NO. 787: “I LAY IT DOWN OF MYSELF”

No. 787

Some Thoughts for the Memorial

“No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself.” (John 10:18)

The date for celebrating the Memorial to our Lord this year is Monday April 3, 2023 after 6:00 p.m. The calculation is based on the new moon (in Jerusalem) nearest the spring equinox (March 20, 11:24 p.m.) which is March 21, 2023, 7:23 p.m. Thus Nisan 1 commences on March 21 at 6:00 p.m. and Nisan 14 commences on April 3 at 6:00 p.m. 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 do not know what each day may bring; but we have the strong assurance that we can firmly trust Him who has promised to never leave us or forsake us. (Heb. 13:5)

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“And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he stedfastly set his face to go to Jerusalem.” (Luke 9:51) The determination of Jesus as expressed in this text offers an example in perfection of the grace of patience in its true biblical meaning – cheerful continuance in well doing amid contrary cir­cum­stances. His course herein was against all human concepts as viewed by the natural man; hence, Peter said to Him, “Be it far from thee Lord: this shall not be unto thee.” And Jesus gave him appropriate correction: “Get thee behind me, Satan: thou are an offense unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men.” (Matt. 16:22-23)

Jesus knew full well that the “fulness of the time” had come. (Gal. 4:4-5) It was not the time to wait for His enemies to come to Him, which had He done, would have dis­played only the passive grace of longsuffering. The active aggressive grace of patience was now to be perfectly revealed in and by Him. “For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps.” (1 Pet. 2:21)

Note that those who condem­ned Jesus to the cross were not the beggarly elements of that time, not the irreligious. It was the “good” people who were guilty of that – those who would not cross the Gentile door lest they should be defiled for the feast. As He was, “so are we in this world.” (1 John 4:17) The heathen Pilate strove to avoid the tragic miscarriage of justice; and it was the high priest of Israel who had “the greater sin” in the matter. (John 19:11) It was those people schooled in the Law, who sat down and “watched him there” – watched the tragedy of the cross as the idly curious might watch a street‑corner side show – watched the final hours of agony of the Lord of Glory with a calloused indifference that would be unbelievable were it not written in the sacred record. (Matt. 27:36)

Jesus, knowing in the final hours of that awful night, that He had finished the work God gave Him to do, resigned Himself to what was to be. (John 17:4) The time for contro­versy had passed, and He said to the chief priests, “But this is your hour, and the power of darkness.” (Luke 22:53) And so He held His peace.

There is a lesson for us in this: The day previous and the day following our observance of the Memorial should be a time of calm meditation as far as we are able. Nor should we allow (in the words of the poet) “the maddening maze of things” to make us bitter or morose or hateful. It is a time at which we should lift our minds to the highest spiritual levels possible – to repose in the sublime reflections of the past, “For consider him that endured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds.” (Heb. 12:3) “For to be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.” (Rom. 8:6) And again, “For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit.” (Rom. 14:17) Nor should we allow those of contrary disposition to deter us in these resolves. As it was in Jesus’ day, so it has been all through the age: “I know . . . the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan.” (Rev. 2:9)

As we have now come into “the evil day” when “the end of all things is at hand,” let us embrace with full determination the Apostle’s admonition: “And above all things have fervent charity [love] among yourselves.” (Eph. 6:13; 1 Pet. 4:7-8) Of this time in which we are living Jesus stated: “And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved.” (Matt: 24:12-13) These words are a warn­ing to all, and blessed are they who give ear to them. He also said, “Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypoc­risy.” (Luke 12:1) Hypocrisy abounds in all quarters; but God’s faithful people will accept and do – particu­larly at this season – what St. Paul admonished: “Purge out therefore the old leav­en, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleavened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us.” (1 Cor. 5:7)

In the type the lamb was taken up five days before it was killed; and that was typ­ical of Jesus, the Greater Lamb, presenting Himself to the Jews on Palm Sunday, five days before He was “lifted up.” (John 12:32) But there was another compelling reason for the five­ day interval: That most memorable of nights, when the Angel of Death would “pass over” the Jewish firstborn, was not to be approached flippantly or carelessly. As each family took up its own lamb, and removed all leaven from the home, the course of these five days would put them into a proper mental attitude and contrition of heart for that awe­some night.

This is well in keeping with St. Paul’s words to all who commemorate the antitype: “But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup.” (1 Cor. 11:28) The examination should be not five minutes before the service, per­haps in public confessionals; and not just an hour before the service; but let each do so in “sincerity and truth” during the days preceding it. (1 Cor. 5:8)

(By Brother John J. Hoefle, excerpt from No. 20, March 15, 1957, with minor editing.)

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WHO MAY PARTAKE?

The Lord’s Supper is not for the world, nor for merely nominal believers, but only for those who accept Christ as their Redeemer and sin-bearer, and are consecrated to Him and His service. But it is not for us – nor for any man or set of men – to decide who may and who may not partake. It is our duty to point out from the Word of the Lord what are the proper qualifications for participation in the “cup” and in the “loaf,” and then to say as did the Apostle: Let every man examine himself, and then, if he think proper, let him partake. (1 Cor. 11:28)

Now that God’s people are emerging from the errors of the Dark Ages, this Memorial can be more clearly understood and the judging or examining of one’s self can be more thorough than ever before. Let each ask himself:

(1) Do I believe the Scripture teaching that I, as a member of the human family, was under that condemnation to death which passed upon all because of original sin?

(2) Do I believe that my only hope of escape from that condemnation of sin and death was through the ransom-sacrifice of the man Christ Jesus, my Lord?

(3) Do I believe He gave Himself – His flesh and blood, His humanity – as my ransom-price, pouring out His soul unto death, making His soul a sin-offering (Isa. 53:10, 12) on this behalf?

(4) Do I see that the consecration to death, made at Jordan when He was baptized, was fulfilled by His sacrifice of Himself for mankind, which beginning there, was finished on the cross when He died?

(5) Do I see that the rights under the Law, which He secured by obedience to it (the right of lasting life and the dominion of earth), were what He through that same sacrifice bequeathed to the fallen, dying race – to as many as shall accept the blessings under the conditions of the New Covenant?

(6) Do I see that His flesh and blood, thus sacrificed, stood for, represented, those blessings and favors which they purchased for us?

(7) Do I see that the partaking of the bread and wine symbols of His flesh and blood signifies my acceptance of those favors and blessings which the flesh and blood of my Lord bought for me and for all?

(8) And if I do thus heartily accept of the ransom thus memorialized, do I consecrate to the Lord my entire being, my flesh and blood, justified through that ransom?

If we can answer these questions affirmatively we clearly or fully discern the Lord’s body, give credit to His meritorious sacrifice, and may eat, should eat.

Those, however, that deny that a ransom for sin and sinners was required and given, who feel that they need not to partake of Christ’s merit, who deny that the merit of one can be imputed to another, who have cast off the wedding garment of Christ’s righteousness, who feel happier and freer in the filthy rags of their own righteousness, and who now consider the precious blood wherewith they were once sanctified a not-holy or an ordinary thing – such we advise to stay away from memorializing that in which they no longer believe; for they would merely be adding hypocrisy to unbelief. For such to partake, is to add condemnation to themselves and their no-ransom theories.

But, better still, let us advise all who have merely been entrapped into this error, by the sophistries promulgated through various channels by the great Adversary, to reject all vain human philosophies and to receive again the simple Word of God, the truths therein set forth: that all are fallen, and that the only way open for our reconciliation and restitution consistent with the divine law and sentence was the giving of the full and exact corresponding price or ransom for our sins; that in no other way could He be just and yet justify sinners. Let them recognize the fact that our Lord Jesus, as the Lamb of God, bore the full penalty for our sins in His own body on the tree, that He gave full ransom for all.

The philosophy is very plain, but if such cannot grasp it, at least let such grasp the fact that God declares it to be so, and let them return unto the Lord and He will abundantly pardon. Let them ask for the guidance of the spirit and the anointing of the eyes, that they may be able to comprehend this, the foundation of all the grace of our God in Christ. Thus in true acceptance of the broken body and the shed blood, realizing that the sacrifice was for their sins and that the blood shed [life given] seals the New Covenant for all, let them commemorate the greatest event of history, the shedding of the precious blood, the sacrifice of the precious life of God’s dear Son for our sins.

Many in the past have partaken of the emblems of the Lord’s body and blood without fully appreciating the philosophy of the ransom, who nevertheless did so with reverent appreciation of the fact that the death of our Redeemer had purged us from our guilt and relieved us from its penalty. Such discerned the real significance of the Memorial, but because of gross errors associated with the truth, they did not discern its simple philosophy as many of us may now do.

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]: for I am the Lord your God.” (Lev. 24:22)

(Excerpt from Reprint 2272 with pertinent additions.)

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WAS IT NOT NECESSARY?

Two of our Lord’s disciples were walking on the way from Jerusalem to Emmaus after His resurrection. They were discussing the strange and wonderful event of the few days previous, when a stranger suddenly drew near and, walking with them, said, “What manner of communications are these that ye have one to another, as ye walk, and are sad?” Not recognizing the stranger as the Lord Himself, one of them said, “Art thou only a stranger in Jerusalem, and hast not known the things which are come to pass there in these days?” (Luke 24:13-18)

Jesus asked, “What things?” They replied, “Concerning Jesus of Nazareth, which was a prophet mighty in deed and word before God and all the people: And how the chief priests and our rulers delivered him to be condemned to death, and have crucified him. But we trusted that it had been he which should have redeemed Israel: and beside all this, to day is the third day since these things were done. Yea, and certain women, also of our company made us astonished, which were early at the sepulcher; And when they found not his body, they came, saying, that they had also seen a vision of angels, which said that he was alive. And certain of them which were with us went to the sepulchre, and found it even so as the women had said: but him they saw not.” (Luke 24:19-24)

Then our Lord said, “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory?” (Luke 24:25-26) In other words, was it not necessary? The necessity of those things was the great lesson that He endeavored to impart to those earnest but bewildered disciples. From the standpoint of Christians today, the necessity of those things is much more easily discerned than from the standpoint of the early disciples who were in close proximity to those marvelous events.

Nevertheless, many today thoughtlessly stumble into very erroneous conclusions based on a reckless interpretation of the Master’s plain teaching. They say: Yes, it was necessary for Christ to suffer, because the path of suffering is the only path to glory. Christ had to suffer and so all must suffer, and the glory will follow as a natural consequence. They contend that the Lord’s words teach this.

A more reflective mind would say: No, that is not sound logic; for the glory of God was not attained through suffering; neither was that of the angels, nor of the Son of God in His pre-human existence. A still more attentive mind would say: No, that was not the reason His sufferings were necessary, for as the Lord stated, the divinely inspired prophecies show that the suffering was necessary because it was a feature of God’s plan for human redemption. Unless it were a feature of that plan, God would not have required it.

The Apostle Paul explained that it was necessary to the plan in order to manifest God’s righteousness in remitting the sins of the already condemned world, showing that He is just, and yet the justifier of the condemned who believe in Jesus. God sent Jesus forth to be a propitiation, a satisfaction, a substitute for them. Jesus also freely gave His humanity – His life as a man – as a ransom for the posterity of Adam who had inherited his sin and condemnation. (Rom. 3:25-26)

The Master’s question was designed to raise our awareness of the justice and wisdom of God’s course in this matter. Suppose for a moment that God had promised mankind salvation from death without this provision, which our Lord termed as necessary. What would have been the result? Thoughtful minds will at once see that such a course would have proved:

(1) That God is a changeable God, declaring at one time that the wages of sin is death, and afterwards reversing His decision and granting life to the condemned;

(2) That either in the first or in the second case He was unjust – either that the penalty of death was too severe and, therefore, unjust, or else, if it were not unjust but a righteous penalty, that He was unjust in reversing such a righteous decision;

(3) Such a variable course would unsettle all confidence in God. We would be led to question continually His righteousness and wisdom, and could never feel assured against a sudden and unaccountable change of His attitude and dealing toward us. If He promised us life and happiness today, we could not know that tomorrow He would not take back His word and consign us to misery or death.

