MISCELLANEOUS WRITINGS
Ezek. 3:18
These words were directed not to unbelievers, but to a prophet of God,
who was commanded to go and to preach.
The people to whom this prophet was commanded to go and to preach
were the Jews. We also are commanded to go, and to preach-to the Jews!
True, we live in a different dispensation. True, the gospel has gone out to
all nations. Nevertheless, the prophets' task to go and to preach to the Jews
has not been cancelled.
Our responsibility toward the Jews has by no means been diminished. We
still must go to the Jews, and preach, and warn: or their blood will be required at our hand!
THE SEEKING JEW
The Jews are a seeking people. Whatever else may be said about Jewish
life, this must be recognized, that at the heart of it there has always existed
a great hunger-the hunger after righteousness. It is true, that, lacking the
necessary element of faith, the Jews have come lamentably short of their
goal, but it can hardly be denied that they have made a decided effort to
reach it. "Israel, which followed after righteousness. . ."-one of St. Paul's
trenchant characterizations of his people-has all the tragic memory of lost
horizons clinging to it. But the horizons are there, it is only the sight of
them that has been lost, and across those horizons, Jesus the Messiah is
slowly but surely making His triumphal return to Jewish thought and life.
THE FRUIT OF THE VINE
"I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in
me that beareth not fruit He taketh away: and every branch that beareth
fruit, He purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit" (John 15:1, 2).
When one becomes a Christian, his first concern is how to please the Lord:
"What shall I do to work the works of Him who saved me?" Experience
teaches us that a Christian may be faithful, obedient and fruitful, or he may
be unfaithful, disobedient and unfruitful. There is so much church work today that parades under the name of the work of the Lord that it is possible
for people to be pressed with religious activities and still not be fruitful servants of the Lord.
In John 15:1-8, we have the Lord's teaching on the fruit of the vine. But
before entering into a discussion of it, we want to make the statement which
we hope you will keep in mind, that the fruit of the vine and the fruit of the
Spirit are two different things.
In our Scripture lesson, the Lord designated Himself as the true vine and
the Father as the husbandman. Believers in the Lord Jesus Christ constitute the branches. In verse 2, we have the two types of branches in the
Lord set forth; namely, the branch that does not bear fruit, and the branch
that does bear fruit. When it comes to a discussion of fruit-bearing, of
necessity we must declare ourselves in certain terms concerning two truths:
(1) Salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing. (2) Rewards are a just
recompense or remuneration for work done by a Christian.
Then we want to also emphasize three truths concerning the grace of God
in the salvation of a lost individual. (1) One does not have to do any good
work to be saved. (2) One does not have to do any good work to stay saved.
(3) One does not have to do any good work to show that he has been saved. If
salvation is by grace (and it is-Eph. 2:8, 9), then God considers neither our
merits nor our demerits. With what difficulty do we grasp the truth of the
grace of God! We want to see merit in those being saved and demerit in
those not being saved, when the gospel truth of salvation by grace is that
God justifies the ungodly and declares righteous the unrighteous, and is
able to do so because He is the One who made the penalty for sin and also
paid the penalty for sin. If an individual is not leading what some people call
a Christian life, it does not mean that he is not saved. We read in I Cor.
3:10-15 that it is possible for a Christian not to have a single good work to
his credit. It must ever be so, else salvation is not by grace.
Now in the study of the fruit of the vine, we read in John 15:2, "Every
branch IN ME that beareth not fruit He taketh away." This passage of
Scripture has been a source of strength to the Armenians because of their
misinterpretation. It has also been an enigma to the Calvinists because of
their failure to understand the difference between salvation and rewards.
The literal translation of this verse is, "Every branch in me that bears no
fruit He takes up. " The Greek word airo means "to lift up." It was used by
the Spirit when He spoke of Jesus lifting up His eyes and looking on the
fields. It was used of the man who lifted up his bed and walked. It was used
of the enemies of Christ who took up or lifted up stones to cast at Him. Now
let us look at it once more. "Every branch in me that bears no fruit He lifts
up. " A very slight knowledge of the natural development of the grapevine
which our Lord used as an illustration is very helpful. Often the branch will
drop down and run across the ground for 30 or 40 feet. This branch can bear
no fruit. The vine-dresser therefore lifts up the branch and places it on a
trellis so it will bear fruit. All he does is lift it up. Often when our Lord sees a
Christian bearing no fruit, He lifts him up-transfers him from one church
to another, from one town to another, or from one state to another; and
many times, having been unfruitful in one place, he becomes fruitful in
another. We find Scriptural examples of children of God not bearing fruit,
and God lifts them up. Moses became unfruitful through sin and was taken
to heaven. Elijah became unfruitful through despondency and was taken on
to heaven. In I John, we read that there is a sin unto death for Christians;
and sometimes those who are unfruitful because of sin, experience physical
death and go on to be with the Father. This means their opportunity for service with subsequent rewards is brought to an end, though their salvation is
never in question. One can ascribe to the truth of Scripture that this branch
which bears no fruit is in Christ.
As we search our own hearts we are forced, under the power of the Holy
Spirit, to acknowledge ourselves as unfruitful servants standing in the need
of confession, forgiveness and special empowering of the Holy Spirit, that
we might yet be fruitful while the Lord permits us to remain here on the
earth.
Now we come to the branch that bears fruit. We are shocked when we
come to realize that the things which we thought applied to the unfruitful
branch applies to the fruitful branch. "Every branch that beareth fruit, He
purgeth it." This means He cleanses, refines, purifies, cuts off, separates;
and all for the purpose of making it to bear more fruit. We shall never forget
our feeling when we first saw a vineyard after it had been pruned. We had
seen the same vineyard with its luxuriant branches and foliage, and after it
had been pruned, we thought it was ruined. Upon inquiry, we learned that
the vines must be pruned if they are to bring forth more fruit the next year.
Now we come to understand and appreciate one of several reasons for Christian suffering. When one boasts of no suffering, no persecution, no hardship, he is simply proclaiming to the world that he is an unfruitful branch
and is not being purged in order that he might bring forth more fruit. Study
the lives of God's true and faithful servants and you will find that it is preeminently true that every branch which bears fruit He purges it that it may
bring forth more fruit. We are sure many can call to mind individual friends
who have suffered greatly because of their fruitfulness, and it was for the
purpose of making them to bring forth more fruit.
Now the final thought, "What is the fruit of the vine?" Many think it is
the wine, while others think it is the grape juice, jelly, jam and preserves.
But if you will take a grape and hold it up to the light, you will see that
within are some dark spots. The skin of the grape holds the pulp and the
pulp holds the juice, all for the purpose of providing nourishment to the
dark spots which are seeds. The fruit of the vine is another vine. The fruit of
the Christian is another Christian. The cycle of life is not completed until
one reproduces himself; and a Christian can do that only under the leadership of the Spirit of God as he witnesses to the lost and sees them born from
above through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.
In the teaching of the story of the vine, a fruitful Christian is one who is
used of God to win others to the Lord.
It would be false to say that salvation was intended for the Jew first in
preference to the Gentiles. Paul has in mind the right of priority in time and
order because of the heritage of Israel. As to this right, God has recognized
it by making Jesus to be born of the Jews; Jesus recognized it by confining
his earthly ministry to the lost sheep of the house of Israel; by forbidding
the twelve to go into the way of the Gentiles; by commanding the apostles
to begin the world-wide evangelistic campaign at Jerusalem, the capital of
Jewry. Paul recognized the priority of Israel by going first to the synagogue
in each city to preach to the Jews, and then he went to the Gentiles of that
city. Israel has been called to the task of EVANGELIZING THE WORLD
and if she is to fulfill her calling she must herself be evangelized.
ARE ALL MEN CREATED EQUAL?
A fallacy that is common currency today is that God created all men equal.
That statement is false. After Adam fell be begot sons and daughters in his
own sinful image and likeness. Since the fall, not only has God not created
men in the flesh but no two men have been born into the world with equal
potentialities, capacities or rights. Some are born rich, some poor; some normal, some crippled; some white, some black; some intelligent, some mentally
incapacitated; some born to rule, some born to be ruled; some to be masters,
some to be slaves; some to be saved, some to be damned; some strong, some
weak; some healthy, some sickly; some ambitious, some slothful, and ad infinitum. Do not ever be guilty of saying God created all men equal.
SIGNS OF THE TIMES
Among innumerable signs pointing to the soon coming of the Lord, the
most prominent are the ones growing out of man's attempt to throw off the
authority of God and exalt man himself. We see this evidenced by: (1) man's
attempt to abolish the relationship which God established between man and
woman (Gen. 3:16; Eph. 5:22), (2) man's attempt to abolish capital punishment established by God (Gen. 9:6; Rom. 13:1-4), (3) man's attempt to curse
Shem whom God has blessed (Gen. 12:3), (4) man's attempt to bless Canaan
whom God has cursed (Gen. 9:25-27), and (5) man's attempt to build a worldwide church which is the prerogative of the anti-Christ (Rev. 17). Submitting to the Word of God, however humbling it may be to the flesh, is far better than the supernatural exaltation of the flesh, thus dishonoring the Word
of God.
MISUNDERSTOOD
"For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every
man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits,. afterward they that are Christ's
at his coming. Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the
kingdom to God, even the Father; when he shall have put down all rnle and all
authority and power. For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his
feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death" (I Cor. 15:22-26).
:
This particular passage is misunderstood and has been grossly misinterpreted in recent months in current religious periodicals. The general theme
of such interpretation has been that Christ is now ruling and reigning on His
throne and will continue there until every enemy has been put under foot. It
is thought that the church is supposed to be the one to put all enemies
under foot, and with its great program of philanthropy, social service,
education, medicine and reform will usher in the millennium, apart from
and without the personal presence of Christ.
Let us look carefully at this passage of Scripture which is set in the midst
of this great chapter on the resurrection. Bear in mind that Scripture must
be interpreted in the light of Scripture. Scripture does not contradict itself;
but prejudice, tradition, denominational jealousies, and preconceived ideas
cause many to ignore and overlook much that is in the Scripture. This particular passage is logical and analytical and does not admit of the misunderstanding that is manifested.
The subject under discussion is the resurrection; and the Holy Spirit is
setting forth the Scriptural truths that there is more than one resurrection.
Of course we see that strikes immediately at the argument that there is just
one general resurrection which takes place at the time of the end. Rev. 20
shows that the first and second resurrections are separated by a thousand
years. Acts 24:15 separates the resurrection of the dead into two resurrections - that of the just and that of the unjust. Dan. 12:1 separates the resurrections, one unto everlasting life and one unto everlasting contempt. John
5:28, 29 separates them as the resurrection unto life and the resurrection
unto damnation.
Now our passage in I Cor. 15:22-26 sets forth the following truths:
I. ALL ARE GOING TO BE MADE ALIVE. This includes both the
redeemed and the unredeemed.
II. EVERY MAN IS GOING TO BE MADE ALNE IN HIS OWN
ORDER OR COMPANY. The word order is a military term and has the
meaning of division, platoon, company. We also have order used today in a
way that brings out the same truth in this Scripture; for instance, we have
the Order of Elks, the Order of Masons, the Order of Moose, etc.,
distinguishing one group from another group. So shall it be in the resurrection - not all will be resurrected at once, but different groups raised at different times. Let us note the order of resurrections:
A. Christ the firstftuits: You will notice that "firstfruits" is plural;
therefore it includes Christ and some others. A study of Lev. 23:9-14 shows
that the offering of firstfruits was made up of several stalks of grain into a
sheaf. Matt. 27:51-53 tells us that when the veil of the temple was rent in
twain, the graves were opened and many bodies of the saints arose, BUT,
they did not come out of their graves until after Christ's resurrection
because He was first and they followed Him, and with Him apparently constituted the firstfruits. That event took place about 30 A. D.
B. They that are Christ's at His coming (I Cor. 15:23); but when we turn to
I Thess. 4:16, 17, we find there are two groups belonging to Him: (1) the
dead in Christ which arise first, and (2) we which are alive and remain,
caught up together with them in the clouds.
Now here we have two distinct groups; a hope prevalent among Christians
since the day of Christ's ascent into heaven has been to be among the living
when Christ returns. I Cor. 15:54-56 gives us the triumphant cry of the two
groups. Those who died and put on incorruption cry out in the resurrection,
"0 grave, where is thy victory?" This is because the grave could not hold
them. Those who are living and put on immortality will shout, "0 death,
where is thy sting?" This is because they did not taste of death but were
caught up alive.
Now here is where the majority of commentators get lost: "Then cometh
the end WHEN. . . " (notice that the end does not come until after WHEN).
The true meaning is that the end will come when, or after, Christ has put all
enemies under His feet, has put down all rule and authority and power, and
has destroyed death. Verse 25 tells us that He must reign until all of these
things are accomplished, THEN comes the end. The confusion comes as a
result of the mistaken idea that Christ is now ruling and reigning over the
earth. This is an error, for Satan is the God of this age, ruling and reigning
not only over the earth but over the powers of the air. See Eph. 2:2; John
14:30; II Cor. 4:4, and in particular, Matt. 4:8-10 wherein Satan as the God
of this age offers to Christ the kingdoms of this world if He will fall down
and worship him. If Satan, then, is the one who is ruling over the affairs of
men, what is Christ doing?
In Luke 19:11-12, we read that He has gone into a far country to receive a
kingdom, and after He receives it, will return. According to John 14:2, He
has gone to prepare a place for us. Heb. 7:25 tells us He is fulfilling the type
of the Aaronic priesthood, having entered into the Holy of Holies by His
own blood and is now making intercession for His own. I John 2:1, 2 shows
us that He is now our Advocate, or lawyer, who pleads our case before God,
when according to Rev. 12:10 Satan accuses the children of God.
