Nov-Dec 2005

  1. THE BREAD OF LIFE
  2. TREASURY OF THE SNOW
  3. IS THE BIBLE TRUSTWORTHY?
  4. JOY TO THE WORLD
  5. THE DIVINE STANDARD
  6. BIBLE QUESTION BOX
  7. MAIL BOX
  8. List of Publications
  9. Announcements

THE RICH MAN AND LAZARUS

CHRISTMAS IS CELEBRATED ON DEC. 25TH, and since its commemoration is not required by the Scriptures, but is merely a voluntary celebration of a great fact rather than of a particular date, we do well to celebrate it at the usual time—notwithstanding the fact that we disagree with the date, and hold, according to the Bible’s testimony, that our Lord was born about Oct. 1st, and that Dec. 25th, about nine months previous, was approximately the date of the announcement to Mary of the impending birth of Jesus (Luke 1: 30, 31; see The Time is at Hand, pp. 54-62).

Our confidence in Jesus that He was the One sent of God, the Redeemer, the Messiah, the Deliverer of His people, rests not merely upon the testimonies of the Apostles in the New Testament records, wonderful and convincing as these testimonies are; they gain nine-tenths of their weight and importance from the fact that they evidence the fulfillment of promises, types and prophecies given by God, with more or less explicitness from time to time, throughout the more than 4,000 years preceding. He who does not discern something, at least, of the Divine Plan of the Ages in connection with our Savior, His birth, His baptism, His 3 ½ years’ ministry, His sacrificial death, His resurrection, His ascension, etc., fails to appreciate the real strength of the Divine revelation; designed by God to be the firm foundation for His people’s confidence in Him and in all the glorious things which He has promised He would yet accomplish through this great Savior, Christ the Lord.

Note the original promise concerning the Savior, made shortly after sin had wounded our first parents and brought them under the Divine sentence of death (Gen. 3: 15). Note the promise made to Abraham respecting Messiah—that He would be of his posterity (Gen. 22: 18). Notice the same to Jacob (Gen. 28: 14), and to David (2 Sam. 7: 12-16).

Through the Prophet Isaiah, Messiah’s coming and His greatness are foretold (9: 6, 7; 11: 1-9). The Prophet Daniel also refers to the importance of the Messiah’s work of making an end of sin and bringing in everlasting righteousness, and thus sealing the visions and prophecies which God had just given respecting Him, and the favor to come through Him (Dan. 9: 24). We recall also how He was typified in Isaac, who not only was the heir of the promises made to Abraham, but who also in a figure was put to death and received again from the dead (Heb. 11: 17-19). We remember also the types and figures of the Mosaic arrangement, and how Moses himself was declared to be like unto the greater One to come after him (Deut. 18: 15, 18, 19; Acts 3: 22, 23).

Had the hopes of Israel been merely concoctions to deceive the people, we may be sure that the deceiver would have been careful to have marked out some remarkable line of parentage for the coming Messiah, free from blights, scandals, etc.; but this was not done; instead, the weaknesses of the flesh among our Lord’s progenitors are clearly noted. Judah, the son of Jacob, and head of the tribe from which our Lord sprang, was not above reproach, and his general character was faithfully portrayed; his son, Phares, through whom our Lord’s lineage runs, was born of an unlawful union. Rahab, a foreigner who became an Israelite indeed, was among our Lord’s progenitors; so was Ruth the Moabitess, another foreigner adopted as an Israelite. The line even through David is compromised by his sin with Bathsheba, the widow of Uriah the Hittite. 

The New Testament writers are similarly candid and make no hesitation in recording the genealogy. All of this is in full accord with the Scriptural presentation of the matter, namely, that our Lord’s virtue, His sinlessness, His separateness from sinners, was not through the flesh, not through His mother, but through God, His Father (see The At-one-meet Between God and Man, Chap. 4).

