation was heard; on the other
hand "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening
him."--Luke 22: 43. Yet, as we have seen, Jesus must
die. The reason why we have demonstrated. And Paul says,
"Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more; death hath no more
dominion over him. For in that he died, he died unto sin once: but in
that he liveth, he liveth unto God."--Rom. 6: 9, 10. And He
became
The first-begotten from the dead,
Lo! Jesus ris'n, His people's
Head,
To make their life secure:
Though they like Him may yield
their breath,
Like Him, they'll burst the bands
of death;
Their Resurrection sure.
Had the body of Jesus remained in
the grave, i.e., He Himself, there could have been no salvation. A dead
Christ could not be a Saviour. He must be raised again, as we have seen
was the case. "And so it is written, The first man Adam was made a
living soul; the last Adam a quickening spirit," i.e., life-giving; life-effecting.
As already
demonstrated, in relation to the Plan of the Ages--which provides life from the
dead, and (for those accounted faithful at the Judgment seat of Christ)
immortality and incorruptibility--Jesus was the firstborn, "brought from
the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant." Death
and resurrection are both based upon principle, and in relation to them we have
cause and effect. "By man came death." How? Death is
an effect. What was, and is, the cause? to this there is but one
scriptural answer. Try to ignore it if you wish--to get around it if you
can; say, death is the result of mortality; the natural law of physical decay;
the lack of sufficient knowledge to keep the wheels of nature turning.
Yet the Bible has one answer: "By one man sin entered into the world, and
death by sin; and so death passed upon all men." "By one man's
offence death reigned by one." "Sin hath reigned unto
death."--Rom. 5: 12, 17, 21. "The sting of death is
sin."--1 Cor. 15: 56. As sin in the cause, and death the
effect, on one hand; where shall we find cause for an effect which is the very
opposite? As the first cause and effect came by the first man, Adam, we
must look to the second, or last, Adam for the cause and effect which will
counter-balance the evil of the first Adam. In none other but Jesus can
this be found. The victory, says Paul, is "through our Lord Jesus
Christ." The second "cause" was developed in Him.
"For if by one man's offence death reigned by one; much more they which
receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life
by one, Jesus Christ. For as by one man's disobedience many were made
sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made
righteous. That as sin hath reigned unto death, even so
might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ
our Lord."--Rom. 5: 17, 19, 21.
The grace of God in Christ developed righteousness to the
full when He was "obedient unto death." His life of entire
conformity to the will of God, sealed by His sacrificial death, was all that
could be required by God. Jesus thereby "magnified the law of God,
and made it honorable." This "righteousness" was so
acceptable to God that its effect extended beyond Jesus. Even as Paul
wrote: "The righteousness of God which is by faith of Jesus Christ unto
all and upon all them that believe . . . to declare his righteousness for the
remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; To declare, I
say, at this time his righteousness that he might be just, and the justifier of
him which believeth in Jesus."--Rom. 3: 22, 25, 26.
THE "EFFECT" OF RIGHTEOUSNESS in behalf of Jesus
we have seen, when, "it not being possible for the grave to hold
Him," the blood of the covenant (in which all His righteousness was
centered) brought Jesus out of death, that He might enter into Life for
evermore. Righteousness, then, was the cause; and Resurrection the
effect. And, that others may participate in this grace, the Gospel
is the power of God unto salvation to those who believe. The
"power" is based upon obedience. One must "believe,"
but also go further. "Believe and be baptized" is the gospel's
command, to those who would live, and inherit the land. BUT WHY BE
BAPTIZED? Because by this ordinance we are "buried with Christ by
baptism into his death," and the effect of His obedience unto death is
extended, and in measure conferred upon those so baptized. As they come
from the waters of baptism, after dying with Christ to walk in newness of life,
they are said to have "risen with Christ."--Col. 3: 1.
Therefore, "whether they wake or sleep, they live together with
him."--1 Thess. 5: 10. And of those who had fallen
"asleep," the brethren are exhorted "not to sorrow, even as
others which have no hope." Why not? Because here are two
classes; one "without hope," because without God in the world,"
and the other full of hope because they are in Him who is "the
resurrection and the life." And because they are in Him "they
too shall rise again, their resurrection sure." "For if we
believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in
Jesus will God bring with him." "The dead in Christ shall
rise first."--1 Thess. 4: 13, 16.
THE BLOOD OF THE COVENANT was an essential factor in the
resurrection of our Lord; by reason of it He could say, "I am the
resurrection, and the life (two separate things): he that believeth in me,
though he were dead, yet shall he live."--John 11: 25. And
then with one long sweep Jesus spans 2,000 years and speaks of His coming again
to the earth: "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die." Why? Not only had Jesus "the keys of hell and of
death" (Rev. 1: 18), and knew that "the gates of hell shall
not prevail against" His church; but He was also aware of the fact that
all who have been "baptized into his death" have been provisionally
cleansed from sin; redeemed, restored, justified, sanctified, and clothed with
His Righteousness. Being "no more strangers and foreigners (the lot
of all who are not 'in Christ'), but fellow citizens with the saints, and of
the household of God," they are relatively no longer "in
Adam"--which is the characteristic of all the family of the first man;
cast out of Eden, and no access to the tree of life. In Christ they have
been born again; "washed from their sins in the blood of the Lamb,"
and the influence and power of the blood of the covenant is operating upon
them. Arising from this covenant-cleansing the members of the Church of
the Living God are "made free from sin" (Rom. 6: 22), and
the apostle says of them, "There is therefore now no condemnation to
them which are in Christ Jesus."
<!--mstheme-->CONDEMNATION LIFTED<!--mstheme-->
BEFORE they
became "in Christ Jesus" they were all under condemnation, as the
scriptures abundantly testify. And this condemnation came upon them
because of the Edenic sin which brought death. But their relationship
being changed--by passing out of the first Adam into the last Adam--they are no
longer condemned, even though they are still mortal. So Paul gives the
reason why there is now no condemnation, saying, "For the law of
the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and
death."--Rom. 8: 1, 2. It was because of this power, now
established in Christ, that the apostles "preached through Jesus
the resurrection from the dead." --Acts 4: 2. This was not
a new Truth, but an old one established by development. It had been
taught of old time, and also by Jesus before His death. "This is the
Father's will which hath sent me, that of all which he hath given me I should
lose nothing, but should raise it up again at the last day." --John 6:
39. "The hour is coming," said Jesus, "in the which
all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they
that have done good, unto the resurrection of life; and they that have done
evil, unto the resurrection of damnation (judgment, or condemnation)."--John
5: 28, 29.
Paul, as his manner was, went into a synagogue of the Jews,
"and three Sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scriptures, opening
and alleging, that Christ must needs have suffered, and risen again from
the dead; and that this Jesus, whom I preach unto you is Christ."--Acts
17: 3. At Athens Paul "preached unto them Jesus, and the resurrection."--Verse
18. And when before the council the same apostle "cried out, of
the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in question."--Acts
23: 6. He taught "that there shall be a resurrection of the
dead, both of the just and unjust."--Acts 24: 15. Before
Agrippa Paul testified of "the hope of the promise," for which hope's
sake, said he, "I am accused of the Jews." Then Paul presented
his challenge; "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you, that
God should raise the dead?"--Acts 26: 6, 8. The last
message of the Master to His servants and brethren proclaims the same truth,
"I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore.,
Amen."
THE MEANS OF
ASSOCIATION with these "exceeding great and precious promises" has
incidentally been shown as we have progressed, and will be further elaborated
in another lecture. Meanwhile we repeat the necessity of baptism into
Christ, by immersion in water, which provides the "burial," and
without which we do not obey the gospel. Baptism is the only guarantee,
in this dispensation, of a resurrection from the dead; and continued obedience
to the commandments of Christ the only way to obtain the gift of God,
"immortality" and a place in His Kingdom. "Because I
live," said Jesus, "ye shall live also."--John 14: 19.
<!--mstheme-->HE WILL COME AGAIN<!--mstheme-->
THERE is
abundant testimony, and many reasons, to show why Jesus will come again to the
earth. Hear the word of Peter to the "men of Israel," who
marveled at the manifestation of Divine Power in making a man, who had been
lame from birth, to walk: "Those things, which God before had shewed by
the mouth of all his prophets, that Christ should suffer, he hath so
fulfilled." Using this accomplishment as a basis for confidence in
the fulfillment of other prophecies, Peter continues:
"Repent ye
therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times
of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus
Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until
the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of
all his holy prophets since the world began. For Moses truly said unto
the fathers, A prophet shall the Lord your god raise up unto you of your
brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say
unto you."--Acts 3: 18, 22.
But Israel did not "hear
Him" when He appeared nineteen hundred years ago. "A cloud
received him out of their sight," and in the heaven must He remain until
a specified time, when He will assuredly return to the earth, "from
the far country."
AND WHAT ARE
THE REASONS FOR HIS RETURN? Let us take a brief glance over
the Chart and consider a few questions. We look at the Garden, and ask, Has
the seed of the serpent been bruised in the head? No! Then the
seed of the woman has yet a work to do there. Ask again, Is Paradise
restored? Then Jesus must come again to "make her wilderness
like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord."--Isa. 51: 3.
We think of Noah, a preacher of righteousness, and ask, Has the time come
when it is no more necessary for men to speak to their neighbors, and brother
to brother to say "Know the Lord, for all do know me, from the least
to the greatest of them."--Jer. 31: 34? No, indeed; the
gospel must still be preached. We think of Abraham and the promises, and
ask, Has the seed, to whom the promise was made, obtained possession of the
land and the gate of His enemies? The present disturbed conditions
in, and pertaining to, the Land of Palestine emphatically say, No! Has
the true heir to David's Throne rebuilt the tabernacles of David which are
fallen down? No, there is no King of Zion. Has the Image
yet stood upon the feed, ready to be struck by The Stone? And
are the Jews still scattered and persecuted people? The negative
answer to all these questions clearly tell us that the "good things spoken
of" are in promise still, But "the appointed day" is drawing
nigh. Christ will come again, as He said He would--He cannot forget.
<!--mstheme-->PREACH THE GOSPEL<!--mstheme-->
THE Apostles
were commissioned by Jesus to "Go into all the world, and preach the
gospel to every creature." The conditions governing the benefits to
be derived from the gospel were specified. "He that believeth and
is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned." "So then, we are told, "after the Lord had spoken
unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of
God. And they went forth, and preached everywhere, the Lord working with
them, and confirming the word with signs following. Amen."--Mark 16:
14, 20.
What is the
gospel which the Apostles preached?
No better answer can be given than a few quotations from Acts 8.
Disciples being scattered abroad "they went every where preaching the
Word." In doing so they would unfold many things appertaining
to salvation. "The word" is God; "the
word" is Christ; "the word" is the word of truth
of the gospel. But immediately after the above quotation of verse 4, we
have the same matter expressed in another way: "Then Philip went down to
the city of Samaria, and preached Christ unto them." What
did Philip proclaim when he "preached Christ"? Did he simply,
or merely, speak about the Cross? We are informed in verse 12, "When
they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and
the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and
women." WHY BE BAPTIZED? Especially when we are not told that
Philip preached "baptism"! If we do not believe that baptism is
necessary we may make the foregoing suggestion. But fact the
facts. Is it not very suggestive that baptism was part of the preaching,
seeing that when what was preached was believed, those so believing were
baptized? In being baptized after believing the gospel we read
"the apostles heard that Samaria had received the word of God."
And further, "they were baptized in the name of the Lord
Jesus." In verse 25 we have "preached the word of the
Lord" as the equivalent of "preached the gospel."
We cannot
escape the conclusion that "preaching the word," "preaching the
gospel," and "preaching Christ" are one and the same. And
in "preaching Christ" it is not difficult to see that this called
forth what would undoubtedly be an eloquent and effective exposition of the
birth, life and death of Jesus, in their relation to the Kingdom of God, based
upon the promises made unto the fathers. Could the death of Christ be
preached without showing its bearing upon the sin of the world, in regard to
the removal thereof? The next step would be the necessity of all who
would obtain the forgiveness of sins becoming related to the death of Christ,
that its benefits might be conferred upon those manifesting faith by
obedience. In so faithfully "preaching the word," Baptism
must be taught. The quotation from Mark 16, definitely shows this:
"Preach the gospel; believe; be baptized." Preach the good
news of a coming Kingdom, in which Christ shall reign as "King of Kings
and Lord of Lords"; when the promises of God will find their fulfillment
at the return of Him who once wore a crown of thorns, but now "a
golden crown," "a crown of life," "a crown of glory,"
for "on his head were many crowns."--Rev. 19: 12.
To whom will it be the Father's good pleasure to give the
kingdom? According to Luke 12: 32, it will be given to the "little
flock"; and the context shows the little flock to be the disciples, who
are the children of God; for says Jesus, "Your Father knoweth that ye have
need of these things." Can anyone become a child of God without
believing in God? Belief is certainly emphasized in connection with
salvation, and entrance into the Kingdom. Paul states the necessity as
follows: "That if thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and
shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt
be saved. For with the heart man believeth unto Righteousness; and with
the mouth confession is made unto salvation."--Rom. 10: 9, 10.
"For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved."--Verse 13.
The practical application of the foregoing is next stated
by the apostle: "How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? and
how shall they hear without a preacher?" If then "faith cometh
by hearing," as Paul alleges, and hearing is dependent upon "the word
of God," we must see how in proclaiming the gospel the Word is preached.
The keeper of the prison sought help from Paul and Silas when he said,
"Sirs, what must I do to be saved?" The answer was clear and to
the point: "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and
thy house." And to help the man to understand what he should
believe, "They spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were
in his house." Was that all? Oh no! For that same hour
of the night he, and all his, were baptized, and rejoiced, believing in God with
all his house."--Acts 16: 27-34. Of Lydia also we read in
verses 14 and 15. "Whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended
unto the things which were spoken of Paul. And when she was baptized, and
her household" she besought the Apostles to abide with her. These
are actual results to the work of the Apostles, and the force of the testimony
cannot be ignored. When Jesus said, "Go, preach the gospel," He
did not say, he that believeth shall be saved; but, "he that believeth and
is baptized."
<!--mstheme-->HOW THE GOSPEL WAS PREACHED<!--mstheme-->
LOOKING at the
third section of the Chart we have an interesting picture, based upon an
incident recorded in Acts 8. Philip was instructed by the angel of the
Lord to go toward the south, down from Jerusalem unto Gaza, which is desert.
This he did. At the same time a man of Ethiopia, of great
authority under Candace, queen of the Ethiopians, who had come to Jerusalem for
to worship, was returning. He was sitting in his chariot reading the
prophecy of Isaiah. Philip was directed to join himself to the chariot,
and --as he did so--heard the eunuch reading from the prophecy. This gave
a very favourable opening, which Philip immediately laid hold of, and said,
"Understandest thou what thou readest?" The response
was, "How can I, except some man should guide me?" And,
perceiving the possibility of help being at hand, he requested Philip to sit
with him. "The place of the scripture which he read was this, He
was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb before his shearer,
so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judgment was taken away: and
who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the
earth." A remarkable prophecy of One whose name is Wonderful!
But this the eunuch did not perceive. Tell me, said he, "Of whom
speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man?" What,
my friend, would be your answer? "Then Philip opened his mouth,
and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus."
WHAT DID PHILIP
SAY? We are not told, except in that one word. Anyone
acquainted with the gospel and the redemption which is in Christ, will readily
form some definite idea of what was said in the explanation given to the
eunuch. The outcome is the clue to something unfolded; for as they went
on their way, and came to a certain water, the Ethiopian said, "See, here
is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized?" The purpose of
baptism, and the necessity for it, must have been explained when "Philip
preached Jesus." And yet nothing is said in the account as it is
given to us. But the sacrifice and death of Christ are in the prophecy,
and in preaching Jesus, the gospel was made known. "Seek first the
kingdom of God, and his righteousness."--Matt. 6: 33. The only
means of association with "the right ways of the Lord" is by
connection with the death of Christ; and the only revealed way of access to God
through Christ, that one may be saved, is baptism. This the eunuch had
perceived, and as they were approaching water the desire to comply with what
God required was manifest. Hence the eunuch's question. What
doth hinder?
Is it possible that anything can hinder baptism? Take
the case of a person who hears, or reads, something about the gospel and learns
that baptism is necessary for salvation; accepting that item of the gospel such
a person desires to be baptized, yet does not believe in the Holy One of Israel
but clings to the idea of a triune God; believes in Jesus as a Saviour, but
does not understand that He was "made in all points like unto his
brethren"; and that He was "saved out of death" by His own
sacrifice. And, further, whilst believing in a kingdom beyond the skies,
does not understand the teaching of prophets and apostles concerning the restoration
of the kingdom of Israel. Would there be anything to hinder such a
person from being baptized? If such a person was immersed in water,
the immersion would not be baptism into the death of Christ. The lack
of "the faith which justifies," or the retaining of the false
ideas (of which this world is full) concerning the plan of Salvation would
hinder baptism. In the case of the eunuch there was yet another
principle which Philip had to enforce, and the manner in which Philip placed
before the eunuch his answer to the enquiry shows the importance of rightly
appraising the things of God. The acceptance of the Gospel is not a thing
to be lightly entered into; nor is it a matter to be complied with merely to
escape a wrath to come. Philip said, "If thou believest with all
thine heart, thou mayest." Confessing his faith to the
satisfaction of the man of God, the chariot stood still: "and they
went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he
baptized him."
THIS WAS
BAPTISM, BY IMMERSION, into the death of Christ. "Buried with
him." The burial being completed they both "came up out of the
water." The necessity of baptism is based upon the fact, first, that
God requires it; and the significance of it gives the reason--beyond the matter
of obedience--for it being required. The case of Paul illustrates
this. Saul of Tarsus underwent a remarkable conversion, and to him this
was revealed: "The God of our fathers hath chosen thee, that thou
shouldest know his will, and see that Just One, and shouldsest hear the voice
of his mouth. For thou shalt be his witness unto all men of what thou
hast seen and heard. And now why tarriest thou? Arise, and be
baptized, and wash away thy sins, calling on the name of the Lord."--Acts
22: 13-16. Christ died to take away sins. We are "born
in sin" and commit sin. These must be washed away before we can be
"reconciled to God," and baptism is the appointed means to this
end. By it, and it alone, can we draw near to God. The mode of
baptism, as given in the scriptures, must be complied with; we have no
authority to change from immersion to any other method. As already noted,
from Paul to the Colossians, the believer in baptism is both "buried and
risen" with Christ. They "have put off the old man," and
"have put on the new," and are consequently "new
creatures." this is the result of being "born
again." Jesus said, "Except a man be born again, he cannot see
the kingdom of God." Nicodemus, to whom these words were spoken,
could only think of birth from a natural point of view, and consequently could
only see the difficulty of man being born of a woman a second time. So
Jesus explained, "Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot
enter into the kingdom of God." It was therefore not another natural
birth that was spoken of. "That which is born of the flesh is
flesh."--John 3: 3-6. And WHAT IS FLESH? "A wind
that passeth away, and cometh not again."--Psa. 78: 39.
Consequently there is no profit in the flesh. Unless we are "born
again"--we "come not again." In contrast to the flesh,
"that which is born of the Spirit is spirit." "Now the
Lord is that Spirit."--2 Cor. 3: 17. And the last Adam, as
we have seen, "Was made a quickening spirit." The
life-effecting energy of the Lord Jesus must be imparted before one can be
"born again."
<!--mstheme-->YE MUST BE BORN AGAIN<!--mstheme-->
THE energizing
influence of Christ alone can give the seed of the new birth, which is a mental
and moral process; "Of his won will begat he us with the word of
truth."--Jas. 1: 18. And this begettal leads to the new
birth, which (being of God in Christ, and of the word which is spirit) is
referred to as a spirit-birth. "Being born again, not of corruptible
seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and
abideth for ever."--1 Pet. 1:23. Paul says, "they that
are in the flesh cannot please God." (Rom. 8:8), therefore it is
evident that they who would be saved must be born again. The character
and quality of this birth "of water" is given by Peter, who, after
having referred to the days of Noah, and the ark "wherein few, that is,
eight souls were saved by water" draws the simile, and then gives the
lesson: "The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not
the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience
toward God) by the resurrection of Jesus Christ."--1 Pet. 3: 21.
Some people believe that the gospel has to do only with the
death of Jesus Christ; and others say it was first heralded over the fields of
Bethlehem. Neither of these views is correct. To close this section
of the present treatise I submit one more testimony. The Apostle Paul
again being our witness. He is dealing with the Gospel in relation to Jew
and Gentile, and showing the work of God, both under the Law and under the
grace which is in Christ Jesus. He says, "Know ye therefore that
they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham.
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith,
preached before the gospel unto Abraham, In thee shall all nations be
blessed. So then they which be of faith are blessed with
faithful Abraham. That the blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles
through Jesus Christ; that we might receive the promise of the Spirit through
faith. Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He
saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is
Christ. But the scripture hath concluded all under sin, that the
promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe.
For ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus. For
as many of you as have been baptized into Christ have put on Christ.
And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise.--Gal. 3.
<!--mstheme-->GLORY TO BE REVEALED<!--mstheme-->
"A CROWN OF THORNS" is
representative of all the sufferings of the Lamb of God, even Jesus Christ who
"also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the
spirit."--1 Pet. 3: 18. This, however, was not only for His
own resurrection, and glorification; but also for the Salvation of souls,
"Of which salvation the prophets have inquired and searched diligently,
who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: ?Searching what, or what
manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it
testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should
follow."--1 Pet. 1: 9, 11. And whilst it is still true
that we see One "who was made a little inferior to the angels,"
waiting for the time to come when all things shall be "put in subjection
under him;" we also see "The Way" opened up for its
accomplishment. "We see Jesus, by, or on account of, the
suffering of death crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God
should taste death for every man. For it became him, for whom are all
things in bringing many sons unto glory, to make the captain of their
salvation perfect through sufferings. For both he that
sanctifieth and they who are sanctified are all of one; for which cause he is
not ashamed to call them brethren."--Heb. 2: 8, 11.
THE WAY OF GOD, in the development of the 7,000 years Plan,
required that the Captain of Salvation should be made perfect,
(obviously He was not perfect, in every particular, before He was made
perfect; and this was not at His birth, but at the end of His life in the
flesh), and this perfection was to come upon Him as the result of, and prize
for, continued obedience and well-doing; perfect through sufferings.
Now "the servant is not greater than his lord" John 13: 16,
and they who would follow in the steps of Him who "suffered for us,"
must learn to bear patiently the experiences of life which come upon them
"when they do well."--1 Pet. 2: 20. In other words
they must expect to "suffer with him," who is their Captain.
"Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own
blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without
the camp, bearing his reproach. For here we have no continuing
city, but we seek one to come."--Heb. 13: 12, 14. To this
good counsel, an exhortation, we add the words of the apostle to "the
called of Jesus Christ, that be in Rome;" "As many as are led by the
Spirit of God, they are the sons of God. We are the children of God; And
if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so
be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.
For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be
compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us, "even" the
glorious liberty of the children of God, to wit, the redemption of our
body."--Rom. 8: 14-23.
"THE DAY OF THE LORD COMETH:" at which time
"his feet shall stand upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem
on the east." As the angels said, when the clouds received the Lord
out of the sight of His disciples, "This same Jesus shall so come in like
manner as ye have seen him go." And then, "The Lord shall be
king over all the earth: in that day shall there be one Lord, and his name
one" Zech. 14: 1, 4, 9. Happy day when
Jesus shall reign where'er the sun
Doth his successive journeys run;
His kingdom stretch from shore to
shore,
Till sin shall curse the earth no
more.
IN MOCKERY Herod and his men
arrayed the Man of sorrows "in a gorgeous robe." After Jesus
appeared before Pilate "they took off the robe." But when
"a king shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in
judgment," what a "purple" He will wear! "And the
work of righteousness shall be peace; and the effect of righteousness,
quietness and assurance for ever" Isa. 32: 1, 17. The
"glories of His reign" are beautifully summed up in the 72nd Psalm,
from which the following quotations are taken: "He shall have dominion
also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth."
"Yea, all kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve
him." "His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be
continued as long as the sun: all shall be blessed in him: all nations shall
call him blessed." "And blessed be his glorious name for ever:
And let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and
Amen."
<!--mstheme-->THE GOSPEL CALL<!--mstheme-->
THE call of
the Gospel is a gracious invitation, by the Most High God, to the sons of men;
a call to come out of the world, and to separate themselves unto His
service. "Jesus said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent,
and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good
in thy sight. All things are delivered unto me of my Father: and no man
knoweth the Son, but the Father; neither knoweth any man the Father, save
the Son, and he to whomsoever the Son will reveal him. COME UNTO ME,
all ye that labour and are heavy laden, AND I WILL GIVE YOU REST. Take my
yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am needy and lowly in heart: and ye shall
find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is
light."--Matt. 11: 25-30.
It is the same gracious and arresting call as that which
was heralded by the prophet; "Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to the
waters, and he that hath no money; come ye, buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine
and milk without money and without price. Wherefore do ye spend money for
that which is not bread? and your labour for that which satisfieth
not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat that which is good, and let your
soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me:
hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant
with you, even the sure mercies of David."--Isa. 55: 1-3.
No threatening word mars the splendor of this Divine appeal. True, the
call was first to Israel. They were God's special and covenanted
people. But when they put the word from them, and would not hearken, God
turned to the Gentiles. In doing this "God invited all men
everywhere to repent:" to turn from dead works and to serve the only true
God. Therefore "Seek ye the Lord while he may be found. So
shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me
void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the
thing whereto I sent it" verses 6, 11.
<!--mstheme-->THE GIFT OF GOD<!--mstheme-->
APPRECIATING
the magnificence of "the gift of God," to which men and women are
invited by the Gospel, the beloved Apostle calls upon those who have believed, to
"Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,
that we should be called the sons of God, therefore the world knoweth us not,
because it knew him not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it
doth not yet appear what we shall be but we know that, when he shall
appear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is. And every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself, even as he is
pure."--1 John 3: 1-3. THIS HOPE? Yes. A
distinct and definite hope! "Even as ye are called in one hope of
your calling."--Eph. 4: 4. And what is the power of
hope? "For we are saved by hope," says Paul. Are we now
saved in the everlasting salvation promised to those who are accounted worthy
to enter into the kingdom of God? If so, we have no need of hope for the
apostle continues, "but hope that is seen is not hope; for what a man
seeth, why doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not,
then do we with patience wait for it."--Rom. 8: 24.
"And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal
life."--1 John 2: 25. "Be thou faithful unto death,
and I will give thee a crown of life"--Rev. 2: 10.
"Blessed is the man that endureth trial: for when he is tried, he shall
receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that
love him."--Jas. 1: 12. And this will be "To an inheritance
incorruptible, and undefiled and that fadeth not away, reserved in
heaven for us"--1 Pet. 1:4.
Whilst Paul taught so definitely and incontrovertibly that
the great "shepherd of the sheep, our Lord Jesus, was brought again from
the dead through the blood of the everlasting covenant," so Peter affirms
that "when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown
of glory that fadeth not away"--1 Pet. 5: 4. This will
be granted to all who accept the gospel in the appointed way, from the very
earliest introduction of the gospel; who not only accept it but carry out its
precepts to the end of their lives, so that "whether we wake or sleep, we
should live together with him"--1 Thess. 5: 10. This is a
great blessing and privilege, the indisputable outcome of their association
with the sacrificial death of their Saviour. "For," says the
Apostle, "all things are yours; and ye are Christ's; and Christ is
God's"--1 Cor. 3: 21, 23. Whilst living they look forward,
in anticipation, to the Day of His Coming; even as they were taught to pray,
"Thy Kingdom come;" and when the day of their pilgrimage comes to an
end they die in faith, in full confidence that "unto them that look for
him shall he appear the second time without sin unto their salvation"--
Heb. 9: 28.
<!--mstheme-->A TOKEN OF THE COVENANT<!--mstheme-->
BRINGING this
section of our treatise to a close we look again at the Chart, where we see the
Ark, the Altar, and the Rainbow. The Rainbow begins with the Altar and
the Ark; its association is centered in them and in what they represent.
It extends over the ages, and descends upon the Star of Bethlehem; yet, as
previously stated, it goes beyond the period of the first appearance of
Jesus. This is shown in, and by, the Scriptures quoted on the Bow.
The Ark speaks of the Salvation of the Lord; the Altar signifies an
appointed means of access to God; the Bow is the token of the Covenant
made of God in relation to Christ, and all that will be accomplished
through Him as the representative of the Father.
A few
observations by Dr. John Thomas, in Eureka, are now submitted.
"The rainbow is referred to in four places in the scripture, and it is
from these only can be deduced the import of the symbol before us. In
nature, the rainbow is evolved by the action of showery vapor upon the sun's
rays, which, in passing through the aqueous globules, are refracted, and form
an arch upon that part of the clouds opposite to the sun, glowing with all the
colors of the prismatic, or solar, spectrum. The rainbow is never seen except
when the sun is shining, and when rain is falling between the spectator and the
part of the horizon where the bow is seen. These facts must not be
lost sight of in considering the significance of the rainbow when used as a
symbol. Sun, light, rain, cloud, are elements necessary to the production
of the natural bow; so are they also to the evolution of a symbolical arch in
the heaven pertaining to the throne. In the absence of the Sun of
Righteousness from the heaven, and of the light of life, glory, honor, and
power, which he will irradiate the rainbow encircling the throne cannot be
seen. Neither can the light irradiating from Him, be reflected to the
spectator-world from the clouds of immortals about the throne, until the
rain-showers of the heaven shall descend upon the mown grass to fertilize
the earth. These are indispensable conditions to the evolution of the
bow, which is the symbol of the clear and blessed sunshine after previous
'lightning's, thunders, and voices from the throne,' contemporaneously with
gently descending rain. Based upon these principles, I remark that the
order of the bow's development is,
1. The opening of the heaven by the Stone-Power
smiting Nebuchadnezzar's Image upon the earth;
2. The establishment of the throne in the heaven by
mowing the earth at harvest time (Rev. 14:15); in the storm-period of 'the
lightning's, thunders, and voices proceeding from the throne' (Rev. 4:5); by
which the kingdoms of the world are taken possession of by the saints;
3. The grass of the earth being thus mown, its harvest
reaped, and its vintage trodden out, the rain of the heaven descends in the
blessing of Abraham upon the nations; which, being subdued, are blessed in
Abraham and his seed, or in Jesus and the saints;
4. 'As brightness of morning, THE RULER rises the Sun of an
unclouded dawn, shining forth after rain upon the tender grass of the
earth.' The effect of this shining is that the Rainbow-Throne covenanted
to David is beheld through the descending rain, which diffuses the knowledge of
its glory to the utmost bounds of the habitable world.
The rainbow,
then, is the token, or symbol of the Covenant. The bow in the natural
heavens has been so designated by the Spirit from the days of Noah, after his
salvation by water; and all who have looked upon the phenomenon with minds
enlightened by the truth, from his day to this, have viewed it as the memorial
of Yahweh's covenant."--vol. 2: p.22.
"Now, over or upon the head of this angel (Rev. 10:1),
John saw 'the rainbow.' This is the symbol of the covenant, and
inseparably connected with the throne. Upon this sat one like a jasper
and sardine stone; and, as the rainbow was round about the throne, it was also
over Him who sat thereon. The occupant of the throne is the Spirit, and
those to whom he says, 'he that overcomes will I grant to sit with me in my
throne;' so that the rainbow arches over all such. The Spirit-Host is the
pillar of cloud between the Cherubim, which reflects the light of the divine
countenance, and develops the bow. This token of the Abrahamic covenant
is well and appropriately placed over 'the Head' of the Angelic Spirit-Host,
seeing that in Him all the fullness dwells; and that, in the days of his flesh,
his blood was the blood of that covenant brought into force by His death; and
by which all the individuals of the cloud were sanctified--Heb. 9:15; 10:
10. Arching over this symbol, it signifies that the angel is a
company of kings and priests, related to the rainbowed throne--the throne
covenanted to David and his seed."--vol. 2: 539.
In anticipation of this Happy time, when "the Kingdom
will be the Lord's," the voice of prophecy is heard; "O praise the
Lord, all ye nations: praise him, all ye people. For his merciful
kindness is great toward us: and the truth of the Lord endureth for ever.
Praise ye the Lord"--Psalm 117.
<!--msthemeseparator-->
<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->Lecture 6<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->The Wandering Jew<!--mstheme-->
<div
align="center">A
Valley of Dry Bones.
The Gates of Zion: Where?
</div><div
align="center">Zionism
and the British Mandate
</div><!--msthemeseparator-->
<div
align="center">
<big>"The Goodness and Severity of God" </big>
</div>
Ho, land shadowed with wings,
That is beyond the rivers of Cush,
That is sending by sea
ambassadors,
Even with implements of reed on
the face of the waters,
--Go, ye light messengers,
Unto a nation drawn out and
peeled,
Unto a people fearful from its
beginning and onwards,
Whose land floods have spoiled.
For thus said Jehovah unto me,
I rest, and I look on My settled
place,
As a clear heat on an herb.
At that time brought is a present
to Jehovah of Hosts,
A nation drawn out and peeled.
Even of a people fearful from the
beginning hitherto,
A nation meting out by line, and
treading down,
Whose land floods have spoiled,
Unto the place of the name of
Jehovah of Hosts---
Mount Zion!
--Isa. 18. Dr. Young's Translation,
As birds flying, so will the Lord
of hosts defend
Jerusalem; defending also he will
deliver it;
and passing over he will preserve
it.--Isa. 31: 5.
THE oppressor hath cruelly persecuted; the scoffer hath scorned
their claim; the nations have used for their own advantage when it hath pleased
them, and abused when it seemed good to them, a people who once "wept by
Babel's stream," because their "shrines were desolate," and
"whose land a dream." This people "of the wandering
foot, and weary breast" knew not how, or where, to "flee away, and be
at rest." No place was found where "to lave her bleeding
feet;" and songs of Zion, which once had been so "sweet," could
now no longer with consoling melody cause their "hearts to leap before its
heavenly voice."
WHO ARE THESE
JEWS? Who, this people to be found in every land, in every clime--a
people who for so many generations have "dwelt alone, and not found
themselves reckoned with the nations"? These questions are answered
well and truly in the following quotation from Milman's History of the
Jews.
"The Jews, without reference to their religious
belief, are among the most remarkable people in the annals of mankind.
Sprung from one stock, they pass the infancy of their nation in a state of
servitude in a foreign country, where, nevertheless, they increase so rapidly,
as to appear on a sudden the fierce and irresistible conquerors of their native
valleys in Palestine. There they settle down under a form of government
and code of laws totally unlike those of any other rude or civilized
community. They sustain a long and doubtful conflict, sometimes enslaved,
sometimes victorious, with the neighboring tribes. At length, united
under the monarchy, they gradually rise to the rank of a powerful, opulent, and
commercial people. Subsequently, weakened by internal discord, they are
overwhelmed by the vast monarchies which arose on the bands of the Euphrates,
and are transplanted into a foreign region. They are partially restored
by the generosity, or policy, of the Eastern Sovereigns, to their native
land. They are engaged in wars of the most romantic gallantry in
assertion of their independence, against the Syro-Grecian successors of
Alexander. Under Herod, the rise to a second era of splendor, as a
dependent kingdom of Rome; finally they make the last desperate resistance to
the universal dominion of the Ceasars. Scattered from that period over
the face of the earth, hated, scorned and oppressed, they subsist, a numerous
and often a thriving people; and in all the changes of manners and opinions,
retain their ancient institutions, their national character, and their
indelible hope of restoration to grandeur happiness in their native land.
Thus the history of this, perhaps the only unmingled race, which can boast of
high antiquity, leads us into contact with almost every nation which commands
our interest in the ancient world; the migratory pastoral population of Asia;
Egypt, the mysterious parent of arts, science, and legislation; the Arabian
Desert; the Hebrew theocracy under the form of a federative agricultural
republic; their kingdom powerful in war and splendid in peace; Babylon in its
magnificence and downfall; Grecian arts and luxury endeavoring to force an
unnatural refinement within the pale of the rigid Mosaic institutions; Roman
arms waging an exterminating war with the independence even of the smallest
states; it descends, at length, to all the changes in the social state of the
modern European and Asiatic nations."--Henry Hart Milman, 1867.
From Evidence of the Truth of the Christian Religions,
based upon the literal fulfillment of prophecy, by Alexander Keith, D.D., we
have the following comment.
"While
Moses, as a divine legislator, promised to the Israelites that their prosperity
and happiness and peace would all keep pace with their obedience, he threatened
them with gradation of punishments, rising in proportion to their impenitence
and iniquity; and neither in blessings nor in chastisements hath the Ruler
among the nations dealt in like manner with any people. Moses professed
to look through the glass of ages; the revolution of many centuries has brought
the object immediately before us; we may scrutinize the features of futurity,
as they then appeared to his prophetic gaze: and we may determine between the
probabilities whether they were conjectures of a mortal who 'knows not what a
day may bring forth,' or the revelation of that Being 'in whose sight a
thousand years are but a yesterday.'"
About forty-five years ago the
chief Rabbi in England wrote,
"The Wandering Jew is a very
real character in the great drama of history. From Ur of the Chaldees to
Palestine and Egypt; then back again to the Holy Land, and then to Assyria and
Babylon and Egypt and the furthermost cities of the far-flung Roman Empire, he
has traveled as nomad and settler, as fugitive and conqueror, as exile and
colonist, as merchant and scholar, as mendicant and pilgrim, as collector and
as ambassador."--Dr. Adler.
No more pathetic and heart-burning
picture ever fell from the tongue of man than that descriptive oration
delivered by Dr. Max Nordau, before the Zionist Congress, in which he depicted
the plight of the Romanian exiles. These he likened to a flight of northern
birds. He described the rigors and terrors of their
wandering. Hustled and jostled out of the cities they came to other
towns and villages, seeking rest for the soles of their feet, but to find
none. And when they asked, Where shall we go? All they received was
a shrug of the shoulders, and an imperious wave of the hand, telling them to
go! Away, away, into the unknown! But away!
THE HISTORY OF THE JEWS is so
closely associated with the Land, which was divinely appointed for their
national home, that in speaking of "The Wandering Jew" we must
frequently refer to The Land; for whilst the Jews were to be "scattered
and peeled" amongst the nations (as part of their punishment for failing
to keep the covenant God had made with them) their Land was to be trodden down
and spoiled by the desolator. No more vivid description is needed than
that presented by Jeremiah.
"How doth the city sit
solitary, that was full of people! how is she become a widow! she that
was great among the nations, and princess among the provinces, how is she
become tributary! She weepeth sore in the night, and her tears are on her
cheeks: all her friends have dealt treacherously with her, they are
become her enemies. Judah is gone into captivity because of afflictions,
and because of great servitude; she findeth no rest: The ways of Zion do mourn,
because none come to the solemn feats: all her gates are desolate; she is in
bitterness. And from the daughter of Zion all her beauty departed: her
princes are become like harts that find no pasture, and they are gone without
strength before the pursuer. Jerusalem remembered in the days of her
affliction and of her miseries all her pleasant things that she had in the days
of old: Jerusalem hath grievously sinned; therefore she is removed: all that
honoured her despise her, because they have seen her nakedness: Her filthiness
is in her skirts; she remembereth not her last end; therefore she came down
wonderfully: she had no comforter. The adversary hath spread out his
hand upon all her pleasant, or desirable things: for she hath seen the heathen
entered into her sanctuary, whom thou didst command they should not enter into
thy congregation. See, O Lord, and consider, for I am become vile.
Is it nothing to you, all ye that pass by? behold, and see if there be
any sorrow like unto my sorrow, which is done unto me, wherewith the Lord hath
afflicted me in the day of his fierce anger"--Lam. 1.
"How hath the Lord covered
the daughter of Zion with a cloud in his anger, and cast down from heaven unto
the earth the beauty of Israel, and remembered not his footstool in the
day of his anger! All that pass by clap their hands at thee; they hiss
and wag their head at the daughter of Jerusalem, saying, Is this the city that
men call The perfection of beauty, The joy of the whole earth? All thine
enemies have opened their mouth against thee: they hiss and gnash the teeth:
they say, We have swallowed her up: certainly this is the day that we looked
for; we have found, we have seen it. The Lord hath done that
which he had devised; he hath fulfilled his word that he had commanded
in the days of old: he hath thrown down, and hath not pitied: and he hath
caused thine enemy to rejoice over thee, he hath set up the horn of thine
adversaries."--Lam. 2.
