Revelation 1
1
The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to shew unto
his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it
by his angel unto his servant John:
Revelation
1:1 (RVENDAG_)
CHAPTER 1
REVELATION
THE
REVELATION OF JESUS TO HIS CHURCH
PRINCIPLES,
INDIVIDUALS, UNDER DISCUSSION
"All
Christian people credit the book of Revelation to our Lord, as St. John does
(Rev. 1:1). Therefore we are not responsible for the symbolism used in that
book. There are so many ways in which one might be misunderstood, even by good
Christian people, that we naturally feel a delicacy about expressing our views.
As we proceed to set forth our understanding of the symbols of the Revelation,
we wish to state most emphatically that we are saying nothing whatever against
godly Christians anywhere, at any time, whether in any church or out of any
church. We have nothing to say respecting people. We discuss PRINCIPLES,
DOCTRINES, ALWAYS; individuals, NEVER! God has not commissioned us to discuss
people; it is ours to discuss
His Word.
"As we
present our interpretation of the symbols of Revelation, we realize that the
word of God conveys a very terrible arraignment of some of the great systems of
our day... Let us, therefore, clearly distinguish between individuals
and systems. We say nothing against the godly individual, but in the interpretation of the Word of God
what we have to say is merely in respect to these systems. Indeed, we
believe that the saintly people of God are left out of these symbols, probably
because the saints of God, as compared with the hundreds of millions of
humanity, are merely a small company, as Jesus said: ‘Fear not, Little Flock.’
" D 1912 Foreword v; OV270
"Our Lord
spent the three and a half years of his ministry in gathering out from Israel,
and in training and instructing, the few disciples who should form the nucleus
of the Christian Church. When about to leave them alone in the world he gave
them the promise of the holy Spirit, which, during the entire age, should guide
the Church into all truth, and show them things to come, and bring freshly to
remembrance what he had taught—which promise began to be verified at Pentecost.
It is also written that the angels are all ministering spirits sent forth to
minister to these heirs of this great salvation (Heb. 1:14), and that our
Lord’s special care is over them, even to the end of the age. (Matt. 28:20).
All the writings of the apostles are addressed to the Church, and not to the
world, as many seem to think; and they are full of special instructions,
encouragements and exhortations, needful only to the saints who during this age
are walking
1 in the narrow
way. And our Lord’s Revelation, which God gave him after he had passed into
glory, he sent and signified (sign-ified— told in signs, symbols, etc.)
to his Church, through his servant John (Rev. 1:1). We are also told that the
prophecies given aforetime by holy men of old were given, not for themselves,
nor for others of their day and age, but exclusively for the instruction of the
Christian Church—1 Peter 1:12. B203 Le 8,9,16 —TABERNACLE TYPES AND
SHADOWS OF THE BETTER SACRIFICES.
"... The whole Jewish nation, during that entire age, was
unwittingly engaged, under God’s direction, in furnishing for our instruction a
typical view of the entire plan of salvation in all its workings... its
Jubilees pointing out the final consummation of the plan in the blessing of all
the families of the earth... Since such has been God’s care and abundant
provision for the Christian Church above all other people of past and future
ages, how important in his estimation must that knowledge be to us, and how
eagerly should we avail ourselves of it." B203
"THEY SING
THE SONG OF MOSES THE SERVANT OF GOD, AND THE SONG OF THE LAMB, SAYING, GREAT
AND MARVELOUS ARE THY WORKS, LORD GOD ALMIGHTY; JUST AND TRUE ARE THY WAYS,
THOU KING OF SAINTS"—REVELATION 15:3. See Luke 2:13-14.
"Jehovah
thy God in the midst of thee... will joy over thee with SINGING"—Zephaniah
3:17.
"For the
Word of God is quick and powerful (living and energetic), and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and
of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the
heart"—Hebrews 4:12.
JESUS SAID,
"THE WORDS THAT I SPEAK UNTO YOU, THEY ARE SPIRIT, AND THEY ARE
LIFE"—John 6:63.
"And all
the people went their way... to make great mirth (great joy—L.), because they
had understood the words that were declared unto them”—Nehemiah 8:12.
"... And
send portions unto them for whom nothing is prepared... for the joy of the Lord
is your strength"—Nehemiah 8:10.
"Then
Jesus said unto them, Verily, verily, I say unto you, Moses gave you not that
bread from Heaven; but my Father giveth you the true bread from Heaven.
For the Bread
of God is he which cometh down from Heaven, and giveth life unto the
world" (John 6:32-R33).
”In all
respects Christ is the center which God has provided—‘THE WAY, THE TRUTH, THE
LIFE.’ ‘’‘ 14-R5506 to R5508 "Divine mercy will be OF the Father and BY
the Son and through the Church"—1 Corinthians 8:6. ‘09-R4464 "We have
found the great Life-giver, the One who can and does supply this Bread from
heaven. It is our great privilege to be the dispensers of this Bread. ‘Give ye
them to eat.’ ‘He that bath an ear let him hear.’ "‘ 04-R3334
THE HEAVENLY
JERUSALEM—Rev. 22:1-11 "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me
in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his
throne"—Rev. 3:21.
"All those
who would be finally accounted worthy of a share in the Kingdom, must be copies
of God’s dear Son—in heart, in character, and like Him also in the
resurrection, spirit-beings. This is a glorious predestination. It assures us
that God will have none others in the Kingdom than those who are character
likenesses of Jesus." ‘16-R5838 "The first three chapters of
Revelation, containing the messages to the churches... suggest nothing to the
effect that the church is now reigning, but, quite to the contrary, that it
will be a suffering church down to the very last. It promises a coming reign to
those who faithfully endure the trials of the present time preceding the reign.
Each one of the messages closes with an exhortation, ‘To him that overcometh, I
will grant,’ etc.
"All the
intervening chapters between the third and the twentieth deal with conflicts
between good and evil, and evidently cover the entire period of this Gospel
age; yet in all of these presentations the evil is shown to be triumphant, and
the people of the saints of the Most High God are worn out and cry from under
the altar, etc. (Rev. 6:9,10). Not much a reign of righteousness that, surely;
and how thinking people close their minds to all this is passing strange.
"It is at
the conclusion of this book of symbols, from the eighteenth to the
twenty-second chapters, that the close of this Gospel age and the inauguration
of the Millennial age is pictured, and the triumph of the Lord and of his
saints is shown. The introduction of that reign of righteousness, Christ’s
Millennial kingdom, is shown, marked by wonderful events connected with our
Lord’s second advent, the glorification of his church, the binding of Satan,
the rising of the Sun of Righteousness, the blessing of the world, the
scattering of its darkness, ignorance, etc. One would think that, even with no
knowledge of the symbols of Revelation, no thinking Christian should have any
difficulty in realizing that the book portrays trouble for the church
throughout this Gospel age: and the triumphant Millennial reign at its
close." ‘05-R3570
"I have
declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation: I have not concealed thy
loving-kindness and thy truth"—Psalm 40:10.
2
"Bible
prophecies are rarely understood much in advance of their fulfillment."
‘16-R5842
"That we
are living ‘in the last days’—’the day of the Lord’—’the end of the Gospel
age,’and consequently, in the dawn of the ‘new’ age, are facts not only
discernible by the close student of the Word, led by the spirit, but the out
ward signs recognizable by the ‘world’ bear the same testimony, and we are
desirous that the ‘household of faith’ be fully awake to the fact that—
"We are
living, we are dwelling In a grand and awful time;
In an age on
ages telling To be living is sublime.’
"When God
has given us ‘a sure word of prophecy whereunto we do well to take heed,’
and when ‘the Lord God of the holy prophets sent his angel to show unto
his servants the things which must shortly be done,’ shall those servants feel
under no obligaton to seek to understand those heavenly messages?
"Or shall
we heed God who declares ‘these sayings faithful and true’ and says: ‘Blessed
is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep the
things that are written therein?’ Surely he knows what is best calculated to
inspire ‘a zeal according to knowledge, and what is necessary that we
‘be not soon shaken in mind’ "—Rev. 21:5 23:6 1:3 Ro 10:2 2Th 2:2.
‘79-R3.
"The
Apostle John was the most remarkable seer, or prophet of all the apostles: his
visions constituting the Book of Revelation, delineating in the most remarkable
manner the ‘things to come.’ " F 222-F223—John 16:13.
"God has
provided for his children a clear and connected record down to the present
time. The Bible... carries us from the lost paradise of Genesis to the restored
paradise of Revelation, tracing the pathway of humanity into eternity. Taken
together, the history and prophecy of the Bible afford a panoramic view of the
whole course of events from the creation and fall of man to his reconciliation
and restitution." B38.
THE LAST BOOK
OF THE BIBLE, FOR THE LAST END OF THE GOSPEL AGE.
"The
Revelation of Jesus Christ Anointed, which God gave unto him (after his
ascension) to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass;
and he sent and signfied (sign-i-fied) by his angel unto his servant John: who
bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of
all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the
words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for
the time is at hand. "( Revelation 1:1-3).
THE REVELATION
OF JESUS CHRIST—ANOINTED—WHICH GOD GAVE UNTO HIM
Isaiah 61:1-3:
"The Spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the Lord bath anointed me
to preach good tidings unto the meek: He hath sent me...’
"The word
anointed is used in the sense of ordination. The high priests of Israel were
successively anointed, or ordained, of God, the anointing oil representing the
holy Spirit. Their kings were anointed to reign over the typical kingdom of
God... And so Christ, the great High priest and King, was ordained of God by
the anointing of the Spirit. It was not an anointing of men or by men.
WHICH GOD GAVE
UNTO HIM
"When our
Lord came to John at Jordan to be baptized, and there presented himself in
sacrifice to God, the divine acceptance of this sacrifice was manifested by the
impartation of the holy Spirit. John the Baptist saw the Spirit as a dove
descending upon the Lord, the sign given to John, but seen by no one else.
Jesus recognized that he had received a special anointing and unction from the
Father—and others from that time perceived it... As a perfect man he possessed
the Spirit of God in the full measure that a man in the image of God would
possess it.
"Full
manhood under the law was not attained until the age of thirty. Our Lord came
to give his life as a substitute for the forfeited life of Adam. Adam was a
complete, perfect man, and our Lord must attain maturity as a perfect man
before he could be a perfect substitute, a corresponding price... Jesus’ merit
is all-sufficient, and it is his merit that purchases the world, through his
body, the church.
"The
anointing that was upon Christ Jesus continued with him throughout his earthly
ministry—the fullness, or completeness, of God’s favor rested upon his every
word and act. God was manifest in his flesh; for he was the perfect human
representation of all the qualities of Jehovah’s glorious character. This was
demonstrated in his resurrection from the dead after his sacrifice had been
finished ... Jesus was begotten of the holy Spirit and anointed at his baptism,
and was born a completed spirit being of the very highest rank at his
resurrection. No other being had ever been created on this plane of life.
Hitherto Jehovah alone had possessed divine, incorruptible life."
‘14-R5536
AT THE VISION
OF CHRIST’S TRANSFIGURATION
"Our Lord
Jesus Christ... received from God the Father honour and glory, when there came
such a voice to him from the excellent glory, This is my beloved Son, in whom I
am well pleased; ‘HEAR YE HIM’. And this voice which came from heaven we heard,
when we were with him in the holy mount.’ ‘And as they came down from the
mountain, Jesus charged them, saying, Tell the vision to no man, until the Son
of Man be risen again from the dead’ {2Pe 1:16-18’ Mt 17:5,9}. Please see end
page of TRUE HUMILITY, in the Supplement.
"We have
also a more sure word of prophecy. " 2Pe 1:19.
"And He
saith unto me, Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this Book: for the time
is at hand"—Rev. 22:10.
"What thou
seest, write in a book, and send it... " Re 1:11.
"For I
testify unto every one that heareth the words of the Prophecy of this Book, if
any... shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are
written
3
in this Book:
And if any one shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God
shall take away his part out of the Book of Life, and out of the Holy City, and
from the things which are written in this Book"—Revelation 22:18, 19
VERSE 1 "Blessed is he that readeth, and
they that hear (understand, akouo) the words of this prophecy, and keep (tereo, observe, hold fast—Y., S.—"and keeping
strictly the things which have been written in it"—Diag.) those things
which are written therein: FOR THE TIME IS AT HAND"—Revelation 1:3.
This remarkable
Revelation of God to our Lord Jesus was not given to him while here in the
flesh, though he was a new creature with spiritual understanding. It shows that
God dispenses his Light or Truth according to his plan, which contains times
and seasons: reminding us of what came to our Lord at his baptism; when the
heavens were opened to him, and gave to him the key to understand God’s
will concerning his work and place in the Divine Plan of the Ages as contained
in the Tabernacle Types of Leviticus, chapters eight, nine, and sixteen—that
sent him to profound study. See versed; Rev. 21:14.
"Call unto
Me, and I will answer thee and shew thee great and mighty (hidden) things which
thou knowest not"—Jeremiah 33:3.
"My
doctrine, teaching, is not mine, but His that sent me"—John 7:16.
"How
beautiful it is to realize that the perfect Jesus was humble, and that all the
holy angels are so!’ ‘12-R5029
The Word of God
is powerful and sharper than a two edged sword"—Heb. 4:12.
"All that
the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no
wise cast out. No man can come to me, except the Father which sent me draw
him"—"invite him"—John 6:37, 44. Photo Drama Scenario pg. PD27.
"Jehovah
bath prepared His throne in the heavens; and His Kingdom ruleth over
all"—Psalm 107:19.
"Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which according to His abundant
mercy bath begotten us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of Jesus
Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that
fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for you, who are kept by the power of God
through faith unto salvation, ready to be revealed in the last time...
receiving the end of your faith, the salvation of your souls... as obedient
children... because it is written (Leviticus 11:44), Be ye holy; for I am
holy... redeemed... with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without
blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of
the world, but was manifest in these last times for you, who by him do believe
in God, that raised him up from the dead, and gave him glory; that your faith
and hope might be in God. Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the
truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, love one another
with a pure heart fervently: Being begotten again, not of corruptible seed, but
of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever." 1Pe
1:3-5,9,14,16,18-23.
"... Such
a calling should cause us to bow our hearts in the dust before our God,
realizing our great unworthiness of such stupendous grace—of bliss so
transcendent! What can we render unto the Lord that can fittingly demonstrate
our gratitude, our thankfulness, for so unspeakable a favor? Surely, the most
faithful service we can give is but a very feeble return to Him who has so
loved us, so blessed us, so honored us!" ‘16-R5855
SIMPLICITY OF
INTRODUCTION
"Note the
simplicity of the Apostle’s introduction to this most wonderful book. He did
not write the title of the book as it appears in our Bibles—’The Revelation of
St. John the Divine’—that is to say, the Revelation of St. John, Doctor of
Divinity, Doctor of Theology. On the contrary, John claims no credit for the
revelation; it was not his, but,
as he distinctly explains, it was from our Lord Jesus Christ—and to him from
the Father. Nor was it even to John in any special sense, but, as he again
declares, unto God’s ‘servants’ sent by his ‘servant John.’ This simplicity,
common to all the apostles, commends them to us as men of humble minds—the very
kind we should expect our Lord to use as special servants and messengers to his
people. The apostolic simplicity is in striking contrast with the pomposity of
the majority of those who claim to be their pupils and fellow servants, and who
delight in the titles of ‘Reverend,’ ‘Right Reverend,’ ‘Very Reverend,’ ‘His
Holiness,’ ‘Doctor of Divinity,’ etc. And in proportion as the spirit of the world
is quenched by the Spirit of Christ—and in proportion as the Lord’s people are
zealous in seeking and finding ‘the old paths’ (Jer. 6:16), in that same
proportion do these human titles which seem so much to the world and to Babylon
come to appear vain, inappropriate, deceitful." ‘01-R2826 For Scriptural
reference to D____ D____ s, see F287.
"But
strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, those who by reason of use
have their senses exercised ("developed as new creatures in Christ”) to
discern both good and evil’—"to discern between truth and error... and
uncompromising in declaring it; for ‘if the trumpet give and uncertain sound,
who shall prepare himself to the battle?’ " Heb 5:14 1Co 14:8
‘15-R5688, R5689
"The
messages of our glorious Lord, sent through the Apostle John and given to us in
the symbols of the book of Revelation, are as truly the Saviour’s messages as
those uttered during his earthly ministry and those subsequently sent us
through the apostles.
"The book
of Revelation was written at a time when severe persecution was upon the infant
church—near the close of the first century, probably A.D. 93-96, in the reign
of the Emperor Domitian... It was written at a time of special peril and severe
persectuion. For a time the Lord allowed the truth to become well planted and
to take root; the gifts of miracles and other gifts in the church at that time
assisted in this matter.
4 "For a
time, although there were persecutions of individuals such as are recorded in
Acts, the believers as a whole were not subjected to the severest of trials at
first. It was when the truth began to spread, and had not only the enmity of
the Jews, but also of the Greeks, that emperors and governors found favor with
the masses by persecuting the followers of Jesus. And for aught we know, so it
will be in the not far-distant future. For a long time the pure truth has been
hidden from men, and worldliness in the form of godliness has had the upper
hand in influential circles: but doubtless, as the troublous times the
Scriptures predict for the end of this age draw closer, those who will stand
firm for the word of the Lord’s testimony may expect to be made the scapegoats
under various pretexts ...
"John, the
beloved disciple, in some measure or degree typified or represented the last
living members of the little flock. Doubtless this was the meaning of our
Lord’s statement, ‘If I will that he tarry till I come, what is that to thee?’
John did not tarry, but a class whom he in some respects illustrated are
represented to tarry—a class who see with the eyes of their understanding the
visions and revelations which John saw in symbols in a trance." ‘05-R3568
Revelation 1
2
Who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus
Christ, and of all things that he saw.
Revelation
1:2 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 2. Who
bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of
all things that he saw.
John himself
was a new creature in Christ, and energized and guided by the holy spirit, to
record correctly in writing? what he saw in all its symbols.
"Our Lord
uttered one of the most remarkable prophecies of Holy Writ respecting the ‘Time
of the End’—the closing epoch of the Gospel age {Mt 24 Mr 13 Lu 21:5-36 17:20-37}.
D563 "Our Lord was the greatest of all Prophets.’ D614 (D Chapter 12)
"....Worship God: for the testimony of Jesus is the spirit (power) of
prophecy"—Rev. 19:10.
”No other
prophet than our Lord has given us the needed details of this ‘harvest’ time,
connecting these with the prominent events noted by the other prophets.”D614
"Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out
of the mouth of God"—Matt. 4:4.
"What did
Jesus mean?... He meant that all hope of attaining eternal life depends upon
God—upon the Divine Plan and its promises... This is God’s Word... that
obedience is the condition of life everlasting—abiding in faith, love and
obedience in harmony with Him. "‘ 11-R4896 (Longer quote at Rev. 20:14-15)
”The mark for
the prize of the high calling, is that of crystallization of character in the
likeness of our Lord." ‘ 12-R5080
"THIS ONE
THING I DO"—Phil. 3:13.
"I make
everything else bend to this one thing of showing forth God’s praises and of
helping others into His marvelous light." ‘12-R5045
"He did
it, too, in view of the fact that all through the present life his chosen
course would bring certain loss, privation, toil, care, persecution and
continual reproach." ‘95- R1885
"Paul
evidently had more abundant revelations than any other apostle. These
revelations he was not allowed to make known to the Church, nor fully and
plainly even to the other apostles {2Co 12:4 Ga 2:2}, yet we can see a value to
the entire church in those visions and revelations given to Paul; for though he
was not permitted to tell what he saw, nor to particularize all he knew of the
mysteries of God relating to the ‘ages to come,’ yet what he saw gave a force,
shading and depth of meaning to his words which, in the light of subsequent facts,
prophetic fulfilments and the Spirit’s guidance, we are able to appreciate more
fully than could the early church.
"As
corroborative of the foregoing statement, we call to mind the last book of the
Bible—Revelation, written about A.D. 96. The introductory words announce it as
a special revelation of things not previously understood. This proves
conclusively that up to that time, at least, God’s plan had not been fully
revealed. Nor has that book ever been, until now, all that its name implies—an unfolding,
a REVELATION. So far as the early church was concerned, probably none
understood any part of the book. Even John, who saw the visions, was probably
ignorant of the significance of what he saw. He was both a prophet and an
apostle; and while as an apostle he understood and taught what was then ‘meat
in due season,’ as a prophet he uttered things which would supply ‘meat’ in
seasons future for the household.
"During
the Christian Age, some of the saints sought to understand the Church’s future
by examining this symbolic book, and doubtless all who read and understood even
a part of its teachings were blessed as promised (Rev. 1:3). The book kept
opening up to such, and in the days of the Reformation was an important aid to
Luther in deciding that the Papacy, of which he was a conscientious minister,
was indeed the ‘Antichrist’ mentioned by the Apostle, the history of which we
now see fills so large a part of that prophecy.
"Thus
gradually God opens up his truth and reveals the exceeding riches of his grace;
and consequently much more light is due now than at any previous time in the
Church’s history. "" And still new beauties shall we see, And still
increasing light." Hymn 49, A27-R28.
"I HAVE
NOT CONCEALED THY LOVING KINDNESS AND THY TRUTH... "
"Lo, I
have not refrained my lips, O Jehovah, thou knowest. I have not hid thy
righteousness within my heart; I have declared thy faithfulness and thy
salvation; I have not concealed thy lovingkindness and thy truth... "
Psalm 40:9,10.
"Take my
yoke upon you and learn of me"—Matthew 11:29. "Ask, and ye shall
receive that your joy may be full"—John 16:24.
"... Not
until we have taken the Lord into our daily life as our living, personal
companion and confidential friend and counselor and comforter and guide, as
well as our Redeemer and Lord, can we fully learn of him those precious lessons
which give to his disciples a joy which the world can neither give nor take
away." ‘95-R1789 See Manna June 1.
5 "He that
bath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me; and he that
loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest
myself unto him"—John 14:21.
"This
matter of a definite contract with the Lord is a very important one..."
‘14-R5520 2Ti 2:15: "Study to show thyself approved. Study the
Word. Study yourself... that you may know both your abilities and your
shortcomings. Then study to avoid error and to shun all foolish questions and
profane and vain babblings. Remember that only... ‘The foundation of God
standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And let
every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity’—2 Tim. 2:10.
"The Lord
giveth his favors to the humble—in God’s appointed way... Cleanse your earthen
vessel, that it may be fit for the Master’s use"—"the diligent use of
every available means to learn what is his will." ‘02-R3097; ‘14-R5511
Revelation 1
3
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this
prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is
at hand.
Revelation
1:3 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 3.
Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear understand the words of
this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is
at hand.
The Book of
Revelation is so full of symbols that many are discouraged even in the reading
of it, forgetting the words of our Lord, "He that seeketh, findeth; and to
him that knocketh it shall be opened." While reading, it is important to
include the time, the due time, when it may be understood, as well as the due
time for its blessing. So a blessing is promised, to encourage the reading
thereof.
"The very
reading of it will bring a blessing, and, as its mysteries gradually dissolve,
the understanding thereof will bring still additional blessing. Note again in
the introduction of the Book the statement of its mysterious and symbolic
character. Its name, Revelation, signifies the uncovering, and implies
something hidden." OM 7
HEARING AND
OBEYING
”Blessed are
they that hear the word of God and keep it"—Luke 11:28.
"It is
important that we should hear the Word of the Lord, that we search the
Scriptures, that we have them well at our command, that we be able to give an
answer to him that asketh us a reason for the hope that is in us, and we need
more than all this.
"We need
to obey the Word, to practice it to the extent of our ability. True, we
cannot come up to the demands of perfection, for God’s law is perfect, but we
can have the perfect attitude of heart, and nothing less than this will be
acceptable to the Lord. We can show him and to some extent show to others the
endeavor of our lives in the direction of righteousness and all the fruits and
graces of the holy Spirit. If we had all knowledge and zeal and had not the
spirit of obedience it would evidence a lack of the spirit of love, and prove us
unworthy of the divine favor and blessings promised to those who are rightly
exercised by the message from above." ‘05-R3678
"Ask, and
it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened
unto you"—Matthew 7:7.
"We are to
ask and seek and knock if we would find the riches of God’s grace, and have
opened to us more and more the wonderful privileges and mercies and blessings
which he is so willing to give to us as we develop in character and in
preparation for his mercies." ‘06-R3807 "Light (truth) is sown for
the righteous and gladness (the gladness which comes from a realization of the
truth) for the upright in heart"—Psalm 97:11. ‘99-R2453; ‘05-R3648
"Teach me good judgment and knowledge"—Psalm 119:66.
"He that
dwelleth in the secret place (of consecration, communion and fellowship) of the
Most High, shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty... He shall cover thee
with his feathers, and under his wings shalt thou trust: His Truth shall be thy
shield and buckler"—Psalm 91.
"Individual
Christians cannot shirk their personal responsibility, placing it upon pastors
and teachers, nor upon councils and creeds. It is by the Word of the Lord that
we are judged (John 12:48-50; Rev. 20:12), and not by the opinions or precedents
of our fellow-men in any capacity. Therefore all should imitate the noble
Bereanswho ‘searched the Scriptures daily’ to see if the things taught them
were true" (Acts 17:11). D66
ONE IS YOUR
TEACHER, EVEN CHRIST
"St. James
(3:1-12) is not warning us against service, nor seeking to hinder us from all
good works one for the other, as members of the body of Christ. His caution is
against our attempting to be (school) masters or teachers. There is but the one
Teacher or Schoolmaster for the entire church of Christ for all this age. He is
the ‘Head of the church, which is his body’—the Director, Caretaker, Instructor
of the ‘members. “ 09-R4380 "All will have in mind that the Lord is the
only teacher and that the brethren dare not utter wisdom of their own-; but merely
present to others that which their Head sets forth as the Truth. Let us apply
this Scripture {1Ti 2:11,12} to the Lord and the Church, thus: ‘Let a church
learn in silence with all subjection. I suffer not a church to teach, nor to usurp authority over Christ but
to be in silence.’ " F 120. Not "a voluntary humility" which
the Apostle decries in Col. 2:18 "and NOT HOLDING THE HEAD," verse 19
and verses 20-23. "The Apostle warns us all against a wrong attitude which
at all times has more or less threatened the body of Christ... the danger of
looking too much to ourselves or to other men in the church and not enough
toward the Lord, who is indeed ‘the Head of the church, which is his body.’
ONLY THE HUMBLE ARE SAFE. Thus our Lord marks humility as one of the prime
essentials of a place in the kingdom. And we can see the importance, the reason
for This..."how unnecessary we are to the divine plan and how able the
Lord is to overrule every incident and circumstance according to the divine
will...
"Let us
ever keep in memory the Apostle’s example and words: ‘We preach not ourselves
but Christ Jesus our Lord, and ourselves your servants for Jesus’ sake’—2 Cor.
4:5. "‘ 05-R3613, R3614
6
"And they
shall be all taught of God"—John 6:45.