Such would have been our sad condition had not this necessity to which our Lord referred been fully met by the Lord’s sufferings, even unto death. He “gave himself a ransom for all,” in compliance with the wise and just plan of God for human redemption. (1 Tim. 2:6) By this means mankind is justly released from the just penalty which God pronounced against us; for a loving, benevolent Redeemer took our human nature and then sacrificed it in our behalf – thus bearing, in our stead, the exact penalty due to Adam and inherited from him by all his posterity.

Thus our debt was paid. All who have faith to believe in the promise of life through Christ are now legally free from the condemnation under which they were born, though the appointed time for their actual release has not yet come. They hold in their possession a promissory note – the sure covenant of God – sealed with the precious blood of Christ, and payable at the time appointed, the Millennial Age. Thus they are free men in Christ; they are saved by faith, though they still “walk through the valley of the shadow of death.” And, comforted by the rod of divine discipline and the staff of divine counsel and favor, they fear no evil, knowing that in due time the promise of everlasting life shall be fully verified to them. (Psa. 23:4)

ANOTHER NECESSARY FEATURE

But our Lord referred to another necessary feature in the divine plan: Was it not necessary also for the Messiah to enter into His glory? The question is to us as well as to those early disciples, and the fact that it was asked implies we should be able to discern that it was indeed necessary. It was necessary because not only do we need a redeemer to assume and cancel our past debts, but we also need an able teacher and leader – a prophet and king – to break the fetters of sin and death and lead us out of our bondage. If we were promised life and liberty without the help of a deliverer, we would still be in the same sad condition. The prison-doors of death are strong and securely bolted, and we cannot burst them open. The fetters of sin and sickness, and of mental, moral, and physical impairment are firmly clasped about us, and we do not have the power to shake them off.

And so we feel the necessity of a mighty deliverer, as well as of a loving redeemer. Thank God that we have both in His only begotten and well beloved Son. He is our Deliverer, as well as our Redeemer, Savior, Prophet, Priest, and King – strong to deliver and mighty to save. As a man He sacrificed all that He then had – His humanity – even unto death. God, accepted that sacrificed humanity as the price of our redemption, and renewed His existence to a higher nature – even to His own divine likeness.

And thus this second necessary feature of the divine plan was met. The resurrected Jesus was given all power in heaven and in earth, and is therefore abundantly able, not only to awaken the redeemed race from death, but also to fully restore all who are willing to righteousness and eternal life. Through the blessings of His kingly and priestly office, He will in due time present all the willing and obedient faultless before the presence of God, that they may enter fully into the eternal joys of His loving favor. In His presence will be fullness of joy and eternal pleasures. (Psa. 16:11)

Consider then how necessary it was that the Messiah both suffer death, and also enter His glory. Both the humiliation and the exaltation meet our necessities in such a marvelous way that we clearly recognize the fact that only divine wisdom, love, benevolence, and grace could have planned the wondrous scheme. “But thanks be to God which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Cor. 15:57)

The death, resurrection, and exaltation of Christ was necessary to God’s plan of salvation when viewed from a philosophical standpoint, which the Lord would have us be thoughtful enough to discern. But it was also necessary from the standpoint of prophecy. As our Lord pointed out, we should not be “slow of heart” to believe all that the Prophets have spoken.

After pointing out that it was necessary that He suffer, Jesus then traced the line of prophecy for the two disciples in detail: “And beginning at Moses and all the prophets, he expounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself.” (Luke 24:27) Although the detail of what He said was not recorded in the account, we can read Moses and the Prophets for ourselves. He undoubtedly recounted the following prophecies from Moses:

“The Lord thy God will raise up unto thee a Prophet from the midst of thee, of thy brethren, like unto me; unto him ye shall hearken.” (Deut. 18:15) The risen Christ was the beginning of the fulfilment of that promise. In the type, Moses led Israel out of bondage in Egypt, but the risen Christ will be the real deliverer of Israel and the world from the bondage to sin and death.

Moses also prefigured, in the divinely instituted types of the Day of Atonement, both the sacrificial sufferings of Christ, typed by the sacrifice of the bullock (Lev. 16:11), and His subsequent glory, typed by Aaron, in his robes of typical glory and beauty. In the type, after the sacrifice had been accomplished and the blood presented in the “Most Holy” as a typical propitiation for the sins of Israel, Aaron came out of the tabernacle and lifted up his hands and blessed the people, who had until then been lying prostrate on the ground, representing the whole human race in death. This prefigured the resurrection glory of Christ and His coming out of the Most Holy presence of God to bless the whole world in the Millennial Age. (See Tabernacle Shadows of Better Sacrifices.) As our Lord asked, was it not indeed necessary to the fulfilment of these divinely instituted types for the Messiah to suffer these things and to enter His glory?

Moses also testified of Christ in recording the incidents of the typical sacrifice of Isaac by his father, Abraham, who figuratively received him again from the dead. (Gen. 22:1-18; Heb. 11:19) This prefigured God’s offering of His only begotten Son and receiving Him again from the dead.

There were also the numerous Old Testament prophecies which so particularly foreshadowed the circumstances of the death of Jesus, notably:

“He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth. . . . And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death . . . and he was numbered with the trans­gressors.” (Isa. 53:7, 9, 12) In fulfillment of this prophecy, our Lord was non-resistant and made no plea or attempt to deliver Himself from death. He made His grave with the sinful human race, being crucified between two thieves, and then He was buried in the tomb of the rich man, Joseph of Arimathea. (Matt. 27:57-60)

“He keepeth all his bones: not one of them is broken.” (Psa. 34:20) “And they shall look upon me whom they have pierced.” (Zech. 12:10) The Gospel of John clearly recorded the fulfillment of both these predictions. (John 19:33-37)

“For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell [sheol, the grave]; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption.” (Psa. 16:10) This prophecy was fulfilled when Jesus was raised from the dead and His body was miraculously removed from the tomb.

“They pierced my hands and my feet . . . They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my vesture . . . They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink.” (Psa. 22:16, 18; Psa. 69:21) How minutely all of these prophecies were fulfilled! (Matt. 27:34-35)

“But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. . . . for he was cut off out of the land of the living: for the transgression of my people was he stricken.” (Isa. 53:5, 8) He was not wounded and cut off for His own transgressions, but for ours, and our peace with God was made by the things He suffered.

The Prophets also told of His glorious reign to follow: “Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. . . . He will swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the earth: for the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isa. 53:10; Isa. 25:8)

Yes, it was necessary to the fulfilment of all these prophecies that Christ both suffer death and also enter into His glory. All thoughtful believers may rejoice knowing: “And the glory of the Lord shall be revealed, and all flesh shall see it together: for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it.” (Isa. 40:5)

(Based on Reprint 4160.)

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NO. 786: PSEUDO-APOSTLES OF THE PRESENT DAY

No. 786

“I know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and are not, and hast found them liars.” (Rev. 2:2)

The Bible unmistakably shows that God never designed that there would be more than twelve Apostles of the Lamb. In response to a question by the Apostle Peter, our Lord Jesus said to the twelve: “Verily I say unto you, That ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.” (Matt. 19:28) There were to be twelve apostolic thrones – no more. In Revelation, we are shown a picture of the Church portrayed as a woman clothed with the sun, having the moon under her feet, and having on her head a crown of twelve stars. (Rev. 12:1) The sun in this figure represents the Gospel, and the moon represents the Jewish Law, which supports the Church but is not the source of her light. The stars represent her divinely appointed and inspired teachers. From this we see that only twelve stars were authorized by God.

Our Lord Jesus gave another picture of this through John the Revelator, one of those twelve stars. In it, the glorified Church (“the holy city, the new Jerusalem”) is pictured as coming down out of Heaven to begin her great work of blessing the world of mankind. She is shown as having twelve foundations wherein are the names of the “twelve apostles of the Lamb.” (Rev. 21:2-5, 9-27) This shows that no more than twelve apostles were ever purposed by the Lord, so it is a very serious blunder for our Catholic and Anglican friends to claim that their bishops are “apostolic bishops.”

Our opening text bluntly points out that those who claim to be apostles when they are not are lying. Despite this, we have a certain amount of sympathy for those who have been taught for centuries that they were apostles, just the same as the original twelve appointed by our Lord, having the same inspiration and speaking with the same authority. We have sympathy for them because they are sadly deluded, but this will not hinder us from speaking the Lord’s Word. If we were to hold back for fear of man, then we would be sharing in the sin. “The prophet that hath a dream, let him tell a dream; and he that hath my word, let him speak my word faithfully.” (Jer. 23:28)

What they call themselves may seem unimportant, but it matters a great deal whether or not they call themselves apostolic bishops. They have discarded some of their former claims because increased enlightenment is making those claims appear more and more absurd. Nevertheless, they still claim to be the only ones who have the right to authorize anyone to preach, and they claim to have this right because they are apostolic bishops. However, they are not pressing this claim as loudly as before, hesitating to say that they are the Church, they are the Apostles, they only are God’s servants and others have no right to preach unless ordained by them. They do not like to state these things and hence they are in a somewhat vacillating condition today.

HOW THE PEOPLE BECAME DEPENDENT ON THE CLERGY

By the fourth century A.D., this doctrine of apostolic succession had been growing for some time and the bishops had begun to behave as “lords over God’s heritage.” (1 Pet. 5:3) They manifested the sentiment that they were higher than the common people – that they were of a different class altogether. This change in attitude later resulted in the designation of the people as the “laity” and the Church as the “clergy.” The thought was that the various elements of the clergy (priests, bishops, cardinals, etc.) were all apostles with varying degrees of authority from the Lord.

Until a few centuries ago, copies of the Bible were very scarce and expensive because they had to be hand printed upon fine vellum parchment by scholars, of whom there were few. Hence very few people had Bibles, and there were very few who could even read at that time, education being only for the wealthy and favored class. Under such conditions, the people were very dependent upon the clergy, who claimed that they were the proper ones to read and interpret the Scriptures and that they had received this authority from the Lord.

Jesus said to His twelve Apostles: “Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.” (Matt. 18:18) Their writings were especially supervised by the Lord and their doctrinal declarations were inspired. So we see that these inspired writings of the Apostles in their various Epistles are as authoritative as were the words of Jesus. (Rom. 16:25-27; 2 Cor. 12:7, Gal. 1:11-12) The Apostle Paul assures us that the Word of God is sufficient that the man of God may be “thoroughly furnished unto all good works.” (2 Tim. 3:17) Hence we need no further doctrinal statements or writings than the Scriptures, and we have no need of any more apostles than the original twelve – St. Paul taking the place of Judas. Since the advent of printing and since the close of the 1260 symbolic days (1260 years) of Papal persecution, education has become general and Bibles have been printed in immense quantities and distributed far and wide by the Bible societies. Bibles are now widely available and inexpensive, allowing all the opportunity to read them.

By the year 325 A.D., the Church bishops were claiming to be “apostolic bishops” with apostolic authority. They claimed to be living apostles whose teachings were the voice of God but, unlike the true Apostles, they did not agree among themselves on doctrine. Emperor Constantine of Rome began to feel that his pagan supporters were gradually slipping away from him because the Christian religion was coming to the forefront. He sought to join with the Christians as a means of unifying his subjects, but the divisions among the Christians were hindering this effort. The Emperor did not become a real Christian; he was not baptized until he was on his deathbed. While we cannot judge his heart and say that he completely lacked sincerity, the circumstances indicated that he professed Christianity as a matter of policy.

In hopes of unifying Christian doctrine, the Emperor sent out a call in the year 325 A.D.to all the bishops of the churches, asking them to come to the city of Nicaea for a general convention, and offering to pay all expenses. About 384 bishops – far from the entire number – came together and held a conference. This was the first Ecumenical Council, other than the one held at Jerusalem by the Apostles of Jesus themselves. This meeting was purported to be another meeting of apostles, and the Emperor, assuming they were fully authorized to establish doctrine, made a proposition to them. Since they all claimed to be apostles, but did not agree on matters of doctrine, something was obviously wrong. He suggested they set forth their views on what they considered proper orthodox doctrine and come to an agreement. Thereafter, anything taught that differed from these agreed-upon doctrines would be heresy.

