VARIOUS SELECTIONS FROM
WATCHING AND WAITING
This
magazine by the
SOVEREIGN GRACE ADVENT TESTIMONY
Website:
WWW.SGAT.ORG
Their
objects are:
1. To teach the nearing approach of our Lord’s
return. James 5: 8
2. To hold forth the Truth and to expose and
resist error. Jude 3
3. To note passing events in the
light of ‘the Scripture of Truth.’ 2 Peter 1: 19
4To unfold the Word of God by comparing
Scripture with Scripture. Acts 17: 11
5. To encourage
missionary endeavour, and all service for Truth. Acts
1: 8
6. To comfort and
strengthen those who seek to stand with the Lord,
apart from abounding lawlessness. 2
Timothy 2: 19
To call for separation from
false ecumenism. 2
Corinthians 6: 14-18
* *
*
[PART 1]
CONTENTS
1. THE BOOK OF PSALMS
2. EVENTS AT CHRIST’S COMING
3. THY KINGDOM COME
4. SIMON THE CYRENINE
5. JOSEPH OF ARIMATHEA
6. DIVINE CHOICE
7. OIKOUMENE
8. THE CHRONOLOGY OF EZEKIEL’S PROPHECIES
9. THE DESTRUCTION OF ANTICHRIST
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1
The Book of Psalms
By Andrew A
Bonar
(This article is taken from the preface of Dr
Bonar’s book, ‘Christ and His Church in the Book of Psalms,’ published in 1859).
[Volume
27, No 15. July/September,
2010.]
Few of the Books of
Scripture are richer than the Book of Psalms,
that ‘Hymn-book for all times,’ as it has been called. ‘There,’ says Luther, ‘you
look right down into the heart of saints, and behold all manner of joys and
joyous thoughts toward God and His love springing lustily into life! Again, you look into the heart of saints as
into death and hell! How gloomy and dark
their mournful visions of God.’
Another has said, ‘The Psalms teach me to prize
a much tried life.’ And Tholuck (who gives these quotations) remarks, ‘Songs which, like the Psalms, have stood the test of three
thousand years, contain a germ for eternity.’
The Psalms are for all ages
alike - not more for David than for us.
Even as the cry, ‘it is finished!’ though
first heard by the ear of John and the women from Galilee, who stood at the
cross, was not meant for them more truly than for us; so with the Psalms.
The
writers were prepared by God, through personal and public
circumstances, for breathing forth appropriately the mind of Him Who used
them.
He remarks that the Psalms, like
the prophetic writings, ‘arose by the suggestion of
some condition of the Church, present in the days of the prophets, as the
particular case. But passing beyond this
in time, and passing beyond it in aggravation of every circumstance, they give
as it were a consecutive glance of all the like cases and kindred passages in
the history of the Church, and bring out the general law of God’s providence
and grace in the present, and in all the future parallel cases.’ The Psalmist, however, was not to be an
automaton, nor his readers mere lookers‑on or listeners to what the
automaton gives forth. ‘Therefore, God moulded His man to His purpose, and cast him
into the conditions that suited His ends.
And still he was a man, acted on by course of nature, and manifest to
the people as a fellow-man, through whom, indeed, they heard soul-stirring
truth, uttered with ear-piercing words, but suited to their case, and thrust in
their way, and spoken to their feelings, and pressed on their consciences, and
riveted there by the most mighty sanctions of life and death, present and
eternal. And as THE WORD which was in the beginning took not voice, nor
intelligence, but flesh, human flesh, and the fullness of the Godhead was
manifested bodily; so when that same Word came to the fathers by the prophets,
and discovered a part of His fullness, it was through their flesh, or their
humanity - that is, through their present condition of spirit, and mind, and
body, and outward estate.’
It was for this end that God led
David the round of all human conditions, that he might catch the spirit proper
to every one, and utter it according to the truth. ‘He allowed him not
to curtail his being by treading the round of one function; but by a variety of
functions He cultivated his whole being, and filled his soul with wisdom and
feeling. He found him objects of every
affection. He brought him up in the
sheep-pastures, that the groundwork of his character might be laid through
simple and universal forms of feeling.
He took him to the camp, that he might be filled with nobleness of soul,
and ideas of glory. He placed him in the
palace, that he might be filled with ideas of majesty and sovereign might. He carried him to the wilderness and placed
him in solitudes, that his soul might dwell alone in the sublime conception of
God and His mighty works. And He kept
him there for long years, with only one step between him and death, that he
might be well schooled to trust and depend upon the providence of God. And in none of these various conditions and
vocations of life did He take from him His Holy Spirit. His trials were but the tuning of the
instrument with which the Spirit might express the various melodies which He
designed to utter by him for the consolation and edification of spiritual
men. John the Baptist, having to be used
for rough work, was trained in the desert ... Every one hath been disciplined
by the providence of God, as well as furnished in the fountains of his being,
for that particular work for which the Spirit of God designed him.’
The literal and historical sense
is in the highest degree profitable; as Calvin, and Venema,
and Matthew Henry, and others, have shewn.
But our principle is, that having once found the literal sense, the
exact meaning of the terms, and the primary application of the Psalm, we are
then to ask what the Holy Spirit intended to teach in all ages by this
formula. Bishop Horne speaks of such
study as being like a traveller’s ascent to an eminence, ‘neither unfruitful nor unpleasant,’ whence he gets an
extensive prospect lying beyond, and stretching away to the far distance. Bishop Horsley quotes 2 Samuel 23: 2, ‘The Spirit of Jehovah spake by me, and His word was in my tongue’ - and
adds, ‘If David be allowed to have had any knowledge of
the true subject of his own compositions, that subject was nothing in his own
life, but something put into his mind by the Holy Spirit of God.’ This
is so far true; but at the same time let us hold (as stated above) that what
the Spirit put into David’s mind, or the mind of any other writer, was done not
abruptly, but in connection with the writer’s position. Even as our Lord’s sayings for all ages were
not uttered at random in any circumstances, but were always connected naturally
with some present passing event or incident.
‘Jesus answered and said,’ is true
of them all: He strung His pearls on the thread of passing occurrences. And even so is it with the Psalms. They take their rise in things local and
temporary, but they pass onward from the present into the ages to come.
Now, in the early ages, men full
of the thoughts of Christ could never read the Psalms without being reminded of
their Lord. They probably had no system
or fixed theory as to all the Psalms referring to Christ; but still, unthinkingly
we might say, they found their thoughts wandering to their Lord, as the one
Person in Whom these breathings, these praises, these desires, these hopes,
these deep feelings, found their only true and full realisation. Hence Augustine (Psalm
58) said to his hearers, as he expounded to them this book, that ‘the
voice of Christ and His Church was well-nigh the only voice to be heard in the
Psalms’ - ‘Vix est ut in Psalmis inveniamus vocem nisi Christi et Ecclesiae;’ and on another occasion (Psalm 43), ‘Everywhere
diffused throughout is that man whose Head is above, and whose members are
below. We ought to recognise His voice
in all the Psalms, either waking up the psaltery or uttering the deep groan -
rejoicing in hope, or heaving sighs over present realities.’ Tertullion (quoted
by Horne) says, ‘Omnes pocne Psalmi
Christi personam sustinent.’
We set out with laying down no
other principle of interpretation in regard to the speakers in these sacred songs,
than this one, - viz., we must consider this book as not of ‘private interpretation’ (2 Peter 1: 20). Its
utterances did not originate with the authors themselves. It is one of those writings which ‘holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost;’ and
therefore it is decidedly erroneous to suppose, that because David, or any
other, was the author, that therefore nothing is spoken of, or sung, but
matters in which they were mainly or primarily concerned. ‘Not
unto themselves, but unto us they did minister,’ is true
here also (1 Peter 1: 12). We
cannot err far, therefore, if with Amyrauld we keep ‘our left eye on David, while we have our right eye full on
Christ.’ In some instances, the
Head exclusively speaks, or is spoken of; and in a few others the Members
alone; but generally, the strain is such in feeling and matter, that the Head
and Members together can use the harp and utter the song. And so important are these holy songs, that
nearly fifty of them are referred to in the New Testament, and applied to
Christ.
Hengstenberg has evidently felt,
in spite of his dread of admitting Messiah into the Psalms too often, that one
individual was very generally
present to the writer’s mind. He is
constrained to admit that reference is made to some ideal perfect one, or some ideal righteous one, who is the standard. Unwittingly he thus grants the fact, that
none can read those songs of
There is in almost every one of all
these Psalms something that fitted them for the use of the past generations of
the Church, and something that fits them admirably for the use of the Church
now; while also there is diffused throughout a hint for the future. There is, we might say, a past, a present, and a future element. (Dr
Allis does not hesitate to apply them very specially to the Church in these
latter days. Thus he says of the first
Psalm, ‘It containeth both
the descriptions of the happiness which
the faithful Christians who apply themselves to their duty shall enjoy, as
also those who with patience wait for the promises made unto them when Jesus
Christ will come to reign upon the whole earth; and the misery of those who are of Antichrist’s side, and who laugh at His
coming’).
Few of them can be said to have no prophetic reference, no reference to generations or events yet
to arise, - a circumstance that gives them a claim upon the careful study
of every one who searches into the prophetic records, in addition to the
manifold other claims which they possess.
* *
* * *
* *
2
Events at Christ’s Coming
By Alan D
Toms
(This is the fourth chapter of the book,
‘I Will Come Again.’ The first three chapters were included in the previous issues of
Watching and Waiting. This is
another in a series of addresses originally given nearly 50 years ago
to young people. It is an
introduction to the study of prophecy).
The most momentous event
in the long history of the world will be the moment of our Lord’s visible
return to the earth in majesty and power.
In a moment of time and a blaze of glory, all mankind will be made aware
of a supernatural, world-wide intervention of God with signs in the heavens
accompanying the resurrection of believers and the rapture of the Church. The Lord will descend to the earth to
overthrow the kingdom of the Anti-Christ, reveal Himself to
Before the day dawns and the
blessed hope of every Christian is realised, days of darkness are to be
expected. In the celestial realm there
is to be much activity culminating in the casting out of the devil, ‘into the earth’ (See Revelation
12: 7-10). Upon the earth a confederacy of ten nations
will be formed at whose head will appear the last dictator, the Anti-Christ, or
Man of Sin, as the Bible calls him. His
emergence as supreme ruler of that
The pattern and intensity of
this period of unparalleled tribulation have already been considered and we now
direct our attention to the glorious event that will terminate the rule of the
Anti-Christ and his reign of terror, and establish upon earth, ‘the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ’ (verse 10).
This is the Day of the Lord, spoken of by prophets and apostles alike,
for which the Church waits and works.
Signs In The Heavens
(Matthew 24:
29)
We turn back now to the passage
that is basic to prophetic study, Matthew 24. From verses 15-28, the Lord Jesus outlines the characteristics of
the great tribulation. Because the
Anti-Christ disregards God, he has no respect for human dignity. His actions will bring mankind to the brink
of self-destruction (verse 22).
God actively intervenes from verse 29 onwards.
‘Immediately after the tribulation of
those days shall the sun be darkened, and the
moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken.’ John writes of the same event in Revelation 6: 12-14, ‘And I
beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and,
lo, there was a great
earthquake: and the sun became black as
sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood;
and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth ... the heaven departed as a scroll ... every mountain and island were moved out of their places.’ It is hardly surprising that this
supernatural disturbance of the elements perplexes the godless. Their rejection of the divine revelation and
the substitution of a religion of man in its place, brings no peace in the hour
when God shows His Hand. Suddenly faced
with Omnipotence, they hide in shelters and cry to the rocks to hide them from ‘the wrath of the Lamb: for the
great day of His wrath is come; and who shall be
able to stand? (verses 15-17).
The Descent of The Lord
(Matthew 24: 30)
‘Then
shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of
heaven with power and great glory.’ The signs that will bring panic to the godless
will bring peace and hope to faithful believers. The Lord Jesus will descend with angelic
hosts accompanied by a trumpet sound (verse 31).
On the
Just how this will be, we do not
know. It may be by the display of
universal glory - compare, ‘For 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’ (Matthew 24: 27). The use of scientific means, such as
television which, now with the day of satellites, enables us to see immediately
events taking place in the far corners of the earth, may provide some faint
illustration of this divine miracle.
The descent of Christ will not
only be in the same way as His ascension but to the same place: for ‘His feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of Olives,
which is before
He will descend then,
physically, as Son of man as well as Son of God, through the clouds with an
angel host to the sound of the trumpet.
Geographically located in
The First Resurrection
(Matthew 24: 31)
The first result of His coming
is the resurrection of the [‘blest and holy’]
believers. The angel host is told to ‘gather together His elect.’ Paul develops this in 1 Thessalonians 4: 16-17, ‘For the
Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and
the dead in Christ shall rise first; then we
which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and
so shall we ever be with the Lord.’
This resurrection is that spoken of in 1 Corinthians 15, ‘Behold,
I shew you a mystery; we
shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed,
in a moment, in the
twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and
the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we
shall be changed’ (verses 51-52).
It should be observed that only those who are Christ’s [at His coming] have part in this [first] resurrection. The unbelieving dead remain
in the grave, awaiting the final judgment at the end of the millennium (see Revelation 20: 5-6).
With this resurrection, comes
the marriage supper of the Lamb (Revelation 19:
9).
The Alleluia Chorus of this chapter is sung on the fall of
When the time has come for the
Church to be glorified with her beloved Lord, there will follow a time when
individual believers will appear before the Lord to give an account of their work
and witness as Christians. ‘We must all appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ;
that every one may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he bath done, whether it be
good or bad’ (2 Corinthians 5: 10). This
is not a judgment unto condemnation but an examination unto commendation. Writing of this day when ‘every man’s work shall be made manifest,’ Paul
declares that our works shall be brought to light, ‘and the fire shall try every man’s work of what sort it is. If any man’s work abide
which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive
a reward. If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall
suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved;
yet so as by fire’ (1 Corinthians 3: 13-15). There
is no question of salvation being involved but a thorough testing of the
motives and worth of every believer's service.
We are saved by faith in the
completed work of Christ, but our
faithfulness as followers of Christ will be rewarded hereafter in proportion to
what we have done. ‘Behold, I come quickly;
and My reward is with Me’ (Revelation 22: 12). This is
in accord with the Lord’s parable in which the returning master rewarded his
servants according to the use of the talents committed to their trust (Matthew 25: 14-30). They were responsible to preserve what was
given them and expected to use it profitably for their master’s good. Christ will come to reward His servants
individually as well as to glorify His Church collectively. Every
one of us must give an account of the way we have used our opportunities in
life for promoting the cause of the Kingdom, and our use of the talents God has
entrusted to us. The wise and faithful
Christian then, is not passively waiting for the return of Christ: such idleness will bring forth stern words of
rebuke (Matthew 25: 26). He is
actively engaged in the Lord’s work, faithfully using his gifts and
opportunities for his Master’s glory.
The injunction of the Lord to
all His disciples is ‘Occupy till I come’ (Luke 19: 13). Only
those obeying this clear command may expect the Saviour’s commendation.
We are saved by grace and enter heaven solely on the basis of God’s
electing love and mercy; nevertheless our works will be examined and many will [lose their inheritance in Messiah’s
millennial kingdom, and]* be ashamed
[* See 1 Cor. 6: 9-10; Gal. 5: 19-21; Eph. 5: 5-6. cf. Num.
14; Psa. 95:
11; 96: 3; 72: 7-11, 19, R.V. etc.]
If only believers were more conscious
of this aspect of the second coming they would be more thoughtful in speech,
more helpful in their lives, and more careful in their service. Many who expect the advent to be a day of
glory will find it uncovers their barrenness and shame.
‘Only one life, ’twill soon be passed,
only what’s done for Christ will last.’
The Defeat of The Anti-Christ
The trumpet that calls the
believer to meet the Lord will summon the forces of the Anti-Christ to
judgment. We consider now this aspect of
Christ’s coming.
There are three Greek words used
interchangeably in the New Testament for the second advent. Parousia = coming. It is Christ’s coming to the earth to be
present with His people. Apokalupsis = unveiling. It is the unveiling or full revelation of the
Lord Jesus Christ; and all God’s purposes in Him, for
The dark personage of the
Anti-Christ has his history traced in 2
Thessalonians 2, where it is said concerning his end, ‘The Lord shall consume (him) with the spirit of His mouth, and shall destroy (him) with the brightness (epiphaneia) of His coming (parousia).’ This
confirms the prophecy of Daniel that Anti-Christ’s career is terminated by the advent
of the Son of man coming with the clouds of heaven (Daniel
7: 10-14). The prophet Zechariah tells us that it is the
coming of Christ which confuses and destroys the forces of Anti-Christ gathered
against
The Conversion of
When the Lord Jesus Christ comes
as Head of the Church, to be acclaimed King of the nations, He will be
recognised as Messiah in
We see therefore, that the
Church will be caught up to meet the Lord when He comes; that the Anti-Christ
will be destroyed, his followers judged physically (though not spiritually, for
the final judgment awaits the end of the millennium), leaving multitudes of
people who will be prepared to acknowledge the Lordship of Christ. Over these
the Lord Jesus will establish His rule.
The Lord Establishes His Kingdom
The whole creation groans for
deliverance from the effects of sin.* It is morally necessary for God to establish
His rule in the realm where sin and iniquity have so long held sway. God’s economy must be proved successful and
beneficial to mankind in the place where the devil’s grip has had such tragic
and disastrous effects.
[*
Jesus shall reign. His kingdom
is not only spiritual; it is to be a physical and material rule when He returns
to the earth. He will be King of kings and Lord of lords: the kingdoms of this
world will become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ.
‘Thy kingdom come, O God: Thy rule, O Christ, begin:
break with Thine iron rod the tyrannies of sin.
When comes the promised time that war shall be no more?
Oppression, lust, and crime shall flee Thy face before?
We pray Thee, Lord, arise, and come in Thy great might:
revive our longing eyes which languish for Thy sight.’
So, when the devil is bound (Revelation 20: 2)
for the thousand years of our Lord’s reign with His saints, the golden age will
be brought in: not by man, nor even by the Church, but by the personal return
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Among the nations and within
them, harmony and peace, which have proved so elusive, will prevail, and
prosperity without greed will be the right of all men, bringing inner
satisfaction and lasting happiness because the human will is submissive to
God. ‘Even so,
come, Lord Jesus.’
* * *
* * *
*
3
Thy Kingdom Come
By John Charles
Ryle
(This article is taken from ‘Our Outlook,’ October, 1938).
These words are part of
the Lord’s Prayer. Did you ever consider
what they mean? The subject is one about
which many mistakes prevail. It is one about
which it is most important to your own comfort to have clear views. Give me your attention, while I try to
explain to you the
I ask you then to understand
that Jesus Christ will come back again to this world one day and reign over it
as King. He shall return with power and
great glory in the clouds of heaven, and the kingdoms of this world shall all
become His. And then shall be fulfilled
the words of the Lord’s Prayer, ‘Thy
Kingdom come.’
Then, He intends to ‘execute judgment’ upon all the ungodly
inhabitants of Christendom, to ‘burn up the chaff
with unquenchable fire’ - ‘In flaming fire
taking vengeance on them that know not God, and
that obey not the Gospel’ (Jude
15; Matthew 3: 12; 2 Thessalonians 1:
8).
Then, He intends to raise His
dead saints and gather His living ones, to gather together the scattered tribes
of Israel, and to set up an empire on earth, in which every knee shall bow to
Him, and every tongue confess that Christ is Lord.
When, how, where, in what manner,
all these things shall be, we cannot say particularly. Enough for us to know that they shall be. The
Lord Jesus has undertaken to do them, and they shall be performed. As surely as He was born of a virgin, and lived
on earth thirty-three years as a servant, so surely He shall come with clouds
in glory, and reign on earth as a King.
Settle it down in your mind that
Christ is one day to have a complete kingdom in this world - that His kingdom
is not yet set up - but that it will be set up in the day of His return. Know clearly Whose kingdom it is to be one
day: not Satan the usurper’s but Jesus Christ’s. Know clearly when the kingdom is to change
hands, and the usurper to be cast out: when the Lord Jesus returns in person,
and not before. Know these things
clearly, and you will do well.
Know these things clearly, and
then you will not cherish extravagant
expectations from any
Church, minister, or religious machinery in this present dispensation. You will
not marvel to see ministers and missionaries not converting all to whom they
preach. You will not wonder to find that
while some believe the Gospel, many believe not. You will remember that ‘the days are evil,’ and that the time of general
conversion has not arrived. Alas, for
the man who expects a millennium before the Lord Jesus returns. How can this possibly be, if the world in the
day of His coming is to be found as it was in the days of Noah and
Know these things clearly, and then
you will not be confounded and
surprised by the continuance of immense evils in the world. Wars
and tumults, and oppressions, and dishonesty, and selfishness, and
covetousness, and superstition, and bad government, and abounding heresies,
will not appear to you unaccountable.
You will say to yourself, ‘The time of Christ’s
power has not yet arrived - the devil is still working among his children, and
sowing darkness and division broadcast among the saints - the true King is yet
to come.’
Know these things clearly, and
then you will see why God delays the
final glory, and allows things
to go on as they do in this world. It is
not that He is not able to prevent evil - it is not that He is slack in
fulfilling His promises - but the Lord is taking out for Himself a people, by
the preaching of the Gospel (Acts 15: 14), and when that work is completed, then the
kingdom of Christ shall be set up, and the throne of grace exchanged for the
throne of glory.
Know these things clearly, and
then you will work diligently to do
good to souls. The time is short. ‘The night is far spent. The day is at hand.’ The signs of the times call loudly for
watchfulness, and speak with no uncertain voice. Surely if we would pluck a few more brands from
the burning before it is too late, we must work hard, and lose no time.
Know these things clearly, and
then you will be often looking for
the coming of the day of God. You will regard the second
advent as a glorious and comfortable truth, around which your best hopes will
all be clustered. You will not merely
think of Christ crucified, but you will think also of Christ coming again. You will long for the day of refreshing, and
the manifestation of the sons of God (Acts 3:
19; Romans 8:
19).
You will find peace in looking back to the cross, and you will find
joyful hope in looking forward to the kingdom.
* * *
* * *
*
4
Simon the Cyrenian
‘Thoughts on Cross-bearing’ (Luke
23: 26; Mark
15: 21)
By Cecil Yates
Biss
(As mentioned in a previous issue, this year marks the centenary of the
home-call of Dr Biss).
[Volume 28, No 2
April-June, 2012]
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To those who believe in
the plenary inspiration of the Word of God, it is very instructive to study the
less prominent characters of Scripture; for ‘rays of
light’ are found where perhaps least expected.
This man is mentioned in all the
Gospels but John. We find in Mark
he was a Cyrenian by nation and the father of
Alexander and Rufus; also, that he was coming out of the country as one going
up to Jerusalem - very probably to the Passover - and was made to bear the
shameful cross the Saviour was too weak to carry.
In the first place, I would like
you to notice the principle that wherever Scripture mentions people by name,
there is some profitable lesson to be drawn for our instruction.
Simon was an African and
probably black. He may have been a
trader who had come for purposes of commerce to
Now, a few words on the subject
of ‘Cross-Bearing.’ It is a term that has entered into our
religious language, while very little thought is given to its real
application. We should remember whence
it came; how it became used; and what it means.
The false aspect of ‘Cross-bearing’ has become usual with some people who
do not understand God’s meaning; so that the expression is often one thing in
Scripture and another in people’s mouths.
You may have thought it was only used in passages relating to the
crucifixion, and in Epistles where it occurs as synonymous with the truth it
signified; but it is not so; see Luke 9: 23 - ‘If any
man will come after Me,’ etc. (some might have been just going to
follow Him then and there); so can you not see what the Lord meant? He was going to have two kinds of
disciples. Some, who would bear all of
which the cross was the symbol; and others, disciples only in name, who would
afterwards be disowned by Him (Ah! where were Peter, James and John when the
cross was put on the shoulder of a stranger?
Even they understood very little of this truth then). The disciples who follow Jesus in shame and
rejection and those who only follow as far as it suits their convenience, both
talk of ‘Cross-bearing.’
Let us now consider true ‘cross-bearing’ and false ‘cross-bearing;’
for ‘cross-bearing’ is a privilege. We are not called to ‘carry a cross’ in order to be saved; for Colossians
1: 12 is the starting point of all
Christian life. It is only the disciple
that is called to ‘take up his cross.’ If you think ‘cross-bearing’
consists in carrying a piece of the wood supposed to come from Christ’s cross,
or in putting a cross on the wall or round your neck, you are off the lines
altogether. A diamond cross is not
thought out of place in a ball-room by worldly men, but that is not ‘cross-bearing.’
What is the object of ‘cross-bearing?’ It is, that the disciples of Christ may follow in their little measure, what He was in
His perfect way before God; and, that by means of ‘bearing
their cross,’ they may plainly say they wish to ‘follow Jesus.’
The first lesson of the cross is
to teach us our relation to God. The
second, our relation to the world, viz. ‘crucified to
it.’ Some will say ‘But things are changed now.’ No! Let
me tell you the world is not changed; and there is no more practical proof of
it than the fact that, if a man tries to follow Christ fully, he is called ‘a hypocrite.’
Or, if too consistent for that, he is termed ‘a mad fellow’ (Isaiah
59: 15, margin).
A few words on the advantage of
‘cross-bearing,’ for the more we understand it,
the more we see what a privilege it is.
We will draw three lessons from Simon the Cyrenian. First, he bore the cross as an illustration
of a cross-bearing disciple after Jesus.
No child of God ever carries a sorrow, a trial, a painful feeling of
being misunderstood, alone. He carries
it not independently of Jesus. But
remember, it was only by keeping
straight after Jesus, that Simon could bear that cross at all. If trials come upon any through fanatical
religion, that is not bearing the cross for Christ’s sake. Take
care not to suffer for what He would not approve; but, if trials come through walking in His ways and seeking to
uphold His Truth, happy are ye; for they could not come except you were walking
after Jesus.
The second lesson is, Simon bore only part of the cross. The cruelty of the Jews and the Romans would
not let Jesus off without bearing some of it.
So, no child of God ever carries all the cross; for what he feels in his
path of faithful service fell on Him in a larger and sharper measure.
Thirdly, no man ever took up a part of Christ’s cross who did not get doubly
rewarded. No one ever gave up
anything for Christ’s sake, who did not get back even here a thousand times more, if only he could see
it. Let us trace some of the blessings that came to Simon.
In the first place, why is he
mentioned by Mark as the ‘father of Alexander and Rufus’ if not
to identify him with those mentioned elsewhere?
In Acts 13: 1
we read of Simeon (or Simon) surnamed
Now turn to Romans 16: 13.
‘Salute Rufus, chosen in
the Lord, and his mother and mine.’ It is true Rufus was not an uncommon name,
and Alexander was commoner still; but Paul writes of Rufus as a well-known man,
just as Luke alludes to both; and it gives the thought they were so well known,
that it was not necessary to say which Alexander or which Rufus.
Dear friends, if this be so,
what honour and glory there is in ‘cross-bearing.’ If one only realised that, would it not be
worth while to ‘bear the cross’ if all our
friends were converted through our testimony?
So here, friend and wife and sons all saved, because on that afternoon,
rough hands laid hold on the stranger and made him carry that cross; and
because there was One at the other end of it Who became to him a Saviour.
May Christ help us not to be
ashamed of His cross. What must Simon
have felt, if Jesus looked upon him as he laid it down and thanked him? It is not likely that the blessed Jesus would
have let a stranger do anything for Him without thanking him - not merely our
conventional ‘Thank you,’ but - in very
sincerity.
When the labourers return with
their sheaves, will there be no thanks then?
Shall we not love that [millennial] day, when all we have been trying to do for Jesus will be rewarded? Will there be any lack of gratitude
then? There will be One there - the One
Who gave us grace to serve Him during our pilgrimage below - Who will yet say
of such service ‘Well done; Enter
thou into the joy of thy Lord.’
Shall we be sorry then that we gave
up the world and took up the cross for His sake?
* *
* * *
* *
5
Joseph of Arimathea
‘Secret Discipleship’ (John
19: 38)
By Cecil
Yates Biss
This Joseph of Arimathea
is mentioned once only in each Gospel, yet he is mentioned in all four; and by putting
together these accounts, we learn that he was not only just with man, but
religious - waiting devoutly and
believingly for the ‘Kingdom of God.’ He was not a mere religionist, but a man of
faith; of prayer; and acquainted with the Scriptures.
Now let us see what we are told
of him with regard to his position among men.
He was rich. He had a tomb
prepared for himself, which only the wealthy could have. He brought also spices of a costly character
for the burial of Jesus. Moreover, he
was a counsellor and one in high position in society; yet, with all this,
Joseph was a disciple of Jesus. At some
time or other he had become aware that the ‘
The whole teaching in connection
with his history turns upon one point; viz. What does it mean to be a true ‘disciple of Christ’? No mere enthusiasm led Joseph on. His actions proved the reality of his
faith. He came forward at a time when all Christ’s acquaintance and the women
which followed Him had departed - probably driven from the cross. With him came Nicodemus - so alike in the
character of his discipleship - and putting
aside all personal risk, Joseph asked for the ‘body of Jesus’ and buried it in his own tomb.
But this stigma rests on the
character of Joseph. He was a ‘secret disciple,’ and the ‘fear of man’ was like the ‘dead fly in the ointment.’ He confessed Christ tardily, and at a time
when it did not cost so much to own Him.
Probably, the crowds had dispersed.
They had been interested in Jesus, but now that He is dead and the tragedy
over, they returned to their homes.
There appear to be three reasons
for this. First, to have confessed
Christ would have ruined his ecclesiastical standing and social position. Secondly, to have followed Him as a ‘disciple’ would have been to lose his
wealth; for by fair or by foul means his enemies would have made him poor. Thirdly, Joseph would have lost his good
name. This, perhaps, was the hardest of
all to give up. We do not realize now
the sharp cross Christians have had to bear in giving up their good name; as
Paul says, ‘we are made as the filth of the world,
and are the offscouring of all things.’ Well,
this was the hardest cross of all for Joseph, and he could not make up his mind
to give that up and go tramping after Jesus of Nazareth.
I propose to make a few
enquiries which are to form the subject of our consideration.
Discipleship
In the first place, I put a
point before you - Is there or is there not a great difference between ‘being saved’ and ‘being a
disciple?’ We may gain
instruction from the answer; first, for comfort; and secondly, for
warning. I will
answer the question by saying this - that every saved person is ‘called’ to discipleship, though every one does not
accept ‘the call.’ Joseph did not take the first step in true ‘discipleship’ till the end of Christ’s life on earth,
when all opportunities of ministering to Him were gone, except that of taking
His precious body from the cross.
Read with me Luke 14: 26-35, and you see Jesus wished those who followed
Him to consider what ‘discipleship’ meant, and to
realise that the disciple must look upon Him not merely as Saviour, but as Master. Our
Lord evidently refers in verse 27 to the
time when He should carry His cross up to Calvary, and He says that he who is
not prepared to go up that hill with Me, is not worthy of being My
disciple. We must be ready to forsake
all that we have (verse 33) if it be
required of us, in order to be Christ’s ‘true
disciples.’ Remember, this is not a cross-bearing for salvation, but the
cross-bearing of discipleship, for which Jesus would have us ‘count the cost.’
Salt that has lost its savour is a picture of a shilly-shally [regenerate]
Christian, who is neither this nor that - one who is afraid to follow Christ,
yet afraid to give Him up for fear of being lost! Such an one, though his life,
as far as practical usefulness goes, is like savour-less salt, will be saved
through grace, for his salvation is not bought by ‘discipleship.’
I want you to note this
enquiry. Does not all ‘discipleship’ demand sacrifice? Read Luke 9:
57. ‘What a noble
speech!’ you may say. But see how
the Lord puts a test in the statement - ‘The Son of man hath
not where to lay His head.’ So, will you go with Me now? You see, discipleship demanded sacrifices
then. See also verses
59 and 60. Are the claims of Christ or of a dead father
to be put first? And, in verse 62 there is a climax in the teaching. The first question was - Are you ready to
follow Me though you have no shelter for your head? The second - Will you follow Me at the cost of
all natural ties? Lastly - Will you
follow Me without going home to tell those there what you are going to do? I want you to consider these things; for ‘no man, having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit (or ready [or ‘accounted worthy’]) for the kingdom of God.’ The ‘plough’ is a
question of service. It
does not refer to [our initial ‘grace’-] salvation. One
who has ‘put his hand to the plough’ is one who
has announced his readiness to preach the
kingdom of God; but the ‘looking back’ shews he is not ready, for he
has something else to do first.
Confession
My second point is this. The beginning of all true ‘discipleship’ is ‘Confession.’ Joseph of Arimathea had not taken the
first step. There are two kinds of
‘Confession’ - by deed and by word. True ‘Confession’ embraces both. Jesus
desires His disciples not merely to ‘follow Him,’ but to
say ‘they will follow Him.’ ‘Let me
hear thy voice’ (Song of Solomon 2: 14). Will
you also turn to Romans 10: 9-10? - a
passage which is much overlooked, and which has a primary application to those
false Jews who were corrupters of the gospel of Christ. Paul lays this rule down with special
reference to them. To confess Jesus was
extremely difficult for them to do. See
how hard Nicodemus and Joseph found it.
Therefore, how difficult to own that One as my Lord and my God! Many are ready enough now to repeat a creed,
and say ‘I believe in Jesus Christ;’ but see
how the Christians of old ‘confessed’ to the
Person of Christ.
Read Romans
10: 10. ‘With the heart man believeth unto righteousness; and with the mouth confession is made unto salvation.’ That means confessing Him according to the
revelation of Him given in Scripture. Look for a moment at Revelation 21: 8,
where unbelievers are classed with open sinners; but the word ‘fearful’ should be read cowardly. And who are the cowardly? They are those who make a profession, but
would only ‘confess Christ’ when it
suited their own purposes - those who would not take up the cross with their
little finger, and who turn from those who do, and despise and ridicule
them. We should not speak bitterly of
such. They should be the subjects of our
prayers; but we should tell them faithfully that they are ‘going on unto perdition.’
There is such a thing as being a
true [regenerate]
Christian, but never coming out into the light by ‘confession.’
Why is this? I believe such are
undeveloped in knowledge and apprehension (for these grow by use), and
therefore they have not a clear idea between the converted and
unconverted. I believe also they have no
assurance; and as long as you are not sure of your salvation, Satan will take
advantage of you and try you with the cruellest doubts.
God means His people to know that they are [eternally] saved.
If a man were not sure whether he were an Englishman or a Frenchman,
would he be of any practical use in a war?
If you, reader, are not saved, you may be saved (see 1 John 5: 13). If you do not believe, you are doing despite
to the Word of God. It has been well
said ‘The assurance of salvation is the root and soil
of holiness’ (Bonar).
Separation
Thirdly, I believe persons under
these circumstances do not see separation
from the world. They are very much in the position of Lot
in
There are strong reasons why we
should ‘confess Christ’
openly. A man who is undecided has no
influence over anyone. Could you stand
calmly by and hear an earthly friend maligned?
And can you silently hear the Saviour spoken against and His [accountability] Truth despised? You must either be in the position of His
friend or His enemy. There is no middle
place. You will never bring a soul to
Christ if you are ashamed to ‘confess Him.’
Secondly, if you do not speak
out, you will get entangled, and your service will be to no purpose.
Thirdly, does not Christ deserve that you should ‘confess’
Him? You can sometimes ‘confess’ Him by an act first, if your
courage is weak. The words come more easily
afterwards; but I do not recommend this plan. We all feel the difficulty of
beginning, but it is easier to go on if we begin right.
Ponder these things. Joseph was a true Christian but not a true
disciple. His sun shone out at last, but
his life was cloudy. A few rays came
through the mists to show there was ‘life’ in his
soul.
When we come to die, how
blessed, if we are able, in reviewing our lives, to say ‘We rest on the atoning Blood of Jesus and on His perfect righteousness, and have sought by life and lip to live for Him.’
* *
* * *
* *
6
Divine Choice
By James
Payne
(It was 120 Years ago, in April, 1892, that Mr Payne was born, and it was 30 years ago, in April, 1982, that he was called
home.
We therefore thought it opportune to insert some of his articles in the
magazine. He was a founding convenor of
the
Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony and preached frequently on our
platform. Many of his excellent
addresses on prophetical subjects have
appeared in ‘Watching and Waiting’ over the years.
The following article was originally printed in ‘The Civil Service Observer’).
Addressing His disciples
on the night before His crucifixion, Jesus said, ‘Ye
have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you,
and ordained you, that
ye should go and bring forth fruit, and that
your fruit should remain.’
He Who spoke these words was the eternal Son of God, of Whom it was
said, ‘Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever ...
Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth;
and the heavens are the works of Thine hands’ (Hebrews. 1: 8-10). This was none other than the King of
Righteousness, Who said Himself, ‘All
power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.’ It was He to Whom Isaiah refers as ‘the Almighty God,’ and of Whom it is said that He
doeth as He will in the armies of heaven and among the inhabitants of the
earth, and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, ‘What doest Thou?’
This One says to His disciples, ‘I have
chosen you.’
The fact that God chooses out of
His Church certain persons to fill certain offices is not the only divine
election mentioned in the Bible. It is
not the election mentioned here. Jesus
says, ‘I have chosen you (not ‘out of the church’ but) out of the world.’ It is out of the world that God makes His
choice of His disciples in the first place.
Nor is God’s choice governed by the action of men; it cannot be, for God
has chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world. And having chosen us, He predestinated us
unto the adoption of children. Moreover
this was done ‘according to the good pleasure of His
will.’ All this having been
accomplished, He has now made known unto us the mystery of His will, according
to His good pleasure which He hath purposed in Himself.
This mystery of God’s will is
made known to us when we are born again by the Holy Spirit of God; when we are
translated from the kingdom of Satan into the kingdom of God’s Son. In Him we have obtained an [eternal] inheritance. And the reason
why we have obtained it is that we were predestinated thereto ‘according to the purpose of Him Who worketh all things after
the counsel of His own Will’ (see Ephesians
1). God’s choice is not the
result of our choice, for God’s choice was made before we had being. Christ said, ‘Ye
have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you.’
This places God’s election first,
beyond all dispute. The [regenerate]
believer does choose Christ after that the Holy Spirit has quickened him into
divine life and made him willing in the day of His power. But the believer’s choice of God is the
result and not the cause of God’s choice of him. The same applies to love which precedes
choice. ‘We
love God because He first loved us.’
God did not choose us because He foresaw that we should choose Him. A choice where certain persons must perforce
be chosen is no choice. God’s people
were not chosen according to what their future conduct would be, but according
to the good pleasure of God’s will. Our
faith in Christ is involved in God’s choice of us.
Faith is God’s Gift
Faith is God’s gift and the same
One Who chose us, bestows this gift upon us.
We are not only God’s choice but we are His workmanship, created in
Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them (Ephesians 2: 10). God has chosen us ... that we should be holy and without blame before
Him in love (Ephesians 1: 4). We are
chosen to salvation and all that that [a future] salvation involves. A perusal of 2 Thessalonians
2 will make this clear. After
speaking of those who are deceived by Satan, who are under strong delusion and
who believe a lie and are thereby damned, Paul says, ‘But
we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, because
God hath from the beginning chosen you to
salvation through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.’ It was in the beginning that God
created the heaven and the earth, and from that time all those who are saved
have been the objects of His choice.
They were not only chosen unto salvation but also unto the method by
which that salvation was to be obtained, viz. ‘through
sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth.’ Paul then further informs the Thessalonians
that God, having chosen them to salvation, also called them thereto by His
gospel - even to the obtaining of
the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ. They were, therefore, called by God, through
the gospel, unto
that salvation to which they had already been chosen.
Who are the Elect?
Who are the elect? How may they be known? Our Lord said, ‘By
their fruits ye shall know them.’
The apostle told the Thessalonians that he knew they were elected of God
(1 Thessalonians 1: 4),
because he saw the results of that election - their work of faith and labour of love. Election is made manifest by the tendencies
of the mind towards God. Thus Peter
says, Give all ‘diligence to make your calling and election sure,’ i.e.,
be assured thereof. That is made known by our obedience to the call. The fact that a man works out his own
salvation with fear and trembling proves that God has worked in him to will and
to do of His good pleasure (Philippians 2: 12), and if God has worked in the man, He chose
him for that purpose. In his prayer to
God the psalmist said, ‘Blessed is the man whom Thou choosest
and causest to approach unto Thee.’ Those who are chosen of God are caused to
approach unto Him. Our Saviour
corroborates this when He says, ‘All
that the Father giveth Me shall come
to Me, and him that cometh to Me I will in no
wise cast out.’ And again, ‘No man can come to Me, except
the Father which hath sent Me draw him.’
The chosen ones are drawn to God
by the cords of His divine love. God’s
choice of us, therefore, is manifest by our coming to Him. The man who approaches to God in penitence
and humble prayer is the man who has been chosen of God, and that man is
blessed. We see also in these words of
the psalmist, the individuality of God’s election. He has not only chosen the church but also
every individual believer in the church, unto salvation. David says, ‘Blessed
is,’ not the church, but ‘the man
whom Thou choosest.’
Again in the 4th Psalm it
is said that God hath set apart him that is godly for Himself. The man who fears God; the man after God’s
own heart; is the man whom God has chosen and set apart for Himself - to the
praise of the glory of His grace. Jesus
Christ was exalted to give repentance and remission of sins
(Acts 5: 31),
and the first mark of God’s free favour to the objects of His choice is
penitence and contrition. A broken and a
contrite heart God will not despise.
These things are well-pleasing to Him because they are the work of His
Spirit. It is the goodness and love of
God that leads a man to repentance.
‘Loved of my God, for Him again with love intense I’d burn:
Chosen of Him ere time began, I’d choose Him in return.’
* * *
* * *
*
7
Oikoumene
By James
Payne
(This article is taken from ‘Floodlight,’ a magazine for young believers.
It was published in 1962. - 50 years ago).
Whether we like it or not, the
word ‘ecumenical’ has come into our modem vocabulary
to stay and it will be our wisdom to seek to understand it with all its
implications. It is a derivative of the
Greek word oikoumene which is
used a number of times in the New Testament.
In some instances its meaning is clear and obvious as, for example, in Luke 2: 1 - ‘There went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the oikoumene should be taxed.’ The meaning here can only be the Roman world
- the domains of Caesar. It has the same
signification in Acts 17: 6-7 - ‘These that have turned the oikoumene upside down ... all do contrary to the decrees of Caesar, saying that there is another king, one Jesus.’
It was the sovereignty over the oikoumene that was offered to Jesus by the
tempter when, on the high mountain, he ‘shewed
unto Him all the kingdoms of the oikoumene ... and said ... All this power will I give Thee, and the glory of them ... if
Thou wilt worship me’ (Luke 4:
5-7). What Satan offered Jesus was Caesar’s throne
- all the authority and power of the
[* Luke 1: 23, R.V.]
Ecumenical Councils
There are today many ecumenical
organisations. Pope John XXIII has called an ecumenical council to
meet this year (1962 - Ed). That will
be, again, a council of the Roman world - that world over which the Pope holds
sway. The World Council of Churches is
referred to as ‘the Ecumenical Movement,’ that
is, a movement towards an oikoumene, and comprises the professing Protestant world represented in the
World Council. The United Nations
Organisation is also an ecumenical movement in as much as it comprises practically
all the nations of the world and is moving towards world government.
These three, as well as lesser
similar organisations, are all moving towards one focal point. The W.C.C. is fast becoming the religions arm
of the United Nations. There is no major
problem, either political or religious, dealt with by the United Nations
without prior consultation with representatives of the W.C.C. through their
Commission of the Churches on International Affairs. Now that the W.C.C. has received the Russian
Orthodox Church, as well as other Eastern Orthodox Churches, the members of
such Churches outnumber the nominally Protestant Churches in the World Council
by two to one. And the differences
between the
The Latter-Day Oikoumene
It is easy to see therefore that
but one more step is needful to bring the W.C.C. into organisational union with
Then ‘there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the
stars; and upon the earth distress of nations,
with perplexity ... men’s
hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the oikoumene: for the powers
of heaven shall be shaken. And then shall they see the Son of Man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory’ (Luke 21:
25-27).
‘That
day,’ says Paul, ‘shall not come,
except there come the apostasy (Greek:
the apostasia) first, and that man of sin (the Beast of Revelation) be revealed ... whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of His mouth,
and shall destroy with the brightness of His coming’ (2 Thessalonians 2: 3,
8).
So, Paul declared at Areopagus that God ‘now commandeth all men every where to repent: because He hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the oikoumene in righteousness by that Man Whom He hath ordained.’
The Glorious Prospect
But
against the background of all this development of the ‘mystery of iniquity’ our Lord gives us some
gracious encouragement. He says, ‘Many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many ... but he that shall endure unto the
end, the same shall be saved. And this gospel [not of God’s ‘grace’
only, but]* of the kingdom shall be
preached in all the oikoumene for a
witness unto all nations; and then shall the end
come’ (Matthew 24: 11-14). Prior to the judgment of the oikoumene by the returning Lord in glory, the
Gospel [‘of the kingdom’] MUST be preached for a witness in all the nations which comprise
it. Oh! the blessedness of those who will be called to this honoured work;
fearlessly to preach the Word of the truth of the gospel in those nations which
have turned their backs upon it, and have worshipped the Dragon. Many such
preachers will seal their testimony with their blood, for John says, ‘they overcame him (Satan) by the Blood of the Lamb, and by the word of
their testimony; and they loved not their lives
unto the death.’
[* NOTE: To “endure unto the end,”
for initial
and eternal
salvation, has no place in the Gospel (or good news) of God’s ‘grace’: but it has everything to do with the
coming millennial ‘Kingdom’ of Messiah;
and of the future ‘the salvation of souls’
(1 Pet. 1:
9, (Gk.); and of the ‘inheritance,’
which disobedient and apostate believers can lose! (Gal.
5: 21; Eph. 5: 5)!
Here again, is another instance
where the word “saved” is spoken of as a
salvation yet future; which will only be realised by those whom the Lord
Jesus will judge to be ‘worthy of that age,’ (Lk. 30: 35)!]
This is the glorious calling
that lies before young believers today.
May I, therefore, who can now claim to be an elder, beseech you to stand
uncompromisingly separate from all that is leading up to the consummation of
this latter-day oikoumene. Rather ‘go
forth unto Him (Jesus) without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here have we no
continuing city, but we seek one to come’ (Hebrews 13: 13-14). For
remember that ‘if any man worship the Beast
... and receive his mark ... the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God.’ The Psalmist says, ‘concerning the works of men, by the word of Thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer’ (17: 4).
To know your Bible is the best
way to escape Satan’s snares. OUTSIDE the evil organisations of men
you can bear a much more effective testimony than you can from within
them. INSIDE your witness will be silenced just as was that of Joseph of
Arimathea and Nicodemus in the Sanhedrin which plotted the crucifixion of our
Saviour.
And beyond our witness here,
what a further glorious prospect! Even ‘unto the angels hath He not put in subjection the oikountene to come’ (Hebrews 2: 5). When our Lord returns in glory, He will do as
He is bidden of Jehovah in Psalm 2, ‘ask of Me, and I shall give
Thee the heathen (nations) for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession.’
That which He refused at the suggestion of Satan, He will receive at the
hands of His Father, for His dominion shall be ‘from
sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of
the earth.’ And to those who tread the path of rejection with Him
He says, ‘Fear not, little flock; for it is your
Father’s good pleasure to give you the
kingdom.’ ‘To him that overcometh’ He will grant to sit with Him upon His
Throne when He shall take unto Him His great power and reign. Hallelujah!
* *
* * *
* *
8
The Chronology
of Ezekiel’s Prophecies
By James
Payne
It has been suggested that
the various prophecies and visions of Ezekiel
are presented in Scripture promiscuously without any regard to chronological
order. Upon a very cursory examination
of the book, however, this will be clearly seen to be incorrect. The prophecies regarding
It is interesting to note that
all the prophecies, except those relating to
The seventh and last prophecy
deals with the restoration of the
It is clear that Ezekiel was
taken captive with King Jehoiachin, and from this event he dates all his
prophecies and visions. In chapter 40: 1,
he indicates that ‘our captivity’ took place
eleven years before the destruction of
* * *
* * *
*
9
The Destruction
of Antichrist
By Brian
McClung
(This is a summary of a message given at the
monthly meeting of the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony on 28th March,
2014. The message was recorded and may
be heard in full as it can be downloaded from the SGAT website; also
cassettes and CDs are available).
[Volume 28, No 11 July
- September, 2014]
-------
Antichrist is that person
who will be the devil’s counterfeit christ and who will arise to power prior to
the coming again of the Saviour. The
Lord Jesus told the Jews that the course of their future history would be
characterised by two things, namely their rejection of Him as the true Messiah
and their acceptance of the devil’s counterfeit, ‘I
am come in My Father’s name, and ye receive Me
not: if another shall come in his own name,
him ye will receive’ (John 5: 43). The second circumstance is as certain as the
first.
There is no doubt about the first
statement. The Jews, as a nation, have
indeed rejected Jesus of Nazareth as their Messiah. The Saviour did come in His Father’s name and
they refused to receive Him. The Father
had borne witness to the coming of His Son.
He sent the forerunner. At the
beginning of Christ’s public ministry there was the opening of the heavens, the
descent of the dove, and the voice from heaven - all bearing witness to the
fact that Christ had appeared and that He had come in His Father’s name.
There will be no doubt about the
second of these statements. There will
come one in his own name whom the Jews will receive. For a time at least they will accept, follow
and even worship this individual, convinced that he is their long awaited
Messiah.
However, Antichrist will prove
himself to be the ‘man of sin’ and ‘son of perdition’ (2
Thessalonians 2: 3). These are uses
of Hebrew idioms. For example, in the
Old Testament a warlike man is styled a ‘man of
war;’ a murderous man, a ‘man of
bloods;’ an ungodly man, a ‘man of
Belial.’ Therefore a man who
will be pre-eminent for sin is here called a ‘man
of sin.’ Furthermore, where a
particular character trait is associated with someone they are called a ‘son of, ...’
For example, a wicked man is called ‘the son
of wickedness’ (Psalm 89: 22).
Therefore, a man destined for destruction is rightly called ‘the son of perdition.’ The word translated ‘perdition’ is also, a quarter of the time
in the New Testament, translated as ‘destruction,’ cf. Matthew
7: 13 (‘broad is the way, that leadeth to destruction’); also Philippians 3: 19
(‘whose end is destruction’). Antichrist
is a man destined not only to reek destruction but to reap destruction.
The contrast with Jesus Christ
could not be more noticeable. He is the
Godman Who is destined to reign until His enemies are His footstool. Let us
consider (1) the time of
Antichrist’s destruction; (2) the
cause of Antichrist’s destruction; and (3)
the manner of Antichrist’s destruction.
The Time of Antichrist’s Destruction
Antichrist’s destruction is not in the past. It is yet future. The Scripture associates certain events with
this destruction:
1. His destruction will take place at the darkest hour of the
world’s history. It is always darkest before
the dawn! This can rightly be said about
the circumstances prior to the coming again of Jesus Christ, Who is the
Daystar. It will be a dark hour
spiritually, morally, religiously, socially and politically. It will be the hour of Satan’s rage against
God. It will be the hour of his lying
wonders. It will be the hour when the
great falling away will have reached its fulness. It will be the hour when lawlessness will
have come to the full. It will be the
hour of strong delusion, in which multitudes are deceived.
2. This destruction will take place when Antichrist is at the
height of his power. The world will be
wondering after the beast and worshipping the dragon which gives power unto the
beast. They will also worship the beast,
saying, ‘Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?’ (Revelation 13: 3-4). At the
height of his powers he will be a man of blasphemy. A mouth will be given to him speaking great
things and blasphemies. He will open his
mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme God’s name, and tabernacle, and
them that dwell in heaven. He will be
making war against the saints and overcoming them. He will be a monster of iniquity. At his height he will be brought low.
3. This destruction will take place shortly after the fall of
4. This ruin will take place as Antichrist is venting his hatred
upon
5. This destruction will take place at the personal appearing of
Jesus Christ. At this dark hour in the history
of the world, Jesus Christ shall appear the second time. Christ will come in great power and
glory. At this hour will be fulfilled
what John saw in Revelation 19: 11-16. Christ will come in righteousness to judge
and make war. He will have on His
vesture and on His thigh a name written, KING
OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS.
These events will usher in the
destruction of Antichrist.
The Cause of Antichrist’s Destruction
The opening words of 2 Thessalonians 2: 4 can
be taken as a summary of the cause of Antichrist’s destruction: ‘Who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshipped’ -
Antichrist will have overstepped himself.
It is the devil who will energise Antichrist - ‘the dragon which gave power unto the beast’ (Revelation 13: 4). The devil always oversteps himself!
1. The devil will energise Antichrist to defy God and Christ and
therefore, bring about his destruction.
Antichrist will oppose and exalt himself against God and ‘all that is called God, or that
is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the
‘He
shall also stand up against the Prince of princes’ (Daniel 8: 25). He will, in his folly and defiance, seek to
make war with Christ, ‘And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their
armies, gathered together to make war against
Him that sat on the horse, and against His army’ (Revelation 19: 19). These things will but hasten his own ruin.
2. The devil will energise Antichrist to defile the
Half way through the last ‘week’ mentioned in Daniel’s prophecy, the
Antichrist will break his covenant with the Jews and set up the abomination of
desolation in the holy place. This act will
hasten his own destruction. In the Scriptures there is a marking of time from
this gross act of wickedness, ‘And from the time
that the daily sacrifice shall be taken away, and
the abomination that maketh desolate set up, there
shall be a thousand two hundred and ninety days’ (Daniel 12: 11). There is a limit to its duration. God will shorten those days for the elect’s
sake and hasten Antichrist’s own destruction.
3. The devil energises Antichrist to touch the apple of God’s
eye. The Jews in
4. The devil’s energising of Antichrist will cause the remnant
of the Jews to cry unto the Lord. Psalm 74 foretells the cry of the Jews at that
precise hour, ‘Remember Thy congregation, which Thou hast purchased of old; the rod of Thine inheritance, which
Thou hast redeemed; this mount
These are the events that will
cause the destruction of the Antichrist.
The Manner of Antichrist’s Destruction
The Scriptures are equally
replete with descriptions as to how Antichrist shall be destroyed:
1. Antichrist shall be destroyed supernaturally. It will not be a human power who finally and
completely destroys Antichrist. There
will be assaults by human powers against him in certain ways. But Antichrist is reserved for a very special
end. He will be destroyed by the
supernatural power of God. Daniel 8: 25
reads: ‘he shall be broken without hand.’ That is, not by human hand. No human power shall be a match for him. In this sense he will be a superman. It is only when the God of heaven rises
against him that he shall be broken.
2. Antichrist shall be destroyed by the coming King. He will be a match for every foe except
one. He will have considerable power,
being energised by the devil, but he will not have absolute power.
Absolute power belongs to God
alone. Antichrist will be destroyed by
the second coming of the Son of God. Our
Lord is coming in flaming fire to take vengeance on His adversaries, Antichrist
among them. He is said to destroy
Antichrist with the ‘spirit of His mouth.’ Elsewhere this is described as a sword, ‘And out of His mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it He should smite the nations’ (Revelation 19: 15). ‘And the
remnant were slain with the sword of Him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of His mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh’ (Revelation 19: 21).
3. Antichrist shall be destroyed by the brightness of Christ’s
coming. God is a consuming fire. This consuming fire will engulf Antichrist
and his attending hordes, ‘And this shall be
the plague wherewith the LORD will smite all the people that have fought
against Jerusalem; Their flesh shall consume away
while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes
shall consume away in their holes, and their
tongue shall consume away in their mouth’ (Zechariah 14: 12). This is not nuclear war as some have
suggested. This is wicked men, including
Antichrist, meeting the all-consuming holiness of Jesus Christ and being
destroyed by it. God has but to arise
and His enemies are scattered!
4. Antichrist shall be finally destroyed by being cast alive
into the lake of fire. That consuming fire
will sweep Antichrist into the lake of fire burning with brimstone, ‘And the beast was taken, and
with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the
beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast
alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone’ (Revelation 19: 20).
5. Antichrist shall be tormented for ever in the lake of
fire. He shall be cast out of the grave
like an abominable branch, thrust through with a sword, and like them that go
down to the stones of the pit. His reign
of sin and terror will have been unparalleled; his punishment will also be
unparalleled. Revelation
20: 10 gives us the final glimpse of
the end of the man of sin: ‘And the devil that deceived
them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever.’ This unholy trinity of Antichrist, the false
prophet and the devil will have their part in the lake of fire and be tormented
day and night for ever. This is the end
of the devil’s counterfeit christ!
-------
[PART 2]
CONTENTS
10 CAN WE TAKE THE PROPHECIES LITERALLY?
11 THE AREA OF THE TEN KINGDOMS
12 THE PROCESS OF APOSTASY
13 SATAN WORKING
14 O GLORIOUS DAY
15 THE CHURCH’S ATTITUDE
IN RELATION TO OUR LORD’S RETURM
16 THE MIGHTY ANGEL WORKING
* * *
10
Can We Take The Prophecies
Literally?
By Thomas
Houghton
(Mr Houghton was, for many years, the editor
of ‘The Gospel Magazine.’ In
fact, we understand that there has only been one other
editor through the long years of the magazine’s history, that has held the
post for a longer period than Mr Houghton.
He used
to speak regularly at the conferences of the Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony, and, following his being
called home in
January, 1951, many of these messages were printed together in a book
entitled ‘The Faith and Hope of the Future.’
We still have some copies of this work which are obtainable, hardback, at
£5 each).
[Volume
26, No 18 April/June 2006]
-------
Amongst ‘Present-Day Prophetic Problems’ is the question, ‘Can we take the prophecies literally?’ The prophecies referred to are those which came
not by the will of man, but which ‘holy
men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost.’ Can we
explain them, not in a figurative sense, but in their plain, exact and
grammatical meaning? Figurative language
is, of course, sometimes used in prophecy.
Joseph dreamed a dream which represented him and his brethren binding
sheaves in a field, and his sheaf stood upright and their sheaves made
obeisance to his sheaf. The language was
figurative, but it predicted a time when Joseph’s brethren would [literally] ‘bow down themselves before him with their faces to
the earth’ (Genesis 42: 6, 9).
Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of a
great image, consisting of gold, silver, brass, iron and clay was figurative,
but Daniel’s inspired interpretation showed that it pointed to four great
literal empires which should arise. To
the king he said, ‘Thou art this head of gold’ (Daniel 2: 38). Figuratively the king was represented by the
head of gold which denoted the Babylonian empire.
The First Prophecy
A great many of the prophecies
of the Bible are literal in their language and in their fulfilment. This may be said of the first prophecy, which
occurs in Scripture. God, having put
Adam into the garden of Eden, said to him, ‘Of every
tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but
of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou
shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou
eatest thereof thou shalt surely die’ (Genesis
2: 16-17). Here we have a literal prediction which for
about six thousand years has been literally fulfilled. It is a prediction which referred to Adam and
his posterity. ‘By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death
passed upon all men, for that all have sinned,’ i.e.
sinned in Adam (Romans 5: 12). All
men are sinners by imputation, sinners by nature, and sinners by practice, and
‘it is appointed unto men [but not
all
men]* once to die’ (Hebrews 9: 27). It was
appointed and predicted in the garden of Eden, and the prediction has been, and
is still, literally fulfilled.
[* For some believers will be translated alive
from earth into heaven! (Lk. 21: 34-36; 1 Thess. 4: 17; Rev. 3: 10, R.V.).]
In Genesis
5 the words ‘And he died’ occur eight
times. Adam lived for 930 years, but at last ‘he
died.’ Methuselah lived 969 years, but ‘he died.’
The world of the ungodly all died in Noah’s time through the flood which
overwhelmed them. The patriarchs died;
Moses died; all the saints of God in Old Testament days, except Enoch and
Elijah, died. Death has been literally
experienced ever since the fall. Often
it comes gradually through disease, accident, or old age. Often it comes to large numbers at a time,
through war, pestilence, famine, earthquakes, and shipwrecks. The same process, however, literally goes on
according to the Divine prediction. We
are specially impressed with its literal fulfilment in times of war, famine,
and pestilence, but the only difference is that in times of war, millions may
be carried off in a short time, whereas in normal times the numbers affected
are comparatively small and death takes place more gradually.
The Prophecy to Abraham
God said to Abraham, when he was
75 years old, ‘Unto thy seed will I give this land’ (Genesis 12: 7). At that time Abraham, was childless. Before the prophecy was fulfilled Abraham
reached the age of 100 years, and Sarah was 99.
At that time its fulfilment seemed impossible, but ‘the LORD visited
Sarah as He had said, and the LORD did unto Sarah as He had spoken’ (Genesis 21: 1),
and Abraham was so strong in faith that He was fully persuaded that what God
had literally promised He was able also literally to perform. Sarah ‘judged
Him faithful Who had promised’ (Hebrews
11: 11). We need to follow her example. All the promises or prophecies of God are Yea
and Amen. He says, ‘I am God, and there is none
like Me, declaring
the end from the beginning, and from ancient
times the things that are not yet done, saying,
My counsel shall
stand, and I will do all My pleasure
... I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have
purposed it, I will also do it’ (Isaiah 46: 9-11).