"He who
would continue to be taught of the Lord must continue to listen for His voice,
continue to be in the hearing and obeying attitude of heart... Let each of us
resolve by the Lord’s grace that we will out of an honest heart continually
seek to hear the pure Word of God, and that with a desire to obey it as far as
we are able." ‘07-R4092 "‘ Oh, the blessedness of him that waiteth,
and cometh to the thousand three hundred and five and thirty days’—the
blessedness of those who have been living from 1875 onward... This divine
plan of the ages is not... a human plan or scheme; for no human being is
capable of bringing such glorious things out of the Word of God... We are
ashamed of all the creeds of the past." ‘14-R5568
CHRISTIANITY
AND THE LAW—Matt. 5:17-26
"He that
loveth his neighbor bath fulfilled the law"—Rom. 13:8.
"Jesus and
his apostles expounded the harmony between Christianity and Judaism...
"The Great
Teacher declared that he came not to destroy the law and the prophets, but to
fulfill them... ‘12-R5006, R5007 ‘... It was his enemies who called
Christianity heresy, and separation from Judaism, but their charges were
false... Christianity, instead of being split off from Judaism, was the natural
outcome and proper development of it—the fulfilment of the promises of God upon
which the hopes and prospects of Judaism were all built.
"The
Apostle shows this matter most distinctly in his letter to the Romans (chapter
11), where he pictures the Jewish nation as the olive tree whose root was the
Abrahamic promise, and whose branches were the people of Israel. He does not
picture Christianity as another tree, nor yet as a new shoot out of this original
olive tree, but he does picture it as the fuller development of this tree,
representing all Jews refusing to progress and to accept of Christ, as branches
that were broken off.
"All the
true Jews who continued to be recognized of the Lord—all the Israelites
indeed—were the Christians who from Pentecost onward have been known as
spiritual Israelites. ‘03-R3194 "In the days of our Lord’s first advent,
as today, there were many widely recognized leaders and teachers; and various
systems of human philosophy claimed the attention of thinking men. Among the
Jews much uninspired teaching was added to the sacred literature of the Law and
the Prophets, while the neighboring Greeks were diligently dealing in
philosophic speculation and ever seeking something new. And now the long
expected, but generally unrecognized, Messiah of Israel was about to introduce
a new system of teaching, the philosophy and the ethics of a new dispensation
of divine providence and grace, the outgrowth and the antitype of Judaism.’
"The
Shepherd of the Lord’s sheep... entered the door of the divine plan and thus
became to us... both the door of access to God and the good shepherd of the
sheep. ‘To him the porter (the holy Spirit of God) openeth (the way to the
sheep). ‘... in all the various ways which proclaimed him to us as the beloved
Son of God, in whom the Father was well pleased, and our Redeemer and
Saviour—in the testimony of his baptism, and again on the mount of
transfiguration; in the veiled heaven and the rent rocks on the occasion of his
death; in the fact of his resurrection and its testimony by angels and
eyewitnesses; in the perfect agreement of all the prominent features of his
life and character, with the testimony of prophets regarding him; and in the
authority and character of his teaching and the simplicity and purity of his
character which outshone that of every other man, so that even those who did
not recognize him as the Son of God, declared ‘NEVER MAN SPAKE LIKE THIS MAN.’
"Though only a ‘little flock’ is now recognized as the Lord’s sheep, there
shall by and by be a mighty host (John 10:16); and the redeemed of the Lord
shall go forth with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads. Glorious plan
of salvation! How worthy it is of the character of our God!" ‘94-R1647,
R1648
Revelation 1
4
John to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you,
and peace, from him which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the
seven Spirits which are before his throne;
Revelation
1:4 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 4. John
to the seven churches which are in Asia: Grace be unto you, and peace, from him
which is, and which was, and which is to come; and from the seven spirits which
are before his throne;
Even the
location is significant: Asia means "boggy" or
"swampy"; as the true church can testify. Revelation is a message
which God gave to Jesus Christ; and John’s introduction is from that
standpoint. The seven spirits indicate God’s power or ability to bring to a
successful conclusion any work or plan he wishes to have done.
"The first
three chapters of Revelation contain particular specifications and general
admonitions, not only for the local churches therein mentioned, but for all
‘overcomers.’ They apply not only to the different epochs in the history of the
church as a whole, but to different classes in any one epoch in the history of
the church." ‘11-R4870
THE ABRAHAMIC
COVENANT AND THE NEW COVENANT
"The
Abrahamic Covenant is not the New Covenant, even as it is not the Law Covenant.
The New Covenant is the name of that arrangement which God will make with
Israel and all mankind who, during the period of Messiah’s reign, desire to
become ‘Israelites indeed.’ That New Covenant will be inaugurated as a measure
for carrying out the blessings purposed in the Abrahamic Covenant.
"The
Abrahamic Covenant relates especially to the Seed of Abraham, which is to be
made glorious and powerful, with a view to the blessing of the world. The
New Covenant relates to the arrangement by which the antitypical Seed of
Abraham, when glorified, will accomplish the honorable work assigned
to it in the Abrahamic Covenant.
"The
fulfilment of the Abrahamic Covenant began in the person of our Lord Jesus, not
when He left the Heavenly glory, nor when He was born a babe at Bethlehem, but
when God accepted his consecration and begat him to a new nature at the time of
his baptism, perfecting him in the new nature at his resurrection. The man
Jesus, before being begotten of the holy Spirit, was not the Seed of
Abraham according to promise, capable of blessing mankind; for so long as Jesus
was in the flesh, even though perfect, the blessing of the world through him
was impossible. The world lay under a 7 death sentence and could not be blessed
until provision should be made for the lifting of that death sentence.
"The
provision of the ransom, therefore, was necessary for the world. Jesus in the
flesh, in providing the ransomprice, would have had no life for himself that he
might become the King of Glory and Priest after the order of Melchizedek (Psa.
110:4; Heb. 5:10) unless God had begotten and quickened and raised him to the
higher, spirit nature. Hence, although Jesus, through his mother, was of the
seed of Abraham according to the flesh, he did not inherit this Abrahamic
Covenant according to the flesh, but as the new creature.
"In order,
therefore, to attain this higher nature, in order to be the spiritual seed of
Abraham and bless all the families of the earth, it was necessary for Jesus to
enter into a special covenant of sacrifice. The church, members of his body,
must share all his experiences and lay down the earthly life also; for whether
Jews or Gentiles it would still be true that flesh and blood cannot inherit the
kingdom. Hence the privilege of the church is to enter into the covenant of
sacrifice with Jesus. Thus we read, ‘Gather my saints together unto me; those
that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice’—Psa. 50:5.
"It has
required the entire Gospel age for the gathering of these saints and the making
of their sacrifices. Those sacrifices must be accomplished before they can
attain to the heavenly nature—before they can be members of the spiritual seed
of Abraham and heirs according to the promise. Thus the Apostle declared,
‘Israel bath not obtained that which he seeketh for (to be the spiritual seed
of Abraham); but the election bath obtained it, and the rest were blinded’—Rom.
11:7.
"The
election obtained this blessed state through the covenant of sacrifice, in
which Jesus acted as their Advocate. The first members were accepted at
Pentecost. The last members, we trust, will soon finish their course with joy.
Then the spiritual seed of Abraham will be complete and ready to serve the
world as the great antitypical Mediator of the New Covenant.
"The
Abrahamic Covenant was God’s own Covenant, or promise. Because it was
unconditional, it has no mediator (Gal. 3:19,20), neither did it need to be
sealed with blood. Rather, we might say that God sealed it with his oath (Heb.
6:16-18). The Law Covenant needed the blood of bulls and goats as an offset to
the sins of the people, who were to be blessed typically. The new Covenant
needs the blood of better sacrifices as satisfaction for the sins of the
people, who are to be blessed actually. These two covenants could not go into
effect without the shedding of blood and the remission of sins—Heb. 9:18-22.
"But the
Abrahamic Covenant centers itself in the new creatures. From the first, God
meant primarily the spiritual seed of Abraham, the new creation, which has
never known sin. Jesus himself was holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from
sinners, and needed not any atonement for sin in order to enter into that
covenant relationship and become Abraham’s spiritual seed and heir. Those
accepted as his members would have had no such standing or worthiness except as
he adopted them as his members, imputed his own merit to them and offered them
sacrificially as his own flesh.
"Hence,
strictly speaking, we cannot say that the Abrahamic Covenant has ever been
sealed with blood, or that it will ever be so sealed. This does not alter the
fact however, that not without blood (death) could we, his members, be accepted
through him. Only in this indirect way can it be said that the Abrahamic
Covenant is sealed with blood. St. Paul intimates that it was sealed by the
oath of Jehovah—Heb. 6:13-18. ‘13-R5226, R5227
WHY JESUS LOVES
HIS OWN
"Why did
Jesus have this special love for them—’having loved his own, he loved them unto
the end.’ There is something important here. You and I wish to know whether the
Savior loves us. His is not merely a random love. There is a principle
involved... His was an unselfish love. He purposed to do something for them.
"What was
the reason that Jesus loved and called his disciples his own?... He loved them
because they had those qualities of heart that would make them lovable from his
standpoint... I am glad the Bible says that Jesus loved his own. I am glad I am
one of his own and therefore can believe that Jesus loves me, not in the merely
sympathetic sense that he loves the unbelieving world, but in the special sense
made manifest in John 13:1.
"The
quality that made Jesus love them was, I believe, first of all, their honesty.
It seems to me there is no quality more estimable in the sight of God than
honesty... The honesty which these disciples manifested was that they were
ready to confess that they were nothing of themselves. They could not keep the
law of God. They could not think of themselves as anybody. They knew, as all
Jews knew, or ought to have known, that God had given them the law as the
standard. They could not keep that law. They were honest enough to confess it.
Their hearts were therefore in the attitude to look for something that God had
to give that would be better than the Law Covenant—Romans 7; 8:1-4.
HYPOCRISY THE
GREAT SIN
"Notice
the great ones, the holy, the religious ones, of the Jewish nation—the scribes
and Pharisees and priests. They were claiming that they kept the law; but they
were not keeping the law, as Jesus pointed out. That meant that they were
deceived. They were professing to keep the law. They made broad their phylacteries.
They made long prayers to be seen of men. Jesus was continually reproving them.
Doubtless there were many murderers, thieves and vagabonds in Palestine; yet we
notice that Jesus passed all their criminality by as insignificant as compared
with hypocrisy. The most serious denunciations the Master gave were toward this
class. The further you and I can get away from being religious hypocrites the
better...
"‘ The
Father himself loveth you’ (John 16:27)! What would you take, my dear brother,
for what that text teaches of the love of God toward us as his children? He has
a love for the world. As a God, a Creator, he has the supervision of all his
creatures. God has made provision for every creature, even the sparrow. But for
all who have come into this loyal attitude of mind, he has love—sympathy, and
more, esteem! ...
8 "It is
not that we first loved him, but that he first loved us—the love we see
reflected in his great plan for the uplifting of our race. And this tells us of
the great God that we have. When we came into his family by surrendering our
wills to him, and he begat us of his holy Spirit, we came into a precious
relationship. There is nothing like it in the universe. The holy angels indeed
are in God’s love and favor; they never were out of it. But we who were once
sinners and who are now received back into his family, are begotten of his
Spirit to the highest of all natures. How wonderful, my dear brother! I think,
and so do you, that God loves us very, very much, or he would never have make
such wonderful provision in the riches of his grace and in his loving kindness
toward us who are in Christ Jesus. The provisions of God’s grace are not only those
of the future, and it is not that he will ultimately change and transform us
who are now willing to will and to do his good pleasure, but we are actually
being transformed today, by this love of the Father.
"I believe
that daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, as we think upon these things, as we
consider, study out and understand the great love of God as expressed in his
marvelous plan, we are getting a wonderful realization of how much ‘the Father
himself loveth’ us. But we cannot understand it fully. But the very fact that
any Father would do such wonderful things for any child would imply a great
deal of love.
"God had
love for the angels when he made them. He had love for the cherubim and the
seraphim when he made them. They always will be grand characters and therefore
worthy of God’s love. But here is the most wonderful expression of God’s love
that we by faith can believe in—that God should have such love toward us who
are in every way disorganized as a race. The Father looked down and beheld in this
race some jewels; and he lifted these jewels up and washed them free from sin
through the merit of the Savior; and then, through their consecration, began
the work of polishing these jewels and getting them ready for the mounting in
effulgent glory in the resurrection morning, when he shall set these jewels in
the gold of the divine nature. Surely the Father himself loveth us!”‘15-R5725
BRINGING BACK
THE KING
"Why Are
Ye the Last to Bring Back the King?" 2Sa 19:9-12 "In the scrap
of history here recorded we find an illustration of a very similar condition of
things in the world today.... ‘’‘ 94-R1690 to R1693.
”A thousand
years! Earth’s coming glory! ‘Tis the glad day so long foretold; ‘Tis the
bright morn of Zion’s glory, Prophets foresaw in times of old.”"While
there are not many rich or noble amongst the Lord’s brethren, yet when it comes
to telling the truth, they manage it very well!”‘15-R5728 c2 p1
Revelation 1
5
And from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and
the first begotten of the dead, and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto
him that loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood,
Revelation
1:5 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 5. And
from Jesus Christ, who is the faithful witness, and the first born of the dead,
and the prince of the kings of the earth. Unto him that loved us, and washed us
from our sins in his own blood.
The washed
condition shows that this Book is for those only, who are consecrated,
justified, spirit begotten, and anxiously studying their Father’s word to get
the import of it, and not missing the fact that the correct understanding must
take into consideration the time feature as to when the events are due.
"The
conversion of the world in the present age was not expected of the Church, but
her mission has been to preach the Gospel in all the world for a witness, and to prepare herself under divine direction
for her great future work." A95 top "Through this man is preached
unto you the forgiveness of sins"—Acts 13:38.
"Although
Messiah had long existed as the archangel, nevertheless the prophet David,
speaking for God, said concerning him: ‘Thou art my son, this day have I
begotten (literally borne or delivered) thee.’ The Apostle would
have his hearers note that this birth mentioned referred to our Lord’s
resurrection, as it is written, he was the ‘first born from the dead,’‘
the first born among many brethren.’—Psa. 2:17; Heb. 1:5; Rom. 8:29; Rev. 1:5.
"He quotes
again the words of Jehovah through the prophet, addressed to Messiah—’I will
give you the sure mercies of David,’—I will make sure to thee forever the
mercies of David... Although Messiah as Michael the archangel had been great
even before David’s time, yet it would be at a later date, and as a result of
some work which he would perform, that the mercies promised to David and his
seed would be made sure to Messiah. This transaction was the giving of
‘his life a ransom for all,’ and the making sure to him of the Davidic promises
by the Almighty was evidenced ‘in that he raised him from the dead.’ "The
center and pith of the Apostle’s discourse (Acts 13:26-39)... was an individual
message to every heart before him in condition to receive it, namely, ‘Through
this man is preached unto you the forgiveness of sins.’ The Apostle does
not refer to something that was done by our Lord as the Archangel before ‘He
was made flesh’ (John 1:14), nor does he refer to any work to be done by him in
his new, highly exalted condition, ‘ set down with his Father in His throne’
and partaker of His Divine Nature; but he here refers to the work done by
‘the man, Christ Jesus who gave
himself A RANSOM for all’ {1Ti 2:5,6} at Calvary. Thus the Apostle again
emphasizes the fact that ‘as by a man came death, by a man also
came the resurrection of the dead’ {1Co 15:21}.
"Yes, this
is the center of the Gospel proclamation that the failure of the first perfect
man was fully offset by the sacrifice of ‘the man Christ Jesus,’ and that it
was to this end that it was needful for our Lord to leave the glory which he
had with the Father before the world was (John 1:14), to become poor (in the
sense of taking our lower nature—but not its blemishes, for he was ‘holy,
harmless, undefiled, and separate from sinners’); and yielding up this human
nature a ransom-price or corresponding price for the life forfeited by
father Adam for himself and his race. This is the basis upon which every offer
to grace is presented by the Scriptures.
9 "And
now, he who was the Father’s agent in the redemptive work is to be the
Father’s agent also in the work of ‘blessing’ all the redeemed with
ample opportunities for return to divine favor—the first step of which is the
forgiveness of sins." ‘97-R2149, R2150 Please see comments at Rev. 22:17
on the Testator—the antitypical Moses.
"The blood
represents the surrender of earthly rights and privileges and life willingly,
in pursuance of the divine will or arrangement." ‘09-R4428 "God was
in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them"—2 Cor. 5:19.
"Speaking
the Truth in love... grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even
Christ"—Eph. 4:15.
"The
church will be first in Messiah’s kingdom; natural Israel with the ancient
worthies at their head will be the second. Subsequently all nations will come
into divine favor and blessing, becoming members of Israel. All who have the
spirit of obedience and sacrifice will be blessed through our Lord and Savior
Jesus Christ." ‘15-R5721 "The teaching of Jesus was chiefly by
induction. He had been with his disciples working miracles for probably two
years before he asked them, ‘Whom say ye that I am?’ When St. Peter declared,
‘Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God,’ Jesus replied, ‘Flesh and
blood bath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven’—Matthew
16:15-17.
"Did not
St. Peter thus declare his faith that Jesus was the Son of God—not the son of
Joseph? And did not Jesus approve this, and refer to the heavenly and not to an
earthly father?
"What did
Jesus mean when he declared, ‘Before Abraham was I am?’ By induction he told of
a pre-human existence... Similarly he prayed to the Father, ‘Glorify thou me
with shine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was’
(John 8:58; 17:5).
"Again
Jesus told his disciples about this ascending up where he was before. If he had
no previous existence, if he had not a special birth, how could we understand
these words? Similarly Jesus referred to himself as ‘the bread which came down
from heaven’—John 6:62,32-35,41.
"Surely
Jesus was miraculously born... There is no middle ground.
"Having
heard from Jesus and from St. Peter, let us hear from St. Paul. What is the
force, or significance of St. Paul’s statement that Jesus is ‘the first-born of
every creature,’ and that ‘by him were all things created, that are in heaven,
and that are in earth, visible and invisible... all things were created by him
and for him; and he is before all things, and by him all things consist’?( Col.
1:15-17) These words by the Apostle are surely not in accord with the theory
that Jesus began his existence the same as others—that he was the son of
Joseph.
"Again St.
Paul writes, ‘Our Lord Jesus, though he was rich, for our sakes became poor’
{2Co 8:9}. Again he declares, ‘Who, existing in a form of God, counted not
equality with God a thing to be grasped, but emptied himself, taking the form
of a servant, being made in the likeness of men’—Phil. 2:6,7.
"Again,
what is the meaning of St. Paul’s declaration that Jesus was ‘holy, guileless,
undefiled and separate from sinners’?( Hebrews 7:26) If Jesus was the son of
Joseph, he was not separate from sinners, but belonged to the same stock with
all others and would also have needed a redeemer." ‘ 15-R5767
"Verse 5
clearly teaches what the creeds of Christendom ignore, and what is in direct
antagonism to their statements; namely, that the risen Christ was ‘the first
born of the dead.’ That is to say, our Lord was the first to experience a
resurrection in the full sense of the word, the first to experience a
resurrection to perfection and eternal life. Although some before him were
temporarily awakened, they relapsed again into death; for they were only
partial illustrations of resurrection, to assure men of the divine power to
accomplish it fully in the due time appointed of God." ‘16- R5991.
"To this
end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear
witness to the truth" John 18:37. "Many who realize that Jesus was
indeed the Man of Sorrows, acquainted with grief, and some who realize that he
died for our sins, have never yet seen that he purchased not only man but the
empire originally given to the first Adam. Many can realize our Lord in the
attitude of priest who fail to realize that he is also to be a king, and that
throughout the Millennial age he will be a priest upon his throne, ‘
after the order of Melchizedec,’ his Church and Bride being associated with him
and sharing in both his priestly and his kingly offices.
"The
priestly of ficespeaks mercy, forgiveness and grace to help; but the kingly
office is no less essential to the world’s salvation—men must be delivered
from the bondage of sin and death—and must be ruled with the iron rod in
order to develop them and fit them for life everlasting; and all of this work
belongs to him who redeemed us as with his own precious blood. It is well that
we remember, too, that a very large proportion of our Lord’s parables related
to the kingdom in its various stages—now embryotic, by and by to be set up with
full power and authority to overthrow evil and to bring in everlasting
righteousness.
"This
kingdom is to be a kingdom of truth, of righteousness and of love, working well
for its subjects, and our Lord’s mission at the first advent was to lay the
foundation for that kingdom by witnessing to the truth—the truth that God is
both just and loving, and is willing to receive back into harmony with himself
all who love truth and righteousness. It was our Lord’s faithfulness to the
truth that brought upon him the opposition of those who were blinded by the
Adversary, hence his statement that he came to bear witness to the truth is a
brief statement of his mission. It was his witness to the truth that cost him
his life, and it was the giving of his life in defense of the truth that
constituted the redemption price. Similarly all of the Lord’s followers are to
bear witness to the truth—the truth in respect to God’s character and plan—the
features of that plan accomplished at the first advent in the redemption of the
world, and the features of that plan yet to be accomplished in the second
advent, in the deliverance of the world from the bondage of sin and corruption.
It is such witness to the truth that is to cost all the true followers of Jesus
their lives in presenting themselves
10 living
sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God through Christ Jesus. Let each one who
hopes to be a joint-heir with the Prince of Life in the kingdom witness to the
truth—a good confession respecting the kingdom, its foundation and ultimate superstructure
in glory." ‘99-R2471
JEHOVAH’S
SUFFERING SERVANT—Isaiah 52:13-53:1-12 JEHOVAH HATH LAID ON HIM THE INIQUITY OF
US ALL.
"In this
study we have a divinely drawn portrait of the experiences which God
foreordained should come upon the one whom he has promised shall ultimately be
the great Messiah of glory who will exalt the nation of Israel and through it
pour blessings upon all the families of the earth. Thus it is written, ‘In thy
seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed.’ Much of the prophecy of
this study has already been fulfilled, but not all of it—the glorious features
are yet to come, and we believe are nigh, even at the door.... " Please
read ‘11-R4831.
MESSIAH’S REIGN
{Ps 72} "All kings shall fall down before him: all nations shall serve
him"—Psa. 72:11.
"In Acts
3:19-21 we read that ‘Times of refreshing shall come from the presence (Greek, prosopon— face or countenance) of the
Lord (Jehovah—from his favor, as indicated by the figure of his face turned
toward us); and (at this appointed time of refreshing, their redemption
having at great cost been legally secured for them through GOD’S only begotten
Son) he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you; whom the
heaven must retain until the TIMES OF RESTITUTION of all things which GOD bath
spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets, since the world began.’
"He bids
us note the fact that this glorious time of blessing for the whole world is the
inspiring theme of every one of his true prophets.... ‘92-R1414, R1415—a gem!
Revelation 1
6
And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be
glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
Revelation
1:6 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 6. And
bath made us kings and priests unto his God and Father; to him be glory and
dominion for ever and ever. Amen.
A ruling
priesthood, after the order of Melchizedek, is in the offing; for which the
garments of glory and beauty are waiting.
"Our Lord
Jesus was ordained of God a Priest after the Order of Melchizedek; but sacrificially He was the antitype of
Aaron, and was first to offer up Himself, and subsequently to accept His
disciples, justify them through His sacrifice, and then constitute them
members, or parts, of His own sacrifice. It is evident that in the type only
the high priest was ordained to offer up the sin-offering of the Day of
Atonement. None of the under priests had such a right. So none of the
antitypical under priests, the followers of Christ, are competent to offer up
themselves. All that we can do is to present ourselves to our Redeemer, who
justifies us—consecrating our lives unto death. He accepts us, imputes His
merit to us, and counts us members of His fleshly Body; and then by His
Holy Spirit, through Christ, God
operates in us ‘to will and to do His good pleasure,’ which is to carry out
the work of self-sacrifice even unto death. But all this while the Church is
not sacrificed as was the High Priest, nor presented to the Father in our own
name. The Father’s dealing is only with our Advocate, and we are accepted merely because we are
His.
"All this
is shown in the Atonement Day type of the sinoffering. The high priest offered
the bullock first, as his own sacrifice—representing himself individually. Then
the high priest, not the under priests, afterwards offered the Lord’s goat—
one goat, not many goats. This goat
was offered, not as the
sacrifice of the under priests, but as the sacrifice of the high priest. So in
the antitype. Our consecration is acceptable to the Father only because of the
merit of Jesus imputed to us as His members when He adopts us as a part of His
own flesh." ‘15-R5720 top
"SIGN-MEN"
"Behold, I, and the children whom Jehovah bath given me, for signs
(sign-men) and for wonders in Israel from Jehovah of hosts, which dwelleth in
Mt. Zion"—Isaiah 8:18.
"Our Lord
Jesus... says, ‘Bind up the testimony, seal the law among my disciples. And I
will wait upon Jehovah... And Behold I and the children whom Jehovah
bath given me’ ": Aaron, and the members of his body, the priesthood; for
sign-members, typical of Melchizedek. Compare Hebrews 2:13 with Isaiah 8:16-18.
E49 p 1
MELCHIZEDEK—THE
REIGNING PRIESTHOOD "And they the Levitical priesthood after the order
of Aaron—Heb. 7:11 truly were many priests, because they were not suffered
to continue by reason of death—v. 23: But Our Lord sprang out of Judah
according to the flesh—Heb. 7:14: Jehovah swore and will not change, Thou art a
Priest for the Age according to the order of Melchizedek—Heb. 7:21: By so much
was Jesus made a surety of a better Covenant—Heb. 7:22. But He, on account of
his continuing for the age, possesses the Priesthood which changes not;
Wherefore He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by
him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them." See Diaglott.
Hebrews 7:23-25.
"Thus
gradually God has been preparing the great Prophet, Priest, King and Judge, who
during the thousand years of Messiah’s kingdom will be the Mediator between God
and all who desire to draw near to him and to receive his blessing. These will
be related to the repentant world as the priests of Israel were related to
their nation; but their work will be efficacious, and not a failure, because
based upon the ‘better sacrifices’ for sins (Heb. 9:23), and therefore backed
by divine power in the forgiveness of sins and the deliverance of the willing
and obedient out of bondage to sin and death into the glorious liberty of the
children of God. This grand antitype is before us and will, we believe, soon
have its glorious accomplishment.
"The
Messiah whom God is thus preparing, composed of Jesus the Head and all the
elect of Israel and of the whole world, the body of Messiah, will, like the
type, be very faithful, loyal, patriotic toward God and toward the people. Indeed,
it is one of the tests of these that they shall be faithful to the principles
of the divine character even unto death." ‘13-R5334
11 "The
‘Day of Atonement’ which in the type was but a twenty-four hour day, we see in
antitype to be the entire Gospel age. And with its close the sacrificing
ceases, the glory and blessing begin, and the great High Priest of the world
(Jesus and his Bride, made one, Head and members complete) will stand forth crowned a King and
Priest after the Melchizedek order, a King of Peace—a Priest upon his
throne—Heb. 5:10.
"In the
end of the Jewish age Jesus offered himself individually to Israel as prophet,
priest, and king, typical or illustrative of the offering of the whole Body,
the complete and glorified Christ, to the whole world. As prophet he taught
them; as priest ‘he offered up himself’ (Heb. 7:27), and as King he rode into
their city at the close of his ministry. But they did not receive him in any of
these offices.
