Christ, the great Illuminator of, and Remedy for, Moral Darkness

Christ is the great Illuminator of, and divinely appointed Remedy for, the moral darkness caused by the entrance of sin into the world, both making manifest and dispelling the darkness. As He Himself declared, "I am the Light of the world. He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life" (Jn. 8:12).

The Portent of the Lord’s Day

The Portent of the Lord’s Day

By Fred O. Blakely

As the institutions and practices under the law foreshadowed those of grace, so the ones in the dispensation of grace appear to prefigure those to be experienced in glory. That is, of course, as would be expected, given the fact that the divine Father is progressively leading His chosen from the far country of alienation by sin to complete restoration to Himself through Christ His Son. A specific instance of the present witness to the things yet to come is that of the Lord’s day, with its gathering of the saints to break bread in remembrance of and in fellowship with Christ.

The Previous Typology. The principle of such foreshadowing in the Mosaic era is well established and generally known. Moses himself, as lawgiver, was a type of Christ, through whom God gave His final message to man. Aaron adumbrated Him who is our great High Priest, now appearing in the presence of God. The animal sacrifices offered in token atonement for sin were typical of the better and efficacious blood of Christ, which alone could put it away. Portending the resurrection of Christ as “the Firstfruits” of all the dead’s rising (I Cor. 15:20) was the offering of the firstfruits of the wheat and barley harvests, and the other firstfruit offerings, under the law.

The sabbath, kept by Israel in commemoration of God’s resting on the seventh day after creation (Exod. 20:8-11) and of the nation’s deliverance from the Egyptian bondage (Deut. 5:12-15), prefigured the rest of faith under Christ (Heb. 4:3, 10) and the eternal rest that remains for God’s people (v. 9). The shewbread of the tabernacle and temple, which has also been called “the loaves of the presence,” foreshadowed “the bread which we break” at the Lord’s table in the weekly communion (I Cor. 10:16).

The Lord’s Day Witness. It is against the background of this Divine procedure of prefigurement that we perceive the witness of the Lord’s day to something of the glory reserved in Heaven for the faithful. Refreshing it is, of a truth, to the spirit and sustaining to the soul, in the struggles of the faith life, to contemplate that testimony.

On the Lord’s day, as we gather at His table, we come “in the Spirit,” not merely in the flesh, since it is only in the Spirit that we can meet with God (Phil. 3:3; Rev. 1:10). In that capacity, we dissociate ourselves from the flesh with its infirmities, and corporately meet with Christ in the presence of God, the holy angels, and the spirits of just men made perfect. To the extent that we do this, we have a genuine foretaste of the heavenly life.

Even the outward circumstances associated with the assembly tend to corroborate the inward reality that attends it. The brethren are clad in their “Sunday best,” or ought to be. Everyone is on his very choicest behavior, and the prevailing spirit is one of good cheer and warm congeniality. (At least, that is the way it should be). Clearly, this is an earthly prefigurement of the way that it will be in Heaven. There, perfected saints will mingle in glorified society, with nothing at all to mar or disrupt their fellowship. The Lord’s day assembly, thus portends that blessed experience.

The witness of the first day of the week, commemorating the resurrection of Christ, Head of the new and abiding creation, is also evident. Although, on the individual level, the brethren constantly experience the communion of the Holy Spirit, living in the fellowship of the Godhead, once every seven days they gather for the group experience as the body of Christ. Hence, once each week the individual pilgrims in the hostile world rally before God to corporately taste of His good Word and of the heavenly gift, partake of the Holy Spirit and of the powers of the world to come (cf. Heb. 6:4-5). So to they nourish and sustain their spirits for another week in the body of their humiliation, and in the world, by partaking, as it were, beforehand of the con- summate joys that await them at their journey’s end.

The Compelling Prospect. It is in this view of the Lord’s day assembly that Paul’s related appeal in the Thessalonian letter can be best appreciated. After describing Christ’s coming and our being “caught up” with the resurrected saints to meet Him “in the air,” he adds a word of great comfort and delight: “So shall we ever be with the Lord” (I Thess. 4:16-18). If we entered more into the intended spirit of the Lord’s day assembly, we, having had a foretaste of that experience, would more eagerly desire and anticipate its full realization.

