THE HERALD
of Christ's Kingdom
VOL.
LVIII. May/June 1975 No. 3
Table of Contents
Pentecost
"I Know That My Redeemer Liveth"
The Unity of the Spirit
God Knows Why
Israel Today
The Rebuilding
of
Zion
Notice of Annual Meeting
Entered Into Rest
"And when the day of Pentecost was
fully come then were all
with one accord in one place"-Acts 2:1
OUTSTANDING
amongst the holy days enumerated in Leviticus 23 were three, as elsewhere we
read: "Three times in the year all thy males shall appear before the Lord
thy God in the place which He shall choose; in the feast of unleavened bread,
and in the feast of weeks, and in the feast of tabernacles; and they shall not
appear before the Lord empty; every man shall give as he is able, according to
the blessing of the Lord thy God which He hath given thee." (Deut. 16:16,
17.) The same three festivals are elsewhere prescribed. (See Exod. 23:14-17;
34:18, 22, 23; Lev. 23.)
The
second of these great national festivals was that known to us by the name of
the feast of Pentecost. In the
law of Moses it is called "the feast of the harvest, the first-fruits of
thy labors"; also "the feast
of weeks"; that is, the feast celebrated the day after the completion
of seven weeks from the second day of the Passover, when the sheaf of the
first-fruits of the harvest was presented before the Lord (Lev. 23:15): in
other words, the feast occurring fifty days after the second day of the Passover.
Hence its later Hebrew name, day of fifty,
which becomes in Greek, day of the Pentecost
(Greek, "pentekoste," fifty).
- See Exod. 23:16; Lev. 23:15-21; Num. 28:26-31; Deut. 16:9-12.
The
Jews also called it "the feast of the joy of the law," as occurring,
according to their tradition, on the very day when the law was given from
Mount Sinai, the fiftieth of the Exodus, from the night of the first Passover.
It must be acknowledged, however, that this cannot be clearly made out from
the sacred record, nor is there any reference to such coincidence in the Old
Testament. God, however, honored the day in a preeminent manner by choosing it
as the time for the gift of the holy spirit, and thus for the inauguration of
the Christian dispensation. The Jewish tradition, nevertheless, does
beautifully cause the feast of Pentecost to associate the old dispensation of
the law with the new dispensation of the Gospel; the organization of the Old
Testament church under Moses with a partial ministry of the spirit, with its
reorganization under the apostles with the fullness of the holy spirit.
Waiting for the Promise
It
was on this day that we find the disciples, in the words of our text, gathered
"with one accord in one place," and thus included probably not only
the apostles but also the one hundred and twenty mentioned in Acts 1:15. Ten
days before, the apostles had witnessed the ascension of Him whom they loved.
During the forty days since His resurrection, through His various
manifestations, they had gradually realized His change from human to the
divine nature. He was raised from the dead a life-giving spirit-being (1 Cor.
15:45) and was no longer a man, of the earth, earthy. He was no longer human in
any sense or degree, but the full implications of His change were as yet unperceived
by the disciples, as we note from their question recorded in Acts 1:6. Our Lord
"commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for
the promise of the Father, which, saith He, ye have heard of Me." (Acts
1:4; Luke 24:49.) The "promise of the Father" was of the spirit, but
evidently concerning that yet unexperienced ministry of the spirit coming
"upon" them for power. With this parting instruction, the Son of God
was received from their sight, nevermore to be seen until that happy day,
"face-to-face in all His glory." For ten days they had
"continued with one accord in prayer and supplication," awaiting that
they knew not.
The Spirit's Descent
While
thus gathered, having given themselves entirely to the business of devotion,
"suddenly there came a sound from heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and
it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them
cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all
filled with the holy spirit, and began to speak with other tongues, as the
spirit gave them utterance." - Acts 2:2-4
It
burst upon them at once. Though they were waiting for the descent of the
spirit, yet it is not probable that they expected it in this manner. As this
was an important event, and one on which the welfare of the Church depended, it
was proper that the gift of the holy spirit should take place in some striking manner, one which even their
physical senses, such as sight or hearing, could attest so as to convince their
own minds that the promise was fulfilled, and so as deeply to impress others
with the greatness and importance of the event. The sound appeared to rush down
from the sky. It was fitted, therefore, to attract their attention no less from
the direction from which it came than on account of its suddenness and
violence. Wind in the sacred Scriptures is often put as an emblem of a divine
influence. It is invisible, yet mighty. In this place the sound as -of a gale
was emblematic of the mighty power of the spirit, and of the great effects
which its coming would accomplish among men. It does not appear that there was
any actual wind; all might have been still; but the sudden sound was like such a sweeping tempest. It was
the sound, and not the wind, that filled the house. And it is
this which makes the miracle really far more striking than the common
supposition makes it to have been. A tempest might have been terrific. A mighty
wind might have alarmed them. But there would have been nothing unusual or
remarkable in it. Such things often occurred; and the thoughts would have been
directed, of course, to the storm as an ordinary, though perhaps alarming occurrence.
But when all was still, when there was no storm, no wind, no rain, no thunder,
such a rushing sound must have arrested their attention, and directed all
minds to so unusual and unaccountable an occurrence.
Possiblt
the "cloven tongues like as of fire" were first seen by them in the
room before they rested on the heads of the disciples. Perhaps the fire appeared
at first as scintillations of flame, of slender and pointed appearance, moving
irregularly around the room until it became fixed on their heads. The word
"tongue" occurs often in the Scriptures to denote the member which is
the instrument of taste and speech, and also to denote language or speech
itself. The common opinion is that these tongues, or flames, were, each -one of
them, split, or forked, or cloven. But this is not the sense of the expression.
It means that they were separated or divided one from another; not one great
flame, but broken up, or cloven into many parts; and probably moving without
order in the room. lithe Syriac it is: "And there appeared unto them
tongues which divided themselves, like fire, and sat upon each of them."
The old Ethiopic version reads it: "And fire, as it were, appeared to
them, and sat on them." The fire, in the form of a gentle flame, rested
upon the head of each one. This evinced that the prodigy was directed to them, and was a very significant emblem
of the promised descent of the holy spirit. After the rushing sound, and the
appearance of the flames, they could not doubt that here was some remarkable
interposition of God. The appearance of fire, or flame, has always been
regarded as a most striking emblem of the Divinity, and was thus used on
several occasions, as recorded in the Old Testament. And now to the disciples,
the tongues would be emblematic of: first, God's presence and power; and
second, of the diversity of languages which they were about to be able to
speak.
"They Were Filled with the Holy Spirit"
To
be filled with any thing is a phrase denoting that all the faculties are
pervaded by it, engaged in it, or under its influence. Acts 3:10, "were
filled with wonder and amazement"; Acts 5:17, "filled with
indignation"; Acts 13:45, "'filled with envy"; verse 52,
"filled with joy and the holy spirit." The disciples were entirely
under the sacred influence of the power of God, which revealed itself in the
miraculous ability to speak languages which they had not before learned. No
such outpouring of the divine spirit had ever occurred before as respects the
children of Adam. Indeed, no such new 'begetting on God's part was possible
until first the sin-offering had been made and accepted. The phenomenon itself
witnessed the acceptance of the merit of the great antitypical High Priest, who
ten clays before had ascended into the antitypical Most Holy. (See Heb. 9:24.)
