VOL.
LVI. March/April 1973 No. 2 "This Do in Remembrance of Me""For as often
as ye eat this Bread, and drink this Cup, ye do show CHRIST
OUR Passover is sacrificed for us; therefore
let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice
and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth." (1
Cor. 5:7, 8.) Here, in one sentence, brief, but pregnant with meaning, the beloved
Apostle Paul, writing as always under the guidance and in the power of the Holy
Spirit, draws our attention to the great Antitype, the Lamb of God, who taketh
away the sin of the world, of whom the Jewish Passover lamb was but a type. How
well the type prefigured our Lord! To begin with, the lamb selected was to be without
blemish,
reminding us
of the fact that our Lord Jesus had no blemish of sin in himself, and that he
did not contract any stain or spot of sin by his contacts with the world. As
the Apostle Peter reminds us: "We 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." - l Pet. 1:19. The
blood of the typical
lamb was
sprinkled on the doorposts and lintels of the Israelite's house, but the
blood of Jesus, the unforfeited life which was made available to us by the
shedding of his blood, has been graciously applied to our hearts, removing
from us the burden of unforgiven sin, setting us free from all consciousness of
evil. Again,
in instituting the typical passover, we read in the 12th chapter of Exodus that
the Lord said unto Moses: "This month shall be unto you the beginning of
months; it shall be the first month of the year to you." How truly this
feature is fulfilled in the experience of a consecrated believer of this Gospel
Age! Everything in his life dates from the time when he came "under the
blood." Before that, all is
darkness; before that, all is death. He does not care to even think of the
darkness of his unconverted days, and when he does occasionally mention them,
it is only that his Savior may be the more magnified in the hearts and minds of
those to whom he speaks; and that the contrast of that past with his present
happy state may awaken in him a still greater sense of gratitude and devotion. JESUS OUR PASSOVER LAMB As
the Jews fed on the literal lamb, so we are to feed on Christ; that is to say,
we are to appropriate to ourselves, by faith, his merit, the value of his sacrifice.
Not only so, but if we would be strong spiritually, and prepared for the
deliverance in the morning of the new dispensation, we must eat of the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth. What is it to "eat" of the unleavened
bread of sincerity and truth? Ah! this means much more than might at first be
supposed. It involves not merely a belief in the truth concerning Christ and
his atonement -- it goes beyond even a confession of that belief. It includes a loving surrender to this and
related truths, so that they are grasped by the moral, no less than by the
intellectual side of our complex nature. Thus partaken of, the truth will
accomplish our sanctification; day by day, the renewing of our minds with his
precious Word will gradually transform us into his likeness. In
the typical arrangements bitter herbs were included, which aided and whetted
the Israelites' appetite for the lamb and unleavened bread. Commenting on this
feature, Brother Russell has observed that instead of these, "we have
bitter experiences and trials which the
Lord prepares for us, and which help to wean our affections from earthly things
and to give us increased appetite to feed upon the Lamb and the unleavened
Bread of Truth. We, too, are to remember that we have here no continuing city;
but as pilgrims, strangers, staff in hand, we are to gird ourselves for our
journey to the Heavenly Canaan, to all the glorious things which God has in
reservation for the Church of the First-borns, in association with our
Redeemer, as kings and priests unto God." On
the night of his betrayal, just before his crucifixion, our Lord Jesus clearly
identified himself as the antitypical Passover Lamb. Peter and John had been sent ahead, and
in the "upper room" to which they had been led, they had "made ready the
Passover." At the appointed time, "when the hour was come," he gathered his
Apostles round him and said: "With desire have I desired to eat this Passover
with you before I suffer." "It was necessary that as Jews they should celebrate
the Passover Supper on that night -- the night of the anniversary of the slaying
of the Passover lamb in Egypt, of the saving of the typical first-borns from the typical
'prince of this world' -- Pharaoh -- the same date on which the real Passover
Lamb was to be slain. But as soon as the requirements of the type had been
fulfilled, our Lord Jesus instituted a new Memorial upon the old foundation,
saying, 'Do this in remembrance of me.'" * ---------------------------- * As
noted on the back page of this issue, the appropriate time, this year, to commemorate
the death of the antitypical Lamb, will be after sundown, Sunday, April 15. "THIS DO IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME" We recall the circumstances
of the first Memorial -- the blessing of the Bread and the Cup, the fruit of
the vine, and of our Lord's words in connection therewith. Year by year, as we
"keep the feast," and the time of our departure draws nigh, the
appropriateness of the symbol's, and the humility and love of our Lord are
more deeply impressed on our hearts, and the longing desire within us grows
more earnest that we, too, though imperfect, may faithfully follow in his
steps. Quoting again from our dear Brother Russell: "In presenting to the disciples the unleavened bread as a memorial, Jesus said, 'Take, eat; this is my body.' The evident meaning of his words is, This symbolizes, or represents, my body. The bread was not actually his body; for in no sense 'had his body yet been broken. In no sense would it then have been possible for them to have partaken of him actually or antitypically, the sacrifice not being as yet finished. But the picture is complete when we recognize that the unleavened (pure, unfermented) bread represented our Lord's sinless flesh, leaven being a symbol of sin under the Law, and especially commanded to be put away at the Passover season. On another occasion Jesus gave a lesson which interprets to us this symbol. He said, 'The Bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world.' 'I am the Bread of Life.' 'I am the living Bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this Bread, he shall live forever; and the Bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world.' - John 6:33, 35, 51. "In
order to appreciate how we are to eat, or appropriate, this living Bread, it
is necessary for us to understand just what the bread signifies. According to
our Lord's explanation of the matter, it was his flesh which he sacrificed for
us. It was not his prehuman existence as a spirit being that was sacrificed,
although that was laid down and its glory laid aside, in order that he might take our human nature.