Prophecies Already Fulfilled
Firstly, we can take prophecies
literally, because many
literal prophecies have already been literally fulfilled.
This is true of the prophecies
concerning our Lord’s first coming. The
place of His birth was literally foretold and literally fulfilled. The
wise men asked, ‘Where is He that is born King of the
Jews?’ To answer this
question Herod demanded of the chief priests and scribes where Christ should be
born. Their answer was ‘In Bethlehem of Judaea: for
thus it is written by the prophet, And thou
His being Divinely anointed with
the Holy Ghost was literally predicted and literally fulfilled. Prophecy said, ‘The Spirit of the LORD
shall rest upon Him.’ God
said, ‘I have put My Spirit upon Him.’ He Himself said in prophecy, ‘The Spirit of the Lord GOD
is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto the meek’ (Isaiah 11: 1; 42: 1; 61: 2).
At His baptism this was
literally fulfilled, and immediately thereafter He is described as ‘being full of the Holy Ghost’ (Luke 4: 1). Later, Peter said of Him, ‘God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power’ (Acts 10: 38).
His miracles were literally
predicted and literally wrought. ‘Behold your God will come ... Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall
the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of
the dumb sing.’ When John asked, ‘Art Thou He that should come?’ the
Lord pointed to the literal fulfilment of this prophecy in proof that he was
the predicted Messiah. ‘The blind receive their sight, and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed,
and the deaf hear’ (Isaiah 35: 4-6; Matthew 11: 3-5).
His prophetic office was literally
predicted and literally held. Prophecy said, ‘I will raise them up a Prophet from among their brethren
... and will put My words in His mouth; and He shall speak unto them all that I shall command Him.’
The fulfilment is seen to be
literal when we read, ‘He Whom God hath sent speaketh the
words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by
measure unto Him.’ ‘I have given unto them the words which Thou gavest
His priestly office was literally
predicted and literally assumed. To Him prophecy said, ‘Thou art a Priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek.’ As the High Priest of good things to come He ‘through the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to
God’ and by His one offering ‘perfected
for ever them that are sanctified’ (Psalm
110: 4; Hebrews
9: 11, 14;
10: 14).
His kingly office was literally
predicted and literally claimed. Prophecy
said, ‘Rejoice greatly, O
daughter of
How literally this was
fulfilled! ‘Ye shall find an ass, and a
colt with her. Loose them, and bring them
unto
The details about His mission, His
rejection and crucifixion were literally predicted and literally fulfilled. Prophecy
said, ‘He is despised and rejected of men;
a man of sorrows, and
acquainted with grief’ (Isaiah 53:
3).
History says, ‘He came unto His own, and His own received Him not’ (John 1: 12). They ‘led Him
unto the brow of the hill whereon their city was built, that they might cast Him down headlong’ (Luke 4: 29). ‘They
took up stones to cast at Him’ (John
8: 59). They took counsel together to put Him to
death. They brought Him in as guilty of
blasphemy and said, ‘He is guilty of death’ (Matthew 26: 66). The penalty of blasphemy was stoning. Why did they not stone Him to death? Because prophecy had literally predicted His
crucifixion. It said, ‘They pierced My hands and My feet’ (Psalm 22: 16). Hence His hands and His feet were literally
nailed to the cross. When He was dead ‘they brake not His legs: but
one of the soldiers with a spear pierced His side.’ Why?
Because prophecy had literally predicted that ‘a bone of Him shall not be broken’ and ‘they shall look on Him Whom they pierced’ (John 19: 33-37).
Prophecy said literally, ‘They
part My garments among them, and cast lots upon
My vesture’ (Psalm 22: 18).
History records that this prophecy was fulfilled to the very letter (John 19: 23-24). His
resurrection was foretold and typified, and it literally took place.
His ascension was literally
foretold and it literally took place. ‘Thou hast ascended on high, Thou
hast led captivity captive’ (Psalm
68: 18), said prophecy.
Prophecy foretold His session at
the right hand of God. History records
that He is on the right hand of God, crowned with glory and honour (see Psalm 110: 1; 1 Peter 3: 22; Hebrews 2: 9).
Prophecies to be Fulfilled
Secondly, we can and should take
the prophecies literally in regard to our Lord’s Second Coming.
That coming will be personal. ‘I will come again’ (John
14: 3). ‘This
same Jesus ... shall so come in like manner as
ye have seen Him go into heaven’ (Acts
1: 11). ‘The
Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout’ (1 Thessalonians 4: 16).
His coming will be public, not
secret. ‘If they
shall say ... Behold, He is in the secret chambers; believe
it not. For
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’ (Matthew
24: 26-27). ‘Every
eye shall see Him’ (Revelation 1: 7).
His coming will be at a
predestined time, not at any moment. God His
Father has said, ‘Sit Thou at My right hand, until I make Thine
enemies Thy footstool.’
Hence Peter said, ‘Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution of all
things.’ Hence, too, the
Epistle to the Hebrews says, ‘This Man, after He had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth
expecting till His enemies be made His footstool’ (see Psalm 110: 1; Acts 3: 21; Hebrews 10: 12-13).
He will thus literally come in
person, publicly manifest His presence, and He will not come until His predestined hour has come.
Further, His
coming will be preceded by remarkable literal signs and events. Our
Lord teaches us that immediately after
the great tribulation, and before His visible coming, ‘shall the sun be darkened, and
the moon shall not give her light, and the stars
shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the
heavens shall be shaken’ (Matthew
24: 29).
Instead of taking this prophecy
literally it is said that ‘nearly every expression
will be found used of the Lord’s coming in terrible national judgments’
(Dr. David Brown in Jamieson, Fausset and Brown’s
Commentary on Mark 13: 25). We
hold, however, that this prediction of our Lord can be, and should be taken
literally. In Luke’s Gospel our Lord says, ‘There
shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon,
and in the stars; and
upon the earth distress of nations, with
perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring;
men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking after those things which are coming on the
earth: for the powers of the heavens shall be
shaken’ (21: 25-26).
Thus the
signs in the heavenly bodies, the distress of nations, the perplexity due to
the roaring of the sea, the fainting of men for fear, and the expectation of
things coming on the world, will all be due to the shaking of the powers of the
heavens. ‘For
the powers of the heavens shall be shaken.’ Grimm’s Greek Lexicon of the New Testament
explains these powers of the heaven to be ‘the
hosts of heaven, the stars.’
Moses speaks of ‘the host of heaven’ as all the heavenly
bodies. He says, ‘Lest thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou seest the sun, and
the moon, and the stars, even all the host of heaven, shouldest be driven to worship them’ (Deuteronomy 4: 19). The powers of the heavens, then, even all the
heavenly bodies, shall be shaken immediately before the Lord comes. The shaking of the heavenly bodies will cause
the sun to be darkened and the moon not to give her light, and the stars to
fall from their present places. Such
remarkable phenomena will cause distress of nations, perplexity, fainting for
fear, and will be thought to signify terrible things coming on the world.
But why doubt the literal
shaking of the heavenly bodies? The earth
is a heavenly body, and earthquakes or shakings of the earth have taken place
very frequently, and God has definitely predicted in simple and literal
language the shaking of the heavens.
When He descended on Sinai, ‘the
whole mount quaked greatly’ (Exodus
19: 18). ‘Whose
voice then shook the earth (a heavenly body) but now He hath
promised, saying, Yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven.
And this word, yet
once more, signifieth the removing of those
things that are shaken, as of things that are
made, that those things which cannot he shaken
may remain’ (Hebrews 12: 26-27; Haggai 2: 6-7; Joel 3: 16).
Immediately following the shaking of the powers of heaven we read, ‘Then shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with
power and great glory. And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your
heads; for your redemption draweth nigh’ (Luke 21: 27-28). The things which will cause fear and
distress to the ungodly are intended to cheer the hearts of the godly. They are bidden to look up, for their
redemption draweth nigh.
Resulting from the Lord’s coming
will be the resurrection glory of His [suffering]* people, the literal overthrow of the Antichrist and
all his adherents, the conversion of
[* 2 Tim. 2: 12, A.V.]
The first resurrection will be
literal. We are not dependent on Revelation 20 for the doctrine of two resurrections. The apostle Paul says, ‘there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just [i.e. the ‘righteous’] and unjust [i.e, the ‘unrighteous’]’ (Acts 24:
15).
[* NOTE: By the
use of the words ‘righteous’ and ‘unrighteous,’ we have
a better translation and understanding of the text; for the Christian’s ‘Hope’ (mentioned in the same verse), has to do with
being previously judged as ‘accounted worthy
to attain to that age,’ and to be raised from the
dead at the time of ‘the First Resurrection’
(Heb. 9: 27. cf. Lk. 20: 25; Phil. 3: 11; Heb. 11: 35b, etc. R.V.).]
The great resurrection chapter
in 1 Corinthians speaks only of the first
resurrection - the resurrection of the just: ‘Every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward
they that are Christ’s at His coming’ (15: 23). They that are Christ’s - [and
judged by Him as ‘accounted worthy to attain to that age’
- His messianic and millennial Kingdom yet to come] - are
they who will be raised ‘at His coming.’ ‘Then
cometh the end,’ presumably at the end of the thousand years. During that period Christ puts down all His
enemies, and ‘the last enemy that shall be
destroyed is death’ (15: 26). In
other words, - [‘after books were opened… and the dead were judged out of the things were written in
the books, according to their works’ (Rev. 20: 12b-13, R.V.)] - death
and hell will be cast into the lake of fire after the final resurrection takes
place (Revelation 20: 11-14).
In 1
Thessalonians, the apostle again speaks of the literal resurrection of
the just. When the Lord descends from
heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God
‘the dead in Christ shall rise first’ (4: 16). The risen and changed saints will be
literally caught up to meet the Lord in the air and will for ever be with their
Lord in the heavenly mansions. They will literally reign with Him when He
takes to Himself His great power and reigns.
All
The man of sin will be literally
consumed with the brightness of Christ’s coming. Together with all his adherents judgment will
be visited upon them (2 Thessalonians 18-12).
All nations shall then flow unto
There will be a special and
literal manifestation of His kingly power. Without
leaving His throne in the heavens He will be King over all the earth. All people, nations, and languages shall
serve Him. His kingdom will not be
destroyed. He will reign in
There will be a literal change in
the dumb animals. ‘The
wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the
leopard shall lie down with the kid ... the lion
shall eat straw like the ox’ (Isaiah
11: 6-7). Why should we object to the literal
fulfilment of this prophecy? Before the
flood all the dumb animals were vegetarians.
They did not then devour each other (see Genesis
1: 30; 9:
2, 3, 5).
Finally,
Satan will be literally loosed from his prison for a season, at the end of the thousand years
of the reign of Christ and His people.
He will lead a final rebellion against God. But he will be cast into the lake of fire and
brimstone ‘and shall be tormented day and night
for ever and ever’ (Revelation 20: 3, 7-10).
Then follows the final
resurrection, ‘and whosoever will not be found
written in the book of life will be cast into the lake of fire.’ The present heavens and the present earth will
then be destroyed. The earth and the works that are therein shall be burned up.
The heavens being on fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with
fervent heat. We believers, however, ‘according
to His promise, look for new heavens and a new
earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness.’ Then
the great prophecy shall be literally fulfilled, ‘Behold
the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will
dwell with them, and they shall be His people,
and God Himself shall be with them and be their God. And God shall wipe
away all tears from their eyes; and there shall
be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall
there be any more pain: for the former things
are passed away’ (see 2 Peter 3: 7, 10, 12, 13; Revelation 20: 11-15; 21: 1-4).
'Wherefore, beloved, seeing that
ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace,
without spot, and blameless,' and 'comfort one another with these words' (2
Peter 3:14; 1 Thessalonians 4:18).
* * *
* * *
*
11
The Area of The Ten Kingdoms
By Stephen
A Toms
(This is the summary of a message given at an
S. G.A. T meeting in
‘The Area of the European Union’. The message
was recorded and cassettes and CDs can be obtained from us).
Our subject is the area of
the European Union, but we know from the Scripture that it will not, in the
finale, be merely a union restricted to
Most of the information on this
subject is found in the Book of Daniel. It is worth noting that when God reveals
great prophetic detail it is often to those experiencing times of trial and
testing. Daniel had been taken at a
young age into captivity by the Babylonians.
He was away from his home country and people, and being in a pagan
situation he had the conviction that he should take a stand. It was not easy but he took the stand and
knew the help of God.
If we think of the Lord Jesus
Christ, he testified concerning the future, as in the Olivet prophecy, when he
had come unto His own and they had received Him not. The religious leaders exhibited continual
opposition to the Saviour.
When we come to the Book of the Revelation, we need to remember that John at that
time was suffering on the Isle of Patmos for his testimony. But then and there, God revealed to him many
wonderful things concerning the future.
I like to emphasise that God speaks of this book as a revelation and not
a book of mystification, as many seem to like to make it. It is a book to be understood without
fanciful notions, because God says what
He means and means what He says.
The Lord Jesus Christ spoke of
Daniel. In Mark
13: 14, it is recorded that the
Saviour said, ‘When ye see the abomination of
desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet,
standing where it ought not (let him that readeth understand).’ This abomination, which is an idol, is
referred to in Daniel 11: 31 and 12: 11, and we ought to understand what will happen,
for that is what we read in Matthew 24: 15 as well as in Mark
13: 14.
However, I would draw to your
attention the fact that Jesus describes Daniel as ‘the prophet.’
So, this man was declaring the Word of God, yet, sadly, so many do not
want to know what Daniel has said, or they imply that he has said something
different from what we are told he did speak in the name of God. If we reject the words of Daniel, surely
we are rejecting the words of the Lord
Jesus. The whole of the Bible is
inspired of God, but with the Saviour putting those two words, ‘Daniel’ and ‘prophet,’ together we have an emphasis
that the prophecy is verbally inspired.
God did not merely give the thoughts, but the very words which have been
written.
The prophet did not have a full
revelation but there were many and wonderful facts that were made known to
him. His prophecy does not give details
of events over the past two thousand years, but we are told of some of those
things which will occur at the end of this [evil] age.
His prophecy concerns the time when
An unbiased reading of the book
will show that the prophet spoke, not of ecclesiastical powers but of secular
powers. This must be an important fact
to note, particularly as so many have interpreted, and still do interpret,
these statements as if the reference is to religious oppressors, although
Daniel makes it clear that God’s revelation concerns ‘kings.’
When I was young, I was taken by
my parents to hear Mr Fromow give his lecture entitled ‘Bible Lands in Bible Light.’
Although I was only a boy at the time, the Lord gave me, at that
meeting, a great interest in this Book of Daniel,
and consequently, in prophecy, and I am very thankful for that. As a boy, I used often to read through chapters 2, 7,
and 8.
So, I find it extremely sad that, in these days, I find there are a lot
of God’s people who seem not to know much of these illuminating and
enlightening portions of God’s Truth.
The Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony still has a supply of a small booklet entitled ‘Daniel’s Visions and Prophecies Illustrated.’ It is only 35p and is quite helpful towards
understanding this prophecy. For a
fuller exposition, we have additional publications like ‘Prospects of the Ten Kingdoms of the
There are four matters to which
I would like to refer and they are (1)
that the area is unspecified, (2) it
is predetermined, (3) it is literal,
and (4) it is certain.
It is an Unspecified Area
It is an unspecified area in
that there is nothing clear in the Scriptures about the exact boundaries. There are, of course, times recorded in the Bible
when God did speak specifically about boundaries when giving prophetical
information. Additionally, there were
occasions when details of boundaries were supplied when the utterances did not
concern the future.
When God made a covenant with
Abraham, the patriarch was told to look in all directions and he was promised
that wherever he could see, the land would be given to him and his seed (Genesis 13: 14-17).
Later, Jehovah is more specific
when He named the boundaries of the two rivers - the river of Egypt (the Nile)
and the river Euphrates - and He told Abraham the nations which he would
dispossess (Genesis 15: 18-21).
When Jehovah appeared to Moses
in the burning bush, He gave much detail about the land to be inherited by the
The Book of Joshua details the dividing of the Promised Land;
firstly, to the tribe of
The last two chapters in the
Book of Ezekiel tell us of a yet future
division of the land - when the Lord Jesus comes again - and precise
information is set before us.
In all these examples, God is
more specific with boundaries, but that is not the case with regard to the
final amalgamation around the
I obtained a map of the area of
the European Community when it was known by that name, but that is now out of
date. The map keeps changing. And I would suggest that it is because of
changes that we are unable to say definitely what borders will exist just prior
to the second coming.
Nevertheless, an absorbing of
the teaching of this Book of Daniel will
help to give a very good idea whereabouts the boundaries are likely to be.
It is a Predetermined Area
God knew from the beginning exactly
where this area would be and it will, of course, come to pass according to that
predetermined plan. As Jeremiah opposed
certain things in his day, knowing what the people would do, so we do well to
oppose the ungodly alliances of men in our own time. We know that the union will be against God
and against Christ and against truth so we should seek to raise a testimony
against it.
Of course, everything is
predetermined by God. The first word in the
name of this Testimony is Sovereign - Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony. The founders of this movement were concerned
that it should be known that to understand truth aright it is essential to
grasp that God is sovereign. If that
foundation is taken away, there is no foundation. I well remember Mr Fromow telling me that the
exposition of prophetic truth emphasises that God has a purpose, which He
would, in His [own time and] sovereignty, bring to pass.
It is true that God does predetermine everything. We read in Ephesians 1: 11
that ‘He worketh all things after the
counsel of His own will.’ Everything
that comes to pass is predetermined by God.
To believe that does not make us fatalists. This should be a great encouragement to those
of us that are His people. This final
amalgamation of nations will be in a predetermined area.
In a chapter in which Isaiah is
prophesying about
Peter tells us in Acts 2: 23 that
the Lord Jesus was crucified and slain by wicked hands, but we are plainly
instructed that this was by the determinate counsel of God. This does not take away the wickedness of
evil men but God’s people can rejoice that He is in absolute control.
Returning to Isaiah, the prophet says, ‘The LORD of hosts
hath purposed it’ relating to judgment upon
The same prophet tells us, ‘Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is
none else; I am God and there is none like Me. Declaring the end
from the beginning, and from ancient times the
things which are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and I
will do all My pleasure ... I have purposed it,
I will also do it’ (46: 9-11). As God reveals the end from the beginning, we
know that His purpose is unchangeable.
When Paul was on Mars Hill,
amongst other things, he said, when speaking of God, that ‘He hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation’ (Acts 17: 26). So we have no hesitation in asserting that
the bounds of the final union of nations are predetermined by God.
Moses testified ‘When the Most High divided to the nations their inheritance,
when He separated the sons of Adam, He set the bounds of the people according to the number of
the children of
In this
revelation to Daniel we have two chapters which confirm each other. In chapter 2,
there is the dream of Nebuchadnezzar.
The dream was of an image composed of four different kinds of
metals. In chapter
7, there is the vision given to Daniel of the four beasts ascending out
of the great sea (the
It seems to me that the metals
in Nebuchadnezzar’s dream refer to the power of these kingdoms, and that the beasts in Daniel’s vision refer
to the character of these
kingdoms. God shows to Daniel how He
views the world rulers. They are like
beasts. Power breeds corruption in the natural [and]
unregenerate heart.
The prophet explains these pictures,
proceeding to speak of the ten toes of the image, and the ten horns on the last
beast. It is all predetermined by God.
We may feel we cannot understand
how this progress in evil is all in the plan of God, but it has been likened to
a river which, with all its twists and turns, always flows into the sea. Similarly, God’s purposes always work out
even when we cannot see how this can be.
It is a Literal Area
This may seem a strange point to
make but it needs to be said as so many seem to think that anything literal is
not spiritual. That notion is quite
false. I submit that a literal
understanding of the Word of God is the most spiritual. The antithesis of spiritual is carnal, not
literal.
In Daniel
chapters 2 and 7, we read of four
world empires -
Daniel 8 gives the picture of an he-goat which represents
The
Mr. Newton prepared a map 150
years or so ago. He included the words ‘suggested’ and ‘possible’
in giving it a title. We have included
the map in this magazine. It was based
on the nations as they existed in his time, but it does give the approximate
bounds. The Bible does not tell us the names
of the ten nations but we do know with the two legs of the image that there
will be five kings in the eastern part and five kings in the western part.
A brief observation of this map
will indicate that some European countries are likely to leave the union whilst
lands from the Middle East, Asia, and
The important thing is that when
this comes to pass those who have studied prophetic truth according to God’s
Holy Word will be aware of that which is happening. Sadly, those
who refuse to read the Scripture and believe what it says precisely will be
ignorant of the very things for which the Lord instructed us to watch.
It was somewhat amusing that
when the Common Market was reaching a total of ten members, some Protestant
magazines issued statements and showed maps indicating that Daniel’s prophecies
were being fulfilled. But it is foolish
to make such guesses. It is essential
that we know what God’s inspired Word teaches, and to believe it, and to wait for what God says to definitely, specifically, actually, come to pass.
What does God say? Nebuchadnezzar’s dream was of an image which
had two legs, and on each foot there were five toes; and these are equivalent
to the ten horns of the fourth beast of Daniel’s vision. Regrettably, many have only thought of the
west or Roman side when trying to understand this prophecy; but there is also
the east side, which would include vast tracts of land. God has included in His word that the image
had legs and it does not show wisdom to think that Popery is the sum and
substance of all evil. Both parts will
be involved in the final union.
Notice too that there will be
ten kings, not democracies, and they will be federally united. The ten horns and the ten toes will move
together. When the beast’s head turned,
the horns all turned; and when the feet move, the toes moved; one toe did not
go off on its own. Surely this is a
picture given to us by God that all ten will work together. There is no thought of national sovereignty -
there will be no such thing.
Daniel 8: 22-23 refers to
the four Grecian territories ruled over by the successors to Alexander the
Great; but reference is also made to ‘the
latter time of their kingdom’ when a king of fierce
countenance (the antichrist) shall arise.
It would seem, therefore, that four of the ten kingdoms may well be
those which were ruled over by the Grecian generals, and that the last wicked
world ruler will arise from that Grecian area.
You may know that Ptolemy was given
In Daniel
11, we read of a vile person (verse 21)
who ‘will do according to his will;
and he shall exalt himself, and magnify himself above every god, and he shall speak marvellous things against the God of gods,
and shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished:
for that that is determined shall be done. Neither shall he
regard the God of his fathers, nor the desire of women, nor
regard any god: for he shall magnify himself
above all. But in his estate shall he honour the God of forces: and a god whom his fathers knew not shall he honour with gold,
and silver, and with
precious stones, and pleasant things. Thus shall he do in
the most strong holds with a strange god, whom
he shall acknowledge and increase with glory: and
he shall cause them to rule over many, and shall
divide the land for gain. And at the time of
the end shall the king of the south push at
him: and the king of the north shall come
against him like a whirlwind, with chariots, and
with horsemen, and with many ships; and he shall enter into countries, and shall overflow and pass over’ (verses 36-40).
Daniel 8: 9 says that ‘Out of
them (the four notable horns) came forth a little horn, which waxed
exceeding great, toward the south, and toward the cast, and toward
the pleasant land.’
These words lead us to believe
that the antichrist will arise from this Grecian (or Balkan) area, signifying
that the eastern area will be a very important part.
It is a Certain Area
It is absolutely certain to come
to pass. Whatever politicians do or seek
to do, God’s predetermined purpose will be fulfilled. We believe in the sovereignty of God and know
that nothing can stop these things occurring whether men will believe it or
not. The present [evil] age
will close according to God’s revealed will.
When Gabriel came to the prophet
he said, ‘Understand, O son of man: for at the time
of the end shall be the vision ... Behold,
I make thee know what shall be in the last end of the
indignation: for at the time appointed the end shall be’ (8: 17-19).
There will be this area. It will be an anti-God area; and it will
include the eastern section. The end is
not yet. There will be changes in the present map. With all the godlessness, true believers will
not be wanting to be so attached to the world but will be crying ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation
22: 20). When He does come, He will put the world
straight and it will be a wonderful time.
We should, like Daniel, seek to
live for God and truth whilst in this world, but separate from the world, and
certainly not crave to live here for ever, but to cleave to the Lord.
Let us not take heed to the philosophies of
men but rather believe the Word of God and be submissive to its teaching.
* * *
* * *
*
12
The Process of Apostasy
By James
Payne
‘Woe unto
them that call evil good, and good evil; that put darkness for light, and light for darkness; that put
bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter!’ (Isaiah 5: 20).
Why did not Isaiah say, ‘Woe unto them that call good evil, and evil good; that put
light for darkness, and darkness for light; etc? No! It
never happens that way; that would be reversing the process. When men depart from the faith, as the
Scripture declares that many shall in the last days, they do not suddenly decry
the things they have previously witnessed and professed to love; they do not
suddenly rise up and declare that the Gospel of God's grace is evil, and pour
scorn upon His Truth. No! They first of all call the evil things
good. They allow error to stand side by
side with Truth and give their approval to both alike. They allow men who cast doubt upon God’s Word
to come in among their number; they flatter them and give them pride of place;
they condone the things they say but pay no regard to slurs that are cast upon
God’s Truth.
So they call evil good. And so
is fulfilled the Word of God through Peter, ‘There
shall be false teachers among you ... and many shall
follow their pernicious ways; by reason of whom the way of truth shall be evil spoken of’ (2
Peter 2: 1-2). When evil is called good, then it is not long
before good is called evil. The right
hand of fellowship given to error, if persisted in, is the certain precursor of
a departure from the faith. Mr B W
Newton said, over a century ago, ‘Evil when palliated
is soon, measurably at least, imitated.’ (Thoughts
on Parts of Leviticus, page 380). ‘Woe to
them that call evil good, and good evil.’ The approbation of the evil is certain to
lead to the denunciation of the good.
Darkness Instead of Light
‘Woe
unto them that put darkness for light, and light
for darkness.’ God’s Word is
light. David said, ‘Thy Word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path’ (Psalm 119: 105). Jesus said, ‘Light
is come into the world, and men loved darkness’ (John 3: 19). And again, ‘I
am the Light of the world’ (John
8: 12; 9:
5).
John said of Jesus, the Incarnate Word, ‘In
Him was life; and the life was the light of men ... That was the true Light, which lighteth every man that cometh
into the world’ (John 1: 4, 9). He, therefore, is the only Light. ‘God, Who commanded the light
to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our
hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of
the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ’ (2 Corinthians 4: 6). And He has bidden us ‘shine as lights in the world; holding
forth the Word of Life’ (Philippians 2:
15-16). Men who have professed to rejoice in that light
do not suddenly put a cloak over it and call it darkness. No! They first call darkness light and
endeavour to mingle light into the obscurity of a twilight where nothing is
certain. How is it that many young men
have gone forth with the torch of the Gospel into heathen lands and eventually
have allowed that torch to be obscured in the darkness of unbelief? This process always begins by calling
darkness light or by putting darkness in the place of light. The Lord says that ‘the whole world lieth in wickedness (the Evil One)’ (1 John 5: 19), and he, ‘the god
of this world’ (2 Corinthians 4: 4), is the prince of darkness.
Christ Alone is Light
But many
missionaries have begun a downward course by thinking that there is at least some
light in the heathen religions - in the worship of Buddha,
Of the heathen, Paul says, ‘When they knew God, they
glorified Him not as God, neither were thankful;
but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened’ (Romans 1: 21). The declension begins, therefore, by putting
this darkness for light. This is done
openly in the Fellowship of Faiths and in the League of Christians and Moslems,
where heathen worship and the supposed worship of Jehovah are posed side by
side in a false unity. It is also done
openly in the World Council of Churches. This well pleases the devil but should
bring sorrow to the soul of every faithful servant of Jesus Christ.
Once the darkness of heathen
idolatry is allowed, in any measure, to stand side by side with the Light of
the Gospel of Christ, an uncertain twilight ensues, and the ultimate result is
the calling of light darkness. This is
seen in the writings of Dr. Nels F. S. Ferre, who, in his book on ‘The
Sun and the Umbrella’ says that the doctrine of the substitutionary
sacrifice of the Lord Jesus Christ was ‘an umbrella to
keep away the bright sunlight of God’s love.’ ‘Woe
unto them that put light for darkness.’
Turning the Sweetness of Christ to
Bitterness
‘Woe
unto them that put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter.’ God says it is ‘an evil thing and a bitter’ to forsake Jehovah (Jeremiah 2: 19). The spirit of Antichrist does not begin by
blaspheming the Name of Christ - calling the sweet thing (that Name which is as
ointment poured forth to the believer) bitter.
No! It begins by calling the
bitter sweet; by forsaking and then discrediting the Jehovah of the Old
Testament. Bishop Oxnam,
a president of the World Council of Churches referred to God as a ‘dirty bully.’
And yet many believers assay to have fellowship with this bitter thing
as though it were sweet. They treat
those who have forsaken Jehovah as if they were disciples of Jesus. But Jesus said, ‘If ye believe not his (Moses) writings, how shall ye believe My words?’ (John 5: 47). So when the bitter is called sweet, it is not
so long before the sweetness of the Name of Jesus is called bitter. ‘He was a child of
His age’ said Lord Soper, ‘and did not know nearly so much as we know.’ So the precious Name of Emmanuel - God with
us - is trodden in the dust.
Thus the apostasy reaches its
climax. And when all evil, dark, and
bitter things are gathered in one great confederation, now exemplified by the
World Council of Churches, the Fellowship of Faiths, and the United Nations,
and men hail it as the triumph of man’s goodness, the light of the world, and
the sweetness of peace, then the threefold woe will soon again be sounded (Revelation 8: 13)
to their everlasting discomfiture.
-------
In Reading Prophecy, remember that.
-
(G. T. Hunt.)
S.G.A.T. Meetings: For this
year we have arranged, subject to the will of the Lord, a series of meetings on
‘The Glory of
Christ’s Millennial Kingdom.’
We feel concerned that so many in these days are allegorising plain
statements of Holy Scripture relating to God’s purpose for
July 28
- The Church in the Millennium - Brian
Green.
September 22 (afternoon) - Israel in the Millennium - John Douglas.
(evening) - The Gentile Nations in the Millennium - John
Douglas.
October
27 - The Agreement of Pre-millennial Truth With the Doctrine of
Grace - Richard Monteith.
November
24 - Whither A-millennialism? - Ian
Shaw.
Prayer Request: We would
request our readers to pray each day for those who have the responsibility of
the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony, that they may adhere at all times to
God’s Holy Word and that they might be guided in all matters. Also, that the magazine may contain articles
that are helpful to the Lord’s people in these apostate days and that all
needful financial support may be given.
Also, that the ministers holding the teaching advocated by ‘Watching and Waiting’ may be given the courage and
grace to faithfully proclaim Sovereign Grace Doctrine and Prophetic Truth. Also, that believers who hold the truth may
have fellowship with like-minded saints and be strengthened in the things of
God.
Holidays: Have you considered taking gospel tracts with you for
distribution whilst on holiday?
* * *
* * *
*
13
O
Glorious Day
By William
Winters:
O
glorious day when we shall meet, and tread yon golden shore!
And cast
our all at Jesus’ feet, when toil and sin are o’er,
Then
dressed in righteousness complete, we’ll crown Him evermore.
When
shall we reach that better land, where pilgrim saints abide?
When
shall we join that happy band on
Faith
seems like writing on the sand, effaced by every tide.
Yet may
we not in hope depend on what the Lord has done?
That He
will perfect to the end the work He has begun?
Yes,
He’s a true and faithful Friend, the ever-loving One.
* * *
* *
* *
14
Satan Working
(Revelation 12)
By S.
J. Clarke.
[Volume 24. No. 11. July/September, 1994.]
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Whereas Dr Biss described
this as the simplest chapter in the Book of the Revelation,
Dr Frost described it as one of the most difficult of prophetical
problems! It certainly has difficulties
but where fundamental doctrine is not affected we should bear with one another
when there are differences in our understanding of any passage of Scripture. It is always, of course, very important to
notice carefully what the Holy Spirit has actually said to help us to a right
understanding.
In Revelation
1, John was told to write the things which he had seen, and the things
which are, and the things which shall be hereafter. It is clear, therefore, that what we have in Revelation 12 comes under the heading of ‘the things which shall
be hereafter.’ Some would relate it to a past event - the
incarnation of the Lord Jesus and His ascension. That, however, would have been past, not only
from the present point of view but also at the time when John wrote this book.
It is very important to notice
that in this chapter there are seen two spheres of activity. In the first part the activity is in heaven while
the second part deals predominantly with activity on earth. If we keep that in mind I suggest it will
help considerably to a true understanding of the passage. In the chapter there are two major
antagonists - the dragon and the woman - the dragon versus the woman in heaven
and the dragon versus the woman on earth.
There is also a further antagonism - a war in heaven which occurs
between Michael and his angels and the dragon and his angels.
It is my firm conviction that
one of the reasons why so many children of God are unwilling to believe that
the church will be on earth during the tribulation period and the reign of the
antichrist is that the wish is father to the thought. But turning to this passage there is much to
encourage the saints both now and during that period.
I quote from a letter received
from a ministering brother many years ago a sentence which sums up the contents
of this chapter, ‘I agree most heartily with you that
Revelation 12 represents
the key to the overthrow of the Satanic kingdom and the bringing in of the
reign of Christ through the saints standing for the Lord here on the earth.’ That summary is full of encouragement. If that is the key it behoves us now, by the
grace of God, to stand for Him on this earth.
I will deal firstly with the
activity in heaven, then with the activity on earth, and lastly with the major
event which occasions the transference of the activity from one sphere to the
other.
Activity in Heaven
Heaven and its activity is
introduced in the first verse, ‘There appeared a
great wonder in heaven.’ The
word ‘wonder’ is
literally a ‘sign.’ It is the word John uses in his gospel for a
miracle. It is a sign. It signifies something. It is symbolic. John sees this sign in heaven. A woman first meets his eye and it is a woman
clothed with the sun.
Several times in Scripture a
woman presented symbolically indicates an evil system. In Revelation 2:
20, the church in Thyatira is rebuked for
permitting that woman Jezebel to corrupt that particular church. We read in chapter
17 of the harlot seen riding upon a beast. In chapter 18
But in a number of Scriptures a
woman is also mentioned representing a righteous or godly system. In Luke 15
a woman, having ten pieces of silver, loses one and she searches the house for
it. There she is seen as the church or a
local church.
Some view the woman as
We further read that the woman
has the moon under her feet. Some have
said that the moon represents the glory of the old covenant, now under her feet
because it has been superseded by the glory under the new covenant. Rather is it probable the moon indicates the
reflected and corporate glory of the church, ordained ‘to rule the night,’ as is the moon (see Genesis 1: 16).
Further, the woman has a crown
of twelve stars. In Revelation 1 stars are seen as messengers of the
churches and it would appear that they would represent the witness of her
individual members. The Bible says that
there is one glory of the sun, another of the moon, and another of the stars this
being the resurrection glory of the individuals that comprise the church. Twelve is the number of government. Twelve reminds us of the number of the
apostles upon whom the church is founded and consequently suggests the
corporate witness of Christians during this present age and particularly at the
time specified in this chapter and inasmuch as this number is indicative of
government, the picture is presented of the church ‘reigning in life’ (see Romans
5: 17).
As a definite expression of
this, we read, ‘She being with child cried, travailing in birth, and
pained to be delivered.’
This, surely, is one of the most challenging verses in the chapter for
if this woman represents the church and you and I are part of the church then the
question comes, what do we know of such crying and travailing and being in
pain, ready to be delivered? How formal
our prayers can be! Satan trembles when
he sees the weakest saint upon his knees.
But when we are on our knees what do we know of burden of heart, of
travail? It is so easy to quote Ephesians 6 and wrestling, not with flesh and
blood, but with principalities and powers but what do we know of wrestling in
prayer? We need to enter into the
reality of what such verses set before us.
Satan recognises what is happening.
He sees the woman in travail. He
knows that something is going to result from this so that he, as the dragon, is
ready to devour the man child as soon as it is born.
Let me repeat what was said
earlier, that we need to be very clear as to where this is happening. It is not happening here upon earth. The woman indeed must be upon earth from a
physical point of view but the symbology is in heaven. It is a spiritual, a heavenly
experience. Satan is described as the
prince of the power of the air and the principalities and powers with whom we
are to wrestle are in heavenly places.
This is heavenly in its very nature.
The man child is never seen on earth.
The dragon is never allowed to devour it. He is ready to devour it but he is not
successful. We have a faithful and
gracious God and when the woman travails like this then that which is brought
forth is not allowed by God to be devoured, but it is caught away to the
throne. I mentioned that the number
twelve indicates the idea of government and surely it is underlined here. The fact that the man child is caught away to
the throne is an indication that the church will be reigning in spiritual
government.
What then is indicated by this
man child? He is the product of the
travailing woman. He is never seen on
earth. He is caught away to the
throne. Further, we are told in verse 5, ‘she brought
forth a man child, who was to rule all nations
with a rod of iron.’ In Revelation 2: 27
the promise is given to the overcomer,
‘he shall rule them with a rod of iron.’
So it is not only the Lord (as in Psalm 2:
9) but His
people in fellowship with Him who are destined to rule the nations. There is here presented, therefore, the
product of an overcoming church, a [Spirit-filled] church that is living in [obedience to
Christ’s precepts (Acts 5: 32), and] the
good of spiritual government. This is
spiritual revival. The people of God
living in the good of spiritual government, as it were caught up to the throne,
destined to rule the nations, are living in the good of revival blessing and
power. Most of us probably have at some
time, and perhaps with regularity, been upon our knees asking God to revive His
work. Such prayer, however, could be
very formal. How great the need, as one
feels in his own experience, that one’s
prayer life should correspond to the picture we have here.
There is another sign in verse 3, ‘another
wonder in heaven ... a great red dragon, having seven heads and ten horns, and seven crowns upon his heads.’ We have no question as to who this is. He is described in verse
9 as ‘that old serpent, called the devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world.’ He is red, just as the beast in Revelation 17 is described as scarlet coloured,
which is the colour of blood, indicating his warlike intentions. This activity of his, opposing the woman, so
as to devour the man child, and the fact that he is seen as fiery red (as the
word more literally is) is indicative of some of the tactics he will employ.
While he is waiting upon the
woman to devour the child ‘his tail drew the
third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast
them to the earth.’ I am
not clear as to what exactly is intended here.
Is this parallel to Daniel 8: 10 that out ‘of them came
forth a little horn, which waxed exceeding great
... even to the host of heaven; and it cast down some of the host and of the stars to the
ground, and stamped upon them’? Or could these stars be such only by
profession? Scripture does speak of
iniquity abounding in that day and the love of the many waxing cold (see Matthew 24: 12). 2 Thessalonians 2
tells us that in the time of the end there will be a falling away. False believers, whom the Lord does not know,
are described in Matthew 25 as virgins, and
the same word is used for the wise virgins.
Activity on Earth
It is significant that the Holy
Spirit has first presented to us what happens in heaven before He mentions what
happens on earth. It is so easy to be
preoccupied with the events on earth so that they can becloud heavenly reality. In this chapter, however, the Holy Spirit has
emphasised first that which happens in heaven, as introductory to what happens
on earth.
Mentioned here, to which I have
already referred, is the casting a third
of the stars down to the earth. Then
in verse 6 we read, ‘And the woman fled into the wilderness, where she hath a place prepared of God, that they should feed her there a thousand two hundred and
threescore days.’ The woman is first in
heaven, then she is on earth, within the veil and outside the camp. This twofold relationship is, of course,
consistent with the New Testament presentation of the church (Hebrews 6: 19; 13: 13).
The Lord Jesus warned His disciples that when
Verse 14 reads, ‘And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle,
that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place,
where she is nourished.’ Consequently, at the time of the most intense
Satanic opposition, the woman, the church, will be nourished, kept, being given
two wings of a great eagle. The gates of
hell will not prevail against her. The
wings of an eagle are somewhat parallel to Exodus
19: 4, ‘I
bare you on eagles’ wings and brought you unto Myself.’ Borne on eagles’ wings. See
There is so much in the Word of God to encourage believers in similar situations. There was a place for Elijah by the brook
Cherith where he was fed from the most unlikely source, ravens, unclean
birds. When the brook dried up a poor
widow woman was commanded to sustain him during the time of famine. God has His Own instruments for doing these
things. David was hounded by Saul, like
a partridge in the mountains (1 Samuel 26: 20), but God had a place for David. The Lord’s care for David under such adverse
conditions was so very real, and resulting from his experiences, his Psalms
have been provided for our encouragement.
There was a place for Baruch and Jeremiah for though the king sent
various ones to arrest them ‘the LORD hid them’ (Jeremiah 36: 26). So, in later times, God maintained the
testimony of the Covenanters, despite fierce persecution.
There is an expression in Ezekiel 20: 35
that speaks of ‘the wilderness of the people
(nations).’ It may well be that
the word ‘wilderness’ here is
to be understood in a similar way. Just
as Israel found favour with the Egyptians who loaded them with stuff on their
departure, so among the people of the world, God will influence hearts and
lives that His testimony is maintained during the most difficult circumstances
(compare Matthew 25: 34-40).
Notice, further, that it speaks
of 1260 days. It is significant that the
period is thus measured in days. The
saints will live day by day. We are told
to pray, ‘Give us day by day our daily bread’ (Luke 11: 3). Today, that prayer may, to most, require
little faith but in such a time as depicted here, it may well be that such
prayer would be offered in faith and expectation that the Lord would make
provision for His people. The woman is
nourished during those 1260 days, for we are explicitly told so.
It is added that when ‘the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the
woman, that he might cause her to be carried
away of the flood’ that ‘the earth helped the woman and the
earth opened her mouth, and swallowed up the
flood.’ That reminds of Isaiah 59: 19, ‘when the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the LORD shall lift up a
standard (banner) against him.’
There is no eventuality for which
God is not prepared. So, when
the enemy seeks to do his worst, as set forth in these verses, God will make
provision for her - and remember that this is a time, as suggested, of
spiritual revival.
When did the church live in the
good of spiritual revival? We might well
point to various periods in her history but certainly it was so in the
beginning of the Book of the Acts. Probably, the church has never reached such a
height of spirituality as is recorded there and in those days the disciples
rejoiced in ‘that they were counted worthy to suffer for His Name’ (Acts 5: 41). That is a telling sort of statement. One feels that our reaction to such treatment
by the world reflects the measure of our love for, and walk with, the Lord.
Another thing is this, that the
believers will then be living in a time of fulfilled prophecy. That is important. It may truly be said that we are now living
in such a time.
Surely, however, in the days of
which Revelation 12 speaks, there will be a
sense of urgency. The believers will
know, in a way that could never have been known to that point, that the coming
again of the Lord Jesus is indeed drawing nigh.
In common parlance, they will hear the footsteps of the Lord
approaching. Should we be living in
these circumstances, with the evidence of these chapters, seeing one thing
following another - the two witnesses in Jerusalem and other events happening
at this time - having as we do, the more sure word of prophecy to which we do
well to take heed as unto a light that shines in a dark place (see 1 Peter 1: 19),
we would indeed know that the Lord is near.
Though there will be adversities, surely the prospect of the near return
of the Lord will have a tremendous effect upon the life and testimony of the
church in those days.
It is a time of Satan’s
wrath. Many talk of the tribulation as
if it were a time of God’s wrath. The
Word says very distinctly it is Satan’s wrath (verse
17) and we need to recognise that.
But the saints on earth, despite the problems, despite Satanic wrath,
overcome. They overcome by the Blood of
the Lamb (that is their heavenly victory).
They overcome by the word of their testimony (that is their victory on
earth). Every reference in this chapter
to Satan working shows that he works to his own defeat. This leads us on to the third heading.
Transference of the Activity
‘There was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not.’
Satan was unsuccessful in his designs against the man child. He was unsuccessful in his warfare against
Michael and his angels. Three times, we
are told, he was cast out. Then in his
war with the saints, later in the chapter, we are told that they overcome
him. So, every reference to the dragon
here speaks of his being defeated.
What are the implications of this
defeat? Satan, with his principalities
and powers, are now active in heavenly places but after this warfare he is cast
out and no longer in heaven. What could
this mean? Scripture speaks of our
wrestling now with principalities and powers in heavenly places but then they
will have been cast out. This can only
mean that the prayer life of God’s people will be without such heavenly
resistance. They will have resistance on
earth but not in heavenly places. This
is very significant. The church will have
power in prayer not previously experienced.
It will be her greatest hour.
When Daniel was praying that he
might know what should befall
Furthermore, Revelation 19 speaks of heaven being opened and He
Who is called the Word of God, comes forth on a white horse. He is followed with His hosts but there is no
one to resist Him. Heaven is cleared of
these adverse powers, and consequently we see how everything will have been
prepared for the overthrow of the Satanic kingdom and the bringing in of the
reign of Christ.
Wonderfully, the sphere of the
warfare of the saints is destined to be that of the church’s vindication. In Revelation 21,
the Lamb’s wife is seen in the form of a city coming down out of heaven. She is coming down in the very sphere where
Satan and his angels once operated, but now the church, the wife of Christ, is
there. She takes their place. Satan is defeated and the church is
vindicated. This then is the picture
presented to us in Revelation 12. The enemy, the accuser of the brethren, is
cast down. A loud voice from heaven
cries, ‘Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of
our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down’ (verse 10).
One of the great causes of
spiritual weakness and impotence in the life of a child of God, is that Satan
is so successful in his function as the accuser of the brethren. There are too many Christians living under a
cloud. They lose assurance and the joy
of their salvation for Satan not only accuses in heaven (as he did in Zechariah 3, Job 1
and 2), but he accuses in the consciences of
believers down here and instead of experiencing joy in the Lord and what He has
done for them, they are impotent and weak.
The time is coming, however, when the accuser of the brethren will be
cast down and the virtues, the values, the power of the Blood of the Lamb are
going to be realised in a fuller way and the saints of God are going to enter
into their spiritual heritage.
Well might this loud voice
proceed from heaven, ‘Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom
of our God, and the power of His Christ.’ Well might that voice go on to say, ‘Rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them’ (verse 12) because we shall be dwelling in heaven,
rejoicing in the fulfilment of the vision presented in this chapter. Is it not full of encouragement, as we see
the sovereign grace and purpose of God realised through such a revived people,
standing for Him on this earth - the key to the overthrow of the Satanic
kingdom?
* * *
* * *
*
15
The Church’s Attitude in Relation to Our Lord’s Return
By Mr.
William Wileman
(This
message was given at an S.G.A.T. conference in April 1985. It was recorded and cassettes can be obtained
at £1.20 each).
[Volume 24. No 9]
-------
It is 50 years ago this quarter since
Mr. Wileman departed to be with Christ.
He passed away on March 15th
1944, age 95. He was pastor,
preacher, itinerant evangelist (ofttimes pedestrian), printer, publisher,
author, editor, pamphleteer, poet, hymnwriter, and lecturer on Biblical subjects. He truly was a hard worker in the cause of
truth.
He was a member of the Sovereign
Grace Advent Testimony Council and a valuable speaker at many S.G.A.T.
meetings. He maintained a happy balance
in doctrinal, experimental, evangelistic, prophetic, and practical teaching.
For over 70 years he had been a
preacher of the whole counsel of God. At one time he had been a helper to Mr
Septimus Sears, whose influence and friendship abode with him thereafter. He later pastored at Kilburn Vale Strict Baptist
Chapel. The S.G.A.T. secretary
occasionally preaches at the chapel at which Mr Wileman’s
Bible is kept at present, and he regards it a great privilege to see and to use
this copy of God’s Holy Word.
As sub-editor of ‘The Gospel Standard,’ Mr Wileman gained an intimate
understanding of the churches associated with that magazine. In 1885 he founded an evangelistic monthly
called ‘Gospel Echoes’ which he edited for some
50 years, and which had a circulation in millions of copies.
His poems and hymns appeared in
many religious publications all over the English-speaking world. His books include ‘Things
Concerning Himself,’ ‘The Deep Things of God,’ ‘Beauty
For Ashes,’ and ‘The Life of John Calvin.’ Additionally, he published hundreds of
tracts, pamphlets and leaflets. One of
the most widely distributed of these tracts was ‘The
Wrong Priest.’ Another was a
sermon on John 3: 16,
all in monosyllables.
Children listened to his simple
and well-illustrated Gospel addresses. He
had 8 children and also grandchildren which must have helped him to know how to
engage youthful minds. His happy
adaptability in gaining the interest of children to vital truth was remarkable.
He possessed a warm, large
heart, intense devotion to the Lord, an alert mind, clear understanding, and
with a simple vocabulary, he was an interesting speaker. His testimony proved an adequate answer to
all those who say that believers in Sovereign Grace, and Post-tribulation,
Pre-millennial teaching are not missionary and evangelistically minded. He was all that, with a full, free, and
warm-hearted presentation of the Gospel of the grace of God.
-------
THE CHURCH’S ATTITUDE IN RELATION
TO OUR LORD’S RETURN
By Willliam Wileman
(This address
was given at an S.G.A. T. meeting on
January 11th 1927.)
The subject allotted to me
is ‘The Church’s Attitude in relation to our Lord’s
Return.’ I need not stay in an
assembly like the present to define the words ‘church’
and ‘attitude.’
I will only say that the word ‘church’
describes the entire number of called-out ones by Almighty and Sovereign
Grace. Yet I would also say that while
the New Testament church began at Pentecost, there is only one body, one
family, one church. The Old Testament
saints looked forward to the Lord’s first coming, just as we look back to that,
and forward to His second coming. ‘O that Thou wert as my Brother’ (Song of Solomon 8: 1)
is the bride’s expression of her longing for His Incarnation; and the Song closes
by asking Him to make haste.
We thus find in Luke 2, Simeon ‘waiting
for the Consolation of Israel,’ and expressing his holy joy in
the fruition of his expectation.
And now, in speaking of the
church’s attitude, I wish to describe that attitude in four aspects:
1. An intelligent knowledge of what is meant by our Lord’s return and thus
of our present position.
2. An ‘earnest expectation and hope’ for
that return.
3. A constant ‘looking for’ that blessed hope.
4. A godly walk in prospect of that
glorious event.
An Intelligent Knowledge
It is of the highest importance
to have an intelligent knowledge of what is meant by the Lord’s Second
Coming. There is much defective
apprehension, even among [regenerate] Christians,
of what is implied in His first coming; and this results in confused ideas of
what is implied in [the word ‘hope’
and] His second coming. It is therefore supremely desirable to
realize in some measure where we stand. That we are approaching ‘the last days’ is apparent to every reader of
Scripture and observer of the present state of the world, and what is called
Christendom. That the ‘perilous times’
have [now] set in is plain to every seeing eye. That men are ‘waxing
worse and worse’ is patent to every true Christian. But these very facts emphasize the necessity
for what I have described as an intelligent apprehension of the fact of
Christ’s second coming, and of our position in relation thereto.
An Earnest Expectation and Hope
An ‘earnest expectation and hope’ for
that second coming. The word ‘expectation’ means an intense anticipation
of something greatly desired. The New
Testament word ‘hope’ means an assured confidence that what we [if obedient to the Lord] are to
expect will be realized.
Two instances of the united use
of these two words will help us here. Romans 8: 19-25: ‘For the
earnest expectation of the creature [creation (ktisis)]* waiteth
for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature
[creation] was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason
of him who hath subjected the same in hope, because
the creature [creation] itself also shall be delivered from
the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the
whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now. And not only they,
but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit,
even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the
adoption, to wit, the redemption of
our body. For we are saved by
hope: but hope that is seen is not hope;
for what a man seeth, why
doth he yet hope for? But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with
patience wait for it.’
[* “Has the
same signification here as in Mark 16: 15: ‘Proclaim the glad
tidings to the Whole CREATION,’
that is, all mankind; and also Col. 1: 23, where a
similar phrase occurs. That the brute
and inanimate creation is not here spoken of, but mankind, is evident from the
hope of emancipation from the ‘SLAVERY of CORRUPTION’ held out in the 21st verse, and the contrast introduced
in the 23rd verse, between the ktisis and those
‘possessing the FIRST-FRUIT
of the SPIRIT.”]
Then Paul says in Philippians 1: 20
‘According to my earnest expectation and my hope.’ The word ‘expectation’ in this
sense occurs only in these two New Testament Scriptures; and the two words are
interwoven and inseparable. The church’s
attitude therefore, and the believer’s attitude, is an ‘earnest expectation’ of the Lord’s return
united to an assured confidence that He will return.
A Constant Looking For That Blessed Hope
I will here quote three references to this looking. Paul, in Titus 2:
13, says ‘Looking for that
blessed hope.’ Here the word means to look toward, and wait. In Hebrews 9:
28, we have ‘Unto
them that look for Him shall He
appear the second time without sin unto salvation.’ Here the word means to watch and wait. Then Peter uses another word three times - ‘Looking for ... the day of God.’ ‘We ... look for new heavens
and a new earth.’ ‘Seeing that ye look for such things’ (2 Peter 3: 12, 13, 14). Here the word means to watch toward.
A Godly Walk
And now I come to the practical
aspect of a godly walk in prospect of ‘that
blessed hope.’ Titus 2: 11-14: ‘Teaching us that, denying
ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live
soberly, righteously, and godly, in this present
world; looking
for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing [‘the appearing of the glory,’ R.V.] of the great God and our Saviour
Jesus Christ; Who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good works.’ This is [should
be] the church’s attitude, and the [regenerate] believers attitude.
2 Peter 3: 11-14: ‘What manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy
conversation and godliness ... wherefore,
beloved, seeing that ye
look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of Him in peace, without spot,
and blameless.’ This is [should
be] the church’s attitude, and the [regenerate]
believer’s attitude.
1 John 3: 1-3: ‘Behold, what manner of love
... beloved, now are we
the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what
we shall be; but we know that, when He shall appear,
we shall be like Him, for
we shall see Him as He is. And every man that hath this hope in (set on) Him purifieth himself, even as He is
pure. This is the church's attitude, and
the believer’s attitude.
Conclusion
And now on the closing page of
Scripture we have the seven ‘comes.’ Three times the Lord Jesus says that He
comes; three times the church responds; and once the thirsty sinner is invited. ‘Behold, I come
quickly’ (verse 7), and, ‘behold, I come quickly’ (verse 12).
Then ‘the Spirit
and the bride say, Come (Thou); and let him that heareth say, Come (Thou)’ (verse 17). Then thirsty sinner, you are invited to come
to share the blessedness (verse 17). Once again the Lord says ‘Surely I come quickly’ (verse 20). And man’s
closing word to Him is ‘Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (verse 20).
This is the church’s attitude; and this is the believer’s attitude.
-------
Scripture Questions
Mr. William Wileman wrote 1000
verses with questions on Bible subjects.
These were printed in 10 booklets each containing 100 questions. We give a few of them:
1. How do we know that David
understood
The
Gospel meaning of the sprinkled Blood?
2. Your kind attention now
afford,
To
search and count them one by one -
How many
titles of the Lord
Are
given us in the first of John?
3. A second letter, you will
kindly note,
An aged
preacher to a young one wrote:
Now
while the open book is in your hands
Find in
the second chapter 10 commands.
4. God has a very precious treasure,
In which
He takes supremest pleasure:
To find
this special treasure try -
’Tis in
the Book of Malachi.
5. Now search for the promise,
and show it to me -
‘The number shall be as the sand of the sea:’
And tell
me the time when fulfilment will be.
6. In one rich Psalm, with glad
intent,
I think
that God’s Own Son is meant:
Which of
the verses make it sure
His Name
for ever shall endure?
7. I want you now to take a
careful look
Within
the Holy Bible’s latest Book:
How many
times does Jesus say ‘I AM’?
How many
times is Jesus called ‘The Lamb’?
* *
* * *
* *
16
The Mighty Angel Working
(Revelation 10)
By C W H
-------
Introduction
and Outline
Apart from the first three
chapters, the Book of the Revelation
consists of a series of visions about the very last years before the return of
our Lord Jesus Christ. The prophecies
are not in chronological order. The
earlier chapters give an outline, and as the book progresses we find a
repetition in more detail. Chapter 6 is wide and comprehensive. Chapters 8
and 9 become more definite, but there is no
detail as to the place or the time when these awful judgments shall come. In chapters 10-12, we have explicit references to places, times,
and persons.
Chapters 10-13 form a distinct series of visions. We see in chapter
11 that the devil will be allowed great power during that period, but
before this, chapter 10 shows that a
mightier than Satan will lay claim to earth and sea. So chapter 10
is ‘a preface of blessing’ (the words Dr Biss
gives to it) before chapters 11, 12, and 13 when
we see darker scenes which shall immediately precede the return of the Lord.
There are many who would seek to
‘spiritualise’ the passages of Revelation and to draw out general moral lessons,
but I want to underline that there is evidence of great precision in chapter 10.
The writer goes to great lengths to avoid ambiguity and to make his
meaning clear. In verse 8, we read ‘the voice which I heard spake
unto me again.’ Which voice? - ‘the voice which I heard.’ The voice said ‘take
the little book.’ Which little book? - ‘the little book which is open.’ It is the little book ‘in the hand of the angel.’ Which angel? - it is ‘the angel that standeth upon the sea and upon the earth.’ So, each time the writer is making plain what
the words mean, of which angel he is speaking, of which book he is speaking, of
which voice he is speaking. So there is
great emphasis on detail within the passage.
We are not only to look for the general sense or spiritual lessons for
our selves. We can ponder upon
individual words within the chapter. The
blessing given in Revelation 1: 3 is ‘Blessed
is he that readeth, and they that hear the words
of this prophecy, and keep those things that are
written therein.’
Verses 1-4: The chapter begins with a ‘mighty
angel coming down from heaven.’
This angel is remarkable in many respects. He is ‘clothed
with a cloud,’ ‘His face was as it were the sun’ and it
seems that that brightness shining into the cloud creates a rainbow round about
him. This angel, descending from heaven
places ‘his right foot upon the sea, and his left foot on the land.’ ‘He had in his hand a little book’ and he ‘cried with a loud voice.’ As he cried, it was as if there was an echo
of thunder that is heard by the apostle.
He understands the words that are spoken in that voice of thunder and he
is about to write them when he hears another voice telling him not to write
those things.
Verses 5-7: Then the angel raises
his right hand (following Dr Tregelles) to heaven and he swares
by God, the Creator of all things. What
does he sware? The Authorised Version
says ‘that there should be time no longer,’ but most
commentators agree that the words here mean that there should be no more
delay. This is not a cessation of time
to give place to eternity. This is a
declaration for the saints who cry out, ‘How
long, O Lord?’ His comforting word is here given that there
shall be no more delay. After this
solemn oath it is time for the sounding of the seventh trumpet - the ‘mystery’ shall then be completed and
fulfilled and the suffering of the saints at an end.
Verses 8-11: In the last part of the chapter we have a command to the prophet
to go up to the angel and to take the book.
As he does this he is given another command - to take and eat that
book. It will be sweetness and bitterness
to him. As he obeys, the prophecy is
fulfilled. It is both bitterness and
sweetness to him. He digests the Word of
God for the purpose of giving out that Word in prophecies to ‘peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings.’ The chapter then leads on to chapter 11, with its darkening clouds, but the
purpose of this vision in chapter 10 is to
encourage us. To help us remember, the
following sub-headings use the first five letters of the alphabet. We have the
Angel and the Book in verses 1-2. Then the Cry (which is echoed by the seven
thunders) in verses 3-4. Then the Declaration that the angel makes in
verses 5-7. And finally the Eating of the book in verses 8-11 gives an appropriate conclusion and
application.
The Angel
Who is this angel? There are strong indications that the Lord
Jesus Christ is spoken of here. I
suggest that there are seven characteristics given to this angel that are
particularly appropriate of the Lord Jesus.
They are (1) that he comes
from heaven, (2) that he is clothed
with a cloud, (3) that the rainbow
is upon his head, (4) that his face
is as the sun, (5) that his feet are
as pillars of fire, (6) that his
feet are placed on sea and land, and (7)
that his voice is as a lion roaring. I
would add one further consideration and this is in the next chapter. In Revelation 11:
3 it appears to be the same angel who says, ‘I will give power unto My two witnesses.’ Now, it would be a remarkable angel that can
give power to these two, who are witnesses to the Lord Jesus Christ. This goes beyond the authority of a mere
angel.
It is not essential for the
sense of the passage that the angel should be the Lord but it does seem to be
particularly appropriate. We could say
with Mr Fausset that this angel ‘bears the insignia attributed to Christ,’ but perhaps
it is simpler to see this as the Uncreated Angel, the Malakh
Jehovah, the ‘Angel of the Lord’ of the Old Testament.
The arguments against it seem to
be weak and few. Briefly, they are as
follows. Firstly, that it refers here to
‘another angel’ which seems
to associate him with other angels in the book, and it is suggested that this
would not be done if it were the Lord Jesus.