It is probable that this great work is referred to in Revelation 8:1-5.
This
outpouring of the holy spiirt on the waiting Church had been preceded by its
descent upon our Lord at the time of His consecration at baptism in Jordan. He
there received the holy spirit in the same sense. Fifty days prior to
Pentecost, the resurrection of Jesus, which revealed His acceptableness to
God, occurred on the same day as the offering of the barley sheaf of
firstfruits,
which typified Christ our Lord, as "the firstfruits of them that
slept." (1 Cor. 15:20.) And now at Pentecost, God manifests His acceptance
of the Church, the body of Christ, by this remarkable manifestation of divine
approval, by the outpouring of His holy spirit upon the waiting disciples who
represented the Church collectively. And this on this very day that the two
wave-loaves were offered in the temple, picturing the presenting of the Church
before God, "a kind of first-fruits of His creatures" (James 1:18),
and its acceptance through the merit of the great High Priest.
Various Manifestations of the Spirit
God's
holy spirit had indeed been manifested in various ways previously, but all of
them differed from this manifestation. For instance, it was the holy power of
God which moved upon the waters in connection with the world's creation. (Gen.
1:2.) Again, as the Apostle Peter declares, "holy men of old spoke and
wrote as they were moved by the holy spirit"; mechanically. (2 Pet. 1:21.)
He further explains that what they spoke and wrote they did not comprehend,
because their utterances and writings were not for themselves but for us of the
Gospel Age. We are, therefore, to recognize the fact that the
spirit-dispensation had its beginning in Jesus, when He was thirty years of
age; but so far as others were concerned, its beginning was in the sanctified
ones at Pentecost, as recorded in this lesson. Neither are we to think that
this Pentecostal outpouring requires a repetition, for the holy spirit thus
once poured upon the Church was to abide, to continue, with the Church, not to
be withdrawn and poured out afresh repeatedly. A collective anointing was here
indicated, and its authority extends to the last called one of this Gospel Age
even "like precious ointment upon the head, that ran down upon the beard,
even Aaron's beard; that went down to the skirts of his garments." - Psa.
133:2.
It
was appropriate, that the giving of the holy spirit should be with a certain
outward demonstration and manifestation; not merely to impress and convince the
apostles and the early Church, but also for the benefit of those who should
subsequently come into relationship with the Church. Faith must have a ground
to rest upon, an assurance that there was at the beginning such a direct
recognition of the Savior's sacrifice and of the divine acceptance of the
consecrated ones who trusted in Him. The reality and certainty of this miracle
of tongues is strongly attested by the early triumphs of the Gospel. That the
Gospel was early spread over all the world, and that, too, by the apostles of
Jesus Christ, by men of Galilee, is the clear testimony of history. They
preached it in Arabia, Greece, Syria, Asia, Persia, Africa, and Rome. Yet how
could this have been affected without a miraculous power of speaking the
languages used in all those places? It requires the toil of many years to speak
in foreign languages; and the recorded success of the Gospel is one of the most
striking attestations to the fact of the miracle that could be conceived.
Under
the influence of this remarkable power from God, we find Peter, who in fear had
denied his Master, now powerfully moved, in the very city of Christ's
crucifixion and in the presence of his enemies, to boldly proclaim the Word of
truth. Here it was that he used one of the two "keys" entrusted to
him (the second at Cornelius' conversion, three and one-half years later, the
first of Gentile believers) and moved thousands to acknowledge Christ. And ever
since, from its "birthday" at Pentecost, the true Church hay continued
to manifest God's power and glory. Some have concluded that there were times
when the holy spirit was not in the world at all, but this was because they
were looking for it in a wrong direction or under wrong conditions.
Fruits Superior to Gifts
The
fact that the holy spirit upon the disciples was accompanied by miraculous manifestations
or gifts, tongues, etc., does not imply any greater favor of God toward the
primitive Church, which had those gifts, than toward the Lord's people of a
later day, after those gifts had ceased; for, as the apostle points out, it was
possible for some to have those gifts without having much of the real spirit of
the Lord. He says, "Though I speak with the tongues 'of men and of angels,
and have not love, I am become as sounding brass or a tinkling cymbal. Though I
have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge; and
though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I
am nothing." (1 Cor. 13:1, 2.)
We are, therefore, to esteem love for the Lord and for the brethren and for the
neighbor-active love, which does, as well as wishes and says-to be the best
evidence of an acceptable condition with the, Lord, the best evidence of a
filling with His holy spirit, a far
better evidence than the possession, of the "gifts" described. Far greater, far
more precious gifts of the spirit. then, are the gifts which the spirit develops
in us -- the fruits of the spirit -- joy, peace, faith, love, etc.
Jesus
has ascended to His Father, but this other "paraklete" (comforter)
has come to dwell in His people forever. The holy spirit's work is threefold.
First, with reference to Christ's immediate disciples, it was the revealer-Jesus had instructed and
opened truth to their minds, but their minds were weak, their memories
treacherous. The holy spirit comes to bring to mind Jesus' works, to strengthen
memory, to fill them with the, truth thus spoken in all its vividness and
power, and open the true meaning of what was obscure and dark. Nor is this all.
There were many things Jesus had for them, which they could not bear, were not
able to receive, before His departure. These the spirit should make known to
them; these things to come it should unfold to them. This promise is the
foundation on which; the, whole New Testament rests as the inspired truth of
God. They spoke, they wrote the things pertaining to Christ and His Kingdom, as
they were moved by the holy spirit.
The
second office is that of the convictor
and regenerator. It is to convince the world of sin, of righteousness, of
judgment; and as it convinces and convicts, it is to renew and lead them to
Jesus. On the day of Pentecost this power was demonstrated; thousands were
pricked in their, hearts: thousands believed in Jesus. Ever since, its presence
has been revealed in conviction and conversion. Religion advances; Jesus is
received; the Gospel is victorious only as the holy spirit brings the truth
home to the hearts of men. And this tremendous power will be recognized in the
glorious time near at hand when God shall pour out His spirit upon all flesh,
in the times of restitution long promised.
The
third office is that of quickener,
guide, and comforter. To the soul penitent and believing, this blessed
spirit comes and quickens it to see and feel the fullness, and richness, and
power of the truth as it is in Jesus; stimulates it to sacrifice and labor;
excites to prayer; strengthens against temptation; supports and comforts amid
.trial, sorrow, and death. Jesus sends this divine spirit, in fulfillment of
His promise to work in His Church and thus completes the cycle of redemption.
"Our
blest Redeemer, ere He breathed
His
tender last farewell,
A
Guide, a Comforter bequeathed
With
us to dwell.
"And
every virtue we possess,
And
every victory won,
And
every thought of holiness
Are His alone."
- W.
J. Siekman
(Continued from last issue)
"I know that my Redeemer liveth, ... whom I shall
see for myself,
and mine eyes shall behold, and not another." - Job
19:25-27.
