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)
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