Desert photographs by Dr. R. C. Tindle.
By Way of Introduction
Matthew 13: 11“And he” - [Jesus] – “answered and said unto them” - [i.e., His ‘disciples’ (apostles)] - ‘Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven,
but to them it is not given. 12 For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have abundance:
but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that which he
hath. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables; because seeing they see not, and hearing they hear
not, neither do they understand. 14 And unto them it is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah, which saith,
“By hearing ye shall hear, and shall
not understand;
And seeing ye shall see, and shall in no wise
perceive:
15 For this people’s heart is waxed gross,
And their ears are dull of hearing,
And their eyes they have closed;
Lest haply they should perceive with their eyes,
And hear with their ears,
And understand with their heart,
And should
turn again,
And I should heal them.” …
‘ 19 When anyone heareth
the WORD OF THE KINGDOM,* and understandeth it not, then cometh the evil one,
and snatcheth away that which hath been sown in his heart. This is he that was
sown by the way side. 20 And he that was sown upon the rocky places, this is he that heareth
the word” - [i.e., ‘the word of the kingdom’; not
the message of eternal salvation by grace through faith in Christ Jesus - also
in the following verse.] - “and straightway with joy receiveth it; 21 yet hath he not root in himself, but endureth for a while; and when tribulation
or persecution ariseth because of the word, straightway he stumbleth.
22 And he that was sown upon the good ground, this is
he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; who verily
beareth fruit,** and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.’”
- REVISED VERSION, 1881.
* “The Word (or ‘Message’
N.I.V.) of the Kingdom,” is not the message of eternal
salvation by grace through faith in our Lord Jesus Christ. This should be apparent to all who rightly
interpret the above passage. The Holy
Spirit is given to those who OBEY (Acts 5: 32), as well as those who BELIEVE: and He knows when our all is fully yielded to doing our Saviour’s
will; and until that is the case, it is pure mockery to confess our sin and
then wilfully
continue in it afterwards. We
must be determined to find His grace and strength to turn from it, and with full purpose of heart and honesty confess
and abandon it.
** “Acts speak louder than words,” is a common phrase
used today; and it also holds true in the spiritual realm. There are multitudes of regenerate believers
who may say they are ‘converted,’
but their lifestyle is not bearing the ‘fruit’
of their conversion! They are
dupes of Satan, deceiving themselves and risking the loss of their ‘inheritance’ in the ‘
Christians are living in “perilous
times.” These are the last of “the Last days” and
the love of many is “waxing cold.” Christ is about to spew many of His people out
of His mouth (Rev. 3: 16): and multitudes today
are being deceived and deluded by a ‘gospel’
which is only the half the truth in the “Gospel!”(Acts 20: 24. cf.
verse 25).
Many are walking along the road to ‘destruction’
(Heb. 10: 39), and do not realize it! Being fully persuaded that because they are
regenerate believers, they believe themselves certain of everything! Because they have been baptized, joined a
church and partaken of the Lord’s Supper, they think there is no urgent
necessity for a sanctified life: and all the time they are being deluded by
Satan and eating and drinking damnation to their souls every time they sit
around the Lord’s Table. The Churches
have compromised with the world; and Divine truths which need to be disclosed to
Christians are being ignored; and many Christians today are unwilling to hear
them! But the fact remains: “You can never get a man out of a bog-hole by
going in beside him.” If
we are to live holy, happy, obedient, soul-saving lives, worthy of the Lord
unto all pleasing, it is imperative for us to be obedient to Him and filled
with the Holy Spirit. Without
His power in our lives it is impossible to withstand the assault of the enemy;
and without His teaching, there can only be blindness to a correct
interpretation or understanding of the Word of Truth: all depends upon His
grace and our willingness to learn from Him.
It has rightly been said that there is a peril of “uncounted cost. It is one thing to
make a start. The first step is not the
hardest, but the last. ‘Lord, I will follow Thee whithersoever Thou goest,’ protested one
candidate; and you know the reply: ‘The foxes
have holes and the birds have nests, but the Son of Man has not where to lay
His head’; and then it was good-bye, Jesus.
“When the storm occurred on the lake
there may have been an inclination to say, ‘Thank you, I am a fair weather Christian.’ But ‘Except a man forsake all he hath, he cannot be My
disciple; except a man deny himself, and take
up his cross daily, he cannot be My disciple. … Which of you, going to build, does not count the cost?” The Christian
life is a life of battle and building and the Lord would have us to count the
cost. Many a pilgrim has made a good
start and a bad ending, because he did not count the cost of the
persecution, - of being ostracised, maligned, misrepresented and hated of all
men.
It is better never to make the move than to make it and make
a mess of it.” (W. P. Nicholson.)
But are those who ‘make a mess of it’
eternally
lost? No. But they risk loosing the “inheritance”
in the “age”
to come. Hence the importance of being
judged worthy to “ENTER the Kingdom of
the heavens” (Matt. 5: 20; Luke 20: 35, (Greek): and this,
relative to the dead ‘in Christ’ - presently in
Hades (Luke 16: 23, 31. cf. Matt. 16: 18; Psa. 16: 10; Acts 2: 34), - requires passing the
Divine judgment BEFORE the time of their RESURRECTION, (Phil. 3: 11; Heb. 11: 35b; Rev. 20: 4, 5. cf. Heb. 11:
39; Rev. 6: 9-11.).
May the Lord richly bless these writings, make them effective
in changing the lives of His redeemed people, and awaken multitudes of His
redeemed people from their spiritual slumber and blindness. We are in desperate need of another REVIVAL.
THE DANGER OF DISTRACTION
One of the greatest dangers facing Christians today is their
lack of scriptural understanding. It
might seem a ridiculous statement to make, particularly at a time when we are
witnessing an explosion of worldly knowledge.
But in spite of all the information obtainable on the internet, most
Christians lack the knowledge that’s most important to their immediate future:
and those placed in positions of responsibility within the
Some years ago I received four recorded messages on cassette
tape by a prominent Bible teacher. They
were expositions of Hebrews 12: 1-3. One was is entitled: ‘Train to
Reign – The Danger of Distraction.’ Throughout this message, the preacher talked
about ‘loosing focus’; about being
distracted by so many things happening around us, and how easy it is to take
our eyes off Jesus. He makes mention of
the “sin-pounds”
which we need to take off if we are to win the “Prize.” “The weights,”
he said, “are so much of us that we need to strip off”:
and asked the question: “What are the things that are
weights that have to go and the sin-pounds we
are so accustomed to that we carry them so long that we don’t even know they
are there?” In his sermon he went
on to stress the importance of endurance and perseverance, and the
need of repentance and restoration after a fall.
He pointed out that Paul named his enemies to warn Christians
of those who would do them harm and lead them astray: “Alexander the metalworker did me a great deal of harm. The Lord will repay him for what he has
done. You too should be on your guard
against him, because he strongly opposed our message”:
(2 Tim. 4: 14, N.I.V.). “Anything that does
not propel us forward,” he said, “is holding us
backward: and we have got to ask ‘What are the things that we hold very dearly, that we
cherish, that are weights that have to go’?”
He likened the Christian race to a marathon: “The key is measuring our stride, …
I may find myself dragging in at the end, but I
need to come in, I need to come in!”
Luke 24: 25, 26; I John 2: 3-7; 1 Pet. 2; 19,
20; Phil. 2: 3, 4 were also referred to, and continued the exposition with
other questions and observations:
“Where is our head?” “What are we
thinking about?” “Looking unto Jesus is the key to victory over distraction:
I get in the way of myself; I am a major distraction, and I
need to think it through.”
“You go back to the track, you watch
those runners; boy, they’re fixed on the goal, aren’t they? And your man is way out in front; and you’re
cheering him on; and you never see him stop and take a bow and
say, ‘Thank you, thank you’: you
only see that in the Christian race!
They don’t get distracted! Why? Because they want to win, and they keep
their eye in the goal.” “They
are aware, but they don’t lose focus.”
All this and much more was heard: but
he
failed to make known, or try to explain, what the “Prize” was!
Several years later, and on the same topic he writes:-
“I sometimes preach from Hebrews 12: 1-3 about reducing in order to run the Christian race
effectively. As the text suggests, we
can’t run well if we carry around a lot of extra weight. So I allude to what happens to the body when
it puts on a pound of fat. The fat adds
tremendous strain to the heart, the muscles, the respiratory system, and makes
it difficult for a person to run. I
suggest that sin-pounds have a similar adverse effect on the spiritual
life, making it difficult to run the Christian race effectively. Invariably, that message produces more
converts to jogging than to spiritual exercise.
Why? Because people
are more concerned about being in shape physically than they are about being in
shape spiritually. Apparently they don’t want ill health to
curtail their enjoyment of the ‘good life.’”
The vast majority of Christians today appear to have ‘lost focus’: the churches in
But there was more which needed to be disclosed! and Paul quickly moved into the realm of responsibility
truths, conditional promises, the importance of good works, and the prospect of
a “just recompense of reward” at the Judgment
Seat of Christ. That is, of being
rewarded exactly as our actions (since conversion) deserve:“That we” – the apostle includes himself – “MIGHT” - [for the “Prize” is not given to any not ‘accounted worthy’ of it.] - “receive the FULL rights
of sons” (4: 5) – a double portion of
our inheritance – both millennial and eternal.
