NO. 683: “TO US THERE IS BUT ONE GOD”

No. 683

“But to us there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all things, and we by him.” (1 Cor. 8:6)

“GOD” AND “LORD” IN THE BIBLE

In the Old Testament: The word “god” as used in the Old Testament is generally the translation of the Hebrew word elohiym and its variations el and elowahh. Each of these words signifies “mighty one,” but not always the all-mighty one. It is a generic term, often and properly applied to our heavenly Father, as well as to our Lord Jesus, to angels and to men. To illustrate:

“For the LORD your God is God of gods, and Lord of lords…” (Deut. 10:17) The word translated “god” here is elohiym – a mighty or great one – and is used in referring to Yahweh, the almighty God, as well as to other gods.

“…we have seen God.” (Judges 13:22) From verse 21 we see that the word elohiym used in verse 22 refers to an angel: “Then Manoah knew that he was an angel of the LORD.”

“…there shall ye serve other gods day and night...” (Jer. 16:13) Here earthly heathen kings and governors are called “gods” – elohiym.

“…I have made thee a god to Pharaoh...” (Exod. 7:1) Moses is called a god – elohiym.

“Then his master shall bring him unto the judges...” (Exod. 21:6) In this verse and also in Exod. 22:8,9,28, the word elohiym is used to refer to the Judges of Israel appointed by Moses, because they were “mighty ones,” or persons in authority. The translators of the KJV have rendered the word “judges” in all except the last instance, where they rendered it “gods,” but it is the same word – elohiym.

In Exod. 12:12 the princes of Egypt are referred to as “gods [elohiym] of Egypt.”

“God [Elohiym] standeth in the congregation of the mighty [el]; he judgeth among the gods [elohiym].” (Psa. 82:1) Here the first word “God” evidently refers to Yahweh (working through Jesus Christ, the divinely appointed deliverer and Judge of Christendom), the Almighty One, who judges “the gods,” the princes of the earth. The “mighty” [el] refers to the Church, the sons of God: “I have said, Ye are gods [elohiym]; and all of you are children of the Most High [elyown, the highest God].” (Psa. 82:6)

The word “LORD” in all capital letters, as used in the Old Testament, is generally the translation of the Hebrew word Yahweh.[1] The word Yahweh is not a general name, like the word god, but a proper name, the distinctive personal name of the Almighty Father, and is never applied to any other being. The name Yahweh, like other proper names, should not be translated. In our common version of the Old Testament its distinctiveness as a name is lost by being translated LORD. Some erroneously suppose that the name Yahweh applies also to Christ. We therefore cite a few of the many Scriptures to prove that this name belongs exclusively to the great First Cause of all things:

“I am the LORD [Yahweh]; that is my name: and my glory will I not give to another...” (Isa. 42:8)

“And I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty [El Shadday], but by my name JEHOVAH [Yahweh] was I not known to them.” (Exod. 6:3)

“That men may know that thou, whose name alone is JEHOVAH [Yahweh], art the most high over all the earth.” (Psa. 83:18)

“Lord” in the lower case is generally a translation of the Hebrew word adonay or its variations adon and adown. It is a title of reverence and may refer either to Yahweh or to the Lord Jesus. Yahweh is frequently declared to be the Savior of men (Isa. 43:11) because He was the Author of the plan of salvation (“God, the Father, of whom are all things”), our Lord Jesus being the Savior in a secondary sense, as the instrument through whom the plan of Yahweh was executed (“Lord Jesus Christ by whom are all things”). David makes the distinction between Yahweh and our Lord Jesus very marked: “The LORD [Yahweh] said unto my Lord [adown, master – Christ], Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool.” (Psa. 110:1) Our Lord Jesus and Peter call attention very forcibly to this Scripture and to the distinction made. (Luke 20:41-44; Acts 2:34-36)

In the New Testament: The word “god” in our New Testament, whether in referring to our Heavenly Father or to His Heavenly Son, our Lord Jesus, or to false gods, is almost invariably the translation of the Greek word theos. Exceptions are that the word kurios is once translated God when it should have been rendered “Lord” or “Master,” namely in Acts 19:20; and in Acts 17:18 daimonion is rendered gods, and should be demons.

It may be said that nothing whatever in the words used distinguishes the Father from the Son. The matter is left entirely to the judgment of the reader, and indicated only by the construction of the sentence, except that where the word theos is used twice in the same clause the Greek prepositive article is sometimes used, so as to give the effect of “the God” in contrast with “a god.” An illustration of this is found in John 1:1: “…the Word was with God [ho theos, the God], and the Word was God [theos, a god].” The careful student (freed from prejudice) will generally have no difficulty in determining the thought of the Apostle.

The title “Lord” in the New Testament, whether it be applied to Yahweh, to Christ, to man, or to angels, is generally the translation of the Greek word kurios signifying Master, or Lord. It is frequently translated Sir and Master. Exceptions are that in five places “Lord” is the translation of despotes, where it would better have been translated “Sovereign” or “Autocrat:” These instances are Luke 2:29; Acts 4:24; 2 Pet. 2:1: Jude 4; and Rev. 6:10.

Rhabboni (master) is once rendered “Lord.” (Mark 10:51)

Kurieuo (to be lord of) is once rendered “lords.”(1 Tim. 6:15)

But, says Paul:

“For though there be [many] that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there be gods many, and lords many,) But to us there is but one God, the Father…” (1 Cor. 8:5,6)

The Father is the Mighty One over all other mighty ones – the One God over all. None others are mighty or great, except as they receive their greatness, as well as their existence, from Him. And it is to this one fact that the attention of Israel is called in the words of Moses – “Hear, O Israel: The LORD [Yahweh] our God [Elohiym] is one LORD [Yahweh].” (Deut. 6:4)

[1] In the original Hebrew Bible this is the tetragrammaton (Greek for “four letters”), YHWH or YHVH. While most often translated as “LORD,” it is translated four times in the KJV as “Jehovah.” We prefer to use the name “Yahweh” as the proper name of the Almighty Father.

GOD THE PERFECT STANDARD

Logic and human reasoning tell us that the Almighty God must be far superior to every human being in His character, thoughts, and plans. True, the Scriptures inform us that man was created in his Maker’s moral image (Gen. 1: 26,27) and that this enables him to reason and think on moral subjects on a higher plane than does the animal creation. But the same Scriptures also inform us that the entrance of sin has wrought havoc with the likeness of God in the human race, blurring it and to a considerable degree, obliterating it. (Rom. 1:23) While we disagree with those who claim that total depravity has overtaken the human race, we are all witnesses to the fact that there is a wide variation in moral sense; some have little or none, while even the best and brightest have limitations which are recognized by themselves as well as others.

Believers hope to attain in the resurrection the highest standards of justice, love and wisdom. That perfect condition of heart and mind will signify our renewal in our Creator’s likeness, He being the perfect standard before our minds. The Scriptures admonish us that Satan, moved by selfish ambition, rebelled against Yahweh (Isa. 14:12-14) and His government and that he has since sought to use his every opportunity and ability to ensnare our minds, to poison them against our Creator, to make His goodness appear in a false light, to put light for darkness and darkness for light. (Isa.5:20)

When we look at the world we can see that to a large extent Satan has been successful. The human race has followed his leadings as the Apostle points out in Rom.1:28, where he assures us that mankind, originally in accord with God, became alienated from God, who gave them over to a reprobate mind and evil works by which they have degraded themselves more and more. As a consequence, we see members of the race who are almost devoid of the original likeness of God and proportionately blind to the truth – “…the god [Satan] of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not...” (2 Cor.4:4)

“WORSHIP YE KNOW NOT WHAT”

Nevertheless, amid the darkness that prevails respecting God’s true character and plan, the instinct of reverence and worship persists in the human brain and hence we find among all people a tendency to worship, and this, combined with a realization of their own imperfection and unworthiness, leads them to fear the God they do not know.

In some cultures, people may make images (of earth, stone and metal, or of silk batting and gold thread) to assist them in the worship they feel they should render. These images illustrate their conceptions of God, illustrating power, strength, ability; intelligence, wisdom, knowledge of us and our whereabouts and doings, anger, malice, hatred, vengeance, cruelty. These unfortunates evidently do not know the true God, hence do not worship and serve Him.

They need a revelation that will remove the delusions from their mental eyes and give them a glimpse of the true God: gracious, merciful, kind, loving, as well as wise, powerful and just. They need to learn the message of God’s love, exemplified in the gift of His Son who died for our sins, and thus opened the way for our return to harmony with the Father. (Rom. 5:10; 2 Cor. 5:18,19)

We send missionaries; we give millions of money and thousands of prayers for the breaking of the bonds of ignorance and the opening of the blind eyes of the ignorant. We thank God that so many have this degree of appreciation of God and this degree of sympathy for the heathen. But let us look nearer to home in the developed lands of highest civilization where Christian doctrine has prevailed for centuries, where all from the least to the greatest should have had an opportunity to learn of the grace of God in Christ and to become reconciled to God.

What do we find in so-called Christendom? We find scores of sects of Christians possessed of the same mental tendency of veneration, exercising it to some degree in worship. We find that being more educated, they realize the impropriety of making images of God out of wood, stones, metal, etc. But each faction promotes a mental image of God for their followers to worship. We find no fault with this, for without some mental appreciation of the Divine Being worship would be impossible.

We are reminded of the words of our Lord Jesus to the woman at Samaria, who inquired about the worship of the true God. Our Lord said to her, “Ye worship ye know not what.” (John 4:22) And undoubtedly this is true of the majority of worshippers of all the various denominations and creeds. They worship, they exercise the instinct of veneration, partly under the impulse of fear, but without particular knowledge of whom they worship and without any particular desire to become acquainted with Him, “…that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou has sent.” (John 17:3)

TWO PROMINENT IMAGES OF GOD

While it is true that probably the majority of worshippers of all Christian denominations have no real mental image of God, there are those who hold fast to images of God as taught by their creeds. Let us examine two of the most prominent.

The Calvinistic conception of the Almighty pictures Him as the high and lofty one possessed of all wisdom, knowledge, and power. It pictures Him as grave, dignified, commanding reverence and worship. While this image inspires us with awe and reverence, there is something lacking. The message which this God of Calvinism sends is terrifying. He has declared His omnipotence, His justice and unchangeableness; He has declared an election and predestination of a little handful of the human race to wondrous glory in His presence, and equally foreordained and predestinated the vast majority to have none of His loving favor, predestinated before their birth not only to ignorance in the present life of the only name whereby they might be saved, but also to an eternity of suffering in the ages to come.

Love is lacking in this image! If we question the justice of this plan, the answer comes that those not favored to know Christ were foreknown of God to be unworthy, and that they would not have received Him if they had heard His message. If we ask respecting the masses of Christendom who have heard of the only name but have rejected it and failed to become His footstep followers as saints, if we inquire what hope there is for these, the answer is – none!

This Calvinistic image, glorious in many of its features and details, can never satisfy the longings of our hearts, for while one may argue that its qualities of justice and power are satisfactory, its lack of love and sympathy shows it to be deficient in the most important element of a truly noble character. With all of our human weaknesses and faults, only the most depraved among us would torture their enemies; especially torture them to all eternity, hopelessly, uselessly. We would say to ourselves that if we possessed the wisdom and power of the Calvinistic God, the love and sympathy in our hearts would have co-operated with our wisdom and power and would have prevented us from creating a soul that could not be destroyed, could not be blotted out of existence.

This is the claim made in the name of this image of God: He made man with an indestructible soul so that he must live forever, that God Himself cannot destroy him and that being unworthy of a place in glory, God has no alternative but to perpetuate his existence in misery. This implies that the Calvinistic God lacks either power or wisdom.

Arminianism offers a different view of God. While Calvinism is held by almost all the various branches of Presbyterians and by some Baptists, Congregationalists, etc., Arminianism is most particularly represented today by different branches of Methodists, but also includes many branches of other Protestant denominations.

The celebrated “five points” of Arminianism are in substance: (1) Conditional Election (as opposed to the unconditional election held by Calvinists). (2) Universal Redemption, or that Christ died for all alike, though only those who accept His atonement by faith will be actually saved (as opposed to the Calvinistic theory that the atonement was only for the Elect). (3) Salvation is by grace, or man can exercise true faith only by the regenerating grace of the Holy Spirit, with which, however, he can cooperate (in contradiction to the Calvinistic view that the grace of God, His mercy, His forgiveness, His assistance was only intended for the Elect and applies to no others). (4) God’s grace is not irresistible (in contrast with the Calvinistic theory that it is irresistible; that the Elect cannot resist God’s grace, but must yield to it.) (5) It is possible to fall from a state of grace (in contrast with the Calvinistic view that it is impossible for the Elect to fall from grace.)

The Arminian image, which has appealed to an increasingly large number of Christian people during the past two centuries, appears to have more warmth, more love, and more grace, which draws our hearts sympathetically towards it. But as we listen to its message we are impressed with the thought that it, too, is lacking. It seems deficient in the qualities of wisdom and power. Its message is really no broader than that of the Calvinistic image: the same “Little Flock” only will reach the heavenly Kingdom; the same untold millions will be condemned to an eternity of torture.

The only difference between these two images seems to be not in the result of their work but in the method pursued therein. Unlike the Calvinistic image, the Arminian one does not elect, does not foreordain, does not predestinate, but gives to every member of the race the opportunity to either yield to God’s grace or to resist it, so that if they are lost, it is in spite of the best endeavors of the Arminian image for their aid. And so when the vast majority of mankind are lost in eternal torment it will not be because God willed it so, not because He predestinated it so, but because He could not help it. With His very best endeavors He was unable to bring about a more favorable result, either in civilized or heathen lands, because the great adversary, Satan, had more power for evil than He had for good! The benevolent designs of this image can never reconcile us to its weakness, its inability, its lack of wisdom to foreknow and to fore-arrange and to accomplish its good and loving purposes.

Neither image can fully satisfy our hearts. To be satisfactory to our hearts, the proper mental image of the true God must be completely perfect in justice, in love, in wisdom, in power. And this can be said of neither of these. We must look further. Surely the Bible is the divine revelation of the divine character, and surely an error has been made by which some of God’s people have shown Him from one side, ignoring the other, while others have shown Him from the opposite side.

It should be the ambition and effort of every true child of God to formulate before his mental sight that proper image of God which would be complete in all respects, which would be in harmony with every declaration of the Bible, the image of God before which we could bow and worship and adore, the image of God which would awaken in us the grand conception of the Almighty as superior in every detail to all of His creatures, infinite in justice and love and wisdom and power.

THE SCRIPTURAL IMAGE OF GOD

“God is love.” (1 John 4:8,16)

“Justice and judgment are the habitation of thy throne...” (Psa. 89:14)

“He hath made the earth by his power, he hath established the world by his wisdom…” (Jer. 10:12)

Because both the Calvinistic and Arminian images are worshipped by many as the best and grandest imaginable, accepted for centuries by some of the best minds, we might naturally be reluctant to formulate before our minds and hearts a superior image. We know also that these images were vast improvements over the grosser misconceptions of those who burned each other at the stake and otherwise tormented one another, while they considered themselves to be copying the divine character, method and program.

Let us remember that we are not left to the resources of our own imagination in formulating the proper image of God. God has revealed Himself in His Word, in the Bible, and properly we must go to it for guidance. We know that these two prominent images before the minds of Christendom were both constructed with the aid of the Bible. We say to ourselves: If the Bible presents one of these images to some minds and the other image to other minds, it surely proves that there has been some mistake in interpretation, because the Word of God cannot contradict itself as these two creedal images contradict and oppose each other in vital points.

Let us therefore go to the Bible, casting away all of our preconceived ideas, notions, and opinions. Let us rebuild our image of God from the very foundation, accepting nothing that is not in full accord with all Scripture. The true God must be as perfect in His love as in His other qualities, and He must be as perfect in His wisdom and in His power as He is in His love. Surely any other image of Him must be defective.

