Willmingtons Guide to the Bible [Hardcover ed.] 0842388044, 9780842388047

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Fourteenth prediction: His resurrection (Mt. 16-21 • Mk. 8:31; Lk. 9:22). 1. The Son of man will suffer many things. 2. He will be rejected by the elders, chief priests, and scribes. 3. He will be killed and on the third day rise again. G. He is reproved by Peter and in turn rebukes him (Mt. 16:22, 23; Mk. 8:32, 33). On several occasions God re¬ bukes Satan through others. (See Gen. 3:14, 15 and Ezek. 28:11-19.) H. He comments on the true value of a man's life (Mt. 16:24-26; Mk. 8:34-37; Lk. 9:23-25). 1. To keep it at all costs is eventually to lose it. 2. To lose it (for his sake) is eventually to gain it. 3. To gain the world but to lose one's soul is a tragic exchange of values. i. Fifteenth prediction: His Second Coming (Mt. 16:27; Mk. 8:38; Lk. 9:26). 1. He will return to this earth someday. a. in the glory of his Father b. in the company of his angels 2. He will render to every man according to his words and deeds. Sixteenth prediction: His transfiguration (Mt. 16:28; Lk. 9:27).

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Step Forty-five: From Caesarea Philippi to Mt. Hermon (Mt. 17:1-23; Mk. 9:2-32; Lk. 9:28-45). A. Seventh prayer: On the Mount of Transfiguration (Lk. 9:28, 29). B. He is transfigured (Mt. 17:2; Mk. 9:3; Lk. 9:29). 1. Peter, James, and John accompany Jesus atop Mt. Hermon to pray, but soon fall asleep. 2. Jesus' face suddenly shines like the sun and his garments become white as snow. 3. He receives two heavenly visitors, Moses and Eli¬ jah, and they talk concerning his death, resurrec¬ tion, and ascension in Jerusalem. 4. The three now awaken and Peter declares (from the top of his head):

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It is good for us to be here: if thou wilt, let us make here three tabernacles; one for thee, and one for Moses, and one for Elias." 5. The Father now speaks from a bright cloud that overshadows them: This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Mt. 17:5). 6. The three disciples fall on their faces in terror, but are calmed by Jesus. 7. Thoughts on the transfiguration: a. The Scriptures suggest this may have been a night scene, for the three disciples had just awakened from a deep sleep. (See Lk. 9:32.) b. Note that the light was from within, and not from some giant cosmic spotlight suddenly fo¬ cusing down upon Jesus. His countenance was affected first, then his garments. Saul would later see this shining Savior (Acts 9) as did John (Rev. 1). Satan has tried (unsuccessfully) to imitate the inward splendor of Christ. (See 2 Cor. 11:14.) c- The word transfigured" is metamorphoo in the Greek language. We get our word "metamor¬ phosis" from this. It brings to mind a caterpil¬ lar in the cocoon coming forth as a butterfly. d. The transfiguration of Christ does not set forth his deity, but rather his humanity. Transforma¬ tion is the goal of humanity. We shall experi¬ ence this at the rapture. Adam and Eve may well have been clothed by a light of innocence proceeding from within. But all this was lost through sin. e. Both Moses and Elijah appear. Both had previ¬ ously experienced a special revelation from God (see Ex. 33:17-23 and 1 Ki. 19:9-13), and at the same place (Mt. Sinai/Horeb). The transfiguration answered Moses' twofold re¬ quest: (1) "To see the glory of God." (See Ex. 33:18.) (2) 'To enter the Promised Land." (See Deut. 3:23-25.) Some believe these two men will once again team up to minister for God during the great tribulation. (See Mai. 4:5 and Rev. 11:3-14.) 8. Peter here (thoughtlessly) suggests the building of three booths. It may be that at this time the Feast of Tabernacles (booths) was being celebrated in Jerusalem. This was to be a type of the coming millennium as well as a reminder of Israel's re¬ demption from Egypt. (See Lev. 23:34-44.) But be¬ fore this could happen (the millennium), another feast would take place—the Passover. (See Lev. 23:4-8 and Mt. 26-27.) "For even Christ, our passover, is sacrificial for us" (1 Cor. 5:7). 9. Peter would never forget this great event. He later writes about it. (See 2 Pet. 1:16-18.) 10. Jesus spoke to Moses and Elijah concerning his "decease" (Lk. 9:31). The word here is actually "exodus" and is used by Peter at a later date in describing his approaching death. (See 2 Pet. 1:13

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Seventeenth prediction: His resurrection (Mt Mk. 9:9).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

D. Jesus comments on the ministry of Elijah as they de¬ scend the mountain (Mt. 17:10-13; Mk. 9:11-13). 1. He says John the Baptist has already come in the spirit of Elijah. 2. He says Elijah himself will come again during the tribulation. (See Mai. 4:5.) E. Eighteenth prediction: His suffering (Mt. 17:12; Mk. 9:12). 1. He will suffer much. 2. He will be despised. F. Twenty-fifth miracle: Healing a demoniac boy (Mt. 17:18; Mk. 9:25; Lk. 9:42). 1. Jesus descends the mountain and is confronted by a heartbroken father. a. The father had a son possessed of a demon. (1) The demon caused the lad intense suffer¬ ing. (2) It brought on epileptic fits. (3) It would seize him and throw him down in convulsions. (4) It caused the boy to foam at the mouth and grind his teeth. (5) It often bruised him. (6) It had attempted to kill him by forcing him into fire and water. (7) It had entered and controlled him since childhood. b. The father had brought this son to the disci¬ ples but they could not help him. 2. Jesus orders the lad to be brought to him. a. Jesus asks the father if he believes he (Jesus) can cure the boy. b. The father cries out: "Lord, I believe; help thou my unbelief." 3. Jesus rebukes the foul spirit, commanding it to de¬ part and never return. 4. The spirit comes out shrieking and convulsing the lad into unconsciousness. 5. Jesus tenderly revives him and presents the cured boy to his grateful father. 6. The disciples inquire why they could not help the lad and are told by Jesus: a. That they were lacking in faith. b. That this kind of demon would only respond to prayer and fasting. 7. What a contrast can be seen here as one compares what had just happened on the mountain (a pic¬ ture of what God intended man to be) with the scene below (what man had become because of sin.) 8. This is perhaps the most fearful description of de¬ mon possession in the entire Bible. A summary of demons would include: a. Their origin: Angels who sided against God with Satan during the heavenly rebellion. (See Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-17; Rev. 12:4.) b. Their classification: Chained angels (Jude 1:6, 7; 2 Pet. 2:4), and unchained angels (Eph. 6:12). It is held by some that the reason some evil an¬ gels are already in chains of darkness was due to their activity in Genesis 6 before the flood. c. Their activity: (1) They oppose God's purpose (Dan. 10:10-14).

(2) They execute Satan's program (1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 9; 16:12-14). (3) They afflict earth's people. Some cause in¬ sanity (Mt. 8:28), others cause muteness of speech (Mt. 9:33), while a certain kind cause immorality (Mk. 1:23-26) and fi¬ nally, some produce deafness (Mk. 9:25). d. Their destiny (Mt. 25:41). G. Nineteenth prediction: His betrayal (Lk. 9:44; Mt. 17:22). H. Twentieth prediction: His resurrection (Mk. 9:31; Mt. 17:23). 1. The Son of man will be killed. 2. He will be raised up on the third day.

Step Forty-six: From Mt. Hermon to Capernaum (Mt. 17:24—18:35: Mk. 9:33—10:1; Lk. 9:46-50).

^ A. Twenty-sixth miracle: Catching a fish with a coin in its mouth (Mt. 17:27). n 1. Peter promises a Temple collector that Jesus will pay the half-sheckle Temple tax. 2. Jesus then asks Peter from whom kings should collect taxes. a. Should they be paid by his citizens? b. Should they be paid by his own household? 3. Peter understands his mistake but our Lord agrees to pay the tax, lest he become a stumblingblock to the people. 4. Jesus then instructs Peter to depart for the Sea of Galilee. a. He is to cast a hook in and take the first fish that comes up. b. He is to open its mouth and take out a silver coin. c. He is to take the coin and pay both Jesus' and his own tax dues. 5. Here the second Adam demonstrates that he has recovered what the first Adam had lost—the "do¬ minion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:26). B. Eleventh sermon: On humility and hell (Mt. 18:1-20; II Mk. 9:33—10:1; Lk. 9:46-50). 1. Jesus answers the question concerning who is greatest in the kingdom of heaven. a. He sets a little child in their midst. b. He teaches that the greatest in the kingdom is the one with that child's humility. c. He promises that to receive a little child in his name is also to receive him (Mt. 18:5). d. He warns all who will hear to never weaken the faith of a child lest they be better off drowned in the sea (Mt. 18:6). e. He states that their angels in heaven minister for them in the presence of his father (Mt. 18:10). 2. Jesus answers the question concerning sectarian¬ ism (Mk. 9:38-41). a. John the apostle had rebuked a man for casting out demons in Jesus' name simply because the man was not one of the original twelve.

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~ HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

b. Jesus rebukes him for this, saying that (in a sense) if the man was not against him, he was in truth for him. (Also vice versa. See Lk 11:23; 9:50; Mk. 9:40.) c. He promises a reward to all outsiders who would render kind treatment to his disciples. 3. Jesus preaches on hell (Mt. 18:8, 9; Mk, 9:43-48). a. If you are in danger of hell, because of what you might go and do, then cut off your hands and feet. b. If you are in danger of hell because of what you look upon, pluck out your eye. c. It is better to enter into heaven maimed than to go to hell whole, where the fires never die. 4. Jesus states his purpose for coming in the first place. a. He came to seek and save lost people (Mt 18:11). b. As a shepherd would leave his fold of ninetynine and seek the one sheep which had gone astray, so he would do (Mt. 18:12, 13). c. He then rejoices over that one more than over the ninety-nine which did not go astray. 5. Jesus speaks on reconciliation. a. Attempt to reconcile a sinning brother pri¬ vately if you can (Mt. 18:15-17). b. If this fails, take one or two others and try again. c. If this fails, bring him before the assembly. d. If this fails, excommunicate him. e. When two people agree concerning this matter and ask the Father, it shall be done for them. f. When two people meet together in Jesus' name on this matter, he is in their midst. C. Peter asks Jesus a question about forgiveness (Mt. 18:21-35). 1. The question: "Lord, how often shall my brother sin against me and I forgive him? Till seven times?" (Mt. 18:21). 2. The answer: "I say to you, not till seven times, but till seventy times seven" (Mt. 18:22). An old Jewish tradition said three times was enough, based on Amos 1:3 and 2:6. For a contrast to this, see Gen¬ esis 4:24. D. Fifteenth parable: The forgiven who wouldn't forgive (Mt. 18:23-35). T. A bondman owed his king a great debt of ten thousand talents. 2. His king had planned to sell all the man's goods and put him in prison but was moved with com¬ passion and freely forgave him. 3. The forgiven bondman was owed a very small debt of one hundred pence by a fellow servant. 4. The servant could not pay and was cast into prison by the bondman. 5. The king learns of this and in his fury orders the unforgiving bondman cast into prison.

Step Forty-seven: From Capernaum to Perea (Mt. 8:19-22; 11:20-30; 19:1, 2; Mk. 10:1; Lk. 9:51 — 10:37). A. He heals and teaches many (Mt. 19:1, 2; Mk. 10:1). B. He attempts to enter a village in Samaria but is re¬ buffed because his face is set for Jerusalem (Lk. I

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9:51-53). We often think of the Samaritans in the light of the Good Samaritan story (Lk. 10:30-37), but they, like the Jews, would reject Jesus. 1. James and John urge him to call down fire from heaven and bum the village (Lk. 9:54-56). 2. Jesus rebukes them and reminds them he did not come to destroy men's lives but to save them. C. He interviews three would-be disciples, but all three fail the test (Mt. 8:19-22; Lk. 9:57-62). 1. A scribe to Jesus: "Master, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest." Jesus answers: "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. 18:20). 2. Jesus to a disciple: "Follow me." The disciple an¬ swers: "Lord, let me first go and bury my Father" (Mt. 8:21). Jesus to the disciple: "Leave the dead to bury their own dead" (8:22). 3. A disciple to Jesus: "I will follow you. Lord, but first let me bid farewell to those in my home" (Lk. 9:61). Jesus answers: "No one who has put his hand to the plow and looks back is fit for the king¬ dom of God" (Lk. 9:62). D. Twelfth sermon: To the departing seventy (Mt. 11:20-24; Lk. 10:1-16). 1. He reminds them of the plentiful harvest, but of the shortage of laborers, and urges their prayers concerning this matter. 2. He issues the following instructions: a. They were to abide in the home of a believer upon entering a city. b. They were to heal the sick. c. They were to preach the kingdom of God. d. They were to wipe the dust from hostile vil¬ lages from off their feet. 3. He pronounces woes upon three cities. a. Chorazin and Bethsaida (1) Tyre and Sidon would have repented, had they witnessed the mighty works done in these two Galilean cities. (2) Tyre and Sidon will therefore fare better in judgment than they. b. Capernaum (1) Capernaum had been exalted to heaven, but because of unbelief, would be hurled to Hades. One of the most familiar sights in Israel today is the ruins of Capernaum. (2) Sodom, that wicked Old Testament city, will be better off in the judgment than Capernaum. 4. He tells them that all who receive them, receive him, and to reject them was to reject both him and his Father. E. Our Lord, after sending out the seventy (two by two), goes out and preaches (Mt. 11:28-30). 1. He invites all who labor and are heavy-laden to come to him for soul rest. 2. He desires them to take his yoke and learn of him. 3. He is meek and lowly in heart. 4. His yoke is easy and his burden is light. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for 1 am meek and lowly in heart, and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy and my burden is light" (Mt. 11:28-30).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

These beautiful words give us the only self-de¬ scription of Christ found in the Gospel account. (See also Phil. 2:5-8.) This also marks a pivotal point in the ministry of Jesus. The rejected King now turns from the rejecting nation and offers, not the kingdom, but rest and service to all who are in need of his help. Many of these will be Gentiles. Note: "Behold my servant, whom I have chosen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased; I will put my spirit upon him, and he shall show jus¬ tice to the Gentiles" (Mt. 12:18). This new ministry should be contrasted with his previous instructions to the twelve apostles. "These twelve Jesus sent forth, and com¬ manded them, saying. Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samari¬ tans enter not; But go, rather, to the lost sheep of the house of Israel" (Mt. 10:5, 6). He meets and greets the returning seventy (Lk. 10:17-20). 1. Their testimony: "Lord, even the demons are sub¬ ject to us through your name." 2. His advice: a. "I saw Satan falling like lightning out of heaven." (See Isa. 14:12-15.) b. "I give you authority to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over the power of the enemy. ..." (See also Mk. 16:18.) c. "Nevertheless rejoice not in this, that the spir¬ its are made subject to you, but rather rejoice because your names are written in heaven." Eighth prayer: Upon hearing the report of the returning seventy (Mt. 11:25-27; Lk. 10:21, 22). 1. He praises his Father for hiding spiritual truths from the materialistic and revealing them to the childlike in faith. 2. He knows this is all well-pleasing in the Father's sight. He reminds the seventy of their priceless privilege be¬ cause many prophets and kings had desired in vain to see and hear the things his disciples had seen and heard (Lk. 10:23, 24). (See also 1 Pet. 1:10-13; Heb. 11:30-40.) Sixteenth parable: How to know your neighbor (Lk. 10:25-37). 1. A lawyer asks Jesus the way of eternal life and is told to love God with all his heart and his neighbor as himself. 2. The lawyer then asks: "Who is my neighbor?" (Lk. 10:25-37). 3. Jesus accepts his challenge and relates this parable, describing three basic attitudes of the human heart toward his neighbor. a. A man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho is robbed and severely beaten by thieves. Here the attitude reflected is: "What is thine is mine." b. A priest and then a Levite soon come along, but both refuse to stop and help him. Now the attitude is: "What is mine is mine." c. A Samaritan eventually comes by. (1) He is moved with compassion and dresses the man's wounds with oil and wine.

(2) He sets the man upon his own beast and carries him to an inn. (3) He stays with him for a day and upon leaving pays the innkeeper enough to keep him until his health returns. The fi¬ nal attitude then is: "What is mine is thine." 4. Jesus then asks the lawyer who the victim's neigh¬ bor really was and, of course, is told that the Sa¬ maritan was.

Step Forty-eight: From Perea to Bethany and surrounding area (Mt. 10:34-36; 12:22-38; 42-45; 19:3—20:28; 24:43-51; Mk. 10:2-45; Lk. 10:38—12:9; 13:1-17, 22-35; 14:1 — 16:15, 18-31; 17:1-37; 18:1-34; ]n. 11:1-54). Note: From this point until his triumphal entry, it is impossible to trace Jesus' exact route except to say that he moves freely about in the Bethany, Jericho, and Perea area. A. He visits the home of Mary and Martha in Bethany (Lk. 10:38-42). 1. Martha is disturbed and complains to Jesus that Mary is listening to him and not helping her. 2. Jesus explains to Martha that it is more needful for a person to hear him (first) before laboring for him. B. Ninth prayer: Just prior to teaching others how to pray (Lk. 11:1). C. He repeats his model prayer again (see also Mt. 6:9-13) and comments on the subject of prayer (Lk. 11:1-13). He observes that no earthly father will give his son a stone or a serpent in place of bread or fish and neither will the heavenly Father. D. Twenty-seventh miracle: Healing a blind and dumb demoniac (Mt. 12:22; Lk. 11:14). 1. The Pharisees again accuse him of working such miracles through Beelzebub. 2. He repeats his earlier parable, "Subduing a strong man." (See Mk. 3:22-30; Mt. 12:23-32; Lk. 11:15-21.) 3. He says the one who is not for him is in reality against him (Lk. 11:23). 4. He warns again against the unpardonable sin (Mt. 12:31, 32). a. "Whoever speaks a word against the Son of man . . . will be forgiven." b. "Whoever speaks against the Holy Spirit . . . will not be forgiven, either in this age or the age to come." What is the nature of the unpardonable sin? Taken in its proper context it involves crediting the works Christ performed through the Holy Spirit during his earthly ministry to the devil. Here the wicked Pharisees had actually seen the Sav¬ ior's mighty works with their own eyes and had heard his marvelous words with their own ears. After experiencing this dazzling display of deity, what was their reaction? They claimed both he and his ministry were from hell! To sin against such light was unpardonable. What more could God himself do to convince them?

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~ HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY-

Can the unpardonable sin be committed today? Taking into consideration what has already been said, it cannot. Christ is no longer walking this earth in his physical body performing miracles and preaching oral sermons. 5. He condemns the Pharisees as a generation of snakes and warns they will someday answer for their horrible words in the judgment (Mt 12:33-37.) E. Seventeenth parable: "Seven spirits and a deserted house" (Mt. 12:43-45; Lk. 11:24-26). 1. He describes in this parable the tragedy of refor¬ mation without regeneration. 2. He pictures an evil spirit who leaves an unsaved man. 3. The man is relieved and decides to clean up his life. 4. The demon, however, eventually returns and dis¬ covers the changes and reforms. 5. He (the demon) therefore invites seven spirits, more wicked than himself, and all eight possess the man. F. Jesus informs a woman that the one hearing and doing God's word is even more blessed than his earthly mother (Lk. 11:27, 28). G. Twenty-first prediction: His resurrection (Mt. 12:38-40; Lk. 11:29, 30). 1. The Pharisees are still pestering him for a sign af¬ ter he has already performed twenty-seven re¬ corded miracles! 2. Jesus says the only sign for their evil generation is the sign of Jonah. a. Jonah was in the belly of a sea monster for three days and three nights. b. Jesus will be in the heart of the earth for three days and three nights. H. Twenty-second prediction: The great white throne judgment (Mt. 12:41, 42; Lk. 11:31, 32). 1. In the judgment, the men of Nineveh will stand and condemn this generation. a. They repented at Jonah's preaching 0onah 3). b. He is greater than Jonah, but the Pharisees were not repenting. 2. In the judgment, the Queen of Sheba will stand and condemn this generation (1 Ki. 10). a. She came from afar to hear the wisdom of Solomon. b. He is greater than Solomon, but the Pharisees were not listening. I. He condemns the Pharisees and lawyers for various acts of wickedness (Lk. 11:37-52). 1. The Pharisees are condemned: a. for having clean hands but dirty hearts b. for elevating their traditions and disregarding the justice and love of God c. for their vanity and corrupted inward nature 2. The lawyers are condemned: a. for weighing men down with intolerable bur¬ dens b. for boasting in their tomb building for the prophets that their fathers killed c. for taking away the key of knowledge J. He is violently assailed by both groups when he fin¬ ishes these comments (Lk. 11:53, 54).

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K. Twenty-third prediction: The great white throne judg¬ ment (Lk. 12:2, 3). (See also Rev. 20:11-15.) 1. All secret deeds ever done will someday be re¬ vealed. 2. All secret words ever said will someday be heard. L. Eighteenth parable: "A fool in a fix" (Lk. 12:16-21). 1. A rich farmer makes the following decisions after a bumper crop. a. I do not have room for all my goods. b. I will tear down my old barns and build bigger ones. c. I will there bestow all my produce and my goods. d. I will then seek only pleasure, for I have much goods laid up for many years. 2. A sovereign God also makes some decisions con¬ cerning the foolish farmer. a. "Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be re¬ quired of thee." b. "Then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?" Note: This marks the only occasion in the Bible on which God himself personally calls an individ¬ ual a fool. The man was a fool: c. Because he thought he could satisfy his eternal soul with materialistic goods. Note this state¬ ment, "and I will say to my soul. Soul, thou hast much goods laid up . . ." (12:19). See Jesus' statement in Matthew 4:4; 16:26. The only real soul food is the Word of God. d. Because he smugly assumed he would natu¬ rally live to a ripe old age. Again, observe his misplaced confidence: "Thou hast much goods laid up for many years." (See Prov. 27:1; 29:1; Ps. 90:12; Isa. 4:13-15.) M. Nineteenth parable: Keep the home fires burning (Lk. 12:32-40; Mt. 24:43, 44). 1. The believer has been promised the kingdom of his Father. 2. He should, therefore, store up his treasures in heaven, which is both theft and rust proof. 3. He should keep his clothing adjusted and his lamps burning, as he awaits the Bridegroom. 4. He will then be served personally by the Bride¬ groom. 5. He must be constantly ready, for the Bridegroom will come at the least expected time. N. Twentieth parable: "A sinning servant and a returning ruler" (Mt. 24:45-51; Lk. 12:42-48). 1. The sinning servant a. He assumes his master will prolong his coming indefinitely. b. He abuses his fellow servants. c. He associates and drinks with the drunken. 2. The returning ruler a. He returns suddenly at a totally unexpected hour. b. He consumes the wicked servant in his anger. c. He appoints his portion with the hypocrites. d. He punishes him according to his knowledge of and reaction to the truth. O. He comments on his purpose for coming and its reac¬ tion upon mankind (Lk. 12:49-53). He came: 1. to cast fire upon the earth

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2. to be baptized with a special baptism (the cup of our sin upon the cross) 3. to bring division 4. to divide homes a. to set a man against his father b. to set a daughter-in-law against her mother-inlaw c. to set a daughter against her mother d. to set a father against his son e. to set a mother against her daughter f. to set mother-in-law against daughter-in-law He warns through two current events that unless all repent, all will perish (Lk. 13:1-5). 1. the event of Pilate murdering some Galileans 2. the event of the tower of Siloam falling upon eigh¬ teen people Twenty-first parable: A fruitless fig tree (Lk. 13:6-9). 1. A vineyard owner orders his caretaker to chop down a fig tree which had been fruitless for three years. 2. The caretaker asks for one more year to fertilize it. Twenty-eighth miracle: Healing a woman with an eighteen-year infirmity (Lk. 13:10-17). 1. Jesus heals a bent-over woman in a synagogue who suffers with an eighteen-year spirit of infir¬ mity. Note: Although Satan cannot possess a be¬ liever, he can nevertheless oppress and physically afflict a child of God (see Job 1-2; 2 Cor. 12:7). "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the Sabbath day?" 2. The synagogue ruler criticizes Jesus for doing this on the Sabbath. 3. Jesus rebukes him as a hypocrite and receives praise from the synagogue crowd. He refers to that narrow gate leading to heaven (Lk. 13:22-30). 1. Many will seek to enter heaven unsuccessfully. 2. Some of these will be citizens from the very cities in which Jesus has ministered. 3. All will weep and gnash their teeth as they are separated from Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, and other prophets in the kingdom of God. Jesus sends a message to Herod (calling him a fox) and warns him that even the king cannot keep him from Calvary outside Jerusalem (Lk. 13:31-33). Twenty-ninth miracle: Healing a man with dropsy (Lk. 14:4). Twenty-second parable: Choosing the least at a wed¬ ding feast (Lk. 14:7-11). 1. He says the one who exalts himself will be hum¬ bled—that is, a guest who demands a place next to the host may be asked to move down in favor of a more important guest. 2. He says the one who humbles himself will be ex¬ alted—that is, the guest who assumes the lowest place will doubtless be asked by the host to move higher. Jesus advises his Pharisee host to also include some poor, cripple, lame, and blind folk in his future supper feasts (Lk. 14:12-14). Twenty-third parable: Two fools and a hen-pecked husband (Lk. 14:15-24).

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1. The invited guests: Three men are invited to a great feast. All refuse for various reasons. a. The first fool: "I can't come, for I must go and check out a field I just purchased." Only a fool would buy a field unseen! b. The second fool: "I can't come for I must go try out some oxen I have just purchased." Only a fool would buy untried oxen! c. The hen-pecked husband: "I can't come, as I have just married me a wife." No comment necessary. 2. The angry host: a. He orders his servants to visit the streets and lanes, the highways and hedges of the city, and to bring in all the poor and sick they can find. b. He vows that none of the originally invited guests will taste of his banquet. Y. Jesus tells the throngs that all would-be disciples of his should first count the cost (Lk. 14:25-35). 1. Not to do this would be as unwise as a builder would be to lay a foundation for a tower and then find he cannot finish it. 2. Not to do this would be as unwise as a king who engages another king and discovers that he has but half the army of his enemy. On this occasion Christ makes a strange state¬ ment. He says: "If any man come to me, and hate not his fa¬ ther, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple" (Lk. 14:26). This has bothered some people. However, it should be kept in mind that the Greek word misco can also mean a preference for one thing over an¬ other. Greek scholar W. E. Vine points to two other passages where this preference meaning is obviously intended. "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate [prefer] the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise [count as nothing] the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Mt. 6:24). "He that loveth his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his life [counts it less than Christ] in this world shall keep it unto life eternal" (Jn. 12:25). In reality, Christ taught a man to love his family. (See Eph. 5:25, 28.) Z. Twenty-fourth parable: The missing sheep, the mis¬ placed silver, and the miserable son (Lk. 15:1-32). Jesus tells this threefold parable when he is accused by the ungodly Pharisees of mingling and eating with known sinners. 1. The missing sheep (Lk. 15:3-7) a. A shepherd has one hundred sheep but discov¬ ers one is missing. b. He leaves the ninety-nine and searches until he finds the lost one. c. He carries it home and calls in his friends to rejoice with him. d. Jesus says there is similar joy in heaven at the repentance of a lost sinner, more than over ninety-nine self-righteous ones who feel no need of repentance.

~

HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS PROM GLORY TO GLORY~

2. The misplaced silver (Lk. 15:8-10). a. A woman has ten silver pieces and loses one. b. She lights a lamp and sweeps her house until she finds it. c. She calls her friends inside to rejoice with her. d. Jesus says there is similar joy in heaven at the repentance of a lost sinner, more than over ninety-nine self-righteous men who feel no need of repentance. 3. The miserable son (Lk. 15:11-32). a. A younger son demands his share of his fa¬ ther's property and leaves home. b. He soon wastes it all in sinful living and begins to suffer hunger. c. He hires out a swine feeder, and finally coming to himself, decides: (1) To go back home to his father. (2) To confess his sin. Note the boy's statement: "I will arise and go to my father, and will say unto him. Father, I have sinned against heaven, and before thee" (Lk. 15:18). This boy becomes the seventh of eight individuals in the Bible to say those three difficult words, "I have sinned." The re¬ maining seven are: Pharaoh (Ex. 9:27; 10:16); Balaam (Num. 22:34); Achan (Josh. 7:20); Saul (1 Sam. 26:21); David (2 Sam. 12:13; 24:10); ]ob (7:20); and Judas (Mt. 27:4). As can be seen, some of these who said it didn't really mean it. (3) To request a job as a hired servant. d. The boy is seen by his watching father while a long distance down the road. e. The father, moved with compassion, runs to meet him, kisses him repeatedly, and orders the following: (1) a robe for his back (2) a ring for his finger (3) sandals for his feet (4) a fatted calf for a celebration f. The son's older brother is jealous over all this and complains to his father. (1) The elder son's complaint: "I have always served you and obeyed you. But you have never even given me so much as a kid to celebrate with my friends. Now this sinful son of yours comes home and you kill the fatted calf." (2) The father's answer: "Son, all that 1 have is yours, as you are always with me. But now your lost brother is alive and home. It is there¬ fore fitting that we rejoice and be merry." g. We may observe the following concerning this passage in Luke 15. (1) General observations: (a) This is really one basic parable with three illustrations. (b) The entire Trinity is symbolized in this parable. The Son (the shepherd) I

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is seen in the first, the Holy Spirit (the light) in the second, and the Lather in the third. (c) There is a mathematical progression seen here concerning that which was lost. The account moves from one out of a hundred, to one from ten, to one out of two. (d) The thrust of the parable is that res¬ toration results in rejoicing. (2) Specific observations—concerning the third part: (a) This account is not primarily a pic¬ ture of the conversion of a sinner, but rather the restoration of a be¬ liever. (b) The tragic figure of the account is not the repentant younger son, but rather the self-righteous older brother. (c) The main character of this account is the forgiving Father. AA. Twenty-fifth parable: The stewings of a steward (Lk. 16:1-13). 1. A wasteful steward is informed he will soon be dismissed from his position. 2. He is loath to work and ashamed to beg, so he prepares for the future in the following manner. a. He reduces by 50 percent a bill owed to his master, and thus gains the friendship of an oil merchant. b. He reduces by 20 percent another bill, thus receiving the friendship of a wheat mer¬ chant.

BB. Twenty-sixth parable: When Hades petitioned Para¬ dise (Lk. 16:19-31). 1. Jesus describes the life of a certain rich man. a. He was clothed in purple and fine linen. b. He lived daily in merriment and splendor. c. He died, was buried, and awakened in Hades. 2. Jesus describes the life of a certain poor man (named Lazarus). a. He lay at the rich man's gates, covered with sores. b. He longed for the crumbs which daily fell from the rich man's table. c. He died and was carried by the angels to Paradise (Abraham's bosom). 3. Jesus describes the plight of the rich man. a. He saw Abraham and Lazarus in Paradise afar off. b. He was tormented by fire and asked Abra¬ ham to allow Lazarus to cool his tongue with a drop of water. c. He is informed this cannot be done because of the great chasm separating where he was from where they were. d. He asked Abraham to send Lazarus to warn his five brothers, lest they join him in his misery. e. He was refused this request also on the ground that his brothers would have ample opportunity to repent if they so desired.

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

In Luke 16:31 Abraham says: "If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded, though one rise from the dead." This statement has a prophetic ring to it, for a few months later Jesus would perform his greatest single miracle, the resurrection of a decaying corpse, and his name hap¬ pened to be Lazarus. (See Jn. 11:53; 12:10.). This verse (Lk. 16:31) indirectly answers a question asked by many, and that is, "Do the departed saints in glory know what is happening back on earth?" Apparently, up to a point, they do, for here Abraham speaks of a man (Moses) who would not even be bom until some six centuries after the "father of the faithful" had departed this earth. This is the reason why God does not do mighty miracles today. God's will is accom¬ plished through faith and not through signs. After the rapture many miracles and signs will occur during the tribulation, but sinful men will not believe (see Rev. 9:20, 21). Note: It is held by a number of Bible stu¬ dents that before Jesus died, the souls of all men descended into an abode located some¬ where in the earth, known as Hades in the New Testament and Sheol in the Old Testa¬ ment. Originally, there were two sections of Hades, one for the saved and one for the lost. The saved section is sometimes called "paradise" (see Lk. 23:43), and other times referred to as "Abraham's bosom" (see Lk. 16:22). There is no name given for the un¬ saved section apart from the general desig¬ nation of Hades. In Luke 16:19-31 the Savior relates the ac¬ count of a poor believer who died and went to the saved part of Hades and of a rich un¬ believer who died and went to the unsaved section. However, many believe that all this changed after Christ had made full payment for the believer's sins on Calvary. The Sco¬ field Bible suggests that during the time of his death and resurrection, our Lord descended into Hades, depopulated Paradise, and led a spiritual triumphal entry into the heavenlies with all the saved up to that time. Ephesians 4:8-10 is offered as proof of this. In his book Revelation, the late Dr. Donald Grey Barnhouse writes: "When he ascended on High (Eph. 4:8) He emptied Hell of Paradise and took it straight to the presence of God. Captivity was taken captive. . . . From that moment onward there was to be no separation whatsoever for those who believe in Christ. The gates of hell would never more prevail against any believer (Mt. 16:18). But what of the lost? The state of the unsaved dead remained (and re¬

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mains) unchanged after the cross. They remain in Hades awaiting the final Great White Judgment Throne (Rev. 20:11-15). But a glorious change has occurred con¬ cerning the state of those who fall asleep in Jesus." Note the following Scriptures: "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God. And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice, Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep" (Acts 7:55, 59, 60). "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Phil. 1:21, 23). "... to be absent from the body [is to be] present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). CC. Twenty-seventh parable: When our best is but the least (Lk. 17:7-10). 1. The master of a bondservant expects him to perform certain duties without demanding to be praised or thanked. a. He is to tend his master's field. b. He is to prepare his food. c. He is to serve him at all times. 2. The servant of God is likewise expected to per¬ form certain duties without insisting upon spe¬ cial recognition. a. He is to accomplish all God's command¬ ments. b. He is then to admit that the very best he can do is but the very least he should do. DD. Thirtieth miracle: Healing ten lepers (Lk. 17:11-19). 1. Jesus heals the lepers and directs them to the ^ priest for ceremonial cleansing. 2. One of the ten, a Samaritan, returns and falls at his feet to worship. 3. Jesus marvels that out of the ten he healed, only a "foreigner," the Samaritan, returns to thank him. Jesus healed many people of physical infir¬ mities during his earthly ministry. Did all of these also experience spiritual salvation at the time of their healing? The Savior's statement here to the one thankful leper would suggest this was not the case. "And he said unto him. Arise, go thy way; thy faith hath made thee whole" (Lk. 17:19). (See also Jn. 5:8, 14.) At any rate, the arrival of these healed lepers at the Temple for ceremonial cleansing must have caused considerable confusion among the priests as they dusted off the old Levitical regu¬ lations governing this, for in the Old Testament not one single Israeli (apart from Miriam; see Num. 12) was ever healed of leprosy. Naaman, of course, was a Syrian. (See 2 Ki. 5.)

~

HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY -

EE. Twenty-fourth prediction: His sufferings (Lk. 17:25). FF. Twenty-fifth prediction: The last days (Lk. 17:26-30). 1. Sensual conditions similar to those in Noah's day will prevail. (See Gen. 6.) a. humanity eating and drinking b. humanity marrying and being given in mar¬ riage c. humanity unprepared for the flood 2. Materialistic conditions similar to those in Lot's day will prevail. (See Gen. 19.) a. humanity buying and selling b. humanity planting and building c. humanity unprepared for the fire

GG. Twenty-sixth prediction: Concerning Armageddon (Lk. 17:34-37). 1. Some will be taken while in bed. 2. Some will be taken while in a mill. 3. Some will be taken while in a field. 4. All will be destroyed and their bodies eaten by vultures. Note: This passage has often been used to refer to the saved being taken at the rapture, but the context indicates a reference to the unsaved being taken for judgment at Armageddon. It also indicates the sci¬ entific accuracy of the Bible. We note some will be in bed (at nighttime) while some will be in the fields (daylight). Thus Luke, under inspiration, was aware of the shape of our earth.

HH. Twenty-eighth parable: A widow and a weary judge (Lk. 18:1-8). 1. Jesus describes an unconcerned judge. a. This judge is confronted daily by a persis¬ tent woman who desires justice against her adversary. b. The judge finally submits, lest he be worn out by her continual pleas. 2. Jesus compares this judge with his heavenly Fa¬ ther. a. The earthly judge rendered justice in spite of his unconcern. b. The heavenly Father will do even more be¬ cause of his great concern. 3. Jesus concludes that men ought always to pray and not to faint. II. Twenty-ninth parable: A haughty Pharisee and a humble Publican (Lk. 18:9-14). 1. Two men enter the Temple to pray. a. A Pharisee and his prayer: (1) "I'm glad I'm not like all others." (2) "I'm not avaricious, unrighteous, or adulterous." (3) "I fast twice each week." (4) "I pay tithes of everything I get." b. A Publican and his prayer: (1) He stands afar off and lowers his eyes. (2) He beats his breast. (3) He confesses his sin. (4) He begs for mercy.

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2. The two men leave the Temple. a. God has received and exalted the Publican. b. God has rejected and humbled the Pharisee.

JJ. Jesus comments on divorce (Mt. 19:3-12; Mk. 10:2-12; Lk. 16:18). 1. He explains God's original intentions: a. That a man should leave his parents when he takes a bride. b. That the man and his wife are now consid¬ ered to be as one flesh. c. That no outsider has the right to break this spiritual union. 2. He explains God's later provision because of man's hard heart—a writ of divorcement. 3. He explains God's general attitude concerning remarriage: a. The man who remarries a second woman commits adultery (unless his first wife has been sexually untrue to him). b. The man who marries a divorced woman commits adultery. c. The woman who remarries a second man commits adultery (unless her first husband has been sexually untrue to her). d. The woman who marries a divorced man commits adultery. 4. He explains God's general attitude on non-mar¬ riage. a. There are eunuchs who were born so from their mother's womb. b. There are eunuchs who were made so by men. c. There are eunuchs who have made them¬ selves so for the sake of the kingdom of heaven.

KK. Tenth prayer: After receiving some small children (Lk. 18:15-17; Mt. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:13-16). 1. A number of small children and infants are brought to Jesus to be prayed for. 2. His disciples attempt to prevent this intrusion upon the Savior's time. 3. Jesus rebukes their efforts and gladly receives the little ones, saying: a. "Let the little children come to me; and for¬ bid them not." b. "The kingdom of heaven is such as this." c. "All that would enter that kingdom must receive it as a little child."

1. Jesus is informed that a dear friend, Lazarus of Bethany, is near death. 2. He decides to attend his funeral in spite of the objections of his disciples. a. They are afraid he will be stoned if he goes that close to Jerusalem. b. Jesus tells them he must work his works while it is still day. (1) Jesus: "Lazarus is dead, and 1 go to awaken him."

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3.

4. 5. 6.

7.

WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

(2) Thomas: "Let us go that we may die with him" (not a great amount of faith shown here). He is met by Martha, Lazarus' sister, as he nears their home in Bethany. a. Martha: "Lord, if thou hadst been here, my brother had not died." b. Jesus: "Thy brother shall rise again." c. Martha: "I know that he shall rise again in the resurrection at the last day." d. Jesus: "1 am the resurrection, and the life: he that believeth in me, though he were dead, yet shall he live: And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die. Believest thou this?" e. Martha: "Yea, Lord: I believe that thou art the Christ, the Son of God, which should come into the world." Martha goes inside the house and tells her sister Mary that Jesus has come. Jesus sees her weeping and weeps himself as he stands outside the tomb. He orders the stone taken away over the objec¬ tions of Martha. a. Martha: "Lord, he's been there four days and by now he is offensive." b. Jesus: "Didn't 1 tell you to believe and see the glory of God?" Eleventh prayer: Before raising Lazarus (Jn. 11:41, 42).

a. "I thank you. Father, that you always hear me." b. "I pray that this crowd may believe that you have sent me." 8. Jesus then cries out: "Lazarus, come forth!" 9. The enemies of Jesus make formal plans to kill both him and Lazarus if necessary after the ac¬ complishment of this miracle (Jn. 11:45-54). a. The Pharisees fear all will believe on him, causing the Romans to set them aside. b. Caiaphas, the high priest, states that it is ex¬ pedient for Israel that Jesus die. This marks the final prophecy uttered by a high priest of Israel. Note its contents: "And this spake he not of himself; but being high priest that year, he prophesied that Jesus should die for that nation; and not for that nation only, but that also he should gather together in one the children of God that were scattered abroad" (Jn. 11:51, 52). The Wycliffe Bible Commentary observes: "The words, so to speak, were put into his mouth. Here is a Balaam (see Num. 22-24) who would curse Jesus, but out of the prophecy comes the realization of the purpose of God that Christ should die for the nation in a redemptive, vicarious sense, and even for a larger group, that all the dispersed children of God (in a prospective sense) would be brought to¬ gether. How fitting it was that one who filled the office of high priest should un¬

316

wittingly set forth the work of Christ as the Lamb who takes away sin!" (p. 331) Note also the high priest's fear which prompted this prophecy: "If we let him thus alone, all men will believe on him: and the Romans shall come and take away both our place and nation" (Jn. 11:48). The divine irony of history is of course that both things did happen. Men did believe on him and the Romans did come. Comments on this miracle: 1. This is usually regarded as the greatest of all the miracles of our Lord. 2. It marks the first instance where the death of a believer is likened to sleep. (Compare Jn. 11:11 with Mt. 9:24; 27:52; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 11:30; 15:50, 51; 1 Thess. 4:14.) 3. We note he waited until Lazarus had been dead four days. He may have done this because of the superstition among the Jews that after death the spirit hovered over the body for three days and a resurrection up to that time was at least remotely possible. But after this period, all hope was gone. 4. Martha, and not Mary, is the heroine of this story. (See Lk. 10:38-42 where the opposite was true.) a. It was Martha who went to meet Jesus while Mary remained in the house (11:20). b. Martha's great testimony here ranks equally as important as that given by Simon Peter on another occasion. (Compare Jn. 11:27 with Mt. 16:16.) 5. This passage records the first of four instances where Christ wept. (For the other occasions, see Heb. 5:7; Lk. 19:41; Mt. 23:37-39.) a. He wept because of his true humanity. (See Heb. 4:14-16.) b. He wept because of the wicked men he saw around him. (See 11:37, 46.) 6. The Savior desired human help in performing his great miracle. a. He ordered someone to roll the stone back. (See 11:39.) b. He ordered someone to unbind the resur¬ rected Lazarus. (See 11:44.)

MM. Jesus talks to the rich young ruler (Mt. 19:16-26; Mk. 10:17-27; Lk. 18:18-27). 1. Our Lord is confronted by a young Jewish leader who runs to meet him, kneels, and in¬ quires concerning eternal life. 2. Jesus tells him to observe the commandments. 3. The young man claims to have always done this. 4. Jesus tells him one final thing is lacking, that he is to: a. Sell all he has and give it to the poor. b. Come and follow Jesus. 5. The young man walks away sadly, unwilling to do these two things. 6. Jesus comments on wealthy people and the kingdom of God. a. He says it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a sewing needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.

~ HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY—

b. He says that, humanly speaking, salvation would be hopeless, but with God all things are possible. 7. The rich young ruler was guilty of three griev¬ ous errors. a. Concerning the person of Christ. He merely concluded him to be a "good teacher." b. Concerning the plan of salvation. He felt he could earn it through good works. c. Concerning the pride of his own heart. He thought he had earned it. We are told that "the disciples were astonished at his words" (Mk. 10:24). To the Jewish people, temporal prosperity was considered a token of divine favor. (See Deut. 28:1-12.) Some people to¬ day feel the same way.

NN. Twenty-seventh prediction: Concerning future re¬ wards (Mt. 19:27-30; Mk. 10:28-31; Lk. 18:28-30). 1. Jesus promises the twelve future rewards if they sacrifice for him. a. They shall sit on twelve thrones. b. They shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel. 2. Jesus promises all believers future rewards if they sacrifice for him. a. They shall receive a hundredfold more in this present age. b. They shall receive eternal life in the ages to come. 3. Note his statement here: "Verily, I say unto you that ye who have fol¬ lowed me, in the regeneration, when the Son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Mt. 19:28). The word "regeneration" is found only one other time in the New Testament apart from here. It occurs in Titus 3:5 where it refers to the Christian's new birth. Here in Matthew 19:28 it also has a new birth in mind—the conversion of sinful old Mother Nature. This glorious new birth will usher in the millennium. (See Isa. 11:6-9; Rom. 8:19-23; Acts 3:21.)

OO. Thirtieth parable: When the last was first and the first was last (Mt. 20:1-16). 1. The master of a house recruits workers for his vineyard. a. He hires some at sunrise, offering a penny for the day. b. He hires some at 9:00 a.m. for the same. c. He hires some at noon for the same. d. He hires some at 3:00 p.m. for the same. e. He hires some at 5:00 p.m. for the same. 2. He settles up at the day's end, giving all their promised pay, beginning with the 5:00 p.m. workers and finishing with the sunrise workers. 3. The sunrise workers expect more than the 5:00 p.m. workers and complain to the master. 4. The master points out: a. That they were not wronged, for each had gotten the promised amount.

317

b. That it was his business if he chose to be generous.

PP. Twenty-eighth prediction: Concerning his resurrec¬ tion (Mt. 20:17-19; Mk. 10:32-34; Lk. 18:31-34). 1. Jesus tells his disciples that all the Scriptures concerning him will be fulfilled in Jerusalem. a. He will be betrayed to the chief priests and scribes. b. He will be condemned to death by them. c. He will be delivered up to the Gentiles for crucifixion. d. He will be mocked. e. He will be treated shamefully. f. He will be spit upon. g- He will be scourged. h. He will be put to death, i. He will rise again on the third day. 2. The disciples are filled with awe and fear, but do not comprehend his solemn words.

QQ. Jesus hears a request from the mother of James and John (Mt. 20:20-28; Mk. 10:35-45). 1. The request: "Allow my sons to be seated on your left and right side in the kingdom." 2. The denial: "It is not mine to grant what you ask, but only that of the Father." 3. The lesson: a. The Son of man did not come to be minis¬ tered to, but to minister and to give his life as a ransom for many. b. His disciples should likewise minister to others, for love is the secret of greatness. On this occasion Jesus said: "Ye know not what ye ask, can ye drink of the cup that I drink of; and be bap¬ tized with the baptism that I am baptized with? And they said unto him, we can. And Jesus said unto them, ye shall in¬ deed drink of the cup that I drink of; and with the baptism that I am baptized shall ye be baptized" (Mk. 10:38, 39). The cup here was that of suffering. Both of these brothers would indeed drink of that cup. One was beheaded (Acts 12:2), and the other exiled for Christ (Rev. 1:9).

Step Forty-Nine: From Bethany to Jericho (Mt. 20:29-34; Mk. 10:46-52; Lk. 18:35—19:28).

A. Thirty-second miracle: Healing a blind man (Mt. 20:34; Lk. 18:35—19:28). 1. A Jericho blind beggar is informed that Jesus is passing by. 2. He cries out (in spite of the crowd's rebuke) for the Son of David to have pity on him. 3. Jesus asks: "What do you wish me to do for you?" 4. He answers: "Lord, that I may receive sight." 5. The Savior, filled with compassion, touches the beggar's eyes and opens them. 6. The ex-blind man follows him, glorifying God.

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

B. Jesus greets and saves Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10). 1. The sinner: a. Zacchaeus was a chief Publican. b. He was rich and somewhat dishonest. c. He was small of stature. d. He climbs a sycamore tree to watch Jesus. 2. The Savior: a. Looks up the tree and sees Zacchaeus. b. Informs him that he plans to visit his home. c. Is criticized by the watching crowd for associ¬ ating with such sinners. 3. The saint (Zacchaeus): a. Accepts Christ as his Messiah-Savior. b. Determines to give half of his possessions to the poor. c. Plans to make a fourfold restitution to all he had previously cheated. d. He becomes a true son of Abraham.

Thirty-first parable: Three stewards and their silver (Lk. 19:11-27). 1. A man of noble birth prepares to leave for a far country to receive a kingdom. 2. He calls in ten of his bondmen before departing. a. Each is given a pound of silver. b. Each is ordered to do business until he returns. 3. He later returns and calls in the ten bondmen for a personal accounting. a. The first man: (1) Had increased his pound tenfold. (2) Was given the rule over ten cities. b. The second man: (1) Had increased his pound fivefold. (2) Was given the rule over five cities. c. A third man: (1) Had ignored his pound completely. (2) Was severely punished and loses his pound to the first man.

Thirty-third miracle: Healing a blind man (Mt. 20:34; Mk. 10:46, 52). Note: Although there are many simi¬ larities between the thirty-second and thirty-third mir¬ acles, they are not the same. The first blind man, unnamed, was healed as our Lord entered Jericho, while the second man, Bartimaeus by name, was healed as he left Jericho. 1. Bartimaeus: "Jesus, Son of David, have pity on me." 2. The crowd: "Have courage; rise up, he is calling you." 3. Jesus: "What do you wish me to do for you? 4. Bartimaeus: "Dear Rabbi, let me receive my sight." 5. Jesus: "Go; your faith has healed you." This marks Jesus' final visit to Jericho. He will now leave for Jerusalem. (See Mt. 20:29.) Before this, he had told the story of a man who left Jeru¬ salem for Jericho (the parable of the Good Samari¬ tan, Lk. 10:25-37). But now the original Good Samaritan will reverse the trip, leaving Jericho for Jerusalem where he would soon, "fall among thieves."

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END OF JESUS' PUBLIC MINISTRY.

Step Fifty: From Jericho to Bethany (Mt. 26:6-13; Mk. 14:3-9; Lk. 22:1; Jn. 11:55—12:11). SATURDAY A. Jesus is anointed by Mary of Bethany (Mt. 26:6-13; Mk. 14:3-9). 1. Lazarus, his two sisters, and Jesus are invited to supper at the Bethany home of Simon, the leper (Jn. 12:1, 2). 2. Mary approaches Jesus during dinner with an ala¬ baster flask of costly ointment and a pound of pure nard 0n. 12:3). 3. Mary is criticized for this by the disciples in gen¬ eral and by Judas Iscariot in particular. a. The disciples felt the ointment should have been sold and given to the poor (Mt. 26:8, 9). b. Judas, treasurer for the twelve, wanted control of the money, for he was a thief (Jn. 12:4-6). 4. Jesus rebukes the rebukers, pointing out that: a. Mary had performed a good thing. Note Jesus' statement: "Let her alone: against the day of my burying hath she done this" (12:7). This was the only anointing his body would receive. In spite of the many times Christ had warned of his suffering and death (see Mt. 16:21; 20:18, 19), apparently the only person to take him seriously was Mary. (See also Jn. 10:11,17,18.) b. They could always minister to the poor, but not to him. c. Her devotion to him would always be remem¬ bered wherever the gospel was preached (Mt. 26:10-13; Mk. 14:6-9; Jn. 12:7, 8). The chief priests now begin planning how they might kill Lazarus along with Jesus, since his res¬ urrection had led to so many converts (Jn. 12:9-11).

Step Fifty-one: From Bethany to Bethphage (Mt. 21:1-7; Mk. 11:1-7; Lk. 19:29-35). SUNDAY

A. Jesus sends two of his disciples to fetch a colt. 1. The owners of the colt ask: "What are you doing, untying the colt?" 2. The disciples answer: "The Lord has need of it." B. Jesus is set on the colt by his disciples.

Step Fifty-two: From Bethphage to the upper room (Mt. 10:17-23; 21:8—23:39; 24:1-42; 25:1-46; 26:1-5, 14-30; Mk. 11:8—13:37; 14:1, 2, 10-25; Lk. 12:11, 12; 13:34, 35; 19:36—20:8, 20-40, 45-47; 21:1-38; 22:2-34; Jn. 12:12).

~ HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

A. He enters Jerusalem and receives the glad shouts of the crowds (Mt. 21:9-11; Mk. 11:9, 10; Lk. 19:38; Jn. 12:12-15). 1. “Blessed is the king of Israel, who is coming in the name of the Lord." 2. "Hosanna in the highest to the Son of David."

dries up. Note: Of all his miracles, this doubtless was the only one which would fill him with sad¬ ness, for in this symbolic act he was setting aside the nation Israel (often pictured as a fig tree) be¬ cause of its fruitlessness. See Matthew 21:42-45 where this is confirmed.

B. He defends their cries, telling the critical Pharisees that had the crowd been silent, the very stones would have cried out (Lk. 19:39, 40).

G. Thirtieth prediction: Concerning the setting aside of Israel (Mt. 21:43, 44).

C

Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 18, That he would make a triumphal entry into Jerusalem. (Compare Zech. 9:9 with Mt. 21:4, 5.) The palm branches used during the triumphal entry (Jn. 12:13) were a token of rejoicing (Lev. 23:40; Neh. 8:15; Rev. 7:9). They may also have carried a political signif¬ icance, since they had been used at the feast of taber¬ nacles when Judas Maccabeus' recapture of the Temple from the Syrians was celebrated. (See 2 Mac¬ cabees 10:7.)

D. He weeps over Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41, 42). Note his words: "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong unto thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes." The famous Bible student. Sir Robert Anderson, has attached great meaning to the three words, "this thy day." According to the prophecy in Daniel 9:24-27 (of¬ ten called the seventy-week prophecy) God told Dan¬ iel he would deal with Israel for yet another seventy "weeks," which is usually interpreted as 490 years. The prophecy continued that after sixty-nine of these "weeks," or 483 years, the Messiah would be "cut off" (rejected and crucified). The prophecy was to start on March 14, 445, b.c. Mr. Anderson suggests that if one begins counting forward from that day, he discovers that the 483 years (173,880 days) runs out on April 6, a.d. 32. It was on this exact day that Jesus rode into Jerusalem on the foal of an ass and, although wel¬ comed by the masses, was officially rejected by Israel's leaders. According to Sir Robert, all this was in mind when our Lord uttered the words of this statement.

Twenty-ninth prediction: Concerning the destruction of Jerusalem (Lk. 19:43, 44). 1. That the city would be surrounded by her en¬ emies. 2. That her children would be killed and her Temple leveled.

MONDAY

F. Thirty-fourth miracle: Destroying a fig tree (Mt. 21:19; Mk. 11:14). 1. He examines a leafy but fruitless fig tree. 2. He pronounces a curse upon it: "Let there be no fruit from you hereafter." Immediately the fig tree

319

H. He performs the second cleansing of the Temple (Mt. 21:12,13; Mk. 11:15-17; Lk. 19:45, 46). Note his state¬ ment at this time: "It is written, my house shall be called the house of prayer; but ye have made it a den of thieves" (Mt. 21:13). Our Lord here quotes from Jeremiah 7:12-15, which recalls the destruction of the original tabernacle of Moses at Shiloh by the Philis¬ tines, and predicts the destruction of the Temple of Solomon in Jerusalem by the Babylonians. Jesus of course knew that in less than forty years the Temple of Herod would be leveled and burned by the Romans. In the midst of the storm clouds gathered at this verse, a bright ray suddenly appears, for its words are associ¬ ated with yet a final and future temple. Isaiah speaks about this. "Even them [Israel, during the millennium] will I bring to my holy mountain, and make them joyful in my house of prayer: their burnt offerings and their sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine altar; for mine house shall be called an house of prayer for all people" (Isa. 56:7).

I. He heals many blind and lame and receives the wor¬ ship of some children (Mt. 21:14-16).

J. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 19, That he would be praised by little children. Compare Psalm 8:2 with Matthew 21:16.

TUESDAY

K. He is asked about the withered tree and comments on the faith that removes mountains (Mt. 21:20-22; Mk. 11:20-26).

L. He is challenged by the Pharisees concerning the source of his authority (Mt. 21:23-27; Mk. 11:27-33; Lk. 20:1-8). 1. They demand that he tell them the source of his authority. 2. He agrees to do so, but first wants to know if they feel that the source of John's baptism came from man or God. 3. The Pharisees immediately realize they have a problem. a. If they answer, "From God," he will doubtless say, "Then why don't you believe him?" b. If they answer, "From men," the people will attempt to stone them, for John is their hero.

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

4. The Pharisees cannot answer his question and he, therefore, will not answer theirs.

M. Thirty-second parable: "Two sons who changed their minds" (Mt. 21:28-32). 1. A vineyard owner had two sons. 2. He asked both boys to work in his vineyard. a. The first son said he would not, but later re¬ pented and did. b. The second son said he would, but did not do so.

N. Thirty-third parable: The vicious vine keepers (Mt. 21:33-46; Mk. 12:1-12; Lk. 21:9-19). 1. A house master leases his vineyard to some men and leaves the country. 2. He later sends a bondman to gather his fruit. 3. The keepers beat the servant and send him away empty-handed. 4. The master continues to send bondmen, but all are beaten and some killed. 5. He finally sends his own son, hoping the keepers will respect him, but he too, is cruelly murdered. 6. The house master thereupon comes in fury and destroys the miserable vinekeepers. 7. Jesus relates this parable to himself, and states that he is rejected as the cornerstone" (Mt. 21:42).

O. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 20, That he would be the rejected Cornerstone. (Compare Ps. 118:22, 23 with Mt. 21:42.)

P. Thirty-fourth parable: A wedding guest with no wed¬ ding garment (Mt. 22:1-14). 1. A king prepares a wedding feast for his son and invites a select few. a. Those invited refuse to come and insult or kill the king's messengers. b. The angry king dispatches troops which de¬ stroy them and bum their cities.

Q. He is confronted by the Pharisees and Herodians con¬ cerning the payment of tribute money (Mt. 22:15-22; Mk. 12:13-17; Lk. 20:20-26). 1. Their crafty questions: "Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar or not?" 2. His wise answer: "Render, therefore, to Caesar the things which are Caesar's; and to God the things which are God's." Dr. Charles Ryrie comments: "The tribute tax was a poll tax imposed by Rome on every Jew. The burning question in the minds of many Jews of that day was simply this: If God gave the land of Israel to the He¬ brews, and if God meant them to live there, and if He received their sacrifices and offerings in achnowledgement of His relationship to them, how could they pay tribute to any other powers, king or person? If Christ said that they should pay, they could then charge Him with disloyalty to Judaism; if He said no, they could denounce Him to the Romans."

R. He is confronted by the liberal Sadducees concerning the resurrection (Mt. 22:23-33; Mk. 12:18-27; Lk. 20:27-40). 1. Their stupid illustration: a. A man who had six brothers married but died shortly after, leaving his wife childless. b. The second brother, fulfilling the Mosaic Law, married her, but he, too, died without children. c. Eventually, all seven brothers married the woman and died. d. In the resurrection, then, whose wife would this woman be? 2. His straightforward answers: a. They were in serious error concerning the scriptural fact of the resurrection. "Have you not read what was spoken to you by God in the book of Moses, in the part about the bush, when he called the Lord the God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the liv¬ ing. . . b. They were in serious error concerning the scriptural nature of the resurrection. ". . . the resurrected dead neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as angels in heaven."

S. He is questioned about the greatest commandment of them all (Mt. 22:34-40; Mk. 12:28-34). 1. The question: Which commandment in the law is first and greatest? The scribes had divided the whole law into 613 precepts. . 2. The answer: a. The greatest is: "You shall love your neighbor as yourself" (on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets). 3. The scribe (who asked the original question): "Teacher you have well said the truth . . . these are better than all burnt offerings and sacrifices." a. The Savior: "You are not far from the king¬ dom of God."

T. Jesus questions the Pharisees concerning the promised Messiah (Mt. 22:41-46; Mk. 12:34-37; Lk. 20:41-44). 1. Her question: "Whose son is the Messiah?" 2. Their answer: "He is the son of David." 3. His question: "If the Messiah is David's Son, why did David then call him Lord in the Psalms?" 4. Their answer: They not only had no answer for his question, but from that day on, ceased their wicked efforts to trap him theologically.

U. Thirteenth sermon: Indicting the Jewish rulers on twelve counts (Mt. 23:1-36; Mk. 12:38-40; Lk. 20:45-47). 1. They dressed proud and sat high. 2. They devoured the homes of widows. 3. They made a mockery of prayer. 4. They weighed men down with their vain tradi¬ tions. 5. They shut up the kingdom of heaven against men.

~

HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY-

6. They taught converts all their evil ways. 7. They uttered their oaths of promise with forked tongues. 8. They ignored things such as justice, mercy, and fidelity. 9. They strained out the gnat while swallowing the camel. 10. They had polished exteriors but rotten interiors. 11. They revered the memories of their murderous fa¬ thers. "That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zechariah.. . . Whom ye slew between the temple and altar" (23:35). This number is recorded in 2 Chronicles 24:20-22. Since Abel's death is recorded in Gen¬ esis (chapter 4) and since 2 Chronicles is the last book in the Hebrew Bible, Christ was saying in effect, "from the first to the last murder in the Bible." 12. They would later themselves beat and kill God's prophets.

V. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem again (Mt. 23:37-39; Lk. 13:34, 35). "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killeth the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together even as a hen gathereth her chickens un¬ der her wings, and ye would not! Behold your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord" (Mt. 23:37-39). Note especially Jesus' reference to your house (the Temple) here as contrasted to the "my house" state¬ ments of John 2:16 and Matthew 21:13. At this point Israel is set aside for the duration of the church age (see Mt. 21:33-46). Jesus' statement in 23:39 will some¬ day be gloriously fulfilled. (See Ps. 118:26; Zech. 12:10.) Note that this chapter (Mt. 23), which contains the most severe indictment of the leaders of Israel, ends with Jesus weeping over the city of Jerusalem. W. He observes a poor widow giving her all (two tiny cop¬ per coins) to the Temple offering chest (Mk. 12:41-44; Lk. 21:1-4). X. Thirty-first prediction: Concerning his death (Jn. 12:20-26). 1. Philip tells him of the desire of some Greeks to see him. 2. He comments on his death. a. That the hour had come for him to be glori¬ fied. b. That he would eventually bare much fruit by this death, as a grain of wheat does by falling into the ground. Y. Twelfth prayer: When some Greeks desired to see him Qn. 12:27, 28).

321

1. The Son's prayer a. "Shall I pray. Father, save me from this hour?" b. "No! This is why I came." c. "Father, glorify thy name!" 2. The Father's answer: "I both glorified it and will glorify it again."

Z. Thirty-second prediction: Concerning his death (Jn. 12:32). "And I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to myself."

AA. He is rejected by many Jewish rulers, even though they believe his message (Jn. 12:37-43). 1. Because they are afraid of excommunication. 2. Because they love men's approval more than God's approval.

BB. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 21, That his miracles would not be believed. (Compare Isa. 53:1 with Jn. 12:37, 38.)

CC. Fourteenth sermon: On the coming tribulation (Mt. 24:1-42; 10:17-23; 25:1-46; Mk. 13:1-37; Lk. 21:5-36; 12:11, 12). 1. The destruction of Jerusalem (Mt. 24:1, 2; Lk. 21:20-24). a. Jerusalem will be completely encircled by armies. (See also Lk. 19:43, 44.) b. The Temple will be leveled down to the last stone. c. Her people will be killed and some led cap¬ tive to all nations. d. Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gen¬ tiles until the times of the Gentiles are ful¬ filled. Note: Our Lord apparently is referring to two separate destructions of Jerusalem in these verses. (1) The first is now historical, occurring when Titus leveled the city in a.d. 70. Our Lord warned that not one Temple stone would be left upon another. This prophecy was remarkably fulfilled on September 8, a.d. 70. On this day the Roman general Titus broke down the Jerusalem walls and captured the city. A false rumor had been spread among the Roman troops that the Jews had used gold instead of mortar to hold to¬ gether the beautiful marble stones of the Temple. The soldiers thus literally pried apart every stone in their fruitless search to discover this gold. (2) The second is yet future, and will occur sometime during the tribulation. 2. Thirty-third prediction: Concerning the tribula¬ tion (Mt. 24:1-42; 10:17-23; 25:1-46; Mk. 13:1-37; Lk. 21:5-36; 12:11, 12). 3. The tribulation: First half (Mt. 24:3-14; 10:17-23; Mk. 13:4-13; Lk. 21:7-19; 12:11, 12). a. False prophets and messiahs will arise and deceive many. b. Wars and war rumors will intensify.

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

A TWOFOLD QUESTION (24:3) “Tell us, when shall these things be?”

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE TEMPLE

"What shall be the sign of thy coming and of the end of this age?”

THE COMING TRIBULATION V-y

OCCURRED IN

A.D.

J

YET TO OCCUR

70

THE COMING TRIBULATION FIRST THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS (24:1-14) • Intensification of wars • Famines • Pestilences • Earthquakes • Persecution of Israel • Rise of many false teachers

The Seventieth Week of Daniel

LAST THREE-AND-A-HALF YEARS (24:15-31). • The abomination of desolation • The rise of antichrist and the false prophet • Armageddon • The angelic regathering of Israel

“FOR THERE SHALL BE GREAT TRIBULATION”

(24:21).

“ALL THESE ARE THE BEGINNING OF SORROWS” (24:8).

b. The unsuspecting wicked will suddenly be removed and destroyed just as they were in Noah and Lot's day.

c. There will be famines, pestilences, earth¬ quakes, and great signs from heaven. d. Believers will be scourged, imprisoned, hated, betrayed by their own families. e. Wickedness will be multiplied and the love of many shall grow cold. Note: Many of these things, of course, have taken place throughout the entire church age on a lesser scale, and will doubtless continue right up to the rapture. 4. The tribulation: Last half (Mt. 24:15-31; 36-42; Mk. 13:14-27; 32-37; Lk. 21:25-28; 34-36). a. The abomination of desolation (a statute of the antichrist) will be unveiled in the Tem¬ ple Holy of Holies. b. The world's most severe tribulation and per¬ secution will begin. c. The sun and moon will be darkened. d. The sea tides will rise and roar out much destruction. e. The hearts of men will experience terror as never before. f. The battle of Armageddon will take place. g. Christ will return to earth. 5. Thirty-fourth prediction: Concerning his Sec¬ ond Coming (Mt. 24:29-41). a. His elect will be gathered by angels from everywhere.

DD. Thirty-fifth parable: A fig tree and the future (Mt.-^Zr^ 24:32-35; Mk. 13:28-31; Lk. 21:29-33). 1. He pictures Israel here (and in other places) as a fig tree. 2. He says that when Israel begins to show signs of life, tremendous events will occur. a. That the kingdom of God will be near at hand. b. That the very generation which views the beginning of the budding will live to see the consummation of all things.

EE. Thirty-sixth parable: Five lamps that went out 25:1-13). 1. Ten maidens take their lamps and go out to meet the bridegroom. 2. The bridegroom suddenly comes in the dead of the night. 3. Five of the maidens find their lamps need oil and leave to obtain some. 4. They return only to find the door leading to the wedding feast shut.

322

~HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

FF. Thirty-seventh parable: Three stewards and their talents (Mt. 25:14-30). 1. A master turns over his substance to his three bondmen and leaves the country. a. He gives one man five talents. b. He gives another two talents. c. He gives the third one talent. 2. The master returns and requires a stewardship report. a. The man with five talents has gained five more and is rewarded. b. The man with two talents has gained two more and is likewise rewarded. c. The man with the one talent has wasted his and is punished. This parable is similar to that of the pounds in Luke 19:11-27. The difference seems to be that the pounds repre¬ sent the equal opportunities of life while the talents speak of the different gifts God gives each individual.

GG. Thirty-eighth parable: Separating the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:31-46). 1. At his Second Coming Jesus will place the sheep (believers) at his right hand. a. His words of praise: (1) "You are blessed by the Father and will inherit his eternal kingdom." (2) "You fed me and gave me water when I was hungry and thirsty." (3) "You welcomed me as a stranger." (4) "You clothed me when I was naked." (5) "You visited me when I was sick and in prison." b. Their question: "When did we do all these things for you?" c. His answer: "Inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me." 2. At his Second Coming Jesus will place the goats (unbelievers) at his left hand. a. His words of comdemnation: (1) "Depart from me you cursed, into the devil's fire." (2) "I was hungry and thirsty but received nothing from you." (3) "I was a stranger and received no wel¬ come from you." (4) "I was naked but you made no offer to clothe me." (5) "I was sick and in prison, but received no visit from you." b. Their question: "When did we treat you like this?" c. His answer: "Inasmuch as you did it not to one of the least of these, you did it not to me."

HH. Thirty-fifth prediction: Concerning his death (Mt. 26:2). II. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 22, That his friend would betray him for thirty pieces of silver. (Compare Ps. 41:9; 55:12-14; Zech. 11:12, 13 with Mt. 26:14-16, 21-25.)

323

1. The Jews assemble at Caiaphas' palace and plot to kill Jesus (Mt. 26:3-5; Mk. 14:1, 2; Lk. 22:2). 2. Satan enters Judas and he joins this plot for thirty pieces of silver (Mt. 26:14, 15; Mk. 14:10, 11; Lk. 22:3-6). THURSDAY

JJ. Jesus sends Peter and John into Jerusalem to prepare for the Passover (Mt. 26:17-19; Mk. 14:12-16; Lk. 22:7-13). 1. They are to follow a man carrying a pitcher of water. 2. He will lead them to the Passover in the upper room.

KK. Jesus enters the room with his disciples (Mt. 26:20-29; Mk. 14:17-25; Lk. 22:14-34; Jn. 13:1 — 14:31). 1. He comments on the supper (Lk. 22:14-18). a. That he desires to eat with them before he will suffer. b. That he will celebrate no other Passover un¬ til things are fulfilled in the kingdom of God. 2. He washes the feet of his disciples (Jn. 13:1-17). a. Peter to Jesus: "Lord, are you washing my feet?" b. Jesus to Peter: "What I am doing you do not know now, but you will know hereafter." c. Peter to Jesus: "Never may you wash my feet." d. Jesus to Peter: "If I do not wash you, you have no part with me." e. Peter to Jesus: "Lord, not my feet only, but also my hand and my head." f. Jesus to Peter: "He who has bathed needs not to wash, except his feet, but is clean over all." Here in John 13:10 Jesus uses two separate Greek words. "Jesus saith to him, he that is washed [louo, to bathe completely] needeth not save to wash [nipto, to splash one's feet, hands, or face] his feet." The background here is that of a Jewish person returning from the public baths. On the way home his feet may become dirty and require cleansing, but not his entire body. Thus, when a sinner repents, he is forever clean. (See Heb. 10:1-12.) This corresponds to the louo bath. However, during his earthly walk, the believer will, on occasion, allow sin to defile certain parts of his body. Some¬ times it is his hands, other times his feet, and often his tongue. He now needs a nipto cleansing. This is provided in 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." g. Jesus to the twelve: (1) That they ought to follow his example and wash one another's feet.

~

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

(2) That a bondman is not greater than his master. Thirty-sixth prediction: His betrayal (]n. 13:18-33; Mt. 26:21-25; Mk. 14:18-21; Lk. 22:21-23). a. The disciples are shocked and inquire as to who it would be. b. Jesus states it will be the one to whom he gives the morsel when he dips it. c. Jesus tells Judas privately that he knows he is the betrayer. d. Satan enters Judas and he departs from the upper room. e. The disciples believe Judas is on an errand for Jesus. He institutes the Lord's Supper (Mt. 26:26-29; Mk. 14:22, 25; Lk. 22:19, 20). a. The bread: "Take eat; this is my body, which is given for you. This do in remem¬ brance of me." b. The cup: "This cup which is poured out for you is my blood of the new covenant, which is poured out for many for the remission of sins." Note his statement at this point: "But I say unto you, 1 will not drink here¬ after of this fruit of the vine, until that day when I drink it new with you in my Father's kingdom" (Mt. 26:29). We learn from this that the Passover will be reinstated during the millennium. He rebukes the disciples' strife (Lk. 22:24-27; Jn. 13:34, 35). a. They were arguing concerning who was greatest among them. b. Jesus tells them the greatest one is the one who is the most humble. Thirty-seventh prediction: The death of Peter On. 13:36). a. "You cannot follow me now." b. "You shall follow me afterward." Thirty-eighth prediction: Concerning Peter's first three denials (Jn. 13:38; Lk. 22:34). Note: The Gospel chronology, as arranged by The Life of Christ in Stereo, clearly indicates Peter would betray his Lord not three times on one occasion, but six times on two occasions. Thus: a. In the upper room Jesus predicted the first occasion, saying Peter would deny him three times before the cock crowed at all. (See Jn. 13:38; Lk. 22:34.) b. En route to Gethsemane, Jesus predicted the second occasion, saying Peter would deny him before the cock crowed twice. (See Mt. 26:34; Mk. 14:30.) The order of the Passover is probably as fol¬ lows: a. Jesus gives thanks and they drink from the cup. b. The bitter herbs are introduced, symbolizing their previous life of bondage in Egypt. c. The Passover lamb is introduced and ex¬ plained.

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d. The singing of the Hallel, Psalms 113, 114, took place. e. Jesus probably ceremonially washed his hands, then, taking two cakes of bread, went through the ceremony of breaking one cake. f. The entire group then partook of the roasted lamb and bitter herbs. 9. Observe the conversation that took place when Jesus announced the first denials in the upper room. a. Peter: "I will lay down my life for your sake." b. Jesus: "Simon, Satan demanded that he might have you disciples, that he might sift you like wheat; but I prayed for you Peter, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your breth¬ ren." c. Peter: "Lord, I am ready to go with you, both to prison and to death." He would, of course, later do both after Pentecost. (See Acts 12:1-18; 2 Pet. 1:14.) d. Jesus: "Peter, the cock will not at all crow this day till you have denied three times that you know me!" Note: The devil once requested permis¬ sion from God to test and torment another choice servant of God, Job by name. (See Job 1-2.) Here Satan apparently asked for the same power over Simon Peter. The apostle may have had this very event in mind when he wrote concerning the devil and the be¬ liever in one of his epistles. (See 1 Pet. 5:7-11.) At any rate, it should be a great comfort for all believers to know that the resurrected Savior is even today, at this very moment, praying for them in glory! (See Rom. 8:34; 1 Jn. 2:1; Heb. 7:25; 9:24.) LL. Fifteenth sermon: On his Father's house (Jn. 14:1-31). 1. He speaks about heaven. a. His Father's house has many abodes. b. He is going there to prepare places for them. c. Thirty-ninth prediction: Concerning his re¬ turn (Jn. 14:2, 3). "In my Father's house are many man¬ sions [dwelling places]: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and re¬ ceive you unto myself; that where 1 am, there ye may be also." Note the phrase, "I will come again, and receive you unto myself." This is the only reference to the rapture in the four-Gospel account, and the first time in Scripture that God promises to take people off this earth. 2. He is questioned by Philip and Thomas. a. Thomas: "How can we know the way?" b. Jesus: "I am the way, the truth, and the life." c. Philip: "Show us the Father." d. Jesus: "He who has seen me has seen the Father."

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

3. He speaks about the Holy Spirit (14:16-21). a. The Holy Spirit will come and dwell with them forever. b. The Holy Spirit will come and teach them all things. 4. He is questioned by Judas (not Iscariot) (14:22, 23). a. Judas: "How will you manifest yourself to us and not to the world?" b. Jesus: (1) "If anyone loves me, he will keep my Word." (2) "My Father will love him, and we will come to him and make our abode with him." 5. He speaks about peace (14:26, 27):

a. He promised to leave his peace with them. b. This peace would keep their hearts from trouble and fear. 6. He suggests they leave the upper room and make their way to Gethsemane. Matthew tells us that, "When they had sung a hymn, they went out into the Mount of Olives" (Mt. 26:30). Six Psalms are called the "Hallel" Psalms. There are: 113, 114, 115, 116, 117, 118. All of these were to be sung on the eve of the Passover. This is what Jesus and the disciples sang. Note some of the verses in these Psalms: "The sorrows of death compassed me, and the pains of hell got hold upon me: I found trouble and sorrow" (116:3).

The Thursday Night Passover Sermon of Christ johnu-ib Thp Savior

CHRIST HIMSELF

CHRIST AND THE FATHER

CHRIST AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

CHRIST AND THE BELIEVER

■

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• The mystery of his return—first mention of rapture 14:3 • The mystery of his body 14:20 (See also Eph. 3:1-7; Col. 1:24-27.)

• He declares him 14:7-9 • He is inseparably linked to him 14:10,11 • He glorifies him 14:13 • He goes to him 14:2,12, 28; 16:10,16, 28

• He comes at Christ's prayer 14:16 • He comes to honor and testify concerning Christ 15:26; 16:13-15 • He comes to perform a threefold work 16:7-11

• He is the Vine 15:1-8,16 • They are the branches

Tho Q aint ======

THE BELIEVER AND THE FATHER

• Indwelled by the Father 14:23 • Loved by the Father 14:21; 16:27 • Empowered to do greater works than Christ 14:12

THE BELIEVER AND THE HOLY SPIRIT

• To teach believers all things 14:26; 16:14,15 • To abide forever with believers 14:16

THE BELIEVER AND PERSECUTIONS

• To expect many persecutions 14:27; 15:18-21 • To rejoice in all persecutions 16:1-4, 20-22, 33

THE BELIEVER AND OTHER BELIEVERS

• To love them 15:12-14,17

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

"I will take the cup of salvation, and call upon the name of the Lord" (Ps. 116:13). "The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner. This is the Lord's doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it" (118:22-24). "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord ..." (118:26).

Step Fifty-three: From the upper room to Gethsemane (Mt. 26:31-56; Mk. 14:26-52; Lk. 22:35-53; ]n. 15:1 — 18:12).

A. Sixteenth sermon: On the vine and branches (Jn. 15:1—16:33). 1. He is the vine and all believers are branches in his Father's vineyard. a. If a branch is to bear fruit: (1) It must be cleansed by the Father. (2) It must abide in the Son (15:1-5). Note the progression of this: Fruit, more fruit, and much fruit (15:1-5). This fruit can signify converts (Rom. 1:13), Christian character (Gal. 5:22, 23), or conduct (Phil. 1:11; Rom. 6:21, 22). b. If a branch fails to bear fruit, it is rejected and cast aside (15:6). There is a problem concern¬ ing these fruitless branches that are removed from the vine (15:2, 6). Three theories are of¬ fered at this point. One, that the removed branches represent Christians who lose their salvation. Two, that they are Christians who commit the sin unto death as described in Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 11:27-34; 1 John 5:16. The burn¬ ing, according to this theory, would be their works, as seen in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15. Three, that they represent mere professing Christians (religious people) who are finally severed from their superficial connection with Christ. This had already happened with Judas. (See Jn. 13:27-30; 17:12.) 2. He has been unjustly hated by the world, and his disciples will be likewise hated (15:18-25). a. They will be banished by religious groups. b. They will be murdered in the "name" of God. 3. He must depart to the Father so that the Holy Spirit may come (15:26; 16:7-15). "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedi¬ ent for you that I go away" (16:7). Prior to this the high priest had also used the word "expedient" as did Jesus here. (See Jn. 11:50; 18:14.) a. The Holy Spirit will testify of and glorify the Son. b. The Holy Spirit will convict the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. (1) Of sin, because men did not believe on him. (2) Of righteousness, because he was going to his Father.

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(3) Of judgment, because the world's ruler (Satan) has been judged. c. The Holy Spirit will guide believers into all truth. 4. He issues a fourfold promise to his followers (16:20-33). a. That their present sorrow would turn into joy (as the sorrow of a travailing woman blends into joy at the birth of her child). b. That they can freely ask of the Father concern¬ ing their needs in the Son's name. c. That they will have peace in tribulation. d. That they will have courage to overcome the world. Note his statement in John 16:28, which is really a summary of his ministry. "I come forth from the Father [the incarnation], and am come into the world [the manifesta¬ tion]: again I leave the world [the crucifixion], and go to the Father [the resurrection and as¬ cension]." B. Thirteenth prayer: After leaving the upper room (Jn. 17:1-26). 1. He offers a ninefold review of the past: what the Son had done. a. He had given eternal life to all the elect (v. 2). b. He had glorified the Father (v. 4). c. He had completed his assignment (v. 4). d. He had revealed the Person of God to man (vs. 6, 26). e. He had declared the Word of God to man (vs. 8, 14). f. He had kept the elect (v. 12; see also 18:9). g. He had sent them into the world (v. 18). h. He had sanctified (separated) himself for them (v. 19). i. He had shared with them his glory (v. 22). 2. He offers a ninefold recommendation for the fu¬ ture: what the Father should do. a. He asks the Father to glorify the Son (vs. 1, 5). b. He asks the Father to keep the elect (v. 11). c. He asks the Father to unify the elect (v. 11). d. He asks the Father to fill them with joy (v. 13). e. He asks the Father to protect them (v. 15). f. He asks the Father to sanctify them (v. 17). g. He asks the Father to guide them in the world (v. 23). h. He asks the Father to gather them in the heavenlies (v. 24). i. He asks the Father to fill them with love (v. 26). In this prayer Jesus prays for himself (17:1-5), for the disciples (17:6-19), and for the church (17:20-26). Note: What a blessed "Father and Son" busi¬ ness meeting this prayer was! Now the Son is in his Father's house and the Holy Spirit is busily at work carrying out those "recommendations of re¬ demption" as laid down by the Son and agreed upon by the Father. C. He advises his disciples to plan for the future (He. 22:35-38).

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

The Great High Priestly

Prayer-joHN ,7

A Report of the Past

A Recommendation for the Future

What the Son had done

What the Father should do

He had completed his mission

Glorify the Shepherd (17:1, 5)

• By glorifying the Father (17:4)

Edify the sheep

• By providing salvation, security, and service for the elect (17:2,12,18)

• By keeping them (17:11)

• By revealing the person of God to men (17:6, 26)

• By unifying them (17:11) • By filling them with joy (17:13)

• By revealing the Word of God to men (17:8,14)

• By protecting them (17:15) He was ready to die (17:19)

• By sanctifying them (17:17) • By perfecting them (17:23) • By someday receiving them (17:24) • By filling them with love (17:26)

1. In the past they were sent forth without purse or provision. 2. In the future they were to make full provision for themselves. At this point Christ says: "For I say unto you that this that is written must yet be accomplished in me, and he was reckoned among the transgressors; for the things concerning me have a fulfillment" (Lk. 22:37). Here Christ emphatically applies to himself a portion of Isaiah 53. (See also Acts 8:32-35.)

D. He sings a hymn with his disciples en route to the Mt. of Olives (Mk. 14:26; Mt. 26:30).

E. Fortieth prediction: That his disciples would forsake him (Mt. 26:31).

had suffered rejection by their own flesh and blood and both had wept over this.

I. He asks Peter, James, and John to watch and pray with him (Mt. 26:37, 38; Mk. 14:33; Lk. 22:40).

J. He experiences the agony of the hour (Mt. 26:37, 38; Mk. 14:33, 34). 1. He was sorrowful, amazed, and deeply distressed. 2. He said his soul was near death.

K. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 23, That he would be a man of sorrows. (Compare Isa. 53:3 with Mt. 26:37, 38.)

Forty-first prediction: That he would see them in Gali¬ lee after his resurrection (Mt. 26:32; Mk. 14:28; 16:7). 1. All will be caused to stumble because of him. 2. The shepherd will be smitten and the flock will be scattered.

L. Fourteenth prayer: His first garden prayer (Mt. 26:39; Mk. 14:35, 36; Lk. 22:41, 42). 1. His position: kneeling on the ground and falling on his face. 2. His prayer: a. "My Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me." b. "Nevertheless, not as I will, but as thou wilt."

Forty-second prediction: Concerning Peter's second set of three denials (Mt. 26:33-35; Mk. 14:29-31). 1. Peter: "Even if all are made to stumble because of you, yet not I; I will never be made to stumble." 2. Jesus: "During this night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times." 3. Peter: "Even if I must die with you, I will not at all deny you."

M. He returns and finds the disciples sleeping (Mt. 26:40, 41; Mk. 14:37, 38). 1. "Simon, are you asleep?" 2. "So you could not watch with me one hour!" 3. "Watch and pray, that you enter not into tempta¬ tion." 4. "The spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak."

H. He crosses the brook Kidron and enters Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36; Mk. 14:32; Jn. 18:1). Some ten centuries earlier King David had made a similar night walk across the Kidron. (See 2 Sam. 15:23, 30.) Both men

N. Fifteenth prayer: His second garden prayer (Mt. 26:42; Lk. 22:44; Mk. 14:39). 1. His position: Kneeling, with his sweat dropping as great drops of blood.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

What then, was the nature of this cursed cup? We are not left groping in the dark here, for the Scriptures plainly inform us that the Gethsemane cup was filled with the sins of all humanity! Our Lord looked deeply into the cesspool of human sin that dark night and groaned as he smelled its foul odor and viewed the rising poisonous fumes. Was there no other way to redeem man than by drinking this corrupt cup? There was no other way. In a few short hours he would drain that container of its last bitter drop of human deprav¬ ity. Hebrews 2:9: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." (See also Isa. 53; Rom. 4:25; 1 Pet. 2:24; 3:18; 2 Cor. 5:21.)

2. His prayer: a. "My Father, if thou art willing, take away this cup from me." b. "Nevertheless, if this cannot pass from me un¬ less I drink it, not my will, but thine, be done." Contrast the "not my will" of Jesus with the self-will of Satan. See Isaiah 14:12-14. Gethsemane thus becomes his preparation for Cal¬ vary. At Golgotha he yielded up his body, but here in Gethsemane he offered up his will.

O. He is strengthened by an angel from heaven (Lk. 22:43).

P. He finds his disciples sleeping for the second time (Mt. 26:43; Mk. 14:40).

Q. Many artists and songwriters have depicted this prayer for us, and their descriptions usually show a hushed and tranquil scene, with the light from heaven falling upon a kneeling Savior, his hands clasped devoutly in front, his eyes cast heavenward, and his lips moving faintly as he prays his "cup of suffering" prayer. All is silent, subdued, and serene. But this is not the biblical account at all. The careful student can almost hear the shrieks of demons and the crackling flames which filled the gentle Garden of Gethsemane that awful night. Notice our Lord's own description of his feelings during that hour. He says he was: 1. "Sore amazed"—that is, he was suddenly struck with surprised terror (Mk. 14:33). 2. "Very heavy"—that is, he experienced the totally unfamiliar which bore down upon his soul and filled it with uncertainty and acute distress (sug¬ gested exegesis here by the late Kenneth S. Wuest, Greek Instructor, Moody Bible Institute). 3. "Exceeding sorrowful unto death"—that is, he was so completely surrounded and encircled by grief that it threatened his very life. From all this it becomes evident that the devil made an all-out effort to murder the Savior in the garden in order to prevent his blood being shed a few hours later on the cross. Our Lord realized this and responded accordingly, as we are told in He¬ brews 5:7: "Who in the days of his flesh, when he had offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto him that was able to save him from death, and was heard in that he feared." The Father heard his cry for aid and sent angels to strengthen him. (See Lk. 22:43.) We are told that he wrestled his way through three prayer ses¬ sions in the garden and he referred to "the cup" during each prayer. What was this cup his soul so dreaded to drink from? Some say it was the cup of human suffering, but our Lord was no stranger to suffering and pain, for he had known these things throughout his ministry. Others claim it was the cup of physical death that our Lord abhorred here. But again, it must be realized that he was the Prince of life, and therefore, death would hold no terror for him.

328

R. Sixteenth prayer: His third garden S. He finds his disciples sleeping for the third time (Mt. 26:45, 46; Mk. 14:41; Lk. 22:45, 46). 1. "Are you sleeping even now, and taking your rest?" 2. "It is enough! Behold, the hour has come, and the Son of man is being betrayed into the hands of sinners." 3. "Rise, let us be going. Lo, my betrayer is at hand." T. He is betrayed by the kiss of a turncoat (Mt. 26:47-56; Mk. 14:43-52; Lk. 22:47-53; Jn. 18:2-12). 1. Judas leads a band of soldiers and Jewish rulers to Gethsemane. A band of men equaled one tenth of a Roman legion. A legion was 6000 men. Then some 600 soldiers appeared here in the garden to arrest him. 2. He approaches Jesus. a. Jesus: "Friend, for what purpose have you come?" b. Judas: "Master, Master, hail. Master!" c. Jesus: "Judas, are you betraying the Son of man with a kiss?" 3. Jesus approaches the soldiers. a. Jesus: "Whom do you seek?" b. The soldiers: "Jesus of Nazareth!" c. Jesus: "I am he." (At this, the amazed soldiers fall to the ground and must be assured once again that he is indeed the one they seek.) (See Ps. 27:1, 2; 40:14.) d. Jesus: "If, therefore, you are seeking me, let those go away." (He said this that the Scripture prophecy might be fulfilled: "Of them which thou gavest me I have lost none" (Jn. 18:9). 4. Jesus is seized by the soldiers. U. Thirty-fifth miracle: Restoring a severed ear (Mt. 26:51; Mk. 14:47; Lk. 22:50, 51; Jn. 18:10). 1. Peter draws his sword and cuts off the right ear of Malchus, a servant of the high priest. 2. Jesus quickly restores the severed ear, saying, "Permit even this."

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY-

V. Jesus rebukes Peter concerning his violent act (Mt. 26:52-54; Jn. 18:11). 1. "Put back your sword into its sheath; for all who take the sword will perish by the sword." 2. "Or do you think that 1 cannot now pray to my Father, and he will presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" Compare this with the power of just one angel. (See 2 Ki. 19:35.) 3. "But how then would the scripture be fulfilled, that it must be so?" 4. "The cup which the Father has given me, shall I not drink it?" There are many "cups" in the Bible: The cup of salvation (Ps. 116:13), of consolation (Jer. 16:7), of joy (Ps. 23:5), and of judgment (Ps. 11:6; Jer. 25:15; Rev. 14:10). W. Jesus rebukes his captors concerning their violent act (Mt. 26:55; Mk. 14:48, 49; Lk. 22:52, 53). 1. "Have you come out as against a robber, with swords and clubs to seize me?" 2. "Daily I sat with you, teaching in the temple, and you did not arrest me, you stretched forth no hands against me." 3. "But this has all come to pass that the scriptures of the prophets may be fulfilled." 4. "This is your hour, and the power of darkness." X. He is forsaken by all (Mt. 26:56; Mk. 14:50-52). 1. The disciples flee. 2. A certain young man (John Mark?) who has been following him flees. Y. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 24, That he would be forsaken by his disciples. (Compare Zech. 13:7 with Mt. 26:31, 56.) FIRST UNFAIR TRIAL

Step Fifty-four: From Gethsemane to Annas' house (] n. 18:12-74; 19-24). A. Jesus is questioned by Annas concerning his disciples

and his teaching. B. Jesus answers: 1. "I spoke openly to the world." 2. "I taught in the synagogues and in the Temple." 3. "I said nothing in secret." 4. "Question those who have heard me as to what I said." C. Jesus is slapped by an officer of Annas.

1. The judge was not impartial and did not pro¬ tect the accused. There is no evidence that the quorum of twenty-three judges took part in the arrest; and they were hostile (Mt. 26:62, 63). 2. The arrest was unlawful because it was carried out under no formal accusation. 3. In criminal trials all sessions had to be started and carried on only during the day. Night ses¬ sions were illegal. 4. A verdict of guilty could not be rendered on the same day as the conclusion of the trial. It had to be given on the next day. 5. The search for hostile testimony was illegal (Mt. 26:59; Mk. 14:56; Jn. 11:53). 6. No accused could be convicted on his own evi¬ dence, yet the accusers sought replies and ad¬ missions from Christ to condemn him (Mt. 26:63-66; Jn. 18:19). 7. No valid legal evidence was presented against him. After Pilate declared Christ innocent (Mt. 27:24), his subsequent acts were all contrary to the letter and spirit of Roman law." (p. 1042) SECOND UNFAIR TRIAL

Step Fifty-five: From Annas' house to Caiaphas' palace (Mt. 26:57—27:1; Mk. 14:53 - 72; Lk. 22:54-71; ]n. 18:15-18, 25-27). A. Peter and John follow Jesus afar off. B. Caiaphas and the assembled Sanhedrin make a miser¬ able but unsuccessful attempt to condemn Christ through the testimony of false witnesses. 1. The attempt: "We heard this man say, I will de¬ stroy this temple of God that is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, not with hands." 2. The results: "For even though many false wit¬ nesses came forward and testified against him, their testimony did not agree." C. Caiaphas questions Jesus. 1. The high priest: "Are you the Messiah, the Son of God?" 2. The Savior: a. "It is as you have said: I am." b. "Hereafter you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming upon the clouds of heaven." D. Forty-third prediction: Concerning his Second Coming (Mt. 26:64).

D. This marks the first of seven trials our Lord was sub¬ jected to. The New Scofield Bible aptly summarizes these terrible trials. "There were two legal systems that condemned Christ: the Jewish and the Roman, the very two which underlie modem jurisprudence. The arrest and proceedings under Annas, Caiaphas, and the Sanhedrin were under Jewish law; those under Pi¬ late and Herod were under Roman law. The Jewish trial was illegal in several particulars:

329

E. Caiaphas tears his clothes at Christ's answer. By doing this he breaks the Levitical law (see Lev. 21:10). 1. "He has spoken blasphemy." 2. "Why need we any more witnesses?" F. Caiaphas and his group condemn Christ to die and turn on him like vicious wolves. 1. They spit in his face (see also Mt. 27:26, 30). 2. They strike him with their fists.

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WILMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

3. They blindfold him and mock him: "Prophesy to us, you Messiah!" 4. "Who is it that struck you?"

THIRD UNFAIR TRIAL

J. Jesus is formally convicted by the Sanhedrin (Mt. 27:1, 2; Mk. 15:1; Lk. 22:66—23:1). 1. The Sanhedrin: "If you are the Messiah, tell us." 2. The Savior: a. "If I should tell you, you would not at all be¬ lieve." b. "Hereafter will the Son of man be seated at the right hand of the power of God." c. Forty-fourth prediction: Concerning his Sec¬ ond Coming (Lk. 22:69). 3. The Sanhedrin: "So you are the Son of God?" 4. The Savior: "It is as you are saying, for I am." 5. The Sanhedrin: "What need have we for more tes¬ timony? For we have heard it ourselves from his own mouth."

G. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 25, That he would be scourged and spat upon. (Compare Isa. 50:6 with Mt. 26:67; 27:26.) H. Peter denies his Lord (Mt. 26:58, 69-75; Mk. 14:54, 66-72; Lk. 22:54-62; Jn. 18:15-18, 25-27). We have al¬ ready observed the possibility that Christ predicted Peter would deny him six times, three times before the cock crowed at all, and three times before it crowed twice. It is, of course, impossible to be dogmatic here. The following is but a suggested chronological outline of these denials. 1. Peter and John arrive (after following him afar off) at the courtyard of the high priest. 2. John (who knew the high priest) apparently enters the trial room itself where Jesus stands before An¬ nas and Caiaphas. 3. Peter stands outside, frightened and frustrated over the events of the past few hours. 4. To warm himself, he walks up to a fire which has been built for the bondservants and Temple guards. First denials: a. A servant girl who attends the door: "You are not also one of this man's disciples, are you?" Peter: "I am not!" b. The guards (same question): Peter: "I am not!" c. A servant girl of the high priest: "This man, too, was with Jesus of Nazareth . . . you, too, were with the Galilean." Peter: "Woman, I know him not. 1 do not know or even understand what you are talking about." (At this moment a cock suddenly crows.) Second denials (perhaps an hour or so later); d. A man and a woman: "This man, too, was with Jesus of Nazareth!" Peter: Once again, he denies this relationship. e. A man and a servant girl: "Of a truth, this man also was with him, for, he too, is a Galilean!" Peter: Denies all this. f. A bondservant relative of Malchus: "Did not I see you in the garden with him? Surely you also are one of them! For you are a Galilean and even your speech confirms it and betrays you." Peter: He begins to curse and swear, "I know not this man of whom you speak; man, I know not what you are talking about." (While he is yet speaking, the cock crows a second time.)

K. Judas commits suicide (Mt. 27:3-10). 1. Judas is overcome with remorse and returns to the priests the thirty pieces of silver. a. Judas: "I have sinned by betraying innocent blood." Judas' "repentance" was not the godly repentance of 2 Corinthians 7:10. b. The priests: "What is that to us? You see to that." 2. Judas leaves and hangs himself. 3. The priests take the money and buy a potter's field as a burying ground for strangers. "Then was fulfilled that which was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying. And they took the thirty pieces of silver . . ." (Mt. 27:9). There is a problem here, for this is a quote from Zechariah 11:12, 13. Dr. John Walvoord suggests: "Perhaps the best explanation is that the third section of the Old Testament began with the book of Jeremiah and included all that fol¬ lowed. Just as the first section was called the law, after the first five books, and the second section was called the Psalms, although other books were included, so that third part began with Jeremiah, and the reference is related to this section of the Old Testament rather than to the book of Jeremiah." L. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 26, That his price money would be used to buy a potter's field. (Compare Zech. 11:12, 13; Jer. 18:1-4; 19:1-4 with Mt. 27:9, 10.)

FOURTH UNFAIR TRIAL

1. The Lord turns and looks upon Peter (Mt. 26:75; Mk. 14:72; Lk. 22:61, 62). Note: Somehow the Lord over¬ hears Peter cursing and denying him, and looks sadly upon his disciple. 1. Peter remembers the prophecy of the crowing cock and his own denials. 2. He is stricken in his thoughts and goes out weep¬ ing bitterly. It is not our sin that causes us to weep. It is rather seeing the Savior that we have sinned against that causes us to weep.

Step Fifty-six: From Caiaphas' palace to Pilate's hall (Mt. 21:1, 11-14; Mk. 15:1-5; Lk. 23:1-6; ]n. 18:28-38).

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A. Pilate and the Jews: 1. Pilate demands to know what Jesus has done. 2. The Jews evade the question, saying only that he is an evil-doer.

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY—

3. Pilate refuses to take any action unless specific charges are made. 4. The Jews then relate their grievances, realizing that no death penalty can be incurred without Pi¬ late's permission. 5. Jesus is thereupon indicted on a threefold count. a. That he perverted the nation Israel. This was false. (See Mt. 5:17.) b. That he forbade the giving of tribute to Caesar. This too was false. (See Mt. 22:21.) c. That he claimed to be the promised Messiah. This was true. (See Jn. 4:26.)

THE FINAL DAYS OF CHRIST’S MINISTRY

SATURDAY Anointed by Mary (Jn. 12:1-11)

SUNDAY The triumphal entry (Jn. 12:12-19)

MONDAY

B. Pilate and the Savior: 1. Pilate asks him if he is the King of the Jews. 2. Jesus answers that he is, but that his kingdom is not of this world, else his attendants would fight to save his life. 3. Jesus tells Pilate that he came into the world to bear winess to the truth. 4. Pilate asks Jesus, "What is truth?" but walks out before the Savior can answer.

Second Temple cleansing Cursing of the fig tree (Mt. 21:12-22)

TUESDAY Confrontation with the Pharisees • About his authority (Mt. 21:23-27)

C. Pilate and the Jews: 1. Pilate reports to the waiting Jews that he can find no fault with Jesus. 2. The Jews retort that he has stirred up trouble from Galilee down to Jerusalem. 3. Pilate, upon hearing that Jesus is a Galilean, turns him over to the jurisdiction of Herod, who is also in Jerusalem at this time.

• About paying of tribute (Mt. 22:15-22) • About the resurrection (Mt. 22:23-33) • About the greatest commandment (Mt. 22:34-40)

Denunciation of the Pharisees (Mt. 23)

Request by the Greeks (Jn. 12:20-50)

FIFTH UNFAIR TRIAL

Mt. Olivet discourse (Mt. 24-25)

Step Fifty-seven: From Pilate's hall to Herod's palace

WEDNESDAY

(Lk. 23:7-12).

DAY OF SILENCE

A. Herod is extremely glad to see Jesus. 1. He had heard so much and had desired to see him for a long time. 2. He hoped Jesus would perform some miraculous sign for his amusement.

THURSDAY

B. Herod asks Jesus many questions, but the Savior an¬ swers him not a word.

(Jn. 13-14; Mt. 26:20-35)

Preparation for the Passover (Mk. 14:12-16)

Events in the upper room En route to Gethsemane C. Herod thereupon ridicules and mocks him by dressing him in gaudy apparel. D. Jesus is finally sent back to Pilate at Herod's command. E. Pilate and Herod use this incident to erase an enmity that has existed between them and become friends from this day on.

(Jn. 15-16)

The great high priestly prayer (Jn. 17)

In Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36-56)

Final pre-Calvary miracle SIXTH UNFAIR TRIAL

Step Fifty-eight: From Herod's palace to Pilate's hall

(Lk. 22:50, 51)

FRIDAY Unfair trials and Crucifixion

(Mt. 27:15-26; Mk. 15:6-15; Lk. 23:13-25; Jn. 18:39—19:16). A. Pilate sets Jesus before the Jews, offering to chastise and release him.

331

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B.

C.

D.

E.

F.

G.

H.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

1. He reminds them that neither he nor Herod could find any fault with him. 2. He reminds them of their Passover custom whereby a Jewish prisoner is released. 3. He is himself reminded of his wife's sobering mes¬ sage: "Do nothing to that righteous man, for I suf¬ fered many things today in a dream because of him." Pilate sets Jesus and Barabbas before the Jews, offering to release one of them. 1. The Jews desire Barabbas over Jesus. It is ironic that the name Barabbas means "son of the father." Pilate then set two men before the howling Jews. Both of them were "sons of the father." a. Barabbas was a notable prisoner. b. He was a robber, murderer, and insurrection¬ ist. 2. The Jews demand the crucifixion of Jesus. Pilate still desires to free Jesus and reminds them for the third time that no fault could be discovered in him. 1. He thereupon has Jesus scourged by the soldiers in an attempt to appease the Jews. 2. The soldiers ridicule him and place a crown of thorns on his head, striking him as they do. The bloodthirsty Jews are unmoved and continue to demand his death, claiming he made himself the Son of God. Pilate is filled with fear and privately questions Jesus. 1. He reminds the Lord that he had the power to release or crucify him. 2. He is, himself, reminded by the Lord that he has no power at all except what was given him from above. The impatient Jews waiting outside now cry out: "If you release this man you are not a friend of Caesar." 1. Pilate retorts: "Shall I crucify your king?" 2. The Jews respond: "We have no king but Caesar!" Pilate realizes the hopelessness of the situation and, sensing a riot, washes his hands before the multitude. 1. Pilate: "I am innocent of the blood of this right¬ eous man." 2. The Jews: "His blood be on us! And on our chil¬ dren!" Pilate officially condemns Jesus and frees Barabbas.

Step Sixty: From the Praetorium court to Calvary (Mt. 27:32-56; Mk. 15:21-41; Lk. 23:26-49; ]n. 19:16-37).

SEVENTH UNFAIR TRIAL

Step Fifty-nine: From Pilate's hall to the Praetorium court (Mt. 27:27-31; Mk. 15:16-20). A. The soldiers gather together to confront Jesus. 1. They strip him. 2. They clothe him with purple and place around him a crimson cloak. 3. They put a crown of thorns on his head. 4. They place a reed in his right hand. 5. They bow their knees in mock homage to him. 6. They ridicule him saying, "Hail, King of the Jews." 7. They spit on him and strike his head with the reed. B. The soldiers put his own clothes on him and lead him out for crucifixion.

332

A. The soldiers force a man named Simon to bear Jesus' cross to Calvary (Mt. 27:32; Mk. 15:21; Lk. 23:26). B. A group of sorrowing women follow Jesus and hear his sobering words (Lk. 23:27-31). 1. "Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep for me, but for yourselves and for your children." 2. Forty-fifth prediction: The destruction of Jerusa¬ lem (Lk. 23:28-31). 3. "Then will they begin to say to the mountains, 'Fall on us!' and to the hills, 'Cover us!'" 4. "For if they do these things in the tree that is green, what will happen in the dry?" C. Jesus is crucified (Mt. 27:34, 35; Mk. 15:24; Lk. 23:33; Jn. 19:18). 1. He is placed between two thieves (Mk. 15:27; Lk. 23:32, 33; Mt. 27:38). 2. He is offered drugged vinegar, but refuses it (Mk. 15:23; Mt. 27:34). D. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 27, That he would be crucified between two thieves. (Compare Isa. 53:12 with Mt. 27:38; Mk. 15:27, 28; Lk. 22:37.) E. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 28, That he would be given vinegar to drink. (Compare Ps. 69:21 with Mt. 27:34, 48; Jn. 19:28-30.) F. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 29, That he would suffer the piercing of his hands and feet. (Compare Ps. 22:16; Zech. 12:10 with Mk. 15:25; Jn. 19:34, 37; 20:25-27.) G. Seventeenth prayer: First prayer on the cross (Lk. 23:34). H. Pilate writes an inscription in Hebrew, Greek, and Lat¬ in above his head on the cross: 'This is Jesus of Naza¬ reth, The King of the Jews" (Mt. 27:37; Mk. 15:26; Lk. 23:38; Jn. 19:19-22). 1. The Jews are displeased and demand that Pilate change the sign. 2. Pilate refuses, saying: "What I have written I have written." The soldiers cast lots for his seamless tunic (Mt. 27:35; Lk. 23:34; Jn. 19:23, 24). According to the commonly accepted time table, our Lord was placed on the cross on an April Friday at 9 a.m. Here he suffered for some six hours and gave up his spirit at 3:00 in the afternoon. Surely these were the most important six hours of all human history, spent upon a lonely hill outside a city. I. First cross utterance: "Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:34). Note: This prayer has bothered some, as it seems to be a blanket pardon for all involved in Jesus' crucifix¬ ion. Of course, we know this is not the case. Forgive¬ ness can only come through faith (Eph. 2:8, 9). It has been pointed out by some that the word "forgive" here can also mean "to allow," and is actually trans¬ lated thereby on at least thirteen other occasions in the New Testament. If this should be the case here, Christ then would pray, "Father, allow them to crucify me." Thus the prayer would be a plea to stay the wrath of a righteous Father as he viewed his beloved Son being murdered by sinful and wicked men. (See Mt. 3:15;

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY-

19:14; Mk. 1:34.) However, most Bible students would accept the word "forgive" at face value and interpret his prayer as a request for God not to add this horrible crime of regicide (the killing of one's own king) to the personal accounts of those individuals who killed him. Peter and Paul would amplify on this in later sermons (Acts 3:14, 15, 17): "But ye denied the Holy One and the Just, and desired a murderer to be granted unto you; and killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the dead; whereof we are witnesses. And now, brethren, I wot that through ignorance ye did it, as did also your rulers." See also 1 Corinthians 2:8: "Which none of the princes of this world knew: for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory." The sinlessness of our Savior is again proven here, for he did not pray, "Father, forgive me." He needed no for¬ giveness for he knew no sin. In summary, the first cross utterance did not mean that men are excusable, but rather forgivable. (Contrast Rom. 2:1 with 1 Tim. 1:13.) J. Jesus is cruelly mocked by various viewing groups (Mt. 27:39-44; Mk. 15:29-32; Lk. 23:35-39). 1. Those passing by: a. "Aha! You who would destroy the Temple and build it in three days, save yourself!" b. "If you are the Son of God, come down from the cross!" 2. The Jewish rulers: a. "He 'saved' others; himself he cannot save!" This was true! b. "Let him save himself, if he is the Christ, the chosen one of God." c. "He trusted in God; let him deliver him now, if he desires him, for he said, I am the Son of God." 3. The soldiers: "If you are the king of the Jews, save yourself!" 4. The two thieves: "If you are the Messiah, save yourself and us." K. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 30, That his garments would be parted and gambled for. (Com¬ pare Ps. 22:18 with Lk. 23:34; Jn. 19:23, 24.) L. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 31, That he would be surrounded and ridiculed by his enemies. (Compare Ps. 22:7, 8 with Mt. 27:39-44; Mk. 15:29-32.) M. One of the dying thieves accepts Christ as his Savior (Lk. 23:40-43). 1. He repents over his own foolish charges. 2. He rebukes the unrepentant thief. a. "Do you not even fear God, since you are un¬ der the same condemnation?" b. "We indeed justly, for we are receiving due reward for our deeds, but this man did nothing amiss." 3. He looks upon Jesus. a. The dying robber: "Lord, remember me when you come in your kingdom." b. The dying Redeemer: "Verily, I say to you, to¬ day shall you be with me in Paradise." N. Second cross utterance: "Verily, I say to you, today shall you be with me in Paradise" (Lk. 23:43). Note: This statement emphasizes several facts con¬ cerning salvation.

333

1. That salvation is offered to anyone, anywhere. Are deathbed conversions valid? They are indeed, for here is one. But we quickly note: a. There is one deathbed conversion in the Bible, so no dying man will despair. b. There is only one, so no living man will pre¬ sume. D. L. Moody once said: "Did ever the new birth take place in so strange a cradle?" Observe the contrast here: (1) In the morning the thief was nailed to a cross. In the evening he was wearing a crown. (2) In the morning he was an enemy of Cae¬ sar. In the evening he was a friend of God. (3) In the morning he was spumed by men. In the evening he was fellowshiping with angels. (4) In the morning he died as a criminal on earth. In the evening he lived as a citizen of heaven. 2. That salvation is by grace through faith alone. This conversion refutes: a. The doctrine of sacramentalism. He was saved apart from confirmation, sprinkling. Holy Communion, and church membership. b. The doctrine of baptismal regeneration. c. The doctrine of purgatory. d. The doctrine of universalism. Only one thief was saved. 3. That salvation will be rejected by some in spite of everything God can do. The other thief died, eter¬ nally lost. Here we see three men: a. One was dying for sin (the Savior). b. One was dying from sin (the repentant thief). c. One was dying in sin (the lost thief). All classes of humanity were represented at the cross. There were the indifferent ("the people stood beholding," Lk. 23:35); the religious ("the rulers derided him," Lk. 23:35); the materialistic ("the soldiers parted his raiment and cast lots," Lk. 23:34); and the earnest seeker ("Lord, remember me ..." Lk. 23:42). The cross is indeed the judg¬ ment of this world. See John 12:31. O. Jesus speaks to his mother and John. 1. To Mary: "Woman, behold your Son." 2. To John: "Behold your mother." a. Mary has stood by him at the cross along with Mary Magdalene, Salome (the mother of James and John), and other faithful women. b. John now takes Mary home to live with him. P. Third cross utterance: "Woman, behold thy son! Be¬ hold thy mother!" (Jn. 19:26, 27). Q. Fourth cross utterance: "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?" (Mt. 27:46). Note: This prayer is deeper in its mystery and higher in its meaning than any other single prayer in the Bible. God forsaken by God! Who can understand that? The wisest and most profound Bible student feels utterly inadequate as he approaches it. It can never be mastered by the mortal mind, even though that mind has experienced new birth. Eternity alone will exegete it. Elizabeth Clephane has so well phrased it: "But none of the ransomed ever knew, How deep were the waters crossed; Nor how dark was the night. That the Lord passed through. Ere He found His sheep that was lost."

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WILMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

Ps. 31:5 with Lk. 23:46.) It should be noted that Jesus left out the last part of Psalm 31:5, which said: "Thou hast redeemed me, O Lord God of truth." Many awesome wonders follow the Savior's death (Mt. 27:51-56; Mk. 15:38-41; Lk. 23:45, 47-49). 1. A centurion who has watched him suffer and die cries out: "Truly this was a righteous man!" 2. The Temple veil is torn in two, from the top to the bottom. 3. The earth is shaken, some tombs are opened, and many dead saints arise. 4. These saints will later appear to many in Jerusalem after the resurrection. 5. The centurion cries out again in fear and awe: "Surely this man was the Son of God!" 6. The crowd at the cross is dispersed and the people return home beating their breasts. 7. The Scofield Bible has the following on these events: "The veil that was tom, or rent, divided the holy place from the holy of holies, into which only the high priest might enter on the Day of Atonement (see Ex. 26:31, note; Lev. 16:1-30). The tearing of that veil, which was a type of the human body of Christ (Heb. 10:20), signified that a 'new and living way' was opened for all believers into the very presence of God, with no other sacrifice or priesthood except Christ's (cf. Heb. 9:1-8; 10:19-22). Although the graves were opened at the time of Christ's death (vs. 50, 51), the bodies did not arise until 'after his resurrection' (v. 53). Christ is the firstborn from among the dead (Col. 1:18; Rev. 1:5) and 'the first fruits of them who slept' (1 Cor. 15:20). It is not said that these bodies returned to their graves. The wave sheaf (Lev. 23:10-12) typifies the resurrection of Christ, but it would appear from the symbol used that plurality is implied. It was a single 'com of wheat' that fell into the ground in the crucifixion and entombment of Christ 0n. 12:24); it was a sheaf which came forth in resurrection. The inference is that these saints went with the risen Christ into heaven." Z. All four Gospel accounts record the death of Christ. But one wonders how such a thing could happen? Was not Christ God incarnate? Indeed he was! How, then, could God have actually died on the cross? To explain this, we must return briefly to the book of Genesis. Here we are told of Adam's creation and of his tragic sin. God had warned him that disobedience would re¬ sult in death, and so it did. In fact, it brought down upon the head of mankind two kinds of death: phys¬ ical and spiritual. Both kinds of death here can be de¬ fined by one word: separation. That is the biblical and theological meaning of the word death. Physical death is separation, the parting of the soul from one's body. Spiritual death is likewise separation, the parting of the unsaved person from God. This is sometimes called the second death (see Rev. 20:6,14; 21:8). So then, these two hellish enemies, physical and spiritual death, let loose by Adam, continued to curse and terrorize the human race for over forty centuries. Then, in the fullness of time, God sent his beloved Son to our world. The Father referred to his Son as the last Adam (among other names) in 1 Corinthians 15:45. Why this title? Because he had come to undo what the first Adam had previously done; that is, he came to

There are so many unexplained "whys" raised here. 1. Why did the Father turn his back upon the Son? 2. Why did not even the Son know the reason? 3. Why did innocent blood have to be shed for for¬ giveness of sin? The first and third of these questions are partially an¬ swered in Hebrews 9:22; 1 Peter 2:24; 3:18; Isaiah 53. But what of the second question? Did not Christ know? Ac¬ cording to Philippians 2:5-8, Christ voluntarily abstained from employing some of his divine attributes while upon this earth. Thus: 1. He abstained from using his omnipresence for a period (Jn. 11:15). 2. He abstained from using his omnipotence for a period (Jn. 5:19). 3. He abstained from using his omniscience for a pe¬ riod (Lk. 8:45; Mk. 13:32. See also Lk. 2:40). R. Eighteenth prayer: Second prayer on the cross (Mt. 27:46). 1. A strange dark has obscured the sun from noon until 3:00 p.m. 2. Some of the crowd hear this prayer and think he is calling for Elijah (Mt. 27:45-47). S. Fifth cross utterance: "I Thirst" (Jn. 19:28). T. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 32, That he would thirst. (Compare Ps. 22:15 with Jn. 19:28.) 1. Someone fills a sponge with sour wine and presses it to his mouth. 2. The bystanders wonder if Elijah will come and save him (Mt. 27:48, 49; Mk. 15:36; Jn. 19:28, 29). U. Jesus receives the wine and cries out the victory (Mt. 27:50; Mk. 15:37; Jn. 19:30). V. Sixth cross utterance: "It is finished" (Jn. 19:30). Note: The sixth statement of Jesus is actually one word in the original Greek. It is tetelestai, meaning, "It was finished, and as a result it is forever done." This phrase was a farmer's word. When into his herd there was born an animal so beautiful and shapely that it seemed absolutely destitute of faults and defects, the farmer gazed upon the creature with proud, delighted eyes. "Tetelestai!" he said. It was also an artist's word. When the painter or the sculptor had put the last finishing touches to the vivid landscape or the marble bust, he would stand back a few feet to admire his masterpiece, and, seeing in it nothing that called for correction or improvement, would murmur fondly, "Tetelestai! Tetelestai!” Our Lord cries out, "It is finished!" There are three important places where the Scrip¬ tures employ this word "finish." It is used in Genesis 2:1, referring to the creation of God's works. It is used here in John 19:30, referring to the salvation of his works. (See also Jn. 4:34; 5:36; 17:4.) It is used in Rev¬ elation 10:7 and 16:17, referring to the completion of his works. With gladness we note that he did not say, "I am finished," for he was just beginning. "Lifted up was He to die, 'It is finished,' was his cry; Now in heav'n exalted high; Hallelujah! What a Savior!" W. Seventh cross utterance: "Father, into thy hands I com¬ mend my spirit" (Lk. 23:46). X. Nineteenth prayer: Third and final, on the cross (Lk. 23:46). Y. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 33, That he would commend his spirit to the Father. (Compare

334

-HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY

rid mankind of those two evil enemies, physical and spiritual death. This he did while on the cross, where he died spiritually, being separated from God; and died physically as he accomplished both tasks. Spiri¬ tual death was immediately given the death blow. Paul later assures us that nothing can now separate the be¬ liever from the love of God (Rom. 8:35-39). But what about physical death? Paul answers this question in 1 Corinthians 15:51-55: "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mor¬ tal must put on immortality. So when this corrupti¬ ble 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. O death, were is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory?"

Step Sixty-one: From Calvary to Joseph's tomb (Mt. 27:57-66; Mk. 15:42-4-7; Lk. 23:50-56; Jn. 19:31-42). A. The Jews request that Pilate complete the execution of

B.

C.

D.

E. F.

the thieves and Christ before the Sabbath begins (Jn. 19:31-37). The Jews had just viciously murdered a man but were now expressing their pious "concern" that the body be removed lest the Sabbath be polluted. 1. The soldiers find the two thieves still alive and break their legs. 2. The soldiers find the Savior already dead and pierce his side with a spear, gazing upon him as they do. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 34, That his bones would not be broken. (Compare Ps. 34:20; Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12 with Jn. 19:33-36.) Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 35, That he would be stared at in death. (Compare Zech. 12:10 with Jn. 19:37; Mt. 27:36.) Joseph of Arimathea boldly asks Pilate for the body of Jesus (Mt. 27:57; Mk. 15:43; Lk. 23:50-52; Jn. 19:38). 1. Joseph was a rich but secret disciple of Jesus. 2. He was a reputable member of the Sanhedrin, untainted by their wickedness. 3. He was a good and righteous man, looking for the kingdom of God. Pilate questions the centurion and learns that Jesus is indeed dead (Mk. 15:44). Joseph is given the lifeless body of the Savior (Mt. 27:58, 59; Mk. 15:45, 46; Jn. 19:38-40). 1. He gently takes the body down from the cross. 2. He brings a roll of fine linen cloth. 3. He is aided by Nicodemus, who comes with 100 pounds of myrrh and aloes. 4. He and Nicodemus wrap Jesus' body in the clean linen cloths with the spices. The custom was to use about half as many pounds of spices as the weight of the body being prepared. Thus our Lord must have weighed around 190-200 pounds. The body would be prepared by rubbing it with myrrh and aloes, and then wrapping it with linen strips. The process would begin with a finger.

335

G. Jesus is laid in Joseph's rock-hewn sepulcher (Mt. 27:60, 61; Mk. 15:46, 47; Lk. 23:53-56; Jn. 19:41, 42). 1. The two men roll a great stone against the door and depart. 2. The two Marys (Magdalene and possibly Jesus' mother) linger near the tomb for awhile and de¬ part. H. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 36, That he would be buried with the rich. (Compare Isa. 53:9 with Mt. 27:57-60.)

SATURDAY I. The Pharisees meet with Pilate on the following day (Mt. 27:62-65). 1. Their request: a. "Sir, we remember that that impostor while yet alive said, 'after three days 1 will arise!'" b. "Command therefore that the grave be made secure till the third day, lest his disciples come by night and steal him away, and say to the people, 'He has risen from the dead,' and the last deception be worse than the first." 2. His answer: "You have a guard detachment; go and make it as secure as you can." J. The Pharisees secure the sepulcher, seal the stone, and station their guard (Mt. 27:66). It is sad to note that the only group who remembered Christ's oft-repeated prophecies about his resurrection was his enemies.

Step Sixty-two: From Joseph's tomb to the heart of the earth (1 Pet. 3:18-20).

SUNDAY

Step Sixty-three: From the heart of the earth to the resurrection garden (Mt. 28:2-4; Mk. 16:9-11; Lk. 24:12; Jn. 20:1-18). A. Jesus is resurrected physically from the dead. The last two chapters in Matthew (27-28) which speak of his death and resurrection could rightly be entitled, "The King is dead; long live the King!" 1. There is a great earthquake. 2. The angel of the Lord descends from heaven. a. His appearance is as lightning. b. His raiment is as snow. c. He rolls the stone away and sits upon it. 3. The guards tremble, become as dead men, and fi¬ nally flee in terror. Thus the very soldiers who were ordered to prevent the fulfillment of the prophecy of Christ's resurrection were the first witnesses of it. B. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 37, That he would be raised from the dead. (Compare Ps. 16:10 with Mt. 28:2-7.) C. Mary Magdalene arrives at the garden to aid in the planned anointing of his body (Jn. 20:1, 2). 1. She sees the stone has been removed. 2. She runs and reports to Peter and John: "They took away the Lord from the sepulcher, and we know not where they laid him."

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

3. They discover the stone has been moved. 4. They enter the sepulcher and are greeted by two angels. a. "Do not fear; do not be amazed. For I know that you seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was cru¬ cified." b. "Why seek the living among the dead? He is not here, for he has risen, as he said." c. "Remember how he spoke to you, while he was yet in Galilee, saying, 'The Son of man must be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and the third day rise again.'" d. "But go quickly and tell his disciples, and Pe¬ ter, that he has risen from the dead. ..." 5. The women are filled with fear and joy and hasten to tell his disciples the glorious news. 6. Jesus appears to them en route. a. "Rejoice!" b. "Fear not; go tell my brethren to go into Gali¬ lee, and there shall they see me." 7. The women seize Jesus by the feet and worship him and continue their journey. 8. The disciples discount their unbelievable report as idle tales. B. The sepulcher guards arrive at the Jerusalem Temple and report Jesus' resurrection. C. The chief priests bribe them to lie about what really happened. 1. They were to say: "His disciples came by night and stole him away while we slept." 2. They are assured that no further punishment will be leveled at them.

D. Peter and John arrive at the garden (Lk. 24:12; Jn. 20:3-10). 1. John outruns Peter and, looking into the sepul¬ cher, sees the linen cloths. 2. Peter arrives and, entering into the sepulcher, sees the head napkin separated from the linen cloths. Thus, like a seed, Jesus came out of his tomb. The old shell (the outer wrappings) were left in the ground. (See Jn. 12:24.)

FIRST RESURRECTION APPEARANCE E. Mary Magdalene returns to the garden alone (Jn. 20:11-18). 1. She stands outside the sepulcher weeping. 2. She looks into the sepulcher and sees two angels. a. The angels: "Woman, why are you weeping?" b. Mary: "Because they took away my Lord, and I know not where they laid him." 3. She turns around and sees Jesus, but mistakes him for the gardener. a. Jesus: "Woman, why are you weeping; whom are you seeking?" b. Mary: "Sir, if you bore him away, tell me where you laid him, and I will take him away." c. Jesus: "Mary!" d. Mary: "Rabboni!" (Dear Teacher!) e. Jesus: (1) "Do not touch me, for I have not yet as¬ cended to my Father." (2) "But go to my brethren and say to them, 'I am ascending to my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God!" (Jn. 20:17). Note his phrase, "Go to my brethren." There is a progressive intimacy between Jesus and his disciples. He calls them ser¬ vants Qn. 13:13), friends (Jn. 15:15), and here, brethren. 4. Mary runs and tells the disciples that she had seen and spoken to the living Lord, but they do not believe it (Mk. 16:9-11). It was a Samaritan woman to whom Christ first revealed his messiahship. (See Jn. 4:25, 26.) It is now to another woman, Mary Magdalene, that Christ first appears in his resurrection body. Both were formerly women of questionable moral backgrounds. (See Mk. 16:9.)

THIRD RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Sixty-six: From a road near Jerusalem to the Emmaus Road (Mk. 16:12, 13; Lk. 24:13-35).

Step Sixty-four: From the resurrection garden to the Father (Jn. 20:17).

SECOND RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Sixty-five: From the Father to a road near Jerusalem (Ml. 28:5-15; Mk. 16:2-8; Lk. 24:1-11). A. The women who stood by him at the cross arrive at

the garden. 1. They come with spices and ointments to complete his burial. 2. They anticipate a problem: "Who will roll us away the stone from the door of the sepulcher?"

336

A. Jesus joins two of his followers, Cleopas and another person (his wife?) on the road to Emmaus, but is recog¬ nized by neither. 1. He asks them what they were discussing and why they are so sad. 2. They ask him where he has been during the recent days, not to have heard of the tremendous events which have taken place. They tell him: a. That there was a prophet, Jesus of Nazareth, who had been mighty in word and deed. b. That he had been condemned and crucified by their own rulers. c. That their personal hopes for Israel's redemp¬ tion are now shattered. d. That his body was discovered missing and that there were unfounded rumors of his resurrec¬ tion. B. Jesus rebukes them for their unbelief and expounds the Old Testament Messianic passage to them, begin¬ ning with Moses. C. Cleopas invites Jesus to lodge with them for the night. D. The two followers recognize Jesus as he takes and blesses the bread at the supper table. E. Jesus suddenly vanishes from their sight.

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

F. The couple share their heart experience with each other concerning their walk with the unrecognized stranger: ''Did not our hearts burn within us, as he talked with us on the road and kept opening up to us the Scriptures?" G. They thereupon return to Jerusalem and tell the disci¬ ples that Jesus has walked and talked with them. H. They learn that Christ has also appeared to Peter. What a meeting this must have been. The last time he had seen Christ was when Peter was cursing the Lord!

FOURTH RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Jesus appears to Simon Peter (Lk. 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5).

FIFTH RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Sixty-seven: From Emmaus to the upper room

SIXTH RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Sixty-eight: From the upper room back to the upper room (a week later) (]n. 20:24-29). A. Thomas cannot believe the excited report of the other disciples. 1. Their testimony: "We have seen the Lord." 2. His unbelief: "Unless I see in his hands the im¬ print of the nails and press my finger into the mark of the nails, and my hand into his side, I will not at all believe." B. Jesus again walks through locked doors and appears to the disciples, including Thomas. 1. The Savior: "Bring here your finger and look at my hands, and bring your hand and press it into my side, and be not unbelieving but believing." 2. The doubter: "My Lord and my God." 3. The Savior: "Because you have seen me, Thomas, you have believed; blessed are they who have not seen, and yet have believed."

(Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-23). A. Jesus walks through locked doors and appears to ten of his disciples late Sunday night. (Judas was dead and Thomas was absent.) 1. Their reaction: a. By his words. (1) "Why are you troubled? And why do doubtings arise in your hearts?" (2) "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself." (3) "Handle me, and see; for a spirit does not have flesh and bones as you see I have." This gives us valuable information concern¬ ing our own resurrection body, for we shall have a body like his (1 Jn. 3:2). Jesus had a body of flesh and bone, and so shall we. How¬ ever, it was not limited by gravity or restricted by time, nor will our resurrected bodies be. b. By his deeds. (1) He shows them his pierced hands, feet, and side. (2) He eats a piece of broiled fish and some of a honeycomb. B. Jesus breathes on them and imparts to them the Holy Spirit. As we have already noted, the disciples were terrified until they recognized Jesus. "And when he had so said, he showed unto them his hands and his side. Then were the disciples glad, when they saw the Lord" (Jn. 20:20). The last part of this verse may be compared to a statement made by some Greeks who once said to a disciple: "Sir, we would see Jesus" (Jn. 12:21). Early that morning Jesus had told Mary to, "touch me not; for I am not yet ascended to my Father: but go to my brethren, and say unto them, I ascend unto my Father, and your Father; and to my God, and your God" (Jn. 20:17). But here in the evening of that same day he invites the disciples to touch and handle him. Why the change? It is believed by many that he as¬ cended that afternoon to present his blood to the Fa¬ ther for sprinkling upon the mercy seat in the heavenly tabernacle. The debt of sin had now been officially paid.

337

SEVENTH RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Sixty-nine: From the upper room to the Sea of Tiberias (Jn. 21:1-25). A. Peter and six other disciples have spent an unsuccess¬

ful night fishing. B. Thirty-sixth miracle: Catching a great number of fish On. 21:6). 1. Jesus calls out to them unrecognized from the shore at dawn: "Children, have ye any meat?" He was, of course, asking them if they had caught any fish! Someday, at the judgment seat of Christ, he will ask us this same question! 2. The disciples answer in the negative and hear him say: "Cast out the net on the right side of the boat, and you will find some." 3. The net is cast out and is immediately filled with 153 large fish. 4. Peter recognizes Jesus and swims to meet him. C. Jesus cooks breakfast for the seven disciples. He in¬ vites them to "come and dine" (Jn. 20:12). We must be fed by him before we can feed others. D. Peter is closely questioned concerning his affection for Christ. 1. Three times he is asked if he really loves the Sav¬ ior. 2. Three times he answers in the affirmative. In the Greek New Testament there are two different kinds of love. One is phileo love, which refers to that warm affection between two human beings. The other kind of love is an agapao love, which is a divine love—God's love for sinful man. This love is never found in the heart of any man prior to the ascension of Christ. In fact, Jesus asks Peter on three occasions (Jn. 21:15-19) if he really loves him. The first two times Jesus uses the sec¬ ond kind of love and asks the following question. "Peter, do you agapao me?" On both occasions Pe¬ ter answers by choosing the first word. He says, "Lord, you know I phileo you." Finally, our Lord

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

(condescendingly) uses the first word also. The reason for all this (as Peter would later find out) is explained in Romans 5:5 by Paul: "... the love (agapao) of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." Thus, the reason Peter answered the way he did was because the Holy Spirit had not yet come at Pentecost and it was therefore impossible for him to love Christ with this divine agapao love. Also to be noted here is Jesus' request that Peter feed his lambs (Jn. 21:15) and his sheep (21:16, 17). Again there is a play on the Greek here, for Christ uses two different words for feed. He says "be grazing my baby lambs," but discipline my older sheep. Today we have this truth in reverse. We discipline the young and feed the old! E. Forty-sixth prediction: Peter's martyrdom (Jn. 21:18, 19). 1. "When you were younger, you girded yourself and walked where you desired." 2. "But when you are old, you will stretch out your hands and another will gird you and carry you where you would not go." (See 2 Pet. 1:14.) F. Peter desires to know of the destiny reserved for John the apostle. 1. Peter: "But what of this man. Lord?" 2. Jesus: "If I desire that he remain till I come, what is it to you? Follow me!" G. Jesus' answer later gives rise to the false rumor that John would never die.

TENTH RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Seventy-two: From the upper room to the Mount of Olives (Mk. 16:19, 20; Lk. 24:50-53; Ads 1:4-11).

EIGHTH RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Seventy: From the Sea of Tiberias to Mount Tabor (Mt. 28:16-20). A. Jesus is worshiped on the mountain by the eleven in spite of some remaining unbelief. B. He imparts to them a fact, a command, and a promise. 1. The fact: "All authority has been given unto me in heaven and upon earth." 2. The command: "Go therefore and disciple all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe everything I commanded you." 3. The promise: "Lo, I am with you always, until the consummation of the ages."

NINTH RESURRECTION APPEARANCE

Step Seventy-one: From Mt. Tabor to the upper room (Mk. 16:14-18; Lk. 24:44-49). A. He gently rebukes the disciples for their initial unbe¬ lief concerning his resurrection. B. He repeats his command for them to evangelize the world. C. He expounds the law of Moses and the Psalms to them. D. He tells them to wait in Jerusalem for the promise of the Father.

338

A. He blesses them and promises the baptism of the Spirit. B. He orders them to witness for him: 1. in Jerusalem 2. in Judea 3. in Samaria 4. unto the uttermost part of the earth C. He is received up into glory to the right hand of the Father. D. Old Testament Prophecy Fulfillment Number 38, That he would ascend. (Compare Ps. 24:7-10 with Mk. 16:19; Lk. 24:51.) Did the resurrected Christ appear be¬ fore any unsaved individuals? On the strength of Mat¬ thew 23:37-39 it would seem he did not. "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens un¬ der her wings, and ye would not! Behold, your house is left unto you desolate. For I say unto you, ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." With these words we conclude our brief study of the greatest life ever lived. It should, however, be said that his glory story is not limited to the four Gospel ac¬ counts. In fact, each of the sixty-six biblical books presents a glimpse of this marvelous and mighty Mes¬ siah. Note the following "scriptural summary of the Savior." Christ in Every Book "Christ is the theme of the entire Revelation of God. He is promised in Genesis, revealed in the Law, prefigured in its history, praised in poetry, proclaimed in its prophecy, provided in its Gospels, proved in its Acts, preeminent in its Epistles and prevailing in Revelation. He is seen in every book of the Bible. Take a journey through the Halls of Holy Writ and in ev¬ ery one of them you will see Christ. Starting with Genesis He is the Seed of the woman; in Exodus the Lamb for sinners slain; in Leviticus, our High Priest; in Numbers the Star of Jacob and the Brazen Ser¬ pent; in Deuteronomy the Prophet like unto Moses and the Great Rock; in Joshua the Captain of the Lord's Hosts; in Judges the Messenger of Jehovah; in Ruth our Kinsman-Redeemer and the Faithful Bridegroom; in 1 Samuel He is seen as the Great Judge; in 2 Samuel as the Princely King; in 1 Kings as David's Choice; in 2 Kings as the Holiest of All; in 1 Chronicles as King by birth; in 2 Chronicles as King by Judgment. In Ezra He is seen as Lord of heaven and earth; in Nehemiah as the builder; in Esther our Mordecai; in Job our Daysman and our Risen, returning Re¬ deemer; in Psalms the Son of God and the Good Shepherd; in Proverbs our Wisdom; in Ecclesiastes as the One above the sun; in Song of Solomon the great Church lover, the one Altogether Lovely and the Chiefest among ten thousand.

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

HE TEN RESURRECTION APPEARANCES OF CHRIST

FIRST DAY

REMAINING 40 DAYS 6. To the eleven in the upper room

1. To Mary Magdalene in the garden Mk. 16:9; Jn. 20:11-18

2.

Jn. 20:24-29

To the women returning from the tomb

7.

Mt. 28:9,10

3.

To two disciples on the Emmaus Road

8. To the eleven and 500 believers on Mt. Tabor

Lk. 24:13-32; Mk. 16:12, 13

4.

To Peter in Jerusalem

Mt. 28:16-20; 1 Cor. 15:6

Lk. 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5

5.

To seven apostles by the Galilean Sea Jn. 21:1-24

9.

To ten of his apostles in the upper room

To the eleven and James, Jesus’ half-brother, in Jerusalem

Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-23

Mk. 16:14-18; Lk. 24:44-49; 1 Cor. 15:7

10. To the eleven on the Mount of Olives Lk. 24:50-53 In Isaiah He is the suffering and glorified Servant; in Jeremiah the Lord our Righteousness; in Lamenta¬ tions the Man of Sorrows; in Ezekiel the glorious God; in Daniel the Smiting Stone and the Messiah. Hosea reveals Him as the risen Son of God; Joel as the outpourer of the Spirit; Amos, the Eternal Christ; Obadiah, the Forgiving Christ; Jonah as the Risen Prophet; Micah the Bethlehemite; in Nahum He is the Bringer of Good Tidings; in Habakkuk, the Lord in His Holy Temple; in Zephaniah the Merciful Christ; in Haggai, the Desire of all nations; in Zechariah, the Branch; and in Malachi, the Sun of Right¬ eousness with healing in His wings. Matthew shows Him as King of the Jews; Mark the Servant; Luke the Perfect Son of Man; John the Son of God; in Acts, He is the Ascended Lord, in Romans the Lord our Righteousness; in I Corinthians our Resurrection; in 2 Corinthians our Comforter; in Galatians the end of the Law; in Ephesians the head of the Church; in Philippians the Supplier of every need; in Colossians the Fullness of the Godhead; in 1 Thessalonians He comes for His Church; in 2 Thessalonians He comes with His Church; in 1 Timothy He is the Mediator; in 2 Timothy the Bestower of Crowns; in Titus Our Great God and Savior; in Phi¬ lemon the Payer of our Debt; in Hebrews the rest of the Faith and the Fulfiller of Types; in James, the Lord drawing nigh; in 2 Peter the Vicarious Sufferer; in 2 Peter the Lord of Glory; in J John the Way; 2 John the Truth; 3 John the Life; in Jude, He is Our Security; in Revelation the Lion of the Tribe of Ju¬ dah, the Lamb of God, the Bright and Morning Star, the King of kings and Lord of lords." (Robert J. Wells, Prophetic Messages for Modern Times; Dallas; Texas Printing House, Inc., 1944; pp. 205, 206)

THE SUMMARIZATION PROM HIS LIFE

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The The The The The The

thirty-six miracles of the Savior. thirty-eight parables of the Savior. nineteen prayers of the Savior. forty-five predictions of the Savior. sixteen sermons of the Savior. thirty-six dialogues of the Savior.

339

7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19.

The sixteen Old Testament references of the Savior. The twenty-two Old Testament quotes of the Savior. The tenfold proof of the deity of the Savior. The thirtyfold proof of the humanity of the Savior. The thirty-seven names and titles of the Savior. The thirty-seven Old Testament prophecies fulfilled by the Savior. The twenty-seven souls converted by the Savior. The fifteen kinds of sufferings experienced by the Savior. The seven last statements of the Savior. The ten resurrection appearances of the Savior. The political and religious parties in the days of the Savior. The various places visited by the Savior. The many individuals who met the Savior.

THE MIRACLES OF THE SAVIOR

1. Changing of water into wine (Jn. 2:7-9). 2. Healing of the nobleman's son (Jn. 4:50). 3. Healing of the Capernaum demoniac (Mk. 1:25; Lk. 4:35). 4. Healing of Peteris mother-in-law (Mt. 8:15; Mk. 1:31; Lk. 4:39). 5. Catching a great number of fish (Lk. 5:5, 6). 6. Healing a leper (Mt. 8:3; Mk. 1:41). 7. Healing a paralytic (Mt. 9:2, 6, 7; Mk. 2:5, 10-12; Lk. 5:20, 24, 25). 8. Healing a withered hand (Mt. 12:13; Mk. 3:5; Lk. 6:10). 9. Healing a centurion's servant (Mt. 8:13; Lk. 7:10). 10. Raising a widow's son (Lk. 7:14). 11. Calming the stormy sea (Mt. 8:26; Mk. 4:39; Lk. 8:24). 12. Healing the Gadarene demoniac (Mt. 8:32; Mk. 5:8; Lk. 8:33). 13. Healing a woman with internal bleeding (Mt. 9:22; Mk. 5:29; Lk. 8:44). 14. Raising Jairus' daughter (Mt. 9:25; Mk. 5:41; Lk. 8:54). 15. Healing two blind men (Mt. 9:29). 16. Healing a dumb demoniac (Mt. 9:33). 17. Healing of a thirty-eight-year invalid (Jn. 5:8). 18. Feeding 5,000 men and their families (Mt. 14:19; Mk. 6:41; Lk. 9:16; Jn. 6:11). 19. Walking on the sea (Mt. 14:25; Mk. 6:48; Jn. 6:19). 20. Healing a demoniac girl (Mt. 15:28; Mk. 7:29). 21. Healing a deaf man with a speech impediment (Mk. 7:34, 35).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

22. Feeding 4,000 men and their families (Mt. 15:36; Mk. 8:6). 23. Healing a blind man (Mk. 8:25). 24. Healing a man bom blind (Jn. 9:7). 25. Healing a demoniac boy (Mt. 17:18; Mk. 9:25; Lk. 9:42). 26. Catching a fish with a coin in its mouth (Mt. 17:27). 27. Healing a blind and dumb demoniac (Mt. 12:22; Lk. 11:14). 28. Healing a woman with an eighteen-year infirmity (Lk. 13:10-17). 29. Healing a man with dropsy (Lk. 14:4). 30. Healing ten lepers (Lk. 17:11-19). 31. Raising of Lazarus (Jn. 11:43, 44). 32. Healing a blind man (Mt. 20:34; Lk. 18:42). 33. Healing a blind man (Mt. 20:34; Mk. 10:46, 52). 34. Destroying a fig tree (Mt. 21:19; Mk. 11:14). 35. Restoring (healing) a severed ear (Mt. 26:51; Mk. 14:47; Lk. 22:50, 51; Jn. 18:10). 36. Catching a great number of fish (Jn. 21:6). A BRIEF SUMMARY OF HIS MIRACLES Nature of the Miracles

1. Healing of individuals (seventeen in number) a. of fever (see 2, 4) b. of leprosy (see 6, 30) c. of paralysis (see 7, 9, 17) d. of a withered hand (see 8) e. of internal bleeding (see 13) f. of blindness (see 15, 23, 24, 32, 33) g. of deafness (see 21) h. of dropsy (see 29) i. of a severed ear (see 35) 2. Rebuking of demons (seven in number) a. concerning convulsions (see 3, 25) b. concerning insanity (see 12) c. concerning muteness (see 16) d. concerning an unknown affliction (see 20) e. concerning blindness and muteness (see 27) f. concerning paralysis (see 28) 3. Raising the dead (three in number) a. a little girl (see 14)

4.

5.

6. 7.

b. a young man (see 10) c. Lazarus (see 31) Protecting his disciples (two in number) a. while standing in a boat (see 11) b. while walking on the water (see 19) Feeding the hungry (five in number) a. some wedding guests (see 1) b. 5000 men (see 18) c. 4000 men (see 22) d. four of his disciples (see 5) e. seven of his disciples (see 36) Providing tax money (see 26) Cursing a fig tree (see 34)

Comments on the Miracles

1. His miracles were performed anywhere and every¬ where. a. at a wedding (see 1) b. at funerals (see 10, 31, 14) c. in graveyards (see 12) d. in synagogues (see 3, 8, 28) e. in homes (see 4, 7, 14, 20, 29) f. on seashores (see 36) g. in a garden (see 35) h. on a mountain (see 18, 22) i. by a pool (see 17) j. in boats (see 5,11) 2. Our Lord touched the person during eleven of his mir¬ acles (see 4, 6, 14,15,19, 21, 23, 25, 28, 33, 35). 3. On one occasion he was touched (see 13). 4. On three occasions he spat while accomplishing the miracle (see 21, 23, 24). 5. Five of the miracles were performed on the Sabbath (see 8, 17, 24, 28, 29). 6. Jesus was filled with compassion as he performed six of his miracles (see 6,10, 18, 22, 32, 33). 7. Jesus was filled with amazement during two of his mir¬ acles (see 9, 20). 8. Jesus groaned during one miracle (see 21). 9. Jesus wept during one miracle (see 31). 10. Four of his miracles had far-reaching results. a. The fifth resulted in the full-time call of Peter, An¬ drew, James, and John.

NOTEWORTHY MIRACLES MIRACLE

1. CHANGING WATER INTO WINE 2. WALKING ON THE SEA 3. CALMING THE SEA 4. FEEDING THE 5,000 5. HEALING THE MANIAC OF GADARA 6. RAISING LAZARUS 7. HEALING A MAN BORN BLIND 8. THE FISH WITH A COIN IN ITS MOUTH 9. CURSING THE FIG TREE 10. CATCHING A GREAT NUMBER OF FISH

WHY NOTEWORTHY

SCRIPTURE LOCATION

First miracle Shows he is above natural law Shows he is in control of natural law Shows he cared for people and not just “souls” Most fearful case of demon possession on record

Jn. 2

Greatest of all his miracles Explains the purpose for all his miracles

Jn. 11

Illustrates his work as the second Adam

Mt. 17

The saddest of all recorded miracles Last miracle

Mt. 24

340

Jn. 6 Mt. 8 Jn. 6 Mk. 5

Jn. 9

Jn. 21

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS FROM GLORY TO GLORY~

b. The thirty-first sealed his doom with the Pharisees. c. The thirty-fourth signified the divine rejection of Israel. d. The thirty-fifth doubtless saved Peter from instant death. 11. Some of his miracles revealed the characteristics of the human heart. a. its lack of faith (see 2, 11,19) b. its wickedness (see 5, 16, 17, 27, 28) c. its ingratitude (see 30) 12. Sometimes he would ask a question as he performed the miracle. a. "Woman, what are you doing to me?" (see 1). b. "Which is easier to say. Your sins be forgiven you, or. Take up your bed and walk?" (see 7). c. "Is it lawful to do good on the Sabbath?" (see 8). d. "Where is your faith?" (see 11). e. "What is your name?" (see 12). f. "Who touched my clothing?" (see 13). g. "Do you believe that I can do this?" (see 15). h. "Do you wish to get well?" (see 17). i. "Where shall we buy loaves of bread?" (see 18). j. "What made you doubt?" (see 19). k. "How many loaves do you have?" (see 22). l. "Do you see anything?" (see 23). m. "From whom do the kings of the earth collect trib¬ ute?" (see 26). n. "If Satan is casting out Satan . . . how then shall his kingdom stand?" (see 27). o. "Where have you laid him?" (see 31). p. "What do you wish for me to do for you?" (see 32, 33). q. "Children, have you anything to eat?" (see 36). 13. Sometimes he issued a command as he performed the miracle. a. "Fill up the water jars with water" (see 1). b. "Launch out where it is deep and let down your nets for a catch" (see 5). c. "Stretch out your hand" (see 8). d. "Rise, take up your pallet and walk" (see 17, 7). e. "Have the men recline for eating in groups of fifty" (see 18). f. "Come!" (see 19). g. "Go and wash in the Pool of Siloam" (see 24). h. "Go to the sea and cast in a hook and take the first fish that comes up" (see 26). i. "Lazarus, come forth" (see 31). j. "Cast out the net on the right side of the boat and you will find some" (see 36). 14. The first and last miracles are recorded by John alone (see 1, 36). 15. Only two miracles are recorded by all four Gospel ac¬ counts (see 18, 35). 16. Sixteen of his miracles are mentioned by only one of the Gospels. a. Matthew alone records the following: 15, 16, 26 (Matthew's total miracle count is twenty-two). b. Mark alone records the following: 21, 23 (Mark's total miracle count is nineteen). c. Luke alone records the following: 5, 10, 28, 29, 30 (Luke's total miracle count is nineteen). d. John alone records the following: 1, 2,17, 24, 31, 36 (John's total miracle count is nine). 17. During his first year, our Lord performed seven re¬ corded miracles (see 1-7). 18. During his second year, our Lord performed twelve recorded miracles (see 8-19).

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19. During his third year, our Lord performed five re¬ corded miracles (see 20-24). 20. During his fourth year, our Lord performed twelve re¬ corded miracles (see 25-36).

THE PARABLES OF THE SAVIOR

1. 2. 3. 4.

Two houses in a hurricane (Mt. 7:24-27; Lk. 6:47-49). Forgiving the fifty and the five-hundred (Lk. 7:41, 42). Subduing a strong man (Mk. 3:22-30). The sower, the seed, and the soil (Mt. 13:1-9, 18-23; Mk. 4:1-20; Lk. 8:4-15). 5. Satan's tares in the Savior's field (Mt. 13:24-30, 36-43). 6. From scattering to sickling (Mk. 4:26-29). 7. The mighty mustard seed (Mt. 13:31, 32; Mk. 4:30-32; Lk. 13:18, 19). 8. The cook's leaven and the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 13:33; Lk. 13:20, 21). 9. Finding a fortune in a field (Mt. 13:44). 10. The price of a pearl (Mt. 13:45, 46). 11. Sorting out a sea catch (Mt. 13:47-50). 12. A trained man and his treasure (Mt. 13:52). 13. A rent cloth and a ruptured container (Mt. 9:16, 17; Mk. 2:21, 22; Lk. 5:36-39). 14. A generation of gripers (Mt. 11:16-19; Lk. 7:31-35). 15. The forgiven who wouldn't forgive (Mt. 18:23-35). 16. How to know your neighbor (Lk. 10:25-37). 17. Seven spirits and a swept house (Mt. 12:43-45; Lk. 11:24-26). 18. A fool in a fix (Lk. 12:16-21). 19. Keep the home fires burning (Lk. 12:32-40; Mt. 24:43, 44). 20. A sinning servant and a returning ruler (Mt. 24:45-51; Lk. 12:42-48). 21. A fruitless fig tree (Lk. 13:6-9). 22. Choosing the least at a wedding feast (Lk. 14:7-11). 23. Two fools and a henpecked husband (Lk. 14:15-24). 24. A missing sheep, the misplaced silver and a miserable son (Lk. 15:1-32). 25. The stewings of a steward (Lk. 16:1-13). 26. When Hades petitioned paradise (Lk. 16:19-31). 27. When our best is but the least (Lk. 17:7-10). 28. A widow and a weary judge (Lk. 18:1-8). 29. A haughty Pharisee and a humble Publican (Lk. 18:9-14). 30. When the last was first and the first was last (Mt. 20:1-16). 31. Three stewards and their silver (Lk. 19:11-27). 32. Two sons who changed their minds (Mt. 21:28-32). 33. The vicious vine keepers (Mt. 21:33-46; Mk. 12.Y-12; Lk. 21:9-19). 34. A wedding guest with no wedding garment (Mt. 22:1-14). 35. The fig tree and the future (Mt. 24:32-35; Mk. 13:28-31; Lk. 21:29-33). 36. Five lamps that went out (Mt. 25:1-13). 37. Three stewards and their talents (Mt. 25:14-30). 38. Separating the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:31-46). A BRIEF SUMMARY OF HIS PARABLES 1. His parables covered the following subjects: a. correct foundations (see 1) b. forgiveness (see 2,15) c. Satan (see 3, 5, 17) d. the human heart (see 4) e. the kingdom of heaven (see 4-13) f. the church (see 10)

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

NOTEWORTHY PARABLES PARABLE

INTENDED LESSON

SCRIPTURE LOCATION

1. THE SOWER, SEED, AND SOIL 2. THE GOOD SAMARITAN

Explains the nature of the kingdom of heaven

Mt. 13

Shows me my duty to others. Demonstrates three possible human attitudes.* Preparedness—the uncertainty of this life The work of the Trinity in the salvation and restoration of sinners The agony of hell A great sign concerning Christ’s return Future judgment and salvation of Israel Future judgment and salvation of the Gentiles

Lk. 10:30-37

3. THE RICH FOOL 4. THE LOST SHEEP, COIN, AND SON 5. LAZARUS AND THE RICH MAN 6. THE BUDDING OF THE FIG TREE 7. THE TEN VIRGINS 8. SEPARATING OF THE SHEEP AND GOATS

Lk. 12:16-21 Lk. 15:3-32 Lk. 16:19-31 Mt. 24:32-35 Mt. 25:1-13 Mt. 25:31-46

*What is thine is mine (attitude of the thieves) What is mine is mine (attitude of the Levite and Priest) What is mine is thine (attitude of the Good Samaritan)

g. h. i. j. k. l. m. n. o. p. q. r. 2. He a. b. c. d. e.

15. In the garden (second prayer) (Mt. 26:42; Mk. 14:39; Lk. 22:44). 16. In the garden (third prayer) (Mt. 26:44). 17. On the cross (first prayer) (Lk. 23:34). 18. On the cross (second prayer) (Mt. 27:46, 47; Mk. 15:34, 35). 19. On the cross (third prayer) (Lk. 23:46).

final judgment (see 5, 11, 38) Israel (see 9, 14, 21, 33, 35) compassion (see 16) riches (see 18) preparedness (see 19, 20, 36) humility (see 22) worldy attitudes (see 25) hell (see 18, 26, 34) stewardship (see 27, 31, 37) prayer (see 28, 29) repentance (see 32) salvation (see 24) took his parables from various areas of life. farming (see 4, 5, 6, 7, 18, 21, 35) fishing (see 11) weddings (see 22, 23, 34, 36) shepherding (see 38, 24) the business world (see 25, 2, 30)

THE PRAYERS OF THE SAVIOR

1. At his baptism (Lk. 3:21). 2. Before his first preaching tour of Galilee (Mk. 1:35; Lk. 4:42). 3. After healing a leper (Lk. 5:16). 4. Before choosing his twelve disciples (Lk. 6:12). 5. After the feeding of the 5,000 (Mt. 14:23, Mk. 6:46; Jn. 6:15). 6. Before hearing Peter's great confession (Lk. 9:18). 7. During his transfiguration (Lk. 9:28, 29). 8. Upon hearing the report of the returning seventy (Mt. 11:25-27; Lk. 10:21, 22). 9. After visiting Mary and Martha (Lk. 11:1). 10. After receiving some small children (Mt. 19:13-15; Mk. 10:13-16; Lk. 18:15-17). 11. Before raising Lazarus (Jn. 11:41, 42). 12. When some Greeks desired to see him (Jn. 12:27, 28). 13. After leaving the upper room (Jn. 17:1-26). 14. In the garden (first prayer) (Mt. 26:39; Mk. 14:35, 36; Lk. 22:41, 42).

A SUMMARY OF HIS PRAYERS 1. What he prayed for: a. That the Father would bless his Galilean ministry (see 2). b. That the Father would guide him in selecting the twelve (see 4). c. That the Father would reveal the deity of the Son to Peter (see 6). d. Thanking the Father for revealing spiritual truths to the seventy (see 8). e. Thanking the Father for always hearing him (see 11). f. That the Father would be glorified (see 12). g. That the Father would glorify him (see 13). h. That the Father would keep, sanctify, unite, per¬ fect, and gather to Christ all believers (see 13). i. That if possible, his hour of passion might pass from him (see 14, 15, 16). j. That his Father's will be done (see 14,15,16). k. That his enemies be forgiven (see 17). 1. That he understand his sufferings (see 18). m. That the Father receive his spirit (see 19). 2. Those he prayed for: a. little children (see 10) b. his enemies (see 17) c. himself (see 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 18, 19) d. all believers (see 13) e. the seventy disciples (see 8) 3. When he prayed: a. all night (see 4) b. shortly past midnight (see 13, 14, 15, 16) c. at dawn (see 2)

342

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HIS SEVENTY-TWO STEPS PROM GLORY TO GLORY~

The Garden Prayers (Mt. 26:36-46) (Mk. 14:32-42) (□. 9:24).

Hebrews

..

.The “Better” Book

521

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

3. There are two new covenants in this chapter. One refers to Israel, and the other to the church. 4. There is but one new covenant which will be fulfilled eschatologically with Israel, but par¬ ticipated in soteriologically by the church to¬ day. Of these four views it would seem that while the third is possible, the fourth is prob¬ able.

C. It offers a better sanctuary (9). From the earthly to the heavenly. 1. The earthly sanctuary. Its inferiority: a. It was of this world (9:1). b. It was a temporary one (9:8; see also 8:13). c. It was a copy (shadow, type) of the real one (9:9). d. It was (to most) totally inaccessible (9:7). e. It was associated with God's first work of creation (9:11). Here the word "building" is better rendered "creation." f. It was made by human hands (9:24). g. It featured the blood of animals (9:13). h. It was ineffective in matters of eternal salvation (9:9). i. It had no abiding hope (9:10). 2. The heavenly sanctuary. Its superiority: a. It is of heaven. b. It is continuous. c. It is the real thing. d. It is totally accessible to all (4:16; 10:19). e. It is associated with God's second work of redemption. f. It was made without human hands (9:24). g. It features the blood of Christ (9:12). h. It is totally effective in matters of eternal salvation (9:12). i. It has an abiding hope. Note these three little phrases in 9:24, 26, 28: "He appeared" (9:26)—his former work as a Prophet. "Now to appear" (9:24)—his present work as a Priest. "Shall he appear" (9:28)—his future work as a King. At this point the author of Hebrews has described for us the full sevenfold ministry of our Lord. (1) his incarnation (1:2; 2:16, 17) (2) his ministration (5:7-9) (3) his crucifixion (6:6; 7:27; 2:9) (4) his resurrection (13:20) (5) his ascension (4:4; 6:20) (6) his intercession (7:25; 8:1; 9:12, 24) (7) his revelation (9:28) D. It offers a better sacrifice (10). From animal lambs to God's Lamb. 1. The necessity for God's Lamb: "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (10:4). These sacrifices could (for awhile) cover sin, but these sacrifices could not cleanse it. (See also 10:6, 11; Isa. 1:11; Jer. 6:20; Hos. 6:6; Amos 5:21, 22.)

522

2. The obedience of God's Lamb. "Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: . . . Then said I, Lo, I come ... to do thy will, O God" (10:5, 7). These may be considered as our Lord's first recorded words in reference to his earthly ministry, uttered perhaps as he left the Ivory Palaces of glory to join himself to that tiny mass of human flesh within Mary's womb. 3. The accomplishments effected by God's Lamb: a. a completed redemption b. a current sanctification c. a coming glorification "And every priest standeth daily min¬ istering and offering oftentimes the same sacrifices, which can never take away sins: But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from henceforth expecting till his en¬ emies be made his footstool. For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified." 4. The exhortations from God's Lamb: a. Confidence concerning sins: "And their sins and iniquities will I remember no more. . . . Having there¬ fore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. . . . Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith. . (10:17, 19, 22; see also 10:35-37). b. Consciousness concerning saints: Is the believer responsible for the welfare of other Christians? He is indeed. Note: "And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works: Not forsaking the assembling of our¬ selves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching" (10:24, 25; see also 10:34). Fourth warning—about despising God's Word (10:26-31). Do these fearful verses refer to saved or un¬ saved people? While one cannot be absolutely dogmatic here, it would seem from the phrase in verse 30, "The Lord shall judge his people" that the author had believers in mind. If this be cor¬ rect, then the sin unto death may be in mind here. Thus (if true) this passage can be tied into Hebrews 6:4-6. IV. The Superior Principle—Faith (11-13). A. The people of faith (11). The author of Hebrews has just ended chapter 10 with a summary state¬ ment concerning the believer and his great High Priest. The statement is: "Now the just shall live by faith" (10:39). Having come this far in the epistle, some of the readers might be wondering: Exactly what is this

-HEBREWS-

faith like? Has anyone really lived like this be¬ fore? The author now answers these questions. This chapter has been called the divine Hall of Fame and the Westminster Abbey of Scripture. 1. Faith described (11:1-3): "Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. For by it the elders obtained a good report. Through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear" (11:1-3). a. Faith is the confident assurance of things hoped for, the proof of things not seen (loose paraphrase of 11:1). b. "Faith enables the believing soul to treat the future as present, and the invisible as seen" (J. Oswald Sanders). c. According to verse 3, faith is vital if we are to go beyond the very first verse in Genesis 1. (See also 11:6.) d. Faith is trust in the unseen, but not the unknown. (See also 11:27.) e. "Faith is the title-deed of things hoped for" (Moulton and Milligan). 2. Faith demonstrated (4-40). The author now calls to memory many Old Testament people to illustrate the amazing accomplishments wrought through faith in God. Note the he¬ roes and the home runs in heaven's divine league: a. The heroes: (1) Abel (2) Enoch (3) Noah (4) Abraham (5) Sarah (6) Isaac (7) Jacob (8) Joseph (9) Moses (10) Moses' parents (11) Joshua (12) Gideon (13) Rahab (14) Barak (15) Samson (16) Jephthah (17) David (18) Samuel (19) others b. The home runs (1) By faith the proper sacrifice was of¬ fered (Abel—v. 4). (2) By faith a rapture took place (Enoch—v. 5). (3) By faith eight escaped the flood wa¬ ters (Noah—v. 7). (4) By faith difficult commands were obeyed (Abraham): (a) To give up his native land (11:8-10). (b) To offer up his beloved son (11:17-19).

523

(5) (6)

(7) (8)

(9) (10) (11)

(12)

(13) (14)

(15)

(16)

(17) (18)

(19)

Note: Concerning verse 19 it should be stated that Abraham believed God at this point be¬ fore there was any precedent for physical resurrection either by promise or example. It has been observed that by faith Abraham obeyed God when he did not know where (11:8-10), when he did not know how (11:11, 12), when he did not know when (11:13-16), and when he did not know why (11:17-19). By faith a barren womb gave forth birth (Sarah—vs. 11, 12). By faith great predictions were made: (a) Concerning the marriage and family of Jacob (Isaac—v. 20; see also Gen. 28:1-4). (b) Concerning the Messiah's tribal line (Jacob—v. 21; see also Gen. 49:10). (c) Concerning the Exodus (Joseph—v. 22; see also Gen. 50:24, 25). By faith a babe was hidden for three months (by Moses' parents—v. 23). By faith a nation was delivered from slavery (Moses—vs. 24-29). (a) The determination of Moses to deliver Israel (11:24). (b) The reasons for this determina¬ tion (11:25-27). (c) The results of this determina¬ tion (11:28, 29). By faith a city was shouted down (Joshua—v. 30). By faith a harlot was saved (Ra¬ hab—v. 31). By faith military reformers delivered Israel (Gideon, Barak, Samson, and Jephthah—v. 32). By faith a shepherd boy was anointed king (Samuel—v. 32; see also 1 Sam. 16). By faith kingdoms were subdued (David—vs. 32, 33; also 2 Sam. 8). By faith righteous acts were wrought (v. 33). Many Old Testa¬ ment prophets, priests, and kings did this. By faith promises were obtained (v. 33). Many Old Testament examples of this also. By faith the mouths of lions were shut (v. 33; see Jdg. 14:5, 6; 1 Sam. 17:34-37; Dan. 6:22). By faith the violence of fire was quenched (v. 34; see Dan. 3:25). By faith believers escaped the edge of the sword (v. 34; see 2 Ki. 6:14-17). By faith weakness became strength (v. 34).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE one who has both seen, heard, and performed something, usually while suffering at the time. It speaks of a well-qualified expert. The context strongly suggests that these wit¬ nesses are the faith heroes men¬ tioned in chapter 11. d. "Let us lay aside every weight" (12:1). Here the word is onkos and refers to a bulk or mass. The concern of the Greek runner was not simply whether some¬ thing was immoral or moral, but rather how it would affect his race. Thus, the enemy of the best is often not the worst, but the good. e. "And the sin which doth so easily beset us" (12:1). The word "beset" means "to surround, to cleverly encircle, to am¬ bush." It speaks of a loosely-fitting robe. Paul may have had in mind the sin of unbelief here, but it also refers to any sin the believer allows to upset him. f. "Let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (12:1). Note the implica¬ tions of this statement. (1) Every believer has been entered in this race by God himself. It is not just for pastors and missionaries. Note: The usual word for race (dromos) is not used here, but rather the Greek word agon, from which we get our English word "agony." This is a serious race. (2) The pace of each runner is set by God. (3) The object of the race is to please God and win rewards. Its goal is not heaven! (4) Every runner is expected to win. g. "Looking unto Jesus" (12:2). The phrase here speaks of a steadfast, intent, and continuous gaze. How easy it is to get our eyes off him and look to the left or right. Perhaps to our left we see another run¬ ner behind us. It may be that a runner is far ahead of us on the right. This then can produce pride (as we view the left runner) and envy (as we see the runner on the right). Both are sin and cause us to slow down! We are instead to keep look¬ ing at Jesus. (1) If you would be disappointed, look to others. (2) If you would be discouraged, look to yourself. (3) If you would be delighted, look at Jesus. h. "The author and finisher of our faith" (12:2). Christ is both Founder and Fin¬ isher of the Christian faith. Confucius, Buddha, and Mohammed founded three worldwide religious movements, but death finished Confucius, Buddha, and Mohammed. i. "For the joy that was set before him en¬ dured the cross" (12:2). The nature of this joy is explained in Jude 1:24:

(20) By faith many waxed valiant in fight (v. 34). (21) By faith many turned to flight the armies of aliens (v. 34). (22) By faith women received their dead (v. 35; see 1 Ki. 17:24; 2 KL 4:35). (23) By faith many endured torture (v. 35). (24) By faith many endured imprison¬ ment (v. 36; see 2 Chron. 16:10). (25) By faith some endured temptation (v. 37; see Gen. 39:12). (26) By faith some endured death by the sword, stoning, and by being sawn asunder (v. 36, 37); (see 2 Chron. 24:20-22; Mt. 23:35). 3. Faith deposited (11:13-16, 38-40). After read¬ ing all this one may well ask what possible goal could have sustained the faith of these suffering saints? The answer is given in the above verses. They deposited their faith in the vaults of that celestial city "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (11:10). B. The pattern of faith (12). 1. Look to the Son of God (12:1-3). a. We have already stated our convictions that Paul was the author of Hebrews. This amazing apostle was many things. He was a missionary, a soul-winner, a pastor, a great theologian, a tentmaker, etc. But in his spare time he also seemed to be a sports lover. Often in his writings, Paul uses sports as an analogy to get his point across. For example: (1) Wrestling: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wicked¬ ness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). (2) Boxing: "I have fought a good fight. . (2 Tim. 4:7). "So fight I, not as one that beateth the air" (1 Cor. 9:26). (3) Racing: "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run that ye may obtain. ... I therefore so run. . (1 Cor. 9:24, 26). b. Here in Hebrews 12 Paul chooses the third analogy—that of a footrace. c. "We also are compassed about with so ^ great a cloud of witnesses" (12:1). (1) Great. We often feel (wrongly so) that we are all alone, as Elijah once did (1 Ki. 19:10, 14, 18). (2) Cloud. This underlines the word "great." The Greek here is not nephele, which refers to a detached and sharply outlined cloud, but nephos, speaking of a huge mass of clouds, covering the entire visible space of the heavens. (3) Witnesses. Who are these wit¬ nesses? They are not angels, for the Greek word is marturos, referring to

524

HEBREWS~

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"Now unto him [Jesus] that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy" (see also Jn. 17:6-12, 26). j. "Despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand ... of God" (12:2; see Phil. 2:5-11). k. "For consider him . . ." (12:3). Time and again we are driven back to the Gospel accounts by the writers of the epistles. 2. Submit to the discipline of God (12:4-11). a. Reasons for discipline: (1) To make us think about God and his Word. "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which speaketh unto you as unto children" (12:5). This is often our problem—we for¬ get! David admonished: "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits" (Ps. 103:2). The exhor¬ tation here in Hebrews 12:5, 6 is taken from Proverbs 3:11,12. (2) To prove that God loves us (12:5). "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." The word "chasten" here refers to that in¬ struction in right behavior. The word "scourge" speaks of that cor¬ rection in wrong behavior. (3) To prove we really belong to God (12:7, 8). "If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastisement, whereof all are par¬ takers, then are ye bastards, and not sons" (12:7, 8). (4) To make us more like Jesus (12:10). "That we might be partakers of his holiness." b. Reactions to discipline (12:5, 11): (1) The believer can despise it, that is, treat it too lightly (as Esau did his birthright). (2) The believer can faint under it, that is, treat it too seriously. (3) The believer can be exercised by it. The real question is not simply how many mistakes a Christian makes, but how much he learns through those mistakes! The Psalms speak concerning this: "Blessed is the man whom thou chastenest, O Lord, and teachest him out of thy law" (94:12). "Before I was afflicted I went astray: but now have I kept thy word" (119:67). "It is a good thing for me that I have been afflicted: that I might learn thy statutes" (119:72). "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me" (119:75).

525

c. Results of discipline (12:11): "Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (12:11). 3. Prepare for the kingdom of God (12:12-29). a. Lift up your drooping hands. Begin working for Christ (12:12). b. Strengthen your weak knees. Begin pray¬ ing (12:12). c. Make straight paths for your feet. Homer Kent writes: "If one's feet are lame, special care must be taken that the path on which they walk has no dangerous obstacles. Spiritually speaking, the one whose faith is weak must not venture into areas where his spiritual strength is insufficient. Otherwise the . . . lame believer may aggravate his lameness into a dislocation of the limbs." (Epistle to the Hebrews, p. 265) C. The performance of faith (13). 1. Its duties: a. Continue to love the brethren (13:1). b. Continue to show hospitality to strangers (13:2). The "entertaining of angels" of this verse may be a reference to Genesis 18. c. Remember the prisoners and the illtreated (13:3). These prisoners may be those in bonds (like Paul himself) for their testimony. d. Let marriage be held in honor among all. The seventh commandment has been, is, and will continue to be required by God for man (saved and unsaved alike) to obey—"Thou shalt not commit adul¬ tery." e. Let your way of life be free from the love of money (13:5). f. Remember those who lead you and teach you God's Word (13:7). g. Don't be carried away by varied and strange teachings (13:9). h. Continue offering up a sacrifice of praise to God (13:15; see also 1 Pet. 2:5, 9). In addition to this, the believer is com¬ manded to offer up the sacrifice of his own body (Rom. 12:1) and that of good works (Heb. 13:16). i. Obey your teachers and submit to them (13:17). The reason for this is that some¬ day God will hold those leaders account¬ able. j. Pray for Christian leaders, especially the author of the book of Hebrews. 2. Its delights: Our most holy faith brings with it many precious blessings. Note: a. ". . . for he [God] hath said, I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee" (13:5). b. "So that we may boldly say. The Lord is my helper, and I will not fear what man shall do unto me" (13:6).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

c. "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and to¬

day, and for ever" (13:8). d. "We have an altar, whereof they [the Temple priests] have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle" (13:10). e. "For here have we no continuing city, but we seek one to come" (13:14). f. "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant, make you perfect in every good work to do his will, working in you that which is well¬ pleasing in his sight, through Jesus Christ; to whom be glory for ever and ever. Amen" (13:20, 21).

JUDE

5. 6.

7.

8.

INTRODUCTION: 1. Jude was the brother of James (author of the book of James and first pastor of the Jerusalem church in Acts 15) and half-brother of Jesus. (See Mk. 6:3.) 2. Along with his brothers, Jude did not believe in the ministry of Jesus until after the resurrection (Jn. 7:3-8). But sometime between the resurrection and ascension both boys were gloriously saved. They were present (along with their mother Mary) in the upper room just prior to Pentecost (Acts 1:13). 3. Jude was apparently married and was accompanied by his wife as he performed missionary work (1 Cor. 9:5). 4. "The beginning of the age of the Church is described in the Acts of the Apostles. The end of the Church Age is set forth in the Epistle of Jude, which might well be called the Acts of the Apostates. Jude is the only book in all God's Word entirely devoted to the great apostasy which is to come upon Christendom before the Lord Jesus Christ returns. This brief message of twenty-five verses is the vestibule to the Revelation. . . . Without Jude, the prophetic picture which begins with the teachings of Christ in the Gos¬ pels and develops throughout the epistle would be in¬ complete. See Luke 18:8; 2 Thessalonians 2:3; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 4:3; 2 Peter 2:1; 3:3. Jude

brings the teachings of the entire Bible about apostasy to a tremendous climax. He takes us back to the very dawn of human history. We are reminded of apostasy at the gate of Eden and within God's ancient people Israel. Our thoughts are turned to princes and proph¬ ets, to saints and sinners, to eternal fire and everlasting darkness, to the sea and to the stars, to past judgments and future glory." (Dr. S. Maxwell Coder, jude, the Acts of the Apostates, pp. 3, 4) Jude has been called the Judges of the New Testament. It is very similar to 2 Peter. Peter placed the ministry of false teachers in the future (2 Pet. 2:1), whereas Jude saw them as already present (1:4). Jude refers to two noncanonical books. They are: a. The Assumption of Moses (Jude 1:9) b. The Book of Enoch (1:14, 15) Paul had previously also done this. (See Acts 17:28; 2 Tim. 3:8.) "Jude was intending to write an epistle regarding 'our common salvation' (1:3), when the Spirit detoured him to write concerning the apostasy. It is a graphic and striking description of the apostasy. What was a little cloud the size of a man's hand in Jude's day is, in our day, a storm of hurricane proportions—because we are in the apostasy of which he foretold. It is a question now of how much worse it can become before genuine believers are taken out by the rapture." (Thru the Bible, p. 293, J. Vernon McGee) 1. The Problem of Apostasy (1:1-4). A. The author of this epistle. "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James" (1:1). We note Jude does not "pull rank" here by remind¬ ing us that he was an actual half-brother of Jesus. B. The recipients of this epistle. "To them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called" (v. 1). The phrase "preserved in Jesus Christ," should be translated "kept for Jesus Christ." It is used of Peter's and Paul's imprisonments in Acts 12:5 and 25:4, 21. (See also 1 Pet. 1:4.) Even before Jude warns about the terrible apostasy which had already settled down upon the world of his day and would grow progres-

The Arrogant Apostate

Jude The Problem of Apostasy

The Metaphors of Apostasy

JUDE 1:1-4

JUDE 1:12,13

The Description of Apostasy

The Judgment upon Apostasy

JUDE 1:4, 8,10,16,19

JUDE 1:14,15

Historical Examples and Causes of Apostasy

The Safeguards Against Apostasy

JUDE 1:5-7, 9,11

JUDE 1:20-25

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JUDE ~

sively worse, he reassures the believers that they are kept for Christ! Here he supplies us with the inspired answer to the prayer of Christ: "Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me" (Jn. 17:11). (See also 1 Thess. 5:23.) Jude continues with: "Mercy unto you, and peace, and love, be multiplied" (v. 2). S. Maxwell Coder writes: "There is an upward look in the word mercy, an inward look in the word peace, and an outward look in the word love. These three related us properly to God, to our own inner being, and to our brethren around us. When they are multi¬ plied, and only then, will we be able to cope with the great apostasy." (Jude, the Acts of the Apostates, p. 13) C. The purpose of this epistle (vs. 3, 4). "Beloved, when I gave all diligence to write unto you of the common salvation, it was needful for me to write unto you, and exhort you that ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints. For there are certain men crept in un¬ awares, who were before of old ordained to this condemnation, ungodly men, turning the grace of our God into lasciviousness, and de¬ nying the only Lord God, and our Lord Jesus Christ." We note: 1. Jude's compulsion: "It was needful for me" (3). The meaning of the word needful is "to bear down upon, to compress." God literally pressured Jude to write this (see also 1 Cor. 9:16). 2. Jude's command: "That ye should earnestly contend for the faith which was once deliv¬ ered unto the saints" (3). He said we are to contend, but not be con¬ tentious. For the latter, see Titus 3:9. To con¬ tend involves both defense and offense. An excellent Old Testament example of this is found in Nehemiah 4:17, 18. Note also what we are to contend for. It is the faith, that is, the entire Word of God. Fur¬ thermore, this faith (in the Greek language) was once for all delivered unto the saints! John would later warn all not to add to or take from this faith (see Rev. 22:18, 19). 3. Jude's concern. "For there are certain men crept in unawares . . ." (4). The word "un¬ awares" is literally "having settled down alongside" (see also 2 Pet. 2:1). II. The Description of Apostasy. In no less than sixteen tense and terrible terms, Jude describes the filthy fruit of apostasy. Before listing these, let us define what an apostate really is. S. Maxwell Coder writes: "An apostate has received light, but not life. He may have received, in some degree, the written Word; but he has not received the living Word, the Son of God" (Jude, the Acts of the Apostates, p. 21). (See also 2 Thess. 2:10; Acts 8:13-23.) Now let us consider their doctrine. A. They are ungodly men (4). This means they are destitute of reverential awe toward God (2 Tim. 3:5).

527

B. They twist God's grace into licentiousness (4). This is what the cults of the day do. C. They deny and say harsh things about the Per¬ son and work of Christ (4, 15). This is what the heretics of the day do (Titus 1:16). D. They are given over to sensuous dreams (8). E. They defile the flesh (theirs and others') (8). F. They reject both divine and human authority (8). G. They ridicule the existence of angels (8). H. They mock and curse at anything they do not understand (10). I. They "do their thing" like dumb and unreason¬ ing animals (10). J. They are grumblers and fault-finders (16). K. They follow after their own lusts (16). L. They are arrogant (16). M. They flatter people, using flowery language for the sake of gaining an advantage (16). N. They are divisive (19). O. They are worldly-minded (19). P. They are devoid of the Spirit (19). III. The Historical Examples of Apostasy (5, 6, 7,9,11). In the above verses Jude describes seven individuals or groups of individuals who fell into apostasy. A. Israel: "I will therefore put you in remembrance, though ye once knew this, how that the Lord, having saved the people out of the land of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed not" (5). 1. Question: When and where did this take place? It began at Kadesh-bamea shortly af¬ ter Israel had left Egypt for Palestine. Here at Kadesh they were influenced by the "mixed multitude" (an unsaved group of Egyptians and non-Hebrews) who had left Egypt with them, causing them to rebel against God's Word. 2. Question: Does this mean that all the chil¬ dren of Israel became apostates, and, upon dying, went into eternal hell? It does not, for God never sends his people to hell. (See Ex. 3:7; 5:1; Deut. 33:29.) What it does mean is that it is tragically possible for even believers to become ensnared into the trap of apostasy and suffer for it without ac¬ tually becoming apostates themselves. (See also 1 Cor. 10:1-12; Heb. 3:12, 18, 19; 4:1.) The word apollumi, translated "destroyed" in this verse, is used elsewhere as "physical death" (Lk. 15:17). B. The angels. "And the angels which kept not their first es¬ tate, but left their own habitation, he hath re¬ served in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (6). We shall deal with this group of apostates after discussing the sin and destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah. C. The citizens of Sodom and Gomorrah: "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giving themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of external fire" (7).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

Some of the most depraved sexual perverts of ancient times lived in Sodom. God destroyed this cesspool of sin in Genesis 19. Let us now go back to the wicked angels of verse 6, for a similarity may exist between their sin and that of Sodom. Here we must consider two things: 1. The fact of their sin. The Scriptures are ex¬ plicit that there exist two kinds of fallen an¬ gels—the unchained and those chained. The unchained at present have access to high places and to the bodies of unsaved men (Eph. 6:12; Lk. 8:27; Mk. 1:23). These un¬ chained angels will, of course, someday be judged by God. Their one main sin was that of following Satan in his foul rebellion against God (1 Cor. 6:3; Isa. 14:12-17; Ezek. 28:12-19). The chained are at present already incarcerated, as stated by both Peter (2 Pet. 2:4) and Jude. It was apparently to this place that certain unchained fallen angels on two separate occasions begged Christ not to send them "before their time" (Mk. 1:24; Lk. 8:31; Mt. 8:28). 2. The nature of their sin. It is believed that the sin which led to this premature punishment of a limited number of fallen angels can be directly linked to Genesis 6. It will be re¬ membered that in this chapter we read of the "sons of God" marrying the "daughters of men." Many believe this to be a reference to fallen angels (sons of God) actually mating with earthly women (daughters of men). Dr. Kenneth Wuest, Greek scholar, brings out the fact that the words in Jude "in like man¬ ner" are an adverbial accusative, referring back to the phrase "giving themselves over to fornication." In other words, the compari¬ son is made between the sin of Sodom and the sin of these angels. What was sin of Sod¬ om? The answer of course was the sexual perversion. Wuest writes: "The word 'strange' is the translation of the Greek word heteras which means 'an¬ other of a different kind.' In committing this sin of fornication, the angels trans¬ gressed the limits of their own kind, and invaded the realm of another order of being. The sin of Sodom was the trans¬ gressing of the male beyond the limita¬ tions imposed by God." (Word Studies in First Peter, p. 103) 3. One final thought concerning this passage and this subject. Jude is admonishing his readers to remember three well-known Old Testament examples of apostasy. These were: a. The historical example of Israel's unbe¬ lief. b. The historical example of those angels who kept not their first estate. c. The historical example of Sodom's de¬ struction. Concerning the first example, the minds of Jude's readers would immediately go back to Numbers 14, the account of Israel's great re¬

528

bellion at Kadesh-barnea. As they read the third example, they would at once remember the frightful passage recorded in Genesis 19, the fiery destruction of Sodom on the plains. But what other chapter would come to mind concerning the second historical example if Genesis 6 is ruled out? Note: At this point we have described for us representatives of each of the three great classes of God's creatures mentioned in Scripture: saved men, angels, and unsaved men. D. The devil. "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said. The Lord rebuke thee" (9). In this passage Satan is indirectly brought in as an apostate. 1. The source of this statement: It appears to have been quoted from a first-century book entitled The Assumption of Moses. A copy of this was found in 1861. This, of course, does not mean that the entire book was inspired simply because Jude takes one little part from it. Paul quoted from Titus 1:2. He also mentions the name of two of the magicians in Egypt, although their names are not men¬ tioned in the Old Testament (2 Tim. 3:8). James also tells us that Elijah's prayer caused a three-and-a-half-year drought, a fact not recorded in the Old Testament account (Jas. 5:17; cf. 1 Ki. 17:1; 18:1). 2. The theology of this statement: Why did Sa¬ tan desire Moses' body? The Assumption of Moses gives two reasons why Moses should not have a decent burial. a. Because Moses had formerly murdered an Egyptian. b. Because he (Satan) was king of death and had a right to all dead bodies. Two other reasons have been offered by church theologians to explain this, both of which seem more reasonable than the above two. c. Because Satan wanted the body to be found by Israel and worshiped as a sa¬ cred relic. We do know that the nation would later worship the serpent of brass he had once made (2 Ki. 18:4). d. Because Satan desired to keep Moses from appearing with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt. 17). 3. The hero of this statement. In Deuteronomy 34:5, 6 we read, "So Moses, the servant of the Lord, died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord. And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab . . . but no man knoweth of his sepulcher unto this day." Apparently the "he" in this verse is a reference to the archangel Michael, the hero of this statement. He is mentioned three times in the Old Testament (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1) and again in the New Testa¬ ment, in addition to the reference in Jude (Rev. 12:7-9).

JUDE~

E. Cain. "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain" (11). The way (apostasy) of Cain is described in Genesis 4:1-7. He brought a blood¬ less sacrifice to God. That is the way of the apos¬ tate liberals of our day. They look to culture instead of Calvary. (See 1 Jn. 3:11,12.) F. Balaam. "And ran greedily after the error of Ba¬ laam for reward" (11). Balaam was a false money-grabbing prophet mentioned in Numbers 22-25. Thus the error of Balaam was making merchandise of the gospel ministry. Many mod¬ em apostates do this. G. Korah. "And perished in the gainsaying of Korah" (1:11). In Numbers 16 Korah led a rebellion against Moses, the official spokesman for God. For this great sin he was sent down into the pit, the earth opening up its bowels and swallowing him. Present-day apostates speak evil against pastors, missionaries, Bible teachers, and other God-appointed men. In summarizing this section, note the words of S. Maxwell Coder: "Cain was a tiller of the soil; Balaam was a prophet, Korah was a prince in Israel. One reason for this selection of three men may be to demonstrate that apostasy is not confined to one class of persons. This evil is not pecu¬ liar to religious leaders. It touches prophets, princes, and people alike. There are apostates in pulpit, palace, and poorhouse." (Jude, the Acts of the Apostates, p. 66) IV. The Metaphors of Apostasy. "These men are those who are hidden reefs in your love-feasts when they feast with you without fear, caring for themselves; clouds without water, carried along by winds; autumn trees without fruit, doubly dead, uprooted; wild waves of the sea, casting up their own shame like foam; wan¬ dering stars, for whom the black darkness has been reserved forever" (vs. 12, 13, New American Standard Bible).

Once again, to quote from S. Maxwell Coder: "The more minutely we examine this great epis¬ tle, the most impressive becomes its delineation of the doctrine of apostasy. Jude has now covered the whole creation, from angels to men and brute beasts. There yet remains the realm of nature, and in five flashing inspired word-pictures he brings before us the earth, the air, the trees, the sea, and the starry heavens, to complete the panorama needed to provide the church with a magnificent final summary of conditions as they are to be in Christendom just before the scenes of Revelation are unveiled." (Jude, the Acts of the Apostates, p. 75) A. Hidden rocks. Describing the unseen dangers of apostasy. We note that these rocks are hidden in the Christian love-feasts, a reference to the Lord's Table in the early days of the church. How are we to understand this? Paul explains it in 1 Corinthians 11:17-30. The first-century church had a full meal in connection with Holy Commu¬ nion. But some of these apostates (or perhaps believers influenced by apostasy) had joined themselves at these gatherings. As a result, some practiced gluttony and drunkenness, while oth¬ ers were actually going hungry. Divine judgment had taken many in death due to this.

529

B. Waterless clouds. Describing the false promises of apostasy. (See also Prov. 25:14.) These clouds are said to be carried along by the winds. Doubt¬ less the "winds" here are demonic activity. Apos¬ tates are the captives of Satan. For a refreshing contrast, see 2 Peter 1:21. C. Autumn trees. Describing the barren profession of apostasy. The Greek phrase here is literally "late autumn trees," suggesting the fact that the great apostasy is to come as the autumn of the Church Age is waning and the winter of judg¬ ment is nigh. (See also Mt. 13:30; 15:30; Prov. 2:22.) D. Wild waves. Describing the wasted effort of apostasy. The sea is often a symbol for evil in the Bible (Isa. 57:20, 21). The apostasy of the last days will be characterized by much learning. (2 Tim. 3:7) and mighty works (Mt. 7:22), but neither to any avail. E. Wandering stars. This describes the aimless pur¬ pose of apostasy—perhaps the most frightening characteristic of apostasy. A quote from S. Maxwell Coder is appropriate here: "By way of contrast, true believers enjoy a lifelong love-feast. They are borne along by the Holy Spirit, unmoved by winds of false doctrine. After a life of fruitfulness, they go home to be with Christ, in glory and honor. Forever afterward they dwell in light unutter¬ able. Instead of being lifeless, dangerous rocks, they are living stones (1 Pet. 2:5). Rather than waterless clouds they are sources of living water (Jn. 7:38). Far from being dead trees, they are called 'trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord' (Isa. 61:3). In contrast with raging waves, their peace is like a river and their righteousness as the waves of the sea (Isa. 48:18). Whereas wandering stars have reserved for them the blackness of darkness forever, true believers shall shine as the stars forever and ever" (Dan. 12:3). (Jude, the Acts of the Apostates, pp. 82, 83) V. The Judgment of Apostasy. "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, proph¬ esied of these, saying. Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints, to execute judg¬ ment upon all, and to convince all that are un¬ godly among them of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodly committed, and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him" (1:14, 15). A. The source of this statement. Around 100 b.c., a non-canonical book entitled The Book of Enoch was written. It contained 108 chapters. In 1773 a copy of this work was discovered. The apostle Jude was inspired by God to take the words which are found here in verses 14, 15 from this book. B. The speaker of this statement. The book, of course, was not written by Enoch, but the state¬ ment here was apparently taken from his text. Both Enoch and Noah were fearless preachers of prophecy and righteousness. (See also 2 Pet. 2:5.) The amazing faith of this pre-Flood prophet may be seen in that he predicted the Second Coming of Christ centuries before our Lord came

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

the first time! Enoch thus predicts his coming in Genesis, while John proclaims it in Revelation (see Rev. 19:11-14). Both men refer to the same event. 1. He comes with his saints (Col. 3:4; 1 Thess. 3:13). 2. He comes to judge (Heb. 9:26-28; 2 Pet. 3:7). VI. The Safeguards Against Apostasy (vs. 20-25). A. We are to build. "But ye, beloved, building up yourselves on your most holy faith" (20). This is accomplished through the Word of God. (See 2 Pet. 1:5-7; Acts 20:32; Rom. 10:17; 1 Pet. 2:2; 1 Jn. 2:5.) B. We are to pray. "Praying in the Holy Ghost" (v. 20). See Ephesians 6:18. C. We are to keep ourselves in God's love. In verse 1 we are kept for Jesus, but here we are to keep in God's love. How is this done? While the be¬ liever cannot escape the boundary of God's love (Ps. 139:7-12), he can withdraw himself from the full blessings of this love (Jn. 15:9). D. We are to anticipate the rapture. "Looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life" (21; see also Lk. 12:37; Titus 2:13). E. We are to win the lost (22, 23). "And of some have compassion, making a dif¬ ference: And others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire; hating even the garment spotted by the flesh." S. Maxwell Coder writes: "In a brief manual for personal work, three groups of people are set before us: 1. Those who need compassionate tender¬ ness, because sincere doubts trouble them. 2. Those requiring urgent boldness if they are to be snatched from an eternity of fiery judgment. 3. Those who must be dealt with in cau¬ tious compassion lest the soulwinner himself be contaminated by their sins." (Jude, The Acts of the Apostates, p. 113) The following examples are suggested to rep¬ resent each of these three groups: First group: Those individuals troubled by al¬ cohol and drugs. Second group: Unsaved persons being strongly influenced to join one of the perverted cults of Christianity such as the Mormons. Third group: A beautiful woman concerning immorality in her life. In closing, we note Jude's great and grand and glorious benediction. "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy. To the only wise God our Saviour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" (24, 25).

Gospel of John, three epistles, the Revelation. The fol¬ lowing distinction between these books is offered: Gospel of John

Speaks of salvation The past Christ the Prophet The cross Epistles of John

Speak of sanctification The present Christ the Priest The koinonia (fellowship) Revelation of John

2.

3.

4.

5.

Speaks of glorification The future Christ the King The crown John wrote his Gospel account to prove the deity of Christ. He now writes his epistles to prove the humanity of Christ. Heretical emphasis on both points existed during his time. The New Scofield Bible suggests: "It [1 John] is a family letter from the Father to His 'little children' who are in the world. With the pos¬ sible exception of the Song of Solomon, it is the most intimate of the inspired writings. The sin of a Christian is treated as a child's offense against his Father, and is dealt with as a family matter (1:9; 2:1)." (p. 1342) In the Gospel, John describes us as sheep in God's fold, in the epistle as members in his family, and in the Revelation as priests in his kingdom (Jn. 10; 1 Jn. 2; Rev. 1). It is believed by some that John directed his epistles to the same readers who would later receive the book of Revelation—that is, the seven churches in Asia Minor. This first epistle is somewhat difficult to outline in a chapter-by-chapter fashion. The following, therefore, is a tenfold subject-matter outline, all ten areas de¬ scribing the key theme of 1 John, which is fellowship. I. The Source of This Fellowship (1:1, 2; 3:5, 8, 16; 4:9, 10, 14, 19; 5:20J. The source of this fellowship is the incarnation and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ. A. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have handled, of the Word of life; (For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear wit¬ ness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)" (1:1, 2). B. "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin. . . . He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might de¬ stroy the works of the devil" (3:5, 8). C. "Hereby perceive we the love of God, because he laid down his life for us: and we ought to lay down our lives for the brethren" (3:16). D. "In this was manifested the love of God toward us, because that God sent his only begotten Son into the world, that we might live through him. Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (4:9, 10).

1 JOHN INTRODUCTION: 1. The Spirit of God directed John the apostle to pen five of the New Testament epistles. Apart from Paul, no other author would write as much sacred Scripture in the New Testament as he did. His five books are: The

530

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1 JOHN~

The Fellowship Epistle

1 John The SOURCE of this fellowship

The MAINTENANCE of this fellowship

JESUS CHRIST His incarnation 1:1, 2; 3:5, 8 His crucifixion 3:16; 4:9,10,14

of the SON of GOD (2:1, 2) by the SPIRIT of GOD (2:20, 27) from the SAINT of GOD (1:8, 9)

The PURPOSE of this fellowship

The FAMILY MEMBERS of this fellowship

That we might know and love God and his people (see also 1:4; 2:26; 3:13, 22; 5:13-15)

Little children (2:13) Young men (2:14) Fathers (2:14)

The REQUIREMENTS for this fellowship WALK in the light (1:7) RECOGNIZE our sins (1:8) CONFESS our sins (1:9) KEEP his commandments (2:3-8; 5:2, 3) ABIDE in Christ (2:28) KEEP unspotted from the world (2:3; 5:21) MINISTER to the brethren in need (3:17)

The TESTS of this fellowship A quick quiz to determine one's fellowship Do I conduct my life down here in view of the rapture? (3:3) YES □ NO □ Do I continually dwell in sin? (3:6, 9; 5:18) YES □ NO □

The ENEMIES of this fellowship “Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world for all that is in the world ... is not of the Father” (2:15,16) ..

The EVIL SYSTEMS in the world ACTS 17:24; JN. 3:16; 1 JN. 5:19; JAS. 4:4; JAS. 1:27 ROM. 12:2; 1 COR. 11:32; 2:17 The EVIL SEDUCERS in the world 2:22; 2:26 The EVIL SPIRITS in the world 4:1-3

The PROMISES of this fellowship • Promise of eternal life 2:25

Do I hate my spiritual brother? (4:20) YES □ NO □

• Confidence at the rapture 2:28

Do I desire to help my brother? (3:17) YES □ NO □

• Confidence at the judgment 4:17

Do I really love my brother? (4:7, 21) YES □ NO □

• A new body like his 3:2 • Boldness in service 4:18

Do I really love God? (5:2) YES □ NO □

The WITNESSES to this fellowship

Do I enjoy a rapport with other servants of God? (4:6) YES □ NO □

IN HEAVEN THE FATHER THE SON THE HOLY SPIRIT

Am I plagued with constant fear? (4:18) YES □ NO □ Am I able to overcome the world? (5:4) YES □ NO □ Can I recognize false doctrine when it comes my way? (4:1-3) YES □ NO □

ON EARTH WATER (baptism) BLOOD (communion)

SEPARATION from this fellowship Fellowship with God will keep one from sin or sin will keep one from fellowship with God.

Am I straight on the deity of Christ? (4:15; 5:1) YES □ NO □ Am I straight on the work of Christ? (5:13, 20) YES □ NO □

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

but thou shalt love thy neighbor as thy¬ self: I am the Lord" (Lev. 19:18). "But the stranger who dwelleth with you shall be unto you as one bom among you, and thou shalt love him as thyself; for ye were sojourners in the land of Egypt: I am the Lord your God" (Lev. 19:34; see also Deut. 10:19). Thus, the Old Testament command re¬ quired love as a basis of fellowship. But Jesus added to the intensity of this love while he was upon the earth. Observe his words: 2. The new commandment: "A new commandment I give unto you, that ye love one another; as I have loved you, that ye also love one another (Jn. 13:34; see also Jn. 15:12). This new command was given during the Last Supper in the upper room. John would never forget that sacred occasion. E. We must abide in Christ (2:28). "And now, little children, abide in him . . (See also Jn. 15.) F. We must keep ourselves unspotted from the world. This includes both immorality (3:3) and idolatry (5:21). G. We must minister to our brethren in need (3:17). "But whosoever hath this world's good, and seeth his brother have need, and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" IV. The Tests of This Fellowship. How can we really know that he has indeed saved us and that we are daily walking with him in fellowship? John proposes a list of test questions to help us in determining both our sonship and fellowship. A. Do I conduct my life down here in view of the rapture? "And every man that hath this hope in him purifieth himself even as he is pure" (3:3). B. Do I continually dwell in sin? "Whosoever abideth in him sinneth not; who¬ soever sinneth hath not seen him, neither known him. . . . Whosoever is bom of God doth not commit sin; for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God" (3:6, 9). "We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not, but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not" (5:18). These verses, of course, do not teach sinless perfection. The Greek verbs are all in the present tense referring to the constant practices of sin. Thus, while we may not be sinless, John neverthe¬ less states we should sin less. C. Do I hate my spiritual brother? "If a man says, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother, whom he hath seen, how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?" (4:20). D. Do I desire to help my brother? (3:17). E. Do I really love my brother? (4:7, 21). Here, of course, John is referring to real love! Biblical love may be defined as "unselfish concern for the welfare of another."

