[Photograph above: - Looking across the sea from the
town of
If they burn
me, William Tindale had
said eight years before his death, they shall do none other thing than that I look for. There is none other way unto the kingdom of life than
through persecution and suffering of pain, and of very death, after the ensample
of Christ.* And now after
a long interval and death which he had so long before anticipated had overtaken
him; the untiring malice of his enemies had at length succeeded in cutting
short his life; but his work was beyong their
power. The spot where his ashes rest is
unknown; but that work for which he lived and died has, like the seed in the
parable, grown up into the mightiest of trees.
There is scarcely a corner in the habitable globe into which English
energy has not penetrated; and wherever the English language is heard, there
the words in which Tyndale gave the Holy Scripture to his countrymen are
repeated with heartfelt reverence as the holiest and yet the most familiar of
all words.
* Wicked Mammon and Obedience.
Being
aware of the difficulties experienced, in seeking to lead Christians into an
understanding of Gods accountability truths, conditional
promises and hard sayings; much of what William
Tyndale wrote was not fully understood:-
I perceived by experience how that it was impossible to
establish the lay people in any truth, except the Scripture were plainly laid
before their eyes in their mother-tongue, that they might see the process, order, and meaning of
the text.
- (Tyndales Preface to the Pentateuch,
1530).
And
it appears that conditions throughout
Christendom today are much the same:-
And as they [Peter,
James and John] were
coming down from the mountain, He commanded them
that they should relate to no one what they had seen, till the SON of MAN out of dead ones should be raised:
(Mark 9: 9,
lit. Greek). Leave
the dead to bury their own dead; but go thou and
publish abroad the
Being
aware of Christs Judgment Seat - (which will take place after
the time of Death, Heb. 9: 27, R.V.,
and therefore before the first resurrection,
Rev. 20: 5, R.V.): our LORDS
assessment of our service and faithfulness in all of what He taught and
commanded us to proclaim, is of immense
importance, - for all things must needs be fulfilled, which are written
in the law of Moses, and the prophets and the
psalms, concerning me: (Luke 24: 44,
R.V.).
I call God to recorde against the
day we shall appeare before our Lord Jesus, to geue a reckenying of our doynges, that I neuer altered one
syllable of Gods Word against my conscience, nor would this day, if all that
is in the earth, whether it be pleasure, honour, or riches, might be geuen me.
- Tyndales Letter to Firth.
There
is an urgent need today, - as there was in Tyndales day - to encourage all of
Gods saints to remain steadfast for the word of God, and the
testimony which they held (Rev. 6: 9) - against all persecutions and threatenings
of death.
Work heartily, as unto the
Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord [we] SHALL RECEIVE THE RECOMPENSE [or reward] OF THE INHERITANCE:
ye serve the Lord Christ: (Colossians 2: 23,
24, R.V.). Cf. Gal.
5: 21; Eph. 5: 5 with Acts 20: 30, 31; Col. 2: 8; 2 Tim. 2: 16-18; Heb. 10: 38, 39; Heb. 12: 14-17, R.V.
William Tyndale, knowing how others had been led astray by numerous
temptations and false interpretations (from both friend and foe alike) - warned
and encouraged his friend John Firth
against adopting a spirit of compromise with divine teachings. He wrote
several letters to him from
Dearly beloved, howsoever the matter be, commit yourself
wholly and only unto your most loving Father and most kind Lord, and fear not men that threat, nor trust men that speak fair: but trust Him that is true of promise, and able to make His word good. Your cause is Christs Gospel, a light
that must be fed with the blood of faith. The lamp must be dressed and snuffed daily, and that oil* poured in every evening and morning, that the
light go not out.
Though we be sinners, yet is the cause right. If when we be buffeted for well-doing, we
suffer patiently and endure, that is thankful with God; for to that end we are
called. For Christ also suffered for us,
leaving us an example that we should follow His steps, who did no sin. Hereby have we perceived love, that He laid
down His life for us: therefore we ought also to lay down our lives for the
brethren. Rejoice and be glad, for great
is your reward in heaven. For we suffer with Him, that we may also be glorified: who shall
change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body,
according to the working whereby He is able even to subject all things unto
Him.
Dearly beloved, be of good courage, and comfort your soul with the hope of this high reward, and bear the image of
Christ in your mortal body, that it may at His coming be made like to
His, immortal: and follow the example of all your other dear
brethren, which chose to suffer in hope of a better resurrection. Keep your conscience pure and undefiled, and
say against that nothing. Stick [i.e., resolutely maintain] necessary things; and remember the blasphemies of the enemies of
Christ, They find none but that
will adjure rather than suffer the extremity. Moreover, the death of them that come again [i.e., repent] after they have once denied, though it be accepted with God and
all that believe, yet is it not glorious; for the hypocrites say, He must
needs die; denying helpeth not: but might it have holpen, they would have
denied five hundred times; but seeing it would not help them, therefore of pure
pride, and more malice together, they speak with their mouths that [i.e., what] their conscience knoweth false. If you give
yourself, cast yourself, yield yourself, commit yourself wholly and only to
your loving Father; then shall His power be in you and make you strong,
and that so strong, that you shall feel no pain, and [in?]
that shall be to another present death: and His Spirit shall
speak in you, and teach you what to answer, according to His promise. He shall set out His truth by you
wonderfully, and work in you above all that your heart can imagine. Yea, and you are not
yet dead; though the hypocrites all, with all that they can make, have sworn
your death. Una salus victis nullam sperare salutem. To look for no mans help bringeth
the help of God to them that seem to be overcome in the eyes of the hypocrites:
yea, it shall make God to carry you through thick and thin for His truths
sake, in spite of all the enemies of His truth. There falleth not a
hair till His hour be come: and when His hour is come, necessity carrieth us
hence, though we be not willing. But if we be willing, then have we a reward and thanks.
Fear not threatening, therefore, neither be overcome of sweet
words; with which twain the hypocrites shall assail you. Neither let the
persuasions of worldly wisdom bear rule in your heart; no, though they be your
friends and counsel. Let Bilney be a warning to you. Let not their viszor beguile your eyes.
Let not your body faint. He that endureth to the end shall be saved. If the pain be above your strength,
remember, Whatsoever ye shall ask in My name, I will give it you. And pray to your Father in that name, and He
will cease your pain, or shorten it. The
Lord of peace, of hope, and of faith, be with you. Amen.
____________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________________
251
THE DUALISM OF ETERNAL LIFE
By STEPHERN SPEARS CRAIG
What is the meaning of the Greek adjective aionios? As most religious people depend largely, even
chiefly, on human authority rather than on what the word of God says, it may be
well to note a few points in this connection by way of preliminary remark and
evidence. Note the following data:
1.
2. Trench in
his work on Greek
Synonyms admits that aionios sometimes has a limited
significance.
3. Dr. Vincent
in his Word
Studies in the New Testament is most emphatic in his assertion that
aionios never means eternal as English
readers use the word. See his valuable
note on 2 Thess. 1: 9. Thus it becomes evident that in our
contention for a more exact rendering of this Greek adjective we are not
without the support of scholarship. But we
have more conclusive evidence than this.
SOME
POSITIVE FACTS
1. It is a fact that when the A. V. was made the Latin
language was far better known, and more extensively used, than the Greek; and
therefore the translators were greatly influenced both by the extensive use of
Latin and by the Latin Versions then in use.
Bezas translation and the
Vulgate both translate aionios by aetemus, the cognate noun being aeternitas, whence come
our English eternal and eternity. This
looks very suspicious. From the above it
is as clear as the light of noon-day that the King James Translators instead of
going back to the original Greek and translating the Greek aionios went to the Latin Vulgate and translated the Latin aeternus. If they had gone to the Greek, and acted as becomes scholars, they would have given us the
same translation as
2. It is equally
a fact that the theology of the West was not that of the Greek Church, but that
of Roman Catholicism. It was Latin
theology.
And
just as it is beyond doubt that the revisers, translators, and lexicographers,
were chiefly influenced by the Latin language and Latin translations; so is it
equally beyond doubt that the theologians of the Reformation were far more
influenced by Latin Theology than by the word of God. It is admitted that the theology of Calvin
was derived from
It
was absolutely essential to Augustinian theology with its blighting emphasis on
the doctrine of predestinarianism to mistranslate the Greek adjective aionios, and put on it a meaning which
the Greek will not for a moment allow in its respective applications to
salvation and judgment. And that which was essential to Augustinian
theology was equally essential to Latin Christianity from the days of Augustine
to those of Calvin, Luther and Zwingli. And the same necessity exists in the Reformed Theology from then till
the present. To say nothing
of other words, the Calvinist simply cannot, dare not, face an
honest and truthful interpretation of the two frequently occurring words with
which we are now dealing, namely, eternal life.
Perhaps
the reader will say Amen! before he gets to
the end of the book.
4.
It is a fact that aionios is derived from the noun aion. By means of this latter word and its compounds
the Greeks expressed their conceptions of time, past, present and future. No language can get along without some such
word, or words. F. W. Grant in his Facts and Theories as to a Future State says aion is sometimes used for a limited
time, and sometimes for unlimited time, namely, eternity. But Dr.
Vincent in his Word Studies emphatically denies the latter
construction; and he is certainly right, as we hope to demonstrate later
on. The Greek aion may designate any period of time from the duration of human
life up to the full length of an age in the history of a given nation. From the Exodus of the children of
QUERRY: How is it possible to derive an adjective expressive of unlimited time, or duration, from
a noun which always conveys the thought of limited time?
5. Why did the Revisers of the A.V. insert, or rather,
retain the word world in Matt. 28: 20? They make Christ say: lo, I am with you always, even
unto the end of the world. But what He did say was: Lo, I am with you always, unto
the end of the age. In reply to Peters question, He promised to those of His followers who were
faithful to Him during His absence, He
would give great reward in the age
(not world) to
come; plainly implying that
those who were unfaithful would not share in the rewards, and, as He
indicates in other passages, will not even share the blessedness of the
coming age and Kingdom. I repeat the question: Why did the Revisers
translate aion by world, instead of age? Because
the Postmillennial [and
Anti-Millennial]
theory of interpretation stands completely condemned before the correct
rendering; and with its fall the traditional eschatology must also fall.
FIVE FACTS
1. The Bible divides all men into two classes - the saved and the unsaved.
2. It subdivides the saved into two classes - the carnal
who live according to the flesh; and the spiritual who live according to the
spirit (Rom. 8:
13-14).
3. It presents the
4. The Bible
explicitly affirms that all [regenerate] believers are in the Kingdom in its present phase; but [regenerate and] carnal believers will not be able to enter the [millennial] Kingdom in
glory in the age to come (Gal. 5: 19-21; Matt. 5: 20).
5. The state in which believers die is that in which they
will come before Christ to be judged. This
judicial process may issue either in eternal (age-lasting) salvation, or
eternal (age-lasting) judgment, according to Heb. 5: 9; and 6: 2. Let the
reader note that we are here using the word eternal, not in its English sense,
but as a translation of aionios, that is, age-lasting, or lasting
while the age lasts.
Before
coming directly to our examination of aionios, permit another remark: We
have seen the teaching of the Westminster Standards and of Protestantism generally
as to the future state of believers.
They say that at death the believer passes
immediately into the presence of God and never can know any future judgment or
sorrow. This
is another of these flesh-pleasing fictions of the Middle Ages devised by
priestcraft.
We
may affirm, as a general and universal principal, that God, as a moral
necessity inheriting in his holiness, cannot bestow any gift, either external
or internal, on man without holding him strictly accountable for the use he
makes of it. Why should the free gift of
eternal life be an exception? But as a
matter of fact it is universally assumed to be so. This is a great mistake. We will take an example. Dr. Schofields notes,
in his Reference Bible, are, on the whole, excellent; but occasionally he makes
a serious slip as in his note on 2 Cor. 3: 10, where Paul says:
Ye (Christians) must all appear before the judgment seat (bema) of Christ that every one may receive for the things done in
his body, according to that he has done, whether it be good or bad.
On
this passage Dr. Scofield comments
as follows:
The judgment of the believers works, not sins, is in
question here. These (his sins) have
been atoned for and are remembered no more forever. Heb. 10: 17; but every work must come into judgment (Matt. 10: 12; Rom. 14: 10; Gal. 6: 7; Eph. 6: 8; Col. 3: 24, 25). The result is reward or loss (of reward), but he himself shall be
saved (1 Cor.
3: 11-15).
An
examination of this paragraph reveals the following. Heb.
10: 17: And their sins and iniquities
will I remember no more. A mere glance at the context shows that the Holy Spirit is not here
speaking of Christians, nor of this
dispensation, but to the saved
remnant of
The
third proof text used by the Doctor is Matt.
10: 12
and it has no bearing on the subject
whatever. Eph.
6: 8 has reference to the Christians
good deeds, but says nothing of the evil; and the other three passages affirm
the very opposite of the Doctors contention.
How very emphatic is Col. 3: 25: But He that doeth wrong (assuming that he has not made it right) shall
receive for the wrong which he hath done,
and there is no
respect of persons. Surely
that is plain enough. Those who hold the
theory in question say it is the believers works and not his person that is to
be judged. Is it conceivable that an
evil work, apart from the person who does it, can be judged, the sentence
executed and justice satisfied thereby?
How would the theory work in civil jurisprudence? Suppose society should say, We will let the murderer go free, but we will judge and
punish the deed. But says one of
the advocates of orthodox eschatology: the believers
sins were all judged at
Was
Gods purpose in the atonement to put a premium on sinning; or was it that
Christians might not sin (1 John 2: 1)? The
theory is essentially antinomian. Paul
met it in his day as when he said, Shall we sin then because we are not under the law but under
grace?, and meets the thought
with an emphatic God forbid. Christ bore the
believers sin and sins on the cross judicially. But this will not save the believer from
sinning; nor from reaping as he sows.
Christ not only bore the sins of the believer at the cross, but of the
whole world, but this does not secure the [aionian] salvation of any man apart from repentance and faith.*
[* For this book contact: www.icmbooksdirect.co.uk ]
*
* * *
* * *
252
OUR LORD AND
BRITISH-ISRAEL
TEACHING
By Rev. ARTHUR
SIMMONDS, M.A.
Anything taught concerning our Christian Religion
to-day should be based mainly on the New Testament. The Old Testament contains Jewish Scriptures, given from time to time to Gods chosen
people, as He saw their needs, and their capacity for receiving His Truth. All led up to the full, and final, revelation
given to mankind through Jesus Christ, as we are
reminded at the opening of the Epistle to the Hebrews, where we read, God who at sundry times and
divers manners spake in time past unto the fathers by the prophets, hath, in these last days, spoken unto us by His Son. At the coming
of our Lord, a new era dawned, and by His teaching He superseded what
had been communicated before, and indicated that Gods previous revelations
must be read in the light of His teaching, and not His in the light of those. The fifth chapter of St. Matthew clearly manifests that. In various verses our Lord quotes the ancient
commandments, and then emphatically adds, But I say unto you, claiming for Himself then an authority, to apply those commandments in
a new, and more exalted way.
Thus
British-Israelites, who introduce to the world an interpretation of the Bible
never taught before they arose, ought to be able to find in the teaching of our Lord, and His chosen and instructed
Apostles, the main
foundation of their teaching. It is quite
unreasonable to go to the Old Testament, and to take fragments of ancient
books, and figures of Eastern origin, and make them operative in a new era and
a different world, and at the same time apply what a learned theologian, Bishop H. E. Ryle,
has called A hopeless system of literal interpretation. We wrong the New Testament, when we put the Old on the same
level with it, said
It
is the purpose of these remarks to discover whether British-Israel can claim
support from the teaching of our Divine Lord, as it is impossible for
reasonable Christians to accept British-Israel teaching, if it has not His
imprimatur.
*
* * *
* * *
Perhaps,
in these days, the most prominent part of British-Israel teaching is connected
with the Gospel
of the Kingdom. The Gospel of the Kingdom, according to British-Israel is, that there exists in Britain, with
extensions in the Dependencies of Britain, and in America (Manasseh), and in
others who from other nations come into it for safety
and salvation, a ten tribed Israel Kingdom, which fulfils the saying of
our Lord in Matthew 21: 43, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth
the fruits thereof.
As our Lord preached the Gospel of the Kingdom Himself, it should be first of all affirmed that the
Gospel preached now should accord with the Gospel He Himself preached then. What are the features of the Gospel of the Kingdom which He did
preach ?
It
was called the Kingdom
of heaven and the
*
We hope to deal with the whole question
of the Kingdom in our next issue.
A
regard for these, and other particulars, will show any unprejudiced student
that the Gospel
of the Kingdom cannot refer to
any earthly Kingdom now set up. The Kingdom is evidently a spiritual Kingdom
- a spiritual Kingdom such as the Christian Church is, such as our Lord spoke
of when He said, On this rock will I build my Church, such as He referred to when He bade His disciples under certain
circumstances, to tell the Church (Matt. 18: 17), and such as could, without political
difficulties, be preached throughout the world, now, in
accordance with His command (Matt. 24: 14; 28: 19).
But
it may be said that the Lord declared, in Matthew
21: 43, that the
This
is indeed confirmed by the history contained in Acts
15. At the council held at
Another
complication, too, connected with this part of British-Israel history, is to be
found in the fact that the Kingdom, it is
taught, was transferred to Ireland, in B.C. 583, with the arrival there of Tea Tephi,
called the daughter of Zedekiah, the last King of Judah! But how could
our Lord say that a Kingdom shall be taken away from people around Him, when that Kingdom was
transplanted more than 500 years before?
The
* *
* * *
* *
Another
saying, coming from our Lord, which figures largely in the New Testament
teaching of British-Israel, is that which refers to the command to His
disciples not to go to the Gentiles nor the Samaritans, but to go
to the lost
sheep of the House of Israel (Matt. 10: 5, 6). He said the same of His own
These
words are regarded as a recognition of the ten
tribes as apart from
the whole body of
The
ten tribes, according to British-Israel teaching, were in Scythia in our Lords
time, or, some of them, in
The
lost sheep of
the House of Israel mentioned in St. Matthew were not of the ten tribes only, as British-Israel affirms.
*
* * *
* * *
There
is one incident in our Lords life which was of great importance, but which is
utterly ignored by British-Israel teachers.
It is that which occurred on one occasion when He was preaching, and
which is recorded at the end of St. Matthew 12. His mother and His brethren approached Him,
His attention was called to them, and He interjected the question, Who is my mother and who are
my brethren? And then, turning
Himself away from His own racial kinsfolk to
His disciples, His spiritual kinsfolk, He, no doubt
impressively, said, Behold my mother and my brethren! For whosoever shall do the will of my Father which is
in heaven, the same is my brother, and sister, and mother.
That
was a greatly important affirmation. It
meant the creation of a New Israel, an Israel
not drawn from one nation but all nations, an Israel not built upon race, as before, but upon spiritual attributes which those of any race could supply by His grace, an
Israel which, as St. Paul indicates in his Epistle to the Galatians, could be
called by the new term - the Israel of God (Gal. 6: 16). Here we have clearly signified the New Era which
came to our world through Jesus Christ.
All nations now are on a plane of equality in the sight of God, as we
are told in Colossians 3: 10, 11.
The
writer of this paper would like to conclude it by a reference to one fact to
which he has called attention elsewhere, and which he thinks is almost, if not quite, important enough to turn people from British-Israel
teaching altogether viz., that our Divine Lord, when He was upon earth, never
referred to the ten tribs, who, it is contended, were then on their way to Britain, nor to that Throne of David which,
it is also taught, was then established in Ireland. Such an omission is when it is submitted that
the ten tribes were going out to a new and appointed place
to enjoy the privilege and fulfil the duty of witnessing for Him in the world,
and that the Throne
of David was His Throne, that
which the Angel spoke of as His, at His birth (Luke 1: 32), and which His resurrection gave Him (Acts 2: 30, 31).
There
is no real history for the coming of the ten tribes here. They only arrive by a series of strange
transmutations into Kelts, or Scythians, and Goths,
and Nordics of some kind. There is not
the slightest authority for establishing the Throne of David in
*
* * *
* * *
253
By D. M.
PANTON, B.A.
Internationalism, the welding into one of earths
godless nations, born in
*
The whole earth is
THE
REBUILDING OF
Reasons
sharp and decisive establish a rebuilt
*
It is strangely missed that the
absolutely unique language of the Apocalypse must correspond to an equally
unique fact. The triple woe in Revelation 8:
13 indicates three distinct judgments: so
the double woe and the double fall of Great Babylon are plague and ruin on two
cities. Two destructions sundered in
time are named (Rev. 14: 8 & 16: 19),
separated by at least three and a half years.
** That the survivors from the
charred cinders of
COMMERCE
Now
what is revealed to us immediately after the destruction of Rome - after these things (Rev. 18: 1) - and revealed for the first time, is a central
world-city, enormous, dominant, the pulsating heart of universal commerce, and
so powerful as to enrich the whole earth.
The
merchants of the earth waxed rich by the power of her wantonness (Rev. 18: 3) - out of
the quantity of her luxury (Alford)
she rests upon the greatest of all world-powers - the money-interest, the
economic security, of mankind en masse. Her power is not military
nor ecclesiastical nor cultural, but commercial: she is the mart of nations:
common weights and measures, a common currency, a common world-bank, all
centralized and supported by the gold - kings and merchant-princes of the
earth, evolve a city which, luxurious beyond dreams, is the worlds treasury,
the pillar of the commercial credit of all nations.
THE ANGEL OF
JUDGMENT
Now
Heaven moves. It has been remarked that
more is said about the fall of
*
It is very singular that the Antichrist
is nowhere named as resident in
** It is the Great Earthquake which
simultaneously ruins numberless cities (Rev.
16: 19). In November, 1755,
EARTHS
FINAL PRIDE
But
John alone sees the Angel; and from the lips of the
*
The degree to which a modem city can give
itself over to exactly what the Most High predicts of Babylon Paris
proves. In this city alone, £1,600 is
spent daily on astrological predictions and various occultisms; the total
profits amounting to £600,000 a year; in 34,600 cabinets in which the future
can be consulted with professional aid.
As the birds clustered in the mustard tree (Matt.
13: 32),
so they haunt the spot (Rev. 18: 2) where it
is felled.
THE LAMENT
Internationalism
thus creates a highly sensitive organism of which
*
Dean
Alfords admission is as frank as it
is correct. It must not for a moment be denied that
the character of this lamentation throws a shade of obscurity over the
interpretation of it as
EARTHQUAKE
PENITENCE
The
contrast is startling even with our own darkening day. One who saw it says of the
THE
So
the last obstacle to Kingdom joy is dynamited, the metropolis of mans vast
miscarriage of empire. Rejoice over her, thou heaven and ye saints, and
ye apostles, and ye prophets; for God hath
judged your judgment on her. Every Scriptural condemnation of
*
* * *
* * *
254
MISSIONS AND
THE ADVENT
By A. T.
PIERSON, D.D.
It was a saying of Immanuel
Kant that every man should propose to himself three questions: What can I know? What ought I to do? and for what may I hope? All action is the result of incentives; and
the more numerous and powerful the inducements, the more prompt and energetic
the activity. Hope is,
therefore, the greatest motor of human life; it is the very sculptor of
character and conduct; the architect of history and destiny. Hope is so connected with happiness that its
perfect crown is heaven; and Dante
was not less philosopher than poet when he wrote over the gates of the Inferno,
Abandon hope, all ye who enter here!
The Blessed Hope of the Lords Return was, no doubt, the foremost of all motives, hopes and
incentives which moved early disciples to zeal and activity in missions; and to
revive this hope - to make it practically the mighty motor to us that it was to
them, is to provide a new impulse and impetus in the work of a worlds
evangelization. Hope is the one impulse
that never loses its youth, and, above all, this hope. On the
contrary, so soon as we lose sight of the Advents imminence and say:- My Lord delayeth His coming, we are tempted to indolence, self-indulgence, and
controversy on minor matters. When disciples felt the time to be short and the duty to be urgent,
they were all at it and always at it;
self-denial was an easy yoke and petty jealousies were scorned as trifles. So soon and so long as that hope was dim, and
Christs Coming was pushed into the far-off future, the Church began leisurely
working, then flippantly playing at missions, as though vast cycles of time lay
before us in which to witness to the world.
Revive this hope of the Lords Coming and it begets hourly watching, ceaseless
praying, tireless toiling, patient waiting.
The
Scriptures warrant no expectation of the worlds conversion in this [evil and apostate] age of
witness; so far as we look for such result
we work on the wrong basis, and will
either be disappointed or deceived in the outcome. The soldier who misconceives the object of a
campaign, may falsely construe all the movements of the army. If he thinks the whole force of the foe is to
be captured, the seizure of a few leading strongholds seems only next to absolute
defeat. But, if he knows that
this is exactly according to orders from head-quarters, and that the plan of
his great commander is thus carried out, seizing and holding certain strategic
points, and waiting for him to arrive with reinforcements, what would otherwise
have seemed defeat, now becomes success.
The
Since
Jesus of Nazareth, through the rent veil of His flesh and the rent door of His
tomb, opened to every believer the path of life, nineteen centuries have gone
by, during which a vast number of souls, equal to twenty times the present
population of the globe, have gone down to the grave, ignorant of Christ. Isaac
Taylor once attempted a catalogue of the great social evils:- polygamy,
legalized prostitution and capricious divorce, bloody and brutal games,
rapacious and offensive wars, death and punishment by torture, infanticide,
caste and slavery. From all lands where
the Cross has been set up and the gospel faithfully preached, these owls of the
midnight flee before the new dawn.
The
war is Gods, but it needs money and materiel. Brave Captain Gardiner at
Tierra del Fuego, led a little band of seven against
Satans seat in
One
of the most venerated missionaries, Dr.
H. N. Barnum, once gave an account of fourteen years of labour, in
preaching, establishing stations, training a native ministry, and carrying on
all the work of evangelization and education over a wide territory. The question was asked:- At what cost was all this done? And the answer was - for a sum less than the
cost of the church building in which he was then speaking - an edifice worth
probably £30,000! Fourteen years of such
wide-reaching work at an average cost per year of somewhat over £2,000!
Is
it strange that the soldier of Christ endures hardness, fights the good fight
of faith, carries the Cross at all risks to plant it on Satans strongholds, while he is looking daily for the coming of the Captain of his
salvation, and knows not how soon he may lay down his warrior's
armour for the crown of victory? Paul
forgot all his losses in such gains - and counted all but refuse, for the sake
of the resurrection hope. Fellowship with Christ in suffering brings fellowship in glory; and to
die with Him as a malefactor is to be exalted with Him as a benefactor.
With many disciples, the eyes are yet blinded to this mystery of
rewards, which is one of the open mysteries of the Word, and some cannot see
how rewards can have any place in an economy of grace. But we
must not confound salvation and recompense.
It must be an imputed
righteousness - exceeding far that of the most proper Pharisee - whereby we enter [His
kingdom]; but having
thus entered by faith, OUR [personal
righteousness, (Matt. 5: 20) - our
good]
works, [will] determine our relative rank, place, reward [in
it].
More
than twenty-five years ago a missionary, after seventeen years of work on the
foreign field, lay on his death-bed.
Suddenly arousing himself, with great emphasis, he said I have a testimony to give, and would best give it now. Tell the Christian young men that the
responsibility of saving the world rests on them; not on the old men, but on
the young. It is past time for holding
back and waiting for providences. I used
to think that a missionary ought to husband his strength; but this is a crisis
in the worlds history, and one man by keeping back may keep back others. Reason is profitable to direct, but the man
that rushes to duty is faithful. There
are times when rashness is the rule and caution the exception. I look upon the Church as a military company:
an army of conquest, not of occupation.
While
that dying missionary was leaving behind his last legacy in a message to young
men, there was at Prineeton, New Jersey, another
missionary, returned after thirty years service in India, who was gathering in
his own house, from time to time, a few younger brethren, to urge on them the
same deep conviction- that on them God had laid the burden of beginning a new
missionary crusade. He put before them
the map of the world, pressed the need of an organized movement among young men
to enter the regions beyond; and, while he left them to consider and confer, he
withdrew into a neighbouring room to pray.
To those prayers we may trace a movement so mighty that in twenty-five
years it enrolled on its missionary covenant more than eight thousand young men
and women.
The
golden chalice which is filling is Gods purpose; its flood is mans
opportunity. And whenever Gods full
time comes, the angel whose stride spans sea and land
declares:- There shall no longer be DELAY. Then, or
never, we fall into line with Gods movement.
His times and tides wait for no man. Swiftly His plan sweeps on to its
goal, leaving behind the sluggard and the idler. Ye watchers, be ready, and when the full hour
is come for the work and war of the ages, stand in your lot and be not found
faithless!
*
* * *
* * *
255
By G. H.
PEMBER, M.A.
There is, perhaps, no section of the Apocalypse more
fraught with difficulty than the predictions concerning
Now
if we turn to the two chapters, the seventeenth and eighteenth, containing the
greater part of the Revelation which we
propose to examine, we are at once struck by the apparent discrepancies between
them. Were the seventeenth chapter all that remained to us, there would be
little difficulty in its interpretation: for few students of Scripture can
peruse it without recognizing the lineaments of
On
this point, the single fact that the Woman is said to be sitting on seven
mountains is in itself conclusive. For the Apostle to whom the vision appeared
was certainly intended to understand it; and in his days
*
The Septitnontium, or Festival of the
Still
more decisive is the declaration of the interpreting angel, that the Woman is the great city which reigneth
over the kings of the earth - a
description that no one could have mistaken at the time. For as yet, in the reign of Domitian, Rome showed no symptoms of
waning power, although a full century had elapsed since Propertius characterized her as
The city, high on seven hills, that rules the
boundless earth.*
*Septem urbs alta jugis,
toto quae praesidet orbi. Prop. iv xi. 57.
As
soon, however, as we begin to read the eighteenth chapter we find the scene
changed, and pass from Mystery Babylon to a literal city, which is evidently
the commercial centre of the world, and bears little resemblance either to
Yet,
strange to say, nearly all interpreters of the two chapters have failed to
notice the distinction. And so they have
either recognized the outlines of Rome in the seventeenth chapter, and then
assumed, in spite of difficulties, that she is likewise to be found in the
eighteenth; or else, being aware that the literal Babylon on the Euphrates has
yet a grand part to play in the closing scenes of the age, and perceiving that
all that is written in the eighteenth chapter would be applicable to her were
she restored, they have endeavoured to adapt the previous chapter also to her
circumstances.
But,
whichever of these views be taken, the result is equally unsatisfactory;
neither of them can supply an adequate interpretation of both chapters. Nor is this wonderful: for a careful and
unprejudiced examination cannot fail to convince us that, whatever may be
intended by the
For,
in the first place, we observe that the subject of the seventeenth is
represented to us as a Woman, that of the eighteenth as a City, and, in
accordance with this, the Woman is called Mystery Babylon, whereas the City is
simply Babylon
the Great, or that great city Babylon. This fact in
itself is a hint that the former is not the literal
Again,
Mystery Babylon is to be destroyed by the Ten Kings, because God hath put in their hearts
to fulfil His will, and to agree, and give their kingdom unto the Beast, until the words of God shall be fulfilled (Rev. 17: 17).
Thus
the Woman, or
* Rev. 14: 8. The Authorized Version has,
The
Woman, then, must be destroyed before Antichrist begins his baleful reign. But elsewhere
we learn that a great
Thus
the catastrophes of the two chapters are not merely distinct, but are separated
by an interval which cannot be less than three years and a half, and may be
more.
Lastly,
the Woman is destroyed by human agency, that of the Ten Kings; and the
description given of their future work certainly leads us to infer that it will
not be accomplished in a day.
But
the city perishes instantaneously by an appalling Judgment of God. At the outpouring of the Seventh Vial it is
engulfed in a moment by the great earthquake which causes all the cities of the
nations to fall (Rev. 16: 17-19). Its
cloud-capped towers and gorgeous palaces, its massive pediments, its spires and
domes, will suddenly sway to and fro, like trees beneath a mighty wind, and
then descend in ruin into the yawning jaws of earth, and disappear amid the
flames vomited forth from their fiery grave.
*
* * *
* * *
256
FIERY TRIAL
By D. M. PANTON, B.A.
There is one command of God so startling, so
paradoxical, so utterly alien to this world and native to another, enveloping a
disciple in triple brass, that it ought to be framed in letters of gold. Absorbed, and obeyed, any man is made
unconquerable. For it passes all
Christ-like suffering under the X-rays of another world, and, by what it thus
discloses transmutes the very substance of such sorrow. To the heart of a Church hovering once more
on paths of martyrdom is a strychnine of extraordinary power.
But
first the ground must be cleared, as it is cleared both by our Lord and by His
Apostle, of all suffering which in no remotest degree falls under the
revelation. Let none of you suffer - for mere suffering, divorced from goodness, is
valueless - as a
murderer, or a thief, or an evil-doer, or as a
meddler in other mens matters (1 Pet. 4: 15). Our
Lord carefully slips in an identical caution.
Blessed
are ye when men shall say all manner of evil against you FALSELY (Matt. 5: 11). There were
three crosses on
So
our Saviour catalogues the sufferings minutely, not as the sharp but
exceptional sufferings of murderous epochs only, but as the steady, unvarying
pressure of animus which the world exercises always and everywhere. Blessed are ye when men shall hate you - no words could plunge a more impassable gulf
between the Church and the world - and when they shall separate you from their company - ostracize and boycott you - and reproach you - our Lord uses a word embracing not only mere abuse,
but sometimes stern or even loving remonstrance: reproach rather than
rebuke - and cast out your name - your name as a Christian - as evil (Luke 6: 22), as corrupt, or even as criminal.* The godly life is so stinging a rebuke to sin that it
raises, in the worldling [and the apostate], either penitence or hate. Even
he who has all the graces of all the Beatitudes will encounter slander and
ostracism and hate: but our curser is our blesser,
for the reviling creates the beatitude; as blessed as are the pure, the merciful, the meek, so
blessed are they who simply suffer. The
censure of the whole Church and of the whole world is valueless except in so
far as it coincides with Scripture, and the
only thing that matters is the approval of the Judgment Seat of Christ.
*
As one writer has said:- The daring
disregard of truth with which the world is wont to calumniate the children of
God, the Satanic cunning with which its lies are woven, would be altogether
incredible if it were not matter of fact.
The early Christians, says Professor H. B. Workman, lived under the
shadow of a great hate. Murder,
theft, gross crimes were some of the [false] charges freely brought
against them.
Both the Apostle and the Lord reveal the beatitudes
fundamental cause. If a man suffer as a
Christian,* let him not be ashamed:
in so much as - to the degree that - ye are partakers of Christs sufferings, rejoice. So the Saviour, using a wondrous phrase,
which none but the Son of God could for the first time, says:- Blessed are ye when men shall
reproach you FOR MY SAKE (Matt. 5: 11). Holy suffering is a proof of
regeneration and an
unmistakable identification with Christ.
Remember the word that I said unto you,
If they persecuted me, they will also persecute you: all these things will they do unto you for My
Names sake (John 15: 20). A [Spirit-filled] Christian is a lover of Christs person, a believer in
Christs doctrine, a follower in Christs footsteps, a partaker in Christs
sufferings, a watcher for Christs [coming kingdom
and]
glory, a trustee of Christs honour; and the
suffering is a proof of the trust.
The apostles rejoiced that they were COUNTED WORTHY to suffer
dishonour for the Name (Acts 5:
41).
* Gods
chosen name for His own in this dispensation, as a bride takes he name of the
bridegroom. The disciples were called [
see Gk.] called by divine
oracle, supernaturally by God] Christians first at
Now
the isolating effect of the worlds action only consolidates Gods sainthood,
and uncovers the age-long stock of the holy.
Rejoice,
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you (Matt.
5: 12). Identical
suffering reveals identical character: such stand in one crowd with the glorious company of the Apostles, the goodly fellowship of the prophets: if one in sorrow with Enoch Elijah and
Paul, then one in character, and one in destiny. The recompense of
the Elijahs and Isaiahs
will become yours (Godet).
An
un-cursed servant of God is not in the apostolic succession. As Luther
said to Melancthon:- So preach that those who do not fall out with their sins may
fall out with thee. Through out
mans history no doctrine or practice ever received the worlds applause which
was not an outrage on the Word of God. He who (for example) practises the Sermon on the Mount - who takes no
oath, touches no sword, lays up no treasure, who lives the unearthly life -
parts at once and for ever with a worldly career,
and, plowing a lonely furrow even among Christians of
every group, becomes, to the world simply negligible; and (to take but one other
example) he who squares all life to an imminent, miraculous Advent is, in the
eyes of the whole world, a fool. But
these things are the mind of Christ. Men
shun us because Christ is in our back ground, and hate us when we have too much
of Him. The reproaches of them that reproached Thee fell upon me (
So
now the Apostle discloses our unique and priceless revelation. If ye are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are ye
- he repeats the beatitude he had heard thirty years before; because - as proved by the suffering - the Spirit of glory and the
Spirit of God RESTETH UPON YOU. Babylon, as it
was the first, so it will be the last, great enemy of God and man, and Peter,
writing in Babylon, and probably martyred there, reveals that every furnace
Babylon has ever kindled down the ages - fiery trial,
ordeal by fire - brings into the furnace One like unto the Son of
God. On the sufferer, in the
eyes of God, dwells a Shekinah: the Holy Dove, in an iniquitous world, finds on
him a rest for her foot: god-like suffering proves an invisible unction and (if
un-forfeited) an inevitable glory. All
holiness is anointing him and all glory is crowning him. Already the heavenly
treasure is banked on high for those, on earth, made bankrupt for Christ. For if we suffer with him, we shall also REIGN
with him (2 Tim. 2: 12). As Ignatius said, and he had his choice -
I would rather be a martyr than a monarch.
So,
therefore, even as the Apostle invokes to joy now because of the exceeding joy coming for all such at the revelation of Christs glory, our Lord, commanding present
gladness in words which describe the joy at the Lambs marriage supper (Rev. 19: 7), expresses it in an action never otherwise
commanded. Rejoice in that day
[of suffering], AND LEAP FOR JOY: for
behold, your reward is great in heaven (Luke 6: 23). Insult
and injury depress, and depression paralyzes: joy, on the contrary, is one of
the most powerful of tonics; and our Lord commands a leaping, bounding joy, because of the extraordinary
reward beyond. That
you may not fall short of that joy in the participation of glory, as Archbishop Leighton says, fall not back from a cheerful progress in the communion of
those suffering that are so closely linked with it, and will so surely lead
unto it, and end in it. Exactly so far as we depart from the conduct of the ideal Christian, and
conform to the world, exactly thus far shall we miss both the travail and the
reward. Thought today revolts
fiercely against the doctrine of reward, but it beats as harmless ripples
against this rock of revelation which exalts reward into one of the gigantic
facts awaiting us beyond the Veil; for the Lord grounds the exultant joy
foursquare on the magnitude of the recompense.*
One martyr, overwhelmed with the vision exclaimed:- So
much wages for so little work!
*
Since our Lord said - Blessed are they that have been [R.V. and Greek] persecuted,
He must be referring to previous sufferers; and none such have belonged to the
Church, which arose after their death: therefore Kingdom here is not the
Church, but the future Kingdom; and it (Jesus says) is the reward. So a parallel beatitude says:- They shall inherit the earth: the glory for the
sufferer is the coming Royalty of the World.
*
* * *
* * *
257
THE JOY SET
BEFORE HIM
By W. P. CLARK
Many books have been written, and many addresses
delivered at Conferences on the subject of the Second Advent which dwell on the
joy of the Redeemed, when they see their Lord face to face and shall reign with
Him; but few dwell on His joy, which must be infinitely greater than ours,
inasmuch as He has infinitely greater capacity for joy. How great will be His joy may be measured by
what He had to endure to obtain it. For the joy set before Him He endured
the Cross despising
the shame (Heb. 12: 2) but none of the
ransomed ever knew how deep were the waters crossed, nor how dark was the night the Lord passed through, ere
He found that joy.
See
Him as He goes up Calvary Hill so marred from the form of man in His aspect, that His appearance was not that of a Son of man.* With bruised back from the terrible scourging, with
blood-stained face from the Cross of thorn with bent form from the weight of
the Cross, He
endure the Cross. A beautiful legend tells us that the woman,
who had been bowed
together, and could in no wise lift up herself until He laid His hands upon her and she was made straight, came up to Him, as He staggered under the load of the
Cross, and wiped with her handkerchief the blood, and sweat from His face. She knew what it was to suffer with a bent
back, and to be jeered at by a multitude!
*
Is. 52: 14. See
Scofield Bible and R.V. margin.
And
how can the agony of the Crucifixion be possible pictured or even
imagined? Intense as must have been the
physical suffering, to which were added the jeers and taunts of the Chief
Priests and the multitude, in which no doubt the invisible powers of darkness
joined, how much more must have been the appalling, unimaginable suffering
carried by the absolutely sinless, spotless Son of God, being made sin for us, and as such, forsaken of His Father, a fact
wringing from His lips that heart-rending cry, - My God, my God,
why has Thou forsaken Me?
But
He also despised the shame. When King
David sent messengers to condole with Hanun, King of
Ammon, on the death of his father, we read that he shaved off half their beards
and cut off their garments in the middle,
and the men were
greatly ashamed (1 Chron. 19: 5): how much greater must been the shame of
hanging on a cross exposed to the gaze of the crowd! He endured the shame.
The
other side of the picture - the joy set before Him - still lies in the future. John in the lonely isle of
Paul
looked forward to meeting his comparatively few converts, at the coming of the
Lord Jesus, as his joy and crown -
how much greater will be the joy of his Lord
when He meets His blood-bought converts, in multitude more than man can
number! Then shall He see of the travail
His soul and be satisfied. But the consummation of His Joy will no doubt be when He shall reign
for a thousand years with those counted worthy to reign with Him. Who then will enter into the joy of their Lord? and who will hear Him say, Well done, good and faithful servant, thou
hast been faithful over a few things, I will set
thee over many things? Thank God,
this wonderful joy rests not on great achievements, nor special genius, but on faithfulness; so that the weakest and poorest disciple has a
chance to achieve it. Alas, for those
servants - servants still, but found unfaithful - who shall be cast into the outer-darkness, outside the bright
A
dramatic incident occurred at a wedding in
-------
Let no man think that sudden in a minute
*
* * *
* * *
258
CONTROVERSY
ON THE SECOND ADVENT
BY HORATIUS BONAR, D.D.
I
shall endeavour to abstain from insinuating that no
one would ever take such a view of the passage but for certain inconveniences
attending it. I may at times think certain theories untenable
and unscriptural; but I shall try to avoid hard names, which may after all
betoken only an undue self-confidence on my part, or an unconscious bias which
unfits one for appreciating or even understanding any theory save our own. I
may perhaps discern very clearly a long train of inferences from the doctrine
of our opponents - inferences which appear to me logically irresistible and
doctrinally most preposterous; but I shall try to keep myself from supposing
that all those inferences of mine must form the creed of my opponents, and that
because certain things appear to me incompatible with certain others, they must
be so in reality. I may think some
reasonings inconclusive enough; but 1 shall not irritate a brother by telling
him that they are not worth the name of arguments,
or fitted only to provoke a smile. My
thinking that the opinions of certain brethren in Christ are erroneous, is no
reason why I should call them hallucinations,
or wild speculations and reveries. An opponent speaks truly of the sweet spirit of one writer, and the gentle pen of another. My prayer is, that that spirit and that pen
may be mine. They are much needed in
this day of warfare and excitement and hasty speech. Our weapons are not carnal, nor ought our
speech to be. If it be, we are but
borrowing the worlds rude weapons, and are more concerned to overthrow an
adversary than to win a brother. Men in
earnest we ought in good truth to be.
Our business, however, is not to wrangle about our Lords appearing,
but to try who shall find out most truth respecting it, who shall most fully
understand our Lords meaning, and who shall best instruct his brethren
therein, winning them by his meekness, not repelling them by his sharpness or unpliable tenacity.
In
dealing with an opponent it is well sometimes to consider the possibility of our being, perchance, in error. This does not make us less decided;
but it tends to abate self-confidence and dogmatism, as well as to make us more
respectful towards his opinions, no less
than towards himself. It may be well
enough for me to slight or smile at his views, if it is utterly impossible for
him to be right, or me to be wrong; but WHAT,
AFTER ALL, IF THE SLIGHTED TENETS
SHOULD BE TRUE?
I
strive to write for truth, not for triumph.
The times call for something else than mans conflict with, or victory
over, his fellow-man. The issue of the contest, and the prize
that is to be won, is divine truth.
I am far from thinking that there is not error cleaving to our Second
Advent system, or that there is not much sin mingling with our defence of it;
and I shall be always glad to reconsider its various parts, and thankful for
correction or further light. For the
remark of the German philosopher I feel to be a true one, that the worst insult that could be offered, even to a
half-educated man, would be to suppose that he could be offended by the
exposure of an error which he entertained, or the proclamation of a truth which
had escaped his notice. If in
aught I have written unadvised words, or breathed a spirit at variance with the
mind of Christ, I shall feel much sorrow.
