VOL. XI. November 1, 1928 No. 21 LAYING
HOLD OF GOD'S SAVING POWER VOL. XI. November 15, 1928 No. 22 PALESTINE
AND THE GREAT RESTORATION ABIDING
PEACE THROUGH UNION WITH CHRIST VOL. XI. November 1, 1928 No. 21 LAYING HOLD OF GOD'S SAVING POWER"And, behold, one came and said
unto Him, Good Master, THE question
of securing the favor of God and of laying hold of life eternal, continues ever to be the
theme of supreme importance to creation here on earth. Though according to Divine
revelation God's Plan provides an opportunity for every member of our race to escape
death, to receive the favor of God unto everlasting life, only a comparatively small
number have, up to the present time, received the knowledge of this grace of God and
entered upon the pathway of life, the future Age of the reign of Christ being the time set
in God's purpose for the masses of our race to hear the Message and to be given their
opportunity. There has been a considerable number, however, all along in the past who have
felt a measure of desire to know God and to secure the favor of life; they have sought for
the knowledge of Him to some extent and have gotten response to their inquiries on the
subject. But their desires and longings after Gad have fallen short, and reaching a
certain point in their approach to Him they have halted, unwilling to pay the price. Such as are
of this attitude are well represented by the rich young ruler who came to Jesus; he was
possessed of an abundance of the things of this world, but realized the longing for an
assurance of everlasting life. As a Jew he knew the Law, and understood that Gad had made
a covenant with his nation and with no other, under which everlasting life might be
attained. He perceived, however, that even the best men of his nation had failed to gain
eternal life under this covenant -- that all had died. He had heard of Jesus and that
"never man spoke like this Man," and he knew that in many respects His teachings
were of a positive character and that His manner and instruction were not like those of
the Scribes and Pharisees, uncertain and equivocal; that He taught as one having authority
and knowing what He taught to be true. He hesitated to go to this teacher, but finally
seeing Him leaving a house in his own neighborhood, he ran out hastily and point-blank put
the question: "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal
life?" The Savior in reply pointed the young man to the only way to life everlasting
then open -- the keeping of the Law. He well knew that the young man could not keep the
Law perfectly and hence could not obtain everlasting life through it; but He would bring
the matter before his attention in the most favorable form to be comprehended, so as to
prepare him for the great proposition that was to be laid before him. "One Thing Thou Lackest"Having first
stated the Law in its simplest form, referring to the commandments respecting duty toward
fellow creatures, etc., Jesus received the response, that so far as the young man had
learned the matter, he had kept the Law; but although he kept its outward form, he
realized that something was still lacking. He had no evidence that he had received any
special blessing of eternal life, and wished to know of the Master what it was that
hindered, what he lacked of being a perfect man, keeping the Law and meriting the reward
of the Law, life everlasting. It is not any wonder that Jesus looking upon him, loved him;
every one who loves righteousness, loves those who are righteous or who are striving to
the best of their ability to come up to the mark of righteousness, perfection. Then the
Savior seized the opportunity and told him plainly, "one thing thou lackest."
You have been endeavoring to keep God's Law and have done well, so far as the outward is
concerned; but the real essence and spirit of the Law, you have not apprehended at all --
the spirit of the Law is love. And the whole Law is comprehended briefly is one word,
"Love is the fulfilling of the Law." You have been getting the outside or shell
of the Divine command but have entirely overlooked the precious things in it, the real
kernel and force -- love to God supremely and love toward your fellow man as toward
yourself. Let Me prove this to you by suggesting that you demonstrate your love for your
neighbors by disposing of your property for the assistance of poorer ones. Then consecrate
your life in laving devotion to God's service and came with Me and be one of My disciples,
taking up the cross of self-denial thus involved. "The Great Refusal"At this
point in this interesting narrative, we meet with what for centuries has been called
"the great refusal." The test was a most crucial one and manifested clearly the
distinction between the Letter and the Spirit of the Law. The cross was too heavy for the
rich young ruler. He had gotten the answer to his question, but O! it was so different
from what he had anticipated. He had felt comparatively well satisfied with himself,
although realizing that something must still be lacking. He had rather expected Messiah's
commendation, and perhaps some further advice, but nothing so radical. It was altogether
too much for him; he went away exceedingly sorrowful, says Luke; his countenance fell,
says Mark. It was a sore disappointment. For the time being he could not think of
accepting the Master's prescription which to him, was too hard and too severe; he must at
least think the matter over well. Whatever
course this young ruler may have subsequently taken we are not informed, but of one thing
we may be sure; he had learned a great lesson respecting the scope and significance of the
Divine requirement of all who would really enter into life. He had ascertained the
impossibility of his attaining eternal life through his own imperfect works or endeavors
to keep the Law. The surrender of all to God and full resignation to the Divine will in
all things were the requirements associated with the hope of everlasting life. We would not
be able to agree with those who claim that the condition of this young man, and our Lord's
words to him, apply to all young men or to those possessing wealth -- though the spirit of
the matter is applicable to all under the different conditions of the offer of the Gospel.
Under the Gospel arrangements, which are alike to all, rich and poor, "Christ died
for our sins according to the Scriptures." He not only met the requirements of the
Law and fulfilled that covenant and annulled it, but additionally, He appeared in the
Divine presence with the value of that sacrifice and has appropriated of His merit to make
up for the weaknesses and imperfections of our flesh to which our hearts and minds do not
assent. Love and Full SurrenderAccordingly,
even if when some come to Jesus to inquire the way of eternal life they should be unable
to say as did this young ruler, "All these things have I done from my youth up,"
even if it should be necessary for such to confess with shame, "All these
commandments have I violated," nevertheless, the provisions of Divine grace are such
that even the vilest sinner who has turned from sin and who at heart desires henceforth to
walk in the way of righteousness, and who renouncing the sins of the past gladly makes
such restitution as is in his power-all such are accepted in the Beloved One and reckoned
as justified freely from all things from which the Law could not justify them. To all such
Jesus presents the same invitation that was extended to the rich young ruler. They are
asked to come, take up their cross, and follow the Savior; to prove, to demonstrate their
love for righteousness, their devotion to God and to every feature of His will; they are
invited to come and crucify self and selfishness and receive into their hearts instead,
the spirit of God, the spirit of holiness, the spirit of love. Not merely to love their
neighbors in word, but in deed and in truth; so that so far from wishing to steal from
them, or to kill them, or to bear false witness against them, or do any other evil toward
them, their heart's desire would be the reverse of these, to do them good, to bless them.
God is love; the spirit of His requirement is love; and the spirit of His faithful One,
Jesus, is love. Love is the holy spirit, of which the Apostle declares, "If any man
have not the spirit of Christ, [love in some measure], he is none of His." There is no
doubt that the rich young ruler who refused the great opportunity to become a disciple of
Jesus, is a sample of a large number who have had a strong desire to flee sin and its
bondage; they have heard something of the Master's voice speaking peace and proclaiming a
message of love, they have even asked for the privileges of life; and as they have been
pointed to the way of full surrender, to the cross and its trials and sorrows, they have
halted here at the forks of the road and declined to take the step which alone would bring
them the great blessing desired. This is in full keeping with what Jesus elsewhere said,
in pointing out the strait gate and narrow way: "Many shall strive to enter therein
and shall not be able." Trust not in Uncertain RichesIn
connection with the rich young ruler's refusal to accept of the terms of life offered him,
Jesus took occasion to impart a lesson valuable to His disciples then and to all of His
followers since, even unto this day. Experience has made manifest the hindrance, the
danger of riches -- of any kind of riches, honor of men, political influence, many and
large talents and abilities, social standing, fine education, and material wealth-for one
may be rich in any of these senses. "It is hard for a rich mail to enter into the
Kingdom of God." (R. V.) Jesus did not here undertake to explain just why there would
be greater difficulties for those possessing riches, to enter the Kingdom, but from other
Scriptures we learn the reason and why it is that the heirs of the Kingdom will be chiefly
found amongst the poorer classes. "Ye see your calling, brethren, how that not many
wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble, are called; but God hath chosen
the weak things of the world to confound' the mighty." Those who have any of this
world's riches are "called" in one sense of the word but not in another; they
are equally invited to receive the favor of God, but they are much less likely than those
who are poorer, to accept the Lord's invitation and to present themselves according to the
terms of the Kingdom call. In this sense of the word "called," only those who
accept the call meant; and they then divide themselves into classes -- those who make
their calling and election sure and obtain the Kingdom, obtain a part in the First
Resurrection to glory, honor and immortality, obtain a place with Messiah in His throne,
to share with Him in His Kingdom; and those who do not make their calling and election
sure, either by becoming reprobates and subjects of the Second Death, or by a failure to
manifest a sufficiency of zeal in the race for the prize, and .on account of this are
remanded to an inferior class, to a lower position and who through a course of special
discipline and correction are brought to a condition where they are finally approved of
the Lord as fit for everlasting life. These, as the Apostle shows, (1 Cor. 3:15), will
suffer the loss of the great and chief reward, but they themselves shall be saved through
fiery disciplines; other Scriptures indicate that these having been amongst the
consecrated who laid their earthly all upon the altar of sacrifice, will not come back to
an earthly existence but will receive life as spirit beings, higher than that of the
earthly plane. How Earthly Riches May HinderIt will be
interesting and profitable to observe carefully just what are the hindrances of these
earthly riches that tend to prevent their possessors from having so favorable an.
opportunity as their (in earthly respects) less favored brethren. First, the possession of
earthly good things, "riches," is less favorable to the development of faith,
without which it is impossible to be pleasing to God. Second, these earthly advantages are
more likely to develop pride, a serious barrier to every grace, and an absolute barrier as
respects the Kingdom, which can be attained only through humility. Third, riches of any
kind bring with them friends and associates of the earth, whose hearts being generally out
of sympathy with the Lord and the Kingdom, will constitute them adversaries to the new
mind, from whose influence it will be the more difficult to break completely away. Fourth,
and summing up all of the foregoing, those possessed of such earthly riches have
proportionately more to sacrifice than those who are poorer in these respects; and the
greater the things sacrificed, the greater the difficulty in performing the sacrifice. However, on
the other hand, it may be said that whenever one who is rich in this world's goods,
talents, etc., does present himself a living sacrifice to the Lord and His service, it
witnesses to a deeper heart loyalty than if he were poorer. It implies a greater sacrifice
and it implies also the exercise of greater opportunities in the Lord's service. The
servant who has five talents and who uses them faithfully and doubles them, accomplishes a
greater work than the servant who, having one talent uses it faithfully and doubles it;
and our Lord's understanding of this matter is shown in the fact that according to the
parable the one will have granted to him authority over ten cities, and the other
authority over two, although both will be commended -- "well done, good and
faithful servant." The Example of Him Who Was RichIf we would
look for illustrations showing wherein the rich (in talents, etc.,) have been faithful, we
would find at the head of the list, our Lord Himself, "who was rich, but for our
sakes became poor." As He was richer than all others in every sense of the word, so
proportionately His sacrifice was greater than that of all others from every standpoint,
and His honor, glory, and power are greater, "He is Lord of all." Similarly, the
Apostle was rich, if not in money and property, he was at least rich in education, in
social advantages and privileges, and in life's opportunities; and we may say that since
the Apostle so faithfully sacrificed all these earthly riches for the sake of the
privilege of preaching the Gospel of Christ, his must have been a much larger sacrifice
than that of the majority of men: and proportionately we anticipate that his reward in the
Kingdom will be great, because he counted these earthly riches but loss and dross, that he
might win Christ and be found in Him, a member of the Anointed One. So then,
while it is recognized and we call attention to the fact, that few will be in the Kingdom
who have had great opportunities, privileges, property, or other riches of this world,
nevertheless, those who possess this world's goods of any kind should be encouraged to
consider that they thus hold within their grasp, grand opportunities which rightly used will yield riches of grace not only
in the life that now is, but also in the life that is to come, working out for them a far
more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, proportionate to their sacrifices and
faithfulness in their stewardship. The Terms Alike to Rich and Poor of God's ChildrenAfter all,
the question of laying hold of the grace of God, of laying hold of eternal life, of
successfully pursuing the narrow way unto its close, is not one that presents difficulties
merely to those who have earthly riches. Indeed the matter of so running as to secure the
favor of God that is offered in this Age -- immortality and the crown of life -- carries
with it tremendous responsibilities; the obligations are of a most serious character. To
those of the consecrated who possess the riches of this world and to the poor who have
surrendered all to God, the obligations primarily are the same there must be the surrender
of the heart and the soul to God; there must be the giving up of self-will, and the
accepting of the will of God. To the rich and poor alike of God's children, it becomes a
matter daily of laying hold of the grace of God, of so appropriating and feeding upon the
Word of truth, that the spiritual life may be nourished; that the heart may receive daily
that inspiration that will incite to renewed effort; that will impel the soul to struggle
on in surmounting the obstacles; and that will enable the surrendered one to successfully
pass through and endure the various fiery tests and trials of the way. To the
question, How may I acquire greater power to live the life of God, to pursue the course of
full surrender, full devotion and loyalty to God and to the things that He has set before
us, how can I become a stronger, a more powerful and courageous Christian, there comes the
answer, that it is by tasting more abundantly of His grace and experiencing more deeply in
the heart, the love of God. Faith, of course, is implied; great faith must be exercised on
the part of those who would daily grow and increase in the heritage of the spiritual life.
