[* NOTE. The following writings, by A. L. Chitwood,
are edited. Additional notes are also added where the
editor believes they are necessary.
The author’s writings are from: ‘Prophecy on Mount Olivet,’ (Chapter Ten, pp. 117-127).]
One Taken, Another Left
“Then
shall two be in the field; the one shall be taken, and the other left. Two women shall be grinding at the mill; the
one shall be taken, and the other left.
Watch therefore: for ye know not what hour your Lord doth come. But know this, that
if the good man of the house had known in what watch the thief would come, he
would have watched, and would not
have suffered his house to be broken up.
Therefore be ye also ready:
for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh:” (Matt. 24: 40-44).
The Lord’s reference to one
taken and another left is the first of four parallel parts in the Christian
section of the 0livet Discourse. Each
part actually has to do with the same thing, but from a different perspective.
Each has to do with the Lord’s dealings with His servants (Christians)
during present and future times, with the coming [millennial] kingdom in view.
In this respect, all four parts viewed together (in the light of the
parable of the fig tree and the days of Noah [which lead into and set the tenor
of thought for all which follows]), present a complete, composite picture - a
threefold fashion: (1) the Christians’ present responsibility, (2) the
Christians’ future accountability, and (3) the relationship of both to the
coming [millennial] kingdom of Christ.
Christians have a responsibility to live their lives in a manner which
reflects their high calling. Salvation
is for a purpose, and that purpose has to do with the coming kingdom. Christians
have been called “unto His kingdom and glory” (1 Thess. 2: 12; cf. 1 Peter 5: 1, 10; 2 Peter 1: 3).
The Biblical picture of one’s
salvation is not so much saved from (“from
hell”) as it is saved unto (“unto his kingdom and glory”).
“Responsibility,”
in turn, demands accountability. Every
Christian will one day appear before the judgment seat of Christ to render an
account concerning how he carried out his responsibility. All things will be revealed in the presence
of a righteous, omnipotent and omniscient Judge (Rev.
1: 12-20). The previous works of
the ones being judged* will
come under scrutiny, and the results will have a direct bearing on the
Christians’ [entrance into (Matt. 5: 20)
and his/her] position in the [Messianic] kingdom
which follows.
[* NOTE 1. Judgment is before Rapture and Resurrection,
(Num. 14: 21-23; 1 Cor.
10: 11): “It is appointed unto men once to die,
and after this cometh judgment:” (Heb. 9: 27,
R.V.) – Ed.]
The
purpose for the judgment seat, in this respect, is in keeping with the purpose
for the entire present dispensation. God
is today calling out the rulers who are to reign as co-heirs with His Son during the coming
age, and the decisions and determinations rendered at the judgment seat
concerning these individuals will have to do with their being placed in or
being denied one of the numerous proffered positions which the co-heirs will occupy
with Christ.*
[* 2. NOTE
well the attached condition to this divine promise: “… Joint-heirs
with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that
we may
be also glorified with him. For
I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be compared
with the
glory which shall be revealed…:” (Rom.
8: 17b, 18, R.V.). No suffering now
for righteousness sake; then no future glory in the “age”
to come! Luke 20: 35. See also, 2 Tim. 2: 12, 13: “If we
endure, we shall also reign with him: if
we shall deny him, he also will deny us - [reigning with Him]: if we are faithless, he abideth faithful; for he cannot deny
himself.” If we ignore and disregard
His conditions, we will have disqualified ourselves from reigning “when the Son of Man shall
come in his glory:” (Matt. 25: 31.
R.V.)! See also, Luke 9: 26; 1 Pet. 1: 7; 4: 13.
- Ed.
“A
Christ-likeness can come through pain and sorrow that would never have come
through joy; and Christlikeness in character and experience creates
Christlikeness in reward.
“Joint-heirs with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him,
that we may be also GLORIFIED WITH HIM” (Rom. 8: 17). ]
Accordingly,
the end or goal toward which everything moves in the Christian section of the
Olivet Discourse is the coming kingdom. It is the kingdom with its glory to which
Christians have been called, and any Christian [i.e., regenerate believer] failing to realize his calling therein will
have failed to realize the very purpose for his salvation.