The
present controversy is one which is not likely soon to subside. For it is not a controversy called up by
human disputants; it is one forced upon our notice by the ominous events of the day we
live in. It is the signs of the times
that are compelling men to look it in the face.
These signs mean something; and something too in which we have the
profoundest interest. They are either
the forerunners of a millennium not materially differing from the present state
of things - a millennium in which the earth is not renewed, but remains barren and accursed - a
millennium in which creation still groans - a millennium in which Satan is not bound, but
still roams the earth - a millennium, of which the utmost that can be said is,
that there will be far less mixture than now,
but tares still growing plentifully in it, and the enemy still busy in sowing
them - a millennium from which Christ being absent in person, the church as an
opponent admits, will be miserable without Him: or they are signs of the glad advent - the forerunners of the King
himself, for whom the church, in loneliness and widowhood, has been waiting so
long, and under whose righteous sway she hopes to see all things made new.
-------
MAKING RIGHT
JUDGMENTS
By DEREK ROUS
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any fault, you who are
spiritual restore such a one
in
a spirit of gentleness, considering
yourself lest you also are tempted. Galatians
6: 1.
Many of us who
pray for
Even amongst those who have a love for
Having discernment
or making right judgments seems to be a very
necessary attribute particularly in the Last days - as Jesus made clear in Matthew 24: 4 Take heed that no
one deceives you
Which simply means, we have a choice to
make! Over many issues of Faith and
Practise today, we are challenged to act according to the promptings of Gods
Holy Spirit who works according to His Word.
If we dont, in the mistaken belief that we have to maintain fellowship
with everyone who claims to be a Believer, we will have to face the
consequences of what that brings. Its a
difficult choice, but more so if you forget the fact that Jesus was constantly
being attacked by the religious ones of
His day for exposing hypocrisy and hatred.
Truly, being a true prophet of
God today like yesterday, is not going to win you many friends.
BEING
JUDGMENTAL
But was Jesus being
judgmental or was He prone to exaggeration? Or perhaps the writers of the Gospels
understood Him wrong and if we choose a better
translation of the Bible we would understand that God loves everyone,
irrespective of their belief and lifestyle.
They say, We know better today, that Jesus really meant that we are to love everybody and
not be so negative and particular about truth. By the reaction of some, one might well come
to that conclusion. And as for
The Bible records that the Lord Jesus commanded, Do not judge
according to appearance but judge with righteous judgment (John 7: 24). Speaking to Simon the Pharisee about
forgiveness, Jesus told him, You have rightly judged (Luke
7: 43). To others, the Lord asked, Why even of
yourselves do you not judge what is right? (Luke 12: 57). That was just after He had accused them of
being hypocrites for being able to discern the weather but unable to discern
the times.
But the same judgment that is required to discern the
times also needs to be applied to how one personally responds to the
temptations of the world in all their forms; how one is related in fellowship
to other Christians; and how to deal with disputes especially amongst
Christians.
Paul declared in 1 Corinthians
2: 15, He that is spiritual judges all things. So according to Jesus and Paul, it appears
that it is our positive duty to judge.
BEING
DISCERNING
Take a look at Jeremiah
15: 19, 20;
Ezekiel 44: 23;
Jonah 4: 11
and Malachi 3: 18
before reading again the words of Jesus in the New Testament on the subject of
False Teachers and False Teaching. Beware of false
prophets! (Matthew 7: 15) is the warning and command of the Lord. They werent just an Old Testament
problem. But how could we beware
and how could we know they are false prophets if we did not discern/judge? And what is the God-given standard by which
we are to judge? Isaiah 8: 20 is
helpful. To the Law and to the Testimony: if they speak not
according to this Word, it is because there is no light in them. Many things seem good to human judgment which
are false to the Word of God. Surely, we
might think that but to say it - thats being divisive.
But please notice, that it is the false teachers who
make the divisions, and not those who protest against their false
teaching. And these deceivers are not
serving Christ, as they profess, but their own belly.
Consequently, as difficult as it might seem,
we are to make/note them and avoid them. Romans 16: 17, 18. But
some will say, Thats being exclusive! Yes, it is.
But whose voice are we following?
And who do we want to really please?
Prove
all things; hold fast that which is good (1 Thessalonians 5: 21).
It would be impossible to obey these
injunctions of Gods Word unless it were right to judge! And remember, nothing is good in Gods sight, that
is not true to His Word. This is a
big subject providing endless opportunities for debate, because it applies to
every area of life. In Prayer for Israel, it especially applies to
how we work and relate to others who have a different focus of concern. Nevertheless, our job is big enough to absorb
our energies and this is, How we pray for such a
people as
We know that God will do the rest!
*
* * *
* * *
259
THE NEPHILIM
By D. M.
PANTON, B.A.
There are certain great outstanding mysteries in the
Word of God which we hesitate to handle: absorbingly interested ourselves, and
finding in them buttresses to our own faith, we yet fear to shock, or stumble,
or divide, or provoke profitless discussion.
Nevertheless in the long run we, shall find it a mistake to attempt to
be wiser than God. Difficulties are
deliberately planted in Scripture as tests of faith, and our characters reveal
themselves in their reaction to the Divine revelations; nor can we save others
from their reactions. The foolishness of God is wiser than man. Moreover, a
supreme reason for grappling with these tremendous mysteries is that, where the
truth is suppressed, error fastens luxuriously on the boycotted passage, in
which it entrenches itself as in an un-assaulted stronghold; and so in the
mystery of the Noachic Spirits to whom Christ
preached (disembodied) the Roman doctrine of Purgatory, as also the doctrine of
a Second Chance, lodge themselves (as they imagine) on solid Scripture
foundations. The whole Word of God is needed
for the whole elucidation of God.
THE SONS OF
GOD
That
the sons of God in Genesis 6. are
angels was all but the exclusive belief both of the Synagogue and of the
Apostolic Church; nearly all the pre-Pentecostal Rabbis, and practically the
whole of the Church of the first three centuries, so understood the Scripture.* The Septuagint, the Bible in our Lords hands which
was read every Sabbath in His hearing, actually has, instead of sons of God, angels of God.** Now it is so acutely
difficult as to be impossible to conceive how, in the ages of inspiration - the
epoch Israels Prophets, and the later age of the Churchs miraculous gifts -
an error so gigantic - if an error - could pass corrected and un-contradicted
by the Holy Ghost; nor is there a single instance (so far as we know) of a
doctrine or exposition held in common by the Synagogue and the Church (in their
inspired ages) which is not the truth of God. If carefully thought out, this
consideration is extraordinarily impressive, and most difficult to refute.
* The modern
Jewish interpretation appears for the first time in the Targurn of Onkelos in
the first Christian century; and the Sethite view appeared first in the Church in Julius Africanus in the third
century. Among modem theologians who
hold the view of the
**Augustine admits that even in his day the majority of copies
read angels of God.
ANGELIC SONS
Now
we look a little closer. The phrase used
- Bene ha Elohim - occurs four
times only in the Old Testament, every time it is used of angels; and it is
set, in this passage in studied contrast to the human - When MEN began to
multiply on the face of the ground, the sons
of God saw daughters of MEN (Gen. 6: 1). There were at that time no human sons of God,
in the spiritual sense, for ALL FLESH had corrupted its way upon the earth (Gen. 6: 12); and
even Noah, who alone is declared righteous by God, is never called a son of God. Of
all the Patriarchs Adam (already dead) and Adam only, is, in the New Testament
genealogy of the race (Luke 3: 38), named a son of God
- manifestly because, as in the case of every angel, he came fresh from the
Hand of God in creation. The gloss
making the sons God Sethites
and the daughters of men Cainites is a pure
invention of the expositor, a guess not only with no justification whatever in
the text, but manifestly in conflict with the entire context. No one would ever have dreamed the phrase meant
anything but angels had it not been for the extremely startling nature of the
event.
THE NEW
TESTAMENT
But
an event so enormous, and so closely connected with human corruption, must, if
true, find confirmation in Gods later revelations, and the Apostle Jude - in
an epistle significantly a preface to the Apocalypse - sets on it the
imprimatur of God. And angels - no article: certain angels - which kept not their own
principality, but left their proper habitation - a statement never made of the Satanic hosts - he hath kept in bonds - the Satanic legions, on the contrary, range heaven
and earth in perfect liberty - even as Sodom and Gomorrah, having in like manner WITH
THESE given themselves over to fornication, and gone
after strange flesh (Jude 6).*
Judes revelation is like a flash of lightning.
So abominable in Gods sight, says the Apostle, is the
horrible misuse of sex in all adultery of species that it drew down the
lightnings of Sodom, even as it had provoked the extermination of the Flood. Paul also has a statement which, in this
context, is obvious, but without it, a baffling mystery. The woman ought to have a
sign of authority on [over] her head - a
head-dress as a sign of self-control, to give her hand where she will, or
(alternatively) of the mans control - BECAUSE OF THE
ANGELS (1 Cor. 11: 10).**
*
In like manner
with these angels just referred to (Professor S. D. F. Salmond, D.D.). The manner was similar, because the angels committed
fornication with another race than themselves (Dean Alford). If we bear in mind that
there is something mysterious about the love and connection of the sexes, and
that in all who are not wholly sunken, the animal aspect of it - which sin
isolates - is pervaded by a more elevated and noble principle; when we further
think of its importance in the history of the world, and of salvation, we may
perhaps regard it as not quite impossible that angels should have desired to
share it (J. H. Kurtz, D.D.). For a shrewd comment on the verse in Jude see
the one excellent and exhaustive work on the whole subject, The Fallen Angels, by J. Fleming (Dublin,
1879), pp. 169 - 177.
** Womans shorn head to-day,
accompanied as it begins to be by the uncovered head in worship, is a
peculiarly sinister symptom of the age, in the tacit invitation it
offers to the unseen world in direct disobedience to the Holy Ghost. Depicting the destiny of the Rephaim, another
name for the obnoxious strain, Proverb 9: 18 casts a tragic light on some at least of the daughters of men.
For the Rephaim. see Deut. 2: 20, 21.
THE NEPHILIM
The
products of the monstrous marriage, as definitely stated by the Holy Ghost,
lift the union out of all possible natural explanations. The Nephilim, - the giants or fallen
ones - were in
the earth in those days - that is, as a signal exception in human history - and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men,
and they bare children to them - that is, the offspring were the Nephilim, or
giants. That physical frames were
produced by the marriage huge, portentous, is proof positive that the Sons of
God were super-humans incarnated; and therefore immediately after they are
named Jehovah says My Spirit shall not strive with man for ever, for that he ALSO is flesh. The gigantic
dimensions are not human: it is not the Adamic image, created after the Divine
type, which shows itself in such colossal corporeal development (Nagelstach).
THE FLOOD
A very
powerful subsidiary proof lies in the close relationship stated by the Spirit
of God between this abhorrent irruption and the Deluge. No sooner is the fact stated than the doom
falls (verses 2-3);
and as soon as the Nephilim, the giant descendants,*are
named, so soon is it stated that the Lord saw that the wickedness of man - the Nephilim are included in the human: man also is
flesh - was
great in the earth. Apart from
general corruption, and the implied refusal of the Word of God through Noah, the
sole fact named in the context of the Flood, the solitary outstanding
provocation of God drawing down the extermination of the world, is a marriage
as abhorrent to heaven as it was portentous to earth.
* The Nephilim were in the earth in those
[pre-diluvian] days, and
also after
that (Gen. 6: 4), in a post-diluvian epoch. And so in Numbers
10: 33 we read:- There we saw the Nephilim, the sons of
Anak, which come of the Nephilim; and we were in our own sight as grasshoppers, and so we were in their sight. Their gigantic proportions are given in Deuteronomy 3: 11,
and because of this obnoxious strain
HEATHEN
MYTHOLOGY
Remarkable
further confirmation lies in the complete exposure the facts afford, an
elucidation of astonishing completeness, of all heathen mythology. We stand here, as Delitzsch says, at the fountain of
heathen mythology with its legends, but this primitive golden age is divested
of all its apotheosizing glory. Greek mythology weaved itself around a
race half-human, half divine, actually named giants,
Titans, heroes, gods; terrible and strong, says Hesiod, the race of heroes called
demigods; and it is exceedingly impressive that the very word Peter
uses to describe the present prison of these fallen angels, Tartarus, is also named in mythology as the prison of Cronos and the
rebel Titans. The same, says the Scripture, were the
mighty men - Gibborim: the
fabulous giants of
*
They appear to have introduced astrology,
sorcery, armour, and medicine; and the Book of Enoch attributes to them the
introduction of a flesh diet, sanctioned by Jehovah only after the Flood (Gen. 9: 3), beauty culture the
beautifying of the eyebrows, etc.), and cannibalism. The narrative itself hints polygamy. The age
is heading for abominations that peculiarly rouse the wrath of the Creator (Lev. 18: 23). The scientific lectures of Professor Voronolf
have been forbidden in
MODERN
RECURRENCE
It is obvious that if the thing is a fact, not only ought the Scriptures to have
recorded it, but it ought now to be made known for such warning as may be
possible in an utterly incredulous age.
For our Lords words are inexpressibly solemn:- AS IT WAS IN THE DAYS OF NOAH, so shall be the Presence - the Lords sojourn in the heavens - of the Son of man (Matt. 24: 37). Since the solitary outstanding Noachic event recorded by inspiration, the sole
world-filling fact, is the hybrid race, it is difficult to avoid the conclusion
that the later world-judgment will have an identical cause. No Spiritualist would find any insuperable
difficulty either in the narrative or in the prophecy, nor needs to be told
that Incubi and Succubi have a basis in
fact. It was a Corsican tradition that Madame Mere asserted a like birth of
her son, Napoleon; and the latest life
of Mrs. Eddy (E. F. Dakins Mrs.
Eddy) openly states of
her rival Mrs. Stetson that she produced a child by immaculate conception, a rumour
among Christian Scientists by no means confined to Mrs. Stetson. Gibbor is a term which
Scripture applies both to Nimrod (Gen. 10: 8) and to the Antichrist
(Hab. 2: 5). Sooner than we know, the world may awake to
find itself in pre-Diluvian horrors, and among pseudo-Christs, demi-gods, working miracles so great (Matt. 24: 24) as
to imperil even the faith of the elect.*
*
Our Lords statement (Matt. 22: 30) no more makes it impossible for angels to marry than impossible for
the risen: all He says is that in heaven marriage is as unpractised among the
risen as among the angels. The capability of neither is touched upon.
The denial of the possibility assumes a knowledge that we do not
possess. There are bodies CELESTIAL
as well as bodies terrestrial (1 Cor. 15: 40). Credible or
incredible to mans wisdom - whether congenial or foreign to his conceptions of
things in which a pretence to knowledge is mere folly - whether apparently
possible or impossible - the fact is stated in the Bible, and that so plainly
that the wisest commentators have been reduced to childish absurdities in
attempting to evade it (S. R.
Maitland, D.D.).
*
* * *
* * *
260
CONTROVERSY
By JAMES STALKER, D.D.
It is no good sign of the times that controversy should
be looked down upon. In the records of
the life of Jesus we have pages upon pages of controversy. It may have been far from the work in which
He delighted most to be engaged; but He had to undertake it all through His
life, and especially towards the close.
The most eminent of His servants in every age have had to do the
same.
The
spirit of the true controversialist is the joyful and certain sense of
possessing the truth, and the conviction of its value to all men, which makes
error hateful and inspires the determination to sweep it away. It was as the King of Truth (John 18: 37)
that Christ carried on controversy, and He was borne along by the generous
passion to cut His fellowmen out from their imprisonment in the labyrinth of
error. Excessive aversion to controversy may be an indication that a Church
has no keen sense of possessing truth which is of any great worth, and that it has lost appreciation for the
infinite difference in value between truth and error.
There
are differences, indeed, in the present feeling of the public mind to different
kinds of controversy. One of the tasks
of controversy is to combat error outside of the Church. Christianity is incessantly assailed by forms
of unbelief which arise one after another and have their day. At one time it is Deism which requires to be
refuted, at another Pantheism, another Materialism. To defend the
It
is controversy within the Church which excites alarm and aversion. Yet
the controversy which our Lord waged was inside the Church; and so has that been carried on by the
most eminent of His followers. It would, indeed, be well if the
sound of controversial weapons were never heard in the temple of peace; but only on condition that it is also a
temple of truth.
In the time of Christ the Church was the
stronghold of error; and not once or twice since then it has
been the same. Jesus had to assail
nearly the whole ecclesiastical system of His time and a large body of the
Churchs doctrines. To do so must, to a
thoughtful mind, in any circumstances be an extremely painful task; for the
faith reposed in their spiritual guides by the mass of men who have little
leisure or ability to think out vast subjects to the bottom, is one of the most
sacred pillars of the edifice of human life, and nothing can be more criminal
than wantonly to shake it. But it sometimes
needs to be shaken, and Jesus did so.
Of course the opposite case may easily
occur; the Church may have the truth,
and the innovator may be in error.
Then the true place of the Christian controversialist is on the side of
the Church against him who is trying to mislead her. This also is a delicate task, requiring the
utmost Christian wisdom and sometimes likely to be repaid with little thanks;
for, while he who defends the Church against error coming from THE OUTSIDE is
loaded with honours as a saviour of the faith, he who attempts to preserve her from more menacing danger WITHIN may
be dismissed with the odious and withering title of heresy-hunter.
-------
DECAYING
FAITH
Dr. Betts, professor of Religious Education at the (American)
-------
THE SECOND
COMING*
* This is the title given to the poem by the author. Second Advents are sometimes charged with
being pessimists.
But there is a
second advent of the Rationalist - as dread a contrast as could be conceived. D. M. Panton.
Some day the last lone man will lie and stare
At death, and know that in him ends the scheme
Of life on earth, that thought itself supreme;
And he will die with no one left to care.
All forms of life that once swarmd
anywhere
Will vanish as the memories of a dream,
And the gret winds of
silence then will stream
Through the vast hollows of the darkend
air.
And after this quick life we once calld
ours
Has passd, will the world
travail in some storm
Of restless elements and fill its crust
With breathing earth again: wild beasts and flowers?
And will some curious life in some strange form
Dig down and read this story of our dust?
-
PAUL ENGLE.
-------
COMMISSIONED
Out of the realm of the glory-light
Into the far-away land of night,
Out from the bliss of worshipful son
Into the pain of hatred and wrong,
Out from the holy rapture above
Into the grief of rejected love,
Out from the life at the Fathers side
Into the death of the crucified,
Out of high honour and into shame
The Master willingly, gladly came:
And now, since He may not suffer anew,
As the Father sent Him, so sendeth He you.
-
HENRY W.
FROST, D.D.
* *
* * *
* *
261
THE RE-BIRTH
OF THE LAND
OF
Just a century ago Sir
C. Napier wrote: In a few years we English shall
be at
For
Sir WiIIiam Willcocks has worked for years among the countless
ruined cities and villages of Babylonia; and to-day he is re-erecting dams
originally dug by Nimrod, and irrigation works once planned by Cyrus and
Alexander. He says:- I have traced out hundreds of the old canals. The head-works
were at
* The
Geographical journal, Jan., 1910.
But
the restoration of Mesopotamia covers the site of
Nor
is it without dread significance that the modern mind is losing its recoil
against the concentrated iniquity summed up in the word BABYLON - the queen of the cities,
says Sir William Willeocks,
the capital of the world, the finest city men ever
built. Christian man, and Jewish man before him,
has cast over it the ban of superstitious loathing: only the evil of Belshazzar
is remembered. My hopes, my ambitions,
my work, are bound up with the recreation of
* The Geographical Journal, Aug., 1912. It is amazing how men can ignore (as in
the rebuilding of
So
restored
The
peculiar intoxication of pride which
*
* * *
* * *
262
COUNSELS FOR
YOUNG WORKERS
1. READ: THINK: PRAY. Sow an act, and
reap a habit; sow a habit, and reap a character; sow a character, and reap a
destiny: therefore read hard, think hard, pray hard. Habit
is tyrannous: make it tyrannous for good. Give heed to reading, to
exhortation, to teaching. Be diligent in these
things, give thyself wholly
to them: that thy progress
may be manifest unto all (1 Tim. 4: 13, 15). Phil. 4: 8. Read much in Christian literature, but live
within the covers of the Book. Jas. 1: 25. Believe
the warnings of God. Lead, that you may
know the mind of God; think, that you may assimilate it; pray, that you may
fulfil it. 2
Tim. 2:
15; 3: 14-17. No backslider can ever be created except outside the
prayer meeting. Heb. 10: 25, 26. Never plant our foot down without having a
Scripture under it.
2. KEEP ALERT: KEEP AT WORK: KEEP
PROGRESSING. The moment we begin resting on our oars, that
moment we begin drifting downstream: Satan finds a prompt use for those who
leave the employment of Christ. Mark 13: 34-36. The only way to be kept from falling, says McCheyne,
is to grow.
Luke 8: 18.
Grow in faith (2
Thess. 1:
3); in works (Rev.
2: 19);
in fruitfulness (Phil. 4: 17); in love (1 Thess. 3: 12); in Christlikeness
(Eph. 4: 15):- we exhort you, brethren,
that ye abound more and more. Learn
the grace of patience.
3.
NEVER DO LESS THAN YOUR BEST. Nothing is done, said Napoleon, if anything is left undone:
thoroughness won him his battles.
Scatter-brained people never arrive anywhere. Tax heart and brain and muscle to the utmost
for God: every life-drop counts in the coming [Millennial] Glory, every
heart-throb tells in the struggle now. Whatsoever ye do, do it from the soul, as unto the Lord, and not unto men; knowing that from the Lord ye shall receive the
recompense of the inheritance: ye serve the Lord
Christ (Col. 3: 23). Rom. 13: 11. Ezra 7: 23. John 9: 4. Concentrate all time, focus every energy, on
the irreducible ultimate of things:- for the believer, the judgment Seat of
Christ; for the believer, the Great White Throne, and Him who sits thereon. The single eye (to cite Robert Chapman) is the eye fixed on the judgment Seat of Christ. 2 Cor. 5: 9, 10.
4. STEADILY FACE THE GREAT RENUNCIATION. Luke 14: 33. Youth is never stronger than when it is
strong over itself. Prov. 16: 32. Renounce the world, and you conquer it: love
it, and it conquers you: it is a feud
to the death. Jas.
4: 4. What
ruined
5. BE STRONG; BE GLAD; BUT BE SOBER. Rejoice, O young man - not in sinful pleasures, or in worldly lust, but - in thy youth (Eccles. 11: 9). 1 Tim. 4: 12. Youth
is the hour of the boundless horizon and the undiscovered country. The young can still choose the highest:- to
be a leader of others up the summits of life; a soldier of Christ in whose
knapsack slumbers a field-marshals baton; a saint whose sanctity shall be the earthly pivot of Gods glory. John 21: 18.
Eternity itself can still be made the most wonderful of all eternities. Let thy heart cheer thee - be glad; be buoyant; be strong - in the days of thy youth;
but know thou, that for
all these things - for their
wise, holy, temperate use - God will bring thee into judgment. Therefore
reap a double joy: so remember your Creator now (Jer. 3: 4) as to
reap then a joy that Angels shall envy. Jude 24; Matt. 25: 21.
6. GIVE ALL TO GOD: LIVE IN ALL
WITH GOD: USE ALL FOR GOD. Remember that,
in youth, the ball is at your feet, and you can give all to
God as you never give it again. Be
acutely sensitive to sin (Jude 23): never let sin. Lie on your conscience (1 John 1: 9):
indulge in no pleasure which wounds a conscience, your own or anothers (Rom. 14: 13): choose companions
- especially the life-companion - only in the Lord (2
Cor. 6: 14): dwell in purity (1
Tim. 5: 22):
abide in God. Love that has not grace at
the root of it always dies. Take care to
be most Christ-like at home. Holiness is a, life-long struggle, Matt. 11: 12. Take
care how you assume what God will not ratify at the Judgment Seat. Some of you will fall back into a ruined
discipleship: see, brother, that it is not you. Some,
last converted, will be first crowned.
Therefore I charge [you] in the sight of God, who
quickeneth all things, and of Christ Jesus,
who before Pontius Pilate witnessed the good confession;
that [you] keep the commandment, without
spot, without reproach, until the appearing of our
Lord Jesus Christ (1 Tim. 6: 13).
7. OBEY: OBEY: OBEY. John 14: 21. The Scripture sets before you a most
difficult standard: the Church expects that you will fulfil it. Refuse
to be conquered: My grace is sufficient for thee
is true always, everywhere, and in everything.
The higher our ideal, the more men will flog us with it if we fail: yet
life gone is gone for ever, and any ideal short of the highest is folly. God is able to produce in us that which He commands. 2 Cor. 9: 8. Our Lord
has told us the secret. Luke 11: 9. Make it a life-aim to sell your life as
dearly as possible against the Foe. Seek
His approval whose praise outweighs a thousand worlds.
Let no man think that sudden in a minute
All is accomplished and the work is done
Though with thine earliest dawn thou shouldst begin
it,
Scarce
were it ended with thy setting sun.
*
* * *
* * *
263
THE SPIRITS
IN PRISON
By D. M. PANTON
There have been some marvellous preachings in a
supernatural setting. It must have been
a strange sight when Noah, with warning on his lips and fear in his heart, laid
plank on gopher plank, while the gazing crowd, among whom mingled the Nephilim,
laughed and jeered, and no ripple yet ruffled the ocean. It must have been still stranger to we Elijah,
in the midst of prophets slashed and bleeding in demonic frenzies, making the
great appeal, and the sudden lightning fall.
Still more strange, though less externally dramatic, must have been
Paul, clanking chains, as he preached a full gospel to the Antichrist (Nero)
himself, with the Lord invisibly standing - so awful was the power of darkness
- beside him in the dock. But far
exceeding all in wonder is the Lord Jesus Himself, descending into the
Underworld and traversing the gulf impassable to all else, as He brings the
glad news of
For
the Son of God, becoming incarnate, descended as heavens missionary to a lower
world; and He was no sooner dead than He descends, again as heavens
missionary, to a world still lower. Being put to death in the
flesh, but quickened in the spirit;
quickened, for the holy dead are normally quiescent (1
Sam. 28: 15);
in which also - that is, disembodied - he went - left the cross, and travelled cross the gulf of the
worlds - and
preached unto the spirits in prison
(1 Pet. 3:
19).
Now we know where our Lord went at death. The Son of man shall be three days and three nights IN THE HEART OF THE EARTH (Matt. 12: 40): He descended, Paul says, into the lower parts of the earth. (Eph. 4: 9); and He
himself says in the Psalm:- My life draweth nigh unto Sheol: thou hast laid
me in the LOWEST pit (Ps. 88: 6). And it is exactly in the lowest plateau of
Hades - known in the Classics as Tartarus - that the Apostle, actually naming the place, locates
the Noachic Angels.
God spared not angels when they sinned, but cast them own to TARTARUS (2 Pet. 2: 4). So also Solomon
says:- The
Rephaim are in the depths of Sheol (Prov.
9: 18).*
* This passage of
mystery may illuminate a passage of still greater mystery. Of Antichrist descending
to the underworld (like Christ) after assassination we read:- Sheol from beneath [Tartarus] is
moved to meet thee at thy coming: it stirreth up the
Rephaim for thee, even all the chief
ones [satyrs] of the earth; it hath raised up from their thrones all the kings of the
nations. All
they shall answer and say unto thee, Art thou
also become weak as we? art thou become like unto us? (Isa. 14: 9). Their
greeting seems to imply that the Seventh
Emperor is one of themselves - born
of the latter-day Nephilim.
Therefore
our Lord, possessed of the keys both of and Sheol (Rev.
1: 18), and so free* among
the dead (Ps. 88: 5), with a passport of entrance everywhere arrives
among a group of captive angels. He preached unto the imprisoned spirits; that is, spirits put in a prison, not in a park
(paradise), after death: for, as the Apostle says later:- God cast them down to
Tartarus, and committed them to pits
of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment (2 Pet. 2: 4).** Their
imprisonment in dungeons sharply differentiates this class of spirits from the hosts of wickedness in
the heavenly places (Eph. 6: 12) against whom we wrestle. Even demons on earth, so far from being in
chains, or in the Abyss, emit to Christ the one cry not to send them thither (Luke
8: 31); nor does He: nor was their liberty in any way hampered
or curtailed, save for the dispossession.
Judes words are still more explicit:- And angels which kept not their principality - the Satanic angels have renounced their
principality - but
left their proper habitation*** - none of Satans hosts have abandoned their heavenly
habitat as powers of the air - he hath kept in everlasting bonds - so far from being
in chains, it is not till the Second Advent that Satan is manacled (Rev. 20: 3) - under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (Jude 6). These angels fell through the lust of the
eyes, whereas the earlier angels fell through the pride of life (1 Tim. 3: 6).
* Septuagint.
**The term selected for the
darkness,
occurring only here and in verse 17, and in Jude 6 and 13, means the densest, blackest darkness, and is used in
Homer of the nether world (Prof.
S. D. F. Salmond, D.D.). On reading - chains
of darkness - implies that the blinding blackness is the chain, a fireless
dark: whereas, in the very next verse (Jude 7),
human Sodomites are suffering fire; nor is
darkness stated of Dives, whose flame enlightens as well as torments. Jude,
however, makes it clear that they are also manacled. It is probable that it is
in these isolated dungeons of Tartarus that Satan himself, later (Rev. 20: 3), is enchained.
*** A
descent to a different sphere of being is intended (Salmond:
obscurely indicated in Genesis 6: 2 (Alford).
But
the imprisoned spirits to whom our Lord preaches - the article before spirits
implies that the Saviour proclaimed the message to all of that class (Govett)
- are confined exclusively to Noahs day: spirits in prison, which
aforetime were disobedient when the longsuffering of God waited in the days of
Noah for God spared not angels when they sinned, but preserved Noah (2 Pet. 2: 4). The
Apostle Jude locks together the facts with rivets of steel:- even as Sodom and
Gomorrah in like manner with these
[angels] gave themselves over to fornication,
having gone after STRANGE
FLESH (Jude 7). So Paul also
summarizes (1 Tim. 3:
16) the mystery of godliness in the marvellous drama between Bethlehem and Olivet thus:- God manifested in the flesh - from Bethlehem to
Calvary - justified
in the spirit - accounted
righteous, while disembodied, because the sin - Substitute exhausted the
sin-penalty, yet remained spotless; SEEN OF ANGELS - in Tartarus, where the post-Pentecostal gospel was
first announced by an Evangelist who so enlightened the darkness that they saw Him;*
preached among
the nations - starting with the
many tongued evangel of Pentecost believed on in the world from the cohort of
Roman soldiers (Matt. 28: 54)
outward; received
up in glory - from Olivet.
*
It was no mystery
for the Saviour to be seen by the angel-guards of Sheol, or the shining
attendants at the Tomb.
So
now the reason of the visit, steeped in mystery, but still more steeped in
grace, discloses itself. For unto this end was the
gospel preached even unto the dead - this, the sole group of the dead to whom the Gospel has ever been
preached, for reasons as peculiar as the occasion was unique - that they might be judged AS MEN in the flesh (1 Pet. 4: 6). Only the Dead can preach to the dead; and
these who had drawn on mans doom with his flesh, a merciful Incarnation
necessarily brings within reach of
*
Satans spirit-forces have no gospel
preached to them: the deamons
also
believe, and SHUDDER
(Jas.
2: 19).
Nor
are we left in doubt of the fruits of the glorious, embassage. For unto this end was the gospel preached even unto the dead, that they might be judged
according to men in the flesh, BUT LIVE ACCORDING TO GOD IN THE SPIRIT (1 Pet. 4: 6). For it was the
Gospel that was
preached. It
cannot be that the most merciful Saviour would have visited souls irretrievably
lost merely to upbraid them and to enhance their misery (B. C. Caffin). Nor is the issue left in any doubt. Where the Lord is the Evangelist, and the
Gospel is the message, the purpose at once becomes the issue. As Dean
Alford phrases it:- that they might be judged [aorist; be in
the state of the completed sentence on sin, which is death after the flesh] according
to [as] man as regards the flesh, but
[notwithstanding] might live [present; of a
state continue] according to God [a life with
God, and divine] as regards the
spirit.*
* It is probable
that these are the Angels saints will judge (1 Cor. 6: 3). The gigantic
proportions of Nephilim races are given in Deuteronomy
2: 10, 11,
and 3: 11. But they appear to have been no less gigantic
in achievement. The roots of the Greek
have, however, no reference to great stature,
but point to something very different, the word is merely another form of
earth-born, the Titans, sons of Coclus and Terra
(G. H. Pember). On the mystery of their procreation we must
remember that we know nothing whatever about Angels except what Scripture tells
us, and
Scripture tells us this. It was a golden answer that Mr. Spurgeon gave to a student bringing
Bible difficulties:- Young man, you must be content
to allow God to say some things that you cannot understand.
Thus
the solitary Scripture stronghold, the apparently impregnable fortress of the
Second Chance, is blown up, and its foundation left razed and desert. Jerome,
Ambrose, and Augustine - together with countless moderns - regard as a
post-mortem opportunity of which some of the unholy dead, to whom Christ
preached, availed themselves. It is the
tragic mirage of an ocean where there is no water. The deep, major chord of Holy Scripture
responds in the note of eternal doom:- It is appointed unto men once to die, and after this cometh JUDGMENT (Heb. 9: 27).**
** It is equally manifest that,
since the evangel is to angels only, the edifice of Purgatory as built on this
Scripture tumbles into dust. It is
amazing that even Calvin imagines
that the Lord preached to the saved dead, as well as the unsaved.
-------
THE NOACHIC
THEORY
The
theory that the Apostle means (1 Pet. 3: 19) that
Christ spoke through Noah opposes the Apostles statements on all the prominent
points. It refuses or diverts his
assertions with regard to - (1) the
time of preaching; (2) the person of
the preacher; (3) the hearers; (4) their external state; (5) their condition previous to the
preaching; (6) the connection with
Jesus death; (7) the present
spiritual condition of the hearers.
Noah,
it is held, was the preacher; and not Christ, in any other sense than that in
which the Father or the Holy Spirit might be said to have preached. The parties addressed were not spirits, nor
spirits in prison when Christ preached; but men living in freedom on
earth. A fancied omission of the Apostle
is supplied; though it is manifest that Peter had in his eye on their previous
condition; and contrasted them as once free and disobedient while on
earth in Noahs day, with their present obedience and confinement. It
refuses the manifest implication that the preaching was after Christs
death. If we would trust them, the
Apostle strangely omits what is true, inserts what is not. He should have said spirits now and NOT THEN in prison. He inserts the words went
before preached, and formerly before disobedient,
when there was neither local motion at that time, nor present obedience
now. Is not this to school the
Scripture, not to listen to it? Is it
not, though with the intention of maintaining a seemingly endangered truth - to
WREST the Scripture? Does it not spring from that unbelief of the
heart that is afraid to trust all Gods words?
Sure we may be that Gods
Word does not teach purgatory, as
the last hope for life-long sinners; but I had rather believe in purgatory,
than wrest one passage of Holy Scripture that taught that doctrine.
Is
it credible that an apostle could omit the emphatic word in a sentence? If that
view be correct, the apostles sentence as it now stands has all the misleading
effect of a falsehood. Jesus did not preach at the time seemingly
implied. He did preach at a time not implied.
Such an idea is the very essence of equivocation. - ROBERT GOVETT.
*
* * *
* * *
264
THE SONS OF
GOD IN
GENESIS
SIX
By ROBERT GOVETT
Who
were these sons
of God? Commentators in general reply, the children
of the race of Seth, who were eminently holy.
And who were the daughters of men?
They answer again, the apostate race of Cain.
But who told them that the race of Cain was apostate, and the race of Seth holy?
It is mere hypothesis, to get rid of a difficulty. Have we any ground from Scripture for
believing that children of a pious father must be pious, much more that a whole
race should
be so? Or have we any warrant from the
sacred oracles for believing that the children of an ungodly parent must needs
be all wicked, much more an entire race?
Again,
how is it discovered, that the race of Cain and that of Seth kept themselves
entirely distinct? A hypothetic basis again!
And why were the children of Seth called the sons of God? Commentators return for answer, that it is the
general term for professors of the true religion; and that it is used in
opposition to those who are men of a fallen and depraved nature. But was not Seth also of a corrupt and fallen
nature? The Scripture affirms it directly of him. And Adam lived an hundred and thirty years, and begat a son, in
his own likeness, after his own image; and
called his name Seth (Gen. 5: 3). How,
then, is it said to be here used as a term of contradistinction, if both the sons of God and sons of men were partakers alike of the fallen
and corrupt nature? Was not Seth a son
of man or of Adam, as well as Cain? But
the term sons of
God signifies the professors of a
true faith in opposition to those who do not.
This requires proof. Shall we say
that at so early an age, ere yet even the promise to Abraham was granted, and
his seed were taken into covenant with God, the glorious title of sons of God was bestowed on the professors of true religion?
This is the last term of
blessedness that the Gospel has bestowed on the Christian. Behold, what manner of love
the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God! are the words of
[* See 2 Tim. 2: 18, R.V.
NOTE: Until the ascension of the Lord Jesus in a resurrected body of flesh
and bones (Lk. 24: 39), only
spirit beings [angels] had occupied heaven.
It was not until Christ Jesus was raised out of
dead ones that His physical body was fitted through resurrection to
ascend to His Father and be glorified (John 20:
17).
The disembodied souls of the righteous dead are presently at rest in
But
further, how does the assumption, that sons of God
signifies the whole race of Seth, agree with the declaration of the Most
High? He assures us positively that Noah
was the only holy man. Where,
then, is the holy race? Where the sons
of God?
Again, how can it be said that the term sons of God is used in opposition to the phrase daughters of men, for the sake of contradistinction, when the Lord
declares, that there was positively no difference at all? The children of Cain, you say, were born with
an evil nature. True; so were the sons
of Seth. But the sons of Cain were
positively wicked, violent, ungodly, reprobate.
So were all the sons of Seth, except Noah alone, as God himself bears
witness.
Again,
how self-contradictory, as well as gratuitous, the hypothesis! It represents the race of Seth as so
pre-eminently holy, as to be worthy to be called sons of God, and the daughters of the race of Cain to be so
eminently wicked, as justly to he called daughters of men,
because of their extreme opposition of character; and yet that these supremely
holy men, all, without
exception, drew near the vortex of their, notoriously ungodly beauty, were all
capable of being charmed by it, and all perished thereby! Must we suppose also, that they all married
in one month or one year? If not, would
not the unmarried son of God
pause when he saw the fatal effect of their fatal smiles on his once holy
brethren, and not pause alone, but turn away with terror and disgust?
Or
must we suppose that there were no females of the family of Seth? So far from
it, that we read of the daughters of Seth,
while it is hypothesis to assert that Cain had any daughters at all, for it is
not mentioned that he had any! The
supposition before us, pushed truly to its fair conclusions, is that Cains
family were only daughters! for we read only of the daughters of men; and if
the one term be coextensive with the race of Seth, the other must be also
coextensive with that of Cain!
Or,
granting for probabilitys sake, that Cain and his posterity had both sons and
daughters; then all that is affirmed respecting the two races on, this
hypothesis is, that all the men of Seths race were good, and all the women of
Cains race evil. Whoever will assert,
then, that the men of Cains race were evil, does it without any shadow of proof
even on his own assumption. It
is only the females of Cains race who were so notoriously wicked as to receive a
contradistinguishing name. And he who
affirms that the men of Cains family were also equally wicked, has not
even his own assumed principle to support him!
But
in proof of the position that the men of Seths race were holy, is it not said
immediately after the birth of Enos, [or Enoch] Seths son,
that then began
men to call upon the name the Lord? True; but until it can be shown that the word
men in this place excludes those of the family of Cain, whom alone, it
is supposed to include a little farther on, the argument
is not worth anything.
Further,
is it probable that a whole race were holy in those days, with but one faint
promise to support and cheer the them; while in these times of meridian light,
the sons of God are scattered and few? Shall we think that the stream of the faithful
was wider at its commencement than at its close? Analogy, again, forbids the untenable
hypothesis. Or shall we hold the idea,
that none were to be holy on the part of Cains race, while all of the family
of Seth were to be saved? This were
contrary to the ordinary tenor of the election grace,
and would have given currency to the notion, that Seth was not born in Adams
image, nor his children partakers of the fall; while to be born of Cains
posterity, would be to be evidently given up to reprobation and despair; and
men would have begun to believe that the good works of their father Seth had
won them eternal life. But he it
observed, all this is ex abundanti. It
has been shown before, on the authority of God, that this race of the sons of God
of the family of Seth is a visionary creation of the commentators brains; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. To Noah alone,
said God, Thee have I seen
righteous before me in this generation (chap.
7: 1.),
while it was granted to him [Noah] to save his wife, his sons, and their wives, because
of his [Noahs] righteousness,
as unto Paul were granted those who sailed with him.
If
we once fearlessly apply the conclusion that the phrase sons of God signifies angels, how do all inconsistencies vanish!
a chaos of contradictory suppositions is reduced to clearness and order, and a
clue supplied to unravel some of the most difficult passages of Holy Writ.
-------
SEVEN
SPIRITS MORE WICKED
By H. R. WARD
(From The
We
had for quite a time realized that we were wrestling with unseen Powers of
Darkness which were very real and very unnerving to us, and one night the whole
thing culminated in such a terrible consciousness of the Powers of Darkness trying
to overcome us, that we were held speechless and powerless in our bedroom.
There was a light lit at the time but it seemed to make little difference and
we could not at first shout to Mr. Malcolm; after a time we managed to do so
and he came to us and said he thought we were just tired and overwrought: he
cheered us and left us. Within two
minutes we were shouting for him again, and he was also attacked before he
could reach us and felt himself chased through the house. Needless to say we spent the night together
and fought in prayer practically the whole time. However we were determined not to be driven
out so easily and tried to remain another night. All through dinner we had a
terrible fight each within ourselves and as soon as I started evening prayers
we were literally driven out of the place and took refuge in another house.
In
case some may feel that our experience
was to a great extent nerves, I would add that since coming out this time one
of our workers whom I took to Seistan had the same sort
of experience as we had in a lesser degree, though quite unconscious of what we
had been through. The hosts of evil are
especially active here and can be definitely felt around one even by those who
are not what one might call psychic. One
only mentions these things in full for prayer partners.
*
* * *
* * *
265
THE SONS OF
GOD
IN THE OLD
TESTAMENT
By Lieut. Col. G.
F. POYNDER
In the Old Testament Sons of God are only referred to
in the Book of Genesis (6: 2), and in
the Book of Job; the reference to the Sons of the living God in Hosea 1: 10, is evidently to
Israel. The question then for us to
decide is Who are the
Sons of God?
First
note the distinction between Sons
of God - males - and daughters of men - females - with result of union, Giants; or rather, as it ought to be, Nephilim [R.V.],* i.e., fallen ones, yet Men of renown; these were in the earth in those days;
and also after that (see Num. 13: 33). Sequel, the wickedness of man was great in the earth; and this
brought about the destruction of created men, animals, birds, and creeping
things, by means of the flood; but Noah, and those with him in the ark, were
preserved through it.
*From Naphal
to fall.
Turning
to the Book of Job (chaps.
1: 6 and 2: 1), there
can be no doubt that the Sons of God referred to are Angelic beings; like
those referred to in Psalm. 103: 20, as Angels that excel in strength,
that do His commandments, hearkening unto the Voice of His Word.
Again
in Job 38: 7
we read the
morning stars sang together, and all the Sons of
God shouted for joy, when the
foundations of the earth, and the corner-stone thereof were laid.
And lastly; the same expression is found in the Book of
Daniel,*
but in the singular number, and with the necessary difference that bar
is the word used for son, instead of ben, the singular of the latter being
unknown in the Chaldee. Nebuchadnezzar
exclaims that he sees four men walking in the midst of the fire, and that the
form of the fourth is like a
son of God, by which he
evidently means a supernatural or angelic being, distinct as such from the
others.** Evidently then the term Sons of God and Son of God in Job and Daniel refer
to Angelic beings, and there is no valid reason for supposing that the words in
Genesis refers to some different order of
beings, but are angelic beings who fell
from their high estate. It has been
urged however that in Matthew 22: 30, we are told by our Lord that Angels of God in heaven neither marry nor are given in marriage; i.e. of
course, in their normal state; but Jude, doubtless referring to angelic beings, tells us they kept not their principality, but left
their own habitation and, being on the earth, attracted by the daughters of men, they intermarried with them and in
consequence are reserved
in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day (ver.
6).
Peter also tells us of angels that sinned, and connects the statement by the word and
with the destruction of the old world, and
salvation of Noah through the flood***
proving most assuredly that the Sons of God were not the Church of the
Old Testament, but were angelic beings.