He further proposed that he himself would join with them. He wanted their support and they needed his. With his support, the pagan peoples would flock into their churches in great numbers – they would be anxious to get in. He promised to back up their doctrines and to make sure heretics would not be tolerated in the Roman Empire. If the bishops would establish the orthodox creed, he would enforce it. While he attended to the heretics in the present life, they could warn them of the danger of eternal roasting in the next. It was thus that the first of the great creeds, the Nicene Creed, was formulated, and it was made by these self-appointed “apostolic bishops.” These bishops had assured the Emperor that they had full authority from God to properly interpret Scripture, and the Emperor took their word for it.

So between the Emperor and the bishops a heavy hand was laid upon the people, who being uneducated, were largely at the mercy of the Church leaders. That was the end of Bible study – there was no more need for the people to study the Bible, as it was all interpreted for them. They were to follow the Nicene Creed, and it was not necessary for them to study for themselves the writings of Moses and the Prophets, or what the Jewish Apostles of Jesus said. They had “apostles” inspired of God right with them, and these could teach them all they needed to know.

BIBLE RESTORED AFTER 1200 YEARS

For about twelve hundred years after the Nicene Creed was established, the Bible was unknown to the people. Numerous councils were held during that period and many of them produced various nonsensical creeds. All this was done by deceived men who thought they were apostles and were not. All of this has caused much trouble in the so-called Christian world.

Near the close of this period, the Bible began to be translated into the languages of the common people, and the invention of the printing press in 1455 allowed for the mass production of books. English Bible scholar William Tyndale, believing all people should be able to read the Bible in their own language, translated the Greek New Testament into English. Because of great opposition from Church leaders, he was compelled to go to Germany to complete his translation and get it printed. The first copies were smuggled into England in 1526, and having heard much publicity about the translation, the people were anxious to get them. They wanted to know what Christ and the Apostles actually taught. It was even proposed that Bible classes be started and educated men employed to read to the people.

The bishops knew that if the people learned of the real teachings of the Bible, their own power and influence would soon be gone. The people would question where the bishops got their authority to establish creeds and call themselves apostles. Accordingly, they bought up the edition and burned the books in front of St. Paul’s Cathedral in London. Before Tyndale could complete the translation of the entire Bible, this faithful servant of the Lord was apprehended and imprisoned near Brussels. After a protracted trial for heresy, he was strangled and his body burned at the stake in 1536. How terrible are the blinding influences of Satan!

For about forty years after the burning of Tyndale’s translation in London, the people continued to complain and wonder why the Bible was taken from them. The Protestant bishops eventually concluded that perhaps they should let the people have the Bible, and they issued a special edition called “The Bishop’s Bible.” They assured the people that it was the bishops who were giving them the Bible, and they solemnly warned them of the great risk they were incurring in reading the Bible for themselves. They impressed upon them the necessity of giving it no interpretation other than what had been given by the bishops, stressing that anyone not loyal to the creeds was certain to go to eternal torment. This warning had the desired effect, and everyone was on the alert to keep in line with the creeds.

The Catholic bishops were soon practically forced to do as the Protestant bishops had done, and they issued the Douay Version of the Bible, prepared at the clerical university of Douay, France. They gave this to their Catholic flocks, accompanying it with the same warnings as the Protestant bishops had given to their people. Thus the influence of the Bible was for a long time largely nullified, and the people were kept in superstitious fear and under the influence of the Church authorities.

The Bible could not be fully put down, and in time the entire Scriptures were translated into the various languages of the people. After the beginning of the nineteenth century, education became much more general and Bible Societies sprang into existence. The people began to read for themselves as never before, and superstition gradually broke down and people dared to think for themselves. Many people are still fettered by superstition, but the number is gradually lessening, and the shackles are breaking.

DRUNK WITH THE WINE OF BABYLON

How much trouble all this nonsense and false teaching has caused! Instead of reading the Bible in the light of the creeds, we should read the creeds in the light of the Bible. Their absurdity would then become apparent at once. They have been a terrible bondage upon God’s people, but all this will be overruled for good. It will teach mankind a lesson never to be forgotten. The Bible foretold it all. The Apostle Paul declared that many would abandon the Truth, following “seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils.” (1 Tim. 4:1-3; Acts 20:29-30) We lay the blame upon these seducing spirits – Satan and his fallen angels. We are not claiming that our Catholic, Anglican, and other friends have actually intended to perpetrate a fraud, but we agree with the Apostle that they were deceived by the great Adversary and his hosts of evil spirits.

Christian people have been quick to quote texts stating that “God is love,” and stating that God pities His children and is merciful and gracious toward them. (1 John 4:16; Psa. 103:8, 13) We have even hung these quotations of Scripture upon our walls. But we must ask ourselves these questions: Is God truly a God of love? Is He truly like a father that pities his children? Is He truly plenteous in mercy? If all those things are true, would He make a plan before the world was created that ensured the eternal torture of the vast majority of His human creatures?

We can now see that a God of love would never arrange a plan for His creatures such as the one presented by the accepted creeds. Such a plan seems especially unjust when we consider that those creatures were brought into the world through no will of their own, and placed under conditions that made it almost impossible for the majority to do right and to live Christian lives. Our loving Creator has been portrayed as more despicable than the most evil demon imaginable.

The origin of these horrible doctrines is explained in the book of Revelation. There the Lord Jesus, speaking through the Apostle John, shows that the people have been made drunk with the wine of Babylon, the drink of false doctrines and blasphemies concocted by the apostate church, pictured as a woman holding a golden cup full of abominations. (Rev.17:1-6) The people are still drunk with this wine today, as very few are able to reason properly on religious matters even now. In their bewildered, intoxicated condition, they have seen visions of flames, and of devils and poor humanity writhing in torment, although some have come to have a somewhat more refined idea of Hell. While still declaring that the torture will be eternal, they say it will be mental rather than physical, consisting of agonies of terror and remorse, which will be as bad as, or worse than, physical tortures. These are the kinds of deluded imaginings, a kind of delirium tremens, brought on by blindness and intoxication.

WITH GREATER LIGHT CAME FURTHER SATANIC DEVICES

Thank God that some of us are sobering up! We believe the majority of intelligent people are beginning to think a little more rationally. A couple of centuries ago, one’s life would have been seriously jeopardized if he had dared to hint at the truth on the subject of eternal torture. Today one can dare to think and to express the truth on this vital matter and on other matters, an evidence of much progress. Luther, Knox, Calvin, Wesley and other reformers saw some light, and they were noble, Christian men, true children of God. They lived up to their light, but they did not have all the light. They could not get out of the darkness of more than twelve centuries and into the full blaze of light and truth. They were wearing creed spectacles, and when they smashed one pair they got another.

But we praise God for the light they did bring and we are very thankful for one doctrine that God gave us through Brother Martin Luther – the doctrine of justification by faith, as opposed to justification by penances and masses, etc. The Bible says, “Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. . . . The just shall live by faith.” (Rom. 5:1; Rom. 1:17) God does not say that we should do penance by wearing hair jackets to torture ourselves or anything else of that nature. Those ideas are far from the spirit of the Bible.

We praise God that the reformers liberated the world from some of the darkness and stupidity that once enveloped it in a thick fog, but there is much still to learn as we have not yet come into the full light of the “perfect day.” (Prov. 4:18) Regarding the Reformation, the Lord told the Prophet Daniel through the angel Gabriel: “Now when they [the true Church] shall fall, they shall be helped with a little help; but many shall join themselves unto them with flatteries.” (Dan. 11:34, ASV) These reformers also made mistakes because, they were misled by the flatteries of kings and princes who offered them their backing in return for supporting their kingdoms. Again it was the Adversary and not the reformers themselves who was responsible for this. As the Apostle Paul explained, Satan poses as an “angel of light” and his servants, his apostles, also do the same. (2 Cor. 11:14-15)

The Lutherans and Calvinists and all the other sects that sprang out of the Reformation each staked out their own creed and determined to live and die by it. Each of them proclaimed itself the only true Church, and that is just what the Adversary wanted. The Catholics persecuted the Protestants, the Protestants persecuted the Catholics, and the different sects of Protestantism persecuted each other. They thought that if God was going to send the others to Hell to roast forever, why should they not be faithful servants of God and help His work along?

Public sentiment gradually changed as people became more educated. Around 1846,[1] mainstream Christian denominations, with the exception of Roman and Greek Catholics and the Church of England, began to fellowship with one another. The Catholics and Anglicans were reluctant to recognize any church except themselves, but that too began to change somewhat. There is now a sort of general creed that all denominations subscribe to: They all must believe in eternal torment, the inherent immortality of the soul, and the Trinity. None of these doctrines is taught in the Bible. They are cardinal errors that originated in the Dark Ages. All these different denominations are without the slightest authority from God or the Bible. God tells us that the Church of Christ should be united in the one faith “once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3), not joined into alliances, with each still holding to its own creed.

As proof that God did not authorize any of these sects, note the Apostle Paul’s clear indictment of sectarianism: “Now I beseech you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that ye all speak the same thing, and that there be no divisions among you; but that ye be perfectly joined together in the same mind and in the same judgment. For it hath been declared unto me of you my brethren . . . that there are contentions among you. Now this I say, that every one of you saith, I am of Paul; and I of Apollos; and I of Cephas [Peter]; and I of Christ. Is Christ divided? was Paul crucified for you? or were ye baptized in the name of Paul?” (1 Cor. 1:10-13)

MODERN HYPOCRISY AND LUKEWARMNESS

The Lord tells us that we are to walk in the light and not become entangled in “the yoke of bondage.” (Gal. 5:1) The majority of professed Christian people have neglected the Word and gotten into bondage and sectarianism. In general, they are living lives of unrecognized hypocrisy. When asked if they believe the creed of their church, they may answer that they do not, but they feel that if all the other people of their church are also hypocrites, it is not so bad. However, if one person supports a falsehood it is bad and if two do it, it is twice as bad. If a thousand do so, it is a thousand times as bad, and so on. The more people there are who are hypocritical, the worse it is. So if anyone tells you he is a Presbyterian, a Baptist, a Catholic, etc., and tells you he believes the creed of his church completely, you may be sure that he has either not read it or is lying.

We see the same condition in the pulpit, with the majority of ministers not believing the creed they took a vow of allegiance to uphold. There is no longer any persecution for religious convictions in these denominations. They are entertained by scholarly dissertations, fine music, and flowery oratory that lull the people to lukewarm repose. A general condition of apathy exists. (Rev. 3:14-18)

This is a terrible state to be in. Those who are awake, whose eyes are open to present conditions, believe that we are now at the very close of the present Gospel Age. We see the conditions fast ripening that will demolish in a maelstrom of ruin and chaos all kingdoms and governments of the world. Just beyond that, the “fire” of anarchy will utterly destroy present civilization. Then thank God, the “still, small voice” of the Lord Himself will speak peace through Emanuel. (1 Kings 19:11-12)

MAN’S EXTREMITY IS GOD’S OPPORTUNITY

Ominous as present conditions are, the true children of God can with peace and confidence look up and lift up their heads, since they know that however terrible may be the oncoming troubles, God has provided that through this doorway, Armageddon, Messiah’s Kingdom is to be ushered in – the Kingdom of God’s dear Son. It will mean deliverance, first to the Church of Christ, then to the world. The Bible intimates very clearly that just at the height of anarchy, when men get to the place where everything appears lost, it will then be the opportune moment for Messiah to intervene. Man’s extremity will be God’s opportunity.

