VOL.
L. March/April 1967 No. 2
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
The Special Hope of the Church
Co-operation With Our British Brethren
Notice of Postponement of Annual Meeting
Wise as Serpents - Harmless as Doves Remembering Christ"This do
in remembrance of me." - Luke 22:19. WITH
solemn joy, in smaller and larger groups (perhaps alone) we shall gather on the
evening of Sunday, April 23, to observe -- in obedience to Him who did
institute and command it -- the Lord's Supper. The days of the years of our
pilgrimage have been many and hard, but again we draw nigh to the hallowed
place in our Christian experience, once again to keep the Feast. "This is
my body which is broken for you; eat ye all, of it. 'This is my blood which is
shed for you; drink ye all, of it." How precious the familiar words.
Heaven's treasury was exhausted that this table might be set;' blessed is he
that partaketh thereof. The sufficient emblems a crumb of bread-a sip of wine:
and oh! how we sing!
As
regards the Memorial proper, its institution, significance, and its cluster of
associated events, both typical and antitypical, we shall not enter into them
particularly now. Concerning these glorious truths we have all been well
informed. Our meditation will be devotional rather than expository. We would
linger instead upon the words of our text: "This Do in Remembrance of Me."In
remembrance of Thee? O Savior, we will indeed commemorate thy costly
redemptive sacrifice. Yea, Lord, we will further remember all thy benefits
toward us. For we remember the riches of thy prehuman existence, the glory
which was thine with the Father before the world was. Thou, the firstborn of
all creation, the beginning of the creation of God, wast by him as one brought
up with him, daily his delight, rejoicing always before him. For he possessed
thee in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. Thou wast set up
from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. All things were
made by thee, and without thee was not anything made that was made. When the
foundations of the earth were laid, thou didst hear the morning stars sing
together and all the sons of God shout for joy. Yea,
Lord, we do remember that in the fullness of time, thou, in obedience to thy
Father, didst lay aside thy glory, and wast born of a woman -- wast made flesh.
Thou, so rich -- becamest poor for our
sakes! We remember the circumstances of thy birth -- that thou wast laid in a
manger because there was no room for thee in the inn! Thou earnest into the
world made by thee, but the world knew thee not. Thou didst make thyself of no
reputation and didst take upon, thee the form of a servant. Did they not call
thee the Carpenter's son -- thou, the architect of the universe? Yea, the
foxes had dens, and the birds, nests, but thou hadst no place to lay thy head!
Thou camest to thine own, but thine own received thee not. Despised, rejected,
a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief! Of the people there was none with
thee. How oft wouldst thou, in thy great love, have gathered them as a hen doth
her chicks, but they would not! For thou hadst compassion on the multitude, for
they were like sleep without a shepherd. O Savior, we do remember all this and
more. We
remember how thou wentest about doing good, and manifesting thy glory. The
blind received their sight, the lame walked, the lepers were cleansed, the deaf
heard, the dead were raised, the multitudes were fed, and to the poor the
Gospel was preached. Bartimeus, Jairus, the widow of Nain, Martha, Mary,
Lazarus and many others-all did partake of thy wonderful grace. Did ever man
speak as thou, didst speak? Did not all bear, witness and wonder at the gracious
words which proceeded forth out of thy mouth? Words of spirit and life, words
which the Father did give unto thee, wonderful words of life! We
remember Lord, as the last hour drew near, how thou didst steadfastly set thy
face to go to Jerusalem. The cup, which the Father had given thee, thou
wouldst' drink to the full!
The
shadows lengthened. With desire thou didst desire to eat the last Passover with
them, thy little ones, before thy suffering. Thou, when thy soul was full of
sublime purpose, in pained silence didst hear their words of selfish strife,
wounding thy spirit. (O Master! forgive us for all the many times since then
that we have wounded thee.) Sublime was thy example of humble servitude, as
kneeling before each one thou didst wash their feet. Unmindful of thyself, thy
solicitude was all for them, whom thou wouldst not leave as orphans. Having
loved thine own, thou didst love them to the end. For them, thou didst pray to
the Father, and O blessed thought! not only for them but for us also who have
believed on thee through their word! We
remember, dear Lord, as the awful hour of thy deepest humiliation arrived, that
thou in agony of spirit didst seek the garden spot. O that we could have
watched with thee one hour!
Dear
Lord, we must follow thee in our meditation for we remember thy betrayal. We
remember the traitorous kiss, the armed band, the fleeing disciples. To face
the powers of darkness thou wast left alone, and yet not alone, for the Father
was with thee. But from this hour he did not save thee, for, for this cause
camest thou unto this hour. Thou wast bound as a criminal and led before men of
evil. Do we remember what followed? O Savior! can we forget thy burden, of
suffering and the scenes of indignity and horror? How men smote thee -- mocked
thee -- spat upon thee --scourged
thee and then -- O shameful ignominy -- condemned thee to be crucified!
We
remember, precious Lord, though we little understand, the night thou didst
pass through when by the grace of God thou didst taste death for every man.
Thou hast once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that thou mightest
bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened in the spirit.
Thou hast ascended on high, thou hast led captivity captive: thou hast received
gifts for men; yea, for the rebellious also, that the Lord God might dwell
among them. We remember, dear Lord, that we Gentiles in time past were aliens
from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise,
having no hope, and. without God in the world. But now in thee, we who were far
off are made nigh by thy blood, and through thee we have access by one spirit
unto the Father. We are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens
with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation
of the Apostles and Prophets, thou thyself being the chief corner stone; in
whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the
Lord, an habitation of God through the spirit. We
remember that through thy poverty, we who were dead in trespasses and sins,
have been made rich. We have received forgiveness of sins, peace, life,
sonship, joy, love, the hope of immortality. Thou hast become unto us wisdom,
and righteousness, and sanctification, and deliverance. We are heirs of God and
joint-heirs with thee; if so be that we suffer with thee, that we may be also
glorified together -- to be kings and priests for a thousand years, to bless
all the families of earth. Dear Lord, our cup runneth over; our hearts o'erflow with gratitude! Our souls do magnify the Lord, and our spirits rejoice in God our Savior. Blessed be the Lord, who daily loadeth us with benefits, even the God of our salvation. Gladly, dear Master, do we gather about thy table to commemorate thee; to bless the cup, and to break the bread, the communion of thy blood and thy body. And so will we keep the Feast until that rapturous day when we shall drink the new cup with thee in the Kingdom of God. - W.
J. Siekman The Resurrection of Jesus Christ
"Whom
God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not
possible that He should be holden of it." - Acts 2:24. WHAT
a glorious theme is this! "The Lord is risen indeed!" The electric
thrill which galvanized the sorrow-numbed spirit of those early disciples even
yet does reach to us. What a marvelous truth !