One of the contributing factors to the misunderstanding of this entire
passage of Scripture can be attributed to the fact that such interpretation
does not distinguish between the offices of Christ as Prophet, Priest, and
King. It is imagined that these three offices are discharged simultaneously,
when according to Scripture, they are discharged consecutively. As Prophet, Christ came into the world and bore testimony to the Father. This
resulted in His death. After His death, He entered into heaven to be our
Great High Priest to plead for us before God the Father. He came as King of
the Jews and they rejected Him. He is not to be King of the church or of
Christians. He is the Head of the church and the Bridegroom of the church,
which is also called the bride. He is to rule and reign as King of the Jews. He
is not now reigning over the Jews, but the day is coming when He will
return, and as King of kings and Lord of lords reign over the Jews and bring
all the Gentiles into subjection unto Himself. Judgment and justice belong
to the administration of righteousness which will not be established until
Christ returns and establishes His kingdom. Justice and righteousness do
not prevail now. We are living in the era of grace-in a day when God
justifies the ungodly, saves the sinner and redeems the damned, simply
because He wants to and not because they merit or deserve it.
III. As stated in the paragraph immediately above, Christ must return to
the earth and reign until He has put every enemy underfoot. Psa. 2:8, 9 tells
of the day when He shall rule with a rod of iron. Rev. 19:11-21 tells of the
day when He rules with a rod of iron and treads the winepress of the
fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God. Rev. 14:14-20 tells of Christ shedding the blood of His enemies when He returns in judgment as King. Joel
3:9-16 tells of the judgment of the Gentiles when He returns. Isa. 63: 1-6 and
Rev. 19:13 tell of Christ being splattered and covered with the blood of His
enemies when He returns in judgment as King of kings. The whole tempo of
Scripture from Gen. 3:15 to Rev. 22:21 is set toward the day when Christ
triumphs over His foes, shall have conquered all His enemies, shall have put
them under His feet, and shall have established His sway. Then after the
last enemy, death, shall have been destroyed, Christ shall turn everything
back to God the Father that He may be all in all (I Cor. 15:27, 28).
Let us rejoice and give praise to God that Christ today is pleading and interceding for the saints and not executing justice upon us. Let us open our
hearts, our minds, our souls, our whole being, and receive the blessed truth
that God is now dealing with us in grace. Let us pray for the coming of the
Lord when we shall be caught out of this sin-cursed world into the presence
of Christ, because not until then will there be set in motion these events
which will culminate in the supression of every enemy of the Lord God
Almighty. Let us join together in the final prayer of the Scripture: "Even
so, come, Lord Jesus."
THE TWO WITNESSES
There have been a number of inquiries of late about the two witnesses
mentioned in Rev. 11:3-12. We have worked out this outline which might be
of help to all who are interested.
1. The mission of the witnesses is to testify in Jerusalem during the last
three and one-half years of the Times of the Gentiles (Rev. 11:3).
2. The witnesses are the same as the two olive trees and the candlesticks
described in Zech. (See Rev. 11:4; Zech. 4:2-4, 11-14.)
3. The witnesses will perform the miracles of Moses and Elijah. Fire will
devour their enemies (II Kings 1:14; Rev. 11:5). They will shut up heaven
that it rain not for three and one-half years (I Kings 18:1; Rev. 11:6). They
will turn water to blood and smite the earth with plagues (Ex. 7, 8, 9, 10;
Rev. 11:6).
4. They are immune to death until they have finished their testimony
(Rev. 11:7); but when they are killed they will remain in the streets of
Jerusalem untouched for three and one-half days. (Note that Jerusalem is
spiritually called Sodom and Egypt.)
5. While their dead bodies lie in the streets, they will be viewed by people
of all nations (Rev. 11:9). It is interesting to note that this could not have
been fulfilled until the present day of jet plane travel and television.
6. After three and one-half days, their bodies will be revived and they will
ascend into heaven in full view of all their enemies (Rev. 11:11, 12).
7. The identity of these witnesses seems to be Moses and Elijah. They perform the miracles, wonders and works of Moses and Elijah. Then there is
the transfiguration (Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30,31) where we see Moses and Elijah
talking with Christ about the death which He would accomplish in
Jerusalem. That of which they are speaking is the content of their
testimony in the streets of Jerusalem during those three and one-half years.
The Spirit of God tells us in II Pet. 1:16-21 that the transfiguration is a
preview of the coming kingdom of our Lord.
Moses and Elijah were the witnesses on the Mt. of Transfiguration and
logically must be the witnesses spoken of in Rev. 11.
WANT A BLESSING?
It is noticed in many prayers, both public and private, that the Lord is
besought for certain blessings. Ofttimes we hesitate to ask for specific
blessings and simply request the Lord to bless according to His will. It is
because we stand in the need of blessings and because we are seeking the
blessings the Lord desires to give His children that we want to call your attention to a few passages of Scripture. The Lord has enumerated many
blessings which He is anxious to bestow on us, and all we have to do is put
ourselves where these blessings can be manifested.
1. In Rev. 1:3, the Lord promises blessings upon those who read and hear
the words of this prophecy and keep those things that are written therein.
He does not say what the blessings will be; but we can rest assured that any
blessing from God is sufficient, adequate and appropriate. The meaning is
simply this: if one will read the book of the Revelation, God will bestow
blessings upon that one. Our own personal experience has been that after a
drought of warmness in fellowship with the Lord, we can turn to the book of
the Revelation and read it through daily for several days in succession, and
the Lord blesses beyond all expectation. Try reading the book of the Revelation through daily for seven days and you will see and experience the blessings of the Lord.
2. God has promised special blessings upon those who will remember and
help the poor, for He says in Provo 21:13, "Whoso stoppeth his ears at the
cry of the poor, he also shall cry himself, but shall not be heard." Here we
learn that answers to prayers at times are dependent upon our response to
the cry of the poor. Prov. 19:17 says, "He that hath pity upon the poor
lendeth unto the Lord; and that which he hath given will He pay him
again." This is a promise of God to repay whatever one gives to the poor.
Again, our personal testimony is that never once have we suffered loss from
giving to the poor; on the other hand, we have been repaid many fold in
blessings, both material and spiritual.
3. "Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, that there may be meat in
mine house; and prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, if I will not
open you the windows of heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there
shall not be room enough to receive it" (Mal. 3:10). Here is the promise of
abundant blessing upon all who give their tithes to the Lord. (Do not let the
word storehouse confuse you. There is much false teaching abroad in the
land today relative to the storehouse. Here is the truth concerning it. Lev.
27:30 tells us that all the tithe is the Lord's. The Old Testament saints carried it to the storehouse, which was the temple, because that was where and
only where they could meet God. Since the rending of the veil in twain, no
longer has a building constituted God's meeting place with His children,
but rather in this day of grace, the storehouse or meeting place is as given in
Matt. 18:20, "For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there am I in the midst of them." This place of meeting could be in a church
building, in a home or anywhere; so today, to take the tithe to the
storehouse is to put it wherever the Lord's work is being carred on.) Do you
want a blessing? Put your tithe in the Lord's work. Seek the leadership of
the Lord, and not man's, as to where to put it.
4. Possibly the greatest source of blessing is to be found in connection
with God's chosen people, Israel. God loves Israel. So many people hate
them that God has promised special blessings upon all who will prove
themselves to be a blessing to Israel.
Note in Gen. 12:3, "I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that
curseth thee. . ." This was spoken to Abraham and his posterity, the
children of Israel. There has never been a portion of Scripture that has been
more literally fulfilled than this. God's blessings, both materially and
spiritually, have followed those who have loved, prayed for, and ministered
to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. This has been true individually and
nationally. Also, God's curse has been upon every nation or individual that
has hated, mistreated, or neglected the lost sheep of the house of Israel. The
fact is that nations rise and fall according to their attitude toward and treatment of I.lrael. In Psa. 122:6, spiritual and material prosperity is offered to
those who will pray for the peace of Jerusalem. There are several things you
can do in regard to Israel that will guarantee the blessings of the Lord upon
you and your family: (a) Pray daily for the day when Israel shall be at peace
in her own land; (b) pray for the salvation of Jews with whom you may be acquainted; (c) pray for mission organizations, churches, and individuals who
are laboring for the salvation of the Jews; (d) use a part of your tithe and offerings to support those who are laboring among the Jews.
A word of caution: In the administration of your tithes and gifts, it is not
necessary to let anyone know what you are doing, for Jesus Himself said
that you are not to let your left hand know what your right hand does. Your
tithing and giving is unto the Lord-He alone needs to know. There are
those today who set themselves up as administrators of your affairs and
they would tell you where and what to give. Beloved, you are accountable to
the Lord, and no one else, in this matter of stewardship.
Want a blessing? We wonder.
LAWS NECESSITATED BY SIN
The entrance of sin into the bloodstream of the human race became the occasion for a marked change in God's dealings with man and the other living
creatures. While some of the laws came into existence in the name of a curse,
all were established as laws which are still binding upon the human race.
Man's failure to understand this, coupled with his philanthropic desires
apart from the Word of the Lord, has resulted in much confusion in the affairs of men. We are listing these laws with the prayerful hope that they will
throw light upon God's dealings with the human race, and that those who
read this may have a deeper appreciation of God's plans and purposes.
1. Gen. 3:14-A curse is pronounced upon all living creatures, and the serpent is cursed above all of them and made to go upon its belly all the days of
its life. That is one curse that will never be lifted as long as the serpent lives.
2. Gen. 3:15-The law of enmity is established between Satan and the
woman and their progeny. That will continue until Satan is cast into the
lake of fire (Rev. 20:10).
3. Gen. 3:16-Increased pain and multiplicity of conception is to be the
portion of womankind. This continues as long as woman is in the body of
flesh, and that will be until deliverance comes through the personal return
of the Lord Jesus Christ.
4. Gen. 3:16-Because of woman's part in the original sin, she shall be in
submission to her husband. Man is given the rulership over woman, and this
means she is to have neither voice nor vote in the government of man. In I
Tim. 2:11, 12, we learn also that she is not to have power or authority in
teaching man.
5. Gen. 3:16-Because of sin, the ground was cursed. It brings forth
thorns and thistles, making planting and harvesting a severe burden for
man.
6. Gen. 3:19-Man must labor, and in the sweat of his face eat his bread.
7. Gen. 3:19-Because of sin, death has entered into the world and will
continue until it is destroyed as the last e,nemy of man (I Cor. 15:25, 26).
With the new beginning established by God with Noah and his family
after the flood, we find under the covenant God established with Noah and
every living creature (Gen. 9:9, 10) certain additions to the original and fundamentallaws given to Adam and Eve. They are as follows:
8. Gen. 8:22-As long as the earth remains, there will be seasons of planting and harvesting. The earth will have cold and hot seasons called summer
and winter; and day and night will continue to follow each other. Again we
say, these will continue as long as the earth lasts, and the earth will not be
destroyed until the consummation of God's plans and purposes pertaining
to it (II Pet. 3:10, 11; Rev. 20:11).
9. Gen. 9:2-The fear of man is to be upon every beast, fowl and fish.
10. Gen. 9:3-Every living creature is to be meat for man. (See also I Tim.
4:1-3.)
11. Gen. 9:4-Man is forbidden to eat blood or flesh with blood in it.
12. Gen. 9:5, 6-Whatever animal or man is guilty of taking the life of a
man shall be executed by man (society or the governing body of society).
13. Gen. 9:7-Man is to be fruitful and multiply and fill the earth.
14. Gen. 9:25-Canaan, representing the whole Hamitic race, is to be the
servile nation. Being such they have no political rights and are to be the servants of the descendants of Shem and J apheth. This curse will not be lifted
until the establishment of Christ's kingdom upon the earth (Zech. 14:21).
15. Gen. 9:26-Spiritual blessings for all mankind are to come through
Shem and his descendants, Israel.
16. Gen. 9:27-Japheth and his descendants (Gentiles) are to be enlarged
and fill the earth.
These fundamental laws established by God, in the main, are political,
social and material. They are to be enforced as long as the earth remains.
God's children should have no part in seeking to revoke, annul or overrule
these laws of God.
THIS GOSPEL MUST BE PREACHED
For some years, the postmillennialists and a-millennialists have been using as their theme song: "And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached
in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come"
(Matt. 24:14). As they chant this verse over and over, their conclusion of the
whole matter is that Jesus Christ is not coming back until every person in
the world has heard the gospel of Christ. This false deduction is then used as
a club to beat their listeners into submission to their mission programs, forcing them to increase their gifts so more missionaries can be sent out and
every ear thus hear the gospel-that not until then will Jesus return the second time.
The advocates of the above view are willfully ignorant of this one truth;
namely, the gospel was preached to every nation and creature under heaven
in all the world before 64 A.D. The fact of the matter is, this gospel went out
to the ends of the earth to every language and people soon after the coming
of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost.
NOW, the end of the matter is this. From the day of Pentecost until today, there has been nothing to hinder the appearing of the Lord Jesus Christ
in the air for His saints. Your attention is called to three passages of Scripture testifying to the fact. that the gospel was preached to the ends of the
earth immediately upon the coming of the Spirit of God at Pentecost:
(1) Acts 2:5-" And there were dwelling at Jerusalem devout men; out of
every nation under heaven." These men from every nation under heaven
came to Jerusalem for the observance of the Feast of Pentecost according to
the requirement of the law of God: "Three times in a year shall all thy males
appear before the Lord thy God in the place which He shall choose: in the
feast of unleavened bread, and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of
tabernacles; and they shall not appear before the Lord empty" (Deut. 16:16).