How encouraging are these statements:

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts. For as the rain cometh down, and the snow from heaven, and returneth not thither, but watereth the earth, and maketh it bring forth and bud, that it may give seed to the sower, and bread to the eater: So shall my word be that goeth forth out of my mouth: it shall not return unto me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it”. (Isa. 55:8-11)

What does it please God to accomplish? The Apostle tells us:

“For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 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. 2:3-6)

In our Father’s house are many mansions, many rooms, many stations (John 14:2): one is for the angels, another for the “Little Flock” of the Elect, and still another for the world in general, who will be brought into harmony with God as a result of the Millennial blessings, during “…the times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began.” (Acts 3:21)

The picture presented in Isaiah continues: “For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands. Instead of the thorn shall come up the fir tree, and instead of the brier shall come up the myrtle tree: and it shall be to the LORD for a name, for an everlasting sign that shall not be cut off.” (Isa. 55:12-13) The thorn and the briar typify the wicked, the injurious who now flourish. The fir tree represents the evergreen, whose balsamic influence is healthy, giving a refreshing effect, while the myrtle tree, also an evergreen, yields sweet perfume and berries that are a delicacy. These two trees represent mankind under the favorable blessing of the LORD during the Millennium, yielding good influences and possessed of everlasting life, symbolized by the evergreen trees.

How divine mercy shines through these declarations of divine foreknowledge and power! The joy and peace spoken of by Isaiah is future, “in due time,” during the Millennial Age, when Christ who redeemed the world shall be its deliverer from the power of sin and the prison house of death. The joy and peace will mean the restitution to the former estate of harmony with God, lost through father Adam’s disobedience, but redeemed for all the willing and obedient by the precious blood of Christ.

THE WORD OF GOD’S MOUTH

The difficulty with God’s people for centuries has been that they have not given sufficiently critical heed to the word of God’s mouth; they have been content too frequently to take the words of men, or, as our Lord Jesus declared, “…teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. For laying aside the commandment of God, ye hold the tradition of men...” (Mark 7:7,8) The lesson to us is that we must give heed to the Word of God if we would have true wisdom, and the words of man must be hearkened to only as they are found to be in close alignment with the divine Word, which alone is authoritative. Let us go back to the Word, that from its standpoint we may have the true image of God’s character before our minds and may worship Him in spirit and in truth.

The Scriptures tell us that man was created in God’s image and likeness; that he was intelligent, upright and worthy of trial for eternal life and that he was placed on trial in Eden. They tell us that he was disobedient and thus came under the divine sentence, a death sentence. They do not tell of his being condemned to an eternity of torture. They do not tell of his being condemned to Purgatory to expiate his guilt. They tell us plainly that the penalty for disobedience was death, and that the penalty was announced to him in advance of his trial. (Gen. 2:17) They tell us that after his trial he was cast out of Eden so that the penalty might take effect, so that he might die; and they reiterate the penalty, saying, “…dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.” (Gen. 3:19)

No one could misunderstand this simple statement without the assistance of trained theologians, skilled in the art of handling the Word of God deceitfully, who “wrest” the Scriptures, as the Apostle terms it. (2 Pet. 3:16)

The Bible record shows that from the time the penalty took effect sin and death have prevailed. God did, however, give a glimmer of hope when pronouncing the sentence upon the serpent when He declared that ultimately an offspring from the woman would bruise the serpent’s head. (Gen. 3:15) We see that the Seed of the woman is Christ Jesus, the Head, and the Church, His Body. The clear intimation is that eventually this glorified company shall have a victory over Satan, and in some manner this victory will benefit the entire human race.

Eighteen centuries later God revealed His purpose further to Abraham. After testing the loyalty of his faith God declared to him, “…in thy Seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 22:18) For centuries this was more or less a plain promise which the nation of Israel hoped they would inherit. They waited for Messiah to be sent to them to exalt them, to use them as the Seed of Abraham in blessing the world with a divine law and government, stamping out sin and lifting up the slaves of sin from the prison-house of death and from the power of sickness.

At His first advent, Jesus accomplished a different work than His nation expected; it was necessary that He should first redeem Israel and all the families of the earth before He could give them the permanent blessing of life eternal. The penalty upon them was death and they had gone down to sheol under it. And so we read that Christ died for our sins, that His soul, His being, descended to sheol, hades – the death state – and that He was not left in sheol, in hades, but was raised on the third day. (Acts 2:27) We read that He tasted death for every man. (Heb. 2:9) He did not pay an eternal torment penalty, for no such penalty had been announced; He paid a death penalty, the one the Scriptures declare God had announced and enforced.

Thus the basis was laid for the general blessing of every human being, because Christ died as the substitute or ransom for father Adam, and in Adam’s redemption all of Adam’s race was redeemed, just as through Adam’s transgression they were all condemned: “For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:22)

Jesus the Messiah first offered to His own people, the Jews, the privileges of joint-heirship with Him in the sufferings and in the glory that should follow and a share in the heavenly nature. When few of them accepted the offer, the rest were blinded until His second coming. (Rom. 11:7) After selecting the remnant of “Israelites indeed” to be members of the spiritual Seed of Abraham, our Lord subsequently turned to the Gentiles “…to take out of them a people for his name.” (Acts 15:14)

In the light of other Scriptures we see that the death of Jesus was necessary as the very foundation of any blessings of forgiveness toward the human race. We see that those who have accepted Jesus and received forgiveness during this Gospel Age have been invited to become of the Elect Church, His joint-heirs in the Messianic Kingdom:

“And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ; if so be that we suffer with him, that we may be also glorified together.” (Rom.8:17)

 We see that this Kingdom is to crush Satan, destroy evil and release mankind from bondage to sin and death:

“For the earnest expectation of the creature [creation] waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God…Because the creature [creation] itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God.” (Rom. 8:19,21)

God’s Word has prospered in the thing whereto it was sent. It evidently was not sent to convert the world, neither is such a statement to be found in the Word of God. It was sent “for a witness” (Matt. 24:14) to gather out a people for His name, both from the Jews and from the Gentile nations. It has accomplished this, the Seed of Abraham has been found, and just so surely as that occurred, the other part of the promise will also be fulfilled, namely, that in and through that Seed “…shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” (Gen. 28:14)

ELECTION AND FREE GRACE HARMONIZED

“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. For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. Moreover whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified.” (Rom. 8:28-30)

This is a consoling and encouraging message, declaring in one breath not only the justice and love of God, but also His wisdom to foreknow, prepare and plan for the execution of His justice and love, and His divine power to carry out all that His wisdom, justice, and love have planned. The Scriptures supply the features lacking in the Calvinistic view or image of God. We see the election of the Church during the Gospel Age, an election according to favor, and we equally see that the great mass of the world are non-elect, not called, not chosen. They consequently could not be faithful to a calling they did not receive or even hear about.

But far from the election of the Church signifying the condemnation of the remainder of mankind, the Word of God to Abraham tells us that this Elect Class will be God’s instrument for the blessing of the non-elect during the Millenial Kingdom. (Rev. 20:4) The Scriptures repeatedly draw attention to the Kingdom which will be established under the whole heavens for the breaking down of sin, the exaltation of righteousness, and the assistance of all who under that enlightening influence will be willing to go onward to perfection on the “way of holiness:” (Isa. 35:8)

“They shall speak of the glory of thy kingdom, and talk of thy power; To make known to the sons of men his mighty acts, and the glorious majesty of his kingdom. Thy kingdom is an everlasting kingdom, and thy dominion endureth throughout all generations.” (Psa. 145:11-13)

“Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the LORD of hosts will perform this.” (Isa. 9:7)

The Kingdom was the main topic of all of our Lord Jesus’ preaching: “…he went throughout every city and village, preaching and shewing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God…” (Luke 8:1)

He taught his disciples to pray for the Kingdom: “After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Father which art in heaven, Hallowed be thy name. Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:9,10)

Now we see the proper image of God, not merely the dignity of His foreknowledge, His wisdom, His justice, His power, but we see also in Him the love which so draws our hearts and which calls upon us to bow before Him and adore Him. We see that His plan must be considered as a whole, properly applying those promises which belong to the Elect and those which belong to the world, promises which assure us that they shall be brought into divine favor and have glorious opportunities for gaining eternal life by obedience:

 “And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh…” (Joel 2:28)

“They shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain [kingdom]: for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the LORD, as the waters cover the sea.” (Isa. 11:9)

We also find the elements of character lacking from the image of God as given to us by the Arminian view. Here is the very God of love they were looking for, all loving, all generous, all kind, yet just, not sparing the guilty from the punishment He had meted out to them, death, not proposing in any sense of the word their torture at any time. Here we see the justice, wisdom and power lacking in the Arminian image. We see that God has provided the Millennial Age for the purpose of granting free grace to every member of the human race under much more favorable conditions than now prevail. We see that the election of the Gospel Age is not to the disadvantage of the world, but that ultimately it will be to their great advantage, when the elect Seed of Abraham, as the agents of God, shall bless all the families of the earth.

THE PROMISE AND OATH OF GOD SECURE

Can we be sure that after the election of the Church the world will not be destroyed or tormented, but receive divine blessing? Are there other proofs? Yes, once you focus the eyes of your understanding upon the Word of God and away from the medieval doctrine of eternal torment. You will see that God’s plan is full of rich provisions for all mankind, as announced to the shepherds: “And the angel said unto them, Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” (Luke 2:10)

To the Church are made “exceeding great and precious promises” of joint-heirship with the Lord Jesus in glory, honor and immortality on the spirit plane. (2 Pet. 1:4) But God has also made rich provisions for the entire race of Adam redeemed by the precious blood: “…in thy seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.” The Apostle declares that the Church is this Seed of Abraham, joint-heirs with her Lord Jesus, saying, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29)

In the Millennial Age the Church will begin and complete the work of blessing the world of mankind by releasing them from the bondage of sin and death and helping whosoever will onward through faith and obedience back to harmony with God and life everlasting. Let us have full confidence in the Word of God that it will be accomplished, that it will not return unto Him void.

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Portions of this paper were derived from Pastor Russell Reprint 1410 and from “God’s Pan Vs Man’s Plan,” published in Harvest Gleanings Volume Three.

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Please direct all correspondence to:

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NO. 682: THE MILLENNIUM IS NEAR

No. 682

“And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28)

All Bible students recognize typical lessons in the Jewish institutions, but few, we believe, realize the full depths of this subject. The Jewish nation, from Abraham’s day to the first advent of our Lord Jesus, was used of God as a typical people to illustrate great spiritual truths and lessons. Not only did their sacrifices and sin offerings foreshadow or typify the better sacrifices which can and do actually take away sin, but all the features of their history were typical of matters pertaining to Spiritual Israel.

THE LAW WAS A “SHADOW OF GOOD THINGS TO COME”

(HEB. 10:1)

The great realities of God’s plan of salvation began at the first advent and have since been in progress. The things of previous times were at best shadows of these realities. Many of the glorious realities are still in the future and may be seen by faith through their shadows in the Jewish Law arrangement. For instance, in the jubilee type, we find the reality to be just at hand, whereas the type was instituted nearly 4,000 years ago. The Apostle, referring to these matters of the Law, declares that they “serve unto the example [copy] and shadow of heavenly things”– spiritual things. (Heb. 8:5) However strange it may appear to draw such a sharp line of distinction between the Jewish and Gospel Ages – between Israel after the flesh and Israel after the spirit – the clear discernment of this is absolutely necessary to a proper understanding of the divine word.

DEVOTION AND CONSECRATION IN THE JEWISH AGE

God’s holy people of the period before the first advent were devoted, consecrated and acceptable in His sight but, living before the appointed time, could have no part in the special call of the Gospel Age. The Apostle speaks of our Lord Jesus as the captain or forerunner of His faithful followers in the narrow way which leads to the Kingdom of glory, honor and immortality – “by a new and living way” which He opened up for His followers by his sacrificial death. (Heb. 10:20)

It would be inconsistent with this thought to suppose that any preceded Him whom God set forth to be the captain and forerunner and exemplar. The Apostle, himself a Jew and writing about the faithfulness of the Ancient Worthies, Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and others, concludes his favorable comment on their faithfulness to God in these words, “And these all, having obtained a good report through faith, received not the promise: God having provided some better thing for us [Spiritual Israel, the Body of Christ], that they without us should not be made perfect.” (Heb. 11:39,40) This is very explicit testimony by one who, so far from having prejudices against the Jews, tells us of his devotion to their interests and that he would gladly sacrifice personal interests in favor of the nation as a whole.

The same Apostle, writing again, refers to Fleshly Israel as the House of Servants, in contrast with Spiritual Israel as the House of Sons – Sons of God (Rom. 8:14). He did not thus demean the faithful of the natural house, but honored them, for surely it is a great honor to be servants of the Most High God; but he did lay emphasis upon the fact that the Church of the Gospel Age is very highly favored, in that its faithful few are recognized of God as the House (or company) of Sons under the headship of the Lord Jesus.

The Apostle’s words are: “And Moses verily was faithful in all his house, as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after; But Christ [was faithful] as a son over his own house; whose house are we, if we hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm unto the end.” (Heb. 3:5,6)

JESUS’ WORDS ON THE SUBJECT

Our Lord Jesus declared, “The law and the prophets were until John: since that time the kingdom of God is preached…” (Luke 16:16) Our Lord speaks of John the Baptist, His forerunner, and points out that he belongs to the dispensation that was passing and not to the new dispensation, and that the humblest of His followers in the new dispensation would be greater than John the Baptist, because he belonged to the old one.

Our Lord’s words were: “For I say unto you, Among those that are born of women there is not a greater prophet than John the Baptist: but he that is least in the kingdom of God is greater than he.” (Luke 7:28) The thought is that the Gospel Age is for the development of the Church class, and that the faithful of the Lord’s consecrated in the Gospel Age are the Kingdom of God in embryo – the members and representatives of the Kingdom which shall be shortly introduced in power and great glory to bless the world.

Prophetic testimony marks the beginning and ending of Jewish favor. The history of Israel began with the death of Jacob, who was the last of the patriarchs, and who for his faith in God was surnamed Israel, which signifies a “prince of God.” The nation of Israel was otherwise called the Children of Israel. It was when Jacob was on his death bed that he called his family and blessed them, and there it is recorded for the first time, “All these are the twelve tribes of Israel” (Gen. 49:28) – there their tribal and national existence began. They had tribulations in Egypt, in the wilderness and in the promised land; but in all of these God’s blessing was with them, their adversities were overruled for good, and they were still His peculiar people. Even when they finally went into captivity in Babylon, His favor was with them, and so they continued in His favor and under corrective chastisements until the close of their Age.

We know exactly when their Age terminated and the Gospel Age began. It was at the close of our Lord Jesus’ three and one-half years of ministry, when He offered Himself to them and was refused, except by a few, a remnant – as we read, “He came unto his own, and his own received him not. But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God…” (John 1:11,12)

REJECTION OF THE SAVIOR

The exact turning point where divine favor passed from Fleshly Israel is noted in the Scriptures as taking place just five days before our Lord Jesus’ crucifixion. At that time He rode to the city of Jerusalem as their King on an ass, in fulfillment of the Prophet’s words, “…behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass…” (Zech. 9:9) It was foreknown of the Lord that He would be rejected, and is so stated by the Prophet; nevertheless, the full offer or opportunity was granted to the nation. When they received Him not, weeping over them, Jesus said, “O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, which killest the prophets, and stonest them that are sent unto thee; how often would I have gathered thy children together, as a hen doth gather her brood under her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate… [Prophesying, our Lord added:] Ye shall not see me, until the time come when ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.” (Luke 13:34,35)  After that time the Jews were as a nation cut off from divine favor as never previously. Their house was desolate of divine favor in every sense of the word, as they freely acknowledge.