And
well may we rejoice, for is not this truth the basis of all our hopes? What
saith the Scriptures? "If thou shalt confess with thy mouth the Lord Jesus,
and shalt believe in thine heart that God hath raised Him from the dead, thou
shalt be saved." "For if we believe that Jesus died and arose again,
even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with Him." Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant
mercy hath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you." "If the spirit of Him
that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, He that raised up Christ from
the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by His spirit that dwelleth in
you." "And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and
your faith is also vain. Ye are yet in your sins. But now is Christ risen from
the dead, and become the first-fruits of them that slept." - Rom. 10:9; 1
Thess. 4:14; 1 Pet. 1:3, 4; Rom. 8:11; 1 Cor. 15:14, 17, 20. As
we meditate upon this wonderful subject we find many aspects which merit and
will richly repay our closer study. We might consider first the Old Testament
prophecies and like the wondering Emmaus travelers of long ago listen as the
Stranger "beginning at Moses, and all the Prophets, expounded unto them in
all the, Scriptures the things concerning Himself." He began as we can
hardly doubt, with the first promise: the seed of the woman, who should bruise
the serpent's head. And then there were the types: the brazen serpent, the
paschal lamb and the many sacrificial offerings. So also the typical persons:
Joseph, who, from the lowest humiliation of the pit and the dungeon, passed to
the right hand of the throne; David, who suffered so much and so long from the
persecutions of Saul -- these, with many more. And when the august Interpreter
reached the Prophets, the fifty third chapter of Isaiah was the central
prophecy which He expounded. Around this would be grouped the great prophetical
Psalms, then Daniel, and further the Book of the Prophet Jonah; while Zechariah
would prove rich in prophetic glimpses. How clearly would He explain the real
significance of the sheaf of the first-fruits of the harvest being offered that
very day by the priest in the temple. (Lev. 23:10, 11.) These disciples had
assumed that Jesus of Nazareth could not be the Christ because he had suffered these things; the Lord shows them from all
Scriptures that He could not be the Christ unless
He had suffered these things. Well may our own hearts "burn within
us" as we refresh our memories concerning the things "written
aforetime for our learning" -- "The sufferings of Christ, and the
glory that should follow." (Luke 24:25-32; Rom. 15:4; 1 Pet. 1:11). THE RESURRECTION DAY EVENTSThere
are blessings for us also in the consideration of the historical facts of the
resurrection in the events of that great day and the following thirty-nine to
the Ascension. The various manifestations which the Savior made of Himself to
His disciples, as recorded by the Evangelists and Paul, may be arranged and
enumerated as follows:
These
five appearances all took place at or near Jerusalem, upon the first day of the
week, the same day on which the Lord arose.
Who
can describe the joy of those early disciples as the amazing truth dawned on
their sorrow-stricken hearts? All the previous wretched day, they had sat with
increasingly heavy hearts in the upper room, doors locked for fear of the Jews.
Stunned by the shocking death of their beloved Master, they must have heard
without, with great agony of mind, the singing and laughter of the multitudes
who thronged the streets rejoicing in the great Feast day. How little perhaps
did they recall the words of Jesus of but a few hours before: "Verily,
verily, I say unto you, that ye shall weep and lament, but the world shall
rejoice: and ye shall be sorrowful." As yet there was no meaning for them
in the Master's additional words, "but your sorrow shall be turned into
joy." (John 16:20.) Filled as they had been with other quite different
expectations, the shock of such a shameful death, coming in such a way upon
their Master, was so sudden and stunning, that the power even of remembering
what He had said about Himself beforehand was for the season paralyzed. It was
night in the disciples' hearts. Their love was crucified, their glory
dishonored, their hope destroyed, their life was waste and desolate. They wept
and lamented. Scattered without hope, united again without hope, one thing
alone occupied their thoughts and sight and words, and that was His grave. What,
then, must have been the emotions of the little band when the Lord again stood
in their midst! Him, whom they had revered as the Messiah while clothed in
human weakness, now was raised to an unimaginable glory which at once confirmed
and magnified their former faith. They saw him victorious over the grave, and
clothed with the attributes of the spirit world. From despair they passed at
once to triumphant confidence; from incapacity to believe that the Messiah
could have suffered as he had done, to the most fervent and exulting faith in
him as the Messiah on account of those very sufferings. In a moment, the whole
sweep of the truth respecting him, hitherto only half realized, had become a
radiant fact to their senses. The hesitating and imperfect belief in his
heavenly dignity and power to fulfill all he had promised, here and hereafter,
which had slowly rooted itself in their hearts while he still lived, had seemed
from the recent catastrophe, a beautiful delusion. But now he had appeared
among them, triumphant over death, and from utter despondency their hearts
were flooded with the purest and holiest joy. SPIRITUAL LESSONSThere
are lessons to be learned also from the various incidents recorded. By one
tender word Mary is changed from the depths of grief to transports of joy.
Cannot the Master do the same even today? He
bids His angel direct a special message (Mark 16:7) to Peter with his
double burden of grief. Is He unmindful then of our sorrows? In His treatment of Thomas, see how the
Lord keeps in view oven every word! Thomas had said: "Except I shall see
in His hands the print of the nails" -- Christ answers: "Behold My'
hands!" Thomas had said: "Except I put my finger into the print of
the nails" -- Christ answers: "Reach hither thy finger!" Thomas
had said: "Except I thrust my hand into His side" -- Christ answers:
"Reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into My side!" Thomas had said:
"I will not believe" -- Christ answers: "Be not faithless, but
believing!" Not merely believe, but be
believing. To be believing is with true
Christians their proper condition of
life; they live not upon single glances of faith, but faith in Jesus Christ
is the abiding motive sentiment of their whole life. Longsuffering was shown
to Thomas in order that in him the Master might manifest all kindness and gentleness,
for a pattern to all weak and simple, souls. One
thinks of the sublime way in which Christ by a thrice-repeated question
restores again the humbled Peter. "Lovest thou Me more than these (thy
brethren, My other disciples, do)?" -- a gentle yet distinct enough
reminder of that former saying: "Though all men should be offended, I
never will"; a delicate yet searching probe, pressed kindly but firmly
home in the depths of Peter's heart; a skilful method of testing and exhibiting
the truth of Peter's repentance, without the painful humiliation of having the
terrible denials of his Master dwelt upon, either by Jesus in the way of
charge, or by himself in the way of confession. The prayers, the warnings, the
look of love, the angel's message, the private interview, and now this
conversation by the lake-side -- these all told Peter of the thoughtfulness,
the care, the kindness, the pitying sympathy, the forgiving love, of which he
had been the object. Thus had he been treated by Jesus; let him go and deal with
others as Christ had dealt with him. We may well ponder the lessons hid for us
in Peter's experience, for we all like him have said, "Lord, we will die
for Thee." Praise God for the same understanding Jesus today. We
may reflect also on the three ways by which the Master, clothed each time in a
different form, was recognized. To Mary, a
word was sufficient; to the two disciples on the road to Emmaus, an act brought recognition; while to the
seven at the Sea of Galilee, it required a miracle. May we not discern in these three distinctive ways a
lesson in spiritual discernment? Is it not true that in an early stage of
discipleship it is the wonder-working power of Christ by which we know Him as
Lord? Further progress in the "way familiarizes us with His acts, His
supervision of our daily life through which we come to recognize His abiding
presence. But we long for that closeness of relationship which discerns His
loving presence by the faintest of signs, the merest of whispers. That
"principle within, of jealous, godly fear"; that conscience
"quick as the apple of an eye"; the soul so "well
instructed" that "the least omission pains." Yea, we would
recognize Him always by one word. "DEATH CANNOT KEEP HIS PREY"The
Apostle Peter reveals still another truth directly connected with the physical
fact of the resurrection. In our text he declares that God raised up His Son
because it was not possible that He should be holden of death. Various views
are held as to the reason for this impossibility, several of which will be
briefly considered that the correct view may be more obvious by contrast. Those
who hold the Incarnation theory teach that our Lord's human body, which was
born of Mary, was merely a clothing, a covering for the spiritual body. Consequently
our Lord during His earthly life was still a spirit being, exactly as before,
but used the flesh born of Mare as a veil or medium of communication with
mankind. The theory assumes that our Lord's weariness was not real, but
feigned, and that His death was merely an appearance of death. They argue that
Jesus being God, was from everlasting to everlasting, and could not die; that
the apparent agony and cry, "My God, My God, why hast Thou forsaken
Me?" and the dying was merely to make an impression upon the minds of
those who heard and saw. Others
hold that the great pity and love of God were constrained to exercise divine
power in the resurrection because of the dreadful sufferings of Jesus in the
flesh. And who shall deny the bitterness of the cup He drank? A mere reading of
the account at this distant date sickens our hearts. What then must have been
the feelings of the heavenly host as they beheld that spectacle of perfect
submission? -- watching as wretched men bound His hands fast to a low pillar
and bared His breast and back; watching as the-soldiers approached and with
whips plaited with thongs, -iron-tipped, strike, heaping lash upon lash, upon
that quivering submissive body; watching as they went through the whole
heartless ceremony of a mock -coronation, a mock investiture, a mock homage.
