NO. 716: THE GREAT DAY OF ATONEMENT

No. 716

“And this shall be a statute for ever unto you: that in the seventh month, on the tenth day of the month, ye shall afflict your souls, and do no work at all, whether it be one of your own country, or a stranger that sojourneth among you: For on that day shall the priest make an atonement for you, to cleanse you, that ye may be clean from all your sins before the Lord.” (Lev. 16:29-30)

The Jewish civil year precedes our calendar year by about three months. Regulated by lunar time, its beginning usually falls near October 1st. Yet the first month of their civil year is referred to as the “seventh month,” since the first month of their religious year began with the new moon nearest the Spring Equinox. In the Divine arrangement for Israel, religion always stood first. These two year beginnings were prominently marked by their two chief religious ceremonies. We have already considered the Passover Memorial celebrated on the fifteenth day of the first month; we now consider the Atonement Day and its sacrifices celebrated on the tenth day of the seventh month.

The Atonement Day celebrated annually the inauguration by Moses of the Law Covenant, the covenant between God and the people of Israel, of which Moses was the Mediator. But it was more than a commemoration, more than a mere reminder. The provisions of the Law Covenant were that any person of the “seed of Abraham” who would keep that Law perfectly would have Divine favor and blessing to the utmost, including eternal life.

Knowing well that it would be impossible for any imperfect being to fulfill the requirements of the Divine Law, the Almighty made provision that the nation might remain in Divine favor from year to year by annual repetitions of the Atonement Day sacrifices. The sacrifices by which the Law Covenant was instituted were repeated annually thereafter. At the close of the year the Covenant did not cease, but the people were all under special condemnation and Divine disapproval as sinners until a new Atonement Day made satisfaction for the people’s sins and extended the Divine favor toward them for the new year – until the next Atonement Day.

Thus the people of Israel had a trial, a year at a time, and this continued with them for centuries. But during the entire period of their favor with God, not a single Jew was found able to keep fully the Divine Law – not one was counted worthy of eternal life. Nor could Abraham or anyone else have attained more under the Law Covenant, because all were imperfect – for the Law was the measure of a perfect man’s ability.

This manner of continuing sin-forgiveness with annual repentance and repetition of the sacrifices, with a fresh trial for each new year, lasted for sixteen centuries and more, until the miraculous birth of Jesus. His transfer from the heavenly glory produced the one man who could and who did keep the Law perfectly – “The man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:5-6) In the end of this age He will apply the merit of His sacrifice on behalf of Adam and his entire race, and will seal the New Covenant with Israel for the blessing of every nation. (Jer. 31:31-34)

NO JOT OR TITTLE OF THE LAW SHALL FAIL

Both Jews and Christians have proclaimed that not one jot or tittle of the Divine Law given through Moses could fail. (Matt. 5:18) That is to say, each little particle of the Law must have its fulfillment. Moses himself was a type of the great Mediator or Atoner for sins, as he declares, saying, “A prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me; him shall ye hear in all things whatsoever he shall say unto you. And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:22-23; Deut. 18:15)

As there is to be a greater Mediator for the New Law Covenant yet in the future, so there is to be a greater Day of Atonement than the one which Moses inaugurated. And that Day of Atonement will have “better sacrifices” than the Day of Atonement which Moses instituted as a type. (Heb. 9:23) But recall that no type could pass away, fail, without reaching its antitype. Next notice that Israel’s Atonement Day has passed away! This means one of two things:

(1) That the Law has failed; or,

(2) That the antitypical Atonement Day has come without Israel knowing about it.

Our Jewish friends might say: Israel’s Atonement Day has not passed away – we observe it every year, just as our fathers did. For more than three thousand years we have kept it up! Not one jot or tittle of our Law can pass without fulfillment.

But our Jewish friends are mistaken. However honest they may intend to be in making their claims, we can disprove them from their own Law. And the sooner they realize the true state of the case the sooner they will be ready to rectify the mistake – for surely there are many who are honest and sincere.

NO PRIEST – NO SACRIFICE – NO ATONEMENT DAY

No Jew will dispute that the Scriptures declare that there is no remission of sin except by a blood atonement. (Lev. 17:11) No rabbi will deny that the Day of Atonement sacrifices could be offered only by a priest. And not one of them surely will deny that in the millions of Jews today there is not one who could authenticate himself as a priest – as a son of Aaron. There is not one, therefore, who would attempt a reproduction of the Tabernacle or Temple, with its Court, its Holy and its Most Holy, and its Atonement Day sin-offerings, even if the Jews had the land of Israel completely in their possession.

If a Tabernacle or Temple were restored on the sacred Mount Moriah, not one of Israel’s millions would venture to offer the Atonement Day sacrifices – knowing that according to the Law it would mean death for him to pass into the presence of the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy-Seat where the blood of atonement must be sprinkled “to make an atonement for the children of Israel for all their sins.” (Lev. 16:34)

What does it mean then, some may ask, that Jews all over the world still reverently observe the tenth day of the seventh month of their year as the Day of Atonement? What does it mean that even those who would do business on the Seventh Day, in violation of the Law, will religiously abandon all business and all pleasure on his Day of Atonement? What does all this mean if God’s Chosen People no longer have a Day of Atonement?

If Christian people could really appreciate the situation, their hearts and eyes would overflow with sympathy towards God’s Chosen People! Devout Jews still have some confidence in Abraham, in Moses, the Law and the Prophets. Whatever may be the motives of sin in their flesh, whatever may be their selfish propensities in common with other men, nevertheless they know the meaning of reverence and veneration. Intelligent Jews realize the situation, yet if they mention it at all, it is with bated breath, with fear, with the realization that this really explains why they had no favor from the Almighty as a people for eighteen centuries. They try to forget the marks of Divine disfavor – the fulfillment of the prophetic declaration that they would be without priest and without ephod many days – many years. (Hos. 3:4)

If at any time Christians should have the opportunity of speaking to God’s Chosen People about this great matter and the fact that his annual celebration of the Atonement Day has been a farce, the matter should be mentioned in full sympathy. It should be done solely with the desire to call attention to the fact that where the type ceased the antitype began. In other words (as their Talmud and the Bible instructs them), everything that Israel possessed in the way of a Priesthood and Sacrifices and a Holy and Most Holy have higher and spiritual antitypical parallels or duplications.

Not one jot or tittle of the Law has failed. The priesthood did not cease – it merely passed from the typical Aaron to his great antitype, Messiah. Of Messiah, God through the Prophet David said, “The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou [Messiah] art a priest for ever after the order of Melchisedek” (not after the order of Aaron). (Psa. 110:4; Gen. 14:18)

Until recently Christians have not been able to give to God’s Chosen People any help along these lines, and only a few do so now. They have instead hindered them. So called Christian nations, devoid of the Spirit of Christ, have black-listed and tabooed and defrauded and persecuted Jews in nearly every nation of Europe. They have called them Christ-killers and told them that God would everlastingly torment them, unless they ceased to be Jews and joined some Christian sect or party. Is it any wonder that the Jew classes the Christian as his enemy? Is it any wonder that he is suspicious, and prefers to believe that the unfulfilled promises and Oath of God must yet be fulfilled to his nation? It is no wonder!

The true explanation of matters, however, is this: As not everyone who is circumcised in the flesh and calls himself a Jew is really recognized of God as such, so likewise not everyone called a Christian who names the name of Jesus is accepted of the Father. On the contrary, the Scriptures assure us that the true Church of Christ is not any of the sects of Christendom; they tell us that the Church of the First-born have their names written in heaven. Hence the church rolls furnish no criterion whatsoever respecting sainthood or relationship to God. To apply the word Christian to them is a misnomer. The cause of Christ would be far better off without their adherence or support. They have helped to deceive both Jews and heathen as respects the true Christianity set forth by Jesus and His Apostles. They are of the world, and have neither part nor lot with Christ.

We are glad, however, that neither they, nor the Jews whom they denounce are destined to eternal torment, but, on the contrary, that for them God’s great provision is a full opportunity for eternal life as perfected human beings in a world-wide Eden. All of these blessed opportunities will be secured for mankind through the antitypical Day of Atonement and its higher priest and better sacrifices for sin.

TYPICAL AND ANTITYPICAL SIN ATONEMENT

The worldly-wise of today, Christians and Jews alike, are aligning themselves with the Higher Critics and Evolutionists, telling us that if there was an Adam and Eve, at least there has been no fall and that we should put our trust in Evolution. We should believe neither in the Atonement Day for sin nor in a coming Messiah and His glorious Empire of Righteousness, nor should we think it necessary to have such aid. Indeed, they doubt if there is a God, or if they acknowledge one, they deny His love for mankind or His interest in human welfare. They believe the blind laws of Evolution decree the survival of the fittest, and working through Trust, Syndicate and Labor Unions crush out the happiness and life of the less fit instead of helping them.

But the word of God stands sure. There is a great malevolent influence at work among mankind, and Sin and Death reign. Despite all the increased skill of humanity along the lines of science and social reform, the death rate among infants remains high, physical and mental illness is rampant and crime and immorality are abounding.

Every fact agrees with the declaration of Scripture that our race is under the dominion, under the rule, of Sin and Death, and not under the reign of righteousness and life-everlasting, its reward. We therefore should be deeply interested, Christians and Jews, in Sin-Atonement. If any­thing can be devised or done to release our race from present conditions of sorrow, pain and death – to joy and harmony with God and everlasting life, surely every member of the race should be deeply, intensely interested.

The Bible, that wonderful Book so sadly mis­understood and misrepresented both by its friends and its enemies, gives the only key of hope. It tells us of a great Day of Atonement in which, by Divine provision, better sacrifices for sins will make complete atonement for the original sin of Adam and grant complete relief from its death sentence, “Thou shalt surely die.” (Gen. 2:17)

Israel’s great Covenant, its Atonement Day, with its sacri­fices, the Priests and Levites who served, and the people who were blessed, were all typical of this great arrangement which God purposed in Himself from before the foundation of the world. (Eph. 1:9-10; 1 Pet. 1:19-20) He pur­posed that all the families of the earth shall be blessed through the Seed of Abraham. The blessing comes through the Spiritual Seed, the glorified Messiah and His Bride, who are “as the stars of the heaven.” It also comes secondarily through the earthly seed, fleshly Israel who, ultimately joined by all nations, are “as the sand which is upon the sea shore.” (Gen. 22:17-18)

THE CEREMONY IN TYPE AND ANTITYPE

In the type the consecration of the priests came first. The bullock, representing the High Priest, was slain and subsequently the Lord’s goat, representing the under-priests, was also slain. Thus was indicated the great fact that the sacrifice of Christ and of His followers, their renunciation of the earthly nature, was necessary for their attainment of the kingly priesthood (typified in Melchisedek). (Lev. 8:14-33)

Next in turn, the Atonement Day sacrifices (Lev. 16:3-34) show the same bullock and the same goat; typical of The Christ, Head and Body, whose sacrificial death not only served for the consecration of the real priesthood, but also will be acceptable by God as the price of the world’s At-one-ment with God. These “better sacrifices” (Heb. 9:23), more than fully rewarded in the exaltation of the sacrificers to glory, honor and immortality in the Kingdom, are applicable for the sins of “the whole world,” “all the people.” (1 John 2:2; Lev. 16:33)

Thus did Israel’s bullock of the Day of Atonement and bullock of the priest’s consecration represent the consecration and death of Jesus the great Sin-bearer, who died, the Just for the unjust, to bring us back into harmony with God. (1 Pet. 3:18) His high exaltation by resurrection to the highest plane of spirit being has been a reward not only to His own sacrifice, but has qualified Him to be the great King of kings and Lord of lords. Through Him God will fulfill all the gracious promises made to Abraham and reiterated to Isaac, Jacob and through the Prophets – that in his Seed all the families of the earth shall be blessed.