The 107th Psalm presents a picture of a great storm at sea when men are tossed about and in a terrible condition, and their souls melt within them. “Then they cry unto the Lord in their trouble, and he bringeth them out of their distresses. He maketh the storm a calm, so that the waves thereof are still.” (Psa. 107:25-31) We see a similar picture when our Lord Jesus stilled the waves upon the Sea of Galilee as a storm raged and threatened to engulf the ship and all in it. The disciples cried to the Master in their distress, and He arose and rebuked the wind and the waves, and said: “Peace, be still.” Immediately the billows were quiet and the winds ceased, and all was calm. We believe this is a picture of how the Kingdom of Christ will be inaugurated. The Lord will wait until the world is frenzied with fear and despair. They will come to see then that unless the Lord helps them all is lost, everything will go to destruction. Then they will cry unto Him as did the disciples of old, when they said, “Master, carest thou not that we perish?” (Mark 4:35-39)

The nations will not pray then to the Lord as they are praying now, each taking it for granted that He is on their side. No, it will then be a prayer of real distress. They will not be boasting then, they will have become humble: “The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of men shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day [the day that now is]. For the day of the Lord of hosts shall be upon every one that is proud and lofty, and upon every one that is lifted up; and he shall be brought low.” (Isa. 2:11-12)

The Lord will permit present civilization to go into destruction, because He has something far better for the world. He will not put a patch upon the old garment. He will have an altogether new arrangement. There will be a “new heavens” – the Church in glory – a new ecclesiastical arrangement, and a “new earth,” a new social and political order, under control of the Heavenly Kingdom that will then take the reins of government. (2 Pet. 3:13; Isa. 65:17)

When we understand that the wonderful blessings of Messiah’s Kingdom are to come through the portals of this great Time of Trouble, a trouble such as never was since there was a nation, we can have confidence in God and our hearts can rest even while we see the clouds gathering blacker and blacker. We can rejoice, not at the pain and sorrow and trouble, but because we know that soon the Kingdom will be fully set up in power. It will soon bless and deliver all the families of the earth, and bring to mankind the full, clear knowledge of the true character of God, scattering all ignorance and blindness. When clear light and opportunity are given, all who are willing will be raised up out of their fallen condition of sin, sorrow and death, into the light and blessedness of sons of God.

Knowing this, our hearts are calm and at rest in the Lord, despite the present conditions and the conditions soon to come. It will be a brief, dark night, just before the glorious morning of the Millennial Day. It will be the kind of wound caused by a skillful surgeon who wounds to heal, because the malady affecting mankind requires thorough and drastic treatment. In view of these facts, let us alert others, not so much to the troubles now accumulating and just ahead, but rather to the great blessings beyond. Let us point them to the Lord Jesus Christ, in whom alone there will be safety and rest and strength in this Time of Trouble. The great plowshare of sorrow must do its necessary work to prepare mankind for the uplifting blessings of the Kingdom of Christ in the new age.

(Based on What Pastor Russell Wrote for the Overland Monthly, pages 410-421.)

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

[1] In 1846 the Protestant sects were organized into The Evangelical Alliance. See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume III, Chapter IV, for a detailed discussion.

NO. 785: THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE

No. 785

“Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom.” (Prov. 4:7)

Even the best-intentioned people find they tend to slip under the pressure of their own weaknesses and the temptations that surround mankind. Experience has also shown us that we all need to frequently assess whether or not we are making progress or regressing. Accordingly, we advise all consecrated Christians to make a daily assessment of each day’s progress as well as a weekly examination of their accounts with the Lord. They can then make new resolutions and put them into practice to the extent of their ability.

In addition to these frequent self-examinations, we believe that both Christians and non-Christians alike would benefit by making a thorough assessment of the past year’s progress at the beginning of each New Year. Businesses keep daily, monthly, and quarterly accounts of their profits and losses, but they also make a more thorough accounting at the close of each year. In like manner, the Lord’s people should take advantage of the closing of one year and the opening of another to balance their spiritual accounts, to ascertain the exact amount of their spiritual gains. We sincerely hope none will find they have suffered a spiritual loss, but whether the accounting shows a gain or a loss, it will be to our advantage to know exactly where we stand.

Just as a business makes an accounting for the purpose of improving future operations and profits, the Lord’s people should use their personal accounting as a means of correcting any short­comings of character or conduct in the coming year. Those who are the Lord’s in Christ Jesus should never feel absolute discourage­ment, no matter how poor their past performance, unless it is the result of willful wrong-doing or willful neglect of opportunities to do good and to grow in grace and knowledge.

We hope that in looking back over the past year none of us will find ourselves guilty of willful shortcomings. If we find that our failures were the result of a lack of courage or character, we may well feel disappointed, but we can resolve that in the future we will strive to add fortitude to our faith. The sacrifice of the great Mediator is the basis of our reconciliation with the Father and the forgiveness of all our sins. If we go to Him and acknowledging our frailties, we can obtain mercy and find grace to help for future times of need. (Heb. 4:16)

None who are in the right attitude of mind and heart will ever be perfectly satisfied with what they attained in the prior year. However good our intentions may have been, we see in ourselves much that is not to our own liking. However pure, noble, just, and true our motives, we are members of the fallen human race and we have the treasure of the new mind and heart in earthen vessels which are imperfect. We may be sure, therefore, we are far from the standard of perfection set before us in the Scriptures.

But if the eyes of our understanding are open, we will discern the divine character more clearly, while also discerning our own blemishes more clearly. The eye of faith sees that a fair atonement was made by our Redeemer for our share in original sin and our unintentional weaknesses resulting from the fall. The Lord’s people have hope, joy, and confidence that others cannot attain. These things can only be obtained by coming to the heavenly Father through faith in the redemptive work of the Son. Through learning of His sacrificial work on our behalf, we receive the necessary wisdom by which we may, through His merit, come to the Father.

Let us make wisdom our watch-word for the New Year, resolving to put it into practice in all the affairs of life to the best of our ability. The divine Word informs us that the way of wisdom is the way of peace. (Prov. 3:17)

NOT THE WISDOM OF THIS WORLD

The word “wisdom” takes on a variety of meanings when interpreted by different minds, so it is important for us as the Lord’s people to get the kind of wisdom referred to in our opening text, clearly distinguishing between it and other worldly kinds of wisdom. As the Prophet warned, “Woe unto them that are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight!” (Isa. 5:21) The Apostle Paul further explained, “For the wisdom of this world is foolishness with God. For it is written, He taketh the wise in their own craftiness.” (1 Cor. 3:19) To illustrate, here are some of the most common views of what constitutes wisdom among the worldly wise:

“Money is the principal thing.” Those who hold this view feel that with money they can have all things and without it they can have nothing. There is a certain amount of logic in this reasoning or it would not appeal to so large a number of people, however, many who have embraced this view have ultimately learned its fallacy. There are things money cannot buy, and in fact the pursuit of money is almost sure to eliminate those things from one’s life. Those things include health, peace of mind, joy, a clear conscience, growth in grace, fellowship with the Father, the Lord Jesus, and the brethren, and the knowledge of God and His precious promises to those who love Him infinitely more than they love money or possessions.

“Pleasure is the principal thing.” Those holding this view seek only to entertain themselves and to gratify all their tastes and appetites. They are making a mistake and are only deceiving themselves. If they were to analyze their own feelings they would see that they are not really enjoying life but are using these pursuits as diversions to avoid having to deal with more important matters. They are seeking to escape responsibilities and live in a dream world. Their lives are neither profitable to themselves nor to others. Even if we suppose that their amusements and entertainments are devoid of any corrupting influences, they certainly do nothing to better themselves or others, either for the present life or for the future life.

“Pride is the principal thing.” Those holding this view live for making a show. It is as if they are on a stage and their lives are make-believe and largely a farce. Their aim in life is to make a good show by how they dress, by the homes they live in, by the possessions they display, and even by outward displays of being religious. Everything is done to gloss over the real condition of both their hearts and their finances. Not only will this kind of pride end in bitter disappointment at the close of life when all the masks come off, it does not even bring satisfaction during this life. The heart requires something more than this. Sham, hypocrisy and make-believe cannot bring true happiness or contentment of heart.

“Intellect is the principal thing.” Those holding this view feel that scientists and philosophers are the real wise men of the world who can lead others to wisdom in financial, social, moral, and scientific matters. We commend their love of truth and their desire to rid themselves of all superstition and error, and we are not dismissing true knowledge and science, which are God’s creation. But while they seem to have noble aims, we find they often lack the joy, peace and love which are the essence of happiness. Past errors convince them that their own theories are in all probability wrong. They generally do not believe in God and His revelation, the Bible. Many of them proclaim their agnosticism, which in essence states, “We do not know, although we would like to.” Truly this is not the wisdom the Lord’s Word advises us to get.

The Bible describes earthly wisdom in very terse terms: “But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth. This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish. For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.” (Jas. 3:14-16) The wisdom that promotes wealth as the goal arouses bitter envy and strife. The wisdom that promotes the pursuit of pleasure is earthly and sensual, often leading to depravity (devilishness). The wisdom that promotes pride makes life a vain show and results in hearts that are empty of good and likely to be filled with some degree of evil. The wisdom of scientists and philosophers often leads to confusion and loss of respect for God and the Bible unless they go beyond earthly sciences, which the Apostle Paul refers to as “science falsely so called” and “vain deceit.” (1 Tim. 6:20; Col. 2:8)

THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE

The voice of the Lord our God tells us that true wisdom comes from above: “The testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple [the humble].” (Psa. 19:7) Those who believe receive the power and wisdom of God, although that wisdom is foolishness to the world. (1 Cor. 1:23-25; Eph. 1:17-19) This wisdom is found in God’s great book, and to the degree we are enabled by His grace to rightly divide it, the more wisdom we see in all its precepts and regulations. (2 Tim. 2:15-16) It is not earthly; it is inspired by the Lord and its influence upon all who receive it is lasting comfort, sustaining strength, and transforming happiness.

Contrasting the wisdom from above with the wisdom of the world, the Apostle James said: “But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be entreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.” (Jas. 3:17) Let us examine carefully the various attributes of this true wisdom from above. True wisdom is:

Pure: The wisdom from above sets purity as its highest standard. The word pure signifies honesty and sincerity. Are our thoughts and conduct honest and true? We are to have nothing to do with anything that is not pure, right, and honest. Do not even approach it or think of what might be done with it. Immediately put it away!

Peaceable: If the matter in question passes the first test, the second one would be, does it preserve peace and harmony in my own heart and in my dealings with others, or would it be likely to awaken strife? The Lord only approves peaceable dispositions and His people are to always desire to be pleasing to Him. This does not imply a lack of firmness of character or strength in opposing what is wrong. It merely means that our conduct should be as peaceable as loyalty to righteousness will permit. “Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory.” (Phil. 2:3)

Gentle: Gentleness is the third mark of heavenly wisdom. To a certain extent, the world in general values decorum in conduct, but the gentleness of the world is largely superficial; it is on the outside. The gentleness of heavenly wisdom extends from the inside to the outside. Thoughts that are gentle are controlled by the instructions of the Word of the Lord. The life of the Christian is to be controlled by the spirit of holiness, which is a spirit of gentleness, meekness, patience and long suffering. As with the quality of being peaceable, this gentleness is not in conflict with firmness of character in opposing transgressions of others.

Easy to be entreated: The fourth quality of those who have heavenly wisdom is that they are not hard hearted in their dealings with others. They can be touched with sympathy, although they may not always allow it to rule them or hinder them from exercising proper discipline. The wisdom from above has firmness of character, without being coarse, rough, or hard.

Full of mercy: The fifth element of heavenly wisdom is overflowing mercy – compassion and sympathy for those in trouble or distress. This does not mean unconditional mercy without limits. In some cases the restraint of mercy would be for the benefit of the offender, but where the spirit of the world would be that of vindictiveness, hatred and animosity because of some wrongdoing, the Spirit of the Lord, the wisdom from above, would be full of mercy, compassion, and sympathy. It would be restrained only if sound judgment indicates that to be in the best interests of the offender.

Full of good fruits: The wisdom from above is full of good fruits –  it takes pleasure in doing for others and delights in things that are true, honest, pure, lovely and of “good report.” (Phil. 4:8) The possessor of this wisdom is sure to be blessed with happiness, joy, peace and blessing himself, and will scatter blessings wherever he goes.

The Apostle then noted that the wisdom from above is lacking in two things. It is without partiality, meaning it is no respecter of persons as to outward qualities of race, gender, etc. It is also without hypocrisy, meaning it is thoroughly genuine and does not need to feign love.