But we should note that the Greek word (allos) used for ‘another’ means ‘another
different,’ not ‘another the same.’ Two arguments given by Dr Hendriksen again
seem very weak. He says that Christ is not called an angel in the
Apocalypse. But surely that is not an
argument. Quite apart from the possibility
that the Lord Jesus is referred to in chapter 7,
Scripture does describe the Lord Jesus as an angel. Who else is ‘the
Angel of His presence’ Who redeems (Isaiah
63: 9)? That can only be the Lord Jesus. Secondly, Dr Hendriksen argues that John does
not worship this angel as he worships the glorified Lord in chapter 1.
That too is a weak argument for although the Lord is always worthy of
praise we do not always find that He receives it.
A further objection is given by
Dean Alford. He argues that the oath (verse 6) would not have been expressed in the
terms that it was if the angel had been the Lord. However we may ask if any created angel could
have authority to make such an oath and to know the times and seasons. The Lord Jesus is a Messenger and as such
acts on the authority of Him Who sends Him.
Let us examine this narrative
and in particular what is said about the angel.
The chapter starts, ‘I saw another angel.’
This distinguishes the angel in
question from the seven angels blowing the seven trumpets - commencing in Revelation 8: 2. He is a ‘mighty’ angel, otherwise
translated, a strong angel. He is seen
to be powerful. This, I believe, is one
who is able to bind the strong man (Mark 3:
27). Here is the stronger than
the strong, the mighty Lord Himself Who said ‘All
power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth.’ He comes down from heaven. Again, how fitting of the Lord Jesus. The Lord said ‘the
Bread of God is He which cometh down from heaven’ (John 6: 33),
but this is not the coming down in terms of the incarnation. Neither is it the Lord returning again in
glory. This is a visionary coming down
to lay claim to this earth. John the
apostle sees in a vision the Lord coming down from heaven. He is in glory in heaven and He
descends. His heart beats for this old
world, over its sin, and for its redemption.
He is ‘clothed with a cloud.’ That speaks to us of the glory of the Lord. ‘The glory of the
LORD appeared in the cloud’ (Exodus
16: 10). A cloud was upon the mercy
seat (Leviticus 16: 2). Here we have the Shekinah glory - the
cloud. Blessed words speaking of our
God. And again, how fitting of the Lord
Jesus. It says of the Father, ‘Who maketh the
clouds His chariot’ (Psalm 104:
3).
At the transfiguration of the Lord Jesus, His face shone as the sun and
He was overshadowed with a cloud (see Matthew 17:
2, 5). When He ascended to heaven, it was in a
cloud. And when He comes again, ‘He cometh with clouds’ (Revelation 1: 7). Here in Revelation 10, a cloud is about this angel,
‘And a
rainbow was upon His head.’
The earlier English translators inserted the word ‘the’ and it is in the text.
It is the rainbow
which circles this angel. In Revelation 4: 3,
the rainbow circled the throne of God in glory. God refers in Genesis 9: 13
to ‘My bow’ - a precious symbol of the
covenant keeping God, Who in wrath remembers mercy, and Who keeps His covenant
with all flesh and in a wonderful way with His children. When His people see God’s awful judgments in
this book, their eye should be upon the rainbow, upon the covenant of God in
the midst of judgment. There is a very
appropriate thought in Isaiah 54: 8-9, ‘In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy upon thee, saith the LORD
thy Redeemer.
For this is as the waters of Noah unto me: for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the
earth; so have I sworn that I would not be wroth
with thee, nor rebuke thee.’ So in
the midst of all the wrath of chapters 8 and
9, and that which is to follow, we see that
the believer is kept as the apple of His eye.
We are kept through tribulation.
That is the glory of the Lord, the glory of His keeping power. We are not taken out of it. The believer ever goes through that trial and
tribulation.
‘And His
face was as it were the sun.’
That is a plain echo of chapter 1: 16 where the risen Lord is described thus ‘His countenance was as the sun shineth in His strength.’ That is His relation to the church. We see the glory of God in the face of Jesus
Christ and He stands upon the sea, upon the land. How we need the Sun of Righteousness to arise
and that morning without clouds to come.
The Lord comes with His face bright as the sun. Scripture describes His face as ‘the appearance of lightning’ (Daniel 10: 6). At the transfiguration ‘His face shone as the sun’ (Matthew 17: 2). Paul on the
‘And His
feet as pillars of fire.’
How can feet be as pillars? The
word ‘pillar’
originally meant column and came to mean any firm support. The message here is of strength in
judgment. The feet of the Lord Jesus are
firm and sure and they are placed firmly upon the sea and upon the land. It says in Revelation
1: 15, ‘His
feet like unto fine (burnished) brass, as if they burned in a furnace.’ The word used means ‘having
been fired as if they were burned in a furnace.’ So again, we have such a close parallel with
the Lord Jesus Christ that I think we are forced to the conclusion that this
angel is Him.
The angel set his right foot
upon the sea and his left foot upon the earth.
By this he expresses his purpose to take his possession of these. So in Deuteronomy
11: 24 the Lord said to
In chapter
12, the dragon is cast down and excluded from the courts of heaven. In chapter 13,
the beast with seven heads rises out of the sea, and the beast with two horns
like a lamb arises from the earth. But
before this happens a claim is laid by the placing of the foot of this angel
upon both sea and land, and the raising of His right hand to heaven. Who else can set their foot firmly upon the
sea? Our Lord walked upon the
water. Beloved, when the days darken and
we see persecution, remember the Lord is in control. He has not left this world to its own
devices. Take comfort, believer. His sure feet of fiery judgment have laid
their inalienable claim to this apostate world.
The cry shall yet go up, ‘The
kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of His Christ.’
The Book
This angel had in his hand a
little book (or roll) open. There have been all sorts of fanciful views
put forward as to what this little book was and that should lead us to be
guarded in any comment that we make, but some things are plain. It is an open book. Its contents can be known. It was not like the sealed up words which the
angel told John not to write (verse 4). This book was something different. This was an open book. It was a known word.
Later in the chapter this book
was eaten and the words of this book were digested by the apostle in order that
he may give them out. What words does he
give out? ‘Thou
must prophesy again before many peoples, and
nations, and tongues, and kings.’
This book contained what the apostle must digest and later give out -
prophecy against kingdoms, nations. It
is a known word in that it has been declared in some measure in the early
prophecies. It is little because it
concerns a very short period of time as we see from the following chapter. It is not little in terms of importance. Therefore,
this little book concerns kings and nations during a very short period of time.
This book and the angel holding
it bear many similarities with Daniel 12. There we see the man standing upon the waters
clothed with linen and he raises both hands to heaven. There is a book in that chapter but that book
is sealed. Here the book is open. There the words are sealed and closed till
the time of the end. Here there shall be
no more delay, and the book is open.
Both are concerned with the little period referred to in Daniel 12: 7 as ‘time, times, and an half,’ (three and one half years) and
in Daniel 12: 11
computed in days.
The Cry
The angel ‘cried with a loud voice, as
when a lion roareth.’ This
is not a picture of Him as the Lamb slain in meekness, but it is the Lion of
the tribe of Judah Who roars in power and authority. Isaiah 42:
13, ‘The LORD shall go forth as a mighty man,
He shall stir up jealousy like a man of war: He shall cry, yea, roar; He shall prevail against
His enemies.’ Then in Joel 3: 16, ‘The LORD also
shall roar out of
‘And when he had cried, seven
thunders (in the original, the seven thunders) uttered their voices.’ Here is a great echo of His cry, apparently
repeating, confirming, or answering the cry of this angel. Thunderings and lightnings are often referred
to in this book but here they have a clear and definite voice. These thunders were not an indistinct sound
to John. They were something that he
understood and would have written. In John 12: 28-29 the Lord prayed for the Father to glorify His
Name and a voice came from heaven, saying, ‘I have
both glorified it and will glorify it again.’ And some said it thundered. The voice was clear to those who had an open
ear, but for others it was the sound of thunder. Oh beloved, are the words of this prophecy as
a muffled thunder, or do you hear the words of life? Has your ear been opened, unstopped?
‘When
the seven thunders had uttered their voices, I
was about to write.’ John
had been given a command in chapter 1: 11, ‘What
thou seest, write in a book.’ Then again seven times in chapters 2 and 3
‘Unto the angel of the church at ... Write.’
So he was in the habit of writing, and he was about to do so when the
angel stopped him. ‘I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Seal up those things which the seven thunders uttered,
and write them not.’
We are not told what the message
of the thunders was. There are many
things we are not told. We are not told
the size of the court of the
There are in this chapter three
different sorts of message. There is an
open book (verse 2), a sealed up message (verse 4), and then the mystery (verse 7).
One may be known; another is completely unknown; and the other is seen
by the eye of faith. We cannot know for
certain, but I think we can understand the subject of the thunders, for the
word thunder is used repeatedly in Scripture of judgment. In 1 Samuel 7:
10 the Lord thundered against the
Philistines. In the reference that we
have already considered, when some said it thundered, Jesus spoke of judgment
immediately afterwards (John 12: 31).
There is a parallel of this sealing
up of the vision in Isaiah 29: 10-12 ‘For the LORD hath poured out upon you the spirit of deep
sleep, and hath closed your eyes: the prophets and your rulers, the
seers hath He covered. The vision of all is become unto you as the words of a book
that is sealed, which men deliver to one that is
learned, saying, Read
this, I pray thee: and he saith, I cannot;
for it is sealed: and
the book is delivered to him that is not learned, saying, Read this, I pray thee: and he saith,
I am not learned.’ The prophecy concerns Ariel (the people of
So we may gather that these
words that John was told not to write were concerned with judgment. Let not the ungodly say the judgments of God
are written; I understand them; I care nothing for them. There are yet arrows in the quiver of the
Lord of which we know nothing. There are
yet more awesome things than are recorded in this book. We are not told everything. Dark times will come. The Lord hides some things from our view for
His Own purposes.
The Declaration
‘And the
angel which I saw stand upon the sea and upon the earth lifted up his hand to
heaven, and sware by Him that liveth for ever
and ever, Who created heaven, and things that therein are, and
the earth, and the things that therein are,
and the sea, and the
things which are therein.’
The angel raises a hand to heaven - a very symbolic gesture. His right foot is on the sea, and His left
foot on the land. This is rather like a
giant, a colossus who stands with a hand raised and somehow joins the three
(heaven, sea, and land) speaking of the Lord Who made all things in all three
places. He thus swares
his oath by such a God.
This is a very ancient method of
making an oath. We read in Genesis 14: 22
of Abraham using it when he raised his hand to heaven with the king of
Another reference is Ezekiel 20: 42-44, ‘And ye shall
know that I am the LORD, when I shall bring you into the land of Israel, into the country for the which I lifted up Mine hand to give
it to your fathers. And there shall ye remember your ways, and all your doings, wherein
ye have been defiled; and ye shall lothe
yourselves in your own sight for all your evils that ye have committed. And ye shall know
that I am the LORD, when I have wrought with you (these
are judgments in ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’) for My Name’s sake, not
according to your wicked ways, nor according to
your corrupt doings, O ye house of
Here in Revelation
10 the most solemn oath of all is made in a most symbolic gesture in the
Name of God the Father. Here was the Redeemer,
to Whom all power in heaven and earth is given, swearing in the Name of the
Creator Who made all things in heaven, and in earth.
Heaven, earth and sea are
similarly linked in Revelation 14: 7 ‘Fear God and give
glory to Him; for the hour of His judgment is
come: and worship Him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea,
and the fountains of waters.’ At a time when the earth is to be scourged
and judged we are told to remember to fear God and worship Him - a needed
reminder before the following chapters.
So He Who created all things is about to bring in earth’s sabbath [the millennial
day (Heb. 4:
1, 9,
R.V.], and the oath was that there
should be no more delay.
We have already said that this
is a reference to the cry of His oppressed servants, ‘How long, O Lord?’ (Revelation 6: 10-11). He
replies that there shall be no more delay.
Now is the last act, the final page.
Soon the cry shall go, ‘The kingdoms of this
world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and
of His Christ: and He shall reign for ever and
ever’ (Revelation 11: 15). This
is in the days when the seventh angel shall sound. Then ‘the mystery of God should be finished, as He hath declared (evangelised, made known the good news) to His servants the prophets.’ So He swares that
there shall be no more delay and these things shall be when the angel sounds
the seventh trumpet.
Long years have passed since
Jesus said ‘I will come again.’ The scoffers yet say ‘where is the promise of His coming?’ Even the hearts of His saints grow
faint. How apt that the Lord should make
this declaration and oath at such a time as that described here. So He will comfort the hearts of His faithful
remnant at the time of the end.
At that time the mystery of God
shall be finished. What is this
mystery? It is not wrong to
enquire. These are secrets delivered to
the few with an attentive ear. They are
open secrets found in Scripture.
Firstly, we can say that this mystery is good news, for it was declared
- the word is ‘evangelised’ - to
His servants the prophets. Secondly, it
will one day be completed, finished.
Thirdly, it is declared in Scripture for the prophets, of course,
delivered their prophecy. So it is good
news, will one day be completed, it is in prophetic Scripture, and it follows
the seventh trumpet. Our answer, I
think, without going further than the Word itself, is in chapter 11: 15
- that the kingdoms of this world are to
become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. That is the climax of His work and redemption,
the climax of His purposes and yet how hidden has that truth been even from
Christian expositors.
The Eating
This section commences in verse 8.
Here we have an application for ourselves. There has been much in the chapter to stir us
to exalted views of the Lord Jesus and to humble faith. John was in the Spirit on the Lord’s Day and
it is those that are in such a condition that hear God’s voice speaking to
them. The apostle heard a voice, ‘the voice which I heard from heaven’ (verse 8).
For such Isaiah’s prophecy is true.
‘And thine ears shall hear a word
behind thee, saying, This is the way, walk ye in it’ (Isaiah 30: 21). Such a
command is ever to be followed by implicit obedience. We should listen for the voice of the Lord
Jesus and when it is heard, we should obey.
There are successive steps
here. (1) At this word, John approached the mighty angel. Consider approaching One Whose face is as the
sun, Whose feet are as fire, Who cried with such a loud voice that even the thunders
of heaven have sounded. John, in
obedience, approached even such an one at the mere word of commandment. (2)
He is made to ask for the book. It is
not given to him. That was a further
step of obedience. (3) He obeys the next command which was to eat the book. One command follows another when we take a
step with the Lord. We obey Him in one
thing and then find that there is a next step.
John obeyed despite the strangeness of the command, despite the promised
bitterness. Do we have that sort of
obedience to the Lord? (4) Then John is commissioned to
prophesy. The person God uses is one who walks the pathway of obedience.
There is a similar picture at
the end of Ezekiel 2 and the beginning of Ezekiel 3, which refers to the eating of a roll
with resulting sweetness and bitterness (see Ezekiel
3: 14). The command is given to John that he should
prophesy. Receiving revealed truth is a
rare privilege. We may well esteem His
words more than necessary food (Job 23: 12).
The eating of His Word may well
be the joy and rejoicing of our hearts, but in a world of sin, of rejection of
our Saviour, of hatred of God, such knowledge of God must bring
bitterness. This is the experience of
every believer as he grasps truth from God.
It gives sweetness. His soul is
stirred. It is that for which he has
yearned. Yet there is a bitterness in
his soul, for he is in a world of sin where Christ is not honoured or
glorified. Beloved, this is not a truth
that is preached today. We are told that
the Word of God should create unmitigated rejoicing and joy without any
bitterness, that we are to expect a great worldwide revival. But the response of a heart that has been
touched with revealed truth is not to look for this world to get better through
its own efforts or even through the preaching of the gospel. We
instead expect a time of darkness that will be succeeded by the [manifested] glory of
the Lord.
As you consider the wonder of
our redemption, does it not create a sorrow for sinners? When you consider the blessed hope and the
glorious appearing [‘the appearing of
the glory’ and blessed hope] of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, do
you not shed a tear for the God-rejectors who will know the judgment spoken of
in this book? Does not the exaltation of
the Lord Jesus Christ in the preaching of the gospel cause you to weep over His
great sufferings upon
‘And he
said unto me, Thou must prophesy again before (upon, against) many peoples, and nations, and tongues, and kings’ (verse
11). Our knowledge of prophetic
truth does not lead us to expect the triumph of the truth by normal gospel
means. It does not allow us to associate
with ungodly systems that are fast ripening for rule by the Antichrist. The believer, like John, stands alone. He must speak God’s Word - be a man speaking against kingdoms, peoples, and nations.
What can one man do? Do not despise the day of small things. God ever works in small companies of
believers. He ever raises up a small
testimony and yet it is that small testimony which in His hand is powerful. It
is ‘not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit,
saith the LORD.’ Herein is the path of blessedness, yet herein is the path of bitterness. Let us, like John, if needs be, remain in
tribulation ‘for the Word of God and for the
testimony of Jesus Christ.’
(This message was given at one of our monthly
meetings in 1985. It was recorded and cassettes con be obtained at £1.20 each).
-------
[PART 3]
CONTENTS
17 PSALM 122
18 JAMES STEPHENS, M.A.
19 ALL
20 INVINCIBLE GRACE
21 THE PUBLIC MANNER
OF OUR LORD’S RETURN
22 WHY STUDY BIBLICAL PROPHECY?
23 THE HOLY SPIRIT,
THE FULFILLER OF PROPHECY
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17
Psalm 122
By David
McMillan
(This address was given at an S. G.A. T
meeting on 28th October, 1994).
[Volume 24. No. 15]
Let me in particular draw
your attention to the 6th verse
of this Psalm 122, which reads ‘Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: they shall prosper that love thee.’ This
verse brings the name ‘
Let me prove that to you because
you cannot read this psalm aright, and you cannot read the 6th verse of the psalm in the context
of the psalm, without realising the fact that it is the
literal city of
And notice how strongly that fact
is backed up in the other verses, because throughout this psalm, there is
listed quite a number of features of the actual city of
The first and the last verses of
the psalm speak of ‘the house
of the LORD.’ The city
spoken of in this psalm is where the
So taking all these things
together and looking at these words in their context, when we come to verse 6, we are left in no doubt that it is the
capital city of
Having laid that foundation let
me ask you to note carefully what the psalmist is pointing out to us here about
the city of
At a time when so-called peace
talks in the Middle East are so prominent, when they are so much to the fore in
the news, in the week that President Clinton actually sat in Jerusalem talking
peace with the Israeli prime minister, is it not providential that at such a
time we are found in God’s house considering what the Scriptures have to say
about the peace of Jerusalem? I say it
is very providential indeed. So let us
consider this matter.
1. The Certainty of the Peace of
There may be those in this world
who doubt whether
Isaiah 66: 12, speaking of the city of
2. The Extent of the Peace of
To what extent will
Many years ago a gospel tract
entitled ‘Safety, Certainty, and Enjoyment’ was
printed. And I believe that there are no
words, other than these three, that can better sum up the meaning of
‘shalom.’
Isaiah 11: 13 tells us ‘The envy
also of Ephraim shall depart and the adversaries of
Also, that the adversaries of
[* That is, at ‘
There is going to be such a
transformation that there will be no danger for children who will be playing in
the streets of
Isaiah 60: 18 tells us ‘Violence
shall no more be heard in thy land, wasting
nor destruction within thy borders; but
thou shalt call thy walls Salvation, and thy gates Praise.’ What a
day that will be! Today, there is much
violence, much wasting, much destruction in
Isaiah 65: 18-19 tell us, ‘But be ye glad and rejoice for ever in that which I create: for, behold, I create
2 Samuel 7 is a
key prophetical chapter. In verse 10, the whole land is in view, but
undoubtedly
The references given are by no
means exhaustive, but they supply us with an indication of what is to come for
that great city. When the world leaders
talk of peace for
3. The Time of the Peace of
When will
That promise that God gave in 2 Samuel 7: 10 about
But the question is, when are they to be fulfilled? The Lord
Jesus Himself gives us the answer, in the words that He spoke in Luke 21: 24. He said ‘And
Daniel 2 teaches
us that that time began in the days of
King Nebuchadnezzar and it will continue until the time when Jesus Christ will
come and set up His kingdom upon this earth. The times of the Gentiles will
end when Jesus Christ returns. So the peace of
Sin and
war shall not cease till the Prince of Peace comes back to this world
again. Of Christ’s reign upon this
earth, the psalmist, in Psalm 72: 7, said ‘In His days shall the righteous
flourish; and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth.’ In His days, during Christ’s
reign, this peace will come to the city of
4. Our Responsibility Towards the Peace of
We have, as God’s people, a vital
responsibility that we must fulfil in order to bring peace to this city. David sets that responsibility before us when
he says ‘Pray for the peace of
A few years ago, I had the
opportunity to go to the
But God says to us, ‘Pray for the peace
of
When Daniel read in the book of Jeremiah and meditated upon the Scriptures, he
learned that
As we sit in this meeting, the leaders
of all the prominent nations of the western world are searching for the key for peace in the
[* Note the ellipsis which indicates a small part of the author’s
writing is missing! This is because some
years ago, I foolishly cut out part of what was written on the other side of
the page. However, the concluding
section is shown as follows. If you have] -
… an interest in prospering in the Christian life, in
prospering in the things of God, then you ought to have a love for
In 1917, in the latter part of
December,
Brethren and sisters, we look out
at the capital city of
(This
message was recorded and cassettes can be obtained at £1.20 each).
* * *
* * *
*
18
JAMES STEPHENS,
M.A.
[AND]
PETITION NOT GRANTED,
YET PRAYER ABUNDANTLY ANSWERED
By James
Stephens, M. A.
[Volume 24. No. 17.]
-------
JAMES STEPHENS, M.A.
This year (1996) marks the
ter-jubilee of the birth of Pastor James Stephens,
who ministered the Word of God for 46 years at Highgate Road Chapel in
Early Life
Born in 1846, he was brought up
from early days in
These were formative days for
the youthful minister, who threw himself with energy into a revival following a
day’s visit from D L Moody, and who gained much from his association in that
movement with leading evangelical ministers, notably Principal Cairns.
It was at Berwick also that his
views upon the financial support of the church underwent a complete revolution.
After reading the ‘Narrative of the Lord’s Dealings
with George Muller,’ he was led to the conviction that the prevailing system of raising money was
not in consonance with the teaching of Scripture.
His remarkable ministry at
Berwick - in all probability unique in the annals of Scottish Presbyterianism -
came to an end after five and a half years, Mr Stephens having arrived at
convictions which led him to renounce
the practice of infant baptism.
Shortly after, he accepted an
invitation to become assistant to Dr Adolph Saphir, during his great ministry
at Notting Hill, and Dr Saphir’s biographer puts it
on record that Mr Stephens was greatly esteemed as a preacher by that eclectic
congregation, and that his departure was regretted by both minister and people.
A breakdown in health
necessitated a sea voyage, and Mr Stephens accordingly sailed for
Soon after, he was asked to preach
at Highgate Road Chapel, N.W 5, which had been opened for public worship a year
earlier. He did so and was invited to
become the first pastor, and thus began, on February 3rd 1878, the long and conspicuous ministry which
became his life-work. There were no pew-rents and no pew-to-pew
collections but boxes for free-will offerings were placed in the chapel. All the extensive needs of the church were
met and liberal contributions were made to faithful mission work.
Mr Stephens’ personality was of the
order which sets its own stamp on its surroundings. Not a mystic or a seer, but a forceful and uncompromising expounder of the whole counsel of God,
his utterance had the weight that comes
of well-reasoned and profoundly realised spiritual conviction. His was the gift of clear-cut, incisive
utterance, an intensity which owes nothing to sentiment or superficial emotion,
and a prophetic quality which gives
a robust and bracing ethical tone to all his teaching.
His theology was sharply
defined, and presented with the characteristic orderliness of a severely
logical mind. The plenary inspiration of the Bible and its supreme authority in
all matters of faith and practice; the atonement of Christ as the only ground
of man’s acceptance with God; the pre-millennial
coming of Christ as the hope of the church and the world; the call of the church and its members to a life of holy separation - these are
some of the teachings which lay at the root of Mr Stephens’ ministry, and which
he preached with a blend of dogmatic force and experimental wisdom.
His most valued friends included
Pastor F H White, Dr. C. Y. Biss and Missionary David Baron. He also referred with pleasure to his having a slight
personal acquaintance with Mr B W Newton.
Biographical Information
Much of the above information is
taken from an article which appeared in ‘The Christian’
on February 28th 1918. In 1934, the Highgate Road Chapel, published
a book entitled ‘God’s Work in God’s Way’ and
this is a memoir of the life and ministry of Mr Stephens. Sadly, this book is now out of print, but it
gives considerably more detail about the work of this great man of God.
Biblical Separation
For instance, it describes the way
in which Mr Stephens felt compelled to resign membership of the London Baptist
Association; and of his stand with Mr Spurgeon in the defence and confirmation
of the gospel (later known as ‘the downgrade
controversy’). Following a
fraternal letter sent to Mr Spurgeon by the pastor and deacons on November 10th the church minutes record this resolution, ‘The church meeting in Highgate Road Baptist Chapel resolve
at their monthly meeting on November 21st 1887, to unite with the
pastor and deacons in expressing their very hearty sympathy with Mr Spurgeon in
the timely stand he had made on behalf of the Truth, and in the action he had
taken in connection therewith.’
What Mr Spurgeon detected and
exposed as characterising the Baptist Union, Mr Stephens had previously
observed to be the downgrade tendency of the London Baptist Association. Before Mr Spurgeon withdrew from the
Included in the original seven
signatories of the 1891 Confession of Faith, are James Stephens, Frank H White,
and Charles H Spurgeon. The Confession
read,
“We,
the undersigned, banded together in fraternal union, observing with growing
pain and sorrow the loosening hold of
many upon the truths of revelation, are constrained to avow our firmest belief
in the verbal inspiration of all Holy Scripture as originally given. To us, the Bible does not merely contain the
Word of God, but is the Word of God.
From beginning to end, we accept it, believe it, and continue to preach
it. To us the Old Testament is no less
inspired than the New. The Book is an
organic whole. Reverence for the New
Testament accompanied by scepticism as to the Old appears to us absurd. The two must stand or fall together. We
accept Christ’s Own verdict concerning ‘Moses and all the prophets’ in preference
to any of the supposed discoveries of so-called higher criticism.
“We
hold and maintain the truths generally known as ‘the doctrines of grace.’ The electing love of God the Father, the
propitiatory and substitutionary sacrifice of His Son, Jesus Christ,
regeneration by the Holy Ghost, the imputation of Christ’s righteousness, the
justification of the sinner (once for all) by faith, his walk in newness of
life and growth in grace by the active indwelling of the Holy Ghost, and the
priestly intercession of our Lord Jesus, as also the hopeless perdition of all
who reject the Saviour, according to the words of the Lord in Matthew 25: 46, ‘These shall go
away into eternal punishment,’ - are, in our
judgment, revealed and fundamental truths.
“Our hope is the personal pre-millennial return of the Lord
Jesus in glory.”
Prophetic Teaching
Any outline of Mr. Stephens’
ministry would be incomplete without mention of his exposition of prophetic
Scripture. When called to Highgate Road,
he came to a company of Christian people ‘zealous
of good works’ and instructed in gospel truth, but, like many congregations,
without any definite teaching on the great subject of the Second Coming.
By means of addresses at the mid-week
service, and by short and pithy articles in the Church publication ‘Our Outlook,’ Mr. Stephens encouraged his people to
study the Scriptures on the subject of the ‘blessed hope,’ and to
judge in the Berean manner ‘whether these things were so.’ There
was no attempt at any sensational treatment, no dogmatic insistence, as though
the preacher were a prophet himself, but the
Holy Book was allowed to speak for itself, and the touchstone of truth was
always the question ‘What saith the Scriptures?’
‘The
Narrative of the Lord’s Dealings with George Muller’ having influenced
him, it is quite possible that Mr Muller's teaching on prophetic truth had led
him to further study of Second Advent doctrine.
The writings on prophetic subjects of Mr B W Newton and the eminent Biblical scholar, Dr S P Tregelles, were greatly valued
by him, as he considered their exposition of Scripture to be reverent, logical
and convincing. Dr Tregelles’ book ‘The Hope of Christ’s Second Coming; How is it Taught in
Scripture?’ was a work that he highly commended, and desired to see
widely broadcast.
In 1919 he was brought into
touch with a number of friends who were desirous of enlarging the scope of
their testimony on prophetic truth. They
were speaking and writing on prophetic subjects, and issuing the monthly paper
‘Perilous Times.’ It was then that the Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony was formed and the name of the magazine changed to ‘Watching and Waiting.’ Mr Stephens believed the manifesto to be
fully scriptural, and the meetings and publications received from him the
utmost support. He addressed S.G.A.T.
meetings and was very happy to have regular S.G.A.T. conferences at Highgate
Road Chapel. He wrote a foreword to Mr
Septimus Sears’ book ‘The Things Which Shall Be Hereafter.’
Last Days
In 1923 towards the end of the
year, Mr. Stephens retired from the active pastorate but continued to serve the
Lord as Pastor-Emeritus until his home-call on Lord’s Day, April 24th
1932. The interment was at
Mr Poole-Connor’s Appreciation
Mr E. J. Poole-Connor wrote of Mr. Stephens, ‘My knowledge of my friend and teacher extends over 35 years,
and I picture him as I write. Tall and strongly
built; handsomely bearded; on state occasions majestically frock-coated, a
blend of a Highland shepherd and a Harley Street physician; accurate in speech;
luminous in instruction; every inch of him proclaiming the scholar and the
gentleman; deeply serious, as one that lived under the shadow of the Most High,
yet able to turn a courtly phrase, or radiate a genial humour; austere and
stern enough when occasion arose, yet unaffectedly kind; a delightful
conversationalist; grateful, with a humility strange in one so gifted, for any
word of appreciation; strongly, solidly evangelical, his actions invariably
according to his doctrinal beliefs; a man who saw his road clearly and trod it
unswervingly to the end - such is my memory of this beloved, this honoured,
this faithful minister of Jesus.’
-------
Petition Not Granted,
Yet Prayer Abundantly Answered
By James
Stephens
(These are notes of an address given on May 18th 1927 at the
‘For this thing I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me’
(2 Corinthians 12: 8).
The subject of petition
was something painful, ‘a thorn in the flesh.’ It was something humiliating, ‘the messenger of Satan to buffet.’ It was the most natural and reasonable thing
to pray for relief. The prayer was that
of a righteous man, and of such we read that it ‘availeth
much’ (James 5: 16). It was
not a request for personal comfort merely, but one to bring about greater fitness
for service. And there was eagerness in
it, for the apostle; besought the Lord thrice - that is, time after time.
As we think of such a man, one
who consistently sought to please God, we might conclude that the petition was
one which God would grant without delay.
Yet, though the prayer was answered, the petition which it contained was
not granted. In other words, the thorn
in the flesh - that which hindered the apostle’s work - was not taken
away. The hindrance came from Satan, the
adversary of God and of the apostle, yet it was not taken away but left to vex
the Lord’s servant.
Why? Must we not conclude that, in allowing the
trouble to continue, God had some spiritual end in view - and an end of great
value to the apostle - namely, that he might not ‘be
exalted above measure’? We
read this in the apostle’s own words.
Wonderful worker that he was, Paul was in spiritual danger, as has been
the case with many a one in a humble position in God’s service.
How many workers, on being
appointed to positions of influence, have entered into similar danger? The apostle had had ‘visions and revelations of the Lord,’ ‘abundance of the revelations;’ had been
‘caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words.’ And, sanctified man though he was, he was in
danger of being ‘exalted above measure.’
If there came upon him such a
sense of importance that he felt himself exalted, that would be to his great
risk. The service of God calls for lowliness, and the experience of which Paul
speaks, the pain and humbling, could not but remind him of personal weakness. He was not so favoured of the Lord as to
have the thorn taken away. The petition
was not granted. Hence he would be kept from high thoughts of
himself, and be used of God in a
manner that otherwise would not be possible.
God conceived it to be of
greater consequence that His servant should endure being ‘buffeted’ than that he should be ‘exalted above measure’ - that he should
continue to have affliction, and experience of pain and weakness, rather than
have spiritual hurt.
Yet though the petition was not
granted, the prayer was not ineffective; for it drew forth from God a spiritual
assurance of great value to a spiritual man - an assurance that millions have
quoted - ‘My grace is sufficient for thee; for My strength (power) is made perfect in weakness.’
The apostle was not granted what
he asked for, but he was given something that was far better than he could have
expected - namely, the assurance that the lovingkindness and goodwill of God
would so move his soul that he would be very specially enabled to bear the
trouble which beset him, and bear it immurmeringly, without loss of efficacious
service.
More than that, he was to learn
that God’s power is ‘made perfect in weakness.’ What do we understand by that? This - God’s power shows itself as God’s
power most effectively in the human instrument’s weakness. It is
known and seen to be, not the power of men, but the power of God.
The assurance thus defined was
drawn forth by the apostle’s prayer, and it was an assurance upon which he
could rest from that day forth, in all circumstances and conditions of
life. And with what result? This - ‘most
gladly therefore will I rather glory in my infirmities (weaknesses) that the power of
Christ may rest upon me.’
Thus we see that God answers prayer with a glorious fullness and
lovingkindness, if even He does not grant the particular petition which we
present
* * *
* * *
*
19
All Israel Shall be Saved
(Romans 11: 25-36)
By Douglas
D Jones
In order to appreciate the
background to this passage, it will be well to summarise the first 24 verses of the chapter.
The Context
The apostle Paul strongly
repudiates any suggestion that God has finished with
In this respect, bearing in mind
that verses 13-14
form a parenthesis, we take verses 12 and 15 together, ‘Now if
the fall of them be the riches of the world, and
the diminishing of them (their failure, their loss) the riches of
the Gentiles, how much more their fullness?
... For if the casting away of them be the reconciling
of the world, what shall the receiving of them
be, but life
from the dead?’ Paul is showing here that since the
temporary thrusting aside of the nation by God has brought such great benefit
to the Gentiles, then their eventual acceptance will have such an even greater
effect of blessing upon the Gentiles, that it is likened to a [first] resurrection!
Then, the apostle underlines his
insistence that God has not rejected
The first metaphor is clearly
based on that part of the Mosaic law when a portion of dough was taken from the
lump and offered as a firstfruits to God, thereby consecrating the whole
mass. The argument seems to be that
since Israel is descended from Abraham, who is the first-fruit, to whom God
gave such unalterable promises, then the nation is still regarded by Him as
holy (i.e. consecrated to Him), even though the majority have been temporarily
thrust aside because of their unbelief.
In the second metaphor, Abraham,
as the progenitor of the nation, is seen as the root. Since the root is holy, so are those who have
sprung from him, despite many having been temporarily rejected.
It is the second metaphor that
Paul then develops in verses 17-18 under the figure of an olive tree. Bearing in mind that he is illustrating
something spiritual and that we cannot look for some parallel in every detail,
we take this olive tree as illustrative of those Jews who have come to saving
faith in Messiah Jesus, i.e. in the sense of them making up the whole as
spiritual Israel, with individuals as the branches, the broken off ones being
unbelieving Jews. While ideally and potentially the latter do belong
to
The wild shoots that did not
belong, but have been grafted on are believing Gentiles. The apostle tells such not to adopt a
boastful, arrogant attitude toward the broken off branches, for they do not
support the root, but rather the root supports them.
What a timely warning which,
sadly, has often gone unheeded through the centuries by many professing to be
acting in the name of the Christian Church revealed in an anti-Semitism which,
far from provoking Jews to a godly jealousy, has resulted in a deep resentment,
bitterness and antagonism toward Christianity.
While we could rightly blame an apostate Christendom allied to wicked political
systems for such a state of affairs, let us not forget that history also
reveals that there have been times when
true believers have been guilty in this respect. In our own generation, we
ourselves need to be careful not to be influenced by a godless mass media in
our attitude towards God’s ancient people.
But Paul has a further warning here
concerning those who might boast against the broken off branches in verses 19-22. Gentiles who have been grafted onto the olive
tree, like shoots from a wild one, should
have a reverential fear, for if God did not spare the natural branches let them
take heed lest they also are not spared.
They are to consider the severity of God that fell on unbelieving Israel
and the goodness of God He has shown towards them, but they must
continue in that goodness by remaining in the faith of the gospel, if they themselves
are not to be cut off.*
[*That is, cut off from the promised ‘kingdom’
and ‘inheritance’ in the land. Gal. 5: 21; Eph. 5: 5. cf. 1 Cor. 10: 1-11; 1 Thess. 2: 9-12; 2 Thess. 1: 4-5, R.V.].
There is a similar application in
the metaphor employed by the Lord Jesus Christ regarding branches of the Vine that do not bear fruit. They are taken away, thrown into the fire and
burnt (see John 15: 6). In the same way, in Romans
11, the warning concerning being cut off must surely apply to those who
have appeared to be [overcoming] Christians, but their failure to continue in
‘the faith’ shows that they have never really
belonged.
In verse
24, Paul continues to address the Gentiles, ‘For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by
nature, and wert grafted contrary to nature into
a good olive tree; how much more shall these,
which be the natural branches, be grafted into their own olive tree?’
In the previous verse, he says
that if unbelieving
The Mystery Now Revealed
How relevant this is to the passage
before us, where Paul [when writing to
regenerate believers in the ‘Church’] says ‘For I
would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all
It will be noticed that Paul
says he does not want his Gentile readers to be ignorant of what he calls ‘a mystery’ lest they should be wise in
their own ‘conceits,’ that is,
in their estimation of themselves, imagining that they are the ones of such
great importance in God’s dealings. In
the New Testament, the word rendered ‘mystery’ (musterion) does not denote something that is
incomprehensible. Rather, it refers to
that which, although outside the range of unassisted, natural apprehension, is
made known by Divine revelation, at a time and in a manner appointed by God,
and only to those who are illuminated by
the Holy Spirit. So when Paul says
that he does not wish these people to be ignorant of this mystery, he is
referring to something hitherto hidden and unknown, but which has now been revealed openly.
What is it? That this judicial blindness or hardening
which has come upon that part of the nation which forms the majority, as a
judgment for their own self hardening against the gospel [of the kingdom], is not something that is to be the last
condition of the nation. There is to be
a limit to it. It will only continue
until ‘the fullness of the Gentiles’ has
come in.
The Fullness of the Gentiles
Now there are many who take this
to mean that this hardening will end when the number of those from among the
Gentiles who will have been saved during the gospel age is completed. It is a view I held for a long time, yet upon
further consideration I came to the conclusion that there is another more
fitted to the context of the passage.
Although the word rendered ‘fullness’ (pleroma) is at times used in the sense of the completion of
a number, this is certainly not that in which Paul has just employed the same
word in verse 12 when he compares Israel’s
present fall and diminishing with their fullness - that time when God
eventually receives them (as verse 15). He is not referring there to the completion
of the number of
It seems to me, therefore, that
here in verse 25, the expression ‘the fullness of the Gentiles’ refers
to a time of [future millennial] blessing for them too. It will arrive when the present hardening
on the part of
[* See Phil. 3: 11 and
context. Compare with Lk. 20: 35; Heb. 11: 35b; Rev. 20: 4-6, R.V.]
Saved
Paul continues, ‘And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written, There shall
come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn
away ungodliness from Jacob. For this is My covenant unto them when I shall take away
their sins’ (verses 26-27).
Now to anyone who has followed
what the apostle has had to say already, from the beginning of chapter 9, it seems clear enough to many of us
that when he speaks of all
Not only does this give Israel
an entirely different meaning from that so far in these chapters, and even in
the previous verse (11: 25) but the
name ‘Israel’ is never used in the whole of Scripture to denote the Church. It
always has an ethnic connotation. To describe the Church as ‘the New
But there is another
interpretation given as to this term ‘all
When This Will Be
As to when this will be, it will
be noticed from verses 26-27, that the apostle associates it with the
prophetic Scriptures, initially referring to Isaiah
59: 20-21.
‘As it is written’ he
says, ‘There shall come out of Sion the
Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness from
Jacob. For
this is My covenant unto them.’
In the translation from the Hebrew, Isaiah says that ‘the Redeemer shall come TO
Paul still follows Isaiah 59: 21
in saying, ‘For this is My covenant unto them’ (verse 27).
But he continues ‘when I shall take away their sins,’ at
which point he apparently merges the Isaiah prophecy into that of Jeremiah 31: 33-34 in which passage Jehovah promises a new
covenant with Israel. ‘But this shall be the covenant that I will make with the house of
Now, of course, the subject of
the personal return of the Lord Jesus Christ is a vast one, involving may
facets. Within the scope of this present
study, we must keep as far as possible to its relation to what we have in this
chapter, but by comparing Scripture with Scripture, the conclusion to which
many of us have come is that the manifestation of this Deliverer and Redeemer
of Israel is related to that great future event, at a time when Israel will
have returned to the land which Jehovah promised them through Abraham (Genesis 12: 7; 13: 15; 15: 7, 18; 17: 7-8) and
confirmed to Isaac (Genesis 26: 3) and to Jacob (Genesis
28: 13).
We could go into detail to remind
you of the miraculous preservation of the Jews, so that they have still been
identifiable as a people, despite centuries in the lands of the dispersion,
often suffering awful persecution.
We could
speak at length about what has happened since the setting up of the State of
Israel on 14th May, 1948. It
has to be appreciated that the vast majority of those who have returned have
done so still in unbelief - they are still the broken off branches of the olive
tree. Indeed, any Jew who professes
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, who wants to settle in
Now there are those who point
out that Paul does not make any reference in Romans
11 to the Jews restored to the land, but my answer to that is that this
was not because any doubt existed in his mind concerning it. If ever a man knew his Old Testament, it was
the apostle. No, it was not his
immediate subject.
You will know that issues have
long existed between the Israelis and the
The Charter of the P.L.O. calls
for ‘the liberation of
One reason for the Israeli
government abandoning its policy of not negotiating with the P.L.O. was the
danger posed by the terrorist Hamas organisation and other Islamic
militants. These people do not
conceal their aim, which they openly declare to be to ‘unfurl
the banner of Islam over every inch of Palestine’ and to unite all the
countries in the area in an Islamic fundamentalist state in which all others -
Jews, Christians, everyone else - would be treated as those with an inferior
status.
Even the surrounding Arab
governments are troubled by Islamic militants who would readily take over
political power from them.
In all this, one is reminded of Psalm 83: 4
where we read of a confederation of nations round about
The prophet Jeremiah refers to
what he calls ‘the time of Jacob’s trouble’ (Jeremiah 30: 7). Says Jehovah through Zechariah, ‘Behold, the day of the LORD
cometh, and thy spoil shall be divided in the
midst of thee. For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle;
and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the
women ravished; and half of the city shall go
forth into captivity, and the residue of the
people shall not be cut off from the city’ (Zechariah 14: 1-2). But the
passage continues, ‘Then shall the LORD go forth, and fight against those nations, as when He fought in the day of battle. And His feet shall
stand in that day upon the
Remember, that was the place
from which the Lord Jesus ascended back to heaven following His resurrection, a
cloud receiving Him out of the sight of the onlooking
disciples. They were told that this same
Jesus whom they had seen taken up from them into heaven would come in like
manner as they had seen Him go into heaven (Acts 1:
11).
In Revelation 1: 7, we, read ‘Behold,
He cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see Him, and they also which
pierced Him; and all kindreds of the earth shall
wail because of Him.’
Ah yes! but it will be the time
of Israel’s fullness of which Paul has written in Romans
11: 12, as they see in the Lord Jesus
Christ who will come to Zion in its darkest hour, the Deliverer of whom the
prophet Isaiah writes (Isaiah 59: 20), and to which prophecy the apostle refers in Romans 11: 26. It is then that they will recognise in Him the One they rejected and
will acknowledge Him in deep repentance.
Jehovah’s Promises
Jehovah promises, ‘And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon 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 firstborn. In that day there shall be a great mourning in
Through
Ezekiel, God says, ‘Then will I sprinkle clean water upon you, and ye shall be clean: from
all your filthiness ... will I cleanse you. A new heart also will
I give you, and a new spirit will I put within
you’ (Ezekiel 36: 25-26). Isaiah
prophesies that ‘
In Zechariah
14: 9 we read ‘the LORD shall be
king over all the earth; in that day there shall
be one LORD, and His Name one.’ In Revelation 20: 2-7, six
times in six verses, mention is made of a period of a thousand years in which
Christ will reign, during which Satan will be bound. The worldwide peace which has eluded the
statesmen of the earth will prevail under the rule of the Lord. As Isaiah pictures it, ‘They shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks; nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more’ (Isaiah 2: 4).
Even the animal kingdom,
previously ‘red in tooth and claw’ will be
affected, for ‘the wolf also shall dwell with the
lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the
kid; and the calf and the young lion and the
fatling together; and a little child shall lead
them. And
the cow and the bear shall feed; their young
ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall
eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole
of the asp (cobra); and the weaned child shall
put his hand on the cockatrice’ den (the viper). They shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain’
(Isaiah 11: 6-9).
There are, of course, those who
dismiss literal interpretation of these Scriptures, and spiritualise (as they
call it!) their meaning. Well, as far as
some of us are concerned, when the plain sense makes good sense, that is good
enough for us.
The same passage declares, ‘For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as
the waters cover the sea’ (Isaiah
11: 9). How will that come about? Well, as I see it, this is just where the
fullness of the Gentiles, of which Paul speaks in Romans
11: 25 comes in, for Jehovah says
that He will send His people to the nations and they shall declare His glory
among the Gentiles (Isaiah 66: 19).
From Zechariah
we learn that ‘many people and strong nations shall
come to seek the LORD of hosts in Jerusalem,
and to pray before the LORD ... In those days ... ten men
shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt (corner
of the garment) of a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we
have heard that God is with you’ (Zechariah
8: 22-23). The same prophet tells us ‘that every one that is left of all the nations which came
against Jerusalem shall ... go up from year to
year to worship the King, the LORD of hosts’ (Zechariah 14: 16). We see, then, that there will be conversions
among the Gentiles on a scale never known before. And let it be understood that there will be
but one way of salvation for
This will be God’s New Age - not
that false one which those who propagate their Satanic, counterfeit doctrines,
claim will come in about the year 2000 with the demise of the Age of Pisces,
the fish, and the emergence of the Age of Aquarius, the water carrier. Perhaps this New Age Movement is one of
Satan’s last throws before the rise of the antichrist!
The Church
I can imagine someone saying,
‘Where does the Church come into all this?
In order not to confuse our thinking, I have deliberately not mentioned
what is often referred to as the Rapture, but I will just say that the [watchful and persevering (Lk. 21: 35; Rev. 3: 10, R.V.)] Church will be caught up to meet the Lord in the air as He
descends to [clouds above the] earth, so that the
momentous events we have been considering will follow this. As I see it, all the redeemed of history will
receive transformed, glorified, spiritual bodies, so they will not dwell here
on earth alongside mortal humanity during Christ’s millennial reign,* but
will share with Him in it over the earth (compare Revelation
20: 4-5;
Matthew 19: 28;
Acts 3: 21).
[* For an alternative biblical view, contrary to this statement,
see Gen. 13:
14-17; 15: 7; Ezek. 34: 23-24. cf.
Lk. 22: 29-30; Acts 7: 5; Heb. 11: 8’ Lk. 24: 39-44, R.V. Matthew 19: 28 is
also in disagreement with the author’s statement; and to cite Rev. 20: 4-5, is not any
proof of what resurrected saints cannot do on earth during the
millennium!
At the end of the thousand years
reign, Satan, having been bound during this period will be loosed and will lead
a final revolt of those who, despite all the benefits they have received,
remain unconverted. But this will be put
down by God, and Satan banished for ever in torment (Revelation
20: 7-10). Then
will follow the judgment of the great white throne when unbelievers, who will
not have shared in the resurrection of the saints when Christ returns from
heaven, will be raised, together with all the unregenerate people who have died
during the millennial reign, and every
one whose name is not found written in the Lamb's Book of Life will suffer
eternal punishment (Revelation 20: 11-15). This will be followed by the coming in of the
eternal state with new heavens and a new earth, in which all the redeemed of
every age will share (Revelation 21: 1-7; 2 Peter 3: 10-13).
Still addressing Gentile
believers, in Romans 11: 28, the apostle says ‘As concerning the gospel, they (ethnic
It is because of this that Israel
has been preserved as a nation to this very day, and will continue to be so for
the time when the Deliverer will come to Zion and all Israel then living shall
be saved as a nation.
In verses
30-31, Paul tells his readers ‘For as ye (Gentile believers) in times past
have not believed God, yet have now obtained
mercy through their (Israel’s) unbelief,
even so have these (Israel) also now not
believed, that through your mercy (that
which God has shown towards Gentile believers) they also may obtain mercy (i.e, in
their coming full restoration to Him).’ Then, in verse 32 ‘For God hath concluded
them all (has shut them all up) in unbelief, that He might
have mercy upon all.’ The ‘all’ in each case refers to all those Jews and Gentiles
who have been saved from their sin and unbelief and brought to repentance and
faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
Let us remember, then, that the
mercy that has been shown Gentiles through the gospel, is vitally bound up with
God’s plan for Israel, even in their fall, and may we ever bear in mind that
such mercy was demonstrated fully on the cross where His Beloved Son shed His
precious Blood to redeem a people from every kindred, tongue, people and nation
(Revelation 5: 9). Well may we sing, -
‘Mercy there was great and grace was free.
Pardon there was multiplied to me.
There my burdened soul found liberty - at
The Conclusion
In the light of the great and
precious truth the apostle has set forth in these three chapters concerning God’s
plan for Israel in which Gentiles are so closely involved, little wonder that
Paul concludes, ‘O the depth of the riches both of the
wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are His judgments and His ways past finding
out!’ (verse 33). Then, obviously basing his words on the Old
Testament Scriptures, he asks ‘For who hath known
the mind of the Lord? or who hath been His
counsellor? or who hath first given to Him,
and it shall be recompensed to Him again?’ (verses 34-35 -
of Isaiah 40: 14).
Paul sums it all up in the final
verse, ‘For of Him, and through Him, and to Him,
are all things, to whom
be glory for ever. Amen’ (verse 36).
Surely we must add with all our
hearts, ‘to God be the glory, great things He hath
done!’
* *
* *
* * *
20
Invincible Grace
By James
Willoughby
God’s grace is invincible
grace. ‘Invincible’
means ‘that cannot be defeated.’ The gracious operation of the Spirit of God
in the soul cannot be defeated. The operation
is that of an omnipotent Person carrying out an immutable decree. ‘Omnipotent’ means ‘almighty,’ ‘immutable’
means ‘unchangeable,’ and when an omnipotent Person is carrying out an
immutable decree, His operation is invincible.
Accordingly, the Lord Jesus
said, ‘All that the Father giveth Me shall
come to Me’ (John 6: 37). All
shall come, in every land, in every age, and in spite of all opposing powers of
air and earth and hell. Here we have
some of the most glorious tidings in the gospel of God’s grace.
This invincible grace draws the
Lord’s people to His dear Son.
Fellow-believer, perhaps you remember the time in your experience when
you found yourself alive and awake to your soul’s eternal interests. You then saw your sin in a way which you had
never seen it before. You then saw that
you could not save yourself. You saw
that you could not even help to save yourself.
You saw that God’s dear Son could save you. You saw that He alone was able to save, and
you longed to be saved by God’s Son from the punishment and power of sin. You looked to Him for this great
salvation. You could not help looking to
Him.
At first your faith may have
been very strong, or it may have been very weak. At first you may have been enabled to believe
firmly that God’s Son, by His precious Blood, had eternally saved your soul; or
it may have been that, almost on the verge of despair, you cried to the Lord
Jesus to save you from the punishment and power of sin, and you had very little
more than a bare hope that your prayer would be heard. But in either instance, you looked to
Christ. You were perfectly safe.
You could not help looking. You could not help longing to be saved from
the punishment and power of sin. You could
no more give up your concern regarding your soul than you could fly. You felt yourself in a powerful current, a
current against which you could not fight, a current from which you could not
get out. This was the invincible current
of God’s matchless grace. His grace is
invincible grace.
* *
* * *
* *
21
The Public Manner of Our Lord’s Return
By James
Stephens, M.A.
(This year marks the ter-jubilee
of the birth of Mr Stephens, who was for 46 years the pastor at
We are pleased to include this message given by him, which was printed in Watching and Waiting, February, 1925).
[Volume 24. No. 19 July/September, 1996.]
-------
‘Behold, He cometh with clouds;
and every eye shall see Him’ (Revelation 1: 7).
In Visible Bodily Form
Christ’s Return shall be
after the manner of His going. Forty
days after His resurrection He was in the midst of His apostles, on the Mount of
Olives, beside Bethany, and while they were looking, He was taken up, and a
cloud received Him out of their sight.
Two angels stood by those who saw, and announced to them that this same
Jesus, which was received up into heaven, shall
so come in like manner as they beheld Him going into heaven. He went in bodily form, and so as to be
visible in His progress from the earth to the clouds; and He shall so come.
Our Lord Himself declared: ‘all the tribes of the earth ... shall see the Son of Man coming in the clouds of heaven with
power and great glory’ (Matthew 24:
30).
Public, Heavenly, Royal State
His return shall be in Public,
Heavenly,
When the day of His return arrives He shall be revealed from heaven with
the angels of His power, and shall take His place on His Own Throne. He shall, on coming forth, continue His
progress through the air till His feet stand upon the Mount of Olives; and then
He shall openly confront ‘the beast’ and his
armies in the immediate vicinity of Jerusalem, and ‘with the breath of His
mouth and the brightness of His appearing’ destroy that ‘man of sin.’
Human rule, in its utmost unrighteousness and wickedness, and defiance of
God, will be chiefly represented at the time by ‘the
beast;’ and He Who comes to inaugurate rule in righteousness must
first overturn established unrighteousness, and He will there make a beginning.
The Public Rapture
In the course of His descent from
heaven through the air our Lord will pause and publicly take His saints to
Himself in order that they may accompany Him in His further progress. This will involve His raising ‘the dead in Christ,’ raising them in glory
and honour and incorruption; and His changing the saints then alive on the
earth (in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye), in such wise that this
corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on
immortality. ‘The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout,
with the voice of the archangel, and the trump of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first*,’ that is prior to the living
saints undergoing their change. There
will then be, for a brief space, two companies of visibly glorified human
beings on the surface of the earth; and these shall, after a brief interval, be
caught up together to meet the Lord in the air, and to appear with Him in
glory. His coming shall thus far be a
coming FOR His saints; and
thereafter it shall be a coming WITH
them, albeit one and the same coming.
[* Take care to notice what is here
not
stated! We are not told that ALL ‘the dead
in christ shall rise first’! This
is because this future event will take place at the end of the Great Tribulation;
and because there will have been a translation of living saints before
the antichrist’s persecutions commence; and before he will break his covenant
with
See Lk. 21:34-36; Rev. 3: 10, R.V. and
compare these texts with Daniel 9: 27, “… he shall make a firm covenant with many (in Israel) for one week: and for the half
of the week - (i.e., after
three and a half years) - he shall cause the sacrifice
and the oblation to cease; and upon the wing of
abominations shall come one that
maketh desolate; and even unto the consummation, and that determined, shall wrath be pouned
out upon the desolater,” R.V.]
The Throne of His Glory
It is while the Lord, still in
mid-air, will be gathering His saints, but before
He will take them up, that ‘He shall gather out
of His kingdom all things that offend.’ By ‘His
kingdom’ is to be understood the whole company of those on the earth
who will be calling Him ‘Lord;’ and, therefore,
all that will be bearing the designation ‘Christendom.’
Christendom
comprises true and false professors, wheat and tares, sheep and goats, servants
good and faithful, servants wicked and slothful, and virgins wise and foolish. The Son of Man in mid-air shall sit on the
throne of His glory, seated on clouds, and before Him, on the earth, shall be
gathered all the nations, or rather all the Gentiles, that is, all who shall at that time compose
Christendom, and He shall proceed to separate
the false from the true, and the separation will be [millennial as well as] eternal. He shall
appoint to them their different destinies; and in the case of those who are His
very own shall take them up to be ever with Him. These will, therefore, accompany Him when He
proceeds against ‘the beast’ and his
armies who will previously have ceased to belong to Christendom; inasmuch as
prior to this they will have [have become apostate and] publicly disowned Christ
and God.
Suddenly and Unexpectedly
The public return of the Lord,
His return in manifested glory, will take place suddenly and unexpectedly, and
this although it will be preceded by clearly indicated signs. The
pre-announced fact of the return is even now disbelieved or disregarded, as
was the pre-announced fact of the flood; and because of this the return will be
as the coming of a thief. But to those
who believe in the predicted coming it is said, ‘Ye
... are not in darkness, that that day should overtake
you as a thief.’ No one knows the day
nor the hour, yet the near approach of
the day and the hour will be definitely recognisable by some. Our Lord having foretold to His disciples
certain public occurrences in
Watching and Wakefulness
Watching and wakefulness
consists in keeping alive to the great
fact of the return, and keeping in sobriety of mind, and therefore in readiness
to recognise the signs when they appear.
Watching or wakefulness is the opposite of dullness, drowsiness or
sleep; and sleep is practically heedlessness or insensibility, with respect to
the great event and to the things unseen [both millennial] and eternal. Even those who have heard or read of the
return may be unwatchful. Not seldom,
unwatchfulness on the part of these may be found to arise from their choosing
to fix their beliefs and hopes on the theory of the Progress of the Race. Not in evolution or development of mankind,
however, but by the intervention of the Son from heaven will the purpose of God
be fulfilled. ‘The grace of God ... hath appeared ... teaching (instructing) US (to
the intent) that, denying ungodliness and worldly
lusts, WE
should live soberly, righteously,
and godly,
in this present world; LOOKING FOR
that blessed HOPE and the glorious appearing (appearing
of the glory) of the great God and our Saviour, Jesus
Christ’ (Titus 2: 11-13).
* *
* *
* * *
22
Why Study Biblical Prophecy?
By Henry T
Hudson (
Why study Biblical
prophecy? Why not? A negative attitude is, more often than not,
the result of either anti-supernaturalism, or a reaction to sensationalism which
tends to run rough shod over those passages of Holy Scripture that are
predictive in nature. On the other hand,
a positive approach usually springs from curiosity, and from acknowledgement
that prophecy forms a prominent part of
Holy Scripture, and therefore must be profitable in coming to a fuller
appreciation of the overall plan and purpose of God.
Paul reminded Timothy that, ‘All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable’ (2
Timothy 3: 16). Peter, likewise, informed his readers that
scriptural prophecy could be likened unto ‘a light
that shineth in a dark place,’ and that his readers would do well to pay attention to it. His words, ‘Knowing
this first’ make it clear that he
was giving counsel which was of primary importance. He then went on to explain that the prophetic
word did not originate of itself or by the will of man, ‘but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.’ (2 Peter 1: 20-21). Hence, the prophetic word, of which he was
speaking, was ‘a more sure word,’ that is,
it was more sure than any man’s word, and more reliable than any human
experience, and therefore was a word
that should be heeded.
With this in mind, why would any
Christian deliberately neglect biblical prophecy? Added to what was said above about
sensationalism, there are at least four other basic reasons: (1) It uses a lot of symbolism, and
related figurative language, (2) It
frequently becomes an end in itself without any practical application, (3) It is sometimes assumed that the
truths associated with ‘the revelation of the mystery,’ which
are delineated in the epistles of Paul, rule out the value of prophetic
studies, and (4) It seems to produce
a lot of controversy; especially among those who make it their business to
study and speak about it. In other
words, as far as this last point is concerned, if the ‘experts’
and ‘professionals’ cannot agree among
themselves, what chance do rank and file Christians have?
Symbolism and Figurative Language?
As to the first point, suffice
to say that figurative language is a valid means of communication, and can
serve vividly to intensify meaning. Some
cultures use it more than others, but it seems to be a part of every known
language, and therefore, one might readily expect to find it in Holy Scripture.
Even English, a language which
tends to be prosaic, is not without its own peculiar repository of graphic
imagery. Often I have heard people
talking about ‘smelling a rat,’ ‘putting on the Ritz,’ ‘hauling
coals to
Sometimes, when culture and
context are ignored, the door is opened to all manner of distortion and
sensationalism. Be this as it may,
misuse of truth, should never be allowed to detract from the proper
understanding and application of truth.
Distortion is as old as ‘the Father of lies’ (John 8: 44),
but nevertheless, truth has survived, and is still discoverable by those who
have the noble disposition of the Bereans, who received the Word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily. Such ‘noble’ people,
possessed the appropriate spiritual attitude of mind to hear and to believe
(i.e. accept and act upon) what was confirmed through their searchings (Acts 17: 11, 12; Revelation 3:
11).
One oft-recurring illustration
of the misuse and abuse of the prophetic Scripture can be seen in the perennial
attempts to set dates for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. This, in the face of the fact that the Lord
Jesus Christ said categorically, that, ‘of that
day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the
Father.’ (Mark. 13: 32). When the disciples heard the
post-resurrection teaching of the Lord Jesus concerning the
The twentieth century has had
its share of date-setting predictions for the Second Coming of Christ. All kinds of Biblical ‘scholars’ have brazenly published their ‘assured’ findings.
For example, Charles Taze Russell set the year
1914; Gratten Guinness picked 1930; and Bell Dawson,
the year 1934 (The Millennial Hope, by S. J.