E. "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (4:14). F. "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" (4:20). It can be readily seen by the above verses that Jesus Christ did not come into this world simply to preach the gospel, but that he came so there might be a gospel to preach. II. The Purpose of This Fellowship. A. That we might know more about the Father: 1. He is light (1:5). 2. He is righteous (3:7). 3. He is omniscient (3:20). 4. He is love (4:8, 16). 5. He is invisible (4:12). 6. He is life (5:11). B. That we might love the Father (4:19). C. That we might understand the Father's love (3:16). D. That we might allow the Father's love to be per¬ fected in us (2:5; 4:12). E. That we might love the family of God (3:11, 23; 4:7, 11). F. That we might experience the fullness of joy (1:4). G. That we might receive assurance concerning our salvation (5:13). H. That we might receive assurance concerning our prayers (3:22; 5:14, 15). I. That we might not be seduced by the world (2:26). J. That we might not be surprised in tribulation (3:13). III. The Requirements for This Fellowship. A. We must walk in the light (1:7). "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another." B. We must recognize our sins (1:8). "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us." C. We must confess our sins (1:9). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness." The word "confess" here is the Greek word homologeo, which means "to agree with." Thus, when the Holy Spirit points out a sin in our life we are immediately to agree with him. While the blood of Christ will cleanse us from every sin, it will not cleanse us of even one excuse. D. We must keep his commandments (2:3-8; 5:2, 3). Some have imagined a contradiction in these verses. Note: "Brethren, I write no new commandment unto you, but an old commandment which ye had from the beginning . .. Again a new com¬ mandment I write unto you" (2:7, 8). However, upon close inspection, this is a glori¬ ous addition rather than a contradiction. 1. The old commandment: "Thou shalt not avenge, nor bear any grudge against the children of thy people.

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1 JOHN~

F. Do I really love God? "By this we know that we love the children of God, when we love God, and keep his com¬ mandments" (5:2). G. Do I enjoy a rapport with other servants of God? "We are of God. He that knoweth God heareth us; he that is not of God heareth not us. By this know we the spirit of truth, and the spirit of error" (4:6). H. Am I plagued with constant fear? "There is no fear in love, but perfect love casteth out fear, because fear hath punish¬ ment. He that feareth is not made perfect in love" (4:18). I. Am I able to overcome the world? "For whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that over¬ cometh the world, even our faith" (5:4). J. Can I recognize false doctrine when it comes my way? "Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world. Hereby know ye the Spirit of God: Ev¬ ery spirit that confesseth that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is of God: And every spirit that confesseth not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh is not of God: and this is that spirit of antichrist, whereof ye have heard that it should come; and even now already is it in the world" (4:1-3). K. Am I straight on the deity of Christ? "Whosoever shall confess that Jesus is the Son of God, God dwelleth in him, and he in God" (4:15). "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God: and every one that loveth him that begat loveth him also that is be¬ gotten of him" (5:1). L. Am I straight on the work of Christ? (5:13, 20). This, then, is the twelve-question test given by John. If one fails the test, he should conclude: 1. I am not saved (or, more likely) 2. I need to get into the Word, pray, and grow in grace by serving the Master. V. The Maintenance of This Fellowship. What assur¬ ance do we have that the sweet communion enjoyed today will be with us when we awaken tomorrow? This fellowship is kept: A. Through the occupation of the Son of God. Whatever happened to Jesus? Where is he and what is he doing? John answers these questions for us. He is with the Father and functions for the believer as: 1. Our Advocate. "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (2:1). The word "advocate" here is the Greek word parakletos, meaning "to call alongside of." The New Scofield Bible defines this office as follows: "Advocacy is that work of Jesus Christ for sinning believers which He carries on with the Father, whereby, because of the I

533

eternal efficacy of Christ's sacrifice. He re¬ stores them to fellowship." (p. 1343) 2. Our Propitiation. "And he is the propitiation for our sins, and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (2:2). The root Greek word here translated "pro¬ pitiation" is rendered "mercy seat" in He¬ brews 9:5. The mercy seat was a part of that sacred Ark of the Covenant which rested in the Holy of Holies. Upon this golden mercy seat, every day of atonement, was sprinkled the blood of an animal (Lev. 16:14). This meant that the righteous sentence of the law had been executed, changing a judgment seat into a mercy seat (Heb. 9:11-15). It signi¬ fied that man had thus been reconciled to God. The work of Christ thus served as a propitiation, whereby God's righteousness was forever satisfied. (See also 4:10.) B. Through the habitation of the Spirit of God. "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things. . . . But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (2:20, 27). This verse does not, of course, deny the office of a human teacher (see Eph. 4:11, 12). What it does say is that we are to test any system of teaching by the Word of God. C. Through the cooperation of the saint of God. How is the believer expected to help maintain his fellowship with heaven? 1. By recognizing his sins (1:8). 2. By confessing his sins (1:9). VI. The Family Members of This Fellowship (2:13, 14). John here seems to classify God's family into three groups, according to their spiritual maturity. A. Little children: "I write unto you, little children, because you have known the Father" (2:13). Here the Greek word is paidia, referring to a babe in Christ. B. Young men: "I write unto you, young men, be¬ cause ye have overcome the wicked one" (2:13). "I have written unto you, young men, because ye are strong, and the word of God abideth in you, and ye have overcome the wicked one" (2:14). C. Fathers: "I write unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning, be¬ cause ye have overcome the wicked one" (2:13). "I have written unto you, fathers, because ye have known him that is from the beginning" (2:14). VII. The Enemies of This Fellowship. John lists at least three terrible forces which the believer must be on guard against lest his walk with Jesus be marred. A. The systems of this world. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (2:15-17). 1. A definition of this world. In the Bible there are several kinds of worlds. a. The physical world (Acts 17:24). b. The human world (Jn. 3:16). c. The evil world (1 Jn. 5:19; Jn. 12:31; 15:18). Obviously John had this third "world" in mind here. A believer lives on the first world, is a member of the second, but must avoid the third. 2. The divisions within this world: a. The lust of the flesh. b. The lust of the eyes. c. The pride of life. As John penned these words his thoughts may well have gone back to a beautiful gar¬ den and a terrible wilderness where two in¬ dividuals were subjected to these satanic temptations by the devil himself! Eve and the beautiful garden (Gen. 3:6): "The woman saw that the tree was good for food" (the lust of the flesh). "And that it was pleasant to the eyes" (the lust of the eyes). "And a tree ... to make one wise" (the pride of life). Christ and the terrible wilderness (Mt. 4:3, 8, 6): "Command that these stones be made bread" (the lust of the flesh). "He [Satan] showeth him [Jesus] all the kingdoms of the world" (the lust of the eyes). "Cast thyself down [from the pinnacle of the Temple] . . . for he shall give his angels charge concerning thee . . (the pride of life). 3. The deceitfulness of this world. Dr. Warren Wiersbe writes: "The world appeals to a Christian through the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life. And once the world takes over in one of these areas, a Christian will soon realize it. He will lose his enjoyment of the Father's love and his desire to do the Father's will. The Bible will become boring and prayer a dif¬ ficult chore. Even Christian fellowship may seem empty and disappointing. It is not that there is something wrong with others, however—what's wrong is the Christian's worldly heart." (Be Real, p. 74) 4. The destruction of this world. "And the world passeth away" (see also 2 Pet. 3:10-12). B. The seducers of this world. "Little children, it is the last time: and as ye have heard that antichrist shall come, even now are there many antichrists; whereby we know that it is the last time" (2:18). "They went out from us, but they were not of us; for if they had been of us, they would no doubt have continued with us: but they went out, that they might be made manifest that they were not all of us" (2:19).

"Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is an antichrist, that denieth the Father and the Son" (2:22). "These things have I written unto you con¬ cerning them that seduce you" (2:26). C. The spirits of this world. "Hereby know we that we dwell in him, and he in us, because he hath given us of his Spirit" (4:13). VIII. The Promises of This Fellowship. A. Everlasting life with Christ. "And this is the promise that he hath prom¬ ised us, even eternal life" (2:25). B. Confidence at the rapture (2:28). C. Receiving a new body like his resurrected body (3:2). D. Confidence at the judgment seat (4:17). E. Boldness in service down here (4:18). IX. The Witnesses to This Fellowship. "This is he that came by water and blood, even Jesus Christ; not by water only, but by water and blood. And it is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth. 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" (5:6-8). These verses are not among the easiest to interpret. Let us begin by observing that the last part of verse 7 is not listed in most ancient manuscripts. Thus, the first part of the verse should read, "Because there are three that bear record. . . ." This apparently refers to the three witnesses already mentioned in verse 6 and amplified in verse 8. What are these witnesses? A. The identity of the witnesses: 1. the water 2. the blood 3. the Spirit B. The interpretation of the witnesses: 1. The water and blood. There are at least four theories here. a. the baptism and death of Christ b. the water and blood that flowed from his side c. a symbolic reference to purification and redemption d. a symbolic reference to the ordinances of baptism and the Lord's Supper Most conservative theologians prefer the first of these, the baptism and death of Christ (Mt. 3:13-17; Heb. 9:12). 2. The Spirit. There is no doubt that the Holy Spirit is in mind here. C. The implications of these witnesses. A twofold witness is all that is necessary for men (Deut. 19:15; Mt. 18:16; Jn. 8:17), but God has given us

534

three!

X. The Separation from This Fellowship (5:16, 17). "There is a sin unto death" (5:16). The Bible teaches that my union with Christ is so strong that nothing can break it; but my communion with him is so fragile that the slightest sin shatters it. M. F. Unger writes: "Prayer and the Problem of Serious Sin, 16-17. It is possible for a true believer to fall into sin, 16a. If and when this happens, a fellow believer is to

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3 JOHN ~

pray for him, 16b. As a result God will give the sinning Christian preservation of physical life (not eternal life, for this life is eternal and unforfeitable). However, this intercession is effective only in the case of sin not unto physical death, 16c. There is a sin unto death/ 16d. This is persis¬ tent, willful sinning in a believer in which 'the flesh is destroyed' (physical death) so 'that the spirit might be saved' (1 Cor. 5:1-5; Acts 5:1-11; 1 Cor. 11:30). Both Saul and Samson are types of this very severe chastening in the Old Testament. This sin is not to be prayed for because it involved the execution of an immutable law of God unal¬ tered by prayer, 16e. Sin has different degrees of seriousness, 16. 'All unrighteousness is sin, but there is a sin which is not unto [physical] death' (involving lesser chastisements, cf. 1 Cor. 11:30)." (Unger's Bible Handbook, p. 829)

B. That she walk in love. See also verse 3. How important it is not to separate these two. To prac¬ tice truth without love leads to legalism. To em¬ ploy love without truth leads to liberalism. Paul likewise combines these two: "But, speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, who is the head, even Christ" (Eph. 4:15). III. This Lady Is Cautioned by the Apostle (vs. 7-13). A. Look out for Satan (vs. 7, 9, 10, 11). "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist. . . . Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath both the Father and the Son. If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, re¬ ceive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed. For he that biddeth him God speed is partaker of his evil deeds." Perhaps this lady was extending hospitality to all those who claimed to be Christians, though some were heretics! B. Look out for self (v. 8). "Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward." John wanted this beloved lady to receive a full reward for faithful service at the judgment seat of Christ (see 1 Cor. 3:5-17).

2 JOHN INTRODUCTION: 1. This is the only book in the Bible addressed to a woman. 2. It holds the same place in John's writings that Phile¬ mon holds in Paul's epistles. 3. It is the shortest book in the entire Bible. 4. John does not mention his own name or the name of this woman. This may have been done to prevent per¬ secution from the Roman authorities of the time, who viewed Christianity as an unlawful religion.

3 JOHN

I. This Lady Is Commended by the Apostle (vs. 1-4). "I rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth." Here it perhaps should be noted that some Bible students believe the "elect lady" of this epistle was actually a local church. If this be the case, then the children here are church members. However, it is the view of this author that it is written to an actual woman and these are her children. II. This Lady Is Commanded by the Apostle (vs. 5, 6). The commandment is actually twofold. A. That she walk in truth.

INTRODUCTION: 1. J. Vernon McGee says: "This is a letter similar to John's second epistle, in that it is personal in character, and it carries the same theme of truth. However, this letter deals with principalities. In his second epistle, John says that truth is worth standing for; and in the third epistle that truth is worth working for!" (Third John, p. 291) 2. In his second epistle John dealt with the problem of welcoming deceivers (which should not have been

The Elect Lady

2 John Commended by the Apostle i:i-4 7 rejoiced greatly that I found of thy children walking in truth, as we have received a commandment from the Father” (1:4).

Commanded by the Apostle i:5,6 • That she walk in love • That she walk in truth

Cautioned by the Apostle 1:7-13 • Look out for Satan

"For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a deceiver and an antichrist” (1:7). "If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed” (i:io). • Look out for self

“Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward" (i :8).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

3 John The Exhorter

The Egotist

1:1-8

1:9-11

GAIUS

DIOTREPHES

DEMETRIUS

His prosperity

His pride GUILTY ON FIVE CHARGES 1. Had attempted to occupy the leading place 2. Had refused to receive John the apostle 3. Had slandered the apostles 4. Had refused to entertain missionaries 5. Had attempted to excommunicate believers

His praise "Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true" (1:12).

JOHN'S PRAYER FOR HIM

"Beloved, 1 wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (i :2). JOHN'S PRAISE OF HIM

He had walked in truth. He had ministered to missionaries.

The Example 1:12-14

the preacher. He was guilty on 5 charges: (1) must occupy the leading place; (2) actually refused to receive John; (3) made malicious statements against the apostles; (4) refused to entertain the missionaries (he apparently wanted to do the teaching); (5) excommunicated those who did en¬ tertain the missionaries (he tried to be the first Pope). He was Diotrephes, the dictator." (Through the Bible, p. 292) III. The Praise of Demetrius (1:12-14). "Demetrius hath good report of all men, and of the truth itself: yea, and we also bear record; and ye know that our record is true."

done); in this epistle he discusses the error of not re¬ ceiving believers (which should have been done). 3. This is the second shortest book in the Bible. 4. This epistle gives an excellent (though brief) glimpse of church life at the close of the first century. I. The Prosperity of Gaius (vs. 1-8). There were at least three New Testament people by this name. One was from Corinth (Rom. 16:23), one from Macedonia (Acts 19:29), and one from Derbe (Acts 20:4, 5). How¬ ever, it is impossible to identify the Gaius here with one of these three. Whoever he was, John the apostle loved him dearly. A. John's prayer for him: "Beloved, I wish above all things that thou mayest prosper and be in health, even as thy soul prospereth" (v. 2). The Greek word here translated "prosper" is euodoumai, meaning "to have a good journey." B. John's praise of him (1:3-8). 1. Gaius had extended Christian hospitality to some traveling missionaries and Bible teach¬ ers. 2. They had reported that Gaius was living by the standards of the gospel and keeping his life clean and true. II. The Pride of Diotrephes (vs. 9-11). J. Vernon McGee writes: "The missionaries of the early church were itiner¬ ants. They went from place to place. Since the local inn was a wretched and dirty place, and there were no Holiday Inns or Howard Johnson Motels, these missionaries were entertained in the homes of believers. Gaius opened his home, for which John congratulates him. Diotrephes opposed this practice, and John censors him for it. His 'hang¬ up' was that he loved to have recognition and at¬ tention, and be the center of attraction. He had to rule or ruin. There is generally one like him in every church who wants to control the church and

REVELATION INTRODUCTION: Revelation is the only prophetical book in the New Testa¬ ment (in contrast to seventeen books in the Old Testa¬ ment). Revelation is the only book in all the Bible which begins by promising a special blessing on those who study it, and ends by promising a special curse on those who add or take away from it. It was written by John the apostle, who had already writ¬ ten four other New Testament books. They are: The Gos¬ pel of John, 1 John, 2 John, and 3 John. The author had previously reached farther back into eternity than any other Bible writer (see Jn. 1:1-3). In Revelation he reaches farther on into eternity than any other writer (see Rev. 21, 22). A. Revelation may be compared to the book of Daniel. 1. Concerning the indestructible Jewish nation (Dan. 3, 6; cf. Rev. 12). 2. Concerning the ministry of the antichrist (Dan. 3:1-7; 7:7, 8, 24, 25; 8:9-12, 23, 24, 25; 9:27; 11:36-45; cf. Rev. 13). 3. Concerning the length of the tribulation (Dan. 9:24-27; cf. Rev. 11:2; 12:6, 14; 13:5).

536

REVELATION~

Note, however, that Daniel was a sealed book (Dan. 12:9), whereas Revelation is not (Rev. 22:10). B. Revelation may be compared to the book of Genesis. In Genesis we are told, "And the gathering of the wa¬ ters called he seas" (1:10). In Revelation we are told: "And there was no more sea" (21:1). In Genesis is described the first Adam with his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden, reigning over the earth (1:27, 28). In Revelation is described the last Adam with his wife, the Church, in the City of God, reigning over all the universe (21:9). In Genesis we are told, "And the gathering of the waters called the seas" (1:10). In Revelation we are told: "And there was no more sea" (21:1). In Genesis God created the sun and moon, the day and the night (1:5, 16). In Revelation we are told, "There shall be no night there" (22:5). "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (21:23). In Genesis the tree of life is denied to sinful man (3:22). In Revelation the tree of life "yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (22:2). In Genesis man hears God say, "Cursed is the ground for thy sake" (3:17). In Revelation man will hear God say: "And there shall be no more curse" (22:3). In Genesis Satan appears to torment man for awhile (3:1). In Revelation Satan disappears, himself to be tormented forever (20:10). In Genesis the old earth was punished through a flood (7:12). In Revelation the new earth shall be puri¬ fied through a fire (2 Pet. 3:6-12; Rev. 21:1). In Genesis, man's early home was beside a river (2:10). In Revela¬ tion, man's eternal home will be beside a river: "And he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (22:1). In Genesis the Patriarch Abraham goes to weep for Sarah (23:2). In Revelation the children of Abraham will have God himself wipe away all tears from their eyes (21:4). In Genesis God destroys an earthly city, wicked Sodom, from the sands (Gen. 19). In Revelation God presents a heavenly city, new Jerusalem, from the skies (Rev. 21:1). Genesis ends with a believer in Egypt, lying in a coffin (50:1-3). Revelation ends with all believers in eternity, reigning forever (21:4). J. Vernon McGee writes: "This book is like a great union station where the great trunk lines of prophecy come in from other portions of Scripture. Revelation does not originate, but consummates. It is imperative to a right under¬ standing of the book to be able to trace each great subject of prophecy from the first reference to the terminal." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 4) C. Some of the great subjects of prophecy which find their consummation here are: 1. the Lord Jesus Christ (Gen. 3:15; cf. Rev. 1:13; 12:5). 2. the church (Mt. 16:18; cf. Rev. 19:7-9). 3. the resurrection of saints (Dan. 12:2, 3; 1 Thess. 4:13-18; 1 Cor. 15:51, 52; Rev. 20:4-6). 4. the great tribulation (Deut. 4:30, 31; Isa. 24; cf. Rev. 6-18). 5. Satan (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19; cf. Rev. 20:1-10).

537

6. the man of sin (2 Thess. 2:1-12; cf. Rev. 19:19-21). 7. false religion (Gen. 11:1-9; Mt. 13; cf. Rev. 17). 8. the times of the Gentiles (Dan. 2:37; Lk. 21:24; cf. Rev. 18). 9. the Second Coming of Christ (Jude 1:14, 15; cf. Rev. 19:11-16). D. There are at least four main interpretations to this last book in the Bible. 1. It is pure fiction. This is the view of the agnostics. 2. It is allegorical. This says no part of the book may be taken literally. It is simply a symbolic account of the age-long struggle between good and evil. This is the view of most liberals. 3. It is historical. Here two kinds of history are in mind: a. Past history. This is often called the preterist theory. "Preterist" is from a Latin word which means "past." Dr. Charles Ryrie writes: "Thus, the preterist interpreters are those who see Revelation as having already been fulfilled in the early history of the church. Chapters 5—11 are said to record the church's victory over Judaism; chapters 12—19 her victory over pagan Rome; and 20—22 her glory because of these victories. The persecutions described are those of Nero and Domitian, and the entire book was fulfilled by the time of Constantine (a.d. 312)." (Revelation, p. 8) b. Continuous history. Again to quote Ryrie: "This interpretative viewpoint states that in Revelation there is a panorama of the his¬ tory of the church from the days of John to the end of the age. It holds that the book has been in the process of being fulfilled throughout the whole Christian era. Those who hold this view see in the symbols the rise of papacy, the corruption of the church and the various wars throughout church history. Most of the reformers interpreted the book in this manner." (Revelation, pp. 8, 9) 4. It is prophetical. This view sees those events from chapter 4 onward as yet to be fulfilled. This view alone does justice to the book. Revelation, like all other books in the Bible, is to be taken in the plain, normal sense of the word. To do otherwise is to dishonor Christ, the divine Author. Dr. David L. Cooper once suggested: "When the plain sense of Scripture makes common sense, seek no other sense." E. This book lists more titles for the Savior than does any other book in the Bible. Note but some of them: 1. Jesus Christ (1:1) 2. the faithful Witness (1:5) 3. the first Begotten of the dead (1:5) 4. the Prince of kings of the earth (1:5) 5. the Alpha and Omega (1:8) 6. the First and the Last (1:17) 7. the Son of man (1:13) 8. the Son of God (2:18) 9. the Keeper of David's keys (3:7) 10. the Keeper of the keys of hell and death (1:18) 11. the Lion of the tribe of Judah (5:5) 12. the root of David (5:5) 13. the slain Lamb (5:6) 14. the angry Lamb (6:16, 17)

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE~

15. the tender Lamb (7:17) 16. our Lord (11:8) 17. the man Child (12:5) 18. the King of saints (15:3) 19. the Faithful and True (19:11) 20. the Word of God (19:13) 21. the King of kings (19:16) 22. the Lord of lords (19:16) 23. the Beginning and the End (22:13) 24. the Bright and Morning Star (22:16) F. The Numbers 7 and 12 are predominant in the book of Revelation. 1. The number 7: a. seven spirits (1:4) b. seven stars (1:16) c. seven lamps (4:5) d. seven seals (5:1) e. seven horns (5:6) f. seven eyes (5:6) g. seven angels (8:2) h. seven trumpets (8:2) i. seven thunders (10:3) j. seven heads (12:3) k. seven crowns (12:3) l. seven plagues (15:1) m. seven vials (17:1) n. seven mountains (17:9) o. seven kings (17:10) 2. The number 12: a. 12,000 from each of the twelve tribes (7:4-8) b. a crown of twelve stars (12:1) c. twelve gates (21:12) d. twelve angels (21:12) e. twelve foundations (21:14) f. twelve apostles (21:14) g. 12,000 furlongs (21:16) G. There are more Old Testament quotations and allu¬ sions in the book of Revelation than in any other New Testament book. 1. thirteen in Genesis 2. twenty-seven in Exodus 3. four in Leviticus 4. three in Numbers 5. ten in Deuteronomy 6. one in Joshua 7. one in Judges 8. one in 2 Samuel 9. six in 2 Kings 10. one in 1 Chronicles 11. one in Nehemiah 12. forty-three in Psalms 13. two in Proverbs 14. seventy-nine in Isaiah 15. twenty-two in Jeremiah 16. forty-three in Ezekiel 17. fifty-three in Daniel 18. two in Hosea 19. eight in Joel 20. nine in Amos 21. one in Habakkuk 22. two in Zephaniah 23. fifteen in Zechariah 24. one in Malachi H. Revelation is totally a book about God's Lamb. The book can thus be outlined as follows: The Witnesses of the Lamb Instructed (1-3) The Worship of the Lamb Invited (4-5)

The Wrath of the Lamb Invoked (6-19) The Reign of the Lamb Instituted (20) The Wife of the Lamb Introduced (21-22)

Part One: The Witnesses of the Lamb Instructed (1-3) I. The Servant of God (1:1-10). John, the beloved apos¬ tle, receives and transmits a special message. A. The source of the message (1:1). 1. given by the Father to the Son 2. given by the Son to an angel (possibly Gabri¬ el or Michael) 3. given by the angel to the apostle B. The promise of the message (1:3). "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein." This is the first of seven beatitudes in Revela¬ tion. See also: 1. 14:13—"Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord." 2. 16:15—"Blessed is he that watcheth." 3. 19:9—"Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb." 4. 20:6—"Blessed ... is he that hath part in the first resurrection." 5. 22:7—"Blessed is he that keepeth the sayings ... of this book." 6. 22:14—"Blessed are they that do his com¬ mandments." C. The reason for the message (1:3). "For the time is at hand." Here the word is not chronos (regular word for clock-time) but kairos, referring to a fixed season. This "fixed season" is that described by Daniel in 9:24-27. Someday a group of Jews will be able to rightly conclude by comparing both Daniel and Revelation, that this "fixed, determined season" is indeed at their very doorsteps. In addition to this, God is desirous to "shew unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass" (as God records time). See 2 Peter 3:9; Romans 16:20 (1:1). The word "shortly" can also mean rapidly. Note the following verses which reveal God's de¬ sire to lift back the curtain of the future for his saints. 1. "Surely the Lord God will do nothing but he revealeth his secret unto his servants" (Amos 3:7). 2. "But there is a God in heaven that revealeth his secrets" (Dan. 2:28). 3. "1 thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hath re¬ vealed them unto babes" (Mt. 11:25). 4. "Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God" (Lk. 8:10). D. The recipients of the message (1:4). "To the seven churches which are in Asia." E. The theme of the message. The person and work of Jesus Christ. 1. His past work—redemption. "Unto him that loved us [literally, 'keeps on loving us'], and washed us [literally, 'once-for-all washed us'] from our sins in his own blood" (1:5).

538

REVELATION~

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2. His present work—sanctification. "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father" (1:6). 3. His future work—glorification. "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him" (1:7; see also Dan. 7:13, 14; Mt. 24:30; Acts 1:9). F. The doxology of the message (1:6). "To him be glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen." This is the first of four grand doxologies in Revelation. John presents these in chronological order, from the simple to the sublime. These are: 1. 4:11—"Glory and honour and power." 2. 5:13—"Blessing and honour and glory and power." 3. 7:12—"Blessing and glory and wisdom and thanksgiving, and honour, and power, and might." G. The location of the message (1:9). "I John, who also am your brother, and com¬ panion in tribulation, and in the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ, was in the isle that is called Patmos, for the word of God, and for the testimony of Jesus Christ." John now explains why he was on this isle. He was exiled there from about a.d. 86 to 96. Patmos was a rugged, volcanic island off the coast of Asia Minor. It was about ten miles long and six miles wide. He was probably put there by the Roman Emperor Domitian. Domitian was the brother of Titus (who destroyed the city of Jerusalem). Thus God allowed one pagan to destroy his earthly city, but would use his brother to allow the heav¬ enly new Jerusalem to first be described to man. Marvelous and mysterious indeed are the work¬ ings of grace! John speaks of being in tribulation. There were at least four reasons why Rome persecuted Christians: 1. For political purposes. The Christian took no part in the pantheon (worship of many gods). In fact, Christians were regarded as atheists, for they worshiped no visible God. 2. For economic purposes. No money or sacri¬ fices were forthcoming from believers to Ro¬ man idols. 3. For "moral" purposes. Christians were often looked upon as cannibals, for did they not secretly "eat the flesh and drink the blood" of their religious founder? 4. For scapegoat purposes. Nero attempted to blame various state problems upon the Christians living in Rome. H. The time of the message (1:10). "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day" (see also 4:2; 17:3; 21:10). This doubtless was on a Sunday (see Mt. 28:1; Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:1, 2). I. The mode of the message (1:10). "And heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet." The trumpet call is heard many more times in this book (see 4:1; 8:2, 7, 8, 10,12; 9:1,13; 11:15).

539

II. The Son of God (1:11-20). A. His declaration (1:11): "Saying I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and. What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia; unto Ephesus and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea." B. His description (1:12-16): 1. He was holding seven stars and seven golden lampstands. 2. He was clothed in a full-length robe. 3. His chest was circled with a golden band. 4. His head and hair were as white as wool or snow. 5. His eyes were as flames of fire (Heb. 4:13). 6. His feet gleamed like burnished bronze. 7. His voice was as the sound of many waters (Ps. 29:3-9). 8. He held a sharp double-edged sword in his mouth (Heb. 4:12). 9. His face was as the sun shining in its full strength (Mt. 17:2). C. His deliverance (1:17, 18): "And when I saw him, I fell at his feet as dead. And he laid his right hand upon me, saying unto me. Fear not; I am the first and the last: I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death." The effect of this dazzling sight upon John was nothing less than paralyzing. John had once walked with Christ for three years. He had wit¬ nessed his miracles and heard his sermons. He had leaned upon his breast in the upper room and watched him die on the cross. Finally he had rejoiced in his resurrection and viewed his ascen¬ sion. But that had all happened some sixty years before. Now, he sees the resplendent Redeemer in all his blinding brightness and drops at his feet as a dead dog. John became as an insect in the fiery furnace of the sun. But John's loving Lord quickly performed that tender task the apostle had so often seen him do. He reached out and touched the one in need. Compare Revelation 1:17 with the following Gospel accounts: 1. Matthew 8:14, 15: "And when Jesus was come into Peter's house, he saw his wife's mother laid, and sick of a fever. And he touched her hand, and the fever left her." 2. Matthew 9:27-29: "Two blind men followed him saying and crying. Thou Son of David, have mercy on us . . . then touched he their eyes . . . and their eyes were opened." 3. Matthew 17:7: "And Jesus came and touched them [Peter, James, and John, who became terrified after watching his transfiguration on a mountain] and said. Arise, and be not afraid." 4. John 9:6: "He spat on the ground and anointed the eyes of the blind man." 5. Luke 5:12,13: "And it came to pass when he was in a certain city, behold a man full of leprosy: who seeing Jesus fell on his face and besought him saying. Lord, if thou wilt, thou

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

canst make me clean. And he put forth his hand and touched him." 6. Luke 7:14: "And he came and touched the bier [of the widow's dead son in NainJ . . . and said. Young man, I say unto thee, arise." 7. Luke 22:51: "And he touched his ear [of one of his enemies whom Peter had wounded in the garden] and healed him." Jesus assures John that "I am alive!" The real symbol of Christianity is not the cross, but the empty tomb. History relates the account of Julian the apostate, a nephew of the Roman Caesar Constantine. Julian was reared in a Christian home. But in his youth he renounced his faith and embraced paganism. When he became Em¬ peror in a.d. 361, he sought to blot out Christian¬ ity. In the days of his cruel reign, one of his cronies said to a humble Christian, "And your Jesus—what is your carpenter of Nazareth doing now?" The Spirit-filled believer quietly replied, "He is building a coffin for your emperor!" In 363, after he had reigned but two years, Julian died on the battlefield, facing a Persian army. One of the most famous incidents of history then followed. As they carried the Emperor off the field and as he lay dying, he lifted up his dimming eyes to heaven and, with a bloody gasp, cried out, "O Galilean, thou hast conquered at last!" Jesus furthermore assures John that, "I have the keys of hell and of death." There are five keys mentioned in the New Testament and our Lord carries them all. The other four are: the keys to the kingdom (Mt. 16:19) the key of knowledge (Lk. 11:52) the key to the throne of David (Rev. 3:7) the key to the bottomless pit (Rev. 9:1; 20:1) D. His definition (1:19, 20): Jesus now interprets to John the meaning of the seven stars and lampstands the apostle sees him holding.

1. The seven stars were the angels of the seven churches. J. Vernon McGee writes:

The book of

"Angels can be either human or divine— the word here is messenger. It could refer to a member of the angelic host of heaven; it could refer to a ruler or teacher of the congregation. Personally, I think that it refers to the local pastors. It is good to hear a pastor being called an angel— sometimes we are called other things!" (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 17) 2. The seven lampstands were seven specific churches. Upon hearing this, John could un¬ derstand why he saw Christ dressed the way he was. He is now appearing as our great High Priest. The golden lampstands speak of his present work in heaven in maintaining the lights. Aaron lighted the lamps in the tabernacle, put them out with snuffers, filled them with oil, and trimmed the wicks. Christ now does this with his present lights, which are the local churches. III. The Churches of God (2-3). At the time Revelation was written (around a.d. 95-100) there may have ex¬ isted well over 100 separate and independent local churches in the world. Paul had, of course, personally planted dozens of churches by himself. Other apos¬ tles would doubtless have done the same thing. But out of the many, Christ chose seven representative churches and addressed himself to these. It has been suggested that the listing of these seven appears in the sacred record to accomplish at least the following purposes: A. The contemporary purpose: That Christ had a direct message to seven literal churches existing at that time. B. The composite purpose: That these messages are meant to be applied by all churches existing in all ages. C. The chronological purpose: That the characteris¬ tics of these churches serve as a prophetical pre¬ view of the seven great periods in Christendom from Pentecost to the rapture. A suggested out-

Revelation

PARTONE

Witnesses

of the Lamb Instructed The Servant of God (Rev. i :i-io)

The Son of God (Rev. 1:11-20)

John receives a special message on the Isle of Patmos THE SOURCE OF THE MESSAGE (1:1) THE PROMISE OF THE MESSAGE (1:3) THE REASON FOR THE MESSAGE (1:3) THE RECIPIENTS OF THE MESSAGE (1:4) THE THEME OF THE MESSAGE (1:5) THE DOXOLOGY OF THE MESSAGE (1:6) THE LOCATION OF THE MESSAGE (1:9) THE TIME OF THE MESSAGE (1:10) THE MODE OF THE MESSAGE (1:10)

• HIS DECLARATION (1:11) • HIS DESCRIPTION (1:12-16) • HIS DELIVERANCE (1:17, 18) • HIS DEFINITION (1:19, 20)

The Churches of God (Rev. 2:1—3:22) EPHESUS (2:1-7) SMYRNA (2:8-11) PERGAMOS (2:12-17) THYATIRA (2:18-29)

540

SARDIS (3:1-6) PHILADELPHIA (3:7-13) LAODICEA (3:14-22)

REVELATION~

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line of this predictive panorama may be seen as follows: 1. Ephesus (a.d. 30-300)—name means "desir¬ able." The Apostolic Church. 2. Smyrna (100-313)—name means "myrrh." The Martyr Church. 3. Pergamos (314-590)—name means "mar¬ riage." The Compromising Church. 4. Thyatira (590-1517)—name means "contin¬ ual sacrifice." The Roman Catholic Church. 5. Sardis (1517-1700)—name means "rem¬ nant." The Reformation Church. 6. Philadelphia (1700-1900)—name means "brotherly love." The Revival Church. 7. Laodicea (1900—rapture)—name means "people's rights." The Worldly Church. In Revelation 2 and 3, the Savior speaks his mind to his churches. It is therefore in these chapters (and not in Mt. 28 or Acts 1) that the final words of Christ to the church are recorded. We now consider each of the seven. 1. The church at Ephesus (2:1-7). a. The City. J. Vernon McGee describes Ephesus for us: "Ephesus was the chief city of the province of Asia. It was called 'the Vanity Fair of Asia.' It was both the religious and commercial center of that entire area which influenced both east and west—Europe and Asia. The temple of Diana was there, which was one of the seven wonders of the ancient world, being the largest Greek temple ever constructed (418 feet by 240 feet). There were over 100 external columns about 56 feet in height, of which 36 were hand-carved. It was built over a marsh on an artifi¬ cial foundation of skins and charcoal so that it was not affected by earth¬ quakes. The doors were of cypress wood; columns and walls were of Par¬ ian marble; the staircase was carved out of one vine from Cyprus. The temple served as the bank of Asia and was the depository of vast sums of money. It was an art gallery displaying the masterpieces. . . . Behind a purple curtain was the lewd and crude image of Diana, the goddess of fertility. She was many-breasted, carried a club in one hand and a trident in the other" (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 19) Ephesus was a large city with a popula¬ tion of 225,000 and possessed a huge har¬ bor. b. The Counselor (what Jesus says about himself). c. The commendation (the good things about the church): He begins by making a statement that will be repeated to every one of the seven churches. The statement is, "I know thy works" (2:2, 9,13,19; 3:1, 8, 15). (1) It was an evangelistic church.

541

(2) It was a patient church (unlike the Christians Peter wrote to; see 2 Pet. 1:6). (3) It was a separated church (unlike the Corinthian church (see 1 Cor. 5). (4) It was an orthodox church. (5) It was a persecuted but persistent church (unlike the Christians in the book of Hebrews; see Heb. 12:1-15). (6) It was a democratic church. "Thou hatest the deeds of the Nicolaitans, which I also hate" (2:6). This word comes from two Greek words, nikao, meaning "to conquer" and laos, meaning "people." Many believe John was speaking here to the grow¬ ing distinction between clergy and laity. d. The condemnation: "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (2:4). It is tragically possible to be so busy working for Christ that one neglects Christ. God did not create Adam to evan¬ gelize the world with the gospel, or to build the largest Sunday school in Eden (as important as these may be), but to fellowship with his Creator. e. The counsel: They were to do three things. (1) Remember. Their heads were to be given over to Christ. (2) Repent. Their hearts were to be given over to Christ. (3) Repeat. Their hands were to be given over to Christ. Unless this was done, fearful results would tran¬ spire. "I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candle¬ stick out of his place" (2:5). The child of God need never pray the words of Psalm 51:11, "Cast me not away from thy presence, and take not thy holy spirit from me." However, every Bible-believing local church should often repeat these words. There is absolutely no eter¬ nal security for any local church pre¬ sented in the Bible. A believer can never fall from grace, but his church can. History records the sad fact that Christ did indeed later remove the lampstand of the church in Ephesus. It has been gone for centuries, smothered by the Moslems. There is today no local church within miles of Ephesus. f. The challenge: Just as he began by a statement he would repeat to the remain¬ ing churches, our Lord ends in similar fashion. Here two statements are made. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). To Ephesus, the challenge is:

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

"To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (2:7). This tree, once given to Adam, disap¬ pears after his sin (Gen. 3:24). Here (Rev. 2:7) it is mentioned again for the first time. (See also Rev. 22:2, 14.) The definition and method of over¬ coming is given in 1 John 5:4, 5. g. The church period (a.d. 30-100). This pe¬ riod saw the writing of the entire New Testament and an attempt to evangelize the known Roman world. The heroes of this period would include the apostles Paul, Jude, James, Luke, etc. 2. The church at Smyrna (2:8-11). a. The city (1) It was some forty miles north of Ephesus. (2) It was a splendid city of rare beauty on a fine bay. (3) It was on a direct trade route from India and Persia to Rome. (4) It was celebrated for its schools of science and medicine, for its hand¬ some buildings, and wide paved streets. (5) The temple of Bacchus, god of wine, was there. (6) Many apostate Jews lived here. (7) It was the traditional birthplace of Homer. b. The Counselor: "These things saith the first and the last, which was dead and is alive" (2:8). c. The commendation: (1) They had suffered poverty for Christ (but God saw them as rich). Many believers doubtless belonged to the various city labor guilds of that day prior to their conversion. But be¬ cause of their newfound faith they apparently had lost the right to guilds. Many may have gone bank¬ rupt. (See also Mt. 6:20; 2 Cor. 6:10.) (2) They had suffered persecution for Christ (but God promised them a re¬ ward). Dr. Charles Ryrie writes: "The instigators of the persecu¬ tion were apostate Jews who were in reality instruments of Sa¬ tan. At the martyrdom of Poly¬ carp (disciple of John the Apostle) in 168, these Jews ea¬ gerly assisted by gathering on the Sabbath wood and fagots for the fire in which he was burned" (Revelation, p. 23). (See also Rom. 2:28, 29; Jn. 8:44; Rev. 3:9.) Jesus warns his church that they would have "tribulation ten days" (2:10). He may have referred to an actual ten-day period of fearful blood-letting. Or he might have meant the ten intensive periods of persecution by ten Roman Emper¬

542

ors. These periods will be listed un¬ der letter g. It has been estimated that at least five million saints were martyred during this period. This would be over one hundred million, in proportion to today's world popu¬ lation. d. The condemnation: None given. e. The counsel: (1) Be fearless. (2) Be faithful. f. The challenge—twofold: (1) "I will give thee a crown of life" (2:10; see also Jas. 1:12). (2) "He . . . shall not be hurt of the sec¬ ond death" (2:11). g. The church period (100-313). (1) The ten Roman persecutions during this era: (a) Nero (64-68)—killed Peter and Paul. (b) Domitian (81-96)—thought Christianity was atheistic. Killed thousands of believers. Banished John to Patmos. (c) Trajan (98-117)—was the first to pass laws against Christian¬ ity. Burned Ignatius at stake. (d) Pius (137-161)—killed Poly¬ carp, disciple of John. (e) Marcus Aurelius (161-180)— thought Christianity an absurd superstition. Beheaded the great writer and defender of the faith, Justin Martyr. (f) Severus (193-211)—killed Origen's father. (g) Thracian (235-238)—brutal barbarian. Commanded all Christian leaders to die. (h) Decius (249-251)—determined to exterminate Christianity. (i) Valerian (253-260)—killed Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage. (j) Diocletian (284-305)—last and most severe persecution. For ten years believers were hunted in caves and forests. They were burned, thrown to wild beasts, and put to death by every tor¬ ture cruelty could devise. But Diocletian's own wife and daughter accepted Christ. (2) Some champions during this period would include: (a) Justin Martyr (100-167), early defender of Christianity. He died for Christ at Rome. (b) Irenaeus (130-200), a pupil of Polycarp (John's disciple). (c) Tertullian (160-220), Bishop of Carthage and defender of Christianity. (d) Eusebius (264-340), the founder of church history. 3. The church at Pergamos (2:12-17). a. The city.

REVELATION~

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(1) It was the political capital city of Asia, some seventy-five miles north of Ephesus. (2) It boasted one of the finest libraries of antiquity which contained some 200,000 volumes. This library was later given by Mark Antony to Cleo¬ patra. (3) It was in this city that parchment was first used. b. The Counselor: "These things saith he which hath the sharp sword with the two edges" (2:12). c. The commendation: They had kept the faith, even though living in the very city Satan had chosen as his temporary head¬ quarters. For centuries the devil had car¬ ried on his empire from Babylon. (See Gen. 11:1-9; Dan. 5.) But when that na¬ tion fell he apparently transferred it (at least for awhile) to Pergamos. The city worshiped, among other objects, a living serpent. Satan will later move his capital back to Babylon (Rev. 17, 18). Many in Pergamos had been martyred for their faith. One is mentioned here, Antipas by name. His name never ap¬ pears in any other historical record. But God knew all about this anonymous humble believer who lived and died for Christ some twenty centuries ago. (See Jn. 10:3; 2 Tim. 2:19.) d. The condemnation: "But I have a few things against thee" (2:14). (1) Some were practicing the doctrine of Balaam. Balaam was a false Old Tes¬ tament prophet who attempted to put a curse on the nation Israel (Num. 22:1—25:9). The New Testa¬ ment refers to his doctrine, his error and his way. (a) His way (2 Pet. 2:15)—his way was his covetousness. Balaam's services could be readily bought. (b) His error (Jude 1:11)—he wrongly supposed a holy God would be forced to curse sinful Israel. (c) His doctrine (Rev. 2:14)—he rightly concluded that if you can't curse them, then corrupt them through immorality and idolatry. (2) Some were practicing the doctrine of the Nicolaitans (2:15). This philoso¬ phy had already been condemned by Christ in the church at Ephesus (2:6). However, we see that what was once deeds in the first church had now become hardened into doc¬ trine.

e. The counsel: "Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (2:16).

543

f. The challenge: "To him that overcometh will I give. . . ." (1) Hidden manna to eat. This speaks of special fellowship with Christ. (See Jn. 6:32-35; Heb. 9:4.) (2) A white stone with a new name written within. Charles Ryrie writes: "The meaning of the white stone with the new name written is de¬ rived from either one or both of two customs of the day. The first was that of judges who deter¬ mined a verdict by placing in an urn a white and black pebble. If the white one came out it meant acquittal; thus the white stone would mean the assurance that there is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus. The other custom was the wear¬ ing of amulets, a good luck charm worn around the neck. If this is the reference, then the stone is the Lord's way of re¬ minding the people that they had Him and needed no other thing." (Revelation, p. 25) g. The church period (315-590). (1) One of the key individuals during this period was a soldier named Constantine. He was made Emperor in 306 by his dying father and the Roman troops. Upon coming to power in the East, he was immedi¬ ately faced with destruction by the Western Emperor named Maxentius. Constantine realized his uneasy troops must be strengthened, and thus claimed to have seen in a dream the image of the cross and to have heard a voice saying, "By this sign, conquer!" Thus inspired, he led his men to victory, defeating his enemy at the famous battle of Milvian Bridge, just outside Rome. In 313 he signed the Edict of Tol¬ eration, which granted freedom to Christians. It then became fashion¬ able to join the church. He promised gold pieces and white robes to all converts. Soon pagans had joined the church by the thousands, taking with them their heathen practices. The church then became so worldly and the world so churchy that no difference could be seen. Loraine Boettner lists the following unscriptural doctrines which were intro¬ duced during this general time period: (a) making prayers for the dead (300) (b) making the sign of the cross (300) (c) the worship of saints and angels (375)

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

(d) institution of the mass (394) (e) worship of Mary (431) (f) doctrine of extreme unction (526) (g) doctrine of purgatory (593) (2) Some champions during this time would include: (a) John Chrysostom (347-407), the greatest preacher of his day. (b) Jerome (340-420), the scholar who translated the Bible into Latin. (c) Augustine (354-430), one of the greatest theologians of all time. 4. The church at Thyatira (2:18-29). a. The city (1) It was thirty-five miles southeast of Pergamos. (2) The city may have been founded by Alexander the Great around 300 b.c. (3) It was a union city, and headquar¬ ters for the trade guilds, such as tan¬ ners, potters, weavers, dyers, and robe-makers. (4) Lydia, the first convert of Paul in Europe (Acts 16:14), was a native of this city. Today it has a population of 25,000. b. The Counselor: "These things saith the Son of God, who hath his eyes like unto a flame of fire, and his feet are like fine brass" (2:18). c. The commendation: Fivefold. (1) goods works (the last was better than the first) (2) love (3) service (faithfulness) (4) faith (5) patience d. The condemnation: "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee" (2:20). God's main objection with this church centered in the fact that they were allow¬ ing the ministry of a false prophetess aptly named Jezebel. (1) Her Old Testament counterpart. This Jezebel was the pagan murder¬ ous wife of King Ahab (1 Ki. 16:28—19:21; 21:1-29; 2 Ki. 9:22-37). (2) Her sin in the church: (a) She was teaching men, which is forbidden (see 1 Tim. 2:12-14). (b) She was teaching immorality and idolatry. (c) She was totally unrepentant. (3) Her punishment: (a) Her followers will go through the great tribulation and be¬ come false churches in Revela¬ tion 17. (b) Her children (followers) will suffer the second death at the great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).

544

(c) She would serve as an example to other churches concerning the wrath of God. (See also Acts 5:11-13; 1 Tim. 5:22.) e. The counsel: "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden. But that which ye have already hold fast till I come" (2:24, 25). We note the phrase, "the depths of Satan." The devil, like the Lord, has his systematic doctrinal textbooks. (See 1 Tim. 4:1.) f. The challenge: "And he that overcometh, and keepeth my works unto the end, to him will I give power over the nations: And he shall rule them with a rod of iron; as the vessels of a potter shall they be broken to shivers: even as I received of my Father. And I will give him the morning star" (2:26-28). (See also Ps. 2:9; Rev. 22:16.) g. The church period (590-1517). As we have previously noted, the name "Thya¬ tira" means "continual sacrifice," and may refer in general to the Roman Catholic Church. Note the following items: (1) A study of the papacy: The word "pope" means "father." At first it was applied to all Western bishops. About a.d. 500, it began to be re¬ stricted to the bishop of Rome. The idea that the Roman bishop should have authority over all the church was a slow growth, bitterly con¬ tested at every step. Power was evenly distributed in five main areas for the first four centuries: Rome, Constantinople, Antioch, Jerusalem, and Alexandria. Leo I (440-461). He was the fore¬ runner of future popes, and bishop of Rome. He gained great popularity by twice saving the city, once from Atilla the Hun, and later from Geneseric the Vandal. Gregory I (590-694). He was the first real pope. He consolidated Christendom after the fall of Rome in 476, and was basically a good man. (2) Some evil popes: (a) Sergius III (904-911). He lived with a notorious harlot, Marozia, and they raised their illegit¬ imate children to become popes and cardinals. (b) Benedict IX (1033-1045). He was made pope as a boy of twelve. He committed murders and adulteries in broad daylight and robbed graves. Finally the enraged people of Rome drove him out of the city.

REVELATION~

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(c) Gregory VI (1046). He was one of three rivals for the throne at this time. Benedict IX and Syl¬ vester III both laid claim to it with him. Rome swarmed with hired assassins, as each pope was trying to cut the throat of the other. Finally, Emperor Henry III stepped in, kicked all three out, and appointed his own pope, Clement II. (d) Innocent III (1198-1216). He was the most powerful of all popes. He condemned Eng¬ land's Magna Carta, and for¬ bade Bible reading. (5) Some champions during this period would include: (a) John Wycliffe (1320-1384). He was the first to translate the en¬ tire Bible into English. (b) John Huss (1369-1415), a fear¬ less preacher who honored the Bible above the church. He was burned at the stake by the pope. (c) William Tyndale (1484-1536). In 1525 he printed (Wycliffe had written) the first copy of the New Testament in English ever produced. (d) Erasmus (1466-1536). Great student of the Greek New Tes¬ tament. 5. The church at Sardis (3:1-6). a. The city: (1) It was thirty miles south of Thyatira and the capital of Lydia. (2) The city was thought to be impreg¬ nable, but Cyrus the Great captured it by following a secret path up the cliff. (3) Coins were first minted here. (4) It was noted for its great wealth, the chief of which was its flourishing carpet industry. b. The Counselor: "These things saith he that hath the seven spirits of God, and the seven stars" (3:1). c. The commendation: "Thou hast a few names even in Sardis which have not de¬ filed their garments: and they shall walk with me in white: for they are worthy" (3:4). God always has his remnant in every church and church age (see 1 Ki. 19:10, 18; Rom. 11:5). d. The condemnation: "Thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead" (3:1). J. Vernon McGee writes: "This is a picture of Protestantism. The great truths which were recov¬ ered in the Reformation have been surrendered by a compromising church. Although the great denomi¬ nations and churches still repeat by

545

rote the creeds of the church; in mind, heart and life they have repudiated them. Imposing programs, elaborate rituals, and multiplication of organiza¬ tions have been substituted for the Word of God and real spiritual life. There is activity, but no actions, mo¬ tion without movement, promotion without progress, and program with¬ out power. Although the outward form remains, the living creature has vacated the shell." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 28) The word to Sardis proves that the Reformation was not a restoration to the New Testament ideal church. e. The counsel: "Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If there¬ fore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (3:2, 3). f. The challenge: Here the challenge is two¬ fold to all overcomers: (1) His name would remain in the Book of Life. Often this book is referred to in both Old and New Testament (Ex. 32:32; Dan. 12:1; Ps. 69:28; Lk. 10:20; Phil. 4:3; Heb. 12:23; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19). Whatever else may be involved here, these verses do not teach that a saved person can ever be lost! In fact, quite the opposite, for many prove one cannot be lost because each saved person's name is written in this book. (See especially Dan. 12:1; Lk. 10:20; Rev. 13:8; 17:8; 21:27.) (2) His name would be confessed by Jesus before the Father (Lk. 12:8, 9). g. The church period (1517-1700). Some champions during this period would in¬ clude: (1) Martin Luther (1483-1546)—one of the greatest men of all time, founder of Protestantism. He received a law degree, then decided to enter priest¬ hood. After three miserable years, he finally found the peace of mind he had been looking for in Romans 1:17: "The just shall live by faith." In 1508 he became a teacher in the University of Wittenberg. It was in this city, on October 31, 1517, that Luther posted his ninety-five theses on the church door, attacking the sale of indulgences. Printed copies were eagerly awaited all over Ger¬ many. It proved to be the spark that set Europe aflame. At the Diet of Worms in 1521, Luther refused to be bullied into recanting, uttering

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

his famous sentence, "Here I stand; I can do naught else, so help me God!" Luther's three grand gifts to us are: (a) The universal priesthood of be¬ lievers. (b) The Bible is the sole authority for the Christian faith. (c) Justification is by faith alone, and not by works. (2) Zwingli (1484-1531)—the great co¬ laborer with Luther. (3) John Calvin (1509-1564)—one of the greatest theologians of the Christian faith. His five points of doctrine (TULIP) are: (a) Total depravity of man. (b) Unconditional election of man by God. (c) Limited atonement (Christ died only for believers). (d) Irresistible grace. (e) Perseverance of the saints (eter¬ nal security). Many Christians, of course, do not accept all five of these points of theology. (4) John Knox (1515-1572)—he singlehandedly swept Romanism out of Scotland. (5) Roger Williams (1604-1684). He came to the Massachusetts Bay Col¬ ony in 1631. After being banished he went to Providence, Rhode Is¬ land. There he founded the first Baptist church in America. 6. The church at Philadelphia (3:7-13). a. The city (1) It was built as a center of Greek cul¬ ture around 200 b.c. (2) It is located some thirty miles south¬ east of Sardis. (3) Philadelphia was celebrated for its excellent wine. (4) The city had a heavy Jewish popula¬ tion. (5) It was destroyed by an earthquake in a.d. 17, but soon rebuilt by Tibe¬ rius Caesar. b. The Counselor: "I know thy works: be¬ hold, I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it: for thou hast a little strength and hast kept my word, and hast not denied my name" (3:8). J. Vernon McGee writes the following concerning Christ's description here: "Christ reminds them that He is holy—holy at His birth (Lk. 1:35), holy at His death (Acts 2:27), and holy in His present priestly office (Heb. 7:26). He is likewise true (Jn. 1:9; 14:6; 15:1). 'True' means genuine with an added note of perfection and com¬ pleteness. Moses did not give the true bread. See John 6:32-35. He also has the Key of David (see Isa. 22:22). This is different from the keys of hades

546

and death (1:18). This speaks of His regal claims as the Ruler of this uni¬ verse (Lk. 1:32). He will sit on the throne of David in the Millennium, but today He is sovereign." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 31) c. The commendation: The church at Phila¬ delphia hears two of the most blessed and precious things which could ever be said about a local church. (1) You openly confess to the inspira¬ tion of the Word of God. (2) You openly confess to the incarna¬ tion of the Son of God. d. The condemnation: None given. e. The counsel: "Behold, I come quickly: hold that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown" (3:11). f. The challenge: (1) "I have set before thee an open door, and no man can shut it" (3:8). This is the first of four special doors in Revelation. These are: (a) The door of service (3:8). (See also Acts 14:27; 1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3.) (b) The door of the human hearts (Rev. 3:20). (c) The door of rapture (4:1). (d) The door of the Second Coming (19:11). (2) I will subdue your enemies (3:9; see also Phil. 2:10, 11). (3) I will keep you from the hour of temptation (3:10). (4) I will make you a pillar in the tem¬ ple of my God (3:12). g. The church period (1700-1900). Champi¬ ons of this period would include: (1) Jonathan Edwards (1703-1758), one of America's greatest preachers and theologians. His sermon "Sinners in the Hands of an Angry God" is a masterpiece. (2) John Wesley (1703-1791), the founder of the Methodist Church and one of England's greatest sons of all time. (3) George Whitefield (1714-1770), looked upon as perhaps the greatest public preacher since Simon Peter. He helped to organize the Presbyte¬ rian church. (4) William Carey (1761-1834), great missionary to Burma. (5) Adoniram Judson (1788-1850), mis¬ sionary to China. (6) David Livingstone (1813-1873), mis¬ sionary to Africa. (7) D. L. Moody (1837-1899), world-fa¬ mous evangelist. 7. The church at Laodicea (3:14-22). a. The city: (1) "These seven churches lie within a great arc beginning with Ephesus, swinging upward and eastward

REVELATION~

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through Smyrna and Pergamum and back down to Laodicea. Thus, this last city is about ninety miles due east of Ephesus and about forty-five miles southeast of Philadelphia. The name of the town means 'judgment of the people.' " (Revelation, C. Ryrie, p. 31) (2) This city was founded by Antiochus II and named after his wife. It was a very common name for women. (3) It was a banking center and pos¬ sessed immense wealth. (4) It was graced with resplendent tem¬ ples and theaters. (5) An excellent and well-known medi¬ cal school was built there. (6) The city was famous for its eye salve called cellyrium. (7) It was noted for the manufacture of rich garments of black glossy wool. (8) Several mineral streams were lo¬ cated nearby. b. The Counselor: "These things saith the Amen, the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God" (3:14). Here Christ describes himself as: (1) The faithful and true witness (a ref¬ erence to what he is). (2) The beginning of the creation of God (a reference to what he does). John Phillips writes: "He introduces Himself to Laodi¬ cea as 'the beginning of the cre¬ ation of God/ or as the margin of the American Standard Version puts it, 'the origin of the creation of God.' He it was who flung the stars into space, plowed out the basins of the sea, reared against the skyline of the world the

547

mighty Himalayan range. Not a blade of grass grows without His permission; not a speck of dust moves. He is the origin of the creation of God, the all-controlling one of the dynamic Christ." (Exploring Revelation, p. 89) c. The commendation: This church may be contrasted with the church at Philadel¬ phia. Concerning that one, Christ had no bad statement, but here at Laodicea he can find nothing good to say! d. The condemnation: (1) What they thought they were: "I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing" (3:17; see also Lk. 12:16-20). (2) What God said they were: (a) They were lukewarm in works. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm. . . . I will spew [Greek is emeo, 'to vomit'] thee out of my mouth" (3:15, 16). Charles Ryrie writes: "Near Laodicea were hot mineral springs whose water could be drunk only if very hot. When lukewarm it be¬ came nauseating." (Revela¬ tion, p. 31) According to his words here, Christ apparently has more re¬ spect for fiery hot fanaticism or for icy cold formalism than for lifeless and lame lukewarm¬ ness. (b) They were lacking in every¬ thing else.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

[1] [2] [3] [4]

They were wretched, They were miserable. They were poor. They were blind (see 2 Pet. 1:9). [5] They were naked. e. The counsel: They are to obtain from God three things so desperately needed: (1) Gold (faith) that they might be rich. (2) White raiment (works blessed by God), that they might be clothed. (3) Eye salve (forgiveness), that they might see. f. The challenge: (1) "As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten" (3:19; see Heb. 12:5-8). (2) "Behold, I stand at the door, and knock: if any man hear my voice and open the door, I will come in to him, and will sup with him, and he with me" (3:20). J. Vernon McGee writes: "His invitation is to the evening meal, the last call for dinner. It is an invitation to come to Him before the night of the Great tribulation." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 36) Millions of Christians have doubtless viewed Holman Hunt's fa¬ mous picture of Christ as the Light of the World. Here the artist has de¬ picted Jesus wearing a crown of thorns and standing outside a door which represents the human heart. This painting now hangs in Saint Paul's Cathedral in London. Phillips writes: "When it was first displayed, critics came to comment on the work. One of them turned to the painter and said, 'Mr. Hunt, you have painted a masterpiece, but you have made one very serious mistake. You have painted a door without a handle.' 'That is no mistake,' replied the artist. 'The handle is on the inside.' " (Explor¬ ing Revelation, p. 93). (3) "To him that overcometh will I grant to sit with me in my throne, even as I also overcame, and am set down with my Father in his throne" (3:21). g. The church age. Little comment is needed to describe the sad state of Chris¬ tendom as it exists today. Many groups which brazenly carry the name of Chris¬ tian seem to prefer Communism to de¬ mocracy, encourage immorality, support anarchy, downplay every important bib¬ lical doctrine, ridicule Bible believers and, in general, literally fulfill Paul's pre¬ diction when he wrote: "Having a form of godliness, but denying the power thereof" (2 Tim. 3:5). However, it must

548

be quickly added that a small (but pow¬ erful) and growing minority of individ¬ uals in local churches and schools are demonstrating a love for the Scriptures, the Savior, and the souls of men rarely seen in church history. These schools and churches are filled with people who have heard him knock and have gladly opened wide their doors.

Part Two: The Worship of the Lamb Invited (4-5) I. Introduction. John begins this new section with the words "after this" (4:1). The Greek phrase is meta tauta, "after these things." What things? The context would suggest that he refers to the rapture which occurs between chapters 3 and 4. The meta tauta phrase both opens and closes this verse in the origi¬ nal language. The church has been referred to some nineteen times in the first three chapters. It now com¬ pletely drops from the pages of the book until the end of the tribulation in Revelation 19. The only god¬ ly group Satan can find to torment during the tribula¬ tion is the nation Israel. Only two conclusions may be reached from these facts. A. The church has been wiped out, through perse¬ cution by Satan. This concept is, of course, to¬ tally unscriptural (see Mt. 16:18). B. The church has been taken out, through the rap¬ ture, by Christ. Various New Testament passages would strongly support this (see 1 Cor. 15:51; 1 Thess. 4:16). John now: 1. Sees a door (Jn. 10:9). 2. Hears a trumpet (1 Thess. 4:16). II. The Seven-Sealed Book. We now take you by way of the rapture into heaven itself to witness the crisis of a seven-sealed book. A. The initiation. John now becomes the second of two recorded human beings who are allowed a glimpse of that dazzling kingdom in the sky called heaven. 1. He sees the glory of the Father upon the throne (4:2, 3). Revelation is a throne book, the word being used forty-five times, as com¬ pared with only fifteen other occurrences of the word in the entire New Testament. John could distinguish no form or give no description of the awesome One upon this throne, save to say, "He that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone" (4:3). Here the jasper, a white stone, and the sar¬ dine, a fiery red stone, may refer to God's two basic characteristics, his glory and his grace. These were also the first and last stones among the twelve that the Old Testa¬ ment high priest bore upon his breastplate. These stones represented the twelve tribes of Israel, arranged according to the births of the twelve sons of Jacob (Ex. 28). Reuben was the first tribe, which name meant "Behold a son," and Benjamin was the last, meaning, "Son of my right hand." This may be God's way of reminding all creatures throughout all eternity of:

REVELATION~

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PART TWO

Worship of the Lamb Invited

(Rev. 4-5)

The initiation (Rev. 4:1-11) John sees the Father (4:1-3)

The lamentation (Rev. 5:4)

John sees the twenty-four elders (4:4, 5) John sees the four living creatures (4:6-11)

The manifestation (Rev. 5:5-7)

"And I wept much The sovereign Lion (and bleeding Lamb) is able

The proclamation (Rev. 5:1,2)

The adoration (Rev. 5:8-14)

"Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?"

"Worthy is the lamb!" (5:12)

The investigation (Rev. 5:3) "No man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth was able....”

takes us to the temple built by Solomon after the model of the tabernacle. 'And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from one brim to the other; it was round all about, and its height was five cubits' (1 Ki. 7:23). This great basin, fifteen feet in diameter, was supported on the backs of twelve oxen of brass, facing outward. Here the priests came for their cleansing. Each time before they entered the holy place they stopped for the cleansing ceremony. But thank God the laver will be turned to crystal. The day will come when none of the saints will ever need confession! One of the greatest joys in the anticipa¬ tion of Heaven is that the laver is of crys¬ tal. I shall never have to go to the Heavenly Father again to tell Him I have sinned. I shall never have to meet that gaze of Christ that caused Peter to go out and weep bitterly. The laver is of crystal only because I and all the saints of the ages will have been made like unto the Lord Jesus Christ." (Revelation, an Expository Commentary, p. 94) 7. He sees and hears the testimony of four spe¬ cial angelic creatures (4:6-8). The Greek for "wild beast" is therion. But here the word used is zoa (root word for zoology), meaning "living creatures."

a. The incarnation of Christ (his humanity) via the jasper stone, Reuben ("Behold a son"). b. The exaltation of Christ (his deity) via the sardine stone, Benjamin ("Son of my right hand").

2. He sees a beautiful green rainbow around the throne (4:3). 3. He sees twenty-four elders with golden crowns (4:4). These twenty-four may consist of a special representative body of both Old Testament and New Testament saints (1 Chron. 24:3-5, 18; Lk. 1:5-9; Rev. 21:12-14). The Greek tells us they are all wearing Stephanos crowns (martyr crowns) rather than diadems (monarch crowns). Thus they must be human beings rather than an¬ gels. Daniel saw these thrones being set up (not, "cast down"; see Dan. 7:9), but they were empty in his day. John sees them occu¬ pied now. 4. He hears lightnings and thunderings, which means that the awful storm of the great tribulation is about to unleash its fury (4:5). In the Old Testament at Mt. Sinai God thun¬ dered when he gave men his law. Now he does the same when he prepares to judge men for breaking that law. 5. He sees "seven lamps of fire burning before the throne, which are the seven spirits of God" (4:5). Several suggestions have been of¬ fered to explain this verse:

a. Who are these four living creatures? J. Vernon McGee writes:

a. It refers to the earthly ministry of Christ as prophesied in Isaiah 11:1-3. b. It refers to the sevenfold ministry of the Holy Spirit (restraining, convicting, re¬ generating, sealing, baptizing, indwelling, filling). c. It refers to the seven angels of judgment

later spoken of in Revelation 8:1-6. 6. He sees a crystal sea of glass (Rev. 4:6). Dr. Donald Barnhouse has written concerning this sea: "Before the throne there was a glassy sea, like crystal. The concordance immediately

549

"These creatures, of the highest intel¬ ligence, are in God's presence. They resemble the Cherubim of Ezekiel 1:5-10; 10:20 and the seraphim of Isa¬ iah 6:2, 3. Are they a new order of creatures in heaven that have not been revealed before in Scripture?" (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 43) b. What is their purpose? Perhaps to re¬ mind all creatures throughout all eternity of the blessed earthly and heavenly min¬ istry of Christ. This is suggested by their appearance:

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

(1) The first was like a lion. He commu¬ nicates the office of Christ as King— as seen in the Gospel of Matthew. (2) The second was like a calf. He com¬ municates the office of Christ as a servant—as seen in the Gospel of Luke. (3) The third was like a man. He com¬ municates the humanity of Christ— as seen in the Gospel of Luke. (4) The fourth was like an eagle. He communicates the deity of Christ— as seen in the Gospel of John. B. The proclamation. John sees these seven things and they fill him with awe and wonder. But now he witnesses an eighth event, which causes de¬ spair to flood his soul. The crisis of the sevensealed book is about to begin. "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice. Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" (5:1, 2). What is this book (really a rolled-up scroll), sealed so securely with seven seals? Whatever it contained, the scroll was extremely important, for history informs us that under Roman law all legal documents pertaining to life and death were to be sealed seven times. A number of theolo¬ gians believe that this is actually the legal title deed to the earth. Thus the angel's proclamation was, in effect, "Who is worthy to reclaim the earth's title deed? Who is able to pour out the seven-sealed judgment to purify this planet, and to usher in the long-awaited golden-age millen¬ nium?" Who indeed was worthy? (See also Jer. 32:6-16.) C. The investigation. "And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon" (5:3). Let us follow the angel as he begins his three¬ fold search. 1. The search in heaven. Was there any among the redeemed worthy to claim the earth's ti¬ tle deed? There was not. a. Adam originally possessed this title deed (Gen. 1:28, 29), but was cheated out of it by the devil (Gen. 3:1-19). b. Noah, the hero of the flood, subse¬ quently became the drunkard of the vineyard, thus disqualifying himself (Gen. 6-9). c. Abraham, the father of Israel, backslid and went to Egypt temporarily (Gen. 12). d. David, the man after God's own heart (1 Sam. 16:7), later broke God's heart through lust and murder (2 Sam. 11). e. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, in a moment of weakness doubted that same Messiah (Mt. 11:3). f. Peter, the "rock," denied his Lord in the hour of need (Mt. 26:70). g. Paul, perhaps the greatest Christian who ever lived, compromised his testimony (Acts 21).

550

2. The search on earth. Who could accomplish in the sinful environment of earth what no man could achieve even in the sinless envi¬ ronment of heaven? Preachers and priests might minister to the earth, and kings rule over sections of it, but claim it they could not! 3. The search under the earth (in Hades). If no saint or angel could purify this earth, then certainly no sinner or demon would, even if this were possible. D. The lamentation. "And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon" (5:4). Why did John weep? Perhaps because (among other things) he realized that the ultimate resur¬ rection and glorification of his own body was di¬ rectly connected with the removal of the curse placed upon this earth. (See Rom. 8:17-23.) This passage marks the final instance of a be¬ liever weeping. Sorrow, sufferings, and death have combined to carve out an ocean of human tears since Adam's tragic rebellion against God. 1. Abraham wept over Sarah's body (Gen. 23:2). 3. Israel weeps over slavery conditions in Egypt (Ex. 2:23; 3:7). 4. Moses weeps over Miriam's sin (Num. 12:13). 5. Joshua weeps over the defeat of Israel (Josh. 7:6-9). 6. Naomi weeps as she leaves Moab (Ruth 1:9). 7. Hannah weeps over her barrenness (1 Sam. 1:10). 8. Samuel weeps over the failure of Saul (1 Sam. 15:35). 9. David weeps over his great sin (Ps. 32:4; 51:17). 10. Tamar weeps after being ravished by Amnon (2 Sam. 13:19). 11. David weeps over the death of his rebellious son (2 Sam. 18:33). 12. Hezekiah weeps over the threat to Jerusalem (2 Chron. 32:20). 13. The Jewish captives weep en route to Baby¬ lon (Ps. 137:1). 14. Daniel weeps over Israel's sin (Dan. 10:2). 15. Nehemiah weeps over Jerusalem's broken walls (Neh. 1:4). 16. Mordecai weeps over Haman's murderous plot (Est. 4:1). 17. A mother weeps over her sick child (Mt. 15:22). 18. A father weeps over his demoniac son (Mk. 9:24). 19. A widow weeps over her dead son (Lk. 7:13). 20. Two sisters weep over their dead brother (Jn. 11:33). 21. The Savior weeps over Lazarus (Jn. 11:35) and Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41). But all this weeping will soon end when the rightful Ruler of this universe comes forth! E. The manifestation. "And one of the elders saith unto me. Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the

REVELATION~

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that her virgin-born son would inherit all the Old Testament promises as found in Genesis 49 and 2 Samuel 7 (Lk. 1:30-33). Thus John sees Christ as a Lamb, since he once came to redeem his people. This was his past work. John also sees him as a lion, for he shall come again to reign over his people. This will be his future work. The source of his claim to the earth's scepter is therefore related to his slain Lamb characteristics while the strength of his claim is due to his mighty Lion characteristics. F. The adoration. "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy to take the book and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thou¬ sands of thousands; saying with a loud voice. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing. And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying. Blessing, and honour, and glory, and power be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever and ever. And the four beasts said. Amen. And the four and twenty elders fell down and worshipped him that liveth for ever and ever" (5:8-14). 1. The source of this worship. It comes from all directions and includes every creature. a. the twenty-four elders b. the four living creatures c. uncounted angels d. all upon the earth e. all under the earth At this point it should be noted that John carefully separates the singing he heard from the saying (chanting). Of all the various groups involved, only the redeemed are de¬ scribed as singing. W. A. Criswell writes: "Always the redeemed sing. God's bloodwashed sing. God's children sing, but an¬ gels do not sing. Here is my conclusion. Music is made up of major chords and minor chords. The minor chords speak of the wretchedness, death and sorrow of this fallen creation. Most of nature moans and groans in a plaintive and minor key. The sound of the wind through the forest, the sound of the storm, the sound of the wind around the house, is always in a mi-

book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne" (Rev. 5:5-7). Phillips writes: "John turned to behold a Lion. But instead of a shaggy mane and gaping jaws and dreadful teeth, he saw—a Lamb! Was there ever a more dramatic moment in the history of the universe? The Lion was none other than the Lamb!" (Exploring Revelation, John Phillips, p. 106) Who is this heavenly Hero who so boldly re¬ moves the scroll from the Father's right hand? We need not speculate for one second about his identity, for he is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The proof is overwhelming. 1. He has the characteristics of a lamb. Our Lord is referred to as a Lamb twenty-nine times in the New Testament. In all but one instance (1 Pet. 1:19) it is the Apostle John who employs this title. Furthermore, a. It is a pet lamb. There are two words for "lamb" in the Greek New Testament. One is amnos (a lamb in general) and the other is arnion (a special household pet lamb). Here in Revelation 5:6 the second Greek word is used. (For a related Old Testament passage, see 2 Sam. 12:1-4.) b. It is a slain lamb. Here the Greek word for slain is sphatto, and refers to a violent death of some sort. The same word is found in the following passage: "We should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother" (1 Jn. 3:11, 12). The word sphatto is found only seven times in the New Testament, and four of these usages refer to the death of Christ (Rev. 5:6, 9, 12; 13:8). c. It is an all-powerful lamb. The lamb is pictured as possessing seven horns, which in biblical symbolic language re¬ fers to power and authority. d. It is an all-knowing lamb. The lamb is pictured as possessing seven eyes, refer¬ ring to perfect knowledge and wisdom. 2. He has the characteristics of a lion. John calls him "The Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David," and so he is. Three key Bible chapters explain this title. a. In Genesis 49 the dying Jacob predicted that Judah, his fourth son, would be like a lion, and that the later kings of Israel, including Christ himself, would come from his tribe (Gen. 49:8-10). b. In 2 Samuel 7 God told David (who was of the tribe of Judah) that his kingdom would be eternal and that his household would rule forever (2 Sam. 7:8-17). c. In Luke 1 the angel Gabriel explained to Mary (who was of the house of David)

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

nor key. It wails. The sound of the ocean moans in its restlessness, in its speechless travail. Even the nightingale's, the sweet¬ est song, is the saddest. Most of the sounds of nature are in a minor key. It reflects the wretchedness, the despair, the hurt, the agony, the travail of this fallen creation. But an angel knows nothing of this. An angel knows nothing of the wretchedness, nothing of the despair, nothing of the fall of our lost race." (Ex¬ pository Sermons on Revelation, pp. 204, 205) 2. The subject of this worship: "Worthy is the Lamb." a. What he once did: "For thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood" (5:9). Note: (1) Isaac once asked, "Where is the Lamb?" (Gen. 22:7). (2) John the Baptist then answered "Be¬ hold the Lamb!" (Jn. 1:29). (3) All creation now says, "Worthy is the Lamb!" (Rev. 5:12). J. Vernon McGee writes: "They sing of His blood in heaven. Down here many de¬ nominational churches are taking from their hymn books all songs about the Blood of Christ, but the Blood is not being taken out of the hymn books in heaven— they sing about the Blood up there!" We are told that this singing is a new song (5:9). (4) The old song is that of creation. (See Job 38:7; Rev. 4:11.) (5) The new song is that of redemption. b. What he now receives: "Power, riches, wisdom, strength, honor, glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:12).

Part Three: The Wrath of the Lamb Invoked (5-19). "For two breathtaking, soul-inspiring chapters, we have been in heaven. The scroll has changed hands, and the right to judge and rule the world has been placed upon Jesus. Now we must come down from the mount and out of the ivory palaces. Down here, on the rebel planet of earth, the tempo is increasing, passions are rising. Evil men and seducers are waxing worse and worse. Disobedience to parents has grown up into brawling maturity, defying all authority. Men have become in¬ ventors of evil things, and their fearful inventions have become Frankenstein monsters, threatening to destroy the globe. The time has come for God to intervene in human affairs, so judgment is given to the Son." (John Phillips, Exploring Revelation, p. 110) At the beginning of chapter 4, John took us up from earth to heaven by means of the rapture of Christ. Here in chapter 6 we abruptly return to earth to view the wrath of Christ. The wrath of Jesus is invoked along the following seven avenues, through: I. The Seal Judgments. II. The Reign of the Devil.

552

III. IV. V. VI. VII.

The Vial Judgments. The Destruction of the World's Religious System. The Destruction of the World's Economic System. The Bloodbath at Armageddon. The Destruction of the Antichrist and the False Prophet.

We shall now examine each of these seven terrible judg¬ ments. I. The Seal Judgments (Rev. 6:1-17; 8:1—9:21; see also Mt. 24:4-8). A. The first seal (Rev. 6:2). "And I saw, and behold, a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow; and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth conquering and to conquer." This is doubtless a symbolic picture of the anti¬ christ as he subdues to himself the ten nations of the revived Roman Empire. This may be thought of as the "cold war" period. We note he carries no arrow, which may indicate conquest by diplo¬ macy rather than a shooting war. B. The second seal (Rev. 6:3, 4). "And when he had opened the second seal, I heard the second beast say, Come and see. And there went out another horse that was red; and power was given to him that sat thereon to take peace from the earth, and that they should kill one another; and there was given unto him a great sword." The uneasy peace which the rider on the white horse brings to earth is temporary and counter¬ feit. Tire antichrist promises peace, but only God can actually produce it. As Isaiah would write, "But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose wa¬ ters cast up mire and dirt. There is no peace, saith my God, to the wicked" (Isa. 57:20, 21). Now open and bloody hostility breaks out among some of the nations. C. The third seal (Rev. 6:5, 6). "And when he had opened the third seal, I heard the third beast say, Come and see. And I beheld, and lo a black horse; and he that sat on him had a pair of balances in his hand. And I heard a voice in the midst of the four beasts say, A measure of wheat for a penny, and three measures of barley for a penny; and see thou hurt not the oil and the wine." Dr. Charles Ryrie writes the following con¬ cerning this seal: "The third judgment brings famine to the world. The black horse forebodes death, and the pair of balances bespeaks a careful ration¬ ing of food. Normally, a 'penny7 (a Roman de¬ narius, a day7s wages in Palestine in Jesus7 day, Mt. 20:2) would buy eight measures of wheat or twenty-four of barley. Under these famine conditions the same wage will buy only one measure of wheat or three of barley. In other words, there will be one-eighth of the normal supply of food. The phrase 'see thou hurt not the oil and the wine7 is an ironic twist in this terrible situation. Ap¬ parently luxury food items will not be in short supply, but of course most people will not be able to afford them. This situation will only

REVELATION~

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PARTTHREE

Wrath of the Lamb Invoked 1. He pours out the seven seal judgments (6:1-17; 8:1—9:21) 2. He allows the devil to reign (12-13)

7th seal

3. He pours out the seven vial judgments (14-16) 4. He destroys the world’s religious systems (17) 5. He destroys the world's political and economic systems (18) 6. He defeats sinners and Satan at Armageddon (19:1-19, 21) 7. He condemns the antichrist and false prophet into hell (19:20)

COMPOSED OF SEVEN TRUMPETS (8:1—11:19)

FIRST TRUMPET (8:7) One third of vegetation destroyed

FIRST DIVINE PUNISHMENT

SECOND TRUMPET (8:8, 9) One third of ocean life and ships destroyed

THE LAMB POURS OUT THE SEVEN SEALS OF JUDGMENT Rev. 6:1-17; 8:1—9:21 SEE ALSO Mt. 24:4-8.

THIRD TRUMPET (8:10,11) One third of fresh water poisoned

FOURTH TRUMPET (8:12)

1 st seal—WHITE HORSE

One third of sun, moon, and stars darkened

COLD WAR (6:2)

FIFTH TRUMPET (9:1-12)

2nd seal—RED HORSE

their location (9:1) their duration (9:5, 6) their leader (9:1,11) their description (9:7-10) their torment (9:3, 4) FIRST HELLISH INVASION OF DEMONS UPON THIS EARTH

HOT WAR (6:3, 4)

3rd seal—BLACK HORSE FAMINE (6:5, 6)

4th seal—PALE HORSE

SIXTH TRUMPET (9:13-21)

WIDESPREAD DEATH BY WAR, STARVATION, AND WILD BEASTS (6:7, 8)

leaders (9:14) damage (9:15,18) source (9:14) description (9:17-19) number (9:16) results (9:20, 21) duration (9:15,18) SECOND HELLISH INVASION OF DEMONS UPON THIS EARTH

5th seal THE CRY OF THE MARTYRED (6:9-11)

6th seal EARTH’S GREATEST EARTHQUAKE, EARTH’S GREATEST COSMIC DISTURBANCE, EARTH'S GREATEST PRAYER MEETING (6:12-17)

INTERLUDE (10:1 —11:14)

THE MESSAGE OF THE ANGEL OF GOD (10:1-11) THE MEASURING OF THE TEMPLE OF GOD (11:1,2) THE MINISTRY OF THE WITNESSES OF GOD

INTERLUDE A short period between the sixth and seventh seals (7:1-17) THE CONVERSION AND CALL OF THE 144,000 (7:1-8) THE CONVERSION OF A GREAT MULTITUDE (7:9-17)

(11:3-14)

SEVENTH TRUMPET (11:15-19) “THE KING IS COMING!”

serve to taunt the populace in their impover¬ ished state." (Revelation, p. 45, 46) Will the food problem really be as bad as all this during the tribulation? Dean Stanley has written a graphic description of the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnez¬ zar in 586 b.c., and the terrible famine which fol¬ lowed. His words serve as a faint hint of the horrible conditions which prevail during the third seal. Stanley writes: "Famine and its accompanying visitation of pestilence ravaged the crowded population within the walls. It was only by a special fa¬ vour of the king that a daily supply of bread

553

was sent to Jeremiah, in his prison, from the bakers' quarters, and at last even this failed. The nobles, who had prided themselves on their beautiful complexions, purer than snow, whiter than milk, ruddy as rubies, polished as sapphires (Lam. 4.7), had become ghastly and black with starvation. Their wasted skeleton forms could hardly be recognized in the streets. The ladies of Jerusalem, in their mag¬ nificent crimson robes, might be seen sitting in despair on the dunghills. From these foul heaps were gathered morsels to eke out the failing supply of food (Lam. 4:5). There was something specially piteous in the sight of the

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

little children, with their parched tongues, fainting in the streets, asking for bread, crying to their mothers for com and wine (Lam. 2:11, 12, 19). There was something still more terri¬ ble in the hardening feeling with which the parents turned away from them. The Hebrew mothers seemed to have lost even the in¬ stincts of the brute creation, to have sunk to the level of the unnatural ostriches that leave their nests in the wilderness (Lam. 4:3). Fa¬ thers devoured the flesh of their own sons and their own daughters (Ezek. 5:10; Bamch 2:3). The hands even of compassionate mothers have sodden their own children, the mere in¬ fants just bom (Lam. 2:20; 4:10)." (The Unfold¬ ing Drama of Redemption, p. 363, quoted by W. G. Scroggie) D. The fourth seal (Rev. 6:7, 8). "And when he had opened the fourth seal, I heard the voice of the fourth beast say. Come and see. And I looked, and behold a pale horse: and his name that sat on him was Death, and Hell followed with him. And power was given unto them over the fourth part of the earth, to kill with sword, and with hunger, and with death, and with the beasts of the earth." 1. The identity of these riders. John calls them "Death" and "Hell," apparently referring to physical and spiritual death. Thus the devil will destroy the bodies and damn the souls of multitudes of unbelievers during this thirdseal plague. 2. The damage done by these riders. Onefourth of all humanity perishes during this plague. It is estimated that during the Second World War one out of forty persons lost their lives, but this seal judgment alone will claim one out of four persons—nearly one billion human beings! We note the phrase, "with the beasts of the earth." Here John Phillips has written: "The beasts are closely linked with the pestilence, and this might be a clue. The most destructive creature on earth as far as mankind is concerned, is not the lion or the bear, but the rat. The rat is clever, adaptable, and destructive. If ninety-five percent of the rat population is extermi¬ nated in a given area, the rat population will replace itself within a year. It has killed more people than all the wars in history, and makes its home wherever man is found. Rats carry as many as thirty-five diseases. Their fleas carry bu¬ bonic plague, which killed a third of the population of Europe in the fourteenth century. Their fleas also carry typhus, which in four centuries has killed an esti¬ mated two hundred million people. Beasts, in this passage, are linked not only with pestilence, but with famine. Rats menace human food supplies, which they both devour and contaminate, especially in the more underdeveloped countries which can least afford to suffer loss." (Ex¬ ploring Revelation, p. 116)

554

Also to be noted are the words of Dr. Frank Holtman, head of the University of Tennessee bacteriological department. "While the greater part of a city's popula¬ tion could be destroyed by an atomic bomb, the bacteria method might easily wipe out the entire population within a week. The virus causing parrot fever, one of the most deadly of human diseases, is appraised by scientists as being the most preferable for this purpose. While the cost of producing psittacosis bombs is comparatively cheap, its lethal potency is extremely high. According to Thomas R. Henry, science editor, less than one cubic centimeter of this virus is required to in¬ fect 20 million human beings when re¬ leased in the air as an infinitesimal spray." E. The fifth seal (Rev. 6:9-11). "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testi¬ mony which they held; and they cried with a loud voice, saying. How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow-servants also and their brethren, that should be killed as they were, should be ful¬ filled." Here is religious persecution as never before! These three verses are loaded with theological implications. 1. They refute the damnable doctrine of soulsleep. 2. They correct the error of one general resur¬ rection. It is evident that these martyred souls did not receive their glorified bodies at the rapture, as did the church-age saints. Therefore it can be concluded that these are Old Testament saints who will experience the glorious bodily resurrection after the tribulation (see Rev. 20:4-6). 3. They suggest the possibilities of an interme¬ diate body. (See also 2 Cor. 5:1-3.) Dr. John Walvoord writes: "These martyred dead here pictured have not been raised from the dead and have not received their resurrection bodies. Yet it is declared that they are given robes. The fact that they are given robes would almost demand that they have a body of some sort. A robe could not hang upon an immaterial soul or spirit. It is not the kind of body that Christians now have, that is, the body of earth; nor is it the resurrec¬ tion body of flesh and bones of which Christ spoke after His own resurrection. It is a temporary body suited for their pres¬ ence in heaven but replaced in turn by their everlasting resurrection body given at the time of Christ's return." (The Revela¬ tion of Jesus Christ, p. 134)

REVELATION~

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F. The sixth seal (6:12-17). “And I beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains; and said to the mountains and rocks. Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb: For the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" As it can be seen, this fearful judgment ushers in: 1. The greatest earthquake in history. There have, of course, been hundreds of severe earthquakes in man's history. a. The earliest recorded was in July of 365 in the Middle East. b. The most destructive was in January of 1556 in China. Nearly one million lost their lives. c. The worst in the United States: (1) The San Francisco earthquake, April 18, 1906. Killed 700 people. Cost $500 million. (2) The Anchorage, Alaska, earth¬ quake, March 27, 1964. Killed 114. Cost $750 million. But at the end of the tribulation there will be one even worse than the one occurring in the sixth seal. (See Rev. 16:18.) 2. The greatest cosmic disturbances in history. These may be a result of nuclear war. Hal Lindsey writes: "Do you know what happens in a nuclear explosion? The atmosphere rolls back on itself! It's this tremendous rush of air back into the vacuum that causes much of the destruction of a nuclear explosion. John's words in this verse are a perfect picture of an all-out nuclear exchange. When this happens, John continues, every mountain and island will be jarred from its present position. The whole world will be literally shaken apart!" (There's a New World Com¬ ing, p. 110) 3. The greatest prayer meeting in history. But they prayed for the wrong thing. The only object to protect the sinner from the wrath of the Lamb is the righteousness of the Lamb. G. Interlude (7:1-17). Between the sixth and seventh seal judgments, God calls a divine time-out. Dur¬ ing this pause, two significant events take place. 1. The conversion and call of the 144,000 (Rev. 7:1-8). "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth.

555

holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth, nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying. Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel." This passage does not mean that God will save only Jews during the tribulation, for in Revelation 7:9-17, the Bible declares that a great multitude from every nation will be saved. What this chapter does teach, how¬ ever, is that God will send out 144,000 "He¬ brew Billy Sundays" to evangelize the world. This will be a massive number indeed, espe¬ cially when we consider that there are less than 35,000 missionaries of all persuasions in the world today! Our Lord doubtless had the ministry of the 144,000 in mind when he said, "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). Judah heads up this list, and not Reuben, the firstborn. Both Dan and Ephraim are missing. Both tribes were guilty of going into idolatry (Jdg. 18; 1 Ki. 11:26; Hosea 4). The tribes of Levi and Manasseh here take their place. However, both are listed in Ezekiel's millennial temple (Ezek. 48), so they simply forfeit their chance to preach during the tribulation. Some have concluded on the ba¬ sis of Genesis 49:17 and Jeremiah 8:16 that the antichrist will come from the tribe of Dan. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost offers the follow¬ ing interesting words concerning the conver¬ sion of the 144,000: "In 1 Corinthians 15:8 is a clue concerning the way God will work after the church's rapture. After the apostle had listed those to whom the resurrected Christ appeared, so as to authenticate His resurrection, he says, 'And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.' This phrase, 'bom out of due time,' means a premature birth. That is exactly what the apostle Paul is saying—'I was one that was born prematurely.' What did he mean? Comparing Revelation 7 with Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 15, we conclude that after the rapture of the church, God will perform the same mir¬ acle He performed in Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road 144,000 times over." (Will Man Survive? p. 148) 2. The conversion of "a great multitude" (7:9-17) a. Their number: countless (7:9).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

b. Their praise: "Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb" (7:10). c. Their background: "These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb" (7:14). d. Their service: serving God continuously (7:15). e. Their reward: to be both fed and led by the Lamb (7:17). H. The seventh seal (8:1—11:19). "And when he had opened the seventh seal, there was silence in heaven about the space of half an hour" (8:1). This marks the only occasion in recorded history that heaven is silent. There is not the slightest sound or movement. 1. The purpose of the silence. During the sixth seal, mankind seemed to weaken for the first time during the tribulation. A merciful and patient God now awaits further repentance, but all to no avail. God takes no pleasure in the death of the wicked (Ezek. 33:11). 2. The duration of the silence. It lasted for thirty minutes. The number thirty in the Bible is often associated with mourning. Is¬ rael mourned for thirty days over the death of both Aaron (Num. 20:29) and Moses (Deut. 34:8). 3. We now examine the contents of the seventh seal, which consists of seven trumpet judg¬ ments. a. The first trumpet (8:7). "The first angel sounded, and there followed hail and fire mingled with blood, and they were cast upon the earth; and the third part of trees was burnt up, and all green grass was burnt up" (Rev. 8:7). It has been observed that plant life was the first to be created, and it is the first to be destroyed (Gen. 1:11, 12). John Phil¬ lips writes: "Looked upon as a literal occurrence, an ecological disaster without parallel in historic times is described. The planet is denuded of a third of its trees and all of its grass. The consequences of this are bound to be terrible. The United States, for example, has al¬ ready proceeded with deforestation to such an extent that the country con¬ tains only enough vegetation to pro¬ duce sixty percent of the oxygen it consumes." (Exploring Revelation, p. 129) b. The second trumpet (8:8, 9). "And the second angel sounded, and as it were a great mountain burning with fire was cast into the sea; and the third part of the sea became blood; and the third part of the creatures which were in the sea, and had life, died; and the third part of the ships were destroyed."

556

Dr. Herman A. Hoyt writes: "Here we read of a great mountain burning with fire. This may refer to a meteoric mass from the sky falling headlong into the sea, perhaps the Mediterranean Sea. The result is to turn a third part of the sea a blood-red color and bring about the death of a third part of the life in the sea. Death may be caused by the chemical reac¬ tion in the water, such as radioactivity following atomic explosion. The third part of ships may be destroyed by the violence of the waters produced by the falling of the mass." (Revelation, p. 49) c. The third trumpet (8:10, 11). "And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood; and the third part of the waters be¬ came wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter." This star could refer to a meteor con¬ taining stifling and bitter gases, which fall on the Alps or some other freshwater source. During the second trumpet a third of the salt water was contaminated. Now a third of earth's fresh water suffers a similar fate. Many species of worm¬ wood grow in Palestine. All species have a strong, bitter taste. d. The fourth trumpet (8:12). "And the fourth angel sounded, and the third part of the sun was smitten, and the third part of the moon, and the third part of the stars; so as the third part of them was darkened, and the day shone not for a third part of it, and the night likewise" (Rev. 8:12). Our Lord may have had this trumpet judgment in mind when he spoke the following words: "And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved; but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened" (Mt. 24:22). "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars" (Lk. 21:25). The Old Testament prophecy of Amos is also significant here: "And it shall come to pass in that day, saith the Lord God, that I will cause the sun to go down at noon, and I will darken the earth in the clear day" (Amos 8:9). It was on the fourth day that God cre¬ ated the sun, moon, and stars (Gen. 1:14-16). They were to be for "signs, and for seasons, and for days, and for years." After the flood, God promised not to al-

REVELATION~

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ter this divine arrangement (Gen. 8:22). But in the tribulation, during the fourth trumpet, earth's very light will be limited by judgment. Between the fourth and fifth trumpets, John reports: "And I beheld, and heard an angel flying through the midst of heaven, saying with a loud voice. Woe, woe, woe, to the inhabiters of the earth by reason of the other voices of the trum¬ pet of the three angels, which are yet to sound" (8:13). The word "angel" here should be translated "eagle." An eagle is sometimes pictured as God's method of judgment (Deut. 28:49; Hosea 8:1). Thus, even the brute creation will be used by God dur¬ ing the tribulation. This marks the last of three occasions on which a creature speaks in the Bible. (For the other two, see Gen. 3:1-5—a serpent; and Num. 22:28-30—an ass.) e. The fifth trumpet (9:1-12). J. Vernon McGee writes: "The last three trumpets are marked off from the other four by identifica¬ tion with the three woes (8:13; 9:12; 11:14). These woes mark the deepest darkness and most painful intensity of the Great Tribulation. This is gener¬ ally associated with the last part (372 years), the blackest days in human history." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 73) The ninth chapter of Revelation, which contains both fifth and sixth trumpet judgments, may be the most revealing section in all the Bible concerning the subject of demonology. Prior to this, God has already made it known that there are two kinds of unfallen angels. These are the Cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Ex. 25:8; Ezek. 10:1-20), and the Seraphim (Isa. 6:1-8). Here he may be describing for us the two kinds of fallen angels. We now note the first type as revealed by the fifth trumpet judgment. (1) The location of these demons—the bottomless pit (9:1). Literally this phrase is "shaft of the abyss." The word "shaft" here indicates that there is an entrance from the surface of the earth to the heart of our planet. In this chapter we learn for the first time of a place called the bottomless pit. God mentions it no less than seven times in the book of Revelation (9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3). (2) The identity of these demons. Some have identified these with the sons of God in Genesis 6:1, 2. Here the theory is that these demons at¬ tempted sexual relations with women, resulting in immediate con¬ finement in the bottomless pit. We

557

do know that some demons are al¬ ready chained and others at present have access to the bodies of men. (a) Unchained demons (Lk. 4:34; Mt. 8:29; Lk. 8:27-31). (b) Chained demons (Jude 1:6, 7; 2 Pet. 2:4; 1 Pet. 3:18-20). Thus another name for this bottom¬ less pit may be the tartarus mentioned in the Greek text of 2 Peter 2:4. Here Satan will be later confined during the mil¬ lennium (Rev. 20:3). (3) The one who releases these demons. This "fallen star" mentioned in 9:1 seems to be Satan himself. (See also Isa. 14:12; Lk. 10:18; 2 Cor. 11:14.) Prior to this time, Christ has held the key to the pit (Rev. 1:18), but now allows the devil to use it for a specific purpose. (4) The torment of these demons (9:3, 4)"And there came out of the smoke locusts upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their fore¬ heads." J.A. Seiss writes: "The pain from the sting of a scorpion, though not generally fatal, is, perhaps, the most in¬ tense that any animal can inflict upon the human body. The in¬ sect itself is the most . . . malig¬ nant that lives, and its poison is like itself. Of a boy stung in the foot by a scorpion (it was related that) ... he rolled on the ground, grinding his teeth, and foaming at the mouth. It was a long time before his complainings moder¬ ated, and even then he could make no use of his foot, which was greatly inflamed. And such is the nature of the torment which these locusts from the pit inflict. They are also difficult to be guarded against, if they can be warded off at all, because they fly where they please, dart through the air, and dwell in darkness." (The Apocalypse, p. 83) (5) The duration of these demons. Charles Ryrie writes: "Horrible as the torment will be, God will place certain limitations on the activity of these demons. They will be limited as to what they may strike and as to how far

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

they may go and as to how long they may do what they will do. They will not attack the vegeta¬ tion of the earth (as common lo¬ custs do); they may only attack certain men, that is, those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads (the 144,000; cf. 7:3). The wicked will persecute God's servants, the 144,000; but in turn they will be tormented by this plague which God allows. The demon-locusts will also be lim¬ ited in that they may not kill men, just torment them. Further, the duration of this plague will be five months. The effect of this torment is to drive men to suicide, but they will not be able to die. Although men will prefer death to the agony of liv¬ ing, death will not be possible. Bodies will not sink and drown; poisons and pills will have no ef¬ fect; and somehow even bullets and knives will not do their in¬ tended job." (Revelation, p. 62) The reason men cannot die is probably because Satan has the key to the shaft and will not allow his followers to leave the earth scene where the battle of light and dark¬ ness is being fought. (6) The description of these demons (9:7-10). The shapes of these crea¬ tures are absolutely hideous. They are like horses prepared for battle. Crowns of gold seem to be upon their heads. Their faces are like men, their hair like women, their teeth like lions. They have on breastplates as of iron. Their tails are like those of a scorpion. The sound of their wings is like that of many chariots rushing toward bat¬ tle. The king of these demons (9:11). His name is Apollyon, which means "destroyer." Here is Satan's hellish "Michael the Archangel." (7) The horrible reality of these de¬ mons. John Phillips writes: "Modern man professes not to believe in demons, but they exist just the same. Moreover, they are clever with a diabolical cunning. Man's attitude toward the demon world may well be likened to man's attitude in the dark ages toward bacteria. If we could be transported back to London in the year 1666, we would find ourselves in a nightmare world. The great bubonic plague is at its height. The sights and sounds of the city are like the terrible cli¬

558

max of a horror movie. It is gen¬ erally believed that fresh air is the culprit. The College of Physi¬ cians recommends the frequent firing of guns to blow away the deadly air. People seal them¬ selves into their rooms and bum foul-smelling messes to ward off the fresh air. Chimneys are sealed, rooms are gray with smoke, and people choke in the suffocating stench. Outside, palls of black smoke hang over the city. People sit in the tightly sealed chambers, grimly deter¬ mined to endure the smarting smoke, convinced they are thus immune to the plague. We tell them they are wrong, that the plague is not caused by the fresh air but by germs, microscopic or¬ ganisms spread by fleas—and they laugh us to scorn. Modem man has adopted a similar attitude toward the de¬ mon world. We tell them that the world is in the grip of Satan and that he has countless hosts of in¬ visible demons to aid him in his dark designs against mankind. We say that these unseen beings are intelligent, and that before long, they are to be joined by countless more of their kind, worse even than themselves. People look at us with pitying scorn and suggest we peddle our theories to the publishers of sci¬ ence fiction. But it is true all the same. Once the pit is opened, the world of men will be invaded by a vims far more dreadful than the bubonic plague, a virus all the more deadly because it is able to think and because it di¬ rects its attack against the soul rather than the body." (Exploring Revelation, p. 137) f. The sixth trumpet (9:13-21). As we have already noted, it would seem John de¬ scribes two kinds of demons which will invade earth during the tribulation. The sixth trumpet now ushers in the second invasion. (1) The leaders of this invasion. Four special satanic angels. These may function to Satan as the four living creatures do to God (Rev. 4:6-8). (2) The armies of this invasion. (a) They number two hundred mil¬ lion. By normal standards, this mighty army would occupy a territory one mile wide and eighty-seven miles long. (b) The description. These demons, unlike the first invasion, seem

REVELATION~

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to be mounted upon some type of hellish horse. The horses' heads looked much like lions', with smoke, fire, and flaming sulphur billowing from their mouths. The riders wear fieryred breastplates. (3) The source of this invasion. The Eu¬ phrates River. This is where evil be¬ gan on earth (Zech. 5:8-11; Gen. 3), where false religion began (Gen. 4:3; 10:9, 10; 11:4), and where it will come to its end (Rev. 17-18). (4) The duration of this invasion. Thir¬ teen months. (5) The damage wrought by this inva¬ sion. One third of humanity is killed through fire, smoke, and brimstone. One fourth had already been slain by the fourth seal (6:8). This would be approximately one billion. Now one third is killed, meaning another billion die. This invasion is therefore the opposite of the fifth trumpet judgment during which no man was able to die. (6) The results of this invasion (9:20, 21). "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts." At this point over one half of the world's population has been wiped out. And what is the response of the survivors? Total unrepentance and intensified rebellion. That very year the F.B.I reports will probably show a thousand percent increase in idolatry, murder, drug-related crimes (the word "sorceries" is the Greek pharmakeion, from which we get our "pharmacy." It is the Greek word for drugs), sex, felonies, and robbery. g. Interlude (Rev. 10:1—11:14). We have al¬ ready noted a previous time-out period between the sixth and seventh seal judg¬ ments. At this time a similar interlude occurs between the sixth and seventh trumpet judgments. During this pause three significant events take place. (1) The message of the angel of God (10:1-11). (a) Who is he? He apparently is not Jesus, for he "sware by him that liveth for ever and ever" (10:6). If this were Christ, he would have sworn by himself. (See

559

Heb. 6:13.) He may well be Mi¬ chael the Archangel (see Dan. 12:1). He is probably the same angel referred to in 5:2; 7:2; 8:3; and 18:2. (b) What does he have? A little open book. This is probably the seven-sealed book of Revela¬ tion 5:1. (c) What does he say? He an¬ nounces no further delay would transpire before earth felt the total and terrifying hammer of God's angry judgment. He also orders John to consume his lit¬ tle black book, predicting that it would be sweet in his mouth, but bitter in his stomach. Up to this point John had seen the first part of the tribulation and it had been sweet indeed to wit¬ ness ungodly Gentiles receiving their just punishment. But now he will be allowed to preview the last three and a half years of the tribulation, which period would begin with the wholesale slaughter of Israel's people by the antichrist. This was indeed bitter medicine to him. It should be noted that this passage (10:4) contains the only sealed part of the book of Rev¬ elation. (2) The measuring of the temple of God (11:1, 2). Here John is put to work with a nine-foot ruler (see Ezek. 40:5), measuring the tribulation temple. He is also to record the identity of its worshipers. God is al¬ ways interested in those who wor¬ ship him. However, the outer court was to be left out, "for it is given unto the Gentiles: and the holy city shall they tread under foot forty and two months" (11:2). See also Luke 21:24, where Jesus predicted this. The forty-two-month final tribulational period is referred to in Daniel 7:25; 12:7; Revelation 12:6, 14; 13:5. (3) The ministry of the witnesses of God (11:3-14). (a) Their identity: "And I will give power unto my two witnesses, and they shall prophesy a thousand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth" (Rev. 11:3). Who are these witnesses? Some hold that they are Eli¬ jah and Enoch. Hebrews 9:27 states that all men are ap¬ pointed to die, and since these two men did not experience

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

physical death, they will be sent back to witness and eventually to die a martyr's death. Some hold that they are Eli¬ jah and Moses. Elijah: Because of Malachi 4:5, 6, which predicts that God will send Elijah during that great and dreadful day of the Lord. (See also Mt. 17:11.) Be¬ cause Elijah appeared with Moses on the Mount of Trans¬ figuration to talk with Jesus (Mt. 17:3). Because Elijah's Old Testa¬ ment ministry of preventing rain for some three years will be repeated by one of the wit¬ nesses during the tribulation (1 Ki. 17:1; cf. Rev. 11:6). Moses: Because of Jude 9, where we are informed that af¬ ter the death of Moses, Satan attempted to acquire his dead body, so that God would not be able to use him against the anti¬ christ during the tribulation. Because Moses' Old Testa¬ ment ministry of turning water into blood will be repeated by one of the witnesses during the tribulation (Ex. 7:19; cf. Rev. 11:6). Because Moses appeared with Elijah on the Mount of Transfiguration (Mt. 17:3). (b) Their ministry. To prophesy in sackcloth be¬ fore men as God's anointed lampstands. To destroy their enemies in the same manner that their enemies would attempt to destroy them. To prevent rain for three and a half years. To turn waters into blood. To smite the earth with every kind of plague. (c) Their death. The antichrist is fi¬ nally allowed to kill them. The word "beast" is first mentioned here in 11:7. There are thirtyfive other references to him in Revelation. It should also be noted that he could not kill the witnesses until "they shall have finished their testimonies." Sa¬ tan cannot touch one hair on the head of the most humble saint until God gives him spe¬ cific permission (see Job 1:12; 2:6). These two, like Paul, finished their testimonies (2 Tim. 4:7). Contrast this with Belshazzar's sad death (Dan. 5:26).

560

To show his contempt for them, he refuses to permit their dead bodies to be buried, but leaves them to rot in the streets of Jerusalem. All the earth celebrates their deaths through a hellish Christ¬ mas; men actually send gifts to each other. This is the only ref¬ erence to the word rejoice in the entire tribulation. The dead bodies of these two prophets are viewed by all the nations of the world in a threeand-a-half-day period. Their bodies will be on dis¬ play in Jerusalem (11:8). It is called Sodom because of its im¬ morality, and Egypt because of its worldliness. (d) Their resurrection (here the word "great" appears three times). A great voice calls them up to heaven (Rev. 11:12). A great fear falls upon those who witness this (Rev. 11:11). A great earthquake levels one-tenth of Jerusalem and kills 7000 prominent men (Rev. 11:13). John Phillips writes: "Death cannot hold them, and they arise from the grave. John tells us that they have a triumphant resurrec¬ tion. He says, 'And after three days and a half the Spirit of life from God en¬ tered into them and they stood upon their feet; and great fear fell upon them which saw them.' Picture the scene—the sun¬ drenched streets of Jerusa¬ lem, the holiday crowds flown in from the ends of the earth for a firsthand look at the corpses of these de¬ tested men, the troops in the beast's uniform, the temple police. There they are: devil¬ ish men from every king¬ dom under heaven, come to dance and feast at the tri¬ umph of the beast. And then it happens! As the crowds strain at the police cordon to peer curiously at the two dead bodies, there comes a sudden change. Their color changes from cadaverous hue to the blooming, rosy glow of youth. Those stiff, stark

REVELATION~

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limbs—they bend, they move! Oh, what a sight! They rise! The crowds fall back, break, and form again. They also have a trium¬ phant rapture. John says, 'And they heard a great voice from heaven saying unto them, Come up hither. And they ascended up to heaven in a cloud; and their enemies beheld them.' But will these evil men repent when faced with this, the greatest of all miracles? Not a bit of it! 'Father Abraham!' cried the rich man from the flames of a lost eternity. 'Fa¬ ther Abraham ... if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent.' Back came the solemn reply, 'If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be persuaded though one rose from the dead' (Lk. 16:30, 31). And here not just one, but two arise, and re¬ pentance is the farthest thing from the minds of men." (Exploring Revelation, p. 158) h. The seventh trumpet (11:15-19). "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign for ever and ever" (11:15). This seventh angel proclaims the glori¬ ous news that very soon now the Lord Jesus Christ will take over the nations of this world as their rightful ruler. The an¬ nouncement produces a twofold reaction: (1) The citizens of heaven rejoice. (2) The nations of the earth become an¬ gryThe seventh angel prepares us not only for the consummation of the ages, but also for the explanation for all things. "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished" (10:7). Dr. W.A. Criswell writes: "The mystery of God is the long delay of our Lord in taking the kingdom unto Himself and in establishing righteousness in the earth. The mys¬ tery of God is seen in these thousands of years in which sin . . . and death run riot. The enemies of righteousness and the enemies of all that we hold dear rise, increase in power and spread blood and darkness over the face of

the earth, and we wonder where God is. Our missionaries are slain, our churches are burned to the ground, people in this earth by uncounted mil¬ lions and millions are oppressed, liv¬ ing in despair, and God just looks. He seemingly does not intervene; He does not say anything, and He does not move. Sin just develops. It goes on and on. Oh, the mystery of the delay of the Lord God! But somewhere be¬ yond the starry sky there stands a herald angel with a trumpet in his hand, and by the decree of the Lord God Almighty, there is a day, there is an hour, there is a moment, there is an elected time when the angel shall sound and the kingdoms of this world shall become the kingdoms of our God and of His Christ." (Sermons on Revelation, pp. 199, 200) Note: At the sounding of this trumpet, "the temple of God was opened in heaven, and there was seen in this tem¬ ple the ark of his testament" (11:19). It would appear an actual tabernacle exists in heaven from this and other verses. (See Isa. 6:1-8; Ex. 25:9, 20; Heb. 8:2, 5; 9:24; Rev. 14:15, 17; 15:5, 6, 8; 16:1, 17.) II. The Reign of the Devil (12-13). The Devil and the Jews (12). A. His hatred of Israel in the past (12:1-5). 1. A woman with twelve stars (12:1, 2). The woman, of course, represents the nation Is¬ rael (Gen. 37:9, 10). Here is the first of four symbolic women in Revelation: a. a suffering woman—Israel (Rev. 12) b. a bloody harlot—the world's religious systems (Rev. 17) c. an arrogant queen—the world's eco¬ nomic system (Rev. 18) d. a pure bride—the true church (Rev. 19) We note she cries aloud in her agony (12:2). Dr. Herman A. Hoyt writes: "The activity of the woman from the time of Abraham to the birth of Christ is described in verse 2. The present

SECOND DIVINE PUNISHMENT THE LAMB ALLOWS THE DEVIL TO REIGN REV. 12-13

THE DEVIL AND THE JEWS His hatred for Israel in the past (12:1-5) A woman with twelve stars A dragon with seven heads His hatred for Israel in the future (12:6-17) His war against Michael (12:7-12) His wrath against Israel (12:6,13-17)

THE DEVIL AND THE WORLD

561

His cohort, the antichrist (13:1-10) His cohort, the false prophet (13:1-18)

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2.

B. His 1.

2.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

tense of the verses provides a dra¬ matic setting. The woman is continu¬ ously with child. She is continually crying ... in the pain of travail. She is continuously experiencing labor to be delivered . . . Herein, then, are pic¬ tured the experiences of Israel as a na¬ tion from the moment she was brought into existence with the call of Abraham until the day Christ was born in Bethlehem. The entire mes¬ sage of the Old Testament from Gen¬ esis to Malachi describes what is here set forth in one verse." (Revelation, p. 61) A dragon with seven heads (12:3-5). There is no question concerning the identity of this vicious creature. He is given at least seven titles and subtitles in Revelation 12 alone. a. The great red dragon (12:3). (1) Great, because of his vast power (see Mt. 4:8, 9). (2) Red, because he was the first mur¬ derer (see Jn. 8:44). (3) Dragon, because of his viciousness (see 2 Cor. 6:15). b. The old serpent (12:9). (1) Old, which takes us back to the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3). (2) Serpent, which reminds us of the first body he used (Gen. 3). c. The devil (12:9), one who slanders (see 12:10; also Job 1, 2; Zech. 3:1-7; Lk. 22:31). d. Satan (12:9), the adversary (see 1 Pet. 5:8). e. The deceiver of the world (12:9). Note: He not only deceives men, but angels as well! In 12:4 we are told that his tail "drew [literally, 'pulled down/ or 'to drag'; see Acts 14:19 where the same word is used] the third part of the stars of heaven. . . ." This is apparently a reference to the number of angels Satan persuaded to join him in his original revolt against God (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19). f. The persecutor of the woman (12:4). g. The hater of Christ (12:5). This verse tells us three things about Jesus. (1) His incarnation "the man child" (see Gal. 4:4, 5). (2) His ascension "caught up unto God." (3) His future reign "to rule all nations with a rod of iron" (Ps. 2:6-9). hatred for Israel in the future (12:6-17). His war against Michael (12:7). Satan loses this war and is cast down to the earth. No longer can he now accuse the saints before God in heaven. He is now overcome by the blood of the Lamb (12:11). His wrath against Israel (12:13, 15, 17). This marks the last and most severe anti-Semitic movement in history. A.W. Kac writes: "Next to the survival of the Jews, the most baffling historical phenomenon is the ha- I

562

tred which he has repeatedly encountered among the nations of the earth. This hos¬ tility to the Jews, which goes under the name of antisemitism, is as old as Jewish existence. It is endemic; i.e., like many contagious diseases it is always with us to some degree. But under certain circum¬ stances it assumes epidemic proportions and characteristics. It is prevalent wher¬ ever Jews reside in sufficiently large num¬ bers to make their neighbors aware of their presence. 'The growth of antisem¬ itism,' Chaim Weizman declares, 'is pro¬ portionate to the number of Jews per square kilometre. We carry the germs of antisemitism in our knapsack on our backs.' " (Rebirth of the State of Israel, p. 306) a. Throughout the long history, Satan has made every attempt to exterminate Israel. This he has done by resorting to: (1) enslaving (Ex. 2) (2) drowning (Ex. 14) (3) starving (Ex. 16) (4) tempting (Ex. 32; Num. 14) (5) cursing (Num. 23) (6) capturing (2 Ki. 17, 24) (7) swallowing (Jonah 2) (8) burning (Dan. 3) (9) devouring (Dan. 6) (10) hanging (Est. 3) Of course, to all this could be added the gas ovens of Adolf Hitler. But the most vicious attack is yet to come. b. But God himself will step in and preserve a "remnant of her seed" (12:17). John tells us: "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent" (Rev. 12:14). "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say. It is my people; and they shall say. The Lord is my God" (Zech. 13:9). Thus it would seem that at least onethird of Israel will remain true to God and be allowed by him to escape into a special hiding place for the duration of the tribulation. We shall now consider the location of this hiding place. While it is not actually specified in Scripture, many Bible students believe that this place will be Petra. This is based on the following three passages: (1) Zechariah 14:5: "And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal; yea, ye shall flee . . . and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." (The "Azal" mentioned here is thought to be connected with Petra.)

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(2) Isaiah 63:1: "Who is this that Com¬ eth from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?" The first few verses of Isaiah 63 deal with the Second Coming of Christ. He comes to Edom (of which Petra is capital) and Bozrah (a city in Edom) for some reason, many believe to receive his Hebrew remnant who are hiding there. (3) Daniel 11:41: "He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom." Thus for some reason the land of Edom will not be allowed to fall into the hands of the antichrist. It is assumed by some that the reason is to protect the remnant. Many years ago the noted Bible scholar W. E. Blackstone, on the basis of these verses, hid thousands of copies of the New Testament in and around the caves and rocks of Petra. He felt that someday the terrified survivors of the an¬ tichrist's bloodbath will welcome the op¬ portunity to read God's Word, preferring it even over the Dow-Jones stock average and the Wall Street Journal. On October 14, 1974, I had the opportunity to visit Petra. Before leaving America my stu¬ dents were asked to sign their names, along with their favorite Scripture verse, in the front pages of a large Bible. I then included the following letter: "Attention to all of Hebrew back¬ ground: This Bible has been placed here on October 14,1974, by the stu¬ dents and Dean of the Thomas Road Bible Institute in Lynchburg, Va., U.S.A. We respectfully urge its finder to prayerfully and publicly read the following Bible chapters. They are: Daniel 7 and 11; Matthew 24; 2 Thessalonians 2; Revelation 12 and 13." We then wrapped the Bible in heavy plastic and placed it in one of the remote caves among the thousands in Petra. Petra has been called "the rainbow city," and once had 267,000 inhabitants. It was a large market center at the junc¬ tion of a great caravan route. The city is inaccessible except through the gorge or canyon in the mountains, which is wide enough for only two horses abreast. The perpendicular walls of the gorge are from 400 to 700 feet high and are brilliant in splendor, displaying every color of the rainbow. The old buildings, cut from the solid rock of the mountain, still stand. A clear spring bubbles over rose-red rocks. Wild figs grow on the banks. Everything awaits Israel.

563

The Devil and the World (13). C. His cohort, the antichrist (13:1-10). "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High" (Dan. 7:25). "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, above every god, and shall speak . . . things against the God of gods" (Dan. 11:36). "That man of sin . . . the son of perdition, who opposeth and exalteth himself above all that is called God or that is worshipped, so that he as God sitteth in the temple of God, shewing himself that he is God. . . . Even him whose coming is after the working of Satan, with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:3, 4, 9). "Who is a liar but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ? He is antichrist that denieth the Father and the Son" (1 Jn. 2:22). "And I saw, and behold a white horse; and he that sat on him had a bow, and a crown was given unto him; and he went forth con¬ quering and to conquer" (Rev. 6:2). "And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea. . . . And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power . . . and great author¬ ity. .. . And he opened his mouth in blas¬ phemy against God" (Rev. 13:1, 2, 6). These passages describe for us the most pow¬ erful and perverted person who will ever walk the paths of this earth. We shall briefly examine this vile and vicious man along the following lines: 1. His personal characteristics: a. He will be an intellectual genius (Dan. 8:23). b. He will be an oratorical genius (Dan. 11:36). c. He will be a political genius (Rev. 17:11, 12). d. He will be a commercial genius (Rev. 13:16, 17; Dan. 11:43). e. He will be a military genius (Rev. 6:2; 13:2). f. He will be a religious genius (Rev. 13:8; 2 Thess. 2:4). J. Vernon McGee writes: "He will achieve the goal of presentday religionists: one religion for the whole world. Have you noticed today the tremendous move to bring to¬ gether the religions of the world? A startling comment comes from a Jew¬ ish rabbi: 'Whether Messiah is a per¬ son or an assembly is of minor importance,' said Chief Rabbi Marcus Melchoir of Denmark. 'I believe Mes¬ sianic times would come if the United Nations were made Messiah.' If this rabbi would be willing to ac¬ cept the UN as Messiah, do you think he would not recognize as Messiah a

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

man who is able to do what the UN apparently cannot do—put Europe back together and bring about world peace?" (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 19) Thus, to use various American presi¬ dents as an analogy, here is a world leader possessing: (1) the leadership of a Washington and Lincoln (2) the eloquence of a Franklin Roose¬ velt (3) the charm of a Teddy Roosevelt (4) the charisma of a Kennedy (5) the popularity of an Ike (6) the political savvy of a Johnson (7) the intellect of a Jefferson 2. His various names and titles (in addition to that of the antichrist): a. The man of sin (2 Thess. 2:3). b. The son of perdition (2 Thess. 2:8). c. The wicked one (2 Thess. 2:8). d. The willful king (Dan. 11:36). e. The beast (Rev. 11:7; this title is found thirty-six times in the book of Revela¬ tion). f. The little horn (Dan. 7:8). 3. His Old Testament forerunners. Just as there are many Old Testament characters which depict the person and work of the Lord Jesus (such as Melchizedek in Genesis 14 and Isaac in Genesis 22), there are a number of Old Testament men who describe for us the com¬ ing ministry of the antichrist: a. Cain—by his murder of the chosen seed (Gen. 4:5-14; Jude 11; 1 Jn. 3:12). b. Nimrod—by his creation of Babylon and the tower of Babel (Gen. 10, 11). c. Pharaoh—by his oppression of God's people (Ex. 1:8-22). d. Korah—by his rebellion (Num. 16:1-3; Jude 11). e. Balaam—by his attempt to curse Israel (Num. 23, 24; 2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 11; Rev. 2:14). f. Saul—by his intrusion into the office of the priesthood (1 Sam. 13:9-13). g. Goliath—by his proud boasting (1 Sam. 17). h. Absalom—by his attempt to steal the throne of David (2 Sam. 15:1-6). i. Jeroboam—by his substitute religion (1 Ki. 12:25-31). j. Sennacherib—by his efforts to destroy Jerusalem (2 Ki. 18:17). k. Nebuchadnezzar—by his golden statue (Dan. 3:1-7). l. Haman—by his plot to exterminate the Jews (Est. 3). m. Antiochus Epiphanes—by his defilement of the Temple (Dan. 11:21-35). 4. His identity. a. Some believe the antichrist will be a Gentile, since he comes from the sea (Rev. 13:1), which is often a symbol for Gentile and heathen nations.

564

Tim LaHaye writes on the nationality of the antichrist: "One of the most frequently asked questions about the Antichrist con¬ cerns his nationality. Revelation 13:1 indicates that he 'rises up out of the sea,' meaning the sea of peoples around the Mediterranean. From this we gather that he will be a Gentile. Daniel 8:8, 9 suggests that he is the 'little horn' that came out of the four Grecian horns, signaling that he will be part Greek. Daniel 9:26 refers to him as the prince of the people that shall come, meaning that he will be of the royal lineage of the race that de¬ stroyed Jerusalem. Historically this was the Roman Empire; therefore he will be predominantly Roman. Daniel 11:36, 37 tells us that he regards not 'the God of his fathers' (KJV). Taken in context, this suggests he will be a Jew. In all probability the antichrist will appear to be a Gentile and, like Adolph Hitler and others who feared to reveal Jewish blood, will keep his Jewish ancestry a secret. It may be known only to God, but the Bible teaches that he will be a Roman-Grecian Jew, a composite man represent¬ ing the peoples of the earth. This technically qualifies him to be the em¬ bodiment of all evil men." (Revelation, p. 172) b. Some believe he will be a resurrected in¬ dividual, on the basis of Revelation 13:3 and 17:8. c. Some believe he will be Judas Iscariot, on the basis of the following verses: (1) John 6:70, 71. Here Jesus refers to Judas as the devil. (2) Luke 22:3; John 13:27. Here Satan actually enters Judas. This is never said of any other individual in the Bible. (3) John 17:12; 2 Thessalonians 2:3. The title "son of perdition" is only found twice in the New Testament. In the first instance Jesus used it to refer to Judas. In the second instance Paul used it to refer to the antichrist. (4) Acts 1:25. Here Peter says that Judas after his death went "to his own place." Some have seen in this a ref¬ erence to the bottomless pit, and be¬ lieve that Satan has retained Judas here for the past 2000 years in prep¬ aration for his future role of the an¬ tichrist. 5. His rise to power. a. Through the power of Satan (Rev. 13:2; 2 Thess. 2:3, 9-12). b. Through the permission of the Holy Spirit. His present-day manifestation is being hindered by the Holy Spirit until the Rapture of the church. God is in con-

REVELATION~

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trol of all situations down here and will continue to be. (See Job 1 and 2; 2 Thess. 2:6, 7.) c. Through the formation of a ten-nation organization. He will proceed from a tendictatorship confederation which will come into existence during the tribula¬ tion. These dictators are referred to as "ten horns" in Daniel 7:7; Revelation 12:3; 13:1; 17:7,12. In his rise to power he will defeat three of these dictators (Dan. 7:8, 24). This ten-horned confederation is the revived Roman Empire. This is de¬ rived from the fact that the most impor¬ tant prophetic details concerning the old Roman Empire in Daniel 2:40-44 are still unfulfilled. The revived Roman Empire is the last of the seven Gentile world powers to plague the nation Israel. These powers are referred to as seven heads in Revela¬ tion 12:3; 13:1; 17:7. They are: Egypt, which enslaved Israel for 400 years (Ex. 1-12). Assyria, which captured the northern kingdom of Israel (2 Ki. 17). Babylon, which captured the southern kingdom of Israel (2 Ki. 24). Persia, which produced wicked Haman (Est. 3). Greece, which produced, indirectly, Antiochus Epiphanes (Dan. 11). Rome, which destroyed Jerusalem in a.d. 70 (see Lk. 21) and which will hound Israel in the revived empire as never be¬ fore in all history (Rev. 12). d. Through the cooperation of the false reli¬ gious system (Rev. 17). e. Through his personal charisma and abil¬ ity. f. Through a false (or real?) resurrection (Rev. 13:3) g. Through a false peace program, probably in the Middle East (Dan. 8:25). h. Through a master plan of deception and trickery (Mt. 24:24; 2 Thess. 2:9; Rev. 13:14). Out of the ninety-one occurrences in the New Testament of the words meaning "to deceive," or "to go astray," twenty-two of them belong definitely to passages dealing with the antichrist and the tribulation. (See 2 Thess. 2:3, 9, 10, 11; Mt. 24:4, 5, 11, 24; 2 Tim. 3:13; Rev. 12:9; 18:23; 19:20; 20:3, 8, 10.) Three reasons explain this fearful de¬ ception. (1) Universal ignorance of God's Word (see Mt. 22:29). (2) Fierce demonic activity (see 1 Tim. 4:1). (3) The empty soul (see Lk. 11:24-26). 6. His activities. a. He begins by controlling the Western power block (Rev. 17:12). b. He makes a seven-year covenant with Is¬ rael but breaks it after three and a half years (Dan. 9:27).

565

There is ample scriptural evidence to show that the antichrist will allow (and perhaps even encourage) the building of the temple and the rendering of its sacri¬ fices during the tribulation. (See Dan. 9:27; Mt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4; Rev. 13:14, 15; 11:2.) In his book Will Man Survive? Dr. J. D. Pentecost quotes from a Jewish ad that appeared in the Washington Post during May, 1967. "A project to rebuild the temple of God in Israel is now being started. With divine help and guidance the temple will be completed. It will signal a new era in Judaism. Jews will be in¬ spired to conduct themselves in such a moral way that our Maker will see fit to pay us a visit here on the earth. Imagine the warm feelings that will be ours when this happy event takes place." c. He gains absolute control over the Mid¬ dle East after the Russian invasion (Ezek. 38, 39). d. He attempts to destroy all of Israel (Rev. 12). e. He destroys the false religious system, so that he may rule unhindered (Rev. 17:16, 17). f. He thereupon sets himself up as God (Dan. 11:36; 2 Thess. 2:4-11; Rev. 13:5). g. He briefly rules over all nations (Ps. 2; Dan. 11:36; Rev. 13:16). h. He is utterly crushed by the Lord Jesus Christ at the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19). i. He is the first creature to be thrown into the lake of fire (Rev. 19:20). The July, 1965, Reader's Digest book section condenses the book A Gift of Prophecy, written by that famous (but equally false) prophet¬ ess, Jeane Dixon. The article concludes with the following words: "A child born in the Middle East on Feb¬ ruary 5,1962, will revolutionize the world and eventually unite all warring creeds and sects into one all-embracing faith. This person, who has been the subject of some of Jeane Dixon's strongest, clearest visions, was born of humble peasant ori¬ gin. Mankind, she says, will begin to feel the great force of this man about 1980, and his power will grow mightily until 1999, at which time there will be peace on earth to all men of good will." As we read this we are reminded of the Savior's words to a group of wicked and unbelieving Pharisees: "I am come in my Father's name, and ye receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him ye will receive" (Jn. 5:43). 7. His amazing ability to imitate. The antichrist would surely have been a tremendously suc¬ cessful mimic on any late-night TV talk show! Note the following areas in which he

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

will attempt to imitate the person and the work of Christ. a. The antichrist comes in the very image of Satan, as Christ came in the image of God (Rev. 13:4; 2 Thess. 2:9; cf. Col. 1:15 and Heb. 1:3). b. The antichrist is the second person in the hellish trinity, as Christ is in the heavenly Trinity (Rev. 16:13; cf. Mt. 28:19). c. The antichrist comes up from the abyss while Christ comes down from heaven (Rev. 11:7; 17:8; cf. Jn. 6:38). d. The antichrist is a savage beast while Christ is a sacrificial Lamb (Rev. 13:2; cf. Rev. 5:6-9). e. The antichrist receives his power from Satan, as Christ received his power from his Father (Rev. 13:2; cf. Mt. 28:18). f. The antichrist will experience a resurrec¬ tion (perhaps a fake one), just as Christ experienced a true one (Rev. 13:3; 12; cf. Rom. 1:4). g. The antichrist will receive the worship of all unbelievers, as Christ did of all believ¬ ers (Rev. 13:3, 4, 8; Jn. 5:43; cf. Mt. 2:11; Lk. 24:52; Jn. 20:28; Phil. 2:10, 11). h. The antichrist will deliver mighty speeches, as did Christ (Dan. 7:8; Rev. 13:5; cf. Jn. 7:46). Satan will doubtless give to the antichrist his vast knowledge of philosophy, science, and human wis¬ dom accumulated through the centuries (Ezek. 28:12). i. The greater part of the antichrist's minis¬ try will last some three and a half years, about the time span of Christ's ministry (Rev. 13:5; 12:6, 14; cf. Jn. 2:13; 6:4; 11:55). j. The antichrist will attempt (unsuccess¬ fully) to combine the three Old Testa¬ ment offices of prophet, priest, and king, as someday Christ will successfully do. k. The antichrist's symbolic number is six, while the symbolic number of Christ is seven (Rev. 13:18; cf. Rev. 5:6, 12). l. The antichrist will someday kill his harlot wife, while Christ will someday glorify his holy bride (Rev. 17:16; 17; cf. Rev. 21:1, 2). D. His cohort, the false prophet (13:11-18). "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth" (Rev. 13:11). 1. His identity. Who is this second beast of Revelation 13 who is also called on three lat¬ er occasions "the false prophet" (Rev. 16:13; 19:20; 20:10)? Some believe he will be a Jew (while the antichrist will be a Gentile), and that he will head up the apostate church. 2. His activities. It has already been pointed out that the antichrist will attempt to mimic Christ; it would appear that the false prophet will try to copy the work of the Holy Spirit. Thus the following analogy has been sug¬ gested between the Spirit of God and the second beast. a. The Holy Spirit is the third person of the heavenly Trinity (Mt. 28:19), while the

566

false prophet is the third person of the hellish trinity (Rev. 16:13). b. The Holy Spirit leads men into all truth (Jn. 16:13), while the false prophet se¬ duces men into all error (Rev. 13:11,14). c. The Holy Spirit glorifies Christ (Jn. 16:13, 14), while the false prophet glorifies the antichrist (Rev. 13:12). d. The Holy Spirit made fire to come down from heaven at Pentecost (Acts 2:3), while the false prophet will do likewise on earth in view of men (Rev. 13:13). e. The Holy Spirit gives life (Rom. 8:2) while the false prophet kills (Rev. 13:15). f. The Holy Spirit marks with a seal all those who belong to God (Eph. 1:13), while the false prophet marks those who worship Satan (Rev. 13:16, 17). 3. His mark. "And he causeth all, both small and great, rich and poor, free and bond, to receive a mark in their right hand, or in their fore¬ heads; that no man might buy or sell, save he that had the mark, or the name of the beast, or the number of his name. Here is wisdom. Let him that hath understanding count the number of the beast: for it is the number of a man; and his number is six hundred threescore and six" (Rev. 13:16-18). Perhaps no other single passage in the Word of God has been the object of more silly and serious speculation than this one. How are we to understand the number 666? In concluding this section, we shall quote from two well-known authors: "In Greek (as in Hebrew and in Latin) the letters of the alphabet serve likewise as signs for the figures. Alpha signifies one; beta, two, etc. For any name it is, there¬ fore, possible to add together the numeri¬ cal value of each letter and to arrive at a total which forms 'the number of a man.' The name of the antichrist will give the total of 666. Men have sought to apply this method with reference to all the per¬ sons in history who have seemed to be the antichrist. By more or less arranging the letters of the titles of these persons they have arrived at the number 666 for the names of Nero, Mohammed, the Pope, Napoleon, and even Hitler, not to speak of many others. In our opinion the proof that these interpretations are still premature is that they are all contradic¬ tory. We are convinced that when the last and great antichrist appears, the true be¬ lievers of the entire world will recognize him. The Holy Spirit will give to them enough light to calculate unanimously the number of his name." (Rene Pache, The Return of Jesus Christ, p. 183) "Probably the simplest explanation here is the best, that the triple six is the number of a man, each digit falling short of the perfect number seven. Six in the

REVELATION~

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Scripture is man's number. He was to work six days and rest the seventh. The image of Nebuchadnezzar was sixty cu¬ bits high and six cubits broad. Whatever may be the deeper meaning of the num¬ ber, it implies that this title, referring to the first beast, Satan's masterpiece, limits him to man's level, which is far short of the deity of Jesus Christ." (Dr. John Walvoord. The Revelation of Jesus Christ, p. 210) Whatever is involved in this hellish mark, it is apparently very important, for it is re¬ ferred to again no less than six times (see Rev. 14:9, 11; 15:2; 16:2; 19:20; 20:4). III. The Vial Judgments (14-16). A. Those events preceding the vial judgments (14-15). We have already seen that two chapters (4, 5) are given over to describing some heavenly action just prior to the fearful seal judgments which began in Revelation 6. Here John intro¬ duces the vial judgments in a similar way. Chap¬ ters 14-15 record some heavenly action before the vial judgments in 16. 1. The song of the 144,000 (14:1-5). Here we note: a. This group is the same as mentioned in chapter 7. There they are redeemed. Here they are raptured. And note—not one is missing. J. Vernon McGee writes: "It is clear from Chapter 13 that this is the darkest day and the most horrible hour in history. It is truly hell's holi¬ day. Every thoughtful mind must in¬ evitably ask the question—How did God's people fare during this period? Could they make it through to the end with overwhelming odds against them? The Shepherd who began with 144,000 sheep is now identified with them as a Lamb with 144,000. He did not lose one." (Reveling Through Revela¬ tion, p. 21) b. This group makes up the greatest num¬ bered choir of all time. c. They sing a new song, accompanied by heavenly harps (Ps. 57). d. They are undefiled women (14:4; cf. 9:21). e. There is no guile in their mouth (14:5; cf. 2 Thess. 2:9-12). 2. The messages from three special angels (14:6-12). a. The first message: "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven, having the ever¬ lasting gospel to preach unto them that dwell on the earth, and to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, saying with a loud voice. Fear God, and give glory to him; for the hour of his judgment is come; and worship him that made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and the fountains of waters" (Rev. 14:6, 7). We see in this verse something abso¬ lutely unique—an angel of God preach-

567

THIRD DIVINE PUNISHMENT THE LAMB POURS OUT THE SEVEN VIAL JUDGMENTS (Rev. 14-16)

THOSE EVENTS PRECEDING THE VIAL JUDGMENTS (14-15) The song of the 144,000 (14:1-5) The messages from three special angels • The first message (14:6, 7) • The second message (14:8) • The third message (14:9-12) The voice of the Holy Spirit (14:13) The first announcement of Armageddon (14:14-20) The sights and sounds of the temple in heaven (15:2-4)

THOSE EVENTS ACCOMPANYING THE VIAL JUDGMENTS (Rev. 16:1-21) FIRST VIAL JUDGMENT (16:2) Terrible sores upon the followers of antichrist

SECOND VIAL JUDGMENT (16:3) Total poisoning of all salt water

THIRD VIAL JUDGMENT (16:4-7) Total poisoning of all fresh water

FOURTH VIAL JUDGMENT (16:8, 9) Fearful and blistering heat from the sun

FIFTH VIAL JUDGMENT (16:10,11) Darkness upon the capital of the antichrist

SIXTH VIAL JUDGMENT (16:12-16) THE RESULTS: The drying up of the River Euphrates THE REASON: To prepare for Armageddon THE REBELS: Three unclean spirits

SEVENTH VIAL JUDGMENT (16:17-21) The world's greatest earthquake The world’s greatest hailstorm ing the gospel to sinners. Up to this point God has used only men to reach other men (Acts 1:8; 2 Pet. 1:21; 2 Cor. 4:7). But now, due to the severity of the tribula¬ tion, angels will be used. b. The second message: "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, because she made all na¬ tions drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev. 14:8). This second message is to announce the imminent destruction of the political and economic Babylon (see Rev. 18). c. The third message: "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice. If any man worship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb; and the

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

"And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the tem¬ ple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud. Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth; and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying, Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth; for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust in his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine¬ press of the wrath of God. And the wine¬ press was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even into the horse bridles, by the space of a thousand and six hundred furlongs." The full implications of these verses will be more fully discussed in Revelation 19. 5. The sights and sounds of the temple in heaven (15:2-4). a. John hears the songs of the triumphal (15:2-4). (1) What they sing. They sing the song of Moses and the song of the Lamb (15:3). Note the contrast between these songs: The song of Moses was sung be¬ side the Red Sea (Ex. 15); the song of the ILamb will be sung beside the crystal sea. The song of Moses was sung over Egypt; the song of the Lamb will be sung over Babylon. The song of Moses described how God brought his people out; the Song of the Lamb will describe how God brings his people in. The song of Moses was Scripture's first song; the Song of the Lamb will be Scrip¬ ture's last song. (2) Why they sing. . . For thou only art holy ... for thy judgments are made manifest" (15:4). b. John sees the smoke of the Temple (15:5-8; see also Isa. 6:1-8; Ex. 25:9, 40; Heb. 8:2, 5; 9:24; Rev. 14:15, 17; 16:1,17). "And one of the four beasts gave unto the seven angels seven golden vials full of the wrath of God, who liveth for ever and ever. And the temple was filled with smoke from the glory of God, and from his power; and no man was able to enter into the temple, till the seven plagues of the seven angels were fulfilled" (15:7, 8).

smoke of their torment ascendeth up forever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name" (Rev. 14:9-11). Here is the last hellfire-and-brimstone message that will ever be preached to the unsaved, and it is delivered not by a Jonathan Edwards or a Billy Sunday, but by an angel! Apparently no one responds to the invitation. Here God will pour out his undiluted wrath, something he has done once before upon Christ at Calvary. How tragic that Christ once drank this same cup for the very unrepentant sin¬ ners who are now forced to drink it again. 3. The message from the Holy Spirit (14:13). "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me. Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their la¬ bours; and their works do follow them." Up to this point in history the general rule is. Blessed are the living. (See Eccl. 9:4; Phil. 1:23, 24.) But now it is better for believers to die. John Phillips writes: "In happy contrast with the doom of those who deify the beast is the destiny of those who defy the beast. Two things are said of these as well. They will resist. John says, 'Here is the patience of the saints: here are they that keep the command¬ ments of God, and the faith of Jesus. And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me. Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.' Except for the hundred and forty-four thousand, those who defy the beast can anticipate death in a thousand fiendish ways, but it is death instantly transformed by God into blessing! 'I'll make you suf¬ fer!' screams the beast. 'You'll make us saints!' reply the overcomers. 'I'll perse¬ cute you to the grave,' roars the beast! 'You'll promote us to glory!' reply the overcomers. 'I'll blast you!' snarls the beast. 'You'll bless us!' reply the over¬ comers. The beast's rage against these noble martyrs will all be in vain. He will utterly fail at last. They will be rewarded. 'Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours; and their works do follow them.' Their troubles will be over. They will enter into reward on the shin¬ ing banks of the crystal sea." (Exploring Revelation, p. 193) It has been rightly observed that this world is the only heaven the unsaved will ever know, and the only hell the saved will ever experience. 4. The first announcement of Armageddon (14:14-20):

568

~REVELATION

John Phillips writes: "Since Calvary, the way into the holi¬ est in heaven has been opened to all, because the blood of Christ has blazed a highway to the heart of God. But now, for a brief spell, that royal road is barred. God's wrath, once poured out upon His Son on man's behalf, is to be out-poured again. The world which crucified the Lamb and which now has crowned its rebellions with the worship of the beast, is to be judged to the full. So bright glory burns within the temple, filling it with smoke and standing guard at the door. The way into the holiest is barred again for a while." (Exploring Revelation, p. 198) B. Those events accompanying the vial judgments (Rev. 16). 1. The first vial judgment: "And the first went, and poured out his vial upon the earth; and there fell a noi¬ some and grievous sore upon the men which had the mark of the beast, and upon them which worshipped his image" (16:2). J. Vernon McGee writes: "God is engaged in germ warfare upon the followers of antichrist . . . These pu¬ trefying sores are worse than leprosy or cancer. This compares to the sixth plague in Egypt, and is the same type of sore or boil" (Ex. 9:8-12). (Reveling Through Revela¬ tion, p. 36) 2. The second vial judgment: "And the second angel poured out his vial upon the sea; and it became as the blood of a dead man; and every living soul died in the sea" (16:3). Dr. Charles Ryrie writes the following con¬ cerning this plague: "The second bowl is poured on the sea, with the result that the waters became blood and every living thing in the sea dies. The 'as' is misplaced in the Autho¬ rized Version, the correct reading being 'became blood as of a dead man.' The vivid image is of a dead person wallowing in his own blood. The seas will wallow in blood. Under the second trumpet, onethird of the sea creatures died (8:9); now the destruction is complete. The stench and disease that this will cause along the shores of the seas of the earth are un¬ imaginable" (Revelation, p. 97). 3. The third vial judgment: "And the third angel poured out his vial upon the rivers and fountains of waters; and they became blood. And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art right¬ eous, O Lord, which art and wast and shall be, because thou has judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard

569

another out of the altar say, Even so. Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are thy judgments" (Rev. 16:4-7). Two significant things may be noted in these verses: a. This third vial judgment is, among other things, an answer to the cry of the mar¬ tyrs under the altar at the beginning of the tribulation. Their prayer at that time was, "How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?" (Rev. 6:10). b. These verses indicate that God has as¬ signed a special angel as superintendent on earth's waterworks. When we com¬ pare this with Revelation 7:1, where we are told that four other angels control the world's winds, we realize that even dur¬ ing the hellishness of the tribulation, this world is still controlled by God. 4. The fourth vial judgment: "And the fourth angel poured out his vial upon the sun; and power was given unto him to scorch men with fire. And men were scorched with great heat, and blas¬ phemed the name of God, which hath power over these plagues; and they re¬ pented not to give him glory" (Rev. 8, 9; see also Deut. 32:24; Isa. 24:6; 42:25; Mai. 4:1; Lk. 21:25). Perhaps the two most illuminating pas¬ sages in Scripture about man's total deprav¬ ity can be found in Revelation 9:20, 21, and 16:9. Both sections deal with the world's atti¬ tude toward God during the tribulation. a. "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood, which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk; neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts" (Rev. 9:20, 21). b. ". . . and they repented not to give him glory" (Rev. 16:9). What do these verses prove? They prove that in spite of horrible wars, of terrible fam¬ ines, of darkened skies, of raging fires, of bloody seas, of stinging locusts, of demonic persecutions of mighty earthquakes, of fall¬ ing stars, and of cancerous sores, sinful man¬ kind still will not repent. 5. The fifth vial judgment: "And the fifth angel poured out his vial upon the seat of the beast; and his king¬ dom was full of darkness; and they gnawed their tongues for pain, and blas¬ phemed the God of heaven because of their pains and their sores, and repented not of their deeds" (Rev. 16:10, 11; see also Isa. 60:2; Joel 2:1, 2, 31; Nahum 1:6, 8; Amos 5:18; Zeph. 1:15). This plague, poured out upon "the seat of the beast" (literally, his "throne"), will ap-

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

parently concentrate itself upon the ten na¬ tions of the revived Roman Empire. Again we read those tragic words "and repented not of their deeds." 6. The sixth vial judgment: "And the sixth angel poured out his vial upon the great river Euphrates; and the water thereof was dried up, that the way of the kings of the east might be pre¬ pared. And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet. For they are the spirits of devils, working miracles, which go forth unto the kings of the earth and of the whole world, to gather them to the battle of that great day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:12-14). Here the God of heaven employs psycho¬ logical warfare upon his enemies, condition¬ ing them to gather themselves together in the near future at Armageddon. The Euphrates River is 1800 miles long and in some places 3600 feet wide. It is thirty feet deep. This river has been the dividing line between western and eastern civilization since the dawn of history. It served as the eastern border of the Old Roman Empire. Thus, the Euphrates becomes both the cradle and grave of man's civilization. Here the first godless city (Enoch, built by Cain; see Gen. 4:16,17) went up, and here the last rebellious city will be constructed (Babylon, built by the antichrist; see Rev. 18). 7. The seventh vial judgment: "And the seventh angel poured out his vial into the air; and there came a great voice out of the temple of heaven, from the throne, saying, It is done. And there were voices, and thunders, and lightnings; and there was a great earthquake, such as was not since men were upon the earth, so mighty an earthquake, and so great. And the great city was divided into three parts, and the cities of the nations fell; and great Babylon came in remembrance before God, to give unto her the cup of wine of the fierceness of his wrath. And every island fled away, and the mountains were not found. And there fell upon men a great hail out of heaven, every stone about the weight of a talent and men blasphemed God because of the plague of the hail, for the plague thereof was ex¬ ceeding great" (16:17-21). Thus end the seal, trumpet, and vial judg¬ ments. Three items in this last vial are wor¬ thy of observation: a. The statement, "It is done," is the second of three biblical occurrences in which this phrase is connected with some great event. The first event was Calvary and the last will be the threshold of eternity. "When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar, he said. It is finished; and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost" (Jn. 19:30).

"And he said unto me. It is done. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely" (Rev. 21:6). b. The world's greatest earthquake takes place. The intensity of an earthquake is measured on an instrument called a Richter scale. The greatest magnitude ever recorded so far has been 8.9. The greatest loss of life due to an earthquake occurred on January 23, 1556, in Shensi Province, China, and killed some 830,000 people. However, that earthquake will be but a mild tremor compared to the tribu¬ lation earthquake, which, we are told, will level all the great cities of the world. c. The world's greatest shower of hailstones comes crashing down on mankind. These gigantic icy chunks will weigh up to 125 pounds apiece. IV. The Destruction of the World's Religious System (Rev. 17). "And there came one of the seven angels which had the seven vials, and talked with me, saying unto me, come hither; I will shew unto thee the judgment of the great whore that sitteth upon many waters" (17:1). This brutal, bloody, and blasphemous harlot is none other than the universal false church, the wicked wife of Satan. God had no sooner begun his blessed work in preparing for himself a people than the devil did likewise. In fact, the first baby to be born on this earth later became Satan's original con¬ vert. (See Gen. 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:12.) We shall now consider the historical, current, and future activities of this perverted prostitute. A. The harlot viewed historically. 1. Satan's church began officially at the Tower of Babel in Genesis 11:1-9, nearly twentyfour centuries b.c. Here, in the fertile plain of Shinar, probably very close to the original Garden of Eden, the first spade of dirt was turned for the purpose of devil-worship. 2. The first full-time minister of Satan was Nimrod, Noah's wicked and apostate grand¬ son (Gen. 10:8-10). 3. Secular history and tradition tell us that Nimrod married a woman who was as evil

FOURTH DIVINE PUNISHMENT THE LAMB DESTROYS THE WORLD’S RELIGIOUS SYSTEMS (Rev. 17:1-18)

THE HISTORY OF THIS RELIGIOUS HARLOT (17:1-6) Drunk with the blood of saints Covered with the filth of hell Decked with the wealth of the world

THE FUTURE OF THIS RELIGIOUS SYSTEM (17:7-18) Teams up at first with the antichrist Is destroyed at last by the antichrist

570

REVELATION~

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and demonic as himself. Her name was Semerimus. Knowing God's promise of a fu¬ ture Savior (Gen. 3:15), Semerimus brazenly claimed that Tammuz, her first son, fulfilled this prophecy. 4. Semerimus thereupon instituted a religious system which made both her and her son the objects of divine worship. She herself be¬ came the first high priestess. Thus began the mother-child cult which later spread all over the world. The city of Babylon was the seat of Satan worship until it fell, in 539 b.c., to the Persians. a. From Babylon it spread to Phoenicia un¬ der the name of Ashteroth and Tammuz. b. From Phoenicia it traveled to Pergamos in Asia Minor. This is the reason for John's admonition to the church at Per¬ gamos in the book of Revelation: "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is" (Rev. 2:13). c. In Egypt the mother-child cult was known as Isia and Horus. d. In Greece it became Aphrodite and Eros. e. In Rome this pair was worshiped as Ve¬ nus and Cupid. f. In China it became known as Mother Shing Moo and her child. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost writes: "Several years ago I visited an archeo¬ logical museum in Mexico City. A re¬ cent find had just been put on display which Mexican archeologists had au¬ thenticated as belonging to the period about 200 years before Christ. The object was the center of religious wor¬ ship among some of the early Indians in Mexico. To my amazement, it was an image of a mother with a child in her arms. This Babylonian religion spread abroad to become the religion of the world." (Prophecy for Today, p. 133) 5. What was the teaching of Semerimus' Sa¬ tanic church? a. That Semerimus herself was the way to God. She actually adopted the title "Queen of Heaven." b. That she alone could administer salvation to the sinner through various sacraments, such as the sprinkling of holy water. c. That her son Tammuz was tragically slain by a wild boar during a hunting trip. d. That he was, however, resurrected from the dead forty days later. Thus, each year afterward, the temple virgins of this cult would enter a forty-day fast as a memo¬ rial to Tammuz' death and resurrection. e. After the forty-day fast, a joyful feast called Ishtar took place. At this feast col¬ ored eggs were exchanged and eaten as a symbol of the resurrection. An evergreen tree was displayed and a yule log was burned. Finally, hot cakes marked with

571

the letter T (to remind everybody of Tammuz) were baked and eaten. 6. About 2000 b.c., God called Abraham away from all this (see Josh. 24:2, 3) and led him into the Promised Land. But by the ninth century b.c., Israel had returned to this devil worship under the influence of wicked Jez¬ ebel (1 Ki. 16:30-33). At this time the cult was worshiped under the name of Baal. 7. Both Ezekiel and Jeremiah warned against this hellish thing. "Then he brought me to the door of the gate of the Lord's house which was toward the north; and behold, there sat women weeping for Tammuz" (Ezek. 8:14). "The children gather wood, and the fa¬ thers kindle the fire, and the women knead their dough, to make cakes to the queen of heaven ... to bum incense to the queen of heaven, and to pour out drink offerings unto her" (Jer. 7:18; 44:25). 8. By the time of Christ, this cult had so influ¬ enced Roman life that the Caesars were not only crowned as emperors of Rome, but also bore the title Pontifex Maximus, meaning, "high priest." They were high priests of the Babylonian satanic church. 9. During a.d. 306, a Roman emperor named Constantine was threatened by a very pow¬ erful enemy army. Realizing that his uneasy troops needed confidence, Constantine claimed to have seen a vision on the eve of battle. He saw a large blue flag with a red cross on it and heard a mighty voice which said. In hoc signo vinces—"In this sign con¬ quer." He thereupon marched his troops into a shallow river, claimed them to be officially baptized, and ordered the sign of the cross painted on all his weapons. Thus inspired, he led his troops to victory and subsequently made Christianity the state religion of Rome. The Roman priests of Tammuz soon dis¬ covered that they could easily make the tran¬ sition into Christianity (with certain changes) and thereupon carried their traditions for¬ ward without interruption by promoting the Madonna-Child worship concept, the holy water sacrament, etc. Thus for nearly 300 years the devil had desperately attempted to destroy the church from outside by his terrible persecutions. But with the advent of Constantine he changed his tactics, walking the aisle to work from within. The corrupted church was already flourishing in Christ's day, and the Savior de¬ livered a scathing attack against some of its very deacons and elders (Mt. 23). B. The harlot viewed currently. Is mystery Babylon at work today? She is indeed—stronger and more sinful than ever. At least three New Testament writers describe her latter-day activities and characteristics: 1. Paul. "This know also, that in the last days per¬ ilous times shall come. For men shall be

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, blasphemers, disobedient to parents, unthankful, unholy, without natural affection, trucebreakers, false ac¬ cusers, incontinent, fierce, despisers of those who are good, traitors, heady, highminded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, having a form of godliness but denying the power thereof" (2 Tim. 3:1-5). "For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:3, 4). 2. Peter. "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even de¬ nying the Lord that bought them" (2 Pet. 2:1). 3. John. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot; I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich and increased with goods, and have need of nothing, and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked" (Rev. 3:15-17). This harlot church will probably be com¬ posed of apostate masses from Protestant¬ ism, Catholicism, Judaism, and every other major world religion. It is entirely possible that the World Council of Churches will spearhead this latter-day ungodly union. C. The harlot viewed prophetically. What will the future hold for this vile and vicious woman? Ac¬ cording to Revelation 17, the false church lends all her evil strength to elevate the antichrist dur¬ ing the first part of the tribulation. For awhile she flourishes, luxuriating in surpassing wealth and opulence. But suddenly things change drastically. John describes this for us: "The scarlet animal and his ten horns [which represent ten kings who will reign with him] all hate the woman, and will attack her and leave her naked and ravaged by fire" (17:16). The probable reason for all this is that after she has put the antichrist into power, the harlot then attempts to control him. History gives us many examples of the Roman Catholic Church (and indeed other religious systems) attempting to control kings and rulers. Note the edict of Pope Gregory VII in the eleventh century: "It is laid down that the Roman Pontiff is uni¬ versal bishop, that his name is the only one of its kind in the world. To him alone it belongs to dispose or reconcile bishops. ... He alone may use the ensigns of empire; all princes are bound to kiss his feet; he has the right to de¬

572

pose emperors, and to absolve subjects from their allegiance. He holds in his hands the su¬ preme mediation in questions of war and peace, and he alone may adjudge contested succession to kingdoms—all kingdoms are held in feifs under Peter . . . the Roman church has never erred, . . . the Pope is above all judgment." (Short Paper on Church History, p. 355) But the antichrist won't bow. He will turn on her, destroy her buildings, burn her holy books, and murder her priests. One of the most ironical turn of events in all history will be the destruc¬ tion of the false church. For this evil organization will meet its doom not at the hands of Gabriel, or the Father, or the Son, or the Spirit, but the anti¬ christ. It has been suggested that he will begin by detesting the harlot, then despoiling her, then disgracing her, then devouring her, and finally destroying her. This hatred is based both on providential and practical reasons. To summarize the future activi¬ ties of this horrible harlot, we note: 1. Her influence will be worldwide (17:1). 2. This influence will be used to corrupt the en¬ tire earth (17:2). 3. She will possess vast and unlimited wealth (17:4). 4. She is drunken with the blood of God's saints (17:6). Only eternity will reveal how many tens of millions of believers have been cruelly murdered in the name of religion. 5. She teams up (for awhile) with the beast (an¬ tichrist) (17:3, 7). 6. She has her name written on her forehead (17:5). In the time of John it was common for prostitutes to wear their name in jewelry upon their forehead, thus advertising their trade. 7. She may have her headquarters in Rome (17:9). Rome sits upon seven mountains. V. The Destruction of the World's Economic System (Rev. 18). "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen, and is become the habita¬ tion of devils, and the hold of every foul spirit, and a cage of every unclean and hateful bird." In his excellent commentary on the book of Rev¬ elation, Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes: "In chapters 17 and 18 two Babylons are brought before us. The Babylon of chapter 17 is ecclesias¬ tical. The Babylon of chapter 18 is economic. The first is religious—the apostate church. The second is political and commercial. The apostate church is hated by the kings of the earth (Rev. 17:16); the commercial center is loved by the kings of the earth (Rev. 18:9). The apostate church is destroyed by the kings of the earth; political Babylon is de¬ stroyed by the judgment of God (verses 5, 8). Ob¬ viously, mystery Babylon is destroyed first—in the midst of the Great Tribulation; while commercial Babylon is destroyed at the Second Coming of

REVELATION~

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FIFTH DIVINE PUNISHMENT THE LAMB DESTROYS THE WORLD’S POLITICAL AND ECONOMIC SYSTEMS (Rev. 18:1-24)

THE HEADQUARTERS OF THESE SYSTEMS WILL BE IN A CITY The location of the city: Perhaps the rebuilt city of Babylon

THE DESCRIPTION OF THE CITY • Hotbed of demons and false doctrine (18:2) • Capital of godless materialism (18:3,11-17) • Filled with both iniquity and arrogance (18:5-7) • Center of drug activities and bloodshedding (18:23, 24)

THE DESTRUCTION OF THE CITY • The source of its destruction: God himself (18:8, 20). • The means of destruction: Perhaps via nuclear energy.

(See 18:9,10,15,17,19.) • The reaction to its destruction: Despair on earth (18:19) Delight in heaven (18:20) Christ. These two Babylons are not one and the same city." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 58) We shall now trace economic and political Babylon through a twofold outline. A. The location of the city. Is this city a literal one? Of that there seems to be no doubt. It is an actual literal city which will outshine all other cities during the tribulation and doubtless also serve as headquarters for the antichrist. Will ancient Babylon actually be rebuilt on the Euphrates, as in Daniel's time? Some believe it will, for the following reasons: 1. Ancient Babylon was never suddenly de¬ stroyed, as prophesied in Isaiah 13:19. 2. The description of literal Babylon by Jeremi¬ ah in chapter 51 is very similar to the one given by John in Revelation 18. 3. Babylon is said to be destroyed during the day of the Lord, which is an Old Testament term referring to the tribulation (Isa. 13:6). 4. According to Isaiah 14, Israel will enter into God's rest after Babylon is destroyed. Since this has not yet happened, the event must be yet in the future. 5. Archaeological discoveries have shown that bricks and stones from ancient Babylon have been re-used for building purposes, contrary to the prophecy of Jeremiah 51:26. 6. Jeremiah predicts that Babylon will drink of the cup of the wrath of God last among all the kingdoms of the earth. 7. The vision of the woman in the ephah (Zech. 5:5-11) indicates a return of wickedness and commerce to Babylon. 8. The description in Revelation 18 is best un¬ derstood if taken literally. This list is derived from Bible Prophecy Notes, by R. Ludwigson. Dr. Charles Ryrie writes: "Whether the city will be rebuilt once again on the Euphrates is a matter of debate. Never¬ theless, the name is used for more than a city

573

in these chapters (17-18); it also stands for a system. This is much the same as the way Americans speak of Wall Street or Madison Avenue. They are actual streets, but they also stand for the financial or advertising enter¬ prises." (Revelation, p. 100) B. The description of the city. 1. It had become the habitation of demons and false doctrines (Rev. 18:2). 2. Both rulers and merchants had worshiped at her shrine of silver (Rev. 18:3). 3. Her sins had reached into the heavens (Rev. 18:5). 4. She had lived in sinful pleasure and luxury (Rev. 18:7). 5. Her prosperity had blinded her to the judg¬ ment of God (Rev. 18:7). There is in this chapter a list (Rev. 18:11-17) of no less than twenty-five of the world's most expensive luxury items. 6. She had deceived all nations with her sorcer¬ ies (Rev. 18:23). 7. She was covered with the blood of many of God's saints (Rev. 18:24). C. The destruction of the city. "And there followed another angel, saying, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great city, be¬ cause she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornication" (Rev. 14:8). ". . . and great Babylon came in remem¬ brance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath" (Rev. 16:19). "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen" (Rev. 18:1, 2). It is the opinion of this study that Babylon will literally be rebuilt during the tribulation. The Old Testament city of Babylon is mentioned more times in the Bible than any other city with the exception of Jerusalem. It is mentioned no less than 260 times. What will this restored "City of Satan" be like? Dr. Lehman Strauss has given us an excellent description of ancient Babylon: "Babylon was founded by Nimrod, the greatgrandson of Noah (Gen. 10:8-10). Surviving a series of conflicts, it became one of the most magnificent and luxurious cities in the known world. Superbly constructed, it spread over an area of fifteen square miles, the Euphrates River flowing diagonally across the city. The famous historian Herodotus said the city was surrounded by a wall 350 feet high and 87 feet thick—wide enough for six chariots to drive abreast. Around the top of the wall were 250 watchtowers placed in strategic locations. Outside the huge wall was a large ditch, or moat, which surrounded the city and was kept filled with water from the Euphrates River. The large ditch was meant to serve as an addi¬ tional protection against attacking enemies, for any attacking enemy would have to cross this body of water first before approaching the great wall.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE~

The cost of constructing this military de¬ fense was estimated to be in excess of one billion dollars. When we consider the value of a billion dollars, in those days, plus the fact that it was all built with slave labor, one can imagine something of the wonder and mag¬ nificence of this famous city. But in addition to being a bastion for protection, Babylon was a place of beauty. The famous hanging gar¬ dens of Babylon are on record yet today as one of the seven wonders of the world. Ar¬ ranged in an area 400 feet square, and raised in perfectly-cut terraces one above the other, they soared to a height of 350 feet. Viewers could make their way to the top by means of stairways, which were 10 feet wide. Each ter¬ race was covered with a large stone slab topped with a thick layer of asphalt, two courses of brick cemented together, and, fi¬ nally, plates of lead to prevent any leakage of water. On top of all this was an abundance of rich, fertile earth planted with vines, flowers, shrubs, and trees. From a distance these hang¬ ing gardens gave the appearance of a beauti¬ ful mountainside, when viewed from the level plains of the valley. The estimated cost to build this thing of beauty ran into hundreds of millions of dollars. The tower of Babel with its temples of wor¬ ship presented an imposing sight. The tower itself sat on a base 300 feet in breadth and rose to a height of 300 feet. The one chapel on the top contained an image alone reported to be worth $17,500,000 and sacred vessels, used in worshipping Babylonian gods, estimated at a value of $200,000,000. In addition to this wealth and grandeur the temple contained the most elaborate and expensive furniture ever to adorn any place of worship." (The Prophecies of Daniel, pp. 147, 148) This, then, is what ancient Babylon looked like. And who can doubt that the revived Baby¬ lon will outshine the glories of the old? As Dr. J. Vernon McGee suggests: "In this day Babylon will dominate and rule the world; she will have the first dictatorship. The stock market will be read from Babylon; Babylon will set the styles for the world; a play to be successful will have to be a success in Babylon. And everything in the city is in rebellion against Almighty God and centers in Antichrist. No one dreamed that this great city would be judged. Yet by the time the sun went down, Babylon was nothing but smol¬ dering ruins. When the news goes out the world is stunned, and then begins the wail. The whole world will howl when Babylon goes down." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 6) We shall now note several features involved in the destruction of Babylon. 1. The source of her destruction—God himself. (See Rev. 18:8, 20.)

2. The means of her destruction. It would al¬ most seem that atomic power of some sort is used to accomplish this. This is strongly sug¬ gested by the swiftness of the judgment, the

574

raging fires, and the distance kept by those who watched her burn—possibly due to fear of radioactive fallout. (See Rev. 18:9, 10, 15, 17,19.) 3. The reaction to her destruction. a. By those on earth. "And they cast dust on their heads, and cried, weeping and wailing, say¬ ing, Alas, alas, that great city, wherein were made rich all that had ships in the sea by reason of her costliness! For in one hour is she made desolate" (Rev. 18:19). There are three classes of people who weep over Babylon. They are the monarchs (18:9), the merchants (18:11) and the mariners (18:17). b. By those in heaven. "Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles and prophets; for God hath avenged you on her" (Rev. 18:20). There are three events in the tribula¬ tion which cause all of heaven to rejoice. (1) When Satan is cast out (Rev. 12:12). (2) When Babylon is destroyed (Rev. 18:20). (3) When the Lamb is married to the church (Rev. 19:7). 4. The reasons for her destruction. a. The city will become the headquarters of all demonic activity during the tribula¬ tion (Rev. 18:2). b. Her devilish pride (Rev. 18:7). c. Her gross materialism. This wicked city will import and export twenty-eight prin¬ cipal items of merchandise, beginning with gold and ending with the bodies of men (Rev. 18:12, 13). d. Her drug activities (Rev. 18:23). e. Her bloodshedding (Rev. 18:24). 5. The Old Testament foreshadows her de¬ struction. On a night in 539 b.c., the Babylon of the Old Testament was captured by the Medes and Persians. Just prior to this, Daniel the prophet had read the fearful words of God to a frightened Belshazzar: "God hath numbered thy kingdom, and finished it. . . . Thou art weighed in the balances, and art found wanting. . . . Thy kingdom is divided" (Dan. 5:26-28). Someday God himself will once again write these fearsome words across the skies of Babylon. VI. The Bloodbath at Armageddon (Rev. 19:1-19, 21). A. The glory feast in heaven—introducing a bride (19:1-10). This glorious event is celebrated by the usage of heaven's greatest praise word. That word is Alleluia (Hallelujah)! Nowhere else in the New Testament can it be found. The Holy Spirit has reserved it for this occasion. (In the Old Tes¬ tament it appears some twenty-four times in the Psalms.) Heaven now celebrates the Lamb's vic¬ tory over the harlot, and his marriage to the bride. We are told that "to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints" (19:8). Dr. Charles Ryrie writes:

REVELATION~

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SIXTH DIVINE PUNISHMENT THE LAMB DEFEATS BOTH SINNERS AND SATAN AT ARMAGEDDON (Rev. 19:1-19, 21) THE GLORY FEAST IN HEAVEN Introducing a bride (19:1-10)

THE GORY FEAST ON EARTH Introducing a battle (19:11-21) • The location of the battle • The reasons for the battle • The chronology of the battle • The results of the battle "Hie bride's array, fine linen, which is ex¬ plained as 'the righteousness/ requires the translation 'righteous deeds.' In other words, the wedding garment of the bride will be made up of the righteous deeds done in life. The bride is the bride because of the right¬ eousness of Christ; the bride is clothed for the wedding because of her acts." (Revelation, p. Ill) Dr. Lehman Strauss writes: "Has it ever oc¬ curred to you . . . that at the marriage of the Bride to the Lamb, each of us will be wearing the wedding garment of our own making?" B. The gory feast on earth—introducing a battle (Rev. 19:11-21). The Holy Spirit of God has cho¬ sen five capable authors to describe for us in clear and chilling language that most famous of all battles—Armageddon. These five authors in¬ clude David, Isaiah, Joel, Zechariah, and John. "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel to¬ gether, against the Lord, and against his anointed, saying. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He who sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his great displeasure. Thou shalt break them with a rod of iron; thou shalt dash them in pieces like a potter's vessel" (Ps. 2:1-5, 9). "Come near, ye nations, to hear; and heark¬ en, ye people: let the earth hear, and all that is therein; the world, and all things that come forth from it. For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies: he hath utterly destroyed them, he hath delivered them to the slaughter. Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stench shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled together as a scroll: and all their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling fig from the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven: behold, it shall come down upon Edom, and upon the people of my curse.

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to judgment. The sword of the Lord is filled with blood: it is made fat with fatness, and with the blood of lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams: for the Lord hath a sacrifice in Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Edom" (Isa. 34:1-6). "I have trodden the winepress alone; and of the people there was none with me; for I will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my rai¬ ment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart, and the year of my redeemed is come. And I will tread down the people in mine an¬ ger, and make them drunk in my fury, and I will bring down their strength to the earth" (Isa. 63:3, 4, 6). "I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat, and will plead with them there for my people and for my heritage Israel, whom they have scattered among the nations, and parted my land . . . Proclaim ye this among the Gentiles; Prepare war, wake up the mighty men, let all the men of war draw near; let them come up; beat your plowshares into swords, and your pruninghooks into spears: let the weak say, I am strong. Assemble yourselves, and come, all ye heathen, and gather yourselves together round about: there cause thy mighty ones to come down, O Lord. Let the heathen be wak¬ ened, and come up to the valley of Jehosha¬ phat; for there will I sit to judge all the nations round about. Put in the sickle, for the harvest is ripe: come, get you down; for the press is full, the vats overflow; for their wickedness is great. Multitudes, multitudes in the valley of decision: for the day of the Lord is near in the valley of decision. The sun and the moon shall be darkened, and the stars shall with¬ draw their shining. The Lord also shall roar out of Zion, and utter his voice from Jerusa¬ lem; and the heavens and the earth shall shake: but the Lord will be the hope of his people, and the strength of the children of Is¬ rael" (Joel 3:2, 9-16). "Behold I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all the people round about, when they shall be in the siege both against Judah and against Jerusalem" (Zech. 12:2). "For I will gather all nations against Jerusa¬ lem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half of the city shall go forth into captiv¬ ity, and the residue of the people shall not be cut off from the city. Then shall the Lord go forth, and fight against those nations, as when he fought in the day of battle. . . . And this shall be the plague with which the Lord will smite all the people that have fought against Jerusalem; their flesh shall consume away while they stand upon their feet, and their eyes shall consume away in their holes, and their tongue shall consume away in their mouth" (Zech. 14:2, 3, 12). "And I looked, and behold, a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the temple, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud. Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And he that sat on the cloud thrust in his sickle on the earth, and the earth was reaped. And another angel came out of the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle. And another angel came out from the altar, which had power over fire; and cried with a loud cry to him that had the sharp sickle, saying. Thrust in thy sharp sickle, and gather the clusters of the vine of the earth, for her grapes are fully ripe. And the angel thrust his sickle into the earth, and gathered the vine of the earth, and cast it into the great wine¬ press of the wrath of God. And the winepress was trodden without the city, and blood came out of the winepress, even unto the horse bri¬ dles, by the space of a thousand and six hun¬ dred furlongs" (Rev. 14:14-20). "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armaged¬ don" (Rev. 16:16). "And I saw heaven opened and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns, and he had a name written that no man knew but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood; and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations; and he shall rule them with a rod of iron; and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, king OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS.

And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven. Come and gather yourselves together unto the sup¬ per of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword

576

proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh" (Rev. 19:11-21). In his booklet entitled Profiles of Prophecy, Dr. S. Franklin Logsdon writes: "A former president of the Norwegian Acad¬ emy of Sciences, helped by historians from Britain, Egypt, Germany and India, and using an electronic computer, has found that since 3600 b.c. the world has known only 292 years of peace. In this period of more than 55 centu¬ ries there have been 14,531 wars, large and small, in which more than 3.6 billion people were killed. Since 650 b.c. there have been 1,656 arms races, all except 16 ending in war, and those 16 ended in economic collapse for the countries concerned" (p. 54). But this coming war of Armageddon will be by far the biggest, boldest, bloodiest, most brazen, and most blasphemous of all. We shall now con¬ sider the negative and positive elements of this war. Negative: 1. Armageddon is not the same as the Russian invasion of Ezekiel 38. Note the differences: a. Russia invades from the north, but at Ar¬ mageddon the nations come from all di¬ rections. b. Russia invades to capture Israel's wealth, but this invasion is to destroy the Lamb and his people. c. Gog leads the Russian invasion, but the antichrist leads this one. 2. Armageddon is not the final war in the Bible—the final war occurs after the millen¬ nium (Rev. 20:7-9). Armageddon takes place at the end of the tribulation. Positive: 3. The location of the battle. Dr. Herman A. Hoyt aptly describes the location: "The staggering dimensions of this con¬ flict can scarcely be conceived by man. The battlefield will stretch from Megiddo on the north (Zech. 12:11; Rev. 16:16) to Edom on the south (Isa. 34:5, 6; 63:1), a distance of sixteen hundred furlongs—ap¬ proximately two hundred miles. It will reach from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the hills of Moab on the east, a distance of almost one hundred miles. It will include the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2, 12) and the Plains of Esdraelon. At the center of the entire area will be the city of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1, 2). Into this area the multiplied millions of men, doubtless approaching 400 million, will be crowded for the final holocaust of humanity. The kings with their armies will come from the north and the south, from the east and from the west. ... In the most dramatic sense this will be the 'Valley of decision' for humanity (Joel 3:14) and the great winepress into which will be poured the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God" (Rev. 19:15). (The End Times, p. 163)

REVELATION~

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a. Thus there would seem to be at least four important names involved in the battle of Armageddon: (1) The Valley of Jehoshaphat—a valley just east of Jerusalem, between the Holy City and the Mount of Olives (Joel 3:2, 12). (2) The Valley of Esdraelon—a valley twenty miles long and fourteen miles wide, north and west of Jeru¬ salem between the Holy City and the Mediterranean Sea. (3) Megiddo—a flat plain in the Valley of Esdraelon (Zech. 12:11). (4) Bozrah—a city in Edom, east of the Jordan River and near Petra, the capital city of Edom. These two cities will play an important role during the Second Coming of our Lord (Isa. 34:6 and 63:1). Marvin Vincent writes concerning Ar¬ mageddon and its location: "Megiddo was in the plain of Esdra¬ elon, which has been the chosen place for encampment in every contest car¬ ried on in Palestine from the days of . . . Assyria unto the disastrous march of Napoleon Bonaparte from Egypt into Syria. Jews, Gentiles, Saracens, Christian Crusaders, and anti-Chris¬ tian Frenchmen; Egyptians, Persians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, warriors of every nation that is under heaven, have pitched their tents on the plains of Esdraelon, and have beheld the banners of their nation wet with the dews of Mt. Tabor and Mt. Hermon." (Word Studies in the New Testament, p. 542) b. In addition to church history, a number of battles took place in this area, as re¬ ported by the Old Testament: (1) Deborah and Barak defeated the Canaanites (Jdg. 4, 5). (2) Gideon defeated the Midianites (Jdg. 7). (3) The Philistines defeated and killed Saul (1 Sam. 31). (4) David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17). (5) An Egyptian king killed Josiah (2 Ki. 23). Two authors aptly describe this battle for us: "Palestine is to be given a blood bath of unprecedented proportions which will flow from Armageddon at the north down through the Valley of Je¬ hoshaphat, will cover the land of Edom, and will wash over all Judea and the city of Jerusalem. John looks at this scene of carnage and he de¬ scribes it as blood flowing to the depths of the horses' bridles. It is be¬ yond human imagination to see a lake that size that has been drained from the veins of those who have followed

577

the purpose of Satan to try to extermi¬ nate God's chosen people in order to prevent Jesus Christ from coming to reign." (J. D. Pentecost, Prophecy for To¬ day, p. 118) "The Battle of Armageddon will re¬ sult in wholesale carnage among the legions of the beast. The brilliance of Christ's appearing will produce a trembling and demoralization in the soldiers (Zech. 12:2; 14:13). The result of this demoralization and trembling will be the desertion from the anti¬ christ and the rendering of him inop¬ erative (2 Thess. 2:8). This tremendous light from heaven will produce astonishment and blindness in animals and madness in men (Zech. 12:4). A plague will sweep through the armies from this light and men will rot right where they stand (Zech. 14:12, 15). The blood of animals and men will form a lake two hundred miles long and bridle deep (Rev. 14:19, 20). The stench of this rotting mass of flesh and blood will fill the entire region (Isa. 34:1-3). The man¬ gled forms of men and the rotting flesh of men and beasts will provide a feast for the carrion birds. (Rev. 19:17, 18, 21). The beast and the false prophet will then be cast alive into the lake of fire forever" (Rev. 19:20). (The End Times, H. Hoyt, p. 165) 4. The reasons for the battle. What will draw all the nations of the world into the area of Armageddon? They will gather themselves there for perhaps various reasons. It would seem that the following are three of the more important reasons: a. Because of the sovereignty of God. In at least five distinct passages we are told that God himself will gather the nations here: (1) "He hath delivered them to the slaughter" (Isa. 34:2). (2) "I will also gather all nations, and will bring them down into the valley of Jehoshaphat" (Joel 3:2). (3) "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle" (Zech. 14:2). (4) "For my determination is to gather the nations ... to pour upon them mine indignation, even all my fierce anger" (Zeph. 3:8). (5) "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon" (Rev. 16:16). b. Because of the deception of Satan (Rev. 16:13,14). In this passage we are told that three special unclean spirits will trick the nations into gathering at Armageddon. c. Because of the hatred of the nations for Christ. (1) A number of passages tell us of this devilish hatred (Ps. 2:1-3; Rev. 11:18).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

(2) The nations, led by the antichrist, will doubtless realize the imminent return of Christ (Rev. 11:15; 12:12). (3) They will also be aware of his touching down on the Mount of Ol¬ ives (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:9-12).' (4) Thus it is not unreasonable to as¬ sume they will gather in that area to destroy him at the moment of his return to earth. 5. The chronology of the battle. a. The drying up of the Euphrates River (Rev. 16:12). Dr. Donald Bamhouse quotes Seiss in describing this: "From time immemorial the Euphra¬ tes with its tributaries has been a great and formidable boundary be¬ tween the peoples east of it and west of it. It runs a distance of 1800 miles, and is scarcely fordable anywhere or any time. It is from three to twelve hundred yards wide, and from ten to thirty feet in depth; and most of the time it is still deeper and wider. It was the boundary of the dominion of Solomon, and is repeatedly spoken of as the northeast limit of the lands promised to Israel. . . . History fre¬ quently refers to the great hindrance the Euphrates has been to military movements; and it has always been a line of separation between the peoples living east of it and those living west of it." (Revelation, p. 301) Thus when this watery barrier is re¬ moved, tens of millions of soldiers from China, India, and other Asian powers will march straight for Armageddon and de¬ struction. b. The destruction of Jerusalem. Perhaps the saddest event during the tribulation will be the siege and destruction of the Holy City. This will be the forty-seventh and last takeover of the beloved city of David. The following passages bear this out: "Behold, I will make Jerusalem a cup of trembling unto all people around about, when they shall be in the siege" (Zech. 12:2). "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half the city shall go forth into captivity" (Zech. 14:2). "And when we shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh" (Lk. 21:20). When these two events transpire, both the angels in paradise and the demons in perdition will surely hold their breath. John Phillips writes the following, de¬ scribing the events mentioned in 19:17-21.

578

"In a few graphic sentences we are told how Satan's rickety empire col¬ lapses like a house of cards when the Lord appears. We are told how Satan's forces are to be doomed at Armaged¬ don. John says, 'And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven. Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great.' As the armies, assembled at the cockpit of the earth, stare in amazement at the appearing of the King of glory, their gaze is mo¬ mentarily directed to the sun. There, standing in its glare, is an angel; at his summons, enormous flocks of birds appear, circling and wheeling around the armies of earth, croaking to one another in anticipation of the coming feast, dipping low over the horrified troops, and climbing again to the skies. The battle has not yet been fought, but the omens are dreadful. With each passing moment, the sky grows darker with these birds of prey. There cannot be a vulture, an eagle, a raven, left on earth that has not obeyed the summons and come to the supper of God. Satan's armies are doomed; the fierce fowls know it and have come to bury the dead in the name of the living God. We are next told how Satan's forces are to be drawn to Armageddon. John says, 'And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies gathered together to make war against him that sat on the horse and against his army.' Thus, tersely, is the mobili¬ zation of the world described. What¬ ever may have been their original motives in converging on Armaged¬ don, all animosities are forgotten, and the men are united by the challenge from on high. In recent times, science fiction writ¬ ers have made much of imagined plots against our planet. They have told of invasions from Venus and Mars and from the deep recesses of space. They have depicted a terrified world sud¬ denly united in a common cause in the face of a threat from the far reaches of the sky. This is what hap¬ pens here, but this is no fantasy of fiction; this is the real thing. The planet is invaded at last from outer space, not by horrible insect-like monsters, but by the Lord Himself

REVELATION~

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and His glorious hosts. The devil knows his hour has come but, careless of human life, he fights to the bitter end. What the beast will say to his armies, his allies, and his antagonists can well be imagined: 'Gentlemen, we are at war and have been at war one with another. The time has come for us to unite in a common cause. The things which unite us now are far more important than the things which divide us. It is no longer a question of which of us will rule the world; it is a question of common survival. The time has come for us to take final counsel together against the Lord and against His anointed. He has put Himself in our power. He has dared to appear on earth. The last time He came, we cru¬ cified Him; this time we shall cast His bands asunder and cast away His cords from us forever. We have tried uniting for peace; it has not proved a durable bond. Now let us unite for war. Let us deal with this invasion of our planet once and for all. Let us deal with this invasion of white-robed psalm singers. Let us show them how men, freed of all religious opiates, can fight. Let us hurl our defiance in their teeth. Time and again I have given you proofs of my mighty and super¬ natural powers. That dread lord of darkness whom we serve has defied these heavenly hosts for countless ages and is more than a match for them all. Come, let us rid the world and its atmosphere forever of these unwanted chanters of hymns.' The nations unite, as Psalm 2 fore¬ tells. Yet, as the great conference of kings disbands and the heralds pro¬ claim the new resolutions, peal after peal of mocking laughter sound down from the sky for 'He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh; the Lord shall have them in derision' (Ps. 2:4). It is the same old story. The nations in their folly were united against Christ at His first advent. The early church proclaimed it so: 'Lord, thou art God, which hast made heaven, and earth, and the sea, and all that in them is: Who by the mouth of thy servant David hast said, Why did the heathen rage, and the people imagine vain things? The kings of the earth stood up, and the rulers were gathered to¬ gether against the Lord, and against his Christ. For of a truth against thy holy child Jesus, whom thou hast anointed, both Herod, and Pontius Pi¬ late, with the Gentiles, and the people of Israel, were gathered together, for to do whatsoever thy hand and thy

579

counsel determined before to be done. And now. Lord, behold their threatenings' (Acts 4:24-29). The nations united against Christ at His first com¬ ing, and they will do so again. They did their worst when they crucified Him but only succeeded in accom¬ plishing God's will. They will do the same when they unite against the Lord to oppose His return. The na¬ tions will imagine that they are work¬ ing out their own schemes and plans as they march toward Esdraelon, but they are simply marching in step with God's will. They are drawn to Arma¬ geddon. Finally, we are told how Satan's forces are to be destroyed at Arma¬ geddon. We read, 'And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into the lake of fire burning with brimstone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh.' With what panoply and pomp the armies march across the plains of Galilee, file through the passes and deploy on the fertile fields of Megiddo! What masses of military equipment are stockpiled in the hills! What fleets ride at anchor in the Red Sea, the Persian Gulf, and along the shorelines of the eastern Mediterra¬ nean! What stirring strains of martial music are heard. The ground shakes to the beat of marching feet; the skies darken with aircraft drawn from the ends of the earth. Amazing new weapons, given to men by the beast, are brought into place. Miracles are wrought by the false prophet to en¬ courage the troops. The final com¬ mands are given. Then suddenly it will all be over. In fact, there will be no war at all, in the sense that we think of war. There will be just a word spoken from Him who sits astride the great white horse. Once He spoke a word to a fig tree, and it withered away. Once He spoke a word to howling winds and heaving waves, and the storm clouds vanished and the waves fell still. Once He spoke to a legion of demons bursting at the seams of a poor man's soul, and instantly they fled. Now He speaks a word, and the war is over. The blas¬ phemous, loud-mouthed beast is stricken where he stands. The false prophet, the miracle-working wind-

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

SEVENTH DIVINE PUNISHMENT THE LAMB CONDEMNS THE ANTICHRIST AND FALSE PROPHET INTO HELL (Rev. 19:20) bag from the pit is punctured and still. The pair of them are bundled up and hurled head-long into the everlasting flames. Another word, and the panicstricken armies reel and stagger and fall down dead. Field marshals and generals, admirals and air command¬ ers, soldiers and sailors, rank and file, one and all—they fall. And the vul¬ tures descend and cover the scene. Thus ends the battle of Armageddon! For a thousand years there will be peace on earth after that. Men will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks, their tanks into tractors and their missiles into silos for grain. The ages will roll by, and the words for war in human speech will become archaic fragments of a language dead to mankind." (Ex¬ ploring Revelation, pp. 247-250) VII. The Destruction of the Antichrist and False Prophet. "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (19:20).

Part Four: The Reign of the Lamb Instituted (20) I. The great chain (20:1-3). "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hands. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season." II. The great resurrection (20:6). "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years." A. The resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:23). B. The resurrection of believers at the rapture (1 Thess. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:51-53). C. The resurrection of Old Testament and tribulational saints (Rev. 20:6). Many Old and New Tes¬ tament passages speak of this third resurrection. (See Job 19:25, 26; Ps. 49:15; Isa. 25:8; 26:19; Dan. 12:2; Hosea 13:14; Jn. 5:28, 29; Heb. 11:35.) D. The resurrection of the unsaved (Rev. 20:5, 11-14).

III. The Great Reign (20:4, 6). Some 250 years ago, Isaac Watts wrote a hymn based on the truths found in Psalm 98. The name of this world-famous hymn is "Joy to the World." At Christmas it is sung all across the world by millions of Christians and non-Chris¬ tians alike. But a close study of the words of this hymn reveals that Watts did not have in mind the Bethlehem coming of Christ, but rather the millen¬ nial coming of our Lord. Observe his words: "Joy to the World! The Lord is come! Let earth receive her King. Let every heart prepare him room. And heaven and nature sing. No more let sins and sorrows grow. Nor thorns infest the ground; He comes to make his blessings flow. Far as the curse is found. He rules the world with truth and grace And makes the nations prove The glories of his righteousness. And wonders of his love." A. The fact of the millennium. The word itself is a Latin term which signifies "one thousand years." "And they lived and reigned with Christ a thou¬ sand years" (Rev. 20:4). In the first seven verses of Revelation 20, John mentions the thousandyear period no less than six times. In spite of this some have argued that, since this number is found in only one New Testament passage, one cannot insist that the thousand-year period will really come to pass. To emphasize their point, reference is made to 2 Peter 3:8—"One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thou¬ sand years as one day." It is interesting (and perhaps revealing) to note that the same group which attempts to shorten the thousand-year period of Revelation to one day (and thus do away entirely with the millen¬ nium) also attempts to expand the six days of creation in Genesis to thousands of years. One is tempted to ask, "Why can't God mean exactly what he says?" Dr. Rene Pache writes the following helpful words: "Let us notice again this fact: the teaching of the Old Testament concerning the millen¬ nium is so complete that the Jews in the Tal¬ mud succeeded in developing it entirely themselves, without possessing the gifts fur¬ nished by the New Testament later. For ex¬ ample, they had indeed affirmed before the Apocalypse that the messianic kingdom would last one thousand years. One should not, therefore, claim (as some have done) that without the famous passage of Revelation 20:1-10 the doctrine of the millennium would not exist." (The Return of Christ, p. 380) B. During the history of the Christian church men have held three major views about the millen¬ nium. 1. Postmillennialism. This theory says that through the preaching of the gospel the world will eventually embrace Christianity and become a universal "society of saints."

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PART FOUR

1. The Great Chain (20:1-3)

5. The Great Throne (20:11-15) • THE FACT OF THIS THRONE • THE JUDGE OF THIS THRONE • THE JURY AT THIS THRONE 1. Book of conscience 2. Book of words 3. Book of secret works 4. Book of public works 5. Book of life • THE JUDGED AT THIS THRONE • THE JUDGMENT AT THIS THRONE

2. The Great Resurrection (20:6) 3. The Great Reign (20:4, 6) 4. The Great Revolt (20:7-10)

At this point Christ will be invited to assume command and reign over man's peaceful planet. Thus, though poslmillennialists be¬ lieve in a literal thousand-year reign, their position is false, for the Bible clearly teaches that the world situation will become worse and worse, not better and better, prior to Christ's Second Coming (see 1 Tim. 4:1; 2 Tim. 3:1-5). This position was popularized by a Unitarian minister named Daniel Whit¬ by (1638-1726), and it flourished until the early part of the twentieth century. Then came World War I, and men began to won¬ der. Finally the postmillennial theory was quietly laid to rest amid Hitler's gas ovens during the Second World War. Today a postmillennialist is harder to find than a 1940 Wendell Willkie button. 2. Amillennialism. This view teaches that there will be no thousand-year reign at all, and that the New Testament church inherits all the spiritual promises and prophecies of Old Testament Israel. In this view Isaiah's beauti¬ ful prophecy of the bear and the cow lying together and the lion eating straw like the ox (Isa. 11:7) simply doesn't mean what it says at all! However, if the eleventh chapter of Isaiah cannot be taken literally, what proof do we have that the magnificent fifty-third chapter should not likewise be allegorized away? 3. Premillennialism. This teaches that Christ will return just prior to the millennium and will

personally

rule

during

this

together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night forever and ever." The eternal lake of fire will thus be the devil's final destination. Satan has been, is now, or shall be in one of the following locations: A. In heaven, God's anointed angel (past location—

Ezek. 28:14). B. In heaven, as God's chief (present location—Job

1, 2). C. On earth, as the antichrist's spiritual guide (fu¬ ture location, during the tribulation—Rev. 12:12).

D. In the bottomless pit (future, during the millen¬ nium—Rev. 20:1-3). E. On earth again (future, after the millennium—

Rev. 20:8, 9). F. In the lake of fire (future and forever—Rev.

20:10). "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Ma¬ gog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city" (Rev. 20:7-9). Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes the following

glorious

words concerning these verses:

thousand-year reign. This position alone is

"When the late Dr. Chafer (founder of Dallas

the scriptural one, and is the oldest of these

Theological Seminary) was once asked why

three views. From the apostolic period on,

God loosed Satan after he once had him

the premillennial position was held by the

bound, he replied, 'If you will tell me why

early church fathers.

God let him loose in the first place, I will tell you why God lets him loose the second time.'

IV. The great revolt (20:7-10). "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan

Apparently Satan is released at the end of the

shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out

Millennium to reveal that the ideal conditions

to deceive the nations which are in the four quar¬

of the kingdom, under the personal reign of

ters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them

Christ, do not change the human heart. This

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

reveals the enormity of the enmity of man against God. Scripture is accurate when it de¬ scribes the heart as 'desperately wicked' and incurably so. Man is totally depraved. The loosing of Satan at the end of the 1000 years proves it." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 74) We have already discussed the purposes ac¬ complished by the sacrifices during the millen¬ nium. Apparently millions of maturing children will view these sacrifices and hear the tender sal¬ vation plea of the priests, but will stubbornly harden their sinful hearts. The fact that earth's mighty King at Jerusalem once bled as a lowly Lamb at Calvary will mean absolutely nothing to them! Outwardly they will conform, but in¬ wardly they will despise. Finally, at the end of the millennium, the world will be offered for the first time in ten centuries "a choice, and not an echo." Millions will make a foolish and fatal choice. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost quotes F. C. Jennings, who writes: "Has human nature changed, at least apart from sovereign grace? Is the carnal mind at last at friendship with God? Have a thousand years of absolute power and absolute benevo¬ lence, both in unchecked activity, done away with all war forever and forever? These questions must be marked by a prac¬ tical test. Let Satan be loosed once more from his prison. Let him range once more earth's smiling fields that he knew of old. He saw them last soaked with blood and flooded with tears, the evidence and accompaniments of his own reign; he sees them now 'laughing with abundance' . . . But as he pursues his way further from Jerusalem, the center of this blessedness, these tokens become fainter, un¬ til, in the faroff 'corner of the earth,' they cease altogether, for he finds myriads who have instinctively shrunk from close contact with that holy center, and are not unprepared once more to be deceived." (Things to Come, p. 549) However, this insane and immoral insurrection is doomed to utter and complete failure. As a war correspondent, the Apostle John duly records this final battle: "And fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:9, 10). Obviously this battle, referred to as Gog and Magog, is not the same as the one in Ezekiel 38 and 39. Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes concerning this: "Because the rebellion is labeled 'Gog and Magog,' many Bible students identify it with Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39. This, of course, is not possible, for the conflicts de¬ scribed are not parallel as to time, place, or participants—only the name is the same. The invasion from the north by Gog and Magog of Ezekiel 38 and 39 breaks the false peace of the Antichrist and causes him to

582

show his hand in the midst of the Great Tribulation. That rebellion of the godless forces from the north will have made such an impression on mankind that after 1000 years the last rebellion of man bears the same label. We have passed through a similar situation in this century. World War I was so devastating that when war broke out again in Europe, it was labeled again 'World Wari but differenti¬ ated by the number 2. Now World War III is being predicted. Likewise the war in Ezekiel 38 and 39 is Gog and Magog I, while this ref¬ erence in verse 8 is to Gog and Magog II." (Reveling Through Revelation, p. 77) V. The Great Throne (20:11-15). "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire." A. The fact of this throne (Heb. 9:27). See Revela¬ tion 20:11-15, above. "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from be¬ fore him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thou¬ sand stood before him; the judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:9, 10). B. The Judge on this throne—Christ himself. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son . . . and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man" (Jn. 5:22, 27). "Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly . . . And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead" (Acts 10:40, 42). "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom" (2 Tim. 4:1). C. The jury at this throne—five sets of books. 1. The book of conscience (Rom. 2:15). Al¬ though man's conscience is not an infallible guide, he will nevertheless be condemned by those occasions when he deliberately vio¬ lated it. 2. The book of words (Mt. 12:36, 37). "But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give ac¬ count thereof in the day of judgment. For

REVELATION~

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PART FIVE

Wife of the Lamb Introduced

(Rev. 21-22)

‘And there came unto me one of the seven angels... saying, Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife’’(21:9). Her Habitation—The Fabulous City Her Husband—The Faithful Savior (21:1—22:5) ITS ITS ITS ITS ITS ITS ITS ITS

OCCUPANTS SIZE WALLS FOUNDATIONS THRONE TREE OF LIFE LIGHT SOURCE DURATION

(22:6-21) ITS LOCATION ITS SHAPE ITS GATES ITS STREETS ITS RIVER ITS WORSHIP CENTER ITS ACTIVITIES • A place of learning • A place of singing • A place of service • A place of fellowship

HIS PROMISE (22:6, 7,12, 20) HIS COMMAND (22:10) HIS SELF-DESCRIPTION (22:13,16) HIS INVITATION (22:17) HIS WARNING (22:18,19) 1. Don’t add to God’s Word 2. Don’t take from God’s Word

by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned." 3. The book of secret words. "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ" (Rom. 2:16). "For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:14). 4. The book of public works. "Whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:15). "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Mt. 16:27). 5. The book of life (Ex. 32:32, 33; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19). D. The judged at this throne. As has previously been discussed (see notes under "The judgment seat of Christ"), only unsaved people will stand before this throne. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Ps. 9:17). E. The judgment at this throne—the eternal lake of fire (Rev. 20:14, 15; Mt. 25:41, 46).

Part Five: The Wife of the Lamb Introduced (21-22) "And there came unto me one of the seven angels . . . saying. Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife" (21:9). 1. Her Habitation—the Fabulous City (21:1—22:5). A. The descent of this city (21:1, 2). "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea" (21:1). John here sees a new heaven and earth. Thus, between Revelation 20 and 21 the old heaven and earth is apparently destroyed. We note:

583

1. The fact of this destruction. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Mt. 24:35). "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heav¬ ens are the works of thine hands; they shall perish but thou remainest; and they shall all wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail" (Heb. 1:10-12). "But the day of the Lord will come as a thief in the night, in the which the heav¬ ens shall pass away with a great noise, and the elements shall melt with a fervent heat; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 3:10, 11). 2. The reason for this destruction. At this stage in the Bible, the final rebellion has been put down, the false prophet, the antichrist, and the devil himself are all in the lake of fire forever, and the wicked dead have been judged. In light of this, why the necessity for this awesome destruction? It is part of the purifying process. God will someday do to creation what he did to his beloved Israel in the Old Testa¬ ment: "Behold, I have refined thee ... I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10). B. The description of this city (21:3—22:5). 1. The occupants. Who will dwell in this shin¬ ing city of the stars? a. The Father (Rev. 4:2, 3; 5:1-7). b. The Son (Rev. 5:6). c. The Holy Spirit (Rev. 14:13; 22:17). d. The holy and elect angels (Heb. 12:22; Rev. 5:11). These angels would include: (1) The seraphim (Isa. 6:1-7).

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2.

3.