The purpose was fulfilled when every man heard the gospel in his own
language on the day of the Feast of Pentecost and returned to his home with
this message. Right then and there the gospel of the Kingdom was preached
in every nation for a witness.
(2) Rom. 10:17, 18-"So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the
Word of God. But I say, Have they not heard? Yea verily, their sound went
into all the earth, and their words unto the ends of the world."As the Apostle Paul is addressing the church at Rome, the Spirit of the Lord speaks
through him and conveys the news that the word of glad tidings has gone into all the earth and unto the ends of the world. This is the second proof of
my promise that from the day of Pentecost until today, there has been
nothing in unfulfilled prophecy to be fulfilled before the coming of the Lord.
(3) Col. 1:23-"lfye continue in the faith grounded and settled, and be not
moved away from the hope of the gospel, which ye have heard, and which
was preached to every creature which is under heaven; whereof I Paul am
made a minister. . ." This verse is of great interest because Mark 16:15
says, "Go ye unto all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature."
The word creature is the same as used in Col. 1:23.
Please note this conclusion-our Lord said in Mark 16:15 to preach the
gospel to every creature in all the world. In Col. 1:23, the Spirit of God says
through Paul that the gospel has been preached to every creature under
heaven; so, the coming of the Lord is not waiting on the gospel being
preached in all the world, for that was done within the range of experience
on the day of Pentecost ten days after the ascension of our Lord. The
disciples were required by the Lord to remain in the upper room ten days
between His ascension and the descent of the Holy Spirit. There was no
preaching, no witnessing and no missionary effort at all in these ten days.
But when the day of Pentecost was fully come, the gospel was preached on
that day in every language to all nations.
Now I want to show what men are doing by interposing their mission programs between us and the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ. I quote: "But,
and if that evil servant shall say in his heart, My Lord delayeth His coming
. . ." (Matt. 24:48). "But, and if that servant say in his heart, My Lord
delayeth His coming. . ." (Luke 12:45a). These two verses taken together
say that the Lord calls anyone who interposes any event or movement or
prerequisite before His coming, an evil servant. The postmillennialist
qualifies as an evil servant because he says the Lord delays His coming until after the millennium. The post-tribulation premillennialist qualifies as an
evil servant because he says the Lord delays His coming until after the middle of the Tribulation which is the middle of Daniel's Seventieth Week.
Many missionary leaders qualify as evil servants because they say the Lord
is not coming again until their mission program has been completed.
There is just one group of people who, in theological terms, can have the
opportunity to qualify as faithful servants, and that is the group who, in the
light of the above, would be called pre-tribulation premillennialists. This
term describes those people who believe that the rapture takes place before
the Tribulation according to the teaching of the Lord, and that this event
can take place at any moment.
Your attention is called to the following Scriptures to show that the Lord
commanded and expected us to hope, pray, watch and wait for His Son from
heaven, and that we are not to be watching for the Great Tribulation, the
millennium, world evangelization, or the anti-christ-but for the Lord Jesus
Christ in His second coming: Matt. 24:37, 40-42, 44, 50; 25:6, 13; Mark
13:34-37; I Thess. 1:9, 10.
In these last two verses, there is set forth in no uncertain terms the order
as prescrihed by the Lord: (1) they turned to God from idols; (2) they served
the living and true God; (3) they waited for His Son from heaven (not the
Tribulation, not the anti-christ, nor world evangelization-but His Son). All
of this was because (4) we have been delivered from the wrath to come (the
Great Tribulation).
WANTED: A MARTIN LUTHER
Approximately speaking, from about 500 A.D. until 1500 A.D., there was
a period of time commonly referred to as the DARK AGES. There were
many contributing factors which combined to produce this era. One was the
surrendering on the part of the church of the Blessed Hope. The Christians
ceased to look for the second coming of Christ and settled down in the
world, adopted its philosophy and attempted to establish a world civilization which, in effect, was simply leaving God out of all its plans and purposes. In the light of history, our conviction is that the primary factor in
producing the Dark Ages was the taking away of the Bible from the people
and putting it into the hands of the denominational leaders, which at that
time was the Church of Rome. It usurped the authority of the Word of God
and the Bible became a closed book. Only the Roman priest had access to it.
The people were forbidden to read it, and the heresy known as the "infallibility of the Pope" was adopted by the Roman Church. This was used to
brainwash the people with the idea that only the Pope could understand and
interpret the Bible.
With the coming of Martin Luther, the Bible became an open book, and
with the invention of the printing press, the common people had access to it.
When they started reading it, they began to leave the Church of Rome, and
the Word of God dispelled the gross darkness of Roman superstition in
which they had been engulfed. John 8:32 says, "And ye shall know the
truth, and the truth shall make you free." This was demonstrated as true.
Rome sought to suppress the reading of the Bible; they chained it to the
pulpits; they burned all they could get their hands on; they burned the
translators at the stake as well as the printers. Today, Rome still hates the
Bible, and everywhere they can possibly do so, keep it from the people. In a
word, the main pillar of strength of the Roman Catholic Church is keeping
its constituency in total ignorance of God's Word.
With the release of the Bible from Rome and its free access to the common
people, there was what is known in history as the REFORMATION. Out of
this movement came innumerable groups of people who met in homes and
other places and worshipped God according to the dictates of their own consciences, under the leadership of the Holy Spirit of God.
But, with the passage of time, there has again developed the same situation which existed before the Reformation; and if one like Martin Luther
does not arise, we are headed for another era like the Dark Ages. God's
Word is light, and only where it is disseminated, only where the common
people have access to it, only where it is preached from the pulpits and
taught in the schools, in these places will light dispel the darkness which
envelopes the world.
What is the situation today? Once again denominationalism (Not just
Rome) and kindred groups who claim not to have been a part of the Protestant movement are seeking to keep the Bible from the people. Great ecclesiastical hierocracies have been developed under the guise of denominationalism. The principal purpose of each denominational program is not to
tell the story of Jesus; it is not to teach the Word of God; it is not the
evangelization of the world, but it is the propagation and perpetuation of its
own denominational life and program. They discourage the study of the
Bible in Sunday School classes, forcing rather the study of propaganda
sheets and literature published by the denomination. In fact, today as never
before, Matthew 15:1-3 and Mark 7:7 are being fulfilled: "Then came to
Jesus scribes and Pharisees, which were of Jerusalem, saying, Why do thy
disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? for they wash not their
hands when they eat bread. But He answered and said unto them, Why do
ye also transgress the commandment of God by your tradition? Howbeit in
vain do they worship Me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of
men."
Today, the leading denominations of the world refuse to recognize any
church or Sunday School that teaches the Bible instead of the traditions of
men, which, in short, is the denominational literature. Today, a man can go
through a denominational school, graduate from the denominational
seminary, and become a pastor of a great denominational church without a
conversant knowledge of the English Bible. The fact of the matter is, the
denominational program has its ministers so involved that they have no
time for the study and the ministry of the Word of God.
After prayerful consideration, observation and experience, we would say
advisedly that the source of strength of the great so-called Protestant
denominations today is the same as that of the Roman Church-namely,
keeping the common people in ignorance of the Word of God. They claim to
be teaching it, but instead they are teaching their leaders' interpretations
and not the Word itself.
If another Martin Luther does not appear on the scene to rebuke the
denominations and urge them to give the Bible again to the common people
and restore it to its rightful place in the pulpits, encouraging the men of God
to preach the Word of God, then the Dark Ages into which we will lapse will
eclipse the first one.
In closing, here is a statement made by Dr. John R. Sampey, late president of the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and whose classes we
were privileged to attend: "Young men, when you get out in the pastorate
and begin to visit among your members, you will go into the homes of some
aged saints of God. As you sit and talk with them, you will be impressed
with their knowledge of God's Word. When you ask them where they attended Bible School or if they took a Bible correspondence course, you will
receive a negative answer; and finally, you will ask them outright: 'Where
did you learn the Bible?' Then, they will tell you they learned it on their
knees before God, the only place where it can be learned." This, from the
president of a great seminary!
The Protestant Church is no more the authority for individual Christians
than is the Catholic Church. The sole authority for an individual Christian is
the Word of God under the leadership of the Spirit of God. May He have
mercy on the preachers, teachers, churches and denominations that dare to
place themselves between the lowliest Christian and the Word of the Lord!
LOOKING FOR HIM
"And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment: so
Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for
Him shall He appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Deb. 9:27,
28).
Many there are who believe in the second coming of the Lord Jesus
Christ, but not many are looking for Him. We believe the following
characteristics distinguish those who are looking for their Lord:
1. There is an abiding faith in and an absolute hope of joy in His imminent
return, based on a firm belief in the Word of God. "Let not your heart be troubled: ye believe in God, believe also in me. In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you.
And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto
myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. And whither I go ye know, and
the way ye know" (John 14:1-4). "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 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" (Deb. 3:5, 6).
2. There is manifested a real love for His appearing. "Henceforth there is
laid up for me 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" (II Tim. 4:8). Loving His appearing becomes so much a part
of one that it is the chief topic of conversation and the motivating principle
of the daily walk.
3. There is such an ardent longing and such an earnest desire for Him and
His presence that one constantly cries out, "Even so, come, Lord Jesus"
(Rev. 22:20).
4. There is a confident, patient waiting for Him, uninfluenced by failures,
disappointments, and all manner of discouragements by unbelieving
friends. "Be patient therefore, brethren, unto the coming of the Lord. Behold,
the husbandman waiteth for the precious fruit of the earth, and hath long patience for it, until he receive the early and latter rain. Be ye also patient;
stablish your hearts: for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh"(James 5:7, 8).
5. So sure is one of His soon return that he makes personal preparation for
it and is ever ready. "And thus shall ye eat it; with your loins girded, your
shoes on your feet, and your staff in your hand; and ye shall eat it in haste; it is
the Lord's passover" (Ex. 12:11). "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom
came; and they that were ready went in with Him to the marriage: and the door
was shut" (Matt. 25:10). "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to Him: for
the marriage of the Lamb is come, and His wife hath made herself ready. And
to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for
the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (Rev. 19:7, 8).
"UNTO THEM THAT LOOK FOR HIM. . ."
THREE BAPTISMS
Matt. 3:11-"1 indeed am baptizing you in water for repentance; but He
who is corning after me is mightier than I: His sandals I am not worthy to
carry; He will baptize you in the Holy Spirit and in fire."-(Weymouth)
Here John speaks of baptizing in water. He tells us that when Jesus
comes He will baptize in the Holy Spirit and in fire. In considering baptism,
keep in mind the one who officiates, the one who is baptized, and the element into which one is baptized. Concerning John's baptism, which also is
similar to Christian baptism, John was the baptizer, repentant sinners were
the ones who were baptized, and they were baptized in water.
So-called Spirit baptism finds Jesus doing the baptizing, believers are the
ones baptized, and the Holy Spirit is the element into which they are baptized. I Cor. 12: 13 is a little confusing because of the mistranslation of the
preposition "en." In the King James, it is translated "by," but the Greek
translation is "in." This makes the statement read, "For in one Spirit are we
all baptized into one body." The Holy Spirit baptizes no one. On the other
hand, all believers are baptized by Jesus Christ into the Holy Spirit, and
since all believers are baptized by Christ into the Holy Spirit, they are one
body.
John said that not only would Jesus Christ baptize in the Holy Spirit but
He would also baptize in fire. This takes place at the end of the age, very
likely in connection with the judgment seat of Christ. I Cor. 3:12-15, tells of
the trial of a Christian's works by fire. The literal translation of the salvation of a man whose works are destroyed as described in the fifteenth verse
is, "yet so as through fire." Our Lord, speaking in Mark 9:49, calls attention
to the fact that all Christians shall be salted with fire, that is, shall be
purified, refined, or sterilized. Rev. 2: 11 promises that the overcomer shall
not be hurt of the second death, which is some aspect of fire.
Do not confuse this baptism in fire with purgatory, because it has to do
only with Christians after the rapture of the saints.
These things are mentioned in the hope of stimulating a deeper study of
the three baptisms of Scripture: baptism in water, baptism in the Holy
Spirit, and baptism in fire.
THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT
In the gospel of Matthew, there are three extended discourses by our
Lord: THE SERMON ON THE MOUNT in Chapters 5, 6 and 7, THE
MYSTERIES OF THE KINGDOM in Chapter 13, and THE OLIVET
DISCOURSE in Chapters 24 and 25. Since there are nearly as many different interpretations of the Word as there are interpreters, and since so
many modern interpreters have delivered these three discourses over to the
Jews, it seemed good to me, the Lord willing, to set forth in order why I
think the Scripture teaches that these three discourses have a relationship
to the Christians of the church age. Matthew 5:1,2 states explicitly that the
Sermon on the Mount was spoken to His disciples. There is a vast difference
in the general use of the word disciples as used here and as used in Matt.
10:1 where His commands were given to His TWELVE disciples. I was not
one of the twelve. Therefore, Matthew 10 was not spoken to me. But I am
one of His disciples, and Matthew 5, 6 and 7, THEREFORE, was written to
me as well as to all of His disciples.
So many with whom I am acquainted try to make the Sermon on the
Mount to be the Laws of the Kingdom, to be those statutes which will
prevail during the Millennial reign of Christ. I want to show in this discussion that the conditions which will prevail during the Millennium are not
the same conditions for which the Sermon on the Mount was written.