In the Second Thessalonian epistle, the Apostle makes the same appeal to the coming glory. Adjuring the church to stead- fastness in the faith, he says, “We beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and our gathering together unto Him” (2:1). Ah, that is fullness of glory held before us by both Christ and the Apostles---”our gathering together unto Him!” “Wherever the body is, thither will the eagles be gathered together” (Lk. 17:37).

As we gather weekly at the table of the Lord, let us recognize the occasion as the antepast of the coming fullness of joy and glory. So shall the assembly of the church have the ministry for its participants that is intended by God, and glorify the Son and Himself as it should. So also shall we be able to accord to the day, with the spirit and understanding, John Newton’s words of praise:

“Day of all the week the best,

Emblem of eternal rest."

The Way to Spiritual Enlightenment

The Way to Spiritual Enlightenment

 

By Fred O. Blakely

The way to spiritual enlightenment lies not so much in lexicology—devotion to the signification and application of words—as at another point. That is genuine devotion of heart and life to God, accompanied by diligent attention to His Word. Ordinarily, any standard version of the English Bible—for English-speaking people—will suffice as the text, with a few wisely-selected helps for reference. The principal requirement for His knowledge is readiness to hear and heed what God, in the Scriptures, has to say to one. 

 

There are numerous texts of the Scriptures that proclaim this fundamental situation. It is but a commentary on the perverseness and self-exaltive bent of men that they quite generally ignore this circumstance, and seek to study God in personal dissociation from and contrariety to Him.

The declarations of Jesus Himself set forth the essentiality of humility and submission to the knowledge of God. "If any man willeth to do His [God's] will," He declared, "he shall know of the teaching, whether it is of God, or whether I speak from Myself" (Jn. 7:17, ASV). To him who has and keeps His commandments, Christ promised that He would come (Jn. 14:15-18, 20-23), and would indwell one and expound God and His kingdom to him (ch. 16:25; cf. vv. 12-15). 

 

The Holy Spirit, as Peter declared, is given to them that obey God (Acts 5:32; cf. ch. 2:38). One of His functions is to make known "the things of God" (I Cor. 2:11-16). Thus, John wrote, "Ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye [have the wherewithal to] know all things [necessary for life and 

godliness]" (I Jn. 2:20). "The anointing which ye have received of Him abideth in you," he continued, "and ye need not that any man teach you" since the anointing "teacheth you all things, and is truth, and is no lie" (v. 27).

 

Even under the old covenant, the principle of illumination by obedience to God was operative, though not to the vastly expanded extent that it now is. "Who is among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice of His servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?" asks Isaiah. "Let him trust in the Lord, and stay upon his God" (Isa. 50:10). "The secret of the Lord is with them that fear Him," declared David; "and He will show them His covenant" (Ps. 25:14).
 

Thus, as Solomon observed, ' The fear of the Lord is the beginning of knowledge" (Prov. 1:7). Without that fear and due reverence, there can be no spiritual acquaintance with the Most High, and so no walk or fellowship with Him. God has promised, however, to have respect to and abide with him who is of 'a contrite and humble spirit." And in that indwelling He will make known to him the manner of the kingdom and the ways of God (Isa. 57:15; cf. ch. 66:1-2). --Fred O. Blakely

The Glory of the Cross

"When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am He," (Jn. 8:28). "I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me (Jn. 12:32). Properly understood, the cross is a principal manifestation of Christ's Sonship and glory. Thus, His remark as the cross loomed hard before Him: "The hour is come that the Son of man should be glorified" (Jn. 12:23; cf. vv. 24-25, 27-28). On the cross, He put away the sin of the world and brought in everlasting righteousness, so opening the door of salvation to all men.  

God was glorified in the Son when He was "put to death in the flesh, in order to bring God's lost creatures back to Him (I Pet. 3:18). And, since the Son thereby glorified the Father, the Father, in turn, glorified the Son (Jn. 13:31-32; cf. Phil. 2:5-11). 