The scriptures show most conclusively that: God’s favor will return again to the Hebrew people (Zech. 9:12, Isa. 40:1,2); He will save them from their present blindness (Rom. 11:26); He will bring them back to their own land (Isa 14:1, Jer. 23:8, Ezek. 34:13, Ezek. 36:24, Ezek. 37:14); and Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and all the holy Prophets of Fleshly Israel, resurrected from death as perfect men, will become the earthly representatives of the spiritual unseen Kingdom – Christ and the Church “…ye shall see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets, in the kingdom of God…” (Luke 13:28). “Instead of [being any longer considered] thy fathers [they] shall be thy children, whom thou mayest make princes in all the earth.” (Psa. 45:16). At that time, and under those influences, the true-hearted Hebrews will return to divine favor and to corresponding prominence in the world, and become channels of divine blessing for all people, as is so clearly intimated in their part of the Abrahamic promise.

GOD’S FAVOR TO RETURN

The scriptures demonstrate clearly that Israel’s period of rejection and blindness, without divine favor, is to be of the same duration as was their previous experiences under divine favor. We refer you to the chart representing the Plan of the Ages (Studies in the Scriptures, Volume I, frontispiece). Notice that from the death of Jacob until the death of Christ, the Bible chronology there set forth shows a period of 1,845 years. If we can find scriptures to prove that Israel was to be without divine favor for a like period of time to that of their previous favor, we can very easily see when the promised return of favor would be due; for 1,845 years from the death of Jacob to the death of Christ, ended A.D. 33, and 1,845 years since A.D. 33 ended A. D. 1878. We should not, however, expect that in 1878 God’s favor would instantly be manifested, because, when we look back to the time when their “house” was left desolate (Matt. 23:38), we find that there was a period of 37 years in which they, as a nation, were falling – from A.D. 33 to A.D. 70, when Jerusalem was utterly destroyed by Titus and his army. After that the Jewish people were scattered, troubled and without divine favor.

What we should expect to see then, would be a correspondingly gradual dawning of favor beginning in 1878. As adversity began to come upon them in A.D. 33, blessings should begin to come upon them in A.D. 1878, and in that very year the Berlin Congress of Nations was held, led by Lord Beaconsfield, the representative of the British government, and by birth a Jew. There was fulfilled the words of the Prophet: “…ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with you: for we have heard that God is with you.” (Zech.8:23)

GROWTH OF ZIONIST MOVEMENT

The ambassadors of the great powers went along with Lord Beaconsfield and adopted the policy which he favored. Under the arrangements of that conference, Egypt and Palestine were put under the protection of Great Britain, as other Turkish states were put under the protection of other powers. From that day onward, Israel’s star of hope began to rise little by little. The Jews were granted liberties and advantages in Palestine such as they had not enjoyed previously for 18 centuries. Although these liberties were very limited and great persecutions arose against them in various countries, all these experiences were favorable to them as a people, since they led to an awakening of a fresh zeal for God, for His promises, and for the Holy Land. The divine favors and blessings promised to Abraham, Isaac and Jacob and all the holy Prophets will soon have complete fulfillment under the Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

Based on the prophecies, Pastor Russell began presenting these views in print in the 1870’s, before the Berlin conference, and 20 years before the birth of the Zionist movement, formally established in 1897 by Theodore Herzl when he published his book Der Judenstaat –“The State of The Jews.” He proclaimed the movement precisely as we know it today. Up until his death in 1916, he continued to note the accumulating evidences of the fulfillment of these prophecies, even though they were happening so gradually that the world in general did not realize what was taking place. Exactly as he predicted, the doors of Palestine were eventually thrown open for the general reception of the Jews, and people and money were not lacking to cause what was then a wilderness to blossom as the rose.

We now examine the prophecies which tell us the length of Israel’s disfavor and point us to the exact time it began and ended.

PROPHECY OF JEREMIAH

Jeremiah was one of the most prominent of Israel’s Prophets. He foretold Israel’s captivity in Babylon and the 70 years desolation of the land, after which the people would be brought back by divine favor. But the prophecy we now cite refers to a still more serious captivity. It reads: “Therefore will I cast you out of this land into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers; and there shall ye serve other gods [rulers] day and night; where I will not shew you favour.” (Jer.16:13) These days of disfavor commenced with their rejection of Messiah, and the predictions have been most thoroughly fulfilled during the succeeding 18 centuries, as the whole world has witnessed.

The prophecy could not have referred to the Babylonian captivity, the only other one they have had since Jeremiah’s day. We are sure of this because of the words of the Prophet – “into a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers.” Abraham and his family came from Babylonia, hence that land could not have been referred to. Besides, God did show Israel favor in Babylon. But, as we have just seen, for more than 18 centuries Israel was scattered among all the nations of the earth, without any marks of divine favor.

Jehovah, through the Prophet, next proceeds to explain how he will re-gather Israel in due time (verses 14-15): “Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the LORD, that it shall no more be said, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt; But, The LORD liveth, that brought up the children of Israel from the land of the north [Russia, where more than one-half of the Jews resided], and from all the lands whither he had driven them: and I will bring them into their own land that I gave unto their fathers.” We then notice a succeeding verse in the same prophecy: “And first I will recompense their iniquity and their sin double…” (Jer. 15:18)

The Hebrew word rendered “double” is “mishneh,” which signifies a second portion, a repetition. Thus understood, the Prophet’s declaration is, that from the time of their being cast off from favor, until their time of return to favor, would be a repetition or duplication in time of their previous history during which they enjoyed divine favor. This matter is illustrated by the chart. There we see the period of favor from the death of Jacob to the death of Jesus, 1,845 years long, and there we see, in the other column, the period of disfavor of equal length beginning at the death of Jesus and terminating in 1878. We remember, however, that the disfavor came on gradually for 37 years, and we perceive that the favor returned gradually during a similar period of 37 years, which ended in the year 1914, when the Times of the Gentiles ended. (Luke 21:24) (See Studies in the Scriptures, Volume II, Study IV.)

How clear and explicit is the testimony, that He will render unto Israel mishneh, a repetition, in “a land that ye know not, neither ye nor your fathers,” where He will show them no favor. We are glad for them that the better day is dawning – that gradually their blessings are taking the place of the curses which they drew upon themselves, saying: “His blood be on us, and on our children.” (Matt. 27:25)

PROPHECY OF ZECHARIAH

Zechariah (9:12) refers to this same matter from a different standpoint using precisely the same word, “mishneh.” Jeremiah took a standpoint previous to this scattering of Israel, and foretold it as a future matter. Zechariah took his standpoint in the future, and in prophetic vision saw Jesus riding upon the ass to Jerusalem; and standing, as it were, by his side, the Prophet cries, “Rejoice greatly, O daughter of Zion: shout, O daughter of Jerusalem: behold, thy King cometh unto thee: he is just, and having salvation; lowly, and riding upon an ass…” (Zech. 9:9)

Note the precise fulfillment of these words. Every item was fulfilled, even to the shouting; and when the people shouted Hosanna, the Pharisees asked Jesus to rebuke them, but He refused, saying, “I tell you that if these should hold their peace, the stones would immediately cry out.” (Matt. 21:4-9; John 12:12-15; Luke 19:35-40) Why? Because it had been prophesied that there would be a shout, and every item of prophecy must be fulfilled. This particularity of detail in prophetic fulfillment gives us confidence in this and other statements of the prophecies.

The Prophet proceeds to note the evil consequences to follow the rejection of Messiah. Speaking for Jehovah, he addressed Israel thus: “Turn you to the stronghold [Christ], ye prisoners of hope: even today do I declare that I will render double (mishneh) unto thee.” (Zech. 9:12) How distinct is this statement respecting Israel’s double, pointing us to the very day at which the turning point came in their history – “even today,” the turning point of their national career.

The same thing was taught in the symbol of the Passover; it must be eaten at the full of the moon, the moon being symbolic of the law dispensation as the sun is the symbol of the gospel dispensation. The full of the moon signified the time when their highest attainment had been reached and where the waning began.

PROPHECY OF ISAIAH

It is written that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word shall be established. We have already heard two. Let us hear the third, Isaiah –another of the holy Prophets whose prophecies have been time and again distinctly fulfilled. He, too, was given a message respecting Israel’s double, but his standpoint is at the fulfillment of the double. He says, “Comfort ye, comfort ye my people, saith your God. Speak ye comfortably [comfortingly] to Jerusalem, and cry unto her, that her warfare is accomplished, that her iniquity is pardoned: for she hath received of the LORD’S hand double for all her sins.” (Isa. 40:1,2)

Isaiah’s word, translated double, is “kephel,” which signifies double in the sense of a thing having been folded in the middle. It is in full agreement and confirmation of what we have already seen. How wonderful that God has thus particularly stated, and yet, as the Scriptures declare, has “hidden” these things in His word, so that many of the wise and prudent have overlooked them. They only began to be seen in Pastor Russell’s time because it was the time of their fulfillment, and hence the due time for them to be understood.

What more could we ask on the subject? How conclusively all this demonstrates that Israel’s period of disfavor would be of equal length with the preceding period of favor, and how simple is the demonstration that this double has already been completed.

APOSTLE PAUL’S ARGUMENT

Our hearts rejoice in these testimonies from the Lord’s word respecting Fleshly Israel’s favor, but as Christians we have another and more personal interest in these figures. We are interested in the Jew, but we are also interested in the Church of Christ, Spiritual Israel, selected during the Gospel Age. These measurements thus fixed by the Lord through the Prophets upon the affairs of Fleshly Israel serve also to measure certain great and important matters in the affairs of Spiritual Israel.

In the Apostle Paul’s dissertation on the affairs of Fleshly and Spiritual Israel in Romans chapters 9,10,11, he points out the rejection of Christ by the Jewish people, and their own consequent rejection by God, and the blindness and stumbling consequent to that rejection. He quotes from the prophecies to show that the entire matter was foreknown to God, and foretold. He then asks, “Hath God cast away his people?” He answers, “God forbid...God hath not cast away his people which he foreknew.” (Rom. 11:1,2) He then proceeds to prove that the Old Testament scriptures everywhere agree that future favor is to come to Israel, and that the future blessing of Israel is to be the precursor to a future blessing of all the families of the earth: “I say then, Have they stumbled that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall salvation is come unto the Gentiles...” “For if the casting away of them be the reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be, but life from the dead?” (Rom. 11:11,15)

Paul’s argument becomes especially interesting and forceful in the 25th verse: “For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” This is a plain statement by the Apostle respecting Israel’s future and how it is to be brought about through the glorified Church: “Even so have these also now not believed, that through your mercy they also may obtain mercy.” (Rom. 11:31)

We have already seen that their blindness began when they rejected the Lord Jesus and crucified Him. We see that it continued for more than eighteen centuries, and we have seen through the testimony of three of the Prophets that this blindness would begin to be turned away, and a general blessing and restoration to divine favor would begin as soon as their double was fulfilled.

Keeping these thoughts before us, let us investigate the Apostle’s words, “until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in.” This phrase signifies that Israel’s disfavor or blindness was to last until the full number of the Spiritual Israelites should be completed, whom God has gathered out of every nation, people and kindred. It signifies that by 1914, the time at which Fleshly Israel’s return to favor was complete, all the special spiritual favors held forth to Spiritual Israel during the Gospel Age were completely at an end. They ended as completely as did the earthly favors which Fleshly Israel enjoyed, which ended at the time when the spiritual favors to the Church began.

This is a momentous question for the Lord’s people. To some it may bring a measure of fear to think that the time of special favor and opportunity has ended; but to others, who are living close to the Lord, it will bring a measure of rejoicing, even as the Master instructed, saying, “And when these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh.” (Luke 21:28) A part of our object in calling attention to these matters is that some of the Lord’s faithful people in all denominations, who have not heretofore been aroused to an interest in His word, and to an investigation of these important and grand subjects, may become enthused, quickened, refreshed, revived in their spiritual health and energy and service.

TWO SEEDS OF ABRAHAM

God used the natural Israelite, his Law and Covenant and Age, as types of the spiritual, higher, more glorious things which He has bestowed on the Church as the House of Sons, in contrast with the noble ones of the past who were honored in being of the House of Servants, the Ancient Worthies. The Law was a shadow of good things to come – every feature of it was typical of higher things. The earthly people, Fleshly Israel, had earthly promises, but the anti-typical people, Spiritual Israel, have heavenly promises.

Throughout the entire Old Testament there is not a suggestion of spiritual or heavenly conditions as being the hope set forth. Good Father Abraham was encouraged not with heavenly promises but earthly ones when the Lord said to him, “Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward, and southward, and eastward, and westward: For all the land which thou seest, to thee will I give it, and to thy seed forever.” (Gen. 13:14,15)

No such earthly promises were made to the spiritual house, but instead “…exceeding great and precious promises: that by these you might be partakers of the divine nature...” (2 Pet. 1:4) These two seeds of Abraham were distinctly differentiated in one of the promises made to him, although he probably did not comprehend the matter fully. The Lord God said to him: “That in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the sand which is upon the sea shore.” (Gen. 22:17) The stars of heaven fitly symbolize the spiritual House of Sons, the real seed of Abraham in the highest sense of the word – the Christ. Jesus is this special seed of Abraham, and the faithful of the Gospel Age Church are to be his associates in the spiritual part of the promises, as the Apostle says, “And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise.” (Gal. 3:29)

But if the Church inherits the heavenly part of the promises, it still leaves the earthly part to be fulfilled. The Ancient Worthies are to have the most prominent place in the world as the representative of the spiritual Kingdom when the Millennial dispensation begins. To them will naturally gather all the true ones of Israel according to the flesh; and to these in turn will gradually gather all the true-hearted of the whole world, all of whom by faith and obedience may be privileged to become the children of Abraham, “a father of many nations.” (Gen. 17:4; Rom. 4:17)

Note the harmony as well as the differences between these two dispensations – the law and the gospel, Fleshly Israel’s period of favor, and Spiritual Israel’s period of favor, the fleshly house and the spiritual house, the House of Servants and the House of Sons.

The House of Servants was established in Jacob, who was surnamed Israel, a prince with God: the House of Sons was established by our Lord Jesus, and in the scriptures is designated the true “Israel of God.” (Gal. 6:16) The House of Servants was founded in the twelve sons of Jacob (Israel): the House of Sons was founded in the twelve Apostles of the Lamb. The House of Servants had a mediator of a Law Covenant and a Tabernacle made with hands: the House of Sons has a better mediator of a New Covenant and a Tabernacle not made with hands. The House of Servants had a priesthood, with chief priest, under priests, and a Levitical order whose chief business was to “offer both gifts and sacrifices” (Heb. 9:9) under the Law. The House of Sons also has a priesthood – “But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood…” (1 Pet. 2:9) In this Royal Priesthood is first our Lord Jesus, the high priest, and, associated with him the Church, his body, the Household of Faith, whose chief business of life is to offer up both gifts and sacrifices.

The House of Servants had the blood of bulls and goats for sin offerings and atonement, which as types were very expressive, but which could never take away sin. (Heb. 10:4) The House of Sons, as a Royal Priesthood, has more effective sacrifices, or, as the Apostle declares, “better sacrifices” than those – which do, forever, purge us from the consciousness of sin, and fully and completely effect our reconciliation to the Father. (Heb. 9:23) The House of Servants had its capitol in earthly Jerusalem: the House of Sons has its capitol in the New Jerusalem. The House of Servants had a captivity in Babylon from which only a very few returned, because of lack of faith in God. The House of Sons had a period of captivity in mystic Babylon from which only a comparatively few returned to earnestly seek the old paths. The House of Servants had divine favor of an earthly kind for 1,845 years, ending with a great trial and testing in connection with the first advent of our Lord Jesus. The House of Sons passed a similar period of 1,845 years, into a period of trial and testing in connection with the second advent of our Lord and the establishment of His Kingdom. How could these parallels be more striking than they are?