Around the brows of Jesus, in wanton mimicry of the emperor's laurel, they
twisted a green wreath of thorny leaves; in His tied and trembling hands they
placed a reed for sceptre; from His torn and bleeding shoulders they stripped
the robe which must now have been all soaked with blood and flung on Him an old
scarlet war-cloak; watching as they bowed the knee and hailed Him as king until
tiring of the mock homage they snatched the reed out of His hand, and smote
with it the crown of thorns, and drove it down upon His pierced and bleeding
brow, and spat upon Him, and smote Him with their hands; watching as they led
Him to Calvary to the most terrible, the most dreaded and shameful punishment
of antiquity--for the cruelty of heathenism had been called in by the corrupt
and sunken priesthood. Death by crucifixion seems to include all that pain and
death can have of horrible and ghastly dizziness, cramp, thirst, starvation,
sleeplessness, mortification of untended wounds-all intensified just up to the
point at which they can be endured at all, but all stopping just short of the
point which would give to the sufferer the relief of unconsciousness. The cross
used at Calvary consisted of a strong post, which was carried beforehand to the
place of execution, and of two cross-pieces, borne to the spot by the victim,
and afterward nailed to the upright so that they slanted forward, and let the
sufferer lean on his stretched-out hands and thus relieve the pressure of His
body downward. A stout, rough, wooden pin, in the middle of the upright post,
supplied a seat of fitting agony, for the weight of the body would otherwise
have torn it from the cross. The unnatural position made every movement
painful; the lacerated veins and crushed tendons throbbed with incessant
anguish; the wounds, inflamed by exposure, gradually gangrened; the arteries
-- especially of the head and stomach -- became swollen and oppressed with
surcharged blood; and while each variety of misery went on gradually increasing,
there was added to them the intolerable pang of a burning and raging thirst. But
enough! -- we have drawn the picture -- in all its naked horror. Does it answer
our query? Was it because of His terrible sufferings that death could not hold
its victim and released the Son of God? Righteous as it may seem for God to reward His .Son with a resurrection to
life because of His terrible ordeal,
yet we believe this is still not the explanation of Peter's words. Hear
yet another voice. Barnes in his notes in comment on the words, "It was
not possible," says: "This does not refer to any natural Impossibility, or to any inherent efficacy or power in the body
of Jesus itself; but simply means ,that in the circumstances of the case such an. event could not be. [Italics,
his.] Why it could not be, Peter proceeds at once to show. It could not be consistently
with the promises of the Scriptures. Jesus was the Prince of life (Acts 3:15),
and had life in Himself (John 1:4; 5:26), and had power to lay down His life,
and to take it again (John 10:18); and it was indispensable that He should
rise. He came, also, that through death He might destroy Him that had the power
of death, that is, the Devil (Heb. 2:14); and as it was His purpose to gain
this victory, He could not be defeated in it by being confined to the
grave." We
cite these words as illustrative of the general mixture of truth and error
held by many in the consideration of the resurrection of Jesus. For while we
agree to the necessity for His rising again to accomplish all for which He
died, we must disagree with the thought that it was because He already
possessed life--inherent or immortality. Neither can we understand Jesus' words
(John 10:18), as meaning that He could have any power whatever during the
interim of death. They refer simply to cur Lord's authority or commission to
declare that though He would lay down His life, He would receive it again. Authority to so declare, He had
received from the Father. No, we must look further for the true explanation
for death's helplessness in our Master's case. THE TRUE EXPLANATIONThe
answer lies solely and simply in the consideration of God's Justice. The same
Justice which had operated for four thousand years against Adam and his race because
of transgression was now operative on behalf of Jesus for His deliverance from
death, into which He had voluntarily gone as man's redemption price. The divine
law promised life to whosoever would keep it. This Jesus had done perfectly,
the right to perfect human life was his legal possession, and irrespective of
His sufferings or lack of them, Justice would have raised Him from the dead.
The marvelous obedience of Jesus wars; rewarded
by His exaltation to divine honors, but His resurrection from the dead was
based entirely on His perfect keeping of the Law. The slightest deviation from
its strict requirements would have resulted in His everlasting death. Our
Master realized this fully and in Gethsemane's dark travail battled "with
strong crying" for that full assurance of His acceptableness with the
Father; which assurance He received through the ministering angel. Comforted
and strengthened for the final ordeal He went forth to the crucial 'test of His
faithfulness. How much hung in the balance! If during the terrible experiences
He now underwent, one word of rest resentment, or of anger or of self-will had asserted itself, all would have been lost. If in obedience to the cruel taunt,
"If Thou be the Christ, come down from the cross," He had done so,
the darkness that draped the heavens at that hour, would have been typical of
that still deeper darkness that would have settled on our prospects forever.
They may cry, "Come down," but the myriads of souls that would have
been lost had He done so, rose before Him and cried, "No." A universe
paused, silence reigned in heaven, no music was in the spheres, every harp was
stilled, every voice hushed; but amid all the sympathy that was felt by all the
holy, not one would have bidden Him to descend. Then, at that hour was the
crisis of this world. Despair and hope were in the balance. Jesus cried,
"It is finished," and henceforth hope was victor. Obedient
to the end, in the sight of God's
Justice, He died with the right to life. He could not be holden of death, and
so the mighty power of God restored Him again to the living; but in addition,
He was highly exalted because of His obedience to His covenant by sacrifice.
Now clothed with the divine nature, He still possesses that right to human
life; that right which constitutes man's ransom price which eventually will be
made efficacious to all the willing of mankind and result in the
"restoration" of all things. For God "hath appointed a day in
the which He will judge the world in righteousness, by that man whom He hath
ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised
Him from the dead." - Acts 17:31. - W. J. Siekman. The Special Hope of the ChurchOn the back page of each
issue of "The Herald," under the caption "To Us the Scriptures
Clearly Teach," reference is made to the special hope of the Church, which
is distinguished from that of the world. Below are presented inspired answers
to a number of questions directly bearing on these resurrection hopes, grouped
for that purpose by Charles T. Russell, in 1895. - Ed. Com. Question.
Are the
promises to the saints of the Gospel Age heavenly or earthly promises? Answer.