4. 5. 6.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

(2) The cherubim (Ps. 80:1; 99:1; Rev. 4:6-8). (3) Gabriel (Dan. 8:16; 9:21; Lk. 1:11,19, 26, 27; Mt. 1:20; 2:13, 19). (4) Michael (Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 1:9; Rev. 12:7). e. The twenty-four elders (Rev. 4:4, 10, 11). f. Saved Israel (Heb. 11:16; Mt. 25:10, 23; Rev. 14:1-3; 15:1-3). g. The church (Heb. 12:22, 23; Rev. 19:1, 7, 8; 21:1, 9-11). h. All the redeemed that ever lived (Rev. 5:9; 7:9,10). In contrast to the above, note who will be excluded from this dazzling city. (1) the fearful (2) the unbelieving (3) the abominable (4) the murderers (5) the whoremongers (6) the sorcerers (7) the idolaters (8) the liars (Rev. 21:8) "And there shall in no wise enter into it any thing that defileth" (21:27; see also 22:15). The location. The New Jerusalem is pictured as a stationary city floating above the earth in space. The new earth will thus become a satellite planet encircling this starry capital, from which earth will receive its light (Rev. 21:24, 26). The size. In 21:26 the city is measured and found to be 12,000 furlongs long, 12,000 fur¬ longs wide, and 12,000 furlongs high. Ac¬ cording to our present-day measurements, this city would be roughly 1500 miles long, wide, and high. If placed in America, it would reach from New York City to Denver, Colorado, and from Canada to Florida. The shape. Some have seen it as a cube, and others view it as a vast pyramid. The walls. They measure some 216 feet high and are made of jasper (21:12, 17, 18). The gates. There are twelve gates—three on the north, three on the south, three on the east, and three on the west. On each gate is the name of one of the tribes of Israel. Each gate is guarded by an angel. Each gate is composed of a beautiful solid white pearl stone. These gates will never be closed (Rev. 21:12, 13, 21, 25). Again McGee writes: "The names of the twelve tribes may be inscribed on the twelve gates, but the im¬ portant feature is the material of con¬ struction. Each is a perfect pearl. This is the one jewel that sets forth the Church. 'Again, the Kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchant man, seeking goodly pearls: who, when he had found one pearl of great price, went and sold all that he had, and bought it' (Mt. 13:45, 46). The Church is the pearl of great price. The comparison of the church to the forma¬ tion of a pearl is striking and suggestive. The pearl is different from all other pre¬ cious gems, for instead of coming from

584

the earth, the pearl comes from the sea. Other stones are mined from the earth, found in rock and ore. They are taken out, cut, and polished to reveal their beauty. But the pearl comes out of the sea, and it comes from a living organism. A little grain of sand or some other parti¬ cle begins to cut into the side of a living organism. To protect itself, the organism sends out a fluid to coat the object. Layer upon layer coats it until a beautiful pearl is formed. The New Jerusalem is the home of the Church, and the gates of pearl are there to remind us throughout eternity that we were a little grain of sharp, dirty sand that was a hurt in the side of Christ. We were not attractive: we were in rebellion against God, walking according to the course of this world. But Christ took that ugly thing—which was you—and covered it with His righteousness. You and 1 are covered with Him. The beauty is not in the grain of sand, but in what the orga¬ nism puts around it. God sees us in Christ, and He is lovely. The pearl was lightly esteemed by Israel, but was pre¬ cious to the Gentiles. We have no value in ourselves, yet we are the pearl of great price. The price that is put upon a thing gives it its value. The price that He paid gives us value. Christ gave His life to get us, and to Him we are precious." (Reveling Through Revelation, pp. 101,102) 7. The foundations. The city rests upon twelve layers of foundation stones with each layer being inlaid with a different precious gem. These are: a. First foundation—inlaid with jasper, a crystal clear diamond, as bright as a transparent icicle in the sunshine. b. Second foundation—inlaid with sap¬ phire, a blue opaque stone with gold specks. c. Third foundation—inlaid with chalced¬ ony, a sky-blue stone with stripes of other colors running through it. d. Fourth foundation—inlaid with emerald, a bright green stone. e. Fifth foundation—inlaid with sardonyx, a white stone with layers of red. f. Sixth foundation—inlaid with sardius, a fiery red stone. g. Seventh foundation—inlaid with chrysolyte, a transparent golden yellow stone. h. Eighth foundation—inlaid with beryl, a sea-green stone. i. Ninth foundation—inlaid with topaz, a transparent golden green stone. j. Tenth foundation—inlaid with chrysoprasus, a blue-green stone. k. Eleventh foundation—inlaid with jacinth, a violet stone. l. Twelfth foundation—inlaid with ame¬ thyst, a flashing purple stone. These twelve foundations were not only inlaid

REVELATION~

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8.

9. 10. 11.

12.

13.

14.

with costly gems, but each foundational layer carried the name of one of the twelve apostles in the New Testament (Rev. 21:14, 19, 20). The streets. The central boulevard of the New Jerusalem is composed of pure, trans¬ parent gold. The buildings themselves also seem to be made of gold (Rev. 21:18, 21). The throne (Rev. 4:2, 3, 6; 22:3). The river (Ps. 46:4; Rev. 22:1). The tree of life (Rev. 22:2). When God cre¬ ated man and placed him in the Garden of Eden, he put at Adam's disposal the tree of life. But when man sinned, he was driven from Eden and from this tree (see Gen. 2:9; 3:24). At this point in human history the tree of life disappears, but here in the New Jeru¬ salem it reappears, to bloom and blossom as never before. The worship center (21:3, 22). "And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying. Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. . . . And I saw no temple therein: for the Lord God Almighty and the Lamb are the temple of it." The light source (21:23; 22:5). "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof. And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, nei¬ ther light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever." Because of this, there will be no night there. The activities. a. Heaven will be a place of learning: "For we know in part and we proph¬ esy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (1 Cor. 13:9, 10). "Wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers; that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowl¬ edge of him: The eyes of your under¬ standing being enlightened; that ye may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glo¬ ry of his inheritance in the saints. And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to us-ward who believe, ac¬ cording to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is

585

named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come" (Eph. 1:15-21). It is evident as one ponders the theol¬ ogy of Paul's prayer here that all these glorious spiritual truths cannot possibly be learned in their fullest sense by the believer down here. These precious prin¬ ciples must surely find their consumma¬ tion in eternity. This is also true concerning his later prayer in the same epistle: "For this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,... that Christ may dwell in your hearts by faith; that ye, being rooted and grounded in love, may also be able to comprehend with all saints what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and height; and to know the love of Christ, which passeth knowledge, that ye might be filled with all the fulness of God" (Eph. 3:14, 17, 18, 19). b. Heaven will be a place of singing. "Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob and glorified himself in Israel" (Isa. 44:23). "But we see Jesus. . . . Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praises unto thee" (Heb. 2:9, 12). "And they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy . . . for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue and people and nation" (Rev. 5:9). "And they sung as it were a new song before the throne . . . and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth" (Rev. 14:3). "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, Great and marvel¬ ous are thy works. Lord God Al¬ mighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints" (Rev. 15:3). c. Heaven will be a place of service. "And his servants shall serve him" (Rev. 22:3). "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple" (Rev. 7:15). While we cannot be sure of the exact nature of this service, we do know from the following passages that a portion of our labor for the Lamb will be that of exercising authority and judgment over men and angels: "If we suffer, we shall also reign with Him . . ." (2 Tim. 2:12).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

... Come hither, I will shew thee the bride, the Lamb’s wife

(Rev. 21:9>.

After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multitude, which no man could number, of all nations, and kindreds, and people, and tongues, stood before the throne, and before the Lamb, clothed with white robes, and palms in their hands; And cried with a loud voice, saying, Salvation to our God which sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb (Rev. 7:9,10). And one of the elders answered, saying unto me, What are these which are arrayed in white robes? and whence came they? And I said unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said to me, These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the Lamb (Rev. 7:13, i4>. 586

REVELATION~

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587

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

15. The duration. "And they shall reign for ever and ever" (22:5). II. Her Husband—the Faithful Savior (22:6-21). A. His promise: 1. To come surely (22:6): "The things which must shortly be done." 2. To come quickly (22:7): "Behold, I come quickly." See also verses 12 and 20. 3. To reward the faithful: "My reward is with me, to give every man according as his work shall be." B. His command: "Seal not the sayings of the prophecy of this book: for the time is at hand" (22:10). C. His self-description: 1. "I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last" (22:13). 2. "I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star" (22:16). D. His invitation (22:17): "And the Spirit and the bride say. Come. And let him that is athirst come. And whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely." E. His warning (22:18, 19): "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book, If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book."

"Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? Know ye not that we shall judge angels?" (1 Cor. 6:2, 3). "And they shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 22:5). d. Heaven will be a place of fellowship. The question is often asked, "Will we know and recognize each other in heaven?" To this the Scripture answers an emphatic yes! During his transfiguration, our Lord spoke freely with Moses and Elijah (Mt. 17:3), centuries after both these Old Tes¬ tament heroes had departed from this earth; yet they are still recognized as Moses and Elijah. In addition to this, the Apostle John, during his vision of the Revelation, sees and recognizes the dif¬ ferences between elders, angels, and var¬ ious redeemed peoples from all the nations of the earth. Perhaps the apex of this beautiful truth is found in Paul's love chapter: "For now we see through a glass darkly; but then face to face: now I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known" (1 Cor. 13:12). Not only will believers enjoy blessed fellowship with other believers, but even more important, we shall know and be known by the Savior in a far more inti¬ mate way than ever possible here on earth.

588

The Theological Method Perhaps no other single word has been so successfully twisted by the devil today as has the biblical word "doctrine." In the minds of millions, doctrine involves the following concepts: 1. Doctrine is that silly and useless practice of arguing (in the spirit and tradition of medieval monks) such things as: "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" "Could God create a stone so heavy that he couldn't lift it?" "Could he plant an immovable post in the ground and then throw an unstoppable rock at it?" 2. Doctrine divides, whereas love unites. 3. One cannot mix doctrine with soul-winning. 4. Doctrine is dull and impractical. 5. Doctrine is over the heads of most people. 6. Why learn a lot of doctrine when we don't live up to the light we already have? 7. The key goal is to let the Bible master us, and not spend our energies in mastering the Bible. In answering these charges, one could say that they are as far removed from the truth as the Babe in Bethlehem is from Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer! Each argument needs but a brief refutation. 1. True biblical doctrine has nothing whatsoever to do with dancing angels, massive rocks, sturdy posts, and speeding stones! The word doctrine, as found in the Bible, refers to the systematic (and often simple) gathering and presentation of the facts concerning any great body of truth. 2. True doctrine does indeed divide. It divides light from darkness, right from wrong, and life from death. But it also unites, for God's love cannot be known or appropriated by sinful men without the involvement of doctrine. 3. These two not only can be mixed, they must be mixed if God's commands are to be followed. It is thrilling to note that the greatest soul-winner of all time and the greatest theologian who ever lived were one and the same—the Apostle Paul! The same man who went door to door, pleading with tears for men to accept Christ (Acts 20:20, 21, 26), also wrote some 50 percent of the New Testament, including that most profound of all doctrinal books, the epistle to the Romans. 4. To the contrary, doctrine will put both a fire and a song in the hearts of those who read and heed its tremendous truths. "And they said one to another. Did not our heart burn within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scriptures?" (Lk. 24:32). "Speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:19). "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3). "Behold, I come quickly: blessed is he that keepeth the sayings of the prophecy of this book" (Rev. 22:7). 5. This is simply not true, as refuted by Christ himself. "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Come unto me, all ye that labour and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart; and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt. 11:25, 28-30). 6. To follow this twisted logic would mean never to go beyond the first commandment (Ex. 20:3), which says we are to have no gods or interests placed before the true God. But who has not on occasion been guilty of this? Should we therefore conclude that the sixth and seventh commandments ("Thou shalt not kill; thou shalt not commit adultery," Ex. 20:13, 14) should not be kept simply because we do not always obey the first commandment?

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

7. This statement is pious nonsense, for one cannot possibly be even remotely influenced, let alone mastered, by that which he or she knows nothing about. It is true that the goal of Bible study is to become Spirit controlled. But the fruit of the Spirit can never come apart from the root of personal study. Having listed and answered those objections to studying doctrine, let us now give some important advantages for doing it. 1. Doctrine will help save us from theological food poisoning. "Till 1 come, give attendance to reading, to exhortation, to doctrine. Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery. Meditate upon these things; give thyself wholly to them; that thy profiting may appear to all. Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them; for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee" (1 Tim. 4:13-16). "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1). "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine. For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine; but after their own lusts shall they heap to themselves teachers, having itching ears; and they shall turn away their ears from the truth, and shall be turned unto fables" (2 Tim. 4:1-4). 2. Doctrine will help settle us. "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14). 3. Doctrine will acquaint us with the details of God's eternal plan. a. Concerning the history of Israel. "Moreover, brethren, I would not that ye should be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all passed through the sea" (1 Cor. 10:1). b. Concerning the restoration of Israel. "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits; that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the Gentiles be come in" (Rom. 11:25). c. Concerning spiritual gifts. "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant" (1 Cor. 12:1). d. Concerning the rapture. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope" (1 Thess. 4:13). e. Concerning the destruction of this earth. "But, beloved, be not ignorant of this one thing, that one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day. But the day of the Lord will come 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, the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 3:8, 10). 4. Doctrine helps us edify God. "Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). 5. Doctrine helps us equip ourselves. "But evil men and seducers shall wax worse and worse, deceiving, and being deceived. But continue thou in the things which thou hast learned and hast been assured of, knowing of whom thou hast learned them; and that from a child thou hast known the holy scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness; that the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:13-17). "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Where¬ fore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of righteousness; and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:10-17).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY I. The Existence of God. The greatest and most pro¬ found idea the human mind can ever conceivably en¬ tertain concerns the possibility of the existence of a personal God. The sheer importance of man's re¬ sponse to this idea cannot be exaggerated, for it will not only govern his life down here but also deter¬ mine his ultimate destiny. Unless one satisfactorily answers the who question, he cannot possibly solve the how, why, when, and where problems of his own existence. A. Some philosophical arguments for the existence of God. 1. The universal belief argument: All mankind has some idea of a supreme Being. This argu¬ ment has often been challenged but never refuted. While the concepts of God found among many cultures and civilizations differ greatly on the number, name, and nature of this supreme Being, nevertheless the idea re¬ mains. A classic example of this is the amaz¬ ing story of Helen Keller (1880-1968). From the age of two. Miss Keller was blind, deaf, and without the sense of smell. After months of agonizing and fruitless attempts on the part of her teacher to communicate with this young girl, a miracle occurred. One day Hel¬ en suddenly understood the concept and meaning of running water! From this humble foundation Miss Keller built a lofty tower of thought, including the ability to use her voice in speaking. She became an educated and articulate human being. Sometime after she had progressed to the point that she could engage in conversation, she was told of God and his love in sending Christ to die on the cross. She is said to have responded with joy, "I always knew he was there, but I didn't know his name!" 2. The cosmological argument: Every effect must have an adequate cause. Robert Culver writes: "One of the great names of British sci¬ ence, mathematics, and philosophy is Sir Isaac Newton (1642-1727). Sir Isaac had a miniature model of the solar system made. A large golden ball representing the sun was at its center and around it revolved smaller spheres, representing the planets—Mercury, Venus, Earth, Mars, Jupiter, and the others. They were each kept in an orbit relatively the same as in the real solar system. By means of rods, I

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cogwheels, and belts they all moved around the center gold ball in exact preci¬ sion. A friend called on the noted man one day while he was studying the model. The friend was not a believer in the bibli¬ cal doctrine of divine creation. According to reports, their conversation went as fol¬ lows: Friend: 'My, Newton, what an exquisite thing! Who made it for you?' Newton: 'Nobody.' Friend: 'Nobody?' Newton: 'That's right! I said nobody! All of these balls and cogs and belts and gears just happened to come together, and wonder of wonders, by chance they began revolving in their set orbits with perfect timing!' Of course, the visitor understood the unexpressed argument: 'In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth.'" (The Living God, pp. 29, 30) 3. The ontological argument: "Man has an idea of a Most Perfect Being. This idea includes the idea of existence, since a being, otherwise perfect, who did not exist would not be as perfect as a perfect being who did exist. Therefore, since the idea of existence is con¬ tained in the idea of the Most Perfect Being, the Most Perfect Being must exist." (C. C. Ryrie) 4. The anthropological argument: The con¬ science and moral nature of man demands a self-conscious and moral Maker. This builtin barometer supplies no information, and the information on which it passes judgment may be incorrect. But nevertheless, con¬ science tells us we ought to do what is right regarding the information we have. Robert Culver writes: "This sense of duty may be weak (1 Cor. 8:12), good (1 Pet. 3:16), defiled (1 Cor. 8:7), seared (1 Tim. 4:2), strong or pure (1 Cor. 8:7, 9). But it is never absent. The only adequate explanation is that the great Moral Being, who created us all, planted the moral sense in us. No other explanation is adequate." (The Living God, p. 31) B. Scriptural arguments for the existence of God. None. The Bible simply assumes existence of God. Psalm 14:1: "The fool hath said in his heart. There is no God. They are corrupt, they have

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." Hebrews 11:6: "But without faith it is im¬ possible to please him; for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him." Clark Pinnock aptly summarizes all this when he writes: "For the Scripture then, the existence of God is both a historical truth (God acted into his¬ tory), and an existential truth (God reveals himself to every soul). His existence is both objectively and subjectively evident. It is nec¬ essary logically because our assumption of or¬ der, design, and rationality rests upon it. It is necessary morally because there is no explana¬ tion for the shape of morality apart from it. It is necessary personally because the exhaustion of all material possibilities still cannot give satisfaction to the heart. The deepest proof for God's existence apart from history is just life itself. God has created man in his image, and man cannot elude the implications of this fact. Everywhere their identity pursues them." (Set Forth Your Case, p. 77) II. The Definition of God. "There is but one only living and true God, who is infinite in being and perfection, a most pure spirit, invisible, without body, parts, or passions, immu¬ table, immense, eternal, incomprehensible, al¬ mighty, most wise, most holy, most free, most absolute, working all things according to the counsel of his own immutable and most righteous will, for his own glory; most loving, gracious, mer¬ ciful, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, forgiving iniquity, transgression, and sin; the rewarder of them that diligently seek him; and withal most just and terrible in his judgments; hating all sin, and who will by no means clear the guilty." (Westminster Catechism) III. The Names of God. A. Elohim: Used 2,570 times, it refers to God's power and might. Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth." Psalm 19:1: "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handi¬ work." B. El: Four compounds of his name. There are two significant places where this name was used in the Old Testament. One came from the lips of Jerusalem's first sovereign, and the other from history's first sinner. 1. Elyon: The strongest strong One. a. Jerusalem's first sovereign (Melchizedek) Genesis 14:17-20: "And the king of Sodom went out to meet him after his return from the slaughter of Chedorlaomer, and of the kings that were with him, at the valley Shaveh, which is the king's dale. And Melchizedek king of Salem brought forth bread and wine: and he was the priest of the most high God. And he blessed him, and said. Blessed be Abram of the most high God, possessor of heaven

592

and earth: And blessed be the most high God, which hath delivered thine enemies into thy hand. And he gave him tithes of all." b. History's first sinner (Satan) Isaiah 14:13,14: "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High." 2. Roi: The strong One who sees. In Genesis 16 an angered and barren Sarai had cast into the wilderness her pregnant and arrogant hand¬ maiden Hagar. When all hope for survival had fled, this pagan Egyptian girl was visited and ministered to by El Roi himself—the strong God who sees. Genesis 16:13: "And she called the name of the Lord that spake unto her. Thou God seest me: for she said. Have I also here looked after him that seeth me?" 3. Shaddai: The breasted One. Used forty-eight times in Old Testament. The Hebrew word shad is often used to designate the bosom of a nursing mother. Genesis 17:1: "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord ap¬ peared to Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect." This revelation of God came to Abraham at a much needed time in his life. His sin in marrying Hagar (Gen. 16) had doubtless pre¬ vented that full and unhindered fellowship which had previously flowed between him and God. In addition, he now was an old man, nearly 100, humanly unable to father the long-anticipated heir. Psalm 91:1: "He that dwelleth in the se¬ cret place of the most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty." 4. Olam: The everlasting God. Isaiah 40 is usu¬ ally regarded as one of the greatest Old Tes¬ tament chapters. The prophet begins by predicting both the first and second advent of Christ. He then contrasts the awesome power of the true God with the miserable impotence of all idols. But carnal Israel had trouble accepting all this, wondering just how these wonderful events could transpire to answer their doubts. Isaiah declares: Isaiah 40:28-31: "Hast thou not known? hast thou not heard, that the everlasting God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, fainteth not, neither is weary? there is no searching of his understand¬ ing. He giveth power to the faint; and to them that have no might he increaseth strength. Even the youths shall faint and be weary, and the young men shall utter¬ ly fall: But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY-

mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; and they shall walk, and not faint." C. Adonai: Master, Lord. God owns all his creation. Malachi 1:6: "A son honoureth his father, and a servant his master: if then 1 be a father, where is mine honour? and if I be a master, where is my fear? saith the Lord of hosts unto you, O priests, that despise my name. And ye say. Wherein have we despised thy name?" The Hebrew Old Testament name Adonai and its Greek New Testament counterpart Kurios de¬ scribe the relationship between master and slave. Adonai thus carries with it a twofold implication. 1. The master has a right to expect obedience. Robert Lightner writes: "In Old Testament times the slave was the absolute possession of his master, having no rights of his own. His chief business was to carry out the wishes of his master. The slave had a relationship and responsibility different from that of the hired servant. The hired servant could quit if he did not like the orders of his master. But not so with the slave; he could do nothing but obey (cf. Gen. 24:1-12). (The God of the Bible, p. 116) 2. The slave may expect provision. Again, to quote Lightner: "The slave had no worry of his own. It was the master's business to provide food, shelter, and the necessities of life. Since the slave is the possession of the master, his needs become the master7s. Obedi¬ ence is the only condition for this provi¬ sion. This truth is marvelously displayed in Paul, who was himself a bond slave, when he assured the Philippians that God would supply all their needs (Phil. 4:19). Only the obedient slave can expect this from his master." (Ibid. p. 117) D. Jehovah. God's most common name. It occurs 6,823 times. The self-existent One, the God of the covenant (Gen. 2:4). Nine compound names of Jehovah are: 1. Jireh: The Lord will provide. Genesis 22:13, 14: "And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold be¬ hind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and offered him up for a burnt offer¬ ing in the stead of his son. And Abraham called the name of that place Jehovahjireh: as it is said to this day. In the mount of the Lord it shall be seen." 2. Nissi: The Lord, my Banner. Exodus 17:15: "And Moses built an altar, and called the name of it Jehovah-nissi." This passage is significant, for it marks the first battle and subsequent victory of Israel on its march after leaving Egypt. The great lawgiver Moses mounted a hill and with out¬ stretched arms prayed for the Israelite armies, headed up by Joshua, in their pitched battle against the fierce Amalekites.

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3. Shalom: The Lord is Peace. Judges 6:24: "Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovahshalom: unto this day it is yet in Ophrah of the Abiezrites." As one studies the thrilling account of Gideon he reads how Jehovah-shalom did in¬ deed bring peace to Israel over the Midianites through this warrior and his 300 trumpet-blowing soldiers. 4. Sabaoth: The Lord of hosts. Sabaoth is derived from the Hebrew word tsaba, meaning "host." The Lord of hosts is a reference to the captain of heaven's armies. These armies are said to be composed of angels. (See Ps. 68:17; 104:4; 148:2; Mt. 26:53.) Christ himself is their leader. (See Josh. 5:14.) The great prophet Isaiah describes his vision during which he was allowed to see Jehovah of hosts (Isa. 6:3). Isaiah 6:1-3: "In the year that King Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the Sera¬ phims: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory." 5. Maccaddeschcem: The Lord thy Sanctifier. Exodus 31:13: "Speak thou also unto the children of Israel, saying. Verily my sab¬ baths ye shall keep: for it is a sign be¬ tween me and you throughout your generations; that ye may know that I am the Lord that doth sanctify you." This great name for God, first mentioned in Exodus, appears many times in the follow¬ ing book, Leviticus. To be sanctified is to be set apart, and that is what God desired to do for his people—to set them apart for special service. 6. Rohi (Raah): The Lord my Shepherd. Psalm 23:1: "The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want." Of all the compound names of Jehovah, this is at once the most easily understood ti¬ tle—that good, and great, and chief Shep¬ herd God. 7. Tsidkenu: The Lord our Righteousness. Jeremiah 23:6: "In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUS¬ NESS." According to Jeremiah the official name for the Messiah during the future millennium will be Jehovah-Tsidkenu. 8. Shammah: The Lord who is present. Ezekiel 48:35: "It was round about eigh¬ teen thousand measures: and the name of the city from that day shall be. The Lord is there." In this passage Ezekiel describes for us the dimensions of the millennial temple and

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

1. He creates. Genesis 1:1: "In the beginning God cre¬ ated the heaven and the earth." 2. He destroys. Genesis 18:20; 19:24, 25: "And the Lord said. Because the cry of Sodom and Go¬ morrah is great, and because their sin is very grievous. . . . Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brim¬ stone and fire from the Lord out of heaven. And he overthrew those cities, and all the plain, and all the inhabitants of the cities, and that which grew upon the ground." 3. He provides. Psalm 104:27-30: "These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season. That thou givest them they gather: thou openest thine hand, they are filled with good. Thou hidest thy face, they are troubled: thou takest away their breath, they die, and return to their dust. Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are created: and thou renewest the face of the earth." 4. He promotes. Psalm 75:6, 7: "For promotion cometh neither from the east, nor from the west, nor from the south. But God is the judge: he putteth down one, and setteth up an¬ other." 5. He cares. 1 Peter 5:6, 7: "Humble yourselves there¬ fore under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you in due time: Casting all your care upon him; for he careth for you." 6. He hears. Psalm 94:9, 10: "He that planted the ear, shall he not hear? He that formed the eye, shall he not see? He that chastiseth the heathen, shall not he correct? He that teacheth man knowledge, shall not he know?" 7. He hates. Proverbs 6:16: "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him." 8. He grieves. Genesis 6:6: "And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart." 9. He loves. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." C. God is One. Deuteronomy 6:4, 5: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might." 1 Kings 8:60: "That all the people of the earth may know that the Lord is God, and that there is none else."

then gives us the new name for Jerusalem during earth's golden age: Jehovah-shammah. 9. Rapha: The Lord our Healer. Exodus 15:26: "And said, If thou wilt dili¬ gently hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his com¬ mandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee, which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the Lord that healeth thee." By this new name God introduced to Israel the terms of his heavenly "medicare" health plan while they were on their way to Ca¬ naan. If only they had accepted this gracious policy. IV. The Nature of God. A. God is Spirit. Emory Bancroft has written: "God as Spirit is incorporeal, invisible, with¬ out material substance, without physical parts or passions and therefore free from all tempo¬ ral limitations." (Elemental Theory, p. 23) Jesus made this clear when he told the Samari¬ tan woman: "God is a Spirit; and they that wor¬ ship him must worship him in Spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24). Some have been disturbed, however, as they compare this statement with certain Old Testament expressions which speak of God's arms (Deut. 33:27), his eyes (Ps. 33:18), ears (2 Ki. 19:16), and mouth (Isa. 58:14). How¬ ever, these terms are simply anthropomorphic expressions. An anthropomorphic expression is a term which is used to explain some function or characteristic of God by using words descriptive of human elements. Robert Lightner writes: "Such expressions do not mean that God pos¬ sesses these physical parts. He is Spirit (Jn. 4:24). Rather, they mean since God is spirit and eternal, He is capable of doing precisely the functions which are performed by these physical properties in man." (The God of the Bible, p. 67) B. God is a Person. Again, to quote from Robert Lightner: "Personality involves existence with the power of self-consciousness and self-determi¬ nation. To be self-conscious means to be able to be aware of one's self among others. It is more than mere consciousness. Even animals possess something which makes them aware of things around them. The brute, however, is not able to objectify himself. Man, in contrast to the brute, possesses both consciousness and self-consciousness. Self-determination has to do with the ability to look to the future and prepare an intelligent course of action. It also involves the power of choice. The brute also has determination, but he does not have self-determination—the power to act from his own free will and to thus determine his acts. It is usually admitted that there are three ele¬ ments of personality—intellect, emotion, and will." (Ibid., p. 65) Thus, as a Person, God exhibits all those ele¬ ments involved in personality.

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY-

Isaiah 44:6-8: “Thus saith the Lord the King of Israel, and his Redeemer the Lord of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God. And who, as I, shall call, and shall declare it, and set it in order for me, since I appointed the ancient people? and the things that are coming, and shall come, let them show unto them. Fear ye not, neither be afraid: have not I told thee from that time, and have declared it? ye are even my wit¬ nesses. Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any." Isaiah 45:5, 6: "I am the Lord, and there is none else, there is no God beside me: I girded thee, though thou hast not known me: That they may know from the rising of the sun, and from the west, that there is none beside me. I am the Lord, and there is none else." Isaiah 46:9: "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me." Ephesians 4:4-6: "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all." 1 Timothy 2:5: "For there is one God, and one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus." D. God is a Trinity. C. C. Ryrie writes: "There is only one God, but in the unity of the Godhead there are three eternal and co¬ equal Persons, the same in substance, but dis¬ tinct in subsistence." Robert Culver writes: "Two expressions have been traditionally em¬ ployed to designate certain inner relations be¬ tween the Father and the Son, and the Father and the Son with the Spirit. These two ex¬ pressions are the eternal generation of the Son by the Father and the eternal spiration (or procession) of the Spirit from the Father and the Son. They began to be employed about the time of the council of Nicea (a.d. 325). They expressed in scriptural language the idea that the Son and the Spirit were eternally with the Godhead. John 1:14 refers to our Lord as the 'only begotten' of the Father. And John 14:16, 26 and 15:26 speak of the Spirit as 'pro¬ ceeding from the Father and the Son.'" (The Living God, p. 96) 1. False views concerning the Trinity. There are two serious errors about the doctrine of the Trinity. a. The error of tri-theism. This says that the Trinity consists of three separate (but co¬ operating) Gods. b. The error of modalism. According to this view there is but one God who simply reveals himself through three different modes, or roles. For example, a particular man could be considered a husband to his wife, a father to his children, and an em¬ ployee to his boss. 2. Proposed illustration demonstrating the Trinity. Throughout church history various

595

illustrations have been offered to demon¬ strate the Trinity. Seven such examples are as follows. The first four are totally unscriptural, while the final three possess some lim¬ ited possibilities. a. a three-leaf clover b. the three states of water (liquid, vapor, and solid) c. the threefold nature of man (body, soul, spirit) d. the three parts of an egg (shell, white, yolk) e. the nature of light, consisting of three kinds of rays (1) chemical rays—rays that are invisi¬ ble, and can neither be felt nor seen (2) light rays—rays that are seen, but cannot be felt (3) heat rays—rays that are felt, but never seen f. The dimensional example: A book has height, width, and length. These three cannot be separated, yet they are not the same. g. a triangle 3. Old Testament passages regarding the Trin¬ ity. a. The first name used for God: Elohim (Gen. 1:1). This name is plural in form but is joined to a singular verb. b. The creation of man. Genesis 1:26: "And God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth." c. The explusion from Eden. Genesis 3:22: "And the Lord God said. Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever. d. The confusion at Babel. Genesis 11:7: "Go to, let us go down, and there confound their language, that they may not understand one an¬ other's speech." e. The usage of the same word, echad, in Genesis 2:24 and in Deuteronomy 6:4. Echad is Hebrew for "one." These pas¬ sages teach that God is one, as husband and wife are one. f. The teachings of King Agur. Proverbs 30:4: "Who hath ascended up into heaven, or descended? who hath gathered the wind in his fists? who hath bound the waters in a gar¬ ment? who hath established all the ends of the earth? what is his name, and what is his son's name, if thou canst tell?"

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

g. The plural forms used in Ecclesiastes 12:1 and Isaiah 54:5. (1) "Remember now thy Creator in the days of thy youth . . ." (Eccl. 12:1). In the original this is literally "thy cre¬ ators." (2) "For thy Maker is thine hus¬ band. . ." (Isa. 54:5). Here "maker" should be translated "makers." h. The triune conversations in Isaiah. Isaiah 6:8: "Also I heard the voice of the Lord, saying. Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me." Isaiah 48:16: "Come ye near unto me, hear ye this; I have not spoken in secret from the beginning; from the time that it was, there am I: and now the Lord God, and his Spirit, hath sent me." Isaiah 63:9,10: "In all their affliction he was afflicted, and the angel of his presence saved them: in his love and in his pity he redeemed them; and he bare them, and carried them all the days of old. But they rebelled, and vexed his holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them." i. The conversation between the Father and Son in the Psalms. Psalm 2:1-9: "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take coun¬ sel together, against the Lord, and against his Anointed, saying. Let us break their bands asunder, and cast away their cords from us. He that sitteth in the heavens shall laugh: the Lord shall have them in derision. Then shall he speak unto them in his wrath, and vex them in his sore dis¬ pleasure. Yet have I set my King upon my holy hill of Zion. I will declare the decree: the Lord hath said unto me. Thou art my Son; this day have I be¬ gotten thee." Psalm 45:6-8: "Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wicked¬ ness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows. All thy garments smell of myrrh, and aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby they have made thee glad." Psalm 110:1-5: "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy foot¬ stool. The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Thy peo¬ ple shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness

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from the womb of the morning: thou hast the dew of thy youth. The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent. Thou art a priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek. The Lord at thy right hand shall strike through kings in the day of his wrath." 4. New Testament passages regarding the Trin¬ ity. a. The baptism of Christ. Matthew 3:16, 17: "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." b. The temptation of Christ. Matthew 4:1: "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil." c. The teachings of Jesus. John 14:16: "And I will pray the Fa¬ ther, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever." The Greek word here translated "an¬ other" is alios, meaning another of the same kind. Heteros is the Greek word for another of a different kind. It is never used in referring to the Trinity. John 14:26: "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you." d. The baptismal formula. Matthew 28:19, 20: "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever 1 have commanded you: and, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen." e. The apostolic benediction. 2 Corinthians 13:14: "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen." 5. A scriptural summary of the Trinity. a. The Father is God (Jn. 6:44-46; Rom. 1:7; 1 Pet. 1:2). b. The Son is God (Isa. 9:6; Jn. 1:1; 20:28; 1 Tim. 3:16; Titus 2:13; Heb. 1:8). c. The Spirit is God (Acts 5:3, 4; Heb. 9:14). V. The Attributes of God. Reduced to its simplest defi¬ nition, an attribute of God is whatever God has in any way revealed as being true of himself. Some theologians prefer the word "perfection" to that of attribute. A. W. Tozer has written: "If an attribute is something true of God, it is also something that we can conceive as being true of

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

him. God, being infinite, must possess attributes about which we can know nothing." (The Knowl¬ edge of the Holy, p. 19) "In the awful abyss of the divine being may lie attributes of which we know nothing and which can have no meaning for us, just as the attributes of mercy and grace can have no personal meaning for seraphim or cherubim. These holy beings may know of these qualities in God but be unable to feel them sympathetically for the reason that they have not sinned and so do not call forth God's mercy and grace. So there may be, and I believe there surely are, other aspects of God's essential being which He has not revealed even to His ran¬ somed and Spirit-illuminated children." (Ibid, p. 52) Finally, it must be concluded that there are hidden facets of God's nature wholly unknown (and perhaps unknowable) by any created being, even angels. They are known only by Jehovah God himself. We now consider some twenty-one attributes or perfec¬ tions of God. A. God is self-existent. Exodus 3:13, 14: "And Moses said unto God, Behold, when I come unto the children of Is¬ rael, and shall say unto them. The God of your fathers hath sent me. What is his name? what shall I say unto them? And God said unto Moses, I AM THAT I AM: and he said. Thus shalt thou say unto the children of Is¬ rael, I AM hath sent me unto you." We have already discussed in a previous study the existence of God, but one of his attributes is self-existence. This is simply to say (with stagger¬ ing implications) that God exists because he ex¬ ists. He is not dependent upon anything or anyone for his thoughts (Rom. 11:33, 34), his will (Rom. 9:19; Eph. 1:5), his power (Ps. 115:3), or his counsel (Ps. 33:10, 11). B. God is self-sufficient. Psalm 50:10-12: "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof." This attribute is closely connected to the attri¬ bute of self-existence, but carries it a step fur¬ ther. This means God has never had in eternity past, nor can ever have in the ages to come, a single need for which his own divine nature has not already provided. C. God is eternal. Simply defined, this means God is absolutely free from the tyranny of time. In him there is no past or future, but one always and never-ending present. He is neither conditioned nor confined by time. Deuteronomy 33:27: "The eternal God is thy refuge, and underneath are the everlasting arms: and he shall thrust out the enemy from before thee: and shall say. Destroy them." Psalm 102:11, 12: "My days are like a shadow that declineth; and I am withered like grass. But thou, O Lord, shalt endure for ever; and thy remembrance unto all generations." During one of his dialogues with the wicked

597

Pharisees, the Son of God made reference to his attribute of eternity. Note his declaration: John 8:56, 57: "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see my day: and he saw it, and was glad. Then said the Jews unto him. Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" It should be observed that he did not say, "be¬ fore Abraham was, I was," but "before Abraham was, I am" (Jn. 8:58). Psalm 90:2: "Before the mountains were brought forth, or ever thou hadst formed the earth and the world, even from everlasting to everlasting, thou art God." D. God is infinite. God has no limitations. He is bounded only by his own nature and will. 1 Kings 8:22, 23, 27: "And Solomon stood be¬ fore the altar of the Lord in the presence of all the congregation of Israel, and spread forth his hands toward heaven: And he said. Lord God of Israel, there is no God like thee, in heaven above, or on earth beneath, who keepest covenant and mercy with thy servants that walk before thee with all their heart. But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded?" Jeremiah 23:24: "Can any hide himself in secret places that I shall not see him? saith the Lord. Do not I fill heaven and earth? saith the Lord." E. God is omnipresent. The great theologian A. H. Strong defines this attribute as follows: "God, in the totality of His essence, without diffusion or expansion, multiplication or divi¬ sion, penetrates and fills the universe in all its parts." (Systematic Theology, p. 279) The omnipresence of God thus means he is present everywhere with his whole being at the same time. The great danger to avoid in rightly understanding this attribute is the grievous error of pantheism, which says that God is every¬ where, and everything is God. This is totally false. Two aspects should be kept in mind as one studies the omnipresence of God. 1. God's immanence. This speaks of God being in the world, acting within and through his creation. 2. God's transcendence. This affirms that God is above and beyond his creation. Psalm 139:7-12: "Whither shall I go from thy spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there: if I make my bed in hell, be¬ hold, thou art there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me. If I say. Surely the darkness shall cov¬ er me; even the night shall be light about me. Yea, the darkness hideth not from thee; but the night shineth as the day: the darkness and the light are both alike to thee." Matthew 18:20: "For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them."

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

same; that through death he might de¬ stroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; and deliver them who through fear of death were all their life¬ time subject to bondage." G. God is omniscient (all-knowing). God possesses (without prior discovery of facts) complete and universal knowledge of all things past, present, and future. This includes not only the actual, but also the possible. This total and immediate knowledge is based on his eternity (he has al¬ ways, and will always exist), and his omnipres¬ ence (he has been, is, and will always be everywhere at the same time). Psalm 147:5: "Great is our Lord, and of great power: his understanding is infinite." Isaiah 40:13, 14: "Who hath directed the Spirit of the Lord, or being his counselor hath taught him? With whom took he counsel, and who instructed him, and taught him in the path of judgment, and taught him knowledge, and showed to him the way of understand¬ ing?" Hebrews 4:13: "Neither is there any crea¬ ture that is not manifest in his sight: but all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of him with whom we have to do." Psalm 104:24: "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches." 1. He sees all things. Proverbs 15:3: "The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." 2. He knows all things (the big and small of his universe). Psalm 147:4: "He telleth the number of the stars; he calleth them all by their names." Matthew 10:29, 30: "Are not two spar¬ rows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father. But the very hairs of your head are all numbered." 3. He knows mankind. a. Our thoughts. Psalm 139:2b: "Thou understandest my thought afar off." Psalm 44:21: "Shall not God search this out? For he knoweth the secrets of the heart." b. Our words. Psalm 139:4: "For there is not a word in my tongue, but, lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether." c. Our deeds (Ps. 139:3; Rev. 2:2, 9, 13, 19; 3:1, 8, 15). Psalm 139:2a: "Thou knowest my downsitting and mine uprising." d. Our sorrows. Exodus 3:7: "And the Lord said, I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry by reason of their taskmas¬ ters; for I know their sorrows."

F. God is omnipotent (all-powerful). Genesis 18:14: "Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time appointed I will return unto thee, according to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." Revelation 19:6: "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying. Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth." This means God can do anything if it can be done and if it does not contradict his own nature. To illustrate these two things: God cannot create a rock so heavy that he couldn't lift it, because the very nature of this act would be impossible to perform. God cannot lie, or steal, for these things would contradict his own nature. Here are some areas in which God's omnipotence is clearly seen. 1. Over nature. a. He separates light from darkness (Gen. 1:4). b. He separates the waters by the firma¬ ment (space) (Gen. 1:7). c. He separates the seas from the dry land (Gen. 1:10). d. He measures oceans in his hands (Isa. 40:12). e. He weighs mountains in his scale (Isa. 40:12). f. He regards nations as a drop in the bucket (Isa. 40:15). g. He looks upon the islands as small parti¬ cles of dirt (Isa. 40:15). 2. Over men. Daniel 4:30-32: "The king spake, and said. Is not this great Babylon, that I have built for the house of the kingdom by the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty? While the word was in the king's mouth, there fell a voice from heaven, saying, O king Nebuchadnezzar, to thee it is spoken; the kingdom is de¬ parted from thee. And they shall drive thee from men, and thy dwelling shall be with the beasts of the field: they shall make thee to eat grass as oxen, and seven times shall pass over thee, until thou know that the most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whom¬ soever he will." 3. Over angels. Psalm 103:20: "Blessed the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments, hearkening unto the voice of his word." 4. Over Satan (Job 1:12; 2:6). The first two chapters of Job deal with Satan's accusations against the patriarch before God. The devil then subjects Job to various fierce and fiery trials, but not before being granted the needed specific permission from the omnipo¬ tent God himself. 5. Over death. Hebrews 2:14,15: "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the

598

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY~

e. Our needs. Matthew 6:32: "(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things." f. Our devotion. Genesis 18:17-19: "And the Lord said. Shall I hide from Abraham that thing which I do; Seeing that Abraham shall surely become a great and mighty na¬ tion, and all the nations of the earth shall be blessed in him? For I know him, that he will command his chil¬ dren and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgement; that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him." Genesis 22:11, 12: "And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abra¬ ham: and he said. Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me." 2 Chronicles 16:9: "For the eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole earth, to shew himself strong in the behalf of them whose heart is perfect toward him. Herein thou hast done foolishly: Therefore from henceforth thou shalt have wars." g. Our frailties. Psalm 103:14: "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust." h. Our foolishness. Psalm 69:5: "O God, thou knowest my foolishness; and my sins are not hid from thee." i. He knows his own. John 10:14: "I am the good shepherd, and know my sheep, and am known of mine." 2 Timothy 2:19: "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, hav¬ ing this seal. The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity." 4. He knows the past, present, and future. Acts 15:18: "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world." 5. He knows what might or could have been. Matthew 11:23: "And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have re¬ mained until this day." A. W. Tozer has written: "God perfectly knows Himself and, being the source and author of all things, it fol¬

599

lows that He knows all that can be known. And this He knows instantly and with a fullness of perfection that includes every possible item of knowledge con¬ cerning everything that exists or could have existed anywhere in the universe at any time in the past or that may exist in the centuries or ages yet unborn. God knows instantly and effortlessly all matter and all matters, all mind and every mind, all spirit and all spirits, all beings and ev¬ ery being, all creaturehood, and all crea¬ tures, every plurality and all pluralities, all law and every law, all relations, all causes, all thoughts, all mysteries, all enigmas, all feeling, all desires, every unuttered secret, all thrones and dominions, all personal¬ ities, all things visible and invisible in heaven and in earth, motion, space, time, life, death, good, evil, heaven, and hell." (The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 62) H. God is wise. We have already noted God's omni¬ science is based upon his eternity and omnipres¬ ence. We may now suggest his wisdom is grounded upon his omniscience. Robert Lightner writes: "Though very closely related, knowledge and wisdom are not the same. Nor do they always accompany each other. No doubt we have all known those who had acquired a great deal of facts but who lacked the ability to use them wisely. Both knowledge and wisdom are im¬ perfect in man but perfect and perfectly re¬ lated to each other in God. Only He knows how to use His infinite knowledge to the best possible end. Through His wisdom God ap¬ plies His knowledge to the fulfillment of His own purposes in ways which will bring the most glory to Him." (The God of the Bible, p. 99) Following are but a few of the passages which declare the wisdom of God. Psalm 136:5: "To him that by wisdom made the heavens: for his mercy endureth for ever." Proverbs 3:19: "The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by understanding hath he established the heavens." 1 Corinthians 2:7: "But we speak the wis¬ dom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom, which God ordained before the world unto our glory." 1 Timothy 1:17: "Now unto the King eter¬ nal, immortal, invisible, the only wise God, be honour and glory for ever and ever. Amen." Jude 1:25: "To the only wise God our Sav¬ iour, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen." I. God is immutable. In a sentence, this says that God never differs from himself. He may on occa¬ sion alter his dealings with men in a dispensational sense, but his divine character remains constant. This is a vital attribute of God, without which he could not be God. For example, a per¬ son may only change in two directions. He may go from better to worse or from worse to better. But it is unthinkable that God could travel down either of these roads.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

Psalm 135:6: "Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places." Isaiah 46:9-11: "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure: calling a ravenous bird from the east, the man that executeth my counsel from a far country: yes, I have spoken it, I will also bring it to pass; I have purposed it, I will also do it." K. God is incomprehensible. By this it is stated that no one except God himself can even remotely understand and comprehend God. Job 5:7-9: "Yet man is bom unto trouble, as the sparks fly upward. I would seek unto God, and unto God would 1 commit my cause: Which doeth great things and unsearchable; marvellous things without number." Job 11:7-9: "Canst thou by searching find out God? canst thou find out the Almighty unto perfection? It is as high as heaven; what canst thou do? deeper than hell; what canst thou know? The measure thereof is longer than the earth, and broader than the sea." Psalm 36:5, 6: "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds. Thy righteousness is like the great mountains; thy judgments are a great deep: O Lord, thou preservest man and beast." Romans 11:33: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out!" To illustrate this attribute, consider the follow¬ ing: Let us suppose in heaven we are able to dou¬ ble our learning each year concerning the person and attributes of God. This is not at all an unrea¬ sonable assumption, for the Christian will pos¬ sess a sinless and glorified body, along with a holy and tireless desire to know more about Jesus. So here is a believer who begins eternity with X amount of knowledge about God. At the beginning of his second year he has doubled this, the third year he leams four times as much, the fourth year, eight times as much, etc. By the end of his eleventh year he will have increased his knowledge concerning God 1000-fold. At the conclusion of year number twenty-one the figure jumps to one million. At the end of the thirtyfirst year the number leaps to one billion. Fol¬ lowing the forty-first year it reaches one trillion! As he finishes his first century in eternity his knowledge of God (doubling each year) would reach 1030 (one followed by 30 zeros)! This figure is thousands of times more than the combined total of all the grains of sand on all the seashores of the earth. But this number simply marks his first one hundred years. How much knowledge¬ doubling will he have experienced at the end of his first one million years? This staggering figure cannot even be comprehended by the mortal

Hebrews 1:10-12: "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a garment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail." James 1:17: "Every good gift and every per¬ fect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." Acts 1:11: "Which also said. Ye men of Galilee, why stand ye gazing up into heaven? this same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven." Hebrews 13:8: "Jesus Christ the same yes¬ terday, and to day, and for ever." J. God is sovereign. This means that God is the ab¬ solute and sole ruler in the universe. To be truly sovereign demands that one have the total free¬ dom, power, knowledge, wisdom, and determi¬ nation to carry out a predetermined course of action. God possesses all these in infinite mea¬ sure and is thus sovereign. Two ancient problems usually surface during any discussion of the sovereignty of God. 1. If God is sovereign, how do we explain the presence of sin and evil? A. W. Tozer writes: "The Zend-Avesta, sacred book of Zoro¬ astrianism, loftiest of the great non-biblical religions, got around this difficulty neatly enough by postulating a theologi¬ cal dualism. There were two gods, Ormazd and Ahriman, and these between them created the world. The good Ormazd made all good things and the evil Ahriman made the rest. It was quite sim¬ ple. Ormazd had no sovereignty to worry about, and apparently did not mind shar¬ ing his prerogatives with another." (The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 117) This explanation is of course totally unscriptural. The only positive statement in our present ignorance is that the sovereign God has indeed allowed for (but not ar¬ ranged for) sin to enter this universe, that through it all he might receive the most glory (Rev. 4:11) and that the elect (Rom. 8:28) might receive the most good. 2. If God is sovereign, how do we reconcile the responsibility and freedom of man? Again, to quote from A. W. Tozer: "Here is my view: God sovereignly de¬ creed that man should be free to exercise moral choice, and man from the begin¬ ning has fulfilled that decree by making his choice between good and evil. When he chooses to do evil, he does not thereby countervail the sovereign will of God but fulfills it. Inasmuch as the eternal decree decided not which choice the man should make but that he should be free to make it." (Ibid, p. 118)

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY

mind, but whatever it is, and however many ze¬ ros it represents, it will double itself the very next year! The point of all the above is simply this: Throughout the untold and unnumbered trillions and trillions of years in timeless eternity, each child of God can double his or her learning about the Creator each year and yet never even re¬ motely exhaust the awesome height, depth, or length to be known of the person of God. L. God is inscrutable. "How unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out" (Rom. 11:33). This attribute refers to the inexplicable and mysterious ways of God. It raises the most pain¬ ful question of all: Why does a loving and wise God allow certain terrible tragedies to occur? As an example, here is a young, spirit-filled pastor. He has spent a number of years diligently pre¬ paring for the ministry. His wife has sacrificed to help put him through school. But now all this is paying off. His church is experiencing an amaz¬ ing growth. Souls are saved weekly. New con¬ verts are baptized each Sunday. Additional Sunday school buses are purchased and a new building is planned. A skeptical community slowly finds itself being profoundly influenced by this vibrant and exciting pastor and his peo¬ ple. Suddenly, without any warning, the minister is killed in a freak accident. Shortly after the fu¬ neral the still confused and stunned congregation extends a call to another man. But the new min¬ ister shows little compassion and less leadership ability. Soon the flock is scattered and the once thrilling testimony of a growing and glowing work is all but stilled. How many times since Abel's martyrdom at the dawn of human history have similar trag¬ edies taken place? One need only change the names, places, and rearrange some of the details. But the searing and searching question remains: Why does God permit such terrible things? A clue (and only a clue) to this question is seen in Revelation 10:7: "But in the days of the voice of the seventh angel, when he shall begin to sound, the mystery of God should be finished, as he hath declared to his servants the prophets." But until the sound of that blessed trumpet, the perplexed child of God can arrive at no better conclusion than once offered by Abraham: "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25). This sublime statement is amplified on at least three other biblical occasions. 1. By Moses: "He is the Rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he" (Deut. 32:4). 2. By Job: "Naked came I out of my mother's womb, and naked shall I return thither. The Lord gave and the Lord hath taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord" (1:21). "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him" (13:15).

601

3. By a Galilean crowd in Jesus' day: "He hath done all things well . . ." (Mk. 7:37). M. God is holy. Without a doubt the most promi¬ nent attribute of God as presented by both Old and New Testament Scriptures is his holiness. This one single perfection would perhaps come closer to describing the eternal Creator than any other characteristic he possesses. It has been sug¬ gested that his holiness is the union of all other attributes, as pure white light is the union of all the colored rays of the spectrum. Note but a few biblical references: Leviticus 19:2: "Speak unto all the congrega¬ tion of the children of Israel, and say unto them. Ye shall be holy: for I the Lord your God am holy." Psalm 99:9: "Exalt the Lord our God, and worship at his holy hill; for the Lord our God is holy." 1 Peter 1:15: "But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation." A. W. Tozer writes: "Holy is the way God is. To be holy He does not conform to a standard. He is that stan¬ dard. He is absolutely holy with an infinite, incomprehensible fullness of purity that is in¬ capable of being other than it is. Because He is holy, all His attributes are holy; that is, whatever we think of as belonging to God must be thought of as holy. God is holy and He has made holiness the moral condition necessary to the health of His universe. Sin's temporary presence in the world only accents this. Whatever is holy is healthy; evil is a moral sickness that must end ultimately in death. The formation of the lan¬ guage itself suggests this, the English word holy deriving from the Anglo-Saxon halig, hal, meaning 'well, whole.' Since God's first concern for His universe is its moral health, that is, its holiness, whatever is contrary to this is necessarily under His eternal displeasure. To preserve His creation God must destroy whatever would destroy it. When He arises to put down iniquity and save the world from inseparable moral col¬ lapse, He is said to be angry. Every wrathful judgement in the history of the world has been a holy act of preservation. The holiness of God, the wrath of God, and the health of the creation are inseparably united. God's wrath is His utter intolerance of whatever de¬ grades and destroys. He hates iniquity as a mother hates the polio that would take the life of her child." (The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 113) In the Bible God underlines his holiness by direct commands, objects, personal visions, and individual judgments. 1. The direct commandments. a. the moral law (Ten Commandments) (Ex. 10:10-25; 20:1-17) b. the spiritual law (feasts and offerings) (Ex. 35-40; Lev. 1-7, 23) c. the ceremonial law (diet, sanitation, etc.) (Lev. 11-15)

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near be¬ fore him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and lan¬ guages, should serve him: his domin¬ ion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed." d. John's vision. Revelation 4:8-11: "And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come. And when those beasts give glory and honour and thanks to him that sat on the throne, who liveth for ever and ever, the four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created." 4. Individual judgments. a. Upon Nadab and Abihu, for offering strange fire (Lev. 10:1-3). b. Upon Korah, for rebellion (Num. 16:4-12, 31-33). c. Upon Uzziah, for intruding into the office of the priest (2 Chron. 26:16-21). d. Upon Herod, for blasphemy (Acts 12:20-23). e. Upon Christ, for the sins of the world (Isa. 53:1-10; Ps. 22:1; Heb. 2:7; 1 Pet. 2:21-25; 3:18). N. God is righteous and just. Righteousness can be defined as moral equity. Justice is the illustration of this moral equity. In righteousness God re¬ veals his love for holiness. In justice God reveals his hatred for sin. The Scriptures present this twin attribute in a threefold light. 1. The intrinsic righteousness and justice of God. Exodus 9:27: "And Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the Lord is righteous, and I and my people are wicked." Ezra 9:15: "O Lord God of Israel, thou art righteous: for we remain yet escaped, as it is this day: behold, we are before thee in our trespasses: for we cannot stand before thee because of this." Nehemiah 9:8: "And foundest his heart faithful before thee, and madest a cov¬ enant with him to give the land of the Canaanites, the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Jebusites, and the Girgashites, to give it, I say, to his seed, and hast performed thy words; for thou art righteous."

2. The objects. The main object was the taber¬ nacle itself. 3. Personal visions. a. Moses' vision. Exodus 33:18-23: “And he said, I be¬ seech thee, shew me thy glory.. And he said, I will make all my goodness pass before thee, and I will proclaim the name of the Lord before thee; and will be gracious to whom I will be gra¬ cious, and will shew mercy on whom I will shew mercy. And he said, Thou canst not see my face: for there shall no man see me, and live. And the Lord said. Behold, there is a place by me, and thou shalt stand upon a rock: And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by: And I will take away mine hand, and thou shalt see my back parts: but my face shall not be seen." b. Isaiah's vision. Isaiah 6:1-5: "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the temple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said. Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts." c. Daniel's vision. Daniel 7:9-14: “I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the An¬ cient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judg¬ ment was set, and the books were opened. I beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: I beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body de¬ stroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY~

Daniel 9:14: "Therefore hath the Lord watched upon the evil, and brought it upon us: for the Lord our God is righteous in all his works which he doeth: for we obeyed not his voice." 2. The legislative righteousness and justice of God. Psalm 67:4: "O let the nations be glad and sing for joy: for thou shalt judge the peo¬ ple righteously, and govern the nations upon earth. Selah." Psalm 7:9: "Oh let the wickedness of the wicked come to an end; but establish the just: for the righteous God trieth the hearts and reins." Psalm 96:10: "Say among the heathen that the Lord reigneth: the world also shall be established that it shall not be moved: he shall judge the people right¬ eously." Psalm 119:137: "Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are thy judgments." a. Rewarding the good. 2 Timothy 4:8: "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteous¬ ness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day: and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing." It should be pointed out, however, that while God's righteousness guarantees re¬ wards, it does not bestow them. A. W. Strong writes: "Neither justice or righteousness be¬ stows reward. This follows from the fact that obedience is due to God, in¬ stead of being optional or a gratuity. No creature can claim anything for his obedience. If God rewards, He re¬ wards in virtue of His goodness and faithfulness, but not in virtue of His justice or His righteousness." (System¬ atic Theology, p. 293) b. Punishing the evil. 2 Timothy 4:14: "Alexander the cop¬ persmith did me much evil: the Lord reward him according to his works." Revelation 16:5-7: "And I heard the angel of the waters say, Thou art righteous, O Lord, which art, and wast, and shalt be, because thou hast judged thus. For they have shed the blood of saints and prophets, and thou hast given them blood to drink; for they are worthy. And I heard an¬ other out of the altar say. Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and right¬ eous are thy judgments." 3. The imputed righteousness of God. Romans 4:3: "For what saith the scripture? Abraham believed God, and it was counted unto him for righteousness." Romans 4:6-8: "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man, unto whom God imputeth righteousness with¬ out works. Saying, Blessed are they whose

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iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin." Philippians 3:7-9: "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom 1 have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteousness, which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteous¬ ness which is of God by faith." 1 Peter 2:24: "Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed." O. God is true. Titus 1:1, 2: "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; in hope of eter¬ nal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." John 17:3: "And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent." 1 Thessalonians 1:9: "For they themselves show of us what manner of entering in we had unto you, and how ye turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God." Romans 3:4: "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written. That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged." "By truth we mean that attribute of the divine nature in virtue of which God's being and God's knowledge eternally conform to each other." (A. W. Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 260) Truth is therefore anything factual about God. The child of God may well say, "I speak (or serve) the truth," but only the Son of God can say, "I am the truth!" (Jn. 14:6). Again to quote from A. W. Strong: "Since Christ is the truth of God, we are suc¬ cessful in our search for truth only as we rec¬ ognize Him. Whether all roads lead to Rome depends upon which way your face is turned. Follow a point of land out into the sea, and you find only ocean. With the back turned upon Jesus Christ all following after truth leads only into mist and darkness." (Ibid, p. 262) God is the ultimate and only source and stan¬ dard of truth. This is why the Bible describes the "God that cannot lie" (Titus 1:2), and concludes that it is utterly "impossible for God to lie" (Heb. 6:18). This may be taken a step farther and stated that he not only cannot lie, but that he need not lie. A lie is almost always resorted to by human

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

time of which God had spoken to him." c. Moses. Exodus 3:21: "And I will give this peo¬ ple favour in the sight of the Egyp¬ tians: and it shall come to pass, that, when ye go, ye shall not go empty." Exodus 12:35, 36: "And the children of Israel did according to the word of Moses; and they borrowed of the Egyptians jewels of silver, and jewels of gold, and raiment: and the Lord gave the people favour in the sight of the Egyptians, so that they lent unto them such things as they required. And they spoiled the Egyptians." d. Joshua. Joshua 1:1-5: "Now after the death of Moses the servant of the Lord it came to pass, that the Lord spake unto Joshua the son of Nun, Moses' minis¬ ter saying, Moses my servant is dead; now therefore arise, go over this Jor¬ dan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, even to the children of Israel. Every place that the sole of your foot shall tread upon, that have I given unto you, as I said unto Moses. From the wilderness and this Lebanon even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great sea toward the going down of the sun, shall be your coast. There shall not any man be able to stand before thee all the days of thy life: as I was with Moses, so I will be with thee: I will not fail thee, nor forsake thee." Joshua 23:14: "And, behold, this day I am going the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake con¬ cerning you; all are come to pass unto you, and not one thing hath failed thereof." e. David. 2 Samuel 7:12, 13: "And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever." Luke 1:31-33: "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end."

beings to get out of a tight spot, to impress some¬ one, to gain an advantage, etc. But almighty God never finds himself in any of these situations. In the Psalms he speaks to us concerning this. Psalm 50:10-12; "For every beast of the forest is mine, and the cattle upon a thousand hills. I know all the fowls of the mountains: and the wild beasts of the field are mine. If I were hungry, I would not tell thee: for the world is mine, and the fullness thereof." P. God is faithful. Deuteronomy 7:9: "Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he is God, the faithful God, which keepeth covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his commandments to a thousand generations." Psalm 36:5: "Thy mercy, O Lord, is in the heavens; and thy faithfulness reacheth unto the clouds." Psalm 89:1, 2: "I will sing of the mercies of the Lord for ever: with my mouth will I make known thy faithfulness to all generations. For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever: thy faithfulness shalt thou establish in the very heavens." Lamentations 3:22, 23: "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness." God's faithfulness refers to his self-loyalty and to that of his entire creation. He will not (indeed, cannot) change his character nor fail to perform all he has promised. God's faithfulness is seen in many areas. 1. In nature. Psalm 119:90: "Thy faithfulness is unto all generations: thou hast established the earth, and it abideth." Genesis 8:22: "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease." Colossians 1:17: "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist." 2. In keeping his promises to his friends. a. Adam. Galatians 4:4: "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made un¬ der the law." b. Abraham. Genesis 15:4: "And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying. This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir." Genesis 18:14: "Is any thing too hard for the Lord? At the time ap¬ pointed I will return unto thee, ac¬ cording to the time of life, and Sarah shall have a son." Genesis 21:1, 2: "And the Lord vis¬ ited Sarah as he had said, and the Lord did unto Sarah as he had spoken. For Sarah conceived, and bare Abra¬ ham a son in his old age, at the set

604

THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY-

f. Hezekiah. 2 Kings 19:32-34: "Therefore thus saith the Lord concerning the king of Assyria, He shall not come into this city, nor shoot an arrow there, nor come before it with shield, nor cast a bank against it. By the way that he came, by the same shall he return, and shall not come into this city, saith the Lord. For I will defend this city, to save it, for mine own sake, and for my servant David's sake." 3. In keeping his promises to his enemies. a. Ahab. 1 Kings 21:17-19: "And the word of the Lord came to Elijah the Tishbite, saying. Arise, go down to meet Ahab king of Israel, which is in Samaria: be¬ hold, he is in the vineyard of Naboth, whither he is gone down to possess it. And thou shalt speak unto him, say¬ ing, Thus saith the Lord, Hast thou killed, and also taken possession? And thou shalt speak unto him, saying. Thus saith the Lord, In the place where dogs licked the blood of Na¬ both shall dogs lick thy blood, even thine." 1 Kings 22:34-38: "And a certain man drew a bow at a venture, and smote the king of Israel between the joints of the harness: wherefore he said unto the driver of his chariot. Turn thine hand, and carry me out of the host; for I am wounded. And the battle increased that day: and the king was stayed up in his chariot against the Syrians, and died at even: and the blood ran out of the wound into the midst of the chariot. And there went a proclamation throughout the host about the going down of the sun, say¬ ing, Every man to his city, and every man to his own country. So the king died, and was brought to Samaria; and they buried the king in Samaria. And one washed the chariot in the pool of Samaria; and the dogs licked up his blood; and they washed his armour; according unto the word of the Lord which he spake." b. Jezebel. 1 Kings 21:23: "And of Jezebel also spake the Lord, saying. The dogs shall eat Jezebel by the wall of Jezreel." 2 Kings 9:30: "And when Jehu was come to Jezreel, Jezebel heard of it; and she painted her face, and tired her head, and looked out at a window." 2 Kings 9:35-37: "And they went to bury her: but they found no more of her than the skull, and the feet, and the palms of her hands. Wherefore they came again, and told him. And he said. This is the word of the Lord, which he spake by his servant Elijah

605

the Tishbite, saying. In the portion of Jezreel shall dogs eat the flesh of Jez¬ ebel: And the carcase of Jezebel shall be as dung upon the face of the field in the portion of Jezreel; so that they shall not say. This is Jezebel." 4. In times of temptation. 1 Corinthians 10:13: "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is com¬ mon to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it." 5. In chastening his children. Psalm 119:75: "I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are right, and that thou in faithfulness hast afflicted me." Hebrews 12:6: "For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth." 6. In forgiving our sins. 1 John 1:9: "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteous¬ ness." 7. In answering our prayers. Psalm 143:1: "Hear my prayer, O Lord, give ear to my supplications: in thy faith¬ fulness answer me, and in thy righteous¬ ness." 8. In keeping the saved saved. 1 Corinthians 1:8, 9: "Who shall also con¬ firm you unto the end, that ye may be blameless in the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord." 1 Thessalonians 5:23, 24: "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it." 2 Thessalonians 3:3: "But the Lord is faithful, who shall stablish you, and keep you from evil." 9. In defending his people. Psalm 89:20: "I have found David my ser¬ vant; with my holy oil have I anointed him." Psalm 89:24: "But my faithfulness and my mercy shall be with him: and in my name shall his horn be exalted." 1 Samuel 12:22: "For the Lord will not forsake his people for his great name's sake: because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people." 2 Timothy 2:13: "If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny him¬ self." Q. God is Light. He is both the source and strength of all illumination. This refers not only to those golden beams of energy radiating from the sun and stars, but also to moral, mental, and spiritual rays of information and inspiration.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

ment. It is mentioned twenty-six times in Psalm 136 alone. Mercy then, among other things, is not getting what we deserve, namely, hell. 1. The example of David (Ps. 51). This is the confessional Psalm prayed by David after his shameful sin with Bathsheba, which in¬ cluded both adultery and murder. He begins by pleading for mercy and ends by acknowl¬ edging that no animal sacrifice could cleanse his sin. He then bypasses the Levitical offer¬ ings and throws himself completely upon the mercy of God. 2. The example of Israel. Psalm 103:8-17: "The Lord is merciful and gracious, slow to anger, and plen¬ teous in mercy. He will not always chide: neither will he keep his anger for ever. He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniquities. For as the heaven is high above the earth, so great is his mercy toward them that fear him. As far as the east is from the west, so far hath he removed our trans¬ gressions from us. Like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear him. For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust. As for man, his days are as grass; as a flower of the field, so he flourisheth. For the wind passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall know it no more. But the mercy of the Lord is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him, and his righteousness unto children's chil¬ dren." Hebrews 8:8,12: "For finding fault with them, he saith. Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah. For I will be merciful to their unrighteousness, and their sins and their iniquities will I re¬ member no more." 3. The example of Jonah. Jonah 4:2: "And he prayed unto the Lord, and said, I pray thee, O Lord, was not this my saying, when I was yet in my country: Therefore I fled before unto Tarshish: for I knew that thou art a gracious God, and merciful, slow to anger, and of great kind¬ ness, and repentest thee of the evil." 4. The example of Paul. 1 Timothy 1:13, 16: "Who was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injuri¬ ous: but 1 obtained mercy, because I did it ignorantly in unbelief. Howbeit for this cause I obtained mercy, that in me first Jesus Christ might shew forth all longsuffering, for a pattern to them which should hereafter believe on him to life ever¬ lasting." T. God is gracious. The very simplest definition of this beautiful attribute is unmerited favor. It is helpful at this point to contrast mercy with grace. God's mercy allows him to withhold merited pun¬ ishment. God's grace allows him to freely bestow

1 Peter 2:9: "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light." 1 John 1:7: "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin." 2 Corinthians 4:6: "For God, who com¬ manded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." 1 Timothy 6:16: "Who only hath immortal¬ ity, dwelling in the light which no man can approach unto; whom no man hath seen, nor can see: to whom be honour and power ever¬ lasting. Amen." James 1:17: "Every good gift and every per¬ fect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning." 1 John 1:5: "This then is the message which we have heard of him, and declare unto you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all." R. God is good. A. W. Strong defines goodness as follows: "Goodness is the eternal principle of God's nature which leads Him to communicate of His own life and blessedness to those who are like Him in moral character." (Systematic Theol¬ ogy, p. 289) A. W. Tozer writes in similar fashion: "The goodness of God is that which disposes Him to be kind, cordial, benevolent, and full of good will toward men. He is tenderhearted and of quick sympathy, and His unfailing atti¬ tude toward all moral beings is open, frank, and friendly. By His nature He is inclined to bestow blessedness and He takes holy plea¬ sure in the happiness of His people." (The Knowledge of the Holy, p. 88) Psalm 107:8: "Oh that men would praise the Lord for his goodness, and for his wonder¬ ful works to the children of men!" Psalm 23:6: "Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life: and I will dwell in the house of the Lord for ever." Romans 2:4: "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and long-suf¬ fering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" S. God is merciful. "Mercy is that eternal principle of God's na¬ ture which leads Him to seek the temporal good and eternal salvation of those who have opposed themselves to His will, even at the cost of infinite self-sacrifice." (A. W. Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 289) Gods' mercy is optional, in that he is in no way obligated to save sinners as he is to punish sin¬ ners. But he chooses to do so. The Old Testament speaks four times as much about the mercy of God as does the New Testa¬

606

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE TRINITY—

unmerited favor. Mercy is not getting what we de¬ serve, namely, hell. Grace is getting what we do not deserve, namely, heaven. Psalm 111:4: "He hath made his wonderful works to be remembered: the Lord is gracious and full of compassion." Psalm 116:5: "Gracious is the Lord, and righteous; yea, our God is merciful." 1 Peter 2:3: "If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious." 1 Peter 5:10: "But the God of all grace, who hath called us unto his eternal glory by Christ Jesus, after that ye have suffered a while, make you perfect, stablish, strengthen, settle you." 1. God's grace is seen through all dispensations in history. It is first mentioned on the eve of the first universal world destruction (Gen. 6:8) and the last reference occurs in Scrip¬ ture's final verse (Rev. 22:21). 2. God's grace is always a free gift. Romans 3:24: "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." Ephesians 2:8, 9: "For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of your¬ selves: it is the gift of God: Not of works, lest any man should boast." 3. God's grace always precedes his peace. Romans 1:7: "To all that be in Rome, be¬ loved of God, called to be saints: Grace to you and peace from God our Father, and the Lord Jesus Christ." This little phrase, "Grace to you and peace," a common salutation in that day, is found many times in the New Testa¬ ment, but always in this order—never, "peace and grace." It is also spiritually true that one cannot experience God's peace until he has first appropriated his grace. 4. God's grace was incarnate in Christ (Jn. 1:17). John 1:14: "And the Word was made flesh, and dwelt among us, (and we be¬ held his glory, the glory as of the only begotten of the Father,) full of grace and truth." Titus 2:11: "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men." 5. God's grace is greater than man's sin. Romans 5:20: "Moreover the law entered, that the offence might abound. But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound." 6. God's grace was displayed at Calvary. Hebrews 2:9: "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honour; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man." 7. God's grace makes the sinner what he is (2 Cor. 12:9). 1 Corinthians 15:10: "But by the grace of God I am what I am: and his grace which was bestowed upon me was not in vain;

607

but I laboured more abundantly than they all: yet not I, but the grace of God which was with me." Hebrews 4:16: "Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find -grace to help in time of need." 8. God's grace was perhaps the attribute which prompted him to create the world in the first place (see Eph. 2). U. God is Love. This is at once the most universally known and universally misunderstood attribute of all. Millions have simply equated love with God, thus weakening or totally denying his other perfections. A man and woman may have an af¬ fair hidden from their spouses and justify their adulterous relationship by their great "love" for each other. But God's love cannot be separated or isolated from his holiness and hatred for sin. Having said all this, however, it must be admit¬ ted that of all his attributes, God's love is prob¬ ably more quickly seized upon by seeking sinners than any other perfection. The smallest child can sing with great understanding: "Jesus loves me, this I know, for the Bible tells me so!" Two definitions of love may be offered at this point: 1. Love is unselfish concern about another's welfare. 2. Love is that act of one person seeking the highest good for another person. Of all the twenty-one attributes presented during this study, the final three (mercy, grace, love) will probably be the most difficult to ex¬ plain to angels who have never experienced them. It would be like attempting to explain the breathtaking majesty of the Grand Canynon dur¬ ing a magnificent sunset and the glorious sound coming from a nearby symphony orchestra to a friend who had been born blind and deaf. Fol¬ lowing are a few objects of God's love. 1. God loves Israel. Deuteronomy 7:7, 8: "The Lord did not set his love upon you, nor choose you, because ye were more in number than any people; for ye were the fewest of all people. But because the Lord loved you, and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the house of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt." Isaiah 49:15: "Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee." Jeremiah 31:3: "The Lord hath ap¬ peared of old unto me, saying, Yea, I have loved thee with an everlasting love: there¬ fore with lovingkindness have I drawn thee." Hosea 11:1: "When Israel was a child, then I loved him, and called my son out of Egypt."

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

Malachi 1:2: "I have loved you, saith the Lord. Yet ye say. Wherein hast thou loved us? Was not Esau Jacob's brother? saith the Lord: yet I loved Jacob." 2. God loves the world. John 3:16: "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 1 Timothy 2:3, 4: "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Sav¬ iour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth." 2 Peter 3:9: "The Lord is not slack con¬ cerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance." 3. God loves the church. Ephesians 5:25-32: "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church; for we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery: but I speak concerning Christ and the church." 4. God loves the sinner. Romans 5:8: "But God commendeth his

5.

6. 7.

8.

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love toward us, in that, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us." God loves the spiritual Christian. Galatians 2:20: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh 1 live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." God loves the carnal Christian (Uk. 15:12-24). God loves his Son. John 3:35: "The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all things into his hand." John 10:17: "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again." John 15:9: "As the Father hath loved me, so have I loved you: continue ye in my love." John 17:23, 24: "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them, as thou hast loved me. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where 1 am; that they may be¬ hold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world." Matthew 3:17: "And lo a voice from heaven, saying. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." Matthew 17:5: "While he yet spake, be¬ hold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him." God loves the cheerful giver. 2 Corinthians 9:7: "Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver."

THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON

THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON I. Introduction. It has been estimated that some forty billion individuals have lived upon this earth since Adam. What a contrast can be seen in this vast multitude of humanity. It includes black men, white men, brown, and yellow men. These men have explored and settled every comer of their earth. They speak dozens of languages, practice multitudes of religions, and have formulated nu¬ merous cultures. But every single human being shares one vital thing. His purpose of life down here and his eternal destiny afterward depends completely upon his per¬ sonal relationship with the subject of this study, the Lord Jesus Christ. It is, therefore, absolutely impos¬ sible to overemphasize the importance of his life. The key question of the universe continues to be: "What think ye of Christ?" (Mt. 22:42). Note the following: To the artist he is the One altogether lovely (Song of Sol. 5:16). To the architect he is the chief Cornerstone (1 Pet. 2:6). To the astronomer he is the Sun of righteousness (Mai. 4:2). To the baker he is the Bread of life (Jn. 6:35). To the banker he is the hidden treasure (Mt. 13:44). To the builder he is the sure foundation (Isa. 28:16). To the carpenter he is the door (Jn. 10:7). To the doctor he is the great Physician (Jer. 8:22). To the educator he is the new and living way (Heb. 10:20). To the farmer he is the sower and the Lord of harvest (Lk. 10:2). II. The Preexistence of Jesus Christ as God. It is possi¬ ble (as some have done) to hold to Jesus' preexis¬ tence without believing in his deity. For example, the Jehovah's Witnesses cult brazenly declares that Christ preexisted as Michael the archangel prior to Bethlehem. But the Bible dogmatically declares both his preexistence and his deity. A. The fact of his divine existence. 1. As taught by John the Baptist. "John bare witness of him, and cried, saying. This was he of whom I spake. He that cometh after me is preferred before me: for he was before me" (Jn. 1:15). (See also Jn. 1:27, 30.) According to Luke 1:36, John's birth oc¬ curred six months prior to Christ's birth.

609

2.

3.

4.

5.

but John declares that "he was before me," a reference to Jesus' preexistence. As taught by the Apostle John. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1). "(For the life was manifested, and we have seen it, and bear witness, and shew unto you that eternal life, which was with the Father, and was manifested unto us)" (1 Jn. 1:2). Here the Apostle John connects Jesus' preexistence to his deity. As taught by the Apostle Paul. "Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: but made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a ser¬ vant, and was made in the likeness of men: and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" (Phil. 2:6-8). As taught by the Apostle Peter. "Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" (1 Pet. 1:20). As taught by Christ himself. "For I came down from heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him that sent me" (Jn. 6:38). "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world. When Jesus knew in himself that his disciples murmured at it, he said unto them. Doth this offend you? What and if ye shall see the Son of man ascend up where he was before?" (Jn. 6:51, 61, 62). "Jesus said unto them. Verily, verily I say unto you. Before Abraham was, I am" (Jn. 8:58). "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" Qn. 17:5). Here Christ requests that the Father share his glory with the Son. But note the Father's previous statement about his glory in Isaiah:

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

As no regular angel can redeem men, it is as¬ sumed the angel here is actually Christ. The second passage is found in Judges 13 where a barren couple has just learned from the angel of the Lord about the future birth of Samson. In gratitude, Manoah (the father), requests the name of the angel that he might call the babe after him. Note the an¬ swer, however: "And the angel of the Lord said unto him, why askest thou thus after my name, seeing it is se¬ cret?" (Jdg. 13:18). This word, "secret," is from the same Hebrew root word found in Isaiah 9:6, where it is translated "wonderful." "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonder¬ ful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The ever¬ lasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). Inasmuch as we know the "wonderful" in this verse refers to Christ, it is highly probable that Judges 13:18 does as well. Let us now examine some of these Old Testa¬ ment theophanies. A. He appeared to Hagar, Abraham's Egyptian wife (Gen. 16:7-14). The first biblical reference to the angel of the Lord occurs here as he ten¬ derly ministers to a pagan and pregnant Egyp¬ tian girl. B. He appeared to Abraham (Gen. 18:1; 22:11-13). These two appearances came at critical times in Abraham's life. One (Gen. 18) concerned itself with the destruction of Sodom, and the other (Gen. 22) with the last-minute salvation of Isaac. C. He appeared to Jacob (Gen. 28:13; 32:24-32; 48:16). It will be remembered that Christ not only appeared to Jacob, but actually wrestled with him. (See Gen. 32.) This was doubtless that same divine One he had seen standing atop a ladder some twenty years before. (See Gen. 28.) D. He appeared to Moses (Ex. 3:2; 23:20; 33:18-23). These three occasions were all connected with Mt. Sinai. The first was near the mountain. "And when the Lord saw that he turned aside to see, God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Moses, Moses. And he said. Here am I. And he said. Draw not near here: put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground" (Ex. 3:4, 5). The second occasion was on the mountain. "Behold, I send an angel before thee, to keep thee in the way, and to bring thee into the place which I have prepared" (Ex. 23:20). The final occasion was in the mountain. "And it shall come to pass, while my glory passeth by, that I will put thee in a clift of the rock, and will cover thee with my hand while I pass by" (Ex. 33:22). E. He appeared to Joshua (Josh. 5:13-15). He ap¬ pears to Joshua on the eve of the battle against Jericho and introduces himself as the captain of the Lord's host.

"I am the LORD: that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another . . ." (Isa. 42:8). One is thus forced to conclude that either Christ was God indeed and had rightful claim to this glory, or he was an arrogant imposter demanding something the Father would never give him! B. The activities of the divine preexistent Christ. What was the Savior doing prior to his Bethle¬ hem appearance? The Scriptures make it plain that he was busy indeed. 1. He was creating the universe. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made" (Jn. 1:3). "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Col. 1:16). "Hath in these last days spoken unto us by his Son, whom he hath appointed heir of all things, by whom also he made the world. . . . And, thou. Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands" (Heb. 1:2, 10). This creation included everything, from electrons to galaxies, and from angels to Adam. 2. He was controlling this created universe. "Who being the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3). "And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Col. 1:17). Our Lord Jesus not only put all things together, but he continues to keep all things together. 3. He was communing with the Father. "I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast loved me" (Jn. 17:23). "Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (Jn. 17:24). III. The Old Testament Ministry of Jesus Christ. The Old Testament records a number of theophanies. A theophany is a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Christ. Most Bible theologians hold that the recurring an¬ gel of the Lord episode in the Old Testament is to be identified with Christ himself. This theological position is strongly suggested by two key passages. The first is found in Genesis 48:16 where the dying patriarch, Jacob, is blessing his two grandchil¬ dren. The old founder of Israel prays: "The angel who redeemed me from all evil, bless these lads . . ." (Gen. 48:16).

610

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON~

F. He appeared to Gideon (Jdg. 6:11-24). The an¬ gel of the Lord finds a very discouraged Gideon threshing wheat beside a wine press to hide it from the oppressing Midianites. G. He appeared to Samson's parents (Jdg. 13). H. He appeared to Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-13). Isaiah is al¬ lowed to see more of the glory of the preincar¬ nate Christ than any other Old Testament prophet. I. He appeared to three young Hebrews in the fiery furnace (Dan. 3:25). How thrilling are the astonished words of pagan king Nebuchadnez¬ zar which accompanied this appearance: "Then Nebuchadnezzar the king was aston¬ ished, and rose up in haste, and spake, and said unto his counselors. Did not we cast three men bound into the midst of the fire? They answered and said unto the king. True, O king. He answered and said, Lo, I see four men loose, walking in the midst of the fire, and they have no hurt; and the form of the fourth is like the Son of God" (Dan. 3:24, 25). J. He appeared to Daniel (Dan. 6:22; 7:9-14). The first of these appearances was in a lion's den. "Then said Daniel unto the king, O king, live forever. My God hath sent his angel, and hath shut the lion's mouth, that they have not hurt me . . (Dan. 6:21, 22). The second appearance was in a vision. "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose gar¬ ment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him: thousand thousands min¬ istered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thousand stood before him: the judg¬ ment was set, and the books were opened. 1 beheld then because of the voice of the great words which the horn spake: 1 beheld even till the beast was slain, and his body de¬ stroyed, and given to the burning flame. As concerning the rest of the beasts, they had their dominion taken away: yet their lives were prolonged for a season and time. I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the Ancient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a kingdom, that all people, nations, and languages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:9-14). K. He appeared to Zechariah (Zech. 1:8-13; 2:8-11; 3:10; 6:12-15). In this book, Zechariah describes Christ as protecting Jerusalem (1:8-13), measur¬ ing Jerusalem (2:8-11), cleansing Jerusalem (3:10), and building Jerusalem (6:12-15). IV. The Virgin Birth Incarnation of Jesus Christ. A. False views concerning the incarnation. 1. The Ebionites. They denied the reality of Jesus' divine nature. The Ebionite error is

611

refuted by John the Apostle in the first verse of his Gospel account. "In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God" (Jn. 1:1). 2. The Gnostics. They denied the reality of Jesus' human nature. The Gnostic error is refuted by John the apostle in the first verse of his first epistle. "That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked upon, and our hands have han¬ dled, of the Word of life" (1 Jn. 1:1). 3. The Arians. They affirmed Jesus' preexis¬ tence, but denied his deity. This is the position of the present-day Jehovah's Witnesses. 4. The Nestorians. They believed two persons actually indwelt the body of Christ, the hu¬ man person and the divine. 5. The Eutychians. They went to the opposite extreme and said both natures (the human and the divine) mingled to make up a third and totally different nature from the origi¬ nal two natures. B. The true view of the incarnation. "In the one person, Jesus Christ, there are two natures, a human nature and a divine nature, each in its completeness and integ¬ rity, and these two natures are organically and indissolubly united, yet so that no third nature is formed thereby." (A. H. Strong, Systematic Theology, p. 673) "He always says, I, me, mine. He is always addressed as thou, thee, thine. He is always spoken of as He, His, Him. It was the same person to whom it was said, 'Thou Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundations of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands.' " (Charles Hodge, as quoted by Charles Baker, A Dispensational Theology, p. 300) Thus, in the Old Testament we have man made in the image of God and in the New Tes¬ tament we see God made in the image of man. C. The miracles involved in the incarnation. 1. That God the Son could take upon himself the full nature of man and yet retain the full nature of God. The Bible declares that he was as much God as if he had never been man, and as much man as if he had never been God. This is known as the hypostatic union. There is no earthly analogy that can be used even to remotely illustrate this. The following examples have been unsuccess¬ fully offered: a. the relationship between man's body and soul b. that between the Father and the Son c. that between husband and wife d. that between the believer and the Holy Spirit e. that between a Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

f. that between oxygen and hydrogen which produces water 2. That a human body could be conceived within a mother's womb without an earthly father. The miracle of the virgin birth was not the actual birth, but the conception of Christ's earthly body. Furthermore, this conception was not only supernatural, but unique also, for God had already performed supernatural births for Sarah, Hannah, Elisabeth, and others. D. The perpetuity of the incarnation. When the Son of God joined himself to a body at Bethle¬ hem it was an eternal arrangement. He will continue to manifest himself in this body (in its resurrected state, of course) throughout the ages. E. The prophecies concerning the incarnation. Old Testament. 1. By Isaiah the prophet. "Therefore the Lord himself shall give you a sign; Behold a virgin shall con¬ ceive, and bear a son, and shall call his name Immanuel" (Isa. 7:14). "For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with jus¬ tice henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this" (Isa. 9:6, 7). 2. By Micah the prophet. "But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah, yet out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be ruler in Is¬ rael; whose goings forth have been from of old, from everlasting" (Micah 5:2). New Testament. Heavenly announcements were given to at least eight individuals or groups concerning the incarnation in the New Testament. 3. To Zacharias. "And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the dis¬ obedient to the wisdom of the just; to make ready a people prepared for the Lord. And thou, child, shalt be called the prophet of the Highest: for thou shalt go before the face of the Lord to prepare his ways" (Lk. 1:17, 76). 4. To Mary. "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name Jesus. And the angel an¬ swered and said unto her. The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow

612

thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Lk. 1:31, 35). 5. To Elisabeth. "And she spake out with a loud voice, and said. Blessed art thou among women, and blessed is the fruit of thy womb" (Lk. 1:42). 6. To Joseph. "But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Mt. 1:20, 21). 7. To the shepherds. "And the angel said unto them. Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is bom this day in the city of David, a Saviour, which is Christ the Lord. And this shall be a sign unto you; Ye shall find the babe wrapped in swad¬ dling clothes, lying in a manger" (Lk. 2:10-12). 8. To the wise men. "Now when Jesus was born in Bethle¬ hem of Judaea in the days of Herod the king, behold, there came wise men from the east to Jerusalem, Saying, Where is he that is bom King of the Jews? for we have seen his star in the east, and are come to worship him" (Mt. 2:1, 2). 9. To Simeon. "And, behold, there was a man in Jeru¬ salem, whose name was Simeon; and the same man was just and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel: and the Holy Ghost was upon him. And it was revealed unto him by the Holy Ghost, that he should not see death, before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came by the Spirit into the temple: and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him after the custom of the law. Then took he him up in his arms, and blessed God, and said. Lord, now lettest thou thy servant depart in peace, ac¬ cording to thy word: for mine eyes have seen thy salvation, which thou hast pre¬ pared before the face of all people; a light to lighten the Gentiles, and the glo¬ ry of thy people Israel" (Lk. 2:25-32). 10. To Anna. "And she coming in that instant gave thanks likewise unto the Lord, and spake of him to all them that looked for redemption in Jerusalem" (Lk. 2:38). F. The reasons for the incarnation. Why the virgin birth incarnation? God never does anything without a good reason, and in this case, there were some fourteen excellent reasons for the incarnation.

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON-

1. To reveal the invisible God.

"No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bos¬ om of the Father, he hath declared him. Jesus saith unto him. Have I been so long time with you, and yet hast thou not known me, Philip? he that hath seen me hath seen the Father; and how sayest thou then. Shew us the Father?" (Jn. 1:18; 14:9). 2. To fulfill prophecy. "And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). 3. To guarantee the Davidic covenant. The Davidic covenant assured David that some¬ day an heir from his own seed would rule over Israel on his throne forever. "Now therefore so shalt thou say unto my servant David, Thus saith the Lord of hosts, I took thee from the sheepcote, from following the sheep, to be ruler over my people, over Israel: and I was with thee whithersoever thou wentest, and have cut off all thine enemies out of thy sight, and have made thee a great name, like unto the name of the great men that are in the earth. Moreover I will appoint a place for my people Israel, and will plant them, that they may dwell in a place of their own, and move no more; neither shall the children of wick¬ edness afflict them any more, as before¬ time, and as since the time that I commanded judges to be over my peo¬ ple Israel, and have caused thee to rest from all thine enemies. Also the Lord telleth thee that he will make thee a house. And when thy days be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee, which shall proceed out of thy bowels, and I will establish his kingdom. He shall build an house for my name, and I will stablish the throne of his kingdom for ever. I will be his father and he shall be my son. If he commit iniquity, I will chasten him with the rod of men, and with the stripes of the children of men: but my mercy shall not depart away from him, as I took it from Saul, whom I put away before thee. And thine house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever. According to all these words, and according to all this vi¬ sion, so did Nathan speak unto David" (2 Sam. 7:8-17). "And, behold, thou shalt conceive in thy womb, and bring forth a son, and shalt call his name JESUS. He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David:

613

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

And he shall reign over the house of Ja¬ cob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end' (Lk. 1:31-33). To make a sacrifice for our sins. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and hon¬ our; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9). "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins. Wherefore when he cometh into the world, he saith. Sacrifice and offer¬ ing thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me: By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God" (Heb. 10:4, 5, 10, 12). "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin" (1 Jn. 3:5). "For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many" (Mk. 10:45). To reconcile man to God. "To wit, that God was in Christ, recon¬ ciling the world unto himself, not im¬ puting their trepasses unto them; and hath committed unto us the word of rec¬ onciliation" (2 Cor. 5:19). "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17). "For there is one God, and one media¬ tor between God and men, the man Christ Jesus; who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:5, 6). To provide an example for believers. "For even hereunto were ye called: be¬ cause Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an example, that ye should follow his steps" (1 Pet. 2:21). "He that saith he abideth in him ought himself also so to walk, even as he walked" (1 Jn. 2:6). To provide the believer with a high priest. "Wherefore in all things it behoved him to be made like unto his brethren, that he might be a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make reconciliation for the sins of the people" (Heb. 2:17). "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profes¬ sion, Christ Jesus" (Heb. 3:1). To destroy the devil and his works. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil" (Heb. 2:14). "He that committeth sin is of the dev¬ il; for the devil sinneth from the begin¬ ning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 Jn. 3:8). 9. To escape the historical curse. a. Upon Adam's seed. "Wherefore as by one man sin en¬ tered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). b. Upon King Jehoiakim and his son, Jehoiachin. Both these wicked rulers, Je¬ hoiakim (Jer. 36:30) and Jehoiachin (Jer. 22:30) were judged by God and warned that their physical seed would never prosper upon the throne of David. 10. To heal the brokenhearted. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, be¬ cause he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliv¬ erance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Lk. 4:18). 11. To set at liberty the bruised (Lk. 4:18). 12. To proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord (Lk. 4:18). 13. To give life—abundant life. "He that believeth on the Son hath ever¬ lasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Jn. 3:36). "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" On. 10:10). 14. To glorify the Father (Jn. 13:31; 14:13; 17:4). "Therefore, when he was gone out, Jesus said. Now is the Son of man glori¬ fied, and God is glorified in him" (Jn. 13:31). "And whatsoever ye shall ask in my name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son" On. 14:13). "I have glorified thee on the earth: I have finished the work which thou gavest me to do" (Jn. 17:4). V. The Biblical Names and Titles of Jesus Christ. It may be true that a rose by any other name would smell as sweet. But not so concerning Bible names, which often give keen insight into the lives of those who bear the titles. This is especially true concern¬ ing Christ. A wealth of information concerning his person and work can be obtained from studying the names and titles ascribed to him. Note some of these: Adam (1 Cor. 15:45) Advocate (1 Jn. 2:1) Almighty (Rev. 1:8)

614

Amen (Rev. 3:14) Angel of the Lord (Gen. 16:9-14; Jdg. 6:11-14) Anointed (Ps. 2:2) Apostle (Heb. 3:1) Author (Heb. 12:2) Alpha (Rev. 1:8; 21:6) Babe (Lk. 2:16) Beginning of creation (Rev. 3:14) Begotten of Father (Jn. 1:14) Beloved (Eph. 1:6) Bishop (1 Pet. 2:25) Blessed (1 Tim. 6:15) Branch (Zech. 3:8) Brazen Serpent (Jn. 3:14) Bridegroom (Mt. 9:15) Bright Morning Star (Rev. 22:16) Captain (Josh. 5: 4) Carpenter (Mt. 13:55; Mk. 6:3) Child (Isa. 9:6) Christ (Mt. 1:16; 2:4) Commander (Isa. 55:4) Consolation of Israel (Lk. 2:25) Cornerstone (Eph. 2:20) Dayspring from on high (Lk. 1:78) Day Star (2 Pet. 1:19) Deliverer (Rom. 11:26) Desire of nations (Hag. 2:7) Door of the sheepfold (Jn. 10:7) Emmanuel (Mt. 1:23) Express image of God (Heb. 1:3) Faithful witness (Rev. 1:5; 3:14; 19:11) Father of eternity (Isa. 9:6) First Fruits (1 Cor. 15:23) Foundation (Isa. 28:16) Fountain (Zech. 13:1) Forerunner (Heb. 6:20) Friend of sinners (Mt. 11:19) Gift of God (2 Cor. 9:15) Glory of God (Isa. 60:1) God (Jn. 1:1; Rom. 9:5; 1 Tim. 3:16) Governor (Mt. 2:6) Guide (Ps. 48:14) Head of Church (Col. 1:18) Heir of all things (Heb. 1:2) High Priest (Heb. 3:1; 7:1) Holy Child (Acts 4:30) Holy One of God (Mk. 1:24) Holy One of Israel (Isa. 41:14) Horn of salvation (Ps. 18:2) I AM: He calls himself this name seven times in John's Gospel: I am the Bread of Life (6:35). I am the Light of the World (9:5). I am the Good Shepherd (10:11). I am the Door (10:9). I am the Resurrection (11:25). I am the true Vine (15:1). I am the Way (14:6). Jehovah (Isa. 26:4; 40:3) Jesus (Mt. 1:21) Judge (Micah 5:1; Acts 10:42) King: King of Israel (Mt. 27:42; Jn. 1:49) King of kings (Rev. 17:14; 19:16) Lamb of God (Jn. 1:29, 36) Lawgiver (Isa. 33:22)

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON—

Lion of the tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5) Lord of lords (Rev. 19:16) Man (Acts 17:31; 1 Tim. 2:5) Master (Mt. 8:19) Mediator (1 Tim. 2:5) Messiah (Dan. 9:25; Jn. 1:41) Mighty God (Isa. 9:6; 63:1) Minister (Heb. 8:2) Nazarene (Mk. 1:24) Only begotten Son (Jn. 1:18) Passover (1 Cor. 5:7) Physician (Mt. 9:12) Potentate (1 Tim. 6:15) Prince (Acts 3:15; 5:31) Prophet (Acts 3:22) Propitiation (1 Jn. 2:2; 4:10) Power of God (1 Cor. 1:24) Purifier (Mai. 3:3) Priest (Heb. 4:14) Rabbi—On three well-known occasions he was called by this name: by Nicodemus (Jn. 3:2) by Judas (Mt. 26:25) by Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:16). Ransom (1 Tim. 2:6) Reaper (Rev. 14:15) Redeemer (Isa. 59:20; 60:16) Refiner (Mai. 3:3) Refuge (Isa. 25:4) Righteousness (Jer. 23:6; 33:16) Rock (Deut. 32:15) Rod (Isa. 11:1) Root of David (Rev. 22:16) Rose of Sharon (Song of Sol. 2:1) Sacrifice (Eph. 5:2) Samaritan (Good) (Lk. 10:33) Savior—he was called Savior by: his mother (Lk. 1:47) the angels (Lk. 2:11) the men of Samaria (Jn. 4:42) Second Man (1 Cor. 15:47) Seed of Abraham (Gal. 3:16,19) Seed of David (2 Tim. 2:8) Seed of the woman (Gen. 3:15) Servant (Isa. 42:1; 49:5-7) Shepherd: The Chief Shepherd (1 Pet. 5:4) The Good Shepherd On. 10:11, 14) The Great Shepherd (Heb. 13:20) My Shepherd (Ps. 23:1) Shiloh (Gen. 49:10) Son of David—he was called by this name by the following: two blind men in Capernaum (Mt. 9:27) the Syro-Phoenician woman (Mt. 15:22) two blind men in Jericho (one named Bartimaeus; Mt. 20:30; Mk. 10:46, 47) the Psalm Sunday crowd (Mt. 21:9) Son of God—Christ refers to himself by this name on only two occasions: John 9:35; 10:36. But many in the Gospels call him this: Satan (Mt. 4:3, 6) Gabriel (Lk. 1:35) a demon (Mt. 8:29; Lk. 4:41) a disciple (Mt. 14:33) Peter (Mt. 16:16)

615

Martha (Jn. 11:27) Nathanael (Jn. 1:49) a centurion (Mt. 27:54) Son of man: his favorite name for himself. According to his own testimony, the Son of man: Came not to be ministered to (Mt. 20:28). Came to seek and save that which was lost (Mt. 18:11). Can alone forgive sin (Mt. 9:6). Had not where to lay his head (Mt. 8:20). Is Lord of the Sabbath (Lk. 6:5). Would be betrayed (Mt. 17:22). Should suffer (Mt. 17:12). Would be lifted up (Jn. 3:14). Would be three days in the heart of the earth (Mt. 12:40). Would be raised from the dead (Mt. 17:9). Will come again in the glory of his Father (Mt. 16:27; 24:30). Will send forth his angels (Mt. 13:41). Shall sit upon the throne of his glory (Mt. 19:28). Son of Mary (Mk. 6:3). Son of the Most High (Lk. 1:32) Stone (Mt. 21:42; Mk. 12:10; Acts 4:11; Rom. 9:32, 33; Eph. 2:20; 1 Pet. 2:6, 7) Sun of Righteousness (Mai. 4:2) Teacher (Master) (Mt. 26:18; Jn. 3:2; 11:28) Wonderful (Isa. 9:6) Word—the Apostle John's favorite name for Christ (Jn. 1:1; Rev. 19:13) VI. The Humanity of Jesus Christ. A. He had a human parentage (Lk. 1:31; Gal. 4:4). B. He had a human body, soul, and spirit. 1. Body. "For in that she hath poured this oint¬ ment on my body, she did it for my burial" (Mt. 26:12). 2. Soul. "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour" (Jn. 12:27). "Then said he unto them. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me" (Mt. 26:38). 3. Spirit. "And immediately when Jesus perceived in his spirit that they so reasoned within themselves, he said unto them, Why reason ye these things in your hearts?" (Mk. 2:8). "And when Jesus had cried with a loud voice, he said. Father, into thy hands I commend my spirit: and having said thus, he gave up the ghost" (Lk. 23:46). C. He looked like a man. 1. To a Samaritan woman. "Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no deal¬ ings with the Samaritans" (Jn. 4:9).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

2. To the Jews. "Then said the Jews unto him. Thou art not yet fifty years old, and hast thou seen Abraham?" (Jn. 8:57). 3. To Mary. "Jesus saith unto her. Woman, why weepest thou? whom seekest thou? She, supposing him to be the gardener, saith unto him. Sir, if thou have borne him hence, tell me where thou hast laid him, and I will take him away" (Jn. 20:15). 4. He possessed flesh and blood (Heb. 2:14). 5. He grew (Lk. 2:40). 6. He asked questions (Lk. 2:46). 7. He increased in wisdom (Lk. 2:52). 8. He was limited in knowledge. Here it should be pointed out that this limitation was self-imposed. According to Philippians 2:5-8 (a passage we will examine in great detail in a later part of the study), Christ voluntarily abstained from using (yet al¬ ways retained) certain divine attributes while here on earth, that he might totally depend upon the power and wisdom of the Holy Spirit. This fact helps explain the fol¬ lowing passages: "And Jesus, immediately knowing in himself that virtue had gone out of him, turned him about in the press, and said. Who touched my clothes?" (Mk. 5:30). "And said. Where have ye laid him? They said unto him. Lord, come and see" (Jn. 11:34). "And seeing a fig tree afar off having leaves, he came, if haply he might find any thing thereon: and when he came to it, he found nothing but leaves; for the time of figs was not yet" (Mk. 11:13). "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Fa¬ ther" (Mk. 13:32). 9. He prayed (Mk. 1:35; Lk. 11:1). 10. He was tempted (Mt. 4:1; Heb. 2:18; 4:15). 11. He learned obedience (Heb. 5:8). 12. He hungered. "And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward ahungered" (Mt. 4:2). "Now in the morning as he returned into the city, he hungered" (Mt. 21:18). 13. He thirsted. "There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her. Give me to drink" (Jn. 4:7). "After this, Jesus knowing that all things were now accomplished, that the scripture might be fulfilled, saith, I thirst" (Jn. 19:28). 14. He was weary (Jn. 4:6). 15. He slept. "And, behold, there arose a great tem¬ pest in the sea, insomuch that the ship was covered with the waves: but he was asleep" (Mt. 8:24).

616

16. He loved. "Then Jesus beholding him loved him, and said unto him. One thing thou lackest: go thy way, sell whatsover thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come, take up the cross, and follow me" (Mk. 10:21). 17. He had compassion. "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd" (Mt. 9:36). 18. He was angered and grieved. "And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts, he saith unto the man. Stretch forth thine hand. And he stretched it out: and his hand was restored whole as the other" (Mk. 3:5). 19. He wept. "Jesus wept" (Jn. 11:35). "And when he was come near, he be¬ held the city, and wept over it" (Lk. 19:41). 20. He experienced joy. "Looking unto Jesus the author and fin¬ isher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so. Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight" (Lk. 10:21). 21. He was troubled. "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled" (Jn. 11:33). "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour" (Jn. 12:27). "When Jesus had thus said, he was troubled in spirit, and testified, and said. Verily, verily, I say unto you, that one of you shall betray me" (Jn. 13:21). "And he taketh with him Peter and James and John, and began to be sore amazed, and to be very heavy; and saith unto them. My soul is exceeding sor¬ rowful unto death: tarry ye here and watch" (Mk. 14:33, 34). 22. He sweat drops as of blood (Lk. 22:44). 23. He suffered (1 Pet. 4:1). 24. He bled 0n. 19:34). 25. He died (Mt. 27:50; 1 Cor. 15:3). 26. He was buried (Mt. 27:59, 60). VII. The Deity of Jesus Christ. A. Shown by the Old Testament.

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON-

1. The witness of David. “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever: the scepter of thy kingdom is a right scepter. Thou lovest righteousness, and hatest wickedness: therefore God, thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Ps. 45:6,

7K"The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine en¬ emies thy footstool" (Ps. 110:1). 2. The witness of Isaiah. "For unto us a child is bom, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The Prince of Peace" (Isa. 9:6). 3. The witness of Daniel. "I saw in the night visions, and, behold, one like the Son of man came with the clouds of heaven, and came to the An¬ cient of days, and they brought him near before him. And there was given him dominion, and glory, and a king¬ dom, that all people, nations, and lan¬ guages, should serve him: his dominion is an everlasting dominion, which shall not pass away, and his kingdom that which shall not be destroyed" (Dan. 7:13, 14). B. Shown by the Gospels. 1. He is omnipotent (Mt. 28:18). a. over disease (Mt. 8:1-4; Lk. 4:39) b. over demons (Mt. 8:16, 17; 28-32; Lk. 4:35) c. over men (Mt. 9:9; Jn. 17:2) d. over nature (Mt. 8:26) e. over sin (Mt. 9:1-8) f. over traditions (Mt. 9:10-17) g. over death (Lk. 7:14, 15; 8:54, 56; Jn. 11:4) 2. He is omniscient (Jn. 2:24; 16:30). a. He knew the whereabouts of Nathanael (Jn. 1:48). b. He knew the plot of Judas (Jn. 6:70; 13:11). c. He knew the hearts of the Pharisees (Mt. 12:25; Lk. 5:22; 6:8; 7:39, 40). d. He knew the thoughts of the scribes (Mt. 9:3, 4). e. He knew the sincerity of one scribe (Mk. 12:34). f. He knew the history of the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:29). g. He knew the problems of his disciples (Lk. 9:46, 47). If rightly understood, there is no contradiction here between his omniscience and his being limited in knowledge (as we have already dis¬ cussed). He retained every whit of his deity while on earth (thus his omni¬ science) but voluntarily abstained from using it, that he might be totally depen¬ dent upon the Holy Spirit (thus his lim¬ ited knowledge in certain areas).

617

3. He is omnipresent (Mt. 18:20; 28:20; Jn. 3:13; 14:20). 4. He is worshiped as God (cf. Mt. 4:9, 10). a. by the angels (Heb. 1:6). b. by the shepherds (Lk. 2:15) c. by the wise men (Mt. 2:2, 11) d. by a leper (Mt. 8:2) e. by a ruler (Mt. 9:18) f. by a Syro-Phoenician woman (Mt. 15:25) g. by a mother (Mt. 20:20) h. by a maniac (Mk. 5:6) i. by a man born blind (Jn. 9:38) j. by Thomas (Jn. 20:28) k. by some Greeks (Jn. 12:20, 21) l. by his apostles (Mt. 14:33; 28:9) 5. He forgives sins (Mk. 2:5, 10, 11). 6. He judges. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son" (Jn. 5:22). 7. He saves (Mt. 18:11; Jn. 10:28). C. Shown by the Acts. 1. The testimony of Stephen. "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit" (Acts 7:59). 2. The testimony of a eunuch. "And Philip said. If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he an¬ swered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God" (Acts 8:37). D. Shown by the epistles. 1. In the writings of Paul. Note the language of just a few of these great Pauline verses on the deity of Christ. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). "Who is the image of the invisible God, the first-born of every creature: For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or pow¬ ers: all things were created by him, and for him: And he is before all things, and by him all things consist" (Col. 1:15-17). "For in him dwelleth all the fullness of the Godhead bodily" (Col. 2:9). "And without controversy great is the mystery of godliness: God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit, seen of angels, preached unto the Gentiles, believed on in the world, received up into glory" (1 Tim. 3:16). "Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:13). 2. In the writings of Peter. Consider also a sampling of Peter's testimony concerning Christ's deity. "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and authori-

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

ties and powers being made subject unto him" (1 Pet. 3:22). "For he received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (2 Pet. 1:17). 3. In the writings of Jude. "To the only wise God our Savior, be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen" (Jude 1:25). 4. In the writings of James. "My brethren, have not the faith of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Lord of glory, with respect of persons" (Jas. 2:1). 5. In the writings of John. "And we know that the Son of God is come, and hath given us an understand¬ ing, that we may know him that is true, and we are in him that is true, even in his Son Jesus Christ. This is the true God, and eternal life" (1 Jn. 5:20). "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore. Amen; and have the keys of hell and of death" (Rev. 1:18). "And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:16). Dr. John Walvoord quotes the following from Charles Hodge: "All divine names and titles are applied to Him. He is called God, the mighty God, the great God, God over all; Jehovah; Lord; the Lord of lords and King of kings. All divine attributes are ascribed to Him. He is de¬ clared to be omnipresent, omniscient, al¬ mighty, and immutable, the same yesterday, today, and forever. He is set forth as the cre¬ ator and upholder and ruler of the universe. All things were created by Him and for Him; and by Him all things consist. He is the ob¬ ject of worship to all intelligent creatures, even the highest; all the angels (i.e., all crea¬ tures between man and God) are com¬ manded to prostrate themselves before Him. He is the object of all the religious senti¬ ments; of reverence, love, faith, and devo¬ tion. To Him men and angels are responsible for their character and conduct. He required that man should honour Him as they honoured the Father; that they should exercise the same faith in Him that they do in God. He declares that He and the Father are one, that those who had seen Him had seen the Father also. He calls all men unto him; promises to forgive their sins; to send them the Holy Spirit; to give them rest and peace; to raise them up at the last day; and to give them eternal life. God is not more, and cannot promise more, or do more than Christ is said to be, to promise, and to do. He has, therefore, been the Christian's God from the beginning, in all ages and in all places." (Jesus Christ, Our Lord, p. 31)

618

VIII. The Impeccability of Jesus Christ. This subject deals with sinlessness. Here two facts should be stated: A. Christ did not sin. We are informed that: 1. He knew no sin. "For he hath made him to be sin for us, who knew no sin; that we might be made the righteousness of God in him" (2 Cor. 5:21). 2. He did no sin. "Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth" (1 Pet. 2:22). "For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin" (Heb. 4:15). 3. He had no sin. "And ye know that he was manifested to take away our sins; and in him is no sin" (1 Jn. 3:5). "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (Jn. 14:30). B. These facts concerning the sinlessness of Christ while upon the earth are attested by many indi¬ viduals, some of which were his enemies: 1. Pilate. "Pilate therefore went forth again, and saith unto them, Behold, I bring him forth to you, that ye may know that I find no fault in him" (Jn. 19:4). 2. Pilate's wife. "When he was set down on the judg¬ ment seat, his wife sent unto him, say¬ ing, Have thou nothing to do with that just man: for I have suffered many things this day in a dream because of him" (Mt. 27:19). 3. Judas. "Saying, I have sinned in that I have be¬ trayed the innocent blood. And they said. What is that to us? see thou to that" (Mt. 27:4). 4. The dying thief. "And we indeed justly; for we receive the due reward of our deeds: but this man hath done nothing amiss" (Lk. 23:41). 5. The Roman centurion. "Now when the centurion saw what was done, he glorified God, saying. Certainly this was a righteous man" (Lk. 23:47). C. Christ could not sin. There is no question con¬ cerning the fact that Jesus did not sin while on this earth, but could he have done so? Author W. E. Best writes: "The point of view that Christ could sin is designated by the idea of peccability, and the fact that He could not sin is expressed by the term impeccability. To suggest the capa¬ bility or possibility of sinning would dis¬ qualify Christ as Saviour, for a peccable Christ would mean a peccable God. Holiness is far more than the absence of sin; it is posi¬ tive virtue. The advocates of peccability say,

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON-

'Christ could have sinned, but He did not.' To say that He could have sinned is to deny positive holiness. To deny positive holiness, therefore, is to deny the holy character of God. Holiness is positive virtue which has neither room for nor interest in sin. The Lord Jesus could not sin because the days of His flesh meant only addition of experience, not variation of character. Holy humanity was united to Deity in one indivisible per¬ son, the impeccable Christ. Jesus Christ can¬ not have more holiness because He is perfectly holy; He cannot have less holiness because He is unchangingly holy." (Studies in the Person and Work of Jesus Christ, p. 3) The question is asked, however: If Christ could not have sinned, then what was the pur¬ pose of the temptations in the wilderness? Here it should be observed that these trials were not to see if Christ would sin, but to prove he would not. IX. The Earthly Ministry of Jesus Christ. A. It has been rightly said that the first three Gos¬ pel accounts (Matthew, Mark, Luke) offer the presentation of Christ's earthly ministry, while the fourth account (John) gives us the interpreta¬ tion of that life. B. The following is but a brief outline of the most important events in his life down here. 1. his birth (Lk. 2:7) 2. his circumcision (Lk. 2:21) 3. the trip to Egypt (Mt. 2:14) 4. early life in Nazareth (Lk. 2:39) 5. the visit to the Temple when he was twelve (Lk. 2:42) 6. the baptism (Mt. 3:16) 7. the temptation (Mt. 4:1) 8. his first miracle in Cana (Jn. 2:7-9) 9. the first Temple cleansing (Jn. 2:15) 10. conversation with Nicodemus (Jn. 3:1-21) 11. conversation with the Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:1-42) 12. his sermon on Isaiah 61 in Nazareth (Lk. 4:16-30) 13. the choosing of the twelve (Mt. 10:2-4) 14. Sermon on the Mount (Mt. 5-7) 15. parable of the sower (Mt. 13) 16. feeding the 5,000 (Jn. 6:1-18) 17. walking on the water (Jn. 6:19) 18. forgiving an adulterous woman (Jn. 8:1-11) 19. healing a man born blind (Jn. 9:1-38) 20. sermon on the Good Shepherd 0n. 10:1-18) 21. hearing Peter's confession (Mt. 16:16) 22. transfiguration (Mt. 17:1-23) 23. parable of the Good Samaritan (Lk. 10:25-37) 24. parable of the rich fool (Lk. 12:16-21) 25. parable of the prodigal son (Lk. 15:1-32) 27. raising of Lazarus (Jn. 11:1-44) 28. speaking to the rich young ruler (Mt. 19:16-26) 29. conversion of Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10) 30. anointing by Mary of Bethany 0n. 12:1-8) 31. his triumphal entry (Mt. 21:9-11) 32. the cursing of the fig tree (Mt. 21:19) 33. indicting Israel's leaders (Mt. 23)

34. weeping over Jerusalem (Mt. 23:37-39; Lk. 19:41) 35. Mount Olivet discourse (Mt. 24-25) 36. the Last Supper (Jn. 13-14) 37. Gethsemane (Jn. 18:1-11) 38. trial and condemnation by Pilate (Jn. 19:1-16) 39. crucifixion (Jn. 19:17-37) 40. conversion of the dying thief (Lk. 23:39-43) 41. his glorious resurrection (Mt. 28; Mk.16; Lk. 24; Jn. 20) 42. appearance to Mary Magdalene (Jn. 20:1-18) 43. appearance on the Emmaus Road (Lk. 24:13-32) 44. appearance to his disciples (Lk. 24:33-48) 45. restoration of Peter (Jn. 21) 46. ascension (Lk. 24:51) X. The Character of Jesus Christ. What kind of man was our Lord? What were some of his characteris¬ tics? Consider: A. His zeal (Jn. 2:17). 1. His zeal forced him to remain behind in Jerusalem as a boy (Lk. 2:49). 2. His zeal led him to become the first circuit preacher (Lk. 4:42-44; 8:1). 3. His zeal caused his friends to think him mad. "And when his friends heard of it, they went out to lay hold on him: for they said, He is beside himself" (Mk. 3:21). The words "He is beside himself" may be paraphrased, "He has gone crazy over religion." 4. His zeal prompted him to risk his life in purifying the Temple (Jn. 2:15-17). 5. His zeal gave him no rest until he accom¬ plished his mission. "I am come to send fire on the earth; and what will I, if it be already kindled? But I have a baptism to be baptized with; and how am I straitened till it be accomplished" (Lk. 12:49, 50). B. His compassion (Heb. 5:2). 1. Upon the shepherdless multitudes. "But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd" (Mt. 9:36). 2. Upon the sick multitudes. "And Jesus went forth, and saw a great multitude, and was moved with compas¬ sion toward them, and he healed their sick" (Mt. 14:14). 3. Upon the hungry multitudes. "Then Jesus called his disciples unto him, and said, I have compassion on the multitude, because they continue with me now three days, and have nothing to eat: and I will not send them away fast¬ ing, lest they faint in the way" (Mt. 15:32). 4. Upon a widow (Lk. 7:13). 5. Upon a leper (Mk. 1:41). 6. Upon a father (Mk. 9:22, 23). 7. Upon a demoniac (Mk. 5:19).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

C. His meekness and gentleness (2 Cor. 10:1; 1 Pet. 2:21, 22). 1. In dealing with our infirmities. "Behold my servant, whom I have cho¬ sen; my beloved, in whom my soul is well pleased: I will put my Spirit upon him, and he shall show judgment to the Gentiles. He shall not strive, nor cry; neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment unto victory. And in his name shall the Gen¬ tiles trust" (Mt. 12:18-21). 2. In washing the feet of the disciples (Jn. 13:4, 5). 3. In his own words. "Come unto me, all ye that labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take my yoke upon you, and learn of me; for I am meek and lowly in heart: and ye shall find rest unto your souls. For my yoke is easy, and my burden is light" (Mt. 11:28-30). 4. In his sufferings and death. "He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isa. 53:7). D. His courage. 1. As seen in his hometown proclamation (Lk. 4:16-30). During this, his first recorded ser¬ mon in Nazareth, he boldly pointed out Is¬ rael's historical unbelief which prompted God even back in Old Testament times to bypass, on occasion, the chosen people and bless believing Gentiles instead. A murder¬ ous attempt was made on his life at the end of the message. 2. As seen in his two cleansings of the Temple (Jn. 2:13-17; Mt. 21:12-16). The first of these took place at the beginning of his ministry and the second during the final week. Both took great personal courage. 3. As seen in his fearless ministry to a mad¬ man (Mk. 5:1-9). No coward would have dared confront (as did our Lord) this raging lunatic who doubtless possessed superhu¬ man and satanic strength. 4. As seen in risking his life to raise Lazarus (Jn. 11:7, 8, 16, 53). He was fully aware (as were his frightened disciples) that a trip to Bethany at this time would simply invite the enraged Jews to attempt to stone him again. (See Jn. 11:8.) But he went anyway. 5. As seen in denouncing the wicked Phari¬ sees (Mt. 23). Never in written history was a group of religious hypocrites so soundly and severely rebuked as were the wicked Pharisees by the Savior here in Matthew 23. Furthermore, he condemned this pow¬ erful and perverted group to their face. 6. As seen in his approach to Calvary. "And they were in the way going up to Jerusalem; and Jesus went before them:

620

and they were amazed; and as they fol¬ lowed, they were afraid. And he took again the twelve, and began to tell them what things should happen unto him, saying. Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gen¬ tiles: And they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again" (Mk. 10:32-34). "And it came to pass, when the time was come that he should be received up, he steadfastly set his face to go to Jeru¬ salem" (Lk. 9:51). E. His love (Jn. 15:13). As a member of the Trinity, Christ naturally loves that which his Father loves. However, while he was on earth, he espe¬ cially loved: 1. his Father (Jn. 14:31; 15:10) 2. his disciples On. 13:34; 17:2, 9, 12; 19:25-27) 3. little children (Mk. 10:13-16) 4. certain close friends Qn. 11:1-3; 13:23) 5. the city of Jerusalem (Mt. 23:37; Lk. 19:41) XI. The Biographers of Jesus Christ. There were, of course, four human authors used by the Holy Spirit to describe Jesus' ministry. Each pictures him in a different light. Note: Matthew: the prophesied King; lionlike; prohetic; written to the Jew; the Davidic King; David's right¬ eous Branch. Mark: the obedient Servant; oxlike; practical; written to the Roman; the Servant of the Lord; my Servant, the Branch. Luke: the perfect Man; manlike; historical; writ¬ ten to the Greek; the Son of man; the Man, the Branch. John: the mighty God; eaglelike; spiritual; written to all the world; the Word of God; the Branch of the Lord (see Isa. 4:2; Jer. 23:5, 6; Zech. 3:8; 6:12). XII. The Kenosis (divine emptying) of Jesus Christ. Per¬ haps the most profound theological passage in the entire Bible is found in Philippians 2:5-11. "Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus: Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of no reputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men: And being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Where¬ fore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; And that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:5-11). These verses impart the following information: A. He left heaven's glory (Jn. 17:5; 2 Cor. 8:9). B. He made himself of no reputation. The Greek word here in Philippians 2:7 is kenoo and means "to empty." Just what did Christ empty himself of?

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON-

1. Negative—he did not lay aside, in any sense of the word, his deity. He was, is, and ever shall be the total Son of God. (See Jn. 1:1; 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:15; 2:9; Heb. 1:3). 2. Positive—he did, for awhile, hide his heav¬ enly fame in an earthly frame. Even though he retained every single attribute of deity while on earth, he did, nevertheless, sur¬ render the independent exercise of those divine characteristics. There is a common false view of the kenosis which teaches that he emptied himself of his relative attributes (omniscience, om¬ nipotence, omnipresence), while retaining his immanent attributes (his holiness, love, and truth). But this is in error. He did, it is true, abstain for awhile from using some of these relative attributes, but he never gave them up. a. He abstained from his omnipresence for a period. "Then said Jesus unto them plainly, Lazarus is dead. And I am glad for your sakes that I was not there, to the intent ye may believe; neverthe¬ less let us go unto him" (Jn. 11:14, 15). b. He abstained from his omniscience for a period. "And Jesus said. Who touched me? When all denied, Peter and they that were with him said. Master, the multitude throng thee and press thee, and sayest thou. Who touched me? And Jesus said. Somebody hath touched me: for I perceive that vir¬ tue is gone out of me" (Lk. 8:45, 46). "But of that day and that hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels which are in heaven, neither the Son, but the Father" (Mk. 13:32). c. He abstained from his omnipotence for a period. "Then answered Jesus and said unto them. Verily, verily, I say unto you. The Son can do nothing of himself, but what he seeth the Father do: for what things soever he doeth, these also doeth the Son likewise. For the Father loveth the Son, and showeth him all things that himself doeth: and he will show him greater works than these, that ye may marvel" (Jn. 5:19, 20). Two phrases found in Philippians 2 need to be examined at this point. The form of God: This does not mean that Christ had a physical shape prior to the incar¬ nation. It refers to that inner, essential, and abiding nature of a person or thing. As an ex¬ ample, we might say, "The tennis player was in rare form today." Robbery to be equal with God: That is, he did not hold or consider the outer manifesta¬ tion of his deity in heaven as a treasure to be grasped and retained at all costs. Christ in his

621

incarnation did not concern himself with re¬ taining all this. C. He was made in the likeness of men (See Jn. 1:14; Rom. 1:3; Gal. 4:4; Heb. 2:14, 17). This simple but absolutely staggering fact cannot be even remotely grasped by human minds. The infinite holy Creator suddenly becomes in the likeness of his finite and sinful creatures (yet without sin). It is as if a mighty and magnificent earthly king would determine to lay aside for awhile his storehouse of wealth, and, leaving behind an adoring and amazed court, take upon himself the body of a lowly ant. The "Son of man" was, by the way, our Lord's favorite name for himself while on earth. He took upon himself the form of a servant. He did not come as a mighty human Caesar or some world-re¬ nowned human philosopher. Even this would have been a condescension of colossal propor¬ tions. He came, rather, as a lowly servant. J. Vernon McGee writes: "He could have been born in the palace in Rome. He could have been bom a Caesar. But God had already promised He would be in the line of David. . . . Have you ever no¬ ticed what Isaiah said concerning Him: 'And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch shall grow out of his roots' (Isa. 11:1). For years that bothered me. I felt like say¬ ing, 'Isaiah, you should have said out of the stem of David.' I think if Isaiah could have spoken to me, he would have said, 'Oh, how you fellows miss it. The stem comes out of Jesse!' When Jesus was born, Israel was un¬ der the heel of Rome; the royal line of David was no longer on the throne, but had re¬ turned to peasantry. You see, Jesse, the fa¬ ther of King David, was a peasant, a farmer in Bethlehem. And when Jesus was born, the royal line was again in the peasant class. Jesus was born into a poor family. Though He was the Son of David, the stem came out of Jesse. He took upon Himself the form of a servant" (Probing Through Philippians, p. 36). D. He humbled himself. That is, he submitted to authority. "For even hereunto were ye called: because Christ also suffered for us, leaving us an ex¬ ample, that ye should follow his steps: Who did no sin, neither was guile found in his mouth: Who, when he was reviled, reviled not again; when he suffered, he threatened not; but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously: Who his own self bare our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness: by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Pet. 2:21-24). He agreed to talk our language, to wear our clothes, to eat our food, to breathe our air, and to endure our vile and vicious treatment. Con¬ trast his statement in the garden with Lucifer's statement. "And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

be possible, let this cup pass from me: nev¬ ertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. He went away the second time, and prayed, say¬ ing, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done" (Mt. 26:39, 42). "For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isa. 14:13, 14). E. He became obedient unto death (see Mt. 26:39; Jn. 10:18; Heb. 5:8; 12:2). F. He died on a cross. He did not just die, but suffered the worst kind of death both physi¬ cally and judicially. (See Ps. 22; Isa. 53; Gal. 3:13.) We have examined the humiliation of Christ, and now lets us notice his exaltation. G. He has been highly exalted by the Father him¬ self. "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high" (Isa. 52:13). "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said. Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee" (Jn. 17:1). "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Fa¬ ther the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9). H. He has been given a name (position and place of authority) above all other names (Eph. 1:20, 21; Heb. 1:4). I. He will be universally acknowledged as Lord of all. 1. The methods of this acknowledgment: By the bowing of the knee and the confession of the tongue. 2. The creatures of this acknowledgment: a. Those in heaven: the world of angels. b. Those on earth: the world of saints and sinners. c. Those under the earth: the world of de¬ mons. (See Isa. 45:23; Rom. 10:9, 10; Rev. 5:13; 7:9-12; 14:6, 7). Note: To confess him in this life as Lord means salvation, but to wait until the next life will result in damnation. Thus, the supreme question is not when a human being will do this, but rather where.

XIII. The Office of Jesus Christ. In the Old Testament three great offices were created by God to meet the spiritual and material needs of his chosen people. These offices are: A. The prophet, an individual who represented God before man. A prophet thus exercised:

622

1. Hindsight. He knew the secrets of the past. Moses wrote of man's creation, his fall, the universal flood, and other early events which transpired centuries before he him¬ self was bom in Egypt. 2. Insight. He knew the problems and needs of the present. Prophets like Isaiah, Amos, Joel, Jeremiah, and others thundered out God's wrath against the sin and decay of their times. 3. Foresight. He knew the secrets of the fu¬ ture. Daniel writes of the coming tribula¬ tion, and Ezekiel describes the glorious millennium. B. The priest, an individual who represented man before God. 1. Qualifications for the priesthood: a. He must be taken from among men, a man with compassion for other men (see Heb. 5:1, 2). b. He must be chosen by God (Num. 16:5; Heb. 5:4). c. He must be consecrated to God (Lev. 21:6, 7). C. The king, an individual who ruled for God. 1. He was to come from the tribe of Judah (Gen. 49:10). 2. He was to come from the seed of David (2 Sam. 7:8-17; Ps. 89:3, 4). As fulfilled by Christ in the New Testament: D. He fulfilled the office of the prophet. 1. This office was predicted for him by Moses in Deuteronomy 18: 18, 19 (cf. Jn. 1:21). 2. It began at the River Jordan and ended at Calvary. 3. He was recognized as being a prophet. See Jn. 4:19 (Samaritan woman), Luke 7:16 (people of Galilee), Matthew 21:11, John 7:40 (people of Jerusalem), Luke 22:64 (his enemies), Luke 24:19 (disciples on Emmaus Road). This is his past ministry. E. He fulfills the office of the priest. 1. This began at the cross and will end at the Second Coming. 2. He met the qualifications for the priest's of¬ fice. a. He was taken from among men (Heb. 2:16; 4:15). b. He was chosen by God (Heb. 5:4-6; Mt. 3:16, 17; 17:5). c. He was consecrated to God (Lk. 1:35; Heb. 7:26). 3. He performed the responsibilities of the priest's office. a. He offered himself upon Calvary (Heb. 2:9). b. He prayed (and prays) for his people (Jn. 17; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:25). c. He blesses his people (Eph. 1:3; 2:11-22). This is his present ministry. F. He will fulfill the office of the king. 1. He comes from the tribe of Judah. 2. He comes from the seed of David. "And one of the elders saith unto me. Weep not; behold, the Lion of the tribe

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THE DOCTRINE OT THE SON-

of Judah, the Root of David, hath pre¬ vailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof" (Rev. 5:5). XIV. The Death of Jesus Christ. A. The awesomeness of it—the murder of Israel's Messiah, the killing of the Creator. 1. As pondered by the Old Testament proph¬ ets. "Of which salvation the prophets have enquired and searched diligently, who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you: searching what, or what manner of time the Spirit of Christ which was in them did signify, when it testified beforehand the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (1 Pet. 1:10, 11). "Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to en¬ ter into his glory? And beginning at i Moses and all the prophets, he ex¬ pounded unto them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself" (Lk. 24:25-27). "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair: I hid not my face from shame and spitting" (Isa. 50:6). "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and carried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and af¬ flicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned every one to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniquity of us all. He was oppressed, and he was afflicted, yet he opened not his mouth: he is brought as a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before her shearers is dumb, so he openeth not his mouth" (Isa. 53:4-7). "My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?" (Ps. 22:1). "But I am a worm, and no man; a re¬ proach of men, and despised of the peo¬ ple. All they that see me laugh me to scorn: they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying. He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him: let him de¬ liver him, seeing he delighted in him" (Ps. 22:6-8). "For dogs have compassed me: the as¬ sembly of the wicked have inclosed me: they pierced my hands and my feet. I may tell all my bones: they look and stare upon me. They part my garments among them, and cast lots upon my ves¬ ture" (Ps. 22:16-18).

623

"They gave me also gall for my meat; and in my thirst they gave me vinegar to drink" (Ps. 69:21). "And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off" (Dan. 9:26). "Awake, O sword, against my shep¬ herd, and against the man who is my fellow [equal], saith the Lord of hosts; smite the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered" (Zech. 13:7). 2. As pondered by the New Testament apos¬ tles. "And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them. The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were ex¬ ceeding sorry" (Mt. 17:22, 23). "A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again, a little while, and ye shall see me, because I go to the Father. Then said some of his disciples among them¬ selves, What is this that he saith unto us, A little while, and ye shall not see me: and again a little while, and ye shall see me: and. Because I go to the Father?" (Jn. 16:16, 17). 3. As pondered by the heavenly angels (1 Pet. 1:12; Eph. 3:10). We are told that angels desire to look into the things of salvation (1 Pet. 1:12). Surely some of these accompanying things which transpired during the earthly life of our Lord must have filled them with joy and pride. They marveled at his birth. They were inspired by his sermons and thrilled by his miracles. But how did those holy heavenly creatures react when they watched their beloved celestial Creator being systematically slaughtered by brutal mortal sinners? We cannot tell, but surely astonishment and outrage must have flooded their beings. B. The scope of it. For whom did Christ die? In general, it may be said that he died for the world, for the elect, and for each man. 1. His death for the world. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso¬ ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). "The next day John seeth Jesus com¬ ing unto him, and saith. Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29). "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 Jn. 2:2). "For the grace of God that bringeth salvation hath appeared to all men" (Ti¬ tus 2:11). "But there were false prophets also among the people, even as there shall be false teachers among you, who privily shall bring in damnable heresies, even denying the Lord that brought them.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

and bring upon themselves swift de¬ struction" (2 Pet. 2:1). "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise, as some men count slackness; but is long-suffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9). "Who gave himself a ransom for all, to be testified in due time" (1 Tim. 2:6). "For therefore we both labor and suf¬ fer reproach, because we trust in the liv¬ ing God, who is the Savior of all men, specially of those that believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). 2. His death for the elect. "But ye believe not, because ye are not of my sheep, as 1 said unto you. My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: and I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my Father's hand" (Jn. 10:26-28). "I pray for them: I pray not for the world, but for them which thou hast given me, for they are thine" (Jn. 17:9). "And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus: for he shall save his people from their sins" (Mt. 1:21). 'Take heed therefore unto your¬ selves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in CTirist Jesus before the world began, but is now made manifest by the ap¬ pearing of our Savior Jesus Christ, who hath abolished death, and hath brought life and immortality to light through the gospel" (2 Tim. 1:9, 10). "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph. 1:4) "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it" (Eph. 5:25). "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). 3. His death for each man. "But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than,the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor; that he by the grace of God should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9). C. Old Testament examples of it. During that first Easter Sunday afternoon the resurrected Christ

624

appeared unrecognized to two disciples on their way to Emmaus. After listening to their despair over the recent crucifixion of Israel's Messiah, our Lord admonished them as follows: "Then he said unto them, O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: Ought not Christ to have suffered these things, and to enter into his glory? And beginning at Moses and all the proph¬ ets, he expounded unto them in all the scrip¬ tures the things concerning himself" (Lk. 24:25-27). The following Old Testament events which speak of Jesus' death were no doubt referred to by our Lord to those disciples during that after¬ noon conversation. 1. the coats of skin (Gen. 3:21) 2. the Passover lamb (Ex. 12) 3. the Levitical offerings (Lev. 1-5) 4. the ordinance of the red heifer (Num. 19) 5. the sacrifice on the day of atonement (Lev. 16) 6. the ark (1 Pet. 3:18-22) 7. the passage through the Red flea (1 Cor. 10:1, 2)

8. the two memorials (Josh. 3-4) 9. the branch cast into the waters of Marah (Ex. 15:23-26) 10. the smitten rock (1 Cor. 10:4) 11. the brazen serpent (Jn. 3:14) D. The importance of it. Henry Thiessen writes: "The death of Christ has a prominent place in the New Testament. The last three days of our Lord's earthly life occupy about onefifth of the narratives in the four Gospels. If all the three and a half years of His public ministry had been written out as fully as the last three days, we would have a 'Life of Christ' of some 8400 pages! . . . Torrey claims that the death of Christ is mentioned directly in the New Testament more than 175 times. Since there are 7,959 verses in the New Testament, this would mean that one out of every 53 verses refers to this theme." (Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 313) Thiessen also writes: "The death of Christ is the essential thing in Christianity. Other religions base their claim to recognition on the teaching of their founders; Christianity is distinguished from all of them by the importance it assigns to the death of its Founder. Take away the death of Christ as interpreted by the Scrip¬ tures, and you reduce Christianity to the lev¬ el of the ethnic religions. Though we would still have a higher system of ethics, were we to take away the cross of Christ, we would have no more salvation than these other re¬ ligions. Napoleon said when banished to St. Helena, that Alexander, Caesar, Charle¬ magne, and he had founded mighty king¬ doms on force, but that Jesus Christ had founded His on love. This is true, if we mean love expressed in His substitutionary death. It is of Supreme Interest in Heaven. The death of Christ is the subject of supreme in-

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON-

terest in heaven. We may expect those who have gone to heaven to have a fuller and truer conception of life's values than those who are still limited in their vision by their existence in the body. We are told that when Moses and Elijah appeared on the Mount of Transfiguration, they conversed with Christ 'about the decease which he was about to accomplish at Jerusalem' (Lk. 9:30, 31). We also find that the four living creatures and the twenty-four elders sang the song of re¬ demption through the death of Christ (Rev. 5:8-10). Even the multitude of angels around the throne, though not in need of redemp¬ tion themselves, joined in the song of the lamb that was slain (Rev. 5:11, 12). Since those who have the veil of human limita¬ tions completely removed from their eyes— those who have entered into the fuller fruits of redemption through the blood of Christ— extol Christ's death above everything else, we mortals ought to study into the true meaning of that death." (Lectures in Systematic Theology, pp. 313, 314) In fact, our Lord himself spoke of his death often. See the following: "Jesus answered and said unto them, De¬ stroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up" (Jn. 2:19). "And as Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of man be lifted up" (Jn. 3:14). "Saying, the Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the elders, and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day" (Lk. 9:22). "And while they abode in Galilee, Jesus said unto them. The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry" (Mt. 17:22, 23). "Therefore doth my Father love me, be¬ cause I lay down my life, that I might take it again" (Jn. 10:17). "Saying, Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be delivered unto the chief priests, and unto the scribes; and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles: and they shall mock him, and shall scourge him, and shall spit upon him, and shall kill him: and the third day he shall rise again" (Mk. 10:33, 34). "She hath done what she could: she is come aforehand to anoint my body to the burying" (Mk. 14:8). "And I, if I be lifted up from the earth, will draw all men unto me" (Jn. 12:32). "Then saith Jesus unto them. All ye shall be offended because of me this night: for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad" (Mt. 26:31). "Rise, let us be going: behold, he is at hand that doth betray me" (Mt. 26:46). "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is ex¬ pedient for you that I go away: for if I go not

625

away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (Jn. 16:7). E. The false theories concerning it. 1. The payment-to-Satan theory. This says man had sold his immortal soul to Satan through sin and that Christ's death was the devil's "pound of flesh" ransom note. This is wholly untrue, for Christ's death assured the final and eternal damnation of the dev¬ il. The only thing God owes Satan is a place in Gehenna hell forever. 2. The moral influence theory. Here we are told God allowed Christ to die to show that he can enter into man's sufferings. By this act God thus may stimulate man's sympa¬ thy for Christ. This too is false, for (among other reasons) the very ones who put him to death continued to hate him and his fol¬ lowers the most. Furthermore, God's eter¬ nal plan is not to "share man's sufferings with him," but rather to save him, that man might someday share the riches of Christ. 3. The example theory. Christ's death simply showed how one man can give his life for others. But what would this single act ac¬ complish? Soldiers, law officers, mothers, and other individuals had done this very thing thousands of times prior to and fol¬ lowing Christ's death. What could Calvary add to all this? 4. The satisfaction theory. This teaches that Jesus died to appease God's offended hon¬ or. It acted somewhat like a pistol duel at dawn where an insulated man takes re¬ venge for prior insult and injury. While this theory is closer to the truth than the former ones, it still smacks of error. There was ab¬ solutely no revenge involved in the death of Christ. F. The substitutional (and orthodox) theory. This alone is the correct view. Dr. John Walvoord writes: "Christ in His death fully satisfied the de¬ mands of a righteous God for judgment upon sinners and, as their infinite sacrifice, provided a ground not only for the believer's forgiveness, but for his justification and sanctification." (Jesus Christ Our Lord, p. 162) G. The need for it. Henry Thiessen writes: "At first God and man stood face to face with each other. In sinning, Adam turned his back upon God. Then God turned His back upon Adam. Christ's death has satisifed the demands of God and now God has again turned His face toward man. It re¬ mains for man to turn round about and face God. Since God has been reconciled by the death of His Son, man is now entreated to be reconciled to God." (Lecture 2, Systematic Theology, pp. 327, 328) The need, therefore, for Christ's death was twofold: 1. It was necessary because of God's holiness (Lev. 11:44; Prov. 15:9). 2. It was necessary because of man's sinful¬ ness (Rom. 3:10-20).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

H. The results from it. 1. In relation to sinners—redemption. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, ac¬ cording to the riches of his grace" .(Eph. 1:7). "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, Cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3:13). "And when he had taken the book, the four beasts and four and twenty el¬ ders fell down before the Lamb, having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odors, which are the prayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation; and hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth. And 1 beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne and the beasts and the elders: and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thou¬ sands; saying with a loud voice. Worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honor, and glory, and blessing" (Rev. 5:8-12). 2. In relation to saints—sanctification. "Who gave himself for our sins, that he might deliver us from this present evil world, according to the will of God and our Father" (Gal. 1:4). "By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all" (Heb. 10:10). "Having therefore, brethren, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath consecrated for us, through the veil, that is to say, his flesh" (Heb. 10:19, 20). 3. In relation to Satan—destruction. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14). "And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a show of them openly, triumphing over them in it" (Col. 2:15). "He that committeth sin is of the dev¬ il; for the devil sinneth from the begin¬ ning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 Jn. 3:8). "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world:

626

he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which ac¬ cused them before our God day and night. And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testimony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:9-11). XV. The Heart of the Earth Descent of Jesus Christ. "For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt. 12:40). "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quick¬ ened by the Spirit: By which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison; which some¬ time were disobedient, when once the longsuffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing, wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water" (1 Pet. 3:18-20). "Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?" (Eph. 4:9). On the strength of these verses, the following events are suggested. Between his death and resur¬ rection, our Lord descended into the lower parts of this earth to perform a twofold ministry: A. To depopulate the "saved" compartment of Hades (Lk. 16:19-31). The final debt on the sal¬ vation of these believers was now paid, thus allowing them to enter the third heaven (2 Cor. 12:2). B. To preach judgment upon the fallen angels who had attempted to corrupt human flesh and thus prevent the promised incarnation of Christ. (See Gen. 3:15; 6:1-4.) The theme of Christ's message therefore was, "It didn't work!" (See also 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6.) XVI. The Resurrection of Jesus Christ. A. The resurrection—denied by some. There is surely no other single doctrine in all the Bible so hated by Satan as the resurrection of Christ. He has attempted (always unsuccessfully) to ridicule it, downplay it, deny it, or simply ex¬ plain it away. Here are but a few theories the devil has inspired his children (ungoldly men) to promote concerning this precious doctrine. 1. The fraud theory. This says that either Jesus or his disciples (or both) simply in¬ vented the entire thing. It would have us believe that Christ was simply a clever crook who read the prophecies regarding the Messiah in the Old Testament and set about arranging for them to be fulfilled by himself. However, it would have been somewhat difficult for an imposter to ar¬ range the place where he was to be born (it had to be Bethlehem), or for some Roman soldiers to cooperate by not breaking his bones on the cross.

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON

2. The swoon theory. We are informed here that Christ merely fainted on the cross and was later revived by the cool, dark air of the tomb. But how did he get out of that tomb? What bright light did he use to blind and terrify the Roman soldiers who stood guard outside? 3. The vision theory. This would advocate that the early disciples were guilty of using some kind of primitive LSD. If this be true, then the practice was certainly widespread, for on one occasion alone over 500 claimed to have seen him. There is not one speck of biblical or secular evidence to support such an empty theory. 4. The spirit theory. This holds that only Jesus' spirit arose. But Jesus is said to have eaten while in his resurrected body. The very nailprints were still there. This view, like the above, cannot for one second stand the logic of reason. 5. The heart theory. Here we are to believe that he was only resurrected in the heart of his friends. The trouble here, however, is that none of those friends actually believed he would literally rise from the dead until they saw him with their own eyes, and heard his words with their ears. B. The resurrection—declared by many. 1. David predicted it. "For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption" (Ps. 16:10). 2. Isaiah predicted it. "And he made his grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death; because he had done no violence, nei¬ ther was any deceit in his mouth. Yet it pleased the Lord to bruise him; he hath put him to grief: when thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin, he shall see his seed, he shall prolong his days, and the pleasure of the Lord shall prosper in his hand. He shall see of the travail of his soul, and shall be satisfied: by his knowledge shall my righteous servant justify many; for he shall bear their in¬ iquities. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall di¬ vide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death: and he was numbered with the trans¬ gressors; and he bare the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgres¬ sors" (Isa. 53:9-12). 3. Jesus himself predicted it many times. "Then certain of the scribes, and of the Pharisees answered, saying. Master, we would see a sign from thee. But he an¬ swered and said unto them. An evil and adulterous generation seeketh after a sign; and there shall no sign be given to it, but the sign of the prophet Jonas: For as Jonas was three days and three nights in the whale's belly; so shall the Son of man be three days and three nights in the heart of the earth" (Mt. 12:38-40).

627

"From that time forth began Jesus to shew unto his disciples, how that he must go unto Jerusalem, and suffer many things of the elders and chief priests and scribes, and be killed, and be raised again the third day" (Mt. 16:21). "Then came the disciples to Jesus apart, and said. Why could not we cast him out? And while they abode in Gali¬ lee, Jesus said unto them. The Son of man shall be betrayed into the hands of men: and they shall kill him, and the third day he shall be raised again. And they were exceeding sorry" (Mt. 17:19, 22, 23). "Behold, we go up to Jerusalem; and the Son of man shall be betrayed unto the chief priests and unto the scribes, and they shall condemn him to death, and shall deliver him to the Gentiles to mock, and to scourge, and to crucify him: and the third day he shall rise again" (Mt. 20:18, 19). "But after I am risen again, I will go before you into Galilee" (Mt. 26:32). "Saying, The Son of man must suffer many things, and be rejected of the el¬ ders and chief priests and scribes, and be slain, and be raised the third day" (Lk. 9:22). "Then answered the Jews and said unto him. What sign showest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? Jesus answered and said unto them. De¬ stroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? But he spake of the temple of his body. When therefore he was risen from the dead, his disciples remembered that he had said this unto them; and they be¬ lieved the scripture, and the word which Jesus had said" (Jn. 2:18-22). C. The resurrection—doubted by most. It is ironic and sad that the predicted resurrection of Christ was remembered only by his enemies, the Pharisees, and not by his friends. "Now the next day, that followed the day of the preparation, the chief priests and Phari¬ sees came together unto Pilate, saying. Sir, we remember that that deceiver said, while he was yet alive. After three days 1 will rise again. Command therefore that the sepul¬ chre be made sure until the third day, lest his disciples come by night, and steal him away, and say unto the people. He is risen from the dead: so the last error shall be worse than the first" (Mt. 27:62-64). So much for his enemies. But what about his friends? 1. The women did not remember (Mk. 16:1-3). 2. Mary Magdalene did not remember (Jn. 20:13). 3. Peter and John did not remember (Lk. 24:12; Jn. 20:9).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

4. The apostles did not remember (Lk. 24:9-11). 5. The two disciples on the Emmaus Road did not remember (Lk. 24:13-31). 6. Thomas did not remember (Jn. 20:24-29). D. The resurrection—described by one (Paul; see 1 Cor. 15). 1. The proofs of the resurrection. a. The empty tomb. b. The tremendous change in the lives of the disciples. c. The silence from both the Romans and Pharisees. Not once did either of these enemy groups ever attempt to deny Christ's resurrection. They hated it and tried to suppress it, but could not refute it. d. The change from Saturday to Sunday as the main day of worship. As ingrained as the Sabbath was in the hearts and history of the apostles, it would have taken some fantastic event to change their thinking here. e. The existence of the church. In the less than fifty years after Christ's death, the Christian church had become a mighty power, causing the Roman government to view with growing concern its influ¬ ence upon men and women. Legends and religions simply do not develop this quickly. 2. The appearances after the resurrection. Our Lord appeared no less than seventeen times after his resurrection. Five of these occurred during the first Easter Sunday, and six more took place between that time and his ascension. The remaining six hap¬ pened between Pentecost and the comple¬ tion of the Bible. Dr. John Walvoord in his book Jesus Christ Our Lord (pp. 193-195) de¬ scribes these appearances: a. The first appearance of Christ was to Mary Magdalene as she remained at the site of the tomb after Peter and John had left. Here she saw Christ and first mistook him for the gardener, but im¬ mediately recognized him when he spoke to her (Jn. 20:11-17; cf. Mk. 16:9-11). After she had seen the risen Lord, Mary Magdalene returned to re¬ port the appearance of Christ to her friends (Mk. 16:10-11; Jn. 20:18). b. The second appearance of Christ was to the other women who were also return¬ ing to the tomb and saw Christ on the way (Mt. 28:9-10). The best texts seem to indicate that the phrase "as they went to tell his disciples" is an interpo¬ lation, and they were actually returning after telling the disciples. The record of the guards concerning the angel's rolling away the stone is an¬ other testimony to the resurrection of Christ from unwilling witnesses (Mt. 28:11-15). c. The third appearance was to Peter in the afternoon of the resurrection day. I

628

Concerning this there are no details, but it is most significant that Christ first sought Peter, the denier, of all the twelve (Lk. 24:34; 1 Cor. 15:5). d. The fourth appearance of Christ was to the disciples as they walked on the road to Emmaus. By supernatural delay of recognition, Christ was able to expound to them the Old Testament Scriptures concerning his death and resurrection. His identity was not known to them until he broke bread (Mk. 16:12,13; Lk. 24:13-35). e. The fifth appearance of the resurrected Christ was to the ten disciples (Mk. 16:14; Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-23). Mark's account refers to them as the eleven, but it is obvious from the con¬ text that only ten were there, as Thomas was absent. After the depar¬ ture of Judas, the remaining disciples were often referred to as the "eleven," even if all were not actually present. In a similar way, Paul refers to the "twelve" as witnesses of the resurrec¬ tion (1 Cor. 15:5), but actually, Judas Is¬ cariot was already dead. f. The sixth appearance was to the eleven disciples a week after his resurrection. At this time Thomas was present (Jn. 20:26-29). g. The seventh appearance was to seven disciples by the Sea of Galilee (Jn. 21:1-23). On this occasion he talked significantly to Simon Peter following the miraculous catch of fish. h. The eighth appearance was to five hun¬ dred and is recited by Paul as an out¬ standing proof of his resurrection (1 Cor. 15:6). i. The ninth appearance was to James, the Lord's brother (1 Cor. 15:7). There is some evidence that James was not a be¬ liever prior to the resurrection (Jn. 7:3-5), but immediately after the resur¬ rection he is numbered among the be¬ lievers (Acts 1:14; Gal. 1:19). He later became one of the outstanding leaders in the apostolic church. j. The tenth appearance was to eleven disciples on the mountain in Galilee. On that occasion he gave them the Great Commission to preach the gospel (Mt. 28:16-20). A similar commission is given in Mark 16:15-18, which may have been the same instance or an ear¬ lier appearance. k. The eleventh appearance occurred at the time of his ascension from the Mount of Olives (Lk. 24:44-53; Acts 1:3-9). This is the last appearance of Christ to his disciples prior to his glori¬ fication in heaven. 1. The twelfth appearance of the resur¬ rected Christ was to Stephen just prior to his martyrdom (Acts 7:55, 56). Subse-

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON~

quent appearances, while different in character, confirm the fact of his resur¬ rection. m. The thirteenth appearance of Christ was to Paul on the road to Damascus as he was about to continue his work of persecuting Christians (Acts 9:3-6; cf. 22:6-11; 26:13-18). On this occasion Paul was converted. n. The fourteenth appearance seems to have been to Paul in Arabia (Acts 26:17; Gal. 1:12, 17). The appearance is not clearly stated but may be inferred from Galatians 1:12. Some believe that the instructions to Paul, which he mentions in Acts 26:17, were given to him in Ara¬ bia, not at the original appearance on the road to Damascus. There is no rec¬ ord of the precise revelation given to Paul in Acts 9 or Acts 22. In Acts 22:10 he is promised a later revelation which would give him the necessary instruc¬ tion. o. The fifteenth appearance of Christ was to Paul in the Temple when Paul was warned concerning the persecution which was to come (Acts 22:17-21; cf. 9:26-30; Gal. 1:18). p. The sixteenth appearance of Christ was to Paul while he was in prison in Caes¬ area, when it is recorded that "the Lord stood by him" and told him that he would bear witness in Rome (Acts 23:11). q. The seventeenth appearance of Christ was to the Apostle John at the begin¬ ning of the revelation given to him (Rev. 1:12-20). Taken as a whole, the appearances are of such various character and to so many peo¬ ple under so many different circumstances that the proof of the resurrection of Christ is as solid as any historical fact that could be cited in the first century. 3. The importance of the resurrection (see 1 Cor. 15:12-19). The resurrection of Christ is the Constitution, Bill of Rights, and Dec¬ laration of Independence of the Christian faith. The sign of Christianity is really not the cross, but an empty tomb. If one denies the resurrection, he is forced to six horrible conclusions: a. All gospel preaching has been, is now, and always will be, utterly and com¬ pletely useless. b. All past, present, and future faith is fu¬ tile. c. All preachers become notorious liars. d. All living Christians are still in their sins. e. All departed Christians are in hell. f. All reason and purpose for life itself is destroyed. 4. The order of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:20-24). The resurrection of Christ is rep¬ resented here as being the first of its kind, thus indicating that previous miracles, such

629

as the raising of Lazarus, were more on the order of restoring a dead mortal body to a living mortal body. True resurrection car¬ ries with it glorification. There are three such resurrections: a. The resurrection of Christ (Mt. 28:5-8; Mk. 16:2-8; Lk. 24:1-8). b. The rapture resurrection. "For this corruptible must put on in¬ corruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:53). "For the Lord himself shall de¬ scend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first" (1 Thess. 4:16). c. The premillennial resurrection of Old Testament and tribulation saints. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath ever¬ lasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life" (Jn. 5:24). "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished. This is the first resurrec¬ tion. Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:5, 6). 5. The nature of the resurrection. What kind of body did Jesus have after his resurrection? This is of great importance to the believer, for we someday will have a similar body. (See 1 Jn. 3:1-3.) a. His new body had flesh and bone. "Behold my hands and my feet, that it is I myself: handle me, and see; for a spirit hath not flesh and bones, as ye see me have. And when he had thus spoken, he showed them his hands and his feet" (Lk. 24:39, 40). b. He ate food in this new body (see Lk. 24:41-43; Jn. 21:12, 13). c. His new body still bore the marks of his crucifixion. "Then saith he to Thomas, Reach hither thy finger, and behold my hands; and reach hither thy hand, and thrust it into my side: and be not faithless, but believing" (Jn. 20:27). "And when he had thus spoke, he showed them his hands and his feet" (Lk. 24:40). "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

beasts, and in the midst of the el¬ ders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth" (Rev. 5:6). d. His new body was not subjected to ma¬ terial laws. "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them, Peace be unto you" (Jn. 20:19). "And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight. And as they thus spake, Jesus himself stood in the midst of them, and saith unto them. Peace be unto you" (Lk. 24:31, 36). 6. The example of the resurrection: a grain of wheat (Jn. 12:24; 1 Cor. 15:35-38). 7. The superiority of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:39-41). The new body is as superior to the old body as: a. Man is to beast. b. Heaven is to the earth. c. The sun is to the moon. 8. The results of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:42-58). a. In relation to the believer: immediate blessings.

(1) A guarantee of our justification. "Who was delivered for our of¬ fenses, and was raised again for our justification" (Rom. 4:25). (2) A guarantee of present-day power and strength (Eph. 1:18—2:10). (3) A guarantee of fruitful labor. "Therefore, my beloved breth¬ ren, be ye steadfast, unmov¬ able, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord (1 Cor. 15:58). (4) A guarantee of our own resurrec¬ tion. "Knowing that he which raised up the Lord Jesus shall raise up us also by Jesus, and shall pre¬ sent us with you" (2 Cor. 4:14).

c.

Future blessings.

(5) Exchanging corruption for incor¬ ruption (1 Cor. 15:42). (6) Exchanging dishonor for glory (1 Cor. 15:43). (7) Exchanging weakness for power (1 Cor. 15:43). (8) Exchanging a material body for a spiritual body (1 Cor. 15:44). b. In relation to the Savior: (1) It is the mark of his deity. "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to

d. e.

f.

630

the spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). "Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly" (Acts 10:40). (2) It is the springboard of his exalta¬ tion. "The God of our fathers raised up Jesus, whom ye slew and hanged on a tree. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, for to give repentence to Israel, and forgiveness of sins" (Acts 5:30, 31). "Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above ev¬ ery name: that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth, and things under the earth; and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). (3) It marks the beginning of his headship over the church. "And what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe, according to the working of his mighty power, which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heav¬ enly places, far above all princi¬ pality, and power, and might, and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come: And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fullness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:19-23). In relation to the sinner: It warns him of a coming judgment day. "Because he 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). In relation to the devil: It seals his doom forever (Heb. 2:14; Rev. 20:10). In relationship to the Sabbath: It trans¬ fers the worship day from Saturday to Sunday (Acts 20:7; 1 Cor. 16:2; Heb. 7:12). The symbol of the resurrection: Bap¬ tism (Rom. 6:3-11; Col. 2:11-13).

~

THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON~

XVII. The Ascension and Present Ministry of Jesus Christ. A. The fact of this ascension and ministry. 1. Scripture regarding his ascension. "So then after the Lord had spoken unto them, he was received up into heaven, and sat on the right hand of God" (Mk. 16:19). "And it came to pass, while he blessed them, he was parted from them, and carried up into heaven" (Lk. 24:51). "And when he had spoken these things, while they beheld, he was taken up; and a cloud received him out of their sight" (Acts 1:9). 2. Scripture regarding his present ministry. "Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ, that died, yea rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh intercession for us" (Rom. 8:34). "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God" (Col. 3:1). "Who being the brightness of his glo¬ ry, and the express image of his person, and upholding all things by the word of his power, when he had by himself purged our sins, sat down on the right hand of the Majesty on high" (Heb. 1:3). "Now of the things which we have spoken this is the sum: We have such a high priest, who is set on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heav¬ ens" (Heb. 8:1). "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; from hence¬ forth expecting till his enemies be made his footstool" (Heb. 10:12, 13). "Looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him endured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God" (Heb. 12:2). "Who is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God; angels and au¬ thorities and powers being made subject unto him" (1 Pet. 3:22). B. The purpose of this ascension and ministry. 1. To be our Forerunner. "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the veil; whither the forerunner is for us entered, even Jesus, made a high priest for ever after the order of Melchizedek" (Heb. 6:19, 20). 2. To prepare a place for us. "In my Father's house are many man¬ sions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (Jn. 14:2). 3. To give spiritual gifts to his followers (Eph. 4:10-14).

631

4. To offer encouragement to his followers. "Seeing then that we have a great high priest, that is passed into the heavens, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold fast our profession. For we have not an high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet with¬ out sin. Let us therefore come boldly unto the throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy, and find grace to help in time of need" (Heb 4:14-16). "Wherefore seeing we also are com¬ passed about with so great a cloud of witnesses, let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us, looking unto Jesus the author and finisher of our faith; who for the joy that was set before him en¬ dured the cross, despising the shame, and is set down at the right hand of the throne of God. For consider him that en¬ dured such contradiction of sinners against himself, lest ye be wearied and faint in your minds" (Heb. 12:1-3). 5. To make high priestly prayers for us (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 4:14-16; 7:25-27; 8:1; 9:24). Here he functions in a twofold manner: a. Acting as our Intercessor (due to the weakness and frailties of the believer). While on earth, our Lord once told Peter: "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: But I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not..." (Lk. 22:31, 32). According to many New Testament passages, the Savior continues to peform this blessed ministry for his people from heaven. "Wherefore he is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). b. Acting as our Advocate (due to the sins of the believer). "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9). "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an ad¬ vocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous" (1 Jn. 2:1). "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us" (Heb. 9:24). "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our breth¬ ren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10). 6. To send the promise of the Father (Holy Spirit) (Jn. 16; Acts 1:4; 2:33). 7. To care for his churches (Rev. 1:10—3:22). In this amazing passage, the Apostle John, on the Isle of Patmos, sees the resurrected and glorified Christ standing among seven golden lampstands, dressed in the garb of a high priest. He is told that the lampstands symbolize local churches on earth. 8. To work through his people. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father" (Jn. 14:12). 9. To wait until his enemies become his foot¬ stool (Heb. 10:12,13). XVIII. The Twofold Future Coming of Jesus Christ. A. At the rapture—for his people. "But I would not have you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning them which are asleep, that ye sorrow not, even as others which have no hope. For if we believe that Jesus died and rose again, even so them also which sleep in Jesus will God bring with him. For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and re¬ main unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep. For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trump of God: and the dead in Christ shall rise first: Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord. Wherefore comfort one another with these words" (1 Thess. 4:13-18). "Behold, I show you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed. In a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this cor¬ ruptible 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. O death, where is thy sting? O grave, where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:51-57). B. After the tribulation—with his people. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the powers of the heavens shall be shaken: And then shall ap¬

632

pear the sign of the Son of man in heaven: and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory. And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Mt. 24:29-31). "And Enoch also, the seventh from Adam, prophesied of these, saying. Behold, the Lord cometh with ten thousands of his saints" (Jude 14). "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and ev¬ ery eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him: and all kindreds of the earth shall wail because of him. Even so, Amen" (Rev. 1:7). "And I saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in righteous¬ ness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven fol¬ lowed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Al¬ mighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS. And I saw an angel standing in the sun; and he cried with a loud voice, saying to all the fowls that fly in the midst of heaven. Come and gather yourselves together unto the supper of the great God; that ye may eat the flesh of kings, and the flesh of captains, and the flesh of mighty men, and the flesh of horses, and of them that sit on them, and the flesh of all men, both free and bond, both small and great. And I saw the beast, and the kings of the earth, and their armies, gathered to¬ gether to make war against him that sat on the horse, and against his army. And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had re¬ ceived the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brim¬ stone. And the remnant were slain with the sword of him that sat upon the horse, which sword proceeded out of his mouth: and all the fowls were filled with their flesh" (Rev. 19:11-21). XIX. The Millennial Reign of Jesus Christ. "For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is given: and the government shall be upon his shoulder: and his name shall be called Wonder¬ ful, Counsellor, The mighty God, The ever-

~

THE DOCTRINE OF THE SON-

lasting Father, The Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon his kingdom, to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even for ever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will per¬ form this" (Isa. 9:6, 7). "Behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that I will raise unto David a righteous Branch, and a King shall reign and prosper, and shall execute judgment and justice in the earth. In his days Judah shall be saved, and Israel shall dwell safely: and this is his name whereby he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS" (Jer. 23:5, 6). "He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him the throne of his father David: And he shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of his kingdom there shall be no end" (Lk. 1:32, 33). "Pilate therefore said unto him. Art thou a king then? Jesus answered. Thou sayest that I am a king. To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth my voice" (Jn. 18:37). XX. The Old Testament Witnesses of Jesus Christ. The Bible is a Christ-centered book. Jesus himself said the Old Testament spoke of him (Jn. 5:39). Follow¬ ing is a brief panorama of his story in history, as demonstrated by some Old Testament men and women. Events in their lives remind us of some as¬ pect in the Savior's New Testament ministry. A. Adam: his headship over a new creation (Gen. 1:28; Rom. 5:17-19; 1 Cor. 15:22, 45, 47; Heb. 2:7-9). B. Moses: his prophetical ministry (Deut. 18:15-18; Heb. 3:5, 6). C. Melchizedek: his priestly ministry (Gen. 14:18-20; Ps. 110:4; Heb. 5-8). D. David: his kingly ministry (2 Sam. 7:1-17; Mk. 11:10; Rev. 5:5; 22:16). E. Jeremiah: his sorrows (Jer. 3:20; 5:1-5; 8:20-22; 9:1; 10:19; 11:19). F. Joseph: his sufferings (the most perfect type of Christ in the Old Testament). 1. Hated without a cause (Gen. 37:4, 8; Jn. 15:25). 2. Ridiculed (Gen. 37:19; Lk. 22:63). 3. Plotted against (Gen. 37:20; Jn. 11:53).

633

G. H. I. J. K. L. M. N.

O.

P. Q. R.

S. T.

U. V.

4. Stripped of his robe (Gen. 37:23; Jn. 19:23, 24). 5. Sold for silver (Gen. 37:28; Mt. 26:14-16). 6. Lied about (Gen. 39:14; Mt. 26:61). 7. Placed in captivity with two guilty men (Gen. 40:1-3; Lk. 23:32, 33). 8. Unrecognized by his own (Gen. 42:8; Jn. 1:11). Isaac: his death (Gen. 22:2, 8, 10; Mt. 26:36, 42, 43). Jonah: his resurrection (Jonah 1:17; Mt. 12:40; 16:4; Lk. 11:29). Joshua: his victorious life (Josh. 1:3, 5, 6, 8, 9; Jn. 10:17, 18; 19:30). Noah: his saving life (Gen. 6:13, 14, 17, 18; 1 Pet. 3:18-22). Abraham: his father (Gen. 22:7, 8; Mt. 26:36, 42,43). Daniel: his acceptance by the Father (Dan. 9:23; 10:11, 19; Mt. 3:17; 17:5). Elijah: his forerunner (Isa. 40:3, 4; Mt. 17:11, 12). Elisha: his miracles: Elisha performs fourteen miracles, nearly double those of any other Old Testament man, except Moses (2 Ki. 2:9; Jn. 3:2). Ezekiel: his parables. There are sixty-nine par¬ ables in the Old Testament; twenty-three are to be found in Ezekiel's book alone (Ezek. 17:2; 20:49; Mt. 13:3). Ruth: his church (Ruth 2-4; 2 Cor. 11:2). Boaz: his love for the church (Ruth 2-4; Eph. 5:25-27). Ezra: his zeal for the Scriptures (Neh. 8; Mt. 21:42; 22:29; Mk. 12:10, 24; Lk. 4:21; 24:27; Jn. 10:35). Nehemiah: his zeal for the Holy City (Neh. 1-2; Mt. 23:37-39; Lk. 19:41). Absalom: his opposition: 1. From Judas. Absalom was a betrayer and member of David's inner circle, as was Ju¬ das of Jesus' inner circle (2 Sam. 15; Mt. 26:14). 2. From the coming antichrist. Absalom plot¬ ted against the Davidic throne, as will the antichrist (2 Sam. 15; Rev. 13). Solomon: his wisdom (1 Ki. 3:11-13; Lk. 4:22; Jn. 7:46). Lot: his backslidden followers (Gen. 19; 2 Pet. 2:7).

The SON of God in the WORD of God GENESIS 3:15; 49:10

Seed of the woman and Shiloh

EXODUS 12:3

Passover Lamb

LEVITICUS 8:7-9

Anointed high Priest

NUMBERS 21:8; 24:17

Star of Jacob and brazen serpent

DEUTERONOMY 18:15; 32:4

Prophet like Moses and great Rock

JOSHUA 5:14

Captain of the Lord’s host

JUDGES 2:1

Messenger of Jehovah

RUTH 2:1

Kinsman-Redeemer

1 SAMUEL 2:10

Great Judge

2 SAMUEL 7:13

Seed of David

1 KINGS 8:15, 26

Lord God of Israel

2 KINGS 19:15

God of the cherubim

1 CHRONICLES 16:35

God of our salvation

2 CHRONICLES 20:6

God of our fathers

EZRA 1:2

Lord of heaven and earth

NEHEMIAH 1:5

Covenant-keeping God

ESTHER

The God of providence

JOB 19:25

Risen and returning Redeemer

PSALMS 2:1, 7,12; 16:10; 23:1; 24:7-10

The anointed Son, the Holy One, The Good Shepherd, and the King of Glory

PROVERBS Chapter 8

The wisdom of God

ECCLESIASTES

The one above the sun

SONG OF SOLOMON 5:10; 16

Chiefest among 10,000 and altogether lovely

ISAIAH 7:14; 9:6; 52:13; 53:3

Virgin-born Immanuel; Child and Son; Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace; Righteous Servant, and Man of Sorrows

JEREMIAH: 23:6; 33:16

The Lord our righteousness

LAMENTATIONS 3:22, 23, 31-33

The faithful and compassionate God

EZEKIEL

The Lord is there

DANIEL 2:34; 3:25; 7:13

Smiting Stone, Son of God, Son of man

HOSEA 13:9,14

King of the resurrection

JOEL 2:28-32; 2:11; 3:2, 9-17

God of the battle and giver of the Spirit

AMOS 4:13; 7:9

God of hosts and of the plumbline

OBADIAH 1:8, 15

Destroyer of the proud

JONAH 2:10; 3:1; 4:9-11

The risen Prophet, God of second choice, The long-suffering one

MICAH 4:1-5; 5:2; 7:18,19

God of Jacob, the Bethlehemite, and the pardoning God

NAHUM 1:2,15

The avenging God and bringer of good tidings

HABAKKUK 1:12,13; 2:14; 3:13

The everlasting pure, glorious, and anointed one

ZEPHANIAH 3:15

The King of Israel

634

The SON of God in the WORD of God HAGGAI 2:7

Desire of all nations

ZECHARIAH 3:8; 6:12; 6:13; 9:9; 12:10; 14:9

Branch, builder of Temple, King of Triumphal entry, pierced one, King of the earth

MALACHI 3:16

Lord of remembrance

MATTHEW 2:2; 27:37

King of the Jews

MARK 9:35; 10:43,44

Servant

LUKE 2:40, 52; 9:22, 56, 58; 22:48

Perfect man

JOHN 1:1-5; 20:28, 31

Eternal God

ACTS 1:9

Ascended Lord

ROMANS 10:4

The Lord our righteousness

1 CORINTHIANS Chapter 15

Our resurrection

2 CORINTHIANS 1:3

God of all comfort

GALATIANS 4:4, 5

Redeemer from the law

EPHESIANS 1:22; 2:20; 5:23; 4:7, 8

Head of the church and giver of gifts

PHILIPPIANS 1:19; 4:19; 2:5-8

Supplier of every need and obedient Servant

COLOSSIANS 1:19; 2:9

Fullness of the Godhead

1 THESSALONIANS 4:13-18; 5:2, 23

The coming Christ

2 THESSALONIANS 2:8

The consuming Christ

1 TIMOTHY 2:15; 3:16; 1:15

Mediator and Savior of sinners

2 TIMOTHY 4:8; 3:16, 17

Righteous and rewarding Judge and author of Scripture

TITUS 1:3; 2:10,13; 3:4

Our great God and Savior

PHILEMON

Payer of our debt

HEBREWS 1:2 1:4; 3:3 2:10; 5:9; 12:2 2:17; 3:1, 4:14 7:25-27; 9:24 12:24 13:20

Appointed Heir of all things One better than the prophets and angels Captain of our salvation Merciful and faithful High Priest Great Intercessor Mediator of new covenant Great Shepherd of the sheep

JAMES 4:6-8; 5:15; 5:7, 8

Ever-present God, Great Physician, and the coming one

1 PETER 1:19; 2:21-24; 5:4; 3:22

Unblemished Lamb, great example, Chief Shepherd, Lord of Glory

2 PETER 1:17

The beloved Son

1 JOHN 1:1; 2:1; 2:2; 3:8; 4:15; 5:5

Word of life, advocate, propitiation, and Son of God

2 JOHN 1:3

Son of the Father

3 JOHN 1:4, 8

The Truth

JUDE 1:1,25

Preserver and only wise God

REVELATION 1:8; 5:5 5:7; 6:17 19:16 22:16

The Alpha and Omega, Lion of Judah, The slain and angry Lamb, The King of kings The bright and morning Star

635

THE DOCTRINE OF THE FATHER

"This I say therefore, and testify in the Lord, that ye henceforth walk not as other Gentiles walk, in the vanity of their mind, having the un¬ derstanding darkened, being alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in them, because of the blindness of their heart" (Eph. 4:17, 18). "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork" (Ps. 19:1). "Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Praise ye him, sun and moon: praise him, all ye stars of light. Praise him, ye heavens of heavens, and ye waters that be above the heavens. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he com¬ manded, and they were created" (Ps. 148:2-5). See also Colossians 1:16. A. He tends and cares for vegetation. "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth.... The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Leba¬ non, which he hath planted" (Ps. 104:14, 16). "And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field, how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin: And yet I say unto you. That even Solomon in all his glory was not arrayed like one of these. Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, shall he not much more clothe you, O ye of little faith?" (Mt. 6:28-30). B. He tends and cares for brute nature. "He causeth the grass to grow for the cattle, and herb for the service of man: that he may bring forth food out of the earth... . The trees of the Lord are full of sap; the cedars of Leba¬ non, which he hath planted; where the birds make their nests: as for the stork, the fir trees are her house. The high hills are a refuge for the wild goats; and the rocks for the conies. . . . Thou makest darkness, and it is night: wherein all the beasts of the forest do creep forth. The young lions roar after their prey, and seek their meat from God. . .. These wait all upon thee; that thou mayest give them their meat in due season" (Ps. 104:14, 16, 18, 20, 21, 27). "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they? ... Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? and one of them shall not fall on the ground without your Father" (Mt. 6:26; 10:29).

THE DOCTRINE OF THE FATHER Imagine yourself among a group of Christians who have been given a biblical test with but three essay questions on it. Here are the questions. Number 1 Put down everything you know about the Person and work of Jesus Christ, the second Person in the Trinity. (Probably most of the group could fill several pages of material about the Savior in a reasonable amount of time. So far, so good!) Number 2 Put down everything you know about the Person and work of the Holy Spirit, the third Person in the Trinity. (Now the pens do not move as rapidly or as confidently as before. There are long pauses between sentences. At the end of the given time period the average believer has prob¬ ably written at least one-half page or more.) Number 3 Put down everything you know about the Person and work of God the Father, first Person in the Trinity. (Oh, how silent the room now becomes! Finally, one statement is written: "He is the Father of Jesus Christ." But what can be added to this? It is my opinion that precious few in that group of Christians would be able to write even one-half dozen lines about the Father.) This all but univeral ignorance about the Father is in¬ excusable, for he is mentioned by the Savior alone well over 200 times during his earthly ministry. Our Lord taught the following about him: A. He is spirit (Jn. 4:24). B. He is omnipotent (Mt. 19:26). C. He is omniscient (Mt. 10:29). D. He is holy 0n. 17:11). E. He is righteous (Jn. 17:25). F. He is loving (Jn. 3:16; 17:23). G. He is good (Mt. 6:26, 28-30; 10:29, 30). W. Graham Scroggie writes: "But the outstanding truth which Christ taught about God is that He is Father. This term, applied to Him, occurs 189 times—in Matthew, 44; in Mark 4; in Luke, 17; and in John, 124." (A Guide to the Gospels, p. 560) I. He is the Father of all life. "For with thee is the fountain of life: in thy light shall we see light" (Ps. 36:9). "For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself" (Jn. 5:26). "God that made the world and all things therein ... he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things" (Acts 17:24, 25).

636

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE FATHER

C. He tends and cares for the weather. “Whatsoever the Lord pleased, that did he in heaven, and in earth, in the seas, and all deep places. He causeth the vapours to ascend from the ends of the earth; he maketh lightnings for the rain; he bringeth the wind out of his treasuries" (Ps. 135:6, 7). “Who covereth the heaven with clouds, who prepareth rain for the earth, who maketh grass to grow upon the mountains. ... He giveth snow like wool: he scattereth the hoar¬ frost like ashes. He casteth forth his ice like morsels: who can stand before his cold? He sendeth out his word, and melteth them: he causeth his wind to blow, and the waters flow" (Ps. 147:8, 16, 18). "Fire, and hail; snow, and vapours; stormy wind fulfilling his word" (Ps. 148:8). D. He tends and cares for the seasons. "While the earth remaineth, seedtime and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night shall not cease" (Gen. 8:22). "Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness" (Acts 14:17). D. He Is the Father of Our Lord Jesus Christ. During his earthly ministry Jesus spoke more about the Father than any other subject. A. The Father sent his Son. "Then said Jesus to them again, peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you" (Jn. 20:21). "As the living Father hath sent me, and I live by the Father" (Jn. 6:57). "The Father that sent me beareth witness of me" (Jn. 8:18). "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman" (Gal. 4:4). "And we have seen and do testify that the Father sent the Son to be the Saviour of the world" (1 Jn. 4:14; see also Jn. 3:16; 8:16; 12:49). B. The Father commanded the angels to worship his Son. "And . . . when he bringeth in the first begot¬ ten into the world, he saith. And let all the angels of God worship him" (Heb. 1:6; see also Lk. 2:8-15). C. He sealed his Son. "Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed" (Jn. 6:27). D. He honored (and honors) his Son. "Jesus answered. If I honour myself, my hour is nothing: it is my Father that honoureth me; of whom ye say, that he is your God" (Jn. 8:54). E. He bore witness to his Son (Jn. 8:18). F. He loved (and loves) his Son. "Therefore doth my Father love me, because I lay down my life, that I might take it again" (Jn. 10:17).

637

G. He glorified his Son. "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I say? Father, save me from this hour: but for this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glo¬ rify thy name. Then came there a voice from heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and will glorify it again" (Jn. 12:27, 28). "These words spake Jesus, and lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, Father, the hour is come; glorify thy Son, that thy Son also may glorify thee. . . . And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (Jn. 17:1, 5). H. He taught his Son. "Then said Jesus unto them. When ye have lifted up the Son of man, then shall ye know that I am he, and that I do nothing of myself; but as my Father hath taught me, I speak these things" (Jn. 8:28). I. He anointed his Son. "And he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up: and, as his custom was, he went into the synagogue on the sabbath day, and stood up for to read. And there was deliv¬ ered unto him the book of the prophet Esaias. And when he had opened the book, he found the place where it was written. The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the brokenhearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recov¬ ering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised. To preach the accept¬ able year of the Lord. And he closed the book, and he gave it again to the minister, and sat down. And the eyes of all them that were in the synagogue were fastened on him. And he began to say unto them. This day is this scrip¬ ture fulfilled in your ears" (Lk. 4:16-21). "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (Jn. 3:34). J. He delighted in his Son. "Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judg¬ ment to the Gentiles" (Isa. 42:1). "And lo a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 3:17). "While he yet spake, behold, a bright cloud overshadowed them: and behold a voice out of the cloud, which said. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased; hear ye him" (Mt. 17:5). "For he received from God the Father hon¬ our and glory, when there came such a voice to him from the excellent glory. This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (2 Pet. 1:17). K. He listened to his Son. "Then they took away the stone from the place where the dead was laid. And Jesus lifted up his eyes, and said, Father, I thank thee that thou hast heard me. And I knew that thou hearest me always: but because of

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

the people which stand by I said it, that they

Lewis Chafer writes the following concerning

may believe that thou hast sent me" (Jn.

the relationship between the Father and the Son.

11:41, 42). "Now is my soul troubled; and what shall I

"The relationship of the second person to the

say? Father, save me from this hour: but for

a Son, and, like all else, related to the God¬

this cause came I unto this hour. Father, glo¬

head, is not only eternal but is unchangeable.

rify thy name. Then came there a voice from

He did not become a Son of the Father, as

heaven, saying, I have both glorified it, and

some say that He did, by His incarnation, or

will glorify it again" (Jn. 12:27, 28).

by His resurrection, nor is He a Son by mere

first person has from all eternity been that of

"Then said Jesus unto him. Put up again

title, nor is He temporarily assuming such a

thy sword into his place: for all they that take

relationship that He may execute His part in

the sword shall perish with the sword. Think-

the covenant of Redemption.

est thou that I cannot now pray to my Father,

He was the only begotten of the Father

and he shall presently give me more than

from all eternity, having no other relation to time and creation than that He is the Creator

twelve legions of angels?" (Mt. 26:52, 53).

of them. It is evident that the Father and Son

L. He offered his Son. "Then said Jesus unto Peter, Put up thy sword

relationship sets forth only the features of

into the sheath: the cup which my Father hath

emanation and manifestation and does not in¬

given me, shall I not drink it?" (Jn. 18:11).

clude the usual conception of derivation, infe¬

"He that spared not his own Son, but deliv¬ ered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things?" (Rom.

riority,

8:32). 'In this was manifested the love of God

Son, as applied to the first and second persons

toward us, because that God sent his only be¬

morphic in character. That sublime and eter¬

gotten Son into the world, that we might live

nal relationship which existed between these

through him. Herein is love, not that we loved

two persons is best expressed to human un¬

God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to

derstanding in the terms of Father and Son,

be the propitiation for our sins" (1 Jn. 4:9,10).

but wholly without implication that the rivo

or

distinction

as

to

the

time

of

beginning. It is probable that the terms Father and in the Godhead, are

somewhat anthropo¬

Persons, on the divine side, are not equal in

M. He was totally satisfied by his Son.

every particular." (Systematic Theology, Vol. I,

"And he that sent me is with me: the Father

pp. 313-315)

hath not left me alone; for I do always those

III. He Is the Father of All Believers. While God is the

things that please him" (Jn. 8:29).

Creator of

N. He raised his Son. "Paul, an apostle, (not of men, neither by man, but by Jesus Christ, and God the Father, who raised him from the dead)" (Gal. 1:1). "Which he wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead, and set him at his own right hand in the heavenly places" (Eph. 1:20). O. He exalts his Son.

all

men

(Gen.

1:27;

Eccl.

12:1;

Acts

17:24-26), he is the Father only of believers. "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath be¬ stowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, be¬ cause it knew him not" (1 Jn. 3:1). A. He foreknew the believer (Rom. 8:29; 1 Pet. 1:2). B. He predestinated the believer. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did pre¬

"Wherefore God also hath highly exalted

destinate to be conformed to the image of his

him, and given him a name which is above

Son, that he might be the firstborn among

every name: That at the name of Jesus every

many brethren" (Rom. 8:29).

knee should bow, of things in heaven, and

"In whom also we have obtained an inheri¬

things in earth, and things under the earth;

tance, being predestinated according to the

and that every tongue should confess that

purpose of him who worketh all things after

Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the

the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). "And when the Gentiles heard this, they

Father" (Phil. 2:9-11). "Far above all principality, and power, and

were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord:

might, and dominion, and every name that is

and as many as were ordained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48).

named, not only in this world, but also in that

C. He elected the believer.

which is to come" (Eph. 1:21).

P. He makes his Son head of the church. "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church" (Eph. 1:22). Q. He commits judgment unto his Son.

"According as he hath chosen us in him be¬

"The Father loveth the Son, and hath given all

God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord,

fore the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph. 1:4). "But we are bound to give thanks always to

things into his hand" (Jn. 3:35).

because God hath from the beginning chosen

"For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son. . . . And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man" (Jn. 5:22, 27).

you to salvation through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth" (2 Thess. 2:13). "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Gala¬ tia, Cappadocia, Asia, and Bithynia, elect ac-

638

~

THE doctrine of the father~

cording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (1 Pet. 1:1, 2). "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Pet. 2:9). D. He gave all the elected believers to Christ. "All that the Father giveth me shall come to me; and him that cometh to me I will in no wise cast out" (Jn. 6:37). "No man can come to me, except the Father which hath sent me draw him: and I will raise him up at the last day" (Jn. 6:44). "My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand" (Jn. 10:29).

N. He loves the believer. "Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace" (2 Thess. 2:16).

"He that hath my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me: and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father, and I will love him, and will manifest myself to him" (Jn. 14:21). "And ye also shall bear witness, because ye have been with me from the beginning" (Jn. 15:27).

O. He comforts the believer. "Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort" (2 Cor. 1:3).

"Jesus knowing that the Father had given

"And God shall wipe away all tears from

all things into his hands, and that he was

their eyes; and there shall be no more death,

come from God, and went to God" (Jn. 13:3).

neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there

E. He called the believer (Rom. 8:30).

F. He conforms the believer to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). G. He redeemed the believer. "In whom we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of his grace" (Eph. 1:7). H. He justified the believer (Rom. 8:33). I. He indwells the believer. "Jesus answered and said unto him. If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Fa¬ ther will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him" (Jn. 14:23).

J. He sealed the believer with the Holy Spirit. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salva¬ tion: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13). "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of re¬

It was, of course, the Father who sent the Holy Spirit at the request of Christ to the believer in the first place. See John 14:16, 26; 15:26. K. He keeps the believer. "My Father, which gave them me, is greater than all; and no man is able to pluck them out of my Father's hand" (Jn. 10:29). "And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are" (Jn. 17:11).

L. He honors the believer. "If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there shall also my servant be: if any man serve me, him will my Father hon¬ our" (Jn. 12:26).

M. He blesses the believer. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all blessings

in

"Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself, and God, even our Father, which hath loved us, and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace" (2 Thess. 2:16).

P. He sanctifies the believer. "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called" (Jude 1). "Now they have known that all things whatsoever thou hast given me are of thee" (Jn. 17:17). Q. He bestows peace upon the believer. (See Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor. 1:3; Gal. 1:3; Eph. 1:2; Phil. 1:2; Col.

1:2; 1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:2; Titus 1:4.) R. He is glorified when the believer bears fruit. "Herein is my Father glorified, that ye bear much fruit; so shall ye be my disciples" (Jn. 15:8).

S. He reveals truth to the believer. "At that time Jesus answered and said, I thank

demption" (Eph. 4:30).

spiritual

be any more pain: for the former things are passed away" (Rev. 21:4).

heavenly

places

in

Christ" (Eph. 1:3).

639

thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, be¬ cause thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes" (Mt. 11:25).

"And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou, Simon Barjona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 16:17). "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so. Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight" (Lk. 10:21). "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" (Eph. 1:17). T. He supplies the needs of believers. "(For after all these things do the Gentiles seek:) for your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things. But seek ye first the kingdom of God, and his righteous-

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

ness; and all these things shall be added unto

"And the son said unto him. Father, I have

you" (Mt. 6:32, 33). "Who being past feeling have given them¬

sinned against heaven, and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. But

selves over unto lasciviousness, to work all

the father said to his servants. Bring forth the

uncleanness with greediness" (Eph. 4:19).

best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring on

U. He seeks the worship of believers. "But the hour cometh, and now is, when the

his hand, and shoes on his feet: And bring

true worshippers shall worship the Father in

and be merry: For this my son was dead, and

spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such

is alive again; he was lost, and is found. And

hither the fatted calf, and kill it; and let us eat,

to worship him" 0n. 4:23).

they began to be merry" (Lk. 15:21-24). X. He will someday gather all believers in Christ.

V. He chastens believers. "And ye have forgotten the exhortation which

"That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Eph. 1:10). Y. He will someday reward all believers. "Take heed that ye do not your alms before men, to be seen of them: otherwise ye have no reward of your Father which is in heaven"

speaketh unto you as unto children. My son, despise not thou the chastening of the Lord, nor faint when thou art rebuked of him: For whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom he receiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what son is he whom the father chasteneth not? But if ye be without chastise¬ ment, whereof all are partakers, then are ye

(Mt. 6:1).

bastards, and not sons. Furthermore we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us,

"But without faith it is impossible to please him; for 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).

and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live? For they verily for a few

"Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown

days chastened us after their own pleasure;

of righteousness, which the Lord, the right¬

but he for our profit, that we might be partak¬

eous judge, shall give me at that day: and not

ers of his holiness" (Heb. 12:5-10).

to me only, but unto all them also that love

W. He restores the believer. "He restoreth my soul: he leadeth me in the

his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8).

Z. He will someday glorify all believers.

paths of righteousness for his name's sake" (Ps. 23:3). "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation;

"Moreover whom he did predestinate, them

and uphold me with thy free spirit" (Ps.

also justified: and whom he justified, them he

51:12).

also glorified" (Rom. 8:30).

he also called: and whom he called, them he

640

THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT

THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT During one of his missionary trips, the Apostle Paul ques¬ tioned a group of Ephesian "church members" (actually, they were disciples of John the Baptist) about the doctrine of the Holy Spirit. Their answer must have shocked him somewhat, for they replied, ". . . We have not so much as heard whether there be any Holy Ghost" (Acts 19:2). If Paul was shocked, surely the Father and Son were saddened as they viewed yet another example of the al¬ most universal ignorance concerning the ministry of the blessed third Person in the Trinity. This statement by these Ephesian disciples, perhaps as no other in the Bible, illustrates the sorry and shameful treatment often given him. His very existence has been ignored and his ministry misunderstood. May the prayer of song writer Andrew Reed be our prayer as we approach our study of the Holy Spirit: "Holy Ghost, with light divine. Shine upon this heart of mine; Chase the shades of night away. Turn my dark¬ ness into day." I. The Personality of the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit of God is a Person, as much as the Father and Son are Persons, and therefore experiences all the sinless ele¬ ments involved within a divine personality. A. He has a mind. "And he that searcheth the hearts knoweth what is the mind of the Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints according to the will of God" (Rom. 8:27). The first "he" in this verse is a reference to the Son of God, as seen in verse 34 of Romans 8, while the second "he" refers to the Holy Spirit himself. What a fantastic truth is seen here, for the believer enjoys the intercessory ministry of both the Son and Holy Spirit. B. He searches out the human mind. "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). In the verse just prior to this (2:9) Paul para¬ phrases from Isaiah 64:4 and writes: "But 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." Because of this, some have erroneously con¬ cluded that it is impossible for even the re¬ deemed to know anything concerning heaven. But here in 2:10 we are told that the Holy Spirit reveals such things to us.

641

C. He has a will. "But all these worketh that one and the self¬ same Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" (1 Cor. 12:11). This is a reference to the various spiritual gifts which the Holy Spirit imparts to believers as he determines. D. He forbids. "Now when they had gone throughout Phryg¬ ia and the region of Galatia, and were forbid¬ den of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they as¬ sayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suf¬ fered them not" (Acts 16:6, 7). Here Paul, Silas, and Timothy were prohibited from going to two possible mission fields by the Spirit. E. He permits. "And after he had seen the vision, immedi¬ ately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them" (Acts 16:10). This explains the reason for the previous pro¬ hibition. F. He speaks. Note to whom he speaks: 1. To Philip in a desert. "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot" (Acts 8:29). 2. To Peter on a housetop. "While Peter thought on the vision, the Spirit said unto him. Behold, three men seek thee" (Acts 10:19). 3. To some elders in Antioch. "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said. Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them" (Acts 13:2). 4. To seven churches in Asia Minor (Rev. 2-3). On no less than seven occasions (one to each church) do we read the words: "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (see Rev. 2:7, 11, 17, 29; 3:6, 13, 22). G. He loves. "Now I beseech you, brethren, for the Lord Jesus Christ's sake, and for the love of the Spirit, that ye strive together with me in your prayers to God for me" (Rom. 15:30). It is wonderful to know that each believer is loved by the Father (Jn. 14:21; 16:27; 2 Cor. 9:7;

~

WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

after it was sold, was it not in thine own power? why hast thou conceived this thing in thine heart? thou hast not lied unto men, but unto God" (Acts 5:3, 4). F. He is made equal with the Father and the Son. While the Holy Spirit does indeed occupy a place of submission in the Trinity, he is nevertheless not one whit behind the Father or Son in all their divine attributes. His perfect equality with the Father and Son is demonstrated through the fol¬ lowing New Testament examples: 1. As seen in the baptismal experience of Christ. "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him: And lo a voice from heaven, saying. This is my be¬ loved Son, in whom I am well pleased" (Mt. 3:16, 17). 2. As seen in the temptation of Christ. "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward ahungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered and said. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinna¬ cle of the temple, and saith unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written, He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him, It is written again. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God" (Mt. 4:1-7). 3. As declared by Jesus in the upper room. "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" On. 14:16). "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" 0n. 14:26). "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Fa¬ ther, even the Spirit of truth, which pro¬ ceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (Jn. 15:26). 4. As declared by Paul. "For through him we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" (Eph. 2:18). "The grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, and the love of God, and the communion of the Holy Ghost, be with you all. Amen" (2 Cor. 13:14). "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the

Eph. 2:4; 2 Thess. 2:16; Heb. 12:6), Son (Gal. 2:20; Eph. 3:19; Rev. 1:5; 3:19), and Holy Spirit. H. He grieves. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of re¬ demption" (Eph. 4:30). The command here is, literally, "stop grieving the Holy Spirit of God." They were already doing this. (For further details concerning the nature of this grievance, see Rev. 2:4.) This grieving attri¬ bute of the Holy Spirit is really an extension of his love, for while one may be angered by his enemies, he can only be grieved by those he loves. I. He prays. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmi¬ ties: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh inter¬ cession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered" (Rom. 8:26). In the difficult moments of our lives, how com¬ forting it is to know we are being prayed for, perhaps by family members or some godly pas¬ tor, but how much more blessed to realize that the Holy Spirit of God offers up fervent and ef¬ fective prayer for us. In the New Testament alone there are some 261 passages which refer to the Holy Spirit. He is mentioned fifty-six times in the Gospels, fiftyseven times in the book of Acts, 112 times in the Pauline epistles, and thirty-six times in the re¬ maining New Testament. II. The Deity of the Holy Spirit. A. He is omnipresent. "Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence?" (Ps. 139:7). In this Psalm, David concludes it was impossi¬ ble for him to escape God's Spirit. This was true even if he ascended to the heights, descended into the depths, traveled across the sea, or sur¬ rounded himself with darkness. B. He is omniscient. "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. For what man knoweth the things of a man, save the spirit of man which is in him? even so the things of God knoweth no man, but the Spirit of God" (1 Cor. 2:10, 11). C. He is omnipotent. "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). D. He is eternal. "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:14). E. He is called God. "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land? While it remained, was it not thine own? and

642

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the doctrine of the holy spirit

law of sin and death. For what the law could not do, in that it was weak through the flesh, God sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful flesh, and for sin, con¬ demned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:2, 3). 5. As declared by Peter. "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctification of the Spirit, unto obedience and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace, be multiplied" (1 Pet. 1:2). "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye; for the Spirit of glo¬ ry and of God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified" (1 Pet. 4:14). 6. As declared in the book of Acts. "Therefore being by the right hand of God exalted, and having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost, he hath shed forth this, which ye now see and hear" (Acts 2:33). 7. As declared by Jesus on the Mount of Olives. "Go ye therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost: Teaching them to observe all things what¬ soever I have commanded you: and, lo, 1 am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen" (Mt. 28:19, 20). III. The Names and Titles of the Holy Spirit. Often in the Scripture one may learn much about someone simply by studying the names and titles given to that person. So it is with the Holy Spirit. The thirteen titles as¬ cribed to him provide much insight into his true na¬ ture. He is called: A. The Spirit of God. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3:16). B. The Spirit of Christ. "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). C. The eternal Spirit. "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:14). D. The Spirit of truth. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of himself; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come" (Jn. 16:13). E. The Spirit of grace. "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 de¬ spite unto the Spirit of grace?" (Heb. 10:29). F. The Spirit of glory. "If ye be reproached for the name of Christ, happy are ye: for the Spirit of glory and of I

643

God resteth upon you: on their part he is evil spoken of, but on your part he is glorified" (1 Pet. 4:14). G. The Spirit of life. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). H. The Spirit of wisdom and revelation. "That the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of him" (Eph. 1:17). I. The Comforter. "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (Jn. 14:26). J. The Spirit of promise. "And, being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me. For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:4, 5). K. The Spirit of adoption. "For ye have not received the spirit of bond¬ age again to fear; but ye have received the Spirit of adoption, whereby we cry, Abba, Fa¬ ther" (Rom. 8:15). L. The Spirit of holiness. "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). M. The Spirit of faith. "We having the same spirit of faith, according as it is written, I believed, and therefore have I spoken; we also believe, and therefore speak" (2 Cor. 4:13). IV. The Emblems of the Holy Spirit. Like the thirteen names and titles, his six designated emblems throw light upon both his nature and mission. A. The Dove: indicating purity, peace, and modesty. "And John bare record, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from heaven like a dove, and it abode upon him" (Jn. 1:32). "My dove, my undefiled, is but one; she is the only one of her mother, she is the choice one of her that bare her. The daughters saw her, and blessed her; yea, the queens and the concubines, and they praised her" (Song of Sol. 6:9). "And I said. Oh that I had wings like a dove! for then would I fly away, and be at rest" (Ps. 55:6). "O my dove, that art in the clefts of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs, let me see thy countenance, let me hear thy voice; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely" (Song of Sol. 2:14). B. Water: indicating life and cleansing. "For I will pour water upon him that is thirsty, and floods upon the dry ground: I will pour my Spirit upon thy seed, and my blessing upon thine offspring" (Isa. 44:3).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

the king's profit to suffer them. If it please the king, let it be written that they may be destroyed: and I will pay ten thousand talents of silver to the hands of those that have the charge of the business, to bring it into the king's treasuries. And the king took his ring from his hand, and gave it unto Haman the son of Hammedatha the Agagite, the Jews' enemy. And the king said unto Haman, The silver is given to thee, the people also, to do with them as it seemeth good to thee. Then were the king's scribes called on the thirteenth day of the first month, and there was written according to all that Haman had com¬ manded unto the king's lieutenants, and to the governors that were over every province, and to the rulers of every people of every province according to the writing thereof, and to every people after their language; in the name of king Ahasuerus was it written, and sealed with the king's ring" (Est. 3:8-12). 3. As used by Pilate to seal the tomb of Jesus. "So they went, and made the sepulchre sure, sealing the stone, and setting a watch" (Mt. 27:66). E. Wind: indicating unseen power. "The wind bloweth where it listeth, and thou hearest the sound thereof, but canst not tell whence it cometh, and whither it goeth: so is every one that is bom of the Spirit" (Jn. 3:8). "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting" (Acts 2:1, 2). F. Fire: indicating presence, approval, protection, purifying, gift, judgment. 1. The presence of the Lord. "And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush: and he looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bush was not consumed" (Ex. 3:2). 2. The approval of the Lord. "And there came a fire out from before the Lord, and consumed upon the altar the burnt offering and the fat: which when all the people saw, they shouted, and fell on their faces" (Lev. 9:24). 3. The protection of the Lord. "And the Lord went before them by day in a pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night in a pillar of fire, to give them light; to go by day and night" (Ex. 13:21). 4. The purifying from the Lord. "In the year that king Uzziah died I saw also the Lord sitting upon a throne, high and lifted up, and his train filled the tem¬ ple. Above it stood the seraphim: each one had six wings; with twain he covered his face, and with twain he did fly. And one cried unto another, and said. Holy,

"In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)" (Jn. 7:37-39). C. Oil: indicating light, healing, and anointing for service. "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor; he hath sent me to heal the broken¬ hearted, to preach deliverance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Lk. 4:18). "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Acts 10:38). "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Heb. 1:9). "But ye have an unction from the Holy One, and ye know all things" (1 Jn. 2:20). D. A Seal: indicating ownership, finished transac¬ tion, identification, security, genuineness, value, authority. "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salva¬ tion: in whom also, after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that Holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13). "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of re¬ demption" (Eph. 4:30). "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22). There are three important occasions in the Bible when a seal is used: 1. As used by Darius to place Daniel in the lion's den. "Then the king commanded, and they brought Daniel, and cast him into the den of lions. Now the king spake and said unto Daniel, Thy God whom thou servest continually, he will deliver thee. And a stone was brought, and laid upon the mouth of the den; and the king sealed it with his own signet, and with the signet of his lords; that the purpose might not be changed concerning Daniel" (Dan. 6:16, 17). 2. As used by Ahasuerus (upon the advice of wicked Haman) to plot the wholesale murder of the Persian Jews. "And Haman said unto king Ahasuerus, There is a certain people scattered abroad and dispersed among the people in all the provinces of thy kingdom; and their laws are diverse from all people; neither keep they the king's laws: therefore it is not for

644

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the doctrine of the holy spirit~

holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory. And the posts of the door moved at the voice of him that cried, and the house was filled with smoke. Then said I, Woe is me! for I am undone; because I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips: for mine eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts. Then flew one of the seraphim unto me, having a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with the tongs from off the altar: And he laid it upon my mouth, and said, Lo, this hath touched thy lips; and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged. Also, I heard the voice of the Lord, saying. Whom shall I send, and who will go for us? Then said I, Here am I; send me" (Isa. 6:1-8). 5. The gift of the Lord. "And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:3). 6. The judgment of the Lord. "For our God is a consuming fire" (Heb. 12:29). G. An earnest: indicating first-fruits, down-pay¬ ment, a pledge, an assurance of the eventual complete payment. "Who hath also sealed us, and given the ear¬ nest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22). "Now he that hath wrought us for the self¬ same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5). "Which is the earnest of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased posses¬ sion, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14). V. The Various Ministries of the Holy Spirit. Many er¬ roneously believe the Holy Spirit first came to earth at Pentecost in Acts 2. This is not true. The Word of God assigns no less than eleven mighty ministries of the Spirit, and the first three were performed in Old Testament times. These eleven ministries are: One: His ministry concerning the universe Two: His ministry concerning the Scriptures Three: His ministry concerning the nation Israel Four: His ministry concerning the devil Five: His ministry concerning the Savior Six: His ministry concerning the sinner Seven: His ministry concerning the church Eight: His ministry concerning the day of Pentecost Nine: His ministry concerning the believer Ten: His ministry concerning the spiritual gifts Eleven: His ministry concerning the fruit of Christ We shall now briefly consider these separately. A. His ministry concerning the universe. According to David, the Father created all things. "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth his handiwork" (Ps. 19:1). However, John declares the Son did it. "All things were made by him; and without him was not any thing made that was made. In him was life; and the life was the light of men" (Jn. 1:3, 4). Finally, in other passages, the Holy Spirit is said to have performed the initial act of creation.