During the
Gospel age his Church or Body has acknowledged him as a ‘a teacher sent from
God’—the great Prophet; as the ‘High Priest of our profession’; and as the
rightful King. The Word of God teaches, however, that it is not by the Church
only that he is to be accepted, but that he (together with his Body, the
Church) will be the Prophet for all the people, the Priestfor all the people, and the King over ‘all peoples, nations,
and tongues’;‘ Lord of all,’ Priest of all, and Prophet or teacher of all.
"When,
during the Millennium, under the government and teaching of this great Prophet,
Priest and King, mankind is brought to perfect knowledge and ability, perfect
obedience will be required, and all who will not render it will be cut off from
life without further hope—the second death—Acts 3:22,23." T.S. 50-51.
THE GREATER
THAN SOLOMON’S—1 Kings 11:4-13; Luke 8:20; Luke 2:11 THE ANTITYPICAL KINGDOM
"The long-promised kingdom waits for the development of this ‘little
flock’ of kings and priests, who shall reign with Christ in the earth, as
members of the Messiah company of which he is the Head and Lord, as well as the
Redeemer. With the glorification of the last member of this elect class comes
the due time for the setting up of the kingdom of God’s dear Son in power and
great glory. Then will be fulfilled the promise, ‘In thy seed shall all the
families of the earth be blessed,’ because the elect church is a part of the
seed of Abraham; therefore the promise of which they are heirs with Christ
cannot be fulfilled until their selection and glorification shall be completed.
Toward that glorious consummation of human redemption all the promises and
arrangements of the divine Word and plan are bent... " Please read
‘08-R4298, R4299.
JEHOVAH’S
SUFFERING SERVANT—Isaiah 52:13-53:12 THE PROPHETIC SUMMARY "In the first
three verses of our study (Isaiah 52:13-15), the entire work of Messiah, not
only in its preparation, but also in its revelation in Kingly power, is set
forth. It is applicable, specially, to the Head, but is applicable also to the
members of his body. A preferred translation reads: ‘Behold my servant shall
deal wisely; he shall be exalted and lifted up and shall be very high. As many
were astonished in thee; but his visage was so marred more than any man. For so
shall he startle many nations; kings shall shut their mouths to him, for that
which had not been told them shall they see, and that which they had not heard
shall they understand.’ "" There are two reasons why the world and
its great ones will be astonished when the Millennial kingdom shall suddenly
burst upon the world. They have heard such chimerical and unreasonable
statements respecting Messiah’s kingdom, even from the people of God, that they
will be takemcompletely by surprise when they shall behold the reality... When
the Kingdom shall be ushered in, following a great social revolution, it will
be so much more majestically grand than anything dreamed of that every mouth
shall be stopped and, as the Lord through the Prophet declares, that kingdom of
Messiah shall be the ‘desire of all nations’ "—Hag. 2:6,7 ‘11-R4831
YE ARE MY
WITNESSES, SAITH JEHOVAH Isaiah 43:10; 44:8; Psalm 116:12-14 ‘14-R5539
"And we are His witnesses of these things..." Acts 5:29-32; 10:39;
13:31; (27-33).
"The
apostles... under the Lord’s teaching... were uniformly recognized by the early
Church as guides in the way of the Lord—especially appointed
instructors—’pillars in the Church,’ next in authority to the Lord himself. In
various ways the Lord prepared them for this position: (1) They were with him
continually and could, therefore be witnesses respecting all the affairs of his
ministry, his teachings, his miracles, his prayers, his sympathy, his holiness,
his self-sacrifice even unto death, and, finally, witnesses of his
resurrection. Not only did the early Church need all of these testimonies, but
all who have since been called of the Lord and have accepted his call to the
New Creation—all who have fled for refuge and are trusting in the glorious
hopes centered in his character, in his sacrificial death, in his high
exaltation and in the plan of God he is to fulfil—needed just such personal
testimony in respect to all these matters, to the intent that they might have
strong faith, strong consolation.
"The
Apostle Paul, although not directly a witness to the same extent as the eleven,
was nevertheless, made a witness of our Lord’s resurrection in that he was
given a subsequent glimpse of his glorious presence, as he himself states the
matter—’Last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time
(before the time)’—{50 15:8,9}... See F213- 216, Chapter 5. See ‘01-R2824 c 2;
R5050 c 2 bottom half
THE SUFFERING
OF CHRIST—HEBREWS 9:27-28 "‘And as it is appointed unto men (Aaron and his
successors, who were merely types of the High Priest of the New Creation) once
to die (typically, as represented in the animal slain), but after this
(following, as a result of this sacrifice) the judgment (of God, approving or
disapproving the sacrifice), so Christ was once offered (never will it
be repeated) to bear the sins of many ("every man"); and unto them
that look for him he shall appear the second time, without sin (neither
blemished by the sins borne, nor to repeat the sin-offering, but) unto
salvation’—to give the everlasting
12 life to all
who desire it upon God’s conditions of faith and obedience"—Heb. 9:27, 28.
T 87 p 1; CRS 164 c 2 p 1
PAUL’S HEAVENLY
VISION—Acts 22:6-16.
"I was not
disobedient unto the heavenly vision"—Acts 26:19.
"It was
because Paul of Tarsus was... ‘an Israelite indeed,’ fighting the truth
ignorantly, that our Lord favored him in the miraculous manner related in this
lesson. Indeed, we may suppose that the Lord in some manner favored all
‘Israelites indeed,’ as we note, for instance, that he favored Nathaniel, who
at first was skeptical respecting his Messiahship, but was granted convincing
evidence because of his sincerity... The Lord had mercy upon Nathaniel, and
assisted him in one way, while he assisted others, at Pentecost, in another
way, through manifestation of the Spirit; and now in a still different manner
he arrested the attention of Saul, convincing him speedily that he was doing
the very opposite thing from what he intended to do.. " See ‘01-R2823 to
R2825.
Revelation 1
7
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also
which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him.
Even so, Amen.
Revelation
1:7 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 7.
Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which
pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so.
Amen.
This verse is
very definite that the second advent of our dear Lord does not wait for the
conversion of the whole world. Indeed, as other Scriptures show, there are many
heathen who have not even heard his name. This verse also covers much more time
than a day, or a week, or a year. Many are to see him, but not with the natural
eye. A95. ‘10-R4602; R4544 "The sheep see Him in character as well
as nature... Because they thus look to that end. Now, we must see Him by
having His character likeness in order to be members of the Little Flock.
T84-T87. D600. Please see "HE COMETH WITH CLOUDS" ‘13-R5269 top of
page.
"Behold,
he cometh with clouds (incident to His Presence, setting up His Kingdom, the
real cause of the accompanying trouble—’clouds’); and (in due time) every eye
shall see him (Horao, discern him, recognize his presence, power and
authority), and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth
shall wail because of him. Even so. Amen. "" When Christ who is our
life, shall be manifested, then shall ye also with Him be manifested in
glory"—Col. 3:4 RV.
"We are
already in ‘the time of the end’.... We have been in ‘the time of the end’
since 1799... ‘the day of his (Jehovah’s) preparation’... the preparation
that Jehovah God is making for the kingdom of his dear Son... lifting of the
curtain of ignorance, and the letting in of the light... ready... when the Sun
of Righteousness shall arise with healing in his beams, and the Millennial day
shall be ushered in, with all its multiplied blessings and mercies and
opportunities. Acts 3:21... All men discern these things, but not all alike.
The faithful, the Watchers, discern them not only as facts but also as
fulfilments of prophecy; as proofs that we are already in the period
termed ‘the time of the end.’ "‘ 02-R2973
"The
Divine Revelation, the Bible, is the Wisdom from Above, the Noblest Science and
the Best Instruction." PhotoDrama Scenario, Frontispiece.
"Yes, His
Truth—that grand system of truth comprised in the Divine Plan of the Ages... is
the armor of God." ‘04-R3332 top "... He is coming in clouds, in that
the time in which he will first manifest himself to the world will be a very
dark day to the world—’a time of trouble such as never was since there was a
nation,’ and, we are told, never shall be again (Matt. 24:21). That will be a
dark, cloudy day.
"In that
day, ultimately all eyes shall be opened; and all mankind shall see him with
the eyes of their understanding—see him in the sense that we see him now, and
have knowledge of him and of the Father... It is far better to see with the
intellect than with the natural sight.
"... Every
human being shall come to an understanding of the fact that the Lord’s kingdom
is for the blessing of ‘all the families of the earth’ according to God’s
promise made to Abraham and all the prophets after his day.
Matthew 24:30.
Zechariah 12:10. "Thus they will appreciate Christ... not... with the
natural sight... The whole world will be in mourning... In the midst of that
trouble they will gradually learn of the grace of God... the glorious kingdom
of Messiah, through which are to come all the blessings which God has
promised." ‘13-R5269
"HE COMETH
WITH CLOUDS" "Mr. Rabbinowitz says the Jews have kept up great
questionings and controversies about the meaning of Zech. 12:10: ‘They shall
look upon ME whom they have pierced.’ They will not admit that it is Jesus whom
they have pierced, hence the dispute as to who is meant. Mr. R. points out that
the word used consists of the first and last letters of the Hebrew alphabet, Aleph Tay, and adds: ‘Do you wonder, then, that I was filled with awe and
astonishment when I opened to Rev. 1:7,8, and read these words of Zechariah
quoted by John, ‘Behold, he cometh... and every eye shall see him, and they
also that pierced him,’ and then heard the glorified Lord saying, ...‘ I am the
Alpha and Omega.’ Jesus seemed to say to me, ‘Do you doubt who it is you have
pierced? I am the Aleph Tay, the
Alpha Omega.’ "‘ 96-R1948
(PRECIOUS
JESUS) THE CONTRAST OF HUMAN PERFECTION AND HUMAN DEPRAVITY "And they
crucified him, and parted his garments, casting lots, that it might be
fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, ‘They parted my garments among them,
and upon my vesture did they cast lots.’ And sitting down they watched him
there"—Matt. 27:35, 36.
"Here, in
marked contrast, are seen the glory of moral perfection and the depth of human
depravity. Here was the most sublime heroism, the most perfect self-abnegation,
the most exalted benevolence, and the most devoted loyalty, in contrast with
the vilest hypocrisy, the most cold-blooded hate, and the most abject
cowardice. The meanest, vilest selfishness, pride and conceit delivered to
ignominy and death the fairest flower of virtue that ever bloomed on earth, and
wicked hands and fiendish hearts executed the dark designs
13 of envy and
hate, taking a morbid pleasure in the dying agonies of the Son of God, while
he, as a sheep before her shearers is dumb opened not his mouth in
self-defense, but meekly submitted to the terrible ordeal of suffering and
death for the world of sinners, none of whom could then appreciate and
understand his motives or his work. Truly, the contrast of such virtue, in
comparison with such depravity, encircles the Cross of Christ with a halo of
ineffable glory, the broken rays of which, falling upon us, express to us all
there is of moral excellence and worth.
"In the apprehension, arraignment and crucifixion of Christ three
classes of criminals come to view. First, there were those who, for envy, delivered him to death. They were the proud,
boastful, self-righteous hypocrites, who... hated the Lord without cause, save
that which originated in their own depravity. These... the rulers and religious
teachers, the educated men of the nation, the expounders of the law of God, and
the interpreters of the prophets—these wickedly took counsel together against
the Lord and against his Anointed...
"Second,
there were those cringing, hireling, menials, too basely selfish to spurn a
bribe, or to appreciate a principle....
"Third, there
were those cold-blooded, cruel servants of the Roman state who... cared nothing
for the honor of justice, or the vindication of right...’
"How
strange it seems that humanity, originally in the likeness of God, can sink so
low; ... Satan fell from a great height to a corresponding depth...’
"Every
member of the anointed body can say with the Head, ‘The reproaches of them that
reproached thee are fallen upon me.’ "‘ 96-R1963, R1964
Verse 7 clearly
teaches that at the time of our Lord’s second advent the world will be far from
converted to God for ‘all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him....’
Christ comes before the conversion of the world and for the very purpose of
converting all mankind; and that the glorified church of the Gospel age shall
share with her Lord and Head in his reign, which is God’s appointed means of
blessing the world.
"Christ
and the glorified church, made ‘partakers of the divine nature,’ will be spirit
beings, invisible to men. Our Lord’s presence will be manifested to the world
by exhibitions of power and great glory. He will not be visible to natural
sight, but to the eyes of understanding, as these shall open to an appreciation
of the great changes which earth’s new Ruler shall effect. His presence and his
righteous authority will be recognized in both the punishments and the
blessings which will flow to mankind from his reign.
"Our King
will reveal himself gradually. Some will discern the new Ruler sooner than
others. But ultimately ‘every eye shall see (Greek, horao, discern) him.’ But ‘he cometh with clouds.’ And while the clouds
of trouble hang heavy and dark, when the mountains—kingdoms of this world—are
trembling and falling, when the earth—organized society—is being shaken and
disintegrated, some will begin to realize that Jehovah’s Anointed is taking to
himself his great power and is beginning his work of laying justice to the line
and righteousness to the plummet. For he must reign until he shall have put
down all authority and laws on earth which are contrary to those controlling in
heaven.’
"Blessed
Bible, precious Word!
Boon most
sacred from the Lord; Glory to His name be given, For this choicest gift from
Heaven.
"Tis a
mine, aye, deeper, too, Than can mortal ever go; Search we may for many years,
Still some new, rich gem appears.”16-R5991, R5992
HE SHALL COME
FORTH AND BLESS THE PEOPLE.
"And as it
is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment; So Christ was
once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him, He
shall appear a second time, not as a Sin-Offering, but unto
salvation"—Hebrews 9:27.28; ‘15-R5731 "The Apostle is here (Hebrews
9:28) tracing the work of Christ as the great High Priest. He represents our
Lord as having offered the sin-offering, on the Day of Atonement, in its two
parts—the bullock and the goat—and as being now in the Most Holy (See T.S.).
When he has accomplished his work, he will appear the second time—not to repeat
any of the offerings of the Gospel age, not as a sin-offering—but he shall
appear unto salvation, to all
those who look for him. We can see that his words might apply to the church.
They will know of his secondary appearance. They will have an appreciation of
that fact before he will be revealed to the world. He will appear to them that
look for him.
"But we
are to remember that our Lord’s going into the Most Holy at the close of the
antitypical Day of Atonement with the blood of the Lord’s goat class, would
indicate the death of the goat. The under priests will be with him, as members
of himself. Then he shall come forth the second time, after this second
presentation of the blood, not to offer a sacrifice—for the sacrificing will
all be finished—but to bless the people.
"Who then
are these who look for him and to whom he will appear the second time, unto
salvation? We answer that in the Time of Trouble, and subsequently, the whole
world will begin to look for the Deliverer. All nations will be desiring
him—not as a sin-offering again, but for their salvation. As mankind will get
their eyes open to their need of salvation, they will be looking for this
deliverance by The Christ in glory. They will never see him with their natural
eyes. But they will look for him in the same sense that we now see Jesus—they
will see him with the eye of faith.
THEY SHALL FALL
UPON THEIR FACES.
"At that
time many nations shall say, ‘Come, let us go up to the mountain of the Lord’s
house. He will show us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths’ (Isaiah
2:3). Another Scripture assures us that, when he shall appear, we also, the
bride class, shall appear with him in glory. It is after the sacrificing is all
finished and the church glorified that he comes forth the second time unto
salvation, saving and blessing all the people. The high priest in the type did
not return into the Most Holy again, but lifted up his hands 14 and blessed the
people. Then the glory of the Lord appeared unto all the people, and the people
gave a great shout and fell upon their faces (Leviticus 9:23,24). So the people
of the world will prostrate themselves before the great Messiah. And this will
be the work of Christ during the thousand years—uplifting mankind and giving
them the benefit of the Atonement sacrifice." ‘15-R5655
Revelation 1
8 I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
Revelation
1:8 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 8. I
am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the ending, saith the Lord, which is, and
which was, and which is to come, the Almighty.
He is the only
being God (Jehovah) ever created, and used, to create angels and men and the
whole universe. Without him was nothing made that was made. And since his
resurrection that Sunday morning, he is Almighty. See R2888 c 1 p 3 Mt 28:18.
‘11-R4802-R4804 "The Scriptures tell us that our Lord was the beginning of
the creation, the first-born (verse 5) of every creature, the first and the
last (verse 17); that the Heavenly Father never created any other being; and
that by our Lord all things else were made (John 1:3). In other words, the
Father’s power was exercised through his Only Begotten Son. According to the Scriptures,
man was the last of the creations in God’s image. But the Heavenly Father has
purposed the creation of an order of beings higher than any that has been made,
and has arranged that his Only Begotten Son shall be the one to occupy the
highest position in that new creation.
"‘ For the
joy that was set before him’ our Lord endured the cross, despised the shame,
and then sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high (Matthew 28:18).
Originally, he was the first creation. Now he was the second creation—the new
creation, in contra-distinction.
"And the
entire church has been invited to come up to this highest place, to be
associated with Christ, to be partakers of the divine nature. But in order to
attain to this high position, to be with him, they must become dead to the
earthly nature and its interests, its aims and its projects, and alive with him
beyond the veil. Jesus is the Head of this new creation, of which the church is
the body.
"We do not
understand that the ‘great company’ will be a part of the new creation. Only
the ‘little’ flock will have the honor of being members of Christ’s body."
‘12-R5050
THE ALMIGHTY
"But although our Redeemer had always occupied the place of honor in the
heavenly courts, it was not until his faithful obedience to the Father had been
tested to the extent of his changing his nature to that of man, and then giving
himself as fallen man’s ransom, that he received his present unexcellable glory and honor. It is
since his resurrection that the message has gone forth—’All power in heaven and
in earth is given unto me’ (Matt. 28:18). Consequently it is only since
then that he could be called the Almighty. The heavenly Father has always been
almighty, and this all-power or allmight was never given
to him, but was his eternal possession. But now that he has given the
same power to his Onlybegotten and well-pleasing Son, our Saviour, both we and
angels delight to know it, and delight to honor him whom the Father has so
highly honored, and whom he has instructed us to honor, saying: ‘That all
should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father.’... Our Lord would be
reverenced and titled ‘Very Mighty’ or ‘Very Great.’"‘ 93-R1514, R1515
"Keep your heart, your will, your intentions and desires full of love
toward God and all his creatures—the most fervent toward God, and
proportionately toward all who have his spirit and walk in the way of his
direction....
"...
1Ti 4:2. Hence, the imperative necessity for carefully heeding the Lord’s
Word ‘(the only way we can know Him)’—’14-R5432, and walking circumspectly
according to its light.
"We are
not to faint in our minds nor become discouraged, feeling that so much has been
said against us that we must give up the race. On the contrary, we are to feel
assured like our Lord, that nothing can befall us except with the knowledge of
the Father, who is working all things for our good. It was thus our Lord was
prepared for his exaltation. So we, if we are rightly exercised by our various
experiences and follow as closely as possible the commands laid down for our
guidance, will find that even revilings, slanders, oppositions to
righteousness, will work out blessings for us, as they did for our Lord.’
"We are
glad that Jesus was... full of warm, loving, tender feelings and sensibilities;
and that we, consequently, can realize his ability to sympathize... more than
could any other human being. He must have felt keenly the conditions under
which he had placed himself in laying down his life on our behalf; for the more
perfect the organism, the more sensitive and high-strung are the feelings; the
greater the capacity for joy, the greater the capacity for sorrow. Being
absolutely perfect, our Lord must have been immeasurably more susceptible to
the influence of pain than are others.’
OFFERED UP
STRONG CRYINGS AND TEARS TO HIM WHO WAS ABLE TO SAVE HIM "Besides this, he
knew that he had a perfect life, unforfeited, and realized that he was about to
part with it...
"‘ Who in
the days of his flesh... offered up prayers and supplication, with strong
cryings and tears, unto him who was able to save him from (out of) death, and
was heard in (respect to) that he feared’ (Heb. 5:7)—extinction... Had he done
the Father’s will perfectly? Could he claim, and would he receive the reward
promised him—a resurrection from the dead?
"Had he
failed in any particular to come to the exact standard of perfection his death
would have meant extinction... None could know the full depth and force of its
meaning as could he who not only had the perfection of life, but had
recollection of his previous glory with his Father before the world was. For
him the very thought of extinction would bring anguish, terror of soul... He
saw himself about to suffer according to the Law as an evil-doer, and the
question naturally arose, was he entirely blameless, and would the Heavenly
Judge thoroughly acquit him whom so many were disposed to condemn?
"After
praying... Could he rely upon it now, that having sought to do the Father’s
will, having finished his course, he had done it acceptably? Could he have full
assurance of faith that God would save him out of death by a resurrection?
15 "In
answer to his petition a heavenly messenger was sent to comfort him, to
reassure him, to strengthen him. We are not informed what message the angel
brought, but we can see that it was a message of peace; that he brought
assurance, not only that the Lord’s course had the Father’s approval, but that
he would be brought again from the dead by a resurrection. These were quite
sufficient to give our Lord all the strength and courage necessary for the
ordeal before him; and from that moment onward we find him the coolest and
calmest of the notable figures brought to our attention. When approached by
Judas and his band, he was the most calm and self-possessed of all; when before
Pilate, the same, when crucified the same. He had found peace in the message
that he was approved of the Father, and that all the gracious promises of
glory, honor and immortality were his; and now he could pass through any ordeal,
he could submit himself perfectly to his enemies. "‘ 11- R4802 to R4804
"CYRUS
MINE ANOINTED" "Cyrus my shepherd, shall perform all my pleasure...
Thus saith Jehovah to His Anointed, to Cyrus, whose right hand I have held, to
subdue nations... " Isaiah 44:28; 45:1.
Cyrus means
"sun" (Mal. 4:2) and refers to our Cyrus, Jesus the Messiah, who will
turn the waters away from Babylon the Great, the Confederacy—and destroy it. Re
14:8 16:19 17:5 18:2,10,21.
"I hid not
my face from shame... For the Lord God will help me; therefore shall I not be
confounded: therefore have I set my face like a flint, and I know that I shall
not be ashamed"—Isa. 6,7.
DISTINCTION
BETWEEN KEEPING AND FULFILLING THE LAW "Our Lord Jesus who loved his God
with all his heart soul, mind and strength... had consecrated his life to do
the Father’s will... As soon, therefore, as he learned that it was God’s will
that a redemption price of a perfect human life should be paid for Adam and the
world of mankind, he would present himself in consecration and faithfully carry
out all that is implied in that consecration, because he loved God with all his
heart, soul, mind and strength...
"The
Father gave him an opportunity and set before him a great reward ... The Father
set before Jesus the great reward, and... for the joy set before him he endured
the cross and despised the shame"—Heb. 12:1, 2; 10:7.
GOD’S WILL
EXPRESSED IN THE TYPES "There is a distinction between fulfilling the law
and keeping the law. The Jews did neither. It is so great that it is beyond the
power of man to fulfil all of its requirements.
"The law
consists of two different parts. The one is a regulation of the morals—the duty
of all toward God and toward fellow-men. In this sense of the word, the law
stands for justice—for what is right. The Jews... were unable to do so on
account of hereditary weaknesses.
"Our Lord
Jesus, however, kept the law in this sense. By so doing He earned the right to
everlasting life on the human plane. This the world will do in the next age.
They will be enabled to keep the law and will get everlasting life, the reward
of obedience to the law.
"But Jesus
did more than keep the law of Justice. He also fulfilled that part of
the law which was applicable to him, and he is still fulfilling the law.
"The other
part of the law consists of the ceremonial features, which constitute the types
and shadows mentioned by St. Paul (Heb.10:1). These prophetic features of the
law represent the divine will in respect to the means by which mankind will be
restored from the plane of degradation, sin and death to divine favor. This
prophetic fulfilling of the law consisted in carrying out in antitype of one
important feature—the Passover institution. The killing of the lamb, the
sprinkling of the blood and the eating of the flesh, were prophetical—typical.
"Jesus
fulfilled his part of the type when he was put to death... by virtue of his
sacrifice of his will entirely to the divine will...
"Jesus
said that he came not to destroy, but to fulfil the things of the law (Matt.
5:17); and He will continue the fulfillment of the types of the law during the
thousand years, until all is fulfilled at the close of the Millennial age. Some
of these things are future; such as the sprinkling of the blood of the
antitypical Lord’s goat, the sending away of the antitypical scape-goat, and
the appearance of the antitypical High Priest to bless the people. It will take
the entire thousand years of Christ’s reign to get back all that was lost
through Adam’s disobedience and that is to be restored to mankind through the
merit of Christ...
"Our privilege
is to anticipate God’s will through watching the types of the law and the words
of our Lord and Head. We are to count all things as loss and dross in
comparison with this opportunity which we have. Nothing else should be counted
so great a privilege as that of following in the footsteps of Jesus."
‘13-R5164, R5165
Revelation 1
9 I
John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,
for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
Revelation
1:9 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 9. I
John, who also am your brother, and companion in tribulation, and in the
kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos,
for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ.
John was living
in a rough age, so that his great age of one hundred years seems to have
brought him no consideration. Working in the mines is tough and tiring for a
young man; how did John stand any of it? Evidently he lived for several more
years. One happifying thought is, that during our severest trial, we may be
receiving our greatest blessings and opportunities for service. In some way
John’s incarceration was brought about by his faithfulness to the Truth, and as
a servant of Jesus Christ.
"Instead
of adding loud and boastful titles to his name, as Reverend, Bishop, Overseer
of all the Churches in Asia Minor, we find John introducing himself as ‘Your
Brother,’ as the companion of all saints in tribulation and in the kingdom, and
in the patient endurance of Jesus Christ. He was sharer with Christ, as a
member of his body in his afflictions, in his endurance, and prospectively a
joint-heir in his kingdom, and in all this he was the brother of all
fellowdisciples, sharers of the same sufferings, and prospectively of the same
glory. It is generally understood that John had already been severely persecuted,
and that at the time of this
16 vision he
was in banishment on the little island in the Mediterranean Sea called Patmos—a
penal island where convicts were worked in the quarrying of marble, etc. Yet
John himself, with remarkable modesty, passes over not only his previous
service for the truth, which had brought him his persecution, but also lightly
passes over the persecution itself, merely noting that he was in the island of
Patmos because of his fidelity to the word of God and the testimony that Jesus
was the Christ. "This simplicity,
this absence of boastfulness so noticeable in the writings of all the apostles,
commends them and their words to our attention, and marks them as being in the
ministry not for the gratification of vanity, or seeking earthly rewards of any
kind; but simply as the servants of God, who delighted to do his will, and to
tell the good tidings, to the utter ignoring of themselves, excepting in so far
as mention of themselves and their affairs might be necessary and helpful to
the church. All of the Lord’s followers do well to note this characteristic of
the Master, and of these whom he specially chose to be his followers and our
exemplars. In proportion as we attain to the Lord’s spirit it will similarly
manifest itself in our sentiments and in all our conduct." ‘01-R2826
Please see Supplement, TRUE HUMILITY.
