THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL. IX. March 1, 1926 No. 5
Table of Contents
THE
COMING MEMORIAL SUPPER
''BEHOLD
YOUR KING!"
JESUS
AND THE PRAYER LIFE
MID-WINTER
CONVENTION IN FLORIDA
RECENT
GENERAL AWAKENING OF INTEREST
"SO
OUGHT YE TO WASH ONE ANOTHER'S FEET"
SALVATION,
ITS EXTENT AND SCOPE
ENCOURAGING
LETTERS
VOL. IX. March 15, 1926 No. 6
Table of Contents
OFFERERS
OF STRANGE FIRE
"HE
IS RISEN, EVEN AS HE SAID"
JESUS
AND THE PRAYER LIFE
A
WORD FURTHER CONCERNING THE MEMORIAL DATE
THE
CHRISTIAN'S SECRET OF THE TRUE REST
SALVATION,
ITS EXTENT AND SCOPE
VOL. IX. March 1, 1926 No. 5
"Jesus took bread, and
blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is My
body. And He took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of
it; for this is My blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of
sins." "This do in remembrance of Me." -- Matt. 26:26-28; Luke 22:19.
ANOTHER anniversary of our Lord's death draws near, which by common
consent is termed the Passover season. As God's people grow in grace and in the
appreciation of the great and sublime truths of His Plan, the celebration of the Savior's
death should be increasingly impressive and significant. The fact that the date changes
and must be reckoned after the Jewish method of calculation adds to the impressiveness and
brings afresh to our minds the various details of the Passover type, the Paschal Supper in
which the Jews ate a lamb commemorative of their deliverance from Egyptian bondage and of
the sparing o£ their first-born at that time. The Apostle suggests that this Passover
type finds its fulfillment in the death of the Lamb of God -- "Christ cur Passover is
sacrificed for us." (1 Cor. 5:7.) The Supper which our Master instituted as a
remembrancer of His great sacrifice for sin is striking in its appropriateness and
simplicity; entirely unlike the children of this world or the great ones of this world in
their methods of perpetuating their memories
Difficulties in Determining Passover Date
As previously announced, according to the Jewish calendar Nisan 14
this year falls on March 29, and as the Jewish day commences the evening before, after
sundown, Sunday evening of March 28 would be the appropriate time to observe the memorial
of our Lord's death.
Again that all may have the facts fresh in mind, we repeat in more or
less the same terms, what we have presented in previous years on the subject of reckoning
the Memorial date. The Jewish ecclesiastical year is calculated according to lunar time --
based upon the lunations of the moon. Instead of dividing the months as we do, they
allowed the new moon to mark the beginning of a new month; and the difference between the
sun time (solar time) end moon time (lunar time) was equalized every year by always
beginning the new year with the appearing of the new moon nearest the spring equinox. In
celebrating their religious festivals the Jews still maintain this method of reckoning.
And since our Lord, the Apostles, and the early Church followed this same rule for
determining the date for the annual celebration of our Lord's Last Supper, we also follow
it.
It is manifest that the beginning of the Jewish ecclesiastical year
varied each year according to the moon's lunations. For this reason the exact date with
which the first month, Nisan, commences may be frequently subject to question, as no
definite and explicit directions are given by which one may always without equivocation
determine the exact time for the commencement of Nisan one. There is room for a variety of
opinions amongst brethren in various parts of the world as they come to this question of
the exact date of the Passover. Various viewpoints may be taken. For example here are two
considerations: One is that the first of Nisan be reckoned at exactly the appearance of
the new moon. And another is that the fourteenth of Nisan be reckoned to synchronize with
the full of the moon. But it not infrequently happens that there are even more than
fifteen days between these two lunations -- the new and the full of the moon. This year is
one such instance ; there being fifteen days, six hours, and forty minutes or about
fifteen days and a quarter, so that it is one of those years where it is impossible to
observe both of the above considerations. If one is to insist on commencing the first of
Nisan exactly at the new moon's appearance, the fourteenth of Nisan would fall one day
before the moon fulls. Or if another is to insist that the fourteenth of Nisan must fall
on the day when the moon fulls, it would come one day later than the other. Again one may
reckon that the first of Nisan must start with the appearance of the new moon in a certain
section of the earth, such as Palestine ; and another may consider that it should be
reckoned from the appearance of the new moon in another quarter. Thus various minds of the
brethren to day grappling f with this question of the exact date of Nisan 14 are very
likely to arrive at different conclusions and if each insists that is view be adopted as
the correct one it would mean that three or four dates would be chosen and observed by
different brethren throughout the world, each one being able to present forcibly from his
particular viewpoint, the technicality on which
he bases his conclusions.
Unanimity of Observance Desired
But such lack of unanimity as to the time of the celebration of the
Supper is sure to interfere materially with the oneness, sympathy, and harmony of the
occasion as a whole for the entire Church, and rob it of the greater blessing that comes
from a one ness and unanimity of thought and observance of this blessed celebration. In
line with the above, it is remembered that as in his earlier years Brother Russell
attempted to personally determine the Passover date, he encountered these difficulties
referred to above and recognized frequently there was a choice of several dates. He was
according led in his later years to overcome this entire difficulty by not attempting
himself personally to fix the date at all, but to accept without equivocation or question
the Passover date determine upon by the Jewish authorities and set forth in the Jewish
calendar each year. We believe his decision was a wise one, for, as he exclaimed, the
matter of the exact day was not of such importance as that the brethren should divide over
it, some choosing one night, and some another. By accepting the Passover date of the
Jewish calendar, this settled the matter for all, so that there was full harmony and
oneness in the celebration of this precious and blessed occasion. For this reason we have
in these recent years recommended to the brethren throughout the world that we likewise
adopt the Heb-rew reckoning for the sake of general harmony and unanimity and that the
blessing may be all the greater, as upon. the same night all are partaking of the Supper
and remembering other individuals and Classes of brethren who they realize are also
partaking of the emblems that evening.
The Picture and Its Fulfillment
Beginning with the first of Nisan the Hebrews counted; on the tenth
day the Pascal lamb was chosen or selected from the flock. On the fourteenth dray
(approximately the full of the moon*) "between evenings" the lamb was to be
killed. On the fifteenth day their Passover Feast began, lasting seven days, the first and
the seventh days being observed as specially holy, as Sabbath days or "high"
days. (Exod. 12:16.) On the sixteenth day the omer of the first-fruits of the barley
harvest was offered to the Lord, typical of the resurrection of Christ our Lord, as
"the first-fruits of them that slept." (1 Cor. 15:20.) Fifty days after
(Pentecost Day) they offered before the Lord two wave loaves (Lev. 23:17), representing
the presenting of the Church before God and its acceptance through the merit of the Great
High Priest, indicated by the appointing of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost.
____________
* As the sun is a symbol of Christ's
Kingdom, so tie moon symbolized Israel as a nation. (Rev. 12:1.) The 12 and sometimes 13
lunations may be symbolic of the tribes of that nation. The moon was approximately at its
full at the time of Christ's crucifixion. There it immediately began to wane and waned for
as long as it had previously increased. So Christ's death was the turning point between
the two parts of Israel's history.
____________
These things done by the Jews every year were, as we have already
seen, types of greater and grander occurrences. The choosing of the lamb on the tenth day
typified how, if Israel would be blessed and recognized as the First-born in, the
antitypical Passover, they must accept Jesus then, five days before that Passover Feast, and four days
before His crucifixion. And it evidently was on that very date that our Lord offered
Himself finally to that nation -- when, as their King, He rode into the city on the colt.
(Compare John 12:1, 12.) They, how-ever, neglected to receive the Lamb of God, at once
were rejected, and ceased from being the typical first-born.
The Memorial Supper of bread and wine, representative of the body and
blood of the antitypical Lamb, is the Passover remembrancer of the New Creation. This
thereafter, as often as the occasion returned (yearly), was to be observed by His
followers instead of the eating of the literal lamb -- as the commemoration of the
antitypical Lamb and the greater passing over of the antitypical Firstborn, which His
blood affects.
How We Shew Forth the Lord's Death
"For I received from the Lord, what I also delivered to you --
That the Lord, on the night in which He was delivered up, took a loaf, and having given
thanks, broke it and said, 'This is that body of Mine, which is broken an your behalf;
this do you for My remembrance.' In like manner also, the cup, after the supper, saying,
'This cup is the new covenant in My blood; this do you, as often as you may drink, for My,
remembrance.' For as often as you may eat this bread or drink this cup, you declare the
death of the Lord, till He come." -- 1 Cor. 11:24-26.
The Apostles declare that in the lesson He gave in the Passover,
Jesus spoke of the death which He should accomplish at Jerusalem. This one and only death
of our Redeemer is what is symbolized by this Remembrancer -- His body, His flesh broken
for us, and of its merits and life all who would have .life everlasting must partake.
Let none be deceived by any means, on. this important question.
According to our Lord's explanation of the matter, it was His flesh
which He sacrificed for us. It was the fact that our Lord Jesus, was holy, harmless,
undefiled, and separate from sinners -- without any contamination from Father Adam, and
hence free from sin -- that enabled Him to become the Redeemer of Adam and his race, that
permitted Him to give His life "a ransom for all, to be testified in due time."
-- 1 Tim. 2:3-6.
The very thing that He .laid down for us we are to "eat,"
appropriate to ourselves by faith; that is to say, His perfect human life was given to redeem all the race of man
from condemnation to death, to enable them to return to human perfection and everlasting
life, if they would; and we are to realize this and accept Him as our Savior from death.
The Scriptures show us, however, that if God would consider all past sins canceled, and
should recognize us as having a right to human perfection, this still would not make us
perfect; nor give us the right to eternal life.
Prefigured Justification
In order that any of the race of Adam might profit by the sacrifice
of Jesus, it was necessary that He should rise
from the tomb on the Divine plane of life, that He should ascend to the Father and
deposit the sacrificial merit of His death in the hands of Justice, and receive from the
Father "all power in heaven and in earth." As relates to the world, it was
necessary also that in the Father's due time He should come again to earth, a glorious
Divine Being, then to be to the whole world a Mediator, Prophet, Priest, and King, to
assist back to perfec-tion and to harmony with God all who will avail themselves of the
wonderful privileges then to be offered.
It is this same blessing that the Gospel Church of this Age receive
by faith in their Redeemer, namely justification by faith -- not justifi-cation to a spirit nature, which we never had and never lost, and which Christ did not redeem; but justification to human nature, which Father Adam possessed and lost, and which Christ redeemed by giving His own sinless flesh, His perfect human life, as our ransom sacrifice. The partaking
of the unleavened bread at the Memorial season, then, means to us primarily the
appropriation to ourselves, by faith, of
justification to human life-rights -- rights to
human life -- with all its privileges, which our Lord at His own cost procured for us.
Likewise the fruit of the vine symbolizes primarily our Savior's life given for us -- His
human life, His being, His soul, poured out unto death on our behalf; and the
appropriation of this by us also signifies, primarily, our acceptance of restitution
rights and privileges secured by our Lord's sacrifice of these.
The Deeper Things Portrayed
God's object in justifying the Church by faith during this Gospel
Age, in advance of the justification of the world by works of obedience in the Millennial
Age, is for the very purpose of permitting this class who now see and hear, who now
appreciate the great sacrifice which Love has made on man's behalf, to present their
bodies a living sacrifice, and thus to have part with the Lord Jesus in His sacrifice --
as members of His Body. This deeper meaning of the Memorial He did not refer to directly.
It was doubtless one of the things to which He referred when He said, "I have yet
many things to say unto you, but ye cannot bear them now; howbeit, when it, the Spirit of
Truth, shall come, it will guide you into all Truth, and will show you things to
come." -- John 16:12, 13.
The Apostle Paul clearly explains the very high import of the
Memorial. Writing to the consecrated Church, he says, "The cup of blessing for which
we give thanks, is it not the participation of the blood of Christ? The loaf which we
break, is it not the participation of the
Body of Christ?"-the sharing with Christ as joint-sacrificers with Him even unto
death, that thereby we might be counted in with Him as sharers of the glory which He has
received as the reward of His faithfulness-"For we, being many, are one loaf and one body." -- 1 Cor. 10:16, 17. --
Diaglott.
Both views of this impressive ordinance are very important. It is
essential, first of all, that we should see our justification through our Lord's
sacrifice. It is proper then that we should realize that the entire Christ, the entire
anointed company, is, from the Divine standpoint, a composite Body of many members, of
which Jesus is the Head (1 Cor. 12:12-14), and that this Body, this Church, as a whole,
must be broken -- that each member of it must become a copy of the Lord Jesus -- and must
walk in the footsteps of His sacrifice. We do this by laying down our lives for the
brethren as Jesus laid down His life -- directly for His Jewish brethren, but really for
the whole world, according to the Father's purpose.
"Till He Come"
"Till He come." What is the full significance of this
expression?
Since our Lord who instituted the Memorial Supper placed no limit
upon its observance, this expression by the Apostle is not to be understood as limiting
the length of time in which it will be appropriate to commemorate the death of our Lord
Jesus, our ransom sacrifice, and our consecration with Him to sacrifice. Rather, He is
showing that it was not to be considered a limited arrangement, for a few years, but was
to be continually observed until the Lord's Second Coming. Looking down to and speaking of
the Second Coming of our Lord, the Apostle includes in His expression the gathering and
exaltation with Christ of His Church or Kingdom to rule and bless the world. This is even
yet a common and proper way of speaking of matters so closely identified and so dependent
one upon the other. The Christ, Head and Body, is coming
to rule the world in power and great glory. The presence of the Lord or Head is necessary
first; then commences the change of the sleeping members of His Body, the sifting of the
living members, and their gradual gathering together unto Him.
Even though the Kingdom may be considered as drawing very nigh, it
will not be "set up," in the full
sense of the word, until the last member of the Kingdom has been changed or glorified --
until the breaking of the "loaf," the Church, Head and Body, is completed. While
one member suffers the Body suffers; while one member is unglorified the Kingdom is not
fully come into power and dominion.
It is the coming of Christ as including the full exaltation of His Church or
Kingdom that the Apostle evidently meant when he said, "As often as you may eat
this [Passover] bread and drink this cup, you -declare the death of the Lord [as your hope
and confidence] till He come." The same thought of the Kingdom glory being the end of
the symbol may be gathered from our Lord's own words on the occasion of the institution
-of the Memorial-"I will not drink henceforth of this fruit of the vine until that
day when I drink it new with you in my Father's Kingdom." -- Matt. 26.:29.
Just what our Lord meant by this statement might be difficult to
determine positively, but it seems not inconsistent to understand Him to mean that as a
result of the trials and sufferings symbolized in His cup, there will be jubilation in the
Kingdom. "He shall see of the travail of His soul and shall be satisfied." He
will look back over the trials and difficulties endured in faithful obedience to the
Father's will, and will rejoice in these as He sees the grand outcome-the blessings which
will come to all mankind. This jubilation will be shared by all His disciples who have
drunk of this cup, first in justification, then in consecration and sacrifice with Him.
These have His promise that they shall reign with Him; and when the reign shall have
begun, when the Kingdom shall have been established, looking back they shall praise the
way that God has led them day by day, evens unto the end of their earthly course, and even
though it has been a "narrow way," a way of self-sacrifice, a way of
self-denial.
Drank the Cup the Father Poured
Our dear Master's faith stood the test of all these trying hours
which He knew to be so near the time of His apprehension and death. The fact that He
rendered thanks to the Father for the bread and the cup is indicative of a joyful
acquiescence in all the sufferings which the breaking of the bread and the crushing of the
grapes implied. Already He was satisfied with the Father's arrangement. In line with this
spirit was the singing of a hymn as they parted, a hymn of praise no doubt, thanksgiving
to the Father that His course on earth was so nearly finished, and that He had found thus
far grace sufficient for His need.
We should meet with few or many, as circumstances will permit, but
better far with a few who can, enter with us into the spirit of the Memorial, than with a
throng devoid of that spirit of fellowship and
union in Christ.
Those who celebrate the Memorial with guileless, earnest hearts
receive a great and refreshing blessing, and for this it is well to have seasons of quiet
in the midst of the service, when no one will be speaking audibly and when the hearts of
all can come very close to the Master in communion-in realization of His love, past and
present, in renewing the pledge, made to be His faithful followers even unto death, in
considering how that pledge has been kept or violated during the year preceding, and in
resolving afresh to run with patience the race for the prize of joint-heirship with our
Lord, to which we are invited.
"On Calvary's Brow"
Of the first Supper it is written: "They sang a hymn and went
out." Let us do the same. Let each go to his home with his heart full. We suggest the
omission on this occasion of the usual, general and proper after-meeting greetings, and
all commonplace remarks and thoughts; thus we may prolong our communion and fellowship
with the Master. Keep within sight of Him throughout the next day. Hear the clamor of the
people against the guileless One; see them incited by the clergy of Jerusalem; see Him
before Herod and his soldiers; see Him arrayed in robes of mock-royalty and crowned with
thorns, then buffeted and spat upon. See Him crucified as a criminal, and taunted with the
very gracious deeds which He had performed -- "He saved others, Himself He cannot
save." Remember that He could have saved Himself; that He could have asked for, and
would have received,, "more than twelve legions, of angels" to deliver and
protect Him; that He could have destroyed His enemies and villifiers, instead of dying for
them; and that our hope of a resurrection and
everlasting life depended upon His willing offering of Himself as our ransom price.