A brief outline of The History
of Israel has already been presented (Lecture No. 3). Our present
purpose is to look upon The Wandering Jew, as he is today; and to view
the Land of Palestine, in the light of scripture and present-day developments.
OF THE DESTRUCTION OF JERUSALEM,
in the last days of Judah's commonwealth, it is written: "And when ye
shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation
thereof is nigh. Then let them which are in Judea flee to the mountains;
and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let not them that are
in the countries enter thereinto. For these be the days of vengeance,
that all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them
that are with child, and to them that give suck, in those days! for there
shall be great distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they
shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all
nations; and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times
of the Gentiles be fulfilled."--Luke 21: 20-24.
No more scathing condemnation
could be penned than we have in the words of Jesus spoke against "The
scribes and the Pharisees," who sat "in Moses seat."--Matt.
23: 2. In that position 'twas theirs to unfold to the people such
things as were written in THE LAW, and to exemplify the teaching of their
scriptures by acts of righteousness. But this they had failed to
do. Jesus therefore said, "Whatsoever they bid you observe, that
observe and do; but do not ye after their works; for they say, and do
not." To these men--who loved to be "called of men,
Rabbi!" who made "broad their phylacteries" to be seen and
admired of men; and who did "bind heavy burdens, on men's shoulders,"
yet would not themselves "move them with one of their fingers"--Jesus
openly denounced their hypocrisy. "Woe unto you, scribes and
Pharisees, hypocrites!" "Ye blind guides;" "fools and
blind;" "which strain at a gnat and swallow a camel." "Ye
are like unto whited sepulchers, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are
within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness." Ye
who say, "If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have
been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore ye be
witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the
prophets." Jesus called upon them to fill up the measure of their
fathers, and, addressing them as "serpents," He asked, "Ye
generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?"
Jesus then declared what was immediately ahead of them, saying, "All
these things shall come upon this generation."
And then Jesus (to whom the
multitudes cried, saying, "Hosanna to the son of David: Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord: Hosanna in the highest" Matt. 21: 9)
contemplating the city which is truly "beautiful for situation,"
continued His speech; "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, that killest the prophets,
and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye
would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto
you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that
cometh in the name of the Lord."--Matt. 23.
Those were truly "days of
vengeance" in the execution of Divine judgments upon the people of God for
their sins, "that all things which are written may be fulfilled."--Luke
21: 22. The world into which Jesus came, although composed of the
people of God, was "a world of darkness" John 12: 46; so far
hat this people departed from the way of the Lord. To them Jesus
declared, "While ye have the light, believe in the light, that ye may
be the children of light. These things spake Jesus, and departed,
and did hide himself from them. But though he had done so many
miracles before them, yet they believed not on him: That the saying of
Esaias the prophet might be fulfilled, which he spake, Lord, who hath believed
our report? Therefore they could not believe, because that
Esaias said again, He hath blinded their eyes, and hardened their heart; that
they should not see with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, and be
converted, and I should heal them."--John 12: 36-40.
Whilst this was the general
character of the people to whom Jesus spake, there were some who could not
resist the force of the evidence before their eyes. To the extent of
acknowledging the power manifested, "among the chief rulers may believed
on him; but because of the Pharisees they did not confess, lest they should be
put out of the synagogue; For they loved the praise of men more than the praise
of God."--verses 42, 43.
Jesus doubtless saw all this, and
made a further appeal unto them, saying, "He that believeth on me,
believeth not on me, but on him that sent me." His appeal,
therefore, was that they should believe in God; for "he that seeth me
seeth him that sent me." This appeal was on the same principle as
expressed in John 10:38. "Though ye believe not me, "believe
the works." At the same time Jesus hoped, for their
sakes, that they would discern more, for He added; "that ye may know, and
believe, that the Father is in me, and I in him." "And if
any man hear my words, and believe not, I judge him not: for I came not to
judge the world, but to save the world."--12: 47. Continuing
His appeal, in His work and endeavour "to save the world," Jesus
declared "He that rejecteth me, and receiveth not my words, hath
one that judgeth him: the word that I have spoken, the same shall judge him in
the last day."--John 12: 48.
The last days of Judah's
commonwealth were fast closing upon the nation; the climax would come when they
filled up the cup of their iniquity, and few indeed would escape the day of
vengeance. The Apostle to the Jews (as Paul was to the Gentiles) likewise
wrote of the impending judgment. He testified that "the end of
all things is a hand."--1 Pet. 4: 7. That was nineteen hundred
years ago, and referred not to the end of Gentile times, but to the last days
of the Mosaic dispensation, when--as the people would not hear the prophet like
unto Moses--many souls were to be destroyed from among the people. In
this time-of-the-end-judgment upon the House of Judah even the disciples of
Jesus would feel the effect thereof; hence, says Peter, "Beloved, think it
not strange concerning the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some
strange thing happened unto you. For the time is come that judgment must
begin at the house of God: and if the righteous are scarcely saved (or
"safe"), where shall the impious and the sinner (those who
"believed not," but rejected the counsel of God against themselves)
appear?--verses 17, 18.
Oftimes the scriptures "speak
of things which are not as though they were." This spirit of
prophecy, being of God, portrays events, destined to come to pass before they
do so in language as definite as though the event had already taken
place. We therefore find Paul referring to the out pouring of this
judgment upon the Jews, as follows; "Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and
their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are
contrary to all men: Forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be
saved, to fill up their sins always: for the wrath is come upon them to the
uttermost"--1 Thess. 2: 15, 16. This same thought was in
the mind of John the Baptist when he said to "many of the Pharisees and
Sadducees who had come to his baptism"--"the axe is laid unto the
root of the trees." The context (in which this remark is found) is extremely
interesting. John was preaching in the wilderness of Judea, calling upon
the Jews to "Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand."
Many went out to him, and confessing their sins, were baptized in Jordan.
But when these Pharisees and Sadducees came before John, he styled them "O
generation of vipers." Should John have "baptized"
them because they came to his baptism? To have done so would have
been to ignore a very essential factor in the ordinance of baptism. To
immerse such people would not be baptism into Christ. It would
be no better than the shell without the egg. For immersion to become
"baptism into the death of Christ" more is needed. John
therefore demanded of the Pharisees and Sadducees "Who hath warned you to
flee from the wrath to come?" He then placed before them the only
plan for acceptance before God. "Bring forth therefore fruits
meet for repentance;" or, "answerable to amendment of
life." He took from their natural boast: "Think not to say
within yourselves, We have Abraham to our Father; for I say unto you, that God
is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham." Their
natural decent from Abraham, without true repentance shown by good works, was
of little value. Consequently, "the axe is laid unto the root
of the trees; therefore every tree which bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn
down, and cast into the fire."--Matt. 3: 1-10.
Jesus also confronted this
"generation of vipers." Did the Saviour urge them to accept the
gospel that they might escape the wrath to come? Nay, verily, He told
them "Fill ye up then the measure of your Fathers."
Why? Because when their cup of iniquity was full, the due
punishment would fall upon their guilty heads. "That upon you may
come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous
Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the
temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall
come upon this generation."
<!--mstheme-->What
Saith the Scriptures?<!--mstheme-->
THE scriptures clearly and
positively set forth, as a fundamental principle of the Gospel of the kingdom
of God, that the Jews were scattered far and wide in the earth, and the Land in
which they had been settled by divine favour should long enjoy her Sabbaths,
under the heel of the desolator. Even though we now repeat some of the
scriptures already submitted, and dealt with, it seems well to consider a
selection of Bible quotations which support the claims concerning the
appointment, scattering and restoration, of the people of Israel.
<!--mstheme-->The
Chosen People<!--mstheme-->
"FOR thou
art an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chosen thee to
be a special people unto himself, above all people that are upon the face of
the earth. The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you,
because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all
people: But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath
which he had sworn unto your fathers, that the Lord brought you out with a
mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondsmen from the hand of
Pharaoh king of Egypt."-- Deut. 7: 6.
"For the
Lord hath chosen Jacob unto himself, and Israel for his peculiar
treasure."--Psa. 135: 4.
Being chosen of God did not,
however, guarantee continuance in His favour.
"Now,
therefore hearken, O Israel, unto the statues and unto the judgments, which I
teach you, for to do them, that ye may live and go in and possess the land
which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you."
"Only take
heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things
which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of
thy life. Take ye therefore good heed unto yourselves. Take heed
unto yourselves, lest ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God. For
the Lord thy God is a consuming fire, even a jealous God."-- Deut. 4:
1-24.
Such was the counsel and warning
given to this chosen people. What if they disregarded the heaven-given
message? Would they still possess the land?
"When ye
shall have remained long in the land, and shall do evil in the sight of the
Lord thy God, to provoke him to anger: I call heaven and earth to
witness against you this day, that ye shall soon utterly perish from off the
land whereunto ye go over Jordan to possess it; ye shall not prolong your days
upon it, but shall utterly be destroyed. And the Lord shall scatter you
among the nations, and ye shall be left few in number among the heathen,
whither the Lord shall lead you."--Deut. 4: 25-27.
"But it shall come to pass,
if thou wilt not hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God. . . that all these
curses shall come upon thee, and overtake thee. The Lord shall send upon
thee cursing, vexation, and rebuke, in all that thou settest thine hand unto
for to do, until thou be destroyed, and until thou perish quickly. The
Lord shall cause thee to be smitten before thine enemies: and thou shalt be
removed into all the kingdoms of the earth. Because thou servedst not the
Lord thy God with joyfulness, and with gladness of heart; Therefore shalt thou
serve thine enemies: and he shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he
have destroyed thee. The Lord shall bring a nation against thee from far,
from the end of the earth, swift as the eagle flieth: And he shall besiege thee
in all thy gates, until the high and fenced walls come down. And ye
shall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the stars of heaven for
multitude: And the Lord shall scatter thee among all people, from one end
of the earth even unto the other; And among these nations shalt thou find no
ease; and thy life shall hang in doubt before thee; thou shalt fear day and
night and thou shalt have none assurance of thy life."--Deut. 28.
This prophecy, given by Moses to
Israel carries us forward to the days of Jesus, for it was some seventy years
after His birth when the prophecy received its terrible fulfillment. The
Saviour was acutely sensitive to all things concerning Zion. "And
when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over it saying, If thou
hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto
thy peace! but now they are hid from thine eyes. For the days shall come
upon thee, that thine enemies shall cast a trench about thee, and compass thee
round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay thee even with the ground,
and thy children within thee; and they shall not leave in thee one stone upon
another; because thou knowest not the time of thy visitation."--Luke
19: 41-44. "And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with
armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh."--Luke 21: 20.
So impressed was He with the facts
about to be unfolded that the Saviour gave very definite instructions to those
who had "ears to hear," that they might escape the "things which
are written;" which were about to be fulfilled, and to be spoken of for
two thousand years to come. "For these be the days of vengeance, that
all things which are written may be fulfilled. But woe unto them that are
with child and to them that give suck, in those days! for there shall be great
distress in the land, and wrath upon this people. And they shall fall by
the edge of the sword, and shall be led away captive into all nations; and
Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled." Consequently the wise, being
forewarned, did as they were advised; "Let them which are in Judea flee to
the mountains; and let them which are in the midst of it depart out; and let
not them that are in the countries enter thereinto."--Verses 21-24.
<!--mstheme-->The
Jews to Be Scattered<!--mstheme-->
THAT the Jews, or children of
Israel, were to be scattered has already been shown. Without necessarily
being repetitious I now submit a citation from various Books of the Bible,
which collectively show at a glance that this was to be the lot of the people
whom God had chosen for His own.
Lev. 26:33.
"I will scatter you among the heathen."
Deut. 4:27.
"The Lord shall scatter you among the nations."
Deut. 28:64.
"The Lord shall scatter thee among all people."
Deut. 30:3.
"Whither the Lord thy God hath scattered thee."
Deut. 32:26.
"I said, I would scatter them into corners."
1 Kings 14: 15. "The Lord shall smite
Israel, and shall scatter them beyond the river."
Neh. 1:8.
"If ye transgress, I will scatter you abroad."
Psa. 44:11.
"Thou hast scattered us among the heathen."
Isa. 42:24.
"Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers?
did not the Lord."
Jer. 9:16.
"I will scatter them also among the heathen."
Jer. 13:24.
"Therefore will I scatter them as the stubble."
Jer. 18:17.
"I will scatter them as with an east wind."
Jer. 50: 17.
"Israel is a scattered sheep; the lions have driven him
away."
Ezek. 5:10.
"The whole remnant of thee will I scatter."
Ezek. 12:14, 15. "I will scatter toward every
wind, and they shall know
that I am the Lord, when I shall scatter them, and
disperse them in the countries."
Ezek. 20:23.
"I would scatter them among the heathen, and disperse
them."
Ezek. 36:18, 19. "I poured out my fury,
and scattered and dispersed them."
Zech. 13:7.
"Smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered."
None can deny
the reality of "the scattering," and the fulfillment of the voice of
prophecy in regard to the dispersion of Israel and Judah. Even
though Israel "kept not the covenant of God, and refused to walk in his
law; And forgat his works," and "believed not in God, and trusted not
in his salvation"--Psa. 78: 10, 11, 22; Nevertheless, the Lord
said of, and unto, them "Ye are my witnesses."--Isa. 43: 10, 12.
Down through the ages has this been true of them! They have borne witness
to the truth of the Word of God. And today as we look upon their historic
trail, seeing the hand of all nations turned against, and upon them, we cannot
fail to see that "witness." But when we see, do we appreciate
it? Surely it tells us that as God has so literally and effectively
fulfilled His Word in bringing to pass the evil, so surely will He do in the
future what He has decreed and promised. For not only were the Jews to be
scattered among the nations of the earth, but--the promise having been given--
so must it come to pass; the Jews are to be restored to their own land.
ON SECTION 3 OF
THE CHART we have a quotation from Isa. 18: "A nation
scattered and peeled." This was given as the introduction to the
present address. It is peculiarly arresting. Its
associations, as given in the prophecy, make it even more so. It is a
decree from the Most High, commanding one people to go to another people.
Instead of "Woe," as given in the A.V., the opening word is
preferably Ho! A challenge; a decree; a commission. In Lesser's
translation we have the phrase "from their beginning and
forward." Can there be any doubt as to which people "were
scattered and peeled," and which land has been "spoiled" by
national "floods"? And what nation could be
"presented" to Jehovah of Hosts other than His own people, whom He
testified, "You only have I known of all the families of the earth:
therefore I will punish you for all your iniquities."--Amos 3: 2.
It may be asked, Would God so punish the Jews, and yet
restore them? We ask also, Will the "veil of darkness" for
ever "hide their eyes from glorious light"? What makes the Jew,
through all his wanderings, cling to the hope of his ancient progenitors?
What makes him today turn his eyes from al lands to the land of
his fathers? For what does he fight the elements, and scheme
against "the powers that be" with a grim determination to enter
Palestine legally or illegally? Is it not because within his breast there
is the pulsation which tells him that "the year of Jubilee will
come," when the mandate will be heard throughout the world, "Return,
O exiled Israel, Home"?
Note now
another text on the chart. "Blindness in part is happened to
Israel."--Rom. 11: 25. The context explains, and gives the
true bearing of the matter. The Apostle is presenting two phases of
Truth--the one showing God's dealings with Natural Israel, and the other
presenting the position of Gentiles who, by accepting the Grace of God in
Christ, become part of Spiritual Israel. There was a danger then,
as now, of people concluding that God is "through with Israel."
But Paul says No; "Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. God
hath not cast away his people which he fore-knew."--Rom. 11: 1, 2.
The argument which follows is as interesting as it is logical.
"Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid." There
is nothing so effective as taking away the blessings within reach to make a
person, or nation, realize what they have failed to grasp. "Through
their fall," says Paul, "salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for to
provoke them to jealousy." Yet, if that be the effect of
"their fall," what will the end be? Or, as the apostle
says, "How much more their fullness?" The analogy continues,
"For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what
shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?"
Trite and true
is the warning given to the Gentile believers. "Boast not against
the branches. But if thou boast, thou bearest not the root, but the root
thee. Thou wilt say then, The branches were broken off, that I might be
grafted in." How natural! How demonstrative of the human mind,
not only then--but now. Not only "the believers in Rome" had
need of such admonition, but to this day there is the same danger of
misapplying facts as well as fancies. How definitely the Apostle answers
them; no "beating about the bush." "Well; because of
unbelief they were broken off, and thou standest by faith. Be not
high-minded, but fear." Why, Paul, must we
fear? "For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he
also spare not thee." Two characteristics of the Almighty are
presented, which should always be kept in view. "God is love,"
say some, and God would not hurt anyone! But Paul deals with facts, and
wants us to appreciate the same. "Behold therefore the goodness and
severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness,
if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut
off." After giving some thoughts concerning "the olive tree
wild by nature, and the good olive tree," the matter is summed up by Paul
in these words: "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of
this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness
in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come
in." What, Paul, will happen then? He answers,
"All Israel shall be saved." Then there must be a future for
Israel, even though they are still "scattered and peeled."
Certainly there is, says Paul, "As it is written, There shall come out of
Zion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."
When therefore the Deliverer appears in Zion, and ungodliness ceases to be the
open feature of the "stony heart" of Israel, we may look for that
restoration which has been the hope of a people, and the burden of the
prophets. Without such "restoration" how can many of the
promises, and the hope of salvation, ever be fulfilled?
<!--mstheme-->Exiled
Israel Will Return<!--mstheme-->
"AND it
shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord shall set his hand again the
second time to recover the remnant of his people: And he shall set up an ensign
for the nations, and shall assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together
the dispersed of Judah from the four corners of the earth. And there
shall be an highway for the remnant of his people, which shall be left, from
Assyria; like as it was to Israel in the day that he came up out of the land of
Egypt."--Isa. 11: 11, 12, 16.
"For the Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and
will yet choose Israel, and set them in their own land, and it shall come to
pass in the day that the Lord shall give thee rest from thy sorrow, and from
thy fear, and from the hard bondage wherein thou wast made to serve."--Isa.
14: 1, 3.
"And it shall come to pass in that day, that the great
trumpet shall be blown, and they shall come which were ready to perish in
the land of Assyria, and the outcasts in the land of Egypt, and shall
worship the Lord in the holy mount at Jerusalem."--Isa. 27: 13.
"Upon the land of my people shall come up thorns and
briers; yea, upon all the houses of joy in the joyous city; until the Spirit be
poured upon us from on high, and my people shall dwell in a peaceable
habitation, and in sure dwellings, and in quiet resting places."--Isa.
32: 13, 18.
"And the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come
to Zion with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads: they shall obtain joy
and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee away."-- Isa. 35: 10.
"For I am the Lord thy God, the Holy One of Israel,
thy Saviour: Fear not: for I am with thee: I will bring thy seed from the east,
and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north, Give up; and to the
south, Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daughters from the ends of
the earth." --Isa. 43: 3, 6.
"Sing, O heavens; and be joyful, O earth; and break
forth into singing, O mountains; for the Lord hath comforted his people, and
will have mercy upon his afflicted."--Isa. 49: 13.
"For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with
great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from
thee for a moment, but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee,
saith the Lord thy Redeemer."--Isa. 54: 7, 8.
"Surely the isles shall wait for me, and the ships of
Tarshish first, to bring thy sons from far, their silver and their gold with
them, unto the name of the Lord thy God, and to the Holy One of Israel, because
he hath glorified thee: for in my wrath I smote thee, but in my favour have I
had mercy on thee. Thy sun shall no more go down, and the days of thy
mourning shall be ended."--Isa. 60.
"Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord,
that it shall no more be said, The Lord liveth, that brought up the children of
Israel out of the land of Egypt; but, the Lord liveth, that brought up the
children of Israel from the land of the north, and from all the lands whither
he had driven them: and I will bring them again into their land that I gave
unto their fathers."--Jer. 16: 14.
"Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and
shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall
be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall
be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS."--Jer. 23: 5, 6.
"For, lo, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah, saith the Lord: and I
will cause them to return to the land that I gave to their fathers, and they
shall possess it. Fear not, O Israel: for, lo, I will save thee from
afar, and thy seed from the land of their captivity; and Jacob shall return,
and shall be in rest, and be quiet, and none shall make him afraid. For I
am with thee, saith the Lord, to save thee: though I make a full end of all
nations whither I have scattered thee, yet will I not make a full end of thee:
but I will correct thee in measure, and will not leave thee altogether
unpunished."--Jer. 30: 3, 10, 11.
"Hear the word of the Lord, O ye nations, and declare
it in the isles afar off, and say, He that scattered Israel will gather him,
and keep him, as a shepherd his flock. For the Lord hath redeemed Jacob,
and ransomed him from the hand of him that was stronger than he.
Therefore they shall come and sing in the height of Zion, and shall flow together
to the goodness of the Lord, for wheat, and for wine, and for oil, and for the
young of the flock and of the herd: and their soul shall be as a watered
garden; and they shall not sorrow any more at all. And it shall come to
pass, that like as I have watched over them, to pluck up, and to break down,
and to thro down, and to destroy, and to afflict; so will I watch over them, to
build, and to plant, saith the Lord."--Jer. 31: 10, 12, 28.
"Behold, I will gather them out of all countries,
whither I have driven them in mine anger; and I will bring them again into this
place; Yea, I will rejoice over them to do them good. For thus saith the
Lord; Like as I have brought al this great evil upon this people, so will I
bring upon them all the good that I have promised them."--Jer. 32: 37,
42.
"Thus saith the Lord God; I will even gather you from
the people, and assemble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered,
and I will give you the land of Israel."--Ezek. 11: 17.
"For in mine holy mountain, in the mountain of the
height of Israel, saith the Lord God, there shall all the house of Israel, all
of them in the land, serve me; there will I accept them. I will accept
you with your sweet savor, when I bring you out from the people, and gather you
out of the countries wherein ye have been scattered. And ye shall know
that I am the Lord, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel."--Ezek.
20: 40, 42.
"So will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them
out of all places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark
day. And I will bring them out from the people, and gather them from the
countries, and will bring them to their own land, and feed them upon the
mountains of Israel by the rivers, and in all the inhabited places of the
country."--Ezek. 34: 12, 13.
"I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but
for mine holy name's sake. For I will take you from among the heathen,
and gather you out of all countries, and will bring you into your own
land. And ye shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers; and ye
shall be my people, and I will be your God."--Ezek. 36: 22, 28.
"Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among
the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and
bring them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land
upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king to them all: and they
shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms
any more at all. And the heathen shall know that I the Lord do
sanctify Israel, when my sanctuary shall be in the midst of them for
evermore."--Ezek. 37.
"For the children of Israel shall abide many days
without a king. Afterward shall the children of Israel return, and seek
the Lord their God, and David (the Beloved) their king; and shall fear the Lord
and his goodness in the latter days."--Hosea 3: 4, 5.
"I will bring again the captivity of my people of
Israel; And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more be pulled
up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God." --Amos
9: 14, 15.
"Behold, at that time I will undo all that afflict
thee: and I will save her that halteth, and gather her that was driven out; and
I will get them praise and fame in every land where they have been put to
shame."--Zeph. 3: 19.
<!--mstheme-->The
Land Also to Be Freed from the Oppresor<!--mstheme-->
"THE Lord
of Hosts shall reign in Mount Zion, and in Jerusalem, and before his ancients
gloriously."--Isa. 24: 23.
"In this mountain shall the Lord of hosts make unto
all people a feast of fat things, a feast of wines on the lees, of fat things
full of marrow, of wines on the lees well refined. And he will destroy
in this mountain the face of the covering east over all people, and the vail
that is spread over all nations." --Isa. 25: 6, 7.
"Look unto Zion, the city of our solemnities; thine
eyes shall see Jerusalem a quiet habitation, a tabernacle that shall not be
taken down; not one of the stakes thereof shall be removed, neither shall any
of the cords thereof be broken."--Isa. 33: 20.
"For the Lord shall comfort Zion: he will comfort all
her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert
like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein,
thanksgiving, and the voice of melody."--Isa. 51: 3.
"Awake, awake; put on thy strength, O Zion; put on thy
beautiful garments, O Jerusalem, the holy city: for henceforth there shall no
more come into thee the uncircumcised and the unclean. Shake
thyself from the dust. Break forth into joy, sing together, ye waste
places of Jerusalem."--Isa. 52: 1, 9.
"I will make the place of my feet glorious. The
Zion of the Holy One of Israel. Whereas thou hast been forsaken and
hated, so that no man went through thee, I will make thee an eternal
excellency, a joy of many generations. Violence shall no more be heard in
thy land, wasting nor destruction within thy borders; but thou shalt call thy
walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise."--Isa. 60: 13, 18.
"Be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I
create: for, behold, I create Jerusalem a rejoicing, and her people a
joy. The voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her, nor the voice of
crying. They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith
the Lord."--Isa. 65: 18, 25.
"In those days Jerusalem shall dwell safely."--Jer.
33: 16.
"And they shall say, This land that was desolate is
become like the garden of Eden; and the waste and desolate and ruined cities
are become fenced, and are inhabited. The heathen shall know that I the
Lord build the ruined places, and plant that that was desolate: I the Lord have
spoken, and I will do it."--Ezek. 36: 35, 36.
"The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his
voice from Jerusalem. So shall ye know that I am the Lord your God
dwelling in Zion, my holy mountain: then shall Jerusalem be holy, and there
shall no strangers pass through her any more."--Joel 3: 16, 17.
"In that day will I raise up the tabernacle of David that
is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up his ruins,
and I will build it as in the days of old."--Amos 9: 11.
<!--mstheme-->Then
Shall the Glory of God Be Revealed<!--mstheme-->
IN anticipation
of this day, when "upon Mount Zion shall be deliverance, and the kingdom
shall be the Lord's"--Obad. 17: 21, the prophet Isaiah gave us
those beautiful words which, in song and story, have thrilled the hearts of
both Jew and Gentile.
"Comfort
ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably to
Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her
iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the Lord's hand double for all
her sins. The voice of him that crieth in the wilderness, Prepare ye the
way of the Lord, make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
Every valley shall be exalted, and every mountain and hill shall be made low:
and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough places plain: And the
glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for
the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it. O Zion, that bringest good tidings,
get thee up into the high mountain; O Jerusalem, that bringest good tidings,
lift up thy voice with strength; lift it up, be not afraid; say unto the cities
of Judah, Behold you God!"--Isa. 40: 1, 9.
<!--mstheme-->A
Wanderer - "Until"<!--mstheme-->
NOW although The
Wandering Jew was sentenced
To roam this scorning world around,
Disown'd by God, by man opprest,
Outcasts from Zion's hallow'd ground!
there was a time limit to the
scattering and down-treading, at the conclusion of which the exile would cease
his wandering. That time limit was given by the Saviour, when He said,
"Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the
Gentiles be fulfilled."
UNTIL!
That is not the only scripture which gives this little, yet important,
word. We read in Psalm 110: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at
my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
Showing the superiority of Jesus, in Hebrews 1: 13, we read, "But to which
of the angels said he at any time, Sit on my right hand, until I make
thine enemies thy footstool?" Whilst in Matthew 22: 44, this same
quotation is applied direct to Christ, when Jesus asked the Pharisees, What
think ye of Christ? Whose son is he? And to that generation Jesus
said, "Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed
is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." Peter, when preaching
the gospel, said, "He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached
unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution
of all things, which God hath spoken."--Acts 3: 20, 21.
"Blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of
the Gentiles be come in."--Rom. 11: 25.
In each case the period is limited by
"until." When "the fullness of the Gentiles be come
in," the blindness of Israel will come to an end. When the time
comes for "the restitution" to be accomplished, the heavens will no
longer retain Jesus Christ. When the time arrives for "His
enemies" to be dealt with, the Lord Jesus will no longer sit at the right
hand of His Lord, the Father. All these Scriptures will be fulfilled
at one and the same time, even the end of Gentile times. And
when they have run their course, the down-treading of Jerusalem, and the
scattering of her people, will also cease. These two phases are
intimately connected in the quotations given from Luke 21:24, and Rom. 11:
25. Both are governed by the "until." Why the
"blindness" and the "trodden down"? This has
already been expounded; but, in passing, there is a brief comment given which
is worthy of notice: "Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us
of entering into this rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
For unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them: but the word
preached did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that
heard."--Heb. 4: 1.
<!--mstheme-->This
Is My Rest Forever<!--mstheme-->
ANOTHER feature
to be noted, from the trail of The Wandering Jew, is the quotation
from the Psalm: "The Lord loveth the gates of Zion." Where is
this Zion which the Lord so loves? Certain present-day theories
suggest it is elsewhere than Palestine, but it is only the fallacy of such
theories which requires such a perversion of what is written in the
Scriptures. God's Zion is, and always will be, in the land appointed of
old as His dwelling place in the earth, when He "chose the tribe of Judah,
the mount Zion which he loved."--Psa. 78: 68. It is "the
city of our God, the mountain of his holiness. Beautiful for situation,
the joy of the whole earth, is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city
of the great King." When, "according to thy name," the
praise of God is extended to "the ends of the earth"; then "Let
mount Zion rejoice, let the daughters of Judah be glad, because of thy
judgments." Then the people "who know the joyful sound"
will be invited to "Walk about Zion and go round about her: tell the
towers thereof. Mark ye well her bulwarks, and consider her
palaces."--Psa. 48. "The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more
than all the dwellings of Jacob." Wherever Jacob might dwell,
there is nothing to be compared with the gates of Zion!
Throughout the long, hard trail of The Wandering Jew, when at even the
cry has been "Would God it were morning," it has been on record
"I have set watchmen upon thy walls, O Jerusalem, which shall never hold
their peace day nor night: ye that make mention of the Lord, keep not silence,
and give him no rest, till he establish, and till he make Jerusalem a
praise in the earth."--Isa. 62: 6, 7.
And these watchmen (anticipating the day when their
"feet shall stand within thy gates, O Jerusalem") "Pray for the
peace of Jerusalem": knowing full well that "they shall prosper that
love thee."--Psa. 122. These servant-watchmen "take pleasure
in her stones, and favour the dust thereof."--Psa. 102: 14. Consequently,
in their prayer they cry, "Peace be within thy walls, and prosperity
within thy palaces." They accept the word, "They that trust in
the Lord shall be as mount Zion, which cannot be removed, but abideth for
ever. As the mountains are round about Jerusalem, so the Lord is round
about his people from henceforth ever for ever."--Psa. 125: 1. "For
the Lord hath chosen Zion; he hath desired it for his habitation. This is
my rest forever: here will I dwell; for I have desired it. There will I
make the horn of David to bud: His enemies will I clothe with shame; but upon
himself shall his crown flourish."--Psa. 132.
"The gate of a city was frequently a considerable
structure, near which was a public place of assembly; the exchange, courthouse,
and council-chamber of modern times. Hence the 'gate of a city" was
so identified with the life of the community as to be synonymous with the city
itself." And yet "a gate" also suggests a means of
entrance into the city. We may therefore perceive an underlying thought
of the city of Zion, with the means of access thereto.
To the
Hebrews--who had passed from the shadow of The Law to the substance in
Christ--the apostle wrote: "But ye are come unto mount Zion, and unto the
city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company
of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn in heaven
enrolled, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made
perfect."--Heb. 12: 22, 23. Now the "heavenly
Jerusalem" will be composed of the "church of the first-born";
and these are men and women "called out" by the gospel of salvation,
and who, having been obedient thereto, are accordingly "enrolled for the
new heavens, wherein dwelleth righteousness." For John
"saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down from God out of heaven,
prepared as a bride adorned for her husband."--Rev. 21: 2. Into
this "holy city" none can enter but by, and through, "Jesus the
mediator of the new covenant." Jesus is therefore "the
gate," even as He said, "I am the door." They who desire
to enter by Him will say, "Open to me the gates of righteousness: I will
go into them, and I will praise the Lord: This gate of the Lord, into which the
righteous shall enter."--Psa. 118: 19. "The gates of
Zion" are therefore significant of both the natural and the spiritual, the
literal and the figurative. "The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more
than all the dwellings of Jacob." And, in the now far-distant past,
we saw the patriarch "lay down in that place to sleep," having taken
of the stones thereof for a pillow. In his dream he saw a ladder, from
the earth to the heaven: he beheld the angels of God ascending and descending,
and seeing the Lord above it--he heard the promise, "the land whereon thou
liest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed." Awakening out of
his sleep, vividly impressed by what he had seen and heard, Jacob sensed and
confessed the Truth, "Surely the Lord is in this place; and I knew it
not." "Afraid" in the realization of the presence of the
Lord, he said, "How dreadful is this place!"k Contemplating the
things revealed in the promises, which constitute the basic principle "of
the Kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ," Jacob said: "This
is none other but the house of God and this is the gate of heaven."
Of the true believers we read, "Whose house are we, if we hold fast the
confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end."--Heb. 3:
6. The Truth believed, received and obeyed is "the gate" by
which entrance into "the heaven" of Zion, the holy city, can only be
obtained.
<!--mstheme-->A
Valley of Bones<!--mstheme-->
LOOKING at the
chart again we see how "the trail" leads from "the wailing
wall" for nearly two thousand years until it reaches a valley, the characteristic
feature of which is depicted by dry bones, and the accompanying question:
CAN
THESE BONES LIVE?
The long lane of Israel's trail is
destined to have a change--one so remarkable that its effect will be
world-wide, and the outcome so tremendous that it can truly be said it will
"turn the world upside down." But it will be a turnover
for the benefit of all who survive. For who will say the present world is
not in need of a turnover? What is the present world?
Is it not an "evil world" from which we need to be
"delivered?"--Gal. 1: 4. And after six thousand years of
man's rule is it not a fact that on every hand, in one form or another, we
witness "man's inhumanity to man?" The earth has been one long
continuous blood-red battle field. In our time we have seen a world-war,
and a global-war. Is there today any sound feeling that "war will
be no more?" Is it not as true today as when the prophet wrote,
"O Lord, I know that the way of man is not in himself: it is not in man
that walketh to direct his steps."--Jer. 10: 23? And the
word of the Lord has not yet been abrogated; "There is no peace, saith the
Lord, unto the wicked."--Isa. 48: 22.
Then why do you ask, should we believe that the Jews--who
were cast away because of wickedness--will be restored to favour, and given the
occupancy of the land from which they were ejected? This question has
already been answered; a further testimony will emphasize that a change must,
of necessity, take place in the mind and heart of the people before
Heaven's mercy and blessings may be extended to them so that they may become
"the had, and not the tail."--Deut. 28: 13. In looking
forward to this great accomplishment we must not think of the Jew, as he is and
has been for so long, but, as he will be when God deals with the nation, as He
has promised to do. First we must recognize why God will do
this. "I do not this for your sakes, O house of Israel, but for mine
holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among the heathen, whither ye
went."--Ezek. 36: 22. God's name must be sanctified,
honoured, and glorified. Israel would accordingly be benefited thereby;
but that they might receive the benefits, God says "I will also save you
from all your uncleanness: then shall we remember you own evil ways, and your
doings that were not good, and shall loathe yourselves in your own sight
for your iniquities and for your abominations."--Verses 29, 31.
Again, "I will heal their backsliding. I will love them
freely."--Hosea 14: 4.
To repeat: Passing down the long lane, which represents the
Israel trail, we come to a Valley of Dry Bones, and are faced with the
question, "Can these bones live?" The picture is not
a fancy; the bones are not a fiction. The illustration is based upon the
sure word of prophecy. The bones surely depict the plight, and the end of
many--who have trod, faltered and fallen by the wayside-- as they staggered
down the trail of The Wandering Jew.
Tribes of the wandering foot and
weary breast,
How shall ye flee away and be at
rest?
The wild dove hath her nest, the
fox his cave,
Mankind their country--Israel but
the grave.
--Byron.
So it appeared to the poet; but
that is not the answer to the question now before us. The hand of the
Lord being upon the prophet, he was in spirit carried forth, and "set down
in the midst of the valley which was full of bones." The prophet saw
that "they were very dry." Gazing in wonder upon them he was
asked, "Son of man, can these bones live?" Of this he would not
presume to speak, so answered: "O Lord God, thou
knowest." And from God only could reliable information be
obtained. What then said the Lord to those bones? "Behold, I
will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: And I will lay sinews
upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and put
breath in you, and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the
Lord." Being so commanded, Ezekiel says, "As I prophesied,
there was a noise, and behold a shaking, and the bones came together, bone to
his bone." And then "lo, the sinews and the flesh, and
the skin" to cover them--but no breath. He, however, who made man,
and then "blew into his nostrils the breath of life," can also breathe
upon the dry bones of Israel; even as Hosea has said: "He will revive us;
he will raise us up, and we shall live in his sight."
Therefore, prophecy to the wind (breath) "and say to the wind, Thus saith
the Lord God; come from the four winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain,
that they may live." The result being "the breath came into
them, and they lived, and stood up upon their feet, an exceeding great
army."
Before
proceeding, call to mind what happened to the kingdom of Israel. We have
seen how it became divided into two separate Houses. Then, first, the
House of Israel was punished for their sin, and the ten tribes were led away
into captivity. Later, judgment came upon the House of Judah, and from
that day onward the twelve tribes have been scattered among the heathen, even
unto this day. Going back to the prophecy, Ezekiel says, "Then he
said unto me, Son of man, these bones are the whole house of Israel:
behold they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost: we are cut off for
our parts (have been cut off by ourselves, Dr. Young). Hence the
dry bone of Israel continue as such of all the tribes, whether of the
two or the ten. Consequently, there is no truth in the claim made by some
people that the ten tribes have long ago been restored to favour, and that they
are now enjoying prosperity because of the blessing of the Almighty being upon
them.
The whole
house of Israel embraces the whole of the family of Abraham through Isaac
and Jacob. All were scattered because of disobedience and all continue
together in the dry-bone state. All need to be saved from their
backslidings, and the Holy One of Israel alone can, and will, bring about
redemption in Israel. Obviously this has reference to a national
redemption and restoration; not an individual salvation. Individual
Salvation, for both Jew and Gentile, can only be obtained by, and through,
Jesus Christ, i.e., by direct and personal association with the covenants of
promise, by faith, according to the requirements of the same, as made known in
the development of the Plan and purpose of God, in the Way of the Lord.
So the message continues, "Therefore prophesy and say unto them, Thus
saith the Lord God: Behold, O my people, I will open your graves, and cause you
to come up out of your graves, and bring you into the land of Israel. And
ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people,
and brought you up out of your graves. And shall put my spirit in you,
and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know
that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord."
To illustrate
further that "the dry-bone whole house of Israel" depicts the lot of
the twelve tribes, a demonstration is recorded. Instruction was given as
follows: "thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For
Judah, and for the children of Israel his companions: then take another stick,
and write upon it, For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and all the house of
Israel his companions: And join them one to another into one stick; and they
shall become one in thine hand." None could fail to grasp the
significance of this, even were we not told the meaning thereof. But we
are not left to guess, or make deductions. The solution was given to the
prophet, so that when "the children of thy people" ask, What thou
meanest by these? he could give them the divine answer. "Say
unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of
Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them
on every side, and bring them into their own land: And I will make them one
nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be
king to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall
they be divided into two kingdoms any more at all. And David (the
beloved) my servant shall be king over them."
Of this
"righteous servant," see the prophecy concerning Jesus in Isaiah 53;
of whom we sing,
Behold my servant, se Him rise
Exalted in My might:
Him have I chosen, and in Him
I place supreme delight.
When David's
greater Son sits upon the throne of His father David, and the people
"dwell in the land," and "the beloved" is a "Prince
for ever," there is another promise of peace for them, "Moreover I
will make a covenant of peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant
with them: and I will place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary
in the midst of them for evermore." And then, "the heathen
shall know that I the Lord do sanctify Israel."
Such is the
remarkable testimony given in Ezekiel 37. Is there any
<!--mstheme-->Evidence
of Its Fulfilment?<!--mstheme-->
MANY students
of the Bible, alive fifty years ago, were thrilled to see, and hear, the
shaking of the dry bones of Israel in an endeavour to "stand upon their
feet." "That goodly cedar of the Lebanon," humanly
speaking, fell all too soon! Yet while he lived he brought a message to
Jewry, and electrified the world by his plea, in behalf of his people, for
"a legally assured home in Palestine." Not all Jews, or
Gentiles, favoured his scheme, but so sincere and vigorous were his efforts
that he commanded the attention of men, of both high and low estate, and for
the first time since the dispersion he called together representative Jews from
all parts of the world. In the year 1897 at Basle, Switzerland, there
were assembled together two hundred delegates, representing 81 cities, in the
first International Jewish Congress.