But along with this faith and trust in God there should be realized the constant growth in
the spirit and power of gratitude and heart appreciation, ever and always leading to
greater love, a deeper and more profound sense and feeling of God's goodness, as revealed
in His great purpose and as manifest in the revelation of His Son, in His example of
supreme sacrifice and devotion to the Divine will, even unto death. If as the Apostle Paul
suggests, we should be moved in the beginning of our Christian experience to present
ourselves living sacrifices on account of the mercies of God extended to us, our success
in daily offering up ourselves, of fulfilling the terms and conditions of the narrow way
will be realized as the spirit of gratitude and appreciation, the spirit of love and
devotion to God, increases and abounds more and more in the soul. The Apostle Paul touches
the keynote of the matter when he says, "the love of Christ constraineth us." If
it was the love of God that led to repentance in the first place, and the love of Christ
that constrained and drew us unto Him, leading to full surrender, this same love of God
and of Christ, as we through the Spirit, come to more fully comprehend and grasp its
lengths and breadths and depths and heights, should ,give us additional strength and power
to lay hold of the grace of God, and the heritage that He has committed to us; should
enable us to feel and express ourselves as did the Savior, "I delight to do Thy will,
O My God"; and again, "My meat and My drink is to do the will of Him that sent
Me." It is this willing and happy surrender and yielding of our all to the Lord
daily, that we want more and more to experience; for it is this attitude alone that will
be qualified to meet the various severe trials and tests of faith and abundantly triumph
through them all. Esteemed the Reproach of Christ Greater RichesThere comes
to mind that great and illustrious character, Moses, who we are told was faithful in the
performance of the many duties of his high office. St. Paul, in recounting for us the
great heroes of faith, makes the remarkable statement concerning Moses, that he chose
"rather to suffer affliction with the people of God than to enjoy the pleasures of
sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in
Egypt." Here indeed is an example of true faith and obedience. Here we have a most
admirable demonstration of that constraining love and reverence for God that was willing
to cast to the winds personal advantages and riches, and to face every kind of experience,
counting it a privilege to suffer in connection with. the performance of his sacred
duties, that he might please God. Additionally, Moses' attitude was a demonstration of the
most self-sacrificing love for the people of God; he preferred to take his place along
with God's chosen people and to suffer affliction with them, than to give himself over to
the most alluring of earthly riches; that thus he might enjoy the advantages of the Divine
presence and live in hope of the fulfillment of the promises of God; for, says the
Apostle, "He had respect unto the recompense of reward." Another has very ably
commented upon the course of Moses, in this matter, and noted the lessons that are
profitable for us as Christians to carefully consider "Observe
what it was that Moses 'esteemed greater riches than the treasures of Egypt'; it was the
'reproach of Christ.' It was not merely reproach for Christ. 'The reproaches of them that
reproached Thee have fallen upon Me.' The Lord Jesus, in perfect grace, identified Himself
with His people. He came down from heaven, leaving His Father's bosom, and laying aside
all His glory, He took His people's place, confessed their sins, and bore their judgment
on the cursed tree. Such was His voluntary devotedness, He not merely acted for us, but
made Himself one with us, thus perfectly delivering us from all that was or could be
against us. "Hence,
we see how much in sympathy Moses was with the spirit and mind of Christ, in reference to
the people of God. He was in the midst of all the ease, the pomp and dignity of Pharaoh's
house, where 'the pleasures of sin,' and 'the treasures of Egypt,' lay scattered around
him, in richest profusion. All these things he might have enjoyed if he would. He could
have lived and died in the midst of wealth and splendor. His entire path, from first to
last, might, if he had chosen, have been enlightened by the sunshine of royal favor; but
that would not have been 'faith'; it would not have been Christlike. From his elevated
position, he saw his brethren bowed down beneath their heavy burden, and faith led him to
see that his place was to be with them. Yes; with them, in all their reproach, their
bondage, their degradation, and their sorrow. Had he been actuated by mere benevolence,
philanthropy, or patriotism, he might have used his personal influence on behalf of his
brethren. He might have succeeded in inducing Pharaoh to lighten their burden, and render
their path somewhat smoother, by royal grants in their favor; but this would never do,
never satisfy a heart that had a single pulsation in common. with the heart of Christ.
Such a heart Moses, by he grace of God, carried in his bosom; and, therefore, with all the
energies and all the affections of that heart, he drew himself, body, soul, and spirit,
into the very midst of his oppressed brethren. He 'chose rather to suffer affliction with
the people of God.' And moreover, he did this 'by faith! Fully Identified with Him"Let my
reader ponder this deeply. We must not be satisfied with wishing well to, doing service
for, or speaking kindly on behalf of, the people of God. We ought to be fully identified
with them, no matter how despised or reproached they may be. It is in a measure, an
agreeable thing to a benevolent and generous spirit, to patronize Christianity; but it is
a wholly different thing to be identified with Christians, or to suffer with Christ. A
patron is one thing, a martyr is quite another. This distinction is apparent throughout
the entire Book of God. Obadiah took care of God's witnesses, but Elijah was a witness for
God. Darius was so attached to Daniel that he lost a night's rest on his account, but
Daniel spent that selfsame night in the lions' den, as a witness for the truth of God.
Nicodemus ventured to speak a word for Christ, but a more matured discipleship would have
led him to identify himself with Christ. "These
considerations are eminently practical. The Lord Jesus does not want patronage; He wants
fellowship. The truth concerning Him is declared to us, not that we might patronize His
cause on earth, but have fellowship with His Person in heaven. He identified Himself with
us, at the heavy cost of all that love could give. He might have avoided this. He might
have continued to enjoy His eternal place 'in the bosom of the Father.' But how, then;
could that mighty tide of love, which was pent up in His heart, flow down to us guilty
sinners? Between Him and us there could be no oneness, save on conditions which involved
the surrender of ever thing oil His part. But, blessed, throughout the everlasting Ages,
be His adorable name, that surrender was voluntarily made. He gave Himself for us that He
might 'redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto Himself a peculiar people; zealous of
good works.' (Titus 2:14.) He would not enjoy His glory alone. His loving heart would
gratify itself by associating 'many sons' with Him in that glory. 'Father,' He says, 'I
will that they also whom Thou hast given Me be with Me where I am, that they may behold My
glory, which Thou hast given Me; for Thou lovest Me before the foundation of the world.'
(John 17:24.) Such were the thoughts of Christ in reference to His people; and we can
easily see how much in sympathy with these precious thoughts was the heart of Moses. He
unquestionably partook largely of his Master's spirit; and he manifested that excellent
spirit in freely sacrificing every personal consideration, and associating himself,
unreservedly, with the people of God." Though
Moses, living before the Gospel dispensation, was not permitted to lay hold of the grace
of God and enter upon the pathway of life, as it is given to the sons of God in this Age
to do, we may realize much profit from a careful study of his obedient faith in and
devotion to the God of Israel. We of today have a more complete revelation of Jehovah, of
His character and purposes, and are thereby given, a strong foundation for faith and love
to work the works of obedience. We too may choose rather to suffer affliction with the
people of God, esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures and
emoluments of this world. May we who have undertaken to lay hold of God's saving power and
have entered into the way of life, realize our souls increasingly satisfied in the
fellowship of Christ, in the enjoyment of His companionship and that of His faithful
.followers, while we keep our hearts fixed upon God and have respect unto the recompense
of reward -- immortality, the crown of life. THE PRECIOUSNESS OF CHRIST[Contributed from outside the Editorial
Committee] "To whom coming, as unto a living
stone. disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God and precious. Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up sacrifices,
acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the Scripture, Behold
1 lay in Sion a chief cornerstone, elect, precious; and he that believeth on Hint shall
not be confounded." -- 1 Peter 2:4-6. THE Epistles
of the Apostle Peter, like those of the Apostle Paul, are characteristic of the writer and
reflect the influence of the experiences of a checkered and crowded life upon a character
naturally quick and observant rather than reflective. Peter mentions a number of things
that to him are "precious" but which in the ordinary course of his life as a
Galilean fisherman would have remained entirely outside the everyday sphere of his being.
He might have plied his nets in the Sea of Tiberias from youth to old age, without ever
coming into contact with, much less becoming possessor of, anything that could be
designated "precious." But the advent during that memorable autumn of the lowly
Nazarene, into the life of the Galilean fisher man changed the whole current of his
activities and opened up to him a new world-a world in which he would not occupy, as
hitherto, an insignificant role but of which he would become a leading and a shining
light. And how true
that has been in the experience of so many of the Lord's people! The service of the Lord,
the Truth and the brethren has cost us, indeed, somewhat of earth's emoluments and
pleasures but what an enrichment of experience has been ours, what an enlarged circle of
interests and relationships, what an expansion of the heart and mind! That this is of the
Lord is undoubted, for was not this the promise underlying His words to this very same
Peter, who inquired of his Master what reward would be to those who with himself had left
all to follow Jesus? "Verily I say unto you, There is no man that hath left house, or
parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the Kingdom of God's sake who shall not
receive manifold more in this present time and in the world to come life
everlasting." No wonder the Apostle exhorted Timothy that "godliness is
profitable both for the life that now is, as
well as for that which is to come"; and exultantly exclaimed that he gloried in
tribulation, "knowing that tribulation worketh patience; and patience, experience;
and experience, hope: and that hope is not put to shame because the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts
through the Holy Spirit which is given unto us." The Precious Things of ChristBefore
considering the preciousness of Christ Himself, let us briefly note those blessings which
are ours in and through Christ and which Peter likewise designates as precious. First of
all, the basis of our acceptance in the Beloved and indeed of any approach to God is
through the blood shed -- "Without shedding of blood there is no remission."
Naturally the blood thus shed to effect man's redemption was of inestimable value in the
eyes of Peter, and so we read, "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with
corruptible things as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ as of a
lamb without blemish and without spot." (1 Pet. 1 :18, 19.) Elsewhere the same
Apostle refers to certain ones "denying the Lord that bought them," than which
perhaps nothing could be worse in Peter's eyes. That recognition of the shed blood was
essential, in his view, to the Christian's walk is evident from his words that a lack of
development of character and growth in the Christian graces is due to the loss of
spiritual eyesight (enlightenment) and a forgetfulness of our true condition by nature
with the sole remedy thereof through the shed blood -- such an one "has forgotten
that he was purged from his old sins." Exceeding Great and Precious PromisesHaving
regard to this necessity of recognizing "the fountain opened for sin and for
uncleanness" and of continually availing ourselves of its cleansing power by faith,
we see the responsibility resting upon the individual believer in the matter.
Additionally, there is presented to such cleansed ones an opportunity for still closer
union with the Lord, conveyed through the medium of what Peter refers to as
"exceeding great and precious promises, whereby ye might be partakers of the Divine
nature." The opening thus afforded is variously spoken of in the Scriptures as
"a high calling," "a holy calling," "a heavenly calling,"
and the faith which opens up to us such glorious vistas of grace and truth shared in by
all those called of God and imbued with His Spirit, is well designated by Peter "like
precious faith." Truly, a wonderful gift of God. -- Eph. 2 :8. As we
consider the connection between the precious promises on the one hand, and the attainment
of those blessings embraced in the expression, "partaker of the Divine nature"
both as regards character and service, on the other hand, will we not more frequently
ponder them and make them more fully our own? Only thus shall we continue to develop as
New Creatures and keep the world in its place during the continuance of our earthly
pilgrimage. Unto You Which Believe He Is PreciousWhile the
English word "precious" is derived from a Latin word meaning "price,"
and is used almost in the sense of priceless, the Greek word rendered
"precious," in the above quoted passages has rather the significance of
"honor" or "reverence." Thus, applied to Christ it indicates that
although rejected by the majority now, the time will yet come when He will be vindicated
before the whole world and held in honor, as we read, "That all men should honor the
Son even as they honor the Father." As Joseph who dreamed in his youth of his
brethren falling down to do him reverence, lived to see his dreams come true, so likewise
Christ, rejected by His own people who crucified Him and continually rejected since among
the nations, will yet see and experience the fulfillment of "the joy set before
Him" when "at the name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue shall
confess that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of 'God the Father." -- Phil. 2: 10,
11. In the
meantime, however, as our text indicates, although He is rejected by the many to whom He
becomes a stumbling black and rock of offense, to those who believe, He is even now
precious, honored, distinguished. To such He is "the chiefest among ten
thousand," "the One altogether lovely" and they delight to do Him honor. He
is thus honored because as God's elect, He has been chosen for such honor, as we read,
"He is the Head of the Body, the Church . . . that in all things He might have the
preeminence. For it pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell." The Figure of a StoneIn the
passage under consideration Peter presents our Lord in a three-fold aspect: (1) Stone of Stumbling Our Lord
Himself used the first two figures to illustrate His relationship to His unbelieving
countrymen both at the time then present and in the future. He was a stone of stumbling to
the Jewish nation when He came at His First Advent in humble guise to present Himself to
them as their king. This stumbling cast them wonderful blessings which they can never
regain but in due time they will be restored to Divine favor and blessing. But others
again were more than nearly stumbled at Him -- they actively and unrelentingly opposed Him
and to them He gave a most solemn warning: "Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall
be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder." (Matt.