IN OUR previous study of this
affirmation of job the effort was made to show the desirability of reaching
this assured testimony in the matter of our own relation to the Lord. To this
end attention was given to the fact that our risen Savior in giving those
"many infallible proofs" of his resurrection to his immediate
disciples, was at the same time furnishing us with
indubitable proof on which we too could say with confidence, "I know that
my Redeemer liveth." In his manifestations to Mary in the quietness of the
garden alone, and to Peter in some unnamed place apart, we saw how in like
manner, though invisible, Jesus still comes to us speaking words by which we
may certainly know he lives, and loves, and cares for us also.
We propose now to follow on
in the same way in considering others of these post-resurrection appearances,
taking them in the order in which they seem to have taken place. In each of
these we shall find unquestionable proof that our Redeemer lives, and
that he is fulfilling to each one of us the selfsame promise, "I will
love him, and will manifest myself to him" (John 14:21). Just
because he is the "same Jesus" yesterday, and today, and forever, we
too may share with those "chosen eyewitnesses" of long ago the
evidences whereby every doubt may be shattered, and every responsive fiber of
our being greatly quickened with hope, enabling us also to return to our appointed
tasks "with great joy," even as it is said of those favored ones who
saw their Savior, and ours, ascend from them at Bethany. - Luke 24:50-53.
Two disciples, one unnamed,
are the next to be favored with an experience whereby they can affirm with
assurance that their Redeemer lives again.
HEARTS BURN AS HE EXPOUNDED SCRIPTURES
CONCERNING HIMSELF
The story of the evening walk
to Emmaus is full of lessons of which our hearts should never tire. The name of
only one of these two disciples is given us. Why not the other? Is the
omission of the other's name in any way suggestive that we may think of that
one as ourself? Are the identification marks not clear enough to most of us for
thinking of ourselves as needing and receiving some similar corrections because
so slow to learn all that the Scriptures should teach us. Let us note a few of
these. But first let us note that these two brethren were occupied with a theme
well calculated to bring Jesus to them. It was because they were absorbed in
the strange nature of his death, and so perplexed with regard to its
significance that such words as these could be written concerning them:
"Jesus Himself drew near, and went with them." No occupation
of mind will ever bring the Savior so near to one's spirit as that which has to
do with the meaning to oneself of his death. And no one can make the meaning of
that sacrifice so clear, so heart-satisfying and precious as he, who,
"beginning at Moses and all the Prophets, expounded to them in all the
Scriptures the things concerning himself."
How like Jesus it was to come
to these two discouraged followers on the very day of his triumph over death.
To him it was a delight to walk with them on that Sabbath day journey, and by
revealing himself to them, cause their hearts to burn with his unfolding of
Scripture, and revive their hope by the simple but significant act of breaking
bread with them. Out of similar experiences of shattered hopes and unexpected
trials, how many of us have been led to know "what a Friend we have in
Jesus." When through fiery trials our pathway has lain, what encouragement
has come to us as we have heard him say, "It is I; be not afraid."
When made to feel the loneliness of the way, when none seem able to understand
us, have we not known Jesus to draw near and go with us, and in recollecting
his own lonely hours of earthly life we are given fresh courage, and led to
find in him and his words a satisfying heart's-ease. Have we not found
it true, as a writer of note has said:
It was in the
character, not of reproof, but of a sympathizing friend that he spoke to these
disciples, so let me think of him as ready to sympathize with and comfort me,
when I walk sad. It often does my sore heart no good to tell its sorrow to any
earthly friend. To talk over all the incidents, all the hopes, all the
disappointments, all the 'might-have-beens' connected with it, only deepens the
gloom. I need a
wiser friend than any just like myself can
be, a friend who understands what perplexes me, a friend who himself sees and
can show me 'the bright light that is within the cloud,' a friend who has not
merely the love to sympathize with me, but the power to help. Just such a
friend is this great Christ, who sometimes seems a stranger, but, coming to me
and chasing my gloom away, reveals himself as the very Lord who said, 'Ye shall
weep and lament while the world rejoices, but I will see you again, and your
sorrow shall be turned into joy!'
"It is just his love to
me that brings him to my side. He comes unrecognized at first; for to me, as to
these sorrowing ones, he wears 'another form' than that in which I have known
him before. My eyes, like theirs, sealed with grief, are so 'holden' that I cannot recognize
him in this new form to be the same as ever. He walks beside me, and talks with
me, and makes my heart 'burn within me,' and yet, for a time, there is no
'lifting up,' till, in a moment, somehow, the scales fall from my eyes; I know
him; and ere he goes, he leaves with me his own deep, wonderful, satisfying,
and unending peace. I am sure many of my darkest hours have been the birthplace
of my highest songs. It is often just when the water in my bottle was
completely spent, and, Hagar-like, I felt that I could only lay myself down to
die, that my eyes were opened to see the flowing spring that had been close,
beside me all the time, although I knew it not. When I go mourning without the
sun, a few words from the risen Lord can easily put everything right; but I
often need the darkness in order to appreciate the light."
And
then it is that like one whose ears have heard the joyful sound, our hearts
exclaim, "I know that my Redeemer liveth."
HE LIVES TO BRING HIS PEACE INTO OUR HEARTS
The
next appearance of Jesus seems to have been in the upper room where most of the
eleven were gathered behind locked doors. How significant his first words to
them, "Peace be unto you." He had not said these words to the women
whom he met at the grave. They had not deserted him in his hour of trial and
crucifixion and therefore needed no word suggestive of forgiveness for
unfaithfulness to him. But how different it was with most of those he found
gathered in that upper room. Yet there was no rebuke, nothing to call to mind
their shameful desertion, not even a suggestive pause as he appeared in their
midst, but "Peace be unto you," immediately spoken. He had only his
loving interest in them to speak. God had "brought again from the dead
that great Shepherd of the sheep," and the first thing he did was to
comfort his flock with his word of peace.
What
a wealth of meaning, of comfort and strength, is bound up in this promise of
Jesus, "These things have I spoken unto you, that in me ye might
have peace" (John 16:33). In bequeathing his peace to us Jesus
surely meant this legacy to be one of our best witnesses of his abiding
presence with us, and those who enjoy it can testify nut of a personal
experience, "In thy presence is fullness of joy; at thy right hand there are
pleasures for evermore" (Psa. 16:11). What peace we may enjoy when we take
him at his word. But with us, as with those disciples in the upper room, there
is often a need that he should say to us -- yes, even after his word of peace
has been spoken in our ears -- "Why are ye troubled? and why do
thoughts arise in your hearts?" Why are we so slow to take him at his
word?
"How
often has he said to trembling and dispirited ones just what he said in the
upper room, 'Why are ye troubled? and why do thoughts arise in your
hearts?' All down the age his voice has been heard speaking peace, and
his presence bestowing it. Have I not myself had experiences of his
grace I cannot dispute, experiences I would not part with for a thousand
worlds? I recognize his words of old in the very tone in which he has spoken to
my own heart many a time. To me the Christ of history and the Christ of
experience are one -- 'that same Jesus'; and I see that instead of its being
difficult for me to trust this Christ whom I have never seen, because his earthly
life now lies so far back in the past, it is becoming every day easier to do
it. He stands before me now in a glory he never had before, a Savior whose
grace has been tested and experienced." Therefore, "I know that
my Redeemer liveth."
