MILLENNIAL
MORNING
We chose the
name Millennial Morning for our publication because a new era in earth’s
experience is beginning. Everyone sees
it. It’s a time of change. We believe that these changes have all been
planned by God and described in the Bible.
Our purpose is to present the Bible’s description of what God’s plans
are. It is directed to those who think
the scriptures might have some answers.
Some have
wondered about the Bible, but haven’t heard anything about it that has appealed
to them, and have avoided it. We invite
such to give it a try. Check the
citations we use, and then make more knowledgeable judgment. If you have cast off the Bible as
superstition, please listen to another viewpoint. If you accept the Bible and have studied the scriptures, think
carefully about our suggestions. Do not
discard them at once if they do not follow the exact pattern of traditional
church doctrine. Weigh them with
reason.
We believe that
if the Bible is of God, its teaching must be consistent. Our object, then, if we seek truth, is to
try to understand the plan it may contain.
And if that plan fits with what we would expect of a just and loving
God; if it explains the path of man through thousands of years of suffering; if
it gives us an understanding of the reasons for the changes which the world has
gone through in the past century; then we can begin to have faith in that plan.
The established
churches which have held false traditions of what the Bible says are rapidly
losing ground. They are becoming more
"liberal," and banding together in ecumenical movements for
preservation. They are troubled because
they have no real answers.
One question
needs an answer more every day. Last
week, Israel celebrated the twenty-third anniversary of their independence as a
nation. Why are they back from
centuries of exile? God’s plan has the
answer.
Paul says their
exile was to be temporary. "I want
you to understand this mystery, brethren:
a blindness in part has come upon Israel, until the full number of the
Gentiles come in." That is, until
enough Gentiles have come in to complete the church of Christ. "So all Israel will be saved as it is
written, "The Deliverer will come from Zion, he will banish ungodliness
from Jacob:’ "and this will be my covenant with them when I take away
their sins.’" ( Jer 31:25-27)
Verse 27 shows that it is Israel that is meant.
Paul quoted
from Old Testament prophecies to support his argument. The first was taken from Isa 59:20, a
"Redeemer shall come from Zion."
What does "Zion" mean?
Heb 12:22-24 shows that Zion is the word used for the spiritual kingdom
of God, "heavenly Jerusalem."
So Paul says that deliverance will come to Israel from the heavenly
kingdom—not deliverance by man, but by Christ.
His second
quotation, from Jer 31:33, tells the result of Israel’s deliverance. "This shall be the covenant that I will
make with the house of Israel; I will put my law in their inward parts, and
write it in their hearts; and will be their God, and they shall be my
people." The prophet Ezekiel saw
the same future: "I will take the
stony heart out of their flesh, and will give them an heart of flesh that they
may walk in my statutes." Eze
11:19. This process is nothing short of
a conversion of both mind and heart to follow God—not by evangelizing
ministers, but by the spiritual rulership of God’s kingdom. The blessings of this kingdom will not be
limited to Israel. As people see this
conversion, their attitude will be "we will go with you, for we have heard
that God is with you." Zec 8:23
What exactly is
this "kingdom?" A mountain is
used to represent it in Mic 4:1, 2:
"The mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the
top of the mountains ... and people shall flow unto it. And many nations shall come and say, let us
go up to the mountain of the Lord; and he will teach us of his ways, and we
will walk in his paths: for the law
shall go forth of Zion (spiritual rulership) and the word of the Lord from
Jerusalem." But this kingdom will do
more than passively admit people.
"And he shall judge among people and rebuke strong nations afar off
and they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears into
pruninghooks: nation shall not lift up
a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more." Mic 4:3.
See also Isa 2:2
Daniel also saw
the mountain kingdom of God which in a dream "filled the whole earth"
(Da 2:35) just as God’s kingdom will eventually spread over the world. Daniel’s conclusion: "In the days of these (Gentile) kings
shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed ... it
shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever." Dan 2:44
One other Old
Testament prophecy—Isa 35 —gives a poetic portrayal of the earthly
kingdom: deserts in blossom, eyes
unblinded, ears unstopped, lameness cured, "and parched ground shall
become a pool."
This is the new
age our generation longs for. "The
ransomed of the Lord shall return, and come to Zion with songs and everlasting
joy upon their heads; they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and
sighing shall flee away."
Back to the New
Testament. Speaking to the Jewish
people, Peter said, "He shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached
unto you; whom the heaven must receive until the Times of Restitution of all
things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the
world began." (Ac 3:20, 21). He’s saying that the return of Christ and
the setting up of His Kingdom—the "Times of Restitution" —is to
restore to men what was lost. What was
it that man had and lost? In Heb 2:6-9
we find the answer. "What is
man? Thou madest him a little lower
than the angels; thou crownedst him with glory and honor, and didst set him
over the works of thy hands. Thou hast
put all things in subjection under his feet ... he left nothing on earth that
is not put under his feet ... he left nothing on earth that is not put under
him." Then there was a
change. Man through disobedience lost
the possession given him. "Now we
see not yet all things put under him."
But man has hope of getting back his lost possession. "We see Jesus, who was made a little
lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor
(of a perfect man) that he by the grace of God should taste death for every
man."
This means that
Jesus took the penalty of man’s disobedience—the penalty of death—so that
penalty could be lifted from mankind and make possible a full restitution of
what he formerly enjoyed—a perfect life and dominion under the loving care of
God.
And in Ro 11
Paul makes a clear link between Israel’s restoration and the benefits of
restitution to the world. "If the
fall of them be the riches of the world, how much more their fulness? For if the casting way of them be the
reconciling of the world, what shall the receiving of them be but life from the
dead?" (Ro 11:12, 15)
To free all of
mankind from that penalty of death means bringing them back from the dead. "For as in Adam all die, so in Christ
shall all be made alive." (1Co
15:22) "Marvel not at this; for
the hour is coming in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth," —some to life quickly; others to judgment
and a long walk back to perfection (Joh 5:28).
We have said
that we believe this kingdom is beginning.
The 12th chapter of Daniel (Da 12) describes the events of recent years
which are the first part of the kingdom:
"At that time shall Michael (Christ) stand up, ... and there shall
be a time of trouble ... many shall run to and fro, and knowledge shall be
increased." These are signs we can
see. The increase of knowledge has
spiraled up geometrically in the last 100 years to reveal a wealth of
technological truth. This improves
man’s potential for a dominion over the earth.
It also uncovers the injustice of men to men, and the failings of every
form of government man has tried. It
shows the hypocrisy of most of the churches.
And it is causing people all over the world to demand liberty. It is Christ’s truth that shows us how bad
things really are ..." for the winepress is full, the vats overflow; for
their wickedness is great." —Joel 3:13, Re 14:19, 20
God’s plan for
restitution is the only cure that will work.
And He is beginning that cure.
Good
(Millennial) morning.
_____________________________________________
And God shall
wipe away all tears from their eyes; there shall be no more death, neither
shall there be any more pain: for the
former things are passed away. Re 21:4
For the
knowledge of the Lord shall cover the earth as the waters cover the sea. Isa 11:9
Then will I
turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the
Lord. Zeph 3:8
For he must
reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is death. 1Co 15:25, 26
Of the increase
of his government and peace there shall be no end. Isa 9:7
Thy will be
done on earth as it is in heaven. Mt
6:10
_______________________________________
"when
HIS judgments are in the earth ..."
When a man is
in court, does he get justice? Did
Manson? Did Calley? The accounts of these trials haunt the
public. The front pages of the daily
newspapers reveal how hideously man can treat his brother man. Some say the death penalty is too good for such
men as these; others, that insanity or the insanity of war is a reason for
mercy. And no one can look deep into
the recesses of a man’s heart to see the extent of his guilt—or to search out a
potential for rehabilitation. Is
justice possible in this warped world?
But something’s
happening. There’s a thread of justice
that is becoming increasingly apparent in all these events—a sort of settling
of the accounts of the nations of earth.
For centuries we’ve exploited the earth, and now our polluted environment
is closing in on us. The threats of
famine and overpopulation are very real indeed. And for centuries, men have exploited each other. Now people won’t take it any more, and riot
and anarchy increase.
"I will
punish the world for their evil and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will
cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and I will lay low the haughtiness
of the terrible. I will make a man more
precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of Ophir." Isa 13:11, 12
The judgments
of God now showing themselves in our troubled headlines will not be appreciated
by the selfish, who act at the expense of others. These judgments fall upon the whole world—and it will not be
easy—but it will be for their benefit.
The result will place man’s welfare above every earthly thing. More precious than fine gold. Even money.
Amazing.
"Yea, in
the way of thy judgments, O Lord, have we waited for thee; the desire of our
soul is to thy name, and to the remembrance of thee ... for when thy judgments
are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn
righteousness." Isa 26:8, 9
When God deals
with man there is a marked departure from the way man deals with man. The outcome of His justice is rehabilitation
in the highest sense of the word. The
inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness.
And it is all
beginning. Christ has returned, and is
present as King of the earth. "For
as the bright shining (sun) cometh out of the east, and shineth even unto the
west, so shall the presence of the Son of Man be." (Mt 24:27)
It is His MILLENNIAL MORNING.
And those who truly love their fellow-man will welcome true justice at
last.
"With
trumpets and sound of cornet make a joyful noise before the Lord, the
King. Let the sea roar, and the fulness
thereof; the world, and they that dwell therein. Let the floods clap their hands:
let the hills be joyful together before the Lord; for he cometh to judge
the earth: with righteousness shall he
judge the world, and the people with equity." Ps 98:6-9
_____________________________
FREE — DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES—Topically arranged
Bible Study of God’s Plan, Magazine Edition.
Send to: P.O. Box 4614, San
Diego, CA 92104
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The thoughts
herein contained do not necessarily represent the opinions of San Diego State
College
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
An Open
Letter to the Jewish People
Millennial
Morning is a Christian publication.
However, in the aftermath of the tragedy at Munich, we wish to extend
our sincere sympathy to all who bear the proud name of Israel.
Millennial
Morning’s position toward the Jewish people is strictly non-proselyting. In this period of bereavement, we urge you
to turn to your Scriptures for comfort.
We find there’s a message in Scripture given by God to the Jew alone—of
comfort, hope, and a special place in His plan for Israel.
The Holy
Scriptures inform us that it is now time for national favor to return to the
Jewish people. Indeed, since 1878, the
secular evidences have been growing that favor has been returning. We have seen the Zionist movement, the
rebirth of Israel, and three successive Israeli victories, culminating in the
recovery of the Old City of Jerusalem (a foretold event.)
This return of
favor implies, of course, that there was a period of national disfavor. Thus, the Jews have been without a homeland
since the fall of Jerusalem, 70 C.E., until quite recently. Some rabbis feel this is described in
Scripture as a period without king, prince, sacrifice, pillar, ephod, or
teraphim, for "many days." (Hos
3:4, 5) But ever during this dark
period, Divine providence was over the Jews of the Diaspora, preserving them
separate and distinct from all other nations.—Le 26:44
The mere fact
that God has preserved the Jews, should be proof that He has something
important for them as a people or nation in the future. Indeed, not only shall Israel receive God’s
full blessing, but they shall fulfill the prophetic vision of being a
"light" to the Gentiles. (Isa
42:6; 49:6; 60:3) And, "Thus said
the Lord of hosts: In those days it
shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the
nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you, for we have heard that
God is with you."—Zec 8:23, Masoretic Text
A humbling
experience, we may be sure!
Israel will
also have to undergo a humbling process in order to be fit for the Kingdom
arrangements. The Israelis, proud of
their military powers, must become more "God-conscious" before they
can be useful to God and be in a heart-condition to receive His blessings.
This is the
most solemn part of our message, and we would that it need not be uttered; yet
Scripture reveals that it must and will be.
Israel, the "Pleasant Land," and Jerusalem, the "Golden
City," will fall once more to the oppressors. This time, known as "Jacob’s Trouble" (Jer 30:7), will
be the dregs of despair for Israel.
But, thank God, it will only be temporary. Our heart goes out to her, but we comfort ourselves and Israel
with the Scriptural promise that God shall actually and literally intervene on
behalf of Israel before all is lost.
(Eze 38:18; 21-23) After
"Jacob’s Trouble" there will be found in Israel a
"God-conscious" people who will be the nucleus of God’s kingdom on earth.
What of your
personal responsibilities?
A voice is
sounding from the wilderness, and the Jews everywhere are hearkening to
it. It does not call them to become
Christians, but to remain Jews and to realize, as Jews, the ideals set before
them by the Lord in the Law and in the Prophets. We invite our Jewish friends to believe what their Scriptures
say, and to make their future in the land of Israel, for the Scriptures plainly
declare that God’s favor is to be found in Israel and upon those who have
enough faith to seek Him there.
Why go to
Israel if there is to be so much trouble there? Simply because there will be trouble and anarchy world-wide at
that time, but in Israel God promises a deliverance!
What do we
expect in Israel within the next decade or so?
1. A further
immigration from Russia.
2. Probably more
land gains—at the expense of Lebanon and Jordan.
3. Probable period
of peace and prosperity followed by definitely more trouble when "Gog and
Magog" invade Israel from the north.
4. The Old City of
Jerusalem will remain in Israeli hands, despite the opposition of the entire
world, until "Jacob’s Trouble."
What do we, as
Bible Students, hope to accomplish by proclaiming this message?
God, our God
and yours, loves Israel with an unfailing love. Our hearts are compelled by the Scriptures, ours and yours, to:
1. Respond to the
plea of Isa 40:1, 2: "Comfort ye,
comfort ye, my people—Israel.
2. Identify
ourselves as non-proselyting friends of Israel
(See Herzl Yearbook, Vol. V, pp. 180-189. Herzl Press, N.Y.)
3. Proclaim to each
individual Jew his God-given responsibility to believe and act upon the
promises and prophecies of the Torah.
4. Urge all Jews to
avoid the current ecumenical dialogues with Christian denominations, either
Catholic or Protestant, for we do not wish the Jews to become entangled with
the false doctrine of the Trinity (three-in-one god).
To further
explain the Scriptures on these various features of God’s plan, we have
prepared a booklet entitled, "The Time to Favor Zion is Come." The booklet does not contain a proselyting
message.
We appreciate
the opportunity of speaking with you on matters at once personal and yet of a
national interest.
Shalom, in the
hope of God’s kingdom and Israel’s share in it,
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
"Thou wilt
arise, and have compassion upon Zion; for it is time to be gracious unto her,
for the appointed time is come."
Ps 102:14
Not
printed with ASB funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send me
a free copy of: THE TIME TO FAVOR ZION
IS COME
Name_____________________________________________________________
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VOL. III NO. 1
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
If I were
elected...
The Christian
today could be tempted to get involved in politics. The campaign speeches are full of noble, attractive
ideals—promises of peace, prosperity, and justice for all. The thought may cross a Christian’s mind,
"If I were elected, I could use my Christian background and teachings to
help mankind." If Christian
influence could be used politically, would it improve the world’s
condition? A glance at history shows
that even Christians have been unable to bring their hopes to fruition. WHY?
There are at
least two reasons. "As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Ro 3:10) All of mankind
are equal in once sense: we are all
sinners. Our judgments are not
infallible. Our reactions are not
always loving. Our efforts to do what
we set out to do fall short of perfection.
As Christians we can be forgiven our sins, but we still sin. Even our greatest effort to help mankind
would miss the mark, because we are imperfect.
Satan, the
price of the power of the air, does not control every move of every government,
but influences them through selfishness.
For centuries, kings claimed to rule by "Divine right," but
that era died in World War I. Countries
are referred to as Christian governments, because Christianity is the chief
religion taught. However (and this is
the second reason), Jesus withdrew all claims to man-made governments when he
said, My kingdom is not of this world ..."—Joh 18:36.
The time
factor.
The way of a
Christian is not easy. We are not to
see solutions for men’s problems through man-made organizations. On the other hand, our fellow-men appeal to
our noblest sentiments by pleading, "GET INVOLVED!"
WHERE SHOULD A
CHRISTIAN STAND?
(illustration)
Conservative, Middle of Liberal,
Very Conservative the Road Radical Left
The key to the
dilemma is the time factor. At the
first advent of Jesus, he healed many people.
He resurrected the dead. His
Apostles healed and spoke to thousands in his name. But the time for the setting up of the kingdom of God was not
yet. The world was not then relieved of
its sin and pain and death and injustice.
The time for carrying out the solution had not yet arrived.
"Who gave
himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1Ti 2:6)
Jesus died for the sinners of the world, yet we continued to live in a
sinful world. The Apostle Paul ties in
the time feature by saying that this ransom of Jesus’ life would be made
manifest in due time. When is the due
time?
"For the
earnest expectation of the creature (the world) waiteth for the manifestation
of the sons of God ... For we know that the whole creation groaneth and
travaileth in pain together until now.
And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the
Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for he adoption, the
redemption of our body."—Ro 8:19, 22, 23.
Everyone is
waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, the Church, whether they are
aware of it or not. The hopes, desires
and ideals of all nations are to be satisfied (after their present
"shaking" experiences) when the kingdom of Christ is manifest to all
(Hag 2:7) But before it can be
revealed, the governing body of this kingdom must be complete.
Who will be the
governing body? The Christ, The
Anointed, Head and body. It will be the
combination of Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church. The Church is promised to "live and
reign with Christ a thousand years."
"If we suffer with him we shall reign with him." "To him that overcometh will I grant to
sit with me on my Father’s throne."
And who will they govern? All
the rest of the world of mankind, for whom Jesus also died. "He is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1Joh 2:2)
Also please read: Jer 31:34, Isa
40:5; Zeph 3:9; Isa 35.
To attempt to
reform present governments would be but a waste of effort; for they are already
beginning to be removed and replaced by Christ’s government.
"And in
the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall
never be destroyed: and the kingdom
shall not be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." —Dan 2:44
"Looking
for and hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for new heavens and a new earth (a new heavenly rulership and a new
society), wherein dwelleth righteousness." —2Pe 3:12, 13
Involvement.
What are
Christians supposed to be doing now until the "due time"
arrives? There is something in which
they can "get involved." The
Church of God should give its attention and effort to preaching the kingdom of
God, and to the advancement of the interests of that kingdom according to the
plan laid down in the Scriptures. If
this is faithfully done, there will be no time for dabbling in the politics of
present governments. The Lord had no
time for it; the apostles had no time for it; nor have any of the saints who
are following their example.
The true
teacher and lightbearer (Mt 5:14), the true Church, the body of Christ, is not
to be left in darkness to learn of her Lord’s dealings by the manifestations of
his wrath and power, as the world will learn of it. By the sure word of prophecy, which shines as a light in a dark
place, she is clearly and definitely informed that the King of Glory and his
blessed kingdom are the only remedy for the wrongs and woes of man. She can point the groaning creation to this
kingdom, rather than to the poultices of their own contriving which can do no
real good. Through the prophetic word,
she shall not only be shielded from discouragement, and enabled to overcome the
besetments, snares, and stumbling stones so prevalent in the "evil
day," but she becomes the lightbearer and instructor of the world.
The Church is
thus enabled to point out to the world the cause of the trouble, to announce
the presence of the new Ruler, to declare the object of the new dispensation,
and to instruct the world as to the wisest course to pursue in view of these
things. Although many will not heed the
instruction until the lesson of submission has been forced upon them by the
trouble, it will greatly aid them in learning the lesson. It is to this mission of the feet, or the
last members of the Church, who will declare upon the mountains (kingdoms) the
reign of Christ begun that Isa 52:7 refers.
"How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation, that saith unto Zion, Thy God Reigneth!"
Not printed
with ASB funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send me
a free copy of:
THE DIVINE PLAN
OF THE AGES
Name_____________________________________________________________
Address___________________________________________________________
Comments_________________________________________________________
VOL. III NO.3
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
ANASTASIS
"a
standing up again, i.e. (lit.) a resurrection from death ... raised to life
again, resurrection, rise from the dead, that should rise, rising
again."—Strong’s Exhaustive Concordance of the Bible
What is
resurrection? Many Christian people
speak of the resurrection of Lazarus, the resurrection of the son of the widow
of Nain, the resurrection of Jairus’ daughter.
The Scriptures promise a resurrection of the dead to take place during
Christ’s kingdom, and we might think of this in the same terms. This mistake has greatly clouded thought
upon this important subject. It isn’t
true that Lazarus and the others mentioned were resurrected! They were awakened, reanimated. There is wide difference between a mere
awakening and a full, complete resurrection out of death. To awaken signifies to start again the vital
life signs—resuscitation. This is all
that was done for Lazarus or for the son of the widow of Nain, or for Jairus’
daughter. They were still under the
sentence of death, and only experienced an extension of the present dying
conditions.
The word,
"resurrection," as found in the English New Testament, is derived
from the Greek word, anastasis, in every case except one.* The word anastasis occurs 43 times in the
New Testament, and means to stand again, or to raise up again. It is never used to mean merely the raising
of a corpse to a standing position out of a tomb. It doesn’t mean the mere revivifying or starting up the machinery
of life. It means something far more
important. It is used as the
antithesis, or opposite of death—the recovery out of death. A careful examination of the 43 texts of
Scripture in which this word anastasis occurs will find them all in absolute
agreement with the definition: a re-standing,
a recovery from death, an entrance or re-entrance into perfect life.
*Mt 27:43
To get a proper
view of the meaning of anastasis, we must understand the Creator’s view of what
constitutes life. We must also discern
what constitutes dying and death. Then we
can grasp the thought of resurrection, the rising up again out of death into
the full perfection of life from which all in Adam fell.
Only two men
ever possessed full life: Adam, before
his transgression, before he brought upon himself the curse or sentence of
death; and the man Christ Jesus. At the
moment of disobedience, Adam’s life was forfeited, and the dying process
began. Adam sank lower and lower into
death, until finally he was completely dead, as he was judicially dead from the
moment of his sentence. "Dying
thou shalt die." (Ge 2:17
—margin) Adam’s posterity has never had
life. (Ro 3:10) The spark which flickers for a few years is
not recognized by God as being life in the full sense, in view of the fact that
the death sentence rests upon all ("As in Adam all die ...) Those presently born into the world are born
merely to a dying condition. From the
standpoint of justice, all are dead.
(Ro 3:24; Mt 8:22) God
recognizes only those who come into Christ as having life, those who accept Him
as their Savior. ("... so in
Christ shall all be made alive." —1Co 15:22)
Let us keep in
mind what constitutes life and what constitutes dying. Remember from what a glorious height and
perfection of life man fell into his present condition of degradation and
death. Then, and only then, can we
appreciate the meaning of the word anastasis as a standing again, a raising up
again to the condition before The Fall occurred—the condition of perfection in
which Father Adam stood. It is to this
condition of perfection that God proposes to bring all of mankind. (1Ti 2:4) The requirement is that when brought to a knowledge of the Truth,
they accept divine favor, and demonstrate their loyalty by obedience to the
spirit of the divine law.
Anastasis is
raising to life again. This is where
the beauty of God’s plan comes to life.
Anastasis is
Isa 35:5, 6: "Then the eyes of the
blind shall be opened, and the ears of the deaf shall be unstopped. Then shall the lame man leap as an hart, and
the tongue of the dumb sing: for in the
wilderness shall waters break out, and streams in the desert."
Anastasis is
Job 33:24, 25: "Then he is
gracious unto him, and saith, Deliver him from going down to the pit: I have found a ransom. His flesh shall be fresher than a
child’s: he shall return to the days of
his youth. He shall pray unto God, and
he will be favourable unto him: and he
shall see his face with joy: for he
will render unto man his righteousness."
Anastasis is
Mal 4:2: "But unto you that fear
my name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in his wings ...."
Anastasis is Re
21:4: "And God shall wipe away all
tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor
crying, neither shall there be any more pain:
for the former things are passed away."
The "New
Creation" is privileged to participate in the resurrection. It is part of their inheritance. While "all who are in their graves
shall hear the voice of the Son of Man and come forth," the New Creation,
the Little Flock, the Church of Christ, or those in Christ, shall rise first. For a further aid in studying this important
subject, we recommend the topically arranged book, The New Creation. It not only covers the resurrection of the
New Creation, but also 16 related studies such as: The Call ... The Organization ... The Judgment ... The Baptism
... The Foes and Besetments ... of the New Creation. There’s also a scriptural index in the back of the book.
_______________________________
Fantastic?
Too good to be
true?
Hard to
believe?
For most
people, the whole idea of a resurrection of the dead is hard to accept. To those who place their confidence in
Scripture, the resurrection becomes a precious promise. Will everyone receive the same type of
resurrection? When will it happen? Who will be included? These questions and many more are covered in
The Divine Plan of the Ages, a topical study aid which we offer free. Note especially the chapter entitled, "Ransom
and Restitution." The further
examination of scriptures on this subject will enable you to harvest a deeper
appreciation of God’s wisdom, love justice and power.
Not printed
with AS funds
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STUDENTS
Post Office Box
15701
San Diego,
California 92115
__Please send me a copy of THE NEW
CREATION, hard bound, $1.00
__Please send me a free copy of THE
DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES
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VOL. III NO.4
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
If it’s
morning,
why is
everything so dark?
Because it’s
morning.
"If ever
there was a year that marked the end of an era and the beginning of another, it
was 1914. That year brought to an end
the old world with its sense of security and began a modern age whose chief
characteristic is insecurity on a daily basis." —Rowse, Oxford Historian
and Biographer, June 28, 1959.
"A world
mesmerized by Science and Progress mocked the mysticism of religious sects
which had long predicted that the world would end in the year 1914; fifty years
later the world isn’t so sure that it didn’t end in 1914 ..."— The Great
Ideas Today, 1963, Britannica Great Books, Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., pp.
107, 108.
Historians mark
1914 as the ending of the world. The
convulsions since are at once the processes of its disintegration and the birth
pangs of a new world. Britannica
editors observed that a religious group, actually known as Bible Students,
predicted that 1914 would mark the ending of a world in just this manner.
What’s new in a
prediction that the world would end?
Religious zealots have always set dates for the earth to be burned up.
What was new
was the Bible Student concept that the word "world" as it appears in
the Bible is a translation of the Greek word kosmos which means "a social
order or arrangement of things" and not the planet earth.
Bible students
said this "present evil world" (Ga 1:4) —composed of corrupt social,
political, economic, religious elements—would reap a whirlwind of destruction
by war, revolution and anarchy.
Inherently
corrupt and destruction inevitable was the sweeping indictment of the Christian
world by Bible Students in the book The Day of Vengeance, first published in
1897. One of the reasons for its divine
judgment was given on pages 52 and 53:
"The civil
powers of Christendom have been warned frequently when again and again empires
and kingdoms have fallen with the weight of their own corruption. And even today, if the powers that be would
hearken, they might hear a last warning of God’s inspired prophet ..." God
standeth in the congregation of the mighty [of those in authority]; He judgeth
among the gods [the rulers, saying], How long will ye judge unjustly, and
accept the persons of the wicked?
Defend the poor and fatherless; do justice to the afflicted and needy;
deliver the poor and needy: rid them
out of the hand of the wicked.’ (Ps
82:1-4)"
Knowing that
the Christian world would not heed this "last warning," Bible
Students predicted as far back as 1882 the destruction which began in
1914. Zion’s Reprint, November, 1882:
"... This distress and trouble will all
come about in a very natural way. Very
many scriptures teach that nations will be overthrown by a rising of the
people, goaded to desperation by the oppression of unjust governments. Such a rising and overturning, socialists,
communists and nihilists will gladly bring about when they can. All the kingdoms of the world shall be
thrown down and instead the kingdom of the Lord fills the whole earth. Dan 2:34, 35."
The corrupt
practices of the
Christian world
are centuries old.
Why the
revolutionary foment
of our century?
The accumulated
evil practices of the Christian nations have "reached unto
heaven." (Re 18:5) The cry of the masses who have been
defrauded has reached unto the Lord. (Jas
5:4) Since 1914 the status quo is
finally alarmed. Welfare state
concessions are grudgingly made. As
segments of the masses are raised to a higher living standard, they then become
a part of the establishment’s bulwark against revolutionary changes to
alleviate the plight of the under-privileged of the community and the
world. Our civilization is still
reeling with hate, vice, intrigue, graft, corruption, power politics, war,
discrimination and exploitation. It
must go.
Christ as
conquering king has launched an invasion that will not stop short of the total
destruction of the "present evil world" (Ga 1:4) and upon its ruins
He will establish His kingdom. Christ
has a devastating secret weapon. It is
truth. "His lightnings enlightened
the world, the earth saw and trembled."
(Ps 97:1, 4) Truths—religious,
philosophical, humanitarian, revolutionary, scientific—like lightning flashes
are startling the world. Seemingly the
use of these truths is rocketing man to his apex. In reality, their selfish abuse is drawing the civil, religious,
social and financial systems of this world into the vortex of revolution and
anarchy. These lightning flashes of
truth will expose all human endeavors at government and lay bare the basic
flaw. No matter what the political or
economic ideology, it will not work because of man’s sinful heart.
The
establishment is sick.It must go.
But the
revolutionaries, whether they be anarchists, communists, black militants, or
hot-headed radicals of any brand, have nothing better to offer. They, too, are sick with sin. Their ideologies are honeycombed with
selfishness. They will accomplish one
thing—the destruction of our social order.
Then they, with all masses of mankind, will be swept into the utter
chaos of anarchy to taste the bitter agony of despair wrought by man’s
selfishness.
Out of this
chaos
a new order
will rise.
Not by the
revolutionaries,
but by God.
Not the old
hell-fire god of the establishment, nor the importent god of the modernist, but
the God of all mankind.
"Michael" (a title for Christ which means God’s
representative) stands up in the "time of trouble" to deliver the
masses from every human ideology of the right and the left. Da 12:1, 2; 1Th 4:15, 16
_________________________
Christ’s
Kingdom will work. It will have an
enforced rule of righteousness and justice.
It will have the spirit of wisdom, understanding and love. It will change the stony hearts of men into
hearts of flesh, love. Satan and the
powers of evil will be restrained. And
only thus can the desire of all nations come.
Wars will
cease. None will be permitted to hurt
or destroy. There will be no more
death, sorrow, crying or pain. In fact,
the dead will be brought back to life.
Blind eyes will be opened and deaf ears unstopped. The lame man will leap and the dumb tongue
will sing. Vitality and beauty of youth
will return.
The earth will
be full of glory (no more pollution) and yield its increase (no famines). There will be economic security (no more poor). Even the animals will be tamed for man’s
pleasure. The perfect life and dominion
of man will be restored.
The human
family will worship God with one pure religion. And the most important thing—heart harmony with God. He will be their God and they will be His
people. This kingdom will endure—of the
increase of His government and peace there will be no end.
Re 2:27, Isa
9:7; 28:17, Ps 72:1-8, Ac 3:22, 23, Isa 60:12; 65:20; 11:2-5, Ez 11:19; 36:26,
Isa 35:9, Re 20:3, Hag. 2:7, Mic 4:3, Isa 2:4, Ps 46:9, Isa 11:9; 65:25; 25:8;
33:24, Re 21:4; 20:1, Joh 5:28, 29, Isa 35:6, 7; 29:18; 32:1-4, Job 33:25, Isa
60:13; 30:23; 6:25, Ps 67:6, Mic 4:4, Isa 65:21-23; 32:15-20; 11:6,7, Ac 3:19,
Zeph 3:9, Isa 35:10, Re 21:3, Isa 65:24, Jer 31:33, Ps 145:13, Isa 9:7.