According to the flesh, Jesus Christ took hold of the seed of Abraham (Heb. 2: 16), as the Apostle explains; but as we have already seen, through various circumstances He was indirectly related also to the outside world. All of this is interesting to us, but is not to be compared to our still greater interest in the fact that our Lord Jesus, although He was born a Jew under the Law and redeemed those who were under the Law, did more than this, in that His death as planned by the Heavenly Father and accepted willingly by Himself is a satisfaction for the sins of the whole world (1 John 2: 2). He died as the ransom-price for Adam and his sin, and thereby guaranteed the release from condemnation, not only of Adam, but also of the entire human race who were involved by his transgression; hence, as the Apostle points out, He is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him (Heb. 7: 25).

Not only so, but our Lord’s circumstances of birth and early experiences in comparative poverty as a working man, impress us with the thought that He is, indeed, able to sympathize with mankind in every station of life; having passed originally from the spirit glory with the Father to the low condition of humanity and then back again, and more to Divine glory—He is surely able to appreciate and to sympathize with all conditions and classes (Heb. 4: 15).

THE MESSAGE OF THE ANGELS

The narrative as recorded in Luke 2: 8-14 is so simple as to require few comments; our chief interest centers in the message (v. 10) which our Heavenly Father sent through the angels at the time they announced the birth of Jesus: “Fear not”—the angel understood well that through sin and degradation a fearful apprehension comes over man when he finds himself in contact with spirit beings; he is apprehensive of certain further condemnation or punishment; his acquaintance with man in influence, authority and power, leads him to dread the still greater authority and power of the Almighty, lest it should be injurious to him.

Only the true Christian, having the eyes of his understanding opened to appreciate the length and breadth and height and depth of the love of God, can have that perfect love toward the Heavenly Father which is built upon an intimate knowledge of His Word, and which casts out fear. We are reminded of the prophet’s words respecting the Lord’s people of today, “their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men” (Isa. 29: 13). God would have His people free from this fear, though not lacking in a proper reverence toward Him.

The message continues, “I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people.” How slow the Lord’s people have been to believe this message and to accept the Savior at His full worth! How prone they seem to be to suppose, first of all, that He was to be a Savior merely for the Jews; or, secondly, a Savior merely for a special elect class; or, thirdly, a Savior only for those who under present darkness, ignorance, prejudice, superstition and devilish influences, manifest a special love for righteousness ! But how broad is the statement— ”great joy—for all people”?

Our faith is not broader than the positive declaration of the Scriptures, when we hold firmly that our God graciously has arranged (1 Tim. 2: 4-6; 4: 10) that every member of our poor fallen race shall be blessed, not only with being saved from the Adamic condemnation with a clear understanding of the Truth, including an understanding of our own weaknesses and imperfections through the fall, and of the great redemption provided through the Savior, but also with a share in the glorious opportunities thus secured to return back to full harmony with God and to full blessings and everlasting life.

The angels did not declare that our Lord came to bring universal and everlasting salvation to all people, but rather that the good message of joy, of privilege, love, hope, shall extend to all people. The explanation of this is that a Savior had been born—a deliverer of the weak, the helpless, the dying, able to save to the uttermost (Heb. 7: 25) all who would come to the Father through Him; able to open the blind eyes and to unstop the deaf ears (Isa. 35: 5) that all may come to an appreciation of the goodness of God shining toward them by the favor of the Lord Jesus (2 Cor. 4: 6).

The word Savior, otherwise rendered Deliverer, signifies, in the Syriac language, Life-giver. What a wonderful thought is conveyed by that word. What is it that our poor, dying race needs? It needs deliverance from the sentence of death, and then it needs deliverance from death itself, into life complete, abundant and everlasting. Our Lord has already become the Church’s deliverer in the sense that He bought it with His precious blood, that He settled its account with Justice. As a result of the work already done (because the Church, which is the Body of Christ, was to follow in the footsteps of our Lord and fill up that which is behind of the afflictions of Christ—Col. 1: 24); very shortly now, the atonement for the sins of the world shall be proclaimed with a full emancipation proclamation to all people. Good tidings of great joy it will surely be! Full of gracious opportunities for enlightenment, restitution and obedience, and for a full return to all that was lost by father Adam, including everlasting life in perfection!