"John at
the time of the trance vision was a prisoner, exiled to the Isle of Patmos, a
penal colony of those days—an island almost uninhabitable, rocky barren. The
crime for which he suffered this banishment was his faithfulness as a
mouthpiece of the Lord. At the time he must have been between sixty and ninety
years of age, supposing that none of our Lord’s disciples were younger than
himself at the beginning of his ministry. If his exile in any degree symbolized
ostracism, which the Lord’s followers may expect in the close of this age—a
complete isolation from others and a treatment implying that they are
prisoners—we may take comfort in the thought that as the Lord’s favor and
revelations to John more than offset his persecutions, so the opening of the
eyes of our understandings and the granting to us of greater lengths and
breadths and heights and depths of knowledge and appreciation of our Lord and
his plan will far more than offset the various experiences which in his
providence he may permit to come upon us. His assurance is that all things
shall work together for good to those who love God, to the called ones
according to his purpose. Whoever rests his faith securely upon his promise may
indeed with the Apostle Paul count all tribulation as loss and dross for the
excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus our Lord." ‘05-R3568
A LIGHT TO THE
GENTILES—Acts 14:11-22 ‘’I have set thee to be a light to the Gentiles"—Acts
13:47. Please see ‘97-R2151.
"Rejoice
in hope"; ‘’Patient
in tribulation." "We are not to expect to have much in the present
life to rejoice in, if we are faithful to our ‘calling’; because, ‘through much
tribulation shall ye enter the kingdom.’ Our rejoicing is to be in hope—
looking into the future. The eye of faith is to see what the natural eye cannot
see, the crown of life (Rev. 2:10; James 1:12), and all the glorious things
‘which God bath in reservation for them that love him (fervently).’ And
here is the advantage of doctrinal knowledge: it inspires hope; it gives a
foundation for hope. Knowledge cannot bring us to the kingdom; but it may be a
great help in building us up and preparing us for it, by constantly holding
before us the hopes which God designs should stimulate and encourage us
while running the race for the great prize.
"Patient
in tribulation. ‘’"
Our word tribulation is derived from the Latin tribulum, the name of a roller or threshing machine
used in olden times for cleaning wheat, removing from it the outer husk or
chaff. How appropriate the thought when applied to the Lord’s consecrated
people, who in the Scriptures are symbolized by wheat. Our new natures are the
kernel, the real grain: yet this treasure or valuable part is covered with the
husk of earthly conditions. And in order that the wheat may be made properly
ready for the ‘garner’ and for usefulness, it is necessary that each grain
shall pass through the tribulation necessary to separate those qualities which,
until separated, render us unfit for the future service to which we are called
of the Lord. In proportion as we are able to realize our own imperfections, and
the perfect will of God concerning us, we will be enabled to bear patiently,
and even with a certain kind of rejoicing, all the tribulations which the
Master shall see best to let come upon us. ‘We glory in tribulations
also’—Romans5:3. ‘97-R2213
THE TIME OF THY
VISITATION "And when he was come near, he beheld the city, and wept over
it, saying, ‘If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the
things which belong unto thy peace! but now they are hid from shine eyes. For
the days shall come upon thee, that shine enemies shall cast a trench about
thee, and compass thee round, and keep thee in on every side, and shall lay
thee even with the ground, and the children within thee; and they shall not
leave in thee one stone upon another, because thou knewest not the time of thy
visitation.’ "—Luke 19:4146.
"The
Lord’s earthly ministry was fast nearing its close, as also was the time of
Israel’s special favor. To Israel first was the Gospel of the new dispensation
preached; and the privilege of preparing to enter the spiritual phase of the
kingdom of God was being withheld from the Gentiles to fulfill the promise of
God to their fathers, that his special favor should be to them first—’to the
Jew first, and afterward to
the Gentile’—Luke 24:46,47 Ac 13:46 3:26.
"It was in
view of this dreadful condition of heart which prevailed throughout the nation,
and for the national crime which was even then contemplated and which should so
soon be perpetrated by his people—’his own people’ according to the flesh—and
of the fearful retribution they were about to precipitate upon themselves, that
Jesus wept over them.
"Their
great national sin was the rejection and crucifixion of the anointed Son of
God. On the part of the minority of the nation—the rulers and recognized
teachers—the sin was active: they plotted and planned; they sought to
catch him in his words... to find a legal cause against him; at different times
they specially commissioned hirelings to arrest him; and finally they violently
and publicly instigated an excited and clamorous mob against him.
"But on
the part of the majority of the people the sin was passive, both in the rejection and in the crucifixion.
They weakly failed to exercise their right of private judgment, and
17 although
often they heard him gladly, and hung upon his words, and said, Of a truth this
must be the Christ, and on one occasion were even constrained to take him by
force and make him their king, nevertheless they failed to act on their own
convictions and dependently inquired, ‘Have any of the rulers or of the
Pharisees believed on him?’ They blindly submitted to their erring and blind
leaders, and both together fell into the ditch.
"Thus the
whole nation, except the remnant that believed, were either actively or
passively involved in the great sin of the rejection and crucifixion of the
Lord.
"Both the
active and the passive of the nation of Israel suffered alike the penalty of
their national crime; for that which the Lord in the above words foretold soon
came to pass... The punishment inflicted upon the nation extended, not only to
the inhabitants of the capital city, but to the whole people... never again to
be reinstated until their King should come ‘a second time without a
sin-offering unto salvation’; when their blindness shall be turned away and
they shall say, ‘Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord.’ See Ps
118:25,26, by the Prophet-Psalmist.
"The
forfeiture of this chief favor, together with the calamities and persecution
they have suffered ever since, is their national penalty.
"There is
something touchingly beautiful in this expression of the Lord’s sympathy for
the blind and erring. What moral grandeur is this that could so triumph over
vindictiveness and hate! What dignity and grace and glory! Lord, help thy
children to ‘consider him who endured such contradiction of sinners against
himself’;‘ who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered he
threatened not, but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously’; who
seemed to forget the sting of persecution against himself in his deep sorrow
and pity for the blindness and moral degradation of his persecutors.
"Hear him
again: ‘O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them
which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children
together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would
not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate; for I say unto you, Ye shall
not see me henceforth till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name
of the Lord.’ "How long the Lord waited to be gracious, how slow was he to
wrath, and how plenteous in mercy! But, nevertheless, the reckoning day must
come and the harvest of an evil sowing must be reaped.
"‘If thou
hadst known,’ O Israel, ‘the things that belong unto thy peace,’ how different
would have been the consequences! But while we consider these words, we call to
mind the fact that in all these things fleshly Israel was typical of the whole
nominal Gospel church—’Christendom’—and see that these words of lamentation
over their stumbling and fall apply with equal force, as the prophets also
indicated, to Christendom—the nominal spiritual Israel, which at this parallel
point of time, the harvest of this age, similarly fails to recognize the time
of her visitation, and which, in consequence, is about to precipitate upon
herself ‘a time of trouble,’therefore, even greater than that which befell
fleshly Israel; and justly so, for her privileges and opportunities have been a
thousand times greater." ‘95-R1846, R1847 (See B. Chapter 7.) "With
great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus:
and great grace was upon them all"—Acts 4:33.
"‘Jesus
and the resurrection’ was the general theme of the early church to which was
added the hope of glory—the second coming of Jesus to receive his bride to
himself, to change her to his own nature, to associate her with him in his
kingdom glory and then to begin the Millennial reign of righteousness, to bring
all mankind to a knowledge of God. And all this was based upon the ransom
sacrifice.
This witnessing
was done with power, great power... It, and it alone, constituted the apostolic
theme. And so it should be with us. The resurrection of the Lord and its value
and signification to the church and the world through the divine plan should be
ever prominent in our witnessing. Not only by their words and logical
presentations did the apostles witness, but their lives were witnesses. As the
apostle said, ‘Ye are our epistle... known and read of all men.’ The lives of
the Early Church were the special witness to the Lord. Without the consistency
of their lives and their consecration to the Lord and to the Truth, it is
evident, the message would have had no such import as it bore. So it is with us
today. It is well that we preach the Word. It is still more important that we
live it. But it is the ideal thing to both preach and live the truth. ‘Let your
light so shine before men that they may see your good works and glorify your
Father which is in heaven." ‘09-R4391
Revelation 1
10 I
was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a
trumpet,
Revelation
1:10 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 10. I
was in the spirit on the Lord’s day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a
trumpet.
Evidently, it
is of the Lord Jesus, that we keep the first day of the week, Sunday, a
memorial of his resurrection, instead of Saturday, the seventh day, as a symbol
of rest. Jehovah set apart the seventh day as a symbol of rest, and now he sets
apart the first day, commemorative of Jesus; first, by his resurrection, and
now by the Book of Revelation, which took more than one day to write. John’s
saying that he was in the spirit tells us something we already knew, that no
human mind could bring forth that Book. And that book of prophecy is a witness
to Jesus, as is every true prophecy at any time, past, present, or future (Rev.
19:10). The voice coming from behind indicated prohecies made long ago. Those
in regard to the churches, of which there were seven, began at Pentecost. The
seventh trumpet, or message began in 1876 A.D. and sounded until 1916 A.D. The
messenger was Pastor C.T. Russell. There was only one messenger to each of the
seven churches.
"The
spirit of holiness in abundance can only be received by those who earnestly
desire it and seek it by prayer and effort" (Rev. 1:10). E223 "John’s
attention was first attracted by the trumpet-like voice from behind him (Rev.
1:10,11). The fact that the location is mentioned at all implies that it has a
special symbolic meaning. It signifies that the beginning of this message was
not in John’s day, nor from some future time, but that the things to be
revealed had already commenced, and were already to some extent in the past—the
voice from behind
18 going clear
back, as some of the features of the book show, to the time of our Lord’s
earthly ministry.
"The
trumpet voice directed that its message should be written and sent to the seven
churches named... There were seven churches in Asia Minor corresponding (v.11)
to those mentioned by name in this connection; but while this revelation may
have been applicable to them in some manner or degree it was evidently in but a
small measure. Those seven churches of Asia Minor we understand were chosen of
the Lord as symbols representing seven different epochs in the history of the
one true church of Christ, from Pentecost day until the gathering to the Lord
of the last grain of wheat in the end of this Gospel harvest." ‘01-R2826
"Blessed are they that have not seen, and yet have believed"—John
20:29.
"His
glorious voice now is the still small voice, which only the few who exercise
faith can hear, appreciate, and understand. By and by the time will come when
this voice shall shake the earth and cause the knowledge of the Lord to fill
the whole earth. Obedience then will be proper and bring a blessing; but
obedience now, even unto sacrifice of earthly interests in following the
footsteps of him who set us an example, brings the greater blessings—the
blessings which pertain not only to the life which now is, but also to that
which is to come—the blessings of glory, honor, and immortality. "‘ 01
-R2804
HOW TO PROCLAIM
THE TRUTH "Speaking the truth in love... grow up into Him in all things,
which is the Head, even Christ"—Ephesians 4:14.
"The truth
is always to be spoken humbly, but fearlessly... an ambassador for God... the
servant of the Lord...
"The great
Apostle declared that he counted all things but loss and dross, that he might
win Christ and ‘be found in him’—that he might gain a place in the everlasting
kingdom of Messiah... win the ‘pearl of great price.’... The truth of God’s
Word is to be enshrined above all else in the heart of the child of God, and he
should esteem it a blessed privilege to speak it.
"... One
must speak the truth in love... We, as God’s dear children are to grow in the
likeness of our dear Elder Brother, our Pattern, our Head. We are to grow up
into him in all things.’... He is the Head of the church; ... To be members of
his body in glory, we must be developed. We are to bear the fruitage of the
holy Spirit, that we may be qualified to share in the future that glorious
kingdom which is to bless the world.
EXPRESSION
DEEPENS IMPRESSION "We are to exercise our function of ambassadorship—we
are to show forth the praises of him who bath called us out of the darkness
into his marvelous light. And in telling the message of his grace we shall grow
spiritually. ‘He that watereth shall himself also be watered.’ As we proclaim
the truth from an honest, earnest, loving heart we shall become more and more
filled with it ourselves. ‘There is that scattereth and yet increaseth; and
there is that withholdeth and it tendeth to poverty’—to leanness of soul. As we
give out to others, our own store of blessing is increased. We are to develop
day by day this quality of love. Why is this? Because it will make us like God,
and that is the one thing to be desired—the one thing necessary.
"Our God
has other glorious attributes besides Love, but this attribute is the
especially predominating, overruling quality of his character. God’s justice
co-operates with his love. And his wisdom would not attempt to carry out any
plans that his love would not approve. So as we grow, this quality of love
should be more and more manifest. We are to see that our words are loving,
kind, gentle. We are to curb any tendency to self-glorification or show in
telling of God’s great plan to others. Let us keep self out of sight, that the
beauty of the truth may be seen... Speaking the truth in love, we shall not
only be accomplishing much more for others, but the message will also be more
impressed upon our own mind.
"Whoever
appreciates these things of God and then speaks forth in love and sincerity
will receive a blessing in his own heart and mind, and the truth will become
clearer and sweeter. In helping others he will be helping himself. Thus the
various features of the plan of God become more firmly engraved upon his
mind...
"But we
are to remember that this is not a compulsory matter now. It is now an
invitation, and is designed only for the meek, the teachable. By and by force
will be needed, and used."...
"... Learn
to speak the truth in love and in humility—to speak it out of love to God and
love to the brethren. The plan of the ages is God’s plan. We have nothing
whereof to boast. Therefore we should present that plan in meekness,
gentleness, brotherly-kindness and love." ‘15-R5720
"THE
DIVINE PLAN RUNS LIKE A GOLDEN CHAIN THROUGH THE WHOLE BIBLE, BOTH OLD AND NEW
TESTAMENTS. "‘ 15-R5706 "The RANSOM is taught on every leaf of the
Bible.’
"The
RANSOM is the scarlet thread running all through the Scriptures.’
"Visions
are not realities, tho they symbolically represent them. This Is true, whether
the vision come, as Daniel describes his, as ‘visions of my head upon my bed,’
or whether they come in broad daylight, as with the transfiguration scene,
which our Lord declared was a vision (Matt. 17:9). The visions granted to John,
recorded in the Book of Revelation, are in no sense and in no part to be
understood as realities, and this is the significance of John’s statement... ‘I
was in the Spirit on the Lord’s day’—in a trance.
"Altho the
words, ‘on the Lord’s day,’ might not unreasonably be understood to signify
that John in vision was carried down the stream of time to the great Millennial
day the day of Christ, the Lord’s day, nevertheless, we think it reasonable to
understand him to mean also that he saw this vision on the first day of the
week. And how appropriate it was that our Lord who arose on the first day of
the week and who most frequently manifested his resurrection powers on that
day, should on the same day reveal himself and certain great instructions to
the church through John, honoring the same day of the week. It is no wonder,
therefore, that Christian people from the very earliest times have held the
19 first day of
the week in special reverence as the symbol of the fulfilment of all our hopes,
whereof God gave us assurance in the resurrection of our Lord Jesus on this
day. Besides, to confine the meaning of the expression to the Millennial day
exclusively, would be to ignore the fact that the larger proportion of John’s
vision related not to the Millennial day, but to the intervening time."
‘01-R2826 "Presumably John referred to the first day of the week, now
generally called Sunday. It is peculiarly to us the Lord’s day—the day on which
our Lord rose from the dead, and on which all the promises of God’s Word
received life and our hopes through Christ were quickened. We may see in the
expression also a reference to the Millennial age, called in the Scriptures
frequently, ‘The day of Christ.’ We today according to our understanding of
chronology, are living in the early dawn of this day of Christ, and it is here
and now properly that we begin to see the wonderful things of the divine
character and plan. But to see these things, to understand these things, we
must be in the spirit. Only those who have become new creatures in Christ Jesus
can be expected to understand and appreciate spiritual things, and this is the
class whom John represented.
"As John
heard a voice behind him and looked in that direction, so we who now are having
the realities find that the message is behind us, and turn and look toward the
past to see the fulfillment of the various features of the divine plan and to
hear and understand the message given to his people by the risen Lord.
"The voice
said, ‘What thou seest write in a book and send to the seven churches’—naming
seven prominent churches in Asia Minor... There are many reasons for concluding
that while the messages were given to the seven churches specified and were
applicable to them, they should properly have a still wider application to the
whole church of Christ, the number seven representing completeness and the
order representing different epochs in the history of the church. Thus the
church at Ephesus would represent the condition of the church in the Apostle’s
days at the time of the writing of the messages, while the Laodicean church
would represent the church in our day—in the end of this Gospel age. The other
churches would correspondingly represent different epochs intermediate, between
the beginning and now. To think otherwise would be to attach more importance to
those seven comparatively small churches of Asia Minor than they would seem to
have deserved, and would have implied an ignoring of other churches more
numerous and more influential than they; as, for instance, the churches at
Jerusalem Antioch, Corinth, Colosse, Philippi, Thessalonica, etc. Furthermore,
the details of the messages given to these seven churches apply to and fit
historically the one church of the living God, over every member and branch of
which the Lord has a care. This thought, that the seven represented
completeness, we find emphasized in the other symbolical representations—in the
seven golden candlesticks, the seven stars, etc." ‘05-R3569
Revelation 1
11
Saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and, What thou
seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in
Asia; unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and
unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
Revelation
1:11 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 11.
Saying, What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven
congregaions: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto
Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea.
As I am the
first and the last of the creation of Jehovah, all the work of the Divine Plan
of the Ages has been committed to me. Therefore, what thou seest, write in a book and send it to the seven
churches in Asia. As Asia means "boggy," or
"swampy," it very well represents the standing, ground, or location
of the church during the Gospel Age. And the names of the seven cities, all in
Asia, signify the particular characteristic of each period of the Church’s
experience. Ephesus means "first," during the time of the
Apostles; Smyrna means
"bitter," on account of persecutions; Pergamos, " earthly elevation"; Thyatira, " the sweet perfume of a
sacrifice"; Sardis, "
that which remains," just before the Reformation; Philadelphia, " brotherly
love," time of the Reformation movements; and Laodicea, "
justice for the people," during clouds of trouble, which are signs of the
Presence of the Son of Man, as proclaimed by Pastor C.T. Russell.
"Jehovah
bath made bare his holy arm in the eyes of all the nations; and all the ends of
the earth shall see the salvation of our God" Isaiah 52:10.
"To whom
bath the arm of Jehovah been revealed?" cried the Prophet. Alas, it is so
that few, very few, see in our Lord Jesus the powerful arm, the omnipotence of
Jehovah stretched down for the aid of our fallen race. Few realize that the
work finished at Calvary is the foundation, the basis upon which the great
Jehovah will ultimately establish the Millennial kingdom for the blessing and
uplifting of all the families of the earth. The majority see Jesus as merely
the finger of the Lord, doing a comparatively small work for a comparatively
small class. As our eyes open we behold to our joy that Messiah, head and body,
will yet constitute the arm of Jehovah, that all- powerful force which shall
overthrow evil and establish righteousness and bless all the families of the
earth through the seed of Abraham. ‘If ye be Christ’s then are ye Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise’ "—Gal. 3:29. ‘05-R3590 "As
in the days of Noah the world went on with its affairs as usual, not in the
least disconcerted, and without the slightest faith in the preaching of Noah
with reference to the coming flood, so in the early part of the Day of the
Lord, the world, having no faith in the announcement of his presence and of the
impending trouble, will go on as usual, giving no heed whatever to any such
preaching until, in the great flood of trouble, the old world—the old order of
things—goes down, passes away, preparatory to the full establishment of the new
order, the Kingdom of God under the whole heavens. ‘As it was in the days of
Noah, so shall it be also in the days (of the presence) of the Son of
Man. ‘" B141-B143 Matt. 13:34,35,55. "The words that I speak unto
you, they are spirit and they are life" John 6:63. "All these things
spake Jesus unto the multitudes in parables, and without a parable spake he not
unto them; that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Prophet, I will
open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from
the foundation of the world.’
"The
entire matter is clarified when we recognize the difference between the
salvation of the world to the human nature, during Messiah’s reign of a
thousand years, and the
20 salvation
provided for the elect, called during this age, and specially instructed and
guided with the view of their making their calling and election sure.
"The
natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God... neither can he
know them, for they are spiritually discerned"—1 Cor. 2:14.
AFTER YE WERE
ILLUMINATED "When the spirit of truth is come, he will guide you into all
truth... and will show you things to come"—John 16:13.
"The
apostles at Pentecost received an illumination of the mind which enabled them
to understand the things of God, yea, the deep things of God; for he bath given
unto us his Spirit, ‘that we might know the things which are freely given us of
God’—1 Cor. 2:12.
"Jesus had
this... thought in mind when he declared that there were certain things his
disciples could not understand at that time, but would know afterwards, because
he would send the holy Spirit, which would bring all things to their
remembrance whatsoever he had spoken; and would show them things to come (John
14:26; 16:13). This was not only true with the apostles, but has been true with
respect to all the members of the body of Christ throughout this age. Each one
presenting his body a living sacrifice has been accepted by the great Advocate,
and presented as a part of his own offering; and then the offerer has been
begotten of the holy Spirit to be a new creature in Christ.
"It is to
these new creatures that the statement is made, ‘All things are yours, for ye
are Christ’s, and Christ is God’s.’ It is to these the Bible has promised, ‘He
will show you things to come.’ It is these that are to be guided into all truth
as it shall become due. It is for these that the Word of God is a storehouse,
from which ‘things both new and old’ are to be produced, under the Spirit’s
guidance, as they become ‘meat in due season’ to the ‘household of faith.’
"The spirit begotten new creatures must make progress in their
appreciation of spiritual things... if they would attain joint-heirship in the
kingdom... each to use the ‘strong meat’ of divine truth... becoming a man,
sanctified, developed as a new creature and filled with the Spirit, and
‘thoroughly furnished unto every good work’ by knowledge of the Word of God.
"Our Lord
brought life and immortality to light... the general reward of everlasting life
to be given to the world, and the special reward to be granted to the
church." Please see ‘12-R5088
THE LOGOS MADE
FLESH John 1:1-18 AND THE LOGOS BECAME FLESH, AND DWELT AMONG us—V.14
"Our... study is one of the most beautiful in the whole Bible. Genesis
goes back to the beginning of all beginnings, when God was alone. The very
beginning of divine operation was the Logos—‘the Beginning of the creation of
God’—’the First-born of every creature’ (’the first brought forth of all
creation’)—Rev. 3:14; Col. 1:15
THE FATHER’S
HONORED AGENT—MESSENGER "Logos signifies mouthpiece, or special messenger.
Not only so—not only was the Logos the beginning, or Alpha—but he was also the
last, the Omega of divine creation, as he himself informs us (Revelation 1:8;
21:6). The first and only begotten Son of Jehovah was given an exclusive place,
so that ‘all things were made by him, and without him was not anything made
that was made’ (John 1:3). Thus highly did the Father honor him as his agent in
all the creative work, both as respects angels, cherubim and men.
(See v.8,
‘12-R5050. "Originally, he was the first creation. Now he was the second
creation—the new creation, in contradistinction—Gal. 6:15).
"The Greek
text is not fully represented in our Common Version. Accurately translated it
reads, ‘The Logos was with the God and the Logos was a god; the same was in the
beginning with the God.’ Here the majesty of our Redeemer in his prehuman
condition is fully set forth, and yet he is distinctly shown to be the Son and
not the Father—to be a god and not the God. ‘13-R5351, R5352
"THE LOGOS
BECAME FLESH "We are assured that his body was especially prepared,
separate and different from others of our race, all of whom were of Adamic
stock and all tainted with sin and the seeds of death—Heb. 10:5-9.
"He was
‘put to death in the flesh, but made alive in the spirit’—I Peter 3:18—Emphatic
Diaglott.
"As Bible
students we must strive more earnestly than we have done to keep close to the
Word of God. It was the perfect man Adam who sinned and was sentenced to death
and under the divine law he could be redeemed only by the sacrifice of a
perfect man. The Law declared, ‘An eye for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, and a
man’s life for a man’s life.’ A perfect man had sinned.
"BLESSED
ARE THE MEEK"
"The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek will he teach his
way"—Psalm 25:9.
"While it
is not Scripturally stated that the heavenly Father is meek, yet Jesus was
meek, and he was the express image of the Father’s person in the flesh. Hence
we would assume that the heavenly Father possesses meekness, in distinction
from haughtiness.
GOD RESISTS THE
PROUD "Our Lord said, ‘I am meek and lowly of heart.’ Our Lord was meek in
that he was teachable. He realized that even in his perfection there were
things to be learned; and he learned obedience through the things which he
suffered. It was because he had this quality of meekness or teachableness that
the offer was made to him to be our Savior... And as with the Master, so with
the church.
"These are
the ones whom the Lord is pleased to instruct and guide in the knowledge of his
Son, and into all his blessings. If they continue to be meek, He is able to
make of them heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ their Lord. We read
in the Scriptures that the meek shall inherit the earth. They will inherit it
under the terms of the primary and 21 original covenant. These will be the seed
of Abraham. From these the blessing will go to all mankind who will be obedient
during the Millennial reign. After the final test at the end of the Millennial
age, the whole world will be teachable. They will have learned the great lesson
that God is the Fountain of all Wisdom; and they will have profited by this
instruction. "‘ 13-R5370
THE LIGHT
OF-THE WORLD "The Logos was made Jesus. The work of Jesus in the flesh,
however, is not the completion of the divine plan, but merely the beginning of
it. His death constitutes the basis of all future blessings to the church and
to the world. According to the Father’s plan, an elect class was to be gathered
out of Israel and out of every nation to be the church of Christ, his bride,
associates with him in his throne, glory and work. Jer. 31:34 "Thus
according to his promise Jesus eventually will be ‘the true Light, which
lighteth every man that cometh into the world’ (John 1:9). The great mass of
humanity have never seen nor even heard of this true Light—not merely the
heathen millions, but the masses in civilized lands.
"The
resurrection of the just will be necessary to bring the church to glory and
joint-heirship with her Lord. But the resurrection of the unjustified, which
includes practically all humanity, will be for the very purpose of permitting
them to see the true Light, which God has provided in his Son and which will be
shed abroad during his Millennial kingdom. Only those who refuse the light,
preferring the darkness, will die the second death.
"The world
recognized not the great One who was in it, the Logos, by whom it was made. His
own nation recognized him not, but crucified him. Yet some then and some since
have received him, and to such he has given the power, the right, the liberty,
the privilege, to become children of God. No such privilege was given to the
Jews, nor to any of the fallen race, until Pentecost—after Jesus had appeared
in the presence of God to make atonement for our sins.
"These
sons are all begotten of the holy Spirit. Theirs is not a fleshly sonship.
Their birth of the Spirit will be the resurrection change, when they shall be
made like their Master, see him as He is and share his glory." ‘13-R5352
Revelation 1
12
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I
saw seven golden candlesticks;
Revelation
1:12 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 12.