"As we
have borne the image of the earthly, we shall also bear the image of the
heavenly." We are "partakers of the heavenly calling." - 1 Cor.
15:49; 2 Tim. 4:18; Heb. 3:1; 6:4; Phil. 3:14; Eph. 2:6, 7; 2 Thess. 1:11, 12;
2 Tim. 1:9, 10. Question.
Will the
elect Church, the "overcomers," the "saints," continue to
be human beings, "of the earth earthy"? Answer.
"God
hath given unto us exceeding great and precious promises, that by these we
might become partakers of the divine nature" - "new
creatures." - 2 Pet. 1:4; 2 Cor. 5:17; Rom. 8:17, 18. Question.
When will
the full change (begun in us by a change of heart, called the begetting
of the spirit) be completed? -When shall we be made like Christ our Lord? Answer.
"We
[saints] shall all be changed." ... "The dead [saints] shall
be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. In a moment, in a
twinkling of an eye . . . this mortal shall put on immortality."
"Sown a natural [animal] body, it is raised a spiritual body." "Thus
is the [special] resurrection of the [special, elect] dead."
- 1 Cor. 15: 50-53, 42-44; Phil. 3:10. Question.
Are full
recompenses, either rewards or punishments, to be expected before the
resurrection? Answer.
"Thou
shalt be recompensed at the resurrection of the just." - Luke 14:14; Rev.
11:18; Matt. 16:27. Question.
What is the
hope held out for all except the elect Church of the Gospel Age? Answer.
"The
whole [human] creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now,
waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God [the saints]." Then
shall follow "times of restitution of all things which God hath spoken by
the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began," in which
"all the families of the earth shall be blessed" through the elect "seed"
of Abraham. - Rom. 8:22, 19; Acts 3:19-21; Gal. 3:16, 29. Question.
Are the dead
conscious or unconscious? Answer.
"The
dead know not anything." - Eccl. 9:5; Psa. 146:4; Isa. 38: 18, 19. Question.
Have the
departed saints been praising the Lord all along during the past ages? Answer.
"The
dead praise not the Lord." -Psa. 115:17; Feel. 9:6; Psa. 6:5. Question.
Did the
prophets receive their reward at death, or was it reserved in God's plan to be
given them at the beginning of the Millennium, the age of judgment? Answer.
"The
time of the dead,
that they
should be judged,
and that
thou shouldst give
reward unto
thy servants the prophets," is at the beginning of the sounding of the last trumpet, the seventh
trumpet, at the end of the Gospel Age. - Rev. 11:15, 18; Psa. 17: 15. Question.
Were the
apostles promised translation to heaven at death? Answer.
"As I
said to the Jews, Whither I go ye cannot come; so now I say to you [apostles]." - John 13:33. Question.
Should the
saints of the Gospel age, except such as are now living, expect to be crowned at death? Answer.
"When
the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth
not away." - 1 Pet. 5:4; 2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Pet. 1:4, 5. Question.
Did the
Apostles expect glory at death, or at the second coming of Christ? Answer.
"When
Christ who is our life shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory." - Col.
3:4; 1 John 3:2. Question.
Were the saints
to "shine"
in death? Answer.
"Many
of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, . . . and they that be
wise shall shine
as the
brightness of the firmament [as the sun]." - Dan. 12:2, 3; Matt. 13:4043. Question.
Did our Lord
promise to receive his saints at death or at his second coming? Answer.
"I will
come again and receive you unto myself." - John 14:3; Rom. 8:23. Question.
Were the
Ancient Worthies rewarded at death? Answer.
"These
all died in faith, not having
received the promises; . . . that they without us should not be made
perfect." - Heb. 11:13, 39, 40. Question.
David was
one of the holy prophets: Was he rewarded by being taken to heaven? Answer.
"David
is not ascended into the heavens." - Acts 2:34. Question.
How many had
gone to heaven up to the time of our Lord's ascension? Answer.
"No man
hath ascended up to heaven but he that came down from heaven, even the Son of
Man." - John 3:13. Question.
Can he who
created man destroy him? Can the soul be destroyed by its Creator? Answer.
"Fear
him who is able to destroy both soul and body in Gehenna [the Second death]." "He spared
not their souls from death." "The soul that sinneth, it shall
die." - Matt. 10:28; Psa. 78:50; Ezek. 18:4, 20; Psa. 22:29; Joshua 10:35;
Isa. 38:17; Psa. 56:13; 30:3; 119:175; Matt. 26:38; Isa. 53:10, 12. Question.
How great
importance did the Apostle Paul attach to the doctrine of the resurrection? Answer.
"If
there be no resurrection of the dead, then is not Christ risen. . . . Then they
also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished." - 1 Cor. 15:13-18. Question.
Are the
unjust now being tormented in some unknown hell? or do they always meet the
full penalty of their unrighteousness in the present life? Answer.
"The
Lord knoweth how to ... reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment [the
Millennial day] to be punished." - 2 Pet. 2:9; Job 21:30. Question.
What will be
the end of those who when tried are found incorrigible, willfully wicked? Answer.
They shall
"go away into a cutting off from life," "be punished with
everlasting destruction [a destruction which will never be terminated by a
resurrection] "; for still "The wages of sin is death,"
"the second death"; and still the gift of God, eternal life, is to be
had only in Christ. "He that bath the Son hath life"; he that hath
not the Son shall not receive that gift. - Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:14, 15; Matt.
25:46; 1 John 5: 12; 2 Thess. 1:9. "We Shall Be Like Him"
- S.