The
coming kingdom is not only the end or goal toward which
everything moves in the Christian section of the Olivet Discourse but in the
other two sections as well. God’s dealings
with the Jewish people in the first
section (24: 4-31) occur during and immediately
following the Tribulation and lead into the kingdom, and God’s dealings with the
Gentiles in the third section (25: 31-46) occur at the end of the
Tribulation (at the conclusion of God’s dealings with all the others) and also
lead into the kingdom.
The kingdom is actually the end or goal
toward which everything in Scripture moves, save events in the few references
describing conditions during the eternal ages beyond the millennium (e.g. 1 Cor. 15: 24-28;
parts of Rev. 21, 22). Beginning
with the opening chapters of Genesis, the emphasis is upon man
holding the sceptre, ruling over a restored earth; and the emphasis never changes
throughout Scripture. Christ’s discourse
on Mt. Olivet moves more to the end of the matter and presents summary
information relative to concluding events in God’s dealings with the three
groups of mankind (Jew, Christian, and Gentile), with the [Messianic] kingdom, as throughout Scripture, the
main object in view.
It is
clearly shown in the parable of the Householder and His servant and in the
parable of the talents (Matt. 24: 45-51; 25: 14-30) that man ultimately placed in
the position of “ruler” is the
focal point (cf. 24: 47; 25: 21, 23). And it
is no different in the other two parallel parts in the Christian section of the
Olivet Discourse (24: 40-44; 25: 1-13).
Note
that each part begins in a similar fashion, referring back to the opening
verses in this section (vv. 32-39): “Then...”
(24: 40-44); “Who then
...” (24: 45-51); “Then ...” (25: 1-13); “For it is just as a man
... [literal rendering, referring back to the
parable of the ten virgins in vv. 1-13, and consequently back to the opening verses of the
section]” (25: 14-30). Then
note that each part has been given to provide additional information which will
help explain another part. In this
respect, the words “Who then” and “Then,” opening the second and third parts, refer back
to the previous parts as well as back to the opening verses of the section.
The first part (vv. 40-44), for
example, closes with the exhortation to
Watch, Be ready, “for in such an hour as ye think not the Son of man cometh”
(vv. 42, 44). The second part immediately
following (vv. 45-51) opens with the words, “Who then is a faithful and
wise servant ...” The allusion is not
only back to the opening verses of the section (vv.
32-39), but also back to the preceding part (vv. 40-44). The parable of the
Householder and His servant has been given to provide additional information
and help explain the preceding verses dealing with one taken and the other
left. This parable concerns the same
thing - faithfulness or unfaithfulness on the part of the Lord’s servants, resulting
in their being accorded or being denied positions as rulers with Christ in the
kingdom. And so it is with the
following two parables.
This connection between the four
parts can possibly be seen slightly clearer in the opening verse of the fourth
part. Note that the words, “the kingdom of heaven is” (v.
14, KJV), are in italics, indicating that they are not in the Greek
text. The word “as” is a translation of the Geek word hosper, which is a connecting particle meaning
‘just as” or “even as.” This is the same word translated “as” earlier in the Olivet Discourse (24: 37, 38), comparing the days of Noah with the day of the coming of the Son
of Man. The word is used in the same sense
beginning the parable of the talents. It
is used as a connective to show that what is about to follow is like that which
has proceeded, giving rise to the translation, “For
it is just as a man...” The
parable of the talents was given to help explain the parable of the ten virgins
(or, for that matter, the two parts preceding the parable of the ten virgins as
well), and it concerns the same thing - faithfulness or unfaithfulness of the
Lord’s servants, resulting in their being accorded or being denied entrance into the marriage festivities
and subsequent positions as rulers with Christ in the [millennial] kingdom.
RECEIVED OR TURNED AWAY
… The word “taken” (vv. 40, 41) is
a translation of the Greek word paralambano. This is a compound word comprised of para (“beside,” or
“alongside”) and lambano (“to take”). Thus, the word goes a step beyond just simply
taking. It is taking the person alongside or to oneself (cf, Matt. 17: 1; 20: 17 where paralambano is used). This would be the word used referring to the
reception of an individual as an “associate” or
a “companion,” which
is actually what is involved in this passage.