Considering His love for us and for all, it will surely strengthen us as His followers to
endure more and more hardness as good soldiers of the cross. Aye, let us consider Him who
endured such contradiction of sinners against Himself, lest we become weary and faint in
our minds under the light afflictions now permitted for our trial and discipline, which,
if faithfully endured, will work out for each a far more exceeding and eternal weight of
glory.
All who are living in the vicinity of New York City, or any who can
find it convenient to come from nearby places, will be warmly welcomed at the Memorial
service which will be held this year on the evening of March 28, at 8 o'clock, at the
regular meeting place of the brethren in Brooklyn, in the parlors of the Institute, 177
Prospect Place.
"Behold
your King! Though the moonlight steals
Through the silvery shade of the olive-tree,
No star-gemmed scepter or crown it reveals
In the solemn shades of Gethsemane;
Only a form of prostrate grief,
Fallen, crushed, like a broken-leaf.
Oh, think of this sorrow, that we may know
The depth of love in the depth of woe!
"Behold
your King! Is it nothing to you,
That the crimson tokens of agony
From the kingly brow must fall like dew,
Through the shuddering shades of Gethsemane?
Jesus Himself, the Prince of life,
Bows in mysterious mortal strife.
Oh, think of this sorrow, that we may know
The unknown love in the unknown woe!
"Behold
your King, with 'His sorrow crowned!
Alone, alone in the valley is He!
The shadows of death are gathering round,
And the Cross must follow Gethsemane.
Darker and darker the gloom must fall,
Filled is the cup-He must drink it all!
Oh, think of His sorrow, that we may know
His wondrous love in His wondrous woe!"
"A devout man, and one that prayed to God
alway." --Acts 10:2 10:2.
(Contributed from
outside the Editorial Staff)
PRAYER is not exactly defined in the Bible in so many words, though
it is everywhere alluded to as a most essential and worthy practice to cultivate; and
countless illustrations are given to show how we should pray, and for what. When God
created man, He endowed him with the faculty of spirituality and veneration, and thus
prayer was a natural expression of man's recognition of his Creator, of his worship and
adoration. The idolatry amongst heathen nations came as a result of the perversion of this
faculty, and the transferring to the idol of stone, wood, etc., of the worship and homage
due to the unseen God, whom it was intended to visualize. The same is true of some of the
so-called Christian forms of worship which claim the adoration of the creature for the
various images, patron saints, etc., all of which detracts from the proper honor of God,
and produces a form of godliness in the creature, but with a denial of the power.
Communion of the Soul With God
In our contact with the Christian life we hear many of God's children
say they find so little joy in prayer, and that even when they seek God's presence and
express themselves in the full dress of sound words, they leave the secret chamber having
no evidence that the Heavenly Father was present, having found no joy while before Him.
Such find their thoughts expressed in the well known words,
"Where is
the blessedness I knew
When first I found the Lord?"
Well would it be if the children of God could always remember that
the uniform absence of joy in prayer is one of
the threatening signs in our religious experience, intimating more or less estrangement
from God.
It is generally true that not many can distinguish between real
prayer and the theory of prayer. In the Bible sense, prayer is the communion of the soul
with God, a real fellowship in spirit in which the believer draws back the parting veil of
time and sense, and catches glimpses of the future glorious condition. Such a view of
God's glory counteracts the effects of present evils, and the soul learns the secret of
certain disciplinary experiences. It has well been said that "far away fields are
greener," and sometimes it is true that prime objects of prayer enchant us only in
the distance. When they come near to us, and are made life-like in our conceptions, they
very sensibly abate the pulse of our longing to possess them, because we cannot but
discover that to realize them in our lives, certain other precious objects must be
sacrificed with which we are not yet willing to part.
We have the paradox that a Christian may even fear an answer to his prayers, as for example an anxious
Christian may approach God in the spirit of worship, desiring to receive from Him that
generous loving spirit and a conscience void of offense toward all. As he kneels in the
Divine presence, the beauty of such a character becomes very real, and in lowliness he
earnestly requests that it may be his. By anti by, conscience reminds him of those of his
equals who are passing him in the Christian way, and their spiritual prosperity stirs Lip
within him the old spirit of envy. His thought now is to turn from this aspect of prayer
to some other one, in which conscience will not be so likely to rise in rebuke. Is it any
wonder that such a hidden sin should result in dampening his ardor, and in making his
Christian life a miserable existence indeed.
How Some Pray
Another example is that of an ambitious Christian who beseeches God
to give him a humble spirit, and to free him from pride and self-seeking. He voluntarily
takes the lower place because of his unworthiness, repeats the prayer of the publican, and
reminds God of the benediction bestowed on the poor in spirit. As his mind goes over one
by one of the graces mentioned by the Apostle in addition to humility, he is charmed with
them all, and he expresses himself very fully indeed. Then his conscience rises up and exposes the strong current of selfishness
more or less hidden by the fluency of his emotions. If such a Christian is not properly
exercised by seeing his real self, is it any wonder that he finds no real joy or
satisfaction in prayer.
Consider the revengeful Christian who seeks for the spirit of
meekness in order that he may be as harmless as a dove. He desires the corresponding
graces of forbearance, longsuffering and patience to be manifest in his life, and is
anxious to fulfil the Apostle's admonition: put off "all bitterness, and wrath, and
clamor, and evil-speaking, with all malice," and to possess instead the disposition
of Christ. His theoretic love for the great ideal becomes very strong, and he actually
feels his desires real, when he concludes by saying -- "Forgive me as I forgive
others trespassing against me." If such a conclusion to his prayer does not reveal
his hypocrisy, then how can his devotions bring down from Heaven the rich blessings
desired and actually ready to be bestowed?
Such, but by the grace of God, are we all. It is very generally true
that there is no warrant, in reason or revelation, for ascribing joylessness in prayer to
any other cause than some wrong in the soul itself. In other words, the want of unction in
prayer is not due to an arbitrary, or even inexplicable, withdrawment of God from the
soul. In Isa. 59:1, 2 we read: "Behold the Lord's hand is not shortened, that it
cannot save; neither His ear heavy, that it cannot hear: but your iniquities have
separated between you and your God, and your sins have hid His face from you, that He will not
hear." And then verses 9 and 10 tell us: "Therefore we wait for light, but
behold obscurity; for brightness, but we walk in darkness. We grope for the wall like the
blind, and we grope as if we had no eyes."
Sin in the Heart
Thus does the Lord explain to us what is meant by the "hiding of
God's countenance" and indicates that even a doubtful principle harbored in the
heart, may through time destroy the inmost peace of the Christian. And so it would seem
that there is much suspense of conscience amongst many of the Lord's people upon subjects
of practical life, on which there is no suspense of action. The exhortation comes to all
to examine their own hearts before God, and seek for everything that would in any way be a
means of hindrance in the answer to our prayers.
Sin, to be such, does not require some flagrant breaking of one of
God's commands, but rather, as Jesus so clearly stated in His Sermon on the Mount, sin is
the longing desire after something forbidden, though such desire may never have been put
into action. Therefore, sin begins in the mind, and necessitates the daily application of
the cleansing blood to every impure thought in order that the individual may gain the
victory over the Evil One. Sin actually means "missing the mark," and reminds
one of shooting at a target. To miss the mark by a fraction might as well have been by a
mile. The thought of missing the mark is illustrated in many ways in the Scriptures. For
example the case of Lot, as recorded in Gen. 13:12, in which, after separating from his
uncle, Abram, he selected the well-watered plain of Jordan "and pitched his tent toward Sodom." Now his sin lay not in
pitching his tent, but it lay in the direction in
which his tent was pitched. Later, we are told, he dwelt twenty years in Sodom itself and
became an important man there; and so wicked were the people that before its destruction
God could not find one righteous man therein. How forceful the lesson! As God's true
Israel, are we daily scrutinizing our own lives in order to see if the direction of the
same is toward the world or earthly ambitions? Realizing the peculiar perils of these
days, are we ostensibly pressing onward, yet drifting listlessly with the current of human
thought and opinion
Prayed With Windows Open Toward Jerusalem
Another example illustrative of the other side of the matter, is
provided for us in Daniel 6:10, where we read that Daniel had his windows "open
toward Jerusalem." Ah yes! he knew the secret of real success in his life of devotion
to God, and while refusing to be coerced into the worshiping of other gods, still he
prayed to his God daily in his chamber. Thus the direction of his prayers surely brought
the desired answer and blessing. Let us more and more imitate Daniel, a man beloved of God
and richly blessed through prayer.
Underlying Principles in Prayer
Jesus, in His Sermon on the Mount, set forth the principles
underlying the Christian religion, adding the blessing to those who mastered and applied
them daily, and pointing out the loss to all who knew but did not do His commands. Let us
examine these statements of the Lord in order that we may see our privilege and
responsibility in .prayer.
In Matthew 5:44-48 Jesus states the things for which we should pray,
putting them under four heads. First, the heart filled to overflowing with the love of God
toward our enemies. Here we have the great ideal set before us in our gracious Heavenly
Father, of whom St. Paul writes, "God commendeth His love toward us, in. that while
we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." In Him we have the rounded-out character,
and so to be perfect in heart we require to look out over life from God's standpoint. In
John 3 :16 God's great love and great Gift are stated; and then in 1 John 3:16 the same
Apostle urges that the brethren lay down their lives for one another.
Second, this love must not be negative, but positive, finding an
outlet in the blessing of our enemies. It is easy to bless those that bless us, but the
real Christian is one who has been so richly blessed by God, that his own life overflows
with the milk of human-kindness to all. This is the love "that beareth all
things," and is constantly seeking ways and means of bringing blessings to those who
curse.
Third, love acting the disposition of doing good to all who hate us,
trusting thereby that the returning of good for evil would result in a corresponding
winning of the erring individual toward the right. Love "hoping all things,"
even though the act is ever so clear, yet still giving the benefit of any doubt there may
be. Surely we have a very high ideal indeed set before us.
Fourth, love entreating for the persecutors. As one has remarked, it
is comparatively easy for the Christian to come to the Throne of Grace at the close of the
day and pray to God on behalf of all who have treated him kindly during the day, for those
who are his special friends, or for those who have invited him to their homes. It is a
pleasure to recall all these good friends in prayer, and to earnestly plead the Divine
blessing upon such. On the other hand, it is a very difficult matters to invoke the Divine
blessing upon our enemies of the day, the general tendency being to try to forget such
unpleasant incidents. Yet Jesus shows here that we must reach the stage where all who
trespass against us have a loving remembrance in our prayers, that thus we may be like our
Heavenly Father by having perfect heart intentions. Is it any wonder that prayer is a
real, vital necessity, and that it implies far more than merely "saying" our
prayers. Real prayer should be leading us daily nearer our great Ideal, Christ, and giving
us the victory over temptations.
Why Should One Pray?
In Matt. 6:6-8 Jesus points out that our prayers ought to be simple,
sincere, and to the point, for the important reason that our Heavenly Father knows our need even before we ask Him. How true
it is in Christian experience that many use vain repetitions and think they are bound to
receive the answer thereto because of their much speaking. On the contrary, says Jesus, my
earnest follower will recognize the importance of being slow to speak but swift to hear My
Father's counsel, and instead of telling Him the details connected with the Divine plans
and purposes, he will be more concerned with the bringing of every thought into subjection
to the Divine will. The Chinaman illustrates vain repetition by writing out his prayer and
then placing it on his prayer-wheel, the efficacy of the prayer being in the number of
revolutions, and not in the prayer itself. The Polish peasant, on the other hand, writes
out his prayer and attaches it to one of the arms of his windmill, thus the stronger the
wind the more often and intense are his prayers.
How comforting is the Lord's reminder of our gracious Heavenly
Father's love and interest in us! How it takes the sting out of all earth's sad
experiences to realize that He knows and loves and cares!
The question may well arise, however, as to the need for any one
praying to God, if He is already aware of the suppliant's need. Why should one pray at all
in view of this wonderful assurance? The answer is that expression deepens impression, and
we show our belief in our Heavenly Father's oversight of our life, and our earnest desire
to possess the promised blessings, by making a stated request. Just as in the natural
world: suppose a child requests a certain thing from its father, and immediately
thereafter runs off to play with other compan-ions without receiving an answer, and then
in a few days' time comes and says, Father, didn't I ask you sometime ago for this thing?
Well, you did not give it to me. In such a case the request was only the result of a
passing thought in the mind of the child, and its gratification was evidently little
desired. So it is in some Christian lives. In the daily life the Christian may see some
good quality very desirable, and request the Heavenly Father for its bestowal, and
straightway forget about watching for its reception. These are the kind of Christians who
will fail in the great testing now being conducted by the Lord, because He' is seeking for
positive characters to complete the "little flock."
Vain Repetitions in Prayer
On the other hand there are those who pass through the deep waters of
affliction and who do not go about parading their sufferings, but who try to smile before
others, while at the same time hiding a sorely tried heart. To such the precious words of
Jesus come with ineffable sweet-ness as they remember that God knows their need, and
although words fail to express the deep longing of the soul, nevertheless the Holy Spirit
makes known to the Father the heart cries of His child. Thus have we brought to our
attention simplicity in prayer, and it should be our daily endeavor to bring all our
petitions to the Throne of Grace clothed in simple and direct language.
One more point might be mentioned, and that is that, some of the
Lord's people in public prayer have a habit of using words or phrases very frequently in
the course of a petition, such as -- "Our Heavenly Father," "Dear
Father," "Dear Lord," etc., these being often used evidently to supply a
pause in the speaker's thoughts, and then after the expression is used, a new train of
thought is followed. To one who lives in close communion with God such oft quoted
expressions seem entirely out of place. Our Father is high and holy, and ought to be
approached with holy fear and His holy name repeated only where necessary, and if our flow
of language depends on the frequent repetition of name, then the briefer our prayers are,
the better, and the more sure they will be of fulfillment. An elderly Christian once
remarked that at one time, when praying in public, he prayed to the audience, when in
private he prayed to himself, but experience had finally taught him to pray to God.
(Continued in next issue)
In these days of peculiar
trial and difficulty many of the Lord's true sheep feel the need of fellowship together;
but as the majority are scattered over the country, it is not always possible to gratify
this desire. However, a special season of blessing always accompanies the effort put forth
to assemble ourselves for the purpose of worshiping our Heavenly Father in spirit and in
truth. Such was the experience of the brethren
in Jacksonville, Fla., the last week-end of January.
The majority of the brethren who thus assembled have recently
discerned the extent of the bondage prevalent in the place of their former communion, and
now rejoice in the liberty purchased for them by Christ. The special meetings were indeed
arranged by a loving Providence, and were to all as an oasis in a thirsty land.
Brother Muir, now making a pilgrim tour through the South and West,
was appointed for Jacksonville that week-end, and was joined by Brother Margeson, of
Boston. No special meetings were arranged until the close of Friday evening, when by a
unanimous vote, the brethren decided to hold a one-day convention on the following Sunday.
Although rain had fallen for several days, Sunday was clear, dry, and sunny. Altogether
thirty-five brethren were present.
An interesting program
was arranged, in all nine meetings, including two testimony meetings. Four local brothers
took part in short addresses -- Brothers McIlvaine, Webb, Boyett, and Muhlbacher. In
addition, Brother Oleszynski of Chicago, Ill., spoke. Many will recall that this brother
was in charge of the Polish work at Brooklyn under Brother Russell. The keynote of the
convention might be placed under three heads: reformation in the life; co-operation for
mutual upbuilding; moderation in thought, word, and deed.
The testimonies expressed the deep gratitude of the brethren for the
Lord's loving provision for their spiritual needs, and all seemed to be energized with
fresh zeal to make their calling and election sure to the Heavenly Kingdom. This is the
right outlook, and we are sure the dear Lord has abundantly blessed all who were gathered
to talk about His Word, and call upon His name.
MANY of our readers will be encouraged to learn that during the past
six months there has been a special awakening amongst the friends of the Truth,
particularly throughout America. Many letters have been received telling of the results of
recent investigations that are being made, associated more or less with doubts and fears,
and earnestly inquiring for assistance in the direction of some encouraging message.
Generally these letters are most gratifying and indicate honesty of heart and a deep,
desire to understand more fully the meaning of the general conditions that have prevailed
amongst the people of the Truth during the past ten years.