HOW TO GET THE WISDOM FROM ABOVE

There is only one way to get this wisdom from above. That way is to put ourselves into relationship with the Lord through faith in Christ’s blood as our sin atonement. This means a renunciation of our sins and a full consecration of heart and life to Him. It is for us to so use our opportunities to practice the lessons coming to us through God’s Word, that we may apply our hearts unto this heavenly wisdom. We may be sure that the more effort we put forth under the Lord’s guidance and favor, the greater will be our progress and blessing in this and in every good word and work throughout the year to come. The grace of our Lord Jesus be with us all as we seek faithfully to conform our thoughts, words, and actions to the ideals of the wisdom from above.

(Based on Harvest Gleanings, Volume III, pages 289-293.)

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KING DAVID’S REPENTANCE

“Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me.” (Psa. 51:10)

After many years of prosperity under the Lord’s blessing, King David’s kingdom was mighty, his name was honorable, and his personal participation in wars was no longer necessary. It was then that his heart began to gravitate towards earthly pleasures and was less zealous for the Lord and the Law. He was overtaken by very grievous sins that were in stark contrast with the high moral character he had shown in his earlier life.

The Scriptures relate the story of King David’s sins in a very straightforward manner: He became enamored of Bathsheba and committed adultery with her. He then caused her husband Uriah to be placed on the front lines of battle so that he was certain to be killed by the enemy, resulting in the loss of several other lives as well. The Scriptures make no effort to condone or excuse the King’s wrong-doing; the full weight of these awful crimes is laid directly on his head.

King David wrestled with his conscience for about two years afterward. The prevalent belief during those times was that a king could do no wrong, so perhaps he tried to excuse himself on that basis. Nevertheless, he was stricken by his conscience and felt alienated from God. He felt condemned under the Law in a way he would not have felt had he been of a lesser moral character.

God did not reprove David right away, but instead allowed him to fully experience the heartache and bitterness. He allowed him to feel the darkness in his soul and the absence of joy resulting from the cloud that had come between him and the Lord. After this period of secret mourning and travail of the soul, the Lord sent him a reproof through the Prophet Nathan that served to bring the matter clearly before his mind. Nathan related a parable of a rich man who had committed a great injustice against a poor man. Thinking the story to be true, the King was outraged and declared a very severe judgment against the rich man – a death sentence. The Prophet then brought the lesson home to David by declaring: “Thou art the man!” (2 Sam. 12:1-7)

King David was not of the spiritual house of sons, and thus did not have the clearer understanding and higher interpretation of adultery and murder set forth in the New Testament. There we learn that whoever desires adultery, but is merely restrained from it by outward circumstances or fears, is really an adulterer in his heart. (Matt. 5:28) We learn that whoever hates his brother and is angry with him is a murderer, because the unrestrained spirit of anger and hate will lead to murder. (Matt. 5:22) Likewise, the person who covets things belonging to another, but is only restrained from taking them because of the lack of opportunity or the fear of the consequences, is at heart a thief.

If the Lord’s people will apply these principles to their own hearts, it is entirely possible some will find themselves in a condition very similar to that of King David. This realization should lead them to be more compassionate in their judgements of the King’s offenses, and they will find great consolation in knowing that the Lord is full of compassion and forgives the penitent at heart.

DAVID’S PUBLIC CONFESSION

In Psalm 51, David expresses his contrition to God for his sins. As with certain other Psalms, this Psalm is dedicated to the Chief Musician, implying that it was the King’s intention that it be chanted in the Tabernacle services. We thus see that the King intended to make a public atonement for his flagrant sin. We can see in this why David was described as a man after God’s own heart. Although his sins were not pleasing to God – they were quite the reverse – his appreciation of their magnitude, his sincere repentance of them, and the desire to be cleansed from evil were pleasing to the Lord.

David first acknowledges his sin and his trust in the Lord without any attempt to excuse his shortcomings: “Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy lovingkindness: according unto the multitude of thy tender mercies blot out my transgressions. Wash me thoroughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin. For I acknowledge my transgressions: and my sin is ever before me.” (Psa. 51:1-3) He trusted the Lord to make whatever allowances could be made and he expressed faith that in some way the Lord could blot out these grievous transgressions and forgive them. If David was able to discern mercy in the types and shadows of the Law, how much better may we understand our Father’s forgiveness towards us through the Lord Jesus Christ, who has already given Himself a ransom for all. If David could trust the Lord for loving-kindness, tender mercies, and forgiveness of sins, we should be able to exercise full faith in the divine character and the plan of salvation from sin.

David’s confession continues: “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight: that thou mightest be justified when thou speakest, and be clear when thou judgest.” (Psa. 51:4) Although he seems to ignore the fact that he had wronged other individuals, we understand this to mean that he recognized a still higher responsibility to God, whose laws he had broken and whose kingly office, typifying that of Christ, he had dishonored. His crime against humanity was greatly overshadowed by his consciousness of his greater sin against the Almighty. Further, he recognizes the fact that God is the great Judge, and that whatever judgments He brings are proper.

He then seems to remind the Lord that he was born under the curse of sin and death, so perfection was not possible for him: “Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me.” (Psa. 51:5) He does not use this fact to escape his own responsibilities. Though a sinner by nature, he had free will and was necessarily responsible for yielding to temptation, but he was confident the Lord would give him the benefit of every mitigating circumstance.

Instead of praying that he be spared from punishment, David prays for his heart to be cleansed and that he be restored to divine favor: “Behold, thou desirest truth in the inward parts: and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom. Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean: wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow.” (Psa. 51:6-7) The King’s sin may have been considered moderate based on the standards of the time because he had not directly taken the life of Uriah, but he understood that God was looking deeper than this and desired truth and righteousness in the “inward parts” – in the heart. Outward crime and crime in the mind are equally heinous in God’s sight. David’s appreciation of the Lord’s thorough­ness in dealing with sin and His compassion in forgiveness is a good lesson for all of the Lord’s people. Many have seen with “the eye of faith” the great Atonement for sins made by our Lord Jesus, but are still unable to appreciate the fact that the application of the merit of His sacrifice is quite sufficient to cleanse us from all sin in the Father’s sight.

We can infer that King David had been in such a miserable state of mind that even music or the joyous sounds of nature could not bring him gladness: “Make me to hear joy and gladness; that the bones which thou hast broken may rejoice.” (Psa. 51:8) He longed for the joy and gladness he had experienced in times past, and figuratively he likens himself to one whose bones had been broken. He knew his joy and comfort would return if he regained the Lord’s favor. He also knew that the Lord could not excuse sin, hence his prayer: “Hide thy face from my sins, and blot out all mine iniquities. Create in me a clean heart, O God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy holy spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation; and uphold me with thy free spirit.” (Psa. 51:9-12)

David then prophetically proposes that his experience of divine disfavor be used to instruct other sinners: “Then will I teach transgressors thy ways; and sinners shall be converted unto thee.” (Psa. 51:13) How appropriate this thought is to us! We are not in any condition to serve the truth or be examples for others until we know through faith in the blood of Christ that our sins have been put out of the Father’s sight and we have experienced the joys of His salvation and forgiveness.

The King then repeats the same thought in a different form: “Deliver me from bloodguiltiness, O God, thou God of my salvation: and my tongue shall sing aloud of thy righteousness.” (Psa. 51:14) If delivered from the guilt of his sin, he promises that his tongue will thereafter sing loudly of the righteousness of the Lord – not his own righteousness. None of us have any right to sing of our own righteousness, for as the Apostle declared, “There is none righteous, no, not one.” (Rom. 3:10) All who have had forgiveness of sins should be in a proper condition to make a full consecration of their all to the Lord, and they should then expect an unsealing of their lips, that the message of God’s truth and grace may flow from them for the instruction and blessing of others.

The King then shows a deep insight into the meaning of some of the typical sacrifices: “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it: thou delightest not in burnt offering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psa. 51:16-17) Because he wrote through inspiration, his words were probably wiser than he himself understood, but King David expresses the realization that the burnt offerings were but types and that what is really pleasing to the Lord is the proper condition of the heart and the will. Let us always remember that the Lord will never spurn a contrite heart, no matter what difficulty we may stumble into. The merit of Christ enables Him to accept and freely justify from all sin those who come to Him through faith in the blood of Jesus.

King David surely learned a great lesson in mercy from this sad experience. How many times must he have called to mind his own words in response to Nathan’s parable: “As the Lord liveth, the man that hath done this thing shall surely die: . . .  because he did this thing, and because he had no pity.” (2 Sam. 12:5-6) These words show that David had a mind and a heart that appreciated justice and pity in other men’s affairs, making him all the more culpable in his much more serious violations of justice and compassion.

David had condemned himself by his judgment of another. As the Apostle wrote, “Happy is he that condemneth not himself in that thing which he alloweth.” (Rom. 14:22) How merciful to the failings of others it should make us when we remember our dear Redeemer’s words, “But if ye forgive not men their trespasses, neither will your Father forgive your trespasses.” (Matt. 6:15) We may not even pray for forgiveness of our sins unless we from the heart forgive those who have injured us and again desire our fellowship.

We find that the Lord did in fact send a severe punishment upon the King for his sins, and that He afterward restored him to His favor, allowing him to once again experience the joys of salvation. Because he was at heart loyal to the Lord and the principles of righteousness, even his terrible sins resulted in bringing a great blessing to David by humbling him and giving him an appreciation of his own weakness. He learned that he must stay close to the Lord in order to receive His fellowship and compassion and to stay safe from the temptations of his own fallen flesh.

It is the same with all the Lord’s people. Many of them have learned profitable lessons from stumbling into sin. The sins were not good nor were they sent by the Lord, but the Lord was able to overrule such circumstances for good to those who are of the proper condition of heart and mind – those who are repentant and committed to reforming their ways. “And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.” (Rom. 8:28)

(Based on Reprint 3253.)

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ANNOUNCEMENT

The date of our Lord’s Memorial is April 3, 2023 after six p.m.

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com

NO. 784: THE GLORIOUS PROCLAMATION

No. 784

“And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord.” (Luke 2:10-11)

The angel’s message to the shepherds on the plains of Bethlehem is the essence of the entire Gospel – good tidings of great joy which shall be to all people. This message becomes more and more precious to each child of God as he grows in grace and knowledge, as the eyes and ears of his understanding open more widely to the lengths and breadths of God’s great plan of the ages. We cannot call attention too frequently to the great event which lies at the foundation of that message – the Savior’s birth.

It does not matter that December 25th is not the actual anniversary of the Savior’s birth. It is more likely around the anniversary of the annunciation by the angel Gabriel, the anniversary of the Virgin Mary’s conception, our Lord being born nine months later, or about October 1. However, His birth, death, and resurrection from the dead mean so much to the human family that they may be remembered and celebrated any day, every day, by all who appreciate what He has done for the human race. Since the majority of Christian people celebrate December 25th as our Lord’s birthday, we make no protest, but join with all in celebrating that day with rejoicing and giving gifts and remembrances to one another. In doing so, we copy the divine example of God’s gift of mercy and love to mankind in the giving of His Son for our redemption.

The promises God made to Abraham were clothed more or less in obscurity for more than four thousand years. Those promises intimated that the great curse of sin and death that had come upon the world through Father Adam’s disobedience in Eden would ultimately be rolled away. Instead of a curse, God promised a blessing of life-giving refreshment. This lesson came down through the ages to the time of our Lord’s birth in various types, figures, and shadowy promises, especially among the Jews, who were the divinely favored and covenanted people.

Because the Jews were a people of enterprising spirit, many of them migrated to other parts of the civilized world. Thus faith in the one true God and the hope of Israel through a Messiah were known more or less among every civilized people, so that at the time of our Savior’s birth “the people were in expectation” of a coming Messiah. (Luke 3:15) This expectation was no doubt based on an interpretation of Daniel’s prophecy, which we now understand clearly marked the year our Lord reached manhood under Jewish law at the age of thirty, when He made His consecration and was begotten of the Holy Spirit. He was then anointed as the great antitypical Priest and King over Israel and the world. (Dan. 9:24-27 – See Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. II, Study III for a detailed discussion)

During those times, some cities were considered honorable and some cities were considered ordinary and dishonorable. Nazareth was generally recognized as dishonorable, while Bethlehem, the city of Israel’s beloved King David, was distinctly recognized as honorable. Prophecy foretold that Messiah would be born in Bethlehem (Mic. 5:2), and the Scriptures explain how the prophecy was fulfilled in a seemingly accidental manner.