1. Evil is dominant in the period for which the Sermon on the Mount was
given-Matt. 5:6 shows that a premium is placed on hungering and
thirsting after righteousness.
2. Strife and discord are prevalent-in verse 9, peacemakers are to be
especially blessed.
3. Corruption is widespread-in verse 13, the disciples are called the salt
of the earth, preventing the entire corruption of the age.
4. Moral darkness covers the earth-in verse 14, Christians are
designated the light of the world.
5. The love of money is everywhere present-chapter 6:19-24 reveals that
the disciples are torn between love for mammon and love for God.
6. Theft, adultery and divorce are everywhere present-the Sermon on the
Mount in Matt. 5:28, 31 and 6:20 warns the disciples against such indulgences.
7. False prophets are abroad in the land-in Matt. 7:15-20, the disciples
are warned against them.
8. Food, clothing and shelter occupy the time and attention of most of the
disciples-our Lord urges the disciples to seek the Kingdom of God and His
righteousness first.
9. The Kingdom is not present-in Matt. 6:33, Jesus urges His disciples to
seek the Kingdom, and in Matt. 6:10, He urges them to pray for His coming
Kingdom.
10. Ambition, jealousy and pride predominate-in chapter 5:3, special
blessings are offered to the poor in spirit.
11. Persecution will be very much in evidence-chapter 5:11,12 states the
disciples will be blessed if they are persecuted.
12. Wrong doing is present-in chapter 6:14, the disciples are urged to
forgive.
13. Christ is hated-in chapter 5:11, the disciples are to be persecuted
because others hate Christ.
14. Satan is still at liberty-free-in chapter 6:13 (ASVI, disciples are to
pray to be delivered from the EVIL ONE.
15. The Lord is absent-in chapter 6:16. the disciples are to fast, and they
do not do that when the Lord is present.
16. The poor are still in evidence-in chapter 6: 1. instructions are given to
the disciples as to how to minister to the poor.
17. The Kingdom is not yet established-the whole of the Sermon on the
Mount is filled with FUTURE heavenly hopes and FUTURE heavenly
rewards which will all be PRESENT when the Kingdom is established.
The Sermon on the Mount is written to those who hope to enter into the
Kingdom of the heavens and share the honor and glories with the Lord when
He shall rule and reign for a thousand years.
The Sermon on the Mount is, in fact, rules and regulations to be observed
by all who would inherit the Kingdom. Matthew 6:33 is the key verse of
chapters 5. 6 and 7. Seeking the righteousness of God and to enter into the
Kingdom are cause and effect. Those who seek to attain the righteousness
of God through obedience to the precepts of the Sermon on the Mount shall
inherit the coming Kingdom. In fact. the whole of the gospel of Matthew is
written for prospective residents of the Kingdom, of which the local church
may be described as the nursery.
"Things Commanded" (Matt. 28:201 include the Sermon on the Mount.
ACQUIRING AND USING KNOWLEDGE
There are three ways in which an individual can glean from the writings of
others as manifested in the habits of three different insects:
1. The grasshopper: This insect never seeks food until it is hungry and
then takes only what it needs. This is typical of the individual who never
seeks any information until he needs it and then seeks only that.
2. The ant: This one not only seeks food to satisfy its present hunger but
also stores up vast supplies to be used during the winter months. A such
like reader not only seeks the information he needs but develops a good file
and index system and stores an abundance of material for future reference.
3. The bee: This insect gathers from all the flowers nectar which passes
through its own system and comes out honey which is used not only to
satisfy present hunger but also that of future generations. Such a reader
gleaning from all sources allows such knowledge to pass into and through
his own system of thinking. and as the Holy Spirit leads, such knowledge
comes out at the time and in the precise way to be a blessing to others.
Of course, the last is preferred.
KING OF THE JEWS
I want you to study the following passage of Scripture very carefully and
determine whether it is spiritual or literal. Luke 1:30-33: "And the angel said
unto her, Fear not, Mary: for thou hast found favour with God. And, behold:
(1) thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son;
(2) and shall call his name JESUS;
(3) He shall be great;
(4) and shall be called the Son of the Highest;
(5) and the Lord God shall give unto Him the throne of His father David;
(6) and He shall reign over the house of Jacob forever;
(7) and of His Kingdom there shall be no end."
"To the ungodly, God presents eternal life as His gift. Believe in the
finished work of Jesus for you, and you are saved in Christ. Rejoice. But
when you become a believer, and already possess eternal life, there is a prize
set before you, to be sought for by diligence and effort. You are elected to
eternal salvation. But a place in the glory of the thousand years of Christ's
earthly reign is a reward to be granted by Christ according to works."
MILLENNIUM
MILLENNIUM-This word is a combination of two Latin words: mille
meaning thousand, and annum meaning year-a thousand years. This expression does not appear in the Bible and I think perhaps the doctrine of the
Kingdom has suffered greatly by the use of the word Millennium instead of
the words the kingdom of heaven, which mean, "the rule of the heavens over
the earth."
THE ANTI-CHRIST
I John 4:3-"Every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in
the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of anti-christ, whereof ye have
heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world."
II John 7-"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess
not that Jesus Christ cometh in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist." (R.V.)
Two forms of The Greek verb "to come" are used in these references to the
Lord's "coming in the flesh."
"Eleluthota" is the perfect tense and means "has come" (I John 4:2,3).
"Erchomenon" is the present participle and means "is coming" (II John
7).
The one denies that HE HAS COME in the flesh, the other denies that
HE IS COMING AGAIN in the flesh, and both attitudes are
characteristics of the anti-christ."
CALL UPON ME
.. And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and thou shalt
glorify me" (psalm 50:15).
Early in my ministry this verse of Scripture came to be peculiarly mine in
that many were the times that I claimed the promise. I would call upon the
Lord, He would deliver me and I would give Him the glory. Eventually,
there came those days when I would call upon the Lord and deliverance was
not forthcoming. Such experiences called for heart searching as I tried to
learn why my prayers were unanswered. On one occasion, I went back to
this Psalm and began to study it and the Lord directed my attention to the
verse immediately preceding, which is as follows: "Offer unto God
thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the most High." I remembered from
Phil. 4:6 that thanksgiving was to be an integral part of prayer; but the
shocking part of the verse was the command "Pay thy vows unto the most
High."
Like many other Christians, I have been guilty of making vows unto the
Lord in the hope of appeasing Him, or compromising after a fashion. As I
would seek to bargain with the Lord, I would promise Him something on
the condition that He would do certain things, little realizing exactly what I
was doing. I have made vows unto the Lord and forgotten some of them
even for years, only to have them suddenly brought to my attention.
I want to say that it is not pleasing unto the Lord, according to the New
Testament, for Christians to make vows. The Old Testament states that it
is better never to make a vow than to make a vow and not keep it. But
through experience and personal contact, I have come to appreciate the fact
that many prayers are not answered because of vows which have not been
kept.
Notice the order in verses 14 and 15. First, offer unto God thanksgiving.
Second, pay thy vows unto the most High. Third, call upon the Lord in the
day of trouble. Fourth, the Lord will deliver. And last, thou shalt glorify
Him.
When we come into the presence of the Lord to make known our request,
there should be humble thanksgiving offered unto the Lord for His manifold
blessings: life, salvation, providential care-which includes food, clothing,
shelter-and the many precious promises that are given. Ingratitude is a
too common sin among many Christians. In II Tim. 3, Paul tells us that one
of the major sins in the last days will be the sin of unthankfulness. I have
the privilege of dining with many Christians and I am constantly amazed at
the large number who begin to partake of the Lord's bounty at the table
without giving thanks. We should pause many times daily and thank the
Lord for manifest blessings.
Then pay thy vows unto the Lord. I have been with many Christians in time
of death, adversity and have heard many make vows unto the Lord. For instance, one vows to attend church and Sunday school regularly if the Lord
will spare his life and raise him up from the sickbed; another vows to pay his
tithes unto the Lord if the Lord will do certain things; another vows to give
up some bad habits if the Lord will raise his child from its deathbed; another
vows to give two tenths to the Lord if He will prosper a certain business
venture. I could go on indefinitely, telling of vows which individuals have
made in my presence of what they would do if the Lord would do certain
things. I have seen the Lord do the things asked and the individuals
straightway forget their vows, The carelessness of people in regard to the
vows which have been made unto the Lord!
The Lord says pay thy vows and then-not until then-call upon Him in
the day of trouble. Perhaps, one reading this article just now is conscious only of unanswered prayer. Search your heart under the leadership of the
Spirit of God and see if there be unfulfilled vows on your part, The promise
of God is unequivocal. You pay your vows, then call upon Him. He says He
will answer-which means He will hear your prayer, He will grant your request, He will give you the desires of your heart; and then He wants you to
give Him the glory. I have had more than one individual ask me to come and
pray with them concerning illness, surgery, financial difficulties; and when
the Lord heard and answered the prayer, the glory was given to the doctors,
the hospital, to their contacts or their own business judgment, but never a
thought of giving the Lord the praise, honor and glory.
Any of you who are desirous of a closer walk with the Lord, a more blessed
and personal fellowship and answered prayers, read with me once again
these two verses: "Offer unto God thanksgiving; and pay thy vows unto the
most High; And call upon me in the day of trouble: I will deliver thee, and
thou shalt glorify me,"
THE WORLD AND ITS GOD
The world or world system under which we live today, and have since the
fall of man in the Garden of Eden, is that system in which man seeks
primarily the well-being of humanity (himself), This is done by seeking to
achieve the best possible results by educational, economic, social and even
religious advancement APART FROM GOD. Man is seeking to organize
and establish the best world possible and to achieve the best possible living
conditions that can be attained without God.
The spiritual leader, organizer and director of this great world system is
Satan himself (Luke 4:5, 6). Herein, he declares that the Kingdoms of this
world are his and that he can give them to whomsoever he wills. Satan attracted Eve and caused her to embark upon a career for PROGRESS, that
is, SELF-IMPROVEMENT THROUGH THE PURSUIT AND ACQUISITION OF KNOWLEDGE. The only thing which stood in the way of Adam
and Eve's doing the will of Satan was a direct command of God to the contrary. Eve did then what man has done ever since-set himself as judge over
God by questioning and then passing judgment upon the expediency of the
divine command. Man presumed to criticize the Word of God. Man, by his
ignoring God and His Word, has developed a very complete and great
system according to his own way of thinking. This world system, with
Satan as its founder and ruler, has become the god of this age. This satanic
world system, accepted by Adam and Eve and by the majority of people in the
world today, has the following characteristics:
1. This world system has its own philosophy, which is man's account of the
origin, course and end of all that is. However, this philosophy changes from
time to time and thereby proves its own falseness. Man does not know, nor
can he know apart from God the origin, course and end of the universe or its
contents.
2. This world system has developed its own science. The supernatural is
eliminated completely and all that exists is rationalized; that is, explained
away. Man denies the existence of God; therefore, God could not become
man. However, man can become like God; therefore, man is God.
3. This world system has established its own government. Denying the
existence and authority of the Lord God Almighty, man exalts himself to be
the head and authoritative source of all power. Man elects himself - makes
his own laws and attempts to govern self. The lowest form of government
conceivable to the mind of man is a democracy wherein man assumes to be
his own governor. Man will not, therefore, cannot govern himself.
4. This great world system has provided itself with "amusements." The word
"muse" means "to think," and the prefix "a" negates that to which it is affixed.
Thus muse (to think) becomes amuse (not to think). The multiplicity of
amusements is evidence enough of the fact that man is determined not to
think about his origin or goals, about God and his relationship to Him, about
eternal hell and his part in that. The tragedy of tragedies is to be found in the
fact that the church of the living God, which is God's institution on the earth
for teaching eternal verities, has abandoned its God-given task and has gone
into the amusement (nonthinking) business. The average church of today will
not even permit its minister the privilege of thinking.
5. This great world system has developed and established its own religion.
In this religion, the conscience of man is soothed, his fears of judgment are
removed and he lives in perfect peace and harmony with the world, the flesh
and the devil. In this religion, there is no hell, neither is there any heaven.
Hell and heaven are but emotions of the individual and are simply an inner
experience. Man has trained and educated his conscience to the point that he
no longer experiences a sense of guilt when he acts contrary to the Word of
God. This world system seems to have for its goal the eradication of any and
every thought of God from the minds of man and the destruction and
abolition of the Word of God as the authoritative Word of God.
This world system seeks to free women from the position and relationship
to man established by God. This world system seeks to do away with the national and racial differences established by God. This world system seeks to
abolish capital punishment which was established by God as the basis of all
civil government.
The only antidote for this world system, which is gaining adherents without
number, is a return to the Lord God Almighty and His Word, the Holy Bible.
Isaiah 45:22: "Look unto Me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I
am God, and there is none else." Matthew 4:4: "But He answered and said, It
is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that
proceedeth out of the mouth of God."
REVELATION IGNORED
The Book of The Revelation belongs to a small but ever increasing
number of books of the Bible that are being set aside as unworthy of serious
attention on the part of Bible students. Why is this especially true with the
Book of Revelation? Why is it so lightly esteemed? Why is it sorely assailed
as unintelligible? I think the answer to these questions is to be found in the
fact that the teachings of Revelation oppose themselves to human thought.
In the first place, the Book of The Revelation deals with the supernatural-not the supernatural that belongs to the past but the supernatural
that belongs to the future; and we might say in the light of the signs of the
times, the immediate future. Christianity has degenerated in our country into a code of ethics, with the supernatural practically eliminated. So far as I
have been able to ascertain, the majority of Christians today are SADDUCEES; that is, they believe neither in angels nor the resurrection nor the
supernatural.