It was the fact that our Lord Jesus was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate
from sinners -- without any contamination from Father Adam, and hence free
from sin -- that enabled him to become the Redeemer of Adam and his race, that
permitted him to give his life 'a Ransom for all, to be testified in due
time.'-1 Tim. 2:3-6. "When
we see that it was the pure, spotless nature of our Lord Jesus that was laid
down on behalf of sinners, we see what it is that we are privileged to
appropriate. The very thing that he laid down for us we are to 'eat,'
appropriate to ourselves; that is to say, his perfect human life was
given to redeem all the race of man from condemnation to death, to enable them
to return to human perfection and everlasting life, if they would; and we are
to realize this and accept him as our Savior from death." The
unforfeited life of Jesus, laid down in sacrifice for us in obedience to the
Father's will, is thus seen to be that which alone has value in the Father's
sight. As the Apostle declares: "the Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a
ransom for all." (1 Tim. 2:6.) It is important to observe, however, that
the work of recovering Adam and his race from the power of sin and death,
while based on that ransom price, goes beyond the mere provision of the
ransom. While the provision was made now nearly two thousand years ago, it is
manifest that the work of recovering Adam and his race from the power of sin
and death has not yet been accomplished; indeed it has scarcely begun. The only
disposition thus far of that ransom has been to make it available for the
Church, and this only by faith. Only by faith has even the Church passed
"from death unto life"; not even this little flock has been
fully recovered from the power of sin and death; still less has the rest of the
race. Manifestly, then, it will require a considerable time (the Scriptures
indicate the entire thousand years of Messiah's Kingdom), to restore, to
deliver, to set free, from the power of sin and death, Adam and his children.
Evident it is, that the work of restoration, for which the foundation was laid
nearly two thousand years ago, is still to be accomplished. To quote once
again from Brother Russell: "In
order that any of the race of Adam might profit by the sacrifice of Jesus, it
was necessary that be should rise from the tomb on the divine plane of
life, that he should ascend to the Father and deposit the sacrificial merit of
his death in the hands of justice, and receive from the Father 'all power in
heaven and in earth.' As relates to the world, it was necessary also that in
the Father's due time he should come again to earth a glorious divine Being,
then to be to the whole world a Mediator, Prophet, Priest, and King, to assist
back to perfection and to harmony with God all who will avail themselves of
the wonderful privileges then to be offered." This blessing, restoration to human perfection (not perfection on the spirit plane, but on the human plane) which will be the happy portion of the entire race (all the willing and obedient), the Church of this Gospel Age receive now, by faith; that is to say, human perfection is reckoned to them by God. And the partaking of the unleavened bread at the Memorial season means to us, primarily, the appropriation, by faith, of this right to perfect human life, with all its privileges, the blessing which, at the cost of his own life, our Lord procured for us. Likewise the fruit of the vine symbolizes our Savior's life given for us, his human life, his being, poured out unto death on our behalf; and the appropriation of this by us also signifies, primarily, our acceptance of restitution rights and privileges secured by our Lord's sacrifice of these. TWO ADDITIONAL SIGNIFICATIONS In
our showing forth the Lord's death in this, the way appointed (1 Cor. 11:26),
we may not improperly associate in our minds two additional thoughts of great
beauty and solemnity: (1) Our consecration to be "dead with him"
(Col. 2:20), even as we remember the Apostle's words, "If we be dead with
him, we shall also live with him (2 Tim. 2:11), and (2) the oneness of spirit
which obtains between fellow-members of the Christ company. The
fruit of the vine fitly represents the life given by Jesus, the sacrifice-the
death-"this is my blood [symbol of life given up in death] of the New Covenant,
shed for many for the remission of sins"; "Drink ye all of it."
(Matt. 26:27, 28.) It is by the giving up of his life as a ransom for the life
of the Adamic race, which sin had forfeited, that a right to life comes to man.
(Ram. 5:18, 19.) Jesus' shed blood is the "ransom for all"; and the
dominant idea of our "feast" is this fact and the benefits which as
consecrated believers we derive therefrom; but in addition we may remember also
and rejoice in the fact that we may (indeed we have covenanted, have we not?
to) drink of his cup, even as (though beyond their then understanding) he
spake to his close disciples: "Ye shall indeed drink of my cup."