The same principle is operative with regard to us. If we glorify God by identification with and submission to His Son, God will, in due season, glorify us (Jn. 12:26; Rom. 8:17; Col. 3:3). "If we be dead with Him, we shall also live [and reign] with Him" (II Tim. 2:11-12; cf. Rom. 6:8).--Harold F. Lohse

Go to Dark Gethsemane

Jesus' Sufferings and Death

269 — A place called Gethsemane.

269A place called Gethsemane.7s., 6 lines. 

1 GO to dark Gethsemane,

Ye that feel the tempter's power;

Your Redeemer's conflict see;

Watch with Him one bitter hour;

Turn not from His griefs away;

Learn of Jesus Christ to pray.

 

2 Follow to the judgment-hall,

View the Lord of life arraign'd;

Oh, the wormwood and the gall!

Oh, the pangs His soul sustain'd!

Shun not suffering, shame, or loss;

Learn of Him to bear the cross.

 

3 Calvary's mournful mountain climb

There, adoring at His feet,

Mark that miracle of time,

God's own sacrifice complete.

"It is finish'd!" hear Him cry;

Learn of Jesus Christ to die.

 

4 Early hasten to the tomb,

Where they laid His breathless clay;

All is solitude and gloom:

Who hath taken Him away?

Christ is risen:—He meets our eyes;

Saviour, teach us so to rise.

James Montgomery, 1825.

Our Own Hymn-Book: A Collection of Psalms and Hymns for Public, Social, and Private Worship.

The Holy Spirit's Indispensability

The whole world lies in satanic deception and wickedness. We who are of God, therefore, need the enlightenment and constant leadership of the Holy Spirit, if we are to safely negotiate the perilous course through the world to the heavenly home. This illumination, and guidance we have by the Spirit, operating through the written Word of God, as we receive Christ and continue to submit to Him. ''He that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life," is our Lord's promise (Jn. 8:12). Without the indwelling Spirit we cannot but walk in darkness (Jer. 10:23), not knowing whither we go. We know not how, nor are we able, to "refuse the evil and choose the good" as we are required to do (cf. Isa. 7:16; Heb. 5:14). Thus, we need daily to pray, after the manner of David, 'Take not Thy Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11; cf. 27:9), and to constantly seek grace to submit fully to His promptings.—Dean E. Boelt

On the Matter of Completeness

"We through the Spirit wait for the hope of righteousness by faith" (Gal. 5:5). For this reason we ought not expect to be experientially whole and complete until the Savior's appearing. We earnestly long for completeness; the desire for this is written in our constitution. But until the Lord Jesus comes again we shall have to contend with the acute sense of incompleteness, and with coming short of God's glory (Rom. 3:23; 7:10-25). Nevertheless, in the meantime, let us reckon, by faith, upon the blessed reality that we are presently "complete in Him, which is the Head of all principality and power" (Col. 2:10), even in Christ Jesus the Lord. This is God's perspective. Let us continually put forth effort to see this matter as He sees it. And as John declared, "now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when He shall appear, we shall be like Him; for we shall see Him as He is" (I Jn. 3:2). When we are finally like God's Son in the sense spoken of here by John, we shall forever say farewell to incompleteness. —Editor

On the Increase of Hope

Wherever there is interest in the truth "which is according to godliness" (Tit. 1:1, ASV), along with increasing spiritual mindedness, more power to discriminate between the temporal order and the eternal one, between the seen realm and the unseen one, and as well, between the outward man and the inward man, there hope will grow and increase. —Source Uncertain

Paul's Epistle to the Romans and to the Galatians Compared

Romans and Galatians Compared

One brother perceptively observed that, in the book of Romans, the Apostle Paul (in a manner of speaking) walked patiently along with the brethren there at Rome to comfort them as they buried the law [as a means of gaining acceptance with God] (chps. 3-4). However, he severely chastised the Galatians for digging the law up again. 