And surely the lesson we need to learn is that it is a great sin in
Gods sight to be unequally yoked together with unbelievers; to permit the gendering of cattle with a diverse
kind; the sowing of a field with mingled seed; or the wearing of a garment
mingled of linen and wool: taking to heart also the solemn words addressed to
the Church of the Laodiceans.+ Rather may we strive to be whole-heartedly on
our Lords side, and like Him go about doing good.
* Daniel
3: 25. ** Earths Earliest Ages, p. 206, by G. H. Pember. *** 2 Peter 2: 4. + Revelation 3: 15, 16.
*
* * *
* * *
266
THE NEPHILIM
AND THE FLOOD
By JOHN FLEMING, B.A.
No one who reads the first twelve or thirteen verses of
Genesis 6. can avoid coming to the conclusion
that Moses designed to represent the age immediately preceding the Deluge as
surpassing in point of moral corruption, social wrong, and outrageous crimes
any that had gone before it and also, that, between this unprecedented evil and
alliances of the Sons of God with daughters of men, recorded in verse 2, a close connection subsisted - indeed,
that the former was, in a great degree, the consequence of the latter. All interpreters recognize this connection,
and are agreed that the necessity for a judgment such as that of the Deluge
arose out of these alliances.
Allusions
to the spirit-world, or its events, are made sparingly in the Bible, and only
when the occasion imperatively demands it.
Such an occasion presented itself in connection with the history of the
Deluge, the Holy Spirit designing to show the causes which led to the
infliction of that tremendous judgment, and thus to vindicate the ways of
God. If angelic intercourse and its
result, the production of a race, together with the violence and corruption
with which the world was filled by their means, constituted the chief and
special causes which rendered such a visitation indispensable - then it was not
only within the scope of the sacred narrative, but on many grounds expedient
that these causes should be revealed; and if Moses has not expressly told us
that the Bne-ha-Elohim were angels, it is only
because the the meaning of the term was, when he
wrote, established and well known.
We
look upon it, indeed, as an argument of no small weight, in favour of the
angel-interpretation, that on such a ground does there appear a necessity for
the almost total destruction of the human race.
If the great men of the time - the rulers, judges, chiefs - chose to
form alliances with women of inferior rank - if the elder descendants of Adam
formed unions with the women of a later generation - or if Sethite
men, conspicuous for piety, united themselves with godless Cainite
women - these unions might be incongruous and productive of unhappiness enough
to the parties themselves: but they could not be the means of producing the
great and general corruption of manners and forgetfulness of God which
characterized the age preceding the Deluge, nor do they afford any sufficient
explanation of the cause which drew down upon the world a judgment so terrific.
But if the Sons of God were not men, but
angels, who about the period indicated left their proper habitation, and came to earth for the purpose of gratifying unlawful
and unnatural desires, we have, in this, a cause at once adequate and likely to
produce the unparalleled evil, which led to the ruin of the old world.
Were
not fallen spirits, dwelling amongst mankind, and intimately associated with
them, very capable of producing the gross and widely spread depravity of
conduct and morals which prevailed in those times? And was not this depravity a natural result
of the abode on earth, not only of these fallen but powerful beings, but also
of another mighty and lawless race, who owed their origin to them? When we reflect on the evil which fallen
spirits have wrought in this world - of the untold miseries which one
successful act of an evil angel has caused to our race - of the power exercised
by such spirits, and the ills which they inflicted on individuals, at the time
of the sojourn on earth of Him who will eventually bruise the serpents head -
we discern in the character and degree of the evil prevalent in the
antediluvian age the strongest reason for believing that fallen angels, and
their offspring, were the prime cause and authors of it.
It
would have been, as we have already described it, a race of monstrous beings,
outside the limits of creation prescribed by the Creator: and, therefore, to
put a period to the existence of such a race, and to preserve, in its purity,
that which had been originally created in Adam, the greater portion of which
had probably become contaminated by means of connection with the mongrel brood,
no way, perhaps, remained except the extermination of the whole race then in
the world, one family only being preserved in the ark.
An
improvement was naturally to be looked for after the terrible visitation of
the Flood: and, accordingly, an improvement appears in the fact, that those who
had not alone disturbed the limits of creation, but who also had been
instrumental in producing a state of lawless behaviour and moral depravity to
which no other age presents a parallel, were now no longer in the world. The Nephilim were in the earth in the antediluvian period, and also the fallen Sons of God - and only in that period - and the condition of the
world, socially and morally, was in consequence, as we infer from the language
of the historian, worse then than in the times succeeding the Deluge. No such unnatural
angel-tragedy has since been enacted in this world, and, probably,
never again will be: and this fact, evident to the Divine foreknowledge, was
the ground and reason of the Divine resolve that the judgment of the Flood
should never be repeated.*
*But a worse judgment, by
fire, may have, among its causes, an identical transgression. Evil angels can
deliberately repeat that into which good angels, under temptation, once fell;
and it is probable that Nietzsches nightmare philosophy of the superman is a
demonic preparation for the fact. - (D. M. Panton.)
I do not comprehend, Kurtz writes, how the espousal of some
pious Sethites with fair women for the sake of their
beauty, could have caused a disturbance in the development of human history, so
terrible and so irreparable that the evil could be remedied in no way but by
the extirpation of the human race.
Espousals of that kind have often, and to a large extent, taken place;
and if, on every such occasion, a deluge must have followed, the world would
have numbered as many deluges as years.
That the fair daughters of men, spoken of in Genesis 6., were also
godless is only assumed: but, admitting that they were, however blameworthy we
may believe such marriages to be, that they should, of necessity, draw after
them the judgment of the Deluge is inconceivable.
The
real cause of that judgment he explains in a way which, to us at least, appears
to be completely satisfactory. We may easily conceive that the commingling of two classes
of creatures, so widely separated from each other, and so different in their
nature and destination, as are angels and human beings, must be an act by which
the limits of creation, ordained by God, would be displaced - a displacement which
must, of course, be the more hurtful in its consequences, the higher and more
important, in the scale of being, the transgressors on either side. We will see that if such commingling were
universal - that is, if the unnatural influence had then pervaded the entire human race - the
Divine plan would thereby be thrown into disorder, and, in fact, destroyed: and
that, in such case, no resource would remain, but either to allow things to
take their course, to the absolute and irretrievable ruin of the parties, or
else, in order to save the earth and the germ of the race for a new development
of human history, to exterminate the whole infected generation, with the
exception of
eight souls. The evil to be met, in the striking remark of Hofmann,
was not an excess of ordinary sinning - not simply a
depraved condition of things within the established limits of creation - but it was, that humanity was
no longer propagated from itself, as God had ordained, and that the power of
the beings who were brought into existence in a preternatural way, surpassed
the limits allowed to human kind: hence, the essential conditions of the
existence of mankind as a distinct race being thus unsettled and endangered
there was no way open for the counteraction of the evil, but that of
terminating abruptly the history, in the course of which the race was being
divested of its humanity.
In
the practice of Angel Worship, which had been making progress in the Church
from, at least, the second century we can discern a cause amply sufficient to
account for the substitution of a new interpretation. The
development of angel-worship, says Dr.
Kurtz, progressing imperceptibly, but, for that
reason, all the more irresistibly, could not continue without exerting a
transforming influence on the historico-dogmatic
opinions respecting angels. It could not
continue without gradually, but surely, removing everything that might tend to
shake the confidence in the holiness of angels, or mar the gratification which
their worship afforded: all those angels (it was therefore assumed, in
opposition to the views of the earlier Fathers), who had not suffered
themselves to be involved in Satans sin, had become confirmed in their state
of holiness, so that apostasy from it became, from that time, impossible.
*
* * *
* * *
267
THE
RESURRECTION
FROM AMONG
THE DEAD
By D. M.
PANTON, B.A.
We are now 1930 years nearer than the Church has ever been
to the breaking of tombs, and the emergence of saints; and if the problems that
cluster round that enormous event were always acute and urgent, ten times more
acute and urgent are they now. Since the
Wilderness is symbolic of our pilgrimage, and Canaan of the Holy Land, the
passage of Jordan is a kindergarten of resurrection and rapture; and after three days - the Lord rose
after three days - the Ark (always a symbol of the Incarnate Christ) crossed
Jordan; such of Israel as did enter the Land were to follow at a commanded
distance of about two thousand cubits - the
dispensations two thousand years are fast slipping out; and the urgent direction of Joshua [JESUS], is SANCTIFY yourselves,
for to-morrow the Lord will do wonders
among you (Joshua 3: 5) -
the era of miracle returns. Martin Ansteys computation, [believed to be] the best yet
made, closes the 2,000 Christian years in 1958;*
and when the unknown length of the intervening Parousia is allowed for -
probably not less than seven years, and possibly
many more - the command comes home with tremendous force, SANCTIFY YOURSELVES.
* Publishing in 1913 he concludes thus:- Yet 45 years, and the sixth millennium of the worlds
history will be fulfilled, and the seventh millennium ushered in the
Sabbatic Millennium of Heb. 4: 9, into
which (says the inspired writer) we must labour to enter.
UNCERTAINTY
For the first certainty on which we plant our feet as
on rock is that Paul, when he speaks of the
[out-resurrection] is not sure
of sharing the resurrection of which he speaks, whatever that resurrection may
be. The phrase he selects puts it beyond all dispute or doubt. If BY ANY MEANS if
possibly (H. A. W. Meyer); if
somehow (Moule); if anyhow (Eadie);
si forte (Lange);
if in any way (Bengel) - I may ATTAIN - [i.e., gain by effort] - unto the resurrection from
the dead (Phil. 3: 11): [See the Greek
] is used when an end is
proposed, but failure is presumed to be possible (Alford).* So Bishop
Ellicott comments:- The idea of an attempt is conveyed, which may
or may not be successful. And Bishop Lightfoot:- The Apostle states not a
positive assurance, but a modest hope. For Paul crams the words with
studied difficulty: if - it is
hypothetical; by
any means - it is precarious. I may attain - it is a golden possibility.
*An
instructive parallel occurs in Acts 27: 12:- if by any means they
might attain to Phenice; which, in the sequel, they did not reach.
SPIRITUAL
RESURRECTION
The
next certainty on which we can rest negatively excludes a mistaken
interpretation. Resurrection is sometimes used spiritually, to picture a rising
out of the death of sin, and from a world of the dead: but this cannot be the
meaning of Paul here; for spiritual resurrection, symbolized by baptism, which therefore
occurs after the spiritual
rising has occurred, Paul, and those to whom he wrote, had already
experienced. Having been buried with
Christ in baptism, wherein ye were also RAISED with Him (Col. 2: 12). He who
is unrisen out of the grave of sin is no child of God at all. For Paul now on his last lap, to hope that
some day he might succeed in escaping from among the spiritually dead,
or, from the deathly sleep of backsliding, were absurd. Any reference here to a merely ethical resurrection, as Bishop
Ellicott says, is wholly out of the question.
GENERAL
RESURRECTION
The next certainty on which we plant our feet as on
rock is a negative no less important and obvious. Pauls uncertainty of sharing in this
resurrection necessarily excludes resurrection in general; since the most
wicked man, without his choice and against his will, must rise from the
dead. ALL that are in the tombs, says our Lord, shall come forth (John 5: 28): they that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to shame and
everlasting contempt (Dan. 12: 2). As in Adam all die, so also in
Christ shall ALL be made
alive (1 Cor. 15: 22). Much more is it inevitable that every
believer must leave his tomb. This is the will of him that
sent me, that of ALL that which he hath given me, I
should raise it up at the last day (John 6: 39). For
Paul, the past-master of resurrection truth, and the chief protagonist of
resurrections universality, to doubt his rising from the grave, or to leave it
open to question, would be an overthrow of the Faith, and a denial of his Lord.
SELECT
RESURRECTION
But
Paul defines so exactly what he means as to place the truth, finally, beyond
all doubt. If by any means, he
says, I may attain unto the out-resurrection, that which is from among the dead: an out-resurrection, not out of the earth (Lange),
but out from among dead ones: that is, as the context
suggests, the first resurrection (Ellicott). It was exactly this which puzzled the first
disciples when Christ foretold His rising out of (ek) the dead, for - like Martha (John 11:
24) - they had never conceived of any
emergence from the grave except the
general rising of the mass of mankind:- questioning among themselves
what the rising again from the dead should mean (Mark 9: 10). The first resurrection is of
necessity a resurrection from among the dead (Govett): it is a prior emergence from
the tombs: it necessitates a later resurrection of those left; and the rest of the dead LIVED NOT until the thousand years should be finished (Rev. 20: 5). Thus all difficulty attending Pauls
uncertainty vanishes the moment we
realize that the out resurrection
is one of the golden prizes for which
God summons us to compete. As Dr.
J. Hutchison says:- The allusion is undoubtedly not to the general resurrection
of the dead. All must attain unto
that. No striving is needed
thereto. It stands fast in the decrees
of heaven, and none can fall short of it or frustrate it. What is referred to
here is that which is attained after danger and toil, and attained as a blissful reward. It
is what is elsewhere called a better resurrection (Heb. 11: 35); the resurrection of the just (Luke 14: 14; Acts 4: 2); the first resurrection (Rev. 20: 5). It is the resurrection par eminence.
A PRIZE
So
we reach a revelation of extraordinary importance for every one of us,
strangely overlooked, or even denied, in our evangelical and prophetical theology. The doctrine here taught is that the blessedness of the
saints at the resurrection is so great that we should be content to use any means and run any hazards to attain it (T. Manton,
D.D.). Pauls eagerness to emphasize his own uncertainty is almost
passionate. Not that
I have already attained - attained, that is, the title to
the first resurrection*; for no one
would imagine that he had attained it in the Roman prison - or am already made perfect: brethren, I count not myself-
whatever others may think of me, or of themselves - to have apprehended.**
If by these words Paul means that he, and with him all believers, are sure of
the resurrection of which he speaks, then words are chosen to conceal their
meaning, and to express the opposite of what they say: on the contrary, Paul,
guided by the [Holy] Spirit, solves the problem for us all by lodging it exclusively in himself;
for it needs no arguing that if not Paul, then none of us. Paul the aged, Paul the Apostle, Paul (we had
almost said) the matchless not only thought he had not attained, but says by
inspiration that he had not - I AM NOT already made
perfect: not until the
executioners block was actually in sight, on which he was to be poured out as a drink
offering (2 Tim. 4: 6), did he know, as a martyr, his crown
secure. Therefore, until then, all
converges on a resolve of passionate intensity, in which, for all saints, and
for all time, the Apostle blazes the trail.
ONE
THING I DO, FORGETTING THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEHIND, AND STRETCHING
FORWARD TO THE THINGS WHICH ARE BEFORE, I PRESS ON TOWARD THE GOAL UNTO THE PRIZE OF
THE HIGH CALLING OF GOD IN CHRIST JESUS.***
*Jus ad resurrectionem
beatam (Grotius).
** I, emphatic: he evidently alludes to some whom he wishes to warn by his example (Alford). So Bishop
Wordsworth:- The divine Apostle himself, even at
this late period of his Apostolic career, does not feel absolutely confident
that he himself will attain to the glory of the Resurrection of the just; and
he disavows the notion of being supposed to have
already apprehended. Cf. 1 Cor. 9: 27. It was not until on the eve of his martyrdom for Christ that
he could exclaim, as he then did, Henceforth there is laid up for me the Crown.
***The call heavenward (Lightfoot);
the up-all; come up hither! (Rev. 4: 1) out of an empty tomb. John when thus called, had fallen as one dead, and had been set back upon his feet
by the voice of the Son of God. Believers who deny that there is any such conditional sanctity have a
startling disillusionment ahead; nor is it harsh
to believe that many prophetical teachers have a grave report to give to their
Lord for a denial so dogmatic in its certitude as to mislead countless saints. False confidence is a sweet-smelling flower
which holds the worm of an unguarded walk.
THE FIRST
RESURRECTION
But the truth is not made to rest on this single
Scripture. By two or three witnesses,
the Most High has said, shall every word
be established; and our Lord and John are joined with Paul in a consentient
testimony that for the first resurrection, which
is a state, rather than an act, personal sanctity is our bridge also across
[* 2 Tim. 2: 12, A.V.]
A POSTSCRIPT
The
[Holy] Spirit, foreseeing a general lapse from the Churchs
creed of this unpalatable but sharply tonic truth, closes with a gentle
remonstrance and counsel. Let us therefore as
many as be perfect be thus minded; and if in
anything ye are otherwise minded
- believing that there is no such prize in the Gospel, or that any particular
believer has already won it, or that it has been received in the gift of
Eternal Life, or that it is won with ease and without undying effort, or that,
by becoming sinless, we can be assured of it, or that our session with Christ
in the heavenlies involves priority of rising* - even this shall God reveal unto you: ONLY - as a vital
condition of a fuller revelation - whereunto we have already attained, by that same rule let us walk. Never falter
from following the highest light that you have.
*
The First
Resurrection is a reward for obedience rendered after the acceptance of
salvation, and Paul knew not the standard which God had fixed in His own
purpose (G. H. Pember). Tertullian
tells us that the Church of his age prayed for a share in the First
Resurrection. Many,
even of the ancients, have admitted this first resurrection. Within an age of a thousand years, says
Tertullian, is concluded the resurrection of the saints, who rise again at an
earlier or a later period, according to their merits (Bengel).
SUMMARY
Bishop Lightfoot, that master of paraphrase, thus summarizes the
passage:- Do
not mistake me, I hold the language of hope, not of assurance. I have not yet reached the goal: I am not yet
made perfect. But I press forward in the
race, eager to grasp the prize, forasmuch as Christ also has grasped me. My brothers, let other men vaunt their
security. Such is not my language. I do
not consider that I have the prize already in my grasp. This, and this only, is
my rule. Forgetting the land-marks
already passed, and straining every nerve and muscle in the onward race, I
press forward ever towards the goal that I may win the prize. Paul could say, There is laid up for me the crown only when he could say:- I have finished the [race] course. So Dr. A. B. Simpsons word becomes very
suggestive:- In
the public arena where men contended in the race it was at the home stretch,
when the goal was in full view, that the greatest efforts were made both by the
competitors, and those that encouraged them from the galleries, and there was a
special signal set up at the point where the races turned into the home
stretch, on which the letters were emblazoned, Make Speed.
*
* * *
* * *
268
THE FIRST
RESURRECTION
By J. A. SEISS, D.D.
I
There is a general impression that the belief in the
First Resurrection at a different time from that of the general resurrection
rests solely on Revelation 20: 6. But this
is a great mistake. Omitting the
passages from the Old Testament Scriptures, sustained by the promises of which
the ancient worthies suffered and served God in hope of a better resurrection (Heb. 11: 35), our
Lord makes a distinction between the resurrection which some shall be accounted
worthy to obtain, and some not (Luke 20: 35).
*
* *
II
THE FIRST
RESURRECTION
By MOSES STUART, D.D.
The second resurrection will be general, universal, comprising both the righteous and the wicked; while the first will comprehend,
as the writers language seems to intimate, only saints and martyrs who have
been specially faithful unto death. This
distinction the writer has made prominent.
He expressly assures us that the other dead would not be raised when the thousand years
should commence, but only at the end of the world when all will
be raised.* The express
contrast here made between the partial and the general resurrection, and the manner
in which this contrast is presented, shew that the design is not to compare a spiritual with
a physical resurrection, but to contrast the partial extent of
the latter at the beginning of the Millennium, with its general or universal
extent at the end of the world.
[* See Rev. 20: 15, R.V. If any,
- (resurrected at this time when Hades gave up the
dead which were in them. verse 13) - was not found written in the book of life, he was cast into
the lake of fire.
The
book of life contains the names of those
described in verse 5: the rest of the dead who lived not until
the thousand years should be finished - must include regenerate believers who will be judged by Christ as not accounted
worthy to be resurrected out from
the DEAD at the first
resurrection, verse 6. And inasmuch as it is
appointed unto men to die, and AFTER THIS commeth JUDGMENT: (Heb. 9: 27, R.V.).]
It
is asked, - Whether all true Christians, and indeed all truly pious men of every age, who lived before the commencement of the Millennium
will be raised from the dead at that period, or whether the Apocalypist
affirms this only of Christian martyrs? To this I answer briefly, that those who are beheaded for the
testimony of Jesus, are clearly
placed in high relief by the writer of the Apocalypse; but possibly he does not
limit the promises merely to these. He
may mean to include all who amid
sufferings have been faithful and true to the doctrines and duties of a divine
religion, in times of pressure. We cannot well doubt that he has specially in
view the persecuted Christians of his day; but still may he be regarded as
designating two classes of persons? Can
he mean to be understood as confining his views only to literal and actual
martyrs? And if faithful Christians in
general are described by his language, then what forbids that all of these
before the Millennium who have cherished the same spirit as the actual martyrs,
served the same God, and possessed the same sympathies in respect to the
prosperity and welfare of the church, should be included in the promises which
he here holds out?
Is
there not a distinction made by John between those who have periled their lives
and suffered for their steadfast adherence to religion, and those who have been
distinguished neither by active piety nor by suffering? Who will venture to answer with confident
assurance, that there is not? The special object, in view of which the
Apocalypse was written, seems to point us to the class of martyrs and faithful confessors, as being the only ones intended to be
included by the writer. In times of distressing and bloody
persecution was the book written.
Christians were to be consoled and fortified so as to meet the
shock. Was it not to hold out high and peculiar rewards
to those who endured to the end? It is
difficult not to think this probable. And what is the peculiar reward of
unshaken constancy and fidelity? A part in the first resurrection. This is the natural and obvious solution of
the case.
And
does not Paul himself seem to say, that although he might possibly be a
Christian, and attain to final happiness, yet he should lose a part in the
first resurrection, if he should become slothful and remiss? He tells us that he had suffered the loss of
all things, and counted them but dung, that he might know Christ and the power
of His resurrection; if by any means he might attain to the [out] resurrection [out] of the dead (Phil. 3: 8-11). Did Paul, then, consider it a matter of doubt
whether he should have a part in the final resurrection? This same apostle, who has so expressly
taught us the resurrection of all, both of
the righteous and of the wicked - did he doubt whether he could attain to this same resurrection?
Surely not. Consequently his declaration, then and only then, seems to possess
a full and energetic meaning, when we view him as declaring that a high and holy and vigorous contest with the powers of darkness must
be carried on, in order to obtain a part in the first resurrection. So interpreted, the meaning of
the passage stands out in bold relief.
All
this seems rather to guide us to the conclusion that a distinction will
be made among the pious themselves, at the first resurrection. This is only carrying out the
principle that those who possess five talents and improve them diligently, will
be made rulers over five cities; and those who have two, over only two
cities. Si quomodo occurram
ad resurrectionem, quae
est ex mortuis. If St. Paul had been looking only to the
general resurrection,*
he need not have given himself any trouble, or made any sacrifice to attain to
that; for to it, all, even Judas and Nero, must come; but to attain to the
First Resurrection he had need to press forward for the prize of that calling.
[*That is, at the end of his Lords Messianic Kingdom
reign. See Ps.
2: 8; 72.; 110: 1-3. cf.
1 Chron. 16:
24-36,
R.V.)]
-------
PREPARATION
FOR RESURRECTION
By A. B.
SIMPSON, D.D.
The Holy Spirit
prepares us for the coming of the Lord, and to be among the first fruits at His appearing.
There is a remarkable expression in Romans 8:
23, which has a deeper meaning than appears
on the surface - Ourselves which have the first fruits of the Spirit at His appearing.
It means that the Holt Spirit is preparing a first company of holy and
consecrated hearts for the coming of the Lord and the gathering of His saints,
and that these will be followed later by the larger company of all the
saved. There is a first resurrection,
in which the blessed and holy shall have part, and for this He is preparing all who are willing to receive Him in His
fulness. Transcendent honour! Unspeakable privilege! May
God enable us to have part in this blessed hope!
*
* *
* * *
*
269
WORKING OUT
OUR SALVATION
By D. M. PANTON
One mighty text is a shining example of the
double-edged Sword of the Spirit. For
Inspiration is a single blade which can cut in completely opposite directions;
and so two schools of thought shelter under this texts balanced clauses: two
schools of thought that are sharply opposed; and each seems to imagine that the
clause on which it fastens has annihilated the clause which it opposes. But this is not so. The clauses are twin pillars on the threshold
of the
But
first we need to define carefully what Scripture means by salvation. Salvation is a term which, as used in the New Testament, is immensely more
comprehensive than our common use of it, and it covers mans total
redemption. Salvation,
as Calvin says, is taken to mean the entire course of
our calling, and includes all things by which God accomplishes our perfection. Scripture says ye are saved (Eph. 2: 8); we are [being] saved (Rom. 8: 24); and we shall be saved (Rom. 5: 9) in a salvation ready be revealed in the last time (1 Pet. 1: 5). For it is obvious that Gods complete work covers
(1) a past pardon and recreation; (2)
a present deliverance from the dominion
sin; and (3) a future redemption of body and environment:
or, as we may summarize them - justification,
sanctification and resurrection.
Now
it is obvious, by the terms he uses, that Paul assumes the first, or
fundamental, salvation as already past. For he addresses his words to all the saints in Christ Jesus (Phil. 1: 1), who have
been made saints by being saved; and it is to them that he says - work out - carry through, completely finish - your own salvation - the
salvation which you already possess, and which you must work out for
yourselves; for
it is God who worketh IN YOU - as souls indwelt of the Holy Ghost. God works from without the unbeliever, never
from within: therefore Paul, speaking to the whole
So
now, with a cleared platform, we confront JACHIN. Work out - as
though the solitary worker was yourself - your own salvation
- the present and the future deliverance which turn upon your own action - with fear - towards God - and trembling -
towards yourself. The words speak of holy anxiety, overmastering
conscientiousness, all-absorbing sense of responsibility (J. Hutchison, D.D.). That is, mere
passivity is never a doctrine of God.
Even our original salvation, a
work absolutely finished before we touch it, has to be actively - sometimes
urgently or even passionately - seized; I never knew
a lazy man saved in my life, says Mr.
Moody; and it ushers us at once into an activity that is to cease only with
death. The kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and MEN OF VIOLENCE take it by force (Matt. 11: 12). So Paul, once again embodying all Christian
experience in himself, says:- All run, but one receiveth the
prize: even SO
RUN, that ye may attain. I therefore so run,
as not uncertainly: I
buffet my body, and bring it into bondage:
lest by any means, after
that I have preached to others, I myself should
be disapproved (1 Cor. 9: 24). All the self-effort, all the self-mastery are
locked up in one breast - my own, born of a great fear; for the runner who has
lost the tremor has probably lost the race.
And yet the current laid along the
trembling wire is God.
For
now we confront BOAZ; and the
revelation is over-whelming. For it is God which worketh in
you; energizes, works mightily, works effectually; and He works inside your
personality. The Greek, by dropping the
article and putting the word God first,
casts the whole emphasis on the Godhead: it is DEITY which worketh in you: over against the sore difficulties
which rightly make us tremble - our discouragements, our depressions, our
slothfulness, our falls, our despair - Paul draws the veil from the far more
gigantic power latent within. The engine
that throbs within, like the huge electric drill used to break up concrete
blocks as it quivers with the enormousness
of its own power, is God: the intelligent force within us that unshackles
our will, so that we may will good, and energizes our hand, so that we may do
good, is God.
This revelation, which we take
as commonplace of our theology, is simply overwhelming in its immensity; for it
means that, within the limits of our personality and destiny, nothing is impossible to us that is possible to God.
Once
more, and finally, Paul sinks still deeper in this fathomless revelation. It is God which worketh in us both to will and to do - both
the resolution and the performance: to will, the whole realm of the soul; to
do, the whole realm of the life - of His good pleasure - the good pleasure that is pure goodness. This meets the profundities of our
psychological need. A patient in a
hospital ward is ordered to do a thing, and the thing is not done: the nurse
says He wont; the patient says, I cant: the doctor comes in and says something quite different from either - He cannot will. God not only
empowers the act, but inspires the resolution behind the act. All resolve to do good is from God, and
ability to do good is from God: therefore both the vision of the ideal, and the
ability to achieve it, are actually
in us, in the person of God resident
in the soul. God is where thought starts, and where the will
resolves, and where love is born, and where Christ is formed in the fountains
of life. An epitaph on a Christian
workers grave runs thus:- She hath done what she couldnt.
So
then in this double-barrelled truth we get an extraordinary example of the
balance of opposed truths making Truth, and a revelation, in itself, of
incalculable power. For the very text
which isolates the all-absorbing energy of God as our sole dynamic is also the
text in which salvation is made contingent on our own effort; and conversely,
the text of all texts which most categorically asserts that we must work out
our own salvation is the text which also reveals that our hidden and only
dynamo is God. Our effort without God is
an electric wire empty of the electric fluid: God working without us is a
power-house with a disconnected wire.*
* The Church in
general seems to hold neither truth absorbingly, but half-believes,
half-doubts, both: that is, we must work out our salvation, but nothing of the
first importance is lost if we do not; and God is the great In-worker, but
choked channels are of no great consequence.
Paul
finally unveils the golden possible goal of this conjoint working of God and
the soul. Do all things - live all your life - without murmurings - constant complaint, constant criticism, constant
dissatisfaction - and disputings:
disputing with oneself, that is, intellectual indecisions, indecisive
convictions, puzzling doubts; that ye may become* blameless and harmless,
children of God WITHOUT
BLEMISH. Children of God you already
are; but become such children of God as have nothing with which fault can be
found (H. A. W. Meyer). You can work out your
salvation, says the Apostle, for it is God that worketh in you; for He is able to guard you from stumbling, and to
set you before the presence of His glory WITHOUT
BLEMISH in exceeding joy (Jude 24).
-------
THE
APPROACHING TRIBULATION
The
power to foretell the future- that is, pure, undiluted prophecy - inheres in
God alone, and in those to whom, in ages of inspiration, He grants it. For this is the challenge with which Jehovah
meets all demon forces:- Declare the things that are
to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are
gods (Isa.
41: 23). For this reason all prophecies by demons are,
in themselves, worthless. Nevertheless
it is also true that owing to their wide range of vision, the mass of data they
possess for intelligent anticipation, and their vast experience of cause and
effect, the predictions of evil spirits, while valueless in themselves, carry
weight when accompanied by signals revealed in the Word of God; and the evil
watchers in the unseen now make no secret of the coming night. The announcement of a
great world cataclysm at hand, Sir
A. Conan Doyle says reaches him from more than a
hundred independent sources in the unseen world, all over the
earth.
-------
AFTERWARDS
Light after darkness, gain after loss,
Strength after weakness, crown after cross;
Sweet after bitter, hope after fears,
Home after wandering, praise after tears.
Sheaves after sowing, sun after rain,
Sight after mystery, peace after pain;
Joy after sorrow, calm after blast,
Rest after weariness, sweet rest at last.
Near after distant, gleam after gloom,
Love after loneliness, life after tomb;
After long agony, rapture of bliss -
Right was the pathway leading to this.
- FRANCES R. HAVERGAL.
*
* * *
* * *
270
How Relevant Are the End Times
For Believers and Non-Believers*
By AVIEL SCHNEIDER
[* From
Those who dont believe in God refuse to accept that we
are living in the last days of world history.
And yet, the movie industry continues to pump out [more violent and immoral]* end-times thrillers.
The topic of the end times seems to fascinate people regardless of
whether or not they believe on Gods Word.
There can be various reasons for this, but one thing seems certain: for
most, the future is more exciting than the present.
[* Acts
20: 29,
30; 1 Timothy 4:
1, 2; Jude 4; Revelation 3:
1, R.V.]
The
Bible speaks of many signs that will be visible during the last days [of
this evil and apostate age]. We read in Luke
21: 25-26:
And there will
be signs in sun and moon and stars, and upon the
earth dismay among nations, in perplexity at the
roaring of the sea and the waves, men fainting
from fear and the expectation of the things which are coming upon the world;
for the powers of the heavens will be shaken.*
Gog
and Magog is also a biblical concept (Ezekiel 38-39). Gog is
the name of the leader of a world coalition, which at the end of days will
attack the
In
general, Christians have a far greater affinity for biblical prophecies than
Jews. They seek after signs and symbols
that highlight the end times. And that,
of course, includes the coming of the Messiah.
I have often asked myself why believers abroad delve into the biblical
end times so much more than Messianic Jews in the Land. One possible reason may be that in the
end-time war, it is Israeli soldiers that will be fighting at Armageddon. We, are children of our grandchildren, not
those living abroad. And that frighten
us.
Seventeen
years ago, at the turn of the millennia, Christians around the world insisted
that the Second Coming was imminent. I
still remember the video cameras on the Mound of Olives that were directed
toward the
All
the present consternation over US President Donald Trump and his policies
suggests we are closer than ever to that terrible final conflagration. In October, Republican senator and chairman
of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, Bob Corker, warned in an
interview with The New York Times that Trump was by his
arbitrary threats towards other countries [pulling]
Anyone
searching Google for movies about the end times will be surprised by the large
selection. The fact is that last days
concept intrigues both believers and non-believers. Yes, the concept involves unprecedented
catastrophe, typically presented by
[* Matt. 8: 11; 24: 29-30; 25: 31; Luke 19: 15, 38; 22: 18, 29-30; Acts 1: 11; 1 Cor. 15: 23; 1 Thess. 4: 16; 2 Thess. 2: 1; 1 Pet. 1: 13; Rev. 22: 12, R.V.).
** NOTE: Todays rejection of the Scriptural testimony of a
restored Creation (Rom. 8: 19-22), puts regenerate believers on a slippery slope
which can lead into apostasy, and the loss of their inheritance
in the kingdom of Christ and God (Eph.
5: 5,
R.V.).]
Still,
the phenomenon demonstrates that the last days is
not some silly notion held by Christians and Jews alone. All of
mankind seems tuned in to the reality that an end [to this evil
and wicked age] is coming.
-------
Why are ye troubled? See my hands and my feet, that
it is I myself: handled me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye behold me having.
And
he said unto them, These are my words which I
spake unto you, while I was with you, how that all
things - that is, all presently unfulfilled
prophetic statements - must needs be fulfilled, which
are written in the law of Moses, and the
prophets, and the psalms, concerning me. (Luke 24:
38, 39, 44, R.V.).
THE KINGDOM
Our earthen vessels break;
The world itself grows old;
But Christ our precious
dust will take
And freshly
mould.
Hell give
these bodies vile
A fashion
like His own;
Hell bid
the whole CREATION smile,
And hush
its groan.
To Him our weakness clings
Through
tribulation sore,
And seeks
the covert of His wings
Till all is
oer;
And when
weve run the race,
And fought
the faithful fight,
Well see
Him face to face
With saints
in light.
-------
A
TRANSFIGURED BODY
The God who turns the ugly, crawling caterpillar into
one of natures most exquisite products, the butterfly, is the God who,
identically, will fashion anew the body of our humiliation,
that it may be
conformed into the body of His glory (Phil. 3:
21).
A man of sciences expresses the facts thus:- It
is a mystery which no science can explain; a change so profound that in the
pupa stage, safe in its silk or earthen cradle, the whole body liquefies, and
is entirely reconstructed in every organ to a pattern beyond the explanations
of telescopic evolution, until slowly, upon that formless outer shroud, the
lineaments of the new body growing within are imprinted, presently to emerge an
insect utterly different in every particular from the caterpillar crawling on
the leaf. No wonder the old Greeks
called the butterfly Psyche, or the Soul, bursting on brilliant wings from the
bonds of death-like sleep.
*
* * *
* * *
271
THE KINGDOM
IN MYSTERY
By D. M.
PANTON.
Perhaps there is no source of error in exposition
more frequent - so frequent as possibly to hint some chronic defect in the
human mind as it differs from the Divine - than the stubbornness with which men
will see one thing only, when God is looking at two. Duality - the out-pull and the in-pull
that balances the universe - is of the very
texture of things; and yet no great truth rides in a chariot of revelation but
some unbalanced charioteer leaps aboard to urge it over a precipice. It is a vital of exposition that apparently
conflicting Scriptures must never be made, like opposing parks of artillery, to
fire into and silence one another. No prophecy of scripture is of isolated interpretation (2 Pet. 1:
20), but subserves a perfect whole.
This duality dwells richly and subtilly in the great
Scripture phrase - the
*The judgment means denominational creed. It is self-evident that the Court of Appeals
does not mean to include Mohammedans or atheists.
Thus the Kingdom in this sense is synonymous with the
Church, or the hiatus between the two Advents; what our Lord calls the mysteries [i.e., things
hidden from the foundation of the world (Matt.
13: 35),
or Church truth] of the kingdom
of heaven (Matt. 13:
11), which it is given only to disciples to
understand - the mystical kingdom of grace.
It is a kingdom over the heart and life, with no visible royalty and no
earthly metropolis;* its
citizenship is in heaven (Phil. 3: 20, R.V.),
and therefore anywhere and everywhere on earth its citizens are pilgrims, and
so strangers; it is constantly at war, but only with the world-rulers of this
darkness, the spiritual hosts of wickedness in the heavenly places; its weapons
are not carnal, and in consequence it is improperly linked with State
establishments and temporal power; it is so to embody the grace of its
Saviour-King that its Victoria Cross is unresisting martyrdom; its commerce is
in the heavenlies, and therefore it is forbidden to lay up treasure on earth,
and takes joyfully the spoiling of its goods and it is throneless and homeless
until the hour when the Holy City overhangs the Millennial earth. The gates of this Kingdom stand ajar for all
mankind; and it has but one royal road into it, one exclusive path - the second
birth.
Yet
it is equally certain that in the same Gospels and Epistles, and from the same
Sacred Lips, in passages more numerous, and clear beyond all dispute, the
*
This is the deadly answer which Mr. Simmonds
justly brought against British-Israelism in our last issue. After the Kingdoms only King has not only
been rejected but murdered, any physical Kingdom set up in His absence, and
purporting to be His, is a self-branded imposture. Such are the fifth monarchy of Cromwells age;
Dr. Dowies
Zion City on Lake Huron; the sovereign state of the Vatican; and (among
non-Christian sects) Utah as the Kingdom of God on earth, with the North
American Indians as the lost Ten Tribes. The visible Kingdom is impossible
without the visible King.
So, therefore, since it is one Kingdom with two
aspects - for there is but one King - there are certain vital characteristics which,
belonging to both, are expressed in Scriptures that belong exclusively to
neither. The Kingdom of God is not
eating and drinking - in neither aspect does it consist in banqueting, though
in both there is food - but righteousness and peace and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14: 17).
Neither is in word only, but also in power (1
Cor. 4: 20). Into
both, publicans and harlots enter sooner than the wealthy or the Pharisee. Both Kingdoms come not by watching, nor by
discovery, but only by the second birth (John 3:
3) and the Kingdom must be within us ere
ever we can be within it (Luke 17: 21). John
the Baptist heralded both: Christ preached both: Paul died with both upon his
lips. Since the principle of the one is
Grace, and the principle of the other is justice, the conduct under each is
worlds asunder, exactly as is the action of the Saviour in the two epochs. The Kingdom in mystery is the vital prelude
to the Kingdom in manifestation, and the Kingdom of grace is the
training-ground for the Kingdom of glory.* So
therefore the great command, even to Apostles, is - Seek ye FIRST the Kingdom of God (Matt. 6:
33), for all our regenerate life is to be
the pursuit of a glory beyond the grave; and no man, having
put his hand to the plough, and looking back,
is FIT [ready, prepared, ripe] for the Kingdom of God (Luke 9: 62),
since fitness for the coming [Millennial] Kingdom
springs, not from conversion only, but from a face which, having fled from
Sodom, never looks back.
*
Salvation carries with it the Eternal Kingdom, and so of all believers we read - They shall reign for ever and ever (Rev. 22: 5); but for the Age succeeding this a seven-tiered
pyramid of sanctity is unfolded, with the warning words:- if ye do these things, ye shall never
stumble; thus shall be richly supplied unto you
the entrance - the wealth of a millenniums priority - into the eternal kingdom (2
Pet. 1: 10).
*
* * *
* * *
272
AN
EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE
TO THE
HEBREWS
By ROBERT
GOVETT, M.A.
Hebrews 3:14. For we
became the fellows of the Christ,
if we hold firm to the end the beginning of [our] confidence.*
The force of this verse is entirely taken away through
the change in rendering one Greek word.
Had the translators kept to the same expression as in chapter 1, verse 9,
the beautiful revelation here given would have flashed upon the souls of
many. Thy throne O God, is for ever and ever;
a sceptre of righteousness is the sceptre of Thy kingdom. Thou hast
loved righteousness and hated iniquity; therefore,
O God, Thy God hath
anointed Thee with the oil of
gladness above Thy fellows. It is then as if the writer had said: Who are those, the companions of the Anointed One, who come
with the
King when He descends to take
His sceptre? - as described in Psa. 45. It is ourselves! under condition of our not
giving up this assurance of the coming and kingdom of Christ.*
This again is knitted on to the coming of Christ to take the kingdom, in
Rev. 19: 11-16: And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse;
and He that sat upon him was called Faithful and True,
and in righteousness He doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a
flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns;
and He had a name written, that no man knew, but He Himself. And He was clothed with a vesture dipped in
blood: and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies which
were in heaven followed Him upon white horses,
clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations: and He shall rule them with a rod of iron: and He treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of
Almighty God.
And He hath on His vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. Who are the armies of heaven that follow
Him? Ourselves, if we hold fast our hope
and our obedience: for not all who call on Him as Lord come thus; but they who
are with Him are called and chosen (picked men), and faithful (Rev. 17: 14).
*
If this union with Christ and one another
is not broken off by unbelief, such will be companions in the millennial glory.
Here
we see the foundation-principle of the Epistle.
It is not a call to unbelievers, to break away from their present life
and standing: it is an address to those who have to hold fast what they have. Then, dear reader, are you relaxing your
energies, and giving up what you used in your days of zeal and love to do? It is a bad sign. What! have you found that
the hope set before you is not of so much value as you thought? Or is it worthy of your highest
energies? Paul thought so; he strove
with all his nerve after this prize of Gods proposing. He thought no surrender, no, not of life
itself under a violent death, too great, if he might but attain thereto! Jesus thought it of such value, that, for the
sake of this joy, He was content to despise the shame of the cross, and to
battle through the tide of woe.
We
are invited to be associates of the Christ in the day of Gods rest, and in the
kingdom of His glory. Such a prize will
not be presented again.
The
for, with which the present verse begins, attaches to the
warning. Beware
of turning away - for great is our glory, or great our
loss in that day. As Christ, Gods
Anointed, has partaken with us of flesh and blood, so shall we partake of His
kingdom, and rule over the renewed earth as the Son of man, if we cleave fast to His promises and commands.
If we hold firm to
the end the beginning of our confidence.
The
confidence of the Hebrew believers of Jesus speedy return and kingdom was at
first very strong. They sold houses and
lands, convinced that they should not long need them, and because they learned
that riches were an obstacle in the way to the kingdom. Our Lord had indeed sought to teach them,
that His return would not be immediate (Luke 19:
11-27). As the time could not be predicted, their
hope fixed on a day near at hand.
But with passing years their confidence dwindled. Persecution pressed them sore. Where was Christ? When would
He come? They were at length in danger of giving up the hope, and
turning back to the world and Moses.
But, if they did so, they could not come in glory as companions of the
King of kings. Thus the question was: Would they cleave fast to Christs promises of His return
and kingdom, or depart from the hopes given by the living God?
So
Soon
this hope faltered in apostolic days. If we suffer [ifs cluster around the entrance on millennial joy] we shall also reign with Him If we [not professors] deny Him,
He also will deny us. Their word will eat as a
canker, of whom are Hymenaeus and Philetus,
who concerning the truth have erred, saying that the [first] resurrection is
past already and they are overthrowing
the faith of some (2 Tim. 2: 12, 17, 18). And then follows a verse which tells us that
we must be fellows of the Christ in love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity, if we
would partake His throne and kingdom. On
those grounds Christ Himself is set as the King of kings. His fellows of the kingdom must partake of
His grace, before
they enter into His joy.
The
confidence with which the hope of Christs advent is first received must be
retained. Look to yourselves, that we
lose not the things which we have wrought, but
that we receive a full reward (2 John 8). Neglect is enough to lose reward. The seeking it demands prayer, seeking,
resolution. The Saviours parable of the
Sower (with others) instructs us in this matter.
Of
the four classes of hearers of the kingdom, only one enters!
Some,
after having begun with zeal their attempt to enter, fall off through
persecution; some, through the lusts of other things, entering in. They on the rock are they, who,
when they hear, receive
the word with joy; and these have no root,
which for awhile believe, and in
lime of temptation fall away (Luke 8: 13). Now does not that prove that the perseverance of believers
to the end is a dream? No! It is
not spoken of eternal life or salvation, but of the word of the kingdom, and of the
loss of millennial glory (Matt. 13: 19; Mark 4: 17, 19).