Not
printed with AS funds
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MORNING
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San Diego, CA
92104
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a free copy of your Bible Study textbook,
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OF THE AGES
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VOL. III NO.5
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
ONCE SAVED,
ALWAYS SAVED?
"... the wages of sin is death; but the
gift of God is eternal life ..." "... by grace are ye saved
..."— Ro 6:23; Eph 2:8
We get the
point. Salvation from the death
sentence is God’s gift, because God sent his own son to bear the death penalty
for man. (Joh 3:16) But doesn’t salvation require the
cooperation of the individual? Yes. For instance, the exercise of faith is
essential. "... if we believe on
him ... being justified by faith ..." "... the just shall live by
faith." —Ro 4:24; 5:10; Gal 3:11
And the Apostle
James shows that the sincerity of our faith must be demonstrated by our efforts
at good works. This is why he says,
"... by works a man is justified, and not by faith only." (Jas 2:24)
This does not mean that God requires perfect works—Paul shows that we
are not capable of that. (Ro 3:20;
2:16, 3:11) But it does mean that we
must try as much as possible to do those things that God would be pleased
with. "Faith without works is
dead." —Jas 2:26
During this age
...
God is not
dealing with the world in general. He
is preparing the Church class for a glorious reward. They are to be joined with Christ Jesus, and to share both his
throne of dominion and his very nature—the divine nature. (Acts 15:4; Room. 2:7) But before any will be raised to such a
position of glory and honor, God wishes to see a character crystallized in
earnest loyalty. Of Jesus it was
written, "Though he were a Son, yet learned he obedience by the things
which he suffered ..." ( Hebrews 5:8)
Each of Christ’s followers are also to have their obedience proved. We are to search our minds and hearts to see
that they are kept in a proper attitude of devotion. The Apostle John said:
"Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have
wrought, but that we receive a full reward." —2 John 8
One inference
of this counsel is that some will receive less than the full reward of divine
nature. Some will be "overcharged
with the cares of this life." Some
will carelessly build with "wood, hay and stubble" rather than
"gold, silver, and precious stones."
(1Co 3:15) But if their hearts
are loyal, God will still care for these.
"If any man’s work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by
fire." (1Co 3:12) For some this will mean deliverance
"unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved
in the day of the Lord Jesus." —1Co 5:5
Some will fall.
From other
scriptures we learn that it is possible for some to come to a knowledge of the
Lord, and then to wilfully neglect the favor of God and become estranged from
Him. To express and exercise faith in
Him, and later to lose it. To receive a
standing before God through faith in the blood of Jesus, and to fall. The vital, living and quickening faith of a
believer can turn sour. Thus, the
warning of Heb 10:38: "Now the
just shall live by faith: but if any
man draw back, my soul shall have no pleasure in him ..." Jesus said, "No man having put his hand
to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God." —Lk 9:62
The condition
of heart that would completely turn from God after having believed and received
of the Holy Spirit, would make future repentance impossible. Read carefully Paul’s words in Heb 6:4-6:
"For it is
impossible for those who were once enlightened, and have tasted of the heavenly
gift, and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and have tasted of the good
word of God, and the powers of the world to come, if they shall fall away, to
renew them again unto repentance ..."
The warning of
Heb 10:29 is to those who have at one time been sanctified.
"Of how
much sorer punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden
under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant,
wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite unto the
Spirit of grace?"
This condition,
though infrequent, is nevertheless a real danger.
What of such?
The Apostle
Peter, in chapter two of his second epistle, speaking of such a class,
says: "... if after they have
escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of the Lord and
Savior Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter
end is worse with them than the beginning." (2Pe 2:20) These, he
says, "have forsaken the right way, and are gone astray, following the way
of Balaam ... who loved the wages of unrighteousness." —2Pe 2:15
Peter says that
for them "the mist of darkness (the oblivion of death) is reserved for
ever." (2Pe 2:17) "... these, as natural brute beasts,
made to be taken and destroyed, ... shall utterly perish in their own
corruption." —2Pe 2:12
How can this
be?
Doesn’t Ro
8:35-39 teach that nothing and nobody can "separate us from the love of
God"? True, none of the distresses
which he mentions there can separate us—but we can separate ourselves by an
attitude of faithlessness and carelessness leading to heart disloyalty and
rebellion. Paul’s discussion is
intended to be an assurance to all who will keep their hearts. Even the Apostle Paul himself said,
"But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached
to others, I myself should be a castaway." (1Co 9:27) See Ro 11:21.
In addition to
these warnings, we have instruction to "Keep thy heart with all diligence;
for out of it are the issues of life."
(Pr 4:23) And Paul speaks of
those "... who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory, honor,
and immortality. ..." ( Ro 2:7)
For, in the full sense, "He that endureth to the end shall be
saved." —Mt 10:22; 24:13
Faithful unto
death
Jesus
forewarned that the battle of a Christian would not be easy. The world will taunt and jeer. "If they have called the master of the
house Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of his
household?" (Mt 10:25) "And ye shall be hated of all men for
my name’s sake ..." ( Mt 10:22)
From our own flesh will come difficult enticements of pride and lust. (Ro 7:18-24) And Satan, as a "roaring lion" (1Pe 5:8), will at every
opportunity seek to make shipwreck of our faith.
Love for the
Lord, and appreciation of the great price that secures our redemption, will
inspire our devotion. Only such love
will hold fast to the promise, "Be thou faithful unto death, and I will
give thee a crown of life." (Re 2:10) BUT, "Hold fast
that which thou hast, that no man take thy crown ..."— Re 3:11
__________________________
The way of a
Christian’s life—the foes and besetments, the duties, responsibilities, present
privileges, and the resurrection inheritance of the Christian—are reverently
approached and discussed in depth in The New Creation, a book that describes
God’s dealings with the Church class which He is now completing.
Not printed
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MORNING
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San Diego, CA
92104
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VOL. III NO. 6
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
FATHER
(equals) SON (equals) HOLY SPIRIT
or
FATHER
(doesn’t equal) SON (doesn’t equal) HOLY SPIRIT
Harmony, unity
or equality? The doctrine of the
Trinity has been cause for discussion, strife and controversy throughout the
history of the Church. Followers of
Arius held the view that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit were not equal in
glory. On the other hand, Athanasius
felt strongly that they were. At the
Council of Nice, A.D. 325, a statement of doctrine was adopted as the faith of
the church—the Nicene Creed. To this day,
"fundamentalist" teachings include the doctrine of the Triune
God. Many feel it is essential for
salvation.
But will the
Scriptures alone support the conclusions made 16 centuries ago? That the Bible teaches a harmony between the
Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit, few will disagree. But, does it teach that they are equal? That is the question.
_________________________________________________________________
Q.Who is the greatest of the Persons in
the Blessed Trinity?
A.No one person in the Blessed Trinity is
greater than the others. They are all
equal.
—Parish Catechism, p.11
_________________________________________________________________
On a question
as important as the equality of the Father and the Son, we must not rely on any
testimony except that of the inspired writings of the Scriptures. Let us ask Jesus.
"My Father
is greater than I." "I can of
my own self do nothing; as I hear, I judge." "My Father is greater than all." "I ascend to my Father and your Father,
to my God and your God."
"This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true
God, and Jesus whom thou hast sent." —Joh 14:28; 5:30; 10:29; 17:3; 20:17
The Lord Jesus
is not the second person of a triune God.
The word "triune" is unscriptural. So is the thought. St.
Paul sets the matter straight in 1Co 8:6:
"But to us
there is but one God, the Father, of whom are all things ... and one Lord Jesus
Christ, by (or through) whom are all things."
Php 2:6, 7
—Paul also declares that Jesus, "who, though he was in the form of God,
did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped." (RSV)
The entire argument of the Apostle was that Jesus humiliated himself,
not that he claimed equality with the Father.
1Joh 5:7, 8
—The word "trinity is not found in the Bible. Neither is the concept.
The text which seems to give the most support to the thought of a
trinity is acknowledged even by trinitarians as being an interpolation,
incorporated into the Scriptures about the 5th century. (See the Revised Standard Version.) We quote the passage with the interpolation
in brackets.
"For there
are three that bear record [in Heaven, the Father, the Word, and the Holy
Ghost: and these three are one; and
there are three that bear witness in earth] the Spirit, and the water and the
blood: and these three agree in
one."
Heb 1:8 has
been used as a proof text that Jesus is God, and the fact is cited that the
word for God here is theos, the same as Heb 1:9 which refers to the
Father. But in 2Co 4:4, the word
"god," which refers to Satan, is also theos in the Greek. Theos is used of any mighty one—the same as
Elohim in the Hebrew. (Compare Ps 82:1,
6; and Joh 10:34-36.)
Joh 1:1 —The
literal translation of the Greek for this verse is:
"In a
beginning was the Word, and the Word was with THE God, and a God was the
Word."
Because the
Apostle put the Greek Article ton ("the") in front of the first
"god" in the sentence, and omitted it with the second, the word
"a" is implied (since there is no word for the indefinite article in
Greek), and the verse shows a contrast between THE God, the Father, and the
Word, a god, a Mighty one.
"The
Word" applies to Jesus. It is
translated from the Greek word, Logos.
In olden times certain kings made addresses to their subjects by proxy. The king would sit behind a screen while his
"word," spokesman, or Logos stood before the screen. The Logos would address the people aloud on
subjects whispered to him by the king, who was not seen. Jesus, the Word, did all that the Father
commissioned him to do. His words were
not of the Son but of the Father.
"For I
have not spoken of myself; but the Father which sent me, he gave me a
commandment, what I should say, and what I should speak. And I know that his commandment is life
everlasting: whatsoever I speak
therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I speak." —Joh 12:49, 50
Joh 17 —So
careful was Jesus to seek divine guidance, that during the Gethsemane
experience, Jesus prayed, "Not as I will, but as thou wilt." (Matthew 26:39) Jesus directed his followers to worship the Father, not himself. When he prayed, he gave credit to the Father
and took none for himself. His prayer
in John 17 emphasizes his subservience to the Heavenly Father. In verse 2, Jesus acknowledges power which
the Father gave to him. If they were
equal, would not Jesus always have had such power?
Jesus glorified
the Father. Jesus finished the work
which the Father gave him to do (Joh 17:4).
What did Jesus ask for in return?
(If he was equal with the Father, why did he have to ask for
anything?) He asked for the glory which
he had before the world was (Joh 17:5).
Apparently, from his own statement, Jesus did not have the same glory at
the time, nor the power within himself to attain it. The Heavenly Father could give it to him.
Joh 17:21-23
has lead many to believe that Jesus and the Father are one in equality and
being. But here Jesus is referring to
the oneness of hope and purpose and spirit which he shared with the
Father. Not only would this oneness
include Jesus and the Father, but all of Jesus’ disciples and all of those who
later would believe through their writings.
This passage could not apply to a Trinity.
Php 2:8, 9
implies that our Lord’s present glory is greater than the glory which he
possessed before he became a man; otherwise it could not have been an
exaltation. If he was the very God from
all eternity, how could he be exalted any higher?
As Jesus spoke
of God as the Father, and himself as the Son of God, so the application is
proper for us. The word
"father" signified "life-giver." A son is an offspring who receives life from the father. This distinction implies that the father
existed first. And so Jesus says of
himself, "I proceeded forth and came from God." (Joh 8:42)
Several times the Scriptures speak of Jesus as "the only
begotten" Son of the Father. (See
Joh 1:14, 18; 3:16; 1Joh 4:9; Re 1:5.)
_________________________________________________________________
Q.Are there three Gods then?
A.There is only one God; but three Persons
in God. No one can understand fully how
there is only one God and three Persons in God. The Blessed Trinity is a mystery.
—Parish Catechism, p. 11
_________________________________________________________________
Skeptics claim
that Jesus was just a man like anyone else, who had good qualities and a
popular philosophy. To counteract this
view, some of his followers teach that Jesus was much, much more than a good
man. He was not only in God’s image,
but God Himself, they say. The truth,
we believe, is between the two thoughts.
Jesus was greater than any other man living since Adam. He was "holy, harmless, undefined,
separate from sinners," perfect in all respects—but human, a mortal
being. As the ransom for Adam. he could
be no less than a perfect human, and he could be no more. He had to be an exact corresponding price in
order to qualify as the redeemer.
"Who gave
himself a ransom (Greek—"corresponding price") for all, to be
testified in due time." —1Ti 2:6
After the
sacrifice of his earthly life, he was rewarded with spirit life and given
immortality by the only one who could give it, his Heavenly Father.
"For as
the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in
himself." —Joh 5:26
He liveth, and
was dead, and behold, he is alive forevermore.
Amen.
________________________
In The Atonement Between God and Man, chapters 8 through 11, the relationship
between the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit is discussed thoroughly. The Scriptures are quite clear and explicit
concerning this relationship. Prepared
in a topical arrangement, every scripture which might pose a problem is
considered. This will be found to be a
rewarding study for the Bible student.
The book is offered for $1.00.
It contains nearly 500 pages, covering 16 studies. If you’re not satisfied ... return the book
... we’ll return your dollar.
The Divine Plan
of the Ages is also available
for study, free upon request. It
contains 16 separate studies into God’s Word.
Not only will the Scriptures appear more precious than before, but the
harmony of God’s plan of the ages will be a source of inspiration.
Why not send
for both?
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Everyone’s
baby.
We hear about
it on the radio. We see special
programs about it on television.
Magazines, books and newspapers discuss it. Yes, overpopulation is everyone’s baby. It is a growing concern to everyone who cares about the
future. It’s a problem, and there has
been no program established which can avoid its inevitable end. Birth control, once considered a
"personal" subject, is forced into open dialogue by public concern.
_________________________________________________
Planned
Parenthood, Population Zero, and birth control centers are making headway in
the United States, but they are far from influencing the world’s masses.
"... the increase is nearly 50 million
a year, and catastrophies such as famines or wars—even atomic war—cannot make
serious inroad on the increase during the next 50 years. Nor is it to be expected that such humane
methods of reduction as contraception can extend fast enough during that time
to make much difference." —Our Crowded Planet, p. 30, Fairfield Osborn,
editor, 1962, Doubleday.
About 100 years
ago, there were approximately 1,400,000,000 people in the world. According to the 1969 census (Information
Please Almanac—1972), there are 3,552,000,000.
That’s more than twice what it was a century ago! Few will dare to estimate how many years we
have to solve this important problem of survival. All will admit that the time is short.
"We
have—within what the historians would call an exceeding short period—to revert
to a mode of life which in one way or another will keep the numbers of the
human race roughly constant."
(ibid.)
Our Lord
described the conditions which would prevail at the time His return in Lk
21:25, 26:
"... and upon the earth distress of
nations with perplexity ... men’s hearts failing them for fear, and for looking
after those things which are coming on the earth ..."
It’s
interesting that the word translated "perplexity" also means "to
be at a loss mentally," "to stand in doubt," and "no way
out." An appropriate description
of the leaders of the world today! They
hope for a solution soon, but they themselves are at a loss mentally. They doubt that anything really can be found
that will work. The spiraling events
spurred by selfishness and lack of unity identify the population problem as one
of those having no way out.
"To have
any hope of success, then, there would have to be a worldwide
enforcement." (op cit., p. 35)
How is God
going to stop the population from steadily increasing?
Jesus said,
"In the resurrection, they neither marry nor are given in
marriage." (Mt 22:30) The wisdom of the Lord will stop the
continued propagation of the race once the life-sustaining limit of the earth
has been reached—when it is "filled." (Ge 1:28, RSV) We are not
told exactly how this will be accomplished, but we are told:
"God
himself that formed the earth and made it; he hath established it, he created
it not in vain, he formed it to be inhabited:
I am the LORD: and there is one
else." —Isa 45:18
"One
generation passeth away and another cometh, but the earth abideth
forever." —Ec 1:4
Contrary to
popular theology, Scriptures indicate that the planet Earth is here to
stay. The Lord created it not in
vain. He created it not to be destroyed
or pulverized into cosmic dust. What a
waste of life and beauty if such were the case! God also intended for the earth to become populated. Its inhabitants will not only include those
now living but also those who have ever lived.
"For the
hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves shall hear his voice
and come forth. ..."— Joh 5:28, 29
Now, this
presents another problem. What about
the resurrection? Where are we going to
find room and food for all those who have died?
Is restitution
practicable?
Some feel that
there would not be enough room for the earth’s population if it were to include
those now living as well as those who have ever lived. Can enough room be found to sustain such a
large group? And, in finding room,
would the beauties of earth’s uninhabited regions be marred by mass housing
facilities? Some may even think that
the earth is one vast graveyard, and if all the dead were awakened, they would
trample one another.
This is
important. How strange it would be if we
find that while the Bible declares a resurrection for all men, there wouldn’t
be enough room! Figure it out, however,
and you will find this to be an unsupported fear. You will find that there is abundant room for the restitution of
all, as God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets. —Ac 3:19-21
How may people
have ever lived on earth?
"These
questions are frequently asked the Population Reference Bureau’s Information
Service. Because of the perennial
interest and because of the credence sometimes given to what would seem to be
unrealistic appraisals, this issue presents an estimate prepared by Fletcher
Wellemeyer, Manpower, Education and Personnel Consultant, Washington, D.C.,
with Frank Lorimer of American University, Washington, D.C., acting as
advisor. This estimate, based on
certain statistical, historic and demographic assumptions set forth in an
appendix, should be regarded as no more than a reasonable guess. It assumes that man first appeared about
600,000 years ago, a date which has been proposed for the dawn of the
prehistoric era ... Since then, it is estimated that about 77 billion babies
have been born." (Population,
Evolution, and Birth Control, Garrett Hardin, 1964, W. H. Freeman and Company,
p. 45)
Bible scholars
have been coming to the conclusion that there have been a little over 6,000
years since the creation of man (see inset).
But let us for the moment assume that there have been 77,000,000,000
persons since creation (a number probably three times greater than we would
expect). Could they still fit on the
earth?
_____________________________
A CONDENSED
STATEMENT OF BIBLE CHRONOLOGY
To the end of
the flood .................. 1656
years
Thence to the
covenant with Abraham .... 427 years
Thence to the
Exodus and giving of the Law .430 years
Thence to the
division of Canaan ......... 46 years
The period of
the Judges ................ 450 years
The period of
the Kings ................. 513
years
The period of
the desolation ............. 70
years
Thence to A.D.
1 ........................ 536 years
Thence to A.D.
1873 .................... 1872 years
Total ............................... 6000 years
_______________________________
Let’s look and
see what land accommodations are available.
There are 262,970 square miles in the state of Texas. There are 27,878,400 square feet in a square
mile.
263,000 x
27,900,000 =
7,337,700,000,000
square feet
in Texas
7,337,700,000,000
+
77,000,000,000
= 95.03 square feet
95.03 square
feet per person would accommodate 77 billion people in an area the size of
Texas—less than 1% of the land surface of the world!
Will the earth
be able to support everyone?
When we keep in
mind the prophecy of Isa 35:1-6, that the earth shall yield her increase; that
the desert shall blossom as a rose; that in the wilderness shall waters break
forth, and streams in the desert, we see that God indicates that He has
foreseen all the necessities of His plan.
He will also make provision for the needs of His creatures in what will
become a very natural, very beautiful way.
God is a God of
love. (1Joh 4:8) He knows the end from the beginning. (Isa 46:9, 10) He knew that Jesus’ death would be necessary even before Adam was
created (Re 13:8), even before the world began. God will not forsake the highest welfare of the people. His orderly plan is set to a timetable (1Ti
2:6) so that everything will work out better than even our highest
aspirations. The "desire of all
nations shall come." —Hag
2:7
For those who
have faith in the Scriptures, we recommend the study aid, The Divine Plan of
the Ages. It presents Scriptures in a
harmonious manner. The Scriptures show
His plan for man. They show the how’s
and why’s. The Divine Plan of the Ages
will be a key to those Scriptures, a source of comfort, an aid to
understanding. Send for it, it’s free.
Not printed
with AS funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
___Please send me a free copy of The
Divine Plan of the Ages
Name
_____________________________________________________________
Street
_____________________________________________________________
City/State
__________________________________________________________
VOL. III NO. 8
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
The new day
dawns.
Good
morning.
"At the
name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of
God." —Php 2:10, 11
For six
thousand years the world of mankind has been ruled by sin and death. Physicians, both physical and moral, have
been unable to cure us. God alone is
able to roll away the curse which he himself imposed, and to give mankind his
blessing instead.
In the past we
have been so intent on following our own sectarian theories that we have
neglected the proper study of the Bible.
Not until our day has such study been possible for everybody. Only now is the Word of God in convenient
form, and only now is education so universal that all can read, all can study,
all can know the good things of the Bible.
Bible students
are waking up from sleep and finding that they have been suffering from
nightmares. The true message of the
word of God is spreading, and with it goes increase of faith, together with
joy, peace and godliness.
Foregleams of
the new day.
We know that
ours is the most wonderful day of earth’s history. Our eyes open wide as we see the contrast between the blessings
which surround us and those enjoyed by our fathers. We have been amazed at the progress of labor-saving machinery and
education. What do these things mean? Why have they come suddenly in one
century? And give no indication of
slacking, but rather of progressing. What is the explanation of all this?
The Bible alone
answers these questions. It explains
the meaning of the reign of sin and death which we and our fathers have
shared. It tells us that our sorrows,
aches, pains and weaknesses—mental, moral and physical—are all the results of
sin from father Adam, by the laws of heredity.
Then the Bible opens the door of the future and bids us look and see the
better day which God promises. It
explains that he has been giving us lessons about the "exceeding
sinfulness of sin," but that all the while he has sympathized with and
loved his creatures. It tells us that
Jesus came into the world and died for Adam and his race, "the just for
the unjust," to cancel the death penalty and thus to give them an opportunity
in God’s due time to return to their former estate—to all that Adam lost in his
glorious estate—"Paradise."
That day has
come.
Chronologically,
we are already in the great seventh day, or thousand-year sabbath. This fact explains the blessings of our
day. And they will continue throughout
the great thousand-year sabbath of Messiah’s kingdom. The Bible promises that the messianic reign will bring
blessedness to every creature—not only to the living, but also to the dead; for
"all that are in the graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth."
—Joh 5:28, 29
The coming of
these blessing is, in one sense, premature, because they have come before the
establishment of the messianic kingdom.
Consequently, instead of being happier, the world is more unhappy, more
discontented, than ever. The Scriptures
show that the discontent will culminate in a short, sharp period of anarchy,
from which the world will be rescued by the establishment of Christ’s
kingdom. The permission of the light
and blessings of our day, in advance of his rule, will teach humanity a great
lesson respecting their own fallen condition and their need of the very help
which God is providing in Christ. No
one will be able to say that God’s blessings, coming to unregenerate hearts,
will make them thankful and happy. The
new heart is necessary to real happiness.
A life worth
living.
As we gradually
realize that we are living in the dawning of the time for the long-promised
blessing, this sabbath day of earth, it gives us a fresh interest in the
present life, as well as in those features of God’s plan which are yet
future. The knowledge makes life worth
living. Millions of people live a
treadmill existence, unworthy of themselves and joyless, because they have not
come into the family of God and have not been taught to understand the deep
things of his gracious purposes.
The first step
is an acknowledgment of the Creator and a consecration of life to him, and then
an application of our hearts to know his will, in order that we may do it. One day of such living is worth more than a
year of the aimless meandering so common to most people. All who have entered into this blessing
should rejoice. All who have not done
so should seek the door, Christ, and be glad to walk the narrow way, following
his footsteps into grace and peace.
Our blessings
so far are not drawing people nearer to God, not making them more thankful,
more reverential, more loving. On the
contrary, we have more conflict, more self-will than any previous
generation—less inclined, for the most part, than ever before to worship and
reverence the God of all grace—less inclined to believe that there is such a
being at all. At the present rate of
growth of irreverence, it would seem as though the time might soon come when no
knee would bow and no tongue confess, to the glory of God.
Permit not
faith to let go her hold, the Word of God cannot fail. As he is bringing the blessings promised in
his Word and appropriate to this time, let us trust him for every other feature
of his promised blessing. He who has
begun the good work is able to complete it.
If he has promised and sworn that all the families of the earth shall be
blessed in Abraham’s seed, surely we can rely on it. The members of Christ’s church are the spiritual "seed of
Abraham." This class, as the bride
of Christ, must be completed and united to their Redeemer before they can share
with him the great work of blessing the rest of the world. (Ga 3:8, 16, 29) The completion and glorification of the church will mark the time
for the establishment of the messianic kingdom.
God’s glory
fills the earth.
Rapidly the
knowledge of the glory of God will fill the whole earth. Corrections in righteousness will be given
to all not doing their very best.
Rewards of perfection of mind and body will gradually come to the
willing and obedient. The infinitude of
God’s love, justice, wisdom and power may then be seen by all. The result will be glorious.
"There
shall be no more sighing, no more curse there, nor sorrow nor pain nor any more
dying; for all the things of sin and death will have passed away. He who sits upon the throne will make all
things new." —Re 21:4,
______________________________
The Times
They are a Changin’.
"This lifetime
is also different from all others, because of the astonishing expansion of the
scale and scope of change." Future Shock by Alvin Toffler p. 17
Statesmen,
writers, and religious enthusiasts have noticed something very peculiar about
our times. They are a changin’.
If you could
imagine a map of the world showing the effect of minor flareups, it would be in
marked contrast to what it was 100 years ago.
"A war in Viet Nam alters basic political alignments in Peking,
Moscow, and Washington, touches off protests in Stockholm, affects financial
transactions in Zurich, triggers secret diplomatic moves in Algiers." The history of nations has seen many notable
conflicts, but not until 1914 has any been labeled as a World War. Trouble is so bad that nowadays it’s common
to hear reference to "over kill," the wiping out of the entire
population many times over.
People are
concerned. Prophecies are being
fulfilled before our very eyes. The
whole world is in a big mess. It’s
getting worse. If something isn’t done
no one will be saved. You know the
question, "What’s happening?"
The scriptures tell why.
Send for some
informative literature on Our Lord’s Return.
It may be just what you’re looking for.
Not printed
with AS funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send me
a free copy of: ___" Our Lord’s
Return"
___ " Divine Plan of the Ages"
Name
_____________________________________________________________
Street
_____________________________________________________________
City/State
____________________________________
Zip __________________
VOL. III NO. 9
**********
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
King of
Kings and
Lord of
Lords
The very center
of God’s plan, which he invites us to cherish with him, is the greatest story
every lived—the life of Christ—the story of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords
..
This story of
the King of Kings and Lord of Lords carries our thoughts back, beyond the very
beginning of earth’s experiences, before the time when the heavens were still
being charted and the stars were forming, and even beyond that—back to the very
beginning of beginnings, when God was all alone. This was the time when God began to plan his work of creation.
First, he would
create an intelligent being, someone to arrange and supervise the outworking of
his purposes. And so we read of this
beginning of beginnings in Joh 1:1, 3: "In
the beginning was the Word (Greek, Logos) ...
All things were made by him; and without him was not anything made that
was made" —for he was, as John further declares in Re 3:14, "the
beginning of the creation of God."
He it was—this Logos, the Son of God—who was destined to be the King of
Kings and Lord of Lords in the divine plan of the ages. He it was who carried out every plan of his
Maker through ages of creative work in the realms of heaven; and he it was who
rejoiced with all the angelic hosts when the due time came in God’s plan to
create Adam on the earthly plane.
The chart is an
outline of man’s journey through the past, the present, and the future. The first small complete pyramid could
illustrate Adam as a perfect human being.
But Adam sinned. And it was this
same Logos who saw Adam commit the act of disobedience in the Garden of
Eden—and saw Adam plunge the whole human family into the depths of sin and
death. We illustrate this by the
incomplete pyramid placed on the lower line.
Four thousand
years of earth’s continuing history found man still trapped hopelessly in the
way of sin and death—longing for a path of return to the favor of God. Finally, the time had come for this great
Logos to carry out a further feature of God’s plan. He left his heavenly home to die on the cross in Adam’s place, as
a "ransom for all"
(chart)
that man might
live. John tells us: "the Word (Logos) was made
flesh." (Joh 1:14) This great change from a spirit being to a
human being came at a time when the nation of Israel was under the Roman yoke. "And it came to pass in those days, that
there went out a decree from Caesar Augustus, that all the world should be
taxed." (Lk 2:1) In response to this decree, the people went
into the larger cities to be assessed—among them a familiar couple, Joseph and
Mary, en route to Bethlehem. Weary and
worn, they arrived, only to find the city crowded to overflowing. Every place was taken. The only shelter they could find was in a
stable. There "she brought forth
her firstborn son, ... and laid him in a manger." In this lowly setting Messiah was born.
God’s memorable
announcement of this event was made to but a handful of shepherds. "Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall
be to all people. For unto you is born
this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord ... Glory to
God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men." Remember.
It was the angels who sang and rejoiced. There was no other choir, there was no other singing. The world was in slumber. God did not waken them. He reserved this special announcement and
heavenly singing for only a few lowly shepherds to hear. Why such secrecy? The people in general did not know. Yet the angels had said that the "good tidings of great joy
... shall be to ALL people."
Sometime, someday, ALL would know that this was the King of Kings, and
Lord of Lords.
Some time
later, we find our Lord at the age of thirty beginning his ministry. And, being King and Lord, his ministry was
concerned with a kingdom. He gathered
twelve apostles and sent them forth with the same message he himself was
preaching: "The kingdom of heaven
is at hand." (Mt 10:7) A heavenly kingdom? This was indeed a mystery! Had not the Law taught them to center their
hopes in a kingdom on earth? And yet,
here was their promised Messiah proclaiming that his domain included heaven as
well as earth. The disciples were
unable to think in terms of such greatness!
Nonetheless, their hopes continued to rise. Still, a shadow of doubt lingered—for there were no visible signs
of his kingdom in sight. Far from
it! Jesus even remarked, "The
foxes have holes, and the birds of the air have nests; but the Son of Man hath
not where to lay his head." —Mt 8:20
Finally, five
days before his crucifixion, things changed spectacularly. Jesus assumed regal authority. Riding into Jerusalem, he said: "Behold, thy King cometh unto
thee." To the joy of the
disciples, as Jesus entered Jerusalem the multitudes responded with great
enthusiasm—strewing palm branches before him, they shouted: "Hosanna to the son of
David!" Surely this was the hour
of exaltation! He began to exercise
kingly power! He went to the temple and
claimed it for his own! He acted as a
King, he spoke as a King, he commanded as a King!
Meanwhile,
opposition forces were plotting to crush our Lord. Brought before Pilate, Jesus seemed indifferent to the
danger. He deliberately turned into the
path of death. The people who before
had heard him gladly, now clamored for his life. His disciples could not understand this turn of events, and soon
they saw him led away to judgment.