And I turned to see the voice that spake with me. And being turned, I saw seven
golden candlesticks;
The symbol of
seven golden candlesticks would indicate a complete message from a Divine
source, such as Pastor Russell received early in 1881 A.D., as Tabernacle
Types, or as the Lord Jesus received early in 30 A.D. Pastor Russell received
all his Master’s goods that the Church would need for the work of Harvest. Of
course this was not as much as the Lord received in 30 A.D.
"Turning
and looking, John saw in symbol as we may now see with the eye of faith and
understanding. He saw one like a Son of man (like a man—like a priest, as
implied by the clothes described) walking amongst seven golden candlesticks,
caring for them, trimming the wicks, seeing to the supply of oil, etc. We see
that our Lord Jesus, our glorified Master, although absent from us, has been
present with his church throughout the past eighteen centuries and more,
protecting the interests of his cause and directing in respect to all of his
people’s affairs, especially inspecting and caring for the church as a light
bearer, a candlestick. Alas, how poor the wicks sometimes have been, how feeble
the light that has sometimes shone out into the darkness, how much of trimming
has been necessary! ‘05-R3569 "... Are not the incidental persecutions
exactly what our Lord forewarned us would be part of the cost of faithful
discipleship? And are not those the very persecutions whose absence earlier in
our Christian experiences made us wonder whether or not we were acceptable sons
of God? Heb. 12:8—see verse 2.
"Surely
our answers to these questions must be, Yea, Lord! even though because of
weakness of the flesh the answer be not joyous as it should be, but through
unbidden tears. And with this answer on our part the Lord is pleased; and
angels of his mercy—his promises exceeding great and precious—minister unto us
and strengthen us." ‘99-R2412 "The degree of our success in this
conflict will depend largely upon the keenness of our faith and trust in the great
Teacher. If we have confidence in his wisdom, we will follow closely his
instructions and keep our hearts, minds, with all diligence. Faith in the
Lord’s wisdom and in his help in every time of need is necessary to us in order
that we may be thoroughly obedient to him; and hence it is written, ‘This is
the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith’; that is, it will be by
the exercise of faith and the obedience which flows therefrom that we will be
enabled to come off conquerors and ‘more that conquerors’ through him that
loved us and gave himself for us—1 John 5:4; Rom. 8:37." ‘11-R4904
"Faith, or confidence, in God and in the ‘great and precious promises’ is
the very basis of all Christian endeavor. Without this faith one cannot fight a
good fight. In proportion as the promises are before our minds, in that
proportion we have strength and courage to run the narrow way.
"... The
rewards are for those who hold the faith even unto death... The Lord deals
graciously and generously with us. He will do for us whatever is right... Those
whose hearts are right are submissive to the divine will. The Lord wants us to
have a faith that will continue in sorrow and in sunshine: that will trust
where it cannot see, that will continue under all the leadings of divine providence.
"‘ 12-R5095
JESUS REVEALED
TO JOHN IN VISION—Rev. 1:9-20.
"Jesus
Christ, the same yesterday, today and forever"—Heb. 13:8.
Revelation 1
13
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son
of man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a
golden girdle.
Revelation
1:13 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 13.
And in the midst of the seven candlesticks one like unto the Son (a son) of
man, clothed with a garment down to the foot, and girt about the paps with a
golden girdle.
The typical
candlestick of the Tabernacle, pictures spiritual knowledge. The garment
suggests the Of lice of High Priest; the golden girdle, Divine service; and the
candlesticks, the nature of the service, as dispenser of Light, the light of God:
the Plan of Salvation, the Permission of Evil, the High Calling, the Times and
work of Restitution, etc.
"Turning
to see the one who addressed him, John beheld seven golden candlesticks
(lampstands), and standing in the 22 midst of these one having the resemblance
to a son of man—not the Son of man*... What John saw in the way of light
and stars and lamps and brightness was merely a mental vision, while that which
Paul saw while on the way to Damascus was a very literal light, which
permanently injured his eyes. What John saw in vision was not understood
by him to be the Lord’s glorious body, nor even a representation of it, except
in the sense that it was a symbolical representation.
"The whole
body was covered, hidden from sight, with a robe, only the head, the hand and
the feet being exposed to view, thus agreeing with the explanation given us by
the Apostle Paul {1Co 12:12-31} in which he represents the whole church as
being the body of Christ and members in particular... Thus the Lord would be present
with his people by his spirit dwelling in them, using different members of the
body to accomplish for his body different services.
THE
ANOINTED—THE MESSIAH—THE CHRIST This vital message is found in its entirety in
‘14-R5391 to R5394 (Feb. 1, 1914).
"The
teaching of the Law, in type and testimony, is to the effect that God purposed
to raise up a great Priest, who would also be a King; and that this priestly
King and kingly Priest should cancel the sins of the people, and be invested
with power to rule, and with authority as a Mediator to help them back to God.
To the surprise of the typical people, Israel, instead of assuming the office
of Priest and King in conjunction, he merely died!—Luke 24:20,21.
"Then came
the time for the holy Spirit to reveal to the church what had previously been a
mystery (Rev. 10:7); for when God had through the prophets spoken of Messiah as
a King upon his throne, he had declared that which would be mysterious to the people—would
not be easily understood. God had purposely kept his plan a secret until the
due time for revealing it should come. The secret was—‘Christ in you, the hope
of glory’—Col. 1:26, 27. (The Holy Spirit of God, E Chapter 8).
"In other
words, our Lord Jesus is, primarily, the Anointed One and, according to the
Scripture testimony, is very highly exalted. But he was not the completion of
the divine arrangement regarding the anointed. The heavenly Father purposed not
to have Jesus alone, but that he should be the Head of the anointed, and the
church the body {Eph 1:22,23 5:29-32 Col 1:24}. This was the mystery. The great
Messiah was to bless the world as the antitypical Prophet, Priest, and King.
God appointed Jesus as the Head, and elected certain saintly ones to be the
members of his body. Until this body of Christ was complete, the blessing
promised to Abraham could not come upon the world—Gal. 3:16, 29.
"The word
anointed is the English translation of the Hebrew word Messiah, and its
equivalent in the Greek is Christos, Christ. So, then, our thoughts properly
turn to Christ as the Anointed of God. He is to do the great work appointed by
the Father. We look back and see when he received his anointing.
"... When
he was thirty years of age... he consecrated himself to do the Father’s will
and work. Then it was that *Please see "The Son of The
Man," and references, at Rev. 14:14-R16. he received the special
anointing. This constituted him in an incipient sense the anointed King and
Priest of God. Still he was not ready to take this great power and reign; but
if he proved faithful in carrying out his covenant, he would in due time become
in the fullest sense the great Anointed of God, would reign over the earth for
a thousand years, and subsequently would have further great honors and
privileges. We can see all this very clearly portrayed in respect to our
Redeemer.
"And as we
further study we find that this is the mystery mentioned in the Scriptures:...
that the great Messiah so long promised should be composed of many individuals;
and that these many individuals, with the exception of the Head, should be
gathered out from the children of wrath, from fallen mankind, and should be
justified through the merit of their Head—THE MERIT OF HIS HUMAN SACRIFICE.
"The
Scriptures tell us that the anointing... at Pentecost... came from the Father
through Christ after his ascension. Indeed, St. Paul tells us that all
blessings come from the Father, who is the fountain of blessings; and all come
through the Son, who is the Channel—1Co 8:6... The spiritual nature
begins in us at the moment we receive this begetting. And whoever receives it
cannot retain it unless he grows and has the Lord’s spirit perfected in him.
VARIOUS
QUALITIES OF THE HOLY SPIRIT "The spirit is spoken of in the Scriptures
from various standpoints—apparently with a view to giving us a conception of
it, and with the thought that it is a difficult matter to grasp.
"It is
called the spirit of truth... Growth in spiritual things will be in proportion
to this growth in knowledge. If he does not grow in knowledge, he cannot grow
in the spirit... the spirit of the TRUTH.
"It is
also called the spirit of obedience in the sense that those who possess this
spirit desire to do the will of God. It is an ANOINTING in the sense that it is
the qualification by which God recognizes us as his children and as those who
are heirs of his promises and who are to consider themselves his ambassadors.
He recognizes only those who are thus designated by the holy Spirit. These are
to FILL THE OFFICE OF KINGS AND PRIESTS.
"It is the
new creature that is anointed and it is the old creature that is sacrificed.
"It is as
JUSTIFIED men that we are baptized into death, and it is as members of the new
creation that we are constituted members of the ecclesia, or body of Christ. It
is the Father’s acceptance of us that is the basis of our begetting of the holy
Spirit, our anointing.
"The
begetting thought is one that pertains to the state of the new life, the state
of the new nature. The ANOINTING thought pertains to THE OFFICE. God is calling
out a people to become joint-heirs with Christ in the kingdom. The anointing is
the divine recognition of them as KINGS AND PRIESTS.
"The word
Christ signifies Anointed. God has declared that he will have an anointed King
and High Priest to be his agent in the blessing of the world. He has declared
that that 23 great King is, primarily, the Lord Jesus Christ. He also declares
that... it is his good pleasure that... the adding of these members has been
the completing of this Anointed One.
DOUBLE
RELATIONSHIP TO CHRIST "The terms begetting and birth are used
symbolically to represent the beginning and the completion of the new creature.
"The word
baptism signifies immersion. St. Paul explains that we are all baptized, or
immersed, or anointed, by the one spirit into one body. The anointing, or
baptism, of the spirit came first to our Lord Jesus, extended down to the
church at Pentecost, and has been with the church as an anointing ever since.
All of us who come to God, by Christ, confessing our sins and asking
forgiveness through his merit, and who yield ourselves to be dead with him, by
baptism into his death, are immersed into membership in his body, thus coming
under the anointing.
"The
result of this action is two-fold; we become, first of all, members of Christ
in the flesh, and he accepts us and treats us as such. We are first baptized,
or immersed, into death—his death, his baptism. Then the figure changes; and we
are raised up out of this baptism into death, as new creatures. Thereafter our
flesh is counted as his flesh. So our relationship to Christ is two-fold: one
appertaining to the flesh, the other to the spirit.
"Very many
have not noticed this double relationship to Christ—as new creatures, and also
in the flesh. The force of this is brought to us in the words of the glorified
Christ to Saul of Tarsus: ‘Saul, Saul, why persecutes" thou ME?... I am
Jesus whom thou persecutes"‘ (Acts 9:4,5). Thus our Lord declared
that the persecution of the church in the flesh was a persecution of himself.
What the church suffers is a part of the sufferings of Christ. The sufferings
of Christ will not be filled up until the last member of his body shall have
finished his course.’
THE LORD s
DECISION STILL FUTURE ‘14-R5391 to R5394 "All the consecrated ones of both
classes (the Lord’s goat class and the scape-goat class) pass through great
trials and afflictions; yet by one class they are esteemed light afflictions,
taken joyfully, which they rejoice to be accounted worthy to suffer. Theirs is
a willing sacrifice, like that
of the Head. To the other class they are burdensome, great afflictions, almost
without joy—an enforced destruction of the flesh. And proportionately
different are their positions and rewards at the end of the race." TS72
"The New Creature must learn that he may have this peace of God, which
passeth all understanding, to rule in his heart even while outward conditions
are the reverse of peaceful; but that the condition of full harmony with the
Lord is a reward for faithfulness to Him, whatever the cost, whatever the
sacrifice.... The New Creature must first of all consider his primary
obligation, viz., that he shall love and serve the Lord with all his heart,
mind, being, strength, and that all dealings with family or flesh or neighbors
must be subject to this primary law of OBEDIENCE TO GODS, F 602
Revelation 1
14
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow;
and his eyes were as a flame of fire;
Revelation
1:14 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 14.
His head and his hairs were white like wool, as white as snow; and his eyes as
a flame of fire; His head, being white, indicates the purity
of his mind; the whiteness of its hairs indicates wisdom. Since his
resurrection he has been like Jehovah: even the exact impress of the character
of His substance; infinite in Justice, Wisdom, Love, and Power. Such seeing
eyes! such an understanding mind; he saves to the uttermost.
.. The head,
with its white hair, corresponding to the Ancient of Days of Daniel’s vision
(Dan. 9:27), is... merely suggestive and symbolic of venerableness, of
knowledge, experience, wisdom. The fiery or electric glance of the eyes should
similarly be understood symbolically to represent penetrating intelligence, and
ablility to see and to know everything pertaining to his people, his church.
‘01-R2826
CHRIST CALLED
TO SACRIFICE—THE BODY ALSO TO SACRIFICE "‘ If we suffer with him, we shall
also reign with him.
The reason why
the Father is so careful in making the selection of the church class, is that
they are to reign... in the coming kingdom. He would not select those who had
not first learned humility before he could use them to teach humility to others.
God desires such a company of priests and judges to be associated with his son
for a thousand years in ruling and blessing the world as will prove faithful
under all cricumstances—those in whom he can place absolute confidence, who
have been tested and found faithful. This is the reason that he tests and
proves during this Gospel age every one whom he will receive for that future
work.
"The call
of the Gospel age is, therefore, one to sacrifice. God does not hide this fact
from us... Whoever would follow Jesus must prove his faithfulness by his
willingness to sacrifice.
"In the
past, false doctrines confused us; but now ‘we see Jesus’—we see what he
accomplished, and how he endured without growing weary or giving up. It makes
our course plain when we consider him.... But in our Lord’s case it was
different. He received the slanders, the misrepresentation, and everything else
that came against him, without having any fault in him at all. ‘He was holy,
harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners,’ still he endured. We, though
following in his footsteps, have not as much to endure as had the Master.
... While the
Father let Jesus die on the cross as a malefactor, yet he... kept his promise
to raise him from the dead.... In raising up Jesus the Father has given us a
testimony to his faithfulness. In the case of Jesus, no one had set him an
example. It was all by faith with him; none had gone before. With us it is
different.... If we trust God, he is faithful to keep us and to do what he has
promised—to raise us up with our Head. Consider what great things God has done
for His son. Consider also that he has promised us a share in our Lord’s glory
if we be found faithful. It is amazing—almost beyond conception!... But since
He has stated it over and over again in so many ways as to remove all grounds
for doubt, I must believe it. How wonderful it seems!
24
"Consider him! Consider that God has highly exalted him! Consider what a
great privilege has been afforded us of walking in his footsteps, especially as
our lives are so imperfect, so unsatisfactory.... What a thought that God will
count our little sacrifice as a part of that which Jesus gave! We are to be
heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ, ‘to an inheritance
incorruptible and undefiled, and that fadeth not away, reserved in heaven for
you who are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation, ready to be
revealed at the last time.’ Then to think that we are in the last time now! We
are right at the close of the age. The new dispensation is opening all around
us, and the great majority of the people are so bewildered that they do not
know what to make of the wonderful things of our day... The Lord’s true people
are the only ones who have a correct understanding of these things.
"How
carefully the people of God, therefore, should weigh their thoughts and deeds!
‘Seeing that these (present) things are to be dissolved, what manner of persons
ought we to be in all holy living and godliness, looking for and earnestly
desiring the coming of the day of God!... According to his promise we look for
new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness... ‘Ye therefore,
beloved, knowing these things beforehand, beware lest, being carried away with
the delusions of the unsettled or lawless, ye fall from your own steadfastness.
But grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. To
him be the glory both now and forever. Amen"—2 Peter 3:13-18.
"Let us
not live in the past and dwell upon our mistakes and shortcomings, and thus be
cast down; but let us believe that ‘if we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness’ {1Jo
1:9}. And we should have such an appreciation of these mercies and blessings of
forgiveness as to show it forth in our conduct.
"Let us
give heed more and more to the suggestion of Hebrews 12:3, and consider him
whom the Father has so greatly exalted—so highly exalted. Let us remember that
he has called us with the same high and heavenly calling and has promised to
help us all the way through! If we remember this, we shall cease to be weary
and faint and shall become strong in the Lord and in the power of his might; we
shall go on from grace to grace, from glory to glory; we shall be transformed
by the renewing of our minds, more and more proving what is that good and
acceptable and perfect will of God. Then, finally, we shall attain unto the
glorious things which he has in reservation for those who love him more than
parents, or children, or self, or any other person or thing. "
"Hold on
thy way with hope unchilled, By faith and not by sight; And thou shalt own his
Word fulfilled—At eve it shall be light.’ ‘17-R6065 Delivered at the Brooklyn
Tabernacle, Oct. 11,
Revelation 1
15
And his feet like unto fine brass, as if they burned in a furnace; and
his voice as the sound of many waters.
Revelation
1:15 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 15.
And his feet like unto fine brass copper, as if they burned in a
furnace; and his voice as the sound of many waters.
Feet may
represent our standing or our conduct. As regards our Lord, his standing while
in the flesh was in perfection, while ours is also, but by justification. In
the type, the posts of both the Court and the Holy were set in copper. Feet
also represent our conduct, as our Lord said to Peter, Unless your feet are
washed, ye have no part in me. And Peter’s conduct soon indicated that of a new
creature and an apostle.
"The feet,
described as like furnace-refined copper would represent these members of the
body of Christ who serve in... the Lord’s work. Copper is a symbol of humanity,
and this copper being furnace-refined would seem to say that those who belong
to the body of Christ, and whom the Lord would use in his service, ‘the feet’
members of the body, must, in their contact and dealings with the world, be
refined, purified, clean—’Be ye clean, that bear the vessels of the Lord’s
house.’ The feet would thus represent the living members of the body, all down
through this age; and the refining process to each and all will be fiery
trials.
"Thus
understood, the figure of a son of man (a human figure) in the midst of the
seven candlesticks, etc., symbolically represented Christ standing criticising,
judging, directing, in the midst of his church, upholding his chosen stars or
ministers, and represented in the various members by his people, is an impressive
picture or symbol, full of instruction, leading us to expect the Lord’s
guidance in all the affairs of his church, and to realize that things are not
happening to her haphazard. To so recognize that the Lord’s people in every
part of this age have been ‘feet’ members of the body, carrying forward his
work, is not to contradict our previous application of Isa. 52:7, which merely
represents the ‘feet’ who declare unto Zion, ‘Thy God reigneth’— in this
manner distinguishing these from their predecessors in the pilgrim way.
‘01-R2827
WITHOUT A
PARABLE HE SPAKE NOT "The words that I speak unto you, they are spirit,
and they are life"—John 6:63.
"However
dark and parabolic were our Lord’s teachings, nevertheless, rightly understood,
his message is one that is spiritually helpful and life-giving to those who can
and do understand it. It is the quality of the Lord’s message which makes the
religion of the Bible different from that of all the heathen. It is a message
of life as well as a message of holiness. It is a message of forgiveness as
well as a message of condemnation. It is a message of life as well as a message
of justice. His wonderful words of life—they are charming, beautiful, forceful!
We may read them over year after year and we see still more beauty in them,
still deeper significance, and that in proportion to our own growth in grace,
our growth in knowledge, and in the spirit of our Master. ‘10-R4644 Concerning
our Lord Jesus, whose heart was perfect—in whom was no sin, neither was guile
found in his mouth, it was said, ‘Grace is poured into thy lips’; and again,
‘All bare him witness and wondered at the gracious words that proceeded out of
his mouth’ (Psa. 45:2). Moses, personating Christ, foretold the blessed
influence of the Lord’s words, saying, ‘My doctrine shall drop as the rain; my
speech shall distil as the dew, as the small rain upon the tender herb, and as
the showers upon the grass’ (Deut. 32:2). And Jesus said,
25 ‘The words
that I speak unto you, they are spirit and they are life’ (John 6:63). So wise,
just and true were the Lord’s words, that, though his enemies were continually
seeking to find some fault, it is said, ‘They could not take hold of his words
before the people; and they marveled at his answers and held their peace’ (Luke
20:26). And others said, ‘Never man spake like this man’—John 7:46.
"Thus our
Lord left a worthy example to his people, which the Apostle urges all to
follow, saying, ‘Let your speech be always with grace (with manifest love and
kindness), seasoned with salt (a preservative influence)"—Col. 4:6. And
Peter adds, ‘If any man speak, let him speak as the oracles of God’—wisely, and
in accordance with the spirit and Word of the Lord...
"Job, in
the midst of all his afflictions, was very careful not to sin with his lips
{Job 2:10 31:30 1:21,22}. He knew that his words would be taken by the Lord as
an index of his heart, and he was careful to keep both the heart and the words
right, saying, ‘What! shall we receive good at the hand of God, and shall we
not receive evil (calamities, troubles—for discipline or refining)?... The Lord
gave, and the Lord bath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord.’ There was
no spirit of rebellion in a heart out of whose abundance came such words of
loving submission, patience and faith under severe testings, and that, too,
without a clear vision of the divine wisdom in permitting them.
"The
Psalmist puts into the mouth of God’s consecrated and tried people these words
of firm resolution—’I said I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my
tongue. I will keep my mouth with a bridle, while the wicked (who tempts and
tries the righteous) is before me’—Psa. 30:1.
"How
necessary to the stability of Christian character is such a resolution, and the
self-control which develops under a firm adherence to it." ‘96-R1937
Revelation 1
16
And he had in his right hand seven stars: and out of his mouth went a
sharp twoedged sword: and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his
strength.
Revelation
1:16 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 16.
And he had in his right hand seven stars; and out of his mouth went a sharp two
edged sword; and his countenance was as the sun shineth in his strength.
The stars in
his right hand were kept, whether we think of one particular angel or messenger
to those particular seven classes at that time, or of the seven messengers of
the Gospel Age. We like to think of the latter, for that takes in our Pastor,
C.T. Russell. The two-edged sword, in our day, is made very sharp by two
doctrines: the cross and thepresence. And His countenance never
shone as brightly, as now. Please see CRS 164.
JEHOVAH THE
SUPREME JUDGE "Beyond all question, Jehovah himself is the Supreme Judge,
and his Law the supreme standard, according to which all decisions must be made
respecting life eternal... Jehovah was the original Law-giver and Judge, and
will forever maintain this position and relationship to all of his creatures.
His honor he will not give unto another (Isa. 42:8)... Psalm 23:1; Isa. 49:26.
In the highest sense of the word Jehovah himself is the center of the entire
plan of salvation and of its every feature; and any other view of the matter is
a defective one.
"However,
as it pleased the Father to create all things through the Son (John 1:1)—so in
all things it has pleased him to exalt our Lord Jesus as his honored
instrument. From this standpoint we see that all blessing, all authority, all
favors, proceed from the Father and by the son, and that the New Creation,
associated with the son, are thus with him made ministers and joint-heirs of
the grace of God...
"Strictly
speaking it was from the moment of our Lord’s resurrection that the Father
committed all of judgment unto the Son, and then it was that he
declared, ‘All power (authority) in heaven and in earth is given unto me’
(Matt. 28:18), and his first exercise of this authority was the commissioning
of his apostles, as his representatives, to commence the work of gathering the
members of the Bride class, the Church, the Ecclesia, his fellow members of the New Creation.
"We are in
Christ Jesus, covered by his merit, and dealt with through him as our Head and
Master, under the merciful provisions of the Abrahamic Covenant, made operative
toward us, by his blood.
THE SUPERVISION
OF THE GLORIOUS HEAD OVER THE BODY.
"We could
not doubt the love and care of our glorified Head in respect to his
Church—’body,’ ‘bride’—even if he had given us no explicit declaration of the
subject. However, in his last message to his faithful, he very particularly
shows that it is he who sits as the refiner and purifier of the antitypical
Levites, including the Royal Priesthood. Hearken to his words to the seven
churches of Asia Minor, representative of the seven epochs of the one Church’s
experience: ‘Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent... else
I will come upon thee quickly and remove thy candlestick.’ ‘Be thou
faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life.’ ‘I have
a few things against thee... repent, or else I will come unto thee
quickly and will fight against thee with the sword of my mouth.’ ‘To him that
overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna.’ ‘I have a few
things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jezebel... I gave
her space to repent... I will cast her... into great tribulation... and
I will kill her children with death; and all the churches shall know
that l am he that searches" the reins and hearts; and I will give unto every one of you
according to your works... He that overcometh and keepeth my works unto the
end, to him will I give power over the nations.’ ‘I have not found
thy works perfect before God... He that overcometh... I will not blot out
his name out of the book of life.’ ‘These things saith he that bath the key of
David, he that openeth, and no man shutteth; and shutteth, and no man openeth.’
‘Behold I will make them of the synagogue of Satan... to come to worship
before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee. Because thou hast kept the
word of my patience, I will also keep thee from the hour of temptation,
which shall come upon all the world.’ ‘Him that overcometh will I make a
pillar in the temple of my God.’ ‘Because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold
nor hot, I will spew thee out of my mouth.’ ‘I counsel thee to buy of me
gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich... As many as I love I
rebuke and chasten; be zealous,
therefore, and repent’—Rev. 2 and 3.’
26 "...
The key to the matter is found in our Lord’s words, ‘I and my Father are
one’—we act in unison in every matter." F39-R6402 Please see Revelation
1:1.
OUR LORD s
BEAUTY OF HOLINESS—John 19:5 "Pilate looked upon him in admiration, and
exclaimed, ‘Behold the Man!’—John 19:5—or (see Strong’s Concordance) ‘Behold
the countenance!’ I am a Gentile and not of your race, but here you have sent to
me the most glorious Jew on earth... His face must have been one of marvelous
beauty! No wonder the people flocked to see him because of his graciousness of
speech and his wonderful beauty—the image of God! ‘13-R5291 "For the Word
of God is quick and powerful, living and energetic, and sharper than any
two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, life
and breath, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the
thoughts and intents of the heart. Neither is there any creature that is not
manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him
with whom we have to do"—Hebrews 4:12-13.
"The
mouth, from which proceeded the sharp two-edged sword is not to tell us that
this is the appearance of our Lord in glory, but merely to symbolize to us that
his words in his church are to be as the sword of the Spirit, which the Apostle
declares to be sharper than any two-edged sword, discerning the thoughts and
intents of the heart, dividing and classifying his people, and separating from
his elect every impure thing and every unacceptable element. ‘His voice, as the
sound of many waters, (v.15)... might be understood as signifying peoples,
nations and languages, as elsewhere explained in this book, and that thus our
Lord, present with his church, would speak to her and through her by many
tongues, in many languages.’
"The hand,
in which were seven stars, is similarly to be understood as a symbolical part
of the vision, representing the Lord’s power in his church. The stars,
as he explains (vs. 20; chapter 2:1, 8, 12, 18, etc.), are the angels or
messengers or special servants of the church in each epoch. The intimation is
that the Lord would recognize in his church, in each of its seven stages or
developments, one representative to whom he would specially address himself,
and through whom he would specially instruct the church, and whom he would
specially hold or keep as his instrument by his own power or hand."
‘01-R2826 ‘’It will be noticed that the messages to the various churches are
all addressed to these stars or messengers or angels of the churches, as though
he would have us understand that the appropriate message for each appropriate
time or epoch in the church’s experience would be sent by the Lord through a
particular star or messenger whom he would particularly commission as his
representative. Our Lord himself is represented by the great light of the sun,
and his special messengers in the church throughout the entire period are
consistently enough represented as stars. The difference between the figures of
the star and the candlestick is manifest: the star light is the heavenly light,
the spiritual enlightenment or instruction; the lamp light is the earthly
light, representing good works, obedience, etc., of those who nominally
constitute the Lord’s church in the world and who are exhorted not to put their
light under a bushel, but on a candlestick, and to let their light so shine as
to glorify their Father in heaven.