The cause of this awakening of interest in the direction of this
ministry is doubtless due considerably to the fact that the year 1925 had been set by many
Bible Students as a year that was to witness the culmination and fulfillment of all those
prophecies that portray the complete passing of the present order, including the overthrow
of Satan's empire and the downfall of the governments of this world. In addition to this
it was believed by many that the year 1925 would witness the ushering in of the Kingdom of
God and the great antitypical jubilee or the times of restitution of all things. Included
in this also was the claim that in the year 1925 the Ancient Prophets and holy ones of
Israel would be resurrected and the reign of life begin at once, so that none need go into
the tomb after that time. The utter and complete collapse of all o£ these
prognostications, and the failure of all such expectations bringing sore disappointment,
has led many to appeal more directly to the Lord and His Word that they might hear His
voice and be in a position to exercise that faith enabling them to still trust in the Lord
and await His due time. Surely the lesson of the experiences of many at this time is the
same that has been oft repeated in the past, namely to prove all things, and to trust in
no uncertain conclusions, theories, or speculations of men, but to give the more earnest
heed to the things which we have learned, and to see to it that what we accept as truth is
well established and built upon the foundation of the unfailing Word of God. The letters
We are receiving clearly show that many are now appreciating the voice of wisdom from this
standpoint.
The facts also make very manifest that the special issue of our
journal of August 1st and 15th, 1925, dealing exhaustively with the subject of the Times
and Seasons and Chronological data and reviewing the entire subject afresh, has brought
untold blessings to many, assisting them to discover the meaning of the failures of their
hopes at the time that had been set. This has meant that here and there throughout the
country there are friends writing and assuring us of how greatly they have been recently
blessed and encouraged, not only in the matter of understanding why many things have not
transpired, but that the investigations of these days have led them to understand wherein
their confidence has been misplaced. Deep thankfulness and praise are expressed that they
are now enabled more abundantly to see the Master alone as their head and teacher, and
that only by keeping their eyes upon Him and not upon human leaders, channels, or
headships can they be assured of safety in this hour of special temptation and trial that
has come upon all the world to try them that dwell upon the earth. Is it not manifest that
the Lord in fulfillment of His promise is thus helping His people in the dawning of the
morning -- is giving the needful assistance in this time of urgent need!
Many of the friends in various parts have cooperated well in the
circulation of the chronological issue of last year. In view of the results thus far, and
what appears to have been greatly blessed of the Lord, we cannot but earnestly recommend
that the practice of sending us names and addresses of other friends in the Truth be
continued. We now have reference particularly to names and addresses of friends of the
Truth from whom we have been separated in these recent years; and who, at the present
time, for the reasons named above, are more or less in a maze of bewilderment, not knowing
whither to turn. The demand for the special chronological issue has exhausted the extra
supply of several thousands that was ordered at the time that issue came out, so that we
are now about to place an order for another edition of the same issue: Let us all, dear
brethren, in these days realize our responsibility toward fellow members and seek to give
them the word of encouragement that is needed, and that may be the means under the Lord's
providence of confirming and encouraging the faith of fellow members of the same Body.
Those who are in a position to send us lists of names direct, may do so and the papers
will be mailed. If any are in a position to pass the paper directly to others, we shall be
glad to send them a supply to use in this way.
In this connection also it may be said that the response to the
suggestion about giving the Evolution Herald a wide circulation has been most excellent.
Many thousands of names have been received and the papers have been mailed with
encouraging results. We recommend that all who so desire, continue to share this
privilege.
Additionally we are getting printed an extra supply of each issue of
the "Herald" and as special articles dealing with one topic or another appear
from time to time that are thought to be especially seasonable for some, additional copies
of any issue may be ordered to be given out; or we will mail copies to addresses which may
be sent us.
"The Son of Man came not
to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to .give His life a ransom for many" --
Matt. 20:28.
THE great lessons imparted by the Master to His followers are best
understood by taking note of the circumstances and surroundings. The careful reader is
impressed by the way Jesus made use of opportune seasons for conveying His masterful and
solemn lessons. Such was the time when he would teach a lesson in humility that was to
remain with His followers throughout the entire Age.
It was the last week in the life of Jesus preceding His crucifixion.
The week opened with the triumphal entry on Sunday, the cleansing of the temple followed
on Monday, a great day of teaching on Tuesday, Jesus rested in a home at Bethany on
Wednesday, preparation for the Passover came on Thursday, and on Thursday evening was
celebrated the Passover meal with the institution of the symbolical Supper, at which time
Jesus washed the disciples' feet.
Another has very forcibly described the occasion: "Upon that
table fell the shadow of the cross and Jesus knew its terrible meaning. He was not
laboring under any illusion or delusion and walking blindly through the world, but He
clearly saw His path running straight to crucifixion. Yet beyond the outstretched arms of
the cross He saw the outstretched arms of the Father. He knew that He was going out of the
world, but He also knew whither He was going."
Some of the Apostles had, by the Lord's instruction, made ready
beforehand; and now, as they assembled without a host to appoint them their places at the
Supper, a discussion as to their prominence and their rights to the most honorable places,
nearest to the Master, is not surprising. Our Lord twice before had rebuked them on this
very line, assuring them that unless they cultivated and attained a spirit .of meekness
like little children they could have no part in the Kingdom. And only a week before, while
en route to Jerusalem, James and John had made the request that in the Kingdom, when
established, they might sit the one on the right hand and the other on the left hand of
the Master, in closest proximity to His person. It was this spirit that controlled on,
this occasion, and led up to our Lord's washing of the disciples' feet as a lesson of
humility and willingness to serve one another even in the humblest capacity.
Selfishness Even in Love
Nor are we to think of the Apostles as each striving for the highest
position merely from a selfish standpoint. Rather we should suppose that Peter, James, and
John, Whom the Lord had in various ways specially favored in times past and who seemed to
be specially close to Him, loved the positions nearest His person, not merely because of
the honor thus implied, but largely because of their love and esteem for the Master
Himself, and perhaps with the feeling that they appreciated this privilege more than some
others could appreciate the same. Indeed we may suppose that a considerable number of the
other Apostles strove on their behalf, insisting that they should have the most honorable
position. But however we view the matter, it is evident that a wrong spirit had been
engendered, one very inappropriate to the occasion, especially inappropriate to the
Memorial Supper, which our Lord intended to institute after the Passover Supper.
It is difficult for us to gage our own hearts thoroughly and hence we
should use great charity in measuring the hearts and intentions of others, and should err
rather on the side of too great sympathy and leniency than on the side of too strong
condemnation. Doubtless had the Apostles been inquired of respecting the matter they would
have denied any elements of selfishness in their motives and conduct, and would have
thought and spoken only of their zeal for the Lord and desire to be near Him. This
illustrates to us what the Scriptures declare, that the human heart is exceedingly
deceitful-that it needs scrutinizing carefully lest, under the cloak of something good, it
might harbor qualities which without that cloak we would despise or spurn.
As further illustrating this subject, and as helping us each and all
to apply the lesson personally, we relate a dream told by a Scotch minister, Horatius
Bonar, shortly before his death. He dreamed that his zeal was represented in a package of
considerable. size and weight, and that some angels came to it and weighed it and assured
him that it was full weight, an hundred pounds -- all that was possible. In his dream he
was greatly pleased with this report. They next determined to analyze it. They put it into
a crucible and tested it in various ways and then reported the result thus: "Fourteen
parts selfishness; fifteen parts sectarianism; twenty-two parts ambition; twenty-three
parts love to man; twenty-six parts love to God." Awakening he realized that it was
but a dream, yet felt greatly humbled, and doubtless was profited by it throughout the
remainder of life. That dream may be equally profitable to each of us in leading us to a
close inspection of the motives which lie beyond our words and thoughts and doings --
especially beyond our service for the Lord and for the brethren.
He Hath Set Us An Example
Truly remarkable it is that the gathering shadows of His own death
could not deflect Jesus' thought and love from His chosen disciples. He was about to go,
but they were to remain, and lie thought 'not of Himself, but of them. As the Evangelist
declared "having loved His own He loved them unto the end." Because of His love
He laid aside His glory and became a man; because of His love He devoted Himself as the
man Christ Jesus; because of His love He was now anxious to help His dear disciples over a
difficulty which, if not conquered, would hinder their usefulness as His followers both in
the present and future. This love not only led our Lord to administer the reproof
necessary, but led Him to do it in the wisest and best and kindest manner. His example in
this respect should be observed and copied by all His followers, especially those who in
any public capacity or service are his representatives in the Church.
Had our Lord and His disciples been the guests of some host on this
occasion, it would have been considered the duty of the host to have sent some menial to
wash their feet. This was the custom of the country, and very necessary to comfort. The
open sandals or imperfectly sewed shoes allowed the dust of the highway to soil the feet,
and really made washing a necessity after every journey, but particularly on a festal
occasion of this kind. As the Lord's company were not guests, but merely had the use of
the room, no servant appeared to wash their feet, and it would have been properly the duty
and custom for one of the number to have performed the menial service for the others. As
we have just seen, however, the spirit of rivalry was warm in their hearts, and no one
volunteered to render the service, nor had any one the right to demand it in a company in
which the Lord had made no special rank and appointed none as menials. This, however,
rightly understood and appreciated, would have left the greater opportunity for some of
them to have volunteered this service to the others. What an opportunity they all lost!
Also My Hands and My Head
Our Lord apparently let the matter go to the full limit to see
whether or not any of them would improve the opportunity and make himself servant of all;
He waited until the supper was being served (not ended, as in our Common Version) ; then
arising from the table He laid aside His outer garment or mantle and took a towel and
girded Himself -- that is to say, tightened the girdle worn around the waist, which would
hold up the flowing undergarments and keep them out of the way of His activity. We can
well imagine the consternation of the Apostles as they watched this procedure, and then
saw the Lord go from the feet of one and another as they protruded from the couches on
which they reclined. The method of washing feet was different from ours: the basin was
merely a receptacle for holding the soiled water, the water being poured from the pitcher
in a small stream while the foot was being washed, rubbed, rinsed.
Apparently the Apostles were so astonished at our Lord's procedure,
and so felt .the condemnation which His course implied, that they knew not what to say,
and so silence reigned until it came Peter's turn. Peter had a peculiar combination of
character, part of which was extremely good. He objected to having his feet washed by the
Lord, saying, "Dost thou wash my feet? -- It is not appropriate, Lord, that one so
great as you should serve a person of my standing, a poor fisherman." But our Lord
answered that although Peter did not discern the full meaning of the matter, He would
explain to him later when He had finished the washing of all. Peter's second remark was
less praiseworthy than his first. He said, "Thou shalt never wash my feet."
It was hard for Peter to realize that he was the disciple and the
Lord was the Teacher-that it was for him to obey and not to dictate; but Jesus' answer,
"If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me," at once brought out the better
side of Peter's impulsive nature. If his washing had anything to do with his nearness to
the Master and his relationship to Him, then he wanted it. Going even to the other extreme
again, fearing to leave matters in the Lord's care, he cried, "Lord, not my feet
only, but also my hands and my head." There is a lesson for us in this matter: We are
not to dictate to the Lord, not to attempt to be wise or good or obedient in ways that He
has not directed. This is a hard lesson for some dispositions to learn; continually they
want to do more than is written in the Scriptures. Such a course indicates either a lack
of reverence for the Lord and His Word and the wisdom thereof, or else a too great
self-confidence, too much self-esteem. A humble and trustful heart should learn to say,
Thy will, O Lord, Thy way and in Thy time -- "Thy will, not mine be done."
Washing the Feet of the Bathed
Our Lord's answer in our Common Version is somewhat obscure; the
Revised Version is better -- "he that is bathed needeth not save to wash his feet to
be clean every whit." Properly they had all bathed in accordance with the Jewish
requirement of the putting away of all filth at the beginning of the Passover season. Our
Lord's intimation, then, signified that having bathed they merely now needed the. rinsing
of their feet, the cleansing of the members that had come in contact with the earth. Our
Lord added, referring to Judas, "Ye are clean, but not all." This expression
shows us clearly that He had in mind a higher cleansing, of which this washing of their
feet and their previous bath were but figures.
The Lord knew that the hearts of His disciples were loyal. He had
accepted them as His disciples and had reckonedly imputed to them the merit of His
sacrifice as a covering of their blemishes, the full testimony of which would be given
them by and by at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit testifying that the Father had accepted the
Lord's sacrifice on their behalf. But there was one in the number whose heart was not
clean. Our Lord did not pass him by, but washed the feet of Judas with the rest, knowing
the while of his perfidy, and that he had already bargained with the chief priests, and
was merely awaiting the opportune moment for the carrying out of his malevolent scheme.
Our Lord's words, although not understood by the rest, must have been
appreciated by Judas, as were also His subsequent words recorded in verses 18, 26, 27, 28.
Our Lord went so far as to quote the very prophecy which marked Judas and his disloyalty,
his violation of even the common hospitality. None of these things moved Judas; none of
these things appealed to his heart in such a manner as to change his course. We have thus
strong evidence of the willful intention which marked his crime and enforced the meaning
of our Lord's words when he called him the "son of perdition," and declared that
it would have been better for him had he never been born. The quotation from the Psalm
was, "He that eateth bread with me bath lifted up his heel against me."
Patience to its Limit
We may be sure that out Lord's conduct in dealing with Judas is not
only a proper outline of what our conduct should be to any of a similar class, but
additionally we should note the lesson that the Lord is longsuffering toward all who
become His disciples, not willing that any should perish, but disposed to do, for them
until the very last, and to bring to their .attention the error of their ways repeatedly,
in hope that thus they maybe turned therefrom. The latter lesson: has associated with it
the thought that those who have received the Truth, and who in spite of all the favors
connected therewith encourage and develop in themselves the spirit of selfishness, are apt
to become so hardened, so calloused, that not even the Master's reproofs and the words of
the Scriptures will influence them. This reminds us of the Apostle's words, "It is
impossible to renew them again unto repentance" --- to a proper course -- if once the
Spirit of the Lord has been fully subjected to the spirit of selfishness in their hearts.
In harmony with what He told Peter-that he should know later on the
significance of the washing -- our Lord explained the matter, after he had gone the rounds
of all the Apostles. He said, "Know [understand] ye what I have done to you? Ye call
Me Master and Lord, and ye say well; for so I am. If I then, your Lord and Master, have
washed your feet, ye ought also to wash one another's feet."
The Meaning of the Lord's Action
Here we have the entire lesson explained. In their fear to be the
least, all the disciples had shunned the opportunity of service for the Master and for
each other. Our Lord, their acknowledged Head and Master, the Messiah, had humbled Himself
to serve them all, and had thus rebuked their inhumility, and at the same time set them an
example that would apply to every affair of life, namely that they should be glad to serve
one another on every proper occasion, in the high things or in the common affairs of life.
On account of the changed conditions of our time, the literal washing of feet in the
manner of the ancients would not be a comfort or service-quite the reverse would be true;
but the lesson and spirit of the service remains the same. This washing of one another's
feet we may readily see applies to any and every humble, service of life, any and every
kindness, though specially to those services and kindnessses which would be along the
lines of spiritual assistances and comfort.
How many blessed opportunities we have for comforting, refreshing,
consoling one another and assisting one another in some of the humblest affairs of life,
or in respect to some of the unpleasant duties, experiences, or trials of life. Any
service done or attempted to be done in love, with the desire to do good to one of the
Lord's people, we may be sure has the Divine approval and blessing. Let us lose no
opportunities of this kind; let us remember the Master's example; let us, like our Master,
not merely assume humility or pretend. it, but actually have that humility which will
permit us to do kindness and service to all with whom we come in contact, and
proportionately enjoy this privilege as we find the needy ones to be members of the Lord's
Body -- the Church.
As our Lord said to the disciples, "He that is bathed need not
save to wash his feet," even so we may realize that all who are justified and
consecrated members of His Body have already had the bath, the washing of regeneration,
and are already clean through the Word spoken unto them. (John 15:3.) Nevertheless,
although thus cleansed and sanctified, so long as we are in contact with the world we are
liable to a certain degree of earthly defilement, and it especially behooves each one not
only to look out for himself but to help one another to get rid of earthly defilements,
thus serving his brethren, helping them in the weaknesses, trials, and imperfections of
the flesh, assisting them to become overcomers. In these respects he is co-operating in
the great work of washing the saints' feet, cleansing from all filthiness of the flesh and
spirit, and perfecting holiness in the reverence of the Lord.-2 Cor. 7:1.
PART IV
ETERNAL LIFE ON CONDITION OF OBEDIENCE --
"THE DOCTRINE OF THE AGES"
"For God so loved the
world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Hire should not
perish, but have everlasting life." "He that hath the Son hath life; and he that
hath not the Son of God hath not life." -- John 3:16; 1 John 5:12.
IT CANNOT have escaped the notice of any Bible student, that a fact
made most prominent in Holy Writ is that endless life is offered and promised only on
certain conditions, namely that of obedience to God; that the one to whom perpetual life
is to be given shall be found in fullest accord with his Maker. Nor is the fact less
explicit in Scripture that the one failing to obey, failing to be found in harmony with
God after a full fair trial, shall not see life, shall not continue to live. Thus Jesus
said that the obedient believer should not perish but have everlasting life.