Like ‘Seventh Day Adventists’
in our day, they were “observing special days and
months and seasons and years!” (verse 10). “You were running a
good race,” Paul said: and then he asked the question: “Who cut in on you and kept you from obeying the truth?”
Instead of looking out ahead to a time of ‘Reward’ and a future ‘Inheritance’
in the coming Millennial Kingdom of our Lord Jesus Christ, they were distracted
by the enemy and began to look at things then present and back into past
experiences! They were not living within
the rules of the ‘New Covenant’ which God had
established at the time of Messiah’s death!
They were still only infants, feeding on the milk of the Word but, “not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness:”
(Heb. 5: 13)!
Then comes the apostle’s encouragement
and warning against the loss of
their future inheritance:- “You, my brothers, were called to be free. But do not
use your freedom to indulge the sinful nature; rather, serve one another in love.
The entire law is summed up in a single command, ‘Love your neighbour as
yourself.’ If you keep on biting and devouring each other, watch out or you will
be destroyed by each other.
“So I say, live by the Spirit, and you will not gratify the desires of the sinful
nature. For the sinful nature
desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit
what is contrary to the sinful nature.
They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you
want. But if you are led by the Spirit, you are not under law.
“The acts of the sinful nature are
obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; idolatry and witchcraft;
hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissentions,
factions and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn YOU
as I did before, that those”* - [i.e.,
Christians] – “who live like this will NOT
INHERIT THE
* Here is another of his numerous inferences to the ever
present possibility and danger of losing one’s inheritance in the millennial
“The changes of our time have brought upon Christianity the most crucial
conflicts and the most searching ordeals which it has experienced since its foundation. Neither in the days of the persecution by the
Roman Empire, nor when Arianism struck at the heart
of the Christian faith, nor when Mohammedanism threatened to overwhelm
Christendom, has the Church been exposed to dangers so great and attacks so
fierce as those which menace it today,”
-THE BISHOP OF WINCHESTER, presidential address to the Church
Congress.
*
* *
THE
TORMENTS OF THE APOSTATE
Francis Spira, to whom we now refer,
lived about the middle of the sixteenth century (1548). He was a doctor of law, and an advocate of
high rank in the town of
About his 44th year, Spira’s attention began to be turned to the work of Luther
and other Reformers. Eager in the
pursuit of knowledge, he forthwith began to inquire. Spira embraced the
Reformed doctrines with so much zeal, that he even became in his turn a
preacher of them; at least among his family (which was numerous) and his
friends he sought to disseminate what he had himself embraced. To some extent he abandoned other pursuits,
and urged his friends to depend solely on the grace of God in Christ for
salvation. He was well versed in the
Scriptures, took a firm hold of their doctrines, and did all that he could to
spread the light at once by his life and his lessons.
The Pope’s legate at
* See, Judas was a Regenerate Believer.
His friends were anxious to read
the Scriptures with the agonized man, in the hope of alleviating his misery;
but terrified by the attempt, he roared out in anguish, beseeching them to
desist. The physicians we have seen, declared that there was no bodily distemper; yet, from
hour to hour, his misery became more and more intense, and the pitiable
spectacle became intolerable to the onlookers.
Paul Vergerio,
Bishop of Justinopli,
and others tried from time to time to soothe him, but all was rejected. His mind seemed to become acute,
and inventive of arguments by which to torment himself, by repelling the
suggestions of his friends. He clung to
the conviction that he was a
reprobate, and declared that “there was no room in his heart for aught but
torment and agitation”. Roaring in
bitterness of spirit, he explained:- “It is a fearful
thing to fall into the hands of the Living God. ... I have a whole legion of
devils who take up their abode in me, and possess me as their own, and that
justly, for I have denied Christ.”
In one of his paroxysms he exclaimed:- “I desire nothing
more than to come to that place where I may be certain of enduring the worst:
and of being delivered from the fear of a worse to come.”
Rarely has the appalling
termination of such a career been so stedfastly
contemplated. There was a kind of method
in his agony, for he never ceased to affirm that “when he renounced his opinions he believed
them to be true, and yet he abjured them before the legate.” His mind, through this torturing process,
gradually settled down in the conviction that he had sinned against the Holy
Spirit, and, entrenched behind that conviction, no created power could move
him. He spoke of his mind as corroded by
the reprobation of God, Who had hardened him; and, “I find,” he adds, “that from day to
day, He hardens me more and more.”
When he reasoned regarding his punishment, he always justified the ways
of God, declaring that “there was no punishment which he did not deserve for so
detestable a crime”; and adding: “I assure you, it is no little thing to deny
Christ and yet it is more common than is imagined.” At another time he exclaimed:- “Oh! could I only experience the least sentiment of the love
of God towards me, although it were but for a moment, as I now feel the weight of
His wrath burning like the torments of hell within me, and afflicting my
conscience with inexpressible anguish! Assuredly, despair is hell itself!”
Painful as are these passages in
Spira’s life, they are but like,
the opening scene in this tragic drama.
“Here is
the truth of my case,” he exclaimed, when his anguish grew more and
more overpowering: “I tell you, that when I first abjured my profession at
At other
periods Spira gave clear evidence, that, though he
could not apply the Gospel to himself, he yet could preach it to others. He urged his friends to “exalt the glory of God continually; and not to
be afraid of legate, inquisitors, prisons, or any kind of death.” The moments, however, were few and
infrequent; and incidents sometimes occurred to rouse him to intense vehemence
of feeling. Antonio Fontania, a priest, who had been
with him when he recanted before the legate, came to visit him, and reminded
the wretched man of their last interview: “0 the accursed day,” he exclaimed. “0 the accursed day! Would that I had never been at
Toward the close of his life, he
addressed some young men in the most solemn and instructive terms, warning them
from his case to beware of a religion of form, or of making faith their
Saviour. He spoke of the merits of
Christ as “a
strong rampart against the wrath of God”; but added, that he had “demolished that
bulwark with his own hands”, and was now overwhelmed by the
deluge. He urged those around him to
beware of being “almost Christians”, as he had been, and then broke out into
vehement emotion, indicative of his internal agony. “Give me a sword,” he exclaimed. “Why, what use will you make of it?” “I cannot tell,” he rejoined, “to what act my
feelings may carry me, nor what I may do.”
He subsequently declared to Vergerio, when his friends began to take leave of him, “that he felt his
heart full of cursing, hatred and blasphemy against God,” instead of
being softened by the prospect of being left alone; and, on the following day,
he attempted self-destruction, without success.
For eight weeks did he continue in this lamentable state, refusing
nourishment, except as it was forced on him, and gradually becoming emaciated
and haggard; and died, soon after returning to his own house from Padua, a melancholy monument of the effects of
unstedfastness in the faith and the fatal results of that fear of man that
bringeth a share.
- D. M. PANTON.
*
* *
“APOSTASY CAN COME WITH
THE SPEED OF AN
EXPRESS.”*
[*The following account was published in D. M. Panton’s Evangelical Mid-monthly Magazine on August 15th,
1939.]
It is but a few years since President Hindenberg – we have reason to
know, a regenerate man – instructed Reichbishop Muller:- “See that Christ is preached in
* * *
SCRIPTURE
CONSEQUENCES OF APOSTASY
“ 27 I have heard the
murmurings of the children of
* See also Psa. 106.
cf. Psa. 95:7-11:
and the ‘rest’ with that found in Heb. 4: 1, 11.
“1 For I would not brethren, have you
ignorant, how that our fathers were all under the cloud, and all passed through
the sea; 2 and were all baptized into Moses in the cloud and
in the sea; 3 and did all eat of the same spiritual meat; 4 and did all drink of the same spiritual drink: for they drank of the
spiritual rock that followed them: and that rock was Christ. 5 Howbeit with
most of them God was not well pleased: for they were overthrown in the
wilderness. 6 Now in these things they became figures [or ‘types’], to the intent we should not lust after evil things, as they
also lusted. 7 Neither be ye idolaters, as were some of them; as it is written, The
people sat down to eat and drink, and rose up to play. 8 Neither let us commit fornication, as some of them
committed, and fell in one day three and twenty thousand. 9. Neither let us tempt the Lord, as some of them
tempted, and perished by the serpents. 10 Neither murmur ye, as some of them murmured, and perished by the
destroyer. 11 Now these thing happened unto them by way of
figure; and they were written FOR OUR ADMONITION, upon whom the ends of the ages are come.
12 Wherefore let him that thinketh he
standeth take heed lest he fall. 13 There hath no temptation taken you but such as man can bear: but God is
faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but
will with the temptation make also a way of escape, that ye may be able to
endure it.” (1 Cor.
10: 1-13, R.V.).
*
* *
CHAPTER 1
Contending for the Faith*
By A. L.
CHITWOOD.
[* The following – (chapters 1, 3 and part of 5) - are selected from of the
author’s book: ‘JUDE Acts of the Apostates’.]
Beloved, when I gave
all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me
to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith
which was once delivered unto the saints (Jude
3).
Following
introductory remarks in verses one and two, Jude calls attention to the
original intent of his epistle. Jude had
originally set about to write on the “common salvation
[salvation by grace through faith, possessed commonly by all believers]”; but
the Holy Spirit prevented him from writing upon this subject and, instead,
moved him to write upon something entirely different. The Holy Spirit moved Jude to write upon contending
for the faith during a day
of apostasy.