As the Lord’s goat was taken from among the people, so the Little Flock, the Royal Priesthood, the followers of Jesus gathered from every nation, Jew and Gentile, will constitute Messiah’s associates on the spirit plane. As the Lord’s goat in the type underwent all the experiences of the bullock, so of the footstep followers of Jesus it is declared that they must walk in His footsteps, must suffer with Christ, must be dead with Him, must go with Him “without the camp,” must with Him bear the reproaches of those whose eyes of understanding are still blinded by the great Adversary and who therefore know them not, even as they knew Him not. (Heb. 13:13) The sacrifice of the antitypical bullock was accomplished at Calvary nearly two centuries ago.

The sacrifice of the antitypical goat class has been in process from the Day of Pentecost until the end of the Gospel Age. According to our understanding of the Scriptures, therefore, this Gospel Age has been the antitypical Day of Atonement in which “the better sacrifices” have been offered. (Rom. 12:1; Heb. 9:23)

The privilege and opportunity of joining in this sacrificial work has been limited to a certain number who must have certain characteristics, character-likeness to the Great High Priest. We understand that this elect Church and saintly few is complete or almost complete, and that the nominal church systems have no part in the matter, being unrecognized of the Lord, unauthorized.

In the past, however, there have been saints included in all of them, and in proportion as these saintly ones were therein, “the light of the world” (Matt. 5:14) was in them; proportionately as there were fewer therein there was grosser darkness. All the time, however, God recognized the few only as His Church: “Fear not, little flock; for it is your Father’s good pleasure to give you the Kingdom.” (Luke 12:32) “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” (Psa. 50:5) “They shall be mine, saith the Lord of hosts, in that day when I make up my jewels.” (Mal. 3:17)

The non-elect, instead of being doomed to an eternity of torture, are to have glorious privileges and opportunities for attaining eternal life and eternal harmony with God in the Millennial Kingdom, if they are willing.

THE ATONEMENT IS TWO-FOLD

The word atonement (at-one-ment) refers to two parties out of harmony becoming reconciled. Original sin brought humanity under the condemnation of the Divine sentence of death. The real Atonement Day sacrifices will fully accomplish the satisfaction of Divine Justice, but still more will remain to be done. And it is for this great work that Messiah’s Kingdom has been promised and will be inaugurated. Man will still need to be reconciled to God, not that man has any real grievance against his Creator, but because his fall brought him into a condition of “enmity against God” and righteousness. (Rom. 8:7)

Love, peace, joy and goodness were originally part of man’s character when created in the image and likeness of his Maker. Man now finds himself full of an opposite spirit – selfishness, envy, hatred, strife – works of the flesh and of the devil. Man now needs to be reconciled to God – to be brought back again to the place where he can properly appreciate Divine Justice, Wisdom, Love and Power. He will then be able to live acceptably to God and therefore be permitted to live forever and to enjoy his Creator’s blessings fully.

The great work of the Day of Atonement, therefore, may in this sense of the word be considered as including the thousand years of Messiah’s reign, during which He will make atonement with God for all the willing and obedient of Adam’s race, assisting, encouraging, uplifting, correcting, reproving, blessing every nation, people and kindred. Ultimately we are assured that all who decline this free gift of God’s love will be completely and everlastingly destroyed, annihilated in the Second Death, from which there will be no recovery. (Acts 3:23)

In the type, the blessing of the world was represented as being accomplished by the high priest on the Day of Atonement after he had made satisfaction to Justice. He then came out of the Most Holy and laid aside the sacrificial garments and put on the robes of glory and beauty. This foreshadowed the great work of the Mediator of the New Covenant between God and the World.

MUST JEWS BECOME CHRISTIANS? WHAT THE SCRIPTURES SAY

God’s Chosen People have been under Divine supervision and care for more than thirty-five hundred years so that they have been kept separate from all the nations of earth and are thus a standing miracle testifying to the truthfulness of the holy promises of the Scriptures. This teaches us to look to the Scriptures respecting their future. The same Scriptures which testify to their solidarity as a people inform us that they will become a nation at the close of this Gospel Age when “the set time” for God to remember Zion shall come. (Psa. 102:13)

St. Paul explicitly points out that Divine favor will return to natural Israel just as soon as the “call” of this Gospel Age to the Heavenly Kingdom class shall have reached fulfillment. Then “through your mercy they also may obtain mercy” – through the saintly few who, during this age, become identified with the glorified Messiah as His Bride and joint heir. (Rom. 11:25-32)

Hence it was evidently not the Divine intention that the Jew should be amalgamated into the Christian systems of today. Indeed, this separateness from the masses of Christendom is to work to the advantage of the Jews in that they will be the better prepared for the earthly blessings that are then to come to them.

The blessings of the new dispensation about to be ushered in will be earthly blessings, and the Jew knows that all of the promises of God contained in the Mosaic Law and writings of the holy Prophets of old tell of earthly blessings, not of heavenly or spiritual favors. The Jew will be more ready to respond to the new order of things than his Christian or Gentile neighbors will be.

Moreover, according to the Scriptures, the princes or rulers seen among men will be of Jewish stock, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the Prophets raised from the dead in full human perfection to be the “princes in all the earth” and representatives of Messiah’s invisible spirit Kingdom. (Psa. 45:16)

Before leaving this subject, we note the prophesy of old which tells us that at the time Messiah manifests the glories of His power and begins His intervention in human affairs in favor of the right and against the wrong, there will be a time of “Jacob’s trouble,” a time when the Jews will be in special tribulation from their foes. Then the Lord will manifest His power on their behalf as in olden times, giving them a miraculous deliverance which they will recognize. (Jer. 30; Zech. 14:2-3)

As a result of this, the Prophet declares, “They shall look on him whom they pierced” – not by seeing the glorious Messiah with their natural sight, but by recognizing Him with the eyes of their understanding. (John 19:37; Zech. 12:10)

At that time of favor toward them on the part of Messiah, “the great prince which standeth for the children of thy people” (Dan. 12:1), they shall discern that the glorious time of opportunity and blessing for which they so long waited has come. Then their sorrow will be great, as they will fully recognize their national mistake in the rejection of Jesus, but the Lord will pour upon them the spirit of prayer and of supplication, and their mourning will be but the beginning of their blessing and time of rejoicing.

Although they will then recognize Messiah, this prophesy proves decidedly that it is not the Divine intention that the Jews as a race should become Christians, or become associated with the Christian systems of this age, which have so seriously misrepresented the Great Teacher and the glorious truths which He and His Apostles taught.

(This paper is drawn from What Pastor Russell Wrote for the Overland Monthly, pages 103-107 and page 116)

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“THINE ENEMIES MAKE A TUMULT”

“For, lo, thine enemies make a tumult: and they that hate thee have lifted up the head. They have taken crafty counsel against thy people . . . They have said, Come, and let us cut them off from being a nation; that the name of Israel may be no more in remembrance.” (Psa. 83:2-5)

Israel’s “Friend” Is Not Obama-Kerry (excerpts) – by Cal Thomas, December 28, 2016:

By instructing his U.N. ambassador not to veto a resolution condemning Israel for building so-called “settlements” on disputed land, the president has aided and comforted that nation’s enemies. The U.S. abstention will inevitably invite stepped-up attacks against Israelis, as well as calls for more boycotts by the European Union, whose ugly anti-Semitic past and present is well documented.

In the Middle East, symbols can be more important than substance, and this symbolic act will send a strong message to Israel’s enemies. Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the resolution a “shameful ambush” and “distorted,” noting, “It states that the Jewish quarter and Western Wall (in Jerusalem) are occupied, which is absurd.” . . . Netanyahu likes to cite history to show how the Jews were in the land long before Arab peoples showed up and started rewriting the past to the point that it belongs in the fiction section of bookstores.

What makes anyone think that what Israel does, or does not do, has any effect on the behavior and declared religious mandate of those dedi­cated to eliminating the country and killing and/or expelling every Jew from it? Did unilaterally relinquishing Gaza bring Israel closer to peace? It did not. Instead, it invited Hamas to use the region as a launching pad for terrorist attacks . . .

Only the self-deluded think the estab­lishment of a separate Palestinian state will result in peace. Such a state would most certainly be used as a base for a modern “final solution” against Israel. What kind of state would the Palestinians establish? Their leaders have already said it would be one without Jews. Netanyahu noted that in any other scenario this would be seen as “ethnic cleansing,” but because much of the world hates Jews and is embarrassed by Israel and its prosperity, it applies a different standard to the Palestinians.

The prophet Isaiah wrote: “Speak tenderly to Jerusalem” (Isaiah 40:2). The Psalmist said: “Pray for the peace of Jerusalem” (Psalm 122:6). In his final insult to Israel, President Obama has spoken harshly and ensured there will be more war, not peace. The Nobel committee should demand he return his prematurely awarded Peace Prize.

P.O. Box 2246, Kernersville, NC 27285-2246; epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

NO. 715: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No. 715

“And when he had given thanks, he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you: this do in remembrance of me. After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood: this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me. For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show [proclaim] the Lord’s death till he come.” (1 Cor. 11:24-26)

The time again draws near for us to commemorate the anniversary of our Lord’s Supper, instituted in commemoration of His death as the antitypical paschal lamb – “the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) The correct time for 2017 is after 6 p.m. on April 9. The date is determined by this method: The moon nearest the Vernal Equinox becomes new in Jerusalem on March 28 at 5:57 a.m., thus establishing 6 p.m. March 27 as the beginning of Nisan 1, Bible reckoning. Counting forward to Nisan 14, we arrive at 6 p.m. April 9. Any time that evening after 6 p.m. would be proper for the celebration.

Let all the faithful in Christ Jesus, in every place, do this in remembrance of God’s Lamb who redeemed us by the sacrifice of Himself. Such, in every place should assemble together, even if there be but two or three of like precious faith. And even the solitary ones may break the bread and partake of the wine, in heart communion with the Lord and with fellow believers.

TWO PASSOVER MEMORIALS

The subject of the Last Supper is one of the most interesting features of Jesus’ earthly ministry. He knew the Apostles did not know it was to be His last supper with them. Although He had intimated the nearness of His death, His disciples had found it impossible to comprehend that any such disaster could be so near. (Matt. 16:21-22) Jesus, however, with full consciousness of what it meant, was longing for the consummation of His work. It was probably at the close of the very day on which He and His disciples went to eat the Passover that Jesus said, “I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened [in difficulty] till it be accomplished!” (Luke 12:50) It was a baptism into death, which was finished the following day.

Peter and John were the two disciples sent to make ready the Passover. It is supposed that the large upper room in which the Passover was eaten by Jesus and His disciples was the same one in which the Apostles and others later gathered to await the Pentecostal blessing. In the evening of the same day, Jesus with the entire Twelve met in this room, all the preparations having been made to celebrate the Jewish Passover at its appointed time. The lamb had been roasted, and the unleavened bread prepared, also the bitter herbs.

Everything, we may be sure, was exactly in conformity with the original requirement; for Jesus and His Apostles were bound by every feature of the Jewish Law as much as were other Jews. Every feature of the Law was binding up to the time of the Pentecostal blessing, which marked the Divine approval of the sacrifice of Jesus and the Divine acceptance of all those who had become His disciples by a full consecration.

KINGDOM HONORS DESIRED

Far from realizing that they were on the eve of a great tragedy, the Apostles believed that Jesus would very soon be enthroned as King. They remembered His promise that they would sit with Him in His Throne. This promise seemed so near to realization to them that they could think of little else but the degree of honor which they would have in the Kingdom. Perceiving their attitude of mind, Jesus said to them, “The kings of the Gentiles exercise lordship over them . . . But ye shall not be so: but he that is greatest among you, let him be as the younger; and he that is chief, as he that doth serve.” (Luke 22:25-26)

These were new standards, difficult for them to understand; and apparently they are still difficult for the followers of Jesus to comprehend fully. The One who will be chief in the Kingdom will be the One who was the chief Servant in the flesh. This greatest Servant of all was, of course, the Lord Jesus Himself. But the Master intimates that the same principle holds good in respect to all of His followers. Whoever of them will most faithfully, most earnestly, most zealously, serve the brethren will thereby be increasing his favor with God, and be preparing himself for so much higher station in Messiah’s Kingdom.