Then, the word “left” (vv. 40, 41) is a
translation of the Greek word aphiemi, which
is used as antithetical to paralambano. In the light of the way paralambano is used, aphiemi could
possibly best be understood by translating the word, “turn
away.” That which is involved in
this passage has to do with Christians being either received in an intimate
sense or turned away in an opposite sense.
And the parable of the Householder and His servant, which immediately
follows, is given to help explain these things.
Reference
to the parallel passage in Luke’s account of the Olivet Discourse shows this
same thing: “Watch ye therefore, and pray always,
that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these things that shall come to
pass, and to stand before the Son of man” (21:
36).*
[* NOTE 3. So the pre-tribulationists, who are
sure that all believers - even the grossest backsliders - will be rapt en masse into sudden glory before the
Tribulation starts, overlook the warning of the Lord. “Watch ye at every season, making
supplication, that ye may prevail to escape all these things” - He has just
described the Great Tribulation, ‘days of vengeance’ (ver. 22) - “that shall
come to pass” (Luke 21: 36). The
Old Testament type, which our Lord stresses as a warning to His disciples
concerning His return, is extraordinarily illuminating:- “Remember
The words, “that ye may be accounted worthy,” could be
better translated, “that you may prevail over [in the
sense of being strong and winning a victory]”; and the words, “escape [lit.
‘escape out of’] all these things,” refer
back to the immediate context, dealing with “surfeiting, and drunkenness, and
cares of this life” (vv. 34, 35). This
verse is, thus, exhorting Christians to watch and pray relative to deliverance
from involvement in the ways and practices of the world (Eph. 6: 18; cf. vv.
10-17).
Weymouth, in his translation of the New Testament, captures the
correct thought from the Greek text about as well as any English version
presently available: “Beware of slumbering; at all times
pray that you may be fully strengthened to escape from all these coming evils,
and to take your stand in the presence of the Son of Man.” Note
also Wuest’s
EXPANDED TRANSLATION: “But be circumspect, attentive, ready,
in every season being in prayer, in
order that you may have sufficient strength to be escaping all these things
which are about to take place,
and to stand before the Son of Man.”*
[* NOTE 4. “Watch and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy to escape all these
things, that are coming to pass, and to stand before the Son of Man.” Obey Jesus and you will escape.
Disobey, be prayerless, careless, heedless, at ease, and you will not
escape.
God gives
gifts by faith. God gives rewards for faithfulness. “Behold I come quickly, and My reward
is with Me, to give to every man, as his work shall be.” Plainly, this is a judgment of rewards, according
to works, to occur at His return. God rewards only as God can. We have a race to run and a crown to
gain. The race may be lost. The crown forfeited. To win Christ, Paul suffered the loss of all
things. Can you win Christ for less?]
The words “watch,” and “pray”
are in a present tense showing linear (continuous) action in the Greek
text. The thought is that of Christians continually
watching (always being alert,
on guard) and continually praying for
the strength necessary to escape out of the ways and practices of the world. “Ecape out of” is the translation of an aorist
infinitive in the Greek text, showing deliverance viewed as eventual (i.e. viewed as the result of Christians
continually watching and praying) and viewed as a whole (as in Weymouth’s translation):
and the goal of the entire process is Christians ultimately being
privileged to “stand before the Son of man.”
Standing before, or in the
presence of, the Son of Man in this passage is synonymous with being received in
an intimate manner by the Lord in the parallel section in Matt. 24: 40-44. The thought is similar to Psa. 24: 3, 4: “Who
shall ascend into the hill of the Lord? or who shall
stand in his holy place? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart; who hath not lifted up
his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully.” This is a Messianic passage; and the
expression, “to stand before the Son of man” in Luke 21: 36, is Messianic as well.
Ascending “the hill [referring to the ‘kingdom’; note Psa. 2: 6] of the Lord” or standing “before
the Son of man” are reserved for “associates” or “companions” who will rule as co-heirs with
Christ (cf. Heb. 1: 9; 3: 14. “Fellows” [1: 9] and
“partakers” [3: 14] are translations of the same Greek
word, which could be better rendered, “associates”
or “companions”).