There are two indispensable keys
which one must possess when studying the Epistle of Jude: (a) a correct understanding of “apostasy from the
faith” as it relates to both individual Christians and to the
Church as a whole, and (b) a correct
understand of exactly what is meant by the expression “earnestly contend for the faith.” These things must be grasped at the very
outset or else the main message in this epistle will be either distorted or
lost to the reader.
“Apostasy from the faith,” the first indispensable key, was the main
subject under discussion throughout the
introduction to this book; and this introductory material should prove
sufficient to provide a base upon which one can build as he moves on into the
Epistle of Jude and views the various forms which apostasy can take. Those
who apostatize from the faith are Christians not those of the world. It is not possible for an unsaved person to “stand away from” the faith, for he has never come into a position
from which he can stand away. Only the saved have come into this
position, and only the saved can enter into this latter-day apostasy.
The
second indispensable key which one must possess to correctly understand the
Epistle of Jude is the subject matter at hand in our present study – “earnestly contend for the faith,” which
in one sense of the word is the opposite of “apostasy from the faith.” However, contrary to popular interpretation,
this opposite meaning has nothing to do with being a protector or guardian of
the great Christian doctrines. Something
entirely different is in view, and this will constitute the subject matter of
our present study.
Striving in the Contest
The words translated “earnestly contend” in Jude 3 are from the Greek word epagonizomai. This
is an intensified form of the word agonizomai, from which we derive the English word
“agonize.”
The word agonizomai is
found in such passages as 1 Cor.
9: 25 (“striveth”), 1 Tim. 6:12 (“fight”),
and 2 Tim. 4: 7 (“fought”). This word refers particularly to a “struggle in a contest.”
In 1
Cor. 9: 24-27 Paul pictured himself as a
contestant in a race with a victor’s crown to be won by successful completion
of the race. He “agonized” as he ran the race. That is, he
strained every muscle of his being as he sought to finish the race in a
satisfactory manner and be awarded the proffered crown.
1 Tim. 6: 12 states,
“Fight the good fight of faith, lay hold on eternal life,
whereunto thou art also called …” This verse could be
better translated, “Strive [‘Agonize,’
Agonizomai] in the good contest [agon] of the faith;
lay hold on life for the age whereunto
thou art also called …” Agon, translated “contest,” is the
noun form of the verb agonizomai, translated “strive.”
A contest race is in view (same as 1 Cor. 9: 24-27), and it is a “contest of the faith.” It is “striving”
relative
to the faith.
2 Tim. 4: 7 is a very similar verse. “I have
fought a good fight …” could
be better translated, “I have strived [‘agonized,’ agonizomai] in the good contest [agon] ...” The “contest” here, as in 1 Tim. 6: 12, has to do with the faith. This verse, along with the
following, goes on to state, “I have finished my
course [the contest/race], I have kept the faith: Henceforth there is
laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge,
shall give me at that day …”
The contest or race here is the same race set forth in 1 Cor. 9: 24-27, with one or more crowns
in view at the end of the race. And
successful completion of the race will
result in the runner being crowned, anticipating the coming rule from the
heavens over the earth as a joint-heir with Christ (called “life for the age” in 1 Tim. 6: 12.
With these things in mind
concerning the use of the word agonizomai relative to “the faith,” note the expression “earnestly contend for the
faith” in Jude 3. In keeping with the other translations, the
exact thought brought out by the word epagonizomai in Jude could perhaps be better
understood by using the translation “earnestly
strive.” Once again a
contest/race is in view, and the thought is really earnestly striving “with reference to the faith” rather than earnestly
striving “for the faith.”
The wording in the Greek text will allow either translation, but related
Scriptures are concerned with the basic thought from the former translation
rather than the latter. Earnestly
striving “with reference to the faith” in Jude carries the identical
thought as striving “in the good contest
of the faith” in 1 Timothy. The intensified form
of agonizomai (used only this one place in the New
Testament) undoubtedly appears in Jude because of the immediate danger of the
recipients of this message being caught up in the apostasy at hand.
Jude and 2 Peter
Understanding exactly what is
involved in earnestly striving “with
reference to the faith” in Jude
is possibly best brought out in 2 Peter. 2 Peter is
the companion epistle to Jude. Both epistles deal with the same subject
matter throughout “faith,” and “apostasy.”
“Faith” appears
first in both epistles (Jude 3: 2 Peter ch. 1), followed
by “apostasy” from
the faith (Jude 4ff; 2 Peter chs.
2, 3).
2 Peter also
occupies the same unique relationship to 1 Peter
that Jude occupies relative to certain
preceding epistles (Hebrews; James; 1, 2 Peter; 1,
2; 3 John). 1 Peter deals specifically with the salvation of the soul, and 2
Peter deals with “faith”(ch. 1) and “apostasy” (chs. 2, 3)
in relation to this salvation. The same order is set forth in Jude and the seven preceding epistles. The seven epistles preceding Jude, as (and including) 1
Peter, also deal specifically with the salvation of the soul. Jude then forms the capstone for the entire
subject, presenting, as 2 Peter, “faith” in relation to the salvation of the soul first (v. 3), and
then “apostasy” in
relation to the salvation of the soul
(vv. 4ff).
Parallels in the sections on apostasy
from the faith in both
epistles (Jude 4ff; 2
Peter 2: 1ff) clearly
illustrate the oneness of Peter’s and Jude’s messages. Numerous identical subjects, events, and
places are recorded in the same order (cf.
2 Peter 2: 1-3, and Jude
4; 2 Peter 2: 4-9 and Jude 6, 7; 2 Peter 2:
10-14 and Jude 8-10; 2 Peter 2: 15, 16
and Jude 11; 2 Peter 2: 17, 18 and Jude 12, 13, 16; 2 Peter 3: 1-13 and Jude 17-19).
“Apostasy” in both
instances is from the same “faith”; and since Scripture is to be
interpreted in the light of Scripture, a proper study on either “faith” or “apostasy” in one
epistle would necessitate a study of the same subject matter in the other
epistle. The best available commentary
on Jude is 2
Peter, along with other related Scripture; and the best available
commentary on 2 Peter is Jude, along with other related Scripture.
Our main
interest at hand is the parallel sections on “faith” in the
two epistles. Where Jude devotes one verse to earnestly
striving with reference to the faith: (v. 3), Peter devotes the greater part of an
entire chapter to maturity in the faith (ch. 1). And this chapter, in the light of Jude and
other related Scripture, is actually a dissertation on earnestly striving “with reference
to the faith,” which
will result in the one engaged in this “contest
of the faith” (if he
runs according to the rules) “receiving the end [goal]” of his faith, even the salvation of his soul (1 Peter 1: 9). Thus, in order to properly understand Jude 3, the remainder of this study will be drawn from 2 Peter, chapter one.
Maturity in the Faith
Peter directs his second epistle
to “them that have obtained like precious
faith with us through the righteousness of God and our Saviour [lit ‘our God and Saviour’] Jesus Christ” (v. 1). This is a “faith”
possessed by all Christians. We were all accorded
the same measure of “faith” at the
time of the birth from above. Every
Christian begins at the same point with the same “like
precious faith.” Then, in verses five
through seven Christians are to “add to [lit. ‘abundantly
supply in’]” this faith “virtue;
and to [‘in’] virtue knowledge; and to [‘in’] knowledge temperance; and to [‘in’]
temperance patience; and to [‘in’]
patience godliness; and to [‘in’]
godliness brotherly kindness; and to [‘in’] brotherly kindness charity.” Peter then states that “if these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither
be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge [epignosis, ‘mature
knowledge’] of our Lord Jesus Christ.”
The Greek word epignosis, referring to a “mature knowledge,” occurs three times in 2 Peter, chapter one (vv. 2, 3, 8). In verse two “grace
and peace” are multiplied through a mature knowledge “of God, and of Jesus our Lord [lit. ‘of God, even Jesus our Lord’ (cf. v. 1)].” In verse three
Christians are given “all things that pertain unto life and
godliness” through the mature knowledge “of
him that hath called us to glory and virtue”; and in
verses five through eight,
abundantly supplying the things listed (with “faith” as the
foundation), will result (if these things “abound” in the person) in “fruitbearing” within one’s mature knowledge “of our Lord Jesus
Christ.”
Colossians 2: 2, 3 is a
corresponding passage concerning a mature knowledge “of Jesus our Lord” which deals with the same basic
truths as 2 Peter 1: 2, 3, 8. In the Colossian passage the “mystery of God” is revealed to be Christ
and in Him “are hid all the treasures of wisdom
and knowledge.” The words appearing
between “God” and “Christ” (v.
2) in the Authorized Version are not found in the best Greek
manuscripts, and the latter part of this verse should read literally: “… unto a mature
knowledge [epignosis] of the mystery of God, Christ.” The name “Christ” is
placed in opposition to the word “mystery” in the
Greek text, making Christ to be “the mystery of God.” The things in this mystery were unrevealed in
prior ages; but now, through the
teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit, the previously hidden truths
concerning Christ are being made known to the saints. Man today has the complete revelation of God,
and as this revelation is received into man’s saved human spirit, the
indwelling Holy Spirit takes the Word of God and reveals things (previously
hidden) concerning the Son (cf. John 16: 13-15; 1 Cor. 2: 6-13;
Gen. 24: 4, 10, 36, 53).