25;44.) This reminds us of our Lord's words in the parable of the Pounds directed to the
same class: "Those Mine enemies which would not that I should reign over them bring
hither and slay them before Me." But let us
consider more closely the third aspect of the picture of our Lord as a stone, a living
stone, a chief corner stone. Our thoughts immediately revert to the Pyramid as the most
striking and complete illustration of all the lessons contained in this apparently simple
yet deep prediction of the Prophet Isaiah. (1) Disallowed of men. Who that has at all studied the
great Pyramid from a Scriptural viewpoint, could fail to be struck with the illumination
of numerous passages of Scripture consequent upon the recognition of the headstone of the
Pyramid being a perfect replica, in miniature, of the immense structure it was designed to
crown and to complete. That its angles determined the shape of the whole and the
individual stones therein would suggest that this headstone would be prepared first by the
great Architect and Builder as a pattern. Yet, throughout the whole period of the
Pyramid's erection, this stone would be awaiting its place and meantime constantly
rejected by the workmen ignorant of the purpose and, position that this peculiar
five-sided and five-angled stone was designed to occupy. So Christ was designed of the
Father to be the first-born of all creation but His true character and position are at
present unknown and unrecognized and in reality He is still despised and rejected by the
world. (2) Chosen
of God. But though thus despised and rejected of men, our Lord, as the Apostle Peter here
explicitly states, is the "chosen of God," who "gave Him to be the Head
over all things to the Church which is His Body." How strikingly does the Pyramid
represent this! That glorious polished top-stone, chief corner stone, designed to be the
crowning glory of that pyramidal structure, so slowly and laboriously reared, to the
accompaniment of many tears and much groaning, a structure uncrowned and incomplete until
that top-stone in position graces it. So we "are complete in Him," (Col. 2:10)
and only attain perfection when we are conformed in all things unto Him, even as those
stones had to be shaped and chiseled and polished until the lines and angles exhibited
complete conformity to the glorious top-stone" Let this mind be in you which was also
in Christ Jesus." This choice on God's part was beautifully foreshadowed in Jehovah's
dealings with David, that "man after God's own heart" who should fulfil all His
will and of whom it was said that God chose Him. In the Eighty-ninth Psalm the writer
carries forward his theme by inspiration, from David, to "great David's greater
Son," clearly going beyond himself when he says, "I have laid help upon one that
is mighty, I have exalted one chosen out of the people." And that these and similar
Scriptures speaking of God's "elect" were applied by the Jews themselves to
their long anticipated Messiah, is proved by the language of the taunting, mocking throng
before the cross, when "they derided Him saying, He saved others : let Him save
Himself, if He be Christ, the chosen of God." -- Luke 23:35. (3) Precious. As already stated, the Greek word
conveys the thought of "honor" and thus there are suggested to us two aspects
resulting from our Lord's obedience "even unto death, the death of 'the cross,"
(Phil. 2:8) namely: (a) That of position, and (b) that of
personal relationship. As regards
position, it has "pleased the Father that in Him should all fullness dwell,"
(Col. 1:19); that following His obedience, "God also hath highly exalted Him and
given Him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should
bow . . . and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of
God the Father." (Phil. 2:10, 11.) We read again that God has made Jesus "heir
of all things"; also "To this end Christ both died and rose that He might be
Lord both of the dead and living." Indeed, the Scriptures abound with assurances to
the effect that following His sufferings, Christ was afterwards. translated to glory and
that God had made that- same Jesus whom the Jews crucified "both Lord and
Christ." Personal RelationshipBut although
so highly exalted, He is in very truth "this same Jesus". (Acts 1:11), meek and
lowly of heart, condescending to men of low estate, inviting their love and proffering
them His assistance. And to such as are prepared to receive Him, He becomes precious
indeed; increasingly so as the days go by and they sound fresh depths of His loving
kindness and experience further tokens of His love and care. As He is not ashamed to call
such His brethren, who are set apart by God's Spirit and drawn, to Him in devotion and
sanctification of spirit, so these likewise learn to approach Him, not as their Lord, but
as their Elder Brother; not as Master, but as their great High Priest who is touched with
a feeling of their infirmities and able to save them to the uttermost. This
relationship ripens into a still closer union, in which will is blended into will, and
heart beats in unison with heart. Then the inmost desire of our being is to say the words
and do the deeds and think the thoughts that Christ would have us say and do and think.
Such gladly recognize that they "have nothing that they have not received." -- 1
Cor. 4 :7. "Renew my will from day to day; Like Christ -- Ye Also!(1) As
living stones we are being built up into Him. A further thought is suggested here. On
earth, owing to the force of gravity, we build a structure from the base upward; but in
this heavenly, spiritual building which is being slowly reared, the attractive force is in
heaven, not on earth. Hence we can regard the top-stone as already "laid" in
heaven, to which by the drawing power of the Spirit the living stones are being cemented
ever more closely into an indissoluble union, not only with their Head but, in Him, with
one another, as we read "the love of the Anointed binds us together." -- 2 Cor.
5:14. These stones
are not all the same size and are all intended for different places. If the underlying
importance of this truth could be grasped by the brethren in general, how it would stifle
all false ambitions and jealousies! And, realizing that God hath set the members in the
Body as it hath pleased Him, and that therefore He is overruling all of life's experiences
for us in order to accomplish His purpose in us and for us, we should rest in His love and
look for Divine blessing and guidance on every occasion. "For the present," as
the Apostle says, "no chastening seemeth to be joyous but rather grievous,
nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruits of righteousness to them that are
exercised thereby." This was forcefully illustrated on one occasion by a Brother who
remarked that in the world it was customary for a man to make himself as big and important
as possible, whereas quite the reverse should be the case with the Lord's people, who
needed to be chiseled, polished and shaped to fit into their own particular niche in the
temple. How sad, added the Brother, would be the case of one such found, when the time
came, too large to fit into his appointed place
and as a result was perforce discarded. (2) Built up a spiritual house. Here the figure of the
living stones is carried forward, not to the completion of the structure of a Pyramid,
symbolical of God's completed purpose in and through Christ, but to the erection of a
temple, wherein God and man may be brought together in. unison. Paul refers to the same
figure in Eph. 2:21, 22: "In whom [Christ Jesus] all the building fitly framed
together, groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord, in whom ye also, as living stones, are
builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit. In
considering the figure of a temple, we are re minded of the erection of the tabernacle
of the wilderness and of that imposing edifice that superseded it, commonly spoken of as
Solomon's Temple. Both these structures were erected in accordance with designs divinely
conceived and communicated to Moses and David respectively (Exod. 25:40; Heb. 8:5; 1
Chron. 28:11, 12); the one well illustrating the Church in its tabernacle condition here
during this present Age, whilst the other shadowed forth the more permanent blessings
dispensed through the completed temple, the glorified Church, possessed fully by the
Spirit of God. The
appointments of these two structures in the main were similar, those of the temple
naturally being larger and more solid than was the case with those of the portable
tabernacle, but certain differences are noticeable. The center of the whole, in each case
was the Ark of the Covenant in the Most Holy, from which, over the Mercy Seat and between
the Cherubim glowed the Shekinah Light, emblematic of Jehovah's presence with His people. This ark,
prior to finding repose in the temple, had had a checkered career. After entering the Land
of Promise the tribe of Ephraim, representative of Joseph, the first-born of
Rachel-(Reuben, the firstborn of Leah having forfeited his birthright -- see 1 Chron. 5:1,
2), had the privilege of the custody of the ark, which was stationed at Shiloh. Following
the misconduct of the sons of Eli the high priest and the subsequent overthrow of the
Israelites at the hands of the Philistines, the ark was captured by the latter, who
retained possession thereof for seven months. Finding its possession fraught with peril,
however, both to their God, Dagon, and to their persons and crops, the Philistines, at the
expiration of the period mentioned, voluntarily relinquished possession of the ark and
returned same to the Israelites. Its reception by God's people was marked by an untoward
occurrence which well illustrates Amos 3:2, 3, "You only have I known of all the
families of the earth; therefore I will punish you for your iniquities." The men of
Beth-shemesh upon looking into the ark were smitten of God and over fifty thousand were
slain-a much severer punishment than that meted out to the ignorant and uncircumcised
Philistines. As a result of this stroke, the
ark of God was passed on by the men of Beth-shemesh to Kirjath-jearim, where it abode more
than twenty years. From thence, in due course it was removed by David to the house of
Obed-edom the Gittite and subsequently established by that king in his own city of Zion.
In due course, after David's death, Solomon built the temple which his father had purposed
and when everything was ready, the ark with all due solemnity and rejoicing was carried
into the Most Holy of that temple. And now we notice two points of difference between the
tabernacle and the temple in connection with the ark; there is an addition and an
omission. The AdditionIn the new
Most Holy of the temple, which, of course, was constructed on a much larger scale than the
tabernacle or tent, Solomon had caused to be made two cherubims of olive wood covered with
gold, whose outspread wings touched the walls of the Oracle on either side. Beneath the
outspread wings of these cherubims was placed the ark, upon the Mercy Seat (lid) of which,
and of one piece with it, were the two original cherubim of gold: It is generally
understood of the ark that it represents the Christ complete, and the, picture of the
temple therefore suggests that at that time the love and power of Jehovah previously only
manifested in Christ, will be recognized as being expressed through the Christ to the glorification of the
Father amongst mankind. In accord with this are the words of the Apostle Paul in Phil.
2:2, to the effect that when all are honoring the Son in the next Age it will be to the
glory of God the Father. The OmissionWhilst the
ark was thus overshadowed with two sets of cherubim, certain of the contents thereof as
originally deposited therein were missing, as we read in 1 Kings 8:9, "There was
nothing in the ark save the two tables of stone which Moses put there at Horeb." In
other words, Aaron's rod that budded and the golden pot full of manna which remained
incorruptible, had been removed. We need not speculate as to how and when this removal was
effected, inasmuch as the Scriptures are silent on the subject and therefore no lesson is
intended to be conveyed by the time and manner of their disappearance. But it is pertinent
to inquire why, at this juncture these two articles should no longer form a portion of the
contents of the ark. Their inclusion in the tabernacle economy and their subsequent
absence in connection with the temple suggests that what was symbolized by the pot of
manna and the budded rod, pertained to this present Gospel Age but was not applicable
during the Millennial Age to follow. Laid up in the ark as were these articles, clearly
suggests to our minds the hope laid up for us in heaven, as St. Paul again says :
"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the
righteous Judge, shall give me at that day and not to me only but unto all those that love
His appearing." Recalling to
mind the history of the rod that budded, we find that it was laid up in the ark as a
memorial, following the murmuring of the people against Moses and Aaron, as a constant
token and reminder that the priesthood was chosen and ordained of God. So also it is
equally true during the present Age that the true priesthood owning Christ alone as Head,
is chosen of God, as we read "No man taketh this honor upon himself, but He which is
chosen of God, as was Aaron." (Heb. 5:4.) Through this divinely appointed and
prepared priesthood alone will God's plan for the salvation of the human race spring forth
into bud. No human schemes for the betterment of man will ever come to fruition; they are
doomed to failure from the outset; but God's great plan of blessing is based upon a broad
foundation and progresses to a glorious consummation. Once this chosen priesthood has been
developed, this Age will close and, the blessings through
the priesthood will be due to flow out to humanity at large; hence this glorious hope
is "laid up" for the Church in .her tabernacle condition, but will be their
actual portion in the' state typified by the temple. So likewise
the golden pot of manna which did not corrupt, was also laid up in the ark for a memorial,
typifying the hope of immortality and incorruptibility held out to the Church and which
will have merged into actual possession by those found faithful at the end when the temple
condition has been attained. This immortality not being the portion of the world, is no
longer laid up when the antitypical temple is complete. How beautifully harmonious in all
its details is the Word of God when reverently read and understood, even though only
partially, through the Spirit! The Temple BuiltThe building
of Solomon's Temple was rendered remarkable by the fact that the stones thereof were all
prepared in accordance with the plans at the quarry and after being shaped and chiseled to
the correct dimensions, and polished, "made meet for the inheritance of the saints in
light," these stones were transported to the site of the temple at Jerusalem and the
great structure was eventually reared, we are told, without the aid of a hammer or an axe
or any iron instrument. (1 Kings 6:7.) How clearly this foreshadowed God's dealings with
the "living stones" which should afterwards be prepared and in due course built
up "for an habitation of God through the Spirit." These living stones, are
ofttimes selected from the midst of apparently the most, unlikely outward circumstances,
and in their own place, time, and generation receive those experiences throughout life
which under the supervision of the wise Architect and Master-Builder, will shape them into
conformity with His design. And that purpose, as we have seen, is to make them
"copies of His Son," having the same mind in them which was also in Chris,
Jesus, conformed in all things to their Head. "The daily round, the common task, It does us
good at times to look at the hole whence we were digged and ponder for a moment the
workings of that mighty grace which reached down to us, sunk in sin and nature's night; to
consider how it has wrought, how it is working, and will work until He has performed that
good thing of which He has spoken to us. "Not many wise men after the flesh, not many
mighty, not many noble are called . . . that not flesh should glory in His presence." "This is His will: He takes and He
refuses, But why no
tool of iron to be used in the erection of this building? This is, in its nature,
prophetic. Throughout the Age, these stories in the antitype were made completely ready
for their niche in that glorious future temple and in due time fell asleep. As the Lord
comes for His own, all these stones including those "which are alive and
remain," will be caught away together to meet the Lord in the air; they will be
raised by Divine power and the temple will be erected without human aid or intervention.