(Matt. 20:23.) Verily this is a "high calling" (Phil. 3:14), and well
might we question our ability to drink (unaided) of his cup. But our
sufficiency is of God, and so with the Apostle we too count all things loss,
that we may know the power of his resurrection, the fellowship of his
sufferings (Phil. 3:10), not repining, but all the more rejoicing at any
evidence which may come to us that the sufferings of Christ may be abounding in
us. - 2 Cor. 1:5. With
regard to our second additional thought that of the oneness of spirit
possessed by fellow members of "his body," the Church (Eph. 1:23),
how close to the heart of our Lord does this thought bring us when we recall
that it was just about the time when he instituted this "remembrancer"
that he offered that matchless intercessory prayer on our behalf, that is
recorded in the 17th chapter of John: "That they all may be one."
(Not his close disciples only, but us also, who have since believed.) "As
thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us."
(John 17:20, 21.) What thoughts are these, which just before his passion our
Lord entertained with regard to his
consecrated followers! What grand and noble hopes respecting the mutual love,
the sympathy, affection, and interest which should prevail amongst the members
of this "one Body" of our Lord! WHO MAY PARTICIPATE? Just
one word more. Who may participate in this memorial? To this question we would
reply: No one should join in this celebration who does not trust in Christ as
his or her personal Savior from sin and death, and who does not purpose to walk
worthy of the Name of Jesus, in his footsteps wherever they may lead, to the
best of his or her ability. No one should come to the Lord's table
lightly, carelessly, but, as the Apostle exhorts: "Let a man examine
himself, and so let him eat of that bread and drink of that cup." (1 Cor.
11:27-29.) But on the other hand none should absent himself or refrain from
this communion from a sense of unworthiness. Thank God for a sense of sin, for
a keen conscience about it, but let not that keep any away. "If any man
sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." -
(1 John 2:1; 1:9.) Thus cleansed, let us draw near, gladly confessing our love
for our Lord, rejoicing in the pleasure and privilege of remembering him in
this, the way appointed. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink
this cup, ye do show the Lord's death till he come." -1 Cor. 11:26. - P. L. Read "We Shall Be Like Him"
- S. M. Hodgdon Resurrection Prospects
"Our God is a God of salvation; and to God, the
Lord, NO
OTHER event in all the annals of creation or history can equal in importance
and significance the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ. This is true not
only as respects man, but as respects the heavenly host, our Lord himself,
and even the Father. Would that we were able to convey in words just a little
of what this really did mean. "Blessed
be that God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who according to his great
mercy, hath begotten us again unto a living hope, through the resurrection of
Jesus Christ from the dead." - 1 Pet. 1:3. The
resurrection of Jesus must have brought great joy to all the heavenly host. It
is recorded that "the morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God
shouted for joy" when the foundations of the earth were laid; and when
Jesus was born, again it is recorded that the heavenly host gave praise and
glory to God. It is even said that "there is joy in heaven over one sinner
that repents." (Job 38:7; Luke 2:13, 14; 15:7, 10.) Then what must have
been the exultation of the heavenly host who, for thirty-three years, had been
witnessing the great drama of the Son of God in his work of redemption! His
struggle against Satan and the forces of evil must needs be carried through
without the least deviation from the course of righteousness; whereas, the
opponent, Satan, resorted to every subterfuge and device of which he was
capable. With
what intentness of interest, and perhaps trepidation, they must have watched as
they saw him betrayed, ill-treated, falsely accused, scourged, condemned,
crucified, forsaken and entombed. It appeared that Satan and the forces of
evil had triumphed--that the cause of righteousness and the hope of mankind was
lost. It may be that God alone knew what was to occur. Whether this be true or
not, those hours of waiting until the dawn of that first day of the week, must
have gripped them in a tenseness of emotion that only hallelujahs of praise and
thanksgiving could relieve when they witnessed the resurrection of the Son of
God. And
what did resurrection mean to our Lord? As we can scarcely appreciate the joy
that will come to those who are restored to perfection of human life, how can
we possibly conceive of the joy which our Lord realized in his resurrection and
exaltation to the nature of the Father himself? What must have been the
sentiments of his heart when, in the moment of resurrection, he realized that
all that for which he had longed and struggled was now an assured fact; that
never again would his intimate relationship and association with the Father be
interrupted; that he had fully justified his Father's confidence in him; and
that now he would be able to carry out his Father's will in every particular?