Case). A recent attempt, which caused a
great stir in evangelical circles, was made by a certain Edgar Whisenant. His little booklet was entitled, 88 Reasons why the Rapture Will Be in 1988. Some 2,000,000 copies were printed and
distributed. Not only did Whisenant pick
the year, but he also was bold enough to declare the exact date, namely,
September 12th. When the
event did not take place he consequently apologised, and admitted that he had
made a mistake in his reckoning by one year, and that it would really take
place September 1st. 1989.
Again he was wrong, but still he was not daunted, for in a booklet which
was co-authored by Whisenant and Greg Brewer, entitled, Rapture
Report - 1989, 1990, 1991,
1992, 1993 (published in 1989), there is yet another prediction,
only this time somewhat more flexible, stating that, ‘Jesus
is coming and I would give it at least a 50% chance in 1989; if not then, an
abundance of Scriptures point to 1992.
However, if the birth of Christ is off one or two years, then it could
be 1990 or 1991. There seems to be a lot
more evidence for ’89 and ’92 than any other time for the Rapture.’ One cannot help but wonder if Whisenant and
Brewer have learned anything from their attempted predictions, or if there is
another report already at the printers.
No Practical Application?
The second point mentioned as a
possible negative influence in causing Christians to neglect the study of the
prophetic scriptures most likely arises from a misunderstanding of the basic
nature of biblical prophecy. In other
words, the problem is not in the Bible itself, but in some false assumptions
about the purpose of prophecy. That the
prophetic scriptures were intended to have practical application is obvious in
a number of references, even beyond the two already cited (i.e. 2 Timothy 3: 16,
17; 2 Pet.
1: 19-21).
For example, there are the words
of Peter, where, after having discussed the future coming of the day of the Lord,
and some of the events related thereto, he made practical application no less
than three times. ‘Seeing then that all these things shall be.’ ‘Seeing that ye look
for such things, be diligent that ye may be
found of Him in peace, without spot, and blameless.’
‘Ye therefore,
beloved, seeing that ye know these things before,
beware lest ye also,
being led away with the error of the wicked,
fall from your own steadfastness’ (2
Peter 3: 11, 14,
17).
Let me suggest two basic things
to keep in mind when approaching any study of Biblical prophecy. The first concerns the meaning of the word ‘prophet,’ and the second involves a formula which should help to promote
balance with regard to interpretation, and application.
Most of the time, when English-speaking
people use the word ‘prophet,’ they
are thinking of someone who claims to have the ability to predict the
future. In the Greek language, the word
‘prophetes’ was used
to describe a person who spoke on behalf of someone else, which meaning, comes
closer to the Biblical use of the word.
When Moses objected to the LORD
that he lacked eloquence, and hence could not be a spokesman unto the people,
the LORD said unto him that Aaron,
his brother, would be to him ‘instead of a mouth,
and thou shalt be to him instead of God’ (Exodus 4: 16). In other words, as Exodus
7: 1 makes clear, Aaron became the
mouthpiece of Moses, and hence became his prophet. Therefore, in Biblical usage, as the parallel
would indicate, a prophet is primarily a mouthpiece, or a spokesman for God,
that is, he is someone who speaks. or who interprets the will of God. While fore-telling (i.e. predictions) could
be involved, the emphasis needs to fall more on the forth telling (i.e. the
telling forth) of a message which comes from God.
With this in mind, the student
of Biblical prophecy should study every prophecy looking for at least three
things: (1) A Primary Association, (2) A Prophetic Anticipation, and (3) A Practical
Application. This formula, when
apprehended, will go a long way toward making interpretation easier, and will
help make application more intelligent.
The idea behind ‘Primary Association’
involves the thought that the prophecies of Holy Scripture should be viewed in
relation to their historico-grammatical
contexts. In other words, they did have
some practical significance for those who first heard them.
In this connection, a few words
are in order concerning the phenomena sometimes referred to as the
foreshortening of prophetic horizons, when in actual reality there are
prolonged ‘gaps,’ or ‘intervals’
between prediction and fulfilment. The
phenomenon is not unlike the function of a telescope which takes an object on
the distant horizon, and brings it into closer purview. For those who might be at a loss to
comprehend what exactly this phenomenon involves, a few references could be of
some help - Genesis 3: 15; Isaiah 7: 14; 9: 6; 61: 1, 2; Luke 4: 18, 19; 1 Peter 1: 10, 11.
A number of years ago, I ran
across the word ‘apotelesmatie.’ Etymologically, it comes from two Greek
words, ‘apo,’ a
preposition which carries the connotation ‘away from,’
and ‘telos,’ which
signifies ‘end, fulfilment, or completion.’ In other words, certain Biblical prophecies,
while they deal particularly with ‘the end times,’
or the Second Coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ, and the establishment of His Kingdom, can nevertheless, have practical bearings on those who first
heard them, and on those in subsequent generations who study them. Such is the very nature of biblical prophecy,
for like a telescope, it brings that which may be distant into closer
perspective, and thus makes possible, profitable and practical application.
Revelation of the Mystery?
The third impediment sometimes
hindering a constructive study of prophetic scripture comes from a bent of mind
which is regulated by a premise that acts as a sort of master-key to the
understanding of all Holy Scripture. In
short, the premise holds that the revelation of the mystery, given to the
apostle Paul, is of such a nature that it excludes prophecy. In fact, the distinction between the two
(i.e. between prophecy and mystery), as is stated in C. R. Starn’s
book (page 47), ‘Things that Differ,’ is seen as
being the most important division in the Bible!
The two become, in the words of S. Craig MacDonald, ‘mutually exclusive.’ (‘Understanding
Your Bible,’ page 54).
If the premise be true (i.e.
that prophecy excludes mystery, and mystery excludes prophecy), then it is not
difficult to understand how deductive reasoning could
conclude that the prophetic passages of Holy Scripture, which speak
particularly of Israel, and a coming Messiah, have little or nothing to do with
Gentile Christians,
and why there would then be a consequent degree of neglect of interest
in the study of the prophetic scriptures.
Let Paul’s words to Timothy serve
as a warning signal to anyone who might unquestionably accept
the aforementioned premise, and who consequently might disparage any
serious study of the prophetic scriptures. Paul declared
categorically (and it can hardly be doubted that he had the Old Testament
scriptures in mind), that ‘All scripture (i.e.
every separate portion forms a part of the whole) is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable’ (2 Timothy 3: 16).
Controversy?
The fourth negative influence,
as far as discouraging Christians in their attempts to study and understand the
prophetic scriptures, springs from the extensive controversy that seems to
plague the subject. Of course, it might
be exclaimed, ‘So, what else is new? Does not all biblical doctrine elicit some
degree of controversy?’ While there might be an element of truth here, the
fact remains that there does seem to be a disproportionate degree of
controversy related to the doctrines associated with prophecy.
Since I myself have experienced
destructive backwash from controversy over prophecy, I can sympathise with
those who have problems in this regard.
However, be this as it may, controversy or not, 2
Timothy 3: 16-17, and 2 Peter 1: 15-21 [and in
particular, 2 Tim. 2:
16-19] can hardly be ignored. Moreover, if I am to take heed to the word of
prophecy, then I must know the word of prophecy. At the same time, I must remind myself that I need to make a qualitative distinction
between ‘the word of God,’ and ‘the
word of men.’ (1
Thessalonians 2: 13). Here, once again, is where genuine Bereanism
enters the scene. True, I cannot escape
the use of my reasoning powers, but they must be submissive to
the authority of Holy Scripture. I must receive the word with all readiness
of mind, and I must search the scriptures daily, whether those things, which I
hear are really so. Regardless, of any controversy, I must
continuously be guided by one foundational question: “WHAT SAITH THE SCRIPTURES?’
Strange!
It seems strange to us that
there are amongst those who profess to be God’s [redeemed and regenerate] people,
some who do not understand the teaching of the Lord Jesus in Matthew 24.
They appear to think that the prophecy was fulfilled in A.D. 70 when
Titus conquered
The disciples asked three
questions and these were answered by our Lord.
The questions were (1) ‘When shall these
things (not one temple stone left upon another) be?’ And (2) ‘What shall be the sign of Thy coming?’ And (3) ‘What shall be the sign of the end of the world
(aion - age,’ not
kosmos)?
* * *
* * *
*
23
The Holy Spirit,
The Fulfiller
of Scripture.
By Thomas
Houghton
(Mr Houghton was for many years the editor of
‘The Gospel
Magazine.’ He spoke regularly for the Sovereign Grace
Advent Testimony.
The following is taken from his book entitled, ‘The Holy Spirit’).
The Apostle Paul, in his
final word to the leading Jews who had assembled in his prison-lodging at Rome,
said, ‘Well spake the Holy Ghost by Esaias
the prophet unto our fathers’ (Acts
28: 25). He quoted to them the ninth and tenth verses
of the sixth chapter of Isaiah, and though he acknowledged that Isaiah the
prophet was the human author of the words, he plainly
declares that the Holy
Ghost was their Divine Author. He it was Who spake through Isaiah. The words written, therefore, were Divinely
authoritative because they were the words of God the Holy Ghost.
This view of the plenary
inspiration of the Scriptures is the view uniformly taken by our Lord Himself,
and by the writers of the New Testament.
There can be no doubt that the
New Testament teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the Divine Author of the Old
Testament Scriptures.
While meditating on this subject
a new thought came to my mind, viz., that the Holy Ghost is not only the Author, but the Fulfiller of His own
predictions. This is strikingly
prominent in regard to the [Holy] Spirit’s predictions
concerning the birth, the ministry, the death, and the resurrection of our Lord
Jesus Christ. On this occasion we would specially draw attention to this aspect
of Divine truth.
1.
First, the Holy Spirit fulfilled His own prediction
concerning
Christ’s birth.
Christ was to be born of a
virgin and regarded as Emmanuel, a Divine Person, God with us. That was the prediction of the Holy Ghost by
the mouth of Isaiah the prophet (Isaiah 7: 14). This
prediction was fulfilled by the Holy Ghost Himself. When the Virgin Mary had been told by the
Angel Gabriel that she would bring forth a Son and call His name Jesus - Who
would be great and ‘called the Son of the Highest’ - she
asked, ‘How shall this be?’ The angelic answer was, ‘The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee’ (Luke 1: 35).
In other words, her conception
of the Child Who was to be born would be due to the supernatural power of the [Holy]
Spirit. Jesus would be born without a
human father. Hence Joseph was assured
that ‘that which is conceived in her is of
the Holy Ghost.’ In reference to this
remarkable, supernatural, and unexampled event the inspired evangelist says, ‘Now all this was done, that it
might be fulfilled which was spoken of the Lord by the prophet, saying, Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and shall bring forth a Son, and they shall
call His name Emmanuel, which being interpreted
is, God with us’ (Matthew 1: 20-23). The
Lord Jesus was thus ‘conceived by the Holy Ghost and born
of the Virgin Mary.’
2.
Secondly, the Holy Ghost fulfilled His own prophecy
concerning
Christ’s being anointed with the Spirit.
The Holy Ghost, speaking through
Isaiah the prophet, said of Christ, ‘The
Spirit of the LORD shall rest upon Him.’ He represents the Father as saying, ‘Behold My Servant, Whom I
uphold; Mine Elect, in Whom My soul delighteth; I
have put My Spirit upon Him’ (Isaiah
11: 2; 42:
1).
Later, the Holy Spirit put into the mouth of Christ the words, ‘The Spirit of the Lord GOD is upon Me; because the LORD hath anointed Me to preach good tidings unto
the meek; He hath sent Me to bind up the
broken-hearted, to proclaim liberty to the
captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are
bound’ (Isaiah 61: 1). These
passages clearly teach that Christ would be anointed and endued with the power and
presence of the Holy Spirit. The Spirit
Himself predicted this great event through the prophet. The New Testament shows that He Himself
fulfilled this, His own prophecy. When
our Lord was baptized, and while He was praying, ‘The
heaven was opened, and the Holy Ghost descended
in a bodily shape like a dove upon Him, and a
voice came from heaven, which said, Thou art My beloved Son; in
Whom I am well pleased’ (Luke 3:
21-22).
Thus Jesus was anointed and
filled with the Spirit, and was led afterwards by the Spirit into the
wilderness, and there tempted by the devil for forty days. Then He ‘returned
in the power of the Spirit into
The Spirit of the Lord was then
upon Him. The prediction of the Holy
Ghost in reference to His being anointed with the Spirit was fulfilled. The Holy Ghost had voluntarily descended on
Him, and brought about the fulfilment of His own prediction.
3.
Thirdly, the Holy Ghost fulfilled His own prophecy
concerning
our Lord’s miraculous ministry.
Through Isaiah, the Holy Ghost
had predicted that Christ’s ministry would be accompanied by miracles. He had said, ‘Then
the eyes of the blind shall be opened, and the
ears of the deaf shall be unstopped.
Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and the tongue of the dumb sing’ (Isaiah 35: 5-6).
During our Lord’s public
ministry He gave sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, speech to the dumb,
and walking power to the lame. All these
and other wonderful miracles He wrought by the power of the [Holy]
Spirit. Peter says, ‘God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with
power: Who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil’ (Acts 10: 38). The Holy Ghost was with Him, and in His power
the Lord wrought His wonderful miracles.
He Himself said, ‘If I cast out devils by the Spirit of
God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you’ (Matthew 12: 28).
4.
Fourthly, the Holy Ghost fulfilled His own prophecy
in
regard to Christ’s atoning death.
In reference to that death the
Holy Ghost had said, ‘When Thou shalt make His soul an
offering for sin, He shall see His seed, He shall prolong His days.’ An alternative rendering is, ‘When His soul shall make an offering for sin’ (Isaiah 53: 10). The Holy Ghost thus predicted that our Lord
would make an offering for sin, and the Holy Ghost may be said to have
fulfilled this prediction; for we read, ‘How
much more shall the Blood of Christ, Who through
the eternal Spirit offered Himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?’
(Hebrews 9: 14). Dr. Gill says, ‘As
the Holy Ghost formed and filled the human nature of Christ, so He assisted and
supported it under sufferings.’
The offering was Christ’s
offering alone, He offered Himself, and by one offering He hath perfected for
ever them that are sanctified, but through the eternal Spirit He carried
through His great work of redemption. ‘As to the Person of Christ, it (the Epistle to the Hebrews) sets forth how
the Redeemer, through the Eternal Spirit, offered Himself without spot to God’
(Sineaton’s ‘Doctrine of the
Spirit,’ page 90).
5.
Fifthly, the Holy Spirit is represented as
the
Agent in Christ’s resurrection.
The Spirit predicted the
resurrection in the sixteenth Psalm. (See Acts 2: 25-27, 30-32).
Sometimes the resurrection is attributed to the Father, sometimes to the
Son (John 10: 18),
but it is also attributed to the [Holy] Spirit.
‘Being put to death in the flesh,
but quickened by the Spirit’ (1 Peter 3: 18).
Thus the [Holy] Spirit fulfilled His own prediction in reference to Christ’s
resurrection. That the Redeemer was
quickened and raised up by the Holy Spirit is here affirmed by Peter, and is
not obscurely intimated by the Apostle Paul (Romans
8: 11).
‘The
same Spirit that formed Christ’s human body and gave it life in His mother’s
womb, gave to Him the restored life when He rose from the dead. He Who raised up Christ from the dead, indeed
is frequently mentioned as one of the Father’s most memorable titles or
designations; and to prove that it was the Spirit Who performed this work, we
have only to recall the fact that the Holy Ghost is the executive in every
Divine operation (Romans 4: 24; 6: 4)’ (Sineaton’s 'Doctrine of the Spirit,’ page 94).
Even after our Lord’s
resurrection He still ministered by the [Holy] Spirit.
We read, ‘Until the day in which He was taken
up, after that He through the Holy Ghost had
given commandments unto the apostles whom He had chosen; to whom He showed Himself alive after His passion by many
infallible proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things pertaining to the kingdom of God’ (Acts 1: 2-3).
It was by the Holy Ghost that
David predicted our Lord’s session at the right hand of God (Psalm 110: 1; Mark 12: 36),
and it seems right to assume that the Father set Him, through the Holy Spirit,
at His own right hand far above all principality and power. (See Ephesians 1:
20-21).
Bishop Moule says, ‘To this must now be added the truth that all through the
historical process of Incarnation and Redemption the Spirit has intense relations
with the Incarnate Son. He is the
immediate Agent in the holy Conception (Luke
1: 35). He ‘descends’ in ineffable
speciality upon the Son at baptism (Matthew
3: 16, etc.), so that He goes to Temptation (Matt. 4: 1), and Ministry (Luke 4: 14, 18), ‘in the power of the Spirit.’ The Spirit secures for the Son of Man that He
shall speak ‘the words of God’ (John 3: 34).’
‘It is
by means of the eternal Spirit that the Lord offers Himself without spot to God
(Hebrews 9: 14). He is profoundly concerned in the
Resurrection (Romans 8: 11). After [Christ’s] Resurrection, it is by the Holy Spirit that the
Lord gives commands to the apostles (Acts 1: 2). And when the glorified Christ speaks to the Churches,
as the Slain One risen, His voice is also the voice of the Spirit (Revelation 2 and 3).’ (‘Outlines of Christian Doctrine,’
page 134).
This thought, that the Holy
Spirit, of Whom we speak as the Third Person in the Trinity, fulfilled His own
predictions, is a very precious one.
Scripture often emphasises the love of the Father for the chosen objects
of His mercy. In like manner we read of
the love of the Son. ‘Christ loved the Church, and
gave Himself for it.’ He ‘loved me and gave Himself for me.’ We do not, however, in so many words, read of
the love of the Holy Ghost. Romans 15: 30
probably refers not to the [Holy] Spirit’s love to His people, but to the
love which He produces in them. Yet the
Spirit sheds abroad in the hearts of God’s people a sense of God’s everlasting,
saving, and abiding love to them. But
what is it which led the Divine Spirit to foretell the coming, the birth, the
ministry, the death, resurrection, and ascension of the Redeemer, but love to
the elect people of God?
What is it but love to the
people of God which leads the Divine Spirit to wash, sanctify, and justify
them? What is it which leads the Divine Spirit to dwell in God’s [obedient] people, but love to them?
What is it which leads the Divine Spirit to teach, to comfort, and to
strengthen God’s [obedient]* people, but His love to them? What is it that leads Him to
make them fruitful in every good word and work, but His love to them?
[* See Acts 5: 32. cf. 1 Sam. 16: 14-15, R.V.; Psalm 51:
11, Septuagint (LXX), etc.]
The doctrine of the Trinity is
beyond our comprehension; but while we rightly believe that ‘the Father is God, the Son is God, and the Holy Ghost is God,’
yet we go on to say, ‘there are not three Gods but one
God.’ When therefore the apostle
says, ‘God is love,’ He is
surely making a declaration of the eternal love of the Father, of the Son, and
of the Holy Ghost for the great multitude which no man can number who shall
hereafter stand before the throne, washed and made white in the Blood of the
Lamb.
Some of our hymn writers make
reference to the love of God the Holy Ghost.
Joseph Irons says, -
‘Jehovah’s love first chose His saints;
Love listens now to their complaints;
Love paid their debt incurred by sin;
Love breaks their hearts, and enters in.
Thus Father, Son, and Holy Dove,
The Three in One, a God of love,
Engaged in Covenant for our sake:
This threefold cord can never break.’
C J P Spitta
says,
‘See, O see! what love is shown us
Also by the Holy Ghost!
How He strives with us poor sinners,
Even when we sin the most!
Teaching, comforting, correcting,
Where He sees it needful is!’
Toplady,
addressing the Holy Spirit, says,
‘With our perverseness here,
How often hast Thou strove,
And spared us year by year,
With never-ceasing love!
O set from sin our spirits free,
And make us more and more like Thee.’
Again he says,
‘Loving Spirit, God of peace,
Great Distributor of grace,
Rest upon this congregation,
Hear, O hear, our supplication.’
Dr. Gill writes of ‘that love with which the Spirit of God equally loved them,
as the Father, and the Son; and which He had shown in their conversion and
sanctification, in applying all grace unto them, and indwelling in them as the
Spirit of adoption, and as the earnest and pledge of the heavenly inheritance’
(On Romans 15: 30).
The constant action of the
Divine Spirit in announcing through the Scriptures the Coming of a Redeemer was
at once a manifestation of the love of God the Father, the love of God the Son,
and the love of God the Holy Ghost for the great multitude ‘out of every kindred, and
tongue, and people, and nation’ which the Father had given the Son to
redeem by His Blood. The inspired
Scriptures revealed this great and unfathomable love, and the Holy Ghost took a
real part in fulfilling the Divine purposes of love which He Himself predicted
through the Scriptures of the prophets.
Well may we say when reading those Scriptures,
‘On Thy love my spirit ponders,
Praising, magnifying Thee;
Hallelujah to the great Eternal Three.’
-------
[PART 4]
CONTENTS
24. THE SINAITIC OR MOSIC COVENANT
25.THE NEAR EAST AND THE FUTURE DICTATOR
26. THE CHRIST OF THE BIBLE
27. JEROBOAM - A TYPE OF THE ANTICHRIST
28. ABRAHAM’S HISTORY IN GENESIS 12
29. THE DEVIL’S
30. THE LAST WARS OF THE WISE
31. THE SERVANT’S PATH IN THE DAY OF REJECTION
32. THE LAST WARS OF THE WISE
33. THE CHRISTIAN’S HOPE
34. THE WORLD BEFORE CHRIST’S RETURN
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24
The Sinaitic or Mosaic Covenant
(Exodus 19-24)
By George T
Hunt
(In March 1926, a conference of the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony was
held at
[Volume 25, No 1
January/March 1997]
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If we are to understand
anything at all of prophetic truth we must take an intensely personal interest
in it. There must be the prayerful
study, the prayerful contemplation of the truth and the comparing spiritual things
with spiritual, as they are placed before us in the Word of His Truth.
I was very thankful that our
chairman read to us from Galatians 3. There we see how the Spirit of God has linked
up Abraham, Moses, and Christ. Thus are
linked the great outstanding truths concerning the purposes of God, not merely
as to
Now there the purposes of God
are revealed to us as concerning the Jew, there are the purposes of God
revealed to us concerning the Gentile, and there are all those purposes of God
as they are going to be accomplished in the New Creation, when there shall be
neither Jew nor Gentile, male or female, bond or free, but all shall be one in
Christ.
Israel’s Past
The Jews, even at the time when
Moses, under divine direction, penned the words that are contained in this Exodus 19, had a past of which God Himself reminds
them. He bids them look back and
consider the days that had gone before; how that Moses had gone up into the
presence of the Lord on the Mount, and God had spoken to him and said, ‘Ye have seen what I did unto the Egyptians, and how I bare you on eagles’ wings,
and brought you unto Myself’ (Exodus 19: 4).
Now comes a great crisis.
But here God has pointed to the
past. He is going to enter into covenant
with a people - a covenant by which they would undertake to earn life by their
own obedience, or to merit death by their disobedience. ‘If ye
will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant,
then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all
people: for
all the earth is Mine; and ye shall be a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation’
(Exodus 19: 5-6).
Israel’s Then Present
These, said God to Moses, are
the words which thou shalt speak unto the children of
I want to remind you that right
from Sinai to
To this day the Jew is still
failing. Oh! the tears in the tone of the great apostle to the Gentiles, when
he tells of the nation seeking to establish their own righteousness, and
turning away in unbelief from God’s righteousness. But it is so; it is so all over the world
today. The Jew is bent on justifying
himself before God apart from the blood and righteousness of his own
Messiah. I thank God for all the
testimony that is being borne among God’s ancient people today; for the work of
those who are seeking to bring the gospel to them; to bring before them a clear
and intelligent apprehension of the full meaning, intent, and purpose of God - ‘That God was in Christ, reconciling
the world unto Himself’ etc. (2
Corinthians 5: 19).
Israel’s Privileges
Then we remember that
Again, God had brought them out
of
Think of them coming down to the
shore of the
Oh! surely that was a type of [redeemed] men’s
need today. I can do nothing for my own
salvation. You can do nothing for your
salvation.
Then think of the Divine
provision of manna in the wilderness, and water from the smitten rock - all
privileges. Never people in all the world had known what it was to have One
looking upon them with such loving tenderness, care and attention, as
Israel’s Promise
Moses, by Divine direction, has
set the Law before the people. ‘And Moses came and called for the elders of the people,
and laid before their faces all these words which the
LORD commanded him. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the LORD
bath spoken we will do. And Moses returned the words of the people unto the LORD’
(Exodus 19: 7-8). It was
the undertaking of a national responsibility.
‘The
wicked (individually, personally) shall be turned
into hell [i.e., ‘sheol’ = ‘Hades’], and all the nations that forget God’ (Psalm
9: 17). There is today such a thing as national sin,
even as there was under the law that God gave to
Now why did God do that? In order that
Now notice Exodus 19: 9. ‘Lo, I come unto thee in a
thick cloud, that the people may hear when I
speak with thee, and believe thee for ever.’ That was a startling announcement - that God,
in Person, would come down to the people!
‘Lo, I
come unto thee’ - ‘I come.’ The people had great
respect for Moses. Here was God going to
reveal Himself in circumstances that would inspire awe, fear, concern. The people could not but be conscious of the
fact that God was holy, just and good, yet this great God, holy, just and good,
was coming down to the people. And this
is what He requires - ‘that the people may hear when I speak
with thee, and believe thee for ever.’ God would have
Has Moses ceased to be God’s
mouthpiece? Are they not despising Moses
today, speaking in terms of contempt concerning him of whom Jesus said, ‘He wrote of Me’? So it is today. But God was going to stand behind Moses, and
give the people to realise that Divine authority was behind the Lawgiver, and
that he was acting at God’s bidding. How
frequently before this they had rejected Moses’ message, turned away from him,
treating him at times with contempt. But
God was now going to justify Moses before the people.
Israel’s Preparation for Jehovah’s Presence
The coming of the Presence of
God among them was not immediate. It was delayed. There was to be a preparation made for this
most awe-inspiring event. God says to
Moses in Exodus 19: 10-11, ‘Go unto
the people, and sanctify them today and tomorrow
... and be ready against
the third day.’ For
the third day, the Lord came down in
the sight of all the people on the
Oh! what a graphic picture the
inspired writer gives us; what a company there is gathered when God came down
upon the Mount. ‘It came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thunders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trembled. And Moses brought
forth the people out of the camp to meet with God; and they stood at the nether part of the mount’ (Exodus 19: 16-17).
Now see the significance of the
words that immediately follow verse 17 -
Moses brought forth the people, a deeply moved people, as they realised that they
were coming into the Presence of their Creator, God. I suppose that it is utterly impossible for
us to grasp all that is signified; all that it meant to that vast multitude of
people who again and again had been called into the presence of Moses, but
never before called into the Presence of Jehovah.
They had known that Presence in
the pillar of cloud by day and the pillar of fire by night, but that that
Presence should come now so near that they had to look upon Sinai smoking, with
all its thunder and lightning, was quite different. It was significant of the Divine Presence and
power of God.
I am not surprised to read,
neither will you be, that the people stood at the nether part of the
mount. And as they came into close
contact with God they became more and more conscious of their own sin,
unworthiness, wickedness and need. What
a mercy it is that God shut them all up in unbelief that He may have mercy on
some. Here is the Law given, for
what? That they might know what sin is.
But here is a word of gracious
encouragement and help. ‘And Moses said unto the people, Fear not’ (Exodus
20: 20). That is just like God. He comes again and again and again to His
people with these two little blessed words, ‘Fear not.’ And here when every heart is moved and every
knee is trembling, God, through Moses, utters these gracious words, ‘Fear not.’
That needs to be pondered, to be considered. God has come to prove them, to test them, and to see if reverence and godly fear may be
found in their hearts.
The Law was given that
The Law was written by the
finger of God on two tables of stone, but ere Moses had reached the people
again, the Law had been broken, for the people were gathering around for the
worship of the golden calf, and Moses in holy indignation dashed the two tables
of stone to the ground - the token of a broken law.
The Ceremonial Law of Worship
God was already explaining,
right at the very beginning of this new crisis in
Turn for a moment to Exodus 24: 3-8. Read,
mark, learn and inwardly digest it, all the precious teaching that lies behind
it. ‘And
Moses came and told the people all the words of the LORD, and all the judgments; and
all the people answered with one voice, and said, All the words which the LORD hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all
the words of the LORD, and rose up early in the
morning, and builded an altar under the hill,
and twelve pillars,
according to the twelve tribes of Israel ... And
he took the book of the covenant, and read in
the audience of the people, and they said, All that the LORD hath said will we do, and be obedient.’
A covenant sealed in blood! ‘Moses
took the blood, and sprinkled it on the people,
and said, Behold the
blood of the covenant, which the LORD hath made
with you concerning all these words.’
The Law Fulfilled in Christ
The Passover Feast is at hand,
and our Lord is gathered with His disciples in the upper room where He
instituted that ordinance which we call ‘the Lord’s
Supper,’ and as His disciples drink of the cup, He says ‘This is the New Testament, the
New Covenant, in My Blood’ - a
covenant sealed in Blood! The great
Lawgiver had stood on Sinai amid the thunders, lightnings and fire.
But it is not so with the Lord’s
disciples. They are gathered around His
gracious Person, and He imparts to them the laws of the Kingdom; the Kingdom of which John the Baptist had been
preaching; the Kingdom of which the
Saviour Himself was speaking. He said, ‘Think
not that I am come to destroy the law, or the
prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one
jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled’ (Matthew 5: 17-18).
God had said to
And Jesus was taking that attitude
on the Mount when He taught His disciples that the Law, or what we know as the
Ten Commandments, could not pass until all was fulfilled. The only complete and perfect fulfilment of
the whole of it was that rendered by the Lord Jesus, Who, as though He had been
the transgressor, went to the cross.
That was a Substitutional obedience and a Substitutional death.
And now what? We know that for us the law of commandments
contained in ordinances is nailed to His cross, and so we can sing ‘My sin, oh! the bliss of this glorious thought; my sin, not
in part, but the whole; is nailed to His cross, and I bear it no more. Praise
the Lord. Praise the Lord, oh! my soul.’
* *
* * *
* *
25
The
(Daniel 8)
By George
H. Fromow
(This message was given by Mr Fromow at a
Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony Conference at
in April 1949, when the subjects for the conference were all taken from the
book of Daniel. The article is reproduced
as given so that it is necessary to remember that events as stated related
to nearly 50 years ago).
The relation of this
chapter to the book as a whole should be considered.
In the first section of the
prophecy, chapters 1-7 (written in Chaldean), the Jews are seen as captives among
the Gentile powers; but in the second section, chapters
8-12 (written in Hebrew), the Gentile
powers are seen as acting in government among the Jews and in Jerusalem.
In the first section there is
the vision of the metallic image of four parts (chapter
2), which is a general outline of Gentile world power and forms the
basis of all prophecy concerning such power in relation to Israel. Henceforth
all the prophecies of this book run parallel with chapter
2, but each one concentrates on some special detail. Thus, an atlas may give an outline map,
followed by other maps showing specific features.
Chapter 2 has
given us man’s view of human government, specifically those governments which
have dominated over
Chapter 7 shows
these powers as four wild beasts, revealing their inward character and giving
the Divine view. ‘Man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh
on the heart’ (1 Samuel 16: 7). What
man sees as excellent God sees as at heart and in principle the law of the
jungle.
Chapter 7
concentrates attention on the fourth beast and its little horn which comes out
from among the ten horns on its head.
Chapter 8 narrows
the scene to the eastern half of the prophetic earth. The same powers are in view but it concentrates
on the second and third of them, namely Medo-Persia and
The
The vision teaches us that the
Near or Middle East must have political revival before the end of the age, as
the stage for its fulfilment. The ram
depicts Medo-Persia. Its duality is
presented in chapter 2 as the breast and
arms, and in chapter 7 as the bear raising
itself on one side.
The ram pushing in three
directions indicates (verse 4) Persian
conquests - west to
The He Goat indicates
Egypt, once a part of
the Turkish empire, then British ‘Protectorate’
under the Sultan, later obtained long-sought-for ‘independence,’
and at length sovereignty, and is now a rising power, one of the ‘United Nations.’
But ‘The End is Not
Yet’
As in all prophetic Scripture so
in the visions of Daniel it is essential to
observe the ‘time marks’ of these
prophecies. Chapter
8 has two time breaks or gaps.
They occur in the vision (verses 1-8 and 9-14) and in the interpretation (verses 15-22 and
23-26). Notice:
Verse 17: ‘The time of the end.’
Verse 19: ‘The last end of the indignation.’ ‘The time appointed.’
Verse 23: ‘The latter time ... when the transgressors are come to the full.’
Verse 26: ‘It (the vision) shall be for many days.’
The Last Dictator - The Little Horn
Then shall develop and appear
the last dictator, the little horn. He
who shall arise is pictured fully in Revelation 13:
1-2 -
depicted as a wild beast ‘like unto a leopard’
(Grecian) with characteristics of a bear (Persian) and a lion (Babylonian). ‘And I stood upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads
and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy. And the beast which I
saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were
as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the
mouth of a lion: and the dragon gave him his
power, and his seat, and great authority.’
As the little horn he will arise
from a small power among the Roman ten, which is also one of the Grecian four,
that is, from some state in the Grecian peninsular or the Balkans. He waxed great in three directions: (1) ‘South,’ that is, toward
His greatness is largely self-made,
but his dominion (see Revelation 13: 2 again) is given him by Satan. ‘Great’ would
seem like a keyword of the book - it occurs 36 times. There is the greatness of Gentile world
power; the great goodness of God to
His characteristics of
aggressive self-will are found in verses 10,
11, and 23-25. He is ‘anti’ all that is sacred - anti the saints, anti the
sovereignty of God, anti the sanctuary and sacrifice against the saints. The saints are named six times in the
chapter. They are called ‘the host of
heaven,’ ‘the host of stars,’ symbols of their future glory (compare chapter 12: 3). Here is one of the many evidences that the
Church of the New Covenant is foreseen in the Old Testament; indeed, the
mentions of the Great Congregation, Assembly, or Church include her.
He is against ‘the Prince of the host,’ her sovereign Lord. He is against the sanctuary and sacrifice
that is, the
He is against the System of
Truth (verse 12). What a system! He will ‘cast down
the Truth.’ Let us be ‘Fellow helpers to the Truth.’ All this opposition to
He practises and prospers, like
the lawless one in Psalm 37: 35, he spreads himself ‘like a
And withal he shall put himself
against the Prince of the host! What of
all the peace treaties of the United Nations if the outcome of them all is ‘war with The Lamb’ (Revelation
17: 14)?
He shall be broken ‘without hand.’
This expression echoes the action of the smiting stone cut out ‘without
hands,’ who will pulverise his ten kingdoms, and the destruction of ‘the Assyrian’ (one of Antichrist’s titles - Isaiah 11: 4),
quoted of him as the man of sin, ‘whom
the Lord shall destroy with the breath of His mouth and with the Epiphany of
His Parousia’ (2 Thessalonians 2: 8). Thus
too, the wild beast will be cast alive into the lake of fire.
Messiah the Prince
God makes even the Antichrist
point to Christ, even as He makes the wrath of man to praise Him. So the usurpation of power by the Gentiles by
the little horn and by the devil himself, are made to point on to the triumph
and universal empire of Christ. In chapter 2, He is the Smiting Stone against the
image of Gentile world power. In chapter 7, He is the Son of Man, who is invested
with universal dominion.
In chapter
8, He is ‘the Prince of the host’ (verse 11), and ‘the
Prince of princes’ (verse 25). In chapter 9,
He is ‘Messiah the Prince,’ for Whom the ‘seventy weeks’ are ‘cut off’ at the end of which He is absolute Sovereign. For
Him and His Kingdom, Daniel is told to wait
and rest [presumably in ‘Hades,’ until
the time of his resurrection from
the dead, (Lk. 16: 23; Acts 2: 34; 7: 4-5; Rev. 6: 9-11, R.V.)], as in
the end of his prophecy.
The Effect of This Vision on Daniel
The prophet was humbled by all
these visions and revelations. In chapter 2: 17, 18 he is thereby brought to prayer; in verses 19-23,
he gave praise for the revelation; and in verse 30,
he was made humble, disclaiming all self-wisdom, but acknowledging all as of
Divine Sovereignty. In chapter 7: 15, 16, he is grieved, troubled, and asked the truth
of all this, and in verse 28: ‘As for me Daniel, my
cogitations much troubled me, and my countenance
changed in me: but I kept the matter in my heart.’
Now, at the end of the vision
and interpretation of chapter 8: ‘I Daniel fainted,
and was sick certain days; afterward I rose up, and did
the king’s business; and I was astonished at the
vision, but none understood it.’ The effect upon him then was entirely
gracious, humbling, and a means of leading him to such a prayer as that of chapter 9.
These effects of prophetic
teaching may be seen in Isaiah, Jeremiah, the apostle John, indeed, by all to whom
God gave it, and should be seen measurably in us today.
The Lord enable us that of prophecy,
as of Bible history and doctrine, we may say: ‘I kept the
matter in my heart.’
* *
* * *
* *
26
The Christ of The Bible
By George
H. Fromow
The Testimony
The Almighty God has
attested Him, saying, ‘This is My Beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased, hear
ye Him’ (Matthew 17: 5). So too
at His baptism, ‘Lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is My beloved Son,
in Whom I am well pleased’ (Matthew 3: 17). Also in Peter’s confession, which Christ said
was by revelation from the Father, ‘Thou art the Christ [
His Claim
He claimed to be the Son of God,
the Messiah of Israel, the Christ of the Scriptures, the sole Prophet
Who alone can teach us the Truth, the only Priest
Who has fully atoned for us and can lead us in worship and evermore intercede
for us, and our King supreme Whose Crown Rights must be obeyed.
Fulfilled Prophecies
He fulfilled the Messianic types
and prophecies of the Old Testament, by His birth of a virgin mother, by His
holy nature, His perfect spotless character, His complete obedience and
devotion to the Will and Law and Word of His Father and God. Psalm 40: 7-10 has given
a summary of His message in the Book, the Will, and the Law. He is the preacher of Righteousness (verse 9), Faithfulness (verse
10), Salvation (verse 10), Grace or lovingkindness
(verse 10) and Truth (verse 10).
His Obedience
By His life of obedience, He
wrought out for us men and for our salvation, that perfect righteousness which
God imputes to all who believe, and He gave Himself up to the death of the
cross, being delivered for our offences and raised again because of our
justification. We need this dual
salvation, for we owed to God a double debt - (1) we owed Him a perfect life
and (2) we owed Him the penalty of the broken law. ‘Jesus, Thy Blood
and Righteousness my beauty are, my glorious dress.’ ‘By one offering He hath perfected for ever them that are
sanctified’ (Hebrew 10: 14).
His Claim Justified
He fulfilled His claim in heart,
mind, soul and strength, by words and works and ways, satisfactorily to God and
as the sinner’s Surety and Substitute.
When from the cross He cried ‘It is finished,’
all the sins of all His believing people were for ever cancelled and we were
thereby justified.
His Claim recognised
His claim to Deity was and is
known and recognised by those who do not believe in Him. The devil knew it when he said ‘If Thou be the Son of God.’ The scribes, priests and Pharisees and rulers
knew of His claim when they said, ‘Thou
blasphemest, because that Thou being a man
makest Thyself God.’
Indeed, had He not been Messiah, the Son of God, He need not have
died. He had only to have denied that
claim and they could have crucified Him on that ground as they did.
One With God
He was not only one with the
Father, but was one with the Holy Spirit.
‘For He Whom God hath sent speaketh the words of
God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure
unto Him’ (John 3: 34). This
anointing was abundantly predicted in the Old Testament, especially in Isaiah and the Psalms. It is in the New Testament record of His
birth, baptism, temptation, teaching and preaching and miracles. All were in the power of the Holy Spirit. It is by the Holy Spirit that He ‘offered Himself without spot to God’ (Hebrews 9: 14). His resurrection was by the Spirit of
Holiness, and ‘He through the Holy Ghost had given
commandments unto the apostles’ (Acts
1: 2).
And now that He is in heaven on the
right hand of God, He has the seven spirits of God, which are before the
Throne, i.e. the Holy Spirit in His sevenfold energy and operations. The Son of God was anointed with the seven
spirits of God, which are the seven eyes and the seven lamps of fire, the seven
perfections of the Divine Ruler of Isaiah 11:
1-4.
Witnesses
All His judges, enemies and
friends were His witnesses, from Pilate to the thief on the cross and His
disciples, and none could find fault or blemish in Him. All history bears the same witness - the
history of the
The Christ
This is the Christ of the Bible,
Whom we worship, Whose call of grace I have heard, bidding me, a poor undone,
lost sinner, come to Him for forgiveness and pardon, and to find in Him far
more than that, even Justification, Sanctification, full acceptance and
perfection. In Him, I am quickened,
raised into the heavenlies and seated there in Him my representative. From Him I receive His Holy Spirit. In Him I have found new life, born from
above. My personal knowledge of Him and
His Word, by faith in Him, attests all His claims. In my own experience, in heart and mind and
conscience, in answered prayers, in a God directed life and in His call to
service with His promised presence and blessing in that service.
Faith
As my faith is grounded in Him,
His Person and His Word, so my love goes out to Him, His people and the cause
of Truth, and my hope is in the fulfilment of that Word, to me, to the church,
to the Israel people, to the nations and the world at large, for time and in
the eternal state. I am looking for ‘the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of the great
God and our Saviour Jesus Christ’ (see Titus 2: 13). To Him
that worketh is the reward reckoned, not of grace but of debt, but to him that
worketh not, but believeth on Him that justifieth the ungodly, his faith is accounted
to him for righteousness. To Him that
hath redeemed us by His Blood be wisdom and riches and power and glory, for
ever and ever. Amen. ‘I’m a poor sinner and nothing at all; Jesus Christ is my All
in All.’ And He is the Christ of
the Bible. Reader, what think ye of
Christ?
(This article was taken from ‘Watching and Waiting,’ January, 1971).
* *
* * *
* *
27
Jeroboam - A Type of The Antichrist
By Paul
Toms
(This is a summary of a message given at a Sovereign
Grace Advent Testimony meeting held in London on Friday, 26th February, 2016.
The message was recorded and CDs and cassette tapes are available; or it
may be downloaded from our website).
[Volume 29, No 2]
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Our theme for the year relates
to various characters who foreshadow the Antichrist, that last great evil
person who will appear on the earth and be a great adversary to God, and also
to the people of God. He will be against
our Saviour and seek to cause much hurt to the cause of Christ; hence he is
called the Antichrist. As with the types
of the Lord Jesus Christ which never fully set forth all the Saviour’s person
and work, so it is with the foreshadowings of this Man of Sin; they only show in part what he will
actually be. No person throughout the whole of history has yet reached the
wickedness of this one man. There
certainly have been some wicked men, as history records; and our newspapers and
various media channels remind us that there are such men about today. We have men who are so anti-God that they
will commit all manner of evil and perverseness to evidence their hatred for
the Divine Godhead. However, this man, the man yet to be revealed in person,
is as it were Satan’s final throw of the dice.
God, in His mercy and grace, has revealed to us the characteristics and
behaviour of this man so that we may be ready.
We are exhorted to search the Scriptures, to be a praying people,
watching and waiting to see the signs, and to
be awake when these things come upon the earth.
We come to consider Jeroboam,
and we see things recorded of his life that give us an insight into the
character of the Antichrist. There are
parts of his life for which he could be commended, but there is nothing about
the Man of Sin that God commends.
The Entrance of Jeroboam
The first reference to this man
is in 1 Kings 11: 11. His name is not mentioned in this verse but
Solomon was given a very solemn word from the Lord. God had given the kingdom to David; it had been
rent from Saul because of his disobedience to the command of God, but Solomon, despite all the wisdom given to him, walked
in foolish ways. He went after other
gods, which were no gods. For this, God
said that he would rend the kingdom from his house, and give it to his
servant. This servant was Jeroboam. When we come to verse
26 we see the name of this man - Jeroboam the son of Nebat, an
Ephrathite from Zereda. He was an
industrious man so that Solomon placed him over the two families of Joseph -
Ephraim and Manasseh. Solomon looked upon the outward appearance of the man; he
saw that he was industrious, but did not see what kind of person he actually
was in the inner man, where his heart really was. We are told that Jeroboam ‘lifted up his hand against the king.’ We do not know exactly how he did that, but
it was something to do with Solomon’s building of Millo. It seems, however, that Jeroboam had set his
heart on higher things than just being the ruler over two tribes, for Ahijah
later said, ‘Thou shalt reign according to all
that thy soul desireth’ (verse 37). The
pride of man never brings joy and fulfilment; it brings division and sorrow and
pain.
The meeting between Ahijah the prophet
and Jeroboam was to have a profound effect upon the nation of
The Error of Jeroboam
At the death of Solomon,
Jeroboam came back onto the scene, being called by the children of
Then we see the true heart of
Jeroboam and how wicked he really was, instituting man-made religion. So quickly Jeroboam became not only king of
the northern kingdom, but ringleader in sin, sin that stretched down the
generations after him. This religion was
specifically man-made; it had its origin in the human heart (chapter 12: 26). The heart is the place that Jeremiah so
rightly calls desperately wicked; how can anything good proceed from such a
place? ‘Can a corrupt
tree bring forth good fruit?’ was the question that the Saviour asked
and the answer comes as a resounding, ‘No!’ When it comes to religions in this world
there really are only two, the ‘I will’ of God
and the ‘I think’ of man. For God says that His thoughts are not our
thoughts neither are His ways our ways.
His thoughts and ways are so much higher than anything we think or do. This will epitomise the way of
Antichrist. God has clearly stated in
His word the way of salvation, the way of life.
It is through the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Man of Sin will come and will say, ‘No,
this is the way, walk ye in it’ - and it will be the wrong way, a way
that leads to [rejection, death and] hell. The Antichrist will come and set up a form of
religion, joining all religions in a confederacy against true religion. The peak, as it were, of the ‘I thought’ of man against the ‘I will’ of God.
We next see the purpose of this false religion; it was for his own selfish ends. He was scared that the people would go to
We next see that it was a
religion built on deceit. We
read in verse 28 that he made two calves and
placed them in
We next see that this man-made
religion was contrary to the Word of God. God had said that in
We go on to see that this became
a snare to the people, for we read in verse 30
that they did as they were bidden and worshipped the golden idol at Dan. They paid heed to Jeroboam’s words rather
than the Word of God. It became a sin to
them. Instead of directing their
thoughts to the worship of the true God he caused them to worship an idol. It is true that anything which takes the
place of God, however legitimate it may be, always is an idol, which becomes a
snare. We see this so much in evidence
in our own day and generation; and it is true of the times yet to be, when the
Antichrist comes to set up his own religion, much like Jeroboam did in his
day. We read in Revelation
13: 4 and 8
that many will turn and worship the beast.
We are thankful, however, that those written in the Lamb’s Book of Life
will not be found in that great number who fall into the snare and trap of the
Antichrist. Elijah thought he was the
only one in Israel who had not bowed the knee to Baal, yet God told him there
were 7000 who had not done such a thing (1 Kings 19:
18).
God will, by His grace, mercy and strength, keep those who are His.
We then see that the natural
development of this false religion was impure; the purity of the worship of God was rejected. In Leviticus
we read how the priesthood was set up. It
was to be a specific tribe, and there were special roles for the families
within that tribe. There was to be the
cleansing of the High Priest, the priests and the priestly garments. There were many God-given directives to
ensure all was done according to His bidding and command. Numbers 3:
6 and onwards gives God’s commands for the
priesthood. Yet Jeroboam made the lowest
of the people to be priests. Not only
were they the lowest of the people there was a direct breaking of the law of
God for they were not from the Levitical tribe.
They had no right to be in the priesthood. The purity of the worship of God, however
much that may have been diminished in Solomon’s days, was here made to be
impure and unholy. God is a God of pure
eyes that cannot behold evil, wickedness or impurity; Habakkuk
1: 13 tells us this. That one yet to be revealed is described in Thessalonians as ‘the
Son of perdition.’ That speaks of
impurity, of all that is damnable and pernicious. He is called the Antichrist for the reason
that he is everything that Christ is not.
Christ is that pure light, and in Him is no darkness at all. He said at the beginning of time, ‘Let there be light,’ and John tells us He is
the Light of men, the Light which shineth in darkness. The Antichrist is of his father the devil who
is darkness itself, and has no purity within him, but is full of evil.
Lastly, we see this religion was
a sham, it was shameful. It
had the appearance of being right, but was far from right. Jeroboam set up altars and a priesthood, and
then he set up sacrifices and feast days like there were in
The Ending of Jeroboam
In 1
Kings 14 we see the judgment of God upon Jeroboam. Jeroboam had been given the northern kingdom
by God because of the sin of Solomon and he had turned away from the true
worship of Jehovah. In this chapter we
read that the son of Jeroboam fell sick, and this sickness was the thing that
took him to his death. Jeroboam sent his
wife in disguise to the prophet Ahijah, the prophet that had told Jeroboam
years before of God’s promise to him.
Despite Ahijah not being able to see he recognised the woman as God had
revealed to him who would be coming to see him, so he said as she came to the
door, ‘Come in thou wife of Jeroboam.’ He told her that her son would die, and that
she would never see him alive again as he would die as she re-entered the
city. But more than this, he was the
only good thing that came from the household of Jeroboam. God, by Ahijah, then foretold
the death and future of Jeroboam. It was
soon after this that Jeroboam died. He
only reigned for 22 years and his son Nadab came to the throne to succeed him;
and he was slain too. He reigned for 2
years. Only 24 years since the dividing
of the kingdom and the throne was taken away from his house! He started evil and he bred evil.
The Epitaph of Jeroboam
As we come to this the epitaph
of Jeroboam, I think we all know what the Bible has to say about him. There is a phrase that comes up a number of
times in the succeeding chapters which is well known to us all. It is, ‘Jeroboam,
the son of Nebat, who
made
The Emblem of Anti-Christ
How does all this reveal to us
something of the nature of the Antichrist and of his reign? We have already looked at some of the points
that give us an insight into the Antichrist, but there are other aspects. It was the refusal of Rehoboam to heed to the
wise counsel of the old men, but to rather take note and act on the counsel of
the young men that brought Jeroboam to the throne. Similarly, it will be the refusal of men to
listen to the wise counsel of the Scriptures that will bring in the reign of
Antichrist who will come in, as Daniel 11: 22-24 tells us,
peaceably with flatteries. Jeroboam, who
had worked under Solomon and seen the way he dealt with his people, must have
promised to the people a better life if they came under his rule and so it was
that they accepted him as their king. So
too will it be with the Antichrist.
In 1
Kings 11: 39, there is an interesting
phrase indicating that he was used of God to ‘afflict
the seed of David.’ Is
this not the purpose of the devil right from the beginning of time? Christ was of the seed of David, and the
Antichrist is the pinnacle of this war of the devil against Christ, and he will
afflict David’s royal Son and His people.
In Matthew 24: 15, the Saviour
speaks of the abomination of desolation that was spoken of by Daniel the
prophet; Daniel spoke of this (9: 27 and 12: 11). The
Lord was speaking of the Man of Sin setting up the false worship in the
Just one final thing as we come
to a close. In 1
Kings 13: 2 we read the prophecy of
the man of God from
The Encouragement to Believers
And this should be an
encouragement to believers.
In Daniel 11: 32 we read of two
classes of people. We read of those who
do wickedly and are corrupted by the flatteries of the evil one. We also read of those who really know their
God, and they shall do exploits and shall be strong, strong in the Lord and in
the power of His might. All
He is the One Who will give
strength and wisdom in time of need. We
read in Scripture that the time of the end will be like unto the days of
Noah. In the wickedness that surrounded
him he was a preacher of righteous; his life and his words spoke of the God he
served. Therefore, he only of that
generation found grace in the eyes of the Lord.
Let us be those who stand for God in this day, to spread abroad the
wonderful truth of the gospel [of the kingdom] and be found faithful at the coming of the
Lord, watching and waiting for Him, as He exhorts in Matthew
24: 42.
* *
* * *
* *
28
Abraham’s History
in Genesis 12
By Benjamin
Wills
(This is a chapter taken from Mr Newton’s
book, ‘Narratives
of the Old Testament’;
which has recently been reprinted and is available from ourselves).*
[* See
also a similar book, reprinted by S.G.A.T. and entitled: “David
King of Israel,”]
Scarcely had the waters of
the flood departed from the recovered earth, when men, neither dismayed by
judgment nor softened by mercy, began again to corrupt themselves. Even Abraham’s family were found serving
other gods. ‘Thus saith the LORD God of Israel, Your fathers dwelt on the other side of the flood in old time,
even Terah, the father
of Abraham, and the father of Nachor: and they served other gods’ (Joshua 24: 2). Universal corruption seemed again about to
reign, when God, pursuing the secret counsel of His grace, interfered.
It was His purpose to separate
or ‘sever’ unto
Himself a peculiar people. ‘I,’ saidGod, addressing
‘Now the LORD had said unto Abraham, Get thee out of thy country, and
from thy kindred, and from thy father’s house,
unto a LAND
that I WILL SHEW thee: and I WILL MAKE of
thee a great nation, and I WILL BLESS thee, and make thy name
great; and thou SHALT BE a blessing: and I WILL BLESS them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth
thee: and in thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.’* Such were
the words of faithful promise with which the God of glory called Abraham.
[* See Acts
7: 4b, 5,
R.V. and compare with (1) “God’s Promises to
Abraham Have Never Yet Been Fulfilled” and “Stephens
Accusation, Defence and Martyrdom,” by Robert Govett.]
He was separated not only from evil, but he was separated unto blessing - blessing sure and certain,
because dependent not on himself, but on the love, and power, and faithfulness
of God. Was Abraham to be led into
another land? God said, ‘I will show it unto thee.’ Was he to be made a great nation? God said ‘I will make of thee a great nation.’ Was he to be blessed, and to be made a
blessing? God said, ‘I will bless thee, and thou SHALT BE
a blessing.’ God undertook to be the
accomplisher of all these things.
Abraham was the recipient - God the giver.
Promise, springing from grace
and maintained by grace, was the distinctive characteristic of Abraham’s
call. He was to prove, and to be an
example of the blessed truth that ‘the
gifts and calling of God are without repentance (unrepented of).’ The Olive-tree (to use the symbol of the
apostle in Romans 11), the fatness of whose
root is promise - unconditional promise in the power of grace, then first appeared; and although many
of its branches have been sapless (for branches, however good the root, may
through disease be sapless), and although many of those branches have
been broken off, and many
still remain to be broken off, yet the Olive-tree itself continues.
It stands, and will stand unto
the end; nor has there ever been an age either during the past days of
The words with which this
chapter commences belong not, it will be observed, to the time to which the
narrative of the chapter belongs; they refer to an antecedent period: ‘The LORD had said
unto Abraham.’ ‘The God of Glory,’ said
Stephen, ‘appeared unto our father Abraham, when he was in
Doubtless, when Abraham was (to
use his own expression) ‘caused to wander’ as a
pilgrim from his country, and kindred, and father’s house, it was a special and
peculiar mercy that Terah, his father, and Lot, his brother’s son, were made
willing to be the companions of his way.
Yet natural mercies, when granted to those who are called into a
foremost place in the conflicts of faith, require
a proportionate increase of watchfulness, and wisdom, and grace, if
they are really to become blessings in result.
One thing especially is to be
remembered - that the claims of nature
must always be subordinated to those of grace. Age, station, relationship, may confer
authority and influence in the natural sphere (and within that sphere their
claims are to be carefully recognised), but they are not to intrude within the spiritual circle so as to control
the order and arrangement there.
Affection, kindness, and respect were due to Terah from Abraham his son;
but when God had been pleased to call, not Terah but Abraham, into the distinct
and peculiar path which His grace assigned to that ‘heir of promise,’ it was for Terah the father to
own the precedence which grace had given to Abraham the son; it became Terah’s place
to follow, and Abraham’s place to lead. But it seems to have been
otherwise. We do not read in Genesis that Abraham took Terah, (which would have
been the order according to the arrangement of grace): but we read, ‘Terah took Abram.’
In other words, the order of
nature prevailed, and set aside the arrangements of God.
We cannot wonder, therefore,
that whilst Terah lived,
But though Abraham had reached
the Land of his destined inheritance, he was nevertheless still a stranger and
pilgrim therein. The Canaanite was still
there. Dangers and difficulties
surrounded him. He was still a dweller
in tents, having no abiding resting place: and his only security was close adherence
to God as his guardian and guide. His
was to be a prolonged life of faith. He
had come forth when called, ‘not knowing whither
he went;’ and now that he had reached
How like to the place still held
by the family of faith - his children.
Separated by the secret power of Truth in the midst of a world that
knows them not, they are taught to say, ‘All things are ours.’ ‘He that overcometh
shall inherit ALL things’ -
things in heaven and things in earth - as made joint heirs with Christ. A wider view is opened to our faith even than
that vouchsafed to Abraham; for the time was not come to show unto Abraham then,
all that he was destined to inherit. Yet
although taught to say, ‘all things are ours,’ what
have we at present? Tribulation, scorn,
rejection, reproach. Just in proportion
as our faith and faithfulness increases, we become more like to him who said,
‘we are made as the filth of the world, the offscouring of all things unto this
day.’ Whilst the Canaanite yet abides
and rules, the children of faith cannot reign.
They look ‘for a city which hath foundations,
whose builder and maker is God.’
Abraham then, although in
There is perhaps no moment in the
life of a believer when he has more need to watch, than when he has been
enabled to reach some point of desired and honoured attainment in the path of
his pilgrimage. It was a great thing for
Abraham to have left the land of his fathers, and to have followed on
obediently until at last he entered the Land into which it was the object of
God to bring him. His obedience was so
far complete. He had left what he had
been commanded to leave, and had gone to the very place to which he had been
commanded to go. He felt, perhaps, that
he had done great things.
Self-complacency not
unfrequently attends successful obedience.
He may have expected too, now that he had reached
And now a fresh and unexpected
sorrow crossed his way. ‘There was a famine in the land.’ Was this then the issue of his painful
wanderings? Had he left the land of his
forefathers and come into this distant land, in order that he might there
encounter not only perils from men, but sorrows sent immediately from the hand
of God? This would have been a trial to
Abraham’s faith even if he had continued to wait as aforetime on God; but
Affliction, under any circumstances, has a tendency to depress the servant of
God, but now that he had entered on a self-chosen path, and had ceased, as of
old, to build an altar to the Lord and call on His Name, how could it be
expected that he would stand?
Affliction, under any
circumstances, has a tendency to depress the servant of God, but how much more when the conscience testifies that it comes as
chastisement, and that the chastisement has been earned by carelessness or by
disobedience. In such a case,
grace - full, perfect, sovereign grace, is the only refuge. But when the heart is unduly depressed, or
froward or fretful, it is very slow to turn to the resources of grace. Abraham
did not. Grace was still watching over
him, and was able to bring to him present comfort and present succour. But he did not turn to God’s grace. He turned to his own devising. If there was famine in the land, he would abandon
the land and seek refuge in another land, even though that land was
When the heart sets itself free
from the restraints of God, it appears often to be given over to a daring and
reckless impetuosity that seems to blind itself to the most obvious
consequences, until confronted by their very presence. So was it with Abraham. He went boldly on towards Egypt until he
reached its very confines; and when he stood there, with Canaan behind and
Egypt before, he at last bethought himself of a danger that was a very obvious danger,
and that had in truth occupied his thoughts long before. Would Sarai be safe in
With the famine behind, and this
yet more terrible danger before, where could he turn for succour? He had left his only true succour. Would he humble himself and return to God? He might have returned. It was not too late for him to return and he would
have found grace in all fullness, even that grace that ‘upbraideth not’ for the past. But his heart was not humbled. He sought not to return, but resolved to
brave the danger, not by casting himself on God, but by sacrificing Sarai, and
by telling a lie. His life had become
very precious in his own sight - more precious than
There was no danger of famine
now. Wealth and splendour surrounded
him, and he had attained a rest. But was his conscience at rest?
Was his heart happy? How could it
be? He had
not only lost Sarai - her whom he loved - her who had been the companion of his
wanderings, but he had imperilled her - placed her on the very edge of a
precipice of lasting and deadly sin, after having involved her and himself in
the guilt of a virtual lie. He had abandoned
Yet Abraham turned not -
repented not. His conscience, deaf to
the appeals both of the past and of the present, was ready to dare all
consequences. There was no hope,
therefore, save in a direct interference of the power of God: and
God did interfere,
not indeed by touching Abraham’s heart,
but by chastening and arousing Pharaoh, and causing Pharaoh to rebuke and
drive Abraham back into the way from which he had departed. Abraham himself, un-stricken and unpunished,
with Sarai restored to him, again found himself in the Land which he had
abandoned, and there retracing all his steps, again reached the place whence
his sinful wanderings commenced, where last he had built an altar, and where he
again built one, and again called on the Name of the Lord. Such was the faithfulness - such the triumph of the GRACE of God. How
truly abounding where sin abounded!