Let us ever give thanks that Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth" (Rom. 10:4). "The law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good" (Rom. 7:12) and it is ever to be regarded as such by those who are in Christ Jesus. It is, however, no longer the source, nor the means, of their justification and their acceptance with God the Father. --Expanded from Kenneth R. Smith

The Largest of All Cemeteries

The Sea, the Largest of All Cemeteries

"And the sea gave up the dead which were in it" (Rev.20:3). "The sea is the largest of all cemeteries, and its slumberers sleep without a monument. All other graveyards in other lands show some distinction between the great and the small, the rich and the poor; but in the great ocean cemetery the king and the clown, prince and peasant, are all alike distinguished. The same waves roll over all; the same requiem by minstrels of the ocean is sung to their honor. Over their remains the same sun shines; and there, unmarked, the weak and the powerful, the plumed and the unhonored, will sleep on until all are awakened by the same trumpet." —Anonymous, Adapted from The Sage Digital Library

The Priority of Proper Reverence for God

Proper reverence for God is the very first element of pure religion. It cannot but be felt by everyone who perceives His greatness and holiness in contrast with his own smallness and defilement. "Reverence is an ennobling quality. It is felt to be degrading only by the vulgar mind which would escape the sense of its own littleness by elevating itself into an antagonist of what is above it. He who has no pleasure in looking up is not fit so much as to look down." Reverence is a sign of great strength; irreverence is one of the surest signs of weakness. No man will ever rise to great height who jeers at sacred things. Fools make a mockery of sin and in so doing they make a mockery of God. And "God is not mocked," it needs to be remembered (Gal. 6:7). --Fred O. Blakely

"Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear: For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:28-29).

"Darum, dieweil wir empfangen ein unbeweglich Reich, haben wir Gnade, durch welche wir sollen Gott dienen, ihm zu gefallen, mit Zucht und Furcht; denn unser Gott ist ein verzehrend Feuer."

"C'est pourquoi, recevant un royaume inébranlable, montrons notre reconnaissance en rendant à Dieu un culte qui lui soit agréable, avec piété et avec crainte, car notre Dieu est aussi un feu dévorant."

"Итак мы, приемля царство непоколебимое, будем хранить благодать, которою будем служить благоугодно Богу, с благоговением и страхом, потому что Бог наш есть огнь поядающий."




  




 




 








  

The Drawing Power of the Cross

"I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto Me" (Jn. 12:32). "Christ made reconciliation by His great propitiatory offering of Himself. As we look at the cross our enmity to God lies down, and we learn in humble penitence to seek for forgiveness. Christ has died for every man (Heb. 2:9). Before that transcendent reality all mutual enmity should be hushed. In the love of our Peacemaker, which He has shown in dying for us, we have the strongest possible motive for a common fervor of love to Him that should quench and drown all petty animosities and unite all Christians into one body."

The Aaronic Blessing

"The LORD bless thee, and keep thee: The LORD make His face shine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The LORD lift up His countenance upon thee, and give thee peace" (Num. 6:24-26).

This is a blessing that Aaron and his sons were commanded to speak when they blessed the children of Israel.  While the priesthood of Aaron clearly belonged to the first (i.e., the old) covenant, the blessing given here is one that transcends covenants.  It is a summary of the kind of benefits that are particularly reserved for those who are in Christ.  New creatures in Christ Jesus know the inestimable value of, and yearn for the realization of, each of the benefits mentioned in this blessing.  The blessing centers in being granted repentance, and being turned away from ones iniquities (see Acts 3:26).  Being kept of God, the LORD making His face to shine upon the individual believer, the LORD being gracious unto them, and lifting up the light of His countenance upon them are substantive realities that all, who are living by faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, have come to regard, and guard for themselves as hid treasure. 

"Der HERR segne dich und behüte dich; der HERR lasse sein Angesicht leuchten über dir und sei dir gnädig; der HERR hebe sein Angesicht über dich und gebe dir Frieden."

"Que l'Éternel fasse luire sa face sur toi, et qu'il t'accorde sa grâce! Que l'Éternel tourne sa face vers toi, et qu'il te donne la paix!"

"да благословит тебя Господь и сохранит тебя! да призрит на тебя Господь светлым лицем Своим и помилует тебя! да обратит Господь лице Свое на тебя и даст тебе мир!"