SAVING
OF THE LIFE [SOUL]
The account in Matt. 24: 40-44 of
individuals being either received in an intimate manner or being turned away in
an opposite manner repeated on another occasion by the Lord in a slightly
different setting. Luke 17: 34-36 records
this same sequence of events following an exhortation to remember Lot’s wife
and a statement pertaining to saving losing one’s “1ife [‘soul’]” (vv. 32, 33).
The Greek words paralambano and aphiemi, used in Matt. 24: 40, to show the manner of reception
and opposite manner of rejection, are also used in Luke 17: 34-36. Reception in Matthew is associated with
being prepared for the Lord’s return through faithfulness and watchfulness (vv. 42-46). A correct
teaching drawn from the overall passage in Luke (vv. 22-37) shows the same thing, with the end result of the proper
preparation through faithfulness and watchfulness being the salvation of one’s “life [‘soul’]” (v. 33). The inverse of this would,
of course, be true concerning those turned away by the Lord. That is, being unprepared because of
unfaithfulness and not watching will result in the loss of one’s “1ife [‘soul’]” (cf. Matt. 16:
24-28; 24: 48-51; Luke 17: 33).
Several verses in Luke, chapter
seventeen are very similar to verses in the Jewish section of the Olivet
Discourse in Matthew (cf. Luke 17: 23, 24, 31, 37; Matt, 24: 17, 18, 23-28), leading some expositors to believe that
the section in Luke is “Jewish” rather than “Christian.”
This though cannot be the case, for these verses are set in a context
which cannot be “Jewish.” Scripture surrounding God’s dealings with
1.
SIMILARITIES AND DISTINCTIONS
First, note that
events surrounding the warning about returning to one’s house in Matt. 24: 17, 18 are not
the same as those events surrounding the similar warning in Luke 17: 31. The context of one has to do with the
appearance of Antichrist, and the context of the other has to do with the appearance of the True Christ.
Second, note that a reference to false Christs and false prophets associated with days preceding
Christ’s return (Matt. 24: 23-26; Luke 17: 23) would be just as applicable in
Christian circles as in Jewish. In fact,
the false message to be carried to
Third, note that
the reference to lightning associated with Christ’s return in Luke 17: 24 is not the same as
the similar reference in Matt. 24: 27. Luke refers only to the lightning flashing
from one part of the sky the other, but Matthew refers to lightning flashing
from east to west. The significance of
this difference is easily seen. In both
instances, lightning shows the sudden, unexpected manner of Christ’s return; but
only Matthew shows a time element by giving the directions “out of the east … unto the
west.” Lightning is seen in
the east following the storm, showing Christ’s return after the Storm, after
the Great Tribulation.
Thus, Luke, through a reference
to lightning flashing from one part the sky to the other, reveals only the sudden,
unexpected manner
of Christ’s return. A time
element, as in
Matthew, is not given. The verse in Luke
pertains to the manner of Christ’s return to reckon with His servants
(preceding the Tribulation), with the Tribulation itself, as in the Christian
section of the Olivet Discourse, not in view at all.
Fourth, note that the reference to
eagles hovering over a carcass in Matt. 24: 28 is not, as is often taught, a reference to
Armageddon; nor is the similar reference in Luke 17: 37. The
thought in both passages, rather, has to do with bringing corruption to an
end. As the eagles devour a corrupting
carcass, so will the Lord do away with corruption at the time of His return (cf. Psa. 18: 8).
The thought of bringing
corruption to an end through Christ’s personal intervention would be just as
applicable at events surrounding Christ’s dealings with Christians preceding
the Tribulation as it would be at events surrounding Christ’s dealings with the
world at large following the Tribulation, though events in each instance will
be quite different. An interesting
difference in the two references is the fact that “carcass” is used in Matt. 24: 28 (the world, “dead in
trespasses and sins,” is in view), but “body” is used in Luke 17: 37 (Christians, those who “have passed from death unto life,” are in
view).