Excepting the Father, as we must in every comparison, only Jesus could know
the extent of that joy, for, as yet, there were none to share his glory. And
then, to climax it all, what must the Father himself have felt when, through
resurrection power, he received unto his own bosom his only begotten Son, the
dearest treasure of his heart? Has God placed any possibilities of depth of
feeling in any of his creatures which he himself does not possess? Could any
father or mother possibly know a joy at birth of an offspring that would
compare with that which the Father must have felt when his only begotten Son was
born to his own nature and station? We, of course, cannot presume to say, but
we doubt if any but the Father himself will ever know the depth of that joy. We do well to recall all the precious promises contained in the Word regarding our resurrection hope and that of mankind, based on the resurrection of Jesus, in order that the impressions made upon our minds and hearts may be deepened, and become unalterably fixed there. Life beyond the grave is possible only through a resurrection of the dead. This is the only prospect set before us in the Scriptures whereby we may be restored to life. The Old Testament writers reveal the resurrection hope in many of their prophecies, though ofttimes, it is true, by statements so obscure, that until something is said or done to reveal their meaning, we would scarcely recognize them as having any reference to a resurrection. An
instance of this kind is brought to our attention by Jesus when controverting
the argument of the Sadducees -- that sect in Israel which did not believe in a resurrection. The Sadducees considered
the five books of Moses, namely, Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers, and Deuteronomy,
to be the only authoritative teachings, given by God, by which their lives
were to be ruled and guided. Therefore quotations from the Prophets or the
Psalms, had little or no convincing weight with them. Jesus evidently considered
this fact, when, in attempting to prove to them the error of their belief, he
quoted from the writings of Moses. Chapter
twenty-two of Matthew's Gospel records how the various sectarian groups in
Israel tried to refute the teachings of Jesus. Taking advantage of the
presence of the Herodians, a sect that sought to curry favor with Rome by
conforming their religious views to Rome's wishes, the Pharisees asked Jesus a
question calculated to discredit him with the authorities: "Is it lawful
to give tribute to Caesar?" But perceiving their wicked intent, Jesus
said, "Why tempt ye me, ye hypocrites?" Then employing a method that
has been a criterion in the exercise of wisdom even unto this day, he asked
them to show him the tribute money, and they brought him a penny. "And he
said to them, whose is this image and superscription? and they say unto him,
Caesar's. Then saith he unto them, Render therefore unto Caesar the things that
are Caesar's; and unto God the things that are God's. And they marveled and
left him and went their way." Failing
to be warned by this experience of their rival sect, the Sadducees had a
question to ask, which, in their opinion, would make belief in a resurrection
ridiculous. And so addressing Jesus, they said: "Master,
Moses said, if a man die, having no children, his brother shall marry his
wife, and raise up seed unto, his brother. Now there were with us seven
brethren and the first, when he had married a wife, deceased, and, having no issue,
left his wife unto his brother: likewise the second also, and the third, unto
the seventh. And last of all the woman died also. Therefore in the
resurrection, whose wife shall she be of the seven?" It
does not require any great imagination to visualize the smug look on their
faces as they awaited his answer to their question. We would probably have
advanced reasons why she should belong to the first or the last husband, and
would have had considerable difficulty in meeting the objection, they could
have raised. But Jesus, possessing an insight and a wisdom that dwarfed mere
human reasoning, answered: "Ye do err, not knowing the Scriptures, nor the
power of God. For in the resurrection, they neither marry, nor are given in
marriage, but are as the angels in heaven." Then
Jesus asked them a question, concerning which he cited the Word of God through
Moses: "But
as touching the resurrection of the dead have ye not read that which was spoken
unto you by God, saying, I am the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the
God of Jacob? God is not a God of the dead, but of the living. And when then
multitude heard this, they were astonished at his doctrine." Although
Moses said nothing about a resurrection, yet his words definitely and
positively affirm the necessity for a resurrection from the dead. But
what did Jesus mean by this statement? Was he intimating that Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob had not died? Or that they were already risen? Modern theologians,
in contrast with the Sadducees, go to the opposite extreme in their beliefs,
for most of them look upon man as being a combination creature, possessing a
spiritual soul in a human body. They affirm that there is no death, but that
the soul, immortal, indestructible, merely changes its place of abode from the
human body to some form of dwelling in the spiritual realm. With the poet,
Longfellow, they say:
When
we see how prone man is to erect a superstructure of belief around a theory of
his own, or that of someone else, it should cause us to re-examine our own
faith superstructure. Are we relying solely upon an understanding of the Word
of God, which has been arrived at through an unbiased and honest comparison of
Scripture with Scripture? or are we building on human theories? A true love of
truth will cause us to test every belief by the Word of God, and only faith
thus tested will enable us to stand in this evil day, and avoid being snared by
human theories. It
is really surprising how many Scriptures one can misconstrue in supporting a
theory he has adopted as his own. Take this theory of an immortal or
indestructible soul for example: to those who accept it, the quotation Jesus
cites from the writing of Moses, interpreted in the light of their theory,
becomes a, strong pillar in the superstructure of their belief that the dead
are not dead. Their preconceived idea blinds them to the real significance of
Jesus' argument in his discussion with the Sadducees. Failing to make a proper
comparison of Scripture with Scripture, this statement of Moses very easily
becomes added proof to them that the dead are in a conscious state of existence
somewhere. Then
take the statement of Jesus to Martha, recorded in John's Gospel, chapter
eleven, verse twenty-six "Whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never
die." This, we will agree, is a plain statement of fact. But in ignoring
its context in the preceding verses, their understanding is in error. Jesus
said to Martha: "Thy
brother shall rise again. Martha saith unto him, I know that he shall rise
again in the resurrection at the last day. Jesus saith unto her, I am the
resurrection and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet
shall he live. And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die." Manifestly,
Jesus is not telling Martha that there is no death, or no resurrection from the
dead; but that as the Savior of the world, he has the power to resurrect and to
give life. And when he calls the dead forth from the grave, as he definitely
promises shall be done (John 5:28, 29), then those who believe in him shall
never die. Another
statement relied upon to support the no death theory, is that of the wise man
in Ecclesiastes, chapter twelve, verse seven. At the conclusion of his poetic
description of the coming of old age, and the gradual decay of the physical
body, he says: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the
spirit shall return unto God who gave it." Often is this verse quoted at
funerals as proof that only the body dies that the soul has gone to be with
God. But here again, the words of Scripture are misconstrued, in order to
support a preconceived theory. The spirit that is said to return to God, is the
same spirit or power of life that originally came from God when he imparted the
breath of life to Adam. The same breath or spirit of life is common to all
breathing creatures (Eccl. 3:19, 20, A.R.V.), and when imparted to Adam, it
caused him to become a living soul, a sentient being. And when the body
returns to the elements from which it was created, and the spirit or breath of
life returns to God, then man is non-existent just as before his creation; and
except for the fact that his identity is kept in the memory and power of God,
to be restored in the resurrection, he would be forever non-existent. The
same wise man, in chapter nine, tells us that "The dead know not anything,
neither have they any more a reward: for the memory of them is forgotten."