There are many statements in the Bible carrying this thought. The
very fact that conditions are stated, of itself implies the possibility of failure to
comply therewith, especially when the factor of the human will, and power to choose is
considered. In our Lord's words (John 3:16) the Greek word for perish is
"apollumi," and signifies "to loose away, to destroy." It bears no
idea whatever of temporary cessation of life, nor of the hope of living again. Whatever
takes place to change the state of one having perished must be the result of a separate
and distinct plan of redemption to lift such an tine out of that state. Thus it is in the
case of Adam and the entire human family, coming under the original sentience of
perishing. The sentence as passed on all men originally meant that all perished, but the "grace of God that bringeth salvation"
operated to grant release from that sentence, bringing redemption, final deliverance to as
many as will receive it on God's terms -- "whosoever will."
"Doctrine of the Ages" Product of Human
Manufacture
It is at this point that the advocates of Universalism insist that if
we admit that God has planned to bring all men once out of the state of those having
perished, He is quite able to do it again. and even a third time, and in fact as many
times as necessary to accomplish a reconciliation of sinners; the claim being that if
sinners are given a sufficient number of chances through several ages, all are bound to
come under the constraining influence of His grace and be reconciled to God. The theory
and scheme are woven together with certain Scriptures which refer to the ages of the
future, beyond the reign of evil, and beyond the thousand-year reign of Christ. And this
phase of human philosophy is termed by its advocates "The doctrine of the ages";
the sum of the theory being that during the various future ages before the grand ocean of
eternity commences, rebel sinners will be redeemed again and again many times; and this is
what is termed by some advocates of the theory as "death being a process spread out
over the period of the Eons"; the thought being that through the processes of grace
working through these ages the rebellious and wicked will finally be reclaimed to sin no
more.
On the surface the scheme appears most benevolent and longsuffering;
however it must be weighed in the light of the Divine philosophy which soon reveals that
such a conclusion is presumptuous and wiser than God; for His Word gives no support to the
idea of such a consummation. Again we acknowledge that God, if He so chose, could provide
such numberless opportunities for the rebellious wicked of the future to come forth from
the state of destruction, death. It is not a question of what He has the power to do; it
is a question of what He will do, and what He has declared His purpose to be. That the
Scriptures do clearly imply that there will be time periods or ages succeeding the
thousand years of restitution and reign of Christ and the Church, no Bible student will
question. Thus in the Authorized Version we have the following expression several times:
"To whom be glory for ever and ever." -- Gal. 1:5; Phil. 4:20; 1 Tim. 1:17; 2
Tim. 4:18; Heb. 13:21; 1 Pet. 4:11; Rev. 5 :13.
Have We Any Light Concerning the "Ages of the
Ages"
In all the above references the word "ever" is translated
from the Greek word "aion," which merely signifies a time or an age. The term
then "for ever and ever" literally means "for the ages of the ages,"
without regard to what takes place in those ages. What then is the so-called doctrine of
the ages? and what Scriptural support is there for believing that the aionian times, or
ages subsequent to the reign of Christ, will be devoted to the spreading out of death and
the reclaiming of those who will still be the rebellious wicked at the close of the
thousand-year period of Christ's reign? We reply that the word doctrine has the
significance of teaching, or a system of instruction in which certain truths are set forth
and expounded. .We ask, What doctrine or system of teaching does the Bible give with
regard to the "ages of the ages" beyond Christ's reign? What unfoldment or
instruction is there relating to the ages, times, or Eons, beyond the age of restitution?
Surely none whatever; no reference of any kind is there that gives us a clue to any of the
Divine dealings or operations; no information that could be construed to be a doctrine
relating to those future times.
Why then speak of "The doctrine of the ages" with reference
to those future times concerning which we have no
doctrine, no teaching, no instruction, and of which we know absolutely nothing? Not only is there no
information given us in the Old Testament prophecies bearing on those ages of the distant
future, but neither our Lord nor the Apostles related even one detail concerning them. If
it be true that death is a process to be "spread out over the Eons" of the
future, and that the plan of redemption pertaining to man reaches out far into those times
in the remote hereafter, why do we not have some light upon the matter in God's Word? Why
not some details clearly setting before us redemption's story, as it is alleged it will
continue to be told throughout those ages when, it is claimed, all the wicked will be
reconciled to God?
When the Great Curtain of God's Drama Falls
Not only so, but the last book of the Bible bears us down to the
close of the Millennial Judgment Day Age, or Eon, and we are given every inference that
the grand consummation of the Divine Plan is there reached; the closing visions of the
Revelation portray that consum-mation, in the coming down to earth of the New Jerusalem
government or Kingdom of God, represented in Christ and the Church. This Divine
government, this mediatorial throne, is seen to prevail throughout the thousand-year
period (Rev. 20:3, 4, 7; 21:1-5), that all the children of Adam purchased by our Lord's
ransom sacrifice (1 Cor. 15:22), the precious blood of Christ (1 Pet. 1:18, 19; 1 John
2:2), may be given each his individual share in the benefits of the Atonement -- these
benefits, as we have heretofore seen, to consist of the awakening from the tomb and the
advantage of a clear understanding of the Divine will and coming to a knowledge of the
Truth (1 Tim. 2:4; Jer. 31 :34; Isa. 11 :9), in which condition each person will be fully
,responsible and on trial for life. In other words, the times of restitution or
restoration will return to whosoever will of
mankind, all those blessings of life and paradise originally possessed and lost
because of sin. The conclusion of the thousand-year judgment Eon presents a purified
earth; a "little season" set apart at the conclusion of the reign of Christ is
sufficient to test the human family once more (Rev. 20:1-3, 7), as our first parents were
tested at their creation. The results of that future test are seen to be that some, we
know not the number, will prove to be disloyal and will be rejected of God -- "fire
came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them." -- Rev. 20:7-9.
With that last account the great curtain of God's Drama falls; all
the scenery of the vast beyond is hidden, from view and all is silent so far as' any
further information is concerned, except that Scripture references might be multiplied,
clearly conveying the thought that all those ages thereafter will be seasons of
blessedness, of unspeakable happiness and of life. Are we then justified in assuming that
those who are said to perish in the Second Death during or at the end of the Millennial
Age (Rev. 20:13-15; 21:8) will be redeemed a second, third, or fourth time in those ages
that follow? Surely such reasoning could not be short of presumption, being without any
Bible testimony whatever in support of such a conclusion.
Our Information Limited to Plan of Redemption
The fact that other ages or Eons are specified to follow the
thousand-year age or period, by no means proves that the work of redemption and recovery
of sinful man continues on. Just what the work of those ages is, none can know because it
is not revealed. And whether or not there are several or many of those ages, times, or
Eons, to pass before the great eternity itself commences, we cannot know; or whether or
not the designation "ages of the ages" is merely another way of designating
eternity, or merely another term for expressing the idea of continued time, we cannot
certainly know.
In consideration of the foregoing, it should be evident to every
candid reader that the only plan or "doctrine of the ages" of which we know
anything, is that specified by the Apostle Paul when addressing the brethren at Ephesus
and unfolding for them the secret of the ages or plan for man's redemption, he designated
it "a plan of the ages which He [God] formed for the anointed Jesus our Lord."
(Eph. 3:11, Diaglott.) This plan of the ages discussed by the Apostle can refer to no
other plan than that of the purpose which has been working out through those ages
commencing with man's creation, including the various epochs or time periods under the
reign of evil, and reaching over unto the close of Messiah's glorious reign. These alone
are evidently the only ages that St. Paul had in mind, for he does not attempt to
enlighten the Church concerning any time periods beyond the close 0f Christ's reign, and
he tells the Church he had not shunned to declare the whole counsel of God. Therefore, if
there were other ages during which the Divine economy or Divine Plan was to be
consummated, St. Paul knew nothing of them, for he does not attempt to expound any truths
or to convey any light bearing- upon any later times than those which reach to the
conclusion of the one-thousand-year epoch.
(To be Continued)
Dear Brethren:
The Lord is crowding the blessings so fast that I cannot contain them
all, so I shall proceed to unload some of them on you. This is my excuse for writing you
again so soon (Manna, March 23).
First I must tell you of the joy those August Heralds have brought. I
have heard from three out on the Pacific Coast to whom, I sent them, and each letter
included several others who are vitally interested. Sister ___ of Vancouver sent for more
at once, she tells me, to distribute to other hungry souls out there, and got the
Revelation books for herself. There are two sisters besides herself in close harmony in
Vancouver -- all of them Ex-"Standfasts," and earnestly trimming away error as
fast as it is manifest to them.
Another one is Brother ___ of Victoria. He wrote at midnight of the
day the "Herald" reached him-just a line to thank me for sending it. He had been
reading it all evening he said, and found it had "the right ring." I'm waiting
to hear more. There are seven or eight truth-seekers there.
The third one is Sister late of Victoria but now in Seattle. I'm
going to enclose her letter, and let you see for yourself what are the fruits of your
labor of love in feeding the Lord's starving and bruised, pitiful sheep. She is just out
of fearful bondage and error. Ezekiel thirty-four wars never truer.
I am interested in watching the Lord's hand in all this. It seems
that there is a decided movement toward His table (Luke 12:37) as you are serving it. Many
are but now learning of your ministry and instantly recognizing the Master's voice. My own
heart is fairly breaking with joy in being permitted a tiny part in the work.
Now I turn from this joyous matter to another marvelous phase of the
Lord's bounty; . . . I mean my own spiritual development. (1 Thess. 5:12.) I was lean and
hungry when He directed me to your ministry, but now --"Out -of my distress I called
upon Jehovah: Jehovah answered me and set me in a large place,." First you showed me
some wrong views I was holding. When I had corrected my doctrines, you started me to
studying the subject of the Holy Spirit. With the assistance of the "Herald" I
seem able to grasp a depth of meaning in the Scriptures that heretofore were closed to me;
and also to digest them and incorporate them in daily living. I am so glad you have called
my attention to the labor of brethren long since gone from earthly scenes. I find the
Truth richer and broader and deeper. Even the cross-references in my Bible are now a
special occasion of praise and gratitude tude, as I find how much they help me in tracing
the Comforter through Holy Writ. It would take a long letter to tell you in detail of the
help your ministry is to me, every hour of every day. I have been wakened, refreshed,
strengthened, rebuked, and encouraged. I was on a fair way to becoming lukewarm and
overcome with the cares of this life. You have stimulated me to study, intelligently and
to some purpose.
I shall never cease to benefit by Brother Streeter's warning in
connection with the Message to Ephesus. Sometimes I think that is really at the bottom of
my new joy, peace, zeal, and understanding . . . I recognize the Holy Spirit in your
writings; hence the weight, vitality, and pertinence of it all. I am amazed and almost,
overwhelmed as I see the living issues dealt with. Evidently the Lord knows what we need
and when we need it. We acknowledge together that the glory is all His; but it is my
privilege to recognize the broken and emptied vessels whom He is pleased to use.
Now that I have again "located myself on the stream of
time," have awakened to a keener realization of what consecration means, to a deeper
and fuller sense of what my relationship to the Lord means, I can rejoice in patience and
hope as never before. And instead of endeavoring to grow the fruits of the Spirit from the
outside by my own well-meant but misguided efforts, I have learned the secret -- to quench
not the Spirit, but to give it room and opportunity to show its mighty power. This means
balancing of faith and works, of confidence and humility. I am actually learning how to
fight.
May the Lord pour out His richest blessings upon you all, as you
continue to lay down your lives. My son joins me in fervent Christian love to all the dear
Israel of God.
Your sister by His abounding favor, R. A. -- Ill.
[Following
is the letter referred to in the above as having been received from the Sister "late
from Victoria but now in Seattle."]
Dearly Beloved in the Lord:
Greetings in Jesus' name. I am writing to you tonight, dear sister,
acknowledging receipt of "The Herald of Christ's Kingdom." I thank you so much
for sending it to me. Its wonderful chronological data has so strengthened and established
my faith -- all Scriptural proof, and harmonizing so beautifully with Brother Russell's
teachings. I must say it came in answer to prayer. Surely the Lord sent it, and I can do
nothing else than accept it to be the Truth.
I have been undergoing some strange experiences since I last wrote
you . . . . After getting away from the environment which has ham-pered my spiritual
progress for the last year, the Lord has given me a firm footing on the true foundation
again. He has gradually been leading me to see that the priceless hope which has been my
life since I consecrated was truly my. right. But my :mind being befogged with- the errors
of the past two or three years . . . I had completely lost myself on the stream of trine;
even ,though I had settled it in my mind that "1933 was the date which we could
expect to see fulfilled that which we expected to see in 1914." Do you know that
Brother Russell said in one of his sermons ("Pastor Russell's Sermons," page
480) that some claimed that Zedekiah's dethronement dated 588 B. C.. and if so it would
make a difference of 18 years and make the Gentile Times end in 1932 instead of 1914. But
he favored the latter date. Now that point was called to my attention by a sister out here
and has been one of special interest to me since. Isn't it wonderful to think the Lord did
not let Brother Russell see these little points.. It has really been for the testing of
the Church.
Now dear, while I acknowledge this to be an answer to prayer, there
are others who say the same thing. Brother ___, who has been an elder in the I. B. S. A.
for years, received one of these Heralds and says the same thing.
Sister ____ is rejoicing over this as I am and says it is just what
we have longed to know. Strange this never came to us before. She has some old
"Heralds" about 1918, but laid them away and never read them. We got them out
Sunday and were impressed by the lovely spirit shown. Can I get some extra copies of the
one you sent. me? I know several who have been perplexed like myself who would be glad .to
read them: This just confirms: my ,hope and I am. rejoicing as never before. -- Psa.
18:21.
The former chronological date, 1925, did much to confuse the
scattered sheep. Alas how many have been "beating the air." Brother Russell said
chronology was not given to alarm the world, it was not given to the world at all, but to
comfort and guide the Church, and how true it is. How the Lord has blessed those dear
brethren who. have so diligently searched out the Scriptures to find the discrepancy in
our former chronology: Tell me, who are these people? and how long have you been
associated with them? I have been searching, searching . . . . I would like to get the
book I see advertised in the "Herald,' "The Revelation of Jesus Christ." .
. .
Oh it is so glorious, dear sister, to feel my feet on the firm
foundation again. I want to begin in dead earnest to trim away old errors as fast as I
recognize them. My heart is filled with joy these days because after all the bitterness
and sorrow, I am now reaping the after-fruits of bless blessing. I never forget to thank
Him each day for the joys of the Truth- that it is still the one absorbing theme of life .
. . . I have time to meditate; to read and study. The dear Lord saw I needed the rest and
the time for study and communion with Him. Oh the hours spent with Him are sweet; and
precious indeed! . . .
Now once again I want to thank you for the joy I have received
through, the "Herald." May God bless ,you richly. . .
Ever your sister by His grace, F. P. -- Wash.
Dear Brethren in Christ:
Greetings! Again we unitedly express our appreciation of your labor
of love to us for this year fast drawing to a close. We are thankful to God for the
bountiful table He continues to spread before us in this valley of :conflicts. He who
knows all our needs has been pleased to supply us .according to His good pleasure far more
abundantly than we could ask or think. The passing of Brother Streeter (that tower of
strength) from you left a sting of sorrow on our minds for you who felt the loss so much.
It reminded us of another great man of God from whom we have received very great
blessings, and though bereft of these able ministers of God, our gracious Heavenly
Father's wonderful care for us sees that we lack nothing; and like one of old, with
uplifted hands and hearts, we can say, "There has not failed one word of all His good
promises."
The perplexing conditions of the time present, not only in the world,
but in the house of God, obviously adds. double weight of care to your sacred charge. We
praise God that it has seemed good in His sight to bear you up, and so counsel you to the
end that your ministry is indeed the bread of life broken to us. Your ardent labor in holy
things proves to us like "A cry at midnight" arousing, us to awake from sleep
and put on the garments of praise for the spirit of heaviness.
The ministry of the "Herald" has the same sanctifying touch
of the Watch Tower of bygone days of most blessed memories. Dear brethren, God is with
you. Be strong and very courageous. Let nothing beat down your courage.. Remember in far
away Australia a little flock of brethren are holding your hands up by prayer, being bound
to you in the bonds of Christian 1øvä. May the grace of. our Lord Jesus be continually
with you all.
The Perth Bible Class -- Aus.
VOL. IX. March 15, 1926 No. 6
"And Nadab and Abihu, the
sons of Aaron, took either of them his censer, and put fire therein, and put incense
thereon, and offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not. And there
went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and they died before the Lord." --
Lev. 10:1, 2.
THE OFFERING of strange, fire by two members of the Levitical
priesthood is recorded amongst the incidents of Israel's history, from which no doubt
those of this dispensation of the spirit can draw most valuable lessons. The Bible
throughout presents in striking contrast, reverence and irreverence, obedience and
disobedience, loyalty to God and disloyalty to God.