"No part
of the description could more thoroughly convince us that the description of
our Lord here given is a symbolical one than does this statement that out of
his mouth proceeded a two-edged sword. As a symbolic picture, however, it is
full of meaning to us. It speaks of the Word of the Lord as the sword of the
spirit, ‘sharper than any two edged sword.’ It reminds us that our Lord’s words
are not one-sided, not merely directed against sin in one class, that his word
is sharp and cutting in every direction, that sin is reproved by him as much
when found in his most earnest followers as when found elsewhere. It assures us
that none need attempt to pluck out the mote from his brother’s eye without
getting rid of the beam in his own eye. It assures us that if we do not show
mercy to those who are our debtors we must not expect mercy from him who has
proposed to extend his mercy to us.
"How
heart-searching is the Word of God when we get to understand it—not merely as a
compendium of rules and regulations, but when we come to catch the spirit of
it, when we come to see that its requirement is love out of a pure heart, first
to the Father, secondly to our Lord and Head, and thirdly to all his brethren,
fourthly to the world in general, groaning and travailing in pain, waiting for
the glorious blessings of the coming day, and fifthly, sympathetically toward
our enemies also, realizing that they are warped and twisted and blinded
through the deceitfulness of sin and through the machinations of the great
adversary." ‘05-R3570
Revelation 1
17 And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his
right hand upon me, saying unto me, Fear not; I am the first and the last:
Revelation
1:17 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 17.
And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon
me, saying I am the first and the last:
When we thus
really see Jesus, our impulse is to consecrate unto death, to follow in His
footsteps, that we may arrive at the same condition of character, and hope of
life. "That I may know him, the power of his resurrection, the fellowship
of his sufferings, being made conformable to his death; if by any means I may
attain to THE resurrection of THE dead." See Rev. 1:8, ‘12-R5050.
"CONSIDER
HIM"—THEN FOLLOW "Consider Him who endured such contradiction of
sinners against Himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your
minds"—Hebrews 12:3.
"The
Apostle had just been pointing out the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus. He had
reminded the church of the shame and ignominy which the Master had endured for
the great joy set before him by the Heavenly Father. He declares Jesus to be
the Author and Finisher of our faith. He then urges that in our trials and
difficulties as children of God we remember what extreme experiences in
suffering the Master endured—such contradiction, such opposition, of sinners
against himself—opposition to his doctrines, to everything that he did. This
opposition to Jesus continued until it resulted in his murder.
27 "The
Apostle says to the church, ‘Ye have not yet resisted unto blood striving
against sin,’ as Jesus did. As a matter of fact, we really suffer very little
and give up very little. At most we have but little life, as members of the
fallen race, and it stretches out for only a brief span. We have very little to
consecrate to God. And when that little is going we should consider how
insignificant it is, and what great things the Master had—not merely the
perfection that he had in his earthly life, but also what he had previously,
and how, in obedience to the divine will, he humbled himself and left his glory
to become a man—and then humbled himself still further, unto death, ‘even the
death of the cross. Wherefore God also bath highly exalted (raised to the
highest position—Strong) him, and given him a name which is above every name.’
"We should be glad to walk in his footsteps, to endure the same
experiences, to drink whatever the Father shall pour out for us in our cup—his
cup. As we consider thus our dear Master’s experiences and faithfulness, it
makes our experiences seem only light afflictions, but for a moment, and
working out ‘for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory; while we
look not at the things which are seen; for the things which are seen are
temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal’ {2Co 4:17,18}. For let
us remember that we are ‘called... to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord
Jesus Christ. Therefore, brethren, stand fast’—2 Thess. 2:14, 15."
‘15-R5684 "It is not strange that John in vision fell down as dead at this
glorious symbolical representation of Christ. John may be considered as a
representative of the Lord’s consecrated ones, who in his presence feel their
own deadness. Upon all such he places his hand (his power), and to them gives
his message, ‘I am the first and last, I am he that liveth and was dead, and
behold I am alive forevermore, and have the keys of hell the grave and
of death’—vss. 17, 18.
"Not all,
but only those who fall as dead before the Lord who recognize their own
nothingness, who, in the language of this symbolical book, are beheaded, or
lose their own wills, accepting the will of the Lord instead (Rev. 20:4)—these
alone are ever able to fully receive this message from the Lord
appreciatively." ‘01-R2827 "We must recognize our Lord as the one who
was the beginning of the creation of God and the end of it, the one by whom
were all things, the one who is next to the Father, his very representative in
everything pertaining to the affairs of the universe." ‘05-R3570
THE MIRACULOUS
BIRTH OF JESUS ‘15-R5767, R5768 Basis of the Doctrine of the Ransom. Basis of
the Doctrine of Restitution.
"Christ
died for our sins according to the Scriptures"—1Co 15:3.
"At this
time, the Passover season, we as Christians commemorate the greatest event of
all history, the sacrificial death of the Savior of the world." ‘16-R5869
"Numbers of the Lord’s people all over the world... celebrate on its
anniversary the most notable event in the history of the Universe of God."
‘99-R2436
"Calvary
was the scene of the most wonderful event of history, the fulcrum as it were
upon which divine Love and Justice operated for the rolling away of the curse
resting upon humanity. "‘ 05 -R3560 "While the death of Christ was
the greatest event in history, his resurrection from death readily holds second
place. The death of Christ without his resurrection would have left our race
just as helpless and hopeless as before." ‘05-R3563 "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. "The manner of his
coming will be like the manner of his going... quietly and
secretly... having thoroughly convinced witnesses... his faithful followers....
The angel seemed also to give special emphasis to the fact that the coming
again would be the coming of this very ‘same Jesus’— the same one who
left the glory which he had with the Father before the world was, and became
man— became poor that we might be made rich; the same Jesus that died on
Calvary; the same Jesus that arose a quickening spirit the third day; the same
Jesus that had manifested his change during the forty days—THIS same
Jesus now ascended up on high. Yes, it is the same Jesus who has
experienced two changes of nature—first from spirit to human, and then from
human to divine... He is now of the divine spiritual nature... he is the
same loving Jesus.... He has no further use for a human body prepared for
sacrifice (Heb. 10:5). That is all over now: he dies no more, but now comes to
rule and bless and uplift the redeemed race.
"Our Lord
furnished us a most beautiful illustration of the manner in which his presence
will be revealed, when he said, ‘As the bright-shining emerges from the east,
and illuminates even unto the west, so will be the presence of the Son
of man’—Matt. 24:27... How beautiful is the figure of sunrise, as illustrating
the gradual dawning of truth and blessing in the day of his presence. The Lord
associated the overcomers with himself in this figure, saying, ‘Then shall the
righteous shine forth as the Sun in the Kingdom of their Father.’ And the
Prophet, using the same figure, says ‘The Sun of righteousness shall arise with
healing in his beams.’ The dawning is gradual, but finally the full, clear brightness shall
thoroughly banish the darkness of evil, ignorance, superstition and sin."
B153-B156
Revelation 1
18 I
am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore,
Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death.
Revelation
1:18 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 18. I
am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore, Amen; and
have the keys of the grave and of death.
Here is a plain
statement that some may not sleep; but all new creatures must die, for our
consecration is unto death, and we desire our house from heaven. "O death,
I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy destruction.’
"We have
seen (v. 17) that the ‘Arch-angel’—the chief messenger of Jehovah—is now our
highly exalted Lord of all, the Redeemer of the world, the Head or Bridegroom
of the Church. "‘ 83-R515 "Thus we see that in Jesus there was no
mixture of natures, but that twice he experienced a change of nature; first,
from spiritual to human; afterward, from human to the highest
28 order of
spiritual nature, the divine; and in each case the one was given up for the
other; "While Jesus as a man was an illustration of perfect human nature,
to which the mass of mankind will be restored, yet since his resurrection he is
the illustration of the glorious divine nature which the overcoming Church
will, at resurrection, share with him." A180 "For these also is the
wonderful message that this Redeemer, now glorified, has all power in respect
to our race—the keys, the authority, the control, not only of hades (the
great prison house of death), but also the power or control over death in its
every degree; so that it is his privilege to raise up so many as will obey him
out of the degradation and imperfection of this dying condition, up, up, up, to
perfection of life, where death will have no power. These may know, also, that
the time for the exercise of this power by the Redeemer is nigh at hand, and
that the privilege of deliverance from the tomb and from death into the full
liberty of the sons of God, into abundance of life and freedom from the bondage
of corruption, will be extended to every creature of Adam’s race.
"‘ Blessed
are our eyes for they see, and our ears for they hear!’ "‘ 01-R2827
"The more we understand the plan of God, the greater will be that power in
our hearts, and the deeper our consecretion to the divine will, the more
sympathy will we have and the greater will be our desire to do the divine good
pleasure. "‘ 14-R5583
THE INCARNATION
THEORY NOT SCRIPTURAL "The incarnation of our Lord is only a theory
invented during the Dark Ages. For he humbled himself to become a man, and ‘became obedient unto death, even the
death of the cross. Wherefore God also bath highly exalted him, and given
him a name which is above every name: that at the name of Jesus every knee
should bow (both in Heaven and in the earth)... and every tongue confess that
Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father’—Philippians "Jesus
says, ‘Blessed and holy is he that bath part in the First Resurrection.’ Such
shall be kings and priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a
thousand years—Rev. 20:6." ‘13-R5291 "All the blessings of
everlasting life God has made provision for through Messiah. Messiah is to have
a kingdom; and this kingdom is to rule the world in righteousness (see Ps
96$ , 97$, and 72), blessing not only the living, but also those who have
fallen asleep in death {Isa 25:6-9 Ho 13:14 Ro 14:9 8:20,21, Diaglott}. Many
Scriptures declare this in unmistakable terms. Indeed this is the tenor of the
entire Word of God. This divine plan runs like a golden chain through the whole
Bible, both Old and New Testaments.... ‘15-R5706 c 2; B135.
OUR EASTER
LESSON—‘10-R4587, R4588—lovely short article.
"I am
he that liveth and was dead; and, behold, I am alive forevermore. "—Rev.
1:18.
"Our
text comes to us as fresh as though delivered yesterday from the lips of the
risen Redeemer—his special message to his people. How much there is in these
few words!
They affirm
with positiveness that Jesus really died, the just for the unjust, that he
might bring mankind back from sin and condemnation to harmony with God. With
equal force they tell us that he is dead no longer, that although unseen to our
natural eyes, our faith may recognize the fact that he arose from the dead and
ascended up on high, there ‘ to appear in the presence of God for us.’—Heb.
9:24.
"What
was effected by his death and what is the value of his life to mankind?
"His
death was necessary because death was the sentence against Adam and all his
race, because of original sin—disobedience. St. Paul says, ‘By one man’s
disobedience sin entered the world, and death as a result of sin, and thus
death passed upon all, for all are sinners.’ It was not an angel that had
sinned and hence an angel could not be the Redeemer. The divine law was an eye
for an eye, a tooth for a tooth, an ox for an ox, a man for a man. Hence
nothing but the sacrificial death of a perfect man could redeem the race from
their death sentence. Any perfect man could have thus been substituted, but
there was none in the whole world; hence the necessity that our Lord should be
‘made flesh’ that he might redeem us (John 1:14). Hence, as the scriptures
explain, ‘he who was rich, for our sakes became poor,’ leaving the perfection
of the heavenly nature and coming down to perfect human nature; he was ‘holy,
harmless and undefiled, separate from sinners’—Heb. 7:26." ‘10-R4588 of
"Our Easter Lesson"...
IT IS
FINISHED "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said, It is
finished: and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit"—John 19:30.
"Thus
ended the awful tragedy of Calvary. Our Lord’s last breath with all his
remaining strength was exhausted in his effort to utter with a loud voice that
last grand truth, ‘It is finished.’ "Down to his very latest breath his
mind was clear, as shown by every expression during those hours of agony of the
cross. There he preached the gospel to the dying thief—‘Verily I say to thee
this day (this dark day, when it seems as though I am an impostor, and I
am dying as a felon), thou shalt be with me in Paradise—(when the Lord has
established his Kingdom it will be a paradise, and the thief will be remembered
and be in it)—F 668; he commended his weeping mother to the care of the beloved
John; and when in the last agonies of death he cried, ‘My God, my God, why has
thou forsaken me?’ And then again his clearness of intellect, and his complete
submission to, and trust in God, and his desire to utter a last word of
instruction to his followers is manifested in his very last words, ‘It is
finished; Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit.’ "If such was our
Lord’s dying effort to make this last announcement, how carefully should we
consider his words. What was finished there? Taking the standpoint of this
dreadful moment we find him in prayer referring to the same thing a few days
before, saying, ‘I have finished the work which thou gayest me to do’ {Joh
17:11,4}. Referring again to his death (John 12:27) he said, ‘Now is my soul troubled;
and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour? But for this cause came I
unto this hour. Father, glorify thy name.’
29
"Then it was for this cause—viz., death, as the world’s sin-bearer, for
the world’s redemption—that he came to that hour; and this was what he finished
when he bowed his head and gave up the spirit of life—existence. There it was
finished; the substitute, the corresponding or equivalent price for the life of
Adam and all who lost life through him, was paid. The death penalty which could
not be annulled, was thus assumed and paid by another, and henceforth that
gloriousfact was to be made known to all. Our dying Lord with his latest breath
was the first one to proclaim the glorious message—’It is finished’; and after
his resurrection he sent his disciples forth to tell to every nation the same
blessed truth.
"The
other side of the great work of atonement yet remains to be accomplished, viz.,
the converting of the world to God. By this sacrifice which was finished on
Calvary, the way of access to God was opened up; the claims of justice were
fully met, ‘That God might be just and yet the justifier of him that believeth
in Jesus’ (Rom. 3:26). And now God can receive all who come unto him
acknowledging the merit of the sacrifice and trusting for acceptance through
it. The promise that the Redeemer will shortly take control of the world, open
the sin and prejudice blinded eyes and bind or restrain their great deceiver,
is but another way of assuring us that this great truth— the ransom—so
necessary to be believed, shall be testified to all in due time {1Ti 2:6}, when
all shall have full opportunity of accepting it." ‘87-R931 "I am he
that liveth and was dead; and behold I am alive forevermore, amen; and have the
keys of hell(hades, oblivion) and of death"—Rev. 1:18.
"This
passage is given as an encouragement to God’s people, hence surely hell,
hades, here cannot mean a place of
torment: otherwise, what would be the force of this expression? These words
imply that the Lord’s people go to hades(oblivion), whoever else may go there,
and that the hope of the Lord’s people, when going down to hades, to oblivion, is that in due time our great
Redeemer shall unlock this figurative prison-house of death, and bring forth
the captives from the tomb, from sheol, hades, oblivion. This is the significance of the
statement that he has the keys, that is, the power, the authority—He can open
and he can shut; all power is given into his hand.
"In
preaching at his first advent, he quoted the prophecy of Isaiah respecting
himself, which declares that he will open the prison-house, and set at liberty
the captives, and declared this to be the Gospel (Isa. 61:1; Luke 4:18). It is
the Gospel of the Resurrection, the message, the good tidings of deliverance of
all the captives from the oblivion of death, from the power of the Adversary,
‘him that bath the power of death, that is, the devil.’ How full of meaning are
these Scriptures, when viewed from the proper standpoint!" E378
Revelation 1
19
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the
things which shall be hereafter;
Revelation
1:19 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 19.
Write the things which thou hast seen, and the things which are, and the things
which shall be hereafter;
To have John
put these things in writing, shows that the author felt confident of their
authenticity; and he was correct. "Wisdom is justified of her children.’
"John was
instructed to write, to make clear, to make plain to us and to all of God’s
people, the things already brought to his attention, and other things
subsequently to be brought to his attention; to the intent that all of God’s
people might be enabled to comprehend with all saints the lengths and breadths
and heights and depths of the love of God which passeth all understanding and
which can only be received through revelation from God. And here let us note
the force of John’s expression (verse 3) to the effect that there is a blessing
upon those who read this revelation, even thothey do not understand, and a
special blessing upon those who hear and understand the words of this prophecy,
and keep or conform their lives to the things that are written therein."
‘01-R2827 "And He said unto them... ye shall receive power, after that the
holy spirit is come upon you, both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and in
Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth"—Acts 1:8.
WITNESSES OF
THESE THINGS "Ye are witnesses of these things"—Luke 24:48.
"The
apostles as witnesses were not merely to tell about the Redeemer’s virgin
birth, nor merely about his holy, devoted life, nor merely of our Lord’s
resurrection, nor merely of his ascension, but in addition to all these facts
they were to tell that he was a properly qualified Redeemer, that he met all
the conditions of the Law, and that now he ever liveth to succor those who come
unto the Father through him. How faithfully the apostles performed their
mission! How truly, as the Apostle Paul declared, they shunned not to declare
the whole counsel! Worldly wisdom might intimate that to own a Master and
Teacher who had been executed as a felon would be to their discredit, and
thoroughly hinder them from progress in gathering followers to their Leader.
But these faithful witnesses consulted not with flesh and blood as to what they
should preach—they told the story simply in all of its details, not neglecting
even those of Peter and Judas, and the disputing as to which should be
greatest, etc. The truth in the simplicity in which God intended it to be delivered
has evidently come down to us in the Bible account. "‘ 06-R3911
"HE IS
RISEN, EVEN AS HE SAID" —Matthew 28:1-15.
"We are
glad that there is such satisfactory evidence that Christ died, and that thus
we have further foundation for the Scriptural assurance that he died as the
Redeemer of the world. Even Strauss, the agnostic, is constrained to say on
this subject, ‘The whole countryside knew he was dead.’
THE WITNESSES
MOST RELIABLE "The resurrection of Christ is vouched for by many most
honorable witnesses... The witnesses... testified to his resurrection, and
preached in his name and through his power as the risen one the forgiveness of
sins—and did this at their own expense, with sufferings, stripes, imprisonment
and cruel death as the reward. Their testimony fully concurs with the Master’s
own words before he died—words which his own intimate followers could not
appreciate, could not comprehend—that on the third day he would rise from the
dead. "
30 "The
doctrine of the resurrection itself is peculiar to the Jewish and Christian
religions. Other religions the world over ignore the necessity for a
resurrection, and claim that those who die are more alive than they were before
their death. The Apostles, on the contrary, admitted that all their hope rested
in the fact that Christ did rise from the dead. Mark the Apostle Paul’s words, 1Co
15:14-18.
"Our Lord
announced in advance that he would rise from the dead on the third day. In any
view of the matter our Lord could not have been exactly three days and three
nights in the tomb according to the record—it would have been either more or
less, because he died in the afternoon and rose from the dead in the morning,
hence no exact statement of even days and nights would fit the case. We
recognize the custom of the times of reckoning a portion of a day or a year as
though it were a complete one. For instance throughout all the records of the
chronicles of the kings we find that a portion of a year is counted for a year;
that if a king reigned three years and three months it would be counted a reign
of four years, or if he reigned two years and three months it would be counted
three years, since he did reign for a portion of the third year. So in the
statement of our Lord’s period in the tomb, it is properly enough spoken of as
three days and three nights, and shown thus:
JEWISH
RECKONING 4 to 6 p.m. Friday = 2 hours 6 p.m. Friday to 6 p.m. Saturday = 24
hours 6 p.m. Saturday to 4 or 5 a.m. Sunday = 10 or 11 hours Thus reckoned
fulfils the Apostle’s words, ‘He rose again the third day.’ "‘ 06-R3904
THREE DAYS AND
THREE NIGHTS "It is clear from the Scriptures that Jesus rose on the first
day of the week (Mark 16:2), and also that this was ‘the third day’ after his
death (Lu 24:21,46 1Co 15:4 ; also Lev. 23:11). It follows that he must
have been crucified on a Friday. That this is of importance in estimating the
dates of Jesus’ birth and death, is pointed out in ‘The Time Is At Hand,’ vol.
2, page 60. Some object to this that Jesus in saying (Matt. 12:40) that he
would be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth, contradicted
the statement by the Apostle Paul that he rose on the third day. Those who
reason in this way have failed to note that the phrase used by Jesus was purely
idiomatic, and implied that he would be in the heart of the earth ‘till the
third day.’ The proof of this is to be found in Es 4:16 5:1 Ge 42:17,18 2Ch
10:5,12 . God is his own interpreter." ‘05-R3574—(J. Edgar) "Him
God raised up on the third day" F214—Acts 10:39-43 "The waving of the
barley sheaf of first-fruits, on the 16th of Nisan (’the morrow after the
Sabbath’ or Passover Feast of the 15th—Lev. 23:5, 6, 11, 15-17), typified the
resurrection of Christ our Lord, as ‘the first-fruits of them that slept’—1
Cor. 15:20.
"Here is
the strongest possible confirmation of the correctness of the position taken in
Studies in the Scriptures, Volume 2—that our Lord was not three full 24-hour
days in the tomb, but only parts of the three days and nights; that he was
crucified on the day corresponding to our Friday afternoon, and arose on
what corresponded to our Sunday morning. The showing of the type, that the
Paschal lamb was to be killed sometime during the 14th of Nisan, and the
waveoffering of the sheaf of first-fruits was to occur on the 16th, should
settle the matter for all. It agrees with the repeated statement {1Co 15:4 Lu
24:46} that our Lord rose on ‘the third day according to the Scriptures.’ This
scripture concerning the first-fruits is the only type which we recall as in
any way pointing out the time of our Lord’s resurrection ... The evidence is
overwhelming that he died on the 14th of Nisan, and rose on the 16th—the third
day after." ‘13-R5191
JESUS HIMSELF
DREW NEAR—Luke 24:13-35 "Early in the morning of the day of his
resurrection he had appeared to the women who came with spices to embalm his
body. They had communicated to St. Peter and St. John that the Lord had been
with them... In the afternoon, two of the company were walking home, discussing
their disappointment in Jesus—how instead of becoming a great king, he had been
crucified, and their hopes of associating with him in dignity and honor had all
been dashed...
"It is
Christ that died, yea rather, that was raised from the dead"—Rom. 8:24.
THAT JESUS IS
STILL FLESH IS UNSUPPOSABLE "While they thus talked, Jesus overtook them.
They knew him not, because of his resurrection change. The Apostle Peter tells
us that he was ‘put to death in flesh, but quickened in spirit.’...
"‘ We
shall all be changed in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye’; for ‘flesh and
blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God.’ The change which the church is to
experience, in order to be fitted for the kingdom of God is the same change
which Jesus experienced when he was raised from the dead, a life-giving
Spirit—no longer a man.
"When the
Logos was made flesh, the identity was not lost. Respecting our Lord’s human
experiences, we read: ‘A body hast thou prepared me’—for the suffering of death
(Hebrews 10:5-10). When he had accomplished that purpose, he no longer had need
of human nature, but, as he had foretold his disciples, he ascended up where he
was before—to the spirit plane, to the spirit nature, as well as, later on, to
heaven itself.
"The
Scriptures show that the Father highly exalted the Redeemer, not only restoring
him to spirit-being, higher than human, but exalting him ‘far above angels,
principalities, powers and every name that is named’ "—Phil. 2:9-11; Eph.
1:20-23.
JESUS SHOWED
HIMSELF "St. Luke declares that Jesus showed himself alive after his
resurrection (Acts 1:3). Again he speaks of him as appearing. The narrative
shows both terms are justified by the facts. He appeared and disappeared. He
showed himself to some and not to others, and in every way manifested the fact
that some great change had taken place in him after those three days. Not only
did he appear and show himself in different forms, in different bodies, unlike
each other, but also in different clothing. Then, too, when he suddenly
disappeared, the clothing disappeared also.
"Jesus,
when he was the Logos—before his nature was changed from Spirit to
human—appeared to Abraham, in company with two angels. We read that the Lord
and two angels did eat and talk with Abraham, who knew them not, but
‘entertained angels unawares’ until, eventually, their identity was revealed.
Hebrews 13:2; Gen. 18:3; 19:2 "Just so it was with the two disciples en
route to Emmaus: The stranger who overtook them sympathetically inquired, Why
look and talk so sadly? They opened their hearts to him, astonished that he did
not know...
"This gave
Jesus the opportunity he sought—to explain to his disciples... that the
experiences they had had were part of the divine plan... He declared that it
was necessary that he should thus suffer in order to enter into his glory—that
without such suffering he never could be the King of Glory, with power to bless
and restore humanity, bye and bye—Acts 3:19-21.
"Then he
began to point out from the writings of Moses and all the prophets what God had
foretold respecting Messiah’s experiences. He probably reminded them of how
Isaac had been offered up by Abraham, explaining that Abraham typified the
heavenly Father, and Isaac typified himself; and that the offering, even though
not fully carried out, represented the death of himself as it had taken place,
the subsequent life of Isaac representing the resurrection of Jesus, to be with
his Father again.
"He
doubtless told them about the smitten rock, from which gushed the waters—that
the rock represented himself, who must be smitten in order to give the water of
life to the dying world. He doubtless told them how Moses lifted up the serpent
in the wilderness, and explained that the serpent represented sin; and that he,
in being crucified, was made to take the place of the sinner, that the sinner
might, through faith, be made righteous in God’s sight through the Redeemer’s
sacrifice.
"He
doubtless explained to them the sacrifice of the Atonement Day, in which the
bullock, which died, represented himself in the flesh; and in which the high
priest, who lived, and who entered into the Most Holy and sprinkled the blood
for the forgiveness of the people, also represented himself, a spirit being,
who after resurrection would go into heaven itself and eventually offer up full
sin-atonement on behalf of the world, and would come forth again at his second
advent to bless those for whom he had died.
HE OPENED THE
SCRIPTURES "He doubtless explained to them respecting the
passoverlamb—that it typified himself, ‘the Lamb of God, which taketh away the
sin of the world." We may assume that he proceeded to the Psalms, Isaiah
and the other prophets, explaining all the prophetic passages relating to the
sufferings of Christ and the glory that would follow. No wonder those disciples
afterward declared that their hearts had burned within them while he opened to
them the Scriptures.
"Jesus
could have manifested himself to his disciples otherwise than he did. Instead
of appearing as the gardener and as the traveler, etc., in different forms, and
then vanishing
31 after
communicating with his disciples, he could have done just as he did with Saul
of Tarsus, the last one to whom he appeared. As we read, ‘Last of all he was
seen of me also, as of one born of the spirit in the resurrection. Then they
will be spirit beings, like the Redeemer, see him as he is and share his glory.
That will be the due time for all of his followers to see him as he is—not as
he was—1Jo 3:2.
"But Saul
of Tarsus saw him thus as a spirit being, ‘shining above the brightness of the
sun’ at noonday—saw him before the time. The effect upon him was disastrous to
his eyes, and required a miracle for his recovery of sight. And even then
apparently a certain blemish was allowed to be a thorn in his flesh to his
dying day, as a reminder of God’s great mercy toward him, and to keep him
humble in connection with his powerful ministry—2 Corinthians 12:7.