The Divorce between Faith and Conscience

The divorce between faith and conscience . . . cannot but be calamitous. "The heretic handles the things of God as matters for mere intellectual contests, apart from reverence and godly fear. He disputes about God and Christ, and thinks it unimportant whether his own heart is pure or impure. He walks in open disobedience to God's commandments, and yet thinks himself competent to judge of God's Nature and attributes. He darkens his own soul by sin, and yet dares to approach the mystery of godliness [cf. Ezek. 14:1-8]. --Source of quotation uncertain

Christ, Our City of Refuge

Believers are in Christ Jesus as in their city of refuge, and so are protected from the avenger of sin. "There is therefore now no condemnation" to those who are in the Savior (Rom. 8:1). Through the tender mercy of our God, He has "delivered us from the wrath to come" (I Thess. 1:10). --Fred O. Blakely

Departed Spirit, Whither Flown

 

Departed Spirit, Whither Flown 

      Written in honor of Marshall Shell at his departure from this life.

 

Departed spirit, whither flown 

     from this dread world so vain 

Be thou before the Savior's Throne 

     for thy eternal gain.

Ah yes, departed spirit free 

     from toil and war below. 

Those things which thou didst long to see               

now clearly thou dost know. 

In Christ thy faith was found while here 

     with earth a discontent, 

Of God there was a holy fear, 

     and now the veil is rent. 

Soar out, departed spirit free 

     express thy inner joy. 

Soar high, thou'rt now at liberty 

     where flesh can ne'er annoy. 

Through worlds not ending take thy rest 

     thy warfare now is done. 

For thee no more the fiery test 

     thy race at last is run.

                 --By Given O. Blakely,

Peace through the Knowledge of God

 

Peace through the Knowledge of God 

By Fred O. Blakely 

“Grace and peace be multiplied unto you through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord” (II Pet. 1:2). 

A striking demonstration of the perverseness and contradictoriness of the natural heart is its recoil from God, who alone is, and has, the complete sufficiency which it wholly lacks, and a sense of which it so desperately needs. This aversion is consistently manifested in the outright worldling, he plainly evidencing that he wants no part of the Most Holy. And it is all too often apparent in those who profess to love God. The typical churchman’s attitude seems to be that he can endure a little of the Divine acquaintance and fellowship, but draws back from becoming more than casually involved therein. Thus, do both classes forfeit for themselves the very real and efficacious benefits of spiritual knowledge and experience which are available from the “God of our salvation,” choosing rather to languish in their own blindness, impotency, and general wretchedness (Ps.65:5).

Its Availability to the Saints. One of the principal benefits available to people through the knowledge of God is that blessed tranquility and repose of soul which everyone desires and pursues, but which comparatively few, indeed, find. It is denominated by Scripture “the peace of God, which passeth all understanding,” and is certified as able to “keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus” (Phil. 4:7; cf. v. 6). 

“The knowledge of God is the sphere in which grace and peace are communicated to the soul. They cannot be found outside that sphere.” So might Paul, and we, well “count all things but loss for the excellency” of this knowledge (Phil. 3:8). “The grace and the peace of God flow abundantly into the soul that seeks this heavenly wisdom, and that longs for and obtains this inner knowledge of God and His Christ.” 

This peace is nothing more than a reflection of that perfect calmness and poise which constantly prevail before God’s throne in heaven, symbolized by the glassy sea (Rev.4:6; 15:2). It is generated and maintained in the human heart by the knowledge that the all-wise, all powerful, and merciful Jehovah reigns, and that all one’s times and circumstances are in His hands (Deut. 33:3; Ps. 31:5). Hence, the declaration of our text that grace and peace are “multiplied” to the believer “through the knowledge of God, and of Jesus our Lord.” 

Its Proclamation by Scripture. Not only, says the Apostle, is peace, which is the product of grace received not “in vain” (II Cor.6:1), supplied by knowing God; it is “multiplied,” or increased, thereby. Hence, the more knowledge, the more peace. As we “grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ” (II Pet. 3:18), we experience more and more of His peace. The end of this process is realization of that “perfect peace” promised to those whose minds are “stayed” on God (Isa. 26:3). 