This event is due to occur before the final overthrow of "the powers that be"
represented in the feet and toes of that great image seen in vision by Nebuchadnezzar,
king of Babylon. It will be recalled that in that vision of the four coming great world
Empires vouchsafed to that monarch, the last and most powerful, as well as the most
enduring, was the fourth or Roman Empire, represented in the legs of iron and feet of iron
and clay. This empire
'throughout a great part of the period covered by the power of Rome, was known as
"The Holy Roman Empire." When subsequently that Empire became divided, the Roman
Catholic Church which had been paramount for centuries still retained its hold upon
several of the fragmentary kingdoms into which the Empire became subdivided whilst the
others likewise adopted some form or other of Protestantism as the State Church, to which
obedience was demanded. In contradistinction to these State Churches, the true Church has
existed throughout the centuries, unrecognized and ofttimes persecuted by the
"iron" power of the State at the behest of the religious authorities of the day;
for it is still true as in the past that "the world knoweth us not even as it knew
Him not." Thus the iron tools have done their work upon the stones in the quarry and
thus assisted, in the Lord's providence, to shape and fit them for their future permanent
positions. "But the delightful day will come In that
glorious assembling of all the living stones to constitute the spiritual house, the power
of "iron" has no part; God's power alone accomplishes this-that same mighty
power which wrought in Christ when it raised Him from the dead and set Him at God's .own
right hand in the heavenly places far above all principality and power and might and
dominion and every name that is named, not only in this world but in that which is to
come. -- Eph. 1:19, 20. (3) A Royal Priesthood. One of the most precious
promises of the Old Testament, assured the Jews that their promised Messiah, would not
only build God's house (a greater house than the Jews ever conceived in their minds), but
additionally that He would minister in that house as Priest, and further, reign over them
as King, "a priest upon His throne." (Zech. 6:13.) In that glorious coming
epoch, then, those two offices so sacred to the Jews will be combined in their Messiah. As
Priest He will be touched with a feeling for their infirmities and have compassion on them
that are ignorant and out of the way, at the same time having offered up both gifts and
sacrifices for sin (Heb. 5:1, 2), whilst as King He will rule over them to deliver them
from their enemies and from the hands of all that hate them, as David did of old,
establishing the Kingdom in power and great glory. The further unfolding of the Scriptures
indicated however that the blessings of that glorious Kingdom are to extend far beyond the
confines of the Jewish nation and will embrace all mankind. "All nations shall call
Him blessed." A picture of
this kingly priest is afforded us in the person of Melchizedek, who as his name (indicative of character) implies,
foreshadowed the King of Righteousness, whilst his position
as King of Salem (Shalom -- peace) pointed forward to the "Prince of Peace"
of whom Isaiah sang. (Isa. 9:6.) This characteristic of righteousness is brought very
prominently before us in the Scriptures in relation to the coming King : "He will
judge the world in righteousness"; "righteousness shall be the girdle of His
reins"; "He shall judge the poor with equity and the people with His
truth"; are but a few of the many passages emphasizing this aspect of His reign. And
His reign will be peaceful. The great world
conquerors of the past envisaged a state world-wide, in which all national and
international jealousies and conflicts would be hushed, but the very methods adopted to
establish such an empire sowed the seeds of future discord and disruption. As a result all
these empires in turn fell to pieces, the process usually being accompanied by terrible
bloodshed and misery of the masses. But there will be a power behind this coming King
which other would-be world conquerors knew not of, and when the Fifth Universal Empire is
established upon the ruins of the present order, as represented by the "little stone
cut out without hands," of Daniel's image, it will not be overthrown. "The
saints of the Most High shall possess the Kingdom" and shall enjoy lasting dominion.
Of that time it is said., "He shall make wars to cease to the end of the earth";
"He shall judge among the nations and shall rebuke many people: they shall beat their
swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks : nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." A Holy PriesthoodPeter tells
us that this royal priesthood is to be a holy priesthood.
How necessary is this! We have only to contemplate for a few moments the tremendous power
and responsibility of this priesthood in their association with Christ in His future
reign, to realize that they all must be fully tested characters, distinguished like their
Head by a love for righteousness and a hatred of iniquity. If He was made perfect through suffering, how much
more -do His followers need the same discipline. Hence, all the trials and difficulties of
life should be regarded from this standpoint, and by faith, turned to good account. Thus
viewed, the "peaceable fruits of righteousness" will always follow in due
course, and when the storms of life are over we shall enter into a glorious
"afterward of peace." Hence the exhortation, "Be ye holy for I am
holy" ; and Paul explains that those whom God is now calling out are destined to
become "copies of God's dear Son." -- Rom. 8:29. The
underlying thought of "holy" is that of being whole. We cannot serve God and Mammon; God seeks
no lukewarm service and we must be wholehearted in our love for Him and for the
"truth as it is in Jesus" if we would finally apprehend that for which we have
been apprehended by Christ Jesus. Such then is
the preciousness of Jesus to us who believe. The redemption accomplished by the precious
blood is but the gateway to a rich storehouse oŁ precious things -- precious to the
extent that they enable us to apprehend and become identified with the One who is
preeminently precious and who holds the key to the richest treasures of our Father's
inexhaustible grace! THAT WONDERFUL STORY OF OLD"Let the people praise Thee, O
God; NONE CAN
read the Book of Psalms without recognizing its prophetic character. Beautiful and
inspiring are the many pictures drawn of the oncoming dispensation, the Messianic reign,
the liberation of humanity from the slavery to sin and death. In consideration of this
glorious and blessed outlook, no wonder many exhortations are given to sound the praises
of the Lord, to sing the song of His loving kindness, and to make a joyful noise unto the
Lord. Various are
the viewpoints from which men regard their Creator. Mankind in general notes merely His
mighty acts, without appreciating His glorious character. This is suggested by the
Prophet, saying, "I will speak of [meditate on] the glorious honor of Thy majesty,
and of Thy wonderful deeds, and men shall speak of Thy terrible acts : but I will declare
Thy greatness." The world speaketh of its own, and according to its intelligence
respecting the Almighty; but the Lord's people, specially instructed by Him and taught of
the Holy Spirit, know of the Lord and His greatness in a sense that the remainder of
mankind know them not. Out of the Dominion of DarknessAs the
Apostle declares, "The natural man receiveth not the things of the spirit of God,
neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned. . . . But God hath
revealed them unto us by His spirit." And Jesus said, "To you it is given to
know the mysteries of the Kingdom." "Blessed are your eyes, for they see; and
your ears, for they hear." (Mark 4:11 ; Matt. 13:16.) None then, need be surprised at
the wide difference of understanding of Gad and of His mightiness and of His character, as
viewed by the saints and by the world, rather we are to expect such a difference of view.
The Apostle explains that we who were at one time in darkness, are now enlightened by the
Lord, having been translated out of the dominion of darkness into the Kingdom of God's
dear Son. (Col. 1:13.) And if is this enlightened class that the Apostle urges should make
progress in the knowledge of the Lord, growing in grace, progressing in knowledge, and
thus in the love of God and in the appreciation of His character. He urges this, saying
that it is necessary, to the intent that we may comprehend with all saints, the lengths
and breadths, and the heights and depths, and know the love of Christ, which passeth all
human understanding -- Eph. 3:17-19. Alas! while
many have escaped from much of the blindness of the Adversary, they are still subject to
his confusing errors and misrepresentations of the truth, and are thus blinded still in
great measure to the beauties of the Divine Plan, looking at things more from the human
standpoint than from the Divine standpoint, and framing their creeds and confessions
accordingly. Ah, they forget how the Lord has declared, "My plans are not your plans,
neither are your ways My ways, saith the Lord, for as the heavens are higher than the
earth, so are My ways higher than your ways, and My plans than your plans." (Isa:
55:8, 9.) It follows that, not seeing the Divine character and plan in their true light
and beauty, multitudes cannot take the standpoint of the saints in this prophetic
testimony before us, but they fake rather the standpoint of the natural man; when they
think of the Almighty they think rather of His wonderful and terrible acts than of His own
greatness, because they know comparatively little of the glorious honor of His majesty,
and do not see how His wonderful deeds declare His greatness. From the standpoint of the
average Christian, God is anything but gloriously honorable in His majesty; indeed,
thinking of the Almighty from the standpoint of their misunderstanding of Him, many
noble-minded Christian people may well feel ashamed of God and of His plan. The Song of Moses and the LambOnly those
who see the Great Program of the Ages, and the relationship between the past, the present,
and the future, are in any degree able to snake known the greatness of our God, His
glorious power, and His honorable majesty. This class is referred to by the Revelator as
singing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb -- they sing in
the sense of declaring in harmonious and beautiful cadences the relationship of the types
and figures of the Law and the Prophets of the Mosaic dispensation with the antitypes of
these of the Gospel dispensation; showing that all things written in the Law and in the
Prophets are finding glorious fulfillments in the Lamb of God and in the great Plan which
the Heavenly Father is working out through Him. -- Rev. 15:3, 4. The
Revelator tells us the substance of this song, namely "Great and marvelous are Thy
works, Lord God Almighty! Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints!" But what
great and marvelous work has God performed, and how shall we see that He is both just and
true in all His ways and dealings? From the standpoint of those who can sing this song
everything must be clear as noonday. First
amongst the great and marvelous works of the Almighty was the sentence of death upon
father Adam and his posterity because of disobedience -- a sentence of endless misery,
which would be as unjust, and unreasonable, as it is untrue and contrary to the Word of
God -- not the false presentation respecting this Divine act that is held forth in many of
the creeds of men -- but the great and marvelous act which God declares He accomplished
when He let fall upon our race the sentence of death, which has brought in its train all
the various disasters and reverses, mental and physical, to which our fallen flesh is
heir. As we look at this marvelous work, we must concede that it was just in that it was
merited, that it is true in the sense of not being an unreasonable penalty, true in the
sense that it was exactly what God forewarned the penalty of disobedience would be.
"Just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints." Every Knee Shall BowBut
Jehovah's first great and marvelous work of condemnation was, after four thousand years,
followed by another great and marvelous work, namely the work of redemption. How
stupendous this work of the ransoming of all Adam's race of hundreds of millions by the
sacrifice of one man. How great and wonderful indeed this act, and how just and true, and
how fully in harmony with every feature of Divine justice and love! Even the philosophy of
the ransom is explained to the Lord's people -- how that all mankind were included in one
man's sentence, to the intent that in due time the penalty of sin could be paid on behalf
of all mankind by the one sacrifice for sins, "the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself
a ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:5, 6; Rom. 5:12, 18, 19.) Was not this a great and
marvelous work? Who that realizes the lengths and breadths, and heights and depths of this
manifestation of Divine justice and Divine love, can do aught else than sing this song of
,Moses and the Lamb, declaring' to all who have ears to hear it, "Great and marvelous
are Thy works, Lord God Almighty; just and true are Thy ways, Thou King of saints."