The
sixth verse of our chapter spoke of
retaining firm the
boldness and boasting of the hope. The expression there related chiefly to the
testimony of outsiders; here, it relates chiefly to the inward firmness of soul
on this especial article of faith.
15, While it is said - To-day,
if ye will hear His voice, harden not your hearts, as in
the provocation.
The
exhortations here given refer to a certain period, after which there will be an
entire change of dispensation; and then these calls will cease to apply. As long as God speaks of present time as to-day so long the warnings and the hopes are in full
force. But, when to-morrow comes, it is the day when the trial of
Gods present people is over, and the great Tempter is imprisoned and unable to
deceive. The day
of the wilderness was of forty years
duration. The to-day
under Christ, the Greater Leader, is proportionally longer. But it rests with God the Father to decree
the times and seasons. He has purposely
kept them in His own power (Acts 1: 7) - He Who first defined the days of creation.
16. For who when they heard,
provoked?
Were they not all those who came out of
The
Revised Version has adopted the true view of the sixteenth
verse, that it is to be read as a question, like the two verses which
follow. Read as in the Established
Version, the argument is enfeebled. But
one sees how the translation arose. It
was adopted because it seemed to the translators, that, if so read, the close
of the verse would not be true. Not all were shut out of the land. Yes, all but the
two faithful spies: these did not provoke God, and therefore entered in. The right rendering of the second question
relieves the matter of all difficulty, and makes the appeal exceedingly
forcible. Were
not all [who provoked] persons who came out of
Paul
resumes the citation of the psalm - up to the word provocation - that he may insist on the close application of the
passage to the hearers and readers of the Epistle. For he saw the objection which would be made
by many, so as to divert the force of the appeal. This ninety-fifth
psalm does not apply to us: it refers to
They
provoked- when
they had heard. If ye will hear His voice. Now sins of
ignorance are bad, when they arise out of our not being aware of what God has
said, though it is written in His Word.
But this was disobedience against light and knowledge. It was the hardening of the heart, after
hearing the command of the Most High.
So
now many of Gods own ransomed ones, the men who, trust in Christ so far as to
obtain [initial and eternal] salvation,
are provoking God. Multitudes see the
command of baptism, but will not observe it.
Multitudes, after faith and baptism, turn to pursue the worlds riches
and honours, and are taught to do so by their religious instructors. So that, while many refuse to admit the
application of this and kindred passages to real believers - when they are off
their guard, and treating of other questions, they describe the state of
believers in our day in the most disparaging terms, and confess all that is
demanded here. Indeed, some would deny
the faith and consequent salvation of many assemblies of believers; so low have
they sunk in their approximation to the world.
*
* * *
* * *
273
CURRENT
ERRORS CONCERNING
THE SECOND
COMING
By W. P. CLARK
While there are
many who deny the truth of the Second Advent altogether, casting ridicule on
it, and terming it mere Jewish apocalyptic aspirations, there are many others
who hold honestly mistaken views of the Advent through misinterpretation of
Scripture, principally from neglect, or ignorance of dispensational truth.
We propose to give some, if not all, of these (as we
read the Scriptures) mistaken views, and for want of space only quote one or
two apposite texts of Scripture to disprove each.
1. There are those who teach the
end of the world and a setting up of The
Great White Throne, or General
Judgment of Mankind, immediately after the present condition of the
worlds history, ignoring, or ignorant of, or denying the Rapture of the
Saints, the Parousia, or Presence in the air of our Lord, the Bema, or judgment
Seat of Christ, and the Great Tribulation; in proof of all which there are a
multitude of texts too numerous to set out here; confusing the Millennium, or Golden Age as they term it, with the eternal
happiness of the saved.
2. Others say that Christ returns to each individual at
conversion. On the contrary, sinners are
exhorted to come to Him, not He to them, Come unto Me, all ye that are
weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest (Matt. 11: 28), and, Him that cometh unto Me I
will in no wise cast out (John 6: 37). He did however promise to come in if anyone will hear His voice and open the door.
3. Some say He comes a second time to a believer at
death; but surely death cannot possibly be the looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ (Titus 2: 13)? Place the word death
wherever the Second Coming is referred to, and note the absurdity it
makes! The last two interpretations
would necessitate not a Second Coming only, but a vast multitude of Advents.
4. Some confuse the Second Coming of Christ with the
coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
Yet the Lord said, I will send - not come - another
- not Himself - Comforter.
5. A very common view is that our Lord returned at the time of the
destruction of Jerusalem in A.D. 70; and this view is based principally on His
statement - This
generation shall not pass away until all these things have come to pass (Matt. 24: 34), thus
assuming that the words this generation
necessarily meant the life-time of those present, a span of life of about
thirty-three years. On the contrary, they
have other meanings. Reference to a dictionary will show that the primary
definition of generation is race, stock, breed. The word was so used by John the Baptist and
our Lord when they termed their hearers a generation of vipers; and in the text in question it seems to mean the generation, or
stock, of the Jewish nation, and this is being literally fulfilled to this very
day. Another meaning assigned is that
these things - at some future time - would all be fulfilled within the space
of one generation or span of life, not necessarily the generation living when
the words were spoken.
In
any case, it is quite certain that these things,
viz. the world-wide preaching of the Gospel of the Kingdom, the great
Tribulation, the return of Christ in glory, and the regathering of the elect
mentioned by our Lord immediately preceding the words, never occurred at the
time of, or before, the siege of Jerusalem; and our Lord certainly never came
in the clouds of Heaven with power and great glory. If He did, it is nowhere recorded, as such a
stupendous event would surely be! The
result of the siege of
6. There is a mistaken idea that the Rapture, or the Catching-up of the
Saints, and the Parousia, or Presence of Christ in the air, cannot occur until
the Gospel of the Grace of God for Salvation is preached in all the world. This
mistake is based on Matthew 24: 14, but the Gospel there spoken of is the Gospel
of the Kingdom, not the Gospel of Salvation.
The Gospel of the Kingdom was preached by John the Baptist and by our
Lord as at hand and offered to the Jewish nation, and by them
rejected. Now the Gospel of Salvation through the blood of Christ is proclaimed
unto all the world until He come, when the day of Salvation ends, and the
Gospel of the Kingdom will again be proclaimed throughout the world. As far as is revealed, nothing need be
fulfilled before the rapture, except the completion of the Church - the Body of
Christ - and at any moment when the last member is brought in, the Lord will
come in the air for His own, but much has to be fulfilled before He returns
with His Saints to reign.
7. A similar mistake to the foregoing is that the Millennium or Kingdom
Age will be accomplished by the gradual conversion of the World through the
preaching of the Gospel, confusing Evangelization with conversion, and after
this Christ will return. On the
contrary, the Scriptures affirm and the Spirit saith expressly, that In the latter times men shall
depart from the Faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits and doctrines of demons (1 Tim. 4: 1), and, This know also that in the last days perilous times shall
come, followed by a long list of
details (2 Tim. 3:
1). Such
a view might well induce despair in our hearts when we realize there are more
heathen to-day in proportion to professing Christians than there ever were,
despite over a hundred years of the preaching of the Gospel world-wide; and
this disproportion is growing every day as the population increases. If we know the Kingdom will come before
Christ returns, why the constant necessity of watching for Him? No, there will be no Kingdom without the
King. When the Son of Man shall come in His glory
and all the angels with Him, then shall He sit
on the throne of His glory and before Him shall be gathered all the nations (Matt. 25: 31).
8. More mischief has been done, and more ridicule and discredit cast on
the truth, by the attempt to fix a date for Christs return. The Seventh Day Adventists fixed the year
1844, and the Millennial Dawnists, 1874, and when
both proved false, they tried to wriggle out of it by saying that He then entered the sanctuary
and began to cleanse it, and set
forth other absurd theories. Of that day and hour knoweth
no man (Matt.
24: 36),
and Watch
therefore, for ye know not what day your Lord
cometh (Matt.
24: 42). It is true He has given us signs - which are
coming to pass at the present time - by which we can discern His near approach;
but these signs mostly refer to His coming with His Saints to set up the
Kingdom, and not His Coming in the Air for His own. How near then may the latter event be!
9. There
are Christians who believe in the pre-tribulation rapture of the whole Church, and say that no believer will pass through
any part of the tribulation. On the
other hand, there are those who believe in the post-tribulation rapture, viz, that the whole Church will pass through it. There are, and have been, devoted Christians
on both sides; and each side is able to cite texts of Scripture which would, if
divorced from other Scripture, prove their contention. Scripture cannot
contradict itself: there must therefore be some solution of the difficulty, and
this we believe will be found in the doctrine known as the selective or partial rapture of the Saints; i.e., that some
will altogether escape the tribulation - they who love His appearing and look
for Him (Heb. 9:
28), the firstfruits of the rapture: others
will have to pass through at least part of the Tribulation. One consideration alone will preclude the
belief in the post-tribulation contention, and that is that there will be no
time for the Bema or Judgment-Seat of Christ where the millions of believers in
all ages will be judged, and which we presume will take some considerable
time. A conclusive text is Luke 21: 36,
which disproves both theories: Watch ye therefore, and pray
always that ye may be accounted worthy
to escape all these things and to stand before the Son of Man. Therefore some
will escape, and others will not. Even
if this is written only to Jews - the favourite expedient for getting rid of
this and other plain statements of Scripture - then Revelation
3: 3 and 10
- a warning and a promise - written to the Churches, and not the Jews, are
equally conclusive. In the first verse
the warning is that Christ may come and leave behind un-watchful believers: in
the latter verse - and the Greek is undoubtedly out of
and not through as some assert. Christ pledges himself to keep from the hour
of trial which is to come upon the whole world - undoubtedly the Great
Tribulation - all who keep the word of His patience, and only those. In
any case every believer must, before the end of the Tribulation, and before
Christ returns to reign, be caught up to the Bema where all must appear,
although not necessarily at the same time; for it is there awards will be made,
determining the position of each and every believer in the Kingdom, or their
exclusion from it. If on the one hand,
all escape the Tribulation, or on the other hand, all go through it, why the
repeated admonition of our Lord to watch?
10. A question which has created considerable contention
is whether all believers will share the Millennial Reign of Christ. It is clear that all who participate in it
will reign; there is no Scripture which even suggests that any
believer will be a subject in it. Two
texts are sufficient to disprove that every believer will share in the
Kingdom. If we
suffer, we shall reign with Him (2 Tim. 2: 11). To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with Me on My
throne (Rev.
3: 21). Do all believers suffer? Are all overcomers? The Crown and the Prize may be
lost. Hold fast that which thou hast, that no one take thy crown, says the Lord from the
Glory. Let no man rob you of your prize, says Paul. If there be a bare possibility only of
exclusion, should we not make sure of entrance?
Our non-belief will not affect the fact, if it is a fact!
Lastly, it is asserted that the
The
conclusions set out above, elaborated from time to time by various authors in
the DAWN,* are the result of a prayerful study of the Scriptures, but we would
not wish to be dogmatic. At least, they
are worthy of consideration by all who wish to study the Word of God and to
know and teach the whole truth.
-------
THE PREPARING BRIDE
The
Bible teaches two great facts. First,
that near to the end of time certain forces will swiftly head up world affairs
into what the Lord called the tribulation.
Second, that a class of believers will escape the tribulation by flight
into the air to Him. One is recorded in Rev. 3: 10: Because thou hast kept the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from the hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth. The other is Luke 21:
34-36: And take heed to yourselves,
lest at any time your hearts be overshadowed with surfeiting,
and drunkenness, and
cares of this life, and so that day come upon
you unawares. For as a snare shall it come upon all them that dwell on the
face of the whole earth. 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.
Whatever
the Song of Solomon teaches, there is a
beautiful picture of a blessed event in the second
chapter. My beloved spake, and said unto me, Rise up my
love, my fair one, and come away. If the earth is to be troubled as it never
has been since there was a nation (Daniel 12:
1) during the absence of the bride, what a
blessing, what a privilege and what a comfort to the queen-bride of the King of
Glory! To be delivered from the
terrible tribulation of the world undergoing a just judgment for its sins
should be a great cause for gratitude on the part of the faithful. See Isaiah 26:
20: Come, my people, enter thou into thy chambers, and
shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself as it
were for a little moment, until the indignation
be overpast. For, behold, the Lord cometh out
of His place to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity:
the earth also shall disclose he blood, and shall no more cover her slain.
*
* * *
* * *
274
AN
EXPOSITION OF THE EPISTLE
TO THE
HEBREWS
By ROBERT
GOVETT, M.A.
HEBREWS
3: 19
The displeasure which God felt against the sinful of
Their
unbelief rising to its height in disobedience, drew down the punishment of
God. Beware of like conduct, that you may escape the like end. For we are of the same nature as they; and
God is still the same. He has
erected this lighthouse on the rock on which they suffered shipwreck; that we
may escape. And while to most Christians
this danger is not presented, to you, reader, it is.
Faith
led them out of
Chap. 4: 1. Let us fear, therefore,
lest a promise being left [us] of entering into His rest, any of you should think that he has come too
late for it.
The
previous chapter has set before us
It
is on this point that the succeeding argument turns. The writer shows, that the rest spoken of in
the psalm has never yet been accomplished.
The call to have part in the millennial day of joy and privileges is
still in force, with the consequent perils and besetments of those travelling
to it.
I
have translated the close of the first verse now before us differently from the
Established Version. If we retain the
usual rendering, the sense would be:- Fear, lest you
should be left upon the earth as an unwatchful servant, after your watchful
brethren have been removed by the first rapture.
But
that does not suit either (1) the
words of the verse or (2) the scope
of the passage. The Greek word to come short is in the perfect: it should in that
case have been in the present. (3)
The Apostle is warning us against not a seeming and partial loss, but an entire
forfeiture of the prize, under the oath of God. (4) After such a fear, as that translation supposes, the course of
the Apostles argument would have been entirely altered.
Translate
the verse as I have done,* and it
falls perfectly into the following line of argument, and is just such an
objection as was likely to occur both to Jew and Gentile.
*
The authors who defend this translation
are given by Alford on the passage.
Alford admits that it may be so rendered.
Let us fear. How should there be room for fear, if we are, as
believers, certain of that rest? God is
not to be mocked. We believers have to
do with a real peril, as
*
The Epistle to the Philippians regards salvation as
yet future, to be attained
only in the
day of Christ.
Any of you should think he has come too late for it.
Here
the writer changes the pronoun. Before,
it was, Let us fear. He says here, Any of
you: for the mistake he now names did not apply to himself. He was sure, that Gods rest had not begun;
but that the call was still made to [regenerate] believers,
bidding them seek to enter into the
coming [millennial] glory.
The
Greek word means to come short either in
relation of (1) place or of (2) time. A man might lose his train, either by being a mile off
the station when the train left; or by falling asleep in the waiting-room, and
only being roused after the train had started.
Here the coming short refers to time. Some
would think, that the rest here spoken of was long ago past, and, if so, they
would take no pains to seek an entrance into it. So
great is the boon here set before us, that the Holy Spirit always urges the use
of all diligence in attaining it.
And Satan, on the other hand, seeks to induce a belief of its being a
small affair, an illusion, or long ago past. The
first resurrection is past already, was one of his ancient deceits (2 Tim. 2: [18].). Another idea, equally effectual to quench the true
view, is, that the rest is a spiritual attainment, possessed now by all Gods
rightly-instructed people.
Lord, I believe a rest
remains,
To all Thy people known,
as
Charles Wesley sings. But our passage is speaking of a future rest
of reward. Four times it is spoken of as
unfulfilled. (1) A promise being left. (2)
It remaineth that some must enter therein (ver.
6). (3)
There remaineth therefore a rest (ver. 9). (4)
Let us labour therefore to enter into that rest (ver.
11).
2. For unto us is the good news proclaimed as it was unto them; but the word of the report did not profit them, not being mixed with faith* in them
that heard it.
*
The reader who would see something of the
critical perplexities of this verse, should consult Alford. But the reading which he adopts comes morally
to the same point as the usual rendering.
The
translators did not understand this passage: hence their renderings have only
darkened a place already obscure through much condensation. In the Established Version it would seem, as
if the Gospel of Jesus death, resurrection, and forgiveness through Him, had
been preached to
(2) But the Gospel which our Lord
proclaimed to
This is another name for the doctrine of
the millennium; a doctrine remaining
to be taught to those who have already
received the good news of present forgiveness through Jesus risen. These glad tidings were taught to
But the word of the report did not profit them, not being mixed
with faith in them that heard it.
The word of the report refers to the report brought to
*
Thus this
rehearses the
of chap. 3: 16. The
ultimate provocation and exclusion ensued at once on the refusal of Gods
report, and that of their own spies.
How came
Through
their unbelief - as God says:- How long will this people provoke Me? and how long will it be ere they believe
Me, for all the signs which I have shewed unto them? (Num. 14: 11).
3. For we believers*
are entering into the rest, as [God] said, So I sware in My wrath, They
shall not enter into My rest: although the
works from the foundation of the world had [already] been completed. For He spake
in a certain place concerning the seventh day thus And God rested on the seventh day from all His works. And in this place [He says] a
second time, They shall not enter into My rest.
*
I do not think that any stress is to be
laid on the participles being in the aorist.
They might have been in the present.
The aorist denotes that they had now for some time been believers.
The
for with which the verse commences is connected with the
word faith in verse 2. The Israelites lost the rest, as devoid of faith. But
we, as men of faith, are entering
into it.
The
Established Version gives do enter, as though
the rest were something of habitual and present attainment by believers
generally. Thus it confounds the sense,
and the course of the Apostles argument; who is proving the futurity and
the external character of the rest to them who believe. The present here is prospective. It is illustrated for us, as previous points
have been, by the history of the wilderness.
Up to the time when the tribes, through unbelief, were rejected by the
oath of God, they were continually on the move
toward the promised land. So believers
in the millennial glory are moving onward to Gods rest in that day. For they, unlike
We
should read: We believers are entering into the rest - the same rest as that
which
Although the works from the foundation of the world* had [already]
taken place.
*
This is the order of the Greek; and it
makes the sense more distinct.
The
Apostle is now teaching us concerning the meaning of the phrase, Gods rest. The
expression is used in Genesis 2: 2, of Gods repose from creation-works on the
seventh day. He notices, then, that of
course that could not be the one into which we are invited, and
toward which we are moving. Both the
work and the rest of that day ended ages ago: sin had not entered, and man had
no part with God in that enjoyment of His finished works. He sware, that unbelievers should have no
part in His rest. But how could they? The rest of the first Creation-Sabbath was
long, long past. Why, then, did Paul cite the passage? Because Gods creation-rest on
the seventh day is typical of His redemption-rest on the seventh millennium yet to come. Hence Paul
quotes anew the passage from the psalm, and observes that the expression occurs
a second time. They shall not enter into My rest. The words are quoted to bring into notice, by
way of contrast, the futurity of Gods rest there spoken of. If they shall enter. Here is a second time - similar expression.
-------
THE PRIZE OF OUR CALLING
The
problems connected with our Lords return became ever more thrilling as the
event draws nearer; and Mr. Lang, with careful thinking, challenges the current
view - an extraordinary example of wishful
thinking - that all believers, including the grossest backslider, will
escape all coming judgments and at once ascend with Christ the throne of the
world. It is most wonderful to understand how the grave warnings of our Lord and the
Apostles, constantly repeated, could have been so ignored, and can still remain
so unheeded. The issue at stake is far graver than a mere divergence in exposition:
it is the fearful practical issue of our plunge into the Great Tribulation, or
our escape; the inconceivable glory
of enthronement over the world, possibly
only a few years hence, or a lost
crown and throne.
Mr.
Lang, although there will be differences of judgment on subordinate points,
handles the main issue with grace and understanding, and leads us towards the
highest. LET NO MAN TAKE THY CROWN (Rev. 3: 11).
*
* * *
* * *
275
LET THE JEW
EXPLAIN
By FREDERICK ERDMAN, D.D.
1. A Jew should be able to explain why so many of the best Gentiles have
chosen for their Saviour, their Messiah, their God, a despised, rejected, and crucified
member of a race which the Gentiles themselves have oppressed and
persecuted. This is the most incredible
and supernatural fact in the world.
2. A Jew should he able to explain, since his own ritual for the Day of
Atonement says he has no mediator
where he
expects to find one. Would a just God
have caused the sacrifice and oblation to cease, if He had not offered his
chosen people His Perfect Sacrifice? He
did not so treat Abraham.
3. A Jew should be able to explain what hope he can have of the
forgiveness of his sins or of Gods acceptance of him, if, as the Law demands,
sacrifices are required. (It
is the blood that maketh atonement by reason of the soul - Leviticus, the 3rd Book of Moses, ch.
17: 11). If he thinks that his own meritorious acts or
the acts of other Israelites can justify him in the sight of God, how can he
find an unblemished life, as the Law demands?
4. A Jew should be able to explain the words of Jacob in
Genesis 49: 10.
The sceptre
shall not depart from
5. A Jew should be able to explain why the Jews were driven from their
promised land 2,000 years ago. All
through the Law and the Prophets it is repeatedly said, if they were driven
out, that it would be because of
sin. See Deut. Chap.
4., Chap.
28: 30; Jer. 11. and most of the book. Daniels prayer repeats very clearly why the Jews were carried off to
6. How can there ever again be the necessary historical setting for the
Messiah to fulfil all the O.T. predictions? E.g. - The form of capital
punishment necessary to fulfil Psalm 22: 16, They pierced my hands and feet, is obsolete.
7. In Zechariah 12: 10 in the account of the final siege of Jerusalem
and its deliverance from its enemies, we read, And they shall look unto me whom they have
pierced; and they shall mourn for Him as one
mourneth for His only son, and shall be in
bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness
for His first-born. How could this ever be fulfilled unless the
Jews had previously rejected their Messiah?
If they have not rejected Him, who will deliver them in that day? Since the Jews
killed most of the Prophets whom God sent to them, is it not possible that they
also ignorantly might have killed the Messiah?
8. A Jew should be able to explain Psalm 110.
Jesus said:-
How
say the scribes that Christ is the son of David? For David himself said by the Holy Spirit, The Lord said to my Lord,
Sit thou on my right hand, till I make thine enemies thy footstool. David, therefore, himself calleth
him Lord; and whence is he then his son? (Mark 12: 35-37).
9. A Jew should be able to explain how any Jew, who spends his time in
the pursuit of money and pleasure, can have any hope of salvation when the Law
says, Thou shalt
love the Lord, thy God, with all thy heart and with all thy soul and with all thy
might (Deut.
6: 5).
Making money ones God is daily breaking the first two Commandments.
10. A Jew should be able to explain how Isaiah
53, which describes a perfectly holy and unblemished person can possibly
refer to a nation which confesses its extreme guilt in its own ritual every day
of Atonement and in its sacred writings.
11. A Jew should be able to explain why the Rabbis, in translating the Law
and the Prophets into English, did not translate such a prophecy about the
Messiah as Isaiah 60: 5. Why did
they, as their own advertisements said, avoid anything to appear in the
translation contrary to the canons of the synagogue? Is the synagogue greater than the Prophets?
12. A Jew should be able to explain how by any mere accident so many
prophecies in the Law and the Prophets and the Psalms were fulfilled by Jesus
of Nazareth.
--------
HOPE
The Son of God has said:- The hour is coming in which
all that are in the tombs shall come forth; they that have done good, unto the
resurrection of life; and - [when the thousand years are finished (Rev. 20: 7, 13-15, R.V.)] - they that have done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment (John 5: 28). Which
destiny will be ours beyond the tomb?
In the Middle Ages, when noblemen employed fools, or
jesters, to amuse them, a certain man gave his valuable cane to his fool and
told him that when he could find a greater fool he should bring it back to
him. In due time the nobleman came to
die and said farewell to his jester. Where is your
Lordship going? asked the fool.
I am
going to another world, was the reply. And when shall you return? Oh, I am never to return, No said the fool; then has tour Lordship made any preparation
for the journey? Alas, I have not. Then take back your cane, said the man, for never could
there be folly so great as that!
How many leave this world like Cesare Borgia who, dying, exclaimed:- I have provided in the course of my life for
everything except death; and now, alas! I am to die, although entirely unprepared! On the contrary, it is possible to cry, with Andrew Fuller:- I have such a HOPE
that with it I can plunge into eternity.
*
* * *
* *
276
GODS WARNING
TO THE CHURCH
By D. M.
PANTON, B.A.
It is deeply significant of modern Evangelicalism that Dr. Eugene Stock, a typical Evangelical
of the last generation, wished these words omitted from the Venite
in the New Prayer Book:- I was displeased with this generation, and said, They do alway err in
their heart: they did not know my ways as I
sware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my
rest (Heb.
3: 10). But the Holy Spirits answer, through Paul,
is complete and final. So far from these
drastic words applying only to
THE WORD
Now
in the mighty rebellion of Korah against Moses and Aaron, a rebellion in which
Korah won a measure of sympathy from the
whole people of God, one completely dominant fact, for us, is that Moses
had nothing in his hand and heart but the Word of God. In the words of the Apostle John, - The law was given by Moses (John 1: 17): he wrote the first five books of the Bible:
like Paul in the later dispensation, he is an embodiment of the Word of God,
and so stands for all those who, in every dispensation, seek to be ruled solely
by the Scriptures. The Apostle and High Priest
of our confession, even Jesus, we read, was faithful to him that appointed him, as also was Moses in all his house (Heb. 3: 1).
OUR STANDING
Now
we face in Korah exactly what we confront to-day. Korahs whole emphasis, in opposing Moses, is
lodged foursquare on the divine standing of the People of God. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against
Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing
all the congregation are holy,
EVERY ONE OF
THEM, and the Lord is among them (Num. 16: 3). The statement was absolutely true; and it is
remarkably reaffirmed by Paul, both of the type and the anti-type, both of them
and of us. Our fathers were all under
the cloud, and all passed through the sea; and were all
baptized unto Moses, and did all
eat the same spiritual meat, and did all
drink the same spiritual drink: for they drank
of a spiritual rock that followed them, and the rock
was Christ (1 Cor. 10: 1). As our fathers, so
ourselves: the
OUR WALK
The
enormous omission of the divine supplementary truth - namely, the structure
which we build on our flawless foundation, the consequences of the walk as
distinct from the standing - Dathan and Abiram now bring into sharp
relief. Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us
up out of a land flowing with milk and honey, to
kill us in the wilderness? Thou hast not brought us into a land flowing with milk and
honey: wilt thou put out the eyes of these men? - do you think you can blind us all? Never once do
Korah, Dathan and Abiram name God, or
the Word of God. They assume
that the divine election and standing that saved them by the Passover Blood in
THE APPEAL
TO GOD
Now
Moses reveals the right attitude of the holder of the Word of God, who stands
for its whole truth. It is a direct
appeal to God Himself. And Moses said unto Korah,
Be thou and all thy congregation before the Lord,
to-morrow
- for us, the judgment seat of Christ, our to-morrow; and Korah assembled all the
congregation against them; and the glory of the
Lord appeared unto all the congregation - the invariable proof of the immediate presence of Deity. So Moses stakes all upon the decision of God
alone. If these men die the common death of all men - and so do not incur any penal judgment whatever - then the Lord hath
not sent me. If,
he says, the judgment of which I have warned you does not fall, I am proved
wrong: the event itself shall decide. So
Paul says of us:- Each
[believers] work shall be made
manifest; for the
day shall declare it, because - like Korahs it is revealed in fire (1 Cor. 3:
13).
INTERCESSION
Moses
and Aaron, at this juncture, give us an exquisite model. And the Lord spake unto Moses
and unto Aaron, saying, Separate yourselves from among this congregation, that I may consume them in a moment. And they fell upon
their faces - throughout the
narrative Moses fell three times, upon his face before God - and said, O God, shall one man sin,
and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation? - Not only does Moses begin, continue, and end his
conflict with Korah with prayer: he intercedes for others whom Korah has
involved in fearful peril. There is one
ominous silence. Moses does not pray for
the rebellious group. It is a most
remarkable forecast of the words of John:- If any
[believer] see his brother
sinning a sin not unto death, he shall ask, and God will
give him life for them that sin not unto death. There is a sin unto
death: not concerning this do I say that he should
make request (1 John 5:
16). One of the most wonderful answers to
prayer immediately follows. On the one
condition that they separated themselves from Korah and his company, Jehovah
spares the entire people, at the cry of the very men against whom the
congregation had rebelled. Two men save
two millions.
JUDGMENT
Two miraculous disasters now announce the judgment of
God. Moses had hardly finished speaking,
announcing judgment, when the earth opened her mouth, and
swallowed them up; and all
OUR DANGER
Pauls
application stands for all time, for all who have ears to hear. Neither murmur ye, as some of
them murmured and perished by the destroyer: now
these things happened unto them -
public death- by way of
example (1 Cor.
10: 11);
and are written for our admonition: wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth
take heed lest he fall (1 Cor. 10:
10). He who presumes on his standing is certain to fall
in his walk. And most significantly, in the chapter
immediately following, Paul says:- For this cause
- misuse of the Lords Supper - many among you are weak and
sickly, and NOT
A FEW SLEEP; and he carefully
confines this particular capital punishment - silently inflicted by the hand of
God Himself - to the regenerate:-
When we are
judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we may not be condemned with the world (1 Cor.
11: 32). So elsewhere also the Apostle makes the
consequent warning of God as explicit as it could be made, by the direct
application of the type:- Toward them that fell severity; but toward thee Gods goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: OTHERWISE THOU ALSO SHALT BE CUT OFF* (Rom. 11: 22).
[* That is, regenerate believers - for like behaviour-
will be cut off from the land of the living by
a premature DEATH: but, more
importantly, we can also be cut off from the reward of the
inheritance (Col. 3: 24, A.V.),
by Gods future judgment before the time of the first resurrection! (See Heb. 9: 27; Rev. 20: 5). Compare with Heb. 12: 17; Gal. 5: 7-10; Matt. 7: 21; Gal. 5: 7-10; 2 Tim. 2: 18; Eph. 5: 5; Gal. 5: 21; Rev. 3; 10, 19-22, R.V.: - These divine warnings are addressed to
all
regenerate believers!]
THE JUDGE
So
now, though gathered before the Heavenly Zion, and to no quaking earthly Mount,
we are warned that we approach a burning universe, consumed by the fire that
consumed the murmurers of Israel:- wherefore let us offer service with reverence and awe; FOR OUR GOD IS A CONSUMING FIRE (Heb. 12: 28). At the First Advent, a Saviour stood on the
threshold; at the Second Advent, it is a judge who stands on the threshold; and
in a tremendous utterance the Apostle James (5:
9) uses words exactly fitting to-day:- Murmur not brethren, one against another, that ye
be not judged BEHOLD, THE JUDGE STANDETH
BEFORE THE DOORS.
*
* * *
* * *
277
THE MODEL
PRAYER
By D. M. PANTON,
M.A.
In response to
the appeal, Lord,
teach us to pray, the Saviour gives the model prayer for all time. When it has been
prayed intelligently, Dr. Campbell Morgan says, we have swept the whole realm of prayer. Our Lord makes it clear that it is not a set liturgy. He does not say, In these words pray ye; but,
After this
manner pray ye: that is, it is
a pattern for all prayer, not a stereotyped petition to be constantly repeated:
there is no record in Scripture that it was ever used by the
The
prayers first words are an open door into the heart of God:- Our Father, which art in heaven. In
the words of Archbishop Trench:- We must not conceive of prayer as an overcoming of Gods
reluctance, but as a laying hold of His highest willingness. It is all the regenerate on earth
approaching, not the awful Creator of the universe before Whom we are as dust,
but our Father in heaven: our appeal tells of love, tender care, deep concern
on the one side; and of confiding affection, complete trust, and unhesitating
approach on the other. And the marvel of this Fatherhood is in the words - Our Father in
heaven: it is a Fatherhood comprehending all knowledge, all power, all
wonder, all eternity. And it is Our Father, not, My
Father: it is a brief prayer in which every petition is offered by the whole
Church: just as, on one occasion some years ago, nine men
prayed in fifteen minutes in eight different languages.
Now
the prayer, as petition, opens; and its opening is worship:- Hallowed be thy name. We
do not pray, Hallow thy name, for it is already absolutely holy; but, Hallowed be thy name - let it be
sacred on every lip of angels and of men.
Our first deep, strong note in prayer is to be the glory of God: our
first petition, prompted by what we already know of God, is that God will not
rest till all Heaven is filled with His love, and all the universe knows
how spotless, how everlasting, how awful is the holiness of God. It is the Churchs echo on earth of the cry
that envelopes the Throne:- Holy, holy, holy, Lord God Almighty, which was
and which is and which is to come (Rev.
4: 8).
The
first petition thus concerns the glory of God; the second petition concerns the
dominion of God, and covers all prophecy:-
Thy kingdom come. It is the only prayer (so far as we know)
that God ever commanded Christ to pray:- Ask of me,
and I will give thee the uttermost parts of the
earth for thy possession (Ps. 2: 8). At this
very moment we are probably entering the greatest war of all history, in which
the whole world may yet be involved: never was there a moment more urgent for
prayer invoking Christs universal dominion.
The fundamental denial of Scripture eschatology in the Churches requires
what is, as a fact, almost universal - the change of the
coming of the Kingdom into the extension
of the Kingdom: but the
Kingdom has not come. It is very beautiful to observe that we do not pray for the Church to be taken
to the Kingdom, but for the Kingdom
to be brought to the world: it is not love of
the world, but love for the world,
that is to make us to pray the Bibles last prayer, - Even so come, Lord Jesus (Rev. 22: 20).
The
third petition is missionary:- Thy will be done on earth, as it
is done in heaven. The
first petition seeks the glory of the Father; the second, the glory of the Son;
the third absorbs us in the present work of the Holy Ghost. For what is
the will of God which can now be done? God willeth that all men
should be saved, and come to the knowledge of
the truth (1 Tim. 2: 4). So here
we cover, in one brief sentence, the Holy Spirits work throughout the
world. And what a prayer of how Gods will
should be done at this moment! A Sunday
school teacher once asked his class - How is the will
of God done in heaven? The first
child replied, Immediately; the second,
Diligently; the third, Always; the fourth, With all their
hearts; and the fifth, All together. So we pray that Gods will may be done,
here and now, as the burning Seraphs do it - without ceasing, without doubting,
without delaying, without sinning.
We
now reach the human petitions; and the first is for bodily need:- Give us this day our
daily bread. We are so slow to realize the source of all our
supplies. A minister in
The
second human petition - the only one that is dependent on a condition, and the
only one which our Lord explains and enforces - is most gravely challenging. Forgive us our debts, as we forgive - as we have forgiven, in the Revised Version - them that trespass
against us; or, still more emphatic in Luke
(11: 4), for we
ourselves also forgive every one that is indebted to us. Our pre-conversion sins were forgiven on the
ground of Calvary alone, with no condition as to our attitude to others; known
sin after conversion, confessed and
abandoned, is instantly forgiven (1 John 1: 9); but our remaining sins, either unknown or
unabandoned - and the Lord assumes sin in us all: the saint must confess sin as
well as the sinner - actually depend for pardon on our forgiveness of
others. Ours is to be what was the
master-prayer of
The
third human petition strikes the keynote of wise and profound humility. Lead
us not into temptation - testing, proving, sifting; trial in
order to the discovery of character, which may be done by friend or foe. Satan
- as job experienced - has no power to tempt except such as God allows him; but
the deeper is our knowledge of our own hearts, the more passionate will be this
prayer. We plead against any severe
trial of our fidelity: we do not covet martyrdom, lest we fail in the moment of crisis: we pray to escape the hour which
is to come upon the whole world, to try -
to test, to prove - them that dwell upon the earth (Rev. 3: 10).
Our
final petition is for sanctification. But - if testing, does occur - deliver us from evil. This covers
all forms of evil: physical pain, persecution, peril; but supremely spiritual
evil - evil thoughts, evil ambitions, evil suspicions: all summed up in the
Evil One. Deliver
us from evil - from all the wretched fascination and all the miserable results
of sin, from its blindness and insensibility, from its unspirituality and
rebellion, from its hardness and its punishment, from all that dishonours God
and ruins the soul, from its guilt, its power, its shame, and its doom
(H. R. Reynolds, D.D.).
The
power of prayer Dr. Samuel Chadwick
has well summed up:- Satan dreads nothing but prayer
- the Church that lost its Christ was full of good works. Activities are multiplied that meditation may
be ousted, and organizations are increased that prayer may have no chance. Souls may be lost in good works, as surely as
in evil ways. The one concern of the
devil is to keep the saints from praying.
He fears nothing from prayerless studies, prayerless work, prayerless
religion. He laughs at our toil, mocks
at our wisdom, but trembles when we pray!
-------
PRAYER FOR
One warm stimulus to prayer for the beloved land of our
sojourn is the British Governments statement. (May 18th, 1940) on reprisals:-
His Majestys Government have made it clear that it
is no part of their policy to bomb non-military objectives, no matter what the
policy of the German Government may be.
In spite of wanton and repeated attacks by the German Air Force on
undefended towns in
*
* * *
* * *
278
A MORNING STAR OF THE KINGDOM
By D.M. PANTON
The words Joshua and Jesus are the same name, only spelt differently; and Joshua
is the morning star of the kingdom of Gods earthly People, as our Lord is the
Morning Star (Rev. 22:
16) of the Kingdom of Gods heavenly
People. As we are probably within sight
of our
The
counsel of Jehovah how to become a Joshua opens with fearless courage. God says:- Only - as the supreme quality you will require - be STRONG and VERY COURAGEOUS (Josh. 1: 7): alert,
prompt, aggressive, fearless: six times the Most High repeats it, so vital is
courage. The fear
nots
of the Bible must be beyond counting.
Fear exaggerates difficulties, murmurs at suffering, shrinks from
reproach, neglects duties, and doubts God.
For God gave us not a spirit of fearfulness; but of power and love and
discipline (2 Tim. 1:
7).
Thus Gods first instruction for the Kingdom is exactly parallel with
one of our Lords most extraordinary utterances:- The kingdom of heaven suffereth
violence, and men of violence take it by force (Matt. 11: 12). The life of the soul that is
faithful to its Lord will be one succession of storms in a hostile world,
demanding a vital courage and strength.
But the reward is the Kingdom. Cast not away therefore your boldness,
which hath GREAT
RECOMPENSE OF REWARD (Heb. 10: 35).
The
courage so stressed is a courage carefully held to a single channel. Courage for what? Only be strong and very courageous, to observe to do according to all the law. Napoleon said that the forces which influence the spirits of
men in battle decide for victory or defeat far more powerfully than anything
which affects their material strength; and it is a discovered fact that the
percentage of hits in shooting falls steadily with a sense of defeat, and
always rises with the assurance of victory.
Joshua lived the command. When
the whole commission sent to Palestine - except himself and Caleb - trembled before
the Canaanites, those symbols of the Demon Powers that oppose our entrance on
the Kingdom, as grasshoppers before giants, Joshua and Caleb cried,- We are well able to overcome; the standard set for the Kingdom is no impossible
standard - we can all be overcomers: and they faced an angry mass of men when
only Divine lightnings saved them from being stoned by the people of God (Num. 1: 10). In the
words of Spurgeon:- If indeed ye are soldiers of such a Captain, throw fear to
the winds. Can you be cowards when the Lord of Hosts leads you? Dare you tremble when at your head is the
Wonderful, the Counsellor, the Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince
of Peace? The trumpet is already at the
lips of the
The second supreme quality on which Jehovah lays all
the emphasis for the creation of a morning star is absorption of the Word of
God. This book shall not
depart oat of thy mouth - our
whole teaching, all our mouths utterance, is to be an enforcement of
Scripture; but
thou shalt meditate therein day and night - heart-concentration, unceasing, on the Word of God
- that - not that we may be a clever student, but - thou mayest observe TO DO according to all that is written
therein- for not knowledge, but
obedience, is the very soul of the gift of Gods Book. We are to soak ourselves in the Word of God,
in order to reproduce the whole of it in our life. In one of the Galleries on the Continent
there is a famous picture by Raphael. Groups of the worlds painters sit for hours
before it. They study its draughtsmanship
they absorb its colouring; they revel in its transparency; they rejoice in its
lights and glooms. I could sit daily for years
before that picture, said one of
them, and on
the last day of the last year discover new beauties. The Book we study
is not only inexhaustible, but reproduces itself in all who meditate therein day and
night. For such is the whole soul of its
inspiration. Meditate therein day and
night, that thou mayest observe to do according to all that
is written therein.
Thus
we see that the entire emphasis of the Most High on the creation of a morning
star rests on a courage which obeys the whole Book. Turn not from it to the right hand or to the left: the metaphor is taken from a road skirted on both
sides with precipices; grip the plow, and drive the
furrow straight and hard, for no man, having put his
hand to the plow, and
looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God (Luke 9: 62). So the
consequence is now stated. That that thou
mayest have good success whithersoever thou goest; and the Most High repeats it, - FOR THEN shalt thou make
thy way prosperous, and then shalt thou have GOOD
SUCCESS. It is extraordinary to find the word success on the lips of God; and He
knows no success but in obedience to His word. In
the spiritual sphere, as in the physical, faith embodied in action is certain
victory. As Marshal Foch said in the last War:- I never had any doubt, not
for a day or an hour; in war, he who doubts is lost. The tragedy of
But
once more we see the making of a morning star.
It shines steadily with the light of an unrisen sun, for it walks in the
fellowship of God. This is the
overwhelming, final counsel that Jehovah gives for the creation of a
Joshua. Be not affrighted, neither be thou dismayed; for the
Lord thy God is with thee whithersoever thou goest Our
Lord, though invisible, actually stood in the dock beside Paul in chains, as he
preached the Gospel to the Antichrist, Nero; when the need is supreme, so will
be the Divine presence. It is happening
to-day. Dr. James Reid has just said:- A friend
wrote to me the other day after three or four weeks spent in a nursing-home in
bombed
So
we see the reward. A sole survivor (with
Caleb) of all the Hebrews that had crossed the Red Sea, he leads his generation
into the Sabbath-rest; and the passage of the
Thus
to-day we ourselves are confronted with Joshuas own rousing words:- Sanctify yourselves for to-morrow the Lord will DO WONDERS
among you: hereby ye shall see that A LIVING GOD is amongst you. So Joshuas own postscript to his life reinforces his
command of sanctity. He spoke for a last
time in Canaan: his word comes as a wireless message from the
-------
SANCTIFICATION
FOR GLORY
By CHAS. S. UTTING
The
Apostle prays for his converts:- The God of peace
himself sanctify you wholly,
and may your spirit and soul and body be preserved
entire, without blame, at the Presence
(in the air) of our Lord Jesus
Christ. (1 Thess.
5: 23). This is
progressive sanctification, a
life-long process and growth, and in
those cases where it is accomplished will win its possessors a share in the First
Resurrection and the reigning with Christ in His
He
is able to guard
us from stumbling and to set us before the presence of His glory without
blemish in exceeding joy, (Jude 24); and will
also do it provided
we are trusting and obeying, and feed
continuously upon the Holy Scriptures, praying
without ceasing. As Bonar says, - Nothing
but constant intercourse will carry on the soul; or
The
teaching held by many and taught for nigh a century that if one be a child of
God, a member of the Body, sin, worldliness, pleasure, and money-making, etc.,
will only entail loss, and
that all Christians without exception will be caught up at the same moment when the Lord arrives in the air, has wrought
immeasurable mischief, and violates
as well as misapplies those Scriptures the Lord has mercifully given for the
believers guidance, counsel, and warning. Let us remember that the proof
of our faith is more precious than gold, and shall be found unto praise and
glory and honour at the revelation of Jesus Christ. (1
Pet. 1: 7). We must be acquiescent to His will, and then
be quiescent in His will.
*
* * *
* * *
279
WHY DOES GOD ALLOW THE WAR?
By DOROTHY
MATTHEWS
This and similar questions are being frequently asked
today, and many of Gods children do not know how to answer them, and so are
weakened in faith, and lose valuable opportunities of witnessing to Gods love
and righteousness.
From
the Word of God, history, and experience we know that all suffering, wrath,
cruelty, war, etc., are contrary to the nature of God, and to His purpose for
mankind:- I know
the thoughts which I think toward you, saith the
Lord, thoughts of peace and not of evil, to give you hope in your latter end. It was a
message of peace to earth which the angels proclaimed at the birth of the Lord
Jesus. It was in order that there might
be peace between God and man, as well as peace between all men, that the Lord
Jesus was crucified - peace through the Blood of His Cross.
Jer. 29: 11; Isa. 26: 12; Eph. 2: 14-17; Zech. 9: 10; Luke 2: 14; Col. 1: 20; 3: 15;
Rom. 12: 18; 2 Cor. 3: 11; 2 Thess. 3: 16; 1 Tim. 2: 2, 3.
HOW THEN HAS WAR COME?
(1) It has come through sin - sin
at first affecting our relationship with God. His indictment against
mankind to-day is the same as of old. Ye have forgotten Me days without
number. Dr.