In Col. 2: 2, 3 it is
only the person coming into a mature knowledge of the “mystery of God” who will see the great
storehouse of “treasures of wisdom and knowledge”
in
Christ. In like manner, only the person coming
into a mature knowledge of “Jesus our Lord” in 2 Peter 12, 3, 8, contained in the “mystery
of God” in Col. 2: 2, will realize an increase of “grace” and “peace” (cf. “Mercy unto you, and
peace, and love, be multiplied” [Jude 2],
or come into possession of the numerous other things mentioned in this chapter.
In 2
Peter 1: 3, 4, a mature knowledge of God’s Son results in the
realization of two things:
(a) Possessing “all things that pertain unto life and godliness.” “Life” (Gr. Zoe) is used referring to life in its absolute
fulness which a Christian is to exhibit during his present pilgrim walk, and “godliness” refers
to piety or reverence which is to be exhibited
at the same time. A godly walk in the
fulness of life is appropriating that which God has for man (revealed in His
Word) and, at the same time walking in a Godlike manner.
(b) Possessing
“great and precious promises.” Through
these “great and precious promises”
(revealed in God’s Word) individuals become
“partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption
that is in the world [by means of epignosis; cf. 2 Peter 1: 2, 3; 2: 20].” The “divine nature” has
been planted within the inner being of every Christian, but it, as faith, can be either dormant or very
active. To assure that the “divine nature,” along with faith, does not lie
dormant, a Christian must lay aside the things having to do with corruption in
the world and receive the Word of God into his saved human spirit (James 1: 21; 1 Pet. 2: 1, 2). It
is the reception of this Word and the corresponding work of the Ho1y Spirit alone which bring individuals into that
position where spiritual growth is wrought, partaking of the “divine nature” is effected and victory over
the things of the world, the flesh, and the Devil come to pass.
The great problem among
Christians today is spiritual immaturity, which results in defeated lives,
worldly living, etc. There is no
increase of “grace,” “mercy,” “peace,” and “love.” Such
Christians, not in possession of a mature knowledge (epignosis), are not in possession of the things
pertaining to “1ife and godliness”; and
they know very little or nothing of
the “great and precious promises,” or
being “partakers of the divine nature.” They thus, can be easily “carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the slight of
men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive” (Eph. 4:14).
Fruitbearing
for the Kingdom
In 2 Peter 1: 5-11, fruitbearing is in view; and fruitbearing is associated with things abundantly supplied in
faith (vv. 5-7), a mature knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ (vv. 8, 9), one’s “calling and election” (v.
10), and “entrance” into the coming “kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ”
(v. 11).
1.
Things Abundantly Supplied in Faith (vv. 5-7)
Every Christian is in possession
of faith, obtained “through the righteousness of our God
and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
This faith can be very active, or
it can be weak, anaemic, or even dead (James
2:17, 20, 26). But faith, even
though dead, is still present with the believer, and it can never pass away (1 Cor. 13:13).
The word “dead” appearing in James 2:17,
20, 26 (KJV) in connection with faith can only refer to a “barren” or “fruitless” faith. This type faith is void of
works, and works are necessary to bring forth fruit. In a number of the older Greek manuscripts
the word for “barren” rather
than the word for “dead” appears
in verse twenty, equating “barren” in this verse with “dead” in verses
seventeen and twenty-six. However, one need not belabour whether or not
this rendering from these older manuscripts is to be accepted, for 2 Peter 1: 5-8 teaches the same thing concerning a “barren” faith.
2 Peter 1: 5 should
literally read: “But also for this cause, giving all
diligence, abundantly supply in your faith ...” Because
of what has preceded (outlined in verses one
through four) - things resulting from a
mature knowledge (epignosis) “of God, even Jesus our
Lord” - the Christian is commanded to follow a certain stepped
course of action. And this course of
action will result in “fruitbearing,” within
one’s mature knowledge (epignosis) “of our Lord Jesus Christ” (v.
8), which will, in turn, ultimately result in an abundant
entrance “into the everlasting kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (v. 11).
a) “Add to
[‘Abundantly supply in’] your
faith virtue” (v. 5). The
words “Add to” should
literally be understood as “Abundantly supply in”
throughout verses five through seven. The
Greek word translated “virtue” is arete (same as v. 3),
which has to do with “energy” rather than moral
goodness. The thought is that we are to
exhibit “energy” in the exercise of our faith. This is to be understood as “courage” and “purpose”
in the things of the Lord. It is acting in a purposeful, courageous
manner in the energy of the Spirit.
b) “And to [‘in’] virtue knowledge” (v. 5). “Knowledge” is the
translation of gnosis (the regular
Greek word for “knowledge”) rather than epignosis (“mature
knowledge”) as used in verses two, three, and eight. Gnosis refers to the accumulation of facts, which may result in epignosis, but not necessarily. Epignosis
is more restricted in its usage, having to do with knowledge pertaining more particularly to things relating to the coming
kingdom (ref. Part “2” following
this section).
c) “And to [‘in’] knowledge temperance” (v. 6). The Greek word translated “temperance” is egkrateia, which means “self-control.”
Passions and desires emanating from the man of flesh are to be held in
check.
d) “And to [‘in’] temperance patience” (v.
6). The
Greek word translated “Patience” is hupomeno, which
has to do with “patient endurance” during
the pilgrim walk. Note how the verb form
of this word (hupomeno) is used in James 1: 12: “Blessed is the man that endureth [‘patiently endureth’] temptation:
for when he is tried [‘approved’], he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath
promised to them that love him.”
Note also the use of hupomeno in 2 Tim. 2: 10, 12
(translated “endure” and “suffer” respectively). Both should be translated “patiently endure.”
e) “And to [‘in’] patience godliness”
(v. 6). The Greek word translated
“godliness” is eusebeia, which refers to Christians exercising “piety,” or “godliness” as they patiently endure the
trials and testings of life during their pilgrim walk.
f) “And to [‘in’] godliness kindness” (v.
7). The words “brotherly kindness” are a translation of the
compound Greek word
g) “And to [‘in’] brotherly kindness charity” (v. 7). The Greek word translated “charity” is agape, which, as phileo), means “1ove.” However, agape moves beyond mere affection, or the type love between Christians
set forth by the word phileo. Agape has to do with “Divine
love,” which God is in His character and nature. “God is
love,” i.e., “God is agape” (1 John 4:
8). This is also the same
word used relative to man in the context of this verse in 1 John. “Love” set forth by the word agape is the highest type love
attainable. This is love produced by the Holy Spirit in the life of a faithful
believer, Agape appears after
all the other things mentioned in 2 Peter 1: 5-7. It must be supplied last, for it is placed at
the height of Christian experience, and nothing can be added therein (cf. 1 Cor. 13: 1ff; agape is used throughout this
chapter).
2. A
Mature Knowledge (vv. 8, 9)
Epionosis in Scripture has a peculiar
relationship to the salvation to be
revealed, the salvation of the soul.
This word appears in passages which have to do with the saints possessing a
mature knowledge in things related to the coming kingdom. The list is by no means complete, but
throughout the New Testament epignosis is associated with a
mature knowledge of “God,” of God’s “Son [‘the mystery of God,
Christ’],” God’s “will,” truths
pertaining to “faith,” “life,” and “godliness,” the
coming “judgment” of the
saints, the “blessed hope,” and the
coming “inheritance” of the saints (Rom. 1: 28; Eph. 1: 17, 18; 4:13; Col. 1: 9-12; 2: 2;
3:10; 1 Tim. 2: 4; 2 Tim. 2: 25; 3: 7; Titus 1: 1, 2; 2: 13; 3: 7; Heb.
10:25-31; 2 Peter 1: 1-8; 2: 20, 21).
Epignosis, having to do with an impartation
of things pertaining to “life and godliness,” allows
Christians to escape the “pollutions of the world” (2 Peter 1: 3, 4; 2: 20). Rejection of epignosis, on the other hand, places Christians
in the dangerous position of being easily entangled in the things which epignosis allows them to escape (Rom. 1: 28; 2 Peter 2: 20-22). “All
filthiness and superfluity of naughtiness” must be set aside prior
to receiving the “engrafted [‘implanted’] word, which is
able to save your souls” (James 1: 21), and the reception of this Word
progressively produces the renewing of your mind “in
knowledge [epignosis] after the image of him that created him,”
working the metamorphosis in
one’s life (Rom. 12: 1, 2; Col. 3: 10),
allowing that person to escape the entanglements of the world.
Epignosis has to do with the “strong meat” of the Word, which is
associated in Heb. 5: 6-14 with Christ and His Melchizedek
priesthood. Those who have been
enlightened by God to move from gnosis to epignosis - and then “fall
away” are the ones who become entangled again in the affairs of the
world (Heb. 6: 1-6). The
fact that such persons cannot be renewed again unto repentance (vv. 4, 6) will answer the question concerning why it would have been better for such
individuals not to have known “the way
of righteousness” (2 Peter 2:21) through
coming into possession of epignosis (v. 20)
Hebrews, chapters
five and six must be understood
in the light of chapters three and four, which contain the record of the Israelites
being allowed to go on into things beyond the death of the firstborn in
3.
Calling and Election (v. 10)
Individuals are to give diligence to make their “calling and election sure.” The
word “election” could
be better translated “called out.” The words translated “calling” and “election” in this verse are from the same
root forms as the words translated “called” and “chosen” in Matt. 22: 14, which should literally be translated, “For many are called, but few
are called
out.” An individual’s calling has
to do with the salvation which he presently possesses (salvation of the
spirit), and an individual’s out-calling has to do with the
salvation which he will possess in the future (salvation of the soul).