M. Hodgdon World Conversion -- When?"The earth shall be
filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, THAT
grand old Christian statesman, George Lansbury, once visited Lenin at Moscow
in the course of an endeavor to promote friendly relations between European
powers. In his book, "My Quest for Peace," he told how the Russian leader listened
sympthetically while he spoke of Jesus Christ and his saving power, how that
no nation that rejected God could hope to be truly prosperous in the long run,
and then said quietly, "Lansbury, go back to England and convert your own
people to Christianity-then come and talk to me again!" Lansbury
never returned to Russia. In
January 1953 five African chiefs from Nyasaland came to England to voice their
people's protest against forcible inclusion in the new political amalgamation
of East African territories. Said their spokesman, "the British won Nyasaland
at the first, not by military weapons, but by the Bible. Now the British have
abandoned the Bible -- but you will not hold Nyasaland with guns and
bayonets." That is a damning indictment of the change that has come over the
affairs of Britain in little more than a century. Only that much ago missionaries
were penetrating almost every part of the nonwhite world with the Bible in
their hands and the love of God in their hearts. They braved dangers innumerable,
perils of nature, ferocity of man, but they kept at their task, and they
planted the seed of the Gospel in a myriad dark places where it sprouted and
blossomed and brought forth its fruitage of light. THE TIDE OF CHRISTIAN FAITH IS RECEDINGIn
those same lands today the tide of Christian faith is receding. It is no use
blinking eyes at the fact. Even the hardiest of missionary societies are being
forced to withdraw. The prevailing tendency today in almost all countries -- of
no matter what ideology -- is to make the nation's churches subject to State
policy and exclude foreign influence. Hence some great powers, while giving
every facility for the organization and continuance of native
"national" churches, have banished "foreign" missionaries
and Christian connections entirely or almost entirely from the spheres under
their control. The withdrawal from China of what is perhaps the most famous
society, the China Inland Mission, is a case in point. The taking over of
Christian institutions in India by the State is another. It is not that
Christianity has been suppressed in such lands -- in most cases the national
churches are healthy and vigorous and able to go about their work within their
own borders unmolested and often with considerable help from the State -- but
two of the essential characteristics of the Christian society have gone; that
fellowship of Christians which transcends national distinctions is
interrupted, and missionaries, aflame with zeal to win more hearts and lives
for Christ, no longer cross the frontiers. Each
successive generation of this twentieth century includes a smaller percentage
of convinced Christians than its predecessor. The religious background to daily
life which three hundred years ago was normal does not exist today. An observer
overheard a snatch of conversation between a young soldier and his girl
friend, as they stood looking into a shop window. The girl's eyes lighted on a
crucifix. "Look at that little figure of a man on a cross," she
exclaimed. "I've seen it before. There must be some story behind it! I
wonder what it is?" "Something to do with the Bible, I think,"
replied the soldier vaguely, and the pair moved off. Questions put to a group
of high school students in their teens revealed that one in every five did not
know what event Good Friday commemorates. The facts show that despite the
efforts of organized churches and evangelical campaigns, Christianity is fast
becoming the faith and guiding principle of a pitifully small number of people,
and they increasingly are found among the elderly in years. The little bands of
young Christians in their teens and twenties and perhaps thirties, battling
manfully against increasing odds, have need of all the youthful enthusiasm and
vision they can summon, and even so must surely ofttimes ask themselves where
all this is going to end. That
is the great question today. Is world conversion an ideal that will eventually
be attained, despite present apathy and disinterest in the Christian faith, or
is it an impossible dream, a hope that will never be fulfilled? Will present materialism
and reliance upon human philosophy and scientific achievement continue until
the life and death of Jesus Christ and the deeds of his apostles become dim
legends as shadowy and unsubstantial and unrelated to modern life as our own
English stories of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table? Such
a tragic end to the great thing that had its beginning in the Roman province of
Judea two thousand years ago is out of the question. World conversion will come; this earth with its
teeming millions will be
the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ; those who have spent time and effort
and life itself in bringing men and women to Christ, whether in far-off heathen
lands or right here in our own country, will share in that triumph and find that none of their
efforts have been in vain. The world will be converted; but it may not come in the way we
think. THE GREAT COMMISSIONThe
inspiration and incentive for all Christian missionary work springs in the
first place from the words of Jesus, spoken after his resurrection, when he was
about to leave his disciples. "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to the whole
creation" (Mark 16:15). "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations," . . .
teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you . . . and you shall be
my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria and to the end of the
earth" (Matt.
28:19, Acts 1:8). A pretty comprehensive mandate! We have a saying in our day, "The sky's the
limit." That
is how it must have seemed to those men, simple, untraveled Galilean peasants
and fishermen, given a commission which took in its scope the whole of the
earth. Although
there is no doubt about the universal nature of this commission to evangelize
the world, Jesus did not promise that his followers would effect the general
conversion of the world before his return. In fact he indicated just the
opposite. "When
the Son of Man comes," he said on one occasion, "will he find faith on earth?" (Luke 18:8). Judging by the
catalog of disasters and wickedness, apostasies and waxing cold of love, which
crowd some of his foreviews of the events of this age, as narrated for example
in Matt. 24, it is obvious that he did not expect so to do. The age which
opened at Pentecost will see at its close, not a world fully converted, living
at peace and in the glorious liberty of the children of God, but a world facing
catastrophe and held in more vigorous bondage to sin and the effects of sin
than ever before. The Lord Jesus Christ returns to earth as he promised, not because
his church will have saved the world without him, but because his own personal
presence is necessary to the world's salvation. THE GOSPEL WAS TO BE PREACHED AS A WITNESSThat
is the secret behind this apparent failure of Christian missionary effort today.
It was not expected that Christians should convert the world in this age, before
the return of our Lord. It was intended that they should prepare the way for
his return and preach the gospel in all the world for a witness. The present age is a time
during which disciples of Christ are being trained and disciplined for a much
more extensive missionary work that is to come in the next. James the Just,
first Elder of the Church at Jerusalem, thus summed up the matter at the
Council whose deliberations are recorded in the fifteenth chapter of Acts: "God
first visited the Gentiles, to take out of them a people for his name. . 'after this' (quoting the prophet Amos) 'I
will return, and I will rebuild the dwelling of David which has fallen [the
habitation of Israel] that the rest of men may seek the Lord . . .'" (Acts
15:14-17). There is a threefold Plan outlined here. First, God will make a
selection, from among all nations, of those who are peculiarly called by his
name --devoted Christians of all nations and generations, in all the years that
pass between Jesus' first and second advents; second, the restoration of the
national polity of Israel, in preparation for the new center of world
administration under Divine control; and third, a time when all men everywhere
will be called to turn and seek the Lord. That latter is obviously the time of
world conversion for which we look. In
harmony with this, we find that for the first two centuries of church history
there was no expectation that Christians must convert the world and present
the finished work as it were to God at the end. Rather there was a fervent and
fixed belief in the early dissolution of the institutions and powers of this
world in face of the coming and appearing of the Lord Himself in power and
glory -- the Second Advent. Hence their universal belief in the Millennium, the
age of Christ's reign upon earth, when wars would be made to cease and evil
eliminated from the hearts of men, until death itself had vanished (Rev.
21:3-4). That was the hope and conviction of the early church. AN APOSTASY SETS INDuring
the second and third centuries certain heretical sects began to put grossly
sensuous and material interpretations upon the Millennial prophecies and in
consequence this aspect of the original Apostolic teaching passed under a cloud
and was largely banished from "official" theology. The teachings of
St. Augustine in the fourth century paved the way for what became a very
general belief in Christendom, viz., that the thousand year reign of Christ in
which he vanquishes all his enemies (1 Cor. 15:24-28) is during this age before Christ comes, and not in a
future age after
he has come.
That theory sounded all right at the time it was formulated, when paganism was
rapidly giving way to Christianity in the political sphere as well as the religious,
and it looked as though the church was destined to sweep on from triumph to
triumph until it had conquered the world. It does not look so convincing today,
when from the outward and natural viewpoint, Christianity is in retreat almost
all along the line and the prospect, not only of winning new ground, but even
of regaining ground already lost, is bleak indeed. It is becoming more and more
obvious that the church of the first two centuries was entirely right and that
our calling is to continue with our missionary work with as much, or more,
ardor as in our best times, not in expectation or hope of converting the world
now but certainly in the firm conviction that we are sowing the seed which is
to result in world conversion after Christ comes. There
is a very significant remark in the comprehensive answer which Jesus gave to
his disciples in response to their question as to how they would know when the
time of his return and the consummation of the age had arrived (Matt. 24).