HARVEST THE END OF THE AGE

The close of the favor to the House of Servants was called a “harvest” time, and in it the “wheat” was gathered out and the “chaff” renounced. The period of favor to the House of Sons also closes with a “harvest” time, of which the Lord prophetically told us would mean a separation of the “wheat” from the “tares” and the gathering of the “wheat” into the “garner” of the new nature, and the rejection of the tares. (Isa. 5:24; Matt. 13:30)

Do not these things impress us as being very remarkable? Could they be accidental? Do we not as Christians believe most thoroughly that our heavenly Father’s guidance directs the affairs of his people in this Gospel Age as fully as during the preceding typical age? The lesson coming to us then is that the harvest time of this Age has come, and this may well account to us for the wonderful light and knowledge and truth shining upon the pathway of the Lord’s faithful ones, the object of which is not to satisfy curiosity merely, but to ripen our characters, and to thus fit and prepare us for the glorious Millennial Kingdom of Christ.

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(This article is based on a sermon given by Pastor Russell in 1904 and printed in Harvest Gleanings, Volume 3. It has been edited to fit the space and to update certain language.)

PASTOR RUSSELL’S THOUGHTS ON THOSE CONSECRATING BETWEEN THE AGES

“It is our thought that with the closing of the ‘door’ of this Gospel Age there will be no more begetting of the Holy Spirit to the spirit nature. Any afterward coming to God through consecration, before the inauguration of the Restitution work, will be accepted by Him, not to the spirit plane of being, but to the earthly plane. Such would come in under the same conditions as the Ancient Worthies who were accepted of God. The Ancient Worthies came in, no call being opened to them – the High Calling not being yet open, and the Restitution opportunities not open. But they freely gave themselves up to God without knowing what blessings their consecration would bring, except that they had the intimation that they would, in the future life, have a ‘better resurrection’ than would the remainder of the world.

Our thought is that whoever under such conditions as these will make a full consecration to the Lord, to leave all to follow in His ways, and will live up faithfully, loyally, to that consecration, may be privileged to be counted as a similar class to those who preceded this Gospel Age. We know of no reason why the Lord would refuse to receive those who make a consecration after the close of the Gospel Age and its High Calling and before the full opening of the Millennial Age.

(Pastor Russell Reprint 5761, September 1, 1915)

NO. 681: THE ABIDING PRESENCE

No. 681

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom; teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord. And whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God and the Father by him. (Col. 3:16,17)

Things familiar to us on the natural plane often symbolically illustrate many of the deep things of God – the spiritual things. Thus, for instance, the resurrection, both natural and spiritual, finds an illustration in the processes of vegetation (1 Cor. 15:35-38); and the processes of the beginning, development and final perfecting of the spiritual sons of God find a remarkable illustration in the begetting, quickening and birth of the natural man. (James 1:18; Eph. 2:1; John 3:3)

When we read these symbols or illustrations of spiritual things, we cannot abandon and dishonor our God-given reason by accepting palpable absurdities as their interpretation. By doing so, we would deceive ourselves. Our Lord taught his disciples in parables and dark symbolic sayings, expecting them to use their common sense in either interpreting them themselves, or in judging of the correctness of any interpretation offered by others. And when, on one occasion, the disciples asked for the interpretation of a parable instead of using their own reasoning powers to draw from it the implied lesson, Jesus reprovingly replied, “How then will ye know all parables?” (Mark 4:13)

He would have us think, consider and put our God-given mental faculties to their legitimate use.

“CHRIST IN YOU”

Consider the Apostle’s meaning when he speaks of “Christ in you, the hope of glory.” (Col. 1:27) He uses the same figure again in his letter to the Galatians (Gal. 4:19), saying, “My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” Here the Apostle likens his care and labor for those who had been begotten by the Truth to the new nature, to the physical endurance of a mother in nourishing and sustaining the germ of human life until the new human creature is formed and able to appropriate for itself the life-sustaining elements of nature. So the Apostle sought to nourish and sustain those germs of spiritual being with his own spiritual life until, apart from his personal work and influence, they would be able to appropriate for themselves the God-given elements of spiritual life contained in the Word of Truth; until the Christ-character should be definitely formed in them.

In no other reasonable sense could the Apostle “birth” those Galatian Christians; and in no other reasonable sense could Christ be formed in them, or in us. The thought is that every true child of God must have a definite individual Christian character which is not dependent for its existence upon the spiritual life of any other Christian. He must from the Word of Truth, proclaimed and exemplified by other Christians, draw those principles of life, etc., which give him an established character, a spiritual individuality of his own. So positive and definite should be the spiritual individuality of every one, that, should even the beloved brother or sister whose spiritual life first nourished ours and brought us forward to completeness of character fall away (which the Apostle shows is not impossible – Heb. 6:4-6; Gal. 1:8), we would still live, being able to appropriate for ourselves the spirit of Truth.

PAUL’S FEAR

Paul feared, with good reason, that the Galatian Christians had not yet come to this condition of established character – that the Christ-life was not yet definitely formed in them. He said, “I am afraid of you [I fear for you], lest I have bestowed upon you labour in vain” (Gal. 4:11); for already they were giving heed to seducing teachers and departing from the faith, showing that they were not established in the Truth, and consequently not established in the spirit of the Truth, which is the spirit of Christ, and, hence, that Christ was not yet formed in them.

Alas, how often we see among those who bear the name of Christ, that they have not yet reached that degree of development which manifests a distinct spiritual individuality! They depend largely upon the spiritual life of others, and if the others’ spiritual life declines these dependent ones suffer a similar decline; if the others go into error, these follow, as did many of those Galatian Christians to whom Paul wrote.

How is it with us? Let us apply the question to ourselves. Is the Christian character formed in us so fully that none of these things can move us or affect our spiritual life, even though they may grieve us at heart?

THE CLOAK OF MYSTERY AND SUPERSTITION

The great Adversary of the Truth and the Church has thrown a cloak of mystery and superstition around the Apostle’s words by implying that, in some secret way known only to the initiated, Christ personally comes to the consecrated and uses them simply as machines, which become almost infallible because Christ is using them. Those so possessed are considered to be merely passive agents who speak, think, act, and interpret the Scriptures for Christ. 

With this idea they generally go further, and claim that Christ personally talks with them and teaches them independently of his Word; and some go so far as to claim that they have visions and special revelations from the Lord. Some speak of this presence as Christ; some as the Holy Spirit; and some speak of them interchangeably.

While there is a semblance of truth in all this, and while we remember that Jesus said, “He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them...shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him...and we will come unto him and make our abode with him” (John 14:21,23), it is true that a more serious error could scarcely be entertained than this idea of personal infallibility because of the supposed mysterious presence of another being within.

Notice that this promise of the abiding presence of the Father and the Son is to those who have and keep the commandments of the Lord Jesus. Those who ignore the Word of the Lord and have not his commandments but who follow their own imaginations and all the changing states of their own feelings (mistaking them for the voice of the Lord) are quite mistaken in claiming this promise. Under their delusion they are following another spirit than the spirit of Truth; and unless recovered from the snare they must inevitably plunge deeper and deeper into superstition and error.

SEARCH THE SCRIPTURES

If it is true that God talks with them and answers their questions not through his written Word, the Bible, but through mental inspiration, or by dreams, or by audible sound, then the Bible is to them a useless book, and time spent in its study is time wasted. Who would “search the scriptures” as searching for hidden treasures, as the Lord directed and as all the Apostles searched, if they could merely shut their eyes, or kneel, and have God make a special revelation to them? Certainly any sensible person would prefer a special revelation on a subject, rather than to spend days and months and years examining and comparing the words of our Lord and the Apostles with those of the Prophets and the Book of Revelation (“Searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ…did signify” – 1 Pet. 1:11), if they could ask and have an inspired and infallible answer in a moment.

None of God’s consecrated ones should be thus misled of the Adversary. It is the stepping-stone to pride and every evil work: to pride, because those who are thus deceived soon feel themselves honored of God above the Apostles, who judged of the mind of the Lord as read in his Word and in his providential leadings in harmony with his Word (Acts 15:12-15); to every evil work, in that those thus puffed up fancy themselves infallible, and, separated from the anchor of Truth, the Bible. Satan can soon lead them rapidly into the outer darkness of the world, or into yet darker delusions.

But the testimony of the Scriptures is quite contrary to this vaunting spirit. Paul says, “Know ye not...that Jesus Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates?” and then he exhorts that we examine ourselves whether we be in the faith, or whether we have rejected the faith and thus become reprobates – no longer acceptable to God. (2 Cor. 13:5)

Every true child of God has respect to the commandments of God: he searches the Scriptures that he may know them, and is not left in ignorance of them; and, learning them, he endeavors to keep them, and the abiding presence of the Father and the Son is with all such so long as they continue to hold and to keep (obey) his commandments – to hold the Truth in righteousness.

THE PRICE OF TRUTH

To have the Truth and to keep it is not merely to accept it on the recommendation of some friend, because it gives some comfort and costs nothing, and to hold it until some other presumed friend dazzles the unsettled mind with some fanciful theory. The promise of the abiding presence of the Father and the Son is not to such. Christ is not in them; Christ is in the humble and sincere ones. He and the Father love and abide with them.

But how? To illustrate: a friend accompanies another to a railway station saying, as he is about to board the train, “Remember, I will be with you all the way.” He means that his thoughts will be with his friend and that he will be concerned for his welfare, etc. In a similar, and yet in a fuller and broader sense, the Lord is ever present with his people. He is always thinking of us, looking out for our interests, guarding us in danger, providing for us in temporal and spiritual things, reading our hearts, marking every impulse of loving devotion to him, shaping the influences around us for our discipline and refining, and hearkening to our faintest call for aid or sympathy or fellowship with him. He is never for a moment off guard, whether we call to him in the busy noon hours or in the silent watches of the night. And not only is the Lord Jesus thus present, but the Father also.

How blessed the realization of such abiding faithfulness! And no real child of God is devoid of this evidence of his adoption. Sometimes it is more manifest than at others; as, for instance, when some special trial of faith or patience or endurance necessitates the special call for special help, and forthwith comes the grace sufficient with a precious realization of its loving source.

Every true child of God has these precious evidences of sonship, and the roughest places in his pathway are so illuminated with divine grace that they become the brightest, and memory continues to refer to them with thankfulness; and faith and hope and love grow strong and inspiring.

Our Lord always links the progress and development of our spiritual life with our receiving and obeying the Truth. Every child of God should beware of any teaching which claims to be in advance of the Word, or claims Christ or the Holy Spirit speaks to such advanced Christians independently of the Word. The snare is a most dangerous one. It cultivates spiritual pride and boastfulness, and renders powerless the warnings and expostulations of the sacred Scriptures because those so deluded think they have a higher teacher dwelling in them. Satan, taking advantage of the delusion, can lead them captive at his will.

These symbolic expressions of the Scriptures must be interpreted as symbols, and to force any unreasonable interpretation upon them manifests a culpable willfulness in disregarding the divinely appointed laws of our mind, and the result is self-deception. When we read, “He that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God, and God in him” (1 John. 4:16), the only reasonable interpretation is that we dwell in the love and favor, and in the spirit or disposition of God; and that his spirit or disposition dwells in us. Thus God, by his indwelling spirit, works in us to will and to do his good pleasure. (Phil. 2:13)

Let us endeavor to have more and more of the mind, the Spirit of God, to have his Word abide in us richly (John 15:7; Col. 3:16) – to have and to keep his commandments, that the abiding presence of the Father and the Son may be with us. How careful then should we be in seeking both to know and to do the will of God, having no theories or works of our own whereof to boast.

(The above was adapted from Pastor Russell Reprint 3250.)

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SEVEN AXIOMS FOR BIBLE STUDY

Many Christians take symbols, parables and types literally, but they are not literal statements. There are many texts in the Bible that are literal, however. Our Bibles are only the translation of God’s inspired Word – the real Bible. We believe that most of our translators were sincere in their efforts. But all of them were prejudiced because of their belief as to how it should be translated.

The Emphasized translation by Dr. Rotherham is one of the best. The King James Version is one of the most beautiful, although it contains many mistakes. Most all of the translations contain some of God’s inspired Word – enough that we will find God has a Plan of Salvation for all mankind, as pointed out in Eph. 3:11. The Diaglott translation of this verse renders the text “Plan of the Ages,” while the King James translation renders it “eternal purpose.”

When a text does not harmonize with God’s character of Wisdom, Love, Justice and Power, it is either misinterpreted, or spurious. The mistakes are not inspired. Only God’s Word is inspired.

There are seven axioms we should follow in Bible study: (1) A doctrine must harmonize with itself; (2) With all Truth; (3) With all Scriptural doctrine; (4) With God’s character; (5) With the Ransom; (6) With facts; (7) With the purposes of God.

There is much confusion on the interpretation of the Bible. God is not the Author of confusion – man is. He is a God of Truth and harmony. We are thankful for these texts: “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth. 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. 2:3-6) These texts are literal. God is faithful that promised. (Heb. 10:23)

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LOVE NOT THE WORLD

“Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.” (1 John 2:15)

The term “world” in this text refers neither to the human race or the planet on which we live. The thought of the text seems to refer more particularly to the present order of things, for the Greek word here translated world is kosmos, signifying arrangement. We are to appreciate the beauties of nature. We are to love the human family, whom God also loves, though not in the sense in which He loves the Church of Christ. We read, “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)

St. John cannot therefore be understood to refer to the world of mankind, when he says, “Love not the world.” We should have sympathy for mankind similar to that which the Heavenly Father has for the fallen race. The Scriptures inform us that the present order, or arrangement, of things on earth is entirely out of harmony with God’s will, or purpose; for the world is ruled by selfishness. The Divine arrangement is that love shall be the rule among God’s creatures. “God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God...” (1 John 4:16)

The world operates along lines different from those of love. Each one strives selfishly to heap together treasure for himself, even if meantime his neighbor goes destitute. Many live in luxury, while realizing that there are others who lack the necessities of life. Many seek for power to control men, not with the thought of their uplift, but with a view to using them for selfish ends and motives. This spirit of selfishness belongs to the present order of things. We see it in operation everywhere.

The spirit of the world lays hold of all the forces of nature and seeks to control these, to adapt them to its own selfish interests. It is true that much good has resulted indirectly from this spirit of selfishness. For instance, a man with a great amount of vainglorious spirit may benefit others for his own selfish purposes. A general might have so much pride in his service that in order to win praise for himself he would care for his soldiers and have them well dressed. Some of our great captains of industry have done the world good service, and incidentally have blessed many, while carrying out their own designs.

SELFISHNESS THE SPIRIT OF THE WORLD

If all of the great worldly enterprises were undertaken with a view to the betterment of mankind, the spirit of these would not be selfish. We know, indeed, that much is done to help those who are needy, and that where there is a motive of this kind, it is often misinterpreted and misjudged to be selfish, “but the Lord looketh on the heart.” (1 Sam. 16:7) Those who have selfish hearts, selfish intentions, will continue to love the things of the world, and if shown there is a new order of affairs coming, will not be in sympathy with the change of dispensation.

Anyone who conducts a large enterprise for the benefit of those who would have opportunity to share such blessings would rejoice that there is a better time coming. Anyone who would truly rejoice to have a better arrangement of affairs would not have the spirit that dominates in the present order of things. He would have the Spirit of God, the Spirit of Love, the spirit that will dominate the new order of things, the spirit that will control during the thousand years of Christ’s reign.

Many are in the attitude of mind which would say, “My employer is rich. Whenever I get the opportunity to help myself to some of his money, I will do so and get as much as possible.” Such people, whether rich or poor, love the present order of things. A great many poor love the things of this world, and hope someday to get their share.