"Who
cannot see that the Lord’s way of manifesting himself after his resurrection
was in every way the best! Had he appeared to many of them, or to all of them,
as he appeared to Saul of Tarsus later, they would have been bewildered,
shocked...
"It should
be remembered that out of fewer than ten appearances during the forty days
between our Lord’s resurrection and ascension, he only twice appeared in a form
similar to that which they had seen, and bearing marks of crucifixion; and that
on both of these occasions he appeared while the doors were shut, and later
vanished while the doors were still shut, in order that his followers might
learn a double lesson: (1) That he was no longer dead, but alive, resurrected;
(2) That he was no longer flesh, but spirit—’Now the Lord is that Spirit.’
"‘ 14-R5415 to R5417 "At the end of the forty days our Lord appeared
to all of the apostles at the time of his ascension. This was at the Mount of
Olives—Luke 24:50,51 Ac 1:6-9.
"It was
necessary that the apostles should be ‘witnesses,’ testifiers to the fact that
Christ had not only died but had also risen from the dead; and in order that
Paul as an Apostle might thus testify he was granted the vision of the
glorified one. He saw him as we shall see him in that he saw him in the
brightness of his excellent glory and not as the others, veiled in the flesh.
Thank God... to be made like him, to see him as he is, to share his glory. Not
all in the same moment, but each in his own moment, changed instantly—until gradually...
passing from death unto life, the full number of the very elect shall be
completed and the reign of glory shall begin." ‘06-R3905
Revelation 1
20
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawest in my right hand, and
the seven golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven
churches: and the seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven churches.
Revelation
1:20 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 20.
The mystery of the seven stars which thou sawestin my right hand, and the seven
golden candlesticks. The seven stars are the angels of the seven churches; and
the seven candlesticks which thou sawest, are the seven churches.
How God’s
dealing with his true church is laid out and explained in the Tabernacle Book!
We have never seen one, grounded thoroughly in the Tabernacle Study and
understanding, go back on Present Truth, as presented by Pastor C.T. Russell in
the Scripture Studies.
"The
Golden Candlestick or lampstand which stood opposite the Golden Table, and gave
light to all in the ‘Holy,’ 32 was of gold—all of one piece hammered out. It
had seven branches, each of which held a lamp, making seven lamps in all—a
perfect or complete number. This represented the complete Church, from the
Head, Jesus, to and including the last member of the ‘little flock’ that he is
taking out from among men, to be partakers of the divine (gold) nature. Our
Lord says, ‘The seven candlesticks which thou sawest are the seven
churches’—the one Church whose seven stages or developments were symbolized by
the seven congregations of Asia Minor (Rev. 1:11). Yes; that candlestick
represented the entire Church of the First-born—not nominal, but the true
Church, whose names are written in heaven—the true light-bearers—the ‘Royal
Priesthood.’ "" The form of its workmanship was beautiful—a fruit and
a flower, a fruit and a flower, following successively—representing the true
Church as both beautiful and fruitful from first to last...
"The light
from this lamp was from olive oil, ‘beaten’ or refined; and lamps were kept
always lighted. This oil was symbolic of the Holy Spirit, and its light
represented holy enlightenment—the spirit of the truth." The brilliancy of
the flame or illumination depends on those antitypical spices (’07-R4093,
comment Rev. 3:6) contained in the holy Spirit. That calls for the anointing.
Our anointing depends on membership in Christ (Anointed). "Its light was
for the benefit of the priests only, for none others were ever permitted to see
it or to profit by its light. Thus was represented the spirit or mind of God
given to enlighten the Church, in the deep things of God, which are entirely
hidden from the natural man {1Co 2:14}... None but the truly consecrated, the
‘Royal Priesthood,’ are permitted to see into this deeper light, hidden in the
‘Holy.’ " T115, T116 "The anointing of the high priest in the type
represented the divine appointment to office. Aaron was thus anointed of God.
The Apostle Paul says that ‘no man taketh this honor unto himself, but he that
was called of God, as was Aaron.’ Even Christ took not this honor upon himself.
God appointed him, saying, ‘Thou art a Priest forever, after the order of
Melchizedek’ (Hebrews 5:4-6). God’s direct dealings were with the Lord Jesus
Christ. He was the one acceptable to the Father. God gave his holy Spirit to
our Lord in fullest degree...
"The holy
Spirit being poured out upon the Head of the great High Priest, and flowing
down over the skirts of his garments, all his body is thus anointed. We each
receive our share of the anointing when we come into the body, and under the
robe." ‘14-R5424 "Seven, as a symbolic number, represents perfection
or completeness, and thus the seven candlesticks, the seven churches, represent
the complete church, and this union of seven as one was most beautifully
typified in the golden candlestick (lamp-stand) of the ‘most holy’ of the
Tabernacle and subsequently of the Temple. That candlestick or lampstand was
one, but there were seven branches or lights; while in this symbolical picture
of the church in Revelation each is represented separately, and our Lord’s
messages are directed to the seven churches of the seven epochs separately;
nevertheless, in reality the church is all one {1Co 12:12}. The union and the
separateness are merely as we view the matter from two different standpoints.
It is the one high priest who cares for all the lamps, and the one holy oil
that in every stage of the church has given light to all of the consecrated
class, the ‘royal priesthood,’ who have access to the ‘holy’ and are seated
with Christ in heavenly places (conditions)—Eph. 2:6." ‘01-R2827 "In
the Tabernacle, and subsequently in the Temple of Solomon, the golden
candlesticks or lampstands were placed by the Lord’s direction—not seven
candlesticks, but one with seven branches, representing the whole church, the
complete church during this Gospel age. In Revelation the same candlestick or
lampstand is brought to our attention, but the parts are separated—the union,
the relationship between them, being supplied by our Redeemer, the antitypical
High Priest. The lampstand symbolized the Lorcl’s nominal people of this Gospel
age, including his ‘members.’ It holds forth the light of life, the light that
shines in the darkness and which he directed should be so let shine before men
that they might see our good works and glorify the Father in heaven. Alas! the
Master evidently found but few good works, but little glorifying light shining
out from his earthly representatives in many of these epochs. This is
represented by his messages, chidings, encouragements, etc., given to each of
these epoch 33 churches represented by the different candlesticks or
lampstands. It is to be noted that the lampstand represents the nominal church
of Christ rather than the true. This is shown by the fact that in the Lord’s
addressing each of these lampstands or churches he finds fault with the many
and approves the few, especially so in the last, the seventh, the Laodicean
church of our day." ‘05-R3569 c 1 p 3; B229 p 1.
"It is
this one whom we thus know, thus recognize as the instructor and caretaker of
the candlesticks, the churches; whom we are to recognize also as having in his
right hand, in his favor as well as in his power, seven stars—the angels or
messengers of the seven churches. These stars apparently represent special
ministers or servants of the church.
"In
Revelation 12:1 the church is pictured as a woman crowned with twelve stars.
These stars evidently represent the twelve apostles as the special lights of
the church. Similarly, in the picture before us, the seven stars which the Lord
holds in his right hand seem to represent special light- bearers in the church
in each of the seven phases or developments. That they are held in his right
hand seems to teach us that these should be considered as in some special sense
under the Master’s guidance and protection and care in the interest of the
churches which they represented. ‘05-R3570
Revelation 2
1
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write; These things saith he
that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks;
Revelation
2:1 (RVENDAG_)
CHAPTER 2:1-17
Revelation
"While the
messages given to the seven churches specified in the Revelation were doubtless
applicable to them, they properly have a still wider application to the entire
Gospel church, the number seven representing completeness. The Book of
Revelation is a book of symbols, which our Lord ‘sent and signified (told it in
signs and symbols) by his angel unto his servant John’ (Revelation 1:1). Bible
students know that the book abounds in symbols, or signs: and we are satisfied
that these are the rule, and that the literal is the exception, being used only
when unavoidable.
"To be in
harmony, then, with the rest of the book, ‘the seven churches which are in
Asia’ must be symbolic; and as the book is chiefly history written beforehand,
they must symbolize seven successive stages in the history of the Christian
church, covering the period between the first advent and the second coming of
Christ. The fulfilment, we think, proves the correctness of this position.
"In the
first chapter we have a description of ‘One like unto a son of man’ (1:13), as
seen in vision by the Apostle John. Some one or more of the features of this
description would seem to be peculiarly appropriate to each of the successive
stages of the church; and in each case he who sends the message is thus
described. The last part of each message is a promise to the ‘overcomers,’ and
is also adapted to the different periods of church history.
"To give a
bird’s-eye view of the arrangement (1:11), we would notice their chronological
position. Ephesus covers the period during the lives of the apostles; Smyrna, the
time of the Pagan persecution, reaching to about 325 A.D., when Constantine
became Emperor of Rome and declared in favor of Christianity. Pergamos embraces
the transition period during which the Papacy had its rise; Thyatira, the space
during which the true church was in the wilderness, and the apostate church sat
as a queen and lived deliciously with the kings of the earth. Sardis includes a
short interval just before the Reformation; Philadelphia, the period from the
Reformation until recent times; and Laodicea, the nominal church of
today." ‘16-R5992
Verse 1.
Unto the angel of the church of Ephesus write: These things saith he that
holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the
seven golden candlesticks;
35
The message of
the High Priest, serving his seven churches, or candlesticks, is one of
encouragement from the very beginning. It is a message of assurance to the
first, or Ephesus period, of their safety: that his presence is sure and
complete; He is holding them in his right hand of power; He is supplying the
oil of anointing; overseeing the necessary trimming or discipline; supplying
food according to the growth of the infant church; and providing the water of
fellowship or association. (Comments on the anointing at Rev. 3:6)
MESSAGE TO THE
CHURCH OF EPHESUS—Revelation 2:1-7 "The word Ephesus means first,
desirable. During this period our Lord ‘holdeth the seven stars in his right
hand,’ etc. (Chapter 1:20) The messengers of the churches—St. Paul, St. Peter,
St. John, etc.—were so powerfully led and kept in the grasp of our Lord Jesus
during this epoch that we accept their teachings as his, believing that their
words were really his words. This stage of the church is commended for its
faithful, patient labor and for its discernment of truth and true teachers—Ac
20:28-30 1Co 11:19.
"It was
characteristic of this period that ‘they forsook all and followed him.’ They
took joyfully the spoiling of their goods. They sold what they had and gave to
those in want. Though often deprived of the bread of this present life, they
not only had the Living Bread, but had the promise of ‘the tree of life which
is in the midst of the Paradise of God’ (2:17). It will be remembered that all
the trees in Eden were trees of life, but that the one in the midst of the
Garden was then a forbidden tree, the disobedient eating of which brought death
upon Adam and all his race. That tree in the midst of Paradise was called ‘the
tree of the knowledge of good and evil’; and our Lord’s promise in today’s
study is that the overcomers of the Gospel age shall have full liberty to
partake of that tree under most blessed and satisfactory conditions, when the
knowledge will be of benefit to them under divine approval, and will not then
bring a curse." ‘16-R5992
Revelation 2
2 I
know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear
them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and
are not, and hast found them liars:
Revelation
2:2 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 2. I
know thy works, and thy labour, and thy patience, and how thou canst not bear
them which are evil: and thou hast tried them which say they are apostles, and
are not, and hast found them liars: There are two ways of weakening the words or influence of the
apostles, the especial representatives of Jesus, the head of the church: one is
to discount their word; and the other is to claim apostolic succession. Both
are seen in the servants of Satan, even to the extent of denying that Paul was
an apostle. See Rev. 21:14.
"About the
year 300 A.D., Christian bishops began to claim Apostolic powers and to style
themselves Apostolic Bishops. The claim is still made that the bishops of the
church of Rome, of the church of England, etc., are of equal authority with the
twelve apostles, while the Bible claims to the contrary—that the twelve
apostles selected by Jesus (St. Paul taking the place of Judas) were to be the
only foundations of the Christian church, orally and through their epistles.
Jesus prophesied the falling away which would result in some falsely claiming
to be Apostles. Compare 2Pe 2:1 Ac 20:30 ."‘ 15-R5751 "Long
centuries ago a wrong step was taken by the bishops of the church in claiming
that they were apostolic bishops—with apostolic powers, the same as the
original twelve. Later these self-styled ‘apostolic bishops’ concluded that the
people need not have the Bible, and that they could simplify matters for the
masses by giving them the creeds. They made their first creed in A.D. 325, and
afterwards they continued to make ‘worse and more of it,’ until the Sixteenth
Century. Meantime the Bible was tabooed... It was during this time that the
horrible doctrines of the dark ages were introduced by our great adversary.
"Then came
a change when the people began to demand the Bible and to doubt the
infallibility of the ‘apostolic bishops’ and their creeds. Early editions of
the Bible were burned publicly, by both Protestant bishops and Catholic
bishops, until the Bible triumphed and became too thoroughly entrenched in the
minds of the people for this. The period of darkness lasted over twelve hundred
years, the lamp of God’s Word being absent. Then came various attempts at Bible
Study, all more or less handicapped by the insistence of the bishops that the
Bible must be interpreted by the creeds they had made. Nor are many out of the
darkness yet. We all feel like saying, with Cardinal Newman: "Lead, kindly
Light, amid the encircling gloom, Lead thou me on; The night is dark and I am
far from home, Lead thou me on!’
"Only
within the past forty years are Bible students really ignoring all creeds and
going straight to the Bible itself for the light of divine truth; and
correspondingly their blessing IS increasing.
"It was during
that long period of darkness, when the Lamp of Truth was hidden from the
people, that the ‘apostolic bishops’ exalted themselves and separated from the
remainder of the church—calling themselves the church, the hierarchy, the
clergy, and denominating the masses the laity, contrary to the Master’s words,
‘All ye are brethren,’ and to St. Peter’s words to the whole church, ‘Ye are a
royal priesthood.’ "The clergy, having exalted themselves, took another
step, claiming power as well as authority. The claim went forth that the time
had come for the church to reign. Accordingly, a chief bishop was named
Pontiff, or Pope, and he and
36 all of his
successors were decreed to be Christ’s vicegerents—reigning over the kingdoms
of the world as Christ’s representatives. "‘ 15-R5765
BABYLON BEFORE
THE GREAT COURT.
HER
CONFUSION—ECCLESIASTICAL.
"And he
saith unto him, Out of shine own mouth will I judge thee, thou wicked
servant"—Luke 19:22.
"While we
here consider the present judgment of the great nominal Christian church, let
us not forget that there is also a real Church of Christ, elect,
precious—consecrated to God and to his truth in the midst of a crooked and
perverse generation... This class is described and blessedly comforted in Ps
91 and 46... There is a true Church, every member of which is known and
dear to the Lord, whether known or unknown to us..." D157, D158 "The
‘Reformation’ movement discarded some of the false doctrines of Papacy and led
many out of that iniquitous system. The reformers called attention to the Word
of God and affirmed the right of private judgment in its study, and also
necessarily recognized the right of every child of God to preach the truth
without the authority of popes and bishops, who falsely claimed a succession in
authority from the original twelve apostles. But ere long that good work of
protest against the iniquitous, antichristian, counterfeit church of Rome was
overcome by the spirit of the world; and soon the protestants, as they were
called, formed new organizalions, which, together with the truths they had
found, perpetuated many of the old errors and added some new ones; and yet each
continued to hold a little truth. The result was a medley of conflicting
creeds, at war with reason, with the Word of God and with one another. And as
the investigating energy of the Reformation period soon died out, these quickly
became fossilized, and have so remained to the present day..
"To build
up and perpetuate these erroneous doctrinal systems of what they are pleased to
call ‘Systematic Theology,’ time and talent have been freely given. Their
learned men have written massive volumes for other men to study instead of the
Word of God, for this purpose theological seminaries have been established and
generously endowed; and from these, young men, instructed in their errors, have
gone out to teach and to confirm the people in them. And the people, taught to
regard these men as God’s appointed ministers, successors of the apostles, have
accepted their dictum without searching the Scriptures as did the noble Bereans
in Paul’s day (Acts 17:11), to see if the things taught them were so.”D160,
D161 Ac 1:1-14: "The apostles were only those whom Jesus had
especially selected to the office—St. Paul, by divine arrangement, subsequently
taking the place of Judas. This is in contradiction to the claim of the Bishops
of England and of Rome that they are Apostolic Bishops, with apostolic powers,
but it is in full agreement with the Master’s statement that all others
claiming to be apostles are ‘liars.’ "‘ 16-R5829
ORDINATION:
DIRECTION
"The
proper thought connected with ordination is that which the Bible gives when we
read that the Apostle ‘ordained elders in every church’ (Acts 14:23).
Similarly, amongst the Lord’s people today, Elders are chosen, or appointed, or
authorized, by the congregation by the stretching forth of their hands—by the
congregational vote. Every elder and every deacon scripturally chosen by the
vote, ‘the stretching forth of the hand’ (not by laying on of hands), is thus
ordained, or appointed, or authorized, to serve in the capacity indicated.
"In thus
ordaining elders and deacons, the Lord’s people are instructed that they are to
seek to know the mind of the Lord. Their voting for and electing one of the
brethren to be a deacon or an elder implies that they believe that such a
person possesses the divinely indicated qualifications for the service. No one
should be voted for who does not give evidence of having received the begetting
of the holy Spirit, which is the divine authorization to preach or to teach, as
set forth in Isaiah 61:1.
"All of
the Lord’s spirit-begotten people are ordained in this general way to speak in
the Master’s name the wonderful Words of Life, according to their
opportunities. But when a congregation of such ordained, spirit-begotten
children of God chooses from its midst some to be elders, others to be deacons,
it implies that they consider the ones chosen to be especially qualified, ‘apt
to teach’—ensamples to the brethren in word, in conduct—1 Tim. 3:2-4.
"The wrong
thought respecting ordination is the one which ignores the divine anointing
(Isaiah 61:1), and which merely looks to the education and the talents of the
one elected. Thus ignoring the divine test, many today are serving as ministers
and elders in the church of Christ who would make no profession of being
spirit-begotten and who give no outward evidence thereof. Such are not properly
ordained Ministers of God, and their church ordination gives no divine blessing
or power.
"The most
erroneous thought respecting ordination is that held by the three oldest
Christian denominations—the Roman Catholic, the Episcopal Church of England,
and the Greek Catholic Church. With these ancient churches, ordination has a
different meaning entirely. They claim to have apostolic succession of
authority—that originally only the apostles had a right to teach or to preach,
and that any other teachers or preachers needed to get authorization and divine
power from the hands of the apostles. They claim that before the apostles died,
there was a special order of bishops ordained in the church; and that apostolic
power and authority passed to those bishops, and has thus come down to our day
and is possessed by the bishops of these denominations. They claim that only
such as they ordain are Christian ministers.
"In a
word, these three ancient churches have set aside entirely the divine
ordination, the anointing of the holy Spirit, and substituted an authorization
through a so-called ‘apostolic succession’ of power and authority. Not only did
Jesus tell us that there were only twelve apostles, but Revelation 2:2 points
out this grievous error of those who claim to be apostles and are not, but do
lie. 2Co 11:13-15 Joh 8:42-45 37 "What did St. Paul mean when he
declared that he was an Apostle not of men nor by men, but by the Lord Jesus
Christ? Galatians 1:1.
"No man or
congregation is competent to appoint or elect an apostle. No congregational
vote would make one of the brethren an apostle. That is a special office or
function which is of divine appointment solely. Thus the Lord Jesus appointed
only twelve apostles—‘twelve apostles of the Lamb’—St. Paul taking-the place of
Judas, who lost his apostleship (Rev. 21:14; Psalm 109:8; Acts 1:20). It is in
this particular that the Church of Rome, the Church of England, and Greek
Church do violence to the principles of God’s Word, in that they claim to make,
but do not really make, apostolic bishops—bishops possessed of apostolic power
and authority.
"Keep in
memory always that ceremony is not ordination, but that appointment and
direction are ordination.
"Verbi
Dei Minister": The
English of this is, "Minister of the Divine Word." "When, during
the dark ages, the divine Word fell into disuse and creeds were substituted,
this title was generally lost and ignored. There were no ministers of the
divine Word; for the divine Word was not preached, but, instead, the creeds of
men. Instead of these simple words so expressive of the proper thought in
connection with all the Lord’s public servants, we today have high-sounding
titles, such as Reverend and Doctor of Divinity, which are quite unscriptural.
"In every
case where a congregation of the Lord’s people has elected a consecrated,
spirit-begotten child of God to be an elder, they have by their election
ordained, or set apart, or indicated, that elder as being a minister of the
divine Word—one who serves, distributes, dispenses the truth of God’s Word.’
"1 Timothy
3:1-7. Next to the importance of the election of only a consecrated,
spirit-begotten child of God to eldership should be the question—To what extent
has he availed himself of the privileges of study, information?"
‘16-R5940, R5941
Revelation 2
3
And hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured,
and hast not fainted.
Revelation
2:3 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 3. And
hast borne, and hast patience, and for my name’s sake hast laboured, and hast
not fainted.
The apostolic
period was the period of Ephesus when the classes were free from error but
under much pressure, calling for labor, patience and forbearance.
"But even
to those established, strengthened and settled in the faith {1Pe 5:10} there is
abundant opportunity to grow in knowledge; for while they will see nothing new
or different in outline or design, they will be continually charmed and cheered
with newly discovered lines of harmony and beauty in the divine drawings of the
wonderful plan of the ages. As pupils we may ever study the master workmanship
of the divine Architect." ‘03-R3215 "The most we claim or have ever
claimed for our teachings is, that they are what we believe to be harmonious
interpretations of the divine Word, in harmony with the spirit of the truth. And we still urge as in
the past, that each reader study the subjects we present in the light of the
Scriptures proving all things by the Scriptures... that we so freely
intersperse both quotations and citations of the Scriptures upon which to build.’
"Hold the
Head (Christ) as the only real teacher, who is able and willing to guide all
the meek in judgment, because they are his church—’his body.’ "It is a
lesson, therefore, for all to learn—that each sheep recognize as leaders only
such as are found in full accord with the voice and spirit of the Chief
Shepherd (Christ), and the under-shepherds (the Apostles), and that each sheep
see to it that he eats only ‘clean provender’ and drinks only ‘pure water’ as
directed by the Shepherd. (See Ezek. 34:17-19) This implies the exercise of the
individual conscience of each member of Christ’s flock on matters of doctrine
and practice, and tends to keep each one in sympathy and fellowship with the
Shepherd, who knoweth each sheep and ‘calleth his own sheep by name.’ The same
intimate relationship of the individual Christian with the Lord is illustrated
in the figure of Christ the Head and the church as members of his body"—1
Cor. 12:12-27; Eph 4:15,16. ‘96-R2080
THE FIRST
CHRISTIAN MARTYR—Acts 6:8-15; 7:54-60 "Be thou faithful unto death, and I
will give thee a crown of life"—Rev. 2:10.
"Apparently
Stephen’s martyrdom occurred not a great while after Pentecost, but the interim
had been a period of considerable progress. At the time of the ascension ‘about
one hundred and twenty’ were reckoned as being in full and deep fellowship in
Christ; ten days later at Pentecost three thousand converts were added; shortly
after, five thousand more as recorded in Acts 4:4; later (Acts 5:14)
‘multitudes, both men and women, were added to the Lord’; still later, ‘the
number of the disciples was multiplied in Jerusalem greatly, and a great
multitude of priests were obedient to the faith’ (Acts 6:1-7). This period of
gathering the ripe wheat and establishing them in the doctrines of Christ was a
very necessary prelude to the period of trial, persecution and suffering which
shortly followed. The persecution, however, was no less a divine mercy than the
previous peace and prosperity: the divine rule for the Gospel church evidently
is that each member shall be ‘made perfect through suffering.’ The stoning of
Stephen was merely the beginning of the general persecution which in one form
or another has continued ever since, and must continue until the last members
of the body of Christ shall have proven themselves faithful even unto death and
been accounted worthy of the crown of life mentioned in our golden text."
‘97-R2108 "Stephen’s defence before the Sanhedrin Court turned out to be a
defence of the truth, rather than of himself... Stephen was a Bible student—’a
workman who needed not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth.’...
Now as in Stephen’s day, such courage can only come from a knowledge of the
divine plan; and the knowledge can only come through a right dividing of
the word of truth; and such abilities imply a devotion of time and energy to
the study of truth, and the guidance of the holy spirit in the understanding of
it." ‘02-R2957 "Let us mark and profit by the example of the faith
and zeal and courage and true Christian heroism of the early church. "‘
92-R1433
38 THE
APOSTOLIC COMMTSSTON... None could have a gift, or special manifestation except
as conferred through the twelve Apostles.
"These
gifts of miracles, tongues, interpretations of tongues, etc., we are, however,
to bear in mind, in no sense hindered or took the place of the fruits of the
holy Spirit, which were to be grown or developed by each of the faithful
through obedience to the divine instructions—as each grew in grace, knowledge
and love. The conferring of these gifts, which a man might receive and yet be
sounding brass a tinkling cymbal, marked the apostles, nevertheless, as the
special servants or representatives of the Lord in the work of founding the
Church—1 Cor. 12:7-10; 13:1-3.
"Our Lord
in selecting these apostles, and in instructing them, had in view the blessing
and instruction of all of his followers to the end of the age. This is evident
from his prayer at the close of his ministry, in which, referring to the
disciples, he said, Joh 17:6-9,20,21 ." F213 "In the early
stages of the church there were ‘gifts of the Spirit,’ necessary to the
inauguration of the church. These gifts of the Spirit ceased, however, as soon
as the church had been established and the New Testament had been completed. We
no longer have the gift of healing, of speaking with tongues, etc., but we have
something more valuable than are gifts. These are for the infantile condition
of the church. Instead, we have today the fruits of the holy Spirit, which are
developed and matured gradually as the result of labor.
"In some
characters the period of maturing fruit of good size and flavor is longer than
in others. Nevertheless, as surely as we receive the holy Spirit into good and
honest hearts and are submissive to the prunings of the Great Husbandman, so
surely shall we bear large, luscious fruit in due time. The fruits of the
Spirit, the Apostle says, are manifest; that is, they can be seen in our lives.
They are meekness, self-control, faith, goodness, gentleness, longsuffering,
brotherly kindness and love.
"At the
beginning of our existence as new creatures the fruits of the holy Spirit
germinate within us, but these must grow to maturity. We must bear fruit. The
Lord says, John 15:2. There is more or less pain in the prunings and testings
of loyalty and obedience, but every manifestation of obedience helps to prepare
us for membership in the bride class.
"As St.
Peter tells us—2 Peter 1:5-8.”‘13-R5208 "As those miracles discontinued,
education in the Truth and in the knowledge of the Lord and in the graces of
the Spirit took their places. Even while these inferior gifts of healing,
tongues, interpretations, and miracles were in the Church, the Apostle exhorted
the brethren to ‘covet earnestly the best gifts.’ "He proceeds to show
{1Co 12:31} that far above any of these gifts or services in the Church is the
honor of possessing in large measure the spirit of the Master—Love. "
KNOWLEDGE OF
DEEP THINGS A GRADUAL DEVELOPMENT
"We are to
have in mind the fact that God has so arranged that ‘the deep things of God’
cannot be known instantaneously; this knowledge comes gradually as an evidence
of faithfulness to God.