645

What are we to believe? The answer is, of course, that all three persons in the Trinity had a part. As an illustration let us consider an important executive who determines to build a spacious and expensive home. He thus employs an archi¬ tect to design the necessary plans for this home. The architect thereupon secures a competent contractor to follow his blueprints. In this illus¬ tration the executive is the Father, the architect the Son, and the contractor is the Holy Spirit. The following verses then refer to the work of this divine Contractor. "Thou sendest forth thy spirit, they are cre¬ ated: and thou renewest the face of the earth" (Ps. 104:30). "By his Spirit he hath garnished the heav¬ ens; his hand hath formed the crooked ser¬ pent" (Job 26:13). "The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life" (Job 33:4). "And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters" (Gen. 1:2). It has been suggested that the Hebrew word (here translated "moved") has reference to the gentle motion of a dove as she quietly hovers over her nest, imparting her body heat upon the eggs until they are hatched. B. His ministry concerning the Scriptures. In a word, the Holy Spirit is the author of the Word of God. He has furthermore chosen three basic methods in the preparation and reception of his divine manuscript, the Bible. These "steps of the Spirit" are: Revelation: that process whereby the Holy Spirit spoke to the forty human writers of the Bible the message he wanted them to transmit. Inspiration: that process whereby the Holy Spirit guided the very pen of these forty writers so that the spoken message would be accurately written. Illumination: that process whereby the Holy Spirit takes the written word when it is preached and read and enlightens those human ears who will hear it. The following passages bear all this out. 1. The Holy Spirit is the Author of the Old Tes¬ tament. a. According to David. "The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue" (2 Sam. 23:2). b. According to Isaiah. "As for me, this is my covenant with them, said the Lord; My Spirit that is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy mouth, shall not de¬ part out of thy mouth, nor out of the mouth of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed, saith the Lord, from henceforth and for ever" (Isa. 59:21). c. According to Jeremiah. "Then the Lord put forth his hand, and touched my mouth. And the Lord

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

learned and unstable wrest, as they do also the other Scriptures, unto their own destruction" (2 Pet. 3:14-16). d. According to John. "I was in the Spirit on the Lord's day, and heard behind me a great voice, as of a trumpet, saying, I am Alpha and Omega, the first and the last: and. What thou seest, write in a book, and send it unto the seven churches which are in Asia: unto Ephesus, and unto Smyrna, and unto Pergamos, and unto Thyatira, and unto Sardis, and unto Philadelphia, and unto Laodicea" (Rev. 1:10, 11). "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches: To him that overcometh will 1 give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7). C. His ministry concerning Israel. 1. He came upon Israel's leaders. No less than sixteen Old Testament individuals are said to have experienced the anointing of the Holy Spirit. a. Upon Joseph. "And Pharaoh said unto his servants. Can we find such a one as this is, a man in whom the Spirit of God is?" (Gen. 41:38). b. Upon Moses. "And I will come down and talk with thee there: and I will take of the spirit which is upon thee, and will put it upon them; and they shall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear it not thyself alone" (Num. 11:17). c. Upon Joshua. "And the Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Joshua the son of Nun, a man in whom is the spirit, and lay thine hand upon him" (Num. 27:18). d. Upon Othniel. "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he judged Israel, and went out to war: and the Lord deliv¬ ered Chushan-rishathaim king of Mesopotamia into his hand; and his hand prevailed against Chushan-rish¬ athaim" (Jdg. 3:10). e. Upon Gideon. "But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, and he blew a trumpet; and Abiezer was gathered after him" (Jdg. 6:34). f. Upon Jephthah. "Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, and he passed over Gilead, and Manasseh, and passed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he passed over unto the children of Ammon" (Jdg. 11:29). g. Upon Samson. At least three times we read of the Holy Spirit coming upon this Hebrew strong man.

said unto me, Behold, I have put my words in thy mouth" (Jer. 1:9). d. According to Jesus. "For verily I say unto you. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Mt. 5:18). "If he called them gods, unto whom the word of God came, and the Scrip¬ ture cannot be broken" (Jn. 10:35). e. According to Peter. "For the prophecy came not in old time by the will of man: but holy men of God spake as they were moved by the Holy Ghost" (2 Pet. 1:21). f. According to Paul. "And that from a child thou hast known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All Scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:15-17). 2. The Holy Spirit is the Author of the New Testament. a. According to Jesus. "These things have I spoken unto you, being yet present with you. But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your re¬ membrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (Jn. 14:25, 26). b. According to Paul. "If any man think himself to be a prophet, or spiritual, let him acknowl¬ edge that the things that I write unto you are the commandments of the Lord" (1 Cor. 14:37). "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; comparing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13). "For this we say unto you by the word of the Lord, that we which are alive and remain unto the coming of the Lord shall not prevent them which are asleep" (1 Thess. 4:15). c. According to Peter. "Wherefore, beloved, seeing that ye look for such things, be diligent that ye may be found of him in peace, without spot, and blameless. And ac¬ count that the long-suffering of our Lord is salvation; even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wis¬ dom given unto him hath written unto you; as also in all his epistles, speaking in them of these things; in which are some things hard to be un¬ derstood, which they that are un¬

646

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT~

"And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done" (Jdg. 14:6). "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which ex¬ pounded the riddle. And his anger was kindled, and he went up to his father's house" (Jdg. 14:19). "And when he came unto Lehi, the Philistines shouted against him: and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that were upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with fire, and his bands loosed from off his hands. And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thou¬ sand men therewith" (Jdg. 15:14, 15). h. Upon Saul. (1) After he was anointed king by Sam¬ uel. "And when they came thither to the hill, behold, a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them" (1 Sam. 10:10). (2) Just before his victory at Jabesh-gilead. "And the Spirit of God came upon Saul when he heard those tidings, and his anger was kin¬ dled greatly" (1 Sam. 11:6). i. Upon David. Unlike Saul's case, we are never told that the Holy Spirit departed from David. However, on one occasion David was afraid he might indeed with¬ draw himself. (See Ps. 51:11.) "Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon David from that day for¬ ward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah" (1 Sam. 16:13). j. Upon Elijah. (1) As testified to by Obadiah. "And it shall come to pass, as soon as I am gone from thee, that the Spirit of the Lord shall carry thee whither I know not; and so when I come and tell Ahab, and he cannot find thee, he shall slay me: but I thy servant fear the Lord from my youth" (1 Ki. 18:12). (2) As testified to by some prophets at Jericho. "And they said unto him. Behold now, there be with thy servants fifty strong men; let them go, we

647

pray thee, and seek thy master: lest peradventure the Spirit of the Lord hath taken him up, and cast him upon some mountain, or into some valley. And he said. Ye shall not send" (2 Ki. 2:16). k. Upon Elisha. "And when the sons of the prophets who were to view at Jericho saw him, they said. The spirit of Elijah doth rest on Elisha. And they came to meet him, and bowed themselves to the ground before him" (2 Ki. 2:15). l. Upon Ezekiel. "And the spirit entered into me when he spake unto me, and set me upon my feet, that I heard him that spake unto me" (Ezek. 2:2). m. Upon Daniel. (1) As testified to by King Nebuchad¬ nezzar. "O Belteshazzar, master of the magicians, because I know that the spirit of the holy gods is in thee, and no secret troubleth thee, tell me the visions of my dream that I have seen, and the interpretation thereof" (Dan. 4:9). (2) As testified by a frightened queen. "There is a man in thy kingdom, in whom is the spirit of the holy gods; and in the days of thy fa¬ ther light and understanding and wisdom, like the wisdom of the gods, was found in him; whom the king Nebuchadnezzar thy fa¬ ther, the king, I say, thy father, made master of the magicians, astrologers, Chaldeans, and soothsayers" (Dan. 5:11). (3) As testified by King Darius. "Then this Daniel was preferred above the presidents and princes, because an excellent spirit was in him; and the king thought to set him over the whole realm" (Dan. 6:3). n. Upon Micah. "But truly I am full of power by the Spirit of the Lord, and of judgment, and of might, to declare unto Jacob his transgression, and to Israel his sin" (Micah 3:8). o. Upon Azariah the prophet. "And the Spirit of God came upon Azariah the son of Oded" (2 Chron. 15:1). p. Upon Zechariah the high priest. "And the Spirit of God came upon Zechariah the son of Jehoiada the priest, which stood above the people, and said unto them, Thus saith God, Why transgress ye the command¬ ments of the Lord, that ye cannot

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

"And I will pour upon the house of Da¬ vid, and upon the inhabitants of Jerusa¬ lem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one moumeth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn" (Zech. 12:10). "And ye shall know that I am the Lord, when I have opened your graves, O my people, and brought you up out of your graves. And shall put my Spirit in you, and ye shall live, and I shall place you in your own land: then shall ye know that I the Lord have spoken it, and performed it, saith the Lord" (Ezek. 37:13, 14). "Neither will I hide my face any more from them: for I have poured out my Spirit upon the house of Israel, saith the Lord God" (Ezek. 39:29). D. His ministry concerning the devil. The Holy Spirit now acts as a divine dam, holding back and limiting the full power of Satan and of sin. 1. As stated by Isaiah. "So shall they fear the name of the Lord from the west, and his glory from the ris¬ ing of the sun. When the enemy shall come in like a flood, the Spirit of the Lord shall lift up a standard against him" (Isa. 59:19). 2. As stated by Paul. "For the mystery of iniquity doth already work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way. And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Sa¬ tan with all power and signs and lying wonders. And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; be¬ cause they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong de¬ lusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unright¬ eousness. But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren, beloved of the Lord, because God hath from the beginning chosen you to salva¬ tion through sanctification of the Spirit and belief of the truth: Whereunto he called you by our gospel, to the obtaining of the glory of our Lord Jesus Christ" (2 Thess. 2:7-14). Here Paul states that at the beginning of the tribulation the restraining power of the Holy Spirit will be somewhat removed, thus allowing Satan and his hateful antichrist to briefly reign over the earth for a seven-year period. E. His ministry concerning the Savior. From his bodily conception to his final ascension, the Lord Jesus Christ was led by the Holy Spirit.

prosper? because ye have forsaken the Lord, he hath also forsaken you" (2 Chron. 24:20). 2. He came upon Israel's elders. "And the Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto him, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it unto the seventy elders: and it came to pass, that, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophesied, and did not cease" (Num. 11:25). 3. He came upon Israel's tabernacle. "Then a cloud covered the tent of the congregation, and the glory of the Lord filled the tabernacle" (Ex. 40:34). 4. He came upon Israel's Temple. "And it came to pass, when the priests were come out of the holy place, that the cloud filled the house of the Lord" (1 Ki. 8:10). 5. He led Israel through the desert. "Thou gavest also thy good Spirit to in¬ struct them, and withheldest not thy manna from their mouth, and gavest them water for their thirst" (Neh. 9:20). In spite of his goodness to them, Israel grieved the blessed Holy Spirit. "But they rebelled, and vexed his Holy Spirit: therefore he was turned to be their enemy, and he fought against them" (Isa. 63:10). 6. He will come upon Israel during the tribula¬ tion. "And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God: and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea. saying, Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed a hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev. 7:2-4). "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see visions: And also upon the servants and upon the handmaids in those days will I pour out my Spirit. And I will show wonders in the heavens and in the earth, blood, and fire, and pillars of smoke. The sun shall be turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before the great and the terrible day of the Lord come. And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be delivered: for in mount Zion and in Jerusalem shall be de¬ liverance, as the Lord hath said, and in the remnant whom the Lord shall call" (Joel 2:28-32). 7. He will come upon Israel during the millen¬ nium.

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT~

1. The Savior was begotten by the Holy Spirit. "And the angel answered and said unto her, The Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee: therefore also that holy thing which shall be born of thee shall be called the Son of God" (Lk. 1:35). "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: When as his mother Mary was espoused to Joseph, before they came to¬ gether, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost. Then Joseph her husband, being a just man, and not willing to make her a public example, was minded to put her away privily. But while he thought on these things, behold, the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a dream, saying, Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary thy wife: for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Ghost" (Mt. 1:18-20). Thus the real Father of Christ's body was the Holy Spirit, and the real miracle was not in the Savior's birth, but in his supernatural conception. 2. The Savior was anointed by the Holy Spirit. "And Jesus, when he was baptized, went up straightway out of the water: and, lo, the heavens were opened unto him, and he saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove, and lighting upon him" (Mt. 3:16). "The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, be¬ cause he hath anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor: he hath sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to preach deliv¬ erance to the captives, and recovering of sight to the blind, to set at liberty them that are bruised" (Lk. 4:18). "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him" (Acts 10:38). "Thou hast loved righteousness, and hated iniquity; therefore God, even thy God, hath anointed thee with the oil of gladness above thy fellows" (Heb. 1:9). 3. The Savior was sealed by the Holy Spirit. "Labor not for the meat which perisheth, but for that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you: for him hath God the Father sealed" (Jn. 6:27). The seal here demonstrated the Son's identification with both Father and Spirit. It also spoke of his genuineness, value, and au¬ thority. 4. The Savior was led by the Holy Spirit. "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil" (Mt. 4:1). 5. The Savior was empowered by the Holy Spirit. "But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you" (Mt. 12:28).

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According to Philippians 2:5-8, Christ ab¬ stained from using, in an independent way, his divine attributes (his omnipresence, om¬ niscience, etc.) while on earth, but chose rather to depend completely upon the Holy Spirit for strength and guidance. 6. The Savior was filled by the Holy Spirit. "For he whom God hath sent speaketh the words of God: for God giveth not the Spirit by measure unto him" (Jn. 3:34). "And Jesus being full of the Holy Ghost returned from Jordan, and was led by the Spirit into the wilderness" (Lk. 4.T). The words "filled" and "full" refer simply to control. Thus, the Savior was totally con¬ trolled by the Holy Spirit while on this earth. 7. The Savior sorrowed in the Holy Spirit. "When Jesus therefore saw her weeping, and the Jews also weeping which came with her, he groaned in the spirit, and was troubled" (Jn. 11:33). 8. The Savior rejoiced in the Holy Spirit. "In that hour Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and he said, I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes: even so. Father; for so it seemed good in thy sight" (Lk. 10:21). 9. The Savior offered himself at Calvary through the Holy Spirit. "How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit of¬ fered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God?" (Heb. 9:14). 10. The Savior was raised from the dead by the Holy Spirit. "And declared to be the Son of God with power, according to the Spirit of holiness, by the resurrection from the dead" (Rom. 1:4). "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit" (1 Pet. 3:18). 11. The Savior commanded his disciples after his resurrection through the Holy Spirit. "Until the day in which he was taken up, after that he through the Holy Ghost had given commandments unto the apostles whom he had chosen" (Acts 1:2). 12. The Savior will someday return and raise the dead in Christ through the Holy Spirit. "But if the Spirit of him that raised up Jesus from the dead dwell in you, he that raised up Christ from the dead shall also quicken your mortal bodies by his Spirit that dwelleth in you" (Rom. 8:11). The point of this particular section of our study should be painfully obvious. If the sin¬ less Son of God found it necessary to depend totally upon the Holy Spirit to form every word and guide every step, how much more is this absolutely vital for us.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLEeousness." In this epistle (the book of Romans) Paul stresses three things: (1) God is righteousness. (2) God demands righteousness. (3) God provides righteousness. c. Of future judgment. In this area, the Holy Spirit would point out to the sinner that:

F. His ministry concerning the sinner. During his midnight discourse, just prior to entering Gethsemane, our Lord spoke the following words to his sorrowing disciples about the Holy Spirit: "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedi¬ ent for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, 1 will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment: Of sin, because they believe not on me; Of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more; Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged" (Jn. 16:7-11). The key word in this passage is the word "re¬ prove." In the Greek it is elegcho which is else¬ where translated as follows: To convince.

(1) All unsaved people belong to Satan. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do: he was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (Jn. 8:44).

d. Satan's doom is already in the making.

"Which of you convinceth me of sin? And if I say the truth, why do ye not believe me?" (jn.

"And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (Rom. 16:20).

8:46).

To convict. "And they which heard it, being convicted by their own conscience, went out one by one, beginning at the eldest, even unto the last: and Jesus was left alone, and the woman standing in the midst" (Jn. 8:9).

e. Therefore all sinners will someday share his doom. "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt.

To tell someone his fault. "Moreover if thy brother shall trespass against thee, go and tell him his fault between thee and him alone: if he shall hear thee, thou hast gained thy brother" (Mt. 18:15). Thus the holy Hound of Heaven, as he has been called, will track down the sinner, and, upon "catching" him, will (1) convince him; (2) convict him; and (3) tell him his faults.

25:41).

2. There are seven classic and clear examples of this convicting ministry of the blessed Holy Spirit in the book of Acts. a. The crowd at Pentecost. "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and won¬ ders and signs, which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know: Him, being delivered by the determinate counsel and fore¬ knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain" (Acts 2:22, 23).

1. He convicts man: a. Of sin. Here the sin is not sex, smoking, or swearing, but rejecting Christ's sacri¬ fice on Calvary. This is, of course, the one ultimate sin which will damn a man's soul in hell forever. "He that believeth on him is not con¬ demned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (Jn. 3:18). It is important to fully understand this fact. Often the seeking sinner is left con¬ fused and uncertain. How many sins must he be expected to repent of to be saved? What about those sins he may have forgotten? Not only is this concept confusing to the particularly immoral un¬ saved man, but it is equally so to the moral unsaved man. After all, he does not drink, gamble, smoke, or even fudge on his income tax report. Thus, he con¬ cludes he has no need of salvation. But, in fact, he too, like the drunkard, is guilty of rejecting Christ's sacrifice on the cross and, therefore, is in deperate need of re¬ pentance and salvation.

"Now when they heard this, they were pricked in their heart, and said unto Peter and to the rest of the apos¬ tles, Men and brethren, what shall we do?" (Acts 2:37).

b. Of Christ's righteousness. Later the Holy Spirit directed the Apostle Paul to write an entire epistle on this one word "right- I

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b. The Ethiopian eunuch. "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot. And Philip ran thither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandeth thou what thou readest? And he said. How can I, except some man should guide me? And he desired Philip that he would come up and sit with him. The place of the Scripture which he read was this. He was led as a sheep to the slaughter; and like a lamb dumb be¬ fore his shearer, so opened he not his mouth: In his humiliation his judg¬ ment was taken away: and who shall declare his generation? for his life is taken from the earth. And the eunuch

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT -

answered Philip, and said, I pray thee, of whom speaketh the prophet this? of himself, or of some other man? Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same Scripture, and preached unto him Jesus. And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said. See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said. If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch; and he baptized him" (Acts 8:29-38). c. Saul of Tarsus. "And Saul, yet breathing out threatenings and slaughter against the disci¬ ples of the Lord, went unto the high priest, and desired of him letters to Damascus to the synagogues, that if he found any of this way, whether they were men or women, he might bring them bound unto Jerusalem. And as he journeyed, he came near Damascus: and suddenly there shined round about him a light from heaven: And he fell to the earth, and heard a voice saying unto him, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? And he said. Who art thou Lord? And the Lord said, I am Jesus whom thou per¬ secutest; it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And he trembling and astonished said. Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? And the Lord said unto him, Arise, and go into the city, and it shall be told thee what thou must do" (Acts 9:1-6). d. A centurion named Cornelius. "While Peter yet spake these words, the Holy Ghost fell on all them which heard the word" (Acts 10:44). e. The Philippian jailor. "And at midnight Paul and Silas prayed, and sang praises unto God: and the prisoners heard them. And suddenly there was a great earth¬ quake, so that the foundations of the prison were shaken: and immediately all the doors were opened, and every one's bands were loosed. And the keeper of the prison awaking out of his sleep, and seeing the prison doors open, he drew out his sword, and would have killed himself, supposing that the prisoners had been fled. But Paul cried with a loud voice, saying. Do thyself no harm: for we are all here. Then he called for a light, and sprang in, and came trembling, and fell down before Paul and Silas, and brought them out, and said. Sirs, what must I do to be saved? And they said.

651

Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway. And when he had brought them into his house, he set meat before them, and rejoiced, be¬ lieving in God with all his house" (Acts 16:25-34). f. A governor named Felix. "And after certain days, when Felix came with his wife, Drusilla, which was a Jewess, he sent for Paul, and heard him concerning the faith in Christ. And as he reasoned of right¬ eousness, temperance, and judgment to come, Felix trembled, and an¬ swered, Go thy way for this time; when I have a convenient season, I will call for thee" (Acts 24: 24, 25). g. A king named Agrippa. "Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Thou art permitted to speak for thyself. Then Paul stretched forth the hand, and answered for himself" (Acts 26:1). "That Christ should suffer, and that he should be the first that should rise from the dead, and should show light unto the people, and to the Gentiles. And as he thus spake for himself, Festus said with a loud voice, Paul, thou art beside thyself; much learning doth make thee mad. But he said, I am not mad, most noble Festus; but speak forth the words of truth and sober¬ ness. For the king knoweth of these things, before whom also I speak freely: for I am persuaded that none of these things are hidden from him; for this thing was not done in a cor¬ ner. King Agrippa, believest thou the prophets? I know that thou believest. Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian" (Acts 26:23-28). In conclusion it may be stated that the chief ministry performed by the Holy Spirit to the sinner is that of old-fash¬ ioned, pulse pounding, blood racing con¬ viction. G. His ministry concerning the church. Of the three basic institutions in the Bible (marriage, human government, and the church), none is more im¬ portant to the Holy Spirit than the church. It was to aid the growth of the church that he formally came at Pentecost. 1. The Holy Spirit and the universal church. He formed it. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ him¬ self being the chief cornerstone; in whom

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

all the building fitly framed together groweth unto a holy temple in the Lord: in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of God through the Spirit” (Eph. 2:19-22). 2. The Holy Spirit and the local church. a. He desires to inspire its worship service. "For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confi¬ dence in the flesh" (Phil. 3:3). If allowed by pastor and people, the Spirit of God can guarantee both the presence and power of God at each church meeting. b. He desires to direct its missionary work. "Then the Spirit said unto Philip, Go near, and join thyself to this chariot" (Acts 8:29). "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said. Sepa¬ rate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them. So they, being sent forth by the Holy Ghost, departed unto Seleucia; and from thence they sailed to Cyprus" (Acts 13:2, 4). "Now when they had gone throughout Phrygia and the region of Galatia, and were forbidden of the Holy Ghost to preach the word in Asia, after they were come to Mysia, they assayed to go into Bithynia: but the Spirit suffered them not. And after he had seen the vision, immediately we endeavored to go into Macedonia, assuredly gathering that the Lord had called us for to preach the gospel unto them" (Acts 16:6, 7, 10). c. He desires to aid in its singing services. "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit; speaking to yourselves in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord" (Eph. 5:18,19). Many times a visiting speaker in a church has discovered to his delight that the music director has unknowingly cho¬ sen those songs and special music which correspond perfectly to the message. Ob¬ viously, both speaker and song leader were sensitive to the ministry of the Spirit. d. He desires to appoint its preachers. "Take heed therefore unto yourselves, and to all the flock, over the which the Holy Ghost hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood" (Acts 20:28). e. He desires to anoint its preachers. "And my speech and my preaching was not with enticing words of man's wisdom, but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power" (1 Cor. 2:4).

652

Here we see the divine order of service. He first appoints and then anoints his servants. The appointing is a once-for-all event, but the anointing must be sought daily. f. He desires to warn its members. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall de¬ part from the faith, giving heed to se¬ ducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1). g. He desires to determine its decisions. "For it seemed good to the Holy Ghost, and to us, to lay upon you no greater burden than these necessary things" (Acts 15:28). This all-important decision made at the Jerusalem Council concerning cir¬ cumcision is a beautiful example of the teamwork between a local church and the Holy Spirit. Those assemblies gov¬ erned by congregational vote often pride themselves on their democratic policies. But the real goal can only be achieved through a democratic-theocratic com¬ bined team effort. h. He desires to condemn or bless its efforts as needed. "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" (Rev. 2:7). "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the second death" (Rev. 2:11). "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; To him that overcometh will I give to eat of the hidden manna, and will give him a white stone, and in the stone a new name written, which no man knoweth saving he that receiveth it" (Rev. 2:17). "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches" (Rev. 2:29). (Cf. 3:6,13, 22.) Churches are often overly concerned about improving their image in the eyes of the younger generation, society, the business world, academic circles, etc. But the real concern should be directed toward that One who alone is properly qualified to improve and correct— namely, the Holy Spirit. i. He desires to head up its visitation and evangelistic programs. "And 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" (Rev. 22:17).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT~

In this, the Scripture's final invitation, we see the Holy Spirit speaking through the church urging the unsaved to come to Christ. H. His ministry concerning the day of Pentecost. Of all the important days in history, the day of Pen¬ tecost must surely be ranked near the top. At this time, the Holy Spirit performed one of his great¬ est and most far-reaching works. "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues, like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them. And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utterance" (Acts 2:1-4). 1. The background of Pentecost. Just minutes before his dramatic ascension, our resur¬ rected Lord commanded his disciples: "And being assembled together with them, commanded them that they should not depart from Jerusalem, but wait for the promise of the Father, which, saith he, ye have heard of me" (Acts 1:4). Much ink has been used attempting to ex¬ plain these five words, "the promise of the Father." What was this promise of the Fa¬ ther? Various passages of Scripture make it clear that this promise of the Father, and also of the Son, was a reference to the arrival of the Holy Spirit. "And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit upon all flesh; and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, your young men shall see vi¬ sions" (Joel 2:28). "Men and brethren, this scripture must needs have been fulfilled, which the Holy Ghost by the mouth of David spake be¬ fore concerning Judas, which was guide to them that took Jesus" (Acts 1:16). "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" 0n. 14:16). "But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you" (Jn. 14:26). "But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Fa¬ ther, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (Jn. 15:26). "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you" (Jn. 16:7). The Holy Spirit had, of course (as we have seen) already performed an Old Testament

653

ministry, but now his work was to introduce three completely new elements. a. His new ministry was to be universal. Previously the Holy Spirit had confined his work among humanity to the nation Israel. There is no record before the book of Acts that he fell upon the Greeks, or Romans, or Babylonians, etc. But here in Acts he came to bless all repenting sin¬ ners everywhere. b. It was to be permanent. Although the Holy Spirit did come upon certain Old Testament men, he often departed from them also. (1) As illustrated by Samson. This He¬ brew strong man enjoyed the pres¬ ence of the Holy Spirit on various occasions. "And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done" (Jdg. 14:6). "And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, and he went down to Ashkelon, and slew thirty men of them, and took their spoil, and gave change of garments unto them which ex¬ pounded the riddle. And his an¬ ger was kindled and he went up to his father's house" (Jdg. 14:19). "And he found a new jawbone of an ass, and put forth his hand, and took it, and slew a thousand men therewith" (Jdg. 15:15). But then, because of sin and im¬ morality, God's Spirit left Samson. One of the most tragic verses in the Bible records this event, when Sam¬ son awakes to hear Delilah say: "The Philistines be upon thee, Samson. And he awoke out of his sleep, and said, I will go out as at other times before, and shake myself. And he wist not that the Lord was departed from him" (Jdg. 16:20). (2) As illustrated by Saul. As with Sam¬ son, the Holy Spirit came upon Saul, but later left him, as demonstrated by the following: "And when they came thither to the hill, behold a company of prophets met him; and the Spirit of God came upon him, and he prophesied among them" (1 Sam. 10:10). "But the Spirit of the Lord de¬ parted from Saul, and an evil spirit from the Lord troubled him" (1 Sam. 16:14). (3) As illustrated by David. The Spirit of God came upon David when he was anointed by Samuel:

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

"Then Samuel took the horn of oil, and anointed him in the midst of his brethren: and the Spirit of the Lord came upon Da¬ vid from that day forward. So Samuel rose up, and went to Ramah" (1 Sam. 16:13). So far as it can be determined, the Holy Spirit remained with him until death. But David realized the Holy Spirit could depart, and on at least one occasion, pleaded with the Lord about this matter. "Cast me not away from thy presence; and take not thy Holy Spirit from me" (Ps. 51:11). c. It was to be perfecting. That is to say, his new ministry would now be to make all repenting sinners grow in grace and be like Jesus. This was not the case in the Old Testament. There is no indication that the moral and spiritual nature of ei¬ ther Saul or Samson was advanced by the presence of the Holy Spirit. They appar¬ ently derived only his power, and not his purity. 2. The chronology of Pentecost. Pentecost (from a Greek word which simply means fif¬ ty) is the third of six great Israelite feasts mentioned in Leviticus 23. These feasts actu¬ ally summarize the entire future work of the Trinity in the New Testament. Consider: a. The Passover, unleavened bread feast (a reference to Calvary). See verses 4-8. b. The Sheaf of First Fruits (a reference to the resurrection). See verses 9-14. c. The Feast of Seven Weeks (a prophetical reference to Pentecost). See verses 15-21. d. The Feast of Trumpets (a reference to the rapture and Second Coming of Christ). See verses 23-25. e. The Feast of Atonement (a reference to the coming tribulation). See verses 26-32. f. The Feast of Tabernacles (a reference to the millennium). See verses 33-43. 3. The comparisons of Pentecost. a. New Testament Pentecost may be com¬ pared with Old Testament Pentecost. Old Testament Pentecost occurred fifty days after Israel left Egypt. "And the Lord spake unto Moses and Aaron in the land of Egypt, saying. This month shall be unto you the be¬ ginning of months: it shall be the first month of the year to you" (Ex. 12:1, 2). "And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole assembly of the con¬ gregation of Israel shall kill it in the evening" (Ex. 12:6). "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the

654

gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord" (Ex. 12:12). "And he called for Moses and Aar¬ on by night, and said. Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said" (Ex. 12:31). Fifty days later they arrived at Mt. Si¬ nai. "In the third month, when the chil¬ dren of Israel were gone forth out of the land of Egypt, the same day came they into the wilderness of Sinai" (Ex. 19:1). New Testament Pentecost occurred fif¬ ty days after Christ rose from the dead. Note: Our Lord was, of course, crucified during the Passover week in April. "And it was the preparation of the passover, and about the sixth hour: and he saith unto the Jews, Behold your King" (Jn. 19:14). He then spent forty days with his disci¬ ples after the resurrection. "To whom also he showed himself alive after his passion by many infalli¬ ble proofs, being seen of them forty days, and speaking of the things per¬ taining to the kingdom of God" (Acts 1:3). Then, some ten days later. New Testa¬ ment Pentecost occurred. "For John truly baptized with water; but ye shall be baptized with the Holy Ghost not many days hence" (Acts 1:5). "And when the day of Pentecost was fully come, they were all with one accord in one place" (Acts 2:1). Old Testament Pentecost celebrated a birthday—that of the nation Israel. "Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine" (Ex. 19:5). The Scriptures tell us that angels were involved in the giving of the law at Mt. Sinai. See Acts 7:53; Galatians 3:19. New Testament Pentecost celebrated a birthday—that of the church. "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls. And they con¬ tinued steadfastly in the apostles' doc¬ trine and fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers. And fear came upon every soul: and many wonders and signs were done by the apostles. And all that believed were together, and had all things common; and sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every

THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT -

man had need. And they, continuing daily with one accord in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, did eat their meat with glad¬ ness and singleness of heart, praising God, and having favor with all the people. And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved" (Acts 2:41-47). Old Testament Pentecost witnessed the slaying of some 3,000 souls. "And the children of Levi did accord¬ ing to the word of Moses: and there fell of the people that day about three thousand men" (Ex. 32:28). Israel's worship of the golden calf, while encamped at the base of Mt. Sinai, was a tragic episode in its history. New Testament Pentecost witnessed the saving of some 3,000 souls. "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized: and the same day there were added unto them about three thousand souls" (Acts 2:41). What an amazing contrast is seen here between these two Pentecosts. In fact, the difference is so important that Paul takes an entire chapter in one of his epis¬ tles to discuss it. Note but two verses in this chapter: "Not that we are sufficient of our¬ selves to think anything as of our¬ selves; but our sufficiency is of God; who also hath made us able ministers of the New Testament; not of the let¬ ter, but of the spirit; for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life" (2 Cor. 3:5, 6). Old Testament Pentecost was intro¬ duced in a mighty way. "And it came to pass on the third day in the morning, that there were thun¬ ders and lightnings, and a thick cloud upon the mount, and the voice of the trumpet exceeding loud; so that all the people that was in the camp trem¬ bled" (Ex. 19:16). "And mount Sinai was altogether on a smoke, because the Lord de¬ scended upon it in fire: and the smoke thereof ascended as the smoke of a furnace, and the whole mount quaked greatly" (Ex. 19:18). New Testament Pentecost was intro¬ duced in a mighty way. "And suddenly there came a sound from heaven as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared unto them cloven tongues like as of fire, and it sat upon each of them" (Acts 2:2, 3). b. New Testament Pentecost may be com¬ pared to Bethlehem. At Bethlehem God the Father was preparing a body for his Son to work through.

655

"Wherefore, when he cometh into the world, he saith. Sacrifice and offering thou wouldest not, but a body hast thou prepared me" (Heb. 10:5). At Pentecost God the Father was pre¬ paring a body for his Spirit to work through. "What! know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own?" (1 Cor. 6:19). "And what agreement hath the temple of God with idols? for ye are the temple of the living God; as God hath said, I will dwell in them, and walk in them; and I will be their God, and they shall be my people" (2 Cor. 6:16). Because of this, Pentecost can never be repeated in the same sense that Bethle¬ hem can never again happen. It is there¬ fore as unscriptural to have a "tarrying meeting" to pray down another Pente¬ cost as it would be to have a meeting and plead for the shepherds and wise men to reappear. The events occurring in Luke 2 and Acts 2 are forever in the past, c. New Testament Pentecost may be com¬ pared to Old Testament Babel. At Babel we see sinful men working for their own glory. "And they said. Go to, let us build us a city, and a tower, whose top may reach unto heaven; and let us make us a name, lest we be scattered abroad upon the face of the whole earth" (Gen. 11:4). At Pentecost we see saved men waiting for God's glory. "These all continued with one accord in prayer and supplication, with the women, and Mary the mother of Jesus, and with his brethren" (Acts 1:14). At Babel God confounded man's lan¬ guage. "Therefore is the name of it called Ba¬ bel; because the Lord did there con¬ found the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth" (Gen. 11:9). At Pentecost God clarified man's lan¬ guage. "And how hear we every man in our own tongue, wherein we were born?" (Acts 2:8). At Babel God scattered men through¬ out the world. "Therefore is the name of it called Ba¬ bel; because the Lord did there con¬ found the language of all the earth: and from thence did the Lord scatter them abroad upon the face of all the earth" (Gen. 11:9). At Pentecost God gathered men within the church.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

"There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; One Lord, one faith, one baptism" (Eph. 4:4, 5). "Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead" (Col. 2:12). The question is often asked: Does a person have to be baptized to be saved? The answer is an emphatic yes—but not by water baptism. The purpose of the Holy Spirit's placing the believer into the body of Christ is twofold: a. He does it to answer Christ's prayer for Christian unity. "That they all may be one; as thou. Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me" On. 17:21). b. He does it to prepare a bride for Christ, composed of all believers saved from Pentecost until the rapture. "So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another" (Rom. 12:5). "For we being many are one bread, and one body: for we are all partakers of that one bread" (1 Cor. 10:17). "For by one Spirit are we all bap¬ tized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13). "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1 Cor. 12:27). "And hath put all things under his feet, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church, which is his body, the fulness of him that filleth all in all" (Eph. 1:22, 23). "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling" (Eph. 4:4). "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edi¬ fying of the body of Christ" (Eph. 4:12). "For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the head of the church: and he is the saviour of the body" (Eph. 5:23). "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones" (Eph. 5:30). "And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called in one body: and be ye thank¬ ful" (Col. 3:15). "For 1 am jealous over you with godly jealousy: for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may pre¬ sent you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). "And I heard as it were the voice of a great multitude, and as the voice of

"That in the dispensation of the ful¬ ness of time he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Eph. 1:10). I. His ministry concerning the Christian. Thus far we have discussed the ministry of the Holy Spirit in regard to the universe, the Scriptures, Israel, Satan, Christ, sinners, the church, and Pentecost. But what ministry does he perform for that spe¬ cial group of New Testament people called Chris¬ tians? The instant an unsaved person prays, "God be merciful to me, a sinner," the Holy Spirit immediately effects a five- fold work in him. 1. The Holy Spirit regenerates the believing sinner. He literally recreates him and gives him the nature of God. The Holy Spirit thus functions as a divine "midwife" to the re¬ penting sinner as he ushers him into the kingdom of God. This is accomplished by the instrument of "water," which is symbolic language for the Word of God. The follow¬ ing passages bear this out: "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5). "Jesus answered and said unto him. Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God. Nicodemus saith unto him. How can a man be born when he is old? can he enter the second time into his mother's womb, and be born? Jesus an¬ swered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Ex¬ cept a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. That which is bom of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit. Marvel not that I said unto thee, Ye must be bom again" (Jn. 3:3-7). "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Pet. 1:23). "Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of first-fruits of his creatures" (Jas. 1:18). 2. The Holy Spirit baptizes the believing sinner. "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: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:3, 4). "For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free; and have been all made to drink into one Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:13). "For as many of you as have been bap¬ tized into Christ have put on Christ" (Gal. 3:27).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT -

many waters, and as the voice of mighty thunderings, saying. Alleluia: for the Lord God omnipotent reigneth. Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honor to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white: for the fine linen is the righteousness of saints. And he saith unto me. Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage supper of the Lamb. And he saith unto me. These are the true sayings of God" (Rev. 19:6-9). 3. The Holy Spirit indwells the believing sin¬ ner. In other words, he not only joins us to the Savior (through the baptism), but he joins himself to us. Jesus, prior to his cruci¬ fixion, predicted both of these ministries. He said: "At that day ye shall know that I am in my Father, and ye in me [the baptizing], and I in you [the indwelling]" (Jn. 14:20). "Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is of God; that we might know the things that are freely given to us of God" (1 Cor. 2:12). "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you?" (1 Cor. 3.T6). "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever" (Jn. 14:16). "In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying. If any man thirst, let him come unto me, and drink. He that believeth on me, as the Scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water. (But this spake he of the Spirit, which they that believe on him should receive: for the Holy Ghost was not yet given; because that Jesus was not yet glorified)" (Jn. 7:37-39). "But ye are not in the flesh, but in the Spirit, if so be that the Spirit of God dwell in you. Now if any man have not the Spirit of Christ, he is none of his" (Rom. 8:9). "And he that keepeth his command¬ ments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 Jn. 3:24). The purpose of this indwelling ministry is to control the newly created nature. "Therefore if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold all things are become new" (2 Cor. 5:17). "This I say then. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh. For the flesh lusteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the flesh: and these are contrary the one to the other; so that

657

ye cannot do the things that ye would. But if ye be led of the Spirit, ye are not under the law" (Gal. 5:16-18). "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). 4. The Holy Spirit seals the believing sinner. "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22). "In whom ye also trusted, after that ye heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation: in whom also after that ye believed, ye were sealed with that holy Spirit of promise" (Eph. 1:13). "And grieve not the holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of re¬ demption" (Eph. 4:30). The presence of the Holy Spirit himself seems to be the seal here, who is given by the Father to assure the believer of his eter¬ nal salvation. This seal is also referred to as an earnest. "Who hath also sealed us, and given the earnest of the Spirit in our hearts" (2 Cor. 1:22). "Now he that hath wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also hath given unto us the earnest of the Spirit" (2 Cor. 5:5). "Which is the earnest of our inheri¬ tance until the redemption of the pur¬ chased possession, unto the praise of his glory" (Eph. 1:14). 5. The Holy Spirit fills the believing sinner. "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utter¬ ance" (Acts 2:4). A great deal of controversy and misunder¬ standing throughout church history has come into existence concerning this ministry of the Holy Spirit. For example, what is the difference between the indwelling and the filling of the Holy Spirit? To aid in under¬ standing this vital distinction, consider the following illustration. A guest is invited into a home. But upon entering that home he is immediately con¬ fined to a small room somewhere near the front door. For awhile, he may even be for¬ gotten by his host. Finally, however, the owner of the house is convicted concerning his shabby treatment of the house guest. He thereupon gives his guest free access to every room in the house. In this illustration the Holy Spirit is, of course, the invited guest. The host is the be¬ lieving sinner, and the house stands for his life. The difference then between the in¬ dwelling and the filling is the difference be¬ tween being confined in a small room somewhere and being given free access to all the rooms. The filling, therefore, does not mean the believer gets more of the Holy Spirit, but

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6.

7.

8.

9.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

But the fifth ministry assures us the peace

rather the Holy Spirit gets more of the be¬ liever. In the light of these five ministries we may observe that: All five of these ministries happen instanta¬ neously to the believing sinner. They all oc¬ cur by faith and are not in the least dependent upon one's personal emotional feelings at the time. The first four ministries can never be lost, and therefore need not be and should not be asked for again. Nowhere in the Bible are we commanded to ask God to baptize us by his Spirit, or to seal us with his Spirit, or to re¬ generate and indwell us. If a man has ac¬ cepted Christ, he has for all eternity been regenerated, indwelled, baptized, and sealed by the Holy Spirit. The fifth ministry, however, can be lost, and therefore should be asked for as many times as needed. The following passages bring this out: "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). "This I say then. Walk in the Spirit, and ye shall not fulfill the lust of the flesh" (Gal. 5:16). Believers in the book of Acts experienced the filling of the Holy Spirit often in their lives. "And they were all filled with the Holy Ghost, and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them utter¬ ance" (Acts 2:4). "Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them. Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel" (Acts 4:8). "Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business" (Acts 6:3). "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God" (Acts 7:55). "And Ananias went his way, and en¬ tered into the house; and putting his hands on him said. Brother Saul, the Lord, even Jesus, that appeared unto thee in the way as thou earnest, hath sent me, that thou mightest receive thy sight, and be filled with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 9:17). "For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord" (Acts 11:24). "Then Saul, (who also is called Paul,) filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him" (Acts 13:9) "And the disciples were filled with joy, and with the Holy Ghost" (Acts 13:52). The first four ministries give us peace with God. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1).

of God.

"And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). Thus, all Christians, regardless of how backslidden they might be, enjoy peace with God, but only Spirit-controlled believers can know that blessed peace of God. 10. In Acts 2:13 and in Ephesians 5:18 a compari¬ son is made between being filled with the Spirit and being filled with wine. "Others mocking said. These men are full of new wine" (Acts 2:13). "And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit" (Eph. 5:18). In all fairness, a comparison can be made between these two: a. Both control the user and give him a new boldness, one in the good sense and the other in the bad sense of the word. b. Both produce a desire for more. 11. The fifth ministry is lost whenever disobedi¬ ence is found in the life of the believer. This disobedience may manifest itself in either (or both) of the following ways: a. The sin of quenching the Holy Spirit. "Quench not the Spirit" (1 Thess. 5:19). This sin involves not doing that which the Holy Spirit would have us do. It is negative in nature. The same word is used elsewhere in reference to the put¬ ting out of a fire. "A bruised reed shall he not break, and smoking flax shall he not quench, till he send forth judgment into vic¬ tory" (Mt. 12:20). "Above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:16). "Quenched the violence of fire, es¬ caped the edge of the sword, out of weakness were made strong, waxed valiant in fight, turned to flight the armies of the aliens" (Heb. 11:34). b. The sin of grieving the Holy Spirit. "And grieve not the Holy Spirit of God, whereby ye are sealed unto the day of redemption" (Eph. 4:30). This sin involves doing that which the Holy Spirit would not have us do. It is positive in nature. To illustrate: A believer boards a plane in Chicago for Los Angeles and finds himself seated next to an unsaved man. In flight the Holy Spirit attempts to wit¬ ness to the unsaved man through the tes¬ timony of the Christian, but he remains silent and fails to witness. At this point, the believer has quenched the Holy Spirit. He has not done that which the Spirit of God wanted him to do. As the flight continues, however, the two men introduce themselves and begin

658

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THE doctrine of the holy spirit~

talking, but not about spiritual things. In fact, to the shame of the Christian, sev¬ eral off-color stories are passed between the two men. Now the saved man has gone the second step and grieved the Holy Spirit—he has done that which the Holy Spirit did not want him to do. These two sins, if left unchecked for a long period of time, can eventually lead to that "sin unto death" as described in the following passages: "To deliver such a one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:5). The sin unto death in this case was im¬ morality on the part of a totally carnal believer in Corinth. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Cor. 11:30). In the case of Ananias and Sapphira, gross dishonesty and blatant hypocrisy led to the sin unto death (Acts 5:1-11). That Ananias was indeed a believer is proven by the question Peter asked him: "Why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost.. .7" (Acts 5:3). The sin unto death does not mean one loses salvation, but it does imply the pos¬ sibility that God will remove him from the scene down here earlier than origi¬ nally planned. This seemed to have been in the thoughts of Paul when he wrote: "I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 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" (1 Cor. 9:26, 27). 12. The fifth ministry may (and should be) in¬ stantly regained. This can be accomplished: a. By knowing God's means of forgiveness and cleansing—the blood of Christ. "But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another, and the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jn. 1:7). b. By knowing God's method of forgiveness and cleansing—the confession of the Christian. "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness" (1 Jn. 1:9). This confession is absolutely vital, for while Christ's blood will cleanse us from all sins, it will not cleanse us from a sin¬ gle excuse. God does not demand golden vessels, nor does he require silver ones, but he must have clean ones. Thus the union with the Spirit is so strong that nothing can break it, but the communion with

659

the Spirit is so fragile that the smallest sin can shatter it. Consider another illustration: A family leaves California to visit friends in New York. The first half of their trip is rather uneventful, but while they are in the Chicago area, their automobile breaks down. After some difficulty, the services of a mechanic are secured and the car is repaired. What action does the family take now? Does the driver head back for California and take another run for New York? All would agree that this, of course, would be sheer stupidity. What does this family do? They simply con¬ tinue on from the spot where they first broke down. This little travel story has a direct ap¬ plication to the Spirit-filled life. When God saves a man, he puts him on the road to heaven. For a while the trip may go smoothly for the new convert. But there will come a time when he will break down somewhere along the line. Perhaps the spiritual motor trouble will be caused by some angry words, or a wicked deed, or some careless act. The Spirit has been quenched and grieved and all forward progress ceases immedi¬ ately. There the man sits. What should he do? He should imme¬ diately secure the services of that divine mechanic, the Holy Spirit. If he confesses his sins and depends upon Christ's blood, his broken testimony will once again be restored. Then what should the believer do? The answer is obvious, of course; but there is a false concept among Christians today that once a child of God sins (par¬ ticularly if it is a serious sin) he automati¬ cally loses all previous progress and must start all over. This simply is not the case! The secret of the Spirit-filled life is the knowledge that broken fellowship can be instantly restored by confession and by Christ's blood. 13. The fifth ministry assures the believer of the following blessings: a. The Holy Spirit will pray for him. "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be ut¬ tered" (Rom 8:26). In the original text, the word "infirmi¬ ties" is in the singular. Thus the one in¬ firmity in mind here is our inability to pray as we ought to pray. It is for this reason that the Spirit comes to our aid. However, it should be kept in mind that the Bible says he "helpeth" us, which simply means he desires the Christian to do his part also. Therefore, to be effec¬ tively prayed for, we ourselves must pray.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

h. The Holy Spirit will reveal biblical truth to him. "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit: for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God" (1 Cor. 2:10). i. The Holy Spirit will assure him concern¬ ing salvation and service. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16). "And he that keepeth his com¬ mandments dwelleth in him, and he in him. And hereby we know that he abideth in us, by the Spirit which he hath given us" (1 Jn. 3:24). j. The Holy Spirit will give him liberty. "For the law of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus hath made me free from the law of sin and death" (Rom. 8:2). "Now the Lord is that Spirit: and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" (2 Cor. 3:17). k. The Holy Spirit will fill his mouth with appropriate things. "But when they shall lead you, and deliver you up, take no thought be¬ forehand what ye shall speak, neither do ye premeditate: but whatsoever shall be given you in that hour, that speak ye: for it is not ye that speak, but the Holy Ghost" (Mk. 13:11). Several instances come to mind in the book of Acts where this blessed proph¬ ecy was fulfilled. See Acts 4:8-22; 5:29-33; 7:55. J. His ministry concerning the gifts of Christ. "There is one body, and one Spirit, even as ye are called in one hope of your calling; one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men" (Eph. 4:4-8). In the Bible the entire Trinity is often de¬ scribed in the act of giving. God loves to give. It was the Father who gave his dearly beloved Son. "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). It was the Son who freely gave his precious blood. "And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying. This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me" (Lk. 22:19). Finally, after his arrival at Pentecost, the Holy Spirit began his ministry of gift-giving to the church, and will continue it until the rapture. 1. The definition of a spiritual gift. A spiritual gift is a supernatural ability given by Christ through the Holy Spirit to the be¬ liever at the moment of his salvation. At this point two distinctives should be made.

"But ye, beloved, building up your¬ selves on your most holy faith, pray¬ ing in the Holy Ghost" (Jude 20). "For through him we both have ac¬ cess by one Spirit unto the Bather" (Eph. 2:18). "Praying always with all prayer and supplication in the Spirit, and watch¬ ing thereunto with all perseverance and supplication for all saints" (Eph. 6:18). b. The Holy Spirit will guide him. "Howbeit when he, the Spirit of truth, is come, he will guide you into all truth: for he shall not speak of him¬ self; but whatsoever he shall hear, that shall he speak: and he will show you things to come" (Jn. 16:13). "For as many as are led by the Spirit of God, they are the sons of God" (Rom. 8:14). c. The Holy Spirit will teach him. "But the anointing which ye have re¬ ceived of him abideth in you, and ye need not that any man teach you: but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him" (1 Jn. 2:27). d. The Holy Spirit will empower him for witnessing. "But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea, and in Sa¬ maria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth" (Acts 1:8). e. The Holy Spirit will impart the love of Christ to him and through him. "And hope maketh not ashamed; be¬ cause the love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us" (Rom. 5:5). f. The Holy Spirit will conform him to the image of Christ. "But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord" (2 Cor. 3:18). The ultimate goal and stated intention of the Father is to conform the believer throughout eternity into the image of Christ. This is made clear in such pas¬ sages as Philippians 3:21 and 1 John 3:2. But God the Spirit desires to start this glorious work in each child of God at the moment of salvation. (See Phil. 3:10.) g. The Holy Spirit will strengthen his new nature. "That he would grant you, according to the riches of his glory, to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man" (Eph. 3:16). This he does through Bible study (1 Pet. 2:2) and prayer (Jude 1:20).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT-

a. The distinction between the gift of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit. The gift occurred at Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came in answer to the promise of Christ. The gifts occur today. b. The distinction between gifts and talents. A talent is a human and natural ability given at birth. It may be in the area of music, speech, organization, etc. But no natural talent, however great it might be, can be used by its owner to glorify God until it is sanctioned by the Holy Spirit. When this occurs, the talent then may become a gift. To illustrate this, let's consider an indi¬ vidual who is a brilliant and talented mu¬ sician. His ability is acclaimed by millions. But the performer is not a Christian and thus his talent can never be used by the Holy Spirit for the glory of God. But let us assume the man hears the gospel and accepts Christ as Savior. Now the Holy Spirit may determine to trans¬ form the man's natural talent into a su¬ pernatural gift. As there is no specific gift of music as such, the musician's new ef¬ forts for Christ would probably fall un¬ der that of exhortation, which is a listed gift. 2. The extent of the spiritual gifts. a. Each believer possesses at least one spiri¬ tual gift. "As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to an¬ other, as good stewards of the mani¬ fold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10). "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" (Eph. 4:7). "For I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this man¬ ner, and another after that" (1 Cor. 7:7). "But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal" (1 Cor. 12:7). "But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will" (1 Cor. 12:11). b. No believer possesses all the gifts. "Are all apostles? are all prophets? are all teachers? are all workers of mir¬ acles? Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all inter¬ pret?" (1 Cor. 12:29, 30). 3. The purpose of the spiritual gifts. a. To glorify the Father. "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11). b. To edify the church. "For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edi- I

661

fying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ" (Eph. 4:13). 4. The abuse of the spiritual gifts. a. Not using those gifts imparted to us. "Wherefore I put thee in remem¬ brance, that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by the putting on of my hands" (2 Tim. 1:6). "Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery" (1 Tim. 4:14). b. Attempting to use those gifts not im¬ parted to us. c. Not using the gifts in love. "Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and have not char¬ ity, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal" (1 Cor. 13:1). How often are those blessed gifts abused. Only eternity will reveal the number of men in the ministry who should never have been there. On the other hand (and just as tragic) there has doubtless been a great company of men who were called into God's service, but never answered it. But perhaps the great¬ est abuse of all is the use of gifts without love. If one rightly comprehends the mate¬ rial given thus far on gifts, he can under¬ stand why God sometimes seems to use a carnal Christian in a great way in spite of the glaring (or often secret) sins in his life. However, in such cases God is only blessing the gift and not the man person¬ ally. At the judgment seat of Christ (see 1 Cor. 3) there will doubtless be many surprises as perhaps a number of worldfamous Christian leaders receive so little actual personal reward from Christ be¬ cause of their sins and carnality. 5. The number of the spiritual gifts. In three main passages, the Apostle Paul lists eigh¬ teen separate spiritual gifts for us. These pas¬ sages are: Romans 12:6-8; 1 Corinthians 12:4-7; Ephesians 4:11. 6. The nature of the spiritual gifts. It would seem that these eighteen gifts can be placed into two basic categories, the permanent sta¬ tionary gifts and the temporary sign gifts. 7. The description of the spiritual gifts. a. The seven temporary sign gifts. These would include the gifts of apostleship, prophecy, miracles, healing, tongues, in¬ terpretation of tongues, and knowledge. At this point it is relevant to ask by what right do we designate the sign gifts as temporary in duration. The answer is found in the miraculous nature of the gift itself. Imagine yourself to be a spokes¬ man sent from God some twenty centu-

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

"Am I not an apostle? am I not free? have I not seen Jesus Christ our Lord? are not ye my work in the Lord?" (1 Cor. 9:1). (b) Apostolic number. The total number of the early apostles was not limited to twelve. (See Lk. 6:13; Acts 1:26; 14:14; Rom. 1:1; 11:13; Gal. 1:19; 1 Cor. 9:1; 15:7; 2 Cor. 11:5; 12:12.) (2) The gift of prophecy. "Having then gifts differing ac¬ cording to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the pro¬ portion of faith" (Rom. 12:6). "To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:10). (See also 1 Cor. 14:1, 3-6; Eph. 4:11.) Prophecy is the supernatural abil¬ ity to see into the future. The Bible itself was written in this manner. (See Mt. 13:14; 2 Pet. 1:20, 21.) "Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand" (Rev. 1:3). "And in these days came prophets from Jerusalem unto Antioch. And there stood up one of them named Agabus, and sig¬ nified by the Spirit that there should be great dearth through¬ out all the world: which came to pass in the days of Claudius Cae¬ sar" (Acts 11:27, 28). "And as we tarried there many days, there came down from Ju¬ dea a certain prophet, named Ag¬ abus. And when he was come unto us, he took Paul's girdle, and bound his own hands and feet, and said. Thus saith the Holy Ghost, So shall the Jews at Jerusalem bind the man that owneth this girdle, and shall de¬ liver him into the hands of the Gentiles" (Acts 21:10, 11). (3) The gift of miracles. A supernatural ability to perform those events out¬ side and beyond the realm of na¬ ture; the ability to set aside for a time the regular laws of nature. "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of heal¬ ings, helps, governments, diversi¬ ties of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:28).

ries ago, before most of the New Testament was written. You have a mes¬ sage from the Lord. But how can your listeners be sure you are not one more false prophet among the many of the day? One dramatic indication of your genuineness would be the ability to per¬ form miraculous signs. Note the follow¬ ing verses which bring this out: "The same came to Jesus by night, and said unto him. Rabbi, we know that thou art a teacher come from God: for no man can do these miracles that thou doest, except God be with him" (Jn. 3:2). "And many other signs truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples, which are not written in this book" Qn. 20:30). "For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ hath not wrought by me, to make the Gentiles obedient, by word and deed" (Rom. 15:18). "Truly the signs of an apostle were wrought among you in all patience, in signs, and wonders, and mighty deeds" (2 Cor. 12:12). "God also bearing them witness, both with signs and wonders, and with divers miracles, and gifts of the Holy Ghost, according to his own will?" (Heb. 2:4). The sign gifts were given primarily to validate the authority of the Savior and his apostles prior to the writing of the New Testament. Afterward, this miracu¬ lous proof was no longer needed, for the Scriptures themselves reveal the true from the false. (1) The gift of apostleship. A reference to certain men called by Christ him¬ self and endued with special power to function as the official "charter members" of the newly organized church. "And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers" (Eph. 4:11). "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of heal¬ ings, helps, governments, diversi¬ ties of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:28). (a) Apostolic requirements. One must have seen the resurrected Christ. "Beginning from the bap¬ tism of John, unto that same day that he was taken up from us, must one be or¬ dained to be a witness with us of his resurrection" (Acts 1:22).

662

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT -

(4) The gift of healing. A supernatural ability to cure human ills, whether of physical, mental, or demonic ori¬ gin. "To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; and God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily proph¬ ets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healing, helps, governments, diversities of tongues. Have all the gifts of healing? do all speak with tongues? do all interpret?" (1 Cor. 12:9, 28, 30). (a) The purpose of the gift of heal¬ ing. As in the case of miracles, this gift was apparently given to attest to the authority and power of the one doing the healing. (b) The limitation of the gift of healing. Christ did not heal all those he encountered. (See Lk. 4:25-27; Jn 5:3-9.) Paul was limited in his heal¬ ing abilities as seen in his own affliction (2 Cor. 12:7-10). As seen in the case of Epaphroditus (Phil. 2:26, 27). As seen in the case of Timo¬ thy (1 Tim. 5:23). As seen in the case of Tro¬ phimus (2 Tim. 4:20). (5) The gift of tongues. "To another the working of mir¬ acles; to another prophecy; to an¬ other discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues: to another the interpretation of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:10). Until the completion of the New Testament God used the gift of tongues to act as a sign to the unbe¬ liever (both Jew and Gentile) and as a means to edify the believer. "He that speaketh in an un¬ known tongue edifieth himself: but he that prophesieth edifieth the church. 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 which believe" (1 Cor. 14:4, 22). (6) The gift of the interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10). This is the supernatural ability to clarify and interpret those messages uttered in an unknown language. (7) The gift of knowledge. The super¬ natural ability to receive by revela¬ tion and transmit by inspiration, a portion of the Word of God.

663

"For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit" (1 Cor. 12:8). These, then, are the seven tempo¬ rary sign gifts. b. The eleven permanent gifts. (1) The gift of wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8). If the definition of the gift of knowl¬ edge is correct, then the gift of wis¬ dom would refer to that super¬ natural ability to rightfully apply and spiritually employ that information gathered through the gift of knowl¬ edge. (2) The gift of the discerning of spirits. "To another the working of mir¬ acles; to another prophecy; to an¬ other discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:10). (See also 1 Jn. 4:1.) This gift is the supernatural abil¬ ity to distinguish between demonic, human, and divine spirits in another person. Both Peter and Paul pos¬ sessed this gift. (3) The gift of giving. "Or he that exhorteth, on exhor¬ tation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness" (Rom. 12:8). This is the supernatural ability to accumulate and give large amounts of one's finances to the glory of God. In the book of Acts members of three local churches apparently possessed this gift. (a) The Jerusalem church (Acts 4:32-37). (b) The Galatian church (Gal. 4:15). (c) The Philippian church (Phil. 4:10-18). A pre-Pentecost foreshadow¬ ing of this gift is seen in the ac¬ count of the widow's mite (Lk. 21:1-4). (4) The gift of exhortation (Rom. 12:8; see also Prov. 25:11). Several New Testament individ¬ uals had this gift: (a) Barnabas (Acts 11:22-24). (b) Judas (not Iscariot) and Silas (Acts 15:32). (c) A believer referred to as "yoke¬ fellow" (Phil. 4:3). (d) Paul. "Therefore I thought it nec¬ essary to exhort the breth¬ ren, that they would go before unto you, and make up beforehand your bounty, whereof ye had notice be¬ fore, that the same might be

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WILLMJNGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

ready, as a matter of bounty, and not as of covetousness" (2 Cor. 9:5). (See also Acts 14:22; 1 Thess. 2:11; 4:1; 5:14). (e) Peter. "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed" (1 Pet. 5:1). (f) Jude (Jude 3). (5) The gift of ministering. The super¬ natural ability to render practical help in both physical and spiritual matters. "Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching" (Rom. 12:7). "And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of heal¬ ings, helps, governments, diversi¬ ties of tongues" (1 Cor. 12:28). This gift is called the gift of helps in 1 Corinthians 12:28. How sorely needed is the gift of helps in local churches today. There seems to be an abundance of eloquent pastors and colorful evangelists, but where are the helpers? (a) Dorcas had this gift (Acts 9:36-39). (b) Phoebe had this gift (Rom. 16:1, 2). (6) The gift of the showing of mercy. "Or he that exhorteth, on exhor¬ tation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness" (Rom. 12:8). Often untrained laypeople pos¬ sess this supernatural ability to min¬ ister to those sick and afflicted. (7) The gift of ruling, or administration (see Rom. 12:8). This is the super¬ natural ability to organize, adminis¬ ter, and promote the various affairs of a local church (Titus 1:4, 5). A lo¬ cal church will not grow beyond a certain point unless it employs the ministry of those individuals em¬ powered with this gift. (8) The gift of faith. The Bible describes three kinds of faith: (a) Saving faith: given to all repent¬ ing sinners. "And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house" (Acts 16:31). (See also Rom. 4:5; 5:1; 10:17.)

664

(b) Sanctifying faith: available to all believers. "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). (See also Gal. 3:11; 5:22; Eph. 6:16; Rom. 1:17; Heb. 10:38.) (c) Stewardship faith: given to some believers. "For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith" (Rom. 12:3). (See 1 Cor. 12:9.) This is the gift kind of faith, and is a supernatural ability to believe and expect great things from God. (9) The gift of teaching. The supernatu¬ ral ability to communicate and clar¬ ify the details of the Word of God. "Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering; or he that teacheth, on teaching" (Rom. 12:7). This gift was given to: (a) Paul. "For I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" (Acts 20:27). (b) Apollos (Acts 18:24, 25). (c) Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:26). While no one can present a better gospel than that in the Bible, there are those who can teach that gospel better. This is the gift of teaching. (10) The gift of evangelism. The super¬ natural ability to point sinners to Christ and to burden Christians about soul-winning. All believers are to witness for Christ whether they have this special gift or not. Timothy, for example, was not an evangelist, but he was a soul-win¬ ner. "But watch thou in all things, en¬ dure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, make full proof of thy ministry" (2 Tim. 4:5). There are others, however, who were given this gift. Philip, among others in the book of Acts, pos¬ sessed it (Acts 8:26-40; 21:8).

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the doctrine of the holy spirit—

(11) The gift of pastor-teacher. The su¬ pernatural ability to preach and teach the Word of God and to feed and lead the flock of God. "The elders which are among you I exhort, who am also an el¬ der, and a witness of the suffer¬ ings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be re¬ vealed: Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by con¬ straint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lord over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:1-4). (See also Acts 20:28.) This is the only "double-portion" gift of the eighteen gifts. Thus, all teachers are not called to be pastors, but all pastors are to be teachers. K. His ministry concerning the fruit of the Spirit. We now come to the eleventh and final recorded ministry performed by the Holy Spirit of God. In a very real sense it best demonstrates his ulti¬ mate goal here on earth, namely, to bear fruit for Christ through believers. "But now being made free from sin, and be¬ come servants to God, ye have your fruit unto holiness, and the end everlasting life" (Rom. 6:22). "Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are be¬ come dead to the law by the body of Christ; that ye should be married to another, even to him who is raised from the dead, that we should bring forth fruit unto God" (Rom. 7:4). "That ye might walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God" (Col. 1:10). 1. The commands to bear fruit. a. God desires his new creation to do the same as he ordered his old creation to do. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:28). b. God desires the believer to fulfill the prophecy concerning Joseph. "Joseph is a fruitful bough, even a fruitful bough by a well; whose branches run over the wall" (Gen. 49:22). c. God desires his children to experience the blessings of Psalm 1. "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Ps. 1:3).

665

d. God desires his children of light to func¬ tion today as his tree of life will function in eternity. (See Rev. 22:1, 2.) 2. The prerequisites for bearing fruit. a. One must die to this world. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. Except a com of wheat fall into the ground and die, it abideth alone: but if it die, it bringeth forth much fruit" (Jn. 12:24). b. One must abide in the savior. (See Jn. 15:1-5; 16.) In the Old Testament the nation Israel was God's chosen vine vessel. "Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it" (Ps. 80:8). But Israel refused to bear fmit. "Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fmit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fmit he hath in¬ creased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images" (Hosea 10:1). Thus, that nation was eventually set aside by Jesus. "Therefore say I unto you. The king¬ dom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof" (Mt. 21:43). In the Gospels, Christ was God's cho¬ sen vine vessel while he was on this earth. "I am the tme vine, and my Father is the husbandman" (Jn. 15:1). (See also Isa. 11:1; 53:2.) Jesus told his disciples they were to be branches. The only useful function of a branch is to bear fruit. A branch does not produce fruit, it simply bears it. 3. The two kinds of fruit. a. Outer fmit: soul-winning. "Say not ye. There are yet four months, and then cometh harvest? be¬ hold, I say unto you. Lift up your eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. And he that reapeth receiveth wages, and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together" (Jn. 4:35, 36). (See also Rom. 1:13; Prov. 11:30.) b. Inner fruit: Christlikeness. "But the fmit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temper¬ ance: against such there is no law" (Gal. 5:22, 23). (Cf. Eph. 5:9.) It should be noted that the word fmit in both of these passages is in the singu¬ lar. Paul does not say "the fmits of the Spirit are," but rather, "the fruit of the Spirit is." The reason is this: all the fmit of the Spirit, unlike all the gifts of the Spirit, are to be possessed by every be¬ liever.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

4. The eleven fruits of the Spirit. a. Love. "And above all these things put on charity, which is the bond of perfect¬ ness" (Col. 3:14). b. Joy. "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith" (Gal. 5:22). "For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink; but righteousness, and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost" (Rom. 14:17). c. Peace. There are two kinds of peace: (1) The peace with God. "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace, with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). This peace is positional peace and includes all believers at the moment of their salvation. (2) The peace of God. "And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus" (Phil. 4:7). This peace is experienced, and in¬ cludes only those believers who are filled with God's Spirit. It can be de¬ fined as reassurance in tribulation. d. Longsuffering: the ability to cheerfully bear an unbearable situation and to pa¬ tiently endure the unendurable. "By pureness, by knowledge, by longsuffering, by kindness by the Holy Ghost, by love unfeigned" (2 Cor. 6:6). "Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the good¬ ness of God leadeth thee to repentance?" (Rom. 2:4). e. Gentleness: a quiet and respectful kind¬ ness. "To speak evil of no man, to be no brawlers, but gentle, shewing all meekness unto all men" (Titus 3:2). "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, patient. . ." (2 Tim. 2:24). f. Faith. "I am crucified with Christ: neverthe¬ less I live; yet not 1, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave him¬ self for me" (Gal. 2:20). "But that no man is justified by the law in the sight of God, it is evident: for. The just shall live by faith" (Gal. 3:11). g. Righteousness: right acts; going the ap¬ pointed mile. "Being filled with the fruits of right¬ eousness, which are by Jesus Christ, unto the glory and praise of God" (Phil. 1:11).

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"Now no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, but grievous: nevertheless, afterward it yieldeth the peaceable fruit of righteousness unto them which are exercised thereby" (Heb. 12:11). h. Goodness: wholesome acts; going the ex¬ tra mile. "And whosoever shall compel thee to go a mile, go with him twain" (Mt. 5:41). i. Meekness: subdued strength. (1) Paul used this method in dealing with the Corinthian church. "What will ye? shall I come unto you with a rod, or in love, and in the spirit of meekness?" (1 Cor. 4:21). (2) This is the method to be used by spiritual people in restoring a back¬ slider. 'Tut on therefore, as the elect of God, holy and beloved, bowels of mercies, kindness, humbleness of mind, meekness, longsuffer¬ ing; forbearing one another, and forgiving one another, if any man have a quarrel against any: even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Col. 3:12, 13). (Cf. Gal. 6:1.) (3) It is to be used in keeping unity within a church. "With all lowliness and meek¬ ness with longsuffering, forbear¬ ing one another in love; endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace" (Eph. 4:2, 3). (4) It is the method to be used in deal¬ ing with all men. "And the servant of the Lord must not strive; but be gentle unto all men, apt to teach, pa¬ tient; in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves; if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth" (2 Tim. 2:24, 25). (Cf. Titus 3:2.) j. Temperance: self-control. The great New Testament example of this is the Apostle Paul. Observe his testimony: "For though I be free from all men, yet have I made myself servant unto all, that I might gain the more. And unto the Jews 1 became as a Jew, that I might gain the Jews; to them that are under the law, as under the law, that I might gain them that are under the law; to them that are without law, as without law, (being not without law to God, but under the law to Christ,) that 1 might gain them that are without law. To the weak became 1 as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some. And this I do for

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE HOLY SPIRIT~

the gospel's sake, that I might be par¬ taker thereof with you. Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain. And every man that striveth for the mastery is tem¬ perate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have

667

preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:19-27). k. Truth: living an open life, without guile and hypocrisy. "Therefore, seeing we have this min¬ istry, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hid¬ den things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but, by manifestation of the truth, commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:1, 2).

THE DOCTRINE OF MAN

ing creature after his kind, cattle, and creeping thing, and beast of the earth af¬ ter his kind: and it was so" (Gen. 1:20, 24). 3. Genesis states that birds and fishes were cre¬ ated at the same time, but evolution says fishes evolved hundreds of millions of years before birds developed. "And God created great whales, and ev¬ ery living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:21). 4. Genesis stresses (ten times) that the entities created were to reproduce "after their kinds," while evolution postulates the slow ascent of all organisms from a common an¬ cestor. 5. Genesis says that Adam was made from the dust of the ground into the image of God, while evolution claims Adam descended from a sub-ape creature. 6. Genesis records woman's coming from man's side, while evolution teaches both man and woman developed simultaneously. 7. Genesis tells us that man was originally a vegetarian while evolution teaches us he was probably a head-hunting cannibal. "And God said. Behold, 1 have given you every herb bearing seed, which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree, in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed; to you it shall be for meat" (Gen. 1:29). C. Special creation. This is the view that man is a direct product from the hand of God and that the statements in Genesis 1 and 2 are to be taken at face value. In addition to this, a number of Bible students see in these first two chapters a clear case for believing in a special twenty-four-hour, six-day creation week. This, it is believed, can be seen: 1. As indicated by the Hebrew language. If the days were really long periods of time, the Hebrew word olam (meaning a long, indefi¬ nite time) would doubtless have been used, rather than the Hebrew word yom (which means day). "The use of a numerical adjective with the word day in Genesis 1 limits it to a normal day ... in historical narratives the numerical adjective always limits the

THE DOCTRINE OF MAN We shall approach this study of man in the following man¬ ner: I. His Origin. II. His Nature. III. His Original Duties and Responsibilities. IV. His Tragic Sin and Fall. V. His Present-Day Condition. VI. His Destiny. I. His Origin. Three theories have been propounded to explain man's origin: A. Atheistic evolution. This theory holds that man is the accidental and random product of a blind and nonpersonal series of chemical and biologi¬ cal events. Simply defined, evolution is that pro¬ cess by which all living organisms have developed from the simple to the more complex forms. This theory would have us believe that our world and all it contains came into being through evolving mud in time past. We are as¬ sured that if we but allow a little mud enough time it will, of and by itself, produce the music of a Beethoven, the paintings of a Raphael, the writ¬ ings of a Shakespeare, and the teachings of a Christ. Needless to say, this theory is not only unscriptural, but nonsensical as well. B. Theistic evolution. This teaches that there is one God, the Creator of matter, who chose the method of evolution to bring all things including man into their present state of existence. How¬ ever, evolution as a method is clearly, strongly, and completely refuted by the Bible. 1. Genesis teaches that life began on dry land, while evolution says it began on some re¬ mote sea bottom. "And God said. Let the earth bring forth grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself, upon the earth: and it was so. And the earth brought forth grass, and herb yielding seed after his kind, and the tree yielding fruit, whose seed was in it¬ self, after his kind: and God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:11, 12). 2. Genesis declares that birds existed before in¬ sects, while evolution reverses this order. "And God said, Let the waters bring forth abundantly the moving creature that hath life, and fowl that may fly above the earth in the open firmament of heaven. And God said. Let the earth bring forth the liv¬

668

~

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

THE DOCTRINE OF MAN~

word to a twenty-four-hour period (cf. Numbers 7 for a remarkable parallel)." (Dr. John C. Whitcomb, Jr., Creation Ac¬ cording to God's Word, p. 4) As indicated by the genealogies found in Genesis 5 and 11. If evolution is correct and man is really a million years old, then we would be forced to allow a fifty-thousandyear gap between each name in these two chapters. Furthermore, if life itself is nearly one billion years old, then each day in Gen¬ esis 1 would have to stand for approximately 125 million years. As indicated by Moses at Mt. Sinai. "Six days shalt thou labor, and do all thy work: But the seventh day is the sabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maid¬ servant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates: For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord blessed the sab¬ bath day, and hallowed it" (Ex. 20:9-11). "Wherefore the children of Israel shall keep the sabbath, to observe the sabbath throughout their generations, for a per¬ petual covenant. It is a sign between me and the children of Israel for ever: for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, and on the seventh day he rested, and was refreshed" (Ex. 31:16, 17). As indicated by David. "By the word of the Lord were the heav¬ ens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as a heap: he layeth up the depth in storehouses. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:6, 7, 9). As indicated by Jesus. The Savior evidently accepted literally the first three chapters of Genesis. "Which was the son of Enos, which was the son of Seth, which was the son of Adam, which was the son of God" (Lk. 3:38). "And he answered and said unto them. Have ye not read, that he which made them at the beginning made them male and female" (Mt. 19:4). "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" (Jn. 3:12). "For had ye believed Moses, ye would have believed me: for he wrote of me. But if ye believe not his writings, how shall ye believe my words?" (Jn. 5:46, 47). As indicated by Paul. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned: Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of

669

Adam's transgression, who is the figure of him that was to come. For if by one man's offense death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sin¬ ners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (Rom. 5:12, 14, 17,19). "For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him, who hath subjected the same in hope; because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain together until now" (Rom. 8:19-22). "For the man is not of the woman; but the woman of the man. Neither was the man created for the woman; but the woman for the man. For as the woman is of the man, even so is the man also by the woman; but all things of God" (1 Cor. 11:8, 9, 12). "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and an¬ other of birds. It is sown a natural body, it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natu¬ ral body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written. The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; and afterward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:39, 44-49). "But I fear, lest by any means, as the serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). "For Adam was first formed, then Eve. And Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the trans¬ gression" (1 Tim. 2:13, 14). 7. As indicated by Benjamin Warfield (one of the greatest orthodox theologians of modem time). Although Warfield admitted the possi¬ bility of man existing for over 100 thousand years, he personally believed man's creation date to be no earlier than 5,000 to 10,000 b.c. (p. 248 in Biblical and Theological Studies). 8. As indicated by Edward Young (outstanding Hebrew scholar).

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

"The six days are to be understood in a chronological sense, that is one day fol¬ lowing another in succession. This fact is emphasized in that the days are desig¬ nated one, two, three, etc." (Westminster Theological Journal, May 1963, p. 169) 9. As indicated by the Interpreter's Bible (Vol. I, p. 417). "There can be no question but that by 'day' the author means just what we mean—the time required for one revolu¬ tion of the earth on its axis. Had he meant an aeon he would certainly, in view of his fondness for numbers, have stated the number of millenniums each period em¬ braces." Note: Even though the Interpreter's Bible (a very liberal work) would doubtless consider the first eleven chapters of Genesis as pure myth, it nevertheless holds that the Genesis writer believed in a literal six-day creation account. In concluding this first section it is important to remind ourselves of the absolute necessity of believing God's Word concerning our origin, for if we allow Satan to water this down for us, we may permit the same doubt concerning our pres¬ ent mission as ambassadors for Christ and our future destiny. It is here proper to remember the words of Jesus to Nicodemus: "If I have told you earthly things, and ye be¬ lieve not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" (Jn. 3:12). II. His Nature. In dealing with man's nature, we will ask and attempt to answer five basic questions. A. How is man made in the image and likeness of God? "And God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness; and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him; male and female created he them" (Gen. 1:26, 27). How are we to understand these words? Throughout the history of the Christian church various theories have been propounded. 1. That this likeness is a reference to the trinity of man. In other words, as God is triune in nature (Father, Son, and Holy Spirit), he cre¬ ated man a triune creature consisting of spirit, soul, and body. Advocates of this the¬ ory point to the following verses to support their claims: "For the word of God is quick, and pow¬ erful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asun¬ der of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole

670

spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23). 2. That man is created in the image of God in that his Creator gave him self-consciousness. God-consciousness, and a sense of morality. Simply stated, this means man can identify himself, know his God, look back to his birth, and plan for his death. 3. That when God spoke these words he was thinking of the future incarnation of Christ, the God-man, and his present-day work in making the Christian like himself. Note the following verses: "For our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to sub¬ due all things unto himself" (Phil. 3:20, 21). "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren" (Rom. 8:29). "Beloved, now are we the sons of God, and it doth not yet appear what we shall be: but we know that, when he shall ap¬ pear, we shall be like him; for we shall see him as he is" (1 Jn. 3:2). 4. At any rate, there seems to be an image of God in all men which cannot be lost, and an image which can be lost. a. That image which cannot be lost. "For a man indeed ought not to cover his head, forasmuch as he is the image and glory of God: but the woman is the glory of the man" (1 Cor. 11:7). "But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poi¬ son. Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the simili¬ tude of God" (Jas. 3:8, 9). In the following verse God institutes capital punishment and justifies it on the grounds that a murderer should die for taking the life of another creature made in the image of God. "Whoso sheddeth man's blood, by man shall his blood be shed: for in the image of God made he man" (Gen. 9:6). The Bible therefore indicates that all unsaved men still display certain traces of the original image of God's creation. b. That image which can be lost. "Lie not one to another, seeing that ye have put off the old man with his deeds; and have put on the new man, which is renewed in knowledge after the image of him that created him" (Col. 3:9, 10).

~

THE DOCTRINE OF MAN-

And that ye put on the new man, which after God is created in right¬ eousness and true holiness" (Eph. 4:24). Thus it would seem that there is a part of God's image which was lost after Adam sinned and must now be restored by the Holy Spirit at the moment of sal¬ vation. This lost image would seem to be the ability to know God and the desire to love him. B. Is man a dichotomous (two-part) being, or is he a trichotomous (three-part) being? That is, does he consist of body and soul, or does he possess body, soul, and spirit? 1. The following two arguments support di¬ chotomy. a. Man is a dichotomous being not just be¬ cause of the plan of God, but because of the very nature of the universe, which only recognizes material and nonmateri¬ al. In other words, man's body belongs to the material and his soul to the nonmate¬ rial. What else is left? Therefore as man's spirit is decidedly nonmaterial, it must be placed into the camp of the nonmaterial and thus becomes identical with the soul. b. Often in the Bible the terms soul and spirit are used interchangeably. The vir¬ gin Mary seems to do this very thing dur¬ ing her hymn of praise to God. "And Mary said. My soul doth mag¬ nify the Lord, and my spirit hath re¬ joiced in God my Saviour" (Lk. 1:46, 47). (Cf. 2 Cor. 7:1; Jas. 5:20; 1 Pet. 2:11.) 2. Basic evidences for trichotomy would in¬ clude: a. The fact that some passages use both terms interchangeably does not mean that there is no distinction whatsoever. For example, the phrases "Kingdom of God" and "Kingdom of heaven" are on occasion used interchangeably, yet most Bible students would recognize a general and decided difference between them. b. In at least two essential passages the New Testament carefully distinguishes be¬ tween body and soul. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly; and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Thess. 5:23). "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any twoedged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). c. The Hebrew word nephesh is translated by the word "soul" 428 times in the Old Testament. But on two occasions it is

671

rendered "beast" and in nine other pas¬ sages we find the word "creature" being used. "And he that killeth a beast shall make it good; beast for beast" (Lev. 24:18). "And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and man became a living soul" (Gen. 2:7). "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof" (Gen. 2:19). The point of the above is simply this: The Bible on occasion pictures animals as possessing souls. Therefore, as man is different from animals, he must have something higher, and that higher thing is the spirit. Nowhere in the Scriptures do we read of an animal possessing a spirit. d. Trichotomy is the best theory to explain the three levels of consciousness in all men, that of self-consciousness (through the soul), world-consciousness (through the body), and God-consciousness (through the spirit). Hebrew scholar Dr. Merrill F. Unger has written the following concerning this ques¬ tion: "The two terms are often used inter¬ changeably ... however, soul and spirit as synonymous terms are not always em¬ ployed interchangeably. The soul is said to be lost, for example, but not the spirit. When no technical distinctions are set forth, the Bible is dichotomous, but other¬ wise it is trichotomous. Theologians have pored over these distinctions ceaselessly." (Unger's Bible Dictionary, p. 1043) C. Where and how does man receive his soul?" 1. First view: All men have known other exis¬ tences prior to this earthly life in heaven or somewhere in time past and therefore re¬ ceive their original soul from previous exis¬ tence into their earthly bodies. This is known as the preexistence theory, and, needless to say, has absolutely no scriptural support to back it up. Leslie B. Flynn writes: "Preexistentialism was held by Origen, the early Christian leader in Alexandria, to justify the wide disparity of conditions in which people enter our world. The same view was espoused by Philo the Jewish philosopher, to explain the soul's imprisonment in the body. Four centuries before Christ, Plato taught the preexis¬ tence of the soul to account for the exis¬ tence of ideas not derived from the sense." (Man, Ruined and Restored, p. 45)

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

2. Second view: Each human soul is an immedi¬

ate and special creation by God and enters the developing fetus at an early stage. This is called the creationist theory. The following verses are offered to support this view: "Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was: and the spirit shall return unto God who gave it" (Eccl. 12:7). "The burden of the word of the Lord for Israel, saith the Lord, which stretcheth forth the heavens, and layeth the founda¬ tion of the earth, and formeth the spirit of man within him" (Zech. 12:1). "For I will not contend for ever, neither will I be always wroth: for the spirit should fail before me, and the souls which I have made" (Isa. 57:16). "Furthermore, we have had fathers of our flesh which corrected us, and we gave them reverence: shall we not much rather be in subjection unto the Father of spirits, and live?" (Heb. 12:9). One basic objection, however, has been leveled at the creation theory. If God creates each soul in heaven separately and sends it down into the developing body, then why are all men sinners? It is wrong, furthermore, to say the soul is thereupon corrupted by the body, for nowhere does the Scripture teach that the source of sin in man stems from his body of flesh and blood and bones. Quite the contrary, for sin is said to come from man's stubborn and rebellious will, and his will is an aspect of his soul. In other words, does God create a sinful soul in the first place? If he does, he then becomes the author of sin. But if, instead, he creates a pure and inno¬ cent soul, then why and how and when does man become a sinner? Would not one of the more than sixty billion individuals who have lived, or are living on this earth, have de¬ cided to keep his pure soul unspotted and sinless? 3. Third view: That both body and soul are passed on through natural generations. This is called the traducian theory and is the view of most theologians (with notable exceptions such as Charles Hodge). Passages that would tend to support this view are as follows: "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me" (Ps. 51:5). "Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one" (Job 14:4). "The wicked are estranged from the womb: they go astray as soon as they be born, speaking lies" (Ps. 58:3). "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit" (Jn. 3:6). "Among whom also we all had our con¬ versation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the chil¬ dren of wrath, even as others" (Eph. 2:3). However, as in the case of the theory of creationism, a serious charge is likewise lev¬

672

eled at the traducian view. The problem is this: If the child receives his soul from his parents, then how did Jesus escape the sintainted nature of Mary and remain the pure and perfect Savior that he was? But it would seem that this argument overlooks one basic but absolutely vital fact: the personality of the Lord Jesus Christ did not come into exis¬ tence at Bethlehem through either the cre¬ ation or traducian method. The indisputable scriptural fact is that as God he always ex¬ isted. Thus, while he could pray "... a body hast thou prepared for me" (Heb. 10:5), he also would pray later: "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was" (Jn. 17:5). D. What is the soul? The nature of man's soul, is, like the doctrine of the Trinity, a mystery which simply cannot be grasped by mortal mind. Only a fool would attempt a dogmatic answer to this question. The following statements are therefore but suggestions and not absolute answers. In the opinion of this writer it would seem the Bible indicates not so much that I have a soul, but rather I am a soul. I have a body and I have a spirit, but the soul is me. But again, who can be dog¬ matic here? "Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall be changed, in a mo¬ ment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. 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" (1 Cor. 15:51-54). E. What are the basic characteristics of the soul? As one consults various theological works on the makeup of man, he discovers that the discussion usually centers around four basic words. These are: intellect, sensibility, conscience, and will. Here again, let it be emphasized that no absolute and all-inclusive definition is possible, but the following statements are offered as guidelines. 1. Intellect—that aspect of the soul which tells me whether a given issue is right or wrong. 2. Sensibility—that aspect which tells me what I would like to do about the issue. 3. Conscience—that aspect which tells me what I should do about the issue. The Bible lists several kinds of conscience: a. An evil conscience. "Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil con¬ science, and our bodies washed with pure water" (Heb. 10:22). b. A defiled conscience. "Unto the pure all things are pure: but unto them that are defiled and unbe-

~ the doctrine of man~

lieving is nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled" (Titus 1:15). c. A weak conscience. 'Howbeit there is not in every man that knowledge: for some with con¬ science of the idol unto this hour eat it as a thing offered unto an idol; and their conscience being weak is defiled. But when ye sin so against the breth¬ ren, and wound their weak con¬ science, ye sin against Christ" (1 Cor. 8:7, 12). d. A good conscience. "And Paul, earnestly beholding the council, said. Men and brethren, I have lived in all good conscience be¬ fore God until this day" (Acts 23:1). "Now the end of the command¬ ment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned: Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away, concerning faith have made shipwreck" (1 Tim. 1:5, 19). "Pray for us: for we trust we have a good conscience, in all things willing to live honestly" (Heb. 13:18). "Having a good conscience; that, whereas they speak evil of you, as of evildoers, they may be ashamed that falsely accuse your good conversation in Christ. The like figure whereunto even baptism doth also now save us, (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good conscience toward God) by the resur¬ rection of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 3:16, 21). e. A pure conscience. "Holding the mystery of the faith in a pure conscience" (1 Tim. 3:9). f. A seared conscience. "Speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron" (1 Tim. 4:2). 4. Will—that aspect which tells me what I shall do about the issue. III. His Original Duties and Responsibilities. Why did God create man? Before giving the various reasons, it should be strongly stated that God did not make man because he was lonely! Long before he created angels or man, the Father was having blessed fellowship with his beloved Son. "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self with the glory which I had with thee before the world was. Father, I will that they also, whom thou hast given me, be with me where I am; that they may behold my glory, which thou hast given me: for thou lovedst me before the foundation of the world" (Jn. 17:5, 24). "The Lord possessed me in the beginning of his way, before his works of old. I w&s set up from everlasting, from the beginning, or ever the earth was. When there were no depths, I was brought forth; when there were no fountains abounding I

673

with water. Before the mountains were settled, before the hills was I brought forth: while as yet he had not made the earth, nor the fields, nor the highest part of the dust of the world. When he prepared the heavens, I was there: when he set a compass upon the face of the depth: when he es¬ tablished the clouds above: when he strengthened the fountains of the deep: when he gave to the sea his decree, that the waters should not pass his commandment: when he appointed the founda¬ tions of the earth: Then I was by him, as one brought up with him: and I was daily his delight, rejoicing always before him" (Prov. 8:22-30). But why, then, did he create man? According to a passage in Revelation: "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11). Man, then, was created to demonstrate the glory of God and to fellowship with the God of glory. Upon his creation he is given the following duties and re¬ sponsibilities: A. Man was to assume the headship over all nature. "And God said. Let us make man in our image, after our likeness: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:26). The New Testament makes it clear that man was made to eventually assume headship over the entire universe (Heb. 2:5-8). B. Man was to make his headquarters in Eden and especially to care for this beautiful garden para¬ dise. "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (Gen. 2:15). C. Man was to provide names for every living crea¬ ture. "And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for Adam there was not found a help meet for him" (Gen. 2:19, 20). D. Man was to love and protect his wife. "Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh" (Gen. 2:24). E. Man was to reproduce himself and populate the earth with his kind. "And God blessed them, and God said unto them. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth" (Gen. 1:28). F. Man was to enjoy all the fruits of the various trees (except one).

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

1. Upon the serpent.

"And the Lord God commanded the man, saying. Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat" (Gen. 2:16).

"And the Lord God said unto the serpent. Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life" (Gen. 3:14). Isaiah indicates that this judgment will continue to be binding upon the serpent even during the millennium. "The wolf and the lamb shall feed to¬ gether, and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock: and dust shall be the ser¬ pent's meat. They shall not hurt nor de¬ stroy in all my holy mountain, saith the Lord" (Isa. 65:25).

G. Man was forbidden to partake of the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

"But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). IV. His Tragic Sin and Fall. A. The temptation that led to the fall. According to Genesis 3:1 Satan, working through the serpent, enticed Eve to disobey God and partake of the forbidden fruit.

"Now the serpent was more subtile than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman. Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1).

2. Upon Satan.

"And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel" (Gen. 3:15). At first glance this verse would merely seem to predict the natural hatred of man for snakes. But for centuries devout Bible stu¬ dents have seen a far more precious and pro¬ found truth underlying these words. For in this verse they claim to see no less than a thrilling prediction of the cross and the res¬ urrection, of the Savior's great victory over Satan. Theologically, then, verse 15 may be translated as follows: "And there will be an intense hatred between Satan and Christ. Eventually Christ shall crush the head of Sa¬ tan, while suffering a heel wound in the pro¬ cess." See also: "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (Rom. 16:20). "But he was wounded for our trans¬ gressions, he was bruised for our iniqui¬ ties; the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5).

We here note Satan's approach to Eve. He be¬ gins by slyly doubting God's Word, but soon is brazenly denying the Word of God.

"And the serpent said unto the woman. Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:4). B. The transgression that caused the fall. "And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said. Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die" (Gen. 3:2, 3). In these verses Eve commits two fatal mis¬ takes. She adds to God's Word (God did not say, "Neither shall ye touch it"), and then she takes from God's Word (she omitted the original com¬ mand, "Thou shalt surely die").

"But of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:17). "For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Rev.

3. Upon Adam. Adam and Eve would experi¬ ence a sevenfold sentence because of their

sin. a. Shame.

"And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig leaves to¬ gether, and made themselves aprons" (Gen. 3:7).

22:18, 19). "Every word of God is pure: he is a shield unto them that put their trust in him. Add thou not unto his words, lest he reprove thee, and thou be found a liar" (Prov. 30:5, 6). "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Gen. 3:6).

b. Fear.

"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself" (Gen. 3:8-10).

C. The trial that followed the fall. Adam the sinner, after a brief and futile attempt to hide, now con¬ fesses to his crime. At this point the righteous Judge sets up his court in Eden and the trial be¬ gins. A threefold sentence is soon passed down:

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~ THE DOCTRINE OF MAN~

c. Discord. "And the man said. The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman. What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said. The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat" (Gen. 3:12, 13). This is the first historical example of passing the buck. d. Death. (1) Physical death. "And all the days that Adam lived were nine hundred and thirty years: and he died" (Gen. 5:5). "The days of our years are threescore years and ten; and if by reason of strength they be fourscore years, yet is their strength labour and sorrow; for it is soon cut off, and we fly away" (Ps. 90:10). (2) Spiritual death. "And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Mt. 7:23). "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand, Depart from me, ye cursed, into ever¬ lasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt. 25:41). "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; He that overcometh shall not be hurt of the sec¬ ond death" (Rev. 2:11). "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection; on such the second death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6). "And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death" (Rom. 20:14). "But the fearful, and unbeliev¬ ing, and the abominable, and murderers, and whoremongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the sec¬ ond death" (Rev. 21:8). e. Suffering. "Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee" (Gen. 3:16). f. Weariness of labor. "And unto Adam he said. Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of

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thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it; cursed is the ground for thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life; thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the herb of the field; In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou re¬ turn unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return" (Gen. 3:17-19). g. Separation. "And the Lord God said. Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever: therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden Cherubims and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:22-24). D. The theories that explain the fall. Were the ef¬ fects of Adam's fall merely confined to himself, or do they continue somehow to make them¬ selves known in the lives of twentieth century men? 1. The liberal position: As the entire story is simply a Hebrew legend, there can, of course, be no effect whatsoever. 2. The Pelagian position: Palagius was a fifthcentury British monk who taught that Ad¬ am's sin affected only himself, for God im¬ putes to men only those sins which they personally and consciously perform. Pelagius said the only effect of Adam's sin on poster¬ ity was that of a bad example. The doctrine of Pelagianism was condemned by the coun¬ cil of Carthage in a.d. 418. 3. The Arminian position: Arminius (15601609) was a professor who lived and taught in Holland. This theory teaches that while Adam's sin definitely weakened the will of his posterity to remain sinless, it did not de¬ stroy the possibility. 4. The Augustinian position: Augustine was one of the greatest of the early church fa¬ thers. He taught that because of the unity of the human race in Adam, man's sin is im¬ puted to his posterity. Thus, corrupted na¬ ture begets corrupted nature. This final view is the only position which is amply sup¬ ported by the Scriptures. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). "Therefore as by the offence of one judgment came upon all men to condem¬ nation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

justification of life. For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one shall many be made righteous" (Rom. 5:18,19). "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). At this point it should be said that in the New Testament the Apostle Paul often dis¬ tinguishes between "sin" and "sins." Ac¬ cording to Paul: Sin—the root of my problem and a refer¬ ence to my corrupted nature which I received from Adam. Sins—the fruit of my problem and a refer¬ ence to those actions resulting from my cor¬ rupted nature. It is vital to understand this distinction, for God will not deal with us favorably concern¬ ing our sins until we allow him to treat our sin nature. I sin (commit individual trans¬ gressions) because 1 am a sinner, and there¬ fore do not become a sinner because I sin! Thus modernism is content to treat the boils on the skin of mankind (sins) but the real disease is in the bloodstream (sin nature). Paul summarizes all this in a single verse, which should be literally translated: "For all have sinned [past tense, in Adam] and are [present time, in daily experience] falling short of God's glory" (Rom. 3:23). From all this we therefore conclude that Adam's individual transgression resulted in a sin nature for him, but with us it is the other way around—our sin nature results in indi¬ vidual transgressions. V. His Present-Day Condition. A. The fallacies. 1. Man is dirt and therefore cannot be saved. According to this position, the only real dif¬ ference between a mushroom, a man, and a mountain is simply in the accidental arrange¬ ment of the atoms. 2. Man is divine, and therefore need not be saved. Thus, as Christian witnesses we are told that our primary ministry to the poor, lost, helpless drunkard is to simply inform him that he is made in God's image and car¬ ries the divine spark of divinity within him. He therefore need only to fan that small flame and begin living that victorious life God wants him to live. B. The facts. In his first epistle to the church at Cor¬ inth, Paul places all living men into three spiri¬ tual categories: 1. The natural man. "But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). The Bible describes all unsaved men (the natural man) as being spiritually depraved, a. Negative aspects of depravity. (1) Depravity does not mean that all unsaved men are as depraved as they can possibly become. Most

676

American men, for example, do not run around murdering little children or robbing banks. But some do. Also, few housewives suddenly abandon their families and become professional harlots. (2) Depravity does not hold that a sin¬ ner has no sense of God, nor of good and evil. Often, to the shame of the Christian, unsaved men and women demonstrate a higher morality than shown by their professing neighbors and family members. (3) Depravity does not teach that an un¬ saved man cannot admire the noble, or even perform noble and heroic acts. Many battle accounts record the bravery of unsaved soldiers who pay the supreme sacrifice to save the lives of their endangered buddies. On other occasions unsaved firemen and policemen have laid down their lives to protect individuals they may not even know. b. Positive aspects of depravity. (1) Depravity means that all sinners are capable of all wicked things. This means that a freedom-loving Win¬ ston Churchill still possessed within his nature all the potential cruelty of an Adolf Hitler. (2) Depravity teaches that no sinner has the power to please God. The following Scriptures aptly describe the natural man: "But I know you, that ye have not the love of God in you" 0n. 5:42). "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh,) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18). "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God" (Rom. 8:7, 8). "That at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the common¬ wealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world" (Eph. 2:12). "As it is written. There is none right¬ eous, no, not one: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofit¬ able; there is none that doeth good, no, not one" (Rom. 3:10-12). 2. The carnal man. "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, nei¬ ther yet now are ye able. For ye are yet

~ THE DOCTRINE OF MAN

carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Cor. 3:1-3). Here Paul sadly describes a Christian who is indwelt by the Holy Spirit, but who still allows himself to be controlled by the pas¬ sions of the flesh. Paul calls him a baby, for he has never learned to grow. 3. The Spirit-controlled man. "But he that is spiritual judgeth all things, yet he himself is judged of no man" (1 Cor. 2:15). VI. His Destiny. In the throes of despair, the suffering patriarch Job once cried out: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down: he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not" (Job 14:1, 2). Later during the same dialogue Job would sign and ask: "If a man die, shall he live again? all the days of my appointed time will I wait, till my change come" (Job 14:14). Finally, in chapter 19, Job reaffirms his own per¬ sonal faith in God and in the destiny of man. Job exclaims: "For I know that my Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand at the latter day upon the earth: And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God" (Job 19:25, 26). It has been said that the three largest questions of mankind are as follows: Where did I come from? Why am I here? Where am I going? Thus far in this study, questions one and two have been answered. This final section will answer the third question. A. False views concerning the destiny of man. 1. Nirvana: An oriental Hindu philosophy (which at certain periods in history has wormed its way into Christian thought) which teaches that at death a man ceases all personal existence and is absorbed by some great life-giving principle in the universe. According to this thought, a man, while he lives, can be pictured as a small wave ripple, skimming the top of a mighty ocean. But when the wind stops (the moment of death), the wave is then received back into the ocean from whence it came, and forever loses its previous identity. This is refuted by: "And behold, there appeared unto them Moses and Elias talking with him" (Mt. 17:3). Here we see Moses (who had died 2,000 years earlier) and Elijah (who had departed over seven centuries back) both reappearing on the Mount of Transfiguration to Peter, James, and John. This, of course, proves that absence from this earth does not mean the termination of personality or jpersonhood. "Now if Christ be preached that he rose from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of the dead?

677

But if there be no resurrection of the dead, then is Christ not risen: And if Christ be not risen, then is our preaching vain, and your faith is also vain. Yea, and we are found false witnesses of God; be¬ cause we have testified of God that he raised up Christ: whom he raised not up, if so be that the dead rise not. For if the dead rise not, then is not Christ raised: And if Christ be not raised, your faith is vain; ye are yet in your sins. Then they also which are fallen asleep in Christ are perished. If in this life only we have hope in Christ, we are of all men most miser¬ able. But now is Christ risen from the dead, and become the firstfruits of them that slept" (1 Cor. 15:12-20). "So also is the resurrection of the dead. It is sown in corruption; it is raised in in¬ corruption: it is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory: it is sown in weakness; it is raised in power: it is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body. And so it is written. The first man Adam was made a living soul; the last Adam was made a quickening spirit. Howbeit that was not first which is spiri¬ tual, but that which is natural; and after¬ ward that which is spiritual. The first man is of the earth, earthy: the second man is the Lord from heaven. As is the earthy, such are they also that are earthy: and as is the heavenly, such are they also that are heavenly. And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:42-49). 2. Restorationism: The belief that in a future life all men will be given a second chance to make the choice for God that they did not make during this life. This is refuted by: "He, that being often reproved hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed, and that without remedy" (Prov. 29:1). "Jesus answered and said unto him. Verily, verily, I say unto thee. Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:3). "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso¬ ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved. He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God" (Jn. 3:16-18). "There was a certain rich man, which was clothed in purple and fine linen, and fared sumptuously every day: And there was a certain beggar named Lazarus, which was laid at his gate, full of sores, and desiring to be fed with the crumbs which fell from the rich man's table:

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

"For therefore we both labour and suf¬ fer reproach, because we trust in the liv¬ ing God, who is the Saviour of all men, specially of those that believe" (1 Tim. 4:10). "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh, but quickened by the Spirit; by which also he went and preached unto the spirits in prison" (1 Pet. 3:18, 19). However, a quick glance at the context of the above verses show that all the "restored" here are those who have accepted Christ as Savior. The passage in 1 Peter has been the subject of some controversy, but whatever else, it does not teach restorabonism. The verb "preached" in verse 19 in the original Greek does not refer to gospel preaching. 3. Materialism: Atheisbc belief that man, upon death, forever ceases to be and quietly rots into nothingness. This philosophy has been aptly described on an ancient tombstone: "I was not, I became, I am not, I care not." This is refuted by: "Now this I say, brethren, that flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God; neither doth corruption inherit incorrupbon. Behold, I show you a mystery; we shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruphble, and we shall be changed. For this corrupbble must put on incorrupbon, and this mortal must put on immor¬ tality. So when this corrupbble shall have put on incorrupbon, 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. O death, where is thy sbng? O grave, where is thy victory? The sbng of death is sin; and the strength of sin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giveth us the vic¬ tory through our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. 15:50-57). Materialism may be correctly defined as that clever worldly art of knowing the price of everything, but the value of nothing. 4. Annihilationism: This theory, espoused by the Jehovah's Witnesses, along with various other groups, teaches that all the ungodly will someday literally be "uncreated," or an¬ nihilated by God. It is refuted by: "And these shall go away into everlasbng punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Mt. 25:46). "And the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man wor¬ ship the beast and his image, and receive his mark in his forehead, or in his hand, the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out with¬ out mixture into the cup of his indignabon; and he shall be tormented with fire

moreover the dogs came and licked his sores. And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried; and in hell he lifted up his eyes, being in torments, and seeth Abraham afar off, and Lazarus in his bos¬ om. And he cried and said. Father Abra¬ ham, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus, that he may dip the bp of his finger in water, and cool my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame. But Abraham said. Son, remember that thou in thy life¬ time receivedst thy good things, and like¬ wise Lazarus evil things: but now he is comforted, and thou art tormented. And beside all this, between us and you there is a great gulf fixed: so that they which would pass from hence to you cannot; neither can they pass to us, that would come from thence. Then he said, I pray thee therefore, father, that thou wouldest send him to my father's house: For I have five brethren; that he may teshfy unto them, lest they also come into this place of torment. Abraham saith unto him. They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them. And he said. Nay, father Abraham: but if one went unto them from the dead, they will repent. And he said unto him. If they hear not Moses and the prophets, neither will they be per¬ suaded, though one rose from the dead" (Lk. 16:19-31). If these verses teach anything, they strongly and sternly declare that at the mo¬ ment of death there exists absolutely no chance for the salvation of an unsaved per¬ son. We may be tempted to argue with God concerning the why of the matter, but not the what of the matter. Origen (second-century church father) was one of the earliest propo¬ nents of restorattonism. He even taught the possibility of Satan himself being restored to the faith he once rebelled against. Restorationists use the following Scripture verses for "proof" of their posibon. "And he shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached unto you: whom the heaven must receive until the times of resbtubon of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets since the world began" (Acts 3:20, 21). "For as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (1 Cor. 15:22). "That in the dispensation of the fulness of bmes he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him" (Eph. 1:10). "For this is good and acceptable in the sight of God our Saviour; who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4).

678

~ THE DOCTRINE OT MAN~

and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever re¬ ceived the mark of his name" (Rev. 14:9-11). Those believing in annihilationism at¬ tempt to undergird their claims by quoting certain Scripture verses in the Psalms: "For evildoers shall be cut off: but those that wait upon the Lord, they shall inherit the earth" (Ps. 37:9). "The Lord preserved all them that love him: but all the wicked will he destroy" (Ps. 145:20). Refute: The same Hebrew word karath, translated "cut off" in Psalm 37:9 is also used in reference to the crucifixion of the Messiah as prophesied in Daniel 9:26. Christ was cer¬ tainly not annihilated at Calvary. In Psalm 145:20 the identical Hebrew word here rendered "destroy" is found describing the punishment of both Egypt (Ex. 10:7) and Israel (Hosea 13:9), neither of which nation has yet to suffer annihilation. 5. Soul sleep: The view that the soul sleeps be¬ tween death and the resurrection. It is re¬ futed by: "Therefore we are always confident, knowing that, whilst we are at home in the body, we are absent from the Lord: (For we walk by faith, not by sight:) We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be pre¬ sent with the Lord. Wherefore we labor, that, whether present or absent, we may be accepted of him" (2 Cor. 5:6-9). "For I am in a strait betwixt two, having a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better: Nevertheless to abide in the flesh is more needful for you" (Phil. 1:23, 24). "And when he had opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of them that were slain for the word of God, and for the testimony which they held: And they cried with a loud voice, saying, How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judge and avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth? And white robes were given unto every one of them; and it was said unto them, that they should rest yet for a little season, until their fellow servants also and their breth¬ ren, that should be killed as they were, should be fulfilled. And 1 beheld when he had opened the sixth seal, and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun be¬ came black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood" (Rev. 6:9-12). This passage in Revelation not only refutes soul sleep, but, to the contrary, teaches that departed believers can both ask questions and receive answers in heaven. It also seems

679

to suggest the possibilities of a temporary body given them prior to their future resur¬ rected bodies. 6. Purgatory: The belief of Roman Catholics that all those who die at peace with the church but are not perfect must undergo penal and purifying sufferings. However, this is only for those who die in venial (lesser) sin, for all dying in mortal sin are forever condemned to hell. Roman doctrine teaches that a person's stay in purgatory may be shortened by the gifts or services rendered by living people in behalf of the beloved dead one through the Roman Catholic Church. This is refuted by: "But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come, by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say, not of this building; neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he entered in once into the holy place, having obtained eter¬ nal redemption for us. For if the blood of bulls and of goats, and the ashes of a heifer sprinkling the unclean, sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh; how much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your con¬ science from dead works to serve the liv¬ ing God?" (Heb. 9:11-14). "For Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true; but into heaven itself, now to appear in the presence of God for us: nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest entereth into the holy place every year with blood of oth¬ ers; for then must he often have suffered since the foundation of the world: but now once in the end of the world hath he appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And as it is appointed unto men once to die, but after this the judg¬ ment: So Christ was once offered to bear the sins of many; and unto them that look for him shall he appear the second time without sin unto salvation" (Heb. 9:24-28). "But this man, after he had offered one sacrifice for sins for ever, sat down on the right hand of God; this is the covenant that I will make with them after those days, saith the Lord; I will put my laws into their hearts, and in their minds will I write them; and their sins and iniquities will I remember no more" (Heb. 10:12,16, 17). 7. Limbo: Another aspect of Roman Catholic theology which teaches that all unbaptized children and the mentally incompetent, upon death, proceed to a permanent place of "natural happiness," but not heaven. This is refuted by: "At the same time came the disciples unto Jesus, saying. Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? And Jesus called a

~ WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

little child unto him, and set him in the midst of them, and said. Verily I say unto you. Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven. Whosoever therefore shall humble himself as this lit¬ tle child, the same is greatest in the king¬ dom of heaven. And whoso shall receive one such little child in my name receiveth me. But whoso shall offend one of these little ones which believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea. Woe unto the world because of offenses! for it must needs be that offenses come; but woe to that man by whom the offense cometh! Wherefore if thy hand or thy foot offend thee, cut them off, and cast them from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life halt or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into everlasting fire. And if thine eye of¬ fend thee, pluck it out, and cast it from thee: it is better for thee to enter into life with one eye, rather than having two eyes to be cast into hell fire. Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 18:1-10). 8. Reincarnation: The belief in the transmigration or rebirth of the soul which has been funda¬ mental to most religions and philosophies of India. As one sows in the present life, so one shall reap in the next, good deeds resulting in a good state of rebirth, bad deeds in a bad state of rebirth. Thus a man's state of life is seen not as something fortuitous or mean¬ ingless, but as the working out, for good or ill, of the effects of a previous existence and the predetermining of a future state. This theory, like the previous seven, is totally without scriptural support. B. Scriptural considerations concerning the destiny of man. 1. Before the cross. Where was the abode of the dead prior to Calvary? It is held by a number of Bible students that before Jesus died, the souls of all men descended into an abode lo¬ cated somewhere in the earth known as Hades in the New Testament and Sheol in the Old Testament. Originally, there were two sections of Hades, one for saved and one for the lost. The saved section is sometimes called "Paradise," and is at other times re¬ ferred to as "Abraham's bosom." "And Jesus said unto him, Verily I say unto thee. Today shalt thou be with me in paradise" (Lk. 23:43). "And it came to pass, that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bosom: the rich man also died, and was buried" (Lk. 16:22). There is no name given for the unsaved section apart from the general designation of

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Hades. In Luke 16:19-31 the Savior relates the account of a poor believer who died and went to the saved part of Hades and of a rich unbeliever who died and went to the un¬ saved section. (See VI A 2, Restorationism.) A number of extremely interesting conclu¬ sions may be derived from this historical ac¬ count as related by Christ. a. The activities of angels in carrying be¬ lievers to their reward. b. The possibilities of an intermediate, preresurrection body for the lost as well as the saved. c. The irony of an occupant in hell desiring to become a soul-winner. d. The nature of the rich man's request to send Lazarus to testify to his five lost brothers, reasoning that "if one went unto them from the dead, they will re¬ pent." This pathetic request was of course denied, simply because it would not have worked. The fact of the matter is that Christ did actually raise a man with the same name as Lazarus a few months later. What were the results of this? Did it cause the unbelieving Jews to come to the Savior? Hardly. In fact, just the opposite occurred, for the wicked Pharisees not only decided to kill Jesus for his action (Jn. 11:53), but actually planned (if necessary) to murder the res¬ urrected Lazarus also (Jn. 12:10, 11). However, many believe that all this changed after Christ had made full payment for the believer's sins on Calvary. The Scofield Bible suggests that during the time of his death and resurrection, our Lord descended into Hades, depopulated Paradise, and led a spiritual triumphal entry into the heavenlies with all the saved up to that time. The fol¬ lowing is offered as proof of this: "Wherefore he saith. When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. (Now that he as¬ cended, what is it but that he also de¬ scended first into the lower parts of the earth? He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things)" (Eph. 4:8-10). In his book Revelation, the late Dr. Donald Barnhouse writes: "When He ascended on High He emptied Hell of Paradise and took it straight to the presence of God. Captivity was taken cap¬ tive. . . . From that moment onward there was to be no separation whatsoever for those who believe in Christ. The gates of Hell would never more prevail against any believer." "And I say also unto thee. That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not pre¬ vail against it" (Mt. 16:18). 2. After the cross. The state of the unsaved dead remained (and remains) unchanged af-

A SCRIPTURAL SUMMARY OF HELL~

ter the cross. They remain in Hades awaiting the final great white throne judgment. “And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened: and another book was opened, which is the book of life: and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them: and they were judged every man according to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the second death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:11-15). This means the lost rich man is still in Hades, there having since been joined by Ju¬ das, Herod, Nero, Hitler, etc., and will re¬ main until after the millennium and the resurrection of the unjust. "But the rest of the dead lived not again until the thousand years were finished . . ." (Rev. 20:5). But a glorious change has occurred con¬ cerning the state of those who fall asleep in Jesus. Note the following Scriptures: "But he, being full of the Holy Ghost, looked up steadfastly into heaven, and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing on the right hand of God, and they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying. Lord Jesus, receive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep" (Acts 7:55, 59, 60). "For to me to live is Christ, and to die is gain. For I am in a strait betwixt two, hav¬ ing a desire to depart, and to be with Christ; which is far better" (Phil. 1:21, 23). "We are confident, I say, and willing rather to be absent from the body, and to be present with the Lord" (2 Cor. 5:8). Thus, according to these verses, both Ste¬ phen and Paul, along with all other departed believers, are now in the heavenlies with Christ. In the following Scripture Paul refers to this place as "the third heaven." "It is not expedient for me doubtless to glory. I will come to visions and revela¬ tions of the Lord. I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such a one caught up to the third heaven. And I knew such a man, (whether in the body, or out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) how that he was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter" (2 Cor. 12:1-4).

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A SCRIPTURAL SUMMARY OF HELL I. Denying the Doctrine Of all the many doctrines in the Bible, undoubted¬ ly the very first that the unbeliever will deny and the weak believer will question is the doctrine of hell. Satan has successfully accomplished this coveted goal through the following three methods: A. Rationalism: "There is no God, and therefore there can be no hell." This rationalism often dis¬ guises itself in the garb of "science." Harold Bry¬ son writes: "Other people deny the existence of hell on the basis of modern thinking. Some assume that many scientific discoveries of the twenti¬ eth century render belief in a future life im¬ possible. Using scientific study of the dissolution of the chemical elements of the body, they deny any possibility of a bodily resurrection. Also, the theory of organic evo¬ lution tries to demonstrate man's common origin with lower life forms. Evolution de¬ stroys the basis for believing that man has a higher destiny than any other creature. Some naively insist that the penetration of space leaves no place for the biblical teachings on heaven and hell. It has been assumed that if man finds no evidence of heaven in space then there is likewise no hell located in the opposite direction." (Yes, Virginia, There Is a Hell, p. 12) Charles Darwin rejected the doctrine of hell. "Disbelief crept over me at a very slow rate, but was at last complete. I can hardly see how anyone ought to wish Christianity to be true; for, if so, the plain language of the text seems to show that the men who do not believe— and this would include my father, brother, and almost all my best friends—will be ever¬ lastingly punished. And this is a damnable doctrine." (The Christian Agnostic. London, Hodder & Stoughton, 1965, p. 164) The English agnostic clergyman John A. T. Rob¬ inson, bishop of Woolwich writes: "There are still a few who would like to bring back hell, as some want to bring back . . . hanging. They are usually the same types who wish to purge Britain of . . . sex and violence." (Bui That 1 Can't Believe. New York, The New American Library, 1967, p. 69). B. Ridicule: "There may be a God, but it is silly to speculate about multitudes of disembodied spir¬ its frying in some literal lake of fire somewhere." One of America's most famous atheists was Robert G. Ingersoll who ridiculed the idea of hell whenever and wherever he could. When asked to coin a slogan to help promote a cigar which bore his name, he quipped, "Smoke in this world, and not in the one to come!" Ingersoll loved the writings of the great poet Robert Bums. He often stated that one page of Burns had more literary merit than an entire book by Moses! Upon Ingersoll's death some wag suggested that an appropriate epitaph for his tombstone would be to simply print the name of his favorite au¬ thor: "Robert Burns"!

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

On this subject, Ingersoll said: "The idea of hell was born of revenge and brutality on the one side, and cowardice on the other ... I have no respect for any man who preaches it ... I dislike this doctrine, I hate it, I despise it, I defy this doctrine!" The famous news editor Horace Greeley is said to have refused to make a contribution to a reli¬ gious group who solicited funds to be used in "keeping people out of hell." His reason was that, in his opinion, there were not nearly enough people going to hell at that present time! C. Religion: "There is a God, but he is a God of Love, and therefore would not and could not send any¬ one to hell!" This, of course, is the position of liberalism. Recent theologians like Karl Barth, Emil Brunner, Paul Tillich, and others either de¬ nied or downplayed the doctrine of hell. The cults of Christianity have at least one common ground, and that is, there is no hell! The Christian Science church defines hell as error of mortal mind. The Jehovah's Witnesses teach that the wicked will simply be annihilated. The Mormons believe in hell, but not as an endless existence. They teach that life after death involves three levels: celestial, terrestrial, and telestial. The celestial level includes Mormons in an intermediate state, who will eventually be¬ come gods. The terrestrial level includes Chris¬ tians and other persons who rejected the Mormon message. The telestial level is reserved for those currently in hell who await a final res¬ urrection. Mormons teach that these will ulti¬ mately be saved and not suffer punishment forever. The Seventh-Day Adventists claim that God will someday blot out all sin and sinners and es¬ tablish a clean universe again. The late Bishop James Pike wrote: "A Heaven of infinite bliss and a Hell of infi¬ nite torment is an impossible contradiction. The kind of people who would qualify for heaven would not be in bliss knowing that there were a lot of people in suffering with no chance whatever for change—the have-nots, the underprivileged. Those suitable for Heaven would want to go to Hell to be along¬ side them in their needs. Jesus, as shown by the reports of his ministry on earth, would be there alongside them too. God in his heaven would find himself lonely and might well join everybody there—or change the whole scheme." (Protestant Power and the Coming Revo¬ lution, p. 173) Regardless of the doubts and denials of men, the Bible dogmatically declares the existence and reality of hell. Here the devout believer would agree with the Apostle Paul: "God forbid: yea, let God be true, but every man a liar; as it is written. That thou mightest be justified in thy sayings, and mightest overcome when thou art judged" (Rom. 3:4). II. The Doctrine of Hell. A. The background of Gehenna hell. We have already seen that, following the tribula¬ tion, all the unsaved dead will be resurrected

from Hades in the heart of the earth to appear before the great white judgment throne. (This is clearly stated in Rev. 20:11-15.) They will then be cast into Gehenna hell forever. Gehenna is a New Testament word with an Old Testament background. It is found twelve times in the Greek New Testament, eleven of those instances coming from the mouth of the Savior himself (Mt. 5:22, 29, 30; 10:28; 18:9; 25:15, 33; Mk. 9:43, 45; 9:47; Lk. 12:5; Jas. 3:6). A brief etymology of the word "Gehenna" will be helpful here. In the Old Testament, a wicked Israelite king named Ahaz forsook the worship of Jehovah and fol¬ lowed the devil-god Molech. In his insane and immoral attempt to please Molech, the king actu¬ ally sacrificed his own children in the fires as burnt offerings to his abominable idol. "Ahaz was twenty years old when he began to reign, and he reigned sixteen years in Jerusa¬ lem: but he did not that which was right in the sight of the Lord, like David his father: For he walked in the ways of the kings of Israel, and made also molten images for Baalim. Moreover he burnt incense in the valley of the son of Hinnom, and burnt his children in the fire, after the abominations of the heathen whom the Lord had cast out before the chil¬ dren of Israel. He sacrificed also and burnt incense in the high places, and on the hills, and under every green tree" (2 Chron. 28:1-4). "And he defiled Topheth, which is in the valley of the children of Hinnom, that no man might make his son or his daughter to pass through the fire to Molech" (2 Ki. 23:10). This all took place in a deep and narrow valley to the south of Jerusalem called the Valley of Hinnom. It was called by this name because of its owners, the sons of Hinnom. Jeremiah the prophet also writes about both the Valley of Hin¬ nom and Topheth. "And they have built the high places of Tophet, which is in the valley of the son of Hin¬ nom, to bum their sons and their daughters in the fire; which I commanded them not, nei¬ ther came it into my heart. Therefore, behold, the days come, saith the Lord, that it shall no more be called Tophet, nor the valley of the son of Hinnom, but the valley of slaughter: for they shall bury in Tophet, till there be no place. And the carcases of this people shall be meat for the fowls of the heaven, and for the beasts of the earth; and none shall fray them away" (Jer. 7:31-33). Walter Price writes: "Topheth was probably the point south of Je¬ rusalem where three valleys met. The Tyropoeon Valley which runs through the old city and down by the Western Wall of the temple mount, intersects here with the Valley of Hinnom. The Valley of the Sons of Hin¬ nom sweeps around the western side of the city and turns east below the Ophel to meet the Valley of Kidron. All three of these val¬ leys converge at the spot where ancient Israel offered sacrifices to the Ammonite god Mo¬ lech (2 Chron. 28:3; 33:6). Here also the field

~ A SCRIPTURAL SUMMARY OF HELL ~

of Akeldama is located (Mt. 27:7, 8; Acts 1:18, 19). The Talmud places the mouth of hell in this place. The Arabs also call this lower end of the Hinnom Valley, where it meets Kidron, at Topheth, the Valley of Hell. In Jesus' day the city garbage dump was located there. The fighting between Jews and Romans ended here in a.d. 70. As many as 600,000 bodies of dead Jews, slain in the defense of Jerusalem against the Romans, were carried out through the Dung Gate to be buried in Topheth." (The Coming Antichrist, pp. 202, 203). As one therefore combines both Old Testa¬ ment and New Testament meanings, he has de¬ scribed for him a place of filth and sorrow, of smoke and pain, of fire and death. This, then, is the word the Holy Spirit chose to employ in de¬ scribing the final destiny for the unsaved. B. The location of hell. Where is hell located? The Bible definitely indi¬ cates that Hades is somewhere down in the heart of the earth. "And the earth opened her mouth, and swal¬ lowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They, and all that appertained to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation" (Num. 16:32, 33). It teaches, however, the following about Gehen¬ na. "But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness: there shall be weep¬ ing and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 8:12). "Then said the king to the servants. Bind him hand and foot, and take him away, and cast him into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 22:13). "And cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 25:30). "There are wells without water, clouds that are carried with a tempest; to whom the mist of darkness is reserved for ever" (2 Pet. 2:17). "Raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is re¬ served the blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 1:13). From these five verses it becomes immediately clear that Gehenna hell is located away from this earth, a place of outer darkness, to be found, per¬ haps, in some remote spot near the edge of God's universe. C. The nature and characteristics of hell. What will Gehenna really be like? Consider: 1. Hell is a place of unquenchable fire. "Whose fan is in his hand, and he will thoroughly purge his floor, and gather his wheat into the garner; but he will burn up the chaff with unquenchable fire" (Mt. 3:12). "The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that offend, and them

683

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wail¬ ing and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 13:41, 42). "And if thy hand offend thee, cut it off: it is better for thee to enter into life maimed, than having two hands to go into hell, into the fire that never shall be quenched" (Mk. 9:43). Opposing positions have been taken con¬ cerning whether the fire here is literal fire. It has been suggested that the fire is not real fire but something far worse. However, the Greek language would indicate otherwise. The same Greek word for fire (pur) used in Matthew 13:42 is also found in Matthew 17:15 and Luke 17:29. "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 13:42). "Lord, have mercy on my son: for he is lunatick, and sore vexed: for ofttimes he falleth into the fire, and oft into the wa¬ ter" (Mt. 17:15). "But the same day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven, and destroyed them all" (Lk. 17:29). Hell is a place of memory and remorse. In Luke 16:19-31 the unsaved rich man expe¬ rienced memory and remorse over his lost condition in Hades. Surely these experiences will not be lessened in Gehenna. Hell is a place of thirst. It would seem difficult indeed to accept this account literally unless the fire in hell is lit¬ eral. But what of Lazarus' finger and the rich man's tongue? Can this be interpreted liter¬ ally? It has been speculated that on the basis of this passage and also the one in 2 Corin¬ thians 5 that temporary bodies of some sort are given to both unsaved and saved until the final resurrection of all. Hell is a place of misery and pain. "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out with¬ out mixture into the cup of his indigna¬ tion; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb: And the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name" (Rev. 14:10, 11). Hell is a place of frustration and anger. "And shall cast them into a furnace of fire; there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 13:42). "And shall cut him asunder, and ap¬ point him his portion with the hypocrites: there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Mt. 24:51). Hell is a place of separation. Often the unsaved man jokes about hell in the following manner: "Well, if I do go to hell, I won't be lonely, for all my friends will

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

9. Hell is a place created for all eternity. The Greek word for "everlasting" is aionios, and is found seventy-one times in the New Testament. Sixty-four of these instances are in reference to God, such as his eternal power. Spirit, kingdom, covenant, etc. The remaining seven instances are directly re¬ lated to the duration of hell. In other words, hell will continue as long as God's works continue, which is forever! Many passages bring this truth out: "And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to ever¬ lasting life, and some to shame and ever¬ lasting contempt" (Dan. 12:2). "And these shall go away into ever¬ lasting punishment: but the righteous into life eternal" (Mt. 25:46). "Even as Sodom and Gomorrah, and the cities about them in like manner, giv¬ ing themselves over to fornication, and going after strange flesh, are set forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 1:7). Without doubt the most difficult truth to accept, even for Christians, is the duration of hell. One might understand a sixty-five-year old sinner going to hell for sixty-five years, or 650, or 6500, or even 65 million years. But why the endless ages? How can a just God rightfully punish forever those sins which were committed in a brief period of time on earth? A full answer to this exists only in the mind of God. However, hell does vividly demonstrate the heinousness of sin and the holiness of God. Thus, sins against God's eternal holiness can only be punished by God's eternal justice. Finally, the following should be noted: As there is no injustice or partiality with God (Rom. 2:6, 11), it naturally follows that the degrees of suffering in hell will vary greatly, being in direct relationship to the sinner's life on earth. Various Scriptures bear this out. "Then began he to upbraid the cities wherein most of his mighty works were done, because they repented not: Woe unto thee, Chorazin! woe unto thee, Bethsaida! for if the mighty works, which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, they would have repented long ago in sackcloth and ashes. But I say unto you. It shall be more tolerable for Tyre and Sidon at the day of judgment, than for you. And thou, Capernaum, which art exalted unto heaven, shalt be brought down to hell: for if the mighty works, which have been done in thee, had been done in Sodom, it would have remained until this day. But I say unto you. That it shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom in the day of judgment, than for thee" (Mt. 11:20-24). "And that servant, which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, nei-

be there too." But quite the opposite is true! In at least four separate passages Gehenna hell is called "the second death." "He that hath an ear, let him hear what the Spirit saith unto the churches; he that overcometh shall not be hurt of the sec¬ ond death" (Rev. 2:11). "Blessed and holy is he that hath part in the first resurrection: on such the sec¬ ond death hath no power, but they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:6, 15). As we have already noted, "death" in the Bible refers to separation. Thus hell is liter¬ ally the second death, for the sinner will be forever separated from God, and, inasmuch as Gehenna is a place of darkness, this sepa¬ ration will doubtless isolate him from the companionship of unsaved friends as well. Thus, the worst thing about hell is closely connected to the best thing about heaven, and that is, the first is a place where Jesus Christ will be conspicuously absent, while the second location is a place where he will be conspicuously present! 7. Hell is a place of undiluted divine wrath. Man has already experienced some of God's wrath on this earth, but not in its pure state. After the flood there has been the rainbow, for up to this point God has always heard and answered the prophet Habakkuk's prayer, "O Lord, I have heard thy speech, and was afraid: O Lord, revive thy work in the midst of the years, in the midst of the years make known; in wrath remember mercy" (Hab. 3:2). But no more! All living unsaved men should carefully ponder over the following frightful words: "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out with¬ out mixture into the cup of his indigna♦ tion; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" (Rev. 14:10). 8. Hell is a place originally prepared for Satan and his hosts. Perhaps the saddest fact about hell is that unsaved man goes there as an uninvited guest, so to speak. Note Jesus' words: "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt. 25:41). How tragic, therefore, that the sinner will refuse heaven, the place prepared for all re¬ penting men, only to eventually descend into hell, a place originally not created for him! "In my Father's house are many man¬ sions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you" (Jn. 14:2).

684

~ A SCRIPTURAL SUMMARY OF HEA YEN-

ther did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more" (Lk. 12:47, 48). "Then in the audience of all the people he said unto his disciples. Beware of the scribes, which desire to walk in long robes, and love greetings in the markets, and the highest seats in the synagogues, and the chief rooms at feasts: Which de¬ vour widows' houses, and for a shew make long prayers: the same shall receive greater damnation" (Lk. 20:45-47). "Then saith Pilate unto him, Speakest thou not unto me? knowest thou that I have power to crucify thee, and have power to release thee? Jesus answered. Thou couldest have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from above: therefore he that delivered me unto thee hath the greater sin" (Jn. 19:10, 11). D. The occupants of hell. Who shall be someday confined to Gehenna for¬ ever? 1. Satan. "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (Rom. 16:20). "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). 2. The antichrist. "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming" (2 Thess. 2:8). 3. The false prophet. "And the beast was taken, and with him the false prophet that wrought miracles before him, with which he deceived them that had received the mark of the beast, and them that worshipped his image. These both were cast alive into a lake of fire burning with brimstone" (Rev. 19:20). As this judgment takes place prior to the millennium, these two foul criminals thus become the first and second unsaved crea¬ tures to enter the lake of fire. 4. Fallen angels. "God spared not the angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be re¬ served unto judgment" (2 Pet. 2:4). The word translated "hell" is tartaros in the Greek New Testament and is found only here. It is possible that tartaros is a special place in Gehenna.

685

"And the angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath reserved in everlasting chains under darkness unto the judgment of the great day" (Jude 1:6). According to Paul, the believer will take part in the passing of judgment upon fallen angels. (See 1 Cor. 6:3.) 5. Judas Iscariot. The betrayer of Jesus Christ is singled out here in particular because there are those (notably the late Kenneth S. Wuest of the Moody Bible Institute faculty) who believe Judas will be consigned to a special place in Gehenna on the basis of Peter's words con¬ cerning him in the upper room just prior to Pentecost: "That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place" (Acts 1:25). 6. All unsaved people. In Revelation 21:8 John classified all sinners into eight general categories: "But the fearful, and unbelieving, and the abominable, and murderers, and whore¬ mongers, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and all liars, shall have their part in the lake which burneth with fire and brimstone: which is the second death" (Rev. 21:8).

A SCRIPTURAL SUMMARY OF HEAVEN Both heaven and hell are either ignored, ridiculed, or de¬ nied by the world today. In his book The Biblical Doctrine of Heaven, Dr. Wilbur Smith lists two significant quotes from a world-famous theologian and a scientist about heaven: "It is unwise for Christians to claim any knowledge of either the furniture of heaven or the temperature of hell" (Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr). "As for the Christian theology, can you imagine any¬ thing more appallingly idiotic than the Christian idea of heaven?" (Dr. Alfred Whitehead). A common approach of the liberal clergyman is that he does indeed believe in a literal heaven and hell, but limits them both to this earth! In other words, life's good experi¬ ences are "heaven," and its bad moments "hell." Without him probably being at all aware of it, his Bible-denying philosophy does contain a very potent truth. The facts are that this world is indeed the only hell the believer will ever experience, and the only heaven the unbeliever will ever know! Sometimes a "pious" objection is raised concerning the very study of heaven. The protest goes: "But don't you think we can become so heavenly minded that we're no earthly good?" This may be, but for every one like this, there are probably ten believers who are so earthly minded that they are no heavenly good! (See Col. 3:1-3). In reality, we are told a surprising number of things in the Word of God about our future home. Contrary to popular opinion, heaven is discussed far more than hell in the Scriptures! 1. The Capital of Heaven. In the Bible we read of three heavens. Briefly, these are:

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

"After this manner therefore pray ye: Our Fa¬ ther which art in heaven. Hallowed be thy name" (Mt. 6:9). Here of course, he was referring to the third heaven, the abode of God. However, the Bible teaches that within this heavenly abode there ex¬ ists a dazzling, high, and holy city called the New Jerusalem. This beautiful and blessed city is therefore not only the center of God's presence, but will be the permanent home for all the re¬ deemed throughout eternity. Both Old and New Testament believers looked and longed for this celestial city. "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High" (Ps. 46:4). "Glorious things are spoken of thee, O city of God. Selah" (Ps. 87:3). "For he looked for a city which hath foun¬ dations, whose builder and maker is God. But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God" (Heb. 11:10, 16). "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels" (Heb. 12:22). "In my Father's house are many mansions: if it were not so, I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if I go and pre¬ pare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also" (Jn. 14:2, 3). "And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusa¬ lem, coming down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband" (Rev. 21:2). II. The Characteristics of Heaven (facts about the New Jerusalem). A. The shape of this city. "And the city lieth four-square, and the length is as large as the breadth . .. the length and the breadth and the height of it are equal" (Rev. 21:16). This description allows for two possibilities, namely that the New Je¬ rusalem is either in the shape of a cube or of a vast pyramid. B. The size of this city. . . and he measured the city with the reed, twelve thousand furlongs" (Rev. 21:16). According to our present-day measurements this city would be roughly 1400 miles long, high, and wide. If placed in America, it would reach from New York City to Denver, Colorado, and from Canada to Florida! How big is a city this size? Our earth has ap¬ proximately 120 million square miles of water surface and 60 million square miles of land sur¬ face. If one multiplies 1400 by 1400 by 1400 (the dimensions of the New Jerusalem), he arrives at the total cubic miles of the city, a staggering fig¬ ure of 2 billion, 700 million. This is some fifteen times the combined surface of the entire earth, including both land and water area! It has been estimated that approximately 40 billion people have lived on our planet since the creation of Adam. Of this number, over 4 billion

A. The First Heaven—home of the birds and clouds. "I beheld, and, lo, there was no man, and all the birds of the heavens were fled" (Jer. 4:25). "The leaves thereof were fair, and the fruit thereof much, and in it was meat for all: the beasts of the field had shadow under it, and the fowls of the heaven dwelt in the boughs thereof, and all flesh was fed of it" (Dan. 4:12). "Behold the fowls of the air: for they sow not, neither do they reap, nor gather into barns; yet your heavenly Father feedeth them. Are ye not much better than they?" (Mt. 6:26). "And Jesus saith unto him. 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). It can be readily seen that as beautiful as this heaven may be on occasion, it is not the eternal home of the redeemed. B. The Second Heaven—home of the sun, moon, and stars. "That in blessing 1 will bless thee, and in mul¬ tiplying 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" (Gen. 22:17). "The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth his handiwork" (Ps. 19:1). In the sixties (beginning with the Russian orbit in 1961 and climaxing with the U.S. moon land¬ ing in 1969) man for the first time in history suc¬ ceeded in developing a space craft that would transport him out of the first heaven into the second heaven! But as wide and wonderful as it is, the second heaven (like the first) cannot be confused with the heaven of salvation. C. The Third Heaven—home of God. "I knew a man in Christ above fourteen years ago, (whether in the body, I cannot tell; or whether out of the body, I cannot tell: God knoweth;) such an one caught up to the third heaven" (2 Cor. 12:2). "But will God indeed dwell on the earth? behold, the heaven and heaven of heavens cannot contain thee; how much less this house that I have builded? And hearken thou to the supplication of thy servant, and of thy people Israel, when they shall pray toward this place: and hear thou in heaven thy dwell¬ ing place; and when thou hearest, forgive" (1 Ki. 8:27, 30). This and this alone is the true third heaven! It has already been noted how man's brain power recently transported him from the first to the sec¬ ond heaven. But no space vehicle can ever be devised which will take him from the second to the third heaven! This journey can only be ef¬ fected by blood, and not by brain! In fact, Jesus once told Nicodemus a man could not even see this heaven, let alone enter it, apart from the new birth. (See Jn. 3:3.) In Matthew 6:9 our Lord taught his disciples to pray:

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~ A SCRIPTURAL SUMMARY OF HEAVEN~

are living today. Density studies of city popula¬ tions assure us that every single one of these 40 billion could easily be accommodated upon just the first "foundational floor" of this marvelous 1400-layered metropolis. C. The inhabitants of this city. Who will dwell in that shining city of the stars? 1. The holy and elect angels. "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heav¬ enly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels" (Heb. 12:22). "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne, and the beasts, and the elders: and the num¬ ber of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (Rev. 5:11). God of course knows their number, but they are presented to men as uncountable. There may be as many angels as there are stars in the heavens, for angels are often as¬ sociated with the stars (Job 38:7; Ps. 148:1-3; Rev. 9:1, 2; 12:3, 4, 7-9). If this be so, there exist untold trillions of these heavenly be¬ ings! (See Ps. 68:17; Mt. 26:53; Dan. 7:9, 10.) 2. The 24 elders (Rev. 4:4). 3. The Church. As the following passages indicate, the New Jerusalem is in reality the Bridegroom's wed¬ ding ring to his beloved bride! "But ye are come unto mount Sion, and unto the city of the living God, the heav¬ enly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels, to the general assem¬ bly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and the God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12:22, 23). "And after these things I heard a great voice of much people in heaven, saying, Alleluia; Salvation, and glory, and hon¬ our, and power, unto the Lord our God: Let us be glad and rejoice, and give hon¬ our to him: for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteous¬ ness of saints" (Rev. 19:1, 7, 8). "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And there came unto me one of the seven angels which had the seven vials full of the seven last plagues, and talked with me, saying. Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife. And he carried me away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and showed me that great city, the holy Jerusalem, de¬ scending out of heaven from God, having the glory of God: and her light was like unto a stone most precious, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal" (Rev. 21:1, 9-11).

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4. Saved Israel. Although the New Jerusalem is basically a wedding present from the Bridegroom (Christ) to the Bride (the Church), Israel nev¬ ertheless is also invited to dwell within these jasper walls. Several passages bear this out: "But now they desire a better country, that is, a heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God: for he hath prepared for them a city" (Heb. 11:16). "And while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage: and the door was shut. His lord said unto him, Well done, good and faithful ser¬ vant; thou hast been faithful over a few things, I will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy lord" (Mt. 25:10, 23). Our Lord quotes these words during his Mt. Olivet discourse. In relating two parables he likens saved Israel to some prepared wed¬ ding guests (parable of the ten virgins), and later as two faithful servants (parable of the talents). He thus pictures saved Israel as join¬ ing the bride and Bridegroom. 5. The Father. "And immediately I was in the spirit; and, behold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald" (Rev. 4:2, 3). There seems no doubt that the One John sees sitting upon this throne is the Father himself. The only other description of the Father in the Bible is found in Daniel 7:9: "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire." 6. The Son. "And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth" (Rev. 5:6). Here we learn that not only is the Lamb of God an occupant of heaven, but the very source and strength and center of heaven, without which there could be no heaven! Thus we see: The light of heaven is the face of Jesus. The joy of heaven is the presence of Jesus. The song of heaven is the name of Jesus. The theme of heaven is the work of Jesus. The employment of heaven is the work of Jesus. The fullness of heaven is the Person of Jesus.

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

7. The Holy Spirit. Although the Spirit of God is not as promi¬ nent as the Father or Son, he is unquestion¬ ably an occupant of the New Jerusalem as attested by the following passages: "And I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me. Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labours: and their works do follow them" (Rev. 14:13). "And 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 wa¬ ter of life freely" (Rev. 22:17). D. The Foundation of this city. The city rests upon twelve layers of foundation stones with each layer being inlaid with a differ¬ ent precious gem. These are: First foundation—inlaid with jasper, a crystalclear diamond, as bright as a transparent icicle in the sunshine. Second foundation—inlaid with sapphire, a blue opaque stone with gold specks. Third foundation—inlaid with chalcedony, a sky-blue stone with stripes of other colors run¬ ning through it. Fourth foundation—inlaid with emerald, a bright green stone. Fifth foundation—inlaid with sardonyx, a white stone with layers of red. Sixth foundation—inlaid with sardius, a fiery red stone. Seventh foundation—inlaid with chrysolyte, a transparent golden yellow stone. Eighth foundation—inlaid with beryl, a sea-green stone. Ninth foundation—inlaid with topaz, a transpar¬ ent golden-green stone. Tenth foundation—inlaid with chrysoprasus, a blue-green stone. Eleventh foundation—inlaid with jacinth, a violet stone. Twelfth foundation—inlaid with amethyst, a flashing purple stone. These twelve foundations were not only inlaid with costly gems, but each foundational layer carried the name of one of the twelve apostles in the New Testament. "And the wall of the city had twelve founda¬ tions, and in them the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb" (Rev. 21:14). E. The walls of this city. The walls of the New Jerusalem are some 216 feet high and are made of jasper. "And he measured the wall thereof, an hun¬ dred and forty and four cubits, according to the measure of a man, that is, of the angel. And the building of the wall of it was of jas¬ per: and the city was pure gold, like unto clear glass" (Rev. 21:17, 18). The wall is obviously not for protection, but for design and beauty only. In comparison to size, a 216-foot wall around a 1400-mile high city would be like a one-inch curb around the Empire State Building!

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F. The gates of this city. There are twelve gates to this city, three gates on each side. On each gate is the name of one of the tribes of Israel. Each gate is composed of a beau¬ tiful solid white pearl. "And had a wall great and high, and had twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and names written thereon, which are the names of the twelve tribes of the children of Israel: On the east three gates; on the north three gates; on the south three gates; and on the west three gates. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls; every several gate was of one pearl" (Rev. 21:12, 13, 21a). G. The main street of this city. The central boulevard of the New Jerusalem is composed of pure transparent gold. ". . . and the street of the city was pure gold, as it were transparent glass" (Rev. 21:21b). When one considers the price of gold (nearly $600 an ounce at the beginning of the eighties), the total worth of this city becomes incompre¬ hensible! H. The throne within this city. "And immediately I was in the spirit; and be¬ hold, a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne. And he that sat was to look upon like a jasper and a sardine stone: and there was a rainbow round about the throne, in sight like unto an emerald. And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crys¬ tal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind" (Rev. 4:2, 3, 6). I. The river of life in this city. "And he showed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (Rev. 22:1). The Holy Spirit doubtless meant to make at least some reference to this river when he in¬ spired David to write: "And he shall be like a tree planted by the rivers of water, that bringeth forth his fruit in his season; his leaf also shall not wither; and whatsoever he doeth shall prosper" (Ps. 1:3). "There is a river, the streams whereof shall make glad the city of God, the holy place of the tabernacles of the Most High" (Ps. 46:4). J. The tree of life in this city. "In the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river, was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the na¬ tions" (Rev. 22:2). When God created man and placed him in the Garden of Eden he placed at Adam's disposal (among many other things) the tree of life. But when man sinned, he was driven from Eden and from this tree. "And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowl¬ edge of good and evil" (Gen. 2:9). "So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden cherubim, and

~ A SCRIPTURAL SUMMARY OF HEAVEN—

a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life" (Gen. 3:24). At that point in human history the tree of life disappears, but here in the New Jerusalem it will blossom and bloom as never before! In his book Reveling Through Revelation, Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes the following words concerning this river and this tree: "Up to this chapter, the New Jerusalem seems to be all mineral and no vegetable. Its appear¬ ance is as the dazzling display of a fabulous jewelry store, but there is no soft grass to sit upon, no green trees to enjoy, and no water to drink or food to eat. However, here intro¬ duced are the elements which add a rich soft¬ ness to this city of elaborate beauty." Paul Lee Tan writes: "Because of the location of the tree of life 'on either side of the river/ theologians have un¬ derstood the 'tree' to be not a single tree, but a single kind of tree ... a row of trees on either side of the river. Others, however, see one tree planted at the middle of the river, with branches extending to both banks. The tree is large enough to span the river, so that the river is in the midst of the street, and the tree is on both sides of the river." (The New Jerusalem, p. 28) K. The relationship between this city and earthly Jerusalem. We have already seen there will be two fabulous cities of God in the future. One is located on the earth. It will be known as Jehovah Tsidkenu, meaning, "the Lord our righteousness" (Jer. 23:6; 33:16), and Jehovah Shammah, meaning "the Lord is there" (Ezek. 48:35). The other city is sus¬ pended in space and is called the New Jerusalem (Rev. 21:2). This one of course is thousands of times the size of the earthly city and will endure forever. L. The nature of the resurrected bodies in this city. To summarize, all resurrected bodies shall reside in the heavenly city, but will reign upon the earthly city. Having now examined our future lo¬ cation, what do we know about our transforma¬ tion and (finally) our vocation? In other words, what will be the nature of these resurrected bod¬ ies and what activities will we carry on through them? In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul answers questions concerning this transformation. In verses 39-41 Paul suggests that the new spiritual body is as superior to the old natural body as: The human body is to those of animals (15:39). The heavens are to the earth (15:40). The sun is to the moon (15:41). Such then, will be the nature of our transformed bodies: 1. These bodies will be like his glorious body (Phil. 3:21; 1 Jn. 3:1-3). 2. They will consist of flesh and bone (Lk. 24:39, 40). 3. Christ ate in his glorified body (Lk. 24:41-43; Jn. 21:12-15). 4. These bodies will not be subjected to laws of gravity and time (Jn. 20:19; Lk. 24:31, 36).

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5. They will be recognizable bodies (Mt. 8:11; Lk. 16:23; 1 Cor. 13:12). 6. They will be eternal bodies (2 Cor. 5:1). 7. They will be (as we have already seen) bod¬ ies in which the spirit predominates (1 Cor. 15:44, 49). M. The activities of the redeemed in this city. A popular but totally perverted concept of heaven would describe that future life in the skies in terms of some disembodied spirits pi¬ ously perched on fleecy clouds and strumming their golden harps. This may be heaven accord¬ ing to Walt Disney, but New Testament it is not! The Scripture would indicate that: 1. Heaven will be a place of singing. "Sing, O ye heavens; for the Lord hath done it: shout, ye lower parts of the earth: break forth into singing, ye mountains, O forest, and every tree therein: for the Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and glorified him¬ self in Israel" (Isa. 44:23). "Saying, I will declare thy name unto my brethren, in the midst of the church will I sing praise unto thee" (Heb. 2:12). "And they sung as it were a new song before the throne, and before the four beasts, and the elders: and no man could learn that song but the hundred and forty and four thousand, which were redeemed from the earth" (Rev. 14:3). "And they sing the song of Moses the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying. Great and marvellous are thy works. Lord God Almighty; just and true are thy ways, thou King of saints" (Rev. 15:3), 2. Heaven will be a place of fellowship. One of the most beloved gospel songs is en¬ titled, "Leaning On the Everlasting Arms." The first stanza begins: "What a fellowship, what a joy divine. . . Sometimes, however, as one observes the petty squabbling which goes on in local churches, this verse might be rephrased to read: "What? A fellowship? What? A joy divine?" But in heaven real and eternal fellowship will prevail. Not only will believers enjoy blessed fel¬ lowship with other believers, but, even more important, we shall know and be known by the Savior in a far more intimate way than ever possible here on earth. 3. Heaven will be a place of serving. "Therefore are they before the throne of God, and serve him day and night in his temple: and he that sitteth on the throne shall dwell among them" (Rev. 7:15). "And there shall be no more curse: but the throne of God and of the Lamb shall be in it; and his servants shall serve him" (Rev. 22:3). While we cannot be dogmatic on the exact nature of this service, we do know from the following passages that a portion of our labor for the Lamb will be that of exercising au¬ thority and judgment over men and angels: "Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? how much more things that pertain to this life?" (1 Cor. 6:2, 3). "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us" (2 Tim. 2:12). "And there shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun; for the Lord God giveth them light: and they shall reign for ever and ever" (Rev. 22:5). 4. Heaven will be a place of learning. "For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. But when that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away" (1 Cor. 13:9, 10). What will we learn about in heaven? a. We will learn concerning the person of God. b. We will learn concerning the plan of God. One of the most painful questions asked here on earth by Christians is why a lov¬ ing and wise God allows certain terrible tragedies to occur. As an example, here is a young, spirit-filled pastor. He has spent a number of years diligently preparing for the ministry. His wife has sacrificed to help put him through school. Now all this is paying off. His church is experi¬ encing amazing growth. Souls are saved weekly. New converts are baptized each Sunday. Additional Sunday school bus¬ ses are purchased and a new building is planned. A skeptical community slowly finds itself being profoundly influenced by this vibrant and exciting pastor and his people. Suddenly, without any warn¬

690

ing, the minister is killed in a freak acci¬ dent. Shortly after the funeral the still confused and stunned congregation ex¬ tends a call to another man. But the new minister shows little compassion and less leadership ability. Soon the flock is scat¬ tered and the once thrilling testimony of a growing and glowing work is all but stilled! How many times since Abel's martyr¬ dom at the dawn of human history have similar tragedies like this taken place? But the searing and searching question remains: Why does God permit such ter¬ rible things? We may rest assured that in heaven God will take each of us aside and ex¬ plain fully the reason for all our suffer¬ ings and trials. We then will say the words once stated by a Galilean crowd in Jesus' day: "He hath done all things well . . ." (Mk. 7:37). c. We will learn concerning the power of God. "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (Gen. 1:1). Just how vast is our universe? It is so huge that it takes a beam of light (which travels some 700 million miles per hour) over ten billion years to cross the known universe! Within this universe are untold trillions of stars, planets, and other heav¬ enly bodies. God made them all to in¬ struct man concerning his power and glory (Ps. 19:1; 147:4; Isa. 40:26). We shall someday therefore visit each star and ex¬ plore every comer of our Father's uni¬ verse!

THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH In the book of Ephesians the Apostle Paul warned his readers against "the wiles of the devil," and the "fiery darts of the wicked" (Eph. 6:11,16). Satan has always, of course, bitterly opposed both the work and workers of God. His battle with Jesus began in the Garden of Eden (Gen. 3:15) and continued without pause throughout the Old Testa¬ ment, but with the advent of the incarnation, life, crucifix¬ ion, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, the intensity of the struggle increased a thousandfold. During the first few centuries of church history, the devil attacked the doctrine of the deity of Christ. Then (after a terrible defeat in a.d. 325) he moved against the doctrine of justification by faith. But he had not counted on the actions of one Martin Lu¬ ther. Again, turning in another direction, he lashed out against the inspiration of the Scriptures. This reached its high point during the final years of the nineteenth century and early years of the twentieth century, about the time God was raising up great schools of the Scripture, such as the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and other Bible cen¬ ters to counteract this satanic attack. Finally, in a desperate effort to corrupt and confuse the work of God (before the coming of the Son of God), Satan has boldly and brazenly declared all-out war upon the very bride of Christ, the church itself. Today one need only scan the horizon of Christendom to discover just how successful Satan has been along these lines. There is a desperate need for the study of and subsequent return to the scriptural teachings of the church. This must be, "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his de¬ vices" (2 Cor. 2:11). I. The Meaning of the Word "Church." The Greek word in the New Testament for our English word "church" is ekklesia. It is derived from the verb ekkaleo. The compound ek means "out," and kaleo means "to call or summon." Thus, the literal mean¬ ing is "to call out." A. Its connection with the Hebrew world of the Old Testament. The New Testament Greek word ekklesia has a loose connection with the Hebrew word qahal, which is found some 100 times in the Old Testament. It is translated by the English words "congregation, assembly, company." Qahal may refer to those assemblies gathered together for purposes of: 1. Evil counsel (Gen. 49:6; Ps. 26:5). In the Genesis passage Jacob is lamenting a past evil deed of Simeon and Levi, two of his sons, who plotted and carried out the cold¬ blooded murder of several pagans. (See also Gen. 34.) 2. Civil affairs (1 Ki. 12:3; Prov. 5:14). In 1 Kings 12:3, Israel's elders had gathered I

691

together at Shechem to discuss a very im¬ portant civil affair, the coronation of Rehoboam, Solomon's son, as their next king. 3. War (Num. 22:4; Jdg. 20:2). The first pas¬ sage here records the war council of Moab against Israel, while the second relates the sad meeting of Israel's eleven tribes who had gathered to go to war against the twelfth tribe, Benjamin. 4. Religious worship of God (2 Chron. 20:5). The word can also describe the assembly of an¬ gels (Ps. 89:5). B. Its connection with the secular Greek world. In secular Greek, ekklesia referred only to an as¬ sembly or meeting and never to the people which composed that assembly. Even a wild and ignorant lynch mob could be referred to as an ekklesia (Acts 19:32). When the people left the meeting they were not considered as com¬ posing an ekklesia. Thus, the Greek mind would never see in this word a religious connection. C. Its connection to the theological world of the New Testament. The New Testament reveals a development of the word ekklesia from the sim¬ ple nontechnical meaning of "assembly" to the full-blown technical and theological designa¬ tion for "the people of God." Of its 114 occur¬ rences in the New Testament, with but five exceptions (Acts 7:38; 19:32, 39, 41; Heb. 2:12), the ekklesia church is presented in this light. One of these five passages (Acts 7:38) deals with Stephen's address before the Sanhedrin during which he described the nation Israel at Mt. Sinai as "the church in the wilderness." The next three times occur in reference to the wild Greek mob at Ephesus (Acts 19:32,39, 41), while the final passage (Heb. 2:12) apparently describes Christ's song of praise to the Father concerning all the elect, both Old Testament and New Testament saints. II. The Origin of the Church. When and where did the church actually begin? Here we are confronted with several different views. A. It began with Adam in Genesis 3. In a discus¬ sion of this question, Dr. Earl Radmacher quotes R. B. Kuiper who says: "And if we assume, as undoubtedly we may, that Adam and Eve believed the promise of God that the seed of the serpent would in¬ deed bruise the heel of the woman, but that the woman's seed would bruise the serpent's head . . . then it may be asserted that they

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

constituted the first Christian church." (The Nature of the Church, pp. 193, 194) B. It began with Abraham in Genesis 12. This is the position of most covenant theologians. The logic behind this view is the belief that as Israel once functioned as God's church in the Old Testament, so the church now functions as God's Israel in the New Testament. C. It began with John the Baptist in Matthew 3. Here the argument is that John was Scrip¬ ture's first baptizer, and inasmuch as Christ lat¬ er commanded his church to practice this worldwide (Mt. 28:19), the conclusion is that the church began with John. D. It began with Christ. Here four different time periods are advocated by those who believe it began with the Savior. 1. At the call of the twelve apostles in Mat¬ thew 10. Thomas P. Simmons holds this view. He writes: "In locating the founding of the church we must find a time when something that answers to the description of the church came into existence. This rule points us to the time when, after a night of prayer, Christ selected the twelve dis¬ ciples. With this selection, these twelve men, for the first time, became a body. They had a head—Christ. They had a treasurer—Judas. They were supposed to be baptized believers. They were banded together to carry out Christ's will. What more than this did they be¬ come . . . ?" (A Systematic Study of Bible Doctrine, p. 354) 2. With Peter's confession in Matthew 16. Advocates of this position place the church at this point for the simple reason that it is first mentioned by Christ here. (See Mt. 16:18.) 3. With the Last Supper in Matthew 26; Mark 14; Luke 22; John 13. Those who defend this view point out that it was at this time that Christ instituted the ordinance of the Lord's Supper, indicating the church now existed. 4. On the first Easter Sunday night after Jesus' resurrection in John 20. "Then said Jesus to them again. Peace be unto you: as my Father hath sent me, even so send I you. And when he had said this, he breathed on them, and saith unto them, Receive ye the Holy Ghost" (20:21, 22). Here it is argued that the final element nec¬ essary for the completion of the promised church is now given, namely, the Person and power of the Holy Spirit. E. With Paul. Here, as in the case of Christ, sev¬ eral time periods are offered. 1. At the time of his conversion in Acts 9. Pro¬ ponents of this position remind us that the church could hardly have begun until the conversion of its most famous theologian and epistle writer, the Apostle Paul.

692

2. At the time of his first missionary trip in Acts 13. Some are convinced that the as¬ sembly at Jerusalem, even though referred to as a church, was in reality not one, but rather a group of mainly Jewish believers operating under a modified Old Testament economy. However, in Acts 13 Paul begins his lifelong ministry of establishing 100 percent Christian local churches. 3. At the time of his Roman imprisonment in Acts 28. During this (his first) Roman im¬ prisonment, Paul wrote Philippians, Phile¬ mon, Colossians, and Ephesians. Disciples of this last view feel these four New Testa¬ ment church epistles alone (later to include Paul's three letters to Timothy and Titus) compose God's message to local churches, thus their Acts 28 church origin position. F. Here, then, are the theories. Which are we to believe? Godly and able men may be cited to support each view, but the bulk of Bible stu¬ dents hold the position that the church began at Pentecost. This view has been amply defended by both Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer and Dr. Charles C. Ryrie. These men write: "Apparently for want of due consideration of all that enters into the case, some theolo¬ gians have sustained the idea that those things which characterize the Old Testament revelation are carried forward without change into the New Testament. The neces¬ sity of observing dispensational distinctions arises in connection with the abrupt aban¬ donment of existing features and the intro¬ duction of new features which mark the transition from one dispensation to the next. This line of demarcation is especially clear between the present age and that which pre¬ ceded it, and between the present age and that which is to follow. Certain events which serve to produce these changes are properly styled age-transforming. Things cannot be the same in this age as they were in the past age, after the death of Christ has taken place. His resurrection. His ascension, and the advent of the Spirit on Pentecost. In like manner, things cannot be the same in the coming age as they are in this age, after there is brought about the second advent of Christ to reign on the earth, the binding of Satan, the removal of the Church, and the restoration of Israel. Those who see no force in this declaration have hardly considered the measureless meaning of these age-transforming occurrences. In the light of these determining issues, it may be seen (a) that there could be no Church in the world— constituted as she is and distinctive in all her features—until Christ's death; for her rela¬ tion to that death is not a mere anticipation, but is based wholly on His finished work and she must be purified by His precious blood, (b) There could be no Church until Christ arose from the dead to provide her with resurrection life, (c) There could be no Church until He had ascended up on high to

~ the doctrine of the church -

become her Head; for she is a New Creation with a new federal headship in the resur¬ rected Christ. He is, likewise, to her as the head is to the body. Nor could the Church survive for a moment were it not for His intercession and advocacy in heaven, (d) There could be no Church on earth until the advent of the Holy Spirit; for the most basic and fundamental reality respecting the Church is that she is a temple for the habita¬ tion of God through the Spirit. She is regen¬ erated, baptized, and sealed by the Spirit." (Lewis Chafer, Systematic Theology, Vol. IV, p 45) That the day of Pentecost marked the begin¬ ning of the church seems evident for the fol¬ lowing reasons: 1. "The Lord spoke of the church as being future in Matthew 16:18. This apparently means that the church did not exist in Old Testament times. 2. The resurrection and ascension of Christ are essential to the functioning of the church. It is built on the resurrection (Eph. 1:19, 20), and the giving of gifts is required for its operation, which giving of gifts in turn is dependent on Christ's being as¬ cended (Eph. 4:7-12). If by some stretch of imaginative theology the body of Christ could be said to have been in existence before the ascension of Christ, then it will have to be concluded that it was an ungift¬ ed and inoperative body. The church's being built on the resurrection and ascen¬ sion of Christ makes it distinctive to this age. 3. But the principal evidence that the church began on the day of Pentecost concerns the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit. The Lord declared that this particular and dis¬ tinctive ministry of the Spirit was still fu¬ ture just before his ascension (Acts 1:5). On the day of Pentecost it first occurred (the record does not say so in Acts 2 but it does in Acts 11:15, 16). Now, what is it that Spirit baptism does? The answer to this is found in 1 Corinthians 12:13; it places the believer in the body of Christ. Since this is the only way to enter the body (i.e., by the baptizing work of the Spirit), and since this work of the Spirit first occurred on the day of Pentecost, then the conclusion seems obvious that the church, the body of Christ, began on the day of Pentecost." (Charles Ryrie, A Survey of Bible Doctrine, pp. 157, 158) III. The Nature of the Church. Before attempting to de¬ termine what it is, let us consider some things the church is not. A. The church considered from a negative view¬ point. 1. It is not a new name for Israel. Covenant theologians teach that the church has become God's elect people, as Israel once was. But this is not the case, as seen by the following arguments.

693

a. The promises are different. (1) The promises and provisions con¬ cerning Israel were basically earthly in scope (see Ex. 15:26; Deut. 28). (2) The promises concerning the church are basically heavenly in scope (see Eph. 1:3; Col. 3:1-3). b. The seed is different. (1) Abraham's physical seed refers to Israel (Rom. 9:7). (2) Abraham's spiritual seed refers to the church (Gal. 3:7). c. The births are different. (1) Israel celebrated its birthday at the base of Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19-20). (2) The church celebrated its birthday at Pentecost (Acts 2). The author of Hebrews brings out the great contrast between these two entities (12:18-24). (3) Israelites became what they were by physical birth. (4) Believers become what they are by spiritual birth. d. The nationality is different. (1) Israel belonged to this earth and to the world system. (2) The church is composed of all na¬ tions and has no citizenship down here, but its members are strang¬ ers and pilgrims (1 Pet. 2:11). e. The relationship with the Father is dif¬ ferent. (1) God is never presented as the Fa¬ ther of individual Israelites in the Old Testament. (2) God is presented as the Father of all New Testament believers (Rom. 8:15; 1 Jn. 3:1). (3) Israel is now under God's judg¬ ment (Rom. 10:21; 11:8). (4) The church is free from all present judgment (Col. 2:13-15). (5) Israel was God's servant (Isa. 41:8). (6) The church—each believer—is God's son (Jn. 1:12; 1 Jn. 3:1). f. The relationship with the Son is differ¬ ent. (1) Israel is pictured as an unfaithful wife (Isa. 54:1-17; Jer. 3:1, 14, 20; Ezek. 16:1-59; Hosea 2:1-23). (2) The church is pictured as a chaste virgin bride yet to be married in heaven (2 Cor. 11:2; Rev. 19:7-9). (3) Christ was a stumbling stone to Is¬ rael (1 Cor. 1:23; 1 Pet. 2:8). (4) Christ is the Foundation and chief Cornerstone of the church (Eph. 2:20-22; 1 Pet. 2:4, 5). (5) Christ is Israel's Messiah and King (Jn. 1:49). (6) Christ is the church's Savior, Bridegroom, and Head (Eph. 5:23). g. The relationship with the Holy Spirit is different.

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

2.

3. 4.

5.

6.

nition of the Pope as the vicegerent of Christ." (The Nature of the Church, p. 368) 7. It is not what the liberal theologians say it is. "Liberalism, being strongly influenced by the social gospel, saw little need for the local churches, which simply im¬ peded the progress of the transforma¬ tion of society by feverishly clinging to their ecclesiastical dogmas and tradi¬ tions. The church was regarded as being extraneous to the Christian faith, and a strictly human, mundane organization." (Ibid., p. 369) 8. It is not what the neo-liberal theologians say it is. "Neo-liberalism, reacting against the worldly, human organization of the lib¬ erals, brought in a new sense of the im¬ portance of the church. They have come to believe that there is a church over and beyond the split denominations. It is a living society, begun in the work of Jesus and continuing that work through the ages. Thus, it is not simply a social organization; it is a divine institution, founded by God. This institution is of¬ ten referred to by neo-liberals as the koinonia, the spiritual fellowship of all those who have committed themselves to the reign of God. One must not be deceived by the seeming orthodoxy, for in reality it is a subtle form of existentialism in which the church is simply a subjective state of being as regards the I-Thou en¬ counter. Neo-liberalism denies that the organized church was in the plan of Christ." (Ibid., p. 369) 9. It is not what the neo-orthodox theologians say it is. "Neo-orthodoxy has some striking simi¬ larities to neo-liberalism as regards the doctrine of the church, especially con¬ cerning the fluid nature of it. The church is an 'event,' that is, 'The Church is not constituted once for all, but that it is continually being recreated by re¬ newed divine activity.' There are strik¬ ing differences, however. Not only does Barth give much greater place to the Holy Spirit as the Creator of the church, but, whereas neo-liberalism tends to think of the organized church as a nec¬ essary evil, Barth feels that it is the church. Finally, he believes that the one, holy, universal church exists in each of the local congregations." (Ibid., p. 369) 10. It is not what the neo-evangelical theolo¬ gians say it is. "Neo-evangelicalism finds one of its most serious differences with funda¬ mentalism in its doctrine of the church. Neo-evangelicalism tends to sacrifice the purity of the church for the peace and unity of the church. It is their opinion that heretics and unbelievers within the

(1) The Holy Spirit rarely came upon individual Old Testament Israel¬ ites. (2) The Holy Spirit actually lives in¬ side each New Testament believer (see 1 Cor. 6:19). h. The temple is different. (1) Israel had a Temple (Ex. 25:8). (2) The church is a temple (Eph. 2:21). The above contrasts should make it clear that the church is not Israel. Paul carefully distinguished these two sepa¬ rate entities when he wrote: "Give none offense, neither to the Jews, nor to the Gentiles, nor to the church of God" (1 Cor. 10:32). It is not the kingdom. The church is to be built up during this present time (Eph. 4:12), while the kingdom will be set up at a future time (Acts 15:16; Rev. 11:15). It is not a building structure composed of wood, bricks, nails, and mortar. It is not a state or national organization. Earl Radmacher writes: "It is common today, especially in Euro¬ pean countries, to witness a close con¬ nection between the state and the church so that one particular church is governed and supported by the state. It is interesting to note that all of the lead¬ ing reformers, who so heroically freed the church from the Roman Catholic Church and the Pope, fastened a state church upon the people wherever they went and the churches which stood for absolute religious liberty were perse¬ cuted by these state churches." (The Na¬ ture of the Church, p. 149) It is not a denominational organization. Again, Radmacher writes: "People often speak of the various de¬ nominations or churches, as, for in¬ stance, the Episcopal Church, the Lutheran Church, the Presbyterian Church; but this use of ekklesia is never found in the Scriptures." (Ibid., p. 150) It is not what the Roman Catholic theolo¬ gians say it is. "It has been seen that the Roman Catholic doctrine of the church falls into two divisions, namely, the mystical body of Christ and the church on earth. These do not refer to two different churches, for the constituency of each one is the same; but they refer to two aspects of the church. Because of the identification of the mystical body with the visible church, their conclusion is that there is no salvation outside of the visible church. Although there are numerous books on the Protestant-Catholic dia¬ logue and their ecumenical interests, it has been noted that any 'return' of Prot¬ estants to Rome must involve the recog¬

694

~ THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH -

church do not affect the nature of the church. Thus, they are willing to sacri¬ fice purity for unity and opportunity. The job of separating the wheat from the tares, they say, will be Christ's at the second advent. Little attention is given to the New Testament passages demanding definite discipline and pur¬ gation in the church. Because the neoevangelicalist believes that rapproche¬ ment can be effected with liberalism and neo-orthodoxy, he is willing to subordi¬ nate doctrinal particularity." (Ibid., p. 369) B. The church considered from a positive view¬ point. We have briefly examined ten things that the church is not. Now the question: What is the church? Here three distinct positions may be distinguished. 1. The ekklesia of the New Testament refers only to those geographical groups of bap¬ tized believers who regularly assemble, led by pastors and deacons, for the purpose of worship, instruction, fellowship, and evan¬ gelism. This position, of course, would categorically deny the existence of a uni¬ versal and invisible church. Thomas P. Simmons holds this view. He writes: "Now the imaginary universal, invisible church never functions collectively. It holds no services, observes no ordi¬ nances, sends out and supports no mis¬ sionaries. It is simply a colossal nonentity, without function, purpose, or reason for existence. It is the local church that functions for Christ. And it is the local church alone that can rightly be called the body of Christ." (A System¬ atic Study of Bible Doctrine, p. 353) The extreme of this view is the bride-ofChrist position which says only a select group will compose the Savior's bride. 2. The ekklesia of the New Testament refers primarily (if not only) to that invisible body of Christ, composed of all believers, saved from the day of Pentecost to the rapture. The extreme of this view is to downplay, if not actually deny the worth of local church assemblies, substituting instead swimming pool baptismal parties, coffee¬ house evangelism, and ecumenical religious dialogues and buzz sessions. 3. The ekklesia of the New Testament em¬ braces both the total body of Christ (in¬ cluding living and departed believers) and individual local assemblies, with the main emphasis being placed on the latter mean¬ ing. This position is held by most Bible stu¬ dents. The total body seems in view in 1 Corinthians 15:9; Galatians 1:13; Ephesians 5:25-32; Hebrews 12:23; Revelation 19:6-9, while the bulk of the remaining ekklesia ref¬ erences describe local church assemblies. IV. The Purpose of the Church. A. Its purpose considered from a negative view¬ point.

695

1. The purpose of the church is not to save the world. The leaven of Matthew 13:33 is certainly not a picture of the gospel permeating and purifying society, thus turning it into the golden age of the millennium. To the con¬ trary, world events will sour and become much worse before they get better (2 Tim. 3:1-7; 2 Pet. 3:1-5). 2. The purpose of the church is not to serve the world. Nowhere in the New Testament is the church told to lobby for stronger pollution laws, or march for civil rights, or stage "pray-ins" for unpopular wars. This is not, of course, to say that individual believers cannot be involved in social action. 3. The purpose of the church is not to attempt to rule the world, as it did during Europe's Dark Ages. 4. The purpose of the church is not to fight the world. All too often Bible believers fall victim to this error. Although there are those special occasions when local churches simply must stand up and thunder out against immoral¬ ity and sin, the church's job is not to ex¬ pend all its energies and resources fighting communism and alcoholism. 5. The purpose of the church is not to imitate the world. It has been sadly observed that today the church is so worldly and (on occasion) the world so churchy that angels themselves could not separate the two. 6. The purpose of the church is not to isolate itself from the world. This is the opposite error from that of imitation. About the time of Constantine there arose a new religious movement known as "monasticism." The philosophy of monasticism was that one could escape the perversions of the world by removing himself from the peoples of this world. But the job of the church is not to spend its life in silent contemplation. B. Its purpose considered from a positive view¬ point. One of the great Bible teachers of this century was C.I. Scofield, author of the Scofield Reference Edition of the Bible. But many can¬ not agree with him concerning the purpose of the church. Scofield writes: "Much is said concerning the 'mission of the church.' The 'church which is his body' has for its mission to build itself up until the body is complete (Eph. 4:11-16; Col. 2:19), but the visible church, as such, is charged with no mission. The commission to evan¬ gelize the world is personal, and not corpo¬ rate. So far as the Scripture story goes, the work of evangelization was done by individ¬ uals called directly of the Spirit to that work. Churches and individuals helped the work of these men, but there is no trace of any corporate responsibility attaching to 'the church' as such." (Bible Correspondence Course, III, p. 431)

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

It is almost inconceivable to read these words from the pen of such a scriptural giant. Surely Paul would not have agreed with him. The driving force behind his evil actions prior to conversion was to destroy every single local church (Acts 8:3). The burning purpose after his salvation was to start local churches (Acts 14:23). The sole reason for his second mission¬ ary trip was to establish those churches (Acts 15:36, 41; 16:5). One of his heaviest burdens was for the welfare of those local churches (2 Cor. 11:28). Of his thirteen known New Tes¬ tament epistles, nine are directly written to lo¬ cal churches, and three to pastors of local churches. In these epistles he gives detailed in¬ struction concerning the worship services (1 Cor. 11:1-16), communion (1 Cor. 11:17-34), gifts (1 Cor. 12), and officer responsibilities (1 Tim. 3; Titus 1) for local churches. In view of the above, it is difficult indeed to conclude that Paul looked upon the church as an institution without program, plan, or pur¬ pose. The facts are that Christ has literally loaded down his church with many and mani¬ fold responsibilities and tasks. 1. It is to love God. "Nevertheless 1 have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love" (Rev. 2:4). 2. It is to glorify God (Eph. 1:5, 6, 11, 12, 14; 3:21; 2 Thess. 1:12). How do we glorify God? a. Through our praise and prayer (Ps. 50:23; Jn. 14:13; Heb. 13:15). b. Through our fruitbearing (Jn. 15:8). c. Through our giving (Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:16). d. Through our preaching and ministry (1 Pet. 4:11). e. Through our loving (Rom. 15:5, 6). f. Through our acknowledging of God's Son (Phil. 2:9-11). g. Through our believing of God's Word (Rom. 4:20). h. Through our suffering (Jn. 21:18, 19; 1 Pet. 4:14, 16). i. Through our witnessing (2 Thess. 3:1). 3. It is to display God's grace. (Eph. 2:7; 3:6, 10; 1 Pet. 2:9). 4. It is to evangelize the world (Mt. 28:19, 20; Mk. 16:15; Lk. 24:47; Jn. 20:21; Acts 1:8). Gordon G. Johnson writes: "One day Dr. Wilfred Grenfell, medical missionary to Labrador, was guest at dinner in London, together with a num¬ ber of socially prominent British men and women. During the course of the dinner the lady seated next to him turned and said, 'Is it true. Dr. Grenfell, that you are a Missionary?' Dr. Grenfell looked at her for a moment before re¬ plying. Then he said, 'Is it true, madam, that you are not?'" (My Church, p. 88) 5. It is to baptize believers (Mt. 28:19). 6. It is to instruct believers (Mt. 28:19; Phil. 4:8, 9; 1 Tim. 4:6; 5:17; 2 Tim. 2:2, 24, 25).

696

7. It is to edify believers (1 Cor. 14:26; Eph. 4:11, 12, 16; 1 Thess. 5:11; 2 Pet. 3:18; Jude 20). 8. It is to discipline believers. There are three kinds of New Testament discipline. a. Self-discipline (1 Cor. 11:31; 2 Cor. 7:1; 1 Jn. 3:3). b. Sovereign discipline (Jn. 15:2; Acts 5:5, 10; 1 Cor. 11:32; Heb. 12:9, 10; 1 Pet. 4:17). c. Church discipline (Mt. 18:17; Rom. 16:17; 1 Cor. 5:1-13; Gal. 6:1; 2 Thess. 3:6, 14; Titus 3:10, 11; 2 Jn. 1:10). The nature of this judgment discipline will be discussed at a later point in our study. 9. It is to provide fellowship for believers (Acts 2:42; 1 Cor. 1:9; 2 Cor. 8:4; 13:14; Gal. 2:9; Phil. 1:5; 2:1; 1 Jn. 1:3, 6, 7). John MacArthur, Jr., writes: "The New Testament word for fellow¬ ship is koinonia. It means communion or fellowship—intimate communication. God designed men for fellowship. In Genesis 2:18, God says, 'It is not good that the man should be alone.' Man was not made to be isolated; being alone is not the will of God. People were made for fellowship. And the church, the body of Christ, is the epitome of fellow¬ ship—a body for fellowship! The church is a fellowship. The church was never intended to be only a building—a place where lonely people walk in, listen, and walk out still alone—but a place of fel¬ lowship. Bruce Larson says, 'The neighborhood bar is possibly the best counterfeit there is to the fellowship Christ wants to give His Church. It's an imitation dispensing liquor instead of grace, escape rather than reality. But it is a permissive, ac¬ cepting, and inclusive fellowship. It is unshockable, it is democratic. You can tell people secrets and they usually don't tell others, or want to. The bar flour¬ ishes, not because most people are alco¬ holics, but because God has put into the human heart the desire to know and be known, to love, and be loved, and so many seek a counterfeit at the price of a few beers.' This need for fellowship is the genius of the church." (John MacArthur, Jr., The Church, The Body of Christ, p. 169) MacArthur goes on to discuss the basis, nature, dangers, and responsibilities in¬ volved within this blessed fellowship. a. The basis of Christian fellowship—the Person of Christ (1 Jn. 1:3). b. The nature of Christian fellowship— sharing (Acts 2:44-47; 4:32, 34, 35). c. The dangers of losing Christian fellow¬ ship—sin (1 Cor. 10:16, 21). d. The responsibilities of Christian fellow¬ ship:

~ the doctrine of the church~

10. 11.

12. 13.

14.

(1) Confess our faults (Jas. 5:16). (2) Rebuke sin in each other (Eph. 5:11; 1 Tim. 5:20). (3) Forgive one another (2 Cor. 2:6, 8; Eph. 4:32; Col. 3:13). (4) Bear one another's burdens (Gal. 6:2). (5) Gently restore one another (Gal. 6:1). (6) Prefer the weaker brother (Rom. 14:13; 15:1). (7) Comfort and exhort each other (1 Thess. 4:18; 5:11). (8) Pray one for another (Jas. 5:16). (9) Edify one another (Rom. 14:19; Heb. 10:24). (10) Admonish one another (Rom. 15:14; Col. 3:16). It is to care for its own in time of need. (2 Cor. 8, 9; 1 Tim. 5:1-16; Jas. 1:27). It is to provoke Israel to jealousy. Robert L. Saucy writes: “The extension of the blessings of salva¬ tion to those outside Israel during the age of the church when Israel is judi¬ cially blinded is designed by God to ef¬ fect the final salvation of Israel and the fulfillment of her covenant promises. This in turn will bring the full Messianic blessing upon all nations (Rom. 11:11-15). The apostle explains this in¬ tent of God when he says of Israel, 'They did not stumble so as to fall, did they? May it never be! But by their transgression salvation has come to the Gentiles, to make them jealous' (v. 11, NASB: cf. 10:10). The apostle magnified his ministry as an apostle to the Gentiles according to his testimony that 'some¬ how I might move to jealousy my fellowcountrymen and save some of them' (11:13, 14, NASB). Through the grafting in of the Gen¬ tiles into the root of the Abrahamic blessing which initially belonged to Is¬ rael, God purposes by the church to bring a jealousy upon Israel which will cause her to desire to return to the place of blessing through repentance and the acknowledgment of Christ as her true Messiah." (The Church in God's Program, p. 89) It is to prepare rulers for the millennial kingdom (Rom. 8:17; 2 Tim. 2:12). It is to act as a restraining and enlightening force in this present world (Mt. 5:13-16; 2 Thess. 2:6, 7; cf. Gen. 18:22, 23; 19:12-25). It is to promote all that is good (Gal. 6:10). Henry Thiessen writes: "While the believer is to separate from all worldly alliances (2 Cor. 6:14-18), he is yet to support all causes that seek to promote the social, economic, political, and educational welfare of the commu¬ nity. Paul says: 'So then, as we have op¬

697

portunity, let us work that which is good toward all men, and especially toward them that are of the household of the faith' (Gal. 6:10). Here we note that we have a primary duty toward fellow-believers, but that we also have a duty toward the rest of the world. In this day of social service it is necessary to be clear as to the place of this ministry toward the world. Jesus' practice is the best example to follow. He always subordinated physical and other material help to the spiritual. He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil, though His principal mission was never lost sight of (Acts 10:38-43). We should de¬ vote ourselves to social service on the same principle on which a man picks up sharp nails that he finds in the street on the way to his work. It is one thing for him to devote his entire time to ridding the streets of nails, and another to re¬ move such nails as he can without inter¬ fering with his main task. That is, the work of reformation must be definitely subordinated to the work of evangeliza¬ tion. So also in the case of philanthropy. The Christian should make all his be¬ nevolences bear testimony to Christ. Jesus may have fed the five thousand as a humanitarian act; but He certainly did it primarily as a testimony to His own power and deity. Clearly, He went to dinners and suppers in order to testify to the truth. It appears that He healed the man born blind in order to win his soul (Jn. 9:35-38). In other words, the Chris¬ tian must make all his good works tes¬ tify to Christ." (Lectures in Systematic Theology, p. 436) In summary, it may be said that the job of a local church is to make as many people as much like Jesus in the shortest time pos¬ sible. God the Father is so much in love with his beloved Son that he desires to populate the entire universe throughout eternity with those individuals which re¬ semble Jesus Christ (1 Jn. 3:2). But he de¬ sires to start the work in repenting sinners down here right now. V. The Founding of the Church. Of all recorded state¬ ments our Lord made while upon this earth, per¬ haps no two have been more misunderstood, misinterpreted, and maligned than the ones in Mat¬ thew 16:18, 19: "And I say also unto thee. That thou art Peter, and upon this rock I will build my church; and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." Does this really teach that Jesus actually pre¬ dicted his church would be built upon a man, and that that man was Simon Peter?

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

Henry C. Thiessen writes in detail concerning these verses and the claims of the Roman Catholic church. "In the first place, note that we have here the word petra not petros. The former Greek word oc¬ curs sixteen times in the New Testament: eleven times it means a ledge of rock, and five times it is used metaphorically and refers to Christ (Mt. 16:18; Rom. 9:33; 1 Cor. 10:4 bis; 1 Pet. 2:8). Could Matthew 16:18 be an exception? In 1 Co¬ rinthians 10:4 the 'rock' (petra) is said to be Christ. Note that Peter himself used that term of Christ (1 Pet. 2:8, comp. vs. 4-8). In the second place, Jesus' parable of the two builders and the two foundations teaches the same thing. The house that was built upon the 'rock' (ten petran) stood the test of the rains, the floods, and the winds (Mt. 7:24-27). Surely the reference is to Himself. To the same effect, also, is Paul's teach¬ ing that Christ is the foundation of the building of God (1 Cor. 3:11) and the chief corner stone (Eph. 2:20-22). Petra is a ledge, whereas petros is a single rock. He says the distinction is nowhere confounded in literature. To the claim that Jesus spoke Aramaic and that we cannot tell whether the distinction of terms was made in the Ara¬ maic, he replied that we have too little Aramaic from that time to prove or disprove the point. Besides, it is not certain that Jesus said this in Aramaic." (W. Hersey Davis, Unpublished Seminar Notes)

"To the objection that this view makes Jesus speak of Himself in the third person in Matthew 16:18 (kai epi taute te petra) we reply that He clearly does this in John 2:19, where He speaks of Himself as a temple. Those who heard Him say this, either did not understand His meaning or did not want to understand it, for they mis¬ quoted Him before Caiaphas (Mt. 26:61). Nor does the granting of the 'keys' to Peter present any difficulty. We must observe that Christ gave him the 'keys of the kingdom of heaven,' not of the Church (Mt. 16:19). If our interpretation of this term is correct, then Christ merely gave him the 'keys' to Christendom. Peter did open the door to the Jews and proselytes on the day of Pentecost (Acts 2), and to the Gentiles in the house of Cornelius later on (Acts 10). These two times in which Peter took the initiative would seem to fulfill the conditions of this promise. As for the authority to bind and loose (Mt. 16:19), it should be noted that Jesus later gave the same authority to declare people saved and forgiven on the basis of the fulfilled conditions to these blessings, that is, whenever an individual has fulfilled them." (Ibid., pages 412, 413) VI. The History, Growth, and Character of the Various New Testament Churches. In 1 Corinthians 10:11 Paul writes: "Now all these things happened unto them for ensamples: and they are written for our admoni¬ tion, upon whom the ends of the world are come." Here, he refers to those Old Testament events. But we may with scriptural justification apply these

698

same words to the events recorded for us in the New Testament. Present-day church leaders will profit greatly by examining the joys, sorrows, sins, and strong points of these early local churches. Tire following is a brief summary of twenty-three such New Testament churches. A. The church in Jerusalem: 1. Began at Pentecost (Acts 2:47) with at least 3120 (Acts 2:41). 2. Was pastored by James, the half-brother of Christ (Acts 15:13). 3. Performed many wonders and signs (Acts 2:43; 5:12-16). 4. Had all things in common (Acts 2:44, 45; 4:32-35). 5. Was in one accord (Acts 2:46). 6. Spent a good deal of time in prayer (Acts 2:42; 3:1; 4:24; 12:5-17). 7. Witnessed at every opportunity (Acts 3:12; 4:5; 5:42; 4:33). 8. Radiated Jesus (Acts 4:13; 6:15). 9. Was kept pure by God (had standards) (Acts 5:1-11; 8:18-24). 10. Grew constantly (Acts 2:47; 5:14; 4:4; 12:24). 11. Endured persecution (Acts 4:1-3; 4:21; 5:17-41; 7:54-60; 8:1-3; 12:1-4). 12. Appointed deacons (Acts 6:1-7). 13. Practiced baptism and the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:41, 46). 14. Sent forth missionaries (Acts 8:5, 14; 11:22; 13:1-3; 15:22). 15. Held the important meeting on circumci¬ sion (Acts 15). 16. Was Spirit-led (Acts 2:1-18; 4:31; 13:2-4; 15:28). 17. Preached the word (Acts 2:16-36; 3:13-26; 5:42; 6:4; 7:1-53). 18. Contended for the faith (Acts 15:1-21). 19. Apparently later compromised with the Judaizers (Acts 21:18-25). B. The church in Antioch of Syria: 1. Was founded during that persecution pe¬ riod which followed the martyrdom of Ste¬ phen (Acts 11:19). 2. Experienced a great ingathering of souls (Acts 11:21). 3. The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to "check it out" (Acts 11:22). 4. He became the first pastor (Acts 11:23). 5. Added many to the church at this time (Acts 11:24). 6. Barnabas then called Saul as associate pas¬ tor (Acts 11:25). 7. Here both would work for a year (Acts 11:26). 8. Was where believers were first called Christians (Acts 11:26). 9. Took up a large love offering for the needy believers in Jerusalem (Acts 11:30). 10. Was the home church of the first two Christian missionaries (Paul and Barnabas) (Acts 13:1-3; 14:26). 11. Later became their headquarters, both after their first missionary trip (Acts 14:26) and following the Jerusalem Council (Acts 15:35).

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C.

D.

E. F.

G.

THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH-

12. Silas was from this church (Acts 15:34). 13. Was where Paul set Peter straight on mat¬ ters of legalism (Gal. 2:11). The church in Antioch of Pisidia: 1. Was begun by Paul during his first mis¬ sionary trip (Acts 13:14). 2. Was where he preached his first recorded sermon (Acts 13:16). 3. Was formed from the converts coming out of this meeting (Acts 13:43). 4. Paul turned from the Jews (Acts 13:46). 5. Paul relates his heavenly calling as a light to the Gentiles (Acts 13:47). The church in Lystra: 1. Was organized during Paul's first mission¬ ary trip (Acts 14:6). 2. Was where he healed the impotent man (Acts 14:10). 3. This led to his being almost worshiped (Acts 14:11). 4. Paul was stoned (Acts 14:19; 2 Tim. 3:11). 5. Was where Paul picked up Timothy during his second missionary trip (Acts 16:1-3). The church in Derbe (Acts 14:21 22). The church in Iconium: 1. Paul led many to Christ here during his first trip (Acts 14:2). 2. He also worked great signs and wonders (Acts 14:3). 3. He was driven out by the unbelieving Jews (Acts 14:5). The church in Philippi: 1. Paul organized a church in the home of a woman convert named Lydia (Acts 16:15, 40). 2. A demon-possessed girl was his next con¬ vert (Acts 16:18). 3. She was followed by the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:33). 4. Paul later wrote a letter to this church (Phil.

I.

J.

K.

1:1).

5. Timothy ministered to this church (Phil. 2:19). 6. Had sent Epaphroditus to minister to Paul while the apostle was in prison (Phil. 2:25). 7. Was in danger of legalism (Phil. 3:1-3). 8. Paul writes and asks "true yokefellow" to help two quarreling church women named Euodias and Syntyche (Phil. 4:1-3). 9. Helped to supply the material needs of Paul (Phil. 4:15, 18). H. The church in Thessalonica: 1. Was founded during Paul's second mis¬ sionary trip (Acts 17:1). 2. Witnessed a great harvest of souls (Acts 17:4). 3. Paul is accused of turning the world upside down (Acts 17:6). 4. In spite of their zeal, they were not good Bible students (Acts 17:6). 5. Later Paul wrote two letters to this church (1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1). 6. The believers had a reputation for witness¬ ing (1 Thess. 1:8). 7. They were persecuted by the unbelieving Jews because of their faith (1 Thess. 2:14).

699

L.

8. Timothy ministered to this church (1 Thess. 3:1, 2). 9. Had some lazy members (2 Thess. 3:10). 10. Had some busybodies (2 Thess. 3:11). 11. Had some disobedient members (2 Thess. 3:14, 15). The church in Berea: This church was commended for its knowl¬ edge of and love for the Word of God (Acts 17:11). The church in Athens: It is not certain whether a local assembly came into being after Paul's sermon on Mars Hill, but if so, a convert named Dionysius prob¬ ably led it (Acts 17:34). The church in Corinth: 1. Was founded during Paul's second trip (Acts 18:1). 2. Aquila and Priscilla aided in this (Acts 18:2). 3. The chief ruler of the Jewish synagogue, a man named Crispus, was one of Paul's first converts (Acts 18:8). 4. His successor, Sosthenes, was also later evi¬ dently saved (compare Acts 18:17 with 1 Cor. 1:1). 5. Paul stayed eighteen months (Acts 18:11). 6. Paul wrote several letters to this church (1 Cor. 5:9; 2 Cor. 10:9, 10), two of which are included in the New Testament canon (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1). 7. Experienced almost total confusion in mat¬ ters relating to: a. Baptism (1 Cor. 1:12). b. Earthly wisdom (Acts 1:26). c. Carnality and strife (Acts 3:1-3). d. Judging others unfairly (Acts 4:7). e. Immorality (Acts 5:1). f. Taking other believers to court (Acts 6:1-4). g. Marriage (Acts 7:1). h. Christian liberty (Acts 8-9). i. The Lord's Table (Acts 11:17-34). j. Spiritual gifts (Acts 12-14). k. The doctrine of the resurrection (Acts 15). l. Tithing (Acts 16). 8. Was later pastored by Apollos (1 Cor. 3:6). The church in Ephesus: 1. Was founded during Paul's second trip (Acts 18:19). 2. May have been pastored by Apollos, Timo¬ thy, and the Apostle John. 3. Paul wrought many miracles there and saw much fruit (Acts 19:11-41). a. Wicked books are burned. b. The false goddess Diana is challenged. 4. Paul went soul-winning door-to-door (Acts 20:17-21). 5. Was the only Christian church ever to re¬ ceive letters from two New Testament writ¬ ers. Paul wrote Ephesians to them (Eph. 1:1), and John the apostle would later direct a portion of Revelation to them (Rev. 2:1-7). According to John's letter, this church:

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

a. b. c. d. e.

M.

N.

O.

P.

Q.

R.

S.

T.

Worked hard and possessed patience. Had high church standards. Suffered for Christ. Had left their first love. Needed to remember, repent, and re¬ turn to Christ, else their candlestick be removed. f. Hated the deeds of the licentious Nicolaitans. The church in Troas: Here Paul raised up Eutychus, a believer who had gone asleep during Paul's sermon and had fallen down from the third loft of the building (Acts 20:7-12). The church in Rome: 1. The origin and founder of this church is unknown. 2. Priscilla and Aquila labored there and a lo¬ cal church met in their home (Rom. 16:3-5). 3. Had a ringing testimony throughout all the land (Rom. 1:8). 4. Paul mentions more personal friends here than in any other New Testament book he wrote. The names of some twenty-six indi¬ viduals may be counted in Romans 16. The church in Galatia: 1. Various local churches in Galatia were or¬ ganized by Paul during his first trip. 2. Had all apparently fallen victim to the le¬ galistic Judaizers, who would continually plague Paul's gospel of grace (Gal. 1:6-9). 3. The New Testament epistle Galatians was written to these churches (Gal. 3:1). The church in Colosse: 1. Was founded by Epaphras during Paul's third trip (Col. 2:1; 1:7, 12, 13). 2. Philemon and Onesimus attended this church (Col. 4:9; Philemon 1:1, 2). 3. Paul commanded the Colossian epistle to be read to the Laodicean church and the one he wrote them to be read to the Colos¬ sian church (Col. 4:16). The church in Babylon (1 Pet. 5:13): 1. Was filled with suffering believers (1 Pet. 1:6). 2. Some of this suffering was due to sin (1 Pet. 4:15-17). The church in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11): 1. Had suffered much for Christ. 2. Had been slandered by those from the synagogue of Satan. 3. Satan had imprisoned some of them. The church in Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17): 1. Was located in the very center of Satanic worship. 2. Had nevertheless remained loyal to Christ in spite of martyrdom. 3. Members were, however, tolerating some in the church who were guilty of sexual sins. 4. They were also tolerating those who held the doctrine of the Nicolaitans. The church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29): 1. Had performed many good deeds. 2. But they permitted a false prophetess named Jezebel to teach that sexual sin was not a serious matter.

700

U. The church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). 1. Had a reputation, but was dead. 2. Was to strengthen what little good re¬ mained. V. The church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13): 1. Was not strong, even though it had obeyed God's Word. 2. This they had done during persecution. W. The church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-20): 1. Was the worst church mentioned in the New Testament. 2. Believers were neither hot nor cold. 3. Bragged about their wealth, claiming they had need of nothing, but in reality were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. 4. God admonished them to totally repent and allow him to reenter and once again fellow¬ ship with them. Clarence Benson offers the following appraisal of the growth, character, and organization of the early church. "There were daily additions to the number of believers, and only a short time after the day of Pentecost the number reached five thousand. At the end of the first century, Pliny told the Emperor Trojan that 'so many believe in Christ that the temples of pagan worship are de¬ serted.' At the end of the third century there were no less than five million adherents, for 'the Church lifted empires off their hinges and turned the stream of the centuries out of its channel.' By the tenth century there were fifty million members, and despite the long night of popery and the chill of formalism which fol¬ lowed, at the opening of the nineteenth century professing Christendom numbered two hun¬ dred million. The classic history of ancient Rome is given by Gibbon in Decline and Fall of the Roman Empire, written in the eighteenth century by a scholar who was distinctly antagonistic to Christianity. But even Gibbon named four distinct reasons why Christianity grew so rapidly in the ancient world: A. The inflexible zeal and enthusiasm of the Christians. They took the teachings of Jesus at their face value. They refused to compromise with any pagan religion or secular code. As a later historian comments, 'They were ab¬ solutely happy, always getting into trou¬ ble.' B. The Christian doctrine of the future life. Even among the most brilliant of the Greek and Roman writers, ignorance, hesitancy, and professed insincerity about immorality are found. C. The miraculous power ascribed to the early Church. 'With great power gave the apostles wit¬ ness' (Acts 4:33). Marvelous miracles were wrought by the disciples to demonstrate the truth of their assertion. Some of these are recorded in the New Testament, but there were many more.