There are people who say, “Oh, I do not love the world and its selfish spirit – I am completely opposed to it! I tell my husband, ‘This is a very selfish world, John.’ Then he replies, ‘Yes, Mary, it is. Everywhere people are only looking out for their own self-interests and selfish desires. But while you condemn the ways of the world, you still delight in the good things of life provided by  industry – the luxury automobile, the comfortable home, etc.’ And I must acknowledge that he is right. I’m afraid I could not be happy without them.” Such a person certainly loves the things of the world, even while objecting to its selfish ways.

It seems to be a serious charge to say that anyone who is in the attitude of mind which loves the world and the things belonging to it has not the love of the Father in him. We do not understand, however, that such a one has no love for the Father or that the Father has no love for him. The Apostle seems to be addressing this message to the Church. Those who have been adopted into God’s family must continue to love Him or they would not be counted as members of that class.

What, then, is the full import of this expression – “The Love of the Father is not in him”? To us it would mean that the Love of the Father had not gotten full control of his heart, and this would mean that ultimately, unless he should gain a victory over his selfish disposition, he would not be accepted as a son.

Everywhere about us is this spirit of selfishness. Every child of God should be on guard against it and against willingness to participate in the things of this world. We should strive to be in that condition which is pleasing to the Father. We are to try to rid ourselves of the spirit of the world and to be filled with the Spirit of the Father. This would not mean that we are not to appreciate beautiful things, or that we are not to appreciate others striving to benefit the world; but that we should not be satisfied with any of these things so far as we ourselves are concerned.

TWO KINDS OF MOTIVES

Whatever talents we possess we should use for the good of humanity in any kind of work that would be for the glory of God. Even a good work could be engaged in from the spirit of the world rather than from the Spirit of God; that is, it might be done for what we could get from others in the way of money, honor or influence; or, on the other hand, it might be for the good we desire to do for others.

The highest of all services is that of the ministry of the Word of God. Even this noble service might be pursued from either of two motives – the love of the Father or the love of self. Apparently there are some engaged in the ministry purely for the sake of the loaves and fishes, for the honorable position it gives them in the world, or because they do not know of anything that would serve them better.

Again, there are those, no doubt, who have entered the ministry, not for selfish reasons, but because they desire to serve God, to serve the Truth, to serve His people. The Lord alone knows what has induced any one to enter the ministry. But since we are living in the day that will “try every man’s work of what sort it is” (1 Cor. 3:13), God will show what motive is behind the deed.

Those who are serving merely from the worldly spirit will be annoyed with anything that promotes the Truth; and to whatever degree their earthly interests suffer because of it, they will be angry. Those who are of the right spirit, however, will rejoice in everything that will be helpful to humanity, in everything that is to the glory of God, in everything that will make the Bible more easily understood.

In fact, we may suppose that the real testing is the making manifest whether we love the world – the things of the present time – or whether we love God supremely. As time goes on, it will be even more impossible to harmonize the spirit of love and the spirit of selfishness. Those who love God will be fully out of harmony with the spirit of the present evil world.

“Love not the world!
He in whose heart the love
Of vanity has found a place, shuts out
The enduring world above.

“Love not the world!
However fair it seem;
Who loveth this vain world – the love of God
Abideth not in him.”

(The above was adapted from Pastor Russell Reprint 5138.)

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AN IDEAL PLAN OF SALVATION

The Bible reveals the only ideal plan of salvation for all mankind. This great Plan of Salvation revealed therein commends itself most strongly as of Divine origin, and not the design of man. It is the embodiment of God’s four great attributes: Wisdom, Love, Justice and Power. No one else could come up with anything so sublime. “God is love” (1 John 4:8), and “He is faithful that promised.” (Heb. 10:23) “For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; Who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth.” (1 Tim. 2:3-4)

This does not mean that all men will be saved eternally, as some believe. Some believe that not only all men will be saved, but that even the Devil also will be saved; but those of us who have the “spirit of truth” also know the “spirit of error” (1 John 4:6): we know that the Devil, as well as all evil doers who do not turn from their path of error will be destroyed. “That through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil.” (Heb. 2:14) All those who will not obey when they “come unto the knowledge of the truth” will be “destroyed from among the people.” (Acts 3:23)

So when God tells us He will have “all men to be saved,” we need to rightly divide the word of Truth (2 Tim. 2:15) in order to understand that from which “all men” will be saved. All men will be saved from the curse that came upon all through the disobedience of Father Adam; and He will save all men from ignorance of the Divine Plan. “The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not” (2 Cor. 4:4) during the Faith Age – but during the next Age, the world to come – when “thy judgments [correct instructions – the knowledge of the Truth] are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.” (Isa. 26:9)

There are many who do not know there are Two Distinct Salvations – one for the elect during the Faith Age, and one for the non-elect (all others – the Restitutionists) during the next Age, the World to come.[1] God’s Plan is in evidence in the various Dispensations and Ages. In the first world (Kosmos), from the fall to the flood, the intention evidently was not to save all men. Had God attempted to save all men, He would have done so, because God never fails of any of His purposes. (Isa. 55:10,11)

There are two worlds thus far, but there are three Ages in this second world: (1) the Patriarchal Age, (2) the Jewish Age, and (3) the Gospel Age. God’s purposes in all of these Ages have been elective, but in each Age along different lines from those of the others. Instead of dealing on a covenant basis with all men during these Ages, He selected out of the world certain ones with whom He has so dealt. This selection or election was not done arbitrarily, as Calvinism teaches, for God never acts arbitrarily, but always in harmony with His character – the blending of Wisdom, Love, Justice and Power.

Broadly speaking, the human family consists of two classes: those who trust Him (by faith), even when they cannot trace Him, and those who will not trust Him out of sight – that is, a faith class and an unbelief class. This faith class can stand the trial-some training necessary to qualify them for their work of uplifting the non-elect in the third world – “that which is to come.” (Eph. 1:21) The non-elect, who lack sufficient faith to be put on trial under present unfavorable conditions, will then have their trial in the third world under most advantageous conditions.

There are some of the non-elect who have faith in God, but not sufficient faith to do the Lord’s will during the time when sin and evil are in the ascendancy. We all know such noble worldlings, and we know that God is not unmindful of their good qualities. “The Lord looketh from heaven; he be­holdeth all the sons of men. From the place of his habitation he looketh upon all the inhabitants of the earth.” “Behold, the eye of the Lord is upon them that fear him, upon them that hope in his mercy.” (Psa. 33:13,14,18) So He has “appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead.” (Acts 17:31) We believe we are drawing nearer to that Day – so we continue to pray: “Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven.” (Matt. 6:10)

The third world will be the order of affairs that God will establish after the destruction of the present order of affairs in this second world. Thus there will be in the world to come “new heavens” (new ecclesiastical ruling powers) and a “new earth” (new social order) in which righteousness will be established. (2 Pet. 3:7,13) Thus the completed Plan of Salvation for all men – the elect and the non-elect – will result to God’s glory, and the blessing of eternal life for all mankind who love righteousness. They will have full opportunity – an accurate “knowledge of the truth,” and the ability to walk in the paths of righteousness, if they so desire.

“And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” (Gal. 3:8) This “Plan” is so ideal and sublime that it is beyond the realm of human imagination. Some say it is too good to be true; we say it is too good NOT to be true! Thus it is conceived as a Divine inspiration.

(John J. Hoefle, Reprint No. 240 excerpt)

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CONSECRATED EPIPHANY CAMPERS REVISITED

The Spring 2014 issue of the Laymen’s Home Missionary Movement publication, The Present Truth and Herald of Christ’s Epiphany, refers numerous times to a “fifth” elect class called “Consecrated Epiphany Campers,” but cites no scriptural evidence to support the existence of such a class. On page 12, the claim is made that such a class was “taught by Pastor Johnson,” quoting E 11, page 336:

“God also charged Jesus to make a distinction between the people as to their relations to the Kingdom. He severed the classes from one another by the peculiar teachings, activities, gatherings and siftings, belonging to each one: the Little Flock distinct from the Great Company, the Great Company from the Youthful Worthies, the Youthful Worthies from the Justified, the Justified from the Campers, and the Campers from those beyond the Camp.

“The charge was to each class to keep within the bounds set for it and not grasp for powers as to the Kingdom not belonging to it nor contaminate anything pertaining to the Kingdom either by false doctrine or wrong practice. Whoever would contaminate Kingdom matters would die from his standing in his class: Little Flock members so doing would drop out of it into the Great Company; any of these doing it would drop out of it into second-deathers; Youthful Worthies doing it would drop out of their class into the Justified, the justified doing it would drop out of their class into Campers; and Campers doing it would drop out of their class into heathen.”

There is nothing in the above comments by Brother Johnson that even remotely suggests that he “taught” a class called “Consecrated Epiphany Campers.” In E 10, page 209, Brother Johnson says this about the Camp:

“The Gospel-Age Camp is the condition of the unjustified people of God, while the Epiphany Camp in the finished picture is the condition of truly repentant and believing, but not consecrated Jews and Gentiles” (emphasis added).

As we have pointed out numerous times, Brother Johnson taught there can be no justification outside the linen curtain. As he stated in E VI page 199:

“…the Court curtain represents things connected with faith – the outside of it a ‘wall of unbelief’ in Christ’s righteousness to those outside, the inside of it a ‘wall of faith’ in Christ’s righteousness to those inside.”

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LETTERS OF GENERAL INTEREST

Dear Marjorie,

Greetings from Israel in our Lord who is faithful and true!

Thank you for your letter I got at the end of August. Due to all the Jewish holidays I delayed a reply since this is a period of mail slow-down in Israel…

What can I say about Israel now, but “wait and see day by day!” It was amazing that the Obama interference with Syria didn’t affect the many tourists that came to Israel last month. But I think it has really opened the door for Russia to again be a big “player” in this part of the world. It puts the Gog/Magog prophecy on the screen again, especially with Israel’s new resources of natural gas off the coastline. Time to watch, pray and trust God’s Plan!

                                                                                                Shalom and love, ……. (Israel)

…………………….

Dear Sister Marjorie,

Greetings in the name of our Redeemer!

My health is improving, and as I cannot sit up for long periods the friends come and we have prayer meetings when it is possible. The daily texts, the vows, the “Poems of Dawn” keep me steadfast. There are favorites which I use daily, such as “Lead me”, “Communion with our Father.”

Please excuse my writing. I have been overdoing it.

Please accept our love and prayers to you and all others.

                                                                                                Your sister by his Grace, ……. (Trinidad)

……………………..

Warm Christian greetings!

Thank you for the two attachments that you have sent to me. I am blessed through the messages. I would like to ask you that if you have any spiritual literatures, may you feel free to send them to me.

I’ve been doing some studies in the web of Bible Students. I have been leading 4 Bible classes.

So I would highly thank you for having welcomed us as brothers in the brotherhood of readers.

I’m glad to thank you about the Memorial. We will be gathering on the 12th April evening for the Passover. We are all getting ready for the Memorial.

Otherwise may the almighty God bless.

The publication that I already have is “The Divine Plan of the Ages.” It is a wonderful publication which has made me to learn a lot about the mystery that lies ahead of us during the reign of Christ on earth. It has made me learn a lot about the plan of God…

                                                                                                By His Grace, Br. ….... (Kenya,)

                                                                                                (Several emails)

[1] See Two Distinct Salvations on our website at http://epiphanybiblestudents.com/other.

NO. 680: DO YOU BELIEVE IN THE RESURRECTION OF THE DEAD?

No. 680

“…he preached unto them Jesus and the resurrection.” “And when they heard of the resurrection of the dead, some mocked.” (Acts 17:18,32) “But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.”(1 Cor. 15:13-18)

It may seem strange that we should ask any Christian the question: Do you believe in the resurrection of the dead? The word “resurrection” is used more than forty times in the New Testament, besides various other words of similar import. All the prominent creeds of Christendom declare faith in a resurrection as an integral and essential part of Scriptural doctrine and of the hope of eternal life.

Nevertheless, we have serious reason to doubt that a belief in the resurrection of the dead prevails among Christians; and it is because we believe the resurrection to be a very important doctrine in its connection with other doctrines of Scripture (throwing light upon other doctrines), that we desire to call general attention to this subject and to invite an examination of our question in the light of facts and of Scripture; our hope being that after a careful examination of the subject many more of God’s people will come to believe – consistently, logically, Scripturally – in a resurrection.

RESURRECTION RARELY CHOSEN AS A SUBJECT FOR SERMONS

The views of the clergy on any subject may safely be considered an index to the views of their congregations. It is not difficult to ascertain the views of the clergy of all denominations on the subject of the resurrection of the dead; for, although that topic is rarely chosen for discourse, except upon Easter Sunday, it is, nevertheless, attached to every funeral service; and these numerous occasions, we believe, validate our statement that both the clergy of all denominations and their followers have little or no faith in a resurrection of the dead.

True, it is customary at a funeral to read the words of the Apostle Paul, in which he sets forth the resurrection as the Christian’s hope (1 Cor. 15), but this seems to be a mere concession on the part of the officiating minister. He feels it to be his duty to read something on the subject, but his remarks following the reading prove most conclusively that, so far from believing that the person whose corpse is about to be buried is dead, he believes, and instructs his hearers that they should believe, that their friend and neighbor is “more alive than he ever was.”

Frequently, indeed, he plays directly into the hands of the “Spiritualists” and “Christian Scientists,” by telling the audience that the spirit of their dead friend is with them in the room, hovering over them; and that if permitted to speak he would say to them, “Dry your tears; weep not for me; I am far better off in glory.”

TO MANY DEATH HAS BECOME A DELUSION AND NOT A REALITY

It has come to be the general belief among Christian people that death is a delusion, and not a reality; that people merely seem to die, and do not die; that they merely experience a change to a higher form of being; that so-called “Christian Scientists” are quite correct in saying, “There is no death.”

Whoever holds such views does not, cannot consistently believe in “the resurrection of the dead”; because if no one is dead, how can there be a resurrection of the dead? Wherein would be the sense in speaking of a resurrection of the dead to life, if they already have life more abundantly than they possessed it before they seemingly died?

But thousands of ministers would answer us, saying, “When speaking of the resurrection, we merely mean a resurrection of the body – the bodies which we bury are all to come forth again from the grave, and the spirits which parted from them in death are to be rehabilitated in those bodies in the resurrection. This is what we mean by resurrection.” [Another contemporary interpretation holds that the spirits will receive a “new incorruptible body”, evidently meaning these spirits are roaming the universe body-less until the resurrection occurs.]

“CONSISTENCY, THOU ART A JEWEL”

Who would have supposed such inconsistency on the part of so many of the learned and well-meaning! Before taking up the Scriptural side of the question, to show that such expectations are at variance with the Scripture teaching, let us examine the proposition of these ministers in the light of its own inconsistency.

(1) They tell us that the deceased is “far better off,” in that he has gotten free from the “fetters of the flesh,” and that now “his free spirit wings its flight to God, no longer hampered and hindered by the mortal dust.” They go into ecstasies in describing the grandeur and liberty and blessedness of the one who has died, and who, by reason of getting rid of the body, has attained to life more abundant, knowledge a hundredfold, and blessings indescrib-able.

(2) In the same breath they quote the Scriptures referring to the resurrection and (wholly misconstruing those Scriptures) tell us that by and by, at the second coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, the same bodies of flesh that were buried will be reorganized [or a new incorruptible body formed]; they tell us that then the spirit beings which, they say, left those bodies at death, will then return to them, as their everlasting habitations. Then, inasmuch as the resurrection is Scripturally set forth to be the grand and glorious result and consum-mation of our salvation, they feel compelled to go into ecstasies over their erroneous presentation of the resurrection, and to tell how glorious and grand will be the result.