We are also told in this same chapter, to make wise use of our present existent
state, "For there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wisdom in the
grave [Hebrew, sheol-state of death] whither thou goest. " - Eccl.
9:10. (To be concluded in next issue) -
John T. Read Witnesses for Jesus "Ye shall receive power,
after that the Holy Spirit is come upon you: This article, commenced in
the January-February Herald, is concluded in this issue. It is reprinted from
one published in this journal a number of years ago. Its author was Brother A. D.
Kirkwood of Scotland. - Ed. Com. PROGRAM THIS
brings us to our second point. The Book of Acts illustrates throughout the
principle that not only is the Lord in the midst of the Church, directing and controlling,
but that he is doing so according to a definite program. Our Commanderin-chief
has a precise plan of campaign, as we should expect, in spite of all the
appearances to the contrary, which sometimes are puzzling and perplexing. The
unity of spirit existing in the early Church was wonderful, but how quickly
after the Apostles fell asleep did dissension and division arise, culminating
in the great apostasy. In the Bible Student movement in these last days, how
united and happy we once were as a people, yet how soon did we have a
repetition of the history of the early Church. In the hymn, "Onward,
Christian Soldiers," we sometimes have sung,
Then
we have thought of all the different sects and parties professing to belong to
the Lord's army, and we have wondered why. Now, if there was one thing the
disciples noted in Jesus above others, it was his qualities as a leader. He was
never at a loss. Never uncertain or hesitating. He spoke with authority and
acted with authority in a way which inspired them with the utmost confidence,
and this, too, even when the course he was taking seemed to be leading to
failure. It is stimulating in the Acts to see that the Lord is still in
command; still steering the ship of his Church; entrusting the helm to no one
else. In spite of seeming failure time and again, the Church has been held to
her charted course by her Captain. As illustrated in the Book of Revelation, the
voyage has been long and dangerous; the seas tempestuous, the gales almost
continuous; dangers lurking everywhere, in cross currents, rocky coasts, and
sunken reefs. But the Church has not foundered. Thanks to her Captain she shall
be brought in safety to the heavenly Port. Soon now, we believe, the Church of
God will be safe at last, the harbor past, safe in the Father's Home. Let
us notice now some evidences from our handbook in confirmation of this second
fundamental principle that the Lord is directing and controlling according to
a definite program. This is emphasized in our basic text, Acts 1:8: "Ye
shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Samaria,
and unto the uttermost part of the earth." This program has been carried
out to the letter. Notice that it was a three-point program. To use modern
terms, we have operation No. 1, Jerusalem; operation No. 2, Judea and Samaria;
operation No. 3, the world. The Book of Acts proceeds to tell us how these
three operations were taken up in consecutive order. The first seven chapters
tell of the consolidation of the Church at Jerusalem, the headquarters. Not
till this was accomplished do we read in Acts 8:1: "And at that time there
was a great persecution against the Church which was at Jerusalem; and they
were all scattered abroad throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria,"
and went everywhere preaching the Gospel. Observe that it was not the Apostles
who took the initiative in launching operation No. 2. They did not say,
"Well, brethren, have we not been about long enough in Jerusalem? Is it
not time we were going out to Judea and Samaria?" They probably never
thought of it. But the Lord was guiding, and when operation No. 1 had been
completed, he removed his protecting hand, and the persecution came which
carried the Gospel to fulfill operation No. 2. A WORLD WITNESS PREPARED FOR AND LAUNCHED Again,
no sooner is operation No. 2, Judea and Samaria started, than the Lord began
his preparation for operation No. 3, the world witness. The persecution which
initiated the witness in Judea and Samaria was due to the activities of Saul of
Tarsus. Saul, however, had been a witness to the martyrdom of Stephen, and it
was a sight he could never forget. It prepared him for the vision on the
Damascus road recorded in chapter 9. The Lord took him in hand, and for three
years he was being prepared in the solitudes of Arabia, in readiness for
operation No. 3. Meantime operation No. 2 was under way, and as Judea and
Samaria became fully evangelized the door was opened to the Gentiles, as recorded
in chapter 10, with the admission of Cornelius into the Church. While chapter
10 tells us of the first Gentile convert, chapter 11 tells us of the first
Gentile Church. Acts 11 is one of the most important chapters in the Bible,
recording the end of nearly 1500 years of exclusive favor to natural Israel.