"MY LORD, AND MY
GOD"
Again
we come to the same upper room. Thomas, not being present when Jesus appeared
here before, and having declared the only condition on which he could believe
that Jesus was alive again, is now to have the proof he had demanded. There is
no need for believing that Thomas critically tested the evidence he had asked
for, but rather that he spontaneously exclaimed, "My Lord, and my
God." All his doubts had vanished now, and he is satisfied that the
"same Jesus" is alive for evermore. In thinking of Thomas demanding
this evidence before he could believe, we have become accustomed to speak of
him as the "doubting Thomas," and to think of him only in that
manner. But from another viewpoint his insisting on seeing the evidence by which
he could know that the crucified Jesus was risen again, has much in it
that we may well consider. What he beheld drew from, him a statement which
embodied both assurance and complete dedication. "My Lord, and my
God." And "this same Jesus" who "once to loving doubt
showed hands, and feet, and riven side," and thereby gave permanence to a
disciple's faith, continues to do the same today. And in what way can he more
effectively produce in our hearts an abiding faith in his being our personal,
living Redeemer, than by opening our vision to see him crucified for us?
What vision will cause us to cry, "O Lamb of God, my sacrifice,"
like a clear, unclouded view of the wounds he bore for us? We turn to the
Gospels and read the story of the buffeting and the mocking, of his
long-lingering agonies on the cross; or perchance we turn to something like
Dean Farrar's Life of Christ, and with tears reread a vivid account of
the horrors of his death by crucifixion, and from our deepest powers of
response we say, "He bore, he bore it all for me!" "My Lord,
and my God!" The tie by which we are bound to him never seems
stronger than when we meditate on the fact that "He bore our sins in his
own body on the tree." That sacrifice is the answer to all our doubts
concerning his acceptance of us, and we cling to him in the assurance that
"If
I ask him to receive me,
Will
he say me nay?
Not
till earth and not till heaven
Pass
away!"
Let
us, then, be not faithless but believing. "If while we were yet sinners
Christ died for us," now that we have been accepted in the Beloved One,
and he stands in God's presence for us, is it not ours to rejoice in a love
that will not let us go? Only let ours be the complete assurance and
dedication so well expressed in the words of Thomas, and our testimony will
then be one of blessed conviction, "I know that my Redeemer
liveth."
HE CARETH FOR ALL HIS OWN
Our
next appearance is a seashore morning meal prepared by the hand of Jesus. His
disciples had been toiling all night without results. How very often in after
days, indeed, how often through all the days of the Church's toiling, it has
seemed as though they had "caught nothing." Times innumerable it has
seemed an utterly fruitless toiling, or one of very meager results. But perhaps
when many a weary toiler has reached "the shining shore," a watching
Savior will astonish him with a far greater measure of success than was ever
dreamed of. Meanwhile, this appearance on the seashore has its encouraging
lesson for us. In it we may find other proofs that ours is indeed a living
Savior, One whose constant care is always assured us. Had he not taught these
men that the God who cared for the sparrow, would likewise care for them? In
how many ways he had illustrated his intimate care for all their needs, and
given them. his word of promise that they would never be forsaken. And now he
comes to them in a time of their need, filling their net to gladden their
spirits, and inviting them to a prepared feast with his gracious, "Come
and dine."
Having
promised that he would come to us and manifest himself to
us, can we not say of a truth, "And so we walk together, my Lord and
I"? Surely one of the lessons he wanted to teach in this seashore
appearance is that he cares for us in all that concerns us. "His loving
thoughtfulness shows him to be my brotherly Christ, who is deeply interested in
the common business of my life, and who sits down beside me as I eat what his
own bounty has provided, and what his presence sanctifies and cheers. That fire
on the coals and that abundant haul must have seemed to these disciples to say--and
they say
it to me--'With Me to care for you,
you will never want: be sure henceforth, that when you go forth to serve me, I
will look after the supplies.' His interposition often comes just when human
effort has completely failed. Indeed, he lets the failure become absolutely disheartening,
on very purpose to prepare the way for manifesting his power. His ways of grace
have the same inscription as his ways in Providence, 'past finding out.'"
Have
we thus learned to know Jesus? Can we not by looking back over the years of his
faithfulness bear testimony to this peculiar personal care and guidance? Then
once again it is our blessed privilege to affirm, "I know that my Redeemer
liveth."
FAITH CHANGED TO SIGHT
The
last manifestation of the risen Jesus to be witnessed by his disciples is more
fully reported by Luke than by the other Gospel writers. Both in his Gospel
narrative and in the first chapter of Acts,
Luke has given
us some details we may well prize very highly. And Luke is the one who
preserved these heart-cheering words for us, "This same Jesus, which
is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen
him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). Jesus left his beloved followers looking
"steadfastly toward heaven" as he departed from them, and he it is
who has told us that he wishes to find us with the upward look in the day of
his return. Speaking of the things we see about us today, he said, "When
these things begin to come to pass, then look up, and lift up your heads; for your redemption draweth nigh"
(Luke 21:28). This was no intimation that his waiting ones would be looking up
into the sky overhead, but rather that theirs would be the spirit of abounding
joy as the evidences of their near deliverance increased. And everywhere in
Scripture this attitude of heart is urged as being, the only consistent
reaction in keeping with a prospect so glorious. If early disciples returned
from the mount of ascension "with great joy" to take up their
appointed tasks, that of carrying the message of salvation into all the world,
what an overflow of joy should characterize us today, when all the evidence
provided us in prophetic fulfillments seems to clearly show that soon, yes,
very soon, "Reapers and sowers will together come" in the glad
Harvest Home above.
We
remember that Jesus told those early disciples that if they properly understood
the reason why he should leave them, they would rejoice. They would be glad
over the coming of the Spirit and the work it would do in preparing them for
the place he said he went back to God to prepare for them. Are we then failing
to rejoice consistently? Is there anything in our vision obscuring in some
measure the joy-producing reactions we should be experiencing today? With what
earnestness and devotion we should in all of our deportment be "looking
for and hastening unto the coming of the
Lord," even as the Apostle admonishes us, "Looking for that blessed
hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus
Christ." "How can I keep the longing back" should be our
habitual attitude and spirit in times like these. Holding such a hope,
consistently held and encouraged by the very signs Jesus urged us to note,
should be doing a marked work of purification in each expectant heart. Thus
will God's spirit witness with our spirit a blessed assurance that when the
silver cord of present life shall break, we shall then see face to face our
blessed Lord, "in whom, though now we see him not, yet believing, we rejoice
with joy unspeakable and full of glory." Blessed possibility, since it is ours to say, "I know that my Redeemer liveth, ... whom I shall see
for myself, and mine eyes shall behold, and not another."
-
J. J. Blackburn
"Neither pray I for
these alone, but for them also which shall believe on me
through their word, that they may be one." - John 17:20, 21.
THE prayer of Jesus for the unity of the church,
has, to all outward appearances, never been answered; for the Church visible,
which is 'the Church nominal, has seen within herself much contention and
strife from its inception at Pentecost. Even as he uttered this prayer for
oneness, Jesus was aware of the perils confronting his true disciples
throughout the age; for he had cautioned against false prophets, false
brethren, false professors, when he said "Not every one that saith Lord,
Lord And again, "I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves"
(Matt. 10:16; Matt. 7:1523). Just minutes before voicing this petition for
unity Jesus had warned that "the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you
will think that he doeth God service" (John 16:2). Thus was foreknown and
revealed to the Apostles that the visible, professing Church would never know
true unity in this age, as we read in Ephesians 4:1-3: "Walk worthy of the
vocation wherewith you are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with
longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; endeavoring to keep the unity of
the Spirit in the bonds of peace." As if to say that difficulty would be
met in the effort to comply with this exhortation.