Amongst the sequences of wars and rumors of wars, famines, pestilences,
persecutions, that were to characterize the successive centuries of the age,
we find this statement: "And this gospel of the kingdom will be preached throughout the
whole world, as a testimony to all nations; and then the end will come" (Matt. 24:14). The importance
of the statement is shown in its setting. Up to that point, Jesus was speaking
of the characteristic events of the age: "You
will hear
of wars and rumors of wars; see that you are not alarmed; for this must take
place, but the end is not yet (Matt. 24:6)." After that point we are in
the Time of the End itself, there are signs and portents and events associated
with the transition period during which "the kingdom of the world has become the kingdom
of our Lord and of his Christ, and he shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). It would appear
therefore that this "preaching the gospel of the Kingdom" must be
carried into the whole world, not at this time for their total conversion, but
"for a testimony to all nations" before the end can come. In other words, in the out
working of this great Plan of redemption the full comprehension of which is
locked deep in the "determinate wisdom and foreknowledge of God," the
age for world conversion cannot and will not come until the gospel has been
preached first for a testimony "to the uttermost parts of the earth." Such
an understanding of the matter should give greater impetus than ever before to
every effort for Christian witness. If the essence of present-day evangelism is
to take the Gospel to places where it has never before been, and failure to
convert all who have in past time been reached does not of itself imply any
thwarting of the Divine purpose, then the closing of doors that have been open
for centuries past need not occasion undue despondency. The Gospel has been preached, the testimony has been given: a few have
retained the seed in their hearts and even if the doors do close upon them and
we see them no more, we may have confidence that those same doors will swing
open again, never more to shut, at "his appearing and his kingdom."
Even though faith in a country such as our own is at a low ebb and the signs
are that it will sink still lower, yet our country has had the testimony and a few
remain witnesses to the saving power of God in the life. The tide will turn
again. That is the great hope and expectation to sustain faith and zeal while
as yet our missionary work goes on. He promised to return -- and under
the administration of his kingdom Christian evangelism will soar to heights
previously undreamed. THE TIME IS AT HAND AND THE EFFECT OF EVERY VISIONThere
are Christian observers who point out that in a geographical sense the
statement in Matt. 24 has now, albeit recently, been fulfilled. The disciples
set out from Jerusalem and speedily carried the name and message of Christ
throughout the Mediterranean world. Successive generations of evangelists
pushed on, but it was not until the phenomenal increase of missionary work in
the nineteenth and twentieth centuries that the utmost limits of the world
were reached. It is an established fact that the Gospel has now been
preached "in all the world" "to all nations" "for a
testimony." That being so, we may be much nearer to a tremendous change
for the better in earth's affairs than is generally thought or hoped. No one
will dispute that a change is necessary --and if the present appalling prospect
that faces mankind is in fact destined to be resolved by some kind of Divine
intervention, saving men from the worst consequences of their own folly and
putting the Christian church in a position of immeasurably greater influence
than it has enjoyed at any time past, few will be found to criticize the change
except those whose interests lie in the maintenance and perpetuation of evil
and evil things. Speaking
to the philosophers of Athens, St. Paul declared that God "has fixed a
day on which he will judge the world in righteousness by a man whom he has
appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all men by raising him from
the dead" (Acts 17:31). Christ Jesus is that one, the time, clearly,
that of his second coming, and the day, consequently, the one that Jesus
referred to when he said, "Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when
the Son of Man shall sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will
also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel." (Matt.
19:28). Such a statement cannot be referred to this present age when the last
thing a Christian disciple expects to experience is the occupancy of a throne
or the prerogative of judging anything or anybody. The Apostle Paul expressly
relegates the time of ruling and judging to the future, as in 1 Cor. 6:2,
"Do you not know that the saints will judge the world?" The
preaching of St. Peter at Jerusalem on the day of Pentecost, as recorded in
Acts 2 and 3, associates the coming of the "last days" with a great
opportunity for salvation and a time of world conversion. "In the
last days it shall be, God declares, that I will pour out my spirit upon all
flesh . . . And it shall be that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be
saved" (Acts 2:17-21). Associated with this declaration there is a call
to repentance as preparation for the coming of this future day of grace. "Repent therefore, and turn again, that your sins may be blotted out,
that times of refreshing may come from the presence of the Lord, and that he
may send the Christ appointed for you, Jesus, whom heaven must receive until
the time for establishing all that God spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets
from of old" (Acts 3:19-21). These passages obviously presuppose a
time at the end of the age, at the return of Christ, when there will be a great
outpouring of the Gospel upon the peoples of earth and a correspondingly great
response. There is a definite basis for this belief in the Old Testament. For
instance, Zephaniah says (Zeph. 3:8-9), "'Therefore wait for me' says
the Lord 'for the day when I arise as a witness.... to gather nations, to assemble
kingdoms, to pour out upon them my indignation, . . . for in the fire of my
jealous wrath all the earth shall be consumed. Yea, at that time I will change
the speech of the peoples to a pure speech, that all of them may call upon the
name of the Lord and serve him with one accord."' All of this
indicates very clearly the Divine intention that a day of grace -- and a most
successful day of grace at that -- is to succeed the day of judgment which
brings this "present evil world" to an end. The Book of Isaiah is
eloquent on this subject. The great Hebrew statesman saw very clearly the
nature of that day which is yet to be, when all missionary and evangelical
effort will converge into one great work of reclamation and reconciliation
among all mankind. The figure of the Messiah is predominant in all his pen
pictures -- the king who will "reign in righteousness" of chapter
32, the one who is to "feed his flock like a shepherd" of chapter 40,
the "servant" who is to "bring forth justice to the
nations" of chapter 42, the anointed One, bringing liberty and healing to
the captives, of chapter 61. "It will be said on that day, 'Lo, this is
our God; we have waited for him, that he might save us. This is the Lord; we
have waited for him; let us be glad and rejoice in his salvation"' (Isa.
25:9). "And the effect of righteousness will be peace, and the result
of righteousness, quietness and trust for ever" (Isa. 32:17). "And
the ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with singing;
everlasting joy shall be upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness,
and sorrow and sighing shall flee away" (Isa. 35:10). "Behold my
servant, whom I uphold, my chosen, in whom my soul delights; I have put my
spirit upon him, he will bring forth justice to the nations. . . . He will not
fail or be discouraged till he has established justice in the earth"
(Isa. 42:1-4). "For as the earth brings forth its shoots, and as a
garden causes what is sown in it to spring up, so the Lord God will cause
righteousness and praise to spring forth before all the nations" (Isa.
61:11). This
is only a fraction of the vast store of Biblical evidence that a glorious future
is before Christian evangelical work, and a program that envisages a definite
endeavor to reconcile to God every member of the human race who has strayed
away from him or never known him. The apparent failure of today is only
apparent; the advent of the King will change the entire situation and set the
stage for the conversion of the world. Note: Scripture quotations are taken
from the Revised Standard Version. - A.
O. Hudson, England The Question Box"For many deceivers are
entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh.