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the doctrine of the church

D. The pure, austere morals of the Christians. They would not compromise with pagan immoralities. They abandoned sins when they became Christians, lived exemplary lives and exhibited a standard of virtue un¬ known to the ancient world. The virtuous way of life was beyond the understanding of men. They had been used to 'mystery' religions imported from the Orient, and were dependent upon secret rites for their appeal. But the ancient Christians exhibited what the apostle calls, 'the mystery of god¬ liness.' The first Christian aim in those days was to be Christlike in life. The character of the local church is the sum-total of the character of its members. Today there is a vast difference in the char¬ acter of the various members of the aver¬ age church—in every local assembly there may be 'tares' and 'wheat' growing to¬ gether, that is, both saved and unsaved members. The apostolic Church was per¬ haps the nearest approach to the true Church. The early Christians were: 1. United (Acts 2:44; 4:32; Eph. 4:1-7). 'All that believed were together, and had all things common.' The apostolic or¬ ganization was more than a Christian church. It was a Christian family. Bound by ties more solemn and sacred than ties of blood, they lived each day in mutual help and apart from the world. Its mem¬ bers were entirely agreed on all the weightier matters of the church, for they were all taught by the same Spirit. They were of one mind concerning God, Christ, the Holy Spirit, the depravity of sin, the necessity of holiness, the inspi¬ ration of the Scriptures, and the impor¬ tance of prayer. The mighty operations of the Spirit of God were evidenced as the result of their unity. 2. Steadfast (Acts 2:42; Eph. 4:14-16). a. Steadfast in doctrine. No turning aside from facts to fa¬ bles, no heaping up teachers with itching ears, no wavering like the waves of the sea, tossing about from doubt in despair! They were stead¬ fast in their belief in God's Word. b. Steadfast in fellowship. If the members had stopped to criti¬ cize, no doubt they would have found faults in their church, but they felt that the society of Jerusa¬ lem composed the true Church, so they remained steadfast. They were quick to see their own failures, but slow to criticize others' faults. c. Steadfast in the ordinances. Christ was the substance of sermons and the center of worship. The insti¬ tution of the Lord's Supper and of Baptism represented the work of grace in the hearts of the early be¬ lievers (Rom. 6:3, 4; 1 Cor. 11:23-26).

701

d. Steadfast in prayer. They prayed 'in one accord' and re¬ ceived such a wonderful answer that they continued steadfast in prayer. The true Church is composed of praying Christians (Acts 1:3, 4, 12-14). 3. Charitable (Acts 2:45; 4:34, 35; Eph. 4:28-32). They 'sold their possessions and goods, and parted them to all men, as every man had need.' The members gave spontaneously. Their love for per¬ ishing souls was so great that they sold out their businesses and disposed of their lands, laying the money at the dis¬ ciples' feet. They gladly gave up the care of their possessions for the care of price¬ less, immortal souls. The people who engaged in this sharing responded as the result of spontaneous expression of Christian affection and faith, not by leg¬ islated direction or force. Their charity was a wonderful testimony of the love of Christ in their lives. Those who looked on the scene could well com¬ ment, 'See how those Christians love.' 4. Joyful (Acts 2:46, 47; Eph. 5:18-21). They continued daily with one ac¬ cord in the temple with gladness and singleness of heart. It was this singleness of heart that made them happy. They were not divided between Christ and the world, but being wholly the Lord's, they rejoiced in the Lord. Their communion with Christ was not clouded with the things of time and sense. All things were to them full of God, and since they re¬ joiced in God, they were full of His joy. 5. Successful (Acts 2:41, 47; 5:14; 6:7; 13:44; 16:5; 18:8). Never was a church so richly blessed as the apostolic organization. It grew by leaps and bounds. For the first two cen¬ turies the Church ran along the ground like wild-fire, and out of nothing as¬ sumed such vast proportions that the whole world was 'turned upside down.' a. They had favor with God. The early members were added to the Lord (Acts 5:14) and by the Lord (2:47b). These members were real additions. Frequently today only the names of members are added to churches. These names increase the numbers, but they do not augment the churches' strength. These mem¬ bers adulterate the churches, weaken and defile them, and bring upon them much grief and dishonor. It is quite evident that the devil adds continually to churches such as are not saved. When the Lord adds to the church it is quite a different mat¬ ter. These members are united, steadfast, charitable, joyful; it is their

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

presence that makes the churches successful. b. They had favor with men. It is a most remarkable thing that in spite of opposition and persecution from rulers and governments, the early Church was exceedingly popu¬ lar—far more than the average church today. The sincerity and joy of these first Christians could not fail to impress the men of the world who were looking for life and happiness. These men believed in the reality of what they saw, and when they real¬ ized that the members of the church were united, steadfast, charitable, joyful, and downright earnest, they were greatly moved." VII. The Symbols of the Church. There are six main symbols depicting Christ and his Church in the New Testament. These are: A. The Head and body. "For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of an¬ other" (Rom. 12:4, 5). "Know ye not that your bodies are the members of Christ?" (1 Cor. 6:15). "For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ. For by one Spirit are we all baptized into one body" (1 Cor. 12:12,13). "Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular" (1 Cor. 12:27). "There is one body, and one Spirit" (Eph. 4:4). "For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bone" (Eph. 5:30). "And he is the head of the body, the church" (Col. 1:18; see also 1 Cor. 10:16, 17; Eph. 1:23; 2:16; 4:12, 16; 5:23; Col. 3:15). In light of these verses, the church, his body, is to: 1. Be in subjection to the Head. 2. Experience unity with the Head. 3. Work in glad service for the Head. 4. Take direction from the Head. B. The Bridegroom and the bride. "For I am jealous over you with godly jeal¬ ousy: for I have espoused you to one hus¬ band, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church and gave him¬ self for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh; but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church:

702

For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concerning Christ and the church" (Eph. 5:25-32). "Come hither, I will show thee the bride, the Lamb's wife" (Rev. 21:9; see also Eph. 5:2; 3:14-21). From these verses we learn that Christ's love for his Church is: 1. Unconditional. 2. Unbounded. 3. Unknowable. 4. Unmerited and undeserved. 5. Unequaled and unparalleled. C. The Vine and the branches. "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing" (Jn. 15:1-5). This beautiful passage relates the responsi¬ bilities of the branch. 1. It is to abide in the vine. 2. It is to bear (not produce) fruit from and for the vine. 3. It is only to bear fruit. A branch is useless for anything else. Its wood cannot be used for furniture, firewood, or building pur¬ poses. 4. It is to bear much fruit. This is in stark con¬ trast to Israel, God's fruitless Old Testa¬ ment vine (Jdg. 9:7-15; Ps. 80:8; Isa. 5:1-7; Ezek. 15:2; Hosea 10:1). 5. It is to be submitted to pruning. D. The Shepherd and the sheep. "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (Jn. 10:11). "Now the God of peace, that brought again from the dead our Lord Jesus, that great shepherd of the sheep, through the blood of the everlasting covenant" (Heb. 13:20). "And when the chief Shepherd shall ap¬ pear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:4). Thus, to his Church, Christ is the Good Shepherd (because of what he has accom¬ plished in the past, namely justification—see Ps. 22), the Great Shepherd (because of what he accomplishes in the present, namely, sanctifica¬ tion—see Ps. 23), and the Chief Shepherd (be¬ cause of what he shall accomplish in the future, namely, glorification—see Ps. 24). E. The High Priest and a kingdom of priests. "But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar peo-

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH -

pie; that ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvelous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). "And hath made us kings and priests unto God and his father" (Rev. 1:6). "And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth" (Rev. 5:10). "But they shall be priests of God and of Christ, and shall reign with him a thousand years" (Rev. 20:6). The Old Testament priest was to offer up an animal sacrifice. The New Testament priest is to offer up sacrifices also, but of a different kind. He is to offer up: 1. The sacrifice of his body as a living offering (Rom. 12:1). 2. The sacrifice of praise (1 Pet. 2:5, 9; Heb. 13:15). 3. The sacrifice of doing good (Heb. 13:16). 4. The sacrifice of substance (Heb. 13:16). F. The Cornerstone and the living stones. "Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; and are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief comer stone; in whom all the building fitly framed together groweth unto an holy temple in the Lord: In whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit" (Eph. 2:19-22). "To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priest¬ hood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, accept¬ able to God by Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 2:4, 5). Note: There are two Greek words translated by the one English word "temple." 1. Naos, referring to the holy place and the Holy of Holies. 2. Hieron, having in mind the entire temple structure, outer courts, porches, porticoes, etc. The Temple mentioned in Ephesians 2:21 is naos. While upon earth Christ never en¬ tered the naos area, which was restricted to the Levitical priests alone. He drove the moneychangers from the hieron temple, not the naos temple. But now, his church has actually become that which he could not enter during his earthly ministry. Dr. Earl Radmacher writes the following concerning the role of Christ as corner¬ stone. "In Christ, Jew and Gentile have been united in one as the cornerstone by which the two partitions of the building are united. In Christ the building has co¬ herence and stability in its structure. In Christ, the rest of the budding finds its inner harmony, oneness, correspon¬ dence, and design." (The Nature of the Church, p. 262)

703

VIII. The Old Testament Foreshadows of the Church. The institution of the church, of course, was not revealed in the Old Testament. Paul makes this clear in Ephesians 3:1-12. However, there are two special brides mentioned in the Old Testament whose lives beautifully lend themselves as a re¬ markable foreshadow of the coming New Testa¬ ment church. These two women are Eve and Rebekah. A. The bride Eve. 1. Eve proceeded from Adam's side as the church came from Christ's side (Gen. 2:21, 22; cf. Jn. 19:34). 2. Eve thus became espoused to the first head of creation while the church would be joined to the final Head of creation (Gen. 1:28; cf. Rev. 11:15). 3. Eve became bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh, while the church did the same with Christ (Gen. 2:23; cf. Eph. 5:30). B. The bride Rebekah. Genesis 24 is the greatest single typical chapter in the entire Old Testa¬ ment. The four key individuals involved in this chapter are Abraham, Isaac, the servant, and Rebekah. 1. Abraham sends his trusted servant to a dis¬ tant land to fetch a bride for Isaac his son. He becomes a type of the Father who has done the same for his Son (Gen. 24:4; Mt. 22:2, 3). 2. Isaac, having been previously offered up on Mt. Moriah, is content to await the arrival of his bride. He becomes a type of the Son who now awaits the arrival of his bride in heaven (Gen. 24:63; Heb. 10:12-14). 3. The servant arrives in that distant land for the sole purpose of taking a bride. He be¬ comes a foreshadow of the Holy Spirit. a. He was sent by the Father (Jn. 14:16). b. He came at Pentecost to take a bride (1 Cor. 12:13). c. He elevates Christ as the servant did Isaac (Gen. 24:36; Jn. 16:13, 14). 4. Rebekah, upon hearing about Isaac, agrees to go with the servant. She becomes a fore¬ shadow of the church. a. Like the church and Christ, she loved her bridegroom even before seeing him (1 Pet. 1:8). b. Like the church and Christ, she received an earnest from the riches of Isaac (Gen. 24:53; 2 Cor. 1:22; Eph. 1:14). c. Like the church and Christ, she begins her long pilgrimage to meet her bride¬ groom (Gen. 24:59; 1 Pet. 2:11). d. Like the church and Christ, she is prayed for by her bridegroom (Gen. 24:63; Rom. 8:34). e. Like the church and Christ, she is re¬ ceived into the home of her father-inlaw (Gen. 24:67; Jn. 14:2). IX. The Organization of the Church. Henry Thiessen writes: "There have been individuals and groups of be¬ lievers who have taught that the Scriptures give no warrant for our present-day organized

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

churches. It is held that believers should get to¬ gether, observe the Lord's Supper, study God's Word, and cooperate in Christian service with¬ out anything resembling a formal organization. But that this is an extreme view of the matter is clear. There are indications that very early in Je¬ rusalem the Church must have had at least a loose kind of organization, and there is conclu¬ sive evidence that soon thereafter local churches were definitely organized. That there must have been a simple organiza¬ tion even in the Church in Jerusalem is evident from a number of things. The believers adhered to a definite doctrinal standard (Acts 2:42; cf. Eph. 20); they met for spiritual fellowship (ibia); they united in prayer (Acts 2:42; Mt. 18:19, 20); they practiced baptism (Acts 2:41) and observed the Lord's Supper (Acts 2:42, 46); they kept ac¬ count of the membership (Acts 2:14, 41; 4:4); they met for public worship (Acts 2:46); and they provided material help for the needy of their number (Acts 2:44, 45). The Apostles were the ministers in this Church, but they soon added the seven men of Acts 6:1-7 to take care of the ministration to the poor. On the day of Pente¬ cost they were assembled in 'the upper room' (Acts 1:13; 2:1), wherever that may have been; but more usually they seem to have met in some home of a Christian (Acts 2:46), though for some services apparently they still visited the temple (Acts 2:46; 3:1), as we have just seen. All these factors indicate the beginnings of organization in the Jerusalem Church. A. They had church officers. There are, besides the example of this first Church, many other indications that the Scriptures teach the pro¬ priety and necessity of organizing local groups of believers into churches. Paul, when retracing his steps from Derbe on his first journey, 'appointed for them elders in every church' (Acts 14:23). The original indi¬ cates that this was done by a show of hands and not by apostolic authority. He definitely asks Titus to 'appoint elders' (Titus 1:5). We have already seen that the Jerusalem Church appointed stewards to look after the need of the poor (Acts 6:1-7). There must have been a way of ascertaining the sentiment of the people, and a regulation that stated who was entitled to vote on the question (Acts 6:2-6). In the Church at Ephesus there were 'elders' (Acts 20:17), in the Church at Antioch, 'prophets and teachers' (Acts 13:1), and in the Church at Philippi, 'bishops and dea¬ cons' (Phil. 1:1). B. They had stated times of meeting. We are informed that the disciples met on the 'first day of the week,' immediately following Christ's resurrection (Jn. 20:19, 26). In his first letter to the Corinthians Paul instructs the readers to lay by them in store as the Lord has prospered them on the first day of the week (1 Cor. 16:2). That is, on that day the collection was to be taken. On Paul's last journey to Jerusalem he stops at Troas and meets with the disciples there on the first

704

day of the week (Acts 20:7). And in the Rev¬ elation John tells us that he was in the Spirit on the 'Lord's Day (1:10). We have already referred to Canright's work, in which he proves that Sunday observance originated with the apostles. There must have been an action taken with regard to the day to be observed and business transactions presup¬ pose an organization. C. They regulated church decorum (1 Cor. 14:34) and exercised church discipline. Jesus had given instructions that in the case of a believer who refused to bow to private ad¬ monition, the dispute was to be referred to the church for discipline (Mt. 18:17). Paul requests the Corinthians most definitely to exercise church discipline (1 Cor. 5:13). He gives similar instructions to the Church at Rome (Rom. 16:17). In 3 John 10 we are told that Diotrephes acted high-handedly in church discipline. Here again organization is presupposed; for it is necessary to draw the line in such matters. D. They raised money for the Lord's Work. Writing to the Corinthian Church from Eph¬ esus, Paul says that he has already given or¬ ders to the churches of Galatia, and then gives them instructions to contribute to the collection for the saints (1 Cor. 16:1, 2). They are to give systematically (on the first day of the week), proportionately (as each may prosper), and purposefully (for the saints). In his Second Epistle to the Corinthians he urges them to give liberally (2 Cor. 8:7-9; 9:6) and cheerfully (2 Cor. 9:7). He com¬ mends the Macedonian churches for their great liberality in this connection (2 Cor. 8:1-5) and urges the Corinthian Church to follow their example (2 Cor. 8:6—9:5). In his Epistle to the Romans he tells of the offering which he is taking to Jerusalem (Rom. 15:25-28). Before Felix, Paul refers to this offering which he had brought to his nation (Acts 24:17). It is dear that he thinks of this contribution as coming from the 'churches of Galatia' and the 'churches of Macedonia.' The same thing is implied when Paul says that the Corinthians began a year ago (2 Cor. 8:10; 9:2). They did this as indi¬ viduals composing the Church; and yet he addresses them as a group. Organized effort seems to be implied in his exhortation to carry out their earlier intention (2 Cor. 8:11; 9:3-5). E. They sent letters of commendation to the other churches. This was done when Apollos left Ephesus and went to Corinth (Acts 18:24-28). It is also implied in Paul's sarcas¬ tic question, whether he will have to bring letters of commendation when he returns to Corinth (2 Cor. 3:1). Romans 16:1, 2 is prob¬ ably a sample of such a letter with regard to Phoebe. Insofar as this practice grew, it must have become necessary to ascertain the mind of the church as to who was worthy of such a letter. Organization is to be presup-

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH -

posed in such a procedure. The Council at Jerusalem rendered a decision with refer¬ ence to the conditions on which Gentiles might be admitted into fellowship (Acts 15:22-29). This, too, presupposes an organi¬ zation of some sort or other." (Lectures in Sys¬ tematic Theology, pp. 415-417) X. The Government of the Church. Within the con¬ fines of organized Christianity today three separate church systems of government exist. These are: A. The monarchial, hierarchial form. This is also known as the Episcopal system, taken from the Greek word episkopos, translated in the New Testament by the two English words "overseer" (Acts 20:28) and "bishop" (Phil 1:2; 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:7; 1 Pet. 2:25). The Roman Catholic, Episcopal, Methodist, and Greek Catholic churches have all adopted (with various modifications) this basic form of church government. It is a government by bish¬ ops, aided by priests and deacons. The essential concept is that the right to consecrate other bishops and ordain both priests and deacons belongs only to the bishops themselves. This provides a succession of bishops and their rulership over the two subordinate ministries. This system of government arose during the second century a.d. and is not to be found in the New Testament. B. The federal, representative form. This is also known as the Presbyterian system, taken from the Greek word presbuteros. This word, found sixty-two times (in its noun form) is always translated by the English word "elder." Its sys¬ tem of government is best illustrated by the Presbyterian and Reformed churches of today. The federal system operates somewhat simi¬ larly to that of the U.S. government. Each local church duly elects ruling elders to represent them. This group forms the church session. A distinction is usually made in this session be¬ tween those ruling elders who govern but do not teach, preach, or administer the ordinances, and those elders (the chief being the pastor) who do (1 Tim. 5:17). The next high-ranking body in this system is the presbytery, which includes all ordained ministers or teaching elders and one ruling el¬ der from each local congregation in a given dis¬ trict. Although pastors are elected by their own congregations, they must be approved by the presbytery. Above the presbytery is the synod (from a Greek word meaning "company"), and over the synod is the general assembly, the Supreme Court of its kind. Charles Ryrie writes the fol¬ lowing: "Arguments in support of the federal type include the fact that elders were appointed by the apostles (Acts 14:23; Titus 1:5), there were obviously rulers over the churches be¬ sides the apostles (Heb. 13:7,17), in matters of discipline the leaders gave instructions as to what to do (1 Cor. 5; 1 Tiih. 5:20), and ordination passages imply the federal sys¬ tem." (A Survey of Bible Doctrine, p. 146)

705

W. L. Lingle suggests that the Jerusalem Council in Acts 15 illustrates this form of gov¬ ernment. He writes: "If the church at Antioch had been entirely independent it could have settled this ques¬ tion for itself, and with such men as Paul and Barnabas present it was abundantly able to do so. As a matter of fact the Church at Antioch referred this question to a church council at Jerusalem. . . . Note well that it was composed of apostles and elders. It must have looked a good deal like a Presbyterian Synod or General Assembly. Note also that this council composed of apostles and elders, after full deliberations, settled the question authoritatively, and that the Church at Anti¬ och and other churches accepted its deci¬ sions." (Presbyterians: Their Ministry and Beliefs, p. 16) C. The congregational, democratic form. This type of government is clearly seen in Baptist, Con¬ gregational, Evangelical Free, Disciples of Christ, and Independent Bible churches. Fol¬ lowers of this form believe no outside man or group of men should exercise authority over a local assembly. Therefore, the government should be in the hands of the members them¬ selves. The pastor is considered to be the single elder in the church. He is called and elected by the church congregation. Deacons are then cho¬ sen to assist him in shepherding the flock. Again, to quote from Charles Ryrie: "Arguments in favor of this form of govern¬ ment include the many passages that speak of the responsibilities of the entire church (1 Cor. 1:10; Phil. 1:26), the passages which seem to commit the ordinances of the church to the entire group, not just leaders (Mt. 28:19, 20; 1 Cor. 11:2, 20), the apparent involvement of the whole church in choos¬ ing leaders (Acts 6:3, 5; 15:2, 30; 2 Cor. 8:19), and the fact that the whole church was in¬ volved in exercising discipline (Mt. 18:17; 1 Cor. 5; 2 Thess. 3:14ff.). Under the congregational system, the pas¬ tor is usually considered to be the single el¬ der in the church. This is supported by the fact that the seven churches of Revelation 2 and 3 apparently had a single leader (called the 'angel' but referring to a human leader), and by the fact that in 1 Timothy 3 the first part of the passage speaks of the bishop (el¬ der) while the latter part (vs. 8-13) mentions the deacons. This would seem to indicate that there was only one elder in each church although there were several deacons." (A Survey of Bible Doctrine, p. 147) XI. The Officers of the Church. A. The kinds of officers. 1. Bishops (1 Tim. 3:1-7; see also Titus 1:5-9). "This is a true saying. If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work" (3:1). The Greek word for "bishop" is episkopos and refers to an overseer. Here, of course, Paul had in mind the office of the pastor.

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

Another name found in the New Testa¬ ment which may refer to this same position is "elder" (presbuteros in the Greek). These two terms, bishop and elder, are often used interchangeably (Acts 20:17-28; Titus 1:5-7). The former term (bishop) speaks of his office responsibility, while the latter term (elder) refers to his spiritual maturity. 2. Deacons (1 Tim. 3:8-12). The exact nature and duties of this office are nowhere set forth in any systematic way in the New Testament. It seems almost certain that the office was created to solve the organization¬ al problem of the early church, due in part to its rapid growth (Acts 6:1-8). The Greek word for "deacon" is diakonos. (See also Rom. 12:7, here translated "ministry," and Phil. 1:1.) 3. Deaconess (1 Tim. 3:11). Does this verse in¬ dicate the office of a deaconess? It is the view of some (Dr. Homer Kent, Grace Theological Seminary; Dr. Kenneth Wuest, former Greek instructor. Moody Bible In¬ stitute; etc.) that it does. B. The qualifications for officers. 1. Bishop (1 Tim. 3:1-7). a. He must be a male. b. He must be blameless (without re¬ proach). c. He must be the husband of one wife. Few New Testament statements have been the object of so much speculation as verse 2: "the husband of one wife." There are two main interpretations to the verse. (1) "The prohibition of polygamy" view. According to this theory, Paul is simply saying no church member who had several wives in his home could qualify as a bishop. However, this view has se¬ rious problems. (a) Paul had already forbidden this years ago (Rom. 7:1-3; 1 Cor. 7:2). (b) The Roman government had outlawed polygamy at this time. (c) There is no evidence that the early church ever had this problem. (d) This term literally says a "one-woman man" and is found again in 5:9 (though here reversed) where it speaks of a widow as a "one-man woman." (2) "The prohibition of divorce" view. According to this theory a divorced and remarried man is prohibited from occupying the office of the pastorate, regardless of the circum¬ stances which may have sur¬ rounded the divorce. d. He must be vigilant (temperate).

706

e. He must be sober (serious-minded). f. He must be of good behavior (orderly). This would be reflected in his sermons, clothes, and life manner. g. He must be given to hospitality (a lover of strangers). h. He must be "apt to teach" (having the ability and love for teaching; see Eph. 4:11). i. He must not be given to wine. j. He must not be a striker (not pugna¬ cious). k. He must not be greedy for money. l. He must be patient (reasonable, gentle). m. He must not be a brawler (not conten¬ tious). n. He must not covet (desire something belonging to someone else). o. He must rule his own house well. p. He must not be a novice (a new con¬ vert). q. He must maintain a good report from without (a good public testimony in his immediate community). 2. Deacon (1 Tim. 3:8-13). a. He must be grave (held in high respect). b. He must not be double-tongued (twofaced, a talebearer). c. He must not be given over to wine. d. He must not be greedy. e. He must hold forth the mystery of the faith (know, explain, and defend the great theological truths of the Bible). f. He must maintain a pure conscience. g. He must be tested and proven (his testi¬ mony within the church must be good). h. He must be blameless (his testimony without the church must be good). C. The responsibilities of the officers. In Philippians 1:1, Paul writes to "all the saints in Jesus Christ which are at Philippi, with the bishops and deacons." Three well-known authors write concerning these officers and their duties. The first is Dr. John Walvoord. "The mention of bishops and deacons indi¬ cates the advanced state of organization of the Church at Philippi now composed of mature and gifted believers from whom rec¬ ognized leaders had come. As A. R. Fausset notes, 'This is the earliest epistle where bishops and deacons are mentioned, and the only one where they are separately ad¬ dressed.' Of course, as early as Acts 6, men were appointed in the church to serve in a way similar to deacons. Although not called deacons, the prominence of this appoint¬ ment of men to special service in Acts seems to recognize its significance. Elders were ap¬ pointed in every church as early as Acts 14:23, and are mentioned in Acts 11:30; 20:27, 28; 1 Thessalonians 5:12,13." (Philippians, Triumph in Christ, p. 24) Greek scholar Kenneth Wuest writes: "The word bishop is the translation of a

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH-

Greek word used in secular pursuits of an overseer in any capacity, for instance, the official in charge of the repairing of a temple or an officer in an army. The word itself means 'to look upon.' Paul uses it as another name for an elder, the latter being the title of the office so far as statutes in the church is concerned, the former being the title that in¬ dicated the responsibility and activity of the office, that of overseeing the spiritual wel¬ fare of the local church. He brings the two names together as designating one individ¬ ual in Acts 20:17, 28. The word deacon is the English spelling of a Greek word that was used as a general term to designate a servant. It covered both slaves and hired servants. It represented a servant, not in his relation to his master, but in his activity. The same word is translated 'minister' in 1 Corinthians 3:5; 2 Corinthians 3:6; Ephesians 3:7. Here it refers to a distinct class of officers in the apostolic church. The origin of the office is given us in Acts 6." (Word Studies in Philippians, p. 28) As a final note here, consider the comments of J. Dwight Pentecost: "The word 'deacon' comes from a com¬ pound Greek word that means 'to stir up the dust.' It presents the picture of one who is moving so rapidly through the dusty lanes of the villages of Palestine to discharge his duty that his feet kick up dust as he goes. There was so much for the deacons to do they could not loiter nor tarry. They went about their ministry with such diligence that they were stirring up the dust; thus those who were set apart to this ministry were called 'those who stir up the dust' or dea¬ cons." (The Joy of Living, p. 114) Of these two offices, the most important is that of the bishop (pastor). In general it may be said that his responsibilities are as follows: 1. He is to administer the ordinances (Mt. 28:19, 20). 2. He is to be a man of prayer (1 Tim. 2:1). 3. He is to warn his flock (1 Tim. 4:1, 6). 4. He is to study the Word (2 Tim. 2:15). 5. He is to preach the Word (2 Tim. 4:2; Acts 6:2-4). 6. He is to exhort and rebuke (1 Thess. 5:12; Titus 2:15). 7. He is to watch over souls. a. His own (Acts 20:28; Col. 4:17; 1 Tim. 4:16; 6:11). b. Those of others (Acts 20:28-31; Heb. 13:17). 8. He is to feed and lead his flock (Acts 20:28; 1 Pet. 5:2). 9. He is to be an example to all (1 Cor. 11:1; 4:16; Phil. 3:17; 2 Thess. 3:9; 1 Tim. 4:12; Heb. 13:7; 1 Pet. 5:3). Pastor John MacArthur, Jr., writes concerning Paul's fourfold perspective of pastoral priorities in Acts 20:19-22 (page 15 in Leadership, God's Priority for the Church):

707

"1. A right perspective toward God. 'Serving the Lord with all humility of mind, and with many tears, and trials, which befell me by the lying in wait of the Jews.' 2. A right perspective toward the church. 'And how I kept back nothing that was profitable unto you, but have shown you, and have taught you publicly.' 3. A right perspective toward the lost. 'And from house to house, testifying both to the Jews and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ.' 4. A right perspective toward himself. 'And now, behold, I go bound in the spirit unto Jerusalem, not knowing the things that shall befall me there.' " To this list MacArthur then adds five more priorities as found in Acts 20:28-35. "1. To keep right with God. 'Take heed, there¬ fore, unto yourselves.' 2. To feed and lead the flock of God. 'And to all the flock, over which the Holy Spirit hath made you overseers, to feed the church of God, which he hath purchased with his own blood.' 3. To warn and watch ... to protect the flock (from false teachers and other emissaries of Satan). 'For I know this, that after my de¬ parting shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. Also, of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples af¬ ter them. Therefore, watch and remember, that for the space of three years I ceased not to warn everyone night and day with tears.' 4. To pray and study. 'And now, brethren, I commend you to God, and to the word of his grace, which is able to build you up, and to give you an inheritance among all them who are sanctified.' 5. To be free from self-interest. 'I have cov¬ eted no man's silver, or gold, or apparel. Yea, ye yourselves know that these hands have ministered unto my necessities, and to them that were with me. I have shown you all things, how that so laboring ye ought to support the weak, and to remember the words of the Lord Jesus, how he said. It is more blessed to give than to receive.'" (Leadership, p. 41) Before leaving this section, what about the responsibilities of women in a local church? Again, to quote from MacArthur: "In Romans 16:1, a woman, Phoebe, is re¬ ferred to as a diakonon, thus indicating that both men and women may serve in this of¬ fice. The Scripture does have much to say re¬ garding the woman's role in the church. Immediately after Christ's ascension, women gathered with the apostles and disci¬ ples in the upper room in Jerusalem. In the early church beginnings, women were a vital

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

after there are trained men available for the job. ... To know the scriptural pattern is absolutely essential. To aim our labors toward attaining the ideal is the only practi¬ cal way to serve the present-day situation." (The Role of Women in the Church, pp. 80, 81) XII. The Ordinances of the Church. The meaning of an ordinance: An ordinance is an outward and visible symbolic rite commanded in the Bible to be prac¬ ticed by the church which sets forth a central truth of the Christian faith. It is a memorial or reminder of some precious historical event of great signif¬ icance. The distinction between an ordinance and a sac¬ rament: "A sacrament is something presented to the senses, which has the power, by divine institution, not only signifying, but also of efficiently conveying grace" (as defined by the Roman Catholic Council of Trent in 1551). An ordinance therefore differs from a sacrament in that it is performed not to ob¬ tain grace, but because the one observing it has al¬ ready obtained that grace. The number of the ordinances: The Roman Catholic Church teaches that there are seven sacra¬ ments. These are: ordination, confirmation, matri¬ mony, extreme unction, penance, baptism, the eucharist (communion). Of these seven, the New Testament lists but two, and (as we have already seen) regards them as memorial ordinances and not sacraments. These two are the Lord's Supper and baptism. A. The Lord's Supper. 1. The Scriptures describing the Lord's Sup¬ per. Matthew 26:26-30; Mark 14:22-26; Luke 22:17-20; 1 Corinthians 11:23-34. The actual details of the supper are not men¬ tioned in John's Gospel. However, some be¬ lieve Jesus had this in mind in John 6:51, 53-56. 2. The names for the Lord's Supper. a. The eucharist (Greek word for the "giv¬ ing of thanks"). Taken from 1 Corinthi¬ ans 11:24. b. The eulogia (Greek word for "blessing"). Taken from 1 Corinthians 10:16, "the cup of blessing." c. The prosphora (Greek word for "offer¬ ing"). This name came into being be¬ cause gifts or offerings for the poor were made at the celebration of the supper. d. Communion. This name derives from 1 Corinthians 10:16, "the communion of the blood of Christ." e. The breaking of bread. This expression is found in Acts 2:42 and is thought by some to refer to the Lord's Supper. 3. The views concerning the Lord's Supper. a. Transubstantiation: The Roman Catho¬ lic doctrine which teaches that the bread and wine actually become the body and blood of Christ when conse¬ crated by the priest during mass, even though they still look and taste the

part (Acts 5:14). One of the early converts, Mary, the mother of John Mark, donated her house as a meeting place for believers in Jerusalem. Lydia did the same in Philippi (Acts 16:14, 15). In the last chapter of Ro¬ mans, eight women are named out of the twenty-six whom Paul singles out for signif¬ icant service to Christ. The daughters of Philip were used of God to prophesy (Acts 21:8, 9). Aquila and Priscilla were used to instruct Apollos (Acts 18:24-26). In addition to the historical precedent, the Scriptures give clear instruction for women's ministry: Women have a vital place in evan¬ gelism. Psalm 68:11 (RV): The Lord giveth the Word; the women that publish the tid¬ ings are a great host.' Paul perhaps paid the highest compliment to women when he said, 'The woman is man's glory' (1 Cor. 11:7). In addition to these positive areas of min¬ istry for women, the Scripture indicates some areas where women are NOT to serve: 1 Timothy 2:11, 12 is the most important statement in the area of leadership roles in the church. Along with 1 Corinthians 14:33-35 it indicates a universal spiritual principle, that the divine order for women is subordination (not inferiority) to men. This principle is based on the facts that woman was created last (1 Tim. 2:13) and was first to sin (1 Tim. 2:14). Since the emphasis in both passages seems most easily applicable to public worship, women are not to be in posi¬ tions of authority over men. Nowhere in the New Testament is a woman ever commended to serve as an el¬ der. In fact, it's obvious that 1 Timothy 3:1-7 and Titus 1:5-9, which list qualifications for elders, can refer only to a man. At first 1 Timothy 2:12 may appear nega¬ tive and unfriendly toward women, but the words are in fact,'. . . expressive of a feeling of sympathy and basic understanding. They mean: let a woman not enter a sphere of activity for which by dent of her very cre¬ ation she is not suited.' (Wm. Hendriksen, 1 b 2 Timothy b Titus, p. 108) Placing women in responsibilities meant for men misuses their Godgiven calling and forfeits their areas of greatest ministry." (Leadership, pp. 38-40) A final quote from Charles Ryrie is helpful here: "There are many times on both the home and foreign fields where there are simply no men to do the work. In such instances this writer feels that we need to remember that Paul not only commanded that things be done decently and in order, but also that they be done. In such cases, then, one feels that it is better to do the work with capable women, even though this is not ideal, than to do nothing. However, women must be cautioned against continuing in such work

708

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH -

same. Thus the one partaking literally eats Christ's flesh and drinks his blood. Needless to say, this is without scrip¬ tural support. In fact, it is totally refuted by the book of Hebrews (7:24-27; 9:12, 24, 25, 28; 10:11, 12). b. Consubstantiation: The Lutheran doc¬ trine which teaches that, while the bread and wine remain the same, the presence of the body of Christ is never¬ theless "in, with, and under" both ele¬ ments. While this error is not as severe as the above, it too is totally unscriptural. c. Memorialization: The doctrine which teaches that the bread and wine are mere symbols to remind and aid the be¬ liever in observing both the first and second comings of our Lord. This prectice is both scriptural and sensible (1 Cor. 11:24-26). 4. The Old Testament type of the Lord's Sup¬ per. A beautiful type is seen in the Passover Lamb, the sprinkled blood of which saved the Israelite from the death plague in Egypt prior to the Exodus. "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (Ex. 12:12, 13). "Then Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and said unto them. Draw out and take you a lamb according to your families, and kill the passover. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason, and none of you shall go out at the door of his house until the morning" (Ex. 12:21, 22). "And it shall come to pass, when your children shall say unto you. What mean ye by this service? That ye shall say. It is the sacrifice of the Lord's passover, who passed over the houses of the children of Israel in Egypt, when he smote the Egyptians, and delivered our houses. And the people bowed the head and worshipped" (Ex. 12:26, 27). In the New Testament Paul connects the Passover Lamb with that of the Lord's Ta¬ ble. Note: "Purge out therefore the old leaven, that ye may be a new lump, as ye are unleav¬ ened. For even Christ our passover is sacrificed for us: Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wicked¬

709

5.

6.

7.

8.

ness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth" (1 Cor. 5:7, 8). The purpose of the Lord's Supper. The Lord's table involves a threefold look. a. We are to look backward. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's death" (1 Cor. 11:26). b. We are to look inward. "But let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup" (1 Cor. 11:28). c. We are to look forward. "Till he come" (1 Cor. 11:26). The Lord's Supper is therefore historical, personal, and prophetical. It speaks of the cross, the conscience, and the crown. The partakers of the Lord's Supper. What group is invited to this table? The Lord's Supper is only for believers, but it includes all believers. This would appear to be the case, whether they happened to be mem¬ bers of a given local church or not. The prerequisites of the Lord's Supper. In¬ dividuals who are forbidden to partake: the unsaved and the unclean. John the apostle (who attended the first Lord's Supper) has given sound advice to aid both kinds of in¬ dividuals here. To the unsaved, he offers John 3:16, and to the unclean (backslidden Christian), he extends 1 John 1:9. The penalty of the Lord's Supper. "For he that eateth and drinketh un¬ worthily, eateth and drinketh damna¬ tion to himself, not discerning the Lord's body. For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Cor. 11:29, 30). Here several words deserve our consider¬ ation. Unworthily. The word here is an adverb and not an adjective. Paul does not say, "If anyone who is not worthy partakes," but rather, "If anyone partakes in an unworthy manner." Damnation. In the Greek this is the word krima, and should here be translated "judg¬ ment." (See Rom. 11:33; 1 Pet. 4:17 and Rev. 20:4, where the same word appears.) This judgment may be manifested in a two¬ fold manner: through physical sickness (11:30) and through physical death—"and many sleep." The Greek word for sleep here is koimao and refers to physical death (Jn. 11:11, 12; Acts 7:60; 1 Cor. 15:6, 18, 20, 51). At this communion service the fickle and self-centered Corinthians had so involved themselves in the supper that they had to¬ tally ignored other saints and the Savior. As a result some (the well-to-do) would stuff themselves with food and drink while oth¬ ers (the poor) would go away hungry. Many things happened on that momen¬ tous night in the upper room, but here in 1 Corinthians 11:23 Paul singles out his be-

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE—

trayal by Judas, which may have been a hint describing what the Corinthians were actually doing also. It should be noted that Paul does not teach here (1 Cor. 11:22) against having fel¬ lowship banquets in a church basement. He does, however, seem to limit the commu¬ nion service itself to that of bread and wine. 9. The frequency of the Lord's Supper. Dr. Charles Ryrie writes: "How often should the Lord's Supper be observed? Some churches do it every three months and usually precede it by a preparation service sometime during the week before the Sunday it will be ob¬ served. Others do it once every month, while some feel it should be observed every Sunday. Actually the Scriptures do not clearly specify the exact fre¬ quency of taking the Lord's Supper. Al¬ though the first believers apparently did it daily immediately following Pente¬ cost, this does not mean that it was ob¬ served in every house gathering every day but only daily somewhere in the city of Jerusalem (Acts 2:46). At Troas (Acts 20:7) it was observed on Sunday, but the text does not explicitly state that it was done every Sunday, though such a conclusion would be easily inferred from the passage. But however fre¬ quently it is done, it might be well to observe it sometimes in the evening ser¬ vice—not only because it was a supper, but also because this allows those who may be prevented from coming to a morning observance to participate on a regular basis. Since it is one of the most important things a church does, it should always be given ample time and never 'tacked on' and rushed through." (A Survey of Bible Doctrine, p. 150) B. Baptism. "Go ye, therefore, and teach all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost" (Mt. 28:19). 1. The meaning of the word baptism. Dr. Gor¬ don G. Johnson writes: "What do Greek authorities say about the meaning of the word? Let us con¬ sider three of the more well-known lexi¬ cons. The classical Greek lexicon was written by Liddell and Scott, Church of England men. The New Testament Greek lexicon was compiled by Thayer, a scholar of the Congregational Church. The lexicon of theological terms was written by a German Lutheran named Cremer. All these men agree that the word in its origin means to dip, im¬ merse, submerge or overwhelm. Dr. Thomas J. Conant in his Meaning and Use of Baptizein sums up a study of the use of the word throughout the his¬

710

tory of Greek literature with these words, 'In all the word has retained its ground meaning without change. From the earliest age of Greek literature down to its close, a period of about 2000 years, not an example has been found in which the word has any other meaning.' The words sprinkling or pouring are never used in the New Testament for the rite of baptism. This has compelled scholars of all denominational groups to admit that in the original meaning and in the New Testament use baptism meant immersion. Luther said: 'The term baptism is a Greek word. It may be rendered a dipping, when we dip some¬ thing in water, that it may be entirely covered with water.' Calvin says: 'The word baptize signifies to immerse; and the rite of immersion was observed by the ancient church.' Brenner, a Roman Catholic says, 'For 1300 years was bap¬ tism generally and regularly an immer¬ sion of the person under water, and only in extraordinary cases, a sprinkling or pouring with water. The latter was moreover disputed as a mode of bap¬ tism, nay even forbidden.' Other men may be mentioned, but this is sufficient to show us the universal acceptance of the meaning of the word 'baptism.' We might then rightly ask, 'How and when did sprinkling become the mode of baptism?' This mode arose because people came to feel there was something magical about baptism and that it brought salvation to the recipient. This conception cannot be supported by Scripture. But if it were true, a person dying without baptism would be lost. A sick or injured person could not be im¬ mersed because of his physical condi¬ tion, but he might die. If baptism were necessary to salvation, he would be lost. Thus, sprinkling began to be practiced. The first record of the use of sprin¬ kling was about a.d. 250 when Novatian lay sick in bed and thought he was to die. He had water poured all over him on the bed as an act of baptism. It wasn't until a.d. 1311 that the Roman Catholic Church at the Council of Ra¬ venna made sprinkling or immersion al¬ lowables as modes of baptism. Not until 1644 did the Church of England adopt sprinkling by vote of Parliament. The year before it was voted upon and rec¬ ommended to Parliament by the Assem¬ bly of Divines. The vote was 25 to 24 in favor of sprinkling. A New Testament Church cannot make such accommoda¬ tions to human whim." (My Church, pp. 41, 42) 2. The kinds of baptism. It has already been demonstrated that the basic theological meaning of the word baptism is "identifica-

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH~

tion." Following is a list of eight different kinds of baptism in the New Testament. Each may be correctly defined by this word "identification." a. The baptism of sin upon Christ at Cal¬ vary (Lk. 12:50). b. The baptism of the Holy Spirit upon believers at Pentecost (Mt. 3:11; Acts 1:5; 2:1-4). c. The baptism of all Christians by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ" (1 Cor. 12:13). d. The baptism of Israel unto Moses (1 Cor. 10:2). e. The baptism of John the Baptist (na¬ tional baptism of repentance) (Mk. 1:4; Acts 13:24). f. The baptism of Jesus. (1) With water by John (Mt. 3:15). (2) With the Holy Spirit by the Father (Mt. 3:16). g. The baptism for the dead (1 Cor. 15:29). h. The water baptism of new converts in the book of Acts. (1) At Pentecost. Here 3,000 were baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41). (2) At Samaria. Here many were bap¬ tized by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:12). (3) At Gaza. Here the Ethiopian eu¬ nuch was baptized by Philip (Acts 8:38). (4) At Damascus. Here Paul is bap¬ tized by Ananias (Acts 9:18). (5) At Caesarea. Here Peter baptized Cornelius and his friends (Acts 11:48). (6) At Philippi. Here Paul baptized Lydia and the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:15, 33). (7) At Corinth. Here Paul baptized Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and others (Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:14, 16). (8) At Ephesus. Here Paul baptized some followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:3-5). 3. The false views on baptism. a. That it is necessary for salvation. This is totally erroneous. Dozens of key pas¬ sages, such as Romans 4:1-6; Ephesians 2:8, 9; Titus 3:5, and many others make it clear that salvation is by grace through faith plus nothing. The strongest refutation of baptismal regeneration is found in 1 Corinthians 1:17: "For Christ sent me not to baptize, but to preach the gospel." In 1 Corinthi¬ ans 15:1-4 Paul explains what the gos¬ pel is, and baptism is definitely not a part of it (see also 1 Cor. 4:15). An oft-repeated "proof-text" for bap¬ tismal regeneration is Acts, 2:38: "Then Peter said unto them, repent, and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of

711

sins." The Greek preposition eis (here translated "for") can also be rendered, "because of," as it is in Matthew 12:41. In addition, the question asked in the preceding verse (Acts 2:37) is not the restricted "What must I do to be saved?" of Acts 16:30, but the broader: "What shall we do?" Hence, it is not strange that we have here a broader an¬ swer than in Acts 16:30. b. That it replaces circumcision. This can¬ not be, however, for several reasons. (1) Circumcision was performed upon male babies only, but in the New Testament we have the baptism of women mentioned (Acts 8:12; 16:14,15). (2) Circumcision had nothing to do with the faith of the baby. Only his nationality was in mind. (3) Baptism has nothing to do with the nationality of the believer. Only his faith is in mind. (4) Circumcision continued to be prac¬ ticed among Jewish believers even after the institution of baptism (Acts 16:3). 4. The scriptural view on baptism. a. That all believers be baptized. F.F. Bruce writes: "The idea of an unbap¬ tized Christian is simply not entertained in the New Testament" (The Book of the Acts, p. 77). Baptism is therefore not a personal choice, but a divine command. b. That only believers be baptized. The two words belief and baptism are insepa¬ rably linked together in the New Testa¬ ment. Belief is always assumed to be the root of which baptism becomes the fruit. Note: "Then they that gladly received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41). "But when they believed Philip preaching the things concerning the kingdom of God, and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women" (Acts 8:12). "And as they went on their way, they came unto a certain water: and the eunuch said. See, here is water; what doth hinder me to be baptized? And Philip said. If thou believest with all thine heart, thou mayest. And he answered and said, I believe that Jesus Christ is the Son of God. And he commanded the chariot to stand still: and they went down both into the water, both Philip and the eunuch: and he baptized him" (Acts 8:36-38). "And a certain woman named Lydia, a seller of purple, of the city of Thyatira, which worshipped God, heard us: whose heart the Lord opened, that she attended unto the things which were spoken of Paul.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

(4) The resurrection of Christ is seen in baptism. (5) Justification (the cross) and glorifi¬ cation (the crown) are in view in the Lord's Supper. (6) Sanctification is seen in baptism. "Therefore, we are buried with him by baptism into death, that as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Fa¬ ther, even so we also should walk in newness of life" (Rom. 6:4). 6. The purpose of baptism. Robert L. Saucy suggests a twofold purpose, a. Identification with the Savior. "Baptism is, therefore, first and fore¬ most, identification with Jesus Christ. By this act the initiate indi¬ cated that he was entering the realm of Christ's lordship and power. But not only was the name of Christ pro¬ nounced over the baptized, but the baptized also called upon the name of the Lord (Acts 22:16). In doing so, he openly confessed in penitence and faith his submission to the lordship of Jesus (cf. Rom. 10:9). It is, as Beasley-Murray aptly notes, the time when one who has been an enemy of Christ makes 'his final sur¬ render.' Baptism is therefore the sign of the working of the gospel in which God unites the believer to Himself through Christ, and the be¬ liever testifies to the subjective real¬ ity of that union in his life. Identification with Christ is also identification with His great saving acts. The waters of baptism are thus related to washing or cleansing from the defilement of sin (Acts 22:16; 1 Cor. 6:11; Heb. 10:22; cf. Acts 2:38). Even more often, however, in Scripture the baptismal act signifies the believer's death to the old life and his resurrection as a new crea¬ ture in union with Christ. The apos¬ tle bases his appeal to a holy life on the fact that 'we are buried with him by baptism into death: that like as Christ was raised up from the dead by the glory of the Father, even so we also should walk in newness of life' (Rom. 6:4). Similarly, to the Co¬ lossians he writes, 'having been bur¬ ied with Him in baptism, in which you were also raised up with Him through faith in the working of God, who raised Him from the dead' (Col. 2:12, NASB). Peter sees an analogy to baptism in the flood waters of judgment and death through which Noah was borne by the ark to a new life (1 Pet. 3:20 ff.). While cleansing from sin is the result of this partici-

And when she was baptized, and her household, she besought us, saying, If ye have judged me to be faithful to the Lord, come into my house, and abide there. And she con¬ strained us" (Acts 16:14, 15). "And brought them out, and said. Sirs, what must 1 do to be saved? And they said. Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved, and thy house. And they spake unto him the word of the Lord, and to all that were in his house. And he took them the same hour of the night, and washed their stripes; and was baptized, he and all his, straightway" (Acts 16:30-33). "And Crispus, the chief ruler of the synagogue, believed on the Lord with all his house; and many of the Corinthians hearing believed, and were baptized" (Acts 18:8). "Then said Paul, John verily bap¬ tized with the baptism of repen¬ tance, saying unto the people, that they should believe on him which should come after him, that is, on Christ Jesus. When they heard this, they were baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus" (Acts 19:4, 5). In the light of the Scriptures the prac¬ tice of baptizing infants must be com¬ pletely ruled out. 5. The symbolism of baptism. What exactly does baptism symbolize? One's interpreta¬ tion of this will determine his view on the mode of baptism also. Here are two views concerning the symbolism of baptism. a. The view of the affusionist. He is one who sprinkles or pours the baptismal water. The affusionist believes the ob¬ ject lying behind baptism is to repre¬ sent the coming of the Holy Spirit upon the believer. He reasons that inasmuch as Calvary is represented by one ordi¬ nance (the Lord's Supper) then there would be no need of a second ordi¬ nance representing the same event. b. The view of the immersionist. He is one who requires the complete submerging of the believer in water. The immer¬ sionist relates baptism to Christ's death, burial, and resurrection on the grounds that the believer is said to have been baptized into his death, burial, and res¬ urrection, according to Romans 6:1-10 and Colossians 2:11-13. While it is true that there is a similar¬ ity here to the Lord's Supper, there are also important differences. Note: (1) The Lord's Supper speaks primar¬ ily of Christ's death. (2) Baptism speaks primarily of the believer's death. (3) The return of Christ is seen in the Lord's Supper.

712

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

pation with Christ, the salvation ex¬ perience is, at its heart, the death of the old life and the resurrection to a new life in union with Christ. The importance of this understanding and its significance in understanding baptism is emphasized by Moule when he notes that 'as soon as bap¬ tism is treated chiefly as a cleansing, the tendency is to interpret it as a cleansing from past sins, with the corollary that thereafter the baptized must keep himself clean. But as long as membership in Christ is treated as a new life . . . the supernatural, wholly divine agency is more promi¬ nent.' " b. Identification with the church. "Identification with Christ is at the same time identification with His body, the church. Death and resur¬ rection with Christ refer not only to union with Christ but to a unity of Christ composed of many members. 'For as the body is one, and hath many members, and all the mem¬ bers of that one body, being many, are one body: so also is Christ' (1 Cor. 12:12; cf. Rom. 12:4, 5). One is not united to the Head without at the same time being united with the body. So Paul writes that all believ¬ ers in Christ are made into 'one new man' (Eph. 2:15). Since baptism signifies the inward reality of the participation into His body, it was the normal initiatory rite into the visible body. In this act the new converts were identified outwardly with the fellowship of be¬ lievers (Acts 2:41). Not only is the individual transition from the old life to new life made public in bap¬ tism, but the transition from union with the world to that of the com¬ munity of believers is proclaimed as well. In the rite of baptism the be¬ liever took his stand with the disci¬ ples of Christ." (The Church in God's Program, pp. 194, 195) XIII. The Worship of the Church. "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name: worship the Lord in the beauty of holi¬ ness" (Ps. 29:2). "But the hour cometh, and now is when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. God is a Spirit: and they that wor¬ ship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:23, 24). A. The definition of worship. There are three Greek verbs translated by the one English word "worship." These words are: 1. Proskuneo: "to bow or prostrate oneself in submissive lowliness and deep reverence." 2. Sebomai: "to look upon with awe." 3. Latreuo: "to render service for."

713

Andrew W. Blackwood has defined it thus: "Worship is man's response to God's revelation of Himself." To worship God is therefore to as¬ cribe to him the supreme homage of which he alone is worthy. B. The importance of worship. The difference be¬ tween Adam and all other creatures in the Gar¬ den was not in his size or strength, but in his ability (and command) to worship the Creator. C. The reasons for worship. 1. We are to worship God for his work in cre¬ ation. "O come, let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our Maker" (Ps. 95:6). "The four and twenty elders fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying. Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:10, 11; see also Ps. 8). 2. We are to worship God for his work in re¬ demption. "And they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by the blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev. 5:9). D. The elements in worship. How are New Testa¬ ment church members to worship God? What characteristics should be seen in their personal lives and in their local assemblies? How can true worship best be effected in the church? 1. Through the ministering of God's Word. a. It should be studied (Acts 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:15; 3:15). b. It should be read (Col. 4:16; 1 Thess. 5:27; 1 Tim. 4:13; Rev. 1:3). c. It should be taught (Acts 2:42; 6:7; 12:24; 18:28; 19:20; 1 Tim. 4:6; 2 Tim. 1:13; 2:2). d. It should be preached (2 Tim. 4:2). 2. Through the keeping of the ordinances. a. The ordinance of baptism. b. The ordinance of the Lord's Supper. 3. Through the singing of psalms, hymns, and spiritual songs. (See Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16; Jas. 5:13). Robert Saucy writes: "The many doxologies extolling the 'blessedness' (Rom. 1:25; 9:5; 2 Cor. 11:31; Eph. 1:3) and 'glory' of God (Rom. 11:36; Gal. 1:5; Phil. 4:20; 2 Tim. 4:18), which occur at the beginning as well as within and at the end of the New Testament epistles are expressive of what took place in the worship services." (The Church in God's Program, p. 184) 4. Through the lifting up of prayers, interces¬ sions, supplications, and thanksgivings. (See Acts 2:42, 46; 3:1; 4:31; Eph. 6:18; Phil. 4:6; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:1, 2, 8.) 5. Through the offering up of sacrifices. Ac¬ cording to 1 Peter 2:5-9 and Revelation 1:6,

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

group is unhappy because they didn't get those things they wanted, while the second group is sad because they did. 3. I must refuse to substitute silver for the Savior (see Lk. 16:13; 1 Tim. 6:10, 17). 4. I must believe that God will graciously sup¬ ply all my needs that I cannot honestly pro¬ vide for myself (Mt. 6:31, 32; Phil 4:19). 5. The pattern of giving. a. The example of the Macedonians (2 Cor. 8:1-3). b. The example of the Father (2 Cor. 9:15). c. The example of the Son (2 Cor. 8:9). 6. The plan of giving. Our giving should be systematic (1 Cor. 16:2). 7. The paradox of giving. A paradox is an ap¬ parent (but not real) contradiction. Here is the paradox. If I have $100 and give God $15 I should wind up with $85. But some¬ how that $85 will, in the long run, pay more bills and buy more necessities than the original $100 could possibly have done. The classic example of this is the two small fishes and five barley loaves given to Christ by a little boy (Jn. 6:9-13; see also Prov. 11:24, 25). 8. The purpose of giving. a. That God's work might be supported (1 Tim. 5:17, 18). b. That our lives might be blessed (Prov. 3:9,10; 28:20; Mai. 3:10; Lk. 6:38; 2 Cor. 9:6). c. That other Christians might be chal¬ lenged (2 Cor. 9:2). Paul encourages the Corinthian church to continue to collect their love offering for the needy saints, pointing out that in doing this their "zeal hath provoked very many" (2 Cor. 9:2). d. That the Father might be glorified (2 Cor. 9:12). e. That needy saints may be provided for (Acts 11:29; 1 Jn. 3:17). 9. The privilege of giving. Whether we realize it or not, God does not need our money. (See Ps. 50:12-15.) But he has graciously al¬ lowed us to give back to him—and actually get credit for it—that which is already his! 10. The pleasure of giving. "Every man accord¬ ing as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:7; see also 2 Cor. 8:11, 12). XV. The Discipline of the Church. A. The definition of discipline. To discipline is to penalize an individual for breaking the laws of a unit of society to which he belongs with the view of restoring him back to those laws. B. The basis of discipline. The basis of discipline of a local church is the holiness of God. "Thy testimonies are very sure; holiness becometh thine house, O Lord, forever" (Ps. 93:5). "Because it is written, be ye holy; for I am holy" (1 Pet. 1:16). To take this holiness lightly is to invite disci¬ pline (Heb. 10:30; 1 Pet. 4:17).

every New Testament believer is a priest unto God. The main function of the Old Testament priest was to sacrifice. So it is with the New Testament priests. Their priestly service toward God is fourfpld. a. The sacrifice of our bodies (Rom. 12:1). b. The sacrifice of our praise (Heb. 13:15). c. The sacrifice of our good works (Heb. 13:16). d. The sacrifice of our substance (Phil. 4:18). XIV. The Stewardship of the Church. "Let a man so account of us, as of the ministers of Christ, and stewards of the mysteries of God. Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful" (1 Cor. 4:1, 2). ". . . as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10). In the New Testament world a steward was the manager of a household or estate. He was ap¬ pointed by the owner and entrusted to keep the estate running smoothly. Both Paul and Peter write with this background in view, reminding us we are God's stewards. The estate responsibilities en¬ trusted to us are threefold. A. How we use our time. Pastor David Jeremiah writes: "There is a gift which comes to us from a royal source each day of our lives, bright and sparkling, absolutely untouched, un¬ spoiled. What is this gift? The priceless gift of time. Each day we receive a fresh, new supply—24 hours, 1,440 minutes, 86,400 seconds. Twenty-four hours we have never lived before—twenty-four hours we shall never live again." (Biblical Stewardship, p. 9) B. How we use our talents (see Mt. 25:14-30; Lk. 12:37; 1 Cor. 4:7; 7:7). Pastor Jeremiah points out the following: 1. God has wisely given each individual a tal¬ ent or talents to use for His glory. 2. What we do with what we have will be the basis of our judgment. 3. If we do not use our talent for God we will lose it. C. How we use our money. "In the New Testament there are thirtyeight parables. Twelve of these are about money. One out of every six verses in Mat¬ thew, Mark and Luke has to do with money. Because 100% of what we have comes from God, we are responsible to use it all wisely and in accordance with God's will. Like ev¬ ery other area of stewardship, God is inter¬ ested in the whole picture, not just a percentage. What we do with all our trea¬ sure is important to Him!" (Biblical Steward¬ ship, p. 23) How do I feel about money? 1. I must recognize that money comes from God (Deut. 8:18; 1 Chron. 29:11, 12; Jas. 1:17). 2. I must recognize that money in itself cannot satisfy (Isa. 55:1, 2). It has been said that there are two kinds of unhappy people on this earth. The first

714

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE CHURCH

C. The authority of discipline. The ultimate au¬ thority resides in Christ, who authorizes his church to exercise it when needed (Mt. 16:19; 18:17-20; 1 Cor. 5:4). D. The recipients of discipline. Who demands church discipline? 1. Troublemakers and those who sow discord (Prov. 6:16, 19; Rom. 16:17). 2. The unruly, disorderly, and undisciplined (1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Thess. 3:6, 11). 3. Those who disobey the great doctrines of the faith (2 Thess. 3:14). 4. Those who deny the great doctrines of the faith (1 Tim. 6:3, 5; 2 Tim. 2:16-18; Titus 3:10; 2 Jn. 1:10, 11; Rev. 2:14). 5. The immoral (1 Cor. 5:1-5). E. The procedures in discipline. Church discipline is to be handled prayerfully, carefully, and just¬ ly1. First step: Note and mark those who are in need of discipline (Rom. 16:17; 2 Thess. 3:14). 2. Second step: Arrange a private meeting with the offender (Mt. 18:15). 3. Third step: If this fails, set up a second meeting, this time with several others pre¬ sent (Mt. 18:16). During these preliminary private and semiprivate meetings the indi¬ vidual should be repeatedly admonished (Titus 3:10), rebuked (2 Tim. 4:2), and warned (1 Thess. 5:14). 4. Fourth step: As a final resort, the unrepen¬ tant one is to be brought before the entire church (Mt. 18:17; 1 Tim. 5:20). 5. Fifth step: Upon refusal to submit to church discipline the guilty party is to be spiritu¬ ally excommunicated. This constitutes two fearful things, a denial and a deliverance. a. He is to be denied Christian fellowship. (1) "Avoid them" (Rom. 17:17). (2) "Withdraw yourselves from" (2 Thess. 3:6). (3) "From such withdraw thyself" (1 Tim. 6:3, 5). (4) "Reject" (Titus 3:10). (5) "Have no company with him" (2 Thess. 3:14). b. He is to be delivered over to Satan. "To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:5). "Of whom is Hymeneus and Alexander: whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme" (1 Tim. 1:20). What does it mean to do this? The Greek word for destruction in 1 Corin¬ thians 5:5 is olethros, a reference to the act of spoiling or marring something. Apparently Paul was here saying, "If this fellow (the church irjember living in adultery) is having so much fun in his sin, then remove him entirely from your fellowship and let Satan kick him

715

around a little! Let him taste what it's like to face a hostile world without the prayers and ministry of a local church." Thus, when a local Bible-believing church removes a person like this, it lit¬ erally fulfills the divine command of Job 2:6, "And the Lord said unto Satan, behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life." F. The heart attitude in discipline. 1. We are to avoid both vengeance and arro¬ gance. "Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness, consid¬ ering thyself, lest thou also be tempted" (Gal. 6:1). 2. We are to view the individual as an erring brother and not a bitter enemy. "Yet count him not as an enemy, but admonish him as a brother" (2 Thess. 3:15). 3. We are to approach him with sorrow and not sarcasm (see 1 Cor. 5:2; 2 Cor. 2:4). 4. We are to be ready to forgive him when repentance occurs (2 Cor. 2:7; 7:10, 11). This last attitude is of supreme importance for two reasons. a. Lest perhaps such a one should be swal¬ lowed up with overmuch sorrow (2 Cor. 2:7). b. Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his de¬ vices. (2 Cor. 2:11). G. The purpose of discipline. 1. It is to maintain the standards of the church to a watching world (Mt. 5:13-16; Acts 5:1-16; Rom. 2:24). 2. It is to keep sin from spreading throughout the church (Josh. 7:3; 1 Cor. 5:6, 7). 3. It is to help the guilty person find his way back to God. (2 Cor. 2:6-8). 4. It is to escape God's twofold judgment upon habitually sinning saints. a. Sickness (1 Cor. 11:30). b. Physical death (1 Cor. 11:30). "For if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged" (1 Cor. 11:31). H. The scope of discipline. The church is called upon to discipline (if needed) all believers, but only believers. It has no authority to judge indi¬ vidual worldly unbelievers for their smoking, swearing, sexual activities, etc. Its only duty to an unsaved person is to lead him or her to Jesus Christ. I. The reaction to discipline. How is the guilty person to react when disciplined by either God himself or by a local church? 1. He can despise it, that is, treat it too lightly (as did Esau concerning his birthright; Heb. 12:5). 2. He can faint under it, that is, treat it too seriously (Heb. 12:5). 3. He can be exercised by it (Heb. 12:10, 11). The real question is not so much what I

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

have done wrong (though this, of course, is important), but what is my attitude about it. XVI. The Warfare of the Church. A. Our enemy—the devil (Eph. 5:10-18). 1. His cohorts: "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the dark¬ ness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). a. Principalities. A possible reference to Satan's "generals" who have the over¬ sight of entire nations (see Dan. 10). b. Powers. May speak of his "privates" who possess human beings (see Mt. 17; Mk. 5). c. World rulers. Those demons in charge of Satan's worldly business. d. Spiritual wickedness. Those demons in charge of worldly religion. 2. His tactics: a. "The wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). Greek scholar K. Wuest writes: "Wiles is melhodeia in the Greek, re¬ ferring to 'cunning arts, deceit, craft, trickery.' It means to follow up, or investigate by method and settled plan, to follow craftily, frame de¬ vices, deceive." (Ephesians and Colossians, p. 141) (See also 2 Cor. 2:11; 1 Tim. 3:7.) b. "The fiery darts of the wicked" (6:16). This has reference to arrows tipped with tar, pitch, or such material, then set on fire before they were discharged (see also 1 Pet. 1:7; 4:12). B. Our equipment—the armor of God (Eph. 6:11, 13-17). Let us carefully note each piece of ar¬ mor mentioned here. Paul very obviously takes those pieces of armor worn by the Roman sol¬ dier and makes spiritual application to each one. 1. The girdle of truth. Expositor's Commentary says: "First in the list of these articles of equipment mentioned is the girdle. Ap¬ propriately so; for the soldier might be furnished with every other part of his equipment, and yet, wanting his girdle, would be neither fully clothed nor se¬ curely armed. His belt was no mere adornment of the soldier, but an essential part of his equipment. Passing round the loins and by the end of the breastplate (in later times supporting the sword), it was of special use in keeping other parts in place, and in securing the proper sol¬ dierly attitude and freedom of move¬ ment." Truth, as mentioned here, probably re¬ fers to truthfulness as found in a Christian. Thus a believer whose life is tainted with deceit and falsehood forfeits the very thing which holds other pieces of his armor to¬ gether.

716

2. The breastplate of righteousness. This speaks of right acts as practiced by the be¬ liever. The breastplate was to protect the heart of the soldier. Thus, unrighteous acts committed by a Christian rob him of this vital protection and expose his spiritual heart to Satan. (See Heb. 10:22; 13:9; Jas. 1:26; 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:19-22). 3. The sandals of the gospel. The Roman sol¬ dier wore sandals which were bound by thongs over the instep and around the an¬ kle, and the soles were thickly studded with nails. This gave him a firm footing in time of attack. This may refer to the assur¬ ance and confidence which come from knowing the great doctrinal truths associ¬ ated with the gospel. (See Eph. 4:14; 1 Pet. 3:15.) 4. The shield of faith. K. Wuest writes: "The word shield used here designated the shield of the heavy infantry, a large, oblong one, four by two and one half feet, sometimes curved on the inner side." Hebrews 11 is a commentary on this piece of armor. 5. The helmet of salvation. The helmet, of course, protected the head and brain. This piece (like the sandals) may refer to the in¬ take of Bible doctrine, lest one's eyes be blinded, his ears deafened, and his mind confused with the attacks from the world, the flesh, and the devil. 6. The sword of the spirit. Here is the only offensive weapon listed among the various pieces of armor. The rest are defensive in nature. The sword of the Spirit is identified as the Word of God (see Heb. 4:12). This, then, is the armor the Christian is com¬ manded to wear. K. Wuest writes concerning the com¬ mand in Ephesians 6:13; "Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God": "Take unto you is analambano, meaning, 'to take up in order to use'.... The verb is aorist imperative, which construction issues a command given with military snap and curtness, a command to be obeyed at once and once for all. Thus, the Christian is to take up and put on all the armor of God as a once-for-all act and keep the armor on during the entire course of his life, not relaxing the disci¬ pline necessary for the constant use of such protection. The historian Gibbon relates how the relaxation of discipline and disuse of exercise rendered soldiers less willing and less able to support the fatigue of service. They complained of the weight of armor, and obtained per¬ mission to lay aside much of it." (Ephe¬ sians and Colossians, p. 142) C. Our exhortation—the trio of success. 1. We are to stand. No less than four times does Paul exhort us to do this (vs. 11, 13, 14). The believer is never told to attack the devil, but to withstand and resist him (see

~

the doctrine of the church -

1 Pet. 5:8, 9). Thus, when tempted to do wrong, we should flee as did Joseph (Gen. 39:12), but when attacked by Satan for doing right, we should stand firm as did Daniel's three friends (Dan. 3). 2. We are to pray. (See Mt. 17:21; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:8; Jude 20.) 3. We are to watch. (See Mt. 24:43; Lk. 12:37-40; Acts 20:31; 1 Cor. 16:13; 2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27; 1 Thess. 5:6; 2 Tim. 4:5; 1 Pet. 4:7; Rev. 3:2; 16:15.) We may thus conclude that both watching and praying are the di¬ vine twin secrets for overcoming: a. The world (Mk. 13:33). b. The flesh (Mk. 14:38). c. The devil (Eph. 6:18). XVII. The Destiny of the Church. Everyone likes a story that has a happy ending. The story of the church has such a happy ending. The Bridegroom gets the

717

bride and together they live happily ever after! The glorious destiny of the church is as follows: A. To be caught up by the Bridegroom at the rap¬ ture (1 Cor. 15:51-53; 1 Thess. 4:15-17; Rev. 4:1). B. To be examined and rewarded at the judgment seat of Christ (Rom. 14:10-12; 1 Cor. 3:13; 2 Cor. 5:10). C. To be united with Christ at the marriage service of the Lamb (2 Cor. 11:2; Eph. 5:22-32; Rev. 19:7, 8). D. To be seated with Christ at the marriage supper of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). E. To reign with Christ during the millennium (Rev. 1:6; 3:21; 20:6). F. To share the New Jerusalem with Christ throughout all eternity (Rev. 21:1, 2, 9-27). G. To illustrate the glory of Christ throughout all eternity (Eph. 1:6, 12; 2:1-7; 3:10).

THE DOCTRINE OF SIN

"Which Judas, by transgression fell" (Acts 1:25). "If thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law" (Jas. 2:11). f' This emphasizes the positive aspect of sin. Various theological definitions of sin would in¬ clude: "Sin is lack of conformity to the moral law of God, either in act, disposition, or state" (A. H. Strong). "Sin is a transgression of, or want of con¬ formity to the divine law" (Charles Hodge). "Sin may be defined ultimately as anything in the creature which does not express, or which is contrary to, the holy character of the Creator" 0ames Oliver Buswell, Jr.). "Sin is a restless unwillingness on the part of the creature to abide in the sphere and limitation in which the Creator, guided by in¬ finite wisdom, had placed him" (L. S. Chafer). II. The Origin of Sin. A. The origin of sin into the universe. According to five key biblical passages of Scripture, a powerful angelic creature named Lucifer once (perhaps be¬ fore the creation of the earth) led a wicked revolt against Jehovah God himself in an insane at¬ tempt to dethrone the rightful King, the Lord Jesus Christ. While this treachery proved unsuc¬ cessful, it did, nevertheless, introduce into the universe a new evil element hitherto unknown. This perverted principle was sin. Lucifer degen¬ erated into the devil and became, therefore, the source and strength of sin. The five biblical passages previously mentioned are: Ezekiel 28:11-19; Isaiah 14:12-15; Luke 10:18; 1 John 3:8; Revelation 12:3, 4. B. The origin of sin into the world. While an angel introduced sin into the universe, it was a man who invited it into the world. In the Old Testa¬ ment Moses describes the act historically, and in the New Testament Paul describes it theologi¬ cally. "And the Lord God commanded the man say¬ ing, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen. 2:16, 17). "And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat" (Gen. 3:6).

THE DOCTRINE OF SIN The word "sin" is found hundreds of times in the Bible in both Old and New Testaments. Its first mention is in Gen¬ esis 4:7, where it is said to have been lurking at the door of the world's first murderer, Cain. The second reference is found in Genesis 18:20, where it causes the fiery and fearsome destruction of Sodom. The final mention is in Revelation 18:5, where it brings down the full wrath of an angry God upon the political and eco¬ nomic systems of this entire world. What is this deadly and damnable thing that is so hated by God and so harmful to man? The very word carries with it the hissing sound of a vicious viper. Some twenty centuries ago the angel Gabriel appeared to a troubled carpenter named Joseph to reassure him of the purity of Mary. "Joseph, thou son of David, fear not to take unto thee Mary, thy wife, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit. And she shall bring forth a son, and thou shalt call his name Jesus; for he shall save his peo¬ ple from their sins" (Mt. 1:20, 21). Approximately thirty years after this angelic announce¬ ment, this babe, who had now grown into strong man¬ hood, was publicly introduced by John the Baptist in the following manner: "Behold, the Lamb of God, who taketh away the sin of the world" (Jn. 1:29). From these verses we are told that the basic reason for the incarnation of God's Son was to deal with this terrible thing called sin. I. The Definition and Meaning of Sin. There are two words in the Greek New Testament which perhaps most closely define sin: A. Hamartema—"to miss a mark." Here sin may be pictured as any attitude or act of man which does not hit the bull's eye of God's glory target. This meaning is strongly brought out by Paul in Ro¬ mans 3:23, "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." The secular use of its verbal form is illustrated in Judges 20:16, where it is stated that the tribe of Benjamin had a corps of left-handed warriors who "could sling stones at a hair-breadth and not miss." B. Parabasis—"to overstep a forbidden line." Ac¬ cording to this definition, sin occurs when man deliberately (or accidentally) steps over the line of the law of God. The following passages bring this out: "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law" (1 Jn. 3:4).

718

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THE DOCTRINE OF SIN-

"Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). "For as in Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22). Lewis Chafer writes: "The essential fact, which cannot be restated too often, is that, in his temptation, Satan pro¬ posed to the first parents that they adopt the precise course he had himself espoused and pursued, which was to assume independence of God by departing from His will and pur¬ pose. Short-sighted ambition doubly blinded by unholy pride was willing to exchange the perfection of estate and destiny which the in¬ finite love, wisdom, and power of the Creator has designed, for the wretched warfare of a self-centered life with its eternal agonizing ex¬ perience in death. Evidently the whole truth was not displayed before these human beings. They were told that they would be like Elohim (Gen. 3:5), but only in one respect—their eyes would be open and they would know good and evil, they were, as created, experiencing the good; as fallen they would experience the evil. They had nothing to gain but rather everything to lose. The creature, whether an¬ gel or human, is by creation not only the property of the Creator by rights more vital than any other, but, as created, the creature is wholly dependent on the Creator. This rela¬ tionship was blessed indeed before the fall and engendered no offense. By repudiating God through disobedience, Adam and Eve embarked upon a tempest-tossed, shoreless sea without compass, rudder, or helm. Such a course could only lead to ignominious failure and to the final judgments of the One whom they had rejected and abjured. The truth that sin is insanity is thus fully demonstrated. In the last analysis, there are but two phi¬ losophies of life. One is to be conformed to the will of God which is the original divine arrangement, the other is to forsake the Cre¬ ator and renounce His authority and purpose. In respect to the latter philosophy, it may be said that there is probably no pride so despi¬ cable as that which resents the authority of the Creator and which presumes to devise a program of life and achievement which is a substitute for the original plan and purpose of God. One philosophy is satanic, and this hid¬ eous fact is not changed even though the whole human race has embraced the satanic ideal. Appearing in the Garden, Satan brought no great volume elucidating his phi¬ losophy. Having led up to his ignoble proposi¬ tion with such strategy as only Satan can command—he appealed to natural desires, he belittled sin, he attacked the character of God by intimating that God is untrustworthy and unloving—he proposed a likeness to Elohim. The translation 'Be as gods' is most mislead¬ ing. The original text says, 'Be as Elohim.' The satanic philosophy is expressed perfectly in these brief words and it leads on, regardless of I

719

a moment of satisfaction of self and pride, to the lake of fire, and the same end is an¬ nounced for all, angels or human beings, who adopt and pursue this course to its bitter end. Satan's purpose did not consist merely in rejecting God; he was designing a vast cosmos world system in which he proposed to utilize and misappropriate the elements which be¬ long to God's creation, which, in themselves, are good. Satan creates nothing. No step in the satanic cosmos project was more essential than that he should secure the allegiance of humanity. The issues at stake in the Garden of Eden were, in respect to Satan's career, such as would determine his realization of his whole undertaking. He must gain supremacy over man or fail completely. Little did Adam and Eve realize that, so far from attaining in¬ dependence, they were becoming bondslaves to sin and Satan." (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, pp. 249, 250) Berkhof suggests the following along this line: "The fall of man was occasioned by the temp¬ tation of the serpent, who sowed in man's mind the seeds of distrust and unbelief. Though it was undoubtedly the intention of the tempter to cause Adam, the head of the covenant, to fall, yet he addressed himself to Eve, probably because (a) she was not the head of the covenant and therefore would not have the same sense of responsibility; (b) she had not received the command of God di¬ rectly but only indirectly, and would conse¬ quently be more susceptible to argumentation and doubt; and (c) she would undoubtedly prove to be the most effective agent in reach¬ ing the heart of Adam. The course followed by the tempter is quite clear. In the first place he sows the seeds of doubt by calling the good intention of God in question and suggesting that His command was really an infringement of man's liberty and rights. When he notices from the re¬ sponse of Eve that the seed has taken root, he adds the seeds of unbelief and pride, denying that transgression will result in death, and clearly intimating that the command was prompted by the selfish purpose of keeping man in subjection. He asserts that by eating from the tree man would become like God. The high expectations thus engendered in¬ duced Eve to look intently at the tree, and the longer she looked, the better the fruit seemed to her. Finally, desire got the upper hand, and she ate and also gave unto her husband, and he ate." (Systematic Theology, p. 223) III. The Nature of Sin. A. Sin is not eternal. In the third century a Persian philosopher named Manes developed a school of thought called Manichaeism. This taught in es¬ sence that there are two dual eternal and imper¬ sonal principles which exist side by side in this universe. One is the principle of good, and the other the principle of evil. B. Sin is not merely the absence of good. Some teach that as darkness is merely the absence of

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C.

D.

E.

F.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

light, sin is simply the nonpresence of goodness. This is unscriptural, for sin is as real and positive to the soul of man as cancer and leprosy are to his physical body. Sin is not simply the weakness or frailty of the human flesh. This false view would see sin as mere frailties of the flesh such as hunger, thirst, and weariness. Sin has no standard of its own. Sin must derive its measurements from that which is positive or good. One may assume good apart from evil (which indeed was true historically), but evil can¬ not exist apart from good. By its very nature sin (and evil) must oppose and pervert something its opposite. Every sin is, in reality, a perversion of some good principle. Sin and evil cannot really manifest themselves as such, but must (to some extent) be disguised as good. For example. Hitler's stated reason for the sys¬ tematic slaughter of untold Jews and East Euro¬ peans was for the "protection and good" of his own people, Germany. A rebel feels free to rape and burn in order to "awaken the conscience" of a careless society un¬ concerned about the "plight" of his particular minority group. A hijacker threatens and terrifies an entire passenger plane to "correct" the wrongs a certain government may have done in holding some "in¬ nocent" political prisoners. Thus, even in a sin-cursed world, evil dare not expose itself in the raw, as the vicious and vile wolf it really is, but is forced to assume in some form the garb of a sheep. Sin must not only disguise itself as the good, but must also actually connect itself to the good. In itself it has no unifying power. Here sin may be likened to a virus, and the good to a healthy cell. Much research is now going on concerning the nature and makeup of a virus. Some believe it is a bridge between the living and non-living. A virus contains DNA (deoxyribonucleic acid), that necessary genetic code of all living organisms, but it has no sugar or fat molecules, nor does it possess nucleotides or amino acids. It can play dead like a crystal for long duration. Upon being revived, it fastens to the wall of a living cell like a mosquito, driving a tubular shaft in and injecting its own DNA genes. These genes take over the total function of the cell, gathering free-floating nucleotides and produce copies of the original virus. The virus even secretes an enzyme which breaks down existing cell DNA and uses this for itself. When several hundred virus DNAs have been assembled, the cell is milked dry. Then the origi¬ nal virus (outside the cell wall) secretes a final enzyme which dissolves the cell wall. An army of virus particles march forth, each seeking new cells to invade, leaving behind the empty broken husk of what had been, an hour before, a healthy, living cell. The operation is simple, ruth¬ less, and effective.

720

Therefore (as we have already said) sin must disguise itself as and connect itself to the good. But not so with the good, which has no connec¬ tion whatsoever with evil, and cannot disguise itself but must be manifested by its true nature. G. A feature of evil not usually considered is that it must often strive against itself. For example, a miser is at variance with a spendthrift. A proud stoic will view with con¬ tempt a glutton. A promiscuous heterosexual is sickened at the sexual perversions of a homosex¬ ual. But this is not so with the good, where all its elements and attributes complement and do not contradict each other. Love, grace, truth, wisdom, righteousness, and justice are all the closest of friends. Thus, good has only one enemy, the evil, but any given evil has two enemies, the good and another conflicting evil. A classic example of this was seen during World War II when the two most wicked men on earth hated each other with a passion seldom seen. These two bitter enemies were Adolf Hitler and Joseph Stalin. H. Even though we have used sin and evil inter¬ changeably thus far, the terms are sometimes to be distinguished from each other. For example, sin is not always the exact same thing as evil. We often refer to cyclones, floods, fires, earthquakes, and such as evil, and well they may be. But these cannot be called sin. This fact should be understood, as many Christians have been troubled and confused over the words of God in Isaiah 45:7, where we read: "I form the light, and create darkness: I make peace and create evil. I the Lord do all these things." Here the Hebrew word ra is used, which can also be translated "calamity." Thus, while we read of God creating evil, the Scriptures assure us he does not create sin. (See 2 Cor. 5:21; Titus 1:2; Heb. 4:15; 6:18; Jas. 1:13; 1 Pet. 2:22; 1 Jn. 3:5.) IV. The Universality of Sin. The indisputable fact that all men are sinners is attested to by the following five sources: A. The testimony of history. It has been estimated that some forty billion human beings have lived (or are living) upon this earth since Adam. It would not be unreasonable to suggest that per¬ haps one third of these forty billion people lost their lives at the hand of another human being. Hundreds of millions of living flesh-and-blood creatures have been stabbed, stoned, strangled, shot, gassed, bombed, burned, buried alive, hung, and drowned by other living flesh-andblood creatures. B. The testimony of conscience. How often has man's built-in "sin gauge" smote him to despair and even to suicide over his sinful actions. TJiis club of conscience strikes all men, regardless of their brains, brawn, bloodstream, or banking powers. Thus, while the voice of conscience can be defiled, it cannot be denied. C. The testimony of religions. Louis Berkhof writes the following: "The history of religions and of philosophy testify to it. The history of religions testifies to

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THE DOCTRINE OF SIN

the universality of sin. The question of Job, 'How shall a man be just with God?' is a ques¬ tion that was asked not merely in the realm of special revelation, but also outside of it in the Gentile world. The heathen religions testify to a universal consciousness of sin and of the need of reconciliation with a Supreme Being. There is a general feeling that the gods are offended and must be propitiated in some way. There is a universal voice of conscience, testifying to the fact that man falls short of the ideal and stands condemned in the sight of some higher Power. Altars reeking with the blood of sacrifices, often the sacrifices of dear children, repeated confessions of wrong¬ doing, and prayers for deliverance from evil— all point to the consciousness of sin. Mission¬ aries find this wherever they go. The history of philosophy is indicative of the same fact. Early Greek philosophers were already wres¬ tling with the problem of moral evil, and since their day no philosopher of name was able to ignore it. They were all constrained to admit the universality of it, and that in spite of the fact they were not able to explain the phe¬ nomenon. There was, it is true, a superficial optimism in the eighteenth century, which dreamt of the inherent goodness of man, but in its stupidity flew in the face of the facts and was sharply rebuked by Kant. Many liberal theologians were induced to believe and to preach this inherent goodness of man as gos¬ pel truth, but today many of them qualify it as one of the most pernicious errors of the past. Surely the facts of life do not warrant such optimism." (Systematic Theology, pp. 239, 240) D. The testimony of the Scriptures. 1. General statements concerning the sinful¬ ness of man. "For there is no man that sinneth not" (1 Ki. 8:46). "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" (Prov. 20:9). "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not" (Eccl. 7:20). "All we like sheep have gone astray" (Isa. 53:6). "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniq¬ uities like the wind, have taken us away" (Isa. 64:6). "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin" (Gal. 3:22). "For in many things we offend all" (Jas. 3:2). "If we say that we have no sin, we de¬ ceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8).

721

"If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:10). 2. Personal statements concerning the sinful¬ ness of man. On at least eight separate occasions in the Bible an individual is forced to utter those three tragic but true words, "I have sinned." a. Pharaoh (Ex. 9:27; 10:16) b. Balaam (Num. 22:34) c. Achan (Josh. 7:20) d. Saul (1 Sam. 26:21) e. David (2 Sam. 12:13; 24:10) f. Job (7:29; see 27:6; 40:3, 4; 42:6) g. the prodigal son (Lk. 15:21) h. Judas (Mt. 27:4) A double tragedy is seen here, for out of these eight confessions, it would seem only three really were sincere and experienced the forgiveness of a gracious God. E. The testimony of our children. The good must be taught to our children. The bad they know al¬ ready. Sharing is not natural, but selfishness is. V. The Exceeding Sinfulness of Sin. There are two un¬ fathomable areas which even the most spiritual be¬ liever can but penetrate slightly. One is the lofty heights of the Creator's holiness. The other is the fearful depths of the creature's sinfulness. Scripture offers three major proofs and illustrations of the ex¬ ceeding sinfulness of sin. A. The angelic proof. Consider a kindly and highly experienced craftsman creating a magnificent fig¬ ure from out of nothing. Upon its creation this figure is given life, covered with dazzling pre¬ cious gems, and equipped with a beautiful musi¬ cal system. The craftsman then places his newly created being over all the universe, to rule (under him) and to enjoy. Millions of other created be¬ ings look to this creature for guidance. His only responsibility is to faithfully serve his wise and wonderful Creator. But one dark day, for abso¬ lutely no reason whatsoever, this privileged being who had received so much from the crafts¬ man, viciously lashes out against his benevolent benefactor and leads a wicked rebellion to drive him from the very universe he originally created. What base and perverted ingratitude all this would display. And yet, such was the case when Lucifer rebelled against his mighty Creator, Jeho¬ vah God. The depths and depravity of this sin, in light of its background, can never be compre¬ hended by any creature, angelic or human (Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19). B. The human proof. L. S. Chafer writes: "One individual, the first of the human cre¬ ation, committed one sin and that sin being apparently so innocuous men are prone to ridicule the thought that God would notice it at all; yet that one sin is, according to divine estimation, sufficiently evil to cause the de¬ generacy and depravity of the unfallen person who committed the sin, and to cause un¬ counted millions of his posterity to suffer in the flesh and die, and the vast majority of them to spend eternity in the realms of woe." (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, p. 252)

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

C. The divine proof. "The Son of God suffered to an infinite de¬ gree and died on the cross because of sin. There was no other way whereby redemption could be secured. However, had there never been but one sin committed in this world, the same depths of suffering and death by the Son of God would have been required as a righteous ground for divine forgiveness of that one sin and the justification of that sin¬ ner." (Ibid., p. 252) VI. The Consequences of Sin. A. Upon Lucifer. As Lucifer was the first sinner, he naturally experienced the first terrible results of sin. 1. Immediate consequences: Lucifer lost his coveted position as heaven's anointed cherub (Ezek. 28:14) and became earth's depraved dragon (Rev. 12:7). 2. Future consequences: The devil will someday be forever cast into the lake of fire, a place God himself prepared for the universe's first sinner (Mt. 25:41; Rev. 20:10). B. Upon man. When Adam opened the door for sin, two vicious criminals also rushed in and immedi¬ ately began tormenting the human race. The names of these two terrible gangsters are phys¬ ical death and spiritual death. In the Bible the theological meaning for death is "separation." 1. Physical death: God created Adam with the possibilities of living forever (Gen. 2:9) but Adam sinned (Gen. 3:19) and therefore had to later experience physical death, that is, the separation of his body and soul (Gen. 5:5; Ps. 90:10; Jn. 19:30). 2. Spiritual death: Because of sin, all unsaved people will someday be forever separated from God in the lake of fire. This is referred to as the second death (Mt. 7:23; 25:41; Rev. 2:11; 20:6, 14; 21:8). It should be furthermore stated that, although the second death as mentioned above is still future for the sinner, the Bible nevertheless teaches that all un¬ saved people right now are considered by God to be dead in trespasses and sins and separated even at this present time from his fellowship (Eph. 2:1-12). Both physical and spiritual death seem to be in the mind of God when he warned Adam about the con¬ sequences of sin. The Hebrew of Genesis 2:17 may be translated, "For in the day that thou eatest thereof, in dying thou shalt surely die." In summary it may be said then that sin: a. Dulls man's ears (Acts 28:27). b. Darkens his eyes (Eph. 4:18). c. Diverts his feet (Isa. 53:6). d. Defiles his tongue (Rom. 3:13, 14). e. Deceives his heart (Jer. 17:9). f. Devours his intellect (1 Cor. 2:14). g. Dooms his soul (Ezek. 18:4). C. Upon nature. After sin, man's paradise became a wilderness. The roses contained thorns and the docile tiger suddenly became a hungry meat-eat¬ er. This will continue to be the case until the curse is lifted during the millennium. In the New

722

Testament Paul writes about the consequences of sin upon nature: "For all creation is waiting patiently and hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect His children. For on that day, thorns and thistles, sin, death, and decay—the things that overcame the world against its will at God's command—will all disappear, and the world around us will share in the glorious freedom from sin which God's children enjoy. For we know that even the things of nature, like animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event" (Rom. 8:19-22, The Living Bible). D. Upon the holy angels. Man's sin apparently be¬ came an object lesson for angels as their Creator allowed them to enter into his blessed work of redeeming mankind. The following passages seem to bear this out: "For we are made a spectacle unto . . . angels" (1 Cor. 4:9). "I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels" (1 Tim. 5:21). "And it [the Law] was ordained by angels" (Gal. 3:19). "Which things [matters concerning salva¬ tion] the angels desire to look into" (1 Pet. 1:12). "Are they [angels] not all ministering spir¬ its, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. 1:14). E. Upon God himself. What effect did man's sin have upon God? It meant that he could no longer rest as he had done when creation was completed (Gen. 2:2). It meant that he began his second (and greatest) work, that of redemption. To this very day, God continues to work in matters of redemption. "But Jesus answered them. My Father worketh hitherto, and I work" (Jn. 5:17). "I must work the works of him that sent me" (Jn. 9:4). "He which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ" (Phil. 1:6). VII. The Imputation of Sin. Were the effects of Adam's fall merely confined to himself, or do they continue somehow to make themselves known in the lives of twentieth-century men? A. The liberal position. The entire story is simply a Hebrew legend. B. The Pelagian position. Pelagius was a British monk who taught that Adam's sin affected only himself, for God imputes to men only those sins which they personally and consciously perform. Pelagius said the only effect of Adam's sin on posterity was that of a bad example. The doctrine of Pelagianism was condemned by the Council of Carthage in a.d. 418. C. The Arminian position. Arminius (1560-1609) was a professor who lived and taught in Holland. This theory teaches that, while Adam's sin defi¬ nitely weakened the will of his posterity to re¬ main sinless, it did not, however, destroy the possibility.

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THE DOCTRINE OF SIN-

D. The Augustinian position. Augustine was one of the greatest of the early church fathers. He taught that, because of the unity of the human race in Adam, his sin therefore is imputed to his posterity. Thus, corrupted nature begets cor¬ rupted nature. This final view is the only position which is amply supported by the Scriptures. "Wherefore, as by one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). "Therefore, as by the offense of one judg¬ ment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of one the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life" (Rom. 5:18). At this point it will be helpful to read the sum¬ maries offered by two well-known theologians. "The origin of sin in the human race. With respect to the origin of sin in the history of mankind, the Bible teaches that it began with the transgression of Adam in paradise, and therefore with a perfectly voluntary act on the part of man. The tempter came from the spirit world with the suggestion that man, by plac¬ ing himself in opposition to God, might be¬ come like God. Adam yielded to the temptation and committed the first sin by eat¬ ing of the forbidden fruit. But the matter did not stop there, for by that first sin Adam be¬ came the bond-servant of sin. That sin carried permanent pollution with it, and a pollution which, because of the solidarity of the human race, would affect not only Adam but all his descendants as well. As a result of the fall the father of the race could only pass on a de¬ praved human nature to his offspring. From that unholy source sin flows on as an impure stream to all the generations of men, polluting everyone and everything with which it comes in contact. It is exactly this state of things that made the question of Job so pertinent, 'Who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? not one.' (Job 14:14). But even this is not all. Adam sinned not only as the father of the human race, but also as the representative head of all his descendants; and therefore the guilt of his sin is placed to their account, so that they are all liable to the punishment of death. It is primarily in that sense that Adam's sin is the sin of all. That is what Paul teaches us in Romans 5:12: 'Through one man sin en¬ tered into the world, and death through sin; and so death passed unto all men, for that all sinned.' The last words can only mean that they all sinned in Adam, and sinned in such a way as to make them all liable to the punish¬ ment of death. It is not sin considered merely as pollution, but sin as guilt that carries pun¬ ishment with it. God adjudges all men to be guilty sinners in Adam, just as He adjudges all believers to be righteous in Jesus Christ. That is what Paul means, when he says: 'So then as through one act of righteousness the free gift came unto all men to justification of life. For as through the one man's disobedience the

723

many were made sinners, even so through the obedience of the one shall the many be made righteous' (Rom. 5:18, 19)." (L. Berkhof, Sys¬ tematic Theology, pp. 221, 222) "As a matter of fact the representative princi¬ ple runs through the entire range of human life. Representative action is a sociological fact everywhere and is recognized in all orderly legal systems. For example, it may properly be said, I signed the Declaration of Independence as of the Fourth of July, 1776. I was not there, but my representatives acted as my represen¬ tatives, and I am implicated in all the conse¬ quences of their action. Further, I declared war and entered World War II with the whole nation as of December 7,1941.1 was not pres¬ ent when the action was taken. I was only listening over the radio. I might have been an unborn child. Nevertheless, my representa¬ tives acted for me and as representing me, therefore it was my action, and I am impli¬ cated and involved in all the consequences of that action. Just so, I became a wicked, guilty sinner in the Garden of Eden. I turned my back upon fellowship with my holy God. I deliberately corrupted the character of godly holiness which God imparted to His creation. I will¬ fully began to spread corruption through the creation over which God had intended me to rule. I was not there. No, but my representa¬ tive was there, and he acted as such in my place and I was driven out from the garden and excluded from the the tree of life." (J. Oli¬ ver Buswell, A Systematic Theology of the Chris¬ tian Religion, p. 295) VIII. The Kinds of Sin. Are some sins worse than other sins? While it is true that the Bible teaches in a gen¬ eral sense that to be guilty of one is to be guilty of all sins (Jas. 2:10), it also indicates there are sins of greater degree and sins of lesser degree. We note the following words of Jesus: "And that servant which knew his lord's will, and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes. But he that knew not, and did commit things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes. For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required: and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more" (Lk. 12:47, 48). Let us consider some of the various kinds of sins as indicated in the Word of God: A. Sins of ignorance. "Then said Jesus, Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do" (Lk. 23:34). "Jesus answered [Pilate] ... he that deliv¬ ered me unto thee [the wicked Jew] hath the greater sin" (Jn. 19:11). "For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law" (Rom. 2:12). "And I thank Christ Jesus our Lord, who hath enabled me, for that he counted me faithful, putting me into the ministry; who

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

salvation, however he may later desire it. Genesis 6:3 is sometimes offered in support of this theory. However, an examination of the passage shows this meaning is taken completely out of its context. In reality there is no scriptural basis for the first theory. 2. That the sin was dispensational in nature, that it was the sin of ascribing to Satan the earthly miracles peformed by our Savior and therefore cannot be committed today. This theory is generally held by the majority of Bible students and the passage context would seem to support its accuracy. (See Mt. 12:22-24.) F. The sin unto death. "For this cause many are weak and sickly among you, and many sleep" (1 Cor. 11:30). "There is a sin unto death" (1 Jn. 5:16). As in the case of the unpardonable sin, the sin unto death has been the object of some contro¬ versy. The commonly accepted view is that the sin can only be committed by a child of God, and happens when the believer lives such a wretched life that the Father finally reaches down and takes him home to heaven earlier than he nor¬ mally would have. In other words, just as there is a premature birth, there is a premature death. Evidence of this theory is thought by some to be seen in Acts 5:1-11; 1 Corinthians 5:1-5 (here, though, the Corinthian believer apparently re¬ pented—see 2 Cor. 2:6-11). Some who hold this theory use it as a theological basis for interpret¬ ing such difficult passages as Hebrews 6:4-10; 10:26-30. IX. The Metaphors of Sin. A. Sin is poisonous, like a viper (Ps. 140:3; Mt. 23:33). B. Sin is stubborn, like a mule (Job 11:12). C. Sin is cruel, like a bear (Dan. 7:5). D. Sin is destructive, like a canker worm (Joel 2:25). E. Sin is unclean, like a wild dog (Prov. 26:11). F. Sin is cunning, like a fox (Lk. 13:32). G. Sin is fierce, like a wolf (Jn. 10:12). H. Sin devours, like a lion (Ps. 22:13; Dan. 7:4). I. Sin is filthy, like a swine (2 Pet. 2:22). X. The Christian's Sin. One of the truly great and farreaching blessings of salvation is God's dealings with the subject of our sin. The repenting sinner is imme¬ diately and eternally saved from the penalty of sin (in the past), provided with victory over the power of sin (in the present), and guaranteed final removal from the presence of sin (in the future). But what happens when the Christian fails to use the available power and falls into sin? How does God view sin in the life of his child? Is it indeed possible (as some have claimed) to remain sinless from the cross to the crown? A. The fact of sin. Charles Ryrie writes: "Being a Christian does not free one from sin¬ ning. Of course there are some who teach eradication of the sin nature in this life, but the picture and doctrine of the New Testa¬ ment seem to teach otherwise. In fact, John mentions three false claims which people in his day made in this regard in 1 John 1:8-10. 1. Verse 8 speaks of denying the presence of the principle of sin.

was before a blasphemer, and a persecutor, and injurious; but I obtained mercy because I did it ignorantly in unbelief" (1 Tim. 1:12,13). B. Sins of infirmity. "Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults" (Ps. 19:12). "He hath not dealt with us after our sins; nor rewarded us according to our iniqui¬ ties. . . . For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust" (Ps. 103:10,14). "Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infir¬ mities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which can¬ not be uttered" (Rom. 8:26). "For whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). "We then that are strong ought to bear the infirmities of the weak . . ." (Rom. 15:1). "Watch and pray, that ye enter not into temptation: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak" (Mt. 26:41). C. Sins of carelessness. "I said, I will take heed to my ways, that I sin not with my tongue" (Ps. 39:1). 'Take heed to yourselves, that your hearts be not deceived" (Deut. 11:16). "But take heed lest by any means this lib¬ erty of yours become a stumblingblock to them that are weak" (1 Cor. 8:9). "Wherefore let him that thinketh he standeth take heed lest he fall" (1 Cor. 10:12). "Therefore we ought to give the more ear¬ nest heed to the things which we have heard, lest at any time we should let them slip" (Heb. 2:1). D. Sins of presumption. "Keep back thy servant also from presumptu¬ ous sins" (Ps. 19:13). "Them that walk after the flesh in the lust of uncleanness, and despise government. Pre¬ sumptuous are they, self-willed" (2 Pet. 2:10). "Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have plea¬ sure in them that do them" (Rom. 1:32). E. The unpardonable sin. "Wherefore I say unto you, all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whoso¬ ever speaketh a word against the Son of man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, neither in this world, neither in the world to come" (Mt. 12:31, 32). Much ink has been spilled over these words. What is this unforgivable and unpardonable sin? Who can commit it? Can it be done today? Two main views have been offered to explain this sin. 1. That the sin can be committed by any unbe¬ liever today and occurs when a sinner rejects the convicting voice of the Holy Spirit once too often. At this point, the Holy Spirit for¬ ever ceases to deal with the sinner and he is hopelessly condemned, with no chance of

724

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THE DOCTRINE OF SIN ~

2. Verse 9 of the denial of particular sins. 3. Verse 10 of the denial of personally sin¬ ning." {A Survey of Bible Doctrine, p. 112) B. The effect of sin. The child of God immediately loses the following six things upon sinning. A seventh may be lost. 1. The loss of light (1 Jn. 1:6). 2. The loss of joy (Ps. 51:12; Jn. 15:11; Gal. 5:22; 1 Jn. 1:4). 3. The loss of peace (1 Jn. 3:4-10). 4. The loss of love (1 Jn. 2:5, 15-17; 4:12). 5. The loss of fellowship (1 Jn. 1:3, 6, 7). 6. The loss of confidence (1 Jn. 3:19-22). 7. The possible loss of health and even physical life (1 Cor. 5:17; 11:30). C. The preventives against sin. 1. The Word of God (Ps. 119:11; Jn. 15:7; 17:17; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17). It has been often observed that the Bible will keep one from sinning, or sin will keep one from the Bible. 2. The intercession of the Son of God (Lk. 22:32; Jn. 17:15; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:23-25). 3. The ministry of the Spirit of God (Zech. 4:6; Jn. 7:37-39). D. The remedy for sin. Dr. L. S. Chafer writes: "The responsibility resting upon the unregen¬ erate man who would avail himself of the for¬ giveness of all trespasses and be saved is expressed in the one all-inclusive word—be¬ lieve, while the responsibility resting upon the regenerate man who would be forgiven and restored to right relations with God is ex¬ pressed in the one word—confess. These two words are each specifically adapted to the situation, relationships, and circumstances with which they are associated. Untold confu¬ sion follows when unregenerate men are told to confess as a condition of forgiveness and salvation, which confusion is equalled when a regenerate man is told to believe as a condi¬ tion of securing a renewal of right relations to God. Hymnology is sometimes misleading at this point. By such hymns, words are put into the lips of the unsaved which encourage them to conceive of themselves as wanderers who are returning to God. As a matter of fact, the unregenerate man has never before been in any favorable relation to God. When, as a part of his salvation, he is forgiven, it is unto a hitherto unexperienced union with God which abides forever; but when the Christian is for¬ given it is unto the restoration of communion with God which may be broken again all too soon. The saints of all the ages have returned to the blessings of their covenant relation to God by the confession of their sin. This, how¬ ever, is far removed from those terms upon which they entered the covenant at the begin¬ ning. The loss of the blessing within the cov¬ enant is different, indeed, from the loss of the covenant relation itself. In the case of a be¬ liever related to God by the New Covenant made in His blood, restoration to communion, as always, is by confession of sin to God. We read in 1 John 1:9, 'If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to

725

cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' Simi¬ larly, in 1 Corinthians 11:31, 32 it is stated that 'if we would judge ourselves, we should not be judged. But when we are judged, we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned with the world.' Since confes¬ sion and self-judgment refer to the same ac¬ tion on the part of the believer, these passages emphasize the same important truth. Confes¬ sion and self-judgment are the outward ex¬ pression of heart-repentance; and repentance, which is a change of mind or purpose, brings the sin-burdened Christian back into agree¬ ment with God. While practicing sin, he was opposed to the will and character of God; by repentance, expressed to God in the confes¬ sion of sin and self-judgment, he returns to agreement with God. 'Two cannot walk to¬ gether, except they be agreed,' nor can the Christian have fellowship with God who is Light and at the same time be walking in darkness (1 Jn. 1:6). To walk in the light is not to become the light, which would mean at¬ tainment to infinite holiness. God alone is Light. Nor does walking in the light mean that one never does wrong. It is rather that when the searchlight, which God is, penetrates the heart and life and discloses that which is con¬ trary to His will, the wrong thus disclosed is by a true heart-repentance at once confessed and judged before God. Assurance is given to the believer that when thus adjusted to the light (which is 'walking in the light'), the sin is forgiven and its pollution cleansed by the blood of Christ. Both 1 John 1:8 and 10 are in the nature of parenthesis. The word of assur¬ ance presented in 1:7 is continued in 1:9 which states that, 'If we confess our sins (which is adjustment to God who is the Light), he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.' Confession of sin, it should be observed, is first and always to God and is to be extended to others only as they have been directly in¬ jured by the sin. So, likewise, this divine for¬ giveness and cleansing are not said to be acts of divine mercy and kindness, being wrought rather on the basis of absolute righteousness which is made possible through the fact that the penalty which the sin merits has fallen upon the Substitute—God's provided Lamb. Since the Substitute has endured the pen¬ alty, God is seen to be just rather than merci¬ ful when He justifies the unsaved who do no more than to 'believe in Jesus' (Rom. 3:26), and just rather than merciful when He for¬ gives the Christian who has sinned, on no other condition than that he 'confess' his sin (1 Jn. 1:9). In forgiving the Christian who con¬ fesses his sin, God is 'faithful' to His eternal character and purpose and is 'just' in so doing because of the penalty which Christ has en¬ dured. The basis for this provision whereby the Christian may be forgiven and cleansed in the faithfulness and justice of God is found in the declaration which consummates this con¬ text (1 Jn. 2:2), where it is said that 'he is the

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

B. God allowed man to sin so that he might display his grace. Thus, prior to Adam, God was already exhibiting his omnipresence (in being every¬ where at once), his omnipotence (in setting the galaxies into motion), and his omniscience (in creating the angels). But there was one attribute, one characteristic perhaps closer to his heart them any other, and that was his grace. Where there is no sin there is no need of grace. As Paul would later write: "But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound" (Rom. 5:20). Why then did God allow Adam to sin? No man knows. But it does not seem unreasonable to believe that part of the answer lies in the above suggestion, that is for God to display his marvelous grace. Again, in the words of Paul: "Even when we were dead in sins, [He] hath quickened us together with Christ [by grace are ye saved:] . . . that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Jesus Christ" (Eph. 2:5, 7). XII. The Ultimate and Final Victory over Sin. In four key passages. New Testament writers Paul, Peter, and John describe for us this thrilling victory. Note: "For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be de¬ stroyed is death. For he hath put all things under his feet. But when he saith all things are put under him it is manifest that he is excepted, which did put all things under him. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all" (1 Cor. 15:25-28). (See also Heb. 12:22-24; 2 Pet. 3:7-13; Rev. 20:11-15.)

propitiation for our sins.' Since this context is concerned only with the sins of Christians, the great aspect of propitiation for a lost world is mentioned here only incidentally. Too much emphasis cannot be placed on the fact that Christ is the propitiation for our sins. By His death He has rendered God propitious and free to forgive and cleanse the Christian who confesses his sin. It is evident that the divine forgiveness of the believer is household in its character. It contemplates, not the once-for-all forgiveness which is a part of salvation (Col. 2:13), but the forgiveness of the one who already and per¬ manently is a member of the household and family of God. Vital union with God, which is secured by Christ for the believer, has not been and cannot be broken (Rom. 8:1, RV). This renewal is unto fellowship and commu¬ nion with God. At no point in Christian doc¬ trine is the specific and unique character of the present grace-relationship to God more clearly seen than in household forgiveness." (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, pp. 336-338) XI. The Reasons for Sin. We have already observed the biblical teachings that God is nowhere pictured as the Author of sin. But why did he allow it? Could he not have prevented it? The answer is of course that he could have, but chose not to. Why? Several sugges¬ tions have been offered along this line. A. God created both angels and men as intelligent creatures possessing moral natures which could determine and choose between right and wrong. Had God stopped Lucifer and Adam one second before their sin, he would, in effect, have violated their moral natures and reduced them to mere walking robots.

726

THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION

THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION It has been observed that among the many thousands of English words, the three most difficult are "I was wrong/' and the two most delightful are "check enclosed." Be that as it may, it can be safely concluded that the most dynamic single word in our language is the word salvation. I. The Meaning of Salvation. Salvation means to effect successfully the full delivery of someone or some¬ thing from impending danger. The very word carries with it a twofold implication: A. That someone or something needs to be saved. 1. Only a sick person needs a doctor. Man is desperately ill. (See Isa.1:6; Mt. 9:12.) 2. Only an accused person needs a lawyer. Man stands condemned in God's court of law (Rom. 3:10-19). 3. Only a drowning person needs a lifeguard. Man finds himself flooded by the waters of sin (Ps. 69:1, 2). 4. In his excellent book. Salvation Is Forever, Robert Gromacki lists the following reasons why men are lost. a. They are lost because of their rejection of biblical revelation (Ps. 19:1; Acts 14:17; Rom. 1:19, 20). b. They are lost because of disobeying their own conscience (Rom. 2:14-16). c. They are lost because of their relation¬ ship to the world (Eph. 2:2; Jas. 4:4; 1 Jn. 2.T5-17). d. They are lost because of their relation¬ ship to Satan (Mt. 4:8, 9; Jn. 8:42-44; 12:31; 2 Cor. 4:4; Col. 1:13; 1 Jn. 3:10; 5:19). e. They are lost because of their relation¬ ship to sin (Gen. 2:17; 8:21; Job 14:4; Eccl. 7:20; Jer. 17:19; Mk. 7:20-23; Rom. 5:12; 7:14; Eph. 4:18). A sinner may not be as bad as he can be (like an Adolf Hitler) but he is never¬ theless as bad off as he can be. Man is both dead (spiritually) and dying (physi¬ cally). (See Gen. 2:17.) This can be lik¬ ened to a condemned criminal in death row awaiting the electric chair and suffer¬ ing from terminal cancer. f. They are lost because of their relation¬ ship to God (Jn. 3:36; Eph. 2;12; 1 Jn. 5:12; Jude 1:19). B. That someone is able and willing to save. Such a Savior must fulfill both requirements.

727

1. He must be able to save. It is possible for a person to have the desire but not the ability to save another individual. Many a physician has stood in utter frustration beside the bed of his dying patient, wanting so much to give aid, but totally helpless to do so. 2. He must be willing to save. It is possible for a person to have the ability but not the desire to save another individual. In 1978 a man in the United States, in desperate need of a rare blood transfusion, died. The tragedy of the story was that he suffered and died need¬ lessly, for one of his own relatives possessed that rare type of blood and could have easily donated some, but stubbornly refused. Per¬ haps the greatest ability after all is availability. II. The Source of Salvation. Jesus Christ is the source of salvation. He meets both requirements. 1. He is able to save. "For in that he himself hath suffered being tempted, he is able to help them that are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). "Now unto him who is able to do ex¬ ceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us" (Eph. 3:20). "For I know whom I have believed and am persuaded that he is able to keep that which I have committed unto him against that day" (2 Tim. 1:12). "Wherefore, he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with ex¬ ceeding joy" (Jude 24). 2. He is willing to save. "And behold, there came a leper and wor¬ shipped him, saying. Lord, if thou wilt, thou canst make me clean. And Jesus put forth his hand, and touched him, saying, I will; be thou clean. And immediately his leprosy was cleansed" (Mt. 8:2, 3). "God our Saviour, who will have all men to be saved, and to come unto the knowledge of the truth" (1 Tim. 2:3, 4). "The Lord is not slack concerning his promise . . . but is longsuffering to usward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance" (2 Pet. 3:9).

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

III. The False Hopes of Salvation. "There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death" (Prov. 14:12). A. Education. On two separate occasions Paul warns Timothy about the folly of depending on educa¬ tion (1 Tim. 6:20; 2 Tim. 3:7). B. Church membership. C. Good works (Eph. 2:8, 9). D. Baptism (1 Cor. 1:17). E. Proper environment. F. Keeping the law (Gal. 2:16). G. Confirmation. Religious confirmation is as far re¬ moved from redemption's transformation as a lump of coal from a glittering diamond. H. Living by the Golden Rule. I. Sincerity. J. Lodge membership. K. Tithing. L. Secular organizations (the Peace Corps, United Nations, etc.; see Ps. 2; Rev. 18). During the com¬ ing great tribulation the combined secular or¬ ganizations of this world will turn against the Father and attempt to dethrone his Son, only to be themselves utterly destroyed by the bright¬ ness of his coming. M. Religious organizations (the World Council of Churches, etc.; see Rev. 17). The unified religious movement will likewise suffer destruction during the tribulation. IV. The Threefold Method of Salvation. While God has indeed dealt with his creatures under different dis¬ pensations (the pre-law stages, the age of the law, the post-law stage, etc.), he saves them all by the identical threefold method: A. Salvation is always by blood (Heb. 9:22). Further¬ more, this blood must be innocent, shed, and ap¬ plied. B. Salvation is always through a person (Jonah 2:9; Acts 4:12; 1 Thess. 5:9; Heb. 5:9). C. Salvation is always by grace (Eph. 2:8, 9; Titus 2:11). 1. This grace is preceded by the sinner's faith (Rom. 5:1; Heb. 11:6). 2. This grace is followed by the Savior's peace (Rom. 1:7; 1 Cor.l:3; Gal. 1:3). V. The Work of the Trinity in Salvation. Stephen D. Swihart offers the following helpful information: "The relationship of the Father to the Son, and the Son to the Holy Spirit in the plan of salvation is unique. A careful study of the following outline will make this association plain." A. The Father's work: Design the plan in eternity. 1. Foreknow (Rom. 8:29; 11:2; 1 Pet. 1:2, 20). 2. Predestinate (Acts 4:28; Rom. 8:29, 30; 1 Cor. 2:7; Eph. 1:5, 11). 3. Choose/elect (Mt. 20:16; 22:14; 24:22, 24, 31; Mk. 13:20, 22, 27; Lk. 18:7; Acts 9:15; 22:14; 26:16; Rom. 8:33; 9:11; 11:5, 7, 28; 16:13; Eph. 1:4; Col. 3:12; 1 Thess. 1:4; 2 Thess. 2:13; 2 Tim. 2:10; 1 Pet. 1:2; 2:4, 6, 9; 2 Pet. 1:10; Rev. 17:14). 4. Call (Mt. 20:16; 22:14; Acts 2:39; Rom. 1:6, 7; 8:29, 30; 9:7, 11, 24; 11:29; 1 Cor. 1:2, 9, 24, 26; Gal. 1:6,15; 5:8,13; Eph. 1:18; 4:1, 4; Phil. 3:14; Col. 3:15; 1 Thess. 2:12; 5:24; 2 Thess.

728

1:11; 2:14; 1 Tim. 6:12; 2 Tim. 1:9; Heb. 3:1; 9:15; 11:18; 1 Pet. 1:15; 11:9, 21; 3:1; 5:10; 2 Pet. 1:3, 10; Jude 1; Rev. 17:14). B. The Son's work: Discharge the plan in fullness of time. 1. God's eternal covenant with Christ: real. a. Matthew 26:54; Mark 14:21; Luke 22:22 with Luke 24:25-27, 46; Acts 2:23; 4:25-28; 13:27, 28; 26:22, 23; 1 Corinthi¬ ans 15:3, 4; 1 Peter 1:11, 20. b. 2 Corinthians 1:20; Galatians 3:17; cf. Luke 1:68-79; Hebrews 11:13, 17-19, 39, 40. c. Romans 8:28-30; Ephesians 3:11; cf. Ephesians 1:3-14; 2 Timothy 1:9. d. Philippians 2:6-8; Hebrews 10:5-9; cf. John 4:34; 5:30; 6:38; 17:14; 18:11. e. Isaiah 42:6; cf. Malachi 3:1. f. Hebrews 7:22; cf. Hebrews 9:15, 16; 12:24; 13:20. 2. God's eternal covenant with Christ: revealed. a. That Christ should be the second federal Head of the human race (1 Cor. 15:45-47). b. That Christ would partake of flesh and bones (Heb. 10:5-9). c. That Christ would function in a Son and Servant relationship to God (Isa. 43:10; 49:3-6; 52:13; Mt. 12:8-20; Jn. 10:17; 12:49; 14:28, 31; Acts 3:26; Phil. 2:7). d. That Christ would die for the sins of the world (Mt. 1:21; 18:11; Jn. 1:29; 12:23, 47; 17:1-5; Acts 3:26; Rom. 5:6; 1 Tim. 1:15; Heb. 2:14, 15; 10:5-10; 1 Jn. 3:5, 8; 4:9, 10). e. That Christ would receive as his inheri¬ tance the nations, along with all power and authority (Ps. 2:6-8; 8:5-8; 22:27; 110:1-7; Dan. 7:13, 14; Mt. 11:27; 28:18; Jn. 3:35; Eph. 1:20-23; Rev. 1:5). C. The Spirit's work: Declare the plan daily. 1. Propagation (Lk. 8:5-15; Rom. 1:16; 10:14-17;15:18-21; 1 Cor. 1:18-24; Col. 1:4-6; 1 Thess. 1:5, 6; 2:13; 2 Thess. 2:13, 14; Heb. 4:12; Jas. 1:18, 21; 1 Pet. 1:23-25). 2. Conviction (Zech. 12:10; Jn. 16:7-11; 1 Cor. 14:24). 3. Regeneration (Jn. 3:3-7; Titus 3:5, 6). 4. Sanctification (Rom. 15:16; 2 Thess. 2:13; 1 Pet. 1:2). (The Victor Bible Source Book, pp. 120, 121) VI. The Costliness of Salvation. A. According to David and Moses, creation was ef¬ fected by God's fingers, and came about through his spoken word. Note: "And God said. Let there be light: and there was light" (Gen. 1:3; see also 1:6, 9,11,14, 20, 24, 26). "When I consider thy heavens, the work of thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which thou hast ordained, what is man, that thou art mindful of him?" (Ps. 8:3, 4). "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made, and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth . . . for he spoke, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:6, 9).

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the doctrine of salvation~

B. According to Isaiah and Peter, salvation was ef¬ fected by God's arms, and came about through his shed blood. Note: "Who hath believed our report? and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" (Isa. 53:1). "Surely he hath borne our griefs, and car¬ ried our sorrows: yet we did esteem him stricken, smitten of God, and afflicted. But he was wounded for our transgressions, he was bruised for our iniquities: the chastisement of our peace was upon him; and with his stripes we are healed. All we like sheep have gone astray; we have turned everyone to his own way; and the Lord hath laid on him the iniq¬ uity of us all" (Isa. 53:4-6). "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation re¬ ceived by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:18, 19). In the book of Revelation John records all of heaven praising Christ for his work in creation (4:11) and salvation (5:9). VII. The Old Testament Types of Salvation. A. Adam and Eve, illustrating that salvation clothes us (Gen. 3:21; Zech. 3:1-5; Rev. 3:5, 18; 19:7, 8). The first terrible result of sin upon Adam and Eve was the realization of their shame and na¬ kedness before God (Gen. 3:7). But the gracious Creator then forgave and clothed his two sinful citizens in Eden (3:21). B. Cain and Abel, illustrating that salvation guaran¬ tees us acceptance. It also demonstrates (in Cain's example) the wrong way to be accepted (Gen. 4:4; Eph. 1:6). Abel made the first recorded "pub¬ lic profession of Christ" on earth when he of¬ fered the blood sacrifice while Cain became the first religious rebel by offering a bloodless sacri¬ fice. C. The Ark and the Passover, illustrating that salva¬ tion protects us from God's wrath (Gen. 7:1; Ex. 12:23; see also Rom. 1:18; Col. 3:6; 1 Thess. 1:10; Rev. 6:17). The unprotected will be subjected to a future world judgment wrath (the message of the Ark) and to a personal great white throne judg¬ ment (the lesson from the Passover). D. Abraham and Isaac, illustrating that salvation provides for us an acceptable substitute (Gen. 22:12-14; see also Isa. 53:4-6; 1 Pet. 3:18). Some twenty centuries after Abraham offered up Isaac, another Father lifted up his only Son on that same spot, but this time there was no last-minute reprieve. E. The Manna and the smitten Rock, illustrating that salvation satisfies us (Ex. 16:14; 17:6; see also Ps. 103:5; 107:9). Bread from the sky and water from a rock. Oh, the total and tender satisfaction of God's salvation. F. The brazen serpent, illustrating that salvation cures us (Num. 21:9; Jn. 3:14). In the New Testa¬ ment Christ applied this Old Testament event to himself and led Nicodemus to salvation. G. Naaman, illustrating that salvation cleanses us (1 Ki. 5:1-14; Ps. 51:7). This Syrian pagan was the

729

only man in the entire Old Testament to be cleansed from the dreadful scourge of leprosy. H. The tabernacle, illustrating that salvation re¬ stores lost fellowship (Ex. 25:22; Ps. 23:3). One of Israel's most tragic moments in the Old Testa¬ ment was the worship of a devilish Egyptian golden calf god. (See Ex. 32.) Both idolatry and immorality were involved in that sordid affair. But the newly constructed tabernacle was able to once again assure Israel's fellowship with God. VIII. The Vocabulary of Salvation. There are fifteen key words in the vocabulary of salvation. These are: conversion redemption justification substitution regeneration sanctification reconciliation imputation glorification propitiation adoption preservation remission supplication origination We shall now examine each of these important terms. A. Conversion. "The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul" (Ps. 19:7). "Restore unto me the joy of thy salvation, and uphold me with a willing spirit. Then will I teach transgressors thy ways and sinners shall be converted unto thee" (Ps. 51:13; see also Mt. 18:3; Acts 3:19; 15:3; Jas. 5:20). The Greek word translated "conversion" has reference to a twofold turning on the part of an individual. One has to do with repentance (a turn¬ ing from), and the other with faith (a turning to). 1. Repentance (Greek, metanoia). a. What repentance is not: (1) It is not reformation, that act of turning over a new leaf. (2) It is not remorse, that act of regret¬ ting the fruit of one's crime, but not the root. Here we have two biblical examples. Esau: "He found no place of repen¬ tance, though he sought it carefully with tears" (Heb. 12:17; for the full background of this, read Gen. 27). fudas: "Then Judas, who had be¬ trayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented, and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priests and elders" (Mt. 27:3). That this was only re¬ morse and not true repentance is shown in verse 5 of Matthew 27 where we are told: "And he cast down the pieces of silver in the tem¬ ple, and departed, and went and hanged himself." (3) It is not penitence, that act of at¬ tempting to make up for one's sins through good works. b. What repentance is: It is a voluntary and sincere change in the mind of the sinner, causing him to turn from his sin. It should be noted here that we said sin and not sins. True repentance involves the turning from one specific sin, the previ¬ ous rejection of Christ. Jesus spelled this out very clearly for us. "Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away; for if

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you. And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judg¬ ment: of sin, because they believe not on me; of righteousness, because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more. Of judgment because the prince of this world is judged" (Jn. 16:7-11). God is not primarily interested in con¬ vincing a sinner to give up smoking, swearing, drinking, and illicit sex, as bad as these may be, for this will never save him. His great sin which will eventually condemn him forever is the rejection of Jesus Christ. Repentance therefore deals with a turning from this horrible crime of spuming Calvary. In the ministry of John: "Repent ye: for the kingdom of heaven is at hand" (Mt. 3:2). "Bring forth therefore fruits meet for repentance" (Mt. 3:8). In the ministry of Jesus: . . for I am not come to call the right¬ eous, but sinners to repentance" (Mt. 9:13). "I tell you, nay; but, except ye repent, ye shall all likewise perish" (Lk. 13:5). "I say unto you, that likewise joy shall be in heaven over one sinner that repenteth, more than over ninety and nine just persons, which need no repentance" (Lk. 15:7). "And [he] said unto them . . . that re¬ pentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name among all nations, beginning at Jerusalem" (Lk. 24:47). In the ministry of Peter: "Then said Peter unto them, repent and be baptized" (Acts 2:38). "Repent ye therefore and be con¬ verted" (Acts 3:19). In the ministry of Paul: "But [I] showed first unto them of Da¬ mascus, and at Jerusalem, and through¬ out all the coasts of Judea, and then to the Gentiles, that they should repent" (Acts 26:20). "And the times [prior to the cross] of their ignorance God winked at [over¬ looked]; but now commandeth all men everywhere to repent" (Acts 17:30). 2. Faith. a. What it is not. (1) It is not a "blind leap into the dark." (2) It is not supposition. (3) It is not speculation. (4) It is not opinion or hypothesis. b. What it is. It is a voluntary and sincere change in the mind of the sinner, causing him to turn to the Savior. We have now seen both sides of the coin of conversion. Repentance is a turn¬ ing from sin, and faith is a turning to

730

Christ. Paul includes both concepts dur¬ ing his farewell message to the Ephesian elders. "Testifying both to the Jews, and also to the Greeks, repentance toward God, and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ" (Acts 20:21). c. How it is produced. "So, then, faith cometh by hearing and hearing by the word of God" (Rom. 10:17). Here Paul is saying that faith comes from hearing the message, and the mes¬ sage comes through preaching Christ. d. Why it is so necessary. "But without faith it is impossible to please him; for 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). (1) The sinner is saved by faith (Rom. 5:1; Eph. 2:8, 9). (2) The saint is sanctified (grows in grace) by faith. Thus, by faith: We live (Rom. 1:17). We stand (2 Cor. 1:24). We walk (2 Cor. 5:7). We fight (1 Tim. 6:12). We overcome (1 Jn. 5:4). B. Substitution. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God" (1 Pet. 3:18). 1. Temporary substitution. In Old Testament times, prior to Calvary, the sheep died for the shepherd. "And Abraham stretched forth his hand, and took the knife to slay his son. And the angel of the Lord called unto him out of heaven, and said, Abraham, Abraham: and he said. Here am I. And he said, Lay not thine hand upon the lad, neither do thou any thing unto him: for now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thine only son from me. And Abraham lifted up his eyes, and looked, and behold behind him a ram caught in a thicket by his horns: and Abraham went and took the ram, and of¬ fered him up for a burnt offering in the stead of his son" Gen. 22:10-13). "Speak ye unto all the congregation of Israel, saying. In the tenth day of this month they shall take to them every man a lamb, according to the house of their fathers, a lamb for an house: And if the household be too little for the lamb, let him and his neighbor next unto his house take it according to the number of souls; every man according to his eating shall make your count for the lamb. Your lamb shall be without blemish, a male of the first year: ye shall take it out from the sheep, or from the goats: And ye shall keep it up until the fourteenth day of the same month: and the whole congregation

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THE doctrine of salvation~

of Israel shall kill it in the evening. And they shall take of the blood and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses, wherein they shall eat it" (Ex. 12:3-7). "For I will pass through the land of Egypt this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; and against all the gods of Egypt I will execute judgment: I am the Lord. And the blood shall be to you a to¬ ken upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt" (Ex. 12:12, 13). 2. Permanent substitution. "For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should take away sins" (Heb. 10:4). In New Testament times, after Calvary, the Shepherd died for the sheep. "I am the good shepherd: the good shep¬ herd giveth his life for the sheep" (Jn. 10:11). Thus, Christ became on the cross what he was not—namely, sin—that we might be¬ come what we were not—namely, righteous. The Son of God became the Son of man that sons of men might become the sons of God. (See 2 Cor. 5:21. Read carefully Isa. 53.) C. Reconciliation. "God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself" (2 Cor. 5:19). 1. The meaning of reconciliation. a. The Old Testament meaning: The He¬ brew word kaphar, which means to cover something, is found some eighty-three times in the Old Testament. Of these, it is translated "atonement" seventy-six times and "reconciliation" seven times. b. New Testament meaning. The Greek word allasso means to change from that of enmity to that of friendship. (See espe¬ cially Eph. 2:16; Col. 1:20-22; also Mt. 5:24; Rom. 5:10, 11; 11:15; 1 Cor. 7:11; 2 Cor. 5:18-20.) 2. The implications of reconciliation. a. That a previous animosity once existed. b. That the offended party (or parties) now views things differently. 3. The two phases of reconciliation. a. God has reconciled himself to the world through Christ. "And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the minis¬ try of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing their tres¬ passes unto them; and hath com¬ mitted unto us the word of reconciliation" (2 Cor. 5:18, 19). b. Man is now to reconcile fpmself to God through Christ. "Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God did beseech

731

you by us: we pray you in Christ's stead, be ye reconciled to God" (2 Cor. 5:20). 4. The chronology of reconciliation. a. In Eden God and man faced each other in fellowship. b. After the fall, God and man turned from each other. c. At Calvary God turned his face toward man. d. At conversion (through repentance and faith) man turns his face toward God. D. Propitiation. "And he is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world" (1 Jn. 2:2). "Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins" (1 Jn. 4:10). 1. The meaning of propitiation. The Greek word hilasmos means "to render favorable, to satisfy, to appease." 2. The method of propitiation. "Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus: Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood" (Rom. 3:25). "But now in Christ Jesus ye who some¬ times were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ" (Eph. 2:13). 3. The necessity for propitiation. It was neces¬ sary because of God's wrath (that stem reac¬ tion of the divine nature to evil in man). "He that believeth on the Son hath ever¬ lasting life: and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life; but the wrath of God abideth on him" (Jn. 3:36). "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and un¬ righteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness" (Rom. 1:18). "Let no man deceive you with vain words: for because of these things cometh the wrath of God upon the children of disobedience" (Eph. 5:6). "For which things' sake the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedi¬ ence" (Col. 3:6). "And said to the mountains and rocks. Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb" (Rev. 6:16). "And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy servants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth" (Rev. 11:18). "The same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out without mixture into the cup of his indig¬ nation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the presence of the

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

holy angels, and in the presence of the Lamb" (Rev. 14:10). "And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God" (Rev. 19:15). 4. The place of propitiation. a. The Old Testament temporary place— the mercy seat in the tabernacle (typi¬ cally). "And there I will meet with thee, and I will commune with thee from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubims which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give thee in commandment unto the children of Israel" (Ex. 25:22). "And over it the cherubims and glory shadowing the mercy seat; of which we cannot now speak particu¬ larly. Now when these things were thus ordained, the priests went always into the first tabernacle accomplishing the service of God" (Heb. 9:5-7). b. The New Testament permanent place— the center cross on Golgotha (actually). "For if, when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being recon¬ ciled, we shall be saved by his life" (Rom. 5:10). "And, having made peace through the blood of his cross, by him, to rec¬ oncile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven" (Col. 1:20). 5. The results of propitiation. a. God is justified in forgiving sin. b. God is justified in bestowing righteous¬ ness. "Whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time his right¬ eousness that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:25, 26). E. Remission. "To him [Jesus] gave all the prophets witness, that through his name whosoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins" (Acts 10:43; see also Mt. 26:28; Lk. 24:47; Heb. 9:22). 1. The meaning of remission. This concept is practically synonymous with the word forgive¬ ness. It refers to a sending back, a putting away. a. In Matthew 1:19; 5:31; and Hebrews 9:26 it is translated "put away." b. In Luke 6:37; Ephesians 4:32; and Colossians 2:13 it is translated "forgive." 2. The Old Testament example of remission. A classic illustration is found in Leviticus 16

732

where the high priest brought two goats to the tabernacle during the great day of atone¬ ment. One goat was killed and its blood • sprinkled upon the mercy seat. Concerning the other goat we read: "And Aaron shall lay both his hands upon the head of the live goat and confess over him all the iniquities of the children of Israel, and all their transgressions in all their sins, putting them upon the head of the goat, and shall send him away by the hand of a fit man into the wilderness: And the goat shall bear upon him all their in¬ iquities into a land not inhabited: and he shall let go the goat in the wilderness" (Lev. 16:21, 22). In light of this, carefully note Paul's words in Hebrews 13:12,13: "Wherefore Jesus also, that he might sanctify the people with his own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach" (Heb. 13:12, 13). 3. The problem of remission. "Whom God hath set forth to be a propi¬ tiation through faith in his blood, to de¬ clare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbear¬ ance of God" (Rom. 3:25). As the Old Testament closed, a great prob¬ lem remained to be solved. It centered around the two words remission and forbear¬ ance.

a. The word remission (as we have already seen) refers to the act of letting some¬ thing pass by, in this case the sins of the Old Testament saints. b. The word forbearance refers to the act of holding something back, in this case, the wrath of God upon those sins (Ps. 50:16-22; Acts 14:16; 17:30). How, then, could God possibly reconcile his holiness and righteousness to his mercy and grace? This problem was of course gloriously solved by Christ who was "set forth to be a propitiation" (Rom. 3:25). This then became the grand fulfillment of the prediction: "Mercy and truth are met together; right¬ eousness and peace have kissed each other" (Ps. 85:10). Thus Paul could write with abso¬ lute confidence: "To declare, I say, at this time his right¬ eousness: that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesus" (Rom. 3:26). 4. The uniqueness of remission. Of the fifteen key words in the vocabulary of salvation, re¬ mission alone has to do with subtraction, whereas all other terms speak of glorious ad¬ dition.

F. Redemption. "Blessed be the Lord God of Israel; for he hath visited and redeemed his people" (Lk. 1:68). "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law" (Gal. 3:13).

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION -

"And they sung a new song, saying. Thou art worthy to take the book, and to open the seals thereof; for thou wast slain, and hast re¬ deemed us to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation" (Rev. 5:9). 1. The threefold meaning of redemption. a. To pay a ransom price for something or someone. "Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by his own blood he en¬ tered in once into the holy place, hav¬ ing obtained eternal redemption for us" (Heb. 9:12). b. To remove from a slave marketplace. "Christ hath redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for us: for it is written, cursed is every one that hangeth on a tree" (Gal. 3:13). c. To effect a full release. "For we know that the whole creation groaneth and travaileth in pain to¬ gether until now. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit even we our¬ selves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemp¬ tion of our body" (Rom. 8:22, 23; see also Rom. 3:24; 1 Cor. 1:30; Eph. 1:7, 14; 4:30; Col. 1:14). 2. The Old Testament example of redemption. One of the most important Old Testament offices was that of a goel, or kinsman-re¬ deemer. Baker's Dictionary of Theology de¬ scribes this office as follows: "It is used in the regaining possession of a property which had been sold for debt (Lev. 25:25). It is used in the restoring or preserving of the name of one who had died without offspring: his brother is then to take his wife (Levirate marriage), and raise up seed to him, that his name be not forgotten in Israel (Deut. 25:5). Boaz is the most familiar example of this" (Ruth 3:4; p. 252). There were three requirements a goel had to fulfill. a. He must be a near kinsman (Lev. 25:48, 49; Ruth 3:12, 13). b. He must be able to redeem (Jer. 50:34). c. He must be willing to redeem. Jesus Christ, of course, successfully ful¬ filled all three of these requirements. He became a near kinsman (Heb. 2:14-16; 4:15). He was able to redeem (Jn. 10:11, 18). He was willing to redeem (Heb. 10:4-10). 3. The costliness of redemption. "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things as silver and gold, from your vain conversation re¬ ceived by tradition from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:18, 19).

733

G. Regeneration. "Not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost" (Titus 3:5). 1. The definition of regeneration. It is that pro¬ cess whereby God through a second birth imparts to the believing sinner a new nature. "Jesus anwered and said unto him [Nicodemus]. Verily, verily, I say unto thee, ex¬ cept a man be born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God" (Jn. 3:3). "But as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on his name: which were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God" (Jn. 1:12, 13). "Whosoever believeth that Jesus is the Christ is born of God" (1 Jn. 5:1). 2. The necessity for regeneration. It is neces¬ sary because of the corruptness of human nature. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard his spots? Then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil" (Jer. 13:23; see also Rom. 3:10-18; 7:18; 8:7; Gal. 5:19-21). By nature all men are: a. Dead to God (Eph. 2:1). b. Children of wrath (Eph. 2:3). c. Sons of disobedience (Eph. 2:2). d. Cursed with Adam's sin nature (Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:47). 3. The extent of regeneration. a. Individual (Titus 3:5). b. Universal. By universal is meant the re¬ demption of nature itself. This will tran¬ spire during the millennium. (See Mt. 19:28; Rom. 8:19-23.) 4. The means of regeneration. Three factors are vital for a sinner to experience redemption. a. The Word of God (Jn. 3:5; Eph. 5:26; Ti¬ tus 3:5; Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23). b. The man of God (Rom. 10:13-15; 1 Cor. 4:15; 2 Cor. 5:18-20; Gal. 4:19; Phil. 1:10). c. The Spirit of God (Jn. 3:5, 6; 1 Cor. 2:14; Titus 3:5). These three factors should not be lightly passed over. They teach that no sinner has ever been saved since Adam apart from them. Some may deny the necessity of the second factor, however (the man of God), pointing out that people often came to Christ while alone, after reading a gospel tract. But just how was that tract written, printed, and distributed in the first place? Obviously saved human beings were involved. If the above is true, then it is not unreasonable to conclude that as the Holy Spirit looks for a human instrument (mothers) to bring living souls into this world, he likewise seeks out human instruments (soul-winners) to usher sinners into the kingdom of God. 5. The biblical illustrations of regeneration. Among the many conversions in the Bible

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

(1) He "kept the raiment" of those that murdered Stephen, and consented to his death (Acts 7:57, 58; 8:1, 2; 22:20). (2) He made havoc of the church (Acts 8:3). This word describes the act of a wild hog viciously uprooting a vine¬ yard. (3) He entered the homes of Christians and dragged them out to prison (Acts 8:3). (4) He hounded Christians to their death in various cities (Acts 22:5). (5) He beat believers (Acts 22:19). (6) He voted to have them put to death (Acts 26:10). (7) He attempted through torture to force them into cursing Christ (Acts 26:11). (8) He persecuted the church beyond measure and "wasted it" (Gal. 1:13). His conversion (Acts 9:1-19; 22:5-16; 26:12-20; 1 Cor. 15:7-10; 1 Tim. 1:12-16): (9) He was blinded by a heavenly light en route to persecute "those of this way" in Damascus (Acts 9:2). (10) He fell to the ground and heard Christ say: "Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me?" (Acts 9:4). He also saw Jesus at this time. (11) Paul was gloriously saved and led blinded into Damascus where he re¬ mained alone without food or water for three days. 6. The fruits of regeneration. The twice-born person now loves the following: a. Other Christians (1 Jn. 3:14). b. Jesus (1 Jn. 5:1, 2). c. The separated life (1 Jn. 2:15, 16; 5:4). d. His enemies (Mt. 5:43-45). e. The Word of God (Ps. 119:24, 40, 47, 48, 72, 97, 103, 111, 113, 127, 129, 140, 143, 159, 162, 165, 168; 1 Pet. 2:2). f. The souls of men (Rom. 9:1-3; 10:1; 2 Cor. 5:14). g. Prayer (Eph. 5:19, 20). H. Imputation "Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Rom. 4:8). 1. Definition of imputation: To impute is the act of one person adding something good or bad to the account of another person. 2. Kinds of imputation: In the Bible there are three main theological imputations: a. The imputation of Adam's sin upon the human race. "Wherefore, as by one man sin en¬ tered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned" (Rom. 5:12). "For as in Adam all die" (1 Cor. 15:22; see also Rom. 3:23). This first imputation seems at first to be totally unjust. Why should Adam's sin be imputed to me when it happened in a remote part of this world thousands

the two which perhaps most vividly demon¬ strate the life-changing process effected by regeneration are those of Manasseh in the Old Testament and Saul of Tarsus in the New Testament. a. Manasseh (2 Ki. 21:1-18; 2 Chron. 33:1-20). (1) The fourteenth ruler of Judea was, without doubt, the most unique king ever to sit upon either the northern or southern throne. Note the following: (a) He was king longer than any other of either kingdom (fiftyfive years). (b) He had the godliest father of all Judean kings up to that time (Hezekiah). (c) His grandson Josiah was the fin¬ est king of all. (d) He was the only wicked king to genuinely repent prior to his death. (e) He was the most wicked of all kings prior to his salvation. (2) The preconversion reign (as re¬ corded in 2 Ki. 21:1-18; 2 Chron. 33:1-20) of Manasseh would prob¬ ably have surpassed that of Stalin and Hitler in terms of sheer wicked¬ ness. Consider the following infor¬ mation: (a) He rebuilt all pagan Baalite al¬ tars his father had destroyed (2 Chron. 33:3). (b) He set up a Zodiac center for the heathen worship of the sun, moon, and stars in every house of God (2 Chron. 33:4, 5). (c) He sacrificed his own children to satanic gods in the Valley of Hinnon as his grandfather Ahaz had done (33:6). (d) He consulted spirit-mediums and fortunetellers (33:6). (e) Tradition says he murdered Isa¬ iah by having him sawn asun¬ der (Heb. 11:37). (f) God said he was more wicked than heathen nations which had once occupied Palestine (2 Ki. 21:22). (g) He shed innocent blood from one end of Jerusalem to another (2 Ki. 21:16). (h) He totally ignored repeated warnings of God in all this (2 Chron. 33:10). (i) He was imprisoned temporarily by the king of Assyria. (j) He repented while in prison and was forgiven by God. (k) He was later allowed to return as king of Judah. b. Saul of Tarsus. His war against the church:

734

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the doctrine of salvation

of years before I was even bom? If the story ended here it might be unjust, but it doesn't. Read on. b. The imputation of the race's sin upon Christ. "But he was wounded for our trans¬ gressions, he was bruised for our iniq¬ uities; the chastisement of our peace was upon him, and with his stripes we are healed" (Isa. 53:5). "My righteous servant [shall] justify many; for he shall bear their iniqui¬ ties" (Isa. 53:11). "That he, by the grace of God, should taste death for every man" (Heb. 2:9). "Who his own self bore our sins in his own body on the tree, that we, being dead to sins, should live unto righteousness; by whose stripes ye were healed" (1 Pet. 2:24; see also 2 Cor. 5:14-21). The first imputation was an unwilling one (for no human would voluntarily ac¬ cept Adam's guilt), but the second impu¬ tation was effected upon a totally willing volunteer. "I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd giveth his life for the sheep" (Jn. 10:11). "No man taketh it from me, but I lay it down of myself . . ." (Jn. 10:18). c. The imputation of God's righteousness upon the believing sinner. "But what things were gain to me, those I counted loss for Christ. Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowl¬ edge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ, and be found in him, not having mine own righteous¬ ness which is of the law, but that which is through the faith of Christ, the righteousness which is of God by faith" (Phil. 3:7-9). This imputation, like the second, must be voluntary. God forces the righteous¬ ness of Christ upon no one. 3. Biblical examples of imputation. a. Abraham. "And the scripture was fulfilled which saith, Abraham believed God, and it was imputed unto him for righteous¬ ness: and he was called the friend of God" (Jas. 2:23; see also Gen. 15:6; Rom. 4:3). b. David. "Even as David also describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works, saying. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin" (Rom. 4:6-8; see also Ps. 32:1, 2).

735

c. Onesimus. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost writes: "Paul's prison cell in Rome became a pulpit from which the gospel went out to multitudes in the capital city of the Roman Empire. Among those to whom the gospel came in transform¬ ing power was a runaway slave, Onesimus, who had stolen from his master and made his way from the city of Colosse in Asia Minor over to Rome. While Paul could have used this newfound son in the faith to min¬ ister to his needs as a prisoner, he purposed to send Onesimus back to Philemon, his master. Paul wrote the letter to Philemon to exhort him to forgive and restore his runaway slave, and to count him as a brother in Christ. Paul recognized that before such a restoration could be made, the debt which Onesimus had incurred must be paid. Onesimus had nothing with which he could discharge that debt, and so in penning his epistle the Apostle says (vs. 17,18), 'If thou count me therefore a partner, receive him as myself. If he hath wronged thee, or oweth thee ought, put that on mine account; I Paul have written it with mine own hand, I will repay it.' And in those words the Apostle was giving a classic example of the great Chris¬ tian doctrine of imputation." (Things Which Become Sound Doctrine, p. 40) d. Stephen. "And they stoned Stephen, calling upon God, and saying. Lord Jesus, re¬ ceive my spirit. And he kneeled down, and cried with a loud voice. Lord, lay not this sin to their charge. And when he had said this, he fell asleep" (Acts 7:59, 60). e. Paul. "At my first answer no man stood with me, but all men forsook me: I pray God that it may not be laid to their charge" (2 Tim. 4:16). I. Adoption. "But when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son made of a woman, made under the law, to redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons" (Gal. 4:4, 5). 1. The theology of adoption. a. Adoption defined. The word literally means the placing of a son. Adoption logically follows regeneration. Regenera¬ tion gives one his nature as a child of God, whereas adoption gives him his po¬ sition as a son of God (Rom. 8:15-23; 2 Cor. 6:18; Gal 4:4-6; Eph. 1:5). b. How spiritual adoption differs from civil adoption. (1) We never adopt our own children, but God never adopts any other.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

a. A personal relationship with God: "Our Father." The word our signifies the be¬ liever's brotherly relationship between himself and all other Christians. While the Bible nowhere presents the universal fatherhood of God, it does declare the universal brotherhood of believers. The word Father signifies the relationship be¬ tween God and the believer. b. Faith: "which art in heaven." Paul de¬ clares that without this element our pray¬ ers are useless. (See Heb. 11:6.) c. Worship: "Hallowed be thy name." Da¬ vid felt this part of prayer to be so impor¬ tant that he appointed a select group of men who did nothing else in the Temple but praise and worship God. (See 1 Chron. 23:5; 25:1, 7.) In the book of Revelation, John sees four special angels who exist solely to worship God and who "rest not day and night, saying. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come" (Rev. 4:8). See also Christ's statement to the Samari¬ tan woman (Jn. 4:23, 24). d. Expectation: "Thy kingdom come." This kingdom is that blessed millennial king¬ dom spoken of so much in the Old Tes¬ tament (see Isa. 2:2-4; 25:8; 35:1, 8, 10; 65:20, 25) and later previewed by John in the New Testament (Rev. 20:1-6). e. Submission: "Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Jesus would later give the finest example of this element in Gethsemane (Mt. 26:39). f. Petition: "Give us this day our daily bread." This suggests that our praying should be as our eating—daily. g. Confession: "And forgive us our debts." The blood of Christ will forgive us of ev¬ ery sin, but not one excuse. Only con¬ fessed sin can be forgiven (see 1 Jn. 1:9). h. Compassion: "as we forgive our debtors." (See Mt. 18:21-35 and 1 Jn. 4:20.) i. Dependence: "And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil." It should be understood that while God has never promised to keep us from tempta¬ tion, he has promised to preserve us in and through temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). j. Acknowledgment: "For thine is the king¬ dom, and the power, and the glory for¬ ever." (See David's great prayer in 1 Chron. 29:10-19, where he actually an¬ ticipates the final part of Jesus' model prayer.) 3. Reasons for prayer. Why should we pray? a. Because of the repeated command of God (1 Sam. 12:23; Rom. 12:12; Col. 4:2; 1 Thess. 5:17; 1 Tim. 2:8). b. Because of the example of Christ (Heb. 5:7; 1 Pet. 2:21-23). c. Because of the example of the early church (Acts 1:14; 2:42; 6:4; 12:5). d. Because prayer is God's chosen method for the following:

(2) Civil adoption provides comfort for the childless, but God had a beloved Son (Mt. 3:17; 17:5) prior to adopt¬ ing us. (3) There are usually many pleasing characteristics in a civil adopted child, but not in God's children prior to their adoption (Rom. 3:10-18). (4) Civil adoption could never give the child the nature of the father, but God's adopted are given the very mind of Christ (1 Cor. 2:16). (5) In some cases, civil adoption could be declared null and void, but God's adopted are absolutely secure. c. How spiritual adoption compares with civil adoption. (1) The Father must begin the action leading to adoption (Isa. 1:18; Jn. 3:16). (2) Both adoptions give an inheritance to one who previously had none (Rom. 8:17; 1 Pet. 1:1-9). (3) Both adoptions provide a new name (Jn. 1:42; Rev. 2:17). 2. The Trinity in adoption. a. There is an intimacy toward the Father. "Whereby we cry, Abba, Father" (Rom. 8:15). This is a very personal name for one's Father. Only Jesus himself had used this until now (Mt. 26:42; Mk. 14:36). b. There is an illumination by the Spirit. He both leads us (Rom. 8:14) and assures us (8:16). c. There is an inheritance with the Son. "Joint heirs with Christ" (Rom. 8:17; see also Heb. 2:11). J. Supplication (prayer). "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplica¬ tions, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks be made for all men" (1 Tim. 2:1). "Praying always with all prayer and suppli¬ cation in the Spirit" (Eph. 6:18). "Be careful for nothing; but in everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God" (Phil. 4:6). It may be said that no sinner is saved without prayer and no believer is sanctified (to grow in grace) apart from prayer. The prayer may be like Solomon's prayer (one of the longest in the Bible, with thirty verses, see 1 Ki. 8:23-53) or like Pe¬ ter's prayer (one of the shortest, with one verse containing three words, see Mt. 14:30), but in any case, prayer must be exercised. 1. Definition of prayer. Prayer may be best de¬ fined as "having fellowship with God." It is more than simply talking to God, but rather talking with God. It implies a two-way give and take. 2. Elements in prayer. According to the model prayer of Jesus which was given to us at the request of the disciples (see Lk. 11:1; Mt. 6:9-13), prayer includes the following ten elements:

736

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION -

(1) Defeating the devil (Lk. 22:32; 1 Pet. 4:7). (2) Saving the sinner (Lk. 18:13). (3) Restoring the backslider (jas. 5:16). (4) Strengthening the saint (Jude 20). (5) Sending forth laborers (Mt. 9:38; Acts 13:2, 3). (6) Curing the sick (Jas. 5:13-15). (7) Glorifying God's name (Rev. 5:8; 8:2-4). (8) Accomplishing the impossible (Mt. 21:22; Mk. 9:29; Acts 12:5-7; Jas. 5:17, 18). (9) Giving good things (Ps. 102:17; Mt. 7:7-11). (10) Imparting wisdom (Jas. 1:5). (11) Bestowing peace (Phil. 4:5-7). (12) Keeping one from sin (Mt. 26:41). (13) Revealing the will of God (Lk. 11:9, 10). e. Because of the example of the greatest Christian of all time—Paul (Acts 9:10,11; 16:25; 20:36; 21:5; Rom. 1:9; 10:1; Eph. 1:16; Phil. 1:4; Col. 1:3; 1 Thess. 1:2; 2 Thess. 1:11; 1 Tim. 2:8; 2 Tim. 1:3; Phi¬ lemon 1:4). 4. Direction of prayer: To whom should we pray? To the Father? Son? Spirit? The basic New Testament rule is this: Prayer should be made to the Father, through the Spirit, in the name of Jesus (Rom. 8:15, 16, 26, 27). 5. Objects of prayer: For whom should we pray? a. For ourselves. In the Scriptures, Abra¬ ham's servant (Gen. 24:12), Peter (Mt. 14:30), and the dying thief (Lk. 23:42) all prayed for themselves. The first prayer was for guidance, the second for survival from drowning, and the third for salva¬ tion. b. For one another (Jas. 5:16; Rom. 1:9). c. For pastors. The Apostle Paul requested prayer for himself from both Ephesian and Colossian believers. "And for me, that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of the gospel, for which I am an ambassador in bonds: that therein I may speak boldly, as I ought to speak" (Eph. 6:19, 20). "Withal praying also for us, that God would open unto us a door of ut¬ terance, to speak the mystery of Christ, for which I am also in bonds" (Col. 4:3). d. For sick believers (Jas. 5:14, 15). e. For rulers. "I exhort therefore, that, first of all, supplications, prayers, intercessions, and giving of thanks, be made for all men; for kings, and for all that are in authority; that we may lead a quiet and peaceable life in all godliness and honesty. For this is good and accept¬ able in the sight of God our Savior" (1 Tim. 2:1-3).

737

How easy it is (and how sinful) to criti¬ cize our leaders but never remember to pray for them. f. For our enemies (Mt. 5:44; Acts 7:59, 60). g. For Israel (Ps. 122:6; Isa. 62:6, 7). h. For all men (1 Tim. 2:1). 6. Positions of prayers. No specific position. It is the heart that counts. Note the various posi¬ tions as described in the Bible. a. Standing (Mk. 11:25) (suggested by Jesus). b. Sitting (1 Chron. 17:16-27) (done by Da¬ vid). c. Bowing (Ex. 34:8) (Moses). d. Lying (Ps. 6:6) (David). e. Prostrated (Ps. 28:2) (David). f. On one's face (Mt. 26:39) (Jesus). g. On one's knees (1 Ki. 8:54; Dan. 6:10; Lk. 22:41; Acts 20:36) (Solomon, Daniel, Jesus, Paul). h. With the face between the knees (1 Ki. 18:4) (Elijah). 7. Time of prayer: Anytime. a. Early in the morning (Mk. 1:35). b. At noon (Ps. 55:17). c. Late in the afternoon (Acts 3:1). d. In the evening (Ps. 141:2). e. At midnight (Acts 16:25). 8. Hindrances to prayer. a. Known sin (Ps. 66:18). b. Insincerity (Mt. 6:5). c. Carnal motives (Jas. 4:3). d. Unbelief (Jas. 1:5, 6). e. Satanic activity (Dan. 10:10-13). On cer¬ tain occasions the sovereign God for a short period of time may allow satanic interference to block the prayer line of the believer. This is usually for the pur¬ pose of testing and purifying his child, as the book of Job and the tenth chapter of Daniel so vividly illustrate. f. Domestic problems (1 Pet. 3:7). g. Pride (Lk. 18:10-14). h. Robbing God (Mai. 3:8-10). i. Refusing to help the needy (Prov. 21: 3; 1 Jn. 3:16, 17). j. Refusing to submit to biblical teaching (Prov. 1:24-28; 28:9; Zech. 7:11-14). k. Refusing to forgive or to be forgiven (Mt. 5:23, 24; 6:12, 14). 9. Qualifications of prayer. What are the ground rules of prayer? The following points absolutely must be met: a. Prayer should be humble (Ps. 10:17; Lk. 18:13, 14). b. Prayer should be bold (1 Jn. 5:13-15). c. Prayer should be in faith (Heb. 11:6). d. Prayer should be sincere (Ps. 145:18). e. Prayer should be simple (Mt. 6:7). f. Prayer should be persistent (Lk. 18:7; Col. 4:2). g. Prayer should be definite (Ps. 27:4; Acts 12:5). All too often our prayers are so vague and indefinite as to render them totally meaningless. Petitions like, "Lord, save that soul nearest hell," or, "heal ail

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WILMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

requiring only that, by faith, the stricken victim gaze upon a brass serpent atop a pole. b. It is of grace (Rom. 3:24; Titus 3:7), as this is the best way for God to be glorified (Eph. 2:1-10). 4. The two great examples of justification. a. Abraham. He was justified apart from circumcision (Gen. 15:6). In Genesis 16:16 we are informed that he was eighty-six at the time of his conversion. In 17:24 we are told he was ninety-nine when cir¬ cumcision took place (see especially Rom. 4:1-5, 9-25). Note: Some have imagined a contradic¬ tion between Paul (Rom. 4:4, 5) and James (Jas. 2:24) concerning the justifica¬ tion of Abraham. There exists no such contradiction. Let us note what these two men say about justification. Paul says that through faith a man is justified be¬ fore God. James says that through works a man is justified before men. Paul says faith is the root of justification. James says works is the fruit of justification. The teaching of the Reformation was: "Good works make not a good man, but a good man doeth good works!" b. David. He was justified apart from the Levitical offerings (Ps. 32:1, 2; 51:16, 17; Rom. 4:6-8). 5. The results of justification. a. The remission of sin's penalty (Acts 13:38, 39; Rom. 4:7; 6:23; 8:1, 33, 34; 2 Cor. 5:21; Eph. 1:7; 4:32; Col. 2:13). b. The restoration to divine favor (Rom. 5:1-11). c. The imputation of Christ's righteousness (Mt. 22:11; Lk. 15:22-24; Rom. 4:11; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 5:21). In conclusion, man justifies only the innocent, but God only the guilty. Man justifies on the ba¬ sis of self-merit, but God on the basis of the Sav¬ ior's merit. L. Sanctification. "And for their sakes I sanctify myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth" Qn. 17:19). "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it" (Eph. 5:25, 26). "For this is the will of God, even your sanc¬ tification" (1 Thess. 4:3). "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly" (1 Thess. 5:23). 1. Sanctification defined. a. Negative considerations (what it is not): (1) It is not the eradication of the sinful nature. In fact, those who boast of the eradication of their sinful na¬ tures actually claim that which Paul, James, and John admit they had not attained. "Not as though I had already at¬ tained, either were already per-

the sick and comfort all the lonely," sim¬ ply provide no basis for divine action, h. Prayers should be in accord with Scrip¬ ture (1 Jn. 5:14). They must be grounded in and bounded by the word of God if we are to find his will for our lives. K. Justification. This is the eleventh great word in the vocabulary of salvation. "How then can man be justified with God? or how can he be clean that is bom of a woman?" (Job 25:4). "Therefore being justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ" (Rom. 5:1). 1. The need for justification. In his epistle to the Romans, the Apostle Paul presents sinful man in a courtroom on trial for his very life. The charge is high treason against the King of the universe (Rom. 3:23). The presiding Judge is the Lord Jesus Christ himself (Jn. 5:22; Acts 17:13). The jury is made up of the Law of God and the deeds of man (Rom. 2:6, 12). After proper deliberation a just and fair verdict of "guilty" is returned (Rom. 3:9-20). A terrify¬ ing sentence is then imposed—spiritual death, meaning to be forever separated from God to suffer throughout all eternity in the lake of fire (Rom. 6:23; Rev. 20:11-15). In light of all this it can be readily seen that a desperate need for justification existed. 2. The definition of justification. a. Negative considerations (what it is not): (1) It does not mean to be acquitted, that is, to successfully defend one¬ self against all charges (Rom. 3:19). (2) It does not mean to be pardoned, that is, to be found guilty, but given a second chance. (3) It does not mean to be paroled, that is, to be guilty and set free with cer¬ tain restrictions. b. Positive considerations (what it is): The great theologian, A. Strong, has defined justification in the following way: "By justification we mean that judicial act of God which, on account of Christ, to whom the sinner is united by faith, He declares that sinner to be no longer exposed to the penalty of the law, but restored to His favor." (Systematic Theology, p. 849) Justification is thus that legal act whereby man's status before God is changed for the good. 3. The method of justification. "Therefore it is of faith that it might be by grace" (Rom. 4:16). a. It is of faith (Rom. 5:1), as this is the best way for the sinner to be saved (Num. 21:5-9; cf. Jn. 3:14-16). One of the great Old Testament examples of salvation can be found in Numbers 21 (and referred to in Jn. 3). At that time many sinning Is¬ raelites had suffered fatal wounds by poi¬ sonous snakes. But God offered a cure.

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION~

feet: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:12-14; cf. Jas. 3:2; 1 Jn. 1:8, 9; 2:1). Note: The opposite (and equally erroneous) position of eradicationism is anHnomianism, which means literally "against the law." This was the theory that a Christian was un¬ der no moral obligation whatsoever to observe the commandments. Thus, the first view was an attempt to eliminate sin, while the second simply enjoyed it. Both sinless perfection and sinful imperfections are unscriptural doc¬ trines. Although the Christian can¬ not be sinless, he can, nevertheless, through sanctification, sin less. (2) It is not the "second blessing." In 2 Corinthians 1:15 Paul writes: "And in this confidence I was minded to come unto you before, that ye might have a second benefit." Some have taken their theology of the second blessing from this verse. However, Paul describes the Corinthian be¬ lievers in his first epistle as already being sanctified (1:2; 6:11). (3) It is not the baptism by the Holy Spirit. In 1 Corinthians 12:13 Paul says all believers have been baptized by the Holy Spirit, regardless of their personal spiritual condition. Compare this with 1 Corinthians 3:1-4. b. Positive considerations (what it is): Sanc¬ tification occurs in various forms some 300 times in the New Testament and 760 times in the Old Testament for a total of 1060 in the Bible. The basic meaning in all these instances is "to set apart." Thus; (1) Days and seasons were sanctified (Gen. 2:3; Deut. 5:12; Neh. 13:19-22; Joel 1:14; 2:15). (2) Physical objects were sanctified. These included: Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:23). The Levitical offerings (Ex. 29:27). The fields (Lev. 27:22). The tabernacle (Ex. 29:44). The city gates (Neh. 3:1). Houses (Lev. 27:14). (3) People were to sanctify themselves (Lev. 11:44). (4) One man could sanctify another (Ex. 13:1, 2). (5) Evildoers sanctified themselves (Isa. 66:17). (6) Moses was punished for not sancti¬ fying God (Deut. 32:51). (7) God sanctified Christ (Jn. 10:36). (8) Christ sanctified himself (Jn. 17:19). (9) A believing married partner can sanctify the unbelieving partner (1 Cor. 7:14).

739

(10) Carnal Christians are said to be sanctified (1 Cor. 1:2; cf. 3:3). (11) Believers are to sanctify God (1 Pet. 3:15). 2. Sanctification contrasted. At this point it may help to contrast sanctification with justifica¬ tion. a. Justification deals with our standing, while sanctification deals with our state. b. Justification is that which God does for us, while sanctification is that which God does in us. c. Justification is an act, while sanctification is a work. d. Justification is the means, while sanctifica¬ tion is the end. e. Justification makes us safe, while sanctifi¬ cation makes us sound. f. Justification declares us good, while sancti¬ fication makes us good. g. Justification removes the guilt and penalty of sin, while sanctification checks the growth and power of sin. h. Justification furnishes the track which leads to heaven, while sanctification fur¬ nishes the train. 3. Sanctification achieved. In Romans 6 Paul clearly lays out the program leading to that lifelong process of growing in grace and spiritual maturity, which is sanctification. The plan involves four simple commands. a. "Know ye!" (Rom. 6:1-10). (1) That we have been "buried with him [Christ] by baptism into death" (6:4). Here Paul says Christ not only died for me, but as me! The word "baptism" simply means "identifica¬ tion." This identification with Christ on Calvary is one of many "dry bap¬ tisms" in the Bible. Others would include: (a) The baptism of sin and suffer¬ ing upon Christ (Mt. 20:22). (b) The baptism of the Holy Spirit upon believers at Pentecost (Acts 1:5). (c) The baptism of believers into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). (d) The baptism "for the dead" (1 Cor. 15:29). Note: This is thought to refer to the act of living believers identifying themselves with martyred believers by picking up their fallen banners. (e) The baptism "unto Moses" (1 Cor. 10:2). (f) The baptism of judgment dur¬ ing the tribulation (Mt. 3:11, 12). (2) That we have been "planted to¬ gether ... in the likeness of his res¬ urrection" (6:5). The believer has now been "transplanted" three times:

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

(a) To the Garden of Eden, where he sinned with Adam. (b) To the cross, where he died with Christ. (c) To the tomb, where he arose with Christ. (3) That because of these two facts, the believer is: (a) "Dead to sin" (6:2). (b) "Freed from sin" (6:7). Death cancels all obligations. Sin here is personified as a cruel tyrant who taxes his subjects beyond all endurance. The only way to beat the rap is to die! This then renders inac¬ tive (but does not remove) the body of sin and makes it powerless. (See also Eph. 4:22-24; Col. 3:9, 10.) b. "Reckon ye" (Rom. 6:11,12). This simply means that by faith we are to act upon these facts regardless of any personal feelings. c. "Yield ye" (Rom. 6:16-23). (1) We are to stop yielding (present tense) our body members as instru¬ ments of unrighteousness. (2) We are to once for all (aorist tense) yield our body members as instru¬ ments of righteousness. d. "Obey ye." (1) Whom are we to obey? (a) The Christian is to obey his new Master and to ignore his old one (Rom. 6:16). We can serve but one master at a time (Mt. 6:24). (b) The Christian is to obey that form of doctrine into which he has been delivered. (The Greek verb "delivered" is the second person plural.) He was origi¬ nally saved by being poured into the mold of salvation. He is now to obey the precepts of this mold and let it fashion and shape his new life. (2) Why are we to obey? (a) Because we are "freed from sin" (6:22). There are three Lat¬ in theological terms which may clarify this precious doctrine. These are: Non posse non pecare—not able not to sin. This refers to believ¬ ers before their salvation. Posse non pecare—able not to sin. This describes them after their salvation. They now have the power to live victorious lives. Non posse pecare—not able to sin. This describes their exis¬ tence after the rapture. (b) Because God desires the fruits of justification from believers which can only come through obedience (6:21, 22).

740

M. Glorification. "Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). "By whom also we have access by faith into this grace in which we stand, and rejoice in hope of the glory of God" (Rom. 5:2). "For I reckon that the sufferings of this pre¬ sent time are not worthy to be compared with the glory which shall be revealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). "It [the human body] is sown in dishonor; it is raised in glory" (1 Cor. 15:43). "When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:4). "The elders who are among you I exhort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a partaker of the glory that shall be revealed" (1 Pet. 5:1). 1. The meaning of glorification. It refers to the ultimate and absolute physical, mental, and spiritual perfections of all believers (Rom. 8:22, 23; 1 Cor. 15:41-44, 51-55; 2 Cor. 4:14-18; 5:1-4; Jude 1:24, 25). 2. The time of glorification. It will begin at the rapture and continue throughout all eternity (1 Cor. 15:51-53; 1 Thess. 4:13-18). 3. The purpose of glorification. Glorification is both the logical and necessary final side of the great salvation triangle. It completes jus¬ tification and sanctification. Note: a. In the past, Christ the Prophet saved us from the penalty of sin through justifica¬ tion. b. In the present, Christ the Priest saves us from the power of sin through sanctifica¬ tion. c. In the future, Christ the King shall save us from the presence of sin through glo¬ rification. 4. The results of glorification. What kind of body will the believer possess? a. It will be a body like Christ's body (Phil. 3:21; 1 Jn. 3:2). b. It will be a body of flesh and bone (Lk. 24:39). c. It will be a recognizable body (1 Cor. 13:12). d. It will be a body in which the Spirit pre¬ dominates (1 Cor. 15:44, 49). "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiritual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:44). "And as we have borne the image of the earthy, we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" (1 Cor. 15:49). This situation is of course reversed to¬ day, as Mark 14:38 brings out: "Watch ye and pray, lest ye enter into temptation. The spirit truly is ready, but the flesh is weak" (Mk. 14:38). e. It will be a body unlimited by time, grav¬ ity, or space. On at least three occasions

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION -

during the early days following his resur¬ rection, our Lord defied all natural laws by suddenly appearing in and out of locked rooms to comfort his disciples. First occasion: He disappears from the home of two disciples in Emmaus. "And their eyes were opened, and they knew him; and he vanished out of their sight" (Lk. 24:31). Second occasion: He appears to the apos¬ tles in Jerusalem. "Then the same day at evening, being the first day of the week, when the doors were shut where the disciples were assembled for fear of the Jews, came Jesus and stood in the midst, and saith unto them. Peace be unto you" (Jn. 20:19). Third occasion: He appears (eight days later) to eleven apostles in Jerusalem. "And after eight days again his disci¬ ples were within, and Thomas with them: then came Jesus, the doors being shut, and stood in the midst, and said. Peace be unto you" (Jn. 20:26). f. It will be an eternal body (2 Cor. 5:1). g. It will be a glorious body (Rom. 8:18; 1 Cor. 15:43). The Hebrew word for "glory" is kabod, which means literally "to be heavy," lending itself to that one laden down with riches (Gen. 31:1), power (Isa. 8:7), and position (Gen. 45:13). It can also refer to moral beauty (Ex. 33:18-23). The Greek word for glory is doxa, which means literally "to manifest an honorable opinion." Both words often suggest the brightness and brilliance of supernatural light. Putting all these meanings together it may be sug¬ gested that the believer's glorified body will be supernaturally enriched and empowered to serve God in an appointed position by ra¬ diating the brightness of grace to angels and the universe. N. Preservation. "And the very God of peace sanctify you wholly: and I pray God your whole spirit and soul and body be preserved blameless unto the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ. Faithful is he that calleth you, who also will do it" (1 Thess. 5:23, 24). "Jude, the servant of Jesus Christ, and brother of James, to them that are sanctified by God the Father, and preserved in Jesus Christ, and called" (Jude 1). O. Origination. "Wherefore David blessed the Lord before all the congregation: and David said. Blessed be thou. Lord God of Israel our father, for ever and ever. Thine, O Lord, is the greatness, and the power, and the glory, and the victory, and the majesty: for all that is in the heaven and the earth is thine, O Lord, and thou art ex¬ alted as head above all. Both riches and hon¬

741

our come of thee, and thou reignest over all; and in thine hand is power and might; and in thine hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. Now therefore, our God, we thank thee, and praise thy glorious name. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able to offer so willingly after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee" (1 Chron. 29:10-14). We now briefly (and bravely) discuss the final word concept in the vocabulary of salvation. It deals with what is, without doubt, the most pro¬ found (and often perverted) subject in the entire Word of God. Throughout church history (espe¬ cially from the sixteenth century onward) no other single theme has stirred such thunder and turmoil as has this subject. Some detest it, while others delight in it, but no honest Bible student can ignore it. By what means and for what rea¬ sons was the plan of salvation originated? Why are not all men saved? Can indeed all men be saved? 1. The terms included within the subject of sal¬ vation origination: eight words here must be considered: decree, ordain, foreknowledge, election, counsel, predestination, purpose, and called, a. Decree. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by him, and for him" (Col. 1:16). 'Thou art worthy, O Lord, to re¬ ceive glory and honor and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were cre¬ ated" (Rev. 4:11). The decree of God is defined by the Westminster Shorter Catechism as follows: "The decree of God is His eternal pur¬ pose according to the counsel of His will, whereby, for His own glory. He hath foreordained whatsoever comes to pass." In his book Systematic Theology, L. Berkhof lists seven characteristics involved in this decree. (1) It is founded in divine wisdom. "And to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all things by Jesus Christ: to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the church the manifold wis¬ dom of God, according to the eternal purpose which he pur¬ posed in Christ Jesus our Lord" (Eph. 3:9-11). "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! In wisdom hast thou made them all: the earth is full of thy riches" (Ps. 104:24).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

ability to carry it out. And He will not change it, because He is the immutable God, and because He is faithful and true." (Ibid., p. 105) "Ye men of Israel, hear these words; Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God among you by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him in the midst of you, as ye yourselves also know; him being delivered by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Acts 2:22-24). (5) It is unconditional or absolute. This means it is not dependent upon the weather, the goodness or badness of men, the stock market, etc. (See Dan. 4:25-37.) (6) It is universal or all-comprehensive. "The decree includes whatsoever comes to pass in the world, whether it be in the physical or in the moral realm, whether it be good or evil (Eph. 1:11). It in¬ cludes: (a) the good actions of men, Ephesians 2:10; (b) their wicked acts. Proverbs 16:4; Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28; (c) contingent events. Genesis 45:8; 50:20; Prov¬ erbs 16:33; (d) the means as well as the end. Psalm 119:89-91; 2 Thessalonians 2:13; Ephesians 1:4; (e) the duration of man's life, Job 14:5; Psalm 39:4, and the place of his habitation. Acts 17:26." (Ibid, p. 105) (7) It is, with reference to sin, permis¬ sive. "It is customary to speak of the decree of God respecting moral evil as permissive. By His decree God rendered the sinful actions of man infallibly certain without deciding to effectuate them by acting immediately upon and in the finite will. This means that God does not positively work in man 'both to will and to do' when man goes contrary to His revealed will ... It is a decree which renders the future sinful act absolutely certain, but in which God determines (a) not to hinder the sinful self-determina¬ tion of the finite will; and (b) to regulate and control the result of this sinful self-determination" (Ps. 78:29; 106:15; Acts 14:16; 17:30).

"The Lord by wisdom hath founded the earth; by under¬ standing hath he established the heavens" (Prov. 3:19). (2) It is eternal. "The divine decree is eternal in the sense that it lies entirely in eternity. In a certain sense it can be said that all acts of God are eternal, since there is no succes¬ sion of moments in the Divine Being. But some of them termi¬ nate in time, as, for instance, cre¬ ation and justification. Hence we do not call them eternal but tem¬ poral acts of God. The decree, however, while it relates to things outside of God, remains in itself an act within the Divine Being, and is therefore eternal in the strictest sense of the word." (Systematic Theology, p. 104) "Known unto God are all his works, from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18; see also Eph. 1:4; 2 Tim. 1:9). (3) It is efficacious (effective). "This does not mean that God has determined to bring to pass Himself by a direct application of His power all things which are included in His decree, but only that what He has decreed will certainly come to pass; that noth¬ ing can thwart His purpose." (Ibid., p. 104) "The counsel of the Lord standeth for ever" (Ps. 33:11). "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). "Remember the former things of old: for I am God, and there is none else; I am God, and there is none like me, declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying. My counsel shall stand, and I will do all my pleasure" (Isa. 46:9, 10; see also Isa. 14:24). (4) It is immutable. "Man may and often does alter his plans for various reasons. It may be that in making his plans he lacked seriousness of purpose, that he did not fully realize what the plan involved or that he is wanting the power to carry it out. But in God nothing of the kind is conceivable. He is not deficient in knowledge, veracity, or power. Therefore He need not change His decree because of a mistake of ignorance, nor because of in¬

742

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION -

b. Ordain (Greek, tasso) also translated "ap¬ point." To ordain means "to place or put in order, to arrange." In the New Testa¬ ment we have three nontheological ex¬ amples of this. "Then the eleven disciples went away into Galilee, into a mountain where Jesus had appointed them" (Mt. 28:16). "For I also am a man set under au¬ thority, having under me soldiers, and I say unto one. Go, and he goeth; and to another. Come, and he cometh; and to my servant. Do this, and he doeth it" (Lk. 7:8). "Let every soul be subject unto the higher powers. For there is no power but of God: the powers that be are ordained of God" (Rom. 13:1). In the theological usage of the word, note: "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad, and glorified the word of the Lord: and as many as were or¬ dained to eternal life believed" (Acts 13:48). "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold, from your vain conversation received by tradi¬ tion from your fathers; but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: Who verily was foreordained before the foundation of the world, but was manifest in these last times for you" (1 Pet. 1:18-20). c. Foreknowledge (Greek, proginosko). This means "to know experientially, to know beforehand." This prior knowledge is seen operating in the following areas: (1) The realm of creation itself. "Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world" (Acts 15:18). (2) The nation Israel. "Hear this word that the Lord hath spoken against you, O chil¬ dren of Israel, against the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt, saying. You only have I known of all the fam¬ ilies of the earth: therefore I will punish you for all your iniqui¬ ties" (Amos 3:1, 2). "I say then. Hath God cast away his people? God forbid . . . God hath not cast away his peo¬ ple which he foreknew" (Rom. 11:1, 2).

(3) The crucifixion and resurrection of Christ. "And truly the Son of man goeth, as it was determined: but woe unto that man by whom he is betrayed" (Lk. 22:22).

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"Him being delivered by the determinate counsel and fore¬ knowledge of God, ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain: Whom God hath raised up, having loosed the pains of death: because it was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Acts 2:23, 24). "Who [Christ] verily was fore¬ ordained before the foundation of the world" (1 Pet. 1:20). "And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world" (Rev. 13:8). (4) The believer. (a) His physical condition (Ps. 139). (b) His spiritual condition. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate" (Rom. 8:29). "Elect according to the foreknowledge of God the Father" (1 Pet. 1:2). d. Election (Greek, eklektos). To elect is "to pick or choose from a number." It means to select for an appointed task. (1) Christ was God's elect. "A living stone, disallowed in¬ deed of men, but chosen of God, and precious" (1 Pet. 2:4; see also Isa. 42:1; 49:5; Lk. 23:35; 1 Pet. 2:6). (2) A certain group of angels have been elected. "I charge thee before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, and the elect angels" (1 Tim. 5:21). (3) Old Testament Israel was an elect nation. "The God of this people of Israel, chose our fathers" (Acts 13:17; see also Deut. 4:37; 7:6-8; 1 Ki. 3:8; Isa. 44:1, 2; Mt. 24:22, 24, 31; Rom. 9:25-27). (4) Believing Jews today are an elect group. "Even so, then, at this present time also there is a remnant ac¬ cording to the election of grace" (Rom. 11:5). (5) Certain men were elected to per¬ form important tasks in God's min¬ istry: (a) Jeremiah (Jer. 1:5) (b) David (1 Sam. 16:12; 2 Sam. 7:8; Ps. 78:70-72) (c) Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3) (d) John the Baptist (Lk. 1:13-17) (e) Paul (Acts 9:15) (f) Isaac (Rom. 9:7) (g) Jacob (Rom. 9:11)

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

"But ye are a chosen genera¬ tion, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light" (1 Pet. 2:9). "These shall make war with the Lamb, and the Lamb shall overcome them: for he is Lord of lords, and King of kings: and they that are with him are called, and chosen, and faithful" (Rev. 17:14). e. Counsel (Greek, boulema). Tfiis word re¬ fers to "deliberate and willful intention." Biblical examples are: (1) The intention of the Pharisees to kill Christ (Jn. 11:53). (2) The intention of the Pharisees to kill Peter and John (Acts 5:33). (3) The intention of the centurion to save Paul (Acts 27:43). (4) The intention of God to offer up Christ (Acts 2:23; 4:26-28). (5) The intention of God to save the elect. "In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predesti¬ nated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:11). "Wherein God, willing more abundantly to show unto the heirs of promise the immutabil¬ ity of his counsel, confirmed it by an oath" (Heb. 6:17). (6) The intention of God to control all things. "The counsel of the Lord standeth forever, the thoughts of his heart to all generations" (Ps. 33:11). "There are many devices in a man's heart; nevertheless, the counsel of the Lord, that shall stand" (Prov. 19:21). "O Lord, thou art my God. I will exalt thee, I will praise thy name; for thou hast done won¬ derful things; thy counsels of old are faithfulness and truth" (Isa. 25:1). "Declaring the end from the beginning, and from ancient times the things that are not yet done, saying, My counsel shall stand, and 1 will do all my plea¬ sure" (Isa. 46:10). f. Predestination (Greek, proorizo, horizo). To predestinate is "to mark out beforehand, to determine a boundary." The English word "horizon" comes from horizo. It is our horizon, of course, which marks out the earth from the sky. The Greek word

(6) The twelve apostles were elected by God. "And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples" (Mt. 10:1). "Ye have not chosen me, but 1 have chosen you, and ordained you" (Jn. 15:16; see also Jn. 6:70; Acts 1:2, 24; 10:41). (7) The plan of salvation was chosen by God. "But God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise; and God hath chosen the weak things of the world to confound the things which are mighty; and base things of the world, and things which are de¬ spised hath God chosen, yea and things which are not, to bring to nought things that are" (1 Cor. 1:27, 28). (8) The people of salvation were chosen by God. "Who shall lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" (Rom. 8:33). "According as he hath chosen us in him before the foundation of the world" (Eph. 1:4). "But we are bound to give thanks always to God for you, brethren beloved of the Lord, be¬ cause God hath from the begin¬ ning chosen you to salvation" (2 Thess. 2:13). "Therefore, I endure all things for the elect's sake, that they also may obtain the salvation which is in Christ Jesus with eternal glo¬ ry" (2 Tim. 2:10). "Paul, a servant of God, and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God's elect, and the acknowledging of the truth which is after godliness; in hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began" (Titus 1:1, 2). "Hearken, my beloved breth¬ ren, Hath not God chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirs of the kingdom which he hath promised to them that love him?" (Jas. 2:5). "Peter, an apostle of Jesus Christ, to the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cap¬ padocia, Asia, Bithynia, elect ac¬ cording to the foreknowledge of God the Father, through sanctifi¬ cation of the Spirit, unto obedi¬ ence and sprinkling of the blood of Jesus Christ: Grace unto you, and peace be multipled" (1 Pet. 1:1, 2).

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the doctrine of salvation -

is also translated by the words “determi¬ nation" and “declaration." This word is used in reference to: (1) The declaration of the deity of Christ (Rom. 1:4). While He was on earth, God the Father marked off the true identity and nature of his beloved Son, Jesus Christ. (2) The predetermining of the death of Christ at the hands of wicked men (Lk. 22:22; Acts 2:23; 4:27, 28). (3) The predetermining of national boundaries. "God that made the world and all things therein, seeing that he is Lord of heaven and earth, dwelleth not in temples made with hands; neither is worshipped with men's hands, as though he needed anything, seeing he giveth to all life, and breath, and all things; and hath made of one blood all nations of men for to dwell on all the face of the earth, and hath determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation" (Acts 17:24-26). (4) The predetermining of believers to be conformed to Christ. "For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be con¬ formed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brethren. More¬ over, whom he did predestinate, them he also called: and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Rom. 8:29, 30). "Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: That in the dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on earth; even in him. In whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of him who worketh all things after the counsel of his own will" (Eph. 1:9-12). The Westminster Confession of Faith states this act of God as follows: "God from all eternity did by the most wise and holy counsel of His own Will, freely and unchangeably ordain whatsoever to pass: yet so as thereby neither is God the author of sin, nor is violence offered to the Will of the creatures, nor is the liberty of contingency of second causes taken away, but rather established."

745

g. Purpose (Greek prothesis). This literally means a "setting forth." (1) The setting forth of the shewbread in the tabernacle (Lk. 6:4; Heb. 9:2). (2) The setting forth of nations for judgment. (a) Assyria (Isa. 14:26) (b) Tyre (Isa. 23:9) (c) Babylon (Isa. 46:11) (d) Israel (Jer. 4:28; 51:29) (3) The setting forth of Pharaoh as an object of God's judgment (Rom. 9:17). (4) The setting forth of the divine plan to work through Isaac (instead of Ishmael) and Jacob (instead of Esau) (Rom. 9:6-13). h. Called (Greek, kaleo, klesis). The word here means "to officially summon." (1) As used in reference to Jesus' par¬ ables: (a) The parable of the Lord of the vineyard (Mt. 20:8). (b) The parable of the departing Master (Mt. 25:14). (2) As used in reference to the call of the elect. "Moreover whom he did predes¬ tinate, them he also called: and whom he called them he also jus¬ tified: and whom he justified, them he also glorified" (Rom. 8:30). "God is faithful, by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord" (1 Cor. 1:9). "I therefore, the prisoner of the Lord, beseech you that ye walk worthy of the vocation wherewith ye are called" (Eph. 4:1). "That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory" (1 Thess. 2:12). "Wherefore also we pray al¬ ways for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfill all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power" (2 Thess. 1:11). "Who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but ac¬ cording to his own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world be¬ gan" (2 Tim. 1:9). "Though I might also have confidence in the flesh. If any other man thinketh that he hath whereof he might trust in the flesh, 1 more" (Phil. 3:4). "Nor yet that he should offer himself often, as the high priest

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

dead in trespasses and sins and can do nothing to obtain salvation, God gra¬ ciously restores to all men sufficient ability to make a choice in the matter of submission to Him. This is the sal¬ vation-bringing grace of God that has appeared to all men. In His fore¬ knowledge He perceives what each one will do with this restored ability, and elects men to salvation in har¬ mony with His knowledge of their choice of Him. There is no merit in this transaction." (Systematic Theology, pp. 344, 345) (2) Defended. A number of scriptural principles are offered to support this first position. Some areas follow: (a) Because Christ is said to have died for all men. (See Jn. 1:4, 7; 12:32, 33, 47; Rom. 5:18; 8:32; 1 Tim. 2:6; 4:10; Heb. 2:9; 2 Pet. 2:1; 3:9; 1 Jn. 2:2.) (b) Because of the justice of God. Henry Thiessen writes: "It is admitted that God is under no obligation to pro¬ vide salvation for anyone, since all are responsible for their present lost condition. It is also admitted that God is not obliged actually to save anyone, even though Christ has provided salva¬ tion for men. But it is diffi¬ cult to see how God can choose some from the mass of guilty and condemned men, provide salvation for them and efficiently secure their salvation, and do noth¬ ing about all the others, if, as we read, righteousness is the foundation of His throne. God would not be partial if He permitted all men to go to their deserved doom; but how can He be other than partial if He selects some from this multitude of men and does things for them and in them that He refuses to do for the others, if there is not something about the two classes that makes the difference? We hold that common grace is extended to all, and that everyone has the ability restored to him to 'will to do His will.' The sal¬ vation-bearing grace of God has appeared to all men; but some receive the grace of God in vain. It seems to us that only if God makes the same provisions for all and makes the same offers to all.

entereth into the holy place every year with blood of others" (Heb. 9:25). "Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling, consider the Apostle and High Priest of our profession, Christ Jesus" (Heb. 3:1). "Wherefore the rather, breth¬ ren, give diligence to make your calling and election sure: for if ye do these things ye shall never fall" (2 Pet. 1:10). These then, are the eight key words which must be considered in the study of salvation's origination. Again by way of review, these eight words are: decree, or¬ dain, foreknowledge, election, counsel, predestination, purpose, and called. 2. The two basic positions concerning the sub¬ ject of salvation's origination. Why are some people saved and others lost? Does man have any say in his salvation? Does he have all say? No serious Bible student denies the /act of God's election. However, good men do dis¬ agree concerning the nature of this election, a. Position number one (summarized by Dr. John R. Rice). (1) Defined. "The only people that God pre¬ destinates to be saved are those whom He did foreknow, that is, those who, in His infinite knowl¬ edge, God knows will, when given the opportunity, come to trust in Christ to be saved. It is not that predestination causes people to trust Christ and be saved. No, they are only predesti¬ nated to be saved because God knows that they will put their trust in Christ. Predestination is based wholly on God's fore¬ knowledge." (Predestinated for Hell? No!, p. 90) Perhaps one of the most qualified theologians to hold this position is Henry C. Thiessen. He writes: "Furthermore, He chose those who He foreknew would accept Christ. The Scriptures definitely base God's elec¬ tion on His foreknowledge: 'Whom He foreknew, He also foreordained, . . . and whom He foreordained, them He also called' (Rom. 8:29, 30); 'to the elect . . . according to the foreknowl¬ edge of God the Father' (1 Pet. 1:1, 2). Although we are nowhere told what it is in the foreknowledge of God that determines His choice, the repeated teaching of Scripture that man is re¬ sponsible for accepting or rejecting salvation necessitates our postulating that it is man's reaction to the revela¬ tion God has made of Himself that is the basis of His election. May we re¬ peat: Since mankind is hopelessly

746

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION~

is He truly just." (Systematic Theology, pp. 346, 347) (c) Because he (Christ) bore all our iniquities (Isa. 53:6). (d) Because of the command for all men to repent (Acts 17:30). (e) Because of the universal "who¬ soever will" invitation (Jn. 3:16; Rom. 10:13; Rev. 22:17). b. Position number two. (1) Defined. Augustus H. Strong ex¬ plains this view: "Election is that eternal act of God, by which in His sovereign pleasure, and on account of no foreseen merit in them, he chooses certain out of the num¬ ber of sinful men to be the re¬ cipients of the special grace of His Spirit, and so to be made vol¬ untary partakers of Christ's sal¬ vation." (Systematic Theology, p. 779) Years before Strong, church father Au¬ gustine had written in similar fashion: "He chooses us, not because we believe but that we may believe; lest we should say that we first chose Him." (2) Defended. Charles F. Baker writes the following in defense of the sec¬ ond position: "In approaching the doctrine of Election, we must keep certain scriptural facts in mind. The first is that God is absolutely right¬ eous. As Paul introduces the sub¬ ject of Election in Romans 9 he asks the question which comes to the mind of everyone who has ever seriously considered the doctrine: 'What shall we say then? Is there unrighteousness with God?' (vs. 14). And he im¬ mediately answers: 'Perish the thought.' The second fact we need to consider is the estate of man under sin. Man is a respon¬ sible being who is fully account¬ able to God. He is responsible for his apostasy from God and his lost condition. He merits only the judgment of God. The third thing which Scripture presents is that no man of himself seeks after God. In other words. Scripture teaches that, even though God provided a salvation for the whole world, not one would ac¬ cept it and be saved unless God first of all took the initiative by Himself seeking after man." (Dispensationed Theology, p. 389) 3. The objections leveled against these views of salvation's origination, a. First position. (1) It leaves salvation wholly in the hands of man. Thus:

747

(a) The soul-winner has 100 per¬ cent power to decide who will get a chance to go to heaven. (b) The sinner (upon hearing the message) has 100 percent power to decide whether he will go to heaven. (2) It does violence to the word "elec¬ tion." If God merely knew who would accept him, he would be thus limited to crystal-ball gazing and not electing or choosing in any sense of the word whatsoever. It would be like "electing" all those who will be bom in the U.S.A. next year to be¬ come Americans. (3) It limits God's purpose and his glory to the actions of men. b. Second position. (1) It makes God a respector of persons. (2) It forces salvation upon the elect. (3) It denies the freedom of men. (4) It views election as an arbitrary act of God. (5) It discourages evangelism and mis¬ sionary activity. (6) It generates pride in the mind of the elect. (7) It does violence to the word "whoso¬ ever." (8) It leads to the doctrine of reproba¬ tion, the decree that certain ones should be lost. 4. Some conclusions on salvation's origination. In light of all we have just discussed, what position is the correct one? What are we to believe and teach? a. The Bible clearly presents in the stron¬ gest language both the sovereignty of God and the responsibility of man. Further¬ more, these two simply cannot be totally reconciled in the mind of man. To do so would be like attempting to pour the At¬ lantic Ocean into a small bucket. Con¬ sider the following illustration. Here is a mighty river flowing from eternity past to eternity future. Its ultimate destination is the glory of God and the good of the elect. On either side of the river is a clay bankside. One side is called the Sover¬ eignty of God Bank, and the other side is the Responsibility of Man Bank. Some of the elect can be seen standing on both banks discussing (and on occasion per¬ haps denouncing) the theology of the op¬ posite bank dwellers. But in doing this the great and glorious River of Grace flowing at their very feet is overlooked. The perfect Will of God would direct both sides to embark upon that river and experience all its bountiful blessings. It takes two bank sides to make a river. As a final though here, what happens to a river if one of its supporting banks is removed? This of course has happened to earthly rivers through earthquakes or

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE—

enemy bombs. When this occurs, the once life-giving waters cease flowing and the river becomes an ill-smelling, insectridden swamp. To overemphasize one aspect of elec¬ tion and ignore or deny the other side is to turn salvation's river of redemption into a theological and sectarian swamp, b. We do not possess all the facts about anything (1 Cor. 8:2). God has indeed told us everything he wants us to know, but certainly not everything he knows. (See also 1 Cor. 13:9,12.) Following a dis¬ cussion concerning the sovereignty of God, Paul freely confesses his ignorance and breaks into singing over the marvel¬ ous and matchless wisdom of God: "O the depth of the riches both of the wisdom and knowledge of God! how unsearchable are his judgments, and his ways past finding out! For who hath known the mind of the Lord? or who hath been his counsellor? Or who hath first given to him, and it shall be recompensed unto him again? For of him, and through him, and to him, are all things: to whom be glory for ever. Amen" (Rom. 11:33-36). c. God cannot do anything which is either unfair or unreasonable. It is not simply that he wouldn't but that he couldn't (Heb. 6:18). We must therefore interpret any¬ thing God does by what he is. "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do right?" (Gen. 18:25). "He is the rock, his work is perfect; for all his ways are justice; a God of truth and without iniquity, just and right is he" (Deut. 32:4). "And straightway his ears were opened, and the string of his tongue was loosed, and he spake plain. And he charged them that they should tell no man: but the more he charged them, so much the more a great deal they published it; and were beyond measure astonished, saying, He hath done all things well: he maketh both the deaf to hear, and the dumb to speak" (Mk. 7:35-37). The words penned by King Solomon some thirty centuries ago are appropriate as we bring this section to a close. "The preacher sought to find out ac¬ ceptable words: and that which was written was upright, even words of truth. The words of the wise are as goads, and as nails fastened by the masters of assemblies, which are given from one shepherd. And further by these, my son, be admonished: of making many books there is no end; and much study is a weariness of the flesh. Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep his commandments: for this is the whole duty of man" (Eccl. 12:10-13).

IX. The Completeness of Salvation. A modern proverb runs: "Youth is such a wonderful thing, but it's a shame to waste it all upon teenagers!" Be that as it may, one can rephrase the proverb in the area of salvation to read: "Salvation is such a wonderful thing, but it's a shame to waste it all upon the soul!" The truth of the matter is that when we speak of winning souls to Christ we imply that salvation is limited to this area. However, God's salvation fully embraces man's soul, spirit, and body. A. Salvation in regard to man's body. "It is sown a natural body; it is raised a spiri¬ tual body. There is a natural body, and there is a spiritual body" (1 Cor. 15:44). "Who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto his glorious body, according to the working whereby he is able even to subdue all things unto himself" (Phil. 3:21). "And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the firstfruits of the Spirit, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body" (Rom. 8:23). B. Salvation in regard to man's soul. "Which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and steadfast, and which entereth into that within the vail" (Heb. 6:19). "Wherefore lay apart all filthiness and su¬ perfluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which is able to save your souls" (Jas. 1:21). "Receiving the end of your faith, even the salvation of your souls" (1 Pet. 1:9). "Wherefore let them that suffer according to the will of God commit the keeping of their souls to him in well doing, as unto a faithful Creator" (1 Pet. 4:19). C. Salvation in regard to man's spirit. "The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God" (Rom. 8:16). 'The Lord Jesus Christ be with thy spirit. Grace be with you. Amen" (2 Tim. 4:22). "To the general assembly and church of the firstborn, which are written in heaven, and to God the Judge of all, and to the spirits of just men made perfect" (Heb. 12:23). X. The Security of Salvation. Does the Bible present a whole (unconditional and permanent) salvation, or does it offer a holey (conditional and temporary) salva¬ tion? A. The problems of eternal security. Dr. John F. Walvoord writes: "While most believers in Christ accept the doctrine that they can have assurance of sal¬ vation at any given moment in their experi¬ ence, the question is often raised, "Can a person once saved become lost again?" Since the fear of losing salvation could seriously af¬ fect a believer's peace of mind, and because his future is so vital, this question is a most important aspect of the doctrine of salvation. The claim that one who is once saved may be lost again is based on certain biblical pas¬ sages which seem to raise questions concern-

748

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION -

ing the continuance of salvation. In the history of the church, there have been oppos¬ ing systems of interpretation known as Cal¬ vinism, in support of eternal security, and Arminianism, in opposition to eternal security (each named after its foremost apologist, John Calvin or Jacob Arminius)." (Major Bible Themes, p. 220) Those holding the Arminian position confi¬ dently assure us that their view is amply sup¬ ported by some 100 biblical passages. It will prove helpful to all at this point to examine the more important of these verses. They can be ar¬ ranged under the following topical headings: 1. These passages deal with false teachers: Mat¬ thew 7:15-23; 24:11, 24; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15; 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Peter 2:1-22; 3:16, 17; 1 John 2:19; 2 John 1:7; Jude 1:4, 10-16; Revelation 22:18, 19. The men described in the above verses are apostates. An apostate is one who has re¬ ceived light but not life. He knows some¬ thing of the Word of God, but nothing about the God of the Word. He then refuses to give even mental assent to the great truths of the Bible. His description and deeds are as fol¬ lows: a. He is a grievous and ravening wolf dressed in sheep's clothing (Mt. 7:15; Acts 20:29). b. He hates real sheep (Acts 20:29). c. He will deceive many through great signs and wonders (Mt. 24:11, 24). d. He is a perverse empire-builder (Acts 20:30). e. He is divisive and materialistic (Rom. 16:17, 18). f. He gives impressive speeches, using flow¬ ery language (Rom. 16:18). g. He deceives by allowing Satan to disguise him as an angel of light, rather than a demon of darkness (2 Cor. 11:13, 15). h. His nature and message are demon-con¬ trolled (1 Tim. 4:1-3). i. He perverts the doctrine of the Son of God (2 Pet. 2:1; 2 Jn. 1:7; Jude 4). j. He perverts the doctrine of the Word of God (2 Pet. 3:16; Rev. 22:18, 19). k. He perverts the doctrine of the grace of God (Jude 4). l. He can be (eventually) identified by his fruits (Mt. 7:16-20; Jas. 3:11, 12; 1 Jn. 2:19). 2. These passages deal with the act of conver¬ sion itself: Matthew 10:32, 33; John 8:51; 1 Corinthians 15:1, 2; 2 Corinthians 13:5; Colossians 1:23; Hebrews 2:1-4; 12:25, 29; James 2:14-26; 1 John 3:6, 8, 9; 5:18; 2 John 1:9. Note a few of these passages: a. "Verily, verily, I say unto you. If a man keep my saying, he shall never see death" (Jn. 8:51). Just what "saying" (teaching, commandment) is Jesus refer¬ ring to here? In a previous conversation (Jn. 6:28) a crowd had asked him: "What shall we do, that we might work the

749

works of God?" Our Lord answered: "This is the work of God, that ye believe on him [Christ] whom he [the Father] hath sent" (Jn. 6:29). b. "Moreover, brethren, I declare unto you the gospel which I preached unto you, which also ye have received, and wherein ye stand; by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in memory what I preached unto you, unless ye have believed in vain" (1 Cor. 15:1, 2). The key phrase here is "unless ye have believed in vain." What does this mean? Paul explains it in 15:12. There were ap¬ parently in Corinth some professing be¬ lievers who denied the resurrection of Christ. The apostle thus says they were not saved in the first place and their faith was in vain since it is impossible for a denier of Christ's resurrection to experi¬ ence the new birth. The little word "if" in 15:2 has also bothered some. But here in the Greek New Testament it is in the first-class con¬ dition and should be rendered "since." This is also true concerning the if in Colossians 1:23. c. "Whosoever is bom of God doth not commit sin: for his seed remaineth in him: and he cannot sin, because he is bom of God" (1 Jn. 3:9). Greek scholar Kenenth Wuest writes: "The infinitive in the present tense in Greek always speaks of continuous, habitual action, never the mere fact of the action. . . . the translation there¬ fore is, 'He is not able to habitually sin.' The Greek text here holds no warrant for the erroneous teaching of sinless perfection." (In the Last Days, p. 150) The same Greek construction also holds true for 1 John 3:6; 5:18. d. "But whosoever therefore shall confess me before men, him will I confess also before my Father which is in heaven. But whosoever shall deny me before men, him will I also deny before my Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 10:32, 33). At the beginning of this chapter Jesus is instructing his apostles before sending them out to preach for the first time. In the above-quoted verses he reminds them of the seriousness of their task. They are to warn their hearers that to personally reject the Messiah here on earth would someday mean his rejection of them in heaven. 3. These passages deal with Christian rewards: 1 Corinthians 3:11-15; 2 Corinthians 5:9, 10; Galatians 6:9; Colossians 3:24, 25; 2 Timothy 2:12; James 1:12; 2 John 1:18; Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; 3:5, 12, 21. a. "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him: if we deny him, he also will deny us" (2 Tim. 2:12). The deny here can be

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

The point of all the above is simply this: the author of Hebrews uses this his¬ torical example to exhort believers to press on in their Christian lives and enter into God's perfect will. "Let us therefore, fear, lest, a promise being left us of entering into his rest, any of you should seem to come short of it. . . . Let us labor, therefore, to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same manner of unbelief" (Heb. 4:1, 11). 5. These passages deal with God's discipline: a. "And he that doubteth is damned if he eat, because he eateth not of faith; for whatsoever is not of faith is sin" (Rom. 14:23). b. "For he that eateth and drinketh un¬ worthily, eateth and drinketh damnation to himself, not discerning the Lord's body" (1 Cor. 11:29). c. "Having damnation, because they have cast off their first faith" (1 Tim. 5:12). The problem word found in each of these three verses is the word "damna¬ tion." In each case the Greek word could be better rendered by the word "judg¬ ment." In the first passage Paul refers to a believer eating certain foods he was not sure God wanted him to eat. In the sec¬ ond passage the apostle speaks of believ¬ ers partaking of the Lord's table with known sin in their lives. In the third pas¬ sage he describes young believing wid¬ ows who had displayed a worldly attitude toward sex and marriage. While none of these parties involved faced damnation, they all would, however, be judged by God. Peter summarizes all this and uses the same Greek word. "For the time is come that judgment must begin at the house of God: and if it first begin at us, what shall the end be of them that obey not the gospel of God?" (1 Pet. 4:17; see also Heb. 12:5-11). 6. These passages deal with fruit-bearing, testi¬ mony, and Christian maturity: Matthew 5:13; John 8:31; 15:1-6; Acts 13:43; 14:22; James 1:26; 2 Peter 1:9-11; 1 John 2:24. a. "As he spake these words, many believed on him. Then said Jesus to those Jews which believed on him. If ye continue in my word, then are ye my disciples in¬ deed; and ye shall know the truth, and the truth shall make you free" (Jn. 8:30-32). Our Lord would later amplify this statement: "I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly" (Jn. 10:10). While all Christians have life, only fruitbearing Christians enjoy abundant life. b. "If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (Jn. 15:6). We note

tied into 1 Corinthians 3:15: "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suf¬ fer loss: but he himself shall be saved; yet so as by fire." Thus the denial here is that of rewards. b. "Knowing that of the Lord ye shall re¬ ceive the reward of the inheritance: for ye serve the Lord Christ. But he that doeth wrong shall receive for the wrong which he hath done: and there is no re¬ spect of persons" (Col. 3:24, 25). 4. These passages deal with missing God's best: 1 Corinthians 9:27; 10:5; Hebrews 3:11-19; 4:1-16; 12:14, 15. a. "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" (1 Cor. 9:27). The word "castaway" here is adokimos, which means "disapproved." Paul was not in the least concerned about his salvation from God (2 Tim. 1:12), but he was very concerned about his service for God. He did not want to be set on a spiritual shelf somewhere. b. "But with many of them God was not well pleased; for they were overthrown in the wilderness" (1 Cor. 10:5). Also, "So I swore in my wrath, they shall not enter into my rest" (Heb. 3:11). These verses review the tragic Old Testament account of Israel's unbelief at Kadesh-bamea in Numbers 14, where they refused to enter Palestine. Because of this, God would not allow anyone un¬ der twenty (Joshua and Caleb excepted) to enter. Even Moses (because of a later sin) was refused passage. However, all this had nothing whatever to do with spiritual damnation, but rather with physical destruction. It simply (and sadly) meant that most of that generation would never get out of the hot desert into a land flowing with milk and honey. In the Psalms we are told of God's reaction to Israel's terrible sin in the wilderness. Note: "For their heart was not right with him, neither were they stedfast in his covenant. But he, being full of com¬ passion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not: yea, many a time turned he his anger away, and did not stir up all his wrath" (Ps. 78:37, 38). "Many times did he deliver them; but they provoked him with their counsel, and were brought low for their iniquity. Nevertheless he re¬ garded their affliction, when he heard their cry" (Ps. 106:43, 44). Moses' eventual salvation certainly cannot be questioned even though he was not allowed to enter the land. How¬ ever, he is mentioned in the New Testa¬ ment (Mt. 17:1-4).