The centrality of grace and peace to the saints’ heritage in Christ is emphasized by their prominence in the apostolic writings. Thirteen of Paul’s letters begin with an invocation of them (Hebrews only being excepted). both of Peter’s have the invocation, as does John’s second epistle, and that of Jude. Among other qualities, the “fruit of the Spirit” is peace (Gal. 5:22), the Divine kingdom essentially consisting in “righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 14:7). Jesus, it will be recalled, “made peace through the blood of His cross” (Col. 1:20), and we, “being justified by faith” in that blood, now “have peace with God” through Him (Rom. 3:25; 5:1). We read that “God hath called us to peace” (I Cor. 7:15); thus, we are emboldened to “draw near” to Him through His Son in earnest quest thereof. 

Its Rationality in the State of the Case. The state of the case between God and us is altogether conducive to our experience of personal peace. All that we know of the Father, beckons and encourages us to seek Him through the Son, and to do so is to get better acquainted with Him, and in that acquaintance to be put at ease in our souls. This is, quite simply, the situation contemplated by the assertion that peace is multiplied, to God’s children through their knowledge of Him. And what a blessed situation it is, of a truth! What powerful constraint it ought to exert upon us to be constantly “increasing in the knowledge of God,” as we are supposed to be (Col. 1:10). 

God Is for Us. “God is for us,” especially if we be joined to His Son (Rom. 8:31). That transcendently glorious fact seems to be lost upon the consciousness of those who are disinclined to Him. They act as if He were some sort of a “Hatchetman,” unrelentingly bent upon their ruin. But the God of Scripture is quite the contrary. He “so loved” the lost world that He gave His only begotten Son for its salvation (Jn. 3:16). Accordingly, we conclude with the Apostle, “He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?” (Rom. 8:32). It is written, “God is not willing that any should perish,” but “will have all men to be saved, and come unto the knowledge of the truth” (I Tim. 2:4; II Pet. 3:9).

So is the Father called “the God of peace,” as the Son is denominated “the Prince of peace” (Isa. 9:6; Phil. 4:9; Heb. 13:20). He is also referred to as “the God of patience and consolation,” or of “patience and comfort” (Rom.15:5). Jesus Himself bequeathed Divine peace to His disciples on the night in which He was betrayed. “Peace I leave with you. My peace I give unto you,” He said. “Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid” (Jn. 14:27). Again, He declared, “These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye might have peace. In the world ye shall have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (ch. 16:33). On the same occasion, the Master said to the Father, “This is life eternal, that they might know Thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom Thou hast sent” (ch. 17:3), connecting spiritual life with Divine knowledge. So the Apostle: “To be spiritually minded is life and peace” (Rom. 8:6). 

Its Realization by the Individual. If we are to have “the peace of God” rule in our hearts, as we are exhorted to do (Col. 3:15), our work thus is cut out. That peace comes by the knowledge of Him who has called us to His own peace. Eliphaz the Temanite, of old time, knew the secret. “Acquaint now thyself with Him, and be at peace” (Job 22:21). Hence, we must seek the Lord “while He may be found,” and call upon Him “while He is near” (Isa. 55:6). This is because our realization of the heritage of peace that belongs to us in Christ is strictly proportioned to the measure of our knowledge of the Father as He is revealed to us in Scripture. It is not to be had independently of that knowledge, but through it. 

This circumstance obviously necessitates study of the written word—arduous study, not a mere casual reading—as well as illumination of the Word by the Spirit. Thus, our Lord’s commandment: “Labor not for that meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give you; for Him hath God the Father sealed” (Jn. 6:27). So must we “labor” to enter into the rest of faith, or the peace of God, as it is elsewhere declared, or we shall not possess that heavenly blessing (Heb. 4:3, 11). 

“Now the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace in believing (and in growing in His grace and knowledge), that ye may abound in hope, through the power of the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 15:13). Thus, shall ye “neither be barren nor unfruitful” in the knowledge of God and of His Anointed (II Pet. 1:8), realizing in yourself His peace, “which passeth all understanding.”

благодать и мир вам да умножится в познании Бога и Христа Иисуса, Господа нашего.

que la grâce et la paix vous soient multipliées par la connaissance de Dieu et de Jésus notre Seigneur!