But let it not be supposed that Abraham was thus restored without deep contrition and abasement of
soul. It is true indeed that we
have, in his case, no recorded words of penitence like those of David: but we
may be very sure that Abraham also learned to say, ‘Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I
shall be whiter than snow. Make me to
hear joy and gladness: that the bones which Thou hast broken may rejoice.’ God is not accustomed to restore His servants to their proper
privileges and blessings without first causing their hearts to bow and to make
manifest, the fruits of a repentance not to be repented of.
Abraham’s whole subsequent
course, with one sad exception, abundantly proved that he had a heart tender
and contrite, and well disciplined in the ways of the Lord. May we ever read then this wondrous narrative
of grace with thankfulness indeed, but with awe - awe at the baseness of our
own hearts, thankfulness for the superabounding grace and faithfulness of
God. May we never turn His mercies into
a curse by encouraging ourselves in carelessness or licentiousness - sinning
that grace may abound. The Scripture
teaches us these lessons respecting grace, not that we might wed ourselves to
sin, but that we might, with holy fear, cleave the more closely unto God.
We must remember also, that
although strict parallelism is seldom, if ever, found between the narratives of
Scripture and our own history (whether individual or collective), yet that
partial resemblances and analogies may frequently be traced, affording much profitable
instruction. If, for example, they in
whom ought to dwell a certain manhood and vigour of faith, capable of directing
and sustaining others, should falter and fail, and betray those whom they ought
to uphold in the separateness of Truth, into circumstances of worldliness and
sin - is there no resemblance between this and the sin of Abraham in
sacrificing Sarai and placing her in Pharaoh’s house?
Surely, if we look back over the
history of the Church, we must admit that with the apostles died that vigour
and simplicity of faith which kept, for a time, the Church, as the Bride of
Christ, separate in the power of Truth.
But then other leaders arose who sought, and who gained the rest, and
riches, and dignity of
* *
* * *
* *
29
The Devil’s Mission
of Amusement
By Archibald
G. Brown
(This article was written approximately 100 years
ago, and it was a necessary warning at that time, but it is also
very relevant to the present situation. Mr Brown is probably known because of his
association with
Mr Spurgeon.
Both these men, with James
Stephens and Frank H White, were amongst
the original seven who, in 1891, signed the
statement against the downgrade).
[Volume 26, No. 7
July/August, 2003.]
-------
Different days demand
their own special testimony. The
watchman who would be faithful to his Lord and the city of his God has need to
carefully note the signs of the times and emphasise his witness accordingly.
Concerning the testimony needed now, there can be little, if any, doubt. An evil is in the professed camp of the Lord,
so gross, so brazen in its impudence, that the most short-sighted of spiritual
men can hardly fail to notice it.
During the past few years it has
developed at an abnormal rate, ever for evil.
It has worked like leaven, until now the whole lump ferments. Look which way you may, its presence makes
itself manifest. There is little, if
anything, to choose between Church, Chapel, or Mission Hall. However these may differ in some respects,
they bear a striking likeness in the posters that figure upon and disfigure
their notice boards. Amusement for the people is the leading
article advertised by each. If my
readers doubt my statement, or think my utterance too sweeping, let them take a
tour of inspection and study ‘the announcements for
the week’ at the doors of the sanctuaries of their neighbourhood; or let
them read the religious advertisements in their local papers. I have done this again and again, until the
hideous fact has been proved up to the hilt, that ‘amusement’
is ousting ‘the preaching of the gospel’ [‘of the grace of
God’ and ‘the kingdom.’ i.e., ‘the whole counsel of God’ (Acts 20: 24b, 25, R.V)] as the great attraction. ‘Concerts,’ ‘Entertainments,’ ‘Fancy
Fairs,’ ‘Smoking Conferences,’ ‘Dramatic Performances,’ are the words honoured with
biggest type and most startling colours.
The Concert [and various social events] is fast becoming as much a recognised part
of church life as the Prayer Meeting,
and is already, in most places, far
better attended.
‘Providing
recreation for the people’ will soon be looked upon as a necessary part of Christian work and as
binding upon the
It is only during the past few
years that ‘amusement’ has become a recognised
weapon of our warfare and developed into a mission. There has been a steady ‘down grade’ in this respect. From ‘speaking out,’ as the Puritans did, the
Church has gradually toned down her testimony; then winked at and excused the
frivolities of the day. Then she has
tolerated them in her borders, and now she has adopted them and provided a home
for them under the plea of ‘reaching the masses and
getting the ear of the people.’ The devil has seldom done a cleverer thing
than hinting to the
All this is terribly sad, and
the more so because truly gracious souls are being led away by the specious
pretext that it is a form of Christian work.
They forget that a seemingly beautiful angel may be the devil himself, ‘for Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light’ (2 Corinthians 11: 14).
Not in Holy Scripture
My first contention is that
providing amusement for the people is nowhere spoken of in Holy Scripture as
one of the functions of the Church. What
her duties are will come under our notice later on. At present it is the negative side of the
question that we are dealing with. Now,
surely, if our Lord had intended His Church to be the caterer of entertainment,
and so counteract the god of this world, He would hardly have left so important
a branch of service unmentioned. If it
is Christian work, why did not Christ at least hint it? ‘Go ye
into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,’ is
clear enough. So would it have been if
He had added, ‘and provide amusement for those who do
not relish the gospel.’ No such
addendum, however, is to be found, nor even an equivalent for such, in any one
of our Lord’s utterances. This style of
work did not seem to occur to His mind.
Then again, Christ, as an ascended Lord, gives to His Church specially
qualified men for the carrying on of His work, but no mention of any gift for
this branch of service occurs in the list.
‘He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and
some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of
the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ’ (Ephesians 4:
11-12). Where do the ‘public entertainers’ come in? The
Holy Ghost is silent concerning them, and His silence is eloquence.
If ‘providing
recreation’ be a part of the Church’s work, surely we may look for some
promise to encourage her in the toilsome task.
Where is it? There is a promise
for ‘My Word:’ ‘it shall not return unto
Me void’ (Isaiah 55: 11). There
is the heart-rejoicing declaration concerning the gospel: ‘It is the power of God’ (Romans 1: 16). There is the sweet assurance for the preacher
of Christ that, whether he be successful
or no - as the world judges success - he is a ‘sweet savour unto
God’ (2 Corinthians 2: 15). There is the glorious benediction for those
whose testimony, so far from amusing the world, rouses its wrath: ‘Blessed are ye, when men shall
revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for My sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad: for great is your reward in heaven;
for so persecuted they the prophets which were before
you’ (Matthew 5: 11-12). Were the prophets persecuted because they
amused the people, or because they refused to?
The gospel of amusement has no
martyrology. In vain does one look for a promise from God for providing recreation
for a godless world. That which has
no authority from Christ, no provision made for it by the [Holy] Spirit, no promise attached to it by God, can only be a lying
hypocrite when it lays claim to be ‘a branch of the
work of the Lord.’
Antagonism to the Teaching of Christ
But again, providing amusement
for the people is in direct antagonism to the teaching and life of Christ and
all His apostles. What is to be the
attitude of the Church towards the world according to our Lord’s teaching? Strict separation and uncompromising hostility. While no hint ever passed His lips of winning
the world by pleasing it, or accommodating methods to its taste, His demand for
unworldliness was constant and emphatic. He sets forth in one short sentence
what He would have His disciples to be: ‘Ye are
the salt of the earth’ (Matthew 5:
13).
Yes, the salt: not the sugar-candy nor a ‘lump
of delight.’ Something the world will be more inclined to spit out than swallow with
a smile. Something more calculated to
bring water to the eye than laughter to the lip.
Short and sharp is the
utterance, ‘Let the dead bury their dead; but go thou and preach the
These passages are hard to
reconcile with the modem idea of the Church providing recreation for those who
have no taste for more serious things - in other words, of conciliating the
world. If they teach anything at all, it is that fidelity to Christ will bring
down the world’s wrath, and that Christ intended His disciples to share with
Him the world’s scorn and rejection.
How did Jesus act? What were the
methods of the only perfectly ‘faithful witness’ the Father
has ever had?
As none will question that He is
to be the worker’s model, let us gaze upon Him.
How significant the introductory account given by Mark, ‘Now, after
that John was put in prison, Jesus came into
Galilee, preaching
the gospel of the kingdom of God, and saying,
The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand: repent ye, and believe the
gospel’ (1: 14-15). And
again, in the same chapter, I find Him saying, in answer to the announcement of
His disciples that all men were seeking for Him, ‘Let
us go into the next towns, that I may preach
there also: for therefore came I forth’ (1:38).
Matthew tells us, ‘And it came to pass
when Jesus had made an end of commanding His twelve disciples, He departed thence to teach and preach in their cities’ (11: 1). In answer to John’s question, ‘Art Thou He that should come?’ He replies, ‘Go and
show John those things which ye do hear and see; the blind receive their sight, and the lame
walk; the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear; the dead
are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them’ (11: 5). There is no item in the catalogue after this
sort, ‘And the
careless are amused, and the
perishing are provided with innocent
recreation.’
We are not left in doubt as to
the matter of His preaching, for when many were gathered together, insomuch
that there was no room to receive them, no, not so much as about the door, He
preached the Word unto them (Mark 2: 2). There
was no change of method adopted by the Lord during His course of ministry; no
learning by experience of a better plan.
His first word of command to His evangelists was, ‘As ye go, preach’
(Matthew 10: 7). His last, ‘Preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark
16:15). Not an evangelist suggests that,
at any time during His ministry, He
turned aside from preaching to
entertain, and so attract the people.
He was in awful earnestness, and His ministry was like Himself. Had He
been less uncompromising, and introduced more of the ‘bright
and pleasant’ element into His mission, He would have been more popular.
Yet, when many of His disciples
went back, because of the searching nature of His preaching, I do not find
there was any attempt to increase a diminished congregation by resorting to
something more pleasant to the flesh. I do not hear Him saying, ‘We must keep up the gatherings anyway, so run after those
friends, Peter, and tell them we will have a different style of service
to-morrow - something very short and attractive, with little, if any,
preaching. Today was a service for God,
but tomorrow we will have a pleasant evening for the people. Tell them they will be sure to enjoy it,
and have a happy hour. Be quick,
Peter; we must get the people somehow; if not by gospel, then by nonsense.’ No, this was not how He argued. Gazing in sorrow on those who would not hear
the Word, He simply turns to the twelve, and asks, ‘Will
ye also go away?’ (John 6: 67).
Jesus pitied sinners, pleaded
with them, sighed over them, warned them, and wept over them; but never sought to amuse them. When the evening shadows of His consecrated
life were deepening into the night of death, He reviewed His holy ministry, and
found comfort and sweet solace in the thought, ‘I
have given them Thy Word’ (John 17: 14).
Antagonism to the Teaching of the Apostles
As with the Master, so with His apostles - their teaching is the echo of
His. In vain will the epistles be searched to discover any trace of a gospel
of amusement. The same call for
separation from the world rings in every one. ‘Be
not conformed to this world; but be ye
transformed,’ is the word of command in the Romans
(12: 2).
‘Come out from among them, and
be ye separate and touch no unclean thing,’ is the trumpet call in the Corinthians (2
- 6: 17). In other words it is COME OUT - KEEP OUT - KEEP CLEAN OUT - for ‘what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord bath Christ with Belial?’ (verses 14-15).
‘God
forbid that I should glory, save in the cross of
our Lord Jesus Christ, by (through) whom the world is crucified unto me, and I unto the
world.’ Here is the true
relationship between the Church and the world according to the Epistle to the Galatians (6: 14). ‘Be not
ye, therefore, partakers
with them ... Have no fellowship with the
unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove
them,’ is the attitude enjoined in Ephesians
(5: 7,
11). ‘Sons of
God, without rebuke, in the midst of a crooked and perverse nation, among whom ye shine as lights in the world: holding forth the Word
of life,’ is the word in Philippians
(2: 15). ‘Dead with Christ from the rudiments (elements) of the world,’ says
the Epistle to the Colossians (2: 20). ‘Abstain from all appearance (every form) of evil’ is the demand in Thessalonians (1
- 5: 22).
‘If a man therefore purge himself from these, he shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the
Master’s use,’ is the word to Timothy (2 - 2: 21). ‘Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His
reproach,’ is the heroic summons of the Hebrews
(13: 13).
James, with holy severity, declares that ‘The friendship of
the world is enmity with God; whosoever therefore will be a friend of the world is the
enemy of God’ (4: 4). Peter writes: ‘Not fashioning yourselves according to the former lusts in
your ignorance; but as He which hath called you
is holy, so
be ye holy in all manner of conversation (living)’ (1 - 1: 14-15). John
writes a whole epistle, the gist of which is, ‘Love
not the world, neither the things that are in
the world. If any man love the world, the
love of the Father is not in him.
For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the
lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is
of the world. And the world passeth away, and
the lust thereof, but he that doeth the will of
God abideth for ever’ (1 - 2: 15-17).
Here are the teachings of the
apostles concerning the relationship of the Church and the world. And yet, in the face of them, what do we see
and hear? A friendly compromise between
the two, and an insane effort to work in partnership for the good of the
people. God help us, and dispel the
strong delusion. How did the apostles
carry on their mission work? Was it in
harmony with their teaching? Let the Acts of the Apostles give the answer.
Anything approaching the worldly
fooling of today is conspicuous by its absence.
The early evangelists had boundless confidence in the power of the gospel, and
employed no other weapon. Pentecost
followed plain preaching. When Peter and John had been locked up for the night
for preaching the resurrection, the early Church had a prayer meeting directly
they returned, and the petition offered for the two was, ‘And now, Lord ... grant unto Thy servants, that
with all boldness they may speak Thy
Word’ (4: 29). They
had no thought of praying, ‘Grant unto Thy servants
more policy, that by a wise and
discriminating use of innocent recreation they may avoid the offence of the cross, and sweetly show this people how happy and merry a lot we are.’
The charge brought against the
apostles by the members of the Council was, ‘Ye have
filled
When Philip went to
The congregations in those days
did not expect anything but the Word of the Lord, for Cornelius says to Peter,
‘We are all here present before God, to hear all things that are commanded thee
of God’ (10: 33). The message given was,
‘Words whereby thou and all thy house shall be
saved’ (11: 4). Cause
and effect are closely linked in the statement, ‘Men
of ...
When Paul and Barnabas worked
together, the record is, ‘The Lord gave testimony unto the word
of His grace’ (14: 3). When
Paul, in a vision, hears a man of
When God told Paul that He had
much people in
Fails to Effect Desired End
Lastly, the mission of amusement
utterly fails to effect the desired end among the lost; but it works havoc
among young converts. Were it a success,
it would be none the less wrong. Success
belongs to God; faithfulness to His instructions to me. But it is not. Test it even by this, and it is a
contemptible failure: Let that be the method which is answered by fire, and the
verdict will be, ‘The preaching of the Word, that is the power.’
Let us see the converts who have
been first won by amusement. Let the
harlots and the drunkards to whom a dramatic entertainment has been God’s first
link in the chain of their conversion stand forth. Let the careless and the scoffers who have
cause to thank God that the Church has relaxed her spirit of separation and met
them half-way in their worldliness, speak and testify. Let the husbands, wives, and children, who
rejoice in a new and holy home through ‘Sunday Evening
Lectures on Social Questions’ tell out their joy. Let the weary, heavy-laden souls who have
found peace through a concert, no longer keep silence. Let the men and women who have found Christ
through the reversal of apostolic methods declare the same, and show the
greatness of Paul’s blunder when he said, ‘I
determined not to know anything among you, save
Jesus Christ, and Him crucified’ (1 Corinthians 2: 2). There is neither voice nor any to
answer. The failure is on a par with the
folly, and as huge as the sin. Out of
thousands with whom I have personally conversed, the mission of amusement has
claimed no convert.
Now let the appeal be made to
those who, repudiating every other method, have staked everything on THE BOOK AND THE HOLY GHOST. Let them be challenged to produce
results. There is no need. Blazing sacrifices on every hand attest the
answer by fire. Ten thousand times ten
thousand voices are ready to declare that the plain preaching of the Word was,
first and last, the cause of their salvation.
But how about the other side of
this matter - what are the baneful effects?
Are they also nil? I will here
solemnly, as before the Lord, give my personal testimony. Though I have never seen a sinner saved, I have seen any number of backsliders
manufactured by this new departure.
Over and over again have young Christians, and sometimes Christians who
are not young, come to me in tears, and asked what they were to do, as they had
lost all their peace and fallen into evil.
Over and over again has the confession been made, ‘I began to go wrong by attending worldly amusements that
Christians patronised.’ It is not
very long since that a young man, in an agony of soul, said to me, ‘I never thought of going to the theatre until my minister
put it into my head by preaching that there was no harm in it. I went, and it has led me from bad to worse
and now I am a miserable backslider; and he is responsible for it.’
When young converts begin to ‘damp off,’ forsake the gatherings for prayer, and
grow worldly, I almost always find that worldly Christianity is responsible for
the first downward step. The mission of
amusement is the devil’s half-way house to the world. It is because of what I have seen that I feel
deeply, and would fain write strongly. This thing is working rottenness in the
It will be no wonder if the Holy
Ghost, grieved and insulted, withdraws His presence; for ‘what concord hath Christ with Belial? and what agreement
hath the temple of the Living God with idols?’ (2
Corinthians 6: 15-16).
‘COME OUT!’ is the
call for today. Sanctify
yourselves. Put away the evil from among
you. Cast down the world’s altars and
cut down her groves. Spurn her offered
assistance. Decline her help, as your
Master did the testimony of devils, for He ‘suffered
them not to speak, because they knew Him’ (Luke 4: 41). Renounce all the policy of the [present evil]
age. Trample upon Saul’s armour. Grasp the Book of God. Trust the Spirit Who wrote its pages. Fight with this weapon only and always. Cease
to amuse, and seek to arouse. Shun
the clap of a delighted audience, and listen for the sobs of a convicted
one. Give up trying to please men who
have only the thickness of their ribs between their souls and hell; and warn,
and plead, and intreat, as those who feel the waters of eternity [and the judgments of a righteous God]
creeping upon them.
Let the Church again confront the world; testify against it; meet it only behind
the cross; and, like her Lord, she shall
overcome, and with Him share the [millennial ‘inheritance’ and] victory.
O SPIRIT OF THE LORD, BLESS
THIS WITNESS.
* * *
* * *
*
30
The Arising
of False Christs
and False Prophets
By Stephen
A Toms
(This is a summary of a message given on 28th
February, 2003 at one of the monthly meetings of the Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony. Cassette recordings can be
obtained from Mr Clarke - see back page for address).
The Lord Jesus Christ
said, ‘For false Christs and false prophets
shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders,
to seduce, if it were
possible, even the elect’ (Mark 13:
22).
The Greek word used for ‘false’ in
this passage is ‘pseudo.’ The definition given of this word in my
dictionary is ‘Greek prefix signifying false,
counterfeit, or spurious.’ So the
Saviour was speaking of a time when there would be people with these
characteristics.
It is worthy of note that there is
great emphasis in this chapter on the Lord’s exhortation [to His disciples] to take
heed. These words occur in verse 5 - ‘Take heed lest any man
deceive you;’ also
in verse 9 - ‘Take heed to yourselves;’ verse 23 - ‘Take ye heed: behold, I have foretold you;’ and verse 33 - ‘Take ye heed, watch and pray.’ And
there is similar emphasis in the corresponding chapters in Matthew and Luke. In an issue of Watching and Waiting in 1942,
a contributor had set these three chapters - Matthew
24, Mark 13, and Luke 17 - side by side, and it is very interesting
to read what the three evangelists have recorded by inspiration of the Holy
Spirit. Prophetic detail [which is now being
rejected in most Christian gatherings] is not
given to us that we might merely have increased knowledge. It should have a practical effect upon our
lives. It is obvious that the Lord Jesus
would not have used this expression ‘take heed’
repeatedly unless it was necessary for
His people to be very careful. Yet
how careless the people of God often seem to be.
The Continuity of Deceit
It would be true to say that
there have been false teachers throughout the centuries that are past. And there are false teachers today. The Bible makes this very clear.
In Deuteronomy
13, God, through Moses, gave very strong warnings to His people to look
diligently for false prophets, and made it clear that such pseudo men should
not be received even if they are close relatives. Mr Hillis Fleming
spoke helpfully some years ago at one of our meetings on this chapter (Deuteronomy 13) and his message was subsequently
printed in Watching and Waiting, October 1990. Bound volumes of the magazine
(1987-1991), which include this article, are still available.
In 1
Kings 22 we have the story of Jehoshaphat linking himself with
Ahab. This was an unholy and foolish
alliance. In this chapter, the ungodly
Ahab had about 400 false prophets to give their message, but Jehoshaphat asked
if there was a prophet of Jehovah. It is
not unusual for pseudo men to outnumber true witnesses. These false prophets went to great lengths to
impress their message upon the two kings.
One of them made horns of iron and alleged that with these, Ahab would
push his enemies. The other false
prophets agreed with this utterance.
When God’s true prophet spoke, the man who had made the horns of iron
smote him on the cheek. False teachers
can be very cruel.
When we think of false prophets,
our minds probably go automatically to the experience of Jeremiah. In chapter 14
of his prophecy he related the things which the pseudo men were saying, which
was completely contrary to the truth.
But Jehovah told him, ‘The prophets
prophesy lies in My name: I sent them not,
neither have I commanded them, neither spake unto them: they
prophesy unto you a false vision and divination,
and a thing of nought, and the deceit of their
heart.’
The same prophet recorded in chapter 23 a similar situation. The whole section is found in verses 28-39, and
in this passage, Jehovah speaks of these pseudo men stealing His words from the
people. That is precisely what they do.
In the New Testament, we read of
Jesus speaking to those whose fathers spoke well of false prophets (Luke 6: 26). Thus the Saviour confirmed that throughout
the Old Testament times these pseudo men existed. You may think of many other incidents where
such are mentioned - like the old prophet in Bethel who, in the Name of
Jehovah, lied to a true servant of God (1 Kings 13).
But the false teachers continued
after Old Testament days. In Acts 13 we have the mention of Elymas, who is
described as ‘a false prophet,’ withstanding Paul and
Barnabas.
John instructs us in 1 John 4: 1 not
to believe every spirit ‘because many false prophets are gone out into the
world.’
Paul tells us in 2 Corinthians 11: 13-15 that there ‘are
false apostles, deceitful workers.’ They are like Satan who ‘is transformed into an angel of light.’ That is something we need to realise - that these pseudo men are usually so very nice
and acceptable. In fact, they could frequently be described as hyper
charming.
In Galatians
2: 4, we are reminded that these
false brethren are often brought in unawares, and that they come to bring us
into bondage. Is it any wonder that the
Lord Jesus pressed His disciples to take heed?
Peter has a similar testimony to
that of Paul, and John, and Jude. He
informs us that ‘there were false prophets also among
the people, even as there shall be false
teachers among you, who privily shall bring in
damnable heresies’ (2 Peter 2: 1).
All these Scriptures remind us
that it is no new thing to have such false teachers. It was so in Old Testament times. It was so in New Testament times. And we know that it has continued since. The system of
The Concentration of Deceit
However, our text (Mark 13: 22)
does not refer to that which has happened in the past or what is happening today. Although pseudo men have always existed,
there will be a time when there will be a concentration of this
deceitfulness. The Lord was answering
questions put to him by the disciples. Matthew, in chapter
24, sets out the three questions more specifically than Mark. The last two questions were in relation to
the sign of Christ’s coming and the end of the age (the word there is aion as
distinct from kosmos). So the Saviour warned His people of those
things which will be predominant just before His coming again. He said, ‘Take heed
that no man deceive you. For many shall come in My Name, saying, I am Christ;
and shall deceive many ... And many false prophets
shall rise, and shall deceive many ... For there shall arise false Christs, and false prophets, and shall
shew great signs and wonders: insomuch that,
if it were possible, they
shall deceive the very elect’ (Matthew 24:
4-5, 11, 24). These are very plain and solemn words and it
is surely amazing that so few of God’s professing people seem to take any
notice of them.
The identical verses in Mark 13 are, ‘Take
heed lest any man deceive you: for many shall
come in My Name, saying, I am Christ: and shall deceive
many ... For false Christs and false prophets
shall rise, and shall shew signs and wonders,
to seduce, if it were
possible, even the elect. But take ye heed:
behold, I have foretold
you all things’ (verses 5-6, 22-23). Yet
those who do seek to take heed are frequently dismissed by being mocked as ‘premillennials,’ and even ‘heretics’! I
would prefer to be despised as a premillennial than to be one who did not
regard the solemn words of my dear Redeemer.
The apostle Paul endorsed the
words of the Lord by writing in 1 Timothy 4:
1-2, ‘The Spirit speaketh expressly (so
the Holy Spirit emphasises the point made by the Lord Jesus), that in the
latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving
heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of
devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy.’
When the Bible tells us that
these pseudo men will show great signs and wonders, it reminds us that this
action will not be a mere display of conjuring tricks. Signs and wonders will certainly be
performed, and that will, of course, be by the power of the devil.
We have a picture of this in the
way Jannes and Jambres were permitted to do wonders. When Aaron cast down his rod before Pharaoh
and it became a serpent, they did so with their rods, which became serpents.
When Aaron stretched forth his rod and the waters became blood, the Egyptian
magicians did the same. When Aaron
stretched out his hand causing frogs to come up out of the waters, Jannes and
Jambres copied him.
We might ask why God should
allow the devil and his false teachers to have such power. It seems to me that the answer to this is
given in 2 Thessalonians 2: 9-12. The verses refer to the final antichrist,
that Wicked who shall be revealed, but the principle is clearly stated. We read of Satan working ‘with all power and signs and lying wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that
perish; because they received not the love of
the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause
God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a lie: that they all might be damned
who believed not the truth.’
It is evident therefore, that God permits this in judgment because men
deliberately refuse to believe His [prophetic] words as given plainly in Holy Scripture.
Let us note that the delusion
will be strong. If it were possible, the
elect would be deceived. Thank God, His
true [and obedient
(Acts 5: 32)] people cannot
be deceived, but the Saviour’s words solemnly indicate the depth and extent
of the deception. How we [who are
regenerate believers] need to
take special heed, and ever pray that God
will keep us, particularly if we survive till this period immediately
before the end of the [present evil]
age. How foolish to listen to the false
prophets rather than take heed to the warnings given by our Lord Jesus Christ
in this Olivet prophecy.
It is interesting to read
remarks in Zechariah concerning the end of
this age, when the people of
The Consummation of Deceit
We have thought of the false
prophets which will exist at the end of this age, immediately prior to the
coming again of the Lord Jesus. But they
will all be succeeded by one whom the Scriptures refer to as ‘The False Prophet.’ It has often been
said that what Goebbels was to Hitler, the false prophet
will be to the antichrist during the last few years of this age.
We read specific things about
this false prophet in the Book of the Revelation. John says, ‘I
beheld another beast (the first beast is the antichrist) coming up out of the
earth; and he had two horns like a lamb,
and he spake as a dragon. And he exerciseth all
the power of the first beast before him, and
causeth the earth and them which dwell therein to worship the first beast,
whose deadly wound was healed. And he doeth great wonders,
so that he maketh fire come down from heaven on the
earth in the sight of men, and deceiveth them
that dwell on the earth by the means of those miracles which he had power to do
in the sight of the beast; saying to them that
dwell on the earth, that they should make an
image of the beast, which had the wound by a
sword, and did live. And he had power to
give life unto the image of the beast, that the
image of the beast should both speak, and cause
that as many as would not worship the image of the beast should be killed. And he causeth all,
both small and great, rich
and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their foreheads: and that no man might buy or sell,
save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or
the number of his name’ (13: 11-17).
‘The
sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river
‘The
beast (the antichrist) was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received
the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped
his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with
brimstone’ (19: 20).
‘The
devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever’ (20: 10).
Could any words be plainer? Yet we have teachers and preachers today who
are telling congregations that it is spiritual not to take these words of God
at their face value. The humble people
of God, who do seek to believe the inspired Scriptures, are often maligned as ‘pre-millennialists’ or ‘futurists’!
The Conquering of Deceit
God’s holy Word tells us quite
emphatically how we may overcome the pseudo teaching of men, and particularly
in the last days of this age. Isaiah 8: 20
says, ‘To the law and to the testimony:
if they speak
not according to this word, it is because
there is no light in them.’
God’s way, as revealed to us, is to search the Scriptures, like the
Bereans did (Acts 17: 11).
However nice a man may appear to be; however clever he may seem, even if
he is a great friend or a relative, his words must be examined in the light of
God’s inspired and infallible Word. Signs and wonders are no proof of being a
true servant of God. Carefully prepared messages are no proof
that they come from heaven. The only way we may know if a teaching is
right is to compare it with the Scriptures of Truth.
The apostle Paul instructed
Timothy to ‘hold fast the form of sound words’ (2 Timothy 1: 13).
There is no real reason why anyone who takes literally the words of God
should be deceived. In so far as
false Christs are concerned, we are definitely told in Matthew
24: 27 that the coming of the Son of
man will be like the lightning shining from east to west. It will be very evident when the Lord
returns. He will not have to say ‘I am Christ.’
Earlier verses in the chapter
warn us, ‘If any man shall say unto you,
Lo, here is Christ,
or there; believe it not
... if they shall say unto you, Behold, He is in the desert;
go not forth: behold,
He is in the secret chambers; believe it not.’
There are those who believe and teach a secret coming, but the Lord here
emphasises that there will be nothing secret about His return.
‘Behold,
He cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see Him’ (Revelation 1:
7)
In the Sermon on the Mount,
Jesus said, ‘Beware of false prophets, which come to you in
sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening
wolves’ (Matthew 7: 15).
The Psalmist found the
answer. He said, ‘Through Thy precepts I get understanding: therefore I hate every false way’ (Psalm 119: 104).
* *
* * *
* *
31
The Servant’s Path
In a Day
of Rejection
By Howard Bechert
Servant
of Christ, stand fast amid the scorn
Of men
who little know or love the Lord.
Turn not
aside from toil; cease not to warn,
Comfort
and teach. Trust Him for thy reward.
A few
more moments’ sufferings, and then
Cometh
sweet rest from all thy heart’s deep pain.
For
grace pray much, for much thou needest grace.
If men
thy work deride - what can they more?
Christ’s
weary foot thy part on earth doth trace.
And if
thorns wound thee, they pierced Him before;
Press
on, look up, though clouds may gather round.
Thy
place of service He makes hallowed ground.
Have friends
forsaken thee, and cast thy name
Out as a
worthless thing? Take courage then.
Go, tell
the Master: for they did the same
To Him,
Who once in patience toiled for them.
Yet He
was perfect in all service here.
Thou oft
hast failed: this maketh Him more dear.
Self-vindication
shun; if in the right,
What gainest thou by taking from God’s hand
Thy
Cause? If wrong, what dost thou invite
Satan
himself thy friend in need to stand?
Leave
all with God. If right, He’ll prove thee
so;
If not,
He’ll pardon; therefore to Him go.
Be not
men’s servant. Think what costly price
Was paid
that thou may’st His own bondsman be,
Whose
service perfect freedom is. Let this
Hold
fast thy heart. His claim is great to
thee.
None
should thy soul enthral, to whom ’is given
To serve
on earth, with liberty of heaven.
All His
are thine to serve. Christ’s brethren
here
Are
needing aid; in them thou servest Him.
The
least of all is still His member dear.
The
weakest cost His life blood to redeem.
Yield to
no ‘party’ what He rightly claims,
Who on
His heart bears all his people’s names.
Be wise,
be watchful. Wily men surround
Thy
path. Be careful, for they seek with
care
To trip
thee up. Se that no plea is found
In thee
thy Master to reproach. The snare
They set
for thee will then themselves enclose,
And God
His righteous judgment thus disclose.
Cleave
to the poor. Christ’s image in them is.
Count it
great honour, if they love thee well;
Naught
can repay thee after losing this.
Though
with the wise and wealthy thou shouldst dwell,
Thy
Master oftentimes would pass the door
To hold
communion with His much-loved poor.
‘The time is short.’
Seek little here below.
Earth’s
goods would cumber thee, and drag thee down.
Let
daily food suffice; care not to know
Thought
for tomorrow: it may never come;
Thou need’st not perish, for thy Lord is nigh,
And His
own care will all thy need supply.
* *
* * *
* *
32
The Last Wars and
the Wise.
(Daniel 11)
By James
Payne
[Volume 24, No 2.
April/June 1992]
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The organisation known as
the ‘United Nations’* might more accurately be
described as the disunited nations, having regard to the large measure of
disagreement on so many matters. So when
the final united nations organisation is in being some fissures and divisions
will be found among them as predicted by Daniel. In his prophecy concerning the Little Horn
which comes up among the ten on the head of the fourth beast, that horn is said
to cause three of the other horns to be ‘plucked up by
the roots.’ The displacement and
subsequent replacement of two of the kings referred to are dealt with in some
detail in this chapter. The third need
not concern us just now. The two spoken
of here are clearly
[* ‘The United Nations,’ as we
know it today, is anti-Semitic! They
consistently do all in their power, seeking to deprive Israel of their
God-given right to the ‘Land’ promised to Abraham
and his descendants through Isaac and Jacob: (Gen.
15: 7; 22: 16-18. cf. Acts
7: 5, R.V.).]
The parallel between the
prophecy of this chapter and the vision of the eighth
chapter is very apparent, but the vision of chapter
8 had been understood by Daniel only in part. Gabriel is commissioned to cause Daniel to
understand it, but at the close of the chapter Daniel says ‘I was astonished (troubled) at
the vision but none understood it.’
It is clear, therefore, that Daniel’s understanding of the vision was
not at that time complete. But Daniel
was intent on understanding, and so we are told in chapter
10 that years afterwards he set his heart to understand and for this
purpose he fasted and prayed for three weeks, and Gabriel is sent again to give
him understanding. He says, ‘O Daniel, ... understand the
words that I speak unto thee.’
He is now to be made to understand in plain words and not merely by the
portrayal of events in a vision. Again
the angel says, ‘I am come to make thee understand what shall befall thy people in the latter days.’ This is
the subject of the prophecy, and we should expect, therefore, to find the bulk
of it is taken up with the
events in the
Chapter 8 shows
us that the little horn grows out of one of the four horns there described, and
these are explained as the four kingdoms into which the Grecian Empire was
divided upon the death of Alexander the Great.
And the interpreting angel states that it is ‘in the latter time of their kingdom, when the transgressors are come to the full, a king of fierce countenance, and
understanding dark sentences shall stand up.’ Thus we have a gap in the chronology of that chapter which takes us from the
successors of Alexander on to the manifestation of the Man of Sin. In the parallel of chapter
11, therefore, we should expect to find the gap occurring at
approximately the same place in the order of events. It seems to me, therefore, that the gap exists
in that chapter between verses 4 and 5, and carries us from the successors of Alexander
on to the last days and then shows us in somewhat greater detail the rise of
the Man of Sin - the king of fierce countenance, here described as a ‘Vile person.’
We will now proceed to consider
briefly a few of the details set out in that passage.
The Kings of the South and North.
The Aggressive King of
- now exalted in his victories,
turns ‘his face unto the isles’ (verse 18).
This probably means that he will seek to annex certain islands in the
Mr B W Newton has depicted
He also ‘casts down the Prince of the Covenant’ (verse 22).
This probably refers to the leader of the international parliament
established at
At this juncture we have
introduced in this chapter
The Wise or ‘Understanding Ones.’
These ‘know their God’ (verse
32). They are therefore possessors of eternal life. They fear God, for ‘the fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom.’ They have understanding of the times, for
they are in a position to ‘instruct many.’ In short, they are the [‘left’ (1 Thess. 4: 16, R.V.)]* followers of Christ in
[* NOTE: Some will be ‘left’ to endure Antichrist’s
persecutions ‘which will come to pass’; while
others will ‘prevail to escape all these things that
shall come to pass and to stand before the Son of man’. ‘Because thou didst
keep the word of my patience, I also will keep
thee from the hour of trial, that hour which is come upon the whole world,
to try them that dwell upon the earth,” (Rev. 3: 10, R.V.) Some
escape,
and others are ‘left’ behind to endure. Therefore, the first removal of living, watchful
saints is selective; and the event will happen before the Antichrist’s
persecutions commence.]
The Antichrist places the Abomination in the Holy Place
From this point onward we read
nothing more in this chapter concerning the understanding ones. With the placing of the abomination of
desolation they have either fled, or perished for their faith’s sake. In the remainder of the chapter the man of
sin, the King of Babylon, is presented to us as reigning supreme and
unhindered. He magnifies himself above
all gods. He is spoken of in 2 Thessalonians 2 as one who ‘opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so
that he as God sitteth in the
Toward the close of his reign, however,
he again receives opposition from both
(This
message was given at an S.G.A.T Conference in April, 1949.)
* *
* * *
* *
33
The World Before Christ’s Return
By Howard
Davies (
(This sermon was preached in Melbourne on
10th November, 1991)
We look at 2 Thessalonians 2: 1-7, but before we consider this passage, I want you
to think about the sort of description you would give to this world in which we
live today.
Certainly, one reaction would be
to say that we live in a very wonderful and exciting world, for there are many
things about this age which are undoubtedly marvellous. It is an age when the world is open to us
through travel and instant communication.
It is a world of incredible technology that both fascinates us and makes
life easier for us in so many ways.
However, there is another side
to this world in which we live. I think
all of us would readily admit that there are aspects about our world which
cause us great sorrow, great uncertainty and even great fear. We contemplate the present state of the world
- the tragedies, the terrible violence, the inhumanity that confronts us every
day in our newspapers. We see the
nations in turmoil and we often sense that things are running out of control in
so many areas. So we are forced to a
mixture of views about this world. On
the one hand we see how wonderful is God’s world and we recognize the benefits
of technology and science. Yet our view
is marred by the sorrow we feel for the terrible moral state of the world, and
for the general godlessness and spiritual confusion that exists everywhere.
But I want us to assess the
state and direction of the world today solely from a Christian viewpoint. Of course, the true Christian view is based
on the knowledge that we are pilgrims and strangers passing through this world
and that our citizenship is primarily in heaven. We must always look at this present world in
that way. So, how is the Christian to assess the present state and direction of
our world? That is the question I want
us to carefully consider.
This letter was written by the
Apostle Paul to the Christians in Thessalonica, a small town in
These Christians were also
suffering persecution - ‘So that we ourselves (says Paul) glory in you in the churches of God for
your patience and faith in all your persecutions and tribulations that ye
endure’ (1: 4). It is obvious
that they were hard-pressed. Then in
addition to this, they had become alarmed and confused by the suggestion that
Christ had already returned. So in chapter 2 we see how Paul dealt with this concern
that they had.
We read ‘Now we beseech you, brethren,
by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto Him, that ye be not soon shaken in mind, or be troubled, neither by
spirit, nor by word, nor by letter as
from us, as that the day of Christ is at hand’ (2: 1-2).
Here is the focus of this particular letter. It is to assure them that the return of
Christ had not yet come. What is
particularly important is that this answer given to them by Paul is also of
great help to us today in understanding what must yet occur before Christ
returns as He has promised.
However, before we look at this
passage, I believe it is important for us to reflect on the general state and
direction of the world today. Let me
remind you of some of the things that have happened over the last year or
two. By any reckoning, we have seen some
quite incredible world changes in recent days.
First, we learned with some
surprise and horror, of the turmoil in
Then I remind you that early
this year, we saw with great concern, the progress of the war in the
While we may quite rightly wish
to rejoice over nations co-operating with one another in peaceful ways, the
very introduction of this terminology ‘new world order’
from the super-powers surely ought to alert Christians to sit up and take
notice. We may begin to wonder whether
this is a further step leading to the joining together of all nations under one
government.
Then I remind you of a second
thing that has been making a significant impact upon the world over the last
few decades. This is something more
subtle, yet something that is affecting the hearts and minds of men and women
far more than we may realize. That is
the rise, not of a ‘new world order,’ but
rather the emergence of what is called ‘The New Age
Movement.’
This New Age Movement may seem undramatic and even low-key, yet it is a real war of ideas
for the minds of men, women and young people.
It is a war that many are not even aware is being waged.
New Age teaching is really a
form of monism - that ‘all is One - all is God.’ It teaches that we are all part of God and
that we simply need to allow our minds to discover this and to be open to
it. Sometimes it appears in subtle ways
- through concern for the environment, with groups like the Green Peace
Movement being greatly affected by this New Age teaching. It has gained ground through modern man’s
fascination by UFOs (Unidentified Flying Objects). From this came a whole spate of films, such
as the Star Wars series, ET (Extra Terrestrial), and many others on this
theme. Through this fascination with the
unseen world of mystery, the New Age Movement has been steadily claiming the
minds of many in the world today, even though the average person has little
idea that his thinking is being affected by these things.
It is really a mixture of
ancient eastern religions, for the New Age Movement teaches reincarnation -
saying that each one of us has lived many lives before, and that we are even
now continuing through this same process.
And of course, they say that we must discover the true spiritual nature,
which is, that we are God. To them, it
does not matter whether you seek this through the occult, through contact with
spirits or through contact with what they call ‘spirit
guides’ or ‘channellers’
or through astrology, or even through drugs.
Some familiar names of people
who have promoted New Age teaching over recent decades include Margaret Mead,
the late anthropologist; Alvin Toffler, who writes about the future trends in
the world; Jonas Salk, the biologist who invented the salk
vaccine; and Elizabeth Kubler-Ross, known through her
writings on ‘Death and Dying’. Currently, a
well-known New-Ager is the actress, Shirley MacLaine. Indeed,
the powerful influence of
Included in the New Age teaching
is the strange belief that crystals are very powerful. We see this in a film like Superman. When Superman loses his strength, he goes to
the north pole to be renewed through crystals. Then a film such as ‘The Dark Crystal’ (which may seem innocuous enough)
is typical of some of the insidious teachings which stem from people who are
disciples in the New Age Movement.
However, the New Age Movement is
not ‘new’ at all. In Acts 8
we read of a sorcerer called Simon, who was described as ‘The Great Power.’
And Simon had an accomplice called Helene who was described as ‘the incarnation of thought and the divine mind.’ It is almost exactly the same sort of thing
that the New Age Movement is claiming today, and it is really the old
Gnosticism revived.
The tragedy is that these ideas
are infiltrating people’s minds through films, through books (such as ‘Jonathan Livingstone Seagull,’ which has sold over 25
million copies. It is written by a man
who claims to have received it through a channeller - dictated from a spirit
source). Then there are children’s TV. programmes
(such as the Ninja Turtles), which also have these New Age messages within
them. So there are these various ways in
which our minds are being re-educated to accept certain things. We may not realize this. We may feel somewhat wary about talk of a ‘new world order’ and wonder what it may be leading
to. But let us not overlook the
far-reaching and dangerous teachings of the New Age Movement which are creeping
into men’s minds in these subtle ways.
Then there is a third thing in
considering the current world picture.
That is, an increasing trend within the Christian church towards
complete tolerance in matters of doctrine and belief. There are some who strongly believe that the
Church ought to be one, that we should have Church unity. Some are saying, ‘We must get rid of this sin
of schism - of division in the Church.
All the churches should be one. ‘We must all love one another and be tolerant of what others
may believe.’ This is the great
cry, regardless of truth and regardless of the doctrines believed in different
groups of the church. All is being swept
aside in this move towards church unity.
But it goes even further than
that. There is a move towards combining
all world religions. A Hindu scholar
currently teaching in a Lutheran college in
So there is this growing apathy
and ignorance in Christendom towards the truth.
Men are willingly ignorant of the Scriptures and want to reject the
doctrine taught in them. There is this
trend that calls on us to always be tolerant towards these things and not to
hold to the truth that salvation is by Jesus Christ alone. So-called
love and tolerance have become more important than truth. The result of this is the terrible confusion
we see in the world and in the Church.
Men turn from God and dismiss the Word of God, not knowing what they are
to believe. And with the foundations destroyed
there is this ever-increasing lawlessness, immorality and violence, so that the
world is living in great fear. It is all
the outcome of men turning away from the truth of God.
Here are some of the factors
which are contributing to the present world condition and which point to the
direction being taken by the world in this late twentieth century. As we summarize these things and reflect on
them, surely this is saying to us as Christians that we must be sober-minded;
we must be alert and recognize this process which is steadily going on in the
world. What is the general diet of T.V.
programmes with which people are constantly being fed? I have reached the stage where I am refusing
to turn it on. The rare occasions I do
see the TV. these days, I seem inevitably to be confronted by pornography or
violence, whatever channel is on. And we
are undoubtedly being ‘softened up’ for
something far bigger. I believe we are
living in the closing stages of what is really a great ‘softening up’ process. We
are being ‘conditioned’ and prepared to accept
the great lie which is described here (2: 11). What
is this great event for which the whole world is being prepared? It is the coming of Satan himself - in a
visible form, powerful and with great deception. And he is described as ‘the man of lawlessness’ (verse 3) who will be revealed to the world.
Those Christians living nearly
2000 years ago had this fear that Christ had already come. And if you wonder when Christ is going to
come (and surely every Christian should look for His promised return), these
verses in 2 Thessalonians clearly teach us
that something tremendously significant and obvious must precede Christ’s
return. This is the point to note here.
Paul says ‘Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day (the return of Christ) shall not come, except there come a falling away
first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who
opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God, or that is worshipped; so that
he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing
himself that he is God’ (2: 3, 4). Note that Satan will be visible. He will come as the Lord Jesus came - in
human form. Satan will come as a man,
and he will be seen by the world. But
even as Jesus came into the world and was largely unrecognized, so Satan will
come, and the world will be deceived by his flatteries and lies and will not
recognize him for who he really is - the man of lawlessness. Scripture tells us that the only persons not
to be deceived by him will be God’s elect (Matthew
24: 24). But he will come. He will exalt himself. He will set himself up in the temple
proclaiming that he is God.
This temple is yet to be
built. At the present time the Dome of the
Rock is [believed by many to be] on the site in
[* New
scriptural evidence has been uncovered, which proves that this area is not
the cite where Herod’s temple was built.]
But then look at verse 5. There
is a mystery about this. For Paul says ‘Remember ye not, that, when I was yet with you, I
told you these things? And now ye know what witholdeth that he might be revealed in
his time. For the mystery of iniquity doth
already work; only he who now letteth will let,
until he be taken out of the way’ (2: 5-7).
So here is something
mysterious. Here is Satan being
restrained. Something or someone is
holding him back. What can this mean?
There is a clue in verse 3 - ‘Let no man deceive you by any means: for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away.’ The word in the Greek is ‘apostasy.’ We
recently had a Bishop from
While this ‘rebellion’ or ‘apostasy’
has direct application to the terrible falling away of true faith in God in the
last days, and while there is sufficient evidence to suggest we have already
entered that period which leads to this ultimate deception (the acceptance by
the world of this man of lawlessness) there is also another aspect to this
rebellion that we should consider.
In Revelation
12 we find something most interesting. When we talk about war, we tend
to think of it as something that only happens on earth. But here in the Word of God we have this
statement that there is going to be a war in heaven. ‘And
there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels
fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought
and his angels, and prevailed not; neither was their place found any more in heaven. And the great dragon
was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan,
which deceiveth the whole world; he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud
voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength,
and the kingdom
of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the
accuser of our brethren is cast down, which
accused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the Blood of the
Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death. Therefore rejoice,
ye heavens, and ye that
dwell in them.
Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because
he knoweth that he hath but a short time’ (Revelation 12: 7-12).
Do you understand that
passage? Do you see what it is
saying? It is speaking about this great
mystery - that spiritual warfare is something that is going on, even in heaven. We know there is conflict on the earth, but
here is a statement referring to a war in heaven. It is ‘spiritual
wickedness in high (heavenly) places’ (Ephesians 6: 12),
although the outcome of this conflict in heaven has already been
determined. In a judicial, legal sense Satan
was defeated when Christ was raised from the dead and ascended into
heaven. From that time, Satan’s doom was
written. One aspect of his punishment is
that he must be cast out of heaven and hurled to the earth where he is filled
with great fury, for he knows that his time is short.
However, while the judgment and
the sentence have been pronounced upon Satan, it seems that the actual
execution of that casting out of heaven has been delayed. In the intervening time since Christ’s
ascension, Satan has been restrained, despite the fact that his evil influence
is still very much apparent through original sin and the evil which is present
in the world today. God, by his
restraining grace, has kept evil within certain limits by instituting earthly
rulers and governments, for ‘the powers that be
are ordained of God’ (Romans 12:
1).
But over and above this, Satan himself has been ‘restrained,’ quite possibly by the archangel Michael, who is the
presiding angel of the Jewish nation, and who ultimately is described as the
victorious opponent of Satan in this war in heaven (Revelation
12: 7).
So we try to visualise this
picture. That even now, Satan is in this
limited and restricted state. He is
being restrained. We do not know exactly
when his final expulsion from heaven occurs or exactly when he comes down in
the form of a man to deceive mankind.
Yet one of the significant things suggested by this final hurling down
to the earth of Satan is that he comes just when the nation of Israel is on the
very eve of its restoration, and when its spiritual eyes are about to be opened
to the truth about Jesus Christ, the One Whom they have rejected through these
past 2000 years.
But this we do know, Satan will
come before Christ returns. And in that first
period of three and a half years, he will deceive
men so that the whole world will wonder after him. He will bring peace for a time. But then at the end of three and a half years
he will think to change things. He will
set himself up in the rebuilt temple in
We must ask what lessons we
should learn from this passage from 2 Thessalonians. Surely the most vital lesson is that we must
recognize what is now happening in the world.
In other words, that we realize that we are now in this softening up
period. That all the godlessness and
immorality that confronts us on every hand; that the spiritual confusion
arising through the New Age Movement; that these calls for tolerance and unity
in religion; that all these things are affecting the minds of those in this
world. They are all preliminary to
something far more terrible and evil to come.
We note it says that they
(speaking of the people in the final days) ‘perish,
because they received not the love of the truth,
that they might be saved. And for this cause
God shall send them strong delusion, that they
should believe a (the) lie’ (2: 10-11). Do you see the softening up process? People are now beginning to say ‘It does not matter what we believe, as long as we are people
of goodwill, as long as we are sincere in trying to believe in God. Surely it does not really matter whether we
are Christians, or Bhuddists, or Muslims, for we are
all going in the same direction.’
This is believed by many today.
Then, having reconciled all these other religions, they add ‘Surely it does not really matter that the Mormons may claim
to have another revelation of truth since Jesus Christ through their prophet
Joseph Smith.’ Or ‘Surely the Jehovah’s Witnesses are sincere and believe much
that we do.' And, ‘Surely it does not really matter that the Roman Catholic
church tells us that we can also go to God through Mary, and that Jesus is not
the only Mediator between God and man.
None of these things really matter.
What matters is that we are tolerant and accept one another in love.’
This is what many people are
saying. And what is happening is that
there is a softening up process going on, so that ultimately it will lead to
nations and religions coming to this state of mutual agreement and tolerance -
One World Order. At that point - Satan
will finally be cast out of heaven and will come down to earth and deceive the
world with great miracles and signs and wonders. Surely even the way many people in the Church
seem so eager to be impressed by signs and wonders is but another side to this
softening up period, so that many (even in the Church) are being made receptive
to these things and are putting themselves in great danger of being equally
impressed and deceived by Satan’s signs and wonders when he comes to the earth.
So as we consider these things, let
us recognize that we are in this situation where the world is being prepared
for the Great Lie. Satan will come, and be received. The question to face is this. Are you a child of God? Have you been born
again and given a new nature from God?
Have you repented of sin? Are you
really believing the Word of God? Or, do
you think this is all rather far-fetched, and that it is a good thing that we should be tolerant of every other belief?
Do not think you have plenty of
time because the fulfilment of these things may seem to be (at the very least)
seven years away. It is absolutely vital
that you believe the truth NOW; that
you repent NOW; that you cry out to
God to forgive you NOW. For this Scripture in 2 Thessalonians teaches that if we refuse the truth of God, He
will ultimately send a great delusion, so that those who have refused the truth
will be the first to swallow this great lie which comes from the man of
lawlessness. Then it will be too late.
May God help us each to be wise
in recognizing the truth of His Word,
and to see that these things are
happening in the world. Let those
who love Him not despair, for Jesus has said, ‘When
these things begin to come to pass, ... lift up
your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh’ (Luke 21: 28). The Lord Jesus Christ is coming again. He will put down this man of sin. He will bring in His glorious kingdom. May God help us to ponder these things and to
be found living unto His glory alone.
-------
[PART 5]
CONTENTS
34 WHY SHOULD WE LOVE THE JEWISH PEOPLE?
35 THE ANTICHRIST A PARTICULAR PERSON
36 A TESTIMONY FROM
37 WHITHER A-MILLENNIALISM?
38 THE PURPOSE OF PROPHECY
39
-------
34
Why We Should Love the Jewish People
By Ivan
Foster
(This is the substance of talks given at the
[Volume 28, No 20
October/December 2016]
-------
‘Now the LORD had said unto Abram, Get thee
out of thy country, and from thy kindred,
and from thy father’s house, unto a land that I will shew thee: and I will make of thee a great nation, and I will bless thee, and
make thy name great; and thou shalt be a
blessing: and I will bless them that bless thee,
and curse him that curseth
thee: and in thee shall all families of the
earth be blessed’ (Genesis 12: 1-3).
It is
clear from the first words spoken to Abraham, from whom sprang the Jewish
people, that he and his descendants would be those about whom there would a
division of opinions. There would be
those that would ‘bless’ them
and there would be those who would ‘curse’
them! Those that ‘bless’ them would be blessed of God and those that
‘cursed’ them would be cursed of
God. They were, in heaven’s eyes, a very
special people.
On this day in 1945, there took
place the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau Nazi concentration camp. With that event the world was given irrefutable
evidence of the cruel and satanic attack upon the Jewish people by Nazi
Germany. It has been set as a day to
remember that dreadful wickedness.
Today I want to tell you why we
should and must love the Jewish people.
1. Our Blessed Saviour, the Lord Jesus
Christ, was a Jew
We are given the Saviour’s
ancestry repeatedly in the Holy Scriptures.
‘The
book of the generation of Jesus Christ, the son
of David, the son of Abraham’ (Matthew 1: 1).
‘Concerning
His Son Jesus Christ our Lord, which was made of
the seed of David according to the flesh’ (Romans 1: 3).
‘Who are
Israelites; to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the
covenants, and the giving of the law, and the service of God, and
the promises; whose are the fathers, and of whom as concerning the flesh Christ came, Who is over all, God blessed
for ever. Amen’ (Romans 9: 4-5).
The Lord Jesus was the Son of
God but He took into union with His divine nature, spotless human nature, being
born of the Virgin Mary. By race He was
a Jew! How can we not love that people
of whom our blessed Redeemer sprang?
2. The Jews Gave Us the Holy Scriptures
The Bible you hold in your hands
today is a Jewish book. The writers, inspired
by God, were almost all Jews. Since we do not know who wrote the book of Job,
we make that the only exception.
What a blessing has come to the
world from these blessed scriptures!
‘What
advantage then hath the Jew? or what profit is
there of circumcision? Much every way: chiefly,
because that unto them were committed the oracles of
God’ (Romans 3: 1-2).
‘For
what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the LORD our
God is in all things that we call upon Him for? And what nation is
there so great, that hath statutes and judgments
so righteous as all this law, which I set before
you this day?’ (Deuteronomy 4: 7-8).
3. They
Became God’s Missionaries to Us
in
‘And He
said unto them, Go ye into all the world,
and preach the gospel to every creature’ (Mark 16: 15). The eleven men thus commissioned with the
task of telling the world the glorious message of salvation were all Jews. How we rejoice in their obedience and in
their sacrifice, for each one with the exception of John died as a martyr for
the cause of Christ.
‘And
they passing by Mysia came down to
Here is the entrance of the
gospel into
‘After
these things were ended, Paul purposed in the
spirit, when he had passed through Macedonia and
Achaia, to go to Jerusalem, saying, After I have been
there, I must also see Rome’ (Acts 19: 21).
The gospel is moving further
west and nearer to us here in
‘Whensoever
I take my journey into Spain, I will come to you:
for I trust to see you in my journey, and to be brought on my way thitherward by you, if first I be somewhat filled with your company’ (Romans 15: 24).
The westward movement continues
and the light was soon to dawn in the
4. We
Should Love the Jews Because of
the
Terrible Suffering They Must Yet Face
While marking the sufferings
under Nazism, we sadly note what the Saviour tells us regarding the future of
the Jewish people. The Lord Jesus tells
us that the Jewish people will go through great tribulation under the
Antichrist. It must be said that by
rejecting their Messiah and by uttering those dreadful words, recorded in Matthew 27: 24-25: ‘When Pilate saw that he could prevail nothing, but that rather a tumult was made, he took water, and washed his
hands before the multitude, saying, I am innocent of the blood of this just person: see ye to it. Then answered all the people, and
said, His blood be on us, and on our children,’ the Jewish nation
brought upon their heads the terrible wrath of God.
Of this the Saviour had
warned. ‘Wherefore, behold, I send unto you
prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them
ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them
shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and
persecute them from city to city: that upon you
may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias
son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the
temple and the altar. Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest
the prophets, and stonest them which are sent
unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy
children together, even as a hen gathereth her
chickens under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is
He that cometh in the name of the Lord’ (Matthew 23: 34-39).
The Saviour warns of future
suffering, greater than any yet endured, which will come upon the Jewish people
in the days of the Antichrist. ‘When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso
readeth, let him understand:) then let them which be in Judaea flee into the mountains: let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any
thing out of his house: neither let him which is
in the field return back to take his clothes. And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! But pray ye that your
flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath
day: for then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor
ever shall be.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened’ (Matthew 24: 15-22).
5. God Will Yet Bless the World Through the
Jew
They who were the means under
God of bringing the gospel to the world 2000 years ago, will yet be used of God
in an even greater way in the future. God is
not yet finished with the Jews!
Listen to these words of Paul. ‘I say then, Hath God cast away
His people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of
the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast
away His people which He foreknew’ (Romans
11: 1-2).
‘I say
then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the
Gentiles, for to provoke them to jealousy. Now if the fall of
them be the riches of the world, and the
diminishing of them the riches of the Gentiles; how
much more their fullness?’ (Romans
11: 11-12).
‘For if
the casting away of them he the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?’ (Romans 11: 15).
‘For I
would not,
brethren, that
ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is
happened to Israel, until the fullness of the Gentiles be come in. And so all
There is a future, a great and
glorious future for the Jew!
‘And
Jesus said unto them, Verily I say unto you,
That ye which have followed Me, in the regeneration when
the Son of man shall sit in the throne of His glory, ye also shall sit
upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of
‘That ye may eat and drink at My table in My
kingdom, and sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of
6. A Promise of Blessing is Given to Those
that Love
‘Pray
for the peace of
Peace will one day come to
‘How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that
bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God reigneth!’ (Isaiah
52: 7).
‘Rejoice
ye with Jerusalem, and be glad with her, all ye that love her: rejoice
for joy with her, all ye that mourn for her:
That ye may suck, and be
satisfied with the breasts of her consolations; that
ye may milk out, and be delighted with the
abundance of her glory. For thus saith the LORD,
Behold,
I will extend
peace to her like a river, and the glory of the Gentiles like a flowing stream:
then shall ye suck, ye
shall be borne upon her sides, and be dandled
upon her knees. As one whom his mother
comforteth, so will I comfort you; and ye shall be
comforted in
It will be a day of peace for
the world.
‘And he
shall judge among the nations, and shall rebuke
many people: and they shall beat their swords
into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up sword
against nation, neither shall they learn war any
more’ (Isaiah 2: 4).
‘He [
‘They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all My holy mountain: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as
the waters cover the sea’ (Isaiah
11: 9).
This, very briefly, is a setting
forth of the glorious future God has planned for the Jewish people and through
them for the world.
Ought we not therefore to love
them and pray for them now that God
would hasten the day of their redemption and that of the world?
‘Blessed
be the LORD God, the God of Israel, Who only
doeth wondrous things. and blessed be His
glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with His glory; Amen, and Amen’ (Psalm 72: 18-19).
In Genesis
13: 10, it talks about the same area
around the
But the Bible says that before
God destroyed ‘
* *
* * *
* *
35
The Antichrist
-
A Particular Person
By David
Park
(This message was given on Friday, February
23rd, 2001, at one of the monthly meetings of the Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony in
[Volume 25, No. 19
July/September 2001]
-------
In thinking about this
subject of the antichrist - a particular person, as distinct from many
antichrists, my mind was drawn to 1 John 2: 18, where the apostle says, ‘Little children, it is the
last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist
shall come, even now are there many antichrists,
whereby we know that it is the last time.’ No doubt, there were many antichrists in
John’s day, as there have been many antichrists since, and, of course, the
world is abounding with antichrists today.
In each successive age of the last days, there has been a
multiplicity of those who have stood in opposition to Bible Truth. The
word ‘Anti’ means ‘against.’ Any person,
any system, any doctrine, any belief, anything which is against
Christ might well be described as ‘antichrist.’
Sabellianism of the third
century, a form of Unitarianism, propagated the view that God is not only one
single essence but that God is one single person. That is antichrist. It is a belief that is adopted to this very
day by those who would propagate the ‘oneness’ theory.