To the Congress, in his
presidential address, Dr. Herzl said
"Our
common history has suffered a long break, and only in our own times has an
understanding and a union between the separated sections of our people become
possible. And in our own times still, which are otherwise so great, we
see and feel ourselves surrounded by the old hatred . . . Zionism is the return
home of Judaism even before the return to the land of the Jews. The
Congress will, therefore, have to occupy itself with the means for ensuring and
protecting the Jewish national existence. Must not a presentiment of great
events come over us, if we think that at this moment the hopes and expectations
of many hundreds of thousands of our people rest on our assembly."
Dr. Max Nordau,
one of the most brilliant orators of his day, speaking to the Congress of
"the present condition of the Jews among the various nations of the
earth," said:
"This
picture can, on the whole, be painted only in one colour. Jewish misery
prevails. It is not the ordinary misery which is probably the unalterable
fate of mankind. It is the peculiar misery, which the Jews do not suffer
as human beings, but as Jews, and from which they would be free were they
not Jews."
After
speaking of the distressing conditions of the Jews in many countries, and the
uprise of anti-Semitism, Dr. Nordau concluded:
"This is
the history of Israel at the end of the 19th century. To sum it up in a
word: the majority of the Jews are a race of accursed beggars. This
Jewish distress cries for help. To find that help will be the great work
of this Congress."
Do you, O
reader, doubt the Jew has been persecuted throughout his wanderings?
Then, perhaps, this treatise will be more complete if a few statistics are
given. In Milman"s History of the Jews, based upon the
record of Josephus, we have a synopsis of the Persecutions of the Jews, with
numbers of the killed and wounded; also of later persecutions. A brief
summary is here presented, of numbers killed and taken.
Before the War--under
Vespasian. In eleven places,
of from 2,000 to
50,000 .......................................................................................
129,500
During the War--in Galilee and Judea. In ten places, 1,000 to
40,000 118,300
At Jerusalem ....................................................................................
1,100,000
After the fall of Jerusalem, four places
.............................................
8,660
Total ...................................... 1,356,460
That was the
beginning. The city fell, and those who survived were "led away
captive," but their terrors did not cease. Whither they went the
persecutor was there to receive them, as the following facts reveal.
A.C. 2nd
Century. 132-134. Insurrection in Judea. Dion Cassius
(a trustworthy authority) states that "during the whole war the enormous
number of 580,000 fell by the sword, not including those who perished by
famine, disease and fire."
7th
Century. Mohammed's war against the Jews. 700 Jews
dragged in chains to Medina --graves were dug; the unhappy wretches descended
into them, the sword did its work and the earth was heaped over them.
In Spain.
Laws were passed against the Jews, and persecutions followed.
A.C. 1097.
The Germans and French rose up against them. "Let us be
revenged for our Messiah upon the Jews that are among us." In
TREVES, the Crusaders massacred every Jew they could find. 1/2
century later, the monk Rodolph preached through Germany against the
enemies of God. Some Jews escaped, but there was frightful havoc in
Cologne, Mayence, Worms, Spiers, and Strasburg.
12th
Century. Laws were passed in France for the confiscation of Jewish
property. Jews attacked in London. Plundered, maltreated and slain
at Norwich, Edmondsbury and Stamford. Atrocious massacre at York.
13th
Century. More persecutions. Jews sold to Richard of Cornwall.
Old men and babes plucked from their mother's breasts, were pitilessly
slaughtered. Expulsion of Jews from England.
14th
Century. Jews expelled from Spain. In Seville 4,000
perished. A year later in one day in Cordova, Valencia, Toledo and
Burgos--"All the horrors of a town taken by storm were suffered by the
Jewries; plunder, rape massacre, conflagration." Expulsion of Jews
from France.
15th
Century. Jews expelled from Spain.
16th
Century. Jews persecuted in Germany.
Passing over
the horrors of fifty years ago, when the daily newspapers carried as front-page
headlines, with vivid accounts, the persecutions of the Jews in DARKEST RUSSIA,
we pause for a moment to recall some of the diabolical happenings of recent
date. "The Jews have only one unity," says a recent article,
"that of the target." And how the arrows have pierced that
target from the Hitlerized shotbows. A Major of the Red Army, before
dying of his wounds in a hospital, said, "The Hitlerites should be
annihilated, by dozens, by thousands, like rats; for the sake of the future we
must cleanse the world of this black plague."
The fiat of the
Almighty is, "He who curseth thee will I curse;" and it will surely
be carried out in His time.
The Germans certainly did not relieve the situation, when
they gave "a larger pile of Jewish corpses" than hitherto had
disgraced the world! How many, or few, of the 3,000,000 Jews who
once lived in Poland, or the 9000,000 in Rumania, or the same number in
Germany, or 750,000 in Hungary, and others in France, Holland, Belgium and
Czechoslovakia are left to tell the tale? To hundred were hanged in the
Black Forest district, and left to see their rabbi flogged to
death. To burn a synagogue was sport to their tormentors. The
Germans turned out the Jews from their praying; set fire to them, turned the
machine guns on them, and whipped the women--undressed-through the market
place. In Warsaw, in twelve months, more than 72,000 died--shot, whipped,
and bayoneted. Many transported in freight cars died standing--without
food, air and water. Thousands were crushed to death by military cars
running over them. Three thousand, old and unarmed, were clubbed to
death. Those barbarities were a source of great celebration to the
Germans. Will men forget? God will not!
You may say
this is a long way round to answer the question, Is there any evidence of the
fulfillment of the prophecies to which attention has been directed? Yet
these by-paths help us to see and realize more fully the strength of the
testimonies. What people other than the Jews could have survived more
than 2,000 years of persecution; retained their identity without a national
home, and amidst it all preserved in hope and determination to at last, have a
resting place in the land of their forefathers? "Zion said, The
Lord hath forsaken me, and my Lord hath forgotten me. Can a woman forget
her suckling child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her
womb? Yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee"--Isa.
49: 14, 15. Therein lies the secret, and the solution.
Let us then not forget the comforting prophecy of the end of the long
trail. "Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your
God. Speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her
warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received
of the Lord's hand double for all her sins."--Isa. 4: 1, 2.
<!--mstheme--> The
Growth of Zionism<!--mstheme-->
IS THERE then any indication that the "warfare"
is nearing its end? Did the "Jewish distress" which cried
"for help" find any response? And did the Congress find the
help that Dr. Nordau called for; has any progress been made toward the freedom
of the Land and the People?
This is not the place for an extended treatise on the aims
and development of Zionism. For more than two hundred years before Dr.
Herzl, efforts had been made to find relief for Jewry. In 1840 Moses
Montefiore submitted to the Governor of Syria his plan of Jewish immigration
into the Holy Land, but success did not follow his efforts. Other
endeavors followed, being, as it were, but stepping-stones to a larger scheme
to be submitted in due time. Colonization of Palestine was begun, and
developed, on a small scale. In 1849 Dr. John Thomas wrote, "I
believe there will be a preadventual limited colonization of the country by
Jews." This he based upon his interpretation of the Sure Word of
prophecy. A few years later the Sultan of Turkey issued a decree
lifting the ban which had, for a long time, rested upon the Jews; but by this
decree they were permitted to return and settle in the Land of Promise as
farmers and husbandmen. The following Notes from Palestine and the
Powers by Frank G. Jannaway (1918), are interesting;
In 1827--Not more than 500 Jews in
the whole of Palestine.
In 1856--The Hadrian Edict
annulled, and the Jews invited to return.
In 1875--"The Jewish
Colonization Fund" founded.
In 1896--Dr. Theodor Herzl
startled the whole of Jewry with his idea of a
"Jewish State."
In 1915--One hundred thousand Jews
settled in Palestine.
The first
article of the Basle program states, "Zionism strives to create for the
Jewish people a home in Palestine secured by legal guarantees."
Other schemes for the emancipation of The Wandering Jew were proposed,
but failed. Zionism progressed.
"The
scandal of Dreyfus convinced Theodor Herzl that there was no refuge for the
soul of Jewry, either from martyrdom or assimilation into nothing, save an
individual land, state and name. What other land than Eretz Yisroel, the
Land of Israel? The creative spirit of Judaism was of The Land,
and ceased to create when The Land was taken from them. Therefore this
Austrian Jew, Theodor Herzl, was able to stand before the Sultan of Turkey,
empowered to buy back from him Palestine for the Jews. But that
tremendous boon which the Sultan might have granted, the Caliph, fearing the
anger of his Moslem Empire refused: and once more hope seemed to die."--Zionism
and Palestine, by Sir Ronald Storrs.
After 1897
other Congresses were held; Jewry was awakening, and some progress was made in
the colonies which were established in the Land. Then came the War
of 1914-18 with its set-back; yet out of that War came great development.
Two very remarkable events occurred in 1917--The British Mandate of
November 2nd; and The Liberation of Jerusalem, December 9th, by
General Allenby. The "Balfour Declaration," conveyed to
the Jews through Lord Rothschild, stated:
"His
Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of the
national home for the Jewish people, and will use their best endeavors to
facilitate the achievement of this object, it being clearly understood that
nothing shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of
existing non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights and political
status enjoyed by Jews in any other country."--Foreign Office, Nov. 2,
1917.
With the liberation of the Ancient City, in The Land,
the power of the Turk to desolate--so long exercised--came to an
end. Palestine moved forward, but not without trouble. Dr.
Weizmann, President of the World Zionist Organization, speaking in Jerusalem,
said:
"Jews had
never renounced their rights to Palestine; they were brother Semites, not so
much 'coming' as 'returning' to the country; there was room for both to work
side by side; let his hearers beware of treacherous insinuations that Zionists
were seeking political power--rather let both progress together until they were
ready for a joint autonomy. Zionists were following with the deepest
sympathy the struggles of Arabs and Armenians for that freedom which all three
could mutually assist each other to regain."
In 1921, Sir
Herbert Samuel said, "The Jews, a people who are scattered throughout the
world, but whose hearts always turned to Palestine, should be enabled to found
here, their home, and that some among them, within the limits that are fixed by
the numbers and interests of the present population, should come to Palestine
in order to help by their resources and efforts to develop the country, to the
advantage of all its inhabitants."
<!--mstheme-->"The
Restoration" Still Ahead<!--mstheme-->
AS WE ALL know,
conditions in Palestine are not satisfactory to either Jew or Arab. A
young Jew said, "What I can't understand is why we should be having so
much trouble here in Palestine! We have come from other parts of the
world expecting to find a haven of rest in this land. And now we have
great trouble right here!" And yet, Palestine has gone ahead.
In 1941 Maurice Pearlman wrote,
"Palestine
today can play an important part in the war against Nazism as a key section of
the Middle Eastern Front. The country figured prominently in the last war
as the scene of Allenby's triumph. Then it was a land of waste and swamp
with a meager population of some 640,000 Arabs and 85,000 Jews. Today
the population numbers more than one million and a half, of which more than
half a million are Jews; advanced, highly developed, industrialized, their
agriculture based on the most intensive farming of any land in the Middle East,
with vast numbers of skilled workers, and a corps of young able-bodied men who
can match any in the field of battle.
In the
laboratories of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, scientists are daily
working on experiments. . . . literally hundreds of noted Jewish chemists and
engineers (cast out of their own countries) have here enriched the war
potential of Palestine. The Jews have introduced modern ploughs, reapers
and combines, sunk artesian wells, drained malarial marshes, cleared swamps,
planted forests. . . . and in general turned Palestine into the most advanced
agricultural center of the Middle East. Recent years have seen the growth
of factories for various foodstuffs, and the clothing industry has been
developed. In the cultural sphere, the Jews of Palestine have made that
country a living center for the Jews of the world. They have revived the
Hebrew tongue, so that today the language of the Bible is freely spoken by men,
women and children in the land of the Bible."
All this is
extremely interesting and encouraging. It shows that The Land is
not forsaken, and that the former things are had in remembrance. There
is, however, a danger that even the believers in the Hope of Israel may
misapply these developments. All that is being accomplished is done
according to the will of man, both Jew and Gentile. Politically speaking
they are looking after their own interests, and although we may look with
favour and satisfaction upon the great work which has been done, we are not
justified in concluding that this is "The Restoration." Dr.
Thomas wrote in 1852.
"The
colonization of Judea by Jews under the protection of a Gentile government, is
neither 'restitution,' 'restoration,' nor 'regeneration.' Nothing
short of a national establishment in the land, under the Messiah and his
brethren, constitutes either of them in the scriptural sense. The
settlement of a colony there has no more to do with restitution than Meshullams
farming in Artor's Valley. A hundred thousand Meshullams in Judea would
be no restoration.
Restoration
in not simply a return of the race, but the setting up again of institutions
that once existed there--the restitution or restoration of the kingdom
again to the Twelve Tribes; this is the re-institution, or restitution spoken
of by all the prophets from Moses to the revealer of the Apocalypse to
John. No Gentile powers can accomplish this, though aided by all the Jews
on earth: for the Restored Kingdom exists under an amended Mosaic code, where
amendation can only be defined, administered, and adapted to the exigencies of
the world, by the King of Israel himself, and his associate priests and kings.
THE TIME OF JACOB'S TROUBLE IS
NOT ENDED; "to take a spoil and to take a prey" is still the work of
the latter-day Assyrian, when he comes into the land, as testified by the
prophet. It will be a "land brought back from the sword," once
"desolate places" but "now inhabited," which arrests the
interest of the Northern Power, and who, seeing the prosperity of a people "gathered
out of the nations," goes down upon them "to carry away silver and
gold, cattle and goods, and great spoil."--Ezek. 38. Having dealt
with this phase of the subject in the Lecture "The Image and the
Stone," we here pass over the details. The "spoil"
will not be carried away by the invader; it is for his own destruction that he
is brought into the land. Man proposes, but God disposes! The
prophet asks, and gives the answer, "Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and
Israel to the robbers? did not the Lord, he against whom we have
sinned?"--Isa. 42: 24. Yet the fury of the nations has been
hurled at The Jew, in all his wanderings, not to please the Almighty, but to
vent their spleen upon the "race of accursed beggars." They
little knew that "He that keepeth Israel neither slumbers nor
sleeps."--Psa. 121: 4. Or that He has said, "There is no
peace to the wicked."--Isa. 57: 21. Therefore, God issues a
proclamation to the Gentiles; "Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let
all the men of war draw near; let them come up."--Joel 3: 9.
IT IS GOD WHO SAYS, "I will also gather all nations,
and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with
them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered
among the nations, and parted my land."--Joel 3: 2. "The Lord
also shall roar out of Zion."--verse 16. Furthermore, "The
Lord shall utter his voice before his army: for his camp is very great: for he
is strong that executeth his word: for the day of the Lord is great and very
terrible; and who can abide it?"--Joel 2: 11. "For by
fire and by his sword will the Lord plead with all flesh, and the slain of the
Lord shall be many."--Isa. 66: 16.
The long,
hard and bitter trail of THE WANDERING JEW must come to an end, for he hath received of the Lord's hand "double for
all his sins." Now, therefore, let it be known, "Behold,
the Lord hath proclaimed unto the end of the world, Say ye to the daughter of
Zion, Behold, thy salvation cometh; behold, his reward is with him, and his
work before him."--Isa. 62: 11. "And the Redeemer shall come
to Zion, and unto them that turn from transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
As for me, this is my covenant with them, saith the Lord; My spirit that
is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not depart out
of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy
seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever."--Isa. 59:
20, 21.
<!--mstheme-->A
New Covenant<!--mstheme-->
THE "NEW
COVENANT," on the chart, is introduced under the pleasing setting of
"the vine and fig tree"; anticipating the condition of things to be
established, when, "In the last days it shall come to pass, that the
mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the
mountains, and it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto
it." Very different will be the ways of men when they desire to know
"the way of the God of Jacob, and to walk in his paths."
Confidence will then be placed in "the law which shall go forth of Zion,
and the Word of the Lord from Jerusalem." so it will be in that day,
that "they shall sit every man under his vine and under his fig tree; and
none shall make them afraid."--Micah 4: 1, 4.
When "the
dry bones" are "revived," and the children of Israel "live
again in his sight," do they go backward or forward for their law?
Of old time they were established in The Land under a Law which came by
Moses--spoken of as The Mosaic Covenant. Will this covenant be operative
when Israel is again established in their own land? This cannot be, for
the validity of Moses' Law came to an end when it had served its
purpose. Paul tells us that "the Law was added (to the
promises) till the seed should come to whom the promise was made."--Gal.
3: 19. THAT "SEED" WAS CHRIST, THE SUBSTANCE OF THE
SHADOWS. Consequently, the types were to be withdrawn.
"For," says Paul, "Christ is the end of the law for
righteousness to every one that believeth."--Rom. 10: 4. The
Jews, therefore, cannot go back under the old covenant; for "that which
decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."--Heb. 8: 13.
In the same
chapter, verse 7, we have this statement: "For if that first (covenant)
had been faultless, then should no place have been sought for the
second." To show the necessity for "the second," reference
is made to the prophecy of Jeremiah. There we read, "at the same
time, saith the Lord, will I be the God of all the families of Israel, and they
shall be my people." For though "cast off and abhorred" as
they have been, nevertheless, "I have loved thee with an everlasting love:
therefore with loving kindness have I drawn thee." To this they will
respond, and "Sing with gladness for Jacob, and shout among the chief of
the nations: publish ye, praise thee, and say, O Lord, save thy people, the
remnant of Israel." So, "they shall come and sing in the height
of Zion, and their soul shall be as a watered garden." And the
Lord will watch over, and bless His people. "The days come, saith
the Lord, that I will sow the house of Israel and the house of Judah with the
seed of man, and with the seed of beast." Moreover, "the days
come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel,
and with the house of Judah." This is a new covenant; not the Mosaic.
"Not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the
day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which
my covenant they brake." It is not according to the old,
for as we have seen--had it been faultless there would have been "no need
for a second."
IF NOT
ACCORDING TO THE OLD, what kind of a covenant will meet the needs of the people
brought back, after having been plucked up, and thrown down? Hear now the
answer. "But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the
house of Israel; after those days, saith the Lord, I will put my law in their
inward parts, and write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they
shall be my people. And they shall teach no more every man his neighbor,
and every man his brother, saying, Know the Lord: for they shall all know me,
from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will
forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more."--Jer.
31: 31, 34. There is this further statement: "I will bring them again
unto this place, and I will cause them to dwell safely: and they shall be my
people, and I will be their God: And I will give them one heart, and one way,
that they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of their children
after them: And I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I
will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my fear in their
hearts, that they shall not depart from me. Yea, I will rejoice over them
to do them good, and I will plant them in this land assuredly with my whole
heart and with my whole soul."--Jer. 32: 37, 41.
The "new
covenant" calls for a regenerated heart, as well as a restored people.
The terms of this new covenant call for
God's law in their inward parts.
Written in their hearts.
God will be their God.
Israel shall be God's people.
They shall all know the Lord.
Iniquity forgiven, and sin
remembered no more.
THE BLESSINGS
PROMISED to the house of Israel, under the terms of the New Covenant, are a
direct contrast to the conditions which have for so long prevailed; and will
far excel the benefits which were conferred upon His people, arising from the
covenant which God made, when He took them by the hand and brought them out of
Egypt. "A new heart also will I give you, and a new spirit will I
put within you." God will truly save His people and cleanse them
from all their iniquities. He will cleanse them with "clean
water," that they may be able to receive the "new spirit."
Given a heart of flesh, in place of their stony heart, they will do what in
time past they failed to do. They will walk in God's statutes, and keep
His judgments. Thus, in the land given to their fathers, they will be
acknowledged as His people, and He will be their God. Repeating a
scripture already quoted, God says, "Moreover I will make a covenant of
peace with them; it shall be an everlasting covenant with them: and I will
place them, and multiply them, and will set my sanctuary in the midst of them
for evermore." This peace and plenty will be accomplished in behalf
of Israel when, and not until, the New Covenant is made and brought into
effect, according to the Word of the Lord.
The New
Covenant of Jer. 31, and the "covenant of peace" and
"everlasting covenant" of Ezek. 37 are one and the same
covenant. "In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the
children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together, going
and weeping: they shall go, and seek the Lord their God. They shall ask
the way to Zion with their faces thitherward, saying, Come, and let us join
ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be
forgotten."--Jer. 50: 4, 5.
We await
"those days" and "that time." They are surely
coming. In them all that is involved in the new covenant will be fully
accomplished and Israel will rejoice and be glad in the salvation of the Lord.
<!--mstheme-->The
Goodness and Severity of God<!--mstheme-->
IN this drama of Israel, down the
trail of The Wandering Jew, we see a manifestation of the goodness and
severity of God. Paul, the apostle to the Gentiles, presents this to us
as a part of the Gospel message. "Hath God cast away his
people? God forbid. God hath not cast away his people which he
foreknew. I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God
forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles, for
to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of them be the riches of the
world, and the diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how much more
their fullness? For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the
world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?
Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell,
severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness:
otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."--Rom. 11.
Gentiles, who would be saved, do
well to ponder the advice given: "Be not high-minded, but
fear." The gospel was "to the Jew, first."
Then, "through their fall, to the Gentiles." Paul
and Barnabas testified: "It was necessary that the word of God should
first have been spoken to you (Jews): but seeing ye put it from you, and judge
yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the Gentiles."--Acts
13: 46. "And they will hear it."--Acts 28: 28. Whether,
then, we think of Jew or Gentile, we must accept the fact, as stated by the
"Saviour of the world," that "Salvation is of the
Jew."--John 4: 22.
<!--mstheme-->Salvation<!--mstheme-->
FROM many Scriptures already
quoted, and expounded, the reader must observe that "Salvation" is
not the saving of "an immortal soul from the damnation of the burning
hell" (doctrines which are not to be found in the Bible).
Salvation is for men and nations--both individual and national. In all
cases it is governed by the principles of righteousness, and conditions laid
down by God--from whom alone salvation can be obtained. Hence, before
"all Israel shall be saved," the people must continue to pass "under
the rod" and be prepared to accept the conditions of the new
covenant. Salvation for the nations will be upon the principle as
hitherto in the Way of God--"to the Jew first and also to the
Gentiles." This has been demonstrated from Paul to the Romans, whose
word we again repeat: "For it the casting away of them be the reconciling
of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the
dead?"
Whether we look at Salvation from
the national, or individual, viewpoint there is one feature we must perceive
and acknowledge; Salvation is from God, and to us Jesus is the Saviour.
Even though He was "the stone set at naught of you builders," He,
nevertheless, became "the head of the corner."
"Neither is there salvation in any other, for there is none other name
under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."--Acts 4: 11,
12.
<!--mstheme-->In
the Last Days<!--mstheme-->
FROM many remarkable testimonies
concerning "Him who was born to be king," and "who should save
his people from their sins" Matt. 1: 21, we recall one from the
first of The Books: "Jacob called unto his sons and said, Gather
yourselves together that I may tell you that which shall befall you in the
last days. The Sceptre shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver
from between his feet, until Shiloh come; and unto him shall the gathering of
the people be."--Gen. 49: 1, 10. (A.V.). This is a
prophecy concerning "last days," the tribe of "Judah," a
"Sceptre"--which speaks of Kingship, a person who is to be "a
lawgiver," and, incidentally, of a people who should be scattered--for
"unto him shall the gathering of the people be." But, as it
reads in the Authorized Version, one might conclude that "the
Sceptre" would remain with Judah "until Shiloh came," and then
it would "depart." If that was to be, then why should
Shiloh gather the people from their dispersion? Having gathered
them, would He control them without a law, and rule them without a law, and
rule them without a Sceptre? The Revised Version gives various
alternative renderings. Dr. Young's literal translation is as
follows: "The Sceptre turneth not aside from Judah, and a lawgiver from
between his fee, till his seed come; And his is the obedience of
peoples." There has been much difficulty amongst commentators
regarding the term Shiloh, and its correct application. It has
been said that "this word is understood by no one." But
such a statement is not necessarily true. Dr. John Thomas (peer of
prophetic expositors since the light began to shine in The Reformation) gave
his translation as follows: "Thou, Judah, thy brethren shall praise thee;
thy hand (shall be) upon the neck of thine enemies; before thee the sons of thy
father shall prostrate themselves. Judah, a lion's whelp, from the prey,
my son, thou hast arisen; he kneeled; he laid down like a strong lion, and like
a fierce lioness; who shall arose him? The Sceptre shall not
depart from Judah, nor a legislator from between his feet, for that Shiloh
shall come; and to him (shall be) the obedience of
peoples." An exposition, in support of this translation was
published in the Herald of the Kingdom, 1858, from which I give the
following quotations:
"The passage is easy enough
and teaches that the reason why the staff or Sceptre shall not depart from
Judah is 'because Shiloh shall come.' It is a text similar to
Jer. 33: 17; 'David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house
of Israel.' Jeremiah is speaking of what shall be in the latter days
forward; and so was Jacob. When Judah shall act the lion, Shiloh
will be with them; and thenceforth the Sceptre shall not depart; and
thenceforth David shall never want a man to sit on Israel's throne.
Jacob prophecy belongs to the
'uttermost part of the days,' termed in Daniel, 'the Time of the End,' or 'the
Latter Days;' not 'the last days' or end of the Mosaic Aion.
The Sceptre had departed from
Judah in the days of Nebuchadnezzar who wrested it out of the hand of David's
house when he dethroned Zedekiah about 590 years before the birth of Jesus; and
it has not been restored to Judah since.
There was no law-giver descended
from Judah, in power, at the birth of Jesus. The givers and makers of law
were not Jews, but Gentiles.
The symbols of royalty were not to
be restored to Judah, 'until he shall come whose right it is' to reign over all
Israel; the right belongs to Jesus, who is the Shiloh; but when he
appeared, he did not reign, positively effusing to accept authority, because
His Kingdom did not belong to that world; but to another, when Judah, 'the
fierce lioness,' shall go through the nations as through a flock of sheep (Mic.
5: 8) as Jacob's prophecy intimates.
Whatever its etymology, anyone not
judicially blinded by unbelief may see from the test itself that it (Shiloh)
relates to a person, a conqueror and a ruler, not to a place.
'Shiloh shall come, and to him the obedience of peoples.' 'To him'
is the key to 'Shiloh.' Shiloh is a man; and as the people are
to obey him, he must be a ruler; and as peoples only obey those who compel
them, he must be a conqueror before he can rule them."
<!--mstheme-->Hope
for Thine End<!--mstheme-->
THE PSALMIST wrote concerning his
people: "By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept; yea, we wept when
we remembered Zion." And a prophet wrote: "Thus saith the Lord:
A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, bitter weeping; Rachel weeping for her
children, refused to be comforted for her children, because they were
not. Thus saith the Lord: Refrain thy voice from weeping, and thine eyes
from tears: for there is a reward for thy work saith the Lord; and they shall
return from the land of the enemy. And there is hope for thine end, saith
the Lord, and thy children shall return to their own boundary."--Jer.
31: 15, 17. The translation is by Dr. Thomas, who, commenting upon
the prophecy, wrote: "Ephraim shall be desolate in the day of rebuke;
among the tribes of Israel have I made known that which shall surely be.
The princes of Judah were like them that remove the bound; therefore I will
pour out my wrath upon them like water."--Hos. 5: 8-10. Hence,
the voice to be heard was lamentation and bitter weeping, on account of the
desolation and slaughter of Benjamin and Ephraim by the enemy, and their
deportation into their destroyers' land. The contexts of these references
show that the predictions relate to the removal of the whole twelve tribes from
their land by the Assyrian power. Benjamin stands for Judah and
Jerusalem as well as for its own particular canton; for the kingdom of Judah
included Benjamin, and Jerusalem was one of the cities that fell by lot to it
when Joshua subdued the country. Ephriam represents the rest of the
tribes or kingdom of Israel, as distinguished from that of Judah, inasmuch as
Samaria, the seat of government belonged to Ephraim and Manasseh.
The prophecy of this voice of
lamentation in Ramah found its initiatory accomplishment when the
overthrow of the twelve tribes was consummated by Nebuchadnezzar, the Chaldean
head of Assyria. Jeremiah mingled in that lament for his country's ruin;
"her children have gone into captivity before the enemy" Lam. 1:
1-5,--that is "they were not." Notwithstanding,
"there is hope for thine end; they shall return to their own
border." And they did return in part as an earnest, so to speak, of
the great restoration in Israel's sorrow, and the son of Jacob's right hand,
returned with Judah, his fraternal ally, from the land of the enemy to his own
border, seventy years after his deportation. This was the first and only
restoration of the Hebrew Commonwealth. But there was little comfort in
it. Ephraim and Manassah 'were not,' being still exiles beyond Bashan. .
. There was another crisis in Hebrew affairs to be encountered. . . its echoes
would sound from one end of the Roman world to the other, and be hushed only by
a second deportation of Benjamin into the land of the enemy. Rachel's
children, then, are constitutionally the whole twelve tribes and as Israel's
mother, she refuses to be comforted so long as they are in the land of the
enemy, exiles from home."--Herald. 1873.
The foregoing expositions, by Dr.
Thomas, were re-published in The Christadelphian, 1875, which,
together with another on THE LAST WORDS OF DAVID, we urge the reader to peruse,
and consider well, if a copy thereof is within reach. Here I can
but give the Doctor's new translation of David's Oracle, which is
found in the opening verses of 2 Sam: 23.
"Now these words of David,
the last, are an oracle of David, son of Jesse, even an oracle of the
mighty man concerning an anointed one of the gods of Jacob, and the
pleasantest theme of Israel's songs.
The Spirit of Jehovah spake
through me, and His word was upon my tongue; gods of Israel spake to
me, and the Rock of Israel discoursed, saying,
There shall be a just man ruling
over mankind, ruling in the righteous precepts of the gods. And as the
brightness of morning He shall arise, the sun of an unclouded dawn shining
forth after rain upon tender grass out of the earth.
Though my house is not
perfect with THE MIGHTY ONE, yet he hath ordained for me the covenant of the
age, ordered in everything and sure; truly this is all my salvation
and all my delight, though he cause it not to spring forth.
But the wicked shall be all
of them as a thornbush to be thrust away; yet without hand shall they be taken;
nevertheless a man shall smite upon them; he shall be filled with iron and the
shaft of a spear, but with fire to burn up while standing they shall be
consumed."
<!--mstheme-->Jesus,
a Plant of Renown<!--mstheme-->
THIS translation was the subject
of criticism, and so six years later Dr. Thomas published another article upon
the "Last Word," in defence, and explanatory, of his
translation. He gave a revised translation, in which he changed some to
the words, but not the principle of his translation. Instead of
"gods of Jacob," he wrote, "Concerning an anointed one of the
Mighty Ones of Jacob,"--the "anointed one" being Messiah,
and the "Mighty Ones" the Elohim, or "gods"--the
Saints. Instead of "The Spirit of Jehovah" he made use of the
term's significance, HE WHO SHALL BE SPIRIT. Again, in verse 3, we have Mighty
Ones as representative of the Hebrew, for which in the former translation
we have "gods." THE MIGHTY ONE of verse 5 being AIL, the
invisible Deity.
That Jesus Christ is the central
feature of all these testimonies and prophecies is obvious to all who
understand the Truth concerning Him, as the manifestation of the Father.
Jesus was born to be a King, yet He did not reign as King. He was to be
the perfect sacrifice, yet before being so declared He must live a life of
perfect obedience. In other words, He, Jesus, must be "a body
prepared." Though Son of God from His birth Jesus was not, in
that beginning, the same as He was at the end of His probation. He
was then, as the result of all that He had experienced and endured, "a
tired stone, a sure foundation."--Isa. 28: 16. In like manner
the prophet again speaks concerning Jesus, "He shall grow up before him as
a tender plant, and as a root out of a dry ground."--Isa. 53: 2. Of
this, one has written: "With this beautiful figure, we associate the idea
of parent earth and Spirit sun in combination. The plant derives
nourishment from both, though of a different kind and different nature, yet the
substance of the plant remains the same. The 'Tender Plant,' to which we
refer, receiving nourishment from its mother eart-- colour, size and mature
growth from the rays of its father sun, grew and developed to a 'Plant of
Renown.' The child grew and waxed strong in Spirit, filled with wisdom,
and the grace of God was upon him.' Although this plant was to be laid
low for a time, it was not doomed to decay, because the Father's Spirit
preserved it from decomposition, raised it up again, transplanted it into a
heavenly atmosphere, where it fully expands into the 'Tree of Life:' retaining
life and giving life to as many as shall be engrafted upon it in the appointed
way."
The "plant of renown" is
associated with the restoration of the kingdom of Israel (Ezek. 34: 29), when
the people will "be no more consumed with hunger in the land."
We therefore wait in faith, hope and "assured expectation," for the
day of His coming; when the "plant of renown" will be seen in all its
glory. In that day, under the covenant of peace, Israel shall dwell
safely; sitting under their own vine and fig tree, with none to make them
afraid, they will surely enjoy "showers of blessing."
Meanwhile, "until the day break, and the shadows flee away," the true
Israel of God rest content in the confidence of Faith and Truth, that "my
beloved is mine, and I am his."
<!--msthemeseparator-->
<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->Lecture 7<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->The Unknown God<!--mstheme-->
Paul at Athens.
John to the Seven Churches.
Apostasy Foretold. Reformation and Revival of the Truth.
The Glorious Sequel.
<!--msthemeseparator-->
"HIGH above the modern city, the blue sea seen far off
between the columns, and sunlight touching the creamy marble." So
has one writer described his impression of The Parthenon.
"Descending from the Acropolis by a narrow path, an
ancient staircase leads to the top, where the rock bears trace of having been
artificially leveled. This is The Areopagus."--Morton.
"In the Agora--market place in the Bible--were statues
representing some of the gods of Greece. North of Agora--the Areopagus.,
or Mars' Hill, a council place. The Acropolis, a rock 150 feet high, is
described as a 'museum of art, of history, and of religion.'
Overshadowing all was the Parthenon., a magnificent building, the temple of
Athena, the patron goddess of the city."--Boulton.
"Whoever (in ancient Athens) was suspected of having
blood upon his hands had to abstain from approaching the common altars of the
land. Accordingly, for the purpose of judgments concerning the
guilt of blood, choice had been made of the barren, rocky height which lies
opposite the ascent to the citadel. The Areopagus, or, as it was
interpreted by an ancient legend, Mars' Hill, was an eminence on the western
side of the Acropolis, which from time immemorable had been the seat of a
highly revered court of criminal justice. Solon constituted it the
guardian of the public morals and religion, to keep watch over the education
and conduct of the citizens, and protect the State from the disgrace or
pollution of wantonness and profaneness. These functions of the Areopagus
were withdrawn from it in the time of Pericles, but were restored about B.C.
400." Pericles had occasion to erect on the highest point of the
Acropolis, in place of the ancient Hecatompedon, a new festive edifice and
treasure-house, which, by blending intimately together the fulfillment of
political and religious ends, was to serve to represent the piety and artistic
culture, the wealth and the festive splendor--in fine, all the glories which
Athens had achieved by her valor and her wisdom. The traditions of the
earlier building were followed, and its dimensions were not exceeded by more
than 50 feet. In a breadth of 100 feet the edifice extended in the form
of a temple, 226 feet from east to west; and the height, from the lowest stair
to the apex of the pediment, amounted only to 65 feet. The Parthenon.
(for it went by this name also as the house of Athene Parthenos)."--History,
by Larned.
<!--mstheme-->Paul
at Athens<!--mstheme-->
TOWARDS this
place the Apostle Paul wended his way, after having preached the gospel of God,
in the name of Jesus Christ, at Thessalonica and Berea. The Jews of
Thessalonica, not being favorable to the work of Paul, followed the Apostle to
Berea, "and stirred up the people." The brethren sent Paul
away, and they who conducted him brought Paul to Athens. The Apostle sent
word "unto Silas and Timotheus for to come to him with all
speed." Now while Paul "waited for them," he was not idle,
though alone. He saw "the city wholly given to idolatry."
Paul saw the idols and the altars--manifestations of ignorance concerning
"the only true God," and the gospel which is the power of God unto
salvation, to every one who believes and obeys it.
Paul came in
contact with some of the people daily in the market place. There he found
Jews and Greeks, and knew well the characteristics of the Athenians.
"For all the Athenians and strangers which were there spent their time in
nothing else, but either to tell, or to hear some new thing." Not by
any means the better type of hearers to whom "the unsearchable riches of
Christ" might be presented. They loved to hear; they loved to
tell! 'Twas sport to them; by it they whiled away the hours of day--an
many still do. But to know the reason why--"to reason
together," that they might understand, believe and obey, was beyond their
thoughts and inclinations.
Jews were
there--men who should have been instructed in, and believed in, the knowledge
of the Holy One of Israel. They should have known that there is none
other God than their God! How did they feel about this
apostasy? What effect had all these altars and idols upon them--did
they feel as Paul felt, when "his spirit was stirred in him"?
Perhaps those Jews were so accustomed to seeing the sights of Athens that they
simply ignored the "gods many" of their contemporaries, and closed
their eyes and ears to such things. Their God was "Lord of
heaven and earth;" one who "dwelleth not in temples made with
hands." What then meaneth all these temples, the work of men's
hands, to gods whom their fathers knew not? Well might the soul of Paul
be stirred to action! "Therefore he disputed in the synagogue with
the Jews." That there was need, or occasion, for disputation
is evidence that the Jews were lacking in that knowledge which Paul could
impart. They had "the form of knowledge and of the truth in the
law" Rom. 2:20 but to be acceptable to God they must go beyond
"the form;" for whilst professing to believe in Moses they, as a people,
overlooked the essential fact that the law was added to the Abrahamic promises,
"until the seed should come," and that only by a recognition of the
principle embodied in the covenant with Abraham could compliance with the
Mosaic Law have any bearing upon eternal life.
We have already
shown that eternal life could not be obtained by the Mosaic Law alone.
This is demonstrated by Paul, and conclusively stated by him, in the words,
"For if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness
should have been by the law."--Gal. 3: 21. Faithful
compliance by the Jews, with the many and varied requirements of the Mosaic
Law, could only give to the Jews the temporal blessing that The Law was
designed to bestow; and to free them from "the curses" which were to
come upon them if they failed to obey the commands of God, as set forth in The
Law. Paul therefore reasoned in the synagogue with the Jews, and also in
the market daily with certain "devout persons" whom he met
there. Then "certain philosophers encountered him." They
had doubtless heard of the "new thing," which was being talked over
in the market place. Some contemptuously remarked "what will this
babbler say?" The word translated "babbler" in the A.V. is
said to be a "slang term" which means "seed-picker;" it was
applied to those who went about the market-place, "picking up odds and
ends." Hence, it was not a very complimentary expression when
applied to the Apostle. Of course, those who used it did not know the
true value of the stranger within their gates. To them he was probably
nothing more than many others who had wandered in to hear or to tell something
new--a base fellow. The basis of their contempt was their own surmisings
of something they did not understand. "Jesus" and
"Anastasis" were unknown to those philosophers--they were aware of
so-called "gods many," and were willing to offer their respects even
to unknown gods, rather than let them go without recognition. What more
natural, then, but to conclude that "Jesus and Anastasis" were but more
gods!
The record of
these events is as follows, using Dr. Young's translation; "Therefore,
indeed, he was reasoning in they synagogue with the Jews, and with the
worshipping persons, and in the market-place every day with those who met
him. And certain of the Epicurean and of the Stoic philosophers, were
meeting together to see him, and some were saying 'What would this seed picker
wish to say?' and others 'Of strange demons he doth seem to be an announcer;'
because Jesus and the rising again he did proclaim to them as good news.
Having also taken him, unto the Areopagus they brought him, saying, Are we able
to know what is this new teaching that is spoken by thee, for certain strange
things thou does bring to our ears? We wish, then, to know what these
things would wish to be; and all Athenians, and the strangers sojourning, for
nothing else were at leisure but to say something, and to hear some newer
thing."--Acts 17: 17, 21.