Secondly, the Book of The Revelation describes the true church of the
Lord Jesus Christ in a manner that is unbearable to the human mind. It also
reveals the nominal church and (;he world as they are before God, with the
judgments of God upon them impending. Such truth is always repulsive to
man, who imagines himself to be eternal and infallible.
Thirdly, the Book of The Revelation is made up in the main of a description of these horrible judgments upon the nominal church and the world at
the appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. These appalling threats
of judgment do not commend themselves to man as worthy of any consideration on his part.
Fourthly, the Book of The Revelation contains a description of the
heavenly Jerusalem, that mighty metropolis, that center of the new heavens
and the new earth, built by God and not by man. Again, we find man totally
disinterested on the whole in the handiwork of the Lord God.
In brief, The Revelation is discarded and ignored by the majority of Christians today because it shows up man and reveals God in their true light.
Believe the promise of God in Revelation 1:3.
NOBLE BEREANS
"And the brethren immediately sent away Paul and Silas by night unto
Berea: who coming thither went into the synagogue of the Jews. These were
more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all
readiness of mind, and searched the Scriptures daily, whether those things
were so" (Acts 17:10, 11).
Paul had just left Thessalonica where a church had been established
which he called the model church (I Thess. 1:7, 8). I was a little surprised to
read that the Bereans where called more noble than the Thessalonians. A
close study of the 11th verse which is quoted above will reveal wherein their
nobility was found.
In the first place, they rendered very candid attention to the new truths
which Paul was preaching. This is an exercise that befits finite minds. Since
there are realms of truth beyond all finite minds, it behooves man to be
docile and tractable. Man knows so little-and even that imperfectly-that
he does well to give heed when one speaks as from the Lord. These Bereans
were open-minded. This is a characteristic very rare among men, for
somehow or other man grows up with preconceived ideas and concepts that
blind him to all that does not blend with his own ideas. Nothing is more
repugnant to him than a teaching pulpit. It is nobility of the highest order
to be able to listen honestly to new truths.
In the second place, these Bereans gave a proper examination to the new
doctrines enunciated by Paul. They were not as most listeners-passive
listeners from whom the truth would flee in a few hours. They set to work to
examine the Scriptures. They examined these Scriptures independently.
They were not swayed by the authority of others. They took the scrolls in
their own hands, unrolled them, read, studied, meditated, sought meaning
with a willingness to believe the truth. Perhaps our great failure is not searching the Scriptures for ourselves. They examined the Scriptures perseveringly, they examined the Scriptures daily. Proverbs 2:1-5 tells how one is to
search the Scriptures if one is to know the will of the Lord. The Bereans
yielded to the new truths. Many believed the things which were taught by
the Apostle Paul. Their faith was an intelligent faith. It was the result of investigating the Scriptures. It gave them living conviction.
"Howbeit when He, the Spirit of truth, is come, He will guide you unto all
truth: for He shall not speak of Himself; but whatsoever He shall hear, that
shall He speak: and He will shew you things to come" (John 16:13). Here we
read that the Spirit will guide-not drive nor force-but guide into all truth.
Three groups of people need a guide-the blind, the weak and strangers.
Those who are spiritually blind need the Spirit of the Lord to guide them
into truth. Those who are weak in the faith need the Spirit of the Lord to
hold and lead them into the truth. Those who are strangers to the things of
God need the Spirit of the Lord to lead them into the paths of learning.
Herein I believe you will find some of the things which distinguished the
Bereans as being more noble than the Thessalonians.
DISCERNMENT
Only those who are clean can discern the truth of the Word of the Lord.
Cleanness is set forth in the Word of God as correspondence between the
hoof and the mouth. Only the animals with cloven hoofs and that chewed
the cud were clean. The cloven hoof speaks of the walk. The chewing of the
cud speaks of mastication and digestion, which is meditation. Only as a
Christian walks in righteousness and meditates upon the Word of God can
he discern Its truth.
EXCEPT
Three "Except's" concerning entrance into the Kingdom.
1. "Except a man be born of water and the Spirit, he cannot enter into the
kingdom of God. " -John 3:5
2. "Except ye turn, and become as little children, ye shall in no wise enter
into the kingdom of heaven." -Matthew 18:3
3. "Except your righteousness shall exceed the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees, ye shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven."
-Matthew 5:20
FRIENDS OF MAMMON
In Luke 16:1-13, we have our Lord's parable of the unjust steward. This
parable has proved an enigma to many students of the Word because of the
King James translation of the 9th verse: "And I say unto you, Make to
yourselves friends of the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when ye fail,
they may receive you into everlasting habitations." This is an incorrect
translation and obscures the true meaning. The better translation is the
following: "And I say unto you, Make to yourselves friends BY MEANS
OF the mammon of unrighteousness; that, when it shall fail, they may
receive you into the eternal tabernacles."
The mammon of unrighteousness is nothing in the world but money. Contrary to many students of the Word, money is not the root of all evil. It is
the LOVE of money which is the root of all evil. This unjust steward had
squandered and dissipated his master's property for reasons other than his
master's benefit. The steward was punished by being removed from office
and his task given to another. The steward then began conniving with just
debtors of his master by reducing their bills considerably under their true
value. In this way, he made friends with many who, when he would be out of
work, could take care of him. The lord or master (not Jesus) of the unjust
steward commended the evil conduct of the steward in that the steward,
seeing his loss of income, began to make provision for the future, though in
an illegal way.
In verse 9, Jesus says to His disciples, "Make friends to yourselves by
means of the mammon of unrighteousness (money)." The mammon of
unrighteousness (money) provides food, clothing, shelter, friends, position
and honor while one is here on the earth. Christians who have a heavenly
hope will not need food, clothing, shelter, etc., in heaven; so the Lord Jesus
Christ urges the Christians to use their money here and now to gain
rewards, prestige, positions of honor in the coming kingdom of our Lord.
See Matthew 6:19-24 and Galatians 6:6-9.
Let us now consider the Jewish aspect of this parable, which more than
likely is the fundamental basis of interpretation. This steward may well be a
type of the nation of Israel into whose hands our Lord entrusted His
business - the oracles of God, the Messiah and world-wide witness. Israel
refused to use the blessings of the Lord for the honor and glory of the Lord,
seeking only her own wealth and comfort here on the earth. Because of
Israel's disobedience to the Lord, He sets her aside as His steward and
delivers the responsibility to the Gentiles. Matthew 21:43: "Therefore say I
unto you, the kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation
bringing forth the fruits thereof."
Because Israel cannot dig or work in the soil (outside of the Land she is
not an agricultural people), neither can Israel beg (because of her pride and
neither is it necessary); therefore, the Jews - outside of the land, set aside
as God's steward - devote themselves by hook and crook to provide for the
necessities and luxuries of life enumerated above, by the use of money.
Since the Lord has entrusted His goods to the Gentiles who will bring
forth the fruits thereof, they are exhorted to so handle the Lord's business as
to secure rewards and treasures which will benefit them in the life to come.
If the Jews are shrewd enough to use the mammon of unrighteousness
(money) for their benefit here on the earth, Christians in their own
generation should be wise enough to use their mammon of unrighteousness
(money) to earn rewards which will be enjoyed during the millennial reign
of Christ.
What Jesus said to His disciples was this: Make to yourselves friends by the
means of the money God has placed in your trust, so that when our Lord
appears you will not be made ashamed from Him.
ANOTHER GOSPEL
In II Cor. 11:4, Paul calls attention to the fact that the Corinthians had
been receiving another gospel concerning another Jesus than that which he
had been preaching. In Gal. 1:6-9, Paul admonishes the Galatians not to
believe any other gospel than that which he had preached. Because of these
and similar statements, many are confused and do not understand various
aspects of the gospel described by the following titles: The gospel of the
kingdom; the gospel of the grace of God; Paul's gospel; the gospel of the
glory of Jesus Christ; and the everlasting gospel.
Some think that these are all different gospels; others think that they all
refer to the same thing. The fact of the matter is, there is but one gospel.
The word gospel itself means good news. There are different aspects of the
gospel; that is, there are different emphases set forth in these descriptive
titles mentioned above. We will consider each in the order listed.
1. The gospel of the kingdom of the heavens: John the Baptist came
preaching in the wilderness, saying, "Repent ye, for the kingdom of the
heavens is at hand." (The word heaven in connection with the kingdom in
Matthew is always in the plural.) In Matt. 4:17, we learn that Jesus began to
preach the same gospel. In Matt. 9:35, we read the following: "And Jesus
went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and
preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every
disease among the people." In Mark 1:14, 15, we read that Jesus preached
the gospel of the kingdom of God, announcing that "the kingdom of God is
at hand; therefore, repent ye, and believe the gospel." That is, believe the
good news; not the good news of salvation by grace, because that had not
yet been announced, neither made possible by the death, burial and resurrection of Christ. But, believe the good news of the coming kingdom.
If you will read also in this connection Matt. 10:1-10, you will learn
several characteristics of the gospel of the kingdom:
First, it was addressed only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel, never
to the Gentiles.
Second, it required repentance and public confession on the part of Israel
(see Matt. 3:1-12; Acts 2:32-41).
Third, the preachers of the gospel of the kingdom were given credentials
by the Lord to establish their authority as heaven-sent ministers. These
credentials were signs, wonders and miracles. Included in these were the
power to heal, the ability to raise the dead, to speak in foreign languages
without previous study or knowledge, to cast out demons, to handle
poisonous serpents, to drink deadly poison and to cleanse lepers.
Fourth, the gospel of the kingdom was not to be preached to the Gentiles.
Fifth, this gospel of the kingdom was preached to the children of Israel as
long as the kingdom of heaven was offered to the nation of Israel on the
basis of national repentance.
Sixth, the offer of the kingdom to Israel on such basis was withdrawn at
the time of Acts 28:28: "Be it known therefore unto you, that the salvation
of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and that they will hear it."
Seventh, with the setting aside of Israel as a nation, God began to take out
of the Gentiles a people for His Name (see Acts 15:13-18).
Eighth, the offer of the kingdom and the preaching again of the gospel of
the kingdom with its accompanying signs, wonders and miracles cannot
take place until the fulfillment of Rom. 11:25; that is, it cannot take place
until the rapture of the saints, after which the gospel of the kingdom will
again be preached.
The preaching of the gospel of the kingdom has nothing whatever to do
with the preaching of the gospel of the grace of God. And the confusion of
these two gospels-with many earnest, honest, sincere Christians in this
dispensation of grace trying to re-establish and perform again the signs,
wonders and miracles which belong only to the preaching of the gospel of
the kingdom-has made shipwreck of the faith of many Christians. The
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF THE GOSPEL OF THE KINGDOM
IS THE AUTHORITY AND POWER OF THE LORD JESUS CHRIST.
2. The gospel of the grace of God: In Acts 20:24, the Apostle Paul tells us
that he testified the gospel of the grace of God. This good news is stated
succinctly in I Cor. 15:3, 4: "For I delivered unto you first of all that which I
also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
And that he was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to
the Scriptures." This is the good news of salvation by grace. See Eph.
2:8-10. Since Christ has already died for our sins, neither repentance nor
baptism constitutes a part of this gospel, though they have their places after
one has been saved. The sin question has forever been settled; it is the Son
question which now remains.
In John 3:18, we learn that no one goes to hell because of his sin, neither is
anyone saved because of repentance and baptism. The only reason anyone is
saved is because he has received the good news that Christ has died for his
sins; that is, he has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ. The only reason one
goes to hell is because he has not believed the good news of the grace of
God; that is, he has not believed on the Name of the Lord Jesus Christ. In
this connection, we do well to remember that the Gospel of John was
written to tell individuals how to be saved (John 20:30,31), and not one time
do the words repent or repentance occur in this Gospel.
The most amazing thing in this enlightened Christian era of Bible study
and teaching is that so few Christians have any concept of the grace of God
or of salvation by grace. No signs, wonders or miracles are associated with
the gospel of grace. They are not necessary. The Holy Spirit of God takes
the Word of God and bears it home to the heart of the individual, producing
conviction of sin and revealing the sacrificial death of the Lord Jesus Christ.
THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF THE GOSPEL OF GRACE IS THE SALVATION OF THE LOST.
3. Paul's gospel: In Rom. 2:16; 16:25; II Tim. 2:8, we have expression of
Paul's gospel. This is not another gospel but just a different aspect of the
good news. In Paul's gospel, the emphasis is upon rewards for obedient
saints who have been saved by the grace of God. In the prison epistles -
Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians, II Timothy - Paul emphasizes the fact
that whereas we are saved by grace, all rewards are meritorious, that is,
based upon works.
Paul's gospel is the great mystery which was revealed to him but which had
been kept secret or hidden until that time. Many erroneously believe that
the mystery which was revealed to Paul was the church. But the church came
into existence sometime before Paul's salvation, and we have Paul himself
stating that he persecuted the church before his salvation (Gal. 1:13). THE
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF PAUL'S GOSPEL IS THAT IF A
CHRISTIAN IS FAITHFUL, OBEDIENT AND SUFFERS WITH
CHRIST, HE SHALL REIGN WITH CHRIST. OTHERWISE, SUCH A
CHRISTIAN WILL STILL BE SAVED WITHOUT WORKS AND
REWARDS, BUT AS THROUGH FIRE. See II Tim. 2:12; Rom. 8:17; I
Cor. 3:14, 15.