Arianism of the fourth century, named
after Arius who espoused erroneous teachings about
the godhead, maintaining that God the Father alone was eternal, and Jesus
Christ His Son was the first creature He created, is antichrist. Arius took away
from the eternal Sonship and the essential deity of Jesus Christ. His teachings were rejected by the Council of
Nicea in A.D. 325.
The Papacy, emerging in the
fourth and fifth centuries, with all its blasphemous doctrines and practices,
is antichrist. Many of our forefathers
saw the system of
But there is a difference
between the numerous antichrists which were in John’s day, together with those antichrists
which are still abundant in this present age, and ‘the antichrist’ mentioned in 1 John 2: 18. John tells us, ‘Ye have heard that antichrist shall
come.’ The rendering of the
Greek is important. There are three
significant facts that emerge from this verse of Scripture.
Firstly, the Greek includes the
definite article, which we do not see in our English translation. The actual reading of this text is, ‘According as ye have heard that THE antichrist is coming,’ as opposed to an antichrist or the multiplicity of
antichrists.
Secondly, John uses both a
singular noun and a plural noun in this text.
He uses the word ‘antichrist’ pointing to one single
individual, and he uses the noun ‘antichrists,’
in the plural, indicating more than one.
There are ‘many antichrists’ which have abounded since the days of the apostles and shall
continue to abound, but there is one final manifestation of THE antichrist.
Thirdly, in this text, John
highlights the period or the time during which both emerge. He is contrasting the present with the
future. ‘The antichrist,’ according to the apostle, was still to come. ‘The
antichrist is coming,’ he says.
But the ‘many antichrists’ were present in John’s
time. ‘Even
now,’ he says, in the present time, ‘many
antichrists have risen.’ The
church was beset by those who were against Christ during the era in which John
lived and wrote his epistle.
This first letter which he
wrote, it is reckoned, was written in A.D. 90, some sixty years after the
ascension of Jesus Christ to glory.
Antichrists, a multiplicity of them, were manifest then, and clearly,
from the sense and application of John’s words, would continue to rise in each
successive generation. There will always
be ‘many antichrists.’ There will always be ‘the spirit of antichrist’
abroad. There will always be those who
stand in opposition to the Saviour, men who will be against the Son of
God. So antichrist, in our text, is
clearly identified as being THE
antichrist, someone that is apart from all the others. He is a singular individual and someone future, to arise in a later day
than that of John. Having established
this, let us see elsewhere in Scripture that the antichrist is indeed a particular person and not the many antichrists
which have abounded in every age.
The Titles that are Attributed to Him
First of all, the
titles that are attributed to him point to a particular person. Various names and titles are given to the
antichrist which distinctly highlight his personality. We have seen this term ‘antichrist,’ identifying a singular
individual. The word is used only five
times in the Bible, once in the plural and four times in the singular, and
always by John, and in his epistles.
The first two references are in
our text, where he says that ‘antichrist shall
come, even now are there many antichrists.’ The third reference is in verse 22, ‘Who is
a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist
that denieth the Father and the Son.’
Certainly when antichrist comes, he will deny both the Father and the
Son. And then in 4: 3, ‘Every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist (every
time that John uses the word ‘antichrist,’ the
definite article is used in the Greek), whereof ye have heard that it should come: and even now already is it in the world.’ And then the final reference to the
antichrist is that of 2 John 7, ‘For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver
and an antichrist.’
This word ‘antichrist’ can mean either, as we have
suggested already, ‘against Christ,’ or it can mean ‘instead of Christ,’ or, combining both of them together, it will suggest to us that
the antichrist is one who, assuming the guise of Christ, opposes Christ. Antichrist, when he comes will certainly
fulfil both aspects. He will be against Christ and he will come instead of Christ.
There are other names and titles
that are given to the antichrist in the Word of God. In Revelation 13
we have the name, ‘beast,’ as in verse 1, ‘I stood
upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.’ Revelation 13
mentions two beasts. The opening ten
verses speak of the first beast rising out of the sea, the great sea, the
In the graphic picture set
before the apostle John in this portion of God’s Word, the antichrist is seen
to be an individual person by the use of the possessive pronouns. It talks about his horns, his feet, his mouth, his heads, his deadly wound. In addition to this we should also note how
often the pronoun ‘him’ is
recorded, again indicating a singular person.
The question is asked in verse 4, ‘Who is able to make war with him?’ And we read in verse
2, ‘the dragon gave him his power,
and his seat, and great
authority.’ And in verse 5, ‘there
was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.’ In verse 7,
‘It was given unto him to make war with the saints ... and
power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.’ And also in verse
8, ‘All that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the
book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ We could also take in the pronoun ‘he.’ Verse 6,
‘And he opened his mouth.’ If you count these pronouns which are
mentioned in these opening eight verses, you will find something like fourteen
of them, all given in the singular, pointing to an individual person.
The language of this chapter is,
no doubt, figurative, even a child could see that is so. Consider the seven heads, the ten crowns, the
leopard-like appearance, the bear-like feet, and the mouth like a lion. But the question is, what does the picture
represent? What is the Word of God speaking
about? Some say it depicts a system, or
an empire. Others believe that it is an
individual man. Which is the case?
The Bible tells us at the end of
the chapter (verse 18), ‘Here is wisdom.
Let him that hath understanding count the number
of the beast: for it is the number of a MAN; and
his number is six hundred threescore and six.’ Here is the explanation of the figure that is
given. The beast is a MAN who is identified by the number six
hundred and sixty-six. Six in Scripture
is associated with sinful man. Therefore
a triple six must surely mark out sinful man at his peak. Such is the antichrist.
This beast is not
Those who interpret the beast as
being
There is no doubt that popery is
antichrist, but it is not the antichrist. I believe that, as the Westminster Confession
of Faith puts it, the pope ‘is that antichrist
... that exalteth himself in the church against Christ.’
That is, the pope is the principle antichrist in the church or in Christendom,
but he is not the sole antichrist in the world.
I put it to you that the beast is one particular individual, not a
system, not a succession of individuals.
There are other titles that you
might consider. They all highlight the
fact that the antichrist is personal and individual. Three of these names are given by the apostle
Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2. In verse 3,
he is called ‘the man of sin’ (and you will notice again that he is called a man, not a
system nor a succession of various men).
‘Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed.’ The second name given
in this verse is ‘the son of perdition,’ which, again, is individual and personal. And then in verse 8, he is referred to as being ‘that wicked
be revealed.’ That wicked one is a name again describing a particular person.
In Daniel
11, we have him called ‘the king.’ Verse 36
says, ‘the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvellous things against the God of gods, and
shall prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for that that is determined shall be done.’ Again, all the words in the English there are
referring to an individual, singular person.
So the names point to a particular person.
The Testimony that is Ascribed to Him
Not only the titles but the
testimony that is ascribed to him points to a particular person. What is said about him suggests that he is an
individual. We come back to Revelation 13 and discover in verse 3 that the world will wonder after him. This verse tells us about ‘one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.’ All the world is to wonder after the
antichrist. This has never happened with
regard to any person or any system or belief that may have been classified as
the antichrist by others. The whole
world has never yet so wondered after any religion or succession of religious
leaders.
You will see from verse 4 that the world will not only wonder after
him but the world will worship
him. ‘They worshipped the dragon (that
is, the devil) which gave power unto the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make
war with him.’ Again in verse 8, ‘All
that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world.’ All those whose names
are not written in this Book will worship the antichrist. No religion, no system, no succession of
persons, no individual, as yet, could lay claim to this.
Some religions and antichrist
systems receive considerable following throughout the world - Romanism,
Mohammedanism, Hinduism, Humanisms, etc., but though they are unquestionably
antichrist in belief and practice, yet they are not THE antichrist for none
of them have been worshipped by the entire world of unregenerate men. Take, for example, the Roman Catholic
church. She has made inroads into every continent,
exercised influence in most governments of the world, received a tremendous
following throughout the earth. There is
no doubt that the Romish system is antichrist and that every pope has been
antichrist, but not the
antichrist. Neither the system nor the
leader has been wondered after and worshipped by the whole world.
The Torment that Awaits Him
Then, the torment that awaits
him points to a particular person. At
the coming of the blessed Son of God, this individual, the antichrist, will be ‘destroyed with the brightness of Christ’s coming’ (2 Thessalonians 2: 8). His being so destroyed at the appearing of
Jesus Christ in His glorious return again emphasises the fact that the
antichrist is a particular person, not many antichrists, not a succession of
antichrists, not a system of antichrists, but a future personal antichrist who
is alive at the coming of the Saviour and will be destroyed when He comes. He will then be taken and cast into the
depths of eternal hell [i.e., ‘the lake of fire.’]
In Revelation
19: 20,
we have these fearful words, ‘The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received
the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped
his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.’ One cannot speak of a system or an empire
being cast alive into hell. This can
only be asserted concerning a man, and that man is the antichrist. Antichrist, the beast, is as much an
individual as the false prophet and the devil.
In Revelation
20: 10, we are told that ‘the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire
and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever.’
Again, a system or an empire cannot be tormented in hell, but a man can,
and this man, the antichrist, will endure such eternal judgment. So, the torment that awaits him points to a
particular person. I am putting it to
you that the antichrist that is revealed in the Bible is, indeed, a particular person.
As I come to close this message,
I want to ask the question, ‘Are you safe-guarded
against him if he should arise soon? Are
you cleansed, and covered, and protected by the Blood of the Saviour? Are you found in Christ and ‘saved by grace?’
For only those who are found in such a state will be kept and preserved in the
evil day of antichrist. Make sure that
you have a saving, living, vital relationship with the Son of God, that you can
say in the depths of your heart, ‘It is well with my
soul’; I know Christ as my Redeemer; and I know should the evil day
overtake me in my generation that it will be well for I will be sheltered and I
will be shielded, and will be kept by the power of God.
* * *
* * *
*
36
The Antichrist
-
A Particular Person
By David
Park
(This message was given on Friday, February
23rd, 2001, at one of the monthly meetings of the Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony in
[Volume 25, No. 19
July/September 2001]
-------
In thinking about this subject
of the antichrist - a particular person, as distinct from many antichrists, my
mind was drawn to 1 John 2: 18, where the apostle says, ‘Little children, it is the
last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist
shall come, even now are there many antichrists,
whereby we know that it is the last time.’ No doubt, there were many antichrists in
John’s day, as there have been many antichrists since, and, of course, the
world is abounding with antichrists today.
In each successive age of the last days, there has been a
multiplicity of those who have stood in opposition to Bible Truth. The
word ‘Anti’ means ‘against.’ Any person,
any system, any doctrine, any belief, anything which is against
Christ might well be described as ‘antichrist.’
Sabellianism of the
third century, a form of Unitarianism, propagated the view that God is not only
one single essence but that God is one single person. That is antichrist. It is a belief that is adopted to this very
day by those who would propagate the ‘oneness’ theory.
Arianism of the fourth century, named
after Arius who espoused erroneous teachings about
the godhead, maintaining that God the Father alone was eternal, and Jesus
Christ His Son was the first creature He created, is antichrist. Arius took away
from the eternal Sonship and the essential deity of Jesus Christ. His teachings were rejected by the Council of
Nicea in A.D. 325.
The Papacy, emerging in the
fourth and fifth centuries, with all its blasphemous doctrines and practices, is
antichrist. Many of our forefathers saw
the system of
But there is a difference
between the numerous antichrists which were in John’s day, together with those
antichrists which are still abundant in this present age, and ‘the antichrist’ mentioned in 1 John 2: 18. John tells us, ‘Ye have heard that antichrist shall
come.’ The rendering of the
Greek is important. There are three
significant facts that emerge from this verse of Scripture.
Firstly, the Greek includes the
definite article, which we do not see in our English translation. The actual reading of this text is, ‘According as ye have heard that THE antichrist is coming,’ as opposed to an antichrist or the multiplicity of
antichrists.
Secondly, John uses both a
singular noun and a plural noun in this text.
He uses the word ‘antichrist’ pointing to one single
individual, and he uses the noun ‘antichrists,’
in the plural, indicating more than one.
There are ‘many antichrists’ which have abounded since the days of the apostles and shall
continue to abound, but there is one final manifestation of THE antichrist.
Thirdly, in this text, John
highlights the period or the time during which both emerge. He is contrasting the present with the
future. ‘The antichrist,’ according to the apostle, was still to come. ‘The
antichrist is coming,’ he says.
But the ‘many antichrists’ were present in John’s
time. ‘Even
now,’ he says, in the present time, ‘many
antichrists have risen.’ The church
was beset by those who were against Christ during the era in which John lived
and wrote his epistle.
This first letter which he
wrote, it is reckoned, was written in A.D. 90, some sixty years after the
ascension of Jesus Christ to glory. Antichrists,
a multiplicity of them, were manifest then, and clearly, from the sense and
application of John’s words, would continue to rise in each successive
generation. There will always be ‘many antichrists.’
There will always be ‘the spirit of antichrist’
abroad. There will always be those who
stand in opposition to the Saviour, men who will be against the Son of
God. So antichrist, in our text, is
clearly identified as being THE
antichrist, someone that is apart from all the others. He is a singular individual and someone future, to arise in a later day
than that of John. Having established
this, let us see elsewhere in Scripture that the antichrist is indeed a particular person and not the many antichrists
which have abounded in every age.
The Titles that are Attributed to Him
First of all, the
titles that are attributed to him point to a particular person. Various names and titles are given to the
antichrist which distinctly highlight his personality. We have seen this term ‘antichrist,’ identifying a singular
individual. The word is used only five
times in the Bible, once in the plural and four times in the singular, and
always by John, and in his epistles.
The first two references are in
our text, where he says that ‘antichrist shall come,
even now are there many antichrists.’ The third reference is in verse 22, ‘Who is
a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is the antichrist
that denieth the Father and the Son.’
Certainly when antichrist comes, he will deny both the Father and the
Son. And then in 4: 3, ‘Every spirit that confesseth
not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is the spirit of the antichrist (every
time that John uses the word ‘antichrist,’ the
definite article is used in the Greek), whereof ye have heard that it should come: and even now already is it in the world.’ And then the final reference to the
antichrist is that of 2 John 7, ‘For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver
and an antichrist.’
This word ‘antichrist’ can mean either, as we have
suggested already, ‘against Christ,’ or it can mean ‘instead of Christ,’ or, combining both of them together, it will suggest to us that
the antichrist is one who, assuming the guise of Christ, opposes Christ. Antichrist, when he comes will certainly
fulfil both aspects. He will be against Christ and he will come instead of Christ.
There are other names and titles
that are given to the antichrist in the Word of God. In Revelation 13
we have the name, ‘beast,’ as in verse 1, ‘I stood
upon the sand of the sea, and saw a beast rise up out of the sea, having seven heads and ten horns, and upon his horns ten crowns, and upon his heads the name of blasphemy.’ Revelation 13
mentions two beasts. The opening ten
verses speak of the first beast rising out of the sea, the great sea, the
In the graphic picture set
before the apostle John in this portion of God’s Word, the antichrist is seen
to be an individual person by the use of the possessive pronouns. It talks about his horns, his feet, his mouth, his heads, his deadly wound. In addition to this we should also note how
often the pronoun ‘him’ is
recorded, again indicating a singular person.
The question is asked in verse 4, ‘Who is able to make war with him?’ And we read in verse
2, ‘the dragon gave him his power,
and his seat, and great
authority.’ And in verse 5, ‘there
was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies; and power was given unto him to continue forty and two months.’ In verse 7,
‘It was given unto him to make war with the saints ... and
power was given him over all kindreds, and tongues, and nations.’ And also in verse
8, ‘All that dwell upon the earth shall
worship him, whose names are not written in the
book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world.’ We could also take in the pronoun ‘he.’ Verse 6,
‘And he opened his mouth.’ If you count these pronouns which are
mentioned in these opening eight verses, you will find something like fourteen
of them, all given in the singular, pointing to an individual person.
The language of this chapter is,
no doubt, figurative, even a child could see that is so. Consider the seven heads, the ten crowns, the
leopard-like appearance, the bear-like feet, and the mouth like a lion. But the question is, what does the picture
represent? What is the Word of God
speaking about? Some say it depicts a
system, or an empire. Others believe
that it is an individual man. Which is
the case?
The Bible tells us at the end of
the chapter (verse 18), ‘Here is wisdom.
Let him that hath understanding count the number
of the beast: for it is the number of a MAN; and
his number is six hundred threescore and six.’ Here is the explanation of the figure that is
given. The beast is a MAN who is identified by the number six
hundred and sixty-six. Six in Scripture is
associated with sinful man. Therefore a
triple six must surely mark out sinful man at his peak. Such is the antichrist.
This beast is not
Those who interpret the beast as
being
There is no doubt that popery is
antichrist, but it is not the antichrist. I believe that, as the Westminster Confession
of Faith puts it, the pope ‘is that antichrist
... that exalteth himself in the church against Christ.’
That is, the pope is the principle antichrist in the church or in Christendom,
but he is not the sole antichrist in the world.
I put it to you that the beast is one particular individual, not a
system, not a succession of individuals.
There are other titles that you
might consider. They all highlight the
fact that the antichrist is personal and individual. Three of these names are given by the apostle
Paul in 2 Thessalonians 2. In verse 3,
he is called ‘the man of sin’ (and you will notice again that he is called a man, not a
system nor a succession of various men).
‘Let no man deceive you by any means:
for that day shall not come, except there come a falling away first, and that man of sin be
revealed.’ The second name given
in this verse is ‘the son of perdition,’ which, again, is individual and personal. And then in verse 8, he is referred to as being ‘that wicked
be revealed.’ That wicked one is a name again describing a particular person.
In Daniel
11, we have him called ‘the king.’ Verse 36
says, ‘the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and
magnify himself above every god, and shall speak
marvellous things against the God of gods, and shall
prosper till the indignation be accomplished: for
that that is determined shall be done.’
Again, all the words in the English there are referring to an
individual, singular person. So the
names point to a particular person.
The Testimony that is Ascribed to Him
Not only the titles but the
testimony that is ascribed to him points to a particular person. What is said about him suggests that he is an
individual. We come back to Revelation 13 and discover in verse 3 that the world will wonder after him. This verse tells us about ‘one of his heads as it were wounded to death; and his deadly wound was healed: and all the world wondered after the beast.’ All the world is to wonder after the
antichrist. This has never happened with
regard to any person or any system or belief that may have been classified as
the antichrist by others. The whole
world has never yet so wondered after any religion or succession of religious
leaders.
You will see from verse 4 that the world will not only wonder after
him but the world will worship
him. ‘They worshipped the dragon (that
is, the devil) which gave power unto the beast: and
they worshipped the beast, saying, Who is like unto the beast? Who is able to make
war with him.’ Again in verse 8, ‘All
that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose
names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation
of the world.’ All those whose names
are not written in this Book will worship the antichrist. No religion, no system, no succession of
persons, no individual, as yet, could lay claim to this.
Some religions and antichrist
systems receive considerable following throughout the world - Romanism,
Mohammedanism, Hinduism, Humanisms, etc., but though they are unquestionably antichrist
in belief and practice, yet they are not THE antichrist for none
of them have been worshipped by the entire world of unregenerate men. Take, for example, the Roman Catholic
church. She has made inroads into every
continent, exercised influence in most governments of the world, received a
tremendous following throughout the earth.
There is no doubt that the Romish system is antichrist and that every
pope has been antichrist, but not the
antichrist. Neither the system nor the
leader has been wondered after and worshipped by the whole world.
The Torment that Awaits Him
Then, the torment that awaits
him points to a particular person. At
the coming of the blessed Son of God, this individual, the antichrist, will be ‘destroyed with the brightness of Christ’s coming’ (2 Thessalonians 2: 8). His being so destroyed at the appearing of
Jesus Christ in His glorious return again emphasises the fact that the
antichrist is a particular person, not many antichrists, not a succession of
antichrists, not a system of antichrists, but a future personal antichrist who
is alive at the coming of the Saviour and will be destroyed when He comes. He will then be taken and cast into the
depths of eternal hell [i.e., ‘the lake of fire.’]
In Revelation
19: 20,
we have these fearful words, ‘The beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before
him, with which he deceived them that had received
the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped
his image.
These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone.’ One cannot speak of a system or an empire
being cast alive into hell. This can
only be asserted concerning a man, and that man is the antichrist. Antichrist, the beast, is as much an
individual as the false prophet and the devil.
In Revelation
20: 10, we are told that ‘the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire
and brimstone, where the beast and the false
prophet are, and shall be tormented day and
night for ever and ever.’
Again, a system or an empire cannot be tormented in hell, but a man can,
and this man, the antichrist, will endure such eternal judgment. So, the torment that awaits him points to a
particular person. I am putting it to
you that the antichrist that is revealed in the Bible is, indeed, a particular person.
As I come to close this message,
I want to ask the question, ‘Are you safe-guarded
against him if he should arise soon? Are
you cleansed, and covered, and protected by the Blood of the Saviour? Are you found in Christ and ‘saved by grace?’
For only those who are found in such a state will be kept and preserved in the
evil day of antichrist. Make sure that
you have a saving, living, vital relationship with the Son of God, that you can
say in the depths of your heart, ‘It is well with my
soul’; I know Christ as my Redeemer; and I know should the evil day
overtake me in my generation that it will be well for I will be sheltered and I
will be shielded, and will be kept by the power of God.
* * *
* * *
*
37
A Testimony From
“A few
years ago the Lord blessed me with one of the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony publications. What a pleasant surprise! I have since been reading Mr B. W.
I was raised in a
conservative Mennonite home, with Bible readings, etc. I am thankful for my God-fearing parents in
spite of their church being very Arminian with a ‘works’ religion. About 17 years ago, God in His wonderful
mercy taught me His sovereign grace. My
wife and I had to leave our parents’ church, and we have been somewhat
ostracised ever since. God’s amazing
grace has kept us day by day!
We joined a
In my youth, I had
become interested in the Middle East, the Jewish nation in particular, and
their suffering during the holocaust in
The dilemma was this
- most sovereign grace believers were either a-millennial, post-millennial, or
Preterist, and I certainly could not go back to Arminianism. Now I have found that the historical, and
more importantly, Biblical, early church’s views and beliefs have been
salvation by God’s sovereign grace alone, and in prophetic Scriptures, the
post-tribulation, pre-millennial advent of the Lord Jesus Christ. What a comfort and strengthening of my faith
to find writers of yesteryear and today (S.G.A.T.) promoting this blessed
doctrine. Maybe, there will be a small
revival among the remnant to cleave to this precious truth. My prayer is that God will grant it.” -
ENOS GINGERICH.*
[* For
many years, after finding salvation in Christ Jesus, I also felt the same
way; but then I was allowed to see and understand
(in some
measure) God’s Conditional Promises and Accountability Truths! - Ed.]
* *
* * *
* *
38
Whither A-millennialism?
By Ian Shaw
(This message was given at a Sovereign Grace
Advent Testimony meeting in
It was recorded and C.D’s
and cassettes are available).
Our subject is the theological
system of a-millennialism, and I purpose to define this system of
interpretation, and to show its errors and weaknesses. My approach is not an academic one, but I
trust it will be a practical one. As a
Christian, and with over 25 years in pastoral work and preaching, I have come
across people with the view that we are discussing. I have read their theological works and their
commentaries. I have spoken with them,
and listened to their preaching.
My desire is to understand the
teaching of the early church. It is not
what 19th Century Presbyterians believed, or even what 16th
Century Reformers or 17th Century Puritans understood, but what the
early church, as revealed in the Book of Acts,
learned from the Prophets.
Introduction
I have no desire to set up a straw
man and knock it over; that would not be profitable. More importantly, it would not be glorifying
to the Lord. I try to be honest and
faithful with this subject, in my reading and studying, and in my conversations
with a-millennialists. I seek to understand
their viewpoint, and I have done this seriously because my background is not
a-millennial, but post-millennial. Thus,
I am delving into a position from which I have not come, nor experienced.
In my research I have read
theological works and commentaries of some of the leading a-millennialists of
this century and the last century; but most
particularly the 19th century, as it was then that this idea really
developed as a system. It seems to
me the idea of a-millennialism began with Augustine of Hippo in the 4th
century, and it has been held by people throughout the centuries; but, as I see
it, it became a theological system with
the Princeton Theological Professors in the
I give an example. I have attended a church without a pastor,
which therefore had itinerant preachers.
There were a-millennialists who came, and the same passage would be
preached on with completely different understandings being manifested. Although there may have been a general
consensus of opinion, there was a lot of variety.
I wish to confine our thoughts
to the Book of the Acts, as it records the
time when truth was passed on to others by the apostles. This was when the church at
Further, in my studies, I have
realised that the Book of the Acts is the
battleground between the ‘pre,’ ‘post’ and ‘a’
millennial positions. I think if we have
a good understanding of the Acts of the Apostles (in its prophetic sections -
where it quotes from the Old Testament), then we shall better understand the
other parts of the New Testament. It has
clarified my own thinking on how the Old Testament was treated by Christians
living in New Testament days. It is the
fruit of that study that I want to bring to you.
A Definition of the Word ‘Whither’
Our subject is ‘Whither a-millennialism?’ The word ‘whither’ has three definitions, depending on the
tense used. These are, ‘to what place,’ ‘to what point,’ or, ‘how far.’ I have taken the last, for that is what we
cannot trust - how far this system takes people. It has many weaknesses as well
as dangers. There
are dangers for the soul, dangers for our blessing, and, more importantly,
dangers because it robs God of His Glory. I find that it is human-centred rather than
God-centred. It is pessimistic rather
than optimistic. I believe our
pre-millennial view is an extremely optimistic one in the sense that we look
forward to the Christ of God coming into our midst, ruling and reigning upon
the earth, and having a thousand years of glory, showing what the earth will be
like when ruled by the Creator of all things.
An A-millennial Statement
Professor Louis Berkhof stated
in his book, ‘Systematic Theology,’ in a
section on Millennial Views, ‘the idea of the
millennium ... is not an integral part of Reformed theology.’ However, after that, he conceded that ‘Reformed theology cannot afford to ignore the wide-spread
millenarian views.’ The
a-millennialists of today have ignored Dr Berkhof because they have ignored
pre-millennialism. Sadly, I have found,
in my own experience, that a-millennialists neither know nor understand our position, and fear its implications.
A Definition of ‘A-millennialism’
Here is a definition of
a-millennialism by Dr Berkhof. He said,
‘There are large numbers, however, who do not believe
that the Bible warrants the expectation of a millennium, and it has become
customary of late to speak of them A-millennialists. The a-millennial view is, as the name
indicates, purely negative.’
(With that second phrase we would concur). ‘It
holds that there is no sufficient Scriptural ground for the expectation of a
millennium, and is firmly convinced that the Bible favours the idea that the
present dispensation of the kingdom of God will be followed immediately by the
kingdom of God in its consummate and eternal forms.’ I must say that the present is not the kind
of millennium I find attractive.
Dr. Berkhof is not alone in his
theories. I refer later to Mr J. A. Alexander, because he wrote a commentary on Acts. He
was a Presbyterian of the 19th
Century, and a man greatly respected by the peers of his time and by
those who survived him. His books are
still being published.
The a-millennial theory is based
on a spiritual interpretation of the prophetic writers concerning the future,
and the outlook of the spiritual fulfilment rather than the literal
fulfilment. When a-millennialists go to
the Scriptures, Old and New Testaments, they only look for spiritual interpretations,
and do not take what is printed on the page as literal.
You might well wonder about
those poor Christians who do not have a theological education or do not hold
theological degrees, who are not steeped in Hebrew and Greek, and who have not
spent their lives in academia. You may
well wonder about all those glorious Christians with a simple faith from the
first century until now, who just went to the Word of God and found their
theology there, by reading and believing what it said. I say reverently, we are not commanded to
merely read the Bible and understand it, but the Lord intends us to believe His
Word and accept by faith those things we do not understand.
Acts 1: 6-11
Dr Berkhof said, ‘It is remarkable that the New Testament, which is the
fulfilment of the Old, contains no indication whatsoever of the
re-establishment of the Old Testament theocracy by Jesus, nor a single
undisputed positive prediction of its restoration.’ I would answer his comment by going to this
passage of the Word of God. In verse 6, we see a corporate coming together of the
disciples immediately prior to our Lord leaving the earthly scene in His
ascension. They brought a corporate
question to the Lord Jesus Christ, asking, ‘Lord,
wilt Thou at this
time restore again the kingdom to
What would we say if we knew
someone was going to glory? What would
be our last conversation? This is what
was happening here, and there was this burning question. It was not just a random question. It was not just an impulse of Peter’s. This was the burning question, and it was a corporate
question. It was not
only one person asking but the whole group as they gathered together, and
within the question there was a burning priority.
The burning priority was about
the timing - ‘Is it now?’ Our a-millennial
friends seem to miss this point; they think of the event, not about time. Our Lord graciously answered the disciples by
saying that it was not for them ‘to know the times and the seasons.’ Then, the Lord said that the Father had put
such times into ‘His Own power.’ Here we see human ignorance, and the latter
part of the verse tells us of divine knowledge.
The Father knows the time. These
disciples had no problem with the event.
They believed that the kingdom was to be restored [or established on earth]. The timing was the important question, which
is entirely in keeping with what we read in the Gospels. It is not for us to know that time either, so
there is nothing new here. We are kept
in ignorance about the time and it is good that it is so.
The disciples’ question was in
parts. It relates to the ‘restoring again,’ ‘the kingdom
to
The Lord Jesus Christ was laying
the foundation of His second advent and
the restoration of His kingdom at the beginning of this new era and this
was an opportunity to clarify false hopes and misunderstood teaching. This would have been the occasion because He
was about to ascend into heaven and it was the last time that they would view
Him, and hear Him in the flesh. If their question was wrong, if the
priority within the question was wrong, if their hopes were wrong, this would
have been the time to put them right, but the Lord does not do this.
There is encouragement in the
Lord’s reply to believe the literal hope
fostered by the inspired prophets. What our Lord told His disciples was,
that it was not for them to know the times and the seasons of the great future
event. Then, in verse
8, we have the further revelation by the Lord of what would be given
until the manifest kingdom of our Lord, ‘But ye
shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost
is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto
Me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judaea, and in Samaria, and unto the
uttermost part of the earth.’ Here the Lord spoke of the era before the restoration of the manifest [and messianic] kingdom. It is the era of God
the Holy Spirit when He will give power to His Church. He was to send out His people; they were to
begin initially at
Verse 9 tells
us of the Lord being ‘taken up,’ and in verses 10-11 we
read, ‘And while they looked steadfastly
toward heaven as He went up, behold, two men stood by them in white apparel; which also said, Ye men of
Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? This same Jesus,
Which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in
like manner as ye have seen Him go into heaven.’ Here is the encouragement to believe that the
kingdom, asked about by the disciples, will be post second advent, after this age of God the Holy Spirit, in
which we are now living.
Now this was the teaching of the
church in those days. The truth was to
be taken into the world; there was to be preaching of foundation truth concerning salvation and redemption in Jesus Christ
alone. We might imagine some of
those disciples, years later, recalling how they took the message of the
atonement, the resurrection, the doctrine of election, to the world, and as
they thought of the ascension, they would remember that they had also made
known the hope of the restoration of
Now if the a-millennial
assumption of the Old Testament prophets merely having a spiritual meaning is
correct, then surely when a prophet is quoted in the New Testament we would
expect the meaning of the prophecy to be made clear. The desire of the a-millennialist is to
assume that this prophecy should read ‘rule My church,’
or ‘rule My disciples,’ or ‘rule My elect;’ but that was not said. It is ‘My people
Acts 2: 16-21
We have noted that the
a-millennialist sees no warrant in the New Testament for a future kingdom [for
Acts 2: 17-21 is a
quotation from Joel 2: 28-32. Mr. Alexander, dealing with this passage,
said, ‘The negative defence is followed by the
positive.’ That is true. Peter said those men were not drunken, it
being only the third hour of the day.
Mr. Alexander added, ‘This is not intoxication,
it is inspiration, and the fulfilment of a signal prophecy.’ So, we have an a-millennialist saying that Joel 2: 28-32 is ‘a signal prophecy.’ Signals on the road are to be followed to
preserve our own safety and that of others; and they are to be looked for
because they give guidance as to when to stop and when to go.
He gives, in this passage, three
ways in which we should of necessity go.
He says, ‘In all such cases, it is necessary, first,
to identify the passage; then, to ascertain the form of the quotation; and
finally, to fix the sense in which it is applied.’ That gives us an idea of his thinking. He does not use the word ‘interpreted,’ but ‘applied.’ Let us follow him.
He says,
‘The first question is determined here, partly by the mention of the prophet’s
name.’ Well, I would not say just partly
but particularly
- by the prophet’s name. We are told in verse 16, ‘But
this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel.’ It is not Amos, not Isaiah, not David, not
Jeremiah, but Joel. There is nothing ‘partly’ about that; it is definitely Joel. So far we agree the prophet’s name, and the
actual existence of the passage quoted in the text of the Old Testament. Basically, he says we find in Acts 2: 16-21 the passage from Joel. Thus he asserts the first part has been
answered.
Next, he desires that we ‘ascertain the form of the quotation,’ and by that he
means, to whom is it directed? We find a
wide array of people mentioned in verses 17-18. It is
to ‘all flesh,’ ‘your sons, and your daughters,’
‘your young men,’ ‘your
old men,’ male and female servants.
We know where this Scripture comes from; we know of whom it is speaking;
and we know who it is going to affect because we read it in the passage. So far we are in agreement with Mr.
Alexander. However, he has a problem in verse 17 with the three words ‘prophesy,’ ‘visions,’ and ‘dreams.’
Mr. Alexander says, ‘As we do not read of any such effects at Pentecost, the
terms of the prediction must have been understood by the apostles as figures
and types of extraordinary spiritual influence, and not as the precise forms in
which the promise was to be fulfilled.’
As he did not see prophecy, visions, or dreams, he thought they must be
figures and types. Now where does he go
for his authority? He concluded
Pentecost is not in the precise form that Joel predicted. It was not the exact form because they spoke
in tongues.
Prophecy in the Bible is not
just foretelling the future; it is also forth-telling. In earlier days, Scottish Free Church
Presbyterian Ministers were called prophets, not because they foretold events
but because they forth-told the Word of God, or, in other words, they
preached. Could that not be part of the
prophecy, forth-telling the Word of God?
Who knows whether these people
at that time - or the night before, or in weeks succeeding - had visions and
dreams? That may be conjecture, but
a-millennialists make fatal errors. Look
at this passage in Acts; notice ‘they were all with one accord in one place.’ Those mentioned in chapter
1: 6 would have been there, and also
the hundred and twenty referred to later in the chapter together with the vast
array of people spoken of in Acts 2: 9-11, who were
from different parts of what was then the
Let us have a careful look at
the passage. Joel
2: 28 speaks about the start of an
age. That is important because Mr.
Alexander, who is representative of a-millennialists, sees that this prophecy
will be fulfilled in one day, but that is not what Joel predicts. The age is to begin with dreams and visions;
and in the Acts of the Apostles we find
prophets - one named ‘Agabus’;
we find people speaking in tongues - the verification of the message from
heaven in the apostolic era; we see Peter and Cornelius having visions,
dreams. Joel was not predicting a
one-day event; he was speaking of an age.
Going on to Joel 2: 32, this passage speaks of calling upon the Name
of the Lord Jesus Christ, which we do in the age in which we are living. In Joel 2:
30 we read of the approach of the end of the
age. Verse
31 gives the events immediately prior to the end of the age. Also in verse 31
we see the second advent itself. At the
end of verse 32, we note the Deliverer will
come to
Joel was predicting an age, from
the apostolic era with the apostolic gifts, to the Deliverer coming to
The passage in Acts
follows exactly the same format in its every detail. It is the initial formalisation of the
age. Verse
17 refers to the day of Pentecost.
In verse 21 is the calling of the
elect through this age. Verse 19 speaks of the end of this age. Verse 21
gives the precursors of the second coming, and at the end of verse 20 there is the second advent itself, ‘The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable day of the Lord
come.’
You will know other texts that
would compare with that, but Mr. Alexander (with other a-millennialists) has a
problem with this verse. He says, ‘These are prophetic figures for great and sudden
revolutionary changes’ - not astral events but mere revolutionary
changes in that day. So Mr. Alexander
comes to this verse and because the things stated did not happen on the day of
Pentecost he considers it must be figurative; he says ‘it
is symbolical.’ He must find
another meaning; and countless thousands of others who have come to this
passage have done the same.
Matthew 24: 29-30 speaks of
astral activity before our Lord Jesus comes back again. Comparing scripture with scripture it becomes
obvious that a-millennialists show blinkered reasoning. They look upon this as a day and not as an
age. The prophet saw far beyond the day
of Pentecost. He was still looking
onward through the coming centuries, looking at the whole age from its
inception to its culmination.
I do some climbing in the
We could ask the
a-millennialist, when will be ‘that great and notable day of the
Lord’ mentioned in verse 20? If they look upon that as being one day, it
cannot be the first advent as that has passed.
You may be forgiven for saying it is the first advent of our Lord Jesus
Christ if you only had the Book of Joel, but
it is explained here in Acts. Surely, we cannot miss the understanding that
it speaks of an age. The a-millennialists would be more ready to apply
this to our moral and ethical situation, rather than give us the plain meaning
of it.
This is the first key to be found, that a-millennialists do not clearly distinguish
prophetic, especially apocalyptic, Scriptures.
They do not distinguish between the first and the second advents. I am becoming more and more convinced that
they see the second advent from the New Testament only, not from the Old
Testament. I could be wrong with that,
and given the variety of a-millennialists, there are probably exceptions to the
rule, but I think, generally speaking, that when an Old Testament passage is
quoted in the New Testament, they have a problem distinguishing what is the
first advent and what is the second advent - the great and notable Day of the
Lord. You need a key to open a door and
this first key opens a door to our understanding. This is one area in which a-millennialists
fall down, they do not distinguish between the first and the second
advents. That is why, when they preach,
they are blurred on one aspect or the other, because they do not clearly
distinguish.
Acts 2: 29-36
This passage is another example
of how weak the a-millennial system of interpretation is. It is agreed that this passage is a quotation
from three passages of Scripture - 2 Samuel 7:
12-16, Psalm 89: 34,
and Psalm 132: 11.
Peter, guided by the Holy Spirit, shows that these passages speak of the
resurrection of the body, and in particular, the resurrection of our Lord Jesus
Christ. We agree with a-millennialists
here; but the Scripture speaks of more.
They only see resurrection, as they do not look into the verses which
follow. We are in complete agreement
that this passage speaks of the resurrection, and particularly the resurrection
of our Lord Jesus Christ, but a-millennialists try to find a complete
fulfilment. They look for the whole
prophecy to be fulfilled at that time.
In 2
Samuel 7: 12-16,
we see God speaking to David, in verse 12,
about Solomon (not about Christ in this case).
That is confirmed in verse 13 because
it speaks about Solomon building the temple and the Lord God establishing
Solomon’s kingdom; and notice the words, ‘for
ever.’ In verse 14, God is clearly speaking about Solomon’s
future conduct, not the Lord Jesus Christ; not Rehoboam, not others, but
Solomon in particular. Verse 15 continues the same, but when we come to verse 16 we notice a covenant is being initiated,
the eternal covenant that was
established with David. Notice it
has three parts - (1) his house, (2) his kingdom, (3) his throne. So, we have here a person, a kingdom, and a
throne promised and predicted with the addition, ‘for
ever.’
In Psalm
89: 3-4
there is a quotation from 2 Samuel 7 but
with inspired additions. In verse 3 there is mention of a covenant with a
particular person, a chosen servant, David, confirmed by a divine oath with
reference to the future. It is to be
established with his seed ‘for ever,’ and the
throne built ‘to all generations’ (verse 4).
In Psalm
132: 11 more evidence is given to the
everlasting covenant of God with David, ‘the
LORD hath sworn in truth.’
That is repeated, for it continues, ‘He will
not turn from it.’ So, we find a triple
affirmation with the truth of this passage and the other two passages, and in Acts all these passages are brought together. This triple affirmation is by One Who does
not need any affirmation because He is the Lord God, Creator and Maker of
heaven and earth. The promise is that ‘of the fruit of thy body (notice, a person) will I set upon thy
throne.’ There the throne is
spoken of again, and it is David’s throne that is mentioned.
We can conclude from these three
passages, and their being brought together in Acts,
that we are looking for two clear events
not one; and this is where the a-millennialist falters. We have seen that these verses speak of the
resurrection, as does Acts 2: 31, ‘He seeing this before
spake of the resurrection of Christ, that His soul was not left in hell [‘Hades’], neither His flesh did see corruption.’
But we have the protection and
preservation of the line in the Lord Jesus Christ, not in Rehoboam or Hezekiah,
but in the preservation of a line for the future in the resurrection of the
Lord Jesus Christ. Notice, we have two
confirmations in verse 32, ‘This Jesus hath God raised’ (the
divine affirmation) and, ‘we all are witnesses’ (the
human confirmation). After this, we find
in verses 33-34,
the Lord’s ascension and exaltation.
This is not rocket science; it
is simply taking up the Bible and reading in Acts. There we find a quotation from the prophet;
we read the prophet and understand the prophet better, and understand the Acts better.
Firstly, we realise there is a resurrection and ascension of Jesus
Christ, followed by Pentecost, all at the beginning of the age. Secondly, there is an exaltation of the Lord
to sit at the right hand of the Father (verse 34)
‘until I
make Thy foes Thy footstool’ (verse
35). This ‘until’ reminds us of a future time, and when we
make comparisons with other Scriptures, we find that this will be the time when
the Lord Jesus Christ comes back in power and manifest glory.
Now, the a-millennialists think
David’s throne is transferred into heaven, but the passage tells us that ‘David is not ascended
into the heavens,’ because he has not, as we have not,
experienced the bodily resurrection yet.
So David’s throne cannot be in heaven.
The throne that he has never sat upon cannot be his throne. Some time ago I was able to sit on the seat
of the great John Gill. It was his chair
because he sat on it; but that throne in heaven could never be David’s because
he has never sat on it (and I do not think that it is any mistake that the
inspired writer has included this phrase here).
So, the first part of the
Davidic promise was fulfilled with the resurrection. The second part of the promise relates to
Christ sitting upon the throne, waiting until His enemies are made His
footstool - till His second advent - and then sitting upon the throne of
David. We, as pre-millennialists, see a
part fulfilment here and a continuing fulfilment when the Lord shall return
from His divine throne to sit on David’s throne, exactly as predicted.
A-millennialists try to find a
complete fulfilment, not only in these verses but in all these passages. They try to find a complete fulfilment
whenever a prophet is quoted. You do not
find that method of understanding in passages in the gospels when it speaks
about our Lord’s first advent. So, is it
legitimate to expect that method in passages dealing with the second
advent? Looking for a complete fulfilment
in New Testament quotes from Old Testament prophetic Scripture is clearly a
weakness in their system. It leads to
fanciful reasoning, unwarranted conclusions, and disharmony amongst
commentators. I have found some
a-millennialists will not even deal with those parts of Scripture. Here is the second key - that
a-millennialists constantly look for complete fulfilment.
When I looked for J. A.
Alexander’s handling of the throne I found he does not deal with it. Looking for the rebuilding of the tabernacle
mentioned in Acts 15, he does not deal with
that. It seems that when
a-millennialists come across something they find difficult they go round
it. These are commentators preparing
pastors (who have busy ministries) to understand the Word, and they do not deal
clearly with Scriptures in the Old Testament dealing with the second
advent. In fact, and this is serious,
some a-millennialists will even turn away from the Authorised Version and will
introduce an alternative reading because it suits their particular
viewpoint. So, they rum from the Textus Receptus to an unreliable
version because it suits their fancy.
I thought I may have just
stumbled across one example, but no, I found this pattern in many passages, and
not just in one a-millennial writer.
They are always ready to use the spiritualising approach, ‘How can we get out of this?
Is there another reading?’
If there is one that favours their view, they will use this
reading. That is unfaithful. They are willing to accept some words in the
one version but not the rest.
Acts 3: 18-26
The handling of this passage
shows how a plain straight-forward Scripture is muddled by
a-millennialism. J. A. Alexander
commented on the phrase, ‘Those things, which God before had shewed.’ He tells us, ‘Before
had showed is more exactly
rendered in the Rhemish version’ - a papal
version which substantiates his own point of view.
Verse 19 says, ‘Repent ye therefore, and be
converted, that your sins may be blotted out,
when the times of refreshing shall come from the
presence of the Lord.’ Mr
Alexander has a difficulty because this is speaking, at the end of the verse,
about the second advent, so why is there the space of time between people
repenting and having to wait for refreshing from the Lord at His second
coming? I record this to show you the
tensions that they perceive.
Of the word ‘refreshing’ he says, ‘the English versions’ (which would include the
Authorised Version) ‘must be set aside upon a double ground; because it violates
the usage of the language to ... be
philologically justified ... Looking simply at
this verse, the times of refreshing ... might
denote nothing more than the relief from pain and other pleasurable feelings,
which accompany repentance and conversion.’ They always have to be redefining these
Scriptures. They cannot accept them as
the straightforward passages they are.
They look for other authorities.
They make tensions for themselves.
This is the strange thing. I could go on, but will leave it at that,
although I would like to have mentioned Acts 15.
Conclusions
Having had a number of
a-millennialists in my home, I have tried an experiment - I have told them exactly
what I believe to see what reactions I would get. I have found that the vast majority of them
have not shown us the respect of seriously considering the pre-millennial
viewpoint. They are not familiar with
the truth that we hold.
One minister was aghast that Philippians 2, which speaks about the Lord being
known in all the earth, was a prophecy about the Second Advent. He told me it was a theological passage
dealing with the first advent! He was
staggered that I looked upon it as a second advent passage. It is, of course, a quotation from Habakkuk in the Old Testament. It is very clearly second advent, but because
he had not studied it he was unaware of its implications.
As discussions have developed, I
found that such ministers have no reasoned or reasonable reply. One of them said that things were getting
better in the world. Clearly things are
getting worse. There may be localised
revivals in some parts of the world, like areas in Africa or South East Asia;
but we are living in a post-Christian culture in this country, and, generally
speaking, the more advanced men become the more depraved they are. Giving them computers or adding to the length
of life through medical advances does not make society any better.
A-millennialists seem to me to
be abysmally ignorant of what we stand for - some of them even associate our
beliefs with dispensationalism. A guest
in my home, from a dispensational background, said that when he went to college
he was taught the a-millennial viewpoint; and he threw away all his
dispensational baggage. I think that
they consider that our pre-millennial position goes to the same excesses as
that of dispensationalism, with the same type of false conclusions and muddled
thinking; but we are not dispensationalists, we are historic
pre-millennialists. We hold to the same
viewpoint, by and large, that the church did for the first three centuries -
before
A-millennialists also tend to
associate our viewpoint with that of the cults.
Some cults may have a form of pre-millennialism, but at least they have
an optimistic viewpoint, which is more than we can say for
a-millennialists! We give Christ His
place as co-equal with the Father, whereas the cults do not. One of the powers of cults is that they take
strands of the truth and weave it into their false beliefs, but that does not
make that misused truth any less true. I
do not know if the
I have also found that
a-millennialists tend to think that pre-millennialism is immature, and
consequently naive. I have even heard a
chairman of a conference say that as a young Christian matures he progresses
from pre-millennialism to a-millennialism to post millennialism. Many of those training for the ministry do
not want to be found holding to a belief which is seen as immature!
Today pre-millennialism is a
minority viewpoint, and while minority does not mean incorrect, how many people
want to be in the minority? Remember the
twelve spies that came back to Moses.
There was a majority report which was unfavourable and there was a
minority report by two of them, Joshua and Caleb.
Another viewpoint links
pre-millennialism with Arminianism. I
have asked, ‘Have you not heard of the Sovereign Grace
Advent Testimony, which proclaims the doctrine of grace and pre-millennial
truth?’ but sad to say, many do not know there is a group of people who
hold to the doctrine of grace and give the Lord His due glory, and who also
have this great optimistic view of the future.
I feel that the a-millennial
position is one of intellectual snobbery, which seeks human approbation. Men tend to ask, What says Luther? What says
Calvin? What says David Brown? Well, I
say, What saith the Scriptures? That
is where we should be looking for approbation.
We should not bother about what men, however great or good, say. They may have been men greatly used of the
Lord but they were only men.
Years ago, I was
post-millennial. Looking back, I can say
I did not hold to that belief out of conviction but because it was a generally
held belief of the peer group in which I was.
It seems to me that many a-millennialists hold that position because it
is the consensus of the majority of the men they have been taught to respect.
Let me close by telling you of
an American of the last century, a man named George Eldon Ladd. He said that more people have become
modernists and liberals from an a-millennial position than from a
pre-millennial point of view. I do not
doubt that this is the case because the pre-millennial viewpoint causes us to
be honest with the Scriptures and honest to ourselves; and above all things we
want to glorify the Lord of the Scriptures.
I think, as the Lord’s people,
we have to bear a testimony, and I desire to continue my challenges to
a-millennialists. I take the things that
I glean from studying the Scriptures and with these two keys of which I have
spoken, I try to show the sad mistakes being made. Oh! what a vast amount of blessing these
people lose; and what a vast amount of blessing I have received since Mr James
Payne first sent me the magazine. I
started reading the books and getting tapes and the blessings that I have had
since 1979 to this day have been some of the greatest blessings that I have had
from the Word of God. A-millennialists
are denying themselves these blessings, but more importantly, they are denying the Lord His glory.
* *
* * *
* *
39
The Purpose
of Prophecy
By Stephen
A Toms
(This is a summary of a message given at the
It was recorded and CDs and cassettes of the full message are obtainable).
There are reasons why God
has put such a considerable amount of prophecy in the Bible but I am merely
suggesting six of these. I would
commence, however, by mentioning things which are not reasons for prophecy
having been given. Future things are not
revealed that we should boast of our knowledge.
In a world where so few realise what is happening we might well be
tempted to extol ourselves with the knowledge we have from Holy Scripture
concerning
Then prophecy has not been given
to be ignored as is common amongst God’s professing people, even amongst
ministers. Those who do not consider
prophetic truth deprive themselves of a large part of God’s revelation. Similarly, prophecy has not been given to be
explained away, by asserting God does not really mean what He has said. Additionally, we are not to regard prophecy
as a secondary matter, or a trifling issue causing division. In fact, it is not truth which brings
division. It is error that does that.
So That We May Know God Is In Control
If prophecy is rightly
understood, it becomes obvious that God is working all things according to the
counsel of His Own will (Ephesians 1: 11). God
knows exactly what He intends to do and prophecy is the revealing of this intention,
which He will sovereignly and perfectly perform. Jesus said, ‘I
tell you before it come, that ... ye may believe’ (John
13: 19).
There are various examples in
the Scriptures of things, which must come to pass, being revealed, but perhaps
some of the main ones are found in the Book of Daniel. Chapters 2,
7 and 8
give details of things which were to happen.
Some of these things were precisely fulfilled, and this clearly
indicates to us that what has not yet occurred will, with equal certainty, be
fulfilled. Chapter
4 specifically states that a dream was given to the King Nebuchadnezzar
that he might ‘know that the Most High ruleth.’
Judges 2: 1 emphasises that what God has said, He will
do. He said, ‘I will never break My covenant.’ So, His Word must come to pass. God is sovereign, not trying to be. Therefore, there is no possibility of His
changing the covenant which He made with the patriarchs concerning the future
of the nation of
So That Events Will Not Take Us By Surprise
Some teachers like to emphasise
that the Lord will come ‘as a thief in the night.’ That may be so for the unregenerate, but
those who are the Lord’s, and love and understand His word are told ‘Ye, brethren, are not in darkness, that that
day should overtake you as a thief.
Ye are all the children of light, and the children of the day; we
are not of the night, nor of darkness’ (1 Thessalonians 5: 4-5).
In the Old Testament account of Joseph,
we read of dreams given to Pharaoh so that when the famine came, it would not
be unexpected.
At Pentecost, Peter spoke (Acts 2: 23) of
the wickedness of those who crucified the Lord Jesus, but it fulfilled God’s
determinate counsel and foreknowledge.
Any who simply believed the plain prophetic words would know that the
action brought to pass the predetermined purpose of God.
Much is said in the Scripture
about the perilous times of the last days.
In Daniel 8: 23
the rise of the antichrist is foretold and the period is described by God as
being when ‘transgressors are come to full.’ When these things happen, they will not take
true believers by surprise.
So That We May Not Be Agitated About The Way
Things Are Going
Those who
do not believe pre-millennial truth seem to get very agitated about the way
things are going. As the apostasy
deepens, many teachers seem to be getting frantic about the need for revival. We would all love to see revival but we must
not disregard what the Word of God says about the end of this age. Jesus said to His disciples, ‘Peace I leave with you,
My peace I give
unto you’ (John 14: 27). The
Psalmist asked, ‘Wherefore should I fear in the days
of evil?’ (49: 5)
Luke 24: 4 tells us of the disciples being ‘perplexed’ because they did not believe
the things plainly told them by the Saviour.
Also, in verse 17, we read of the two
disciples on the way to Emmaus, with similar unbelief, being ‘sad.’
Paul exhorts us in 1 Thessalonians 4: 18
to ‘comfort one another’ by
speaking to each other about the coming of the Lord. What a difference it would make if pastors and preachers comforted the
Lord’s people by speaking much of the facts revealed concerning the Lord’s
coming again! When Jude speaks of the mockers of the last
time he tells us to remember the words spoken by the apostles (verses 17-18). A correct understanding of those things which
must surely come to pass must help and comfort rather than agitate us.
So That We Are Driven To Prayer
When Abraham was told what God
was to do to
So That We Might Live In The Light Of The
Revelation
Messengers were sent to Lot to
tell him what God intended to do to Sodom (Genesis
19) and it was for the express purpose that he would act upon it and
escape for his life. In Genesis 37, we read of Joseph being told the
future by dreams and although so many things in his experience must have
indicated that the fulfilment could never be, the revelation was precisely
brought to pass. Psalm 105: 19 shows that the
Word of the Lord tried him but it was only until his time came.
Moses heard God’s call from the
burning bush. There was much to
dishearten Moses but ultimately, God did deliver
Mordecai knew that ‘deliverance would arise to the Jews’ (Esther 4: 14)
because he understood that God would never break His covenant. He did not know from where the deliverance
would come, but he encouraged Esther to do what she could, in the light of the
revelation.
In Revelation
1: 3, we read of the blessing for
those who read and keep. The keeping is
as important as the reading. In the New
Testament, I counted fourteen times when believers
are told to watch. Seven of those
times are definitely connected with the second coming of the Lord Jesus (see Matthew 24: 42-43; 25: 13; Mark 13: 33-37; Luke 12: 37-39; 21: 36; 1 Thessalonians 5: 6; Revelation 16: 15). We
are instructed to watch, so what does that mean? It does not mean that we should stand gazing up
into the air. Surely, it must be obvious
that we should be watching for the signs
which are foretold in the Bible. Yet
sadly, many professing Christians have no idea what these signs are, and
consequently, cannot obey the Lord’s command.
How foolish not to want to know.
We look for the signs because we
look for the Saviour. Jesus said, ‘Learn a parable of the fig tree; when
his branch is yet tender, and putteth forth
leaves, ye know that summer is nigh; so likewise ye, when ye shall
see all these things, know that it is near,
even at the doors’ (Matthew 24: 32-33). What
could be clearer than that?
So That We Might Be Purified
1 John 3: 3 tells us, ‘Every
man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself.’ The previous verse informs us what the hope
is, as it speaks of the appearing of the Saviour. No wonder the devil does not like God’s
people to think about prophecy!
Meditating thereon should lead us
to seek to live in obedience to the
Word of God.
The Bible clearly teaches separation,
i.e. that God’s people are a separated people, separated from false religion
and separated from the world. But even
if the Bible did not teach this, a right understanding of the way things will
develop on this globe would make any reasonable person want not to link up with
evil and error.
Job understood things about ‘the latter day upon the earth’ and
although he was not perfect, the last chapter of his book shows that God was
angry with his friends because they had ‘not
spoken of Me the thing that is right, as My
servant Job hath.’
Paul states in 1 Corinthians 6 about Christians going to law
against one another - before the unbelievers.
He explains that if they understood millennial doctrine properly it
would help them. It is profitable to
study the times in this chapter that the apostle says, ‘Know ye not?’
The whole situation is summed up
in 2 Peter 3: 11. After speaking of the last days, the apostle
says, ‘Seeing then that all these things
shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought
ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness, looking for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat?’
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[PART 6]
CONTENTS
40
41THE COMING OF THE LORD
42
43 THE UNITED STATES UNDER ANTICHRIST
44 THE EPISTLE OF TITUS
45 MOHAMMEDANISM: WHAT IS IT?
46 REMARKS ON JOHN
5: 24-29
47 MILLENNIALISM
48 PROPHECY
49 A REVIED BY J. A. GREEN
* *
*
40
the Millennium
By James
Stephens, M.A.
(This year marks the ter-jubilee
of the birth of Mr Stephens, who was for 46 years the pastor at
We are pleased to include this message given by him at an S. G.A. T
Conference on 25th March, 1926).
[Volume 24, No 20
October/December, 1996]
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While there may be a measure
of blessedness in all nations during the millennial age, there will be a special and distinctive blessedness in the nation of
The earth shall be filled with
the knowledge of the glory of God, the knowledge of the excellencies of Him Who
is over all blessed for ever, and Who is the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ. Israel will participate in this blessedness, and at the same time, will
have a blessedness peculiarly its own.
The Lord’s Peculiar Treasure
Of the nation of Israel it will
continue to be said during the whole of the thousand years, ‘The LORD hath chosen thee to be a peculiar people unto
Himself, above all the nations that are upon the
earth’ (Deuteronomy 14: 2). The
purpose which the Lord expressed in the day when He avouched Israel to be His
peculiar people, will come to complete and abiding fulfilment, ‘The LORD hath avouched thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised thee, and
that thou shouldest keep all His commandments;
and to make thee high above all nations which He hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour; and that thou
mayest be an holy people unto the LORD thy God’ (Deuteronomy 26: 18-19).
The relationship between the
Lord and His nation will be according to His Word, ‘I will betroth thee unto Me for ever’ (Hosea
2: 19).
We read of some members of other
nations who will yield feigned obedience; and at the close of the millennium, when
Satan is temporarily loosed, there will be nations deceived by him as will
Practical Righteousness will Characterise
Them
It will thus come to pass that practical righteousness, practical
holiness, will characterise the entire national life of
It is not, of course, that the
nation will walk sinlessly and be without the need, all the time, of the
cleansing Blood; but it is that it will be, distinctly and manifestly, a
God-fearing nation, and that as compared with other nations it will be
pre-eminently so. To
Unparalleled Prosperity Theirs
God will make manifest the blessedness
that will be the portion of
God will keep on fulfilling His
words: ‘I will
multiply men upon you, all the house of
The Lord’s Presence
God will own Israel as His Own
peculiar people by giving them to have throughout the millennium, in
It will be similar to what it
was with Israel in the wilderness, on the coming out of Egypt: ‘The LORD went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud,
to lead them the way; and
by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light;
to go by day and night: He took not away the
pillar of the cloud by day, nor the pillar of
fire by night’ (Exodus 13: 21-22). In this it will be manifest to the world that
‘the LORD
hath chosen Zion, He hath desired it for His habitation;’ and
that He hath said of it, ‘This is My rest for ever; here will I dwell; for I have
desired it’ (Psalm 132: 13-14). God’s
dwelling in
No doubt, it will be in millennial
days as it is in the present time, wherever, among all nations, believers will
be gathered together in the Name of Christ He will be present in their midst -
present spiritually. Saints will then,
as now, be ‘builded together for an habitation of
God by the Spirit.’ But
it will not be true of any nation as nation that God is among them in
continuous manifest supernatural working. The Lord Jesus Christ will not
personally manifest Himself in the capital city of any nation as He will in the
capital of
In consequence of this distinguishing favour to
May not this mean that in
Jerusalem, as in a Seat of Heavenly learning, there will be opening up of the
spiritual import of Levitical law such as at present obtains but little among
Gentile teachers; there will be an unfolding and explaining of the ways of God,
especially as these ways have been, and will be expressed in His manifold and
wonderful dealings with Israel; there will be taught in great wisdom the
application of the laws and principles of God to actual, practical life in the
multitudinous phases. If it should be
so, or if anything like this should be the case, then to
In that day it will be said, ‘Arise, shine; for thy light is
come, and the glory of the LORD is risen upon thee; and nations shall
come to thy light, and kings to the brightness of thy rising’ (Isaiah 60: 1, 3). Kings
and nations shall appreciate and seek the light that will be shining in
Christ Will be King
(2) When Christ comes again it will be found to be, as God has predictively
said: ‘I have set My King upon My holy hill of Zion’ (Psalm 2: 6). Christ will be King of Israel, sitting on the throne of His father David.