Their Lord was taken from them as a lamb to the slaughter.
Mistreated,
mocked, crucified, nailed to the cross between two thieves, our Lord was a
deserted and forsaken King! Finally,
the fateful words: "It is
finished" and his head bowed in death.
There, by the grace of God, he gave his own precious life as a ransom
for all. God’s law of justice is an eye
for an eye, and a tooth for a tooth—a perfect life for a perfect life. (Mt 5:38; De 19:21) Adam had sinned. Jesus died to take his place that man might live.
But at our
Lord’s death the disciples’ hope faded again.
Three days of uncomforted mourning followed. On the third day, Mary was weeping at the sepulchre. Together with the other sad and
disillusioned disciples, she was left to interpret events as best she
could. What could they all
conclude? Their Lord was gone. Their hope of a kingdom was buried with him. What a thrill of rejoicing came to her heart
when she beheld her risen Lord! Her
King was alive! His kingdom was still
to be! Breathlessly, she hurried back
to Jerusalem, reporting to the other disciples that the Lord was risen.
His days of
weakness and humiliation were forever past.
The Scriptures tell us plainly, "Christ being raised from the dead
dieth no more." (Ro 6:9) Not only was Jesus raised from the dead, but
he arose in majesty and great glory! He
was set down at the right hand of God, "far above all principality, and
power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named." —Eph 1:21
We have traced
how our Lord as the Logos, the Son of God, the beginning of all creation, left
his heavenly home to be born at Bethlehem, suffered persecution, died for man’s
sin, was raised in glory and power, and yet his kingdom was not put into
operation. The question still remains, "When
will he establish his promised kingdom and just what will that kingdom be
like?"
What will that
kingdom be like? This kingdom promises
good tidings to ALL people. The angels
of the Lord declared it to the shepherds.
The prophet Haggai describes these good tidings as "the desire of
all nations shall come." The
desire of ALL nations—the desire of ALL people—among other things, includes
peace, health and life.
All people
desire peace. God has promised that our Lord in the
kingdom to come will establish peace.
Our generation especially has had its bath in the blood of war. God says:
"they shall beat their swords into plowshares, and their spears
into pruninghooks: nation shall not
lift up a sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more ... for
the mouth of the Lord of hosts hath spoken." —Mic 4:3, 4
All people
desire health. God has promised that through our Lord in
the kingdom to come sickness shall be no more.
Sickness, suffering, and death have plagued mankind since Adam was
condemned. But in the world to come,
God has promised, "the inhabitant shall not say, I am sick." "And there shall be no more death,
neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain ...
Write: for these words are true and
faithful." —Isa 33:24; Re 21: 4, 5
All people
desire life. God has promised through our Lord in the
kingdom to come, life, and an end to death.
This goes beyond the fondest dreams of man. God promises: "there
shall be no more death." (Re
21:4) And "all that are in the
graves ... shall come forth." (Joh
5:28, 29) "He will swallow up
death in victory; ... for the Lord hath spoken it." —Isa 25:8
We have
described what the kingdom will be like.
But when will the kingdom be put into operation? Our Lord died over 1900 years ago.
Almost all
Christians believe in and expect a heavenly salvation, but many have overlooked
that its very purpose is to bring earthly salvation to the remainder of
humanity. The good tidings were to be
to ALL people. In other words, this is
exactly what the Lord taught: that
there were to be two parts to his kingdom—the heavenly and the earthly. Before setting up his kingdom on earth to
bless ALL people, our Lord had to perform another part of God’s plan—to select
a Bride to reign with him. This Bride
class is composed of Christians called out from all nations and
denominations—called to follow in the footsteps of Jesus—to suffer with him
now, that they might rule with him later.
Jesus, in the
24th chapter of Matthew (Mt 24), quoting from the prophecy of Daniel, chapter
12 (Da 12), instructed his disciples concerning four outstanding events which
would mark the end of this evil order and the establishment of his kingdom.
1.Time of
trouble
2.Many running
to and fro
3.Knowledge
increased
4.The return of
Israel
All Bible
students, as well as secular historians, agree that these signs are
unmistakably fulfilled in our generation.
To those who have faith, these four fulfilled signs give fresh courage. Thus we realize that we are now on the
threshold of God’s promised kingdom.
This present
evil order, having accomplished its purpose of teaching man the exceeding
sinfulness of sin, will be set aside as our Lord begins to exercise his kingly
power and might in establishing peace on earth and good will toward men. To the raging nations the Creator will
declare: "Be still, and know that
I am God: I will be exalted among the
heathen, I will be exalted in the earth."
(Ps 46:10) Then shall our Lord
be recognized by all as the King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
This is the
kingdom for which he taught us to pray, "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in
heaven." This kingdom will come. And spread from shore to shore, and from the
rivers unto the ends of the earth.
"Of the increase of his government (kingdom) and peace there shall
be no end." (Isa 9:7) And the part of this story we love best to
tell is, you will be there, because this kingdom is for you. And not only for you. "Jesus tasted death for every
man." Everyone who ever lived will
have an opportunity for a place and a part in it!
We know now
what the angels meant when they sang those "good tidings of great joy,
which shall be to ALL people."
They had in mind the King and his kingdom. Although men did not sing with the angels that wonderful night of
his birth, it does not mean they never shall.
No, in the kingdom we see ALL people—ALL nations—and as we listen, we
hear them sing as the voice of many people and as the voice of many waters
saying, "Alleluia: for the Lord
God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad
and rejoice." —Re 19:6, 7
Not printed
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MORNING
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4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send
me: ____ Divine Plan of the Ages
Name _____________________________________________________________
Address
___________________________________________________________
Comments
_________________________________________________________
VOL. III NO. 11
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
THE THIRD
WAY
"Wide is
the gate of destruction, and broad that way leading thither; and many are they
who enter through it. How narrow is the
gate of life! how difficult that way leading thither! and how few are they who
find it!" — Mt 7:13, 14 (Diaglott)
"And a
highway shall be there, and a way, and it shall be called the way of holiness;
the unclean shall not pass over it; but it shall be for those: the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not
err therein. No lion shall be there,
nor any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, nor be found there; but they that
walk there shall be delivered." —Isa 35:8, 9
Three ways are
brought to our attention in these scriptures:
the "broad way," the "narrow way" and the
"highway."
The Broad Road
to Destruction
This road is
called "broad" because of the ease the degenerate human race finds in
traveling on it. Opened 6,000 years ago
by the first man Adam, it has become the main course of travel ever since. Adam took 930 years to reach its
end—death. As years and centuries have
rolled on, the race speeds more rapidly into destruction. Mankind is losing the power of
resistance. What took Adam 930 years to
reach now takes 70 years or less.
Comparatively
few have tried to change their course, to retrace their steps. In fact, to retrace all downward steps, and
reach original perfection, has been impossible. But the effort of some to do so has been commendable and has
brought beneficial results.
During the
Gospel age a way of escape has been brought to light.
"... now made manifest by the appearing
of our Saviour Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life
and immortality to light through the gospel." —2Ti 1:10
The teachings
of Jesus and the apostles bring to light life—a restitution or restoration to
life for all of mankind based upon the merit and sacrifice of the
Redeemer. They also bring to light
immortality, the prize of the high calling of the church class.
Although a way
of escape from the broad way to destruction has been brought to light through
the gospel, the great majority of mankind does not heed the good tidings. They have been depraved by sin and blinded
by the adversary.
"... the god of this world hath blinded
the minds of them which believe not ..."— 2Co 4:4
For those who
have accepted Jesus as their Savior and have consecrated to follow him there is
a "new and living way" (He 10:20) referred to by the Master as
The Narrow Way
to Life
Our Lord tells
us that it is because of the narrowness of this way that many remain on the
broad road to destruction.
"Straight (difficult) is the gate and narrow is the way that
leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it." So stringent are the requirements of the
Lord that although "many are called, few are chosen." This class is referred to as a "little
flock." "Few there be that
find it." Why only a few?
The narrow way
leads unto life. This is not the
perfect life which Adam enjoyed. This
is not the perfect life to which the world of mankind will eventually attain at
the end of the 1,000-year reign of Christ’s kingdom when the last enemy that
shall be destroyed is death. This is
not the life we now have nor an extension of it under the present conditions. The narrow way leads to a special life—the
reward of immortality.
Not everyone
has immortality. Looking up all the
scriptures which use the word "immortal," none are found which apply
to the human being. In fact,
"immortality" is used very selectively.
"... our Lord Jesus Christ ... who is
the blessed and only Potentate, the King of kings, and Lord of lords; who only
hath immortality. .."— 1Ti 6:14-16
"For as
the Father hath life in himself (God’s definition of immortality); so hath he
given to the Son to have life in himself." —Joh 5:26
And for the
followers of Jesus, immortality is something to be "put on" at death,
to "seek after."
"For this
corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on
immortality. So when this corruptible
shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal shall have put on immortality,
then shall be brought to pass the saying that is written, Death is swallowed up
in victory." —1Co 15:53, 54
"To them
who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and
immortality, eternal life." —Ro 2:7
The Father, the
Son and the true followers of Christ are the only ones spoken of as having
immortality or being promised it. With
such a gift as the reward, is it any wonder that the standard should be set
high? The test is of faithfulness under
every possible situation. "He that
is faithful in that which is least is faithful also in much." (Lk 16:10)
"Be thou faithful unto death and I will give thee a crown of
life." —Re 2:10
The narrow way
is difficult. While the rest of the
world flows in one direction morally and has a mind and philosophy all its own,
the true follower of Christ must withstand this influence. "The friendship of the world is enmity
with God." (Jas 4:4) "Love not the world, neither the things
in the world. How can ye believe, which
receive honor one of another and seek not the honor that cometh from God
only?" —1Joh 2:15; Joh 5:44
The Christian’s
way is rugged, steep, narrow; and unless strength were furnished for each
successive step of that journey, we could never reach the goal. But our Captain’s word is encouraging: "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the
world; my grace is sufficient for thee, for my strength is made perfect in
weakness." (Joh 16:33; 2Co
12:9) The difficulties of this way act
as a separating principle to sanctify and refine a "peculiar people"
to be "heirs of God and joint-heirs with Jesus Christ." In view of these things, let us come boldly
to the throne of Heavenly grace, that we may obtain mercy and find grace to
help in time of need while we fight the good fight of faith and lay hold on the
"crown of glory" —immortality, the divine nature. —2Ti 4:8; 1Pe 5:4
The Highway of
Holiness
The new order
of things in the age to come is to be entirely different. As a different hope is held out, so also a different
way leads to it. The way to immortality
has been a way which required the sacrifice of the otherwise lawful and proper
hopes, ambitions and desires. But the
way to human perfection, which is the hope of the world, requires only the
putting away of sin. It does not
require the sacrifice of human rights and privileges, but rather their proper
enjoyment. It will lead to personal
purification and restoration to the image of God as enjoyed by Adam before sin
entered into the world.
The way back to
actual human perfection is to be made very plain. None may mistake the way.
"The wayfaring man, and those unacquainted therewith shall not go
astray." (Isa 35:8 —Leeser) It will be so plain that none will need to
teach his neighbor, saying, "Know the LORD, for they shall all know me,
from the least of them unto the greatest." (Jer 31:34) Instead of
being a narrow way that few can find, it is termed a "highway," a
public roadway. It’s not a narrow,
difficult by-way, but a way specially prepared for easier travel. It is one especially arranged for the
comfort of the traveler. Verses 8 and 9
of Isaiah 35 (Isa 35:8-9) show that it
is a public road, open to all the redeemed—every man. Every man for whom Christ died, who will recognize and avail
himself of the opportunities and blessings purchased by the precious blood, may
travel thereon. The Highway of Holiness
leads to the grand goal of restitution of human perfection and everlasting
life. "No lion shall be there, nor
any ravenous beast shall go up thereon, it shall not be found there." (Isa 35:9)
Today there are
many frightful lions which prevent the world from traveling toward
righteousness. There is the lion of
degenerate public sentiment which deters many from obeying the dictates of
conscience in matters of everyday life.
The lion of temptation lures the innocent into the drug scene. The lion Satan stalks about seeking whom he
may devour. —1Pe 5:8
"Nor shall
any ravenous beast shall go up thereon."
No giant corporation will be there to organize their selfish interests
or force employees into dishonest practices by fear.
"They
shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain (kingdom)." —Isa 11:9
Though there
will be difficulties in overcoming tendencies toward evil, in comparison to the
Narrow Way of the present age, the Highway of Holiness will be easier. The stones shall be gathered out and the
standard of truth shall be lifted up for the people. (Isa 62:10) Ignorance and
superstition will be things of the past, and righteousness will receive its
reward, and evil will be punished. (Mal
3:15, 18) By wholesome chastisements
and plain instructions, as returned prodigals, mankind will be trained and disciplined
up to the grand perfection from which Father Adam fell. What was offered once at Sinai will again be
offered in the Kingdom, and to all of mankind, educated in the results of both
good and evil.
"I have
set before you life and death, blessing and cursing: therefore choose life, that both thou and thy seed may live: That thou mayest love the LORD thy God and
that thou mayest obey his voice and that thou mayest cleave unto him: for he is thy life and the length of thy
days: that thou mayest dwell in the
land which the LORD sware unto thy fathers ..."— De 30:19, 20
Their choice to
do good will be rewarded with life.
Thus, "the ransomed of the Lord shall return (from destruction, by
the Highway of Holiness) ... with songs and everlasting joy upon their heads;
they shall obtain joy and gladness, and sorrow and sighing shall flee
away." —Isa 35:10
In Mt 7:13, 14,
our Lord referred to but two of these ways, because the third was not yet due
to be opened. Now, however, as the
narrow way draws to a close, the grand highway of righteousness begins to be
seen more and more distinctly, in the light of the dawning day, the Millennial
Morning.
(For further
treatment of The Three Ways, we recommend Study XI of The Divine Plan of the
Ages.)
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MILLENNIAL
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"IF WE
KILL MEN ..."
"If we
kill men, what brothers will we have left?"
Thich Nhat Hanh
"Yesterday,
six Vietcong came through my village.
Because of this my village was bombed—completely destroyed. Every soul was killed. When I come back to the village now, the day
after, there is nothing to see but clouds of dust and the river still flowing. The pagoda has neither roof nor altar. Only the foundations are left. The bamboo thickets have been burned away. I have a question: Who pushed us into this killing of one another? Whoever is listening, be my witness! I cannot accept this war. I never could. I never shall. I must say
this a thousand times before I am killed."
—by Vo-Dinh and Thich Nhat Hanh, from
"The Cry of Vietnam"
(picture)
"PEACE
IS AT HAND’
Nobody likes
war
Nobody likes
war. It leaves a path of misery which lasts
longer than a lifetime. The reports
which used to startle us at home aren’t as shocking any more. Not that the hurt and pain are any less, but
people have found that it’s going to take some doing to stop it all. Even then, can you replace the ones you’ve
loved?
Nobody likes
war. The efforts to de-escalate the war in
Vietnam will take more energy than it did to escalate it. If the war were stopped right now, it would
take months to bring the soldiers back.
Nobody likes a
war. Of all the wars the United States has been
involved in, none were as unpopular as the Vietnam war. We are becoming educated in the truth about
war. It’s souring the tastebuds—from
the Pentagon Papers to the testimony of respected soldiers such as Lt. Col.
Anthony Herbert.
Nobody likes
war. There have been marches in protest. There have been marches to protest
protests. Senators debate their
position on the President’s war policy.
One Christian minister supports the war, while another defies it. The stand of each individual may shock or
inspire us, but sooner or later each American must ask: "What should be my attitude towards the
war in Vietnam? The issue racing the
Christian is much deeper still. Can a
Christian fight in any war?
The Christian
standard
Regardless of
what our personal feelings might be, as Christians we have but one
standard—Christ—and nothing less. Jesus
said,
"They that
take to the sword shall perish by the sword.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, an eye for an eye and a tooth for
a tooth; but I say unto you, that ye resist not evil; but whosoever shall smite thee on thy right
cheek, turn to him the other side also.
Ye have heard that it hath been said, thou shalt love thy neighbor and
hate thy enemy. But I say unto you,
love your enemies, bless them that curse you, do good to them that hate you and
pray for them which despitefully use you and persecute you. My kingdom is not of this world: if my Kingdom were of this world, then would my servants
fight."
He even raised
the standard to the thoughts.
"Whosoever is angry without cause shall be in danger of the
judgment." (Mt 26:52, 5:38, 39;
5:43; Joh 18:36; Mt 5:21, 22) The
Apostle Paul, too, pointed out the proper course for the Christian.
"Dearly
beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is
written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him;
if he thirst, give him drink: for in so
doing thou shalt heap coals of fire on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good." —Ro
12:19-21
The enlightened
Christian does not use pacifism as a force to exert political pressure like the
peace demonstrators. Rather, his
refusal to participate in war is his witness that sinful man cannot attain
universal peace. Lasting peace will
only be accomplished when the Lord very shortly establishes His kingdom on the
earth. Then the words of the prophet
will be realized: "They shall beat
their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruninghooks; nation shall
not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more."
A change
But has this
always been the stand of Christians?
"During
its first three centuries of existence, the Christian Church was opposed to war
and other forms of violence." Encyclopedia of the Social Sciences, Vol. 4, p. 210 (page 7)
"For
years, many Christians regarded service in the army as inconsistent with their
profession. Some held that for them all
bloodshed, whether as soldiers or executioners, was unlawful." Latourette, History of the Expansion of Christianity in the First Five
Centuries, Vol. 1, p. 268
(page 7)
"It is
generally thought that with the accession of Constantine to power, the Church
as a whole definitely gave up her anti-military leanings, abandoned all her
scruples, finally adopted her imperial point of view, and treated the ethical
problem involved as a closed question."
Cadoux, Early Church
and the World, pp. 588-589
(page 32)
"In 416
A.C., an order was decreed with the result that pagans were not admitted to the
Army. All the soldiers had become
Christians; or, in other words, all the Christians had, with few exceptions,
denied Christ." Tolstoy, The Law of Love and the Law of Violence, p. 65 (page 33)
Is it any
wonder that the stand of Christians today is so diversified? The early Christian view of war and military
service has been documented by historians.
A booklet by the same name ("Early Christian View of War and
Military Service") is free for the asking. Forty-two pages of quotes from twenty books, encyclopedias, and
periodicals. We’ve given you only
four. If your Christian beliefs require
you to object to war and participation in it, you will undoubtedly be
strengthened by the booklet.
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View of War and Military Service
____
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VOL. III NO. 13
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MILLENNIAL
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THE HIDDEN
MYSTERY
Paul says (Col
1:27) that this mystery which has been hid from ages and from generations, now
made manifest to his saints, is "Christ in you, the hope of
glory." This is the great mystery
of God which has been hidden from all previous ages, and is still hidden from
all except a special class—the saints, or consecrated believers. But what is meant by "Christ in
you?"
We have learned
that Jesus was anointed with the Holy Spirit (Ac 10:38), and thus we recognize
him to be the Christ—the anointed—for the word Christ means anointed. And the Apostle John says that the anointing
which we (consecrated believers) have received abideth in us. (1Joh 2:27)
Thus the saints of this Gospel age are an anointed company—anointed to
be kings and priests unto God (2Co 1:21; 1Pe 2:9); and together with Jesus,
their chief and Lord, they constitute Jehovah’s Anointed—the Christ.
In harmony with
this teaching of John, that we also are anointed, Paul assures us that this
mystery which has been kept secret in ages past, but which is now made known to
the saints, is that the Christ (the Anointed) is "not one member, but
many," just as the human body is one, has many members, but as all the
members of the body, being many, are one body, so also is the Anointed—the
Christ. (1Co 12:12-28) Jesus is anointed to be the Head or Lord
over the Church which is his body (or his bride, as expressed in another
figure—Eph 5:25-30), and unitedly they constitute the promised "Seed"
—the Great Deliverer: "If ye be Christ’s,
then are ye Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise." —Ga 3:29
The Apostle
carefully guards the Church against any presumptive claims, saying of Jesus
that "God hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head
over all things to the Church, which is his body," "that in all
things he might have the pre-eminence."
(Eph 1:22; Col 1:18) Yet, under
the figure of the human body, he beautifully and forcibly shows our intimate
relationship. This same oneness Jesus
also taught, saying, "I am the vine, ye are the branches." —Joh 15:5
Our oneness
with the Lord Jesus, as members of the Christ, the anointed company, is well
illustrated by the figure of a pyramid.
The top-stone is a perfect pyramid of itself. Other stones may be built up under it, and, if in harmony with
all the characteristic lines of the top-stone, the whole mass will be a perfect
pyramid. How beautifully
(illustration
of the pyramid)
this
illustrates our position as members of "the Seed" —"the
Christ." Joined to and perfectly
in harmony with our Head, we, as living stones, are perfect; separated from
him, we are nothing.
Jesus, the
perfect one, has been highly exalted, and now we present ourselves to him that
we may be formed and shaped according to his example, and that we may be built
up as a building of God. In an ordinary
building there is no chief corner-stone; but in our building there is one chief
corner-stone, the "top-stone," as it is written: "Behold, I lay in Zion a chief
corner-stone, elect, precious" —"to whom coming as unto a living
stone ... ye also as lively [living] stones are built up a spiritual house, a
holy priesthood, to offer up sacrifices acceptable to God by Jesus
Christ." (1Pe 2:4-6) And very soon, we trust, the union between
Jesus, the "Head," and "the church, which is his body,"
will be complete.
Many blows and
much polishing must be endured. Much
transforming must be undergone, and much conforming to his example, under the
direction of the great Master-builder.
And in order to have the ability and ideality of the builder displayed
in us, we will need to see that we have no cross-grained will of our own to
oppose or thwart the accomplishment of his will in us; we must be very
child-like and humble—"clothed with humility; for God resisteth the proud
and giveth grace to the humble."
Let us humble ourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he
may exalt us in due time (1Pe 5:5, 6), as he has exalted our Head and
Forerunner. —Php 2:8, 9
This is indeed
a wonderful message, and, as we come to the Word of God to inquire concerning
our great high calling, we find the prophets all eloquent in proclaiming the
grace (favor or blessing) that is come unto us (1Pe 1:10); while types, and
parables, and hitherto dark sayings, now become luminous, shedding their light
on the "narrow way" in which the anointed (Christ) company is called
to run for the prize now disclosed to view.
This was truly a mystery never before thought of—that God intends to
raise up not only a deliverer, but a deliverer composed of many members. This is the "high calling" to
which the consecrated believers of the Gospel age are privileged to
attain. Jesus did not attempt to unfold
it to the disciples while natural men, but waited until at Pentecost they were
anointed—begotten to the new nature.
From Paul’s explanation we know that none but "new creatures"
can now appreciate or understand this high calling. He says: "We speak
the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom [plan] which God
ordained before the world unto our glory; which none of the princes [chief
ones] of this world knew; ... as it is written, "Eye hath not seen, nor
ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God
hath prepared for them that love him;’ but God hath revealed them unto us by
his spirit." —1Co 2:6-14
In his letter
to the Galatians, Paul opens up the entire mystery, and shows how the Abrahamic
covenant is to be fulfilled. He shows
that the Law given to Israel did not interfere with the original covenant (Gal
3:15-18), and that the seed of Abraham which is to bless all nations is
Christ. (Gal 3:16) Then, carrying out the idea already alluded
to, that the Christ includes all anointed of the Spirit, he says: "For as many of you as have been
baptized into Christ have put on Christ; ... and if ye be Christ’s then are ye
[together with Jesus] Abraham’s seed, and heirs, according to the promise"
made to Abraham. (Gal 3:27, 29) Following up the same line of reasoning, he
shows (Gal 4) that Abraham was a type of Jehovah,
Sarah a type of the covenant or promise, and Isaac a type of Christ (head and
body); and then adds, "We, brethren, as Isaac was, are the children of
promise." (Gal 4:28) Thus the plan of God was hidden in types
until the Gospel age began the development of the Christ.
There has
existed a necessity for keeping this mystery hidden, else it would not have
been so kept. It was necessary, because
to have revealed the plan in full to mankind would have been to frustrate
it. Had men known, they would not have
crucified either the Lord of glory or the Church which is his body. (1Co 2:8)
Not only would the death of Christ, as the price of man’s redemption, have
been interfered with, had not the plan been kept a mystery from the world, but
the trial of the faith of the Church, as sharers in the sufferings of Christ,
would thereby have been prevented also; for "The world knoweth us not [as
his joint-heirs] because [for the same reason that] it knew him not."
—1Joh 3:1
Not only is the
plan of God, and the Christ which is the very embodiment of that plan, a great
mystery to the world, but the peculiar course in which this little flock is
called to walk marks its members as "peculiar people." It was a mystery to the world that a person
of so much ability as Jesus of Nazareth should spend his time and talent as he
did, whereas, if he had turned his attention to politics, law, merchandise, or
popular religion, he might have become great and respected. In the opinion of men he foolishly wasted
his life, and they said, "he hath a devil and is mad." His life and teachings were mysteries to
them. They could not understand him.
The apostles
and their companions were likewise mysteries in the world, in leaving their
business prospects, etc., to preach forgiveness of sins through the death of
the despised and crucified Jesus. Paul
forsook a high station and social influence to labor with his hands, and to
preach Christ, and the invisible crown for all believers who should walk in his
footsteps. This was so mysterious that
some said, "Paul, thou art beside thyself: much learning doth make thee mad." And all who so follow in the Master’s footsteps are, like Paul,
counted fools for Christ’s sake.
But God’s plan
will not always be shrouded in mystery:
the dawn of the Millennial Day brings the fuller light of God to men,
and "the knowledge of the Lord shall fill the whole earth." The Sun of Righteousness, which shall arise
with healing in his wings, dispelling the darkness of ignorance, is the Christ
in Millennial glory—not the Head alone, but also the members of his body; for
it is written: If we suffer with him,
we shall also be glorified together.
"When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall we also
appear with him in glory;" and "Then shall the righteous shine forth
as the sun in the kingdom of their Father." —Ro 8:17; 2Ti 2:11, 12; Col
3:4; Mt 13:43
This article has been excerpted from
Chapter Five, "The Hidden Mystery," of the book The Divine Plan of
the Ages. If you like this approach to
Bible study, you will also like the other chapters which discuss the following
topics: Ransom and Restitution, Why
Does God Permit Evil?, Our Lord’s Return, The Kingdom of God, the Kingdoms of
this World, etc., 16 chapters in all.
__________________________________
NOTICE TO
READER: The Divine Plan of the Ages
challenges traditional theology with an inspiring reasonableness. In a world searching for answers we highly
recommend its consideration. Why not
send for it? It’s free.
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VOL. III NO. 14
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Christ
isn’t coming soon.
He’s
present.
"Christ
will come soon."
"When
Christ comes again ..."
"Jesus is
returning—He’s on the way."
Is Christ
coming? Or is he already here?
What shall be
the sign of thy coming? (Mt 24:3) The Greek word translated "coming"
is parousia. It really means
"presence." Look it up in any
Greek-English dictionary. The
scriptures also define it for us.
________________________________________________________
Mt 24:37, Lk 17:26
But as the
days As it was in the days
of Noah
were, of Noah,
so shall
also so shall it be also
the
parousia in the days
of the Son of
man be of the Son of man.
________________________________________________________
The "days
of the Son of man" (Lk 17:26) refer to the time that Christ is
present. Therefore, Mt 24:37 should be
translated "presence of the Son of Man."
The Bible gives
many signs:
But these signs
do not show that Christ is coming. They show that Christ has returned!
________________________________________________________
Israel is
restored. Delinquency.
Mt 24:32, Jer
16: 13-18; 2Ti 3:2
Knowledge and
travel increase. Wars and war preparations intensify.
Dan 12:4; Joel
3:9-11
Evils are
exposed as never before. Men cry fearfully for peace.
Lk 12:2; 1Cor
4:5; 1Th 5:3; Lk 21:26
Men seek
pleasure; morality rots. Trouble everywhere.
2Tim 3:1-5, 13;
Mt 24:21, 22
_______________________________________________________
The scriptures
tell us that Christ is to be invisibly present, at first unrecognized, while
establishing his kingdom. This is the thought
of a thief in the night—working havoc while unseen. "The Day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the night. For when they shall say, Peace and safety;
then sudden destruction cometh upon them as travail upon a woman with child;
and they shall not escape." —1Th 5:2, 3
"Peace and
safety"
In 1907 a world
court was set up in Hague, Holland, to arbitrate international disputes. War was outlawed. "Peace and safety" was assured. Then World War I shook the world with an
impact unprecedented in history as a whole world order began to crumble. In 1938 Neville Chamberlain
"appeased" Hitler with half of Czechoslovakia, and returned to
England pronouncing "peace in our times." Soon the nations were embroiled in World War II. These pangs of travail, causing the fall of
this order will give birth to Christ’s kingdom just as he promised.
The prophet
Daniel, speaking of Gentile rule, said, "In the days of these kings shall
the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never be destroyed; ... it
shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand
forever." (Dan 2:44) In the last book of the Bible, Revelation,
this thought is continued. The seventh
angel sounded, great voices said "the kingdoms of this world are become
the kingdoms of our Lord ... We give thee thanks ... because thou hast taken to
thee thy great power, and hast reigned.
And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come." —Re 11:15-18
This is what we
see today. Nations ranging and angry,
their powers waning. For Christ as
returned King has assumed control to "dash them in pieces like a potter’s
vessel." —Ps 2:9
This world to
pass.
The Apostle
Peter said, "There shall come in the last days scoffers saying Where is
the promise (evidence) of his parousia (presence)? For all things continue as they were from the beginning of
creation." Everything seems to go
on as normal. But Peter continues,
"The Day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the
heavens shall pass away ... the earth also and the works that are therein shall
be burned up." —2Pe 3:10
Isn’t this
exactly what is happening? The great
ecclesiastical heavens, the established church systems, are passing away for
lack of support. The civil structures
of earth are being "burned up" by dissension, turmoil and war.
Christ’s weapon
is a powerful one, aptly suited for the work.
It is truth. Truth which
uncovers "the hidden things of darkness." (1Co 4:5) Religious,
scientific, humanitarian truth which brings to full view the intrigue and
practices upon which this order is built.
"The earth saw and trembled." —Ps 97:4
This truth is
causing oppressed peoples to cry for their rights. Chains of superstitious fear are being cast off from men’s
minds. This increase of truth is itself
a proof that Christ, as its source, must have returned. "For as the bright shining [sun] cometh
out of the east, and shineth even unto the west; so shall also the parousia
[presence] of the Son of man be." —Mt 24:27, Mal 4:2
Signs of the
times.
But what about
Christians? Are they not to be taken up
in a cloud when Jesus returns? The
disciples asked Jesus: "What shall
be the sign (evidence, proof) of thy parousia (presence)?" They would not have asked for a sign if they
believed all Christians would be taken up instantly—that would have been the obvious "sign" to the
Christian. And in response, Jesus
continued to emphasize the secretness of his parousia, presence: "As the days of Noah were, so shall
also the parousia (presence) of the Son of man be. For as they ...
knew not until the flood
came, so shall also the presence of the Son of man be." The point of comparison is that they
"knew not." (Matt. 24:38,
39) So Jesus instructed his followers
to watch for the signs
which prove Christ’s presence.