At that time the Roman Empire ruled over the whole civilized world and the Jews were subject to it. They waited expectantly for the coming Messiah who would deliver them from being a subject people and make them the ruling class in His Kingdom, which would then have dominion over the whole world. The great Roman Emperor Caesar Augustus, who was in power at this time, sent forth his decree for a polling or census of the whole world for the purpose of taxation, etc. Mary, our Lord’s mother, and her husband Joseph were both of the lineage of David, and so they left Nazareth and went up to their native city to be enrolled for the census. (Matt. 1:1-17; Luke 3:23-38; Luke 2:4-5) Because of the great influx of people at the same time and for the same purpose, accommodations were scarce and the stable of the inn was used by some for lodging. Joseph and Mary, being late comers, were forced to occupy those humble quarters. Thus it was that the King of Glory, whose Kingdom is to soon rule the world, was born in a stable in Bethlehem and was cradled in a manger.

THE ANGELS AND THE SHEPHERDS

Those must have been noble shepherds to whom the Almighty sent the angelic message respecting the birth of Jesus, the Messiah – the message which has been ringing down through the ages and has reached our ears. The more we are able to grasp its meaning, the more it thrills us.

First, an angel appeared to the shepherds and allayed their fears, saying, “Fear not!” Fear is one of the dominating impulses of the human mind, especially in conjunction with divine revelations. Even the best of mankind realize that they are imperfect, and that the Almighty and His laws are perfect. The world seems to instinctively realize that it has been cursed or condemned and it instinctively fears a further curse or condemnation, realizing its increasingly sinful condition. This was true at the time of the angel’s proclamation and the same is true today with all except the comparatively few who are well informed about the divine plan. Thus the subject of God’s plan is generally unpleasant to the world – a subject they prefer to avoid because of a feeling of guilt and a dread of further knowledge and condemnation.

The angels then glorified God, and assured the world that God is better than all their fears. The true children of God today should proclaim that same assurance, namely: “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)

“Good tidings” is another translation of our word “Gospel.” How beautiful is the thought that the Gospel is really and truly good tidings! Sadly, God’s plan has been so misinterpreted that many of His professed people misrepresent His character and His Word, and apply the term Gospel to their various messages from the Dark Ages, teaching purgatory and eternal torment as the fate of the majority of the human race!

We must shun this false thinking and embrace the truth that the Gospel is indeed good tidings for all people. Thank God, His plan is wider, deeper, higher and grander than anything we could ever conceive! The Gospel message is not merely good tidings to the comparatively few that now have ears to hear and eyes to see its beauties, but in God’s due time it is to be good tidings of great joy to all people the world over. (1 Tim. 2:3-6)

As every member of Adam’s race shared in his fall and in the curse of death which came upon him as a result of his disobedience, so every member of the race was included in the great redemptive sacrifice which our Lord Jesus offered and which was finished at Calvary. (1 Cor. 15:22) God’s plan in Christ is being worked out and will ultimately be accomplished. It will mean great joy for all people, and the “tidings” of this fact were given at the very moment of our Lord’s birth, because He was the one through whom the divine purpose and plan will ultimately be accomplished.

THE LOGIC OF THE MESSAGE

The angel’s message was aimed at reasonable people who wish to know why the unchangeable God, having pronounced a curse upon the human race, would so change matters and supplant the curse with a blessing. The philosophy of the divine plan is succinctly stated in the message: “For unto you is born this day in the City of David a Saviour, which is Christ [Messiah] the Lord.” The key to how God could be just and yet be the justifier of sinners who accept Jesus is contained in the word Savior. (Rom. 3:26)

The word Savior here signifies Life-giver. How beautiful is the thought: Since death is the wages of sin and the sentence upon the human race, this Messiah was born to be the one who will rescue the human race from the sentence by giving them life again! How He would give them life was not explained nor was an explanation necessary at that time. But now, with the light of later developments and with the explanations furnished through the Holy Spirit in the New Testament, we see that our Lord’s voluntary sacrifice of His life, “the just for the unjust,” settles the claims of divine justice against Adam, and thus against all who share his death sentence, namely, all mankind.

Truly, the more we see of the divine plan for our salvation, which began to take shape with the birth of Jesus, the more we feel like shouting along with the angelic choir praise and thanks to the God of Heaven for His mercy to the children of men! It did not matter that the babe born in Bethlehem was the Savior only in a prospective sense, that He could not even be anointed to do His work until He reached manhood’s estate thirty years later. It did not matter that even then it would be necessary for Him to lay down His life gradually during the three and a half years of His earthly ministry, to be finished at Calvary. It did it matter that His resurrection was still three days after His death, and His ascension forty days later, and that the blessing in general would be deferred for centuries thereafter.

As the angels could then sing and rejoice at the first budding of the divine plan of salvation, so now all who have faith in the ultimate outcome can rejoice with unspeakable joy, giving praise to God in the highest and to His Son our Lord.

“SAVED BY HOPE”

The angelic message of “good tidings of great joy” has not yet been fulfilled, except to those who see and hear by the eyes and ears of faith. (1 Cor. 2:9; Isa.64:4) A message of bad tidings of great misery for nearly all people has instead been spread abroad in the name of Christ, discrediting the divine plan and dishonoring the divine character. Instead of conveying joy, that message has conveyed grief and sorrow, especially to those who are kind-hearted and compassionate. No message of the Lord Jesus has ever reached all people, even after twenty centuries of preaching and evange­lizing. Only a comparatively small number of the human family have ever intelligently heard of the only name whereby they might be saved: “Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” (Acts 4:12)

Those who have truly accepted Christ as their Savior rejoice in Him and by faith see the salvation of God begun in their own hearts, although it is yet to be fully accomplished under the whole heavens. So how do we describe the salvation that has already come to them? The Apostle referred to this as the salvation by hope when he said: “For we are saved by hope.” (Rom. 8:24)

We are not actually saved because we are still surrounded by sin, pain, sighing, crying and dying. The curse is not yet rolled away. All that the best of God’s people have yet received is salvation by hope, by faith. Yet this anticipation of the future salvation, of the resurrection from the dead, of a participation in the glory, honor and immortality of the divine nature promised to the Church, and the “restitution of all things” (Acts 3:21) promised to all mankind, is so strong, so clear, that those who possess it are able to rejoice even in the midst of the trials and unfavorable conditions accompanying the curse that still rests upon the world.

The angelic message was a prophecy of good things to be accomplished for the Church and the world during the Millennial Age, with the Church having the first blessing. The First Resurrection is to be composed only of the blessed and holy ones who will live and reign with Christ during the thousand years. Satan will then be bound, and truth and righteousness will enlighten the whole earth. (Rev. 20:1-6) The Scriptures declare that the deliverance of the Church will come early in the morning of the Millennial Day: “God shall help her at the dawn of the morning.” (Psa. 46:5, Darby)

We are glad that divine mercy and love are of such lengths and breadths and heights and depths as to encompass the whole world of mankind, providing a blessing for every member of Adam’s race through the Savior who loved us and bought us with His own precious blood. (Eph. 3:17-19) This prophecy will have fulfillment during the Millennium – the great Savior who has already redeemed us by His sacrifice will then stand forth as the King, the glorified Messiah, and establish His dominion of righteousness for the blessing and uplifting of every member of the human race.

In the words of the Apostle, it will be a time of refreshing and restoration: “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)

If God had based the world’s hope on its own righteousness or good works, then we might have reason to fear for its fate. Indeed, the more we know about the world, the less hope we would have for it. But, on the contrary, God has based the entire plan for the future blessing of all mankind, not upon our worthiness, but upon the worthiness and sacrifice of His Son. A Savior, a Life-giver, was born to us all – our Lord Jesus, the Messiah.

THE ANGELS’ SONG

After the angel gave the message of good tidings of great joy, a host of angels appeared to the shepherds with another prophecy: “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.” (Luke 2:14) This is also a prophecy because it is not yet true; it will be fulfilled in God’s due time, which we believe is soon. God does not yet receive glory in the highest and there is not yet peace among men, but the exact opposite! God’s name is blasphemed, not only by those who vulgarly swear His name and not merely by unbelievers, but even by people who consider themselves Christians.

Blasphemy is any dishonorable misrepre­sentation of another and God’s name is blasphemed daily by those who profess to be His people. How many of us have blasphemed His holy name in this manner – by misrepresenting the divine character and plan, by picturing the God of love, mercy, justice and truth as the originator, planner, and perpetrator of the eternal torment of the great mass of His human creatures. If we have done so, God had mercy upon us because we did it ignorantly, and we should have compassion upon others who still ignorantly misrepresent our God. We should continually strive to assist them, so that the eyes of their understanding might be opened to the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of God’s love.

Many note that peace on earth and good will to men have not followed the Savior’s birth thus far, and have been inclined to change the translation of this verse so as to have it read something like, “On earth peace among men in whom He is well pleased.” They do not discern that this is a prophecy of what is to be accomplished during the Millennium. However, even if this translation were the correct one, it would not be a true statement, for not even God’s people as yet have peace on earth. Whatever peace they have is in their hearts, and is based upon their faith in God and in the glorious things He has promised. Our Lord Jesus Himself and the Apostles testified to this, assuring us that any who live godly in the present time will suffer persecution, and that a man’s foes will be those of his own household. (2 Tim. 3:12; Matt. 10:36)

Let us not confuse ourselves nor abridge the testimony of the Word, but with the eye of faith look forward to the Millennial Age when all these glorious prophecies will have their fulfillment. Peace will then indeed fill the whole earth with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord (Hab. 2:14), bringing divine favor and rolling away the curse from the entire groaning creation, as pointed out by the Apostle. (Rom. 8:21-22) This prophecy will not be immediately fulfilled at the inauguration of the Millennium. Instead, the entire age will be required to lift the human family out of sin, sickness, pain, sorrow and death, up to all that was lost in Adam. Not until the end of the age will there indeed be glory to God in the highest; not until then will there be complete peace among men.

Nor are we to understand that the entire human race will be appreciative of the divine love and favor, even after they have fully seen the righteousness of God manifested in Christ. On the contrary, the Scriptures clearly teach that there will be a class who will be unappreciative of the divine favor, thus proving themselves unfit for eternal life. All such will be destroyed from among the people in the Second Death. (Acts 3:23)

Thus by the close of the Millennium, Satan and all willful wrongdoers having been destroyed, the time will come, as declared in the Scriptures, when all voices in Heaven and in earth and under the earth will be heard praising God and the Lamb forever. Hosanna! Glory to God in the highest! Peace and good will to men! This will be the final shout of a redeemed race when the great plan of salvation has been fully worked out according to the “eternal purpose” from the beginning, as set forth in the Scriptures. (Phil. 2:10-11; Eph. 3:11)

GIFTS TO OUR KING

The wise men of the East who came seeking the new-born Jesus, the King of the Jews, were “heathen” men in the sense of not being of the chosen nation to whom God had thus far confined His gracious promises. They were, nevertheless, good and reverent men, who delighted to know of the coming blessing of peace on earth and good will among men, regardless of what channel or nationality from which God chose His representative and messenger. Christendom could learn an important lesson from those wise Gentiles. No false patriotism hindered their appreciation of any manifestation of divine favor to the children of men, and when they found Jesus they were not daunted by the humbleness of His surroundings.

They worshiped Him in three senses of the word. (1) They fell before Him, prostrating themselves, thus physically expressing their reverence. (2) They worshiped Him in their hearts and gave expression to their rejoicing and confidence with their tongues. (3) They opened their treasure-box and presented to Him three gifts appropriate to royalty: bitter myrrh representing submission, fragrant frankincense representing praise, and durable gold representing obedience. (Matt. 2:11)

We can gather some valuable suggestions from this about the gifts we should give to our great Savior. If we properly reflect on our own circumstances, the reverent spirit of those men who had so little light about the great Messiah and His work might bring us shame. We are favored with a much brighter light than the star of Bethlehem to guide us to the Lamb of God; we see His star in a better and truer sense. We have been guided to Him by the prophecies and have found Him not only as an infant, but as one who bears our sorrows and carries our grief. We have found Him as one who has made His soul an offering for sin, so that by His stripes we might be healed. (Isa. 53:4-5)

What manner of gifts should we lay at the feet of the One who loved us and bought us with His precious blood? Have we bowed the knee with deep reverence, prostrated ourselves, given outward evidence through our bodies of full submission to our great King whose gracious provisions for the Church and for the world of mankind we have heard from the sure voice of the Word of God?