The
tendency of the professing Church to line up under the headship of some leader,
or some particular doctrines in the name of orthodoxy, was early manifested:
"I am of Paul; I am of Apollos; I am of Cephas; I am of Christ"; thus
creating sects, distinguished one from another by names, creeds, and
emphasis placed upon some one or more scriptural teaching. We deplore this
tendency of the past, but it still goes on.
The
true unity of the Spirit as listed by Paul in Ephesians 4:1-6 is this: There is
(a) one body, (b) one spirit, (c) one hope of our calling, (d) one Lord, (e)
one faith, (f) one baptism, (g) one God and Father. This seems simple enough,
and that to which we all give assent. But even though simple, we should not
pass lightly over these several essentials of unity; rather we should give each
one some careful consideration, having in mind the words of Jesus, "Who hath ears to hear, let him
hear" (Matt. 13:9, and that so often repeated admonition, "He that
hath an ear to hear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches." -
Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22.
(a) One
Body
The
Gospel contains many mysteries which are made known to the initiated, but not
understood by the world in general. One is "the mystery of Christ,"
"the unsearchable riches of Christ," "that secret which has
been concealed from the ages, by that God who created all things"
(Diaglott translation); that "as the body is one, and bath many members,
and all members of that one body being many, are one body: so also is
Christ" (1 Cor. 12:12; Rom. 12:5). This is the mystery given to the
Apostle Paul to unfold (Eph. 3:18). It is
from the
standpoint of this great secret that Paul wrote his several epistles which must
be kept in mind when we read and meditate upon his writings. This, also, should
be our underlying thought as we fellowship one with another: that God is taking
out of both Jew and Gentile "to make in Christ one new man." For,
"if any one be in Christ, he is a new creation" (2 Cor. 5:17), a
body member of the new man -- Christ. In 1 Corinthians 10:32, the Apostle distinctly
marks off this new creation as being a separate entity when he writes,
"Give none offence, neither to the Jew, nor to the Gentile, nor to the
church of God." Only those who firmly "hold the Head" are
members of that mystical body (Col. 2:18, 19), for the Apostle writes of some
"not holding the Head, from which all the body by joints and bands having
nourishment ministered, and knit together, increaseth with the increase of
God."
How
great is the tendency to slip into holding fast to something other than Christ,
our Head. This is seen in the letter to the church at Ephesus (Rev. 2:1-7). The
believers at Ephesus were characterized by their orthodoxy and their zeal. They
are commended for their works and orthodoxy; but, alas, they had allowed these
to usurp the place of Christ in their assembly, so that the rebuke was voiced,
"I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love." Some have twisted this to mean that they had left their first zeal;
but, ah, they were zealous, they had borne whatever of afflictions had come
upon them; they had labored without becoming wearied and fainting, but with all
that they were a fallen church! They were not "holding the Head";
they had left their first love [agape]. They were in love with their orthodoxy,
in love with their zeal. How true the words of Jesus, "Many will say to me
in that day, Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name
have cast out demons? and in thy name done many wonderful works?" On every
hand we hear this, the calling attention to the activities of one's group, the
claim that "we have the Bible only as our creed [but how diverse are the
creeds], and surely the blessing of the Lord is with us as is evidenced by the
success of our undertakings!" Always
calling attention to themselves, but not unfolding the things of Christ, their
proper calling. John 16:7-15.
(b) One Spirit.
These,
the body members, are united in the one spirit, variously defined as the spirit
of Christ, the spirit of love, of truth, of holiness, of power, of sonship, of
understanding, the spirit of God, etc. An invisible power animates and
enlightens these as one. As the natural body responds to the instructions and
will of the natural mind, so do these members of the mystical body of Christ
respond to the instructions and will of their Head. Thus the Apostle writes,
"Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus." And what
was the mind of Christ Jesus? Of his consecration it was written of him in
relation to God, "Lo, I come: in the volume of the book it is written of
me, I delight to do thy will, O my God: yea, thy law is in my heart." -
Psalm 40:6-9.
Jesus'
life of devotion was always according to what was written; he refrained
entirely from exercising his own will. "I can of mine own self do nothing
... I seek not mine own will, but the will of the Father which hath sent
me" (John 5:30). So with the prospective members of the Christ body; these
-- though "children of wrath, even as others" when once they
"walked according to the prince of the power of the air ... fulfilling the
desires of the flesh and of the mind" -- these, receiving the
"redemption which is in Christ Jesus," are now being
"transformed by the renewing of the mind," and are proving (putting
to the test) "what is that good, and acceptable,
and perfect will of God" (Rom. 12:1, 2). These, each individually
subordinate in loving obedience to the will of God, are united in the oneness
of spirit, the mind of Christ the Head, who delighted to do the will of God. -
Psalm 40:8; 1 Cor. 2:16.
(c) One Hope
Hope
has been defined as a complex emotion, a desire for something with every
expectation of receiving it. The hope set before the church is based upon the
immutable promise and oath of God, that he would raise up a seed to Abraham in
which all the families of the earth would be blessed (Gen. 22:16, 17; Heb. 6:13-19).
Here we make a distinction between the hope for a Millennial kingdom, and the
hope of the Church. This is touched upon in Romans where we read, "The
expectation of creation waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of
God"; but of the sons of God, the Apostle writes, "We groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of the body." - Romans
8:18-25.
It
is an evidence of a lack of spiritual discernment when some enlightened by the
knowledge of the truth of God's plan of the ages, speak of their longing for
the kingdom to be established, when they will be united with their loved ones,
with no more pain, sorrow, or death, and when they will partake of its
blessings of life and peace (Rev. 21:1-5). The kingdom surely will come, with
Jerusalem as the regal city from which center will flow the blessings promised
(Isa. 2:2-4; Mic. 4:1-4). But this is a Jewish hope, not, a Christian one. Our
hope is to be partakers of eternal life (Tit. 1:1, 2; 3:7). As John also
writes, "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it does not yet appear
what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall appear, we shall be like him;
for we shall see him as he is. And every one having this hope in him
purifieth himself, even as he is pure" (1 John 3:1, 2). This is a special
hope and is applicable only to those of the faith of Abraham. Galatians 3:6-9,
26; "If ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed and heirs, according
to the promise." This hope is called by Peter a "living hope" to
those who have been "begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but of
incorruptible by the word of God, which liveth and abideth forever." - 1
Peter 1:3-5, 22-25.
(d) One Lord
The
Greek word "kurios," translated Lord, has the significance of one of
supreme authority. We all recognize that Jesus is Lord; do we not often speak
of him as the Lord Jesus? But what, then, does Paul mean when he writes,
"No man can say that Jesus is Lord, but by the holy spirit" (1 Cor.
12:3). He surely does not infer that no one can pronounce the words, but he
does mean that only those who have been begotten again to a new life can
acknowledge Jesus as Lord of that life.