Rejoice at His
presence!
Christ as king
has returned not only to execute judgment upon the present order but to build
back the fallen dignity of man by restoring to him the life, dominion, and
perfection lost. "And he shall
send Jesus Christ, ... Whom the heaven must receive until the times of
restitution of all things." (Ac
3:21) "I will lay low the
haughtiness of the terrible. I will
make a man more precious than fine gold, even a man than the golden wedge of
Ophir." —Isa 13:11, 12
He is here,
Rejoice!
__________________________________
The Times
They are a Changin’.
"This
lifetime is different from all others, because of the astonishing expansion of
the scale and scope of change." Future Shock by Alvin Toffler, p. 17.
Statesmen,
writers, and religious enthusiasts have noticed something very peculiar about
our times. They are a changin’.
If you could
imagine a map of the world showing the effect of minor flareups, it would be in
marked contrast to what it was 100 years ago.
"A war in Viet Nam alters basic political alignments in Peking,
Moscow, and Washington, touches off protests in Stockholm, affects financial
transactions in Zurich, triggers secret diplomatic moves in Algiers." The history of nations has seen many notable
conflicts, but not until 1914 has any been labeled as a World War. Trouble is so bad nowadays it’s common to
hear reference to "over kill," the wiping out of the entire
population many times over.
People are
concerned. Prophecies are being
fulfilled before our very eyes. The
whole world is in a big mess. It’s
getting worse. If something isn’t done
no one will be saved. You know the
question, "What’s happening?"
The scriptures tell why.
Send for some
informative literature on Our Lord’s Return.
It may be just what you’re looking for.
Not printed with
AS funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
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4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send me
a free copy of: ____ " Our Lord’s Return"
____" Divine Plan of the Ages"
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VOL. III NO. 15
**********
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
20 Billion
Prisoners to be Released!
"The
spirit of the Lord God is upon me; because the LORD hath anointed me to preach
good tidings unto the meek; he hath sent me to bind up the brokenhearted, to
proclaim liberty to the captives, and the opening of the prison to them that
are bound;
"To
proclaim the acceptable year of the LORD, and the day of vengeance of our God;
to comfort all that mourn;
"To
appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the
oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness,
that they might be called the trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD,
that he might be glorified." —Isa 61:1-3
Scenes of
prisoners being released and returned to their loved ones bring tears to the
eyes. It is as though they have been
returned from the dead to the land of the living. For those that received their loved ones back it is a time of
joy. For those whose loved ones are not
to be found, it is a time for sorrow, as their last hope gives way.
The Scriptures
speak of the grave as being a great prison, a prison-house of death. In this vast prison are approximately 20
billion of Adam’s children. But the
very word prison implies that they are not extinct, and it is the divine power
and purpose to bring them forth. Job
expressed it.
"Thou
shalt call and I will answer thee." —Job 14:14, 15
Job’s hope was
that when the Lord would use his power to awaken him from the sleep of death he
would answer.
Our Lord Jesus
was the first of the prisoners to come back from the tomb. He went to hell, to sheol, to hades, to the
death-state, and came back by a resurrection.
As the apostle declares,
"God
raised him from the dead by his own power." —1Co 6:14
In the
resurrection of Jesus we have the assurance of the ability and willingness of
God to deliver all from sheol, hades, the tomb. (See Ac 17:31) The figure
of death as a prison-house, holding the whole world of mankind captive until
the resurrection release, is frequently set forth in the Bible. The dead are spoken of as "prisoners of
hope." —Zech 9:12
"I am he
that was dead; and behold I am alive forevermore, and have the keys of death
and hades" —the grave, the tomb, hell. —Re 1:18
The keys of the
great prison are in the hands of one who so loved the world as to give his life
as a ransom for theirs, "that God might be just and yet the justifier of
those who believe in Jesus."
Although the number of believers is small, the day is coming when all shall
know the Redeemer and the provisions and conditions of eternal salvation. As it is written,
"The
knowledge of the Lord shall fill the earth as the waters cover the deep;"
—Isa 11:9
"None
shall need say to his neighbor, know thou the Lord, because all shall know him
from the least to the greatest." —Jer 31:34
The keys of
death and the grave, which the Lord holds and is ready to use, symbolize his
rightful authority to control the dead and the dying. He is merely waiting the Father’s due time. (1Ti 2:6)
If the Lord had said "I have a crowbar" or a
"sledge-hammer," it would signify his violent opposition to the dying
and death-conditions. It would have
meant that he would have to use force to rescue the people. But the Scriptures say he holds the key, the
right, the authority. The heavenly
Father condemned the race to death. (Ge
2:17; 3:23) Our Lord Jesus in no sense
of the word intends to oppose the Father’s power and authority. The Bible declares that Jesus redeemed us by
paying the penalty against us and buying us with his own precious blood. By justice he has the authority to do with
the race as he wills. Thank God, he
wills their blessing and uplifting in accordance with the Father’s promise to
Abraham;
"In thy
seed shall all the families of the earth be blessed." (Ge 12:3)
It was to this
great prison that our Lord referred in his sermon on Isa 61. He would open the prison doors and set the
captives free. He made no effort to
release them at his first advent.
Why? Our Lord had a higher and
grander mission. Our Lord was in the
process of redeeming the world, purchasing all the prisoners and the prison
house with the view of eventually setting them free during the Millennial Age
by a resurrection of the dead (Joh 5:28) and then destroying the prison.
Until that key
is used, the prisoners remain in a condition of death, also known as
sleep. Solomon said, "There is no
wisdom nor knowledge nor device in the grave [sheol] whither thou goest." (Ec 9:10)
The idea of man suffering in fire and tortured for eternity dates back
to the "Dark Ages." The only
ones who had access to the scriptures were priests. The Bible was kept in Latin, so the unlearned could not
understand even if they did have a copy.
It was taught that good people went to the grave and bad people went to
hell. Even translations into the common
language made the same error. In
reality, both words hell and grave, when found in the old testament, came from
the same Hebrew word sheol. To keep the
support of the people, the clergy claimed to have power to send people to a
place of torment if they opposed the church.
People were ruled by fear.
Eternal torment
is far from
the scriptural
teaching
of God’s love.
When Israel
practiced the religions of neighboring nations, it was an abomination to
God. Why? The immoral behavior was surely one reason. Worshipping other gods was another
reason. Turning to Jeremiah 32:35 we
read of yet another reason:
"And they
built the high places of Baal, which are in the valley of the son of Hinnom, to
cause their sons and their daughters to pass through the fire unto Molech;
which I commanded them not, NEITHER CAME IT INTO MY MIND, THAT THEY SHOULD DO
THIS ABOMINATION, to cause Judah to sin."
In worshiping
Baal, the people were required to offer human sacrifices of their children
while they were yet alive! What kind of
standards does God have? Would He
condemn burning people alive and then turn around and do the same thing in the
name of justice? No! Causing such suffering was the product of
debased man. As far as the heavenly
Father was concerned it hadn’t even entered his mind to do such things.
Considering our
opening text, the Heavenly Father wishes to be glorified through the comforting
of those that mourn, by giving beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning,
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness, by binding up the
broken-hearted, proclaiming liberty to the captives and opening the prison to
them that are bound. —Isa 35:10, Re 21:3, 4
But what about
other scriptures concerning hell? Can
they be harmonized? Yes. We welcome those who would like a free copy
of "What Say the Scriptures Concerning Hell?" to send for it. It is a complete discussion of the subject,
treating every scripture using the word hell.
Some of the subheadings
Hell in the Old
Testament
Hell in the New
Testament
Christ in Hell
and resurrected from Hell
Undying worms
and quenchless fires
Parable of the
Rich Man and Lazarus
Everlasting
punishment
The Devil, the
Beast, and the False Prophet Tormented
Forgivable and
Unpardonable Sins
Future
retribution
____________________________
Have you ever
wondered ...
... Why a God of love permits innocent
people to suffer and why He doesn’t just stop it and do something? (Then you would appreciate chapter 7 on
"The Permission of Evil and its Relation to God’s Plan.")
... Why Jesus died over 1900 years ago and
people still suffer and die and sin?
(Then you would appreciate chapter 9 on "Ransom and
Restitution.")
... Why no nation has been able to establish
a lasting peace in over 6,000 years of earth’s history? (Then you would appreciate chapter 13 on
"The Kingdoms of this World.")
There are 16
chapters like these in the free book The Divine Plan of the Ages. Topically arranged, each chapter is complete
in itself with scriptures from the Old and New Testament treated in such a way
as to harmonize their message. If you
have become discouraged studying the Bible book by book, verse by verse, then
you will gain a blessing from this "key to the scriptures."
Not printed
with AS funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send
me:____ WHAT SAY THE SCRIPTURES CONCERNING HELL?
____
THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES
Name
_____________________________________________________________
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_________________________________________________________
VOL. III NO. 16
**********
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
The Return
of Elijah
"Behold, I
will send you Elijah, the Prophet, before the coming of the great and dreadful
day of the Lord. And he shall turn the
heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their
fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse." —Mal 4:5, 6
We have been
saying that Christ’s millennial kingdom is beginning. But some may doubt this possibility because of the above
scripture. Doesn’t Elijah the prophet
have to be sent by God first? What do
you believe about Elijah? Where should
we look for the promised Elijah? We
believe that no human being fills the picture and all the requirements of the
prophecy. The fulfillment must be found
on a much larger scale.
John the
forerunner of Jesus. First, we look back to our Lord’s first
advent, and find John the Baptist doing a work in the Jewish church,
introducing Jesus in the flesh. Jesus
said of John the Baptist, "This is the Elias, if ye can receive
it." (Mt 11:14) Our understanding is that the work of John
the Baptist at our Lord’s first advent was an illustration of the greater work
of the greater Elijah, whose ministry is to introduce the second advent of
Christ.
John the
Baptist served the purpose of Elijah to as many of the Jews as were
"Israelites indeed" —as many of them as could receive Jesus as the
Messiah. John’s work didn’t accomplish
all the great things predicted in Malachi of "Elijah, the
prophet." Still, there were some
similarities between John and the true antitypical Elijah. For instance, he failed to bring religious
unity and harmony in Israel—except for a few.
Most people didn’t listen to his message, and as a result, the judgment
of the Lord, a great time of trouble, came on that nation. This shows that the antitypical Elijah will
also fail to establish peace and harmony on earth. This age will end, as did the Jewish Age, with a time of trouble.
The Church in
the flesh is Elijah. Consider this: Jesus on earth, the Apostles and all the faithful of the Lord’s
people during their earthly careers are fulfilling the work ascribed to Elijah. They have been trying to bring
reconciliation between God and the people.
But as we look at the world we are surprised at how little has been
accomplished by the Lord’s faithful followers.
Their work has gathered the Elijah class and merely witnessed to the
remainder of the world. And this,
indeed, was all the Lord intended for this age.
"And this
gospel of the Kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all
nations; and then shall the end come." —Mt 24:14
It was not
prophesied that Elijah would succeed.
On the contrary, the statement that if he did not succeed a
"curse" would follow, implies the probability of that curse. John didn’t succeed. And a time of trouble came. Other scriptures, other prophecies, show us
clearly that the Lord foretold through the prophets that the great time of
trouble of our day would come. For
instance, the words of Zeph 3:8:
"Wait upon
me, saith the Lord, until I rise up to the prey, for my determination is to
gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine
indignation, even all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with
the fire of my jealousy"
—the fire of divine anger, the just
punishment for the wrong course taken by the nations of Christendom. This picture of the intensity of the trouble
with which this present age will end, and which will inaugurate the new age,
fully agrees with the text in Malachi.
If people wouldn’t listen to Elijah, a curse, a great trouble, would be
sent upon them by the Lord—only to teach them the lesson they would not learn
otherwise. The curse, the trouble, the
fire of that day, will yield blessed results.
Through the same prophet, Zephaniah (3:9), the Lord immediately adds:
"Then will
I turn to the people a pure language (a pure message) that they may all call
upon the name of the Lord, to serve Him with one consent."
Elijah in
prophecy. The New Testament shows—not directly, but
indirectly—that Elijah is a type of the Church, his experiences typifying our
experiences. For instance, he was
persecuted because of his fidelity to the Truth. The Church also experiences such persecution.
Elijah’s
principal persecutor was Jezebel, the wicked queen of Israel, who is mentioned
by name as the type of the enemy of the saints. (Re 2:20) As Jezebel’s
persecuting power was exercised through her husband, the king, so Papacy’s
persecuting power was exercised through the Roman Empire to which she was
joined. As Elijah fled from Jezebel
into the wilderness, where he was miraculously nourished by the Lord, so the
true Church was led symbolically into the wilderness of isolation but was
miraculously sustained by God and her life was not permitted to be entirely
destroyed. As Elijah was in the
wilderness 3 1/2 years—and during that time there was a drought and a great
famine—so the Church was for 3 1/2 symbolic days, or 1,260 literal years (from
539-1799) in the wilderness condition, during which time there was a spiritual
famine and thirst because of lack of truth.
As Elijah, at
the close of the 3 1/2 years, returned from the wilderness and exposed the
errors of Jezebel’s priests, so the true Church at the close of the 1,260 years
was able to witness to the truth again.
Since then, a great blessing has come to the world, and Bibles are
distributed at the rate of millions of copies every year.
King Ahab and
his people at first rejoiced that Elijah and his God were honored, but the
spirit of Jezebel remained unchanged.
She sought Elijah’s life again, and he was compelled to flee into the
wilderness again. The world does not
recognize the Lord’s hand in today’s blessings. The Jezebel principle and spirit, not only in Papacy, but also in
Protestantism, will doubtless continue if not increase its opposition to the
Lord’s true followers.
As Elijah’s
career ended by his being taken from the earth, so when the saints shall all
have been changed from earthly to heavenly conditions, this will be the end of
the Elijah class. Its work will have
been accomplished in its own development and in the witnessing it has done to
the world.
____________________________________
The Time Is
At Hand
For the first
time we are offering a sequel to the Bible study textbook, The Divine Plan of
the Ages. It picks up where the first
left off. Entitled The Time Is At Hand,
it deals primarily with time features and Bible Chronology. Note the subjects of its ten studies.
*
Special Times and Seasons Divinely
* Earth’s Great Jubilee Appointed
* The Parallel Dispensations
* Bible Chronology
* Elias Shall First Come
* The Fulfillment of Time-Prophecy at
* The Man of Sin-Antichrist
* The First Advent of Chris
* The Time is at Hand
* The Times of the Gentiles
* The Manner of our Lord’s Return and
Appearing
Within its 366
pages, you will find an aid to the understanding of time prophecies of the
Bible, showing our exact place in God’s plans. Written originally in 1889, it
will amaze you—pointing accurately to events such as World War I starting in
the fall of 1914. Scriptural,
historical, logical. Normally, a book
with such a wealth of material in a cloth-bound edition would cost $3 or $4 in
a bookstore, but we are making it available at the cost of printing, 75ó,
postage paid. If you don’t already have
the Divine Plan of the Ages, send for that, too. It’s free. We recommend
reading it first.
Not printed
with AS funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send
me:____ The Divine Plan of the Ages (FREE)
____
The Time is at Hand (75ó enclosed)
Name
_____________________________________________________________
Address
___________________________________________________________
Comments
_________________________________________________________
VOL. III NO. 17
**********
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
The Seed of
Blessing
God planned and
arranged for the salvation of mankind from sin even before disobedience plunged
the race into the dying condition. He
foreknow that Christ would die to redeem the race from their penalty of
death. This is why the Scriptures term
our Lord "the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world." —Re 13:8
But God’s plan
of salvation in its various features was not made known to man in its entirety,
at first. Rather, God gave general
promises to give them hope. A deliverer
would come—one who would ransom mankind from death by dying in their behalf.
The Seed of the
woman
The first of
these promises was given shortly after the act of disobedience had condemned
the human race to death. God said to
the serpent, representing Satan who spoke through it, "I will put enmity
between thee and the woman [Eve], and between thy seed and her seed; it shall
bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." (Ge 3:15)
The deceptive serpent had instigated the fall, so the promise to crush
his head—meaning death to Satan—gave hope that eventually the condemnation
itself would be lifted.
The deliverance
hinted by this promise was to come through the seed—the posterity—of the
woman. That is, some descendant would
secure redemption for them.
The Seed of
Abraham
But, for over
2,000 years, nothing more is recorded concerning that promise. The delay in time, God’s seeming neglect of
his promise, undoubtedly provided a test of faith for those seeking after the
ways of God. It was not until the time
of Abraham that the rudimentary promise began to take shape and form. To Abraham it was said:
"By myself
have I sworn, saith the Lord, ... that in blessing I will bless thee, and in
multiplying I will multiply thy seed as the stars of the heaven, and as the
sand which is upon the sea shore; and thy seed shall possess the gate of his
enemies; and in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed; because
thou hast obeyed my voice." —Ge 22: 16-18
Here the
promise stated precisely that the seed of Abraham would cause "all the
nations of earth" to be blessed—indicating that all would, by the
deliverance, be freed from the condemnation.
The promised
seed was not to include all of Abraham’s posterity. Ishmael, his first son (by a bondmaid), was not God’s
choice. Instead, Isaac was chosen to
carry the line of the promised deliverer; and after him Jacob, rather than
Esau. (Ge 26:1, 3; 27:36, 37) At the death of Jacob a change was made. All of his twelve sons were reckoned
co-inheritors of the blessing, but it was stated that the seed of deliverance
(Shiloh) would come through Judah. (Ge
49:10) The line was further narrowed
down when God promised, "I have made a covenant with my chosen, I have
sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up
thy throne to all generations."
(Ps 89:3, 4) Because of this
promise, it became known that the Messiah—the promised deliverer—would come of
David’s line. —Mt 22:42
Who is the
seed?
In Gal 3:16,
the Apostle Paul tells us exactly who that seed of deliverance was. "Now to Abraham and his seed were the
promises made. He saith not, And to
seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." Note:
Paul specifically states that not many seeds were promised—but one
seed. And that one seed he declares to
be Christ. Christ is to be the one to
bring the blessing to mankind. It is
he, as redeemer of the human race (paying the penalty of death that man might
be freed from it), who will restore to mankind the life which they forfeited by
disobedience. This is why Isa 9:6, in
prophecy, names Christ "The Everlasting Father [life-giver]" along
with many other titles. Paul states
that Christ is the "second Adam" to dispense life to the death-ridden
human race. "And so it is written,
The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening
[life-giving] spirit." —1Co 15:45, 22
When the value
of Christ’s sacrifice is used to release Adam and his race from condemnation,
the program for uplifting mankind from his fallen state will begin. Then the prophecies of the kingdom of God on
earth can be fulfilled, such as Isa. 35, Jer 31:34, and Mic 4:1-5.
Then our Lord’s prayer, "Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on
earth ..." will be realized.
The spiritual
seed
But before the
kingdom of God on earth begins to remove the curse of death, God is calling out
of the world a class of faithful ones to share with Jesus the privilege of
uplifting mankind.
This class, the
"church" of God mentioned in the Scriptures, had been in development
since the times of Christ. The process
of their trial and perfecting has been a long one, and the task to be done in
each member is extensive. It includes a
reformation and testing, a refinement of character, then a demonstration of its
purity. Each one of this class must be
fully proved in obedience and loyalty to the service of the living God. Even Jesus had his love and devotion proved
by experience. He "learned [or
proved] obedience by the things which he suffered." —Heb 5:8
As "... it
was fitting that He [God] ... should perfect by suffering the Prince Leader
..." ( Heb 2:10, Weymouth), so it is fitting that those to be
"joint-heirs" with Christ of the heavenly reward should likewise have
their character perfected by suffering. —Ro 8:17
Paul tells us
that those who do take up the cross of self-denial and sacrifice of earthly
treasures, as did Jesus, will be counted as "body members" of Christ,
part of the "seed" promised to Abraham to bless all the families of
the earth. "Ye are all children of
God by faith in Christ Jesus ... And if ye be Christ’s, then are ye Abraham’s
seed, and heirs according to the promise [given to Abraham]." (Gal 3:26, 29; 1Co 12:14. Also compare Ge 3:15; Ro 16:20) So then, the seed of blessing is one seed—Christ—but
composed of many members.
The natural
seed
The main
fulfillment of the promise to Abraham is to be by the spiritual
"seed" —Christ and his church.
But this does not void the promises made to the natural seed of Abraham. They are still to be used by God for a
special purpose as his earthly agency for dispensing Kingdom blessing to
mankind. This is the reason for the
gathering of Israel back to their land, as the time of the establishment of the
earthly kingdom draws near.
Paul tells us
that Israel "hath not obtained that which he seeketh for," —the chief
position of honor in the kingdom. (Ro
11:7) That will be occupied by the
spiritual seed, chosen largely from the Gentiles as the Jewish nation was
"blinded" to Messiah. But the
blindness will not be lasting. Paul
also assures us that after "the fulness [or full number] of the Gentiles
be come in" to complete the church of Christ, then "All Israel shall
be saved: ... there shall come ... the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodliness
from Jacob." (Ros 11:26) God will recognize as his people only those
who will exercise faith in his purposes.
Regarding God’s dealings with Israel to restore their sight of faith,
see Ezel 20:33-38 and Zech 12:9-10.
After natural
Israel has been instructed in the ways of the Lord, those of faith will bring
the joys of the kingdom to those of mankind who will accept them. It will be a manner of proselyting—not to
form or ceremony, but to heart willingness to serve the God who will have
opened the way of the kingdom.
The prophet
Zechariah said of this time: "And
it shall come to pass, that as ye were a curse among the heathen, ... Judah ...
and Israel ... ye shall be a blessing: ... ten men [representing mankind] ...
of the nations, even shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew [by
faith], saying, We will go with you:
for we have heard that God is with you." —Zec 8:13, 23
O the prospect!
Both the
spiritual and the natural phases of the seed of Abraham will serve in blessing
the nations of earth. These two aspects
were revealed in the promise that Abraham’s seed would be "as the stars of
heaven" —heavenly, and "as the sand of the seashore" —earthly. The Apostle Paul points out that the promise
to Abraham was "sure to all the seed" —to that which is of the Gospel
faith—the church class—and to that which is of the Law—the natural seed.
With the work
of blessing accomplished, what joy will then stir the hearts of mankind. Behind will be a never-to-be-forgotten
experience with sin. The memory of the
former conditions of depravity, of human sickness and frailty, will cause
mankind to rejoice in the blessings of health and respect. Heart appreciation of the tender goodness of
their loving God will endure.
The prospects
are marvelous. They are precious hopes
held out by God. The present troubles
are necessary for the dissolution of the old order, but when at last, the
church, the seed of blessing, is completed, the establishment of the longed-for
kingdom will quickly ensue.
"For we
know that the whole creation groans together and travails in pain together till
the present time. Indeed, the earnest
expectation of the creation longs for the revelation of the sons of God [the
church class] ... in hope that even the creation itself will be emancipated
from the slavery of corruption." —Ro 8:22, 19, 21, Wilson’s Diaglott
____________________________
O The Prospect!
Close your eyes
for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow that ye
prevail on account of sin, and picture before your mental vision the glory of
the perfect earth. Not a stain of sin
mars the harmony and peace of a perfect society; not a bitter thought, not an
unkind look or word; love, welling up from every heart, meets a kindred
response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act. There sickness shall be no more; not an ache
nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay—not even the fear of such things. Think of all the pictures of comparative
health and beauty of human form and feature that you have ever seen, and know
that perfect humanity will be of still surpassing loveliness. The inward purity and mental and moral
perfection will stamp and glorify every radiant countenance. Such will earth’s society be; and weeping
bereaved ones will have their tears all wiped away, when thus they realize the
resurrection work complete. —Re 21:4
(pp. 191-192,
Divine Plan of the Ages)
The Divine Plan
of the Ages traces the Bible evidence for such a prospect. Hope that is built on the word of God will
not be disappointed. Topically
arranged, and citing scriptures from the Old and New Testaments, you’ll find it
to be an invaluable aid to understanding the Bible.
Not printed
with AS funds
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
____ Please send me a free copy of The
Divine Plan of the Ages
Name
_____________________________________________________________
Address
___________________________________________________________
Comments
_________________________________________________________
VOL. III NO. 18
**********
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Baptism—what’s
it all about?
Baptism. Some claim it is absolutely essential. Others, in years past, made it a crime
punishable by death! Some feel baptism is
"sprinkling" —others disagree.
To some, it is an unnecessary ritual.
Others view it as the very entrance to "salvation."
And there is
more to consider than just water baptism.
A nation, a city, the church, repenters, Christians—these have all been
baptized; not just with water, but with a cloud and sea, fire, Holy Spirit, and
death.
What really is
baptism?
One thing baptism
always is: immersion. In fact, the word came from the Greek
baptizo, which means to dip, or immerse completely. It was used to describe the dying of garments. If you want to dye a garment all one color,
you don’t put it part way in the dye.
Baptism is not part way. It is
immersion.
Paul mentioned
an example of baptism from the Old Testament.
At the time of Israel’s exodus from Egypt, God appointed Moses as the
leader of the nation of Israel to secure their deliverance from Egypt. The nation had to submit its will, its
obedience, to Moses’ direction—because God was directing Israel through
Moses. This "immersion" into
Moses included immersion into all the dictates of God which came through Moses. (That’s why Moses received the Law on Mt.
Sinai—then brought it down to Israel.)
When Israel
passed through the Red Sea—water on each side with a cloud overhead—they were
completely immersed in water. This,
Paul said, was a picture of their immersion into Moses: "... and were all baptized unto Moses
in the cloud and in the sea." —1Co 10:2
But note: their subjection to Moses was the real
immersion—the real baptism. (Ex
24:3) The water baptism in the cloud
and the sea was but a symbol of the real baptism into Moses.
John the
Baptist
John the
Baptist realized that in his day many of the Jewish people had strayed from
keeping God’s Law. Knowing that Christ
was soon to come, he saw it as his mission to prepare the people for their
Messiah. (Joh 1:22, 23) He called the Jews to repent of their sin,
and to turn their hearts back to God.
When someone repented, John baptized him with water as a symbol of his
heart repentance and immersion back "into Moses" —back into God’s
direction and Law. That’s why John had
only rebuke for the hypocritical Pharisees who came to hear John: "O generation of vipers, who hath
warned you to flee from the wrath to come?
Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance." —Mt 3:7, 8
The Christian
Baptism
Shortly after
this, Jesus also came to John to be baptized.
Yet Jesus was perfect. Since he
had always been perfectly obedient to the Father, he had no sins to repent
of. He was "holy, harmless,
undefiled, separate from sinners."
(Heb 7:26) So His baptism must
have been for a different reason than repentance. It was a symbol of the consecration of his all—his will, mind,
heart and strength—to a sacrificial death in harmony with God’s will. His immersion into water pictured his burial
into death. But he did not actually
finish the real death baptism until he expired on the cross. That is why he said shortly before his
death, "I have a baptism to be baptized with, and how am I straitened [in
difficulty] till it be accomplished!" —Lk 12:50
And this is the
baptism offered to each who would truly be his disciple. He asks:
"Are ye able to drink of the cup that I shall drink of, and to be
baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with?" —Mt 20:22, 23
Paul comments
on this in Ro 6. "Know ye not,
that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into his
death? Therefore we are buried with him
by baptism into death ..." ( Ro 6:3, 4)
It is not the purpose of Christians—those who have determined to do the Lord’s
will—to "enjoy life to the full" in temporal prosperity. The Christian has no guarantee from the Lord
of good health, good income, or any other temporal blessing as a reward for
faithfulness. True, such a promise was
given ancient Israel. (De 28:5) But the pattern set by our Lord for
Christians is one of sacrificial death, a day-by-day laying down of life and
possessions in eager service to the Lord and to our brethren here. "For if we have been planted together
in the likeness of his death, we shall be also in the likeness of his resurrection."
—Ro 6:5
Jesus, speaking
of himself, said: "Except a corn
of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much
fruit." (Joh 12:24) And, following the example of the master,
each of his disciples must also be planted in death, that when raised spirit
beings and united to Christ as his bride, the world of mankind might receive
life back under a new, and far grander "Adam and Eve." "The first man Adam was made a living
soul; the last Adam a quickening [life-giving] spirit ... The first man is of
the earth, earthly: the second man is
the Lord from heaven." —1Co 15:45-47, Re 21:2-4
And, just as
Jesus saw fit to symbolize his consecration by water immersion, so that symbol
is still appropriate for Christ’s followers.
(Mt 28:19, Ac 19:4, 5)
With the Holy
Spirit and with fire
John the
Baptist had said that there would come one after him who would "baptize
you with the Holy Spirit and with fire."
(Mt 3:11) Those who cried
"crucify him, crucify him—his blood be upon us and on our children," received
the baptism of fire—destruction—as the Roman armies under Titus a few years
later ravaged Jerusalem and slaughtered the inhabitants in what is recorded as
one of the most bloody and devastating campaigns in history. As Jesus had warned, retribution came upon
them for "all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, ... from Abel unto
... Zacharius." —Mt 23:15
But the baptism
of the Holy Spirit was given on the day of pentecost, 50 days after the
resurrection of Jesus, to those who humbly accepted Christ as the Promised
Messiah. This anointing of the body of
Christ with the Holy Spirit took place only once. Since that time, each one who becomes a member of that body of Christ
receives the benefits of that one anointing.
Just as in Israel’s tabernacle arrangement the High Priest was anointed
once with precious oil which then ran down his garments, so the anointing of
the Holy Spirit flows to each body member of Christ. (Ps 133) It is God’s
power, his spirit, working as a comforter, instructor, and helper in the
Christian’s way. The world generally is
without this direction, but God has said that a time will come when he will
have
His spirit
poured upon all flesh.
When God’s work
of selecting a bride for Christ has been completed, then the time will come for
God to turn to all mankind the blessings of life and help of his Holy
Spirit. (Joel 2:28, Eze 39:29) Then not only Jesus, but "The Spirit
and the bride say, Come. And let him
that heareth say, Come. And let him
that is athirst come. And whosoever
will, let him take the water of life freely." (Re 22:17) Then all of
God’s intelligent creation will rejoice in harmony. Each one will find himself immersed in a desire to be pleasing to
their creator, for then God will show man "The exceeding riches of his
grace." —Joh 3:16, Eph. 2:7
________________________________
If you are
God’s ...
... you have placed God above all. Only those who do this may enjoy a vital
relationship with him. You must love
the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind—nothing less will meet
with His approval. (Mt 22:37) This is your first and foremost duty—God
above all! This is not easy. It never was. Through the ages, the world, the flesh and the devil have
conspired against such singular devotion.
They are still
against the faithful. You will be
marked as an extremist if you insist on weeding out tradition, errors and human
philosophies from your worship of the true and living God. Quickly you will be told that nobody really
knows what the Bible teaches and you are better off accepting what the clergy
presents, since they should know best.
Many believe that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you do
good and live decently—that’s all that counts.
If you are like most people, you will succumb to these arguments and
conform.