The word
“diligence” in this verse is from
the same word also translated “diligence” in verse five.
With the same intensity that a person is to abundantly supply in his faith
virtue ... , he is to make his calling and out-calling “sure.” The word
sure is the translation of a word which means “certain.” “firm,” “secure.” A Christian is to know just as much about one
calling as the other. He is to be
knowledgeable in things pertaining to his calling, and he is to be equally knowledgeable in things pertaining to his
out-calling. And
with the same intensity that he made his calling certain/sure, he is to
likewise make his out-calling certain/sure.
There is no such thing as
following Biblical guidelines in the matter of salvation and, at the same time,
ignoring one’s out-calling after
one’s calling. The entire concept widely promulgated in
Christian circles today that the one really important thing is just to be saved
(called), with all other things relegated to some type sub-importance, emanates from the apostates and those who
follow their pernicious teachings (cf.
2 Peter 2: 1-3). Scripture places one’s out-calling on the same level of importance as
one’s calling, or vice
versa. One is not placed above the
other. One has to do with the work of an
evangelist, and the other has to do with the work of a pastor-teacher. Both evangelists and pastor-teachers have
been placed in the Church for his purpose (Eph. 4: 11-14; “knowledge” in v. 13 is epignosis in the Greek text), and they,
accordingly, are to be faithful in fulfilling their God-ordained callings. The work of an evangelist anticipates the
work of a pastor-teacher, for a person is
called in view of his being called
out.
4.
Entrance into the Kingdom (v. 11)
The word “entrance” is the translation of a word
which means a road into. The route has been properly marked in the
preceding verses, and one can not only follow this route, but he is exhorted to
so do. He is exhorted, following his calling, to make his out-calling “sure.”
Peter did not follow “cunningly devised fables” when he
made known “the power and coming of our Lord
Jesus Christ.” He was an “eyewitness of his majesty.” He saw the Son’s glory when he was with Christ “in the
holy mount,” and he penned the Epistles of 1,
2 Peter as he was “moved [‘borne along’] by the Holy
Spirit” (2 Peter 1: 16-21). Peter not only saw and recorded things having to do with the coming kingdom,
but he also left detailed instructions concerning how Christians can have a part in this kingdom.
When will Christians learn that they have been saved for a
purpose? and when will they learn that this purpose has to do with the coming kingdom positions
as joint-heirs with Christ in the governmental structure of the kingdom are
presently being offered, and crowns must be won by conquest. The arch-enemy of our souls is at work in the
closing days of this age as never before; but the route for an “abundant entrance” into the kingdom has been
properly marked, and the promise of God stands sure:- “To him that overcometh...”
(Rev. 2: 7, 11, 17, 26-28; 3: 5, 12, 21).
-“ Earnestly strive for [with
reference to, in the good contest of] the faith …”
-------
CHAPTER 3
Saved, but Afterward Destroyed
I will therefore put
you in remembrance, though you once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of
Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not (Jude 5).
The beginning of spiritual
lessons concerning apostasy in Jude is
drawn from the experiences of the Israelites under Moses. The Israelites were saved out of the
God’s Firstborn Son
The rights of the firstborn, the
birthright possessed by
The first
segment of the birthright placed the firstborn in the position of “heir” with respect to a rule of the Father’s
house, under and for the Father. “Sonship” implies rulership and carries
the thought of supremacy. In this
respect,
The second segment of the birthright would place
The third segment of the birthright placed
From
When
The law given to Moses at
The tabernacle was “set up” in the wilderness of Sinai on
the first day of the first month of the second year following the Exodus - a
few days short of one year. On that day
the “glory of the Lord” - the
visible presence of God among His people - filled the tabernacle, and at that
point in time there came into existence upon this earth a theocratic kingdom (Ex. 40: 1-38). The kingdom with its constitution was
actually established in the wilderness of Sinai, but the actual rule within this
kingdom could not begin until God’s firstborn son had been removed from the
wilderness and established in the
1.
“And
Caleb stilled the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once, and possess it; for we are well able to overcome
it.’ But the men that went up with
him said, ‘We be not able to go up
against the people; for they are stronger than we’”* (Num. 13: 30, 31).
[* See at the end of this chapter, (A) the author’s comments in Chapter 5; and (B),- “Transhuman”.]
All things dating back to Abraham
and his removal from
Herein lies
the reason that the people of God since time immemorial have been commanded, “Pray for the peace of
Spiritual blessings are derived
through God’s firstborn Sons. This was the
pattern established in history, this pattern remains true today, and this
pattern will remain true throughout time and eternity. Gen. 12: 3 remains
in force today, as does Gal. 3: 14. However, during the present age, God’s
firstborn Sons (
The prospect lying before the
people of Israel upon their departure from the wilderness of Sinai was to enter
into the land of Canaan and ultimately be established in the land, not only as
the ruler over the nations of the earth, but also
as the kingdom of priests through
whom God would bless the nations. The
prospect lying before the nations at this point was, accordingly, that of
entering into a position of subjection to
The Twelve Spies and Their Report
Several
months beyond
At Kadesh-Barnea God instructed
Moses to send spies into the
Ten of the twelve spies
presented an “evil report”
concerning the land and its inhabitants.
They stated that the land was truly a land flowing with “milk and
honey,” but the people that dwelt in the land were “strong,” the cities were “walled,
and very great,” and it was a land that “eateth up the inhabitants thereof.”
According to their report, the
Israelites would “be not able to go up against the
people; for they are stronger than we.” In essence, the ten spies bringing this
report were saying that God would be unable to complete His dealings with Israel through bringing the people
of this nation into the realization of their calling (Num. 13: 26-29, 31-33),
resulting in Gen. 12: 2, 3 remaining unfulfilled.
However,
two of the spies, Caleb and Joshua, believed God could do exactly what He had
promised. Caleb “stilled the people before Moses, and
said, ‘Let us go up at once, and possess
it; for we are well able to overcome it’ ” (Num.
13: 30). Caleb
and Joshua recognized that the battle belonged to the Lord (2 Chron. 20: 15), and
circumstances were not viewed from a naturalistic standpoint, but from a Divine
viewpoint. They knew that the Israelites
within their own strength could not overcome the inhabitants of the land (cf. Num. 14: 42-45), but
they also knew that with God
dwelling in their midst no one, inside or outside the land, could overcome them. In essence, their report stated that God was well
able to complete His dealings
with Israel through bringing the people of this nation into the realization of
their calling (cf. Num. 14: 8), ultimately effecting the fulfilment of Gen. 12: 2, 3.
The nation of
If ever a people could be looked
upon as having moved from a state of gnosis (“knowledge”)
to a state of epignosis (“mature knowledge” [especially as it relates to the
things surrounding the purpose for one’s calling]) it would be the Israelites
under Moses. They moved from a simple
knowledge (gnosis) of the
rudimentary things surrounding the death of the firstborn in
The nation of
2
CHRISTIANS AT KADESH-BARNEA
“For it
is impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the
heavenly gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, And have tasted the
good word of God, and the powers of the
world [‘age’] to come, If they shall
fall away, to renew them again unto repentance ... “ (Heb. 6: 4-6).
This passage in Hebrews has been
an enigma to Bible interpreters over the years and is possibly the most
misunderstood section of Scripture in the New Testament. But the passage is really not as difficult as
the multiplicity of interpretations would lead one to believe. The numerous interpretations advanced by
various expositors have resulted basically from two exegetical errors: 1) a failure to take into
consideration the message of the book,
and 2) a
failure to take into account the context of the passage.
The message of the Book of Hebrews
centers around the “salvation
of the soul,” and the
context
leading into Heb. 6: 4-6 has to do with the experiences
of the Israelites under Moses (chs. 3, 4) and with maturity in the faith (chs. 5, 6a). The summation of the matter is contained in chapter
six; but the thought begins in chapter three, and the entire passage must be so
understood.
Israelites Under Moses - Christians
Under Christ
As the Israelites under Moses
moved from a state of gnosis to a state of epignosis in the type, Christians under Christ are moving from a state of gnosis to a state of epignosis in the antitype; as the Israelites
under Moses moved from Egypt toward the land of Canaan with an earthly
inheritance in view, Christians under Christ are moving from the things of this
world toward a land separate from this world with a heavenly inheritance in
view; as the Israelites under Moses were prepared during the wilderness journey
for entrance into the land, so are Christians under Christ being prepared during
the wilderness journey for entrance into the land; as the Israelites under
Moses were to go in, conquer the inhabitants of the land, and rule as God’s
firstborn son here on earth at the head of the nations, Christians under Christ
are to go in, be victorious over the inhabitants of the land (cf. Eph. 6: 10-17), and,
in the coming day (following the
adoption), rule as God’s firstborn son from the heavens over the nations. BUT,
as the Israelites refused to go into the land, conquer the inhabitants, and
take possession of the land in view of a future rule, so can Christians refuse
to go into the land, be victorious over the inhabitants, and take possession of
the land in view of a future rule; and, just as the Israelites at this point
fell away, with no possibility of being renewed again unto repentance, so can
Christians at this point fall away, with no possibility of being renewed again
unto repentance; and, just as the Israelities who
fell away were overthrown in the wilderness and failed to realize the goal of
their calling, so will Christians who fall away after this fashion be
overthrown in the wilderness and fail to realize the goal of their calling.