Note Acts 11:19 of this chapter: "Now they which were scattered abroad
upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, traveled as far as Phenice, and
Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but unto the Jews only."
Observe now the bombshell in the next verse: "And some of them were men of
Cyprus and Cyrene, which, when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the
Grecians [fullblooded Gentiles], preaching the Lord Jesus. And the hand of
the Lord was with them." Observe
here again, that the leaders of the Church in Jerusalem had nothing whatever
to do with initiating this astounding proceeding. They did not get together and
say that it was time now to go on to operation No. 3, since Judea and Samaria
had been fully evangelized. On the contrary Acts 11:22 would seem to indicate
that they were rather perturbed about the matter, probably wondering if matters were not being
carried too far. We read: "Then tidings of these things came unto the ears
of the Church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he
should go as far as Antioch." The Lord, who had initiated the launching of
operation No. 3, overruled that Barnabas should be sent up on a mission to see
what was happening. He was the very man for that service, and the one who had
befriended Saul of Tarsus when he had returned to Jerusalem from Arabia. The
next move naturally falls into line. When Barnabas saw what was happening, and
the opening up of so promising a field of service, he did not go back to
Jerusalem for assistance. He went for the man whom the Lord had been keeping in
reserve. Can we wonder who inspired him to take the step recorded in Acts
11:25-26: "Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: and when he
had found him, he brought him unto Antioch." How easily and naturally the
Lord shaped the course of the Church according to his own program. Nor
did the Lord merely initiate these three operations, leaving matters to carry
on of themselves thereafter. In Acts 16:6, 7, we are told that Paul and Silas
were forbidden of the holy spirit to preach the Word in the province of Asia,
and when they assayed to go into Bithynia, the spirit of Jesus suffered them
not. Instead, in Acts 16:9, we are told of the call from the man in Macedonia
to go into Europe. Again in Acts 18:9, 10, when Paul went to Corinth, the Lord
made known to him that he had much people in that city. How wonderful is the
supervision of the Lord over the whole field of activity. Not only is the operation
as a whole provided for, but the direction of the movements of his servants thereunder is under his control. He points to Europe when they would stay in
Asia. He allows them to go quickly from Athens, but when they come to Corinth
he says, Stay here. He does not merely know where his people are in the mass,
but where they each live. He can, in Damascus, go to the house of
a humble
follower called Ananias and direct him to a certain street and a certain house
in that city where another of his called ones is staying. In a wonderful way
the Acts illustrates the truth that "the Lord knoweth them that are
his." Undoubtedly, the Lord was himself steering the ship in those days.
Let us believe he is doing so now, not by any human channel, but by the holy spirit
operating in each believer. Each of these is, so to speak, on a private line to
the Lord and should wait upon him for directions as to how he may serve him. As
for special movements for special occasions, let us remember what some one has
well said that "revivals are not got up; they come down." The
Lord's program was an ambitious one. When he died on the cross, nothing seemed
more unlikely than that his Gospel would be witnessed to the uttermost parts of the earth. Even after his
resurrection, it was not apparent what he could do with a mere handful of
followers, especially as he announced his intention of leaving them. POWER As
we have seen, witnessing for Jesus means representing him before men by being
so far as possible a copy of him. This is impossible without the power of the
holy spirit. No effective witness can be given for Jesus unless we tarry in
his presence and receive of his power. Power represents the third line of
thought running through the chapters of the Acts, and a very prominent one it
is indeed. The importance of the day of Pentecost can hardly be
overemphasized. There the power came upon the Church, never to leave it till
its earthly ministry of witnessing is complete. What a contrast is presented
between the disciples meeting together with doors shut for fear of the Jews and
their public preaching on the day of Pentecost. No wonder that we read in 4:13
that the rulers marveled at their boldness and took knowledge of them that they
had been with Jesus. In
respect to this power, the Church follows in the Master's own footsteps. As the
faithful and true witness, the Lord tarried till the age of thirty, until he
received the power from on high at Jordan. Through the eternal spirit he
offered himself for three and a half years as a sacrifice without spot unto
God. His experience on the cross wrung from him the terrible cry, "My God,
why hast thou forsaken me?" Following in his steps, it is of the utmost
importance that we carry on our witness for him, not in the energy of the flesh,
but in the power of the spirit. This power can be received only by contact with
Christ. As with electricity, intermittent contact will mean intermittent power;
continuous contact, continuous power. The alternate heartbeats of the
spiritual life are "receive" and "respond." It is a fixed
biological law that no organism can give out more than it takes in from
without. We cannot give out in effective service more than we take in, in
effectual prayer. In the energy of the flesh, we are often too busy to tarry
until we be endued with power from on high. We are living in a day of such
nervous tension and strain that we often find it difficult to relax. But we
simply cannot receive until we relax. Let go and "let God," is the