4. The gospel of the glory of Jesus Christ: In II Cor. 4:4, the King James
translation, "the glorious gospel of Christ," should be translated "the gospel
of the glory of Christ." THE FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF THIS
ASPECT OF THE GOSPEL IS THE GLORY OF CHRIST WHICH IS
TO BE MANIFESTED TO THE WHOLE UNIVERSE WHEN CHRIST
RETURNS AND ESTABLISHES HIS KINGDOM. The majority of
Christians know of the humiliation and shame of the Lord but little, if
anything, of His coming glory. The significance of the scene on the Mount of
Transfiguration was to give unto Peter, James and John a preview and
foretaste of that coming glory. We are to pray for His coming in power and
glory. We are to love His coming in power and glory. We are to talk, teach
and preach of His coming in power and glory. What shame and reproach are
heaped upon the Lord by individuals who constantly state that they care
not whether the Lord returns.
In I Tim. 1:11, attention once again is called to the gospel of the glory of
the blessed God which gospel had also been committed to Paul. We need to
remember constantly the two foci of the ellipse of our Lord's ministry,
which are His first advent, culminating in the cross, and His second advent,
culminating in the revelation of His glory. There is no understanding the
person, life and work of the Lord Jesus Christ without an understanding of
these two centers of His activity. The gospel of the grace of God centers
around the first, which is the cross. The gospel of the glory of Christ centers
around the second, which is the throne and crown.
5. The everlasting gospel: Rev. 14:6 tells ~f an angel flying in the midst of
the heaven, preaching the everlasting gospel. (This is not a preacher in an
airplane, flying to preach the gospel of grace.) In verse 7, we see that THE
FUNDAMENTAL PRINCIPLE OF THE EVERLASTING GOSPEL IS
THE SANCTIFICATION-GLORIFICATION-OF GOD BY AND IN
HIS WHOLE CREATION. Since God spoke the universe into existence,
man, with few exceptions, has denied the creative power of the Lord God.
As the activity of this present heaven and earth draws to a close, an appointed angel flies through the heaven, preaching the everlasting gospel;
that is, proclaiming the good news that, because of God's creation of the
heavens, the earth, the sea and the fountains of waters, God-the Triune
God-is to be worshipped.
There is but one gospel, but this one gospel has several facets or aspects.
Each facet calls for the emphasis to be placed upon some particular aspect
of the good news, and the aspect emphasized determines the title by which
the gospel in that instance shall be labeled.
DISQUIETING AND DISTURBING
The Word of the Lord tells us that there are three things that disquiet the
inhabitants of the earth and a fourth one which completely wrecks the
household. In Proverbs 30:21-23, we read: "For three things the earth is disquieted, and for four which it cannot bear: For a servant when he reigneth; and
a fool when he is filled with meat; For an odious women when she is married;
and an handmaid that is heir to her mistress."
Once again, I call attention to the fact that this is the Word of the Lord
and did not originate with man, but is completely overlooked and even
denied in most Christian circles today.
1. The first thing which disquiets and disturbs the order as established by
God since sin entered into the world is for a servant to become a ruler or for
a servile nation to reach a place of authority and responsibility over nonservile nations. The reason is because persons of low birth are harder on the
populace when opportunity presents itself than those born in high stations
of life. One has said, "A servant ruling becomes the most insolent, imperious, cruel and tyrannical of all masters." Even though elevated to the
position of ruler or equal to those born in high stations, the former servant
or servile people cannot rise above servile habits. The world is being disquieted today as never before because of this very reason. The whole world
trembles when one of the above mentioned comes into a place of freedom in
action. The whole and complete arrangement of society as established by
God is shattered. Such a one seeks to indemnify himself in his present
highness for his former lowliness.
2. Equally disquieting is a fool who has all he can desire. Rolling in plenty,
he despises the poor and needy and considers that his possessions entitle
him to respect, though he has no virtues at all. Such a one becomes arrogant, troublesome and dangerous. Very few who suddenly come into
riches prove to be a blessing to mankind.
3. The odious woman. Such a one described here is one who, because of
provoking hatred and repugnance, is not fit company for society. At length
this very unattractive and repulsive, witch-like individual enters into a
state of matrimony but, being unamiable and vindictive, completely
destroys peace and happiness for friends, becoming a most disquieting influence in the world.
4. A handmaid who supplants her mistress. This is one who comes into
the home as a servant but stealthily wins the husband's affections,
alienating his wife and children, and becomes mistress of the home herself,
thereby causing utter ruin.
These four disquieting infl
uences described by the Lord God Himself can-
not happen or come to pass except for the complete denial of the existence of
God and an absolute disregard for His Word.
In conclusion, I want to say that, according to the Word of God, possibly
the most disquieting influence in the world today is the aspiration of the servile people to leave the position in which God placed them and usurp that
belonging to others.
The late Dr. Scofield used to say that when we are first converted we have
to change from natural to spiritual, but after being saved a while, we need
another conversion to become natural again-in a different sense of course.
So many of us allow ourselves to become rather stilted and unnatural in our
own desire to be spiritual, we lose that sweet, gracious warmth that should
characterize us as Christian men and women.
NO ROOM
At the time of the birth of our Lord, there was no room for Him in the affairs of men. Neither is there room for the Lord today. Love for the Lord is
displaced by the care of this world, the deceitfulness of riches and the
pleasures of this life.
BABEL
Gen. 11:1-9; Dan. 3; Rev. 17.
The above Scriptures tell of the tower of Babel, of the city of Babylon
under Nebuchadnezzar and of the mystery of Babylon under the Antichrist, and in these three experiences are three attempts of Satan to
establish a universal religion. The ecumenical councils of today are part of
the plan of Satan to bring into existence the mystery of Babylon described in
Rev. 17.
Satan has always inspired great towers - great buildings - great
schemes. These appeal to and are ministered unto by the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes and the pride of life.
Satan delights in gathering great bodies, in forming great parties, in
organizing great groups, in building vast temples and edifices, in establishing
great institutions and in founding great denominational bodies. The key
words in his plans and methods are organize and unite. He revels in
compiling enormous figures and raising vast sums of money. Having done
this, he then prevails upon mankind to fall down and worship all of these
things and to say, "Is not this great Babylon which we have builded!"
This is the devil's idea of religion and his followers are legion. But God
does not like it a bit and brought it to nought on the plains of Shinar, on the
plains of Dura, and He shall bring it to nought when it is headed up in the
great world church under the Anti-christ. Our Lord said, "Where two or
three are gathered together in My Name, there will I be also." Do not look
for the Lord in the magnitude of man's elaborate schemes and buildings.
Rather, listen for the still, small voice.
"It is not by might, nor by power, but by My Spirit, saith the Lord."
THE BOOKS OF HEAVEN
The Word of the Lord mentions various and sundry books in relation to
the names and lives of individuals both saved and lost. I want to list a
number of these books with a few words about each:
1.THE BOOK OF OUR MEMBERS: "Thine eyes did see my substance,
yet being un perfect; and in thy book all my members were written, which in
continuance were fashioned, when as yet there was none of them" (Psalm
139:16).
This seems to be the same book mentioned in Ex. 32:32 and Rev. 20:15.
The full description of this book in Psalm 139:11-16 reveals that this is a
book in which the name of every individual conceived is written at the moment conception takes place. This is the book out of which many names are
erased. I would judge the ones to be erased would be those reaching the age
of accountability and living out their appointed days without accepting
Christ as their Saviour. All infants dying before the age of accountability and
all who mature physically but are mentally incapacitated are safe in that
their names are not erased.
2. THE BOOK OF REMEMBRANCE or OF WORDS: "Then they that
feared the Lord spake often one to another: and the Lord hearkened, and heard
it, and a book of remembrance was written before him for them that feared the
Lord, and that thought upon his name " (Mal. 3:16).
This book contains the record of words that are spoken, which calls to
mind Matt. 12:36: "But I say unto you, That every idle word that men shall
speak, they shall give account thereof in the day of judgment." It is also
well to remember in connection with this book of words James 1:26 and
3:1-12. The importance of the tongue and giving expression to thoughts cannot be overestimated, and we should never forget that the book of remembrance is a record of our words.
3. THE BOOK OF DEEDS: "And I saw the dead, small and great, stand
before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is
the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works " (Rev. 20:12).
Herein we learn of a book which has all of the deeds of the lost. This being
the judgment of the dead at the great white throne, the dead being those
who are separated from God because of unbelief in the Lord Jesus Christ;
the judgment is to determine the extent of their punishment in the lake of
fire and brimstone. See Matt. 10:15 which reveals degrees in punishment.
That there is a book of deeds for the saved is revealed in Rev. 3:5: "He that
overcometh, the same shall be clothed in white raiment; and I will not blot
out his name out of the book of life, but I will confess his name before my
Father, and before his angels."
This book out of which names of Christians are blotted is not that of eternal
life, because those to whom the Lord gives eternal life shall never perish
(John 10:28), but this is equivalent to the loss of garments (personal
righteousness) in Rev. 16:15. It is also comparable to the loss of crowns, as
set forth in Rev. 3:11. It is the same as forfeiting the privileges of birthright
as did Reuben and Esau, though they did not forfeit their sonship.
4. THE BOOK OF TEARS: "Thou tellest my wanderings; put thou my
tears into thy bottle: are they not in thy book" (Psalm 56:8)?
The truth expressed here is that the tears of God's children are kept in
remembrance before the Lord. They are caught and placed in a bottle, as
well as recorded in a book-tears because of our sins, tears shed on behalf of
loved ones who are lost, tears shed because of failure to understand and appropriate the promises of God, any and all tears shed because of our relationship to the Lord in any aspect whatsoever. No tear that is ever shed
because of the Lord or our relation to Him is forgotten by the Lord.
5. THE BOOK OF CURSES: "Then I turned, and lifted up mine eyes, and
looked, and behold a flying roll. And He said unto me, What seest thou? And I
answered, I see a flying roll; the length thereof is twenty cubits, and the
breadth thereof ten cubits. Then said He unto me, This is the curse that goeth
forth over the face of the whole earth: for everyone that stealeth shall be cut
off as on this side according to it; and everyone that sweareth shall be cut off
as on that side according to it " (Zech. 5:1-3).
The flying roll described herein is a scroll or a book in which is inscribed
the curse that goes over the face of the whole earth, in particular the curse
upon those who steal and those who swear. Two manifest and very common
sins of today are those of theft and swearing. Theft reveals disregard for
another's property; swearing reveals disregard for the honor and glory of
the Lord. The nature of the curse is not revealed but it is sufficient to know
that God has pronounced a particular curse upon those two gross sins so
prevalent today.
6. THE BOOK OF FUTURE EVENTS: "And I saw in the right hand of
him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed
with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who
is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof" (Rev. 5:1, 2)?
This book of seven seals is the book containing the judgments and blessings
of God which take place after the rapture. In fact, from chapter 6 onward we
have the revealing of future events contained in this sealed book. This is
called The Revelation, which means a showing forth, a making known, a causing to understand. So important is this book that God has promised particular blessings as set forth in the following verse: Rev. 1:3: "Blessed is he
that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those
things which are written therein: for the time is at hand." Should you desire
a blessing from the Lord, read the book of Revelation.
7. THE LAMB'S BOOK OF LIFE: "And all that dwell upon the earth
shall worship Him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb
slain from the foundation of the world " (Rev. 13:8).
See also Rev. 21:27. First of all, I want to call your attention to the fact
that the word name in Rev. 13:8 is singular and not plural, as the King
James translation has it. This reveals unto us that there is individual action
and judgment according to whether or not one's name is in the Lamb's book
of life. Those who dwell upon the earth (an expression describing those who
remain after the rapture and who are not of the elect, either Jew or Gentile)
do not have their names written in the Lamb's book of life; therefore, they
are lost. The very name itself reveals that this particular book of life contains the names of those who have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, the
Lamb of God which taketh away the sin of the world.
Hebrews 12:23 speaks of the "church of the firstborn, which are written in
heaven," and I would judge that since they are in heaven the book in which
their names are written is the Lamb's book of life.
The mention of books may call to your mind the old hymn we used to sing,
"Is My Name Written There?" I know my name is written in the Lamb's
book of life because I have personally received the Lord Jesus Christ as my
Saviour. That is a book from which no names are ever erased, because salvation is by grace through faith and not conditioned by or upon anything that
I might do.
There may be other books which are mentioned by the Lord in His Word,
but these are the ones which I have in mind just now.
PHILOSOPHY AND SCIENCE
Since two of the gods worshipped so devoutly today are Philosophy and
Science, it seemed good to give a few words from the New Testament pertaining to these two subjects.
When the New Testament was written the world was divided into two
great schools of thought, the Easten and the Western. The Eastern was of
Persian, Syrian, Chaldean and Egyptian origin and was called Science,
which comes from the Latin word for knowledge. The Western school of
thought was of Grecian and Roman origin and was called Philosophy, or
love of wisdom.
Now let us see what the Bible says about each:
1. SCIENCE: "0 Timothy, keep that which is committed to thy trust,
avoiding profane and vain babblings, and oppositions of science falsely so
called " (I Tim. 6:20). Here we learn from the Spirit of God through Paul
that Science opposes the truth of God and Christians are to avoid it as a ma.
jor enemy of Christianity.
2. PHILOSOPHY: "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and
vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not
after Christ " (Col. 2:8). Here the Spirit of the Lord reveals that the basis of
Philosophy is the traditions of man and it does not come from Christ.
Therefore, since Philosophy is vain and deceitful, we are to beware of it since
it spoils those who are in Christ.