But you won’t
if you are God’s! They that worship Him
must worship Him in Spirit and in truth."
(Joh 4:24) Adoring worship is
not enough. You must worship in
"spirit and in truth." God is
not interested in any other form of worship.
Men have said that nobody can really know God’s truth and God’s plan of
the ages, but God promises to open to those who sincerely "knock."
"He that
cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him." —Heb 11:6
If you are
God’s you have placed God above all.
If you would
like the booklet, "If You Are God’s," simply send us the coupon
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VOL. III NO. 19
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MILLENNIAL
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Who is the
Man of Sin?
"Let no
man deceive you by any means; for that day shall not come, except there come a
falling away first, and that man of sin be revealed, the son of
perdition."—2Th 2:3
The Apostle
Paul shows that "The Man of Sin" must precede the coming of the day
of the Lord. If this Man of Sin has not
come, then it would veto our claim that we are now living in the Millennial
Morning, the time of our Lord’s presence and the setting up of His Kingdom.
The Man of
Sin. Has he or has he not yet come?
The early
church looked for Christ’s return with joyful anticipation as the fruition of
their hopes and the end of their sorrows.
Consequently, they were interested in any teaching which claimed that
the Day of the Lord was either very near or present. The Church at Thessalonica was impressed with the erroneous
teaching of some to the effect that the Lord had already returned, and that
they were then living in his day, evidently supposing that it was in harmony
with what they had been taught:
"For
yourselves know perfectly that the day of the Lord so cometh as a thief in the
night." — 1Th 5:2
They properly
felt that others would not know of the Day, while the faithful would. They wrongly supposed that the Day of the
Lord’s presence had already begun. Paul
wrote them a second epistle, the central thought of which was the correction of
this error.
"But we
entreat you, brethren, concerning the coming of the Lord Jesus Christ, and our
assembling to him, that you be not quickly agitated in mind, nor alarmed,
neither by a spirit, nor by a discourse nor by a letter as from us, as though
the day of the Lord was present. Let no
one delude you by any means, because the apostacy must come first, and there
must be revealed that , MAN OF SIN, that SON OF DESTRUCTION, the OPPONENT, who
indeed lifts himself above everything called divinity or majesty; so as to seat
himself in the temple of God, exhibiting himself that he is a God. Do you not remember that while I was with
you, I said these things to you? and now you know what restrains, in order to
his being revealed in his own season.
For the SECRET of LAWLESSNESS is already working, till only the one
restraining for the present shall be out of the way; and then will be revealed
the LAWLESS ONE; whom the Lord Jesus will consume with the breath [spirit] of
his mouth and annihilate by the appearing of his presence." —2Th 2:1-8
(Diaglott)
It is
interesting that the argument Paul used was not the one used by some today
against the claim that the day of the Lord has begun. He didn’t say, O foolish Thessalonians, do you not know that when
Christ comes, every eye shall see him and your ears shall hear the dreadful
sound of the trump of God? Do you now
know that when he comes, there will be Christians disappearing left and right
and tombs opening and saints raising, and that I would be taken at that moment?
If such an
argument were valid, Paul would have used it, since it is so easily grasped and
so simple to follow. Isn’t the fact
that he didn’t, a proof that such an argument could not be founded on
truth? Paul offered but one objection
to their claim, endorsing as correct their general ideas of the Day of the
Lord—that it could be commenced while many would be in ignorance of it, and
that it could come without outward demonstration to mark it. The only ground of his objection was that
there must FIRST come a falling away and the development of the Man of Sin.
The character
of the Man of Sin is described by the titles given it by the inspired
writers. Paul calls it "that
Wicked One," "The Man of Sin," "The Mystery of
Iniquity." "The Antichrist." and "The Son of
Perdition." Daniel calls it
"The Abomination that maketh desolate." (Da 11:31; 12:11) Our
Lord refers to it as "The Abomination of Desolation, spoken of by Daniel
the prophet" (Mt 24:15), and again as a "Beast" (Re 13:1-8),
John also warned the Church, "Ye have heard that Antichrist shall
come." He then advises how to
escape Antichrist’s influence. —1Joh 2:18-27
The various
descriptions indicate a subtle, hypocritical and deceptive character developed
in the midst of the Christian Church.
Creeping in slowly at first, rising in power and influence until
reaching the very pinnacle of earthly power, wealth, and glory, it would at the
same time exert influence against the truth, against the saints, and against
the authority and power of God.
We discuss
principles,
doctrines,
always,
individuals,
NEVER
This Man of Sin
does not apply to any individual, but rather to a system. Just as THE Christ constitutes both the Lord
and the true Church, so Antichrist is a counterfeit system consisting of a
false lord and an apostate church. This
apostasy is permitted to misrepresent the truth, to practice deceit and to
counterfeit the authority and future reign of the true Lord and His
Church. This system is permitted to
intoxicate the nations with false claims and assumptions.
The apostasy
was recognized as having an influence at the very beginning of the church’s
history (2Th 2:7), but was limited by the stronger influence of the
Apostles. After their death, there was
nothing to stop Antichrist’s growing influence from misdirecting the course of
Christianity. For this to continue
until the return of Christ would mean covering a period of nearly 1900
years. For a man to literally fulfill
this requirement would be impossible.
The system which fully answers the description given by inspiration must
be professedly Christian, and must contain a large majority of those who claim
to be Christians.
There is a
system which fits all the requirements perfectly—one whose record, whether
written by secular historians or its own servants, agrees exactly with the
prophetic delineations of Antichrist.
But when we say that this system is Papacy, don’t misunderstand us to
mean that every Roman Catholic is a man of sin; nor the priests; nor the popes. No MAN is the Antichrist. Popes, bishops, and others are at most only
parts of the Antichrist system.
And the Church
of Rome as an ecclesiastical system ALONE is not the "Man of
Sin." On the contrary, a woman is
always used as a symbol of a church separate from its head and lord. The true Church is pictured as a
"chaste virgin," while the apostate church, fallen away from its
primitive purity and fidelity to the Lord is symbolically called a
"harlot." The true Church
continues to be a chaste virgin until the end of the age, when she is to be
united to her Lord and take His name—Christ.
Likewise, the apostate church was not the Antichrist or Man of Sin until
she united with her lord and head, the pope, the claimed vicegerent of Christ,
and became a religious empire, falsely named Christendom—which signifies
Christ’s kingdom.
The history of
Antichrist
The name
"Antichrist" has a twofold meaning.
First, it means against (i.e., in opposition to) Christ; secondly it
means instead (i.e., a counterfeit) of Christ.
It is the second meaning of "Antichrist" that we feel
describes the false system best, for the scriptural authority to govern the
people was taken from Christ’s Kingdom and prematurely applied.
The thought
that Papacy is Antichrist is not new, although few continue to proclaim this
today. Quoting from McClintock &
Strong, Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological and Ecclesiastical Literature,
Volume 1, page 258, paragraph 4:
"The Hussites followed the Waldenses in this theory of Antichrist,
applying it to the papal system. So did
Wycliffe and his followers ... As early as 1520 Luther began to doubt whether
the pope were not Antichrist ... In the Reformation era the opinion that the
papal system is Antichrist was generally adopted. ..."
The fact that
this view is not wide-spread today is no proof that the names of the Man of
Sin, the Antichrist, were not properly applied. It will be remembered that history clearly marks the period of
Papal power not as a period of enlightenment, as would be expected from the
influence of Christ, but rather it was called the "Dark Ages." During Papacy’s reign of 1,000 years
(799-1799), Christians were persecuted for trying to understand God’s
Word. Possession of a Bible was cause
for death. Only priests could interpret
scripture. Bibles were written in Latin
as an effort to discourage outsiders from the benefit of the Word. Yet, it wasn’t these evils which labeled
Papacy as the Antichrist as much as their claim to be Christ’s Kingdom and
carrying out such evils under the claim of Divine authority.
The careful
student will note four periods, more or less distinctly marked, in the
development and exaltation of Antichrist, and the same number marking its fall.
ANTICHRIST’S
DEVELOPMENT:
1.A.D. 50—In
Paul’s day a beginning of the secret working of iniquity was started.
2.A.D.
300-494—Gradually, Papacy, the Man of Sin, was organized as a hierarchy; i.e.,
the church came to an organized condition, and the popes came to be recognized
as the head, representing Christ, reigning in the church and over nations.
3.A.D. 539—The
time when the popes began to exercise civil authority and power.
4.A.D. 800—The
time of exaltation, when the Holy Roman Empire was formed, and the pope,
crowning Charlemagne emperor, was recognized as King of Kings, Emperor of
Emperors, another God on earth.
ANTICHRIST’S
FALL:
1.A.D. 1400—The
period of the Reformation, beginning in the writings of Wycliffe—followed by
Huss, Luther and others.
2.A.D.
1800-1806—The period of Napoleon’s success, the degradation of the popes, and
the casting aside finally of the title "Emperor of the Holy Roman
Empire," by Francis II.
3.A.D. 1870—The
final rejection of the pope as ruler over Rome and the so-called Papal States
of Italy, which deprived Antichrist of civil authority.
4.The final
extinction of this counterfeit hierarchy is near the close of the "Day of
Wrath" and judgment already begun.
This fourth phase of Antichrist’s fall will be as a result of Christ’s
second advent.
"Then will
be revealed the lawless one, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of his
mouth and annihilate by the appearing of his presence." —2Th 2:8
Even now
Antichrist is seeking cooperation with Protestant and civil systems, struggling
for power with temporary success. But
the system will be consumed by the dissident peoples she desires to rule.
"Rejoice
over her, heaven, and holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on
her. And a mighty angel took up a stone
like a great millstone, and cast it into the sea (anarchy, restless masses),
saying, Thus with violence shall that great city Babylon be thrown down, and
shall be found no more at all." —Re 18:20, 21
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MILLENNIAL
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The Jubilee
trump is sounding.
What on
earth does that mean?
It means: women’s lib / civil rights / anti-war
protests / anti-discrimination laws / Indian uprisings / concern for ecology /
welfare reform / consumer protection / new nations demanding independence /
Israel’s restoration.
What is a
Jubilee?
In the Old
Testament, a provision was set up in Israel called a Jubilee. Every 50th year, the trumpet of Jubilee was
blown throughout the land, proclaiming liberty to the inhabitants, and
returning to each man that which was legally his. If a man was sold as a slave, he had to be freed in the Jubilee
year. If he sold his land to pay a
debt, it was returned to him or his heirs in the Jubilee year.
"And ye
shall hallow the fiftieth year, and proclaim liberty throughout all the land
unto all the inhabitants thereof; it shall be a jubilee unto you; and he shall
return every man unto his possession, and ye shall return every man unto his
family ..."— Le 25:10
It was a happy
time for those who had their freedom coming, but not for those who didn’t want
to give it back to them.
People today
are becoming enlightened to their rights as human beings. Anything less is simply unacceptable. The process of the Jubilee is already
affecting everybody. It is balancing
the scales of Justice. It is returning
dignity to the poor. It is humbling the
proud and those who have had everything in their favor. Nothing can slow the momentum. Truth, the weapon of God, is forcing
reform. Those who have much to lose
begrudge the revealment of their dishonest practices, but "there is
nothing covered, that shall not be known." —Mt 10:26
The Jubilee
now.
How do we know?
"Verily I
say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one title shall in no wise
pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." — Mt 5:18
Much of the law
was recorded in great detail. The
Apostle Paul gave the reason for this diligence in He 10:1 and Col 2:17. The law typified or foreshadowed "good
things to come." Jesus assured us
that these "good things to come" would have a fulfillment. In all the Jewish ceremonies God caused no
type to be made which would prove meaningless or pass away unfulfilled. We have the examples of the Passover Lamb
which was slain when Israel was yet in Egypt.
It was the firstborn of each family who were protected by its blood, and
in turn, the whole nation was blessed by being released from Pharaoh’s
bondage. Jesus, the "Lamb of
God," slain on the exact day the passover lamb was slain, fulfilled the
type. "Christ our passover is
sacrificed for us," the followers of Christ, the church of the
firstborn. (1Co 5:7, 8; Heb 12:23) And soon the whole world will be blessed by
being released from the bondage of Satan.
The type of the Passover lamb continued until the antitype, Christ’s
death.
The Jubilee was
an important part of the law. Its
features, too, were to have an antitype beginning when the type ended. According to the Scriptures, the last year
in which Israel was able to keep the Jubilee was 626 B.C. Shortly thereafter, Babylon took control of
the people and the land for 70 years, ending their independence. This voided further opportunity of keeping
the typical Jubilee. Because God, in
His foreknowledge, allowed the Jubilee type to cease at that time, we look
there for a beginning of the antitype, or fulfillment.
The Jubilees
were reckoned by a system of counting by multiples. A grand Jubilee of Jubilees, or 50 times 50 years (2500)
constitutes a Grand Jubilee cycle. This
grand cycle was due to begin when the type passed away in the fall of 626
B.C.* Counting from that date, the last
or 2500th year begins in the fall of 1874 A.D.
(This is a very
brief, simplified explanation of the antitypical Jubilee calculations. There are two methods of calculating. Both point to the same date. In addition, the date 1874 is established by
Bible chronology, independent of the Jubilee picture. Bible chronology is discussed in the book, The Time is at Hand.)
*When the
chronology is calculated by approximating to the beginning of the nearest whole year, the date
625 B.C. is used.
1874?
1874 has come
and gone. What was significant about
it? Looking around, many aspects of our
normal way of life were not known 100 years ago. This wasn’t true of every century. History documents that this past century has outdistanced any
other like period in its growth of knowledge and rate of change. Many of these changes are remarkably like
the provisions of the Jubilee, returning to man freedom dignity, and refreshment.
Women’s Rights:
In 1874, Carry Nation, usually associated with the temperance movement,
proclaimed that women should have an equal status with men. She wanted women to be able to vote, own property,
and end discrimination in divorce laws.
In 1878, Elizabeth Cady Stanton urged her cause before the Senate
Committee on Privileges and Elections.
Supporting the women’s suffrage movements were Lucy Stone and Susan B.
Anthony. The Knights of Labor, in 1878,
declared equal pay for equal work with no discrimination because of sex. Women have come a long way.
Welfare:
In 1593, England established that the state had a responsibility to the
support of its poor. Bavaria recognized
this in 1865. But it was not until the
1870’s, 80’s and 90’s that real action was taken to protect the poor, the
fatherless, and the widow. In 1880,
several private societies were operating summer homes for children. During the second half of the 19th century,
even animals were considered, with the establishment of the American Society
for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals.
In 1879, the American printing House for the Blind was recognized by an
annual Federal grant of assistance. Man
was becoming aware of the needs of his fellow human. For 6,000 years, so little was done; and now, within the last
100, social security, medical aid, and disability pay (or their equivalent in
foreign lands) have helped feed and clothe the poor and aged.
Consumer
protection: Legal protection of the consumer commenced
with the adopting of truth-in-labeling laws.
Pure food laws were the result of the cries of consumers who were moved
by writers like Upton Sinclair. In
1906, his book, The Jungle, depicted the miserable conditions in meatpacking
plants, the horrible working conditions, the lack of sanitation standards and
the processing of contaminated foods.
"And I
will punish the world for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I
will cause the arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the
haughtiness of the terrible, I will make a man more precious than fine
gold." — Isa 13:11, 12
The interests
of the consumer are becoming more important than the pocketbooks of the
producers. Man, more precious than
gold.
Education:
The international hunger for better education led to compulsory education. In 1874, the Kalamazoo Decision included
high schools in the public school system.
Higher education was now available to a larger number of people, poor as
well as wealthy. The blind were helped
by the use of Braille in America in 1878.
Education for all, even the blind.
Communications:
In the days of the typical Jubilees, it took time for news to travel
throughout the land. But since the
beginning of Earth’s Great Jubilee, skill in communications has skyrocketed. In 1875, Bell invented the telephone. In 1874, Christopher Latham Sholes brought
out the first practical typewriter.
While moveable type was invented nearly 400 years earlier, the invention
of the Linotype in 1886 by Ottmar Mergenthaler drastically shortened
composition time. In 1886 Fredric Ives
invented the process of making half-tone photo engravings. In 1880, wood pulp largely displaced rag for
the manufacture of paper, which brought the cost of paper down considerably. Printing, photography and voice
communications have been the prime channels for the spread of ideas and
truth. Think of the increase since
1874! And for the previous centuries,
comparatively little advancement.
Ecology:
The increase in pollution was beginning to be noticed in the late
1800’s. In 1877, periodicals like
"The Sanitarian" advertised plumbing supplies, calling the attention
of its readers to the dangers of careless sewage disposal. In 1870, New York was already receiving
complaints about the garbage in the ocean, because it was ending up on the
beaches. The Refuse Act of 1899,
legally restricted pollution of rivers with heavy penalties for offenders. (Its enforcement was unfortunately ignored.)
Religion:
In 1878, Pope Leo XIII took office and under his administration opened
the secret Vatican archives to the scholars of the world. Many groups splintered away from large
denominations. Independent Bible study
classes formed across the country and the world. To aid them were Strong’s Concordance (1890), the Revised
Standard Version (1881), Smith’s Bible Dictionary (1884), and McClintock and
Strong’s Cyclopedia of Biblical, Theological, and Ecclesiastical Literature
(1867-1881). Since that time, thousands
of aids have been made available to the student of the Bible so that they may
arrive at a better understanding of God’s Word.
Israel:
In 1878, the people of Israel were given the opportunity to return to
their homeland. This event also had a
small beginning, but has increased until Palestine is now the homeland of the
nation of Israel. What better
manifestation of the Great Jubilee of Jubilees than to begin it with the
restoration of the nation of Israel!
God said He would gather them from every land where he had scattered
them, to bring them again to their land (Eze 20:34; Jer 32:37) The Jubilee was to return every man unto his
possession and every man unto his family.
The sounding of the Trump of Jubilee has clearly affected Israel.
Unlike the
typical Jubilee which lasted but one year, every 50 years, the Jubilee of
Jubilees is to be grander, lasting 1,000 years. It is the time for Christ’s kingdom to take the place of the old
system. The Jubilee was a time for
restoring. The Apostle in Ac 3:19-21
associated the return of Christ with the restitution of all things as spoken of
by all the Lord’s holy prophets since the world began. While in the typical Jubilee year, many
restored liberties and blessings were gotten at once, probably most of the year
was required to straighten out affairs and get each one fully installed in all
his former liberties, rights and possessions.
The antitype, the Millennial Age of Restitution, opens with sweeping
reforms and with the recognition of rights, liberties and possessions long lost
sight of; but the work of completely restoring all that was originally lost
will require all of that age of restitution—a thousand years.
________________________________
Our Lord’s
Return
The parousia of
our Lord Jesus Christ and his subsequent Apokalupsis and Epiphania at his
second advent are discussed in this free booklet. The following subheadings can give you an idea of the
thoroughness and benefit of this booklet.
For what are we watching?; How are we to watch?; Parousia vs. Epiphania
and Apokalupsis; The time of the Parousia; What are the proofs of his presence?;
"In the days of these kings"; Typical Israel’s experiences were
prophetic; The Jubilee prophecy; The Days of Waiting are fulfilled; Behold the
Bridegroom; Parousia in the New Testament; Presence gradually fulfilled; The
Kingdom of heaven cometh not with observation; That which is born of the spirit
is spirit; We shall be like him, for we shall see him as he is; They knew not
the time of their visitation; The dead in Christ shall rise first; They without
us shall not be made perfect; Every eye shall see him.
Not printed
with AS funds
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VOL. III NO. 21
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Are you
ready for the
Judgment
Day?
"God hath
appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in
righteousness." (Ac 17:31) Righteousness? The whole world is ready.
What the world needs now is righteousness. But judgment? Who’s ready
for God’s judgment? What’s going to
happen? When is it? I’m not so sure I’m ready ...
Aren’t heaven
and earth
supposed to
pass away?
Well, the
Apostle Peter spoke of a judgment day at the time of the flood. He said that the heavens and earth of that
time passed away. "The world that
then was, being overflowed with water, perished." (2Pe 3:6)
Yet the literal "heavens" and literal "earth" remain
to this day. So he must have been
speaking of the symbolic heavens and earth—that is, the whole social order of
men on earth, under religious powers.
These symbols
were not first used by Peter. The Old
Testament prophets, in declaring destruction to come on cities and nations of
their times, often used these same symbols of "heavens" and
"earth" when speaking of their society. (See Hag 2:6, 21; Joel 3:16; Isa 13:13.)
And this is
what Peter meant when he said, "But the heavens and the earth which are
now," are reserved for fire—destruction—in the Day of Judgment. Not the literal heavens and the literal
earth, but the earthly, social order of man, and the ecclesiastical heavens—the
church systems falsely claiming to represent the Kingdom of Christ.
Is the Judgment
Day
only a day?
Peter said,
then, that this present order of society would end in the Day of Judgment. He also called it "The Day of the
Lord," coming "as a thief in the night, in the which the heavens
shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent
heat." Ps 97 prophesies this same
"day."
"The Lord
reigneth, let the earth rejoice ... clouds and darkness are round about
him: righteousness and judgment are the
habitation of his throne ... The hills melted like wax at the presence of the
Lord." —Ps 97:1-5
Notice: Judgment and destruction all around—yet the
declaration is, "Let the earth rejoice!" A strange time indeed to rejoice—when society is falling
apart! Then why rejoice? Rejoice, because the Lord’s time has come to
right the wrongs of man and establish a kingdom of justice and righteousness.
"For he
cometh to judge the earth: with
righteousness shall he judge the world, and the people with equity." (Ps 98:9)
"The King’s strength also loveth judgment; thou dost establish
equity." —Ps 99:4
God has
promised that he would establish a kingdom on earth. Jesus taught his disciples to pray for that kingdom. It is to be a kingdom founded upon true
justice. It will be for the blessing of
all mankind, just as God promised Abraham.
(Ge 22:18) It will be entirely
different from man’s arrangements of the present order, which are motivated by
selfishness and greed.
But just as a
builder must first clear the site before construction, so Christ, seeing that
this old order is incompatible with the incoming kingdom, must first clear
away, tear down, before the full establishment of his kingdom. That is why in Isaiah 34, the prophet
pronounced destruction upon the earth—and then follows it in the 35th chapter
with a beautiful description of kingdom blessings. There "the ransomed of the Lord shall return" from the
prisonhouse of death, while joy and gladness replace the sorrow of past
ages." —Isa 35:10
This process
was also shown in a dream which Daniel interpreted. A stone, fashioned without hands, struck the image of gentile
power and demolished it. The stone then
grew into a mountain-kingdom which filled the earth. Daniel’s interpretation:
"And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: ... it shall break in pieces and
consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." (Da 2:44)
The judgment and destruction of the old order is essential to the
establishment of the new.
But the
judgments of the Lord do not end with the dissolution of this old order. Mankind will also be judged individually. But don’t be afraid. It was for all mankind that Jesus died. It is all mankind who will be brought back
from death by that sacrifice. And it is
all mankind that will then have the opportunity to learn the ways of
righteousness. The very purpose of the
kingdom will be to restore mankind back to the perfection lost by
disobedience. To turn their hearts back
to the God who has made such costly provision for their redemption. (Joh 3:16)
The judgments and corrections of the Lord during that kingdom will help
each one to grow, if he is willing, to the point where he can be judged worthy
of everlasting life. "When thy
judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn
righteousness." —Isa 26:9
But this all
takes time. That is why Peter cautioned
his readers that he was not speaking of a 24-hour Judgment Day.
"Beloved,
be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand
years." —2Pe 3:8
It is a
thousand-year age set aside by God to accomplish the restoration of man to
harmony with Him—a millennium.
National
judgments have
already begun.
The world has
already had two World Wars that brought an era of complacency to an end. Now, the cries of discontented peoples are
"burning the elements" of world society with turmoil, conflict and
dissension everywhere. Demands are made
for rights, both real and imagined, as never before in man’s history. These disenchanted people are termed the
Lord’s "great army" (Joel 2:11), not because they represent the Lord,
but because they will accomplish a work He wants done—the destruction of this
present order. Then they, with all
mankind, will need to learn the lessons of humility and righteousness.
My
determination is to gather the nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to
pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger; ... Then will I turn
to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the
Lord, to serve him with one consent." —Zeph 3:8, 9
____________________________
Let the heavens
rejoice, and let the earth be glad; let the sea roar, and the fulness
thereof. Let the field be joyful, and
all that is therein: then shall all the
trees of the wood rejoice before the Lord:
for he cometh, to judge the earth:
he shall judge the world with righteousness, and the people with his
truth. —
Ps 96:11-13
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MORNING
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4614
San Diego, CA
92104
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
CAUTION: GLOSSOLALIA
"There are
diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit, as there are differences of
administration, but the same Lord; there are divers operations, but it is all
the same God which worketh all in all."
—1Co 12:4-11
Miraculous
gifts were common in the early church, but the day came, as the Apostle Paul
said it would, when prophecies would fail, tongues would cease, and special
inspirations of knowledge would vanish (1Co 13:8). All these "gifts," necessary in the establishment of
the early church, became unnecessary after the Bible had been completed. The Apostle says the Scriptures are
sufficient, "that the man of God may be thoroughly furnished unto all good
works." —2Ti 3:17
A more
excellent way.
The cessation of
gifts does not indicate a lack of power on behalf of the Lord. Nor dies it prove that the Lord’s people are
less worthy or less favored now. On the
contrary, it indicates merely a difference of operation. The fact that these gifts were to cease
implies that the Lord’s people would not need these methods of instruction or
proofs of God’s acceptance. Now,
instead of having such gifts miraculously given, the Holy Spirit seems to be
upon each of Christ’s followers combining their natural abilities with their
zeal in His service. Paul urges the
Church to develop spiritual gifts and abilities for the service of the Lord and
His truth. These personally developed
gifts are more valuable than those which were miraculously given.
"... yet show I unto you a more
excellent way." (1Co 12:31) "Follow after charity (love) and desire
(cultivate) spiritual gifts, but rather (specially) that ye may prophesy
(publicly expound)." (1Co 14:1)
Note: PROPHECY:
"It is the forth-telling of the will of God, whether past, present,
or future." —Vine’s Expository
Dictionary of New Testament Words.
Speaking in
tongues was merely for a sign, in order to draw the attention of unbelievers to
the Church and her teachings.
"Wherefore
tongues are for a sign, not to them that believe, but to them that believe
not: but prophesying serveth not for
them that believe not, but for them that believe." —(1Co 14:22)
Although highly
esteemed by some in the church at Corinth, speaking in tongues was pointed out
by Paul as being the least spiritual of the gifts. It was not adapted for the spiritual growth and development of
the Church, but for the unbelieving world.
The emphasis was to be on the fruit of the Spirit more than the power of
the Spirit.
A word of
caution.
Speaking in
tongues has once again become quite popular.
For the most part, as reported by religious and non-religious sources,
they have taken the form of unintelligible utterances. In one instance, a young woman is reported
to have "babbled for nearly an hour in what is said to be the Greek
language," though in her normal condition she denied all knowledge of the
ancient tongue. Many claim that the
sign of speaking in various tongues is the only Bible evidence of the Baptism
of the Holy Spirit. But Paul cautions
the Church NOT to put so much importance on these miraculously given gifts.
In a letter
recently forwarded to Millennial Morning, a young college student in
Minneapolis wrote that he was attending a local church where speaking in
tongues was practiced. To one of these
sessions he brought a friend, native to the Congo area of Africa. At this session a woman began speaking in
tongues. What she said was unknown to
everyone in attendance, except the newcomer, who recognized the language as
native to his homeland.
"Tom was
absolutely frightened. We left
immediately. The only thing I can add
is that my roommate who was also at the service and who stayed said the
minister "interpreted’ what was said and she was supposed to be praising
God. I don’t think any of us ever
attended the church again following the incident."
Startling? True?
It may be difficult to prove to anyone’s satisfaction that the gift of
speaking in tongues is no longer valid.
To those who are aware of the Pentecostal influence in the Jesus movement—please
take notice. There are many cautions in
the Bible given to guide the church living in the "time of the
end." "... Satan himself is
transformed into an angel of light."
(2Co 11:14)
"For there
shall arise false Christs and false prophets, and shall show great signs and
wonders; insomuch that if it were possible, they should deceive the very
elect." (Mt 24:24)
All who claim
Christ as their personal Savior are trying to be sincere. We do not mean to imply that those who
associate with glossolalia are lacking sincerity in their Christian lives. We do ask that you consider these words of
the Apostle Paul:
"If
therefore the whole church be come together into once place, and all speak with
tongues, and there come in those that are unlearned, or unbelievers, will they
not say that you are mad? But if all
prophesy and there cometh in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is
convinced of all, he is judged of all:
And thus are the secrets of his heart made manifest; and so falling down
on his face he will worship God, and report that God is in you of a truth. ...
let all things be done unto edifying. ... God is not the author of confusion,
but of peace, as in all churches of the saints." (1Co 14:23-25, 26, 33)
Angels which
have been under the powerful influences of Satan have tried to pervert and sway
the influence of the Holy Spirit. Their
power has been limited to the chains of darkness until the Day of Judgment. We are now living in this Day of Judgment
that has been set aside by the Lord not only to judge the nations, but also as
a testing period for these angels "which kept not their first estate"
(compare Jude 6 and Ge 6:2, 3).
"Beloved,
believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God; because
many false prophets are gone out into the world." — (1Joh 4:1)
Would such a
warning be given if it were not a dangerous possibility?
____________________________
Every morning
lean thine arms while
Upon the
window-sill of heaven
And gaze upon
thy Lord,
Then, with the
vision in thy heart,
Turn strong to
meet thy day.
—Author unknown
____________________________
How does the
Holy Spirit Work?
What is its
"witness"? We’d like to
recommend a very thorough study of the Holy Spirit (chock full of Scriptures!)
in the book, The Atonement Between God and Man—in the same "Studies in the
Scriptures" series as The Divine Plan of the Ages.
The book also
discusses the Atonement—the Ransom—our Lord’s part in it; what it means to us;
and how it will work to bring all mankind back to God.
Hardcover
library edition—$1.00
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
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92104
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me:____ The Atonement Between God and Man—$1.00
____ The Divine Plan of the Ages—free
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MILLENNIAL
MORNING
A Clamor For
Rights—Step 1
When Schools in
Little Rock, Arkansas, faced the desegregating forces of the government, the
northern cities avoided the conflict.
Looking down at their southern neighbors as being bigots, the North has
been painting itself as the champion of the Negro. After all, remember the Civil War. But the veneer has begun to wear. In February, 1970, a Federal district judge, Damon J. Keith,
found Pontiac, Michigan, school officials guilty of practicing de Jure (by law)
segregation during the previous 16 years—the first such finding against a major
northern school system. In spite of the
ruling, there were many who boycotted the busing program intended to achieve a
20-40% black enrollment in each of Pontiac’s 34 elementary and junior high
schools.
Integration has
become a very real part of today’s environment. It affects schools, jobs, neighborhoods, and campaigns. Few areas remain untouched by the first test
of civil rights—the right of equal opportunity.
The goal of
equal opportunity is a step in the right direction—for we are in the Day of the
Lord’s Judgment ...