With the thought that any menial service would signify admission of their unworthiness of a high place, the disciples made no arrangement for feet-washing, none wishing to assume the role of servant. In that sandy country feet-washing was almost a necessity when sandals were worn. By way of rebuke, Jesus arose from the table and performed this menial service for His disciples, telling them the significance of the lesson – namely humility – and intimating that no matter how humble a service they might be able to render to each other, they should be glad to render it. (John 13:14-15)

The lesson is still with us: Any humble act of service done to one of the Lord’s brethren corresponds to this feet-washing.

THE CRISIS IN JUDAS’ LIFE

The Passover Supper proceeded – the eating of the lamb with the bitter herbs and the unleavened bread, which resembled a thick pancake, and which was sometimes used instead of a spoon to sop up the essence of the meat. Jesus began to be heavy-hearted, and then said, “One of you shall betray me.” (John 13:21)

There may have been a double object in this statement. First, it showed the disciples that Jesus was fully aware of the premeditated betrayal, so they would not think that something unexpected had happened to Him that was not part of the Divine Plan. Second, our Lord may have meant this as a final reproof to Judas, to cause him to think. A traitor’s course is especially dishonorable when the traitor accepts the hospitality of the one against whom he is plotting and eats his bread.

Consternation spread among the disciples; and one after another they asked, “Is it I?” (Matt. 26:22) The import of this question would be, “It is not I whom you have meant!” Even Judas joined in the general inquiry, “Is it I?” John was seated next to Jesus, and Peter beckoned to him that he should ask the Master who was meant. It was probably a whispered inquiry, heard by Jesus only. Our Lord’s whispered reply was, “He it is, to whom I shall give a sop.” (John 13:23-26) Presently, having prepared a special sop, a mark of special interest, He handed it to Judas. Thus John and Peter knew the truth.

Apparently it was but a short time after this that Judas withdrew, the record being that “Satan entered into him.” (John 13:27) The spirit of the evil one got complete control of him while he stopped and weighed and balanced the matter of selling his best Friend for thirty pieces of silver. It is entirely probable, therefore, that Judas was not present when Jesus, a little later, instituted the Memorial Supper which Christians now celebrate.

THE MEANING OF THE MEMORIAL

he Memorial Supper which Jesus instituted is totally separate and distinct from the Passover Supper, and yet they are closely related; for the one was the type and the other its archetype, or higher type, with a still higher significance. The Memorial of Christ’s death should not be celebrated monthly or quarterly or weekly; but as the archetype of the Jewish Passover, it should be celebrated annually, and at about the same time as the Jewish Passover.

In the Jewish Passover a literal lamb was used to typify Jesus, the Lamb of God (this of course was not realized by the Jews); in the other, the archetype, the death of Jesus is represented by the breaking of the bread.

In their Passover, the Jews celebrated the birth of their nation and its deliverance from Egyptian bondage. This had its start in the passing over of their first-born when the tenth plague came upon the Egyptians. The edict was sent forth that all of the first-born of the Egyptians should die, and that the first-born of the Israelites should not die. The Israelites were directed to take special steps to mark themselves as separate and distinct from the Egyptians. They were to take for each family a lamb without blemish and bring it into the house on the tenth day of the first month. They were to cherish it and care for it until the fourteenth day, and then to slay it. Its blood was to be sprinkled on the outside doorpost and lintels while its flesh was to be roasted in the fire without a bone of it being broken (a prophecy of the Messiah – see John 19:36). It was to be eaten on the night of the fourteenth with bitter herbs and with unleavened bread. Strengthened by this food, the next day they were to march out of Egypt to go to the Promised Land for an inheritance under the Covenant made with Abraham.

The Apostle Paul calls our attention to the fact that Jesus, “the lamb of God,” was the antitype of the Passover lamb, saying, “Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast.” (1 Cor. 5:7-8) He also shows us that the first-borns of Israel, spared in that Passover night, typified the Church of the First-born (Heb. 12:23), spared, or passed over, in the Gospel Age while the night of sin prevails and before the morning of Messiah’s Kingdom is ushered in.

We are not to understand that the Apostles comprehended the meaning of Jesus’ words when He explained to them the meaning of the Supper which He instituted. Rather, as He had already foretold, the Holy Spirit brought these things to their attention and enabled them to comprehend their meaning after they had received the Pentecostal blessing and enlightenment. Now we may see the import of Jesus’ words, “This is my body, which is broken for you.” (1 Cor. 11:24) We perceive that He could not have meant, as some have thought, that the bread was turned into His actual body and the wine into His actual blood. He still had His actual body and His actual blood. He could only have meant that the bread and the wine symbol­ically represented His body and His blood – His life given up.

Neither should we think that Jesus meant that special virtue would result to the disciples from the eating of that bread and the drinking of that literal cup. We should properly look far beyond these things, and see that He meant this: Only as they would by faith partake of the merits secured by His death could they have the great blessing provided for them as His disciples. The Apostles believed that the death of Jesus was for their sins, and that it constituted the basis of their acceptance with the Heavenly Father. They realized that only as they appropriated the sacrificed life of Christ would they be truly the recipients of all these blessings.

Paul also points out for us another important meaning of this bread and cup. He declares the oneness of Christ and His Church. He tells us that there is but the one Loaf and the one Cup. Primarily, this Loaf was Christ Jesus; but in a secondary sense all the followers of Christ, after having been justified through His Sacrifice, are privileged to become members of His Body, parts of the one Loaf that is being broken. Likewise, after partaking of the merit of Christ’s blood, His sacrifice, His true followers are counted as mem­bers with Him, as participants in that one Cup.

Hear the Apostle’s words: “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Christ? For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread.” (1 Cor. 10:16,17)

THE SEALING OF THE NEW COVENANT

Jesus spoke of the cup, the fruit of the vine, as representing the blood of the New Covenant or Testament. (Luke 22:20) The Law Covenant was the Old Covenant, which failed to bring the blessings to the Jews because they could not keep it, and consequently they were not qualified to bless the other nations of the earth. But God promised a New Covenant, a better one, which would be introduced by a new and higher Mediator, a Mediator superior to Moses. That New Covenant, God declares, will accomplish what the old Law Covenant failed to accomplish; for the New Law Covenant will be inaugurated by Messiah, its Mediator, at His Second Advent. His Kingdom, then established in power and great glory, will rule, bless and instruct mankind, and to all who will respond to those blessed opportunities, God through the Mediator will “take the stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh.” (Ezek. 11:19)

Jesus’ death constituted the blood which seals, or makes efficacious, that New Covenant. But mark further: The Church is not to be blessed under that New Covenant of the Millennial Age, which will be inaugurated at the second coming of Jesus, at the establishment of His Kingdom. The Church is to be blessed in advance of that New Covenant. Their consecrated lives (blood), accepted by our Lord, are counted in as a part of His own sacrifice, which seals the New Covenant. Hence the New Covenant will not be fully sealed until the entire Body of Christ, which is the Church, shall have shared with Him in the drinking of His Cup – in the sacrifice of earthly rights, privileges, life itself.

We see that Jesus and the Church receive their reward neither under the Law Covenant nor under the New Covenant, but under a special covenant, called a Covenant of Sacrifice. Reference is made to this covenant of Christ and the Church in the Psalms, where the Lord is represented as saying, “Gather my saints together unto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice.” (Psa. 50:5) The gathering of those who enter into this special Covenant of Sacrifice with the Lord having been in progress for now over nineteen hundred years, we have every reason to believe that the sacrifice is complete or nearly complete.

THE MEMORIAL SERVICE

As there was but one Passover in type, so there is but one “Lamb of God” in antitype; and by taking notice of that antitype each year, we merely do so “in remembrance” just as the Jews to this day keep their Passover “in remembrance.” And the service for the occasion is unique; there is no other service like it in Christian ritual throughout the earth. When our Lord gave command that we observe it, He did so in simplicity of speech and with few words:

“And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you.” (Luke 22:19-20)

Yet, upon these two forthright and uncomplicated sentences great rituals have been erected by the various sects of Christendom. Fundamentally, no more would be required of us in our observance than our Lord’s statement, although explanatory remarks and scripture reading as a foundation for partaking of the bread and the wine is certainly in keeping. However, we should avoid pompous plays upon words and “stage” perfor­mances. The seriousness of the occasion should be stressed, however, that all be done “decently and in order” (1 Cor. 14:40), not nonchalantly, as of some common thing. Blessed are we if we may arrive at that balance of mind and heart that does not overdo or underdo the service – greatness in simplicity, inspiration in solemnity, uplift and virtue in a good and honest participation.

Whereas the tendency today is for larger and more costly church edifices in which to observe services, the institution of this “remembrance” by Jesus Himself was in an “upper room” of a private residence. In many of the great edifices of today “the voice of the bridegroom and of the bride shall be heard no more at all in thee.” (Rev. 18:23) Therefore, may the fact impress us that it is the occupants who sanctify the building; the building does not sanctify the occupants. Thus, St. Paul addresses one of his most human and endearing letters “unto Philemon our dearly beloved, and fellowlabourer . . . and to the church in thy house.” (Phlm. 1:1-2) Therefore may each participant in this year’s Memorial rest in the strong assurance that where “two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Matt. 18:20), regardless of the edifice they occupy.

WHO MAY PARTAKE

It is left open for each to decide for himself whether he has or has not the right to partake of this bread and this cup. If he professes to be a disciple, his fellow disciples may not attempt to judge his heart – God alone can positively read the heart. And though the Master knew beforehand who would betray Him, nevertheless one who had “a devil” was with the twelve. (John 6:70-71)

Because it symbolizes the death of Christ, let all beware of partaking of it ignorantly, un­worthily, improperly – “not discerning the Lord’s body” as our ransom, else the breaking of it in his case would be as though he were one of those who murdered the Lord and he in symbol would “be guilty of the body and blood of the Lord. But let a man examine himself.” (1 Cor. 11:27-29) Let him see to it that in partaking of the emblems he realizes them as the ransom price of his life and privileges.

The primary participants in the Lord’s Supper were to be the Saints, the Little Flock. However, we believe there is an unbegotten class who consecrate after the closing of the high calling similar to those faithful ones who preceded the Gospel Age (see Reprint 5761). We call that class “Youthful Worthies” and believe they will be rewarded in the earthly phase of the Kingdom in honor and in service with the Ancient Worthies of Hebrews Chapter 11.

Do Youthful Worthies partake of the Lord’s Supper? Most certainly they do! They are thankful and appreciative of what our Savior has done for them. They do not “suffer with Christ,” nor will they “reign with Christ,” therefore they partake of the wine and bread, symbolizing our Lord’s death as the Lamb of God and symbolizing their tentative justifica­tion. Their trial is for faith and obedience and not for life as was the Saints trial, although they make the same kind of consecration as did the spirit-begotten: “Ye shall have one manner of law, as well for the stranger [the unbegotten], as for one of your own country [spirit-begotten].” (Lev. 24:22)

It is our prayer that this year’s remem­brance may be profitable to all who partake in sincerity and in Truth. We suggest reading the Passover chapter in Volume Six; and we pray a rich blessing upon all who partake. We are living in wonderful times, and we know not what a day may bring; but we have the strong assurance that we can firmly trust Him who left us an example that we should follow in His steps. (1 Pet. 2:21)

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“SHE HATH DONE WHAT SHE COULD”

The incident related in Mark 14:1-11 occurred at the close of the Jewish Sabbath day just preceding our Lord’s crucifixion. Jesus and His disciples had come to the Passover Feast and He told them that He would there be crucified, but they thought that He was speaking in some kind of figurative language. Indeed, at no time during Jesus’ ministry did His crucifixion seem to be less likely than when it occurred. His preaching and the preaching of His disciples, first the Twelve and afterward the Seventy, had awakened considerable interest among all Jews, especially in Galilee.