There we see Paul in the midst of Mars' Hill--the highest
court in Athens. We hear him challenged in this court to defend that
which he had spoken of, "with spirit," in both the synagogue and the
Agora. How did this "base fellow" meet the demand? Did he
quail before that assembly? By no means! He had looked upon
the splendor of Athens; "the Acropolis, crowded with marble temples, and
dominated by the colossal Athens;" all being adored by his questioners,
whilst on his part they aroused the spirit of resentment, pity and
compassion. Paul resented the idolatry, yet pitied those who were
deceived thereby. He would appeal to his hearers; call attention to
their professions, and seek to make known "a more excellent
way." His response did not produce an excuse for their seed-picking
idea. With dignity and confidence, as of one who knew in whom he had
believed, Paul addressed those who surrounded him; "Men, Athenians, in all
things I perceive you as over-religious; for passing through and contemplating
your objects of worship, I found also an erection on which had been inscribed: To
God--unknown; who, therefore--not knowing--ye do worship, this One I
announce to you." Too religious! That is something to think
about! Religion without a foundation; a profession, based upon
custom--but not intelligence; ignorance blinding their eyes, yet their minds
soothed by tradition. Such was the apostle's estimate of the men before
him. Could he take away the veil, and help them to penetrate the density
of the darkness in which he knew them to be? Whether this could be
accomplished or not the Apostle nevertheless had a message to deliver; a Truth
to declare and to defend. Whatever the outcome Paul must unfold the
manifold wisdom of God--the only true God; "He who formed the eyes shall
he not see."--Psa. 94: 9.
The God in whom Paul believed, and whom he served, was
altogether unlike the gods of the Athenians. such god, "like unto
gold, or silver, or stone, graven by art and man's device," might be
acceptable to the men of Athens; but the One they knew not was of that class,
as saith the Psalmist, "Blessed be the Lord God, the God of Israel, who
only doeth wondrous things." Paul met the case by
politely referring to the position of the Athenians, "in language plain;
and plain in manner; decent, solemn, chaste, and natural in gesture; much
impressed himself, as conscious of his awful charge;" and then, having
complimented (as they might understand it) his hearers, he quietly swept aside
their "gods mane" as of little account, by directing their attention
to their own admission of "one Unknown." Whom therefore ye
ignorantly worship! This they could not resent, for had they not
engraven it upon the altar? It was something they could not speak
of--they knew it not. But Paul knew, and of it he could speak with
authority. Not by "seek-picking," but by revelation from the
Most High God. Hence his confidence. This he displayed in his
affirmative defence which he submitted in answer to the request, "May we
know what this new doctrine whereof thou speakest is?" Having, as it
were, noted and then dismissed from view their "devotions," or god
that ye worship, Paul--with the same calm certainity we saw given "In the
beginning"--affirms "God that made the world and all things therein,
seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with
hands; Neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything
seeing he giveth to all life and breath and all things; And hath made of one
blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath
determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; That
they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him, and find him,
though he be not far from every one of us; For in him we live and move and have
our being."
Would the
Athenian intelligence object to this claim, presented to them without
hesitation or apology? Paul did not wait to hear from them, but
emphasized his announcement by calling upon their own writers to second his
claim. "As certain also of your own poets have said, For we are also
his offspring," The seed-pickings of the "babbler" did not
give offal for meat; but gems from their own recognized poets; at
least two of whom are known to have used that expression in their works--Aretas
and Cleanthes. Basing his logical conclusion upon the word of their
poets, Paul continued; "Foreasmuch then as we are the offspring of God, we
ought not to think that the Godhead is like unto gold, or silver, or stone,
graven by art and man's device. "Such was the difference between
"the gods that ye, Athenians, worship," and "the only true
God" worshipped and served by Paul.
The "men
of Athens," though ignorant of the knowledge of the God of Israel, had by
their altar to The Unknown God, in effect admitted their
ignorance. Paul had reasoned with the Jews at Athens, as he previously
had done at Antioch. There he had spoken of the hope of the promise made
of God unto the fathers, and had shown how God, of David's seed, "hath
according to his promise raised unto Israel a Saviour, Jesus." Paul
had demonstrated the association of Jesus with the Covenants of promise; had
made known the death of Christ, and also His resurrection "according to
the sure mercies of David." In his development of this theme, from
the lesser to the greater--from the shadow to the substance, the Apostle
affirmed concerning Jesus "that through this man is preached unto you the
forgiveness of sins: And by him all that believe are justified from
all things, from which ye could not be justified by the law of Moses."--Acts
13: 38, 39. This was an extension of the Gospel beyond the confines
of Israel, not acceptable to the Jews, who, seeing "the whole city
together to hear the word of God," spake against Paul. This brought
from Paul and Barnabas a very important statement; "It was necessary that
the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing ye put it
from you, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we turn to the
Gentiles."
Hitherto the word of God was "to the Jews,
first." The Gentiles were in "times of ignorance;" the
offer of salvation not being extended to them. They were in this sense
"overlooked;" but now, they were being invited, under the mercy and
favour of God, to "come out of the world" of ungodliness "and be
separate unto God." Such, indeed, is the power and purpose of the
Gospel. The word "commandeth" in the A.V. has been
misunderstood and consequently misapplied. Acts 17: 30 is
not primarily of individual application, it is a statement of contrast; for
whereas in time past the development of God's Plan had centered in Israel--the
people of whom God said, "You only have I known"--it was no longer so
confined. It was now to "all men everywhere."
Now it was to "Jew and Greek, bond and free, male and
female;" all of these being "one in Christ Jesus" if, and when,
they responded to the call of the Gospel to repent. For whilst
the extension is "to all men everywhere," only they who respond
by repentance (under the terms of the Gospel) are brought nigh to God.
The true sense of the verse under consideration is given in the margin of
the R.V. "declareth to men." "The times of
this ignorance God therefore overlooked; but now He declareth to men that they
should all everywhere repent; because He hath appointed a day in which He will
judge the world in righteousness by a man whom He appointed; whereof He gave
assurance to all men, by raising him from the dead."--The Corrected
English New Testament.
The diplomacy of Paul is here manifest. He did not
agree with Athenian conceptions of religion; of all their "objects of
worship" he was interested in one only, and that THE ONE they did not
understand. And yet he did not openly condemn their folly; for like
his Master, he "came not to condemn, but to save."--John 3: 17;
12:47. Nevertheless, if his audience had "eyes to see" they
could not fail the perceive the meaning of Paul's dissertation. They
admitted, by their altar to The Unknown, their ignorance. Paul
stated that they had lived in times of ignorance, and therefore met their
incapacity. And now he called upon them to respond to something really
"new." They were "to repent," i.e. change their
minds. What incentive could Paul give to them that they should so
repent? Anyone who really understands the Gospel of the Kingdom can give
the answer to that question. The gospel of salvation holds out a
hope of recompense to all who truly respond to it, and are guided by its
principles. "Believe and obey, is the gospel's command, To all who
would live and inherit the land." The incentive is found in
"the day of the Lord," and spoken of by Paul to those who were still
ignorant of the "kingdom to come." "Because he hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that
man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in
that he hath raised him from the dead."
It was then,
and still is, a future Day in which One who had been raised from the dead was
destined to rule the world in righteousness--a quality then, as now,
conspicuous by its absence. And what would be the part in this coming
Day, of those who should "repent," believe and obey? As the
Gospel is fully understood the answer comes, clarion clear; "Thou has made
us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the earth."--Rev.
5: 10. Even so, as a prophet has spoken; "Behold a king
shall reign in righteousness, and princes shall rule in judgment."--Isa.
32: 1. "He shall judge they people with righteousness, and thy poor
with judgment."--Psa. 72: 2. In presenting this thought (verse
31) the Apostle was saying none other than what had previously been heard, in
the synagogue and the market; there he had "preached unto them Jesus, and
the resurrection." It was beyond their ken, for "when they
heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked:' whilst others said,
"We will hear thee again of this matter." So Paul departed from
among them.
<!--mstheme-->The
Unknown God Revealed<!--mstheme-->
THE DIFFERENCE
-- between those "gods, which are yet no gods" Jer. 16:20 and
"the only true God" John 17:3 -- is picturesquely described by
the Psalmist: "Wherefore should the heathen say (of Israel), Where is
not their God? Their idols are silver and gold, the work of men's
hands. They have mouths, but they speak not; eyes have they, but they see
not: They have ears, but they hear not: noses have they, but they smell not:
They have hands, but they handle not: feet have they, but they walk not:
neither speak they through their throat. They that make them are like
unto them; so is everyone that trusteth in them. But our God is
in the heavens: he hath done whatsoever he pleased."--Psa. 115:
28. The prophet also; "They that make a graven image are all of them
vanity: Who hath formed a god, or molten a graven image that is profitable for
nothing? The smith with the tongs. The carpenter stretcheth out his
rule. He heweth him down cedars, and taketh cypress and the oak: he
planteth an ash, and the rain doth nourish it. Then shall it be for a man
to burn: for he will take thereof, and warm himself, yea, he kindleth it, and
baketh bread; yea, he maketh a god, and worshippeth it; he maketh it a graven
image, and falleth down thereto." BUT ISRAEL'S GOD SAITH,
"I am the Lord that maketh all things; that stretcheth forth the heavens
alone; that spreadeth abroad the earth by myself; That frustrateth the tokens
of the liars, and maketh diviners made; and maketh their knowledge foolish; That
confirmeth the word of his servant, and performeth the counsel of his
messengers."--Isa. 44.
Man cannot "by searching find out God," even
though he delve into some of the manifestations of infinite power. Just
as "Eye hath not seen . . . the things which God hath prepared for them that
love him" (and would know nothing of them apart from divine revelation) so
it is regarding God Himself; we may only know that which it pleases God to
reveal, even as the Apostle continues; "But God hath revealed them unto us
by his Spirit."--1 Cor. 2: 9, 10. We join with Paul in his
testimony: "We know that an idol is nothing in the world, and that there
is none other God but one. For though there be that are called gods,
whether in heaven or in earth (as there be gods many, and lords many), But
to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in
him." --1 Cor. 8: 5, 6. Of this "one God" we read,
"God is
not a man, that he should lie; neither the son of man, that he should repent;
hath he said, and shall he not do it? or hath he spoken, and shall he not
make it good?"--Num. 23: 19.
"There is none like unto the God of Jeshurun, who
rideth upon the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the sky. The
eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms; and he
shall thrust out the enemy form before thee; and shall say Destroy."--Deut.
33: 26.
"The fool hath said in his heart. There is no
God. God is in the generation of the righteous."--Psa. 14: 1, 5.
"The fool hath said in his heart, There is no
God. They have not called upon God."--Psa. 53: 1, 4.
"O Lord of hosts, God of Israel, that dwelleth between
the Cherubims, thou are the God, thou alone, of all the kingdoms of
the earth: thou hast made heaven and earth."--Isa. 37: 16.
"Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his
redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me
there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set
it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people?"--Isa. 44:
6, 7. "Is there a God beside? Yea, there is no God; I know not
any," verse 8.
"Assemble yourselves and come; draw near together, ye
that are escaped of the nations: they have no knowledge that set up the wood of
their graven image, and pray unto a god that cannot save. Tell ye, and
bring them near; yea, let them take counsel together: who hath declared this
from ancient time? Who hath told it from that time? have not I the
Lord? and there is no God else beside me; a just God and a Saviour; none beside
me. Look unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth; for I am
God, and there is none else."--Isa. 45: 20, 22.
"To whom will ye liken me, and make me equal and
compare me that we may be like?" Who indeed? Now note the
contrast, "They lavish gold out of the bag, and weigh silver in the
balance, and hire a goldsmith; and he maketh it a god: they fall down, yea,
they worship. They bear him upon the shoulder, they carry him, and set
him in his place, and he standeth; from his place shall he not remove; yea, one
shall cry unto him, yet can he not answer, nor save him out of his
trouble." A challenge to all; "Remember
this." With whom can we compare the only true God?
"Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else;
I am God, and there is none like me, Declaring the end from the beginning, and
from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all my pleasure? I have spoken, I will also bring it
to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." Isa. 46: 5, 11.
"For I am God, and not man."--Hosea 11: 9.
"Jesus answered him, The first of all the commandments
is, Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord: And the scribe said unto him,
Well, Master, thou hast said the truth: for there is one God; and there is none
other but he."--Mark 12: 29, 32.
"For God is not of confusion, but of peace."--1
Cor. 14: 33.
It is
written, "No man hath seen God at
any time."--John 1: 18. We may therefore know Him only by
revelation, and by the characteristics and attributes made known in such
revelation. Jesus was the manifestation of God, hence the verse just
quoted continues, "the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the
Father, he hath declared him." Jesus, who was "God with
us," exclaimed, "He that hath seen me hath seen the Father"--John
14: 9. Yet no one by simply looking at The Man, known as Jesus (whether as
a babe, man, or in the tomb) would necessarily "see the Father." This
is implied in the words of Jesus to the disciple who had questioned Him;
"Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me,
Philip?" The true sense of "seeing" and
"knowing" is revealed by Simeon's acclamation when he took up
"the child Jesus," whom he recognized as "the Lord's
Christ," and said, "For mine eyes have seen thy
salvation." Therefore Jesus said to Philip, "Believest thou not
that I am in the Father, and the Father in me? the words that I speak
unto you I speak not of myself; but the Father that dwelleth in me, he doeth
the works. Believe me for the very works' sake."
If, then, we
would know something of THE UNKNOWN GOD we must see Him in His manifestation,
and know Him by His attributes. These are many and varied, yet they all
reveal something of His character, in relation to His Plan and Purpose in the
earth. A brief consideration of some of these is now submitted.
<!--mstheme-->The
Only True God Is the Creator<!--mstheme-->
"REMEMBER
now thy Creator in the days of thy youth, while the evil days come not, nor the
years draw nigh, when thou shalt say, I have no pleasure in them."--Eccles.
12: 1.
"Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the
everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not,
neither is weary? there is no searching of his understanding."--Isa.
40: 28.
"Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will
of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a
faithful Creator."--1 Pet. 4: 19.
GOD IS
ALSO FATHER.
"At that
time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth,
because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes. Even so, Father: for so it seemed good in thy
sight."--Matt. 11: 25.
"Wait for the promise of the Father, which ye have
heard of me."--Acts 1: 4.
"Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the
Father."--Rom. 6: 4.
"To them that are sanctified by God the Father, and
preserved in Jesus Christ, and called."--Jude 1.
"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which
art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name."--Matt. 6: 9.
GOD IS
ETERNAL.
"And
Abraham planted a grove in Beersheba, and called there on the name of the Lord,
the everlasting God."--Gen. 21: 33.
"Before the mountains were brought forth or ever thou
hadst formed the earth, and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting,
thou art God."--Psa. 90: 2.
"But the Lord is the true God, he is the living God,
and an everlasting king."--Jer. 10: 10.
"Art thou not from everlasting, O Lord my God, mine
Holy One?"--Hab. 1: 12.
"Now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the
only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever."--1 Tim. 1: 17.
GOD IS
ALMIGHTY.
"The Lord
appeared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me and
be thou perfect."--Gen. 17: 1.
"He that dwelleth in the secret place of the most High
shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty."--Psa. 91: 1.
"Alas for the day! for the day of the Lord is at hand,
and as a destruction from the Almighty shall it come."--Joel 1: 15.
"And will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sons
and daughters saith the Lord Almighty."--2 Cor. 6: 18.
"Great and marvelous are thy works, Lord God Almighty;
just and true are thy ways, thou King of Saints."--Rev. 15: 3.
GOD IS
FAITHFUL.
"Let us
hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; for he is faithful that
promised."--Heb. 10: 23.
"Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the
faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep
his commandments to a thousand generations."--Deut. 7: 9.
"Blessed be the Lord; there hath not failed one word
of all his good promise, which he promised by the hand of Moses his
servant."--1 Kings 8: 56.
"Nevertheless my loving kindness will I not utterly
take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not
break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips."--Psa. 89: 33.
"Thy faithfulness is unto all generations."--Psa.
119: 90.
"God is faithful."--1 Cor. 1: 9.
"Faithful is he that calleth you."--1 Thess.
5: 24.
GOD IS
HOLY.
"For he
that is mighty hath done to me great things; and holy is his name."--Luke
1: 49.
"For I am the Lord your God: ye shall therefore
sanctify yourselves and ye shall be holy; for I am holy."--Lev. 11:
44.
"But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye
holy in all manner of conversation."--1 Pet. 1: 15.
"The Lord is righteous in all his ways, and holy in
all his works."--Psa. 145: 17.
GOD IS
IMMUTABLE.
"And also
the Strength of Israel will not lie nor repent: for he is not a man, that he
should repent."--1 Sam. 15: 29.
"The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever, the
thoughts of his heart to all generations."--Psa. 33: 11.
"For ever, O Lord, they word is settled in
heaven."--Psa. 119: 89.
"For I am the Lord, I change not; therefore ye sons of
Jacob are not consumed." --Mal. 3: 6.
"Wherein God, willing more abundantly to shew unto the
heirs of promise the immutability of his counsel, confirmed it by an
oath."--Heb. 6: 17.
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above,
and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness,
neither shadow of turning."--Jas. 1:17.
GOD IS
INVISIBLE.
"Oh that I
knew where I might find him! Behold, I go forward, but he is not there;
and backward, but I cannot perceive him: On the left hand, where he doth work,
but I cannot behold him: he hideth himself on the right hand, that I cannot
see: But he knoweth the way that I take."--Job 23: 3, 10.
"No man hath seen God at any time."--John 1:
18.
"Ye have neither heard his voice at any time, nor seen
his shape."--John 5: 37.
"Who is the image of the invisible God?"--Col.
1: 15.
"Whom no man hath seen nor can see."--1 Tim.
6: 16.
"By faith, as seeing him who is invisible."--Heb.
11: 27.
GOD IS
OMNIPRESENT.
"Whither
shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I
ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, behold, thou
art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost
parts of the sea; Even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall
hold me."--Psa. 139: 7, 10.
"Am I a God at hand, and not a God afar off?"--Jer.
23: 23.
GOD IS
OMNISCIENT.
"For the
ways of man are before the eyes of the Lord, and he pondereth all his
goings."--Prov. 5: 21.
"O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me, thou
knowest my downsitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar
off. For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest
it altogether."--Psa. 139: 1-6.
"Thus saith the Lord; Thus have ye said, O house of
Israel: for I know the things that come into your mind, every one of
them."--Ezek. 11: 5.
GOD IS
UNSEARCHABLE.
"Great is
the Lord, and greatly to be praised; and his greatness is unsearchable."
--Psa. 145: 3.
"Canst thou by searching find out God?"--Job
11: 7.
"Then I beheld all the work of God, that a man cannot
find out the work that is done under the sun: because though a man labour to
seek it out, yet shall he not find it; yea further; though a wise man think to
know it, yet shall he not be able to find it."--Eccles. 8: 17.
"O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and
knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding
out!"--Rom. 11: 33.
GOD IS
JEALOUS.
"Thou
shalt not bow down thyself to them (other gods), nor serve them: for I the Lord
thy God am a jealous God."--Exod. 20: 5.
"For they provoked him to anger with their high places
and moved him to jealousy with their graven images."--Psa. 78: 58.
"Then will the Lord be jealous for his land, and pity
his people."--Joel 2: 18.
GOD IS
MERCIFUL AND GRACIOUS.
"The Lord
God, merciful and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in goodness and
truth."--Exod. 34: 6.
"Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is
merciful."--Psa. 116: 5.
"For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive; and
plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee. Full of compassion,
and gracious, long-suffering, and plenteous in mercy and truth."--Psa.
86: 5, 15.
"If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is
gracious."--1 Pet. 2: 3.
"Be ye therefore merciful, as your Father also is
merciful."--Luke 6: 36.
"For his mercy endureth for ever."--Psa. 136.
"The Lord is gracious; slow to anger, and of great
mercy."--Psa. 145: 8.
GOD
HEARS HIS PEOPLE.
"I have
surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt and have heard their
cry."--Exod. 3: 7.
"Jesus said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard
me. And I knew that thou hearest me always."--John 11: 41.
Jesus "was heard in that he feared."--Heb. 5:
7.
"Then they that feared the Lord spake often one to
another; and the Lord hearkened, and heard, and a book of remembrance was
written before him for them that feared the Lord, and that thought upon his
name."--Mal. 3: 16.
BUT
BAAL COULD NOT HEAR!
"O Baal,
hear us." "Cry aloud," said Elijah, "for he is a god;
peradventure he sleepeth, and must be awaked." And they cried aloud,
until evening, but "there was neither voice nor any to answer, nor any that
regarded."--1 Kings 18.
<!--mstheme-->God,
Both Near and Far<!--mstheme-->
"AM I a
God, at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? Can any hide
himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do
not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord. How long shall this be
in the heart of the prophets that prophesy lies? Which think to cause my
people to forget my name by their dreams which they tell every man to his
neighbor, as their fathers have forgotten my name for Baal. He that hath
my word, let him speak my word faithfully. What is the chaff to the
wheat? saith the Lord."--Jer. 23: 23, 28.
<!--mstheme-->A
Sublime Prayer<!--mstheme-->
THIS phase of
our theme is brought to a close with the sublime utterance of a King, in the
prayer of Solomon at the dedication of the temple; who said, "Lord God of
Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth
beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before
thee with all their heart? And now, O God of Israel, let thy word, I
pray thee, be verified, which thou spakest unto thy servant David my
father. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven
and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I
have builded? Yet have thou respect unto the prayer of thy servant, and
to his supplication, O Lord my God; And hearken thou to the supplication of thy
servants, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and
hear thou in heaven thy dwelling place: and when thou hearest, forgive.
Blessed be the Lord, that hath given rest unto his people Israel, according to
all that he promised: there hath not failed one word of all his good promise,
which he promised by the hand of Moses his servant. Maintain the cause
of thy servant, and of thy people Israel. That all the people of the
earth may know that the Lord is God, and none else."--1 Kings. 8.
<!--mstheme-->John
to the Seven Churches<!--mstheme-->
ONE OF THE
BEAUTIES OF THE BIBLE is that of type and antitype; of the greater being
contained in the lesser. Especially is this found in the Law of
Moses. We find it expressed in the following quotation; "For the law
was given by Moses, but grace and truth came by Jesus Christ."--John
1: 17. "Grace and truth" are much greater than the
letter of The Law, yet in The Law is to be found "the form of knowledge
and truth." To find these two valuables one must see the
"form" and discern the hidden meaning and application. It is to
this relative value of heavenly things that Paul wrote: "Now all these things
happened unto them for ensamples. (or types); and they are written for our
admonition, upon whom the ends of the world are come."--1 Cor. 10: 11.
And further, "For there was the candlestick and the table and the
shewbread; which is called the sanctuary (or holy),"--Heb. 9: 2. Of
the priests, under The Law, we read: "Who serve unto the example and
shadow of heavenly things, as Moses was admonished of God when he was about to
make the tabernacle; for, see, saith he, that thou make all things according to
the pattern shewed to thee in the mount."--Heb. 8: 5.
From the pattern, then, we may find something, in that
"long ago," relative to the churches. From the many
instructions given to Moses we take the following; "Let them make me a
sanctuary; that I may dwell among them." "And thou shalt make a
candlestick of pure gold: of beaten work shall the candlestick be made: his
shaft, and his branches shall come out of the sides of it; three branches of
the candlestick out of the one side, and three branches of the candlestick out
of the other side: Three bowls made like unto almonds, with a knop and a flower
in one branch; and three bowls made like almonds in the other branch, with a
knop and a flower; so in the six branches that come out of the candlestick."--Exod.
25: 31, 33. In chapter 37, we are told, "And he made the candlestick
of pure gold:" the bowls, the knops, and flowers. "Their knops
and their branches were of the same: all of it was one beaten work of pure
gold. Seven lamps, his snuffer, and snuffdishes, of pure gold. Of a
talent of pure gold made he it, and all the vessels thereof."
The weight
thereof was approximately 108 lbs. Tables of values vary from
d5,475 to d6,150; or $27,375.00 to $29,940.00. Seven lamps were to rest
on the branches and candlestick; and "pure oil olive beaten for the light
to cause the lamp to burn always" was to be provided. "Command
the children of Israel, that they bring unto thee pure oil olive beaten for the
light, to cause the lamps to burn continually. Without the vail of the
testimony, in the tabernacle of the congregation, shall Aaron order it from the
evening unto the morning before the Lord, continually: a statue for ever in
your generations. He shall order the lamps upon the pure candlestick before
the Lord continually."--Lev. 24: 2, 4. Thus the candlestick of
pure gold, and the burning of pure oil, were to be a lightstand before the
Lord; daily replenishment was required, and this was to be "ordered,"
or supplied, by the appointed priests. Without the constant
replenishment, of the beaten oil, the candlestick would fail to be a
lightstand.
The world has
moved apace since the days of types, and many changes have taken place.
About fifteen hundred years after the giving of the law, regarding the
candlestick, we hear the apostle Peter declare to, and of, Jesus, the Saviour
of men; "Thou are the Christ, the Son of the living God." This
"confession" was, indeed, a rock of Eternal Truth, and of it Jesus
said; "flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which
is in heaven." It was acknowledged to be a God-given Truth, and
therefore, "I say also," declared Jesus, "upon this rock I
will build my church." Now the "church" is not a
building made with hands--such a place may "house" the church, as the
tabernacle contained the candlestick. The Church of Christ is composed of
men and women, who become the antitypical candlestick. However, the
men-and-women-constituents of the Church must be infused with the beaten oil, "pure
olive," before they become the Lightstand. And as the oil
burns and is gone--therefore in need of daily replenishment--so the Word of the
Living God, which is the Light of Life, must continually be supplied to the
members of the Church; otherwise they will fail to "let their light
shine." They are therefore instructed how "to behave in
the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar
and ground of the truth."--1 Tim. 3: 15. Paul wrote,
"to the church in thy house."--Philemon 2.
"Unto the churches of Galatia." And to "the church of the
Thessalonians." Whilst to the believers at Ephesus, he wrote,
"And gave him to be the head over all things to the Church, which is
his body."
The unity, which should exist between Christ and His
Church, is very pointedly expressed in an analogy based upon the true
relationship of husband and wife. "Christ is the head of the
church." "As the church is subject unto Christ."
"Even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it."
"That he might present it to himself a glorious church."--Eph.
5.
We can now see
Christ in the candlestick, and the
members of His body, the church, in the branches. Together they
constitute the Lightstand in a dark and cloudy day. Yet the branches
cannot--in and of themselves--bear fruit, and the light of divine Truth springs
not from themselves. It can only come from God, in Christ.
Hence, the beautiful simile: "I am the true Vine, and my Father is the
husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and
every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot
bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye
abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me
and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do
nothing."--John 15: 1, 5.
<!--mstheme-->"Lo,
I Am With You Alway"<!--mstheme-->
WE have seen that the Plan of God has been a development by
stages. Often these have been accompanied by outstanding manifestations
from God. "The flaming sword which turned every
way." Angelic visitations to the "fathers."
"A flame of fire out of the midst of a bush," which attracted the
attention of Moses, who wondered why the bush was not consumed. Plagues
upon the Egyptians, and the Passover for the Hebrews. Moses and the
mount of God, when "a cloud covered the mount. And the glory of the
Lord abode upon mount Sinai, and the cloud covered it six days; And the sight
of the glory of the Lord was like devouring fire on the top of the mount in the
eyes of the children of Israel." There are many other
incidents. With the opening of New Testament times we have "the Star
in the East." Shepherds abiding in the field, when "the angel
of the Lord came upon them, and the glory of the Lord shone round about
them," making them "sore afraid." In the midst of their
fear a voice bringing "good tidings of great joy;" followed by
angelic strains from "a multitude of the heavenly host," which, in
praise to God, sang the Song of songs, "Glory to God in the highest, and
on earth peace, good will toward men."
Thirty three
years later, "there was a darkness over all the land, from the sixth hour
until the ninth hour; and the sun was darkened." "And the veil
of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and the earth did
quake, and the rocks rent; and the graves were opened; and many bodies of the
saints which slept arose, and came out of the graves after his
resurrection, and went into the holy city, and appeared unto
many." Equally outstanding was His ascension, when Jesus
"was parted from them, and carried up into heaven." Now before
Jesus left them, He had said to His apostles, "Behold, I send the promise
of my Father upon you: but tarry ye in the city of Jerusalem, until ye be
endued with power from on high."--Luke 24: 49.
A new development was about to be manifest. The
"old" was ready to vanish away, and a new order to be
seen. Would the "new" come without open
manifestation? Or would there be a heavenly witness to substantiate the
claim? The time was drawing near for the extension of the gospel to
those hitherto considered "afar off." Even the disciples had
lost heart when their Lord was crucified: and although they had later seen the
Risen Lord--by which they had been "begotten again unto a lively
hope"--it would not be easy to convert either Jew or Gentile simply by
expressing their own experience, which had given them a commission to
fulfill. So, in addition to commanding them "to tarry," that
the "promise of the Father" might be fulfilled, and that thereby they
would be the recipients of "power from on high," Jesus said, "Go
ye therefore and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father,
and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things
whatsoever I have commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the
end of the world (age)."
The Jewish world, and Apostolic age, would both come to an
end; but while they continued, the work of the gospel must be
enforced. Even though Jesus, in person, was to be taken from them,
He gave assurance to His chosen witnesses that they would not be forsaken; He
would be with them "to the consummation of the age." How, or,
by what means? That they would learn by experience, if they
"tarried" in Jerusalem.
This
"waiting for" is emphasized in the record of The Ascension as given
in Acts 1, "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that
they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father,
which ye have heard of me." Their minds being fixed upon the
restoration of "the Kingdom to Israel," the disciples asked their
Lord concerning "the time" therefore; only to be informed "It
is not for you to know the times or the seasons." Before the
kingdom could be restored, they had a work to perform; to which work they must
give full attention. Though not receiving the information they requested,
they were encouraged by the words; "But ye shall receive power, after that
the Holy Spirit is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in
Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the
earth."
Having seen
"the cloud receive Him out of their sight," and heard the testimony
of the "two men in white apparel" concerning "His coming
again," the disciples returned to Jerusalem from Mt. Olivet. There
they were to remain "until!" The event which had been foretold
came to pass; for, "when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were
all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound
from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where
they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like
as of fire, and it sat upon each of them."
As the
"burning bush" and the "pillar of fire" in the past were
God-manifestations, so now in the "divided tongues, as it were of
fire," God was made known to the disciples, even as Jesus had said. The
result was as foretold; "they're all filled with the Holy
Spirit." The effect was soon known, for the multitude--having heard
of it--came together, and were amazed, saying, "How hear we every man in
our own tongue, wherein we were born? God, who could confound
the language of man, could also empower His servants that they could speak with
diversity of tongues, so that they could carry the Gospel of Christ, even
to "the uttermost part of the earth."
This
Pentecostal manifestation is depicted on the third section of the chart,
showing its relation to Acts 1, Mark 16: 19; and Matt. 28: 19. Under the
power of the Holy Spirit these men went forth and preached the Gospel.
The record of their work, given in The Acts of the Apostles, shows how, and
where, by this means the Church of God in Christ was established. When,
today, we noted the many sects and denominations which claim to labour under
the banner of Christendom, are we not justified in asking: Did the Church
of Christ, as established through the ministry of the Apostles, continue down
through the ages secure upon the foundation upon which it was built?
<!--mstheme-->Jesus,
to the Church<!--mstheme-->
THE LAST MESSAGE from One
"like unto the Son of man," in the midst of "Seven
lightstands," known as The Revelation of Jesus Christ, was sent
through John to the "Seven Churches in Asia." Though to
"seven," with the distinct message to each, we may look upon these as
representative of the whole--the one Ecclesia in Christ. What does
the message reveal concerning the faithfulness and solidity of the Ecclesias in
regard to the doctrine "according to godliness," upon which they had
been founded? Does the Book of "The Revelation" speak in any
wise contrary to the testimony of the Apostles, in the various Epistles,
contained in the New Testament?
We will
consider some of the Statements in the Epistles later; but first, the
message "to the seven churches."
TO THE CHURCH OF EPHESUS WRITE:
"These
things saith he who walketh in the midst of the seven golden
candlesticks." The Message was delivered about 63 years after the
Pentecostal demonstration of Spirit manifestation. "I know thy
works," said the Master, "and thy labour, and thy patience, and how
thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say
they are apostles, and are not, and has found them liars."
Had not Jesus
told them that "false prophets would arise, by whom many would be
deceived" (Matt. 24: 11)? Of these they were to
"beware," for they would come "in sheep's clothing, but inwardly
they are ravening wolves." Matt. 7: 15. These false teachers had
reached Ephesus; they had been tested and stripped of their "sheep's
clothing," and their wolf-like characteristics exposed. This was a
good work, for the injunction to "try the spirits whether they are of
God" was given by John. But that was not all; the
church at Ephesus had left its first love, and consequently was not "in
tune" with God as it should have been. Having so
"fallen," it was called upon to "repent, and do the first
works"; if this "change" was not quickly shown, "I will
come unto thee, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place."
To their credit, it was added, "This thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds
of the Nicolaitanes, which I also hate." These destroyers of the
people undermined the faith of some by their false doctrines.
IN THE MESSAGE
TO THE CHURCH IN SMYRNA reference is made to the tribulation which they in that
place had suffered, caused by "they blasphemy of them which say they
are Jews, and are not, but the synagogue of Satan."
TO THE ELDER OF
THE CHURCH IN PERGAMOS write: The church here was commended for having held "fast
my name, and not denied my faith," even though they were "where
Satan's seat is. Yet there was something against them;
"Thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of
Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of
Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication.
So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing
I hate."
WAS THE CHURCH IN THYATIRA ANY BETTER?
"I have a
few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel, which
calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit
fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols."
OF THE CHURCH
IN SARDIS IT WAS WRITTEN: Thou has a name that thou livest, and art dead.
I have not found thy works perfect before God."
TO THE ELDER OF THE CHURCH IN PHILADELPHIA WRITE:
"I know
thy works: thou hast a little strength, and hast kept my word, and hast not
denied my name--Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan, which say
they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to come
and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee." And
now the seventh!
UNTO THE ELDER OF THE CHURCH OF THE LAODICEANS WRITE:
"I know
thy works, that thou are neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or
hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will
spue thee out of my mouth. Thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with
goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou are wretched, and
miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked."
Well might
the mandate go forth "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the
Spirit saith unto the churches." The outstanding exhortation given
to the churches is, "Hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy
crown." Did they do so?
<!--mstheme-->A
Falling Away Had Been Foretold<!--mstheme-->
IT CAME TO PASS
AS FORETOLD! Read the testimony! First a question: "When
the Son of man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?" What
faith? Certainly not any kind of faith--for the world is full of
such. But here is a pertinent question, appertaining to a definite faith.
The faith that made Thy saints of
old
In patience to endure;
The Hope which in the cov'nant
fold,
Beholds the promise sure.
"Shall we find the
faith?"--Luke 18: 8. The "one faith"--Eph. 4: 5. "the
faith once for all delivered unto the saints."--Jude 3. The
ONE FAITH, of which Paul wrote, "continue in the faith grounded and
settled, and not moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard,
and which was preached to every creature under heaven."--Col. 1: 23. This
":faith" is one which can save; "For by grace are ye saved
through faith."--Eph. 2: 8. But, to bring salvation, the
faith of the gospel must not be neglected. "By which ye are being
saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye believed in
vain."--1 Cor. 15: 2. Can such a faith "which
justifies" (Rom. 3: 28) be found?
"Let no
man deceive you by any means: for that day (of Christ) shall not come, except there
come a falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or
that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God."--2 Thess. 2: 3, 4. "Therefore,
stand fast, and hold the traditions which ye have been taught, whether by word,
or by our epistle."--Verse 15.
"From Miletus he (Paul) sent to Ephesus, and called
the elders of the church;" to whom he said, "Take heed therefore unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Spirit hath made you
overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his
own blood. For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous
wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of your own
selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things to draw away disciples after
them. Therefore watch, and remember, that by the space of three years I
ceased not to warn every one night and day with tears." Acts 20:
17, 28, 31.
"For such are
false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of
Christ. And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of
light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be
transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according
to their works."--2 Cor. 11, 13, 15.
"Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter
times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their
conscience seared with a hot iron; Forbidding to marry, and commanding to
abstain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of
them which believe and know the truth."--1 Tim. 4: 1, 3.
"I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord
Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at this appearing and his
kingdom; Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season;
reprove, rebuke, exhort with all long suffering and doctrine. For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their
own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having itching ears; and they
shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned to
fables."--2 Tim. 4: 1, 4.
"For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of
man; but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit."--2
Pet. 1: 21. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even
as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that bought them, and bring
upon themselves swift destruction. And many be evil spoken of. And
through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandise of you!
whose judgment now of a long time lingereth not, and their damnation slumbereth
not."--2 Pet. 2: 1, 3.
The false teachers arose; ;men who had professed to believe
the gospel of Christ denied the Lord, whose Name they had "taken in
vain." They drew away disciples after them. Instead of
avoiding profane and vain babblings, they were caught by the "opposition
of science falsely so called."--1 Tim. 6: 20. Consequently,
"some professing have erred concerning the faith." This
declension from the True Faith was at work even whilst the Apostles were
preaching the Truth. Paul wrote: "All they which are in Asia be
turned away from me."--2 Tim. 1: 15.
John wrote: "And as ye have heard that anti-Christ
shall come, even now are there many anti-Christ's; whereby we know that it is
the last time. They went out from us, but they were not of us.
Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is
anti-Christ that denieth the Father and the Son."--1 John 2: 18, 22. "Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God:
because many false prophets are gone out into the world. This
is that of anti-Christ whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now
already is it in the world. We are of God: Hereby know we the spirit
of truth, and the spirit of error." 1 John 4: 1, 6. "For many
deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come
in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an anti-Christ. Whosoever
transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not
God."--2 John 7, 9. "I wrote unto the church: but Diotrephes,
who loveth to have the preeminence among them, receiveth us not.
Wherefore, if I come, I will remember his deeds which he doeth, prating against
us with malicious words: and not content therewith, neither doth he himself
receive the brethren, and forbiddeth them that would, and casteth them out of
the church."--3 John 9, 10.
<!--mstheme-->Light
Shining Through the Darkness<!--mstheme-->
THUS THE
CHURCH, established upon the rock of Truth--and the Lightstand, so dramatically
brought into being at Pentecost, fed and fostered by the arduous labors of the
apostles--became extinguished by the perversions of men who had professed
allegiance thereto. The Church became defiled in the first century of its
existence, and Truth was crushed to earth. WOULD IT EVER
RISE AGAIN? Time would tell. Meanwhile the light of the glorious
gospel, which had shone "in a dark place," was dimmed by the
apostasy; and what is written concerning Israel would be applied to what is
spoken of as "the Christian dispensation"; "Behold,
darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people."
This is represented, pictorially, in the lightstand--upside
down--with the branches broken.
Fortunately,
for many who live in these last days of Gentile times, the Sun of Righteousness,
and the ecclesiastical "moon," were destined to rise again before the
return of the Lord of the vineyard. In the prophecy of Daniel we are
informed that certain words were to be "shut up," and the command was
given to "seal the book, even to the time of the end: many shall run to
and fro, and knowledge shall be increased." If this latter phase
had not been accomplished we would not now be able to preach the ancient
gospel. Darkness reigned supreme for many centuries; then came The
Reformation, and with it the Bible became a Book for the people. Once
freed from the darkness, and control of "the man of sin," the Bible
became a household word and possession. Liberty of religion was
claimed, fought for, and obtained. Men and women could read the Book of
Books for themselves, and accept the teaching thereof according to their own
understanding and conviction.
As The
Christadelphians testified, on an outstretched banner, during the Jubilee
celebrations, "the Glory of Queen Victoria's reign is an Open
Bible." And yet, although the Bible is circulated by the millions,
it is not a guarantee that all who read the Word of God will correctly
interpret its message. When Protestantism freed itself, from the
thralldom of Romanism, it did not cast off all the errors which had accumulated
during the dark ages. Much of the false still remains, even out of Rome,
in the many sects which abound in all the earth. Yet a knowledge of
the Truth as in Jesus was to be revived, that a people might be in the
earth when the Lord returns from heaven. "For," says
Paul, "we who are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not
precede those who are asleep." --1 Thess. 4: 15. Hence, Daniel
was informed, "the words are closed up and sealed till the time of the
end."
THE HISTORY OF THE CHRISTADELPHIANS, during the past
century, is an illustration of how, in these last days--"the time of the
end"--there has been a revival of the true teaching of the Scriptures,
concerning the Kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus Christ. Dogmas,
long held by many, have been shown to have no foundation in the definite
doctrines of both Old and New Testament teaching. These they have
therefore rejected. On the other hand, by a careful investigation, and a
comparison of what is revealed in "the Law, the Psalms, and the
prophets," they have unfolded a clear and consistent exposition of the
"the first principles of the oracles of God." These
"things" they believe and teach as the true message of Salvation--the
ancient and Apostolic Gospel. By this understanding of "the hope of
the promises made of God unto the fathers," and the realization that all
the promises of God are centered in Jesus Christ, as the seed of Abraham and
the Son of David, as well as the Son of God, they have come to "know
God"; according to His revelation of Himself. Theories and
misconceptions concerning "the Godhead," handed down from days of
darkness, they have discarded; they base their belief entirely upon the
principle of "What is written," or "What saith the
Scriptures?" As John says, "This is life eternal, that they
might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou has
sent."--17: 3.