The
words, “once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy
Spirit, and have tasted the good word of God, and the powers of the world [‘age’] to
come” (Heb. 6: 4, 5), refer to a progression in growth from milk to
meat to strong meat. This is a
progression from the rudimentary things concerning the antitype of the death of
the paschal lambs in
The entire thought in Heb. 6: 4-6 is a progression from gnosis to epignosis, followed
by a “falling away” from
the faith. “Eternal salvation,” which
more often than not is read into the text, is not in view at all. Viewing
eternal salvation as the issue under discussion is completely unnatural and
will serve only to obscure the correct interpretation. Let the Scriptures interpret Heb. 6: 4-6 and the entire matter becomes
clear. (Note the words, “enlightened,” “partakers,” and “tasted” [vv. 4, 5]. These words are used elsewhere in the Book of
Hebrews referring to individuals [Christ, and Christians] entering into certain
experiences [cf. 2: 9; 11; 10: 32]. The usage of these
words in Heb. 6: 4-6 is in the same framework.)
Impossibility of Renewal
The
thought that it is “to renew” certain apostate Christians “unto repentance” is one of the most solemn
warnings to be found in
all Scripture. The finality of the matter for those who apostatize
in this manner is set forth by the word “impossible.” This is a
particular apostasy, and once a Christian has fallen away from the faith in
the manner set forth in Heb. 3-6, he can never again be brought back into the position which he occupied
prior to his departure, from the
faith. (The Greek word translated “renew” means
to be brought back into the exact position previously occupied.) In the type,
The entire thought is very
similar to the blasphemy against the Holy Spirit in Matt. 12: 22-32. This was a national
sin committed by the religious leaders of
At Kadesh-Barnea, however, the
prohibition applied only to the present generation, twenty years old and above
(this would allow the nation of
One thing which must not be overlooked when considering the
impossibility of renewing an apostate unto repentance, who has fallen away in the manner specified, is the fact
that in the type surrounding the experiences of the Israelites at Kadesh-Barnea
the nation did repent. The word “repentance” (metanoia) means a change of mind. This
change of mind will lead to other things which are often mistaken for
repentance (or part of repentance), but the simple, restrictive meaning of the
word itself does not include these things.
Once the Israelites at Kadesh-Barnea fell away and realized the
consequences of their action, they changed their minds (repented) concerning
the
After the Israelites repented at
Kadesh-Barnea, the nation failed to occupy the position it had previously
held. The Lord was no longer among His
people to lead them victoriously into the land; and when they tried to enter,
the Amalekites and Canaanites “smote them” (Num.
14: 40-45). Nor will the Lord be
among like-minded apostate Christians today who repent and seek to occupy their
former, forfeited position. They
cannot now move victoriously into the land and overcome the inhabitants. If they try, as in the type, they will be
overcome. The only promise awaiting
Christians who have apostatized in the antitype of
The word “repentance” is only used three times in the Book of
Hebrews (6: 1, 6; 12: 17), and
two of these three times the word is used in the heart of major warnings given to Christians. (Heb. 6: 4-6 is the heart of the third major warning, and Heb. 12: 14-17 is the
heart of the fifth major warning.) Interestingly enough, in the fifth major
warning in chapter twelve, Esau did repent.
He changed his mind concerning the birthright after it had been
forfeited. His repentance led to a great
show of emotion. The words, “he found no place of repentance,” refer
to the fact that he found no place for a change
of mind in his father (ref.
ASV), Esau sought to effect a change
of mind on the part of his father, resulting in a reversal of what had
transpired. However, such did not, it
could not, occur. Isaac could not change
his mind. The birthright, once forfeited
was beyond Esau’s grasp forever.
The situation in Heb. 6: 4-6 is identical. The
apostates in this passage have forfeited their birthright, and it is not
possible, as in Esau’s case, to renew them again unto repentance. In the types - the Israelites at
Kadesh-Barnea, and Isaac in the presence of his father - both repented, but
neither found a place of repentance. God
did not change His mind at Kadesh-Barnea, and Isaac did not change his mind
when Esau appeared in his presence.
Repentance in the fifth major warning is not on the part of
the one who forfeited his birthright, for he did repent. And repentance in the third major warning
also does not appear to be on the part of the ones who fall away, for in the
type the Israelites did repent, extending such a possibility to the antitype
also. Repentance in both instances can
only refer to the fact that God will not change His mind and restore those who
have apostatized in like fashion to their previously occupied state.
For it is impossible …”
* * *
CHAPTER
5
And Also
After That
Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner,
giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set
forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire (Jude 7).
The
world during Noah’s day experienced destruction as a direct result of angelic
intervention in the affairs of the human race; four cities in the Jordan plain
were destroyed during the days of Abraham for this same reason; and the
Israelites under Moses were told to go into the land of Canaan and slay every
inhabitant for, once again, this same reason.
Angels in the
Before
the Flood, this union involved the families of the earth. After the Flood, this union appears to have
been confined more particularly to the inhabitants of the land in the Abrahamic
covenant. The cohabitation of angels in
the
Man in
his present state cannot exercise power over the earth. This is graphically illustrated by comparing
the command given to Adam and Eve before the fall with the similar command
given to Noah and his sons following the Flood.
These commands, to a point, were identical. One was given at the beginning of an un-fallen
human race (Gen. 1: 28), and
the other was given at the new beginning of a fallen human race (Gen. 9: 1). However, one part of the command given to
Adam and Eve was not repeated in the command given to Noah and his sons. Adam and Eve were told to “subdue it [the earth]: and
have dominion [‘rule’] …”; but
this was not – for it could not be – repeated in the command given to Noah and
his sons. Fallen man must await the time of the “manifestation
of the sons of God” (Rom. 8: 18-23) – which
includes (1) a separate and distinct creation,
(2) redemption, and (3) adoption – for he can rule nothing
within the sphere of governmental control “before
the time” (1 Cor.
4: 5).
The
nation of
Before
the Flood, Satan’s strategy consisted of an attempt to corrupt the lineages of
the families of the earth in order to prevent the appearance of the Seed of the
Woman, Who would not only be man’s Redeemer but would ultimately crush Satan’s
head. After the Flood, Satan changed his
strategy somewhat and concentrated his efforts on corrupting the nations
dwelling in the land covenanted to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. This task was accomplished prior to the
establishment of
Not only
was
Satan
tried to accomplish his task in
Nephilim
and Rephaim
Prior to the Flood, the
cohabitation of the sons of God with the daughters of men resulted in offspring
called Nephilim. Following the Flood, when this union occurred
again, these offspring were known by two names: Nephilim, and Rephaim. The translators of the Septuagint (Greek
version of the Old Testament) used the word Gigantes
in most instances for both of these words. Gigantes is the
Greek word for “giants,” and
this is the thought that is carried over into several verses of the King James
Version (e.g. Gen. 6: 4; 14: 5; Num. 13: 33). However, this meaning may have been only
secondary to what the translators of the Septuagint Version had in mind. Gigantes comes
from a root form which signifies “earth-born”
rather than gigantic stature. The use of
Gigantes in this respect would, contextually, refer
to “earth-born individuals [individuals born on the earth, having heavenly fathers and
earthly mothers],” with a secondary thought having to do with “physical stature.”
Nephilim is simply the plural
form of a Hebrew meaning “to fall,”
and Rephaim is the plural form of another Hebrew
word meaning “to
heal.” A cognate form for Rephaim though would carry the thought of “casting down,” or “falling
down.” Understanding the word in this
latter sense would appear to be more in keeping with the fact that Rephaim is
simply another name for the Nephilim, referring to this, same group
of individuals – “fallen ones.”
The word Nephilim is used only three times in the Old Testament in passages
referring to offspring resulting from the cohabitation of the sons of God with
the daughters of men (Gen. 6: 4; Num. 13: 33). But
the word Rephaim is
used numerous times referring to these individuals (Gen. 14: 15; 15: 20; Deut. 2: 11, 20; 3: 11, 13; Joshua
12: 4; 13: 12; 15: 8; 17: 15; 18: 16; 2 Sam. 5: 18, 22; 23: 13; 1 Chron. 11: 15; 14: 9; 20: 4, 6, 8; Job 26: 5; Psa. 88: 10; Prov. 2: 18; 9: 18;
21: 16; Isa. 14: 9; 17: 5; 26: 14, 19). English versions of the Old Testament handle
the Hebrew words Nephilim and Rephaim in different ways. The words are many times, transliterated
rather than translated. Other times
translations are attempted (e.g. “giants,” “departed spirits,”
“spirits of the dead,” “deceased,”
“death,” “dead” [ref. KIV, ASV, NASB, NIV]). All that can be known about the Nephilim and Rephaim must be derived from these passages in
conjunction with related Scripture.
During
the days of Abraham the Rephaim could be found among the inhabitants
of five cities in the
It is
evident from Gen. 14: 1-5 that the Nephilim and Rephaim
were in the
Since the Nephilim and Rephaim were associated
with the nations of
There are two entrances of the people of God into the
The Nephilim and Rephaim were individuals of gigantic stature
and great strength. Their gigantic
stature can be seen in the report of the ten faithless spies at Kadesh-Barnea (Num. 13: 33), the apparent size of Og, king of
The
first time the Nephilim and Rephaim appeared (called Nephilim
only in antediluvian days), God destroyed them by the waters of a Flood. The
second time these individuals appeared, God destroyed a segment in the destruction of the cities of the plain and later commanded
the nation of
The Cities of the Plain
Scripture in several places singles out angelic activity
involving sexual perversions in the cities of the plain during the days of
Abraham. Jude 7 states
that individuals living in the cities of the
Jude 7 is usually
taken to refer only to homosexuality, in accord with Gen. 19: 1-11. This interpretation,
however, is too limited. Rephaim were associated with the cities of the
plain (Gen. 14: 1-5),
necessitating sexual relations between angels and female members of the human
race as well. Jude 7 and the parallel section in 2 Peter 2:
6 actually have to do with both homosexual and heterosexual acts, and the Genesis
account points to widespread perversions in both spheres.