Great throngs of people were at Jerusalem to celebrate this Feast, which would last a week. Thousands of them had heard of Jesus; and many of them had been recipients of His mercy in the healing of their diseases. Just a short time before, a number of them had discussed if it would be proper to proclaim Jesus king. Indeed, on the very next day after the incident related here the multitude proclaimed Him as King when He rode into Jerusalem upon the ass. They cried out, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord!” (Matt. 21:9)

But the Master knew there was a murderous hatred against Him among the chief priests, the Scribes and the Pharisees. It is written that they hated Him without cause; that is to say, without just cause (John 15:25), but they had cause enough to hate Him, from their own viewpoint.

Although the Jewish nation had lost its liberty long before and had no prospect of ever winning it back, nevertheless there had never been a time since the days of Solomon when their political prospects looked so favorable. The Roman Emperors had manifested their willingness to co-operate with these very priests, scribes and religious leaders. The Emperors wished merely to rule, and realized that they could exercise more influence through these religious leaders than in any other way.

Thus the great religious teachers considered themselves sponsors for the people. They perceived that their hold over the more ignorant Jews was being impaired by the teachings of Jesus. They felt so satisfied with themselves as the claimed representatives of God and as intermediaries with the Roman government that they did not think it worthwhile to inquire into Jesus and His teachings. From their viewpoint everything was going along reasonably well. They could wish for nothing better than that their plans might not be interfered with.

Many of them had lost all faith in God and in a future life. Others, retaining faith in God and His promised Kingdom, thought that affiliation with the Roman Empire would be the best way of strengthening their nation and preparing it for the Messianic glories. From this viewpoint, Jesus was a disturber of the peace. He did not belong to their clique. His manner, no less than His teachings, reproved them and tended to break all their influence with the people.

The religious leaders had heard that Jesus was coming to the Feast. They discussed how He could be wisely dealt with, killed, gotten rid of in any way. They seem to have been unanimous in believing that His destruction would be for the good of God’s cause, as they misunderstood that cause. Another scripture tells us that Caiaphas, the chief priest, had declared that it was expedient that one man should perish rather than that the nation should perish. (John 11:49-52) They fancied that the teachings of Jesus, if allowed to proceed, would certainly awaken the people to a faith in the Messianic Kingdom. They thought of Jesus as an imposter, but feared that His teachings would incite some kind of fanatical uprising.

The religious leaders had murder in their hearts. It was merely a question of how they could accomplish the murder and deceive the people, so as not to provoke those who had begun to have faith in Jesus. Their conclusion was that the Feast time would be an unfavorable one; for He would be surrounded by the multitude, some of whom thought Him a great prophet, others of whom considered Him to be the Messiah. Such was their attitude of mind when Judas went to them privately, suggesting that he would be in touch with the movements of Jesus, and that for a certain amount of money he would inform them of the most suitable time for making Jesus a prisoner – a time when the multitude would not be with Him. His plan was finally decided upon and carried out.

On this occasion, Jesus and His disciples were the honored guests of that Lazarus whom Jesus awakened after he had been dead three days. It was at the home of Simon the Leper, who probably was already dead. Jesus was the guest of honor, His disciples sharing with Him. Martha and Mary (sisters of Lazarus) along with Lazarus hosted the gathering. The supper had progressed when Mary entered with a vial of very expensive perfume, the contents of which she poured upon the head of Jesus and, according to another account, subsequently poured a portion of the same perfume upon His feet.

The house was filled with the perfume; Jesus was honored. Then came voices of murmuring – “Why was this waste of the ointment made?” St. John tells us that the leader of the murmurers was Judas. (John 12:4-6) Judas posed as the friend of the poor, intimating that his regrets were not selfish or personal, but that he thought what good might have been done to others with the money.

The Apostles afterward learned that this speech was hypocritical. Jesus, however, understood at the time the anger of Judas which led him to openly insult one of the hostesses. St. John tells us the anger of Judas was because he had failed to get this money himself. He was the treasurer of the little company of disciples; he carried the money-bag; and, as they afterward came to know, he was a thief, who privately was laying by for himself. (John 12:6) Judas is probably not the only person who has plead for the poor and at the same time sought to divert funds to himself.

The statement of Judas that the perfume was worth three hundred pence was probably not an extreme valuation. At a time when the silver penny, worth sixteen cents, represented a day’s labor, three hundred pence would practically represent the labor of a year. Today perfumes can be made and sold at trifling cost in comparison with the past. And yet the ancients were passionately fond of perfumes; and the liberal use of them, as in this case, indicated a deep respect, even reverence. Mary doubtless felt that her very highly esteemed friend Jesus, who had brought her brother back from the tomb, was none other than the Messiah, the Son and Representative of the Almighty God. The reverence which she felt for God she sought to express toward His highest Repre­sentative, Jesus.

Mary must have felt crushed as she heard the harsh criticism. But Jesus came to her defense, saying, “Let her alone; why trouble ye her? she hath wrought a good work on me. For ye have the poor with you always, and whensoever ye will ye may do them good: but me ye have not always. She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying.” (Mark 14:6-8)

The Master’s approval must have comforted Mary; and wherever the Gospel has been preached, this story of her loving devotion, at great cost and probably great self-denial, has been told as a memorial of her, not merely to honor her, but especially to inspire and encourage others of God’s people to the obtaining and exercising of a love which delights in service, even in costly sacrifice.

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(This paper is primarily drawn from several writings of Pastor Russell, including Reprints 5540-5541)

NO. 714: THE OVERTHROW OF SATAN'S EMPIRE - PART TWO

No. 714

In our January 2017 paper, we presented the first part of Chapter IV of Epiphany Volume 17, The Millennium, in which Brother Johnson described the means by which Satan has kept mankind in subjection and God’s Plan for overthrowing Satan’s empire. He described the conditions that lead to World War I and World War II, which he noted was one war in two phases. We now continue his discussion:

RESULTS OF THE WORLD WAR

Thus the war had two results directly opposite to those that Satan had planned: (1) the side that he favored was defeated; and (2) his empire was weakened and debt-burdened almost to collapse. Moreover, the Lord overruled the matter to the complete frustration of Satan’s purpose of making each nation emerge from the war with the masses and the classes thoroughly united with each other, instead of their being divided against each other as they had been before the war. This purpose of Satan was frustrated by the Lord’s making known, not only the human, but also the Satanic causes of the war, particularly as these were connected with the doctrine of the Divine Right of kings, aristocrats and clergy, which doctrine and its resultant practices were the basic human causes of the war.

The making of these things known has had various results: (1) the almost complete abolition of autocracy [rule by one person with absolute power], a child of the Divine Right doctrine; (2) in some countries a large abolition, and in other countries a large limitation of aristocracy; (3) greatly decreased belief in the Divine Right of the clergy and a correspondingly immense decrease of their influence; (4) greatly increased embitterment and opposition of the radicals to what is Satan’s order of affairs; (5) greatly increased demands for more liberty from state, aristocracy and clergy; and (6) most threatening imminence of worldwide revolution.

These things have been true after both the first and second phases of the World War. The second phase is usually called World War No. II, but we believe that it is better to call it World War, Phase II, because from 1919 to 1939 there was no real peace, but merely an armed truce; for the Germans, forced to sign the Versailles treaty, threatened at the time to break it when able. Hence they from time to time repudiated part after part of it, until they repudiated it altogether. Hence that which existed between 1919 and 1939 was really a truce, not a peace, and the war of 1939-1945 was really a continuation of the war of 1914-1918.

During the interval between the two phases of the war, Satan saw that the Conservatives and the Radicals were becoming more widely separated and in danger of overthrowing his order of affairs, so he used dictatorships in an attempt to hold his empire together. But when he saw this was to no avail, he heedlessly plunged them into the second phase of the war, and invented even more horrible weapons and munitions of war.

But again it was a case of his purpose being turned aside, a case of God opposing his ruthlessness with a “so far and no farther.” The end of this second phase found the side which he favored defeated, and his empire even more debt-burdened, almost to collapse; and worse still for Satan, it found the masses and classes farther apart than before the conflict began, after having been temporarily united in some measure during the conflict. The Lord’s making known the causes of the second phase had the same six effects as mentioned above in connection with the first phase, except that they were even more accentuated than after 1914-1918. Thus in a deeper sense than most people recognize, Satan emerged from his adventure in the World War as the worst defeated sovereign of all history.

THE WORLD REVOLUTION

The World War was no usual war. From the above description it will be seen that it was a greater conflict, with larger issues involved, than mankind in general recognizes. As a matter of fact the World War is the great war of prophecy – the war that, according to the Scriptures would precede Armageddon, the war that would be the first part of the great Day of the Lord, the Day of Vengeance. In many places the Bible refers to it. The following are among the more important of these references: Joel 3:9-14; Dan. 12:1; Matt. 24:21,22; 1 Thess. 5:1-3.

This war, and the very year (1914) in which it was to begin, were forecast from the Bible by Pastor Russell years before it began. See the book, The Time is at Hand. According to the Bible, after an ever increasingly stormy interval, it is followed by sudden world-wide Revolution, which will over­throw the present form of Satan’s empire in state, aristocracy and religion. And, according to the Scriptures, even greater famines and pestilences than those which accompanied the World War accompany the World Revolution.

The ten European language groups (Greek, Turkish, Slavic, Magyar, Scandinavian, English, Hispanian, French, Germanic and Italian) are represented by the ten horns of the beast of Rev. 17 (comp. Zech. 8:23). The rule of the various heads of the beast has culminated in the eighth, which is one of the seven (Rev. 17:11). We believe it to be the papacy. We look for the above-mentioned ten horns to destroy this eighth head (Rev. 17:16), which we believe has already begun in part. These will increase and continue, as, according to the Scriptural delineations, the radicals, in this Revolution, attack the present order with crushing and relentless blows, under which it will collapse with but scant resistance, due to its greatly weakened condition resulting from the wounds received in the World War and its aftermath. This will show in another way what a great blunder Satan made in bringing about that war; for by greatly weakening his empire it will have prepared that empire to become an easy prey to the attacks of the radicals in the World Revolution. Events on all hands indicate that we are being rapidly swept into this great social upheaval.

Of this coming upheaval, the following are some of the Biblical descriptions, clothed in figurative language: “The battle of that great day of God Almighty” (Rev. 16:14; Isa. 13:4,5), “Arma­geddon” (Rev. 16:16), “a great earthquake” (Rev. 16:18; Heb. 12:26), “the fire of my [Jehovah’s] jealousy” (Zeph. 3:8; 2 Pet. 3:10,12; Mal. 4:1; Nah. 1:5), “the whirlwind” and “the storm” (Nah. 1:3,6,7), “a tempest of hail,” “a destroying storm,” and “a flood of mighty waters” (Isa. 28:2; Nah. 1:4,8), “the besom [broom] of destruction” (Isa. 14:23), “a furnace of fire” (Matt. 13:42), “a lake of fire” (Rev. 19:20), “the supper of the great God” (Rev. 19:17), and “the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God” (Rev. 19:15).

As one reads these many terms descriptive of these same events, the conclusion is irresistible that they set forth in symbolic language an appalling calamity in the near future.

ANARCHY

The form of government to be set up after the Revolution will, we opine, be socialistic in form. This being a part of the “present evil world,” Satan, of course, will be its invisible ruler. Forced, much against his preference, to accept such an order of affairs, he will seek to use it to further his controllership over the human family. However, the inherent impracticability of Socialism as a method of government among fallen, selfish men will be quickly demonstrated, even as the inherent impracticability of Communism as a method of government among fallen, selfish men has been quickly demonstrated in Russia by its adventure with Bolshevism; for the Scriptures seem to indicate that after this form of Socialism shall but briefly pilot the ship of State amid the storms of the social sea, Anarchy will set in, and like a devouring fire will completely destroy every vestige of Satan’s empire. More severe famines and pestilences than those accompanying the Revolution will accompany Anarchy. Fire is the most frequent Biblical term describing the anarchistic phase of the Great Tribulation.