Inasmuch as the Aaronic priesthood was a typical order or
arrangement, the course of disobedience on the part of Nadab and Abihu may also be
regarded as of a typical character. But this should give even greater emphasis to the
solemn lesson to be drawn from the occurrence. In the preceding chapter (Leviticus 9),
where we have the account of the various offerings which related to the consecration of
the priesthood, we read that "all was done as
the Lord commanded" with the result of manifested glory. What a solemn contrast
is here noted as in chapter 10 we read of the two priests who "offered strange fire before the Lord, which He
commanded not," and the result was judgment. No sooner had the sound of the shout
of victory died away until we behold the manifestation of a false worship; no sooner had
these priests assumed the Divine position ere it was deliberately polluted by disregard of
the solemn commandment; and no sooner were these priests installed than they sadly failed
in the prosecution of their holy offices.
The Sin of Presumption
An expositor who has written lucidly on this incident makes the
following interesting comments
"The page of human history has ever been a sadly blotted one. It
is a record of failure from first to last. Amid all the delights of Eden, man hearkened to
the tempter's lie (Gen. 3) ; when preserved from judgment by the hand of electing love,
and introduced into a restored earth, he was guilty of the sin of intemperance (Gen. 9) ;
when conducted, by Jehovah's outstretched arm, into the land of Canaan, he 'forsook the
Lord, and served Baal and Ashtaroth' (Judges 2:13) ; when placed at the very summit of
earthly power and glory, with untold wealth at his feet, and all the resources of the
world at his
command, he gave his heart to the uncircumcised stranger. (1 Kings
11.) No sooner had the blessings of the Gospel been promulgated than it became needful for
the Holy Spirit to prophesy concerning 'grievous wolves,' 'apostasy,' and all manner of
failure. (Acts 20 :29 ; 1 Tim. 4:13 ; 2 Tim. 3 1-5 ; 2 Pet. 2; Jude.) And, to crown all,
we have the prophetic record of human apostasy from amidst all the splendors of Millennial
glory. -- Rev. 20:7-10.
"Thus, man spoils everything. Place him in a position of highest
dignity, and he will degrade himself ; endow him with the most ample privileges, and he
will abuse them; scatter blessings around him in richest profusion, and he will prove
ungrateful; place him in the midst of the most impressive institutions, and he will
corrupt them. Such is man! Such is nature in its fairest forms end under the most
favorable circumstances!"
Departed From the Word of Jehovah
Various questions logically arise: What was the sum of the failure of
these priests? Were they genuine priests, or were they usurpers of the office and mere
professors? Not so, we answer. As sons of Aaron they were in every way genuine and duly
acknowledged members of the holy family -- properly appointed priests. Their ministry,
their priestly vesture-everything pertaining to them, seems in every way to have been
proper. In what then, was their sin? Had they stained any of the articles of the
tabernacle with human blood, or defiled the 'sacred apartments with some vile sin which
shocks the moral sense? There is no evidence that such was the case. The simple record is
"they offered strange fire before the Lord, which He commanded them not." The
sacred recorder thus places his finger directly upon their sin, and as the above writer
goes on to say, "They departed in their worship from the plain word of Jehovah, who
had fully and plainly instructed them as to the mode of their worship. We have already
alluded to the Divine fullness and sufficiency of the Word of the Lord, in reference to
every branch of priestly service. There was no room left for man to introduce what he
might deem desirable , or expedient. 'This is the thing which the Lord has commanded' was
quite sufficient. It made all very plain and very simple. Nothing was needed on man's part
save a spirit of implicit obedience to the Divine command. But herein they failed, Man.
has always proved himself ill-disposed to walk in the narrow path of strict adherence to
the plain Word of God. The by-path has ever seemed to present resistless charms to the
poor human heart. 'Stolen waters are sweet, and bread eaten in secret is pleasant.' (Prov.
9:17.) Such is the enemy's language; but the lowly, obedient heart knows full well that
the path of subjection to the Word of God is the only one that leads to 'waters' that are
really 'sweet,' or to 'bread' that can rightly be called 'pleasant.' Nadab and Abihu might
have deemed one kind of 'fire' as good as another, but it was not their province to decide
as to that. They should have acted according to the Word of the Lord; but instead of this,
they took their own way and reaped the awful fruits thereof.
Fruit of Man's Corrupt Will
"'And there went out fire from the Lord, and devoured them, and
they died before the Lord.' How deeply solemn! Jehovah was dwelling in the midst of His
people, to govern, to judge, and to act, according to the claims of His nature. At the
close of chapter 9, we read, 'and there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed
upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat.' This was Jehovah's acceptance of a true
sacrifice; but in chapter 10, it is His judgment upon erring priests. It is a double
action of the same fire. The burnt offering went up as a sweet odor: the 'strange fire'
was rejected as an abomination. The Lord was glorified in the former; but it would have
been a dishonor to accept the latter. Divine grace accepted and delighted in that which
was a type of Christ's most precious sacrifice: Divine holiness rejected that which was
the fruit of man's corrupt will -- a will never more hideous and abominable than when
active in the things of God.
"'Then Moses said unto Aaron, This is that the Lord spake,
saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I will
be glorified.' The dignity and glory of the entire economy depended upon the strict
maintenance of Jehovah's righteous claims. If these were to be trifled with, all was
forfeited. If man were permitted to defile the sanctuary of the Divine presence by
'strange fire,' there was an end to everything. Nothing could be permitted to ascend from
the priestly censer but the pure fire, kindled from off the altar of God, and fed by the
'pure incense beaten small.' Beauteous type of true saintly worship, of which the Father
is the object, Christ the material, and the Holy Spirit the power. Man must not be allowed
to introduce his devices into the worship of God. All his efforts can only issue in the
presentation of 'strange fire'-unhallowed incense-false worship. His very best attempts
,are an absolute abomination in the sight of God."
The above expositor is evidently not referring to the sincere
struggles of "earnest spirits searching after peace with God"; nor to the
earnest efforts of the loyal though unenlightened consciences to acquire an understanding
with regard to the' forgiveness of sin "by works of law or the ordinances of
systematic religion; all such will doubtless issue through the exceeding goodness of God,
in the clear light of a known and an enjoyed salvation. They prove very clearly that peace
is earnestly sought; though, at the same time, they prove just as clearly that peace has
not yet been found. There never was one who honestly followed the faintest glimmerings of
light which fell upon his understanding who did not, in due time, receive more. 'To him
that hath shall more be given.' And again,. 'The path of the just is as a shining light,
which shineth more and more unto the perfect day.'
God's Holiness Rejects Strange Fire
"All this is as plain as it is encouraging; but it leaves wholly
untouched the question of the human will, and its impious workings in connection with the
service and worship of God. All such workings must inevitably call down, sooner or later,
the solemn judgment of a righteous God, who cannot suffer His righteous claims to be
trifled with. 'I will be sanctified in them that come nigh Me, and before all the people I
will be glorified.' Men will be dealt with according to their profession. If men are
honestly seeking, they will assuredly find; but when men approach as worshipers, they are
no longer to be regarded as seekers, but as those who profess to have found; and then, if
their priestly censer smokes with unhallowed fire -- if they offer unto God the element of
a spurious worship-if they profess to tread His courts, unwashed, unsanctified, unsubdued
-- if they place on His altar the workings of their own corrupt will, what must be the
result? Judgment! Yes, sooner or later, judgment must come. It may linger, but it will
come. It could not be otherwise. And not only must judgment come at last, but there is, in every case, the immediate rejection on
the part of Heaven of all worship which has not the Father for its object, Christ for its
material, and the Holy Spirit for its power. God's holiness is as quick to reject all
'strange fire' as His grace is ready to accept the faintest, feeblest breathings of a true
heart. He must pour out His righteous judgment upon all false worship, though He will
never 'quench the smoking flax nor break the bruised reed.' The thought of this is most
solemnizing, when one calls to mind the thousands of censers smoking with strange fire
throughout the wide domain of Christendom. May the Lord, in His rich grace, add to the
number of true worshipers, who worship the Father in spirit and in truth. It is infinitely
happier to think of the true worship ascending from honest hearts to the throne of God,
than to contemplate, even for a moment, the spurious worship on which the Divine judgments
must ere long be poured out. Every one who knows, through grace, the pardon of his sins
through the atoning blood of Jesus, can worship the Father in spirit and in truth. He
knows the proper ground, the proper object, the proper title, the proper capacity of
worship. These things can only be known in a Divine way. They do not belong to nature or
to earth. They are spiritual and heavenly. Very much of that which passes among men for
the worship of God is but 'strange fire' after all."
Strange Fire Misuse of Sacred Offices
We believe the writer of the foregoing has dealt most forcefully and
pointedly with the essential items of the lesson involved in the sin of Nadab and Abihu
and its consequences. We are to look for the fulfillment of the picture and lesson amongst
the antitypical priestly order, amongst those who by having taken the proper steps of
faith and consecration are rightfully members of the antitypical, sacrificing Aaronic
priesthood. The sin that corresponds to that 'of the two sons of Aaron relates to the
misuse on the part of the priesthood of their sacred offices, the misappropriation of the
elements of service and ministry; the disregard of the holy command as to what should be
offered to the Lord, as to what should be administered in behalf of the people. What is
Truth? What shall be offered or declared as the Divine will? What is the present work and
mission of the saints? What are the functions of their present office?-all of these
involved in the priestly office are the solemn questions of the hour.
Modern Offerers of Strange Fire
It is the sin of presumption that we observe defiling the sanctuary
of the Church all along through the Age. Apostasy after apostasy. departure after
departure marks the course of the antitypical Priesthood. "Offering strange fire before the Lord which He
commanded not" has defiled the sacred precincts of the Priesthood throughout this
Age, as it did in the days of ancient Israel. In the substituting of forms and methods of
service contrary to Divine command, the proclaiming of a mixed message, the teaching of
that which is not sustained in the Word of the Lord, and "which the Lord commanded
them not," proves only too conclusively how we have unto this day many who are
desecrating their holy offices in the "offering of strange fire." And from this
account of what took place in the priesthood of Israel in the days of old we have that
which enables us to understand the meaning. of much that is going on in these days. Do we
wonder how brethren who have been long years in the Christian way, professing consecration
and professing to be occupying the office of the priesthood, can take part and mix in that
"which the Lord commanded them not"? Do
we marvel that there are those who serve to the household of faith mixed and impure
doctrines, presuming to give instruction in things for which they have no authority,
turning aside more or less from the course of true piety, reverence and godliness, to
doctrines, schemes and works of their own device and void of the counsel of God? We need
not wonder at this which is but another repetition of history, and which is in fulfillment
of the prophetic page, that in the latter times many shall "depart from the
faith" and "after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers having
itching ears and they shall turn away their ears from the truth and shall be turned unto fables [guesses, theories,
speculations]." -- 2 Tim. 4:3, 4.
Perhaps at no time in the history of the Age has it been more
manifest than at the present that there are many such brethren, lacking reverence for the
Word and will of the Lord, and after the manner of Nadab and Abibhu offering strange fire;
misusing their holy office in the propagation of a ministry, service and teaching in utter
disregard of the Word of the Lord and "which He commanded them not."
In Due Time Judgment of God Manifest
Nor can we suppose the consequences will be ultimately any the less
fatal today than they were with those typical characters in Israel: "And there went
out fire from the Lord and devoured them." The fire of Jehovah's displeasure is
manifested differently in this dispensation. Now it is a matter of faith, of viewing all
things from the standpoint of the great consummation; His judgment or displeasure may be
determined now, while to outward appearances the evil doers may go on in much the same
strain, as though the Lord were taking no note of them. But alas, in due time all the
secret hidden things shall come to light; and the Master Himself declared that it will be
"in that day" that He will profess unto them, "I recognize you not."
Beloved in the Lord, with what solemnity we should look upon the days and the
circumstances in which we live, realizing "that the end of all things is at
hand," and that "judgment begins at the House of God." The same writer
continues:
"May we learn to walk softly in the Divine presence-to tread
Jehovah's courts with unshod foot and reverent spirit. May our priestly censer ever bear
upon it the one material-the beaten incense of, Christ's manifold perfections, and may the
power of the Spirit kindle up the holy flame. All else is not only worthless, but vile.
Everything that springs from nature's energy, everything produced by the actings of the
human will -- the most fragrant incense of man's devising -- the most intense ardor of
natural devotion, will all issue in 'strange fire' and evoke the solemn judgment of the
Lord God Almighty. Oh for a thoroughly truthful heart and worshiping spirit, in the
presence of our God and Father, continually!
"But let not any upright, though timid, heart be discouraged or
alarmed. It is too often the case that those who -really ought to be alarmed take no heed,
while those for whom the Spirit of grace would only design a word of comfort and
encouragement apply to themselves in a wrong way the startling warnings of holy
Scripture."
"Because thou hast seen
Me, thou hast believed; blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed."
-- John 20:24-29.
THE TEACHING concerning the resurrection of the dead is peculiar to
the Jewish and Christian religions. Other theologies of the world contain no provision for
a resurrection, the reason being due largely to their philosophy which claims that those
who die are .really not dead but have merely changed their form of existence and are more
alive than they were before death. The writers of the New Testament to the contrary admit
that all their hope rested in the fact that Christ did rise from the dead. St. Paul
affirms, "If Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also
vain. Yea, and we and found false witnesses of God; because we have testified of God that
He raised up Christ: whom He raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the
dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain;
ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are
perished." -- 1 Cor. 15:14-18.
It is most important that the proofs of our Lord's resurrection from
the dead be kept in mind by those who have been begotten of the Holy Spirit. As this
information was indispensable to our attainment of justified faith in Jesus, so it is also
necessary for others. Indeed none could reach the higher development of faith and
Christian experience without this foundation well established. As it was necessary for us
to know that Christ died for our sins, before we, could believe in Him as the Redeemer, as
the one who had secured the right to be the Life-giver to Adam and his race, so it was
necessary for us to believe more than this, namely that He who died for our sins rose
again, so that He might be our justifier, our Lord, our guide, our helper, our advocate
with the Father, and by and by the Mediator between God and the world. From this
standpoint, therefore, our lesson is important as providing us with the necessary
reasonable proofs to lay before those who are approaching the subject our friends, the
members of our families, etc., who have not yet accepted Christ.
The Witnesses Most Reliable
The resurrection of Christ is vouched for by many most, honorable
witnesses, of whom it cannot be said that they were shrewd and learned and took advantage
of opportunity to hoax the public. On the contrary, they had nothing to gain by their
course-everything to jeopardize. The witnesses were not only poor but unlearned, and write
themselves down, as "ignorant." It would have been to their advantage to drop
Jesus and the malodorous reputation associated with His name. They testified to His
resurrection, and preached in His name and through His power as the risen one the
forgiveness of sins-and did this at their own expense, with sufferings, stripes,
imprisonment, and cruel death as the reward. Their testimony fully concurs with the
Master's own words before He died -- words which His own intimate followers could not
appreciate, could not comprehend-that on the third day He would rise from the dead.
It is not reasonable to, suppose that honest men would misrepresent
such a matter as the resurrection of our Lord, and it would be foolish for them to lay
such stress upon a matter of which they were not morally convinced themselves. Why dwell
so earnestly upon the resurrection of the dead if they had the least doubt on the subject?
Why declare that all faith and all hope in Christ, all hope of forgiveness of sins, all
hope of a future life by a resurrection was at an end if Christ had not risen, unless they
were satisfied beyond perad-venture? Especially so when the learned of that time were
teaching Plato's philosophy, that the dead are not dead but more alive, and hence need no
resurrection.
Our Lord announced in advance that He would vise from the dead on the
third day. In any view of the matter our Lord could not have been exactly three days and
three nights in the tomb according to the record-it would have been either more or less,
because He died in the afternoon and rose from the dead in the morning, hence no exact
statement of even days and nights would fit the, case. We recognize the custom of the
times of reckoning a portion of a day or a year as though it were a complete one. For
instance, throughout all the records of the chronicles of the kings we find that a portion
of a year is counted for a year; than if a long reigned three years and three months it
would be counted a .reign of four years, or ii he. reigned two years and three months it
would be counted three years; since he did reign a portion of the third year. So do the
statement of our Lord's period in the tomb, it is properly enough spoken of as three days
and three nights, and shown thus:
Jewish Reckoning
4 to 6 p. m.
Friday -- 2 hours.
6 p. m. Friday to 6 p. m. Saturday -- 24 hours.
6 p. m. Saturday to 4 or 5 a. m. Sunday -- 10 or 11 hours.
By Modern Reckoning
4 p. m. to 12
midnight, Friday -- 8 hours.
From midnight Friday to midnight Saturday -- 24 hours.
From midnight Saturday to 5 a. m. Sunday -- 5 hours.
The narrative is simple, unvarnished, natural. The different Gospels
tell of the matter in different language, narrating sometimes the same item in different
form and, sometimes different items connected with the manifestations of the forty days of
our Lord's presence after He arose from the dead and before He ascended on high. Although
these accounts differ they in nowise contradict each other; each told what he himself saw
and knew; whereas had the account been a spurious one, gotten up to deceive, undoubtedly
great care would have been exercised to have every witness tell the same taping. Here,
then, is a sure proof of the truthfulness of the records.