They seem to overlook entirely the inconsistency of these two propositions; and they expect that their hearers will be similarly inconsistent and illogical (apparently with full justification); in fact, many of them seem to think that the more inconsistent and unreasonable their belief may be, the more reason they have to congratulate themselves that they have a very strong faith. However, the real fact is that they have a very strong willingness to believe without adequate evidence. But they will have no reward for believing unreasonable things which God’s Word has not taught, but has contradicted.

Who cannot see that the man who dies in old age, if in dying he obtains life more abundant and knowledge a hundredfold, and a freedom to “wing his flight,” etc., would be sadly disappointed by a resurrection – if it should mean to him re-imprisonment in a tenement of clay, with physical restrictions and human limitations? And then, if he had thus for centuries been a “free spirit,” roaming at liberty throughout the Universe, unhindered by a body and bodily limitations, where would be the consistency on God’s part of re-imprisoning such an one in a human body, whose powers and uses would be entirely forgotten during those centuries of liberty? And if to be without a body is “perfect bliss,” as the funeral orators tell, how could there be anything added to perfect bliss by a resurrection of the body, and a re-incarceration therein?

SCRIPTURES SHOW THE ONLY BLESSED, CONSISTENT HOPE

From the foregoing considerations, we feel justified in our assumption that the vast majority of Christian people do not believe in a resurrection – either the Scriptural kind (a “resurrection of the dead”), or in the kind they themselves teach, namely, a resurrection of the body. With this preface, we go to the Scriptures to learn from them what is meant by “the resurrection of the dead,” and in what manner and why the Scriptures speak of the resurrection as the hope, the only hope, the blessed hope, not only of the Lord’s people, who are to have part in the “first resurrection,” but of the world in general, who are to have an opportunity to share in the resurrection of judgment, improperly translated in the KJV, “the resurrection of damnation.” (John 5:29)

Whoever would believe the Scriptural doctrine of the resurrection, must also believe the Scriptural doctrine respecting death – that death is death, the cessation of life. Then, and not until then, will he be able to understand the Apostle’s words in our text, “If there be no resurrection of the dead,...then they which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished.” Nor is this statement by the Apostle an exception to or different from the teaching of the Scriptures elsewhere. Their unanimous testimony is that the dead are dead; that “in that very day his thoughts perish.” (Psa. 146:4) Of the dead the Scriptures further declare, “His sons come to honour, and he knoweth it not; and they are brought low, but he perceiveth it not of them.”; “for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest.” (Job 14:21; Eccl. 9:10)

[The above is in direct contradiction to the thoughts of most Christians today. To quote one popular theologian: “Though our body dies, the spirit or soul never dies. The body ceases to function, but not the inner person, or spirit. Hence physical death does not end life, it is only one step in the ongoing and eternal process of conscious life.”]

WHICH SHALL WE BELIEVE – GOD OR SATAN?

Here is a direct conflict between modern teachers and the inspired Word, the Scriptures claiming that the dead know not anything, the modern theologians claiming that they know everything. The Bible claims that the dead are really dead, and have really suffered according to the Divine penalty for sin pronounced against our race – “Thou shalt surely die.”(Gen. 2:17) Those who oppose take up with Satan’s delusive statement to Mother Eve, “Ye shall not surely die,” (Gen. 3:4) and attempt to prove that the dead are not dead; that God’s penalty against sin did not go into effect, and that death, so far from being the sentence or curse upon our race, is a blessing, a step in a general process of evolution. The two theories are as far apart as the poles, and the two teachers of these two theories, as we have shown, are God, on the one hand, and Satan, who has “no truth in him,” on the other hand. Which shall we believe?

The entire Plan of Salvation is connected with this question. If death was not the penalty of sin, incurred through Adam, then life more abundant is not the reward and blessing of God secured through Christ by a resurrection. Satan’s proposition, which has been so widely accepted by the Lord’s people, and which exercises so blinding an influence upon their minds, is the reversal, in every sense of the word, of the Divine proposition – that death is the curse or penalty of sin; that Christ died to release man from this sentence or curse, and that the release comes by the resurrection of the dead, who otherwise would never have future life, as says the Apostle in our text.

Satan’s theory declares death a blessing which brings the fullness of life and liberty and joy, and would make of the resurrection a curse, bringing imprisonment and difficulty and restriction and pain and trouble.

THE APOSTLE PREACHED JESUS AND THE RESURRECTION

No wonder that the majority of theologians and their many followers are leaving the doctrine of the Atonement, which declares “For since by man [Adam] came death, by man [the man Christ Jesus] came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive.” (1 Cor. 15:21,22)

If the reality of death is denied, it is no more difficult to deny the reality of sin. If it is claimed that Father Adam was not created in the image and likeness of God, but was created a very close image and likeness of the ape, it follows that in that low condition of intelligence he was unfit for trial for eternal life; and it is only a further step to deny that he ever had a trial, and that he ever failed and fell from grace. And if the fall is denied, and, instead, the claim is put forward that man has really been advancing even to the present time – losing his likeness to the ape and gaining in likeness to God, then it will be consistent also to take the next step, and declare that since man did not fall he did not need to be redeemed from the fall.

And hence, with such reasoning, contrary to  all Scriptural basis, it appears logical to deny the repeated declaration of God’s Word, that our Lord Jesus is our Redeemer, and that:

“…he is the propitiation for our sins [the Church’s sins]: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world” (1 John 2:2), giving for us as our Ransom or corresponding price, His own life, that He might buy back the forfeited life of Adam.

We thus see that the leading lights of Christendom today repudiate both of the cardinal features of the Gospel, which the Apostle preached of old: “Jesus and the resurrection” – Jesus as the Redeemer of mankind from sin and its curse – death – and the resurrection as the grand result of that redemptive work, by which the blessing secured by the Ransom-sacrifice will be made applicable to and available for whosoever will accept eternal life upon the terms of the Millennial Age. This reminds us of our Lord’s own words respecting unbelief at the present time: He says:

 “…when the Son of Man cometh, shall he find faith on the earth?” (Luke 18:8)

THE FIVE SENSES IN FULL ACCORD WITH THE SCRIPTURES

The Scripture declarations respecting death are in full accord with the testimony of the five senses given us as men by our Creator; and this is what we should expect, though we should be ready to admit the possibility of our senses being in error if the Divine revelation contradicted our senses. But when our senses are contradicted by a human theory, contrary to Scriptural statements, the theory should be rejected and the testimony of the senses held to be true; and when the Scriptures and our senses together unite in one testimony, it is certainly wrong to hold to a theory which is contradicted by Divine revelation and by our own senses as well. And whoever thus repudiates his God-given (though sin-impaired) senses and the Divine testimony, need expect nothing else than to be led into darkness and stumbling. Today, as nineteen centuries ago, the blind are leading the blind into the ditch of unbelief and error.

“AS THE ONE DIETH, SO DIETH THE OTHER; THEY HAVE ALL ONE BREATH”

The testimony of our senses, like the testimony of God’s Word, is that death means the loss of life, and not an increase of life. Watch the dying one, and note his weakening powers, mental and physical, until the spark of life becomes extinct. You have seen nothing go from him, you have heard nothing but the death-rattle; you have felt the gradual cessation of the pulse, and noted the gasping for breath; and all of your senses which you can exercise upon the subject tell you that your friend, your loved one, is dead – alive no longer. You look about you and study the subject and inquire of others, “What next?” The answer to your senses is, “The next thing is corruption; when the spark of life has gone, the corpse must be buried; ‘dust to dust, ashes to ashes.’” You note the similarity between the death of your friend and loved one and the death of the brute beast, and your senses can discern no difference between them; and the Scriptures declare, “…as the one dieth, so dieth the other; they have all one  breath [spirit of life].” (Eccl. 3:19)

But with a longing for a future life, implanted in your nature by our Creator, you inquire: Is there no hope; hath a man no preeminence above a beast? The Scriptures answer your question, assuring us that, physically speaking man “hath no preeminence above a beast.” But the Scriptures assure us that although mankind is not possessed of any power of life beyond that of the beast, the Creator has, nevertheless, made a provision for man that He did not make for the beast; and that provision is the very thing for which we long, namely, everlasting life. The Scriptures point out to us that this provision for man’s everlasting life was made by the LORD in the beginning – not by implanting a deathless quality in the man’s constitution, but by providing in the life-sustaining trees of the Garden of Eden, the means of continuing his life everlastingly; nevertheless this provision was conditional, dependent upon man’s obedience to his Creator.

The Scriptures point out that man’s disobedience brought upon him the sentence of death, and that the execution of that sentence was effected by driving him out of the Garden and away from the life-sustaining fruit of its trees. Thus driven out, the sentence, “Thou shalt surely die,” took effect upon Father Adam gradually, and he lived out nearly to the end of the first thousand-year day. His posterity, becoming weaker and weaker as generations rolled by, are today (notwithstanding the many advancements in science, and medicine and sanitary arrangements) reduced to an average of about seventy-five years – “and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow” and they are soon “cut off” from the “land of the living,” to go into “the land of the enemy” – into the great prison-house of death, in which thousands of millions are already – “There the wicked cease from troubling; and there the weary be at rest.” (Psa. 90:10; Jer. 31:16; Job 3:17)

JESUS DIED, “THE JUST FOR THE UNJUST”

The Scriptures answer our inquiries respecting the dead. While assuring us of the justice of the Divine sentence of death, they nevertheless declare that our Creator is a God of mercy and of pity, and that when there was no eye to pity and no arm to deliver us, His Arm brought salvation to us. The Scriptures, moreover, point out to us the Lord Jesus Christ as the Arm of Jehovah, stretched down for our relief from sin and sickness and pain and trouble and for our deliverance from the prison-house of death, and for our restoration to the liberties and privileges of sons of God.

In due time, God sent His only begotten Son into the world for our redemption – to give for us the Ransom-price, and ultimately to recover all who will accept of Divine mercy, from all the consequences of the fall by a resurrection from the dead. But Divine Love could not make void Divine Justice; it was necessary that God should be just, if He would be the justifier of them that believe in Jesus; hence the demands of Justice – the penalty for sin – must be paid by our Redeemer, before the work of release and restitution could begin. And here we have the best of evidence respecting what is the penalty of sin, and what is not; because, since our Lord Jesus pays for us the just penalty of sin, what He laid down for us will prove what was the penalty against us. What did He do for us? The Scriptures answer: He laid down His life for us; He “died for our sins”; “the just for the unjust”; He “poured out his soul unto death;” He made “his soul an offering for [our] sin,” and “with his stripes we are healed.” (1 Cor. 15:3; 1 Pet. 3:18; Isa. 53:4-6, 10,12)

Nothing is more evident than that our Lord Jesus did not suffer an eternity of torment as the price of our redemption; and hence, if the matter needed proof we have here the proof that eternal torment was not the penalty for our sins. On the contrary, the fact that our Lord Jesus died for our sins, and that the Heavenly Father accepted of that sacrifice of His life on our behalf, proves that it was our lives that were forfeited by sin; that the full penalty of the Divine Law against us as a race was the deprivation of life. The whole race, under sentence of death, has gone down to the great prison-house of death – the grave, sheol, hades. And so our dear Redeemer, when He gave up His life for us, went also to sheol, hades, the grave. He took our place, and suffered for us the penalty for our sins.

But as Jesus’ death ransoms man from the sentence of death, so His resurrection from death became the assurance of the justification of all who accept and obey him.

The Heavenly Father gave evidence that the Ransom-price was entirely satisfactory; and our Lord, who was thus obedient to the Father, was raised from the dead, and, as the Father’s Agent and Representative, will soon begin the work of blessing the entire world redeemed by His precious blood.

PRISON-HOUSE TO BE OPENED AND CAPTIVES SET FREE

The blessing of the world means the breaking open of the prison-house and the setting at liberty of the captives, who for centuries have been going into the prison-house of death. For this reason our Lord is called the Life-giver, because His great work will be to give back life to the world of mankind, who lost life in Adam. And since the restoration of life to mankind will mean the removal of pains and sicknesses and troubles (a part of the dying process), our Redeemer is styled the Great Physician.

The prophecy which mentions the breaking open of the prison-house of death, and the setting at liberty of its captives (Isa. 42:7), was applied, and unquestionably correctly, by our Lord to Himself; but He did not break open the prison-house of death, and set all the captives free by resurrection immediately upon His own resurrection. He tells us when this work will be done, saying (John 5:25-29), “…the hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth…”; “…and they that hear [obey His voice then], shall live.” (See also Acts 3:22,23)

Our Lord thus passed over the interim of the Gospel Age, and pointed to the grand consummation of His work in the incoming Age, because such was the Father’s prearranged Plan. The Father sent the Son, and the Son willingly undertook the work of redemption, at a time sufficiently in advance of the “Times of Restitution,” (Acts 3:21) or resurrection, and the general blessing of the world during the Reign of Messiah, to leave the interim of this Gospel Age for another work, namely, for selecting from the world a “little flock,” a “royal priesthood,” a “peculiar people,” a “holy nation,” to be joint-heirs with Christ Jesus their Lord in the honors of the Mediatorial Kingdom. These shall be associated with the Redeemer in the grand and glorious work of destroying the Prince of Darkness and breaking open the prison-house of death, and setting at liberty the captives of sin and ignorance and superstition; and in fulfilling generally all the provisions of the gracious promises of God made to Father Abraham, that in His Seed (Christ, and His elect Body, the Church), “shall all families of the earth be blessed.”(Gen: 12:3; Gal. 3:8,16,29)

BLESSED AND HOLY ARE THEY WHO HAVE PART IN THE FIRST RESURRECTION

This brings us to the Scriptural proposition, that there is a first, a chief or special resurrection, and a general one later. The first or superior resurrection includes the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and of the entire elect “Church, which is his Body” – no more, no less. “Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years” (Rev. 20:6) – the Messianic Kingdom class. Those who will share in this First Resurrection will experience a “change” from the human nature to the divine nature – the highest of the spirit natures; not human, not flesh and blood, for “flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God”(1) (1 Cor. 15:50) Their trial and perfecting of heart takes place beforehand, and only the overcomers will receive this blessing. Some of the characteristics of their change are indicated by the Apostle as a change from weakness to power, from dishonor to glory, from corruption to incorruption, from a natural [human] body to a spirit body.

The time for this best, or chief resurrection, is everywhere in Scripture indicated to be at the close of the Gospel Age, at a time when the entire Gospel Church will be completed. This includes the living members, whose “change” to spirit nature will be instantaneous, so that the moment of their dying as human beings will be the moment of their “change” to perfect spirit beings. Meantime, the Scriptures declare that the Lord’s people who have died, like the rest of mankind, are really dead, as human beings, and know not anything; but inasmuch as God has provided for their resurrection, and inasmuch as they have been informed respecting it, and have hopes therein, therefore they are spoken of as being merely asleep – resting from their labors. As the apostle declares, they are waiting for “…a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing.” (2 Tim. 4:8)

And, likewise the world of mankind, even though they know not of the Lord as yet, are spoken of as being “asleep in Jesus.” Although the whole world was under condemnation of death through Adam, without knowledge or volition on their part at the time of the sentence, Jesus laid down His life “a Ransom for all.” All who have faith in the Divine provision for the awakening may properly speak of the interim figuratively as a sleep. Thus the Apostle exhorts us to trust and hope in the resurrection as respects all our dear friends who go down into the prison-house of death, and not merely as respects those who were sanctified in Christ Jesus, which would include, as a rule, only a small proportion of those for whom we would be inclined to sorrow. He says, “I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep [all our sleeping friends], that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died [a Ransom for all] and rose again [that He might be Lord and Life-giver to all], even so [let us believe as truly that] them also which sleep in Jesus [all whom He purchased with His precious blood] will God bring with him [from the prison-house of death].” (1 Thes. 4:13,14)

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(1)Some are confused by this expression, “flesh and blood”; they fail to see that it signifies human nature; we therefore invite such to examine the use of the same phrase elsewhere, by the same New Testament writers. In so doing they will be convinced that our definition, human nature, is the correct one, the Scriptural one. See the following uses of the phrase: Matt. 16:17; John 3:5,6; 1 Cor. 15:50.