1. Degeneracy of the Sodomites
The account in Gen. 19: 1-11, showing the utter degeneracy of the inhabitants in the
cities of the plain, has to do with men and homosexuality; but the Scriptures
in 2 Peter and Jude,
alluding to both homosexual and heterosexual acts between angels and members of
the human race, place both types of sexual perversions occurring in these
cities on the same basic level. And, in this respect, the apparent utter degeneracy
of the entire populace - both male and female - can be seen by what is revealed
in the Genesis account.
The night preceding the
destruction of the cities of the plain Lot had given two angels, sent to
2. Evident Past History of
There is more to Genesis, chapter nineteen than Lot just being very
insistent that two unknown strangers spend the night inside the safety of his
house, and the men of
The inference from the record appears to clearly indicate that
both Lot and the men of
By comparing Gen. 19: 4-11; 2 Peter 2: 4-8; Jude 6, 7 it appears clear that the men
of
Angels, Nephilim,
and Rephaim in Tartarus
The angels who sinned both before and following the
Flood by taking upon themselves the form of man, leaving their positions of
power in the heavens, and coming to earth for the specific purpose of cohabiting
with members of the human race are
today confined with chains in Tartarus. Not only are they confined in this place, but
it would appear that their progeny, the Nephilim and Rephaim are also there. Tartarus
is located in a particular
section of Sheol reserved
specifically for these individuals. …
The angels who sinned following
the Flood, directing their attack more specifically against Israel, have
counterparts in angels who will commit this same sin at the end of the present
age: “As it was in the days of Noah ... Likewise also as it was in the days of Lot ... Even thus shall it
be in the day when the Son of man is revealed” (Luke 17: 26-30). The cohabitation of angels with members of the
human race will occur once again, both on heterosexual and homosexual levels. This latter-day angelic attack will be
directed mainly against
The man of sin will be of the Rephaim.
He will be the actual son of Satan. Note the expression, “thy [Satan’s] seed,” in
Gen. 3: 15. He
will also have Rephaim ruling the earth with him during the Tribulation. Rulers who will possess power directly under
the man of sin, mentioned in the Book of Revelation (cf. chs. 13, 17), are revealed in Old Testament be Rephaim - “men” (cf. Rev. 13: 18), but
not men as we know them today. Satan
will rule the earth during the Tribulation through his son, and high-ranking angels
in Satan’s kingdom will also rule the earth with Satan through sons begotten by
angels - possibly their very own sons.
Isa. 26: 13, 14 reveals
that during the Tribulation “other lords,” Rephaim,
will have dominion over
The prison where the Rephaim from the coming Tribulation are to be confined with Satan appears to be in
the section of Sheol called Tartarus. Other
inhabitants are mentioned, which could be not only the Nephilim and Rephaim from the days before and after the Flood,
but also their angelic fathers. This
place is located “deep under the waters,” at the
bottom of the sea. The “sea” in Rev. 20: 13 is
apparently an allusion to this place. The
sea giving up “the dead which
were in it” cannot refer to those in the human realm, for they are all
included in expression “death and hell [‘Hades’] delivered up the dead which were in them.” These are two separate groups of individuals. The first group, is
taken from the sea, and corresponding Scripture locates this place more specifically
as being at the bottom of the sea and associated with the Nephilim, Rephaim,
and angels. The other group is taken from the place
more specifically called Hades in this passage and has to do
with the unsaved dead of all the ages from the lineage of Adam. Unsaved descendants of Adam, angels who sinned
both before and after the Flood, and the progeny of
these angels - Nephilim and Rephaim will one day be removed from
their corresponding sections of Sheol / Hades and appear before the
Great White Throne to be judged.
* * *
Transhuman:
As The Days of Noah Were
http://www.defendproclaimthefaith.org
When the Lord Jesus
was describing the “end of days,”
the time just prior to His Second Coming, He drew a direct connection back to
the days of Noah: the time just before the Great Flood. He mentioned that the people were involved with
eating, drinking and marrying right up until the flood came. They were totally unaware of the coming
judgment.
At first glance, there
does not seem to be anything unusual about eating and drinking until all the
Scriptures are studied about the time of Noah.
The big picture shows this time period was full of violence and
rebellion against God. It is also a time
of intense sexual immorality as women were having sexual relations with
spiritual beings identified as the “sons of God.”
This combination of
violence and immorality grieved the heart of God. The wickedness of man filled the earth. Man’s thoughts and imaginations were
continually evil, and this triggered God’s judgment on mankind. Mankind was so corrupted that God deemed it
necessary to destroy man and start over again with Noah and his family.
Genesis
6: 5-7 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. And it repented the LORD that he had made man
on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart.
And the LORD said, I will destroy man whom I have created from the face
of the earth …
The effect of man’s
sexual immorality was staggering since it altered the race. The offspring of this
union between human females and the fallen angelic beings were physical
giants. These children were not fully
human. They grew enormous in stature
with great intellects and were called “men of renown.”
This cohabitation
between humans and the spiritual beings was not isolated to a few individuals
but became widespread throughout the earth.
Genesis
6: 1, 2, 4. And it came to pass,
when men began to multiply on the face of the earth, and daughters were born
unto them, That the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair;
and they took them wives of all which they chose. There were giants in the
earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the
daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men
which were of old, men of renown.
This cohabitation was
part of the reason God’s heart was grieved with mankind and triggered the flood
as judgment to wipe out this corrupted race of humans. In modern science, the biologists would
identify what happened to mankind as altering the human DNA. The DNA of man was changed by this union and
some men were no longer fully men. They
were a hybrid.
The Bible describes
God’s selection of Noah in order to preserve mankind. Noah qualified because he was “perfect” in his generation.
This does not mean he was a morally perfect human, but that he was
genetically perfect in his lineage. He
had perfect human DNA and was not corrupted by the sons of God.
Genesis
6: 9.
These are the generations of Noah: Noah was a
just man and perfect in his generations, and Noah walked with God.
In the 1970s when I
first began to study Bible prophecy, I viewed “As the days of Noah” as a time of great violence and immorality. I never imagined that a time would come when
mankind’s DNA would once again be altered.
The modern altering would not be done through sexual contact with the
sons of God, but rather through man’s knowledge of science and breaking the DNA
code. We are now living in a time when
man’s DNA is being tampered with just as it was in Noah’s day.
Man’s increase in
scientific knowledge reached a point that starting in 1990 a concerted effort
was made to map the human genome. The
Immediately while this
mapping was taking place, the manipulation of the DNA began. This manipulation included splicing DNA
together from two females to create a multiple parent egg, and splicing human
DNA into other animals such as mice and pigs.
Animals such as sheep were cloned, but to this day there is no known
case of a human being cloned. Since 2003
there has been a tremendous acceleration in tampering with man’s DNA. It seems that scientists are now on a regular
basis making discoveries about DNA.
Never before in
history did man have the knowledge to break the genetic code. Man now has such knowledge and is developing
the technology to alter his DNA. This is
once again setting the stage for corrupting the human race. We are now living in “As the days of Noah were”!
The scientists tamper
with man’s DNA under the guise of increasing health by identifying genetic
diseases and imperfections. By using
this argument, the scientists are virtually insulated from criticism and
control. They have a free hand to tamper
with the human DNA as long as it is tied to health. With this freedom, the geneticists will move
to create babies free of any genetic flaw.
By 2006, this is exactly what happened.
In 2006
The following is a
quote from an article about the use of two female monkey eggs to produce an
offspring. With this type of argument it
is impossible to stop the manipulation of man’s DNA:
“The prospect of a human baby with three biological parents
has moved closer after scientists created monkeys using a technique that one
day could stop children from inheriting severe genetic disease …
It should
allow scientists to replace faulty “cellular batteries” called mitochondria,
which affect about 1 in 6,500 births.
While most mitochondria defects have mild effects, some can trigger
severe brain, heart, muscle and liver conditions, as well as cancer, diabetes,
blindness and deafness.”
In addition to a baby
free from “genetic flaws,” parents now can
create a child to order. It is possible
to go shopping for the genetic type baby you want. For example, a child could be created from an
egg and sperm of two Olympic athletes and placed in the womb of the future mother. The child would have DNA that was not related
in any way to its birth parents. A
female Olympian’s eggs cost around $30,000.
The natural
progression is to enhance the human race by sharpening the senses. If the DNA is now understood and can be manipulated,
why not increase the eyesight and hearing?
With the addition of eagle DNA man could see like an eagle. By placing deer DNA, man could hear like a
deer. The same enhancement could be
accomplished for smell. For strength the
introduction of gorilla DNA could give super strength, and for speed how about
ostrich DNA!
The scientists have
already placed human DNA in animals such as mice and pigs; however, there is no
report of animal DNA yet being placed in humans. When the science of DNA tampering is
perfected, there will be a cry to enhance humans with animal DNA.