Now
a Lord is he to whom one owes allegiance, fealty, submission, obedience, and
honor. And Jesus is Lord by right of purchase--the ransom and atoning sacrifice;
"for to this end Christ both died, and rose, and revived, that he might be
Lord both of the dead and living" (Rom. 14:9). How often it has been,
though, that some strong minded individual has brought the assembly into subjection
to himself by imposing on them his particular
theology, his personality, his program of works. Diotrephes is an example of
one "who loveth to have the preeminence ... " (3 John 9, 10). Others
by subtle claims of being special representatives of Christ, deceived many.
This was foretold by Jesus when he warned, "For many shall come in my
name saying I am the anointed" (that is, I am anointed as a special
representative of Christ) (Mark 13:6; Luke 21:8; Matt. 24:5; Acts 20:29, 30; 2
Pet. 2:1-3). Jesus warned, "Beware of false prophets." Even in this
day of so much enlightenment there are those who
assume authority over others, setting forth what is to be believed, and what
works are to be engaged in. But as a wife's first loyalty and submission is to
her husband, so the Church's first loyalty and obedience is to Christ, her
Lord.
(e) One Faith
Faith,
such a simple word, and yet so greatly misunderstood. For instance, in making
appeals for charitable donations for worthy causes, the expression is used, "give
through your faith," meaning donate through the church organization with
which one is affiliated. Faith, in this instance, is just another name for
creedal fellowship, whether it be Catholic, Baptist, Lutheran, or other. But
the scriptural definition of faith is: "the substance of things hoped for,
the evidence of things not seen" (Heb. 11:1). A portion of a footnote on
Hebrews 11:3 (Diaglott) elucidates this: "Faith being defined in verse
one as a 'basis of things hoped for, and a conviction of things unseen,' must
necessarily have a connection with God's word of promise to be fulfilled at
some future period of time, and therefore precludes the idea contained in
verse 3 of the Common Version, that the Apostle was referring to the past
creation of the worlds, or the material universe. To understand the works of
creation does not belong to faith. Faith in this place refers to what was to
be developed in the future aioones (ages), in conformity to God's
promises, and is amply illustrated in the remaining portion of the
chapter."
With
this explanation in mind, we consider the simple faith (belief) of the early
church: the glad tidings ... through which you are being saved ... For I
delivered unto you among the chief things, what also I received, that Christ
died on behalf of our sins according to the scriptures; and that he was
buried; and that he was raised the third day according to the
scriptures." Following this Paul lists several occasions when Jesus
was seen after the resurrection. The emphasis is on the fact that this was all
in fulfillment of scriptures. On the testimony of these witnesses our faith is
grounded. These testified not from out of themselves; they were witnesses of
and for Jesus, the spirit thus doing its appointed work. - John 16:13, 14; 2 Cor. 11:4; 1 Cor. 15:1-8.
We
call attention to the method of Jesus on the occasion of his walking with the
two on the way to Emmaus. Engaging the disciples in conversation, Jesus opened
up to their minds that the consistent testimony of scripture was that it was
necessary for the Messiah to suffer, and to enter into his glory (Luke
24:25-27); that all they knew about him, his life, his sufferings, his
resurrection, was all "according to the scriptures." This was, also,
the method of Paul in presenting the Gospel, as we read in Acts 17:1-3
(Diaglott): "Paul, according to his custom, went into the Synagogue, and
on three Sabbaths reasoned with them from the Scriptures, opening and
setting forth that the Messiah ought to suffer and to rise from the dead."
Then, after having carefully shown the Scripture testimony concerning the
Messiah, he clinched his presentation with the fact that all this was fulfilled
in the person and career of Jesus: therefore that Jesus is the Messiah. This
was the simple faith of the early Apostolic preaching. Although it was given
to the Apostles to enlarge on these simple truths, yet it ever is the basis of
faith to anyone drawing near to God (John 14:6). As we grow in grace and
understanding, it is upon this simple Gospel that we depend, no matter how theological
we may become. Any teaching that develops other themes is no gospel at all. -
Gal. 1:6-9, Acts 4:12.
(f) One Baptism
There
are several baptisms mentioned in the Scriptures: (1) "Baptism with the
holy spirit and with fire" (Matt. 3:11). (2) "... baptism for the
remission of sins" (Mark 1:4). (3) "... baptized unto Moses in the
cloud and in the sea" (1 Cor. 10:2). (4) "I have a baptism to be
baptized with ... " (Luke 12:50). In Ephesians 4:4 the Apostle, enlarging
upon the unity of the spirit, says there is one baptism in this unity; so we
ask, What is this baptism that is common to all members of the body of Christ?
The
word baptize is a generic word, a general term. A generic word, for example,
might be "eat," which of itself does not specify what is eaten, nor
who eats, nor what, when, or how. So, also, baptism needs to be related to who
is baptized, the mode of baptism, and the purpose of the baptism. In Romans
6:1-6, the Apostle writes, "Know you not, that so many of us as were
baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his death? Therefore we are buried
with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the
dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life
... Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of sin
might be destroyed," that is, rendered powerless.
"Buried
with him by baptism into death": a burial always implies a death, and what
is buried is that which has died. In Romans 6:6 it is our "old man";
and the "old man" is the aggregate of the sinful lusts of the Adamic
nature. In Scripture, baptism is never referred to as dying only, but as dying
to one thing and rising to another. Colossians 2:12: "Buried with him in
baptism, wherein also you are risen with him through the faith of the operation
of God, who has raised him [Jesus] from the dead." The "old man"
is crucified with Christ, buried with Christ, but the "old man" is
not risen with him! It is a ''new life" that is raised to "live with
him." So, in this sense, baptism is an act of consecration, a dedication,
and an initiation into a new life. "If ye then," exhorts Paul,
"be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God ... for ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God" (Col. 3:1-3).
Thus this baptism, this dying to the old life and rising to a new, implies new
experiences of spiritual struggle against the evil forces of the old nature,
and the spiritual powers which dominate this world system (Eph. 6:12-18).
"Old things are passed away: behold, all things are become new."-2 Cor. 5:17.
(g) One God and Father
In
1 Corinthians 8:4-7, Paul says: " . . there is none other God but one. For
though there be that are called gods, whether in heaven or in earth, (as there
be gods many, and lords many,) but to us there is but one God, the Father, of
whom are all things, and we in him; and one Lord Jesus Christ, by whom are all
things, and we by him. Howbeit there is not in every man this knowledge ...
" The true God, our Father, is not the god of this world as presently
constituted, as John says, "God is light, and in him is no darkness at
all" (1 John 1:5); while of this world it is written, "The darkness
shall cover the earth, and gross darkness the people" (Isa. 60:2). It is
still true that "the whole world lies under the Evil one" (1 John
5:19, Diaglott). We must never forget, lest we become boastful, that we
"in time past walked according to the course of this world, according to
the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children
of disobedience ... and were by nature the children of wrath, even as
others" (Eph. 2:13). But we who were sometimes darkness, are now light in
the Lord; and walk as children of light (Eph. 5:8) and "give thanks unto
the Father, which hath made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the
saints in light: who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath
translated us into the kingdom of the Son of his love" (Col. 2:12, 13,
marginal reading). We "are all children of God by faith in Jesus
Christ" (Gal. 3:26); and "God has sent the spirit of his son into our
hearts, whereby we cry, Abba, Father." - Gal. 4:6, Diaglott.