This is a deceiver and an antichrist." - 2 John 7. Question: Does
the coming of Jesus Christ mentioned in 2 John 7 refer to his first advent or
his second? Recently I was told that the reference could not be to Christ's
first advent for two reasons: (1)
At the time this epistle was written the whole world was fully informed of the
fact that Jesus had come in the flesh. If anyone could be found who denied so
well-attested a fact, he would deceive no one but himself. There would be no
reason, therefore, for the Apostle to insist on the matter. Consequently, he
must have had reference to the second advent. (2)
The literal translation is "coming" -- not "is come." Answer: It
is true that the literal translation is "coming" -- not "is
come. However, this fact does not prove that the reference is to the second
advent. The language employed is such that the reference could be to either
advent. However, there are compelling reasons for believing that the reference
is not to the second advent, but to the first. Perhaps the following
discussion may be of some value in the elucidation of this, admittedly difficult,
text. First,
let us verify the fact that the literal translation is "coming." This
may be seen by reference to the word-for-word translation in the Diaglott, which reads:
"Because many deceivers
entered into the world, who not confessing Jesus Anointed coming in flesh; In
this passage the word "coming" is a translation of the Greek word "erchomenon," which is the present
participle form of the verb "erchomai." (See Strong's Concordance No. 2064.) The
works of other scholars confirm the Diaglott. Note the following: "For
many deceivers have gone out into the world, men who will not acknowledge the
coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh;" - R.S.V. "Because
many deceivers have gone out into the world, they who do not confess Jesus
Christ coming in flesh;" - Rotherham "I
say this, because a number of impostors have emerged in the world, men who will
not acknowledge the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh;" -Moffatt. From
the foregoing it will be seen that the phrase is not entirely free from
ambiguity. How, then, are we to determine the Apostle's meaning? I reply: By
comparing scripture with scripture. Let us turn first to 1 John 4:2, reading from Rotherham: "Every spirit that
confesseth Jesus Christ as having come in flesh is of God;" This
is not only another scripture, but one written by the same Apostle. Moreover,
he is writing on the same theme, namely, how we may discriminate between true
and false teachers, by their acknowledgment of, or their failure to acknowledge,
the basic doctrine of the coming of Jesus Christ in the flesh. In 1 John 4:2, however, there is an important
difference in the language employed, which has not escaped the notice of
scholars. Whereas in 2 John
7 there is a measure of ambiguity (when considered alone -- isolated from other
scriptures), there is none in 1 John 4:2. The reference is clearly to a coming in the past --
namely, to our Lord's first advent. It
is true that no one living in the days of the Apostle would deny that the Jesus
whom John preached was a real
historical person -- a man who had walked their streets, and spent his brief
life in their midst. But they were by no means unanimous in the belief that he
was the Son of God, the long-promised Messiah (or Christ, as the Hebrew word
Messiah is translated in Greek). Quite to the contrary. Even now, after 2,000 years, Israel as a nation
still rejects him as such, as do also many Gentiles. The
widespread heresy of the times, against which John warned, was not that of
denying a fact which all admitted, namely, that Jesus walked this earth as a
man; rather, it was that of denying the all-important truth that the Son of God
had come to earth as a human being, to accomplish our salvation. To lose one's
grasp of this fundamental teaching, would make shipwreck of one's faith, and
therefore, the Apostle might well employ his inspired pen in its defense. That
he does so in 1 John 4:2 there
can be no question. Therefore, it is at least possible that he may be doing so in 2 John 7. Turn
next to 3 John 3, in which the Revised Standard Version reads: "For I greatly rejoiced
when some of the brethren arrived and testified to the truth of your life, as
indeed you do follow the truth." Rotherham
translates
more literally: "For I rejoiced
exceedingly at brethren coming and bearing witness unto thy truth,-even as thou
in truth art walking." In
this verse, from the pen of the same Apostle, the word translated "arrived"
in the Revised
Standard Version and "coming" by Rotherham, is also the present participle form of the
verb "erchomai" used in 2 John 7. Grammatically, therefore, the reference could be to a future arrival of the
brethren. It does not require a knowledge of Greek, however, for one to realize
that the Apostle's rejoicing was not occasioned by his hope that in the future
the brethren would bring him an encouraging report about Gaius. Rather it had
resulted from the previous visits of the brethren, possibly also from their
present visit, gladdening his heart with the reports they had brought of the
faithful walk of the beloved Gaius. The
conviction that in 2 John 7 the Apostle has reference not to the second advent
but to the first, is strengthened when we recall that such a view harmonizes
well with his other writings. For example, in 1 John 1:1-4, in which the theme
and purpose of that Epistle is set forth, our Lord's first advent is manifestly
under discussion. When
he there speaks of having seen, heard, and touched Jesus, he is telling of
experiences already in the past. And this Jesus, he identifies, in the prologue
to the fourth Gospel, as being, in his pre-human existence, the Logos, the mighty spirit-being who became flesh. Note,
too, how well this view harmonizes with 1 John 4:14, 15 which, in the Weymouth translation, reads: "We have seen and bear
witness that the Father has sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Whoever
acknowledges that Jesus is the Son of God
-- God continues in union with him, and he continues in union with God." Foregoing
I have shown, I think, that 2 John 7 cannot be adduced as a "proof
text" that the Apostle believed and taught that at our Lord's Second
Advent he "will come in the flesh." I now turn to 1 John 3:2, 3 as a
"proof text" that the Apostle believed and taught the contrary. The Revised Standard Version reads: "Beloved,
we are God's children now; it does not yet appear what we shall be, but we know
that when he appears we shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is. And
every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself as he is pure." What
he now is like, it doth not yet appear to our finite minds. However, we know
that he is no longer a human being. Put to death in the flesh, he was raised in
the spirit -- a life-giving spirit being (1 Pet. 3:18; 1 Cor. 15:45). No longer
is he to be known after the flesh, even by those who once knew him so (2 Cor.
5:16). According to Hebrews 1:3, he is now the express image of the Father's
person; dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath
seen nor can see (1 Tim. 6:16). And, as he himself said, just before his
death: "Yet a little while, and the world will see me no more, but you
will see me" (John 14:19). Furthermore,
we are to be like him, says the Apostle. We are to see him, not as he was but as he is (1 John 3:2). We
are to behold his glory. John heard him request this of the Father (John 17:
24). We are to be made a partaker
of the Divine nature he now possesses (2 Pet. 1:4). We are to share his glory,
as his joint-heirs (Rom. 8:17). What a glorious hope is thus set before us! No
wonder the Apostle adds: "Every one who thus hopes in him purifies himself
as he is pure" (1 John 3:3, R.S.V.). - P. L. Read Co-operation With Our British BrethrenPilgrim MinistryRecently
it was suggested that with increasing difficulties of travel and the advancing
age of so many brethren the restoration of something like the old time pilgrim
service might be welcomed. The way has opened for several brethren whose
ministry is known to be generally acceptable to engage in this branch of the
service. It gives us much pleasure to cooperate by listing below the March-April
appointments already "fixed" for Brothers J. D. Parker and E. G.
Roberts. For
further details address Mr. A. O. Hudson, 24 Darwin Road, Welling, Kent,
England.
BookletsWe
are advised that seven new booklets (of approximately the same size as those
published by our Institute) are or shortly will be off the press. Advance
copies of some of them have already been received and (in the course of the
next few weeks) we hope to have a sufficient supply in stock to offer them
"at no cost to Herald subscribers."