It is therefore possible to know "the unknown
God." That which "the wisdom of this world" could not
find, is to be found by those who, though "the poor of this world,"
are, nevertheless, "rich in faith." God is made known, in a
great measure, by and through Jesus Christ. "He that hath seen me
hath seen the Father." When Thomas said, "Lord, we know not
whither thou goest; and how can we know the way?" He received, from
Jesus, this answer: "I am the way, the truth, and the life; ;no man cometh
unto the Father, but by me." Hence to know the Father we must
understand the truth concerning the Son. "If ye had known me,"
continued Jesus, "Ye should have known my Father also"--but there
were some things even the disciples were slow to perceive. In what sense
could they, when seeing the Son, also see the Father? Any theory which
affirms that the Father and the Son are "one person," misses the
mark. That is an incomprehensible impossibility. Jesus taught,
"Believe me that I am in the Father, and the Father in me: or else believe
me for the very works' sake," if, when rejecting His claims, they also rejected
God? For this they would do if the Father and Son were One Person
indivisible! Jesus maintained the separateness of Persons, although
teaching the unity of the two in the work performed. "The words
that I speak unto you I speak not of myself: but the Father that dwelleth in
me, he doeth the works. For my Father is greater than I." Such
is the teaching of John, in Chapter 14 of his gospel record. It is
further set forth in these words: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I
work." The Jews misunderstood Jesus, which fact called forth the
following explanation: "The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he
seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son
likewise."--John 5: 17, 19.
We see the work of God accomplished through the Son, by
reason of the Holy Spirit; this Spirit was given to Jesus from the Father
"without measure." The Spirit of God is not God, but of
God. The Spirit of God, as we have seen, operated in the
beginning. As in "creation," so also in "re-creation";
it is the spirit of God, manifested in His Son, that operates "to turn men
from darkness to light, and the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive
forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sanctified by
faith that is in me."--Acts 26: 18. Before we may be
"turned," we must have the scales removed; for the first thing Paul
was commissioned to do was, "to open their eyes." Before
the eyes are opened by the gospel all are in "darkness," under "the
power of the adversary," needing the forgiveness of sins; all are without
a title to that "inheritance" which is promised to those--and they
only--who are sanctified by the one faith; without which it is impossible to
please God. All in this position (which comes to all by natural birth)
are therefore according to Paul "without Christ"--without a Saviour;
"having no hope, and without God in the world."--Eph. 2: 12.
<!--mstheme-->"Come
Out" -- "Be Separate"<!--mstheme-->
A GLORIOUS
SEQUEL to the knowledge of the only true God, and "the faith of the
operation of God," is declared--by Paul--to be: "Therefore if any man
be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all
things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us
to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of
reconciliation; To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto
himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them; and hath committed unto us
the word of reconciliation."--2 Cor. 5: 17, 19. This involves all
that is embraced in the Plan of Salvation. It is a call to action.
"Wherefore come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
the Lord, and touch not the unclean; and I will receive you, and will be a
Father unto you, and ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty."--2 Cor. 6: 17, 18. If, and when, we respond to
this call, and are therefore known of God, a gracious transformation takes
place. With the Apostle John we can say: "Behold, what
manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called
the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him
not. Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet
appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be
like him; for we shall see him as he is."
<!--mstheme-->Once
Not -- But Now the Sons of God<!--mstheme-->
IF the true
believers in Jesus can say, "Now are we the Sons of
God," it is obvious that at one time they were not sons of God. If
all by natural birth are "sons," from what must they "come out
and be separate"--that God might receive them, and be a Father unto
them? If today, as in the time of the Apostle, it is true that "the
whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 John 5: 19) it is evident
that to obtain the favour and mercy of God we must "come out" of the
world--we must discard the doctrines of men, which are not
"according to godliness," and must believe that only which is
truth, "as in Jesus." This is set forth by the Apostle,
who wrote: "He that hath the Son hath life; he that hath not the Son
of God hath not life." Hence some have "life" in another,
and higher, sense than others. These latter are all who have not truly
"believed." the Apostle continues: "These things have I
written unto you that believe on the Son of God." That belief is
essential in this matter is clearly seen from many testimonies. The same
Apostle gives one: "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ
is born of God." Without such belief men and women are not "born
of God," and without a "birth" they are not the children of
God. The way is made known by, and in, the Gospel. The
Apostle says, "We know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an
understanding, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is
true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal
life."--1 John 5: 1, 12, 13, 20.
<!--mstheme-->A
Rich Reward<!--mstheme-->
HE WHO WOULD BE
SAVED will therefore seek to "understand," that he may
"believe," and be "born of God," through His Son Jesus
Christ. Paul also teaches the same doctrine as that which is given by
John. "As many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of
God." "If children, then heirs," Even so, this
relationship will cause them "to suffer with him." Consequently, the
sufferings --"which are not worthy to be compared with the glory which
shall be revealed in us"--are an incentive to make the "joint-heirs
with Christ" look forward to the day of promise, when the blessings will
be received. "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth
for the manifestation of the sons of God." Meanwhile, as they
patiently "wait for him" they are encouraged by the exhortation
given; "Who shall separate us from the love of Christ?"
If "For thy sake we are killed all the day long," are we to permit
tribulation and distress of any kind to separate us from the eternal riches
which are in the inheritance of the children of God? Paul says, No!
"Nay, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that
loved us." Paul himself suffered: yet he could say, "None of
these things move me." So full of confidence was he in God, that he
knew whatever God had promised would be fulfilled; and therefore was truly
"persuaded, that neither death, nor life, nor angels, nor principalities,
nor powers, nor things present, nor things to come, nor height, nor death, nor
any other created thing, shall be able to separate us from the love of God,
which is in Christ Jesus our Lord.
<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->Lecture 8<!--mstheme-->
<!--mstheme-->From Eden To Eden<!--mstheme-->
Along The King's Highway.
A Popular "Broad Way" Contrasted with A Forgotten "Narrow
Way."
<!--msthemeseparator-->
FROM Eden to Eden is a journey of six thousand years,
during which period countless millions have entered, trod, and passed out of
this vale of tears. Our first parents enjoyed the felicity of Eden, as
and when, they were fresh from the Great Creator's hands. But the
glories and blessings--granted when every thing was "very good"--were
withdrawn when "sin entered the world," and consequently were
withheld from the children of men; these were "the Adamic family"
which, as we have seen, came into existence after Adam and Eve were driven from
the garden.
Behold, then, a
world-developed outside the fair estate of Eden! Its
characteristics, associations and relationship can only be such as would be the
outcome, and development, of the darkened mind which caused its progenitors to
"hide themselves from the presence of the Lord God" because they were
"afraid." From the all-seeing and penetrating eye of "the
most high God, possessor of heaven and earth," however, they could not
hide.
"Whither
shall I flee from thy presence? If I take the wings of the morning, and
dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and
thy right hand shall hold me. If I say, Surely the darkness shall cover
me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not
from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are
both alike to thee."--Psa. 139: 7-12.
Cast out from the presence and favour of God, it can truly
be said of the whole Adamic family, that "darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people;" and unless "the Lord shall arise upon
thee," never again "shall his glory be seen upon thee."
What has
happened to the countless millions who, in the barque of humanity, have sailed
down the dark river of time? From the "broad way" comes an
answer in the voice of the sons of men, who possess a way which seemeth right
unto themselves, and who, in part, would have us believe that universal
salvation is the solution; others claim a second, or fair, chance for the
multitudes who in their day and generation have missed the mark, and who
otherwise would have died without hope. yet many there be with whom
God is not in their thoughts; and these knowing not God have no
understanding of His ways, and therefore either accept oblivion as the
inevitable, or--the wish being father to the thought--speculate upon some way
of escape as being their due; still they know not how. But Christendom
cries "All men are immortal--they live on for weal or woe!"
Is it true that
"one generation passeth away and another generation cometh;" and yet,
"the earth abideth for ever?"--Eccles. 1: 4. When the
generations "pass away," do they continue to be? Do we not
rather "spend our years as a tale that is told?" These being,
according to the Psalmist, "passed away in they wrath," we are
therefore "consumed by thine anger." The result:
"Thou
turnest man to destruction."--Psa. 90. "Thou takest away
their breath, they die, and return to their dust."--Psa. 104: 29.
"As for man, his days are as grass: as a flower of the
field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone;
and the place thereof shall know it no more." --Psa. 103: 15, 16.
"From the King's Highway a clarion call is heard: "Consider
the work of God: for who can make that straight, which he hath made
crooked? In the day of prosperity be joyful, but in the day of adversity
consider; God also hath set the one over against the other, to the end that man
should find nothing after him."--Eccles. 7: 13, 14.
Sinners against the Edenic Law, by their own action, were
adjudged unworthy of being the recipients of the divine favors so lavishly,
hitherto, bestowed upon them. Fellowship with God was impaired by sin;
the sinners must be made to realize all that was involved in, and by, their
transgression. "Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the
Garden of Eden." Man must henceforth "till the
ground." "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of
the garden of Eden Cherubims, and a flaming sword which turned every way to
keep the way of the tree of life." --Gen. 3: 23, 24.
<!--mstheme-->The Cherubim<!--mstheme-->
DR. JOHN THOMAS
has some interesting observations upon the CHERUBIM, from which a few
quotations are submitted. "The cherubim and sword were to guard the Way
of the Tree, so that it could not be approached. If they were
disposed to make a circuit to avoid the Cherubim, the flaming sword, or
devouring flame, flashed on every side; 'it turned every way to keep it' from
being invaded by their presumption."
"But
little is said abut the Cherubim in the Mosaic narrative. The
word is a plural noun, and represents therefore more objects than one.
But, in what did this plurality consist? I should say, judging from a
text in the next chapter, that it had special regard to a plurality of faces;
for when the Lord God sentenced Cain to a fugitive and vagabond life, the
fratricide answered 'behold, then, from THY FACES (plural in the Hebrew)
shall I be hid.' That is, 'I shall no more be permitted to come
before the Cherubic faces, which thou has placed at the east of the garden, to
present an offering for my sin.' As he truly observed, 'mine iniquity is
greater than that it may be forgiven.' He was exiled from the Faces of
God still further to the east as a murderer doomed to eternal death as the end
of his career. That the faces were connected with the Cherubim seems
unquestionable from other passages of scripture where cherubims are
described. The Lord spoke of them to Moses in the mount. . . It is
probable that the reason why Moses gave no description of them in Genesis was
because he intended to speak more particularly when he came to record their
introduction into the most holy place of the tabernacle. . . . But,
though Moses informs us of two cherubim with a plurality of faces and wings
each, he does not tell us what kind of faces, or how may wings they
had. This deficiency, however, seems to be supplied by Ezekiel. . . . It
will be seen, from this view of things, how important a place the Cherubim
occupied in the worship of God connected with 'the representation of the
truth.' They were not objects of adoration; but symbols representing to
the mind of an intelligent believer, the Seed of the woman as God manifested in
the likeness of sinful flesh. This I take it was the significance of the
Cherubim which the Lord God placed at the east of the garden; and which became
the germ, as it were, of the shadowy observances of the patriarchal and Mosaic
institutions; whose substance was of Christ."--Elpis Israel, pp.
131-6.
In his
exposition of The Apocalypse in Zechariah, Dr. Thomas wrote:
"These four chariots are the cherubim of glory, which constitute the
Chariot of Jehovah. In speaking of the four-faced figures with wings
outstretched over the Mercy Seat of the Ark in the Most Holy Place, David
styles them in 1 Chron. 28: 18, 'the Chariot of the Cherubim.' The Spirit
of Jehovah rested in the form of a cloud between and upon their wings, from the
dedication of Solomon's temple until the Glory took its departure in the days
of Ezekiel, and shortly before its destruction by the Chaldeans. Alluding
to this cherubic incumbency of the Spirit, David says in Psa. 80: 1, 'O
Shepherd of Israel inhabiting the Cherubim, shine forth. Before
Ephraim and Benjamin and Manasseh arouse thy might, and come for salvation to
us. O Mighty Ones (Elohim), turn us, and cause to shine thy Faces, and we
shall be saved.' The Cherubim were the typical throne of Jehovah in
Jerusalem, before which the High Priest presented himself on the occasion of
the annual covering of the sins of the nation. In the first and tenth
chapters of his prophecy, Ezekiel, the Spirit corporealized and manifested
in the Saints, the Elohim of Israel--the One shows what they typify or
represent. Let the reader peruse these chapters in connection with Apoc.
4 and 5; and he will find that the cherubim are representative of Eternal
Spirit in multitudinous manifestation.
Zechariah's
Four Chariots are identical with these. They represent the
resurrected saints in the execution of the judgment written--Psa. 149. There
are 'four' of them, because there were four faces to the typical
golden cherubims of the Ark of the Covenant in the temple; and 'four living
creatures' in Ezekiel's vision and 'four living creatures' in the Apocalypse;
and the reason why there are four, and not three or five, is because in the
military organization of Israel the twelve tribes were set off into four
camps."--Eureka Vol. 1.
"These four living ones and their four wheels are 'THE
CHARIOT OF THE CHERUBIM.' They are the chariot in which the Deity rides
forth to battle against the enemies of the house of David, and upon which he
sits enthroned over Israel. This appears from 2 Sm. 22: 11, and Psa. 80:
1. In the former place, Yahweh is said to ride upon a cherub; and in the
latter, to inhabit the cherubim. The etymology of the word is regarded as
obscure . . . This derivation is suggested by the text where Kheruvim, or
cherubim, first occurs in the scriptures; as 'Yahweh Elohim placed at the
east of the garden of Eden the cherubim and the flaming sword which turned
itself to guard the way of the tree of lives'. . . as, 'the cherubim, even the
flaming sword'--the flame containing the cherubic power, as Ezekiel's
'whirlwind, great clouds, and fire,' did the four living ones he saw.
But, be the etymology what it may, it is certain that they are symbols of a
wasting and destroying power."-- Eureka Vol. 2.
"The things represented by the lion, ox, and eagle
faces were visibly manifested in the sword of flame. This was light,
spirit, and fire, flaming around the cherubim as the glory of God. It
turned everyway to keep the way of the tree of life. This is all
Moses says about it; and were it not for other testimonies, we should be at a
loss to understand its allegorical signification. The cherubim set up in
the tabernacle and first temple, were enveloped in a cloud of thick
darkness. At night the cloud appeared like a blaze of fire, but in the
day, it towered aloft as a pillar of cloud. Darkness and fire were
frequent accompaniments of the divine presence; indeed, always so upon great
occasions. The presence of the Lord upon Mount Sinai was a
magnificent and terrible example; and when Jesus expired in blood, Judea was
veiled in darkness, and God looked upon it. But the flaming sword
in Eden is more strikingly illustrated as to its probable appearance by
Ezekiel's description of the cherubic glory. He says, he behold 'a great
cloud, and a fire infolding itself, and a brightness was about it, and
out of the brightness thereof as the color of amber, out of the midst of the
fire; whence issued forth the likeness of four living creatures, or
cherubim. It was customary with the Lord to answer men by fire when a
great principle, or new institution, was to be established. Thus, the
covenant with Abraham was confirmed by fire; there also came out a fire from
before the Lord, and consumed the offering on Aaron's induction as high priest.
. . from these examples, I think it is a fair inference, that the flaming sword
in Eden was applied to a similar purpose, namely, to flash forth its fire for
the consumption of the sacrifices offered by the family of Adam before the
Lord."--Elpis Israel p. 137-8.
<!--mstheme-->"A
Fair Inference"<!--mstheme-->
THE
significance of the symbolic, or representative, "Cherubim" presented
in the prophecies, as given in the exposition of Dr. Thomas, may be taken as a
guide to the understanding of the divine purpose, hidden in the simple
statement of Gen. 3: 24, "Cherubim, and a flaming sword." Yet,
whilst the symbolic cherubim had "wings," and "wheels," we
do not therefore conclude that, of necessity, these were also to be found on
the literal cherubim "placed at the east of the garden." If the
cherubim were of the elohim they would have within themselves, by the
Spirit of the Almighty, the powers depicted in, and by, the symbolic
representations. It is, as Dr. Thomas says, "a fair
inference." We are not informed how long the cherubim remained
"at the east of the garden." But if their purpose was to act
as mediator "between God and man" they would, at least, continue
until a new ordinance was established.
Perhaps the
casual reader of the Bible record would conclude that the cherubim with the
sword was so placed to prevent Adam and eve returning to the tree of life, as
seems to be suggested by the language of verse 22. But, in view of what
has been advanced, much more was involved. Adam and Eve were "sent
forth from the garden " lest they should do what is stated in verse
22. If it were simply "lest they should eat of the tree of
life," and it was feared that the transgressors--even after being
"driven out"--would seek to return to the garden, the situation could
have been met by removing the tree. But such action would have imparted
no lesson to the transgressors, other than, "thou shalt not eat of
it." We do well to ponder (and seek for its hidden meaning) the
statement "to keep the way of the tree of life." In the last
message of the Bible we read: "and he shewed me a pure river of water of
life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the
Lamb. In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river,
the tree of life, which bare twelve fruits, and yielded her fruit every month;
and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations."-- Rev.
22: 1, 2.
BY COMPARING SCRIPTURE WITH SCRIPTURE we may conclude that
"the tree of life" became a symbol, representative of "a promise
of life" which God--in mercy and goodness--saw fit to open up for those
who would come in to the world, which unfortunately had now become subject to
the reign of sin. But "sin hath reigned unto death"; hence,
transgressors had no right in themselves to approach the tree of life.
And yet, the tree was there! Doubtless its significance was made
known, and "THE WAY of the tree of life" would be unfolded for the
benefit of the Adamic family. Otherwise, how could Adam and Eve, with
their children, comply with Heaven's mandate? The sinners we are told,
"sewed fig leaves together, and made themselves aprons."--Gen. 3:
7. Such a covering was not acceptable to God, for in place thereof we are
informed "the Lord God did make coats of skins, and clothed them."--Verse
21. Without the reason being given for the new covering the change would
have been ineffective upon the minds of Adam and Eve. A detailed
explanation being given to them at the time of the change would open their
understanding to the new Way. They would know the Cherubim
were there, and for what purpose the flame of fire "turned every way, to
keep--or guard--the Way."
A TRUTH WAS
THERE, and then, definitely set forth for all to learn that "there is a
way which seemeth right to the sons of men; the end thereof is the way of
death." A further fact was emphasized--one which is as true and as
stringent today--that none can draw night to God without first complying with
the conditions laid down by God Himself, and which way is jealously guarded by
the Almighty to the extent depicted in the "flaming sword."
Four thousand years later, Jesus taught: "I am the way, the truth, and the
life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me."--John 14: 6.
"I am the door;" said the Saviour, "by me if any man enter in,
he shall be saved. He that entereth not by the door into the sheepfold,
but climbeth up some other way, the same is a thief and a robber."--John
10: 9, 1.
This detailed information of New Testament doctrine was not
given "in the beginning;" nevertheless, sufficient to meet the needs
of the time and circumstances would of necessity be made known. This is
demonstrated in the brief record concerning Cain and Abel. "In
process of time" we are told that both Cain and Abel brought "an
offering unto the Lord." To whom would they present their offerings?
It seems to be "a fair inference" that the offerings would be
taken to the Elohim, who, as the Cherubim, were appointed to "keep the
way." That the Lord "had respect to one offering," but to
the other "had not respect," shows that there was a principle
involved which was recognized by Abel, but disregarded by Cain. "The
Lord said unto Cain," shows clearly that instructions had been given which
must be obeyed if man would have access to "the Way."
Without
such compliance access to God was not, and is not, permitted. From
this it is seen that the Way of Salvation was introduced "in the
beginning," immediately after "sin entered the world, and death by
sin;" and further, that the law of sacrifice--essential to
salvation--being then inaugurated was typical of the One Great Sacrifice, which
would "take away the sin of the world." In this way Jesus was
"the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world."--Rev. 13: 8.
This is a fundamental truth which belongs to the King's Highway. If
any aver that such a view is "narrow," let it be remembered it is
"the narrow way" which leads to life, even though there be few
who find it. When thoughts and theories are met contrary to this truth
(and there are many) they are the offspring of "the broad way;" to
follow in their path can only lead to destruction.
<!--mstheme-->Is
There No Death?<!--mstheme-->
FROM the depths
of "the broad way" a voice is heard, crying: "There is no
death!" "All men are immortal, and cannot die."
"Man has a soul. The body dies; The soul never dies."
"The soul is immortal. This is a foundation truth, upon the removal
of which religion falls to the ground." Men and women through the
ages have accepted the theory of the immortality of the soul as if it were
gospel truth. They have not known that, in reality, it is but a
continuance of the first lie which we have on record. That lie
came from the serpent--not from God. The woman said: "God hath said,
Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die."
"The idea
of the immortality of the soul has no source in the gospel; it comes, on the
contrary, from the Platonists, and it is just when the coming (of Christ) was
denied or lost sight of that the doctrine of the immortality of the soul came
in to replace that of the resurrection."--John Nelson Darby,
Lectures Vol. 4.
"The Egyptians were also the first that asserted the
doctrine that the soul of man is immortal, that when the body perishes it
enters into some other animal, constantly springing into existence. . . This
opinion some among the Greeks have at different periods of time adopted as
their own."--Herodotus.
"the Egyptians were the first who taught the doctrine
of the immortality of the soul, a fact mentioned by all Greek writers from
Herodotus to Aristotle, and one brilliantly confirmed by the monuments" Bunsen,
Egypt's Place in Universal History.
"When arguments are offered for the immortality of the
soul, they are rarely derived from Scripture. The indication there
afforded, when properly co-ordinated one with another, bear no marks of the
idea of natural immortality, either as directly revealed or as prevalent among
mankind at large."--W. E. Gladstone.
"The tomb is not the terminus, but the
starting-point."--T. De Witt Talmage.
Well might a poet write: "Tell me, my soul, can
this be death?"
Arising from this serpent-lie dogma other voices are also
heard; these, likewise are not founded upon Bible Truth. If the soul does
not die, what becomes of it when the body dies? Some place must be found
for it--therefore (discarding the Scriptures which definitely teach the resurrection
and judgment of those who are associated with the divine Plan of
Salvation) these theorists have the souls pass out, in the event men call
death, and wing their flight to realms of bliss beyond the skies or, otherwise,
sink to the depths of degradation in the tortures of hell, ordained for the
damned! But that is not all! for, the voice cries yet again, "If
there is a God, there must be a devil." And what a devil a false
theology had invented and proclaimed. This devil roams "the broad
way" in every age, land and clime. His work--and continual
purpose--is to deceive, entice, allure, and destroy. His field of
operation is every where--no color, race or creed can stay his hand.
Judging by his success, numerically speaking,--for wickedness is more rampant
in the earth than righteousness--this devil is stronger than God. Whence
did he come, or who made him? According to "the broad way"
this devil is not alone. "He is the prince of the devils, who
perhaps was the first and leader of that grand rebellion against God. He
conveyed himself into the serpent when he tempted Eve."--Cruden.
For such a devil a home is necessary. He has
therefore been clothed with asbestos, and given control of the subterranean
regions, which have been wrongly styled "hell." Many pictures
have been painted of those "sulfurous caverns," but listen to this
for a sample: "Listen to the tremendous, the horrible uproar of millions
and millions of tormented creatures, made with fury of hell. Oh, the
screams of fear, the groanings of horror, the yells of rage, the cries of pain,
the shouts of agony, the shrieks of dispair, from millions on millions.
There you hear them roaring like lions, hissing like serpents,
howling like dogs, and wailing like dragons. There you hear the gnashing
of teeth, and the fearful blasphemies of the devils. They cry for ever
and ever. They cry because the sulfurous smoke torments their eyes.
A sixteen years old girl, with feet which are bare, stands upon the red-hot
burning floor. She asks, Let me go off this burning floor for one
moment. The devil answers, Not for one single moment during the never
ending eternity of years shall you ever leave this red-hot floor."--'Rev.'
J. Furness.
The unrepentant "are cast into hell, where they are
compelled, by punishments, not to sin; but punishments do not take away the
will, the intention, and consequent thought of evil; they only take away the
act."--Swedenborg.
And then to enlarge "the glory of the blessed" we
are asked to believe that all these horrors are witnessed by those who are
saved! The following quotations from different writers demonstrate this
fallacy. "The elect will come forth to behold the torments of
the ungodly, and at this spectacle they will not be smitten with sorrow; on the
contrary, while they see the unspeakable suffering of the ungodly, they,
intoxicated with joy, will thank God for their own salvation." "The
smoke of their torment shall ascend up in the sight of the blessed for ever and
ever." "Should this eternal punishment cease, and this fire be
extinguished, it would in a great measure obscure the light of heaven and put
an end to a great part of the happiness and glory of the
blessed." "The happiness of the redeemed in heaven will
be enhanced, by beholding the agonies of the damned in hell, throughout endless
ages." From The Bible Vindicated.
<!--mstheme-->"Put
Away Sin" -- "Destroy the Devil"<!--mstheme-->
IN seeking for
The King's Highway, amidst the clamor of the broad way, it is well to examine
the claims of popular theories in the light of definite statements given in the
Book of God. Whilst these outrageous doctrines have held sway, for many
generations, with professing Christians--and with many, fear of the devil has
been more evident than the fear of God--it is a fact that the term devil does
not appear in the Old Testament; four times only do we find the plural, devils;
and in those cases idol worship is clearly seen. "They served
their idols: which were a snare unto them. Yea, they sacrificed their
sons and daughters unto devils"--Psa. 106: 36, 37. God is both
"just" and "merciful." When God punished Adam and Eve
for their sin no mention was made of the devil being the cause of all the
trouble. The sinners were not warned of the danger of further temptation,
by such a devil, and of their ending in the flames of hell if they
failed to escape from the snare of the prince of the devils, with the mighty
host under his command. The few passages of scripture advanced by
"the broad way," in support of this erroneous conception, upon
examination fail to teach the theory, or to agree with its claim.
He who would
find the Way of God is not asked to do so blindly. He is invited by God
"to reason together;" by so doing, after he has found the way, he
will be able to comply with the injunction, required of those who would be
saved, "Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a
reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear."--1
Pet. 3: 15.
In our march from EDEN TO EDEN we, at times, obtain a
glimpse of the One who was promised from the beginning, by whom the devastating
effects of "the sin of the world" was to be removed; and who was to
"restore that which he did not take away."--Psa. 69: 4. The
Spirit of Christ is to be found in the Law, the Psalms, and the Prophets; yet
not always with the same outstanding clarity. We cannot contemplate Eden
lost without thinking of Eden restored. Evil came, not by
the machination of a fallen angel who became known as the devil, but, by the
revealed fact that "sin entered and death by sin," and since that
event evil has continued because "sin hath reigned."
So in The King's Highway we look for the means by
which the evil will be eradicated, and when we read "For this purpose the
Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil"--1
John 3: 8, we must follow in His steps to find the devil whose
works He was destined to destroy. By finding "the works" which
are to be destroyed, we shall find the devil, or the cause of the
works. John further testifies: "Ye know that he was manifested to
take away our sins."--verse 5; to which is added, "He that
committeth sin is of the devil." Sin and the devil are therefore
closely associated. WHEN JESUS HAS ALTOGETHER TAKEN AWAY SIN, will
the devil still continue to exist?
We read again of Jesus; "Now once in the end of the
world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."--Heb.
9: 26. The work of Jesus, in His sacrificial death, was "to take away
sin." In doing so would He also destroy the devil? Not the
devil of the broad way--for such a fallacy, and not to be found in the
Bible. The Bible devil we are now considering is the diabolos--"that
which causes to cross the line, as from right to wrong"; and as such may
be applied to a person or principle. Now read again concerning
Jesus: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he
also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might
destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil."--Heb. 2:
14. Whatever has "the power of death" is the devil. And
Paul says, "The wages of sin is death."--Rom. 6: 23. To
affirm that "Jesus died to destroy the devil" must be
synonymous with, "For in that he died, he died unto sin
once."--Rom. 6: 10. What is the cause of death? Paul
answers, "The sting of death is sin."--1 Cor. 15: 56.
Sin will be taken away, according to God's Plan, by reason
of the death of Christ. The destruction of such a devil, and the
spoilation of all its works, arising from "the death of the cross" is
understandable; but it is beyond comprehension that by dying on the cross Jesus
could destroy the fire-proof, immortal devil of the broad way!
We look back to
the garden from which our first parents were cast out. We, too, are on
the outside. In the garden there was fellowship with God--outside we are
"without God in the world." In the garden, before sin
entered, there was no need of a saviour, and therefore no plan of
salvation. In the development of the Adamic family--born after sin,
and consequently under the reign of sin and death, for "death passed upon
all men"--that which has the power of death early manifested itself.
TWO WAYS--the way of sin and the way of God--were manifested and demonstrated
in the two sons of Adam. That "sin reigned" was evidenced in
the character of Cain, and amply proved by his acts. "Sons of
God" and "daughters of men" in the days of Noah show the
divergence developed in the children of Adam, as "men multiplied on the
face of the earth." The absolute degeneration of the race cannot be
denied in face of the Apostolic testimony: "when once the long-suffering
of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few,
that is, eight souls were saved by water."--1 Pet. 3: 20.
The flood being past, we are told that "God blessed
Noah and his sons, and said unto them; Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish
the earth." Further we read, "Of them was the whole earth
overspread." But it was not long ere "sin" again
demonstrated that it "reigned" among the sons of men. Babylon,
founded in the land of Shinar, became a representative term denoting the
confusion of tongues, and the misunderstanding of the speech of the Almighty;
"The Lord did there confound the language of all the earth: and from
thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth."--Gen.
11: 9.
<!--mstheme-->"In
the Beginning Was the Word"<!--mstheme-->
With sin
reigning, and Babylon abroad, wherein could be found an indication of THE
KING'S HIGHWAY, and an escape from the vanity of the extending broad way?
"In the beginning was the Word. In it was life; and the life was
the light of men." But where, amidst the enlarging and enfolding
darkness, and the darkness comprehended it not," The Plan of the
Ages required that witness to the true Light should be made, and that some
would receive it. Here it is permissible to quote and apply, the
language of Paul and Barnabas; "God, which made heaven and earth, and the
sea, and all things that are therein: left not himself without
witness." And the witness which God has given is the guiding star
for all who would attain to the glories of the coming age;
When sin and death no more shall
reign
And Eden bloom on earth again.
What, then, is the witness? Where shall it be found? Let the Apostle answer:
"Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and precious promises: that by
these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world through lust."--2 Pet. 1: 4.
<!--mstheme-->"Resting
on the Promises"<!--mstheme-->
is the safe and sane way of
seeking "the gift of God," which is "the pearl of great
price." They who are persuaded of these things are exhorted to
"draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith; hold
fast the profession of faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that
promised)"--Heb. 10: 22. "Being fully persuaded that, what
he had promised, he was able also to perform."--Rom. 4: 21.
THE PROMISES OF GOD are the foundation of THE GOSPEL OF
SALVATION, which is also "the glorious gospel of the blessed God."--1
Tim. 1: 11; and "the gospel of the Kingdom." --Matt. 4: 23;
9: 35. "The gospel of the kingdom of God."--Mark 1:
14. These "good news" and "promises" are definitely
stated by Paul to be "the hope of the promises made of God unto our
fathers."--Acts 26: 6. The identity of the "fathers"
is not left for speculation, but is clearly stated, and made known. Paul
speaks of his "kinsmen according to the flesh: Who are Israelites: to whom
pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and covenants, and the giving of the
law, and the service, and the promises; Whose are the fathers, and of whom as
concerning the flesh Christ came."--Rom. 9: 3-5.
THE PLAN OF SALVATION, however, was in operation before the
"Israelites" were developed as a people and nation. Promises
were made before the period of Israel, and therefore the promises made unto the
fathers of Israel must be seen in the light of earlier promises. This
must be, "For all the promises of God in him (Jesus Christ) are yea, and
in him Amen."--2 Cor. 1: 20. "Christ in you, the hope of
glory."--Col. 1: 27, is but another way of expressing this same
"gospel." Follow, then, the promises as a golden thread, in the
divine record, from the "fall of man" when Eden was lost, to the
restoration and regeneration of such "sons of men" who, by reason of
the promises, become "sons of God;" first, by faith and then by
manifestation in Eden restored.
Unto the
serpent God said, "I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and
between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise
his heel."--Gen. 3: 15. This is the first promise of the
Saviour. That Jesus might save His people from their sins, and take away
the Sin of the World, He must needs by "the seed of the woman."
This fact was never lost sight of in subsequent revelation, but was emphasized
and elaborated. As Jesus Himself testified; "Thus it is written, and
thus it behooved Christ to suffer, and to rise from the dead the third
day."--Luke 24: 46.
There was a promise made after Noah and his family came out
of the ark: and this, too, has to do with the gospel of salvation. God
said, "I will establish my covenant with you; neither shall all flesh be
cut off any more by the waters of a flood; neither shall there any more be a
flood to destroy the earth." "While the earth remaineth
seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and
night shall not cease."--Gen. 9: 11; 8: 22. That these promises
are connected with the gospel is obvious, for the earth must abide--even though
a voice was heard from "the broad way," saying the earth was to be
destroyed; literally "burnt up."
But God has
spoken; As truly as I live, all the earth shall be filled with the glory
of the Lord."--Num. 14: 21.
"For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in
heaven. Thy faithfulness unto all generations: thou hast established the
earth, and it abideth."--Psa. 119: 90.
"Behold, the righteous shall be recompensed in the
earth: much more the wicked and the sinner."--Prov. 11: 31.
IN A PROPHECY CONCERNING CHRIST, and the glories of His
kingdom, we have this promise; "They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my
holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord, as the
waters cover the sea."--Isa. 11: 9. "Blessed are the
meek:" said Jesus, "for they shall inherit the earth."--Matt.
5: 5. At the birth of Jesus, the angel proclaimed "good tidings of
great joy," and foretold the characteristics of His reign, when His
kingdom shall be established: "Glory to God in the highest, and on
earth peace, good will toward men." To those who will receive from
their Saviour "the gift of God," the promise is given, "Thou
hast made us unto our God kings and priests; and we shall reign on the
earth."--Rev. 5: 10.
<!--mstheme-->"Father of the Faithful"<!--mstheme-->
ABRAHAM,
"THE FRIEND OF GOD" --Jas. 2: 23, was so named because he
"believed God." He "believed" what God had
promised. And the promise to the patriarch was concerning the
land. That which was promised became known as The Land of
Promise. The call came from the Lord, "Get out of thy
country." But in leaving one country Abraham must go to
another--therefore it was "unto a land that I will shew thee."--Gen.
12: 1. Abram obeyed God, and commenced his walk in THE KING'S
HIGHWAY. There was much he did not understand, yet he believed in God,
"and it was counted unto him for righteousness."--Rom. 4: 3, See
also Gen. 15: 6. Directed by the Lord, Abram viewed the land--north,
south, east and west--and then walked "through the land in the length of
it and in the breadth of it," in full assurance that the Word of God would
be fulfilled; "I will give it unto thee." Even though Abram was
informed that he should "go to thy fathers in peace; thou shalt be buried
in a good old age," his faith did not waver. "By faith he
sojourned in the land of promise," looking forward "for a city which
hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God." He had also been
promised "a seed," and he realized that the fulfillment of the
promise concerning the land was dependent upon "the seed to whom the
promise was made."
When contending
with the Jews, Jesus said, "If ye were Abraham's children ye would do the
works of Abraham. But now ye seek to kill me, a man that hath told
you the truth, which I have heard of God: this did not Abraham."
They claimed "Abraham is our father," but Jesus saw beyond mere
natural descent. There was, and is, a difference between a "Jew
outwardly," and a "Jew inwardly." Therefore, ignoring the
flesh-connection, Jesus dealt with the characteristics of those people and
said, "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye
will do. . . . And because I tell you the truth, ye believe me not."
Not understanding the doctrine of Jesus, the Jews said unto him, "Now we
know that thou hast a devil." And they challenged the claims of
Jesus, saying, "Art thou greater than our father Abraham, which is dead?
and the prophets are dead: whom makest thou thyself?" This led
Jesus to declare, "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw
it and was glad."--John 8.
Abraham by faith looked forward to the manifestation of his
"seed," and Jesus proclaimed Himself to be that "seed"
through whom the promises will be fulfilled in His Day--the Day of His Coming,
to reign for God, and to dwell with men. The land of promise was
covenanted to Abraham "for an everlasting possession."--Gen. 17:
8. Nevertheless, although he lived in the land, it is definitely stated
that God "gave him none inheritance in it, no, not so much as to set his
foot on." An everlasting possession involves everlasting life. Obviously,
then, the promises to Abraham cannot be fulfilled apart form a resurrection
from the dead, and the bestowal of immortality; these, therefore, were
embraced in the promises, which are said to be "the gospel preached
unto Abraham;" by reason of which the patriarch could look forward to the
day of Christ, and rejoice in it. Paul demonstrated the association of
the Abrahamic covenant and the gospel of salvation, when he wrote: "That the
blessing of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jesus Christ; that we
might receive the promise of the Spirit through faith." The Apostle
names "the seed"--not as of many, but as of one, "To thy seed,
WHICH IS CHRIST."--Gal. 3.
<!--mstheme-->"They
Died in Faith"<!--mstheme-->
"HEIRS
with him of the same promise."--Heb. 11: 9, the good things,
spoken of the Lord to Abraham, were extended to Isaac and Jacob. Of them
we read, "These all died in faith, not having received the promises (i.e.
the fulfillment of them), but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of
them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth."--verse
13. The Psalmist sings, "of all his wondrous works," and calls
upon "the seed of Abraham his servant" to "seek the Lord,"
and to "Remember his marvelous works"--for, "He is the Lord our
God: his judgments are in all the earth. He hath remembered his covenant
for ever, the word which he commanded to a thousand generations. Which he
made with Abraham, and his oath unto Isaac; and confirmed the same unto Jacob
for a law, and to Israel for an everlasting covenant: Saying, Unto thee will I
give the land of Canaan, the lot of your inheritance."--Psa. 105.
<!--mstheme-->"What
Is His Name?"<!--mstheme-->
AS foretold,
the natural seed of Abraham went down into Egypt, suffered in the house of
bondage, cried unto God, who heard their groaning; and God remembered Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob. It was, indeed, an important stepping stone on THE
KING'S HIGHWAY. It was commemorated by the introduction of a new name, by
which God would henceforth be known among His people. Moses intimated
that the children of Israel--now slaves in Egypt--would not readily recognize
the meaning of "The God of your fathers," but would doubtless ask,
"What is his name?" The children of Israel were about to be
liberated from Egypt, and in answer to "What is His name?" it pleased
the Lord to give to them A NAME which would convey hope and confidence--for
these were surely needed. In the Authorized Version we read:
"And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said, Thus shalt thou say
unto the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me unto you."--Exod. 3:
14. In the R.V. margin, we have an alternative rendering: "I will be
that I will be." Dr. Young's translation is: I am
that which I am." This is not satisfactory as the R.V. margin.
But Dr. Young gives the next verse as follows: "Thus dost thou say unto
the sons of Israel, Jehovah, God of your fathers, God of Abraham, God of Isaac,
and God of Jacob, hath sent me unto you; this is My name--to the age, and this
My memorial, to generation--generation."
The following
quotation from Dr. Thomas is helpful: "Ehyeh asher Ehyeh, said
he, on that occasion, I will be who I will be; EHYEH I will be; and in
the third person, Yah, or Yahweh, He shall be.
"Thou shalt say to the children of Israel, YAHWEH Elohim of your
fathers, etc., hath sent me to you: this is my Name for the Olahm, and
this my Memorial for a generation of the race."-- Eureka,
Vol. 3.
<!--mstheme-->Name
of Salvation<!--mstheme-->
THE NAME then
given was designed to encourage the children of Israel and to help them to look
forward to a time of blessedness and prosperity. What would happen if the
people disregarded the favour of heaven, and in their waywardness "forgot
the God of their salvation, and were not mindful of the rock of their
strength?" This did not mean that God would forget His
people! "Thus saith the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy One of
Israel; I am the Lord, thy Redeemer, the Holy one of Israel; I am the Lord thy
God which teacheth thee to profit, which leadeth thee by the way that thou
shouldest go. O that thou hadst hearkened to my commandments! then had
thy peace been as a river, and thy righteousness as the waves of the sea: Thy
seed also had been as the sand and the offspring of thy bowels like the gravel
thereof; his name should not have been cut off nor destroyed from before
me."--Isa. 48: 17, 19.