How tragic that today with few exceptions modern education is based
upon these two errors, Science and Philosophy, rather than upon the Word
of God, which states, "The fear of the Lord is the beginning of all wisdom."
THE KINGDOM TAKEN FROM ISRAEL
"Therefore, say I unto you, The Kingdom of God shall be taken from you,
and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof "(Matt. 21:43).
Because of Israel's rejection of Jesus Christ as their Messiah, and because
of their subsequent crucifixion of Him, God withdrew from the nation of
Israel the offer of the kingdom of the heavens. This included, among other
things, the right and privilege of ruling over the earth from the heavens
with the Lord Jesus Christ, the King of kings and Lord of lords. The Lord
then extended the offer of the kingdom rule to another nation which would,
and if it would, bring forth the fruits thereof.
We give the following summary of such action as given in Matt. 21:33-46:
1. The nation of Israel had failed God as stewards of the mysteries of the
kingdom of the heavens.
2. They slew the Son who was the Heir, with the intention of seizing the
kingdom for themselves on their own conditions and not those of God.
3. The Jews were miserably destroyed in 70 A.D. by Titus and the Roman
legions. Their city, Jerusalem, was burned with fire.
4. A new nation was to be appointed to be stewards of the kingdom of the
heavens in the place of Israel.
5. The realization of that stewardship was to be on the condition of bearing fruit.
6. This new nation is described in I Pet. 2:9, 10. These people once were
not a people of God, neither were they the recipients of God's grace. A good
description of them is given in Eph. 2:11-13.
7. Those who become prominent in the kingdom to rule and reign with the
Lord are the ones who, in this age, bring forth fruit for the kingdom after
they have been saved. To be saved is to be in the body of Christ. To bear
fruit enables one to be taken "out of the body of Christ" and become a part
of "the bride of Christ."
8. Notice a description of this new nation-THE TRUE CHURCH- in I Pet. 2:9,10:
(a) As being kin to Christ, they share His life as an elect race.
(b) As a royal priesthood, they are equipped for service to and for Christ.
(c) As a holy nation, the church reveals the kingdom of the heavens and
rules with Christ in the day of His reign.
(d) As a people for God's possession, the church reveals that the victory
is the Lord's.
All of the above depends entirely on the bearing of fruit for the kingdom,
whereas eternal life is dependent only on the grace of God through faith. I
judge, therefore, in the light of the above, that the true church is composed
only of those Christians who bear fruit for our Lord, all other Christians remaining in the body of Christ.
IS GOD REAL?
Many people are rebelling, and justly so, against the modern theology,
"God is dead." Yet as I talk to so many fundamentalists and pre-
millennialists, I find that while they say God is not dead, they do not believe
He is real; that is, their concept of God the Father is that He is simply "a
gaseous mass permeating the ether."
They seem to think it is heresy to speak of God having hands, eyes, ears,
mouth, feet, heart. They even go so far as to say they do not believe He is
seated on a throne or that He has a throne in the heavens. Then they end up
by saying they do not believe that heaven is real, neither the tabernacle in
heaven, the blueprint or pattern which was shown by God to Moses to be
the model for the tabernacle in the wilderness.
I have also learned from many of them that none but the illiterate and
woefully ignorant believe that God is a real Person with a real body. They
quote a mistranslation from John 4:24, "God is a Spirit." But the literal
translation is, "God is Spirit." They equate Spirit with phantom, not knowing that the terms spirit and body are compatible.
The same passage says that we must worship Him in spirit and we do that
in our bodies. We don't have to leave our bodies, as a phantom or ghost, in
order to worship God. I Cor. 15:42-44 treats of a spiritual body, which simply means that our bodies, being flesh and bones even as was our Lord's
resurrected body. will be animated by the Holy Spirit. I think that God being Spirit means that while He has a body, animation comes from the Holy
Spirit.
I want to call your attention to a few passages of Scripture which tell us of
God's body and what it is like. Gen. 1:26 tells us that man was created in the
likeness of the image of God. An image always refers to a physical likeness
visible to the eye. There was nothing wrong with man as created by God. In
his physical body, he belonged to God's creation of which He said, "It was
good."
In Phil. 2:5, 6, we learn that God has a form; and the word form means
shape and structure which has an external appearance and is visible to the
eye. Heb. 1:3 speaks of Jesus being the express image of God's substance.
Substance is composed of elements which are tangible, visible, and possess
form. In John 14:8, 9, when Philip asks to see the Father, Jesus tells him
that, ". . . he that hath seen Me hath seen the Father." That is, "As you look
upon Me here in My physical body, you know exactly how the Father
looks."
Those who deny the reality of God's person say that the simple-minded, in
their attempt to describe God or picture God in their minds, ascribe to God
human characteristics. But I cannot find anywhere in the Bible that the
human characteristics, so-called, of God were given Him by man. On the
contrary, it is the Holy Spirit who speaks of God's hands, feet, eyes, ears,
mouth, throne, etc.
God's original purpose in the creation of man was to bring into existence
one like unto Himself with whom He could have fellowship and one who
would do His will. Had Adam and Eve eaten of the tree of life as commanded by God, rather than the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, they
would have been preserved or perpetuated in their literal bodies of blood,
flesh and bones.
I think the desire to do away with the body of the Lord God Almighty is
because of a false view that matter is evil. Such is not the case, for it was of
matter that God said, "It was good." The deterioration of human bodies is
the result of sin and not the cause of sin. I do not believe one can really
understand the Word of God unless he knows that God, heaven, Christ, and
the Holy Spirit are real.
When Moses desired to see the face of the Lord, God refused; but He did
permit Moses to see His back parts after He had passed by (see Ex.
33:18-23). Also in Isa. 6:1-7, we read about Isaiah seeing the Lord on His
throne and God cleansing him of his iniquity, that he should not perish
because of having seen the Lord. Since no man could see God and live, it required a special dispensation by God in the cleansing of Isaiah, that he die
not because of having seen the Lord.
One question arises in the minds of many people: namely, if God is real
and has substance, form and body, how can He be omnipresent? Answer:
God is omnipresent in the Person of the Holy Spirit. See John 3:13. Here we
have Jesus physically present on the earth but also present in heaven in the
Spirit.
Personally, I am convinced beyond any shadow of a doubt that the reason
the Spirit of God magnifies the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ in I
Cor. 15 as the great doctrine of Christianity is because His resurrection in a
physical body establishes the fact that because He has a body, God also has
a body and we, too, shall possess glorified bodies (but bodies nonetheless)
throughout eternity. Selah.
CAPITAL PUNISHMENT
Christianity, as a molder and determining factor in shaping the lives and
thinking of the people with which it comes in contact, has fallen from the
high pinnacle it once occupied. Originally, the Christian people based their
deliberations and policies upon the WORD OF GOD. In the new mold, its
convictions and principles are based on the philosophy of man rather than
the Word of the Lord. The Christian church used to say, "Thus saith the
Lord. . ." Today, it says, "Dr. So-and-So recommends. . ." For instance,
God's Word says in Gen. 3:16 that man shall rule over the woman. Today,
however, women occupy public office and in many instances exercise
authority of rulership of the office over men. Again God's Word says in
Gen. 9:25-27 concerning Ham and his descendants, that they are to be the
servants of the other peoples of the earth. Today, the Christian church has
committed itself to obliterating the distinction between these races and is
seeking to establish a society based upon the philosophical heresy that men
are created equal. It is interesting to note in this connection, however, that
God never created but one man and he fell from the high estate in which he
was created. Since then he has begotten sons and daughters in his fallen,
sinful, iniquitous and degenerate likeness, and the only equality is that all
have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God.
Man is striving now to strike once again at the Word of the Lord and do
away with the foundation stone of civil government. The campaign by
church and state to eliminate capital punishment is just this. In Gen. 9:6,
we read, "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for
in the image of God made He man." Here we have the very basis of all civil
government, which is divine in its origin because of this foundation.
Further recognition of this truth is expressed on other occasions in the
Word of God. After the flood subsided, the Ark rested on Mount Ararat and
man came forth to begin a new civilization. God laid down the fundamental
principle of civil government-capital punishment of the murderer. The
reason for the institution of this law is to be found in the verse quoted above
where man slew another man. By so doing, he destroyed that which was
originally made in God's image and likeness. Such flagrant disregard for
God's image and likeness is punishable only by the execution of the
murderer. It is erroneous to refer to the commandment of Ex. 20:13, "Thou
shalt not kill." This commandment is not a repudiation of Gen. 9:6, but
rather gives another basis for the assessment of the penalty against murder,
that is, capital punishment. A man under no circumstances is to kill another
man, but if he does, then by man (meaning society) shall the murderer be executed. God is not unmindful of extenuating circumstances and makes ample provision for what we call justifiable homicide.
In Numbers 35:30-34, we have a description as to how the execution of the
murderer is to proceed. Notice in verse 30 that the murderer is to be put to
death by the mouth of witnesses, that is, eye witnesses are called before the
tribunal to give testimony as to how the crime was committed. The justice
of God is also manifested as stated in this same verse: A person is not to be
executed on the testimony of one witness alone. It must be by the testimony
of two or more witnesses of the crime. At once, we see that the execution of
the indicted murderer must not be on circumstantial evidence, and this
eliminates the execution of one on the testimony of only one individual who
could be a perjurer. In verse 31, the Lord further describes the procedure in
the trial and specified that if a person has been adjudged guilty of murder in
the first degree, he shall be executed. To give him life imprisonment, to
assess a fine, or to combine the two, is not the penalty to be given a
murderer in lieu of execution.
Unequivocally, God has decreed that the murderer (such status being
determined by trial) shall be put to death. The reason for this is to be seen in
verse 33.
The reasoning of man as he seeks to eliminate capital punishment proceeds from ignorance of the Word of the Lord. Man says that God is love
and since He is love He will not cause man to be put to death. The fact of the
matter is that because God is a God of love, He destroyed all flesh from the
face of the earth, with the exception of those saved in the Ark which Noah
built. On another occasion, He destroyed Pharaoh and all his hosts by
drowning them in the Red Sea. Again, He caused 185,000 to be slain in one
night, and He also caused 70, 000 men to die by pestilence. Careful study of
the Word of God will reveal the Old Testament truth that God Almighty
Himself executed literally hundreds of thousands of men and women. All of
this was necessitated by the entrance of sin into the world, and that sin still
continues.
Capital punishment is not limited only to the Old Testament. Let us consider the New Testament. In Acts 5, Ananias and Sapphira were stricken
down by God in the church service. Acts 12:23 records the account of God
executing Herod. In Rom. 13:1-7, there is the setup of civil government and
all the ramifications of its administration according to the Word of the
Lord. Read this passage carefully and follow along as it is commented upon:
"LET EVERY SOUL BE SUBJECT UNTO THE HIGHER POWERS."
The expression higher powers does not have to do with the heavens or so-called spiritual powers but rather with the higher power of government
ranging from local government in the ward to the national administration in
Washington, D.C. All power, civil and spiritual, is of God. There is no power
but that which originated with God; therefore, to resist the power-to
refuse to execute the lawfully judged murderer-is to resist the ordinance of
God, and they that do so, shall resist to their own condemnation. Rulers and
officers are ministers of the Lord. In distinguishing between the office and
the personal life, or qualification of the officer, it is the uniform-his symbol
of authority-that determines our respect.
In verse 4, of this particular passage of Scripture, we read that the officer
does not bear the sword in vain. In modern vernacular, we would say that he
does not carry that pistol for nothing. The custom of the law is that if an individual is slain while resisting arrest, there is no indictment of the arresting officer simply because of the authority of the office which he occupies. He is a minister of God for justice. Weare admonished, therefore, by
the Spirit of God through the Apostle Paul, to be subject to these governmental authorities for conscience's sake. We are exhorted by God to pay our
taxes to support them. Anyone refusing to do so is violating the laws of
God. Civil government is of divine origin, and the foundation stone of civil
government is capital punishment. Where there is no capital punishment, or
where the law is disregarded concerning this punishment, there is a
breakdown of civil government.
God makes clear in His Word that there is ample provision for justifiable
homicide. Referring again to Numbers 35:16-23, the Lord distinguishes between murder with malice aforethought, and accidental murder. Ample provision is made for the freeing of one who accidentally or unintentionally and
without malice or enmity, murders an individual.
If ever there was a need for a return to the Word of God and for a stand to
be taken on its principles, today is the day. But churches, Christian leaders
and Christian organizations all combine to do away with the WORD OF
GOD and are seeking to establish civilization on the wisdom of man, which
is foolishness in the sight of God.
THE BRIDE OF CHRIST
Possibly no area of Bible truth is so neglected as the doctrine pertaining
to the church. It has been my delight for several years to study, pray and
meditate upon various passages of Scripture touching upon church truth.
I have come to some very definite conclusions in regard to the church and
am listing below some of these without any discussion. The primary purpose of this is to stimulate thought on the part of you, the reader:
1. The church is composed of a certain specific number of chosen ones,
neither Jew nor Gentile, but Christian.
2. This group is taken out of the great body of New Testament saints and
is very small in number compared to the total number of Christians.
3. Those making up the church, having already been saved by grace, are
chosen on the basis of their works, obedience, faithfulness, perseverance
and conformity to the likeness of Christ.
4. This group will be sovereigns in the coming kingdom of our Lord, rather
than subjects. As the queen consort, they will rule and reign with Christ.
5. This group will have qualified by overcoming, according to Revelation,
chapters 2 and 3.
6. This group will have won one or more of the proffered crowns and
thereby qualified themselves to rule and reign. No crown, no rule.
7. This group will have prepared and kept their wedding garments,
thereby appearing in His presence clothed as the bride.