Have we offered the myrrh of our willingness for service to Him even to the extent of bitterness and suffering? Have we offered the frankincense of our heart adoration, appreciation, and gratitude? Have we laid at His feet our earthly obedience, our substance, our gold? Have we realized that all that we have, all that we are, is too small an offering to be worthy of acceptance by the great King Immanuel? What was represented in the three gifts of the wise men is illustrated in this brief statement: “My son, give me thine heart.” (Prov. 23:26)

(Based on Reprints 3700-3702)

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THE HARPS OF GOD

“And I saw as it were a sea of glass mingled with fire: and them that had gotten the victory over the beast, and over his image . . . stand on the sea of glass, having the harps of God. And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of Nations [margin]. Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name? for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest.” (Rev. 15:2-4)

Who sings the “song of Moses” and the “song of the Lamb” and when? We recognize it as the very Song of Restitution sung by the Saints, those who have gained victory over the decrees of orthodox Christianity (the beast and it image). None but the overcomers, the victors, can as yet truly appreciate and sing it, but in the Millennial Age its prophecy will be fulfilled and all will learn to sing it. All will learn of divine mercy and all will bow to the Lord, confessing His goodness and love, enjoying the opportunity of full reconciliation to God, the opportunity for a full return to perfection of mind and body, and the opportunity for life everlasting. As many as accept God’s terms will return to all those things lost by Adam’s disobedience, and brought back by the great Redeemer, Christ.

The sea here symbolizes the people of the world, the comparison to glass showing that their condition is transparent to the victors who sing the song. The sea (people) is mingled with fire, representing judgments. Though pitying the people, the victors cannot stop to weep, for their hearts are filled with joy by the unfolding before them of the Word and plan of God. Their mouths are filled with the Song of Restitution: “Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of Nations.”

Only those who see that there is to be a “restitution of all things” can say or think God’s ways with the nations are “just and true.” Consider the Amorites, Amelekites, Hitites, Jebuzites, etc. who were slaughtered with no chance to know the only name whereby they might have been saved. And who could excuse the destruction of Sodom, when Jesus Himself said that if the mighty works done among the Jews had been done in Sodom, it would have remained to that day? (Matt. 11:23)

Without understanding God’s plan, none can do more than feebly try to excuse God’s actions by saying that those who were destroyed were wicked people, but God does not want us to excuse Him. He is His own interpreter, and He will make it plain if we will only let Him, if we do not bind ourselves with creeds that do not let us believe what His Word tells us: These same Sodomites are to be restored – brought back to “their former estate” for instruction in the next age under the New Covenant as “daughters” of Israel. (Ezek. 16:48-63) Only those who see the beauty of God’s plan can truly say that His ways are just and true.

Orthodox belief holds that the vast majority will never fear and glorify God’s name, either in the present life or in the hereafter, but to this we reply: “For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:5-6) The Millennial Age will be God’s “due time” for testifying to the world, and we believe that under the reign of the Mediator almost all will learn to fear (revere), glorify, and love God. What they lack now is knowledge.

Surely those who think that all but a very few are to be tormented in hell forever do not believe that all nations will worship before the Almighty. Nor do those who believe that all except the Saints will be annihilated, and certainly not those who believe in only a partial restitution for the current nations only. No, this song can only be sung in full by those who know the truth about the “restitution of all things,” restitution even to the Sodomites. (Acts 3:19-21) We can see in the unfolding of the great plan that God’s ways are indeed just and true.

If we sing the Song of Restitution we have to some extent gotten victory over the beast and his image. But where are our “harps of God?” The harps are the Word of God, and Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, David, Job, Moses and all the prophecies are but strings to the harp; they only require keying up and they will produce the sweet harmony of this “Song of Moses and the Lamb,” for as St. Peter said, God hath spoken of restitution by the mouth of all these holy Prophets. (Acts 3:21)

Tune up your harps and sing aloud the glad Song of Restitution! Sing to your friends who love God, despite what seems to them His injustice. If they will not hear, sing to the world; it will be a bow of promise to them in the time of trouble. If you cannot do that, sing it loudly in your own heart. It will bring you joy and comfort to think of our Father’s love and realize that “His mercy endureth for ever.” (Psa. 136) It will open and warm your heart and enrich it with love – love for the Father and for those who are the objects of His care and love.

During the Millennial Age all mankind will be invited to approach the Lord in worship and the willing and obedient will learn to sing the Song of Restitution. Thus the message brought by the angels at the birth of Jesus will be fulfilled: the good tidings of great joy will be to all people!

(Based on Reprint 130)

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We wish all our readers a blessed holiday season.

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

Write to us at: epiphanybiblestudents@gmail.com.

NO. 783: “HOLD FAST THAT WHICH IS GOOD”

No. 783

 “In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you. . . . Prove all things; hold fast that which is good.” (1 Thess. 5:18, 21)

St. Paul’s first epistle to the Thessalonians contains an important lesson on the proper attitude for the Lord’s people to maintain in order to grow in grace and become conquerors through their Redeemer. (1 Thess. 5:14-28) Although addressed to the saints at Thessalonica, these noble words have been a source of strength, encouragement, and discipline to all the faithful in Christ Jesus from the time they were written until the present. No child of God can afford to ignore or neglect these words of divine counsel, and to the degree each of us gives heed to them, our lives will surely be more Christ-like, and we will thus be more pleasing to the Lord.

The Apostle began the lesson with an exhortation: “Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded [faint-hearted], support the weak, be patient toward all men.” (1 Thess. 5:14) It was not the elders alone who were exhorted by the Apostle – he addressed the entire Church, the “brethren.” This does not signify that the counsel would not have special application to the elders, because they were selected as the most advanced in Christian doctrine and practice to be the representatives of the Church, to look after the interests of the Lord’s flock. These apostolic words apply to all members of the flock to the extent of their capacity and ability, but naturally apply with special force to the elders who under God’s providence have had oversight of His Church, “to feed the flock.” (Acts 20:28) While all the brethren are to strive to carry out the Apostle’s injunctions, the elders should feel a special responsibility because of the position they occupy as standard-bearers of the Church.

The Apostle contrasted the “unruly” with the faint-hearted and the weak. While the divine arrangement is full of order as well as liberty, liberty can best be maintained by order, and order can best be maintained through a reasonable recognition of personal liberty. The mistake frequently made, not only by earthly law-givers and disciplinarians, but also by the Lord’s people, is one of extremes in one direction or the other. Some misunderstand liberty to allow lawlessness, disorder, and unruliness. Others are disposed to carry order and obedience to rules to the extreme, dwarfing the individual liberties of the flock. Much grace is required in these matters to prevent friction among the Lord’s people, preserving unity of the spirit in the bonds of love and peace.

We are not to have false ideas of personal liberty that would ignore rules, laws, and order in the assemblies of the Lord’s people. Those disposed to be unruly, elevating themselves without the request of the brethren, need to be “warned” – to be shown that their course is contrary to the spirit of the Lord and all the arrangements instituted by the Apostles, His representatives. They need to be warned that their course would mean injury to the flock instead of blessing, peace, joy, and development. Their course would injure themselves also, developing in them an exaggerated sense of self-worth and a combativeness that would only hinder the cause and hinder themselves from attaining the character-likeness of our Redeemer. Conversely, others who are faint-hearted and weak need aid, support, and encouragement. Those naturally lacking in self-confidence need to be pushed in order to bring out their talents, for their own benefit and for the blessing also of the entire household of faith.

To “be patient toward all” seems to imply that the remainder of the Lord’s people should be sympathetic and tolerant toward all those mentioned above – toward both the weak and timid and toward those who are too assertive and self-promoting. As the Apostle elsewhere admonished, “For ye have need of patience, that, after ye have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise.” (Heb. 10:36) Day by day the advanced children of the Lord realize the truthfulness of this, and come to appreciate patience as one of the chief Christian graces.

We can grow in this grace of patience by growing in knowledge, for as we appreciate more and more the heavenly Father’s patience with us, it helps us to apply the same principle toward others. Our sympathy and patience is also enlarged by the realization of how the fallen condition of the human race has affected our fellow creatures. Some are chiefly affected mentally, some chiefly physically, and some chiefly morally. This is particularly true with respect to the household of faith. Among those whom God has graciously called, some are more blemished in some ways than we are ourselves, while we may be more blemished in other ways. We should have special patience with the brethren and be as helpful as possible to all those who are seeking to walk with us in the footsteps of our Lord. (Rom. 14:15; 1 Cor. 8:11)

The Apostle then warned against retaliation: “See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.” (1 Thess. 5:15) Much evil treatment was heaped upon our Lord’s followers of that time. St. Paul, as well as those he addressed, suffered much as a result of their faithfulness in dispensing the Word of the Lord, the good tidings. The Apostle exhorted the Lord’s followers not to retaliate by doing evil to their enemies in any manner. We are to seek to render good in return for the evil we receive, in our language as well as our conduct. We are not to return accusation for accusation or slander for slander any more than we are to return blow for blow. This includes also our very thoughts and emotions, for we are not even to render anger for anger, malice for malice, envy for envy. Two evils can never make a good – two wrongs will never make a right. We are to have sympathy for our blinded enemies, cultivating patience and forbearance toward them in thought, word and deed. (1 Pet. 2:21-23)

Each of the Lord’s people is to pursue righteousness to the extent of his ability – pursuing every good and noble sentiment, and seeking to live up to the high standard of righteousness and perfection exemplified by our Lord as nearly as possible. This pursuit of goodness is to be maintained not only among the brethren, where all are professing the same pursuit, but also toward others in our dealings with the world. Some of the world can learn more of the gospel by witnessing our avoidance of evil and our constant pursuit of righteousness, than they can by anything we say to them. As they discern the new life in us, they may gradually come to have “an ear to hear” the message of good tidings.

REJOICE EVERMORE

The lesson continues with an entreaty: “Rejoice evermore. Pray without ceasing. In every thing give thanks: for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.” (1Thess. 5:16-18) The Christian’s rejoicing is founded on the established principles, promises, and comforting assurances of the divine Word, which stand firm amid all the storms and trials of life. This exhortation to prayer can only be understood by those who are somewhat advanced in the school of Christ. Having surrendered their wills and earthly interests to the Lord, they do not pray without ceasing for earthly things, but for heavenly things. They pray for the leadings of divine providence and the assistance of divine grace that will enable them to rejoice always in whatever experiences the Lord deems best for their spiritual development. They more and more find their prayers to consist of giving thanks for blessings already received, as well as for those yet to come, which they can see with the eye of faith.

If they have the condition of heart that is in fellowship with the Lord, and fully devoted to the doing of His will, their prayers will be truly without ceasing. They will not only implore His blessing at the beginning of each day, and give their thanks at the close of each day, but in all of life’s affairs they will seek to remember that they have consecrated their all to the Lord. By faith, they will realize the association of God’s providence with all the interests of life and give thanks accordingly. This is the will of God concerning us: He wills that we live in an attitude of constant regard for His will and for His blessing, because this is the condition most favorable to our progress in walking in the footsteps of the Master.

 QUENCH NOT THE SPIRIT

Having stated the Church’s proper attitude of rejoicing, prayer and thanksgiving, the Apostle admonished them to maintain the Holy Spirit: “Quench not the Spirit. Despise not prophesyings. Prove all things; hold fast that which is good. Abstain from all appearance of [every form of] evil.” (1 Thess. 5:19-22) The spirit of the Lord in His people has been described as “a flame of sacred love” for the Lord and all connected with His cause. The more this flame burns among His people, individually and collectively, the greater will be their progress in all good things. We must not allow this spirit of love to be quenched by false doctrines, rules, or ceremonies, or by the spirit of the world and the cares of this life.