Gott gebe euch viel Gnade und Frieden durch die Erkenntnis Gottes und Jesu Christi, unsers HERRN!

 

 

The Moral Necessity of a Universal Judgment

The Moral Necessity of the Universal Assize

"It is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judgment," saith the Scripture (Heb. 9:27). Again, God "hath appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom He hath ordained; whereof He hath given assurance unto all men, in that He hath raised Him from the dead" (Acts 17: 31). These and many other Scriptures stress the fact of the coming judgment for all people. Of a truth, "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad" (II Cor. 5:10; cf. Dan. 7:9-10; Matt. 25:31-32; Rev. 20:11-13). 

 

Aside from Scripture's incontrovertible declarations of the universal assize to come, there is another witness of it which is of great weight. It is that of the moral necessity of the great judgment day, in which all people, "both small and great" shall appear before "the Judge of all the earth" for the final disposition of their cases (Gen. 18:25; Rev. 20:12). Since God is God and it is fundamentally a moral universe in which people live and have lived, logic shuts us up to the conclusion that ultimately God will call everyone before Him to account for the time they spent and the things they did in the flesh. So many things are never justly adjudicated in this life that the prevalence of any semblance of righteous authority and order demands that in the future there be a final detennination and decree setting things thoroughly straight and meting-out retribution and rewards.

 

Even on the level of earthly government, though greatly perverted in these days of general laxity and judicial corruption, this prmciple obtains. "In all human governments there must be an assize held. Government cannot be conducted without its days of session and trial." Obviously, this necessity is greatly intensified in the case of God's rule of the universe. "Inasmuch ais sin and evil are in the world, it can fairly be anticipated that there will be a time of judgment. God will go on circuit, and will call the prisoners before Him, and the guilty shall receive their condemnation. Judge for yourself; is this present state the conclusion of all things? If so, what evidence would you adduce of the divine justice, in view of the facts in the case. The best of men are often in this world the poorest and most afflicted. The worst of men acquire wealth, practice oppression, and receive homage from the crowd.
 

"Who are they that ride in the high places of the earth? Are they not those, great transgressors, who 'wade through slaughter to a throne and shut the gates of mercy on mankind?' Where are the servants of God? They are in obscurity and suffering full often. Do they not sit like Job among the ashes, subjects of little pity, objects of much upbraiding? And where are the enemies of God? Do not many of them wear purple and fine linen and fare sumptuously every day? If there be no hereafter, then the "rich man" has the best of it (Lu. 16:19-30); and the selfish man who fears not God is, after all, the wisest of men, and more to be commended than his fellows.

 

"But it cannot be so. Our common sense revolts against the thought. There must be another state in which these anomalies will all be rectified. 'If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most niiserable', says the Apostle (I Cor. 15:19). The best of men were driven to the worst of straits in those persecuting times for being God's servants. How say ye, then, Finis coronat opus', the end crowns the work? That cannot be the final issue of life, or justice itself were frustrated. There must be a restitution for those who suffer unjustly; there must be punishment for the wicked and the oppressor."

The Voice of History

"History is a voice for ever sounding across the centuries the laws of right and wrong. Opinions alter, manners change, creeds rise and fall, but the moral law is written on the tablets of eternity. For every false word or unrighteous deed, for cruelty and oppression, for lust or vanity, the price has to be paid at last. Justice and truth alone endure and live." While calamities, plagues, famines, and disasters of every sort are precursors to a final Day of Judgment, God has nevertheless "appointed a day, in the which He will judge the world in righteousness by that Man whom He has ordained; whereof He has given assurance unto all men, in that He has raised Him from the dead (Acts 17:31).  He shall most assuredly bring every word and work into judgment. 

A Holy Regard for the Fulfillment of Prophecy

Unlike the prophecy mongers of our day, it is evident that Daniel was driven by a holy desire for the prophecy's fulfillment (see Dan. 9). He was constrained by his evident love for, and devotion to the LORD God, and also a love for God's holy people, Israel, who had been sent into captivity because of their sin and rebellion against the Most High. Let us seek to emulate Daniel in this holy regard for the fulfillment of the things which God has made promise.