AS THE "MEMORIAL NAME" was for "the
generation of a race," its future significance is readily seen.
Later, Isaiah wrote of the Messiah. "When thou shalt make his soul
an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the
pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand."--Isa. 53: 10.
"He shall see his seed." This will be the outcome of "the
travail of his soul." And when will God's "righteous
servant" be satisfied, as the prophet declares? The apostle
directs our minds forward to a day of power and glory, when he speaks of
"bringing many sons unto glory," and adds: "I will declare thy
name unto my brethren in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee.
And again, Behold I and the children which God hath given me."--Heb.
2: 10, 13.
These "children" are "the seed to whom the
promise was made" in multitudinous form. They are the true seed of
the woman; the seed of Abraham, not according to the flesh, but according to
the spirit, by faith and obedience. By compliance with the precepts and
commandments of God they entered into the Only "Name given among men,
whereby we must be saved."--Acts 4: 12. This gave them a
relationship not otherwise enjoyed by the children of men. They
were the subjects of a generation unto "the race," which flesh
and blood could not give. "Of his own will begat he us with the
word of truth."--Jas. 1: 18. This "word" is powerful.
It justifies, sanctifies and redeems. Without such purification
mankind is sold under sin, and inherits but corruptibility as a legacy from our
first parents. To "the seed," being prepared, the word is
written: "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible
things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradition
from your fathers; But with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot. . . .that your faith and hope might be in
God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through
the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another
with a pure heart fervently: Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever."--1
Pet. 1: 18, 23.
Into this "Name" the people of God entered, by
type and anti-type, and, with the "Father's name written in their
foreheads," they were "born again to walk in newness of
life." A promise was left them: "To him that overcometh will I
give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in that
stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth
it."--Rev. 2: 17. The condition governing this manifestation of
the Name was "show thy faith by thy works."--Jas. 2: 18. "Behold,
I come quickly," says their Master; "Hold that fast which thou
has,that no man take thy crown. Him that overcometh will I make a pillar
in the temple of my God, and he shall go No more out: and I will write upon him
the name of my God, and the name of the city of my God: even my new
name."--Rev. 3: 11, 12. Such is the incentive for them to go unto
perfection; "to make their calling and election sure," not only to do
the will of their Father in heaven, but also to anticipate the day of reward;
"To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as
I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne."--Verse
21.
<!--mstheme-->God
Does Not Forget<!--mstheme-->
BUT we must
return from this ramble down one of the by-paths, which are both interesting
and alluring. As we contemplate the Exodus we recall how God did
"Wondrous works in the land of Ham, and terrible things by the Red
Sea."--Psa. 106: 22. The manifestation of God's power in
punishing the oppressors of His people, and giving deliverance to the oppressed
should have shown to them that God had not forgotten His promises. That
His people "forgat God their Saviour" illustrates how easy it is to
leave THE KING'S HIGHWAY, and to enter the Broad Way, which leads to
destruction. He who "reproved kings for their sakes" desired
the best for His people--but if they turned aside God must deal with them, even
to their hurt; yet He does not forget.
"Israel
came into Egypt; and Jacob sojourned in the land of Ham. He sent Moses
his servant; and Aaron whom he had chosen. They shewed his signs among
them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He smote all the firstborn in their
land, the chief of all their strength. Egypt was glad when they departed;
for the fear of them fell upon them. He spread a cloud for a covering;
and fire to give light in the night. For he remembered his holy
promise, and Abraham his servant. And he brought forth his people
with joy, and his chosen with gladness: And gave them the lands of the heathen:
and they inherited the labour of his people; That they might observe his
statues, and keep his laws."--Psa. 105.
It was, indeed,
"a night to be much observed unto the Lord for bringing them out from the
land of Egypt; to be observed of all the children of Israel in their
generations." To enable them so to remember what God had done for
them, and that they might make it known to their children, God instituted
<!--mstheme-->The
Ordinance of the Passover<!--mstheme-->
IN THE
PICTORIAL CHART we have a line, from the name of Abram down to the Pyramid,
which represents the land of Egypt; of this land we read--words spoken to Abram--"thy
seed shall be a stranger in a land that is not their's, and shall serve them;
and they shall afflict them four hundred years." The touching story
of the "famine upon the land," and how "he brake the whole staff
of bread"; followed by the sons of Jacob going down into the land wherein
"there was corn," is well known to all Bible readers. As the
Psalmist wrote, "He sent a man before them, even Joseph, who was sold for
a servant: Whose feed they hurt with fetters; he was laid in iron: Until the time
that his word came: the word of the Lord tried him. The king sent and
loosed him; even the ruler of the people, and let him go free."
IN THE LAND OF
HAM, the people (of Israel) increased greatly; their growth in numbers and
strength caused the Egyptians to fear the children of Israel, and this brought
about their oppression by those whose heart was turned "to hate his
people." But had not God said, "I will bless them that bless
thee, and curse him that curseth thee"?--Gen. 12: 3. And God does
not forget.
"He sent
darkness, and made it dark. He turned their waters into blood, and slew
their fish. Their land brought forth frogs. There came divers sorts
of flies, and lice. Hail for rain, and flaming fire in their land.
Locusts and caterpillars--without number--to eat up the herbs in their land,
and devour the fruit of their ground."
By these
plagues were the Egyptians punished, until they were glad to "Let My
people go."
From the
pyramid there is another line, with the words "come out," and this
line extends to a small group--representing father, mother, and two
children--outside of a building. The father is particularly interested
in "the lintel and the doorpost;" the lettering reads, 1st month,
14th day. Over this building are the words, "seed a stranger in a
land not theirs; afflict them 400 years."
Still another line directs attention to the boy on the
altar. It is the story of Abraham and his seed. About fifteen
years before Isaac was born God had spoken to Abraham concerning the welfare of
his seed--"when as yet he had no child." The patriarch was
informed that, in process of time, "thy seed shall be a stranger in a land
that is not their's, and shall serve them; and they shall afflict them four
hundred years." Nevertheless, God would judge and punish that
nation; whilst the seed of Abram would escape from the land, and "come out
with great substance"; for "in the fourth generation they shall come
hither again."--Gen. 15: 13, 16. When Abraham "was an
hundred years old, his son Isaac was born unto him"; and of this son, God
said, "In Isaac shall thy seed be called."--Gen. 21: 12. From
henceforth the hopes and aspirations, of this "Friend of God," would
be centered in his son, Isaac; for concerning him God had said: "I will establish
my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after
him."--Gen. 17: 19. So fully did Abraham realize this that he
complied with the demand of Sarah, "Cast out this bondwoman and her son:
for the son of this bondwoman shall not be heir with my son, even with
Isaac."--Gen. 21: 10. Although this "was very grievous in
Abraham's sight--for Ishmael. had been "born unto him" by Hagar the
Egyptian handmaid--nevertheless, being instructed by God he complied, sending
Hagar and the child away; "and she departed, and wandered in the
wilderness of Beer-sheba." Howbeit, because Ishmael was the son of
Abraham, "God was with the lad."
<!--mstheme-->Abraham's
Faith Tested<!--mstheme-->
BEFORE the
things embraced in "the covenant" could be developed, the faith of
Abraham must again be put to the test. The Gospel was being
"preached to Abraham," as it was later proclaimed to this natural,
and national seed; "but the word preached to the children of Israel did
not profit them, not being mixed with faith in them that heard."--Heb.
4: 2. It is divine principle that "without faith it is impossible to
please God." Further, that they who seek to be rewarded by God must
"diligently seek" and serve Him. "Faith, if it hath
not works, is dead, being alone."--Jas. 2: 17. Therefore,
"God did tempt (try or put to the test) Abraham," in the incident of
the mountain, in the land of Moriah.
This is
depicted in the portion of the chart now being considered. Faith in God
was manifested, and this was all that was required so far as "the
lad" was concerned, for Heaven's arresting voice sounded forth; "Lay
not thine hand upon the lad, for now I know that thou fearest God."--Gen.
22: 12. And, so long afterward James wrote: "Was not Abraham our
father justified by works, when he had offered Isaac his son upon the
altar? Seest thou how faith wrought with his works and by works was faith
made perfect?"--Verses 21, 22.
When the descendants of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob came out
of Egypt, "they spoiled the Egyptians," and so fulfilled the
prediction that they "afterward shall come out with great
substance." Ere the plagues were poured upon the land of Egypt Moses
had said unto Pharaoh: "Thus saith the Lord, Israel is my son, even my
firstborn: And I say unto thee, Let my son go, that he may serve me: and if
thou refuse to let him go, behold I will slay thy son, even thy
firstborn."--Ex. 4: 22, 23. Before the last of the plagues was
inflicted upon Egypt, Moses spoke with Pharaoh. After three days "of
thick darkness" the ruler of Egypt wavered and said to Moses: "Go ye,
serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed." But
Moses said, No! "not an hoof shall be left behind." Again the
heart of Pharaoh was hardened; to Moses he declared, "Get thee from me,
take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face
thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy
face again no more."--Ex. 10: 24, 29. What a
different Moses to the young man who (having "slain the Egyptian" who
was seen "smiting an Hebrew," and learning that "this thing is
known," and knowing that Pharaoh having heard of it "sought to slay
Moses") "fled from the face of Pharaoh and dwelt in the land of
Midian." It was to this latter exit that the Apostle referred, when
he wrote: "By faith Moses forsook Egypt, not fearing the wrath of the
king; for he endured, as seeing him who is invisible."--Heb. 11: 27.
<!--mstheme-->Let
My People Go<!--mstheme-->
BUT now the
climax was upon them. The slaves were to be set free, and the oppressor
punished by the Lord making "bare his holy arm in the eyes of all"
the Egyptians; in such a way that Pharaoh and his people would remember and
appreciate what was meant when God said, "Israel is my firstborn; Let my
people go!"
"And the
Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall
be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to
you. Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying In the tenth
day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb. . . .Your lamb
shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: And ye shall keep it up
until the fourteenth day of the month: and the whole assembly of the
congregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall
take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door
post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it. . . . And thus shall ye eat
it; with your loins girded, your shoes on your fee, and your staff in your
hand; and ye shall eat it in haste, it is the Lord's passover. For I
will pass through the land of Egypt this night and will smite all the firstborn
in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods (or princes)
of Egypt I will execute judgment; I am the Lord. And the blood shall be
to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I
will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy
you, when I smite the land of Egypt.
Such an event
was not to be forgotten by those who were thus the recipients of divine favour
and deliverance. That it should be fixed in the minds of the children of
Israel, from generation to generation, the ordinance of the passover was
divinely established.
"This day shall be unto you
for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the Lord throughout your
generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever."
Instructions
were given covering seven days wherein they were to eat "unleavened
bread"; all leaven was to be "put away out of their
houses." On "the first day," and also "the seventh
day" there was to be "an holy convocation." "In the
first month, on the fourteenth day of the month at even, ye shall eat
unleavened bread, until the one and twentieth day of the month at even";
during which period "Ye shall eat nothing leavened." These
instructions having been given to "all the congregation of Israel,"
Moses called for all the elders of Israel and commanded them:
"Draw out
and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover.
And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop and dip it in the blood that is in the
basin, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in
the basin; and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the
morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when
he seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will
pass over the door and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your
houses to smite you."
The observance
of "this thing" was not for the night of deliverance only; for
"when ye be come to the land which the Lord will give you, ye shall keep
this service." As the years rolled by the children would ask of
their elders, "What mean ye by this service?" An explanation
must be given in answer thereto: "It is the sacrifice of the Lord's
passover."
"And it
came to pass at the end of the four hundred and thirty years, even the selfsame
day it came to pass that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of
Egypt."
This night of
observation was one "to be observed of all the children of Israel in their
generations" and as the Way of the Lord is not a broad way, restrictions
were placed upon the observance of the ordinance of the passover: There
shall no stranger eat thereof." If a stranger sojourning with the
children of Israel desired "to keep the passover" provision was made
to meet the case; and only upon compliance therewith could permission be
granted. Yet this did not contradict the statement that "no stranger
shall eat thereof"; for, having obeyed the divine law in the matter, they
who so kept the law were no longer regarded as strangers. Here is the
law: "Let all his males be circumcised, and then let him come near and
keep it; and he shall be as one that is born in the land: for no
uncircumcised person shall eat thereof. One law shall be to him that is
homeborn, and unto the stranger that sojourneth among you." Such is
the interesting testimony of the twelfth chapter of the book, Exodus.
<!--mstheme-->The
Clean and the Unclean<!--mstheme-->
THE
RESTRICTIONS, imposed by God's law, which appertain to the ordinance
of the passover are not acceptable to those who travel the broad way.
Their thought is that there should be no difference in the relationship of any
of the children of men toward God. They do not appreciate that to this
day there is a difference between "the clean and the unclean," and
"the holy and unholy." The voice from the broad way is
sometimes heard to quote, but to misapply, from the inspired Word: "Have
we not all one father? Hath not one God created us?"--Mal. 2: 10. In
doing so they ignore all that is involved in "the covenant of our
fathers." It is till divine principle that "I will be sanctified
in them that come nigh me."--Lev. 10: 3.
THE LESSONS OF THE PASSOVER given to the children of Israel
must not be lost upon the Gentiles, in regard to the Gospel mission, during the
Christian dispensation. That the "ordinance" must be carried forward,
its lessons applied and maintained, is evident from the teaching of the
Apostles. Paul wrote to those who had believed and obeyed the gospel of
Christ: "For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let
us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and
wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."--1
Cor. 5: 7, 8. The paschal lamb was thus a type of the Lamb of God, who was
to take away the sin of the world; as was also "the sacrifice" of
Isaac on Mount Moriah (Abraham "accounting that God was able to raise him
up, even from the dead; from whence also he received him in a figure."--Heb.
11: 19). The typical passover lamb was to be "without blemish;"
of the antitypical sacrifice we read, "redeemed . . . with the precious
blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot." --1
Pet. 1: 19.
To become a member of the "body of Christ," of
which He is the "Head," it is necessary for all who believe the
gospel to put off the old man with his deeds; and put on the new
man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created
him."--Col. 3: 9, 10. This transference, and regeneration, can
only be accomplished by association with the cross of Calvary; and a further
significance of the ordinance of the passover is seen by an understanding of
the means provided for all who would walk in the "narrow way," that
they may become related to Christ as their Passover. Paul wrote to
those who had "received Christ Jesus the Lord;" "In whom also ye
are circumcised with the circumcision made without hands, in putting off the
body of the sins of the flesh by the circumcision of Christ."
But this
circumcision, incumbent on the believers now, is not the fleshly circumcision
required of the Jews under the law of Moses. Jesus was subject to this
requirement, of which we read; "When eight days were accomplished for the
circumcising of the child, his name was called Jesus." And,
"when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the
custom of the law."--Luke 2: 21, 27. This, however, was
typical; it was superseded by His crucifixion, when "He was cut off out of
the land of the living."--Isa. 53: 8. This "cutting
off" became the circumcision of Christ. The believer in the
gospel must connect himself with it, or forever remain "without
Christ." There is but one way so to do--it is the Way
of the gospel, God's Way, a straight and narrow Way, and yet the only Way
to enable us to walk The King's Highway. Continuing the testimony, Paul
shows us the way: "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye
are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised
him from the dead."--Col. 2: 11, 12. It is still true that
"no uncircumcised person shall eat the passover!"
<!--mstheme-->The
Old Covenant<!--mstheme-->
FOLLOWING the
Exodus the people came to the wilderness of Sinai, and "there Israel
camped before the mount." We pause briefly to note the covenant
which God entered into with His people, and their acceptance of the terms
presented to them. "If ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my
covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people.
And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken
we will do."--Ex. 19: 5, 8. This was followed by the giving of
the ten commandments, divers laws and ordinances, for the regulation of the
people, individually and collectively. This phase of the development of
God's Plan is shown on the chart by the "two tables," designated THE
OLD COVENANT. The connecting line makes reference to Acts 7, which
outlines much of the theme herein presented. A few quotations will
emphasize what has already been given.
"When the
time of the promise drew nigh, which God had sworn to Abraham, the people
grew and multiplied in Egypt. Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the
Egyptians. When he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to
visit his brethren the children of Israel. He supposed his brethren would
have understood how that God by his hand would deliver them: but they
understood not. Then fled Moses at this saying, and was a stranger in the
land of Midian.
And when forty
years were expired, there appeared to him in the wilderness of Mount Sinai an
angel of the Lord in a flame of fire in a bush. This Moses whom they
refused, saying, Who made thee a ruler and a judge? the same did God send to be
a ruler and a deliverer by the hand of the angel which appeared to him in the
bush. This is that Moses, which said unto the children of Israel, A
prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto
me; him shall ye hear. This is he, that was in the church in the
wilderness with the angel which spoke to him in the mount Sinai, and with our
fathers: who received the lively oracles to give unto us; To whom our fathers
would not obey, but thrust from them, and in their hearts turned back again
into Egypt.
Ye stiff-necked
and uncircumcised in heart and ears, ye do always resist the Holy Spirit: as your
fathers did, so do ye. Which of the prophets have not your fathers
persecuted? and they have slain them which shewed before of the coming of
the Just One; of whom ye have been now the betrayers and murderers: Who have
received the law by the disposition of angels, and have not kept it."
Of Moses, In
Ex. 24, we read: "And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the
audience of the people: and they said, All that the Lord hath said will we do,
and be obedient. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people
and said, Behold the blood of the covenant which the Lord hath made with you
concerning all these words." The "blood of the
covenant," is an integral feature of the Way of God. Without it, no
plan of salvation is complete. A perversion of its true import will
negative any so-called gospel. Paul marveled that any who had known the
true gospel should be "removed from him that called you into the grace of
Christ unto another gossip: which is not another, but some would
pervert the gospel of Christ."--Gal. 1: 6, 7. And although
"the broad way" has much to say concerning the Cross of Christ, its
voice is not the testimony of Jesus, according to that which is written of Him,
in the Law, the Psalms, and the prophets. "For where a covenant
exists, the death of that which has ratified it is necessary to be produced;
Because a covenant is firm over dead victims, since it is never valid when that
which ratifies it is alive." --Heb. 9: 16, 17. Diaglott.
The necessity for bloodshedding was demonstrated "when
sin entered the world:" it was emphasized in the enactments of the Law.
"For when
Moses had spoken every precept to all the people according to the law,
he took the blood of calves and goats, with water, and scarlet wool, and hyssop,
and sprinkled both the book, and all the people. And almost all things
are by the law purged with blood; and without shedding of blood is no
remission."--verses 19, 22.
However, "the law made nothing perfect, but it was the
bringing in of a better hope."--Heb. 7: 19. Consequently, it is
"through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once" that the
typical sacrifices, from the beginning to the cross, were ratified.
"But
Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more
perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building;
Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in
once into the holy place, having obtained eternal redemption."--Heb.
9: 11, 12.
CHRIST DIED UNTO SIN, that He might destroy its power and
so "take it away." But the death of Christ, in and of itself,
would not have demonstrated victory over sin--rather, it would have been
victory of sin over Him! It is here, then, that we see the efficacy of
the blood of Jesus; "who through the eternal Spirit offered himself
without spot (or fault) to God."--verse 14. Had "the blood
of the covenant," in a perfect sacrifice, not been shed there
would have been no Risen Lord and Saviour. THE RESURRECTION is
therefore based upon The One Great Offering; as it is written, "The
God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great
shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the Everlasting covenant."--Heb.
13: 20.
<!--mstheme-->Shadow
and Substance<!--mstheme-->
THE superiority
of "the things in Christ" to those which were "under the
law" is very evident; and yet "the law" had a purpose to
fulfill. First "the promises," then the law added thereto "till
the seed should come." Would "the law" continue in force after
the specified time--when "the seed" came? Paul speaks of
the two phases and compares them: "But the scripture hath concluded all
under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to
them that believe. But before faith came, we were kept under the law,
shut up unto the faith which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the
law was our schoolmaster to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified
by faith. But after that faith is come, we are no longer under
a schoolmaster."--Gal. 3: 22, 25.
As stated on the Chart, "The law through Moses'
service came, But grace and truth by Jesus' Name." The law was
"a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the
things."--Heb. 10: 1. We see a line, on the Chart, from the
Tables of stone pointing towards the Cross. There we find the substance,
in contrast to the Shadow. On this line we read, "A body
prepared." The preparation culminated on Calvary. "Being
found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death,
even the death of the cross."--Phil. 2: 8. Jesus knew what the
purpose of God required of Him; "Wherefore when he cometh into the world,
he saith, Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou
prepared me." The law was about to pass from the divine scheme
of things, as Jesus knew; therefore He said, "Lo, I come to do thy will, O
God. He taketh away the first that he may establish the second."--Heb.
10: 5, 9.
<!--mstheme-->A
New Covenant to Supersede the Old<!--mstheme-->
MOSES was
"faithful in all his house, as a servant; But Christ as a son over his own
house." --Heb. 3: 5, 6. Under the law the priests were
"a shadow of heavenly things;" but of Christ we read, "Now hath
he obtained a more excellent ministry, by how much also he is the mediator of a
better covenant, which was established upon better promises.
Fir if that first covenant had been faultless, then should no place have been
sought for the second."--Heb. 8: 5, 7.
"Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will
make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah: Not
according to the covenant that I made with their fathers in the day that I took
them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt; which my covenant they
brake, although I was an husband unto them, saith the Lord: But this shall be
the covenant that I will make with the house of Israel; After those days, saith
the Lord, I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts;
and will be their God, and they shall be my people."
This has not yet come to pass, as
is evident from the next verse.
"And they
shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying,
"Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least of them unto
the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I
will remember their sin no more."--Jer. 31: 31, 34.
Without here developing this particular theme further, I
would say that the "new covenant," yet to be entered into with the
two houses of the people of Israel, is new inasmuch as the blessings
to be conferred thereby were not obtainable under the old covenant; of which
the apostle says, "For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold the days
come," and proceeds to quote the testimony of Jeremiah, as given
above. That the "old covenant" had reference to the Mosaic
constitution is obvious from verse 13 of Heb. 8. "In that he
saith, A new covenant, he hath made the first old. Now that which decayeth
and waxeth old is ready to vanish away."
<!--mstheme-->Two
Seeds -- Natural and Spiritual<!--mstheme-->
A clue to the
situation lies in the fact that, in the unfolding of the story of Abraham, we
have two seeds, and that the development of the natural seed must precede the
manifestation of the spiritual seed. The "spiritual"
arises from the things spoken in the promises to Abraham; and to him God
"made a covenant." In point of time this was "before the
law," or the Mosaic. Yet the blessings of the Abrahamic covenant
could not be bestowed to the full extent of the promises till the seed should
come. When Jesus first appeared in the midst of Israel the circumstances
did not permit of the promises being fulfilled, for they said, "We will
not have this man to reign over us."
The law, as we have
seen was added to the promises. It served its time and purpose;
waxed old and vanished away. The people rejected Jesus, and they cried,
"Crucify him." But He will come again! As the
"lion of the tribe of Judah" His voice will be heard from
Jerusalem. He will come with power and glory, as "the seed to whom
the promises were made." In the Father's Name Jesus will make a new
covenant with His people. It will be "new" to the house of
Israel and the house of Judah, inasmuch as they have never yet comprehended all
that was, and is, involved in the promises and covenant appertaining to
Abraham. Their heart of stone will be taken away and God will give
them a heart of flesh. They will then look upon Him whom they
"pierced," and, repentant in heart and mind, they will mourn for
Him. Thus the way will be opened for Israel to inherit the land promised
to Abraham and his seed. It will be "a new covenant," to the
House of Israel, because hitherto they have not possessed the Land of Promise
under the Abrahamic covenant.
Of their former
possession of the Land, it is recorded: "Thou art the Lord the God, who
didst chose Abram and broughest him forth out of Ur of the Chaldees, and gavest
him the name of Abraham; and foundest his heart faithful before thee, and
madest a covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites,
the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to
give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words."--Neh.
9: 7, 8. Whilst concerning the promise "to Abraham and his seed, the
Christ," for an everlasting possession, it is written:
"These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but
having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them. . . .And these all,
having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God
having provided some better thing for us, that they without us should not be
made perfect."--Heb. 11: 13.
<!--mstheme-->"I
Will Not Lie Unto David"<!--mstheme-->
THE name DAVID
stands out in bold relief on the Chart. There is no pictorial embellishment,
even though there are many interesting highlights in the life of David which
could be well expressed from the artist's brush. But for our purpose the
word DAVID is all-sufficient. And who, having read the Bible, cannot
recall in some measure the extension of the Eternal Plan at the mention of this
Name?
"Unto my
servant David, Thus saith the Lord of host, I took thee from the sheepcote,
from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: and have
made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the
earth."--2 Sam. 7: 8, 9.
David reigned for forty years--"In Hebron he reigned
over Judah seven years and six months: and in Jerusalem he reigned thirty and
three years over all Israel and Judah."--2 Sam. 5: 4, 5. David
was "of Abraham;" his name is therefore presented at the line
"seed of Abraham." The contour of the line changes at the point
marked David; beyond this the line is marked SON OF DAVID. This is to
demonstrate that "the seed of Abraham," to whom the promise was made,
was also to be a Son of David. The line ends in Bethlehem.
Of David we
again read; "So he fed them (Israel) according to the integrity of his
heart; and guided them by the skillfulness of his hands."--Psa. 78:
72.
<!--mstheme-->The Throne of David<!--mstheme-->
THE PROMISES
made of God UNTO DAVID were associated with, and an extension of, the promises
unto Abraham. To the "father of the faithful" God promised, to
him and to his seed, the land for an everlasting possession. DAVID
WAS A KING, and God's covenant with him was in regard to his kingdom.
But, as this kingdom was in the land promised, it is clear that the one promise
cannot be fulfilled without the other. The Abrahamic and Davidic
covenants are thus but two phases of the selfsame covenant, in the completion
of which the new covenant will be brought to its full fruition. "My
covenant," saith the Lord, "will I not break, nor alter the thing
that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness that
I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure for ever, and his throne
as the sun before me. It shall be established for ever as the moon, and
as a faithful witness in heaven."--Psa. 89: 34, 37.
THE THRONE OF DAVID WAS, and
will yet again be, in Jerusalem.
"Our feet shall stand within thy gates, O
Jerusalem. Whither the tribes go up, the tribes of the Lord, unto the
testimony of Israel, to give thanks unto the name of the Lord. For there
are set thrones of judgment, the thrones of the house of David. Pray for
the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee."--Psa. 122.
And what was the promise made to
David?
"The Lord
telleth thee that he will make thee an house. And when thy days be
fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after
thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his
kingdom. I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. And
thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy
throne shall be established for ever."
Realizing the
magnitude of this promise, David responded: "Thou has spoken also of thy
servant's house for a great while to come."--2 Sam. 7: 12, 19.
In "THE LAST WORDS OF DAVID," we have this theme
carried forward to the day of its manifestation, with an intimation concerning
the One through whom it will be accomplished. "He that ruleth over
men must be just, ruling in the fear of God." Or, as translated by
Dr. J. Thomas, "There shall be a just man ruling over mankind, ruling in
the righteous precepts of the gods. And as the brightness of morning He
shall arise, the sun of an unclouded dawn shining forth after rain upon tender
grass out of the earth."--2 Sam. 23: 3, 4.
The immediate
circumstances of David's household did not fit the case of a fulfillment at
that time; hence, "Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure: for this
is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to
grow."--verse 5. Nevertheless, when the time spoken of arrives; i.e.
"The great while to come," God will indeed cause it "to spring
forth." Anticipating this, the petition was made; "Give
the king thy judgments, O God, and thy righteousness unto the King's
son"--David's greater Son--Psa. 72: 1. That is why the line is
extended from DAVID TO BETHLEHEM, where we have Son of Man and Son
of God. "And there were Shepherds abiding in the field,
keeping watch over their flock by night. And the angel said unto them,
Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to
all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord." Following this we are told that a
multitude of the heavenly host sang praise to God, saying, "Glory to God
in the highest, and on earth peace good will toward men."--Luke 2: 8,
14.
JESUS WAS BORN a prince of the House of David, and of Him
it was said; "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the
Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father
David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his
kingdom there shall be no end."--Luke 1: 32, 33. Paul wrote, of
the gospel of God, "Concerning his Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made
of the seed of David according to the flesh: And declared to be the Son of
God, with power by the resurrection from the dead."--Rom. 1: 3, 4. The
patriarch David, "being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an
oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would
raise up Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the
resurrection of Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh
did see corruption."-- Acts 2: 29, 31.
We, therefore, have Jesus, the son of David, the Son of
God, the seed of Abraham; in whom all the promises are "Yea, and
Amen!" And inasmuch as the promises were not fulfilled when Jesus
was in the midst of His people, and have not since been fulfilled, there is but
one explanation -- we must wait for His coming again. This will be
"when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord;"
Who, to His Son did say, "Sit on my right hand, until I make thine enemies
thy footstool." This will be the time of "restoration," to
bring about which, God "shall send Jesus Christ;" and then what
"Moses truly said," concerning the prophet like unto Moses, will also
be fulfilled "Him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto
you."--Acts 3: 19, 23.
How different to His first coming, when they said He had a
devil! Then they refused to acknowledge Him, and did not believe in His
Word. But as "children of the prophets, and of the covenant which
God made with our fathers" the mercy of the Lord is manifest; "Unto
you first God, having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in
turning away every one of you from his iniquities."--verses 25, 26.
<!--mstheme-->"The
Hope of the Promise"-- Not Traditions<!--mstheme-->
ABRAHAM and
David; Judah and Jerusalem; Israel and Mount Zion are inseparably
connected. They are the theme of the seers, the burden of the
prophets, the hope of a nation; a light unto the Gentiles, and the
foundation for redemption and restoration: upon which a new world will be
established.
Seeing
"the Land" as it is today, and contemplating the throne of
David--still "cast down to the ground"--without a King, one might
feel justified in doubting the reality of the promises. In fact many, of
the "broad way," do not anticipate a literal fulfillment of those
"precious promises." Their theology does not call for
such. For them "the ways of Zion" are out-of-date. They
believe in a kingdom not promised for the righteous. With them tradition
has superseded Truth. A kingdom in the skies, "beyond the
bounds of time and space," has for many centuries been accepted as
"the saint's secure abode." This tradition is still the hope of
many professing Christians; nevertheless, this false doctrine "inherited
from our fathers" must be discarded, along with many other errors, by all
who would walk THE KING'S HIGHWAY.
"PEACE ON
EARTH," so desirable, is associated with "the throne of His father
David;" and this at a time when "the Son of the Highest" shall
"reign over the house of Jacob for ever." Paul affirms,
"God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew." And he
met the challenge of his day, and ours, "I say, then, Have they stumbled
that they should fall?" His dissertation, in the eleventh chapter of
Romans, is a clear demonstration in support of the fact that such is not the
case; but "rather through their fall salvation is come unto the
Gentiles." But this does not negative the hope of Israel.
Amos gives the
word of the Lord; "spoken against you, O children of Israel, against
the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt."
ONE OF THE
FALLACIES of the "broad way" is that at the present time, and during
past years, one section of the tribes of Israel (referred to as
British-Israel), even the "ten-tribe" kingdoms, is the recipient of
the favor of Heaven whilst the House of Judah is still undergoing punishment on
account of their sins. But Amos speaks against "the whole
family,"--3: 1, and continues: "You only have I known of all the
families of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your
iniquities." And yet we are told, "Behold the eyes of the Lord
God are upon the sinful kingdom, and I will destroy it from off the face of the
earth; saving that I will not utterly destroy the house of Jacob, saith
the Lord."-- Amos 9: 8.
To this we add the prophecy of Obadiah: "But upon
mount Zion shall be deliverance, and there shall be holiness; and the house of
Jacob shall possess their possessions. And the house of Jacob shall be a
fire, and the house of Joseph a flame, and the house of Esau; for the Lord hath
spoken. And saviours shall come up on mount Zion to judge the mount
of Esau; and the kingdom shall be the Lord's."
It is not in
the scope of this treatise to follow the rise and fall in the fortunes of the
kingdom of Israel. From the days of Saul, through the war-like
activities of David to the glory of Solomon's reign, when a queen of Sheba,
hearing of his fame, "came to prove him with hard
questions." She came, she saw, she heard. Having done
so, she said to the king: "It was a true report that I heard in mine own
land of thy acts and of thy wisdom. Howbeit I believed not the
words, until I cam, and mine eyes have seen: and, behold, the half was not told
me!"--1 Kings 10. Then Solomon's lapse to idolatry, followed by
the rending of his kingdom; and the long, dark history of the House of Israel
and Judah, until the Teacher of Galilee denounced a "generation of
vipers," who, said He, were "the children of them which killed the
prophets;" and upon which generation "all these things," of
which Jesus had spoken, were to come. To those Jews He said, "Fill
ye up then the measure of your fathers."--Matt. 23: 32.
Touching, indeed, was the lament of the Master as He looked
upon the City, knowing how desolate it was to become; and yet, like Abraham who
"saw the day of Christ, and was glad," Jesus looked down the river of
years and seeing a ray of hope testified: "For I say unto you, Ye shall
not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord."--verse 39.
<!--mstheme-->Babylon
Vs. Zion<!--mstheme-->
THE THRONE OF
THE KINGDOM was overturned long before the destruction of the city of
Jerusalem, even as God had said by His prophet. But even with that
word against the throne, when the "wicked prince of Israel" was about
to be removed, the "end of the matter" was not overlooked: it shall
be no more, until he come whose right it is; and I will give it
him."--Ezek. 21: 27. "He who ruleth in the kingdom of men,
and giveth it to whomsoever he will"--Dan. 4: 17, makes use of
the powers of darkness for the execution of His Will. The people were led
away captive, and the Psalmist depicts their plight when, "By the waters
of Babylon, they sat down, and wept; yea, they wept when they remembered
Zion. How could they sing the Lord's song in a strange land?"
No! they could not give "mirth" to their captors. And the
spirit of the Lord directed the "pen of a ready writer" to a future
day; "O daughter of Babylon, who art to be destroyed."--Psa. 137.
THE CONTROVERSY has continued between Zion and Babylon. The
latter represents the kingdoms of men, whilst Zion speaks of the kingdom of
God. God has permitted the kingdoms of men to afflict His chosen people,
whilst they have been scattered and peeled among the nations. The
ascendancy of the Gentile powers could not interfere with the declared end of
the matter. Jerusalem could be trodden down only until the end of
Gentile times; Babylon could hold sway only until He should come
whose right it is, and then He would take the power from the kingdoms of men,
and transform them into "the Kingdom of our Lord, and of His Christ."
This is, in
part, portrayed on the Chart by the Babylonian Head of God, Roman legs of iron
and clay, and The Stone. There can be no mistaking, or misunderstanding,
the significance and application of the elements which compose the metallic image
of Daniel 2. The empires of Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece and Rome are
generally spoken of as universal empires. Some have gone so far
as to say that the Bible states there will not be a fifth universal
empire of the Kingdoms of men. This is not correct. The prophecy
speaks of a "fourth kingdom" (Dan. 2:40) and then in verse 44 sets
forth that "in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed." But the question
arises; To which period of the world's history does the phrase "days of
these kings" refer? The kingdom of God was not set up in
the period of the head of gold. It did not manifest its existence in the
days of Medo-Persia. And the third kingdom, which "bear rule over
all the earth," certainly did not make way for the "kingdom which
shall not be left to other people." It was superseded by a kingdom
"strong as iron," under whose jurisdiction the Prince of Peace was
"taken by wicked hands, and slain." Nineteen hundred
years have rolled by since the crucifixion, and the kingdom of "the God of
heaven" has not yet been established.
The four
universal empires were not contemporaneous, but succeeded each other; and
the preceding were absorbed by the one following. It is important to
notice the declaration of verse 28, "God in heaven maketh known to the
king Nebuchadnezzar what shall be in the latter day."
In making known to the king "his dream, and the visions of his head upon
his bed," Daniel, enlightened by God who "revealeth secrets,"
specified the different elements, and then placed them all together-- a later
period--and definitely stated: "THEN was the iron, the clay, the brass,
the silver, and the gold, broken to pieces together, and became like
the chaff of the summer threshing floors; and the wind carried them away, that
no place was found for them: and THE STONE that smote the image became a great
mountain and filled the whole earth."
SUCH WAS
"THE DREAM;" and in giving the interpretation thereof Daniel
confirmed the same. "Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone was
cut out of the mountain without hands, and that it brake in pieces the iron,
the brass, the clay, the silver, and the gold; the great God hath made known to
the king what shall come to pass hereafter; and the dream is certain,
and the interpretation thereof sure."--verse 45. Before these
five elements of the image can be "broken together" they must first
be consolidated. And when they are so brought together, which hitherto
they have not been, it will be out of place to look upon them as a fifth universal
empire. Its continuance, however, will be short.
A specific
reason for the unfolding of these prophecies is expressed in Dan. 4: 17, in
these words:
"To the
intent that the living may know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of
men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will, and setteth up over it the basest of
men."
There are two
thoughts associated with the term "basest of men." In the full
sense of the word, at times, the very "basest" have ruled in the
kingdoms of men. But the alternative, as in the R.V., is the lowest. And
this does not necessarily suggest that which is "base." When
Mary magnified the Lord, and rejoiced in God her Saviour, she said, "He
hath put down the mighty from their seats, and exalted them of low
degree." Jesus said, "I am meek and lowly in heart."
And those who would follow "in His steps" must, at least in a
measure, be like Him. Paul wrote:
"Not many
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called:
But God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which
are mighty; And base things of the world, and things which are despised, hath
God chosen, and things which are not, to bring to naught things that
are."--1 Cor. 1: 26, 28.
IN "THE DAY OF HIS COMING" this will be manifest
in all the earth, for "the meek shall inherit the earth;" and
"shall delight themselves in the abundance of peace."--Matt. 5:
5; Psa. 37: 11. This will be "when the wicked are cut off."--verse
34; when the "basest of men" no longer occupy the thrones of the
kingdoms of men: their place being taken from them, and in their stead men and
women trained in the school of adversity will live and reign with the Captain
of their salvation. For, echoing down The King's Highway we hear
a voice, saying; "Ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the
Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, ruling the twelve tribes of Israel."--Matt. 19: 28. "Thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things:
enter thou into the joy of thy Lord."--Matt. 25: 21. "If we
suffer, we shall also reign with him."--2 Tim. 2: 12.
"Humble yourselves therefore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt
you in due time."--1 Pet. 5: 6.
<!--mstheme-->Interpretation
of a Dream<!--mstheme-->
THE REVEALER OF
SECRETS extended the information given in Daniel 2; for Daniel himself
"had a dream and visions of his head upon his bed." These are
made known in the seventh chapter of his prophecy. Daniel's vision
differed from the king's dream, even though the theme was the same. The
empires were represented by four beasts. There was "one like the Son
of man," and also "the Ancient of days." We read;
"There was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people,
nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting
dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be
destroyed."
The "interpretation
of the things," made known in the vision, is clear. "These
great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise out of the
earth. But the saints of the most High shall take the kingdom, and
possess the kingdom for ever, even for ever and ever." The locality
of this kingdom, which is to be "for ever and ever," is equally
clear. The four kings, or kingdoms, were upon the earth--the same as the
four sections of the image. When the power is taken from the kingdoms of
men, the locality does not change. Therefore we read again: "And the
kingdom and dominion, and the greatness of the kingdom under the whole
heaven, shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High, whose
kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey
him."
SUCH IS THE
TESTIMONY OF DANIEL, whose prophecy was endorsed by Jesus (Matt. 24: 15).
Daniel realized that the things revealed would not be brought to fruition in
his days; for like unto "the fathers," to whom the promises were
made, the prophet was so informed. "How long to the end of
these wonders?" and "what shall be the end of these things?"
exercised his mind. "Go thou thy way till the end be," was his
portion. The words were "closed up and sealed till the time of the
end." As for Daniel, "thou shalt rest and stand in thy lot at
the end of the days."--Dan. 12: 8, 13. Before "the
end of the days," however, the world's greatest tragedy must be
enacted. Messiah the Prince would be revealed to Israel, but the people
would pronounce "We will not have this man to reign over us."