This is the
time in which the Lord is using the influence of truth and enlightenment to
equal the balances. And it isn’t
easy. Daniel refers to this time as a
"time of trouble such as never was since there was a nation." (Da 12:11, Mal 4:1
says,
"Behold
the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven (fire—destruction): and all the
proud, yea, and all that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn them up, saith
the Lord of Hosts, that it shall leave them neither root or branch."
The Apostle Jas
5:1-6 says the rich men shall weep and howl for the miseries that shall come
upon them, because the
"wages of
the laborers who mowed your fields, which you kept back by fraud, cry out; and
the cries ... have reached the ears of the Lord of hosts ... be patient
therefore brethren, unto the coming (parousia—PRESENCE) of the Lord."
Isn’t this
what’s happening? The busing incident
in Pontiac is a minor example, yet the cries of the underprivileged are finally
being heard. There will be opposition
to change, but it has begun, and is a further indication of the PRESENCE of
Christ, the Lord of Sabaoth.
Joel described
this day as a day of "darkness and of gloominess, a day of clouds and of
thick darkness." (Joel 2:2) Amos says (Am 5:20), "darkness and not
light, even very dark and no brightness in it." Our Lord Jesus called it a time of "great tribulation"
(Mt 24:21, 22) so great and ruinous in character that, if it were not cut
short, NO FLESH would survive its ravages.
It is clear from the scriptures that the dark and gloomy day described
by the prophets is a day of judgment upon mankind socially and nationally.
But there is a
difference between national judgment and individual judgment. Since nations are composed of individuals,
and individuals are largely responsible for the courses of nations, to that
extent they suffer in national calamities.
However, the judgment of the world as individuals will be distinct from
its judgment as nations.
The time for
individual judgment for the world will be during another phase of the
Millennial age. Under the favorable
conditions of the New Covenant, all will be granted a clear knowledge of truth
with every possible assistance and incentive to righteousness. Then the judgment of men will be as
individuals and not collectively as nations.
Now, however,
it is the nations and organizations (religious and civil) which are being
judged. The "times of the
Gentiles" (Lk 21:24) have come to a close. Their accounts are rendered unto the Lord.
"... My determination is to gather the
nations, that I may assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them my indignation,
all my fierce anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my
jealousy." (Zeph 3:8)
Then, in Zeph
3:9, which follows:
"... then will I turn to the people a
pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord to serve him
with one consent."
Incidentally,
it would be difficult to turn to the people a pure language if they had been
all destroyed by literal fire.
It is not our
purpose in Millennial Morning to supply fuel for radical movements, nor to
merely satisfy idle curiosity. Neither
do we expect to produce enough penitence in the heart of every reader to result
in a change in the present society. The
trouble is around us. It will get
worse. The climax is inevitable. No human power, nor combination of human
powers will be able to stop its progress.
No hand but the hand of God could stay the progress of the present
events. This will happen only when the
present order will pass away with all its unrighteousness. Then and only then will the Lord turn to the
people with a pure language. It will be
a successful heart transplant.
"A new
heart will I give you, and a new spirit will I put within you: and I will take away the stony heart out of
your flesh, and I will give you a heart of flesh." (Eze 36:26)
People will become
more interested in the well being of their fellow man. This heart of flesh will be
sympathetic. It will have love as its
highest motive, not selfishness of gain.
The Apostle
James encouraged us to be patient until the presence of the Lord. This would be the time when we would begin
to see action taken. Not until His
return would we expect to see a shaking of the systems. We see it now. It is Christ judging the nations now. It is our understanding that we should not expect the world in
general to see the reasons for the events of this time. Our goal is to forewarn, comfort and
strengthen the "household of faith," so that they may not be
dismayed. We want to encourage them to
be in full harmony and sympathy with even the severest measures of divine
discipline in the chastening of the world; to see by the eye of faith the
glorious outcome of righteousness and enduring peace. This overthrow of the entire present order is preparatory to the
permanent establishment of THE Establishment—the Kingdom of God on earth.
_______________________________
Attention!
MILLENNIAL
MORNING—designed to point to our times as unique. Times of change!
Change—because man is waking from the ignorance and bondage of ages. And waking up, he is demanding the rights he
has, or thinks he has, coming to him.
Waking to see more clearly age old injustices which have kept his
liberties back. Injustices upon which
man has built his world.
Now man begins
to see what Christ has known—that this order must pass. Just as old garments cannot take a strong,
new patch—just as old wineskins cannot contain fresh, new wine—so this old
world cannot be used for the perfect Kingdom of Christ.
And now this
world is falling all around us. It is
smitten by strife, turmoil, dissension, war, revolution. It is losing the support, and even the hope,
of its own people. And it’s happening
now, because it’s time for the Kingdom of God to be set up.
"The
Kingdom of God" Chapter 14 of Divine Plan of the Ages. If you have it, you can read it. If you would like it, we gladly send it. Gladly.
No charge.
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send me
a free copy of your Bible Study textbook,
THE DIVINE PLAN
OF THE AGES
Name
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MORNING
God’s
Creative Work-Week
"In the
beginning God created the heavens and the earth. And the earth was waste
and void, and
darkness was upon the face of the deep." —Ge 1:1, 2 (R.V.)
In these verses
we find a distinction between the creation of the heavens and the earth (verse
1), and the subsequent works of creation.
It is these later operations that are described as the work of the six
creative days. Verse 2 shows that in
the very beginning of the first day of that creative week, the earth already
was—waste, empty, and dark. This point
is important. It corroborates the
record of geology. The Bible does not
say how long a period elapsed between the "beginning" when God
created the heaven and the earth, and the beginning of the creative week used
in perfecting it for man.
What does it
say? Genesis begins with the first day
of God’s work-week and describes the accomplishments of that week. The Bible also gives a pretty good idea of
how long that week really was ...
The days of
this week are nowhere said to be twenty-four hour days, so we are not obligated
to limit them. They were evidently not
sun days, for the Genesis record is that the sun was not visible until the
fourth day—the fourth epoch.
The Bible
mentions days of various lengths. For
instance, "the day of temptation in the wilderness" (Heb 3:8, 9) was
forty years long. "A day with the
Lord is as a thousand years." (2Pe
3:8) Our Lord’s "day" of Joh
8:56 was three and a half years.
We believe you
will agree that although the length of these creative epoch-days is not
indicated, we will be justified in assuming that they were uniform periods,
because of their identity as members of the one creative week. Therefore, if we can gain reasonable proof
of the length of one of these days, we will be justified in assuming that the
others were of the same duration.
The seventh day
of the creative week, beginning with Adam’s creation, has already lasted
(according to Bible chronology) 6,000 years, and is to be completed with the
thousand years of Christ’s reign.
Having found satisfactory evidence that one of these creative days is a
period of 7,000 years, we may conclude that the entire creative week would be
7,000 x7 = 49,000 years.
(illustration-Creative
Week)
Within the last
creative day is another week. Six great
thousand-year periods of days have passed since Adam was created, according to
Bible chronology. We are now in the
dawning of the great seventh day or Sabbath day of human experience. God has promised that this seventh day of a
thousand years will be very different from the preceding six days in which
mankind has experienced a reign of sin and death. The seventh day of a thousand years is Scripturally called the
"Day of Christ," and many call it the Millennium. In it Satan and sin are to be overthrown and
righteousness is to be established by the Redeemer. All of mankind, purchased by the precious blood at Calvary, will
have full opportunity to climb from present degradation back up to the image
and likeness of God, lost in Eden by Adam’s disobedience.
At the end of
that thousand years—which is also the end of the 49,000 years of God’s creative
week—when The Christ (Head and body) shall have accomplished it’s work for
mankind the kingdom will be delivered up to God. (1Co 15:24-28) At that
moment, the fiftieth thousand-year period will begin, with every creature in
heaven and on earth ascribing praise to Him that sitteth upon the throne, and
to the Lamb, forever.
The Week.
1 The Genesis account is fully in accord
with science. There was no light in the
earth prior to the time when divine energy brooded on the surface of the
waters. The earth was dark because it
was shrouded with an impenetrable fog and an upper canopy of water. This thoroughly shut out the light of the
sun, moon and stars, which did not shine in on the earth until the fourth day.
The Jewish day, patterned after the Genesis account, began with the night. So the first day of 7,000 years gradually
increased in light and prepared for the next epoch.
2 The work of the second day, or epoch, was
the establishment of a firmament separating the waters of the sky and the
waters of the earth. The establishment
of the firmament began very slowly, but was completed with the end of the
second day.
3 In the third day or epoch, under divine
direction, earthquakes took place, mountain ranges were thrown up, and the
waters of the earth were gathered into seas, draining off a land surface in
preparation for vegetation. Vegetation
sprang up—grass, bushes, trees, with their seeds and fruits. The account says that under God’s command,
the earth brought forth these various kinds.
"And the evening and the morning were the third day."
4 According to some scientific theories,
the earth was once surrounded by rings and belts similar to those of Saturn and
Jupiter, consisting of minerals and waters thrown off to a great distance when
the earth was in a molten state. Then,
influenced by the motion of the earth on her axis, they gravitated toward the
poles, gradually becoming heavier.
Finally they broke, one after the other, coming down as great
deluges. The last of these rings came
down as a deluge in Noah’s day.
Previously, for centuries, it had been a great watery canopy. The sun, moon and stars were visible through
it, but not as clear as now. Under
these conditions there were no storms, no rain. (Ge 2:5) The entire earth
under this canopy was like a greenhouse of regulated temperature. This accounts for the vegetable and animal
remains found near the poles, imbedded in ice which formed instantly when the
canopy collapsed as a deluge.
With the fall
of several of earth’s "rings," the atmosphere became translucent, so
that the lights of the sky could serve mankind as a great clock, marking days,
months and years. This was the work of
the fourth epoch-day.
5 On the fifth day the waters of earth
began to swarm with living, moving creatures.
Next came fowl and great sea monsters.
Science agrees with the Genesis order of creation, demonstrated by the
fossilized remains of these creatures.
6 The creation of land animals marks the
sixth epoch-day. It was at the very end
of the sixth day that God created man.
The earth did not bring him forth.
He was created in his Maker’s character-likeness, to be the king of
earth, to have dominion over the creatures of the land, the air and the
sea. Mother Eve was taken from Father
Adam’s side, to be a helpmate on his own plane, and this was the last feature
of creation.
7 We read that God ended His work on the
seventh day and rested. He has rested
or ceased from His creative work during this seventh day, leaving the finishing
touches to be accomplished by the Redeemer during his Messianic kingdom, which
will complete the seventh day—49,000 years from the time God said, "Let
there be light."
______________________________
The New
Creation.
"And on
the seventh day, God ... rested."
According to the Law, the Jewish people also had a rest day—the seventh
day—the sabbath. On that day they were
required to cease from labor. They
could not work the farms, build houses, or gather food. But they could perform acts of mercy—like
pulling an animal from a pit. (Mt
12:11, 12)
Just so, God
has been performing an act of mercy on His rest day. He has been developing, refining a class of Christians, a
"new creation," (2Co 5:17) to become heirs with Christ of the
Heavenly Kingdom. It is an act of
mercy—not just to this class, but to all mankind who will be lifted from the
pit of sin by the instruction of The Christ when the kingdom is established.
The book The New Creation, number six of Studies
in the Scriptures, deals with
this new creation—the church class.
* Call of the New Creation
* Organization of the New Creation
* Law of the New Creation
* Rest or Sabbath of the New Creation
* Judgment of the New Creation
* Baptism of the New Creation
* Passover of the New Creation
* Order and Discipline
These are some
of the chapter topics which the book discusses. It also covers marital, parental and other duties, foes, the
present inheritance, and the resurrection of the New Creation. It even includes a 40 page review of God’s
work during the six creative days of Genesis, "In The
Beginning." Charge: one dollar.
But at least request The
Divine Plan of the Ages, no charge.
Just check and clip the coupon below.
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The Healing
Sun
"Unto you
that fear my name shall the
Sun of
righteousness arise with
healing in his
wings ..."
—Mal 4:2
The prophet Malachi
possessed a strong impression of Israel’s despairing need.
Could the race
of man—or a segment of it—be purged, purified, healed? And might this blessing eventually be
extended to encompass all creation?
But we
ask: Would a healing blessing of God be
welcomed by prideful man? It would be
tragic if the blessings of eternal life and peace were tendered to an unheeding
race, complacent and content with progress of their own devices, and thus
refused.
God’s offered
blessings will be welcomed, not spurned, when the "due time" arrives
for divine intervention in the affairs of men.
We may be sure that when the Sun of righteousness arises with healing in
His wings, earth’s millions will be needing and waiting for the beneficent
influence of that Kingdom. But what
must develop before man could properly benefit from such a far-reaching
blessing as the raising into power and influence of a kingdom pictured as the
risen sun with life-giving rays? Let us
examine further the scripture.
Malachi uses
many symbols in his prophecy: "The
day" of trouble which is to "burn as an oven," by which the
"proud" and the "wicked" will be burned up as
"stubble." (Mal 4:1) Stubble of a field, useless in a harvest,
and a hindrance to plowing and the planting of a new crop, is fittingly used to
describe proud and wicked elements of society.
Wherever found,
these qualities obstruct peace, justice, and divine instruction. Peace and justice are to be cornerstones of
the new day brought in by the Sun of righteousness. "The earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory
of the Lord" in that day. (Hab
2:14) Pride and wickedness will not
flourish therein. They shall not remain
to germinate, take root and grow in this new day. Neither root nor branch will be left to contaminate the new day,
or to destroy the beauty of peace and justice.
Divine
Instruction
The prophet is
speaking of a kingdom day—a day of blessing.
This blessing will come by the enthronement of reverential truths in the
hearts and lives of mankind. Another
prophet assures us, "When thy judgments are in the earth, the inhabitants
of the world will learn righteousness."
(Isa 26:9) Truth, then abundant,
is promised to change the stony, selfish hearts of men to hearts of flesh. (Ezek 36:26) Man will become compassionate and loving one toward another as a
result of God’s love toward them.
The brightness
of the day will bring to light every hidden thing of secrecy and darkness (1Co
4:5); clarify every truth; and expose every false belief and practice. (Lk 12:2)
One purpose of exposure and investigation in this Kingdom day is to
enable those who reverence God to remove from their own characters the elements
of wickedness which they discern within.
Thus the prophet says, "Ye shall tread down the wicked" (Mal
4:3), meaning the elements of unrighteousness which the brightness of the day
reveals to each. This will notably
include the regeneration of one’s own character.
Malachi says
that "unto you who fear my name" the events of the day will be as
inspiring and thrilling as the full shine of a risen sun. The implication is that to whoever does not
reverence his name, the brightness of this day will bring discomfort and
shame—hidden things of darkness will be brought to light.
Darkness Before
Sunrise
Before each
sunrise is a night. The night of
darkness pictures the night of sin—when "darkness shall cover the earth,
and gross darkness the people."
(Isa 60:2) The prophet here
describes the spiritual status of man without knowledge of the true God as they
labor under the ministry of the prince of darkness, the "god of this
world." (2Co 4:4) This experience provides man an individual
lesson with the exceeding sinfulness of sin.
When the offer of life is extended on terms of justice, love and
fidelity to truth, they will knowledgeably choose that great blessing in the
healing day. "His anger endureth
but a moment; in his favor is life:
weeping may endure for a night, but joy (margin, "singing")
cometh in the morning." (Ps
30:5) The Sun of righteousness will
bring this joy when he turns favorably to assist man in his greatest need.
Especially
Jesus is identified as this great prophetic "Sun" of Mal 3:8. He is "the light of the
world." He was not referred to as
the "sun" during His first advent, but as a "great light"
whom the "people that walked in darkness" saw when he dwelt on
earth. (Isa 9:2, Mt 4:16) John refers to him then as "the light
that shineth in darkness," even though "the darkness" —the
majority of mankind—"comprehendeth it not." (Joh 1:5) He is the true
light which is to "lighten every man who cometh into the world." —Joh
1:9
Discipleship
Rewarded
This is a
wonderful promise. It will be a
stupendous work, and it shall be accomplished.
To share in this Kingdom work of enlightening "every man that
cometh into the world," Jesus began to invite cross-bearing and
self-denial discipleship as marks of sacrifice to quality for joint heirship
with their Redeemer.
Because Jesus
had come ministering light and truth, John could testify, "... the
darkness is past, and the true light now shineth." (1Joh 2:8)
The true light was then shining through the lives and teachings of
Jesus’ footstep followers, and has throughout the age. Jesus prophesied His intention to accept in
His Kingdom the service of these overcoming disciples. He said that in the end of the age he would
gather his elect and glorify them to be with him and be like him. (1Joh 3:2)
These, the righteous, then shall "shine forth as the sun in the
Kingdom of their Father." (Mt
13:4) These are the bride of Christ,
the sheep of His fold, the members of His body, with whom he will share His
throne, and who will reign with him to chase away the gloom of night. —Re 20:6;
21:1-4
Do you feel the
gloom? Do you see despair? Do you sense the darkness? Do you detect pride, wickedness, deceit,
selfishness in government, in economics, in society? ... in yourself? Many do—but few in their hearts seek the
complete change in earth’s society sufficient to implore the persistent
prayer: "Thy Kingdom come, thy
will be done in earth as it is in heaven."
Divine wisdom
permits the deepening chasm. A
desperate family, mankind, will seek escape, but will in perplexity find no way
out of their distress. (Lk 21:25) Nations are gathered by their fruitage of
selfishness and greed; later they are gathered by schemes of mutual protection
from the wrath to come. (Isa 8:9) Soon they will be gathered in group concern
and mutual unfriendliness toward the troublesome issue of Israel’s intransigent
and isolated position. (Zec 12:3;
14:2) Upon these gathered nations God
will pour his "indignation, even all his fierce anger." (Zeph 3:8)
The selfishness, injustice, pride and hate of these nations will there
be recompensed by their defeat. But
Israel’s God will have fought victoriously for her. —Jer 30:11
The Sun Arises
These conflicts
will be terminated by the Prince of peace—truly divine intervention. The night of sin and despair and darkness
will be ended. The Sun of righteousness
arises. Consider what that will mean in
view of the prophetic symbol and its implications from nature. All creation responds to the effect of the
sun. From it has come or is received
practically all that we use for heat, power, and energy. The sun’s effect provides all color and
light. With the sun there is wind, rain
and earthly life. Without it, there
would be none.
What a blessing
this sun will bring! The Sun of
righteousness shall arise! That will
mean the blessing of all the nations of the earth. (Ge 22:17, 18) "For
then will I turn to the people a pure language, that they may all call upon the
name of the Lord, to serve him with one consent." —Zeph 3:9
"He will
swallow up death in victory; and the Lord God will wipe away tears from off all
faces; and the rebuke of his people shall he take away from off all the
earth: for the Lord hath spoken
it. And it shall be said in that day,
Lo, this is our God; we have waited for him, and he will save us: this is the Lord; we have waited for him, we
will be glad and rejoice in his salvation." —Isa 25:8, 9
_______________________________
We invite you
to continue your consideration of Bible promises. The Divine Plan of the Ages contains answers to many reasonable
Biblical questions. We urge you to ask
for it.
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If I were
elected ...
The Christian
today could be tempted to get involved in politics. The campaign speeches are full of noble, attractive
ideals—promises of peace, prosperity, and justice for all. The thought may
cross a Christian’s mind, "If I were elected, I could use my Christian
background and teachings to help mankind." If Christian influence could be used politically, would it improve
the world’s condition? A glance at
history shows that even Christians have been unable to bring their hopes to
fruition.
WHY?
_______________________________________________________________
WHERE SHOULD A
CHRISTIAN STAND?
(illustration)
Conservative Middle of
Liberal,
Very
Conservative the Road Radical Left
20% 45% 28%
There are at
least two reasons. "As it is
written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (Ro 3:10) All of mankind
are equal in one sense: we are all
sinners. Our judgments are not
infallible. Our reactions are not
always loving. Our efforts to do what
we set out to do fall short of perfection.
As Christians we can be forgiven our sins, but we still sin. Even our greatest effort to help mankind
would miss the mark, because we are imperfect.
Satan, the
prince of the power of the air, does not control every move of every
government, but influences them through selfishness. For centuries, kings claimed to rule by "Divine right,"
but that era died in World War I. Countries are referred to as Christian governments, because
Christianity is the chief religion taught. However (and this is the second
reason), Jesus withdrew all claims to man-made governments when he said, "My
kingdom is not of this world ..."— Joh 18:36.
The time
factor.
The way of a
Christian is not easy. We are not to
seek solutions for men’s problems through man-made organizations. On the other hand, our fellow-men appeal to
our noblest sentiments by pleading, "GET INVOLVED!"
The key to the
dilemma is the time factor. At the
first advent of Jesus, he healed many people.
He resurrected the dead. His
Apostles healed and spoke to thousands in his name. But the time for the setting up of the kingdom of God was not
yet. The world was not then relieved of
its sin and pain and death and injustice.
The time for carrying out the solution had not yet arrived.
"Who gave
himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time." (1Ti 2:6)
Jesus died for the sinners of the world, yet we continue to live in a
sinful world. The Apostle Paul ties in
the time feature by saying that this ransom of Jesus’ life would be made
manifest in due time. When is the due
time?
"For the
earnest expectation of the creature (the world) waiteth for the manifestation of
the sons of God ... For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth
in pain together until now. And not
only they, but ourselves also, which
have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within
ourselves, waiting for the adoption, the redemption of our body." —Ro
8:19, 22, 23.
Everyone is
waiting for the manifestation of the sons of God, the Church, whether they are
aware of it or not. The hopes, desires
and ideals of all nations are to be satisfied (after their present "shaking"
experiences) when the kingdom of Christ is manifest to all. (Hag 2:7)
But before it can be revealed, the governing body of this kingdom must
be complete.
Who will be the
governing body? The Christ, The
Anointed, Head and body. It will be the
combination of Jesus Christ and His Bride, the Church. The Church is promised to "live and
reign with Christ a thousand years."
"If we suffer with him we shall reign with him." "To him that overcometh will I grant to
sit with me on my Father’s throne."
And who will they govern? All
the rest of the world of mankind, for whom Jesus also died. "He is the propitiation for our sins,
and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." (1Joh 2:2)
Also please read: Jer 31:34; Isa
40:5; Zeph 3:9, Isa 35.
To attempt to
reform present governments would be but a waste of effort, for they are already
beginning to be removed and replaced by Christ’s government.
"And in
the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall never
be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not
be left to other people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these
kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." —Dan 2:44
"Looking
for a hasting unto the coming of the day of God, wherein the heavens being on
fire shall be dissolved, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat? Nevertheless we, according to his promise,
look for a new heavens and a new earth (a new heavenly rulership and a new
society), wherein dwelleth righteousness." —2Pe 3:12, 13
Involvement.
What are
Christians supposed to be doing now until the "due time"
arrives? There is something in which
they can "get involved." The
Church of God should give its attention and effort to preaching the kingdom of
God, and to the advancement of the interests of that kingdom according to the
plan laid down in the Scriptures. If
this is faithfully done, there will be no time for dabbling in the politics of
present governments. The Lord had no
time for it; the apostles had no time for it; nor have any of the saints who
are following their example.
The true
teacher and lightbearer (Mt 5:14), the true Church, the body of Christ, is not
to be left in darkness to learn of her Lord’s dealings by the manifestations of
his wrath and power, as the world will learn of it. By the sure word of prophecy, which shines as a light in a dark
place, she is clearly and definitely informed that the King of Glory and his
blessed kingdom are the only remedy for the wrongs and woes of man. She can point the groaning creation to this
kingdom, rather than to the poultices of their contriving which can do no real
good. Through the prophetic word, she
shall not only be shielded from discouragement, and enabled to overcome the
besetments, snares, and stumbling stones so prevalent in the "evil
day," but she becomes the lightbearer and instructor of the world.
The Church is
thus enabled to point out to the world the cause of the trouble, to announce
the presence of the new Ruler, to declare the object of the new dispensation,
and to instruct the world as to the wisest course to pursue in view of these
things. Although many will not heed the
instruction until the lesson of submission has been forced upon them by the
trouble, it will greatly aid them in learning the lesson. It is to this mission of the feet, or the
last members of the Church, who will declare upon the mountains (kingdoms) the
reign of Christ begun, that Isa 52:7 refers.
"How
beautiful upon the mountains are the feet of him that bringeth good tidings,
that publisheth peace; that bringeth good tidings of good, that publisheth
salvation; that saith unto Zion, Thy God Reigneth!"
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MILLENNIAL
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If this is
morning, when will day break?
The answer of
course is when the sun rises and the earth is drenched with light. Past ages were filled with fear,
superstition, slavery and the horrors of feudal and religious wars. That was truly a long dark night. Then, if you look at our time with its
tremendous increase in knowledge, skills, and speed of doing and going, you’d
say: we must be living in the light of
day.
But although we
now have comparatively little superstition, and a much higher literacy rate,
how great is everyone’s fear—not only here, but world-wide. What about the stagnant oceans, poisoned
air, deadly cancerous encroachments from our own waste—all speeded by the
world’s population explosion which is hardly slowing down. Our hearts faint, our throats parch, as the
experts tell us it’s too late.
Our problems
are still with us. Not only do their
numbers increase, but also their complexity.
We’re also finding out that many of our supposed solutions to
yesterday’s problems have failed, or created others, and they’re back to haunt
us today. Wars surely have not ceased,
and look ... revolution has been added—liberation in every area, in every
field—social, religious and civil. Even
sin and degradation are requesting and gaining their equal share of
"rights" (?). More and more
is demanded and taken. Again, our heads
throb. What next?
The facts
really tell us that it is still a very dark early morning hour.
what then will
break the day?
Ps 30:5 reads,
"Weeping endureth for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." Certainly we can all attest to the weeping,
and the night. But the Psalmist
promises a morning which is identified with joy. Isa 2:4 speaks of a time when "nation shall not lift up
sword against nation, neither shall they learn war anymore." That will be a joyful day for every person
on this globe. The prophet states in Ps
72:4, 7, 12 that in that day the righteous will flourish, and the evildoer will
be cut off. Isa 65:22: "They shall not build and another
inhabit; nor shall one plant and another eat the fruit thereof." These are thrilling prospects. He 8:11 shows that ignorance will be
completely wiped out. "They shall
not teach every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying, Know the
Lord; for all shall know me, from the least of them to the greatest." Habakkuk writes (Hab 2:14), "For the
earth shall be filled with the knowledge of the glory of the Lord, as the
waters cover the sea." "The
upright shall have dominion over them in the morning." (Ps 49:14)
"Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of
their Father." (Mt 13:43)
There is your
answer. The upright having dominion
over the inhabitants of the earth ... brings joy ... brings light ... brings
sunshine.
Sounds
good. But how can we be sure?
"And God
said, Let us (God and his "only begotten son" —the Logos) make man in
our image (with power to reason and with an intelligence to choose principles
of conduct) after our (kingly) likeness, and let them (mankind) have dominion
over the fish, foul, cattle, and over all the earth." —Ge 1:26-31
Of the dust of
the ground he shaped a form, breathed into its nostrils and man became a living
soul. Then God said it was not good
that man should be alone. I will make a
helper for him. So male and female
created he them. God planted a garden
filled with sustenance. Opening it to
them, he said, Be fruitful, multiply, fill the earth. Subdue it. Take dominion
over every living thing under the sea, in the air and on the ground. Then he bid them live freely, but commanded
them not to taste of disobedience. For
in the day that they did, they would surely die. He then beheld and blessed them, and what he saw was good.
Shortly
thereafter they were tempted and succumbed.
As forewarned, they did die in that same day (1,000 years is a day with
the Lord—2 Peter 3:8). Before death
overcame them they started a family.
These things occurred some 6,000 years ago and the family
continued. This was all foreknown
before anything came into existence.
From time to
time down through the years certain men earnestly sought after God, developing
faith so strong and so deep that they were justified to friendship with
God. God told them things pertaining to
their day, as well as beyond our present day.
Much of this was recorded 3,000 years ago. The events as spoken by God to the prophets have faultlessly come
to pass. The rise and fall of the great
world empires—Babylon, Persia (they just celebrated their 2500th anniversary
last month ... remember?), Greece and Rome.
The birth, life and death of Jesus.
The dispersal and regathering of the nation of Israel. And always, the promise of the morning.
About 70 years
ago, Bible students began noticing that current events of their day were
matching the prophetic words, the visions, and the time prophecies. Our Savior had returned (see our May
"71 issue). The image of Nebachadnezzar’s
dream was about to be struck, and just as surely as the stone did strike in
1914 (see our Issue No. 2 of this volume), so shall it keep rolling around the
world till it has ground to powder every government opposing God’s kingdom.
Great. But what can we do except wait?
"Depart
from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous and his ears are open
unto their cry. The righteous cry and
the Lord heareth, and delivereth them out of all their troubles. Many are the afflictions of the righteous;
but the Lord delivereth him out of them all." —Ps 34:14-19
Become a
sincere Bible student. Seek to know our
Father. Be condemned and redeemed by
his exacting justice. Be awed by his
unmatched wisdom. Be touched and warmed
by an understanding of his unbounding love.
Be strong in a realization of his unlimited power. Be trusting, through a complete faith in his
promises. You may develop a fellowship
with God ... and be protected till the day of his wrath is past, and the
morning breaks upon you.
_____________________________________
Life’s unsealed
mystery soon shall say
What joy hath
God in this poor clay,
Formed by His
hand with potent skill,
Stamped with
His image—mind and will;
Born not to
die—no, a second birth
Succeeds the
sentence—"earth to earth."
For One of all
the mighty host,
Who lived and
died and suffered most,
Arose, and
proved God’s great design—
That future,
therefore, yours and mine.
His word
discloses this new ray
Of light, for
guidance on our way;
Based now on
faith, but sure as sight,
Dispelling
these dark clouds of night:
The doubt, the
dread, the trembling fear,
The thoughts
that marred our blessings here.
Now, Lord, these
minds, whose bolder sway
Rejects the
dogmas of today,
Taught by
jarring sects and schools,
Fettering
reason with their rules,
May seek, and
know Thee as Thou art,
Our place with
Thee, and then the part
We play in this
stupendous plan,
Creator
Infinite, and man.
Uplifts the
veil, revealing quite
To those who
walk in heaven’s light
The glorious
mystery of His throne
Hidden from
ages, now made known.
If you are
interested in knowing more about the Millennial morning; about God’s plan for
man in the earth; about why the early morning hours of this new day are so
dark, send for the free book, The Divine Plan of the Ages. Also discussed are the topics "Our
Lord’s Return," "The Day of Judgment," and other interesting
subjects.
MILLENNIAL
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me a free copy of your Bible Study textbook,
THE DIVINE PLAN
OF THE AGES
Name
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MILLENNIAL
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Is there no
end ...?
A war that has
no end is a burden for everyone. A
decision to end it, either by force or withdrawal, affects everyone. The President’s speech for less than 20
minutes spurs violent dissension for days and weeks. Demonstrations flare up across the nation. And it may take months to see the
far-reaching effects ...
We had not yet
recovered from the riots; we were not prepared for another assassination
attempt ...