750

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION -

that it is men here who gather these fruit¬ less branches and bum them, and not God. A similar example is given by Christ during the Sermon on the Mount. "Ye are the salt of the earth: but if the salt have lost his savor, wherewith shall it be salted? it is thenceforth good for nothing, but to be cast out and to be trodden under foot of men" (Mt. 5:13). These verses thus describe useless tes¬ timony before men, and not lost salva¬ tion before God. 7. These passages deal with a believer being in¬ fluenced by false doctrines: 2 Corinthians 11:2-4; Galatians 5:4; Colossians 2:4, 8, 18; 1 Thessalonians 3:5; 1 Timothy 1:6, 19, 20; 6:20, 21; 2 Timothy 2:18, 26. One of the reasons a Christian is to mature in the faith is: "That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, by which they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14). Here Paul sadly admits it is tragically pos¬ sible for a true believer to become entangled with false doctrine. a. The false doctrine of legalism. "Christ is become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law; ye are fallen from grace" (Gal. 5:4). This verse is probably the favorite proof-text of Arminian theology, espe¬ cially the phrase "ye are fallen from grace." But it must be asked just what had caused them to fall? It was a frantic (and fruitless) effort to fulfill the Mosaic law. Does this then mean that a Christian who does his very best to perform good works will lose his salvation? It does not! Paul faults the Galatians not because of their evil against the law, but because of their effort to keep the law. Thus, to fall from grace is the act of allowing the le¬ galism of law to prevent one from enjoy¬ ing the full liberty of love. It is possible that both Peter (Gal. 2:11-14) and James (Acts 21:18-26) "fell from grace" for awhile over this matter. (See also 1 Tim. 1:6, 7.) b. The false doctrine of worldly wisdom and philosophy. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philosophy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2:8; see also 1 Tim. 6:20, 21). c. The false doctrine of angel worship (Col. 2:18). d. The false doctrine of a past resurrection theory (see 1 Tim. 1:19, 20; 2 Tim. 2:18). 8. These passages deal with the sin unto death: ' Acts 5:1-11; Romans 6:16; 8:13; 1 Corinthi¬

751

ans 5:5; 11:30; Hebrews 6:4-20; 10:26; James 1:13-15; 5:19, 20; 1 John 5:16. The sin unto death is a sin which only a believer can com¬ mit. It refers not to his eternal soul, but to his earthly sen/ice. It is committed when he al¬ lows his life to become so carnal and unpro¬ ductive that God simply takes him home early via physical death. This sin (or perhaps sins) can vary among Christians. a. Ananias and Sapphira committed this sin (Acts 5:1-11). b. Some of the Corinthian believers had committed it (1 Cor. 11:30). c. The man in 1 Corinthians 5 was in dan¬ ger of committing it (vs. 1-5). d. Hymenaeus and Alexander were in dan¬ ger of committing it (1 Tim. 1:20). e. Some to whom the book of Hebrews was addressed were in danger of committing it (Heb. 5:1—6:8; 10:26). 9. This passage deals with the unpardonable sin. "Wherefore I say unto you. All manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men. And whosoever speaketh a word against the Son of Man, it shall be forgiven him: but whosoever speaketh against the Holy Ghost, it shall not be forgiven him, nei¬ ther in this world, neither in the world to come" (Mt. 12:31, 32). These verses have bothered many Chris¬ tians and unsaved alike. Two basic questions must be asked here. a. To whom did Jesus speak these words? They were directed toward the wicked Pharisees (Mt. 12:24, 25). b. What grievous sin had they committed? For many months they had had the price¬ less privilege of hearing the Savior's ser¬ mons and viewing his mighty miracles. But instead of believing, they degraded the Son of God, accusing him of per¬ forming miracles through satanic energy. By doing this they committed the unpar¬ donable sin. What else could God him¬ self possibly do to convince them? It was not, of course, that they couldn't believe, but that they wouldn't believe. In light of the above, the unpardonable sin cannot be committed today, as Jesus is not walking about in his earthly body performing miracles. 10. These passages deal with the nation Israel and the tribulation: Matthew 22:1-13; 24:13, 45-51; 25:1-30; Luke 13:23-30. a. Each of these passages deals with those unsaved Israeli individuals who survive the tribulation, but find themselves spiri¬ tually unprepared to meet their returning Messiah. Jesus uses the parabolic method to relate this sad truth in each of the five passages. (1) The parable of the wedding guest without a wedding garment (Mt. 22:1-13).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

or hot. So then because thou art luke¬ warm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth" (Rev. 3:15, 16). The last verse in chapter 1 makes it per¬ fectly clear that Jesus speaks these words to local churches and the issue in question con¬ cerns itself with the personal testimony of each local church, and not the individual members within the church. 13. These passages deal with head assent instead of heart acceptance: Matthew 13:1-8, 18-23; Luke 11:24-28, John 6:66. a. The seed and the four soils (Mt. 13:1-8, 18-23). Some have mistakenly concluded that all four individuals here (as repre¬ sented by different kinds of soil) were originally saved, but only one retained this salvation. However, a little logic will show the error of this position. Does the Bible teach that every person who hears the gospel will be saved? It does not. Fur¬ thermore, the Scripture teaches that a person cannot be saved without eventu¬ ally showing some kind of fruit, however small. Thus, the only born-again individ¬ ual here was the fourth, as proven by his fruit. b. The man and the unclean spirits (Lk. 11:24-28). Here is clearly a case of moral reformation without regeneration. A de¬ mon (let alone eight) cannot dwell in the heart of a saved man (see 1 Jn. 4:1-6). c. The defecting disciples (Jn. 6:66). The word "disciple" simply means "one who learns." Many of those who followed Christ were simply bandwagon, fairweather friends. When the sun grew hot and the road bumpy, they just drifted away. For a while they may have .professed salvation, but they never possessed it. (See also Jn. 2:23-25; 12:42, 43.) 14. These passages deal with the destruction of Jerusalem by Nebuchadnezzar: Ezekiel 3:18-21; 33:8. One of the most important rules in rightly understanding any passage in the Bible is to put it into its proper context. Ezekiel wrote these words around 597 b.c. from Babylon (where he had been taken captive by Nebu¬ chadnezzar) prior to the final destruction of Jerusalem, which occurred in 586 b.c. While Ezekiel was in exile, God had commissioned him to be a "watchman unto the house of Israel" (3:17; 33:7). He was to warn those still living in Jerusalem that, unless they repented immediately, a similar fate awaited them. In other words, those arrogant Jerusalem citi¬ zens felt that inasmuch as they had already escaped Nebuchadnezzar's first (605 b.c.) and second (597 b.c.) siege, they had nothing to fear and need not repent. 15. This passage deals with certain issues, such as Christian forgiveness: Matthew 18:23-35. One of the basic rules in interpreting a parable is not to make it "walk on all fours,"

(2) The parable of the unfaithful ser¬ vant (Mt. 24:45-51). (3) The parable of the ten virgins (Mt. 25:1-13). (4) The parable of the eight talents (Mt. 25:14-30). (5) The parable of the shut door (Lk. 13:23-30). b. One passage deals with sheer physical survival during the tribulation. Note: "But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved" (Mt. 25:13). What "end" is he referring to here? According to verses 3, 6, and 14 it is clear that it is the end of the tribulation. 11. This passage deals with Gentile nations: Ro¬ mans 11:13-24. Especially to be noted are verses 21 and 22. "For if God spared not the natural branches, take heed lest he also spare not thee. Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, se¬ verity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off." In dealing with this entire passage, let us consider four questions. a. To whom is Paul talking? Gentile people (11:13). b. What is he talking about? He tells about the opportunity of Gentiles to share in the spiritual blessings of Abraham (see especially Rom. 4:23-25). c. Who are the broken-off branches men¬ tioned in 11:17? They represent the na¬ tion Israel which had just rejected its own Messiah (Mt. 21:42, 43). d. Who are the grafted branches here? They represent Gentile people. The conclusion is that this passage has nothing whatsoever to do with individ¬ uals losing their salvation, but rather with the Gentiles receiving (during the church age) those blessings forfeited by Israel. 12. These passages deal with the testimony of local churches: Revelation 2-3. "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remember therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:4, 5). "Be watchful and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: for I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and re¬ pent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev. 3:2, 3). "I know thy works, that thou art nei¬ ther cold nor hot: I would thou wert cold

752

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION-

1 Samuel 10:6-12; 11:6, 13-15; 12:13; 14:35; 15:30, 31. However, the bulk of Bible students have held that he was not. A great number of passages would seem to bear this out: 1 Samuel 13:13, 14; 14:37, 44; 15:22, 23, 35; 16:14; 18:10-12; 20:30-33; 22:17; 28:6, 16. d. Judas. Was the world's most notorious traitor ever saved? The Scriptures answer with a resounding no! See Luke 22:3, 22; John 6:70, 71; 12:4-6; 13:27. Dr. Robert Gromacki has written: "The repentance of Judas has caused some perplexity. Matthew wrote, 'Then Judas, which had betrayed him, when he saw that he was condemned, repented himself and brought again the thirty pieces of silver to the chief priest and elders. Saying, I have sinned in that 1 have betrayed the in¬ nocent blood. And they said. What is that to us? see thou to that. And he cast down the pieces of silver in the temple, and departed, and went and hanged himself' (Mt. 27:3-5). What kind of repentance was this? This particular Greek word indicates an emotional regret (metamelomai), not a repentance of moral and spiritual guilt (metanoeo). Judas was sorry over what had happened to Jesus because he did not realize that it would go that far. After being with Jesus three years he knew that Jesus was not worthy of death. He tried to reverse the trial ac¬ tion by returning the money, but it was too late. In remorse, he hanged himself. If this had been genuine re¬ pentance, he would have sought out Jesus or the eleven apostles. When the disciples prayed about the appoint¬ ment of the twelfth apostle, they said, 'Thou, Lord, which knowest the hearts of all men, shew whether of these two thou hast chosen. That he may take part of this ministry and apostleship, from which Judas by transgression fell, that he might go to his own place' (Acts 1:24, 25). Judas did not fall from salvation; he fell from the apostleship. There is a vast difference. Judas is a perfect ex¬ ample of those unsaved Christian workers mentioned by Jesus in the conclusion of the Sermon on the Mount: 'Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not proph¬ esied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, 1 never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniquity" (Mt. 7:21-23).

that is, one should avoid imagining a great spiritual meaning in each tiny detail of the parable. For example, are we to infer from verse 25 that a man's wife and children will be sent to hell by God because of the hus¬ band's sin debt? This nonsense is soundly refuted by Ezekiel 18:20 and a host of other biblical passages. Actually the key to the par¬ able is found in Matthew 18:21, where Peter asks Christ concerning how often a Christian should forgive someone. 16. These passages deal with the Book of Life: Exodus 32:32, 33; Psalm 69:28; Daniel 12:1; Philippians 4:3; Revelation 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19. Also see Luke 10:20; Romans 9:3. Here two separate books appar¬ ently are in mind. a. The book of physical life. "And it came to pass on the morrow, that Moses said unto the people. Ye have sinned a great sin: and now I will go up unto the Lord; peradventure I shall make an atonement for your sin. And Moses returned unto the Lord, and said. Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and have made them gods of gold. Yet now, if thou wilt forgive their sin—and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thy book which thou hast written" (Ex. 32:30-32). Moses here may have been offering himself as a physical substitute for the nation Israel, which had just grieved and angered God through the sin of golden calf worship. "Let them be blotted out of the book of the living and not be written with the righteous" (Ps. 69:28). Here David obviously refers to the physical death of his enemies. b. The book of eternal life. "Notwithstanding in this rejoice not, that the spirits are subject unto you; but rather rejoice, because your names are written in heaven" (Lk. 10:20). 17. These passages deal with certain individuals: a. Esau (Heb. 12:16, 17). The account here has reference to events recorded in Gen¬ esis 25:27-34 and 27:1-46. They concern themselves with the birthright and bless¬ ing of the eldest son, and have nothing to do with the doctrine of salvation. There is not the slightest evidence that Esau was ever a saved man. b. Balaam (Num. 22-24). Balaam was a typi¬ cal hireling prophet, seeking only to make a market of his gift. He was, to King Balak (his employer), the best prophet that money could buy! Three New Testment passages make it clear that he was never a saved man (2 Pet. 2:15; Jude 1:11; Rev. 2:14). c. Saul. Was the first king of Israel a saved man? Some have advocated that he was, on the basis of the following verses:

753

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

Judas had done all of these things (Mt. 10; Lk. 10). He had performed a ministry for Christ, but he did not know Christ as his Savior from sin. He was a totally unsaved man, from the beginning to the end.” (Salvation Is For¬ ever, pp. 166, 167) e. Simon (Acts 8:5-25). In John 2:23-25 it is recorded that a number of bandwagon jumpers believed in Jesus, “when they saw the miracles which he did." But, we are told, Jesus "did not commit himself unto them, because he knew all men." These fickle men were interested in his miracles, but were deaf concerning his message. The passage in Acts 8 records a similar thing. Even though Simon "be¬ lieved" (probably based on the miracles performed by Philip—see 8:6), and was actually baptized (8:13), there is no indi¬ cation he was ever saved. (See especially vs. 20-23.) f. The prodigal son (Luke 15:11-32). What was Jesus' purpose in relating this par¬ able? It was to emphasize the joy in heaven over men repenting here on earth. This is clearly indicated in verses 7, 10, and 32. Is the repentance in this story that of a lost man being saved or of a saved man being restored to fellowship? The latter is true. This son did not lose his salvation and then regain it, for in the depths of sin and despair he could still say, "I will arise and go to my father." No unsaved man can ever refer to God in such a manner. g. Demas. "For Demas hath forsaken me, having loved this present world, and is departed unto Thessalonica" (2 Tim. 4:10). Whatever else one may conclude here, this is a sad commentary on one of Paul's companions. We had previously read of him fellowshiping with both the apostle and Luke (Col. 4:12). The truth of the matter is that, as John Mark had once done (Acts 13:13), Demas failed Paul in an hour of great need. The John Mark story had a happy ending, however (2 Tim. 4:11). Perhaps the Demas story had a better ending also if we were told all the facts. B. The proofs of eternal security. We have dis¬ cussed at some length the problems concerning eternal security. Now what are the proofs of this precious biblical doctrine? Does the Bible indeed teach once saved always saved? It surely does. In fact, the work of the entire Trinity guarantees it. 1. The work of the Father: a. Because of his plan and program (Rom. 8:28-30; Eph. 1:3-11; 2:7). Note the fea¬ tures of this plan. (1) To predestinate all those he fore¬ knew to be conformed to the image of Christ (Rom. 8:29). (2) To accept all those in Christ (Eph. 1:6; Col. 3:3). This means that the

754

believer has as much right to be in heaven as Christ does, for he is in Christ. (3) To call, justify, and glorify all those accepted in Christ (Rom. 8:30). Note especially the last phrase of this verse, "them he also glorified." Glo¬ rification, of course, will not take place until the rapture (1 Cor. 15:51-54). But here in Romans 8:30 Paul puts the word in the past tense. In other words, in God's sight the believer is already glorified in heaven with Christ. This is the strongest verse in the Bible on eternal secu¬ rity. (4) To gather them all in Christ in the fullness of time (Eph. 1:10). (5) To display those he has gathered in Christ as trophies of his grace throughout eternity (Eph. 2:7). b. Because of his power (Jn. 10:29; Rom. 4:21; 8:31-39; 14:4; 1 Cor. 1:8, 9; Eph. 3:20; Phil. 1:6; 2 Tim. 1:12; 4:18; Heb. 7:25; 1 Pet. 1:5; Jude 24). c. Because of his love (Rom. 5:7-11; 8:31-33). d. Because of his faithfulness in chastening his own (Heb. 12:1-11). 2. The work of the Son: a. Because of his promises (Jn. 5:24; 6:37; 10:27, 28). b. Because of his prayer (Jn. 17:9-12,15, 20). c. Because of his death (Isa. 53:5, 11; Mt. 26:28; Jn. 19:30). Here the law of double jeopardy is seen. This law states that a man cannot be tried or punished twice for the same crime. Through his death Christ was punished for my sin. By accepting him as Savior I agreed to allow him to pay my sin debt. But if I must eventually pay for my own sin in hell (because I fell from grace prior to death) then the righteous Judge of the universe becomes guilty of breaking the law of double jeopardy. d. Because of his resurrection (Rom. 6:3-10; Col. 2:12-15). e. Because of his present ministry. (1) His work as our advocate in heaven assures our eternal security (Rom. 8:34; Heb. 9:24; 1 Jn. 2:1). (2) His work as our intercessor in heaven assures our eternal security (Jn. 17:1-26; Rom. 8:34; Heb. 7:23-25). Dr. John Walvoord writes: "The present ministry of Christ in glory has to do with the eter¬ nal security of those on earth who are saved. Christ both inter¬ cedes and serves as our advocate. As intercessor. He has in view the weakness, ignorance, and im¬ maturity of the believer—things concerning which there is no guilt. In this ministry Christ not

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THE DOCTRINE OF SALVATION~~

only prays for His own who are in the world and at every point of their need (Lk. 22:31, 32; Jn. 17:9, 15, 20; Rom. 8:34), but on the grounds of His own sufficiency in His unchanging priesthood. He guarantees that they will be kept saved forever (Jn. 14:19; Rom. 5:10; Heb. 7:25)." (Major Bible Themes, p. 226) The summary statement of all the above is Romans 5:10: "For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by his life." The glorious truth Paul is literally shouting about here is this: Jesus Christ died to get me saved, but he now lives to keep me saved. This is why he is said in Hebrews 5:9 to be the author of eternal salvation. 3. The work of the Holy Spirit: a. He regenerates the believer (Jn. 3:3-7; Ti¬ tus 3:5; Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23). This means the Christian has a new nature that wants to do the things of God. b. He baptizes the believer into the body of Christ (Rom. 6:3, 4; 1 Cor. 12:13; Gal. 3:27; Eph. 4:4, 5; Col. 2:12). The believer thus becomes bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh. c. He indwells the believer (Jn. 7:37-39; 14:16; Rom. 8:9; 1 Cor. 2:12; 3:16; 6:19; 1 Jn. 3:24). Note especially John 14:16: "And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you forever." d. He seals the believer (2 Cor. 1:22; 5:5; Eph. 1:13, 14; 4:30). It has already been noted that Romans 8:30 is probably the strongest verse in the Bible concerning eternal security. The second strongest would doubtless be Ephesians 4:30: "And grieve not [literally, stop griev¬ ing] the Holy Spirit of God, whereby

755

ye are sealed unto the day of redemp¬ tion." What is this day of redemption? Ac¬ cording to Romans 8:23 it is a reference to the rapture. In other words, the child of God is sealed by the Spirit of God un¬ til the day of the rapture itself. e. He strengthens the believer (Eph. 3:16). f. He prays for the believer (Rom. 8:26). XI. The Assurances of Salvation. "These things have I written unto you that believe on the name of the Son of God; that ye may know that ye have eternal life and that ye may believe on the name of the Son of God" (1 Jn. 5:13). "Examine yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own selves" (2 Cor. 13:5). In his excellent book on salvation, Dr. Robert Gromacki lists twelve things by which one may test his salvation experience. They are: A. First, have you enjoyed spiritual fellowship with God, with Christ, and with fellow believers? (1 Jn. 1:3, 4) B. Second, do you have a sensitivity to sin? (1 Jn. 1:5-10) C. Third, are you basically obedient to the com¬ mandments of Scripture? (1 Jn. 2:3-5) D. Fourth, what is your attitude toward the world and its values? (1 Jn. 2:15) E. Fifth, do you love Jesus Christ and look forward to his coming? (2 Tim. 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:2, 3) F. Sixth, do you practice sin less now that you have professed faith in Christ? (1 Jn. 3:5, 6) G. Seventh, do you love other believers? (1 Jn. 3:14) H. Eighth, have you experienced answered prayer? (1 Jn. 3:22; 5:14, 15) I. Ninth, do you have the inner witness of the Holy Spirit? (Rom. 8:15, 16; 1 Jn., 4:13) J. Tenth, do you have the ability to discern be¬ tween spiritual truth and error? 0n. 10:3-5, 27; 1 Jn. 4:1-6) K. Eleventh, do you believe the basic doctrines of the faith? (1 Jn. 5:1) L. Twelfth, have you experienced persecution for your Christian position? (Jn. 15:18-20; Phil. 1:28) (Salvation Is Forever, pp. 177-182)

THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN

church which is going through a spiritual crisis. For some months no soul has walked its aisles. The attendance and of¬ ferings are down and the members are becoming restless. Finally, in desperation, a special committee is appointed by the congregation to discover the source of this coldness and lifelessness. After consider¬ able prayer and probing, the committee submits its report. What are its findings? I believe it may be safely assumed that the average committee would lay the blame on one or more of the following: (1) the pastor; (2) certain officials; (3) a cold con¬ gregation; or (4) a difficult neighborhood. But what fact-finding group would re¬ turn the following indictment? 'We be¬ lieve the main source of our heartaches for the past few months is Satanic! We believe the reason no souls have been saved recently is due to an all-out attack on our church by the devil! We close our report with a strong recommendation that the congregation call a special meeting, rebuke Satan, plead the blood of Christ and claim the victory!' 'If I were the devil I would deny my existence in the world and downplay it in the local church, thus freeing me to go about my business unheeded, unhindered and unchecked!'" (The Baptist Bulletin, Dec., 1971, p. 13) B. His existence is declared by the Bible. We have seen how Satan's existence is doubted, denied, or downplayed in the world of men. But quite the opposite is true in the Word of God. 1. The devil is mentioned in seven Old Testa¬ ment books: Genesis, 1 Chronicles, Job (twelve times). Psalms, Isaiah, Ezekiel, and Zechariah. 2. He is to be found in nineteen New Testa¬ ment books, and is referred to by every New Testament writer. a. Matthew refers to him. "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil" (Mt. 4:1). b. Mark refers to him. "And they come to Jesus, and see him that was possessed with the devil, and had the legion, sitting, and clothed, and in his right mind: and they were afraid" (Mk. 5:15).

THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN There is scarcely a culture, tribe, or society to be found in this world which does not have some concept or fear of an invisible evil power. This has been attested to by Christian missionaries and secular anthropologists alike. Witch doc¬ tors, shrunken heads, voodoo dolls, and totem poles all give dramatic evidence of this universal fear. One may well ask where this fear came from and toward whom is it di¬ rected? Let us now consider: I. The Existence of Satan. A. His existence is doubted by the world. 1. As shown by the typical cartoon concept. Most of the world today pictures the devil as a medieval and mythical two-homed, fork¬ tailed impish creature, dressed in red flannel underwear, busily pitching coal into the fur¬ naces of hell. Stand-up TV comic Flip Wilson has made a fortune causing millions to laugh with his famous "the devil made me do it line. 2. As shown by the denial from liberal pulpits. Christ-denying liberals have of course long since thrown out such "outdated" concepts as the old devil and the new birth. Liberal theo¬ logian Dr. Reinhold Niebuhr once wrote: "It is unwise for Christians to claim any knowl¬ edge of either the furniture of heaven or the temperature of hell." The late Bishop Pike said that as a young seminary student he had totally rejected an angelic sky-high heaven, or a devilish red-hot hell. In the fifties a na¬ tional secular magazine took a poll of some 5000 American clergymen and discovered that a full 73 percent ridiculed the concept of a personal devil of any sort. 3. As shown by the silence from conservative pulpits. Even Bible-believing pastors and laypeople are, it would seem, extremely reluc¬ tant to "give the devil his due." Some time ago an article was published entitled, "If I Were the Devil." Let me briefly quote from it. "If 1 were the devil, the first thing I would do is to deny my own existence! This strange approach is, of course, the abso¬ lute opposite of that used by God Who desires, perhaps above all else, to be fully believed in! (See Heb. 11:6.) But this is not so with Satan. This disciple of doubt seems to thrive best when he is either un¬ derestimated, ignored or denied. Suppose there is a Bible-believing

756

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THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN~

c. Luke refers to him. "Then entered Satan into Judas surnamed Iscariot, being of the number of the twelve" (Lk. 22:3). d. John refers to him. "He that committeth sin is of the dev¬ il; for the devil sinneth from the be¬ ginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil" (1 Jn. 3:8). e. Paul refers to him. "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly. The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you. Amen" (Rom. 16:20). f. Peter refers to him. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). g. James refers to him. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). h. Jude refers to him. "Yet Michael the archangel, when contending with the devil he disputed about the body of Moses, durst not bring against him a railing accusation, but said. The Lord rebuke thee" (Jude 9). 3. He is mentioned by the Lord Jesus Christ some fifteen times. Note but a few of these: "Then saith Jesus unto him. Get thee hence Satan; for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve" (Mt. 4:10). "But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee behind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Mt. 16:23). "Then shall he say also unto them on the left hand. Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels" (Mt. 25:41). "And he said unto them, 1 beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven" (Lk. 10:18). "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (Jn. 8:44). "Jesus answered them. Have not I cho¬ sen you twelve, and one of you is a dev¬ il?" (Jn. 6:70). "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, be¬ hold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat" (Lk. 22:31). Thus to deny the personality of Satan, is to deny both the statements of the Scriptures and the testimony of the Savior himself. II. The Origin of Satan. Often a twofold accusation is hurled at the Christian by the cynic. "All right, if

757

your God is so wise and good, then why did he create the devil, and if he is so powerful, why doesn't he destroy the devil?" A simple scriptural answer to these two questions is, "He didn't, but he will." There are two important passages in the Word of God concerning the origin and fall of the devil. A. His origin and fall as related by Ezekiel. In his book, Ezekiel predicts coming judgment upon the city of Tyre in chapters 26, 27 and the first part of chapter 28. This has already been ful¬ filled, for the city was sacked by Nebuchadnezzar in 573 b.c., and later destroyed by Alexander in 332 b.c. But during the second half of chapter 28, the prophet goes beyond the earthly scene, and describes for us the creation and judgment of a vile and vicious nonhuman creature. Let us con¬ sider it first of all from the King James Version and then from a well-known paraphrase. King Janies Version

"Son of man, take up a lamentation upon the king of Tyrus, and say unto him. Thus saith the Lord God; Thou sealest up the sum, full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty. Thou hast been in Eden the garden of God; every pre¬ cious stone was thy covering, the sardius, to¬ paz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold: the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes was prepared in thee in the day that thou wast created. Thou art the anointed cherub that covereth; and I have set thee so; thou wast upon the holy mountain of God; thou hast walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire, thou wast perfect in thy ways from the day that thou wast created, till iniquity was found in thee. By the multitude of thy merchandise they have filled the midst of thee with vio¬ lence, and thou hast sinned: therefore I will cast thee as profane out of the mountain of God: and I will destroy thee, O covering cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty, thou hast corrupted thy wisdom by reason of thy brightness: I will cast thee to the ground, I will lay thee before kings, that they may behold thee. Thou hast defiled thy sanc¬ tuaries by the multitude of thine iniquities, by the iniquity of thy traffick; therefore will I bring forth a fire from the midst of thee, it shall devour thee, and I will bring thee to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all them that behold thee. All they that know thee among the people shall be astonished at thee: thou shalt be a terror, and never shalt thou be any more" (Ezek. 28:12-19). Paraphrase Version

"Son of dust, weep for the king of Tyre. Tell him, the Lord God says: You were the perfec¬ tion of wisdom and beauty. You were in Eden, the garden of God; your clothing was bejeweled with every precious stone—ruby, topaz, diamond, chrysolite, onyx, jasper, sap¬ phire, carbuncle, and emerald—all in beauti¬ ful settings of finest gold. They were given to you on the day you were created. I appointed

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE —

you to be the anointed guardian cherub. You had access to the holy mountain of God. You walked among the stones of fire. You were perfect in all you did from the day you were created until that time when wrong was found in you. Your great wealth filled you with in¬ ternal turmoil and you sinned. Therefore, I cast you out of the mountain of God like a common sinner. I destroyed you, O overshad¬ owing cherub, from the midst of the stones of fire. Your heart was filled with pride because of all your beauty; you corrupted your wis¬ dom for the sake of your splendor. Therefore I have cast you down to the ground and ex¬ posed you helpless before the curious gaze of kings. You defiled your holiness with lust for gain: therefore I brought forth fire from your own actions and let it burn you to ashes upon the earth in the sight of all those watching you. All who know you are appalled at your fate; you are an example of horror; you are destroyed forever" (Ezek. 28:12-19, The Living Bible).

Let us now observe some key words in this passage: 1. "Thou . . . [art] full of wisdom, and perfect in beauty" (v. 12). No human being is ever de¬ scribed in these terms, but rather the con¬ trary. Note the following Scriptures: "For there is no man that sinneth not" (1 Ki. 8:46). "Who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am pure from my sin?" (Prov. 20:9). "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked" (Jer. 17:9). "For there is not a just man upon earth, that doeth good and sinneth not" (Eccl. 7:20). "All we like sheep have gone astray" (Isa. 53:6). "But we are all as an unclean thing, and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags; and we all do fade as a leaf, and our iniq¬ uities like the wind, have taken us away" (Isa. 64:6). "For all have sinned and come short of the glory of God" (Rom. 3:23). "But the scripture hath concluded all under sin" (Gal. 3:22). "For in many things we offend all" (Jas. 3:2). "If we say that we have no sin, we de¬ ceive ourselves and the truth is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:8). "If we say that we have not sinned, we make him a liar, and his word is not in us" (1 Jn. 1:10). So we see that this verse in Ezekiel cannot possibly refer to any human being. 2. "Thou hast been in Eden, the garden of God" (v. 13). Some have speculated that Eze¬ kiel had Adam in mind here, but the Genesis account nowhere speaks of Adam's clothing being "bejeweled with every precious stone," and then fitted in "beautiful settings of finest gold.'

758

3. "The workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes" (v. 13). Here Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost writes: "Musical instruments were originally de¬ signed to be means of praising and wor¬ shipping God. It was not necessary for Lucifer to learn to play a musical instru¬ ment in order to praise God. If you please, he had a built-in pipe organ, or, he was an organ. That's what the prophet meant when he said, 'the workmanship of thy tabrets and of thy pipes. . . .' Lucifer, be¬ cause of his beauty, did what a musical instrument would do in the hands of a skilled musician, bring forth a psalm of praise to the glory of God. Lucifer didn t have to look for someone to play the or¬ gan so that he could sing the doxology— he was a doxology." (Your Adversary, the Devil, p. 16) 4. "The anointed cherub that covereth" (v. 14). a. He was anointed. In the Old Testament, there were three anointed offices, that of the prophet, priest, and king. Here is a suggestion that Lucifer may have origi¬ nally been created to function (under Christ) as heaven's prophet, priest, and king. But he failed. This may be the rea¬ son why God separated these offices. We note this definite separation of the offices of priest and king in two specific Old Testament passages. (1) The example of King Saul. In 1 Samuel 13, Saul attempts to in¬ trude into the office of the priest¬ hood by offering a sacrifice. Let us read the details of this: "And Saul said. Bring hither a burnt offering to me, and peace offerings. And he offered the burnt offering. And it came to pass, that as soon as he had made an end of offering the burnt of¬ fering, behold, Samuel came; and Saul went out to meet him, that he might salute him. And Samuel said. What hast thou done? And Saul said. Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou earnest not within the days appointed, and that the Philistines gathered themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced myself therefore, and offered a burnt of¬ fering. And Samuel said to Saul, Thou hast done foolishly: thou hast not kept the commandment of the Lord thy God, which he commanded thee: for now would the Lord have established thy kingdom upon Israel for ever. But now thy kingdom shall not

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THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN-

Matthew presents Christ as the lion¬

continue: the Lord hath sought him a man after his own heart, and the Lord hath commanded him to be captain over his peo¬ ple, because thou hast not kept that which the Lord commanded thee" (1 Sam. 13:9-14). (2) The example of King Uzziah. This Judean ruler was for the most part a wise and good king. However, like Lucifer, he allowed his heart to be¬ come power-crazy. Listen to the sad results: "But when he was strong, his heart was lifted up to his destruc¬ tion: for he transgressed against the Lord his God, and went into the temple of the Lord to bum incense upon the altar of incense. And Azariah the priest went in after him, and with him four¬ score priests of the Lord, that were valiant men: And they withstood Uzziah the king, and said unto him, It appertaineth not unto thee, Uzziah, to burn in¬ cense unto the Lord, but to the priests the sons of Aaron, that are consecrated to burn incense: go out of the sanctuary; for thou hast trespassed; neither shall it be for thine honour from the Lord God. Then Uzziah was wroth, and had a censer in his hand to bum incense: and while he was wroth with the priests, the leprosy even rose up in his forehead before the priests in the house of the Lord, from beside the incense altar. And Azariah the chief priest, and all the priests, looked upon him, and, behold, he was leprous in his forehead, and they thrust him out from thence; yea, himself hasted also to go out, because the Lord had smitten him. And Uz¬ ziah the king was a leper unto the day of his death, and dwelt in a several house, being a leper; for he was cut off from the house of the Lord: and Jotham his son was over the king's house, judging the people of the land" (2 Chron. 26:16-21). b. He was a guardian cherub. A cherub was a special kind of angelic being whose purpose was to protect God's holiness (see Gen. 3; Ex. 25; 1 Ki. 6; Ezek. 1; Rev. 4). Both archaeological and biblical evi¬ dences suggest they bore the likeness of a lion, calf, eagle, and man. Apparently Lucifer was created (among other pur¬ poses) to demonstrate the earthly work of Christ, as pictured by the four gospel writers:

like king. Mark presents him as the calf-like ser¬

vant. Luke presents him as the perfect man. John presents him as the eagle-like

God. In fact, some Bible scholars suggest that these four living creatures described in Revelation 4 exist to carry on the work that God had once assigned to Lucifer. The reason there are four may be that God determined never to entrust this much power to one angel again. John de¬ scribes for us the location and activities of these living cherubim. "And before the throne there was a sea of glass like unto crystal: and in the midst of the throne, and round about the throne, were four beasts full of eyes before and behind. And the first beast was like a lion, and the sec¬ ond beast like a calf, and the third beast had a face as a man, and the fourth beast was like a flying eagle. And the four beasts had each of them six wings about him; and they were full of eyes within: and they rest not day and night, saying. Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, which was, and is, and is to come" (Rev. 4:6-8). 5. "Thine heart was lifted up because of thy beauty" (v. 17). Here is the first sin, and the self-creation of the first sinner in all the uni¬ verse. In the New Testament the Apostle Paul refers to this tragic historical account, using it as a warning against the ordination of an immature pastoral candidate. "This is a true saying. If a man desire the office of a bishop, he desireth a good work. A bishop then must be blameless, the husband of one wife, vigilant, sober, of good behaviour, given to hospitality, apt to teach; not given to wine, no striker, not greedy of filthy lucre; but patient, not a brawler, not covetous; One that ruleth well his own house, having his children in subjection with all gravity; (For if a man know not how to rule his own house, how shall he take care of the church of God?) Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into the condemnation of the devil. Moreover he must have a good re¬ port of them which are without; lest he fall into reproach and the snare of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:1-7). B. His origin and fall as related by Isaiah. "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations! For thou hast said in thine heart, I will ascend into heaven, I will exalt my throne above the stars of God: I will sit also upon the mount of the congregation, in the sides of the north: I will ascend above the heights of the clouds; I will be like the most High" (Isa. 14:12-14).

759

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

Note these five foolish and fatal "I wills" of the devil: 1. I will ascend into heaven. Obviously Satan had the third heaven in mind here, the very abode of God. (See 2 Cor. 12:2.) 2. I will exalt my throne above the stars of God. This is probably a reference to angels. Satan desired the worship of angels. 3. I will sit also upon the mount of the congre¬ gation, in the sides of the north. Lucifer now seeks to enter God's "executive office" some¬ where in the north and sit at his very desk. He would attempt to control not only the an¬ gels, but the size and number of the starry galaxies also. 4. 1 will ascend above the heights of the clouds. This may well refer to that special Shekinah glory cloud of God found so frequently in the Bible. 5. 1 will be like the most High. It is revealing to note the name for God that Satan uses here. He wanted to be like El-Elyon, the most High. This name literally means, "the stron¬ gest strong one." The devil could have picked other names for God. He could have used El-Shaddai, which means, "the breasted one, the one who feeds his children," but he didn't. He might have selected Jehovah-Rohi, which means, "the shepherd God," but he avoided this title also. The reason is obvious. Satan coveted God's strength, but was not interested in his feeding and leading attri¬ butes. At this point a great contrast can be seen between Lucifer's attitude in the garden of God, and the Savior's attitude centuries later in the Garden of Gethsemane. In the first Garden, the devil viciously fought for his own will, but in the second garden, on three occasions, we hear our meek Messiah pray, "Not my will." Let's look at Matthew's ac¬ count of this midnight episode: "Then cometh Jesus with them unto a place called Gethsemane, and saith unto the disciples. Sit ye here, while I go and pray yonder. And he took with him Peter and the two sons of Zebedee, and began to be sorrowful and very heavy. Then saith he unto them. My soul is exceeding sorrowful, even unto death: tarry ye here, and watch with me. And he went a little farther, and fell on his face, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if it be possible, let this cup pass from me: nevertheless not as I will, but as thou wilt. And he cometh unto the disciples, and findeth them asleep, and saith unto Peter, What, could ye not watch with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter not into tempta¬ tion: the spirit indeed is willing, but the flesh is weak. He went away again the second time, and prayed, saying, O my Father, if this cup may not pass away from me, except I drink it, thy will be done. And he came and found them asleep again: for their eyes were heavy.

And he left them, and went away again, and prayed the third time, saying the same words" (Mt. 26:36-44). We have thus far looked at the existence and origin of Satan. Now, what about his personality? Ill. The Personality of Satan. A. He is a real person. In 1 Corinthians 15 the Apos¬ tle Paul distinguishes between heavenly bodies and earthly bodies. He writes: "All flesh is not the same flesh: but there is one kind of flesh of men, another flesh of beasts, another of fishes, and another of birds. There are also celestial bodies, and bodies ter¬ restrial; but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another" (1 Cor. 15:39, 40). In view of the fact that Satan is a fallen angel from the celestial world, it is not, some believe, unreasonable to suggest that he too possesses a body—not a flesh-and-blood, terrestrial body, of course, but perhaps a body of some substance, nevertheless. B. He possesses intelligence. "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). "But I fear, lest by any means, as the ser¬ pent beguiled Eve through his subtilty, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ" (2 Cor. 11:3). C. He possesses memory. One of the most amazing episodes in the earthly ministry of Christ was the temptation experience at the hands of Satan. "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil. And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungered. And when the tempter came to him, he said. If thou be the Son of God, command that these stones be made bread. But he answered.and said. It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God. Then the devil taketh him up into the holy city, and setteth him on a pinnacle of the temple, and saith unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written. He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone. Jesus said unto him. It is written again. Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God. Again, the devil taketh him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth him all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them; and said unto him, All these things will I give thee, if thou wilt fall down and worship me. Then said Jesus unto him. Get thee hence, Satan: for it is written. Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve. Then the devil leaveth him, and, behold, angels came and ministered unto him" (Mt. 4:1-11). We often are reminded of how Jesus quoted Scripture to refute the devil, and so he did, quot¬ ing three times from the book of Deuteronomy.

760

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THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN -

"But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doctrine, and which have not known the depths of Sa¬ tan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden" (Rev. 2:24). 1. It was the devil that organized and led the first rebellion against God. Revelation 12:4 indicates that he persuaded one-third of heaven's angels to march with him. "And his tail drew the third part of the stars of heaven, and did cast them to the earth: and the dragon stood before the woman which was ready to be delivered, for to devour her child as soon as it was born" (Rev. 12:4). 2. It will be the devil who will organize and lead the last rebellion against God. "And when the thousand years are ex¬ pired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the na¬ tions which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them to¬ gether to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and com¬ passed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them" (Rev. 20:7-9). The organizational abilities of the devil, as demonstrated by these two episodes, one a historical account and the other a future event, are simply staggering to contemplate. To illustrate this ability, consider the follow¬ ing: During the Civil War, without a doubt, the most beloved and respected southern general was Robert E. Lee. Lee was kind and considerate to his troops, brilliant in battle, and fearless to a fault. During some of the lesser battles the Confederate troops on oc¬ casion would refuse to fight until their vaunted leader would retire to the rear, lest he be killed over an unimportant piece of ground. "Better a thousand should die than Lee," became the concern and cry of Johnny Reb. In light of this near worship of Lee, what chance would a disgruntled soldier have in his clumsy attempts to destroy the brave General and assume full command himself? Furthermore, what are the odds that he could persuade fully one-third of Lee's of¬ ficers and boot soldiers to willingly join ranks with him? And yet this is precisely what Lucifer did as seen in Revelation 12:4. Not only has he once performed this unbe¬ lievable trick during earth's earliest days, but he will someday pull it off again, this time following the glorious millennium. 3. It was the devil who systematically subjected the Old Testament patriarch Job to fiery tri¬ als in an attempt to break him. (See Job 1-2.) Paul warns about the devil and his wicked (but highly organized) cohorts: "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh

But it is sometimes overlooked that here in this same Matthew 4 passage, the devil also quoted Scripture to Christ. Note again the reference: "And saith unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written. He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Mt. 4:6). This quote was taken from Psalm 91:11,12. To be sure, he took it completely out of context and twisted it, but Shakespeare was right, "the devil doth quote scripture." Now the question may be asked: How was Satan able to do this? Well, ap¬ parently he had memorized Psalm 91. Many Chris¬ tians have never even read that Psalm, but Satan, it would seem, has committed it to memory. An¬ other example of this "Scripture-spouting ser¬ pent" is found in Revelation 12:12: "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." Satan will be thrown out of heaven during the middle of the tribulation and will come down to earth, "having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." How does he know this? The apparent answer is that he has carefully read the ninth chapter of Daniel. If I were the devil. I'd read the Bible. 1 could then twist and turn the Scriptures in such a way as to mislead saints and sinners alike. D. He possesses a will. Paul instructs Timothy in dealing with backslidden Christians. He says to be gentle but firm, that "they may recover them¬ selves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Tim. 2:26). E. He possesses emotions. 1. Desire. "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, be¬ hold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat" (Lk. 22:31). 2. Pride. In describing the qualifications of a deacon, Paul lists the following restriction: "Not a novice, lest being lifted up with pride he fall into condemnation of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:6). 3. Wrath. "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Rev. 12:12). F. He possesses great organizational ability. The Bible speaks of Satan's synagogues, doctrines, and deep things. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doc¬ trines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1). "1 know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan (Rev. 2:9).

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and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:11,12). IV. The Names of Satan. There are no less than twentytwo names and titles of this perverted ex-prince of paradise, which study by itself gives much insight into his evil character. A. Satan (adversary): his most common name, used some fifty-two times. B. The devil (slanderer): used thirty-five times. C. The prince of the power of the air. "Wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience" (Eph. 2:2). D. The god of this age. "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:4). E. The king of death. "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is the devil" (Heb. 2:14). F. The prince of this world. "Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out" (Jn. 12:31). G. The ruler of darkness. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). H. Leviathan (one who dwells in the sea of human¬ ity). "In that day the Lord with his sore and great and strong sword shall punish leviathan the piercing serpent, even leviathan that crooked serpent; and he shall slay the dragon that is in the sea" (Isa. 27:1). Here Satan is likened to a powerful water di¬ nosaur that swam the waters in the beginning of earth's history. Job describes these fearful sea serpents: "Canst thou draw out leviathan with an hook? or his tongue with a cord which thou lettest down? Canst thou put an hook into his nose? or bore his jaw through with a thorn?" (Job 41:1, 2). "Who can open the doors of his face? his teeth are terrible round about. His scales are his pride, shut up together as with a close seal. One is so near to another, that no air can come between them. They are joined one to another, they stick together, that they cannot be sundered. By his neesings a light doth shine, and his eyes are like the eyelids of the morning. Out of his mouth go burning lamps, and sparks of fire leap out. Out of his nostrils goeth smoke, as out of a seething pot or cal¬

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dron. His breath kindleth coals, and a flame goeth out of his mouth. In his neck remaineth strength, and sorrow is turned into joy before him. The flakes of his flesh are joined to¬ gether: they are firm in themselves; they can¬ not be moved. His heart is as firm as a stone; yea, as hard as a piece of the nether millstone. When he raiseth up himself, the mighty are afraid: by reason of breakings they purify themselves. The sword of him that layeth at him cannot hold: the spear, the dart, nor the habergeon. He esteemeth iron as straw, and brass as rotten wood. The arrow cannot make him flee: slingstones are turned with him into stubble. Darts are counted as stubble: he laugheth at the shaking of a spear. Sharp stones are under him: he spreadeth sharp pointed things upon the mire. He maketh the deep to boil like a pot: he maketh the sea like a pot of ointment. He maketh a path to shine after him; one would think the deep to be hoary. Upon earth there is not his like, who is made without fear. He beholdeth all high things: he is a king over all the children of pride" (Job 41:14-34). I. Lucifer (lightbearer, shining one). "How art thou fallen from heaven, O Lucifer, son of the morning! how art thou cut down to the ground, which didst weaken the nations" (Isa. 14:12). He was called Lucifer, for he once functioned as "the son of the morning." But with the advent of Christ, the true "sun of righteousness has arisen with healing in his wings" (Mai. 4:2). J. The dragon. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels" (Rev. 12:7). K. The deceiver. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). Satan is not only a deceiver, but self-deceived as well. This is the worst deception. He once thought and still believes he can defeat Jehovah God and his Christ. L. Apollyon (destroyer). "And they had a king over them, which is the angel of the bottomless pit, whose name in the Hebrew tongue is Abaddon, but in the Greek tongue hath his name Apollyon" (Rev. 9:11). Man's unbelievable brutality and cruelty to fellowmen can often only be explained by the evil energy and sometimes even possession by this deadly destroyer. M. Beelzebub (prince of demons). "But when the Pharisees heard it, they said. This fellow doth not cast out devils, but by Beelzebub the prince of the devils" (Mt. 12:24). Our blessed Lord was once compared to the devil by the wicked Pharisees.

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THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN -

It was Satan who inspired Cain to slaughter his godly brother, Abel, thus earning his title as a murderer. U. The enemy. "The enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reap¬ ers are the angels" (Mt. 13:39). V. A roaring lion. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your adversary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). As the lion is king of beasts, so is Satan, king over demons. Both are powerful and ruthless concerning their victims. V. The Activities of Satan. Thus far we have considered the existence, origin, personality, and names of Satan. Now let us examine his activities. Just what does this ex-prince of paradise do? We shall see that whatever else he may be accused of, Satan can never be charged with laziness. A. He imitates God. Imitation may well be the most sincere form of flattery. While the devil hates God, on the one hand, he nevertheless possesses an obsession to be like God. How ironic that God offers freely to all repenting sinners that priceless privilege which Satan desperately and unsuccessfully has long sought, namely, to be like God. The Apostle John describes this truth for us: "Behold, what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us, that we should be called the sons of God: therefore the world knoweth us not, because it knew him not. Beloved, 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" (1 Jn. 3:1, 2). How does Satan imitate God? Consider: 1. He has a false trinity. "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great authority" (Rev. 13:2). "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet" (Rev. 16:13). The true Trinity consists, of course, in the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit. But Sa¬ tan mimics this heavenly trio with his own hellish threesome. In this terrible trinity, he assumes the part of the Father; the antichrist is likened to the Son; and the false prophet is assigned the role of the Holy Spirit. 2. He has his synagogues. "I know thy works, and tribulation, and poverty, (but thou art rich) and I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the syna¬ gogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:9). It is tragic but true that there are today literally thousands of churches in America

N. Belial (vileness, ruthlessness). "And what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an infi¬ del?" (2 Cor. 6:15). Vileness and ruthlessness often go hand in hand, as seen by the rise of vicious rape and senseless murder cases. O. The wicked one. "The field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked one" (Mt. 13:38). In this extended parable our Lord describes Sa¬ tan as that wicked one who sowed bad seed (tares) in God's wheat field. "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 Jn. 5:19). P. The tempter. "For this cause, when I could no longer for¬ bear, I sent to know your faith, lest by some means the tempter have tempted you, and our labour be in vain" (1 Thess. 3:5). He is called the tempter, of course, because of his first crime against humanity in enticing Eve to disobey God. (See Gen. 3.) Q. The accuser of the brethren. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:10). This title describes one of the most malicious and misunderstood present-day activities of the devil. We shall consider this in detail in a later part of our study. R. An angel of light. "And no marvel; for Satan himself is trans¬ formed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be trans¬ formed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:14, 15). These verses and this title by itself explains the rise of the many false cults of today. How pol¬ ished and popular his ministers often become. How cleverly they can distort and twist the Word of God. S. A liar. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (Jn. 8:44). He is a liar because of his words in Genesis 3:4,5. "And the serpent said unto the woman. Ye shall not surely die: For God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:4, 5). T. A murderer. "Ye are of your father the devil, and the lusts of your father ye will do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he speaketh of his own: for he is a liar, and the father of it" (Jn. 8:44).

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shipped the beast, saying. Who is like unto the beast? who is able to make war with him?" (Rev. 13:4). 8. He has his angels. "And there was war in heaven: Michael and his angels fought against the dragon; and the dragon fought and his angels" (Rev. 12:7). In a previous verse (Rev. 12:4) John seems to indicate that Satan may have persuaded a full one-third of heaven's angels to join with him in his foul revolt against Jehovah God. 9. He has his ministers. "Therefore it is no great thing if his min¬ isters also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be ac¬ cording to their works" (2 Cor. 11:15). It is sobering to contemplate that the "God is dead" movement of several decades ago was not started by a communist or atheist, but was the product of a Methodist professor teaching in a church-related college. By the way, that movement itself is now dead while God is still very much alive. 10. He has his miracles. "Even him, whose coming is after the working of Satan with all power and signs and lying wonders" (2 Thess. 2:9). Certain false religious leaders have de¬ ceived multitudes of people because of their apparent ability to perform genuine miracles. But the Scriptures declare that the devil also possesses this power. Hear the warning of Jesus on this matter. "Not every one that saith unto me. Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom of heaven; but he that doeth the will of my Father which is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day. Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in thy name? and in thy name have cast out devils? and in thy name done many wonderful works? And then will I profess unto them, I never knew you: depart from me, ye that work iniq¬ uity" (Mt. 7:21-23). 11. He has his sacrifices. "But I say, that the things which the Gentiles sacrifice, they sacrifice to devils, and not to God: and I would not that ye should have fellowship with devils" (1 Cor. 10:20). 12. He has his fellowship (1 Cor. 10:20). 13. He has his armies. "And it shall come to pass in that day, that the LORD shall punish the host of the high ones that are on high, and the kings of the earth upon the earth" (Isa. 24:21). These infernal armies will someday be soundly defeated by Almighty God at Arma¬ geddon. "And I looked, and behold a white cloud, and upon the cloud one sat like unto the Son of man, having on his head a golden crown, and in his hand a sharp sickle. And another angel came out of the tern-

alone in which the Book, blood, and blessed hope are never even remotely referred to! Dr. Donald Barnhouse used to say that when searching for the devil one should not forget to check behind the pulpit. 3. He has his doctrines. "Now the Spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doctrines of devils" (1 Tim. 4:1). Some of these doctrines taught in Satan's school of systematic theology would be: free love, abortion on demand, homosexuality, salvation by good works, evolution, and many other Christ-dishonoring creeds of our day. 4. He has his mysteries. "But unto you I say, and unto the rest in Thyatira, as many as have not this doc¬ trine, and which have not known the depths of Satan, as they speak; I will put upon you none other burden" (Rev. 2:24). "For the mystery of iniquity doth al¬ ready work: only he who now letteth will let, until he be taken out of the way" (2 Thess. 2:7). 5. He has his throne. "I know thy works, and where thou dwellest, even where Satan's seat is: and thou holdest fast my name, and hast not denied my faith, even in those days wherein Antipas was my faithful martyr, who was slain among you, where Satan dwelleth" (Rev. 2:13). "And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power, and his seat, and great author¬ ity" (Rev. 13:2). Note especially the phrase "where Satan's seat is." This seems to indicate that Satan has transferred his headquarters from Babylon (see Gen. 11:1-9) to Pergamos in Turkey during John's day. However, the Apostle John later hints (see Rev. 18) that the devil's capital will once again be transferred back to Babylon during the tribulation. 6. He has his kingdom. "And the devil said unto him. All this power will I give thee, and the glory of them: for that is delivered unto me; and to whomsoever I will give it" (Lk. 4:6). Often the question is asked whether Satan really had the right to offer the Savior the kingdoms of this earth. In a very real sense, he did. Note the testimony of John the apos¬ tle: "Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me" (Jn. 14:30). "And we know that we are of God, and the whole world lieth in wickedness" (1 Jn. 5:19). 7. He has his worshipers. "And they worshipped the dragon which gave power unto the beast: and they wor¬

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one; the enemy that sowed them is the devil; the harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. As therefore the tares are gathered and burned in the fire; so shall it be in the end of this world. The Son of man shall send forth his angels, and they shall gather out of his kingdom all things that of¬ fend, and them which do iniquity; and shall cast them into a furnace of fire: there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth. Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in the king¬ dom of their Father. Who hath ears to hear, let him hear" (Mt. 13:36-43). C. He instigates false doctrine. "Now the spirit speaketh expressly, that in the latter times some shall depart from the faith, giving heed to seducing spirits, and doc¬ trines of devils; speaking lies in hypocrisy; having their conscience seared with a hot iron; forbidding to marry, and commanding to ab¬ stain from meats, which God hath created to be received with thanksgiving of them which believe and know the truth" (1 Tim. 4:1-3). D. He perverts the Word of God. This he does by: 1. Taking it out of context. "And saith unto him. If thou be the Son of God, cast thyself down: for it is written. He shall give his angels charge concerning thee: and in their hands they shall bear thee up, lest at any time thou dash thy foot against a stone" (Mt. 4:6). "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD GOD had made. And he said unto the woman. Yea, hath God said. Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? And the woman said unto the serpent. We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said. Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman. Ye shall not surely die" (Gen. 3:1-4). 2. Causing it to be misinterpreted. How much anguish, frustration, and confusion has the devil wrought simply by causing Christians and non-Christians alike to misinterpret God's Word. 3. Overstressing one side of a doctrine and ig¬ noring the other side. A classic example of this, of course, would be the doctrine of pre¬ destination and free will. An untold number of believers (including preachers) have gone off the deep end by overstressing one side of this two-sided coin. 4. Understressing certain doctrines. Perhaps the one great biblical truth downplayed today is that vital doctrine of the local church. To quote once more from the article, "If I Were the Devil": "Then I would turn to that most despised and deadly institution of all—the local church! I would continue to attack it from the outside (just to keep in practice), but would concentrate the bulk of my evil ef-

pie, crying with a loud voice to him that sat on the cloud. Thrust in thy sickle, and reap: for the time is come for thee to reap; for the harvest of the earth is ripe. And another angel came out pf the temple which is in heaven, he also having a sharp sickle" (Rev. 14:14-17). "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Arma¬ geddon" (Rev. 16:16). "And 1 saw heaven opened, and behold a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in right¬ eousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a ves¬ ture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:11-16). Thus we see through these thirteen exam¬ ples just how Satan imitates God. But what other activity does this apostate angel in¬ dulge in? B. He sows tares among God's wheat. Our Lord de¬ scribed this activity in his most extended parable. "Another parable put he forth unto them, saying. The kingdom of heaven is likened unto a man which sowed good seed in his field: But while men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went his way. But when the blade was sprung up, and brought forth fruit, then appeared the tares also. So the servants of the householder came and said unto him. Sir, didst not thou sow good seed in thy field? from whence then hath it tares? He said unto them. An enemy hath done this. The servants said unto him, Wilt thou then that we go and gather them up? But he said. Nay; lest while ye gather up the tares, ye root up also the wheat with them. Let both grow together until the har¬ vest: and in the time of harvest I will say to the reapers. Gather ye together first the tares, and bind them in bundles to burn them: but gather the wheat into my barn" (Mt. 13:24-30). "Then Jesus sent the multitude away, and went into the house: and his disciples came unto him, saying. Declare unto us the parable of the tares of the field. He answered and said unto them. He that soweth the good seed is the Son of man; the field is the world; the good seed are the children of the kingdom; but the tares are the children of the wicked

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man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said. Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon him¬ self put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the LORD" (Job 1:7-12). "And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? and still he holdeth fast his integrity, al¬ though thou movest me against him, to de¬ stroy him without cause. And Satan answered the LORD, and said, Skin for skin, yea, all that a man hath will he give for his life. But put forth thine hand now, and touch his bone and his flesh, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the LORD said unto Satan, Behold, he is in thine hand; but save his life" (Job 2:3-6). "And he shewed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the Lord, and Sa¬ tan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the Lord said unto Satan, The Lord re¬ buke thee, O Satan; even the Lord that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire? Now Joshua was clothed with filthy garments, and stood before the angel. And he answered and spake unto those that stood before him, saying. Take away the filthy garments from him. And unto him he said, Behold, 1 have caused thine iniquity to pass from thee, and I will clothe thee with change of raiment" (Zech. 3:1-4). "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him. And 1 heard a loud voice saying in heaven. Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of his Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night" (Rev. 12:9, 10). These verses inform us concerning one of Sa¬ tan's most treacherous hatchet jobs, that of badmouthing believers. In fact, this was one of sev¬ eral key reasons why the crucified and resur¬ rected Christ had to ascend back to heaven that he might function as our divine defense lawyer. The following passages speak of this ministry: "And the Lord said, Simon, Simon, behold, Satan hath desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat: but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not: and when thou art con¬ verted, strengthen thy brethren" (Lk. 22:31, 32). "Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him,

forts from within. The church is dead' would become my creed and cry. If I were the devil I would do my utmost to con¬ vince professing Christians that the local church is finished! Not weak, not ineffec¬ tive; but dead and decaying! I would en¬ courage them to dig a hole, carve an epitaph, and bury it as quietly and quickly as possible. Christianity could then proceed to new glories where cell groups would replace Sunday nights and sermons would be set aside for buzz ses¬ sions." Let it be said in conclusion at this point that, contrary to popular opinion, Satan is not afraid of the Word of God. In fact, he de¬ lights to use it—if he can misinterpret or mangle it in some fashion. This can be aptly demonstrated by the various false cults whose followers often spout Scripture verses by the dozens to "prove" their false doc¬ trines, all taken out of context, of course. E. He hinders the works of God's servants. "Wherefore we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once again; but Satan hindered us" (1 Thess. 2:18). He cannot do this, of course, except by the direct permission of God who sometimes allows hindrances to teach the believer spiritual lessons. F. He resists the prayers of God's servants. "Then said he unto me. Fear not, Daniel: for from the first day that thou didst set thine heart to understand, and to chasten thyself before thy God, thy words were heard, and I am come for thy words. But the prince of the kingdom of Persia withstood me one and twenty days: but lo, Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me; and I remained there with the kings of Persia" (Dan. 10:12, 13). Again, as in the former point, it should be noted that Satan cannot do this without God's approval. Thus, sometimes our prayer life is made difficult not because of personal sin, or un¬ willingness on God's part, but due solely to Sa¬ tanic interference. G. He blinds men to the truth. "In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them" (2 Cor. 4:4). H. He steals the Word of God from human hearts. "When any one heareth the word of the king¬ dom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which re¬ ceived seed by the way side" (Mt. 13:19). I. He accuses Christians before God. "And the LORD said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the LORD, and said. From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it. And the LORD said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright

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THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN-

away from among you. For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged al¬ ready, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, to deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus" (1 Cor. 5:1-5). M. He deceives. "And the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, called the Devil, and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world: he was cast out into the earth, and his angels were cast out with him" (Rev. 12:9). "And shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea" (Rev. 20:8). "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). An old proverb says: The worst deception is self-deception. This may be true, but certainly in the area of faith, the most common deception is satanic deception. Probably his greatest decep¬ tion of all time is the false but almost universally believed concept that one may work his or her way into heaven. N. He undermines the sanctity of the home. "Let the husband render unto the wife due benevolence: and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power of her own body, but the husband: and likewise also the husband hath not power of his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be with consent for a time, that ye may give yourselves to fasting and prayer; and come together again, that Satan tempt you not for your incontinency" (1 Cor. 7:3-5). Now read a paraphrase of this same passage: "The man should give his wife all that is her right as a married woman, and the wife should do the same for her husband: for a girl who marries no longer has full right to her own body, for her husband then has his rights to it, too; and in the same way the husband no longer has full right to his own body, for it belongs also to his wife. So do not refuse these rights to each other. The only exception to this rule would be the agreement of both husband and wife to refrain from the rights of marriage for a limited time, so that they can give themselves more completely to prayer. Afterwards, they should come together again so that Satan won't be able to tempt them because of their lack of self-control" (1 Cor. 7:3-5, TLB). Very few marriage counselors ever take satanic activity into consideration when advising couples having marital problems. Sometimes the real fault lies not with the husband or wife, but

seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them" (Heb. 7:25). "Who shall lay any thing to the charge of God's elect? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right hand of God, who also maketh interces¬ sion for us" (Rom. 8:33, 34). J. He lays snares for men. "And that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil, who are taken captive by him at his will" (2 Tim. 2:26). "Moreover he must have a good report of them which are without; lest he fall into re¬ proach and the snare of the devil" (1 Tim. 3:7). An old song reads: "When the danger least thou fearest, then the devil's snare is nearest." K. He tempts. "Then was Jesus led up of the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted of the devil" (Mt. 4:1). "Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil" (Eph. 6:11). The word "tempt" can refer to two things: 1. To test, to prove with the idea of making better, as seen in Genesis 22:1. "And it came to pass after these things, that God did tempt Abraham . . ." 2. To entice to do evil, as seen in Matthew 4:1. L. He afflicts. "So went Satan forth from the presence of the LORD, and smote Job with sore boils from the sole of his foot unto his crown" (Job 2:7). "And ought not this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan hath bound, lo, these eighteen years, be loosed from this bond on the sabbath day?" (Lk. 13:16). "And lest I should be exalted above mea¬ sure through the abundance of the revela¬ tions, there was given to me a thorn in the flesh, the messenger of Satan to buffet me, lest I should be exalted above measure" (2 Cor. 12:7). "How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him (Acts 10:38). The sobering fact to be kept in mind here is that his victims in these verses are believers. While Satan cannot possibly possess a Christian, he can, nevertheless (as allowed by God, of course) oppress a child of God, both in the mental and physical realm. Sometimes God allows this to happen to purify his child (as in the case of Job), and at other times to punish a believer for his sin. Paul writes of this second case. "It is reported commonly that there is fornica¬ tion among you, and such fornication as is not so much as named among the Gentiles, that one should have his father's wife. And ye are puffed up, and have not rather mourned, that he that hath done this deed might be taken

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE —

Some believe that this passage refers to his original fall in Genesis, but this cannot be, as proven by the two phrases, "the accuser of our brethren," and "by the blood of the lamb." In other words, at the time of his first fall there were no "brethren" to accuse, and the blood of God's perfect lamb had not yet been spilled. Also to be noted in this passage is the phrase, "for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." How will the devil know this? From reading the book of Daniel. When he came to chapter 9 and read about the seventy weeks, he then understood the length of the tribulation to be seven years. D. In the bottomless pit. This will be his second fu¬ ture location. Immediately after Christ's great victory at Armageddon, we read the following words: "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should deceive the nations no more, till the thousand years should be fulfilled: and after that he must be loosed a little season" (Rev. 20:1-3). E. On earth for the last time after the millennium. This will be his third future location. "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quarters of the earth, Gog and Ma¬ gog, to gather them together to battle: the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city: and fire came down from God out of heaven and devoured them" (Rev. 20:7-9). Where will Satan get this mighty army? They will consist of many of the millions bom during the millennium of saved parents who survived the great tribulation and entered earth's golden age. Yet many of these "kingdom kids" will re¬ fuse to accept Christ, in spite of their perfect en¬ vironment, giving King Jesus lip service to be sure, but retaining unregenerate hearts all the while. Thus, when Satan is released, they will eagerly join his revolt against God's anointed. F. In the lake of fire forever. This will be the devil's final future location. "And the devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:10). VII. The Limitations of Satan. As one compiles and ana¬ lyzes the many biblical passages on the devil, it be¬ comes evident that he is the most powerful creature in all God's universe. This depraved and deadly dragon possesses more strength and "savvy" than any archangel or saint. But in spite of all this, he is

squarely with Satan. The devil despises the very institution of marriage because it was originated and given by God himself. (See Gen. 2:20-25.) O. He prompts both saints and sinners to transgress against the holiness of God. 1. It was Satan who caused David to disobey God. “And Satan stood up against Israel, and provoked David to number Israel" (1 Chron. 21:1). 2. It was Satan who caused Judas to betray Christ. "And supper being ended, the devil hav¬ ing now put into the heart of Judas Iscari¬ ot, Simon's son, to betray him" (Jn. 13:2). 3. It was Satan who caused Peter to rebuke Christ, and later to deny him. "Then Peter took him, and began to re¬ buke him, saying, Be it far from thee. Lord: this shall not be unto thee. But he turned, and said unto Peter, Get thee be¬ hind me, Satan: thou art an offence unto me: for thou savourest not the things that be of God, but those that be of men" (Mt. 16:22, 23). "Jesus answered him. Wilt thou lay down thy life for my sake? Verily, verily, I say unto you, The cock shall not crow, till thou hast denied me thrice" (Jn. 13:38). 4. It was Satan who caused Ananias to lie to the Holy Spirit. "But Peter said, Ananias, why hath Satan filled thine heart to lie to the Holy Ghost, and to keep back part of the price of the land?" (Acts 5:3). VI. The Various Geographical and Spiritual Locations of Satan. We have already demonstrated the common error today which pictures Satan as a medieval and mythical two-homed, fork-tailed creature. Now the question: What of his past, present, and future loca¬ tions? The devil is like a check forger in that he moves around constantly. Satan has been to, is in, or will occupy the following six locations: A. In the heavenlies, as God's choir leader. This was his past location, prior to his fall. See Ezekiel 8. B. In the heavenlies, as God's chief enemy. This is his present location. "Now there was a day when the sons of God came to present themselves before the Lord, and Satan came also among them. And the Lord said unto Satan, Whence comest thou? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said. From going to and fro in the earth, and from walking up and down in it" (Job 1:6, 7). "And he showed me Joshua the high priest standing before the angel of the LORD, and Satan standing at his right hand to resist him. And the LORD said unto Satan, The LORD rebuke thee, O Satan; even the LORD that hath chosen Jerusalem rebuke thee: is not this a brand plucked out of the fire?" (Zech. 3:1, 2). C. On earth only. This will be his first future loca¬ tion. During the final half of the coming tribula¬ tion, Satan will be cast out of heaven, and his sphere of activities will be limited to this earth. See Rev. 12: 7-12.

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still a creature and not the Creator. Because of this blessed truth, his power and knowledge are limited. We shall now consider the restrictions of this red dragon. A. He is not omnipresent. The devil cannot be in China, Chicago, and Cuba at the same instant. However, this is not by any means to say that believers in those areas cannot be tempted at the same instant, for Satan has literally millions of fallen angels to do his bidding, thus extending his ministry universally. B. He is not omnipotent. While he is still the stron¬ gest creature in the universe, his power com¬ pared to God's is like an ant pitted against a mighty elephant. C. He is not omniscient. The devil has, admittedly, acquired an immense amount of knowledge by simply being around during the last 6,000 years, but he is totally ignorant of many things known by the most humble and uneducated believer. He knows nothing of God's love, his mercy, his grace, and his forgiveness. The devil does not know the future, nor all the secrets of the past. The question is often asked concerning Satan's reported wisdom and Bible-reading habits. If he has indeed read the Word of God, then doesn't he know his doom is sealed, and that the lake of fire will be his eternal imprisonment? He is in¬ deed aware of these prophecies, but it must be kept in mind that according to Ezekiel 28:17, sin has corrupted the wisdom of Satan to the point where he still thinks he can defeat God. Some¬ times the most clever criminal is a psychopathic killer. VIII. The Christian's Victory Over Satan. The word nikao is found twenty-eight times in the Greek New Testa¬ ment, and is almost always translated by the word "overcome." There are three important verses in which this word is used: "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" (Jn. 16:33). "Ye are of God, little children, and have over¬ come them: because greater is he that is in you, than he that is in the world" (1 Jn. 4:4). "He that overcometh shall inherit all things; and I will be his God, and he shall be my son" (Rev. 21:7). If language means anything at all, these verses promise the child of God total victory over his ene¬ my, the devil. But how does the Christian experience this promised victory? He does it by keeping the same fundamental facts in mind that any would-be victor would, whether in the secular or spiritual bat¬ tlefield. Here then are four fundamental facts: A. He must know his own weaknesses. B. He must know his own strength. C. He must know the weakness of his enemy. D. He must know the strength of his enemy. To either overestimate or underestimate in any of these four areas could prove to be a fatal error. In one of his parables, our Lord warns of this very thing: "For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not down first, and counteth the cost,

whether he have sufficient to finish it? Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, saying. This man began to build, and was not able to finish. Or what king, going to make war against another king, sitteth not down first, and consulteth whether he be able with ten thousand to meet him that cometh against him with twenty thousand? Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sendeth an ambassage, and desireth conditions of peace" (Lk. 14:28-32). Let us now examine these four facts the victor must be aware of: A. The weakness of the Christian. "I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. If a man abide not in me, he is cast forth as a branch, and is withered; and men gather them, and cast them into the fire, and they are burned" (Jn. 15:5, 6). When I was first saved, I felt the Christian life was a 50/50 proposition. That is to say, I would carry my 50 percent of the load, and God would assume the remaining half. But to my dismay I kept dropping my end of the load. I then sug¬ gested to God that we alter the proportions whereby he would carry 60 percent and I would be responsible for the remaining 40 percent. But alas, this also proved too heavy. So, I reasoned, a 70/30 agreement would surely work. But again, failure. Finally, after many years in the work of the Lord, I sometimes think I have things down to a 98/2 arrangement. But I still am tempted to feel that I surely, by now, must be able to carry on at least 2 percent of the Master's work by myself. There simply has to be something I can perform in the flesh for God. But Jesus said, "for without me ye can do nothing." In Romans 7:18, Paul refers to this very thing: "For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing: for to will is present with me; but how to perform that which is good I find not" (Rom. 7:18). So then, the first basic fact a Christian must be aware of to assure victory over Satan is his own weakness. B. The strength of the Christian. This is the second vital principle to be observed in guaranteeing spiritual success. What, though, is our chief strength? The answer is: "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20). "I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me" (Phil. 4:13). C. The weakness of Satan. Third, we must fully un¬ derstand the weakness of our enemy. According to the Scriptures, the devil is powerless in the following areas: 1. He cannot tempt a believer except by God's permission. This is brought out vividly in Job 1:8-12. "And the Lord said unto Satan, Hast thou considered my servant Job, that there is

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found unto praise and honour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" (1 Pet. 1:6, 7). 2. He cannot stand to be resisted. "Submit yourselves therefore to God. Re¬ sist the devil, and he will flee from you" (Jas. 4:7). But how does one go about resisting the devil? James answers this—by submitting first to God. "Neither give place to the devil" (Eph. 4:27). Satan enjoys a lively debate (like the one he carried on with Eve in Genesis 3), but he cannot tolerate being resisted. The Christian can successfully resist the devil if he does the following: First, he must know how the devil attacks. Paul warns of this. "Lest Satan should get an advantage of us: for we are not ignorant of his devices" (2 Cor. 2:11). But what are his devices? During the final section of our study we will briefly consider the sixteen deadly devices of the devil. Second, he must stand guard waiting for Sa¬ tan to attack. "Be sober, be vigilant; because your ad¬ versary the devil, as a roaring lion, walketh about, seeking whom he may devour" (1 Pet. 5:8). Third, he must have on the proper protec¬ tion when Satan attacks. "Finally, my brethren, be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might. Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places. Wherefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and hav¬ ing done all, to stand. Stand therefore, having your loins girt about with truth, and having on the breastplate of right¬ eousness: and your feet shod with the preparation of the gospel of peace; above all, taking the shield of faith, wherewith ye shall be able to quench all the fiery darts of the wicked. And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:10-17). The Apostle Paul, of course, spent the last part of his ministry in a Roman prison (Acts 28). Doubtless he had many opportunities to watch his Roman guards put on their full battle armor. As the book of Ephesians was written during this time, it seems very prob¬ able that the Holy Spirit led Paul to take each piece of armor and apply it to the Chris¬ tian fight against Satan. It has often been ob¬ served that Paul lists no armor protection piece for the back parts. The reason is obvi¬ ous, of course. The Roman soldier was never expected to turn his back to the enemy.

none like him in the earth, a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God, and escheweth evil? Then Satan answered the Lord, and said. Doth Job fear God for nought? Hast not thou made an hedge about him, and about his house, and about all that he hath on every side? thou hast blessed the work of his hands, and his substance is increased in the land. But put forth thine hand now, and touch all that he hath, and he will curse thee to thy face. And the Lord said unto Satan, Be¬ hold, all that he hath is in thy power; only upon himself put not forth thine hand. So Satan went forth from the presence of the Lord" (Job 1:8-12). It should be noted here that in verse 10 Satan told the exact truth, for God had in¬ deed made a hedge about Job. Thus, when a child of God is being subjected to some fiery temptation or trial, he should keep the fol¬ lowing thrilling truths in mind. First, God knows exactly how much his child can bear. "For he knoweth our frame; he remembereth that we are dust" (Ps. 103:14). Second, he will not allow Satan to go be¬ yond this breaking point. "There hath no temptation taken you but such as is common to man: but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it" (1 Cor. 10:13). Third, he only allows the temptation in the first place to strengthen and purify us. In Genesis 50, Joseph reviewed with his broth¬ ers their former act of treachery in selling him into Egyptian slavery. He concluded: "But as for you, ye thought evil against me; but God meant it unto good, to bring to pass, as it is this day, to save much people alive" (Gen. 50:20). James and Peter also affirm this third prin¬ ciple. "James, a servant of God and of the Lord Jesus Christ, to the twelve tribes which are scattered abroad, greeting. My breth¬ ren, count it all joy when ye fall into di¬ vers temptations; knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh patience. But let patience have her perfect work, that ye may be perfect and entire, wanting noth¬ ing" (Jas. 1:1-4). "Blessed is the man that endureth temptation: for when he is tried, he shall receive the crown of life, which the Lord hath promised to them that love him" (Jas. 1:12). "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for a season, if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations: That the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be

770

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THE DOCTRINE OF SATAN -

4. Doubt. Satan used this deadly D for the first time in the Garden of Eden. He began his attack upon Eve by doubting the Word of God. "And he said unto the woman. Yea, hath God said. Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" (Gen. 3:1). To doubt is to forget 1 Timothy 2:8: "I will therefore that men pray every where, lifting up holy hands, without wrath and doubting." 5. Disbelief. Disbelief is but the final form of doubt. This was vividly demonstrated in Eden. As we have already noted, Satan began by doubting God's Word in Genesis 3:1. He then finished (when he realized he had Eve's ear) by denying the command of the Lord. "And the serpent said unto the woman. Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil" (Gen. 3:4, 5). To disbelieve is to forget Hebrews 3:12: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in depart¬ ing from the living God." 6. Distraction. This D of the devil can be a very subtle one, for often the distractions are not in themselves bad. In fact, they may be good and wholesome. For example, it is so easy to be distracted from God's perfect will by one's own family or employment. It has been rightly said that often the real enemy of the best is not the worst, but the good. To be distracted is to forget Matthew 14:30: "But when he saw the wind boisterous, he was afraid; and beginning to sink, he cried, saying. Lord, save me." 7. Doublemindedness. How many believers have been affected by this D-virus! The Scriptures are replete with examples. Con¬ sider but a few: "No man can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and de¬ spise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon" (Mt. 6:24). "That we henceforth be no more chil¬ dren, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive" (Eph. 4:14). "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For all that is in the world, the lust of the flesh, and the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, is not of the Father, but is of the world. And the world passeth away, and the lust thereof: but he that doeth the will of God abideth for ever" (1 Jn. 2:15-17). The New Testament word which describes a double-minded man in the Greek literally

3. He cannot stand the blood of Christ, nor the positive testimony of the Christian. "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word of their testi¬ mony; and they loved not their lives unto the death" (Rev. 12:11). D. The strength of Satan. This is the fourth and fi¬ nal principle one must grasp to assure victory— the strong points of his enemy. The following list could well be called "The Sixteen Deadly Ds of the Devil." 1. Disappointment. Who has not experienced this emotion literally hundreds of times? But to the knowledgeable Christian all disap¬ pointments are his (God's) appointments, and must be viewed as such, lest Satan gain the advantage. To be disappointed is to forget Romans 8:28: "And we know that all things work to¬ gether for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose." 2. Discouragement. Discouragement is the sec¬ ond stage of disappointment. All discourage¬ ment is of the devil. An event from church history is reported concerning the great re¬ former, Martin Luther. For days he had been in the valley of discouragement. The pope was trying to kill him. Some of his friends had shunned him. Suddenly he noticed his godly wife coming downstairs dressed in black as if in mourning. "Woman, where are you going?" he asked. "To a funeral, husband," she replied. "Oh, but who died?" he said. "God did," she softly answered. With that the great reformer exploded with righteous indignation. It wasn't enough that the pope was trying to kill him, but now he must deal with blasphemy in his own household. "Woman, who told you such a thing?" he demanded. Looking him straight in the eye (as only a wife can do) she said: "You did, Martin! The way you've been acting the past few weeks, I was sure you had somehow found out that God was dead!" At that point Luther knelt and asked both God and his wife to forgive him for his discouragement. To be discouraged is to forget 1 Samuel 30:6: "And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, ev¬ ery man for his sons and for his daugh¬ ters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God." 3. Despair. Despair is the third and final stage of disappointment and discouragement. Un¬ less checked it can prove fatal to the Chris¬ tian life. To despair is to forget 2 Corinthians 4:8: "We are troubled on every side, yet not distressed; we are perplexed, but not in despair."

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means "a two-souled man." He is like a cork, floating on a wave, now carried to the shore, now away from it. The ancient writer of myths, Aesop, described a double-minded person when he wrote about a time when the beasts and the fowls were engaged in war. The bat tried to belong to both parties. When the birds were victorious, he would wing around telling everyone that he was a bird; when the beasts won a fight, he would walk around assuring everyone that he was a beast. But soon his hypocrisy was discovered by both the beasts and the birds. He had to hide himself, and now he can appear openly only by night. A more modern story comes to us from our American Civil War concerning a neutral observer attempting to escape after being ac¬ cidentally trapped in a furious battle. Hoping to continue neutral, he put on a pair of Con¬ federate pants and a Yankee coat and dashed across no-man's land, only to be immediately shot down by both sides. Both pants and coat were literally riddled with bullets. To be double-minded is to forget James 1:8 and 4:8: "A double minded man is unstable in all his ways." "Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sin¬ ners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded." 8. Dishonesty. The ways Satan can inflict this deadly D upon Christians are almost without number. The child of God need not simply lie or steal to be dishonest. To hold back cer¬ tain facts in a given situation may be dishon¬ est. To owe God tithes and offerings is dishonest. To be less than we should be as pastors, parents, or workers is to cheat our people and children and thus become dis¬ honest. It is estimated that over one-half bil¬ lion dollars each year is raised by false "faith healers" (who cannot do what they claim) and smooth-talking liberals (who do not be¬ lieve what they say). To be dishonest is to forget 2 Corinthians 4:2: "But have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commend¬ ing ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God." 9. Deceit. The word deceit is found many times in the New Testament. As one considers them, it is amazing just how many occur in those passages dealing either with the Word of God or the last days, or both. Note but a few of these: "And then shall that Wicked be revealed, whom the Lord shall consume with the spirit of his mouth, and shall destroy with the brightness of his coming: Even him, whose coming is after the working of Sa¬ tan with all power and signs and lying

772

wonders, and with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; be¬ cause they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong de¬ lusion, that they should believe a lie: That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unright¬ eousness" (2 Thess. 2:8-12). "For we are not as many, which corrupt the word of God: but as of sincerity, but as of God, in the sight of God speak we in Christ" (2 Cor. 2:17). "Therefore seeing we have this minis¬ try, as we have received mercy, we faint not; but have renounced the hidden things of dishonesty, not walking in craftiness, nor handling the word of God deceitfully; but by manifestation of the truth commending ourselves to every man's conscience in the sight of God" (2 Cor. 4:1, 2). "For such are false apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the apostles of Christ" (2 Cor. 11:13). "For many deceivers are entered into the world, who confess not that Jesus Christ is come in the flesh. This is a de¬ ceiver and an antichrist" (2 Jn. 1:7). In other words, the devil's big D in the last days is deceit. On the one hand, the weird cults of our day deceive people by attempt¬ ing to add to God's Word, while the liberals practice deception by taking away from the Scriptures. Jesus himself apparently warns against both deceiving groups in his last spo¬ ken message. "I Jesus have sent mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David, and the bright and morning star. And 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. For I testify unto every man that heareth the words of the prophecy of this book. If any man shall add unto these things, God shall add unto him the plagues that are written in this book: And if any man shall take away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God shall take away his part out of the book of life, and out of the holy city, and from the things which are written in this book" (Rev. 22:16-19). To be deceitful is to forget Jeremiah 17:9: "The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked: who can know it?" 10. Dullness. There may be some disagreement concerning the author of the book of He¬ brews, or even questions concerning the lo¬ cation of the recipients. But there is no doubt about the spiritual condition of the readers. In a word, they suffered from dullness. The author reminded them of the need among their group for sound Bible teachers to stem

~

THE DOCTRINE OT SATAN -

the tide of iniquity and apostasy prevalent even in that day. But, the author concluded, they simply could not be used. He sadly states why: "For when for the time ye ought to be teachers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is un¬ skilful in the word of righteousness: for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exer¬ cised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:12-14). This dullness was also infecting the church at Corinth. Listen to Paul's stem admonition to them: "And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ. I have fed you with milk, and not with meat: for hitherto ye were not able to bear it, nei¬ ther yet now are ye able. For ye are yet carnal: for whereas there is among you envying, and strife, and divisions, are ye not carnal, and walk as men?" (1 Cor. 3:1-3). To suffer dullness is to forget Heb. 5:11: "Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered, seeing ye are dull of hearing." 11. Deadness. Deadness is simply unchecked dullness. A summary of God's overall plan concerning sin and the sinner is as follows: Whereas we were once dead in sin, after God's marvelous grace, we now are to be dead to sin. Note: "And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; even when we were dead in sins, hath quickened us to¬ gether with Christ, (by grace ye are saved)" (Eph. 2:1, 5). "What shall we say then? Shall we con¬ tinue in sin, that grace may abound? God forbid. How shall we, that are dead to sin, live any longer therein? Likewise reckon ye also yourselves to be dead indeed unto sin, but alive unto God through Jesus Christ our Lord" (Rom. 6:1, 2, 11). Thus, we are to be dead to sin, but alive unto righteousness. But many believers have allowed Satan to twist these two facts, whereby they become dead to righteousness, and alive to sin. "Even so faith, if it hath not works, is dead, being alone. For as the body with¬ out the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also" (Jas. 2:17, 26). To suffer deadness is to forget Revelation 3:1: "And unto the angel of the church in Sar¬ dis write; These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead."

773

12. Delay. At the great white judgment throne it may be revealed that this deadly D of the devil has been used to damn more souls to hell than any other. It has been remarked that many a man is in hell today who meant to get saved at the eleventh hour, but who died at ten-thirty. It should be made clear to all sinners the terrible danger of procrastina¬ tion, for God has never promised to save anyone tomorrow. Both James and the au¬ thor of Hebrews warn of this danger. "Again, he limiteth a certain day, saying in David, To day, after so long a time; as it is said. To day if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts. For if Jesus had given them rest, then would he not after¬ ward have spoken of another day" (Heb. 4:7, 8). "Go to now, ye that say. To day or to morrow we will go into such a city, and continue there a year, and buy and sell, and get gain: Whereas ye know not what shall be on the morrow. For what is your life? It is even a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then vanisheth away. For that ye ought to say. If the Lord will, we shall live, and do this, or that" (Jas. 4:13-15). To delay is to forget Proverbs 27:1: "Boast not thyself of tomorrow; for thou knowest not what a day may bring forth." 13. Discord. It has been rightly observed that far more Bible-believing churches have been split over disposition than position. This is to say the tragic cause of a split is usually dis¬ cord rather than doctrine. Some trouble¬ maker begins his or her deadly gossip in a local church, raising questions and doubts in the minds of people, doubts that otherwise would have never been entertained. How ef¬ fectively Satan uses this tool, and how pain¬ ful it will be at the bema judgment seat of Christ for the carnal sowers of discord. To sow discord is to forget Proverbs 6:16-19: "These six things doth the Lord hate: yea, seven are an abomination unto him: A proud look, a lying tongue, and hands that shed innocent blood, an heart that deviseth wicked imaginations, feet that be swift in running to mischief, a false wit¬ ness that speaketh lies, and he that soweth discord among brethren." 14. Defilement. Several hundred young people once stood at the altar of the famed Moody Memorial Church in Chicago to answer the call for full-time Christian service. The speaker. Dr. Vance Havner, looked down at this group and uttered a rather strange state¬ ment. He said: "Young people, God is pleased that you have come to this prayer altar. But do not pray, 'Lord, use me.' " Hav¬ ner then went on to explain his statement. "You need not ask Him to use you. He'll do that all right! In fact. He'll wear you out, for there's not enough of you to go around as it is! What you should pray, therefore, is 'Lord, make me usable.'"

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

made the difference between these two men? The answer is tragically simple—one was disobedient, the other was obedient. "And Samuel said. Hath the Lord as great delight in burnt offerings and sacrifices, as in obeying the voice of the Lord? Behold, to obey is better than sacrifice, and to hearken than the fat of rams. For rebel¬ lion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stub¬ bornness is as iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the Lord, he hath also rejected thee from being king" (1 Sam. 15:22, 23). "Whereupon as I went to Damascus with authority and commission from the chief priests, at midday, O king, I saw in the way a light from heaven, above the brightness of the sun, shining round about me and them which journeyed with me. And when we were all fallen to the earth, I heard a voice speaking unto me, and saying in the Hebrew tongue, Saul, Saul, why persecutest thou me? it is hard for thee to kick against the pricks. And I said. Who art thou. Lord? And he said, I am Jesus whom thou persecutest. But rise, and stand upon thy feet: for I have ap¬ peared unto thee for this purpose, to make thee a minister and a witness both of these things which thou hast seen, and of those things in the which I will appear unto thee; delivering thee from the peo¬ ple, and from the Gentiles, unto whom now I send thee, to open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God, that they may receive forgiveness of sins, and inheritance among them which are sancti¬ fied by faith that is in me. Whereupon, O king Agrippa, I was not disobedient unto the heavenly vision" (Acts 26:12-19). To disobey is to forget Romans 6:14-18: "For sin shall not have dominion over you: for ye are not under the law, but un¬ der grace. What then? shall we sin, be¬ cause we are not under the law, but under grace? God forbid. Know ye not, that to whom ye yield yourselves servants to obey, his servants ye are to whom ye obey; whether of sin unto death, or of obedience unto righteousness? But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. Being then made free from sin, ye became the servants of righteousness" (Rom. 6:14-18).

God does not require golden vessels, nor silver containers, but he insists upon clean ones. A believer who defiles himself with the things of this world can never be used by God, regardless of his education, ability, en¬ ergy, or experience. To become defiled is to forget 1 Corinthi¬ ans 3:16,17. "Know ye not that ye are the temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwelleth in you? If any man defile the temple of God, him shall God destroy; for the tem¬ ple of God is holy, which temple ye are." 15. Defame. How often are Christians guilty of criticizing or belittling other believers. In fact, some of the most cutting remarks a child of God may receive are at the hands of another child of God. We should be very careful in guarding against this satanic D, for all believers will gain or suffer rewards at the bema judgment on account of it. "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have shewed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do min¬ ister" (Heb. 6:10). "He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a proph¬ et's reward; and he that receiveth a right¬ eous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his re¬ ward" (Mt. 10:41, 42). To defame someone is to forget Psalm 101:5: "Whoso privily slandereth his neighbour, him will I cut off: him that hath an high look and a proud heart will not I suffer." 16. Disobedience. There are two famous men by the name of Saul in the Bible—one in the Old Testament and one in the New Testa¬ ment. A very profitable study can be made by comparing and contrasting these two men. Both were from the tribe of Benjamin (1 Sam. 9:2; Phil. 3:5). One was tall and im¬ pressive, the other short and unimpressive (1 Sam. 9:2; 2 Cor. 10:10; Gal. 4:13, 14). The first began as God's friend but ended up as his enemy, while the second started as his enemy but wound up as God's friend (1 Sam. 9:16; 10:6, 7; 28:6; Acts 9:1; 2 Tim. 4:18). One went to the witch of Endor in the hour of his death, while the other turned to the Word of God (1 Sam. 28:7; 2 Tim. 4:13). What really

774

THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS

THE DOCTRINE OF ANGEES

But enough of tradition and history. What does the Bible say about angels?

Throughout his long history, man has often wondered whether he is indeed the only intelligent being in his uni¬ verse, and whether life as we know it is confined to the earth alone. One of the most recent scientific attempts is the search for extraterrestrial life. Coded messages are now being transmitted into the distant recesses of outer space by means of radio telescopes. The scientist then anxiously awaits the results of his bold probe. Will his signals be picked up by nonearthly ears? If life is out there, will it prove friend or foe? In light of all this, it seems tragic that man does not turn to the Word of God in his search, for the Bible clearly answers this question, as it does all other questions which confront humanity. Is there intelligent life in the universe? Are there other living and rational creatures "out there" besides man? There are indeed. Are they friend or foe? They are both. Is their "civilization" older than ours? It is. Will we ever learn to communicate with them? We not only will, but a num¬ ber of human beings already have met and talked with them. Who are these cosmic creatures? They are called angels. Belief in angels is found in the history of all nations. The ancient Egyptians, Phoenicians, Greeks, and others all ex¬ pressed their belief in angels. A. S. Joppie writes: "The Mohammedans believe in angels. They believe that two angels are assigned to each person. The angel on the right hand records all your good deeds. The an¬ gel on your left records all your evil deeds. The Hebrews taught there were four great angels: (1) Gabriel, who reveals the secrets of God to men. (2) Mi¬ chael, who fights and avenges God's foes. (3) Raphael, who receives the departing spirits of the dead. (4) Uriel, who will summon everybody to judgment." (All about Angels, p. 43) In the apocryphal book of Tobit is an account of an angel by the name of Raphael. The young man whom the angel accompanied was in danger of being devoured by a big fish. The angel saved him. Then he told the young man to use the heart and liver of the fish against demon influ¬ ence, and the gall against eye diseases, etc. According to Moslem legend, when Mohammed was transported to heaven, he saw an angel there with "70,000 heads, each head had 70,000 faces, each face had 70,000 mouths, each mouth had 70,000 tongues, and each tongue spoke 70,000 languages." This would make more than 31,000 trillion languages, and nearly five billion mouths! The earliest archaeological evidence of angels to date appears on the stela of Ur-Nammus (2250 b.c.), and shows angels flying over the head of this king while he is in prayer.

I. The Existence of Angels. Angels are mentioned in thirty-four books of the Bible for a total of some 273 times (108 times in the Old Testament and 165 in the New Testament). "The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels" (Ps. 68:17). "But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels" (Heb. 12:22). "Who maketh his angels spirits, his ministers a flaming fire" (Ps. 104:4). "Praise ye him, all his angels, praise ye him, all his hosts" (Ps. 148:2). II. The Origin of Angels. A. The source of their origin. Angels, like everything else in this universe, were made by God the Father through Jesus Christ in the energy of the Holy Spirit. See Gen¬ esis 1:1, 2; 2:1; Nehemiah 9:6; John 1:1-3; Ephe¬ sians 3:9; Colossians 1:16. B. The method of their origin. Angels, like man, were created by a special act of God. They did not evolve into being. "Praise ye him, all his angels: praise ye him, all his hosts. Let them praise the name of the Lord: for he commanded, and they were cre¬ ated" (Ps. 148:2, 5). Each angel is therefore a direct creation from God. This is perhaps why they are referred to as sons of God (Gen. 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1). The word "son" seems to indicate a direct creation of God, as Adam is called the "son of God" (see Lk. 3:38). Believers are also called this, as they are recre¬ ated in Christ individually as sons of God (Jn. 3:3; Gal. 3:26; Eph. 2:8-10; 4:24; 1 Jn. 3:1, 2). Their number, once completed at creation, was forever fixed. This is assumed because we never read of God creating more of them and Jesus said they do not reproduce themselves (Mt. 22:30). Furthermore, since we are told they cannot die (Lk. 20:36) we conclude the original number of angels will never increase or decrease in size. For these reasons they must be considered a company of beings, and not a race. C. The time of their origin. "Then the Lord answered Job out of the whirlwind, and said. . . . Where wast thou when I laid the foundations of the earth? De¬ clare, if thou hast understanding when the

775

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

"The chariots of God are twenty thousand, even thousands of angels" (Ps. 68:17). "Thinkest thou that 1 cannot now pray to my Father, and he shall presently give me more than twelve legions of angels?" (Mt. 26:53). "But ye are come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to an innumerable company of angels" (Heb. 12:22). "And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angels round about the throne . . . and the number of them was ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousands of thousands" (Rev. 5:11). One of the reasons (perhaps the main reason) for the dispensation of the grace of God to all repenting sinners is stated by Paul in the book of Ephesians: "that in the ages to come he might shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindness toward us through Christ Jesus" (Eph. 2:7). There is little doubt that much of this dis¬ play of grace will be for the benefit of angels. Thus, if their number is indeed as large as it ap¬ pears, then each redeemed sinner will have a vast congregation of billions of angels to preach and testify to. D. They possess separate and individual personal¬ ities, probably no two alike. They have the three necessary features re¬ quired of personality: 1. Intelligence (Dan. 9:21, 22; 10:14; Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9). 2. Will (Isa. 14:12-15; Jude 1:6). 3. Emotion. They display joy (Job 38:7; Lk. 2:13) and desire (1 Pet. 1:12). E. They are (because of Adam's fall) superior to men. (See Ps. 8:4, 5; Heb. 2:6-11.) 1. They are stronger than men. "Bless the Lord, ye his angels, that excel in strength, that do his commandments hearkening unto the voice of his word" (Ps. 103:20). ". . . the Lord Jesus shall be revealed from heaven with his mighty angels" (2 Thess. 1:7). "Whereas angels, which are greater in power and might . . ." (2 Pet. 2:11). 2. They are smarter than men (Dan. 9:21, 22; 10:14). 3. They are swifter than men. "Yea, while I was speaking in prayer . . . Gabriel . . . being caused to fly swiftly, touched me" (Dan. 9:21). "And I saw another angel fly in the midst of heaven . . ." (Rev. 14:6). Their superiority in these areas seems to stem from two things. a. Being unhindered by a fallen nature. b. Being unbounded by the laws of gravity and time. F. They are, however, inferior to God. 1. They are not omnipresent (Dan. 10:12). The angel here in Daniel 10 was in heaven at the time of Daniel's prayer and was sent by God to aid him.

morning stars sang together, and all the sons of God shouted for joy?" (Job 38:1, 4, 7). In these verses God declares that creation of angels took place prior to the creation of the earth. D. The purpose of their origin. Angels were created to glorify Jesus Christ. "For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or domin¬ ions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him" (Col. 1:16). "And again, when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he saith. And let all the angels of God worship him" (Heb. 1:6). "Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created" (Rev. 4:11). III. The Nature of Angels. A. They are spirit beings. (See Ps. 104:4; Heb. 1:7, 14.) While we are informed by Christ himself that spiritual beings do not possess flesh and bone (Lk. 24:39), does this prove angels do not have any kind of body? It apparently does not, for de¬ vout and able theologians have taken both sides of this issue in centuries past. One therefore can¬ not be dogmatic concerning this. Some have pointed to 1 Corinthians 15:40 as an indication that they do possess bodies: "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial: but the glory of the celestial is one, and the glory of the terrestrial is another." At any rate, on two specific occasions angels are described as partaking of physical food (Gen. 18:1-8; 19:1-3), and on one occasion as applying physical force (Acts 12:7). B. They are invisible beings. While on occasion they do manifest themselves, their normal prac¬ tice is to remain invisible. Certainly one basic reason for this is to prevent both unsaved and saved men from worshiping them. (See Rom. 1:18-32; Col. 2:18; Rev. 19:10; 22:9.) C. They are innumerable. God, of course, knows their number, but they are presented to men as uncountable. There may be as many angels as there are stars in the heavens, for angels are as¬ sociated with the stars (Job 38:7; Ps. 148:1-3; Rev. 9:1, 2; 12:3, 4, 7-9). If this be so, there would exist untold trillions of these heavenly beings. A hint of their huge number can be seen in Mark 5:9 where Satan could afford to give over 6,000 of his fallen angels to torment one poor lunatic. See also: "The Lord came from Sinai . . . with ten thousand of saints" (Deut. 33:2). The "saints" here are doubtless angels. "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of days did sit, whose garment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool: his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from be¬ fore him: thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thou¬ sand stood before him: the judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:9, 10).

776

~ THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS~

2. They are not omnipotent (Dan. 10:13; Jude 9). This same angel was experiencing satanic pressure, which hindered him for a full three weeks. 3. They are not omniscient. "But of that day and hour knoweth no man, no, not the angels of heaven, but my Father only" (Mt. 24:36). G. They, like man, may have been made in the image of God. How was man made in God's image? It has been suggested that this image con¬ sisted of two things, personality and holiness. 1. Personality gives the basic capacity to have fel¬ lowship with the person of God, for only real persons, of course, can have fellowship. 2. Holiness provides the basic requirement to en¬ joy that fellowship, for two cannot experi¬ ence fellowship unless they are morally agreed (Heb. 12:14). If the above definition is correct, then angels can be said to have been made in the image of God also. IV. The Moral Classification of Angels. It is believed that all angels were originally created without fault and, like Adam in the Garden, placed on a probation of some sort. They were theologically, during this time, posse non pecarre (able not to sin). But the probation period ended when heaven's chief angel, Lucifer by name, instigated a great revolt against Jehovah God himself. (See Isa. 14:12-15; Ezek. 28:11-19.) It is sug¬ gested by Revelation 12:3, 4 that he was able to per¬ suade one third of heaven's angels to side with him in this terrible rebellion. The ones who did so thus became non posse non pecarre (not able not to sin), while the remaining two thirds were pronounced non posse pecarre (not able to sin). From that point on the faithful angels are referred to as holy and elect angels (Mk. 8:38; 1 Tim. 5:21), while the fallen angels are known as the devil's angels (Mt. 25:41; Rev. 12:9). V. The Characteristics of the Faithful Angels. A. Their rank. 1. The archangels. a. Michael. His name means "Who is like God." This should be contrasted to Sa¬ tan's evil desire to "be like the most High" (Isa. 14:14). Michael is mentioned by name on four separate occasions in the Bible. (1) He helps a lesser-ranked angel get through to answer Daniel's prayer (Dan. 10:13, 21). (2) He will stand up for Israel during the tribulation (Dan. 12:1). (3) He disputes with Satan concerning the dead body of Moses (Jude 9). (4) He fights against Satan in the heavenlies (Rev. 12:7). b. Gabriel. His name means "The mighty one of God." (1) He explains the vision of the Ram and Goat battle to Daniel (Dan. 8:16). (2) He explains the seventy weeks to Daniel (Dan. 9:21). (3) He predicts the birth of John the Baptist to Zacharias (Lk. 1:19).

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(4) He predicts the birth of Jesus to Mary (Lk. 1:26). (5) He assures Joseph concerning the purity of Mary (Mt. 1:20). (6) He warns Joseph about the plot of Herod (Mt. 2:13). (7) He tells Joseph about the death of Herod (Mt. 2:19). Note: Some Bible students have identified Gabriel with the various appearances of the Angel of the Lord in the remaining pages of the New Testament. If this is true, then Gabriel can be seen in the following ten occasions. (8) He announces the birth of Christ to the shepherds (Lk. 2:9). (9) He strengthens Christ in the Garden of Gethsemane (Lk. 22:43). (10) He rolls the stone back at Christ's resurrection (Mt. 28:2). (11) He frees the apostles from prison (Acts 5:19). (12) He sends Philip to the desert of Gaza to meet the eunuch (Acts 8:26). (13) He instructs Cornelius to send for Peter (Acts 10:3). (14) He frees Peter from prison (Acts 12:7). (15) He executes wicked Herod for blas¬ phemy (Acts 12:23). (16) He assures Paul on the deck of a sinking ship (Acts 27:23). (17) He will sound the trumpet at the rapture (1 Thess. 4:16). 2. The cherubim (Gen. 3:24; Ex. 25:18-20; Ezek. 1:4-28; 10:1-22). a. The description of the cherubim: (1) Each has four faces. (a) The face in front is as a man. (b) The face on the right is as a lion. (c) The face on the left is as an ox. (d) The face in back is as an eagle. (2) Each has two pairs of wings. (a) One pair spreads out from the middle of the back. (b) The other pair is used to cover the body. These wings make a noise like waves crashing upon the seashore. (3) They have the legs of men, but their feet are cloven like calves' feet, which shine like burnished brass. (4) They have four human hands, with one located under each wing. (5) They apparently travel in groups of four. The outstretched wings of each cherubim touches those of the re¬ maining three companions, so that they form a square. When they move, they move as a group without turning their bodies. b. The duties of the cherubim: (1) They kept Adam from the Tree of Life after the fall, lest he eat of it

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

and live forever in his sin (Gen. 3:24). Note: There is an interesting anal¬ ogy between the cherubim as guard¬ ing the entrance to paradise and the winged bulls and lions of Babylon and Assyria, colossal figures , with human faces standing guard at the entrances of temples and palaces. Inasmuch as both these nations oc¬ cupied the very spot where the original Garden of Eden may have been located, it is not unreasonable to suggest that these idols were per¬ verted statue copies of the real cherubim. (2) Two golden cherubim were con¬ structed at God's command and placed at either end on top of the ark lid in the tabernacle Holy of Ho¬ lies (Ex. 25:18-20; Heb. 9:5). (3) They appeared to Ezekiel (Ezek. 1, 10).

(4) Prior to his fall, Satan (then known as Lucifer) was the chief cherub an¬ gel (Isa. 14:12; Ezek. 28:14). 3. The seraphim (Isa. 6:1-7). The Hebrew word for seraphim means "burning ones," and probably speaks of the burning devotion to God on the part of these angelic beings. These beings are mentioned only once in the Bible. Their description and duties are as fol¬ lows: a. They have six wings. Two are used to cover their face, two to cover their feet, and two are used to fly. b. They proclaim in a great chorus the maj¬ esty of God, crying out: "Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory" (Isa. 6:3). c. The awesome sound of their mighty praises shakes the foundation of the heavenly temple. d. Isaiah, the great prophet, views all this in a vision. He is immediately convicted concerning both his sin and the sin of the nation Israel. e. He is ministered to by one of the sera¬ phim, who flew over to the heavenly altar and, with a pair of tongs, picked out a burning coal. He then touched Isaiah's lips with it and said: "Lo, this hath touched thy lips, and thine iniquity is taken away, and thy sin purged" (Isa. 6:7). 4. Living creatures (Rev. 4:6-9; 5:8; 6:1, 3, 5, 7). These special heavenly beings are in some ways similar to both the cherubim and the seraphim, but seem to be in a separate class by themselves. Their number appears to be limited to four. It has been suggested that they now hold those privileges and responsi¬ bilities once assigned to Lucifer, before he became the devil. a. John the apostle sees these four standing before the shining crystal sea in heaven surrounding God's throne.

778

b. They are covered with eyes, both in front and behind. c. Each of the four has a different face. (1) One has the face of a lion. (2) One has the face of an ox. (3) One has the face of a man. (4) One has the face of an eagle. d. Each creature has six wings. Note: As it has been observed, there are similarities here between the cheru¬ bim and the living creatures. But differ¬ ences may also be seen. The cherubim each have four faces, while the living creatures have but one. The cherubim possess four wings, whereas the living creatures have six. e. Without ceasing day or night, they pro¬ claim God's praise, saying: "Holy, holy, holy. Lord God Almighty, who was, and is, and is to come" (Rev. 4:8). f. Each of the four living creatures will an¬ nounce one of the first four great tribulational judgments of the seven-sealed book (Rev. 6:1, 3, 5, 7). g. It has been suggested that the faces of both the cherubim and the living crea¬ tures are to remind the elect throughout all eternity of the earthly ministry per¬ formed by our blessed Lord. These faces correspond directly to the fourfold gospel presentation of Christ. (1) Matthew presents him as the lion of the tribe of Judah. (2) Mark presents him as the lowly ox. (3) Luke presents him as the perfect man. (4) John presents him as the mighty Godlike eagle. 5. Ruling angels (Eph. 1:21; 3:10; Col. 1:16; 2:10; 1 Pet. 3:22). In the above passages the follow¬ ing organizational features are mentioned. a. principalities b. powers c. thrones d. authorities e. dominions f. might While it is impossible to distinguish clearly among these six, it is nevertheless evi¬ dent that they describe various levels of rul¬ ing positions assigned to angels, ranging perhaps (to use an earthly analogy) from generals to privates. 6. Guardian angels. "Take heed that ye despise not one of these little ones; for I say unto you, that in heaven their angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 18:10). "Are they not all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for them who shall be heirs of salvation?" (Heb. 1:14). The Bible does not state whether each be¬ liever has a specific guardian angel, or whether various angels on occasion simply protect and aid the heirs of salvation. Both are logical possibilities.

~ THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS-

7. Angels associated with horses and chariots. "And it came to pass, as they still went on, and talked, that, behold, there ap¬ peared a chariot of fire, and horses of fire, and separated them, and Elijah went up by a whirlwind into heaven" (2 Ki. 2:11). "And Elisha prayed, and said. Lord, I pray thee, open his eyes, that he may see. And the Lord opened the eyes of the young man, and he saw; and behold, the mountain was full of horses and chariots of Ere round about Elisha" (2 Ki. 6:17). "The chariots of God are twenty thou¬ sand, even thousands of angels" (Ps. 68:17). "I saw at night, and behold, a man was riding on a red horse, and he was standing among the myrtle trees which were in the ravine, with red, sorrel, and white horses behind him. Then I said, 'My lord, what are these?' And the angel who was speak¬ ing with me said to me, 'I will show you what these are.' And the man who was standing among the myrtle trees an¬ swered and said, 'These are those whom the Lord has sent to patrol the earth.' So they answered the angel of the Lord who was standing among the myrtle trees, and said, 'We have patrolled the earth, and behold, all the earth is peaceful and quiet' " (Zech. 1:8-11, NASV). "And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean" (Rev. 19:14). If these verses are to be taken in a literal sense, then one must conclude (whatever problems may be involved) that certain an¬ gels work closely with creatures of the ani¬ mal kingdom in performing their ministry. B. Their appearance. A detailed description of the cherubim and seraphim has already been consid¬ ered in our study. But what about the general appearance of angels? The Scriptures offer the following description. "And entering into the sepulchre, they saw a young man sitting on the right side, clothed in a long white garment; and they were amazed" (Mk. 16:5). "His countenance was like lightning, and his raiment white as snow" (Mt. 28:3). "And it came to pass, as they were much perplexed about this, behold, two men stood by them, in shining garments" (Lk. 24:4). "And I saw another mighty angel come down from heaven, clothed with a cloud; and a rainbow was upon his head, and his face was as though it were the sun, and his feet like pillars of fire" (Rev. 10:1). "And the seven angels came out of the tem¬ ple, having the seven plagues, clothed in pure and white linen, and having their breasts girded with golden girdles" (Rev. 15:6). "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power, and the earth was made bright with his glory" (Rev. 18:1).

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In view of their dazzling splendor and great glory it is not difficult to understand why both unsaved (Col. 2:18) and saved men (Rev. 19:10; 22:8, 9) have attempted to worship angels. C. Their names and titles. 1. Ministers (Ps. 103:20, 21; 104:4). This signi¬ fies their religious duties and spiritual ser¬ vice. 2. Host (Gen. 32:1, 2; Josh. 5:14; 1 Sam. 17:45; Ps. 89:8). This name speaks of their military service. 3. Chariots (2 Ki. 6:16, 17; Ps. 68:17; Zech. 6:5). This may refer to their swiftness. 4. Watchers (Dan. 4:13, 17). This speaks of their duties as supervisors and agents. 5. Sons of the mighty (Ps. 29:1; 89:6). This title may refer to their awesome strength and power. 6. Sons of God (Gen. 6:2, 4; Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7). Dr. L. S. Chafer writes: "In Old Testament terminology, some¬ times angels are called sons of God while men are called servants of God. In the New Testament this is reversed. Angels are servants and Christians are the sons of God. This particular order may be due to the fact that, in the Old Testament men are seen as related to this sphere over which angels are superior; while in the New Testament, saints are seen as related to their final exaltation into the likeness of Christ, compared to which the angels are inferior." (Systematic Theology, Vol. II, p. 23) 7. Holy Ones, saints (Ps. 89:7; Dan. 8:13; Zech. 14:5). This refers to their total separation to the will of God. 8. Stars (Job 38:7; Ps. 148:2, 3; Rev. 12:3, 4). This may indicate both their number and their brightness. D. Their work and ministry. 1. Their activities in heaven. a. They worship the Person of God (1 Ki. 22:19; Ps. 29:1, 2; Isa. 6:3; Rev. 4:8; 19:4). b. They observe the people of God (Lk. 12:8, 9; 15:10; 1 Cor. 4:9; 11:10; Eph. 3:10; 1 Tim. 5:21; 1 Pet. 1:12). "Lor I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death: for we are made a spectacle unto the world, and to angels, and to men" (1 Cor. 4:9). "Lor this cause ought the woman to have power on her head because of the angels" (1 Cor. 11:10). "The gospel . . . sent down from heaven; which things the angels desire to look into" (1 Pet. 1:12). c. They inquire into the prophetical plan of God (Dan. 12:5, 6). d. They rejoice in the works of God. (1) His work of creation (Job 38:7; Rev. 4:11). (2) His work of redemption (1 Tim. 3:16; Rev. 5:11, 12).

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

swords in their hands. They seemed to circle the mission sta¬ tion so that the natives were afraid to attack. Only then did Mr. Paton realize that God had sent His angels to protect them. The chief agreed that there was no other explanation. Could it be that God had sent a legion of an¬ gels to protect His servants, whose lives were being endan¬ gered?" (Angels: God's Special Agents, p. 3) (a) Angels protected Lot from the Sodomites (Gen. 19:10, 11). (b) Angels protected Elisha from the Syrians (2 Ki. 6:15-17). (3) They comfort. "And as he [Elijah] lay and slept under a juniper tree, behold, an angel touched him, and said unto him. Arise and eat" (1 Ki. 19:5). "For there stood by me [Paul] this night an angel of God, whose I am, and whom 1 serve, saying. Fear not, Paul" (Acts 27:24). (4) They deliver. "But an angel of the Lord by night opened the prison doors, and brought them [the apostles] forth" (Acts 5:19). "And, behold, an angel of the Lord came upon him, and a light shone in the prison; and he smote Peter on the side, and raised him up, saying. Arise quickly. And his chains fell off from his hands" (Acts 12:7). (5) They minister to the believer at the moment of death. "And it came to pass that the beggar died, and was carried by the angels into Abraham's bos¬ om" (Lk. 16:22). b. Concerning the unsaved. (1) They judged the Egyptians (Ex. 12:13, 23). (2) They judged the Sodomites (Gen. 19:13). (3) They judged the Assyrians (2 Ki. 19:35). (4) They judged Herod (Acts 12:23). (5) They will judge the earth during the tribulation. (a) They hold back the four winds of heaven (Rev. 7:1). (b) They pronounce the seven trumpet judgments (Rev. 8:2). (c) They cast Satan and his angels out of heaven (Rev. 12:7, 8). (d) They announce the eternal hell awaiting all unbelievers (Rev. 14:10). (e) They predict the fall of Babylon (Rev. 14:8). (f) They announce the fall of Babylon (Rev. 18:1, 2).

e. They perform the will of God (Gen. 28:12; Ps. 103:29; 104:4; Dan. 7:10). f. They witness the wrath of God (Rev. 14:10). 2. Their activities on earth. a. Concerning the saved (see especially Heb. 1:14; Rev. 22:16). (1) They inform, instruct, and interpret concerning both the will and Word of God. Note the following individ¬ uals who received that kind of min¬ istry from angels. (a) Daniel (Dan. 7:16; 10:5, 11) (b) Zechariah (Zech. 1:9, 13, 14, 19; 2:3; 5:5-10; 6:4, 5) (c) Zacharias (Lk. 1:11-17) (d) Mary (Lk. 1:26-33) (e) Joseph (Mt. 1:20; 2:13, 19) (f) The shepherds (Lk. 2:9-12) (g) The women at the tomb (Lk. 24:4-7) (h) The apostles (Acts 1:10, 11) (i) Philip (Acts 8:26) (j) Cornelius (Acts 10:3-6) (k) John (Rev. 17:1; 21:9) (2) They protect. "The angel of the Lord encampeth round about them that fear him, and delivereth them" (Ps. 34:7). "For he shall give his angels charge over thee, to keep thee in all thy ways" (Ps. 91:11). Dr. Billy Graham relates the fol¬ lowing account: "The Reverend John G. Paton, a missionary in the New Hebrides Islands, tells a thrilling story in¬ volving the protective care of an¬ gels. Hostile natives surrounded his mission headquarters one night, intent on burning the Patons out and killing them. John Paton and his wife prayed all during that terror-filled night that God would deliver them. When daylight came they were amazed to see the attackers unac¬ countably leave. They thanked God for delivering them. A year later, the chief of the tribe was converted to Jesus Christ, and Mr. Paton, remem¬ bering what had happened, asked the chief what had kept him and his men from burning down the house and killing them. The chief replied in sur¬ prise, 'Who were all those men you had with you there?' The missionary answered, 'There were no men there; just my wife and 1/ The chief argued that they had seen many men standing guard—hundreds of big men in shining garments with drawn

780

~ THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS -

(g) They pour out the seven vial judgments (Rev. 15:1). (h) They announce Armageddon (Rev. 19:17). (i) They accompany Christ at his Second Coming (2 Thess. 1:7, 8). (j) They gather the unsaved for eternal hell (Mt. 13:39-43). (k) They bind Satan in the bottom¬ less pit (Rev. 20:1). c. Concerning Israel. (1) Angels fought for Israel (Jdg. 5:20). (2) They gave the law to Israel (Deut. 33:2; Acts 7:53; Gal. 3:19; Heb. 2:2). (3) They seal the 144,000 Israelites (Rev. 7:1-3). (4) They will regather faithful Israel (Mt. 24:31). d. Concerning the Savior. (1) They worship him (Heb. 1:6). (2) They were made by him and for him (Col. 1:17). (3) They predicted his birth (Mt. 1:20, 21; Lk. 1:31). (4) They announced his birth (Lk. 2:9-13). (5) They helped protect him (Ps. 91:11; Mt. 2:13). (6) They ministered to him in the wil¬ derness (Mt. 4:11). (7) They ministered to him in the gar¬ den (Lk. 22:43). (8) They rolled away the tombstone (Mt. 28:2). (9) They announced his resurrection (Mt. 28:6). (10) They predicted his Second Coming (Acts 1:10, 11). (11) They will accompany him at the Second Coming (2 Thess. 1:7, 8). (12) They are in total subjection to him (1 Pet. 3:22). Dr. Lewis Sperry Chafer quotes Dr. Cooke: "How constant their attendance on the Incarnate Saviour during his mys¬ terious life amongst men! At his birth they are his heralds, and with songs exultant announce the glad tidings to mankind. In his temptation they min¬ ister to him; in his agonies they suc¬ cour him; on his resurrection they are the first to proclaim his triumph; on his ascension they come to escort him to the mediatorial throne; in his glori¬ fied state they render him supreme homage as their Lord; and when he returns to judge the world they will form his retinue! What sublime thoughts would be suggested, what emotions of wonder and joy would be excited, by the scenes they witnessed on earth and still witness in heaven, in reference to Christ, his twofold na¬ ture, and his great redeeming work.

781

God incarnate! This was new to them. They had seen the Son in his deity; but never till now enshrined in hu¬ manity. What amazing condescension! Obeying his own law as if he were a mere creature, and in the attitude of a servant! This was new. They had seen him as the governor of the universe; but never till now as a subject! En¬ countering Satan in conflict and pro¬ longed temptation! This was new. They had seen him frown the arch¬ rebel from his presence and hurl him to perdition; but never till now sub¬ mitting to be tempted by him whose subtlety and power had seduced myr¬ iads to eternal ruin. Suffering the scorn and reproach of sinful men! This was new. They had seen myriads of happy spirits worship, adore, and love him, but never till now had they seen him personally insulted, re¬ proached, and maltreated by his crea¬ tures. Groaning in Gethsemane, and crucified between two thieves, and dying as a sacrificial victim! This was new. They had seen him supremely happy and glorious; but to see him agonize, to hear that dying wail, and to behold him a bloody corpse, and all this to save the world which had re¬ volted from him! What mysterious love! To see him, after all this, en¬ throned and glorified in human na¬ ture. This was a new fact in the moral history of the universe. The whole scenes were full of interest, wonder, and mystery; a gradation of wonders rising in succession, until they culmi¬ nated in the permanent presence of the God-man, resplendent with a glo¬ ry that fills the heaven of heavens. Here were chapters of instruction for angelic minds to ponder; here were developments of hidden truths; here were discoveries of the Divine perfec¬ tions, never known before, and still unfolding in brighter effulgence as ages roll on!" (Systematic Theology, Vol. 11 P- 22) E. Their destiny. 1. To spend eternity in the New Jerusalem along with the elect (Heb. 12:22, 23; Rev. 22:10-12). 2. To learn throughout eternity of God's grace as exhibited by the elect (Eph. 2:4-7; 3:10, 11). VI. The Characteristics of Evil Angels. A. The names for fallen angels. 1. Shedim. "They [Israel] sacrificed unto devils, not to God" (Deut. 32:17). The Hebrew word here translated "devils" is shedim. "Yea, they sacrificed their sons and their daughters unto devils" (Ps. 106:36; see also 1 Cor. 10:20). 2. Seirim, sair, satyr. "And they shall no more offer their sacrifices unto devils" (Lev. 17:7).

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

Luke 4:33, 41; 8:2; 11:14; John 7:20; 8:48; 1 Corinthians 10:20, 21; 1 Timothy 4:1; James 2:19; Revelabon 9:20. B. The location of fallen angels. 1. Unchained angels, having a certain amount of freedom at the present bme (Ps. 78:49; Eph. 6:12; Rev. 12:7-9) 2. Chained angels, having no freedom at the present time. a. The angels in tartarus (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). b. The angels in the bottomless pit (the abyss) (Lk. 8:31; Rev. 9:1, 2,11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1-3). c. The angels bound in the Euphrates River (Rev. 9:14). C. The sin of the bound angels. It has already been observed that one third of heaven's angels joined Lucifer in his rebellion against God. These, of course, are the fallen angels of the Bible. Some¬ day they will be judged by God and thrown into Gehenna hell. But why have some of their num¬ ber suffered imprisonment already? Many Bible students believe the answer to this quesbon is found in Genesis 6:1, 2, 4: "And it came to pass, when men began to mulbply on the face of the earth, and daugh¬ ters were bom unto them, that the sons of God saw the daughters of men that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose. . . . There were giants in the earth in those days; and also after that, when the sons of God came in unto the daughters of men, and they bare children to them, the same became mighty men which were of old, men of renown." Much controversy has surrounded these verses. Who were the "sons of God" who mar¬ ried the daughters of men? There are two basic approaches to this. The simple interpretation is that the sons of God were those individuals be¬ longing to the line of Seth while the daughters of men were the unsaved girls who belonged to the line of Cain. The second and more involved in¬ terpretation holds that the sons of God were wicked and fallen angelic beings of some kind who committed immoral and unnatural physical acts with women in general. 1. Basic arguments for the first view. a. This is the most natural way to interpret the passage. b. The statement of Jesus in Matthew 22:30: "For in the resurrecbon they [saved human beings in heaven] neither mar¬ ry, nor are given in marriage, but are as the angels of God in heaven." c. The law of biogenesis—life begets simi¬ lar life. Note the statement "after its kind" in Genesis 1:11, 12, 21, 24, 25. d. Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 15:38-40: "There are also celestial bodies, and bodies terrestrial." This would indi¬ cate these two can never co-join. e. Moses did not use the regular Hebrew word for angels (malak) which he later employs at least twenty-eight bmes in the Pentateuch.

"But wild beasts of the desert shall lie there; and their houses shall be full of doleful crea¬ tures, and ostriches shall dwell there, and hegoats shall dance there" (Isa. 13:21). The word "he-goat" is satyr in the Hebrew, and is thought to be bed in to demon creatures of some sort. Dr. Fred Dickason writes: "The Hebrews were to sacrifice at the al¬ tar of the Tabernacle and not to sacrifice in the desert to 'he-goats.' Jeroboam I ap¬ pointed worship for the Seirim (2 Chron. 11:15), and Josiah 'brake down the high places of the gates' which is to be read Seirim (2 Ki. 22:8)." (Angels, Elect and Evil, p. 152) 3. Elilim. "For all the gods of the nations are idols; but the Lord made the heavens" (Ps. 96:5). 4. Gad. "But ye are they that forsake the Lord, that forget my holy mountain, that prepare a table for that troop." The New American Stan¬ dard Bible translates the word "troop" here (gad in the Hebrew) by the word "fortune." 5. Qeter. "Thou shalt not be afraid for the terror by night, nor for the arrow that flieth by day. Nor for the pestilence that walketh in dark¬ ness, nor for the destrucdon that wasteth at noonday" (Ps. 91:5, 6). The phrase "destrucbon that wasteth at noonday" may refer to demonic activity. 6. The devil's angels (Mt. 25:41; Rev. 12:9). 7. The angels which kept not their first estate (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). 8. Familiar spirits (Deut. 18:11; Isa. 8:10; 19:3). 9. Unclean spirits (Mt. 10:1; Mk. 1:27; 3:11; 5:13; Acts 5:16; 8:7; Rev. 16:13). 10. Evil spirits (Lk. 7:21; Acts 19:12, 13). 11. Seducing spirits (1 Tim. 4:1). 12. Wicked spirits (Lk. 11:26). 13. Demons. The word daimon is found more than seventy-five hmes in the Greek New Testament. In each case it is translated (in¬ correctly) by the word devil in the King James Version. There are a number of theories con¬ cerning the origin of demons. Among these are the following: a. They are spirits of deceased wicked men. However, this cannot be, for the Bible declares the unsaved dead are in Hades and not roaming the earth (Ps. 9:17; Lk. 16:23; Rev. 20:13). b. They are spirits of a pre-Adamic race. But there is no scriptural support whatso¬ ever for this view. The Bible declares that Adam was the first man (1 Cor. 15:45). c. They are the spirits from the unnatural union between angels and women in Genesis 6. However, this view, like the previous two, is without the slightest bib¬ lical support. The most logical conclusion is that the word "demon" is simply another btle or name for fallen angels. The following verses describe the activities of demons: Matthew 4:24; 7:22; 8:16; 9:32; 10:8; 12:22; 15:22; 17:18; Mark 1:32, 34, 39; 3:13; 6:13; 9:38; 16:9, 17;

782

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THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS-

preached unto the spirits in prison; which sometime were disobedient, when once the long-suffering of God waited in the days of Noah, while the ark was a preparing wherein few, that is, eight souls were saved by water" (1 Pet. 3:18-20). It is thought by some that these spirits were these sons of God in Genesis 6. The reason for their iniquity was a satanic at¬ tempt to corrupt human flesh and thus prevent the promised incarnation (Gen. 3:15) from taking place. But here Peter describes Christ as telling them their foul plan didn't work. For another suggested passage along this line, see Jude 5-7. f. The fact that there are two kinds of fallen angels, the unchained and those already chained. The unchained now have access to high places and to the bodies of un¬ saved men (Mk. 1:23; Lk. 8:27; Eph. 6:12). The chained are at present already incar¬ cerated (2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 5-7). The thought is that these are chained because of their involvement in Genesis 6. In conclusion it should be noted that a third view has been recently advocated which says the sons of God were indeed fallen angels who totally controlled and possessed all the evil men living before the flood. These demons may have even attempted to change (by genetic engi¬ neering, as we see today) the DNA code of future babies like some deadly virus. D. The organization and rank of fallen angels. "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12; see also Mt. 12:24-30). These verses indicate that Satan's kingdom of evil angels is as organized as God's elect angelic group. 1. There are evil angels who rule over the na¬ tions of this world (Dan. 10:13). 2. A wicked angel named Legion headed up a large group of fallen spirits that had pos¬ sessed the maniac of Gadara (Mk. 5:9). 3. The bottomless pit is under the control of an angel called Abaddon (in the Hebrew) and Apollyon (in the Greek; Rev. 9:11). 4. Four military angels will lead a hellish army 200 million strong during the latter part of the tribulation (Rev. 9:15). 5. Three angels organize those events which lead to the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:13, 14). E. The appearance of fallen angels. Fallen angels, like good angels, are invisible spiritual beings. However, on occasion they do manifest them¬ selves. There are three New Testament passages which offer some description of these corrupted creatures. 1. Revelation 9:7-10. The shapes of these crea¬ tures are absolutely hideous. They are like horses prepared for battle. Crowns of gold

f. "Mighty men" (supposed offspring of an¬ gels and women) is the Hebrew word gibbor (Gen. 6:4) which is used dozens of times in the Old Testament and always refers to human men (Jdg. 6:12). 2. Basic arguments for the second view. a. The Hebrew language seems to favor it. (1) The Hebrew phrase bne-elohim (sons of God) always refers to angels in the Old Testament (Job 1:6; 2:1; 38:7; Dan. 3:25). (2) The Hebrew word nephilim (trans¬ lated "giants" in Gen. 6:4) actually should be rendered "fallen ones." The normal word for a huge man is rapha. Thus, men like Og and Goli¬ ath were described by the word ra¬ pha (Deut. 3:11; 1 Chron. 20:6). b. Ancient pagan legends. There is almost always a basis for commonly held ancient legends, however weird and distorted they might have become. In 6:4 we read concerning the "men of renown," which some believe is the historical basis for the legends of Hercules and other children of the gods of mythology. This later corre¬ sponds to such Babylonian figures as Gilgamesh, the supposed son of a goddess and a mortal. He was called "two-thirds god and one-third man." c. The common opinion of Jewish scholars. Josephus, a great Jewish historian, brings this out in his writings. The Septuagint (the Greek translation of the Hebrew Old Testament and the Bible used by Jews) translates Genesis 6:2 as the "angels of God." d. The interpretation of the early church. It was not until the fourth century that an¬ other view opposed to the angels of God theory was offered. The late Dr. James M. Gray (past president of Moody Bible In¬ stitute) writes, "There is reason to believe this view would not have changed . . . had it not been for certain erroneous opinions and practices of Christendom" (Spiritism and the Fallen Angels). Gray sug¬ gests two such reasons: (1) Angel worship. The church some¬ time after the fourth century began worshiping angels, so the natural thing would be to deny any angel could do such vile things with hu¬ manity. (2) Celibacy. If indeed these sons of God were human men, then the monks would have scriptural justifi¬ cation for indulging in sexual acts in spite of their official vows of celi¬ bacy. e. Various New Testament passages. "For Christ also hath once suffered for sins, the just for the unjust, that he might bring us to God, being put to death in the flesh but quickened by the Spirit: By which also he went and

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

come to destroy us? I know thee, who thou art: the Holy One of God . . . Thou art Christ, the Son of God" (Lk. 4:34, 41). "What have I to do with thee, Jesus, thou Son of God most high? I beseech thee, torment me not" (Lk. 8:28). "Art thou come here to torment us be¬ fore the time?" (Mt. 8:29). "Send us into the swine, that we may enter into them" (Mk. 5:12). "Jesus I know, and Paul I know; but who are ye?" (Acts 19:15). "Thou art the Son of God" (Mk. 3:11). 3. They possess intelligence. a. They know who Jesus is (Lk. 4:34). b. They know of future damnation (Mt. 8:29). c. They know the saved from the unsaved (Acts 16:15; Rev. 9:4). d. They are able to formulate a Satan-cen¬ tered systematic theology (1 Tim. 4:1). 4. They experience emotion. a. Fear (Lk. 8:28; Jas. 2:19). b. Disdain (Acts 16:15). 5. They possess great strength (Ex. 8:7; 7:11,12; Dan. 10:13; Mk. 5:2-4; 9:17-26; Acts 19:16; 2 Cor. 10:4, 5; Rev. 9:15-19). G. The activities of fallen angels. 1. They oppose God's purpose (Dan. 10:10-14; Eph. 6:12). 2. They execute Satan's program (1 Tim. 4:1; Rev. 9; 16:12-14). 3. They disseminate false doctrine (2 Thess. 2:2; 1 Tim. 4:1). 4. They afflict human beings. a. Some cause insanity (Mt. 8:28; 17:15, 18; Mk. 5:15; Lk. 8:27-29). b. Some cause muteness of speech (Mt. 9:33). c. Some cause immorality (Mt. 10:1; Mk. 1:23-26; 3:11; Lk. 4:36; Acts 5:16; 8:7; Rev. 16:13). d. Some cause deafness (Mk. 9:25). e. Some cause epilepsy (Mt. 17:15-18). f. Some cause blindness (Mt. 12:22). g. Some cause suicidal mania (Mk. 9:22). h. Some cause personal injuries (Mk. 9:18). i. Some cause physical defects (Lk. 13:11). 5. They can possess human beings. In the Bible there are at least twelve major examples of individuals possessed by fallen angels. a. Saul, Israel's first king, was often trou¬ bled by an evil spirit (1 Sam. 16:14; 18:10; 19:9). He became insanely jealous of Da¬ vid (1 Sam. 18:8), and attempted often to kill him: (1) By piercing him with a javelin (1 Sam. 18:11; 19:10). (2) By trickery (1 Sam. 18:25). (3) By hunting him down like a wild animal in the Judean wilderness for some thirteen years (1 Sam. 24:1, 2, 11; 24:11; 26:1, 2). He attempted to kill his own son Jona¬ than for befriending David (1 Sam. 20:33). He murdered eighty-five priests of God for helping David (1 Sam. 22:17). He

seem to be upon their heads. Their faces are like men, their hair like women, their teeth like lions. They have on breastplates as of iron. Their tails are like those of a scorpion. The sound of their wings is like that of many chariots rushing toward battle. 2. Revelation 9:13-21. These demons' are mounted upon some type of hellish horse. The horses' heads look much like lions' heads, with smoke, fire, and flaming sulphur billowing from their mouths. The riders wear fiery-red breastplates. 3. Revelation 16:13. "And I saw three unclean spirits like frogs come out of the mouth of the dragon, and out of the mouth of the beast, and out of the mouth of the false prophet." F. The personalities of fallen angels. Author John Phillips writes: "Modem man professes not to believe in de¬ mons, but they exist just the same. Moreover, they are clever with a diabolical cunning. Man's attitude toward the demon world may well be likened to man's attitude in the dark ages toward bacteria. If we could be trans¬ ported back to London in the year 1666, we would find ourselves in a nightmare world. The great bubonic plague is at its height. The sights and sounds of the city are like the terri¬ ble climax of a horror movie. It is generally believed that fresh air is the culprit. The Col¬ lege of Physicians recommends the frequent firing of guns to blow away the deadly air. People seal themselves into their rooms and bum foul-smelling messes to ward off the fresh air. Chimneys are sealed, rooms are gray with smoke, and people choke in the suffocat¬ ing stench. Outside, palls of black smoke hang over the city. People sit in the tightly sealed chambers, grimly determined to en¬ dure the smarting smoke, convinced they are thus immune to the plague. We tell them they are wrong, that the plague is not caused by fresh air but by germs, microscopic organisms spread by fleas—and they laugh us to scorn. Modern man has adopted a similar attitude toward the demon world. We tell them that he (Satan) has countless hosts of invisible de¬ mons to aid him in his dark designs against mankind. We say that these unseen beings are intelligent, and that before long, they are to be joined by countless more of their kind worse even than themselves. People look at us with pitying scorn and suggest we peddle our theories to the publishers of science fiction. But it is true all the same. Once the pit is opened, the world of men will be invaded by a virus far more dreadful than the bubonic plague, a virus all the more deadly because it is able to think and because it directs its at¬ tack against the soul rather than the body." (Exploring Revelation, p. 137) 1. Fallen angels have names (Lk. 8:30; Rev. 9:11). 2. They speak. "Let us alone; what have we to do with thee, thou Jesus of Nazareth? Art thou

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b.

c.

d.

e.

f.

g.

h.

THE DOCTRINE OF ANGELS-

was forsaken by God (1 Sam. 28:6). He visited the witch of Endor in the hour of his death (1 Sam. 28:7). Those seven demon-possessed persons delivered by Jesus. (1) A Capernaum demoniac (Mk. 1:25; Lk. 4:35). (2) A Geresene demoniac (Mt. 8:32; Mk. 5:8; Lk. 8:33). (3) A dumb demoniac (Mt. 9:33). (4) A demoniac girl (Mt. 15:28; Mk. 7:29). (5) A demoniac boy (Mt. 17:18; Mk. 9:25; Lk. 9:42). (6) A blind and deaf demoniac (Mt. 12:22; Lk. 11:14). (7) A woman with an eighteen-year in¬ firmity (Lk. 13:10-17). Note especially the fearful results of being demon-possessed as described in the two case studies of the Geresene de¬ moniac and the demon-possessed boy. The maniac. (1) He was exceedingly fierce, so that no man could control him. (2) He had broken all the chains put upon him. (3) He was living among the tombs. (4) He constantly screamed out and cut himself with stones. (5) He was naked and controlled by 6000 demons. (6) He had been possessed for a long time. The boy. (1) He had been possessed since child¬ hood. (2) The demon would bruise him and rip at him. (3) He would be thrown into water and fire. (4) He suffered severe convulsions. (5) Often he was thrown violently to the ground and caused to roll around, foaming at the mouth. (6) He was rendered unconscious and feared dead upon the removal of the demon by Jesus. Mary Magdalene (Mk. 16:9; Lk. 8:2). Mary had seven demons living in her prior to her conversion. Simon (Acts 8:18-24). A demon pos¬ sessed Simon to twist the gospel message into a perverted profit system. Elymas (Acts 13:8-11). This demon-pos¬ sessed sorcerer attempted to frustrate Paul's efforts to win the governor of Cy¬ prus to Christ. A slave girl (Acts 16:16-18). In this amaz¬ ing account a demon (through a pos¬ sessed girl) tried to identify itself with the work of Paul, so that the message of Christ might be confused in the minds of those in Philippi. To this list could be added the many unnamed possessed people who were de¬

785

livered by the apostles. (See Acts 5:16; 8:7; 19:12.) 6. Demons will inflict grievous torture upon unsaved mankind during the great tribula¬ tion. The ninth chapter of Revelation, which contains both fifth and sixth trumpet judg¬ ments, may be the most revealing section in all the Bible concerning demonology. a. The torment of these demons. "And there came out of the smoke lo¬ custs upon the earth: and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have the power. And it was commanded them that they should not hurt the grass of the earth, neither any green thing, neither any tree; but only those men which have not the seal of God in their foreheads" (Rev. 9:3, 4). J. A. Seiss writes: "The pain from the sting of a scor¬ pion, though not generally fatal, is, perhaps, the most intense that any animal can inflict upon the human body. The insect itself is the most . . . malignant that lives, and its poison is like itself. Of a boy stung in the foot by a scorpion (it was related that) . . . he rolled on the ground, grinding his teeth, and foaming at the mouth. It was a long time before his complain¬ ings moderated, and even then he could make no use of his foot, which was greatly inflamed. And such is the nature of the torment which these lo¬ custs from the pit inflict. They are also difficult to be guarded against, if they can be warded off at all, because they fly where they please, dart through the air, and dwell in darkness." (The Apocalypse, p. 83) b. The duration of these demons. Charles Ryrie writes: "Horrible as the torment will be, God will place certain limitations on the activity of these demons. They will be limited as to what they may strike and as to how far they may go and as to how long they may do what they will do. They will not attack the vegetation of the earth (as common locusts do); they may only attack certain men, that is, those who have not the seal of God in their foreheads (the 144,000, cf. 7:3). The wicked will persecute God's servants, the 144,000; but in turn they will be tormented by this plague which God allows. The demon-locusts will also be limited in that they may not kill men, just tor¬ ment them. Further, the duration of this plague will be five months. The effect of this torment is to drive men to suicide, but they will not be able to die. Although men will prefer death to

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

the agony of living, death will not be possible. Bodies will not sink and drown; poisons and pills will have no effect; and somehow even bullets and knives will not do their intended job." (Revelation, p. 62) The reason men cannot die is probably because Satan has the key to the shaft and will not allow his followers to leave the earth scene where the battle of light and darkness is being fought, c. The description of these demons (Rev. 9:7-10). It would seem that the Apostle John describes two kinds of demons which will invade earth during the tribu¬ lation. The sixth trumpet now ushers in the second invasion. (1) The leaders of this invasion. Four special Satanic angels. These may function to Satan as the four living creatures do to God (Rev. 4:6-8). (2) The armies of this invasion. The number—two hundred million. By normal standards this mighty army would occupy a territory one mile wide and eighty-seven miles long. The description. These demons, unlike those of the first invasion, seem to be mounted upon some type of hellish horse. The horses' heads look much like lions', with smoke, fire, and flaming sulphur bil¬ lowing from their mouths. The rid¬ ers wear fiery-red breastplates. (3) The source of this invasion: the Eu¬ phrates River. This is where evil be¬ gan on earth (Gen. 3; Zech. 5:8-11), where false religion began (Gen. 4:3; 10:9, 10; 11:4), and where it will come to its end (Rev. 17-18). (4) The duration of this invasion: thir¬ teen months. (5) The damage wrought by this inva¬ sion. One third of humanity is killed through fire, smoke, and brimstone. One fourth has already been slain by the fourth seal (Rev. 6:8). This would be approximately one billion. Now one third is killed, meaning another billion die. This invasion is therefore the opposite of the fifth trumpet judgment, during which no man was able to die. (6) The results of this invasion. "And the rest of the men which were not killed by these plagues yet repented not of the works of their hands, that they should not worship devils, and idols of gold, and silver, and brass, and stone, and of wood: which neither can see, nor hear, nor walk: Neither repented they of their murders, nor of their sorceries, nor of their fornication, nor of their thefts" (Rev. 9:20, 21).

786

At this point over one half of the world's population has been wiped out. And what is the response of the survi¬ vors? Total unrepentance and intensified rebellion. That very year the FBI reports will probably show a 1000 percent in¬ crease in idolatry, murder, drug-related crimes (the word "sorceries" is the Greek pharmakeion, from which we get our word "pharmacy"; it is the Greek word for drugs), sex, felonies, and robbery, d. The king of these demons (9:11). His name is Apollyon, which means "de¬ stroyer." Here is Satan's hellish Michael the archangel. 7. Demons are, however, on occasion, actually used by God to fulfill his divine purpose. a. A demon was used to punish wicked king Abimelech (Jdg. 9:23). b. A demon was used to prepare for the ex¬ ecution of King Ahab in battle (1 Ki. 22:19-23). c. A demon brought out the true nature of unsaved King Saul (1 Sam. 16:14). d. Demons were used to punish rebellious Israel during the time of wandering. "He cast upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by sending evil angels among them" (Ps. 78:49). e. Demons will be used to bring ungodly nations to Armageddon for slaughtering at the end of the tribulation (Rev. 16:13-16). H. The destiny of unsaved angels. 1. To be judged by Christ and his church (1 Cor. 6:3). 2. To be cast into the lake of fire forever (Mt. 25:41; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6). Is there any chance whatsoever for the sal¬ vation of a fallen angel? Dr. Fred Dickason writes: "Furthermore, we may deduce that evil angels are nonredeemable. Those that fol¬ lowed Satan in his sin, fell decisively and are permanently left in their evil state without recourse or even the possibility of redemption. They are irrevocably con¬ signed to the lake of fire (Mt. 25:41). What evidence is there for such a posi¬ tion? First, there is no record of any angel ever being delivered from sin. True, this is an argument from silence, which is nev¬ er too strong; but if Christ's redemption extended to angels, we could rightly ex¬ pect some mention of it in God's revela¬ tion of the grace of His Son's work. We read of many other accomplishments of the death of Christ besides the redemp¬ tion of man, but nothing of the salvation of angels. We read of His cross as their judgment (Jn. 16:11; Col. 2:14,15), but it is never presented as their blessing in any sense. Second, there is the definite statement that Christ did not take hold of angels to

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the doctrine OF ANGELS ~

save them, but only of believing man (Heb. 2:16). He passed by angels to help man. Third, it is implied in Hebrews 2:14-17 and is evident from the very nature of an¬ gels, that Christ did not and could not take upon Himself the nature of angels. Hebrews tells us that Christ saves those who are His 'brethren' (2:11). He had to be made like them, in fact one of them, to save them; so He took upon Himself flesh and blood' (2:14). This means that He entered into the race of men by the virgin birth, retaining His deity in essence (though not always its expression) and adding to His person sinless but genuine humanity. As the God-man He is a genu¬ ine representative of the race because He is truly human, as well as divine. On the cross, Christ was the effective Mediator between God and men because He was the God-man, representing both God and man in the settlement of our debt of sin. For man He suffered the penalty as a genuine substitute, since He genuinely participated in our humanity.

787

Christ could not lay hold on angels in like fashion to represent and to redeem them. Their very nature forbids it. Angels are not a race to which genuine additions may enter. They are individually separate creations of God, and they do not procre¬ ate (Mt. 22:28-30). Christ could not be¬ come their Kinsman-Redeemer by birth or creation and so represent angels as a class before God. But since Christ did become the last Adam, the Head of a new race of men reborn by faith in Christ, we have a song no angel can sing—of Jesus the God-man and His saving grace (Jn. 1:12, 13; Heb. 2:9-12). We must reject any teaching of univer¬ sal restoration of all men, or even of Sa¬ tan, to God. Only humans can be saved, and only those who trust Christ in this life will be saved. So taught Christ who died and rose again (Mt. 25:41; Jn. 5:29; 8:24). The lake of fire is an eternal torment for wicked men and angels (Rev. 14:10, 11; 19:20; 20:11-15).'' (Angels, Elect and Evil, pp. 40-42)

THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE

THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE Part One: How the Bible Came into Being Everybody knows the Bible has been and continues to be the world's best seller, but not everybody knows just how this amazing book came down to us today. It could have happened this way: At some early ecumenical "Scripture session/' a group of prophets and priests got together in Jerusalem to write a religious best seller. A committee was soon formed which assigned the books, appointed the au¬ thors, and arranged for all other details. Upon completion, the publicity chairman commissioned the Palestinian Press to print up the first one million copies. We said it could have happened that way. But of course it didn't. God used three wonderful methods as he carefully carved out that most blessed of all books, the Bible. These three "tools of the Trinity" are referred to as revelation, inspiration, and illumination. Let us use an earthly story to illustrate this. Over fifty years ago a famous German scientist named Albert Einstein developed a very important mathematical concept of the nature of our universe. Let us picture the scene. He suddenly summons you into his home for a se¬ cret conference. He invites you to be seated and immedi¬ ately explains why you have been asked to come. He begins: "I have just completed one of the most comprehen¬ sive scientific theories since the days of Sir Isaac Newton. I want you to write this all down on paper and send it to the news media of the world. Here is my astonishing theory— energy equals mass times the speed of light squared (E = mc2)!" He then goes on to explain how mass and energy are equivalent, and that the property called mass is simply concentrated energy. You are awed as he continues with his amazing grasp of the universe. Finally he stops and says: "Now I want you to write this all down in your own words, but in order to make sure you get everything right, I want to help you in choosing those words." So the next few hours are spent in this manner. Dr. Einstein gently but firmly guides you in the selection of the verbs and nouns from your own vocabulary. At long last you have it all down, the exact and complete revelation of truth from Albert Einstein described perfectly in your own handwriting and from your personal reservoir of words. Before you leave, the aged scientist speaks once again: "One final thing that will encourage you: I plan to call every important newspaper and television editor, telling them that the message they will receive from you is true and they should both believe it and publish it!" Here we have an example (however weak) of God's three tools and how they function. Revelation occurred when Dr. Einstein called you in and imparted to you his great truth. Inspiration took place when he guided you as

you wrote it down. Illumination happened when he encour¬ aged the news editor to accept his report as given by you. How then did we receive our Bible? Well, around 1400 b.c. God began to quietly call some forty men and women into his presence. Oh, he didn't call them in all at once, mind you. In fact, it took him nearly fifteen centuries to complete the job. He spoke the burden of his great heart in simple but sublime language to those chosen forty. With a holy hush they heard him tell of creation and corruption, of condemnation, justification, sanctification, and glorifica¬ tion. Weighty words, indeed. When he had finished, the first tool in carving out the Bible was set aside. Revelation had occurred. Now we see this almighty Author as he quickly but carefully guides each chosen human vessel in his assigned writing task. Each of the forty is dealt with individually. Job, a rich farmer, will write differently than will Amos, a poor farmer. The words of the educated Paul will be more complicated on occasion than those of the uneducated John or Peter. But all will carry with them the divine ap¬ proval of heaven itself. Finally, the last scribe lays down his (or her) pen. The angels watch as their Creator lays aside the second tool in the making of his manuscript. Inspiration has taken place. Soon many thousands of men and women join the ranks of those original forty and begin their assigned task of taking God's glory story to the uttermost parts of the earth. As they do, untold multitudes are stopped in their tracks, convinced in their hearts, and saved from their sins. By what secret power did all this take place? The answer is simple: the Author of the Bible is using the third and final tool. Illumination continues to take place. And so the Scriptures are shaped. To summarize thus far, think of the three tools as follows: Revelation: From God to man (man hears that which God wants written). Inspiration: From man to paper (man writes that which God wants written). Illumination: From paper to heart (man receives the light of that which God has written). Now that we have observed the purpose of these three tools, let us turn our thoughts to the nature of each weapon. We have examined the fruit of the tools, but what of the root? How did God make the weapon itself? We first consider: I. Revelation. We know God spoke to man, but how did he speak? Hebrews 1:1 informs us he spoke to the fathers and prophets in many ways. A careful examination of the Bible reveals at least eight differ¬ ent modes of communication. These are: A. He often spoke to men through angels. Consider: 1. Angels reassured Abraham of the birth of

788

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE -

Isaac and informed him of God's decision to destroy Sodom (Gen. 18). 2. Angels warned Lot to flee Sodom before the awful destruction took place (Gen. 19). 3. The angel Gabriel explained the nature of the tribulation to Daniel (Dan. 9:21-27). 4. Gabriel informed Zacharias he would have a son who would become the forerunner of Christ (Lk. 1:11-20). 5. Gabriel informed Mary that God had chosen her as his vessel for Christ's birth (Lk. 1:26-37). 6. Angels announced the birth of Christ to the shepherds (Lk. 2:8-14). 7. An angel announced the resurrection of Christ to some women (Mt. 28:5-7). 8. An angel directed Philip to the seeking eu¬ nuch (Acts 8:26). 9. An angel directed Peter out of a Roman prison (Acts 12:7-10). B. He spoke to men through a loud voice. 1. He spoke directly to Adam (Gen. 3:9-19). 2. He spoke directly to Noah (Gen. 6:13-21). 3. He spoke directly to Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3). 4. He spoke directly to Moses (Ex. 20:1-17). 5. He spoke directly to Joshua (Josh. 1:1-9). 6. He spoke directly to Samuel (1 Sam. 3:1-14). 7. He spoke directly to Nathan, about David (2 Sam. 7:4-16). 8. He spoke directly to Elijah (1 Ki. 17:2-4). 9. He spoke directly to Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4, 5). C. He spoke to men through a still, small voice (1 Ki. 19:11, 12; Ps. 32:8). D. He spoke to men through nature (Ps. 19:1-3; Acts 14:15-17; Rom. 1:18-20). E. He spoke to one man through the mouth of an ass (Num. 22:28). This has to be one of the funni¬ est moments in the Bible! F. He spoke to men through dreams. On a number of occasions God chose this method. 1. Jacob received the confirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant in a dream (Gen. 28:12). 2. Solomon received both wisdom and a warn¬ ing in a dream (1 Ki. 3:5; 9:2). 3. Joseph in the New Testament received three messages in three dreams. a. Assuring him of Mary7s purity (Mt. 1:20). b. Commanding him to flee to Egypt (Mt. 2:13). c. Ordering him to return to Palestine (Mt. 2:19-22). 4. The wise men were warned of Herod's evil intentions in a dream (Mt. 2:12). G. He spoke to men through visions. Unger's Bible Dictionary defines a vision as: "A supernatural presentation of certain scenery or circumstances to the mind of a person while awake." It may be noted that many great truths in the Scriptures were related to men through this unique method. 1. Jacob was instructed in a vision to go to Egypt (Gen. 46:2). 2. David was warned of judgment in a vision (1 Chron. 21:16). 3. Isaiah saw God's holiness in a vision (Isa. 6:1-8).

789

4. Daniel saw the great Gentile powers in a vi¬ sion (Dan. 7, 8). 5. Daniel saw the glories of Christ in a vision (Dan. 10:5-9). 6. Daniel saw the rise and fall of Alexander the Great in a vision (Dan. 8). 7. Ezekiel saw the regathering of Israel in a vi¬ sion (Ezek. 37). 8. Ananias was ordered to minister to Saul in a vision (Acts 9:10). 9. Cornelius was instructed to send for Peter in a vision (Acts 10:3-6). 10. Peter was ordered to minister to Cornelius in a vision (Acts 10:10-16). 11. Paul was ordered to Macedonia in a vision (Acts 16:9). 12. Paul was comforted at Corinth in a vision (Acts 19:9). 13. Paul was comforted at Jerusalem in a vision (Acts 23:11). 14. Paul viewed the glories of the third heaven in a vision (2 Cor. 12:1-4). 15. The Apostle John received the book of Rev¬ elation in a vision. H. He spoke to men through Christophanies. A Christophany is a pre-Bethlehem appearance of Christ. Some theologians have seen a number of these appearances in the Old Testament, believ¬ ing that the term "the Angel of the Lord," is ac¬ tually another name of Christ. If this is true, the following examples of Christophany communica¬ tion could be submitted. 1. The Angel of the Lord wrestled with Jacob (Gen. 32:24-30). 2. The Angel of the Lord redeemed Jacob from all evil (Gen. 48:16). 3. The Angel of the Lord spoke to Moses from the burning bush (Ex. 3:2). 4. The Angel of the Lord protected Israel at the Red Sea (Ex. 14:19). 5. The Angel of the Lord prepared Israel for the Promised Land (Ex. 23:20-23; Ps. 34:7; Isa. 63:9; 1 Cor. 10:1-4). 6. The Angel of the Lord commissioned Gideon (Jdg. 6:11). 7. The Angel of the Lord ministered to Elijah (1 Ki. 19:7). 8. The Angel of the Lord reassured Joshua (Josh. 5:13-15). 9. The Angel of the Lord saved Jerusalem (Isa. 37:36). 10. The Angel of the Lord preserved three godly Hebrew men (Dan. 3:25). How then did God communicate his revelation to the forty human authors? To be truthful, we simply do not know. He could have used any one or a combination of these eight modes of com¬ munication as have been described above. II. Inspiration. We have discussed various possibilities and ways God may have employed in the giving of his revelation to the human authors. Now let us con¬ sider the next major step, that of inspiration. The ears have heard the message, but how will the fingers react? What is involved in transferring the voice of God into the vocabulary of man? We shall now ex¬ amine five areas along this particular line. But before

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WILMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

cheerfully accept those portions of the Bible which deal with love and brotherhood, but quickly reject the passages dealing with sin, righteousness, and future judgment. But let it be said that heaven and hell are like up and down—you can't have one without the other. Paul refutes the partial theory in 2 Timothy 3:16. In his textbook, A Dispensational Theology, Dr. Charles F. Baker writes: "A certain bishop is purported to have said that he believed the Bible to have been inspired in spots. When asked for his authority for such a statement, he quoted Hebrews 1:1, stating that this meant that God spoke at various times in varying degrees. Thus, some spots were fully inspired, others were only partially inspired, and still others were not inspired at all. The bishop was embarrassed when a layman asked: 'How do you know that Hebrews 1:1, the one scripture upon which you base your argument, is one of those fully inspired spots?'" (p. 38) 5. The spiritual-rule-only theory. This says the Bible may be regarded as our infallible rule of faith and practice in all matters of reli¬ gious, ethical, and spiritual value, but not in other matters such as historical and scientific statements. This is pious nonsense. Consider the following: Here is a pastor greatly be¬ loved by his congregation. How would this man of God feel if only his "moral" and "spiritual" statements made in the pulpit were accepted by his members? How would he react when the members would smile and take lightly any scientific or historical state¬ ments he might make? The fallacy of the spiritual-rule-only theory is that any book or man whose scientific or historical statements are open to question can certainly not be trusted in matters of moral and spiritual pro¬ nouncements! This theory is soundly refuted by Jesus himself in John 3:12. "If I have told you earthly things, and ye believe not, how shall ye believe, if I tell you of heavenly things?" 6. The plenary-verbal theory—that all (plenary) the very words (verbal) of the Bible are in¬ spired by God. This view alone is the correct one. "But he answered and said, It is written, Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4). "All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doctrine, for re¬ proof, for correction, for instruction in righteousness: That the man of God may be perfect, throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:16, 17). "Which things also we speak, not in the words which man's wisdom teacheth, but which the Holy Ghost teacheth; compar¬ ing spiritual things with spiritual" (1 Cor. 2:13).

we do this, let us define the word itself. The term "inspiration” is found but once in the New Testa¬ ment. This occurs in 2 Timothy 3:16. Here Paul says, "All scripture is given by inspiration of God . . ." The Greek word is theopneustos, and literally means, Godbreathed." A. Various theories of inspiration. 1. The natural theory. This says the Bible writ¬ ers were inspired in the same sense that Wil¬ liam Shakespeare was inspired. In other words, that spark of divine inspiration that supposedly is in all men simply burned a lit¬ tle brighter in the hearts of the Bible writers. This theory is totally rejected by the Apostle Peter. "Knowing this first, that no prophecy of the scripture is of any private interpreta¬ tion" (2 Pet. 1:20). 2. The mechanical theory—that God coldly and woodenly dictated the Bible to his writers as an office manager would dictate an imper¬ sonal letter to his secretary. It should be noted here that the Bible is the story of di¬ vine love, and God is anything but mechani¬ cal or cold concerning this subject. The Holy Spirit therefore never transgressed the limits of the writer's vocabulary. Thus, the edu¬ cated Paul uses many of the "85(t" words, while the less educated John employs more of the "25(t" words. But both writings are equally inspired by God. (See 2 Tim. 3:16.) Here Dr. Charles Hodge has well written: "The Church has never held what has been stigmatized as the mechanical the¬ ory of inspiration. The sacred writers were not machines. Their self-conscious¬ ness was not suspended; nor were their intellectual powers superseded. Holy men spoke as they were moved by the Holy Ghost. It was men not machines; not un¬ conscious instruments, but living, think¬ ing, willing minds, whom the Spirit used as His organs . . . The sacred writers im¬ pressed their peculiarities on their several productions as plainly as though they were the subjects of no extraordinary in¬ fluence." (Systematic Theology, Vol. I, p. 157) 3. The content (or concept) theory—that only the main thought of a paragraph or chapter is inspired. This theory is immediately re¬ futed by many biblical passages. "For verily I say unto you. Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled" (Mt. 5:18). "Now these be the last words of David. David the son of Jesse said, and the man who was raised up on high, the anointed of the God of Jacob, and the sweet psalm¬ ist of Israel said. The Spirit of the Lord spake by me, and his word was in my tongue" (2 Sam. 23:1, 2). 4. The partial theory—that only certain parts of the Bible are inspired. This of course is the position of the liberal theologian who would

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

“For I have given unto them the words which thou gavest me; and they have re¬ ceived them, and have known surely that I came out from thee and they have be¬ lieved that thou didst send me" (Jn. 17:8). "It is the spirit that quickeneth; the flesh profiteth nothing: the words that I speak unto you, they are spirit, and they are life" (Jn. 6:63). B. Scripture texts on inspiration. The Bible, of course, strongly claims its writ¬ ings are from God. Compiling a few choice texts, we discover that: 1. No Old Testament Scripture was thought up by the prophet himself (2 Pet. 1:20). 2. All Old Testament Scriptures were given by the Holy Spirit as he moved upon men (2 Pet. 1:21). 3. This Spirit-breathed inspiration was given in many ways (Heb. 1:1). 4. Once it was given, this inspired writing: a. Could not be broken or shaken down (Jn. 10:35). b. Is exact in all details, down to the small¬ est stroke and letter (Mt. 5:18). c. Would abide forever (Mt. 5:18; 1 Pet. 1:25). 5. The Old Testament writers did not always understand the nature of everything they wrote about (Lk. 10:23, 24; 1 Pet. 1:10-12). a. They did not completely understand the details of Christ's suffering. b. They did understand that the mysteries would be clearer to a generation other than theirs. 6. The four Gospels were given by inspiration of God (Heb. 1:1; 2 Pet. 3:2). 7. Paul believed his writings were inspired by God (1 Cor. 2:4; 15:3; 1 Thess. 2:13; 4:15). Note: Some have felt that Paul claimed no inspiration when he wrote certain passages in 1 Corinthians 7. Consider the following: "But I speak this by permission, and not of commandment" (v. 6). "But to the rest speak I, not the Lord" . . . (v. 12). "Now concerning virgins I have no commandment of the Lord: yet I give my judgment . . ." (v. 25). "But she is happier if she so abide, after my judgment: and I think also that I have the Spirit of God" (v. 40). Let us now briefly examine each of these passages: a. In verse 6 the word "permission" is liter¬ ally "a joint opinion," and may refer to the inspired "considered opinion" of both Paul and Sosthenes. At any rate, Paul was simply saying this opinion was not a command but rather a divine sug¬ gestion. For a comparable passage, see Romans 12:1. b. Verse 12 can be explained by comparing it with verse 10. There, Paul quotes a command uttered by the Lord Jesus him¬ self while he was upon the earth (Mt.

791

19:6). But here is a group situation (one partner saved, one unsaved) to which Jesus issued no command while on earth, but now does so in heaven through Paul's inspired pen. c. The same answer given for verse 12 also applies here in verse 25. d. The word "think" in verse 40 could also be translated "persuaded." See Matthew 22:42; 1 Corinthians 8:2 where the same Greek word is used. 8. Paul used the Holy Spirit's words to explain the Holy Spirit's facts (1 Cor. 2:13). 9. Paul's writings were received through a spe¬ cial revelation from Christ (Gal. 1:11, 12). 10. Paul's writings were to be read by all (Col. 4:6; 1 Thess. 5:27). 11. Peter believed his writings were inspired by God (2 Pet. 3:2). 12. Peter believed Paul's writings were inspired (2 Pet. 3:15, 16). 13. John believed his writings were inspired (Rev. 22:18, 19). John warned: a. That if anyone added to his words, God would add horrible plagues to him. b. That if anyone subtracted from his words, God would remove his name from the Holy City. C. Implications of inspiration. As one carefully considers the subject of inspi¬ ration, he is led to the following nine conclu¬ sions: 1. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not teach that all parts of the Bible are equally impor¬ tant, but only that they are equally inspired. For example, Judges 3:16 is obviously not as important as John 3:16, but both these verses were inspired by God. "But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, of a cubit length; and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh" (Jdg. 3:16). "For God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whoso¬ ever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jn. 3:16). 2. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not guaran¬ tee the inspiration of any modern or ancient translation of the Bible, but deals only with the original Hebrew and Greek languages. 3. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not allow for any false teaching, but it does on occasion record the lie of someone. For example, Sa¬ tan distorts the truth and lies to Eve (Gen. 3:4). Therefore we have an accurate record of the devil's words. As one reads the Bible, he must carefully distinguish between what God records and what he sanctions. Thus, while lying, murder, adultery, and polygamy are to be found in the Word of God, they are never approved by the God of the Word. 4. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not permit any historical, scientific, or prophetical error whatsoever. While it is admitted that the Bible is not a textbook on science, it is never¬ theless held that every scientific statement in the Scriptures is absolutely true.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

5. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not prohibit personal research. The New Testament writer Luke begins his Gospel account with the following words: "Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile an account of the things accom¬ plished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and servants of the Word have handed them down to us, it seemed fitting for me as well, having investi¬ gated everything carefully from the begin¬ ning, to write it out . . (Lk. 1:1-3, NASB). 6. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not deny the use of extra-biblical sources. Here several ex¬ amples come to mind. a. On at least two occasions, Paul quotes from heathen authors (Acts 17:28; Titus 1:12). b. Jude quotes from an ancient Hebrew book, one not included in the Bible (Jude 14, 15). 7. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not over¬ whelm the personality of the human author. The Bible writers experienced no coma-like trances as do some mediums during a seance, but on the contrary, always retained their physical, mental, and emotional powers. Var¬ ious passages testify to this. See Isaiah 6:1-11; Daniel 12. 8. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not exclude the usage of pictorial and symbolic language. This is to say the Holy Spirit does not de¬ mand we accept every word in the Bible in a wooden and legalistic way. For example, a case could not be made that God has feathers like a bird, by referring to Psalm 91:4. Here the thought is simply that the persecuted be¬ liever can flee to his heavenly Father for pro¬ tection and warmth. 9. Plenary-verbal inspiration does not mean uniformity in all details given in describing the same event. Here an Old Testament and a New Testament example come to mind. a. Old Testament example: The wicked reign of King Manasseh is vividly de¬ scribed for us in two separate chapters. These are 2 Kings 21:1-18 and 2 Chron¬ icles 33:1-20. In 2 Kings we read only of his sinful ways, but in 2 Chronicles we are told of his eventual prayers of for¬ giveness and subsequent salvation. The reason for this may be that God allowed the author of 2 Kings to describe the reign of Manasseh from an earthly stand¬ point (even though he inspired the pen of the author), while he guided the pen of the author of 2 Chronicles to record Manasseh's reign from a heavenly view¬ point. God alone, of course, knows true repentance when he sees it coming from the human heart. b. New Testament example: There are four different accounts concerning the super¬ scription on the cross at Calvary. (1) Matthew says—"This is Jesus the King of the Jews" (Mt. 27:37).

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(2) Mark says—"The King of the Jews" (Mk. 15:26). (3) Luke says—"This is the King of the Jews" (Lk. 23:38). (4) John says—"Jesus of Nazareth the King of the Jews" (Jn. 19:19). The entire title probably read, "This is Jesus of Nazareth, the King of the Jews." 10. Plenary-verbal inspiration assures us that God included all the necessary things he wanted us to know, and excluded everything else (2 Tim. 3:15-17). D. Importance of inspiration. Of the three tools involved in the making of our Bible, inspiration is the most important. This is true because: 1. One may have inspiration without revela¬ tion. We have already seen how Luke care¬ fully checked out certain facts concerning the life of Christ and was then led to write them on paper (Lk. 1:1-4; 1 Jn. 1:1-4). 2. One may have inspiration without illumina¬ tion. Peter tells us the Old Testament proph¬ ets did not always understand everything they wrote about (1 Pet. 1:11). But without inspiration, the Bible falls. E. Completion of inspiration. Is inspiration still going on today? Has God in¬ spired the writing (or will he someday) of a sixtyseventh book of the Bible? For nearly twenty centuries now, evangelical Christians everywhere have held to the belief that when John the apos¬ tle wrote Revelation 22:21 and wiped his pen, inspiration stopped. Furthermore, it is generally believed his warning not to add to or subtract from his book included not only the book of Revelation, but the entire Bible. (See Rev. 22:18, 19.) It is of utmost importance that this is clearly understood, else the following tragic conclusions take place. If inspiration is still going on today, then one is forced to admit that: 1. God could have inspired the weird and wicked writings of a Joseph Smith, or a Mary Baker Eddy, or a Charles Russell, or a Her¬ bert W. Armstrong. 2. Perhaps we still do not possess all the details concerning the plan of salvation, details vital to escape hell and enter heaven. 3. God has allowed millions of devoted and faithful Christians to believe a horrible lie for some 2000 years. III. Illumination. We have already stated that, without inspiration, no Scripture ever would have been writ¬ ten. We may now claim that without illumination, no sinner ever would have been saved! Illumination, then, is that method used by the Holy Spirit to shed divine light upon all seeking men as they look into the Word of God. Illumination is from the written word to the human heart. A. Reasons for illumination. Why is this third step necessary? Why cannot sinful man simply read and heed the biblical message without divine aid? 1. It is necessary because of natural blindness. Paul writes of this:

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

"But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God: for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned" (1 Cor. 2:14). Our Lord also commented on this during his earthly ministry: "And Simon Peter answered and said. Thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God. And Jesus answered and said unto him. Blessed art thou, Simon Bar-jona: for flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in heaven" (Mt. 16:16, 17). 2. It is necessary because of satanic blindness. Again we note the sober words of Paul: "But if our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are lost: In whom the god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not . . ." (2 Cor. 4:3, 4). 3. It is necessary because of carnal blindness (1 Cor. 3; Heb. 5:12-14; 2 Pet. 1). B. Results of illumination. 1. Sinners are saved. "The Lord openeth the eyes of the blind . . ." (Ps. 146:8). "The entrance of thy words giveth light . . ." (Ps. 119:130). 2. Christians are strengthened. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2). "But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit . . ." (1 Cor. 2:10). "For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of knowledge . . ." (2 Cor. 4:6). "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105). C. Implications of illumination. 1. The Holy Spirit looks for a certain amount of sincerity before he illuminates any human heart. We are quick to point out sincerity is not enough to save anyone. However, it should also be noted that it is equally impos¬ sible for an insincere person to be saved. This first implication is brought out in sev¬ eral passages. "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for 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). "God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth" (Jn. 4:24). Furthermore, it should be stated here that no Christian should ever look upon illumina¬ tion as automatic. That is to say, God has never promised to reveal precious and pro¬ found biblical truths to any believer who will not search the Scriptures for himself. Note the following admonitions: "Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God" (Mt. 4:4).

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“But these are written that ye might be¬ lieve that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God . . ." (Jn. 20:31). "These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily . . ." (Acts 17:11). “Study to shew thyself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth" (2 Tim. 2:15). "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye might grow thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2). 2. The Holy Spirit often seeks out the aid of a believer in performing his task of illuminat¬ ing the hearts of others. This is seen: a. In the ministry of Philip to the Ethiopian eunuch. "And Philip ran hither to him, and heard him read the prophet Esaias, and said, Understandest thou what thou readest? And he said. How can I, except some man should guide me. . . . Then Philip opened his mouth, and began at the same scripture, and preached unto him Jesus" (Acts 8:30, 31, 35). b. In the ministry of Paul to the Jews at Thessalonica. "And Paul, as his manner was, went in unto them, and three sabbath days reasoned with them out of the scrip¬ tures" (Acts 17:2). c. In the ministry of Aquila and Priscilla to Apollos. "And he began to speak boldly in the synagogue: whom when Aquila and Priscilla had heard, they took him unto them, and expounded unto him the way of God more perfectly" (Acts 18:26). d. In the ministry of Apollos to the Jews at Corinth. "For he mightily convinced the Jews, and that publicly, shewing by the scriptures that Jesus was Christ" (Acts 18:28).

Part Two: Views on the Bible I. The Position of Israel. In spite of her sin and sorrows. Old Testament Israel held steadfast in the belief that her thirty-nine holy books were indeed the very Word of God. Even though one of her kings would attempt to bum it (Jer. 36), the nation as a whole would continue to believe it. The following words of Moses beautifully summarize Israel's position con¬ cerning the Word of God: "Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God is one Lord: And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy might. And these words, which I command thee this day, shall be in thine heart: And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy children, and shalt

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

II.

III.

IV.

V.

talk of them when thou sittest in thine house, and when thou walkest by the way, and when thou liest down, and when thou risest up. And thou shalt bind them for a sign upon thine hand, and they shall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou shalt write them upon the posts of thy house, and on thy gates" (Deut. 6:4-9). The Position of the Early Church. During the third, fourth, and fifth centuries the church held no less than 184 councils, not to deal with civil rights, ecol¬ ogy problems, or political ills, but to deal with any and all heresy that would dare tamper with the pure Word of God. The Position of Agnosticism. In the book, A Guide to the Religions of America, Dr. Bertrand Russell makes the following statement: "An agnostic regards the Bible exactly as enlight¬ ened clerics regard it. He does not think that it is divinely inspired; he thinks its early history leg¬ endary, and no more exactly true than that in Ho¬ mer; he thinks its moral teaching sometimes good, but sometimes very bad. For example: Samuel or¬ dered Saul, in a war, to kill not only every man, woman, and child of the enemy, but also all the sheep and cattle. Saul, however, let the sheep and cattle live, and for this we are told to condemn him. I have never been able to admire Elisha for cursing the children who laughed at him, or to believe (what the Bible asserts) that a benevolent Deity would send two she-bears to kill the chil¬ dren." The Position of Liberalism. Probably the most fa¬ mous liberal of the twentieth century was the late Harry Emerson Fosdick. He has written the following words which typify the liberal attitude: "When one moves back to the Scriptures with a mind accustomed to work in modern ways he finds himself in a strange world. . . . Knowing modem astronomy he turns to the Bible to find the sun and the moon standing still on the shadow retreating on a sundial. Knowing modem biology he hears that when Elisha had been so long dead that only his bones were left, another dead body, thrown into the cave where he was buried, touched his skeleton and sprang to life again, or that after our Lord's resurrection many of the saints long deceased arose and appeared in Jerusa¬ lem. Knowing modern physics he turns to the Bible to read that light was created three days be¬ fore the sun and that an axe-head floated when Elisha threw a stick into the water. Knowing mod¬ ern medicine he finds in the Scripture many fa¬ miliar ailments, epilepsy, deafness, dumbness, blindness, insanity, ascribed to the visitation of demons. . . . We live in a new world. We have not kept the forms of thought and categories of expla¬ nation in astronomy, geology, biology, which the Bible contains. We have definitely and irrevocably gotten new ones. . . ." The Position of the Cults. In general it may be said that the major cults and sects of Christianity give lip service to the Bible; nevertheless they look upon the writings of their various founders as equal if not su¬ perior to the Scriptures. For example: A. Christian Scientist (founded by Mary Baker Eddy; 1821-1910). George Channing, an interna¬

tional Christian Science lecturer and practitioner, writes the following: "Each person, of any religion, can find what is satisfying to him as the spiritual meaning in the Bible. But Christian Scientists feel that Mrs. Mary Baker Eddy's Book, Science and Health with Key to the Scriptures, offers the com¬ plete spiritual meaning of the Bible. They be¬ lieve that this full meaning would not have been available to them without Mrs. Eddy's discovery." B. Jehovah's Witnesses (founded by Charles Taze Russell; 1851-1916). Mr. Russell calmly an¬ nounces in the opening pages of his Studies in the Scriptures that it would be far better to leave the Bible unread but read his comments on it than to omit his writings and read the Bible. C. Mormonism (founded by Joseph Smith; 1805-1844). This cult teaches that the Book of Mormon, first printed in 1830, must be regarded on an equal basis with the Bible. VI. The Position of Romanism. Rome believes that the church is the divinely appointed custodian of the Bible and has the final word on what is meant in any specific passage. It accepts the apocryphal books as a part of the inspired Scriptures. Rome's position on the Bible could be diagrammed as a triangle, with the Pope at the top, and the Bible and church tradition at the bottom. VII. The Position of Mysticism. Those holding this view lean heavily upon that divine "inner light" to reveal and guide them into all truth. Thus the personal ex¬ periences, feelings, etc., of an individual are looked upon as vital to discovering divine truth along with the Word of God itself. VIII. The Position of Neo-Orthodoxy (popularized by Karl Barth in his Epistle to the Romans, first published in 1918). This position holds that the Bible may well contain the Word of God, but that, until it becomes such, it is as dead and uninspired as any other an¬ cient or modern historical book might be. Thus the Bible is not to be viewed as objective, but subjective in nature. It is only the Word of God as it becomes the Word of God to me. Neo-orthodoxy would thus view the first eleven chapters as "religious myths." This term is defined as a "conveyer of theological truth in a historical garb, but which theological truth is not dependent upon the historicity of the garb itself for its validity." IX. The Position of Neo-Evangelicalism. In the latter part of 1957, one of the leaders of this position wrote the following: "The New Evangelicalism in the latest dress of orthodoxy or Neo-orthodoxy is the latest expres¬ sion of theological liberalism. The New Evangeli¬ calism differs from Fundamentalism in its willingness to handle the social problems which Fundamentalism evaded. There need be no di¬ chotomy between the personal gospel and the so¬ cial gospel. . . . The New Evangelicalism has changed its strategy from one of separation to one of infiltration. . . . The evangelical believes that Christianity is intellectually defensible but the Christian cannot be obscurantist in scientific questions pertaining to the Creation, the age of man, the Universality of the flood and other moot biblical questions."

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE-

X. The Position of Orthodoxy. This view holds that the Bible alone is the illuminated, inspired revelation of God and is therefore the sole ground of authority for believers. Orthodoxy claims the Bible is objective in nature and proclaims not a social gospel, but a sinner gospel. According to this view, whenever there is a clear contradiction between the Bible and any as¬ sumed "fact" of history or science, it is that "fact" which must give way to the Bible, and not the re¬ verse. A. This was the view of the Old Testament writers concerning the Old Testament. 1. Moses (Ex. 4:10-12) 2. Samuel (1 Sam. 8:10) 3. Joshua (Josh. 23:14) 4. David (2 Sam. 23:2, 3) 5. Isaiah (Isa. 1:10) 6. Jeremiah (Jer. 1:6-9) 7. Ezekiel (Ezek. 3:10-12) 8. Daniel (Dan. 10:9-12) 9. Joel (Joel 1:1) 10. Amos (Amos 3:1) 11. Obadiah (Obad. 1:1) 12. Jonah (Jonah 1:1) 13. Micah (Micah 1:1) 14. Nahum (Nahum 1:1) 15. Habakkuk (Hab. 2:2) 16. Zephaniah (Zeph. 1:1) 17. Haggai (Hag. 1:1) 18. Zechariah (Zech. 1:1) 19. Malachi (Mai. 1:1) Here it should be kept in mind that the Old Testament refers to itself as the Word of God some 3,808 times. B. This was the view of the New Testament writers concerning the Old Testament. The New Testa¬ ment writers refer to at least 161 Old Testament events and quote from over 246 Old Testament passages. Some of these events and passages are as follows: 1. Old Testament events referred to in the New Testament (from the 161 events, twenty-two of the more important ones are listed here): a. creation (Gen. 1:1; Heb. 11:3) b. man made in God's image (Gen. 1:26; 1 Cor. 11:7) c. God resting (Gen. 2:2, 3; Heb. 4:4) d. the institution of marriage (Gen. 2:24; Mt. 19:4-6) e. the fall (Gen. 3:6-8; Rom. 5:12-19) f. the murder of Abel (Gen. 4:8; 1 Jn. 3:12) g. Enoch's translation (Gen. 5:21-24; Heb. 11:5) h. the ark of Noah (Gen. 6:14-16; 7:1-12; Lk. 17:26, 27; 2 Pet. 3:6) i. the call of Abraham (Gen. 12:1; Heb. 11:8) j. the meeting of Abraham and Melchizedek (Gen. 14:18-20; Heb. 7:1-4) k. the destruction of Sodom (Gen. 19; Mt. 11:24; Lk. 17:32) l. Isaac's birth (Gen. 19:26; Gal. 4:23) m. the offering up of Isaac (Gen. 22:10; Heb. 11:17-19) n. the burning bush (Ex. 3:2; Lk. 20:37; Acts 7:30)

795

o. the Exodus (Ex. 12-14; Acts 7:36; Heb. 11:29; 1 Cor. 10:1) p. the giving of manna (Ex. 16:15; Jn. 6:31) q. the giving of the law (Ex. 20; Gal. 3:19) r. the serpent of brass (Num. 21:8, 9; Jn. 3:14) s. Elijah and the drought (1 Ki. 17; Lk. 4:25; Jas. 5:17) t. the healing of Naaman (2 Ki. 5:14; Lk. 4:27) u. Daniel in the lion's den (Dan. 6:22; Heb. 11:33) v. Jonah in the belly of the fish (Jonah 1:17; Mt. 12:40; 16:4) 2. Old Testament passages referred to in the New Testament: a. Be ye holy, for I am holy (Lev. 11:44; 1 Pet. 1:16). b. I will never leave thee nor forsake thee (Josh. 1:5; Heb. 13:5). c. Be ye angry and sin not (Ps. 4:4; Eph. 4:26). d. There is none righteous, no not one (Ps. 14:1; Rom. 3:10). e. Whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth (Prov. 3:12; Heb. 12:6). f. God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes (Isa. 25:8; Rev. 21:4). g. Death is swallowed up in victory (Hosea 13:14; 1 Cor. 15:54). h. I will pour out my spirit upon all flesh (Joel 2:28; Acts 2:17). i. Whosoever shall call on the name of the Lord shall be saved (Joel 2:32; Rom. 10:13). j. The earth is the Lord's and the fulness thereof (Ps. 24:1; 1 Cor. 10:26). k. My son, despise not the chastening of the Lord (Prov. 3:11; Heb. 12:5). l. Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord (Ps. 118:26; Mt. 21:9). m. Charity covereth a multitude of sins (Prov. 10:12; 1 Pet. 4:8). n. How beautiful are the feet of them that preach the gospel (Isa. 52:7; Rom. 10:15). C. This was the view of the New Testament writers concerning the New Testament. 1. Peter's testimony (2 Pet. 3:2). 2. Paul's testimony (1 Cor. 2:4, 13; 15:3; 1 Thess. 2:13; 4:15). 3. John's testimony (Rev. 22:18, 19). 4. James' testimony (Jas. 1:21; 4:5). 5. Jude's testimony (Jude 3). D. This was the view of the Lord Jesus Christ con¬ cerning the entire Bible. 1. Our Lord began his ministry by quoting from the Old Testament. Compare Matthew 4:4, 7, 10 with Deuteronomy 8:3; 6:13, 16. 2. Our Lord ended his ministry by quoting from the Old Testament. Five of his last seven statements on the cross were lifted from the pages of the Old Testament. Com¬ pare: a. Luke 23:34 with Isaiah 53:12 b. Luke 23:43 with Isaiah 53:10, 11 c. Matthew 27:46 with Psalms 22:1

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3.

4. 5.

6.

7.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

B. John Adams (Second): "The Bible is the best book in the world. It contains more . . . than all the libraries I have seen." C. Thomas Jefferson (Third): "The Bible makes the best people in the world." D. John Quincy Adams (Sixth): "It is an invaluable and inexhaustible mine of knowledge and vir¬ tue." E. Andrew Jackson (Seventh): "That book, sir, is the rock on which our Republic rests." F. Zachary Taylor (Twelfth): "It was for the love of the truths of this great book that our fathers abandoned their native shore for the wilder¬ ness." G. Abraham Lincoln (Sixteenth): "But for this Book we could not know right from wrong. I believe the Bible is the best gift God has ever given to man." H. Ulysses S. Grant (Eighteenth): "The Bible is the Anchor of our liberties." I. Rutherford B. Hayes (Nineteenth): "The best re¬ ligion the world has ever known is the religion of the Bible. It builds up all that is good." J. Benjamin Harrison (Twenty-third): "It is out of the Word of God that a system has come to make life sweet." K. William McKinley (Twenty-fifth): "The more profoundly we study this wonderful Book ... the better citizens we will become." L. Theodore Roosevelt (Twenty-sixth): "No edu¬ cated man can afford to be ignorant of the Bible." M. Woodrow Wilson (Twenty-eighth): "The Bible is the one supreme source of revelation of the meaning of life." N. Herbert Hoover (Thirty-first): "The whole of the inspirations of our civilization springs from the teachings of Christ ... to read the Bible ... is a necessity of American life." O. Franklin D. Roosevelt (Thirty-second): "It is a fountain of strength. ... I feel that a comprehen¬ sive study of the Bible is a liberal education for anyone." P. Dwight D. Eisenhower (Thirty-fourth): "In the highest sense the Bible is to us the unique re¬ pository of eternal spiritual truths." II. World Leaders. A. William Gladstone: "I have known ninety-five great men of the world in my time, and of these, eighty-seven were followers of the Bible." B. Winston Churchill: "We rest with assurance upon the impregnable rock of Holy Scripture." C. Chiang Kai-Shek: "The Bible is the voice of the Holy Spirit." D. Haile Selassie: "The Bible is not only a great book of historical reference, but it also is a guide for daily life, and for this reason I respect it and I love it." E. Syngman Rhee: "Fellow prisoners held the Bible and turned the pages for me because my fingers were so crushed that I could not use them. I read the Bible, and I have read it the rest of my life." III. Generals. A. Douglas MacArthur: "Believe me, sir, never a night goes by, be I ever so tired, but I read the Word of God before I go to bed." B. William K. Harrison: "The Bible is the Word of

d. John 19:28 with Psalms 69:21 e. Luke 23:46 with Psalms 31:5 Our Lord preached one of his first public messages from an Old Testament text. Com¬ pare Luke 4:16-19 with Isaiah 61:1, 2. Our Lord informed the Pharisees they erred, "not knowing the scriptures" (Mt. 22:29). Our Lord justified his own actions by refer¬ ring to the Old Testament: a. when he ate on the Sabbath (Mt. 12:1-8). b. when he healed on the Sabbath (Mt. 12:10-21). c. when he cleansed the Temple (Mt. 21:13). d. when he accepted the praise of the crowds at his triumphal entry (Mt. 21:16). Our Lord believed in the history of the Old Testament. He referred to— a. creation (Mk. 10:6). b. Noah's ark (Mt. 24:38). c. Lot's wife (Lk. 17:32). d. destruction of Sodom (Lk. 17:29). e. Jonah and the fish (Mt. 12:40). f. the Queen of Sheba and Solomon (Mt. 12:42). g. the repentance of Nineveh (Mt. 12:41). h. Naaman the leper (Lk. 4:27). i. Elijah and the widow (Lk. 4:25, 26). j. Moses and the serpent (Jn. 3:14). k. the first marriage (Mt. 19:5-7). l. the blood of Abel (Lk. 11:51). m. Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Mt. 22:31, 32). n. the burning bush (Lk. 20:37). o. the wilderness manna (Jn. 6:31). p. the murder of Zacharias (Mt. 23:35). Our Lord said the law would be fulfilled (Mt. 5:18) and the Scriptures could not be broken On. 10:35). It has been estimated that over one tenth of Jesus' recorded New Testament words were taken from the Old Testament. In the four Gospels, 180 of the 1,800 verses which report his discourses are either Old Testa¬ ment quotes or Old Testament allusions. In concluding this section it may be said that every single Old Testament book is ei¬ ther directly or indirectly referred to in the New Testament (with the possible exception of the Song of Solomon). About half the great sermons in the book of Acts are com¬ posed of verses taken from the Old Testa¬ ment. Peter's twenty-three-verse sermon at Pentecost takes twelve of these verses from the Old Testament (Acts 2:14-36). Stephen's forty-eight-verse message is completely Old Testament in nature (Acts 7:2-50). Paul's first recorded sermon occurring in Acts 13:16-41 is twenty-six verses long and, of these, fifteen are from the Old Testament.

Part Three: What Great Personalities Have Said about the Bible I. United States Presidents. A. George Washington (First): "It is impossible to rightly govern the world without the Bible."

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE -

God, given by His inspiration for our use and benefit." C. Robert E. Lee: "The Bible is a book in compari¬ son with which all others in my eyes are of minor importance, and in which in all my perplexities and distresses has never failed to give me light and strength." D. Stonewall Jackson: "God's promises change not ... let us endeavor to adorn the doctrine of Christ in all things." E. Oliver Cromwell (upon hearing Phil. 4:11-13 read as he lay dying): "He that was Paul's Christ is my Christ too." IV. Scientists. A. Sir Isaac Newton: "We account the Scriptures of God to be the most sublime philosophy. I find more sure marks of authenticity in the Bible than in any profane history whatsoever." B. Sir Francis Bacon: "The volume of Scriptures. . . . reveal the will of God." C. Sir John Herschel: "All human discoveries seem to be made only for the purpose of confirming more and more strongly the truths come from on high and contained in the sacred writings. . . ." D. Michael Faraday: "Why will people go astray when they have this blessed Book to guide them?" E. James Dwight Dana: "Young men, as you go forth, remember that I, an old man, who has known only science all his life, say unto you that there are no truer facts than the facts found within the Holy Scriptures." V. Historians. A. Arnold J. Toynbee: "It pierces through the Intel¬ lect and plays directly upon the heart." B. H. G. Wells: "The Bible has been the Book that held together the fabric of Western civilization. . . . The civilization we possess could not come into existence and could not have been sustained without it." C. Thomas Carlyle: "A Noble book! All men's book! . . . grand in its sincerity, in its simplicity, and in its epic melody." VI. Physicians. A. Mark Hopkins: "Thus we have every conceivable species of historical proof, both external and in¬ ternal. Thus do the very stones cry out." B. Charles W. Mayo: "In sickness or in health, one can find comfort and constructive advice in the Bible." VII. Lawyers. A. Daniel Webster: "I believe the Scriptures of the Old and New Testament to be the will and the Word of God." B. Benjamin Franklin: "Young men, my advice to you is that you cultivate an acquaintance with, and a firm belief in, the Holy Scriptures." C. Patrick Henry: "This is a Book worth more than all the others that were ever printed." VIII. Educators. A. Timothy Dwight: "The Bible is a window in this prison-world through which we may look into eternity." B. William Lyon Phelps: "Everyone who has a thor¬ ough knowledge of the Bible may truly be called educated. ... I believe knowledge of the Bible

797

without a college course is more valuable than a college course without the Bible." C. Henry Van Dyke: "No other book in the world has had such a strange vitality, such an outgoing power of influence and inspiration. . . . No man is poor or desolate who has this treasure for his own." IX. Philosophers and Writers. A. Charles Dana: "Of all the books, the most indis¬ pensable and the most useful, the one whose knowledge is the most effective, is the Bible." B. Horace Greeley: "It is impossible to mentally or socially enslave a Bible-reading people." C. Immanuel Kant: "The existence of the Bible as a book for the people is the greatest benefit which the human race has ever experienced." D. John Locke: "It has God for its Author, salvation for its end, and truth, without any mixture of error, for its matter: it is all pure, sincere, nothing too much, nothing wanting." E. Count Leo Tolstoy: "Without the Bible the edu¬ cation of a child in the present state of society is impossible." F. John Ruskin: "All I have taught in art, everything I have written, whatever greatness there has been in any thought of mine, whatever I have done in my life, has simply been due to the fact that, when I was a child, my mother daily read with me a part of the Bible, and daily made me learn a part of it by heart." G. John Milton: "There are no songs like the songs of the Scriptures, no orations like the orations of the prophets." H. William Cowper: "A Glory gilds the sacred page. Majestic like the sun: it gives a light to every age—it gives, but borrows none. . . ." I. John Dryden: "It speaks no less than God in ev¬ ery line; Commanding words whose force is still the same. . . ." J. Sir Walter Scott: "Within this awful volume lies the Mystery of mysteries." K. Charles Dickens: "It is the best Book that ever was or ever will be in the world. . . ." X. People from Various Fields. A. J. Edgar Hoover: "The Bible is the unfailing guide which points the way for men to the perfect life." B. Bernard Baruch: "I have always placed the Bible as number one among the four books I think everyone should read and study. Therein one will find all the problems that beset mankind." C. Helen Keller: "In the Bible I find a confidence mightier than the utmost evil. . . ." D. Lowell Thomas: "The Bible is of vital importance in teaching freedom. . . ." E. King George V: "The English Bible is . . . the most valuable thing that this world affords." XL The Church Fathers. A. Augustine: "Let us give in and yield our assent to the authority of Holy Scripture, which knows not how either to be deceived or to deceive. . . ." B. John Chrysostom: "It is a great thing, this reading of the Scriptures! For it is not possible, I say, not possible ever to exhaust the minds of the Scrip¬ tures. It is a well which has no bottom." C. Athanasius: "They were spoken and written by God through men who spoke of God. . . . Let no

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

man add to these, neither let him take aught from these." D. Origen: "For my part, I believe that not one jot or tittle of the divine instruction is in vain. We are never to say that there is anything impertinent or superfluous in the Scriptures of the Holy Spirit. E. Jerome: "Give ear for a moment that I may tell you how you are to walk in the Holy Scriptures. All that we read in the Divine Book, while glis¬ tening and shining without, is yet far sweeter within." F. Luther: "It cannot be otherwise, for the Scrip¬ tures are Divine; in them God speaks, and they are His Word. To hear or to read the Scriptures is nothing else than to hear God." G. Calvin: "The Scriptures is the school of the Holy Spirit, in which, as nothing necessary and useful to be known is omitted, so nothing is taught which is not beneficial to know." In concluding this section it may be necessary to stop here and consider some anticipated objections about all these "pious commercials" for the Bible. Some have felt the statements made by political per¬ sons, such as U.S. presidents, were made solely for election purposes, for, it is claimed, no atheist could ever be voted into the White House. But to say this is to deny the integrity of almost every American pres¬ ident. It should also be pointed out that many of these statements were made at a time when either the man was not a candidate for reelection, or had already moved out of the White House. Furthermore, while history shows many famous "Bible haters" who later became "Bible lovers," it never records the opposite. To take this a step fur¬ ther, it can be shown that no evil and murderous dictator or tyrant in history was ever a friend of the Bible and that no good and wise leader was ever an enemy of God's Word. Thus to deny the authority of the Bible is to set oneself against practically every great leader in Western civilization. While it is true that this in itself constitutes no absolute proof of the Scriptures, it does, nevertheless, lend itself to Abra¬ ham Lincoln's famous proverb: "You can fool some of the people all of the time, and all of the people some of the time, but you can't fool all of the people all of the time!"

III.

IV.

V.

Part Four: Symbols for the Bible I. A Mirror. "For if a person just listens and doesn't obey, he is like a man looking at his face in a mirror; as soon as he walks away, he can't see himself anymore or remember what he looks like. But if anyone keeps looking steadily into God's law for free men, he will not only remember it but he will do what it says, and God will greatly bless him in everything he does" (Jas. 1:23-25, TLB). It is called a mirror because it reflects the mind of God and the true condition of man. II. A Seed. "Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever" (1 Pet. 1:23). "Of his own will begat he us with the Word of

798

VI.

Truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures" (Jas. 1:18). "Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower. When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side. But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it; yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribula¬ tion or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended. He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceit¬ fulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful. But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and un¬ derstandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty" (Mt. 13:18-23). It is called a seed because, once properly planted, it brings forth life, growth, and fruit. Water. "Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it; that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:25-27). It is called water because of its cleansing, quench¬ ing, and refreshing qualities. (See Ps. 42:1; 119:9; Prov. 25:25; Isa. 55:10; Heb. 10:22; Rev. 22:17.) A Lamp. "Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a light unto my path" (Ps. 119:105). "For the commandment is a lamp; and the law is light; and reproofs of instruction are the way of life" (Prov. 6:23). "We have also a more sure word of prophecy; whereunto ye do well that ye take heed, as unto a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star arise in your hearts" (2 Pet. 1:19). It is called a lamp because it shows us where we are now, it guides us in the next step, and it keeps us from falling. A Sword. "For the word of God is quick, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discemer of the thoughts and intents of the heart" (Heb. 4:12). "And take the helmet of salvation, and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God" (Eph. 6:17). It is called a sword because of its piercing ability, operating with equal effectiveness upon sinners, saints, and Satan. Of the various armor pieces men¬ tioned in Ephesians 6:11-17, all to be worn by the believer, the only offensive piece is the "sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God." Precious Metals. A. Gold (Ps. 19:10; 119:127). B. Silver (Ps. 12:6).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

"Therefore I love thy commandments above gold; yea above fine gold" (Ps. 119:127). "The words of the Lord are pure words: as silver tried in a furnace of earth, purified seven times" (Ps. 12:6). It is referred to as precious metals because of its desirability, its preciousness, its beauty, and its value. VII. Nourishing Food. A. Milk. "As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye may grow thereby" (1 Pet. 2:2).

B. Meat. "For when for the time ye ought to be teach¬ ers, ye have need that one teach you again which be the first principles of the oracles of God; and are become such as have need of milk, and not of strong meat. For every one that useth milk is unskilful in the word of righteousness; for he is a babe. But strong meat belongeth to them that are of full age, even those who by reason of use have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. 5:12-14). C. Bread. "I am the living bread which came down from heaven: if any man eat of this bread, he shall live for ever: and the bread that I will give is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world" (In. 6:51). D. Honey. "More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb" (Ps. 19:10). It is referred to as nourishing food because of the strength it imparts. Vni. A Hammer. "Is not my word like as a fire? saith the Lord; and like a hammer that breaketh the rock in pieces?" (Jer. 23:29). It is referred to as a hammer because of its ability to both tear down and build up. (See Acts 9:4; Jude 20.) IX. A Fire. "Then I said, I will not make mention of him, nor speak any more in his name. But his word was in mine heart as a burning fire shut up in my bones, and I was weary with forbearing, and I could not stay" (Jer. 20:9). "And they said one to another. Did not our heart bum within us, while he talked with us by the way, and while he opened to us the scrip¬ tures?" (Lk. 24:32). It is called a fire because of its judging, purifying, and consuming abilities.

Part Five: The Supreme Authority of the Bible Perhaps the grandest and most conclusive description of the Bible was penned by the Apostle Paul in a letter to a young pastor. He wrote: "And that from a child thou hast known the holy scrip¬ tures, which are able to make thee wise unto salvation through faith which is in Christ Jesus. All scripture is given by inspiration of God, and is profitable for doc¬ trine, for reproof, for correction, for instruction in right¬ eousness: That the man of God may be perfect.

799

throughly furnished unto all good works" (2 Tim. 3:15-17). In this remarkable passage Paul claims that the Bible is profitable— 1. For doctrine—that is, it may be used as the perfect textbook to present the systematic teachings of the great truths relating to God himself. 2. For reproof—that is, the Bible is to be used to convict us of the wrong in our lives. 3. For correction—that is, it will then show us the right way. 4. For instruction in righteousness—that is, God's Word provides all the necessary details which will allow a Christian to become fully equipped for every good work. Because of all this, the Bible rightly demands absolute and sole authority over any other source in the life of the child of God. This authority would exceed that of the fol¬ lowing: I. Human Reason. God gave us our minds and desires that we should use them! This is seen in two classic passages, one directed to the unsaved, the other to the saved. "Come now, and let us reason together, saith the Lord; though your sins be as scarlet, they shall be as white as snow; though they be red like crimson, they shall be as wool" (Isa. 1:18). "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mer¬ cies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God" (Rom. 12:1, 2).

However, there are times when God desires us to submit our human reasoning to him. Note the fol¬ lowing admonition: "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding. In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths. Be not wise in thine own eyes: fear the Lord, and depart from evil" (Prov. 3:5-7). Often our reasoning is as the thinking of Naaman, who when asked to take a sevenfold bath in Jordan's muddy waters, angrily replied: "Behold, I thought, He will surely come out to me, and stand, and call on the name of the Lord his God, and strike his hand over the place, and re¬ cover the leper" (2 Ki. 5:11). But Elisha did not do so. Often God's ways are different from our ways. "For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the Lord. For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways, and my thoughts than your thoughts" (Isa. 55:8, 9). II. The Church. The New Testament abounds with pas¬ sages which declare Christ the Head of the Church. (See Eph. 1:22; 2:19, 20; 4:15, 16; 5:23-30; Col. 1:18; 2:9.) The Savior, it must be remembered, gave birth to the Church, and not the other way around. (See Mt. 16:18.) Thus the Christian must look to the Bible and not to any earthly church for final instruction. Sometimes even those local churches mentioned in

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

the Bible itself were grievously wrong. Note the fol¬ lowing description of New Testament churches, some of which were started by Paul himself. A. The church at Ephesus. "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love. Remem¬ ber therefore from whence thou art fallen, and repent, and do the first works; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will remove thy candlestick out of his place, except thou repent" (Rev. 2:4, 5). B. The church at Pergamos. "But I have a few things against thee, because thou hast there them that hold the doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumblingblock before the children of Israel, to eat things sacrificed unto idols, and to commit fornication. So hast thou also them that hold the doctrine of the Nicolaitanes, which thing I hate. Repent; or else I will come unto thee quickly, and will fight against them with the sword of my mouth" (Rev. 2:14-16). C. The church at Thyatira. "Notwithstanding I have a few things against thee, because thou sufferest that woman Jez¬ ebel, which calleth herself a prophetess, to teach and to seduce my servants to commit fornication, and to eat things sacrificed unto idols" (Rev. 2:20). D. The church at Sardis. "And unto the angel of the church in Sardis write: These things saith he that hath the seven Spirits of God, and the seven stars; I know thy works, that thou hast a name that thou livest, and art dead. Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, that are ready to die: For I have not found thy works perfect before God. Remember therefore how thou hast received and heard, and hold fast, and repent. If therefore thou shalt not watch, I will come on thee as a thief, and thou shalt not know what hour I will come upon thee" (Rev. 3:1-3). E. The church at Laodicea. "I know thy works, that thou art neither cold nor hot. I would thou wert cold or hot. So then because thou art lukewarm, and neither cold nor hot, I will spue thee out of my mouth. Because thou sayest, I am rich, and increased with goods, and have need of noth¬ ing; and knowest not that thou art wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked: I counsel thee to buy of me gold tried in the fire, that thou mayest be rich; and white raiment, that thou mayest be clothed, and that the shame of thy nakedness do not appear; and anoint thine eyes with eyesalve, that thou mayest see. As many as I love, I rebuke and chasten: be zealous therefore and repent" (Rev. 3:15-19). III. Tradition. In this atomic and space age where change occurs at rocket speed, many have come to appreciate some of our beautiful traditions of the past. And rightly so! But traditions, like changes, can be wrong. If a thing was in error when it began, it is still in error regardless of the centuries that separate it from us today. Often in the past, hurtful "traditions of the

800

fathers" had crept into the church of the living God. Our Savior himself was grieved over some harmful Jewish traditions. Note his words: "And honour not his father or his mother, he shall be free. Thus have ye made the commandment of God of none effect by your tradition" (Mt. 15:6). Later Paul would warn also of this. "Beware lest any man spoil you through philoso¬ phy and vain deceit, after the tradition of men, after the rudiments of the world, and not after Christ" (Col. 2:8). IV. Popes and Preachers. Even the most godly pastors are, after all, only finite men fully capable (apart from God's grace) of the vilest sins. This is true of popes as well. V. Feelings and Experiences. At times Christians fall into error because they "feel led" to do or say certain things. However, we must learn that at times our feelings can be treacherous and totally untrustwor¬ thy. The psalmist often spoke of this: "I had fainted, unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living" (Ps. 27:13). "Why art thou cast down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted in me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise him for the help of his counte¬ nance" (Ps. 42:5). "I cried unto God with my voice, even unto God with my voice; and he gave ear unto me. In the day of my trouble I sought the Lord: my sore ran in the night, and ceased not: my soul refused to be comforted. I remembered God, and was troubled: I complained, and my spirit was overwhelmed. Thou holdest mine eyes waking: I am so troubled that I cannot speak. I have considered the days of old, the years of ancient times. I call to remem¬ brance my song in the night: I commune with mine own heart: and my spirit made diligent search. Will the Lord cast off for ever? and will he be favourable no more? Is his mercy clean gone for ever? doth his promise fail for evermore? Hath God forgotten to be gracious? hath he in anger shut up his tender mercies? And I said. This is my infirmity: but I will remember the years of the right hand of the most High" (Ps. 77:1-10). "I said in my haste. All men are liars" (Ps. 116-11). This is not only the case with our feelings, but also our experiences. One of Job's three "friends," Eliphaz, based all his advice to the suffering Job on ex¬ perience (Job 4:12-16). He is later severely rebuked by God himself for doing this (Job 42:7). Thus, as valuable as personal experience may be, it is no substitute for the revealed Word of God. Listed below are the various functions of this au¬ thoritative book called the Bible. A. It upholds (Ps. 119:116). B. It orders steps (Ps. 119:133). C. It produces joy (Ps. 119:162). D. It strengthens (Ps. 119:28; 1 Jn. 2:14). E. It gives hope (Ps. 119:74, 81). F. It gives light (Ps. 119:105, 130). G. It gives understanding (Ps. 119:169). H. It shows God's will (Isa. 55:11). I. It builds up (Acts 20:32). J. It produces fruit (Jn. 15:7). K. It convicts of sin (Heb. 4:12).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE~

L. It converts the soul (Jas. 1:18; 1 Pet. 1:23). M. It cleanses the conscience (Jn. 15:3). N. It consecrates life (Jn. 17:17). O. It corrects the wrong (2 Tim. 3:16). P. It confirms the right (Jn. 8:31). Q. It comforts the heart (Ps. 119:50, 54). Because of this, the child of God is to respond to this authoritative book in the following ways: Read it (Deut. 31:11; Isa. 34:16; Lk. 4:16; Eph. 3:4; Col. 3:16; 4:1; 1 Thess. 5:27; 2 Tim. 4:13; Rev. 1:3). Heed it (Ps. 119:9; 1 Tim. 4:16). Seed it (Mt. 28:19, 20). Desire it (1 Pet. 2:2). Preach it (2 Tim. 4:2). Rightly divide it (2 Tim. 2:15). Live by it (Mt. 4:4). Use it (Eph. 6:17). Suffer for it, and if need be, die for it (Rev. 1:9; 6:9; 20:4). The child of God is to know it in his head, stow it in his heart, show it in his life, and sow it in the world. See also the following Scripture verses: Deuteron¬ omy 4:1-10; 12:32; Joshua 1:8; Psalm 33:6; Proverbs 30:5, 6; Mark 4:24; Luke 8:12; John 12:48-50; Romans 8:7; 1 Corinthians 2:14; Hebrews 1:1-3; 2:1-4; Revela¬ tion 1:1-3; 20:12; 22:18, 19.

Part Six: How the Sixty-Six Books of the Bible Were Collected and Preserved I. The Writing Materials of the Bible. The Spirit of God moved upon the authors of the Bible to record their precious messages upon whatever object was in cur¬ rent use at the time of the writing. Thus once again we see the marvelous condescension of God. These writing materials would include: A. Clay (Jer. 17:13; Ezek. 4:1). B. Stone (Ex. 24:12; 13:18; 32:15, 16; 34:1, 28; Deut. 5:22; 27:2, 3; Josh. 8:31, 32). C. Papyrus (made by pressing and gluing two layers of split papyrus reeds together in order to form a sheet) (2 Jn. 12; Rev. 5:1). D. Vellum (calf skin), parchment (lamb skin), leather (cowhide) (2 Tim. 4:13). E. Metal (Ex. 28:36; Job 19:24; Mt. 22:19, 20). II. The Original Language of the Bible. A. The Old Testament was written in Hebrew, with the following exceptions appearing in Aramaic: Ezra 4:8—6:18; 7:12-26; Jeremiah 10:11; Daniel 2:4—7:28. Why did God choose Hebrew? In their book A General Introduction to the Bible, authors Geisler and Nix note the following: "It is a pictorial language, speaking with vivid, bold metaphors which challenge and drama¬ tize the story. The Hebrew language possesses a facility to present 'pictures' of the events narrated. 'The Hebrew thought in pictures, and consequently his nouns are concrete and vivid. There is no such thing as neuter gender; for the Semite everything is alive. Compound words are lacking. . . . There is no wealth of adjectives.. . .' The language shows 'vast pow¬ ers of association and, therefore, of imagina¬ tion.' Some of this is lost in the English translation, but even so, 'much of the vivid,

801

concrete, and forthright character of our Eng¬ lish Old Testament is really a carrying over into English of something of the genius of the Hebrew tongue.' As a pictorial language, He¬ brew presents a vivid picture of the acts of God among a people who became examples or illustrations for future generations (cf. 1 Cor. 10:11). The Old Testament was in¬ tended to be presented graphically in a 'pic¬ ture-language.' Further, Hebrew is a personal language. It addresses itself to the heart and emotions rather than merely to the mind or reason. Sometimes even nations are given personal¬ ities (cf. Mai. 1:2, 3). Always the appeal is to the person in the concrete realities of life and not to the abstract or theoretical. Hebrew is a language through which the message is felt rather than thought. As such, the language was highly qualified to convey to the individ¬ ual believer as well as to the worshiping com¬ munity the personal relation of the living God in the events of the Jewish nation. It was much more qualified to record the realization of revelation in the life of a nation than to propositionalize that revelation for the propa¬ gation among all nations." (pp. 219, 220) B. The entire New Testament was written in Greek. Again, to quote from Geisler and Nix: "Greek was an intellectual language. It was more a language of the mind than of the heart, a fact to which the great Greek philos¬ ophers gave abundant evidence. Greek was more suited to codifying a communication or reflection on a revelation of God in order to put it into simple communicable form. It was a language that could more easily render the credible into the intelligible than could He¬ brew. It was for this reason that New Testa¬ ment Greek was a most useful medium for expressing the propositional truth of the New Testament, as Hebrew was for expressing the biographical truth of the Old Testament. Since Greek possessed a technical precision not found in Hebrew, the theological truths which were more generally expressed in the Hebrew of the Old Testament were more pre¬ cisely formulated in the Greek of the New Testament. Furthermore, Greek was a nearly universal language. The truth of God in the Old Testa¬ ment, which was initially revealed to one na¬ tion (Israel), was appropriately recorded in the language of the nation (Hebrew). But the full¬ er revelation given by God in the New Testa¬ ment was not restricted in that way. In the words of Luke's gospel, the message of Christ was to 'be preached in his name to all nations' (Lk. 24:47). The language most appropriate for the propagation of this message was naturally the one that was most widely spoken throughout the world. Such was the common (Koine) Greek, a thoroughly international lan¬ guage of the first century Mediterranean world.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

(4) Obadiah (5) Jonah (6) Micah (7) Nahum (8) Habakkuk (9) Zephaniah (10) Haggai (11) Zechariah (12) Malachi 3. The Writings. a. The poetical books (3) (1) Psalms (2) Proverbs (3) Job b. The Scrolls (5) (1) Song of Solomon (2) Ruth (3) Lamentations (4) Ecclesiastes (5) Esther c. Prophetic—historical (3) (1) Daniel (2) Ezra—Nehemiah (3) Chronicles B. The suggested order of the writings. Many be¬ lieve the book of Job to be the oldest in the Word of God. It may well have been written as early as 2000 b.c. One of the earliest written parts was that section found in Exodus 17. This recording occurred on Israel's route to Palestine. Joshua had just won a tremendous victory over a fierce desert tribe called the Amalekites. After the bat¬ tle was over we read: "And the Lord said unto Moses, Write this for a memorial in a book, and release it in the ears of Joshua: for I will utterly put out the remembrance of Amalek from under heaven" (Ex. 17:14). Other early sections of the Word of God would of course include the Law of Moses. (See Deut. 31:24-26.) The following is a mere sugges¬ tion of the time of the writing of the Old Testa¬ ment books: 1. Job—2150 b.c. 2. Pentateuch—1402 B.c. 3. Joshua—before 1350 b.c. 4. Judges and Ruth—before 1050 b.c. 5. Psalms—before 965 b.c. 6. Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, Song of Solomon— before 926 b.c. 7. 1 and 2 Samuel—before 926 b.c. 8. 1 Kings and 1 Chronicles—before 848 b.c. 9. Obadiah—848 b.c. 10. Joel—835 b.c. 11. Jonah—780 b.c. 12. Amos—765 b.c. 13. Hosea—755 b.c. 14. Isaiah—750 b.c. 15. Micah—740 b.c. 16. Jeremiah and Lamentations—640 b.c. 17. Nahum—630 b.c. 18. Habakkuk and Zephaniah—625 b.c. 19. Ezekiel—593 b.c. 20. 2 Kings and 2 Chronicles—before 539 b.c. 21. Daniel—before 538 b.c. 22. Haggai and Zechariah—520 b.c.

It may be concluded, then, that God chose the very languages to communicate His truth which had, in His providence, been prepared to express most effectively the kind of truth He desired at that particular time, in the un¬ folding of His overall plan. Hebrew, with its pictorial and personal vividness, expressed well the biographical truth of the Old Testa¬ ment. Greek, with its intellectual and univer¬ sal potentialities, served well for the doctrinal and evangelistic demands of the New Testa¬ ment." (p. 221) III. The Reason for the Writing of the Bible. Perhaps the one supreme difference between man and all other creatures (apart from his immortal soul, of course), is his God-given ability to express his thoughts on pa¬ per. It has been observed that while it was no doubt desirable to speak to the prophets "in divers man¬ ners" in time past, the best way to communicate with all men of all ages is through the written record. The advantages of the written method are many, of course. A. Precision—one's thoughts must be somewhat precise to be written. B. Propagation—the most accurate way to commu¬ nicate a message is usually through writing. C. Preservation—men die, and memories fail, but the written record remains. It may be said that the New Testament especially was written for the following reasons: 1. Because of the demands of the early church (1 Thess. 5:27; 1 Tim. 4:13; 2 Tim. 3:16, 17). 2. Because of false doctrines (to counteract them). 3. Because of missionary endeavors (to propa¬ gate them). 4. Because of persecution and politics. IV. The Old Testament. A. The order of the books in the Hebrew Old Testa¬ ment. The thirty-nine books in our English Old Testament appear somewhat differently in a pre¬ sent-day Hebrew Bible. They cover the identical material but number twenty-four and are ar¬ ranged in a threefold division: 1. The Law (Torah). a. Genesis b. Exodus c. Leviticus d. Numbers e. Deuteronomy 2. The Prophets (Nebhiim). a. Former Prophets—four books: (1) Joshua (2) Judges (3) Samuel (4) Kings b. Latter Prophets (major and minor): Major Section (1) Isaiah (2) Jeremiah (3) Ezekiel Minor Section (1) Hosea (2) Joel (3) Amos

802

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

23. Esther—after 476 b.c. 24. Ezra—after 458 b.c. 25. Nehemiah—after 445 b.c. 26. Malachi—432 b.c. C. The location of the Old Testament books. 1. Before the Babylonian captivity. Prior to this period (606 b.c.) the Old Testament books were apparently laid beside the Ark of the Covenant in the Temple. This is indicated in the following passages: "And Moses came and told the people all the words of the Lord, and all the judg¬ ments; and all the people answered with one voice, and said. All the words which the Lord hath said will we do. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord, and rose up early in the morning, and builded an altar under the hill, and twelve pillars, ac¬ cording to the twelve tribes of Israel. . . . And he took the book of the covenant, and read in the audience of the people: and they said. All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient" (Ex. 24:3, 4, 50"And it came to pass, when Moses had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they were finished, that Moses commanded the Levites, which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, saying. Take this book of the law, and put it in the side of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witness against thee" (Deut. 31:24-26). "And Hilkiah the high priest said unto Shaphan the scribe, I have found the book of the law in the house of the Lord. And Hilkiah gave the book to Shaphan, and he read it. And Shaphan the scribe came to the king, and brought the king word again, and said, Thy servants have gathered the money that was found in the house, and have delivered it into the hand of them that do the work, that have the oversight of the house of the Lord. And Shaphan the scribe shewed the king, say¬ ing Hilkiah the priest hath delivered me a book. And Shaphan read it before the king" (2 Ki. 22:8-10). So Joshua made a covenant with the people that day, and set them a statute and an ordinance in Shechem. And Joshua wrote these words in the book of the law of God, and took a great stone, and set it up there under an oak, that was by the sanctuary of the Lord" (Josh. 24:25, 26). "Then Samuel told the people the man¬ ner of the kingdom, and wrote it in a book, and laid it up before the Lord. And Samuel sent all the people away, every man to his house" (1 Sam. 10:25). 2. During the Babylonian captivity. The books were probably carried to Babylon and later collected by Daniel. In 9:2 of his book, the prophet Daniel writes:

803

"In the first year of his reign I Daniel un¬ derstood by books the number of the years, whereof the word of the Lord came to Jeremiah the prophet that he would ac¬ complish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem." Here Daniel specifically states he was reading Jeremiah and "the books," a refer¬ ence no doubt to the other Old Testament books written up to that time. 3. After the Babylonian captivity. These books may have been taken back to Jerusalem by Ezra the prophet and kept in the newly com¬ pleted Temple. (See Ezra 3:10, 11; 6:15-18; Neh. 8:1-8.) V. The New Testament. The New Testament was writ¬ ten over a period of about fifty years (approximately a.d. 50-100), by eight separate human authors. A. A suggested chronological order and possible dating of the New Testament books. 1. James—a.d. 49 (written from Jerusalem) 2. 1 and 2 Thessalonians—a.d. 52 (written from Corinth) 3. 1 Corinthians—a.d. 55 (written from Mace¬ donia) 4. 2 Corinthians—a.d. 56 (written from Mace¬ donia) 5. Galatians—a.d. 57 (written from Ephesus) 6. Romans—a.d. 58 (written from Corinth) 7. Luke—a.d. 59 (written from Caesarea) 8. Acts—a.d. 60 (written from Rome) 9. Philippians, Colossians, Ephesians, Phile¬ mon—a.d. 61, 62 (written from Rome) 10. Matthew—a.d. 63 (written from Judea) 11. Mark—a.d. 63 (written from Rome) 12. Hebrews—a.d. 64 (written from Jerusalem) 13. 1 Timothy—a.d. 65 (written from Macedo¬ nia) 14. 1 Peter—a.d. 65 (written from Babylon) 15. 2 Peter—a.d. 66 (unknown) 16. Titus—a.d. 66 (written from Greece) 17. Jude—a.d. 67 (unknown) 18. 2 Timothy—a.d. 67 (written from Rome) 19. John—a.d. 85-90 (written from Ephesus) 20. 1 John—a.d. 90-95 (written from Judea) 21. 2 and 3 John—a.d. 90-95 (written from Eph¬ esus) 22. Revelation—a.d. 90-95 (written from the Isle of Patmos) B. The human writers. 1. Matthew—author of Matthew 2. Mark—author of Mark 3. Luke—author of Luke and Acts 4. John—author of John, 1, 2, 3 John, and Rev¬ elation 5. James—author of James 6. Jude—author of Jude 7. Peter—author of 1 and 2 Peter 8. Paul—author of the fourteen remaining New Testament epistles VI. The Determination of the Canon. A. The tests given to the biblical books. Various books of the Bible, especially those of the New Testament, were submitted to certain rigid tests by the early church. These tests included:

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

1. Authorship—who wrote the book or the epistle? 2. Local church acceptance—had it been read by the various churches? What was their opinion? 3. Church fathers' recognition—had the pupils of the disciples quoted from the book? As an example, a man named Polycarp was a disci¬ ple of John the apostle. Therefore one test of a book might be, "What did Polycarp think of it?" 4. Book subject matter (content)—what did the book teach? Did it contradict other recog¬ nized books? 5. Personal edification—did the book have the ability to inspire, convict, and edify local congregations and individual believers? In closing this section it should be stated that it was a combination of these five steps which helped determine whether a book was inspired or not. Canonicity was not determined at all by either the age or the language of a given book. For example, there were many ancient books mentioned in the Old Testament (see Num. 21:14; Josh. 10:3) which were not in the Old Tes¬ tament canon. Also, some of the apocryphal books (such as Tobit) were written in Hebrew but were not included in the Old Testament, while some books (like portions of Daniel) writ¬ ten in Aramaic were included in the canon. B. The writings that were unacceptable. After the Old Testament canon was recognized by the Jews as officially closed, and prior to the New Testa¬ ment period, there arose a body of literature called the Apocrypha. This word literally means "that which is hidden" and consists of fourteen books. 1. The contents of the Old Testament Apocry¬ pha. a. 1 Esdras covers much of the material found in Ezra, Nehemiah, and 2 Chron¬ icles. But it also includes a fanciful story concerning three Jewish servants in Per¬ sia. They were all asked a question by King Darius concerning what was the greatest thing in the world. One said wine, another replied women, while the third claimed it was truth. He won, and when offered a reward, suggested the king allow the Jews to rebuild the Tem¬ ple in Jerusalem. b. 2 Esdras contains certain visions given to Ezra dealing with God's government of the world and the restoration of certain lost Scriptures. c. Tobit is the story of a pious Jew (Tobit) who is accidentally blinded (by sparrow dung) and is later healed by an angel named Raphael, who applies a concoc¬ tion of fish heart, liver, and gall to his eye. d. Judith is the story of a beautiful and de¬ vout Jewish princess who saves Jerusalem from being destroyed by Nebuchadnez¬ zar's invading armies. This she does by

804

e.

f.

g.

h.

beguiling the enemy general through her beauty, then returning to Jerusalem with his head in her handbag! The remainder of Esther. There are addi¬ tional inserts to this book to show the hand of God in the narrative by putting the word "God" in the text. The word God does not appear in the Old Testa¬ ment book of Esther. The Wisdom of Solomon has been called "The Gem of the Apocrypha," and is one of the loftier books of the Apocrypha. Ecclesiasticus, also called "the Wisdom of Jesus, the Son of Sirach," resembles the book of Proverbs, and gives rules for per¬ sonal conduct in all details of civil, reli¬ gious, and domestic life. 1 Maccabees, an historical account on the Maccabean period, relates events of the Jews' heroic struggle for liberty (175-135 B.C.).

i. 2 Maccabees covers in part the same pe¬ riod as 1 Maccabees but is somewhat in¬ ferior content-wise. j. Baruch was supposedly written by Jere¬ miah's secretary, Baruch. It contains prayers and confessions of the Jews in exile, with promises of restoration. k. The Song of the Three Children, inserted in the book of Daniel, right after the fiery furnace episode (Dan. 3:23), contains an eloquent prayer of Azariah, one of the three Hebrew men thrown into the fire. l. The story of Susanna is a story relating how the godly wife of a wealthy Jew in Babylon, falsely accused of adultery, was cleared by the wisdom of Daniel. m. Bel and the Dragon is also added to the book of Daniel. The book contains two stories: (1) The first concerns how Daniel proves to the king that his great god Bel is a dead idol, and that the Bel priests are religious crooks. (2) Unger's Handbook describes the sec¬ ond story in the following words: 'The other legend concerns a dragon worshiped in Babylon. Daniel, summoned to do it hom¬ age, feeds it a mixture of pitch, hair, and fat, which causes it to explode. The enraged populace compels the King to throw Dan¬ iel in the den of lions where he is fed on the sixth day by the prophet Habakkuk, who is an¬ gelically transported to Babylon by the hair of his head while car¬ rying food and drink to the reap¬ ers in Judea. On the seventh day the King rescues Daniel and throws his would-be destroyers to the hungry lions." (p. 459) n. The Prayer of Manasses is the supposed confessional prayer of wicked King Manasseh of Judah, after he was carried

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE-

away prisoner to Babylon by the Assyr¬ ians. 2. Reasons for rejecting the Apocrypha. "Why don't you Protestants have all the books of the Bible in your King James Version?" Of¬ ten Christians and Bible lovers are con¬ fronted with this question by those who have accepted the Apocrypha into their translations of the Bible. Why indeed do we not include these fourteen books? There are many sound scriptural reasons. a. The Apocrypha was never included in the Old Testament canon by such recog¬ nized authorities as the Pharisees, Ezra the prophet, etc. b. It was never quoted by the Jews, by Jesus, or by any other New Testament writers. c. The great Jewish historian Josephus ex¬ cluded it. d. The well-known Jewish philosopher Phi¬ lo did not recognize it. e. The early church fathers excluded it. f. The Bible translator Jerome did not ac¬ cept the books as inspired, although he was forced by the Pope to include them in the Latin Vulgate Bible. g. None of the fourteen books claim divine inspiration; in fact, some actually dis¬ claim it. h. Some books contain historical and geo¬ graphical errors. i. Some books teach false doctrine, such as praying for the dead. j. No Apocryphal book can be found in any catalogue list of canonical books com¬ posed during the first four centuries a.d. In fact, it was not until 1596 at the Coun¬ cil of Trent that the Roman Catholic Church officially recognized these books, basically in an attempt to strengthen their position, which had been grievously weakened by the great reformer Martin Luther. C. Some canonical books were at first doubted but later fully accepted. During the first few years of early church history there were some twelve bib¬ lical books which were temporarily objected to for various reasons. 1. Old Testament books. a. The Song of Solomon—because it seemed to some to be a mere poem on human love. b. Ecclesiastes—because some felt it taught atheism. (See 9:5.) c. Esther—because it did not mention the word "God" in the entire book. d. Ezekiel—because it seemed to contradict the Mosaic Law. e. Proverbs—because it seemed to contra¬ dict itself. (See 26:4, 5.) 2. New Testament books. a. Hebrews—because of the uncertainty about the book's authorship. b. James—because it seemed to contradict the teachings of Paul. (Compare Jas. 2:20 with Eph. 2:8, 9.)

c. 2 and 3 John—because they seemed to be simply two personal letters. d. Jude—because the author refers to an uncanonical Old Testament book, the book of Enoch. e. Revelation—because of the uncertainty about the book's authorship and because of its many mysterious symbols. VII. The Finalization of the Canon. A. The Old Testament. By the year 300 b.c. (at the latest) all Old Testament books had been writ¬ ten, collected, revered, and recognized as official, canonical books. Many believe Ezra the prophet led the first recognition council. B. The New Testament. During the Third Council of Carthage, held in a.d. 397, the twenty-seven New Testament books were declared to be ca¬ nonical. However, it absolutely must be under¬ stood that the Bible is not an authorized collection of books, but rather a collection of authorized books. In other words, the twenty-seven New Testament books were not inspired because the Carthage Council proclaimed them to be, but rather the Council proclaimed them to be such because they were already inspired.

Part Seven: Important Historical Translations of the Bible Perhaps the most thrilling story in mankind's history is the true account of the earnest (and sometimes agonizing) ef¬ forts to translate God's precious Word into the language of a particular day. Literally billions of intensive man-hours have been spent doing this. We shall now briefly examine some of the better-known fruits of all this study. I. Publications Up to the Time of Jesus. A. The Dead Sea Scrolls. During 1947, in a series of caves near the Dead Sea, a discovery was made that would soon excite the entire religious world: the Dead Sea Scrolls. Dr. William F. Albright states this find was "the most important discov¬ ery ever made concerning the Old Testament manuscripts." These scrolls were probably hid¬ den there sometime during the second century b.c. by a Jewish group called the Essenes. They included fragments of every Old Testament book in the Hebrew Bible with the exception of the book of Esther. Especially exciting was a complete scroll on the book of Isaiah. The reason this discovery was so important was that until this event, the earliest copy we had of Isaiah's writings was made dur¬ ing the twelfth century a.d. Now scholars could move back over a thousand years closer to the time when the prophet actually wrote (around 700 b.c.). When a comparison was made between the Dead Sea copy and the twelfth century a.d. copy, they were found to be almost identical, once again reassuring us that our copy of God s Word today is indeed accurate and reliable. B. The Greek Septuagint. The Greek Septuagint is a translation of the Old Testament Hebrew into the Greek language. This was done around 280 b.c. at the request of some Jewish leaders. The reason was because many Jews had moved into Egypt and other places outside of Palestine, and

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

as a result, were unable to read or speak Hebrew. So a translation was prepared in the common Greek language of the day. It was called the "Septuagint" (the Greek word for seventy) be¬ cause, according to tradition, it was supposedly translated by seventy Jewish scholars in seventy days. The Septuagint was the Bible in Jesus' day. II. Publications up to the Seventh Century a.d. A. The Papyri. This consisted of hundreds of sheets found in central Egypt in 1895. Some were stuffed in mummy cases and embalmed crocodile bodies. Among the various sheets was a 3V2 X 272-inch fragment containing John 18:31-38. Carbon-14 dating has shown this to have been written around a.d. 125. Thus the fragment is the oldest known Bible manuscript. B. The Latin Vulgate. During the fourth century a.d. it was felt a new translation of the Bible was needed in Latin, which was then the common language in the Western world. Thus, in a.d. 382 the great scholar Jerome was appointed by Da¬ mascus, the Bishop of Rome, to begin doing this. For the next twenty-five years Jerome worked on this, going right to the Hebrew and Greek. The term "vulgate" comes from the Latin word which means "common." Thus, until the King James Version in 1611, the Latin Vulgate became the recognized Bible for nearly 1200 years. In 1228 the Vulgate was divided into chapters by Ste¬ phen Langton, Archbishop of Canterbury. It was divided into verses by Robert Stephens in 1551, and these verses were numbered by Montanus around a.d. 1571. The Vulgate was also the first Bible to be printed by John Gutenburg in 1455. One of these printed copies now resides in the U.S. Library of Congress and is valued at $350,000. C. Codex Sinaiticus. This was an ancient manuscript of the Greek Septuagint, written approximately a.d. 330. It was discovered by the German Bible scholar Tischendorf in the monastery of St. Cath¬ erine on Mount Sinai in 1844. He noticed in a wastebasket, waiting to be burned, vellum pages with Greek writings on them. The codex Sinaiti¬ cus contained 199 leaves of the Old Testament. On December 24,1933, this codex which came so close to being burned was sold to the British gov¬ ernment by the Russians for $510,000, making it the most expensive book purchase of all time. D. Codex Vaticanus. Also written around a.d. 330, it has been in the Vatican Library in Rome since 1481. Roman Catholic popes had constantly re¬ fused to allow competent Bible scholars to study it until the nineteenth century. It is thought that both this codex and the Mt. Sinai copy are two of the original fifty copies ordered by Emperor Con¬ stantine shortly after he assumed power over the Roman Empire in a.d. 312. It is, however, in¬ complete, omitting the pastoral epistles, Phile¬ mon, Revelation, and the last few chapters of Hebrews. E. Codex Alexandrinus. This is dated around a.d. 450 and was written in Egypt. In 1708 it was given to the Patriarch of Alexandria (where it got its name). In 1757 it was transferred to the British museum.

806

F. The Coptic Version. During the second century a new kind of language came into being which was sort of a cross between Greek and Egyptian. It became known as Coptic. Several translations of God's Word were made at this time (around a.d. 350) from the Greek into Coptic. G. The Ethiopic Version. Ethiopia was the land south of Egypt in Africa. The Ethiopian eunuch of Acts 8:26-39 probably introduced Christianity there. This translation was a good verbal render¬ ing of the Greek. It was fluent, readable, and helpful, and dates around a.d. 350. H. The Gothic Version. The land of the Goths was located north of the Danube River and west of the Black Sea. The Goths were an extremely war¬ like people. During one of their raids in Asia Mi¬ nor they captured a young man named Ulfilos. Ulfilos was a Christian and a scholar who later translated the Scriptures into Gothic—with the exception of 1 and 2 Samuel and 1 and 2 Kings. The reason for this was due to the many wars recorded in these four Old Testament books. Ulfilos did not want to encourage the Goths along this line. The Gothic Version, dated about a.d. 350, thus became the first translation of the Bible into a barbarian language. One of Ulfilos' versions still exists. It is called the Codex Argentus, and was written in gold and silver letters upon purple vellum. It now resides in the Uni¬ versity Library at Upsala, Sweden. I. The Armenian Version. Armenia is north of Mesopotamia. About a.d. 406 a great missionary and writer named Mesrob began translating the Bible into Armenian after reducing the language to an alphabet. The Armenian Version has been called "the most beautiful and accurate of all an¬ cient versions—the Queen of Versions." III. Publications in English from the Seventh Century to the Present. Historians have classified the English language into three main periods. A. Old English Period—from a.d. 450 to 1100. B. Middle English Period—from a.d. 1100 to 1500. C. Modem English Period—from a.d. 1500 to date. Keeping this outline in mind we shall now consider some major attempts to publish the Bible in English. A. Old English Period—a.d. 450 to 1100. There were at least ten known translators of the Bible during this period. The list would include a servant, two bishops, two monks, a king, two priests, an arch¬ bishop, and a hermit. Of these ten, we will exam¬ ine the following three: 1. Caedmon (died in 680). This stable worker at a monastery in North England did not trans¬ late the Bible on paper but rather memorized great portions of it and sang it with his harp in short lines of beautiful Celtic-Saxon verse wherever he traveled. He sang the story of Genesis, Exodus, a part of Daniel, the doc¬ trines of the resurrection, ascension, and the Second Coming of Christ, and of heaven and hell. 2. Bede (674-735). This godly monk, scholar, historian, and theologian is often called to¬ day by the title of "the Father of English His¬ tory." In his textbook. General Biblical

THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

Introduction, author H.S. Miller writes the fol¬

lowing about Bede: "His important work is the translation of the Gospel of John, which he finished just as he was breathing his last. All the day before Ascension Day, 735, the good old monk . . . had been dictating his transla¬ tions, for he said, 'I do not want my boys to read a lie, or to work to no purpose after I am gone.' The next day he was very weak, and suffered much. His scribe said, 'Dear mas¬ ter, there is yet one chapter to do, but it seems very hard for you to speak.' Bede replied, 'Nay, it is easy, take up thy pen and write quickly.' In blinding tears the scribe wrote on. 'And now father, there is just one sentence more.' Bede dictated it and said, 'Write quickly.' The scribe said, 'It is finished, master.' 'Ay, it is finished!' echoed the dying saint, and with the Glo¬ ria chant upon his lips he passed to the great Master whom he had loved and served so long." (p. 320) 3. Alfred (king of England, 871-901). Here Miller writes: "Alfred loved . . . the Bible. He was King, lawgiver, teacher, writer, translator. His wish was 'that all the freeborn youth of his kingdom should employ themselves on nothing till they could first read well the English scriptures.' He translated the ten commandments and other Old Testa¬ ment laws, placing them at the head of his laws for England. He also translated the Psalms and the Gospels. . . ." (p. 321) B. Middle English Period—a.d. 1100 to 1500. Here we will examine but one name—that of John Wycliffe. John Wycliffe (1320-1384) has often been called "The Morning Star of Reformation." He was a great Oxford University teacher, preacher, reformer, and translator. Wycliffe was the first man to completely translate the entire Bible into the English language. By placing God's Word in the common language he thus did for England what Martin Luther would later do for Germany. His was the only English Bible for 145 years. As a sample of his English, note the following transla¬ tion of the Lord's prayer: "Our Fadir that art in hevenes, halewid be thi name; Thi kingdom comme to. Be thi wille done in heven so in erthe; Gyve to us this dai oure breed over other substance, and forgive to us oure dettis as we forgyven to oure detouris; and leede us not into tempacioun, but delyvere us fro yvel." C. Modern English Period—a.d. 1500 to date. 1. Tyndale's Version (1525). Perhaps no other sin¬ gle man in history did as much in translating the Word of God for the people of God as did William Tyndale. Tyndale worked in constant danger, for under Catholic Emperor Charles V, it was a crime punishable by hor¬ rible torture, burning at the stake, or actual burial alive, for anyone to read, purchase, or

807

possess any New Testament book. But prior to his martyrdom, it is estimated that some 50,000 copies of the New Testament were circulated by this fearless and faithful ser¬ vant of God. Early in 1526, Tyndale's New Testaments began pouring into England con¬ cealed in cases of merchandise, barrels, bales of cloths, sacks of flour and corn, and every other secret way which could be found. For every testament the devil burned, God would allow Tyndale to publish three more to take its place! It is thought that Tyndale's New Testa¬ ment was based on the printed Greek New Testament text of the great scholar Erasmus (first printed on March 1 1516), and that his Old Testament text was taken in part from the 1488 Hebrew publication. He also con¬ sulted the Latin Vulgate and Martin Luther's translation. 2. The Coverdale Version (a.d. 1535). Miles Coverdale was bom in 1488. He was converted to Christ and developed a strong love for Scrip¬ ture. He was a friend of Tyndale and later finished his Old Testament translation and revised his New Testament. It was a second¬ ary translation; that is, it was based on previ¬ ous translations of the Bible into Latin, German, and English. The reason for this is that Coverdale was not familiar with the Greek or Hebrew. The first edition came off the press on October 4, 1535. This was in¬ deed a milestone for God's Word, as it marked the first whole Bible printed in Eng¬ lish. 3. Matthew's Version (1537). This version was prepared by John Rogers, who used the pseudonym Thomas Matthew. The reason for this was that Rogers, known friend of Tyndale, felt his work would be more ac¬ ceptable to various authorities if this rela¬ tionship was not known. Rogers would later be burned to death during the reign of Mary Tudor in 1555. Matthew's Version was the first revision of the Tyndale Bible. It was ap¬ proved by King Henry VIII, who had hated Tyndale and his work. A divine irony is seen here. 4. The Great Bible Version (1539). The notes and prefaces of Tyndale's and Coverdale's trans¬ lations aroused so much argument that Hen¬ ry VIII authorized a new version which would include no controversial footnote ma¬ terial. It was called the Great Bible because of its size. Due to its extreme value it was usually chained to a "reading post" within a church. In 1538 the King issued an injunction to all churches to purchase a copy of the Great Bible. This was to be paid for by the parson and parishioners. The importance of the Great Bible is that it became the first of¬ ficial English Bible "appointed to be read in all the churches." The King James Bible is basically a revision of the Great Bible. 5. The Geneva Version (1557). During the vicious Protestant persecution under Mary Tudor,

,

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

many reformers fled to Geneva, Switzerland, and enjoyed the protection of Geneva's great leader, John Calvin. It was here that Calvin's brother-in-law, William Whittingham, trans¬ lated the Scriptures into the Geneva Version. This Bible became important for the follow¬ ing reasons: a. It was the first version to divide the text into verses. b. It was the first to omit the Apocrypha. c. It was kissed by Queen Elizabeth (daugh¬ ter of Henry VIII) at her coronation, a policy which is still followed by English kings and queens. d. It was the most-loved Bible of the com¬ mon people up to that time and went through more than 160 editions. e. It was the Bible of Shakespeare and John Bunyan. f. It was the Bible the pilgrims brought with them on the Mayflower in 1620 to America. The text of the Geneva Bible was based on that of the Great Bible. 6. The Bishop's Bible (1568). This version was translated because of the following reasons: a. The Church of England did not like the notes in the Geneva Version. b. The Geneva Version was undermining the authority of the Great Bible and that of the bishops. It was translated by Matthew Parker, Archbishop of Canterbury, aided by nine other bishops; thus its name, the Bishop's Bible. The Bishop's Bible was the second "Authorized Version" of the church, but was never accepted by the common people. In fact. Queen Elizabeth simply ignored it. The Bishop's Bible has gone down in history as the most unsatisfactory and useless of all the old translations. 7. The Rheims—Douai Bible (1582). This version was an attempt by the Pope to win England back to the Roman fold, but he utterly failed. It was headed by William Allen and Gregory Martin, two Protestant turncoats from Ox¬ ford University. The name comes from the two places where the Old Testament and New Testament were produced. The Douai Version was therefore the first Catholic Eng¬ lish Bible and was taken almost literally from the Latin Vulgate. The footnotes in this ver¬ sion strongly attacked all Protestant "her¬ esies," and defended all Roman Catholic doctrine and practices. 8. The King James Version (1611). One of the first tasks which King James I faced upon mount¬ ing his throne at the beginning of the seven¬ teenth century was the reconciliation of various religious parties within his kingdom. The King James Version began with a re¬ quest by Puritan spokesman Dr. Reynolds of Oxford concerning the feasibility of a new Bible translation. James agreed almost at once. He had disliked the popular Geneva Bible because of its footnotes. He also real¬

808

ized that neither the Geneva, nor the Great, nor the Bishop's version could be held up by him as a rallying point for Christians. The following quote is from H.S. Miller— "On July 22, 1604, the King announced that he had appointed 54 men as transla¬ tors. The only indispensable qualification was that they should have proven effi¬ ciency as Biblical scholars. ... A list of 47 revisers has been preserved; the other seven may have died or resigned before the work had really begun. The revisers were organized into six groups, two meeting at Westminster, two at Cambridge, two at Oxford. One group at Westminster had Genesis to 2 Kings, the other had Romans to Jude: one group at Cambridge had 1 Chronicles to Ecclesi¬ astes, the other had the Apocrypha; one group at Oxford had Isaiah to Malachi, the other had Matthew to Acts and Rev¬ elation. These men were the great He¬ brew and Greek scholars of this day. Each reviser first made his own transla¬ tion, then passed it on to be reviewed by each member of his group; then when each group had completed a book, a copy of it was sent to each of the other five groups for their independent criticism. Thus each book went through the hands of the entire body of revisers. Then the entire version, thus amended, came be¬ fore a select committee of six, two from each of the three companies, and they ironed out ultimate differences of opin¬ ion, put the finishing touches . . . and pre¬ pared it for the printer. The revisers were governed by 15 rules, the gist of a few of them being: (1) The Bishop's Bible shall be followed and as lit¬ tle altered as the truth of the original will permit; (2) The old ecclesiastical words shall be retained; (3) The chapter divi¬ sions shall not be changed, unless very necessary; (4) No marginal notes at all, ex¬ cept explanation of Hebrew and Greek words which cannot be briefly and fitly expressed in the text; (5) Whenever the Tyndale, Matthew, Coverdale, the Great Bible, or the Geneva agrees better with the text than the Bishop's Bible, they are to be used." (General Biblical Introduction, pp. 363, 364) The King James Version also doubtless made use of the four available printed He¬ brew Old Testament Bibles at that time, and Erasmus' fifth edition of the Greek New Tes¬ tament. The King James Version is remarkable for many reasons. It was, first of all, undoubted¬ ly the most beautiful, beloved, and popular translation of all time. It was also probably the only translation in which no parties in¬ volved had an axe to grind. In other words, it was a national undertaking in which no one had any interest at heart save that of produc-

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE -

ing the best possible version of the Scrip¬ tures. It must be said, however, that the King James Version was not immediately accepted by the general public. The Roman Catholics claimed it favored Protestantism. The Arminians said it leaned toward Calvinism. The Puritans disliked certain words like "bishop," "ordain," and "Easter." But after some forty years it overtook the popular Ge¬ neva Bible and has retained its tremendous lead ever since. 9. The English (1881-1885) and American (1901) Revision. By the latter part of the nineteenth century, the Church of England felt a new revision of the King James Version was needed for the following reasons: The change in the meaning of some of the English words. The discovery of new manuscripts since 1611. The improved science of biblical criticism. A better knowledge of the Greek and He¬ brew. Thus, on May 3, 1870, the initial formali¬ ties began. The Canterbury Convocation adopted five resolutions. a. "We do not contemplate any new trans¬ lation of the Bible, or any alteration of the language, except when in the judg¬ ment of the most competent scholars such change is necessary." b. It offered a uniformity of renderings— that is, it translated the same Hebrew and Greek word by the same English word. The King James Version did not do this, but used a great variety of English words to translate a single Greek word. (For example, the Greek word meno, which means "to remain," is translated by ten different words in the King James Version. The Greek word dunamis, mean¬ ing "power," is translated by thirteen dif¬ ferent English words.) c. It translated the Greek tenses more accu¬ rately, especially the aorist and the im¬ perfect tenses. d. It translated the Greek definite article more accurately. e. It translated the Greek preposition more accurately. The English revised New Testament was published in England on May 17, 1881, and sale in the United States began on May 20. The excitement in this country about receiv¬ ing a new version of the Bible was at an un¬ believable high. For example, the people of Chicago wanted the New Testament about the same time New York would have it, and they could not wait until a fast train could bring it, so two Chicago dailies (the Tribune and the Times) had the first six books (Mat¬ thew to Romans, about 118,000 words) tele¬ graphed from New York to Chicago (978 miles), by far the largest message ever sent

809

over the wire. These papers then published all this on May 22,1881. But to the great disappointment of its friends, the English Version of 1881-1885 whose popularity had risen so high so fast almost immediately cooled off. People soon realized how much they would miss the fa¬ miliar and loved words, phrases, grace, ease, poetry, and rhythm of the King James Ver¬ sion. In 1901 the American Standard Version was published. Although it enjoyed better per¬ manent reception than the English one, it still has not seriously cut into the lead of the King James Version. 10. The Revised Standard Version (1952). This work has been one of the most controversial ver¬ sions of the Bible ever published. The Re¬ vised Standard Version was authorized by the National Council of Churches of Christ in the U.S.A. and is the "official" version of this group. Hebrew scholar Dr. Merrill F. Unger summarizes the Revised Standard Version in the following way: "Although this version has many excel¬ lencies, it is weak and obscure in its trans¬ lation of certain key Old Testament messianic passages." 11. The Amplified Bible (1954). This is a literal translation with multiple expressions using associated words to convey the original thought. The New Testament uses the Greek text of Westcott and Hort plus twenty-seven translations and revisions. The Old Testa¬ ment is similarly extensive. The version is intended to supplement other translations authentically, concisely, and in convenient form. 12. Good News for Modern Man (1966). This trans¬ lation of the New Testament by Dr. Robert G. Bratcher (plus a distinguished review committee) is a paraphrase which gained enormous popularity in a short period of time. It was intended to communicate the Scriptures to the masses of English-speaking people around the world and has been much used as an instrument of evangelism for per¬ sons outside the church. It has since become available as a complete Bible called The Good News Bible.

13. The Jerusalem Bible (1966). This is a translation from the Hebrew Masoretic, Greek Septuagint. Dead Sea Scrolls, and accepted Greek and Aramaic New Testament texts—all com¬ pared with the French Version. It was produced by twenty-eight principal collabo¬ rators in translation and literary revision un¬ der Alexander Jones, general editor. 14. The New American Bible (1970). This is a Catholic translation that is a highlight of Bible publishing in the present century. All basic texts were consulted, and the work was twenty-six years in the making. Over fifty recognized biblical scholars, the majority of them college professors, labored to produce this outstanding version. Scholars were

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

In Genesis man hears God say: "Cursed is the ground for thy sake" (3:17). In Revelation man will hear God say: "and there shall be no more curse" (22:3).

Catholic, Protestant, and Jewish. The pur¬ pose was to produce a more accurate transla¬ tion from the older manuscripts, and this was made possible by the Pope in 1943. Prior to this version. Catholics had been required to use the later Vulgate as the basis for transla¬ tion. V 15. The Living Bible (1971). An extremely popular version, this paraphrase is the work of Ken¬ neth L. Taylor. The initial source was the American Standard Version of 1901, but Dr. Taylor and the Greek and Hebrew specialists he consulted for accuracy also used the most respected texts available. 16. The New American Standard Bible (1971). This Bible was translated by an editorial board of fifty-four Greek and Hebrew scholars and required nearly eleven years to complete. Other new translations and versions ap¬ pear frequently.

In Genesis Satan appears to torment man (3:1). In Revelation Satan disappears, himself to be tor¬ mented forever (20:10). In Genesis the old earth was punished through a flood (7:12). In Revelation the new earth shall be purified through a fire (2 Pet. 3:6-12; Rev. 21:1). In Genesis, man's early home was beside a river (2:10). In Revelation, man's eternal home will be beside a river—"and he shewed me a pure river of water of life, clear as crystal, proceeding out of the throne of God and of the Lamb" (22:1). In Genesis the patriarch Abraham weeps for Sarah (23:2). In Revelation the children of Abraham will have God himself wipe away all tears from their eyes (21:4).

Part Eight: Proofs That the Bible is the Word of God

In Genesis God destroys an earthly city, wicked Sod¬ om, from the sands (ch. 19). In Revelation God presents a heavenly city, new Jeru¬ salem, from the skies (21:1).

I. First Supernatural Element—Its Amazing Unity. That the Bible is a unity is a fact no honest reader can deny. In the preface of most Bibles, the thirty-nine Old Testament and twenty-seven New Testament books are listed in two parallel columns down the page. But a more accurate way would be to place the entire sixty-six collection in a clock-like circle, with Genesis occupying the first minute past twelve. Exo¬ dus the second, Leviticus the third, and so on. Finally, the book of Revelation would be placed on the num¬ ber twelve, right next to Genesis. It is simply thrilling how these two books. Genesis the first and Revela¬ tion the last, perfectly dovetail together in a unity only God could create. For example:

Genesis ends with a believer in Egypt, lying in a cof¬ fin (50:1-3). Revelation ends with all believers in eternity, reign¬ ing forever (21:4).

In Genesis we read: "In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth" (1:1). In Revelation we read: "\ saw a new heaven and a new earth" (21:1). In Genesis we see described the first Adam and his wife Eve in the Garden of Eden, reigning over the earth (1:27, 28). In Revelation we see described the last Adam and his wife, the Church, in the City of God, reigning over all the universe (21:9). In Genesis, we are told: "and the gathering of the waters called the seas" (1:10). In Revelation we are told: "and there was no more sea" (21:1). In Genesis God created the day and the night, the sun and moon (1:5, 16). In Revelation "there shall be no night there" (22:5). "And the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon, to shine in it: for the glory of God did lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (21:23). In Genesis the tree of life is denied to sinful man (3:22). In Revelation the tree of life "yielded her fruit every month: and the leaves of the tree were for the healing of the nations" (22:2).

810

A. This unity is achieved in spite of the long period of time involved in its writing. 1. More than fifteen centuries elapsed between the writing of Genesis and Revelation. 2. Nearly 400 years elapsed between the writ¬ ing of Malachi and Matthew. B. This unity is achieved in spite of the many au¬ thors (some forty) and their various occupations (approximately nineteen). "The Lord gave the Word: great was the com¬ pany of those who published it" (Ps. 68:11). 1. Moses was an Egyptian prince. 2. Joshua was a soldier. 3. Samuel was a priest. 4. David was a king. 5. Esther was a queen. 6. Ruth was a housewife. 7. Job was a rich farmer. 8. Amos was a poor farmer. 9. Ezra was a scribe. 10. Isaiah was a prophet. 11. Daniel was a prime minister. 12. Nehemiah was a cupbearer. 13. Matthew was a tax collector. 14. Mark was an evangelist. 15. Luke was a physician. 16. John was a wealthy fisherman. 17. Peter was a poor fisherman. 18. Jude and James probably were carpenters. 19. Paul was a tentmaker. C. This unity is achieved in spite of the different geographical places where the Bible was written. 1. In the desert (Ex. 17). 2. On Mt. Sinai (Ex. 20).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

3. In Palestine (most). 4. In Egypt (Jeremiah?). 5. On the Isle of Patmos (Revelation). 6. In Babylon (Daniel). 7. In Persia (Esther). 8. In Corinth (1 and 2 Thessalonians). 9. In Ephesus (Galatians?). 10. In Caesarea (Luke?). 11. From Rome (2 Timothy). D. This unity is achieved in spite of the many differ¬ ent styles of its writing. 1. As history. 2. As prophecy. 3. As biography. 4. As autobiography. 5. As poetry. 6. As law. 7. In letter form. 8. In symbolic form. 9. In proverb form. 10. In doctrinal form. Let us imagine a religious novel of sixty-six chap¬ ters which was begun by a single writer around the sixth century a.d. After the author has completed but five chapters, he suddenly dies. But during the next 1000 years, up to the sixteenth century, around thirty amateur "free-lance" writers feel constrained to con¬ tribute to this unfinished religious novel. Few of these authors share anything in common. They speak different languages, live at different times in different countries, have totally different backgrounds and occupations, and write in different styles. Let us furthermore imagine that at the completion of the thirty-ninth chapter, the writing for some rea¬ son suddenly stops. Not one word is therefore added from the sixteenth until the twentieth century. After this long delay it begins once again when eight new authors add the final twenty-seven chapters. With all this in mind, what would be the chances of this religious novel becoming a moral, scientific, prophetic, and historical unity? The answer is obvi¬ ous—not one in a million. And yet this is the story of the Bible. II. Second Supernatural Element—Its Indestructibility. The story is told of a visitor who toured a blacksmith shop. Viewing heaps of discarded hammers but only one huge anvil, he asked: "How often do you replace your anvil?" With a smile the owner replied, "Never! It is the anvil that wears out the hammers, you know!" So it is with the Word of God. The hammers of persecution, ridicule, higher criticism, liberalism, and atheism have for centuries pounded out their vicious blows upon the divine anvil, but all to no avail. There they lie, in rusting piles, while the mighty anvil of the Scriptures stands unbroken, unshaken, and unchipped. A. Its indestructibility in spite of political persecu¬ tions (from the Roman Emperors). In a.d. 303, Emperor Diocletian thought he had destroyed every hated Bible. After many tireless years of ruthless slaughter and destruction, he erected a column of victory over the embers of a burned Bible. The title on the column read: "Ex¬ tinct is the Name of Christian." Twenty years

811

later, the new Emperor Constantine offered a re¬ ward for any remaining Bibles. Within twentyfour hours no less than fifty copies were brought out of hiding and presented to the king. B. Its indestructibility in spite of religious persecu¬ tions. 1. As seen through the persecutions by Roman Catholic popes. Almost without exception, the early popes opposed the reading and translating of the Bible. In 1199, Pope Innocent III ordered the burning of all Bibles. 2. As seen through the persecutions leveled against John Wycliffe and William Tyndale. Of all the heroes in church history, no two other names are so closely associated with the Word of God as the names of Wycliffe and Tyndale. The very mention of these two men was no doubt sufficient to turn the devil livid with rage. It is therefore no surprise to read of the vicious attacks leveled against them. a. John Wycliffe. Wycliffe lived at a time (the early part of the fourteenth century) when the burning question was: Who shall rule England, the king or the pope? Wycliffe believed the best way to break the grievous yoke of Romanism would be to place the Bible into the hands of the common people. This he did by translat¬ ing (for the first time in history) the com¬ plete Bible into English. He then organized and sent forth a group of preachers (called the Lollards) to teach the Word of God all across England. On December 28,1384, while conduct¬ ing a service in the Lutterworth Church, he was suddenly stricken with paralysis and died three days later. After his death, those who hated his Bible translation ac¬ tivities said the following things about Wycliffe: " 'John Wycliffe, the organ of the dev¬ il, the enemy of the Church, the con¬ fusion of the common people, the idol of heretics, the looking glass of hypo¬ crites, the encourager of schism, the sower of hatred, the storehouse of lies, the sink of flattery, was suddenly struck by the judgment of God . . . that mouth which was to speak huge things against God and against His Saints or holy church, was miserably drawn aside . . . showing plainly that the curse which God had thundered forth against Cain was also inflicted upon him.' [From the mouth of a Monk] 'That pestilent wretch John Wyc¬ liffe, the son of the old serpent, the forerunner of Antichrist, who had completed his iniquity by inverting a new translation of the Scriptures.'" (H. S. Miller, Biblical Introduction, p. 329)

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE British merchant, a man named Packington and a secret friend of Tyndale, his desire to buy up all copies of the New Testament. Said Packington, 'My Lord, if it be your pleasure, I can buy them, for I know where they are sold, if it be in your Lord's pleasure to pay for them. I will then assure you to have every book of them that is imprinted.' Said the Bishop, 'Gentle master Packington, do your diligence and get them; and with all my heart I will pay for them whatsoever they cost you, for the books are erroneous . . . and 1 intend to destroy them all, and bum them at St. Paul's Cross.' Packington then came to Tyndale and said, 'William, I know that thou art a poor man, and hast a heap of New Testaments and books by thee, by the which thou hast endangered thy friends and beggared thyself; and I have now gotten thee a merchant, which with ready money shall dis¬ patch thee of all that thou hast, if you think it so profitable to thyself.' 'Who is the merchant?' asked Tyn¬ dale. 'The Bishop of London,' answered Packington. 'Oh, that is because he will bum them.' 'Yes, marry, but what of that? The Bishop will bum them anyhow, and it is best that you should have the money for enabling you to imprint others instead.' '1 shall do this,' said Tyndale, 'for these two benefits shall come thereof: First, I shall get money to bring myself out of debt, and the whole world will cry out against the burning of God's Word; and Second, the overplus of the money that shall remain to me shall make me more studious to cor¬ rect the said New Testament, and so newly to imprint the same once again, and I trust the second will be much better than ever was the first.' So the bargain was made. The bishop had the books, Packington had the thanks, and Tyndale had the money. Later, a man named Constantine was being tried as a heretic, and the judge prom¬ ised him favor if he would tell how Tyndale received so much help in printing so many Testaments. He replied, 'My Lord, I will tell you truly: It is the Bishop of London that hath helped, for he hath bestowed among us a great deal of money upon the New Testaments to bum them, and that hath been, and yet is, our chief help and comfort.'" (Biblical In¬ troduction, p. 334)

One would almost conclude the Savior had this in mind when he spoke the fol¬ lowing words: "These things have I spoken unto you, that ye should not be offended. They shall put you out of the syna¬ gogues: yea, the time cometh, that whosoever killeth you will think that he doeth God service. And these things will they do unto you, because they have not known the Father, nor me" (Jn. 16:1-3). One final quotation from Miller's book seems appropriate here: "In 1415, the Council of Constance which consigned John Hus and Jerome of Prague to a cruel death, demanded that the bones of the notorious heretic Wycliffe ... be taken out of the con¬ secrated ground and scattered at a dis¬ tance from the sepulchre. Thirteen years later (1428), 44 years after his death. Pope Clement VIII, ordered no further delay; the grave was torn up, the coffin and skeleton borne down to the bank of the River Swift, a fire was kindled, the bones were burned, and the ashes thrown into the river. In the words of Thomas Fuller, so often quoted: 'The Swift conveyed them into the Avon, the Avon into the Sev¬ ern, the Severn into the narrow seas; they into the main ocean; and thus the ashes of Wycliffe are the emblem of his doctrine, which is now dispersed all the world over.' " (pp. 329, 330) b. William Tyndale (1484-1536). Tyndale was one of the greatest translators of God's Word who ever lived. He was born in England, and so skilled in seven lan¬ guages (Hebrew, Greek, Latin, Italian, Spanish, English, and Dutch), that which¬ ever he might be speaking one would be¬ lieve that language was his native tongue. Our own King James Version is practical¬ ly a fifth revision of Tyndale's, and it re¬ tains many of the words and much of the character, form, and style of his version. In 1525, he printed the first copy ever produced of the New Testament in Eng¬ lish. His overall goal in life was perhaps best expressed through a statement he made in 1521: "I defy the Pope and all his laws; if God spares my life, ere many years I will cause a boy that driveth the plough shall know . . . the Scripture." "In 1529, an amusing and thrilling event happened in England and Eu¬ rope concerning the Word of God. Tyndale had been driven from Eng¬ land and had fled to Germany, but had continued producing New Testa¬ ments and slipping them back into England. One day, the Bishop of Lon¬ don (Bishop Tunstall) mentioned to a

812

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE

Again, to quote from Miller's text¬ book: "On Friday, October 6,1536, Tyndale was executed. By the Emperor's laws, only Anabaptists were burned alive, so he escaped that fate. He was led out and permitted to engage in a few moments of prayer. With fervent zeal and a loud voice he cried, 'Lord, open the King of England's eyes!' Then his feet were bound to the stake, the iron chain was fastened around his neck, with a hemp rope loosely tied in a noose, and fagots and straw were heaped around him. At a given signal the rope was tightened, and Tyndale was strangled to death. Then the torch was applied, and the body was quickly consumed." (pp. 338, 339) C. Its indestructibility in spite of philosophical per¬ secution. Here several cases come to mind: 1. Voltaire. He once said, "Another century and there will be not a Bible on the earth." The century is gone, and the circulation of the Bible is one of the marvels of the age. After he died, his old printing press and the very house where he lived was purchased by the Geneva Bible Society and made a depot for Bibles. On December 24, 1933, the British Gov¬ ernment bought the valuable Codex Sinaiticus from the Russians for half a million dollars. On that same day, a first edition of Voltaire's work sold for eleven cents in Paris bookshops. 2. Thomas Paine. He once said, "I have gone through the Bible as a man would go through a forest with an axe to fell trees. I have cut down tree after tree; here they lie. They will never grow again." Tom Paine thought he had demolished the Bible, but since he crawled into a drunkard's grave in 1809, the Bible has leaped forward as never before. 3. Joseph Stalin. This bloody butcher took over all of Russia at the death of Lenin in the late twenties. From this point on until his death in the fifties, Stalin instituted a "ban the Bible" purge from the U.S.S.R. such as had never been witnessed before. This miserable man literally attempted to wipe the Word of God and the God of the Word from the Rus¬ sian minds. Did he succeed? A recent poll taken in Russia shows that today more peo¬ ple than ever believe in God and his Word. III. Third Supernatural Element—Its Historical Accuracy. Less than a century ago, the agnostic took great glee in sneeringly referring to the "hundreds of historical mistakes" in the Bible. But then came the science of archaeology and with each shovel full of dirt the sneers have become less visible, until today they scarcely can be seen. When one thinks of historical scholarship and the Bible, three brilliant scholars come to mind. These three are: A. Sir William Ramsey. For many years Ramsey was professor of humanity at the University of Aber¬

813

deen, Scotland. He was, in his time, the world's most eminent authority on the geography and history of ancient Asia Minor (Turkey today). In his zeal to study every available early document concerning that period and area, he undertook an intensive research of the New Testament book of Acts and also the Gospel of Luke. This study, however, was approached with much skepticism. At that time he penned the following description of the book of Acts: "... a highly imaginative and carefully colored account of primitive Christianity." But after many years of intensive study, this scholar, who began an unbeliever, became a staunch defender of the Word of God. The abso¬ lute historical accuracy of Luke's writings, even in the most minute details, captured first his brain and then his heart. Ramsey authored many books, but one of his better known is entitled: The Bearing of Recent Discovery on the Trustworthiness of the New Testament. Ramsey's overall opinion of

the Bible is perhaps best seen in the following quote: "I take the view that Luke's history is unsur¬ passed in regard to its trustworthiness . . . you may press the words of Luke in a degree be¬ yond any other historian's and they stand the keenest scrutiny and the hardest treatment." B. William F. Albright. One of the greatest and most respected oriental scholars who ever lived was William F. Albright. He writes the following concerning the Bible and his historical findings: "The reader may rest assured: nothing has been found to disturb a reasonable faith, and nothing has been discovered which can dis¬ prove a single theological doctrine. . . . We no longer trouble ourselves with attempts to 'harmonize' religion and science, or to 'prove' the Bible. The Bible can stand for itself." (Robert Young, Young's Analytical Concordance to the Bible, p. 51) C. Robert Dick Wilson. Probably the most qualified Old Testament linguist of all time was Robert Dick Wilson. He was bom in 1856 and took his undergraduate work at Princeton University, graduating in 1876. He then completed both the M.A. and the Ph.D. After this, he spent two years at the University of Berlin in further post¬ graduate studies. Wilson taught Old Testament courses at Western Theological Seminary in Pittsburgh and returned to Princeton where he received international fame as a Hebrew scholar without peer. He was perfectly at home in over forty ancient Semitic languages. Dr. Wilson writes the following about himself: "If a man is called an expert, the first thing to be done is to establish the fact that he is such. One expert may be worth more than a million other witnesses that are not experts. Before a man has the right to speak about the history and the language ... of the Old Testament, the Christian Church has the right to demand that a man should establish his ability to do so. For forty-five years continuously, since I left college, 1 have devoted myself to the one great study of the Old Testament, in all its

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

languages, in all its archaeology, in all its translations, and as far as possible in every¬ thing bearing upon its text and history. I tell you this so that you may see why I can and do speak as an expert. I may add that the result of my forty-five years of study of the Bible has led me all the time to a firmer faith that in the Old Testament we have a true historical account of the history of the Israelite people; and I have a right to commend this to some of those bright men and women who think that they can laugh at the old-time Christian and believer in the Word of God. ... I have claimed to be an expert. Have I the right to do so? Well, when I was in the Seminary I used to read my New Testament in nine different languages. I learned my Hebrew by heart, so that I could recite it without the intermission of a syllable ... as soon as I graduated from the Seminary, I became a teacher of Hebrew for a year and then 1 went to Germany. When I got to Heidelburg, I made a decision. I de¬ cided—and did it with prayer—to consecrate my life to the study of the Old Testament. I was twenty-five then; and I judged from the life of my ancestors that I should live to be seventy; so that I should have forty-five years to work. I divided the period into three parts. The first fifteen years I would devote to the study of the languages necessary. For the sec¬ ond fifteen I was going to devote myself to the study of the text of the Old Testament; and I reserved the last fifteen years for the work of writing the results of my previous studies and investigations, so as to give them to the world. And the Lord has enabled me to carry out that plan almost to a year." (David Otis Fuller, Which Bible? pp. 40, 41) D. Authenticated by archaeology. Halley's Bible Handbook lists some 112 examples. Unger's Bible Handbook lists 96. A summary of both these lists would include the following, all given to prove the historical accuracy of the Bible. 1. The Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8-14). Archae¬ ology has long established that the lower Tigris-Euphrates Valley in Mesopotamia (where Eden was located) was the cradle of civilization. 2. The Fall of man (Gen. 3:1-24). Many nonHebrew cultures record this event. It is found in the Babylonian tablet called the Tempta¬ tion Seal, in the Assyrian Archives, referred to as the Adam and Eve Seal, and in the Egyptian Library of Amen-hotep III. 3. The longevity of early mankind (Gen. 5:1-32). The oldest known outline of world history is the Weld-Blumdell Prism, written around 2170 b.c. This outline includes a list of eight pre-flood rulers. The shortest reign was said to have been 18,600 years, while the longest covered a period of 43,200 years. Of course this was gross exaggeration, but the point is that the historical root for all this may be found in the Genesis account which does accurately state that Methuselah did in¬ deed live to be 969 years of age. A common

814

4.

5.

6.

7.

8. 9.

10.

11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

objection to this and other so-called legends would claim that early mankind simply in¬ vented myths of their ancestors doing things they wished they could have done. But the fallacy of this argument may be demon¬ strated by the fact that there is no ancient legend of a nation or tribe of flying men, in spite of the fact that all men everywhere have always longed to soar into the skies. The universal flood (Gen. 6:1—9:29). There is so much evidence concerning the flood in Noah's day that one scarcely knows where to start. It can be demonstrated that, without exception, every major human culture has a flood tradition. Especially is this true in the ancient Babylonian civilization, as seen by their Epic of Gilgamesh. If the author may be allowed a personal illustration here, I am ac¬ quainted with a New Tribes missionary named Rod Wallin. Some years ago Rod be¬ gan his work among a primitive people in the highlands of New Guinea. He was the first white man ever to set foot in that area. Many years were spent learning their difficult lan¬ guage. He then discovered to his astonish¬ ment that these natives had a detailed flood tradition. The Tower of Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). Over two dozen ancient temple towers in Mesopotamia called ziggurats have been excavated. Abraham's birthplace (Gen. 11:27-31). World-famous archaeologist C.L. Wooley's excavation in 1922-34 in Mesopotamia has made Ur of the Chaldees one of the bestknown ancient sites of all times. When Abraham left Ur in 2000 b.c. the city was at the height of its splendor as a commercial and religious center. (See also Josh. 24:2.) Abraham's visit to Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20). Due to space problems, many of the follow¬ ing Old Testament events which have been authenticated by archaeology will simply be alluded to and not expanded upon. Abraham's battle with the kings in Genesis 14. The destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah (Gen. 18-19). William Albright found at the Southeast comer of the Dead Sea great quantities of relics of a period dating be¬ tween 2500 and 2000 b.c., with evidence of a dense population which for some reason ceased abruptly around 2000 b.c. The evi¬ dence indicated an earthquake and an explo¬ sion. Joseph and Potiphar's wife (Gen. 39). There is an Egyptian story entitled "A Tale of Two Brothers" which may have for its foundation the events related in Genesis 39. The Seven-year famine (Gen. 41:46-57). Israel's entrance into Egypt (Ex. 1:1-6). The episode of the bricks without straw (Ex. 1:11; 5:7-19). Moses' birth (Ex. 2:10). The death of Pharaoh's firstborn (Ex. 12:29). The Exodus (Ex. 12:1—14:31).

THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

17. The fact of Rahab's house located on Jeri¬ cho's wall (Josh. 2:15). 18. The fall of Jericho (Josh. 6:1-27). The archae¬ ologist Garstang found evidence that Jericho was destroyed about 1400 b.c. (about the date given to Joshua) and that the walls had fallen flat, outward, and down the hillside. This was extremely unusual, for had the city been captured the usual way, its walls would have been pushed inward by the ramming weap¬ ons of that day. He also found the layer of ashes left by Joshua's fire. (See Josh. 6:24.) 19. Deborah's victory of the Canaanites (Jdg. 4:23, 24; 5:19). 20. Saul's reign (1 Sam. 9:1—31:13). 21. David's conquests (2 Sam. 1:1—24:25). 22. Solomon's gold (1 Ki. 14:25, 26). 23. Solomon's stables (1 Ki. 9:19; 10:26-29). The Oriental Institute has found the ruins of his stables with their stone hitching-poles and mangers. 24. Solomon's copper furnaces (1 Ki. 7). 25. Solomon's navy (1 Ki. 9). 26. Jeroboam's calves (1 Ki. 12:25-33). 27. Shishak's invasion (1 Ki. 14:25-28). 28. The building of Samaria by Omri (1 Ki. 16:24). 29. The rebuilding of Jericho (1 Ki. 16:34). 30. Ahab's house of ivory (1 Ki. 22:39). 31. Jezebel's cosmetic box (2 Ki. 9:30). The actual saucers in which she mixed her cosmetics have been found in Samaria among the ruins of Ahab's ivory house. 32. The Assyrian captivity of northern Israel (2 Ki. 15:29). 33. The tunnel of Hezekiah (2 Ki. 20:20; 2 Chron. 32:3, 4). 34. Manasseh's reign (2 Ki. 21:1-15). 35. Esther's palace (Est. 1:2). 36. The Babylonian captivity of Judah (2 Ki. 25). 37. The reign of Belshazzar (Dan. 5). 38. The fall of Babylon (Dan. 5). 39. The edict of Cyrus (Ezra 1:2, 3; 2 Chron. 36:22, 23). 40. The repentance of Nineveh in Jonah's day (Jonah 4). History has shown that during the reign of Shalmaneser II (the King of Nineveh in Jonah's time), there was a sudden religious movement which resulted in a change from the worship of many gods to that of one God whom they called Nebo. Nebo was probably the Assyrian name for the Hebrew Elohim (Gen. 1:1). It would seem that in earlier days he had been worshiped as the supreme and only God. To the worship of this God the nation now returned. IV. Fourth Supernatural Element—Its Scientific Accu¬ racy. It has previously been discussed in this study that although the Bible is primarily a spiritual mes¬ sage from God and not specifically a scientific text¬ book, all scientific statements found in the Scriptures must nevertheless be taken literally and at face value. Actually the Bible contains far more specific scientific statements than one might realize. Some of these precepts would include:

815

A. The fact that the earth is spherical. Some seven centuries b.c. the Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote: "It is he that sitteth upon the circle of the earth . . (Isa. 40:22). While it is true that a few Greek philosophers did postulate this as early as 540 b.c., the com¬ mon man held the earth to be flat until the intro¬ duction of the compass and the fifteenth-century voyages of Columbus and Magellan. B. The fact that the earth is suspended in space. The book of Job is thought to be one of the old¬ est in the Bible, written perhaps earlier than 1500 b.c. At this time one of the most advanced "sci¬ entific" theories concerning the earth was that our planet was flat and rested securely upon the back of a gigantic turtle who was slowly plodding through a cosmic sea of some sort. But note the refreshing (and accurate) words of Job: "He stretcheth out the north over the empty place, and hangeth the earth upon nothing" (Job 26:7). All this was not known by the scientists of the world until the writings of Sir Isaac Newton in a.d. 1687. C. The fact that the stars are innumerable. Nearly twenty centuries b.c., God spoke to Abraham one night and said: "Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him. So shall thy seed be" (Gen. 15:5). Abraham must have at first wondered about this. God was promising him to be the founder of a nation whose descendants would be as un¬ countable as the stars. But Abraham could count the stars. There they were—a little under 1200 visible to the naked eye. Was his future nation to be limited to this number? Although we are not told so, he must have reasoned that perhaps there were "a few more" up there that he couldn't see. And he would not be disappointed, for today scientists tell us there are probably as many stars in the heavens as there are grains of sand on all the sea shores of the world. In fact, in a previous conversation with Abraham, God used this very comparison: "And I will make thy seed as the dust of the earth: so that if a man can number the dust of the earth, then shall thy seed also be num¬ bered" (Gen. 13:16). Thus does the Bible describe the heavens. (See also Jer. 33:22; Heb. 11:12.) But what about the scientific opinion of that day? As late as a.d. 150 the famous astronomer Ptolemy dogmatically de¬ clared the number of the stars to be exactly 1056. D. The fact that there are mountains and canyons in the sea. As recently as a century or so ago, the ocean's volume and size was viewed as a watery bowl, which sloped from the coastline gently downward toward the middle, where it was deepest. It then was thought to proceed upward to the other side. Of course we now know this to be totally untrue. Some of the highest mountains and deepest canyons are located on the floor of the Pacific Ocean. In fact, the deepest hole yet found is the Marianas Trench, just off the Philip¬ pines; it is over seven miles deep.

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E.

F.

G.

H.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

But long before ocean science discovered this, the Bible graphically described it. During one of his songs of deliverance, David spoke of the can¬ yons of the sea (2 Sam. 22:16), and a backslidden prophet described the submerged mountains during the world's first submarine trip. (See Jo¬ nah 2:6.) The fact that there are springs and fountains in the sea. Shortly after World War II, research ships discovered many underwater volcanoes. The number is estimated today to be at least 10,000. Further research by Dr. William W. Rubey of the U.S. Geological Survey has shown the present rate of water increase from under¬ water volcanic outlets to be 430 million tons each year. The earth's heat drives the entrapped water from underground molten rock and forces it out through one of these natural openings. This interesting fact is vividly described in at least three Old Testament passages. (See Gen. 7:11; 8:2; Prov. 8:28.) The fact that there are watery paths (ocean cur¬ rents) in the sea. In his booklet Has God Spoken? author A. O. Schnabel writes the following: "David said in Psalms 8:8 that God had sub¬ jected all things to men, including: 'Whatso¬ ever passeth through the paths of the sea.' The Hebrew word 'paths' carries the literal meaning of 'customary roads.' Matthew Fountaine Maury is called 'The Pathfinder of the Seas.' This American is the father of today's oceanography and respon¬ sible for the establishment of Annapolis Academy. A statue of Maury stands in Rich¬ mond, Virginia—charts of the sea in one hand, and Bible in the other. Until Maury's efforts there were no charts or sailing lanes. One day during a temporary illness, his eldest son was reading to him from the Bible, and read Psalms 8:8. Maury stopped him and said, 'Read that again.' After hearing it again, he exclaimed, 'It is enough—if the Word of God says there are paths in the sea, they must be there, and I am going to find them.' Within a few years he had charted the sea lanes and currents. His Physical Geography of the Sea was the first textbook of modern oceanography." (p. 38) The fact of the hydrologic cycle. This would in¬ clude precipitation, evaporation, cloud construc¬ tion, movements of moisture by wind circuits, etc. (See Job 26:8; 36:27, 28; 37:16; 38:25-27; Ps. 135:7; Eccles. 1:6, 7.) The fact that all living things are reproduced af¬ ter their own kind. "And God created great whales, and every liv¬ ing creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly, after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind: and God saw that it was good" (Gen. 1:21). "And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort shalt thou bring into the ark, to keep them alive with thee; they shall be male and female" (Gen. 6:19). For hundreds of years scientists followed the spontaneous generation theory of Aristotle (350

816

They believed eggs of all lower animals (in¬ sects, etc.) were formed out of rotting substance. Frogs and other small sea life, they thought, had their origin in slime pools. In fact, it was not until 1862 that Louis Pasteur proved once for all that there was no such thing as spontaneous genera¬ tion. Then, in 1865, a monk named Johann Men¬ del demonstrated even more forcibly the rigid laws of heredity. But one could learn all this in the first few chapters of the Bible. I. The facts involved in health and sanitation. The great law was given in the Bible by Moses, of course, who established hundreds of rules to govern health and sanitation. Moses grew up in the court of Pharaoh, spending the first forty years of his life there. About this time a famous ancient medical book called The Papyrus Ebers was being written in Egypt. Because of Egypt's role in the world at that time, this work soon achieved fame as the official standard for its day. Actually it was filled with quack cures, old wives' tales, and practically every false superstition of its day. In his book None of These Diseases, author S. McMillen writes: "Several hundred remedies for diseases are advised in the Papyrus Ebers. The drugs in¬ clude 'lizard's blood, swine's teeth, putrid meat, stinking fat, moisture from pig's ears, milk goose grease, asses' hoofs, animal fats from various sources, excreta from animals, including human beings, donkeys, antelopes, dogs, cats, and even flies.' " (p. 11) The point of all the above is simply this— Moses was well acquainted with all the medical knowledge of his day. Yet in all his writings and proven remedies concerning health and sanita¬ tion, he never once even indirectly refers to the false "cures" found in the Papyrus Ebers. Let us now examine what he did prescribe for the health of marching Israel: 1. Concerning sickness. Moses gave compre¬ hensive laws concerning sickness. These in¬ cluded laws for those having leprosy or cases with open sores. He thus laid down rules for the recognition of infected individuals, for quarantine or isolation, and concerning the uncleanness of anything touched by these people. In other words, Moses recorded laws comparable to modern health and sanitation practice in most civilized countries today. Again, to quote from None of These Diseases: "For many hundreds of years the dreaded disease leprosy had killed countless mil¬ lions of people in Europe. The extent of the horrible malady among Europeans is given by Dr. George Rosen, Columbia University professor of Public Health: 'Leprosy cast the greatest blight that threw its shadow over the daily life of me¬ dieval humanity. Not even the Black Death in the fourteenth century . . . pro¬ duced a similar state of fright. . . .' What did the physicians offer to stop the ever-increasing ravages of leprosy? Some taught that it was brought on by eating hot food, pepper, garlic and the b.c.).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE-

meat of diseased hogs. Other physicians said it was caused by malign conjunctions of the planets. Naturally, their sugges¬ tions for prevention were utterly worth¬ less. . . . What [finally] brought the major plagues of the Dark Ages under control? George Rosen gives us the answer: 'Lead¬ ership was taken by the church, as the physicians had nothing to offer. The church took as its guiding principle the concept of contagion as embodied in the Old Testament. . . . This idea and its prac¬ tical consequences are defined with great clarity in the book of Leviticus . . . once the condition of leprosy had been estab¬ lished, the patient was to be segregated and excluded from the community. Fol¬ lowing the precepts laid down in Leviticus the church undertook the task of combat¬ ting leprosy. ... It accomplished the first great feat... in methodical eradication of disease.'" (p. 13) 2. Concerning sanitation. Two quotes from Dr. McMillen are helpful here: ''Up to the close of the eighteenth cen¬ tury, hygenic provisions, even in the great capitals, were quite primitive. It was the rule for excrement to be dumped into the streets which were unpaved and filthy. Powerful stenches gripped villages and cities. It was a heyday for flies as they bred in the filth and spread intestinal dis¬ ease that killed millions. Such waste of human lives that could have been saved if people had only taken seriously God's provision for freeing man of diseases! With one sentence the Book of books pointed the way to deliverance from the deadly epidemics of typhoid, cholera, and dysentery: 'You shall set off a place outside the camp and, when you go out to use it, you must carry a spade among your gear and dig a hole, have easement, and turn to cover the excre¬ ment' (Deut. 23:12, 13, Berkeley)." (p. 15) Dr. McMillen goes on to say that until the beginning of this century there was a fright¬ ful mortality rate in the hospitals of the world due to infection caused by doctors not washing their hands. In the maternity ward alone of the world-famous Vienna Medical Center Hospital, one out of every six women died due to infection. McMillen then writes: "Such mortality would not have occurred if surgeons had only followed the method God gave to Moses regarding the meticu¬ lous method of hand washing and chang¬ ing of clothes after contact with infectious diseases. . . . The Scriptural method speci¬ fied not merely washing in a basin, but repeated washings in running water, with time intervals allowed for drying and ex¬ posure to sun to kill bacteria not washed off." (pp. 17, 18) 3. Concerning circumcision. Some final thoughts from McMillen are extremely ap¬

817

propriate here. In the third chapter of his book he discusses the astonishing scarcity of cervical cancer among Jewish women. Medi¬ cal science has now attributed this blessing to the rite of circumcision practiced by Jew¬ ish males. This simple operation prevents the growth of cancer-producing Smegma bacillus which during physical relations can be trans¬ ferred from the uncircumcised male to the female. McMillen then writes: "There is one final but remarkably unique fact about the matter of circumci¬ sion. In November, 1946, an article in The Journal of the American Medical Association

listed the reasons why circumcision of the newborn male is advisable. Three months later a letter from another specialist ap¬ peared in the same journal. He agreed heartily with the writer of the article on the advantages of circumcision, but he criticized him for failing to mention the safest time to perform the operation. This is a point well taken. L. Emmett Holt and Rustin McIntosh report that a newborn infant has a peculiar susceptibility to bleeding between the second and fifth days of life. ... It is felt that the tendency to hemorrhage is due to the fact that the important blood-clotting element. Vita¬ min K, is not formed until the fifth to the seventh day. ... A second element which is also necessary for the normal clotting of blood is prothrombin. ... It appears (based on data from the science of Pediat¬ rics) that an eight-day old baby has more available prothrombin than on any other day in its entire life. Thus one observes that from a consideration of Vitamin K and prothrombin determinations the per¬ fect day to perform a circumcision is the eighth day." (pp. 21-23) Keeping all this in mind, one simply mar¬ vels at the accuracy of the Book when the following passage is read: "And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee in their genera¬ tions. This is my covenant, which ye shall keep, between me and you and thy seed after thee; Every man child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circum¬ cise the flesh of your foreskin; and it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. And he that is eight days old shall be circumcised among you, every man child in your generations, he that is bom in the house, or bought with money of any stranger, which is not of thy seed" (Gen. 17:9-12). J. The facts concerning the human bloodstream. The Bible is also an accurate commentator on human blood. In Leviticus 17:11, God lays down one of his key statements concerning this sub¬ ject. Here he declares: "For the life of the flesh is in the blood."

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

One searches in vain to read in this ancient Book any reference whatsoever to that false medical practice known as bloodletting which plagued mankind from the fourth century b.c. until the nineteenth century a.d. Only eternity will reveal how many sick individuals were,actu¬ ally killed through this "cure." No other nonbiblical writer understood the nature of the blood. In fact, many scientists (Herophilos, for example, a physician in the medical museum at Alexan¬ dria, Egypt) believed blood to be a carrier of dis¬ ease instead of life. The death of our own George Washington is thought to have been due in part to excessive bloodletting. K. The facts involved in the two laws of thermody¬ namics. Apart from gravity itself, two of the most solid and immutable laws in all physics are the first and second laws of thermodynamics. Albert Einstein himself testified that in all the known universe there is no time or place where the two do not apply. The First Law of Thermodynamics—that of energy conservation. This law states that al¬ though energy can change forms, it cannot be either created or destroyed and therefore the sum total remains constant. Thus no energy is now being created or destroyed anywhere in the known universe. The Second Law of Thermodynamics—that of energy deterioration. This law states that when energy is being transformed from one state to another, some of it is turned into heat energy which cannot be converted back into useful forms. In other words, this universe may be looked upon as a wound-up clock that is slowly running down. These two absolute laws were not fully real¬ ized or established by scientists until around a.d. 1850. Yet there are literally dozens of specific ref¬ erences to these laws in the Word of God. 1. Passages describing the First Law. "Thus the heavens and the earth were finished, and all the host of them. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made; and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made. And God blessed the seventh day, and sanctified it: because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made" (Gen. 2:1-3). "By the word of the Lord were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of his mouth. He gathereth the waters of the sea together as an heap: He layeth up the depth in storehouses. Let all the earth fear the Lord: let all the inhabitants of the world stand in awe of him. For he spake, and it was done; he commanded, and it stood fast" (Ps. 33:6-9). "Of old hast thou laid the foundation of the earth: and the heavens are the work of thy hand" (Ps. 102:25). "For we which have believed do enter into rest, as he said. As I have sworn in

818

my wrath, if they shall enter into my rest: although the works were finished from the foundation of the world. . . . For he that is entered into his rest, he also hath ceased from his own works, as God did from his" (Heb. 4:3, 10). 2. Passages describing the Second Law. "They shall perish, but thou shalt endure: yea, all of them shall wax old like a gar¬ ment: as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed" (Ps. 102:26). "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be com¬ pared with the glory which shall be re¬ vealed in us. For the earnest expectation of the creature waiteth for the manifesta¬ tion of the sons of God. For the creature was made subject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath subjected the same in hope. Because the creature itself also shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children 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 Spirits, even we ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the re¬ demption of our body" (Rom. 8:18-23). "And, Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth; and the heavens are the works of thine hands: They shall perish; but thou remainest; and they all shall wax old as doth a gar¬ ment; and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed: but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail" (Heb. 1:10-12). God brought the First Law into being after the original creation (see Gen. 1:31) and instituted the Second Law after man's fall (Gen. 3:17). Fi¬ nally, it may be assumed that both laws will be rescinded after the great white throne judgment. "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth: and the former shall not be remem¬ bered, nor come into mind" (Isa. 65:17). "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I will make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name remain" (Isa. 66:22). "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3:13). "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea. And I John saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, com¬ ing down from God out of heaven, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of heaven saying. Be¬ hold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and

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the DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

he will dwell with them, and they shall be his people, and God himself shall be with them, and be their God. And God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes; and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, nei¬ ther shall there be any more pain: for the for¬ mer things are passed away. And he that sat upon the throne said. Behold, 1 make all things new. And he said unto me. Write: for these words are true and faithful" (Rev. 21:1-5). Here then are at least twelve scientific princi¬ ples accurately described in the Bible, some of them centuries before man discovered them. Not only does the Word of God include that which is scientifically correct, but it also totally avoids the "scientific" nonsense that is found in all other ancient religious writings. The Egyptians believed the world was hatched from a great cosmic egg. The egg had wings and flew. This resulted in mitosis. They also believed the sun was a reflection of earth's light, and that man sprang from little white worms they found in the slime which oozes after the overflow of the Nile. In the sacred Vedas of India we read: "The moon is 50,000 leagues higher than the sun, and shines by its own light; night is caused by the sun's setting behind a huge mountain, several thousand feet high, located in the center of the earth; that this world, flat and triangular is composed of seven states— one of honey, another of sugar, a third of but¬ ter, and still another of wine, and the whole mass is borne on the heads of countless ele¬ phants which in shaking produce earth¬ quakes." In the Library of the Louvre in Paris there are three and a half miles of obsolete science books. In 1861 the French Academy of Science pub¬ lished a brochure of fifty-one "scientific facts" which supposedly contradicted the Bible. These were used by the atheists of that day in ridiculing Christians. Today all fifty-one of those "facts" are unacceptable to modern scientists. Surely the devout Christian can utter a hearty amen with Dr. James Dwight Dana of Yale Uni¬ versity, probably the most eminent geologist in American history, who once addressed a gradu¬ ating class in these words: "Young men! As you go out into the world to face scientific problems, remember that I, an old man who has known only science all his life long, say to you, that there is nothing truer in all the universe than the scientific statements contained in the Word of God!" V. Fifth Supernatural Element—Its Prophetical Accu¬ racy. One of the acid tests of any religion is its ability to predict the future. In this area (as in all other areas) the Bible reigns supreme. One searches in vain through the pages of other sacred writings to find even a single line of accurate prophecy. Some seven centuries b.c. the Hebrew prophet Isaiah wrote: "Let them . . . shew us what shall happen ... or declare us things for to come. Shew the things that

819

are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods . . (Isa. 41:22, 23). So be it! We now consider the amazingly accurate prophecies under the following categories: A. Prophecies dealing with the nation Israel. 1. Israel would become a great nation (Gen. 12:1-3). 2. Her kings would come out of the tribes of Judah (Gen. 49:10). 3. She would spend 400 years in Egypt (Gen. 15:13). 4. The nation would suffer a civil war (1 Ki. 11:31). 5. The nation would spend seventy years in Babylon (Jer. 25:11; 29:10). 6. She would return (in part) to Jerusalem after the seventy years (Dan. 9:1, 2). 7. Israel would eventually be scattered among the nations of the world (Deut. 28:25, 64; Lev. 26:33). 8. Israel would become a byword among these nations (Deut. 28:37). 9. Israel would loan to many nations, but bor¬ row from none (Deut. 28:12). 10. She would be hounded and persecuted (Deut. 28:65-67). 11. Israel would nevertheless retain her identity (Lev. 26:44; Jer. 46:28). 12. She would remain alone and aloof among the nations (Num. 23:9). 13. Israel would reject her Messiah (Isa. 53). 14. Because of this, her enemies would dwell in her land (Lev. 26:32; Lk. 21:24). 15. Jerusalem would be destroyed (Lk. 19:41-44; 21:20). 16. Israel would, in spite of all these things, en¬ dure forever (Gen. 17:7; Isa. 66:22; Jer. 31:35, 36; Mt. 24:34). 17. Israel would return to Palestine in the latter days prior to the Second Coming of Christ (Deut. 30:3; Ezek. 36:24; 37:1-14; 38:1— 39:29). B. Prophecies dealing with various Gentile nations. 1. Edom. Esau, Jacob's brother, was the founder of the nation Edom (see Gen. 36). Years after his death, Edom refused to help Israel, the nation founded by Jacob (see Num. 20) and actually delighted in persecuting God's peo¬ ple. Because of this, God pronounced doom upon Edom. According to various biblical prophecies: a. Their commerce was to cease. b. Their race was to become extinct. c. Their land was to be desolate (Jer. 49:17, 18; Ezek. 35:3-7; Obadiah; Mai. 1:4). All this has taken place in spite of her un¬ believably strong fortified capital, Petra. In a.d. 636 Petra was captured by Mohammed, and shortly after this Petra and Edom drop from the pages of history. 2. Babylon. Babylon was the first of four world powers mentioned in Daniel 2:31-43 and 7:1-8. Daniel prophesied the demise of mighty Babylon, as did Isaiah (13:17-19) and

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4.

5.

6.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

become a world power. This prophecy has been fulfilled to the last letter. 7. Russia. See Ezekiel 38:39. (Russia will be treated under that section dealing with prophecies concerning last-day conditions.) C. Prophecies dealing with specific cities. 1. Tyre. Ezekiel's prophecy in chapter 26 con¬ cerning the city of Tyre is surely one of the greatest in the entire Bible. Tyre was actually two cities, one on the coastline, some sixty miles northwest from Jerusalem, and the other on an island, a half mile out in the Mediterranean Sea. In this prophecy, Ezekiel predicts: a. The Babylonian king, Nebuchadnezzar, was to capture the city. b. Other nations would later participate in Tyre's destruction. c. The city was to be scrapped and made flat, like the top of a rock. d. It was to become a place for the spread¬ ing of nets. e. Its stones and timber were to be laid in the sea (Zech. 9:3, 4). f. The city was never to be rebuilt. Has all this taken place? Consider the fol¬ lowing historical facts: Ezekiel wrote all this around 590 b.c. Some four years later, 586 b.c., Nebuchadnezzar surrounded the city of Tyre. The siege lasted thirteen years and in 573 b.c. the coastal city was destroyed. But he could not capture the island city. During the next 241 years the is¬ land city of Tyre dwelt in safety and would have doubtless ridiculed Ezekiel's prophecy concerning total destruction. But in 332 b.c. Alexander the Great arrived upon the scene and the island city was doomed. Alexander built a bridge leading from the coastline to the island by throwing the debris of the old city into the water. In doing this he literally scraped the coastline clean. (Some years ago an American archae¬ ologist named Edward Robinson discovered forty or fifty marble columns beneath the water along the shores of ancient Tyre.) After a seven-month siege, Alexander took the island city and destroyed it. From this point on, the surrounding coastal area has been used by local fishermen to spread and dry their nets. Tyre has never been rebuilt in spite of the well-known nearby freshwater springs of Roselain, which yield some 10,000 gallons of water daily. 2. Jericho. In the sixth chapter of Joshua we see described the fall of Jericho's walls and the subsequent destruction of the city. Immedi¬ ately after this, Joshua makes an amazing threefold prophecy about this fallen city: a. That Jericho would be rebuilt again by one man. b. That the builder7s oldest son would die when the work on the city had begun. c. That the builder's youngest son would

Jeremiah (51:11). This literally happened on the night of October 13, 539 b.c., when Da¬ rius the Median captured the city by divert¬ ing the course of the Euphrates River which had flowed under the walls of the city. (See Dan. 5.) Media-Persia. One of the most remarkable passages on prophecy is found in Daniel 8:1-7, 20, 21, written beside a river in 551 b.c. In a vision Daniel is told of a series of battles that would not take place until some 217 years later. Here the prophet describes for us the crushing defeats of Darius III (here pic¬ tured as a ram) by the Greek Alexander the Great (symbolized as a he-goat). This took place in three decisive battles—Granicus, in 334 B.c.; Issus, in 333 b.c.; and Gaugamela, in 331 b.c. Greece. In this same chapter, Daniel predicts the dissolution of the Greek empire (upon the death of Alexander) into four smaller and separate powers, each ruled over by one of his generals (Dan. 7:6; 8:8, 20, 21). This hap¬ pened in exact detail in 301 b.c. after Alex¬ ander died of a raging fever at the age of thirty-three in Babylon. Rome. In Daniel 2:40, 41 we read: "And the fourth kingdom shall be as strong as iron: forasmuch as iron breaketh all these, shall it break in pieces and bruise. And whereas thou sawest the feet and toes, part of potter7s clay, and part of iron, the kingdom shall be divided. . . ." Here Daniel rightly predicted that Rome, the fourth kingdom (which would come into power between the times of Nebuchadnezzar and Christ) should be "as strong as iron." And so Rome was. By 300 b.c. Rome had become a major power in the Mediterranean world. By 200 b.c., she had conquered Car¬ thage, her archenemy. In 63 b.c., the Roman general Pompey entered Jerusalem. Daniel noted in his prophecy, however, that, "The kingdom shall be divided." This, of course, happened in a.d. 364. Egypt. Some 600 years before Christ, the prophet Ezekiel wrote: ",.. The word of the Lord came unto me, saying . . . set thy face against Pharaoh king of Egypt, and prophesy against him, and against all Egypt. It shall be the basest of the kingdoms; neither shall it exalt it¬ self any more above the nations: for I will diminish them, that they shall no more rule over the nations" (Ezek. 29:1, 2, 15). The history of Egypt is, of course, one of the oldest in recorded Western civilization. The country was united into a single king¬ dom about 3200 b.c. and was ruled by a suc¬ cession of dynasties down to the time of Alexander the Great, who conquered Egypt in 332 b.c. We note that Ezekiel does not pre¬ dict the disappearance of Egypt, as he did concerning Edom (35:3-7), but simply the demise of Egypt. The prophecy was that Egypt would be cut short and never again

820

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the DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

die when the work was completed. (See Josh. 6:26.) Joshua uttered those words around 1450 b.c. Did all this happen? Some five centuries after this, in 930 b.c., we are told: That a man named Hiel from Bethel re¬ built Jericho. That as he laid the foundations, his oldest son, Abiram, died. That when he completed the gates, his youngest son, Segub, died. (See 1 Ki. 16:34.) 3. Nineveh (Nahum 1-3). During the time of Jonah, God had spared the wicked city of Nineveh by using that Hebrew prophet (after an unpleasant submarine trip) to preach re¬ pentance. But the city had soon returned to its evil ways. So around 650 b.c., another prophet, Nahum, predicted the complete overthrow of Nineveh. At the time of this prophecy, Nineveh ap¬ peared to be impregnable; her walls were one hundred feet high and broad enough for chariots to drive upon. The city had a cir¬ cumference of sixty miles and was adorned by more than 1,200 strong towers. In spite of all this, the city fell, less than forty years after Nahum's prophecy. An alli¬ ance of Medes and Babylonians broke through her walls during August of 612 b.c., after a two-month siege. The victory was due in part to the releasing of the city's water supply by traitors within. The destruction was so total that Alexander the Great marched his troops over the desolate ground which had once given support to her mighty buildings, and never knew there had once been a city there. 4. Jerusalem (Mt. 24:1, 2; Lk. 19:41-44; 21:2024). These sad words were uttered by Jesus himself. He predicted Jerusalem would be destroyed, her citizens would be slaughtered, and her Temple would be completely wrecked, with not one stone left upon an¬ other. This all literally happened less than forty years later. In February of a.d. 70, the Roman general Titus surrounded Jerusalem with 80,000 men to crush a revolt that had begun some five years back. In April of that year he began the siege in earnest. Conditions soon became desperate within the city walls. Women ate their own children, and grown men fought to the death over a piece of bird's dung for food! Finally, in September of the same year, the walls were battered down and the slaughter began. When the smoke had cleared, over a half-million Jews lay dead. A number of these had been crucified by Titus. Eventually the Temple was leveled and the ground under it plowed up, just as our Lord had predicted. D. Prophecies dealing with particular individuals. 1. Josiah. The following incident concerns a wicked Israelite king named Jeroboam:

821

"As Jeroboam approached the altar to bum incense to the golden calf-idol, a prophet of the Lord from Judah walked up to him. Then, at the Lord's command, the prophet shouted, 'O altar, the Lord says that a child named Josiah shall be born into the family line of David, and he shall sacrifice upon you the priests from the shrines on the hills who come here to bum incense; and men's bones shall be burned upon you' " (1 Ki. 13:1, 2, TLB). This all took place in 975 b.c. Some 350 years went by; then in 624 b.c., we are told of the actions of a new king of Israel: "He also tore down the altar and shrine at Bethel which Jeroboam I had made when he led Israel into sin. He crushed the stones to dust and burned the shameful idol of Asherah. As Josiah was looking around, he noticed several graves in the side of the mountain. He ordered his men to bring out the bones in them and to bum them there upon the altar at Bethel to defile it, just as the Lord's prophet had declared would happen to Jeroboam's al¬ tar" (2 Ki. 23:15, 16, TLB). 2. Cyrus. Perhaps the greatest Old Testament prophet was Isaiah. For some sixty-two years this eloquent and godly man wrote and preached. But even though Jerusalem was at rest when he ministered, Isaiah predicted her captivity (as did also Jeremiah; see Jer. 25:12; 29:10) and subsequent restoration. "That saith of Cyrus, He is my shepherd, and shall perform all my pleasure: even saying to Jerusalem, Thou shalt be built; and to the temple. Thy foundation shall be laid" (Isa. 44:28). Isaiah penned these words around 712 b.c. By 606 b.c., Nebuchadnezzar, the Babylonian king, had captured Jerusalem and had led many captive Jews (see Ps. 137) into his capi¬ tal. For seventy long years they remained here. This was all predicted, of course, by Jeremiah (Jer. 25:12; 29:10). Then, in 536 b.c., the miracle happened. The prophet Ezra tells us: ". . . that the Word of the Lord . . . might be fulfilled, the Lord stirred up the spirit of Cyrus . . . that he made a proclamation throughout all his kingdom, and put it also in writing, saying. Thus saith Cyrus . . . The Lord God of heaven hath . . . charged me to build an house at Jerusa¬ lem, which is in Judah" (Ezra 1:1, 2). So then, Isaiah rightly predicted that Cyrus would allow the Jews to return and rebuild their Temple in Jerusalem 176 years before it happened. 3. Alexander the Great. Although Daniel does not refer to him by name, there seems little doubt that Alexander is the "he-goat" men¬ tioned in Daniel 8:3-8. Alexander was the first real world con¬ queror. He crossed the Hellespont in the spring of 334 b.c. and soon met and crushed

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

19. He would be the rejected cornerstone (cf. Ps. 118:22, 23 with Mt. 21:42). 20. His miracles would not be believed (cf. Isa. 53:1 with Jn. 12:37, 38). 21. His friend would betray him for thirty pieces of silver (cf. Ps. 41:9; 55:12-14; Zech. 11:12, 13 with Mt. 26:14-16, 21-25). 22. He would be a man of sorrows (cf. Isa. 53:3 with Mt. 26:37, 38). 23. He would be forsaken by his disciples (cf. Zech. 13:7 with Mt. 26:31, 56). 24. He would be scourged and spat upon (cf. Isa. 50:6 with Mt. 26:67; 27:26). 25. His price money would be used to buy a pot¬ ter's field (cf. Jer. 18:1-4; 19:1-3; Zech. 11:12, 13 with Mt. 27:9, 10). 26. He would be crucified between two thieves (cf. Isa. 53:12 with Mt. 27:38; Mk. 15:27, 28; Lk. 22:37). 27. He would be given vinegar to drink (cf. Ps. 69:21 with Mt. 27:34, 48). 28. He would suffer the piercing of his hands and feet (cf. Ps. 22:16; Zech. 12:10 with Mk. 15:25; Jn. 19:34, 37; 20:25-27). 29. His garments would be parted and gambled for (cf. Ps. 22:18 with Lk. 23:34; Jn. 19:23, 24). 30. He would be surrounded and ridiculed by his enemies (cf. Ps. 22:7, 8 with Mt. 27:39-44; Mk. 15:29-32). 31. He would thirst (cf. Ps. 22:15 with Jn. 19:28). 32. He would commend his spirit to the Father (cf. Ps. 31:5 with Lk. 23:46). 33. His bones would not be broken (cf. Ex. 12:46; Num. 9:12; Ps. 34:20 with Jn. 19:33-36). 34. He would be stared at in death (cf. Zech. 12:10 with Mt. 27:36; Jn. 19:37). 35. He would be buried with the rich (cf. Isa. 59:9 with Mt. 27:57-60). 36. He would be raised from the dead (cf. Ps. 16:10 with Mt. 28:2-7). 37. He would ascend (cf. Ps. 24:7-10 with Mk. 16:19; Lk. 24:50). VI. Sixth Supernatural Element—Its Universal Influence Upon Civilization. A. Western civilization is founded directly upon the Bible and its teachings. Its very manner of life had its origin in Acts 16:9, when Paul, obedient to his heavenly vision, directed his second mis¬ sionary journey toward Europe instead of Asia and the East. B. The world's calendar and most of its holidays stem from the Bible. C. It was the Bible which elevated the blood-drink¬ ing savages of the British Isles to decency. D. The Bible has influenced, if not directed, the ad¬ vancement of all fine arts. 1. Literature. Ruskin quotes over 5,000 scrip¬ tural references in his writings. Milton's greatest works are rooted in the Word of God, as are Shakespeare's and those of oth¬ ers such as Coleridge, Scott, Pope, Bryant, Longfellow, Kipling, Carlyle, Macaulay, Hawthorne, Irving, and Thoreau, to name a few. 2. Art. Many world-famous paintings depicting well-known scenes in the Bible are preserved

the Persian troops at the battle of Issus in 333 b.c. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tells us that when Alexander approached Jerusalem, he was met at the gates by the high priest, who thereupon proceeded to show him that his victories over the Persians had all been prophesied by Daniel in 553, some 220 years in advance. The Greek warrior was report¬ edly so impressed at all this that he wor¬ shiped the high priest and spared Jerusalem. 4. Antiochus Epiphanes. Like Alexander, Antiochus is not mentioned by name, but is surely referred to in Daniel 8:9-14. Antio¬ chus was a bloodthirsty, Jew-hating Syrian general who conquered Palestine in 167 b.c. He then entered the Temple Holy of Holies and horribly desecrated it by slaughtering a hog on the altar! Daniel foresaw this terrible event some 386 years before it happened. 5. John the Baptist. In Isaiah 40:3-5, the prophet correctly describes the future mes¬ sage of John the Baptist 700 years in advance. (See also Mt. 3:1-3.) E. Prophecies fulfilled by our Lord during his earthly ministry. In the Old Testament there are some thirty-seven basic prophecies concerning the earthly ministry of the anticipated Savior. While upon this earth, Jesus Christ fulfilled every single prediction. Consider the following texts: 1. He would be bom of a virgin (cf. Isa. 7:14 with Mt. 1:22, 23). 2. He would be given the throne of David (cf. 2 Sam. 7:12, 13 with Lk. 1:31). 3. He would be called Emmanuel (cf. Isa. 7:14 with Mt. 1:23). 4. He would be rejected by his own (cf. Isa. 53:3 with Jn. 1:11; 7:5). 5. He would have a forerunner (cf. Isa. 40:3-5; Mai. 3:1 with Mt. 3:1-3; Lk. 1:76-78; 3:3-6). 6. He would be bom in Bethlehem (cf. Micah 5:2, 3 with Mt. 2:5, 6). 7. He would be visited by the magi and pre¬ sented with gifts (cf. Isa. 60:3, 6, 9 with Mt. 2:11). 8. He would be in Egypt for a season (cf. Hosea 11:1 with Mt. 2:15). 9. His birthplace would suffer a massacre of in¬ fants (cf. Jer. 31:5 with Mt. 2:17, 18). 10. He would be called a Nazarene (cf. Isa. 11:1 with Mt. 2:23). 11. He would be zealous for his father (cf. Ps. 69:9 with Jn. 2:13-17). 12. He would be filled with God's Spirit (cf. Isa. 61:1-3; 11:2 with Lk. 4:18, 19). 13. He would be a light to the Gentiles (cf. Isa. 42:1-3, 6, 7 with Mt. 4:13-16; 12:18-21). 14. He would heal many (cf. Isa. 53:4 with Mt. 8:16, 17). 15. He would deal gently with the Gentiles (cf. Isa. 9:1, 2; 42:1-3 with Mt. 12:17-21). 16. He would speak in parables (cf. Isa. 6:9, 10 with Mt. 13:10-15). 17. He would make a triumphal entry into Jeru¬ salem (cf. Zech. 9:9 with Mt. 21:4, 5). 18. He would be praised by little children (cf. Ps. 8:2 with Mt. 21:16).

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THE DOCTRINE OF THE BIBLE ~

today. These paintings can be found in every important museum on earth. They have been done by the greatest and most talented artists of all time. These would include Leo¬ nardo da Vinci, Rembrandt, Raphael, Mi¬ chelangelo, and others. 3. Music. The Bible has produced more inspir¬ ing music than all other combined books in the world. Bach—History has concluded that Johann Sebastian Bach "anticipated every important [musical] idea that has been born since his day. He is the inspiration of the pianist, the organist, and the composer." Bach was a zealous Lutheran who devoted most of his genius to church-centered music. Also con¬ sider Mendelssohn—author of "St. Paul, Elijah" Brahms—"Requiem" Beethoven—"Mt. of Olives," "Samson and Delilah" Handel—"Messiah" (he quotes from fif¬ teen books of the Bible) Haydn—"The Creation" E. The Bible has produced the law of the Western world. Early attempts of governing forms such as the English common law, the Bill of Rights, the Magna Carta, and our own Constitution are all rooted in God's gift to Moses on Mt. Sinai, the Ten Commandments. VII. Seventh Supernatural Element—Its Care and Copy. A. No book in history has been copied as many times with as much care as has been the Word of God. The Talmud lists the following rules for copying the Old Testament: 1. The parchment had to be made from the skin of a clean animal, prepared by a Jew only, and was to be fastened by strings from clean animals. 2. Each column must have no less than fortyeight or more than sixty lines. 3. The ink must be of no other color than black, and had to be prepared according to a special recipe. 4. No word nor letter could be written from memory; the scribe must have an authentic copy before him, and he had to read and pro¬ nounce aloud each word before writing it. 5. He had to reverently wipe his pen each time before writing the Word of God, and had to wash his whole body before writing the sa¬ cred name Jehovah. 6. One mistake on a sheet condemned the sheet; if three mistakes were found on any page, the entire manuscript was condemned. 7. Every word and every letter was counted, and if a letter were omitted, an extra letter inserted, or if one letter touched another, the manuscript was condemned and destroyed at once. The old rabbi gave the solemn warning to each young scribe: "Take heed how thou dost do thy work, for thy work is the work of heaven; lest thou drop or add a letter of a manuscript and so become a destroyer of the world!"

823

The scribe was also told that while he was writing if even a king would enter the room and speak with him, the scribe was to ignore him until he finished the page he was work¬ ing on, lest he make a mistake. In fact, some texts were actually annotated—that is, each letter was individually counted. Thus in copying the Old Testament they would note that the letter aleph (first letter in the Hebrew alphabet) occurred 42,377 times, and so on. According to Westcott and Hort, the points in which we cannot be sure of the original words are insignificant in proportion to the bulk of the whole, some 1/1000. Thus only one letter out of 1,580 in the Old Testa¬ ment is open to question, and none of these uncertainties would change in the slightest any doctrinal teaching. B. Today there are almost 5,000 ancient Greek manuscripts of the New Testament. This perhaps does not seem like many, until one considers that: 1. Fifteen hundred years after Herodotus wrote his history there was only one copy in the entire world. 2. Twelve hundred years after Plato wrote his classic, there was only one manuscript. 3. Today there exist but a few manuscripts of Sophocles, Euripedes, Virgil, and Cicero. VIII. Eighth Supernatural Element—Its Amazing Circula¬ tion. When David Hume said, "I see the twilight of Christianity and the Bible," he was much confused, for he could not tell the sunrise from the sunset! A. Only one-half of one percent of all books pub¬ lished survive seven years. Eighty percent of all books are forgotten in one year. For example, let us imagine that during this year, 200 new books are published in America. Statistics show that by next year only forty of these 200 will remain. At the end of the seventh year, of the original 200, only one lonely book will survive. What other ancient religious book can even remotely be compared to the Bible? Where could one go today to purchase a copy of Zen Vedas, or the Egyptian Book of the Dead? In fact, dozens of religions which once flourished have simply dis¬ appeared from the face of the earth without leav¬ ing the slightest trace. But the smallest child can walk into almost any bookstore in America and pick up a copy of the Word of God. IX. Ninth Supernatural Element—Its Absolute Honesty. Perhaps no other single statement so completely summarizes the Bible as does the following: "The Bible is not a book that man could write if he would, or would write if he could." Let us analyze this one section at a time. "Man could not write the Bible if he would." Even if a man had all the necessary spirituality he could not know the facts involved in the historical, scien¬ tific, and prophetical statements we have previously seen in the Bible. Thus, without God's direction the Bible is not a book that man could write if he would. "Man would not write the Bible if he could." Sup¬ pose God would give sinful man all the necessary facts and abilities to write the Bible. What then? Man still would not write it correctly if he could. Note the following reasons:

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

A. Because of the bad things God writes about some of his friends. Here five men immediately come to mind. Most of these individuals are mentioned in the Faith Hall of Fame (Hebrews 11). 1. Noah—indeed a man of God. He walked with God, he was a just man (Gen. 6:9), and he obeyed God (Heb. 11:7). Yet after the flood this great hero of the faith gets dead drunk and exposes his nakedness and shame to his entire family (Gen. 9:20-24). Surely a mere human author would not have written all this. 2. Moses—the meekest man in all the earth during his time (Num. 12:3), and a leader who single-handedly led an entire nation of enslaved Hebrews out of captivity in Egypt. But en route to Palestine we read of his anger and direct disobedience to the clearly re¬ vealed Word of God. (See Num. 20:7-12.) Surely man would have eliminated this part of Moses' record. 3. David—without exception the grandest hu¬ man king who ever sat upon a throne. God himself would testify that here was a man after his own heart. (See 1 Sam. 13:14; 16:7, 12, 13.) David's fearlessness (1 Sam. 17:34-36, 49), love for God (Ps. 18,103, etc.), and kindness (1 Sam. 24:6, 7) were univer¬ sally known. But in 2 Samuel 11 this same king is accurately accused of lust, adultery, lying, and cold-blooded murder. Who but God would write in such a manner? 4. Elijah—few other Old Testament prophets are as colorful and exciting as Elijah the Tishbite. In 1 Kings 18, he champions the cause of God against 450 priests of Satan, but in the very next chapter he is pictured as running for his very life from a mere woman. 5. Peter—self-appointed spokesman for Christ who so confidently assured the Savior that, "Though all men shall be offended because of thee, yet will I never be offended" (Mt. 26:33). But in the hour of Jesus' great need we read of Peter: "Then began he to curse and to swear, saying, I know not the man" (Mt. 26:74). B. Because of the good things God writes about some of his enemies. As we have already seen, on many occasions God records bad things about his friends, and he often mentions good things about his enemies. This can be seen in the ac¬ counts of Esau (Gen. 33); Artaxerxes (Neh. 2); Darius (Dan. 6); Gamaliel (Acts 5:34-39); Julius (Acts 27:1-3); etc. The point of all the above is simply this—the Bible is not an edited book. God literally "tells it like it is."

Human authors, however sincere, simply do not con¬ sistently write this way. C. Because of certain doctrines repugnant to the natural mind. Many examples could be listed here, but the following three will demonstrate this: 1. The doctrine of eternal hell. (See Rev. 14:10, 11.) 2. The doctrine of man's total helplessness. (See Rom. 7:18; Eph. 2:8, 9.) 3. The doctrine of final judgment upon saved and unsaved. (See 1 Cor. 3:9-15; Rev. 20:11-15.) X. Tenth Supernatural Element—Its Life-Transforming Power. According to an ancient proverb—"The proof of the pudding is in the eating." So it is. Undoubtedly the greatest proof of all that the Bible is indeed God s Word is its amazing ability to change corrupt human¬ ity. The Bible is a beautiful palace built of sixty-six blocks of solid marble—the sixty-six books. In the first chapter of Genesis we enter the vestibule, filled with the mighty acts of creation. The vestibule gives access to the law courts—the five books of Moses—passing through which we come to the picture gallery of the historical books. Here we find hung upon the walls scenes of battlefields, representations of heroic deeds, and portraits of eminent men belonging to the early days of the world's history. Beyond the picture gallery we find the philosopher's chamber—the book of Job—passing through which we en¬ ter the music room—the book of Psalms—where we listen to the grandest strains that ever fell on human ears. Then we come to the business office—the book of Prov¬ erbs—where right in the center of the room, stands facing us the motto, "Righteousness exalteth a nation, but sin is a reproach to any people." From the business office we pass into the chapel—Eccle¬ siastes, or the Song of Solomon with the rose of sharon and the lily of the valley, and all manner of fine perfume and fruit and flowers and singing birds. Finally we reach the observatory—the prophets, with their telescopes fixed on near and distant stars, and all directed toward "the Bright and Morning Star," that was soon to arise. Crossing the court we come to the audience chamber of the King—the Gospels—where we find four vivid lifelike portraits of the King himself. Next we enter the workroom of the Holy Spirit—the Acts of the Apostles—and beyond that the correspondence room—the epistles—where we see Paul and Peter and James and John and Jude busy at their desks. Before leaving we stand a moment in the outside gallery_the Revelation—where we look upon some striking pictures of the judgments to come, and the glories to be revealed, concluding with an awe-inspiring picture of the throne room of the King.

824

THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY

THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY I. The Rapture of the Church. A. The meaning of the word "rapture." The term is derived from the Latin verb rapere, which means "to transport from one place to another." Thus the next great scheduled event predicted by the Bible will take place when the Lord Jesus comes in the air to catch up his own. Several key pas¬ sages bring this out: "For this we say to you by the word of the Lord, that we who are alive, and remain until the coming of the Lord, shall not precede those who have fallen asleep. For the Lord Himself will descend from heaven with a shout, with the voice of the archangel, and with the trumpet of God; and the dead in Christ shall rise first. Then we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air, and thus we shall always be with the Lord" (1 Thess. 4:15-17, NASB). "Behold, I shew you a mystery; We shall not all sleep, but we shall all be changed, in a moment, in the twinkling of an eye, at the last trump: for the trumpet shall sound, and the dead shall be raised incorruptible, and we shall be changed. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality" (1 Cor. 15:51-53). B. The participants of the rapture. For whom will Jesus come? It is the view of this theological sum¬ mary that Christ will come again for his church, which is composed of all saved people from Pen¬ tecost up to the rapture itself. The actual partici¬ pants of the rapture include: 1. The Lord Jesus himself. 2. The archangel (perhaps Michael; see Dan. 10:13, 21; 12:1; Jude 9; Rev. 12:7). 3. The bodies of dead believers: "for this cor¬ ruptible must put on incorruption." 4. The translated bodies of living believers: "and this mortal must put on immortality." C. The false views of the rapture. 1. That the rapture is the same as the Second Coming of Christ. False. At the rapture Jesus comes for his church in the air, while at the Second Coming he comes with his people to the earth. See Jude 14, 15; Revelation 19:11-16. 2. That the rapture will include only "spiritual" Christians, and that carnal Christians will be left behind to endure the tribulation. This

825

theory is refuted by one little word in 1 Co¬ rinthians 15:51, where Paul says that "we shall all be changed." This false view is often called the "partial rapture" theory. 3. That the rapture will not occur until the mid¬ dle of the tribulation, thus forcing the entire church to go through the first three and a half years of God's wrath. This theory is called mid-tribulationism, and is refuted by Paul in 1 Thessalonians 5:9, where he says, "For God hath not appointed us to wrath. . . ." 4. That the rapture will not occur until the end of the tribulation. This is known as posttribulationism, and is refuted by 1 Thessalo¬ nians 5:9 and Revelation 3:10. The New Testament pictures the Church as the body and bride of Christ. If the mid-tribula¬ tion or post-tribulation view were correct, then a part of this body would suffer amputation, and a section of the bride would be left behind. In ad¬ dition to this, one would be forced to conclude that all bodies of carnal departed Christians would likewise be left in the grave. This simply is not the clear teaching of the Word of God. The Bible teaches that the rapture is pre-tribulational in nature and includes all believers. See Romans 5:9 and 1 Thessalonians 1:10. Perhaps the strongest proof of this statement is the fact that up to chapter 6 of Revelation the church is mentioned many times, but from chapter 6 to chapter 19 (the period of the tribulation) there is no mention whatsoever of the church on earth. In fact, the only godly group which Satan can find to persecute is the nation Israel! See Revela¬ tion chapter 12. In Revelation 4:1 John declares, "After this I looked, and, behold, a door was opened in heaven: and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me; which said. Come up hither. . . We are told that Christians are God's ambassadors on earth (2 Cor. 5:20) and that he will someday declare war on this earth. The first thing a king or president does after he declares war on another country is to call his am¬ bassadors home! Thus we conclude that the church will escape the tribulation. D. The purpose of the rapture. 1. To judge and reward the church of God. "For we must all appear before the judg¬ ment seat of Christ; that everyone may receive the things done in his body . . . whether it be good or bad" (2 Cor. 5:10).

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

thou mayest use them for the calling of

2. To remove the Spirit of God. "For the mystery of lawlessness is already

the assembly . . . and when they shall

at work; only he who now restrains will

blow with them, all the assembly shall as¬

do so until he is taken out of the way"

semble themselves to thee at the door of

(2 Thess. 2:7, NASB). Many theologians believe the "he" in this

the tabernacle. Regarding the rapture trumpet, Numbers 10:4 seems to be especially significant:

verse is a reference to the Holy Spirit. Thus

"If they blow but with one trumpet, then the princes, which are heads of the thou¬

the Spirit of God has been acting as a divine dam, faithfully holding back the waters of

sands of Israel, shall gather themselves

sin. But at the rapture his blessed influence

unto thee." At the rapture

will be removed to a large extent in order to prepare the way for the tribulation.

only

one

trumpet

is

sounded, suggesting that in God's sight all

E. The mystery of the rapture. In 1 Corinthians

believers occupy a place of utmost impor¬

15:51 Paul declares, "Behold, I show you a mys¬

tance. We are all "head princes" in the mind

tery. . . ." What is this secret of the Savior? Let us

of God. G. The Old Testament foreshadowing of the rap¬

suppose you began reading the Bible in Genesis chapter 1, and read through 1 Corinthians chap¬

ture. 1. Seen in Enoch, who was taken from the

ter 14. If you stopped your reading here, you would already have learned about many impor¬

world before the Flood judgment (Gen. 5:24).

tant facts, such as creation, man's sin, the flood,

2. Seen in Lot, who was removed from Sodom

Bethlehem, Calvary, the resurrection, and of the

before the fire judgment (Gen. 19:22-24).

existence of heaven and hell.

H. The challenge of the rapture. Because of this glo¬

But you would be forced to conclude that a

rious coming event, the child of God is instructed

Christian could get to heaven only after physi¬

to do many things. 1. He is to attend the services of the Lord regu¬

cally dying. You would of course note the two exceptions of Enoch (Gen. 5:24) and Elijah (2 Ki. 2:11), but apart from these it would be clear that

larly. ", . . not forsaking the assembling of our¬

believers have to travel the path of the grave to

selves together, as the manner of some is;

reach the goal of glory. But now the secret is out, and here it is: mil¬

but exhorting one another; and so much

lions of Christians will someday reach heaven

(Heb. 10:25). 2. He is to observe the Lord's Supper with the

the more, as ye see the day approaching"

without dying. "Behold, 1 show you a mystery; we

shall not all

sleep, but we shall all be

rapture in mind. "For as often as ye eat this bread, and

changed" (1 Cor. 15:51). This, then, is the mys¬ tery of the rapture. F. The trumpet of the rapture. In at least three bib¬

drink this cup, ye do show the Lord's

lical passages concerning the rapture, a trumpet is mentioned (1 Cor. 15:52; 1 Thess. 4:16; Rev.

3. He is to love believers and all men. "And the Lord make you to increase and

4:1). How are we to understand this? Dr. J.

abound in love one toward another, and

Dwight Pentecost writes, "The phrase 'the trump

toward all men ... to the end he may

of God' is significant, for in the Old Testament

stablish your hearts ... at the coming of

the trumpet was used for two things—to sum¬

our Lord Jesus Christ with all his saints"

death till he come" (1 Cor. 11:26).

mon to battle and to summon to worship." (J.

(1 Thess. 3:12, 13).

Dwight Pentecost, Prophecy for Today, p. 30) Which of the two meanings, however, is in¬

4. He is to be patient. "Be ye also patient; stablish your hearts;

volved at the rapture? Dr. Pentecost suggests that

for the coming of the Lord draweth nigh"

both meanings are in mind, one directed toward angels and the other to believers. 1. To angels the trumpet blast will mean "Pre¬

0as. 5:8). 5. He is to live a separated life. ". . . we know that, when he shall appear,

pare for battle!" According to various New

we shall be like him, for we shall see him

Testament passages (Jn. 14:30; Eph. 6:12;

as he is. And every man that hath this

1 Jn. 5:19) this present world lies in the hands

hope in him purifieth himself . . ." (1 Jn.

of the evil one, the devil, and the very atmo¬ sphere is filled with his wicked power and

3:2, 3). ". . . denying ungodliness and worldly

presence. Satan will obviously resist believ¬

lusts, we should live soberly, righteously,

ers being caught up through his domain and

and godly, in this present world; looking

becoming freed from his wicked worldly sys¬

for that blessed hope, and the glorious ap¬

tem. Therefore, the trumpet commands the

pearing of the great God and our Saviour

angels, "Prepare for battle! Clear the way for the catching up of those resurrected bodies

Jesus Christ" (Titus 2:12, 13). "And now, little children, abide in him,

and those living believers!"

that, when he shall appear, we may have confidence, and not be ashamed before

2. To all believers the trumpet blast will mean

him at his coming" (1 Jn. 2:28).

"Prepare to worship!" In Numbers 10:1-3 we read, "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying,

6. He is to refrain from judging others. "Therefore judge nothing before the time,

'Make thee two trumpets of silver . . . that

until the Lord come, who both will bring

826

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts; and then shall every man have praise of God" (1 Cor. 4:5). 7. He is to preach the Word. "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; preach the word . . ." (2 Tim. 4:1, 2). "Feed the flock of God . . . and when the chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall receive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:2, 4). 8. He is to comfort the bereaved. "For the Lord himself shall descend from heaven . . . wherefore comfort one an¬ other with these words" (1 Thess. 4:16, 18). 9. He is to win souls. "Keep yourselves in the love of God, looking for the mercy of our Lord Jesus Christ unto eternal life. And of some have compassion, making a difference: and others save with fear, pulling them out of the fire . . (Jude 21-23). 10. He is to be concerned with heaven. "If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God. Set your affection on things above, not on things on the earth. For ye are dead, and your life is hid with Christ in God. When Christ, who is our life, shall appear, then shall ye also appear with him in glory" (Col. 3:1-4). I. The effect of the rapture. What will be the reaction of a sin-sick society when millions of people suddenly disappear? Certainly the believers will be missed. It is evident from the Bible that the sudden disappearance of both Enoch and Elijah (two Old Testament types of the rapture) caused considerable confusion and alarm among their friends. How much more confu¬ sion and alarm will come from the sudden and mys¬ terious disappearance of literally millions of men and women, boys and girls! II. The Bema—The Judgment Seat of Christ. A. The meaning of the bema judgment. The Greek word bema (translated "judgment seat" in the King James Version) was a familiar term to the people of Paul's day. Dr. Lehman Strauss writes: "In the large Olympic arenas, there was an ele¬ vated seat on which the judge of the contest sat. After the contests were over, the success¬ ful competitors would assemble before the bema to receive their rewards or crowns. The bema was not a judicial bench where someone was condemned; it was a reward seat. Like¬ wise, the Judgment Seat of Christ is not a ju¬ dicial bench ... the Christian life is a race, and the divine umpire is watching every con¬ testant. After the church has run her course. He will gather every member before the bema for the purpose of examining each one and giving the proper reward to each." (God's Plan for the Future, p. Ill)

827

B. The fact of the bema judgment. Many New Testa¬ ment verses speak of this. "But why dost thou judge thy brother? Or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. For it is written. As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God" (Rom. 14:10-12). "Every man's work shall be made manifest, for the day shall declare it . . (1 Cor. 3:13). "For we must all appear before the judg¬ ment seat of Christ . . ." (2 Cor. 5:10) C. The purpose of the bema judgment. 1. Negative considerations. a. The purpose of the bema judgment is not to determine whether a particular indi¬ vidual enters heaven or not, for every man's eternal destiny is already deter¬ mined before he leaves this life. b. The purpose of the bema judgment is not to punish believers for sins committed ei¬ ther before or after their salvation. The Scriptures are very clear that no child of God will have to answer for his sins after this life. "Thou hast in love to my soul deliv¬ ered it from the pit of corruption: for thou hast cast all my sins behind thy back" (Isa. 38:17). "I have blotted out. . . thy trans¬ gressions and . . . thy sins" (Isa. 44:22). . . the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all sin" (1 Jn. 1:7). 2. Positive considerations. What then is the purpose of the bema judgment? In 1 Corinthi¬ ans 4:2 Paul says that all Christians should conduct themselves as faithful stewards of God: "Moreover it is required in stewards, that a man be found faithful." The Apostle Peter later writes in a similar way: "Minister ... as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10). In the New Testament world, a steward was the manager of a large household or es¬ tate. He was appointed by the owner and was entrusted to keep the estate running smoothly. He had the power to hire and fire and to spend and save, being answerable to the owner alone. His only concern was that periodic meeting with his master, at which time he was required to account for the con¬ dition of the estate up to that point. With this background in mind, it may be said that someday at the bema judgment all stewards will stand before their Lord and Master and be required to give an account of the way they have used their privileges and responsibilities from the moment of their conversion. In conclusion, it can be seen that: a. In the past, God dealt with us as sinners (Rom. 5:6-8; 1 Cor. 6:9-11; Eph. 2:1-3).

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

b. In the present, God deals with us as sons (Rom. 8:14; Heb. 12:5-11; 1 Jn. 3:1, 2). c. In the future, God will deal with us (at the bema) as stewards. D. The materials to be tested at the bema judgment. In 1 Corinthians 3:11 the Apostle Paul explains the glorious fact that at the moment of salvation a repenting sinner is firmly placed on the foun¬ dation of the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ himself. His continuing instruction after his salvation is to rise up and build upon this foundation. Paul says, "But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. . . . Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble; every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is" (1 Cor. 3:10b, 12, 13).

Negative considerations. It should be noted immediately that this passage does not teach the false doctrine known as purgatory, for it is the believer's works and not the believer himself that will be subjected to the fires. Positive considerations. From these verses it is apparent that God classifies the works of believ¬ ers into one of the following six areas: gold, sil¬ ver, precious stones, wood, hay, stubble. There has been much speculation about the kinds of work down here that will constitute gold or silver up there. But it seems more appropriate to note that the six objects can be readily placed into two categories: Those indestructible and worthy objects which will survive and thrive in the fires. These are the gold, silver, and precious stones. Those destructible and worthless objects which will be totally consumed in the fires. These are the wood, hay, and stubble. Though it is difficult to know just what goes to make up a "golden work" or a "stubble work," we are nevertheless informed of certain general areas in which God is particularly interested. 1. How we treat other believers. "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labour of love, which ye have showed toward his name, in that ye have ministered to the saints, and do min¬ ister" (Heb. 6:10). "He that receiveth a prophet in the name of a prophet shall receive a proph¬ et's reward; and he that receiveth a right¬ eous man in the name of a righteous man shall receive a righteous man's reward. And whosoever shall give to drink unto one of these little ones a cup of cold water only in the name of a disciple, verily I say unto you, he shall in no wise lose his re¬ ward" (Mt. 10:41, 42). 2. How we exercise our authority over others. "Obey them that have the rule over you, and submit yourselves: for they watch for your souls, as they that must give ac¬ count, that they may do it with joy, and not with grief . . ." (Heb. 13:17).

828

"Let not many of you become teachers, my brethren, knowing that as such we shall incur a stricter judgment" 0as. 3:1, NASB). 3. How we employ our God-given abilities. "Wherefore I put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God which is in thee . . (2 Tim. 1:6). "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. . . . But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills" (1 Cor. 12:4, 11, NASB). "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God" (1 Pet. 4:10, NASB). To these verses can be added the overall teaching of Jesus' parables of the ten pounds (Lk. 19:11-26) and the eight talents (Mt. 25:14-29). 4. How we use our money. "Charge them that are rich in this world that they be not highminded; nor trust in uncertain riches, but in the living God, who giveth us richly all things to enjoy; that they do good, that they be rich in good works, ready to distribute, willing to communicate; laying up in store for them¬ selves a good foundation against the time to come, that they may lay hold on eter¬ nal life" (1 Tim. 6:17-19). "But this I say. He which soweth spar¬ ingly shall reap also sparingly; and he which soweth bountifully shall reap also bountifully. Every man according as he purposeth in his heart, so let him give; not grudgingly, or of necessity: for God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. 9:6, 7). "Upon the first day of the week let ev¬ ery one of you lay by him in store, as God hath prospered him . . (1 Cor. 16:2). 5. How much we suffer for Jesus. "Blessed are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute you, and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely, for my sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven . . ." (Mt. 5:11, 12). "Beloved, think it not strange concern¬ ing the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings, that, when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Pet. 4:12, 13). "And Jesus answered and said, Verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or fa¬ ther, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the gospel's, but he shall receive an hundredfold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sis¬ ters, and mothers, and children, and

~

THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY

lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life" (Mk. 10:29, 30). "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, worketh for us a far more ex¬ ceeding and eternal weight of glory" (2 Cor. 4:17). "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be com¬ pared with the glory which shall be re¬ vealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). 6. How we spend our time. "... redeeming the time, because the days are evil" (Eph. 5:16). "And if ye call on the Father, who with¬ out respect of persons judgeth according to every man's work, pass the time of your sojourning here in fear" (1 Pet. 1:17). "So teach us to number our days, that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom" (Ps. 90:12). 7. How we run that particular race which God has chosen for us. "Know ye not that they which run in a race run all, but one receiveth the prize? So run, that ye may obtain" (1 Cor. 9:24). "Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended; but this one thing I do, for¬ getting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus" (Phil. 3:13, 14). "Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us, and let us run with patience the race that is set before us" (Heb. 12:1). 8. How effectively we control the old nature. "And every man that striveth for the mas¬ tery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown, but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air. But I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection, lest that by any means when 1 have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway" (1 Cor. 9:25-27). 9. How many souls we witness to and win to Christ. "For what is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming? For ye are our glory and joy" (1 Thess. 2:19, 20). "And they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever" (Dan. 12:3). 10. How we react to temptation. "My brethren, count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh pa¬ tience" (Jas. 1:2, 3). "Behold, the devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried; and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou

829

faithful unto death, and I will give thee a crown of life" (Rev. 2:10). 11. How much the doctrine of the rapture means to us. "Henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give me at that day; and not to me only, but unto all them also that love his appearing" (2 Tim. 4:8). 12. How faithful we are to the Word of God and the flock of God. "Feed the flock of God which is among you, taking the oversight thereof, not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind; neither as being lords over God's heritage, but being ensamples to the flock. And when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, ye shall re¬ ceive a crown of glory that fadeth not away" (1 Pet. 5:2-4). "I charge thee therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom. Preach the word . . ." (2 Tim. 4:1, 2). E. The results of the bema judgment seat of Christ. 1. Some will receive rewards. "If any man's work abide which he hath built thereupon, he shall receive a re¬ ward" (1 Cor. 3:14). The Bible mentions at least five possible rewards. These have already been described briefly under the last section. The rewards include: a. The incorruptible crown—given to those who master the old nature (1 Cor. 9:25-27). b. The crown of rejoicing—given to soulwinners (Prov. 11:30; Dan. 12:3; 1 Thess. 2:19, 20). c. The crown of life—given to those who successfully endure temptation (Jas. 1:2, 3; Rev. 2:10). d. The crown of righteousness—given to those who especially love the doctrine of the rapture (2 Tim. 4:8). e. The crown of glory—given to faithful preachers and teachers (Acts 20:26-28; 2 Tim. 4:1, 2; 1 Pet. 5:2-4). It has been suggested that these "crowns" will actually be talents and abilities with which to glorify Christ. Thus, the greater the reward, the greater the ability! 2. Some will suffer loss. "If any man's work shall be burned, he shall suffer loss . . ." (1 Cor. 3:15). F. The Old Testament foreshadowing of the bema judgment seat of Christ. Although the church is nowhere mentioned in the Old Testament, there is nevertheless a passage which can very easily be applied to the bema judgment. This can be found in the words of Boaz (a foreshadowing of Christ) to Ruth (a foreshadowing of the church): "It hath fully been showed me, all that thou hast done. . . . The Lord recompense thy

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

work, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Israel, under whose wings thou art come to trust" (Ruth 2:11,12). III. The Marriage of the Lamb. A. The fact of the marriage. Many passages in the Word of God teach that the most fantastic and wonderful wedding of all time is yet to take place in this universe. 1. This marriage is described through the par¬ ables of Jesus. "The kingdom of heaven is like unto a certain king, which made a marriage for his son" (Mt. 22:2). "Then shall the kingdom of heaven be likened unto ten virgins, which took their lamps, and went forth to meet the bride¬ groom" (Mt. 25:1). "Let your loins be girded about, and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding" (Lk. 12:35, 36). 2. This marriage is described through the vision of John. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give hon¬ our to him; for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready" (Rev. 19:7). B. The host of the marriage. The New Testament very clearly presents the Father as the divine Host who gives this marriage. He is pictured as preparing it, then sending his servants out to in¬ vite the selected guests (Lk. 14:16-23). C. The Bridegroom of the marriage. The Father's beloved Son (Mt. 3:17; 17:5), the Lord Jesus Christ, is the Bridegroom. 1. As stated by John the Baptist. "John answered and said, A man can re¬ ceive nothing except it be given him from heaven. Ye yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the Christ, but that I am sent before him. He that hath the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, which standeth and heareth him, rejoiceth greatly because of the bridegroom's voice: this my joy therefore is fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease" (Jn. 3:27-30). 2. As stated by the Lord Jesus Christ. "I came not to call the righteous, but sin¬ ners to repentance. And they said unto him. Why do the disciples of John fast often, and make prayers . . . but thine eat and drink? And he said unto them. Can ye make the children of the bridechamber fast while the bridegroom is with them? But the days will come when the bride¬ groom shall be taken away from them, and then shall they fast in those days" (Lk. 5:32-35). D. The bride of the marriage. In two key passages the Apostle Paul makes crystal clear the identity of the bride: "Wives, submit yourselves unto your own husbands, as unto the Lord. For the husband is the head of the wife, even as Christ is the

830

head of the church; and he is the Saviour of the body. Therefore, as the church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, even as Christ also loved the church, and gave himself for it, that he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the Word, that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle, or any such thing; but that it should be holy and without blemish. So ought men to love their wives as their own bodies. He that loveth his wife loveth himself. For no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it, even as the Lord the church. For we are members of his body, of his flesh, and of his bones. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall be joined unto his wife, and they two shall be one flesh. This is a great mystery; but I speak concern¬ ing Christ and the church" (Eph. 5:22-32). "For I am jealous over you with godly jeal¬ ousy, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I may present you as a chaste virgin to Christ" (2 Cor. 11:2). E. The guests of the marriage. "And he saith unto me. Write, Blessed are they which are called unto the marriage suppier of the Lamb . . ." (Rev. 19:9). Who are these invited guests of the Lamb's marriage to the Church? 1. In general. A group which would include all believing Gentiles who were converted prior to Pentecost or after the rapture. 2. In particular. A group which would include all saved Israelites everywhere. The ten vir¬ gins mentioned in Matthew 25 are Israelites. The five wise represent saved Israelites and the five foolish represent unsaved ones. They cannot represent the Church, for the Church is the bride, inside with the Bridegroom. The virgins are guests who have been invited to the wedding. Note that a bride is never in¬ vited to her own wedding. If she refuses to come, there is no wedding. F. The service schedule of the marriage. The mar¬ riage of Christ to the Church will follow the ori¬ ental pattern of marriage as described for us in the New Testament. It consisted of three separate stages: 1. The betrothal stage. New Testament mar¬ riages were often begun when the couple was very young (sometimes even prior to birth) by the groom's father. He would sign a legal enactment before the proper judge, pledging his son to a chosen girl. The father would then offer the proper dowry payment. Thus, even though the bride had never seen the groom, she was nevertheless betrothed or espoused to him. A New Testament example of this first step was that of Mary and Joseph. "Now the birth of Jesus Christ was on this wise: when as his mother Mary was es¬ poused to Joseph, before they came to¬ gether, she was found with child of the Holy Ghost" (Mt. 1:18).

THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY -

Both Mary and Joseph had come from Bethlehem and had perhaps been betrothed, or promised to each other, since childhood. But now Mary was found to be with child before the marriage could be consummated, and of course Joseph could arrive at only one conclusion—she had been untrue to him. Then the angel of the Lord explained to Joseph the glories of the virgin birth. Thus the betrothal stage consisted of two steps: The selection of the bride and the pay¬ ment of the dowry. With this in mind we can state that the marriage of the Lamb is still in its betrothal stage: a. The bride has been selected. "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he hath chosen us in him before the founda¬ tion of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before him in love" (Eph. 1:3, 4). b. The dowry has been paid. "What? Know ye not that your body is the temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own? For ye are bought with a price. Therefore, glorify God in your body and in your spirit, which are God's" (1 Cor. 6:19, 20). "Forasmuch as ye know that ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the precious blood of Christ, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot" (1 Pet. 1:18, 19). 2. The presentation stage. At the proper time the father would send his servants to the house of the bride so that they could carry out the proper legal contract. The bride would then be led to the home of the groom's father. When all was ready, the father of the bride would place her hand in the hand of the groom's father. He would then place her hand in that of his son. Applying this background to the marriage of the Lamb, the Church still awaits this sec¬ ond phase, the presentation stage, which we know as the rapture. The following verses speak of this stage: "... Christ also loved the church and gave himself for it. . . that he might present it to himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and without blem¬ ish" (Eph. 5:25, 27). "Now unto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with ex¬ ceeding joy . . ." (Jude 24). "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give honour to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made

831

herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the right¬ eousness of saints" (Rev. 19:7, 8). Then follow the events which comprise the second stage: a. The Heavenly Father will send for the bride. "After this I looked, and behold, a door was opened in heaven; and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me, which said. Come up hither . . ." (Rev. 4:1). b. The proper legal papers of marriage will be shown. "Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, the Lord knoweth them that are his . . ." (2 Tim. 2:19). c. The bride will be taken to the Father's home. "In my Father's house are many man¬ sions; if it were not so I would have told you. I go to prepare a place for you. And if 1 go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and receive you unto myself, that where I am, there ye may be also" (Jn. 14:2, 3). 3. The celebration stage. After the private mar¬ riage service was completed the public mar¬ riage supper would begin. To this many guests would be invited. It was during such a celebration that our Lord performed his first miracle, that of changing water into wine (see Jn. 2:1-11). Jesus later made reference to this third step when he spoke the following words: "Let your loins be girded about and your lights burning, and ye yourselves like unto men that wait for their lord, when he will return from the wedding. . . . Blessed are those servants whom the lord, when he cometh, shall find watching. Verily I say unto you, that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit down to meat, and will come forth and serve them" (Lk. 12:35-37). G. The time of the marriage. When does the wed¬ ding transpire? In view of what has already been said, it would seem that the wedding service (the presentation stage) will be privately conducted in heaven, perhaps shortly after the bema judgment seat of Christ. The wedding supper (the celebra¬ tion stage) will be publicly conducted on earth shortly after the Second Coming of Christ. It is no accident that the Bible describes the millennium as occurring right after the celebra¬ tion supper has begun. (The supper is described in Revelation 19 while the millennium is de¬ scribed in Revelation 20.) In New Testament times the length and cost of this supper were determined by the wealth of the father. There¬ fore, when his beloved Son is married, the Father of all grace (whose wealth is unlimited) will rise to the occasion by giving his Son and the bride a hallelujah celebration which will last for a thou¬ sand years.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

4. He hears lightnings and thunderings, which means that the awful storm of the great tribulation is about to unlash its fury (Rev. 4:5). 3. He sees a crystal sea of glass (Rev. 4:6). Dr. Donald Barnhouse has written con¬ cerning this sea: "Before the throne there was a glassy sea, like crystal. The concordance immediately takes us to the temple built by Solomon after the model of the tabernacle. 'And he made a molten sea, ten cubits from the one brim to the other; it was round all about, and its height was five cubits' (1 Ki. 7:23). This great basin, fifteen feet in diameter, was supported on the backs of twelve oxen of brass, facing outward. Here the priests came for their cleansing. Each time before they entered the holy place they stopped for the cleansing cere¬ mony. But thank God the laver will be turned to crystal. The day will come when none of the saints will ever need confes¬ sion! One of the greatest joys in the an¬ ticipation of Heaven is that the laver is of crystal. I shall never have to go to the Heavenly Father again to tell Him I have sinned. I shall never have to meet that gaze of Christ that caused Peter to go out and weep bitterly. The laver is of crystal only because I and all the saints of all the ages will have been made like unto the Lord Jesus Christ." (Donald G. Barnhouse, Revelation: An Expository Commentary, p. 94) 6. He sees and hears the testimony of four spe¬ cial angelic creatures (Rev. 4:6-8). The first of these creatures had the charac¬ teristics of a lion, the second of a calf, the third of a man, and the fourth of an eagle. These six things John sees and writes about, for they fill him with delight. But he now witnesses a seventh event, which causes de¬ spair to flood his soul. The crisis of a sevensealed book is about to begin. What is this book (really a rolled-up scroll), sealed so se¬ curely with seven seals? Whatever it con¬ tained, the scroll was extremely important, for history informs us that under Roman law all legal documents pertaining to life and death were to be sealed seven times. A num¬ ber of theologians believe that this is actually the legal title deed to the earth. Thus the angels' proclamation was, in effect: "Who is worthy to reclaim the earth's title deed? Who is able to pour out the seven-sealed judg¬ ment, to purify this planet, and to usher in the long-awaited golden-age millennium?" Who indeed was worthy? B. The investigation. "And no man in heaven, nor in earth, neither under the earth, was able to open the book, neither to look thereon" (Rev. 5:3). Let us follow the angel as he begins his three¬ fold search. 1. The search in heaven. Was there any among the redeemed worthy to claim the earth's ti¬ tle deed? There was not.

H. The certainty of the marriage. Earthly marriages may be prevented because of various unexpected problems. 1. In an earthly wedding there can be a lastminute refusal on the part of either the bride or groom. But not with the heavenly mar¬ riage. a. The Bridegroom has already expressed his great love for his bride (Eph. 5:25), and he never changes. "This same Jesus, which is taken up from you into heaven, shall so come in like manner as ye have seen him go into heaven" (Acts 1:11). ". . . Jesus Christ, the same yester¬ day, and today, and forever" (Heb. 13:8). b. The bride has already been glorified and is sinless, and therefore cannot be tempted into changing her mind or losing her love for the Bridegroom. "... a glorious church, not having spot, or wrinkle . . . but . . . holy and without blemish" (Eph. 5:27). "For by one offering he hath per¬ fected forever them that are sancti¬ fied" (Heb. 10:14). 2. In an earthly wedding a serious legal prob¬ lem might arise, such as lack of age, or even that of a previous marriage—but not in the heavenly wedding. (See Rom. 8:33-39.) 3. In an earthly wedding the tragedy of death might intervene—but not in the heavenly wedding. a. The bride will never die. "And whosoever liveth and believeth in me shall never die" (Jn. 11:26). b. The Bridegroom will never die. "I am he that liveth, and was dead; and behold, I am alive forever more. Amen" (Rev. 1:18). IV. The Crisis of a Seven-sealed Book. A. The proclamation. "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals. And I saw a strong angel proclaiming with a loud voice, Who is worthy to open the book, and to loose the seals thereof?" (Rev. 5:1, 2). The circumstances surrounding this crisis oc¬ cur shortly after the rapture of the church. John has been caught up into heaven (Rev. 4:1), where he writes about the marvelous things he sees and hears. 1. He sees the glory of the Father upon the throne (Rev. 4:2, 3). 2. He sees a beautiful green rainbow around this throne (Rev. 4:3). 3. He sees twenty-four elders with golden crowns (Rev. 4:4). (These twenty-four may consist of a special representative body of both Old Testament and New Testament saints. The Greek text tells us they are all wearing stephanos crowns, or martyrs' crowns, rather than diadems, or monarchs' crowns. Thus they must be humans rather than an¬ gels.)

832

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

a. Adam originally possessed this title deed (Gen. 1:28, 29), but was cheated out of it by the devil (Gen. 3:1-19). b. Noah, the hero of the flood, subse¬ quently became the drunkard of the vineyard, thus disqualifying himself (Gen. 6-9). c. Abraham, the father of Israel, backslid and went to Egypt temporarily (Gen. 12). d. David, the man after God's own heart, (1 Sam. 16:7), later broke God's heart through lust and murder (2 Sam. 11). e. John the Baptist, the forerunner of Christ, in a moment of weakness doubted that same Messiah (Mt. 11:3). f. Peter, the "rock," denied his Lord in the hour of need (Mt. 26:70). g. Paul, perhaps the greatest Christian who ever lived, compromised his testimony (Acts 21). 2. The search on earth. Who could accomplish in the sinful environment of earth what no man could achieve even in the sinless envi¬ ronment of heaven? Preachers and priests might minister to the earth, and kings rule over sections of it, but claim it they could not. 3. The search under the earth (in hades). If no saint or angel could purify this earth, then certainly no sinner or demon would. C. The lamentation. "And I wept much, because no man was found worthy to open and to read the book, neither to look thereon" (Rev. 5:4). Why did John weep? Perhaps because (among other things) he realized that the ultimate resur¬ rection and glorification of his own body were directly connected with the removal of the curse placed upon this earth. (See Rom. 8:17-23.) D. The manifestation. "And one of the elders saith unto me. Weep not: behold, the Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David, hath prevailed to open the book, and to loose the seven seals thereof. And I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in the midst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain, having seven horns and seven eyes, which are the seven Spirits of God sent forth into all the earth. And he came and took the book out of the right hand of him that sat upon the throne" (Rev. 5:5-7). Who is this heavenly Hero who so boldly re¬ moves the scroll from the Father's right hand? We need not speculate for one second about his identity, for he is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. The proof is overwhelming. 1. He has the characteristics of a lamb. Our Lord is referred to as a lamb twenty-nine times in the New Testament. In all but one instance (1 Pet. 1:19) it is the Apostle John who employs this title. Furthermore: a. It is a pet lamb. There are two words for "lamb" in the Greek New Testament. One is amnos (a lamb in general) and the other is arnion (a special household pet lamb). Here in Revelation 5:6 the second

833

Greek word is used. For a related Old Testament passage, see 2 Samuel 12:1-4. b. It is a slain lamb. Here the Greek word for slain is sphatto, and refers to a violent death of some sort. The same word is found in the following passage: ". . . we should love one another. Not as Cain, who was of that wicked one, and slew his brother" (1 Jn. 3:11, 12). The word sphatto is found only seven times in the New Testament, and four of these usages refer to the death of Christ (Rev. 5:6, 9, 12; 13:8). c. It is an all-powerful lamb. The lamb is pictured as possessing seven horns, which in biblical symbolic language refer to power and authority. d. It is an all-knowing lamb. The lamb is pictured as possessing seven eyes, refer¬ ring to perfect knowledge and wisdom. 2. He has the characteristics of a lion. John calls him "The Lion of the tribe of Juda, the Root of David," and so he is. Three key Bible chapters explain this title. a. In Genesis 49 the dying Jacob predicted that Judah, his fourth son, would be like a lion, and that the later kings of Israel, including Christ himself, would come from his tribe (Gen. 49:8-10). b. In 2 Samuel 7 God told David (who was of the tribe of Judah) that his kingdom would be eternal and that his household would rule forever (2 Sam. 7:8-17). c. In Luke 1 the angel Gabriel explained to Mary (who was of the house of David) that her virgin-born son would inherit all the Old Testament promises as found in Genesis 49 and 2 Samuel 7 (Lk. 1:30-33). John sees Christ as a Lamb, since he once came to redeem his people. This was his past work. John also sees him as a lion, for he shall come again to reign over his people. This will be his future work. The source of his claim to the earth's scepter is therefore re¬ lated to his slain Iamb characteristics, while the strength of his claim is due to his mighty lion characteristics. E. The adoration. (See Rev. 5:9-14.) V. The Tribulation. A discouraged and despondent Job once exclaimed in despair: "Man that is born of a woman is of few days, and full of trouble. He cometh forth like a flower, and is cut down; he fleeth also as a shadow, and continueth not" (Job 14:1, 2). Job's pessimistic description is tragically true for the unsaved man, apart from the grace of God. Throughout his tortured and sinful history he has been subjected to calamities, disasters, and plagues, which have tracked him as a wolf would a rabbit. But according to the Bible there is coming a calam¬ ity unlike any which this weary world has ever seen. Although this future period will be relatively short, it will nevertheless destroy more of this earth's popula¬ tion than all previous disasters combined. In fact, nearly one billion people will be struck down during the beginning of this terrible coming disaster.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

A. The names for this period. No less than twelve titles for this blood-chilling period can be found in the Bible. 1. The day of the Lord. This title is used more frequently than any other. See, for example, Isaiah 2:12; 13:6, 9; Ezekiel 13:5; 30:3; Joel 1:15; 2:1, 11, 31; 3:14; Amos 5:18, 20; Obadiah 15; Zephaniah 1:7, 14; Zechariah 14:1; Malachi 4:5; Acts 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:2; 2 Thessalonians 2:2; 2 Peter 3:10. A distinction should be made between the day of the Lord and the day of Christ. The day of Christ is a reference to the millen¬ nium. See 1 Corinthians 1:8; 5:5; 2 Corinthi¬ ans 1:14; Philippians 1:6, 10; 2:16. 2. The day of God's vengeance (Isa. 34:8; 63:1-6). 3. The time of Jacob's trouble (Jer. 30:7). 4. The seventieth week (Dan. 9:24-27). 5. The time of the end (Dan. 12:9). 6. The great day of his wrath (Rev. 6:17). 7. The hour of his judgment (Rev. 14:7). 8. The end of this world (Mt. 13:40, 49). 9. The indignation (Isa. 26:20; 34:2). 10. The overspreading of abominations (Dan. 9:27). 11. The time of trouble such as never was (Dan. 12:1). 12. The tribulation (Mt. 24:21, 29). The word "tribulation" is derived from the Latin tribulum, which was an agricultural tool used for separating the husks from the com. As found in the Bible, the theological implications would in¬ clude such concepts as a pressing together, an affliction, a burdening with anguish and trouble, a binding with oppression. Keeping this in mind, it would seem that of all the twelve names for the coming calamity the last one would most accurately describe this pe¬ riod. Therefore from this point on, the term tribulation will be employed. B. The nature of the tribulation. The following pas¬ sages aptly describe this future and fearful time. "Howl ye, for the day of the Lord is at hand. . . . Therefore shall all hands be faint, and every man's heart shall melt. . . . For the stars of heaven and the constellations thereof shall not give their light; the sun shall be darkened in his going forth, and the moon shall not cause her light to shine. . . . And I will punish the world for their evil . . ." (Isa. 13:6, 7, 10, 11). "For the indignation of the Lord is upon all nations, and his fury upon all their armies. .. . Their slain also shall be cast out, and their stink shall come up out of their carcasses, and the mountains shall be melted with their blood. And all the host of heaven shall be dissolved, and the heavens shall be rolled to¬ gether as a scroll . . ." (Isa. 34:2-4). "I have trodden the winepress alone ... for 1 will tread them in mine anger, and trample them in my fury; and their blood shall be sprinkled upon my garments, and I will stain all my raiment. For the day of vengeance is in mine heart. . . . And I will tread down the

834

people in mine anger, and make them drunk in my fury . . ." (Isa. 63:3, 4, 6). "For nation shall rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there shall be famines and pestilences and earthquakes in divers places. . . . And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. And be¬ cause iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. . . . For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the begin¬ ning of ^the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved . . ." (Mt. 24:7, 11, 12, 21, 22). "And there shall be signs in the sun and in the moon and in the stars, and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear . . . for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Lk. 21:25, 26). ". . . 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" (1 Thess. 5:2, 3). ". . . and, lo, there was a great earthquake; and the sun became black as sackcloth of hair, and the moon became as blood; and the stars of heaven fell unto the earth, even as a fig tree casteth her untimely figs, when she is shaken of a mighty wind. And the heaven departed as a scroll when it is rolled together; and every mountain and island were moved out of their places. And the kings of the earth, and the great men, and the rich men, and the chief captains, and the mighty men, and every bondman, and every free man, hid themselves in the dens and in the rocks of the mountains, and said to the mountains and rocks. Fall on us, and hide us from the face of him that sitteth on the throne, and from the wrath of the Lamb, for the great day of his wrath is come; and who shall be able to stand?" (Rev. 6:12-17). C. The length of the tribulation. To establish this time-span we must now briefly consider the most important, the most amazing, and the most pro¬ found single prophecy in the entire Word of God. It is often referred to as the prophecy of the seventy weeks, and was written by Daniel, who was living in Babylon around 550 b.c. Daniel, a former Jewish captive, had been reading Jeremi¬ ah's prophecy, which predicted that after a sev¬ enty-year captivity period, God would permit the Jews to return to Jerusalem (Jer. 25:11; 29:10). As Daniel studied those words he began to pray, confessing both his sins and the sins of Israel. During this powerful and tearful prayer, the an¬ gel Gabriel appeared to Daniel and related to him the prophecy of the seventy weeks, which reads as follows: "Seventy weeks are determined upon thy people and upon thy holy city, to finish the transgression, and to make an end of sins, and to make reconciliation for iniquity, and to

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

bring in everlasting righteousness, and to seal up the vision and prophecy, and to anoint the most holy. Know therefore and understand, that from the going forth of the command¬ ment to restore and to build Jerusalem unto the Messiah the Prince shall be seven weeks, and threescore and two weeks; the street shall be built again, and the wall, even in troublous times. And after threescore and two weeks shall Messiah be cut off, but not for himself; and the people of the prince that shall come shall destroy the city and the sanctuary; and the end thereof shall be with a flood, and unto the end of the war desolations are deter¬ mined. And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week: and in the midst of the week he shall cause the sacrifice and the oblation to cease, and for the overspreading of abominations he shall make it desolate, even until the consummation, and that determined shall be poured upon the desolate" (Dan. 9:24-27). 1. To whom does this prophecy refer? It refers to Israel. 2. What is meant by the term "seventy weeks"? In his correspondence course on the book of Daniel, Dr. Alfred Martin of Moody Bible Institute writes the following helpful words: "The expression translated 'seventy weeks' is literally 'seventy sevens.' Apart from the context one would not know what the 'sevens' were. One would have to inquire, 'seven of what?' This expres¬ sion in Hebrew would be as ambiguous as if one were to say in English, 'I went to the store and bought a dozen.' A dozen of what? One of the basic principles of inter¬ pretation is that one must always inter¬ pret in the light of the context, that is, in the light of the passage in which a given statement occurs. As one searches this context, remembering that the vision was given in answer to the prayer, one notes that Daniel had been reading in Jeremiah that God would 'accomplish seventy years in the desolations of Jerusalem' (Dan. 9:2). This is the clue. Daniel is told in effect, 'Yes, God will accomplish seventy years in the captivity; but now He is showing you that the whole history of the people of Israel will be consummated in a period of seventy sevens of years.'" (Alfred Martin, Daniel, the Framework of Prophecy, pp. 85, 86) To further clarify the meaning of the sev¬ enty weeks, it should be noted that Israel had in its calendar not only a week of seven days (as in Ex. 23:12), but also a "week" of seven years (Gen. 29:27, 28; Lev. 25:3, 4, 8-10). In other words, God is here telling Daniel that he would continue to deal with Israel for another 490 years before bringing in everlasting righteousness. 3. When was the seventy-week period to be¬ gin? It was to begin with the command to rebuild Jerusalem's walls. The first two chap¬

835

ters of Nehemiah inform us that this com¬ mand was issued during the twentieth year of Artaxerxes' accession. The Encyclopaedia Britannica sets this date on March 14, 445 b.c. 4. What are the four distinct time periods men¬ tioned within the seventy-week prophecy and what was to happen during each period? a. First period. Seven weeks (forty-nine years), from 445 b.c. to 396 b.c. The key event during this time was the building of the streets and walls of Jerusalem "even in troublous times." This literally took place. See Nehemiah 2-6. b. Second period. Sixty-two weeks (434 years), from 396 b.c. to a.d. 30. At the end of this second period the Messiah was crucified. See Matthew 27, Mark 15, Luke 23, and John 19. The brilliant British scholar and Bible stu¬ dent, Sir Robert Anderson, has reduced the first two periods into their exact number of days. This he has done by multiplying 483 (the combined years of the first two periods) by 360 (the days in a biblical year, as pointed out in Genesis 7:11, 24; 8:3, 4). The total number of days in the first sixtynine weeks (or 483 years) is 173,880. Ander¬ son then points out that if one begins count¬ ing on March 14, 445 b.c., and goes forward in history, these days would run out on April 6, a.d. 32. It was on this very day that Jesus made his triumphal entry into the city of Jerusalem! Surely our Lord must have had Daniel's prophecy in mind when he said, "If thou hadst known, even thou, at least in this thy day, the things which belong to thy peace! But now they are hid from thine eyes" (Lk. 19:42). Of course, it was also on this same day that the Pharisees plotted to murder Christ (Lk. 19:47). Thus Daniel, writing some fiveand-one-half centuries earlier, correctly pre¬ dicted the very day of Christ's presentation and rejection! c. Third period. One-half week (three-andone-half years), the first half of the tribu¬ lation. At the beginning of this period the antichrist will make a seven-year pact with Israel. d. Fourth period. One-half week (threeand-one-half years), the last half of the tribulation. At the beginning of this pe¬ riod the antichrist will break his pact with Israel and will begin his terrible bloodbath. At the end of the last week (and of the entire seventy-week period), the true Messiah will come and establish his perfect millennium. 5. Do the seventy weeks run continuously? That is to say, is there a gap somewhere be¬ tween these 490 years, or do they run with¬ out pause until they are completed? Dispensational theology teaches that these "weeks" do not run continuously, but that there has been a gap or parenthesis of nearly

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

2000 years between the sixty-ninth and sev¬ entieth week. The chronology may be likened to a sev¬ enty-minute basketball game. For sixty-nine minutes the game has been played at a furi¬ ous and continuous pace. Then the referee for some reason calls time out with the clock in the red and showing one final minute of play. No one knows for sure when the action will start again, but at some point the referee will step in and blow his whistle. At that time the teams will gather to play out the last minute of the game. God has stepped in and stopped the clock of prophecy at Calvary. This divine "time out" has already lasted some twenty centu¬ ries, but soon now the Redeemer will blow his trumpet and the final "week" of action will be played upon this earth. 6. Does the Bible offer any other examples of time gaps in divine programs? It does indeed. At least three instances come to mind in which gaps of many centuries can be found in a single short paragraph. a. Isaiah 9:6, 7. In the first part of verse 6 a gap of at least twenty centuries is sepa¬ rated by a colon. The phrase "unto us a son is given" refers to Bethlehem, while the words "and the government shall be upon his shoulder" look forward to the millennium. b. Zechariah 9:9,10. Verse 9 is a clear refer¬ ence to the triumphal entry of our Lord, but verse 10 looks ahead to the millen¬ nium. c. Isaiah 61:1, 2. In verse 2 of this passage Christ's earthly ministry (to "proclaim the acceptable year of the Lord") and the tribulation (the "day of vengeance of our God") are separated by only a comma. It is extremely important to note that when Jesus read this passage during his sermon in Nazareth, he ended the reading at this comma, for "the day of vengeance" was not the purpose of his first coming. See Luke 4:18, 19. D. The purpose of the tribulation. Why this terrible period? At least six scriptural reasons are forth¬ coming: 1. To harvest the crop that has been sown throughout the ages by God, Satan, and mankind. This aspect is so important that our Lord took an entire sermon to discuss it. (See Mt. 13:3-8, 18-30, 37-43.) 2. To prove the falseness of the devil's claim. Since his fall (Isa. 14:12-14), Satan has been attempting to convince a skeptical universe that he rather than Christ is the logical and rightful ruler of creation. Therefore, during the tribulation the sovereign God will give him a free and unhindered hand to make good his boast. Needless to say, Satan will fail miserably. 3. To prepare a great martyred multitude for heaven. "After this I beheld, and, lo, a great multi¬ tude, which no man could number, of all

836

nations and kindreds and people and tongues, stood before the throne. . . . These are they which came out of great tribulation, and have washed their robes, and made them white in the blood of the lamb" (Rev. 7:9, 14). 4. To prepare a great living multitude for the millennium. "And before him shall be gathered all na¬ tions; and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats; and he shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. Then shall the king say unto them on his right hand. Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom pre¬ pared for you from the foundation of the world" (Mt. 25:32-34). 5. To punish the Gentiles. "For the wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and un¬ righteousness of men . . ." (Rom. 1:18). "And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie, that they all might be damned who believe not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness" (2 Thess. 2:11, 12). 6. To purge Israel. "And I will cause you to pass under the rod . . . and I will purge out from among you the rebels . . ." (Ezek. 20:37, 38). "And he shall sit as a refiner and puri¬ fier of silver; and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an of¬ fering in righteousness" (Mai. 3:3). E. The personalities of the tribulation. As in a Shakespearean play, a number of actors will ren¬ der their parts and say their lines during the earth's most sobering drama, the tribulation. 1. The Holy Spirit. Contrary to some, the Holy Spirit will not be removed when the church is raptured. He will instead (it would seem) perform a ministry similar to his work in the Old Testament. At any rate, his presence will be felt in the tribulation, as indicated by the prophet Joel. (See Joel 2:28, 30-32.) 2. The devil. "Woe to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! For the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time" (Rev. 12:12). 3. Two special (Old Testament?) witnesses. "And I will give power unto my two wit¬ nesses, and they shall prophesy a thou¬ sand two hundred and threescore days, clothed in sackcloth" (Rev. 11:3). 4. The antichrist. "And he shall speak great words against the most High, and shall wear out the saints of the most High . . (Dan. 7:25). "And the king shall do according to his will; and he shall exalt himself, and mag¬ nify himself above every god, and shall

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY -

speak . . . things against the God of gods . . (Dan. 11:36). "And I stood upon the sand of the sea and saw a beast rise up out of the sea. . . . And the beast which I saw was like unto a leopard, and his feet were as the feet of a bear, and his mouth as the mouth of a lion; and the dragon gave him his power . . . and great authority. . . . And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God . . ." (Rev. 13:1, 2, 6). 5. The false prophet. "And I beheld another beast coming up out of the earth . . ." (Rev. 13:11). 6. A multitude of specialized angels. Angels have been employed throughout the Bible to perform God's work, but at no other time will they be as busy as during the tribulation. The book of Revelation describes the follow¬ ing for us: a. Seven angels with seven trumpets (Rev. 8, 9, 11). b. Seven angels with seven vials of wrath (Rev. 16). c. An angel with the seal of the living God (Rev. 7:2). d. An angel with a golden censer (Rev. 8:3). e. An angel with a little book and a measur¬ ing reed (Rev. 10:1, 2; 11:1). f. An angel with the everlasting gospel (Rev. 14:6). g. An angel with a harvest sickle (Rev. 14:19). h. An angel with a message of doom (Rev. 18:1, 21). i. An angel with a strange invitation (Rev. 19:17). j. An angel with a key and a great chain (Rev. 20:1). In the Old Testament the prophet Daniel informs us that one of these angels will be Michael the archangel himself (Dan. 12:1). 7. One-hundred-forty-four thousand Israelite preachers. The Bible clearly teaches that the 144,000 will consist of 12,000 saved and commis¬ sioned preachers from each of the twelve tribes of Israel (Rev. 7). It is interesting to compare the various listings of Israel's twelve tribes in the Bible. For example, here in Rev¬ elation 7 the two tribes of Dan and Ephraim are omitted and are replaced by Joseph (Eph¬ raim's father) and Levi Pan's priestly brother). We are not told the reason for this omis¬ sion. Some believe that Dan is left out be¬ cause of the hint that the antichrist will come from this tribe (Gen. 49:17; Jer. 8:16). Eph¬ raim's absence may possibly be accounted for due to their sad tendency to apostatize (Hosea 6:4, 10). Whatever the reason for their omission here, the glorious fact remains that both Dan and Ephraim take their rightful place in the land of Israel during the millennium. Both are mentioned by Ezekiel (Ezek. 48:2,5) as he

837

describes the location of the twelve tribes during Christ's thousand-year reign. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost offers the follow¬ ing interesting words concerning the conver¬ sion of the 144,000: "In 1 Corinthians 15:8 is a clue concerning the way God will work after the church's rapture. After the apostle has listed those to whom the resurrected Christ appeared, so as to authenticate His resurrection, he says, 'And last of all he was seen of me also, as of one born out of due time.' This phrase, 'born out of due time,' means a premature birth. That is exactly what the apostle Paul is saying—'I was one that was born prematurely.' What did he mean? Comparing Revelation 7 with Paul's statement in 1 Corinthians 15, we conclude that after the rapture of the church, God will perform the same mir¬ acle He performed in Saul of Tarsus on the Damascus Road 144,000 times over."(J. Dwight Pentecost, Will Man Sur¬ vive? p. 148) 8. An army of locust-like demons from the bot¬ tomless pit (Rev. 9:1-12). a. The description of these demons. "The locusts looked like horses ar¬ mored for battle. They had what looked like golden crowns on their heads, and their faces looked like men's. Their hair was long like wom¬ en's, and their teeth were those of lions. They wore breastplates that seemed to be of iron, and their wings roared like an army of chariots rush¬ ing into battle. They had stinging tails like scorpions, and their power to hurt, given to them for five months, was in their tails" (Rev. 9:7-10, TLB). b. The destruction by these demons. "They were told not to hurt the grass or plants or trees, but to attack those people who did not have the mark of God on their foreheads. They were not to kill them, but to torture them for five months with agony like the pain of scorpion stings. In those days men will try to kill themselves, but won't be able to—death will not come. They will long to die—but death will flee away!" (Rev. 9:4-6, TLB).

In this chapter we learn for the first time of a place called the bottomless pit. God mentions it no less than seven times in the book of Revelation. See Revelation 9:1, 2, 11; 11:7; 17:8; 20:1, 3. It is possible that this is the same place referred to by both Peter and Jude in their writings. See 2 Peter 2:4; Jude 6. 9. An army of horse-and-rider demons from the Euphrates River (Rev. 9:13-21). a. Their appearance and actions. "I saw their horses spread out before me in my vision; their riders wore fi-

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

ery-red breastplates, though some were sky-blue and others yellow. The horses' heads looked much like lions', and smoke and fire and flaming sul¬ phur billowed from their mouths, kill¬ ing one-third of all mankind. Their power of death was not only in their mouths, but in their tails as well, for their tails were similar to serpents' heads that struck and bit with fatal wounds" (Rev. 9:17-19, TLB). b. Their number. This hellish demonic army will number 200 million strong (Rev. 9:16). c. Their leaders. " 'Release the four mighty demons held bound at the great River Euphra¬ tes.' They had been kept in readiness for that year and month and day and hour, and now they were turned loose to kill a third of all mankind" (Rev. 9:14, 15, TLB). Thus this fantastic army of 200 million is led into battle by these four demons. 10. Three evil spirits. "And 1 saw three evil spirits disguised as frogs leap from the mouth of the Dragon, the Creature, and his False Prophet. These miracle-working demons conferred with all the rulers of the world to gather them for battle against the Lord on that great coming Judgment Day of God Almighty" (Rev. 16:13, 14, TLB). 11. A cruel, power-mad ruler from the north. Some 2600 years ago a Hebrew prophet named Ezekiel prophesied that a wicked and God-hating nation north of Palestine would rise up and invade Israel just prior to the Sec¬ ond Coming of Christ. He predicts this in Ezekiel 38 and 39, where we learn the follow¬ ing information: a. That the name of this nation will be Rosh (Ezek. 38:2, NASB). In this same verse Ezekiel specifies two cities of Rosh, Meshech and Tubal. These names are re¬ markably similar to those of Moscow and Tobalek, the two ruling city capitals of Russia today. b. That the name of the leader of this na¬ tion will be Gog (Ezek. 38:3). c. That Russia (Rosh) will invade Israel in the latter days (Ezek. 38:8). d. That this invasion will be aided by var¬ ious allies of Rosh (Ezek. 38:5, 6), such as (1) Iran (Persia); (2) South Africa (Ethiopia); (3) North Africa (Libya); (4) Eastern Europe (Gomer); (5) Southern Russia (Togarmah). In Ezekiel 38:15 the prophet describes the major part that horses will play during this invasion. It is a well-known fact that the cossacks of southern Russia have al¬ ways owned and bred the largest herd of horses in history.

838

12. A persecuted woman. "And there appeared a great wonder in heaven: a woman clothed with the sun, and the moon under her feet, and upon her head a crown of twelve stars" (Rev. 12:1). These words are unquestionably symbolic, but to whom do they refer? a. Her identity. (1) She is not Mary. Mary never spent three and a half years in the wilder¬ ness, as does this woman (Rev. 12:6, 14). Neither was Mary personally hated, chased, and persecuted, as we see here (Rev. 12:13, 17). While Mary did give birth to that One who will someday "rule all nations with a rod of iron" (Rev. 12:5), the lan¬ guage in this chapter has a wider reference than to Mary. (2) She is not the church. The church did not bring the manchild into exis¬ tence, as does this woman (Rev. 12:5), but rather the opposite. See Matthew 16:18. (3) She is Israel. A Jewish Christian who reads Revelation 12:1 will undoubt¬ edly think back to the Old Testa¬ ment passage in which Joseph describes a strange dream to his fa¬ ther and eleven brothers: "Behold, I have dreamed a dream ... the sun and the moon and eleven stars made obeisance to me" (Gen. 37:9). This was of course fulfilled when Joseph's eleven brothers bowed down to him in Egypt (Gen. 43:28). The point of all the above is that the language of Revelation 12:1 de¬ scribes Israel and nothing else. b. Her activities. (1) This woman (Israel) is hated by Sa¬ tan because of: (a) Her historical work of bringing Christ into the world (Micah 5:2; Rev. 12:5, 13). (b) Her future work of spreading the gospel to the world (Mt. 24:14; Rev. 7:1-8; 12:17). (2) This woman is hidden by God for three and a half years (Rev. 12:6,14). Some believe on the basis of Zechariah 13:9 that approximately one third of the Israelites living during the awful tribulation will escape the wrath of Satan by fleeing to the an¬ cient city of Petra. 13. A vile harlot. "One of the seven angels who had poured out the plagues came over and talked with me. 'Come with me,' he said, 'and I will show you what is going to happen to the Notorious Prostitute, who sits upon the many waters of the world. The kings of the world have had immoral relations

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

with her, and the people of the earth have been made drunk by the wine of her im¬ morality.' So the angel took me in spirit into the wilderness. There I saw a woman sitting on a scarlet animal that had seven heads and ten horns, written all over with blasphemies against God. The woman wore purple and scarlet clothing and beautiful jewelry made of gold and pre¬ cious gems and pearls, and held in her hand a golden goblet full of obscenities. A mysterious caption was written on her forehead: 'Babylon the Great, Mother of Prostitutes and Idol Worship Everywhere around the World.' I could see that she was drunk—drunk with the blood of the martyrs of Jesus she had killed. I stared at her in horror" (Rev. 17:1-6, TLB). 14. An arrogant queen. "After all this I saw another angel come down from heaven with great authority, and the earth grew bright with his splen¬ dor. He gave a mighty shout, 'Babylon the Great is fallen, is fallen; she has become a den of demons, a haunt of devils and ev¬ ery kind of evil spirit. For all the nations have drunk the fatal wine of her intense immorality. The rulers of earth have en¬ joyed themselves with her, and business¬ men throughout the world have grown rich from all her luxurious living.' Then I heard another voice calling from heaven, 'Come away from her, my people; do not take part in her sins, or you will be pun¬ ished with her. For her sins are piled as high as heaven and God is ready to judge her for her crimes. Do to her as she has done to you, and more—give double pen¬ alty for all her evil deeds. She brewed many a cup of woe for others—give twice as much to her. She has lived in luxury and pleasure—matching it now with tor¬ ments and with sorrows. She boasts, "I am queen upon my throne. I am no help¬ less widow. I will not experience sor¬ row" ' " (Rev. 18:1-7, TLB). 15. A pure bride. "Let us be glad and rejoice, and give hon¬ our to him, for the marriage of the Lamb is come, and his wife hath made herself ready. And to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white; for the fine linen is the righteous¬ ness of saints" (Rev. 19:7, 8). This is, of course, a description of the church, which is composed of all believers saved from Pentecost to the rapture. See 2 Corinthians 11:2; Ephesians 5:23-32. 16. A mighty warrior from heaven. "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faithful and True, and in right¬ eousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written that no man knew, but he

839

himself. And he was clothed with a ves¬ ture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the nations: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS, AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:11-16). a. His identity. There is absolutely no doubt whatsoever as to whom these words refer. No angel in heaven, no sol¬ dier on earth, no demon in hell could even remotely fill this description. This heavenly warrior is the Lord Jesus Christ himself. b. His names and titles. (1) Faithful and True. (2) The Word of God. (3) The King of kings. (4) The Lord of lords. (5) A name known only to himself. c. His purpose for coming. (1) To smite the nations. (2) To judge the nations. (3) To rule the nations. One other passage in Revelation de¬ scribes this breathtaking event: "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever. And the four and twenty elders which sat before God on their seats fell upon their faces and worshiped God, saying. We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty, which art, and wast, and art to come; be¬ cause thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned. And the nations were angry, and thy wrath is come, and the time of the dead, that they should be judged, and that thou shouldest give reward unto thy ser¬ vants the prophets, and to the saints, and them that fear thy name, small and great; and shouldest destroy them which destroy the earth" (Rev. 11:15-18). F. The chronology of the tribulation. We have ex¬ amined very briefly the sixteen main actors of the tribulation; now we turn our attention to the ac¬ tion of this seven-year period. The first half of the tribulation (three-and-one-half years): 1. The formal organization of the super harlot church (Rev. 17). 2. The appearance of the antichrist and his false prophet. We have already observed a num¬ ber of things about this perverted pair from the pit. See Daniel 7:19-25; 11:36-45; 2 Thes-

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE

salonians 2:1-12; Revelation 13. It is entirely possible that the antichrist will come from the United Nations, while the false prophet may well proceed from the World Council of Churches. It is also entirely feasible that both person¬ ages are alive and active in this world right now, and are waiting for the rapture to re¬ move the final barrier, thus allowing them to begin their deadly and damnable work. 3. The revival of the Roman Empire (Dan. 2:41; 7:7, 8; Rev. 13:1; 17:12). During his Olivet discourse our Lord uttered the following so¬ ber sentence concerning Jerusalem. It was both historical and prophetical in its scope. . . and Jerusalem shall be trodden down of the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles be fulfilled" (Lk. 21:24). Concerning this, Scofield observes, "The 'times of the Gentiles' began with the captivity of Judah under Nebuchad¬ nezzar (2 Chron. 36:1-21), since which time Jerusalem has been under Gentile overlordship." (Scofield Bible, p. 1106) Both the history and the prophecy of Christ's statement are taken from two chap¬ ters in the book of Daniel. In chapter 2 God reveals these "times of the Gentiles" to a Babylonian king, and in chapter 7 he reveals his great secret to Daniel himself. From these two extended passages and from secular history we learn that: a. Four major powers (or kingdoms) will rule over Palestine. b. These powers are viewed by mankind as gold, silver, brass, iron, and clay. c. These powers are viewed by God as four wild animals: a winged lion, a bear, a winged leopard, and an indescribably brutal and vicious animal. d. These four powers stand for (1) Babylon—from 625 b.c. to 539 b.c. (2) Medo-Persia—from 539 b.c. to 331 b.c.

(3) Greece—from 331 b.c. to 323 b.c. (4) Rome—three periods are to be noted here: (a) The first period—the original empire—from 300 b.c. to a.d. 476. (b) The second period—the inter¬ vening influence—from a.d. 476 to the present. We are amazed at Rome's continuing world in¬ fluence centuries after the offi¬ cial collapse of its empire. As Erich Sauer observes, "The Roman administration lives on in the Church of Rome. The ecclesiastical provinces coincided with the State provinces; and Rome, the chief city of the world empire, became the chief city of the world church, the seat of the Papacy.

840

The Roman tongue lives on in the Latin of the Church, and is still in use in the in¬ ternational technical lan¬ guage of law, medicine, and natural science. Roman law lives on in leg¬ islation. The Corpus Juris Romanum (body of Roman law) of the Eastern Roman Emperor Justinian (a.d. 527-565) became the foun¬ dation of jurisprudence among the Latin and Ger¬ manic peoples throughout the Middle Ages and far into Modem times. The Roman army lives on in military systems. It be¬ came the model for arma¬ ments and western defence. We still use Latin words such as captain, major, gen¬ eral, battalion, regiment, army, infantry, artillery, and cavalry." (Erich Sauer, The Triumph of the Crucified, p. 132) (c) The third period—the revived empire—from the rapture to Armageddon. e. This revived Roman Empire will consist of ten nations. f. The antichrist will personally unite these western nations. One has only to consult his newspaper in order to follow the rapid present-day fulfill¬ ment of this revived Roman Empire proph¬ ecy. Students of history will readily agree that the unity of any empire of nations de¬ pends upon four factors. These are the mili¬ tary, the economic, the political, and the religious. 4. The antichrist's seven-year covenant with Is¬ rael. "And your covenant with death shall be disannulled, and your agreement with hell shall not stand" (Isa. 28:18). "And he shall confirm the covenant with many for one week . . ." (Dan. 9:27). a. The background of the covenant. From June 4 through June 8, 1967, the worldfamous six-day war between Israel and Egypt took place. When the smoke had cleared, Israel had won a stunning and fantastic victory. Her land area had in¬ creased from 7,992 square miles to over 26,000 square miles. With less than 50,000 troops she had all but annihilated Nasser7s 90,000 soldiers. During that fateful week Egypt suffered 30,000 casu¬ alties, 197 planes, 700 tanks, and watched two billion dollars go up in smoke. Israel, on the other hand, lost 61 tanks, 275 dead, and 800 wounded. But in spite of all this, Israel's position in Palestine to-

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY-

day is anything but secure. She continues to find herself surrounded by powerful enemies who have sworn by their gods to drive her into the sea. In addition to this her northern neighbor, Soviet Russia, views her land with growing interest. The Word of God indicates that this already intolerable situation will worsen. Then (shortly after the rapture), to her astonishment and relief, a powerful Western leader (the antichrist) will pre¬ tend to befriend Israel. In fact, he will propose a special seven-year security treaty, guaranteeing to maintain the sta¬ tus quo in the Middle East. Israel will swallow this poisoned bait, hook, line, and sinker. b. The betrayal of the covenant. "This king will make a seven-year treaty with the people, but after half that time, he will break his pledge and stop the Jews from all their sacrifices and their offerings; then, as a climax to all his terrible deeds, the Enemy shall utterly defile the sanctuary of God . . ." (Dan. 9:27, TLB). 5. The pouring out of the first six seals (Mt. 24:4-8; Rev. 6:1-17). "And I saw in the right hand of him that sat on the throne a book written within and on the backside, sealed with seven seals" (Rev. 5:1). "And I saw when the Lamb opened one of the seals, and I heard as it were the noise of thunder . . ." (Rev. 6:1). a. The first seal (Rev. 6:2). b. The second seal (Rev. 6:3, 4). c. The third seal (Rev. 6:5, 6). d. The fourth seal (Rev. 6:7, 8). e. The fifth seal (Rev. 6:9-11). f. The sixth seal (Rev. 6:12-17). 6. The mass return of the Jews to Palestine. One of the most remarkable chapters in all the Bible concerns itself with the latter-day return of the Jews to Palestine (Ezek. 37:1-14). Even today we see the beginning of this future Israelite ingathering. In 1882 there were approximately 25,000 Jews in Palestine. In 1900 there were 50,000. In 1922 there were 84,000. In 1931 there were 175,000. In 1948 there were 650,000. In 1952 there were 1,421,000. Today there are approximately 3,000,000 Jews in Palestine. Thus the number of Jews has increased nearly 120 times in less than 95 years! They have been gathered from over one hundred countries. 7. The conversion and call of the 144,000. "And after these things I saw four angels standing on the four corners of the earth, holding the four winds of the earth, that the wind should not blow on the earth.

841

nor on the sea, nor on any tree. And I saw another angel ascending from the east, having the seal of the living God; and he cried with a loud voice to the four angels, to whom it was given to hurt the earth and the sea, saying. Hurt not the earth, neither the sea, nor the trees, till we have sealed the servants of our God in their foreheads. And I heard the number of them which were sealed: and there were sealed an hundred and forty and four thousand of all the tribes of the children of Israel" (Rev. 7:1-4). This passage does not mean that God will save only Jews during the tribulation, for in Revelation 7:9-17 the Bible declares that a great multitude from every nation will be saved. What this chapter does teach, how¬ ever, is that God will send out 144,000 "He¬ brew Billy Sundays" to evangelize the world. This will be a massive number indeed, espe¬ cially when we consider that there are less than 35,000 missionaries of all persuasions in the world today. Our Lord doubtless had the ministry of the 144,000 in mind when he said, "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). 8. The rebuilding of the Jewish Temple. There is ample scriptural evidence to show that the antichrist will allow (and perhaps even en¬ courage) the building of the Temple and the rendering of its sacrifices during the tribula¬ tion. See Daniel 9:27; 12:11; Matthew 24:15; 2 Thessalonians 2:4; Revelation 13:14, 15; 11:2. 9. The ministry of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:3-13). a. Their identity. A number of scholars be¬ lieve these two are Moses and Elijah. b. Their ministry. (1) To prophesy in sackcloth before men as God's anointed lampstands. (2) To destroy their enemies in the same manner that their enemies would attempt to destroy them. (3) To prevent rain for three and a half years. (4) To turn waters into blood. (5) To smite the earth with every kind of plague. c. Their death. (1) The antichrist is finally allowed to kill them. (2) To show his contempt for them, he refuses to permit their dead bodies to be buried, but leaves them to rot in the streets of Jerusalem. (3) All the earth celebrates their deaths through a hellish Christmas; men actually send gifts to each other! (4) The dead bodies of these two prophets are viewed by all the na¬ tions of the world in a three-anda-half day period.

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WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

d. Their resurrection (here the word "great" appears three times). (1) A great voice calls them up to heaven (Rev. 11:12). (2) A great fear falls upon those who witness this (Rev. 11:11). (3) A great earthquake levels one-tenth of Jerusalem and kills 7000 promi¬ nent men (Rev. 11:13). G. The middle segment of the tribulation (a brief undeter¬ mined period). We have already suggested that the seven-year tribulation may be broken up into three sections. The first part is three-andone-half years, the middle perhaps just a few days, and the last again three-and-one-half years. We shall now observe six important events which may, with some degree of certainty, be placed in this brief middle period. 1. The Gog and Magog invasion into Palestine (Ezek. 38, 39). "Son of man, set thy face toward Gog, of the land of Magog, the prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal, and prophesy against him, and say. Thus saith the Lord Jehovah: Behold, I am against thee, O Gog, prince of Rosh, Meshech, and Tubal . . ." (Ezek. 38:2, 3, ASV, 1901). a. The identity of the invaders. Where is the land of Magog? It seems almost cer¬ tain that these verses in Ezekiel refer to none other than that Communist bear, the U.S.S.R. Note the following threefold proof of this. (1) Geographical proof. Ezekiel tells us in three distinct passages (38:6, 15; 39:2) that this invading nation will come from the "uttermost parts of the north" (as the original Hebrew renders it). A quick glance at any world map will show that only Rus¬ sia can fulfill this description. (2) Historical proof. The ancient Jewish historian Josephus (first century a.d.) assures us that the descendants of Magog (who was Japheth's son and Noah's grandson) migrated to an area north of Palestine. But even prior to Josephus, the famous Greek historian Herodotus (fifth century b.c.) writes that Meshech's descend¬ ants settled north of Palestine. (3) Linguistic proof. Dr. John Walvoord writes concerning this, "In Ezekiel 38, Gog is described as 'the prince of Rosh' (ASV). The Authorized Version expresses it as the 'chief prince.' The transla¬ tion 'the prince of Rosh' is a more literal rendering of the He¬ brew. 'Rosh' may be the root of the modern term 'Russia.' In the study of how ancient words come into modern language, it is quite common for the consonants to remain the same and the vowels to be changed. In the word 'Rosh,' if the vowel 'O' is

842

changed to 'U' it becomes the root of the modem word 'Russia' with the suffix added. In other words, the word itself seems to be an early form of the word from which the modem word 'Russia' comes. Genesius, the fa¬ mous lexicographer, gives the as¬ surance that this is a proper identification, that is, that Rosh is an early form of the word from which we get Russia. The two terms 'Mesheck' and 'Tubal' also correspond to some prominent words in Russia. The term 'Me¬ sheck' is similar to the modem name 'Moscow' and Tubal' is obviously similar to the name of one of the prominent Asiatic provinces of Russia, the province of Tobolsk. When this evidence is put together, it points to the conclusion that these terms are early references to portions of Russia; therefore the geographic argument is reinforced by the linguistic argument and supports the idea that this invading force comes from Russia." (The Nations in Prophecy, pp. 107, 108) b. The allies in the invasion. Ezekiel lists five nations who will join Russia during her invasion. These are Persia, Ethiopia, Libya, Gomar, and Togarmah. These may (although there is some uncertainty) refer to the following present-day nations: Persia—modern Iran Ethiopia—Black African nations (South Africa) Libya—Arabic African nations (North Africa) Gomer—East Germany Togarmah—Southern Russia and the Cossacks, or perhaps Turkey c. The reasons for the invasion. (1) To cash in on the riches of Palestine (Ezek. 38:11, 12). (2) To control the Middle East. Ancient conquerors have always known that he who would control Europe, Asia, and Africa must first control that Middle East bridge which leads to these three continents. (3) To challenge the authority of the antichrist (Dan. 11:40-44). d. The chronology of the invasion. Here it is utterly impossible to be dogmatic. The following is therefore only a suggested possibility, based on Ezekiel 38 and Dan¬ iel 11:40-44. (1) Following a preconceived plan, Egypt attacks Palestine from the south (Dan. 11:40a). (2) Russia thereupon invades Israel from the north by both an amphibi¬ ous and a land attack (Dan. 11:40b).

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

(3) Russia does not stop in Israel, but continues southward and doublecrosses her ally by occupying Egypt also (Dan. 11:42, 43). (4) While in Egypt, Russia hears some disturbing news coming from the east and north and hurriedly returns to Palestine. We are not told what the content of this news is. Several theories have been offered: (a) That it contains the electrifying news that the antichrist has been assassinated, but has risen from the dead. See Revelation 13:3. (b) That it concerns itself with the impending counterattack of the Western leader (the antichrist). (c) That it warns of a confrontation with China and India ("Kings of the East"), who may be mobiliz¬ ing their troops. e. The destruction of the invaders. Upon her return, Russia is soundly defeated upon the mountains of Israel. This smashing defeat is effected by the follow¬ ing events, caused by God himself: (1) A mighty earthquake (Ezek. 38:19, 20). (2) Mutiny among the Russian troops (Ezek. 38:21). (3) A plague among the troops (Ezek. 38:22). (4) Floods, great hailstones, fire and brimstone (Ezek. 38:22; 39:6). f. The results of the invasion. (1) Five sixths (83 percent) of the Rus¬ sian soldiers are destroyed (Ezek. 39:2). (2) The first grisly feast of God begins (Ezek. 39:4, 17, 18, 19, 20). A similar feast would seem to take place later, after the battle of Armageddon (Mt. 24:28; Rev. 19:17, 18). (3) The Communist threat will cease forever. (4) Seven months will be spent in bury¬ ing the dead (Ezek. 39:11-15). (5) Seven years will be spent in burning the weapons of war (Ezek. 39:9, 10). Dr. John Walvoord writes the fol¬ lowing concerning this seven-year period: "There are some . . . problems in the passage which merit study. A reference is made to bows and arrows, to shields and chariots, and to swords. These, of course, are antiquated weapons from the standpoint of modern warfare. The large use of horses is under¬ standable, as Russia today uses horses a great deal in connection with their army. But why should they use armor, spears, bows and arrows? This certainly poses a problem. There have been two or

more answers given. One of them is that Ezekiel is using language with which he was familiar—the weapons that were common in his day—to anticipate modem weapons. What he is saying is that when this army comes, it will be fully equipped with the weapons of war. Such an inter¬ pretation, too, has problems. We are told in the passage that they used the wooden shafts of the spears and the bows and arrows for kindling wood. If these are symbols, it would be difficult to bum symbols. However, even in modem warfare there is a good deal of wood used. . . . A second solution is that the bat¬ tle is preceded by a disarmament agreement between nations. If this were the case, it would be necessary to resort to primitive weapons easily and secretly made if a surprise attack were to be achieved. This would allow a literal interpretation of the pas¬ sage. A third solution has also been suggested based on the premise that modem missile warfare will have developed in that day to a point where missiles will seek out any considerable amount of metal. Under these circum¬ stances, it would be necessary to abandon the large use of metal weapons and substitute wood such as is indicated in the primi¬ tive weapons." (The Nations in Prophecy, pp. 115, 116) 2. The martyrdom of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:7). There is a hint in Revelation 11:8 that the two witnesses will be crucified by the an¬ tichrist. 3. The martyrdom of the 144,000 Hebrew evan¬ gelists (Rev. 14:1-5). 4. The casting out of heaven's monster (Rev. 12:3-15). a. The identity of this monster. There is no doubt whatever concerning the identity of this "creature from the clouds." He is pinned down by no less than four titles. (1) The great red dragon (Rev. 12:3). (2) That old serpent (Rev. 12:9). (3) The devil (Rev. 12:9). (4) Satan (Rev. 12:9). b. The location of this monster. Satan has been, is now, or shall be in one of the following locations: (1) In heaven, as God's anointed angel (past location—Ezek. 28:14). (2) In heaven, as God's chief enemy (present location—Job 1-2). (3) On earth, as the antichrist's spiritual guide (future location, during the tribulation—Rev. 12:12).