"Those who
have not yet learned fully to reverence God and who have not yet made progress
in the development of the graces and fruits of the Spirit cannot expect to
understand the deep things of God. It is our duty and privilege, not only to
assist these brethren, but to build one another up and to strengthen one
another. Let us see that we do these things. "‘ 12-R5134 "St. Paul
knew and taught that there would be ‘a resurrection of the dead, both of the
just and of the unjust’ (Acts 24:15). He desired to have a share with his
Redeemer in all of his glorious kingdom work and he knew that it could not
begin until the completion of this Gospel age, when all the elect church, as
members of the Bride of Christ, would share in ‘his resurrection,’ to glory,
honor, immortality and glorious kingdom privileges—Phil. 3:10,11. "‘
09-R4527
ST. PAUL ON THE
GRACE OF GIVING—2 Cor. 8:1-15 "Remember the words of the Lord Jesus... It
is more blessed to give than to receive"—Acts 20:35.
"The Bible
is singularly free from monetary solicitations from first to last. The prophets
were poor. The Savior himself had nowhere to lay his head, and... ‘the common
people who heard him gladly,’ were ‘chiefly the poor of this world.’ And yet we
know of no solicitations for money, either for personal use or for building
churches. Acts 20:35 may be said to be the only appeal for money recorded in
the Bible, and it was for the poor at Jerusalem, sorely pressed by the famine
in the time of the Roman Emperor Claudius (Acts 11:28). If the pages of the
Bible abounded with accounts of our Lord’s and the Apostles’ begging and
‘sponging,’ their lives and their words would have far less influence with us.
"The fact
that their faith and their preaching did not bring them wealth, but cost them
much in self-sacrifice, is a convincing proof to us of their sincerity, their
honesty—that they believed what they proclaimed... It was of divine providence
that the acceptance of the Gospel cost them ‘the loss of all things.’ What
noble characters, not bought with money, but they gladly paid the price of the
Truth... that they might share in the sufferings of Christ and thereby attain
joint-heirship with him in his Millennial kingdom by the first
resurrection—Phil. 3:8; Rev. 20:4." ‘09-R4526 In Luke 14:12-14 "Our
Lord’s words were in part a commendation of the course pursued by his host in
inviting Himself and His Apostles to dinner, for they were poor... If given
with a proper heart his host might expect a reward in the future—besides the
blessing that had already come to his house through our Lord’s presence and
words of instruction. ""... Rewarding of everyone who has done good,
either to the poor of this world or especially to the Lord and his faithful
brethren walking in his footsteps, will come to them not in the first
resurrection, but at that time—after the first resurrection shall have
glorified the church and inaugurated the kingdom, then Millennial blessings and
reign of righteousness beginning will bring rewards to everyone who has done
kindnesses, helping them forward and abundantly 39 rewarding them; while all
who have done evil shall have some measure of ‘stripes’ in compensation and
retribution.’
A ROYAL BANQUET
DECLINED—Luke 14:15-24.
"Come, for
all things are now ready.’
"Let us
all, like the Apostle Paul, lay aside every weight, every hindrance, every
besetment, every thing precious to us of an earthly kind, that we may run with
patience the race set before us, in response to this invitation to the great
feast of joint-heirship with our Lord in the kingdom—Heb. 12:1,2 Ro 8:16-18
12:1,2." ‘00-R2700 to R2702
Revelation 2
4
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left
thy first love.
Revelation
2:4 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 4.
Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first
love.
The pressure
caused the cooling off and loss of much of the warmth of the first love, in
many of poor growth. The first love is warm, and very important.
"Seek ye
first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness and all these things shall be
added unto you"—Matthew 6:33.
.. Let us
realize our own littleness and look rather to the Lord for the things
respecting the present as well as the future life. Let us be diligent in his
service leaving all of our present experiences as well as our future rewards to
his wisdom, love and power.
"... Our
Father knows better than we the things that we really need, and faith is not
merely to trust him, but to accept what he gives as being for our best
interests.
"... We
have our Master’s assurance for it that whoever pursues this course will do
wisely and that God will look out for his earthly interests, for his highest
welfare. So doing our lives will be crowned with peace and joy and rest in the
Lord, which in his Word he has promised those who trust him. "‘ 10-R4567
"Alas, how weary we would be if we could only rest in the sufficiency of
Christ, one day in seven... "‘ 98-R2269 "The object of Christ’s
kingdom will be to bring mankind to a full, clear appreciation of God’s
character. Such as attain this and sympathetically enjoy God’s character will
appreciate the principles of justice, love and mercy represented in him. Only
as one appreciates these qualities in his own heart can he appreciate them in
God. Only those who appreciate them will have everlasting life. Even though
such should enjoy the full thousand years, they still might not be of the class
to whom God would give everlasting life. "" Blessed are the pure in
heart: for they shall see God"—Matt. 5:8.
"A pure
heart would be a fully consecrated heart—the whole mind given up to the Lord’s
will." ‘13-R5277 "To continue in the light and truth and blessing
necessitates character-development, for the privilege of the light of knowledge
is God’s reward for purity of heart, of intention, of endeavor. So may we come
into Christ and abide in him and bring forth much fruit." ‘11-R4885
"We are to remember that if we had all knowledge yet had not love, it
would profit us nothing, but we are to remember, also, that in the divine
arrangement it seems to be impossible that our knowledge should progress much
in advance of our obedience to what we already know." ‘02-R3021
"How
precious the thought, that we may attain to absolute purity of intention, of
love, etc., toward all mankind as well as toward the Lord, and that God will
thus accept us in His Beloved One, not counting to us the unintentional
weaknesses and blemishes which we realize and which others realize perhaps
still more that we. How blessed the thought that such will see God, that such
have the clearest views of God’s character and Plan now, that such shall see
Him shortly when changed in the resurrection, when they shall have awakened in
the likeness of their dear Redeemer." ‘06-R3735
Revelation 2
5
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the
first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy
candlestick out of his place, except thou repent.
Revelation
2:5 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 5.
Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen; and repent, and do the first
works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick
out of his place, except thou repent.
The candlestick
represented the nominal church; good, and not so good. The latter were in
danger of losing their place in the candlestick.
"Some, who
started out with an appreciation of God’s gift and their consequent reasonable
service of full consecration to God’s service, have been side-tracked and
hindered, by ‘the cares of this life or the deceitfulness of riches’ (sought,
even if not secured). These... love righteousness in word, thought and deed,
and wish that circumstances were favorable to righteousness, and long for the
time when Satan and sin shall be bound for the thousand years of Christ’s
reign, and pray fervently, ‘Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it
is done in heaven.’ Yet they are so in bondage to the customs of society, so
fond of the approval of fellow creatures, and the spirit of Christ in them is
so blended with the spirit of worldliness, that they are hindered from
performing the sacrifice of earthly things and interests which they
covenanted to do when flushed with their warm first love and appreciation of
God’s goodness and grace in Christ. They have lost much of their first love...
"The only
way out of their difficulty is to do their first works.... "‘ 96-R2020
Revelation 2
6
But this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which
I also hate.
Revelation
2:6 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 6. But
this thou hast, that thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitanes, which I also
hate.
Some wished to
lord it over the church; but more wished to leave all matters of dispute to
Jesus, who would make no mistakes; and the right spirit of love and meekness
would prevail. "The word ‘Nicolans’ means ‘a conqueror or lord of the
people.’ "
CONFESSION OF
SIN ESSENTIAL TO FORGIVENESS "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and
just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness"—1Jo
1:9.
"The
Apostle John is... addressing the justified and sanctified in Christ Jesus; and
he classes himself with these using the plural pronoun ‘we’..." The
Apostle John in writing this Epistle clearly states his object, saying, ‘These
things write we unto you, that your joy may be full.’... The object of the
Apostle’s writing them was to stir up the pure minds of believers to an appreciation
and enjoyment of their privileges, that thereby they might grow and develop.
40 "The
Apostle follows the example of our Lord Jesus in symbolizing truth and
righteousness as light, and sin and every evil as so much of opposing darkness.
God himself thus considered would be the very perfection of Light—’in him is no
darkness,’ no sin, no imperfection ...
"Moreover,
to the extent that we walk in the light and in harmony and fellowship with God,
we shall find ourselves in fellowship with all others who are like-minded. So
then, if we do not ‘love the brethren whom we have seen,’ so as to be able to
have fellowship and spiritual pleasure with them, it would be an indication
that we are not wholly in harmony and fellowship with God.
"But who
are the ‘brethren’? Our Lord tells us that not all who profess his name are
true brethren. He says, ‘Not every one that saith Lord, Lord, shall enter into
the kingdom of heaven (be recognized as his brethren and joint-heirs), but he
that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven.’ We thus see that it is by
our deeds, and not merely by our professions, that we are accepted of the Lord.
Again, he says, ‘Who are my brethren?... Verily, I say unto you, he that doeth
the will of my Father, the same is my brother’—Matthew 7:21; 12:48-50.
"We are
not, therefore, to anticipate ‘fellowship’ with all who name the name of Christ
as a proof of fellowship with the Father, and that we are in the light. We are
merely to anticipate this true fellowship with those who are earnestly seeking
to do the Father’s will to serve his cause and exemplify the instructions of
his Word, in their deeds as well as in their professions. Between all such
there must be, whether hidden or open, a bond of fellowship and union. That
bond is the one faith and one baptism into the one Lord. "" The
Apostle seems to intimate in the Epistle... that quite a good number may claim
an intimate knowledge of God falsely. Hence with great plainness of speech he
informs us that, ‘He that saith I know him, and keepeth not his commandments,
is a liar, and the truth is not in him.’ It is thus very evident that the
Apostle does not mean merely a knowledge about God, but an intimate knowledge
of God, implying fellowship and communion with him... The test is obedience."
‘16-R5938, R5939
Revelation 2
7
He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the
churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which
is in the midst of the paradise of God.
Revelation
2:7 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 7. He
that hath an ear, let him hear what the spirit saith unto the churches; To him
that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst
of the paradise of God.
The tree of
life was different from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, and applies
to the Gospel Age.
"THIS DO
IN REMEMBRANCE OF ME"—1Co 11:24
"Jesus
took bread, and blessed it, and brake (klao) it, and gave it to the disciples,
and said, Take, eat; this is my body"—Matthew 26:26.
"The
bread, as our Lord explained, represented the bread from heaven—his flesh which
he sacrificed for the sins of the world. He invites all of his followers to eat
of it... We thus appropriate to ourselves the benefits of the sacrifice which
secures to us the forgiveness of sins and reconciliation with the Father."
‘04-R3364
"We lay
great stress on the fact there accomplished and its significance as the
antitype of the Passover instituted by Moses, and as the finishing of our
Lord’s great sacrifice for sins—the sins of the whole world. For these vital
principles we are willing to contend earnestly, as they are part of ‘the faith
once delivered to the saints.’ "‘ 06-R3879 "We lay great stress on
the fact there accomplished and its significance as the antitype of the
Passover instituted by Moses, and as the finishing of our Lord’s great
sacrifice for sins—the sins of the whole world. For these vital principles we
are willing to contend earnestly, as they are part of ‘the faith once delivered
to the saints.’ "‘ 06-R3879 "The more of the true knowledge of the
Lord we possess—the more of the knowledge which perfects our love for the
Lord—the greater will be our faith, the more precious will be the results in
this present life as well as in the life to come... Let us then, with full
faith in him who has led us hitherto, go forth through the coming days
conquering and to conquer, fighting against the world, the flesh and the
adversary, strong not in ourselves but in him who has called us and led us
hitherto." ‘07-R4064
TAKE, EAT, THIS
IS MY BODY "When he said, ‘This is my flesh,’ it was as much a figure of
speech as when he said a little later, ‘I am the vine,’ ‘I am the door,’ ‘I am
the Good Shepherd,’ ‘I am the way, the truth and the life,’ etc. The right,
sane view of the Master’s words is apparent: He was represented in all these
different ways. In the case under consideration the bread would represent him,
his flesh, to his apostles and to all his followers throughout the Gospel age.
"As bread
stands for and symbolizes all food (indeed wheat is said to contain every
element of nutriment in its proper proportion), so the teaching of this symbol
is that whoever would have the life which Christ has to give must accept it as
the result of his sacrifice. He died that we might live. The rights and
privileges which he surrendered voluntarily may be eaten, applied, appropriated
by all who have faith in him and who accept him and his instructions—such are
reckoned as having imputed to them the perfect human nature, with all its
rights and privileges lost by Adam, redeemed by Christ. None can have eternal
life except by the eating of this bread from heaven. This applies not only to
believers of this present time, but also to those of the future age. Their
life-rights and privileges must all be recognized as coming to them through his
sacrifice. In a word, the bread representing our Lord’s body teaches our
justification through the acceptance of his sacrifice." ‘06-R3879
"Bunyan, in his story of how Christians fled from the City of Destruction
to Paradise, tells ... how... he discovered that the lions were chained and...
he had room to pass between... If we stand faithful to the Lord.... these tests
that come to us will demonstrate that he is able to carry us through all the
trials and difficulties and diverse experiences of this present time.
NO LION SHALL
BE THERE "The Prophet Isaiah, pointing down to the grand highway of
41 Holiness
which shall be open to the world during the Millennial age, the way of
righteousness by which they may return to full harmony with the Lord and to
full restitution and eternal life, declares respecting that way, ‘No lion shall
be there nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon.’ Again at the same time it
was declared, ‘Nothing shall hurt or destroy in all my holy mountain
(kingdom).’... How encouraging it is to know that our experiences with these
lions in the way, these oppositions of the world, the flesh and the devil and
science falsely so-called, are all testing and proving us to the intent that
the Lord may use us by and by in the great work he purposes, the deliverance of
the whole world from that great adversary who goeth about as a roaring lion
seeking whom he may devour, and how then he shall be bound for a thousand years
that he shall deceive the nations no more.’
"Our
hearts may be joyful in him notwithstanding persecutions and difficulties. Thus
the Philippian jailer perceived that the God of Paul and Silas was able to
deliver them... Their songs in the night told that their God was able to
deliver them." ‘05-R3641
JEHOVAH’S
FOOTSTOOL MADE GLORIOUS ‘’Thus saith Jehovah, Heaven is my throne, and the
earth is my footstool.’ ‘And I will make the place (footstool) of my feet
glorious.’ ‘And his (Jehovah’s) feet shall stand in that day upon the Mount of
Olives’ "—Isa. 60:13; 66:1; Zech. 14:4; Matt. 5:35; Acts 7:49.
"Our
Lord... purchased not only mankind, the treasure, but also the field, the
world, the earth from under the curse: and all who join with him, as members of
the Kingdom class, share in that purchase of the field and the treasure—Mt
13:44.
"The
entire work of the Millennium will consist in reordering and making glorious
God’s footstool... a Paradise sufficiently large to accommodate all: the entire
earth shall become as the Garden of Eden for fruitfulness and beauty and
perfection. And all this is promised as the grand future consummation of the
divine plan—Ac 3:2O, 21 Re 2:7,2Co 12:4.
"But the
richest jewel of the Lord’s glorified footstool in the close of the Millennium
will be mankind, in whose perfection, liberty, and likeness to God, in moral
and intellectual graces, will be reflected the very image of Divinity. And most
gloriously will the perfect man reflect honor upon his Maker and his wondrous
plan for his creation, redemption and restitution. And with that wonderful plan
will always be intimately identified first the Lord Jesus, Jehovah’s ‘Word,’
and second the Bride, the Lamb’s wife and jointheir in disbursing the blessings
secured by the ransom.
"This
beautifying and glorifying of the Lord’s ‘footstool’ will not be completed
until our Lord Jesus, as the Father’s honored agent, ‘shall have put down all
(conflicting) rule, and all authority and power. For he must reign until he
bath put all enemies under his feet, before he delivers up the Kingdom at the
close of the Millennium’—1Co 15:24-28 Ps 99:5 Zec 14:4,5. Surely, no one
will err and get the thought that Jehovah literally rests his feet upon this
earth as a ‘footstool.’ This language is symbolic, and refers to the Lord’s
reestablishment of his dominion in the earth... Compare Zech. 14:8 with Ezek.
47:1-9, etc.—pictures of grand spiritual truths.
"... The
term Mount of Olives is... the Kingdom of Light, Peace and Divine blessing. And
the standing or establishment or fixing of Jehovah’s feet upon it, signifies
that the divine favor and law will be reestablished in the earth by and through
the holy Kingdom.
"The
removal of one part of the mountain to the north and the other to the south is
significant; the North is the direction of the group Pleiades, the celestial
center of the universe, the supposed seat of divine empire (please see C 321).
This would seem to indicate the ‘change’ of the Gospel Church at this
time, from human to spirit conditions as ‘partakers of the divine nature’:and
the removal of the other half of the mountain would seem to signify the
complete restitution, to perfect human conditions, of those ancient worthies
accounted worthy to constitute the earthly representatives of God’s
Kingdom." Please see F128.
"The sun,
the Sun of Righteousness, would stream through the valley thus produced from
east to west... The valley of mercy, between and under the care of the spiritual and human phases
of the Kingdom of Light and Peace (the establishment of Jehovah’s feet) will
surely be a ‘Valley of Blessings’ to all who enter it with broken and contrite
hearts. Please see Ac 3:23 Re 20:9 22:1,2: Eze 47:1-12 Zec 14:8,9.
‘AS TRULY AS I
LIVE, THE WHOLE EARTH SHALL Be FILLED WITH THE GLORY OF JEHOVAH" —Nu 21
Isa 11:9 Habak, 2:14.
"There
shall be no more curse.
—————————‘I
will make all things new.’ "" God’s footstool shall then be glorious
indeed: as it is written." D Chapter 14 "Its sun shall never set.’
Message to the
Church of Smyrna—Revelation 2:8-11.
"Smyrna
means bitter. Myrrh and Marah are kindred words. This stage of the Christian
Church was the period of most bitter persecution, under the Roman Emperors from
Nero to Diocletain. In his message to the church of this epoch our Lord styles
himself ‘the First and the Last, which was dead and is alive.’ In no other
sense or way could he be the First and the Last than as the only direct
creation of the Father, through whom all else was created. Any other view would
be in conflict with the Scriptures—Revelation 3:14 Col 1:15 1Co 8:6 Joh
1:1-3, Diaglott.
"‘ The
devil shall cast some of you into prison that ye may be tried, and ye shall
have tribulation ten days.’ Thus the Lord informed his faithful servants of
this period that theirs would be a time of great persecution. Pagan Rome, here
symbolized as the devil, has been the most devilish of all earthly governments,
when viewed in the light of its bloody persecutions. The ten symbolic days
refer to the last and most severe persecution under the Roman Emperors—that of
the reign of Diocletian, A.D. 303-313. Those who have read the history of this
period can understand the depths of the words, ‘that ye may be tried.’ Some of
the most sublime pictures of Christian endurance that the world has ever seen
were
42 enacted
during the Smyrna period of the church. The call was for faithfulness unto
death; the promise was that the overcomers should ‘not be hurt of the second
death,’ but should receive the crown of life—immortality." ‘16-R5992
Revelation 2
8
And unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the
first and the last, which was dead, and is alive;
Revelation
2:8 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 8. And
unto the angel of the church in Smyrna write; These things saith the first and
the last, which was dead, and is alive; Smyrna, the second period
of the church’s history, signifies bitter experiences, as the reward of
faithfulness. But the one who went before, says, that though he was faithful
unto death, now he is alive for evermore—he possesses unlimited life.
"As one
whom his mother comforteth, so will I comfort you"—Isaiah 66:13.
‘We neither
sorrow nor mourn as do others, because of the good hope which is as an anchor
to our souls, sure and steadfast—the hope of the mercy of God through our Lord
Jesus Christ.
"The
Lord’s people, having embraced the Truth, find themselves beset on every hand
with oppositions from the Evil One and his servants; and were it not that they
have the comfort and consolation of the Scriptures, and the joy and peace which
the world can neither give nor take away, theirs would be a sad lot indeed. But
under conditions, as the Lord has arranged them, it is their privilege, even
while suffering the loss of earthly things for righteousness’ sake to rejoice
in tribulation, and in everything give thanks.
"What is
the secret of this rejoicing in tribulation? Whence comes so great comfort as
this? We answer, it comes through the comfort of the Scriptures, made luminous
by the holy spirit. For instance, take the inspired prophecy respecting Rachel
weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they are
not—because they are dead. The Lord’s message of comfort to Rachel, and thus to
all who have suffered loss through the great penalty of death, is Jeremiah 31:15-17.
This brings a consolation, a comfort, with which no error can compare. There
are, indeed, various delusive fancies which... have no foundation in the Word
of God. Hence they cannot give real rest or peace in such a time of trial.
"But when
we hear the voice of the Lord assuring us of the Resurrection... assuring us
that, having gone to the land of the enemy, they are secure, because Jesus has
prevailed, has bought the world with his own precious blood. Jesus has ‘the
keys of death and of the grave,’ as he declares (Rev. 1:18), and will shortly
open and bring forth all the captive prisoners of death from the prison-house,
the tomb. There is a comfort... ‘the comfort of the Scriptures." ‘04-R3436
"My people shall dwell in a peaceable habitation, and in sure dwellings,
and in quiet resting places"—Isaiah 32:18.
"The man
Christ Jesus entered into a convenant with the Father, which meant the
sacrifice of his flesh, his earthly nature. As a reward for this sacrifice, the
Father made him a new creature of the divine nature—’far above angels,’
constituting him the great Messiah who shall bless the world.
"Carrying
out the Father’s plan, our Lord imputes his merit to such as now follow his
example, and walk in his footsteps, performing the same covenant of sacrifice.
If these are faithful, they will share in the great work of Messiah in blessing
the world, and will constitute the New Jerusalem the Millennial kingdom. By
faith we are its children. Even now, our citizenship is in heaven."
‘13-R5246 ‘’When the church shall all have been gathered, then Messiah’s
kingdom will be established, for which we pray, ‘Thy kingdom come; Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven.’ ‘And they lived and reigned with Christ a
thousand years’:For a thousand years Christ and his glorified church will bless
mankind, uplifting them to human perfection, mental, moral, physical. Whosoever
will may then attain to the everlasting life secured for all by the sacrificial
death of him who was ‘holy, harmless, undefiled and separate from sinners,’ by
virtue of his special birth." ‘15-R5767, R5768 ‘We must recognize him as
the one who was dead, the one who really died for our sins, but who as really
was raised out of death by the power of the Father. We must realize that he is
alive for evermore, that death has no more dominion over him, that the work is
finished, that neither sacrifices of the mass nor death in any other sense or
form has dominion over him nor ever will have, nor will ever be needed; his
work is perfect, and, as he cried on the cross, ‘It is finished.’ We must
recognize that he has the keys, the authority, the power over the tomb, to
deliver from it all who are there imprisoned. We must also realize that he has
the ‘key,’ the power over death, so that those whom he liberates from the
prison-house of death, the tomb, like those who have not yet gone into it, but
who are under the sentence of death, may ail be ultimately delivered, into the
full liberty of the sons of God, righteousness and life eternal. ‘05-R3570 ‘I
am he that liveth and was dead; and behold I am alive forevermore"—Rev.
1:18 There is no more important lesson in connection with the Gospel than that
of the resurrection of our Lord Jesus. The death of Jesus indeed exhibits to us
his love, and the love of the Father on our behalf. But in the divine plan, in
order for the proper benefit to come to man from the death of Jesus, he must
rise from the dead; he must become the Captain of our salvation, as well as our
ransomer... ‘Because I live ye shall live also’ (John 14:19).
‘Those who
sleep in Jesus (whose death through his merit has been changed to a sleep) will
God bring forth from the dead by him’ {50 4:13,14}. This is in harmony with the
Father’s arrangement that there shall be a resurrection both of the just and
the unjust, and that this work shall be accomplished by the Lord Jesus, his
honored Representative.
‘The word
cemetery, therefore, rightly understood, the sleeping place of the dead,
teaches a volume in itself to those who have the ears to hear. It is in full
accord with the... divine revelation that the ‘wages of sin is death; but the
gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord’—by a resurrection
from the dead (Rom. 6:23). In this connection let us remember our Lord’s words,
‘Marvel not at this; for the hour is coming in which all that are in their
graves shall hear his voice and shall come forth,’ those who shall have passed
their trial successfully unto life eternal, instantly perfected, while those
who shall not have been approved will be brought forth that they may have the
opportunity for rising up out of sin and death conditions by
43 the
judgments, chastenings and corrections of the Milennial age. Our special
attention for the moment is called to the word ‘graves’ in this text. We have
already seen that sheol in the Hebrew signifies the death state and that
hades is its Greek equivalent, but the word here rendered ‘graves’ is a
different one, namely, mnemeion, which signifies ‘remembrance.’ The proper
thought is that although our friends and neighbors of the world of mankind are
passing to the tomb... every day, nevertheless they are not blotted out of
existence, but are still in divine ‘remembrance’ and subjects of divine power
and will eventually be released from the great prison house of death by him who
bought us all with his own precious blood.
"It is in
full accord with the Scriptural presentation that joy thrills our hearts as we
come to the resurretion of our Lord Jesus and also as we think of the
resurrection morning of the Millennial day and the promise that therein and
thereby the Lord God shall wipe away all tears from off all faces, and there
shall be no more sighing, no more crying, no more dying, because all the former
things shall hve passed away... All who will obey the commands of the great
King shall by his judgments then abroad in the earth be brought to perfection
and life eternal, while those who will decline to be obedient at heart shall
ultimately be destroyed in the second death—Acts 3:23.
"The
Apostle Paul found the spirit of the Greek philosophers intruding upon the
teachings of the Gospel even in his day, so that in the Lord’s providence it
was proper for him to write a wonderful chapter {1Co 15} fully setting forth
the doctrine of the resurrection and what would be our fate without the
resurrection...
"The
Scriptures point out that the Church is included with the Lord as a part of the
firstfruits, ‘a kind of first-fruits unto God of his creatures’ (James 1:18).
Thus the resurrection of the Christ began with the resurrection of our Lord and
will be consummated with the change of the last member of the church, which is
his body. ‘Christ, the first-fruits,’ will then be complete. But this will not
consummate the divine plan, for it is God’s intention to have the after-fruits
a great harvest, which will be gathered during the Millennial age... Our Lord
will be present in the world for the very purpose of ascertaining how many of
the world, under favorable conditions of knowledge and opportunity and
assistance, will be glad to go up on the highway of holiness to perfection, to
full recovery out of sin and death. That noble company will be the after fruits
of the divine plan. Earth as well as heaven will be filled with the glory of
God when all evil doers shall have been cut off; and then every voice in heaven
and earth shall be heard praising him that sitteth upon the throne and the Lamb
for the grand consummation of the divine plan!" ‘08-R4175
Revelation 2
9 I
know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know
the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the
synagogue of Satan.
Revelation
2:9 (RVENDAG_)
Verse 9. I
know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the
blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue
of Satan.
Many began to
join the church, claiming spirit begettal, but were only enamored of
restitution. Most of the church members were poor in this world’s goods, but
rich in the priceless things of the Truth, and hope of Heaven.