The prophet Elijah was given a vision of the three great phases of this Trouble – war, revolution, and anarchy – by the wind, earthquake and fire of 1 Kings 19:11,12. Using Jerusalem as a figure of Christendom, the prophet Ezekiel by the term “sword” describes the War and Revolution, and by the figure of the noisome beast (a beast is opposed to law and order) fittingly describes the Anarchy of the Time of Trouble. (Ezek. 14:21) Additionally, in the same passage, he shows that famines and pestilences will play their part in these troubles, as we by observation know they played their part in the war.

“JACOB’S TROUBLE”

Satan will, after the Anarchy, attempt but one final effort against God’s people, which will be against His fleshly Israel. One of the signs of our times as a fulfilment of prophecy has been Israel’s returning to Palestine. This has had several stages, beginning with the Berlin Congress of Nations, 1878 (Zech. 8:23), requiring Turkey to permit Israel’s return to Palestine under certain guarantees of protection.

The Balfour Declaration of 1917 greatly advanced their return. Arab opposition gave a temporary setback to their return, but in due time this obstacle was removed to such an extent that Israel has emerged as a separate government. Present world-wide conditions have influenced many wealthy Israelites to divert vast millions of treasure to their Home Land, and the land is being richly built up; and much treasure is being laid up there for safekeeping against the financial losses of Christendom. All this is in fulfilment of prophecy relating to our times. (Ezek. 36:8,12)

Satan, beholding these prosperous Israelites, and realizing that his days of mischief are about over, will, after Anarchy has destroyed the future socialistic governments, in hatred against Israel stir up the anarchistic remnants of all nations to plunder the Israelites in Palestine. These plunderers, as described in Ezek. 38 and 39, Zech. 12:1-9 and 14:1-3, will be gathered by Satan from among all nations and will sorely afflict Israel in what the Bible calls Jacob’s Trouble. (Jer. 30:1-9)

This will be a very severe trouble, according to the prophetic description given in the above citations, and will be Israel’s final chastisement. It will effectually turn them to the Lord Jesus in thorough conversion, when they, in the complete overthrow of their plunderers by the Lord Jesus, will remember that their trouble and their troublers’ overthrow were forecast to them by the Truth people. And their affliction and besetment by these anarchistic plunderers will be the last act of oppression under Satan as the god of this evil world. With that wicked effort his rulership as man’s supreme oppressor will be over, for which we thank God.

FINAL RESULTS OF EMPIRE’S OVERTHROW

Surely the immediate outlook presented above is far from pleasant; and if there were no blessings following these sad experiences, we would rather pass them over in silence. We tell them here in order to forewarn and thus forearm those who will heed the “sure word of prophecy” and “the signs of the times,” and by them apply their hearts unto wisdom. (2 Pet. 1:19; Matt. 16:3)

One may ask, How could a God of love permit these things? We answer, that for nearly 2000 years with marvelous long-suffering God has been calling upon the world to repent; but apart from a saintly few they have refused to respond, and thus have demonstrated that they will not be reformed by moral suasion. Hence God determined to permit devils and wicked leaders to bring them into great tribulation, which He designs to use as a rod of correction, that men may learn righteousness. (Isa. 26:9) As a surgeon, though inevitably hurting the patient whose broken limb he must set, performs the operation as the only means to secure the ultimate good of the patient, so God permits the Great Tribulation as the only remaining method of bringing the world to its senses, and thus of preparing it for its uplift through Christ’s Millennial Reign.

Then there is, connected with God’s permitting the Great Tribulation, another thing that shows His love even amid wrath: this tribulation will by Divine interposition break Satan’s yoke from off the neck of the race, and thus free humanity from the oppression of the worst of all tyrants. (Isa. 9:4; Psa. 72:4 – For a detailed description of Satan’s final efforts to deceive and his final destruction, see Epiphany Volume 16, pages 173-189.)

When we contemplate the fearful and remorseless havoc that Satan has wrought against and among mankind, and then learn that the Great Tribulation will result in his losing his empire and throne and in his undergoing thereafter a thousand years’ imprisonment (Rev. 20:1-3), and that consequently freedom for the race from his ruthless sway will set in, we at once see that to be freed from him it would be worthwhile to pass through twenty-five Times of Trouble.

And best of all is the third reason why God permits the Great Tribulation: it will be the means of sweeping away Satan’s empire, and thus of making way for the establishment of God’s Kingdom the world over for the blessing of mankind, living and dead, with the privileges of restoration to human perfection and Edenic bliss. To gain these blessings it would be worthwhile to pass through fifty Great Tribulations.

How glad we are that Satan, the proud, selfish and ruthless oppressor of our race, is now being laid hold on by the almighty hands of our Lord Jesus, and by them is being hurled from his throne, never again to be permitted to mount it! With this faith in heart and mind let God’s servants joyfully sing the song, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever!” (Rev. 11:15)

Let all who reverence Him join in the refrain, “Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth!” (Rev. 19:6) Yea, let every one in heaven and in earth sing the jubilee song of liberty from Satan’s yoke to the earth and to the inhabitants thereof; and let every human heart cry out, “Make room! make room!” for the great Liberator, our adorable Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, who with His Bride as the Seed of Abraham shall bless all the nations of the earth, and as King of kings and Lord of lords shall reign forever and forever!

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QUESTIONS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Question: What will be the nature of the “liberty” into which the whole creation is to come, when the “sons of God” are manifested? (Rom. 8:19,21)

Answer: The nature of the liberty is indicated by the Apostle by his contrasting it with bondage in the same verse. The bondage was of “corruption” i.e. death, with all concomitants of pain, sickness and sorrow. For six thousand years it has proved itself a terrible bondage, one from which mankind could not escape. But a Savior came and ransomed the whole creation, the entire world of mankind, giving Himself a “corresponding price” for all; and as a result has obtained control of mankind, and the right by purchase (with His own precious blood) to open the tomb and release all men from every cord of bondage which now binds them.

By virtue of the ransom which He gave for all, “there shall be a resurrection [a lifting up to perfection] of the dead, both of the just and unjust.” (Acts 24:15) The Lord declares, “I have the keys [symbol of right, authority and power] of hell [hades – the death condition] and death.” (Rev. 1:18)

To release men from the bondage of death is to restore to original perfection. Adam was a perfect man “crowned with glory and honor” (Psa. 8:5), and in God’s sight “very good” until he sinned; because of sin he was delivered into “the bondage of corruption” according to the will and law of God. But since by His atonement sacrifice the Lamb of God takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29), it becomes His right and privilege to save men, by liberating them from the wages of those sins, viz.: from the bondage of corruption – death.

This deliverance from corruption’s bondage was the theme and substance of Jesus’ preaching, not only as indicated by His recorded words, but as prophesied beforehand: “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 brokenhearted, to proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that are bound.” (Isa. 61:1) Yes, this was Jesus’ mission and message, and it was illustrated by His miracles, by which He manifested forth His future glory – the work of healing, restoring, liberating from pain, sorrow and death, into the liberty of manhood – the liberty enjoyed by man while yet a “son of God” (Luke 3:38), before he became a sinner.

To this liberty or freedom from death and trouble, the whole creation shall again be restored – the glorious liberty common to sons of God on whatever plane of being they may be, whether sons of human nature (Luke 3:38) sons of angelic nature (Job 38:7) or sons of the divine nature (1 John 3:2; 2 Pet. 1:4). The same glorious freedom from death belongs to all the sons of God.

While the human creation shall be delivered from bondage to present death which came on account of Adam’s sin, and is to be removed because of Christ’s redemptive work, it does not follow that they shall retain their liberty. They may retain it, and from present experience will know the value of retaining it, yet they will ever be able to place themselves in bondage at their own option, but only by deliberate, willful, sin against full light and knowledge. The second or willful bondage is called the Second death, from which, deliverance is never promised.

The time for the deliverance of the world from present bondage to corruption (that which came as a result of Adam’s sin – Adamic death) is referred to by Paul. Jesus did not deliver the prisoners at the time of His first presence in the world; He merely preached deliverance to the captives and opening of prison doors. True, when reproved by the self-righteous Pharisees (zealous for the Sabbath, but ignorant of its real significance) for healing a woman on the Sabbath day, He said: “Ought not this woman, …. whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?” (Luke 13:16) He did release her from the special infirmity but not from all the bondage of corruption; she was still subject to pain and death – the bondage of corruption – and the little release which Jesus granted her was only an illustration of the full and complete release which He would grant in “the times of restitution of all things” – the great antitypical seventh day or Sabbath. (Acts 3:21)

The time for this removal of the bondage of corruption from humanity, permitting them to return to the glorious perfection of Eden, is when the special class of sons selected during this Christian Age, as the “Body of Christ” has been made perfect with their head, Jesus. Then will come the manifesting of the power of those divine sons in the liberating, restoring, perfecting of the human family to the proper liberty of sons of God, secured for them by the ransom. This liberty will be fully attained by all willing to accept of it, by the end of the reign of Christ. It is the very object of His reign as promised, to thus bless all the families of the earth.

Question: With the understanding that we have – that death, not dying, is the penalty of sin, how shall we harmonize the statements that Christ gave His life as a ransom (substitute) for many (Matt. 20:28), and the statement, “I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it again. This commandment have I received of my Father.” (John 10:18) Does not “it” in both cases refer to the same thing?

Answer: That the penalty of sin was death, is most clearly and emphatically stated – “The wages of sin is death” – “Dying, thou shalt die.” The imperfect and dying condition which we enter at our birth, is simply the process which culminates in the full penalty – death – cessation of life – extinction of being – non-existence. If death is the penalty, then when will the penalty end? There is no inherent power in us which can ever deliver us from non-existence – death. The only way which the Scriptures disclose for man’s restoration to existence is by the payment of his ransom, an equivalent price, a substitute. And this ransom was found in the Son of God who became a man – was “made flesh” [transformed from the spiritual to the human nature,] in order that He might give Himself a ransom for all.

That which Jesus laid down for our redemption was His being or existence in the condition He then possessed it – i.e. life or existence as a human being. We must not consider life (vitality) in the abstract without regard to nature the thing referred to, which He had power and commandment both to lay down and to take again. But in the sense of being or personality, the human Jesus gave Himself, His Life, His being, a ransom for all. And likewise He received life, being, or personality, in His resurrection; but it was a new being that arose of a new nature. Jesus arose a spiritual and no longer a human being; existence “it” was recovered, but not under human conditions, not human existence, for He never did and never will take back our ransom price, thank God.

It remains the equivalent price of our condemned race; and because it was laid down forever, we may live forever. It is life in the abstract sense that the pronoun “it” refers to in the text mentioned.

“If there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law,” and not by a sacrifice. (Gal. 3:21) But commanding a man could never make an imperfect man capable of meeting the requirements of justice; and even if able to do so fully, there were penalties against each of us through and because of Adam’s sins which must be met, paid, settled by someone, and for each to meet them for himself, would be death – extinction. Hence the need of first a ransom, and secondly a life-giver; both of which needs are supplied to us by God in Christ Jesus our Lord. A thousand or a million years in death would not pay man’s penalty, as there is no limitation of time either mentioned or implied, in the terms of the prescribed penalty nor in any scriptural reference to it; there is no escape except through the ransom provided.

The human existence of Jesus, our ransom, our substitute, was surrendered to everlasting death; but thank God He lives as a divine being to claim and restore to its perfection that purchased by His human life – mankind.

(From Reprints 816 and 823, with minor editing.)

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“BE OF GOOD CHEER”

(Matt. 14:27)

When tempest-tossed on life’s wild sea,

And fair skies disappear,

Above the storm He calls to thee,

“Tis I, be of good cheer!”