But ‘the Lord,’ the King of Israel, ‘shall be King over
all the earth’ (Zechariah 14: 9). The centre and seat of government for
This will mean distinguishing
honour for
While Christ will be present bodily, according as ‘His feet shall
stand upon the Mount of Olives,’ it is not to be understood that
He will be present bodily all the time, or be bodily occupying a dwelling-house
in
In this way it will be possible
for the risen saints of the heavenly city to reign with Christ over the earth:
at the same time it will remain that the earthly centre and seat of Christ’s
government over the earth will be
(3)
We are told in Ezekiel (chapters 40-44) that there shall be a restored [millennial]* temple, and restored
sacrifices and a restored priesthood of the sons of Levi. As to the restoration of the sacrifices, it will
at once occur to the mind that this seems to be in conflict with the great
statement concerning Christ’s sacrifice - ‘By one offering He hath perfected for ever them that
are sanctified’ (Hebrews 10: 14). The
apparent contrariety may disappear if we consider the future sacrifices, not as
formerly, typically anticipative of the one great Sacrifice, but retrospectively, commemorative. Whatever sacrificing God will have maintained
in Jerusalem in the future, this will remain as a sure fact, that Christ,
at His first coming, ‘appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself’
(Hebrews 9: 26).
[* That is, the temple which Christ Himself (with others, who shall partake in its building) - after the
temple mentioned in 2 Thess.
2: 4 -
(which the Antichrist will desecrate) - is destroyed:-
“Thus speaketh the LORD of hosts, saying, Behold, the Man whose name is the Branch; and He shall grow up out of his place, and He shall build the temple of the LORD; and He shall bear the
glory, and shall sit and rule upon His
throne; and He shall be a Priest upon His throne…” (Zachariah 6: 12b-13. cf.
Mark 11: 17.).]
At the
same time, this future sacrificing may, by way of memorial, vividly and
impressively set forth the One Sacrifice so that IT will be remembered with fuller apprehension of its value and
ever-renewed adoring gratitude. Allowing
for the restoration of sacrifices, the restoration of the priesthood presents
no difficulty; for this is in line with what is said in 1 Chronicles 23: 13, that ‘Aaron
was separated, he and his sons for ever,’ that
is, as long as [this
restored earth (Rom.
8: 19-21) and] the nation as a nation should last. The temple also, when it is restored, will be
‘a house of
prayer for all nations’.
The great feasts of
We do not forget how, when the
woman of Samaria said to Jesus, ‘Our fathers worshipped
in this mountain (Gerizim); and ye say that in Jerusalem is
the place where men ought to worship,’ Jesus answered her, ‘Woman, believe Me, the hour cometh, when ye shall
neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem,
worship the Father ... the
hour cometh, and now is, when the true
worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth; for the Father seeketh such to worship Him’ (John 4: 20-24).
Our Lord’s words affirmed that all
places, as well as
The Plenitude of the Holy Spirit
What a place of joyful worship
that city of holiness and truth shall be in those days to come. Besides the visible glory, there will be
there in continuous plenitude of effusion the Holy Spirit in His mighty grace. With one accord, all the lands shall ‘make a joyful noise unto the LORD,’ shall ‘serve the LORD with gladness’ and ‘come before His presence with singing,’ shall ‘enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise’ (Psalm 100).
Israel shall boast in God, and the nations shall join in this
with
We cannot tell how much it will
mean for
It is evident that there will also
be this most wonderful happening, that
When God makes of
Divine Grace, Faithfulness and Wisdom
When God makes of
And when God makes of
* *
* * *
* *
41
The Coming of
the Lord
(Chiefly in Scripture Language)
By Robert
Brown
(This article is taken from the book, ‘Text Meditations: in the Form of Short Treatises’
published in 1903).
[Volume 26, No 10
April/June 2004]
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“This same Jesus, Which is taken up from you into
heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have
seen Him go into Heaven’ (Acts
1: 11).
Some persons, who hold the
unscriptural notion of ‘a secret rapture,’ have
supposed that this passage teaches, that as only a few persons, who were believers in Jesus, saw Him
go into heaven, and none others, that this will be the case when He comes
again; and that, therefore, He will come secretly, and that believers only
(some say all, and others, watchful ones only) will see Him when He comes. But this notion is rebutted, not only by the
positive and absolute statements of Scripture to the contrary, but by this very
passage itself; for the ‘so’ and ‘in like manner’ expressly refer to the ‘going’ and ‘coming
again’ only of the Lord Himself, i.e. that ‘He went up in a cloud,’ and ‘from the Mount of Olives;’ and ‘so’ and ‘in like
manner’ it is also expressly stated that He will return - [at the end of the Great Tribulation].
1. He went up in a cloud: so also will He return.
‘Behold,
He cometh with clouds; and
every eye shall see Him (not a few only), and they also which pierced Him: and all the kindred
of the earth (tribes of the land, i.e. of
‘Immediately
after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken. And then shall appear
the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then
shall all the tribes of the earth (land, i.e. of
‘But in
those days, after that tribulation, the
sun shall be darkened, and the moon shall not
give her light, and the stars of heaven shall
fall, and the powers that are in heaven shall be
shaken. And
then shall they see the Son of man coming in the clouds with great power and glory. And then shall He send His angels, and shall gather together His elect from the four winds,
from the uttermost part of the earth to the uttermost
part of heaven’ (Mark 13: 24-27).
Jesus said unto the High Priests
and the Elders, ‘Ye shall see the Son of man sitting
on the right hand of power, and coming in the
clouds of heaven’ (Mark 14: 62).
‘And there
shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon
the earth distress of nations, with perplexity; the sea and the waves roaring; men’s hearts failing them for
fear, and for looking after those things which
are coming on the earth; for the powers of
heaven shall be shaken. And then
shall they see the Son of man coming in a cloud with power and great glory. And when these things
begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth
nigh’ (Luke 21: 25-28).
‘For the
Son of man shall come in the glory of His Father, with His angels; and then He shall reward every man
according to his works’ (Matthew 16:
27).
‘Whosoever
therefore shall be ashamed of Me and of My words in this adulterous and sinful
generation; of him also shall the Son of man be
ashamed, when He cometh in the glory of His Father with the holy angels’ (Mark 8: 38).
2. He went up from the
so also will He return to it.
‘And His
feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives, which is before Jerusalem on the east, and the mount of Olives shall cleave in the midst thereof
toward the east and toward the west, and there
shall be a very great valley; and half of the
mountain shall remove toward the north, and half
of it toward the south. And ye shall flee to the valley of the
mountains; for the valley of the mountains shall
reach unto Azal: yea,
ye shall flee, like as
ye fled from before the earthquake in the days of Uzziah king of
‘For, behold, the LORD cometh forth
out of His place, and will come down, and tread upon the high places of the earth (i.e.
the
‘Out of
‘A fire
goeth before Him, and burneth up His enemies
round about.
His lightnings enlightened the world: the
earth saw, and trembled. The hills melted like
wax at the presence of the LORD, at the presence of
the Lord of the whole earth. The heavens declare His righteousness,
and all the people see
His glory’ (Psalm 97: 3-6).
‘Seeing it
is a righteous thing with God to recompense tribulation to them that trouble
you; and to you who are troubled rest with us, when the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with His
mighty angels, in flaming fire taking vengeance
on them that know not God, and [a
disjunction] that obey not the gospel
of our Lord Jesus Christ; who shall be punished with everlasting [Gk. ‘aionion’
= ‘age-lasting’]* destruction from the
presence of the Lord, and
from the glory of His power: when He shall come to be glorified in His saints, and to be admired in
all them that believe in that day’** (2 Thessalonians 1: 6-10).
[* 2 Tim. 2:
12. ** Heb. 4: 11. cf. 10: 23-27.]
‘And the
Redeemer shall come to
‘For I
would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits: that blindness in part is happened to
‘And I
will pour upon the house of David, and upon the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the Spirit of grace
and of supplications: and they shall look upon 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 firstborn’ (Zechariah 12: 10).
‘In that
day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the
inhabitants of
3. And when the Lord Comes Again, His People will be caught up in the
Clouds
to Meet Him in the Air; and will Descend with Him to the Earth
‘For if
we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even
them also which sleep in (through - dia, i.e. through, or by means of
the instrumentality of) Jesus will God bring
with Him. For this we say unto you by the Word of the Lord, that we which are alive
and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent (precede) them which are asleep. For the Lord Himself
shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the
voice of the archangel, and with the trump of
God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first:
then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up
together with them in the clouds, to meet (eis apanteesin, to
meet and return with. See in proof Acts 28:15. See
also Matthew 25:1-6,
where only the same phrase occurs) the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be
with the Lord’ (1 Thessalonians 4: 14-17).
For ‘Behold, I shew you a mystery;
we shall not all sleep, but
we shall all be changed, in a moment ... at the last trump: for the
trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be
raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible
must put on incorruption, and this mortal must
put on immortality’ (1 Corinthians
15: 51-53).
‘For as
in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be
made alive. But every man in his own order (or in his own proper band): Christ the firstfruits; afterward they
that are Christ’s at His coming’ (1
Corinthians 15: 22-23).
‘And
Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these (i.e. of the ungodly in the last days), saying, Behold,
the Lord cometh with ten thousands of His saints,
to execute judgment upon all, and to convince all that are ungodly among thern of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly
committed, and of all their hard speeches which
ungodly sinners have spoken against Him’ (Jude 14-15).
‘He
which testifieth these things saith, Surely I
come quickly. Amen. Even so, come, Lord Jesus’ (Revelation
22: 20).
An equally false notion also
prevails, that the preaching of the gospel is to convert the whole world to
Christ; which a few texts only will serve to confute; for we are expressly told
that, ‘God at the first did visit the
Gentiles, to take out of them a people for His Name’ (Acts 15: 14);
and that this people would be hated and
persecuted by the world: for Jesus said of such, ‘If ye were of the world, the
world would love his own: but because ye are not
of the world, but I have chosen you out of the
world, therefore the world hateth you
.... If they have persecuted Me, they will also persecute you’ (John 15: 19-20).
Indeed, Daniel tells us that
Antichrist ‘shall wear out the saints of the Most
High,’ and shall make ‘war
with the saints,’ and prevail ‘against them;
until the Ancient of days came,’ i.e.
until the second coming of the Lord Himself; when judgment will be ‘given to the saints of the Most High; and the time came that the saints possessed the kingdom’ (Daniel 7: 25, 21, 22) - a
time referred to also by our Blessed Lord, when He said, ‘And shall not God avenge His own elect, which cry day and night unto Him, though He bear long with
them? I tell you that He will avenge them speedily. Nevertheless, when the Son of man cometh, shall
He find [the] faith on the earth’ (Luke 18: 7-8) - a question which implies that it will then,
in consequence of such persecution, be at a very low ebb indeed.
So far the from the world
getting better before the second coming of the Lord, the Scriptures plainly
reveal, that it will get worse and worse.
For Jesus Himself tells us that, ‘Many
false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive
many. And
because iniquity shall abound, the love of many
shall wax cold;’ and that these ‘false
Christs, and false prophets ... shall shew great signs and wonders, insomuch that, if it were
possible, they shall deceive the very elect’ (Matthew 24: 11,
12, 24).
While Paul tells us that, ‘in the last days perilous times shall come,’ of which
he gives a fearful description; and says that, ‘all
that will live godly in Christ Jesus shall suffer persecution;’ and
that ‘evil men and seducers shall wax worse
and worse, deceiving, and being deceived’ (2 Timothy 3: 1-5, 12, 13).
Daniel also, when speaking of
these times, tells us that the transgressors will then come to the full; and
that this will take place ‘in the last end of
the indignation’ (Daniel 8: 23, 19) - i.e.
against
Daniel speaks of it, when he
says, ‘And at that time shall Michael stand
up, the great prince which standeth for the
children of thy people (i.e. of Israel): and there shall be a time of trouble, such
as never was since there was a nation even to that same time: and at that time thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book’ (Daniel 12: 1).
Jeremiah also refers to it, ‘For thus saith Jehovah, We
have heard a voice of trembling, of fear,
and not of
peace.
Ask ye now, and see whether a man doth
travail with child? Wherefore do I see every man
with his hands on his loins, as a woman in
travail, and all faces are turned into paleness? Alas! for that day is great, so
that none is like it; it is even the time of
Jacob’s trouble: but he shall be saved out of it’ (Jeremiah 30: 5-7).
Our Blessed Lord Himself also
refers to it, ‘For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this
time, no, nor
ever shall be.
And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for
the elect’s sake those days shall be shortened’ (Matthew 24:
21-22).
And that this will take place
just before the second coming, we have His own express testimony - ‘Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: and then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth (land, i.e. of Israel) mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven
with power and great glory. And He shall send 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’ (Matthew 24: 29-31). (This paragraph is repeated to complete the
connection).
And this gathering will include
all ‘that are Christ’s’ (1 Corinthians 15: 23)
- even the martyrs under the ‘great tribulation,’ as we
learn from Revelation 7: 14, who are said to have come out of the
tribulation, the great one (so in the original); as well as from Revelation 20: 4-6, which speaks of them as partakers of ‘the first resurrection,’ all of whom are
described as ‘blessed and holy’ - which
is another most convincing proof, that Christ will not come again until after,
and not before, ‘the great tribulation.’
‘But
unto you that fear My Name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healing in
His wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as
calves of the stall. And ye shall tread down the wicked; for they shall be ashes under the soles of your feet in the
day that I shall do this, saith Jehovah of hosts’ (Malachi 4: 2-3).
* * *
* * *
* *
42
To
By Mrs M.
A. Chaplin
(This poem is taken from a collection of
poems in a book entitled ‘Chimes for the Times.’ It was written in the last century, the book
having been published in 1891. These are
not the only verses written by Mrs
Chaplin on this particular subject. Being over 100 years old, and written a long while before the State of
Israel was set up in 1948, and even before 1917, it reminds us that those who,
like Mrs Chaplin, understand that God means what He has said concerning the
Jewish people, can always be confident that God will fulfil His
Word - Ed.).
[Volume 25, No 6
April/June, 1998]
-------
Queen of
the cities of earth, oh when
Shall
thy glory gladden the eyes of men?
All
Kings, all peoples look with pain
To see
thee desolate remain.
The
heathen adore who were wont to deride thee;
Thy ‘beautiful garments’ are lying beside thee;
Fling
them about thee. Rise ‘from the dust;’
Daughter
of
God, thy
Redeemer, is mighty and true.
Soon
shall thy children with penitence view
Him Whom
they pierced on yon fair hill,
Despised
- yet the Messiah still.
And
their keen self-reproach shall break forth into sighing,
(Like
the wail of the East when the firstborn is dying;
Like
home-yearning exiles, heart broken and sore),
They shall kneel to the King they have learned to adore.
Sad is
the spell which has held for so long
The
children of that land of song.
It
suited not their native pride
That the
King of the Jews should be crucified.
But to call them forsaken of God is a libel,
The ‘Jew’ shall return to the land of the Bible.
And a
crucified God be the soul’s only stay
When the
children of
Beautiful
land! Our eyes would see
The
glory yet in reserve for thee.
The
Gentile world will rejoice to share
In the
rivers of blessing rising there.
The
hearts eased with pride as with stone shall be broken,
And only
the language of penitence spoken;
And
Shall be
crowned by all nations the Queen of the earth.
* *
* *
* * *
43
The
By George
H. Fromow
(At the same Conference in April 1948 at
which Mr Newmark spoke, Mr Charles Fisher M.A. was
due to speak on the above subject
but was unable to do so because of ill-health. The then S. G.A. T secretary therefore gave
the following thoughts. We
would expect it to be of particular interest in spite of its being 50 years
old, bearing in mind that world
attention is at present focused
upon
We are showing from
Scripture that what our S.G.A.T. is witnessing is according to God’s Word. The subject falls into four parts:
1. The future
2. The future Antichrist to whom this federation will yield
authority.
3.
4. All this must precede the return of our Lord.
Our Lord gives two major signs
which will mark His near approach in the Olivet discourse of Matthew 24-25, in
answer to the question, ‘What shall be the sign of Thy coming
and of the end of the world (age)?’
1. ‘The abomination of desolation in the
holy place.’
2. ‘The great tribulation.’
He bids us read and understand Daniel
as to these. Thus we find that the
visions and prophecies of Daniel lead up to those concluding points of the age.
1. The
Daniel defines for us the area of which prophecy treats, and we are not aware
that prophecy speaks in any detail of lands outside the Danielic area. His prophetic chapters lead up to the ten
kings, the Antichrist, the abomination, the tribulation.
Chapter 2. The
metallic image of four parts sets out the empires of
Chapter 7: The four wild beasts correspond to the
four parts of the image; and ten horns with the ten toes. Out from among the ten springs the ‘little horn,’ who is against Christ,
Chapter 8: The scope of the teaching is concentrated
on two of the four empires, both eastern - the ram of Medo-Persia and the goat
of
The coming
Chapter 8: 12 and 13 first name ‘the transgression
of desolation.’
Chapter 9, in a chronological way, leads us to the
same points, and in verse 27 ‘the abomination of desolation’ of Matthew 24: 15.
Chapter 11: 31 refers also to an idol in the
temple as ‘the abomination that maketh desolate.’
Chapter 12: 11 is the fourth and last mention
of the ‘abomination that maketh desolate.’
So then the abomination or idol
is erected by Antichrist, and is the immediate cause of the final great
tribulation and marks its commencement.
Thus the tribulation, the ten kingdoms, and the Antichrist must precede our Lord’s return, and assumes
2. The Future Antichrist
He has some twenty-two names and
titles in Scripture. He rises as one of
the Roman ten and one of the Grecian four.
A ‘little horn,’ he waxes
great towards the cast, towards the south, towards the pleasant land, that is,
towards
He is latitudinarian at first,
upholding the ‘scarlet woman,’ an amalgamation of religions, somewhat
like the ‘World Fellowship of Faiths,’ the
harlot of Revelation 17. When he is manifested as the ‘wild beast,’ as in Revelation 18, he will destroy her. In
other words, he will destroy all organised religion in his realm, even
latitudinarian religion, and command worship toward himself, while he himself
will worship the devil.
Thus the ‘little horn’ of Daniel 7 and 8 becomes the king of Babylon of Isaiah 13 and 14, the man of sin of 2 Thessalonians 2, and the wild beast of Revelation 13.
3.
In chapter 17,
Therefore we conclude that the
4. These Events must Come First
The facts of prophecy outlined
in this report should teach us some most important lessons:
1. Warnings as to the danger of deception. It cannot be that after the dawn of the
morning of His coming that the deepest darkness arises! The blackness of the night of ‘man’s day’ must come first. We need to ‘take
heed.’ Rising latitudinarian,
anti-Christian lawlessness is already upon us.
It will be democratic, not
dictorial; it will be humanistic,
not Hitlerite; it will be constitutional, not communistic, before the Antichrist is finally
manifest. It will ‘if it were possible ... deceive
the very elect’ (Matthew 24: 24).
Hitlerism,
Nazism, Fascism, Sovietism, are not likely to deceive
the very elect, but a united states of a humanistic
character, sponsored by such great souls as General Smuts, Professor Gilbert
Murray, Mr Churchill, or Mr Ernest Bevin, is far more likely to deceive many, especially when it is supported by the
apostate churches and by false cults such as Freemasonry with its theosophic teaching.
‘What I say unto you I say unto all, Watch’ - Be awake! (Mark 13: 37).
2. These facts do not detract from the ‘blessed hope.’ It is not only when our Lord returns, but what
will then happen, and in what state we
are found then that matters. If
Daniel, Paul, Peter, B. W. Newton, George Muller, James Stephens, and a host
beside, were not deterred from looking for the ‘blessed
hope,’ why the saints of today and why the tribulation saints?
3.
4. This teaching shows time still for evangelism. Such passages as Matthew 28: 18-20; 24: 14; Acts 1: 8; 15: 14, are still in force and only practical
obedience can see the measure of their fulfilment in the Church's present
experience.
5. Current world events among
6. Separation. As expressed in our
S.G.A.T. manifesto: ‘Spiritual apprehension of these
things, by the teaching of the Holy Spirit, we deem to be essential to a
complete testimony of truth, which will lead to practical separation from
worldly principles, policies and pleasures, and to a more loyal devotion to the
Lord’s service.’
7. We shall find fellowship with the mind of our exalted Lord, who is
‘sat down on the right hand of God, from henceforth expecting till His enemies be made His
footstool’ (Hebrews 10: 12-13).
As He expects these things, let us
expect them, look for them, await them and find ourselves in measure sharing
His thoughts.
* *
* * *
* *
44
The Epistle
to Titus
By James
Payne
The Epistle to Titus
presents one long exhortation to be diligent in good works. There are rules laid down in this epistle
containing things incumbent upon elders, bishops, old men and young men, old
women and young women, and servants.
The Relationship of Faith and Works
From the outset we must be very clear
on the relationship of faith and works, otherwise we may be misunderstood. Steadfastness in the faith will produce
diligence in good works. The apostle
exhorts Titus to rebuke those under his care sharply, in order that they may be
sound in the faith (1: 13). He was
well aware that if they were kept sound in the faith, the works would follow as
a necessary consequence. But what faith
is it that produces works? That is made
very clear in the opening of the epistle.
Paul refers to himself as ‘an apostle
of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s
elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which
is after godliness’ (1: 1). The
faith which works therefore is the faith of God’s elect, for they are ‘created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that they should walk in them’ (Ephesians 2: 10).
The faith which produces no
works is not the faith of God’s elect.
It is that faith spoken of by James which, being without works, is dead
(2: 17, 20). A dead
man cannot work; neither can a dead faith, and the man who possesses it is
himself still dead in trespasses and sins.
In other words, his Christianity is but an empty profession; his
religion is a religion without a soul. A
genuine faith is a faith that acknowledges the truth which is after
godliness. A faith without godliness is
a godless faith, a mere credulity.
James gives us a striking
illustration of the worthlessness of a dead faith. If a man comes to us hungry
and naked, and we tell him to depart in peace and be warmed and filled, and yet
we give him nothing, our words do not profit (2:
16).
Likewise if a man says he believes in Jesus and yet goes on living in [wilful] sin, his faith, whatever it be, does not profit. If a man admits he is a sinner and yet brings
forth no works meet for repentance, what is he the better for his
admission? If our faith does not bring
forth good works where there were evil ones before, it is of no value.
The Relation of Works to Hope
Next let us consider the
relation of works to hope. Work springs
out of hope in the same way as they spring out of faith. We do not hope because we work, but we work
because we hope. ‘We should live ... godly,
in this present world; looking
for that blessed hope, and the glorious
appearing [or ‘appearing of the glory’ R.V.] of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ’ (2: 12-13). He is
a poor Christian who cannot work when he has that blessed hope in view. Brethren, you who love the Lord Jesus, what
must it be to see Him? It is His
appearing for which we look, and because we know He is coming, we can work.
A mother promises her boy a
certain treat of some kind or other, and in the meantime, how the boy
works! He cleans father’s boots, chops
the wood, fetches the coal. And it is all
done as light-heartedly as possible.
Why? Because he is looking forward to the promised treat, although it
may have been promised unconditionally.*
[* NOTE: If the ‘promised treat’
is given ‘unconditionally,’ then it is
given as a ‘reward’ for his “good works”!]
So the Christian, looking
forward to his Saviour’s glorious
appearing, seeks to be diligent in those works which accompany, but do not
merit, salvation. Jesus ‘gave Himself for us, that He
might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify
unto Himself a peculiar people, zealous of good
works’ (2: 14). Our Saviour gave all He could give to remove
our sins so that we might be zealous of good works. It follows, therefore, that if we are not zealous
of good works we have no evidence that He gave Himself for us, and we do not possess that glorious hope of
which the apostle speaks.
Some would have us believe that
God cannot work unless we work, but God has worked in the redemption of His
people in order that they, by His grace, might yield their bodies a living
sacrifice unto Him, which is their reasonable service (Romans
12: 1).
The Relation Works bear to Doctrine
Now let us consider the relation works bear to doctrine. The apostle never underestimated the
importance of doctrine. He opens chapter 2 of this epistle thus, ‘Speak thou the things which become sound doctrine.’ But precept and practice must go
together. Doctrine is of very little
value if unaccompanied by good works. Therefore Paul exhorts Titus, in all
thing to show himself ‘a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing un-corruptness, gravity, sincerity’ (2: 7). In other words, ‘Exhort
the people as though you mean it, and then show them that you mean it by doing those things which you exhort.’
An actor once attempted to
explain why so many people went to the theatre, while there were so few at
church. He said to the minister, ‘We speak fiction as
though it were truth, and you speak truth as though it were fiction.’
We may preach, but however true
may be those things which we speak, we
shall fail to convince others of their truth if we do not show that they are
true by our actions. If we have
heard the Word and have believed the Word, let us also be doers of the
Word. Then we shall be in a position to
preach the Word, and ‘Our living sacrifice shall help
men see true is the tale we tell of
Those who pride themselves upon
their orthodoxy and have not yet learned to love one another are in a very
questionable position. The same apostle
who writes to Titus says in another place, Although I may ‘have the gift of prophecy, and
understand all mysteries, and all knowledge;’ if I ‘have not charity, I am nothing’
(1 Corinthians 13: 2). However much and however clearly we may be able
to argue on doctrinal matters, if we have not that faith which worketh by love we are still dead in trespasses and sins.
‘No big words of ready talkers;
no dry doctrine will suffice.
Broken hearts and humble walkers -
these are dear in Jesus’ eyes.
Tinkling sounds of disputation;
naked knowledge; all are vain.
Every soul that finds salvation
must and shall be born again.’
The soul who has been born again
by the Spirit of God has a living faith, and a living faith will work the works
of God Who gave it.
The Particular Works Mentioned
Now let us consider some of the
particular works mentioned in this epistle.
Those relating to bishops, deacons, etc. we must pass over, but we will
look at the more general exhortations.
They may be divided into two classes, that is, (1) negative, and (2)
positive.
Let us consider the negative
first. The apostle speaks of some who ‘profess that they know God, but
in works they deny Him’ (1: 16).
Briefly, therefore, we should seek to shun all those works which would
virtually deny our Lord. We should seek
to deny ‘ungodliness and worldly lusts’
(2: 12). We should ‘speak
evil of no man’ (3: 2).
If we see a brother who is walking as he ought not, it is our business
to tell him of the evil, and on no account speak about it to others. If men do us harm or injury we should seek to return good for evil, and
by no means slander the offenders.
Then there are the positive
works for us to do, and here is a very wide field. We should be ‘ready
to every good work’ (3: 1).
We should always be at the Lord’s service, and if we are ready, there is
plenty of work for willing hands.
Whatever our hands find to do let us do it with our might (Ecclesiastes 9: 10). But we
are not merely to stand waiting. We must
look for work. Paul exhorts Titus to
‘set in order the things that are wanting’ (1: 5). Wherever we find things wanting, there is
work for us to do. May God help us to
keep our eyes open for the things that are wanting, those little things which
other people overlook. If we can only be a stop-gap in the Lord’s work, that is more
honourable than the position of princes who know not our Master. We must ‘be
subject to principalities and powers,’ and ‘obey magistrates’ (3:
1). A
Christian must not dishonour his Master by creating a disturbance unless that
disturbance is made in obedience to the Lord.
‘Whatever power rules, ’tis his to submit,
so far as the law of his God will permit.’
He is, however, to ‘be gentle, showing all meekness
unto all men’ (3: 2).
A Christian is a real gentleman, and a real gentleman dares not injure
his fellow, but seeks to follow the gentle Jesus Who was ‘meek and lowly in heart’ (Matthew
11: 29). The one exhortation which is given specially
to young men is to be sober-minded or discreet.
The more we think upon this, the more necessary it seems. Lives have been ruined through
indiscretion. The labours of some of
God’s servants have many times been blighted by one indiscreet action. Things which are not wrong are oft times
inexpedient, and should be avoided. If
any man lack wisdom, let him ask of God, Who giveth it (James 1: 5).
The Value of Good Works
Finally, we must notice the
value of good works. There is no merit
in them [relative to our God-given eternal
salvation] whatever. ‘Not by
works of righteousness which we have done, but
according to His mercy’ God saved us (3:
5). We do not work to be saved but we
are saved to work.
‘And did the Holy and the Just,
the Sovereign of the skies,
stoop down to wretchedness and dust
that guilty worms might rise?
What glad return can I impart
for favours so divine?
O Take my all, this worthless heart,
and make it wholly Thine.’
The apostle closes by saying ‘I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have
believed in God might be careful to maintain good works. These things are good
and profitable unto men’ (3: 8). This only applies to those who have
believed. All works apart from faith
are vain. If you are
striving for [eternal] salvation by doing, let me remind you that it is all done. If your trust is in the finished work of
the Lord Jesus, - [and you believe there is a ‘Prize’ to be won (1 Cor. 9: 24); and an ‘Inheritance’
which can be lost (Eph. 5: 5)] - then you will work, not
that He might save you, but because He has saved you.
Works are profitable for those
who do them. They preserve them from
many a snare. ‘Satan
finds some mischief still for idle hands to do.’ Therefore, our Lord says, ‘Why stand ye here
all the day idle?’ (Matthew 20: 6).
* *
* * *
* *
45
Mohammedanism: What Is It?
By E.
J. Poole-Connor
(Although this was written about 50 years ago,
the information supplied by Mr Poole-Connor is useful in view of the present
situation in the world. We can only give the first few sections in
this issue of Watching
and Waiting,
but we would like to have the remainder
included at a later date).
[Volume 26, No 3
July/September 2002]
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Mohammed’s Early Days
To what
race and tribe did Mohammed belong? Mohammed was a descendant
of Abraham through Ishmael, and belonged to the Arabian tribe known as the Koreish (Quraish).
What were the circumstances of
his birth and childhood? He was born a few months after
the death of his father, Abdullah, who died shortly after marriage. His mother,
Amina, died when he was six years old. From thence onwards he was cared for by
various relations.
When was he born, and where? He was
born about AD570 in
For what was
What was the religious condition
of
What was the character of
Mohammed as a youth? He is credited with propriety of
demeanour and purity of morals.
What important charge did he
undertake in his younger days? That of convoying caravans to
What effect would his early
surroundings have upon him? The religion of his country
would predispose him towards pilgrimages and the veneration of the Black Stone
at
What other influence in his
early life shaped his later career? He
married, at the age of twenty-five, a wealthy widow of good family, named Khadija, who was attracted by his handsome appearance and
the propriety of his behaviour.
In what way did his marriage
influence him? He became
a person of importance amongst his fellow-countrymen and was able to find time
for uninterrupted meditation on religious matters. When later he professed to be a prophet of
God, his wife believed in his claims and used her wealth to forward them.
What was his general character
at the period when he first put forward his prophetic claims? He was
courteous in manner, eloquent and correct in speech, firm and prompt in his
decisions, and faithful and generous to his followers and friends. The opposition he met with, later, caused
hatred to those whom he considered his enemies.
At what
age did he become seriously troubled about religious matters? About the age of forty.
What was the result of this
restlessness of spirit? He frequently retired for
meditation to a cave on the slopes of
Of what character were these
utterances? They took the form of alleged oracles or
messages from God.
Had he any other remarkable experiences?
At times he passed into a kind
of swoon or trance, and while in this condition he heard voices which claimed
to be the voice of God or of the angel Gabriel.
What in general did his symptoms
indicate during this period? That he
was under the control of an antagonistic spiritual power.
What is suggested by a review of
the history of Mohammedanism, particularly in relation to Christianity? That
there is a personal power antagonistic to the Christian faith, which devised
and energised Mohammedanism as a means of combating Christianity; and that
Mohammed became the instrument of this power in the founding and developing of
the Moslem faith.
Mohammed’s Flight to Medina,
and the Development of His Teaching
Who were Mohammed’s first
disciples at
How were Mohammed’s prophetic
claims received by the people of
What were the main results of
the first ten years of Mohammed’s teaching? Growing hostility on the
part of the rulers and people of
Which of Mohammed’s doctrines
aroused the greatest resentment? His doctrine of the Unity
of God, with its accompanying condemnation of idolatry.
Did Mohammed ever waver in his
denunciation of idolatry during this period? Yes; greatly desiring to reconcile his own tribe, the Koreish, he temporarily condoned their worship of certain
of their favourite goddesses.
In what way did he do this? He
attended a meeting of the Koreish chiefs, and after
reading a portion from the Koran (Quran) in which
these false deities were named (Sura Iiii), he added
the words, suggested to him at the moment, ‘These are
exalted females, and verily their intercession is to be hoped for.’
Did he repudiate this concession
to idolatry? He did
so almost immediately, stirring up more intense antagonism thereby.
To what decision was Mohammed
driven by the hostility of the people of
Where did Mohammed look for a
possible place of refuge? His thoughts turned first to
Abyssinia, to which he sent a number of his followers; later and finally, he
settled upon Yathrib, a city 250 miles north of
What attracted Mohammed to
To what was this favourable
attitude of the people due? Partly to the influence of Jewish
teaching in the city, predisposing them to the rejection of idolatry and the
hope of a Messiah, and partly to their being weary of long internal strife, and
so ready to welcome a leader who might reunite them.
What was the date of Mohammed’s
flight from
By what name was this event
subsequently known, and to what chronological use was it put? It was known as the Hegira, meaning Flight
(pronounced Hej-ra, accent on the first syllable),
and Mohammedans date their years therefrom, as Christians date theirs from the
birth of our Lord. European writers use
the abbreviation A.H. for ‘in the year of the Hegira’
as we use A.D. for ‘in the year of our Lord.’
What, then, would Anno Domini 1952 be in the Moslem
calendar? The Mohammedan year being lunar
it would be the year of the Hegira 1370.
How was Mohammed received in
What developments of Mohammed’s
teaching took place during the early years of his settlement in
In what respects did his
teaching concerning Revelation undergo a
change? Formerly he taught that the Old
and New Testaments were of equal authority with the Koran; at
What development was seen in the
matter of Religious Observances? Daily prayer at five
stated times, with preliminary washings, became obligatory; Friday was
appointed as a day of public service at the Mosque; the Kaaba
at Mecca became the place towards which the face was turned in prayer, instead
of the Temple at Jerusalem; the fast of Ramadan was instituted; and the call to
prayer in its present form was first adopted.
In what way did Mohammed
influence his followers in the matter of marriage after the Flight to
To what, from the human
standpoint, were these developments largely due? To his growing breach with both Jews and
Christians, who rejected his claims.
Concessions which he formerly made to win them were now withdrawn.
What religious observances
instituted by Mohammed were evidently borrowed from the Jews? Ceremonial washings, a weekly
service-day, the turning of the face to Mecca instead of Jerusalem and the
observance of an annual fast, the latter being suggested by the Jewish Day of
Atonement. What events helped to shape
Mohammed’s doctrine concerning war? His desire for plunder and (later on)
vengeance caused him to organise raids upon
How did he treat those who were
captured in subsequent battles? Many, and especially
those who had been prominent in opposing him, were by his orders ruthlessly
slain. In his expedition against the
Jews of Beni Koraiza, seven
hundred captives were massacred, and their wives and children were sold into
slavery.
How did
he justify his resort to force? By further alleged
revelations from heaven.
What effect had these actions
upon the future doctrines of Mohammedanism? Henceforth war upon
religious grounds (jehad) and the propagation of
religion by force of arms became an accepted tenet of Mohammedanism (Islam). ‑ N.B. ‘Muslim’
is the more correct spelling. ‘Moslem’ was adopted because it is used in English
books. Islam (accent on second syllable)
is the religion; derived from an Arabic verb meaning ‘surrender’
or ‘resignation.’ A follower of it does not call himself
Mohammedan, but Muslim.
In view of these developments of
the doctrines of Mohammed, what contrast may be drawn between him and our Lord? Whereas
our Lord resisted the temptations of
Satan, Mohammed yielded to them, and purchased thereby that which our Lord
refused to receive - the kingdoms of
this world and the glory of them.
The Death of Mohammed and the Triumphs of
Islam
When did Mohammed die and at
what age? June 8th AD632, in the sixty-fourth year of his
age. Who was the first Moslem ruler
after Mohammed? Abu Bakr, one
of his earliest converts, who took the title of Khalifa
(often spelt by Europeans ‘Caliph’) - an Arabic
word meaning ‘Successor.’
What was the immediate task
which confronted Abu Bakr on the death of Mohammed? The
re-subjugation of Arabia, which revolted from Moslem rule on the death of
Mohammed, and the defence of
What resulted from the successful
accomplishment of these tasks? The consolidation of
Islam as a stable power, and its imposition, by force of arms, on other
nations.
What particularly led to the
first Moslem wars of aggression? The policy of the new Khalifa, who thought it necessary to secure the adhesion of
the conquered tribes of
In what famous saying did Abu
Bakr justify his action? ‘When a people
leaveth off to fight in the ways of the Lord, the Lord castest off that people.’
Was this propagation of religion
by carnal weapons in any sense a departure from the teaching of Mohammed? No, for Mohammed himself had said, ‘When the sacred months are past, kill those who join any
other gods with God wherever ye shall find them’ (Sura 9:5).
Against what peoples did the
Moslem forces first turn? Against the Romans, whose Empire
lay to the north of
What were the results of these
campaigns? In the battle of Wacusa, AD634, the Moslem armies wrested
What was the final extent of
their Moslem conquest eastward? Under the Arabian
Caliphs (Khalifas) the Moslem conquests extended
eastwards through Turkestan to the borders of
How far northward did the final
Moslem conquests extend? Under the Turkish Khalifas, Asia Minor was conquered, and South-eastern
Europe as far as
What special features marked the
Moslem soldiery during these wars?
Intense religious fanaticism on the one hand, and cruelty and
licentiousness on the other. Many of
these campaigns were raids.
Was any other method than that
of the sword employed by Moslems in the propagation of their religion? Yes.
Islam has always been a powerful missionary force, and every possible
method of winning converts has been employed.
What notable results followed the
Moslem conquests in Europe, Asia and
In what great battle was the
Moslem invasion of
Is this to be regarded as an
interpretation of
Was not
the Christian Church in
What remains to tell of the
existence of this once great
Are there any reasons for
believing that the extinction of the Church in
What outstanding illustrations
are there of the triumphs of Islam over ‘Christianity’? The great cathedral of S. Sophia
in the capital of the first ‘Christian’ Emperor
of Rome, became a Mohammedan mosque, as did the cathedral of Damascus; Antioch,
where the disciples were first called Christians, now ‘bristles
with minarets;’ and the Moslem ‘call to prayer
is heard daily in the birthplace of our Lord.’
Why is the Christian not shaken
in his faith by the knowledge of these facts? Because
our Lord foretold that the Christian Church should thus suffer from attack from
without and apostasy from within.
In which of His parables did our
Lord foretell these things? Particularly in the seven
parables recorded in Matthew 13, when He
foretold that persecution and worldliness would hinder the progress of the Gospel;
that unregenerate men would be found within the borders of the professing
Church; and that the leaven of error would corrupt the truth.
(To be
continued, God willing)
* *
* * *
* *
46
Remarks
on John 5: 24-29
By S. P.
Tregelles
(The following is a letter written by Dr
Tregelles to ‘The Christian Annotator,’
and it appeared in that magazine in an issue dated 21st April,
1855).
[“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He
that heareth my word, and believeth him that
sent me, hath eternal life, and cometh not into judgment, but
hath passed out of death into life.
[25] Verily, verily, I say unto you, The hour
cometh, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God; and they that hear shall live. [26] For as the Father hath life in
himself, even so gave he to the Son also to have
life in himself: [27] and he gave him authority to execute judgment, because he is the Son of man. [28] Marvel not at this: for the hour cometh, in which
all that are in the tombs shall hear his voice, [29] and shall come forth; they that have done good, unto
the resurrection of life; and they that have
done ill, unto the resurrection of judgment.”
R.V.]
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Perhaps I may be allowed to
give what I believe to be the true exposition of these verses, although, I know
that on one point the Editor of the Annotator does not agree with me.
Verse 24 appears to me to be the full statement of
the gospel: ‘he that heareth My Word, and believeth on Him that sent Me, hath everlasting life.’ The Lord thus shows that it is not a mere
mental assent to a message or to a statement of facts, but that it is such a
reception of the message concerning a crucified Saviour as leads the soul to
confide in Him, even God the Father, by Whom that Saviour was sent. He whose heart is thus caused to believe in
God (as it only can be by the operation of the Holy Ghost) hath eternal life as his present and enduring portion.
But that is not all; he ‘shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life.’ ‘Condemnation’ here is
simply judgment; and, though all judgment must be condemnation to him whose
sins have not been put away in the Blood of Christ, yet here we must keep the
word in its strict sense, for it tells us how fully Christ has been the
substitute and surety of His believing people.
They shall not come into judgment; their works may indeed be judged, but
their persons, as accepted in the Beloved, can never be; Christ has been so
judged in their stead, that their acceptance can never be questioned; he that
thus believeth ‘is passed from death unto life.’ Here, then, is the believer’s security; and
surely it is for the honour of Christ’s sacrifice that we should know that
these things are so.
Life, even eternal life, secured
in the living person of the Son of God risen from the dead, is one of the
things freely given us of God; and, as the Spirit of God is given to the
believer that he may know what has been so bestowed, it is not presumption for
any who by faith has laid his hand on the head of the bleeding sacrifice to be
confident in the promises of God, and to praise Him with a purged conscience,
because of sin forgiven, and peace with God as a known blessing.
Thus verse 24, speaks of that life in the soul which the believer now has,
and which the message of the gospel is the continuous instrument in
ministering. From this place, I believe
that our Lord speaks of that resurrection which will communicate to His people
the same life in their bodies.
Verse 25 unfolds, I believe, the mystery that there should
be a resurrection of some before the final day: ‘the hour is coming ... when
the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live’ - the first resurrection, when the voice of Christ, at His second advent, shall call [those ‘that are accounted worthy’ (Luke 20: 35,
R.V.)] from
the graves the bodies of all partakers of grace, from the beginning even to
that hour. ‘The hour is coming’ when this will be. But this is not all, for our Lord adds, ‘and now is;’ because wherever He was Who was
Himself the resurrection as well as the life, there was the power of calling whom He would from their graves; He exercised this, however, a few times
during His personal ministry, in the
restoration of natural life; and even this was an earnest that He will call all His [chosen] people from their graves in the day of His coming glory. The Son hath life in Himself, and this life
He can and will put forth and communicate.
Verse 27 relates, I believe, to the millennial reign of our Lord. He possesses ‘authority
to execute judgment also, because He is the Son
of Man.’
But it was not to be a cause of surprise that Christ
should thus raise by His voice some
who should hear it; ‘for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves shall hear His voice, and
shall come forth’ - the final and general
resurrection of all who up to that time remain in their graves, not therefore affecting the persons [previously] raised before
the millennial reign. They come forth, some to the resurrection of life, and the rest to the resurrection of judgment. This would include all the wicked who ever have been, and any of Christ’s people who have died during the millennium [who were previously Judged by Christ (Heb. 9: 17) as not
“accounted worthy to attain to that age, (the
millennium) and of the resurrection that out
of dead ones’ (Luke 20: 35, Lit. Gk. cf. Rev.
3: 11; 6: 9-11).]
But will there be death during
that [millennial] period of blessing?
Surely there will; for it is not till the close of that period that
death is destroyed. I know full well
that many have regarded the millennium as a perfect state; but does Scripture
so teach? Satan indeed is bound, but ‘that which is born of the flesh is flesh’ (John 16), and grace and regeneration will be as
much needed then as now; and as ‘flesh
and blood* cannot inherit the kingdom of God’ (1 Corinthians 15: 50), the
final triumph over sin and death cannot be until natural things are gone, and
that for ever.
[* But “flesh and bones” (Lk. 24: 39), - after
the “Better” and “First
Resurrection” (Heb. 11: 35b; Rev. 20: 6) - most certainly can!]
If we contrast the millennial period
with that which is now, we can hardly overstate its blessings; but if we
contrast it with the perfect condition [in ‘a new heaven and a new earth’
(Rev. 21:
1, R.V.)] beyond, we may see that it differs from it
as much as a man now regenerate does from what he will be in his resurrection
state. In either case terms and
expressions rightly belonging to that which is final may be applied in their
measure to that which is intermediate.
Thus I would say - verse 24, the
statement of the gospel; verse 25, the first resurrection, when Christ comes, of all [‘blessed and holy’] saints up to that time; verse 27, the
reign of Christ in full judicial authority; verses 28-29, the general resurrection, and
the judgment of the great white throne.
These varied manifestations of
power and grace are detailed, ‘that all men should
honour the Son, even as they honour the Father’
(John 5: 23). May God grant that all inquiries into His
Truth may be directed by the Holy Ghost to this end.
* *
* * *
* *
47
Millennialism
By C.
C. Morris (
(This is an extract from (in article in the
May/June, 2072 issue of ‘The Remnant,’ a paper edited by Mr Morris.
The whole article is an answer to the
theories of Mr David Brown. A fuller examination of
Mr Brown’s book is found in Mr B W Newton’s ‘Christ’s Second Coming’ -
It Will Be Pre-millennial, obtainable from ourselves, price £3.)
[Volume 28, No 7
July/September 2013.]
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Definition of Terms
The term ‘millennium’ itself simply means a thousand-year
period. The Bible mentions a ‘thousand
years’ nine times, six of which are found in Revelation
20. It is from this chapter
that the millennial views (a-millennialism, post-millennialism, and
pre-millennialism) begin. To save time
and space, those who write or speak on prophecy sometimes abbreviate these
three terms as ‘a-mill,’ ‘post-mill,’ and ‘pre-mill’
respectively. A term used by Mr Bonar
referring to all systems opposed to the pre-millennial view (a-millennialism,
preterism, post-millennialism, etc.) is ‘anti-millenarian.’
Important to note: The
prefixes ‘a,’ ‘post,’
and ‘pre’ refer to the time when these various
schools of thought believe Christ will return in relation to the thousand-year
millennium of Revelation 20.
A-millennialism
The prefix ‘a’ means ‘no.’ An atheist believes in no God (a = no, + theos = God; atheist = no God). An agnostic believes one
has no knowledge (a = no, + gnosis know, or knowledge; agnostic = no
knowledge).
A-millennialists believe there
will be no literal 1000-year millennium as such. Therefore, discussing whether Christ will
return before or after something they do not believe literally exists or will
exist is irrelevant to them.
The a-millennialists believe the
church is now in the millennium, which only figuratively represents (to them) a
long time. Their thousand years is
already nearly two thousand years long, but to them that is only figurative
anyway. A-millennialism teaches that the
church, the
If the present church age is the
prophesied millennium as a-millennialists believe, and Christ will return after
the church age as they evidently believe, then I cannot see why
a-millennialists are not all post-millennialist. Perhaps this is my problem alone; one of the
a-millennialists might give me a simple explanation.
A-millennialists ask, ‘Where does the Bible mention a thousand-year reign?’ We have the same Scripture for the
thousand-year reign of Christ that anyone else has for the final judgment of
mankind - Revelation 20. We can honestly ask them, ‘Other than Revelation 20, where else does the Bible mention the Great White Throne
judgment?’
Post-millennialism
The prefix ‘post’ simply means ‘after.’ The post-millennialists believe Christ will
return after the millennium. They
believe the church is in the process of converting the world now, and that the
church will gradually lead the world into a millennium of a thousand years of
peace and prosperity, after which Christ will return, judge the world, and
usher in the eternal state.
By the very nature of this idea,
post-millennialists believe the world is getting increasingly better and will
continue doing so until the whole world will eventually be Christianised.
Post-millennialism fits nicely with
Arminian soul-winning, foreign missions, the ‘gospel
regeneration’ theory, the modernists’ socio-political ‘social gospel’ (including governmental ‘faith-based initiatives,’ with federal grants in
participating churches), and the general belief that it is up to man’s free
will and efforts to convert the world.
What A-millennialism and Post-millennialism
Have In Common
Both believe the 1000 year
millennium is figurative and not necessarily limited to exactly 1000 years.
A-millennialists see the church age as being the millennium. They say we are in the millennium now; but
many a-mills also say we are in the tribulation period now; some say with the preterists that we are in the New Jerusalem now - such are
the vagaries of substituting figurative applications to plain language.
Post-millennialism says that the
church is at present converting the world to Christ, after which we will have a
thousand year millennium of universal peace and prosperity, and after that,
Christ will return to judge the world.
Both a-millennialism and
post-millennialism are highly figurative and allegorical in their
interpretation of Scripture. There is a
strong element of Sadduceeism in their belief, ‘For the Sadducees (and
many anti-millenarians) say
that there is no resurrection (of the physical body), neither
angel, nor spirit’ (Acts 23: 8).
Thereby, the anti-millenarians
furnish a starting-point for modernists, who might pretend to justify their
existence from the Bible. Yes, some
modernists do quote Scripture, of sorts.
That is why they have their modern Bible versions. Even Satan had a try at misapplying Scripture
(see Matthew 4: 6
and Luke 4: 10).
Pre-millennialism
The prefix ‘pre’ means ‘before.’ One definition of predestination is a destiny
or destination that is fixed before (pre = before + destiny or destination).
Pre-millennialists believe
Christ will return before the millennium of Revelation
20. Indeed, they believe that a
major reason for the return of the Saviour will be to institute His reign as
King on the earth, literally and visibly during the millennium, which will be
the seventh millennium from Adam.
The pre-millennialist believes
the world is getting worse, not better; as Paul said, ‘But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived’
(2 Timothy 3: 13).
Every previous age since the
creation has ended in apostasy, and this present age is no exception to
this. Indeed, it is a decree of God in
His absolute predestination of all things, and that is for the express purpose
of demonstrating to all sentient beings that ‘Without
Me ye can do nothing’ (John 15: 5).
Since Adam, we have been living in a divine demonstration programme
proving that man cannot meet any conditions of law or works (conditionalism) to
merit salvation, either temporal or eternal.
The experience of those taught of God has always been,
‘So by experience I do know,
there’s nothing good that I can do;
I cannot satisfy the law,
nor hope nor comfort from it draw.
My nature is so prone to sin,
which makes my duty so unclean,
that when I count up all the cost,
if not free grace, then I am lost.’
Only those who have been
quickened by the sovereign grace of our Lord Jesus Christ can make such an
admission with all their hearts, souls, and spirits. All others will try innumerable Satanic and
man-made schemes to save themselves, to no avail. ‘There
is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the
end thereof are the ways of death’ (Proverbs
14: 12; 16:
25).
Pre-millennialists believe this
present age will end in apostasy, as have all previous ages, and that our
only hope is the shed blood and imputed righteousness of Christ, and the literal return of the Lord Jesus
Christ Who, at His return, will raise and glorify His saints from all previous
ages, put down all overt sin and rebellion throughout the entire world, and
establish His literal reign of the thousand years on this earth spoken of six
times in Revelation 20: 2-7.
Pre-millennial but not Dispensational
The terms ‘dispensation,’ ‘dispensational,’
and ‘dispensationalist’ are nowadays used as
prejudicial words. Opponents of
pre-millennialism enforce a double standard - A-millennialists can use the word
‘dispensation’ freely. Modern a-millennial preachers and writers
regularly refer to ‘the church dispensation,’
and ‘the law dispensation,’ but any
pre-millennialist who does so, risks using the ‘D’
word to his own detriment. It is like
politics. If an establishment newscaster
calls a man an extremist or a racist, the conditioned masses must automatically
fear and shun that man. Likewise, call a
man a dispensationalist and immediately everyone is supposed to fear him.
Cyrus Ingerson
Scofield popularised dispensationalism in his Reference Bible first published
in 1909. His theory divided Bible
history into seven periods he called dispensations: Innocency, Conscience,
Human Government, Promise, Law, Grace, and Kingdom. The latter, Kingdom, refers to the millennial
The truth is, one can be, as I
am, a pre-millennialist without following the dispensationalism set forth in
Scofield’s system. My view is
pre-millennial; I am not a dispensationalist.
Preterism
There is a fourth view,
preterism, which should be addressed here.
Preterists believe all prophecies were fulfilled in
apostolic times. As far as I can
tell, their sole justification for this belief is Christ’s statement, ‘Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass, till all these things
be fulfilled’ (Matthew 24: 34), or, as it is worded in Luke 21: 32, ‘Verily I say unto you, This
generation shall not pass away, till all be
fulfilled.’ They say, ‘All prophecy will be fulfilled in this generation! All prophecy means ALL PROPHECY. This
generation means the generation that was alive on the earth when Christ uttered
these words. Nothing remains to be fulfilled,
because it has ALL already been fulfilled in that generation.’*
(*For a correct understanding of
the term ‘this generation,’ see Mr. B. W.
A current book about the Book of
the Revelation, advertised in a pro-preterist website, has this to say in its promotional blurb
- ‘With 22 chapters of symbolism, mysterious
characters, and apocalyptic drama, all told in picture language unmatched in the rest of Scripture, the
Book of Revelation is difficult enough on its own.’
That is the way commentators
love to present Revelation. To prejudice their readers into accepting their
misleading ‘interpretations,’ preterists and others
convince the unwary to think Revelation is
anything but a Revelation (which means a ‘revealing’
or an ‘unveiling’). Revelation,
they imply, is impossible to understand; so they predispose a gullible public
to believe any preposterous theory their writers later espouse.
The preterists
learned their lesson well from a-millennialism, carrying the figurative or
allegorical approach to Bible interpretation to its most ridiculous extreme.
The Book of the Revelation
Itself
Because so many commentators
have presumed that Revelation is highly
symbolic, figurative, mysterious, and extremely difficult to understand (which
is because so many writers and speakers insist on saying that Bible language is
figurative), many saints who would like to read the Book of the Revelation are frightened away from this wonderful
book. Yet this is the only book in the
Bible that the Lord Jesus Christ Himself directly recommends to be read. ‘Blessed
is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy,
and keep those
things that are written therein: for the time is
at hand’ (Revelation 1: 3).
In spite of this endorsement
from our Lord, many would-be readers of the Revelation
have been convinced they cannot understand it.
They either assume they cannot understand it or that it is useless to
try. Consequently, questions abound
about Revelation’s contents. Perhaps no question has bothered Bible
readers more than the twin issues of (1)
whether the term ‘a thousand years’ is
figurative or literal, and (2)
whether those thousand years are past, present, or yet in the future.
The problem is compounded by
those who hold to a ‘historic interpretation’
(historicism), saying that Revelation’s seals,
trumpets, vials, angels, locusts, earthquakes, and plagues represent everything
from Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo to obscure events involving the Goths and
Visigoths warring against Rome, to Genghis Khan and the Mongolian hordes, to
the Crusades, to Mohammedanism, to Hannibal’s crossing of the Alps. Vint says
Charlemagne bound Satan in AD 814. Brown
says the church will bind Satan during the Millennium.
If such an approach were valid,
it would be no wonder that those of us who struggled with medieval European
history in high school are a bit hesitant to tackle the Revelation.
Figurative, Literal, and Spiritual
Application
My approach to Bible reading is
simple and uncomplicated. I wholeheartedly
believe the Bible is the inspired Word of God, and that every word, every
individual letter, means something. That
something is exactly what God intended for each word to say and mean.
Because pre-millennialists take
the Bible literally, we are often falsely accused of believing there is no
figurative language in the Bible. We
have been ridiculed as believing anything from God’s literally having feathers
and wings (Psalm 91: 4) to
believing the dragon coming out of the sea (Isaiah 27: 1) will be like Godzilla surfacing in San
Francisco Bay.
Of course, this ridicule is
false. We fully recognise figurative
biblical language exists. That to which
we object is the trying to make anything and everything a sign or symbol of
something else, a subtle and easy step to unbelief. The modernist’s saying that the resurrection
of Christ only means ‘the teachings of Jesus live in
our hearts’ is a case in point not so very far removed from the
so-called ‘spiritual interpretations’ of the anti-millenarians.
* * *
* * *
*.
48
Prophecy
By John Cox
(This is continued from the article in the
April-June issue of ‘Watching and
Waiting,’ pages 88-93.
It is an extract from a booklet published in 1897)
The Order in Which Prophecy is Written
Prophecy is not written in
the order of occurrence. It is not,
therefore, consecutive and chronological.
It cannot be represented by a straight horizontal line having a beginning
and going on unbroken until the end, but it is written in the order best
calculated to instruct the student, and to impress the mind and heart with the
solemn truth and facts of revelation.
Instead of a continuous and unbroken record the instruction conveyed is
by separate visions or sections, each dealing with the same period.
But while each line of prophecy
refers to the same period there is a great difference between them. The earlier visions or sections of prophecy
are wider and more general, while the later are more specific, and contain
details which are called for by enquiries arising from the consideration of the
earlier visions or sections. The later
often contain instruction respecting things that take place before those which
are revealed in the early visions or sections.
The mode of instruction is similar to that in which geography is
sometimes taught by a series of maps, the first of which is a mere outline of a
country, and the succeeding maps showing its rivers, mountains, cities,
etc. By this method of recurrence many aspects
of the same truth are given which could not be so well supplied in any other
form.
The narrative of the creation
will afford an illustration of this principle upon which all Scripture is
written. It is not chronological. The first verse of Genesis 1 tells of a completed creation. Then the following verses describe the order
in which all things were created, and the Rest of God in them. In Chapter 2
the narrative recurs, and added details are supplied as to the creation of Eve and
other things which are not found in their order in Chapter
1.
The prophecies of Isaiah, Daniel,
Zechariah, etc., are manifestly written on
this principle. The early prophecies in
each book cover the same period as the later.
The events foretold are not given in the order of occurrence.
There is also another important
key principle which must be observed in order that prophecy might be rightly
read and understood. Not only are the
visions or sections in relation to each other not consecutive and chronological,
but oftentimes the order of each vision or section is also not the order of
occurrence but of instruction, for each begins with a revelation, the
fulfilment of which does not take place until the succeeding events are
fulfilled; e.g., the blessing of Israel in the millennium is described in Isaiah 2: 24,
before reference is made to the preceding sins and sorrows; and the advent of
the Lord in His conquering might is symbolically foretold in Revelation 6: 2,
before the preceding judgments are described.
Practical Conclusions
We have seen that Prophecy has
revealed the coming apostasy of the Jew, the Gentile, and Christendom, and the
judgments which will overtake those three bodies at the close of this present
Dispensation. Sad indeed is their
present condition!
Blinded
The great Gentile nations are
increasingly misusing the governmental power committed to them by God. What terrible inhumanities have been for ages,
and are still being, perpetrated by Turkey (written in 1897 - Ed.), one of those nations, while receiving sustainment from other
nations, who have done little more than make unavailing protests against the
fiendish tortures, outrages, and wholesale butcheries, and the destruction of
the homes of hundreds of thousands of defenceless men and women and children
who would not embrace Islamism.
Then there is guilty Christendom
with its Greek, Roman, and Anglican idolatries; its compromised and enfeebled Protestantism,
so weak because so worldly and tolerant of evil, and so worldly because it has
not been mindful of the separating words of God by His holy prophets. What great need is there at the present time,
for those who have ears to hear His words, to take their stand outside the Camp
of worldly Christianity, and separate from those so called national Protestant
Churches in which Baptismal Regeneration, Transubstantiation, Auricular
Confession, and other Popish and unscriptural doctrines and practices have
become legalised; and also from those religious bodies where false doctrines
are taught, and worldliness is manifested in the character of their buildings,
in the form of their services, and in various expedients for raising money, and
for attracting and amusing the people, by means of bazaars and so called sacred
oratorios, concerts, cantatas, passion plays, organ voluntaries, fruit and
floral decorations, festivals, secular lectures, bands, banners, processions,
and other like worldly things, which loudly proclaim that those who resort to
them believe that, for the present time at least, the Word of God and the
Spirit of God and the Gospel of His Grace are, of themselves, insufficient for
the conversion and instruction of souls.
Then there is a sorrowful need to separate also from those who while
abstaining from such worldly expedients, reject the foundation doctrine of the
imputation of the Righteousness of Christ; who exclude the Old Testament saints
from the Church of God in Glory; who hold that the moral law is not now a rule
of life for believers; who teach that there are two gospels, two ways, and two
ends of salvation; who divide the New Testament into Christian and Jewish
Scriptures and who strongly hold that the Coming of the Lord, and the rapture
of the Church, may take place at any moment, and must precede the appearing of
the antichrist, and the judgment of the great tribulation.
A new Reformation, based wholly
on God’s neglected Word, is now greatly needed; the words of the prophets must be
heeded and no longer ignored or perverted; false doctrine no longer tolerated;
worldly expediency, alliance, and compromise be given up; and the whole truth
of God be made the basis of union.
May many hearts be exercised as
to these things, and earnestly pray for wisdom and grace to separate from evil,
to cleave to the truth, to walk in ‘all holy
conversation and godliness,’ and to ‘grow in grace and
in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To Him be the glory
both now and for ever. Amen.’
* * *
* * *
*
49
A Review by J.
A. Green*
[*Some years ago the editor of this website had the privilege of
meeting the late J. A. Green and his wife Christine at their home in
Since that
initial meeting they became personal friends.
Jack was always a constant help to me in spiritual matters. He also
provided
an unpublished
exposition of Scripture by G. H. Lang for the website. Jack’s sermons can be purchased
from the
Sovereign
Grace Advent Testimony. See the list below his ‘Review’.]
(The March, 1972 issue of ‘Watching and Waiting’ contained this review of Mr Iain Murray’s book, ‘The Puritan Hope.’