There is
really nothing in Luke 17: 22-37 which would connect these verses with the Jewish section in
the Olivet Discourse. Similar verses to
those in the Jewish section are used with passages which parallel those in the
Christian section, and these similar verses are used in a context which is completely
different from the
context of the verses in the Jewish section.
Efforts to interpret Luke 17: 22ff as “Jewish” will serve only to produce confusion both
here and in the Olivet Discourse.*
[* NOTE 5. Watchful
disciples, who “prevail to escape … and stand before the Son of man” (Luke 21: 36), will escape the Great Tribulation-
(via a pre-tribulation rapture) – before the End Times set in: and
others “that are left unto the coming of our Lord”
(1 Thess. 4: 15,
R.V.) at its end, must pass through them: and it will be only those who “endure unto the end” who will be saved at that
time! – Ed.
Wesley himself lived every day, every hour, as though it were his
last. He said:- “Perhaps He will
appear as the dayspring from on high, before morning light. Oh, do not set us a time! Expect Him every hour. Now He is nigh, even at the doors.” He wrote thus to Dr. Conyers Middleton in 1749. “The doctrine,
as you very well know, which Justin deduced from the prophets and the Apostles,
in which he was undoubtedly followed by the
Fathers of the second and third centuries, is this: ‘The souls of them who have been martyred for the witness of
Jesus, and for the Word of God and who have not worshipped the beast, neither
received his mark, shall live and reign with Christ a thousand years. But the rest of the dead shall not live again
until the thousand years are finished.’ Now to say that they believed this is neither
more or less than to say that they believed the Bible.”
So Bishop Coke, who had charge of all the missionary work of the first
Methodism, wrote:- “The period of time which yet
remains we know is short, who can tell?
We ought to be in constant expectation of it. At the coming of Christ to deliver and avenge
His people, the faith of His coming will be in a great measure lost. The doctrine of the Millennium was greatly
believed in the first three and purest ages; the doctrine lay depressed for
ages, but sprang up again at the Reformation.”]
2.
REMEMBER
The verse leading into the
Lord’s warning, “Remember Lot’s wife,” states:
“In that day, he which shall be upon the housetop, and
his stuff in the house, let him not come down to take it away: and he that is
in the field, let him likewise not return back” (v. 31). An almost word - for -
word reference appears in the Jewish section of the Olivet Discourse (Matt. 24: 17, 18). In Matthew, the reference is to a literal
return back into the house. However, in
Luke this cannot be the case. The
context plainly shows that the Lord referred to these events in an entirely
different sense, a figurative sense.
Contextually, in the verses both preceding and following, the return is
back toward the ways and practices of the world rather than moving ahead, away
from the world system, toward the goal of one’s calling. The thought drawn from the context is to keep
one’s eyes fixed on the goal out ahead, with the implied warning, “Don’t look back!”
[See notes 3. & 5.
above.]
Two very significant things
stand out concerning Lot’s wife: (a) she was delivered from Sodom along with Lot and her two
virgin daughters before judgment fell, but (b) she looked back* and was turned into a pillar of salt (Gen.
19: 16, 26). And Christ drew from
this account to teach His disciples great spiritual truths concerning saving or
losing one’s “1ife [‘soul’]” (v. 33), which is
associated contextually with being either received in an intimate manner or
turned away in an opposite manner (vv.
34-36).
[See notes 3. & 5.
above.]
[* See Dan. 2: 35, 44, 45: “…the great God hath made known to the king (Nebuchadnezzar) what shall come to pass hereafter.” - Ed.]
Christ stated during His earthly
ministry, “No man, having put his hand to the
plough, and looking back, is fit
for the kingdom of God” (Luke 9: 62). The
word “looking”* in the Greek text, as
the words “watch” and “pray” in Luke 21: 36, is in
a tense showing continuous action. A man beginning a task (putting his hand to the plough) and looking
back after the fashion described by the Lord would be continually turning away
from the task. He would be headed
in one direction but continually looking in another direction. Rather than keeping his eyes fixed on the
goal ahead, he would be continually turning away from this goal. Christ declared that such a man would be unfit “for the
kingdom”
** (cf. James 1: 8).
[NOTE 6. * We do well to remind
ourselves that the words of Dr. A. B.