At an appointed time, "Messiah shall be cut off, but not for
himself." He would be "cut off," for "thus it must
be." But though slain by wicked hands it was not for any wrong doing
on His part. "Not for himself" says the A.V. "I find
no fault in him," said Pilate. The confirmation of the covenant must
take place; an "end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and
to bring in everlasting righteousness," was part of the Divine Plan, and
required time and circumstance for its fulfillment.
Taking one more
look at the Image we note that the kingdoms of men are to be destroyed, even by
a power "not of this world." A Stone cut out without
hands, or "which was not in hands." The individual application
is to Christ--"a stone of stumbling and a rock of offence."
"The stone which the builders rejected," yet destined to be "the
chief corner stone;" "the head of the corner."--Matt. 21:
42. Psa. 118: 22. But Christ is also multitudinous; there are many
"in Him." His voice is said to be "as the sound of
many waters."--Rev. 1: 15. Christ was born to be
King, and He will be "King of Kings, and Lord of Lords."
Therefore the destructive Power, in the interpretation of the Image, is spoken
of as a kingdom; "the God of heaven shall set up a kingdom, which shall
never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other people,
but it shall break in pieces and consume all kingdoms, and it shall
stand for ever. Forasmuch as thou sawest that the stone. . . .and
that it break in pieces the iron, the brass, the clay, the silver, and
the gold."
<!--mstheme-->A
Serpent and a Cross<!--mstheme-->
THE end of
Section 2 of the Chart must now engage our attention. We follow a line
from the serpent in Eden to another scene; we see an uplifted serpent which
takes us back to the days of the children of Israel, when, "Moses made a
serpent of brass, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pass, that if a
serpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the serpent of brass, he
lived."--Num. 21: 9. From this brazen serpent we also follow a
line, which unites with the line from Eden, and takes us to the Cross of
Calvary. "Even so must the Son of man be lifted up."--John
3: 14. BUT WHY?
A voice from
"the broad way" says, Jesus died instead of us--he was our
substitute! If "instead of us"--why, then, do we die? And
if His death was "for us," as our substitute, then surely we
ought to have, or should obtain, life in its fullness irrespective of
what we are, or what we may do.
That, however,
is not the language of the Bible. Many traditions have been handed down
through the ages--false conceptions formulated into doctrines and dogmas which
(in the development of a church departed from "The Truth as in
Jesus," even in the days of the Apostles) have been accepted as The
Gospel. "Beloved, believe not every spirit," says the apostle,
"but try the spirits whether they are of God."--1 John 4: 1.
If, in the first century of the Christian dispensation, it was necessary to
"put all to the test" regarding the proclamation of the gospel,
should we contend that there is no need to do the same in the twentieth
century? The reason given by John is clear and definite: "because
many false prophets are gone out into the world." Would they
not develop their theories, and would not their disciples multiply, and carry
the false teaching into many lands? Anticipating this departure from
"the grace of Christ" and "the truth of the Gospel" Paul
referred to some who "would pervert the Gospel of Christ"; and
declared, "Though we, or an angel from heaven preach any other gospel unto
you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed."--Gal.
1: 8.
SALVATION FROM DEATH,
and the gift of God, "Eternal life" (which are not the outcome of a
"vicarious sacrifice"--leaving nothing for the sinner to do) are set
forth in the Scriptures to be conditional, and dependent upon conformity to
divine law. Why, then, was the Son of man lifted up? The answer
is given: "That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have
eternal life." So important is this rule, given as the Way of
Salvation, that it is repeated in the following verse: "For God so loved
the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in
him should not perish, but have everlasting life."--John 3: 16.
What, then, of those who do
not "believe in him"? Will they, because of a vicarious
sacrifice also not perish? "He that believeth not is
condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only
begotten Son of God."--John 3: 18.
<!--mstheme-->At
Calvary<!--mstheme-->
"THE CROSS" is the
symbol of the death of Christ--and on the Chart we see three crosses. Of
Jesus we read. "and there were also two other, malefactors, led with him
to be put to death. And when they were come to the place which is called
Calvary, there they crucified him, and the malefactors, one on the right hand,
and the other on the left."--Luke 23:32. Was this in the
mind of the prophet who wrote, "He was taken from prison and from
judgment; he was cut off out of the land of the living; And he made his grave
with the wicked, and with the rich in his death."?--Isa. 53:
8,9. The immediate effect of the death of Jesus upon the minds of
those nearby varied--rulers and people derided Him;they said, "He saved
others; let him save himself." From one of the crosses came the
taunt, "If thou be Christ, save thyself and us." A centurion
said, "certainly this was a righteous man." But what of the
second thief? He rebuked the other, saying, "Dost not thou
fear God, seeing thou art in the same condemnation? And we indeed justly;
for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but his man hath done
nothing amiss." A worthy tribute to the Man of Galilee, who had
gone about "doing good."
This malefactor had
most probably listened to "gracious words: which fell from the lips of
Him, "who spake as never man spake." It is written, "and
it cam to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city and village,
preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the Kingdom of God: and the twelve
were with him."-- Luke 8:1. It is therefore not
unreasonable to conclude that the thief had heard the Teacher, and being
acquainted with "what the prophets had spoken," he had been interested
in "the hope of the promise," and could--even though guilty of
theft--with a pang of remorse see the power restored to the people of
Israel, in the re-establishment of their kingdom; and wonder?
This great Teacher had spoken to his people of repentance and
forgiveness. Could it be possible that He would hear a sinner's dying
request, and turn from it? He would, at least, make known his
contribution--perhaps his repentance would not be despised. He therefore
addressed Jesus, whom he acknowledged to be "a man, good and true";
and gave Him a title, thereby showing his discernment and acceptance of the
Gospel which Jesus had preached. "He said, Lord, remember me when
thou comest into thy kingdom." This "kingdom" was that of
which Jesus had taught the people; and which, having "called his twelve
disciples together, sent them to preach the kingdom of God," or "the
kingdom of heaven," it is the kingdom of the gospel, for which Jesus
taught His followers to pray, "thy kingdom come." It is that
kingdom of which Jesus said to His disciples, "I appoint unto you a
kingdom, as my Father hath appointed unto me"; and is directly connected
with "ruling the twelve tribes of Israel."--Luke 22:29.
Had the thief
heard the claim of Jesus, "Truly the Son of man goeth, as it was
determined"; "Daughters of Jerusalem, weep not for me, but weep for
yourselves, and for your children"? Perhaps also the good
confession witnessed before Pontius Pilate. For when Pilate asked Jesus,
Art thou a king then? he received an answer, "to this end was I
born." And, when Pilate sought to show his authority, claiming power
to crucify, or to release the Man who "gave him no answer," Jesus
further affirmed, "Thou couldest have no power against me, except it were
given thee from above."--John 19:11.
Whatever the cause, or the
incentive, the request was made known, and brought forth a declaration from The
Man of Sorrows, who was born to be a King. "Jesus said unto him, Verily I
say unto thee, today shalt thou be with me in paradise." "A way
which seemeth right" to many professing Christians, has caused a grave
misunderstanding concerning these words of the Master. That
"way" (of "the broad way") teaches that at death "the
souls" of the righteous do immediately pass into glory! And
therefore the thief would on that day enter Paradise with Jesus.
Will such conclusion survive the
test of "prove all things"? What are the facts?
Is "paradise" heaven? Did Jesus go to heaven that
day? If He did, could the thief also go there? Paradise
is not heaven. As a term it signifies a garden, a place of
delight. It is not employed in the Scriptures as the equivalent of
heaven, which is God's throne. Paradise was lost to the sons of men; it
is however to be restored. But until it is so regained the thief, or
others, can not enter therein. Did Jesus enter Paradise that day?
We are told that Jesus died. That was when He
"gave up the ghost," spirit, or breath. Then, "when
the even was come, there came a rich man of Arimathaea, named Joseph,
who also himself was Jesus' disciple. He went to Pilate, and begged
the body of Jesus. When Joseph had taken the body, he wrapped it in
a clean linen cloth, and laid it in his own new tomb, which he had hewn out in
the rock: and he rolled a great stone to the door of the sepulchre, and
departed."--Matt. 27: 57,60.
And so the body was
buried. Was the body Jesus? Or did Jesus leave the body, and
continue in life, when the body died? Some do so affirm. But
what saith the Scriptures?
"Jesus, which was crucified."--Matt. 28:5. "Jesus
was dead already."--John 19:33. "For as yet they knew
not the scripture, that He must rise again from the dean."--John
20:9. "He Prophesied that Jesus should die for that
nation."--John 11"51. For if we believe that Jesus
died and rose again."--I Thess. 4:14. "Christ died for
our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was buried."--I Cor.
15:3. "Now is Chris risen from the dead."--Verse
20. "Reconciled to God by the death of his Son."--Rom.
5:10. "Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more: For
in that he died, he died unto sin once."--Rom. 6:9. We
cannot escape the fact that Jesus died; Christ died; the Son of God died.
DEATH BEING THE CESSATION OF LIFE,
when Jesus died He was not alive. Hence His lifeless body was taken from
the Cross, and placed in the rich man's tomb. There He remained until God
raised Him from the dead. Consequently, if the thief was with
Jesus that day in paradise they must together have been in the
tomb--for both were dead--and that would make the place of the dead synonymous
with paradise; which it is not.
Peter, on the day of Pentecost,
told certain "men of Israel," that they had taken "a man
approved of God," and "by wicked hands have crucified and
slain." That "man" was therefore dead, and under the power
of death, in which state He would remain unless a Higher Power intervened, and
raised Him from the dead. Hence, the apostle continues, "whom god
hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death." Before
being "loosed" the "man" was bound by death--but
"it was not possible that he should be holden of it."
Therefore, He was "raised up"--not from life to life; but from death
to life.
To the "men of Israel"
Peter demonstrated how that David, in the Psalms, had spoken concerning these
things. "I foresaw the Lord always before my face: Therefore did my
heart rejoice, and my tongue was glad: moreover also my flesh shall rest in
hope: Because thou wilt not leave my soul in hell, neither wilt thou
suffer thine Holy One to see corruption." Then, "my soul"
was "in hell!" Where, if left, would "thine Holy One"
see corruption? Where but in the charnel-house--the place of the
dead? But this was not to be the lot of God's Holy One. The Psalm
therefore did not refer to David--as some have said--"For David, fell
on sleep, and saw corruption. But he, whom God raised
again, saw no corruption."--Acts 13:36,37. "Therefore,
David, being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him,
that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up
Christ to sit on his throne; He seeing this before spake of the resurrection of
Christ, that his soul was not left in hell, neither his flesh did see
corruption."--Acts 2"Psa. 16.
<!--mstheme-->"In
Paradise"<!--mstheme-->
HOW then shall
we read, or understand, the words of Jesus to the thief? As the
punctuation marks in our Bible have been placed there by the compilers some
have suggested a slight alteration, which entirely changes the import of the
language. "Today I say unto you--thou shalt be with me in
paradise." Another, and perhaps better suggestion is that the term
rendered "today" is also applied to whatever day is under
consideration--at this day, or at that day. This is reasonable, and
understandable by all. Inasmuch as it was not possible for the
thief to be in paradise on the day of his death, it is obvious that the words
of Jesus could not imply such a thought to the dying thief. The words of
the Saviour were in reply to a request; we should expect them to be in harmony
with that desire. It was not--remember me this day, or take me today with
you to heave, or elsewhere; but, "when thou comest into thy
kingdom." That was in the distant future, and the answer given
was in accordance with the request. "In that day, the day
of my kingdom, I will remember thee." "In paradise" is
therefore equivalent to "thy kingdom." When the kingdom, which
is the Lord's, brings about the will of God "in the earth as in
heaven;" then, indeed, all who are privileged to share of its glories will
truly be "in paradise."
<!--mstheme-->"A
Body Prepared"<!--mstheme-->
WE HAVE
TRAVELED FAR SINCE REACHING THE CROSS, to which we must now return.
"Now in the place where he was crucified there was a garden; and in the
garden a new sepulchre, wherein was never man yet laid. There laid they
Jesus therefore because of the Jews' preparation day; for the sepulchre was
nigh at hand."--John 19: 41, 42. The three crosses no
longer held their victims; soldiers came and they "brake the legs of the
first, and of the other which was crucified with him." But finding
Jesus "dead already, they brake not his legs." Perhaps one of
the soldiers was disappointed that he could not treat Jesus even as the others,
so he "with a spear pierced His side, and forthwith came there out blood
and water." The spirit of Christ in the Psalms had long foretold of
these things. "Reproach hath broken my heart."--Psa. 69:
20, and the "blood and water" was evidence thereof. Yet
little did the Romans know that the all-pervading, but unseen, power of the
Great Eternal God was controlling and directing their actions. There was
one nearby who "saw, and bare record, and his record is true."
HOW MARVELOUS
are the works of the Almighty, both in creation and re-creation. The Way
of the Lord had been foreshadowed. The cup could not pass, except He drank
it! This Jesus knew; He also knew "what was written concerning
him." He realized that for the Father's Purpose, as "the Son of
His Love," He--Jesus--was passing through the process of being "a
body prepared."
This is
indicated on the Chart by a line from the Shadow of The Old Covenant, pointing
to the Cross and the garden tomb. When "full of heaviness,"
because of His reproach, and knowing, "They that hate me without a cause
are more than the hairs of mine head;" Jesus would be strengthened by the
confidence he had in God, to endure to the end; when the Plan of God would be
fulfilled. "Then I restored that which I took not
away."--Psa. 69: 4. We are informed, "These things were done,
that the scriptures should be fulfilled, A bone of him shall not be broken.
And again another scripture saith, They shall look on him whom they
pierced."--John 19: 36, 37.
SO FROM THE
CROSS WE TURN TO THE GARDEN, and think of Him there in the silence of the
rock-hewn sepulchre, and the cold embrace of death; "the body of Jesus,
wound in linen clothes with the spices, as the manner of the Jews is to
bury." Joseph, desiring no molestation of the body of Jesus, sought
security ere he departed by "rolling a great stone to the door of the
sepulchre." This led some of the disciples, later, to ask "Who
shall roll us away the stone?" The chief priests and Pharisees
were troubled with another thought. They had killed "the Prince of
Life," the disturber of their peace whilst he lived, but still were not
satisfied. Something He had said could not be forgotten even though they
did not believe it. Until the time was past they could not rest secure.
They must tell Pilate how "that deceiver said, After three days I will
rise again." Nothing must happen which might suggest to the people
that this had really come about. Murderers themselves, their minds
working along that line, they feared the disciples might become grave-robbers.
So they asked, "Command therefore that the sepulchre be made sure until
the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say
unto the people, He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse
than the first."
Pilate must
have looked with scorn upon those priests, as he would remember how, but a
little while previously, the disciples "all forsook him, and fled;"
or, perhaps he smiled contemptuously at the credulity. He rid
himself of them by saying, "Ye have a watch, go your way, make it as sure
as ye can." So the stone was "sealed"--who dare break
it?--a "watch" was set--how could the frightened disciples break
through?--and the sepulchre left "made sure." But "a
watch," sixty soldiers strong, could not stay the hand of God. It
was not possible for the grave to hold Him! Jesus finished the work--to
that time--the Father gave him to do. Die He must, for that was
part of the "work," but He died that He might live. His
death was not a vicarious sacrifice, but a sacrifice to take away sin and
render it powerless. He "poured out his soul unto death," and
His blood became "the blood of the everlasting covenant," by which He
confirmed the covenants of promise. Jesus had truly taught His
resurrection from the dead; "he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many
things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be
raised again the third day."--Matt. 16: 21. Lack of comprehension
on the part of His disciples (John 20: 9) did not negative this truth.
Jesus knew that He would rise again; therefore He taught, "I lay down my
life, that I might take it again."-- John 10: 17.
<!--mstheme-->"Stone
Rolled Away"<!--mstheme-->
"NOW THERE
HAD BEEN A GREAT EARTHQUAKE." The power which had mantled the
heavens, and spread "darkness over all the earth," from the sixth
hour until the ninth; when the veil of the temple was rent in twain, and rocks
were torn asunder, could not be stayed. When, very early in the morning,
"certain women" visited the sepulchre they unexpectedly found
"the stone rolled away." This was done by an angel who
descended from heaven, and having rolled back the stone, sat upon it. The
keepers, instead of guarding the tomb, "did shake, and became as dead."
Some of "the watch" went into the city and made known to the
chief priests, what had taken place. 'Twas not the frightened disciples
who rolled away the stone, but one whose "countenance was like lightning,
and his raiment white as snow," whom no soldiers could
withstand. What they would not believe, yet feared, had somehow got
the better of their precaution. They must not let the people believe that
God had visited and raised His Son from the dead! So, assembled with the
elders, they took counsel, and sought to buy the silence of the guard;
"They gave large money unto the soldiers saying, Say ye, His disciples
came by night and stole him while we slept."
To the women
the angel said, "Fear not ye: for I know that ye seek Jesus, which was
crucified. He is not here: for he is risen, as he said."
Could they believe it? The angel submitted the proof; "Come, see
the place where the Lord lay." What a revelation! Filled with
"fear and great joy" they ran to make known the tidings to the
disciples. So utterly hopeless were the apostles that when the women told
them these things "their words seemed to them as idle tales, and they
believed them not." --Luke 24: 11. John records how that Simon
Peter, and the other disciple, whom Jesus love, ran to the sepulchre
to see for themselves. They found it open, and unguarded. They saw the
linen clothes lying, and the head-napkin wrapped together in a place by
itself. There was still some doubt and misunderstanding in the
minds of the grief-stricken followers. Touching, indeed, is the encounter
of May, with one whom "she supposed to be the gardener." He had
asked, "Why weepest thou?" She revealed her
feelings when she answered, "Sir, if thou have born him hence, tell me
where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away." One word sufficed
to make known the reality of the resurrection. Jesus saith unto her,
"Mary!" and she knew He was her Master.
LATER JESUS
STOOD in the midst of His assembled disciples and said, Peace unto you.
He shewed them His hands, and His side. Then were the disciples glad,
when they saw the Lord. To them the resurrection was an established
fact. They saw the Risen Christ.
Having been fully persuaded that
"Now is Christ risen from the dead," Peter expressed the sentiment of
the apostles when he later wrote: "Blessed be the God and Father of our
Lord Jesus Christ, which according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again
unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead."--1
Pet. 1: 3.
Jesus did not immediately ascend to the Father, at whole
right hand He was supposed to sit for an appointed time; but continued for a
while with His disciples, giving them comfort, and instructions regarding the
work He committed to them; "To whom also he shewed himself alive after his
passion by many infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking
of the things pertaining to the Kingdom of God."--Acts 1: 3. When
the time came for His departure, "He led them out as far as Bethany,"
which is but a little distance east of Jerusalem. Little is
recorded of his parting words to His apostles. But He "blessed
them." Not many days hence, said the Lord, "Ye shall be
baptized with the Holy Spirit." Of the time for the
restoration of the kingdom of Israel they were not informed. "But
ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you:" they
were to "be witnesses unto me," said their Master, "both near
and far." "And when he had spoken these things, while they
beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight."--Acts
1: 9.
WITH WHAT
WONDER and anxiety would they gaze after Him, and seek to penetrate that
cloud! And whilst they thus "looked steadfastly toward heaven,"
as He mounted the skies, "two men stood by them in white apparel; Which
also said, Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this
same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." verse 11.
The ascension having taken place "Then returned they
unto Jerusalem from the mount called Olivet, which is from Jerusalem a sabbath
day's journey."
<!--mstheme-->"Go
Ye Into All the World"<!--mstheme-->
HITHERTO THE
PLAN OF GOD had been with Israel; "you only have I known of all the
families of the earth."--Amos 3: 2. Paul expressed this thought
as "to the Jew first and also to the Greek."--Rom. 1: 16. But
with the development and unfolding of the scheme of Salvation the time came for
the extension of the gospel to the Gentiles. The Jews did not take
kindly to this change and when they saw what was done they were filled with
envy; but Paul and Barnabus, who had been appointed to the work, waxed bold and
said:
"It was
necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken to you: but seeing
ye put it from you and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, lo, we
turn to the Gentiles." Acts 13: 46. "Be it known therefore
unto you, that the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles and they will
hear it."--Acts 28: 28.
The theme of Section 3 (of the Chart) is introduced by the
citation of three scriptures. Before He ascended "into heaven"
Jesus instructed His Apostles concerning the work in which they were to be
engaged after He left them. This work is briefly stated as "Go ye
into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature. He that
believeth and is baptized shall be saved; but he that believeth not shall be
damned."--Mark 16: 15, 16. They were to be prepared, and
strengthened for this great work--which mission was not theirs, but God's--therefore
said Jesus, "Behold, I send the promise of my Father upon you: but tarry
ye in the city of Jerusalem, until you be endued with power from on
high."--Luke 24: 49. To this they gave heed and then, "They
went forth and preached everywhere the Lord working with them, and confirming
the word with signs following. Amen."--Mark 16: 20. In the
closing words of Matthew's record, "Jesus said, Go ye therefore and teach
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of
the Holy Spirit: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have
commanded you: and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world.
Amen."
These
scriptures introduce us to THE CHRISTIAN DISPENSATION--a long period between
the ascension and the second appearing of the Lord; for, as we have seen, the
angels testified that He "shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him
go." Whilst Jesus was with them they heard much from His lips
concerning "the gospel of the kingdom." When the twelve were
sent forth they were commanded, "Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and
into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: But go rather to the lost sheep
of the house of Israel. And as ye go, preach saying, The kingdom of
heaven is at hand."--Matt. 10: 5, 7. On another occasion Jesus
said, "I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of
Israel."--Matt. 15: 24. The parables spoken by the Lord
emphasized the kingdom; and when He died, over His head was written;
"THIS IS JESUS THE KING OF THE JEWS." During the forty days
"after his passion" Jesus still spake "of the things pertaining
to the kingdom of God." In the light of all they had heard and seen,
the disciples--like Simeon at the birth of Jesus--were waiting for and expecting,
"the consolation of Israel." They were anxious for Him, as
King, to take unto Himself His great power and to reign. They therefore
asked, "Lord wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to
Israel?"--Acts 1: 6.
Was this a part of the gospel which the Apostles were to
preach to the Gentiles? Could the gospel be proclaimed without reference
to the kingdom of God and the restoration of the kingdom to Israel? Is it
true, as a voice from the broad way has said, that the gospel was
first heralded over the fields of Bethlehem and that all that is required of a
sinner to be saved is to believe that Jesus died for him--only believe!
Nothing more is needed?
THE CHART GIVES
PROMINENCE TO THE JEWISH QUESTION. This is as it should be, for the
Master distinctly said, "Salvation is of the Jews."--John 4: 22. And
it is salvation we are interested in. "What must I do
to be saved?" is a question for all ages. It was asked and answered
long ago. In the Christian Dispensation the answer is still the
same; "Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved and they
house."--Acts 16: 31. But, if salvation comes by reason of
believing in Jesus, how then can we say that salvation is of the Jews?
Can we not find salvation apart from the Jews? An understanding of The
Plan of the Ages, which is the Gospel, clearly answers, No!
This is demonstrable in various ways. Jesus also said, "Seek ye
first the kingdom of God."--Matt. 6: 33. Can we find "the
kingdom" without traveling down the Jewish trail? If Christ was born
"king of the Jews," then the kingdom must be a Jewish kingdom.
"The hope of the promises"--to Abraham and David--"made of God
unto the fathers," with Christ as "the chief corner stone," is
the foundation upon which the restored kingdom of Israel will be manifest as
the kingdom of God in the earth, at the return of our Lord and Saviour.
"WHAT
ADVANTAGE THEN HATH THE JEW?" Paul answers, "much every
way: chiefly, because unto them were committed the oracles of God."--Acts
7: 38. Many in the broad way have concluded that because the Jews,
as a nation, did not keep the commandments of the Lord, but walked rather in
their own way, God has no further use for them--that they do not figure in the
scheme of salvation. Paul meets the challenge saying, "What if some did
not believe? shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect?
God forbid." He further emphasizes that "God hath not cast away
his people which he foreknew." How strange that so many Gentiles
would have it so! "Have they stumbled that they should
fall? Rather through their fall salvation is come to the
Gentiles." Yet the Gentiles belong to that "which is wild by
nature," and hence must be grafted into the good olive tree; that
blindness in part is happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles be
come in." And what then? "So all Israel shall be
saved: as it is written. There shall come out of Zion the Deliverer, and
shall turn away ungodliness from Jacob."--Rom. 11.
We therefore
display in bold relief two outstanding features of this great Plan.
"A NATION SCATTERED AND PEELED" and I WILL COME AGAIN."
Well might Paul ask, "What shall the receiving of them be, but life from
the dead?"
<!--mstheme-->A
Long, Dark Trail<!--mstheme-->
LET us now
briefly follow the trail of The Wandering Jew. We have already seen
him "By the waters of Babylon." The plight of the Jew, ever
since, is graphically given in the words of Byron,
Tribes of the wandering foot and
weary breast,
How shall ye flee away and be at
rest?
The wild dove have her nest, the
fox his cave.
Mankind their country--Israel but
the grave.
Jesus declared and it came to
pass; "For there shall be great distress in the land and wrath upon this
people. And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
away captive into all nations: and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the
Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled."--Luke 21: 24.
The picture of the wall of the Temple shows the grief of
the Jews, as they mourn and lament the desolation of their land and
shrine. As "outcasts from Zion," the Jew has wandered far and
wide in the highways and byways of a cold and cruel world. And yet, as a
people, they have maintained a standard equal to, if not above, that of the
Gentiles. In the midst of all their travail they have never lost
hope. They have survived, whilst others have succumbed. Where
others have failed, the Jew has endured. Though they know well, by bitter
experience, that "blindness in part has happened to Israel;" yet, in
their Psalms it was written, "The Lord loveth the gates of Zion more than
all the dwellings of Jacob."--Psa. 87:2; and they knew that
"glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God." Viewed in
the density of the long, dark night which has been their portion, men have
wondered how, if ever, the good things promised to Israel and Zion could come
to pass. We depict their long past a valley of dry
bones, over which is the question, "can these bones live?" The
query is not ours. It was directed by the Spirit of the Lord, and was
presented to, and by, a prophet long before Jesus was born. It took a
broad view of the Jewish Question; it saw the two houses of Israel, in their
antagonistic states. It beheld their punishment in their scattering,
because of their sin, among the heathen. And yet, ever with all their
backslidings, it comprehended the mercy of the Lord toward His people, who were
"beloved for the fathers' sake."
To the prophet,
the Lord had said: "I have set thee a watchman unto the house of Israel;
therefore thou shalt hear the word at my mouth, and warn them from
me." One statement from the Lord was "I have no pleasure in the
death of the wicked; but hat the wicked turn from his way and live; turn ye,
turn ye from your evil ways; for why will ye die, O house of Israel?"--Ezek.
33:11. Then came a message of reproof;
"Son of man, prophesy against the shepherds of Israel, prophesy, and say
unto them, thus saith the Lord God unto the shepherds; woe to the shepherds of
Israel that do feed themselves! Should not the shepherds feed the
flocks? With force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. And they
were scattered, because there is no shepherd: and they became meat to all the
beasts of the field, when they were scattered. My sheep wandered
throughout all the mountains, and upon every high hill: yea, my flock was
scattered upon all the face of the earth, and none did search or seek after
them."
The "flock" went
astray, but the shepherds were at fault.
"The shepherds fed themselves, and
fed not my flock: Therefore, behold I am against the shepherds; and I will
require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock
. . . I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for
them. So will I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all
places where they have been scattered in the cloudy and dark day. I will
feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, saith the Lord God. And
I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant
David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd."
THIS "SERVANT DAVID"-- the beloved --is a "prince among
them," "a plant of renown," through whom "a covenant
of peace" is to be made, and from whom "showers of blessing"
will descend upon the people, under this new covenant.--Ezek. 34.
Through this pleasant picture is presented for the future, it
is not intended that Israel--or Gentiles either--shall overlook the evil of the
past. "They defiled their own land, by their o9wn way and by their
doings. Wherefore I poured my fury upon them. And I scattered
them among the heathen, and they were dispersed through the
countries. But I had pity for mine holy name. Therefore say unto
the house of Israel, Thus saith the Lord God; I do not this for your sake, O
house of Israel, but for mine holy name's sake, which ye have profaned among
the heathen, whither ye went. Be ashamed and confounded for your ways, O
house of Israel."--Ezek. 36.
<!--mstheme-->"My
Spirit in You"<!--mstheme-->
AFTER these
preliminary admonitions the prophet informs us "The hand of the Lord was
upon me, and carried me out in the spirit of the Lord, and set me down in the
midst of the valley which was full of bones." The prophet passed by
and beheld the bones, of which he says; "there were many in the open
valley; and lo, they were very dry." Then came the pertinent
question, "Son of man, can these bones live?" To this the
prophet could not aver, but answered well; "O Lord God, thou
knowest." Hear then what the Lord saith concerning those bones.
"Behold, I
will cause breath to enter into you, and ye shall live: and I will lay
sinews upon you, and will bring up flesh upon you, and cover you with skin, and
put breath in you and ye shall live; and ye shall know that I am the
Lord."
This testimony
was given, as directed, by the prophet. After which "there was a
noise and behold a shaking and the bones came together, bone to his
bone." Then came "the sinews and the flesh," followed by
"the skin," but "no breath in them." Like the first
man, Adam (when created from the dust of the ground and fashioned like unto the
angels), who was not a living creature until energized by the breath
of life; so these bones, brought together by the creative hand of God, were
still dependent upon the Spirit of the Lord--for that alone gives life.
Therefore,
"Prophesy
unto the wind (breath), prophesy, son of man, and say to the wind, Thus saith
the Lord God; Come from the four winds, O breath and breathe upon these slain,
that they may live."
This being
done, "as he commanded me," a transformation was witnessed.
"The breath came into them, and they lived and stood upon their feet, an
exceeding great army."
How different
to the dry bones of the dispersion! Long in exile their experience has
been, "Our bones are dried and our hope is lost."
Nevertheless, "THESE BONES ARE THE WHOLE HOUSE OF ISRAEL." And
the Lord continued His revelation unto them; "Behold, O my people, I will
open your graves and bring you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know
that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought
you up out of your graves. And shall put my spirit in you and ye
shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that
I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord."
<!--mstheme-->Light
Shineth in Darkness<!--mstheme-->
NOW let there
be no mistake to whom the foregoing testimonies relate. A voice from
the broad way says the Israelites are not Jews, and would apply the term
"house of Israel" to so-called "lost" ten tribes; which,
however, happen to have been found in the British Isles. But the
British are not Israel, and whatever prosperity has been enjoyed by the
peoples of the British Empire is not because--as is affirmed by adherents to
the B.I. theory--they are the house of Israel. Their
"prosperity" today is not as it was when this B.I. theory was first
promulgated throughout England, and gradually extended beyond "the
Isles." And after two world wars the claim to be "head" of
the nations is challenged by another power. To whom then does the term
"the whole house of Israel" refer? We are not left to
speculate. For again the prophet heard the word of the Lord:
"Moreover,
thou son of man, take thee one stick, and write upon it, For Judah, and for the
children of Israel his companions: then take another stick, and write upon it,
For Joseph, the stick of Ephraim, and for all the house of Israel his
companions: And join them to one another into one stick; and they shall become
one in thine hand."
Even this is
not all the Lord revealed; foreseeing the desire of "the children of thy
people" to know the meaning thereof, the Lord further declared
"Behold, I
will take the stick of Joseph, which is in the hand of Ephraim, and the tribes
of Israel his fellows and will put them with him, even with the stick of Judah,
and make them one stick and they shall be one in mine hand."
With the
sticks, written upon, in the hand of the prophet before the eyes of the people,
a further message from God was submitted unto the people;
"Thus
saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the
heathen, whither they be gone and will gather them on every side, and bring
them into their own land: And I will make them one nation in the land upon the
mountains of Israel: and one king shall be king to them all: and they shall be
no more two nations neither shall they be divided into two kingdoms any more at
all."
CAN YOU FIND
"the peoples of the British Empire" in those words? If any
think they can do so, let them remember that the said "peoples" are
not today united inseparably with the house of Judah; and in the light of that
fact let them see themselves in the unacceptable position defined in the next
statement: "Neither shall they defile themselves any more with their
idols, nor with their detestable things nor with any of their
transgressions."
Such is the
unfortunate and deplorable state of both the houses of Israel before
they are joined together. Neither "house" can enjoy
"prosperity," as a blessing from the Lord, whilst they remain
"with their idols." Not only were the two sticks to become one
in the hand of the prophet, but they were also to be one in "mine
hand," saith the Lord. They will not be in the hand of the Lord
whilst they retain their "detestable things," as at the
present. Judah and Israel cannot save themselves; they cannot be united
by their own doings. Hence we read, "But I will save them out of all
their dwelling places (or, form all their backslidings), wherein they have
sinned, and will cleanse them: so shall they be my people and I will be their
God." When this comes to pass, and not until, "David (the
beloved) shall be king over them: and they all shall have one shepherd: they
shall also walk in my judgments and observe my statutes and do them."
Such is the
testimony of Ezekiel 37. These things are yet in the future, so
far as the full realization is concerned even though the process leading up to
the grand finale is under way. In its fullness God will make an
everlasting covenant of peace with His people, and will place them in the
land promised to the fathers. His tabernacle also shall be with them--it
is not so at present--and then saith the Lord, "I will be their God, and
they shall be my people."
<!--mstheme-->The
Bones Move<!--mstheme-->
IN what sense
is the "process under say?" It is a long story; many efforts
were made to relieve the plight of scattered Israel, but nothing really
tangible seemed to be accomplished before the year A.D. 1897. Dr. Theodor
Herzl had electrified Jewry and caused many Gentiles to take notice. He
felt the weight of responsibility upon his shoulders as he contemplated the
dire need of his brethren. Many, in his own favorable condition of life,
would have ignored the state of the downtrodden masses of Jewish people, as
they were to be found in many lands. But Dr. Herzl could not do
this; he thought of his own children, and recognized the terrors of the day and
night which would have been their portion, had they been born under less
favorable conditions than had fallen to their lot. The remedy for the
distresses of his people was the establishment of a Jewish State. To this
he dedicated his life. To "watchers upon the walls" these
awakenings, and subsequent developments were a sure indication that Israel was
not forgotten and that the word was still true, that "the Lord loveth the
gates of Zion."
ZIONISM was
born in 1897 at Basle, Switzerland, when from all parts of the world delegates,
representing scattered Israel, assembled for the first time since the
dispersion to consider ways and means for the establishment of a legally
assured home for the Jews in Palestine. Dr. Herzl said, "A European
was is imminent. The great European was must come. With my
watch in hand I await this terrible moment. After the great European was
is ended the Peace Conference will assemble. We must be ready
for that time; we will assuredly be called to this great conference of the
nations, and we must prove to them the urgent importance of a Zionist solution
to the Jewish Question. We must prove to them that the Jewish problem is
a world problem and that a world problem must be solved by the world, and the
solution must be the return of Palestine to the Jewish people."
<!--mstheme-->But
One Land for the Jew<!--mstheme-->
WE are told
that "the scandal of Dreyfus," which many of us remember,
"convinced Theodor Herzl that there was no refuge for the soul of Jewry,
either from martyrdom or assimilation into nothing, save an individual land
state, and name." Of course, for the Jew, there could be but one
land--the Land of Israel. Other suggestions came to naught.
Theodor Herzl, and Austrian Jew, was empowered to buy back from the Sultan of
Turkey "Palestine for the Jews." But this was
refused by the Caliph. Once more hope seemed to die. The war of
1914-1918 came, and arising from it three names are outstanding in relation to
the Jewish Question--Lloyd George, Arthur James Balfour, Chaim Weizermann.
Dr. Weizermann has been termed "the Nehemiah. of today."
One week before the expected fall of Jerusalem--in spite of formidable
opposition--on Nov. 2, 1917 there was issued a mementous statement known as The
Balfour Declaration. The three men just mentioned were directly
concerned in its production. It set forth;
"His
Majesty's Government view with favour the establishment in Palestine of a
National Home for the Jewish People and will use their best endeavors to
facilitate the achievement of that object, it being understood that nothing
shall be done which may prejudice the civil and religious rights of existing
non-Jewish communities in Palestine, or the rights of political status enjoyed
by the Jews in other countries."
Dr. Nahum
Sokolow, colleague of Dr. Weizmann, obtained the adoption thereof from the
French and Italian Governments, also from the Vatican, and so cleared the way
for its acceptance by the Peace Conference at Versailles.
Interesting as
this is, and has been, it did not settle the problem of the Jew. The
Zionist ideal "of a Hebrew nations, speaking Hebrew, upon the soil of the
ancient Hebrews," nevertheless, gave an impetus to the development of THE
LAND. Early in 1918 twelve foundation stones of the Hebrew
university were formally laid. As was to be expected, Palestine
prospered, and the population, under the Mandate, in about twenty years
multiplied ten-fold. Tel Aviv and the Jewish Colonies were evidence of
that prosperous development. But to say more than this does not come
within the scope of this treatise.
It is
interesting to note that this understanding of "what the prophets have
spoken," is not the outcome of what has now transpired. In Light
for the Last Days, Dr. Grattan Guiness wrote (1887); "Forces are at
work which ere long will destroy the foul tyranny which has so long ruined the
fairest regions of the earth, and free Palestine from Moslem
rule."
One hundred
years ago, Dr. John Thomas, in Elpis Israel (perhaps the finest
exposition of the prophets, in regard to the Hope of Israel, published since
darkness covered the earth, and gross darkness the people), wrote:
"There is,
then, a partial and primary restoration of the Jews before the manifestation,
which is to serve as the nucleus, or basis, of future operations in the
restoration of the rest of the tribes after he has appeared in the kingdom.
THE PRE-ADVENTUAL COLONIZATION OF PALESTINE WILL BE ON PURELY POLITICAL
PRINCIPLES; and the Jewish colonists will return in unbelief of the
Messiahship of Jesus, and of the truth as it is in him. They will
emigrate thither as agriculturists and traders . . . .under the efficient
protection of the British power."
This writer
continues to demonstrate his perceptions of the outworking of The Plan, as
foretold by the Prophets, which involves "the foreign policy of
Britain," and states:
"The
finger of God has indicated a course to be pursued by Britain which cannot be
evaded, and which her counselors will not only be willing, but eager, to adopt
when the crisis comes upon them."
"The
possession or ascendancy of Britain in Egypt, Ethiopia, and Seba, will
naturally lead to the colonization of Palestine by the Jews."
REMEMBER, this
exposition was written one hundred years ago. It was the same
understanding of The Plan and Purpose of God, and insight into the voice of the
Prophets, which enabled Dr. Thomas, in the same book, to write; 'THE AUSTRIAN
AND GERMAN EMPIRE is doomed to extinction by fire and sword!"
We, who have
lived and watched the drama of the nations during the past fifty years, have
witnessed the verification of the exposition given by Dr. Thomas.
The problem of The Jew, and the Holy Land, is still a burdensome stone, and
will continue to be such "until He come whose right it is;" and then,
to the full extent, GOD WILL REMEMBER ZION. Meanwhile, as it has been in
the past, there will be "upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; Men's hearts failing them for fear,
and for looking after those things which are coming on the earth: for the
powers of heaven (politically) shall be shaken."--Luke 21: 25, 26. Palestine
and the Jews will not escape these future calamities. The "partial
restoration," and such development as we have seen in The Land, is not
the redemption of Israel which is to witness the rebuilding of the tabernacle
of David.
A KING OF THE NORTH--a Gogian host--will yet "come
like a storm," and "like a cloud will cover the land," even
"a land brought back from the sword." There is to be "a
great shaking in the land of Israel."--Ezek. 38. Another prophet
says, "Alas! for the day is great, so that none is like it; it is even the
time of Jacob's trouble."--Jer. 30: 7. As if Jacob had not fully
endured! Ah! but God said long ago, "seven times more" would
their punishment be. It is good to know that God has also said, "but
he shall be saved out of it." Yes, even though the day is great
and none like it! "For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort
all her waste places; and he will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert
like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein,
thanksgiving and the voice of melody."--Isa. 51: 3.