THE GENERAL RESURRECTION TO BE A RAISING UP BY JUDGMENT

But as the First Resurrection is the resurrection of the blessed and holy, of the sanctified in Christ Jesus, His Body, so the general resurrection, which is for the world, is designated as “the resurrection of judgment.” It is styled a “resurrection of judgment” because, while all the preparation has been made, so far as God is concerned, for granting to the world of mankind a full resurrection or restitution back to all that was first given to Adam, and lost by his disobedience, to be recovered by our Savior’s precious blood, yet there are certain conditions attached to this blessing, namely, the conditions of the New Covenant.

God does not propose to give eternal life through Christ to any except those who earnestly desire it, and who are in heart sympathy with the principles of righteousness which must always be the Law of the Divine Government. Hence, when the world is awakened from the sleep of death, it will not signify resurrection, but much less; for resurrection, in its full, complete, Scriptural sense, signifies a complete raising up, out of sin and out of death, to perfection of being, perfection of life.

The surrounding conditions of society will then be greatly improved; knowledge will have taken the place of ignorance, and the reign of righteousness and the law of love will at that time have superseded the rule of sin under the law of selfishness; and Satan will be bound, that he shall deceive the nations no more for the thousand years. The resurrection, so far as the world is concerned, will be a gradual work; its first step an awakening from the sleep of unconsciousness and nonentity; its succeeding steps will be along the lines of judgment, the conduct of those who are on trial being either approved or disapproved. For those who are incorrigible and unworthy of the gift of God, eternal life, it will culminate in the sentence to the Second Death.

Those judged worthy will receive and enjoy the great boon of Life Eternal under the blessed conditions which are then promised to prevail – when there shall be no more sighing, no more dying, no more crying, because there will be no more sin and none of the penalties for sin, for all the former things shall have passed away. (Rev. 21:4).

THE CONDITION OF THE DEAD SPOKEN OF AS A SLEEP

Of each of the Patriarchs of the past it is written, “he slept with his fathers”; “he fell asleep.” And so also in the New Testament we have a similar record that Stephen “fell asleep.” The Apostle Paul speaks of those who saw the Lord after His resurrection and says, “He was seen of above five hundred brethren at once; of whom the greater part remain unto this present, but some are fallen asleep.” Again he speaks of some which are “fallen asleep in Christ,” here distinguishing between the Church, who are in Christ,(2) as members of His Body, and the world of mankind in general, who “sleep in Jesus.” (1 Kings 2:10; 11:43; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:6,18;1 Thess. 4:14)

The Apostle shows that this sleep-condition will prevail, even as respects the Church, until the time of the second coming of Christ, assuring that the living members of the Church at the time of the Lord’s Second Advent will not be blessed prior to those that have fallen asleep, but contrariwise, the living “shall not prevent [hinder] them which are asleep,” for the dead in Christ shall rise first; then those who are alive and remain will be blessed, and ultimately experience their “change.” (1 Thes. 4:15-17)

The moment of re-awakening will seem to the awakened ones to be the next moment after their death – for there is no wisdom or knowledge in the grave. (Eccl. 9:10) The bodies in which the world will be awakened will be practically the same as those which died, though not the same atoms of matter; for in the hands of our Creator one atom of dust is as good as another in this great work. Thus the Apostle says, "thou sowest not that body that shall be." (1 Cor. 15:37) The bodies of the world will really be new bodies, in the sense that they will be different atoms of matter; but they will be old bodies, in the sense that they will be duplicates of those which died and went to dust.

We cannot wonder that the worldly mind, which knows not God and knows not of his power, cavils at the thought of resurrection. It will be a most stupendous work, more wonderful by far than man's original creation; it will thus be to the world of mankind, and to the angels of heaven also, the grandest exhibition ever given of Divine Omnipotence.

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(2)Christ (from the Greek “Christos,” meaning “anointed”) is the title of our Lord as the New Creature, and of His office; while Jesus is the name for the Redeemer, through whose sacrifice comes to all men an opportunity to share in a resurrection of the dead.

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This paper was adapted from Pastor Russell Reprint 4791. It has been edited to fit the space.

NO. 679: SOME THOUGHTS FOR THE MEMORIAL

No. 679

“And this day shall be unto you for a memorial; and ye shall keep it a feast to the LORD throughout your generations; ye shall keep it a feast by an ordinance for ever.” (Ex. 12:14)

“…Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth.” (1 Cor. 5:7,8)

The date for celebrating the Memorial to our Lord in 2014 is Saturday April 12, 2014 after 6:00 p.m. The calculation is based on the New Moon (in Jerusalem) nearest the Spring Equinox (March 20, 6:57 p.m.) which is March 30, 2014, thus March 30 is Nisan 1. Counting forward from Nisan 1, Nisan 14 is April 12.

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The instructions for the Passover in Egypt were very rigid, even as respects the time it should be kept. Up to that time the Jewish year began with the first day of the seventh month – Tishri; but the institution of the Passover changed that. The month Abib was then to become the first month: “And the LORD spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying, This month shall be unto you the beginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you.” (Ex 12:1-2.). Since that time the Jews observe two years – the religious year beginning with Abib, or Nisan, and the business year beginning with Tishri. However, all recordings in the Bible after the Passover in Egypt are reckoned as from the month Abib, or Nisan.

This change was not without purpose. Prior to the Passover, the Jews had no organized religious ritual. The religious order which they had when they entered Canaan some forty years later was the one arranged for them through Moses at Sinai in the wilderness, when the Aaronic priesthood and the Tabernacle ceremonies were first instituted. This would seem to suggest to us that the secular year revealed the character of the dispensation previous to the present one – commonly known as the Jewish Age. It would be followed by the ecclesiastical year, and would suggest the spiritual character of the present dispensation. Here then is contrasted the dealings of God during the Jewish Age, along the rigid lines of the Law, to His Grace dealings during the present Age. Prior to the Gospel Age, God’s dealings with His covenant people were along earthly and secular lines; whereas, during this Gospel Age the dealings have been along spiritual and ecclesiastical lines.

In that God made the change in the beginning of the year in connection with His institution of the Paschal Lamb, its feast and the entire Passover festival, suggests that the change of the year is typical of the Lord’s dispensational dealings changing at the beginning of the Gospel Age; for the change in the type was made because of the Passover Lamb, its feast and its following festival, which properly type Christ our Lamb, with the privileges and blessings of the Christian life that attach to it.

And concerning the date on which the Passover and its subsequent memorials were to be kept, the instruction was very specific – it was to be on the 14th day of the first month. (Ex. 12:6)

DELIVERANCE FROM THE BONDAGE OF EGYPT

The Feast of the Passover, celebrated every year for seven days, began with the fifteenth day of the first month. It celebrated in a general way the deliverance of the people of Israel from the bondage of Egypt – but particularly the passing over, or sparing alive, of the first-born of that nation during the plague of death which came upon the Egyptians, and which, as the last of the plagues, finally compelled them to release the Israelites from servitude. The passing over of the first-born of Israel became the precursor of the liberation of the whole nation of Israel, and their passing in safety over the Red Sea into freedom from the bondage of Egypt. We can readily see that so portentous an event would properly be commemorated by the Israelites as intimately identified with the birth of their nation; and thus it is celebrated by Jews to this day. The members of the New Creation are interested in those events, as they are interested in all the doings and arrangements of their Heavenly Father, both in respect to His typical people, Israel after the flesh, and in respect to the whole world of mankind. But the New Creation has a still deeper interest in those matters which occurred in Egypt, in view of the fact that the Lord has revealed to them the “mystery” that those things which happened unto natural Israel were intended to typify and foreshadow still grander things in the divine plan respecting antitypical Spiritual Israel – the New Creation.

In reference to these spiritual things, the Apostle declares that “…the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” “But God hath revealed them unto us [the New Creation] by his Spirit…” (1 Cor. 2:14, 10) God used the Apostles as His mouthpieces to give us certain clues whereby, under the guidance of His Spirit, we may understand the deep things of God. One of these clues is found in 1 Cor. 5:7, 8, quoted above. Following the Apostle’s indication, we see clearly that Israel according to the flesh typified the whole people of God – all who shall ultimately become His people, down to the close of the Millennial age; that the Egyptians represented the opponents of the people of God, Pharaoh, their ruler, representing Satan, the prince of evil and darkness; and Pharaoh’s servants and horsemen representing fallen angels and men who have associated or who will associate themselves with Satan as opponents to the Lord and His people – the New Creation, and in general the household of faith. As the people of Israel longed for deliverance, and groaned under their taskmasters, yet were weak and unable to deliver themselves, and could never have freed themselves from the yoke of Egypt had it not been for the Lord’s intervention on their behalf, and His appointment and sending of Moses to be their deliverer, so we see the world of mankind at the present time and throughout the past groaning and travailing in pain together under the exactions of “the prince of this world” (John 12:31) and his minions, Sin and Death. These hundreds of millions of humanity have a craving for liberty from bondage to their own sins and weaknesses, as well as for release from the penalties of these – pain and death. But without divine aid, mankind is powerless. A few make a vigorous struggle, and accomplish something; but none get free. The entire race of Adam is in bondage to sin and death, and their only hope is in God and in the antitypical Moses, who He has promised shall deliver His people in His appointed time – bringing them across the Red Sea – representing the Second Death, in which Satan and all who affiliate or sympathize with him and his evil course shall be everlastingly destroyed, as was typified in the overwhelming of Pharaoh and his hosts in the literal Red Sea. But the Lord’s people “shall not be hurt of the Second Death.” (Rev. 2:11)

DELIVERANCE OF THE FIRST-BORNS

The foregoing is the general picture; but inside of it, and yet a part of it, was another, a particular picture, which related, not to mankind in general and their deliverance from the bondage of sin and death, but only to a special class among them – the first-born. Corresponding to these as their antitype, we have brought to our attention by the inspired word the “Church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven” (Heb. 12:23) – the New Creation. In the type, the first-born occupied a special place – they were the heirs; a special place also in that they were subjected to a special testing or trial in advance of their brethren. They became liable to death before the general exodus, and when the exodus did occur these first-born ones had a special place in it – a special work to do in connection with the general deliverance, for they became a separated class, represented in the tribe of Levi. They were separated from their brethren, giving up entirely their inheritance in the land, that according to the divine arrangement they might be the teachers of their brethren.

This tribe or house of Levi clearly represents the household of faith, which is represented in turn by the preparatory Royal Priesthood, which gives up inheritance in earthly things on behalf of the brethren, and shall by and by constitute actually the Royal Priesthood, whose Chief Priest is the Lord, and which shall bless, rule and instruct the world during the Millennial age. As the first-born of Israel in Egypt were subject to death, but were passed over, escaped it, and losing the earthly inheritance became a priesthood, so the antitypical Church of first-borns in the present time is subject now to Second Death, having their testing or trial for everlasting life or everlasting death in advance of the remainder of mankind, and passes from death unto life, through the merit of the Redeemer’s blood – death.

Becoming participants in their Lord’s grace, they renounce or sacrifice with Him, the earthly inheritance, the earthly portion, the earthly life, that they may attain heaven and its life more abundant. Thus, while the Church of the first-born, the New Creation, all “die like men,” (Psa. 82:7) and in respect to earthly things seem to lose and renounce more than do others, nevertheless, though the natural man understands it not, these are passed over, or rescued from death, and, as the Royal Priesthood, will, with their Chief Priest, Jesus, be made partakers of glory, honor and immortality.

These, whose passing over occurs during the nighttime of this Gospel Age – before the Millennial morning dawns, and its Sun of Righteousness arises – are to be the leaders of the Lord’s host, to bring it forth from the bondage of sin and Satan. Mark how this agrees with the language of the Apostle (Rom. 8:22,19), “…the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together” – waiting “for the manifestation of the sons of God” – waiting for the complete passing over of the Church of the first-born in the First Resurrection, to glory, honor and immortality.

CHRIST OUR PASSOVER LAMB

But, now, another feature of the type is important. In order to effect the passing over of the first-born, and the consequent deliverance of all the Lord’s people in the type, it was necessary that the Passover lamb should be slain, that its blood should be sprinkled upon the doorposts and lintels of the house, that its flesh should be eaten that night with bitter herbs, and with unleavened bread. Thus each house of Israel represented the household of faith, and each lamb represented the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, and the first-born in each family represented the Christ, Head and Body, the New Creation. The bitter herbs represented the trials and afflictions of this present time, which all the more serve to whet the appetite of the household of faith for the Lamb and the unleavened bread. Moreover, as each household was to eat with staff in hand and girded for a journey, it represented that the antitypical first-born and household of faith who would thus partake of the Lamb during the night time of this Gospel Age would be pilgrims and strangers in the world, who would realize the bondage of sin and death, and be desirous of being led by the Lord into freedom from sin and corruption – into liberty of the sons of God.

It was in harmony with this type of the killing of the Passover lamb on the 14th day of the first month – the day preceding the seven days’ Feast of the Passover, celebrated by the Jews – that our Lord died, as the antitypical Passover Lamb, “…the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world.” (John 1:29) At no other time was it possible for our Lord to have finished in death the sacrifice which He began when He was thirty years of age, in His baptism unto death. Hence it was that, although the Jews many times sought to take Him, no man laid hands on Him, because “his hour was not yet come.” (John 7:8,30)

As the Jews were commanded to select the lamb of sacrifice on the tenth day of the first month, and to receive it into their houses on that date, the Lord appropriately offered Himself to them on that date, when, five days before the Passover, He rode into the city on the ass, the multitude crying, “Hosanna to the Son of David: Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord…” “He came unto his own, and his own [as a nation] received him not.” “But as many as received him [individually], to them gave he power to become the sons of God...” (Matt: 21:9; John 1:11,12) The nation, through its representatives, the rulers, instead of receiving Him, rejected Him, and thus identified itself for the time with the Adversary. Nevertheless, by God’s grace the blood of the New Covenant is efficacious for the house of Jacob also, and upon all who desire harmony with God, and they were partakers of the merits of the Lamb – yet they refused to eat of the antitypical Lamb – they lost the opportunity of becoming as a nation the first-born ones, the Royal Priesthood, the holy nation, the peculiar people of Messiah – they lost the opportunity of passing over and becoming members of the New Creation, with life more abundant in glory, honor and immortality; but we are glad to be informed elsewhere in the Scripture that they will, nevertheless, have a glorious opportunity of accepting the Lamb of God, of eating, appropriating, His flesh, His sacrifice, and of thus escaping the bondage of sin and death, under the leadership of the Lord and of His faithful brethren, spiritual Israel, the antitypical Church of the First-born. (Rom. 11:11–26)

OUR LORD’S MEMORIAL SUPPER

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

It was at the close of our Lord’s ministry, on the 14th day of the first month, in “the same night in which he was betrayed,” and in the same day, therefore, in which He died, as the antitypical Lamb, that He celebrated with His disciples the typical Passover of the Jews – eating, with His twelve Apostles, the typical lamb which represented Himself, His own sacrifice for the sins of the world and the “meat indeed,” (John 6:55) in the strength of which the life, the liberties and the blessings of the sons of God are alone obtained. The eating of this supper on the night preceding our Lord’s death, and yet the same day, was made possible by the Jewish custom, which began each day, not at midnight, but in the evening. The Lord evidently arranged all the affairs of Israel in conformity with the types which they were to express.