Simpson. “There
are two ways of looking for the Lord’s Coming.
There is a looking for and there is a looking at
it. It is possible to look at it with a
keen intellect and profound interest, and yet have it meaning nothing to us
personally. It is possible to know but
little of the theology and exegesis of the subject, and yet have a deep and
holy longing for our Lord to appear.
When a wedding is about to occur, the public are looking at
it, but the bride - [i.e.,
those whose presonal high standard of righteousness, will qualify them rule
with Him] - is looking
for
it. Oh, that this great theme may not
only be our study but our personal hope, for “unto them
that look for Him shall He appear a second time
unto salvation.”
** NOTE 7. It is most significant that this man, though looking
back, still has his hand on the plow: it is a disciple still in the active service of Christ, and to all
appearances a devoted servant of God. What does the backward look mean
experimentally? Have we not all felt moments when every fibre of our
being called us back? The furrow
we are driving is so narrow; the Christless philosophies of the world are so
comforting and wide - aye, and so remunerative; the ground we plow is so hard and stony; the Christian service is so
solemn, and the refusing of fleshly and worldly desires so stern. But there can be no martyr’s crown without
martyrdom: we can never win the ‘well done’
unless we unremittingly do well. “If
he” - my ‘righteous one,’ a truly saved soul - “shrink back, my soul hath
no pleasure in him” (Hebrews 10: 38). “Not
every one that saith unto me, Lord, Lord, - this man had said, ‘I will follow thee, Lord’ - “shall enter into the kingdom of heaven, but he that doeth the will” - the
flawless furrow – “of my father which is in heaven” (Matt. 7: 21).
“No man, having put his hand to the plow, and looking back, IS FIT FOR THE KINGDOM OF GOD.”
The Kingdom of God on our Lord’s
lips, and in all literal passages, has but one meaning - the coming ten
golden centuries of God’s reign on [this] earth; and no king can rule wisely and well
without a fitness for royalty produced by character and experience. – D. M. PANTON.]
The mention of Lot’s wife is
drawn from Christ’s reference to the days of Noah and the days of
It is evident that such was the
case with
[* NOTE 8. Hence, politics, which broadly speaking is the
collective activity and expedient administration of earthly governments,
are by their very nature forbidden territory to one who belongs
to the Father. The strife and clash of opposing opinions
among men seeking to rule without God clearly forbid the interference of one
separated by Christ from the wisdom of this world. The political
arena is the breeding ground for the secret diplomacy that periodically hurls
one nation at another. It is an established fact that politics are a
career, yet who would dare, nay who is competent, to say just what
particular motive is driving a politician along a certain line of thought?
It is generally
accepted that the aim of the politician is a healthier state of society.
But the lessons of history, one’s personal experience, and the decidedly unhealthy and
dangerous conditions of the political arena of our own day do not support that
view. The determination to satisfy personal vanity and the wielding of
personal power in the realm of power-politics seem to be much nearer the truth. The gilded lie was never so much in
evidence as in our own day. Continental
political giants have been striped naked and exposed as careerists and cowards,
vultures living on the people.
It cannot be too
strongly pointed out that the social righteousness advocated by the
politician is a righteousness without God. At best it is humanism
that is wholly detached from the purity of God’s Righteousness as revealed in
Jesus Christ. Frankly considered, the case against the believer
becoming enmeshed in the political confusion that so substantially contributes
to the prevailing perplexity has been proved conclusively. – OWEN VOSS.]
Lot “lingered” in
Thus, the Lord’s warning to His
disciples concerning
3. WHOSOEVER
SHALL SEEK TO SAVE ... LOSE ...
The Lord’s warning to remember
Lot’s wife, His statement relating to saving or losing one’s “1ife [‘soul’],” and His
statement relative to individuals being either received in an intimate manner
or turned away in an opposite manner are placed together in Luke, chapter
seventeen and refer to the same central truth (vv.