The Same Jesus Risen
The earthquake had already rolled away the stone, the sentries hard
fled in terror from the manifestation of the angel's presence -- they fled to the high
priest, who probably had engaged to be their paymaster -- having them detailed for a
special police duty by Pilate. But the angel, so terrible to those out of harmony with the
Lord, spoke graciously to those who were his friends, assuring them that Jesus was risen,
and directing them to go quickly and tell His disciples, also assuring them that Jesus
would go into Galilee, and intimating a general meeting of His friends there, which later
book place. En route they met Jesus, who sent the same message to His disciples. Seemingly
the Lord recognized that woman can exercise faith more readily than can man„ and here
He used them as His servants and mouthpieces to bear His message-to prepare His disciples,
to assist them more readily to accept the truth of His resurrection.
For forty days our Lord
was with His disciples before His ascension, yet He revealed Himself to them, according to
the records, not more than eleven times in all -- and some of these instances are,
probably duplications. His interviews with the disciples lasted but for a few moments
each, and were surrounded by circumstances and conditions which spoke to them most
eloquently that a great change had occurred to Him-that He was no longer the same being,
although He evidently has the same loving interest in them as before. He was still their
Lord and Master, this same Jesus, although no longer in the flesh. He was "the Lord,
that spirit," a "quickening spirit."
Though Clothed in Flesh No Longer Fleshly Being
A view entertained by many
Christian people is that our Lord arose from the dead to the same conditions exactly that
He had during His life on earth-a man subject to the same limitations that He had before
His death; and that the various fleshly bodies in which He appeared to His disciples were
His glorious spirit body. This view we think is not sustained by the Scriptures when all
the facts are considered. The view which we believe is the Scriptural one is that our Lord
arose from the dead a spirit being, but since human beings cannot see a spirit being
without injury, our Lord-really a spirit being -- clothed Himself as it were with flesh
and clothing in order to appear to His followers -- in order to give them a demonstration
that He was no longer dead; and -- secondarily by appearing to them in various forms, as a
gardener, as a stranger, as a man on the shores of Galilee, and as the one who was
pierced-that by all these changes He might demonstrate to His followers that, although
risen from the dead, He was no longer the same being as beg fore nor subject to the same
limitations as before; but now as a New Creature, a spirit being, even as He explained to
Nicodemus, He had power to come and go as the wind, and none could tell from whence He
came or whither He went -- so is every one born of the Spirit, every one who experiences a
resurrection to the spirit nature -- John 3:6-8.
Our Lord had indeed appeared subsequently to Saul of Tarsus, and
manifested to him a certain measure of the glory of His resurrection condition, but the
effect upon Saul was to blind him so that it required a miracle for his belief. To have so
appeared to the eleven Apostles and the others of the five hundred brethren who believed
on Him would not have been a satisfactory proof of our Lord's resurrection. They would
merely have known that they had seen a great light, experienced a shock, and that they had
heard certain wonderful words, but where would have been the proof to them or others of
mankind that the -one who was buried in Joseph's tomb had arisen from the dead and was now
a spirit being? Our Lord, therefore, evidently chose by all means the better plan for
making known the great fact of His resurrection. He appeared as a man, but under varying
conditions, showing that He was not bound by the limitations of the human nature, but that
He appeared and disappeared in bodily forms as the angels had in previous times, as, for
instance the three who appeared as men to Abraham for the purpose of communion with him,
who ate dinner with him and whom he afterwards came to know as the Lord and two angels.
For' a similar purpose the Lord had appeared to His disciples after His resurrection: He
veiled His glory and they saw it not when He appeared in various forms.
"Lovest Thou Me More?"
On the shore of Lake
Galilee where some of the Apostles were fishing, we find one of the most interesting and
impressive scenes in which our risen Lord appeared to His Apostles. On this occasion
occurred the searching interview of ,the Master with the Apostle Peter, following the
miracle of the enormous draught of fishes.
The stranger had not the clothing by which they had known their Lord,
neither did He have the marks of the nails in His hands and feet, that they might thus
identify Him. This was a different manifestation. They knew Him as did those with whom He
walked to Emmaus, who recognized Him in the blessing of the bread, and not by His features
or clothing or wounds. They recognized that none other than He could have performed such a
miracle. They did not ask who He was; they felt a restraint; as we read, "None of
them durst ask who He was," but all knew that He was the Lord.
The stranger addressed St. Peter particularly, saying, "Lovest
thou Me more than these?" -- these boats and nets, etc., pertaining to the fishing
business. St. Peter answered, "Lord, Thou knowest that I affectionately love
Thee." He used a word expressing fondness of love. Jesus replied, "Feed My
lambs."
Then came the question a second time, "Simon, son of Jonas,
lovest thou Me?" A great pressure was felt by St. Peter. Why did the Master so
particularly question his love? Why should He put this question more to him than to the
others? Was it because he had been the first of the disciples to suggest the resumption of
the fishing business? Was he to blame for this? But he answered, "Lord, Thou knowest
that I affectionately love Thee." Jesus this time replied, "Tend My sheep."
For the third time Jesus said to St. Peter, "Simon, son of Jonas, dost thou affectionately love Me?" Here Jesus used the same word that
St. Peter had used, as though He questioned the affection and depth of St. Peter's love.
Ah! the third time must have sent the memory of St. Peter back to the scene in Caiaphas'
Judgment Hall, when he denied his Master the third time, even with cursing. And now Jesus
for the third time had asked him respecting his love and whether it was really a love of
affection! St. Peter's choking reply was, "Lord, Thou knowest all things! Thou knowest that I affectionately love Thee!" The
Lord's reply was, "Feed My sheep."
St. Peter's Heart Loyal
How deeply important and instructive the example of the Master in the
way He reproved the Apostle. So far as the record shows, the three inquiries which our
Lord made of St. Peter respecting his love for Him were the only rebukes ever given him as
an offset, or punishment for his shameful denial of the Master on the night in which He
was betrayed.
Had many of us been in the Master's place we would have felt that .it
was necessary to make St. Peter very humbly apologize before we would have anything
further to do with him. We would have been inclined to speak of his weakness, of his
ingratitude, of how he knew better, etc., etc. Our sense of justice would, in many
instances, have entirely overshadowed our sense of mercy and sympathy. But not so with the
Master. He knew the loyalty of St. Peter's heart. He knew that he had already gone out and
wept bitterly over the matter. He knew what a sense of shame would be upon him and how
much courage it would mean for him to think at all of meeting the Master whom he had
denied.
Surely it was on account of this sympathy for St. Peter and this
appreciation of the tendency he would have to become entirely discouraged that led our
Lord to mention St. Peter first amongst the Apostles on the morning of His resurrection,
saying to Mary, to whom He first appeared, "Go and tell my disciples, and Peter"
-- don't let Peter think he is an outcast. Let him know that I think of him and love him
and sympathize with him and have forgiven him, because I know he did it under stress.
We Should Copy the Master's Methods
And if our Lord and Master
has set such an example of benevolence and forgiveness without request, how are we
learning this lesson? To what extent do we forgive others their trespasses and to what
extent do we go more than half way to let them know that we hart-or no resentful feelings
toward them? To what extent do we send them word that we think of them kindly, generously?
And when the appropriate time comes and it is proper for something to be said, can we not
take a lesson from the Redeemer's loving forbearance and gentleness in His merely asking
the erring one if he had a proper kind of love, and when he confesses special love, then
to ask him if he is sure that he has the special love?
No doubt our success as the Master's servants in feeding the
brethren, the flock, and helping instead of hindering them, will be in proportion as we
remember and copy His style and methods. So then, while feeding His flock, let us have
continually before us the great Shep-herd's example of how the flock should be dealt with.
We Shall See Him
The last appearance of the Lord was at the end of the forty days, and
at the time of His ascension we read that He led them out as far as to Bethany and He
lifted up His hands and blessed them, and it came to pass while He blessed then He was
parted from them and carried up into heaven. -- Luke 24:50, 51.
It was years after this that St. Paul wrote, "Last of all He was
seen by me also, as of one born before the time." He was seen of the other Apostles
as the gardener, as a stranger, as the Crucified One, etc., etc., but when Saul of Tarsus,
the last of the Apostles, saw Him, it was not so, but as we shall see Him by and by when
we are changed to His likeness -- he saw Him as one of premature birth. The Church of the
First-born are at the resurrection changed to be like their Lord and see Him as He is. Any
special revelation of the Lord might have been withheld from the Apostle Paul until the
same time except that it was necessary that the Apostles should be "witnesses,"
testifiers to the fact that Christ had not only died but had also risen from the dead; and
in order that Paul as an Apostle might thus testify, he was granted the vision of the
glorified One. He saw Him as we shall see Him in that he saw Him in the brightness of His
excellent glory and not as the others, veiled in the flesh.
How thankful we should be that the time is not far distant when all
the faithful, including those "who are alive and remain," shall all have been
changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, to be made like Him and to see Him as He
is, to share His glory. Not all in the same moment, but each in his own moment, changed
instantly until gradually thus being changed from death unto life the full number of the
very Elect shall be completed and the reign of glory shall begin.
(Continued from last issue)
"When thou prayest, enter
into thy closet . . . and thy Father which seeth in secret shall reward thee openly."
-- Matt. 6:6.
[Contributed from
outside the Editorial Staff]
ASSURANCE in prayer is brought to our attention by Jesus in Matthew
7:7, 8, under three heads, ask, seek, and knock. These words have been referred to
frequently as embodying a beautiful poetic fancy, though they seem instead to picture
three distinct phases of prayer, which are essential for us to understand in order to receive the answers
to our petitions.
Asking According to His Will
The first, "Ask and
it shall be given to you," presents to our mind the thought of petition. While we may
recognize that God knows our need, and while we may believe that He will fulfil that need,
nevertheless our blessings become more appreciated when we can see that they come in
answer to our petitions. Elsewhere the Apostle James admonishes, "Ye ask and receive
not because ye ask amiss," while Jesus
explains that what we ask in harmony with God's wí11, we shall undoubtedly receive. So
then, in order to ask and receive we must first learn to know the will of God concerning
us. Many and curious have been the petitions presented at the Heavenly Throne in the name
of Jesus, a goodly number of which must have found no ear. If God's people could only
realize the efficacy of real prayer as assisting in the sanctifying of the life,
individually and collectively, they would be more energetic in gaining a knowledge of the
Father's will, and then forming their petitions accordingly, relying on the promise of the
Savior that such would be answered. We believe a great blessing comes to the individual
who "asks," because his thoughts, instead of being of the "wandering"
variety, become precise and definite, and hence prayer becomes intelligent.
Our Heavenly Father waits, to bestow upon us the fullness of His
blessing, and the wonder is that we are sometimes so reluctant to present our petitions,
when prayer is the key in the hand of faith to unlock heaven's storehouse where are
treasured the boundless stores of Omnipotence. There is no time or place in which it is
inappropriate to offer up a petition to God. Them is nothing to prevent us lifting our
hearts to Gad in prayer in the crowds on the street, in the workshop, or during home
duties, pleading for Divine guidance.
Must Learn to Know God
The second, "seek and ye shall find," reminds us of the
need of our co-operation in obtaining the answer to our prayers. The seeking emphasizes
the fact that we are so examining our life daily as to understand in a measure our needs,
and hence our scrutiny of the Lord's Providences to read His answer to our earnest
petitions.
God meant us to know Himself even as Jesus knew Him when here upon
earth. How often the Savior said, "I know Him," and how He exhorts us to stand
on Calvary that we may behold the heart of the Father: He revealed God to us in His own
life, so that to know Him is to know God. And yet how little do we know of the Father!
Take the Bible for example. The large majority of professing Christians are content' with
a few familiar and well-trodden sections, never going further into less explored parts of
the Divine testimony. The saddest part is that such have no deeper perception of the words
which have become so familiar to them than at first. And so we have the rebuke and the
exhortation to seek a fuller and clearer understanding of the Word of God, in order that
we might grasp the portent of our answers to prayer. The Bible is not a (book of haphazard
statements, ancient history, or literary achievement, but contains the principles of
Divine Truth, which, if we had in mind daily, would enable us to walk worthy of our
vocation. God has given us all things in Christ which pertain unto life and godliness, and
it is for us to claim the whole of our inheritance by a living faith, so that we might
enjoy the fullness of such blessings.
Striving to Live As We Pray
Thus we are reminded that our seeking to find, plays a very important
part in our Christian experience, for it is only the one whose life is lived wholly under
the eye of God who will really experience the thrill connected with answered prayer. As we
review our life, how wonder-ful have been many answers to earnest petitions, and the
blessing has been greatly increased where we .have sought to prepare our hearts for its
reception. We recall the case of Samuel when Israel rejected him and chose Saul to be
their king and leader. He said "God forbid that I should sin against the Lord in
ceasing to pray for you." (1 Sam. 12:23.) There is no good obtained when one prays
earnestly to the Lord for greater blessings in Christian character development, and yet
does not bring his own heart into line in order to receive the answer. As it was with Job,
so it is with us, "The Lord turned the captivity of Job when he prayed for his
friends." (Job 42:10.) In the days of his prosperity Job was a man of prayer, and
doubtless prayed long and fervently. It seems probable his prayers were more or less,
self-centered. Finally, adversity came upon him. Every one turned against him; he lost all
his possessions, and was covered with boils. His so-called friends came to argue with him,
bust the whole debate brought no answer to all the facts before him. Only when he ceased
to argue and prayed for those who had been despitefully using him, did he find the
answer-God turning his captivity and bringing instead blessing.
It has been said that an overwhelming disaster or grief either
confirms one's faith in God, or breaks it entirely. Is it not true from human experience
that those whose faith is fully confirmed, and whose lives thenceforth go on from glory to
glory, are those who turn from their own misery and seek opportunities of assisting
others, especially those of the household of faith. And who is there who has learned this
"seeking" habit but has found the Savior's words true, "he shall
find."
Often Knock at Gate of Heaven
And now the third point -- "knock and it shall be opened unto
you," suggests the thought of fellowship, communion. When we visit the home of a
friend, we find on the door a knocker, that by its use we may advise the inmates of our
arrival and our desire for admittance. Once inside the home, we have fellowship. So does
the Lord call our attention to the fact that we should often knock at the gate of heaven,
seeking admittance to the Heavenly Father in the worthy name of Jesus Christ, in order
that we might enjoy the blessed fellowship of the Most High.
The aged St. John exhorted all to grow in the quality of Love, and
love must have its ultimate source, fountain, and origin in the heat of God. This is the
reason, therefore, that those who would love purely, unselfishly, strongly, must converse
deeply with God. We must get, if we would give; obtain, if we would scatter; and when we
are united with Christ and God by living faith, we begin to experience the full tide of
Divine love as it comes from God. Then we begin to experience what St. Paul meant when he
cried, "The love of Christ constraineth us"
There are days so extraordinary for the combination of difficult
circumstances, human opposition, and spiritual conflict, that they stand out clear and
distinct from the rest of our lives. Looking back on them, we may almost adopt the words
of the sacred writer, "There was no day like that before it or rafter it." But
if we are living in daily fellowship with God, intent on doing His will, these days will
also bring His sweet, "fear them not; for I have delivered them into thine
hands." Our only anxiety should be that nothing divert us from His path, or intercept
the communication of His grace. The greatness of our difficulties is permitted in order to
emphasize the greatness of His grace. At these times it is very necessary not merely to
ask God to help us, because the word "help" may imply considerable reliance on
self, but rather our prayer should be that God would "keep" us, thus leaving the
whole matter in His, hands.
In all such days we may have light which cannot be accounted for by
any natural reason; for our sun shall not go down, neither our moon withdraw itself;
because the Lord shall be to us an everlasting light. Let us seek the grace of God in
daily fellowship with Him, that we may be kept in such an attitude of soul that we shall
miss nothing of God's gracious, and timely help; abiding in Him, that we may ask with the
certainty that God is hearkening to us, and fighting for us.
Power of Discrimination Through Prayer
How blessed is the experience of the one who thus maintains a
fellowship with the Most High, and how hallowed his life becomes, so that as He communes
with God, he receives in himself the reflection, of the Divine likeness. And the glory
thus viewed tinges with a Divine halo the clouds that meantime may enshroud him, and in
the midst of all earthly experiences he rejoices in the same, having consideration for the
beautiful Christian character to be developed as a result.
Earth's somber tints and cross-lights are very perplexing; and it is
often extremely hard to detect the Truth. The foolish virgins are so much like the wise;
the tares so resemble the wheat; the devil's mimicry of an angel of light is so exact. But
as Jesus here points out, the power of discrimination will follow naturally on the careful
cultivation of the habit of asking counsel at the' mouth of the Lord. Though we may be
sure our daily course is right, it is best 'to make assurance doubly sure by lifting the
heart to God for His approval, or otherwise. If there is any doubt or hesitation left
after such reference, be sure that as yet the time has not come to understand all God's
will. Under such circumstances-wait. If we trust God absolutely, it is for Him to give
clear, directions as to what we should do; and when the time for action arrives, His
instructions will be so clear and unmistak-able that we will not mistake them, or err
therein.