As Jews born “under the Law,” it was obligatory upon our Lord and His Apostles to celebrate this type, and at its proper time; and it was after they had thus observed the Jewish Supper, eating the lamb with unleavened bread and herbs, and probably also, as was customary, with “fruit of the vine,” that the Lord – taking part of the unleavened bread and of the fruit of the vine remaining over from the Jewish Supper, the type – instituted among His disciples and for His entire Church, whom they represented (John 17:20), a new thing, that with them, as the spiritual Israel, the Church of the First-born, the New Creation, should take the place of, and supplant, the Jewish Passover Supper. Our Lord was not instituting another and a higher type of the Passover. On the contrary, the type was about to begin its fulfilment, and, hence, would be no longer appropriate to those who accepted the fulfilment. Our Lord, as the antitypical Lamb, was about to be slain, as the Apostle expresses it, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed.”

None accepting Christ as the Passover Lamb, and thus accepting the antitype as taking the place of the type, could any longer with propriety prepare a typical lamb and eat it in commemoration of the typical deliverance. The appropriate thing thence-forth for all believers in Jesus as the true Passover Lamb would be the sprinkling of the doorposts of the heart with His blood: having their “…hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience”… [from present condemnation – realizing their sins propitiated through His blood, and that through His blood they now have forgiveness of sins]. (Heb. 10:22) These henceforth must eat, or appropriate to themselves, the merits of their Redeemer – the merits of the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself a ransom for all. By faith they must partake of those merits, and realize that as their sins were laid upon the Lord, and He died for them, so His merits and righteousness are imputed to them. These things they eat, or appropriate by faith.

If, then, our Lord’s Supper took the place of the Passover Supper, yet not as a higher type – the antitype having commenced – what was it? We answer that it was a Memorial of the antitype – a remembrance for His followers of the beginning of the fulfilment of the antitypical Passover.

When our Lord instituted His Memorial Supper, called the Last Supper, it was, as above stated, a new symbol, built upon and related to the old Passover type, though not a part of it, being a commemoration, or memorial of the antitype. As we read, He “…took bread, And when he had given thanks he brake it, and said, Take, eat: this is my body, which is broken for you [this represents me, the antitypical Lamb; it represents my flesh]: this do in remembrance of me.” Our Lord’s evident intention was to fix in the minds of His followers the fact that He is the antitypical Lamb to the antitypical first-borns and household of faith. The expression, “this do in remembrance of me,” implies that this new institution should take the place with His followers of the former one, which must now become obsolete by reason of fulfilment. “After the same manner also he took the cup, when he had supped, saying, this cup is the new testament [covenant] in my blood” – the blood of the covenant – the blood which seals the New Covenant – “this do ye, as oft as ye drink it, in remembrance of me.” We would not understand this to imply the doing of it without respect to time and place, etc., but as signifying that when this cup and unleavened bread thenceforth were used as a celebration of the Passover, it should on every occasion be considered a celebration, not of the type but of the antitype. As it would not have been lawful, proper or typical to celebrate the Passover at any other time than that appointed of the Lord, likewise it is still not appropriate to celebrate the antitype at any other time than its anniversary. (1 Cor. 11:23–25)

The Apostle adds, “For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup ye do shew the Lord’s death till he come.” (1 Cor. 11:26) This shows us that the disciples clearly understood that thenceforth to all of the Lord’s followers the annual Passover celebration must have a new meaning: the broken loaf representing the Lord’s flesh, the cup representing His blood. Although this new institution was not laid upon His followers as a law, and although no penalties were attached for failure of its proper observance, nevertheless the Lord knew well that all trusting in Him and appreciating Him as the antitypical Passover Lamb would be glad to take up the Memorial which He thus suggested to them. And so it is still. Faith in the ransom continues to find its illustration in this simple memorial, “till he come” – not only until our Lord’s parousia, or presence, in the harvest or end of this age, but until during His parousia one by one His faithful ones have been gathered to Him, beyond the “Veil,” there to participate to a still fuller degree, and, as our Lord declared, partake of it “anew in the Kingdom.”

PRIMARY SIGNIFICANCE OF THE BREAD AND THE CUP

We recall the circumstances of the first Memorial – the blessing of the bread and of the cup, the fruit of the vine: and our Lord’s declaration that these represented His broken body and shed blood, and that all His followers should participate, not only feeding upon Him but being broken with Him; not only partaking of the merit of His blood, His sacrifice, but also laying down their lives in His service, in cooperating with Him in every and any manner, that they might later share His honor and glory in the Kingdom. How precious are these thoughts to those who are rightly in tune with our Lord!

In presenting to the disciples the unleavened bread as a memorial, Jesus said, “Take, eat; this is my body.” (Matt. 26:26) The evident meaning of His words is: This symbolizes or represents my body: for in no sense had His body yet been broken. In no sense would it then have been possible for them to have partaken of Him actually or antitypically, the sacrifice not being as yet finished. But the picture is complete when we recognize that the unleavened (pure, unfermented) bread represented our Lord’s sinless flesh – leaven being a symbol of sin under the Law, and especially commanded to be put away at the Passover season. On another occasion Jesus gave a lesson, which interprets to us this symbol. He said, “For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.” “…I am the bread of life...” “I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.” (John 6:33,35,51)

In order to appreciate how we are to eat, or appropriate, this living bread, it is necessary for us to understand just what the bread signifies. According to our Lord’s explanation of the matter, it was His flesh, which He sacrificed for us. It was not His prehuman existence as a spirit being that was laid down and its glory laid aside, in order that He might take our human nature. It was the fact that our Lord Jesus was “…holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners…” (Heb. 7:26) – without any contamination from Father Adam, and hence free from sin – that enabled Him to become the Redeemer of Adam and his race, that permitted Him to give His life “…a ransom for all to be testified in due time.” (1 Tim. 2:3–6)

When we see that it was the pure, spotless human nature of our Lord Jesus that was laid down on behalf of sinners, we see what it is that we are privileged to appropriate. The very thing He laid down for us we are to “eat,” appropriate to ourselves: that is to say, His perfect human life was given to redeem all the human race from condemnation to death, to enable them to return to human perfection and everlasting life, if they would: and we are to realize this and accept Him as our Savior from death. The Scriptures show us, however, that if God would consider all past sins canceled, and should recognize us as having a right to human perfection, this still would not make us perfect, nor give us the right to eternal life.

In order that any of the race of Adam might profit by the sacrifice of Jesus, it was necessary that He should rise from the tomb on the Divine plane of life, that He should ascend to the Father and deposit the sacrificial merit of His death in the hands of justice, and receive from the Father “…all power… in heaven and in earth.” (Matt. 28:18) As relates to the world it was necessary also that in the Father’s due time Jesus should come again to earth, invisibly, a glorious Divine Being, then to be to the whole world a Mediator, Prophet, Priest and King, to assist back to perfection and to harmony with God all who will avail them­selves of the wonderful privilege then to be offered.

It is this same blessing that the Gospel Church of this Age receives by faith in their Redeemer – namely, justification by faith – not justification to a spirit nature, which we never had and never lost, and which Christ did not redeem; but justification to human nature, which Father Adam possessed and lost, and which Christ redeemed by giving His own sinless flesh, His perfect human life, as our ransom sacrifice. The partaking of the un­leavened bread at the Memorial season then means to us primarily the appropriation to ourselves, by faith, of justification to human life-right – a right to human life – with all its privileges, which our Lord at His own cost prepared for us. Likewise the fruit of the vine symbolizes primarily our Savior’s life given for us, His human life, His human being, His soul, poured out unto death on our behalf (Isa. 53:12); and the appropriation of this by us also signifies, primarily our acceptance of resti­tution rights and privileges secured by our Lord’s sacrifice of these.

DEEPER SIGNIFICANCE OF THE LOAF AND THE CUP

Now let us note that God’s object in justifying the Church by faith during the Gospel Age, in advance of the justification of the world by works of obedience in the Millennial Age, is for the very purpose of permitting this class who now see and hear, who now appropriate the great sacrifice which love had made on man’s behalf, to present their bodies a living sacrifice, (Rom. 12:1) and thus to have a part with the Lord Jesus in His sacrifice – as members of His body. This deeper meaning of the Memorial He did not refer to directly. It was doubtless one of the things to which He referred when He said “I have yet many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now. Howbeit, when it, the Spirit of Truth, shall come it will guide you into all truth,… and will show you things to come.” (John 16:12,13)

This Spirit of Truth (the power and influence of The Father), bestowed through Christ and speaking through the Apostle Paul, clearly explains the very high import of the Memorial; for St. Paul says, writing to the true Church, “The cup of blessing which we bless, is it not the communion [participation] of the blood of Christ? The bread which we break, is it not the communion [participation] of the body of Christ? For we being many, are one bread, and one body...” (1 Cor. 10: 16,17)

Both views of this impressive ordinance are very important. First of all, it is essential that we should see that our justification is through our Lord’s sacrifice. It is proper then that we should realize that the entire Christ, the entire anointed company, is from the Divine standpoint, a composite body of many members, of which Jesus is the Head (1 Cor. 12:12,13), and that this Body, this Church, as a whole must be broken – that each member of it must become a copy of the Lord Jesus and must walk in the footsteps of His sacrifice. They do this by laying down their lives for the brethren, as Jesus laid down His life directly for His Jewish brethren, but really for the whole world, according to the Father’s purpose.

It is not their spiritual life that they lay down, even as it was not Jesus’ spiritual life that He laid down. As He sacrificed His actual, perfect being, His humanity, so they are to sacrifice their justified selves, reckoned perfect through Jesus’ merit, but not actually so. Likewise the loaf and the cup represent suffering. Each grain must be crushed and ground before it can become bread for man; they cannot retain their life and individuality as grains. The same with the grapes; they must be crushed to extract their juice, thus losing their identity as grapes.

Our Lord distinctly declares that the cup, the fruit of the vine, represents blood; that is, life – not life retained, but life shed, given, yielded up. He tells us that this life poured out was for the remission of sins; and that all who would be His must drink it, must accept His sacrifice and appropriate it by faith. They must receive life from this source. It will not do to declare that life is the result of obedience to the Law. It will not do that faith in some great teacher and obedience to his instruction will amount to the same thing and bring eternal life. There is no way to attain eternal life other than through the blood once shed as the ransom price for the whole world!

“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)

“TILL HE COME”

The Jews were commanded to keep the Passover each year on the 14th day of Nisan as “a memorial…throughout your generations” (Ex. 12:14), and Christians have also been commanded to “do this in remembrance” of Christ our Passover each year “till he come.” (1 Cor. 11:25-26) From this statement by St. Paul some have raised the question: Should we continue to keep the Memorial if our Lord has returned? However, when we consider that both the Little Flock and the Great Company are a part of the Church of the Firstborn, and that partaking of the bread and the wine symbolizes their participation in the merit of the Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world, then it should require no argument about them continuing to “shew the Lord’s death till he come” – until the last one has come to journey’s end. But we believe the command would apply also to those faithful ones here in the end of the Age who are not a part of the spirit-begotten Church of the Firstborn, because the merit of our Lamb has been tentatively imputed to all such – to the extent that the New Covenant cannot begin to operate toward the world until that embargo against Christ’s merit has been removed.

And, as we partake of our Lamb “in newness of life,” so we also partake of His sufferings, each according to the Class in which he finds himself. If we are rightly exercised by such experiences, we then receive “the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment” (their good character qualities – Ex. 12:35) – which they in turn lose by reason of their unjust acts against God’s faithful people. “We must through much tribulation enter into the Kingdom of God.” (Acts 14:22) The word “tribulation” is derived from the Latin “tribulum,” the threshing instrument by means of which the Roman husbandman separated the corn from the husks. Says one commentator: “Though tribulation may crush and bruise us, it separates our chaff from the wheat, so that we are prepared for the granary of Heaven. Sorrow is hard to bear, and doubt is slow to clear, but the New Testament is the most joyful book in the world because its writers have been delivered from the doubt that paralyzes the soul, and they live in the sunshine of the love of Christ. They know their affliction (tribulation) is working out for them the glory that is to be.”

Dear Brethren, if we will consider our trying experiences with Satan’s deluded servants as opportunities of obtaining Divine Truth and grace, receiving them in the Lord’s spirit, we will  thus receive the symbolic articles of gold, silver and raiment. Let us view these experiences from this standpoint and act accordingly amid them; and we will emerge from them greatly enriched spiritually. This consideration will keep us from murmuring and complaining amid such experiences and will enable us to take them joyfully. (1 Pet. 4: 12‑14)

As the Israelites fled from the Egyptians after being told to be gone the morning after the tenth plague, the morning after the Passover had been eaten, the cloudy fiery pillar set a barrier between them and the pursuing Egyptians, casting a light ahead of it to lighten the path of Israel, but working a thick darkness to the Egyptians. So during this Harvest period and especially so during this Epiphany night, the Truth (the fiery pillar) has been the means of separating the faithful from the measurably faithful and from the unfaithful. That which effects deliverance for the faithful, keeping them standing and growing in “grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ,” (2 Pet. 3:18) is the very thing that entraps the unfaithful and brings them to a fall. This is much the same picture as given in Ex. 4:9, where Moses was told to “take of the water of the river, and pour it upon the dry land: and the water which thou takest out of the river shall become blood upon the dry land.” The refreshing Harvest Truth would appear to be bloody repulsive error to those for whom it was not intended. “But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him…” (1 Cor. 2:14)

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This paper includes excerpts from the following: Studies in the Scriptures, Vol. 6, pages 457–465, and several of Brother John J. Hoefle’s writings.

With this writing comes Christian love to all God’s people wherever they may assemble. We especially offer a prayer for the Lord’s nearness and rich blessing in the preparation for, and participation in this coming service. “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us.”

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QUESTION OF GENERAL INTEREST

QUESTION – May members of the Youthful Worthies participate in the Memorial Supper, as was their custom before realizing that they belonged to this class?

ANSWER – The primary participants in the Lord’s Supper are the Little Flock.  By their participation therein they are privileged to symbolize three things: (1) the death of our Lord Jesus (1 Cor. 11:26); (2) their faith, appropriating justification through His death (Matt. 26:28); and (3) their sharing with Him in the privilege of the sacrificial death for the world (1 Cor. 10:16,17). The Little Flock will be privileged to do these three things as long as it is in the flesh. The Great Company, as such, will cease in the Memorial Supper to symbolize death with Christ, when they recognize that they are no longer dying with Him; but they will not for that reason cease partaking of the Memorial Supper for the other two purposes above mentioned. So it seems to us the case stands with the Youthful Worthies. They are not privileged in the Lord’s Supper to symbolize death with Christ; for they are not dying as a part of The Christ. But they may partake of the Lord’s Supper to symbolize His death as the Lamb of God, and to symbolize their faith, tentatively appropriating justification through His death. We have two reasons for believing that it is appropriate for the Youthful Worthies to partake of the Lord’s Supper for the first two purposes above set forth. (1) Not only the firstborns, but all Israelites by Divine command and approval (Ex. 12:25-27; Josh. 5:10; 2 Chro. 35:1-19) partook of the annual Passover, the type of the Lord’s Supper. This types that all ultimate believers ─ the Youthful Worthies, as well as all new creatures ─ may celebrate the Lord’s Supper. (2) The Apostles partook of the first Lord’s Supper while consecrated but in a tentatively justified condition. At that time their condition was very much the same as that of the Youthful Worthies, though they had a prospect of membership in the Body of Christ denied the Youthful Worthies. (By Brother Paul Johnson, E-4-page 408, bottom, 409)

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“IN THE VALLEY OF THE SHADOW”

Brother John Barham, of Tulsa, Oklahoma, finished his course late December 2013. He came into the Truth when a young man, and has been a “good soldier” in the Lord’s Army since that time, remaining faithful to the end. When such good brethren leave us we feel a deep sadness. He is now asleep in Jesus awaiting the resurrection of the Just (Acts 24:15). We mourn his passing with his family and friends

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