only way to get the power for carrying on an effectual witness for Jesus. This
power is not and never has been, in short supply. Let us listen to Paul's description
of it in Ephesians 3:20: God "is able to do exceeding abundantly above
all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. PROTECTION We
come now to the fourth and last line of thought, the principle of the protection that the Lord has given his
faithful witnesses all down the Age. Notwithstanding that evil men and angels,
under the leadership of the great Adversary himself, have done their utmost to
quench the light, the gates of hell have not prevailed against Christ's Church
nor stopped their witness. Without divine protection, the witness would have
been stifled at its birth. The Book of Acts in a most striking way illustrates
how the Lord has given his army in the field all the "air cover" it
has ever required. "Behold, I send you forth," Jesus said, "as
lambs in the midst of wolves." What chance have lambs in the midst of
wolves? And yet they have survived, for greater is he that is for them than all that could be against
them. The
first illustration of the Lord's power to protect his people is given in Acts
5:17-42. It was an outstanding illustration for all time, of how easily and
completely Jesus could protect his own. The narrative tells us of how the
Gospel was making so much headway in Jerusalem that the High Priest and the
Sadducees were getting alarmed. Taking bold action they arrested all the
Apostles, the ringleaders, and put them in the common prison. It was a master
stroke, for these were the key men. They probably thought that they could do
with the Apostles what they had done with their Leader but a short time before.
Having gotten the men they wanted safely housed in prison, they called the
council together and all the senate of the children of Israel for meeting on
the following day. It was an august assembly that mustered, and many if not all
must have been reminded of a similar gathering which had met to try and to
condemn the Lord himself. What they could do to the Leader, surely they could
do to his followers. Having assembled, they sent to the prison to have the men
brought in for trial. We can picture them waiting for the prisoners to be
brought in, and at last the officers return. Can we imagine their feelings
when they listen to their report. "The prison truly found we shut with all
safety, and the keepers standing without before the doors; but when we had
opened, we found no man within." But worse news was to follow: "Then
came one and told them, saying, Behold, the men whom ye put in prison are
standing in the temple, and teaching the people." What had happened?
"The angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them
forth, and said, Go, stand and speak in the temple to the people all the words
of this life. And when they heard that, they entered into the temple early in
the morning, and taught." So wonderfully was this accomplished, that the
prison-keepers knew nothing whatever about it. The incident reminds us of the
statement in Psalm 2, when after describing how the heathen rage and the people
imagine a vain thing, we are told, "He that sitteth in the heavens shall
laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision." Can
we think of anything that would illustrate better to the Apostles and the early
Church how absolute was the Lord's power to protect his people? While
proof was given in such an emphatic way, that the Lord was able in any given
circumstance, to protect his people, it did not follow that it would be always
his will to do so. This is brought out in Acts 8:1. The time had come for the
witness to extend to Judea and Samaria, and as we saw before, the Lord
permitted the great persecution against the Church at Jerusalem which
scattered them so that they went everywhere throughout Judea and Samaria
preaching the Gospel. There was, however, one remarkable exception. They were
all scattered, "except the Apostles." The Apostles were still
required at headquarters, and so these key men who should have been the main
target of the attack, as in our previous illustration, were left severely
alone. How easily God can cause the wrath of man to praise him, and the
remainder to restrain. - Psalm 76:10. As
in the Lord's providence Jerusalem had a quiet time for the Church to grow and
develop before persecution was allowed, so was it with the work in Judea and
Samaria. In Acts 9:31 we read: "Then had the churches rest throughout all
Judea and Galilee and Samaria, and were edified; and walking in the fear of the
Lord, and in the comfort of the holy spirit, were multiplied." This same
principle of protection, is apparent in connection with the worldwide witness
as illustrated in Paul's experiences. The bridgehead for the campaign in
Europe was at Philippi, and there on the threshold of this new continental
expansion, the Lord demonstrated by the earthquake deliverance from prison,
accompanied by the conversion of the jailer and his household, how completely
he was master of the situation. Perhaps no servant of the Lord had so many
vicissitudes as the Apostle Paul, but the Lord always extended to him grace
sufficient. As we noted earlier, after a disappointing experience at Athens, he
went on to Corinth, and for his encouragement the Lord appeared to him in a vision,
assuring him of his protection: "Be not afraid, but speak, and hold not
thy peace: for I am with thee, and no man shall set on thee to hurt thee: for I
have much people in this city." - Acts 18:9, 10. As
a final illustration of the Lord's power to protect his people, we might refer
to a series of four incidents which occurred in connection with Paul's long
deferred visit to Rome. Acts 23:12 tells us of how, under the overruling
providence of the Lord, Paul's nephew was the means of foiling a plot by forty
Jews who had bound themselves under a curse that they would not eat or drink
till they had killed him. Rescued from this danger, Paul is taken a prisoner to