REAL AND LASTING PEACE ON EARTH ASSURED

No wonder that after this message had been delivered, God permitted an angelic host to serenade the proclamation, and incidentally, to prophesy also of the grand results yet to flow from the great work of redemption, which was then only beginning in the birth of the Redeemer! Properly the anthem begins with praise to Him that sitteth upon the throne, to Him who devised the great and wonderful plan of redemption and who sent His Son, our willing Redeemer. Glory to Him in the highest—in the highest strain of heart and voice, with fullest appreciation of Him as a Savior !

Next, the consequences on earth are set forth, viz., peace—not such a peace as men might patch up between themselves and between nations and parties, and that under present conditions would be sure very soon to be scattered to the winds, but a peace with God, a peace coming from a restoration to the race of the Divine favor. It was because Divine justice could not spare the guilty that the sentence of death, the curse, has borne down upon our race for now over 6,000 years. Under that Divine sentence of death, the dying race has become impoverished, not only physically, but also mentally, morally and religiously, and selfishness has become the rule; and in its wake have come selfish ambitions and pride and strife and vainglory and money-love, which have caused so much of the trouble that mankind has experienced.

But now, glory to God in the highest! Peace on earth is to be established upon a firm foundation—the lifting of the curse by God’s own arrangement! As soon as the work of the Gospel-Age part of the great antitypical Day of Atonement will be completed, peace between God and man will be due to be established, to be renewed. The Redeemer shall then reign for the purpose of blessing and uplifting the non-elect, whom also He has redeemed with His precious blood. In their interest it is necessary that this great peace be introduced by the breaking in pieces of present institutions with the iron rod of the new Kingdom; and praise God, this is already beginning in the present great Time of Trouble, which has been on the earth since 1914.

As the vessels of a potter the present institutions of this present evil world are being crushed as henceforth useless (Rev. 2: 27). In their stead will come the grand and perfect institutions of the Lord’s Kingdom. He wounds to heal, to bless, to bring in peace on the basis of everlasting righteousness; for ultimately He will destroy all those who, after being brought to a knowledge of the Truth, will still love unrighteousness and seek the corruption of the earth (Acts 3: 23). He will destroy them, not in anger, but in justice, in love, that an everlasting peace in full accord with that which is in heaven may prevail upon earth (Rev. 11: 18; Rom. 16: 20; 2 Pet. 3: 13). Wherever the story of God’s redeeming love has gone, even though confused by various falsities, it has carried more or less of blessing with it—even to those who are neglectful hearers and not doers of the Word; and it has brought more blessing to others who hear partly and obey partly; but its greatest blessing has been to the consecrated, who, entering more fully into the spirit of the Divine arrangement, have realized themselves justified through faith in Christ’s precious blood, and in harmony with the invitation of the Lord (Rom. 12: 1), went forward, presenting themselves living sacrifices that they might have companionship with Christ in suffering for righteousness’ sake while the door to the High Calling was open and to prepare for the blessing of all the families of the earth in the Millennial Kingdom.

Now that the Little Flock and Great Company classes are complete, we, of the Youthful Worthies and Consecrated Epiphany Campers are in preparation for our roll in Restitution—the earthly phase of the Kingdom (Acts 3: 19-21). We will be there to assist the world of mankind, who will be newly awakened from the tomb and who will need help to commence their progress up the “highway of holiness” (Isa. 35: 8, 9). What great and wonderful blessings are in store for all of God’s people who are looking forward to this time. The prophet depicts this event in words sublime and which are reiterated by the Apostle saying: “Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man the things which God has prepared for those who love Him.” (Isa. 64: 4; 1 Cor. 2: 9). Have you started to prepare yourself in the graces of a God pleasing character, and knowledge of the Divine Plan, so that you will be able to meet the requirements as instructors of the world in their pursuit of eternal life in Christ’s Kingdom here on earth? I trust that we are now rejoicing in the discernment of the lengths and breadths and heights and depths of the Divine love and of the Divine plan which has provided for the purchase of the whole world by Jesus our Savior and will eventually recover the human race from present degradation and sin, all who will, under the favorable conditions of the Millennial Kingdom, develop the character which God demands of every person who will have eternal life—a genuine love of righteousness and hatred of iniquity.