But few see it clearly; and hence few can sing this wonderful song to others. But there is
still another feature to this song, and it is glorious also, though it pertains not to the
things that are past, but to the things yet to come. It declares, "Who shall not
reverence Thee, O Lord, and glorify Thy name?" It looks forward to the time when this
great redemption, accomplished by the blood of the Lamb, shall be made available to every
member of the human family. It looks forward to the glorious Millennial Age, to the time
when, under Divine providence, the knowledge of the Lord, essential to faith, and to any
acceptance of His favor and mercy through Christ, shall be extended to every creature. Who
indeed will not reverence the Lord and glorify His name? Surely, as the Scriptures have
declared, at that time, "Every knee shall bow and every tongue confess;" and
while this bowing and confessing may at first be compulsory, and not with all the volition
of the heart, yet the Scriptures assure us that ultimately all who will not come into
heart harmony with the Lord and with all His gracious arrangements and provisions, shall
be cut off from amongst the people in the Second Death. So that ultimately, instead of the
universe being filled with hundreds of millions who to all eternity will wail and gnash
their teeth and blaspheme God's holy name in agony-instead of this, the time shall come
when every tongue in heaven and in earth shall be heard praising God, end giving honor to
Him that sitteth on the throne and to the Lamb, forever; for by that time all evil-doers,
all lovers of unrighteousness; shall be cut off from amongst the people. All Nations Shall Come to WorshipBut this
song continues, and has yet another strain. It declares, "Thou only art holy" --
all holiness, all perfection, wherever it is found, must proceed from God, the great
fountain of holiness. How strange, then, that any of God's dear people should so
misunderstand the Divine character and plan as to misrepresent the same as being the very
essence of unholiness, injustice, unkindness, inequity, lovelessness, toward the great
mass of God's creatures! It will indeed be a glad day when all shall reverence God's name,
and when all shall recognize that He is indeed the fountain of holiness. But there is
still another strain in this song, and it is a grand one also, like all the others --
reaching down into the Millennial Age. It declares, "All nations shall come and
worship before Thee; for Thy judgements are made manifest." "All nations"
will include, not only all the nations then living, but all the nations of dead, just as
does the promise which God made to Abraham, saying, "In thy seed [the Christ, Head
and Body] shall all the families of the earth be blessed" -- all nations. How few, how
extremely few, are able to learn this song! How extremely few learn it so well as to be
able to sing this song to the glory of God! It is true that many who supposedly were
trained to sing "the good tidings of great joy" for all people, and are in
positions of the ministry; are singing songs, but they are totally different songs; they
are largely a mixture of human tradition, philosophy, and speculation. How few are
sufficiently delivered from error as to be able to sing this song of Moses and the Lamb,
or to see how God's great and marvelous works of the past reflect gloriously upon-His
character, both for justice and love, and give us the best of all assurances for the
working out in the future, of the glorious Plan which He has already outlined and begun! And we are
told the reason why so few can sing this song-that it is only for those to sing who have
"gotten the victory, over the beast and his image and his mark and the number of his
name." These symbols, representing earthly institutions which now hinder and bind and
enslave the Lord's people to creeds, must be vercome by every soul that would hope to be
able to appreciate this song, and to sing it in his daily life to others according to his
opportunities. Proclaim Loudly the MemorialMoreover, in
the Prophet's testimony respecting the message, showing forth the Lord's honor and
majesty, we find a wonderful witness to the central feature and greatest manifestation of
the Divine character and plan. The Psalmist says (Leeser's translation), "The
memorial of Thy abundant goodness shall they loudly proclaim, and they shall sing joyfully
of Thy righteousness." (Psa. 145:7.) What memorial has God given us of His abundant
goodness? Which of all His great and wonderful works could be thus termed a memorial of
Divine favor? It would seem that this memorial, this great act, was none other than the
gift of God's dear Son, to be our redemption price, as the Apostle declares, "In this
was manifested the love of God toward us; because that God sent His only begotten Son
into, the world, that we might live through Him." (1 John 4:9.) But as very few
realize the great act of justice accomplished in the sentencing of our race to death, so
very few can appreciate, as a special manifestation of God's abundant goodness, the death
of Christ as the full offset for Adam's sin, the full ransom, the full payment of his
penalty and that of his race. The reason
for this is that they esteem that the ransom was provided only for the Church, a little
flock. From this standpoint it was not a manifestation of the abundant grace and goodness
of God, but of a very limited grace and favor for a very limited number, á handful, as it
were, out of the great mass of humanity. But when we come to see that our Lord Jesus'
sacrifice was "a propitiation for our sins [the Church's sins] and not for ours only,
but also for the sins of the whole world," and that this "ransom for all"
is "to be testified in due . time" to all, and made available to all, that
ultimately all may benefit thereby if they will, and return to harmony. with God and to
eternal life- from this standpoint only can we see the greatness of that transaction,
finished at Calvary, and how it is a "memorial" of God's abundant goodness. And
only such as see this can heartily and loudly proclaim it, and sing joyfully of the
righteousness of God, which not only was manifested in the righteous penalty against sin,
but which again manifested itself in the righteous payment of that penalty on behalf of
every creature. While the
Lord's saints see His greatness and honorable majesty connected with every feature of the
Divine Plan, and while they are telling these good tidings to others, and speaking of His
mighty doings in the past, their message would not be complete without a testimony
respecting His glorious Kingdom. "They shall speak of the glory of Thy Kingdom"
-- the Millennial Kingdom. They cannot tell of the majesty of the Divine Plan and not tell
about the Kingdom. Let Us Talk Together of His PowerSurely this
language expresses the comprehensiveness of the Divine Plan that the Coming Kingdom and
judgment work of Christ and the saints is for the uplift and blessing of all humanity who
will then hearken to His voice. Earth's future government then will not be one in which
Christ and His Church shall bless merely the living nations of the world, and bring to
them the deliverance which God has promised, and leave all the remainder of the race who
have died for six thousand years, in darkness, in ignorance, in death, without any
opportunity under that Kingdom. A human plan might thus favor the millions living at the
time of the establishment of the Kingdom, but forget or ignore or pass by the hundreds and
thousands of millions who have gone down into the great prison house of death; but God's
ways are not as man's ways nor His plans as man's plans. The glory of the Kingdom of which we are authorized to
speak, is a Kingdom which is to bless all nations, the dead who have gone down into the
tomb, as well as those who have not yet gone into death. It is a Kingdom in which God's
power will be most marvelously manifested. Let us
"talk" together now of His power as the Prophet has suggested. It will be a
mighty power which will overthrow the reign of sin, which will bind the power of Satan
that he shall deceive the nations no more, and which will establish the Lord Jesus and His
glorious Church in power and great glory, with dominion over all the earth, with authority
to execute judgment -- to punish sin and to reward every effort toward righteousness. But
the power of God as it will be manifested, will be still greater than all this; it will be
a power which will lift up out of the miry pit of sin, out of the weaknesses of the flesh,
out of his imperfections, mental, moral and physical, every member of the human family who
desires to make progress and to return to the grand perfection of human nature represented
originally in the first man, and from which he and all in him fell, through disobedience.
In this sense of the word it is a resurrection power, raising up, from the low conditions
of sin and death to the high-conditions of perfection and righteousness. It not only will
thus take hold of the people who will not at that time have fallen asleep in death, but
this mighty power of the Kingdom will take hold also of those who have gone into the tomb,
and who are in the great. prison house of death; even as our Lord declared, that He will
open the prison doors and say to the prisoners, "Show yourselves; come forth."
"And all that are in the graves shall hear His voice and come forth" (John
5:39), and the coming forth shall be unto a resurrection by judgment-that so many as will,
may avail themselves of the blessed privileges and opportunities of that great judgment
Day, the Millennial Age, and profit by the stripes and corrections in righteousness which
will then be administered, and grow in grace, grow in knowledge, grow in love, and grow in
perfection of being, until by the close of that Age, if they will, they shall have arrived
back again into full harmony with God, and shall have received fully all the perfections
of human nature lost through the fall, and redeemed by the great "memorial" of
Divine favor. No marvel
then, that the saints, when, they glorify God, speak of the glory of His Kingdom and talk
of the mighty power of God which shall then be manifested, and how then shall be made
known to the sons of men God's mighty acts; how they shall then see clearly the meaning of
the original sentence as they do not now see it; how they shall then see clearly the
meaning of the great redemption, as they do not now see it, and how they shall then see
clearly the provision of Divine power in the Kingdom for their blessing-that seeing these
mighty acts of God in their true light, they also may glorify the Father which is in
heaven, and appreciate the majesty of His Kingdom. ENCOURAGING LETTERSDear
Brethren: I am
enclosing a bank draft for $_____ to pay for the renewal of "Herald"
subscriptions of the following: . . . We are very
interested to see by the last Herald; August 15, that Brother S. N. Wiley has gone to be
with the Lord. Although we have had no personal acquaintance, we had always heard him
highly spoken of as an earnest and consistent Christian. And as a member of the Editorial
Committee of the "Herald" we feel under a special debt of obligation to him, as
we do to all the other members of that Committee, for the blessing they have been
instrumental in giving us through the medium of the "Herald." Will you please
express to Sister Wiley, the sympathy we feel for her in her bereavement. It must be a
source of comfort to her to realize that the parting cannot be for long, and that then she
will not only be reunited to him, but that it will mean also her union with the Lord and
with all the members of the Body of Christ, and that in a more perfect oneness than could
ever exist on earth. One by one
the brethren are passing away to join the Lord and those on the other side of the veil,
and leaving fewer and fewer to fellowship together on this side. My earnest prayer is that
we may each of us become increasingly faithful in carrying out our Covenant, so that we
too may be assured of an abundant entrance into the everlasting Kingdom of our Lord and
Savior, Jesus Christ. With warm
Christian love in which all the members of our Class join, and assuring you of our
continued prayers on your behalf, I remain Your brother in Christ C. F. M. -- Aus. Dear
Brethren: I have very
often intended writing you to thank you for the instruction you give me from time to time
in the "Herald." I like the tone that is realized throughout. I can see that the
Spirit of God is leading you and that you do not fall away in your teaching by giving way
to a spirit of pride but walk humbly as the Master taught His disciples by both word and
example. I am often struck with the coincidence that when I receive the
"Herald," the very articles are written about that which I have been
considering, and often I get help just in the right quarter. What I like also is the
standard you uphold -- which makes me feel my weaknesses -- that I come far short of the
desire's of my heart; also that I see in myself nothing worthy of praise. My whole
dependence is in the work of my Savior through whom I cam approach and come near to God. I
would like, dear brethren, to tell you how I was brought to see the way. It was about the
time the Great War started; I used to get papers sent me, but being disgusted with Dowie
and his pretentions, used to think they were of the same cult so never opened or looked at
them, till I got one with the title "Armageddon" on it. I had from boyhood been
instructed in the prophecies, my father often speaking of them and saying to us that he
did not expect to see the closing scenes, but he firmly believed we boys would. This was
about the year 1860, I remember quite well. From that time I always read and got all I
could on prophetic subjects, and noted what I thought the most reasonable and correct.
When I saw this title "Armageddon" I was interested and read the article and saw
it was the most reasonable I had ever read. Still I did not agree with the dates, as they
did not accord with Ancient History by "Rollins," a writer whom I greatly like.
The article was one of Pastor Russell's. In a corner of the paper was a notice to send a
coupon, and a copy. of "The Plan of the Ages" would be forwarded. I did so and
received the book. My first habit with a book is to run through it quickly to see what it
treats of; I did this; then read it through, also a third time. It gave me the key to
unlock the Scriptures. I saw from God's side how it had been planned. The more I study it
the more I see how wonderful it is, how unlike man would have planned it. He would not
have done it with the foolishness of "preaching." It is truly the Word of God. I
became a subscriber of the Watch Tower and enjoyed ět and was taught by the articles
which appeared. Then came Pastor Russell's death and the new regime. I still received the.
Tower but soon got no help from it. I missed the kindly humble spirit. I received no food.
There was nothing to show humility, but I noticed a dictatorial spirit which I did not
like. I did nothing in haste, saw both sides of the question and found I was being led
into error by the Watch Tower, so gave it up. Someone sent me a "Herald." At
once I saw it had the spirit of the Watch Tower in Pastor Russell's time, so sent to Mr.
Nicholson for all the back numbers. We are rather isolated here, seven of us assembled at
the Memorial. We meet one another whenever we can and enjoy talking together. Of course we
find opposition and it has separated us from friends, even being forbidden to come near.