Campbell Morgan says that the Hebrew word translated forget does not mean that they intellectually forgot God,
but that they put Him out
of calculation, they mislaid
Him. Has this not been increasingly the
sin of so-called Christian nations? Ever
since war with
Isa. 53: 6; Jer. 2: 13, 32; Luke 19: 14; 2 Chron. 36: 15-16; Jer. 16: 10-11; Zech. 1: 11-13;
Gen. 3: 4; 2 Tim. 4: 3; 1 Thess. 2: 16; Isa. 14: 13-14, cf.
1 Cor. 1: 20, 21.
(2) Satan, sooner or later reveals his
other characteristics - he is a liar, thief, deceiver, murderer; and into those
who yield to him as an angel of light, he often imparts his own covetousness,
lust for power, treachery, hate, murder.
Jas.
4: 1-4; Eph. 2: 2; Rom. 6: 16; John 8: 34-44; 2 Thess. 2: 9-11.
Whether
it is an individual, a family, or a nation which ignores Gods love and laws,
and rebels against His government, the result is inevitably the same; viz.,
that the God of all love, in order such an one may see and realize that they
are the bondslaves (i.e. the
property) of sin and Satan, withdraws Himself and His restraining grace, and
leaves the sin - the rebellion against Himself, the unbelief in His love - to
work out its own chastisement on the individual or nation. Hos.
5: 15; 2 Chron. 15: 2. Thus
through mans sin, in spite of all Gods love and desire to give to the world
all that is good, and to protect it from all that is evil and harmful, war has
come.
WHY DOES GOD NOT STOP THE WAR?
Firstly, because God has created man with a free will, with
powers of determination and choice. Now without alternatives, choice could not function; we
should be deprived of those rights of self-expression which are the very
essence of Gods highest creation. But
this right and privilege has its corresponding responsibility. One of these is that we must accept the consequences of our actions. From the first God warned against the penalty
of sin, a penalty which not only affects the individual sinner, but which
involves every member of the human family, for our lives are so closely
related, that what one man does inevitably affects his neighbour. Sin
brings its own punishment.
Jer. 2: 19; Ps. 9: 16; Isa. 64: 7; Prov.
1: 32; 2 Sam. 7: 14; Isa. 10: 5, 6; Jer. 15: 6-7; 51: 20-24; Ezek.
38: 16-23; 39:1-7; 21: 24; Joel 3: 1-2, 7-9; Zech. 12: 1-4; 14: 1-3; Rev. 6: 1-8; 16: 12-16.
Secondly. God permits war and suffering in order to convict and
convert the godless and backsliders. God
intends that His judgments shall be remedial and not destructive - that sinners
and backsliders should be made to realize that sin always brings suffering, and
that unless absolutely forsaken leads to final condemnation and Hell. Awful as are these temporary sufferings of
war, yet how infinitely more terrible is eternal condemnation! Paul delivered
the Corinthian to Satan for the destruction of the flesh that the spirit might
be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus, and evidently by 2 Cor. 2. this judgment on his sin had a convicting and
converting effect as, centuries before, the preaching of coming judgment had
upon
Hos. 15: 1-9; Jonah 3: 4-10; Ps. 81: 13-15; Isa. 40: 18;
Jer. 25: 4-6; Prov.
23: 13-14; 1 Cor. 5: 5; 1 Tim. 1: 20.
BUT WHY SEOULD THF GODLY SUFFER?
War
brings suffering upon the saint as well as upon the sinner - upon the faithful
disciple of the Lord Jesus equally as upon the rebel. Why?
(a)
Surely it is obvious that until God brings to an end this age when His Holy
Spirit pleads with man to repent of his sin, and to accept Jesus Christ as Lord
and Saviour ; until this method of Gods government is ended, and Satan and sin
are no more - until then there must be the inevitable results of sin - disease,
war, suffering - physical and mental-death.
We recognize that death is the result of Adams sin, and will continue
until the
Kingdom of this world is become the Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ and
He shall reign for ever and ever.
(b)
But God does not promise His children exemption from suffering, but rather,
because they are
strangers and pilgrims in this
world - (this whole world which lieth in the wicked
one) - He declares that they will have particular sufferings; but that
those sufferings will be used for the extension of His Kingdom, and for the
glory of His disciples who suffer. (Col. 1: 24; 2 Tim. 3: 12.)
(c)
As a means of demonstrating to the unseen hosts, as well as to man, the
all-sufficiency of Gods indwelling Holy Spirit to triumph in the hour of temptation, whilst the life and
actions of Gods servants proclaim Gods messages of love and judgment to the
men who will not listen to the spoken word, or read the Scriptures for
themselves.
Luke 21: 13;
Job. 1: 8,
9; Ezek.
3: 7; 12: 6; 4: 1; 24: 16, 19; Acts 16: 9, 10.
Some
say that it is not in their nature to trust and not be afraid - they are afraid of bombing, etc. and we know that
God who delivered Peter from prison also permitted James to be slain by the
sword. What can we say then? In the midst of bombing, etc., our God can
protect from all harm, and can keep the hearts and minds of His children in
peace, for they are partakers of the Divine nature, and I can do all things in Him that strengtheneth me. We also know
that it is as true for Gods children to-day as it was for the Lord Jesus
whilst He was on earth, No man took Him, for His hour
was not yet come. So we are safe until our time to die is come.
MANKINDS
IMMEDIATE AND INDISPENSABLE DUTY
(1)
Repentance towards God of sinners and backsliders. Repentance is sorrow for sin itself, not
merely for its penalties and consequences: a turning of the back upon all
disobedience and neglect of duty - an absolute and final renunciation of all
evil doing - a return to God. Acts 2:
38; Jonah 3:
5-10.
(2) An earnest and persistent seeking of
God by His children - a humbling before Him - a putting away of all that is
contrary to Him; that faiths and loves capacity may be so increased that all
may be quickened by the Holy Spirit to witness to the Lord Jesus - quickened to
pray - pray the Lords prayer which meets all needs - pray that God will in
these days fulfil Rev. 17: 17 and Acts 4: 26, 28, etc.; quickened by the Holy Spirit to discern
and resist the Devil; quickened to praise and to watch daily for the coming of
the Lord Jesus.
Jas. 4: 6-10; Eph. 6: 11-20; Ps. 80: 18; Luke 3: 21; 28, 36; Rev. 22: 20.
TO WHAT IS THIS WAR LLADING?
It
is certainly leading up to the return of the Lord Jesus, first to fetch His own
ready
disciples, and then to come in His glory to reign on earth. We do not know when this will take place, but
His coming is as
certain as the dawn. Then He will
destroy them
that destroy the earth and them that do iniquity, but also those who obey not the Gospel of our Lord Jesus. But Gods
children who are ready shall go into the feast, - where it is all light, life, and joy and perfect
service, to be
for ever with the Lord. Hallelujah!
And the
Spirit and the Bride say Come:
And he that will [is willing], let him take of the Water of
life freely.
Matt. 24: 33; Acts 1: 2; John 14: 3; Hag. 2: 7; Rev. 1: 7; Rev. 11: 18; Matt. 13: 41;
Rev. 19: 20; 2 Thess. 1: 8; Matt. 25: 10; Rev. 22: 3-5, 17.
DEATH FOR
THE BELIEVER
Should
it be Gods will that death should take His child from loved ones on earth as
well as from earths sufferings - should that child fear and lament the
possibility? Surely not, for this would
be far better.
Oh think! To step on shore, and that shore
[during
His
Kingdom, and]* Heaven!
*John 21: 4
To take hold of a hand, and that
Gods Hand!
To breathe a new air, and feel it
Celestial air!
To be invigorated, and know it
Immortality!
Oh think! To
pass from the storm and the tempest
To one unbroken calm!
To wake up, and be with Christ in Glory*!
* Hab. 2: 14; 1 Peter 1: 11, R.V.
[* NOTE: All
the souls of the dead, presently in Sheol / Hades (John 3: 13; Psa. 16: 10; Acts 2: 34,
R.V.); will be judged by Christ before His return and the first resurrection (Acts 1: 11; Heb. 9: 27; Rev. 20: 5): and
those accounted worthy to obtain that world [age R.V.], and
the resurrection from the dead, will then, and only then, be immortal, and able to
enter both the heavenly and the earthly spheres of Messiahs millennial
kingdom: for, says our Lord, neither can they die any
more
: (Lk. 20: 35, A.V.
& R.V.)! See also Phil. 3: 11; 2 Tim. 2: 18; Rev. 6: 9-11. cf.
Matt. 16: 18, 25, 26, and R.
Govetts book: Hades.]
-------
As to the importance of the children of God opening their
hearts to each other, especially when they are getting into a cold state, or
are under the power of a certain sin, or are in especial difficulty; I know
from my own experience how often the snare of the Devil has been broken when
under the power of sin; how often the heart has been comforted when nigh to be
overwhelmed; how often advice, under great perplexity, has been obtained - by
opening my heart to a brother in whom I had confidence. We are children of the same family, and ought
therefore to be helpers one of another. - GEORGE MULLER.
*
* * *
* * *
280
THE
MILLENNIUM
The impression is sometimes given, whether
intentionally or not, that the Church immediately succeeding the Apostles did
not believe in a coming literal Kingdom of Christ on earth, lasting for a
thousand years; and therefore the admissions made by scholars who are utter
disbelievers in the truth of the Millennium* are exceptionally valuable.
*
Millennium means a
thousand years - the thousand years of our Lords coming reign on
earth.
They lived and reigned with
Christ a thousand years (Rev. 20: 4).
So
Harnach
says in the Encyclopaedia Britannica:- All scholars must acknowledge that in former times millennarianism was
associated - to all appearance inseparably associated - with the gospel itself.
Singularly
clear is the admission of Dr. C, A.
Beckwith, writing the article on the Millennium in the Schaff-Herzog Encyclopaedia - a literal millennium which he himself totally denies. Dr.
Beckwith says:- In the first centuries millennial
teaching formed a constant, though not an unquestioned, part of the Churchs
doctrine, until a radical change in external circumstances and attitude forced
it into a position of heresy. It is
found in the orthodox writers of the post-apostolic age, in the epistle of
Barnabas (XV), and in fragments of Papias (in
Irenaeus, Haer., V. xxxiii). Echoes of it are to be found also in the
first epistle of Clement (i. 3), in the Shepherd of Hermas (3) in the Didache (x.,
xvi.), in the epistle of Clement, the Apocalypse of Peter. Irenaeus (Haer, V., xxxii.), like Papias,
founded his belief in it on the words of those who had been taught by the
Apostles themselves. With the
Reformation began the second period of the history of millennialism. The interest in Scripture and the belief that
the Apocalypse contained in type the whole history of Gods kingdom on earth,
caused men to seek in it the explanation of the signs of troubled times.
Dr. Elliott, in his Horae Apocalypticae (vol.
iii. p. 276) well sums up the literal acceptance of the prophecies in the Early
Church:- It is, I believe, the fact that for the
first four centuries the days of Antichrists duration given in Daniel and the
Apocalyptic prophecies were interpreted literally as days, not as years, by the
fathers of the Christian Church.
We give some examples of the
1. This
is the unjust judge whom our Lord mentioned.
He shall remove his kingdom into
2. The
Saviour appeared in the form of a man, and he too will come in the form of a
man. The Saviour raised up and showed
His holy flesh like a temple, and he will raise a temple of stone in
3. The
image of the Beast is a golden statue of Antichrist which is to be erected in
the
4. He who
reads this passage even half asleep cannot fail to see that the
The
immense emphasis of Divine inspiration on a physically returning Christ, involving
and creating the Millennium, Hubert
Brooke well expresses:- Turn to the New Testament and notice the striking fact, that
out of the twenty-seven books into which the New Testament is divided, only
four are without some reference, statement, or allusion to the Second Coming of
the Lord Jesus Christ; these four have only nine chapters between them - Galatians, Philemon, and the Second and Third Epistle of St. John. Think, for a moment, of the fact that the Lords
Supper is alluded to and explained in four books of the New Testament, and
silence is kept about it in twenty-three; but the Lords Second Coming is
emphasized in twenty-three books, and only four keep silence about it. If, therefore, we were to observe the
proportion of Scripture, we should be speaking six times as often of the Second
Coming of the Lord Jesus Christ as about His blessed Ordinance. Judge for yourselves whether that is the
proportion which this subject generally receives in the thoughts, meditations
and study of Gods people.
So in the very first century Clement of Rome wrote:- Wherefore, let us every hour expect the
-------
WATCHFULNESS
All the Lords emphatic warnings in His many parables
in Matthew 24 and 25, are exhortations to uninterrupted
watchfulness. He gave His disciples no reason to believe their
readiness for the Rapture rested on any experience of salvation they may have had. He made it pointed and plain that their readiness for the Rapture meant the winning
of the prize. All teaching, all preaching, all activity,
religious, secular or otherwise that to-day ignores the Lords solemn warning
to His own to Watch and pray always that ye may be accounted worthy dissipates watchfulness and makes for sloth and
unreadiness. Christ made
ever-pressing the necessity of being ever-ready. It
is not without intent that He left the time of His Advent unknown in order to
keep us in a constant state of instant readiness. In the Lords parable of the virgins, the
wise virgins were prepared for the announced visitation. The foolish had neglected their duty.
We
stand breathlessly on the eve of Christs return. Every moment
draws us nearer. The darkness of earths midnight hour is
overspreading. The Coming of the
Bridegroom is at hand. The fig tree is
budding. The spirit of the Anti-Christ
is abroad. The terrible Tribulation is
casting its ominous shadows. An almost imperceptible
spiritual movement is at work in the hearts of all true believers, separating
the gold from the dross, the real from the unreal, the precious from the vile -
sifting, separating, calling out those who will go al1 the way with Him. It is felt like a solemn, sacred hush upon
the soul, the overshadowing of the Presence drawing nigh.
The
deeper the midnight hour, the more urgent the vigil: the fruit of the vigil is
such as to make the loss of a thousand worlds as dust in the balance. He is coming when we think not. There will be no warning. Does lightning give warning? As the lightning cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the west, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be (Matt. 24: 27). One quick,
blinding, sudden flash and the watchful will be
with the Lord. The unwatchful disciple according to the
Lords own warning will be left to the earths last judgments (Matt. 24:
45-51). Christians, look up! Be ready!
The Lord is at the doors!
-
SARAH
FOULKES
*
* * *
* * *
281
THE GOLDEN
AGE
By D. M. PANTON, B.A.
The Golden Age of
the history of the world is a fulfilment of the dream of the first nations upon
the earth:- And
the whole earth was of one language and of one speech. And they said,
Let us build us a city, and
a tower whose top may reach unto heaven (Gen. 11:
1). It
was a plan for a federated world which is once again gripping mankind under the
title of war aims. The nations are to be amalgamated, on some
such model as the British Commonwealth or the
ALL NATIONS
Now we turn to the federated world that God is about
to create. The first thing done in
creating the Golden Age, as recorded by God Himself, is something that has
never before occurred in the history of the world, and it is something done by
man, not by God. The mountain of the Lords
house shall be established in the top of the mountains, AND ALL NATIONS - all the nations of the earth, mankind in the mass -
shall flow unto it (Isa.
2: 2). We now watch the tide of faith ebbing fast
all over the world: in the dawn of the Golden Age, there will be the exact
reverse - an on-rushing tide, in all lands, flooding mankind towards God. And many peoples shall go and say, Come ye, and let us go up to
the Mountain of the Lord. So Zechariah (8:
22):- Yea, many peoples and strong nations
shall come to seek the Lord of hosts in Jerusalem: in those days it shall come to pass that ten men shall take
hold, out of all the languages of the nations,
shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew,
saying, We will go with
you, for we have heard that God is with you. Negroes from
Africa, Chinese from the land of Sinim, Red Indians from Mexico, Europeans from
Rome and Berlin and Paris and
London:- all
nations shall flow unto it.* The last act in this age is the mass-descent of all nations
on Palestine to war on God, and it ends in Armageddon: the first act in the new
age is the mass-descent of all nations on Palestine [Israel], to learn of
God, and it ends in the golden age of earths history
*
Our Lords reign over
THE RESOLVE
What
moves this mass of humanity? What is the
dynamic purpose behind it? Let us go up to the house of the God Jacob; and he will leach its of his ways, and we will
walk in his paths. In this golden age that is coming men will study Gods
ways, and not mans; and they will study Gods ways, not as intellectual
speculation, or an acquisition of science, but in order to obey; to form all
conduct, all polities, all international relations on the divine pattern. In the words of Spurgeon:- Observe the figure. It does not say they shall come to it, but
they shall flow unto it. (1) It
implies, first, their number. Now it is but the pouring out of water from a
bucket; then it shall be as the rolling of the cataract from the hillside. (2)
It implies their spontaneity. They are to come willingly to Christ; not to be
driven, not to be pumped up, not to be forced to it, but to be brought up by
the word of the Lord, to pay Him willing homage. The grace of God shall be given so mightily
to the sons of men that no acts of parliament, no state churches, no armies
will be used to make a forced conversion.
DIVINE LAW
Now
we see the enormous moral consequence of this world-migration to God. For out of
THE LAWGIVER
The
next revelation is the Lawgiver Himself.
Hitler has said:- There will be no peace until one man has made himself ruler
over the whole earth; and Lord
Macaulay profoundly observed, - The highest proof
of virtue is to possess boundless power without abusing it. There is One Man only to whom such power can
be entrusted. And he shall judge - arbitrate - between the nations, and shall
reprove many peoples - strong nations afar off (Mic.
4: 3). All disputes between nations shall be decided
by the application of international law, originated and applied by Christ
Himself, instead of by the arbitrament of war; while nations no longer confront
one another in the spirit of brute force, but in the spirit of the Kingdom of
God - which is
righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost (Rom. 14: 17). Most remarkably, the great heathen
philosopher, Plato, has summed it
up:- It is necessary that a Law-giver be sent from
Heaven to instruct us. O how greatly do
I desire to see that man and who he is!
Now at last all nations have found Him.
PEACE
To-days
facts emphasize the consequence of international law administered by our Lord
as it perhaps has never yet been emphasized.
And they
shall beat their swords into plowshares, and
their spears into pruning hooks: nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall
they learn war any more. After the Franco-German War in 1870 many of
the cannon-balls were made into church bells; but for how long? To-day [i.e.,
during the Second World War] in
THE DAY OF
TERROR
But
Isaiah plants a black gulf between us and this radiant [Messianic] Kingdom. For there shall be a day of the Lord of hosts upon all that
is proud and mighty, when He ariseth to shake
mightily the earth. Destruction is foretold on mans supreme
works. The navies of the world - the
ships of Tarshish, or the British Fleet, is specially named (ver. 16) - will perish; the supreme works of art (ver. 16); the treasures of silver and gold (ver. 7); palaces, fortresses, idols:- the Lord alone shall be
exalted in that day. With a peculiar appeal to us to-day, the
air-war of Jehovah - instead of incendiary bombs, lightnings, and instead of
explosive bombs, hail-stones at least 56 pounds in weight each (Rev. 16: 21)* - will
compel a resort to natures air-raid shelters, with which we are already
painfully familiar. And men shall go into the
caves of the rocks, and into the holes of the
earth, from before the terror of the Lord (ver.
19).
* A
talent in
CONCENTRATION
ON GOD
Isaiah
- perhaps the greatest of all the Prophets - sums up our consequent practical
lesson:- Cease ye
from man, whose breath is in his nostrils; for wherein is he to be accounted of? We are to turn
from man to God, from earth to heaven, from Antichrist to Christ. Cease to trust in mans power - so limited
and collapsible, failing the world in its extremest need: cease to trust in
mans knowledge - his facts are constantly
proved to be not facts, and his theories go bankrupt: cease to trust in mans
character - those we have most trusted can most fail us: cease to trust in
mans example - his footsteps are always on slippery ice. We must cease even from the Church - the regenerate man - when he departs from the Word of God.
Seventeen years later Jehovah, through Micah, repeated this prophecy nearly
word for word, to stamp it on the human mind and heart; yet so grave is the
unwatchfulness for the King and His Kingdom that the chief commentators,
without exception, change the perfectly simple and obvious language of a coming
Kingdom into the triumphs of a Church converting the world. Instead of the Church
proclaiming the coming Kingdom as (what it is) the Prize of our Calling, the
golden reward of the overcomer, any literal
Kingdom at all is (by the Church as a whole) totally denied, or even derided.
ADVENT
So,
therefore, we cease from man, and concentrate on God and we join in the
clarion-call of the poet Milton:- Come forth out of The royal chamber, O Prince of all the
kings of the earth! Put on the visible robes of Thy imperial majesty; take up
that unlimited sceptre which The Almighty Father hath bequeathed Thee; for now
the voice of Thy Bride calls Thee, and all creatures sigh to be renewed.
-------
THE KINGDOM
Of this I am satisfied, that the next coming of Christ will
be a coming, not final judgment, but a coming to usher in the Millennium. I utterly despair of the universal prevalence
of Christianity as the result of a missionary process. I look for its conclusive establishment
through a widening passage of desolations and judgments, with the demolition of
our civil and ecclesiastical structures. Overturn, Overturn, Overturn is the watchword of our coming Lord. - THOMAS CHALMERS, D.D.
*
* * *
* * *
282
SPIRITUAL
PLANNING
FOR -THE NEW
By A. G. TILNEY, B.A.
No illusions attend or await the student of Scripture
prophecy. World-catastrophe he expects to usher in the ultimate consummation of
bliss; but as there is a likelihood of a lull before the impending storm,
may we examine the probable character of Satans armistice and consider
suggestions for using it to GODS glory
and the blessing of men? Thinkers
atheist or agnostic are already planning again for another New Europe - a
European League of Nations [now a European Union] without God and without Christ; but Christians too can
plan, with God. We can not only look
ahead, but we can see ahead, thanks to the searchlight of the Word; and we can
by the [indwelling Holy] Spirit
be as well prepared as they for the coming opportunities of service, and be,
like them, neither unduly optimistic nor victims of hopeless defeatism.
Crises - Napoleonic, medieval, sub-apostolic - have led to renewed prophetic study, and also to true revival; so may not the crisis of this hour
re-awaken and re-inspire to effort and enterprise in the final God-granted
spell of freedom for the Gospel? For
Satans present bid for world-control in Hitlerism
will almost certainly prove premature and abortive; a new balance of power
seems indicated and imminent - probably Russo-Germanic ambitions checked by a
revived Roman Empire (or Anglo-Latin bloc); but with wearied, worn and worried
spirits, and resources drained, even war-mongers will be glad of the respite
forced upon them, and de-mechanize their armies, reverting to cavalry, swords
and wooden weapons (Ezek. 38: 4, 15; 39: 9-10), and
serious efforts of wide-spread social reconstruction.
The
ensuing pseudo-peace will be exploited by both God and the Devil. In our
favoured land, the last stronghold of truth and liberty, God has much interest
invested in the Bible and Missionary Societies and in the instruments of
justice. Whether Tarshish be Gibraltar
or
Zechariah, Chapter 1 verses 11 and 15,
speaks of the whole latter-day earth that sitteth still, and is at rest, and of the heathen that are at ease; while Rev. 6: 2-4 tells of peace being (by the Rider on the Red
Horse) taken from the earth - which plainly implies that previously there
existed a peace that could be thus removed. This peace follows the
world-conquest of the Rider on the White Horse, who went forth conquering and to conquer in, apparently, bloodless advance - unlike that of the blood-stained Sitter on
the White Horse (Rev. 19: 11-13) Whose coming and kingdom in happy progress
is subsequent to that of the four horsemen of the Apocalypse, and Who alone with righteousness brings
true and lasting peace.
The
sudden destruction from the Lord - an upsetting of Babel-plans, of proud unity
and godless self-preservation - is coming like a womans travail at the time
when men boast of having at length attained peace and security,
without God, the only Foundation of social stability (1
Thess. 5: 3). This vaunted world-settlement will be a False
Millennium, for Satans strategy is to forestall God by an untimely
counterfeit, imitating, anticipating, offering perhaps the right thing but in
the wrong way, and before the time - with all deceivableness of unrighteousliness,
deceiving, if it were
possible, the very elect (Matt. 24: 24; Mark 13: 22; 2 Thess. 2: 9- 11); which must mean that the fraud will look very
much like the reality, and possibly tempt the indulgent to imagine the Lord delayeth His coming.
Now
it is important to realize that just as Satan is an angel of light (2 Cor.
11: 14),
as well as a roaring
lion (1
Pet. 5: 8),
so the Antichrist is first a substitute-Christ - passing muster among the
ignorant upon whom he is palmed off as the real thing - before he unmasks
himself as the open antagonist and deadliest foe of Christ, Who is both Lion
and Lamb. And his minister of propaganda - the
False Prophet - exhibits also a Jekyll-Hyde character, for he had two horns like a lamb,
and he spake like a dragon (Rev. 13: 11-14).
The seventh and eighth emperors of
The False Millennium will show several
surface features of the true; and it
is interesting to recall that Rabshakeh - a forerunner of the bluffing
blustering, blasphemous Man of Sin - claimed Divine inspiration and promised
the beleaguered Israelites a land like your own land, a
land of corn and wine, a land of bread and
vineyards, a land of oil olive and of honey, that ye may live, and not die (2 Kings 18: 25, 31-32; with Deut. 8: 8). So apart from God there will be attempts at
remedying many ills, solving innumerable problems of nationality, unemployment,
disarmament, tariffs, housing, etc *
How
long the lull will last no man can say, but present circumstances and Scripture
alike seem to assure its actuality, and the Lords command, Occupy till I come, means buying up the opportunities, going to it and
sticking at it till we are called and caught away to give an account of our
stewardship.
The
release of
The miraculous gifts are to be
restored and Gods Spirit is to be
poured out on all flesh before
the great and terrible Day of the Lord (Joel 2: 28-32), if only by the coming of the Two Witnesses,
presumably Enoch and Elijah (Rev. 11: 3-12; Zech. 4: 3); and
believers are bidden pray for them: Covet earnestly the best gifts of the Spirit (1 Cor. 12: 28-31; 14: 1, 39) - prophecy, tongues, healing, discernment of
spirits (1 John 4: 1).
The fullest realization of the Parables of the Talents (miraculous gift) and of
the Virgins (lamp of prophecy) may lie in the immediate future; but miracle is
surely needed, recommended, offered for to-day.
Christians require in reverence and expectation to experiment with God: Ask, and it shall be given you; Prove
Me now herewith.
The
Lord wants sons and servants who will trust Him and whom He can trust; He wants
men concerned about His glory and the welfare of their hopeless fellow men;
shepherds in training for His Kingdom.
Evacuation is uprooting us, and (especially with bombed churches)
throwing us together; breaking down barriers of privilege and prejudice, and
compelling co-operation. The Lord wants
personal purity and devotion, courage and love; people who can pray with
fervour and effectiveness, in fellowship and harmony; people who know and can
teach His Word, His purposes and claims, His Coming and Kingdom; people who can
refute the Devils lies of evolution and modernism; people who can sink petty
and party differences, and work with their fellow-Christians, particularly in
the open-air. He wants (Luke 16: 8-9) enlightened men which can wisely use worldly
means and methods of propaganda - wireless, cinema, advertisements
perhaps. We have good news, and are
silent in our un-evangelized
He
wants men who will put Himself and His Word before their fellow-believers and
before themselves (Rom. 12: 10). At the risk of seeming to create a new body,
free yet devoted Christians could get together, welcoming all who love the
Lord; they could get out a marked New Testament of instructions for Gods
people, set up a Bible School in every Church, and train workers and spiritual
statesmen for the home country and for the continents, to make known the Lords
imminent Return and Reign. Be ye also
ready!
*
* * *
* * *
283
THE LAMPS OF
GOD
By D. M.
PANTON, B.A.
In the
darkness deepening around us, we are confronted with a most comforting and
encouraging word from our Lord, lifting us heaven-high: Jesus says to His
disciples all down the ages,- YE ARE THE LIGHT OF
THE WORLD (Matt. 5: 14). The
Sun of Righteousness was about to set; and He commissions the Church to lighten
the world in the absence of the Sun. And
He compares the Church to a city crowning a mountain, which, therefore, nothing
can hide: His words are, literally, - a city cannot be hid when set on a mountain. It beautifully
illustrates this spiritual truth that it becomes literal at last. He carried me away in the Spirit to a mountain great and high,
and shewed me the holy city Jerusalem, having the glory of God; and the
nations shall walk by the light thereof (Rev. 21: 10, 24). So
this truth is spiritual to-day. The only
hope of the world is the Church: it alone lights the nations to the
THE SOURCE
Exactly
how we are the light of the world is brought out in the comparison of John the
Baptist with Christ. Of Christ it is
said:- There was
the true light [see Gk.], even
the light which lighteth every man, coming into the world (John 1: 9):
of John it is said,- He was the lamp [see Gk.] that burneth and shineth (John 5: 35).
The source of the light is obvious. GOD IS LIGHT, AND IN HIM IS NO DARKNESS AT ALL (1 John 1: 5);
and God in Christ is the Father of lights (James 1: 17). All that God-kindled souls can do is to
receive the light, and transmit it, never originate it: we are only light in the Lord (Eph. 5: 8). Light born in the new birth, burning within,
shines forth in our looks, our words, our actions, and illuminates all within
the immediate radius of that light. Probably
millions of souls have said concerning Christians what a young minister, who
had once been all but an infidel, said concerning his father:- There was one argument in favour of Christianity which I
could never refute - the consistent conduct of my own father.
AN EXAMPLE
One
concrete example will prove the
lights influence. The first civil code
of the State of
SHINING
Now
we reach the central fact. Let your light so shine.
God has lit our lamps, for the spirit of man [and
the Holy Spirit in man (1 John 3: 24, R.V.)] is the lamp of the Lord (Prov. 20: 27), but we
ourselves control how, and to what degree, the lit lamp shines. Lamps are not lit to be looked at; but solely that something
else may be seen by them (A.
Maclaren, D.D.). It is obvious that only if we show the light can men see the
light; only if we are Christ-like will they
see Christ. As a mountain-city, we cannot be hid, if we would: as a lighted lamp, we should not be hid, if we could (Govett). So our Lord Himself says:- I am the light of the world:
he that followeth me shall not in the
darkness, but shall have the light of life(John 8: 12). Therefore
no Christian must be a secret disciple: no Christian is to stand aloof from the
Church, but to set his lamp on the lampstand: every Christian must be anxious
to bring others to the light, since giving light to the world is the very
purpose for which he was lit. Blameless and harmless in the midst of a crooked and perverse
generation, among whom ye are SEEN AS LIGHTS - the Greek is,
luminaries - in the world, holding forth
the word of life (Phil. 2: 15). The shine in a lighthouse ceased to revolve.
The lighthouse-keeper rushed in, and revolved it with his hands as long as he
could, then another took his place, and so all night they kept it shining. Why all this labour? a stranger asked. Sir, replied the keeper, there
are seamen out in the darkness and the
storm looking for this light revolving; if it ceases to revolve, they will
mistake it for another; and that may mean shipwreck and death.
CONCEALED
LIGHT
So we see our
danger. It is most remarkable that
our Lord does not say that the light can ever be extinguished. or that any
power on earth or hell can put it out; but He
emphatically warns us that it may be hidden, and so be quite useless: we can
lose the power of drawing mens eyes to God. Neither do men light
a lamp, and put it under the bushel -
and much less does God - but on the stand; and it shineth unto all that are in the house. Many a [regenerate] Christian life is a black-out; the light is there [if obedient to God (Acts 5: 32. cf 1 Sam. 10: 6, 10 with 16: 14 A.S.V.)] - but it is
invisible; it is a torch, artfully covered and pointed downwards, which guides
its owner home, but is practically useless to anyone else.* Cowardice in confession produces what will he
universal when the Church is removed from the earth:- Darkness shall cover the earth, and gross darkness
the peoples (Is. 60: 2).
* It is possible
for the [once] lit lamp to have fellowship
with the unfruitful works of darkness (Eph.
5: 11). So the Salt
also, while it can lose its pungency, and
so incur tribulation - and
supremely the Great Tribulation - never ceases to be salt [i.e.,
regenerate], though good for nothing in the function of [being effective] salt - that is, [in] the arresting
of surrounding corruption [within the Church]. All this is exactly true of the gross
backslider [and
apostate Christian]. For what communion
hath light with darkness? (2 Cor. 6: 14)*
[*See also Acts 20: 30; Jude 4-5, 16, 18-19, R.V.]
GODS GLORY
The purpose which
is to control our shining the Lord also reveals as its central fact. Let your light so shine, that
men may see your good works, and glorify - not you, however saintly your life and beautiful
your character, but - your Father which is in heaven. Both the source and the goal of our life
are divine, for our Lord, the Light of the World, pours the light upon u; and we, if - [it is conditional] - we be powerful reflectors, [and] deflect the light at an angel back to God, who receives
all the glory. A godly life
challenges the unbeliever to search out its causes; for he [or she] knows
that it must have a cause. That which
illuminates must be visible; our conduct must teach men [and women] the path
to [our inheritance in the promised Kingdom,
and] to heaven; and when they see it, the wonder of God
bursts upon their souls; men [and
women] cannot see our noble purposes, our pure [forgiving] heart,
our love; but they can see the works which these motives produce; they are not the oil, but the light [which
the Holy Spirit]
produces; and
so they see God. A teacher once asked her pupil what she
believed. Please,
said the pupil, might I ask you why you have made
this request of me? Because, she
frankly answered, I have been teaching you for a
year; you have never said one word to me directly about religious matters, or
my souls salvation, but you have lived
before me such a life that I want to know the sources of that life.
[*Eph.
5: 5. cf.
BRILLIANCE
Lamps differ in power. The light
survives death; but after death it will be revealed, more clearly than now, how
greatly the lamps differ, and will for ever differ, in brilliance. There is one glory of the sun, and another glory of the moon, and another
glory of the stars: for one star differeth from
another star in glory. SO ALSO IS THE
RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD (1 Cor. 15: 41). Goodness is the suffering side of glory, and
glory is the shining side of goodness.
So our Lord appears as the Sun.
In the Transfiguration, which He Himself states is a forecast of the
Kingdom, the dead saints are represented by Moses, the living saints by Elijah,
and the nations by the three Apostles; and he was transfigured before them; and his face did shine as THE
SUN, and
his garments became white as the light (Matt. 17: 2). Thus
even on earth our Lords sinlessness blazed out into perfect glory.
REWARD
Thus
the shining beyond corresponds exactly with the shining here; and only in the coming Kingdom, the reward of the
godly life, is the light compared, not to stars, but to the sun. Then shall the righteous shine forth as THE SUN, in the kingdom of their Father (Matt. 13: 43): the righteous will so shine - that is, the actively righteous, the blazing lamp;
not merely the believer, or the disciple, or the saved. So our Lord
counsels us [His
regenerate disciples] how to become as the sun,- Seek ye first the
kingdom of God - for even Apostles had to seek it, not assume
it - and his righteousness (Matt.
6: 33) -
therefore not imputed righteousness,
for God has no imputed righteousness, and the
Apostles already possessed it; but active righteousness, the
godliness of a saintly life which qualifies for the [Messiahs Millennial] Kingdom. So Daniel gives the only other
comparison of our light to the sun, and equally as a consequence of active goodness, following on the resurrection. Many [but not all] of them that sleep in the
dust of the earth shall awake. And they that be wise - the teachers, expounders of
Scripture who built up the Church on its most holy Faith - shall shine as the brightness of
the firmament - evidently
meaning the sun - and they that turn many to righteousness - evangelists, Sunday school teachers, tract
distributors who have won souls to Christ - as the stars for ever and ever (Dan. 12: 2).
THE WALK
So
we reach Pauls practical application of the figure. Ye were once darkness, but now
are light in the Lord: WALK AS CHILDREN OF LIGHT, for the fruit of the light is
in all
goodness and righteousness and truth (Eph. 5: 8). And the
secret of maintaining the radiance is companioning with Christ, the Light.
I was in a darkened room, says Henry Varley,
and a neat card on the bookcase, stamped with
luminous paint, bore the words - Trust in the
Lord. It fairly startled
me. If the light of sun or day failed,
the cards luminousness gradually declined; but it returned when the suns
action infused fresh light. If hidden
from the face of our Lord, we too cease to shine. Live with Christ. Be not unequally yoked with unbelievers, for what communion hath light with darkness? (2 Cor. 6: 14). I have no more
influence than a farthing rushlight, a man once
said. Man, replied a friend, a farthing rushlight can set a
haystack on fire; it can burn down a house; it can make some poor creature read
a chapter in the Word of God. Let your rushlight shine.
*
* * *
* * *
284
DEATH AND GLORY*
By CHARLIE DINES (
[* From chapter seven in the authors book: Being Glorified
Together With Him The Reward of the
Inheritance (pp. 59-67).
NOTE: This book is currently available to purchase from Amazon
Books.]
While most of what has preceded should, I hope, prove
to be of no remarkable difficulty to mainline Christians, I must now take a
fork off the well-trodden road onto a path less travelled. Some may conclude the doctrine posited
hereafter is radically unorthodox.
Nevertheless, hope they will be like the Bereans and search the
Scriptures to find out what is the truth in any matter (Acts 17: 10f).
A
misunderstanding of the proper connection between death and glory may take one
astray from the faith once for all delivered to the saints. Unprofitable
and delusional are all of the traditions and assumptions of men that are not
according to Gods Word (Matt. 15: 3).
Man
was created in the image of God (Gen. 1: 26f), and he
is a tripartite being - spirit, and soul, and body (1 Thess. 5: 23); he is
not a bipartite being consisting only of
body and soul, or body and spirit. While
the words spirit and soul* may oftentimes appear to be undifferentiated in
Scripture, God declares that they are separate things: things able to be
divided, one from the other (Heb. 4: 12). Since
elaboration on their distinctions would take us far afield, it must suffice to
simply say that ones soul is who one is as a person. It displays his personhood; it is ones self. The true essence of every living man is his
indwelling soul, manifested to others through his spoken words and bodily
activities. (Even after believers die
physically, we are yet alive unto God; ** and the we who are alive is with
reference to our soul.)
*
The word soul
is one translation of the Hebrew word nephesh and the Greek psuche. Psuche is rendered nearly forty times as life,
and slightly less than sixty times as soul in
the N.T. In Mark
8: 35, 36
both life and soul
are translations of this one Greek word, psuche. In certain passages it
would not be correct to understand psuche as soul-life. In some places the Bible refers to men who
are/were bodily alive as souls; at other times
soul is simply a reference to a non-corporeal
part of man.
** Luke
20: 37, 38; cp. John 11: 26; Rev. 6: 9; 20: 4.
The
dividing asunder of a mans spirit, and soul, and body is called death. Death, from Gods perspective, is not
annihilation. Rather, it is the separation
of things intended to remain conjoined, and this is the case whether the term death is used literally or metaphorically in the
Bible. The following few examples of
this Biblical perspective will support this affirmation.
[1] Genesis records that although Adam lived to be nine
hundred and thirty years old, he experienced a very certain death in the day of
his sin; he was separated from the personal, living presence of the LORD God.*
* Gen. 2: 17; 3: 23f; 5: 5.
[2] A certain father beheld the
return of his prodigal son and proclaimed, This my son was dead
and is alive again! (Luke 15: 24). Although the son had been as physically alive
in his wasteful wanderings as he was upon his return to his fathers house,
their long separation was considered by his father to be as death.
[3] Paul writes that a widowed
believer who
lives in [self-indulgent] pleasure is dead [as to her communion with God] even while she lives (1 Tim. 5: 5f).
It
is most unfortunate that there are true believers who are holding fast to what
- from a careful study of Scripture - is proven to be an erroneous
expectation. They say: Because I accepted Jesus in my heart at an ol altar years ago, when
I die Im going to glory in heaven.
A few are even heard to speculate that Saint Peter will be standing at
heavens gate to welcome them in on the day of their departure from this
life. Many are anticipating being
reunited with their loved ones and friends, in heaven, the moment after
they die.
However,
this is not to be our hope according to Paul; for he has summoned us to be awaiting the blessed hope and
appearing of the glory of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ at His coming (Titus 2:
11-13).
This hope is not one of dying and of our naked soul then going directly to
heavens glory; rather, it anticipates resurrection (and or rapture: 1 Thess. 4: 15). Paul says the following in another place.
2 Cor. 5: 24 For in this [body]
we we
groan, earnestly
desiring to be clothed with our habitation which is from heaven, 3 if indeed, being clothed, we shall not be
found naked. 4 For we who are in this tent [our present body], do groan, being burdened, not because we
want to be unclothed [in
death], but further clothed upon, that mortality may be
swallowed up by life [in
resurrection and / or rapture].
I
am unable to find any explicit statement in the Bible that suggests upon death
the naked soul of any believer has ever ascended from physical body directly up
to heaven in glory. A future resurrection
or rapture into the presence of the Lord is that for which we are awaiting and
hoping. Many evangelists
promote another notion; some even encourage their unbelieving auditors: Buy your bus ticket to heaven at once. (Yes, I have
heard this said.) Oh, how the Word of is sometimes mishandled through errant
preaching.
If the souls of those who die through Jesus ascend
directly into heaven, why were some in Thessalonica sorrowing over the assumed
fait of their departed fellows? Paul did
not comfort them by saying that their dead loved ones were in heaven. Instead, he assured those blessed sorrowers
that the faithful, having died through Jesus, will be resurrected and raptured
to meet the Lord in the air (1 Thess.
4: 13ff).
Our
Lord and His apostles have informed us about what actually happens to those who
die through Jesus - they fall asleep. *
This sleep is not to be confused with a supposed, unconscious soul sleep put
forth in the doctrine of Jehovahs Witnesses and some others.** The dead, to
the contrary, are fully alive unto God as affirmed in Mark
12: 26f and Luke
16: 19-31;
and John the Revelator wrote:
* John
11: 11-14; Acts 7: 59, 60; 1 Cor. 15: 6; 1 Thess. 4: 13-15.
** Paul says our
risen Lord has become a firstfruits of those who have
fallen asleep (1 Cor.
15: 20),
the pains of His death [not of His dying] having been loosed (Acts
2: 24). Pain is not experienced in unconsciousness.
Rev. 6: 9-11: When [Jesus
Christ] opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls
of those who had been slain for the word of God and for the testimony which
they held. 10 And they cried with
a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, until You judge
and avenge our blood on those who dwell on the earth? 11 Then a white robe was given to each of them; and it was said to them that they should rest a little while
longer, until both the number of their fellow
servants and their brethren, who would be killed
as they were, was completed.
The
altar (under which these souls were seen to be) must, I presume, refer to the
earth; for it was upon the earth that they were martyred. The book of Revelation was written years
after Christs ascension. Yet, these [disembodied] souls are seen
to be very much alive, crying out to God from under that altar. It was in this place that they are told to rest a little while longer.
The
Greek word hades refers
to the place of general confinement of the souls of the dead. Its location is downward, in the heart of the earth, being the place into which the soul of Jesus
descended for three days and three nights after His death, there to remain
until His resurrection.* Very
shortly after He was raised from the dead, Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene -
the first person to whom He showed Himself alive forevermore- and He
emphatically declared to her, I have not yet
ascended to My Father (John 20: 17).
* Psa. 16: 10; Matt. 12: 40; Acts 2: 27, 31; Eph. 4: 9, 10.
Hades
downward location is confirmed even in the O.T.
The patriarch, Jacob, distraught over the assumed death of his son,
Joseph, said, I
will go down to sheol mourning for
my son (Gen.
37: 35): sheol the
Hebrew equivalent of the Greek word hades - being likewise downward in location.* Also, following the death of the O.T. prophet Samuel,
we read that he was later called up to counsel King Saul through the necromancy
of a witch. Samuel asked on that
occasion, Why
have you disturbed me by bringing me up? (1 Sam. 28: 11ff).
*
See Num. 16: 33; Prov. 9: 18; Isa. 5: 14; 14: 15; Ezek. 31: 15-17 in
the NASB.
Hades, being rendered as hell in some
translations, tends to confusion to confusion. Hades is not synonymous with the
There
is a location within Hades known as Paradise, and it
is a place of rest separated from but in view of Hades other portion of
suffering, (Luke 16: 22ff).* This
Paradise was the destination promised to one of the two criminals crucified
alongside Jesus (Luke 23: 43); and undoubtedly, a place of rest for the
departed (but living) souls of the righteous.**
*
In the Bible several different places are
referred to as
*
See Matt.
22: 32; Mark 12:
26f; Luke 20:
37f.
Despite objections that may be raised by some, the
speculation that departed, disembodied souls ascend directly (in glory) to
heaven is annulled of all possibility by referring, first, to the second
chapter of the book of Acts.