Though Satan’s darts be fiercely hurled,

Beloved, help is near,

Trust Him who overcame the world,

And be thou of good cheer.

In tribulation’s darkest hour,

Yield not to doubt or fear,

But calmly rest in His all-power,

Who saith, “Be of good cheer.”

Press on, beloved, in the race,

The goal is very near,

Faint not, thou soon shalt see His face, –

Then, be thou of good cheer!

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ANNOUNCEMENT

The date of our Lord’s Memorial is April 9, 2017, after six p.m.

NO. 713: THE OVERTHROW OF SATAN'S EMPIRE - PART ONE

No. 713

“And he said, Go forth, and stand upon the mount before the Lord. And, behold, the Lord passed by, and a great and strong wind rent the mountains, and brake in pieces the rocks before the Lord; but the Lord was not in the wind: and after the wind an earthquake; but the Lord was not in the earthquake: And after the earthquake a fire; but the Lord was not in the fire: and after the fire a still small voice.” (1 Kings 19:11-12)

The overthrow of Satan’s empire is one of the main objects of our Lord’s return, as taught by Brother Paul S.L. Johnson.[1] Jesus said, “No man can enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he will first bind the strong man; and then he will spoil his house.” (Mark 3:27) This shows that Satan must first be bound, restrained and deposed, before Christ’s reign of righteousness and peace can be established.

Brother Johnson explained that Satan’s empire has three divisions that have enabled him to hold the human race in subjection: (1) false religions, (2) oppressive governments, and (3) predatory aristocracies. These institutions will be destroyed in the great Time of Trouble. (Dan. 12:1) Three great phases of this Trouble – war, revolution, and anarchy – are pictured in Scripture by wind, earthquake and fire.

The turbulent conditions of the past year remind us of the imminence of this overthrow. Below we present Brother Johnson’s description of the phases of the Time of Trouble as presented in Chapter IV of Epiphany Volume 17. Minor editing has been done to adapt it to the paper format.

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We are not to think that Jehovah has been an unconcerned observer of the ruthless reign of Satan over the human family. His love for our fallen race prevented such unconcern. (John 3:16) Even before that reign began He prepared a Plan for its overthrow. One feature of this Plan is to keep Satan’s activities within certain metes and bounds, while God prepares The Christ and His supporters to become His agency for the overthrow of Satan’s empire, during the closing years of the Gospel Age and the opening years of the Millennial Age.

To those ignorant of God’s Plan, it could not but appear that Satan has hitherto been winning. His victory, however, has been only a seeming one. Actually, every feature of God’s Plan, so far due, has been fulfilling with unfailing precision and success, despite every effort of Satan to thwart it. Even in his opposition to Jesus and His Faithful, Satan’s seeming success has been a defeat for him; for his opposition furnished Jesus and His Church such experiences as better enabled them to oppose and overcome him in their hearts, and thus to develop characters fitting them for the work, in due time, of overthrowing his empire, of establishing God’s Kingdom and of ruling over the human race for its uplift to perfection. Thus God’s Plan purposes that the wrath of Satan as well as the wrath of man shall surely praise Him, and that He will restrain the remainder of wrath. (Psa. 76:10)

Ever since the Fall of 1874 (when 6,000 years from Adam’s fall ended – see The Time is at Hand, Volume II of Studies in the Scriptures) the human family has entered into a new epoch, characterized by the most unusual enlightenment, movements, events and changes of all history. We believe that this enlightenment and these movements, events and changes are more or less connected with the overthrow of Satan’s empire. We can better visualize matters if we keep in mind the Scriptural figure of The Christ (Head and Body) coming forth as an army, whose Commander is the Lord Jesus, to attack Satan’s empire. (Rev. 17:14; 19:11-21) The weapon that He uses is a “sword [that] proceedeth out of his mouth.” (Rev. 19:15,21) Certainly no sane person would contend for the proposition that this is a literal sword. It evidently means the Truth on secular and religious subjects. (Isa. 49:2; Hos. 6:5; Eph. 6:17; Heb. 4:12; Rev. 1:16; 2:12,16)

How appropriate to the Prince of Peace it is to use such a sword, and how inappropriate it would be for Him to use a literal sword; yea, by reason of the contrast, how appropriate to Him is the Sword of Truth as a weapon of warfare in a conflict with an empire whose weapon is untruth, and whose ruler is “the father of lies!” (John 8:44; 2 Cor. 4:4) It is even so; for the “Truth is mighty and shall prevail” in the war of The Christ upon Satan’s empire.

In this war Christ is making an attack with secular and religious Truth upon the ignorance that Satan has fostered and upon the errors that Satan has spread. However, the most particular objects of His attacks with the Sword of Truth have been the three foundation doctrines of Satan’s empire: (1) The Divine Right of kings, (2) the Divine Right of aristocrats, and (3) the Divine Right of the clergy, and the three supporting doctrines of Satan’s empire: (1) the consciousness of the dead, (2) the transformation of the dead into spirits and (3) the bliss or torture of these spirits. Additionally, the Lord Jesus is spreading the Truth on secular and religious subjects, thereby arousing all the more opposition to Satan’s empire of error and wrong.

Of course, we are not to understand that our Lord has visibly appeared, attacking ignorance, error and wrong with the Truth; rather, we are to understand that He is in an educational and natural way opening the eyes of people to see the truth along all lines of human thought. Thus He is not only giving us truth on the Bible and on other religious subjects, not previously seen, but He is also bringing forth the light on secular subjects. This has resulted in our generation becoming much more enlightened than previous generations. A great increase of knowledge is spreading among the people on art, science, philosophy, history, law, government, rulers, political economy, sociology, capital, commerce, aristocracy, labor, production, distribution, wealth, poverty, unemployment, ex­ploitation, wages, profits, losses, special privileges, political elections and parties, human rights, health, inequality, etc. (Dan. 12:4)

With all this enlightenment, the question of right and wrong as it applies especially to the common people, and to classes and nations in their various relations, is continually being thrust upon the attention of people everywhere. The Lord Jesus is using a thousand instrumentalities to bring the Truth on these subjects to light. Television, radio, newspapers, magazines, pamphlets, booklets, books, lecture platforms, open forums, political parties, reform movements, labor organizations, clubs, societies, conversations, discussions, scientific laboratories, investigation commissions, courts, detective agencies, etc., are only a few of the many channels through which the Lord is causing the rising flood of truth to flow to the people. Like the statue of Liberty, Truth is holding up the torch of knowledge to mariners sailing over life’s dark and stormy main, as they are approaching the land of promise from the dark night of sin and error.

UNDERMINING THE FOUNDATION ERRORS

Many of our Lord’s attacks upon Satan’s empire have consisted of His exposing by the light of truth the deeds of darkness committed by the three departments of Satan’s empire: oppressive governments, predatory aristocracies, and false religious systems. Additionally, these exposures have undermined the foundation and supporting errors of Satan’s empire, and thereby have shaken that empire itself.

Before showing how the Lord has overthrown confidence in the doctrine of the Divine Right of kings, clergy and aristocrats, let us briefly refresh our minds on what is meant by such Divine Right. The doctrine of the Divine Right of kings, summed up in the proposition, “The king can do no wrong,” means the following: That the rulers are God’s direct appointees and vicegerents; that they do exactly what God wishes them to do; and that He sanctions all their acts.

The doctrine of the Divine Right of the clergy, summed up in the proposition, “The cleric is God’s mouth and hand,” means the following things: In religious matters God speaks and acts through the clergy; therefore the laity are obligated to believe and practice with blank and unquestioning minds whatever the clergy bind upon them.

The doctrine of the Divine Right of the aristocracy, summed up in the proposition, “The aristocrats are the stewards and almoners of the Almighty,” means that it is the Divine good pleasure that the aristocrats own and control practically the whole earth, and that others be their slaves, serfs or employees.

Every one of these three doctrines is erroneous, and the practice of them has produced terrible violations of the Golden Rule and cruel wrongs against the Lord’s saints, with which the history of Christendom is replete. When we view the acts that have flowed as a logical consequence from the doctrines of the Divine Right of state, church and aristocracy, we will readily recognize the erroneousness of these doctrines and the sins of those who hold and practice them.

The following is a partial list of the wrongs resulting from the doctrine of the Divine Right of kings: claims of unjust “prerogatives,” gross oppression of their subjects, ruthless and cruel suppression of rivals (real and imaginary), the rule of might as against right, unjust and cruel wars, robbery of one another’s territory and subjects, national hatred, revenge, envy, suspicion, etc., violation of the rights of other nations, violation and repudiation of solemn and binding treaties, support of false religions, union of governments and special religions, persecution of religious dissenters, debauchery and exploitation of weaker nations, traffic in human slavery, favoritism of the classes as against the masses, gross hypocrisy, dishonest and selfish diplomacy, etc. etc. Every one of these things violates the Golden Rule, professedly accepted by these rulers; rests under God’s disapproval, and is a demonstration of the falsity of the doctrine of the Divine Right of kings.

Ever since 1874 our Lord has, by many exposures made through various agents, been increasingly calling the attention of the people the world over to these violations of the Golden Rule by the kings and other rulers, and by these exposures has been powerfully proving that the doctrine of the Divine Right of kings is a gross error; for God will not sanction their acts of violation of the Golden Rule. As a result our Lord Jesus has almost entirely destroyed the confidence of the people in that doctrine. Thereby He has increasingly freed them from that kind of subjection required by those governments which claim the Divine Right.

The following is a partial list of the wrongs resulting from the doctrine of the Divine Right of the aristocracy: Exploitation, slavery, serfdom, legal technicalities, evasions, delays and violations, frauds, dishonesty, special privileges, monopolies, the manufacturing of financial and military panics and wars, indifference to the masses, gambling, wanton luxury and waste, unfair and destructive competition, corruption of politics, morals and government, support of oppressive and persecuting governments, etc., etc. Every one of these violates the Golden Rule, professedly accepted by these aristocrats, rests under Divine disapproval, and is a demonstration of the falsity of the doctrine of the Divine Right of the aristocracy.

Ever since 1874 our Lord has with ever growing emphasis been making known everywhere to the people by appropriate instrumentalities these violations of the Golden Rule by the aristocrats. By this knowledge He has unanswerably proved that the doctrine of the Divine Right of the aristocrats is a colossal error; for it is self-evident that God will not sanction their violations of the Golden Rule; consequently He has almost entirely undermined the confidence of the people in that doctrine, and thereby has increasingly freed them from such controllership as those aristocrats who believe and seek to enforce that doctrine require.

The following is a partial list of the wrongs resulting from the doctrine of the Divine Right of the clergy: Priestcraft, pride, intolerance, hypoc­risy, superstition, error, persecution of dissenters, blasphemy of the Divine Person, Character, Plan and Works, sanction of the wrongs of rulers and aristocrats, union of religions and states, secularization of religion, fomenting wars and national hatreds, rivalries, distrust and revenge, destruction of real religion, etc. Every one of these things violates the Golden Rule, professedly accepted by the clergy, rests under Divine disapproval, and is a demonstration of the falsity of the doctrine of the Divine Right of the clergy.

From 1874 onward our Lord has been progressively exposing to the public through His amenable agents these flagrant sins against the Golden Rule by the clergy; and by these exposures He has proved beyond peradventure that the doctrine of the Divine Right of the clergy is untrue; consequently the people on all hands are repudiating this doctrine, and are casting off the shackles of obedience required by the clergy who believe and seek to enforce that doctrine.

UNDERMINING THE SUPPORTING ERRORS

Along with the overthrow of the people’s confidence in these foundation doctrines of Satan’s empire (the Divine Right of rulers, aristocrats and clergy) the Lord Jesus has been undermining their faith in the three supporting doctrines of Satan’s empire: the consciousness of the dead, the trans­formation of people at death into spirits and the bliss or torment of these spirits.[2] This He has done, especially from a Biblical standpoint, through able and devout students of the Scriptures, though science and reason have also co-operated in undermining belief in these three supporting errors of Satan’s empire.