<!--mstheme-->The
Call of the Gospel<!--mstheme-->
THE Apostles
were instructed of the Savior to "go forth, to preach and to teach all
nations." What did they preach? How did they preach to the
people? In what spirit did they present "the good news" to the
peoples, from whom hitherto the gospel had been withheld? These are
pertinent questions, for every principle in them has been subverted and
perverted throughout the centuries until now. Is the gospel (as preached
throughout Christendom) "the gospel of the kingdom, and the name of Jesus
Christ" the same message as was proclaimed to the Jews by Jesus and later
to the Gentiles by the Apostles? Do the preachers in the Churches today
set forth "none other things than those which Moses and the prophets declared
should come? Do they, in all their doctrines appeal to what is written in the
Scriptures and ask for a "Thus saith the Lord", to substantiate their
claims? Or, do they depend upon the tradition of the love of God or seek
to make men and women respond to the call lest they obtain punishment for not
so doing; and by this means fill their churches with men, women and children
who would not otherwise "profess religion?" Is the faith of the
true Church one which worketh by love, of by fear?
Before the
gospel was preached to "all nations" it was presented only to the
Jews; "the lost sheep of the house of Israel."--Matt. 10: 6. When
speaking to that "world" into which He was sent Jesus declared;
"I am come a light into the world, that whosoever believeth on me should
not abide in darkness." They of that "world," then, were
in darkness. How would the word, spoken by Him who is "the
light of life," affect those who were in darkness without His word?
It was not expected that all would respond favorably to the teaching of
Jesus. Therefore, "if any man hear my words, and believe not I
judge him not." Why? "For I came not to judge the
world, but to save the world."--John 12: 46, 47. All who
did not receive the "words" of Jesus could not be saved; they
therefore remained in the darkness in which he found them.
"The last day" was soon to come upon that world and in the outpouring
of divine judgment, upon that nation and the city of Jerusalem, few were
saved. Those who had truly "believed on Him,"
however, had escaped from the power of darkness and were thereby associated
with the hope of "life everlasting."
After the
extension of the gospel message to "all nations," Paul wrote:
"We have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under
sin." They are therefore all under darkness. "As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one: There is none that
understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God, They are all gone out of
the way, they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good,
no, not one."--Rom. 3: 9, 12.
What is the relative position of the Gentiles toward God,
in regard to the plan of salvation? Paul wrote: "By nature children
of wrath. Dead in sins. Gentiles in the flesh, who are called
Uncircumcision by that which is called the Circumcision in the flesh made by
hands. Without Christ, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and
strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without
God."--Eph. 2. Although the foregoing words were addressed to The Ephesians
who had believed, and accepted the gospel, they described the conditions which
are the lot of all by nature, before they are regenerated by the power
of the gospel. The believers were told to remember what they had
been; and what they were is what we all are by natural birth. This
position--relative to God--is briefly summed up in verse 19, as "strangers
and foreigners." In this position all are "under
condemnation."--Rom. 5: 16, 18. "He that believeth not
is condemned already."--John 3: 18.
Paul says that he was "separated unto the gospel of
God," and that he was a "debtor both to the Greeks and to the
Barbarians; both to the wise and to the unwise. So, as much as in me is,
I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For
I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ: for it is the power of God unto
salvation to everyone that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the
Greek."--Rom. 1: 14, 16.
The gospel was now proclaimed to both Jew and Gentile on
the same basis. Heretofore it was not so. "Times of
ignorance" were superseded by a new order, in which God "now inviteth
all men every where to repent."--Acts 17: 30. Without repentance
(change of mind) men cannot come under the redeeming influence of the gospel,
and therefore cannot be saved. When Paul wrote to the Ephesians, urging
them to remember what they were "in times past," in contrast to what
had become their lot "in Christ," he stressed the fact that they were
the recipients of the grace of God; and moreover that what they had received
came to them through the favor of God, and not by their own doing. It is
a declared principle that "without faith it is impossible to please
God."--Heb. 11: 6. Without "obedience of faith" one
cannot draw near to God, "for he that cometh to God must believe that he
is." It is also recognized in the scriptures that "all have not
faith."--2 Thess. 3: 2. Consequently, all cannot accept the
gospel. Hence Paul sought to impress upon the Ephesians (ourselves also)
the power of grace. "For by grace ye are saved through faith,
and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God."--Eph. 2: 8.
GOD DOES NOT FORCE MEN TO ACCEPT His offer of salvation; in
calling upon them H appeals to them: whilst He "invites" men and
women to believe and obey, God lays down the terms upon which alone He will
receive them. In the mercy of God and by His grace an appeal was made to
His own people, of whom, He said "my people doth not consider."
As they were His covenant-people, God placed two aspects before them.
"If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good of the land: But if
ye refuse and rebel ye shall be devoured with the sword." Yet the
appeal was gracious; "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the
Lord."--Isa. 1: 18.
There is another appeal; to the same people and yet with an
extended application, for it was to the Jew first and also to the Gentile--the
latter not being a covenant-people, but "strangers and
foreigners." What better theme, what thought more grand, what
felicity more sublime, what invitation more acceptable, what pleading without a
threatening word, what more glorious, majestic divinity with a touch of
humanity, could we wish for than that which is presented in the opening words
of Isaiah 55?
"Ho, every
one that thirsteth, come ye to the waters, and he that hath no money; come ye,
buy, and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money and without
price. Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear and your soul shall live;
and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure
mercies of David. Seek ye the Lord while he may be found, call ye upon
him while he is near. So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my
mouth; it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which
I please, and it shall prosper whereto I sent it."
For what
purpose was the gospel extended to the Gentiles? Obviously it was
not to make the Gentiles as a whole, a covenant-people; for that has never
been. The Gentiles therefore are not, and never have been, in the same
position as the Jews. God's attitude, in the extension of His grace,
toward Gentiles is expressed by James in these words: "Simeon hath
declared how God at the first did visit the Gentiles to take out of them a
people for his name."--Acts 15: 14.
NATIONAL STANDING must not be confounded with individual
relationship and responsibility. As a people the Jews were night to God,
by reason of His choice, and the covenant into which He had entered with
them. Irrespective of individual thought, feeling or response the Jews
were born under the law to God and the enactments of their national law.
But birth under Moses' Law did not make them, of itself, participators in the
Abrahamic Covenant. Paul had on more than one occasion to stress this
fact; and it should not be overlooked or forgotten now.
Abraham had two
sons, the one by a bondmaid, the other by a freewoman. But he who was of
the bondwoman was born after the flesh; but he of the freewoman was by
promise. Which things are an allegory: for these are the two
covenants; the one from the mount Sinai which gendereth to bondage, which
is Agar! For this Agar is mount Sinai in Arabia, and answereth to
Jerusalem which now is, and is bondage with her children. But Jerusalem
which is above is free, which is the mother of us all. Now we,
brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of promise. Nevertheless what
saith the scripture? Cast out the bondwoman and her son: for the son of
the bondwoman shall not be heir with the son of the freewoman. So then,
brethren, we are not children of the bondwoman, but of the
free."--Gal. 4: 22, 31.
THE JEWS who made their boast in THE LAW, did not
appreciate The Truth embodied in the foregoing "allegory." To
them the Mosaic was greater than the Abrahamic covenant. The "form
of knowledge and of the truth was in the law."--Rom. 2: 20: but
life, and an inheritance of the things promised to the fathers, was in the
Abrahamic covenant. The one, "a yoke of bondage," dealt with
the life that now is; whereas the other--not according to the flesh, but of the
promise--went beyond the present, even to immortality and incorruptibility; an
eternal inheritance. THIS THE LAW COULD NOT GIVE. So Paul said, "They
are not all Israel which are of Israel: Neither, because they are the seed of
Abraham are they all children: but, In Isaac shall thy seed be
called. That is, They which are the children of the flesh, these
are not the children of God: but the children of the promise are
counted for the seed."--Rom. 9: 6, 8.
THE GOSPEL CALL to the Gentiles is, as we have seen, for
the purpose of "taking out a people," who shall bear the Name of God
in Christ; by reason of this God will make with them an "everlasting
covenant, even the sure mercies of David." This embraces the Abrahamic
Covenant--"The Land," and "the Throne of The Kingdom," yet
to be restored by the "seed to whom the promise was made;" and the
"Son of David, who is to sit upon his throne." Both these
statements refer to Jesus Christ, who is the Savior. All that is
involved in them is condensed in one phrase: "Salvation is of the
Jews."--John 4: 22. But the Jews disregarded the message
delivered by the One who came to save; of Him they said, "Thou has a
devil."--John 8: 48. They scorned His testimony and "took up
stones to cast at him." Throughout their long record of disobedience
ample opportunity had been given them to follow in THE KING'S HIGHWAY. They
preferred the broad way. Paul therefore declared to the "chief
of the Jews" at Rome:
"Well
spake the Holy Spirit by Esaias the prophet unto our fathers, saying, Go unto
this people and say, Hearing ye shall hear and shall not understand; and
seeing ye shall see, and not perceive: For the heart of this people is
waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes have they
closed; lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears and
understand with their heart, and should be converted and I should heal
them."
The time of
leniency and forbearance had ended; "Be it known therefore unto you, that
the salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear
it."--Acts 28: 25, 28.
PAUL WAS THE APOSTLE TO THE GENTILES. How did he
fulfill the commission? We are informed that he "dwelt two whole
years in his own hired house, and received all that came unto him, Preaching
the kingdom of God and teaching those things which concern the Lord Jesus
Christ."--verses 30, 31.
Do they of
"the broad way" preach the gospel in the same manner? Paul was
not alone in this proclamation of the gospel. As we have seen, Jesus gave
the same instructions to the eleven disciples: "Go ye therefore, and teach
all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy
Spirit." They knew that they must preach "first the kingdom of
God and his righteousness."--Matt. 6: 33, even as they had
previously been taught to seek these. "HIS RIGHTEOUSNESS" being
the means of justification provided by God for the remission of sins; the
"right way of the Lord" which would enable those who found the
kingdom, to find also the means of access; that they might know the way of
entrance thereunto, and also obtain the hope of sharing in its glories when the
kingdom shall be established.
The manner in
which the gospel was preached is fully shown in the Gospel Records, the Acts of
the Apostles, and the Epistles written to the various Churches.
Persecution arose against the Church at Jerusalem and many followers of Jesus
were scattered abroad. This was, however, to the furtherance of the
gospel, for those "scattered went everywhere preaching the
word." Philip went to the city of Samaria and "preached Christ
unto them." Preaching "the word," and "preaching
Christ" are seen to be the same thing. Philip was successful in his
work, for the people "gave heed unto those things which he
spake." And "when they believed Philip preaching the things
concerning the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized,
both men and women." In this verse we have "preaching the
word," and "preaching Christ," more elaborately stated--the
"things" of the gospel are more clearly defined. In this way
"Samaria received the word of God." Peter and John
supported this great work; "and they, when they had testified and preached
the word of the Lord, returned to Jerusalem and preached the gospel in
many villages." Philip was directed to
"Arise,
and go toward the south unto the way that goeth down from Jerusalem unto Gaza,
which is desert."
This he did; at
the same time "an eunuch of great authority under Candace queen of the
Ethiopians, was returning from Jerusalem" whither he had gone, "for
to worship." Sitting in his chariot he "read Esaias the
prophet." It was an opportune moment for Philip to "join
himself to this chariot." Hearing the eunuch reading from the
scripture, Philip placed a definite question; "Understandest thou what
thou readest?" How easy to read and not perceive! THIS IS
WHY THE BIBLE, though circulated by the millions is so little understood
today. The eunuch was honest even as he was sincere. He did not
evade the issue, but answered; "How can I, except some man should
guide me?" Philip responded to the invitation extended and
"sat with him" in the chariot. The scripture which was being read was
the remarkable prophecy of Jesus Christ in Isaiah 53. "He was led as
a sheep to the slaughter." To whom did the words refer?
This was asked of Philip:
"I pray
thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself or of some other man?"
How did Philip
answer the question? He "began at the same scripture and preached
unto him Jesus."
the sacred
record does not give us a detailed account of the exposition of what prophecy,
yet any who know the "things" which belong to THE KING'S HIGHWAY can
readily supply that which is lacking in the brief report. The incident is
so outstanding and of such importance, that it is illustrated in the
Chart.
"As they
went on their way, they came to a certain water: and the eunuch said, SEE, HERE
IS WATER; What doth hinder me to be baptized?"
A voice
from the broad way would answer; Nothing to hinder, if you wish it; but
baptism is not necessary! As in the previous record--preaching the word
in Samaria--so also in this concerning the eunuch, we see no reference to the
doctrine of baptism. Nevertheless, in both cases baptism was the
result. Could the Word have been preached or could Christ have been
preached without some reference to baptism? That they who heard the
"preaching," and believed the Word spoken and explained, sought
baptism is evidence that the same had been duly set forth. So Philip
answered the eunuch, "IF THOU BELIEVEST WITH ALL THINE HEART, thou
mayest." Paul wrote to the Romans, "Faith cometh by hearing,
and hearing by the word of God." The eunuch had "heard the
word," and believing, he had "faith" as a result. Was
acknowledgment required, in a tangible form, of "the word of faith, which
we preach?" Or would the broad way's "only believe"
suffice? WHAT SAY YOU, PAUL? His answer is:
"If thou
shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus, and shalt believe in thine heart
that God hath raised him from the dead, thou shalt be saved, For with the heart
man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto
salvation. For whosoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be
saved. How then shall they call on him in whom they have not
believed? and how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard?
and how shall they hear without a preacher."--Rom. 10: 8.
"If thou believest with all thine heart, thou
mayest." If he did not so believe could he be baptized?
Here we see conditional acceptance, as an
essential to salvation. That the eunuch was ready to respond acceptably
is made clear by his answer, which must have been given "intelligently and
affectionately;" he answered, "I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son
of God." Such was his confession of faith in the things set forth
concerning Christ, by Philip, and the eunuch "went down both into the
water." Why into the water? Can one not be
baptized without going into the water? This interesting recital, given in
Acts 8, not only tells us they both went down into the water, in which the
eunuch was baptized, but adds, "Whey they were come up out of the
water, the Spirit of the Lord caught away Philip, that the eunuch saw him
no more: and he went on his way rejoicing."
THEY WENT INTO
THE WATER, because in baptism one must be "born again," and this is
said to be "born of water."--John 3: 3, 5. Baptism is
likened to a burial, and going into the water is a close similitude.
Paul wrote: "Know ye not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus
Christ were baptized into this death? Therefore we are buried with
him by baptism into death; that like as Christ was raised up from the dead
by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of
life."--Rom. 6: 3, 4. Thereby the sinner is buried, and the new
creature in Christ is born. The "old man" (relationship to the
first Adam, and the condemnation resulting from his sin) is "put
off," a new man is "put on." The child of Adam is
"dead and buried," and a child of God is born.
Any voice
from the broad way, which asserts that all this is not essential, and that any
other form of baptism (than immersion) is just as good, is not the
mandate of THE KING'S HIGHWAY.
Any such "preaching" is not "The
Truth;" therefore is not "the way," and consequently cannot lead
to "the life."
THAT BAPTISM IS
ESSENTIAL to salvation is clearly stated in the Word of God and demonstrated in
various scriptures. What more definite word is needed than Mark 16: 15,
16? "Go, preach the gospel; He that believeth and is baptized shall
be saved; but he that believeth not" shall not also be saved? "And
now why tarriest thou? Arise, AND BE BAPTIZED, and wash away thy sins,
calling on the name of the Lord."--Acts 22: 16. Would "his
sins" have been washed away without baptism?
"IN THE
DAYS OF NOAH" eight souls were waved by water. The like figure
whereunto even baptism doth also now save us (not the putting away of
the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God), by
the resurrection of Jesus Christ."--1 Pet. 3: 20, 21. The
validity of baptism is here shown to be based upon the resurrection of
Christ. Immersion in water is not of itself baptism into Christ.
Baptism must produce a change; hence the burial in water of one who
"believes in the heart and makes confession with the mouth"
concerning the Lord Jesus, rises therefrom "in" the Risen
Savior. Thus the burial, and birth of the "new creature,"
are directly associated with the death and resurrection of Christ; the
sacrifice to take away the sin of the world. To be benefited by that
sacrifice one must be related to it, which we are not by natural birth; and so
must be "born again." The means provided to bring about this
new relationship is faith in the things concerning Christ, and the kingdom of
God, and baptism. "For as many of you as have been baptized into
Christ have put on Christ."--Gal. 3: 27. If we are not "in
Christ" we are "without Christ," and if that is our standing,
Paul continues, we are "aliens, having no hope and without God in the
world."--Eph. 2: 12.
A voice from the broad way says, Baptism is only a
symbol; the actual immersion in water is not necessary; baptism is "the
answer of a good conscience," therefore in reality baptism is a mental
attitude!
I that is true,
why does Peter speak of being "saved by water?" Why use the
figure of death and resurrection which is certainly not illustrated by "a
mental attitude?" Would "a mental attitude" be satisfied,
at a so-called "burial," if the corpse was left on the ground outside
the grave? Would that constitute a burial without being placed
in the grave, and not being "covered over"? If baptism is
merely a mental attitude, why does Paul demonstrate its validity by the
frequent use of the terms "burial" and "risen?"
"Buried
with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through
the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the
dead."--Col. 2: 12. "If ye then be risen with Christ. . .
.For ye died, and your life is hid with Christ in God. Ye have put off
the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man which is renewed in
knowledge after the image of him that created him."--Col. 3: 1, 10.
It required something more definite than "mental
attitude" to bring about this change, and to transfer one "from dead
works, to serve the living God." Such "a mental attitude"
will never grant a passport to THE KING'S HIGHWAY.
In the closing
words of Matthew's Gospel (already quoted) we notice a different expression
regarding baptism. Whether we read of baptism into Christ, baptized for
the remission of sins, or "baptizing them in the name of the Father, and
of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit," let us remember there is but
"ONE BAPTISM."--Eph. 4: 5. The statement in Matt. 28:
19 does not refer to three baptism. It is a baptism into One Name, which
Name embraces the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. It is the
Memorial Name, which is "for the generation of a race."--Ex. 3:
15; it is "the Name of Jesus Christ."--Acts 4: 10; it
is the Name of Salvation "through His name whosoever believeth in Him
shall receive remission of sins."--Acts 10: 43. it is the only
name, "Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other
name under heaven given among men whereby we must be saved." --Acts 4:
12.
Why then do we read of Father, Son and Holy Spirit?
The answer is: THE MEMORIAL NAME IS THE FATHER'S NAME, chosen by Him to make
known his purpose in developing "a race" of redeemed sons and
daughters; that this Memorial Name, "I will be," was centered in
Jesus Christ, who was the manifestation of the Father, even as Jesus said:
"He that hath seen me hath seen the Father." This does
not mean--for it cannot be--that in seeing the person who is "the
Son," at the same time the person of "the Father" was also
seen. "No man hath seen God;" therefore the only way the
words can be understood is in the sense of manifestation. "I and my
Father are one."--John 10: 30, and yet "the works that I do
(not my own) in my Father's name" bear witness "that the Father is in
me and I in him."--verses 25, 38. The son witnessed,
"My Father is greater than I."--John 14: 28. "And the
Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we beheld his glory, the glory as
of the only begotten of the Father), full of grace and truth."--John
1: 14. All this was accomplished by the Holy Spirit--the power of the
great Eternal God; "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God;
for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him."--John 3: 34.
In the light of this "doctrine of Christ" we
understand the testimony of Matt. 28: 19, and so submit the question: Is it
possible to be "baptized into the Name of the Father" without an
understanding of the True God, as revealed in the Bible? Pictorially, on
the Chart, we have this thought presented in the quotation, TO THE UNKNOWN GOD.
The broad
way has given various Gods -- Trinitarian, Unitarian, and Gods
many--WHILST THE BIBLE SPEAKS OF BUT ONE GOD. Moses and Jesus taught the
same truth: "Hear, O Israel; The Lord our God is one Lord."--Deut.
6: 4; Mark 12: 29. And Paul emphasized it, saying: "There is none
other God but one. For though there be that are called gods, whether in
heaven or in earth (as there be gods many and lords many), But to us there is but
one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord
Jesus Christ."--1 Cor. 8: 5, 6. This "one God" of Paul's
testimony is "the only true God," spoken of by the Lord Jesus Christ;
the importance of this doctrine in relation to salvation is very evident in the
Master's words, "THIS IS LIFE ETERNAL, that they might know thee the
only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent."--John 17:
3.
<!--mstheme-->Preaching
Effectual -- But Not Maintained<!--mstheme-->
THE work of the
Apostles was not in vain. "WHEN THE GENTILES HEARD THIS, they were
glad, and glorified the word of the Lord; and as many as were ordained to
eternal life believed. And the word of the Lord was published throughout
all the region."--Acts 13: 48, 49. Later, we read of them
"Confirming the souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in
the faith, and that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of
God."--Acts 14: 22.
Unfortunately the good work was not continued; before the
end of the ministry of the Apostles, a warning of departure from the faith, was
given. Paul sent to Ephesus and called the elders of the church to whom
he made a noble defence of his work, and gave a charge to them that they might
uphold "the gospel of the grace of God."
"Take heed
therefore, unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy
Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath
purchased with his own blood. For I know this, that after my departing
shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also of
your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away
disciples after them."--Acts 20: 17, 30.
This was not the only word of coming trouble in the
churches; the warning, however, was given whether the believers would respond
to it, or not. They were counseled to "Stand fast, and hold
the traditions ye have been taught, whether by word or our epistle."
Notwithstanding, they were not to be deceived. The evil day would
come. "Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not
come, except there come a falling away first."--2 Thess. 2: 15, 3.
"For the
time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own
lusts shall heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears (or, speak things
pleasing to the ears). And they shall turn away their ears from the
truth, and shall be turned unto fables."--2 Tim. 4: 3, 4.
Peter also speaks of this
apostasy.
"But there
were false prophets also among the people (of Israel), even as there shall be
false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even
denying the Lord that bought them, and bring upon themselves swift
destruction. And many shall follow their pernicious ways; by reason of
whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of."--2 Pet. 2: 1, 2.
The apostle John lived to see and to record that those
things were being fulfilled. To those still holding fast THE WAY OF TRUTH
he wrote:
"Little
children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that anti-christ shall
come, even now are there many anti-christs; whereby we know that it is the last
time."--1 John 2: 18. "Beloved, believe not every spirit,
but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are
gone out into the world. And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus
Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of
anti-christ, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and EVEN NOW
ALREADY IS IT IN THE WORLD."--1 John 4: 1, 3.
This is further demonstrated, by John, in his second and
third Epistles. The Apostasy, as we have seen had its roots in the days
of Paul, who acknowledged; "that all they which are in Asia be turned away
from me."--2 Tim. 1: 15. The warnings were unheeded, and in the
time of John, comparatively few were left who had not defiled their garments.
<!--mstheme-->Seven
Stars and Seven Candlesticks<!--mstheme-->
SEVEN
LIGHT-STANDS are represented on the Chart, with the Apostle John, A.D. 96, who
in The Revelation, says concerning himself: "I John, who also am
your brother and companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of
Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and
for the testimony of Jesus Christ." He was instructed to write and
send "to the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna,
and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia,
and unto Laodicea."
Having
described things which he saw, the first chapter of The Revelation
closes with these words: "The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
churches." The candlesticks, or light-stands, represent the churches
or ecclesias; the stars, the angels or elders. John was instructed to
send a message to the elders of all the seven light-stands. These are
recorded in the second and third chapters. Throughout the messages we
find the chief point to be apostasy from the One Faith.
TO EPHESUS:
"Thou hast tried them which say they are apostles and are not and hast
found them liars."
TO SMYRNA:
"I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but
are the synagogue of Satan."
TO PERGAMOS:
"I have a few things against thee, because thou has there them that hold
the doctrines of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the
children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols and to commit
fornication. so hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the
Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate."
TO
THYATIRA: "I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest
that woman Jezebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce
my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed to idols. . .
.But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this
doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak."
TO
SARDIS: "I have not found thy works perfect before God. Thou
hast a few names even in Sardis which have not defiled their garments."
TO
PHILADELPHIA: "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan,
which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; behold, I will make them to
come and worship before my feet, and to know that I have loved thee."
TO
LAODICEA: "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I
would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou are lukewarm, and
neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth."
<!--mstheme-->A
Falling Away<!--mstheme-->
THE next item
on The Chart is taken from the seven-branched light-stand of the tabernacle; it
is turned upside down and broken. This is to signify the apostate state
of the Church, for the declension of the first century continued and
expanded. The light of the true church was blotted out. A false
system of religion was developed and for many centuries held sway in all the
earth.
"DARKNESS
COVERED THE EARTH," so far as the knowledge of "the way of
truth" is concerned--the One God, became "three in one;" the
soul that sinneth and dies became an immortal soul that cannot die: Jesus made
in all points like unto His brethren became the second person in a triune God,
coequal and coeternal: the Holy Spirit which is the power emanating from the
Father, became a third person of the same trinity: baptism, by immersion,
became sprinkling a few drops of water upon the face of a babe, instead of the
ordinance designed for those who were old enough to understand and to have
faith in the promises of God: the kingdom of God became the church, even though
the scripture said "how hard for a rich man to enter therein;" and
instead of the faithful servants of the Lord "waiting for his Son from
heaven," to "reward them according to their works," this false
system at what is called death (denying in reality) did send the souls of the
righteous to the skies, to be with Jesus; even though He had said "Whither
I go ye cannot come."
There is not a
single item of "the things which concern the Name of Jesus Christ, and the
kingdom of God" which has not been falsified by the apostasy.
Nevertheless, the light of Truth was destined once again to pierce the density
of the darkness with which the world had for so long been enshrouded. A
PROPHET HAD SPOKEN of "the time of the end," and had foretold that
many shall run to and fro and knowledge shall be increased."--Dan. 12:
4. The sixteenth century saw the work of The Reformation and The
Book of Books which had been withheld from the gaze of the common people became
an open Book.
The power of
the Roman Church was broken; some of its claims and doctrines denied. Men
began to read the Bible for themselves, and to test proclaimed doctrines by
what they found in the sacred page. When Queen Victoria's Jubilee was
celebrated in England, there was a body of believers, "in the way of
truth," who placed a large banner in the streets of Birmingham with the
inscription,; The glory of Queen Victoria's Reign is an Open Bible.
THAT "BODY OF BELIEVERS" is known throughout the
world as The Christadelphians. They had studied the Bible,
intensively and extensively, and have for the past one hundred years
demonstrated from its pages that the gospel of Christ is based upon the
promises "made unto the fathers;" and that the redemption which is in
Christ Jesus is a reconciliation of man to God, from the state of alienation
which came to all the Adamic race as the result of the "one offense"
in Eden. They have shown that the Bible teaches salvation is from sin and
death; and that those who experience and share in "the great
salvation" will do so by a change of nature of their body--that "this
mortal" shall be changed and "put on immortality;" that
"this corruptible" must "put on incorruption."
Thereby "death will be swallowed up in victory." They believe
and teach this will come about at the return of the Lord, who is now in the
heaven, awaiting the appointed time; "From whence also we look for the
Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be
fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is
able to subdue all things unto himself."-- Phil. 3: 20, 21.
"Thee is a natural body and there is a spiritual body. Howbeit that
was not first which is spiritual but that which is natural; and afterward that
which is spiritual."--1 Cor. 15: 44, 46.
What are understood and believed to be the fundamental
principles of Bible teaching, and the doctrine of Christ, by The
Christadelphians, are set forth in these Lectures.
WITH AN OPEN
BIBLE--the Word of "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spake
in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, Hath in these last days (of the
Commonwealth of Judah) spoken unto us by His Son."--Heb. 1: 1 --men
may read for themselves, and be guided by its precepts. They who walk THE
KING'S HIGHWAY have found that Christendom is astray from the Bible--They have
found the principles of the gospel of the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus
Christ, to have been perverted and destroyed by the traditions of men. To
accept the "Truth as it is in Jesus," they have been compelled to
reject the theological dogmas of generations past, since all that is not in
accordance with the Truth of the gospel must be rejected; and they who receive
The Truth must, as it is written, "Come out and be separate."--Acts
28: 22.
<!--mstheme-->The
World Not Waiting for Christ<!--mstheme-->
THE CONDITION
OF THE GENTILE WORLD before the coming of Christ is similar to that which
characterized the times in the last days of Judah's commonwealth.
THE BIBLE
RECORD OF THOSE TIMES, vividly expressed in language descriptive of what
actually took place, is very often quoted as though the primary application is
to the times of the Gentiles. Whilst this is not so, it is permissible
to say that there is, or seems to be, a primary and secondary application to
many of the scriptures. We read in Luke's record:
"For
there shall be great distress in the land )of Judea) and wrath upon the people
(Israel). And they shall fall by the edge of the sword, and shall be led
away captive (as Moses foretold) into all nations; and Jerusalem
shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be
fulfilled."
There was to be
long intervals between the two events referred to in this verse; and some
readers are apt to think that
the next verse takes a long jump over this interval, and therefore
apply verses 25 and 26 to the
times of the Gentiles. These verses are:
"And there shall be signs in
the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of
nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men's hearts failing
them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth: for the powers of heaven shall be shaken."--Luke 21:23,26.
From this
statement we extract, and apply to the times in which we live; "Distress
of nations." Who will deny that? "Perplexity."
Do we not witness this every day, in every land? "Men's
hearts failing them for fear." Not only the "common
man," but the leaders of nations also! "For the powers of
heaven shall be shaken." The political heavens, in the kingdom
of man today, as was the case in the Mosaic heavens of Judea. The heavens
and the earth, or the seas and the waves roaring, are the political and
national forces of the Gentiles in battle array, seeking to dominate the world.
"And then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and
great glory."--verse 27.
Such an event does not enter into the calculations of the
kings, presidents, and rulers of the present kingdoms of men. Will
Jesus really come again? Hear a parable which He spake, concerning
Himself; "He said therefore, A certain nobleman went into a far country to
receive for himself a kingdom, and to return. To his servants he said,
occupy till I come. And it cam to pass, that when he returned,
having received his kingdom, he called his servants unto him," and
rewarded them according to what they had done I his absence. Such is
the substance of what is recorded in Luke 19:12,27.
Jesus plainly taught, "I will come again."
THE REVELATION--not "of John," but OF JESUS CHRIST--testified,
"Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of
him."--chapter 1: 7. But the world does not look for Him.
"As the days of Noe were, so shall the coming of the Son of man
be."--Matt. 24: 37. The advice and exhortation to the disciples
is: "Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come.
Be ye also ready; for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man
cometh."--verses 42, 44.
<!--mstheme-->Many
Shall Awake<!--mstheme-->
AN OUTSTANDING
EVENT--at the return of the Lord Jesus Christ--is announced by the prophet, who
also revealed the rise and fall of the kingdoms of men; "Many of them that
sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life and some
to shame and everlasting contempt." The prophet carried this forward
to the "time of the end." He desired to know even more than
was revealed asking: "What shall be the end of the these
things?" As for himself, he was told; "But go thou thy
way till the end be: for thou shalt rest and stand in they lot at the end of
the days."--Dan. 12. His resurrection is
therefore assured. Jesus, "One who stands for God," taught the
same Truth:
"I am the
resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were
dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die."--John 11: 25, 26.
"I am he that liveth and was dead; and behold, I am alive
for evermore, Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death."--Rev. 1:
18.
When Peter confessed the Truth before Jesus saying:
"Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God;" Jesus acknowledged
it to be Truth by answering; "Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto
thee, but my Father which is in heaven. And I say also unto thee, That
thou art Peter and upon this rock (the rock of Truth in the confession made by
Peter) I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against
it."--Matt. 16: 16, 18. This non-prevailing against the
Church of Christ had long been foretold. Whilst they who have their
portion in this life are said to be "like the beasts that perish;"
the man of God speaks of himself, and all who stand in the same relationship to
God and His Word, with this confidence; "But God will redeem my soul from
the power of the grave: for he shall receive me."--Psa. 49: 15.
Therefore, "the mighty God, even the Lord, hath spoken
and called; Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant
with me by sacrifice. And the heavens shall declare his
righteousness."--Psa. 50: 1, 6. The Apostles "preached unto
them Jesus and the resurrection."--Acts 17: 18. "They taught
the people and preached through Jesus the resurrection from the
dead."--Acts 4: 2. Paul eloquently set forth his conviction;
"This I confess unto thee, that after the way which they call heresy, so
worship I the God of my fathers, believing all things which are written in the
law and in the prophets: And have hope toward God, which they themselves also
allow that there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the
unjust."--Acts 24: 14, 15.
Resurrection from
the dead is not universal. Many and
various scriptures prove this statement. "Like the beasts that
perish," certainly does not suggest a resurrection. "The man
that wandereth out of the way of understanding shall remain in the congregation
of the dead."--Prov. 21: 16, definitely limits the
resurrection. The prophet likewise denies universality, when he
states of certain "lords;" "They are dead, they shall not live;
they are deceased they shall not rise." WHY? "Thou
hast visited and destroyed them, and made all their memory to
perish."--Isa. 26: 14.
Resurrection being limited in its scope suggests a reason
for such limitation, and speaks of a principle upon which resurrection is
based; which also explains why God will raise some from the dead and leave
others in the grave. This principle is demonstrated in the foregoing
scriptures; it is further elaborated in many others. It comes through and
by, Jesus who is THE RESURRECTION, as well as THE LIFE; and through whom it was
preached. The Saviour said, "Because I live, ye shall live
also."--John 14: 19. And the life which Jesus now has, is
"after the power of an endless life."--Heb. 7: 16. He was
"declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the spirit of
holiness, by the resurrection from the dead."--Rom. 1: 4.
TO KNOW THE PRINCIPLE upon which Jesus rose again and why
it was "not possible for the grave to hold Him," is to recognize the
reason for and basis of the resurrection "of the just and the
unjust;" and yet why others are left in the grave, "who shall never
see light." All the evidence, previously submitted, is summed up in
one statement by the apostle; "The God of peace, that brought again from
the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the
blood of the everlasting covenant."--Heb. 13: 20. THE ONLY ASSURED
WAY OF PARTICIPATING IN THE RESURRECTION, at the return of Christ, is by
association with the blood of Christ, even His sacrifice to take away
sin. This sacrificial death "confirmed the covenants of
promise," and so became "the blood of the everlasting covenant."
Association
with the death of Christ, by belief of the gospel and baptism into His Name, is
the only means of contact with "the blood of the covenant;" and
inasmuch as Jesus was "brought again from the dead" by that covenant,
obviously the principle of the limited resurrection is that same covenant.
Of those who
"awake to everlasting life," the prophet continues his testimony;
"And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and
they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever."--Dan.
12: 2, 3. They who are privileged to attain unto this glory of Messiah's
reign will be those who have, in a day of small things, traveled down THE
KING'S HIGHWAY; and, by remaining steadfast to The Truth, have not been led
astray in the broad way, "which leadeth to destruction."
<!--mstheme-->"The
Glory Shall Be Revealed"<!--mstheme-->
WE must now
briefly present a picture of the glories of "that rest which remaineth for
the people of God," and the blessedness which awaits all who attain to the
life which knows no ending, together with a place in "the kingdom, which
is the Lord's."
<!--mstheme-->Eden
Restored<!--mstheme-->
TWAS a long,
hard and bitter trail. And dense, indeed, was the darkness in which the
people dwelt, ere "they that sat in darkness saw a great
light." Promises were made, hopes raised and intensified, and yet
the mantle of night which had covered the earth, when the light of day was
destroyed by sin entering therein, remained. Four thousand dark and
dreary years had rolled down the stream of time, and whilst at times a ray of
light had pierced the gloom, the general aspect had been--"Darkness
covered the earth, and gross darkness the people." Those instructed
in the way of the Lord had looked forward to the coming of One who should roll
back the darkness of night and cause once more the light of day to shine
forth. They had heard how Moses had said: "The Lord thy God will
raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto
me; unto him ye shall hearken."--Deut. 18: 15. When in the
furnace of affliction, in the midst of the darkness of Egypt, or traveling
through the wilderness--when "by the Waters of Babylon they sad down and
wept;" or, at the river of Ahava, where a fast was proclaimed, "that
we might afflict ourselves before our God, to seek of him a right way for
us."--Ezra 8: 21. --I say, when in these (or many other)
circumstances of their chequered career, there can be no doubt that this
people--chosen of God-- thought upon the covenants and the promise of a
deliverer. When would the Prophet like unto Moses appear?
More than seven hundred years before the birth of "Him
who was to come," a prophet wrote: "For unto us a child is born, unto
us a son is given." The people therefore, anticipated the day when
"the government would be upon his shoulder;" and in view of the
outstanding excellencies of his name--"Wonderful, Counselor, The Mighty
Warrior, The Father of a future Age, The Prince of Peace"--with the assurance
that "The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform" what the prophet
announced; the people longed to see Him "upon the throne of David, to
order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth
even for ever."--Isa. 9: 6, 7.
But our "TIMES ARE IN THE HAND OF GOD," and how
often do we find that the stepping-stones in the development of His Plan
are accomplished at "the appointed time." Men therefore had to
wait for the "set time" to arrive before actually the "Son was
given." The promise had been given, and was not
forgotten. As one has said: "Away in the far distant past--ere yet
even the twilight of history had begun to illumine the ages; in the day when
the primeval transgression had sullied the purity of Eden; when the false teaching
of the serpent had wrought the moral ruin of mankind; and the divine purpose
seemed to be frustrated and defeated at its very inception--then it was that
the chief of the Elohim declared that the triumph of the serpent should not
endure; and in the simple words, 'The seed of woman shall bruise the head of
the serpent,' and the angel breathed the first message of hope and foretold the
coming of the world's Redeemer."
When the day of
the Nativity arrived the promise was still remembered; for shepherds abiding in
the field saw the glory of the Lord, and heard the angels say, "Unto you
is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the
Lord." It was not merely an announcement--for the angel was joined
by others; "a multitude of the heavenly host" who sang their paeon of
thanksgiving to "God in the highest." How could they refrain
from praising Him? Had they not waited long for this happy event?
One by one the centuries had rolled from eternity's measureless wheels until
four thousand years had passed away, and now, at last, had come the birth of
the promised seed, the one destined to bruise the serpent's head." Can
you, my reader, catch the spirit of the writer of the foregoing words and join
him as he continues; "Oh, my brethren! do you not think the
rapturous words were caught up from world to world, past all the star-lit
spaces of immensity, until their mighty music rolled and swelled in joyful
cadences around the throne of the Father Supreme?"
THE "CHILD
WAS BORN;" the people saw Him "grow and wax strong in spirit, filled
with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon him." They heard him
speak; "As never man spake." His works were before them,
and "the common people heard him gladly"--they would have taken Him
and made Him King! But He taught them, saying, "My kingdom is not of
this world." He knew full well that it belonged to "the world
to come;" and He assured His hearers that although not of this present
evil world, nevertheless, His kingdom was not "from hence;" or away
from this place! The Son who had been "given" was
crucified; yet He rose again. He "ascended," but left the
assurance; "If I go away, I will come again." Many of
His Servants, watching and waiting have died at their posts, and others take
their place! He told them; "Because I live, ye shall live
also." They await His Coming, knowing that if they have truly
followed in His Steps, there will be "a welcome! through the wide portals
of the infinite, into the boundless possibilities and the fadeless glories of
the life immortal."
There will be
many surprises in that day. The Jews are to "look upon him
whom they pierced, and mourn for him." The Gentiles, from the
ends of the earth, shall come, saying, "Surely our fathers have inherited
lies, vanity and things wherein there is no profit." Together
they shall say, "Come ye, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, to the
house of the God of Jacob; and He will teach us of His ways, and we will walk
in His paths."
Being so
directed and willingly complying with the law which will then go forth from
All nations,
and nature itself, shall be blessed in that day--"my day" said
Jesus--which "Abraham saw and was glad." The Voice of the
prophets loudly sing the praises of that day, when "nothing shall hurt,
nor destroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord."
"The earth, too, shall smile back a glad thanksgiving ray in that golden
age, of which we speak; for instead of the thorn shall come up the myrtle tree;
and all the highways of the world shall be one continuous series of avenues of
fragrant flowers and fruits, and trees and shrubs; for even the very wilderness
shall blossom as the rose, and the desert shall bloom like Eden's blissful
bowers. Noxious weeds, destructive storms, untimely frosts, destroying
insects, no more shall mar the labor of the husbandman., but the curse which
has borne so heavily upon the earth shall be uplifted, and its fertility fully
restored." For He who knows the end from the beginning has said:
"As truly as I live all the earth shall be filled with the glory of the
Lord."
The following charts represent the original art work (in 3 parts) as
attached in the back of the hard-bound copy of FROM
When put side
by side complete the picture from Adam to Christ’s tomb.
SCROLL DOWN FOR CHART # 1
SCROLL DOWN FOR CHART # 2
SCROLL DOWN FOR CHART # 3
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