Although the review, written by Mr Green,
is over 40 years old, we consider that it
still has much that
is useful for those who are
concerned to know the true teaching of God’s Holy Word).
‘The Puritan Hope’ grew out of a paper read before the Puritan Conference in
1967. It is a gracious and objective
study which gives students of prophecy a compendium of puritan, post-millennial
teaching; the plea is not for an out-and-out post-millennial doctrine, but
rather is a modified one, nearer to Professor John Murray’s view than the
old-fashioned brand of Charles Hodge.
Readers of ‘Watching
and Waiting’ will appreciate many points - the upholding of the
unity of the redeemed of all ages, the disposal of the legal view that
intervening and time-consuming events hinder the believer from enjoying the
blessed hope, the rejection of the a-millennial view of Israel’s future as
outlined in Romans 11 as being ‘not accurate enough,’ and many like areas of
agreement.
Despite the fact that Mr Murray’s
arduous labours call forth many endorsements from us, the usual non-millenarian
thrusts at pre-millenarians and their tenets require some careful answers and
to that task we now turn. Our appeal
shall be to the ‘Law and the Testimony.’
Apostasy or World-wide Blessing?
Whilst the book does not
advocate absolute universal blessing for the world, it advocates our looking
for the global triumph of the gospel, incorporating the mass of ethnic
The implication of the author is
that pre-millennialists are pessimists.
However, the united testimony of the whole of the New Testament leads us
to the view that things will be, in Christendom at large, in a state that
requires the clean sweep of divine judgment preparatory to Christ’s Kingdom on
earth. The course of the age, as
outlined by the Lord in Matthew 13 and 24, the expectation of Paul in 2
Thessalonians 1: 4 - 2: 12 and the
graphic descriptions of the judgments of God in Revelation
6: 19 all forbid our looking for the
enthroning of truth before Christ’s advent.
Truth is fallen in the street and equity cannot enter now - in the next
era, truth will be supreme. Meanwhile
the elective character of the age continues, the gospel is preached for a
witness (Matthew 24: 14) and
God continues to ‘take out of the Gentiles a people for
His Name’ (Acts 15: 14). However godly we may be, if
our hope is not that of Scripture, or if it is one that flies in the face
thereof, our hope is a delusion.
Interregnum Denied
We are told that the end of the
world and the beginning of the eternal state are synchronous with the
resurrection and the advent. 1 Corinthians 15: 23-24, Acts 3: 21, Matthew 19:
28 are urged in support. The Corinthian passage itself has internal
proof that that is not so, as students well know, for Christ the ‘Firstfruits’ is separated from they that are
His at His coming by ‘afterward’ (Greek: epeita). What
is there to prevent our understanding the second time-mark ‘then’ (Greek:
eita) as
separating the resurrection of the wicked, the ‘end,’ from
that of the saints? (N.B. See
verses 6 and 7 of this chapter where these
words are used to stress succession and deny simultaneity). The
first interval has almost run on for 2000 years. Why should not the second be understood as
comprehending the 1000 years of Christ’s Kingdom, as in Revelation 20: 1-10? We are, moreover,
obliged to see in the words ‘then cometh the end,’ a
resurrection, for we are told that ‘every man is raised in his own order (tagma).’ Since
Christ is not an order on His own, but only ‘firstfruits,’ we are
obliged to see in ‘the end’ the end
of the resurrection to give us two tagmata. The balance
of the verse in Acts 3: 21 says
that the prophets had one theme since the world began (that of the restitution
of all things (apokatastasis). Apart
from Isaiah none mentioned the eternal state, so that we are safe in assuming
that Peter referred to the Messianic Kingdom here, the time when the kingdom
would be restored (apokathistaneis) to
No Stated ‘Order of
Events’
We notice that this
non-millennial book does not (as for instance the esteemed Mr Grier in (‘The Momentous Event’) press the order of events in 2 Peter 3. This is taken as a
rule by such works as infallible proof against a millennium because the passage
fails to mention it. That portion does
not, however, mention the conversion of
The Thousand Years
To our author, the passage which
without equivocation treats of the 1000 years (Revelation
20) is ‘the darkest passage in the
Bible.’ On pages 47-49 he does
throw out a hint or two as to what it might mean - being convinced, it appears,
that it cannot mean what it says! It is
suggested that we may view the ‘First Resurrection’
as being regeneration. The rejoinder is
quickly forthcoming; shall we suppose universal regeneration? For the ‘rest of
the dead’ live with the self-same life when the thousand years have run
their course. Again, are men beheaded to
effect their new birth - reductio ad absurdum! It is further suggested that the ‘principles of the martyrs’ are revived during the
period spoken of. Consistent exegesis
would then require us to try to ‘spiritualise’
(whatever that may mean) the great assize in verses
11 - 15. That were to court modernism, whose
predilections seek to divest us of the judgment of the end of the chapter as
anti-millenarians would rob us of the beginning. Without an axe to grind, if the student is
prepared to take the passage in the natural sense of a two-fold bodily
resurrection, the passage is perfectly simple.
The ‘darkness’ arises when the teaching
of the chapter is inconvenient for our scheme, and must needs be explained away
to save it.
Darby and the Brethren
The fact that Darby’s views on
prophecy prevailed among the Brethren cannot be gainsaid (see note 35 re
chapter 9). It would have helped the
cause of Christ if the fact had been stated that the majority of the early
leaders rejected Darby’s teachings - a fact that cannot have been unknown to
the author, from the material searched to compile this work. Overtly, the attacks of J.N.D. upon B. W.
Newton were for other things; but many judge that it was because he staunchly
opposed the higher dispensationalism of the former. Also, allowing for Darby’s brilliance and
scholarship, S. P. Tregelles, the renowned textual critic, was head and
shoulders above him as a Greek scholar and not one whit behind him as a
theologian; and he launched an all-out attack upon Darby’s mystical
declarations that has never been answered.
The great man of faith, George Muller, and his partner at Bristol, Henry
Craik; the holy Chapman of Barnstable; Dan Crawford
of Central Africa (the author of ‘Thinking Black’),
one and all publicly confuted these views, and this is still on record in their
written ministry. Spurgeon said that the
Open Brethren (i.e. those who followed Muller in the first great division) are
‘as different from Darbyists as night from day ... an
evangelical race ... with whom communion is not difficult ... far removed from
the ferocity of Darbyists.’ It
had been good if the present work had contained such clear distinctions, which
Christian charity demands in view of the fact that Darby’s errors have grown to
their full-blown consequences in the scandalous antics of the Exclusive
Brethren under Big Jim Taylor and his likes.
Spurgeon on Prophecy
Having authored several works
dealing with Spurgeon, Mr Murray may now be considered an authority on the
Victorian giant. In an underhand way he
seeks to leave us with the impression that C.H.S. had recanted his views on
prophecy. A personal perusal of
Spurgeon’s works will convince the reader that Appendix Two of this work is not
comprehensive enough in setting forth what the great preacher of grace declared
on the last things; albeit we too have noticed several statements which appear to
militate against the avowed pre-millenarian stand. That he did not alter in later years is seen
by the fact that in 1866 (Sword and Trowel, August) in an article ‘Jerusalem Above’ he revealed his belief in the
conversion of
The
It remains to be said that, as
with most of those who regard themselves as all the more Reformed for rejection
of a millennium, the Confessions are cited as proof that, say, the Westminster
Divines were non-millenarian in outlook.
Firstly, this is not in accord with Dr. Robert Bailie’s
letter (himself non-millennial) to William Spang, for
he said ‘the MOST
of the chief divines here ... as Twisse, Marshall, Palmer, and many more, are express Chiliasts.’ Secondly, the Confessions were framed on
purpose to leave out fine details, that those of divergent views might sign
them.
Mr Murray’s book of sterling
quality is strongest where he coincides with us; weakest where he differs.
-------
RECORDED
MESSAGES BY JACK GREEN
The following is a list of recorded messages by
the late Jack Green. These messages (on cassett
tapes) can be obtained fron S.G.A.T.
Price £1. 20 each:
Reigning
in the Kingdom (Matthew 20: 23 with Luke 12:
32).
The Deliverer
of Judah (Zechariah 10).
The True
and False Shepherds (Zechariah 11).
The
Millennium as taught in the Acts.
The
Millennium as taught in Paul’s Epistles.
The
Letter to the Church at
The New
Heavens and the New Earth (Revelation 21: 1-8).
The
Church and the World.
Our View
of Missions.
Heaven
and Hell.
The
Restoration and Conversion of
The
Millennial Reign.
The Year
of Release (Deuteronomy 15).
The
Observing of Feasts (Deuteronomy 16).
An Exposition
of Revelation 20.
The
Shepherd of
Mystery
The
Mystery of the Saints’ Resurrection and Rapture (1
Corinthians 15: 51).
The Song
of Moses (Deuteronomy 32).
The
Prophecy of Huldah (2 Kings 22).
Daniel -
Faithful Witness.
The
Righteous and Peaceful Character of the Millennium.
The
Antichrist is Future - Not the Papacy.
The Influence
of the Antichrist in the European Union.
The
Building and Establishing of
The
First Miracle (John 2).
The
Sermon on the Mount.
The
Spiritual Nature of Christ’s Kingdom.
The Certainty
of Prophecy.
* *
* * *
* *
-------
[PART 7]
CONTENTS
50 THE TEN KINGS OF THE EUROPEAN
51 IS THE BOOK OF DANIEL FACT OR FICTION?
52 THE STRUCTURE AND MESSAGE OF THE BOOK OF
DANIEL
53 THE INSPIRATION OF THE [HOLY] SCRIPTURES
54 THE
ONLY EFFECTUAL CURE
-------
50
The Ten Kings of
the European Union
By Harold J. Gamston
(This message was given at a meeting of the
Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony held in
The message was recorded and cassettes may
be obtained at £1.20 each).
[Volume 26, No 3
July/September 2002]
-------
‘The man who will mastermind reforms to the way the European Union is run has
predicted it will become a political super-state with its own constitution.’ So said the former French president, Valery Giscard d’Estaing, as
recently as Friday, 1st March, 2002. He went
on to say, ‘It will be respected and listened to, not
only as the economic power that it already is, but as a political power that
will speak as an equal with the biggest existing and future powers on the
planet.’
History has revealed that
following the Babylonian, Medo-Persian, and Grecian Empires the
The earlier chapters of Daniel, coupled with many other references of Scripture,
and confirmed by history, cover this long period of Gentile rule. In chapters 2
and 7, we have a wealth of information
concerning the development and destruction by God of these four Gentile
Empires. Both chapters cover the period
known in Scripture as ‘the Times of the Gentiles’ up to
the ‘Coming of the Lord’ and the
setting up of ‘His Millennial Kingdom.’
The introduction of the Book of Daniel in chapter 1
begins with ‘the Times of the Gentiles,’ when
The Book of Daniel is then divided into two sections. In the first section the prophet speaks of the Development of the Kingdoms of men (chapters
2-7).
In the second section he speaks of the Development of the
My subject, which is the ten
kings or kingdoms of the Union, deals with the last part of the development of
the kingdoms of men, and introduces us to the development of the kingdom of
God.
The ‘ten horns’ in chapter
7 as well as the ‘ten toes’ of the
image in chapter 2 take us across the
prophetic gap of the end times. It is interesting
to note that the name Daniel in the Hebrew means, ‘God
is my judge’ or ‘God is judging.’ Chapter 7,
which will be our main passage for consideration, speaks not only of the
development of man’s kingdom, but also of God’s judgment upon that kingdom, and
then introduces us to the development of God’s kingdom.
In Daniel
7: 7-10,
we read: ‘After this I saw in the night visions,
and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and
strong exceedingly; and it had great iron teeth: it devoured and broke in pieces, and stamped the residue with the feet of it: and it was diverse from all the beasts that were before it; and it had ten horns. I considered the horns, and, behold, there came up among them another little horn, before whom there were three of the first horns plucked up
by the roots: and, behold, in this horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things. I beheld till the
thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days
did sit, Whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of His head like the pure wool: His throne was like
the fiery flame, and His wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued
and came forth from before Him: thousand
thousands ministered unto Him, and ten thousand
times ten thousand stood before Him: the
judgment was set, and the books were opened.’
Looking back over history, our
subject, that of the ten kings or kingdoms of the Union, covers the long period
of the
So as to keep my subject short
and simple, I want to divide the chapter into three main headings which I
believe will help us to understand this vision which came to Daniel.
Introduction to the Kingdoms of Men
(Daniel 7:
1-8)
In the first verse we are told
when and where Daniel had this vision. It
was in the first year of the reign of Belshazzar, approximately BC553, 14 years
before the feast of chapter 5: 1-3.
It was whilst Daniel was asleep
he had a dream, as did King Nebuchadnezzar, in chapter
2. Daniel’s vision concerned the
same thing. Both Daniel and the king of
In the case of King
Nebuchadnezzar his dream was that of a great image, which showed the character,
value and kind of governmental
power delegated
by God to these Gentile rulers, under the symbols of various metals. The metals were gold, silver, brass, and
iron, the iron in the feet and toes being mixed with clay. Almost every student of the Bible agrees that
these metals, represent respectively the kingdoms of
In Daniel’s vision, he saw ‘four great beasts,’ rising up one after the other
from the sea (7: 1). These, as is quite
clear from verse 17, are interpreted as ‘four kings (or kingdoms; the words are interchangeable in the sense that a kingdom
is headed up by a sovereign) which shall arise out of the earth.’ So clearly, they represent these four Gentile
monarchies of the world. In the vision
of Daniel, these ‘four beasts’ show
the character, value and kind of governmental
purpose delegated
by God to the Gentile nations.
Waking out of his sleep, and
remembering what he had seen in his dream, Daniel not only recorded it but ‘told the sum of the matters’ (verse
1). Verses 2-3 describe
the scene in general, and Daniel related the events. He saw ‘the four winds of the
heaven strove upon the great sea.’ Most agree that the ‘winds
of heaven’ represent the heavenly powers and forces by which God sets
the nations of the world in motion. In
Scripture, the ‘great sea’ refers
to the ‘
History has revealed that each
of these Gentile nations reached the Mediterranean Sea by conquest, and the
We read in verse 3, ‘And four great beasts came up from
the sea.’ Then in verse 17, we read that ‘These great beasts, which are
four (or, as the Hebrew
rendering reads, four in number) are four kings (or
four kingdoms), which shall arise out of the earth.’ These four monarchies, are therefore compared
to four ‘great beasts’ because
of the plundering and violence, the cruelty, the oppression, and the tyranny
through which they came to power. They
are not described as being like single separate kingdoms, such as the
In verses 4-8, Daniel gives a description of the four beasts. ‘The
first,’ he says in verse 4, ‘was like a lion, and had eagle’s wings.’ The lion being the ‘king
of beasts’ because of its strength, and the eagle the ‘king of birds’ because of its swiftness in flight
both represent the Babylonian Empire, and identified with the ‘head of fine gold,’ seen in the image by
Nebuchadnezzar. It was by their sheer
strength, power and with rapid speed the Babylonians flew over several kingdoms
and countries conquering them as they went forth. This they did ‘till
the wings thereof were plucked,’ signifying that the Babylonian
conquest was retarded and stopped. It
could fly no further. It was deplumed
and stripped of its dominion.
‘A second,’ says
Daniel in verse 5, ‘like
to a bear, and it raised up itself.’ Here is pictured another monarchy answering to
the Medo-Persian Empire rising up on the ruins of the Babylonian Empire. This beast is identified by the ‘breast and arms of silver,’ of Nebuchadnezzar’s image. The ‘three ribs in the
mouth of it between the teeth’ of the bear signify
‘After this’ says
Daniel in verse 6, ‘I
beheld, and lo another, like a leopard.’
Here is a third monarchy succeeding the Medo-Persian, and which rose up
on the ruins of that, Darius, king of Persia, being defeated by Alexander, king
of Macedon. Alexander, as history
confirms, set up the Grecian Empire, and so is here represented by the leopard. The leopard being a smaller beast than the
lion, signifies that this monarchy arose from a small beginning. The ‘four wings’ denote
the swiftness by which Alexander conquered.
In six years he conquered part of Europe, and into Asia even as far as
‘After this’ says
Daniel in verse 7, ‘I saw
in the night visions, and behold a fourth beast, dreadful and terrible, and
strong exceedingly.’ It
is on this fourth unnamed beast we must now concentrate, if we are to get an
understanding of our subject. The fact
that it is unnamed represents it as different from all the beasts which went
before it. It is identified with the ‘legs of iron,’ and the ‘feet part of iron and part of clay,’ seen in
the image by Nebuchadnezzar, and answering to the
Have we not seen from history
how powerful the
Have we not seen from history,
and confirmed by the Word of God that the Roman Empire, and each of these
Gentile Empires, through their leaders, helped form, and were the means of
introducing, the kingdoms of men? Are we not to see that the Word of God,
through the rising up of the fourth beast, reveals that the kingdom of men has
yet to reach its final goal?
In verse
7, Daniel saw that this fourth beast ‘had ten
horns.’ The horn in Scripture
is always a universal symbol of armed strength.
This is seen to be the case here, and also in Daniel
8: 3-9,
20-22. It is also the case in many other verses of
Scripture.
In 1
Kings 22: 11, we see that the false
prophet Zedekiah, ‘made him horns of iron; and he said, Thus saith the
LORD, with these shalt thou push the Syrians,
until thou have consumed them.’
In Zechariah 1: 18, the ‘four horns’ that are seen by the prophet
are said to be the four great powers which had scattered and wasted the Jews.
That the fourth kingdom, (the
Roman Empire, or today’s European Union) has not yet reached its final power,
and ultimate goal, is seen in the ‘ten
horns’ of this unnamed beast.
It was by reason of their great strength, and the fact that they were
ten in number, that caused Daniel to consider the horns (verse 8).
He took special notice of them.
He carefully observed them, their number, form, their situation, and
pondered in his mind what should be the meaning of them.
For us, there can be no doubt as
to the meaning of them. They are
explained in verse 24, ‘the ten horns out of this kingdom are ten kings that shall
arise.’ They correspond to the
ten toes of the image and signify that however many countries make up the
European Union, these countries will finally be divided into ten distinct
kingdoms. That the ten horns are on the
head of the one beast, signifies that the unfolding of its power in the ten
kingdoms, is not a weakening of its power, but only its full display.
John MacAthur
reminds us from history, that ‘The Roman dominion fell
apart in AD476, yet it lives on albeit in a divided status (
Giscard
d’Estaing said in his speech concerning the European Union (as I said in the
introduction) ‘It will be respected and listened to,
not only as the economic power that it already is, but as a political power
that will speak as an equal with the biggest existing and future powers on the
planet.’
Who among our present day world
leaders is sufficient for such a task? I
would suggest, No one! This being the
case, the finality of the kingdoms of men must therefore rest in one powerful
world leader, and so Daniel, as he continues to contemplate the horns (the idea
of continuance lies in the meaning here), sees ‘another
little horn’ rise up among the ten already existing.
Because, as we have seen, these
ten horns are ten kings or monarchs which shall arise, then this ‘little horn’ which rises up after the ten kings must also be a
ruler! Because these ten kings have not
yet come into being, then neither has this ruler. He too has yet to come on to the world
scene. He will be an eleventh king. Daniel confirms this to be the case; he says
at the end of verse 8, ‘and, behold, in this
horn were eyes like the eyes of man, and a mouth speaking great things (or boastful
blasphemy).
The fact that it had ‘the eyes of a man, and a mouth
which spoke great things,’ suggests it is to be a human
being! Eyes and seeing eyes are symbols
of insight, circumspection and prudence.
This person or king will be greater than the other ten! He will uproot or destroy three of the
ten. Here we are introduced to the
antichrist! ‘His eyes’ says Delisch, ‘are not attributed to his being in opposition to a beast,
but rather are they in opposition to a higher celestial Being; for Whom the
ruler denoted by the horn might be mistaken on account of the terribleness of
his rule and government.’ A mouth
which speaks great things is a ‘vainglorious mouth’
as the Hebrew here would indicate.’
We have a further description of
him in Revelation 13: 5-8 where he is
seen ruling the ‘ten nations’ in
blasphemy and infidelity. He is seen
also in Revelation 17, and also in 2 Thessalonians 2. In verses
3-4, Paul exhorts, ‘Let no man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except
there come a falling away first, and that man of
sin be revealed, the son of perdition; who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called
God, or that is worshipped; so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, showing himself that he is God.’
Insight into the
(Daniel 7:
9-14)
Having seen something of the
introduction to the kingdoms of men and before we say more about the ‘ten kings,’ I want you to notice that in
our chapter we have an insight into the
Having spent some time contemplating
the rising up of the little horn that appeared among the ‘ten horns,’ the scene now changes, from
that of the four winds of heaven striving upon the great sea, and the rising up
of the four great beasts and the descriptions of them as representing the four
Gentile Empires, to a vision in heaven.
The veil is here drawn aside,
and Daniel is able to see the things connected with the earth which take place
in heaven, and so Daniel in verse 9 says, ‘I beheld (or, I kept looking, as it is best rendered), till the thrones were
cast down.’ Many commentators,
with whom I would agree, see the thrones as being ‘set up’ for the judges to sit upon to
try, judge, and condemn this fourth beast system. They see at least two thrones pitched and
prepared, one for the Ancient of days that is, God the Father because He is ‘from everlasting to everlasting,’ and ‘without beginning of days.’ The second throne is set for the Son of God,
said to be like the ‘Son of man.’
I am not going to say a great
deal about the judgment; this is a subject which will be covered later in the
series. I just want to point out, it would seem that the prophet kept looking
at the scene set before him. And what a
scene it was! It is best described as
heaven holding judicial inquisition into the way Gentile rule had been
used.
Daniel is given insight as to all
Gentile rule, power, and authority, being put down, and demolished, it being
found that they had used their power against Christ, by crucifying Him. It was also found that they had used their
power to trample down
Daniel is given insight as to
the judgment which is to be meted out.
The books were opened (verse 10), but
no dead were there as there will be at the judgment of the ‘Great White Throne’ (Revelation
20: 11-12). This is not that final judgment, when all ‘the dead, small and great,
stand before God,’ but the enquiry here is
directed to the condition of that Gentile rule on earth, under the ten kings
and headed up by the little horn, and judgment is passed upon them.
Daniel is given insight as to
the power which had been committed to the Gentile rule, but now to be given to
the Person of Christ. The power passing from
them to the Son of man, Who had gone ‘to
receive for Himself a Kingdom, and to return’
(Luke 19: 12).
Daniel is given insight as to
the glorious millennial kingdom of the Messiah, and His saints with Him, when
He returns to earth as King of kings and Lord of lords, to take to Himself His
great power and reign (Daniel 2: 44-45).
Interpretation of the Vision
(Daniel 7: 15-28)
Having given Daniel this insight
into the
Daniel was troubled because of
the beasts and especially the last one. The
momentous events, and the calamities which the saints of the Most High would
have to endure till the time of the completion of the everlasting
So troubled was Daniel that he ‘came near (or better, he turned himself) unto one of them that stood by’ (verse
16). This answers to what we
understand from verse 10; most agree that it
was to one of the angels which attended the throne, that Daniel turned. ‘So he
told me, and made me to know the interpretation
of the things.’ First, he explains that ‘these
great beasts, which are four, are four kings, which shall arise
out of the earth’ (verse 17). This is the interpretation of verses 3 and 7. We have seen that they represent four Gentile
Empires, namely
In verse
19, Daniel wanted to ‘know the truth of
the fourth beast.’ This beast is
described in verses 19 and 23, as being ‘diverse from all the
others, exceeding dreadful, whose teeth were of iron, and his nails of brass; (which) devoured, broke
in pieces, and stamped the residue with his feet ... The fourth beast shall be the fourth kingdom upon earth, which shall be diverse from all kingdoms, and shall devour the whole earth, and shall tread it down, and
brake it in pieces.’
In verse
20, Daniel states that on the head of this fourth beast there would be
ten horns. This is confirmation of that
which he saw as recorded in verses 7 and 8. Daniel
considered the ten horns, that is, ‘he took
special notice of them.’ It
is just as well that he did, for he is told in verse
24 that ‘the ten horns out of this (fourth) kingdom are ten kings or kingdoms that
shall arise.’
It is quite clear that these ten
kings or kingdoms would spring out of the revived
B. W. Newton writing on the ‘European Prospects’ says, ‘From
the very commencement of the Roman Empire, nothing could be more marked than
the distinction between its eastern and western divisions.’
History teaches us that the
Roman Empire came into being when the Roman armies conquered
It is also quite clear that
these ten kings or kingdoms are not only represented by the ten horns of the
fourth beast of Daniel 7, but also by the
ten toes on the feet of the image, five toes on each foot. As to these ten kingdoms, only some are
referred to in the prophetic Scriptures, therefore, we cannot indulge in
speculation.
In chapter
11, Daniel mentions the ‘kings of Grecia,
the north and the south.’ These, it would seem, will be existing at the
time of the end. Clearly they are seen
as
Furthermore, because these ten
horns are on the head of the same beast, they will not be able to move
individually. They must all move
together, at the same time. They have no
power of isolated action. The same must
be said of the ten toes of the one image, and, in the Revelation,
by the ten horns of one beast. In both
these cases we have the emblems of distinctness, and also of union. We can also see that since the Jews have
returned to the
The stage is being set for the
final great conflict. ‘I would know the truth of the fourth beast,’ says Daniel. The beast was of special interest
because it would produce the little horn - the antichrist, as the head and
final form of Gentile dominion (verses 23-25). Having
control over the ten kings, the nations united under the antichrist will be a
mighty foe, and a strong force; their evil and atheistic actions will bring
down the judgment of the Ancient of days upon them.
Armageddon is to be their
gathering place. ‘And He (Almighty God) gathered them together
into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon’ (Revelation 16: 16). The
Here will they meet Him Who will
come forth, ‘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’ (Revelation 19: 15).
Then will follow Messiah’s kingdom.
Then will our returning victorious Lord Jesus Christ come and take His
kingdom, and will ‘be King over all the earth: in that day shall there be one LORD, and His Name one’ (Zechariah
14: 9).
Conclusion:
The words of B.W.Newton:
‘The only way of resisting Antichristianism or
Antichrist, is by seeking under God’s blessing to instil into minds the pure
principles of Scripture Truth. The
believing people of God alone can act for Him, only they cannot act for Him
apart from the close guidance of His holy Word.’
As true believers, we look
forward to that glorious day when, as we see from verse 27, ‘the kingdom and dominion, and the
greatness of the kingdom under the whole heaven,
shall be given to the people of the saints of the Most High, Whose kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and all dominions shall serve and obey Him.’ To Him
be all the glory. Amen!
* *
* * *
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51
Is the Book of Daniel Fact or Fiction?
By Charles
T Cook
(This article is taken from the first issue
of Watching and Waiting - April, 1919.
Although the article is nearly 100 years old
and may not be considered up-to-date, it underlines the fact that the
critics can never prove their theories).
[Volume 28, No 15
July/September, 2015]
-------
In view of the persistent
and insidious attempts to discredit this portion of Holy Writ, it behoves us to
mention a few of the reasons why we can still believe in its authenticity and
genuineness.
Daniel has
been more fiercely assailed than any other Old Testament Scripture - Genesis not excepted. Porphyry, a pagan
philosopher of the third century, was the first to impugn its accuracy. His arguments were revived by the
Rationalists of the eighteenth century and have since been widely promulgated
by the higher critics.
The Critical Contention
The critical contention is that
Daniel’s prophecies were written after the events, and that the
miraculous incidents recorded in the earlier chapters are ‘fabulous and impossible.’ The arguments adduced in support of this view
may be summarized thus: That at the time when Antiochus Epiphanes was
persecuting the Jews, about 168 BC, a certain ‘pious (!)
and learned Jew,’ wishing to encourage his
suffering fellow countrymen, wrote a book predicting their approaching triumph
over their arch-enemy. This unknown
Jewish author, in order that his production might the more readily be accepted
as a Divine revelation, made it pretend to have been written in Babylon 370
years before, and forged Daniel’s name to it.
Thus, they would have us believe that the book, instead of being the
record of inspired prediction and personal experience, is merely history
purporting to be prophecy, and fiction masquerading as fact.
So far from the critical theory
having any real basis, it is unsupported by a particle of evidence, and it is
only bolstered up by means of forced and unnatural interpretations of the
prophecies, and by a list of alleged historical inaccuracies. A full answer to the critics is impossible
within the limits of our space. We can
only just touch upon a few of the salient points at issue.
How the Critics Pervert the Prophecies
First, let us notice how the
critics pervert the prophecies. In chapter 2 under the symbolism of a metal image
four successive world-empires are predicted.
In chapter 7, the same four
world-powers are delineated as four beasts.
As every schoolboy knows, these four universal empires were
The most daring and presumptuous
misinterpreting of Scripture is seen in the critics’ laborious efforts to
disprove the Messianic character of the great prophecy of the Seventy Weeks (Daniel 9: 24-27). They
try to accomplish this by placing the terminus
ad quem of the 69 weeks, or 483 years, some time prior to 163BC, the date
of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes. The
prophecy declares that from the time of the going forth of the commandment to
restore and to build
The Supposed Historical Blunders
The supposed historical blunders
have been easily disproved by archaeology.
It used to be confidently
affirmed that no historian mentions Belshazzar; but in 1854 Sir H. Rawlingson found an
inscription referring to him. Then it
was said that Belshazzar, even if historical, could not have been a king as
Daniel declares; but other tablets have been brought to light informing us that
he was co-king with his father, Nabonidus.
This explains why he offered to make Daniel third and not
second ruler in the kingdom.
Some critics doubted whether
Aramaic (Chaldee) was spoken in
Altogether we are warranted in
concluding with Professor J. D. Wilson, ‘That no
evidence has been adduced to displace the Book of Daniel from its place in the
Exile; that on the contrary all the evidence - archaeological, historical,
philological, Scriptural, and, we may add, sensible and sane - sustains the
view which Jews and Christians have held through the ages.’
Finally, valuable as is the
foregoing testimony, there is one argument which outweighs all others - the
truth of Daniel was solemnly attested by our Lord. ‘When ye
therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place’ (Matthew
24: 15). In this statement our Lord affirmed that
Daniel wrote the book, and that he was a prophet. To deny Daniel, therefore, is to question the
infallibility of the Lord Jesus. Perhaps
it was a consideration of this kind which prompted the learned Sir Isaac Newton
to say, ‘To reject Daniel is to reject the Christian
religion.’
* *
* * *
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52
The Structure
and Message of
The Book of Daniel
By Charles
T Cook
(This article is taken from the second issue
of Watching and Waiting -May, 1919).
Every book of the Bible
has its special theme. ‘Genesis,’ as its name suggests, is the book of beginnings.
‘Revelation’ is the unveiling of the future
- the grand consummation. The message of
Daniel is indicated partly by the scope of
its prophecies. The visions and
revelations outline the history of a certain definite period of human
history. The story opens with the
captivity of Daniel and the noble youths of
While the precise length of this
period is not revealed - it has already lasted more that 2500 years - yet it
coincides with the course of the four world-empires of
An Analysis of the Book
Some expositors have divided the
book into two equal parts, as follows: Chapters 1
to 6, Historical; Chapters
7 to 12, Prophetical. But this method of division corresponds neither
with the contents nor with the formal design of the book. Is not chapter 2
as much prophecy as chapter 7? The remarkable fact that the book is written
in two languages suggests its natural division.
The first portion, chapters 1 to 2: 4a is written
in Hebrew. The second portion, chapters 2: 4b
to 7: 28
is written in Chaldean (Aramaic or Syrian).
From chapters 8 to 12, Hebrew is again used.
A careful comparison of these several
portions will reveal the probable purpose underlying the use of two
languages. Chapter
1 is a biographical introduction, and is accordingly written in the
language of the Covenant People. In chapters 2 to 7
we have described to us Gentile World-Power in its General Course, Character
and Crisis; hence the use of the Gentile tongue. In the vision of the Metal Image we behold
the succession of the Gentile World-Empires and the symbolism of their
governmental power, the graduated inferiority betokening progressive
deterioration in quality. How strikingly
this has been confirmed by the passage of the centuries!
Chapters 3 to 6 are parenthetical, but the miraculous incidents
have a prophetic import, as they illustrate and enforce the opposing religious
principles of this age of Gentile rule over
The second main division, chapters 8 to 12
shows Gentile World-Power in its Particular Relation to
The Message of the Book
The prophecies of Daniel provide
an inspired answer to the question often asked, ‘Is
there a philosophy of history?’
In the light of this revelation we know that the history of kings and
kingdoms is not ‘an aggregate of lucky occurrences,’
but is determined under the all-wise guidance and governance of the God of
Heaven. What comfort this brings to the
child of God! Our earthly lot may be
dark and difficult, and we may see ‘right for ever on
the scaffold, wrong for ever on the throne;’ yet faith is assured that
God never abdicates the throne of the universe.
His own people may fail Him. The
nations may be idolatrous, cruel, bestial; even so, He maketh the wrath of man
to praise Him, and the remainder He restraineth. If He permits evil to come to a head it is in
order the more effectually to destroy it, and to hasten the establishment of
His own glorious reign. Meanwhile, His [faithful and obedient]
servants have the promise and potency of the ultimate victory, not only in the
inspired prediction, but in their consciousness of the Divine Presence with
them, as in the furnace and the lions’ den. And thus Daniel’s Doxology gives us
the Keynote of the whole book: ‘Blessed be the Name
of God for ever and ever: for wisdom and might
are His: and He changeth the times and the
seasons: He removeth
kings, and setteth up kings: He giveth wisdom unto the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding: He revealeth the deep and secret things: He knoweth what is in the darkness, and the light dwelleth with Him’ (Daniel 2: 20-22).
* *
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53
The Inspiration
of the Scriptures
By Paul
Toms
(This is a summary of a message given at a
monthly meeting of the Sovereign Grace Advent Testimony on 22nd
February, 2013.
The message was recorded and can be
downloaded from the S.G.A.T website; also, cassettes or CDs are available).
We are considering the
second statement that appears in the manifesto of The Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony; and this is to do with the Bible.
We considered last month that whilst this is an organisation that seeks
to make a testimony to the scriptural truth of the coming again of our Blessed
Lord and Saviour, it is also one that stands for the truth of God’s sovereign
grace. We were reminded last month that
one of the founding conveners of the Testimony, Mr James Payne, rightly said
that the Testimony is built on the foundation of God’s free and sovereign grace
and if that foundation is lost, the whole Testimony crumbles and falls.
So we again come to one of those
foundation elements of the manifesto - that we believe what is called ‘the plenary and verbal inspiration of the Scriptures.’ What does this mean? Plenary means ‘full’
or ‘complete,’ and verbal means ‘every word.’
So it is that every word in the entire Bible is Holy Scripture, given by
inspiration of God. Another way of
expressing this would be to say that God inspired the complete text of the
Bible from Genesis to Revelation, including historical, prophetical, and
doctrinal details, and that the inspiration extends to the very words the
writers wrote. There were about 40 men
who wrote the books of the Bible - the 39 books of the Old Testament and the 27
books of the New Testament - and all these, as Peter so rightly tells us in 2 Peter 1: 21,
were holy men of God who ‘spake as they were moved by the Holy
Ghost.’
The Westminster Confession of
Faith, drawn up in the 17th century by a number of godly and learned
divines, had this to say about the Word of God, ‘The Old
Testament in Hebrew (which was the native language of the people of God of old)
and the New Testament in Greek (which at the time of the writing of it was most
generally known to the nations) being immediately inspired by God, and by His
singular care and providence kept pure in all ages, are therefore authentic; so
as in all controversies of religion, the Church is finally to appeal unto
them. But because these original tongues
are not known to all the people of God, who have right unto and interest in the
scriptures, and are commanded, in the fear of God, to read and search them,
therefore they are to be translated into the vulgar language of every nation
unto which they come, that the word of God dwelling plentifully in all, they
may worship Him in an acceptable manner, and through patience and comfort of
the scriptures, may have hope.’
Those divines of old had no question as to the authenticity of Scripture
- it was immediately inspired by God.
I would like to turn to Psalm 119, which is full of references to the Word
of God. In almost every verse there is
some mention of God’s Word. Let us take
a look at our subject in the light of verse 89,
‘For ever,
O LORD,
Thy Word is
settled in heaven.’
The Source of the Word
We see at the start that the
Psalmist asserts, when he is speaking to God about His Word, that it is ‘THY Word.’
Yes, this is God’s Word and, as we have already stated, the source of the Bible is God Himself. This is very evident from what the Bible says
about itself. If we turn to the
beginning of the Book we see in Genesis 1: 3 the words, ‘And God
said,’ and so it is that Scripture opens up with God speaking. In those words we have the essence of what
God’s Word really is. He said, ‘Let there be light,’ and as His Word goes
forth so there is the glorious light of the gospel to shine in the darkness
that surrounds us in this evil world. The 119th
Psalm says in verse 130, ‘The entrance of Thy words giveth light, it giveth understanding to the simple.’ So at the start of the Bible we see that God,
and He alone, is the sole source of the Scriptures.
God holds His Word in very high
esteem. The Psalmist shows us this in Psalm 138: 2, ‘for Thou hast magnified Thy Word above all Thy Name.’ The Word of God is held in such high esteem
by God that He puts it above even His covenant-keeping name of Jehovah. Surely then, mortal man, that is made of the
dust, should have a high regard for the Word of God.
We turn to the end of the Book
and in Revelation 22: 18-19, curses are pronounced upon those that tamper with God’s Holy Word, upon
those that have a blatant disregard for His precious Word and try to bring it
down to the level of an intellectual book, a moralistic book, a book that has
mistakes and needs to be chopped and changed to suit man’s requirements. I fear we live in a day when the Word of God
is not held in high regard even amongst those who profess to believe in the
doctrine therein espoused. Those warnings contained in Revelation 22
are just as applicable today as when John was inspired to write them.
So we have looked at the
beginning and the end of the Bible. We
have touched on the warnings that God has given to those who tamper with His
Word and treat it lightly; and similar statements also appear in two other
places in Scripture, in Deuteronomy 4: 2 and in Proverbs 30:
5-6. But there are many references that declare
that the Scriptures are the Word of God, and that they were inspired by Him.
An obvious verse to which to
turn is 2 Timothy 3: 16, ‘All scripture is given by
inspiration of God.’ In
this statement Paul asserts what we have really already stated, that all the
scriptures that we have in our Bible were given by the breath of God, He it was
Who put the words into the hearts and minds of the faithful writers. He was not unmindful of their particular
traits and mannerisms and although the writings may bear the imprint of the
human vessel, it is still the very Word of God, given by inspiration. A reason is given here why we have the
Scriptures. There is a reason behind all
that God does. Romans
8: 28 tells us that all things are
for the good of those who trust in Him.
So we see that the Scriptures were given for our profit; for doctrine -
to teach us the truth, that we should know what is truth and what is
error. It is profitable too for reproof
- showing to fallen man when he has departed from the right ways. It is profitable too for correction - that
when we have departed from the truth and have been reproved we can have our
path corrected by taking heed to His words.
It is also for instruction in righteousness - having learnt from the
Scriptures the way of error and been brought by His grace into the way of truth
we may then continue by instruction in the path of righteousness. What is all this for? ‘That the man of God may be perfect, thoroughly furnished unto all good works.’ In effect, it is by the teaching of His Word
we may be perfected and made fit for heaven as the sanctifying work of the
Spirit operates in our lives.
For this to take place, it is no
use our paying heed to the writings and doctrines of men. For man, however good he is, is tainted with
sin. All our deeds, even at best, are as
filthy rags in the sight of a holy and perfect God. But God in His goodness has given us His Word
that we may read it, pray over it, search it, study it and grow ever closer to
Him. So, we can see that the testimony
of the Bible itself is that it is a book given by God Himself. He is the One who inspired the writers to
write what they did.
Perhaps this can be evidenced no
more plainly than in the writings of the man of God, Moses. Moses wrote the first five books of the
Bible. These portions span some 2000
years or more of the history of the world, from creation to the time when the
children of Israel were about to enter the Promised Land; and yet Moses was
only alive for the last 120 years of this time.
Some may say that what he wrote was not given to him by God to write,
but that it was passed down from generation to generation, especially Genesis and the early part of Exodus. But
as we read through the books of Moses we so often see the words, ‘and God said’ or ‘and the Lord spake’ or similar expressions.
When we come to the Book of Numbers we read, in chapters
22-24, that amazing, yet true story
of the false prophet Balaam. The
children of
Balaam was a wicked prophet, for
in Jude we read how he ran greedily after
the rewards of Balak. Yet in Numbers 24: 15-23 there is a beautiful prophecy that this wicked
man told. He foretold of the
Saviour. This is a prophecy that has not
been fulfilled; it is a prophecy yet to be fulfilled. The source of these words, as Balaam himself
testifies, could only be the Almighty God Himself. In a more wonderful way, He is the source of all Scripture, as we have already seen.
The Strength of the Word
All Persons of the Trinity have
been at work in the inspiration of the Word of God.
The strength of the
Word is God the Father. One of the
titles of God is El-Shaddai, the Almighty, the all-sufficient God; and as it is
pre-fixed with the term ‘El’ it show this to be
God in the singular - God the Father. The first time this name appears in the
Scriptures is in Genesis 17: 1, when God spoke to His close friend
Abraham. It was in this chapter that God
changed the name of Abram to Abraham.
God gave to Abraham the renewing of the covenant He had already given to
him in chapter 12. And it is because of the strength of the
Almighty that the promise is sure. This
term ‘El-Shaddai’ is used
a further five times in the book of Genesis.
In Job, it is used thirty-one times. One
of these times is Job 40: 9, where the voice of El-Shaddai is described as a
voice like thunder. Herein is the
strength of the voice of God, it is likened unto thunder, that which breaks the
silence.
In Psalm
29, this thought regarding the strength of the voice of God is carried
on. As we read through this Psalm we
cannot but see this strength of God being referred to time and time again. At the end of the passage (verse 11) we have David saying, ‘The LORD will give
strength to His people.’ This
very word gives the Lord’s people strength.
The strength of the Word of God comes from
God, and from God alone. He it is Who is
the El-Shaddai, the Almighty and all sufficient One.
The Saviour of the Word
The various parts of the
Scriptures - the law, the historical books, the poetical books, the prophets,
the gospels, the epistles - all these make up the Old and New Testaments, and
there is one person that shines through in all these, the Lord Jesus Christ,
our blessed Saviour. This
does not surprise us; for in John 1: 1-3 we read of ‘the Word,’ that He was with God and He was
God and He was there at the creation, and all things were created by Him. Later in that chapter, John tells us Who this
‘Word’ is, for in verse 14 we read that it is He Who became flesh
and dwelt among us. This can only refer
to one person, the Lord Jesus Christ; it can speak of none other than He. So ‘The
Word’ is one of the many titles which the Lord Jesus Christ
possesses. Joseph Hart wrote, ‘The scriptures and the Lord bear one tremendous name; the
written and the Incarnate Word in all things are the same.’
The Scriptures testify of
Christ. Old Testament sacrifices typify Him; and throughout the Old Testament
there are many people who are types of Him,
like Joseph and David. The prophets all spoke of Him both of His coming in humility to suffer,
bleed and die, and also of His coming again in power and great glory to rule
and to reign.
He bore testimony to Himself,
that He truly came as a man to this earth to fulfil the will of the Father, and
to redeem a people for Himself. In Luke 24 we read the narrative of the two on the
road to Emmaus, and the Saviour met with them.
In the conversation as they walked on the way they bemoaned the fact
that Christ had been killed, and that it
was the third day; this despite all that He had told His disciples (see verses 6-7)
prior to His death. Then we read the
words of the Saviour (verses 25-27), and as He did so often throughout His
ministry, He quoted the Old Testament Scriptures, thus showing the Divinity of
these Holy Oracles. He referred to the
Old Testament as ‘the Law, the Prophets and the Psalms’ (Luke 24: 44). It is interesting to observe that during His
earthly life, He quoted from 24 of the 39 books of the Old Testament. He showed Himself to be the Saviour, the One
to Whom all the Scriptures bore testimony.
To what do these Scriptures bear
testimony? In the opening chapters of Genesis we read of the creation story, and how God
in His wisdom created all things in perfection; it was all good. But the devil soon entered upon the scene,
and with him, sin came and scarred God’s wonderful creation. Yet in Genesis 3:
15 there is an early reference to the
promise of a Saviour, Who would come and bruise the serpent’s head. Throughout the rest of the Scriptures we see
the wondrous plan of God in redemption; that He would redeem* [both the world, and] a
people unto Himself. But amidst this we
see the continuing evidence of the work of the evil one, of sin ever present in
this world; also that there is a way of salvation, through the Blood, typified
by the sacrifices. All these pointed to
the Saviour Who would come, Hebrews 9: 22 reminds of the necessity of the shed Blood, and
Jesus Himself tells us that it is His Blood that has been shed (Matthew 26: 28);
and the apostles bear testimony to this too (Acts
10: 43). Yes, of a truth, this Jesus is the Saviour
spoken of in the Scriptures. He came
into the world not to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance, and He came to seek and to save that which was lost.
In Revelation
1: 1, we have the title of that book
and it is given as ‘The Revelation of Jesus Christ which
God gave Him, to shew unto His servants
...’ This could be the title of the
whole of Scripture, the revealing of the Saviour
to mankind by God Himself.
[* Keep in mind: The word ‘redeem’
means ‘to be set
free by the payment of a price’.
What so many Christians appear to overlook today, is that this sin-cursed
world
has been redeemed by the payment of the price which our Lord Jesus has
already made: and therefore, it will one ‘Day’ (2 Pet. 3: 8) be set free from the curse which God has
placed upon it, because of man’s
sin! Gen.
3. cf.
The Spirit of the Word
The Holy Spirit, or Holy Ghost, is referred to as the third Person of the
Trinity, but He is by no means unequal or inferior to the Father or the Son, for
all are equal in power and glory. A
verse to which we previously referred (2 Peter 2:
21) shows the influence of the Holy Spirit
in the inspiration of the Scriptures. We
have spoken of all the Scriptures being given by inspiration of God, and in
this verse we have that again stated.
The holy men of old were moved by the Holy Ghost. This word ‘moved’ means ‘borne along;’ they were moved, or carried along by
the Holy Ghost, to write those things that were revealed to them. These men did not just write what they
wanted; it was not their will that determined what was in the Scriptures. It was the leading and directing of the Holy
Spirit. They knew their inadequacy. Isaiah said, ‘Woe
is me! for I am undone,’ yet
went on to say a little later, ‘Here am I; send me.’
Moses felt his inadequacy and God sent someone else, Aaron, to be the
spokesperson. But all the writers were
moved by that unseen Person, the Spirit of God [or God
the Holy Spirit].
In John
3: 8, the Saviour spoke of the effects
of the Holy Spirit in the realm of the new birth. The principles are the same. The unseen Spirit of God moved these men to
say and to write these things, and the mighty voice of God has continued to
ring forth from the pages of Holy Writ so that men, women and children have
felt the effect. This same [Holy] Spirit that
moved those men of old to write is the same [Holy] Spirit that touches men’s hearts now in the
new birth. It is only by the regenerating
power of the Holy Spirit that the words of this precious book can ever have any
effect in the lives of people. We ought to earnestly pray, even in
the darkness of our day, for an outpouring of the Holy Spirit.
The Sureness of the Word
Look again at Psalm 119: 89
and note the words ‘for ever.’ This gives the sense of the sureness of God’s Word - it is for
ever. I am told that the middle verse of
the Scriptures is Psalm 118: 8. This can
be no coincidence. This verse is the fulcrum
on which the whole of the Scriptures turn - to trust in the Lord, rather than
putting confidence in man. By a simple trusting in the Lord, the truth
of this text has been proved so true throughout all the years. David knew this to be true in his life. We remember the well-known story of his going
to do battle with Goliath (1 Samuel 17). He did not need the weapons of warfare that
Saul gave him, he trusted in the Lord, Who had delivered him from the bear and
the lion and would give him the victory over the blaspheming Philistine.
This Bible has some unique
titles. In Daniel
10: 21, it is described as ‘the Scripture of Truth.’ In Romans 1: 2, it is referred to as ‘the Holy Scriptures.’ In Romans 3:
2, it is called ‘the Oracles of Truth.’ These titles give to this book a kind of
predominance. In John 17: 17, we have the
testimony of the Saviour with regard to this book, its veracity, and its
sanctifying power, to fit us for heaven.
There are many good books but none lay claim to the titles that this
book has. It is a book that has moulded
the history of this earth, for it is the revelation of the Creator Himself.
In Acts
16: 30-31
we have a remarkable question that was asked by the Philippian jailer, ‘What
must I do to be saved?’ and the answer of the apostle Paul, ‘Believe on the Lord
Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved.’ We have already considered that
the Scriptures and the Lord Jesus Christ are the same. So to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ is, in
effect, to believe the Scriptures, and these will bring [eternal] salvation. The Saviour
said whilst on earth, ‘Search the scriptures ... for they are they which testify of
In Joshua
2: 9, we have the testimony of
Rahab. She was a women of ill-repute,
with a very wicked past, but she believed the Word of the Lord, She said, ‘I know that the LORD
...’ Her wicked life was remarkably turned around, so that she, a
Canaanite women who was once a harlot, is included in the lineage of the
Saviour. There was a great change in the
life of this woman (see Matthew 1: 5; Hebrews 11: 31; James 2: 25).
We turn to the pages of the New
Testament and read of demoniacs who were healed by the Saviour, an evidence of the
great change wrought in lives by the Word of God. But perhaps the most significant change is
that of Saul, the persecutor of the early church, who became Paul the apostle
to the Gentiles so greatly used by God both in his day, and in all subsequent
generations.
In post-scriptural history, we
again see the dramatic and life-saving effect this inspired book has had upon
the lives of men and women. The hymn
writer John Newton, the old slave trader, who had no regard for the lives of
men but sold them into captivity, came by grace, to write that beautiful hymn,
‘How sweet the name of Jesus sounds.’ But many of us [who are
regenerate] do not have to look at other
people’s lives; we have the evidence of the effect of the Word of God in our
own lives. Each one of us can look
around us and see the wickedness of this generation and say, ‘there but for the grace of God go
But there is further evidence to
the sureness of this remarkable book, the inspired Word of God, and that is
found in the prophetic
word. In 1
Peter 1: 19, Peter speaks of this
word of prophecy. It is easy to condemn
those who were alive in earlier days, those who knew the Scriptures but did not
believe. Yet we live in a
day when those who claim to believe the Bible do not believe that which God
says He will do. We have this more sure word of prophecy. We can look into the Scriptures and see many
portions of prophetic scripture which were fulfilled precisely. In Numbers 13-14, we have the story of the twelve spies who went
to spy out the
In many of the prophetic books
we have numerous prophecies concerning the coming of the Saviour in humility - Isaiah 7: 14, Isaiah 9: 6, Isaiah 53, Micah 5:
2 - to name a few. But as we read through Scripture, we see many
prophecies that clearly have not yet
been fulfilled, they speak of a time
yet future. An example of this is Psalm 72: 2, 3, 5, 7, 8, 11, 16 and 17. This is the more sure word of
prophecy. That which God has spoken, and has been fulfilled literally should encourage us to believe unfulfilled
prophecy. ‘Faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen;’ to
believe that which God has said He will perform. ‘It is
easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one
tittle of the law to fail’ (Luke 16: 17).
The Settlement of the Word
Our verse goes on to say that
God’s Word is settled in heaven. What a comfort this is! We have already stated that the written and the
Incarnate Word are one and the same; and it is true that the Lord Jesus Christ,
when His atoning work on earth was done, left this earthly scene and ascended
into heaven from whence He shall come
again in power and great glory. But
for the present, He is settled in heaven at the right hand of His Father and is
our Advocate, our Great High Priest, pleading the cause of His people.
The written Word of God is also
settled in heaven. God, in His
providence, has given to our land a faithful translation of the Scriptures in
the ‘vulgar’ tongue (as those Westminster
Divines called it). We have the
Scriptures in our mother tongue and not in some strange unknown language. We are very much indebted to faithful men who
toiled to give us the Scriptures, some to the loss of their lives. They did not seek earthly advancement or
prosperity. They did not seek the praise
of men, but they sought to be faithful to God and His Word. But we live in a day when there is a
proliferation of versions, and it seems that men do not pay heed to the warnings that are found in
Scripture, those warnings of which we spoke, in Deuteronomy,
Proverbs and Revelation. But we ought not to be surprised at this for
the devil has sought, from the very beginning, to destroy the Word of God. All through history men have sought to burn,
banish and belittle the Word of God. At
the first appearance in the Bible of the devil (Genesis
3) he caused doubt of the Word of God, then went on to deny the Word of
God before he deceitfully lied about God’s Word. He is the father of lies from the
beginning. But God’s Word is settled in
heaven; he cannot touch that, he cannot change that. But we have a duty to remain faithful to the
Word of God and not to be led astray by the deceitfulness of the devil.
I remember, as a young boy,
being taken to a Strict Baptist Chapel in Bierton in
Buckinghamshire, and in that chapel there was an old picture-frame that used to
hang up, and it had the following words: ‘The Bible
contains the mind of God, the state of man, the way of salvation, the doom of
sinners and the happiness of believers.
Its doctrines are holy, its precepts are binding, its histories are true
and its decisions are immutable. Read it
to be wise, believe it to be safe, and practise it to be holy. It contains light to direct you, food to
support you, and comfort to cheer you.
It is the traveller’s map, the pilgrim’s staff, the pilot’s compass, the
soldier’s sword, and the Christian’s charter.
Here paradise is restored, heaven opened, and the gates of hell [‘Hades’] are disclosed. Christ is its grand
subject, our good its design, and the glory of God its end. It should fill the memory, rule the heart and
guide the feet. Read it slowly,
frequently, prayerfully. It is a mine of
wealth, a paradise of glory, and a river of pleasure. It is given you in life, will be opened at
the judgment, and be remembered forever.
It involves the highest responsibility, will reward the greatest labour,
and condemn all who trifle with its sacred contents.’ This is the Bible that we have, the inspired
Word of God from cover to cover.
One of my favourite hymns was
written by Mrs M. A. Chaplin. In this hymn she exhorts us to cleave to the
Scriptures:-
‘Cleave to the
words of Jesus, oh hearts which sigh and
ache;
they breathe a spell of quiet which life storms cannot break!
It lifts the heaviest burden, and lulls the strongest pain,
the hope of one day hearing that
same sweet voice again.
Cleave to the words of Jesus. He says, Be not afraid;
your heavenly Father knoweth the needs of all He made;
let not your heart be troubled, while ye believe in Me,
for where My Father dwelleth, there shall My people be.
Cleave to the words of Jesus until He come
again;
and sing them till the weary grow rested with the strain;
and while the words of others lead many souls astray,
be ours to take the Scriptures and tread the narrow way.’
May God give us the grace to
love His Word, to read, pray over and search out His Word, and the strength to
defend His precious verbally inspired Word that He has, in His mercy, given to
this sin-stained world. And may we in this day know and see the Holy
Spirit testifying in the lives of men and women of the saving power of the Lord
Jesus Christ.
* * *
* * *
54
The Only Effectual Cure
By Douglas
D. Jones
(In our last issue - Volume 28, No. 20 - we reported the recent home-call
of Mr Jones. Old copies of our magazine
contain some of
the messages preached by him over the years at our Sovereign Grace Advent
Testimony meetings, but the following is
the substance of a sermon preached at
[Volume 29, No 1
January/March, 2017.]
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We read about him in the
Bible in 2 Kings 5. His name was Naaman, army commander of the
Syrian king, thought much of by his master, and a national hero on account of
his victories. Some people might have been
quite envious of such a man, that is, if they had not known of something which
cast an ugly shadow over everything else in his life. The trouble was that he was a leper. Leprosy is a loathsome disease, far more
widespread in Bible times then it is today, although still found abundantly in
some countries. Modern medical science
has done much to alleviate the dreadful suffering it brings and sometimes cures
are effected. In those days, however,
there was no known human cure. Under the
law of God given to Moses for the nation
What do honours, wealth and
position mean to a man when he knows that his days are numbered?
We live
at a time when Man is making a great name for himself. This is the age of human achievement, yet it
is clear that there is something seriously wrong with humanity. On all sides we see turmoil, confusion,
strife, warring, suffering and unhappiness.
What is wrong? It is that Man has
been afflicted by something inherent within him which can be likened to the
deadly disease of which we have been speaking.
It is sin. Man is a sinner in the
sight of his Creator. He has a natural
and continual tendency to rebel against the God of the universe, rejecting the fact that the earth is
the Lord’s - not his - and that the world and all that it contains belongs
to God. It is because men are
not right with Him that they are not right with one another. What is more, as such, Mankind is under the
judgment of God. Just as a Jewish leper
was cut off from the fellowship of others, because of the vileness of his
disease, so the sinner, by nature, is unfitted for fellowship with the holy and
pure God Who created him. Sin is
abhorrent to God, and it brings separation from Him.
There is a kind of leprosy known
as the anaesthetic type, because patches of the affected skin lose all sensation. A person may at first be quite unaware as to
what is wrong, since there is an insensibility to injury. For example, a burn on the affected area does
not hurt. One of the characteristics of
sin is that there are multitudes of people utterly oblivious of the seriousness
of their condition in the sight of God and that they are facing an eternity
separated from Him, being quite unfitted for His presence. How appropriate then, is leprosy as a picture
of sin, that with which every one of us is born, yet the implications of which
we may be quite ignorant. Naaman’s
leprosy, however, was such that he was well aware of it. The fact must have cast a terrible cloud over
his whole life. So he might have gone on
to the end of his days had not something happened which we see clearly as the
over-ruling of a merciful God Whose love
is not confined to one nation.
The Syrians had gone out in
bands on one of their raiding expeditions into the
Did he make a practice in his
own nation of healing lepers? No, as
Jesus said many years later, the prophet had never done such a thing in
The Syrian king was thinking in
terms of a heathen monarch’s authority.
He expected the king of
He did at least recognise the
fact, which is more than
can be said for many rulers and leaders in modern times in relation to the
pitiful state of mankind. How long they
have asserted their own ability to bring about a golden age of peace and
prosperity among the peoples of the world.
They have their summit conferences and their great schemes. We have seen
the coming into being and decease of the
Naaman was sent to the wrong
person and many sin sick souls are being sent to the wrong people today. However, in his case, he was eventually
directed to the prophet of God of whom the little maid had spoken. It must have been quite an impressive sight
as the Syrian commander arrived at the door of Elisha’s house with his horses
and chariot. But what do you think? The prophet did not even come out to greet
him, let alone show him the anticipated respect for such an important
person. Elisha just sent a messenger
telling him, ‘Go and wash in
It was such a simple course
which Elisha instructed Naaman to take, but it did not suit him one little
bit. He had his own preconceived ideas
as to the nature of this cure and the one prescribed was most humiliating. In fact, he was furious, and went away
complaining bitterly that he thought Elisha would have waved his hand over the
place and cured him. How his pride had
been hurt. Did not this Israelite
prophet realise who he was? He had not
even bothered to come to the door of his house!
Instead of an expected display of supernatural power, he had been told
to go and wash in the River Jordan seven times.
How typical was his reaction to
many who are told of God’s remedy for their sin. When they hear that they have to come to Him
just as they are, as guilty, lost sinners, with nothing to plead of personal
merit or achievement, but that they have to repent of their sins and cast
themselves on the mercy of God, trusting in the atoning work of His Son, the
Lord Jesus Christ wrought upon the cross of Calvary, then pride is wounded
deeply. The natural man despises such a
course, because it humbles him to the dust and he does not like being humbled.
Among Naaman’s servants were
those who saw the folly of his reaction and were prepared to reason with
him. ‘My
father’ they said, ‘if the prophet had
bid you do some great thing, would you not have done it? How much rather when
he says to you, wash and be clean?’ They knew that, brave soldier that he was,
Naaman would not have flinched from some great task to effect his cure, but
Elisha had not told him to do this. In
fact he had been told to do something very simple, but here he was rejecting it
because his pride had been hurt. As they
appealed to him, so the great warrior realised what a foolish, arrogant man he
had been. He proceeded to the River
Jordan and dipped himself seven times according to the word of the man of God,
and his flesh was restored like that of a little child and he was clean. Then he returned to Elisha with all his
attendants and came and stood before him, saying, ‘Behold, now I know that there
is no God in all the earth, but in
Do I speak to someone who has
been unwilling to acknowledge their condition as a guilty sinner in the sight of
God? Has there been a refusal to come in
true humility to Him in repentance and faith in His Son, the Lord Jesus
Christ? I tell you, if you come to God on His terms, you will know the
cleansing power of His precious Blood, and the
peace of God which passes all understanding will be your portion as you become reconciled to Him. Like Naaman, you will be able to say, ‘Now I know’ with a conviction born of
experience.
Oh, the joy of being able to
say, ‘I know in Whom I have trusted.’ A due appreciation of what happened at
‘When I survey the wondrous cross on which the Prince of
Glory died,
my richest gain I count but loss, and pour
contempt on all my pride.’
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To be continued … D.V.
To be
continued, God willing.