The Lord’s undermining of the confidence of millions of people in the foundation and the supporting doctrines of Satan has been accompanied by another of His works: His revealing to mankind everywhere a series of truths underlying men’s relations to one another governmentally, morally, socially, religiously, commercially, economically, and industrially – truths that in not a few particulars fundamentally contradict the notions on these subjects that Satan’s empire has spread and reduced to laws or established usages.

This double work of our Lord, in harmony with His object in making His kind of an attack on the kingdom of darkness, has produced an intense dissatisfaction with the theories, practices and departmental organizations of Satan’s empire among many millions, especially throughout Christendom. Naturally enough, this dissatisfaction has in the main seized upon those who have suffered most, and who have been advantaged least by the arrangements of Satan’s empire – the masses of common people.

CONSERVATIVES AND RADICALS

On the other hand, these exposures of the wrongdoing of the privileged classes, as well as their desire to advantage themselves increasingly by the many scientific discoveries that the Lord in this “the day of His preparation” (Nah. 2:3) has brought to light, have made these privileged classes more determined to perpetuate present conditions. Thus we find that from shortly after 1874, as a result of our Lord’s exposing and truth-revealing work, human society began to divide itself into two well-defined and mutually opposed classes.

One of these two classes consisted of the Conservatives – the rulers, aristocrats and clerics, with their supporters – who desired, because it was to their advantage, to maintain what, unknown to them, is actually Satan’s empire. The other of these two classes consisted of the Radicals – Trade Unionists, Socialists, Communists and Anarchists, with their supporters – who desired, because it was to their advantage, to set aside what, unknown to them, is actually Satan’s empire. The differences between these two groups grew, as from 1874 onward year after year new exposures of wrong-doing on the part of the privileged classes were made, and new flashes of truth on human conditions and rights aroused the masses.

The conflict between Labor and Capital became the overshadowing one between the masses and the classes. At first the friction between Capital and Labor was a wordy one, each side setting forth its real or fancied rights and grievances, and the other’s real or fancied wrongdoings. But the conflict did not remain simply a wordy one. On the part of Labor, it at times proceeded to strikes, intimidation, riots, incendiarism and boycotts; on the part of Capital it at times proceeded to lock-outs, injunctions, evictions, employment of strike-breakers and armed guards, and calls on government officials for state and national military support; and on both sides it sometimes proceeded to actual battles, with many casualties on each side. Birds of a feather flocking together, the three conservative parties usually supported one another against the Radicals, and vice versa. This led to each side becoming more and more set against the other in their efforts to win out.

The advantage usually being with Capital, supported, as it usually was, by State and Church, the Radicals became more and more embittered against the present order. They increasingly agitated for a complete change in the body politic, but differed sharply as to what kind of a change was desired. While they could not agree as to a definite program of procedure, more and more a revolutionary bent was taken on by the more radical of the Radicals.

Revolution against the present order thus became their program of immediate action, though they could not unite on a program of reconstruction after the revolution. With revolutionary agitations there came an increase of class consciousness and antagonism. The nerves of people generally were severely tensed, and almost anything destructive was feared by the Conservatives as coming from the Radicals.

Satan was no indifferent spectator of this conflict, which he promptly recognized threatened the continuance of his chosen order of affairs. Its overthrow, if preventable, of course he would not permit; nor would he permit changes contrary to his general order; but he would offer compromises to conciliate the masses. He therefore sought to effect a reconciliation by offering some concessions from the classes to the masses in the latter’s interest, especially in some European states, along socialistic lines.

To this end he aroused a number of reformers to activity. These denounced the more patent abuses of the Conservatives, urged upon Capital and State the necessity of making concessions to Labor and of restricting the pow­er of the State and Aristocracy, and preached to Labor obedience to, and contentment with law and order. The sum-total of the reformers’ achieve­ments, however, was small indeed. The breach between the Radicals and Conservatives became ever wider. A revolution subversive to Satan’s chosen order of affairs was imminent.

SATAN’S METHOD OF DEFENSE

Satan was determined to prevent such a catastrophe; and not only so, but also at the same time to bring the Conservatives and Radicals in each country into one camp, fighting for the maintenance of his order as it existed in each country, by making its inhabitants believe that other nations were, by aggression in warfare, seeking its national destruction. If he could fill the inhabitants of each country with the fear that their nation and institutions were in danger of destruction, he felt satisfied that he could arouse in each country practically all its people to fight the invaders.

This plan was pivoted on the thought that the Conservatives and Radicals in each country would forget their mutual antagonisms in the presence of their supposed common dangers, and thus would stand shoulder to shoulder in defense of their country and its institutions against the supposed threatened destruction from the invaders. This plan also had as one of its features a worldwide war, whose dangers would drive the divided Conservatives and Radicals of each country into one camp, fighting for their national existence against the invaders or prospective invaders.

But what could Satan make the excuse and the point of departure for the world-wide arming of the nations required as one of the features of his plot? The existence of the Triple Alliance, embracing Germany, Austria and Italy, and other alliances, furnished him this excuse and point of departure by giving him the materials for arousing the fears of other nations whom he stirred up through these fears to form a rival alliance, the Triple Entente, embracing Britain, Russia and France, and also other alliances.

The past experiences between these two sets of powers furnished them enough suspicions, rivalries, envies and grudges to make them quite hostile and obstructive to one another. Additionally, Satan saw to it that increased opportunities for arousing friction between them were not wanting.

Finally the feeling between these two rival alliances became tensed to the snapping point. They lived, as it were, over a huge powder keg, which only waited the lighting of a match to explode it with devastating force. The perfidious murder of the Archduke of Austria and the rash decision of the German Kaiser furnished these conditions, and the greatest explosion of human history up to that time occurred – the World-War of 1914-1918 – to which Radicals and Conservatives in each country rallied in defense of native land and institutions against the threatened destruction, which the inhabitants of each set of countries were led to believe their enemies sought.

THE WORLD WAR (PHASES I AND II)

Doubtless the sins and follies of statesmen figured in the events leading up to the explosion; but back of them worked Satan, the enemy of God and man, who used these as so many pawns in his game of ruling the nations. What cared Satan for the waste of mountains of human labor and treasure, and the shedding of rivers of human blood and tears, if by their expenditure he could conserve his empire! They were as nothing to him, if he could still continue his reign.

Thus to sustain his own empire Satan took advantage of human sin and folly even to the extent of involving the world in the World War (which in Phases I and II has been the greatest calamity of all history[3]) in order to divert the Radicals from their threatened overthrow of his order of affairs. If he had done no other wrong, this alone would stamp him as the worst criminal of all history.

But one may ask, How do we know that Satan plotted and brought about the World War, and that for the purpose of preserving his own ascendency and his chosen order of affairs? We answer, a number of reasons prove it: (1) He is the ruler of the present world (2 Cor. 4:4), and of course such gigantic events, involving as they did all of earth’s nations, would not be without his ordering; (2) the condition and needs of his empire called for the diversion of the Radicals from their program of World Revolution, and this was accomplished by the war-accompanying propaganda in each set of countries, which set forth the thought that the other side sought its destruction; (3) the uniting of the Radicals and the Conservatives in each country for the purpose of preserving its national existence and order, so much needed by Satan’s empire, directly resulting from the widely heralded dangers threatened by the war, is explainable on no other ground than such a purpose; (4) the fact that there was so much of devilish wrong and ingenuity that led up to and accompanied the war proves the same thought; and (5) the fact that humanity free of Satanic influence is not capable of committing many of the deeds enacted in the World War also proves it.

Doubtless the adversary knew that a modern war would weaken his empire; but he preferred a weakened empire to none. He invented through perverted human brains the horrible weapons and munitions of the World War, whose destructiveness doubtless convinced him that the war would be short. He especially used Germany, Austria and Italy as his war agents, and therefore gave them the greater preparedness. And for a time it seemed that his plan in this respect would prosper in the speedy defeat of the Allies.

However, in this case the devil proposed and God disposed. God’s long-suffering with Satan was exhausted by the latter’s ruthlessness in plunging the race into the horrors of the World War. To Satan’s ruthlessness God opposed a “so far and no farther.” He caught the crafty Satan in his own craftiness, determining that He would make his atrocious deed the turning point in the existence of his evil empire. God decided to punish Satan’s crime against God and man (his working up the World War) by making it the first stage in his overthrow.

Satan counted on a somewhat weakened but comparatively powerful empire emerging from the war; but God determined that his empire should emerge from the war so weakened that it would be a comparatively easy matter to overthrow it. Therefore he did not permit Satan to end the war with a speedy and easy victory for Germany, Austria and Italy, which Satan expected would for years result in keeping Conservatives and Radicals united for revenge in each Allied country, and which would keep the Conservatives and Radicals in Germany, Austria and Italy united for protection against such revenge, and thus indefinitely postpone the danger of a revolution against his order of affairs. On the contrary, the Lord permitted the war to drag its “slow length along” until all of the involved countries became very greatly weakened in every feature of national strength, especially in man-power, resources, wealth and prestige, and hopelessly burdened with debts.

To be continued in our February 2017 paper.

[1] See Chapter I of Epiphany Volume 17, The Millennium, reprinted in our June 2015 paper No. 694.

[2] Go to http://epiphanybiblestudents.com/other to read Where Are the Dead? and What Is the Soul?

[3] Brother Johnson suggested there could possibly be a third phase of the war. See Chapter I of Epiphany Volume 17.

NO. 712: THE BABE OF BETHLEHEM

No. 712

“For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.” (Luke 2:11,12)

“For unto us a child is born, unto us a Son is given.” (Isa. 9:6) The birth of Jesus is a subject which will never grow old - a subject which, on the contrary shall to all eternity be a theme of angels and of men. To be rightly understood and esteemed, His birth must be considered from the standpoint of a gift of Divine Love. The Scriptures give us the key to the thought: “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” (John 3:16)

The world was under sentence of death; mankind had been dying for more than four thousand years. God had pitied humanity from the first. Yes, before sin entered, Divine Wisdom saw the end, and would not have created man, or would not have permitted the condition which led to sin and the sentence of death, had Divine Wisdom not foreseen and arranged in advance for human redemption.

Why were all men in expectation of Him at the time of His birth? What was to be peculiar about Him to lead Israel to expect His birth? The answer to this question is that God had made a certain promise centuries before and the promise had not been fulfilled. This promise contained the thought that a holy child would be born, and that in some way, not explained in the promise, this child would bring the blessing the world needed. Therefore every mother among the Israelites was very solicitous that she might be the mother of a son rather than a daughter, that perchance she might be the mother of this promised child. Thus the matter went on for years until, finally, the child was born.

The promise behind the expectation was that which God made to Abraham, saying, “In thee and in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 28:14) From that time forward Abraham began to look for the promised Seed - the promised child. He looked first of all to his own children, and was finally informed that it would not be one of his children directly, but that through their children, at some remote date, this child should be born - the Seed of Abraham. From that time onward, all the Israelites were waiting for the birth of the child that would bring the blessing.

But why was a Messiah necessary? Why wait at all for the birth of the child? The answer to this question is that sin had come into the world; God had placed our first parents, who were holy, pure and free from sin, in the glorious conditions of the Garden of Eden with every favorable prospect and everlasting life at their command if they continued in harmony with God. But by reason of their disobedience they came under Divine displeasure and sentence of death. This sentence of death has brought in its wake aches, pains, sorrows, tears, sighing, crying and death - all of these experiences as a result of sin.