Thus does the Lord, in. these three phases of prayer, show how we can
live the victorious Christian life, and always maintain the victory over our circumstances
through a daily fellowship with the Father, and complete submerging of our will in His.
Let us practice these things daily and watch the result.
Choosing the Rock of Ages
Now the conclusion of the matter is stated in Matthew 7:24-29 where
Jesus divides His followers into two general classes-these who hear and do His
commandments, and those who hear but do not these same commandments. He likens both
classes to men building a house of character, one upon the Rock, Christ Jesus, and the
other on the shifting sands of time. In the time of testing and proving which comes upon
both, one emerges victorious, while the other is destroyed. Why so? Obviously, because
same select a good site first of all; they choose the Rock of Ages, and upon that Rock
build a superstructure of charac-ter, mentioned by St. Paul as being of gold, silver, and
precious stones. This building is completed by hearing and doing the words of Jesus, and
one portion, as we have pointed out, deals with the inner life of the individual and his
prayers and supplications. As a result such build the house so securely that in the time
of testing they come off victorious, through Christ Jesus. No honor is due them
personally, other than that they have accepted, believed, and acted upon the exhortations
of the Lord, and have proved all He said to be true.
All others, on the contrary, have not selected the proper foundation,
and in their building have used such stones as self-love, pride, worldly-prudence,
self-indulgence, worldy ambition, knowledge, ethics, self-derived religion, vainglory,
etc., and when all things are shaken in order that the things which cannot be shaken may
remain, their house of character falls, and great is the fall of it.
How searching are these concluding words of the Lord! How we should
each and all examine our own hearts before Him, and ask to be cleansed from every secret
fault in order that we might finally pass the great test successfully. Our only hope is to
be strong in our choice of God. The negative destruction of self is unsatisfactory. We
must deliberately set ourselves towards God, our will crowning Him, and our soul making
Him first. "If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord, choose you this day whom ye
will serve; whether the gods which your fathers served that were beyond the river, or the
gods of the Amorites, in whose land ye dwell; but as for me and my house, we will serve
the Lord."
AS STATED in a recent article, 1926 is especially one of those years
when there may be a divergency of view respecting Nisan 14. We have al, ready called
attention to the information that all may acquire from the Jewish calendar, that Nisan 14
falls on March 29th (beginning in the evening, at sundown of the day before, March 28th,
Jewish method of counting the day); and that Sunday evening of March 28th is the
appropriate hour for the observance of the Lord's Supper. By having Nisan 14 fall on March
29th this year, it means that the Hebrews in their calculation delay nearly 44 hours after
the first appearance of the new moon nearest the spring equinox before beginning to count
Nisan 1. The question is, Why the delay of this amount of time before commencing the count
of the first of Nisan? We reply again that there are no specific directions or rules laid
down in the Bible as to an exact time when Nisan 1 is to commence. The most that can be
said is that the date is governed by the phases of the moon associated with the spring
equinox; and to be in harmony with certain Jewish ordinances that a "sheaf of barley
should be offered before the Lord as the first-fruits of the harvest on the 16th day of
the month of Nisan," the time of the spring harvest had a bearing upon the matter of
when this month should begin to count. It therefore became the custom of the Jews to fix
the beginning of the month of Nisan approximately with the appearance of the new moon
nearest the spring equinox. But as the length of time between the phases of the moon vary,
this provides also for the varying of the time when
Nisan 1 begins to count. Ordinarily there are about 14 days between the moon's phases,
that is, between the new and the full of the moon, but, as we have explained, this year
there are 15 1/4 days between the new moon and the full of the moon. The Jews are entirely
within proper order so long as Nisan 14 does not fall on a date after the moon fulls.
Here, then, this year there is a. measure of latitude-151/4 days in which to locate the
first 14 days of Nisan. The Jews this year have chosen to delay the commencing of Nisan
nearly 44 hours after the new moon, and this causes the 14th day to fall on the 29th, or
the day the moon fulls, and also causes Nisan 16 to fall as nearly as possible to the time when the fruits of the spring harvest would
be ripe -- in the forepart of April.
It is interesting to observe that there was: a parallel situation to
this in the year 1906 at which time Brother Russell went considerably into an explanation
dealing with this situation.* In that year the new moon appeared March 24th, 6:52 p. m.,
and reached full April 9th, 1:12 a. m. a period of 15 1/4 days, practically the same as it
is this year; again a period of 15 1/4 days in which to locate the first 14 days of Nisan.
The Jews, that year, waited 47 hours after the new moon before they began to count Nisan
1; and Nisan 14 fell on Monday, April 9th, commen-cing Sunday evening at sundown. The
entire circumstances that year are thus seen to
be in every way parallel to that of this year.
Brother Russell after making a full explanation and considering all the points bearing
upon the matter, recommended to the friends throughout the world the acceptance of the
date fixed by the Hebrews, and he celebrated the Lord's Supper on Sunday evening, though
it was 15 days. after the appearance of the new moon.
_________
* See Watch Tower 1906, pp. 20, 21,
101, 102.
_________
In consideration of all these circumstances and the exhaustive
explanation given by Brother Russell that year, there is no valid reason why we should
reject the Jewish calendar and method of reckoning Nisan 14 this year, when we have exactly the same circumstances as those which
governed in the year 1906; and no reason whatever why we should not accept Sunday evening,
March 28th, as the appropriate time to observe the Lord's Supper, especially as it falls
exactly on the full of the moon. It is the date that Brother Russell would choose
according to his own logic if he were with us today.
Another question is, Did our Lord and the Apostles themselves attempt
to determine the Passover date? We believe not. There is nothing in the record to that
effect. The matter of fixing the Passover date was entirely with the rulers, Scribes, etc.
Jesus instructed the Apostles concerning those who sit in Moses' seat, admonishing that
they do whatsoever these commanded. There is no doubt that our Lord and the Apostles
accepted without equivocation the Passover date indicated by the Jewish rulers in their
day; nor is there any reason why we should not accept of the Passover date fixed by Jewish
authorities today, especially as the Passover feature is purely Hebraic. It does not
require any of the spiritual qualifications of the New Creation to determine the date of
the Passover. The Hebrews should be equally, if not better qualified to determine that
matter than Christians. as a rule, and we accordingly recommend to the brethren the
adherence to the Jewish calendar, especially for the sake of harmony and unanimity on the
subject of the Memorial date.
"I will both lay me down
in peace, and sleep: for Thou, Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." -- Psa. 4:8.
FULL assurance of faith -- what is it? Is there such a thing as full
assurance of faith as a present heritage of the people of God? Surely His Word clearly
defines this matter and gives abundant testimony as to the Divine protection and care, and
supplies the best foundation for that trust and confidence that alone can bring full
assurance of faith. It is born of belief that all the Divine promises shall be fulfilled.
Many are the exhortations in our Father's Word to trust Him, assuring that none who put
their trust in Him shall ever be confounded (Psa. 22 :5) ; that "blessed is the man
that maketh the Lord his trust." And yet with all these assurances, so dull and
wavering in faith are these poor hearts of ours that very often we do not trust God, our
Heavenly Father, even in circumstances in which we would have trusted an earthly parent;
and as the professing children of the Lord, we often. find ourselves in unbelief. At one
moment we are leaning on some human instrumen-tality; at another, we are perplexed, almost
in despair; again, we find ourselves afraid of an immediate prospect of danger. As a
result our peace is gone; we lose our rest in God. For He has promised to "keep"
only those "in perfect peace," whose mind is stayed on Him, because they trust
in Him. -- Isa. 26:3.
Simple Trust Dispels Fears
This condition of fear and unrest proceeds from the want of simple
faith, of childlike trust. If there is continual trust, there will be continual peace. He
who trusts the most, sorrows the least. And God loves us to trust; it honors Him. He has
given us assurance in His Word of His care, and if we believe Him and take Him at His
Word, we will trust. St. John says, "He that believeth not God hath made Him á
liar." Surely none of us would be charged with this, and yet our lack of trust is the
result of "unbelief." Simple trust will dispel all fears and forebodings and
enable us to cheerfully live the present, and courageously step forward into the future.
God is in the unknown, be that enough for us. Whatever may come to us, God is in it, and
in that trusting thought we shall find rest.
But there are times and circumstances when from the human viewpoint
all is against us, when ruin seems to stare us in the face; wherever we look an enemy is
seen. What then should be our attitude? Ah, says the Psalmist, "I will not be afraid
of ten thousands of people, that have set themselves against me round about."
"Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me." "Yea, though I walk through the valley
of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for Thou art with me." To trust only
when appearances are favorable is to sail only with the wind and tide, to believe only
when we can see.
Let us remember that our trust is in the Almighty One and let us make
God the great object of our faith and confidence, even though human instrumentalities for
our assistance may be at hand. The Psalmist, after expressing confidence that great things
were about to be accomplished, says: "I will not trust in my bow, neither shall my
sword save me." (Psa. 44:6.) Human means and instrumentalities are not to be thrown
away as useless or despised, but our trust is not to be in them. The sword and the bow
were most fitting instruments with which to meet the enemy, but they were of no value as
objects of trust. We may be prone to lean upon the instrument, to expect much from it, as
though it had powers of its own; and though it may be provided of the Lord, yet only as
its power comes from Him, will there be deliverance from the enemy.
Prone to Trust in Things Visible
Satan sometimes hides a snare in the midst of God's blessings. When
God prospers an instrument, Satan is on the alert to magnify it, that we may lose sight of
God and His power. Let us be careful to ever put God above all the agencies; to keep our
reliance upon Him, and on no account lose sight of Him in the instrument.
Again, our unbelief is manifest when we feel at peace because we have
certain means at hand, and not because God Himself is near. Under these circumstances we
go in Soul's armor; the sword and bow are our comfort. We are prone to trust in the things
we can see, to trust in the machinery without recognizing its motive power. From the human
standpoint the things visible have more power than the invisible. But the bow will be
effectual only as God directs the arrow. And it is only as we recognize the God of means,
that the instrumentalities are used for our deliverance. God will not honor anything that
detracts from His honor.
All human means have in them only the virtue that God has bestowed.
He can take away that virtue or increase it at any moment. No matter how much they are
calculated to produce certain results, a thousand influences or circumstances may arise to
hinder their efficacy. Using them inefficiently or unwisely may cause failure in producing
the desired results. God will be sure to blast the means if we put them above Him or make
them independent of Him. Therefore unless God be above the means we have no assurance of
victory. On the other hand, though all means fail, God is able to work as when they
abound.
Blessed indeed would it be for us, could we continually exercise the
trust expressed by the Psalmist: "As for me, I will call upon God; and the Lord shall
save me. Evening and morning, and at noon, will I pray and cry aloud: and He shall hear my
voice." ,How often do we call, not as though we
knew God would act on our behalf, but rather as though perhaps "the Lord will save me." We
should realize that effects must follow a real calling upon God. O that we may have a
larger measure of trust when we pray! O for a fuller assurance that no ,prayer offered in
faith can come to naught. If our trust is such as to give us firm belief in the power of
prayer, many things which might seem impossible will be made easy. We should pray with the
assurance of an answer -- only in the Lord's way
and time. The very character of God, the many
promises in the Scriptures, the many recorded instances, and our own experience-all give
us assurance of this effect of prayer.
He Appears According to Our Need
Surely then we can say with the Psalmist, "I will trust and not
be afraid" -- I will trust the Lord despite appearances; I will trust Him though all
be unknown; I will trust Him, and not means, though means be at hand; I will be sure
that if I call, He will hear -- there will be an answer for every prayer, so long as I
abide in Him and His words abide in. me.
Does not the blessed relationship existing between Jehovah and His
people warrant this trust -- that of father and child. It is a personal, an individual
relationship. He is my Father. And since I have been accepted of Him as His child I have
the privilege of looking up to Him confidently and claiming from Him all that blessed
relationship vouchsafes.
And who is this great object of our trust! Ah, God Himself -- the Almighty One. He who "formed the earth and
made it." He who holds the seas in, the hollow of His hand! He appears to us in
various aspects according to our needs. Sometimes it is as our Father, our Great Provider;
then as our Refuge and Fortress; sometimes as a Shadow for the weary and afflicted; and
sometimes as our Great Heavenly Shepherd leading in green pastures and beside still
waters. As is our need, so is God's development of Himself toward us. If we could but
realize the supremacy of God, that He is more than all that be against us, all our fear
would be removed. Enemies may appear, perhaps from unexpected quarters; it may be we find
our foes even among those of our own household; and perhaps those we had hoped would be
with us, prove to be the most bitter against us. Sometimes we become victims of isolated
attacks, and sometimes the enemy comes in like a flood. It is surely most comforting at
such times to be able to trust God as the "Ruler of the people."
Why should I fear, if God can sway and turn the hearts and plans of
people exactly as He will? Why should I compromise principle either to gain their favor or
to avert their wrath? The way to be at rest, no matter what our enemies may say or do, no
matter how they may plot or scheme, is to trust God as Ruler, to know that He is above all, that His
power is unlimited, His wisdom infinite.
Ever Continuous Rest
This rest will not only be ours in times of strife and open
hostilities, but in times of peace, and stillness -- "I will both lay me down in
peace, and sleep; for Thou Lord, only makest me dwell in safety." (Psa. 4:8.) God is
revealed here to us as exercising personal care in the still chamber. There is something
in this that should be very sweet to us, for it shows the minuteness of God's care, the
individuality of His love -- that God's love and care are with us and operative not only
in the great but also in the little spheres of life. How blessed it would be if we could
recognize more fully God's care over us in the quiet hours of life, in the still chamber,
if we could feel His presence in hours of illness, weariness, and pain, and be assured
that His care is with us there, as when in the wider battlefield of the strife of tongues.
The Psalmist in thus lying down, voluntarily gave up any guardianship
of himself. He resigned himself into the hands of another, and he did so completely, for
in the absence of all care, he slept. There was a perfect trust. Sometimes we may lie
down, but it is not to sleep. Perhaps we feel safe enough so far as the body is concerned,
but cares and anxieties disturb. They are permitted to try our faith and trust. Perhaps it
is the experience of all, that although having been equal to an emergency or a continual
pressure, sometimes a reaction comes, and when relieved from the strain and we find
ourselves alone, our spirits sink and we do not realize that strength from God, or feel
that confidence in Him that we experienced when under the pressure.
There is a test in stillness, and oft times the quietness calls for a
larger demand on loving trust than does the battlefield. O that we could trust God more
with personal things; that we could bring Him more into the little things of daily life.
If we could do this, we could have rest, we could "lie down and sleep," and
leave tomorrow with God.
Are We Trusting God?
But this condition of trust and rest comes only by the complete
surrender of ourselves into the holy and personal care of the Lord. It was because of
loving trust on the part of the Psalmist that he could lie down and rest in God. If our
trust is small, we can seldom rest and refresh ourselves in God. We can not enjoy the
pleasure of quiet in Him and with Him. We may be able to walk, run, fight, speak,
sing-anything or everything but rest. How is it
with us? Are we trusting God? Are we realizing His personal, vigilant care? Are we
enjoying that rest and peace that comes from perfect trust? God is honored by such trust;
He delights in it; and we ourselves are benefited. As he who is well rested comes forth
refreshed for the trials and labors of the day, prepared to bear its burdens, so we also,
having come apart for awhile from the world and its turmoil and enjoyed the security and
conscious peace which comes from the sanctuary, from the presence of God, from being alone
with Him, may go forth refreshed, strengthened, able to do and to endure. "Come ye
yourselves apart and rest awhile," the Lord still bids His disciples as of old.
Again, the Psalmist pictures to us the care, and protection of
Jehovah: "Be merciful unto me; O God, be merciful unto me: for my soul trusteth in
Thee: yea in the shadow of Thy wings will I make my refuge, until these calamities be
overpast"; and, "I will trust in the covert of Thy wings." There is
something sweet and precious in this picture -- one of the Lord's children in the presence
of calamity, endangered, and seeking the shadow of His wing as a sweet refuge; and we see
also the interference of love on the part of Jehovah in behalf of His child in danger.
We find ourselves sometimes in the presence of enemies, and the Lord
may permit them to be active. To live at such times in a consciousness of safety and
shelter "under His wings" calls for a high degree of faith and trust. We, the
children of the Lord, do not pray to be delivered from calamities, but we do pray that we
may live amid them as long as they last, in the consciousness that we are kept and
sheltered by God. He can sustain our cause. Calamities cannot harm, as long as we are
"under His wing." Our enemy's activity need not be hindered in order to keep us
in safety.
Power of Nearness to God
To be under the shadow of God's wings means closeness to Him; it
implies the immediate presence of God. As we realize this, it brings great peace to our
hearts, even when danger is near. God is close to His children, and He wants them to know
and feel it. The stronger our faith, the closer will we be drawn to God; and the assurance
that God is near us and we are near Him, gives us peace.