What is
happening? What can we expect next?
"Regard,
and wonder marvellously: for I will
work a work in your days, which ye will not believe, though it be told
you." —Hab 1:5
This strange
work begins a new age in man’s experience.
It is termed a new day—"The Day of the Lord." It is the day in which the Lord takes the
active initiative to accomplish his purpose.
That day is now dawning. But it
is early; the day is still shrouded in the "morning darkness." (Amos 4:13)
What is to happen in this dark prelude to the full light of day?
"... let all the inhabitants of the
land tremble: for the day of the Lord
... is nigh at hand ... as the morning spread upon the mountains. A great people and a strong ... a fire
devoureth before them; and behind them a flame burneth ... the earth shall
quake before them; the heavens shall tremble: ... And the Lord shall utter his
voice before his army." —Joel 2
The Lord, by
his overruling providence, will take a general charge of this great army of
discontents of every kind, using their hopes, fears, follies and selfishness to
work out his purposes in the overthrow of present institutions, and for the
preparation of man for the Kingdom of Righteousness. For this reason only it is termed the Lord’s "Great
Army."
"A fire
burneth before them." This is
exactly what the Apostle Peter said would happen as the "day"
began. Coming "as a thief,"
unrecognized by most, it would be the time in which "the heavens shall
pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with fervent heat,
the earth also, and the works that are therein shall be burned up." —2Pe
3:10
Even now the
fires of passionate dissent are ablaze.
The flames lick higher and higher as time and knowledge reveal new cause
for dissatisfaction.
There are many
wrongs to be righted. If you want to,
you can find a "cause" to join.
But attempts at reform fail too often.
Heated controversy gives way to division, despair, and finally revenge
by force.
We are living
in a wonderful day, yet most fearful.
Knowledge has never been so general as it is now. This knowledge has brought technological
advancement to a degree almost impossible to comprehend, leading, some say, to
a great "future shock." But
each fresh enlightenment, revealing the mysteries of scientific order, exposes
also the intrigues of social disorder.
More people are informed than ever before, and by authority of truth and
half-truth, each mind sets itself in defense or protest, all the while fearing
the inevitable conflict. It is a
situation unique to our time, especially in scope.
What is this
world coming to?
At the decline
of this world, "We look for a new heavens and a new earth, wherein
dwelleth righteousness." (2Pt
3:13) Not a new literal planet, nor a
literal change of the firmament, but a new world order. Just as the flood "the world that then
was ... perished," the present order is being dissolved in preparation for
Christ’s new order.
This process is
prophetically illustrated in Da 2 by a rock striking the image of Gentile
kingdoms, then growing as a mountain-kingdom to fill the whole earth.
"And in
the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a kingdom, which shall
never be destroyed: it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever." —Da
2:44
As the Psalmist
declared, "The Lord shall strike through kings in the day of his
wrath." —Ps 110:5
Today’s trouble
will prepare mankind for tomorrow’s age.
Try as hard as they may, they cannot right the world’s wrongs, because
they cannot rid themselves of the universal rule of selfishness. In the "day of the Lord" men will
be convinced that the only way out will be the setting up of a universal rule
of righteousness, which will subdue all classes, and enforce principles of
justice and truth. Gradually, then, the
stony-heartedness of men will, under favorable influences, give place to the
original image of God. This is just
what God has promised to accomplish through the Millennial reign of Christ,
introduced by this day of trouble. See
Eze 11:19; 36:25, 26; Jer 31:29-34; Zeph 3:9; Ps 45:8-10.
When the full
day breaks, when the "Sun of righteousness arise(s) with healing in his
wings," man will have the opportunity to benefit from his experiences, and
thankfully seize the opportunity (bought for him by the sacrifice of Jesus’
life) to walk back up to the perfection and dignity for which he was intended.
Then shall
"many nations say come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord ...
we will walk in his paths." (Mic
4:2) Then will the blind eyes be
opened, deaf ears begin to hear, as "the ransomed of the Lord shall return"
from the bondage of corruption. (Isa
35)
What about NOW?
What position
should we take now, during this period of trouble, conflict and turmoil? All who realize the state of things to come
should decide accordingly. Peter said, "What
manner of persons ought ye to be in all holy conversation and godliness? ...
Seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in
peace ... blameless." —2Pe 3:11, 14
We say to all
the meek: "Seek ye the Lord, all
ye meek of the earth, which have wrought the commandments of the Lord; seek
righteousness (the right, the truth), seek meekness: it may be ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s
anger." (Zeph 2:3) None will escape the trouble entirely, but
those seeking righteousness and rejoicing in meekness will have many
advantages. Their manner of life, their
habits of thought and action as well as their sympathies for the right, will
enable them to grasp the situation quickly.
Appreciating the Bible account of the trouble, and its outcome, they
will suffer less than others—especially from fear.
In this early
morning hour, two classes are seen.
First, the meek. "Gather
yourselves together ... before the day of the Lord’s anger come upon you. Seek ye the Lord ..." These are distinguished from mankind in
general in Zeph 3:8, 9.
"Wait ye
upon me, saith the Lord, until I rise up to the prey: for my determination is to gather the nations, that I may
assemble the kingdoms, to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce
anger; for all the earth shall be devoured with the fire of my jealousy. For then (after the "fire" has
disabled the powers of this order) will I turn to the people a pure language
and they shall all call upon the name of the Lord with one consent."
Two
gatherings: one for favor and blessing,
the other for national destruction. Ask
yourself, "To which class am I being gathered?" Seek the right and seek it meekly. The time is short.
___________________________________
The Battle of
Armageddon
Even the
tenderest of physicians must first cut and amputate before applying the proper
dressing for cure. The very tenderest
physician is just now pruning away the old order, that the new, an order based
strictly upon a loyalty to true righteousness, might prosper the more.
The old
wineskins of this world are literally bursting with the doctrine of
"liberty for the people." The
fabric of society will not sustain even a patch—it must be cleanly discarded in
the wake of Christ’s kingdom. (Mt 9:16,
17) The final fall of this world is
termed "Armageddon" in the Scriptures.
One Bible
Student, at the turn of the century, noted:
The battle of
this great day of God Almighty will be the greatest revolution the world has
ever seen because it will be one in which every principle of unrighteousness
will be involved; for as truly in this judgment of the nations, as in the
judgment of individuals, "there is nothing covered that shall not be
revealed, and hid that shall not be known." (Matt. 10:26) Behold,
how, even now, the searchlight of general intelligence is discovering the secret
springs of political intrigue, financial policies, religious claims, ... and
how all are brought to the bar of judgment, and by men, as by God, declared
right or wrong as judged ..."( pg. 541, THE BATTLE OF ARMAGEDDON 208674)
THE BATTLE OF
ARMAGEDDON—series 4 of "Studies in the Scriptures" —examines
scripture texts which speak of the present distress of nations. Distress designed to prepare man for a new
and much better order. You will be sent
a copy, if you like, for $1.00. You may
also request a copy of THE DIVINE PLAN OF THE AGES, no charge.
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ISRAEL
For 2000 years
Israel has not been a nation. Now,
"suddenly," they are one again!
They even live in the same land that they used to. Why?
Does God want them there? Is He
responsible—or not? Jer 16:15 says,
"... I will bring them again into their land that I gave unto their
fathers."
"And I
will bring again the captivity of my people of Israel, and they shall build the
waste cities, and inhabit them; and they shall plant vineyards, and drink the
wine thereof; they shall also make gardens, and eat the fruits of them. And I will plant them upon their land, and
they shall no more be pulled up out of their land which I have given them, saith
the LORD thy God." —Amos 9:14, 15
Why? Because God has in mind for them a special
purpose. Over 3,000 years ago, God made
a very special promise. He made it to
Abraham, but it is a promise which affects every member of the human race who
has ever lived. "And in thy seed
shall all the nations of the earth be blessed. ..." ( Gen 22:18)
This promise
was repeated to Isaac, and to Jacob. In
fact, God "sware by himself" that this promise would be
fulfilled. (Heb 6:13) Paul tells us that "for the fathers’
sakes," that is, because of this promise to the patriarchs of Israel, God
would again favor Israel. God calls
them back to their homeland that they may be the first to receive the blessings
of the earthly kingdom designed to subsequently bless all the nations. From Israel, under their restored leaders,
the blessings will flow to all mankind.
The prophet foretold, "... as ye were a curse among the heathen,
... O house of Israel, ... ye shall be a blessing ... In those days ... ten men
shall take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying, We will go with
you: for we have heard that God is with
you." —Zech 8:13, 23
How can God use
a non-Christian people?
A good
point. Peter said of Jesus, "There
is none other name under heaven given among men whereby we must be
saved." (Ac 4:12) It would seem a little inconsistent, then,
to bless the world through a non-Christian nation. In fact, Israel was "left desolate" (Mt 23:38) for their unbelief. But were they cast off forever?
"God
forbid!" is Paul’s emphatic reply in Ro 11. He makes three basic points in his discussion. (1) Because of unbelief, Israel was set
aside from chief favor. They lost the
opportunity, as a nation, of becoming heirs with Christ in his heavenly
kingdom. They were blinded to their
Messiah (Ro 11:7-10, 17, 20, 25). (2)
Because Israel was set aside, the call to the Christian way was extended to the
Gentiles (Ro 11:11, 17-21, 24, 28). (3)
When the body of Christ is complete, Israel will have her blindness removed
(they’ll recognize their Messiah!, and having their favor restored, God will
make a "new covenant with them (Ro 11:25-27, 30-32).
(illustration)
Blindness
removed?
Question: After nearly 2,000 years, how will Israel’s
blindness suddenly be lifted?
Answer: a miraculous
deliverance. Joel says, "... In
that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I
will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of
Jehoshaphat (Israel) and will plead with them there for my people. ..." (
Joel 3:1, 2) Zechariah continues, and
tells us just what will happen when God "pleads" for His people. "For I will gather all nations against
Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, the houses rifled, ... Then
shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in
the day of battle." —Zech 14:2, 3
When Israel is
all but defeated, humbled under her oppressors, then the Lord will
intervene. And Israel, recognizing
their miraculous deliverance, will see with the eye of their understanding that
it is their Messiah that delivered them.
"... And they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only
son, and shall be in bitterness for him. .." ( Zech 12:10) as they realize
that the one who saved them was the one they had rejected for so long.
The whole work
of regathering Israel is summarized by the prophet Ezekiel: "And I will bring you out from the
people, and will gather you out of the countries wherein ye are scattered ...
with fury poured out. And I will bring
you into the wilderness of the people, and there will I plead with you face to
face. ... And I will cause you to pass under the rod (of trouble), and I will bring
you into the bond of the covenant ... and I will purge out from among you the
rebels. ... and ye shall know that I am the Lord." —Eze 20:34-38
For the purpose
of instruction and leadership from the time of their deliverance, God promised
to "restore (their) judges as at the first. ..." ( Isa 1:26; see also
Mic 5:5, Ps 49:14, Da 12:13) At that
time, the arrangements of the earthly kingdom shall be set up. Look, for instance, what that "new
covenant" will mean. "This
shall be the covenant that I will make ... I will put my law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts; (I) will be their God, and they shall be
my people ... all shall know me ... I will remember their sin no more."
—Jer 31:34
And those
prophets who foretold Israel’s rebirth—notice what they say will happen at that
time:
"... in that day ... the mountains
shall drop down new wine, and the hills shall flow with milk, and all the
rivers of Judah shall flow with waters, and a fountain shall come forth of the
house of the Lord. ..."— Joel 3:18
"... living waters shall go out from
Jerusalem; ... And the Lord shall be King over all the earth." —Zech 14:8,
9
"... the house of the Lord shall be
established ... and people shall flow into it ... the word of the Lord (will come)
from Jerusalem." —Mic 4:1, 2
A beautiful
kingdom. A kingdom where blind eyes
shall see, the lame shall leap, and "parched ground shall become a
pool." (Isa 35:5-7) But most of mankind are lying in
graves. A beautiful kingdom—can it only
be for the few that remain? God’s love
is much more abundant. The prison doors
of death shall be opened, "and the ransomed of the Lord shall return ...
sorrow and sighing shall flee away."
(Isa 35:10; 61:1) As Paul said
in speaking of Israel, "What shall the receiving of them be, but life from
the dead?" —Ro 11:15
_________________________________
Israel in
History and Prophecy
Israel. The nation with the most famous history in
the world. The nation known for leaders
like Moses, David and Solomon. The
nation whose laws have been the template of decency and justice. The nation destroyed and given to others. The nation whose people were scattered, yet
never lost their identity. The nation
whose name was changed to Palestine, but still is Israel today. The nation who sought after God. The nation who has become a nation again.
Israel. Who would ever think that this nation of a
few million would ever come back again?
The plots of her enemies have been foiled by time. How come?
God’s plans are to revive her and rebuild her. It will be the "come back" sensation of history. It has already started. While many are interested in her history,
relatively few realize her future. The
Scriptures abound with information, the significance of which is unfolding
before our very eyes. Egypt, Russia,
Israel. What’s going on? More important, what’s going to result?
Israel in
History and Prophecy, a
37-page booklet, is an interesting treatise answering this very question. Scriptures from both Old and New Testaments
hold the answer for those who seek. The
homecoming of the Jew has been the outstanding sign that God is doing
something. Send for the free booklet, Israel in History and Prophecy.
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____Israel in
History and Prophecy
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The Living
and True God
"O praise
the Lord, all ye nations: praise him
all ye people. For his merciful
kindness is great toward us: and the
truth of the Lord endureth forever.
Praise ye the Lord. Who laid the
foundations of the earth, that it should not be removed forever. He appointed the moon for seasons: the sun knoweth his going down. O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all, the earth
is full of thy riches. I will sing unto
the Lord as long as I live: I will sing
praise to my God while I have my being." —Ps 117:1, 2; 104:5, 19, 24, 33.
But some of the
most intelligent of our most intelligent day are rapidly drifting way from the
fundamental truth that there is a living and true God.
These
intellectuals are accepting the thought of an impersonal God, which, from our
standpoint, is tantamount to saying, "There is no living and true
God." This is the position taken
by many scientific and professional thinkers.
Rarely is an attempt made to define this impersonal God. Rather, the term "God" is used
merely as a concession to popular sentiment.
Those who hold this view often use nature as a synonym for God. Their thought really seems to be that there
is no intelligent creator in the universe; that our sun and stars and planets
are governed by what they term "natural laws," and that humanity
prospers and progresses merely as it experiences the operation of these laws,
and seeks to cooperate and avoid conflict with them.
His personality
How could an
impersonal God have a purpose, a will, a plan and a program? And how could he reveal that purpose in the
Bible or otherwise? "He that
cometh unto God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek him." (He
11:6) He shall be found of them. He will reveal his true character to
them. "He that seeketh
findeth." The truth is that not
one word of the Bible from Genesis to Revelation declares divine omnipresence;
but every utterance on the subject affirms the personality of the Father, and
that our Lord Jesus is the "express image of his person." —He 1:3.
"God is a
spirit," but he is a being, a person.
The Scriptures distinctly tell us that a spirit has not flesh and body,
as we have (Lk 24:39), but just as distinctly describe the Divine
personality—often using the parts and qualities of the human body to bring the
Creator within the range of our comprehension.
The hand of the Lord (his divine power), and the eye of the Lord (his
divine wisdom) are in every place. The
ear of the Lord is bowed down to hear the groaning of the prisoner. And the heart of the Eternal is most
wonderfully kind. Heaven is his throne
and the earth is his footstool. True,
these expressions are pictorial, figurative; but the picture is not of an
impersonal Creator, but of a personal one, who feels, who thinks, who exercises
his power; who is displeased with those who are sinful and loves those who try
to do his will.
Whoever accepts
this thought of a righteous, personal God, has taken the first step in
establishing his own heart along lines of corresponding character. He seeks a further knowledge of such a
Creator; seeks his compassion and his protecting care, and learns to love him,
as he could never appreciate nor love "nature" nor any disorganized
concept of a space-pervading non-entity.
He whose mind and heart grasps the Scriptural personality of the
heavenly father, experiences the significance of our Savior’s words, "Are
not two sparrows sold for a farthing?
And not one of them shall fall to the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all
numbered. Fear not, therefore; ye are
of more value than any sparrows." —Mt 10:29-31.
The Almighty
The Scriptural
presentation of the Almighty is, therefore, the one most consistent to reason
and most helpful to us; namely, that he is a great god, infinite in his wisdom,
his justice, his love and his power.
His personality has heaven for his locality, but his influence and
powers pervade the universe. We can
only imperfectly imagine his various channels of information and the
innumerable ways he can exercise his power.
But in view of modern discoveries, we have at least a suggestion of
it. Cannot man communicate with a light
beam, and travel at many times the speed of sound?
And if man,
imperfect and fallen, "born in sin and shapen in iniquity and of few days
and full of trouble," can thus enlarge his natural powers what limitations
could he set upon the intelligence and power of his Creator? "He that formed the eye, shall he not
see? He that formed the ear, shall he
not hear?" (Ps 94:9) He that gave to humans our sense of justice,
shall we not consider him the very embodiment of justice? He who gave to us the power of sympathy and
compassion and love, shall we not consider him, the Author of our powers, as
infinitely superior to the very highest of our human ideals?
"Jesus
said unto him, Thou salt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all
thy soul, and with all thy mind." —Mt 22:37
_________________________________
If you are
God’s ...
... you have placed God above all. Only those who do this may enjoy a vital
relationship with him. You must love
the Lord your God with all your heart, soul and mind—nothing less will meet
with His approval. (Mt 22:37) This is your first and foremost duty—God
above all! This is not easy. It never was. Through the ages, the world, the flesh and the devil have conspired
against such singular devotion.
They are still
against the faithful. You will be
marked as an extremist if you insist on weeding out tradition, errors and human
philosophies from your worship of the true and living God. Quickly you will be told that nobody really
knows what the Bible teaches and you are better off accepting what the clergy
presents, since they should know best.
Many believe that it doesn’t matter what you believe as long as you do
good and live decently—that’s all that counts.
If you are like most people, you will succumb to these arguments and
conform.
But you won’t
if you are God’s! They that worship Him
must worship Him in spirit and in truth."
(Joh 4:24) Adoring worship is
not enough. You must worship in "spirit
and in truth." God is not
interested in any other form of worship.
Men have said that nobody can really know God’s truth and God’s plan of
the ages, but God promises to open to those who sincerely "knock."
"He that
cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that
diligently seek Him." —He 11:6
If you are
God’s you have placed God above all.
If you would
like the free booklet, "If You Are God’s," simply send us the coupon
below.
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MILLENNIAL
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The new day
dawns.
Good
morning.
"At the
name of Jesus every knee shall bow and every tongue confess to the glory of
God." —Php 2:10,11
For six
thousand years the world of mankind has been ruled by sin and death. Physicians, both physical and moral, have
been unable to cure us. God alone is
able to roll away the curse which he himself imposed, and to give mankind his
blessing instead.
In the past we
have been so intent on following our own sectarian theories that we have
neglected the proper study of the Bible.
Not until our day has such study been possible for everybody. Only now is the Word of God in convenient
form, and only now is education so universal that all can read, all can study,
all can know the good things of the Bible.
Bible students
are waking up from sleep and finding that they have been suffering from
nightmares. The true message of the
word of God is spreading, and with it goes increase of faith, together with
joy, peace and godliness.
Foregleams of
the new day.
We know that
ours is the most wonderful day of earth’s history. Our eyes open wide as we see the contrast between the blessings
which surround us and those enjoyed by our fathers. We have been amazed at the progress of labor-saving machinery and
education. What do these things
mean? Why have they come suddenly in
one century? And give no indication of
slacking, but rather of progressing.
What is the explanation of all this?
The Bible alone
answers these questions. It explains
the meaning of the reign of sin and death which we and our fathers have
shared. It tells us that our sorrows,
aches, pains and weaknesses—mental, moral and physical—are all the results of
sin from father Adam, by the laws of heredity.
Then the Bible opens the door of the future and bids us look abroad and
see the better day which God promises.
It explains that he has been giving us lessons about the "exceeding
sinfulness of sin," but that all the while he has sympathized with and
loved his creatures. It tells us that
Jesus came into the world and died for Adam and his race, "the just for
the unjust," to cancel the death penalty and thus to give them an
opportunity in God’s due time to return to their former estate—to all that Adam
lost in his glorious estate—"Paradise."
That day has
come.
Chronologically,
we are already in the great seventh day, or thousand-year sabbath. This fact explains the blessings of our
day. And they will continue throughout
the great thousand-year sabbath of Messiah’s kingdom. The Bible promises that the Messianic reign will bring
blessedness to every creature—not only to the living, but also to the dead; for
"all that are in the graves shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and
shall come forth." —Joh 5:28, 29
The coming of
these blessings is, in one sense, premature, because they have come before the
establishment of the messianic kingdom.
Consequently, instead of being happier, the world is more unhappy, more
discontented, than ever. The Scriptures
show that the discontent will culminate in a short, sharp period of anarchy,
from which the world will be rescued by the establishment of Christ’s kingdom. The permission of the light and blessings of
our day, in advance of his rule, will teach humanity a great lesson respecting
their own fallen condition and their need of the very help which God is
providing in Christ. No one will be
able to say that God’s blessing, coming to unregenerate hearts, will make them
thankful and happy. The new heart is
necessary to real happiness.
A life worth
living.
As we gradually
realize that we are living in the dawning of the time for the long-promised
blessing, this sabbath day of earth, it gives us a fresh interest in the
present life, as well as in those features of God’s plan which are yet
future. The knowledge makes life worth
living. Millions of people live a
treadmill existence, unworthy of themselves and joyless, because they have not
come into the family of God and have not been taught to understand the deep
things of his gracious purposes.
The first step
is an acknowledgment of the Creator and a consecration of life to him, and then
an application of our hearts to know his will, in order that we may do it. One day of such living is worth more than a
year of the aimless meandering so common to most people. All who have entered into this blessing
should rejoice. All who have not done
so should seek the door, Christ, and be glad to walk the narrow way, following
his footsteps into grace and peace.
Our blessings
so far are not drawing people nearer to God, not making them more thankful,
more reverential, more loving. On the
contrary, we have more conflict, more self-will than any previous
generation—less inclined, for the most part, than ever before to worship and
reverence the God of all grace—less inclined to believe that there is such a
being at all. At the present rate of
growth of irreverence, it would seem as though the time might soon come when no
knee would bow and no tongue confess, to the glory of God.
Permit not
faith to let go her hold; the Word of God cannot fail. As he is bringing the blessings promised in
his Word and appropriate to this time, let us trust him for every other feature
of his promised blessing. He who has
begun the good work is able to complete it.
If he has promised and sworn that all the families of the earth shall be
blessed in Abraham’s seed, surely we can rely on it. The members of Christ’s church are the spiritual "seed of
Abraham." This class, as the bride
of Christ, must be completed and united to their Redeemer before they can share
with him the great work of blessing the rest of the world. (Ga 3:8, 16, 29) The completion and glorification of the church will mark the time
for the establishment of the messianic kingdom.
God’s glory
fills the earth.
Rapidly the
knowledge of the glory of God will fill the whole earth. Corrections in righteousness will be given
to all not doing their very best.
Rewards of perfection of mind and body will gradually come to the
willing and obedient. The infinitude of
God’s love, justice, wisdom and power may then be seen by all. The result will be glorious.
"There
shall be no more sighing, no more curse there, nor sorrow nor pain nor any more
dying; for all the things of sin and death will have passed away. He who sits upon the throne will make all
things new." —Re 21:4, 5
____________________________
The Times
They are a Changin’.
"This
lifetime is different from all others, because of the astonishing expansion of
the scale and scope of change." Future Shock by Elvin Hopler
Statesmen,
writers, and religious enthusiasts have noticed something very peculiar about
our times. They are a changin’.
If you could
imagine a map of the world showing flareups which occur, it would be in marked
contrast to what it was 100 years ago. A
civil war in Viet Nam alters basic political actions in Washington, Peking and
Moscow. It touches off protest in
Stockholm. It effects financial
transactions in Zurich. It triggers
secret diplomatic moves in Algiers. The
history of nations has seen many notable conflicts, but not until 1914 has any
been labeled as a World War. Trouble is
so bad that nowadays it’s common to hear reference to "over kill,"
the wiping out of the entire population many times over.
People are
concerned. Prophecies are being
fulfilled before our very eyes. The
whole world is in a big mess. It’s
getting worse. If something isn’t done
no one will be saved. You know the
question," What’s happening?"
The scriptures tell why.
Send for some
informative literature on Our Lord’s Return.
It just may be what you’re looking for.
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An Open
Letter to the
Jewish
People
The Holy
Scriptures inform us that it is now time for national favor to return to the
Jewish people. Indeed, since 1878, the
secular evidences have been growing that favor has been returning. We have seen the Zionist movement, the
rebirth of Israel, and three successive Israeli victories, culminating in the
recovery of the Old City of Jerusalem (a foretold event).
This return of
favor implies, of course, that there was a period of national disfavor. Thus, the Jews have been without a homeland
since the fall of Jerusalem, 70 C.E., until quite recently. Some rabbis feel this is described in
Scripture as a period without king, prince, sacrifice, pillar, ephod, or
teraphim, for "many days."
(Hos 3:4, 5) But even during
this dark period, Divine providence was over the Jews of the Diaspora,
preserving them separate and distinct from all other nations. —Le 26:44
The mere fact
that God has preserved the Jews, should be proof that He has something
important for them as a people or nation in the future. Indeed, not only shall Israel receive God’s
full blessing, but they shall fulfill the prophetic vision of being a
"light" to the Gentiles. (Isa
42:6; 49:6; 60:3) And, "Thus said
the Lord of hosts: In those days it
shall come to pass, that ten men shall take hold out of all languages of the
nations, shall even take hold of the skirt of him that is a Jew, saying: We will go with you, for we have heard that
God is with you." —Zec 8:23, Masoretic Text
A humbling
experience, we may be sure!
Israel will
also have to undergo a humbling process in order to be fit for the Kingdom
arrangements. The Israelis, proud of
their military powers, must become more "God-conscious" before they
can be useful to God and be in a heart condition to receive His blessings.
This is the
most solemn part of our message, and we would that it need not be uttered; yet
Scripture reveals that it must and will be.
Israel, the "Pleasant Land," and Jerusalem, the "Golden
City," will fall once more to the oppressors. This time, known as "Jacob’s Trouble" (Jer 30:7), will
be the dregs of despair for Israel.
But, thank God, it will only be temporary. Our heart goes out to her, but we comfort ourselves and Israel
with the Scriptural promise that God shall actually and literally intervene on
behalf of Israel before all is lost.
(Eze 38:18, 21-23) After
"Jacob’s Trouble" there will be found in Israel a
"God-conscious" people who will be the nucleus of God’s kingdom on
earth.
What of your
personal responsibilities?
A voice is
sounding from the wilderness and the Jews everywhere are hearkening to it. It does not call them to become Christians,
but to remain Jews and to realize, as Jews, the ideals set before them by the
Lord in the Law and in the Prophets. We
invite our Jewish friends to believe what their Scriptures say, and to make
their future in the land of Israel, for the Scriptures plainly declare that
God’s favor is to be found in Israel and upon those who have enough faith to
seek Him there.
Why go to
Israel if there is to be so much trouble there? Simply because there will be trouble and anarchy world-wide at
that time, but in Israel God promises a deliverance!
What do we
expect in Israel within the next decade or so?
1.A further
immigration from Russia.
2.Probably more
land gains—at the expense of Lebanon and Jordan.
3.Probable
period of peace and prosperity followed by definitely more trouble when
"Gog and Magog" invade Israel from the north.
4.The Old City
of Jerusalem will remain in Israeli hands, despite the opposition of the entire
world, until "Jacob’s Trouble."
What do we, as
Bible Students, hope to accomplish by proclaiming this message?
God, our God
and yours, loves Israel with an unfailing love. Our hearts are compelled by the Scriptures, ours and yours, to:
1.Respond to
the plea of Isaiah 40:1, 2:
"Comfort ye, comfort ye, my people" —Israel.
2.Identify
ourselves as non-proselyting friends of Israel. (See Herzl Yearbook, Vol. V, pp. 180-189, Herzl Press, N.Y.)
3.Proclaim to
each individual Jew his God-given responsibility to believe and act upon the
promises and prophecies of the Torah.
4.Urge all Jews
to avoid the current ecumenical dialogues with Christian denominations, either
Catholic or Protestant, for we do not wish the Jews to become entangled with
the false doctrine of the Trinity (three-in-one god).
To further
explain the Scriptures on these various features of God’s plan, we have
prepared a booklet entitled, "The Time to Favor Zion is Come." The booklet does not contain a proselyting
message.
We appreciate
the opportunity of speaking with you on matters at once personal and yet of a
national interest.
Shalom, in the
hope of God’s kingdom and Israel’s share in it.
"Thou
wilt arise, and have compassion upon Zion; for it is time to be gracious unto
her, for the appointed time is come." Ps 102:14
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ZION IS COME
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The
truth. The whole truth.
And nothing
but the truth.
How can you
find it?
Well, there’s a
couple of things you could do. You
could try out all the religions and keep from each one what sounds like
truth. An endless job. The trouble with this is that while all
religions agree there is a God, they disagree on almost everything else. If two opinions conflict, somebody’s got to
be wrong. They may both be wrong, but
they can’t both be right.
The other way
to find truth is to try to get rid of whatever prejudices we may have and look
for God in His Word. If truth is to be
found, it must be sought sincerely and persistently. And if God is to be found, He will reward this kind of a search.
Are the
character lessons in the Bible enough?
The fact that God gave prophecies about our day and about the future
tells us that they are in the Bible for a reason. Prophecy wasn’t given to satisfy curiosity, or for wild
speculation. It was given so the child
of God could know what his Father is doing.
His plans are revealed so we can understand them, and view matters as He
views them. Then we can serve, not
merely as a servant, but with joy as child and heir. Careful study of the plan of God has this effect.
How will we
know when we have found the truth?
We will know
when we find a plan that brings all of the scriptures
into harmony, when each new truth adds to, but does not conflict with that
plan. The plan of God found in the
Bible is complete. It is harmonious
with itself and with God’s character of love and justice. It has the answers to all of our questions. It has the answers to all the world’s
problems.
Knowing what is
happening in the world—that the Lord is now present and His Kingdom
beginning—should affect everybody. But
it will be especially powerful to those who have given their lives and hearts to
the Lord.
Are you willing
to give up your plans and theories and follow God’s? Are you willing, even if you lose friends? And are you willing to give up time from
other things to search God’s Word daily?
If you work at it, and truth is received in a sincere and honest heart,
it will beget in you such a love for God and His plan, and such a desire to
preach the truth, that it will become the all-absorbing theme of your life.
Whoever comes
in contact with truth and understands it has a responsibility to it from then
on. It must either be received and
acted on, or rejected. Each one
receiving it gets to be a debtor to it, and must give it to others.
It’s
morning. It’s time to wake up.
__________________________________
What should
I do?
"Seeing
then that all these things shall be dissolved, what manner of persons ought ye
to be?"