Our heavenly Father said to our first parents that the seed of the woman would bruise the serpent’s head, and this was the first intimation that He gave them of a deliverance. (Gen. 3:15) The serpent in this expression means Satan - all the powers of evil, everything adverse to humanity, everything adverse to the blessings which God had given them, and which they had lost by disobedience. But the promise was vague and they understood little about the seed of the woman and bruising the serpents head. It merely meant in an allegorical way a great victory over sin and Satan, without explaining how it would come. The total victory over Satan was to come later. “And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly.” (Rom. 16:20)

So humanity continued to die; they continued to have aches and pains and sorrows; they continued going down to the tomb. They realized that what they needed was some Savior to come and deliver them from the power of sin, to deliver them from the death penalty of sin - a Savior who would be, in other words, a Life-giver. They were dying and needed new life. This is the meaning of the word Savior in the language used by our Lord and the Apostles. They were hoping and expecting that God would send a Life-giver.

It was on this account that they were so greatly concerned regarding the promise made to Abraham, the promise that they would be granted a release from sin and death, for it would be impossible to bless mankind without this release. Hence, the Scriptures tell us of God’s sympathy; that God looked down from His holy habitation and beheld our sorrow, and heard, figuratively “the groaning” of humanity under this penalty of death -some with few aches and pains, and some with more aches and pains; some with few sorrows, and some with greater sorrows; but all groaning and travailing in pain. (Psa. 102:19-20; Rom. 8:22)

But God’s sympathy was manifested. He looked down and beheld that there was no eye to pity and no arm to save and with His own Arm He brought salvation. (Isa. 52:10) This is what was promised to Abraham - that one should come from his posterity who would be the Savior of the world; and because this promise was made to Abraham and to his Seed, they were marked out as separate from all other nations and peoples.

To the Jewish nation alone belonged this great honor - that through them should come this salvation. Hence from that time onward the Jews spoke of themselves as God’s people, the people whom God had promised to bless, and through whom He would bring a blessing to all others. Therefore, all other people were called heathen (or nations, which is what the word means). Israel was thus separated because God’s Covenant was with them, and not with the others. But God’s Covenant with Israel was for the blessing of all; the promise was that all the families or nations of the earth would be blessed. Now we know why this wonderful babe was born.

HOW WAS THIS BABE HOLY, HARMLESS, UNDEFILED?

How could He be a Savior? In what way could He be different from any other babe? Why not use some other babe as the one through whom salvation should come? The answer of the Bible is that salvation could not come to mankind unless there should be satisfaction of Justice on account of original sin. That must be the first con­sideration. The penalty, “Thou shalt surely die,” (Gen. 2:17) pronounced against the first man, must be met before the world could be blessed.

Why not let any man die? Because all were under the sentence of the original condemnation, and none could be a Ransom-price or a substitute: “None of them can by any means redeem his brother, nor give to God a ransom for him.” (Psa. 49:7) Hence the necessity for a specially born babe, different from any other babe. In what way was this One differently born? The Bible explains to us very distinctly that He was not begotten of an earthly father. Although Joseph was espoused to Mary, yet this child was not the child of Joseph. The Bible explains that this child was specially begotten by Divine Power, in the mother, though she was still a “virgin” when she brought forth the child.

A SAVIOR - CHRIST THE LORD

It was prophetically, of course, that the babe of Bethlehem was called a Savior - He was to be a Savior, The Christ, the Lord. But as the babe He was none of these. He became The Christ before becoming the Savior and Lord. The word Christ signifies anointed. In the Divine purpose it was arranged that Messiah should be anointed High Priest of Israel on a higher plane than Aaron - after the order of Melchizedek. (Psa. 110:4) And every priest had to be anointed to his office before he could fill it. Similarly, it was prophesied that Christ would be the great King, greater than David and Solomon, who were His types and foreshadows.

This is the Scriptural proposition; and while it may not seem clear to some, yet the Word of God stands sure. If the Redeemer was not perfect then He could not be the Savior of the world. The promised redemption implied that Jesus would be perfect; it implied that He would be as the first man was before he sinned. “For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21,22)

So this One must be, as the Apostle declares, “holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sin­ners.” (Heb. 7:26) He must be entirely distinct and separate from humanity so far as sinful features were concerned. If space permitted it would be interesting to go into the scientific features - how a perfect child could be from an imperfect mother.[1] If we can have a perfect life germ we can have a perfect child from an imperfect mother. If a breeder of stock wishes to raise the standard of his stock, he selects a fine bull, a male goat, or a male ram, and thus he improves the entire herd. And so, if we had perfect fathers, we could soon have a perfect race. But there is no father who can produce a perfect child. Hence it was necessary in this case (and the Scriptures declare it was accomplished) that God should beget this Son by power from on high. Therefore, that which was born of the “virgin” was separate and distinct from all humanity. His life came not from an earthly father, but from His Heavenly Father.

FOR OUR SAKES HE BECAME POOR

It is written that Jesus had an existence before He became flesh; as He declared, “Before Abraham was, I am.” (John 8:58) Again in one of His prayers He said, “Father, glorify thou me … with the glory which I had with thee before the world was.” (John 17:5) The Revelator tells us that He was “the beginning of the creation of God” (Rev. 3:14), and Paul says that all things are “by him.” (1 Cor. 8:6) And so our Lord Jesus was not only the beginning, but also the active agent of the Father in all the creative work in the angelic world, in the creation of humanity, and in all things that were created.

The whole matter is summed up by the Apostle John. We will give a more literal translation of “In the beginning was the Word.” (John 1:1) This expression, Word, in the Greek is Logos. The thought behind the word Logos is that in olden times a king, instead of speaking his commands directly to his people, sat behind a lattice work, and his Logos, or messenger, or word, or representative, stood before the lattice work, and gave the message of the king to the people in a loud tone of voice. The king himself was not seen by the people - the Logos was the one seen. So this is the picture the Scriptures give us of how Jesus was the express representative of the Heavenly Father, the One through whom the Heavenly Father made Himself known - the Word, or the Logos.

So we should properly read in the first chapter of John, “In the beginning was the Logos, and the Logos was with the God, and the Logos was a god. The same was in the beginning with the God. By him were all things made, and without him was not anything made.” (John 1:1, see Diaglott translation)

In other words, Jesus was the direct Creator of all things. He was the Divine Power, Agent, Word, Messenger, the Logos of God the Father. He did all the great work of creation; but He Himself was the first of God’s direct creation, the First-born of all creatures, that in all things He might have the pre-eminence - the first place. (Col. 1:18)

When the time came that our Heavenly Father made known His great purpose to bless the world, He gave opportunity to the First-begotten One - begotten of the Father - to be the servant in this great work He intended to accomplish for mankind. Consequently, the Scriptures state that Jesus “for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame.” (Heb. 12:2) And now He has sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high. He has this great reward because of His obedience, even unto death, the death of the cross.

The Apostle Paul speaks of Him as having been rich, but for our sakes becoming poor, that through His poverty we might be made rich. (2 Cor. 8:9) He tells us how He left the glory which He had with the Father and humbled Himself to the human nature. (Phil. 2:7-8) Why? Because, as already stated, it was necessary that someone should become man’s Redeemer; an angel could not redeem man, neither could an animal redeem man. The Divine law is “An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth.” (Matt. 5:38) This was to teach us a great lesson: that because perfect human life was condemned to death, it would require a perfect human life to redeem it. It was therefore necessary that Jesus should become the “man Christ Jesus,” in order “that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man.” (1 Tim. 2:5; Heb. 2:9)

WHAT FOLLOWED?

It followed that He Himself proved His own faithfulness. “And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross.” (Phil. 2:8) It pleased the Father to prove Him thus, not only by death, but by the most ignominious form of death - dying as a culprit, being crucified between two thieves. What a terrible ignominy to die thus!

It would be ignominy enough for us in our imperfection, but for He who was perfect it must have been a cause of deep and poignant sorrow. Having completed the laying down of His life at the end of three and half years, He cried, “It is finished!” (John 19:30) What was finished? Not His work, for much of that lay before Him. He merely finished this part of the work. He finished laying down His life as the ransom-price.

What followed next? After His death came His resurrection, and we read that “Him God raised up the third day.” (Acts 10:40) According to the Scriptures, He was raised up from death a glorious being: “sown in corruption … raised in incorruption … sown in dishonour … raised in glory … sown in weakness … raised in power … sown a natural body … raised a spiritual body.” (1 Cor. 15:42-44)

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.” (Phil. 2:9-11)

WHAT ABOUT THE FUTURE?

All the families of the earth are to be blessed, as God originally promised in Eden; and, as St. Paul reiterated, the next thing in order in the working out of God’s Plan will be to bruise Satan and destroy him.

This will be done when this Age ends, because this Age has been reserved for the development of the Bride class. Afterward the promised Free Grace will come to all the families of the earth. Messiah’s Kingdom will come and He has promised that when He reigns all His faithful will reign with Him: “To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne.” (Rev. 3:21) All the Church will be associated with Him in His great Messianic Kingdom and “He shall have dominion also from sea to sea, and from the river unto the ends of the earth.” (Psa. 72:8) “For the earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the waters cover the sea.” (Hab. 2:14; Rom. 14:11)

The whole earth will become as the Garden of Eden. Paradise Lost will be Paradise Restored. The Divine Image lost in Adam will be restored to man. Human nature will be brought to perfection. But the glorious reward to the Church will be the Divine nature, to be like her Lord, to sit at His right hand, and to bless the world of mankind. Man will become not only perfect, having all that Adam had, but will have additional knowledge and character; and there is every evidence that this shall be an eternal blessing.

WILL NONE BE LOST?

Yes, the Scriptures tell us that some will be lost, and that the loss they sustain will be loss of life. “And it shall come to pass, that every soul, which will not hear that prophet, shall be destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23) St. Peter says: “But these, as natural brute beasts, made to be taken and destroyed, speak evil of the things they understand not; and shall utterly perish in their own corruption.” (2 Pet. 2:12)

When? When their eyes have been opened to see the Lord and to know His glorious character; when they will have had opportunity to appreciate and enjoy His blessing. When such intentionally reject the grace of God, they will die the Second Death, from which there is no resurrection, no hope of recovery. But thank God, there shall be no knowledge of suffering for them; they will be destroyed as brute beasts.

We rejoice today in proportion as we believe in this Babe of Bethlehem; in proportion as we believe He was manifested on our behalf; in proportion as we believe He died for our sins; in proportion as we recognize Him as the glorified Savior; in proportion as we have surrendered our hearts to Him and seek to do the things well pleasing to Him, we will have the peace of God.

Our hope on behalf of mankind in general is that in God’s due time His blessing will reach all - not the same blessing as that for the Church, but as St. Peter tells us: “Repent ye therefore, and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, when the times of refreshing shall come from the presence of the Lord; And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: Whom the heaven must receive [retain] until the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:19-21)

(Based on Reprint 4963)

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GOD’S UNSPEAKABLE GIFT

"Thanks be unto God for his unspeakable gift." (2 Cor. 9:15)

Let us rejoice at this joyful season of the year and have our hearts filled with appreciation of the Divine Love and generosity, which gave us the great gift of Messiah, and thus indirectly a knowledge of the Kingdom yet to come and of our share in that Kingdom, which shall bless the world.

As we have freely received, let us freely give, and thus copy our Lord and the Heavenly Father. Some may have the opportunity of giving many gifts of many kinds. All will have the privilege of offering to their fellows, directly or indirectly, gifts of God’s love, by making known to them the riches of His grace, as presented in the Divine Plan of the Ages. The message of God’s love is the most precious thing we have ever received, and let us have this in mind when offering gifts to others that, whatever else we may or may not be able to give our dear friends and neighbors and loved ones, we may offer them this; and our manner and general deportment should show how we value it above rubies, and thus we may best commend the Gift of God to others and help them to appreciate it.

In such presentations kind words, kind looks, will proceed from the loving heart, which has itself been saved by the power of the truth from the domination of the Adversary and sin and selfishness. Let us learn to scatter these gifts of grace and truth and their happy influences to all about us, not just once a year, but every day and every hour, and not merely upon our friends, but, godlike, upon our enemies also, for “He is kind unto the unthankful and to the evil.” (Luke 6:35)

(Excerpt from Reprint 4298, with minor editing)

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[1] See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume V, Chapter 4.