Their titles are:
Faith for Today and Tomorrow"To us there is but one
God, the Father, of whom are all things, HERE
we conclude the consideration (begun in the January-February Herald) of four specific suggestions,
recommended for adoption by all who would nourish their faith in the one true
God and in the ultimate triumph of good over evil. It
will be recalled that our first suggestion was to study the Bible, and that we
recommended its study in the spirit of prayer, with the thought in mind of becoming
better acquainted with the character of our heavenly Father, and with his
glorious plans and purposes; and with the intention of bringing one's life into
conformity therewith. SURRENDER TO GOD'S MESSIAHSecond:
Surrender yourself, unconditionally, to the Lord Jesus Christ, and ask him to
take charge of your life. Why
do I urge this? you may ask. I answer: For this reason. If you carry out my
first suggestion, of prayerfully studying the Bible with the intention of
conforming your life to its teachings, it will not be long before you discover
that all God's glorious plans and purposes, whether for the world of mankind
in general, or for you, yourself, in particular, are wrapped up in, and are to
be accomplished by, his Messiah. The
Old Testament is full of predictions concerning Messiah, while the main
purpose of all the New Testament writers is to set forth the evidence that
Jesus of Nazareth fulfilled those predictions. As the Apostle John, in writing
his Gospel, declares: "These are written, that ye might believe that Jesus
is the Christ [that is, the Messiah], the Son of God, and that believing ye
might have life through his name" (John 20: 31). Yes, it will not be long
before you discover, as did those Samaritans who listened to the story of the
woman who had talked with Jesus at Jacob's well: "This is indeed the
Christ, the Savior of the world" (John 4:42). As Jesus, himself, said to
his close disciples: "Ye believe in God; believe also in me" (John
14:1). Ask him to cleanse you from all unrighteousness; ask him for the
guidance of his spirit; ask him for the necessary strength to follow that
guidance throughout the remainder of your life. You are going to need his
guidance and his strength. Ask him for both. Ask in faith, nothing doubting,
and your need will be supplied. OTHERSThird:
Lose yourself in the service of others. You do not need me to tell you that
that, surely, was the way in which Christ lived; and if we are to enjoy his
fellowship we must, to the best of our ability, do likewise. That reminds me of
a story about General Booth, the grand old man who founded the Salvation Army.
At one time he desired to send a New Year's greeting, by cablegram, and
telegram, to all Salvation Army Posts throughout the world. Cablegrams and
telegrams are expensive and have to be short. General Booth pondered the
matter and finally reduced his message to a single word. It was the word
"Others." Imagine
yourself in charge of a Salvation Army Post and being handed a New Year's
greeting from the General containing the one word "Others"! What
effect do you think that cablegram would have had on you? In one case it inspired
its recipient to write a beautiful little poem. Here are three verses from that
poem:
A DAY AT A TIMEFourth:
My fourth suggestion is this. In seeking to lose our lives in the service of
God which, as we have seen, means, from the practical standpoint, to live for
others, let us do so a day at a time. Some
of us make the mistake of trying to grasp too much of life at a time. Perhaps
all of us are liable to this temptation to a greater or lesser degree. We
think of life as a whole, instead of taking the days one by one. Yet our Lord
and the Apostles, in every way, seek to discourage this. Of course, in this
complicated civilization of ours, we must give a certain amount of thought for
the morrow. God himself takes thought for the morrow. It is because he has
done so that there will be any tomorrow at all for us. It is because of his
forethought that we have the seasons in rotation, contributing to the growth of
the grain which becomes our bread. No! -it is not wrong to take thought for the
morrow. But the danger lies in anxious thought. And there is more than danger
in it. There is physical ill-health in it; for it has been scientifically
demonstrated that worry kills. But far more important than that, anxious
thought dishonors our Father by the distrust it manifests. It hinders our own
spiritual growth; mars the beauty of character we should otherwise develop; and
it beclouds our witness for God to others. And we are to prove ourselves in
this respect, as in all others, "more than conquerors through him that
loved us." In
the Lord's providence, many of us may still be here a year from now. Well, if
we are, we'll want to look back on a year of real Christian living-the best
year of our lives. How shall we accomplish this? Not by trying to solve the
entire year's problems tomorrow. "Sufficient unto the day is the evil
thereof," said our Lord. Let's take this coming year a day at a time. Even
the problems of one day are handled best one at a time. If fifty problems are
staring you in the face when you start back to work tomorrow morning, give your
undivided attention to just one of them, and push the other forty-nine aside,
until that one has been disposed of. One by one, you will find yourself taking
care of them all, whereas, if you try to handle all fifty at once, they will
overwhelm you, and none of them will get proper handling. The poet put it in a
simple line, as follows:
CONCLUSIONTo
summarize, then: (I)
Basic amongst "Beliefs That Matter" is belief in the existence of the
one true God, and in his intention to bring about the ultimate triumph of
right, the ultimate suppression of evil. (II)
This belief comes and is strengthened by an acquaintance with God. (III)
To increase our acquaintance with God we may well adopt the following four
suggestions: 1) Study his Word, prayerfully and
carefully. 2) Accept Christ as our personal Savior and
follow his leadership. 3) Live as he would have us live -- as
Christ himself lived -- for others. 4) Live a day at a time.
- P. L. Read Notice of Postponement of Annual MeetingThe
Annual Meeting of the Pastoral Bible Institute, due to be scheduled for
Saturday, June 3, has been postponed to Saturday, September 23. Plans are now
under way to hold it in Atlantic City, New Jersey. We
are making this early announcement so that Institute members, who might wish
to participate in conventions now being planned by Associated Bible Students in
various parts of the country to be held during the summer months will know that
they need not reserve the June date for the Institute's Annual Meeting. Further
particulars as to the hour and place of meeting will be announced later. Wise as Serpents - Harmless as DovesMatthew 10:16.As
the context shows, these words were spoken by our Lord to his twelve Apostles
and constituted part of his commission to them. The word "apostle"
means "one sent forth." Christ himself was the Apostle - the Apostle and
High Priest of our profession (Heb. 3:1) - the one sent forth by God. And these
twelve were his apostles-chosen and sent forth by him. "Behold I send you
forth [the "I" is emphasized] as sheep in the midst of wolves; be ye
therefore wise as serpents and harmless as doves." They
themselves, if they continued in his ministry and spirit, could not and would
not bite and devour. Their apostolic mission had no wolfish element in it. But
they themselves would be persecuted. As sheep in the midst of wolves they would
be exposed to the malice of many who would be both able and eager to bite and
fight and devour. Because of this, "therefore," they were to be, or to become,
"wise as serpents." The
word translated "wise" in our Authorized Version is translated
"prudent" by Rotherham. In the Diaglott it is "sagacious."
It does not refer to intellectual or ethical wisdom, but rather denotes
prudence in regard to one's own safety. It refers to the serpent's real or
reputed wariness or sagacity in relation to danger. Commenting on this passage
Matthew Henry has observed: "They were to be not as foxes, whose cunning
is to deceive others; but wary as serpents whose policy is only to defend themselves,
and to shift for their own safety." "In the cause of Christ,"
this writer adds, "we must be wise not to pull trouble upon our own heads." The
word "harmless" has the significance of "purity," of being
"unmixed," "unadulterated," and hence "without
guile." While he wished them to become, in time of need, wary as serpents, he did not wish
them to become wily, or insincere. They were to be genuine throughout, as
unwily as doves. Their character was to be, as Dr. Morrison puts it, "a
beautiful mixture of wariness and guilelessness." Our
Lord's "therefore" must not be overlooked. It is dependent upon the
emphatic "I" of the first clause: "It is I who send you forth as
sheep in the midst of wolves; become ye therefore, as becometh apostles charged
with my commission, wary, but qualify that wariness by dovelike guilelessness.
The presence of the wolves demands that ye be wary; the fact that ye are my
apostles demands that ye be guileless." We are not apostles, yet nevertheless we represent,
in our lesser service, the Lord's cause in the earth today. As such the text
applies to each of us. "Be ye therefore, wary as serpents, guileless as doves."
- P. L. Read Recently Deceased
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