The question is
pointed. It was raised nearly 2,000
years ago for those living today. When
it is seen that Christ has returned and His work of removing the systems has
begun, what manner of persons ought we to be?
Consider the possibilities. Work
through the system? No, the verdict has
been given that the systems must go.
Their efforts to solve man’s problems have been unsuccessful. Help destroy the establishment? No, the Lord loves a peacemaker. The Apostle says we should seek a new
kingdom of righteousness.
"we ...
look for a new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth
righteousness." 2Pe 3:13
While living in
the present system we can cultivate a character of peace and love, without spot
and blameless. It isn’t easy. Nonconformists are criticized.
The Scriptures
urge us to
"Seek ye
the Lord, ye meek of the earth ... seek righteousness; seek meekness; it may be
ye shall be hid in the day of the Lord’s anger." Zeph 2:3
None will
escape the trouble entirely. But those
seeking righteousness and rejoicing in meekness will have many advantages over
others. Their manner of life and their
sympathies for the right will help them.
They will appreciate the Bible account of the reason for this
trouble. They will be glad to see the
incoming Kingdom. It helps to know what
is going on, doesn’t it?
"What
manner of persons ought ye to be?"
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Where are
the Dead?
"... there is no work, nor device, nor
knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave, whither thou goest." (Ec 9:10)
"And in hell he lift up his eyes, being in torments ..." ( Lk
16:23)
Can these two
scriptures possibly harmonize? Where
are the dead? Are they really
dead? Or not? Where are Abel, David, Samson, Moses and Abraham? Most Christians would answer quickly,
"in heaven!" But not
Peter. "... let me freely speak
unto you of the Patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his
sepulchre is with us unto this day. ... For David is not ascended into the
heavens ..." ( Ac 2:29, 34) Jesus
said in his day, "... no man hath ascended up to heaven ..." ( Joh
3:13) No man—not David, not Abraham,
not Elijah—no man!
They are asleep
in death, waiting for their reward. Job
said, "O that thou wouldst hide me in the grave, ... that thou wouldst
appoint me a set time, and remember me!
If a man die, shall he live again?
All the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change
come." (Job 14:13, 14) Daniel was told, "... thou shalt rest,
and stand in thy lot at the end of the days." —Da 12:13
They were
faithful and merit a "better resurrection" (He 11:35), to be
"princes in all the earth" (Psa. 45:16), though the heavenly call was
not then open. (He 11:39, 40; 10:20; Lk
16:16; 2Ti 1:10) But what about the
unfaithful?
What About
Hell?
Is it a fiery
place of torment for sinners?
Consider. Every time you see the
word HELL in the Old Testament, it is from just one Hebrew word: sheol.
But the translators of the common version, laboring under the bias of
the Dark Ages, were most inconsistent in its translation. When Job prayed "Hide me in sheol ...
until thy wrath be past," it was translated "grave" —because no
one, especially faithful Job, would pray to go to a fiery hell to relieve his
miseries. (Job 14:13) Jacob said,
"I will go down into sheol ..."( Ge 37:35). The translators thought of Jacob as a good man, so they
translated it "grave." But
when it speaks of bad people, the translators always render this same word
sheol as "hell." (See Ps
9:17; 55:15; Eze 31:16, 17)
The true
thought is that hell—sheol—is death.
All die. That is why even Jesus
was said to go into hell—sheol—death.
(Ac 2:31; Ps 16:10) He was not
to suffer torture for three days following his death, because hell is the death
condition—defined in our opening scripture, where is "no work, nor device,
nor knowledge, nor wisdom, in the grave whither thou goest."
This is how a
whole nation may be said to go into hell.
Their nation, as a nation, dissolves; it dies. It ceases to exist as a nation.
This was the punishment threatened for the nation of Israel’s
unfaithfulness. —De 32:21, 22.
The Lake of
Fire
As a fire is a
consuming, annihilating force, it is used in the Bible as a symbol of the
destruction of death. This symbol was
used by Jesus, likening the destruction of death to the valley of
destruction—Gehenna—in which trash, bodies, and refuse were dumped for
incineration in the unceasing flames—the fragments consumed by the ever-present
works. —Mk 9:48; Isa 66:24
Re 20:10 speaks
of a great lake of fire, in which were tormented a beast, a dragon, and a false
prophet. These creatures are as
symbolic as the four strange beasts of Daniel’s vision of world rulership. (Da 7)
Just as the sea which gave birth to those four beasts was symbolic (of
the peoples of earth), so it is logical to conclude that the fire which
consumes the symbolic creatures of Revelation is also symbolic—of their
destruction.
Reading on to
Re 20:14, the Bible gives its own interpretation of the lake of fire—"this
is the second death." This is
death from which there is no returning, no resurrection. It represents eternal destruction, not
eternal pain. "The wages of sin is
death" —not eternal misery! (Ro
6:23)
The "Rich
Man" in Hell
What about the
"rich man" of Lk 16:19-31 being tormented in hell? Read the parable. It is a story with a meaning.
It describes a rich man, clothed in purple and linen, who "fared
sumptuously every day." Meanwhile,
a poor beggar named Lazarus lay at his gate full of sores, licked by the
dogs. When he died, the poor man was
taken to "Abraham’s bosom."
But when the rich man died, he was buried, and awoke in
"hell." The nation of Israel
was that rich man. They were wealthy,
having the exclusive favor of God for hundreds of years. It was to them that their God promised a
Messiah. In the Old Testament passage
from which Jesus drew this parable, Israel was called "Jeshurun," who
"waxed fat and kicked," —then forsook God and "lightly esteemed
the Rock of his salvation." (De
32:15) So they were cast off. They died to God’s favor.
"They have
moved me to jealousy with that which is not God; they have provoked me to anger
with their vanities; and I will move them to jealousy with those which are not
a people; I will provoke them to anger with a foolish nation. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and
shall burn unto the lowest hell ..."— De 32:21, 22
This prophesies
what later happened. Shortly after
Israel was rejected, the Gentiles began to be favored by God. Paul explains this in Ro 11:11. This same truth is portrayed in the parable
by the poor beggar (the Gentiles) being received into "heaven." "Heaven" cannot be literal here
because we already know that "no man hath ascended up to heaven"
before Jesus. But now the Gentiles were
able to receive the favor of God. To
them was opened the heavenly call to "Abraham’s bosom" —to be heirs
of the Abrahamic promise. (Ga 3:29)
We have seen
the nation of Israel in a "hell" condition for centuries since the
time of Christ. The prophecy of Zech
9:9-11 tells us that they return from it.
"As for thee also, by the blood of thy covenant I have sent forth
thy prisoners out of the pit wherein is no water." They have been rising from that pit in our lifetime. They (as a nation) are being resurrected
from the dead.
Do you know
what that means for the world’s dead?
It’s thrilling to find out. Read
Ro 11:12, 15
_________________________________
Where Are The
Dead?
Jesus said,
"The hour is coming, in the which all that are in the graves ... shall
come forth." (Joh 5:28, 29) Isaiah wrote, "The ransomed of the Lord
shall return ..." ( Isa 35:10 Job
spoke of the time when man’s "flesh shall be fresher than a child’s: he shall return to the days of his
youth," because a ransom had been found.
(Job 33:24, 25) And Paul taught
that "there shall be a resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the
unjust." (Ac 24:15)
Yes, the dead
shall rise. But where are the dead
meanwhile? What actually happens to a
person when he dies? Anything? Nothing?
Where are the dead? Where aren’t
they? Are they anywhere?
We have a
booklet that may help answer. It covers
every Bible text that mentions "hell." It explains scriptures that speak of death—and of resurrection.
Where Are The
Dead? We’ll send it, no charge, at your request.
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Who Is
Millennial Morning?
"His voice
then shook the earth; but now he has promised, "Yet once more I shake not
only the earth, but also the heaven.’
This phrase, "yet once more’ indicates the removal of what is
shaken, as of what has been made, in order that what cannot be shaken will
remain." (He 12:26, 27 —RSV)
"God is in
the midst of her (the church), she shall not be moved; God will help her right
early. The nations rage, the kingdoms
totter; he utters his voice, the earth melts.
The Lord of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge." (Ps 46:5 —RSV)
We are all living
in a time of trouble. Everything that
can be shaken is to be shaken. Nothing
is immune to the influence of God’s plans and power. The only group or establishment that will survive this shaking is
the Church. Which Church? The Church.
It isn’t a reference to the building down the street. It isn’t a reference to any
denomination—Catholics, Protestants or any other group. The Church is a spiritual organization. Their membership is written in God’s book of
life, not on the membership rolls of any earthly congregation. It is composed of individuals who have
accepted Jesus as their savior, and have consecrated their all to doing His
will. The Church uses the authority of the
scriptures as a guide to daily living and sacrifice.
But who is
Millennial Morning? Millennial Morning
is the name chosen by a group of Christians who claim no denominational
affiliation, hold no creeds of men, and strive to understand what is happening
in God’s plan now. Our basis for
conclusion is the Word of God, study helps (topical study aids, Bible
dictionaries, concordances, etc.), and secular history. We refer to ourselves as Bible Students.
Who are the
Bible Students? The term Bible Students
was widely recognized at the turn of the century. It is thought by some that after the death of Pastor Charles T.
Russell in 1916, the Bible Students became Jehovah’s Witnesses. This is not correct. Bible Students are still the same today, and
they are not Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Pastor Russell
was not the founder of the sect called Jehovah’s Witnesses. He was never known as one, and he never used
the name. The Jehovah’s Witnesses did
not come into existence until the 1930’s, years after Pastor Russell died.
The Bible
Student movement started in the 1800’s, emerging when the age of enlightenment
challenged Christianity. At that time,
many intelligent individuals set out to prove that the Bible was unintelligent
and untrustworthy. Many Christians
reacted by clinging blindly to their creeds.
Bible study classes formed spontaneously to challenge intelligent
unbelief and unintelligent belief.
Charles Russell became the pastor of one of these Bible study classes,
and was soon recognized as a leading Bible expositor. His sermons appeared in over 3,000 newspapers weekly, here and
overseas. Pastor Russell advocated the
sound method of harmonizing all the Bible texts on a given subject before
accepting any teaching as scriptural.
He never claimed to originate new truths, but to have discovered Bible
truths that were lost, or changed from the beliefs of the early church.
In 1879, Pastor
Russell formed the Zion’s Watch Tower, later known as the Watch Tower Bible and
Tract Society. This Society was merely
an organ of evangelism and a stimulus to Bible Study. It was never the central authority of the Bible Students, whose
organization was, and is, congregational in character.
Bible Students
today
J. F.
Rutherford gained control of the Watch Tower Bible and Tract Society shortly
after Pastor Russell’s death in 1916.
He moved rapidly to centralize authority over all Bible Student
congregations. Vital changes were made
in basic doctrines, incompatible with the studied conclusions of most Bible
Students. In 1917, the Bible Students
began separating from this authoritarian arrangement, and soon there were many
independent and autonomous congregations cooperating together in a world-wide
fellowship. There is no connection
between these Bible Students and the Jehovah’s Witnesses.
Is Pastor
Russell’s approach
to Bible study
beneficial?
We believe it
is. Literature offered by Millennial
Morning is based on the study method suggested by Pastor Russell. The Studies in the Scriptures series of
Bible study textbooks were written at the turn of the century; yet they are
remarkably relevant to our day. In
fact, on the basis of scripture, they predicted events such as World War I (to
the year) and the re-establishment of Israel as a nation.
We are in a
time when everyone is cautious about everyone else. And isn’t that what we would expect? The scriptures warn us that at the time of Christ’s return"
... there shall arise false Christs and false prophets and shall show great
signs and wonders ..."— Mt 24:24
However, they
also ask: "Who then is the
faithful and wise servant whom the master hath appointed over his household to
give them food in season. Happy that
servant whom his master when he cometh shall find so doing. Verily I say unto you, over all his
substance will he appoint him." Mt
24:45-47 (Rotherham)
Daniel was
instructed to close up the book until the time of the end (Da 12:9). Then, at Christ’s return, many doctrines
would be understood in their "due season." These doctrines may conflict with long-established creeds. How will we know which is right? The Church has one basis for her
doctrine—scriptural harmony. That is
why she won’t be shaken.
"God is
our refuge and strength ... Therefore will not we fear, though the earth
(society) will be removed, and though the mountains (governments, kingdoms) be
carried into the midst of the sea (anarchy, restless humanity); Though the
waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the
swelling thereof ... God is in the midst of her (the Church); she shall not be
moved: God shall help her and that
right early." —Ps 46:1-3, 5
____________________________
"Close
your eyes for a moment to the scenes of misery and woe, degradation and sorrow
that yet prevail on account of sin, and picture before your mental vision the
glory of the perfect earth. Not a stain
of sin mars the harmony and peace of a perfect society; not a bitter thought,
not an unkind look or word; love, welling up from every heart, meets a kindred
response in every other heart, and benevolence marks every act. There sickness shall be no more; not an ache
nor a pain, nor any evidence of decay—not even the fear of such things. Think of all the pictures of comparative
health and beauty of human form and feature that you have ever seen, and know
that perfect humanity will be of still surpassing loveliness. The inward purity and mental and moral
perfection will stamp and glorify every radiant countenance. Such will earth’s society be; and weeping bereaved
ones will have their tears all wiped away, when thus they realize the resurrection
work complete." —Re 21:4
The Divine Plan
of the Ages
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Why does God
permit evil?
NEW DELHI,
India (AP) —A cyclone and 16-foot tidal wave struck India’s east coast, and
political leaders reported a loss of 15,000 to 20,000 lives in this latest
major natural disaster on the rim of the Bay of Bengal.
The wave and
100-mile-an-hour winds hit Friday night, but the devastation was so complete
that word of its catastrophic proportions did not reach the outside world until
yesterday.
The Indian
government radio ...
"Weeping
may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning." —Ps 30:5
Why does God
permit the reign of sin and death, injustice, sorrow, trouble, pain, headaches
and heartaches? Why doesn’t he deal
with humanity kindly, as he deals with the angels? Is it just or loving on the part of the Creator to bring forth
millions of his creatures under these unfavorable conditions? Is it just that we should be in an unequal
fight, subject to weaknesses and dying and imperfect conditions on account of
the sin of our first parents?
The inheritance
of weaknesses, sorrows, pain and trouble, according to the Scriptures, are all
part of death, which is the penalty for sin given to Adam right from the
beginning by his Creator.
God anticipated
that, having given him freedom of choice, man would, through lack of full
appreciation of its results, choose sin.
Still, God planned to permit evil, because, having the remedy provided
for man’s redemption he saw that the result would be to teach him, through
experience, "the exceeding sinfulness of sin" in contrast to the
matchless brilliancy of virtue. The
final result will be to teach him to love and honor his creator, who is the
source of all goodness, and to forever abhor that which brought so much misery.
This redemption
feature of God’s plan—condemning all in one representative, Adam, opened the
way for the ransom and restitution of all by one Redeemer. Evil will be extinguished forever when God’s
purpose in permitting it shall have been accomplished, and when the benefits of
the ransom sacrifice are made available for the whole world.
A specially
privileged class.
Meantime, the
merit of that sacrifice has been applied to the Church—"the household of
faith" —since Pentecost. It has
brought to this class very special privileges, though very different ones from
those it will bring to the rest of the world during the Millennium. The willing and obedient of the world will
then get restitution gradually (Ac 3:20), back to human perfection and a
world-wide Edenic home. The blessing
for the Church is different. The
promise now made to those who can and will walk by faith and not by sight is a
heavenly one. They are to have a
heavenly reward. The conditions of the
present time are severe, proportionate to the greatness and grandeur of their
heavenly calling. The terms of
acceptance to the Divine nature include not only faith and love, but a
self-sacrificing will. These sacrifice
their earthly restitution rights and privileges for the privilege of suffering
with Christ, that they may also reign with him in his Millennial Kingdom.
Learning by
suffering.
It seemed wise
to our Heavenly Father that the Lord Jesus should learn obedience through
sufferings and be tested as to his willingness to endure suffering for righteousness’
sake. How appropriate it is that the
same Father should make similar arrangements for all of the Church, whom he
will receive from among the race of Adam to be members of the Royal Priesthood
under Jesus, the High Priest. We see a
need for this, not only for our own testing and a thorough proof of our own
heart-loyalty to the Lord, but also in preparation of a priesthood of the
future.
The priest in
the Bible was not merely one who offered sacrifices, although every priest was
a sacrificer. The special mission of
the priests was that of instructing, helping, healing, teaching. And so God is preparing a "Royal
Priesthood" for the Millennial Age to bless, to heal, to teach and to
uplift all the willing and obedient. As
priests who will have to do with judging and chastening, healing and helping
humanity, how much sympathy do we think these Royal Priests should have? Aren’t they to be "members of the
body" of Messiah? And the Apostle
wrote that he must be a faithful and merciful High Priest, able to sympathize
with the people. (Please read He
4:15-5:4) And isn’t it in harmony with
this that all those accepted as "members of his body" should have
such experiences in this sacrificing time that would demonstrate their loyalty
to the Lord and guarantee their deep sympathetic interest in the world, then to
be committed to their care? To such
will be committed the work of human restitution, uplift out of sin and death
conditions—mental, moral and physical.
The morning of
joy.
How glad we are
that our Heavenly Father’s sympathy for us will provide "a morning of
joy" to be ushered in, in his "due time." Additionally, he sympathizes with us to the
extent that he has given us in advance a message and explanation to comfort us,
to sustain us in the way. How we can
rejoice as we see the length and breadth and height and depth of God’s program
for the future, and the blessings which it will bring to this "groaning
creation." How we long for the
time to come when the Church will be made ready through the sufferings of this
present time for the glories of the future—of the Kingdom!
The morning of
joy, the Millennial morning, of course, cannot be ushered in until the rising
of the Sun of Righteousness. Its beams
of grace and truth will flood the earth with the light of the knowledge of the
glory of God, and it will drive out all ignorance, superstition and sin, which
have worked such havoc in our race.
But what is
this Sun of Righteousness? The Bible
answers the question by telling us that it symbolically represents the Lord
himself and the elect Church of this Gospel Age. The mystery hidden for a time from many is the fact that the
Church is to share with him Lord in every feature of his glorious work, not
only in suffering, but also in reigning.
(Ro 8:17)
In view of the
great plan of redemption, and the consequent "restitution of all
things" through Christ and his Church, we can see that blessings will
result from the permission of evil which probably could not otherwise have been
so fully realized.
_________________________________
"Evil is anything causing injury or harm"
American
College Dictionary.
This subject
not only covers human ailments, sorrows, pains, weaknesses, and death, but goes
back of all these to consider their primary cause—sin—and its remedy. Since sin is the cause of evil, its removal
is the only method of permanently curing the disease.
No difficulty,
perhaps, more frequently presents itself to the inquiring mind than the
questions,
Why did God
permit the present reign of evil?
Why did he
permit Satan to present the temptation to our first parents,
after having
created them perfect and upright?
Why did he
allow the forbidden tree to have a place among the good?
Couldn’t God
have prevented all possibility of man’s fall?
Space does not
allow us to cover these answers in detail, so we would like you to read The
Divine Plan of the Ages, chapter 7, entitled "The Permission of Evil and
its Relation to God’s Plan." If
you don’t have the book, send for it.
It’s FREE. It’s scriptural. It’s logical.
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92104
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THE DIVINE PLAN
OF THE AGES
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World Conversion—1
out of 4.
Would you
believe 1 out of 7?
World
conversion—from what to what? Billy
Graham works at it. So did Billy
Sunday. And countless others. Missionaries are still sent to foreign lands
by both Catholics and Protestants.
Denominational Christiandom still claims the goal of world
conversion. They have worked at it for
literally centuries.
So now let’s
check their progress. The following
figures are taken from a 1968 United Nations world survey and a journal
published in 1886 called The Watchman.
18861968
Heathen60%57.5%
Mohammedan12%14.6%
Jews.5%.4%
Roman
Catholics13%17.2%
Greek
Catholics6%3.7%
Protestants 8%
6.5%
Non-Christian
Population72.5%72.5%
PROGRESS?
And only a very
liberal estimate would admit that as many as 1/5 of those listed because of
their national or social affiliations as "Christian" are in fact
sincere, professing Christians of mentally mature age.
Denominational
Christendom is faced with a problem.
They have a failure rate of 95%.
Well, maybe
God’s concern was for only a few—ignore the others. Ignore 95%? God has
declared his purpose in the matter—and it doesn’t fit with that conclusion.
He promised
Abraham, "In thy seed shall all the families of the earth be
blessed." (Ge 22:17) This may not mean that there will be no
wilful and constant opposers—but can it possibly allow a 95% exception rate?
We seem led to
either of two inevitable conclusions:
(1)god has not
yet even attempted the world’s conversion, or—
(2)god’s Plan
has been a miserable failure.
Man’s plans
usually are miserable failures. But
before concluding the same for God, let’s suggest a real examination of the
first conclusion—God has not yet even attempted the world’s conversion.
A Kingdom
First, let’s
support our premise that God does intend the world’s blessing. Remember the Lord’s prayer, "Thy
kingdom come, thy will be done on earth."
(Mt 6:10) Jesus was not praying
in vain.
Consider just
three passages which give us information on this kingdom.
1) Mic 4:1-3
—"In the last days the mountain of the house of the Lord shall be established in the top of the mountains,
it shall be exalted above the hills; and people shall flow unto it."
"And many
nations shall say, let us go up to the mountain of the house of the Lord, ...
he will teach of us his ways, and we will walk in his paths.
"He shall
rebuke strong nations afar off; they shall beat their swords into plowshares,
and their spears into pruninghooks: ... neither shall they learn war
anymore."
This tells us,
first, that the world will not be converted before this kingdom. Changing the minds and hearts of the people
will be the purpose of the kingdom.
That won’t be done before the kingdom is established to do it. Second, there will be a need to "rebuke
strong nations afar off," indicating that all mankind will be included in
God’s work. And, third, the end is
assured—PEACE. "Neither shall
there be war anymore ... for all people will walk every one in the name of his
God" —the God.
2) Da 2:44 —"In the days of these kings shall the God
of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed ... it shall break in
pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it shall stand forever."
The
establishment of this kingdom means that all others must pass. This shows us that the kingdom on earth
referred to in the scriptures is not fulfilled in Christians since the time of
Christ. The kingdoms of this earth have
been firmly entrenched all during the intervening period, and have begun to
pass away in turmoil only since the great world wars have begun to rock
civilization.
And when fully
established, the kingdom will not pass away.
Read Zeph 3:8, 9. It gives the
same message—trouble, smiting of the nations—and "then will I turn to the
people a pure language, that they may all call upon the name of the Lord with
one consent."
3) Jer 31:34 —"They shall teach no more every man his
neighbor, and every man his brother, saying Know the Lord: for they shall all know me, from the least
of them unto the greatest of them, saith the LORD: for I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin
no more."
This tells us
that at that time all mankind will be brought to a knowledge of God, his true
character, and his plan. And more, they
will be brought back into heart harmony with their God—"for I will forgive
their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more." And it will be as a result of a divine
arrangement for the World’s instruction, for "When thy judgments are in
the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness." (Isa 26:9)
So Christ Comes
Notice how
closely connected with this is the purpose of the return of Christ. We quote from Peter’s sermon in Ac 3:20, 21
—"He shall send Jesus Christ, ... Whom the heaven must retain until the
times of restitution of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all
his holy prophets since the world began."
It is not
Christ’s purpose to incinerate the earth along with 95% of mankind. It is his purpose to instruct the world in
the ways of God. To restore humanity to
the perfection with which it began. To
restore to man the care and appreciation of man.
The Kingdom
blessings are shown as "a pure river of water of life, clear as
crystal" from the throne of God.
(Re 22:1) The invitation will
be, "Whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." (Re 22:17)
Man’s
experience with sin and the ill it brings has been a dreary night. It has been permitted that man might, with
experience, choose intelligently in the Kingdom. Will he turn to his old ways?
Or will he by free choice much rather choose the goodness of God by
obedience? What would you do?
_______________________________
A suggestion.
Share a
blessing with a friend. What greater
blessing is there than truth? The
source of truth is God, as is revealed through His Word and seen through His
handiworks of creation. In the past 100
years there have been many concepts of what is revealed in His Word. Being imperfect as we all are, our views
must change when the test of time shows a difference between what we thought
was God’s plan and what is actually transpiring. How thrilling to find something that has withstood the test of
time?
Written in
1886, The Divine Plan of the Ages has withstood this test. Unchanged is the style (you might notice
some long sentences common with the era).
Unchanged are the references to events current in that day. Unchanged is the approach to topical Bible
study, covering 16 chapters and subjects like:
Ransom and Restitution, Object and Manner of Our Lord’s Return, Kingdoms
of this World, Kingdom of God, Why God Permits Evil, and many more.
In our
environment there are inconsistencies.
Changes occur in every field of study.
What happens when you find something that doesn’t need changing? What happens when you find a key to
understanding God’s Word? What happens
when it has not only withstood the test of time, but has become truer with each
new day that dawns? When this happens
you’ve found a blessing. Share it.
May we share a
blessing with you?
Send for the
free book, The Divine Plan of the Ages.
See for
yourself what we’re talking about.
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
Please send me
a free copy of your Bible Study textbook,
THE DIVINE PLAN
OF THE AGES
Name
_____________________________________________________________
Address
___________________________________________________________
_________________________________________________________________
**********
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
ye were
bought for a price
To make this
statement about anyone in politics, business or the military is a grave charge
indeed. And it is a charge that is
being heard more and more frequently.
Even the law enforcement agencies are not exempt. The public is shocked when a charge is
substantiated, and the accused fears that his life is ruined.
Yet the
Scriptures bring this very charge against every member of the human
family. The charge is true. "Ye are bought for a price." (1Co 6:20)
But how?
God’s work in
the creation of man was perfect. The
command was given to maintain obedience.
The sentence of death was just.
Father Adam actually sold, not only himself, but all his unborn
posterity, into sin by an act of selfish personal gratification. Because the wages of sin is death, the scales
of God’s justice were balanced with the pronouncement, "dying thou shalt
die." This sentence is being
carried out in each one of us from birth to the grave. The end of the story of man would have been
written were it not for the fact that we were bought for a price.
What was the
price?
Who paid it?
It is
scripturally known as the ransom, or corresponding price. The Logos, God’s only begotten Son," a
spiritual being, volunteered for the mission.
He gave up his former glory, "and the Word was made flesh and dwelt
among us." (Joh 1:14) Jesus, born of the virgin Mary, grew to
perfect manhood under the law, consecrated his life to his Father’s service,
and willingly gave up that life at Calvary.
There he began the fulfillment of what was prophesied: "I will ransom thee from the power of
the grave; I will redeem them from death:
O death, I will be thy plagues; O grave, I will be thy
destruction." (Hos 13:14) "For even the Son of man came ... to
give his life a ransom for many."
(Mk 10:45)
"The man Christ Jesus ... gave himself a ransom for all to be
testified in due time." (1Ti 2:5,
6) Jesus, in laying down his perfect
human life in death, bought back the equally perfect human life Adam had
lost. Based on the principle of
"an eye for an eye," this death was required by justice to offset the
sin of disobedience at Eden. Hence the
price was paid, and the balance of justice was maintained, as Paul summed it up
in Ro 2:26: "... that God might be
just, yet the justifier of him that believeth."
Because God’s
justice is so precise, Jesus of Nazareth could in no way have been spiritual in
nature. He had to be wholly human in
his being, and perfect in his character, to be the exact corresponding price for
Adam. ("... that I will give is my
flesh, which I will give for the life of the world." Joh 6:51)
That human life was laid down in death, and being a perfect human life,
it could thus make possible the fulfillment of the scripture, "For as in
Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive." —1Co 15:22
Similarly, the
being of our resurrected Lord must be totally spiritual. It could not be human. If, in Jesus’ resurrected glory, there is
any humanity, any human nature, this would mean he had not completed his
sacrificial covenant to give his flesh, his human nature, for the life of the
world, for Adam and Adam’s posterity:
none of mankind could be released from death in the "due time"
feature of the divine plan.
This is also
why Jesus’ birth was of a virgin. If
our Lord had been the son of Joseph, or received his life principle from any
other human source, he would have been under the same condemnation as the rest
of fallen humanity, and subject to the same weaknesses. He too would have been a slave to sin. Death would have overtaken him as a result
of that inherited sin, and there would have been no perfect human life to die
on the cross. This is why the Scriptures
carefully point out that his life did not come through such a channel, but was
conceived in Mary through the power of the Holy Spirit of God. In that way, Jesus could be perfect,
"holy, harmless, undefiled, separate from sinners." (Heb 7:26)
Cursed for us
Israel as a
nation vowed to keep their laws, and incurred an added curse by failing to keep
it. Jesus’ death was also to
"redeem" or publicly purchase the children of Israel. "Christ hath redeemed us (Jews) from
the curse of the law, being made a curse for us. For it is written, Cursed is everyone that hangeth on a tree." (Gal 3:13)
The crucifixion was a very wonderful event—the touchstone for salvation,
redemption, justification, sanctification, and finally, eternal sonship—for all
mankind.
Noel
We celebrate
the human birth of our Lord. It may not
be the proper date, but that is of minor importance. The real value of the season is the focal point—our
"Savior," which means life-giver.
"Savior" is familiar to our ears; "life-giver" adds
a greater force and beauty. The life
offered is the resurrection life, of everlasting enjoyment. "For unto us a child is born ... the
everlasting father, the prince of peace."
(Isa 9:6) LIFE is the hope
offered all the world of mankind who will be obedient in the Kingdom rule, now
just beginning. It is distinctly
different from the heavenly hope of the church, whose completion is very
near. Yes, eternal peace and joy is on
the way for everyone. For this there
should be rejoicing in the land.
"Glory be to God in the highest."
_______________________________________
"eye for
eye"
"... then thou shalt give life for
life, eye for eye, tooth for tooth, hand for hand, foot for foot, burning for
burning, wound for wound, stripe for stripe." —Ex 21:23-25
The basis for
the Ransom is found in the Law, given by God to the nation of Israel. It is fair, guaranteeing a payment equal to
the loss. Even the word ransom means
"corresponding price." The
perfect man Adam died and the whole human race has been going down the broad
way of destruction (see Mt 7:13, 14).
Who will lift them up?
It was the
perfect "Man Christ Jesus who gave himself a ransom (corresponding price)
for all, to be testified in due."
(1Ti 2:5, 6) All? When is the due time?
It was this corresponding
price that guaranteed a payment equal to the loss. What was lost? Life. And it is life that will be restored. "For as in Adam all die, even so in
Christ shall all be made alive."
(1Co 15:22) Does this include
non-Christians? "Restitution"
—what will it really mean?
For a study on
this subject, we recommend the topical study aid, The Divine Plan of the Ages,
Study 9, "Ransom and Restitution."
If you don’t have it yet, send for a free copy.
MILLENNIAL
MORNING
Post Office Box
4614
San Diego, CA
92104
PLEASE SEND ME
A FREE COPY OF: ____ The Divine Plan of
the Ages
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_____________________________________________________________
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