Ours
is such a high calling, and the hosts of wickedness are so numerous, that we do
well to heed the exhortation: "Walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye
are called, with all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one
another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the spirit in the bonds of
peace" (Eph. 4:1-3). God's divine purpose is to gather all creation, as
one family, into harmony with himself; therefore that harmonious spirit should
be manifested in us and among us who have been "adopted" as God's
children. To properly conduct ourselves according to our high standing with
God in Christ, we must always have in mind that there are varying degrees of
spiritual discernment and character development among us. Nevertheless,
"We are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another." -
Romans 12:5.
-F.
A. Essler
Through the furnace of affliction
God
oft tests His children dear,
Tries
them, proves them to the utmost,
And
His ways so dark appear.
Should
we question why, we dare not,
Though
we are perplexed, distressed,
Well
He knows just what is needed,
And
God's ways are always best.
Ah!
this stone is for the Temple,
God
Himself hath so designed,
And
it needs much heavy chiseling,
For
the form must be outlined.
The
rough edges must be smoother,
And
the carving done with care,
For
we know that God's own image
Soon
will be reflected there.
All
the tools the workman uses
Must
most sharp and pointed be;
But
no haste the King requireth,
Only
perfect work wants He.
Years
may pass, and still the workman
Noiselessly
performs His task,
But
some day 'twill reach completion,
Then
the King for it will ask.
To
the King each stone is precious,
Beautiful,
peculiar, rare;
God
designed them for His Temple,
Has
a place prepared somewhere.
Murmur
not, then at God's chidings,
We
are precious in His sight;
In
the future, the hereafter,
We
shall know God's ways were right.
In the latter years you
[Gog, of the land of Magog
- Ezek. 38:2] will go against the
land that is restored from war, the land where people were gathered from many
nations upon the mountains of Israel, which had been a continual waste; its
people were brought out from the nations and now dwell securely, all of them. .
. . and you will devise an evil scheme and say, 'I will go up against the land
of unwalled villages; I will fall upon the quiet people who dwell securely, all
of them dwelling without walls, and having no bars or gates'; to seize spoil
and carry off plunder; to assail the waste places which are now inhabited, and
the people who were gathered from the nations, who have gotten cattle and
goods, who dwell at the center of the earth." - Ezekiel 38:8-12,
R.S.V.
In
the January-February 1969 issue of The Herald, we condensed some
paragraphs from a recent issue of the Bible Study Monthly. Relying on
the text at the head of this article, the author of those paragraphs stated
that,
The
invasion of the Holy Land by the hosts of 'Gog and Magog' is the last great
event of this Age. The overthrow of that great host is the signal for the
establishment and announcement of the Kingdom of God upon earth. From that
point of time Restitution processes will commence, and the work of world
conversion, the restoration of the earth and rehabilitation of the human race,
go forward. A clear understanding of the prophecy in the light both of Biblical
lore and of contemporary knowledge is an essential for those who desire to keep
abreast with the outworking of the Divine Plan.
"The
central feature of the prophecy is the land and its people, and a question
immediately arises, 'Where is the land and who are the people?' The old-time
theology, inspired mainly by St. Augustine, declared that the whole passage is
symbolic, that it depicts the final triumph of Christ and his Church over the
forces of evil. Such explanation will not satisfy students of the Bible who
understand and look for the coming of Christ's Kingdom upon earth. Quite
clearly, this passage is directly related to the Divine destiny for the ideal
Israel of the End Time and to the establishment of the Kingdom, and must
therefore be understood in a dispensational sense and in an earthly setting.
Putting it briefly, the time of the prophecy is at the end of this Age and the
place of its fulfillment is upon this earth."
In a
footnote to page 7, our Editorial Committee expressed the hope that this
question might be discussed in more detail in a future issue of The Herald. This we propose to do now.
The
subject, then, to be considered here is: "Where is the land to, which
Ezekiel refers, and who are the people?"
There
are several methods of interpretation adopted by commentators. One is that of
so-called "spiritualizing" the prophecies -- making Israel and Zion
to mean the Church, and The Land to signify Heaven. However, when we attempt to
apply this system of interpretation its inconsistency becomes apparent. For
example, in Jeremiah 30:3 we read: "For, lo, the days come, saith the
Lord, that I will bring again the captivity of my people Israel and Judah,
saith the Lord: and I will cause them to return to the land that I gave to
their fathers, and they shall possess it."
As
far back as 1890, David Baron, a well-known Hebrew-Christian (who, for many
years, edited The Scattered Nation remarked on this verse: "If
Israel be the Church, who is Judah? If Judah be the Church, who is Israel? What
is the 'captivity' the Church has endured? and where is 'the land' from which
the Church has been driven out, and to. which it will return? . . If Israel
does not mean Israel, and 'the land God gave to the fathers' does not mean
Palestine, then I do not know what is meant."
Again,
in Jeremiah 31:10 the announcement is: "He that scattered Israel will
gather him."
Commentators
are in general agreement that the "scattering" refers to literal
Israel (a nation scattered and peeled, Isaiah 18:2); but when, in the same
sentence (Jeremiah 31:10) a gathering of the same people is
mentioned, this, we are told, must have reference to spiritual Israel!!
Here, surely, is inconsistency.
Another
method of dealing with these prophecies of a Restoration is to interpret them
to mean a gathering of the Jews into the Church. But this interpretation, too,
is untenable. The Jews will not be gathered, nationally, into the
Church; for even in the New Testament we have the Jews, as well as the
Gentiles, as nations, running parallel with, and continuing separate from, the Church, throughout all the period of its history on earth. Note how
the Apostle Paul distinguishes them in 1 Corinthians 10:32: "Give none
offence, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the Church of
God."
"He
that scattered Israel" -- From whence? from the Church, or from gospel
blessings? Not so -- He scattered Israel from Palestine. "Will gather him" -- Where to?
Why, surely, to the land which he gave to their fathers, from which Israel, on
account of disobedience, was banished and scattered.
But
a third, and perhaps the most plausible, way of explaining the prophecies of a
Restoration is to represent them as having had their fulfillment at the
restoration from Babylon.
Below
we submit three of the reasons which compel us to reject this interpretation,
also. To us it seems that any fulfillment of the prophecies at the restoration
immediately following the Babylonish captivity must be considered, at most, as
partial; quite inadequate to represent the complete fulfillment.
(1) THE RESTORATION PROMISED WAS
TO INCLUDE THE ENTIRE TWELVE
TRIBES, REUNITED IN ONE KINGDOM
This
is quite clearly predicted in Ezekiel 37:21, 22, as follows: "Thus
saith the Lord God; Behold, I will take the children of Israel from among the
heathen, whither they be gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring
them into their own land: And I will make them [Judah and Israel - Eze. 37:15-19]
one nation in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king shall be king
to them all: and they shall be no more two nations, neither shall they be
divided into two kingdoms any more at all."