It is true what the Savior said. Yours in Christian fellowship and
love A. K. -- Aus. Dear
Brethren: Love and
greetings in our dear Redeemer's name! Enclosed find draft for $____. Kindly dispose of
this amount as follows: . . . The balance kindly apply on my "Good Hopes." I am
sorry I could not send in any of my "Good Hopes" sooner, but I did not have the
money. I rejoice with you in the privilege of helping a little in the work and wish I
could do more. Ever since I
received the first copy of the "Herald" it has been a most wonderful help to me.
Its freedom from prejudice, its spirit of humility and loving desire to, help others of
like precious faith, its disposition to wait on the Lord instead of trying to work out
Scripture interpretations to fit man-made theories and doctrines, are in most refreshing
contrast to what most of us have been accustomed to in recent years. To me the
"Herald" has been the source of much comfort in the two years or more that I
have been privileged to receive it. To anyone who is not as strong in faith as he would
wish to be, it surely is a wonderful blessing to receive such help, and surely we all need
it. After
reading the Daniel book, I wish to say it surpasses my expectation, although I expected it
to be a truly wonderful book. I have only had time to go through it once so far, but hope
to study it again in the near future. To me the
past summer has been one of continuous trials but I am glad to say that at present I am
enjoying the peace which usually follows severe trials, and am thankful, for the
experience. "Tribulation worketh patience." With warmest
love to you and all of like precious faith, I am , Your brother by His grace. H. J. H. -- Minn_ VOL. XI. November 15, 1928 No. 22 GREAT CAUSE FOR THANKSGIVING"Giving thanks unto the Father,
which bath made us meet to be A DAY of
formal national thanksgiving to God for peace and plenty, for bountiful harvests, abundant
rains and smiling skies, and for general national health and security, is recognized at
this season of the year, and the occasion naturally leads those who are only aliens and
foreigners here to consider, What have we to be thankful for? and how deep does the spirit
of thankfulness penetrate our hearts? The above
language of the Apostle calls forcibly to mind our wonderful favors over and above all
those that call for the general rejoicing and thanksgiving. While as aliens and
foreigners, as pilgrims and strangers sojourning in one of the most enlightened and
civilized lands of the earth, we are blessed with a large measure of temporal .prosperity,
we are specially favored, first, in that we have been delivered from the power of
darkness; secondly, in that we have been translated into the Kingdom of God's dear Son;
and thirdly, in that we have been made meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light. Marvelous Temporal AdvantagesSometimes,
when opportunities for comparison of circumstances are lacking, or those less favored in
life do not come closely under our observation, we fail to rightly appreciate the common
temporal blessings that fill our daily pathway. If the humblest in this favored land could
form an idea of the gloom and want and degradation of millions of their fellow men abroad,
they would indeed see much cause for rejoicing over their richer inheritance. There are
the poverty-stricken, ignorant, starving millions of the benighted sons of Africa, China,
India, and the toiling exiles of Siberia to whom the humblest little American home would
be a great luxury. Let us not forget to thank God that the lines of His providence have
fallen to us in such pleasant places -- that civilized ideas have scattered the dense
darkness of the ages past; that we are permitted to live in a land of liberty, of
education and of general enlightenment. What a blessing it is to be relieved from the
superstitions which retard the progress of so many of our fellow men from advancement in
civilization; and how great are the temporal advantages arising from progressive ideas,
general education and personal liberty; advantages of peaceful home and family life, of
comfortable dwellings and neat and convenient furnishings, of medical skill, of commercial
enterprise, of religious freedom, of a free Press and an open Bible. What inestimable
privileges are these! And yet we who enjoy them are only a minority of our common
humanity. Thousands, if they had the means in their hands, would not know how to make life
comfortable. Let us
appreciate these temporal favors more and more, and us-a them to the greater honor of
Gods. And while we realize the inability of our own efforts to lift the pall of darkness,
ignorance, and superstition from the rest of the world, let us rejoice in the near
approach of the Kingdom of light and peace, and the rising of the Sun of Righteousness,
which in due time will scatter all the gloom. And let us further consider that our present
vantage ground is not ours because God is a respecter of persons, but because He is
thereby ,preparing us to have part in His great Plan for blessing all the families of the
earth. As He prepared an Eden, like an oasis in the great world-desert, to be a suitable
place for the trial of Adam and Eve, so He has prepared certain places and conditions for
the development and discipline of His Church; not an Eden, however, but a place and
station where civilized conditions exist, and where the general enlightenment may be used
for either good or ill, and thus choice of the individual be made manifest. Our Spiritual HeritageThese
temporal advantages are our general favors ; but let us consider the special favors
granted us over and above these, first in being delivered from the power of darkness and
translated therefrom into the Kingdom of God's dear Son. The power of
darkness is the power of ignorance, superstition, sin and death -- the power of Satan, who
works in darkness. From this, kingdom of darkness we have been graciously translated,
lifted over, into the Kingdom of God's dear Son. While yet we sat in darkness the message
came to us that the price of our redemption had been secured, and that, if we had faith in
the message and desired deliverance, we could be at once translated into the Kingdom of
light and peace -- the Kingdom of God's dear Son. Gladly we heard the message and, gladly
we accepted the free favor thus offered; and, as a reward of our faith, came the sweet
peace of God into our hearts. The first new ray of light admitted was followed by more and
more; and the darkness of ignorance of God and His ways, and of superstition and error,
began to flee away, and the soul was flooded with light and joy and a peace that surpassed
all understanding to the hitherto darkened soul. Great was our joy when we first realized
this blessed, change, when we were told that now we were the children of light and were
counseled to walk thenceforth as children of light. Faithful is He That Hath Called UsAs children
of light and subjects of Christ, our Redeemer and King, we have been walking, from day to
day and from year to year in the light of His countenance and of His Word, going on from
knowledge to knowledge and from grace to grace. The old errors of ignorance and
superstition have been gradually replaced with truth and an intelligent faith in the pure
Word of God. And daily, as we are enlightened by the truth, we endeavor to bring ourselves
into fuller subjection to our King; and thus, having been delivered from the power of
darkness and translated into the Kingdom of God's dear Son, our precious Redeemer, we grow
more and more fully into the Divine likeness and favor. But in
addition to all this favor we are further informed of our privilege to become partakers of
the inheritance of the saints in light, which inheritance is that of joint-heirship with
Christ in His honor and glory, when in due time His Kingdom shall be established in all
the earth; and also to be made with Him partakers of the Divine nature. For such a
position we naturally feel our unworthiness; for what are we or what good thing have we
done, to make us worthy of such an inheritance. We look at the pit whence we were digged,
and, then at our present imperfection as measured by the standard of God's righteous and
perfect Law, and doubtfully say, That call must have been a mistake; it surely was never
meant for me. Yet the heart bounds with joy at the first suggestion of such a favor, and
when trembling faith is reassured by the statement that God hath made us meet for that
inheritance, and that "Faithful is He that hath called us, who also will do it,"
we take courage and reckon ourselves henceforth as heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus
Christ. By nature,
or of our own selves, we know that: we are not meet for that inheritance. Our sufficiency
is in Christ, whose merit, applied to us through. faith in His blood, makes up all our
deficiency, while we earnestly strive to conform to the Divine will. Thus we are now
reckoned of God as meet for the glorious inheritance with Christ, until in due time our
actual fitness shall appear, when, having fully submitted ourselves to the guidance and
discipline of Christ our King, He will present us to Himself a glorious Church without
spot or wrinkle or any such thing. -- Eph. 5 :27. The Fairest of Ten ThousandSuch, dear
faithful ones in Christ, is our occasion for thanksgiving. Shall we set apart a special
day in which to render praise and thanks to God for such unmeasured favor? Or, rather,
shall we not set apart every day as a day for the expression, in deeds as well as in
words, of our hearty thanksgiving to God for all His multiplied favors to us? Thanks be to
God for preparing our way before us, in a land where, though we are merely aliens and
foreigners, we have such inestimable privileges and advantages for growing in knowledge
and in grace, and for advancing the cause of truth; and thanks be to Him for delivering us
out of the kingdom of darkness into the Kingdom of light and peace, and calling us to be
the Bride of Christ and joint-heirs of all things with His dear Son. In the few
succeeding verses, the Apostle endeavors to convey to our minds some idea of the glory of
our inheritance in becoming the Bride of the Son of God, saying, "He is the image of
the [to us] invisible God, the first-born of every creature: for by Him were all things
created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be
thrones, or dominions, or powers: all things were created by Him and for Him. And He is
before all things, and by Him all things consist." What a
glorious Bridegroom! truly the chiefest. among ten thousand, the One altogether lovely,
and the heir of all things; for by Him and for Him were all things created. And all things
are ours also, if we are Christ's all dominions and principalities, all power and wisdom
and might and glory and honor and 'blessing. And He is able "to present you holy and
unblamable and unreprovable in His sight, if ye continue in the faith grounded and
settled, and be not moved away from the hope of the Gospel, which ye have heard." _________ "Thou who hast made my home of
life so pleasant, "Be near me when all else is from
me drifting; PALESTINE AND THE GREAT RESTORATIONTHAT
Viscount Field Marshal Allenby's name is immemorably linked with the establishment of the
Jewish National Homeland was demonstrated when the most representative audience of Jews in
New York City attended a reception given by the Zionist Organization of America in honor
of Lord Allenby on Thursday morning, October 4th, at the Ambassador Hotel, New York."