Evolution also plays
into the tampering of human DNA. The
theory of evolution frees man from Genesis 1
which states that everything is to reproduce after its kind. Evolution also detaches man from his Creator
and being created in God’s image and likeness.
Man is now a free agent to tamper with his DNA under the guise of
advancing evolution.
The evolutionists
believe they are rapidly advancing evolution by manipulating the DNA. Many scientists believe they are enhancing
evolution by improving man. Because,
through evolution, man has no fear of God and thus no restraints on tampering
with DNA, any attempts to stop this tampering will be met with cries from the
scientists. Unless there is a general
public outcry, this tampering will continue until man’s DNA is altered and
merged with animals. The following is a
quote from an article We are becoming a new species, we are becoming Homo
Evolutis which states:
“… humanity is on the verge of becoming a new and utterly
unique species, which he dubs Homo Evolutis.
What makes this species so unique is that it ‘takes direct and
deliberate control over the evolution of the species.’ Calling it the ‘ultimate reboot,’ he points
to the conflux of DNA manipulation and therapy, tissue generation, and robotics
as making this great leap possible...
The day may
come when we are able to take the best biology of the known animal kingdom and
make it part of our own. This isn’t just
about being a bit stronger, or having perfect eyesight our whole lives. All of our organs and limbs have weaknesses
that can be addressed, and there are also opportunities to go beyond basic
fixes and perform more elaborate enhancements.”
The merging of human
DNA with animals creates what is called a Chimera (k mir ). The word chimera comes from Greek
mythology. This was a frightening
looking beast that was made from the parts of several animals. It has a lion’s head, goat body, and dragon’s
tail with other creatures mixed in. It
was always viewed as a monster.
Webster’s dictionary defines a chimera as the following:
3: an individual,
organ, or part consisting of tissues of diverse genetic constitution occurring
especially in plants and most frequently at a graft union, the tissues from
both stock and cion retaining their distinctness in the chimera
There was even a movie
made about human chimeras. It was made
in 1977 and called The Island of Dr. Morea starring Burt Lancaster. In the picture, Dr. Morea, a mad scientist, creates
numerous chimeras and abuses them.
Eventually, the
chimeras revolt and kill him. This movie
was made long before genetic manipulation was possible, yet the idea was
there. In the near future, chimeras will
be reality and not science fiction.
When reading Greek
mythology, one did not give thought to the possibility that one day man could
create a Centaur and Minotaur. These
were creatures that were half human and half beast. The Centaur had the upper torso of a human
and the body of a horse. The Minotaur
had the head of a bull and the body of a human.
These beasts were
always viewed as pure mythology, but what about today when it is becoming
possible to create such beasts! What was
viewed as ancient mythology, in the near future, could become reality or at
least the possible ability to create such a beast!
The ancient Greeks
believed in the Titans which were gods that ruled the earth. They were physical giants and produced
offspring with human women. This is very
similar to the biblical account found in Genesis 6. Perhaps the Greek myths had some kernel of
truth that was twisted away from the Bible into what is now known as mythology.
It is my view, that
once the human DNA is contaminated with animal DNA, this beast is no longer
human and no longer created in God’s image.
This is what happened in Noah’s day, and God selected Noah because he
was pure in his generations. He was
fully human.
The creation of a
chimera is in direct violation of the Bible. In Genesis, chapter one, the Bible states
eight times that everything is to reproduce after its kind. This is a
basic law of life that God instituted at the very beginning.
Genesis
1:24
And God said, Let
the earth bring forth the living creature
after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind: and it was so.
The mixing of DNA from
two different species violates this law.
When God created man, He stated that man was made in His image and
likeness. The human DNA is what
physically carries this image and likeness.
The addition of animal DNA means that man is no longer in God’s
image. It is extremely serious to tamper
with the integrity of man as transmitted through his DNA. This is, in part, what triggered the flood in
Noah’s day. All of the hybrid humans
were destroyed during the flood, and God then started over with Noah.
Genesis
1: 26, 27. And God said, Let us make man in our image,
after our likeness … So God created man in his own image, in the image of God
created he him; male and female created he them.
When God moved to
redeem mankind through the Lord Jesus, the Bible specially states that He
rejected the nature of the angels, but took on Him the seed of Abraham. The Greek word for seed is very interesting;
it is sperma, which is the basis for the English word sperm. Sperm is what carries the male DNA.
The Lord Jesus had a
human body which had pure DNA that could be traced back to Abraham, then to
Noah and finally to Adam. His DNA was
100 percent human, and thus when He shed His blood on the cross for sin, He
could redeem mankind!
Hebrews
2: 14, 16. 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 ...
For verily
he took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham.
Mankind is racing
towards altering his nature. Paralleling tampering with DNA is the merging of
man with robotic technology. The merging
of man with machines is called Singularity (See my article Singularity and The
Image of the Beast). Both Singularity
and DNA tampering are on the threshold of altering what it means to be human. This is coming so fast, yet so few outside of
the scientific circles are aware of this.
God is fully aware of
what is happening. He will only let the
tampering with man’s DNA go so far, and then He will step in to stop it. It is clear that modern man, led by the geneticists,
is right at the very point when God will intervene to stop this madness.
2 Peter
2: 5, 9. And spared not the
old world, but saved Noah the eighth person, a preacher of righteousness,
bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly … The Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly
out of temptations, and to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment to be
punished.
Once again, tampering
with mankind’s DNA integrity is a very serious offense to God and will bring
severe judgment. Man is once again in
the same position as the Days of Noah.
Through science, it is now possible to alter the nature of man. The judgment that happened in Noah’s day is a
warning of what is fast coming upon the earth.
Science has taken mankind beyond the point of no return to a genetic Armageddon.
Because modern science
is anchored in evolution, no amount of reasoning can stop this
progression. The evolutionists have no
respect for the Bible and absolutely no fear of God. The evolutionists mock at the concept that
man is created in God’s image, and therefore have no compunction about altering
the nature of man. Just as God stopped it in the days of Noah, so God is going to stop it
in our day at the glorious Second Coming of the Lord Jesus. Make sure that in the days of Christ’s Second
Coming, you are on God’s side.
Remember, this is coming to a head very, very fast.
* *
*
The Kingdom A Reward
…Our Lord Himself sets
the final seal on this truth - [i.e., “JOINT-HEIRS with Christ, if so be that we suffer with Him,
that we may also be glorified with him” (Rom. 8:
17). For “if we suffer with him, we shall also reign with him” (2 Tim. 2: 12).] - “He that overcometh, I
will give to him to sit down with me in my throne’ – manifestly the
Millennial Throne – “EVEN AS” – that is, on identical grounds, for identical
reasons – “I also” – I correspondingly with my brethren – “overcame, and sat down with my Father in his throne” (Rev. 3: 21). Here
entrance into the coming Reign for both Christ Himself and all who will share
His throne is based four-square, not on
grace or gift, but on running the race as to win the prize. The Lord Himself here makes our experience
identical with His own. Just as the
Eternal Glory of Christ, the glory which He had with the Father before the
world was, rests solely on the fact that He is the Son of God, while His Millennial Glory, the glory He receives on
returning to this earth, rests solely on His achievements and sufferings as
the Son of Man: - exactly so, our Eternal Glory – when all whose names are in
the Lamb’s Book of Life “shall reign for ever and ever” (Rev. 22: 5), totally irrespective of works done either
before or after faith – rests solely on the fact that we are the sons of God;
while Millennial Glory – if we achieve
it, as Christ did – rests solely on our obedience and suffering as servants of
the Most High, when we “shall be priests of God and of
Christ, and reign with him a thousand years” (Rev.
20: 6).
THE MOTIVE
The motive that moved our Lord is to be ours
also, and both are wonderfully compacted into one verse. “Let us also lay aside every
weight, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking
unto Jesus”
– our model runner – “who FOR THE JOY THAT
WAS SET BEFORE HIM endured the cross, despising shame” (Heb. 12: 1). Here
dawns on us the immence importance to us all of this truth being clearly
stated. To assume that to be a gift which as a matter of fact is a reward is
almost certainly to lose it; because the
conditions on which the prize is given are ignored, and therefore, with almost
equal certainty, some condition or conditions will be fulfilled, and so cancel
the reward. If our Saviour could go
through all His unparalleled agony because of the joy set before Him, how much
more can we master our present, however disconcerting, for a future of such
boundless joy. “Wherefore, brethren, give the more diligence to make your calling and
election sure: for if ye do these things” – that is, add the
seven graces to saving faith (ver. 5) – “ye shall never stumble: for thus shall be richly
supplied unto you the entrance” - because an
entrance a thousand years earlier – “into the eternal kingdom of our
Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ” (2 Pet. 1: 10).
- D. M. PANTON. [read
the complete tract in:‘The Kingdom a
Reward’]
* *
*
BE STRONG
Be Strong: for the days are darkening,
Night cometh on;
Impenetrable
gloom fast gathering,
Light almost gone.
Be Strong: though the
darkness o’erwhelm thee,
Through it
press on;
On to the end of the
wearisome journey,
Where Jesus has gone.
Be Strong: the earth’s filled with violence,
With
hatred and Sin;
Pray that
in all things ye may be found worthy
The
Kingdom to win.
Be Strong: keep thine eyes fixed on Jesus,
He’ll bear
thee along;
The battle is raging –
the Lord God is with us,
Our Hope and our Song!
- KETTIE K. PAYNE.