So
also in that remarkable prophecy of Isaiah 11 (Isa. 11:12), which, on whatever
system of interpretation, is admittedly future in its application: "He shall . . . assemble the
outcasts of Israel, and gather together the dispersed of Judah from the four
corners of the earth:'
These
scriptures speak of a complete restoration of the entire nation. Such
prophecies could not be said to have received their fulfillment in the
(comparatively speaking) mere handful who returned from Babylon.
(2) AFTER THE RESTORATION
PREDICTED, ISRAEL IS TO ENJOY,
NOT
ONLY NATIONAL INDEPENDENCE,
BUT NATIONAL SUPREMACY
Backsliding
Israel, because he served not Jehovah with joyfulness and with gladness of heart
for the abundance of all things, was to be taught a lesson by comparison; and
was given over by God to be in servitude for a time to the Gentiles.
"Therefore
shalt thou serve thine enemies which the Lord shall send against thee, in
hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things: and he
shall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck" (Deut. 28:48).
But
this iron yoke of Gentile oppression was not to last forever. It was to be
only until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled, as Jesus stated in Luke
21:24.
We
have already referred to Jeremiah 30:3. In Jer. 30:8 of that chapter, the Lord
declares: "I will break his yoke from off thy neck, and will burst thy
bonds, and strangers shall no more serve themselves of him."
However,
this national independence did not occur when the Babylonian captivity
terminated. As Dr. Kac has noted on page 40 of his Rebirth of the State of
Israel, "Politically the Jewish community in Palestine in the era of
the Second Commonwealth was an appendage of one of the great powers in that
era: first of Persia, then of Alexander the Great, and finally of Rome."
Let
those who think otherwise ponder the words to be found in Nehemiah 9:36, 37
which describe the actual condition of the people after their restoration in
Nehemiah's day: "Behold, we are servants this day, and for the land
that thou gayest unto our fathers to eat the fruit thereof and the good
thereof, behold, we are servants in it: And it yieldeth much increase unto the
kings whom thou hast set over us because of our sins: also they have dominion
over our bodies, and over our cattle, at their pleasure, and we are in great
distress."
It
is not possible to compare, but only to contrast the actual
conditions described in the Nehemiah passage above cited with the conditions
which will obtain when a prophecy such as is found in Isaiah 14:1-3 meets
fulfillment. Then, not merely national independence (wholly
lacking in Nehemiah's day as we have seen) but national supremacy will be
Israel's happy portion:
"The
Lord will have mercy on Jacob, and will yet choose Israel, and set them in
their own land: and the strangers shall be joined with them, and they shall
cleave to the house of Jacob. And the people shall take them, and bring them to
their place: and the house of Israel shall possess them in the land of the Lord
for servants and handmaids: and they shall take them captives, whose captives
they were; and they shall rule over their oppressors" (Isa. 14:1, 2).
(3) THE RESTORATION PROMISED IS
TO BE A "SECOND" RESTORATION.
ITS EXTENT IS TO BE WORLDWIDE. IT IS TO BE FOLLOWED
BY NO FURTHER
DISPERSIONS, AND IS, THEREFORE,
TO BE PERMANENT
Foregoing
we cited Isaiah 11:12 as indicating the extent the universality-of the
gathering "from the four corners of the earth" in contrast with the
mere handful who returned from Babylon. If we turn to the previous verse
(Isaiah 11:11) we note that this is declared to be a "second"
restoration: "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the Lord
shall set his hand again the second time to recover the remnant of his
people."
There
was no "second" restoration in Nehemiah's time. It must, therefore, be
future from his day.
Again,
in chapter 31 of Jeremiah's prophecy, after describing the rebuilding of the
Holy City, the chapter closes with the declaration: 'It shall not be plucked
up, nor thrown down any more for ever."
Amos,
too, speaks in a similar strain, in the closing verses of his prophecy (Amos
9:14, 15): "1 will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel,
and they shall build the waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant
vineyards, and drink the wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat
the fruit of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and they shall no
more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith the Lord thy
God."
It
is, of course, a matter of history, which none would dispute, that the
restoration from Babylon was followed by another dispersion of the people
into all the four corners of the earth. Evidently, therefore, the restoration
from Babylon could not have been the fulfillment of prophecies which stipulate
"they shall no more be plucked up out of their land."
Recommended Literature
An
increasing number of our readers request advice as to recommended literature on
Israel Today, a subject which now seems destined to remain in the Headlines of
Today and Tomorrow. May we suggest the following.
Books:
Vol.
3 of Scripture Studies, Chapter 8, "The Restoration of Israel." By C.
T. Russell
The
Death and Resurrection of Israel (A Message of hope for a time of trouble). By
Arthur W. Kac. M. D.
Free Booklets:
Israel and the Middle East (is the Middle East Conflict Related to Bible
Prophecy?)
Is
Israel Emerging From Hell?
The
A B C of Bible Prophecy
-
P. L. Read
All
his enemies surprising,
From
the dust the Jew is rising;
See
him rising from the grave,
Keen,
alert, for conflict brave;
A
new spirit now has come
That
will gather Israel home.
In
their land in deserts thorny,
Hands
unused to toil, made horny;
Build
and plant with sacred joy;
Busy
at their loved employ.
In
the valleys long neglected,
By
disease germs long infected;
Many
die, but others come,
Eager
to reclaim their home.
While
the latter rain from heaven
To
the land once more is given,
Land,
that looked like stoned to death;
Feeling
now God's quickening breath.
Mother
Zion, they are coming,
From
their ghettos, from their roaming;
From
their tossings on the sea
Of
the Gentiles, back to thee!
What
though Ishmael opposing
God's
sure plan and settled choosing!
Not
a word our God has spoken
Shall
be canceled, shall be broken.
And
the covenant will stand,
Signed
and sealed by God's own hand,
To a
thousand generations,
Midst
the rise and fall of nations.
Like
the stars on Mamre's plain,
Israel
will still remain;
And
the promised land be theirs,
Through
the everlasting years.
- Max
I. Reich
As
announced in our March-April issue, the Annual Meeting this year is scheduled
to be held (D.V.) Saturday, June 7, at 10:00 a.m., in Atlantic City, New
Jersey, at Masonic Temple, N. Hartford and Ventnor Aves.
While
only members of the Institute may vote (in person or by proxy), all those who
love our Lord Jesus and his appearing are welcome to attend.
The
agenda will include a report by the chairman, reviewing the activities of the
Institute for the preceding period. Following his report, the election of
directors for the coming year will take place.
Opportunity
will also be given for the consideration of such other matters as may properly
come before the meeting.
The
seven brethren now serving as directors are candidates for reelection.
No
additional nominations have been received.
Melvin
V. Atkins, West York, Ill.
Sis.
G. A. Ellenger, Eng.
Eddie
Godden, Eng.
Arthur
B. Imhoff, Beverly Hills, Cal.
Arthur
J. Lodge, Eng.
Bro.
Oakley, Eng.
Antoinette
Randour, Roanoke, Ill.
Harold
Shaw, Eng.
Alice
Smith, Gardiner, Me.
Martha
Taylor, Calgary, Alta.
John
H. L. Trautfelter, Baltimore, Md
Harry
J. Voss, St. Louis, Mo.
Frank
M. Williams, El Cerrito, Cal.
Nellie
Wright, Eng.
1975
Index
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