Thus runs the Report published in. "The New Palestine," of the warm and
enthusiastic reception accorded Lord Allenby by both Jews and Gentiles. The visit of Lord
Allenby to America and the recalling of his epoch-making achievement of delivering the
Holy Land from the Mohammedan power, becomes the occasion for the revival of new interest
in the cause of Zionism, and for a fresh review of the ancient traditions as well as
sacred prophecy respecting the future of the Hebrew race. The account goes on to state
that the assembly at this reception was made up of specially invited guests and that
"Zionists and non-Zionists, reform and orthodox -- all united by a single desire to
pay respect to the liberator of Palestine. This audience represented American Jewry
throughout the land, eager to see the man whose military genius and administrative ability
during the war had made the British Mandate over Palestine, and the Balfour Declaration a
political fact." Regarded as Historic Triumph for CivilizationVarious
speakers of note at the reception, eloquently lauded and praised the achievement of Lord
Allenby, some of them recalling in that connection, that what had been done and what was
being accomplished in modern times, was a fulfillment of the words of the ancient
Prophets. Extracts from some of the speeches are submitted below, which no doubt will be
read with keen interest. In the
opening address by Mr. Herman Bernstein, Chairman for Political Affairs of the Zionist
Organization, reference was made to the almost universal keen interest in the deliverance
of Palestine, and the general sympathy that is felt toward the aims and aspirations of
Zionists. He said in part "'Great
Britain has demonstrated this understanding and sympathy; the nations of the world have
approved it, and American public opinion, as expressed by American Presidents and
Congress, has signified its deep interest and sympathy for the rehabilitation of the
Promised Land in the spirit of the Balfour Declaration, The whole world regards Lord
Allenby with greater admiration than any other military conqueror, for his victory was a
historic triumph for civilization, a triumph for peace in the Holy City of peace. "'To
the Jews of the world and especially to the Zionists working for the rebuilding of the
Holy Land, General Allenby has endeared himself for all time. The names of Lord Balfour
and Lord Allenby are recorded in golden letters in the history of the Jewish people, the
Veteran of History, whose dream and hope of centuries were realized through Great
Britain's act of historic justice, as expressed through the Balfour Declaration, and made
possible through the genius and heroism of Field Marshal Allenby." Raised up to Spread the Banner of Freedom Over the Holy LandIn a
stirring speech by the Rev. Z. H. Masliansky, Dean of Zionist propagandists, Lord
Allenby's services were extolled and he was compared to the Emperor of Rome: "'In the
name of the four million Jews who live in the United States, we bring your Lordship our
blessing, the blessing of peace, on the occasion of your visit to our land. We wish to
express to you our deep felt emotion of gratitude, as one who has been favored by God's
grace, and chosen to free Jerusalem, our Holy City, and to spread the banner of freedom
over the entire Holy Land, and to break the yoke of the Turks. This you did in the name of
His Majesty's Government, and of the English people, which promulgated, through its
illustrious son, Lord Balfour, the historic pronouncement returning Palestine, their
ancestral homeland, to the people of Israel. This declaration was published about five
weeks before you marched up to the gates of Jerusalem. "'We
appreciate the deep respect and reverence which you evinced toward the holiness of
Jerusalem. When you approached the gates of that city you descended from your horse and
you entered the town on foot, in order to fulfil that which is written: 'Our feet stood at
the gates of Jerusalem.' You are the man whom Fate had chosen to be the messenger of the
British people, to return to the people of Israel that of which the Romans robbed us two
thousand years ago. Two thousand years separate the opening of the gates of Jerusalem by
Titus, the Roman, and the opening of the gates by Lord Allenby, the Britisher. How
remarkable is the difference between the two field marshals. The first one, Titus, brought
devastation and chaos to Jerusalem, with your coming Palestine was restored and
revitalized. "'We
devoutly hope that it will be your good fortune to witness with us the renaissance of the
Jewish people, as a nation established permanently in its own Holy Land, as in ancient
times."' A Symbol of Regeneration and Spiritual BirthJudge
William M. Lewis, who is Vice President of the Zionist Organization, conveyed the official
greetings of the Zionist Organization, of America, to the deliverer of Jerusalem, and in
part said: "'The name of Sir Edmund Allenby is forever woven into the annals of the
Jewish people. He will live in history as the liberator of Jerusalem, the Holy City. By
wresting Jerusalem from the Turk he made possible the liberation of a country which has
become for the world at large and for the Jewish people in particular, a symbol of
regeneration and spiritual rebirth. "'The
restoration of order under the military administration which followed the British
occupation; the Balfour Declaration made in 1917 as a considered act of policy; the
assumption of the Mandate for Palestine by Great Britain in 1918; the establishment of the
civil administration under Sir Herbert Samuel in 1920, the confirmation of the Mandate by
the Council of the League in 1922; and the ratification of the Anglo-American Convention
relative to Palestine in 1925, are milestones in the program of Great Britain to
facilitate with the consent and co-operation of all the civilized nations of the world,
the establishment in Palestine of a Jewish National Home. On the 9th of December, 1917,
when the news of the capture of Jerusalem was first flashed to the four corners of the
globe, from that moment Allenby established himself as an outstanding and daring leader,
and became linked up with the destiny of the Jewish people. The effects of his achievement
will be found in the writings of historians yet unborn. "'But
no welcome extended to him can exceed in genuine affection, in noble tribute and deep
gratitude that which I have the privilege of extending in behalf of the Zionist
Organization of America. We hail you as a military genius, a distinguished diplomat, a
pioneer of the spirit, and as the liberator whose achievement will, we pray, make possible
the realization of the lofty visions of the Jewish Prophets of old."' The Report
goes on to say that when the Chairman, Mr. Bernstein, called on Nathan Straus to greet
Lord Allenby, "the audience gave the venerable Zionist and philanthropist a rousing
ovation. In a short and deeply emotional speech, Mr. Straus told Lord Allenby that he
simply had to disregard the doctor's orders, because there was no man he wanted to see
more than the Commander-in-Chief of the Allied Forces in the Near East, the man who had
liberated Eretz Israel." Like a New Book of the BibleAnother, who
addressed the assembly, was Mr. Louis Marshall, who spoke in a forceful and interesting
manner, offering his greetings to the guest of honor of the occasion, as follows:. "'I am
not a Zionist, that is, not a member of the Zionist Organization, but I have been asked to
participate on this occasion on behalf of those Jews of America who are not members of the
Organization. While I recognize the deep feeling that has actuated my friend, Judge Lewis,
in his closing remark, when he said that none can feel more the obligation that is owed
for the acts of Lord Allenby than the Zionist Organization, I wish to correct the
statement by saying that there are at least others of the Jewish people who at least equal
the Zionist Organization in their loyalty and fealty and affection for Lord Allenby. "'There
is no Jew deserving of the name, whose heart does not thrill when he considers the
achievement of our honored guest. It seems to me like a new book of the Bible that has
been written by Lord Allenby on the sacred soil of Palestine, a new chapter; at least, in
the historic records of our people. For centuries, Palestine was under the harrow, under
the control of a government -- if it might be called a government -- that had no sympathy
with the people, and had no idea as to what the duties of a government were. The shackles
of slavery rested upon all of the inhabitants, and those faithful Jews who had gone to
Palestine to dire, found themselves bereft of rights to say nothing of privileges, and
realty remained there for no other purpose than to die; because there was no hope of
living in that country. Through all the centuries the western world had tried to free
Palestine from its yoke, but all in vain. Even Napoleon, the greatest military hero and
general of the centuries, found himself unable to penetrate that country and to achieve
what he had intended to accomplish. It remained for Lord Allenby to wrest the shackles
from those upon whom they had rested; to bring freedom aid liberty and civilization into
that country which has attracted the hearts of all mankind for thirty centuries. "'I
wish to say to you, Lord Allenby, that although your grateful country has honored you, and
has indicated what it feels toward you, you will never know the depth of the gratitude, of
the love, of the esteem, which every right-minded Jew throughout the world feels toward
you." The Memorable and Immortal PromiseAbove all
peoples of the earth, the devout and consecrated student of Divine revelation, possessing
as he does an insight into God's purposes concerning the future of Israel and all
humanity, is enabled to recognize the full significance of the various shifting scenes and
circumstances appertaining to the Jewish race; both as respects their past history as well
as the progress and march of events in these last days. That the Jewish race is to occupy
a prominent place, a unique position in connection with bestowing the blessings of
restitution and in achieving world redemption in the coming Age, there can be no doubt.
The entire matter was comprehended in that memorable and immortal promise : "By
Myself have I sworn, saith the Lord, for because thou hast done this, and hast not
withheld thy son, thine only son: that in blessing I will bless thee, and in multiplying I
will multiply thy seed' as the stars of heaven, and as the sand which is upon the
seashore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his enemies; and in thy seed shall all
the nations of the earth be blessed; because thou hast obeyed My voice." -- Gen.
22:16-18. The land
promised to Abraham and his posterity was one into which indeed they were privileged to
enter and in which they dwelt for centuries. But during that era God permitted them at
various times to be plucked up and carried away into captivity into other countries while
various of the idolatrous and heathen nations around them wasted their cities, drank the
wine of their vineyards, and ate the fruits of their fields. Then in the Lord's providence
the time came when they were permitted to be completely driven out, their cities laid in
ruins and desolated, and they were forced to become wanderers and exiles in various
strange countries the world over. The destruction of their Holy City and Temple, the
dreadful trouble and loss of life, occasioning the full end of their national existence,
and the scattering of those who survived as exiles into all countries of the earth, filled
to the full the work of the era with which their Age ended, which was in the nature of a
harvest. "It began in factious civil strife and was completed by an invading Roman
army. Fire, sword, and famine accomplished upon them a fearful recompense." Sad and
pitiable indeed has been their miserable condition, estranged as they have been from God
and from their fellow men of every nation. "During the relentless Papal persecution
they have suffered in common with the saints and martyrs of Jesus -- the Christian for his
rejection of Anti-Christ, the Jew for his rejection of both Christ and Anti-Christ." God Hath not Cast off His PeopleBut the
all-important consideration as we study the history of the Hebrew race, is the place they
as a people occupy in the Divine economy. Because interwoven into the various prophecies
that fore told their rebellion against the counsels of God which culminated in the
rejection of Messiah, were definite and specific declarations and ,promises that the favor
of God would not he permanently with drawn from them in the sense of signifying their
complete destruction individually and cutting off from all hope of a future life; but
contrariwise, that their loss and desolation after all would be of merely temporary
character. Many are the promises to be found throughout the prophecies of the Old
Testament, to the effect that at the proper moment in the progress of God's purpose, the
grace of God is to turn to Israel again. The following statement by the Prophet Amos may
be regarded as a sample of the manner in which the Prophets in general have described the
return of God's favor to Israel after the flesh: "In that day will I raise up the
tabernacle of David that is fallen, and close up the breaches thereof; and I will raise up
his ruins, and I will build it as in the days of old . . . . And I will bring again the
captivity of My people of Israel and they shall build the waste cities and inhabit them;
and they shall plant vineyards and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens,
and eat the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no more
be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy God." The above
language shows conclusively that there is still a future for the Hebrew race, because they
are to be replanted in their land according to this promise, "They shall be no more
pulled up out of their land," which God gave them; and "they shall build the
waste cities [places in which they had formerly lived] and inhabit them." The Fearful Recompense for Their National SinA desolate
and persecuted people, scattered and homeless "they are still a distinct and
homogeneous people. United by the strong ties
of blood relationship, by common hopes inspired by a common faith in the wonderful
promises of God, though they have but dimly comprehended those promises, and still further
bound together by the bond of sympathy growing out of their common sufferings and
privations as exiles, they, to this day, look and long for the hope of Israel. "As a
people they still have faith in God, though in their blindness and pride of heart they
have stumbled over the humility of God's appointed Messenger for the world's salvation; so
that, instead of receiving Him, they crucified the Savior, the Lord of glory. And yet the
Apostles and Prophets show us that even this flagrant crime, to which their pride and
self-will drove them, was not one which could never be forgiven them. Because of if, they
have been punished, and that severely. When they condemned the just One and said, 'His
blood be upon us and our children,' they little expected the fearful recompense which
followed." While God
allowed certain afflictions and persecutions to come as a penalty for their national crime
of rejection of the Gospel and the crucifixion of the Redeemer, He will, nevertheless, in
due time reward the constancy of their faith in His promises, to which they have so long
and so perseveringly held. God foreknew their pride and hardness of heart, and foretold it
as well as the evils which have come upon them; and no less pointedly has He foretold a
departing of their blindness and the ultimate fulfillment to them of all the earthly
promises declared long ago to Abraham and repeated by one after another of the holy
Prophets." Now it is
this phase of the subject involving the fulfillment of the predictions of the ancient
Prophets, that commands the mast absorbing interest on the part of those who, giving heed
to the more sure word of prophecy, and hearkening to the admonition of the Savior, are
watching for the signs of the long-promised morning time for both Israel and all the human
race. That the long-promised re-gathering of Israel, their recovery from blindness and
their establishment in their own land, are associated with the concluding events of this
dispensation -- the overthrow of the kingdoms of this world, the glorification and
exaltation of the true Church with Christ, and the inauguration of God's Kingdom in all
the earth, there can be no doubt. Glorious Confirmation of Our Faith Mr. H. G. Guinness, who has exhaustively and in a
most reverent manner dealt with Bible prophecies and pointed out from history many
important fulfillments as they have a bearing on the culminating events of this Age, asks
the following interesting questions: "Are we truly living at the close of the
prophetic 'Times of the Gentiles'? Have we reached the final stage in the predicted course
of the Church's pilgrimage? Is the fourth and last watch of the 'night' of her appointed
suffering history shortly to expire; and does the dawn of a new Age, and a new world,
already lighten with its early rays the eastern sky? We have seen and set forth clear and
multiplied proofs that the end of the Age is near at hand; that its last sands are swiftly
running out; but are all the signs we might have expected of this fact fulfilled?'" Mr. Guinness
then goes on to refer to the fact that in 1861, when Mr. Elliott, an eminent expositor of
the Revelation, was correcting his fifth and last edition of "Horae
Apocalypticae," he said, "some signs are still wanting, especially the
non-gathering as yet of the Jews to Palestine, and predicted troubles consequent."
Then Mr. Guinness proceeds: "Forty-three years* have elapsed since Elliott thus
wrote, and now we behold the commencement of the Jewish restoration so long foretold, and
its commencement at the time indicated ages ago in the prophetic Word. The sight is a
wonderful one, and á glorious confirmation of our faith, and of the correctness of our
interpretation of the sure Word of prophecy."' ____________ * Mr.