32-36). The experience of
Lot’s wife (v. 32) would parallel the loss of one’s
life (v. 33) or being tuned away by the Lord
(vv. 34-36). And the inverse would be true for an individual
keeping his eyes fixed on “the mountain” rather
than looking back toward “the plain.” His experience would parallel the saving of
his life (v. 33) or being received in an intimate
manner by the Lord (vv. 34-36).
Saving or losing one’s “1ife [‘soul’]” is,
contextually, placed within events following deliverance from the destruction which befell the
cities of the plain. This is a type of
the deliverance which Christians will experience before the destruction which is about to
befall this present world system, the coming Great Tribulation. And the saving or losing of one’s “life [‘soul’],”
insofar as Christians are concerned, would have to occur at the same time as in
the type - following
deliverance from the
world before events
of the Great Tribulation.
Eternal verities are not in view at all. Saving or losing one’s “1ife [‘soul’]” has to
do with events at the judgment seat of Christ. It is here that Christians will either be
received in an intimate manner or be turned away in an opposite manner. Or, as revealed in Luke 21: 36, it is here that
Christians will either be granted the privilege to “stand before the Son of man” or be
denied this privilege.
Scripture elsewhere also teaches
the same basic truths concerning saving or losing one’s “life [‘soul’].” Eternal verities are never in view, though many erroneously
make such an association. Teaching that
the salvation of the soul has to
do with the eternal salvation which we presently possess is foreign to any New
Testament usage of the expression, and such an association will serve only to
obscure that which Scripture actually teaches on the subject.
Notice three passages of
Scripture by way of illustration: Matt. 16: 24-27; James
1: 21; 1 Peter 1: 9. In Matthew, the
saving of the soul is in connection with works which will be revealed and rewards which will be given at the time
of Christ’s return (v. 27); in James, the saving of the soul is in connection
with a justification by works for
those who have already been justified by grace through faith (cf. 1: 21, 22; 2: 14-26); and in 1 Peter, the saving of
the soul is in connection with a person receiving the “end
[goal]” of his
faith (works
emanate out of faithfulness to one’s calling [James
2: 14-26]).*
[* NOTE 9. It is to the reader’s loss, that the author of
the above section has failed to teach the Intermediate Place and State of the Soul
immediately after the time of death! But
“a careful reading of the context of these verses
reveals that they speak to the regenerated man.
If, as many proclaim, that the regeneration we now possess in Christ is
that which has taken place in the soul, why do the above Scriptures speak DIRECTLY
of the soul being saved AT THE END OF OUR FAITH [in 1 Peter 1: 5]?
… at
death the [animating] spirit returns to God (Eccl. 3:1; 12:7; Lk. 23:46;
Acts 7:59). And, on the spirit vacating the body it dies
and goes into the grave (James 2: 26; Lk. 23: 52 53; Acts 8:2). Also in Luke
16: 22, 23, we were enlightened further about
the death state. There it was revealed
what happened to the third part of our trichotomy,
the soul. Now it does not mention the word PSUCHE
(soul) specifically in the context. But
having knowledge from the other Scriptures mention above, concerning the body,
and the spirit, Luke 16: 22, 23 must then reveal the state of the soul at death. It says of Lazarus the beggar that he died, ‘ ... and was carried by the angels into Abraham’s bosom.’ And of the rich
man, that he died, and was buried; ‘... and in
hell [Hades] he lift up his eyes, being
in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bosom’. (see also 12: 20). The soul
then, DOES NOT RETURN TO GOD [in Heaven] AS THE SPIRIT DOES AT DEATH. It goes to a place,
prepared for it (Job 30:23) - the unregenerate to one part, and the regenerate to another. There the soul will remain until either the
first resurrection when it will be united once again with its now glorified
(spiritual) body indwelt by the already regenerated spirit which had returned
to God at the death: or, in the case of the unregenerate - [and also many of the regenerate not
‘worthy to attain to the resurrection [out] from the dead’ (Luke 20: 35; Phil. 3: 11)]
- in the
second resurrection (which is a thousand
years later) and to stand before the great white throne in judgment (Rev 29:4, 5, 11, 12). The re-uniting of body, soul, and spirit of
the regenerate person completes the ‘redemption
of the PURCHASED POSSESSION.’
–
J. C. HULL.]
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