The Apostle’s admonition to not despise prophesying does not refer to the prophecies of the “holy men of God” of the Old Testament. They spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit (2 Pet. 1:21), and it would be unnecessary to caution the Church on that subject. He instead implored them not to despise prophesying being done in their midst. The gift of prophecy, the foretelling of coming events, was to some extent present in the Church in the Apostle’s day. It was one of the gifts of the spirit that marked out the Lord’s people and helped to establish them at a time when the inspired messages of the Lord were unavailable. Beyond this, however, we find that the Apostle frequently used the word “prophecy” to simply mean public speech or preaching.

The early Church might have been in danger of valuing the gifts of miracles and tongues more than reasoned and logical discourse about the Truth. While the other gifts of the spirit need not be discarded, the Apostle pointed out that this gift of preaching or prophesying should not be despised. Our Lord and His Apostles were preachers, and the Lord has since raised up instructors among His people. Hence, such service should not be despised or ignored.

We live in a time when the very reverse of this is true. The danger now is that too much reliance is placed upon a leader and too much time and attention given to preaching, while insufficient time is given to the other methods of “building up” and encouraging the Lord’s flock (Jude 20), hence the Apostle’s admonition to “prove all things” and to hold fast to the good. However much they come to respect public preaching, the Lord’s people must not accept what they hear without thoroughly examining it. They should exercise a discriminating mind and prove all things that they hear, determining what is logically and scripturally supported and what is mere conjecture and possibly sophistry. Proving what they hear, they should hold fast to everything that is in accordance with the divine Word and with the Holy Spirit. They should promptly and thoroughly reject whatever will not stand these tests.

Unfortunately, the Lord’s people of today greatly need to give attention to this exhortation. Much of what is presented as the teaching of God’s Word is neither logical nor scriptural; it is supported by neither the letter nor the spirit of the Word and should be rejected. If the Lord’s consecrated people practiced such discrimination, much of the chaff of nominal “orthodoxy” would be rejected, and there would be a search for the true Word of God that would pass these tests.

The Apostle’s thought is that every form of evil is to be resisted (see the RSV, ASV and many other translations). Some evils are of an obviously hideous form, while some cloak their form by hypocrisy. Some openly and boldly admit their depraved nature and endeavor to entice the Lord’s people into sin. Others disguise themselves as angels of light and seek to mislead and to deceive. The Apostle’s exhortation is that everything that is evil is to be resisted and opposed, whether it have a good form or a bad form. We are not to say as some do, “Let us do evil that good may follow.” The Lord’s people must be loyal to the principles of righteousness, under any and all circumstances. To do otherwise would surely undermine their efforts to attain the Master’s character likeness.

To abstain from every “appearance” of evil is a different thought from what the Apostle’s words in the original convey; nevertheless, it is a sound principle. We should abstain not only from evil things in whatever form, but we should also abstain as far as possible from things we know to be good which others might misunderstand and consider to be evil, so that our influence for the Lord and the Truth will not be diminished.

THE APOSTLE’S BENEDICTION

The Apostle closed the lesson with an invocation expressing his heart’s desire for the Lord’s people: “And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.” (1 Thess. 5:23) He thus emphasized the fact that God is not a God of confusion, anarchy, and turmoil but a God of peace. To the extent we learn from Him in the School of Christ, we become lovers of peace and the peace of God will abound in us more and more. It will cause us to be fruitful in developing holy characters, and it will make us advocates of peace in our words and deeds.

The Master said, “Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.” (Matt. 5:9) Peace in the heart, manifesting itself in words and conduct, is evidence of sanctification, or complete setting apart for the Lord’s service. It is evidence that God’s spirit has come into the sanctified heart and is filling it with His peace: “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7)

When the Apostle prayed for the Church to be preserved until the coming of Christ, he could only have meant it with respect to the Church as a whole, and not with respect to the individual members. He certainly did not expect all the Christians at Thessalonica to live until the presence of the Lord, just as he did not himself expect to live until that time. (2 Tim. 4:7-8; 2 Pet. 1:12-15) Speaking of the spirit, soul, and body of the Church as a whole, his desire was that the Church at Thessalonica might continue to the full end of the Gospel Age as a noble and faithful congregation of the Lord’s body, full of His spirit and courageous in His work.

We know that the Apostle’s wish or prayer did not come true. This congregation, like the others he planted, died out because it was not as a whole sufficiently careful in heeding his admonitions. It did not prove all things, did not hold fast to the good, did not abstain from evil, and was not sanctified wholly. Although the light blessed some individuals among it, as a congregation it died, or ceased to be because the spirit of the Lord in its midst was quenched. The light passed on to other quarters, seeking those “meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light.” (Col. 1:12)

The fact that the Thessalonica Church was not kept in accordance with the Apostle’s prayer was not due to unfaithfulness on God’s part: “Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it.” (1 Thess. 5:24) Rather, it was due to neglect and unfaith­fulness on the part of those the Apostle addressed or by their successors in that congregation. It is the same with everyone who has been called of the Lord. It has been up to them to hear and heed the Lord’s message through His servants in order to make their calling and election sure. If anyone has not been disposed to hear His message in the way He has sent it, the fault lies with them. They who are faithful would rejoice to do abundantly better things than anyone could ask or think, if they accept His provisions in faith and follow the directions of His Word.

The Apostle then entreated, “Brethren, pray for us.” (1 Thess. 5:25) The Apostle was not like a pope or a lord – he had no feeling of superiority to others of the Lord’s flock. He needed their prayers just as they needed his. All who are in the proper relationship with the Lord have a spirit of humility and appreciation for all the household of faith, realizing that the humblest of the Lord’s people have access to the throne of heavenly grace, and may there obtain mercy and find strength to help in every time of need. He further entreated, “Greet all the brethren with an holy kiss.” (1 Thess. 5:26) He thus indicated there should be thorough cordiality among all who claim to be the Lord’s people, and this fellowship should be manifested by the accustomed form of greeting of the day.

The Apostle then insisted that this epistle was not to be considered as a private message or letter to the congregation in Thessalonica: “I charge you by the Lord that this epistle be read unto all the holy brethren.” (1 Thess. 5:27) The Apostle seemed to fear that the leading brethren in whose care the letter was sent would only give out such parts of it as their judgment deemed prudent. Such a spirit on the part of the elders in any Church would be reprehensible. God’s Word is for God’s people, and whoever would hinder its flow would surely offend the Master Himself. Although the elders at Thessalonica were apparently faithful and the epistle was delivered to the Church, some today need to take heed along this line.

Many preachers and teachers have discerned the Truth presented in The Divine Plan of the Ages, but instead of proclaiming it to others they have sought to hide it from the Lord’s people so that they might use it to illuminate themselves before their flocks. They consider this “wise and prudent” but forget the Lord declared that He hides His deep things from the wise and prudent and reveals them unto babes. (Luke 10:21) True to our Lord’s words, this class rarely makes much progress. The Truth passes by them and before long they are in comparative darkness, because they did not receive the Truth in the love of it, but in the love of self. (2 Thess. 2:10) Loyalty to the Lord and His flock and to the Truth, through whatever channel it comes, demands that each of us speedily proclaim it in its purity to the extent of our ability. Shepherds who feed themselves and not the flock are warned by the Lord of His displeasure, and cannot be expected to thrive spiritually. (Ezek. 34:2, 7-10)

The Apostle then invoked the Lord’s blessing upon the Church: “The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen.” (1 Thess. 5:28)

(Based on Reprint 3135)

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WHY MEN FEAR THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST

“Let us therefore fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it.” (Heb. 4:1)

All people realize they come short of perfection, and nearly all realize that their lives have included transgressions of a more or less serious nature. Fear is instinctive in the majority of minds, and under proper limitations that is a healthy condition. “The fear [reverence] of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.” (Psa. 111:10)

Unfortunately, the Adversary has taken advantage of this proper fear through what the Apostle terms “doctrines of devils.” (1 Tim. 4:1) Regardless of the outward forms of godliness displayed by some, nearly every mind is filled from an early age with an abnormal, irrational fear. As the Lord said through the Prophet, “Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” (Isa. 29:13) These human traditions or precepts have grossly misrepresented God and His Word. Even some Bible students are seriously handicapped by these devilish theories, which claim to be based on the divine Word but which were actually established in a period of ignorance and superstition.

Among other false theories respecting the second coming of Christ, the Adventists hold the view that the moment of the Lord’s coming spells doom for the world and its inhabitants, marking the end of hope for all not previously brought into relationship with God through Christ – all who are not saints. Adventists are not alone in this theory. Practically all denominations hold to the same thought, which is the very reverse of what the Scriptures teach.

The Second Advent will bring “times of refreshing” according to St. Peter’s description of it: “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)

The Scriptures teach that Christ Jesus and His glorified Church will together “judge the world.” (Acts 17:31; 1 Cor. 6:2) That judgment is commonly supposed to mean the world’s condemnation or damnation, but the Scriptures show that the entire race was already condemned through Adam’s disobedience, and that God has arranged for the entire race to have a fair and individual trial for life as a result of the redemption accomplished by our Lord Jesus. “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22)

If God had shown no mercy, there would have been no redemption and no future judgment, but having provided the Redeemer, God will soon establish the Messianic Kingdom for the very purpose of giving to all of humanity a special, personal opportunity for reformation and the attainment of everlasting life.

THE GREAT PLAN

Only the preliminary steps of this great plan have yet taken place:

(1) The Redeemer died, “the just for the unjust.” (1 Pet. 3:18)

(2) He appeared in the presence of God for the Church, making it possible for them to become His Bride – members of His body. (Heb. 9:24; 2 Cor. 11:2; 1 Cor. 12:12)

(3) All accepting this High Calling have been separated from the world, becoming spirit-begotten children of God and prospective joint-heirs with Christ. By sacrificing their earthly life, they will, if they have been faithful, be granted a share with Him in the glorious work of His Kingdom in blessing the world. (Rom. 8:17)

However, there is another feature to this plan. The Scriptures teach that at His Second Advent only the Lord’s consecrated people will be ready to receive the Master with joy. The masses of mankind will still be so associated with sin and injustice that they will not be worthy of His approval, and their lives will be subject to reprobation and stripes. Hence, it is written, “Go to now, ye rich men, weep and howl for your miseries that shall come upon you.” (Jas. 5:1) “Woe unto you that are full! for ye shall hunger. Woe unto you that laugh now! for ye shall mourn and weep.” (Luke 6:25)

Many who now have positions of wealth, power, influence, etc. will lose those positions. Their realization of their losses is figuratively represented in the Scriptures as wailing, howling, and misery, as they suffer the loss of practically everything they now value. While the poor are not necessarily more righteous than the rich, they are more numerous. Those who have little of this world’s advantages and who are used to struggles will probably feel less of the effects of the great time of trouble than some who have been accustomed to living in the lap of luxury.

Babylon the Great will fall and the great institutions of civilization, although partly good but mainly bad, will not be found worthy of the new King’s government. The Bible symbolically pictures this day of trouble as a whirlwind, a fire, a tempest, and a flood. It will be a “time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation.” (Dan. 12:1) That this great day is near and “hasteth greatly” is evident from the events of our times. (Zeph. 1:14) The world has been given a glimpse of the fires of passion, anger, and resentment smoldering beneath the surface which will shortly envelop the world in a fiery trial such as has never been known.

The apprehensions of mankind are well founded. The Great King disapproves of much that the world does in the name of civilization and even in the name of the Master Himself. But let us not dwell too much upon this aspect because, “Sufficient unto the day is the evil thereof.” (Matt. 6:34) Let us focus instead on the glorious silver lining to that dark cloud – let us point to the glorious blessings of Messiah’s Kingdom, and teach all to pray, “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done.” Let us strive to understand, appreciate, and teach to others the principles that will govern that Kingdom so that perhaps they may pass through the time of trouble with less injury.

Consider the words of the Prophet: “Seek ye the Lord, all ye meek of the earth, which have wrought his judgment; seek righteousness, seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger.” (Zeph. 2:3) These words do not refer at all to the Lord’s Elect, who are already accounted worthy to escape the things coming upon the world. They are spoken instead as an exhortation to the better elements among mankind in general, that those who are humbler and more righteous may be better prepared for the shock and distress of that day of trouble, which will prepare the hearts of mankind to receive the divine message of truth and grace.

(Based on Reprint 4996)

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