On
the Day of Pentecost - ten days after Jesus ascended into heaven - Peter
proclaimed the following to the multitude of his listeners: Men and brethren, let me speak freely to you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his tomb is with us unto this day ... For David did not
ascend into the heavens (Acts 2: 29, 34a). Let
there be no confusion here; for the true essence of a man is not his body, but
his living soul. David is dead and his soul has not ascended into heavenly
glory. If Davids soul has not ascended,
have any others?
Next, let us notice the circumstance of the O.T.
prophet, Daniel. But as for you [Daniel], go your way till
the end [viz., the end of your life]; then you will enter into rest [in
Paradise] and [later] rise again [in the resurrection of the just] for your allotted portion
[in
the kingdom] at the end
of the days [the end of these present days: the end of the age in the NASB,] (Dan. 12: 13). We
should take careful notice of the sequence of these events - dying; then the
souls entering into rest (but not its immediate ascension into heaven); and
finally, a future resurrection.
As
a slight but interesting digression, I would mention that the constitution of
man differs from that of angels (Heb. 1: 7). Even though angels are permitted, at times, to
manifest themselves to men in the form of a human body, it is not a body like
ours.*
* See Gen. 19: 1-4; Heb. 13: 2. Whatever
their visible bodies may be composed of, they do not contain blood. Blood is the
life of mans flesh; the life of the flesh is in the
blood (Lev. 17:
11).
Angels cannot die (Luke 20: 35, 36).
Until
the ascension of the Lord Jesus in a resurrected body of flesh and bones (Luke 24: 39),
only spirit beings had occupied heaven; for this is the realm they are suited
through creation to occupy. Human beings
- in their present bodies, originally created from the dust of the earth - are
not suited to any realm other than one earthly (1 Cor. 15: 48). We
notice that even He who created all things - the Word (Jesus Christ) - was
necessarily made like unto us in all things, in the likeness of sinful flesh,
in order to dwell as a true man among men.*
It was not until He was raised from the dead that His physical body was fitted
through resurrection to ascend to His Father and to be glorified.**
*
John 1:14;
** John 1: 1, 14; 20: 17; Rom. 8: 3; Phil. 2: 6ff; Heb. 2: 14a, 17.
The
only person who has ascended into the highest heaven after dying, and only
after His bodily resurrection, is the Lord Jesus; for no one has ascended into
heaven except He who came down from heaven,
that is, the Son of Man who
is in heaven (John 3:13).*
* Johns gospel was written years after Jesus ascension. Therefore, these words John 3: 13 are
undoubtedly Johns own, even though recorded in red in red-lettered
translations.
This
is so because the words has ascended are in
the perfect tense. This tense refers to
a condition resulting from an anterior occurrence
... the result of the occurrence is seen to be
present or simultaneous with the time of speaking (Wheelers Creek
Syntax Notes). Since Jesus was not then ascended, these
words in John 3: 13
cannot be His own.
The souls of the righteous dead, presently at rest in
*
1 Thess. 4: 16; and notice Rev.
6: 9-11.
Whenever
the teaching that ones naked soul ascends at death to a place on high is
introduced, the whole of resurrection truth becomes disjointed, and it is not
according to Christ. It would be helpful
unto all correctness of doctrine if one will offer up a single verse of Scripture
that expressly states that the immediate destination of the soul of a decased believer upward into heavenly glory. (See Appendix A: Concerning Objections to My Views on Death and
Glory, page 157.)
Teachers
and preachers who promote this unscriptural though popular assumption cripple
and emasculate the great and wonderful significance of the doctrine of a future
resurrection from death. That some
may be doing so in ignorance is beside the point. I know first-hand of those who have been
thoroughly instructed in the correct doctrine, but who have nevertheless put it
away from themselves. Worse yet,
the Lord may leave them in their present
misunderstanding; for it is written,
Therefore, leaving the
discussion of the elementary principles of Christ [one of which
is the doctrine of resurrection], let us go on to perfection ... And this we will do, if God permits (Heb. 6: 1ff.).
If God permits. This should bring a fearful reverence
for the Word of Truth into the heart of every believer - especially teachers of the saints.
How undermining are some of the vain, traditional doctrines of men. Beware, lest anyone shall take you captive through philosophy and
vain deceit, according to the tradition of men... (Col. 2: 8).
I suspect I have heard pulpiteers posit fifty times -
most often at funerals - that the soul
of a believer is transported to heaven upon death for every one time that
resurrection is introduced as our faith-filled expectation.
The
presumption that death immediately transports the soul of every believer into
heavens glory is not only naive, but it may prove to be
detrimental in the lives of many Christians.
Such an assumption can easily lead one into complacency, the believer
opting out of the race for the prize of the high, heavenly calling of God in
Christ Jesus.* Not a few believers presume that being glorified together with Christ as His
joint-heirs is an automatic warrant
of God based solely upon regeneration.
It is not; for
*
1 Cor. 9: 24ff; Phil. 3: 14.
As
mentioned in the opening paragraph, I have departed from what is, sadly, the
main course of the doctrines of death and glory. I pray that no person called Christian will merely dismiss, out of hand, the view
put forth above. Let us each become
instructed in the way of God more perfectly through our own careful
investigation of His Word.
Finally,
I am left to wonder: Why are we admonished to be
looking for the appearing of Gods Son, awaiting His coming from heaven
in glory, if we are going unto Him, in glory, at death?*
* Concerning our awaiting His appearing, see 1 Thess. 1: 10; 1 Tim. 6: 14f; 2 Tim. 4: 1; Titus 2: 13.
Rev. 14: 13: Blessed are the dead who die
in the Lord... that they may rest from their labours, and their works
follow them.
*
* * *
* * *
285
IMPORTANT
TEXTS (8)
2 Cor. 5: 1-10: Phil. 1: 23
To be read in the R. V. with their contexts.
By G. H. LANG
1.
The Present. (a) Our outward man decays (ch. 4: 16) - a
perpetual process, which even our strenuous labour in the work of the Lord
accelerates. Consequently while in this
body we groan
being burdened (vs. 3, 4).
(b)
Yet we faint not (4: 16), for our inward man is renewed continuously, and the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity (Prov.
18: 14). This renewing operates while faith animates
the heart; for faith makes real a world which the senses cannot discern (v. 7), a
heavenly realm free from all weakness and burdens, a system of life which is
eternal, not, as this, temporary, insufficient.
The
present physical house in which man dwells is of the earth, suited to the business of living on earth, but not to
the higher life of the realm above: flesh and blood
[even had it remained sinless] is
not capable of inheriting the
2. The
State after Death. Man
by constitution is a soul clothed with a material body which is kept in life by the [animating] spirit (Gen. 2: 7).
At death God recalls this spirit-element, thereupon the body turns to
dust (Eccl. 12:
7), and the soul, the man, without the
external body, is unclothed, naked. This incomplete condition is not to be
desired (vs. 3,
4). It entirely forbids that the person should in that naked state reach
the final and supreme goal of being presented before the presence of Gods
glory in heaven, as surely as no naked man would be presented before
a king in his throne room.
Nevertheless
the intermediate state has this unique advantage over this earth life, that
freed from the limitations that the body of flesh puts upon our faculties, the
saint can enjoy the presence of the Lord more acutely. Therefore to depart and to be with
Christ would have been very far better for Paul personally than to be chained day and night
to a pagan ruffian (Phil. 1: 21-26). He was
torn between the two possibilities, that of his personal advantage of departing
to be with Christ, and that of further serving Christ by helping His people on
earth. He chose the latter.
Being
with Christ in the sense Paul had in view did not imply ascent to
the heavens where Christ sits at the right hand of God. Not even the Lord ascended there, far above
all heavens, while in the death state.
Even on the morning of His resurrection He had not yet gone thither to
the Father (John 20: 17). At death He had gone to
Therefore He is (a) on earth with His servants personally (John 14: 21, 23: Acts 22: 6-10; 23: 11: 2 Tim. 4: 16, 17); He is
(b) with them when assembled (Matt. 28: 19, 20); He is (c) with them and they with Him in the
realm of the dead (Phil. 1: 23: Rev. 6: 9-11); and they
will (d) be with Him when rapt to
meet Him in the clouds and by resurrection (1 Thes. 4: 17); and (e)
those who conquered in His battles in this life shall walk with Him in white
and shall sit down with Him on His throne in His glory (Rev. 2: 4, 5, 21). It was in sense (e) that Paul thought of being with Christ should he die. But while living and active in the noble
service of the gospel his wish was not to be unclothed, disembodied (2
Cor. 5: 4). The
difference in his circumstances, now while free for his active, blessed
ministry, later when chained and restricted, explains his different outlook and
desire.
3. The
If
believers go to the glory of God at death, they have already reached the
summit, the goal, and there is no need of resurrection or rapture. But, as just stated, the Lord showed
distinctly that only by His return can we reach the Fathers house, our home:
In My Fathers
house are many abiding places ... I go to
prepare a place for you ... And if I go and
prepare a place for you, I come again, and will
receive you unto Myself; in order that where I
am, there ye may be also (John 14: 2, 3: 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17).
As
flesh and blood cannot rise to that realm there must needs be given a body
capable of life there (1 Cor.
15: 50-58). Thus
had Paul shortly before written to these Corinthians. Now (2 Cor. 5: 1) he tells them that this body will be permanent,
a building. Not a tent, a house; and that
it will be a direct creation of God, not something which lesser beings had made
out of heavenly materials. Gnostics were
already inculcating their false philosophy of creation, that the supreme God
had left to lesser beings the work of manipulating the created matter or its
basis. This is tacitly rebuked by the
assertion that the coming body of glory, immortality, and incorruption will not
be made with
hands, but will be Gods own
handiwork.
As
duration, it will be eternal; as to location, it will be in the heavens; not of the earth for the earth, but of heavenly
substance suitable to life in the heavens.
The present body exhibits the activities of the mans soul; it
is a physical or soulish vehicle: the heavenly body
will be the vehicle of the movements of his spirit; a pneumatical spiritual
body.
-------
Tribute to G. H. Lang by Arthur Wallis
Arthur Wallis: Radical Christian by
Jonathan Wallis, Pages 57-58 (Regarding G. H. LANG.)
One
man who exerted a very significant influence on Arthur during these formative
years was an elderly Brethren teacher by the name of G. H. Lang. He was a
man who walked with God, ascetic
- [i.e., not allowing himself any pleasures or physical comforts (Dict. Def.)] - and
disciplined, and distinguished in appearance by a little nanny-goat beard.
When
Arthur first heard Mr. Lang preach some years previously, he was deeply
impressed by the depth and originality of his teaching. The
effect of his ministry not only stimulated Arthurs thinking, but created in
him a deep hunger and thirst to know God.
His emphasis on holiness,
uncompromising commitment and discipleship were a great challenge and
provocation to Arthur as a young man.
G. H. Lang was a truly
independent and radical thinker; no man would be his master and he toed
nobodys line. Whereas other
teachers would skirt round difficult or controversial issues, he would face them head on and think them
through in depth. His conclusions were not always popular. He exposed a number of Brethren scared cows
and it alienated many within the
movement who were to see beyond the limitations of the viewpoint.
To
him the lordship of Jesus was very practical down-to-earth in its application,
and this strong kingdom emphasis into his teaching on eschatology were quite
unconventional. Most Brethren
teachers believed that all Christians would be caught up with Christ in the rapture and would escape the great tribulation talked of in the book of
Revelation. Mr. Lang did not hold to this view, but taught that Christians who were
counted worthy through to a holy life would be
raptured. He did not believe in cheap grace and
was careful to emphasise obligations as well as privileges of discipleship.
He
was now well into his seventies and active in the ministry. A prolific writer, he produced books and
pamphlets on many issues and edited a magazine called The Disciple. Arthur was greatly attracted to this elderly
saint and would visit his home as frequently as he could. In many ways he became his disciple, and
received a great deal of wise counsel.
If you want to be
used, he said to Arthur, get to know the ways of God. Aim for
God-knowledge rather than head-knowledge. This doesnt mean
you can afford to be undisciplined or haphazard. Set yourself
clear objectives and approach your studies in an orderly way. But never lose your
primary objective, and that is to know God.
*
* * *
* * *
286
AN IMPORTANT
TEXT
If by any means I may attain unto the resurrection from
among the dead. Phil. 3: 11.
By G. H. LANG
DEALING with the first and select resurrection the Lord
spoke of those that are accounted worthy to attain to that age and the
resurrection from among the dead (Luke 20: 34-36). That age
(singular) is not a Bible term for eternity, which is not one age but many, the ages of the ages (thirteen times in the Revelation). That age is set
by Christ in direct contrast to this age, and
so means the age of the kingdom to follow this age. A general resurrection the Jews expected (John 11: 24: Acts 24: 15),
but here Chris speaks of the resurrection which is out from among the dead (tees anastaseos tees ek nekron). This is the first clear intimation of such a limited,
select resurrection (this doctrine being rooted in a germinal saying of
Christ), and its terms are the key to and must control all subsequent instructions
upon the subject. And it is made very
clear that this resurrection is a privilege to which one must attain and be accounted worthy
thereof. The notion that a
share in the first resurrection is a certainty, irrespective of attainment and worthiness,
can only be held in direct disregard of this primary declaration by the One who
will effect the resurrection and determine who shall participate therein, the
Son of God.
It
was through Paul that the Holy Spirit saw fit to give in permanent written form
fuller particulars as to this theme (1 Cor. 15: 1 Thess. 4), and it is Paul who elsewhere repeats the words
of our Lord Jesus just considered, declaring that, whereas justifying
righteousness is verily received through faith in Christ, not by our own works, yet, in marked contrast,
the resurrection
which is [out]
from among the dead (teen exanastasin
teen ek nekron) is a privilege at which one must arrive (katanteeso) by a given course of life, even the
experimental knowledge of Christ, of the power of His resurrection, and of the
fellowship of His sufferings, thereby becoming conformed unto His death (Phil. 3: 7-21). Surely the present participle (summorphizomenos becoming
conformed) is significant, and decisive in favour of the view that it is a
process, a course of life that is contemplated.
It
has been suggested that Paul here speaks of a present moral resurrection as he
does in Romans 6. But in that chapter it is simply a reckoning of
faith that is proposed, not a course of personal sufferings. The subject discussed is whether the [regenerate] believer is
to continue in slavery to sin (douleuein), as in his unregenerate days, or is the
mastery (kurieuo) of sin to be immediately and wholly broken? It should be remembered that when writing to
the Philippians Paul was near the close of his life and service. Could a life so holy and powerful as his be
lived without first knowing experimentally the truth taught in Romans 6.?
Did the Holy Spirit at any time use the apostles to urge others to seek
experiences other than the writer had first known, and to which therefore he
could be a witness? And again, if by the close of that long and
wonderful career Paul was still only longing and striving to attain to death to
the old man and victory over sin, when did he ever attain
thereto? Such reflections upon the
apostle are unworthy; and, as has been indicated, the experience set forth in Romans 6. is not to be reached, or to be sought,
by suffering, by attaining, by laying hold, by pressing on, or any other such
effort as is urged upon the Philippians, but by the simple acceptance by faith
of what God says He did for us in Christ in relation to the old man.
Thus
this suggested exposition is neither sound experimental theology nor fair
exegesis. Paul indicates as
plainly as language can do that the first resurrection may be missed. His words are: If by any means I may arrive at the
resurrection which is out from among the dead. If by any means (ei pos)
I may - if
with the subjunctive of the verb - cannot
but declare a condition; and so on this particle in this place Alford says, It
is used when an end is proposed, but failure is presumed to be possible:
and so Lightfoot: The apostle states not a positive assurance, but a modest
hope: and Grimm-Thayer
(Lexicon) give its meaning as, If in any way, if by
any means, if possible; and Ellicott
to the same effect says, the idea of an attempt is conveyed,
which may or may not be successful.
Both Alford and Lightfoot regard the passage as dealing
with the resurrection of the godly from death, and Ellicotts note is worth giving in full. The resurrection from the dead;
i.e., as the context suggests, the first resurrection (Rev. 20: 5), when, at the Lords coming the dead in Him shall rise
first (1 Thess. 4: 16), and the quick
be caught up to meet Him in the clouds (1 Thess. 4: 17); comp. Luke 20: 35. The first
resurrection will include only true believers, and will apparently precede the
second, that of non-believers, and [regenerate] disbelievers, in point of time.
Any reference here to a merely ethical resurrection (Cocceius) is wholly
out of the question. With the addition that the
second resurrection will include [regenerate] believers not accounted worthy of the first, this
note is excellent.
The
sense and force of the phrase if by any means I may arrive are surely fixed beyond controversy by the use of the
same words in Acts 27: 12: the more part advised to put to sea from thence, if by any means they could reach [arrive at] Phoenix, and winter there
(ei pos dunainto katanteesantes),
which goal they did not reach.
Further,
speaking upon the very subject of the resurrection and the kingdom promised
afore by God, Paul used the same verb, again preceded by conditional terms,
saying (Acts 26: 6-8), unto which promise our twelve tribes, earnestly serving God night and day, hope to attain. Here
the force of elpizei katanteesai unto which they hope to attain is the same as his words in Philippians ei pos kantanteeso, if by any means I may attain. This hope of
the Israelite of sharing in Messiahs kingdom is plainly conditional (Dan. 12: 2, 3). It is assured to such an Israelite indeed as
Daniel (12: 13),
and to such a faithful servant of God in a period of great difficulty as
Zerubbabel (Hag. 2:
23).
It was also offered to Joshua the high priest, but upon conditions of
obedience and conduct. Joshua had been
relieved of his filthy garments and arrayed in noble attire (Zech. 3: 1-5), but
immediately his symbolic justification before Jehovah had been thus completed,
and his standing in the presence of God assured, the divine message to him is
couched in conditional language: And the Angel of Jehovah protested unto Joshua, saying, Thus saith Jehovah of
hosts, If thou wilt walk in My ways, and
if thou wilt keep My charge, then thou also shalt judge My house, and shalt also keep My courts, and I will give thee places to walk among these that stand by (ver. 6, 7).
It
is at this point that the ifs of the Word
of God come in, and are so solemn and significant. Whenever the matter is that of the pardon of
sin, the justifying of the guilty, the gift of eternal life, Scripture ever
speaks positively and unconditionally.
The sinner is justified freely by Gods grace, and the free gift of God is eternal life (Rom. 3: 24; 6: 23), in
which places the word free means free
of conditions, not only of payment.
Eternal life therefore is what is called in law an absolute gift, in
contrast to a conditional gift. The
latter may be forfeited if the condition be not fulfilled; the former is
irrevocable. But as soon as the sinner
has by faith entered into this standing before God, then the Word begins at
once to speak to him with Ifs. From this point and forward every privilege
is conditional.
-------
[OUR CONDITIONAL INHERITANCE]*
[*A suitable title chosen for
the following writing. - Ed.]
By CHARLIE DINES
All that God has sworn to do in His Word is guaranteed
of its fulfilment. I am God, and there is none like Me, declaring
the end from the beginning
and I will
accomplish all My good pleasure (Isa. 46:
9f). David Baron has well written: This is sure and certain, that however long the pause may
last, God never loses the thread of the purpose which He has formed for this earth; and as surely as the
prophecies of the sufferings of Christ have been fulfilled, so surely will
those also be which relate to His glory
and reign. However, and not
withstanding this fact, Gods promises, as they concern individuals, are often conditional.
Ones
last will and testament is a directive prepared according to the determined
good pleasure of the testator. A testator has the right to make the benefits to
be passed on to his heirs to be either granted or conditional, or both.
For
example: Mr. Jones may will that all of his living children are to receive an
equal share of his estate upon his death. On the other hand, he may stipulate
that none of his heirs will receive their portion unless and until they have
fulfilled some stated condition - e.g.,
obtaining a college degree. Or, both may be combined in his final decree: a
certain benefit being guaranteed to all of his heirs, while an additional
benefit be made conditional.
This
last example is the case within our present consideration, where God is the
Testator in Christ. Those who have been
sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise presently possess the earnest (the down
payment) of their inheritance of eternal life and the assurance of
resurrection - unconditionally.
However,
there remains a portion of our inheritance - one of ruling and reigning with Christ - that is conditional. Paul makes these separate truths known in
his epistle to the believers in
Rom. 8: 16, 17: The Spirit Himself
bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. 17 And if children,
then heirs - heirs of
God [of His eternal life]; and joint heirs
with Christ if indeed we suffer together with Him, in order that we may also be glorified together with
Him.
Herein,
with respect to [all regenerate] believers, we see Paul moving from an unconditional
(and irrevocable) inheritance on to one conditional. Two heirships are in view in our present
passage: [1] being heirs of Gods eternal life because of our having been begotten of Him through
faith in His Son; and [2] the possibility of our becoming
joint-heirs with Christ, if indeed.
*
* If indeed, here, is a subordinating (conditional)
conjunction. Over the years I have been
criticized by many - but without correction from Scripture - for subscribing to
this view of two heirships. And, if you, dear Christian, can come alongside of
me in this persuasion, be prepared for this same criticism.
This
second appearance of the word if in verse 17* finds considerable controversy among commentators and
lexicologists. Some, who follow along with the opinion of M. R. Vincent in his Word Studies, may agree with him when he says, Joint-heirs
if so be that (eipher)
assumes the fact. If
so be, as is really [actually] the case.**
*
Romans 8: 17, where it
reads if indeed: eipher in
the Greek texts.
** Parenthesis
is Vincents; bracketed word is mine only to enhance his meaning.
Others
hold to a view recorded in Joseph H.
Thayers Greek-English
Lexicon: properly, if on the whole; if only,
provided that, is used of a thing which is assumed to be, but
whether rightly or wrongly is left in doubt (italics are
Thayers). No one having read this far
will be surprised to know that I subscribe without reservation to this latter
proposition. I hold that this second if is to
be understood as possible, but not guaranteed - i.e., if indeed, or if so be the case is
stated - and I suspect that this would be the first and natural understanding
of the vast majority of ordinary readers of the N.T. If Pauls statement in Rom. 8: 17 is not intended to imply such a condition, he might
just as well have written, And if children, then
heirs - heirs of God; and joint-heirs with Christ because we
are suffering together with Him, and we will therefore also be
glorified together with Him. I
would wonder in amazement if anyone may assume that all believers are suffering
together with Christ.
The
word of the kingdom [See
Matt. 13.
A.V.] put forth to [regenerate] believers is
no assurance that every one of them will receive it. Many
who do not receive it may give way under pressure and /or the cares of the
world. Yet upon some this word will fall into good ground of their heart;
these are those who will diligently seek Him and bring forth fruit, albeit in differing degrees. But
the waywardness of individual believers will by no means negate Gods
determination that Jesus Christ will have worthy joint-heirs to rule and reign
with Him.*
[* From: Being Glorified Together With Him, by CHARLIE DINES: get it from Amazon Books.]
*
* * *
* * *
287
THE DUALISM OF ETERNAL LIFE*
BY STEPHEN SPEERS CRAIG
[* NOTE: This
tract is from pp.67-71 in Chapter Two in the authors book: The Dualism Of Eternal Life.
To purchase the book, contact www.icmbooksdirect.co.uk]
In the former chapter we were occupied with the words eternal life; and there we saw that the Scriptures reveal a
synthetic dualism - the gift and the prize, the former containing the latter in
germ, and the latter carrying to full manifestation the inherent potentiality,
worth and glory of the former.
But once the gift has been received there rests upon
the receiver a tremendous responsibility in that he must co-operate with the
Holy Spirit and with the Divine Trinity in developing the latent possibilities
of the germ, so that God may perfect through discipline the work He began in
the new birth. The Christian who resists
the Spirits leading and neglects Gods provision in this matter is a greater
sinner than the Israelite who refused to overcome the difficulties of the
wilderness and thus enter
In other words, THE
BELIEVER IS ON PROBATION. He has to
choose between eternal (age-lasting) salvation; or eternal (age-lasting)
judgment. The Church on earth does not
so teach nor believe; but the Bible does; and so do all the saved who have
passed behind the vail. Moses said to
In
the preceding chapter our discussion turned chiefly on the Greek adjective aionios. In this we will investigate a biblical phrase
of somewhat synonymous meaning, and doing so will find ourselves conducted to
the same conclusion and with corresponding effect on the traditional teaching
of the churches as to the future state.
That phrase is eis ton aiona,
which is usually translated in A.V. and R.V. forever, a meaning which it never has, and therefore should in no case be so
rendered into English. We have pointed
out the fact that the adjective aionios (translated indifferently eternal or everlasting in
A.V., and eternal only in R.V.) is derived from the noun aion an age, a period of time short or long with clearly marked beginning and end.
In the phrase eis ton aiona,
aiona is the accusative singular of aion. The word eis is a preposition usually rendered in, into or for. The little word ton is the accusative
singular, masculine, of the definite article.
Our
of the New Testament aion leads us back to the olam
of the Old Testament - its equivalent.
It is impossible, as already remarked, for any language to get along
without words which mark time; and in this respect what the aion
was to the Greeks the olam was to the Hebrews. When longer periods of time are involved the
idea is expressed by plural forms, or by duplication. The olam is employed with or without the
prepositions le and ad, signifying to, or into, also min,
from. In both A.V. and R.V. the olam
of the Old Testament is translated everlasting or for ever which are utterly misleading and confusing, and
wholly indefensible from the standpoint of scholarship and of exegetical consistency,
as we shall soon see. Young invariably
translates olam as he does aionios by age-lasting. So also Brownes Triglott.
In
the Greek New Testament we have the noun aion (age) with its derivative
adjective aionios (age-lasting); but in the Hebrew of the Old Testament
we have the noun olam with no corresponding adjective, so that the noun has to
do double service; i.e., it has to serve as adjective and noun. The Hebrew language is said to be rich in
nouns and verbs but deficient in modifiers.
Before
going back to investigate the use of olam in the Old Testament let us
take a few examples of mistranslations of aion in the New Testament. First, as to the use of the noun without the
preposition and article. Here the A.V.
and R.V. have confounded the aion with kosmos, owing to the fact
that they usually translate both words by world. Now kosmos is always properly translated
world, but aion ought never to be so
rendered. I am not ignoring Heb. 1: 2 and 11: 3. They
make Christ say Lo!
I am with always, even
unto the end of the world. Matt. 28: 20. But
what He does say is, 1o, I am with you always even
unto the end of the age (aion). The consequence is that the Church, with few
exceptions, believes that Christ will not come till the end of the world
(which, by the way, is not a biblical expression). But He says He is coming again at the end of the present [evil] age; and He
spoke of the age
to come, after this age has run
its course, when He will establish His Millennial Kingdom in
power and glory; and when He will reward the faithful and
punish the unfaithful among His people as we have seen in 2 Thess. 1: 7- 10; Heb. 5: 4-8; 10: 26-31.
In Matt. 13: 39, the
versions make Him say, the harvest is the end of the world; but He says the harvest is the end of the age (aion), meaning,
this age of grace. In verse 38 the translation world is correct for it is not aion but kosmos. See margin of
R.V. In Luke
18: 30 it is aion. We have given only three samples out of many. Were the translators and revisers really
trying to bolster up that sorry tradition of post-millennialism? Their acts
would lead one to that conclusion.
Let
us now take two samples of the false rendering of the adverbial phrase eis ton aiona. When
Christ cursed the fig tree, the type of barren but showy Judaism, they make Him
say to the good olive tree (Rom. 11: 17), Let no fruit grow on thee
henceforward for ever. But the seed of Abraham (Gal. 3: 16) did not, and cannot say that. He said, Let no fruit grow on thee henceforward for the (this) age - the time
limit of the curse. What a decisive
exegetical difference this makes both in process and conclusion. But it is only by such, shall we say,
deliberate confusion of terms that the illusion of postmillennialism [and
todays anti-millennialism] can
perpetuate its fictitious existence and wield its enslaving, blighting
power. And this remark is true of the
traditional eschatology as a whole.
Right here it may be opportune to quote some words of Lord Bacon as to the process of logical
reasoning. He says:
The syllogism consists of propositions; propositions of
words, and words are tokens, or signs of notions. Now if the very notion of the
mind be improperly or over hastily abstracted from the facts, vague and not
sufficiently definite, faulty, in short, in many ways, the whole edifice
tumbles.
Before
proceeding farther in our discussion I ask the reader to seek grace to
apprehend and, if possible, also to progressively comprehend a great Biblical
fact, in order to get the correct view point and perspective in this
study. It is this:
The grand
outlook of the Saints in both Testaments was not on eternity and completely
consummated redemption; but on the Messianic Age and its glorious
And
what is more: The Old Testament prophets and saints, by no fault of theirs, did
not see the present dispensation. It was
a mystery hid in the mind and plan of God.
Their vision was beyond, to the glorious Messianic Kingdom, the time
limits of which they did not know.
On
the contrary the Church, since the third century, has been so deeply absorbed
in the coming eternity that it refuses to see this most pernicious and fatal
heresy of post-millenarianism in the history of Christianity.
This
great truth not only affects Biblical Eschatology, but the whole range of
Biblical Theology. Historical and
Systematic Theology for 1600 years have refused to see the facts from this
point of view; but have painted a picture of the future according to the carnal
fancy of Ante-Nicene and Post-Nicene apostacy.
And let the fact be remembered and pondered, that Past, Present, and
Future, constitute a unity in truth or in error, in God, or in Satan. I cannot be wrong as to the future and right
as to the present and the past; and vice versa.
The unity of personality demands this.
Past and future can only be viewed through the medium of what I am. Fiction here will project and objectify
itself there. Hence the necessity of a pure heart, a surrendered will, and a renewed
mind. These, however, can only be
realized by degree and in fellowship with the Christ as rejected on earth and
accepted in heaven.
We
will now cite a few passages to show the practical force and utility of this
manner of viewing the past, present and future, and specially with reference to
its bearing on Biblical Eschatology:
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me hath everlasting life. I am the bread of life. Your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness
and are dead. This is the bread which cometh down from
heaven, that a
man may eat thereof and not die. I am the living bread
which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever; and the bread that I will
give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.
The Jews therefore strove among themselves, saying, How can this man give us his flesh to eat? Then Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Except ye eat the flesh of
the Son of man,
and drink his blood, ye have no life in you. Who so eateth my
flesh, and
drinketh my blood, hath eternal life; and I will raise him up at the last day; for my flesh is meat indeed, and my blood is drink
indeed. He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood, dwelleth in me, and I in him. This is that bread which came down from
heaven: not as
your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness and are dead: he that eateth of this
bread shall live for ever. John 6: 47-58.
Here
we have aionios zoe (eternal life) twice, verses
47, 54; and we have also the phrase eis ton aiona (for the age) twice, verses 51, 58.
The latter modify and complete the predicate shall live. Thus we see the synonymous character of the two
thoughts. Now the traditional and
orthodox method of treating these words of Christ assumes that He is here
speaking and discoursing concerning what English readers understand by the eternal state which follows the judgment of the
Great White Throne. But this is all
wickedly wrong. The subject under
discussion here is the same as in Luke 18: 18-30; namely,
THE AGE TO COME; that period of time
after the second advent of Messiah and lying between the judgment of the Bema, 2 Cor. 5: 10 (where
only the saved appear) and the judgment of the Great White Throne - Rev. 20: 11-15; these [this] time points
definitely marking the termini of the period; and John tells us that the time
between them is 1000 years. Rev. 20: 1-6. Strictly speaking there is a little season between the end of the 1000 years and the White
Throne judgment. Rev. 20: 3. Now if this be the correct interpretation it
is easy to see its tremendously significant bearing on Biblical Eschatology;
and at the same time the delusive falsity and fatality of the traditional
interpretation.
We
will therefore proceed to establish the fact.
In the light of Lord Bacons warning let us be mercilessly severe in our
definitions. Let us also remember the
Jewish expectation of their Messiah and His Kingdom as their one hope. They were right in the hope but wrong in their manner of cherishing it. They thought that when Messiah came it would
be in glory and irresistible power, and that He would at once break the hated
yoke of the Romans and set them free.
They never dreamed of a humble, rejected, crucified Messiah; and much
less of their need of special moral and spiritual preparation for entering the
Messianic Kingdom when the time had come.
In short, the priests and people alike were the helpless victims of a
false and delusive system of interpretation.
And, let me add, this is one cause of the trouble in the Church in the
present dispensation. And who but a
blind man can fail to see the hand of the Prince of this world behind the whole
matter? 1 Cor. 2: 14; John 14: 30; 9: 39-41.
*
* * *
* * *
288
THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD
Ye yourselves -
[i.e. the elders of the church at Ephesus] - know from the first day
that I set foot in Asia, after what manner I was
with you all the time, serving the Lord with all
lowliness of mind, and with tears, and with trials which befell me by the plots of the Jews:
how that I shrank not from declaring unto you
anything that was profitable, and
teaching you publically, and from house to house,
testifying both to the Jews and to Greeks repentance
toward God, and faith toward our Lord
Jesus Christ.
And now, behold, I know that ye all,
among whom I went about preaching the KINGDOM, shall see my
face no more. Wherefore I testify unto you this day, that I am pure from the blood of all men. For I shrank not
from declaring unto you THE WHOLE COUNSEL OF GOD. Take heed unto
yourselves, and to all the flock, in which the Holy Spirit hath made you bishops, to feed the
--------
It is clear for
all to see, from the quotation above, that the whole counsel of God must include what many have described as Gods Conditional promises and Accountability
truths. Christians, who
chose to ignore these divine truths, - shown in both Old and New Testaments -
cannot possibly be described as those who have any desire to teach others the whole counsel of God!
John Huss wrote before
his martyrdom;- Pray for me also that I too mey write and preach in fuller measure against the malice
of Antichrist, and that God may put me in the forefront of the battle, if needs
be, to defend His truth. For be assured
I shrink not from yielding up this poor body to peril or death for the sake of
Gods truth, though I know that Gods Word hath no need of us. But I desire to live for the sake of those
who suffer violence and need the preaching of Gods Word, that the malice of
Antichrist be exposed and the godly escape it.
Pastor J. D. Faust, in his book entitled: The Rod Will God Spare It, has compiled a
list of Bible Teachers, who have sought to bring to the attention of the Lords
redeemed people, a number of Accountability Truths from HOLY SCRIPTURE.*
*
Available at : www.icmbooksdirect.co.uk
There are many fables
that Christians have embraced in this day and age. One fable that tickles and soothes the
itching ears of carnal Christians is that the doctrine that Christians are
never in danger of being punished at the future judgment seat after
death. It is wise to boldly receive
the light of Scripture and refuse to be intimidated by the modern majority.
A. T. Pierson (1837-1911) once stated:
Brethren, we have a saying, Great is the truth and will
prevail: but this is never so in this age; in
this age truth is always with the minority; and so convinced am I of this,
that if I find myself agreeing with the majority I make haste to get over to
the other side, for I know I am wrong.
But many regenerate believers prefer to follow the
traditions of their denomination no matter how unscriptural they may be! They are afraid to declare the whole counsel
of God! Even
if they understand it, they would rather chose to corrupt the teachings of
Christ and His Apostles!
Charlie Dines, in his book: Being Glorified
Together With Him,* under the heading Failure
Through Indifference, (pp. 139, 140.) has highlighted our
ever-present danger:-
[*
This book is available from Amazon.]
I have heard believers say words like these: Well, at
least I have eternal life, and thats enough for me. Im not interested in a
reward, or in ruling with Christ. Im
grateful just to know that Im saved.
I
must confess that this was my own private prayer of praise and thanksgiving
years ago. However, I have since come to see that this is careless speech; it
demonstrates a certain indifference concerning the glorious [millennial] inheritance set
before every Christian. Such indifference reminds us of Esau, who despised his
birthright and sold it to his brother Jacob, for a morsel of food.* But on the day that their father,
Isaac, actually awarded the birthright to Jacob - the supplanter - Esau was
reduced to crying out with an
exceeding great and bitter cry. Nevertheless, his father would not change his mind in
the matter. Likewise, no tears or bitter crying will reverse Christs righteous
decrees when [regenerate] believers
appear before His Judgment seat.
*
Gen. 25: 29-34; Heb. 12: 16.
Esau
was an earthly man, drawn away by the lusts of the flesh, having no interest to
his firstborn rights. Paul warns believers that they may be beguiled and drawn
aside or away by other interests, even of a spiritual kind,* their minds being corrupted from the simplicity
that is in Christ (2 Cor. 11: 3).
*
See Col.
2: 18
with respect to false spirituality.
May
none of us become indifferent in this matter.
Instead, let us press on in order that we might not see our inheritance
forfeited, thereby missing out on that special, personal communion with our
Lord in His Millennial Reign. Let us not
fall short and fail to overcome.*
* Rom.
12: 21; Heb. 4: 1; 12: 15a; 2 Pet. 2: 18ff.
Pray,
beloved, that this letter end will not be our case.
Returning
to Pastor J. D. Fausts book he informs us that: This section begins with Tertullian. However, many
other early Christian writings could be cited to reveal that the early Christians
were premillennial. They also believed that having a
part in the first resurrection and entering into the millennial kingdom are
rewards for obedience and faithfulness. The following examples and quotes will reveal
the truth of this last statement. (J.
D. Faust.)
[1] Tertullian (160-240): We do confess that a
kingdom is promised to us upon the earth.
After its thousand years are over, within which period is completed the resurrection of the saints,
who rise, sooner or later according to their deserts, there will
ensue the destruction of the world.
[2] Barnabas (A.D. 100): Let us be
spiritually-minded: let us be a perfect temple to God. As much as in us lies, let us meditate upon
the fear of God, and let us keep His commandments, that we may rejoice in His
ordinances. The Lord will judge the
world without respect of persons. Each will receive as he has done: if he is
righteous, his righteousness will precede him; if he is wicked, the reward of
wickedness is before him. Take heed,
lest resting on our ease, as those who are the called [of God], we should fall asleep in our sins, and the wicked prince,
acquiring power over us, should thrust us away from the
kingdom of the Lord. And all the more attend to this, my brethren,
when ye reflect and behold, that after so great signs and wonders were wrought
in
[3] Polycarp (69-155): In whom, though now ye see
Him not, ye believe, and believing, rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of
glory, into which joy may desire to enter, knowing
that by grace ye are saved, not of works, but by the will of God through Jesus Christ.
But He who
raised Him up from the dead will raise up us also, if we do His will, and walk in His commandments,
and love what He loved, keeping
ourselves from all unrighteousness,
covetousness, love of money, evil speaking, false witness; not rendering evil for evil, or railing for railing, or blow for blow, or cursing for
cursing, but being mindful of what the Lord said in His teaching: Judge not, that ye be not judged; forgive, and it
shall be forgiven unto you; be merciful, that ye may obtain mercy; with what measure ye mete, it shall be
measured to you again; and once more, Blessed are the poor,
and those that are persecuted
for righteousness sake, for theirs is the kingdom of God.
Knowing,
then, that God is not mocked, we ought to walk worthy of His
commandment and glory.
If we please Him in this present world, we shall receive
also the future world, according as He has promised to us that He will raise us
again from the dead, and
that if we live worthy of Him, we shall also reign together with Him,
In like manner, let the young men also be blameless in all
things, being especially careful to preserve purity, and keeping themselves in,
as with a bride, from every kind of
evil. For it is well that they should be
cut off from the lusts that are in the world, since every lust warreth against the spirit; and neither fornicators,
nor effeminate, nor abusers of themselves with
mankind, shall inherit the
Testimonies Concerning the Early Martyrs
Mr. Faber on this point observes, that
The doctrine of the literal resurrection of the
martyrs prior to that epoch certainly prevailed to a considerable extent
throughout the early church, and often animated the primitive believers to seal
the truth with their blood
and on the same
subject the learned Dodwell
writes:- The primitive Christians believed that the first resurrection of their bodies would take place
in the kingdom of the millennium; and as they considered that resurrection to
be particular to the just, so they conceived the martyrs would enjoy the
principle share of its glory. Since
these opinions were entertained, it is impossible to say how many were inflamed
with the desire of martyrdom. From this
it is demonstrably evident that the martyrs hope lay in the First
Resurrection of Rev. 20: 6. Ignatius craving death that he might rise free.
Cyprian attesting that those who suffered expected a prior resurrection and a more
prominent place in Gods kingdom.
And to crown all, Tertullian affirming
that the martyrs express prayer was that he might
have a part in the First Resurrection.
- The
Voice Of The Church
Up to the third century the persecuted Christians seem to
have taken this as predicting a literal resurrection of the martyrs to reign
with Christ. I have said that the early Christians who took the prediction
literally understood it of the martyrs exclusively; inasmuch that it begot a fanatical desire of martyrdom, that they
might have part in the first resurrection.
Nor can I see how
multitudes [of regenerate believers] could have been inflamed, as they are
said to have been, with a passion for martyrdom, in hope of thereby having
part in the first resurrection, if that resurrection was believed to be the
portion, not of martyrs only, but of all believers.
- David Brown (1803-1897)
Moreover, the belief of the Prerogative of Martyrs in
resurrection prima was that which made the Christians of those times so
joyously desirous of Martyrdom.
- Joseph Mede
In short the doctrine of the millennium was generally
believed in the three first and purest ages; and this belief, as the learned Dodwell hath justly observed, was one
principal cause of the fortitude of the primitive Christians; they even coveted
martyrdom,
in hopes of being partakers of the
privileges and glories of the martyrs in the first resurrection. Afterwards this doctrine grew into disrepute
for various reasons.
Besides wherever the influence and authority of the
church of Rome have extended, she hath endeavoured by all means to discredit
this doctrine.
No wonder therefore that this doctrine lay depressed for many
ages, but it sprang up again at the
Reformation, and will flourish together with the study of Revelation.
- Thomas
Newton
On the persons who shall partake of the
first resurrection, I confess I find it difficult to agree with the modern
expectants of the Lords advent. Their
opinion, generally speaking, is that all the redeemed from the beginning
shall then rise to reign with Christ; while I feel constrained rather to
acquiesce in an opinion known to have been generally held in the early ages of
Christianity, that the first resurrection is not general,
even as it respects the saved in this dispensation, but limited to certain from among it, possessing a qualification to be noticed presently
- William
Burgh
We have spoken of Christs doctrine of a future life, and we
are now thinking of its threatening aspect.
I have said, the terms in which
this doctrine is conveyed must be accepted in their obvious and popular
sense. But yet, when they are taken in
this sense, they carry a meaning from the pressure of which we are driven to
seek relief - if it may be had, in criticism; - or if not so, in some
mitigating hypothesis.
Yet there is a movement forward
let the time come
when all such sinister influences shall be discarded with the contempt they
deserve.
That dozen men, ignobly born as they were, which followed Jesus in
His circuits through Galilee and Judea, fondly dreamed of places and princedoms
which were soon to be theirs now, when
in truth, they were about to be sent forth on a course of suffering intensely
severe. It was needful to arm them [His chosen disciples]
for this unlooked for conflict; and this requisite preparation, as it included
powerful motives of the happiest complexion, so did embrace a dread so deep
that it should be proof against the extremest wrench of bodily anguish. On the one hand, this Teacher of men said, Fear not, little flock, for it is your Fathers good pleasure to give you the kingdom;
but on the other he said, even to these
his friends - Fear not them which can kill the body, and after that have nothing more that they
can do. But I forewarn
you whom you shall fear, Fear him, after which he
hath killed hath power to cast into Gehenna.
-------
To be a joint-heir with
Christ, [Rom. 8: 17] however, is clearly conditional. Only those children of God who meet the condition of suffering with Him will be joint-heirs with Christ.
Christs enduring obedience included suffering involved with that
obedience (Phil. 2: 8; Heb. 5: 8; 12: 3). As a result
He was given the highest position by God and will rule over all (Phil. 2: 9, 10; Heb. 1: 9; 12: 2). When He returns, He will set up the [promised
(Ps. 2: 8. cf. 110: 1-3] kingdom on the earth and inherit
(possess) it (Lk. 19: 11-12; Heb. 1: 6-9). In that kingdom, Christ will reign in glory (Is. 24: 23; Matt. 19: 28; 25: 31; Mk. 10: 37).
-
Thomas W. Finlay.
Other publications by J. D. Faust and T. W. Finlay at:
*
* * *
* * *
289
RUTH
By ARLEN L. CHITWOOD
The book of Ruth is fraught with significance and
meaning. Teachings surrounding salvation
by grace occupy only a small part of the book and are seen at the beginning of the book, in the first chapter (vv.
3-5). Then the remainder of the book deals with
that which follows salvation by grace, taking the regenerate in a spiritual
journey which carries him/her from the point in spiritual life following the
birth from above forward into the Messianic Kingdom (vv.
6ff).
It
is vitally important that regenerate Christians, shortly following their
conversion, be told why they have been saved and be provided with instruction
concerning the spiritual journey in which
they now fond themselves engaged.
If
not, how can Christians properly make the decision which Ruth made in chapter
one - to cleave unto Naomi and travel with her toward another land (which has
to do with the Christians connection with
(Note
the parallel between the testing of the Israelites under Moses at Kadesh-Barnea
in Numbers chapters thirteen and fourteen and the testing of Ruth and Orpah in
Ruth chapter one. A testing of this
nature can occur only following certain things having been known evident in the
type of the Israelites under Moses); and at the time of testing in the types, two kinds of redeemed
individuals are seen in each instance.