Caesarea Philippi, and after two years' imprisonment sails as a prisoner to
Rome. In the course of the voyage he has three narrow escapes from death. Acts
27:41 tells us of the wreck of the ship, but the Lord not only saved him but
promised him the lives of all on board. Again, the soldiers wanted to kill the
prisoners who had escaped drowning, lest they should escape from their captors,
but this the centurion, in order to save Paul, would not allow. Then in Acts
28:3, much to the amazement of the natives, Paul had a fourth narrow escape
when a viper fastened on his hand as he was gathering wood for the fire which
had been built up for the comfort of the shipwrecked men. This principle of the Lord's protection of his people so strongly emphasized in the Book of Acts has been experienced by the Church all the days, even to the end of the Age. It is brought prominently before us in Revelation in the picture of the Church in the wilderness fed for the 1260 symbolic days, and protected from the face of the dragon. This protection is absolute in respect to our spiritual interests and in respect to the purpose of God with regard to the witness of the Church. The Lord's people still are as lambs in the midst of wolves. In ourselves we are no match whatever for the forces arrayed against us in the world, the flesh, and the Devil, but greater is he that is for us than all that can be against us. Though absolute in respect to our spiritual interests, this protection, however, is only relative in respect to our temporal life. With regard to it, we are immortal only till our work is done. "Christ Our Passover"
- Rebecca Fair Doney "Even at the Doors" "What will be the sign
of
thy presence, and
of
the consummation
of
the age?" IT
HAS been well observed that "broadly speaking there are two methods of
studying the Scriptures, one, the telescopic, following the wide sweep of the
development of the purpose of God in history and prophecy. The other, the
microscopic, occupied rather with the detail of that development, and
particularly with the words in which it is expressed." The
telescopic, rather than the microscopic, has been, for the most part, the
method followed in the previous installments of this series.* In this, and in
occasional subsequent installments, which it may be our privilege to submit,
we expect to use, chiefly, the microscopic, although not to the exclusion of
the telescopic, "for indeed the two are not rivals, each is good, and one
the complement of the other." ------------------------------- *
Seven previous installments have appeared in the Herald, six in 1970 and
one in 1971. Additional copies available on request, free to Herald subscribers. PAROUSIAIn the July-August and the September-October 1970 issues of the Herald we discussed, at some length, the meaning of the Greek word parousia, noting that in every place in which it appears in the New Testament its meaning is presence. We endeavored to show that in none of its twenty-four occurrences does it mean arrival merely, but always includes what follows an arrival, namely, the presence of the individual who has arrived. As an able scholar has noted: "Always, wherever it occurs, parousia refers to a period of time more or less extended. The usual translation, coning, is misleading, because coming is more appropriate to other words, such as erchomai (Luke 12:45); eleusis (Acts 7:52); eisodos (Acts 13:23, 25); the difference being that whereas these words fix the attention on the journey to, and arrival at, a place, parousia fixes it on the stay which follows on the arrival there." - W. E. Vine Below
we submit, in question form, a few supplementary notes relating to this
important subject. Question
No. 1 Is
Christ's parousia identical with that which the Scriptures elsewhere
speak of as the Day of Christ? Answer: The
phrase Day of Christ (or variations of the phrase having similar
import) appears in six Scriptures as follows:
Note: In
the Authorized Version, the phrase Day of Christ also appears in 2
Thessalonians 2:2, but the translation there is erroneous. A preferred
translation is given in the Revised Standard Version, namely, Day of the
Lord. The New World Translation renders the phrase, Day of Jehovah. DAY OF CHRIST HAS TO DO WITH CHRISTIANS ONLY Examination
of the six passages above-listed shows that they each refer to the same period;
and that this period has to do with Christians only -- the remainder of
mankind not being under consideration in any one of the six. For
example, in 1 Corinthians 5:5, the Apostle expresses his judgment as to the
action which the church at Corinth should take in connection with a brother
Christian who had lapsed into grievous sin, and who was continuing in an
unrepentant condition. The Apostle's judgment was that the Church should
"deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the
spirit [the newly begotten nature] may be saved in the Day of the Lord Jesus." This, doubtless, is the same
"Day" to which he had referred earlier in this same Epistle; that day
in which the work of Christians will be made manifest; the day in which, if a
man's work abide, he shall receive a reward; the day in which, if any man's
work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss; but he, himself, shall be saved;
yet so as by fire. - 1 Corinthians 3:12-15. In
Philippians 1:10, another of our six "Day of Christ" Scriptures, the
Apostle exhorts the brethren at Philippi to "be sincere and without offence
till the Day of Christ." In
Philippians 1:6 he tells them that God, who has begun a good work in them,
"will perform it until the Day of Jesus Christ." Again,
in 1 Corinthians 1:8, he assures the church at Corinth of the confirming work
of God in them, so that they "may be blameless in the Day of our Lord
Jesus Christ." Looking
forward to the same time, he says, in 2 Corinthians 1:14, "we are your
rejoicing, even as ye also are our's, in the Day of the Lord Jesus." PAROUSIA AND DAY OF CHRIST
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