8. The Body of Christ is one thing - the bride, which is the church, is
something else.
9. One must be very careful to distinguish between grace and works, as
well as between salvation and rewards.
10. One can be saved without any good works (I Cor. 3:15).
11. One must possess good works in order to receive rewards (I Cor. 3:14).
12. One cannot be a member of the true church unless a member of A
church.
13. Membership in the church is not the same as being saved. There are
many saved who do not belong to any church.
14. Exclusion from a local church involves exclusion also from the true
church (Matt. 16:19; John 20-23).
15. Many are called (saved), but few are called out (chosen to rule and
reign). Many are saved, but few of the saved make up the church.
16. There are many vessels in the GREAT HOUSE, some to honor (to
rule and reign), others to dishonor (subjects in the kingdom).
17. The true church is also called the church of the first born (Heb.
12:22-24). The church of the firstborn is composed of those Christians who
do not forfeit their rights of primogeniture by disobedience or unfaithfulness. Those who forfeit their birthright are demoted from the position of firstborn and become just subjects of the kingdom.
The above are a number of thoughts which have become convictions pertaining to the doctrine of the church.
CATHOLIC AND PROTESTANT FELLOWSHIP
In these days when evangelists, politicians, educators of all nations are
crying out, "ONE WORLD ... ONE RACE ... ONE TASK ... ONE
GOSPEL ... ONE CHURCH ... ONE COLOR ... ONE SEX," several
significant trends are to be noticed.
The first one to which I desire to call your attention is the swiftness with
which Rome is moving to get all the Protestant churches into her fold. The
great whore of Revelation 17:1-5 is calling her harlot daughters home, and
they are beginning to hear and respond. Roman priests are being invited to
join the regular Protestant ministerial alliances in many cities. Of recent
date, Catholic priests have supplied in Baptist pulpits with the loud acclaim
and approval of Baptist leaders.
For years Protestants, unsaved Jews and idolatrous Catholics have conducted conferences on JEWS, CATHOLICS AND PROTESTANTS. The
question which arises out of this growing fellowship, so-called, of Protestants with Catholics is this: Is there Scriptural ground and basis for saved
Catholics and saved Protestants to meet and worship together as such? THE
ANSWER IS NO. In fact, the Lord forbids Catholics and Protestants to
have fellowship one with the other. I Cor. 5:11 forbids all union and
communion with Rome. The Spirit of the Lord says through the Apostle Paul, BUT NOW I HAVE WRITTEN UNTO YOU NOT TO KEEP COMPANY (not to associate with, not to have fellowship with) WITH ANY MAN WHO IS CALLED A BROTHER (that is, one who is called a Christian, whether he is genuinely one or not) IF HE BE AN IDOLATOR;
WITH SUCH AN ONE NO NOT TO EAT (that is, we are not to partake of
the Lord's Supper with them).
The worship of Rome is idolatrous by their own definition and practice.
The Roman Church says there are three kinds or degrees of worship: (1)
"Latria," which is worship due to God alone; (2) "Hyperdulia," worship due
only to the Virgin Mary; (3) "Dulia," worship due to saints, angels and images. Since "hyperdulia" and "dulia" are inferior degrees of worship and it
might be argued that they are forms of idolatry, we will content ourselves
with a brief discussion of "latria" alone, which is WORSHIP DUE ALONE
AND ONLY TO GOD.
The Council of Trent issued a Creed which every convert or believer
(member) of the Roman Church MUST accept and is Rome's final answer to
the Reformation. This Creed of the Council of Trent says that the BREAD
AND WINE of the Eucharist (Lord's Supper) are to be adored with
LATRIA-THE WORSHIP DUE ALONE TO GOD. Not only the
BREAD AND WINE but the IMAGES OF CHRIST, THE CROSS, THE
CROWN OF THORNS, and the SEAMLESS ROBE are also to be worshipped with LA TRIA; that is, the bread, wine, images of Christ, His crown,
His robe and His cross are to be worshipped as God with the worship due
only to God.
This is open, unadulterated IDOLATRY, of which the Holy Spirit speaks
in I Cor. 5:11, forbidding fellowship of Christians with such idolators. Thus
it is manifest that God forbids association or fellow hip with Roman
Catholics in any of the following ways which are in evidence today; Namely,
to have a Catholic priest occupy the pulpit, become a member of the
ministerial alliance, assist in weddings or funerals or any other so-called
acts of Christian worship. This is not to unchristianize a Roman Catholic,
but God forbids fellowship in worship with them as long as they practice
idolatry, and this they do so long as they worship the bread, wine, images of
Christ, the robe, the crown, the cross with "latria," which according to their
own definition belongs ONLY TO GOD.
Deut. 16:22: "Neither shalt thou set thee up any image; which the Lord thy
God hateth." Ex. 20:4: "Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven image, or
any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth
beneath, or that is in the water under the earth."
(The editor is indebted to D. M. Panton for much of the above.)
THE SUPER-STATE
From time immemorial, Utopia has been a dream of the peoples of the
world-a state. . . a place. . . a country in which all conditions would be
perfect. The Bible speaks of a thousand years of peace-the millennial reign
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Of late, we have heard much of the
New Deal, the Fair Deal, and the Great Society. These philosophies envision
a time in which all nations, peoples and races will be one world, one
language, one government, one church, one people, with one ruler.
Such a dream and hope is admirable because it is based upon Scripture.
But man's efforts to bring into being such a state is doomed to failure, like
an inherent weakness in a child with an inherited disease. This concept is
good because of the need for a centralized government; a ruler with universal authority and complete control is absolutely essential to the welfare of
the nations of the world. But before such a state can exist, there must be
found a competent, supreme ruler to govern.
The question arises, Where is such a man to be found? There have been
world rulers before now-Moses, Joshua, David, Solomon, Nebuchadnezzar,
Cyrus, Darius, Alexander the Great, the Caesars. There have been others
like Oliver Cromwell, Napoleon, Stalin, Hitler and Mussolini, who had
aspirations of becoming world dictators. None of these ever succeeded in exercising complete control of any given area.
The population explosion has introduced problems so vast and complicated that no human brain can grasp them, much less master them. Each
passing day, it becomes more and more evident that man is not going to be
able to introduce a Super-State or the Great Society. No man appears on the
horizon, capable of dealing with the situation as it now exists throughout
the world. The slowness of the processes of "evolution" (?) renders it impossible for a man to evolve today to take control, and only destruction lies
ahead.
The human race is not improving; instead, it is growing worse and worse,
and the conditions existing in our cities today under the march of so-called
civil rights reverts to the jungle and has none of the marks of civilization.
The world is longing for, looking for and dreaming of a superman who will
bring order out of this present chaos.
This hope for a superman is not a dream alone, because a Superman is in
the offing. He not only is a Superman, He is a supernatural Man, He is the
God-Man, prophesied in the Word of God, from Gen. 3:15 as the Seed of the
woman who will crush the head of the serpent, on through the entire Bible.
The world is longing for and looking for this Superman and He must be
found; yea, He will be found.
The world will have a choice for a superman. He will be Satan's man and
will be known as the anti-christ. The Lord God Almighty has a choice and
His Man will be the Lord Jesus Christ. One of the sources of so much grief
and sorrow in the world today is because of the conflict between these two
messiahs, striving for the allegiance of men-Satan's false messiah, the
anti-christ; and God's true Messiah, the Lord Jesus Christ.
The Bible tells us that until the Lord Jesus Christ returns there will be no
peace. There will be wars and rumors of wars. There will be continual conflict between the forces of unrighteousness (Satan's kingdom) and the forces
of righteousness (Christ's kingdom), until those here upon the earth become
so degenerate that the Lord will return in judgment, after which He will
establish the Super-State which is known as the millennial reign of Christ,
an actual reign of a thousand years here upon the earth.
ANNUAL TIME PERIODS. . . . . OF MAN
Accepting Bishop Ussher's date of the creation of Adam as being approximately 4000 B.C, we find time divided into three specific periods of years.
1. LUNAR YEAR, composed of 12 months, 29 days, 12 hours, 44 minutes,
2.8 seconds each. Roughly speaking, this is 354 days, 8 hours, 48 minutes
and 34 seconds; 6000 such years from 4000 B.C. came to a close about
1821-22.
2. The Bible speaks of the PROPHETIC YEAR of 12 months of 30 days
each, or 360 days; 6000 prophetic years came to a close about 1911-12.
3. SOLAR YEAR: 365 days, 5 hours, 48 minutes, 45-51 seconds; 6000 of
these from 4000 B.C. will come to a close about 2001-02.
There are approximately 180 years between the end of the lunar 6000 and
the solar. This 180 years definitely seems to be the time of the end. Practically all modern inventions have been discovered or have come into being
since the close of the 6000th lunar year. The midnight cry-rediscovery of
the truths of the second coming of Christ- came to pass about 1825. The increase of knowledge in the study of prophecy has taken place since then.
The development of the internal combustion engine, resulting in the
automobile and airplane, mass production of automobiles, and flights into
space have all come within that period of time.
We are approaching the end of the 6000 solar years, but only God the
Father, and Son and Holy Spirit knoweth the day and the year.
THE WHOLE PLAN OF SALVATION GOD'S PART AND MAN'S PART
There are some today who recognize the foreordaining and electing love of
God in the salvation of a sinner but refuse to recognize man's part. On the
other hand, there are those who fully recognize man's responsibility but
completely ignore God's electing love. The Scripture truth recognizes both.
By that, we mean that no one is saved unless he is chosen in Christ before
the foundation of the world. Also, no one is saved unless there is a personal
acceptance of Jesus Christ as Saviour.
The Lord Jesus Christ has set forth these truths in a most remarkable
fashion in Luke 15. Get your Bible and open it to this chapter. Here we have
discussed the lost sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son. Some commentators
list these accounts as three different parables; consequently, they fail to see
any connection between the three and thereby lose the truth which Jesus
seeks to teach. Notice first of all, that this teaching has to do with lost
people. You will see in verses 1 and 2 that these lessons cannot be applied to
the backslider. In the second place, you will note in verse 3, the Scripture
says that He spake this parable unto them. The three accounts-the lost
sheep, the lost coin, and the lost son-are three parts of one parable. Discuss
the parable of the lost son without reference to the lost sheep and the lost "
coin, and you have a perverted view of salvation; likewise, discuss the lost
sheep or the lost coin without a presentation of the lost son, and you still
have a perverted concept of the plan of salvation. It takes all three to give
the complete picture. The shepherd is the Lord Jesus Christ; the woman
typifies the Holy Spirit, and the Father is God Almighty.
The first lesson we gather is that all three persons of the Godhead are active in the salvation of a lost individual. In the account of the lost sheep, the
fact is emphasized that the Lord Jesus Christ, the Good Shepherd, goes
after the one which is lost until He finds him. When He finds him, He puts
him on His shoulder and brings him home. He then calls in his friends and
neighbors, and they rejoice over the lost sheep being found. You will note it
was a sheep that was lost. There are those who think that before salvation, a
lost person is a goat, but after he is found, he becomes a sheep. God,
however, sees this lost person as a sheep because he was chosen in Christ for
salvation from the foundation of the world (Eph. 1:4; II Thess. 2:13). A
precious truth is set forth here. Everyone who is chosen is going to be saved
without the loss of a single one. (See John 17:6, 9, 10, 12, 20, 21, 24.)
In the account of the lost coin, the woman with the lighted candle seeks
diligently until she finds the coin. (The feminine aspect of the Holy Spirit is
noted in more than one place in Scripture.) Here we have the account of Him
working on the inside to find that which is lost. The Holy Spirit works
within. In this instance, there must needs be a candle lighted in order to
guide in the search. The Word of God is the candle. "Thy Word is a lamp un.
to my feet, and a light unto my path" (Psalm 119:105). The woman with the
candle seeking the lost coin typifies the Holy Spirit using the Word of God
to find the lost individual and bring him to a realization of his lost condition.
In both of these stories of the lost sheep and the lost coin, notice that the
lost objects are passive; that is, all of the searching and finding is done by
God the Son, and God the Holy Spirit. Many stop here in their evangelism
and leave it all to God, disclaiming any responsibility on the part of man;
but the parable is not complete. We have the third part-the lost son.
Here the sinner is called a son, but he is a lost son. You recall how the
Lord spoke of Israel as being lost. He called them the "lost sheep of the
house of Israel." The individual who is chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world for salvation is already reckoned by God to be a son, but he
is a lost son. Note a few things relative to his condition: he is in a far coun.
try; he is wasting his substance in worldliness; there is a famine and he is in
want (wordly pleasures, desires and appetites can only end in want because
man was not made for these things and they cannot satisfy); there is no man
who can give him what he needs-only God Almighty can supply it.
In verse 17, we read that he came to himself. He realized his need and the
inability of any man to supply it. He knew there was help with God the
Father, and he came to Him. (How shall the lost hear unless someone tells
them? This is our part as the Lord leads us.)
The lost son decided that he would go to his father. Herein is the second
part of salvation, that is, man's part. This lost son, even though chosen,
elected, predestinated and foreordained to be saved, had to exercise his own
volition and get up and go home to his father. Had he not done so he would
still have been in the pen with the swine.
Now here is the whole story of salvation in just a few words. The Lord
Jesus Christ Himself chooses one from the beginning; the Holy Spirit
through the Word of God brings conviction upon that one of his lost and undone condition and reveals to him that Christ died for him; then the lost person must personally, individually, and willfully receive Jesus Christ as his
own personal Saviour.
God definitely saves, and man definitely receives.