The end of the matter has to do with two kinds of saved individuals
relative to the inheritance set before them: (1) those two overcome and
ultimately realized their inheritance; and (2) those who were
overcome and were overthrown in the desert, short of realizing the goal out
ahead: their inheritance in the land of promise.
In
the Book of Ruth, exactly the same thing can be seen in Ruths and Orphs actions, though details are not given. It is simply stated that one [Ruth] moved
forward with Naomi, but the other turned back.
Christians
need to understand that the only way in which they can overcome Satans attack
is through believing the Word and following Gods instructions, as these instructions
relate to all things in the spiritual life.
If
Christians do not believe all of Gods Word, defeat
will be inevitable. The whole of the spiritual life, taking one
from the point of birth from above (Ruth chapter one) to an inheritance in the
Messianic Kingdom (Ruth chapter four) is really that simple to grasp in its
whole overall scope.
Now
is the time of the Christians labouring in the field (the world [Matt. 13: 38]), he/she is to be labouring in such a manner
that the labour is not only a progression toward the goal of his/her calling
(ultimately realizing an inheritance in another land) but also a preparation
for meeting Christ (typified by Boaz) before the judgment seat at a time
following his/her labours in the field.
Both the journey and the
preparation are part and parcel
with the labour in the field in this respect.
Thus,
each of the three chapters present different facets of a complete, threefold
picture concerning exactly how a Christian is to govern his/her life during the
present time in order to be found among those
revealed as overcomers at the
judgment seat of Christ and subsequently be allowed to come into the
realization of the goal of their calling (to be realized during the coming
Messianic Era).
Chapter 1
The
book opens by depicting two types of regenerate believers. One type (the overcomer) is shown through the
actions of Ruth, and the other type is shown through the actions of Orpah. Following their becoming members of the
family (regeneration), both Ruth and
Orpah found themselves on a journey toward another land, with Naomi; and both
exhibited a determination to continue the journey.
Only
one though (Ruth) continued the journey to the end. The other (Orpah) turned back to her own
people and land, apparently during the early part of the journey.
Thus,
following things surrounding the birth from above, the book immediately deals
with things pertaining to both the spiritual and the
carnal Christian
- with things pertaining to the overcomer and the one who
is overcome. And the book
deals with these things in relation to the race of the faith, the journey from
the land of ones birth to the land of ones calling.
Thats
the way matters are introduced in the book.
Its not labouring in Boazs field (ch. 2)
or preparing for meeting Boaz on his threshing floor at the end of the harvest
(ch. 3a) which is seen first, but the journey toward another land. And this
order is for a reason. There can be no
proper labour in the field or preparation for that which lies ahead apart from
possessing some type understanding of the
goal, knowing something about why
these things are being done.
Chapter 2
Naomi
and Ruth arrived in
Barley, normally ripening and being harvested first in
That
is, beginning with the barley harvest, the one working in the field is to
labour during the time of harvest in connection with and associated with the first resurrection.
(Note
that Christ was raised on the third day, as Jonah in the type [cf. Matt.
12: 39, 40; Luke 24: 21]; and all of Gods firstborn Sons (following the adoption of the firstborn status)
will be raised up from the dead to live in Gods sight yet future on the third
day [the third millennium, dating from the same time as Christs resurrection -
from the time of the crucifixion; e.g., Hosea 5:
13- 6: 2.])
So
it is with the Lords servants today.
Either they find themselves labouring in the field in connection with
things surrounding both a
three-day journey [pointing to resurrection] and a rest [pointing to
earths coming Sabbath], or they find themselves labouring in the
field in an opposite fashion [in a manner separate from the things surrounding
both a three-day journey and a rest]. The former will result in fruit-bearing, but not so with the latter.
A
Christian is to set his sights on the goal out ahead (his inheritance in the millennial
kingdom), and he is to be busy throughout
the course of his Christian life, in his Masters field (the world). And, relative to the harvest, he is to
concern himself with one thing. He is to
concern himself with that provided for him to glean, not with that provided for
another to glean.
Boaz said to Ruth, My
daughter, listen to me. Dont go and glean in
another field and dont go away from here. All that Ruth had to do was glean that which
the workers, at Boazs instructions, had left her to glean. And Ruth gleaned in Boazs field after this
fashion from morning until evening, from the beginning to the end of the
harvest (2: 4-23).
And
so it is with Christians bringing forth fruit today. The Lord of the harvest has provided for each
and every Christian. Christians are to
wait upon the Lord to provide and they are to glean that which has been
provided for them to glean. It is
through this process - waiting upon the Lord and looking to the Lord - that
fruit is to be borne in a Christians life.
(But,
again, note it is the new man alone - the man of spirit alone - who has any
connection with this gleaning
process, looking forward to an inheritance and rest out ahead. The old man -
the man of flesh - must be reckoned as dead, and left in the place of
death. He has nothing to do with the
harvest, the inheritance, and the rest.)
The
complete picture has to do with dying to self while walking in resurrection
life, as one patiently endures under trials and testings, waiting upon the Lord
of the harvest to provide throughout the time of harvest. If a Christian obeys the
Lord and allows these things to occur in his life in this manner, Christ, in
turn, will allow that Christian to have a part in His coming reign. That Christian will come into the realization
of the salvation of his soul during
the coming day of Christs glory and power.
However,
the inverse of that is also true. If a
Christian doesnt deny self, walk in resurrection life (which he cant do if he
doesnt deny self), and patiently endure
under trials and testings, that Christian will lose his soul and have no
part with Christ during the coming of his glory and power. That is, he / she will not be considered worthy of the age to come and resurrection out
from the dead. (Luke 20: 35.)
Chapter 3
The
Book of Ruth, in this type-antitype structure, presents one of a number of
parallel word pictures about the Church which God has provided in the Old
Testament Scriptures. Ruth chapter two,
dealing with work in the field during the
time of harvest, covers one such
part of this developing picture; and the beginning of chapter three, dealing with
preparation for
meeting the Lord of the harvest on His threshing floor following
the
harvest, covers another
inseparably related part of the developing picture.
Wash and prepare
[anoint] yourself,
and put on your best clothes (Ruth 3: 3).
Here
is a threefold preparation for meeting Christ at His judgment seat. And this verse is unique in Scripture with
respect to a complete and concise statement pertaining to the subject at hand.
Ruth 3: 3 is addressed to saved individuals, relating
exactly what must be done if these individuals (regenerate believers) would one
day come into a realization of the salvation of their souls, ultimately
entering into the rest set forth in verse one. And, though different parts of this threefold
preparation are dealt with numerous places throughout Scripture, this is the
only place in all the Scripture where everything is brought together and the
matter is stated in so many words, in a complete manner, such as can be seen
here ... wash ... anoint ... put on clothes.
They all relate to proper preparedness for meeting Christ on His
threshing floor, at His judgment seat, when the harvest is over.
Wash. The washings associated with
the Levitical priests in the Old Testament (a washing of the complete body
[regeneration], followed by washings of parts of the body), in turn, pointed
to, foreshadowed respectively, both Christs past work at Calvary and His
present work in the heavenly sanctuary as our High Priest. Christ died for our sins providing a
cleansing typified by the complete bath which the priests were given upon their
entrance into the priesthood. And Christ
presently ministers day as our high Priest to provide subsequent
cleansings, typified by the subsequent cleansings at the laver in the type.
Thus,
Christ, through washing the disciples feet in John chapter thirteen, was
demonstrating truths typically seen through the Levitical priests washing their
hands and feet at the laver in the courtyard of the tabernacle.
Anoint. Oil is used in Scripture for anointing purposes, and oil was used in this manner to anoint prophets, priests,
and kings. And there is a connection
between the use of oil after this fashion and the Holy Spirit coming upon an
individual to empower him for the office to which he was being consecrated.
Matt. 25: 1-13 sets forth matters as they would exist relative
to Christians today. Note that this
parable has to do with the kingdom of
the heavens. In Ephesians,
Christians are commanded to be filled with the Spirit. Thus, the importance of spiritual growth is
inseparably related to the filling of the Spirit: a necessity if they would be
properly prepared to meet Christ at His judgment seat.
Put on your best clothes. Thoughts
surrounding clothes in the Book of Ruth, brought over into the antitype, have
to do with Christians being properly clothed for going forth to meet the
bridegroom. The marriage and the
marriage festivities are in view, and being arrayed or not being arrayed have
to do with acceptance or rejection relative to the matter at hand.
In
view of that which lay ahead and what Scripture elsewhere has to say about the
matter, only one thing can possibly be in view in this part of Naomis command
to Ruth, as it relates to Christians.
Only the wedding
garment can be in view.
This
apparel, according to Rev. 19: 7, 8 is made up of the righteous acts of saints. This is
something which Christians progressively weave for themselves, over time, as
they glean in the field and beat out the grain.
And to do this work in a proper manner, with the wedding garment being
progressively woven, an extra supply of oil is necessary. Relative to the man appearing without a
wedding garment and the subject at hand in Matt.
22: 1-14 - the wedding festivities - the man was cast
into outer darkness outside the banqueting hall (v.
13) Clear
instructions concerning necessary
preparation have been given, and clear
warnings have been sounded if
these instructions are ignored.
*
* *
* * *
*
290
HADES
By ROBERT GOVETT
[Scripture
reading Acts 2: 22-35]
The force of the argument is lost from the words having
become familiar to our ear. Let it then
be presented in other words. The descent
of the Holy Ghost at Pentecost had caused all the disciples then present to
speak with new tongues. The sound of so
many voices speaking in tongues unknown to the listeners, naturally drew a
great concourse of persons, who questioned amongst themselves what could be the
cause of so unusual
occurrence. One cause was suggested by some scoffers, - that it was only the
effect of intoxication. Thereupon Peter
stood up to reply, and made answer, that it was by no means probable that so
many could all be intoxicated together at so early an hour as nine in the
morning. But he assured them that the cause of the event, which so excited
their astonishment, was that thing which was spoken by the prophet Joel - the outpouring of the Holy Ghost, - I will pour out my spirit
upon all flesh, and your sons and your daughters
shall prophesy. St. Peters answer, therefore, is in
substance this, - The event you have witnessed is due, not to the intoxication
of wine, but to the effusion of the Holy Spirit. Hence, those who have misunderstood the scope
of the passage, who suppose that St. Peter quotes the whole of this prophecy as
then fulfilled. It is not so. He does
not say, Now is fulfilled; but, This is an
event due to the same cause, and is of precisely the same nature, as that
which, in the last day, shall receive its literal accomplishment.
After
this rebutment of the objection, the Apostle then proceeds to the more
immediate object of his proof. He lays first as his basis - the undeniable
miracles of the man generally known as Jesus the Nazarite. Now miracles such as
his, they all acknowledged, were a testimony on the part of God to a commission
received from himself. But this Jesus was dead.
Did not that destroy the evidence arising from his miracles? No - it was
by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God. They might have anticipated that the Christ
or Messiah must die, if they had only attended to their own prophetic
writings. In proof of which he cites a
passage from the Psalms which evidently implied upon its very face, the death
and resurrection of a certain Holy One
specified therein. It implied his death -
for his body should not see corruption, nor his soul be left in Hades.
But
in order to evade the force of this, the Jews might reply - Aye, we know that many of our nation understand this of the
Messiah, but now we see that we were wrong - it must be meant of David himself.
The Apostle then advances to drive them from this stronghold. It cannot be
David, he argues - for the Psalm speaks of one whose flesh was not to see
corruption. Now though David, as they all knew, died, and so far fulfilled the
prophecy; yet his being buried (which probably did not take place till
corruption was begun), and certainly his close and fastened sepulchre remaining
among them up to their time, was clear proof that Davids flesh, like all his
fathers, had yielded to natural laws, and seen corruption: if they doubted it,
they might open the tomb and judge for themselves. It could not, therefore, be David that was
intended in this Psalm. But it was a natural and easy deduction from the
acknowledged principle that David was a prophet, that this Psalm should apply
to the Messiah of whom all prophecy was full, and in order to prepare the minds
of men for his reception, it was given at the first.
But
not only did it apply to the Messiah, but it proved also that Jesus of Nazareth
was the Messiah, because it was fulfilled in his death and resurrection. They needed none to testify of the death of
Jesus - all their nation knew or had witnessed that; and thus far the prophecy
of the Psalm was fulfilled. But the apostles could substantiate to them the
broad difference which marked the death of the Lord Jesus from that of David;
and this Peter proceeds to do. For Christ had risen again, had risen the third
day, and, therefore, so short was the space of time intervening between death
and resurrection; that no corruption passed upon his body. Therefore they must also infer that his soul was not left in Hades, for it could not be that his body should be alive without the reuniting of
the soul to it. And the resurrection of his body was
therefore the proof that his soul was delivered from the bands of death, because he could not be holden of it. But there was
another proof, arising from the miraculous fact they had just witnessed, Not only had the Saviour arisen again, but he
had ascended to Gods right hand; as the Psalm first quoted implied - God is at my right hand that
I shall not be moved; and again,
- Thou shalt
make me full of joy with thy countenance. At thy right
hand there are pleasures for evermore. Which evidently implied that the speaker was enjoying
the immediate vision of God in heaven. And the proof that he was there, was the
extraordinary miracle then presented. He
- the ascended Messiah, hath been the cause of this - he hath shed forth this which
ye now see and hear. He promised
us his disciples that he would do it when he ascended on high. The accomplishment, therefore, of the sign on
earth is the token of the fulfilment of the thing signified in heaven. Lastly, the apostle quotes also the 110th Psalm, which all referred to the
Messiah, and that spake of
Davids Lord, (not of
Davids self) as ascended to the
heavens. The conclusion, therefore,
evidently was, that these passages could
not be fulfilled in David, and therefore that he was not the Christ; but that
they were fulfilled in Jesus of
The
two things are set side by side - non-corruption of the body, and the
restoration of the soul from Hades - which were fulfilled in Christ, and could
not be fulfilled in David; therefore it follows, by implication of a strong
kind, that, on the other side, corruption of the body answers to the sojourn of
the soul in Hades.
But
this may be also cleared yet further, from the consideration that Christ is the forerunner, and that it behoved him to be in all things made like to his brethren. As, therefore, he was like them in his death and the
disposal of his body, so also in the disposal of his soul. He was to be a man
in every point of his history which was compatible with his being sinless; and
as his descending to the place of the dead did not destroy that purity of his
nature, so it follows that to this also he submitted.
But
this, though it seems to be satisfactory, is not left to inferential proof
alone. It is directly affirmed more than once in holy writ - Now that he ascended, what is
it that he descended first into the lower parts of the earth. He that descended is
the same also that ascended far above all heavens, Eph. 4: 9, 10. We know
that when Christ descended he went down into Hades; and Hades, it has been shewn, is
situated in the lower parts of
the earth, and is the place of the dead. His
descent here spoken of cannot be simply his descent from heaven, for that were
a descent only to the earth, but this is a descent to the lower parts of earth itself.
The
following are some citations of authorities confirmatory of the principles laid
down.
Macarius, - After death we are
carried into Hades. This also did Christ
take upon himself, and descend willingly into it: He was not detained as we
are, but he descended. - In Act.
Conc. Nicoen. Lib. i.
Archelaus, bishop of
Caschara in
Anastasius Sinaita, - The sepulchre truly
received his body only, but Hades his soul only. - Apud. Euthym. Panopl.
Fulgentius, - But the humanity of the Son of God was neither wholly in the
grave, nor wholly in Hades, but as to His real flesh Christ being dead, lay in
the sepulchre; but as to His soul Christ descended into Hades, and in the same
soul returned from Hades again to the flesh He had left in the grave. - Ad
Thasimund. Lib. iii
Irenaeus, - Souls depart into an
invisible place appointed them by God, where they will tarry till resurrection,
in a constant expectation of it; after which, they, receiving their bodies, and
rising perfectly, that is corporeally, will come to the presence of God.
Lib. v. c. 26.
Justin Martyr (Dialogue with Trypho, c. 80), - For if you
have conversed with some that are called Christians, and do not maintain these
opinions (the millennarian), but even dare to blaspheme the God of Abraham, and
the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, and say that there is no resurrection of the
dead, but that the souls, as they leave the body, are received up into heaven,
take care that you do not look upon these as Christians: as no one that rightly
considers would say that the Sadducees, or the like sects of Genists, and Merists, and
Galileans, and Hellenians, and Pharisees, and
Baptists, are Jews.
Cyprian, De Unct.
Chrism, - The
King suffered himself to be mocked, and the Life to be slain, and descending to
Hades, he led captive the captivity of old.
Theophylact on Ephesians, iv - Whither
did Christ descend? To Hades - for this is what
Origen, - For not even the Apostles have yet
therefore that Abraham yet waits for the attainment of that which is perfect.
And Isaac waits, and Jacob, and all the prophets wait for us.
You see
therefore that Abraham yet waits for the attainment of that which is perfect.
And Isaac waits, and Jacob, and all the prophets wait for us, that they may
enjoy with us perfect happiness. On this account, therefore, even that mystery
is kept to the last day of the deferred judgment, Hom.
7 on Levit. #2. And again, - It is my opinion that all the saints that depart from this
life shall
remain in a certain place in the earth, which the divine Scripture calls
paradise, as in a place of instruction. - De Princip. Lib.ii.
c. xi.
This
will meet an objection which may suggest itself. You speak of the resurrection of
the dead - not the resurrection of the body - as it is
usually expressed, and found in the Apostles Creed
(so called.)
The
expression was used designedly, for it is the constant one employed by
Scripture. The other expression is not once employed. And the reason is clear.
They who speak of the resurrection of the body
fix the eye on a part of the man, while Gods eye is on the whole man.
The phrase would suggest to an unbeliever the objection - The body then is to rise without the soul. For while some err by making the spirit all in
all, Gods word maintains - spirit,
soul and body are to be
reunited. God speaks of the resurrection of the dead because that word
embraces all parts of the man.
But,
for the benefit of those reject Robert Govetts commentary and Pauls words in 2 Tim. 2: 18, - Mr.
G. H. Lang, has a word of caution from 1 Cor. 15: 51 for all:-
It is often urged that this passage declares that though we shall not all sleep, but some be
alive at the descent of the Lord, yet we shall all
be changed, and surely, says the objector with
emphasis, all means all. Truly; but in verse 22, For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all
be made alive, all means all of mankind,
for every child of Adam will at some time be raised by Christ (John 5: 28, 29 [cf.
Rev. 20: 13, R.V.]). But not all at the first resurrection (Rev. 20: 5). Therefore in this very chapter all means different things, and in ver. 51 requires limiting, since it refers to a smaller
company than in ver. 22.
No one
is misled when he hears one say that all the
world was there.*
[* NOTE: Other Publications by R. Govett and G. H. Lang
are now available at:- www.icmbooksdirect.co.uk]
*
* * *
* * *
291
THE PLACE OF THE DEAD
By D. M. PANTON, M.A.
No dead soul stands in the presence of God in
heaven. The Type, first of all, forbids
it. Aaron shall bring the blood within the veil,
... and there shall be NO MAN in the tent of meeting
when he goeth in to make atonement, until he come out (Lev. 16: 17). This is exactly the high priestly work on
which our Lord is now engaged. Through His own blood [He] entered in once
for all into the holy place, ... [to
cleanse] the
heavenly things with better sacrifices, that is, His own (Heb. 9: 12, 23). So long as our High priest tarries within the
The
Law of God also forbids it. To touch a corpse, or even a grave, was to be
unclean. Whosoever
on the open field toucheth ... a dead body,
or a bone of a man, or a
grave, shall be
UNCLEAN seven days (Num. 19: 16). Nor
was it a corpse only which defiled: a far deeper defilement sprang from contact
with a departed spirit. There shall not be found with thee ... a consulter with a familiar spirit, or a wizard, or a necromancer -
i.e., one who holds intercourse with the dead - for whosoever doeth these things is an abomination unto the Lord (Deut. 18: 11). Death, in all its parts, is Legal
uncleanness: It is the visible Curse of God, the holy, resting on man, the
sinner; it is the foul rotting of the leprosy of sin. None such can stand in the
One
critical example is given that the dead are still unascended. David had said: Thou wilt not leave my
soul in Hades, neither wilt Thou give
Thy Holy One to see corruption.
David, says the apostle, could not have spoken this of his own soul. Why not?
Because, Peter says, this Jesus did God raise up; whereas David is NOT
ASCENDED into the heavens (Acts 2: 34),
and therefore he could not have spoken it of himself. This assumes
that no disembodied human soul is ascended to God. For if
not David, who is? He died and was buried, and
his tomb is with us unto this day. Death is an unclothing (2 Cor. 5: 4): Gods
kings and priests may not
appear before Him unclothed. Ex. 28: 42, 43. No man hath ascended into heaven (John 3: 13).
Affirmative
revelation also establishes the truth. THE RESURRECTION of the body is a fact
absolutely cardinal to the Christian faith. If the dead are not raised, neither
hath Christ been raised: and of Christ hath not
been raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins (1 Cor. 15: 16): Atonement has
never been made,
Death still reigns, the Curse clings to the dead forever.
But
Christ is risen: and if the Spirit of Him that raised up Jesus [out] from the dead dwelleth in you, He that raised up Christ Jesus from the dead shall quicken also
your mortal bodies through His Spirit that dwelleth in you (Rom. 8: 11). John 5: 28. For a naked soul, judicially disembodied, to enter the presence of God on high would
be to approach Him in the shrouds of the Curse.
For
THE BODY has been redeemed.
Glorified bodies, souls or spirits, that are severed by death, are unknown to
the Word of God: glorified human persons - with
body, soul, and spirit reunited - are to be the perfect
fruit of redemption. How long, O Lord, holy and true? (Rev. 6: 10), cry the
naked souls under the Altar, waiting to be clothed upon: so ourselves also ... groan
within ourselves, waiting for our adoption, to wit,
the redemption of our body (Rom. 8: 23); for we wait for a Saviour
... who shall fashion the body of our humiliation,
that it may be conformed to the body of His glory (Phil. 3: 21). Earth is one vast field sown with the dead:
out of it, like the risen Lord, will soon burst the waving harvests of
resurrection. 1
Cor. 15: 20-26.
THIS CANNOT BE UNTIL OUR HIGH PRIEST
ISSUES FROM THE
*
The actual locality of Sheol, or Hades,
is indicated by such scriptures as these:
Matt. 12: 40; Num. 16: 30-33 1 San. 38: 13, 14; Job 26: 5, 6; Amos 9: 2; Eph. 4: 9 and Ps. 63: 9. So
scripture speaks of descending into it (Prov. 1: 12; Isa. 5: 14; Ezek. 31: 15, 16), and of rising up out of it (1 Sam. 2: 16; Ps. 30: 3; Prov. 15: 24; Rom. 10: 7).
Meanwhile
two compartments enfold the departed.
Dives, like the citizens of
-------
CROWNS
No
less than five crowns are offered to be won in the Christian
life-race. They are (1) The INCORRUPTIBLE CROWN, 1 Cor. 9: 25. (2)
CORWN OF REJOICING for those
who win souls, 1 Thess.
2: 19. (3)
CROWN OF GLORY, for faithful
Pastors, 1 Pet. 5:
1-4. (4)
CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, 2 Tim. 4: 7, 8. (5)
CORWN OF LIFE, Jas. 1: 12; Rev. 2: 10. Moreover, these Crowns betoken a Kingdom. They are won by enduring,
obeying, witnessing, and suffering - and for those who thus
overcome there are the wonderful promises of sharing the FIRST RESURRECTION,
Phil. 3: 10, 11;
reigning with Christ in His millennial glory and through eternity, 2 Tim. 2: 12, with Rev. 22: 3-5; also the promises to Overcomers in the letters
to the seven Churches in Rev. 2. and 3.
The
FIRST Resurrection, precedes the
last resurrection by a thousand years (Rev. 20: 4-6); it is the door which will allow one, who is considered worthy, entrance into the
millennium (Luke 20: 35, 36): a sabbath rest for
the people of God; let us strive to enter into that rest. Heb. 4: 9, 11.
* *
* * *
* *
292
AN URGENT DANGER
In his Letter to the
In
the sixth chapter of the letter, he expresses his disapproval of those in
communion, for not settling disputes amongst themselves: verses 1-7. Were not Christians who were sanctified in Jesus Christ
and called to be holy, by Gods
decree, hereafter to be judges of the world and angels? Why, then, should they
not be able to settle disputes amongst themselves? But, instead, one brother goes to law against another
- and this in front of unbelievers (verse 6). Here
the brethren of
That
these threats are directed at
the regenerate is
certain. (1) It cannot be said, Paul is addressing certain hypocrites who had
slipped in amongst them. For he says of them all, that they had been justified,
sanctified, and washed. Is that a true
description of hypocrites? But some insist upon the words - And that is what some of you were. But they are not meant to contradict what the
inspired apostle had expressly asserted in verse 8, that some were cheating and doing wrong, and they
where doing it to their
brothers. It is on the ground of
this charge, that he makes known to them the solemn threat of exclusion
from the
(2) How would the apostles rebuke stand, if we interpret it as many
believers do? O Christian believers, some of you are
cheating and acting wrongly toward your brothers. What! Do you not know that unconverted men, if unrighteous will not inherit the
But
there was, and presently is a great danger, if those who are Christians rest upon
the privileges God has given them, and imagine that, because they are adopted
into HIS family, the Most High will turn a blind eye or somehow overlook in them
what, if done by unbelievers, He would severely punish. From false ideas of
Christian liberty the Corinthian Christians were acting contrary to the word of
their Lord Jesus Christ. Is there no danger in this direction today?
To
whom are Pauls Dont you
know?s addressed, if not addressed to believers? Rom. 6: 16; 11: 2; 1 Cor. 3: 16; 5: 6; 6: 2, 3, 15, 16, 19; 9: 13: 24, etc.
The
kingdom is for the saints: Daniel 7: 18.
Un-saintly behaviour, therefore, as sure as it excludes [or
should exclude] from the
In
short, the Holy Spirit, through the inspired apostle, is teaching us the
following:
1. No unrighteous person shall enter the kingdom: verse 9 , compare
with Matthew 5: 20.
2. Some of you are unrighteous: verse 8.
3.
Therefore some of you regenerate
believers (unless you repent) will not enter the kingdom.
(3) The Apostles letter to the
Ephesians is addressed to the saints in
[* The wrath of God is coming on the sons
of disobedience.]
(4) In the regenerate believer the sinful nature
is very much alive: he can therefore
indulge it (Gal. 5:
13).
In point of doctrine and of fact many are deceived:
1 Cor. 5: 2; 2 Cor. 12: 20, 21. And
Paul, by the Holy Spirit announces the acts of the sinful nature (Gal. 5: 19-21); and
adds: I warn
you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the
Eternal
life is the gift of God in grace; the eternal kingdom must therefore be given to all the
redeemed. But there is also to be a reward to each person according to what he has done Matthew
16: 27; 2
Cor. 5: 10; 1 Cor. 3: 8; Rev. 2: 23. That reward is to be considered worthy of the Age to come,
and a resurrection [out] from the dead. Luke 20: 35; Rev. 20: 6; Phil. 3: 10-14. We must have active righteousness as well as
Christs imputed righteousness to be able to enter that kingdom. Matthew 5:
20; 7: 21, 25: 34, 40.
*
* * *
* * *
293
APOSTASY
By ARLEN L. CHITWOOD
The word apostasy is
itself not used in the Epistle of Jude, but this word is taken from the Greek
text of several corresponding Scriptures appearing elsewhere in the New
Testament which refer to the latter-day departure from the faith as
the apostasy. Paul states in 2 Thess. 2: 3, Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day
[the Day of the Lord] shall not
come except there come a falling away [the apostasy] first ... Paul, again in 1 Tim.
4: 1
states, Now [But] the
Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart [apostatize]
from the faith, giving heed to seducing
spirits, and doctrines of demons. The writer of Hebrews calls
attention to this same thing in Heb. 3: 12: Take heed brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief,
in departing [apostatizing]
from the living God.
The
English word apostasy is a transliterated form
of the Greek word apostasia, a compound
word formed from apo and stasis,
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:- contending for the faith during a day of
apostasy (Jude 3).
Those
who apostatize from the faith are Christians. It is not possible for an unsaved
persons to stand away from the faith, for
they has never come into a position from which they can stand away. Only the
saved have come into this position, and only they 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 - 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.
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 victors 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 no eternal life, whereunto thou art also called ... This verse
could be better translated, Strive [Aginize, Agonizomai]
in the good contest [agon] of the faith; lay hold on life for the age, whereunto thou art 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).
The
great problem among Christians today is spiritual immaturity; 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).
The
apostates in Jude 4 are
false teachers who are often erroneously
thought of as unsaved individuals. The context in Jude
(verse 5) and the corresponding section in 2 Pet. 2: 1-3; cf.
verses 19-21)
both demonstrate conclusively that the unsaved are not in view at all.
The
context of Jude 4 has to do with individuals
who were saved out of the
Peter
and Jude both deal with regenerate teachers who
have apostatized from the faith, and become false
teachers, and now stand in the
way of those who are earnestly
striving for [with reference to, in the good contest of] the faith.
The
nation of
Christians
under Christ are being prepared during their wilderness journey for entrance
into the kingdom to rule as Gods
firstborn sons. 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 Gods firstborn sons with Christ in the Millennium.
The
shepherds in Christendom, the ones who are supposed to keep the great truths
surrounding Christs return ever before the people, have become engaged in
other activities. The end result,
foretold thirty-five hundred years ago, during the days of Moses, has been apostasy. This is the main thesis of Judes epistle.
*
* * *
* * *
294
AN IMPORTANT
TEXT (5)
We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed.
1 Cor. 15: 51.
By G. H. LANG
IT is often urged that this passage declares that
though we shall not all sleep, but some be alive at the descent of the Lord, yet we shall all be changed, and
surely, says the objector with emphasis, all means all. Truly; but in verse 22, For as in Adam all die,
so also in the Christ shall all be made alive,
all
means all of mankind, for every child of Adam will at some time be raised by Christ (John
5: 28, 29). But
not all at the first resurrection (Rev.
20: 5). Therefore in this very chapter all means different things, and in verse 51 requires limiting, since
it refers to a smaller company than in verse 22.
The
last and immediate context is in verses 48, 49, which speak of those who are to bear the image of the
heavenly, that is, are to share
with the Lord in His heavenly form, glory, and sovereignty. Now the more
difficult, and therefore the more probable reading here is as in the R.V.
margin: As we
have borne the image of the earthy, let us also bear the image of the heavenly. It
is evident that one copying a document is not likely to insert by mistake a more
difficult word or idea than is in the manuscript before him; so that, as a
general rule, the more difficult reading is likely to have been the original
reading. Moreover, in this case let us also bear
is so well attested by the manuscripts as to have been adopted as the true
reading by Lachmann, Tischendorf, Tregelles, Alford, and Westcott and Hort, and is given as the text in the latest editions of the Greek
Testament, those of Nestle and Von Soden.
Ellicott prefers the common reading, but on subjective and internal grounds
only, and his remark on the external authority is emphatic: It is impossible to deny that the subjunctive phoresomen is supported by very greatly
preponderating authority. Alford (on Romans
9: 5) well says, that no conjecture [i.e., as to the true Greek text] arising from doctrinal difficulty is ever to be admitted in
the face of the consensus of MSS. and versions.
By
this exhortation the apostle places upon Christians some
responsibility to see that they secure that image of the heavenly which is
indispensable to inheriting the
[*
NOTE: aionios
and translated eternal (in this context of a regenerate
Christians works) - must be understood as age-lasting and not eternal
- as is shown in almost all English translations. See in www.themillennialkingdom.org.uk The Dualism of
Eternal Life by S. S.
Craig.]
Since therefore this most honourable calling must be made sure by walking worthily
in order that we may be counted worthy of the kingdom of God, for which ye also suffer (2 Thess.
1: 5),
the reading let us also bear the image of the heavenly becomes consistent and important. Thus 1 Cor. 15: 41, 52 is addressed to those who are assumed (whether
it be so or not) to have responded to that exhortation, and it will mean that we [who
shall be accounted worthy to bear that heavenly image] shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. Of that
company it is strictly true that all means all.
Further,
the primary antecedent to verse 52 is in verse 23:
But each [shall be made alive] in his own order: Christ the first-fruits then
they that are Christs in His Parousia: then the
end ... Does not the whole
sentence, in the light of other passages, carry the force: But each shall be
made alive, not all at the same hour,
but each in his own class or company (tagma); first-fruit, Messiah;
then, next, those of the Messiah, i.e., in
His character as first-fruit, at His Parousia; then, [a thousand years] later, the end of all dispensations, involving the resurrection of all, saved and unsaved, not before raised?* Here is
additional reason for R. C. Chapmans
view that the first resurrection is one of first-fruits,
and not of all who will be finally raised in the harvest
of eternal life.
[* See Rev. 20: 7, 12, 13, 15, R.V.
and Footnote.]
It
has been accepted above that all means all, but what does all mean? It is not
always used absolutely, in its universal sense. Thus the Lord, speaking of the last days of this
age, said, ye
shall be hated of all men for My
names sake (Matt. 10: 22; Lk.
21: 17);
yet later, speaking of the same period, He showed that there will be then some,
the sheep, who will befriend His persecuted
followers (Matt. 25:
33-40). The explanation is found in the other report
of His words: ye
shall be hated of all the nations (Matt. 24: 10); that
is, this hatred will affect all the peoples everywhere on earth, though not
every individual as the other use of all might
by itself suggest.
Again;
of the trial of Christ before the Council of the Jews it is said that all the chief priests and the
elders of the people took counsel (sumboulion) against Jesus (Matt. 27: 1); yet Lk. 23: 50 tells
that one of that Council, Joseph of Arimathea (a boulelees), had not assented to their counsel (boulee); and John 19: 39 shows that Nicodemus dissociated himself from
their act; and he also was one of the Council (John
7: 50-52).
Acts 1: 1
speaks of Lukes Gospel having narrated all that Jesus began both to do and to teach, yet we know that the world could not contain the
books that would be required for such a full account (John
21: 25).
These
instances suffice to warn against rashly taking all
in its fullest sense. They call for careful
consideration of each use of the word. The [Holy] Spirit
took up the natural habits of human speech! No one is misled when he hears one
say that all the world was there.
Passages
which deal with a matter from the point of view of Gods plan and willingness
use general, wide terms to cover and
to disclose His whole provision. But
these must be ever considered in connection with any other statements upon the
same subject which reveal what God foresees of the human element which, by His own creation of
responsible creatures, He permits to interact with His working. Out of these
elements, through self-will in the [regenerate] believer, arises the possibility of [these] individuals
not reaching unto the whole of what the
grace of God had offered in Christ.
For fuller discussions see my First-fruits and
Harvest and Ideals and Realities.
-------
*FOOTNOTE: All those,
after their Resurrection, whose names were not found
written in the book of life,
will be cast
into the lake of fire. Rev. 20: 12-15, R.V.
The
remainder
of the DEAD, presently in the
underworld of the dead in HADES (Luke 16:
23; Acts 2:
34. cf. 2
Tim. 2: 18,
R.V.) - together with those who had received eternal salvation through
faith alone and as a free gift
(Eph. 2: 8; Rom. 6: 23, R.V.)
are judged after their death (Heb. 9: 27, R.V.).
Some will NOT be accounted worthy to attain to that age - [i.e.,
the Lords coming millennial era of a thousand years
(Rev. 20:
6, R.V.] - and the
resurrection out of dead ones (Greek); but will later enter a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and first earth are passed away; and the sea is
no more (Rev. 21: 1,
R.V.).
The
new heaven and a new earth
will be an entirely new Creation, after the present heavens and earth
are destroyed by fire (2 Pet. 3: 10) and after the thousand
years of Messiahs promised inheritance, (Ps.
2: 8)
when His righteous rule, in the midst of enemies, has terminated, (Ps. 110: 1-3).
The
Apostle Paul says we are to shun profane babblings:
for they will proceed further into ungodliness, and their word will eat as doth a gangrene: of whom is Hymenaeus and Philetus; men who concerning the
truth have erred, saying that the resurrection is PAST already,
and overthrow the faith of some, (Tim. 2:16-18, R.V.). This
statement and command from Paul, was given many years after Peters first
sermon on Pentecost, - fifty days after Christs crucifixion; forty
days after
His post resurrection ministry upon this earth; after His Ascension into
Heaven. and after the Apostles
and Christians were martyred for the faith!
In
Acts 4: 2,
we read of the Sadducees who were sore troubled
because they [the Apostles] taught the people,
and proclaimed in Jesus the resurrection out
of dead ones (Acts 4: 2, Lit. Greek.); and now - some 2,000 years
later, we hear from some deluded Christians that when Christ ascended into
Heaven He took all the redeemed saints out from Hades
to be with Him! All of this is contrary
to the teachings of Christ and His Apostles, and suggests that we can ascend
into Heaven immediately after the time of Death, and without having to wait for
our Lord Jesus to return to resurrect the blessed and
holy dead! Rev. 6: 9-11; 20: 6.
Will
God do precisely that which He has said He will do? Most definitely for I the Lord change not! (Mal.
3: 6,
R.V.). Therefore, having faith in an Intermediate Place and State of the Dead;
and of being accounted worthy to rise at the First Resurrection (Lk. 20: 35; Rev. 20: 4-6); and of attaining to a high standard of personal
righteousness (Matt. 5: 20), are all of vital
importance to every born-again believer: for at Christs a future Judgment Seat
after
the time of death (Heb. 9: 27), it is
written: He that doeth wrong shall receive again for
the wrong that he hath done: and there
is no respect of persons (Col.
3: 25,
R.V.)! Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man
soweth, that shall he also reap, (Gal. 6: 7, R.V.); and Now the works of the flesh are manifest, which are
of which I forewarn you, (brethren
ver. 13) even as I did forewarn
you,
that they which
practise such things shall not
INHERIT the KINGDOM of God, (Gal.
5: 19, 21, R.V.).]
*
* *
AN EXTRACT
from a letter written in 1873 by
PHILIP HENRY
GOSSE, F.R.S.,
to his son Edmund
(From The Life and
Letters of Sir Edmund Gosse, pp.
43-45)
OF
late years many devout students of prophecy have thought they discovered, in
the Word, intimations that not all of
the saints found living at the Lords descent - not all who are real
believers - will go up to Him then; but only those who are watchful, and
practically ready; only those who are, in habitual affection, in separation
from the world, in circumcision of the heart - wholly His. The Wise Virgins, in
fact: the Foolish ones representing not, as ordinarily taught, and as hitherto
believed by me, hollow professors, but unwatchful, unready, half-hearted,
though at bottom, real, [born-again] believers. That these latter
are the left when the former are taken: left, to be purified by the
fiery trial under the personal infidel Antichrist. There are
difficulties attending the reception of this view texts which seem to militate
against it; such as the words together with them in
the clouds in 1 Thes.
4: 17,
and we shall all be changed, in a moment ... in 1
Cor. 15: 51, 52. [See
preceding article.]
On
the other side the view is strongly countenanced by the Lords exhortation in Luke 21: 36;
which would seem to have no force, if the unworthy were not to endure what the
worthy escape. And by the promise to the faithful but feeble
These thoughts have been much exercising our minds of late,
and have led me much to the Word of God. I cannot say I am quite sure the affirmative of this view is true; a good deal is to be said on the
negative side; but I judge the weight and number of texts preponderate for the
former. But, supposing they were evenly balanced; nay, supposing there were
only an inferior measure of probability for the former, would it not be the
highest wisdom to leave nothing to chance?
We have thought with yearning hearts, of you, my
only child. That you are the Lords own: that the root of the matter is in you,
I have strong reasons for believing.
But, do you love His appearing? Are you
habitually watching for it? Is the
world behind your back? Are you giving your heart to Him who gave His blood for
you? Oh, think seriously of this! I must, in faithful love, warn you. It is not
enough to say, Perhaps it is not true!
Perhaps, I admit, it is not: but, perhaps it is! And oh! to be left behind to
endure that terrible tribulation, which assuredly is coming soon; when, if the thoughts
of many deeply taught are correct, the only choice possible will be, either
open apostasy and demon-worship, or - the axe of the executioner.
Remarks. The
writer of this letter was one of the leading zoologists of the last century. He
was profoundly evangelical in faith. When in 1857 Lyell,
the geologist, was sounding scientific opinion as to what reaction could be
expected to
The letter shows that the doctrine of selective
rapture is not new but was understood and received a century ago by many
thoughtful Bible lovers. Perhaps if the
son had left its force he might have been saved from apostasy from his early
faith.*
[* See Tract No. 285.]
*
* * *
* * *
295
The Inheritance Set Before Us*
By Charlie
Dines (
[* A short extract taken from the authors book: Being Glorified Together With Him (The Reward of the
Inheritance.)]
This inheritance, as previously affirmed, has reference
to the Millennial kingdom, a portion of which is being reserved for all those
revealed to be of Christ in His presence (1 Cor. 15: 23). They
will be those begotten ones who have walked worthy of God, who has called
[us] into His kingdom
and glory (1 Thess. 2: 12). To
be numbered among the worthy is our hope of His calling (Eph. 1:
18).
This inheritance is the reward of Col.
3: 24. It is the reward to be brought with
Christ upon His return (Rev. 22: 12).
Who
among us can imagine the glory of such a thing?
Paul
admonishes us through his words addressed to the Ephesian elders in Acts 20: 31f: Therefore, watch [be on the alert], remembering that night and day for a period of three years I
did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And
now, brethren, I
commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and give you the inheritance among all those
who have been sanctified.*
* Barnes,
in his Notes under Acts 20: 32, writes as follows: They
who receive a part in the inheritance beyond the grave will have it only among
the sanctified and the pure. They must, therefore, be pure themselves, or they
can have no part in the
In
2 Cor. 7: 1, we are
instructed to be perfecting holiness in the fear of
God. Personally knowing (being exercised in) the fear of the Lord, we
ought to always be submitting ourselves to Christs activity within us.
Would
Paul, for three years, admonish (warn;
Greek, noutheo), these same ones - ones who were born-again brethren - concerning this inheritance unless there was a
possibility of their coming short of obtaining it.*
*
2 Cor. 6: 1; Heb. 4: 1; 12: 15ff.
To
his (saved) disciple, Titus, Paul writes that having been justified by His grace, we might become heirs
according to hope of eternal life
(Titus 3: 7).* Eternal life is the warrant of God upon faith unto all
who believe - we have been justified. But our hope of eternal life is something
else. It is a hope of an abundant entrance into Christs kingdom. This hope
looks forward to our being accounted worthy to attain unto that age [The
Millennial Age] and to the resurrection out
from among the dead ones - (this is a more literal rendering of Luke 20: 35).
* The
phrase having been justified in Titus 3: 7 is
in the aorist tense: here, a past occurrence. However, the phrase we might
become heirs is in the subjunctive mood, denoting something that can and might
well become reality, though the fact is left in question.
Near
the end of his life, the apostle Paul - having earlier stated that he had not
yet been perfected or obtained the prize (Phil.
3: 12ff)
- wrote the following to his disciple, Timothy.
2 Tim. 4: 7, 8: I have fought the good fight, I
have finished the course, I have kept the faith.
8 In the future
there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous
judge, will award to me in that Day; and not only to me, but also
to all those loving His appearing.
I
offer the following two thoughts in light of this passage from Second Timothy.
First, that Day is the Day of Christs
presence (His parousia). While still ministering, Pauls eager desire was not
to die - to be unclothed (i.e.,
without a covering, a body) - but to be clothed with a habitation which is from
heaven, in order that being so clothed he should not be found naked. I
understand this clothing to be a resurrection [and immortal] body to be
received in the day of our
redemption.* Clothed
with a habitation which is from heaven, in order that being so clothed he
should not be found naked. I understand this clothing to be a resurrection body
to be received in the day of our
redemption.*
*
This matter is addressed in Rom. 8: 23; 1 Cor. 15: 35ff; 2 Cor. 5: 24.
Secondly,
Paul stresses that reward necessitates loving His appearing. But how many believers think daily (or monthly, or yearly) about His
appearing, let alone loving and longing for it? Many have never even received
the message of the kingdom as a little child.*
Others have only this occasional thought: that when they die they will go to
heaven as a naked soul - and this despite what may be their present, wayward
manner of living. Even now, some of these
same errant ones may say that they are expecting to be raptured at any moment.
Oh my!
*
Mark 10: 15; Luke 18: 17.
A
young womans husband may need to leave her for a time to attend to certain,
specific matters concerning his fathers business. And if his wife may truly love him, will she not be longing continually
for his reappearance, keeping his house fit for his return?
Hypocrisy in
a Christians Life
Men
abhor hypocrisy; so does our Lord (Matt. 23: 13ff).