Guinness wrote this in 1906. ____________ Remarkable Events Foretold It is most
encouraging and inspiring to the faith of the devout student in these days, in reviewing
the history of God's ancient people, to trace in how many instances the things foretold
and clearly described were exactly fulfilled. Mr. Guinness has in a very interesting
manner presented a summary of prophetic fulfillment, and so we read "On
every stage of Jewish history, prophecy has shed its antecedent light. Their four hundred
years' captivity in Egypt was foretold; their forty years' wandering in the wilderness
foretold; their seventy years' captivity in Babylon foretold;. their 'seventy weeks,' or
490 years of restored national existence in Palestine ending with the advent of Messiah
foretold; their dreadful overthrow by the Romans, involving the destruction of Jerusalem,
and the Temple, foretold; their long subsequent dispersion, and unexampled sufferings,
their falling by the sword, and being 'led captive into all nations,' and Jerusalem's
being trodden down by the Gentiles until the 'times of the Gentiles'* are fulfilled, was
foretold; the 'seven times' or 2,520 years, of their subjection to Gentile sovereignty,
under the succession of the four Kingdoms of Babylon, Persia, Greece, and Rome, was
foretold; the 'three and a half times,' or 1,260 years, of the last 'scattering of the
holy people' by the desolating power occupying 'the Sanctuary,' whose 'sacrifice' ,had
been 'taken away,' was foretold; and the final reversal of all this oppression,
dispersion, and misery was foretold; that He who had 'scattered Israel' would 'gather
them'; that He would assemble the outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of
Judah from the four corners of the earth; that He would 'gather them out of all the
countries' where He had 'driven them in His anger,' and bring them again into the 'place'
from which they had been exiled, and would 'rejoice over them to do them good,' and 'plant
them in that land assuredly' with His 'whole heart' and with His 'whole soul'; that He
would make them 'one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel,' and that they
should be 'no more two nations, neither be divided into two kingdoms any more at all';
that 'the children of Judah and the children of Israel should be gathered together, and
appoint themselves one head'; that the Lord would make 'her that was cast off a strong
nation,' and that He would reign over them in Mount Zion from henceforth and forever';
that He would 'make them a praise and a name whose shame had been in all the earth'; that
He would 'pour upon them the spirit of grace and supplication,' and that they should
'look' on Him 'whom they pierced, and mourn for Him as one mourneth for an only son, and
be in bitterness for Him as one that is in bitterness for his first-born'; that there
should be 'a great mourning in Jerusalem, as the mourning of Hadad-rimmon in the valley of
Megiddon.' That the Lord would 'cleanse them from all their filthiness and idols and give
them 'a new heart, and a new spirit,' and 'take away the stony heart out of their flesh,
and give them an heart of flesh'; and put His 'spirit' within them, and 'cause them to
walk in His statutes, and to keep His judgments, and do them'; and that they should 'dwell
in the land that He gave their fathers,' and be 'His people,' and that He would be 'their
God'; and that 'the land which was desolate' should be 'tilled whereas it was a desolation
in the sight of all that passed by'; and that they should say 'this land that was desolate
is become like the garden of Eden, and the waste and desolate, and ruined cities are
fenced and in habited.' All this was foretold, and to confirm His declarations Jehovah had
said 'then shall the nations that are left round about you know that I the Lord have
builded the ruined places, and planted' 'that which was desolate: I Jehovah have spoken
it, and I will do it."' _____________ "For an
exhaustive examination of the subject of "the times of the Gentiles and review of
Chronology, see special number of the herald of Christ's Kingdom, supplied free upon
request. _______________ The Lesson from the "Valley off Dry Bones"The careful
student of the history of God's chosen people will have observed that their loss of the
Divine blessing and favor and final overthrow of their ancient kingdom did not happen all
of a sudden; rather, as the sacred record bears out, a climax appears to have been reached
in the beginning of the reign of Jehoiakim, about the third year, which marked the first
year of the reign of Nebuchadnezzar, king of Babylon. There was at once a decline in
Jewish power and prestige, their glory began to fade, their kingdom became a vassal to the
kingdom of Babylon. Three general captivities took place, covering a period of about
nineteen years, commencing near the fourth year of 'the reign of Jehoiakim, approximately
606 B. C., and reaching to the eleventh year of the reign of Zedekiah, at which time the
kingdom was completely overthrown, the diadem removed and the king and the people
literally carried away captive in Babylon. The lesson to be drawn is that in the great
regathering promised, we should look for .the accomplishment to come about gradually and
by stages, and covering a certain era of time. Thus we do find, even as the writer above
quoted has interestingly observed "Not
all at once, or by a single act, was this great restoration of the Jewish people to be
accomplished. In his memorable vision the Prophet Ezekiel portrays several successive
stages in this work. He sees, representing figuratively the children of Israel, a valley
filled with dry bones, and hears the question, 'Can these bones live?' Then comes the
command, 'Prophecy upon these bones, and say unto them, O ye dry bones, hear the Word of
the Lord. Thus saith the Lord God unto these bones, behold I will cause breath to enter
into you, and ye shall live.' Then the Prophet beholds the bones coming together, 'bone to
his bore,' 'but there was no breath in him.' Later on at the call 'Come from the four
winds, O breath, and breathe upon these slain that they may live,' 'the breath came into
them, and they lived, and stood upon their feet, an exceeding great army.' In explanation
of the vision, the Lord said to the Prophet, 'Son of man, these bones are the whole house
of Israel: behold they say, Our bones are dried, and our hope is lost; we are cut off for
our parts. Therefore prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God, Behold O My
people, I will open your graves, and cause you to come up out of your graves, and bring
you into the land of Israel. And ye shall know that I am the Lord when I have opened your
braves, O My people, and brought you up out of your graves, and shall put My spirit in
you, and ye shall live; and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I
the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord.' 'Behold I will take the
children of Israel from among the heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on
every side, and bring them into their own land; and I will make them one nation in the
land upon the -mountains of Israel, and one king shall be king to them all.' First the
unification of the lifeless people of Israel should take place; then their national
restoration to their own land; and lastly their spiritual quickening, with all its
glorious results. Such was the foretold order. Not forever are the Jewish people to be a
dispersed, despised, downtrodden race; not forever is their unbelief and rejection of
Messiah to continue; for as Paul tells us 'blindness in part is happened to Israel, until
the fullness of the Gentiles be come in, and so all Israel shall be saved'; for this is
God's 'covenant' with them; 'for the gifts and calling of God are without repentance,' or
irrevocable. Lifting up frown the Depression of Ages"And
now the thing foretold is taking place before our eyes. There is a stir in the Valley of
Vision. The immobility and disjointed condition of the bleached bones, which had continued
for ages, exists no more. Israel is still spiritually lifeless as a nation, but bone is
coming to his bone. The Jews are unifying. They have proclaimed before the world the
'solidarite' of Israel: and are beginning to return to their own land. And when did this
movement commence? It began at the time of the French Revolution . . . . And the last 100
years which have witnessed the casting down of the Papal and Mohammedan powers, by the
successive shocks of war and revolution, have seen the lifting up of the people of Israel
from the depression of ages; their rapid emancipation, and national renaissance. "The
first act in this marvelous modern movement was the enfranchisement of the Jews in England
in 1753. In 1755 Moses Mendelssohn published the first of those writings which gave him a
foremost place among the literary men of his time. In 1776 the United States of America
embodied in their constitution the principle that Gentile and Jew were 'equal' in right
and privilege before the law. In the convulsion of the French Revolution 'the chains fell
from the limbs of Israel wherever the victorious armies of France appeared, and the Jews
once more began to be accounted men.' In 1805 Russia revoked the edict of Jewish
banishment. In 1806 the Jews were made citizens in Italy and Westphalia, as they had been
previously in Holland and Belgium. In 1809 Baden, and in 1813 Prussia and Denmark followed
the example of other nations, and emancipated the Jews. Acts of Parliament were passed in
England in their favor in 1830, 1833, and 1836; and in 1858 they were made eligible for
election to Parliament. In 1866 Turkey had pledged herself to protect them from
persecution; and in 1867 she gave them the right to hold real estate in the land of their
fathers. In 1878 the Congress of Berlin made the full emancipation of the Jews in Romania
a condition of promised autonomy. And then in 1860 was formed the Universal Israelite
Alliance, 'an organization which has for its object the promotion and completion of the
emancipation of the Jews in all lands, and their intellectual and moral elevation, as also
the development of Jewish colonization in the Holy Land.' This great Jewish society has
some three thousand branches widely scattered throughout the world. Beneath the device on
the title page of its report .representing the tables of the law illuminated with the
glory of the Shekinah, two hands are pictured, closely clasped in friendship and unity,
with the motto 'routes Les Israelites sont solidaires les uns des autres.' All Israelites
are ONE!" At the Presence of the God of Jacob"For
long centuries the Jews have been domiciled in Gentile lands. Palestine has long lain
desolate, and exists at the present day under the misgovernment of the Turks. Was it
likely that the Jews, already to a considerable extent emancipated from Gentile oppression
would undertake the gigantic work of restoring their people to the land from which they
had been exiled so long? It is true that the Scriptures of the Prophets had said that this
would come to pass. But how could this thing be? How could the Jews be brought, in any
wide and general way, to entertain the thought of such a restored national existence in
Palestine? And how could they be led to attempt its practical realization? "Difficulties
vanish in the presence of infinite, eternal power. Had not God brought forth the Jewish
nation from Egypt; had He not restored them from captivity in Babylon, and could He not
bring them again to their own land from the ends of the earth? 'Tremble thou earth at the
presence of the Lord, at the presence of the God of Jacob.' And now, lo! as the foretold
period of 1,260 years from the Saracenic conquest of Palestine in A. D. 637, expires, as
the year 1897 arrives, a new movement among the Jews springs into existence: Zionism
arises, with its clearly defined aim 'to procure for the Jewish people an openly
recognized and legally assured home in Palestine.' "The
first 'Zionist' Congress was hold at Basle, in 1897. Each year since that date the annual
Congress has increased in numbers and influence." Since the
foregoing was written 'there have been many important developments and much progress has
been made in fulfillment of what this writer firmly expected. While Mr. Guinness did not
live to witness that marvelous achievement in December 1917 in connection with the World
War, namely the wresting of the Holy Land from the Turks, the opening up of Palestine and
the granting of liberty to the Jewish race to return thither as to their home land, it is
significant that the year 1917 was a prominent date in his chronological calculations; and
he regarded it as being a year that would witness some marked ',development in connection
with the fulfillment of God's promises to the Jews. Thus in the year 1886, in His
celebrated "Light for the Last Days," which is largely an exposition of
prophecy, he wrote: "The secret things belong to God; it is not for us to say: but
there can be no doubt that those who live to see this year 1917, will have reached one of
the most important, perhaps the most momentous of these terminal years of crises." The Fig Tree Putting ForthIt was the
Savior Himself who, in reply to the great question, "What shall be the sign of Thy
coming and of the end of the Age?" gave the parable of the fig tree, and drew the
lesson that its "putting forth" was a sign of summer near at hand. The fig tree
is the generally accepted symbol of the Jewish nation and the inference would be that when
the time should come that the treading down of Jerusalem by the Gentiles would cease, and,
there would be evidences -of returning favor to the Jews, and a general awakening of that
nation in the direction of the great restoration, that all of these things could properly
be regarded as evidences of the Master's presence and the closely approaching end of the
Age. So now,
"if the ending epoch of Jerusalem's treading down by the Gentiles be the epoch also
of Christ's Second and glorious Advent, to what great events are we now near at hand! The
'fig tree' which on the Jewish rejection of Christ had withered away, begins to shoot
forth leaves after its long period of barrenness, whereby we may know 'that summer is
nigh.' (Matt. 24:32, 33.) The Jewsafter the dispersion of ages are again being gathered to
their own land. Trouble awaits them there. Joseph's brethren must be brought to
self-judgment in a closing crisis of anguish and distress before Joseph reveals himself to
them, as the brother whom they had, sold into Egypt, and treated as dead. Then shall their
tears of repentance bemingled with his tears of forgiving love. Then shall there be 'a
great mourning in Jerusalem,' for God will 'pour upon the house of David, and the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications, and they shall look
upon Me whom, they have pierced, and they shall mourn for Him,, as one mourneth for his
only son, and shall be in bitterness for Him, as one that is in bitterness for his
first-born. -- Zech. 12:10-14." To Be No More Despised and OutcastSurely an
earnest and sober study of the "present position of the Jewish people, of their long
continued preservation, and of their deeply rooted national hopes, can only confirm the
anticipation of their coming restoration to their own land; While the clear and multiplied
promises of the Word of God as to their conversion to Christ leave no room for doubt as to
the accomplishment of that blessed event. Beyond the immediate prospects in relations to
the Jews and Palestine rises the glowing and glorious picture of the future of that people
and land, as portrayed in Scripture, and illuminated by a study of the physical
conditions, and ethnographical surroundings involved. Placed at the junction of three
continents, and at the gateway of commerce between the West and the East; possessed of
tropical valleys, and snow-clad mountains, the land of the palm and the cedar, of the
olive and the vine, holds forth its hands of promise to the wandering exiled Jews. Because of
their long experience under God's providential discipline and the Law covenant, they will
be peculiarly fitted for the work of evangelizing the world. The Apostle Paul assures us
that they have had many advantages every way because unto them were committed the oracles
of God. "Their marvelous commercial, political, and literary gifts shall come into
fullest play. No more shall they be a despised and outcast people. The natural brethren,
the blood relations of the King of Glory -- shall take a foremost place among the nations.
The sigh of sorrow, the wail of grief shall be turned to the song of gladness, and the
shout of praise. The voice of redeeming love and mercy shall swell from innumerable
multitudes; Jerusalem shall vibrate with its music, Carmel prolong its cadence, and
Lebanon echo back its strains. The song of angels shall awake again, above the fields of
Bethlehem; and heaven and earth unite their voices as never before in the anthem which
shall celebrate the triumph of redeeming grace and mercy." ABIDING PEACE
THROUGH
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