In this picture of the overshadowing wings of Jehovah we have also
the thought of warmth -- the warmth of God's love. As we abide there and this warmth is
infused into and permeates our being, the love of God becomes our own possession. The
child of God might be saved much suffering from the chilling atmosphere about him if he
habitually sought the sheltering wing. Nearness to God will infuse that which no
nervousness, no fear, can chill. When close to Him, hidden under His wing, our one thought
is the immediate nearness and presence of God. Let us ever seek the sheltering wing of
Jehovah; Satan then has to deal with God, rather than with us, and so we are sure of
safety.
The Psalmist uses another figure to express the protecting power of
Jehovah: "I will say of the Lord, He is my refuge
and my fortress." (Psa. 91 :2.) There
is a strong contrast between the "shadow of the wing" and a fortress. This
picture of a fortress is a representation of God Himself in all His might. The fortress
shields one who takes refuge in it. Satan may survey our Fortress, he may assail it, but
he finds every contingency guarded against. We are surrounded by the arrangement of God.
All His strength is put forth for us.
When God represents Himself as a fortress for His children, He shows
Himself fulfilling His promises and designs to love, to protect, and to save them from the
strong assaults of the Adversary. As stone cemen-ted to stone presents to the enemy a
front which he cannot successfully assail, so all that makes up the glorious character of
God, connected and knit together, presents an obstacle to Satan against which his utmost
efforts cannot prevail.
His Cause is Our Cause
Let us, dear brethren, try to realize the strength of this fortress,
this refuge which is ours. Let us trust it as it is our privilege to do. The more we seek
for the grace of faith and enlarged trust, the more plainly will the outlines of this
mighty fortress be visible; until we can say of the Lord, "He is my Refuge and my
Fortress: my God; in Him will I trust."
It is a source of comfort to the child of God to reflect that the
object in which he puts his trust is established and immovable. Changes take place above
and around the fortress, but it still stands unmoved. In observing the changes all around
us, we must not forget that our God changes not. He is "the same yesterday, today,
and forever." We need to have impressed upon our minds a deep conviction of the
firmness, the abiding nature of the character of our God. Let us look at our Fortress and
not at what is going on around it, or at the number about to come against it, and let us
seek for grace to trust.
"The Lord is on my side," says the Psalmist, "I will
not fear: what can man do unto me?" In worldly conflicts there is always great
anxiety on the part of the participants to secure the aid of a powerful ally. They reason
that if such an one be on their side, all must go well. But who is so well prepared to
meet the enemy as we who can say, "The Lord is on my side." The great God
Himself, makes common cause with His children. His cause is our cause. Because of our
relationship and because we have a common interest, His aid will come to us -- an
overflowing of His goodness. The realization that the cause of God and that of His
children are one will enable us to seek His help, in hours of trial and to be confident of
His overruling providence in connection with the same. He will help us not only for our
own individual sake, but for His own name's sake, since the cause is His.
Do we fully realize that God has been pleased to bind Himself to us
by our acceptance of the Savior as our own, and a full consecration of ourselves to follow
in His steps, to do God's will? If so, then we can indeed say with the Psalmist, "I
will not fear. What can man do unto me?" Sometimes we are called to stand alone, so
far as earthly companionship is concerned. Sometimes human help is taken away, and we are
left to get along as best we can. In such experiences our hearts are liable to fail us and
we are inclined to discouragement. What comfort then to turn to our God and realize that
He is on our side. We can then "endure as seeing Him who is invisible." We
discern a Helper where others see none. Once let this conviction have full power upon our
hearts and minds, we become strong indeed and independent of outward circumstances.
PART V
ETERNAL LIFE AND ETERNAL DEATH
"For He must reign, till
He hath put all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is
death." "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death." -- 1 Cor. 15:25,
26; Rev. 20:14.
ATTENTION has already been called to the volume of Scripture
testimony which teaches that the willfully wicked after having enjoyed their full share in
the great atonement and redemptive work of Christ during His Millennial Kingdom shall come
under the sentence of death, destruction, and that this will be the end of such. Not only
is there no hope of further existence held out for these, but such language is used as to
convey the idea that the end, the destruction, is permanent and lasting, a complete
cutting off. As for instance, the Lord through the Apostle says, "If any man draw
back My soul shall have no pleasure in him," and in that same connection the Apostle
affirms that for such willful opposers to God there would be "a certain fearful
looking for of judgment and fiery indignation which shall devour the adversaries."
But the Apostle goes on to say, "We are not of them that draw back unto perdition
clearly implying that the case of such a person is a hopeless one; the word perdition
having the meaning of loss, destruction, with no thought of recovery from that state.
(Heb. 10:26-31, 38, 39.) In the record in Acts 3:19-23, where the Apostle is recounting
the prophecy of Moses concerning the judgment work of Christ as the great Prophet of the
future, he repeats Moses' words that "it shall come to pass that every soul which
will not hear that Prophet shall be destroyed from among the people." Here .the Greek
term signifies "to destroy utterly." Again, the Apostle speaks of those
"who shall be punished with everlasting destruction from the presence of the
Lord." -- 2 Thess. 1 :9.
Is the Reward of the Righteous Eternal?
Vigorous effort is made by some Universalists to maintain that the
state or punishment of the willfully wicked is not of perpetual duration, for the reason
that as in some instances the words everlasting and eternal as used with reference to
future punishment are not derived from Greek terms that signify eternity, but have the
significance of lasting for a time, age-lasting, etc. We freely acknowledge that certain
Hebrew and Greek terms are used which, in the English, do not necessarily mean eternal,
but this fact lends no support to the idea that the death or destruction that is to
overtake the wicked of the future is merely of a temporary character. We find that the
Scriptures in discussing the state and reward of the righteous of the future use exactly
the same terms to indicate the duration of the life and reward; as for instance, Jesus
declared that the obedient believer should have everlasting life. (John 3:15, 16.) Here
the word everlasting does not mean eternity but age-lasting. Other instances of similar
character are as follows:
"And I will give unto them eternal life." -- John 10:28 ;
17:2.
"A house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens." -- 2
Cor. 5:1.
"Lay hold on eternal life." -- 1 Tim. 6:12.
"According to the hope of eternal life." -- Titus 3 :7.
"He hath promised us, even eternal life." -- 1 John 2 :25.
"That ye may know that ye have eternal life." -- 1 John
5:13.
In all the above instances the word eternal is translated from the
Greek word "aionios" and signifies age-lasting. Now, if we are to take the
position that the duration of the punishment of the wicked is only temporary, and that
they are to come back to life again merely because the strongest terms signifying without
end and eternity are not used with reference to the duration, then we must likewise
conclude that the happy state and reward of the righteous is not to be eternal, without
end, since the same Greek .and Hebrew terms are used in both cases. But such reasoning can
be little short of mere folly. While the Greek word "aionios" does not have in
itself the idea of duration without end; yet that is evidently the conclusion to be drawn
from the use of the terra as it is applied to the state of ,both the righteous and the
wicked of the future., We do know from certain positive Scripture statements that it is
God's will for the righteous to live for ever. Jesus says, "He that believeth shall
not perish." If he does not perish he must live.
"Aionian" Applies to State of Righteous and
Wicked Alike
The idea then in using the term "aionian" or age-lasting
with regard to the future is by way of expressing the contrast between the future and the
present life. Now, the period of each individual existence is merely of a few days or
years, and so far as time is concerned counts for nothing. But looking over into the great
beyond when the righteous shall enter into life, it shall be age-lasting, or continuous ;
there being no reason to draw the inference that at the end of an age, or of certain
future ages, that life will end; nor is there any reason to draw the inference that the
state of the wicked in being cut off would last merely for an age, or for several ages and
then cease, and they be returned to life again. Most. evidently the idea of duration or
continuity of condition or state applies with equal force to the wicked in their state as
it does to the righteous in their inheritance of life.
The Last Enemy Destroyed
In dealing with the subject of the resurrection and the future
judgment of the world, the Apostle declares that Christ "must reign till He hath put
all enemies under His feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death." (1 Cor.
15:25, 26.) Those who defend the teaching that all souls are ultimately to be reconciled
and saved claim that the destruction of death means that all must be eternally saved out
of death; or, that as long as there is one individual in death, then death is not
destroyed. We acknowledge the force of this reasoning and that this is one viewpoint that
can properly be taken of the Apostle's language. We maintain, however, that the Apostle is
here discussing the subject of the Adamic death, that death which is known to humanity in
this life as the great enemy. Summing up the work of the reign of Christ, the Apostle
declares that all enemies are to be conquered, even the great enemy death, this which has
robbed humanity of the blessing of life, of existence. Thus, from this viewpoint as all
humanity come out of the tomb in the future it will mean the process of destroying death;
that is, the undoing of death; and when all shall have been awakened and presented with
the opportunity of life by the close of the Millennial Reign, Adamic death will. have been
destroyed.
Another viewpoint of the Apostle's language with regard to the
destruction of the last enemy, is that death is here personified as a great monster going
up and down the earth slaying his multitudes, with no one able to offer permanent
resistance. He conquers all sooner or later; but in consideration of the power of the
reign of Christ, it is recognized that this terrible enemy now so forceful and not to be
resisted by any, is to be destroyed, that is, he shall not be permitted to exercise the
power and to bring humanity within his grasp beyond the reign of Christ. Death itself
shall be destroyed, which means there shall be no more dying when the work of Christ is
completed.
Difference Between First and Second Deaths
It is definitely stated in the last book of the Bible that the
willful opposers of God under the full light of the Kingdom and judgment work of Christ
shall be consigned to the Second Death. (Rev. 20:10, 14, 15 ; 21:8.) Thus death in a new
and second sense is introduced to our attention, which in some important respects differs
immensely from the first death sentence, since the first by redemption was turned into a
temporary cessation of life. We are aware that those who defend the universalistic theory
endeavor to maintain that the first and second deaths are the same, and that the Apostle
in declaring that death shall be destroyed as the last enemy includes the Second Death, or
death in any and every sense. We would not be able to concur in this, inasmuch as the
Scriptures do make a very definite and positive difference between the first death and the
second death. Everywhere the Bible testimony affirms that all humanity are to come out of
the first death because of the redemption which is in Christ Jesus: "As in Adam all
die, even so in [through],Christ shall all be made alive;" that is, all shall come
out of the tomb, because the penalty for sin has been met in the one great sacrifice made
once for all. (1 Cor. 15:22.) "Therefore as by the offense of one, judgment came upon
all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one, the free gift of life came
upon all men unto justification of life." (Rom. 5:18.) The import of the Apostle's
language plainly is that as all went into death because of the offense of one, so all are
to come out of the death state, and be given the privilege of life as a result of the
righteousness of One, and the acceptableness of His sacrifice.
Destroyed in the Second Death
However, nothing in the Apostle's language teaches that any will be
forced into eternal life, nor that all must necessarily be reconciled and saved to life
eternal, because they were redeemed by Christ. For, as other Bible testimony shows, those
who will not hear that great Prophet shall be destroyed, and this destruction is the same
that is referred to in Revelation as the Second Death, or a second pronounc-ement of the
sentence of death. There is not the slightest intimation that any will come out of the
Second Death, nor is there any statement that the Second Death will be destroyed in the
sense that those overtaken by it shall be returned to life. We read that "death [the
processes of the first or Adamic death] and hell [the tomb, the death state of the human
family which has been made temporary by reason of the redemption] were cast into the lake
of fire [symbolic of complete destruction]. This is the second death." (Rev. 20:14.)
How obvious it is that there is a difference between the two deaths in that one is said to
be cast into, or destroyed in the other, but nothing is said about the removing or destruction
of the Second Death. This does not mean that there will be people going into the Second
Death indefinitely throughout the future ages, but that those who are consigned to the
Second Death during the Millennial Judgment Day will remain no redemption being provided,
there is no hop of recovery. And the inference most strongly is that there will be none
others pass into the Second Death after the reign of Christ has fulfilled its mission by
the close of the thousand-year period.
Another Difficulty Universalists Encounter
Another important consideration bearing upon the claims of those who
advocate universal reconciliation, deserves attention in this connec-tion. Those who
contend for the teaching that through various ages of the future there will be numerous
recoveries from the dead, are evidently overlooking the great principle annunciated all
through the Bible-that of the necessity for atonement. For instance, in the fall of Adam
and the condemnation õf all his children in him, only one redeemer, one life was required
to atone for that one man's sin which included all in him, as the Apostle says, "By
one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all
men." (Rom. 5:12.) We behold the great economy of Jehovah in redeeming all mankind
with one life. But if we are to take the position that all the sinners of the Millennial
Age are to have a further chance, a second, third, fourth or many chances in those future
ages; we must admit the only logical conclusion, and that is that a personal sacrifice for
sin; a personal savior and redeemer would need to be provided for each; individual sinner,
inasmuch as each individual would be apart and independent of the other in his offense, in
that each one would stand individually before God and be personally responsible for his
own sin. There could be no such thing in that event of a vast multitude being redeemed ,by
one life such as is the case in Father Adam and all the race in him, in connection with
the first sin. Thus reasoning, if so many of mankind .are found willful sinners in the
Millennial Age and come under the sentence of death, a sacrifice for each one of them
would be required, and if, as the advocates of universal reconciliation admit, there will
be sinners in the successive ages who pass into death again and again, the principle of
atonement which requires "an eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, a life for a
life," would require that there be an individual sacrifice to atone and make way for
each individual to come back to life. again for another trial.
Only One Sacrifice, One Atonement
But to conclude thus that God will operate in the future, seems mere
folly. His Plan and Word know of but one sacrifice, one redeemer, "Christ dieth no
more"; nor is there the slightest inference that another or many redeemers. would be
supplied for any future emergencies. Not only so, but the question. would be, What could
be accomplished by redeeming a man who, after having had the advantage of all the lessons
of the present life, including many experiences of evil and its consequences and then the
advantages of the future full, fair, and complete trial under the Mediatorial Kingdom of
Christ and the saints, with full light and opportunity, would then choose unrighteousness
and remain in a state of rebellion against God? Would not such a character continue in
-rebellion even though he were given innumerable chances in the ages beyond? Our
conviction is that what a man would choose to do in one trial in which he would have full
knowledge and opportunity, -he would do under a thousand such trials and opportunities,
and that is why the Bible is absolutely silent on the subject of any plan of God to redeem
those who choose sin and disobedience when they are placed on trial during the Millennial
Age.
Perfect Beings May Choose Evil
Again we observe how fallen human reasoning attempts to establish the
evidence of the truthfulness of the Universal doctrine by measuring others according to
their own tendencies and emotions. It will not do to judge others by ourselves, in all
respects. The fact that God's saints do tot feel opposition to God's will, and cannot
understand how others can entertain such sentiments, sometimes leads to the false
conclusion that if all others enjoyed a similar knowledge of God they too would delight in
His service. That such a conclusion is false is evident from the fact that Satan, who knew
God thoroughly, "abode not in the truth," but became "the father of
lies" and "a murderer." And, after six thousand years' witness of sin and
its results, he is still the adversary of righteousness. After nearly two thousand years'
knowledge ,of the love and mercy of God manifested in Christ's sacrifice for sin, he is
still as unmoved by that love as lie is unmoved by pity for human woe. And more than this
: God, who knows the future as well as the past, shows us, unquestionably; that after
being restrained (bound) for a thousand years by the power of Christ's Kingdom, and during
that time witnessing the blessings of righteousness, he will, when granted liberty at the
close of the Millennium, still manifest a preference for the way of sin and opposition to
God's arrangements. Surely this proves that intelligent beings, and- perfect beings, too,
can know God and yet choose a way of disobedience-whether or not our minds can grasp the
philosophy, of their course.
Character Must Be Engraved
But the philosophy of the matter is this : a perfect being, angel or
man, is a blank page upon which character must be engraved. Knowledge and a free will are
the engravers. Pride, selfishness, and ambition may be engraved, or love, humility and
meekness. The latter is the blessed or Godlike character, the former is the sinful or
devilish character. According to which are engraved will be the character. If the will
decide for sin and cultivate the wicked character, the result will be a wicked being. If
the will decide for righteousness and God-likeness, the result will be a holy being.
The same principles in a general way apply also to fallen men. No
matter how fallen and weak they may be, they have free-wills. They can will aright, even
when they cannot do, aright. And under the arrangement of grace, God accepts, through
Christ, the imperfect deeds where a the wills are perfect.
For many who are now evil doers and lovers of sin, our hope is, that
they are such because of blinding of the Devil (2 Cor. 4:4), which leads them to make a
choice they would not make if they had a full, clear knowledge. God's guarantee to all,
through Christ, is that all shall -come to an accurate knowledge of the Truth, and thus
:to a full opportunity to choose between
righteousness and sin. We are given no hope for any who, after coming to a clear
knowledge, choose sin, willfully; neither in this Age nor in any future age is there hope
for such; according to God's Word.
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