Dearly
beloved: Christians cannot show up at the church-house with their Sunday
go-to-meeting teeth on, patting the saints on the back with a Bless you, and thereafter go home to subject their
wives to unloving, even vile speech; or to nag their husbands; or to exasperate
their children with angry disciplines too severe. Neither can they be known to
be living in some moral fault; for any / all such bad behaviour will invalidate
any witness for Christ to others, leaving unbelievers to wonder: How is it possible that God would condemn me but not these
who call themselves Christians? - for I deem myself to be leading a better life
than many of them. Is it any surprise that so many unbelievers often
dismiss interest in the necessity of Christs salvation based on the hypocrisy
to be observed in the lives of certain Christians?
1 John 3: 2, 3: Beloved, now we are children of God,
and what we shall be has not yet been manifested; but we know that whenever He shall be manifested, we will be like Him, because
we will see Him as He is. 3 And everyone having this hope set on Him purifies
himself, even as He is pure.
Hope
and purity of life are interdependently related.
Hypocrisy
is an obstacle to influencing men unto faith in Christ; purity in life and
character will give weight to our testimony. The writer of Hebrews says, [God] spoke long ago to the fathers in the prophets
in these last days He has spoken to us in His Son (Heb. 1:
1, 2). In - namely, in and through their lives. Simple words
alone will not frequently persuade others; it is in a mans observable manner
of life that he speaks loudest.
Heb. 4: 1 Let us therefore fear,
lest a [conditional]
promise being left to us of
entering into His rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.
*
* * *
* * *
296
AN IMPORTANT
TEXT (6)
THE ELECT
Matt.
24: 31.
By G. H. LANG
THE Lord was dealing with the question What shall be the sign of Thy
parousia and consummation of the age? (verse 13). It is almost completely
overlooked that this question was concerned with one double event not with two
separated events. This is clear in the Greek though not in the English
Versions, for the latter render it the sign of Thy coming, and of the end of the world? The comma, with the words of
the, dissociate the coming from the
consummation of
the age, leaving it possible that
there may be an undefined interval between them, but they are without warrant.
The phrase the
end of the world is simply false
and misleading, for it carries the mind on to the final event of heaven and
earth passing away, to be substituted by new heavens and earth. But tou aionos means of the age, and
sunteleta means the consummation of this age, the point when
this period of Gods dealings touches and leads into the next period, the
millennial kingdom to be ushered in by the parousia of Christ.
Among
other events to lead up to that consummation the Lord mentioned (15-28) the rise
of the Desolator foretold by Daniel, bringing on a tribulation surpassing all
previous troubles on earth and never afterward to be equalled. He then declared
that it would be immediately after that tribulation that His coming in power
and glory would be seen (29, 30), to which He added our passage: And He shall send forth His
angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they
shall gather together His elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other.
The
view that the parousia and the removal of the church will be before that
tribulation has (1) to ignore the
fact that the question of the disciples was concerning two events so closely connected
that they could be indicated by one and the same sign; and (2) it has to affirm that the elect of our present verse are not Christians but godly
Jews. It is part of the theory that the Synoptic Gospels are Jewish in character, not Christian, which theory
will stand or fall with this particular passage. The following considerations
must have weight.
1. This gathering of the elect takes place while the Son of man is still
in the clouds. Thence He sends forth His
angels, having not yet come as far as the earth. Comp. Rev.
14: 14-16 and 1 Thess. 4: 16, 17. But the
saved of
2. No gathering of Jews to
3. The gathering of the elect by the angels is to be universal: from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other, or as Mark 13: 27, from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost part of
heaven. If these were Jews there
would be no Jews left for the second gathering to Messiah at
4. Not angels but the Gentile nations are to be the agents for that
second gathering to
5. The term elect is applied to angels (1
Tim. 5: 21),
to Christ (Lk. 13: 35: 1 Pet. 2: 6). Election is
used of Gods purpose concerning Jacob (Rom.
9: 11).
The cognate verb chosen is used of Jehovahs
choice of
In
the parable of the wedding feast, given only a few days earlier (Matt. 22: 1-4), the Lord
had given the warning that many are called but few are chosen, this last word being the same as elect. As the
invitation to the feast is not limited to Jews neither can the elect be only Jews. Therefore the urgent matter for each
who hears the call is to be among the few who are chosen (elect). The condition
for this is suggested in the last place where the word is found in the New
Testament, Rev. 17:
14. Of the Beast and his supporters it is
there said that These
shall war against the Lamb, and the Lamb shall
overcome them, for He is Lord of lords and King
of kings; and they also shall overcome that are
with Him, called and chosen, and faithful. The faithful to Him in His battles will be found
among the chosen, the elect.
[It
will help to free the mind from theological bias if the word eklektos be translated chosen in all places. Of
its 22 occurrences it is already so rendered in six, and the cognate verb eklegomai is
thus rendered in all its 22 occurrences. The remaining form eklogee is rendered chosen at its first occurrence (he is a chosen vessel unto me, Ac. 9: 15), and might be so translated in its other six
places.]
*
* * *
* * *
297
AN IMPORTANT
TEXT (3)
THE
CONDITIONAL FORCE OF 1 JOHN 1: 7
If we walk in the
light, as He is in the
light, we have fellowship
one with another,
and the blood of Jesus His Son cleanseth us from all sin.
By G. H. LANG
Ean is a
conditional particle, from ei, if,
and an which emphasizes
the conditional element. This force of
the three particles continues in modern Greek. The conditional force is the
more distinct with the subjunctive of the verb, as here. In this second
paragraph John uses this construction seven times:
Chapter 1: 6, if we say: verse 7, if we walk: verse 8, if we say: verse 9, if we confess: verse 10, if we say: chapter 2: 1, if any one sin: verse 5,
but whoever may keep (hos
dan tere).
In
all these instances the strict sense is suppose we
should say, walk, etc. Darby, New
Translation, in note e to these verses in ch. 1.,
says: In all these cases the verb is in the
subjunctive, and puts the case of so doing. I should have translated them if we should say etc. but
that it is the case in verse 9 also, where it cannot be done. But he offers no
reason why it cannot be done in verse 9, nor
does there seem to be any reason. To all these places his German version gives
the note Gesetzt den Fall, dass, which
means, Let us suppose that, and no exception is mentioned. In the 1939 edition of his English
Translation the exception is no longer found.
Youngs
Literal gives: If we
may say;
Darbys
earlier exception involves forgetfulness of the difference between
justification and forgiveness. Upon faith in Christ the sinner is given a new
standing in grace and before the law of God, and he becomes a child of God.
This status is irreversible; being a child of God he can never be otherwise
than His child. This is forensic justification. But obviously a child that does
wrong needs forgiveness, and this can only be rightly and helpfully extended by
the father upon the child being sorry and confessing the fault. To continue in disobedience to God is to go
into the darkness of forfeited communion, for God cannot come out into the
darkness with the disobedient child and give him His fellowship there. The child must return to the light, the
prodigal son must come home, if he is to be forgiven. He that covereth his
transgressions shall not propser: but who so confesseth and forsaketh them shall obtain mercy (Prov.
28: 13).
Thus does
Does
not Lev. 16.,
the Day of atonement, lie behind this passage in John? On that day the High
Priest, as the religious representative of the whole nation made a general
confession of and offered a plenary atonement for all the iniquities of the
children of Israel, and all their transgressions, even all their sins (vs. 21,
22). This removed ceremonially the guilt of
all their unrecognised sins, which however God recognized and which would have
restrained His grace. But if an Israelite had sinned consciously he had to
repent, desist, confess, and offer the appointed personal sacrifice: then he
was forgiven. He could not say in his heart, Next week is the great atonement
when all our sins are put away, so I need not fear or offer my own sacrifice.
That general atonement was for all the offences unrecognized by men but known
to God. If a man was not walking in what light he had as to the law of God, but
in the darkness of self-will, that Day availed him nothing. But while he walked
in what light he had all other transgressions were held covered and did not
debar fellowship with God or the godly. In our passage also the emphasis is on
the word all, and covers not only those sins of which the believer
is aware and of which he has repented, but all other failures and sins of which
he does not know, but which are known to God and which would debar fellowship
but for the plenary virtue of the blood of Christ.
In
this connection the force of ean with the subjunctive is seen clearly in Matt. 6: 14, 15: If ye forgive ... your Father will forgive you. If
ye do not forgive ... neither will your Father
forgive. Here also it is not a
matter of justification but of forgiveness. And it must be thus. Gods holiness demands it. An unforgiving
spirit is itself sin, being utterly contrary to God, and He cannot condone
[wilful] sin in
His children, nor forgive them until they repent and return to the light.
In
his Grammar of the Greek New Testament (1005 f.) A. T. Robertson points out that in John
13: 17 two uses of ei and ean are
distinguished: If ye know (ei with the
indicative) assumes that they do know as a fact; happy are ye if ye should do (ean with the
subjunctive) leaves the fulfilment uncertain and therefore conditional. It is
this last construction that is found in the passage in John here considered.
*
* * *
* * *
298
Worthiness - On That Day*
By CHARLIE
DINES (
[* From Chapter ten of the authors book: Being Glorified Together With Him (The Reward of the Inheritance)]
Worthiness will be the final issue with respect to
kingdom inheritance when Christ returns.
The
Parable of the Talents (Matthew 25) and the
Parable of the minas (Luke 19) reveal the
truth about Christs reckoning with His servants (us) in a future day. These
are parables both similar and different. My following comments are with
reference to the Talents, though I notice its important distinction from the
Minas later in this chapter.
Parables
are illustrations intended to teach a spiritual principle or truth through the
use of familiar language and events. Whenever we meditate upon a parable we
must first seek an answer to this question:- What is
the central truth being put forth in this parables contextual appearance?
The
Lord must open our ears to hear and understand His parables (Mark 4: 33f);
intelligence is not the issue here. To some their truths remain veiled, while
by others they are understood (Matt. 13: 13ff).
The
Parable of the Talents
This is a parable pregnant with important meaning for
us now as we look forward to that certain future day.
Please
familiarize yourself with this parable in Matt.
25: 14-30 before continuing on to my comments below.
[1] This
parable concerns the kingdom of heaven,*
and it was spoken in private to certain of Jesus disciples ** in what is known as His Olivet Discourse.
It is intended to awaken every believer unto spiritual foresightedness.
*
While the words the
kingdom of heaven do not introduce this parable in the Greek text,
Jesus is continuing on from the Parable of the Ten Virgins where they do appear
(Matt. 25:
1). His theme is the same in both places - His coming, on which account we are to be
always prepared.
** Matt. 24: 3; cp. Mark 13:
3.
[2] The
central message in this parable is unmistakably clear. The lord of those
servants (a type of our Lord) will one day return to reckon with them concerning their service to him during his long
absence.
[3] There is
no evidence that two of the three servants mentioned herein were truly his own,
while the third one was not. Such conjecture on the part of many has led to
considerable confusion. All three
servants in this parable were their lords own, and not inclusive of any
member of the general citizenry. (Cp. Luke 19:
14.)
[4] The man travelling to a far
country must surely represent the
Lord Jesus: the One who has gone into the highest heaven, being presently
seated at the Fathers right hand;*
and He, like the lord of those servants, has been gone a long time (v. 19). If this lord is not intended to prefigure our
Lord (and His return), this parable becomes an obscure and mysterious
narrative.
*
Acts 2: 33; 5: 31; Heb. 1: 3b; 1 Pet. 3: 22.
[5] The only
factor that determined how much was given to each servant was his unique and
particular ability according to his masters knowledge of him individually (vv. 14, 15). (As an aside: God
has dealt to each [believer] a
measure of faith (Rom. 12: 3) so that
we may be of profit to Him and others;*
but we are expected to use what He has given to us to serve His interests.) Let
us consider the following illustration from ordinary life.
*
This measure of
faith, or the Word of God given to us
(John 17: 14a)
- i.e.., seed (2 Cor. 9: 10) - are like the talents; they are things which
may be increased or multiplied: see 2 Cor. 10: 15; Acts 6: 7.
A
man may give his wife a newfangled apple peeler as a gift and ask her to use it
to make him a tasty apple pie: his favourite. Over the next many months and
years his wife never makes him such a pie, though she occasionally makes him a
peach pie, a pumpkin pie, and other kinds of pies, but never his requested
favourite - and this despite his occasional reminders of the gift he had given
to her. But his gift goes unused.
It
is through no lack of ability or provision that she has denied her husband of
his good pleasure. She has merely done as she pleased.
This
is but a simple parallel to the far more serious point being made in the
Parable of the Talents.
In
verses 20-23,
the lords settling of accounts with the first two of his servants is made
known. Three important things may be gleaned from these verses to encourage the
faithful.
1. These first two servants - though they began with
differing numbers of talents - both doubled their number by putting them to
use.
2. As a result, they both received the exact same
commendation from their lord, word for word: Well done, good
and faithful servant ... Enter into the joy of
your lord.
The good news in this parable should be plain enough.
Christ has delivered His goods to His servants, us included. We may all gain an
increase through diligent use of these goods, and be found rich in good works,
thereby to be accounted worthy of His commendation and to receive the reward at
our Lords coming.*
* 1
Cor. 3: 9-14; 2 John 8; Rev. 22: 12.
Finally, we come to see the calamitous end of the
third servant in verses 24-29. As concerns his case, let us observe three
things of grave significance.
1. The fact that he had dug in the ground and hid his lords money displayed his utter worthlessness in his lords
service during his absence (v. 18). He, like his two fellow servants, had been
given provision and opportunity.
However, he chose to do nothing with his lords talent, deciding rather
to bury it, unseen and unemployed. (We all need to ask ourselves: What am I doing with the Lords provision?)
2. He tried to imply - as an excuse for his neglect -
that he had been afraid of his own lord, whom he termed a hard man (v. 24). In his lords reply to this bogus excuse this
servant was sternly rebuked, being told that if it was indeed true that he
feared his lord, this should have been all the more reason for him to have put
his lords money to use. (Are we walking in the proper fear of the Lord?)
Because
of his blatant disregard of the intended use of his lords granting he is
declared to be a wicked and
lazy servant (v. 26).
3.
The consequences of his neglect, which were two, are then made fully known.
First, that which he had was taken from him; secondly, he* was cast into outer
darkness (v.v.
28ff) .
*
A discussion of what outer darkness
represents will be passed over at this point, for it would require far too much
unprofitable space to discuss the several opinions posited among Biblical
scholars concerning its meaning. Suffice to say that this is a most dreadful
consequence. And while I maintain that it does not pertain to eternal damnation
in the
I will summarize by saying this. We have each been
given Gods Word, or some specific gift(s) or talent(s) by our Lord. We are
only called to trade in that which we have been given. But trade we must!
The
Parable of the Minas is along a similar line.* In that parable one
mina** was given to each of ten servants. Some
gained more than others, and their resultant acknowledgment and reward varied
accordingly. One servant did nothing with his mina, laying it away, to his
great consequence. The contrast between these two parables illustrates that
reward is proportioned according to [1] our ability and allotment, and [2]
our individual endeavour in service to the Master.
* The parables of
the Talents, the Minas (Luke 19: 12ff), the Prodigal Son (Luke
15: 11ff), the Rich Young Rule (Mark 10: 17ff), the
Ten Virgins (Matt. 25:
1ff), and others do not have saving faith
upon regeneration in view. They refer to matters pertaining to the believers
faithfulness, service, readiness, and destiny since being saved. Pauls
admonition to believers is this: For you have been
bought with a price: therefore glorify God in
your body (1 Cor.
6: 20).
** A mina (or, a
pound) was worth about three month's salary
or 100 days wages according to footnotes in
the NKJV and the NASB at Luke 19: 13.
Closing Thoughts
The most popular summary of the parable of the Talents
- a view put forth by many - is that the first two servants represent believers
who will go into heavens glory, while the third
servant represents one of the Lords own (or perhaps an unbeliever) consigned
to eternal damnation in the Lake of Fire. (I have previously given my reasons
for rejecting any such notion as foolish imaginings.)
It
has been Gods intention from before the foundation of the world that man
should rule His creation;* but
fallen, then redeemed men will only rule under the headship of the Man, Christ
Jesus. To be joint-heirs with Him in glory is Gods call to all of His own, and
it is the possibility made available to every believer. It is this possibility
and not the loss of eternal life - that every wicked, lazy Christian will be found
to have forfeited on the day when the Lord reckons with him. Therefore, Be ready, for the Son of Man is coming in that hour you do not expect (Matt. 24: 44).** D. M. Panton rightly observes: All that contributes to holiness contributes to readiness.***
* Gen. 1: 27, 28; Eph. 1: 4ff; Rev. 11: 15.
** In the Greek, Be ready (ginesthe betoimoi) is an
imperative command, and it is in the middle voice, meaning (literally) make yourselves ready.
*** A quote lifted from Pantons book, Rapture,
published by Schoettle Publishing
Co., Inc.; p. 62.
Our
perusal of the Parable of the Talents discloses the truth about the reward to
be either received or forfeited (or worse) in that future day; this would seem
to be incontrovertible. Therefore, we ought to each ponder the following
questions.
[1] Am I using my talent(s) to the profit of the Lord, or only
to my own profit in the world?
[2] Have I become spiritually lazy through a preoccupation with
worldly things and the affairs of this life: my business, my desire for the
baubles of the world, my hobbies, or my wanderlusts?"
[3] Am I being about my Fathers business?
*
* * *
* * *
299
KINGDOM EXCLUSION
AND
CHASTISEMENT AT THE JUDGMENT SEAT*
[*The following selected
quotations - (with the exception of those by A. L. Chitwood, G. H. Lang,
R. Govett, D. M. Panton and G. H.
Pember) - are presented for the benefit of a dear pre-millennial believer
and brother in Christ, who disagrees with their writings. He wanted to know how
many other Christian writers believed in a selective Rapture and a selective
Resurrection.
How shocking and disturbing Gods accountability truths and conditional promises appear to all like-minded regenerate believers who imagine and teach others that when we die, there is need of nothing else apart from regeneration, to qualify for (1) rapture before the Tribulation begins; and (2) we can now take a different route into Heaven after our Death, than that taken by our Forerunner, Jesus Christ!
This unscriptural teaching, negatives the importance of the Judgment Seat of Christ - (when He will award His redeemed people according to their works after salvation, Heb. 9: 27): but, more importantly, and shockingly, it also negatives the teachings of our Lord Himself! and the teachings of His chosen Prophets and Apostles, who were eye-witnesses of His Majesty, and authors of the Holy Scriptures: they sat under His teachings, and were afterwards guided and divinely inspired by the Holy Spirit Himself, to enable them write His words - as we find them recorder for us in Hebrew language.
May the Lord Himself, forgive us
for our ignorance, and be pleased to open our eyes to see more clearly and understand
more fully the teachings contained in His inspired Word, during these
days of apostasy from the faith when Christian tradition
has now replaced so much of Biblical Truth! - Ed.]
-------
Watchman Nee (1903-1972)
Nee: ... those Christians who faithfully have followed the
Lord shall enjoy glory a thousand years ahead of other Christians. ... Those who have no part in the first resurrection may yet be hurt by the
second death. Some Christians will be disciplined in the
future (see Matt. 18: 34, 35). He who wrongs his
brother will be punished by the Lord (1 Thess. 4: 5, 6). ... Will there be anyone saved at the Great White Throne? The
answer is yes. ... The Bible
explicitly states that those who do not
confess Christ before men will not be confessed by Christ before the angels of
God. This means they
have no part in the kingdom. If they too were
to appear at this juncture, they
certainly should be among the saved.
Albert
George Tilney (1891-1976)
Tilney: Merit (or worthiness)
it must be maintained in the teeth of all denial, is a condition and
qualification for the First Resurrection ... (Luke 20: 35). ... Priests of
God and Christ, they shall reign with him a thousand years ... not instead of
eternally, but Millennially before
eternity proper begins. Others - proud, indulgent, cowardly - are judged unworthy of Christ and of aeonian life. Now
we know from several epistles that SOME BELIEVERS WILL BE EXCLUDED FROM
THIS
Oswald
Jeffrey Smith (1889-1986)
Smith:
If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him. This was the great incentive to the Christians of the early
Church. ... Pastor D. M. Panton, widely known writer and
diligent student of prophecy ...
Robert
Thomas Ketcham (1889-1978)
Ketcharn: The general attitudes concerning the
matters discussed in this chapter are: First: There will be rewards for faithfulness in various lines of
Christian living. Second. The believer does sin,
and, as a consequence, receives chastisement, but it is confined to this life
only. Third. Some believers will have no reward at the Judgment Seat of Christ, but because chastisement
ends with this life, there will be none there. The difference between this common conception
and the view set forth in this chapter is simply this: The principle of chastisement remains the same; the
difference is in the extent to which it is carried. One halts the process at the Judgment Seat
of Christ; the other allows its continuance for those who did not submit to its
benefactions here. I have searched in
vain for a single Scripture to prove the discontinuance of this principle at
the Lords return. On the other hand a
great mass of Scripture ... seems
to indicate the awful and soul-searching truth that there is such a thing as
CORRECTIVE DISCIPLINE when we see Him face to face. We have been surprised to discover that MANY TEACHERS have had a
conviction that this was the teaching of Scripture, such men as Lange, Dean
Alford, Stanley, Goebel, and GOVETT.
And when we read the following from the pen of C. G. Trumbull, editor of The Sunday School Times, are
we not led to believe he had some convictions along this line? Writing of the parable of the talents, he
said: If the servant (who is cast into outer darkness) is not a believer, but
a mere professor, then we have in this parable nothing to represent the
Christian who fails in faithfulness.
Daniel
Paul Rader (1878-1938)
Rader: Everything that has to do with the thousand
years must meet the most terrific fires of testing. Only that which can pass through
the fire test at the Judgment Seat can be admitted into this thousand years of
Millennial splendour.
W. F. Roadhouse
Roadhouse: But as we have before intimated, those not barred by the disqualifications that each of the Apostles and
our Lord Jesus Christ clearly point out (as Galatians 5: 19-21, etc.) will have
position and rulership in that coming Kingdom - those who suffer with Him (2 Timothy 2: 12, Romans 8: 17); those who are counted worthy (Luke
21: 36); ... A resurrection takes place. We remember that at the setting up of the
rulership of the Overcomers, in chapter 20: 5, it was said, But
the rest of the dead (believers) lived
not again until the thousand years were finished. They had won no crown. In Scriptural language, they had proven unworthy,
unfaithful. ... And hence they were not raised to reign with Him. ... God shake us up. When
Revival comes we shall see this truth again! Let the reader remember these
perfectly simple things - namely, no uncrowned believer reigns with Christ, and crowns are earned by sweat,
labour, travail, even to death if need be.
Roadhouse: This Bema, has been said for a generation
or longer, to be but for the
adjudication of Rewards. The usage cited,
out of eleven times the word is employed, indicated otherwise - and for us, New
Testament usage determines its meaning. For example, Pilate sat on the Bema -
did he reward Christ, or
condemn him? (Matthew 27: 19; John 19: 13). Herod sat upon a Bema, trying both
criminals and good men (Acts
12: 21). ... This Bema (translated
judgment seat) is to dispense not only happy rewardings
but also the opposite. ... Thus we have what the New Testament itself
yields and settles ... By this we stand ... Does the cleric who trails the slime of his sexual philandering
into the holiest of places and relationships get away with it at the Bema? ... Does the plainly dishonest preacher or
layman who mishandles funds, puts through crooked deals, or carelessly owes everybody,
large or small, expect His welcoming word - instead of rejection in that day
(cf. Lev. 6: 1-7)? ... Our responsibility is to hew to the line unafraid of personal
consequences. Let us - even in our
over-popular, respectable, Fundamentalist ranks - not water down our
message.
Samuel
Fennell Hurnard (1871-1949)
Hurnard: It is evident that the first resurrection is one of privilege and blessing. Here is the fifth Beatitude of this Book, Blessed and holy are these. ... They appear from other passages to be an elect, or chosen
company - chosen for reward ... 2 Tim. 2: 12 agrees with this chapter. [Revelation 20]
If we suffer, we
shall also reign with Him:
if we deny Him,
He also will deny us. ...
William
Powell Clark (1864-1953)
Clark: There
is no hint in Scripture of resurrected believers being subjects in the
Frank
Victor Mildred
Mildred:
...the Kingdom
of the thousand years is a reward which can be won or lost. ... The Church today is worldly-minded and often spiritually helpless. It
needs the tonic of this truth of the kingdom as a reward to stir it from its lethargy.
Mary Ardine
Ardine: All who are taken in these two companies will be members of
the Lords body, and will reign with Him because they will have part in the
First Resurrection. But even yet there will be some believers who will be left out as unworthy, and that
is why the Lord bids us hold fast that which we have, that no man take our
crown, and gives many similar charges, all addressed to His own people - a fact
which evidently points to the possibility of some, even of those who believe in
Him, failing to obtain the Kingdom.
But I
do not quite follow you, interrupted the Objector. How can Christians be in danger of missing
the glory? Does not the Lord Himself say
that whosoever believeth in Him hath everlasting life? How then can it depend on our faithfulness or
service? It is indeed a glorious and
blessed fact replied the Master that
eternal life is the gift of God through Christ. ... but
the crown and the
Jesse Sayer
Sayer: The overcomer is
manifestly the one who endures to the end; he
is not temporary ... they will have part in the first
resurrection. ... These
will be granted ability to rule. ... You will reign with Christ; if you suffer you will be privileged to be in the Sovereignty with Him.
...
May the Lord make us overcomers!
H. S. Gallimore
Gallimore: Are we to write down the five foolish
virgins as lost? ... Most suggestive of all however is the First
Resurrection. Only
the blessed and holy have part therein. ... Whatever our school of thought, how incumbent is it in each
of us not to have counted himself to have apprehended, but to strive
earnestly if haply we may through grace be reckoned worthy to attain that
resurrection from among the dead and to enter in with the Lord at His coming!
William Henry Griffith Thomas
(1861-1924)
Thomas: There is no other way of salvation, and no other merit than
the sacrificial death of Christ on
Jessie Penn-Lewis (1861-1927)
Penn-Lewis: Many may ask why we
should go forward in ceaseless conflict and warfare with the forces of evil. It is for the prize of the throne. In His messages to the churches
the Lord clearly holds out to all the incentive of reward. Pauls writings are full of reference to reward, to all who will fulfil the
conditions. ... Now what is the throne which awaits our ascended Lord? It is
the Millennial throne of reigning and ruling the kingdoms of the world. ... Then
the Millennial throne of Christ is to be shared with others on certain conditions, by the gift of Christ Himself. ... The obtaining of the prize of this high calling of sharing the throne with Christ was the
incentive which urged Paul on to count all things loss to obtain it, and to be
willing to be made conformable to the death of Christ as the primary means for
reaching such an end (see Phil. 3: 10-14). ... lf
by any means I may attain. ... Paul was perfectly sure of his eternal salvation as a free
gift from God, through the finished work of Christ ... but he
again and again refers to the Prize which even he could not be sure of, unless
he pressed on to fulfil the conditions for obtaining it. In Romans
8: 17, the same if comes in again in
connection with the same subject. ... What is in the balance, therefore, for every believer in
the present warfare with Satan, which must intensify as the age closes, is the Millennial crown and throne.
Charles Spelman
Utting (1859-1951)
Utting: This is progressive sanctification, a life-long process and growth, and in those cases where it is accomplished will win its
possessors a share in the First Resurrection, and the reigning with Christ in
His
Philip
Mauro (1859-1952)
Mauro: And let it not be forgotten that there is not only the recompense of reward for faithfulness
and obedience, which Moses had in view (Heb. 9: 26), but also that there is a just recompense of
reward for every
transgression and disobedience (Heb. 2: 2, 3). For the
saints are, every one, to
receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether good
or bad. We know it is quite common, and alas!
exceedingly popular, in this lax and easy-going day, either to ignore,
or actually to set aside, this solemn and salutary warning concerning the
Judgment seat of Christ.
Saints are quite willing to hear about receiving recompense for the
things done in the body that are good; but are disposed to close their ears to
the warning that they are to receive equally for the deeds that are bad. But
there stand the words of God, and we dare not set them aside, or water down
their very clear meaning. Who can say to what extent the present low
spiritual condition of the saints is due to the prevailing tendency, on the part of those who assume to teach and instruct them, to
disregard or blunt the edge of the sharp warnings of Scripture, of which
there are many, or to explain them away, or to assign them to others
than the children of God, for whose benefit they are given?
Mauro: It may be of interest to the reader to
learn that the writing of this book was begun and finished on the memorable
voyage of the Steamship Carpathia which was interrupted by the rescue of the
survivors of the Titanic, and by the return with them to the
Stephen
Speers Craig (1855-1936?)
Craig: Only those who endure unto the end will have salvation in
the second degree. Matt. 24: 13. And if those who do not endure unto the
end miss the second stage of salvation,
what will be the consequence, the penalty?
They will LOSE THE MESSIANIC KINGDOM. ... Every saved man must have his BAPTISM OF FIRE now in this
age, or in the age to come. God is not mocked. Gal. 6: 6-8. ... He who sincerely accepts Christ as his
Saviour from sin is in turn accepted of God, for Christs sake, forgiven,
regenerated, and justified. ... This is his justification as a sinner. And we may affirm, as a
general principle, that it can never be lost. ... According to the traditional theory a man can have
salvation, and break every one of the commandments enumerated by the Saviour, and yet enter the Millennial kingdom, because they say, it is all of
grace. But Gal. 5: 19-21 and 2
Cor. 12: 19-21,
not to cite other passages, prove the falsity of the assumption. ... Only those who have
attained real spiritual union with Christ by self-denial and self-sacrifice
effected through the power of the Spirit of Christ as crucified and risen, will
share in the glory of the first-resurrection. ... How pathetic the thought that for the great majority of
Christians their end is not maturity and Millennial glory, but exclusion, destruction and age-lasting Judgment. ... What an inconceivable loss it will be to THE
CHRISTIAN to be shut out from the Messianic Kingdom for a thousand years, and
CONFINED IN THE HADEAN PRISON? Matt. 5: 21-26. Surely the wages
of sin is death for the carnal Christian as well as
for the sinner. And why should it not be so?
Lt.
Col. George Frederick Poynder (1851-1942)
Poynder: This was the prize, the out-resurrection from amongst the dead for which the Apostle Paul
was striving, lest when he had preached to others, he himself should be a
castaway, i.e. rejected at the judgment-seat of Christ for the prize; ... This also was the prize for which the
martyrs suffered themselves to be tortured, not accepting deliverance that they might obtain a better resurrection, that is, the first
resurrection. ... How important it is then for us to examine
ourselves, and see whether we be in the faith. ... And may we ever bear in mind the solemn warning contained
in the judgment meted out to the wicked and unprofitable servant - His own bond-slave, entrusted with His
Masters goods, and which had been more or less carefully preserved Thou wicked and slothful servant, - thou knewest - thou oughtest therefore ... take the talent
from him ... and cast ye the unprofitable
servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth. ...We may conclude that as he is his Lords own bond-slave, bought
with His own most precious Blood, entrusted with His goods, his name was entered in the Lambs Book of Life ... though he will of necessity have MISSED reigning with Christ in the
Millennial Kingdom. ... He immediately passes on to the account of
the second or General Resurrection. ... This separation and judgment must take place when the Great
White Throne is set ... those whose names are not written in the Lambs
Book of Life will be cast into the Lake of Fire; whilst those whose names are
in that book, but were not judged to be worthy of the first resurrection,
now enter into eternal life, so for them the Lords promise as recorded in John 6: 39, 40, 44, 54, four times repeated,
will be literally fulfilled ... they will have everlasting life, being raised
up as promised at the last day. ... But let it never be forgotten; - he
will miss the prize, the first or better resurrection, the joy of entering the
Marriage Feast, and living and reigning with his Lord during the Millennium.
Dr.
Alfred Taylor Schofield (1846-1929)
Schofield: ...we are all perfectly clear that entrance
into eternal life is of grace alone ... but Scripture clearly shows
that there are definite rewards and losses with regard to our Christian conduct
in this world. ... This is the point I would put definitely before you. For
forty years I have glossed over every passage which refers to exclusion, and
have refused to apply it to the Christian man.
But on the face of
them, these passages do apply to Christians everywhere. They are in Epistles written to Christians,
and are safeguarded at the time, as applying to Christians. I feel that when an Apostle says, Be not deceived, there may be great danger
that some will be deceived, in applying Scriptures to other people and
carefully shielding the application from ourselves. First, I would appeal to you, on those
grounds, quietly to read those short passages which have been alluded to, many
of them, over again. ... Be
not deceived. Why that solemn warning? No one
that is an unconverted adulterer will inherit the
Henry
William Fry
Fry: It
is also a very solemn teaching and warning which is contained in the following
parable of the talents. The kingdom of
heaven is again spoken of, for the man called His own servants (not those who do not own Him as their
Lord) and delivered unto
them certain trusts. These trusts some made the most of, others
neglected. Those who faithfully used
their talents received a reward, those who neglected to use them, though
equally believers, and equally professors, or Christians as we should call them,
were cast out; not
because they did not believe, not because they sinned, simply because they were slothful and
unprofitable! ... Then commences the scene of terror, when the unsanctified and
unsaved dead will be summoned to stand before the awful judgment seat of the
Great White Throne! But others will also be there who will not be cast into the lake of
fire. Those believers whose names are written in
the Lambs Book of Life, but who failed during their lifetime to seek and find,
through consecration of their bodies and faith in Jesus Christ, that
sanctification or holiness, or purity of heart without which no man shall see
the Lord, and who did not stand before Christs Judgment-seat, will also appear
at this dread Bar! ...
Isaac
Massey Haldeman (1845-1933)
Haldeman: The preachers who have preached and by their preaching have
built nothing better than wood, hay and stubble on the foundation of Christ
will be judged as unfaithful stewards of the Word of God. ... None of these shall enter into
and share the joy of the Lord. They
cannot take part in the kingdom on earth. ... O
the pitiableness of it. Redeemed and
doing nothing for Christ. ... They will miss the well done.
They cannot enter into the joy of the Lord. They will have no part in the kingdom of the
thousand years on earth.
Haldeman: The wicked servant [Luke
19: 12-27] belongs to the category of those who shall be ashamed
before Him at His coming; who shall not receive an abundant entrance into the
Kingdom; who shall lose their crown and be shut out from participation in the joy of the Lord, even His rule and glory on the earth.
Alexander Patterson (1844-1912)
Patterson: The fact of the chastening of the
unfaithful servant at the judgment of the saints, is also taught directly by
Christ ... [Luke 12: 45-48]. Here is certain
exposure, condemnation, and more, for
the fruitless
or faithless servant. Beaten with many stripes does not mean
the loss of the soul, but does mean more than has been generally taught. The stripes are connected with the coming of Christ. The same truth is taught in the parables
of the same talents when the
unprofitable servant is cast out into the outer
darkness: there shall be the weeping and gnashing of
teeth. [Matt. 25: 30].
Siegfried
Abraham Goebel (b.1844)
Goebel: But great and glorious as is this reward, so heavy, on the
other hand, is the punishment that will be inflicted on those who let the Word entrusted to them lie dead and useless.
For not merely will the Lord leave to the faithful the rich product of their
earthly labour even in the future
Lt.
Col. Joseph Sladen (1841-1930)
Sladen: Be
not deceived: neither fornicators, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor
effeminate ... shall inherit the
Sladen: What vexation and sorrow will be theirs who refuse the
Lords command to strive to enter into the
Sladen: Salvation then refers to the gift of Eternal Life, and also to the coming
Sladen: All the saints will reign in the eternal
Kingdom on the ground of grace alone, as heirs of God; although some will have lost the joint heirship with Christ in His temporary
Kingdom.
J.
Hudson
Elijah
Richardson Craven (1824-1908)
Craven: Into that glorious company of the First Resurrection it is probable
that only those who have been partakers of Christs
humiliation and suffering (either personally or throughout the present aeon)
shall be received - a select portion of the redeemed, including the martyrs.
Joseph
Augustus Seiss (1823-1904)
Seiss: In the parable of the pounds we also read of a servant who
was no less a servant than his fellow-servants. ... He, however, behaved so unprofitably toward his trust that
it was eventually taken away from him, and no reward or rulership was given him
as to his more industrious and faithful fellows. No man can take the parable and say that this
servant represents such as shall finally perish. ... To be saved is one thing; to be rewarded is another. The
one is through the grace of God only; the
other is according to works and attainments only. ... It
is only hard service that brings reward, and a real bearing of the cross that
secures the crown. ... The first translation will partake of equal
privileges with the first resurrection, and therefore must possess equal
qualifications.
And if martyrdom in fact was necessary
as a preparation for the first resurrection, a living martyrdom is necessary to
qualify for the first translation. ... Here we see, as in many similar passages, the connection of
sufferings with these high blessings.
James
Robinson Graves (1820-1893)
[* See also tracts 288 & 290.]
-------
THE
By JOSEPH ELLISON
There is no charge of intentional misleading, on the
part of those Bible teachers who assume, that the christian enters into his
final glory at death. Eschatological
teaching would be greatly simplified if we were able to take that for granted.
Assuming that to be a final statement of truth, then it would disqualify
several important christian doctrines. The second advent of our Lord would be
one of them. Why should it be necessary for Him to - come again and receive you
unto Myself, if His people go
to Him in a final sense at death? The N.T. doctrine of the resurrection of the
Christian dead, when the Lord shall so come, would be redundant if we were able
to say of all departed saints that the resurrection is
past already. It would not be the first time
in the Christian era that such a disastrous thing has been taught (2 Tim. 2: 18).
Consider
for a moment the evidence of this mistaken conception, in those well-known
lines of Charles Wesley as follows:-
Come, let us
join our friends above, who have received the prize ... Let all the saints
terrestrial sing with those to glory gone. Judge for yourself as to whether
the perfect poet was also a perfect theologian, by an enquiry like this: is the prize
received in the hymn, the same as the one anticipated by Paul in Phil. 3: 10-14 - I press toward the mark, for
the prize of our high calling, of God in Christ
Jesus? If so, then there
would be this difference between Paul and Wesley - the former expected it in the out-resurrection from among the dead, which he
sought so diligently to attain, and
the latter at the time of his death. It is one thing to sing:- Around the throne
of God in
heaven, thousands of children stand, but quite another thing to prove it from the Holy Scriptures.
Like
the steam locomotive on its two steel rails, so our thoughts must run along the
appointed track, if we are to reach the terminus of truth in safety. Alignment of truth is imperative, both for the in-working of our salvation,
and the out-working of it in the future; and this is the alignment
we follow. The first advent of Christ into this world, is the gateway into salvation: His second advent is the gateway into [millennial] glory. The former is the controlling factor of grace, the latter is the
governing factor of our expectations, which is to be consummated by a mighty,
collective movement upward, on the part of all the [accounted worthy (Luke 20: 35)] saints, and of all dispensations up to that time. It is,
therefore, an axiom of Christian doctrine, that there is an interval
of time lying between the Christians death, and the coming of the Lord to
receive him unto Himself.
*
* * *
* * *
300
THE GIFT AND
THE PRIZE
By ROBERT
GOVETT, M. A.
The New Testament speaks of both a GIFT and of a PRIZE.
What
is a gift? It is something bestowed without price. What is Gods gift?
The wages of sin is death; but
the
GIFT of God is ETERNAL LIFE In Jesus Christ our Lord. Rom.
6: 23; Eph. 2: 8; John 3: 15, 16; 17: 2; 1 John 5: 11.
It is also called Salvation.
What
is a PRIZE? - It is a reward gained by some performance.
New
Testament Scripture speaks of a prize as set before us.
That I may know Him [Christ] and
the power of His resurrection, and the
fellowship of His sufferings, being made
conformable unto His death, If by any means I
might attain to the select resurrection from among the dead.*
Not as though I had attained, either were made already perfected; but, I follow after, if I may lay hold on that for which also I was laid hold on
by Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have
laid hold on it, but this one thing I do,
forgetting the things behind, and reaching forward unto the things before, I press toward the mark for the PRIZE of the high
calling** of God in Christ Jesus: Phil. 3:
10-14.
* See Greek. ** Or rather the calling above.
Again:-
Know ye not, that they who run
in the course of the foot-race* run all, but one (only) receiveth the prize! So run that ye may obtain. Not every
one that entereth the lists is temperate in all things. Now they do it in order to obtain a corruptible crown, but we (do it to obtain) an
Incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so box I, not as one that scourgeth the air; but I keep under my body, and
lead it about as a slave, lest after having
acted the herald to others, I myself should
become disapproved: 1 Cor. 9: 24-27.
* See Greek.
Here
then the Christian prize is stated to be a partaking in the first and blest
resurrection of the thousand years, or the millennium: Rev.
20: 4-6. It is called the reward, or the kingdom.
The
gift of God then is eternal life, and the prize, which is the
millennial kingdom, are two different things. They differ
on almost every point.
1. Eternal life is, as its name imports, something which has
no end. But the kingdom of the Christ ends after a thousand years, and is given up by the Son to
the Father, that God may be all in all: Rev.
20: 4-6; 1 Cor. 15: 23-28.
2. Eternal life is something which is begun to be
enjoyed already: John 3: 36; 5: 24; 6: 47; 1 John 5: 13. The [regenerate] believer is already saved, and ought to rejoice on this account: 1 Cor. 1: 18; Rom. 8: 24; Eph 2: 5, 8; 2 Tim. 1: 9; Tit. 3: 5; Phil. 3: 1; 4: 4; 1 Thess. 5: 16. But the
prize or the kingdom is something which even Paul was seeking for and had not
then attained: Phil. 3; 1 Cor.
9. It is a reward for service to Christ, and suffering for His
sake. Well done,
good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of thy Lord: Matt. 25: 21-23. Come, ye blessed of My Father,
inherit the kingdom ... for I was
hungry and ye gave Me food; and 25: 34-36. Not every one that
saith to Me Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of My Father
who is in heaven: Matt. 7: 21; Luke 6: 35; 1 Cor. 3: 8-17; Matt. 5: 11, 12. We must through many troubles
enter into the
3. Eternal life is bestowed on Gods elect at once upon
their faith; and cannot be lost: Eph. 2: 8; John 3: 15, 16; 5: 24; 6: 40, 47; 10: 28; 1 Tim. 1: 16; Acts 13: 46; Rom. 8: 29-39. It is given to sinners against their desert. Not by works in righteousness which we did, did He save us, but according
to His mercy: Tit. 3: 5. To him that worketh
not, but believeth in Him that justifieth the
ungodly, his faith is reckoned unto
righteousness: Rom. 4: 5. Eternal
life is the present possession of our calling. The millennium kingdom is the hope of our calling: Eph.
1: 18. The prize of our calling is to be sought for with effort. Seek ye first the
Kingdom of God, and His righteousness: Matt. 6:
33. But rather seek ye the
4. For the believer to be seeking after eternal life
would be unbelief. For the believer not to be seeking after the prize of the Kingdom,
is
unbelief. God becomes the rewarder of the diligent seeker: Heb. 11: 6; Matt. 5: 46; 6: 1-16; 10: 41, 42. To whom
is the prize to be given? To those accounted worthy: Luke 20: 34-36.
They which shall
be accounted
worthy to attain that age, and the
resurrection from among the dead (the first resurrection) neither marry nor are given in marriage, for neither can they die any more, for they are equal to the angels: Heb. 1; 4.; 6: 11.
Hence
exhortation comes in to stir us up to desire and to seek this glory: Heb. 3: 13; 4: 11. Exhort one another daily, while
it is called to-day, lest any of you be hardened
through the deceitfulness of sin. For we are
made associates
of the Christ [Thy fellows: Psa. 45:
7, when He comes to take the kingdom,] if we hold the beginning of our confidence
steadfast unto the end. Let us labour
therefore to enter into that rest,
lest any fall after the same example of disobedience (Margin.). For as human prizes
require certain excellencies, and may be lost by the contrary offences, so with
the prize of God. Some of the offences that will cause offenders to lose this
glory are stated in 1 Cor.
6: 1-11; Gal. 5: 19-21; 6: 7-10; Luke 18: 17; Eph. 5: 5; Rev. 2: 26, 27.
And
the danger of loss is not distant and slight. Hence the apostle bids us seek,
as if we were the only one that could win the prize. He exhibits to us twice
the provocation of Gods people
He
has distinctly said, that He will confirm the just judgments of His churches on
this point, when He comes: Matt. 18: 18.
On
this subject Abraham, the father of the faithful, is set forth to us as an
example. He is first justified by faith: Gen.
15. But after that, he is found obedient to
Gods commands of circumcision and the offering of his son. On the latter occasion
God by oath binds Himself to fulfil to Abraham all His promises, which look
onward to the millennium. By myself have I sworn, saith
the Lord, for
because thou hast done this thing,
and hast not withheld thy son, thine only son, that in
blessing I will bless thee ... And in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because
thou hast obeyed My voice. Gen. 22:
16-18.
With
*
* * *
* * *
To be continued, God willing