843

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

(4) In the bottomless pit (future, during the millennium—Rev. 20:1-3). (5) On earth again (future, after the millennium—Rev. 20:8, 9). (6) In the lake of fire (future and for¬ ever—Rev. 20:10). c. The activities of this monster. (1) He deceives all living unbelievers (Rev. 12:9). (2) He accuses all departed believers (Rev. 12:10). (3) He persecutes the nation Israel (Rev. 12:13). 5. The destruction of the false church (Rev. 17:16). One of the most ironic turn of events in all history will be the destruction of the false church. This evil organization will meet its doom, not at the hands of Gabriel, or the Father, or the Son, or the Spirit, but the anti¬ christ. We have already seen how the false church elevates the antichrist into power. But then she apparently attempts to control him. He will have none of it, however, and will destroy her buildings, bum her holy books, and murder her priests. H. The last half of the tribulation (three-and-one-half years). 1. The full manifestation of the antichrist. After the judgment of Russia, the destruction of the false church, and the murder of most of God's preachers (the 144,000 and the two witnesses), an unbelievable vacuum will un¬ doubtedly settle down upon the world. The antichrist will immediately exploit this. The following is but a suggestion of the chronol¬ ogy of events which may take place at this critical time. a. The antichrist and his false prophet make their headquarters in Jerusalem after God destroys Russia. b. Here in the holy city, perhaps during a television speech, the antichrist is sud¬ denly assassinated, as millions of aston¬ ished viewers watch (Rev. 13:3, 14). c. Before his burial—perhaps during the state funeral—he suddenly rises from the dead. The world is electrified! d. The antichrist is immediately worshiped by the world as God. e. The false prophet thereupon makes a statue of the antichrist, causes it to speak, and places it in the Holy of Holies (Dan. 9:27; 12:11; Mt. 24:15; 2 Thess. 2:4). f. A law is passed which stipulates that no one can buy, sell, work, or obtain any necessity of life unless he carries a special mark on his right hand or his forehead to identify him as a worshiper of the beast (Rev. 13:16, 17). g. The number of this mark is 666 (Rev. 13:18). 2. The worldwide persecution of Israel. "And at that time shall Michael stand up, the great prince which standeth for the

844

children of thy people; and there shall be a time of trouble, such as never was since there was a nation even to that same time . . ." (Dan. 12:1). When the Israelites see the statue of the antichrist standing in their Holy of Holies, the words of Christ will come to their minds. He had warned them of this very thing many centuries earlier (Mt. 24:15-20). "And when the dragon saw that he was cast unto the earth, he persecuted the woman which brought forth the manchild" (Rev. 12:13). At this point the Jews of the world will travel down one of three roads: a. Many Israelites will be killed by the anti¬ christ. "And it shall come to pass that in all the land, saith the Lord, two parts therein shall be cut off and die; but the third shall be left therein" (Zech. 13:8). b. Some Israelites will follow the antichrist. "And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. And many false prophets shall rise, and shall de¬ ceive many. And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold" (Mt. 24:10-12). "... I know the blasphemy of them which say they are Jews, and are not, but are the synagogue of Satan" (Rev. 2:9). "Behold, I will make them of the synagogue of Satan which say they are Jews, and are not, but do lie; be¬ hold, I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee" (Rev. 3:9). c. A remnant of Israel will be saved. "And to the woman were given two wings of a great eagle, that she might fly into the wilderness, into her place, where she is nourished for a time, and times, and half a time, from the face of the serpent" (Rev. 12:14). "And I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them as silver is refined, and will try them as gold is tried; they shall call on my name, and I will hear them: I will say. It is my people; and they shall say. The Lord is my God" (Zech. 13:9). Thus it would seem that at least one third of Israel will remain true to God and be allowed by him to escape into a special hiding place for the duration of the tribulation. We shall now consider the location of this hiding place. While it is not actually specified in Scripture, many Bible students believe that this place will be Petra. This is based on the following three passages: (1) Zechariah 14:5: "And ye shall flee to the valley of the mountains, for the

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4.

5.

6.

THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

valley of the mountains shall reach unto Azal; yea, ye shall flee . . . and the Lord my God shall come, and all the saints with thee." (The "Azal" mentioned here is thought to be connected with Petra.) (2) Isaiah 63:1: "Who is this that cometh from Edom, with dyed garments from Bozrah?" The first few verses of Isaiah 63 deal with the Second Coming of Christ. He comes to Edom (of which Petra is capital) and Bozrah (a city in Edom) for some reason, and many believe that rea¬ son is to receive his Hebrew rem¬ nant who are hiding there. (3) Daniel 11:41: "He shall enter also into the glorious land, and many countries shall be overthrown; but these shall escape out of his hand, even Edom. . . ." Thus for some reason the land of Edom will not be allowed to fall into the hands of the antichrist. It is assumed by some that the reason is to protect the remnant. The pouring out of the last seal judgment (Rev. 8, 9; 11:15-19). This final seal judgment consists of seven trumpet plagues. a. The sounding of the first trumpet (Rev. 8:7). b. The sounding of the second trumpet (Rev. 8:8, 9). c. The sounding of the third trumpet (Rev. 8:10, 11). d. The sounding of the fourth trumpet (Rev. 8:12). e. The sounding of the fifth trumpet (Rev. 9:1). f. The sounding of the sixth trumpet (Rev. 9:13). g. The sounding of the seventh trumpet (Rev. 11:15). The messages of three special angels (Rev. 14:6-12). a. The first message (Rev. 14:6, 7). b. The second message (Rev. 14:8). c. The third message (Rev. 14:9-11). The pouring out of the seven bowls ("vials") of judgment (Rev. 16). "And I heard a great voice out of the tem¬ ple saying to the seven angels. Go your ways, and pour out the vials of the wrath of God upon the earth" (Rev. 16:1). a. The first vial judgment (Rev. 16:2). b. The second vial judgment (Rev. 16:3). c. The third vial judgment (Rev. 16:4-7). d. The fourth vial judgment (Rev. 16:8, 9). e. The fifth vial judgment (Rev. 16:10, 11). f. The sixth vial judgment (Rev. 16:12-14). g. The seventh vial judgment (Rev. 16:17-21). The sudden destruction of economic and po¬ litical Babylon (Rev. 18). "And there followed another angel, say¬ ing, Babylon is fallen, is fallen, that great

845

city, because she made all nations drink of the wine of the wrath of her fornica¬ tion" (Rev. 14:8). "... and great Babylon came in remem¬ brance before God, to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fierceness of his wrath" (Rev. 16:19). "And after these things I saw another angel come down from heaven, having great power; and the earth was lightened with his glory. And he cried mightily with a strong voice, saying, Babylon the great is fallen, is fallen . . ." (Rev. 18:1, 2). It is likely that literal Babylon will be re¬ built during the tribulation. The Old Testa¬ ment city of Babylon is mentioned more times in the Bible than any other city with the exception of Jerusalem. It is mentioned no less than 260 times. 7. The battle of Armageddon (Rev. 16:16). The Holy Spirit of God has chosen five capable authors to describe for us in clear and chill¬ ing language that most famous of all bat¬ tles—Armageddon. These five authors include David, Isaiah, Joel, Zechariah, and John. (See Isa. 34:1-6; 63:3, 4, 6; Joel 3:2, 9-16; Zech. 12:2; 14:2, 3, 12; Rev. 16:16; 19:11-21.) In his little booklet entitled Profiles of Proph¬ ecy, Dr. S. Franklin Logsdon writes: "A former president of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, helped by histori¬ ans from Britain, Egypt, Germany and In¬ dia, and using an electronic computer, has found that since 3600 b.c. the world has known only 292 years of peace. In this period of more than 55 centuries there have been 14,531 wars, large and small, in which more than 3.6 billion people were killed. Since 650 b.c., there have been 1,656 arms races, all except 16 ending in war, and those 16 ended in economic col¬ lapse for the countries concerned." But this coming War of Armageddon will be by far the biggest, boldest, bloodiest, most brazen, and most blasphemous of all times. We shall now consider the negative and positive elements of this war. a. Negative (1) Armageddon is not the same as the Russian invasion of Ezekiel 38. Note the differences: (a) Russia invades from the north, but at Armageddon the nations come from all directions. (b) Russia invades to capture Is¬ rael's wealth, but this invasion is to destroy the Lamb and his people. (c) Gog leads the Russian invasion, but the antichrist leads this one. (2) Armageddon is not the final war in the Bible—the final war occurs after the millennium (Rev. 20:7-9). Arma¬ geddon takes place at the end of the tribulation.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

b. Positive (1) The location of the battle. Dr. Her¬ man A. Hoyt aptly describes the lo¬ cation: "The staggering dimensions of this conflict can scarcely be con¬ ceived by man. The battlefield will stretch from Megiddo on the north (Zech. 12:11; Rev. 16:16) to Edom on the south (Isa. 34:5, 6; 63:1), a distance of sixteen hun¬ dred furlongs—approximately two hundred miles. It will reach from the Mediterranean Sea on the west to the hills of Moab on the east, a distance of almost one hundred miles. It will include the Valley of Jehoshaphat (Joel 3:2, 12) and the Plains of Esdraelon. At the center of the entire area will be the city of Jerusalem (Zech. 14:1, 2). Into this area the multiplied millions of men, doubtless approaching 400 mil¬ lion, will be crowded for the final holocaust of humanity. The kings with their armies will come from the north and the south, from the east and from the west. ... In the most dramatic sense this will be the 'Valley of deci¬ sion' for humanity (Joel 3:14) and the great winepress into which will be poured the fierceness of the wrath of Almighty God (Rev. 19:15)." (The End Time, p. 163) Thus there would seem to be at least four important names involved in the battle of Armageddon: (a) The Valley of Jehoshaphat—a valley situated just east of Jeru¬ salem, between the Holy City and the Mount of Olives. See Joel 3:2, 12. (b) The Valley of Esdraelon—a val¬ ley twenty miles long and four¬ teen miles wide, situated north and west of Jerusalem between the Holy City and the Mediter¬ ranean Sea. (c) Megiddo—a flat plain located in the Valley of Esdraelon (Zech. 12:11). (d) Bozrah—a city in Edom, east of the Jordan River and near Petra, the capital of Edom. These two cities will play an important role during the Second Coming of our Lord. See Isaiah 34:6 and 63:1. Marvin Vincent writes concerning Armageddon and its location: "Megiddo was in the plain of Es¬ draelon, which has been a chosen place for encampment in every contest carried on in Palestine

846

from the days of . . . Assyria unto the disastrous march of Napo¬ leon Bonaparte from Egypt into Syria. Jews, Gentiles, Saracens, Christian Crusaders, and antiChristian Frenchmen; Egyptians, Persians, Druses, Turks, and Arabs, warriors of every nation that is under heaven, have pitched their tents on the plains of Esdraelon, and have beheld the banners of their nation wet with the dews of Mt. Tabor and Mt. Hermon." (Word Studies in the New Testament, pp. 542, 543; quoted by Pentecost, Things to Come, p. 341) In addition to church history, a number of battles took place in this area, as reported by the Old Testa¬ ment: (e) It was here that Deborah and Barak defeated the Canaanites (Jdg. 4-5). (f) It was here that Gideon de¬ feated the Midianites (Jdg. 7). (g) It was here that the Philistines defeated and killed Saul (1 Sam. 31). (h) It was here that David defeated Goliath (1 Sam. 17). (i) It was here that an Egyptian king killed Josiah (2 Ki. 23). (2) Tire reasons for the battle. What will draw all the nations of the world into the area of Armageddon? They will gather themselves there for perhaps various reasons. It would seem that the following are three of the more important reasons: (a) Because of the sovereignty of God. In at least five distinct pas¬ sages we are told that God him¬ self will gather the nations here: ". . . he hath delivered them to the slaughter" (Isa. 34:2). "I will also gather all na¬ tions, and will bring them down into the valley of Je¬ hoshaphat . . ." 0oel 3:2). "For I will gather all na¬ tions against Jerusalem to battle . . ." (Zech. 14:2). "And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Ar¬ mageddon" (Rev. 16:16). (b) Because of the deception of Sa¬ tan (Rev. 16:13, 14). In this pas¬ sage we are told that three special unclean spirits will trick the nations into gathering at Armageddon. (c) Because of the hatred of the na¬ tions for Christ. A number of passages tell us of this devilish

THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

hatred (Ps. 2:1-3; Rev. 11:18). The nations, led by the anti¬ christ, will doubtless realize the imminent return of Christ (Rev. 11:15; 12:12). They will also be aware of his touching down on the Mount of Olives (Zech. 14:4; Acts 1:9-12). Thus it is not unreasonable to assume they will gather in that area to de¬ stroy him at the moment of his return to earth. (3) The chronology of the battle. (a) The drying up of the Euphrates River (Rev. 16:12). Dr. Donald Bamhouse quotes Seiss in de¬ scribing this: "From time immemorial the Euphrates with its tributaries has been a great and formi¬ dable boundary between the peoples east of it and those west of it. It runs a distance of 1800 miles, and is scarcely fordable anywhere or at any time. It is from three to twelve hundred yards wide, and from ten to thirty feet in depth; and most of the time it is still deeper and wider. It was the boundary of the do¬ minion of Solomon, and is repeatedly spoken of as the northeast limit of the lands promised to Israel. . . . His¬ tory frequently refers to the great hindrance the Euphra¬ tes has been to military movements; and it has al¬ ways been a line of separa¬ tion between the peoples living east of it and those liv¬ ing west of it." (Revelation, p. 301) Thus, when this watery bar¬ rier is removed, tens of millions of soldiers from China, India, and other Asian powers will march straight for Armageddon and destruction. (b) The destruction of Jerusalem. Perhaps the saddest event dur¬ ing the tribulation will be the siege and destruction of the Holy City. This will be the forty-seventh and last takeover of the beloved city of David. The following passages bear this out: "For I will gather all nations against Jerusalem to battle; and the city shall be taken, and the houses rifled, and the women ravished; and half the city shall go forth into captivity . . ." (Zech. 14:2).

847

"And when ye shall see Jerusalem compassed with armies, then know that the desolation thereof is nigh" (Lk. 21:20). When these two events tran¬ spire, both the angels in para¬ dise and the demons in perdition will surely hold their breath. The reason for their suspense will be discussed in the next major section. VI. The Second Coming of Christ. Surely John the apos¬ tle must have penned the following words with great awe. "And the seventh angel sounded; and there were great voices in heaven, saying. The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord, and of his Christ; and he shall reign forever and ever" (Rev. 11:15). "And I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse; and he that sat upon him was called Faith¬ ful and True, and in righteousness he doth judge and make war. His eyes were as a flame of fire, and on his head were many crowns; and he had a name written, that no man knew, but he himself. And he was clothed with a vesture dipped in blood: and his name is called The Word of God. And the armies which were in heaven followed him upon white horses, clothed in fine linen, white and clean. And out of his mouth goeth a sharp sword, that with it he should smite the na¬ tions: and he shall rule them with a rod of iron: and he treadeth the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And he hath on his vesture and on his thigh a name written, KING OF KINGS AND LORD OF LORDS" (Rev. 19:11-16). A. The chronology of the Second Coming of Christ. 1. It begins with fearful manifestations in the skies. "Immediately after the tribulation of those days shall the sun be darkened, and the moon shall not give her light, and the stars shall fall from heaven, and the pow¬ ers of the heavens shall be shaken" (Mt. 24:29). "And there shall be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and upon the earth distress of nations, with perplexity, the sea and the waves roaring, men's hearts failing them for fear . . . for the powers of heaven shall be shaken" (Lk. 21:25, 26). 2. In the midst of this, the heavens open and Jesus comes forth. "And then shall appear the sign of the Son of man in heaven; and then shall all the tribes of the earth mourn, and they shall see the Son of man coming in the clouds of heaven with power and great glory" (Mt. 24:30). "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him . . ." (Rev. 1:7). "And I saw heaven opened, and be¬ hold, a white horse; and he that sat upon

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

him was called Faithful and True . . ." (Rev. 19:11). 3. The returning Savior touches down upon the Mount of Olives, causing a great earthquake (Zech. 14:4, 8). Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost writes the following concerning this earthquake: "A news magazine reported some-time ago that a large hotel chain has sent a crew of engineers and geologists to Jeru¬ salem to explore the possibility of build¬ ing a hotel on the top of the Mount of Olives. After their exploration they re¬ ported that the site was a poor place to build because the Mount of Olives is the center of a geological fault, and an earth* quake in that area might divide the Mount and a hotel would certainly be de¬ stroyed. So they decided against building there and found another piece of property in another area. Subsequently another hotel was erected on the Mount of Olives which provides a breathtaking view of the old city of Jerusalem." (Will Man Survive? p. 162) 4. After touching down on the Mount of Ol¬ ives, Christ proceeds to Petra and Bozrah, two chief cities in Edom. It would seem that he goes to Edom to gather the hiding Israelite remnant. Accompanied by the holy angels, the church, and the remnant, Christ marches toward Armageddon (Isa. 34:6; 63:1). B. The purpose of the Second Coming of Christ. 1. To defeat the antichrist and the world's na¬ tions assembled at Armageddon. Two au¬ thors aptly describe this battle for us: "Palestine is to be given a blood bath of unprecedented proportions, which will flow from Armageddon at the north down through the Valley of Jehoshaphat, will cover the land of Edom, and will wash over all Judea and the city of Jerusalem. John looks at this scene of carnage and he describes it as blood flowing to the depths of the horses' bridles. It is beyond human imagination to see a lake that size that has been drained from the veins of those who have followed the purpose of Satan to try to exterminate God's chosen people in or¬ der to prevent Jesus Christ from coming to reign." (Pentecost, Prophecy for Today, pp. 118, 119) "The Battle of Armageddon will result in wholesale carnage among the legions of the beast. The brilliance of Christ's ap¬ pearing will produce a trembling and de¬ moralization in the soldiers (Zech. 12:2; 14:13). The result of this demoralization and trembling will be the desertion from the antichrist and the rendering of him inoperative (2 Thess. 2:8). This tremen¬ dous light from heaven will produce as¬ tonishment and blindness in animals and madness in men (Zech. 12:4). A plague will sweep through the armies from this light and men will rot right where they stand (Zech. 14:12, 15). The blood of ani¬

848

mals and men will form a lake two hun¬ dred miles long and bridle deep (Rev. 14:19, 20). The stench of this rotting mass of flesh and blood will fill the entire re¬ gion (Isa. 34:1-3). The mangled forms of men and the rotting flesh of men and beasts will provide a feast for the carrion birds (Rev. 19:17, 18, 21). The beast and the false prophet will then be cast alive into the lake of fire forever (Rev. 19:20)." (Hoyt, The End Times, p. 165) 2. To regather, regenerate, and restore faithful Israel. Perhaps the most frequent promise in all the Old Testament concerns God's even¬ tual restoration of Israel. The prophets repeat this so often that it becomes a refrain—a chorus of confidence. Note the following: "Fear not, for I am with thee; I will bring thy seed from the east, and gather thee from the west; I will say to the north. Give up; and to the south. Keep not back: bring my sons from far, and my daugh¬ ters from the ends of the earth" (Isa. 43:5, 6). "For I will set mine eyes upon them for good, and I will bring them again to this land; and I will build them, and not pull them down . . ." (Jer. 24:6). . . Thus saith the Lord God, I will even gather you from the people, and as¬ semble you out of the countries where ye have been scattered, and I will give you the land of Israel" (Ezek. 11:17). Perhaps the most sublime song of praise concerning Israel's restoration is sung by the prophet Micah: "Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the trans¬ gression of the remnant of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for ever, be¬ cause he delighteth in mercy. He will turn again; he will have compassion upon us; he will subdue our iniquities; and thou wilt cast all their sins into the depths of the sea" (Micah 7:18, 19). In the New Testament our Lord also speaks about this during one of his last ser¬ mons: "And he shall send his angels with a great sound of a trumpet, and they shall gather together his elect from the four winds, from one end of heaven to the other" (Mt. 24:31). Thus will our Lord gather Israel when he comes again and, as we have already ob¬ served, he will begin by appearing to the remnant hiding in Edom. Here we note: a. Their temporary sorrow. "And I will pour upon the house of David, and upon the inhabitants of Je¬ rusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications; and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn for him, as one mourneth for his only son, and shall

~ THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY -

be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his firstborn. In that day shall there be a great mourning in Jerusalem ... in the valley of Megiddon. And the land shall mourn, every family apart; the family of the house of David apart, and their wives apart . . (Zech. 12:10-12). "And one shall say unto him. What are these wounds in thine hands? Then he shall answer. Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends" (Zech. 13:6). "Behold, he cometh with clouds; and every eye shall see him, and they also which pierced him; and all kin¬ dreds of the earth shall wail because of him" (Rev. 1:7). b. Their ultimate joy. "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 will be glad and rejoice in his salvation" (Isa. 25:8, 9). "I, even I, am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake, and will not remember thy sins" (Isa. 43:25). "For the Lord shall comfort Zion; he will comfort all her waste places, and will make her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of the Lord; joy and gladness shall be found therein; thanksgiving, and the voice of melody" (Isa. 51:3). "For ye shall go out with joy, and be led forth with peace: the moun¬ tains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing, and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands" (Isa. 55:12). 3. To judge and punish faithless Israel. In the book of Romans the great Apostle Paul makes two significant statements concerning his beloved nation Israel. He writes, "And so all Israel shall be saved; as it is written. There shall come out of Sion the Deliverer, and shall turn away ungodli¬ ness from Jacob" (Rom. 11:26). "For they are not all Israel which are of Israel" (Rom. 9:6). By the first statement Paul of course meant that all faithful Israel would be saved. As we have previously seen, this blessed event will occur during the tribulation. By the second statement Paul writes con¬ cerning faithless Israel. In other words, all that glitters is not gold. From the very moment God began working through Abraham (the first Hebrew), Satan also began working through members of that same race. Thus, as I

849

the Bible has been advanced by faithful Is¬ rael throughout history, it has likewise been opposed by faithless Israel. Therefore, when the matter of all Israel re¬ turns, he will be especially gracious to true Israel but especially harsh with false Israel. Note the tragic record of false Israel. a. Her sins against the Father. (1) Rebelling (Num. 14:22, 23). (2) Rejecting (1 Sam. 8:7). (3) Robbing (Mai. 3:2-5). b. Her sins against the Son. (1) She refused him (Jn. 1:11). (2) She crucified him (Acts 2:22, 23; 3:14, 15; 4:10; 5:30; 1 Thess. 2:14-16). c. Her sins against the Holy Spirit—stub¬ born resistance. (See Acts 7:51.) d. Her sins against the kingdom. (1) She refused to use her God-given abilities to promote it (Mt. 25:24-30; Lk. 19:20-24). (2) She made light of the marriage feast (Mt. 22:5). (3) She refused to wear the proper wed¬ ding garments (Mt. 22:11-13). e. Her sins against her own people. (1) She stole from widows (Mt. 23:14). (2) She killed her own prophets (Mt. 23:31, 34, 35; Acts 7:58). f. Her sins against the world. (1) She led others into her own wretched blindness (Mt. 23:16, 24). (2) She was filled with hypocrisy (Mt. 16:6, 12; Rom. 2:17-23). (3) She had blasphemed the name of God among the Gentiles (Rom. 2:24). g. Her sins against the gospel. (1) She opposed it in Jerusalem (Acts 4:2; 5:28; 9:29; 21:28; 23:2, 12). (2) She opposed it in Damascus (Acts 9:22-25). (3) She opposed it in Antioch of Pisidia (Acts 13:45, 50). (4) She opposed it in Iconium (Acts 14:2). (5) She opposed it in Lystra (Acts 14:19). (6) She opposed it in Thessalonica (Acts 17:5). (7) She opposed it in Berea (Acts 17:13). (8) She opposed it in Corinth (Acts 18:6, 12).

(9) She opposed it in Caesarea (Acts 25:6, 7). The Apostle Paul dearly loved his nation, and doubtless wrote the following descrip¬ tion of faithless Israel and her future judg¬ ment with a heavy and weeping heart: "Who both killed the Lord Jesus, and their own prophets, and have persecuted us; and they please not God, and are con¬ trary to all men, forbidding us to speak to the Gentiles that they might be saved, to fill up their sins alway: for the wrath is

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

come upon them to the uttermost" (1 Thess. 2:15, 16). Thus the tragic prophecy of Ezekiel will someday be fulfilled upon faithless Israel: "But as for them whose heart walketh af¬ ter the heart of their detestable things and their abominations, I will recompense their way upon their own heads, saith the Lord God" (Ezek. 11:21). "And I will purge out from among you the rebels, and them that transgress against me . . ." (Ezek. 20:38). 4. To separate the sheep from the goats (Mt. 25:31-46). a. The false views of this judgment. (1) That this "sheep and goat" judg¬ ment is the same as the great white throne judgment of Revelation 20:11-15. They are not the same, for one takes place at the end of the tribulation while the other occurs at the end of the millennium. (2) That the sheep and goat judgment deals only with entire nations. Some have imagined the nations of the world lined up before God. At his command, Russia steps forward and is judged—then America, then Cuba, etc. This is not the case. The word translated "nations" in Mat¬ thew 25:32 should be rendered "Gentiles." b. The basis of this judgment. The test in this judgment is how those Gentiles who survive the tribulation have treated faith¬ ful Israel (here referred to by Christ as "my brethren"). In Nazi Germany, during the Second World War, escaping Jews were on a number of occasions befriended and pro¬ tected by various German families who, in spite of their nationality, did not agree with Adolf Hitler. Apparently the same thing will happen during the tribulation. Gentiles from all nations will hear the message of faithful Israel and believe it and, at the risk of their own lives, will protect the messengers. 5. To bind Satan. "And the God of peace shall bruise Satan under your feet shortly . . ." (Rom. 16:20). "And I saw an angel come down from heaven, having the key of the bottomless pit and a great chain in his hand. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, and cast him into the bottomless pit, and shut him up, and set a seal upon him, that he should de¬ ceive the nations no more till the thou¬ sand years should be fulfilled . . ." (Rev. 20:1-3). 6. To resurrect Old Testament and tribulational saints. It is the view of this study guide that at the rapture of the church God will raise only those believers who have been saved from Pentecost till the rapture. According to

850

this view, all other believers will be resur¬ rected just prior to the millennium. a. The fact of this resurrection. At least nine passages bring out this resurrection. (1) Job 19:25, 26. (2) Psalm 49:15. (3) Isaiah 25:8. (4) Isaiah 26:19. (5) Daniel 12:2. (6) Hosea 13:14. (7) John 5:28, 29. (8) Hebrews 11:35. (9) Revelation 20:4, 5. b. The order of this resurrection. This is the third of four major biblical resurrections. These are: (1) The resurrection of Christ (1 Cor. 15:23). (2) The resurrection of believers at the rapture (1 Thess. 4:16; 1 Cor. 15:51-53). (3) The resurrection of Old Testament and tribulational saints. (4) The resurrection of the unsaved (Rev. 20:5, 11-14). Thus one of the reasons for the Second Coming will be to resurrect those non¬ church-related saints. For many long centu¬ ries Father Abraham has been patiently awaiting that city "which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God" (Heb. 11:10); God will not let him down. 7. To judge fallen angels. "Know ye not that we shall judge an¬ gels?" (1 Cor. 6:3). All fallen angels are of course included in this judgment. But some believe that they fall into two main categories—chained and unchained. a. Unchained fallen angels. "And Jesus asked him, saying. What is thy name? And he said. Legion, be¬ cause many devils were entered into him. And they besought him that he would not command them to go out into the deep" (Lk. 8:30, 31). "For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places" (Eph. 6:12). The point of these passages is simply this—there is a group of fallen angels (demons) who have freedom of move¬ ment, and can therefore possess the bod¬ ies of both men and animals. Their one sin was that of following Satan in his foul rebellion against God. See Isaiah 14:12-17; Ezekiel 28:12-19. b. Chained fallen angels. "Christ also suffered. He died once for the sins of all us guilty sinners, al¬ though he himself was innocent of any sin at any time, that he might bring us safely home to God. But

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY

though his body died, his spirit lived on, and it was in the spirit that he vis¬ ited the spirits in prison, and preached to them—spirits of those who, long before in the days of Noah, had re¬ fused to listen to God, though he waited patiently for them while Noah was building the ark. Yet only eight persons were saved from drowning in that terrible flood" (1 Pet. 3:18-20, TLB). (See also 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 6.) According to the above passages these fallen angels do not have the freedom the previous angels do, but are right now in "solitary confinement" awaiting their judgment at the end of the tribulation. Why the difference? Many Bible scholars believe that this group of angels was guilty of two grievous sins—not only did they join Satan's revolt, but they also committed sexual perversion with "the daughters of men" before the flood. See Genesis 6:2. C. The time-element involved in the Second Com¬ ing of Christ. According to Daniel 12:11, 12, there will be a period of seventy-five days be¬ tween the Second Coming of Christ and the mil¬ lennial reign. Dr. S. Franklin Logsdon has written, "We in the United States have a national analogy. The President is elected in the early part of November, but he is not inaugurated until January 20th. There is an interim of 70plus days. During this time, he concerns him¬ self with the appointment of Cabinet mem¬ bers, foreign envoys and others who will comprise his government. In the period of 75 days between the termination of the Great Tribulation and the Coronation, the King of glory likewise will attend to certain matters." (Profiles of Prophecy, p. 81) It would therefore appear that the seventy-five days will be spent in accomplishing seven basic things already mentioned under "Purposes of the Second Coming." VII. The Millennium—the Thousand-year Reign of Christ. A. The fact of the millennium. The word itself is a Latin term which signifies "one thousand years." ". . . and they lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years" (Rev. 20:4). In the first seven verses of Revelation 20, John mentions the thousand-year period no less than six times. In spite of this some have argued that, since this number is found in only one New Tes¬ tament passage, one cannot insist that the thou¬ sand-year period will really come to pass. To emphasize their point, reference is made to 2 Pe¬ ter 3:8: ". . . One day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day." It is interesting (and perhaps revealing) to note that the same group which attempts to shorten the thousand-year period of Revelation to one day (and thus do away entirely with the millen¬ nium) also attempts to expand the six days of creation in Genesis to thousands of years. One is

851

tempted to ask, "Why can't God mean exactly what he says?" Dr. Rene Pache writes the following helpful words: "Let us notice again this fact: the teaching of the Old Testament concerning the millen¬ nium is so complete that the Jews in the Tal¬ mud succeeded in developing it entirely themselves, without possessing the gifts fur¬ nished later by the New Testament. For ex¬ ample, they had indeed affirmed before the Apocalypse that the messianic kingdom would last one thousand years. One should not, therefore, claim (as some have done) that without the famous passage of Revelation 20:1-10 the doctrine of the millennium would not exist." (The Return of fesus Christ, p. 380) During the history of the Christian church men have held three major views about the mil¬ lennium. 1. Postmillennialism. This theory says that through the preaching of the gospel the world will eventually embrace Christianity and become a universal "society of saints." At this point Christ will be invited to assume command and reign over man's peaceful planet. Thus, though postmillennialists be¬ lieve in a literal thousand-year reign, their position is false, for the Bible clearly teaches that the world situation will become worse and worse prior to Christ's Second Coming— not better and better. See 1 Timothy 4:1; 2 Timothy 3:1-5. This position was popular¬ ized by a Unitarian minister named Daniel Whitby (1638-1726), and it flourished until the early part of the twentieth century. Then came World War I, and men began to won¬ der. Finally the postmillennial theory was quietly laid to rest amid Hitler's gas ovens during the Second World War. Today a postmillennialist is harder to find than a 1940 Wendell Willkie button. 2. Amillennialism. This view teaches that there will be no thousand-year reign at all, and that the New Testament church inherits all the spiritual promises and prophecies of Old Testament Israel. In this view Isaiah's beauti¬ ful prophecy of the bear and the cow lying together and the lion eating straw like the ox (Isa. 11:7) simply doesn't mean what it says. However, if the eleventh chapter of Isaiah cannot be taken literally, what proof do we have that the magnificent fifty-third chapter should not likewise be allegorized away? 3. Premillennialism. This view teaches that Christ will return just prior to the millen¬ nium and will personally rule during this glorious thousand-year reign. This position alone is the scriptural one, and is the oldest of these three views. From the apostolic pe¬ riod on, the premillennial position was held by the early church fathers. a. Theologians who held it during the first century a.d. (1) Clement of Rome—40 to 100. (2) Ignatius—50-115. (3) Polycarp—70-167.

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE~

b. Theologians who held it during the sec¬ ond century a.d. (1) Justin Martyr—100-168. (2) Irenaeus—140-202. (3) Tertullian—150-220. c. Theologians who held it during the third century a.d. (1) Cyprian—200-258. (2) Commodianus—250. Beginning in the fourth century, however, the Roman Catholic Church began to grow and premillennialism began to wither, for Rome viewed herself as God's instrument to usher in the promised kingdom of glory. For centuries the precious doctrine of premillen¬ nialism was lost except to a few groups. But in the past few hundred years God has graciously revived premillennialism and re¬ stored it to its proper place, using men like Alford, Seiss, Darby, and C. I. Scofield. B. The purpose of the millennium. 1. To reward the saints of God. "Verily there is a reward for the righteous . . (Ps. 58:11). ", . . to him that soweth righteousness shall be a sure reward" (Prov. 11:18). "Rejoice, and be exceeding glad, for great is your reward in heaven . . (Mt. 5:12). "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Mt. 16:27). "Then shall the King say . . . Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" (Mt. 25:34). 2. To answer the oft-prayed model prayer. In Luke 11:1-4 and Matthew 6:9-13 our Lord, at the request of his disciples, suggested a pat¬ tern prayer to aid all believers in their pray¬ ing. One of the guidelines was this: "Thy kingdom come." Here the Savior was invit¬ ing his followers to pray for the millennium. Someday he will return to fulfill the untold millions of times these three little words have wafted their way to heaven by Chris¬ tians—"Thy kingdom come." 3. To redeem creation. In Genesis 3 God cursed nature because of Adam's sin. From that point on, man's paradise became a wilder¬ ness. The roses suddenly contained thorns, and the docile tiger became a hungry meateater. But during the millennium all this will change. Paul describes the transformation for us in his epistle to the Romans: "For all creation is waiting patiently and hopefully for that future day when God will resurrect his children. For on that day thorns and thistles, sin, death, and de¬ cay—the things that overcame the world against its will at God's command—will all disappear, and the world around us will share in the glorious freedom from sin which God's children enjoy. "For we know that even the things of nature, like

852

animals and plants, suffer in sickness and death as they await this great event" (Rom. 8:19-22, TLB). 4. To fulfill three important Old Testament covenants. a. The Abrahamic Covenant. God promised Abraham two basic things: (1) That his seed (Israel) would become a mighty nation (Gen. 12:1-3; 13:16; 15:5; 17:7; 22:17, 18). (2) That his seed (Israel) would some¬ day own Palestine forever (Gen. 12:7; 13:14,15,17; 15:7,18-21; 17:8). b. The Davidic Covenant (2 Chron. 13:5; 2 Sam. 7:12-16; 23:5). Here the promise was threefold: (1) That from David would come an everlasting throne. (2) That from David would come an everlasting kingdom. (3) That from David would come an everlasting King. c. The new covenant (Isa. 42:6; Jer. 31:31-34; Heb. 8:7-12). This promise was also threefold: (1) That he would forgive their iniquity and forget their sin. (2) That he would give them new hearts. (3) That he would use Israel to reach and teach the Gentiles. 5. To prove a point. This is the point: Regard¬ less of his environment or heredity, mankind apart from God's grace will inevitably fail. For example: a. The age of innocence ended with willful disobedience (Gen. 3). b. The age of conscience ended with universal corruption (Gen. 6). c. The age of human government ended with devil-worshiping at the Tower of Babel (Gen. 11). d. The age of promise ended with God's peo¬ ple out of the Promised Land and en¬ slaved in Egypt (Ex. 1). e. The age of the law ended with the crea¬ tures killing their Creator (Mt. 27). f. The age of the church will end with world¬ wide apostasy (1 Tim. 4). g. The age of the tribulation will end with the battle of Armageddon (Rev. 19). h. The age of the millennium will end with an attempt to destroy God himself (Rev. 20). (Note: Just where and how Satan will gather this unsaved human army at the end of the millennium will be discussed later.) 6. To fulfill the main burden of biblical proph¬ ecy. All Bible prophecy concerning the Lord Jesus Christ is summarized in one tiny verse by the Apostle Peter: ". . . the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow" (1 Pet. 1:11). Here Peter connects Christ's first coming (the sufferings) with his Second Coming (the glory).

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY

In this verse is the "suffering-glory story" of the Savior. Furthermore, when a sinner repents and becomes a part of the body of Christ, he too shares in this destiny. Note the following: "For I reckon that the sufferings of this present time are not worthy to be com¬ pared with the glory which shall be re¬ vealed in us" (Rom. 8:18). "And our hope of you is steadfast, knowing that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the con¬ solation" (2 Cor. 1:7). "If we suffer, we shall also reign with him . . ." (2 Tim. 2:12). "Beloved, think it not strange concern¬ ing the fiery trial which is to try you, as though some strange thing happened unto you; but rejoice, inasmuch as ye are partakers of Christ's sufferings; that when his glory shall be revealed, ye may be glad also with exceeding joy" (1 Pet. 4:12, 13). "The elders which are among you I ex¬ hort, who am also an elder, and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, and also a par¬ taker of the glory that shall be revealed" (1 Pet. 5:1). C. The titles of the millennium. 1. The world to come (Heb. 2:5). 2. The kingdom of heaven (Mt. 5:10). 3. The kingdom of God (Mk. 1:14). 4. The last day (Jn. 6:40). 5. The regeneration (Mt. 19:28). "And Jesus said unto them. Verily I say unto you that ye which have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man shall sit in the throne of his glory, ye also shall sit upon twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel" (Mt. 19:28). The word "regeneration" is found only twice in the English Bible, here and in Titus 3:5, where Paul is speaking of the believer's new birth. The word literally means "re-cre¬ ation." Thus the millennium will be to the earth what salvation is to the sinner. 6. The times of refreshing (Acts 3:19). 7. The restitution of all things (Acts 3:21). 8. The day of Christ. This is by far the most common biblical name for the millennium. See 1 Corinthians 1:8; 5:5; 2 Corinthians 1:14; Philippians 1:6; 2:16. D. Old Testament examples of the millennium. 1. The Sabbath. This word literally means "rest." In Old Testament times God wisely set aside a sabbath or rest time after a period of activity. A rest was to be observed: a. After six workdays (Ex. 20:8-11; Lev. 23:3). b. After six work weeks (Lev. 23:15, 16). c. After six work months (Lev. 23:24, 25, 27, 34). d. After six work years (Lev. 25:2-5). 2. The jubilee year (Lev. 25:10-12). 3. The tabernacle—because God's glory dwelt in the Holy of Holies (Ex. 25:8; 29:42-46; 40:34).

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4. The feast of tabernacles (Lev. 23:34-42). 5. The Promised Land (Deut. 6:3; Heb. 4:8-10). 6. The reign of Solomon. a. Because of the vastness of his kingdom (1 Ki. 4:21). b. Because of its security (1 Ki. 4:25). c. Because of his great wisdom (1 Ki. 4:29, 34). d. Because of the fame of his kingdom (1 Ki. 10:7). e. Because of the riches of his kingdom (1 Ki. 10:27). E. The nature of the millennium. What will the thousand-year reign of Christ be like? Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost has compiled the following ex¬ tended and impressive facts: A. Peace. The cessation of war through the unification of the kingdoms of the world under the reign of Christ, together with the resultant economic prosperity (since nations need not devote vast proportions of their expenditure on munitions) is a major theme of the prophets. National and individual peace is the fruit of Mes¬ siah's reign (Isa. 2:4; 9:4-7; 11:6-9; 32:17, 18; 33:5, 6; 54:13; 55:12; 60:18; 65:25; 66:12; Ezek. 28:26; 34:25, 28; Hosea 2:18; Micah 4:2, 3; Zech. 9:10). B. Joy. The fullness of joy will be a distinc¬ tive mark of the age (Isa. 9:3, 4; 12:3-6; 14:7, 8; 25:8, 9; 30:29; 42:1, 10-12; 52:9; 60:15; 61:7, 10; 65:18, 19; 66:10-14; Jer. 30:18,19; 31:13,14; Zeph. 3:14-17; Zech. 8:18, 19; 10:6, 7). C. Holiness. The theocratic kingdom will be a holy kingdom, in which holiness is manifested through the King and the King's subjects. The land will be holy, the city holy, the temple holy, and the subjects holy unto the Lord (Isa. 1:26, 27; 4:3, 4; 29:18-23; 31:6, 7; 35:8, 9; 52:1; 60:21; 61:10; Jer. 31:23; Ezek. 36:24-31; 37:23, 24; 43:7-12; 45:1; Joel 3:21; Zeph. 3:11, 13; Zech. 8:3; 13:1, 2; 14:20, 21). D. Glory. The kingdom will be a glorious kingdom, in which the glory of God will find full manifestation (Isa. 4:2; 24:23; 35:2; 40:5; 60:1-9). E. Comfort. The King will personally min¬ ister to every need, so that there will be the fullness of comfort in that day (Isa. 12:1, 2; 29:22, 23; 30:26; 40:1, 2; 49:13; 51:3; 61:3-7; 66:13, 14; Jer. 31:23-25; Zeph. 3:18-20; Zech. 9:11, 12; Rev. 21:4). F. Justice. There will be the administration of perfect justice to every individual (Isa. 9:7; 11:5; 32:16; 42:1-4; 65:21-23; Jer. 23:5; 31:23, 29, 30). G. Full knowledge. The ministry of the King will bring the subjects of his king¬ dom into full knowledge. Doubtless there will be an unparalleled teaching ministry of the Holy Spirit (Isa. 11:1, 2, 9; 41:19, 20; 54:13; Hab. 2:14). H. Instruction. This knowledge will come about through the instruction that issues

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE—

S. Unified language. The language barriers will be removed so that there can be free social interchange (Zeph. 3:9). T. Unified Worship. All the world will unite in the worship of God and God's Messiah (Isa. 45:23; 52:1, 7-10; 66:17-23; Zeph. 3:9; Zech. 8:23; 9:7; 13:2; 14:16; Mai. 1:11; Rev. 5:9-14). U. The manifest presence of God. God's presence will be fully recognized and fel¬ lowship with God will be experienced to an unprecedented degree (Ezek. 37:27, 28; Zech. 2:2, 10-13; Rev. 21:3). V. The fullness of the Spirit. Divine presence and enablement will be the experience of all who are in subjection to the authority of the King (Isa. 32:13-15; 41:1; 44:3; 59:19, 21; 61:1; Ezek. 11:19, 20; 36:26, 27; 37:14; 39:29; Joel 2:28, 29). W. The perpetuity of the millennial state. That which characterizes the millennial age is not viewed as temporary, but eter¬ nal (Isa. 51:6-8; 55:3, 13; 56:5; 60:19, 20; 61:8; Jer. 32:40; Ezek. 16:60; 37:26-28; 43:7-9; Dan. 9:24; Hosea 2:19-23; Joel 3:20; Amos 9:15)." (Things to Come, pp. 487-490) F. The citizens of the millennium. 1. Considered negatively. No unsaved persons will enter the millennium (Isa. 35; Jer. 31:33, 34; Ezek. 20:37, 38; Zech. 13:9; Mt. 18.3; 25:30, 46; Jn. 3:3). However, millions of ba¬ bies will evidently be reared in the millen¬ nium. They will be bom of saved but mortal Israelite and Gentile parents who survived the tribulation and entered the millennium in that state of mortality (thus the possible reason for the Tree of Life in Rev. 22:2). As they mature, some of these babies will refuse to submit their hearts to the new birth, though their outward acts will be subjected to existing authority. Thus Christ will rule with a rod of iron (Zech. 14:17-19; Rev. 2:27; 12:5; 19:15). Dr. Rene Pache writes concern¬ ing this: "As beautiful as the Millennium is, it will not be heaven. . . . Sin will still be possi¬ ble during the thousand years (Isa. 11:4; 65:20). Certain families and certain na¬ tions will refuse to go up to Jerusalem to worship the Lord (Zech. 14:17-19). Such deeds will be all the more inexcusable be¬ cause the tempter will be absent and be¬ cause the revelations of the Lord will be greater. . . . Those who have been thus smitten will serve as examples to all those who would be tempted to imitate them (Isa. 66:24)." (The Return of Jesus Christ, pp. 428, 429) 2. Considered positively. a. Saved Israel. (1) Israel will once again be related to God by marriage (Isa. 54:1-17; 62:2-5; Hosea 2:14-23). (2) Israel will be exalted above the Gen¬ tiles (Isa. 14:1, 2; 49:22, 23; 60:14-17; 61:6, 7).

from the King (Isa. 2:2, 3; 12:3-6; 25:9; 29:17-24; 30:20, 21; 32:3, 4; 49:10; 52:8; Jer. 3:14, 15; 23:1-4; Micah 4:2). I. The removal of the curse. The original curse placed upon creation (Gen. 3:17-19) will be removed, so that there will be abundant productivity to the earth. Ani¬ mal creation will be changed so as to lose its venom and ferocity (Isa. 11:6-9; 35:9; 65:25). J. Sickness removed. The ministry of the King as a healer will be seen throughout the age, so that sickness and even death, except as a penal measure in dealing with overt sin, will be removed (Isa. 33:24; Jer. 30:17; Ezek. 34:16). K. Healing of the deformed. Accompanying this ministry will be the healing of all de¬ formity at the inception of the millen¬ nium (Isa. 29:17-19; 35:3-6; 61:1, 2; Jer. 31:8; Micah 4:6, 7; Zeph. 3:19). L. Protection. There will be a supernatural work of preservation of life in the millen¬ nial age through the King (Isa. 41:8-14; 62:8, 9; Jer. 32:27; 23:6; Ezek. 34:27; Joel 3:16, 17; Amos 9:15; Zech. 8:14, 15; 9:8; 14:10, 11). M. Freedom from oppression. There will be no social, political or religious oppression in that day (Isa. 14:3-6; 42:6, 7; 49:8, 9; Zech. 9:11, 12). N. No immaturity. The suggestion seems to be that there will not be the tragedies of feeble-mindedness nor of dwarfed bodies in that day (Isa. 65:20). Longevity will be restored. O. Reproduction by the living peoples. The living saints who go into the millennium in their natural bodies will beget children throughout the age. The earth's popula¬ tion will soar. These born in the age will not be born without a sin nature, so sal¬ vation will be required (Jer. 30:20; 31:29; Ezek. 47:22; Zech. 10:8). P. Labor. The period will not be character¬ ized by idleness, but there will be a per¬ fect economic system, in which the needs of men are abundantly provided for by labor in that system, under the guidance of the King. There will be a fully devel¬ oped industrialized society, providing for the needs of the King's subjects (Isa. 62:8, 9; 65:21-23; Jer. 31:5; Ezek. 48:18,19). Ag¬ riculture as well as manufacturing will provide employment. Q. Economic prosperity. The perfect labor situation will produce economic abun¬ dance, so that there will be no want (Isa. 4:1; 30:23-25; 35:1, 2, 7; 62:8, 9; 65:21-23; Jer. 31:5, 12; Ezek. 34:26; 36:29, 30; Joel 2:21-27; Amos 9:13, 14; Micah 4:1, 4; Zech. 8:11, 12; 9:16, 17). R. Increase of light. There will be an increase of solar and lunar light in the age. This increased light probably is a major cause in the increased productivity of the earth (Isa. 4:5; 30:26; 60:19, 20; Zech. 2:5).

854

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THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY~

(3) Israel will become God's witness during the millennium (Isa. 44:8; 61:6; 66:21; Jer. 16:19-21; Micah 5:7; Zeph. 3:20; Zech. 4:1-7; 8:3). b. Saved Old Testament and tribulation Gentiles (Isa. 2:4; 11:12; Rev. 5:9, 10). c. The church (1 Cor. 6:2; 2 Tim. 2:12; Rev. 1:6; 2:26, 27; 3:21). d. The elect angels (Heb. 12:22). G. The King of the millennium. The Lord Jesus Christ will of course be King supreme, but there are passages which suggest that he will gra¬ ciously choose to rule through a vice-regent, and that vice-regent will be David. Note the follow¬ ing Scripture: "But they shall serve the Lord their God, and David their king, whom I will raise up unto them" (Jer. 30:9). Jeremiah wrote these words some 400 years af¬ ter the death of David, so he could not have been referring to his earthly reign here. "And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant Da¬ vid; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd" (Ezek. 34:23). (See also Ezekiel 37:24.) "Afterward shall the children of Israel re¬ turn, and seek the Lord their God, and David their king, and shall fear the Lord and his goodness in the latter days" (Hosea 3:5). If we can take these passages literally, David will once again sit upon the throne of Israel. He will thus be aided in his rule by: 1. The church (1 Cor. 6:3). 2. The apostles (Mt. 19:28). 3. Nobles (Jer. 30:21). 4. Princes (Isa. 32:1; Ezek. 45:8, 9). 5. Judges (Zech. 3:7; Isa. 1:26). H. The geography of the millennium. 1. Palestine. a. To be greatly enlarged and changed (Isa. 26:15; Obad. 1:17-21). For the first time Israel will possess all the land promised to Abraham in Genesis 15:18-21. b. A great fertile plain to replace the moun¬ tainous terrain. c. A river to flow east-west from the Mount of Olives into both the Mediterranean and the Dead Seas. The following pas¬ sages from The Living Bible bear this out: ". . . The Mount of Olives will split apart, making a very wide valley run¬ ning from east to west, for half the mountain will move toward the north and half toward the south. . . . Lifegiving waters will flow out from Jeru¬ salem, half toward the Dead Sea and half toward the Mediterranean, flow¬ ing continuously both in winter and in summer. . . . All the land from Geba (the northern border of Judah) to Rimmon (the southern border) will become one vast plain . . (Zech. 14:4, 8, 10). "Sweet wine will drip from the mountains, and the hills shall flow

855

with milk. Water will fill the dry stream beds of Judah, and a fountain will burst forth from the Temple of the Lord to water Acacia Valley" (Joel 3:18). "He told me: 'This river flows east through the desert and the Jordan Valley to the Dead Sea, where it will heal the salty waters and make them fresh and pure. Everything touching the water of this river shall live. Fish will abound in the Dead Sea, for its waters will be healed. . . . All kinds of fruit trees will grow along the river banks. The leaves will never turn brown and fall, and there will always be fruit. There will be a new crop ev¬ ery month—without fail! For they are watered by the river flowing from the Temple. The fruit will be for food and the leaves for medicine'" (Ezek. 47:8, 9, 12). 2. Jerusalem. a. The city will become the worship center of the world. "But in the last days Mount Zion will be the most renowned of all the mountains of the world, praised by all nations; people from all over the world will make pilgrimages there" (Micah 4:1, TLB). "In the last days Jerusalem and the Temple of the Lord will become the world's greatest attraction, and people from many lands will flow there to worship the Lord. 'Come,' everyone will say, 'let us go up the mountain of the Lord, to the Temple of the God of Israel; there he will teach us his laws, and we will obey them.' For in those days the world will be ruled from Je¬ rusalem" (Isa. 2:2, 3, TLB). b. The city will occupy an elevated site (Zech. 14:10). c. The city will be six miles in circumfer¬ ence (Ezek. 48:35). (In the time of Christ the city was about four miles.) d. The city will be named "Jehovah-Shammah," meaning "the Lord is there" (Ezek. 48:35). I. The temple in the millennium. 1. Its biblical order. The millennial temple is the last of seven great scriptural temples. These are: a. The tabernacle of Moses—Exodus 40 (1500-1000 b.c.). b. The Temple of Solomon—1 Kings 8 (1000-586 b.c.). c. The Temple of Zerubbabel (rebuilt later by Herod)—Ezra 6; John 2 (516 b.c. to a.d. 70). d. The temple of the body of Jesus—John 2:21 (4 b.c. to a.d. 30). e. The spiritual temple, the church—Acts 2; 1 Thess. 4 (from Pentecost till the rap¬ ture). (1) The whole church (Eph. 2:21).

~ WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

2.

3.

4.

5.

c. There will be no lampstands. These will not be needed either, since the Light of the world himself will personally shine forth. d. There will be no Ark of the Covenant. This will also be unnecessary, since the Shekinah glory himself will hover over all the world, as the glory cloud once did over the ark. e. The east gate will be closed. Observe the words of Ezekiel: "This gate shall be shut, and no man shall enter in by it; because the Lord, the God of Israel, hath entered in by it; therefore it shall be shut" (Ezek. 44:2). This gate, it has been suggested, will remain closed for the following reasons: (1) This will be the gate by which the Lord Jesus Christ enters the temple. As a mark of honor to an eastern king, no person could enter the gate by which he entered. (2) It was from the eastern gate that the glory of God departed for the last time in the Old Testament (Ezek. 10:18, 19). By sealing the gate, God reminds all those within that his glory will never again depart from his people. 6. Its sacrifices. As we have already seen, sev¬ eral pieces of furniture in the Old Testament temple will be missing in the millennial edi¬ fice. However, the brazen altar of sacrifice will again be present. There are at least four Old Testament prophecies which speak of animal sacrifices in the millennial temple: Isaiah 56:6, 7; 60:7; Jeremiah 33:18; Zechariah 14:16-21. But why the need of these animal blood sacrifices during the golden age of the millennium? To answer this, one must attempt to proj¬ ect himself into this fabulous future period. Here is an age of no sin, sorrow, sufferings, sickness, Satan, or separation. During the millennium millions of chil¬ dren will be born and reared by saved Israel¬ ite and Gentile parents who survived the tribulation. In spite of their perfect environ¬ ment, however, these "kingdom kids" will need the new birth. As sons and daughters of Adam they, too, as all others, will require eternal salvation (Jn. 3:3; Rom. 3:23). But how can these children be reached? What object lessons can be used? Here is a generation which will grow up without knowing fear, experiencing pain, witnessing hatred, taking dope, or seeing a jail. This is one reason that the sacrificial sys¬ tem will be reinstituted during the millen¬ nium. These sacrifices will function as: a. A reminder to all of the necessity of the new birth. b. An object lesson of the costliness of sal¬ vation. c. An example of the awfulness of sin. d. An illustration of the holiness of God.

(2) The local church (1 Cor. 3:16, 17). (3) The individual Christian (1 Cor. 6:19). f. The tribulational temple—Revelation 11 (from the rapture till Armageddon). g. The millennial temple—Isaiah 2:3; 60:13; Ezekiel 40-48; Daniel 9:24; Joel 3:18; Haggai 2:7, 9. Its holy oblation. Palestine will be redistrib¬ uted among the twelve tribes of Israel during the millennium. The land itself will be di¬ vided into three areas. Seven tribes will oc¬ cupy the northern area and five the southern ground. Between these two areas there is a section called "the holy oblation," that is, that portion of ground which is set apart for the Lord. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost quotes Merrill F. Unger on this: "The holy oblation would be a spacious square, thirty-four miles each way, con¬ taining about 1160 square miles. This area would be the center of all the interests of the divine government and worship as set up in the Millennial earth. . . . The temple itself would be located in the middle of this square (the holy oblation) and not in the City of Jerusalem, upon a very high mountain, which will be miraculously made ready for that purpose when the temple is to be erected (see Isa. 2:4; Ezek. 37:26; Micah 4:1-4)." (Things to Come, pp. 510, 514) Its priesthood. On four specific occasions we are told that the sons of Zadok will be as¬ signed the priestly duties (Ezek. 40:46; 43:19; 44:15; 48:11). Zadok was a high priest in David's time (the eleventh in descent from Aaron). His loyalty to the king was unwavering. Because of this, he was promised that his seed would have this glorious opportunity (1 Sam. 2:35; 1 Ki. 2:27, 35). Its prince. In his description of the temple, Ezekiel refers to a mysterious "prince" some seventeen times. Whoever he is, he occupies a very important role in the temple itself, ap¬ parently holding an intermediary place be¬ tween the people and the priesthood. We are sure that he is not Christ, since he prepares a sin offering for himself (Ezek. 45:22), and is married and has sons (Ezek. 46:16). Some suggest that the prince is from the seed of King David, and that he will be to David what the false prophet was to the antichrist. Its negative aspects. Several articles and ob¬ jects present in the temples of Moses, Solo¬ mon, and Herod will be absent from the millennial temple. a. There will be no veil. This was torn in two from top to bottom (Mt. 27:51) and will not reappear in this temple. Thus there will be no barrier to keep man from the glory of God. b. There will be no table of showbread. This will not be needed, for the living Bread himself will be present.

856

~ THE DOCTRINE OF PROPHECY-

VIII. The Final Revolt of Satan. "And when the thousand years are expired, Satan shall be loosed out of his prison, and shall go out to deceive the nations which are in the four quar¬ ters of the earth, Gog and Magog, to gather them together to battle, the number of whom is as the sand of the sea. And they went up on the breadth of the earth, and compassed the camp of the saints about, and the beloved city . . ." (Rev. 20:7-9). Dr. J. Vernon McGee writes the following words concerning these verses: "When the late Dr. Chafer (founder of Dallas Theological Seminary) was once asked why God loosed Satan after he once had him bound, he replied, 'If you will tell me why God let him loose in the first place, I will tell you why God lets him loose the second time.' Apparently Satan is re¬ leased at the end of the Millennium to reveal that the ideal conditions of the kingdom, under the personal reign of Christ, do not change the human heart. This reveals the enormity of the enmity of man against God. Scripture is accurate when it describes the heart as 'desperately wicked' and in¬ curably so. Man is totally depraved. The loosing of Satan at the end of the 1000 years proves it." (Reveling Through Revelation, pp. 74, 75) We have already discussed the purposes accom¬ plished by the sacrifices during the millennium. Ap¬ parently millions of maturing children will view these sacrifices and hear the tender salvation plea of the priests, but will stubbornly harden their sinful hearts. The fact that earth's mighty King at Jerusalem once bled as a lowly Lamb at Calvary will mean absolutely nothing to them. Outwardly they will conform, but inwardly they will despise. Finally, at the end of the millennium, the world will be offered for the first time in ten centuries "a choice, and not an echo." Millions will make a foolish and fatal choice. Dr. J. Dwight Pentecost quotes F. C. Jennings, who writes: "Has human nature changed, at least apart from sovereign grace? Is the carnal mind at last friend¬ ship with God? Have a thousand years of absolute power and absolute benevolence, both in un¬ checked activity, done away with all war forever and forever? These questions must be marked by a practical test. Let Satan be loosed once more from his prison. Let him range once more earth's smiling fields that he knew of old. He saw them last soaked with blood and flooded with tears, the evidence and accompaniments of his own reign; he sees them now 'laughing with abundance'. . . . But as he pursues his way further from Jerusalem, the center of this blessedness, these tokens be¬ come fainter, until, in the faroff 'corner of the earth,' they cease altogether, for he finds myriads who have instinctively shrunk from close contact with that holy center, and are not unprepared once more to be deceived." (Pentecost, Things to Come, p. 549) However, this insane and immoral insurrection is doomed to utter and complete failure. As a war cor¬ respondent, the Apostle John duly records this final battle: ". . . and fire came down from God out of heaven, and devoured them. And the devil that deceived

857

them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet are, and shall be tormented day and night for ever and ever" (Rev. 20:9, 10). Obviously this battle, referred to as Gog and Magog, is not the same as the one in Ezekiel 38 and 39. IX. The Great White Throne Judgment. A. The fact of this throne (Heb. 9:27). "And I saw a great white throne, and him that sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away; and there was found no place for them. And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God; and the books were opened; and another book was opened, which is the book of life; and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works. And the sea gave up the dead which were in it; and death and hell delivered up the dead which were in them; and they were judged every man ac¬ cording to their works. And death and hell were cast into the lake of fire. This is the sec¬ ond death. And whosoever was not found written in the book of life was cast into the lake of fire" (Rev. 20:11-15). "I beheld till the thrones were cast down, and the Ancient of Days did sit, whose gar¬ ment was white as snow, and the hair of his head like the pure wool; his throne was like the fiery flame, and his wheels as burning fire. A fiery stream issued and came forth from before him; thousand thousands ministered unto him, and ten thousand times ten thou¬ sand stood before him; the judgment was set, and the books were opened" (Dan. 7:9, 10). B. The judge of this throne—Christ himself. "For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son . . . and hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man" (Jn. 5:22, 27). "Him God raised up the third day, and showed him openly. . . . And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead" (Acts 10:40, 42). "I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom . . ." (2 Tim. 4:1). C. The jury at this throne—five sets of books. 1. The book of conscience (Rom. 2:15). Al¬ though man's conscience is not an infallible guide, he will nevertheless be condemned by those occasions when he deliberately vio¬ lated it. 2. The book of words. "But I say unto you that every idle word that men shall speak, they shall give ac¬ count thereof in the day of judgment. For by thy words thou shalt be justified, and by thy words thou shalt be condemned" (Mt. 12:36, 37). 3. The book of secret words. "God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ" (Rom. 2:16).

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

the false prophet, the antichrist, and the devil himself are all in the lake of fire forever, and the wicked dead have been judged. In light of this, why the necessity for this awesome destruction? Suppose a vandal were to pour crankcase oil on stacks of gold and silver. In this illustration, the vandal would represent the devil, the crank¬ case oil would stand for sin, and the gold and silver for God's perfect creation. God will some¬ day arrest the devil, of course, and forever con¬ fine him to prison. But what about the oily sinstains that remain on his gold and silver creation? To solve the problem, God does what the Fort Knox authorities might consider doing in such a case—he purges the stains in a fiery wash. And it works. For the hotter the flame, the more rapidly the oil evaporates, and the brighter the gold be¬ comes. God will someday do to creation what he did to his beloved Israel in the Old Testament: "Behold, I have refined thee ... I have chosen thee in the furnace of affliction" (Isa. 48:10). XI. The New Creation of Heaven and Earth. "For, behold, I create new heavens and a new earth; and the former shall not be remembered, nor come into mind" (Isa. 65:17). "For as the new heavens and the new earth, which I shall make, shall remain before me, saith the Lord, so shall your seed and your name re¬ main" (Isa. 66:22). "Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness" (2 Pet. 3:13). "And I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth were passed away; and there was no more sea" (Rev. 21:1). Some see this new world as the last of six worlds. These would include: A. The original world (Gen. 1:1). B. The pre-flood world (Gen. 3:6—7:10). C. The present world (Gen. 9:1-17; Rom. 8:19-22). D. The tribulational world (Isa. 24; Rev. 6-19). E. The millennial world (Isa. 35). F. The new world (Rev. 21-22).

"For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil" (Eccl. 12:14). 4. The book of public works. . . whose end shall be according to their works" (2 Cor. 11:15). "For the Son of man shall come in the glory of his Father with his angels; and then he shall reward every man according to his works" (Mt. 16:27). 5. The book of life (Ex. 32:32, 33; Ps. 69:28; Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 3:5; 13:8; 17:8; 20:12, 15; 21:27; 22:19). D. The judged at this throne. As has previously been discussed (see notes under "The judgment seat of Christ"), only unsaved people will stand before this throne. "The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God" (Ps. 9:17). E. The judgment at this throne—the eternal Lake of Fire (Mt. 25:41, 46; Rev. 20:14, 15). X. The Destruction of this Present Earth and Surround¬ ing Heavens. A. The fact of this destruction. "Heaven and earth shall pass away, but my words shall not pass away" (Mt. 24:35). "Thou, Lord, in the beginning hast laid the foundation of the earth, and the heavens are the works of thine hands; they shall perish, but thou remainest; and they shall all wax old as doth a garment, and as a vesture shalt thou fold them up, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall not fail" (Heb. 1:10-12). "But the day of the Lord will come 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; the earth also and the works that are therein shall be burned up" (2 Pet. 3:10, 11). B. The reason for this destruction. At this stage in the Bible the final rebellion has been put down.

858

A Topical Summary of the Bible This method of study offers helpful fingertip facts concerning approximately 135 important biblical topics. Under each topic the student will find the scriptural locations relating to that topic. For example, let us suppose a Sunday school teacher is preparing a lesson on the resurrection of Lazarus. This, of course, was one of Christ's most well known miracles. If the teacher should desire more background material on the number and nature of biblical miracles, along with the names of those performing them, he or she need only turn to the topic of miracles. There he will find listed all the recorded miracles in the Bible. It will be discovered for example, that Christ performed thirty-six such miracles while on earth, and that the raising of Lazarus was number thirty-one of these thirty-six. In addition, the total number of Old Testament and New Testa¬ ment miracles exceeds 200. Finally, the miracles were performed by over twenty-five individuals or groups of individuals, such as Satan, angels, demons, Moses, Joshua, Elijah, Elisha, Peter, Paul, etc. By this arrangement it can be quickly observed that Elisha, for example, accomplished fourteen miracles, which was twice the number done by Elijah. Thus, God literally fulfilled Elisha's request that a double portion of Elijah's spirit would fall upon him (2 Ki. 2:9). The topical study method therefore provides both quick and concise factual information about each of the 135 biblical subjects.

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8. Irrigating (Deut. 11:10). 9. Mowing (Amos 7:1). 10. Planting. a. As done by God (Gen. 2:8). b. As done by Noah (Gen. 9:20). c. As done by Abraham (Gen. 21:33). d. As done by a certain householder (Mt. 21:33). 11. Plowing. a. As done by Elisha (1 Ki. 19:19). b. As done by Job's servants (Job 1:14). 12. Pruning (Lev. 25:3, 4). 13. Sowing. a. As done by Isaac (Gen. 26:12). b. As done by a sower (Mt. 13). 14. Treading (1 Cor. 9:9; 1 Tim. 5:18). 15. Threshing. a. As done by Gideon (Jdg. 6:11). b. As done by Oman (1 Chron. 21:20). 16. Winnowing (Ruth 3:2).

A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE Abominations 1. The froward is an abomination to God (Prov. 3:22; 11:20). 2. A false balance is an abomination to God (Prov. 11:1). 3. The sacrifices of the wicked are abominations to God (Prov. 15:8; 21:27). 4. The thoughts of the wicked are an abomination to God (Prov. 15:26). 5. The justification of the wicked and the condemnation of the just are an abomination to God (Prov. 17:15). 6. A proud look is an abomination to God (Prov. 6:17). 7. A lying tongue is an abomination to God (Prov. 6:17; 12:22). 8. Hands that shed innocent blood are an abomination to God (Prov. 6:17). 9. A heart that deviseth wicked imaginations is an abomination to God (Prov. 6:18). 10. Feet that are swift in running to mischief are an abomination to God (Prov. 6:18). 11. A false witness is an abomination to God (Prov. 6:19). 12. One who sows discord among brethren is an abomina¬ tion to God (Prov. 6:19).

Allegories 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Accusations 1. As made against three godly Hebrew men (Dan. 3:8). 2. As made against Daniel (Dan. 6:24). 3. As made against Jesus. a. For his healing on the Sabbath (Mt. 12:10). b. For supposed perversion and anarchy (Lk. 22:2). c. For his claim to be Israel's Messiah (Mt. 27:37). 4. As made against Paul. a. Because of his belief in the resurrection (Acts 26:6-8). b. For supposedly inciting riots and desecrating the Temple (Acts 24:2-8). 5. Against Satan—only God can do this (Jude 1:9). 6. Against believers—by Satan (Rev. 12:10).

Altars 1. As built by Noah (Gen. 8:20). 2. As built by Abraham. a. In Shechem (Gen. 12:7, 8). b. In Hebron (Gen. 13:18). c. In Moriah (Gen. 22:2, 9). 3. As built by Isaac (Gen. 26:25). 4. As built by Jacob. a. At Shechem (Gen. 33:20). b. At Bethel (Gen. 35:1-7). 5. As built by Moses (Ex. 17:15). 6. As built by Balak (Num. 23:1, 4, 14). 7. As built by Joshua (Josh. 8:30). 8. As built by the tribes living east of Jordan (Josh. 22:10). 9. As built by Gideon (Jdg. 6:24). 10. As built by Manoah (Jdg. 13:20). 11. As built by Israel (Jdg. 21:4). 12. As built by Samuel (1 Sam. 7:15, 17). 13. As built by Saul (1 Sam. 14:35).

Agricultural Operations 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7.

(An allegory is a prolonged metaphor.) The Shepherd Psalm (Ps. 23). The Grape Vine (Ps. 80:8-14). God's Vineyard (Isa. 5:1-7). The Great Eagle (Ezek. 17:1-10). The Lioness (Ezek. 19:1-9). The Bread of Life (Jn. 6:26-51). The Sheepfold and Shepherd (Jn. 10). The Vine (Jn. 15:1-7). The Christian Foundation (1 Cor. 3:10-15). The Whole Armor of God (Eph. 6:10-17). Hagar and Sarah (Gal. 4:21-31).

Binding sheaves (Gen. 37:7). Churning of milk (Prov. 30:33). Fertilizing (Lk. 13:6-9). Gleaning (Ruth 2). Grafting (Rom. 11:17-24). Harrowing (Job 39:10). Harvesting. a. As done by Reuben (Gen. 30:14). b. As done by Joshua the Beth-shemite (1 Sam. 6:13, 14). c. As done by angels (Mt. 13:39; Rev. 14:15).

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14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20.

As built by David (2 Sam. 24:25). As built by Jeroboam (1 Ki. 12:32, 33). As built by Ahab (1 Ki. 16:32). As built by Elijah (1 Ki. 18:31, 32). As built by Urijah (2 Ki. 16:11). As built by Manasseh (2 Ki. 21:3). As built by Zerubbabel (Ezra 3:2). (Note: There were four basic kinds of altars: (1) earthen, (2) stone, (3) wood covered by brass, and (4) wood covered by gold.

Animal Kingdom 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9.

Adder (Prov. 23:32). Ant (Prov. 6:6; 30:25). Antelope (Isa. 51:20) (here translated "wild bull"). Ape (1 Ki. 10:22). Asp (Isa. 11:8). Ass (Jn. 12:14). Badger (also translated "coney") (Ex. 25:5; Lev. 11:5). Bat (Isa. 2:20). Bear (1 Sam. 17:34-37; Isa. 11:7; Dan. 7:5; Rev. 13:2; 2 Ki. 2:24). 10. Bees (Jdg. 14:8). 11. Behemoth (Job 40:15). 12. Camel (Gen. 24:10; Mt. 3:4; 19:24; 23:24). 13. Chameleon (Lev. 11:30). 14. Chamois (mountain sheep) (Deut. 14:5). 15. Cock (Mt. 26:34). 16. Cockatrice (Isa. 11:8). 17. Cormorant (a large black bird) (Lev. 11:17). 18. Crane (Isa. 38:14). 19. Cricket (translated "beetle") (Lev. 11:22). 20. Crocodile (translated in various ways) (Ezek. 29:3; 32:2; Ps. 74:14). 21. Cuckow (seagull) (Lev. 11:16). 22. Dog (Jdg. 7:5; 1 Ki. 21:23, 24; Eccles. 9:4; Mt. 15:26, 27; 7:6; Lk. 16:21; 2 Pet. 2:22; Rev. 22:15). 23. Dove (Gen. 8:8; Mt. 3:16; 10:16; 2 Ki. 6:25; Jn. 2:16). 24. Eagle (Ex. 19:4; Isa. 40:31; Ezek. 1:10; Dan. 7:4; Rev. 4:7; 12:14). 25. Elephant (1 Ki. 10:22). 26. Falcon (kite) (Lev. 11:14). 27. Fish (Jonah 1:17; Ex. 7:18; Mt. 14:17, 17:27; Lk. 24:42; Jn. 21:9). 28. Flea (1 Sam. 24:14; 26:20). 29. Fly (Eccles. 10:1; also see Ex. 8:16-19). 30. Fox (Jdg. 15:4; Neh. 4:3; Mt. 8:20; Lk. 13:32). 31. Frog (Ex. 8:2; Rev. 16:13). 32. Gazelle (often translated "roe" and "roebuck") (Deut. 12:15). 33. Gecko (lizard) (Lev. 11:30). 34. Gnat (Mt. 23:24). 35. Goat (Gen. 15:9; 37:31; Dan. 8:5; Lev. 16; Mt. 25:33). 36. Hare (a rodent) (Lev. 11:6). 37. Hart (Deut. 14:5). 38. Hawk (Job 39:26). 39. Heron (stork) (Deut. 14:18). 40. Hoopoe (lapwing) (Lev. 11:19). 41. Hornet (Ex. 23:28; Deut. 7:20; Josh. 24:12). 42. Horse (1 Ki. 4:26; 2 Ki. 2:11; Rev. 6:2-8; 19:14). 43. Horseleech (Prov. 30:15). 44. Hyena (translated "beast") (Eccles. 3:18, 19). 45. Kite (a bird of prey) (Lev. 11:14). 46. Leopard (Isa. 11:6; Jer. 13:23; Dan. 7:6; Rev. 13:2). 47. Leviathan (Job 41:1). 48. Lice (Ex. 8:16).

49. Lion (Jdg. 14:8; 1 Ki. 13:24; Isa. 65:25; Dan. 6:7; 1 Pet. 5:8; Rev. 4:7; 13:2). 50. Lizard (Lev. 11:30). 51. Locust (Ex. 10:4; Joel 1:4; Mt. 3:4; Rev. 9:3). 52. Mole (a burrowing rat) (Isa. 2:20). 53. Moth (Mt. 6:19; Isa. 50:9; 51:8). 54. Mule (2 Sam. 18:9; 1 Ki. 1:38). 55. Osprey (a fish bird) (Lev. 11:13). 56. Ossifrage (largest of the vultures) (Lev. 11:13). 57. Ostrich (Lam. 4:3). 58. Owl (sometimes translated "swan") (Isa. 34:14). 59. Ox (bullock) (1 Sam. 11:7; 15:14; 2 Sam. 6:6; 1 Ki. 19:20, 21; Isa. 1:3; Dan. 4:25, 32; Lk. 14:5, 19). 60. Partridge (1 Sam. 26:20). 61. Peacock (1 Ki. 10:22). 62. Pelican (Ps. 102:6). 63. Pygarg (a desert animal) (Deut. 14:5). 64. Quail (Ex. 16:13; Num. 11:31). 65. Raven (Gen. 8:7; 1 Ki. 17:4). 66. Scorpion (1 Ki. 12:11, 14; Lk. 10:19; Rev. 9:3, 5, 10). 67. Serpent (Gen. 3:1; Ex. 4:3; Num. 21:9; Rev. 12:9). 68. Sheep (Ex. 12:5; Gen. 4:2; Lk. 15:4; Jn. 10:7). 69. Snail (Ps. 58:8). 70. Sparrow (Mt. 10:31). 71. Spider (Isa. 59:5). 72. Swallow (Isa. 38:14). 73. Swine (Mt. 7:6; 8:32; Lk. 15:15, 16). 74. Tortoise (Lev. 11:29). 75. Turtledove (Gen. 15:9; Lk. 2:24). 76. Unicom (wild ox) (Num. 23:22). 77. Viper (Isa. 30:6). 78. Weasel (Lev. 11:29). 79. Whale (Gen. 1:21). 80. Wolf (Isa. 11:6; Mt. 7:15). 81. Worm (Job 7:5; 17:14; 21:26; Isa. 14:11; 66:24; Mk. 9:43-48; Jonah 4:7).

Anointings 1. 2. 3. 4. 5.

Of a stone by Jacob (Gen. 28:18; 31:13). Of the high priest by Moses (Ex. 28:41; 29:7). Of the tabernacle by Moses (Ex. 40:9). Of Saul by Samuel (1 Sam. 9:16; 10:1). Of David a. By Samuel (1 Sam. 16:12; Ps. 89:20). b. By the men of Judah (2 Sam. 2:4, 7). c. By all of Israel (2 Sam. 5:3). 6. Of Solomon by Zadok (1 Ki. 1:39). 7. Of Christ. a. By the Father (Ps. 2:2; 45:7; Lk. 4:18; Acts 4:27; 10:38; Heb. 1:9). b. By the Holy Spirit (Mt. 3:16). c. By an immoral woman (Lk. 7:38). d. By Mary of Bethany (Jn. 11:2). 8. Of all believers by the Holy Spirit (2 Cor. 1:21). 9. Of Lucifer by God (prior to his fall) (Ezek. 28:14). 10. Of sick believers by church elders (Jas. 5:14). Note: There are four basic kinds of anointings: (1) oil (Ex. 40:9), (2) blood (Lev. 8:23, 24; 9:9, 3), (3) water (Lev. 8:6), (4) spiritual (2 Cor. 1:21).

Arrows 1. As shot by Jonathan to warn David (2 Sam. 20:20). 2. As shot by Joash the king at Elisha's request (2 Ki. 13:15-19). 3. As shot by an unknown Syrian archer (1 Ki. 22:34).

862

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4. As shot by Jehu (2 Ki. 9:24). 5. As shot by a Philistine archer at Saul (1 Sam. 31:3).

32. Herod kills James (Acts 12:2) (reason: because of his preaching). 33. Sinners in Pergamos kill Antipas (Rev. 2:13) (reason: because of his testimony). 34. The antichrist will kill the two witnesses (Rev. 11:7) and the leaders of the false church (Rev. 17) (reasons: (1) because of their testimony, (2) because of the church's attempt to control him).

Assassinations 1. Cain kills Abel (Gen. 4:8) (reason: envy). 2. Lamech kills a young man (Gen. 4:23) (reason: pride and revenge). 3. Simon and Levi kill Hamor and Shechem (Gen. 34:26) (reason: revenge). 4. Moses kills an Egyptian (Ex. 2:12) (reason: to help an Israelite slave). 5. Ehud kills Eglon (Jdg. 3:21) (reason: to strike a blow for freedom). 6. Jael kills Sisera (Jdg. 4:17-21) (reason: same as 5). 7. Joab kills Abner (2 Sam. 3:27) (reason: to eliminate competition). 8. Rechab and Baanah kill Ish-bosheth (2 Sam. 4:6) (rea¬ son: to get in David's good grace). 9. David kills Uriah (2 Sam. 12:9) (reason: to conceal a terrible crime). 10. Absalom kills Amnon (2 Sam. 13:28, 29) (reason: re¬ venge for Amnon's raping his sister). 11. Joab kills Absalom (2 Sam. 18:14) (reason: revenge). 12. Joab kills Amasa (2 Sam. 20:10) (reason: to be rid of a troublemaker). 13. Zimri kills Elah (1 Ki. 16:10) (reason: to steal his throne). 14. Jezebel kills Naboth (1 Ki. 21:13) (reason: envy). 15. Hazael kills Ben-hadad (2 Ki. 8:7, 15) (reason: to steal his throne). 16. Jehu kills Jehoram (2 Ki. 9:24) (reason: to fulfill a prophecy). 17. Jehu kills Ahaziah (2 Ki. 9:27) (reason: because he was with Jehoram). 18. Jehu kills Jezebel (2 Ki. 9:30-37) (reason: to fulfill a prophecy). 19. Some servants kill Joash (2 Ki. 12:20, 21) (reason: his cruel ways). 20. Shallum kills Zechariah (2 Ki. 15:10) (reason: to take his throne). 21. Menahem kills Shallum (2 Ki. 15:14) (reason: to take his throne). 22. Pekah kills Pekahiah (2 Ki. 15:25) (reason: to take his throne). 23. Hoshea kills Pekah (2 Ki. 15:30) (reason: to take his throne). 24. Some servants kill Amon (2 Ki. 21:23) (reason: because of his cruelty). 25. Ishmael kills Gedaliah (2 Ki. 25:25) (reason: an act of anarchy). 26. Israel kills Zechariah the high priest (2 Chron. 24:20, 21) (reason: because of his fearless preaching against sin). 27. Nebuchadnezzar kills Zedekiah's sons 0er. 39:6) (rea¬ son: to punish him for his rebellion). 28. Herod kills some Bethlehem babies (Mt. 2:16) (reason: an attempt to kill Christ). 29. Herodias kills John the Baptist (Mk. 6:25, 27) (reason: because of his preaching against adultery). 30. The Savior of the world is killed. Who killed Jesus? a. The Jews did (Acts 5:30; 1 Thess. 2:15). b. Judas did (Mk. 14:10, 11). c. Pilate did (Mt. 27:24-26). d. The Roman soldiers did (Mt. 27:27-31). e. The sinner did (Isa. 53:4-9). f. The Father did (Isa. 53:10). 31. The Jewish elders kill Stephen (Acts 7:58, 59).

Banquets 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32.

863

(suppers, feasts) Abraham's feast for some angels (Gen. 18:1-8). Lot's feast for some angels (Gen. 19:3). Abraham's feast for Isaac (Gen. 21:8). Laban's feast for Jacob (Gen. 29:22). Joseph's feast for his brethren (Gen. 43:16-34). Samson's wedding feast (Jdg. 14:10-18). David's feast for Abner (2 Sam. 3:20). Israel's feast for David (1 Chron. 12:39). Solomon's thanksgiving feast (1 Ki. 3:15). Solomon's dedication feast (1 Ki. 8:65). Elisha's ordination feast (1 Ki. 19:21). Ahasuerus' feast for his nobles (Est. 1:3-12). Ahasuerus' feast for Esther (Est. 2:17, 18). Esther's feast for Haman (Est. 7:1-10). Job's feast for his children (Job 1:13). Belshazzar's feast for his nobles (Dan. 5). Herod's feast for his nobles (Mk. 6:21). Jesus' feast for 5,000 men (Mt. 14:15-21). Jesus' feast for 4,000 men (Mt. 15:32-39). A certain king's feast for his son (Mt. 22:1-14; Lk. 14:16-24). Simon's feast for Jesus (Mk. 14:3; Jn. 12:1, 2). The wedding feast in Cana (Jn. 2:1-12). A Pharisee's feast for Jesus (Lk. 7:36-50). Matthew's feast for Jesus (Lk. 5:29). A father's feast for his repentant son (Lk. 15:23). The upper room Passover feast (Jn. 13). The Emmaus feast (Lk. 24:30). The upper room post-Calvary feast (Lk. 24:42, 43). Jesus' feast for seven of his disciples 0n. 21:12, 13). The feast at Armageddon (Rev. 19:17, 18). The marriage feast of the Lamb (Rev. 19:9). The Levitical Old Testament feasts. a. The weekly Sabbath feast (Ex. 20:8-11; Lev. 23:1-3). b. The seventh-year Sabbath feast (Ex. 23:10,11; Lev. 25:2-7). c. The fiftieth-year 0ubilee) Sabbath feast (Lev. 25:8-16). (Note: These three speak of God's cre¬ ation, as they come in cycles of seven, just as God rested on the seventh day from his creative acts. The next six feasts continue to explain and unfold God's perfect work among mankind.) d. The Passover feast (Lev. 23:4-8). This speaks of Calvary (1 Cor. 5:7). e. The feast of the first fruits (Lev. 23:9-14). This speaks of the resurrection (1 Cor. 15:23). f. The feast of Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-22). This speaks of the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost (Acts 2). g. The feast of trumpets (Lev. 23:23-25). This speaks of Jesus' Second Coming (1 Thess. 4:13-18). h. The day of atonement feast (Lev. 23:26-32). This speaks of the tribulation (Rev. 6-19). i. The feast of tabernacles (Lev. 23:33-44). This speaks of the millennium (Rev. 20:1-6).

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

33. The post-Levitical feasts. a. The feast of Purim (Est. 9). This was to be a yearly feast to celebrate the deliverance of the Jews in Persia from Haman. b. The feast of dedication (Jn. 10:22). This was to cele¬ brate the restoration of the Temple from Antiochus Epiphanes.

2.

3. 4.

Baptisms 1. The baptism of sin upon Christ at Calvary (Lk. 12:50; Mt. 20:20-23). 2. The baptism of the Holy Spirit upon believers at Pen¬ tecost (Acts 1:5; 2:1-4; Mt. 3:11). 3. The baptism of God's wrath upon this world during the tribulation (Mt. 3:12; 13:30; Rev. 6:16, 17). 4. The baptism of all Christians by the Holy Spirit into the body of Christ (1 Cor. 12:13). 5. The baptism of Israel unto Moses (1 Cor. 10:2). 6. The baptism of John the Baptist (national baptism of repentance) (Mk. 1:4; Acts 13:24). 7. The baptism of Jesus. a. With water by John (Mt. 3:15). b. With the Holy Spirit by the Father (Mt. 3:16). 8. The baptism for the dead (1 Cor. 15:29). (Note: It is suggested that the student check with several reliable commentaries for possible explanations of this baptism and of Moses' baptism also, as listed in number 5 above.) 9. The water baptism of new converts in the book of Acts. a. At Pentecost. Here 3,000 were baptized by Peter and the apostles (Acts 2:41). b. At Samaria. Here many were baptized by Philip the evangelist (Acts 8:12). c. At Gaza. Here the Ethiopian eunuch was baptized by Philip (Acts 8:38). d. At Damascus. Here Paul was baptized by Ananias (Acts 9:18). e. At Caesarea. Here Peter baptized Cornelius and his friends (Acts 11:48). f. At Philippi. Here Paul baptized Lydia and the Phi¬ lippian jailor (Acts 16:15, 33). g. At Corinth. Here Paul baptized Crispus, Gaius, Stephanas, and others (Acts 18:8; 1 Cor. 1:14, 16). h. At Ephesus. Here Paul baptized some followers of John the Baptist (Acts 19:3-5).

5.

6.

7. 8.

dicted the future of each tribe (Gen. 47:31; 48:1; 49:33; especially note 49:10). Michal's bed. In 1 Samuel 19 David escapes from mur¬ derous Saul when David's wife, Michal, helps him through a window and disguises her bed to make it appear to Saul that David is still there. Elijah's bed. In 1 Kings 17 Elijah lays the dead son of a widow upon his bed and raises him up. Elisha's bed. In 2 Kings 4, Elisha does the same thing for the parents of a boy in Shunem. The palsied man's bed. Jesus heals a man with palsy in Capernaum and orders him to pick up his bed and walk away (Mt. 9:1-7). The bed that was lowered from a roof. Some friends of a palsied man employed this unique way to bring their patient to Jesus (Lk. 5:18). The impotent man's bed. Jesus heals a crippled invalid of thirty-eight years (Jn. 5:8). Aeneas' bed. Peter heals a palsied man who had been bedridden for some eight years (Acts 9:33, 34).

Benedictions 1. 2. 3. 4.

As given by Aaron (Num. 6:24-26). As given by David (1 Chron. 29:10-19). As given by Solomon (1 Ki. 8:54-61). As given by Paul (Rom. 15:13; 2 Cor. 13:14; Eph. 3:20, 21; 2 Thess. 2:16, 17). 5. As given by the author of Hebrews (Heb. 13:20, 21). 6. As given by Jude (Jude 1:24, 25). 7. As given by angels and the redeemed in heaven (Rev. 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:11, 12; 11:15-18; 19:1-6).

Bereavements

Basins 1. A basin which contained Passover blood (Ex. 12:22). 2. A basin which contained Passover water (Jn. 13:5).

Baskets 1. The baskets that contained seventy human heads (2 Ki. 10:7). 2. A basket that contained some good figs (Jer. 24:1, 2). 3. A basket that contained some bad figs (Jer. 24:1, 2). 4. A basket of summer fruits (Amos 8:1). 5. Three white baskets filled with food (Gen. 40:16, 17). 6. Twelve baskets of fish (Mt. 14:20). 7. Seven baskets of fish (Mt. 15:37). 8. A basket containing an apostle (Acts 9:25; 2 Cor. 11:33).

Beds 1. Jacob's bed. On his deathbed the old patriarch blessed the founders of the twelve tribes of Israel and pre¬

(or tears) 1. Hagar weeps for Ishmael in the desert (Gen. 21:16). 2. Abraham weeps at the funeral of Sarah (Gen. 23:2). 3. Esau weeps upon hearing of Jacob's treachery (Gen. 27:34; Heb. 12:17). 4. Jacob weeps for joy upon finding Rachel (Gen. 29:11). 5. Esau and Jacob both weep at their reunion (Gen. 33:4). 6. Jacob weeps over the apparent death of Joseph (Gen. 37:35). 7. Joseph weeps at the reunion of his brothers (Gen. 45:14). 8. Joseph weeps at the funeral of his father Jacob (Gen. 50:1). 9. Israel weeps for freedom in Egypt (Ex. 2:23; 3:7). 10. The Egyptians weep over the death of their firstborn (Ex. 12:30). 11. Israel weeps because of their sins (Num. 11:4,10; 14:1; Jdg. 2:4; 3:9, 15; 4:3; 6:6, 7; 10:10). 12. Moses weeps over Miriam's sin (Num. 12:13). 13. Israel weeps at the funeral of Aaron (Num. 20:29). 14. Israel weeps at the death of Moses (Deut. 34:8). 15. Joshua weeps over the defeat of Israel (Josh. 7:6-9). 16. Sisera's mother weeps at his death (Jdg. 5:28). 17. Samson's wife weeps to secure a favor (Jdg. 14:16). 18. Naomi weeps as she leaves Moab (Ruth 1:9). 19. Hannah weeps over her barrenness (1 Sam. 1:10). 20. Samuel weeps over fickle Israel (1 Sam. 7:9). 21. Israel weeps over the threatened city of Jabesh-gilead (1 Sam. 11:4). 22. Samuel weeps over the failure of Saul (1 Sam. 15:35). 23. David and Jonathan weep over Saul (1 Sam. 20:41). 24. Saul weeps over his own stupidity (1 Sam. 24:16). 25. Israel weeps at the death of Samuel (1 Sam. 25:1). 26. David weeps at the destruction of Ziklag (1 Sam. 30:4).

864

~ A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE~

27. David weeps at the death of Saul and Jonathan (2 Sam. 1:17). 28. David weeps at the murder of Abner (2 Sam. 3:32). 29. David weeps over his great sin (Ps. 32:4; 51:17). 30. David weeps at the death of his infant child (2 Sam. 12:15-23). 31. Tamar weeps upon being wronged by Amnon (2 Sam. 13:19). 32. David weeps at the murder of Amnon (2 Sam. 15:23). 33. David weeps at the death of Absalom (2 Sam. 18:33). 34. Israel weeps at the death of Jeroboam's son (1 Ki. 14:18). 35. Elisha weeps over the future cruelty of King Hazael (2 Ki. 8:11,12). 36. Joash weeps at the death of Elisha (2 Ki. 13:14). 37. Hezekiah weeps at the announcement of his impend¬ ing death (2 Ki. 20:2, 3). 38. Hezekiah and Isaiah weep over the threat to Jerusalem (2 Chron. 32:20). 39. The Jewish captives weep en route to Babylon (Ps. 137:1). 40. Jeremiah weeps over the sins of Jerusalem (Jer. 9:1). 41. Some old Jews weep at the dedication of Zerubbabel's Temple (Ezra 3:12, 13; Hag. 2:3-9). 42. Daniel weeps over Israel's sin (Dan. 10:2). 43. Ezra weeps over Jerusalem's sin (Ezra 10:1). 44. Nehemiah weeps over Jerusalem's broken walls (Neh. 1:4). 45. Mordecai weeps over the wicked plot of Haman (Est. 4:1). 46. Esther weeps as she pleads for her people (Est. 8:3). 47. Job weeps for his sons (Job 1:18-22). 48. Job's friends weep for Job (Job 2:12). 49. Some Bethlehem parents weep for their children (Mt. 2:18). 50. Mary and Joseph weep over the missing Jesus (Lk. 2:48). 51. A maniac in Gadara weeps at the sight of Jesus (Mk. 5:7). 52. A Syro-phoenician mother weeps over her child (Mt. 15:22). 53. Jairus' household weeps over his little girl (Mk. 5:39). 54. A father weeps over his demoniac son (Mk. 9:24). 55. A widow weeps over her dead son (Lk. 7:13). 56. An immoral woman weeps over her sin (Lk. 7:38). 57. A rich man weeps in hell (Lk. 16:24). 58. Mary and Martha weep over Lazarus 0n. 11:33). 59. Jesus weeps over Lazarus (Jn. 11:35). 60. Jesus weeps over Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41). 61. Some Jerusalem women weep for Jesus (Lk. 23:28). 62. Jesus weeps in the Garden (Mk. 14:32-42; Heb. 5:7). 63. Mary Magdalene weeps over Jesus 0n. 20:11). 64. The disciples weep over the departure and death of Christ 0n. 16:6; Mk. 16:10). 65. Peter weeps over his sin (Mt. 26:75). 66. Dorcas' friends weep at her funeral (Acts 9:39). 67. Paul weeps over the Ephesian church (Acts 20:36, 37). 68. Paul weeps over the Corinthian church (2 Cor. 2:4). 69. Paul weeps over Israel (Rom. 9:2). 70. The Ephesian elders weep over Paul (Acts 20:37). 71. The Christians at Caesarea weep over Paul (Acts 21:13). 72. Timothy weeps over his ministry (2 Tim. 1:4). 73. John weeps over a seven-sealed book (Rev. 5:5). 74. The faithful martyrs weep during the tribulation (Rev. 7:17).

75. Israel will weep at the Second Coming of Christ (Zech. 12:10, 12). 76. The nations will weep at the Second Coming of Christ (Mt. 24:30). 77. The world's merchants will weep over fallen Babylon (Rev. 18:18).

Bible Statistics (according to Unger's Bible Handbook, p. 895) OLD TESTAMENT STATISTICS 1. thirty-nine books 2. nine hundred twenty-nine chapters 3. 23,214 verses 4. 593,493 words 5. longest book—Psalms 6. shortest book—Obadiah 7. seventeen historical books 8. five poetical books 9. seventeen prophetical books NEW TESTAMENT STATISTICS 1. twenty-seven books 2. two hundred sixty chapters 3. 7,959 verses 4. 181,253 words 5. longest book—Acts 6. shortest book—2 John 7. four Gospels 8. one historical 9. twenty-two epistles It was not until a.d. 1250 that the Bible was divided into chapters. At that time Cardinal Hugo incorporated chapter divisions into the Latin Bible. His divisions, although for convenience, were not always accurate; however, essen¬ tially those same chapter divisions have persisted to this day. In 1551 Robert Stephens introduced a Greek New Testament with the inclusion of verse divisions. He did not fix verses for the Old Testament. The first entire English Bible to have verse divisions was the Geneva Bible (1560).

Boats

(ships) 1. Noah's ark. This ship, the most important ever built, was used to save humanity during the universal flood (Gen. 7:1). 2. Moses' ark. At the tender age of three months, Moses was placed in a tiny boat to escape death (Ex. 2:3). 3. Jonah's boat. Jonah boarded a ship to go to Tarshish but God had other plans 0onah 1:3). 4. The boats of the disciples. a. James and John were in their boat when Christ called them to follow him (Mt. 4:21, 22). b. Jesus used Peter's boat to preach from and then called him also (Lk. 5:3). c. Jesus used the bow of a boat to preach his sermon on the sower and the seed (Mt. 13:2). d. Jesus rebuked the angry sea from a boat (Mt. 8:24). e. Jesus entered a boat after walking on the sea (Jn. 6:21). 5. Paul's boat. This boat was shipwrecked en route to Rome (Acts 27:41).

Books The Bible of course is itself a collection of sixty-six inspired books. But in the Bible other books are referred to:

865

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE—

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

The book of Wars (Num. 21:14). The book of Jasher (Josh. 10:13). The Chronicles of David (1 Chron. 27:24). The book of Gad (1 Chron. 29:29). The book of the Prophet Iddo (2 Chron. 13:22). The book of Nathan (1 Chron. 29:29). The book of Jehu (2 Chron. 20:34). The record book of Ahasuerus (Est. 2:23; 6:1). This book indirectly helped save the Jews in Persia. The book of Remembrance (Mai. 3:16). The book of Life (Dan. 12:1; Phil. 4:3; Rev. 20:12; 22:19). The book of Judgment (Dan. 7:10; Rev. 20:12). The seven-sealed book (Rev. 5:1). An angel's book (Rev. 10:2).

Brooks 1. Jabbok. Here Jacob wrestled with God (Gen. 32:22). 2. Eshcol. Here the twelve spies of Israel cut down a sam¬ ple of the marvelous fruit of the Promised Land (Num. 13:23). 3. Sinai. Into this stream at the base of the mountain Moses disposed of the golden calf Israel had made (Deut. 9:21). 4. Besor. Here David and his mighty men camped briefly en route to do battle with the Amalekites (1 Sam. 30:9). 5. Cherith. Here Elijah was fed by some ravens (1 Ki. 17:3, 4). 6. Kishon. Here Deborah and Barak defeated Sisera (Jdg. 4:13). 7. Kidron. The Savior crossed this brook en route to Gethsemane (Jn. 18:1).

Calendar

(Jewish) 1. Abib (also called Nisan). This was the first month of the Jewish sacred calendar and corresponds roughly to our April. Important festivals occurring during Abib are: a. First day—fast for Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1, 2). b. Tenth day—selection of Passover Lamb (Ex. 12:3); fast for Miriam (Num. 20:1). c. Fourteenth day—Passover lamb killed in the eve¬ ning (Ex. 12:6). d. Fifteenth day—first day of unleavened bread (Num. 28:17). e. Sixteenth day—offering of first fruits (Lev. 23:10); also beginning of harvest, with fifty days to Pente¬ cost (Lev. 23:15). f. Twenty-first day—close of Passover, and end of unleavened bread (Lev. 23:6). g. Twenty-sixth day—fast for the death of Joshua (Josh. 24:29). 2. Zif (May). a. Tenth day—fast for the death of Eli and capture of the Ark (1 Sam. 4:11). b. Twenty-eighth day—fast for the death of Samuel (1 Sam. 25:1). 3. Sivan (June). a. Second day—feast of Pentecost (Lev. 23:15-21). b. Twenty-second day—fast for Jeroboam's wicked reign (1 Ki. 12:27). 4. Tammuz (July)—seventeenth day—fast in memory of the broken law at Mt. Sinai (Ex. 32:19); also the cap¬ ture of Jerusalem by Titus in a.d. 70.

5. Ab (August). a. First day—fast for the death of Aaron (Num. 20:28). b. Ninth day—fast for Kadesh-barnea tragedy (Num. 14:29-31). 6. Elul (September). a. Seventh day—feast for dedication of Jerusalem's walls by Nehemiah (Neh. 12:27). b. Seventeenth day—fast for the evil report of the ten spies (Num. 13:26). 7. Ethanim (October). a. First day—feast of trumpets (Lev. 23:24; Num. 29:1, 2). b. Seventh day—fast over golden calf tragedy (Ex. 32). c. Tenth day—great day of atonement (Acts 27:9). d. Fifteenth day—beginning of feast of tabernacles (Lev. 23). e. Twenty-third day—dedication of Solomon's Tem¬ ple (1 Ki. 8). 8. Bui (November) seventh day—fast for the end of the southern kingdom and the blinding of Zedekiah, Ju¬ dah's last king (2 Ki. 25:7). 9. Chisleu (December) sixth day—fast in memory of God's Word being burned by Jehudi (Jer. 36:23). 10. Tebeth (January). 11. Shebat (February). a. Twenty-third day—fast for the tragic war of the ten tribes against Benjamin (Jdg. 20). b. Twenty-ninth day—memorial of the death of Antiochus Epiphanes, the great Old Testament enemy of the Jews. 12. Adar (March). a. Seventh day—fast for Moses' death (Deut. 34:5). b. Fifteenth day—great feast of Purim, instituted when Esther saved all the Jews living in Persia (Est. 9:26). c. Twenty-third day—feast for the dedication of Zerubbabel's Temple (Ezra 6:16).

Calls

(to special service) 1. Noah (Gen. 6:14)—to build a ship. 2. Abraham (Gen. 12:1, 2)—to leave his home for a strange land. 3. Isaac (Gen. 26:1-5)—to stay in Palestine and carry on his father's faith. 4. Jacob (Gen. 28:12-15)—to be true to his grandfather's faith. 5. Joseph (Gen. 37:5-9)—to exercise spiritual authority over his brothers. 6. Moses (Ex. 3:1-12)—to free Israel from Egyptian bond¬ age. 7. Aaron (Lev. 8:2)—to become Israel's first high priest. 8. Eleazar (Num. 3:32; 20:28; 34:17)—to assume responsi¬ bility over the tabernacle and to bcome Israel's high priest. 9. Phinehas (Num. 25:10-13)—to receive God's covenant of peace for his family. 10. Joshua (Josh. 1:1-9)—to lead Israel into Canaan. 11. Othniel (Jdg. 3:9, 10)—to defeat the Mesopotamians. 12. Ehud (Jdg. 3:15)—to defeat the Moabites. 13. Deborah and Barak (Jdg. 4:4-9)—to defeat the Canaanites. 14. Gideon (Jdg. 6:11-16)—to defeat the Midianites. 15. Jephthah (Jdg. 11:29)—to defeat the Ammonites. 16. Samson (Jdg. 13:24, 25)—to defeat the Philistines. 17. Samuel (1 Sam. 3:1-14)—to replace Eli.

866

~A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE~

18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31. 32. 33. 34. 35. 36. 37. 38. 39. 40. 41. 42. 43. 44. 45. 46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51.

Saul (1 Sam. 9)—to be Israel's first king. David (1 Sam. 16)—to be Israel's finest king. Solomon (1 Ki. 3:1-14)—to serve God as did his father. Jeroboam (1 Ki. 11:26-40)—to head up ten tribes of Israel. Elijah (1 Ki. 17:1-4)—to preach judgment against sin. Elisha (2 Ki. 2:1-13)—to replace (and surpass) the min¬ istry of Elijah. Jehu (2 Ki. 9:1-6)—to rule over the ten tribes of Israel. Ezra (Ezra 7:6-10)—to teach the Word of God to the returning Jews. Nehemiah (Neh. 2:18)—to build the wall around Jeru¬ salem. Esther (Est. 4:13-16)—to save her people from death. Isaiah (Isa. 6:1-13)—to become God's greatest prophet. Jeremiah (Jer. 1:4-10)—to be a prophet to the nations. Ezekiel (Ezek. 3:10-27)—to be Israel's watchman on the wall. Daniel (Dan. 2:19-23)—to interpret dreams. Hosea (Hosea 1:1, 2)—to marry a harlot. Amos (Amos l:lff)—to preach against the sins of the ten tribes. Jonah (Jonah 1:1, 2)—to warn Nineveh about coming judgment unless they repented. John the Baptist (Lk. 1:76-80)—to prepare the way for Christ. Peter and Andrew (Mt. 4:18-20)—to follow Christ. James and John (Mt. 4:21, 22)—to follow Christ. Philip (Jn. 1:43)—to follow Christ. Nathanael (Jn. 1:44-51)—to follow Christ. Matthew (Mt. 9:9)—to follow Christ. The rich young ruler (Mt. 19:16-21)—to sell his goods and follow Christ. Matthias (Acts 1:23-26)—to take the place of Judas. Stephen (Acts 6:5, 8-15)—to function as a deacon and evangelist. Philip (Acts 6:5; 8:5-8)—to function as a deacon and evangelist. Saul (Acts 9:15, 16; 13:1, 2)—to become the church's first missionary-evangelist-pastor. Barnabas (Acts 11:22-30)—to help Paul. John Mark (Acts 13:5; 15:39)—to help Paul. Silas (Acts 15:40)—to help Paul. Timothy (Acts 16:1-3)—to help Paul and later pastor a church. Apollos (Acts 18:24-26)—to be an evangelist and pas¬ tor. Jude (Jude 1:3)—to write the book of Jude.

Caves 1. Where Lot fled to after Sodom's destruction (Gen. 19:30). 2. Where Sarah, Abraham, Isaac, Rebekah, Leah, and Ja¬ cob were buried (Gen. 23:19; 25:9; 35:29; 49:30, 31). The name of this cave was Machpelah. 3. Where five wicked kings hid (Josh. 10:16, 17). The name of this cave was Makkedah. 4. Where David escaped from Saul (1 Sam. 22:1). The name of this cave was Adullam. 5. Where David spared Saul (1 Sam. 24:1-8). The name of this cave was Engedi. 6. Where Obadiah hid 150 prophets of God (1 Ki. 18:4). 7. Where God spoke to Elijah (1 Ki. 19:9-18). 8. Where God spoke to Moses (Ex. 33:21-23). 9. Where Lazarus was buried (Jn. 11:38). 10. Where our Lord was laid (Mt. 27:59, 60).

Chains 1. 2. 3. 4.

Those Those Those Those

of of of of

Samson (Jdg. 16:11, 12). a maniac (Lk. 8:29). Paul (Acts 28:20; 2 Tim. 1:16). Peter (Acts 12:6, 7).

Chapters (the 101 most important chapters in the Bible) OLD TESTAMENT: The Old Testament has 929 chapters. The following fortyeight have been selected because of their historical, pro¬ phetical, theological, or practical significance. Genesis

1—creation of all things 3—Fall of man 6—the universal flood 11— the Tower of Babel 12— the call of Abraham 15— the confirmation of the Abrahamic Covenant Exodus

3— the call of Moses 12—the Passover 14—the Red Sea crossing 16— the giving of the Sabbath 20— the giving of the Law 40—the completion of the tabernacle Leviticus

8— the anointing of Aaron as Israel's first high priest 23— the feasts of Israel Numbers

14—the rebellion at Kadesh-bamea 21— the serpent of brass Deuteronomy

28—Israel's future predicted by Moses Joshua

4— Israel enters the Promised Land Ruth

4—the marriage of Boaz and Ruth 7 Samuel 9— the anointing of Saul as Israel's first king 16— the anointing of David 2 Samuel 6— Jerusalem becomes the capital of Israel 7— the giving of the Davidic Covenant 1 Kings 8— the dedication of the Temple by Solomon 12—the divided kingdom of Israel 2 Kings 17— the capture of the northern kingdom by Assyria 19—the saving of Jerusalem by the death angel 24— the capture of the southern kingdom by Babylon

Ezra 1—the decree of Cyrus and the return to Jerusalem

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Acts

Job

1— the ascension of Jesus

1—the confrontations between God and Satan (see also

2— Pentecost 9—the conversion of Saul 13—the call of Saul and Barnabas 15— the Jerusalem Council 16— the Macedonian vision

Job 2)

Psalms 22— the Psalm of Calvary 23— the Psalm of the Good Shepherd 51—the great confession of sin chapter 119—the Psalm of the Word of God

Romans

5— the justification chapter 6— the sanctification chapter 8—the glorification chapter 11— the dispensation chapter 12— the consecration chapter

Isaiah 7—the 14—the 35—the 53—the

prophecy of the virgin birth fall of Satan millennium sufferings of Christ

1 Corinthians

Jeremiah

3— the judgment seat of Christ 7— the marriage chapter 11— teachings on the Lord's Supper 12— the gifts of the Spirit 13— the love chapter 14— the tongues chapter 15— the resurrection chapter

31—the promise of the new covenant to Israel

Ezekiel 10—the departure of the glory cloud from Israel 28—the prehistorical life of Satan 37— the dry bone vision of Israel's restoration 38— the future Russian invasion into Palestine (see also Ezek. 39) 40—the future millennial temple

Daniel

Galatians

5—the fruit of the Spirit Ephesians

2—the dream of the future Gentile world powers (see

5— the love of Christ for his Church 6— the protection of the believer

also Daniel 7) 9—the vision of the seventy weeks

Philippians

Jonah

2— the kenosis (emptying) of Christ

2—the great fish and Jonah

Zechariah

J Thessalonians 4— the rapture

14—the Second Coming of Christ NEW TESTAMENT The New Testament has 260 chapters. The following fifty-three have been selected because of their historical, prophetical, theological, or practical significance. Matthew

3— the baptism of Jesus 4— the temptation of Jesus 5— the Sermon on the Mount 6— the Lord's Prayer 13—the parable of the sower 16— the promise of the Church 17— the transfiguration of Jesus 21—the rejection of Israel by Jesus 27— the crucifixion of Jesus 28— the resurrection of Jesus

I Timothy 5— duties of pastors and deacons Hebrews

11— faith chapter 12— chastisement chapter James

3— gossip chapter 7 John 1—fellowship chapter Jude

1—apostasy chapter Revelation

6— beginning of tribulation 13— the ministry of the antichrist 19— Second Coming of Christ 20— great white throne judgment 21— new heaven and new earth

Luke

1— the birth of John the Baptist 2— the birth of Jesus John

Chariots

2— the first miracle of Jesus 3— Jesus and Nicodemus 11—the resurrection of Lazarus 13— the Lord's Supper 14— the Father's House sermon 15— the abiding chapter 17—the prayer of Jesus

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

868

Joseph's chariot (Gen. 41:43; 46:29) Pharaoh's chariot (Ex. 14:6) Sisera's chariot (Jdg. 4:15) Absalom's chariot (2 Sam. 15:1) Rehoboam's chariot (1 Ki. 12:18) Ahab's chariot (1 Ki. 22:34-38)

— A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE-

7. Elijah's chariot (2 Ki. 2:11) 8. Jehu's chariot (2 Ki. 9:16) 9. Naaman's chariot (2 Ki. 5:9) 10. the eunuch's chariot (Acts 8:28) 4.

Churches 1. The church in Jerusalem (Acts). a. Began at Pentecost (2:47) with at least 3120 (2:41). Was pastored by James, the half-brother of Christ (15:13). b. Performed many wonders and signs (2:43; 5:12-16). c. Had all things in common (2:44, 45; 4:32-35). d. Were in one accord (2:46). e. Spent a good deal of time in prayer (2:42; 3:1; 4:24; 12:5-17). f. Witnessed at every opportunity (3:12; 5:42; 4:33). g. Radiated Jesus (4:13; 6:15). h. Was kept pure by God (had standards) (5:1-11; 8:18-24). i. Grew constantly (2:47; 5:14; 4:4; 12:24). j. Endured persecution (4:1-3; 4:14-21; 5:17-41; 7:54-60; 8:1-3; 12:1-4). k. Appointed deacons (6:1-7). 1. Practiced baptism and Lord's Supper (2:41, 46). m. Sent forth missionaries (8:5, 14; 11:22; 13:1-3; 15:22, 27). n. It was here the important meeting on circumcision was held (Acts 15). o. Were spirit-led (2:1-18; 4:31; 13:2-4; 15:28). p. Preached the word (2:16-36; 3:13-26; 7:1-53; 6:4; 5:42). q. Contended for the faith (15:1-21). r. Apparently later compromised with the Judaizers (21:18-25). 2. The church in Antioch of Syria. a. It was founded during that persecution period which followed the martyrdom of Stephen (Acts 11:19). b. It experienced a great ingathering of souls (11:21). c. The Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to "check it out" (11:22). d. He became the first pastor (11:23). e. Many were added to the church at this time (11:24). f. Barnabas then called Saul as associate pastor (11:25). g. Here both would work for a year (11:26). h. It was here believers were first called Christians (11:26). i. The Antioch church took up a large love offering for the needy believers in Jerusalem (11:30). j. Antioch was the home church of the first two Christian missionaries (Paul and Barnabas) (13:1-3; 14:26). k. It later became their headquarters both after their first missionary trip (14:26) and following the Jeru¬ salem Council (15:35). l. Silas was from this church (15:34). m. It was at Antioch where Paul set Peter straight on matters of legalism (Gal. 2:11). 3. The church in Antioch of Pisidia. a. This church was begun by Paul during his first missionary trip (13:14). b. Here he preached his first recorded sermon (13:16). c. The church was formed from the converts coming out of this meeting (13:43).

5. 6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

869

d. At Antioch of Pisidia Paul turned from the Jews (13:46). e. At Antioch of Pisidia Paul relates his heavenly call¬ ing as a light to the Gentiles (13:47). The church in Lystra. a. It was organized during Paul's first missionary trip (14:6). b. Here he healed the impotent man (14:10). c. This led to his being almost worshiped (14:11). d. Here Paul was stoned (14:19; 2 Tim. 3:11). e. It was at Lystra that Paul picked up Timothy dur¬ ing his second missionary trip (16:1-3). The church in Derbe (14:20-22). The church in Iconium: a. Paul led many to Christ here during his first trip (14:2). b. He also worked great signs and wonders here (14:3). c. He was driven from Iconium by the unbelieving Jews (14:5). The church in Philippi. a. Paul organized a church in the home of a woman convert named Lydia (16:15, 40). b. A demon-possessed girl was his next convert (16:18). c. She was followed by the Philippian jailor (16:33). d. Paul later wrote a letter to this church (Phil. 1:1). e. Timothy ministered to this church (Phil. 2:19). f. The church had sent Epaphroditus to minister to Paul while the apostle was in prison (Phil. 2:25). g. The church was in danger of legalism (Phil. 3:1-3). h. Paul writes and asks "true yokefellow" to help two quarreling church women named Euodias and Syntyche (Phil. 4:1-3). i. The church at Philippi helped to supply the mate¬ rial needs of Paul (Phil. 4:15, 18). The church in Thessalonica. a. Founded during Paul's second missionary trip (Acts 17:1). b. Witnessed a great harvest of souls (17:4). c. Paul is accused here of turning the world upside down (17:6). d. In spite of their zeal, they were not good Bible stu¬ dents (17:11). e. Later Paul wrote two letters to this church (1 Thess. 1:1; 2 Thess. 1:1). f. The believers there had a reputation for witnessing (1 Thess. 1:8). g. They were persecuted by the unbelieving Jews for their faith (1 Thess. 2:14). h. Timothy ministered to this church (1 Thess. 3:1, 2). i. There were some lazy members in this church (2 Thess. 3:10). j. There were some busybodies there (2 Thess. 3:11). k. There were some disobedient members there (2 Thess. 3:14, 15). The church in Berea. This church was commended for its knowledge of and love for the Word of God (Acts 17:11). The church in Athens. It is not certain whether a local assembly came into being after Paul's sermon on Mars Hill, but if so, a convert named Dionysius probably led it (Acts 17:34). The church in Corinth. a. Founded during Paul's second trip (Acts 18:1). b. Aided in this by Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:2).

~ WILLMINGTON’S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE -

12.

13.

14.

15.

c. The chief ruler of the Jewish synagogue, a man named Crispus, was one of Paul's first converts (18:8). d. His successor, Sosthenes, later was also evidently saved. (Compare Acts 18:17 with 1 Cor. 1:1.) e. Paul stayed here eighteen months (Acts 18:11). f. To this church Paul wrote several letters (1 Cor. 5:9; 2 Cor. 10:9, 10), two of which are included in the New Testament canon (1 Cor. 1:2; 2 Cor. 1:1). g. The church at Corinth experienced almost total confusion: (1) In matters relating to baptism (1 Cor. 1:12). (2) Earthly wisdom (1:26). (3) Carnality and strife (3:1-3). (4) Judging others unfairly (4:7). (5) Immorality (5:1). (6) Taking other believers to court (6:1-4). (7) Marriage (7:1). (8) Christian liberty (8-9). (9) Tire Lord's Table (11:17-34). (10) Spiritual gifts (12-14). (11) The doctrine of the resurrection (ch. 15). (12) Tithing (ch. 16). h. Later pastored by Apollos (1 Cor. 3:6). The church in Ephesus. a. Founded during Paul's second trip (Acts 18:19). b. May have been pastored by Apollos, Timothy, and the Apostle John. c. Paul wrought many miracles there and saw much fruit (Acts 19:11-41). (1) Wicked books were burned. (2) The false goddess Diana was challenged. d. Paul went soul-winning door-to-door there (Acts 20:17-21). e. The church at Ephesus was the only Christian church ever to receive letters from two New Testa¬ ment writers. Paul wrote Ephesians to them (Eph. 1:1), and John the apostle would later direct a por¬ tion of his book Revelation to them (Rev. 2:1-7). According to John's letter, this church: (1) Worked hard and possessed patience. (2) Had high church standards. (3) Suffered for Christ. (4) Had left their first love, however. (5) Needed to remember, repent, and return to Christ, else their candlestick be removed. (6) Hated the deeds of the licentious Nicolaitans. The church in Troas. Here Paul raised up Eutychus, a believer who had gone asleep during Paul's sermon and had fallen down from the third loft of the building (Acts 20:7-12). The church in Rome. a. The origin and founder of this church is unknown. b. Priscilla and Aquila labored there and a local church met in their home (Rom. 16:3-5). c. The church had a ringing testimony throughout all the land (Rom. 1:8). d. Paul mentions having more personal friends in this book than in any other New Testament book. The names of some twenty-six individuals may be counted in Roman 16. The church in Galatia. a. The various local churches in Galatia were or¬ ganized by Paul during his first trip.

16.

17.

18.

19.

20.

21.

22.

23.

b. They had all apparently fallen victim to the legalis¬ tic Judaizers, who would continually plague Paul's gospel of grace (Gal. 1:6-9). c. The New Testament epistle Galatians was written to these churches (Gal. 3:1). The church in Colosse. a. It was founded during Paul's third trip by Epaphras (Col. 2:1; 1:7, 12, 13). b. Philemon and Onesimus (Col. 4:9; Philemon 1:1, 2). c. Paul commanded the Colossian epistle to be read to the Laodicean church, and ordered the one he wrote them be read to the Colossian church (Col. 4:16). The church in Babylon (1 Pet. 5:13). a. Wherever this church was located, it was filled with suffering believers (1 Pet. 1:6). b. Some of this suffering was due to sin (1 Pet. 4:15-17). The church in Smyrna (Rev. 2:8-11). a. They had suffered much for Christ. b. They had been slandered by those from the syna¬ gogue of Satan. c. Satan had imprisoned some of them. The church in Pergamos (Rev. 2:12-17). a. They were located in the very center of satanic worship. b. They had nevertheless remained loyal to Christ in spite of martyrdom. c. They were, however, tolerating some in the church who were guilty of sexual sins. d. They were also tolerating those who held the doc¬ trine of the Nicolaitans. The church in Thyatira (Rev. 2:18-29). a. They had performed many good deeds. b. But they permitted a false prophetess named Jez¬ ebel to teach that sexual sin was not a serious mat¬ ter. The church in Sardis (Rev. 3:1-6). a. This church had a reputation, but was dead. b. They were to strengthen what little good remained. The church in Philadelphia (Rev. 3:7-13). a. Even though this church was not strong, it had obeyed God's Word. b. This they had done during persecution. The church in Laodicea (Rev. 3:14-22). a. This was the worst church mentioned in the New Testament. b. They were neither hot nor cold. c. They bragged about their wealth, claiming they had need of nothing, but in reality they were wretched, miserable, poor, blind, and naked. d. God admonished them to totally repent and allow him to reenter fellowship with them.

Circumcisions 1. That of Ishmael (Gen. 17:23). 2. That of Abraham (Gen. 17:24). 3. That of Isaac (Gen. 21:4). 4. That of every male of Shechem's camp (Gen. 34:24). 5. That of Moses' son (Ex. 4:25). 6. That of every male of Israel's camp (Josh. 5:2-9). 7. That of John the Baptist (Lk. 1:59). 8. That of Jesus (Lk. 2:21). 9. That of Timothy (Acts 16:1, 3). 10. That of Paul (Phil. 3:4, 5).

870

~A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE -

Cities ACRE (PTOLEMAIS) 1. Paul stopped here on his final trip to Jerusalem (Acts 21:7). 2. Acre is important because of its excellent harbor and ease of access to the plain of Esdraelon. ALEXANDRA The home of Apollos (Acts 18:24-26). ANATHOTH The home of Jeremiah (Jer. 1:1). ANTIOCH OF PISIDIA Paul preached his first recorded sermon here during the first missionary trip (Acts 13:14-52). ANTIOCH OF SYRIA 1. The disciples were first called Christians here (Acts 11:19-26). 2. The first missionaries were sent forth from here (Acts 13:1-3). ANTIPATRIS The soldiers who took Paul captive from Jerusalem to Caesarea stopped here for the night (Acts 23:31). ARAD The men of this city took some of the children of Israel prisoners. Israel vowed to destroy them for this. (Compare Num. 21:1, 2 with 33:40; Josh. 12:14; Jdg. 1:16). ARIMATHAEA Home of Joseph, who, along with Nicodemus, claimed the body of our Lord (Mt. 27:57-60). ASHDOD One of the five main Philistine cities. Here the Ark of the Covenant soundly defeated the pagan god Dagon (1 Sam. 5:1-8). ASHKELON 1. Another key Philistine city (1 Sam. 6:17). 2. The birthplace of Herod the Great. 3. Here Samson slew thirty men (Jdg. 14:19). ASHTAROTH Home of a number of giants (Deut. 1:4; Josh. 9:10). ATHENS Capital city of Greece, where Paul preached his Mars Hill sermon (Acts 17:15-34). BABYLON 1. Capital city of the Babylonian Empire. 2. Home of the Tower of Babel and original headquarters of all false religions (Rev. 17). 3. The place where Daniel and Ezekiel lived and wrote their Old Testament books. BEER-SHEBA The southern limit of Israel (Jdg. 20:1). This city was really a cluster of wells in the open desert. Abraham made a covenant with Abimelech here (Gen. 21:31), and it was in this area that Hagar fled (Gen. 21:14).

BEREA A place of Bible-loving believers, visited by Paul during his first missionary trip (Acts 17:10-12). BETHANY 1. Where Lazarus was raised from the dead (Jn. 11). 2. Where Mary anointed the feet of Jesus (Jn. 12:1-11). 3. Where the Lord blessed his disciples just prior to his ascension (Lk. 24:50). BETHEL 1. Where Abraham worshiped God when he came to Pal¬ estine (Gen. 12:8; 13:3, 4). 2. Where Jacob dreamed his "ladder dream" (Gen. 28:11-19). 3. Where Jacob was commanded to return (Gen. 35:1, 8, 15). 4. Where Jeroboam set up a golden calf religion (1 Ki. 12:26-29). 5. Where Elisha was mocked by some wild youths (2 Ki. 2:1-3; 2:23, 24). BETHLEHEM 1. The burial place of Rachel (Gen. 35:15-18). 2. The home of Boaz and Ruth (Ruth). 3. The birthplace of David and the site of his anointing (1 Sam. 16:4-13). 4. The birthplace of Jesus (Micah 5:2; Jn. 7:42; Lk. 2). 5. Birthplace of Mary and Joseph (Lk. 2:1-4). BETH-PEOR Site of the last sermon and burial place of Moses (Deut. 4:44-46; 34:1-6). BETHPHAGE Jesus here mounted the donkey he rode into Jerusalem (Mt. 21:1). BETHSAIDA 1. The home of Philip, Andrew, and Peter (Jn. 1:44). 2. One of the cities upbraided by Jesus (Lk. 10:11-14). 3. Where Jesus healed a blind man (Mk. 8:22-26). BETH-SHAN Where the bodies of Saul and Jonathan were nailed to the wall (1 Sam. 31:8-13). BETH-SHEMESH 1. The birthplace of Samson (Jdg. 13:2-25). 2. Where a number of men were slain for looking into the ark of God (1 Sam. 6:19-21). CAESAREA 1. The home of Cornelius (Acts 10:1-18). 2. Where God struck down Herod Agrippa I (Acts 12:19-23). 3. The home of Philip the evangelist and his daughters (Acts 21:10-13). 4. Where Paul witnessed to Felix (Acts 24:25). 5. Where Paul witnessed to Agrippa (Acts 26:28). CAESAREA-PHILIPPI Where Jesus heard Peter's great confession (Mt. 16:33).

871

~ WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

CANA 1. Home of Nathanael (Jn. 21:2). 2. Place where Jesus performed his first miracle, that of turning water into wine (Jn. 2:1-11). 3. Place where Jesus performed his second miracle, that of healing the nobleman's son (Jn. 4:46-54). CAPERNAUM 1. Main headquarters of Jesus' earthly ministry (Mt. 4:13; 9:1). 2. Where Jesus chose Matthew (Mt. 9:9). 3. Where Jesus delivered his great Bread of Life sermon (Jn. 6:24-71). 4. Where Jesus performed at least nine of his thirty-six recorded miracles: a. Healing of the Centurion's servant (Mt. 8:5-13). b. Healing of Peter's mother-in-law (Mt. 8:14,15). c. Healing of a demoniac (Mk. 1:21-27). d. Healing of palsied man who was lowered from the roof (Mk. 2:1-5). e. Healing of the woman with a bloody issue (Mt. 9:22). f. Healing of Jairus' daughter (Mt. 9:25). g. Healing of two blind men (Mt. 9:29). h. Healing of a dumb demoniac (Mt. 9:33). i. The miracle of the tribute money (Mt. 17:24-27). COLOSSE 1. A city which received a New Testament letter from Paul (Colossians). 2. Home of Philemon and Onesimus (Col. 4:9). CORINTH 1. Home of Aquila and Priscilla (Acts 18:1, 2). 2. Where God appeared to Paul in a vision (Acts 18:9,10). 3. Paul visited here on his second trip and spent eighteen months in the city (Acts 18:11). 4. This city would receive two of Paul's New Testament epistles (1 and 2 Cor.). CYRENE Home of Simon, who carried Jesus' cross (Mt. 27:32). DAMASCUS 1. The home of Abraham's faithful servant (Gen. 15:2). 2. Where Elisha visited a sick king (2 Ki. 8:7). 3. Israel's King Ahaz built a pagan altar in Jerusalem after seeing a similar one in Damascus (2 Ki. 16:10). 4. The city connected with Paul's conversion (Acts 9:1-18). DAN 1. A city marking the northern limit of Israel (1 Sam. 3:20). 2. One of two cities where Jeroboam set up his golden calves (1 Ki. 12:29). DERBE A stopping point during Paul's first missionary trip (Acts 16:1). DOTHAN 1. The place from which Joseph was sold into slavery (Gen. 37:17). 2. Where Elisha struck some Syrian soldiers with blind¬ ness (2 Ki. 6:13).

EKRON One of the five main Philistine cities whose leaders hur¬ riedly rid themselves of the troublesome ark of God (1 Sam. 10-12). EMMAUS Where Jesus appeared to two disciples after his resurrec¬ tion (Lk. 24:13-31). ENDOR Where Saul visited the witch (1 Sam. 28:7-14). EN-GEDI Near where David hid from Saul in a cave (1 Sam. 24:1-22). EPHESUS 1. Visited by Paul during his second missionary trip (Acts 18:19). 2. City where Apollos was instructed by Aquila and Pris¬ cilla (Acts 18:24-26). 3. Where Paul met some of John the Baptist's disciples (Acts 19:1-7). 4. Where the gospel led to a book-burning ceremony and a confrontation with the pagan goddess Diana (Acts 19:18-41). EZION-GEBER Home of Solomon's navy (1 Ki. 9:26; 22:48). GATH Philistine city, hometown of Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4). GAZA 1. Philistine city whose main gate was ripped up and car¬ ried away by Samson (Jdg. 16:1-3). 2. Where Samson was imprisoned after his betrayal by Delilah (Jdg. 16:21). 3. Area where Philip met the eunuch (Acts 8:26). GERAR 1. Where Abraham lied the second time about Sarah (Gen. 20). 2. Where Isaac lied about Rebekah (Gen. 26). GIBEAH Hometown of the Old Testament king, Saul (1 Sam. 10:26). GIBEON 1. A city that tricked Joshua into sparing it (Josh. 9:1-27). 2. Where the sun stood still (Josh. 10:12, 13). 3. Where God appeared to Solomon and granted him wisdom (1 Ki. 3:4-15). GILGAL 1. The first stop of Israel after they crossed the River Jordan west (Josh. 4:19). 2. Where Joshua heard Caleb's testimony (Josh. 14:6-15). 3. Where Saul was publicly proclaimed king (1 Sam. 11:14, 15). 4. Where Saul intruded into the office of the priesthood (1 Sam. 13:4-14). 5. Where Saul lied to Samuel about killing the enemy (1 Sam. 15:12-23). 6. Where Elisha cured a pot of poisonous stew (2 Ki. 4:38-41).

872

~ A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE~

GOMORRAH A city near Sodom which was destroyed along with it (Gen. 19:24, 25). HARAN 1. City where Abraham got bogged down for awhile after his call to Canaan (Gen. 11:31; 12:4). 2. The home of Rebekah (Gen. 24:10). Home of Jacob for twenty years. Here all his sons except Benjamin were bom (Gen. 28-29). HAZOR Headquarters of Israel's enemy Sisera (Jdg. 4:1, 2). HEBRON 1. Where Abraham built an altar to God (Gen. 13:18). 2. The burial place of Sarah (Gen. 23:2,19), of Abraham (25:9), of Isaac (35:27-29), and of Jacob (Gen. 50:13). 3. Where David was anointed king over Judah (2 Sam. 2:1-3). 4. Where (seven years later), David was anointed king over all Israel (2 Sam. 5:1-5). 5. Where Joab killed Abner (2 Sam. 3:27). 6. The headquarters of Absalom during his brief rebel¬ lion (2 Sam. 15:7-10). 7. One of the six cities of refuge (Josh. 20:7). ICONIUM A stop during Paul's first missionary trip (Acts 13:51). JABESH-GILEAD A city saved from a cruel fate by King Saul (1 Sam. 11). JERICHO 1. Home of Rahab the harlot (Josh. 2). 2. City shouted down by Israel (Josh. 6). 3. Location of an Old Testament school of the prophets (2 Ki. 2:5, 15). 4. City from which Elijah departed into heaven (2 Ki. 2:1-5). 5. Where Jesus healed a blind man named Bartimaeus (Lk. 18:35). 6. Where Jesus met Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:1-10). 7. The city Jesus used to illustrate his Good Samaritan parable (Lk. 10:30-37). JERUSALEM 1. First mentioned in Genesis 14:18 when Abraham fellowshiped with its mysterious King-Priest Melchizedek around 2000 b.c. 2. Joshua later defeated its wicked king (Adonizedek) during Israel's southern campaign invasion of Palestine around 1450 b.c. (Josh. 10:1). 3. It was taken temporarily by the tribe of Judah around 1425 B.c. (Jdg. 1:8). 4. It was the location of a vile sexual crime committed by the perverted Jebusites who controlled it around 1405 b.c. (Jdg. 19:22-30). 5. It was captured by David around 1050 b.c. (2 Sam. 5:6-12) and made the capital of his kingdom (2 Sam. 6:1-19). 6. It was temporarily taken by Absalom around 1020 b.c. (2 Sam. 16:15). 7. David returned to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 19:15-25). 8. Solomon built the Temple around 1005 b.c. (1 Ki. 6).

9. It was plundered by Shishak, King of Egypt, during Rehoboam's reign, around 925 b.c. (1 Ki. 14:25-28; 2 Chron. 12:2-12). 10. The city was plundered by the Philistines and the Ara¬ bians during Jehoram's reign, around 890 b.c. (2 Chron. 21:16, 17). 11. It was plundered by the Syrians during the reign of Joash around 850 b.c. (2 Chron. 24:23, 24). 12. It was plundered by northern Israel during Amaziah's reign around 800 b.c. (2 Chron. 25:23). 13. It was surrounded by the Assyrian king, Sennacherib, during Hezekiah's reign, around 710 b.c. (2 Chron. 32). 14. Manasseh, its wicked king, was briefly captured by the Assyrians around 690 b.c. (2 Chron. 33). 15. It was taken briefly by Pharaoh-Necho after King Josiah's death, around 630 b.c. (2 Ki. 23:28-37). 16. It was besieged by Nebuchadnezzar during the reign of Jehoiachin, around 598 b.c. (2 Ki. 24:10-16). 17. It was destroyed and the Temple burned by Nebu¬ chadnezzar during the reign of Zedekiah, Judah's last king, around 588 b.c. (2 Ki. 25). 18. The city began to be reconstructed after the decree of Cyrus by some returning Jews, around 536 b.c. (Ezra 1). 19. The Temple was dedicated by Zerubbabel, around 516 b.c. (Ezra 3:8-13). 20. The walls of the city were completed under Nehemiah, around 445 b.c. (Neh. 6:15). 21. Alexander the Great visited the city in 332 b.c. 22. Jerusalem was captured by Ptolemy Soter in 320 b.c. 23. It was annexed to Egypt in 302. 24. The walls were destroyed and its Temple desecrated by Antiochus Epiphanes in 170 b.c. 25. The Temple was cleansed and rededicated by Mattathias of the House of Hasmon in 167-164 b.c. 26. Jerusalem was captured by the Roman general Pompey in 63 b.c. 27. The walls were rebuilt by Antipater (Herod the Great's Father) in 44 b.c. 28. In 20 b.c., Herod the Great began his world-famous project of enlarging and rebuilding the Temple begun by Zerubbabel. It was built of large blocks of white stone and its facade was plated with gold, so that at a distance it resembled a mountain covered with snow. It cost many millions and took forty-six years to com¬ plete. (See Jn. 2:20.) 29. Jesus was dedicated (Lk. 2:1-38). 30. He attended the Passover when he was twelve (Lk. 2:41-50). 31. He cleansed the Temple (Jn. 2:13-17). 32. He spoke to Nicodemus (Jn. 3:1-16). 33. He healed a thirty-eight-year-old invalid (Jn. 5:8). 34. He preached during the feast of the tabernacles on the Holy Spirit (Jn. 7:10-39). 35. He forgave an adulterous woman (Jn. 8:1-11). 36. He preached on the devil and his children (Jn. 8:33-59). 37. He healed a man born blind (Jn. 9:7). 38. He preached a sermon on the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:1-18). 39. He made his triumphal entry (Jn. 12:12-15). 40. He cursed the fig tree (Mt. 21:19). 41. He utterly condemned the wicked Pharisees (Mt. 23:1-36). 42. He preached the Mt. Olivet discourse (Mt. 24-25). 43. He wept over Jerusalem (Lk. 19:41; Mt. 23:37-39). 44. He conducted the service in the upper room (Jn. 13-14). 45. He preached on the vine and branches (Jn. 15-16).

873

~

46. 47. 48. 49. 50. 51. 52. 53.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

He prayed his great high priestly prayer (Jn. 17). He was arrested in Gethsemane (Mt. 26:47-56). He restored a severed ear (Mt. 26:51). He was condemned to death (Mt. 27:26). He was crucified (Mt. 27:27-50). He was buried (Mt. 27:57-60). He rose from the dead (Mt. 28:1-10). He visited the upper room for the first time after his resurrection (Lk. 24:36-43; Jn. 20:19-23). 54. He visited the upper room for the second time (Jn. 20:24-29). 55. He visited the upper room for the third and final time (Mk. 16:14-18; Lk. 24:44-49). 56. He ascended into heaven (Acts 1:4-11). 57. The disciples conducted a prayer meeting in the upper room (Acts 1:12-26). 58. The day of Pentecost came (Acts 2:1-13). 59. Peter preached his first sermon (Acts 2:14-41). 60. The lame man was healed (Acts 3:1-11). 61. Peter preached his second sermon (Acts 3:12-26). 62. The disciples experienced their first persecution (Acts 4:1-3). 63. Peter preached his third sermon (Acts 4:5-12). 64. The disciples conducted a mighty prayer meeting (Acts 4:23-31). 65. Ananias and Sapphira were judged (Acts 5:1-11). 66. The disciples experienced their second persecution (Acts 5:17-28, 40-42). 67. The first deacons were chosen (Acts 6:1-7). 68. Stephen became the first martyr for Jesus after the ascension; the disciples' third persecution (Acts 6:8— 7:60). 69. The disciples experienced their fourth persecution (Acts 8:1-3). 70. Saul returned to Jerusalem after his mighty conversion and was vouched for by Barnabas (Acts 9:26-28). 71. A famine hit the city (Acts 11:27-30). 72. The disciples experienced their fifth persecution (Acts 12:1-19). 73. The council on circumcision was held (Acts 15). 74. Paul was arrested (Acts 21:17—23:22). 75. The Temple and city of Jerusalem were destroyed by Titus the Roman general on September 8, a.d. 70 (Mt. 24:2). 76. In a.d. 132 the Jewish rebel Bar-Kochba recaptured Je¬ rusalem from the Romans. 77. In 135 the revolt was utterly crushed by Emperor Ha¬ drian, who destroyed the city and changed its name to Aelia Capitalina. He built a temple dedicated to Jupiter on the old Jewish Temple site. 78. In 325 Constantine the Great declared Jerusalem a "Christian city." 79. In 614 the Persians conquered the city. 80. In 629 it was taken by the Byzantines. 81. In 638 the Caliph Omar entered Jerusalem. 82. In 691 the famous Dome of the Rock was completed. 83. In 1099 the European crusaders captured Jerusalem. 84. In 1187 Saladin (an Armenian Moslem) took it from the crusaders. 85. In 1229 the crusaders retook it again. 86. In 1244 an army of nomad Turks from central Asia massacred and sacked the city. 87. In 1249 the Mamelukes (Turks from Russia) took the city. 88. In 1517 a Turkish dynasty founded by the Sultan Os¬ man I captured Jerusalem. It would remain in the hands of the Ottoman dynasty until 1917.

89. On Tuesday, December 11, 1917, the British general Allenby entered Jerusalem on foot by way of the Jaffa Gates, thus putting an end to the 400-year reign of the "Abominable Turk." 90. On May 14,1947, the British government, acting upon the recommendation of the United Nations Commis¬ sion for the Partition of Palestine among the Arabs, hauled down the Union Jack flag and left Jerusalem. 91. On May 14, 1948, at 4:00 p.m., the Jewish National Council met at Tel Aviv and read the Declaration of Independence. 92. On May 28, 1948, the old city section of Jerusalem fell to Jordan. 93. In December 1948, David Ben-Gurion, Israel's first Prime Minister, moved to New Jerusalem. 94. In April 1949, the Israel-Transjordan Armistice Agree¬ ment was signed, whereby Jerusalem was divided be¬ tween the two countries. 95. On December 13,1949, the New City of Jerusalem was declared the capital of the State of Israel. 96. On June 5,1967, the world-famous six-day war began. 97. On June 7, 1967, Israeli troops captured the Old Gty and reunited all Jerusalem. JEZREEL 1. The home of Naboth (1 Ki. 21:1-29). 2. The place of Jezebel's death (2 Ki. 9:10, 30-37). 3. Where Jehu killed two kings, Joram of the north, and Ahaziah of the south (2 Ki. 8:29; 9:24, 27). JOPPA 1. Where Jonah attempted to flee from God's command (Jonah 1:3). 2. Where Peter raised Dorcas from the dead (Acts 9:36-41). 3. Where Peter received his "sheet" vision concerning the Gentiles (Acts 9:43). KERIOTH The birthplace of Judas Iscariot. KIRJATH-JEARIM Where the Ark of the Covenant was kept for twenty years (1 Sam. 6:21; 7:1, 2). LAODICEA Home of one of the seven churches mentioned in Revela¬ tion 3:14. LYDDA Where Peter cured Aeneas (Acts 9:32-35). LYSTRA 1. Home of Timothy (Acts 16:1-4). 2. Where Paul was stoned (Acts 14:19; 2 Tim. 3:11). MAGDACA Home of Mary Magdalene (Lk. 8:2; Mk. 16:9). MASADA 1. Where David hid from Saul (1 Sam. 24:22; 1 Chron. 12:8). 2. King Herod's winter headquarters. 3. The site of the Jews' last stand during the a.d. 66-73 revolt against the Romans. The 960 besieged Jews killed themselves rather than surrender.

874

~

A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE~

MICHMASH The site of Israel's great victory over the Philistines as led by Jonathan (1 Sam. 14:1-23). MILETUS A seaport town where Paul met with some Ephesian elders (Acts 20:15-38). MIZPAH 1. Where Jacob and Laban parted (Gen. 31:49). 2. The hometown of Jephthah (Jdg. 11:34). 3. Where eleven tribes declared war on Benjamin (Jdg. 21:1-8). 4. Where Samuel gathered Israel for prayer and rededica¬ tion (1 Sam. 7:5-7). 5. Where Saul was introduced to Israel as their first king (1 Sam. 10:17-24). Note: Saul was anointed at Ramah by Samuel (1 Sam. 9:15,16; 10:1), introduced at Mizpah, and pub¬ licly crowned at Gilgal (1 Sam. 11:15). MYRA Where Paul changed ships as a prisoner en route to Rome (Acts 27:5, 6). NAIN Where Jesus raised a widow's son from the dead (Lk. 7:11-18).

3. The possible refuge of saved Israel during the tribula¬ tion (Rev. 12:14; Zech. 14:5; Isa. 63:1). PHILADELPHIA A church in this city is also numbered in Revelation (Rev. 3:7-13). PHILIPPI 1. Paul wrote a letter to the church in this city (Philippians). 2. Paul led three to Christ here. These conversion stories are well known: a. A Hebrew woman, Lydia (Acts 16:14, 15). b. A demon-possessed Greek girl (Acts 16:16-19). c. A Roman, the Philippian jailor (Acts 16:25-34). RABBAH-AMMON Where Uriah was murdered (2 Sam. 11:2-17). RAMAH 1. Home of Hannah, Samuel's mother (1 Sam. 1:19). 2. One of Samuel's three circuit stops (the other two were Gilgal and Mizpah (1 Sam. 7:16). 3. Where Israel gathered to demand a king (1 Sam. 8:4, 5). 4. Permanent headquarters of Samuel (1 Sam. 15:34; 16:13). 5. Where Samuel was buried (1 Sam. 25:1).

NAZARETH 1. Where the angels announced the birth of Jesus to both Mary and Joseph (Lk. 1:26; Mt. 1:19, 20). 2. Where Jesus grew into manhood (Lk. 2:39, 40). 3. Where he preached his Isaiah 61 sermon (Lk. 4:16-30). 4. Where he was set at naught by the townspeople, be¬ cause "a prophet is not without honor, save in his own country" (Mt. 13:53-58; Mk. 6:1-6).

ROME 1. A church in this city received the greatest theological epistle ever written, the book of Romans. 2. Paul was martyred in Rome (2 Tim. 4).

NINEVEH 1. The ancient captial of Assyria. Jonah was to preach there (Jonah 1). 2. Referred to by Jesus as an Old Testament example (Mt. 12:41).

SAMARIA 1. The capital city of the northern kingdom (1 Ki. 16:24; 2 Ki. 3:1). 2. Where Ahab built his beautiful ivory palace (1 Ki. 16:31-33). 3. Where Elijah confronted Ahab about the murder of Naboth (1 Ki. 21:18). 4. Where Ahab, mortally wounded, died beside a pool (1 Ki. 22:37, 38). 5. Where Elisha led some blinded Syrian soldiers (2 Ki. 6:19). 6. The city saved by four lepers (2 Ki. 7:1-20). 7. Where Naaman was healed (2 Ki. 5:3-14). 8. Where Jehu killed all the Baalite priests (2 Ki. 10:17-28). 9. Where Philip the evangelist led a great revival (Acts 8:5-25).

NOB 1. Where David took refuge during his flight from Saul (1 Sam. 21:1). 2. Where Saul murdered eighty-five priests of the Lord (1 Sam. 22:18). PAPHOS A city in southwest Cyprus where Paul worked his first recorded miracle (Acts 13:6-12). PERGA Where John Mark left Paul and Barnabas to return home (Acts 13:13). PERGAMOS A church in this city is numbered among the seven churches in Revelation (Rev. 2:12). PETRA 1. The home of Esau (Gen. 36:1). 2. Home of some proud and treacherous Edomites (Obadiah).

SALAMIS A city in southeast Cyprus where Paul preached during his first missionary trip (Acts 13:4, 5).

SHECHEM 1. Where Jacob buried his household's false gods (Gen. 35:4). 2. Where Simeon and Levi tricked their enemies (Gen. 34). 3. Where Joseph's bones were buried (Josh. 24:32). 4. One of the six cities of refuge (Josh. 20:7, 8). 5. The headquarters of Abimelech's evil doings (Jdg. 9). 6. Where Rehoboam was crowned king (1 Ki. 12:1). 7. Where Joshua gave his farewell address (Josh. 24:1).

875

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

SHILOH 1. Home of the tabernacle after Israel conquered Pales¬ tine (Josh. 18:1). 2. Where Joshua divided up the land (Josh. 18:2-10; 19:51; 21:1-3). 3. Where the remaining Benjaminite warriors found wives (Jdg. 21:16-23). 4. Where Hannah prayed for a son (1 Sam. 1). 5. Where God appeared to Samuel (1 Sam. 3:21). 6. Where Jeroboam's wife attempted to trick Ahijah the prophet (1 Ki. 14:1-18). SHUNEM Home of the Shunammite woman whose son Elisha raised (2 Ki. 4:8). SIDON 1. Home of Jezebel (1 Ki. 16:31-33). 2. Home of the Syro-phoenician woman whose daughter Jesus healed (Mt. 15:21-28). SMYRNA A church in this city is listed as one of the seven in Revela¬ tion (2:8-11).

2. Where Paul revived Eutychus (Acts 20:6-12). 3. Where Paul left his cloak (2 Tim. 4:13). TYRE 1. Home of Hiram, the supplier for Solomon's Temple (1 Ki. 5:1-11; 9:11-14). 2. The city of Ezekiel's great prophecy (Ezek. 26). 3. Where God struck down Herod with a plague (Acts 12:20). 4. Where Paul knelt down by the seashore and prayed (Acts 21:2-6). UR Birthplace of Abraham (Gen. 11:27, 28; 15:7; Neh. 9:7). ZAREPHATH Home of a widow with whom Elijah stayed (1 Ki. 17:9-24; Lk. 4:26). ZOAR Near the cave where Lot and his daughters stayed after Sodom's destruction (Gen. 19:30).

Clouds SODOM 1. Abraham refused to enter into a pact with the wicked king of this perverted city (Gen. 14:21-24). 2. God destroyed Sodom (Gen. 19).

1. The rainbow cloud of Noah (Gen. 9:13). 2. The little cloud of Elijah (1 Ki. 18:44). 3. The glory cloud of God: a. It led Israel across the wilderness (Ex. 13:21, 22; Num. 9:17-22). b. It protected Israel at the Red Sea (Ex. 14:19, 20, 24). c. It appeared when Israel murmured in the Zin wil¬ derness (Ex. 16:10). d. It appeared when God spoke to Moses on Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:9, 16; 24:15, 16, 18; 34:5). e. It filled the tabernacle during Moses' dedication (Ex. 40:34-38). f. It stood above the mercy seat in the Holy of Holies (Lev. 16:2). g. It appeared when God appointed the seventy (Num. 11:25). h. It appeared when Miriam spoke against Moses' wife (Num. 12:5). i. It appeared as Moses pled for Israel (Num. 14:14). j. It appeared during Korah's rebellion (Num. 16:42). k. It filled the Temple during Solomon's dedication (1 Ki. 8:10, 11; 2 Chron. 5:13, 14). l. It was seen by Ezekiel (Ezek. 1:28; 8:11; 10:3, 4). m. It appeared to the shepherds at Christ's birth (Lk. 2:8, 9). n. It was present at Christ's baptism (Mt. 3:16). o. It was present at Christ's transfiguration (Mt. 17:5). p. It was present at Christ's death (Mt. 27:45). q. It was present at Christ's ascension (Acts 1:9). r. It will appear at the rapture (1 Thess. 4:17). s. It will appear during the tribulation at the funeral of God's two witnesses (Rev. 11:12). t. It will appear during the Second Coming (Dan. 7:13; Mt. 24:30, 64; Rev. 1:7; 14:14).

SUCCOTH 1. Jacob's home for a while after meeting up with Esau (Gen. 33:17). 2. A city punished by Gideon because of their refusal to feed his hungry troops (Jdg. 8:5-16). SYCHAR Home of the Samaritan woman who talked with Jesus at the well (Jn. 4:7-26). TARSUS Birthplace of Paul (Acts 9:11; 21:39; 22:3). TEKOA 1. Home of Amos the prophet (Amos 1:1). 2. Home of a woman who attempted to reconcile David and Absalom (2 Sam. 14:2-4). THESSALONICA 1. Paul established a church here during his second mis¬ sionary trip (Acts 17:1-9). 2. He later wrote two New Testament epistles to this church (1 and 2 Thess.). THYATIRA 1. Home of Lydia (Acts 16:14). 2. Location of one of the seven churches in Revelation 2:18-24. TIBERIAS The town at the mouth of the Jordan River and the Sea of Galilee (Jn. 6:1; 21:1).

Colors 1. Black—Leviticus 13:31, 37; Esther 1:6; Job 30:30; lamentations 4:8. 2. White—Leviticus 13:38; Daniel 7:9; Matthew 17:2; Ec¬ clesiastes 9:8. 3. Scarlet—Isaiah 1:18; Revelation 17:3, 4.

TROAS 1. Where Paul received his Macedonian vision (Acts 16:11).

876

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4. 5. 6. 7. 8.

A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE~

Purple—Exodus 28:5. Red—Matthew 16:2, 3. Blue—Exodus 26:31. Yellow—Leviticus 13:30, 32. Green—Revelation 9:4.

Commands TO ADAM 1. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth, and subdue it (Gen. 1:28). 2. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, you shall not eat (Gen. 2:17). TO NOAH 1. Make an ark of gopher wood (Gen. 6:14). 2. And of every living thing of all flesh, two of every sort you shall bring into the ark (Gen. 6:19). 3. Come with all your house into the ark (Gen. 7:1). 4. Go forth from the ark (Gen. 8:16). 5. Be fruitful, and multiply, and replenish the earth (Gen. 9:1). TO ABRAHAM 1. Go out from your country unto a land I will show you (Gen. 12:1). 2. This shall not be your heir (Gen. 15:4). 3. Take an heifer (Gen. 15:9). 4. And you shall circumcise the flesh of your foreskin (Gen. 17:11). 5. Your name shall be Abraham (Gen. 17:5). 6. You shall not call her name Sarai, but Sarah (Gen. 17:15). 7. Take your son and offer him for a burnt offering (Gen. 22:2).

16. Send men, that they may search the land of Canaan (Num. 13:2). 17. Speak unto the rock (Num. 20:8). 18. Make a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole (Num. 21:8). 19. Strip Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Eleazar his son (Num. 20:26). 20. Take Joshua and lay hands upon him (Num. 27:18). 21. Get up unto Mount Nebo (Deut. 32:49). Note: Some forty years prior to this, God had commanded him to climb another mountain, Mt. Sinai (see Ex. 19:20). TO 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

12. 13. 14. 15. 16.

TO ISAAC

ISRAEL You shall have no other gods before me. You shall not make any graven image. You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain. Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Honor your father and mother. You shall not kill. You shall not commit adultery. You shall not steal. You shall not bear false witness. You shall not covet (Ex. 20:3-17). You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might (Deut. 6:5). (See also 10:12.) These words which I command you shall be in your heart (Deut. 6:6). (See also 11:18-20.) You shall teach (God's words) diligently unto your children (Deut. 6:7). You shall fear the Lord your God, and serve him (Deut. 6:13). Circumcise the foreskin of your heart, and be no longer stiffnecked (Deut. 10:16). Whatever I command you, observe and do it. You shall not add to or subtract from it (Deut. 12:32).

Do not go down into Egypt (Gen. 26:2). TO JACOB 1. Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel (Gen. 32:28). 2. Arise, go up to Bethel, and dwell there (Gen. 35:1). 3. Fear not to go down into Egypt (Gen. 46:3). TO MOSES 1. Take off your shoes (Ex. 3:5). 2. You shall say to the children of Israel, I AM hath sent me to you (Ex. 3:14). 3. Cast your rod on the ground (Ex. 4:3). 4. Put your hand into your bosom (Ex. 4:6). 5. Go, and I will be with your mouth (Ex. 4:12). 6. Take your rod, and stretch out your hand upon the waters of Egypt (Ex. 7:19). 7. Each man take a lamb (Ex. 12:3). 8. Lift up your rod over the sea and divide it (Ex. 14:16). 9. Smite the rock (Ex. 17:6). 10. Write this for a memorial in a book (Ex. 17:14). 11. Let them make me a sanctuary (Ex. 25:8). 12. Go, get down; for your people have corrupted them¬ selves (Ex. 32:7). 13. Behold, there is a place by me, and you shall stand upon a rock (Ex. 33:21). 14. Take Aaron and the anointing oil (Lev. 8:2). 15. Gather seventy men of the elders of Israel (Num. 11:16).

TO JOSHUA 1. Moses my servant is dead; now arise, go over Jordan. (Josh. 1:2). 2. Have I not commanded you? Be strong and coura¬ geous; do not be afraid, or dismayed (Josh. 1:9). 3. Circumcise again the children of Israel (Josh. 5:2). 4. Go around the city once. Do this for six days and the seventh day you shall circle the city seven times (Josh. 6:3, 4). 5. Get up; why do you lie upon your face? (Josh. 7:10). TO GIDEON 1. Proclaim in the ears of the people, saying. Whoever is fearful and afraid, let him return and depart (Jdg. 7:3). 2. The people are still too many; bring them down to the water, and I will try them there (Jdg. 7:4). TO SAMUEL 1. I will send you a man out of the land of Benjamin, and you shall anoint him to be captain over my people Israel (1 Sam. 9:16). 2. Look not on his appearance, for the Lord looks on the heart. Arise, anoint him: for this is he (1 Sam. 16:7,12). TO DAVID 1. And the Lord said. Go up to Hebron. (2 Sam. 2:1). 2. You shall not build me a house to dwell in (1 Chron. 17:4).

8 77

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TO 1. 2. 3. 4.

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE —

ELIJAH Go and hide yourself by the brook Cherith (1 Ki. 17:3). Get thee to Zarephath (1 Ki. 17:9). Go, show yourself to Ahab (1 Ki. 18:1). Rise up and eat, because the journey is too great for you (1 Ki. 19:7).

TO BELIEVERS 1. Abstain from all appearances of evil (1 Thess. 5:22). 2. Abstain from all fleshly lusts (1 Pet. 2:11). 3. Avoid troublemakers (Rom. 16:17). 4. Avoid profane and vain babblings (1 Tim. 6:20). 5. Avoid false science (1 Tim. 6:20). 6. Avoid foolish questions (Titus 3:9). 7. Avoid arguments about the law (Titus 3:9). 8. Be reconciled to a brother (Mt. 5:24). 9. Be wise as serpents (Mt. 10:16). 10. Be harmless as doves (Mt. 10:16). 11. Be thankful (Col. 3:15). 12. Be patient toward all men (1 Thess. 5:14; 2 Tim. 2:24). 13. Be ready to give an answer of the hope that is in you (1 Pet. 3:15). 14. Be transformed (Rom. 12:2). 15. Be patient in tribulation (Rom. 12:12). 16. Be children in (avoiding) malice (1 Cor. 14:20). 17. Be men in understanding (1 Cor. 14:20). 18. Be steadfast (1 Cor. 15:58). 19. Be unmovable (1 Cor. 15:58). 20. Be always abounding in God's work (1 Cor. 15:58). 21. Be of one mind (Rom. 12:16). 22. Be separate from the unclean (2 Cor. 6:17). 23. Be angry and sin not (Eph. 4:26). 24. Be filled with the Spirit (Eph. 5:18). 25. Be anxious for nothing (Phil. 4:6). 26. Be an example to other believers (1 Tim. 4:12). 27. Be gentle to all men (2 Tim. 2:24). 28. Be ready to teach (2 Tim. 2:24). 29. Be content with what you have (Heb. 13:5). 30. Be vigilant (1 Pet. 5:8). 31. Do not be like the hypocrites in prayer (Mt. 6:5). 32. Do not be afraid of men (Lk. 12:4). 33. Do not be conformed to this world (Rom. 12:2). 34. Do not be children in understanding (1 Cor. 14:20). 35. Do not be deceived by evil companions (1 Cor. 15:33). 36. Do not be unequally yoked with unbelievers (2 Cor. 6:14-18). 37. Do not be drunk with wine (Eph. 5:18). 38. Do not be weary in well-doing (2 Thess. 3:13). 39. Do not be slothful (Heb. 6:12). 40. Do not be influenced by strange doctrines (Heb. 13:9). 41. Beware of false prophets (Mt. 7:15; Phil. 3:2). 42. Beware of (evil) men (Mt. 10:17). 43. Beware of covetousness (Lk. 12:15). 44. Beware of backsliding (2 Pet. 3:17). 45. Do not bid false teachers Godspeed (2 Jn. 10, 11). 46. Bring up children in the Lord (Eph. 6:4). 47. Cast your cares upon God (1 Pet. 5:7). 48. Have confidence in God (Heb. 10:35). 49. Come out from among the world (2 Cor. 6:17). 50. Count it joy when you are tempted (Jas. 1:2). 51. Treat others as you expect to be treated (Mt. 7:12). 52. Desire the milk of the Word (1 Pet. 2:2). 53. Do all to God's glory (1 Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17, 23). 54. Do all things without murmuring or disputing (Phil. 2:14).

55. 56. 57. 58. 59. 60. 61. 62. 63. 64. 65. 66. 67. 68. 69. 70. 71. 72. 73. 74. 75. 76. 77. 78. 79. 80. 81. 82. 83. 84. 85. 86. 87. 88. 89. 90. 91. 92. 93. 94. 95. 96. 97. 98. 99. 100. 101. 102. 103. 104. 105. 106. 107. 108. 109. 110.

878

Earnestly contend for the faith (Jude 3). Give no place to Satan (Eph. 4:27). Give thanks (Eph. 5:20; Phil. 4:6). Give time to reading (1 Tim. 4:13). Give no offense (1 Cor. 10:32). Give freely (2 Cor. 9:6, 7). Give as God has prospered (1 Cor. 16:2). Give willingly (2 Cor. 8:12). Give purposely (2 Cor. 9:7). Do not grieve the Holy Spirit (Eph. 4:30). Grow in grace (2 Pet. 3:18). Have no fellowship with darkness (Eph. 5:11). Have compassion (Jude 22). Have a good conscience (1 Pet. 3:16). Hold forth the Word of life (Phil. 2:16). Hold fast sound words (2 Tim. 1:13). Honor fathers (Eph. 6:2). Honor mothers (Mt. 19:19). Honor widows (1 Tim. 5:3). Honor rulers (1 Pet. 2:17). Lay aside all envy (1 Pet. 2:1). Lay aside all evil speaking (1 Pet. 2:1). Do not lay up treasures on earth (Mt. 6:19). Let your light shine (Mt. 5:16). Let everyone deny himself (Mt. 16:24). Let him share with the needy (Lk. 3:11). Let everyone obey civil laws (Rom. 13:1). Let no man deceive himself (1 Cor. 3:18). Let everyone examine himself at communion (1 Cor. 11:28). Let your requests be made known to God (Phil. 4:6). Let your speech be with grace (Col. 4:6). Do all things in decent order (1 Cor. 14:40). Let those who are taught support the teacher (Gal. 6:6). Let wives be subject to their husbands (Eph. 5:22; Col. 3:18). Let husbands love their wives (Eph. 5:25). Let wives reverence their husbands (Eph. 5:33). Let everyone be swift to hear, slow to speak, slow to wrath (Jas. 1:19). Let the afflicted pray (Jas. 5:13). Let the adorning of women be more inward than out¬ ward (1 Pet. 3:3, 4). Don't let the left hand know what the right hand is doing (Mt. 6:3). Do not let sin reign in the body (Rom. 6:12). Do not let the sun go down on your wrath (Eph. 4:26). Follow things that edify (Rom. 14:19). Walk in the Spirit (Gal. 5:25). Do not provoke one another (Gal. 5:26). Do not be weary in well-doing (Gal. 6:9). Come boldly to the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16; 10:19-23). Do not forsake assembling together in worship (Heb. 10:25). Exhort one another (Heb. 10:25). Lay aside every weight (Heb. 12:1). Run with patience the race before us (Heb. 12:1). Look to Jesus (Heb. 12:2). Offer the sacrifice of praise to God continually (Heb. 13:15). Do not judge one another in doubtful things (Rom. 14:1). Do not cause others to stumble (Rom. 14:13). Mark troublemakers (Rom. 16:17; Phil. 3:17).

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111. 112. 113. 114. 115. 116. 117. 118. 119. 120. 121. 122. 123. 124. 125. 126. 127.

A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE

Pray for your persecutors (Mt. 5:44; Lk. 6:28). Pray for laborers (Mt. 9:38; Lk. 10:2). Present your body to God (Rom. 12:1). Put on the new man (Eph. 4:24; Col. 3:10). Put on the whole armor of God (Eph. 6:11,13). Do not quench the Spirit (1 Thess. 5:19). Consider yourself dead to sin (Rom. 6:11). Redeem the time (Eph. 5:16). Resist the devil (Jas. 4:7; 1 Pet. 5:9). Restore backsliders in meekness (Gal. 6:1). Strengthen feeble knees (Heb. 12:12). Study to show yourself approved to God (2 Tim. 2:15). Take no anxious thought of tomorrow (Mt. 6:34). Take the Lord's Supper (1 Cor. 11:24-26). Be careful not to despise little ones (Mt. 18:10). Be aware of yourself and your doctrine (1 Tim. 4:16). Withdraw from disorderly people (2 Thess. 3:6, 14).

Confessions of Sin 1. Judah, concerning the sin of immorality (Gen. 38:26). 2. Pharaoh, concerning his persecution of Israel (Ex. 10:16). Note: Not all confessions in the Bible were genuine! 3. Balaam, concerning his disobedience to God's Word (Num 22:34). 4. Achan, concerning his goods stolen from Jericho (Josh. 7:20). 5. Saul, concerning (1) his sparing of the spoils of war, and (2) concerning his murderous intents toward Da¬ vid. (1 Sam. 15:24, 30; 26:21). 6. David, concerning (1) his sin with Bath-sheba, and (2) his sin in numbering Israel (2 Sam. 12:13; Ps. 51:4; and 2 Sam. 24:10, 17). 7. Job, concerning his self-righteousness (Job 42:6). 8. Shimei, concerning his sin of cursing David (2 Sam. 19:20). 9. Manasseh, concerning his evil reign on Judah's throne (2 Chron. 33:11-13). 10. Daniel, concerning his personal sins and those of Israel (Dan. 9:20). 11. Moses, concerning Israel's golden calf sin (Ex. 32:30-32). 12. Isaiah, concerning his personal sins, and those of Israel (Isa. 6:5; 59:12). 13. Jeremiah, concerning his personal sins, and those of Israel (Jer. 3:25). 14. Ezra, concerning his personal sins, and those of Judah (Ezra 10:1). 15. Nehemiah, concerning his personal sins, and those of Judah (Neh. 1:6). 16. The prodigal son, concerning his riotous living (Lk. 15:18). 17. Peter, concerning his denial of Christ (Mt. 26:75). 18. Judas, concerning his remorse in betraying Christ (Mt. 27:4). 19. A Corinthian believer, concerning his immorality (1 Cor. 5:1-13; 2 Cor. 2:1-11; 7:9, 10).

Conversions OLD TESTAMENT CONVERSIONS 1. Abel (Gen. 4:4). 2. Abraham (Gen. 12:1-3; 15:6). 3. Jacob (Gen. 28:19-22). 4. Rahab (Josh. 2:9). 5. Ruth (Ruth 1:16).

6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

Samuel (1 Sam. 3:1-10). David (1 Sam. 16:13). Widow of Zarephath (1 Ki. 17:24). Shunammite woman (2 Ki. 4:30). Naaman (2 Ki. 5:14, 15). Manasseh (2 Chron. 33:10-13,18, 19). Cyrus (Ezra 1:2-4; Isa. 44:28). Nebuchadnezzar (Dan. 3:28, 29; 4:1, 2, 34, 35, 37). Darius (Dan. 6:25-27). King of Nineveh (Jonah 3:5-9).

NEW TESTAMENT CONVERSIONS 1. Peter (Jn. 1:42). 2. Andrew (Jn. 1:40). 3. Philip (Jn. 1:43). 4. Nathanael (Jn. 1:49). 5. Nicodemus (Jn. 3). 6. Samaritan woman (Jn. 4:29). 7. Nobleman (Jn. 4:53). 8. Adulterous woman (Jn. 8:11). 9. A blind man (Jn. 9:38). 10. Martha (Jn. 11:27). 11. A centurion (Mt. 8:10, 13). 12. Matthew (Mt. 9:9). 13. A Syro-phoenician woman (Mt. 15:28). 14. Another centurion (Mt. 27:54). 15. The Gadara maniac (Mk. 5:15). 16. A woman with internal bleeding (Mk. 5:34). 17. The father of a demoniac son (Mk. 9:24). 18. Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:52). 19. A scribe (Mk. 12:34). 20. A paralytic (Lk. 5:20). 21. An immoral woman (Lk. 7:38). 22. A leper (Lk. 17:12-19). 23. A publican (Lk. 18:13, 14). 24. Zacchaeus (Lk. 19:8). 25. A woman with an eighteen-year infirmity (Lk. 13:12, 13). 26. Mary Magdalene (Mk. 16:9). 27. A dying thief (Lk. 23:42). 28. A lame man (Acts 3:8). 29. The Ethiopian eunuch (Acts 8:37). 30. Saul (Acts 9:6). 31. Cornelius (Acts 10:44). 32. Sergius Paulus (Acts 13:12). 33. Lydia (Acts 16:14, 15). 34. A demoniac girl (Acts 16:18). 35. The Philippian jailor (Acts 16:32, 34). 36. Crispus (Acts 18:8). 37. Apollos (Acts 18:24, 25).

Counterfeits 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14.

879

False False False False False False False False False False False False False False

christs (Mt. 24:4, 5, 24). ministers (2 Cor. 11:14, 15). Christians (Gal. 2:3, 4). apostles (2 Cor. 11:13). religious teachers (2 Pet. 2:1). prophets (1 Jn. 4:1). gospel (Gal. 1:6-12). doctrines (Heb. 13:9). commandments (Titus 1:13, 14). miracle workers (2 Thess. 2:7-12). science (1 Tim. 6:20). religion (Jas. 1:26). worship (Mt. 15:8, 9). prayer (Jas. 4:3).

~

WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE ~

7. 8. 9. 10. 11.

Covenants A covenant (berith, in the Old Testament Hebrew; diatheke in the New Testament Greek) is a promise or an agreement between God and man. A covenant may be conditional or unconditional. There are eight important covenants in the Bible: 1. The covenant with all repenting sinners to save them through Christ. (See Titus 1:1, 2; Heb. 13:20.) This cov¬ enant is unconditional (has no strings attached). 2. The covenant with Adam (Gen. 1:28; 2:15,16; 3:15-19). a. Before the Fall—that he could remain in Eden as long as he obeyed. This was conditional. b. After the Fall—that God would someday send a Savior. This was unconditional. 3. The covenant with Noah (Gen. 8:21, 22). a. That the earth would not be destroyed by water again. b. That the seasons would continue until the end. This was unconditional. 4. The covenant with Abraham (Gen. 12:2, 3, 7; 13:14-17; 15:5, 18; 17:8). a. That God would make Abraham the founder of a great nation. b. That God would someday give Palestine forever to Abraham's seed. This was an unconditional cov¬ enant. 5. The covenant with Moses and Israel (Ex. 19:3-8; Lev. 26; Deut. 28). a. That Israel could have the land at that time to en¬ joy if she obeyed. b. That Israel would forfeit all God's blessings if she disobeyed. This was a conditional covenant. 6. The covenant with David (2 Chron. 13:5; 2 Sam. 7:12-16; 23:5). a. That from David would come an everlasting throne. b. That from David would come an everlasting king¬ dom. c. That from David would come an everlasting King. This was an unconditional covenant. 7. The covenant with the church (Mt. 16:18; 26:28; Lk. 22:20; Heb. 13:20, 21). a. That Christ would build his church with his own blood. b. That all the fury of hell would not destroy it. c. That he would perfect all the members of his church. This was an unconditional covenant. 8. The new covenant with Israel (Jer. 31:31-34; Isa. 42:6; 43:1-6; Deut. 1:1-9; Heb. 8:7-12). a. That God would eventually bring Israel back to himself. b. That he would forgive their iniquity and forget their sin. c. That he would use them to reach and teach Gen¬ tiles. d. That he would establish them in Palestine forever. This was an unconditional covenant.

Crowns 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

The crown of the high priest (Ex. 29:6; 39:30). The crown of thorns (Mt. 27:29). The crown of a soul-winner (Phil. 4:1; 1 Thess. 2:19). The crown of righteousness (2 Tim. 4:8). The crown of life (Jas. 1:12; Rev. 2:10; 3:11). The crown of heaven's King of kings (Rev. 14:14; 19:12).

The The The The The

crown crown crown crown crown

of of of of of

incorruption (1 Cor. 9:25). glory (1 Pet. 5:4). demons (Rev. 9:7). Satan (Rev. 12:3). the antichrist (Rev. 6:2; 13:1).

Cruses 1. The one David took from Saul (1 Sam. 26:12). 2. The one God filled for a widow at Elijah's command (1 Ki. 17:12).

Cups 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6.

A silver cup (Gen. 44:2, 12). A cup of suffering (Mt. 26:39). A wine cup (Mt. 26:27). A cup of wrath (Isa. 51:17; Rev. 16:19). The cup of filthiness (Rev. 17:4). The cup of salvation (Ps. 116:13).

Curses 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12.

Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon Upon 3:10). 13. Upon

the serpent (Gen. 3:14, 15). the ground (Gen. 3:17, 18; 5:29; 8:21). nature (Rom. 8:19-22). Cain (Gen. 4:11). Canaan (Gen. 9:25). disobedient Israel (Deut. 28:15). the enemies of Israel (Gen. 12:3). a fruitless fig tree (Mk. 11:21). all unbelievers (Mt. 25:41). false preachers (Gal. 1:8). Jehoiakim (Jer. 22:18, 19; 36:30). all who attempt to remain under the law (Gal. Christ, for our sin (Gal. 3:13).

Days Introduction: There are at least ten important “days," all yet in the future, that this world will experience. Some of these days refer to a twenty-four-hour period, while others stand for a much longer period of time. 1. The day of the rapture (Rom. 13:12; Eph. 4:30; Phil. 1:6, 10; 2:16; 2 Pet. 1:19; may be regarded as a literal twenty-four-hour day). 2. The judgment seat of Christ day (1 Cor. 3:13; 5:5; 2 Tim. 1:18; 4:8; 1 Jn. 4:17; may be regarded as a literal twenty-four-hour day and will include only Chris¬ tians). 3. The day of the Lord (Joel 1:15; 2:1, 2,11, 31; Acts 2:20; 2 Thess. 2:3; Rev. 6:17; this “day" covers the entire tribulation, a period of seven years). 4. The day of Christ's Second Coming (Mt. 24:36; 26:29; 1 Thess. 5:2-4; 2 Thess. 1:10; may be regarded as a literal twenty-four-hour day). 5. The day of Armageddon (Rev. 16:14; may be regarded as a literal twenty-four-hour day). 6. The resurrection of the just day (Jn. 6:39, 40, 44, 54; 11:24; may be regarded as a literal twenty-four-hour day and includes all Old Testament saints and tribulational believers). 7. The fallen angel judgment day (Jude 1:6; may be re¬ garded as a literal twenty-four-hour day). 8. The day of Christ (1 Cor. 1:8; 2 Cor. 1:14; 2 Tim. 1:12; this “day" covers the entire millennium, a period of one thousand years).

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A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE-

9. The great white throne judgment day (Mt. 7:22; 11:22; Jn. 12:48; Acts 17:31; Rom. 2:5, 16: 2 Pet. 2:9; may be regarded as a literal twenty-four-hour day). 10. The new creation day (2 Pet. 3:7-12; may be regarded as a literal twenty-four-hour day).

Deserts 1. Arabia, where Paul went after his conversion (Gal. 1:17). 2. Midian, where Moses spent the second forty years of his life (Ex. 2:15, 21; 3:1; Acts 7:29). 3. Paran, where David hid from Saul (1 Sam. 25:1). 4. Shur, where God spoke to Hagar (Gen. 16:9-14). 5. Sin, where Israel marched through en route to Sinai (Ex. 16:1). 6. Temptation wilderness, where Jesus was tempted (Mt. 4:1).

Diseases and Infirmities 1. Barrenness, as suffered by Sarah, Hannah, and Elisa¬ beth (Gen. 16:1; 1 Sam. 1:6; Lk. 1:7). 2. Blains and boils, as suffered by the Egyptians during the sixth plague, by King Hezekiah, and by Job (Ex. 9:9, 10; 2 Ki. 20:7; Job 2:7). 3. Blindness, as suffered by the following New Testament individuals: a. Two Capernaum blind men (Mt. 9:29). b. A Bethsaida blind man (Mk. 8:25). c. A Jerusalem man born blind (Jn. 9:7). d. A man possessed by a demon (Lk. 11:14). e. A blind beggar near Jericho named Bartimaeus (Mk. 10:46). f. A blind beggar near Jericho (unnamed) (Lk. 18:42). 4. Botch (may have been syphilis), as suffered by the Egyptians (Deut. 28:27; 28:35). 5. Bloody flux (dysentery), as suffered by the father of Publius (Acts 28:8). 6. Broken bones (Lev. 21:19). 7. Crooked back (Lev. 21:20). 8. Canker (cancer) (2 Tim. 2:17). 9. Dropsy, as suffered by the man in Luke 14:2. 10. Dwarfism (Lev. 21:20). 11. Deafness, as suffered by the man in Mark 7:34, 35. 12. Dumbness, as suffered by the man in Matthew 9:33. 13. Demon possession, as suffered by: a. Saul (1 Sam. 16:14). b. A Capernaum demoniac (Mk. 1:25; Lk. 4:35). c. A Geresene demoniac (Mt. 8:32; Mk. 5:8; Lk. 8:33). d. A dumb demoniac (Mt. 9:33). e. A demoniac girl (Mt. 15:28; Mk. 7:29). f. A demoniac boy (Mt. 17:18; Mk. 9:25; Lk. 9:42). g. A blind and dumb demoniac (Mt. 12:22; Lk. 11:14). h. Mary Magdalene (Mk. 16:9). i. Simon of Samaria (Acts 8:9-23). j. A sorcerer named Elymas (Acts 13:8). k. A greek girl (Acts 16:16-18). 1. Seven sons of Sceva (Acts 19:14-16). 14. Emerods (tumors), as suffered by the Philistines who captured the ark of God (1 Sam. 5:6). 15. Fever, as suffered by: a. Peter's mother-in-law (Mt. 8:14, 15). b. A little boy (Jn. 4:52). 16. Issue (an unnatural flow of blood), as suffered by a Capernaum woman for twelve years (Mt. 9:20). 17. Itch (eczema), as mentioned by Moses in Deuteronomy 28:27.

18. Lameness, as suffered by: a. Mephibosheth, the son of Jonathan (2 Sam. 4:4; 9:13). b. A man in Jerusalem who dwelt near the pool of Bethesda (Jn. 5:5). c. A man in Jerusalem who dwelt near the gate called Beautiful (Acts 3:2). d. A man in Lystra (Acts 14:8). 19. Leprosy, as suffered by: a. Miriam (Num. 12:10). b. Naaman (2 Ki. 5:1). c. Four Samaritan beggars (2 Ki. 7:3). d. Azariah (2 Ki. 15:5). e. A Galilean man (Mk. 1:40). f. Simon (Mt. 26:6). g. A Samaritan and his nine unthankful friends (Lk. 17:12). 20. Palsy (paralysis), as suffered by: a. A Capernaum man (Lk. 5:18). b. A centurion's servant (Mt. 8:6). c. Aeneas (Acts 9:33). 21. Sores (ulcerated openings) as suffered by: a. Old Testament Israel (Isa. 1:6). b. Lazarus the beggar (Lk. 16:20). c. The ungodly in the tribulation (Rev. 16:2). 22. Sunstroke, as perhaps suffered by the Shunammite woman's son (2 Ki. 4:19). 23. Worms (a possible reference to intestinal roundworm infection), as suffered by Herod (Acts 12:21-23).

Dispensations 1. The dispensation of innocence (from the creation of man to the Fall of man (Gen. 1:28—3:6). 2. The dispensation of conscience (from the Fall to the flood (Gen. 4:1-8:14). 3. The dispensation of civil government (from the flood to the dispersion at Babel) (Gen. 8:15—11:9). 4. The dispensation of promise or patriarchal rule (from Babel to Mount Sinai) (Gen. 11:10; Ex. 18:27). 5. The dispensation of the Mosaic Law (from Mount Si¬ nai to the upper room) (Ex. 19; Acts 1:26). 6. The dispensation of the bride of the Lamb, the Church (from the upper Room to the rapture) (Acts 2:1; Rev. 3:22). 7. The dispensation of the wrath of the Lamb—the tribu¬ lation (from the rapture to the Second Coming) (Rev. 6:1—20:3). 8. The dispensation of the rule of the Lamb—the millen¬ nium (from the Second Coming through the great white throne judgment) (Rev. 20:4-15). 9. The dispensation of the new creation of the Lamb— the world without end (from the great white throne judgment throughout all eternity) (Rev. 21-22).

Doors 1. Literal doors a. The door to the ark (Gen. 6:16; 7:16). b. The Passover door (Ex. 12:7, 23). c. The tabernacle door (Ex. 29:11). d. Christ's resurrection door (Mt. 27:60; 28:2). 2. Symbolic doors a. The door of prayer (Mt. 6:6). b. The door of service (1 Cor. 16:9; 2 Cor. 2:12; Col. 4:3; Rev. 3:8). c. The door of the human heart (Rev. 3:20). d. The door of salvation (Jn. 10:7).

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e. The door of faith (Acts 14:27). f. The door of the rapture (Rev. 4:1). g. The door of the Second Coming (Mt. 24:33).

Escapes

Dreams and Visions DREAMS 1. Jacob received the confirmation of the Abrahamic cov¬ enant in a dream (Gen. 28:12). 2. Solomon received both wisdom and a warning in a dream (1 Ki. 3:5; 9:2). 3. Joseph in the New Testament received three messages in three dreams. a. Assuring him of Mary's purity (Mt. 1:20). b. Commanding him to flee to Egypt (Mt. 2:13). c. Ordering him to go back to Palestine (Mt. 2:19-22). 4. The wise men were warned of Herod's evil intentions in a dream (Mt. 2:12). VISIONS 1. Jacob was instructed to go to Egypt in a vision (Gen. 46:2, 3). 2. David was warned of judgment in a vision (1 Chron. 21:16). 3. Isaiah saw God's holiness in a vision (Isa. 6:1-8). 4. Daniel saw the great Gentile powers in a vision (Dan. 7-8). 5. Daniel saw the glories of Christ in a vision (Dan. 10:5-9). 6. Daniel saw the rise and fall of Alexander the Great in a vision (Dan. 8). 7. Ezekiel saw the regathering of Israel in a vision (Ezek. 37). 8. Ananias was ordered to minister to Saul in a vision (Acts 9:10). 9. Cornelius was instructed to send for Peter in a vision (Acts 10:3-6). 10. Peter was ordered to minister to Cornelius in a vision (Acts 10:10-16). 11. Paul was ordered to Macedonia in a vision (Acts 16:9). 12. Paul was comforted at Corinth in a vision (Acts 18:9). 13. Paul was comforted at Jerusalem in a vision (Acts 23:11). 14. Paul viewed the glories of the third heaven in a vision (2 Cor. 12:1-4). 15. John the apostle received the book of the Revelation in a vision.

Earthquakes 1. As experienced by Israel at the giving of the Law from Mt. Sinai (Ex. 19:18). 2. As experienced by Elijah in a rave (1 Ki. 19:11). 3. As experienced in the days of Uzziah (Zech. 14:5; Amos 1:1). 4. As experienced by a centurion at the crucifixion (Mt. 27:54). 5. As experienced by the Roman tomb guard at the res¬ urrection (Mt. 28:2-4). 6. As experienced by the Philippian jailor at midnight (Acts 16:26). 7. As will be experienced by this world during the tribu¬ lation: a. At the opening of the sixth seal (Rev. 6:12). b. At the opening of the seventh seal (Rev. 8:5). c. At the raising of the two witnesses (Rev. 11:13). d. At the pouring out of the seventh vial at Armaged¬ don (Zech. 14:4, 5; Rev. 16:16-21).

882

1. A captive of Chedorlaomer escaped and told Abraham about the imprisonment of Lot (Gen. 14:12, 13). 2. Lot escaped the judgment upon Sodom (Gen. 19:17-20). 3. Ehud escaped after killing Eglon (Jdg. 3:26). 4. Sisera escaped from Barak and Deborah, only to be killed by a girl named Jael (Jdg. 4.T7). 5. A servant of Job escaped and told his master some terrible news (Job 1:15-19). 6. David escaped on many occasions: a. From Saul in the palace room (1 Sam. 19:10). b. From Saul by being let down from a bedroom win¬ dow (1 Sam. 19:12). c. From the king of Gath (1 Sam. 22:1). d. From the city of Keilah, whose citizens would have handed him over to Saul (1 Sam. 23:13). 7. A young man claimed to have escaped from a Philis¬ tine victory over Israel with news of how Saul met his death (2 Sam. 1:3). 8. The Savior escaped the murderous intent of the wicked Pharisees: a. After preaching in Nazareth (Lk. 4:28-30). b. After preaching in Jerusalem (Jn. 10:39). 9. Peter escaped from a Roman prison (Acts 12:7). 10. Paul escaped the waiting Jews by being lowered from a Jerusalem city wall in a basket (Acts 9:25; 2 Cor. 11:33). 11. All believers can escape present-day temptation (1 Cor. 10:13). 12. All believers will escape a future wrath (1 Thess. 5:9).

Excuses 1. As offered by Adam for disobeying God: "The woman whom thou gavest me to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat" (Gen. 3:12). 2. As offered by Eve for disobeying God: "The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat" (Gen. 3:13). 3. As offered by Lot for wanting to stay in doomed Sod¬ om: "I cannot escape to the mountain, lest some evil take me, and I die" (Gen. 19:19). 4. As offered by Moses for not wanting to go into Egypt. a. First excuse: "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt?" (Ex. 3:11). b. Second excuse: "But behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will say, the Lord hath not appeared unto thee" (Ex. 4:1). c. Third excuse: "O my Lord, I am not eloquent, nei¬ ther heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken unto thy servant: but I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue" (Ex. 4:10). 5. As offered by Aaron for constructing the golden calf. "And Aaron said. Let not the anger of my Lord wax hot: thou knowest the people, that they are set on mischief. For they said unto me. Make us gods, which shall go before us: for as for this Moses, the man that brought us up out of the land of Egypt, we wot not what is become of him. And I said unto them. Whosoever hath any gold, let them break it off. So they gave it me: then I cast it into the fire, and there came out this calf" (Ex. 32:22-24). 6. As offered by ten spies for not entering the Promised Land: "But the men that went up with him said. We be not able to go up against the people; for they are

A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

stronger than we. And they brought up an evil re¬ port of the land which they had searched unto the children of Israel saying. The land, through which we have gone to search it, is a land that eateth up the inhabitants thereof; and all the people that we saw in it are men of a great stature. And there we saw the giants, the sons of Anak, which come of the giants: and we were in our own sight as grasshop¬ pers, and so we were in their sight" (Num. 13:31-33). As offered by Israel for wanting a king: "Behold, thou art old, and thy sons walk not in thy ways: now make us a king to judge us like all the nations" (1 Sam. 8:5). As offered by Saul. a. For assuming priestly duties: "And Samuel said. What hast thou done? And Saul said. Because I saw that the people were scattered from me, and that thou earnest not within the days appointed, and that the Philis¬ tines gathered themselves together at Michmash; therefore said I, The Philistines will come down now upon me to Gilgal, and I have not made supplication unto the Lord: I forced my¬ self therefore, and offered a burnt offering" (1 Sam. 13:11, 12). b. For sparing an enemy God told him to destroy. "But the people took of the spoil, sheep and oxen, the chief of the things which should have been utterly destroyed, to sacrifice unto the Lord thy God in Gilgal" (1 Sam. 15:21). As offered by Elijah for hiding in a cave: "I have been very jealous for the Lord God of hosts: for the children of Israel have forsaken thy covenant, thrown down thine altars, and slain thy prophets with the sword: and I, even I only, am left: and they seek my life, to take it away" (1 Ki. 19:10). As offered by three invited guests for not attending a wedding. a. The excuse of the first guest: "I have bought a piece of ground, and I must needs go and see it: I pray thee have me excused" (Lk. 14:18). b. The excuse of the second guest: "I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I go to prove them: I pray thee have me excused" (Lk. 14:19). c. The excuse of the third guest: "I have married a wife, and therefore I cannot come" (Lk. 14:20). As offered by an unfaithful servant for fruitless labor: "Then he which had received the one talent came and said, Lord, I knew thee that thou art an hard man, reaping where thou hast not sown, and gath¬ ering where thou hast not strawed: And I was afraid, and went and hid thy talent in the earth: lo, there thou hast that is thine" (Mt. 25:24, 25). As offered by Felix for not accepting Christ: "Go thy way for this time; when I have a conve¬ nient season, I will call for thee" (Acts 24:25).

2. The famine in Palestine causing Isaac to go into Philistia (Gen. 26:1). 3. The famine in Palestine, causing Jacob's eleven sons to go into Egypt (Gen. 41:54-57). 4. The famine in Palestine, causing Naomi to go into Moab (Ruth 1:1). 5. The famine in David's day, caused by Saul's blood¬ stained house (2 Sam. 21:1). 6. The famine in Elijah's day, caused by the sins of Ahab and Israel (1 Ki. 17:1). 7. The famines in Elisha's day. a. First famine: resulting in Elisha working a miracle of purifying some poisonous stew (2 Ki. 4:38). b. Second famine: resulting in the salvation of a city through four lepers (2 Ki. 6:25). c. Third famine: resulting in a woman, a servant, and a king knowing that there was still a prophet of God in Israel (2 Ki. 8:1-6). 8. The famine in Jerusalem, caused by Nebuchadnezzar's siege (2 Ki. 25:2; Jer. 14). 9. The famine in Nehemiah's day, resulting in a sermon being preached by Nehemiah, and an ensuing revival of the people (Neh. 5:3-13). 10. The famine in Paul's day, resulting in help being sent by outside Christians to the believers in Judea (Acts 11:28). 11. The famine in the tribulation, which will contribute to the death of millions (Rev. 6:5-8).

Fasts 1. That of Moses, which lasted for forty days, as he prayed concerning Israel's sin (Deut. 9:9, 18, 25-29; 10:10).

Fables 1. The fable of the bramble tree—related by Jotham to ridicule the mad dog ruler Abimelech (Jdg. 9:7-15). 2. The fable of the thistle bush—related by Jehoash, King of Israel, to Amaziah, King of Judah to ridicule him (2 Ki. 14:8, 9).

Famines 1. The famine in Palestine, causing Abiaham to go into Egypt (Gen. 12:10).

2. That of David: a. As he lamented over Saul's death (2 Sam. 1:12). b. As he lamented over Abner's death (2 Sam. 3:35). c. As he lamented over his child's sickness (2 Sam. 12:16). 3. That of Elijah, which lasted for forty days, as he fled from Jezebel (1 Ki. 19:7-18). 4. That of Ahab, as he humbled himself before God (1 Ki. 21:27-29). 5. That of Darius, as he worried over Daniel's fate (Dan. 6:18-24). 6. That of Daniel: a. As he read Jeremiah's prophecy and prayed for Ju¬ dah's sins (Dan. 9:1-19). b. As he prayed over a mysterious vision God had given him. This fast lasted for twenty-one days (Dan. 10:3-13). 7. That of Esther, as she sorrowed over Haman's wicked plot to destroy her people. This fast lasted for three days (Est. 4:13-16). 8. That of Ezra, as he wept over the sins of the returning remnant (Ezra 10:6-17). 9. That of Nehemiah, as he wept over the broken-down wells of Jerusalem (Neh. 1:4—2:10). 10. That of the Ninevites, as they heard the preaching of Jonah (Jonah 3). 11. That of Anna, as she awaited the baby Messiah (Lk. 2:37). 12. That of Jesus, as he was tempted by the devil. This fast lasted for forty days (Mt. 4:1-11). 13. That of John's disciples (Mt. 9:14, 15). 14. That of the elders in Antioch, prior to the sending out of Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:1-5).

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15. That of Cornelius, as he sought out God's plan of sal¬ vation (Acts 10:30). 16. That of Paul: a. After his salvation on the Damascus Road. This fast lasted for three days (Acts 9:9). b. While on a sinking ship. This lasted for fourteen days (Acts 27:33, 34). c. All throughout his ministry (2 Cor. 6:5; 11:27).

Fields 1. Isaac was in a field in Hebron when he saw Rebekah (Gen. 24:63). 2. Jacob worshiped God in a field in Shechem after his meeting with Esau (Gen. 33:19). 3. Balaam attempted to curse Israel in the field of Zophim, atop Mt. Pisgah (Num. 23:14). 4. The mother of Samson was in a field of Dan when God spoke to her about Samson's birth (Jdg. 13:9). 5. Samson used some foxes to burn up a Philistine corn¬ field (Jdg. 15:4, 5). 6. Boaz met Ruth in his Bethlehem field (Ruth 2:3). 7. Some citizens of Israel were killed by God in a field in Bethshemesh for looking into the Ark of the Covenant (1 Sam. 6:14-19). 8. Jonathan warned David of Saul's murderous intents in a field near Ramah (1 Sam. 20:5, 11, 35). 9. Jeremiah was ordered by God to purchase a field near Jerusalem (Jer. 32:6-15). 10. The longest and most comprehensive of Jesus' parables concerned itself with a sower and a field. (Mt. 13). 11. The prodigal's elder brother was in a field when he heard the celebration which accompanied the brother's return (Lk. 15:25). 12. The betrayal money of Christ, returned by Judas, was used to purchase a potter's field (Mt. 27:8; Acts 1:18).

17. The fire which destroyed a hundred soldiers and pro¬ tected Elijah (2 Ki. 1:7-11). 18. The fire used to transport Elijah home to glory (2 Ki. 2:11). 19. The fire and chariots which surrounded and protected Elisha (2 Ki. 6:17). 20. The fire of Manasseh in Hinnon, used to bum up his own children (2 Ki. 21:6). 21. The fire of Nebuchadnezzar which would not bum three Hebrew believers (Dan. 3:25). 22. The fire at which Simon Peter warmed his hands when he denied the Savior (Jn. 18:18). 23. The fire where Paul shook off a snake (Acts 28:5). 24. The fire at the judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:13). 25. The all-consuming judgment fire of God, to be used in destroying his enemies (2 Thess. 1:8; Heb. 12:29; Rev. 20:15). 26. The fire God will use in purifying this earth (2 Pet. 3:7).

Foods 1. Spices a. cumin (Isa. 28:25; Mt. 23:23) b. anise (Mt. 23:23) c. coriander (Ex. 16:31; Num. 11:7) d. mint (Mt. 23:23) e. me (Lk. 11:42) f. mustard (Mt. 13:31; 17:20) g. salt (Job 6:6) 2. Vegetables a. beans (2 Sam. 17:28; Ezek. 4:9) b. lentils (Gen. 25:34) c. cucumbers (Num. 11:5; Isa. 1:8) d. melons (Num. 11:5) e. garlic (Num. 11:5) f. leeks (Num. 11:5) g. onions (Num. 11:5) h. millet (Ezek. 4:9) i. gourds (2 Ki. 4:39) 3. Fruits a. olives (Deut. 8:8) b. figs (Jer. 24:1-3) c. grapes (Deut. 23:24) d. pomegranates (Num. 13:23) e. sycamore fruit (Amos 7:14) f. nuts (Gen. 43:11) g. almonds (Gen. 43:11) 4. Grains a. barley (Ruth 3:17) b. wheat (Rev. 6:6; 1 Sam. 6:13) c. com (Gen. 41:35) 5. Fish (Jn. 6, 21) 6. Fowl a. pigeon (Gen. 15:9; Lev. 1:14) b. turtledove (Lev. 12:8) c. partridge (1 Sam. 26:20; Jer. 17:11) d. quail (Ex. 16:13; Num. 11:31, 32; Ps. 105:40) e. sparrow (Lk. 12:6) 7. Locusts (Lev. 11:22; Mt. 3:4) 8. Meat animals a. venison (Gen. 27:7) b. calf (Lk. 15:23) c. lamb (2 Sam. 12:4) d. goat (Gen. 27:9) e. sheep (2 Sam. 17:29) f. oxen (1 Ki. 19:21)

Fires 1. The fire of God from heaven which destroyed Sodom (Gen. 19:24). 2. The fire Abraham built to sacrifice Isaac (Gen. 22:7). 3. The burning bush Fire from which Moses received his call (Ex. 3:2). 4. The fire of the seventh Egyptian plague (Ex. 9:24). 5. The guiding pillar fire that led Israel by night (Ex. 13:21). 6. The fire which appeared at the giving of the law (Ex. 19:8). 7. The fire ordered by Moses to destroy the golden calf (Ex. 39:20). 8. The fire God sent to consume Aaron's offerings (Lev. 9:24). 9. The strange fire of Nadab and Abihu (Lev. 10:1). 10. The judgment fire of God at Taberah to punish Israel (Num. 11:1). 11. The judgment fire of God which consumed Korah and 250 of his followers (Num. 16:35). 12. The fire ordered by Joshua to destroy Jeericho (Josh. 6:24). 13. The fire ordered by Joshua to consume Achan (Josh. 7:15, 25). 14. The fire made by Samson to burn the cornfields of the Philistines (Jdg. 15:5). 15. The Mount Carmel fire, which consumed Elijah's of¬ fering (1 Ki. 18:38). 16. The fire that God was not in, as witnessed by Elijah in a cave (1 Ki. 19:12).

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A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE ~

9. Various foods and drinks a. eggs (Lk. 11:12) b. cheese (1 Sam. 17:18) c. butter (Jdg. 5:25; Isa. 7:15) d. milk (Gen. 18:8; Isa. 55:1) e. honey (1 Sam. 14:25; 1 Ki. 14:3; Mt. 3:4) f. wine (Jn. 2)

Funerals 1. Sarah's funeral. Abraham bought a cave from a pagan, and wept over the body of his beloved wife (Gen. 23:1-20). Sarah was 127 years old. 2. Abraham's funeral. Isaac and Ishmael attended and buried him alongside Sarah in the cave of Machpelah (Gen. 25:7-11). Abraham was 175 years old. 3. Deborah's funeral. Jacob buried his mother's old nurse under an oak tree in Bethel (Gen. 35:8, 9). 4. Rachel's funeral. Jacob buried her just outside the city of Bethlehem, and set a pillar upon her grave (Gen. 35:16-20). 5. Isaac's funeral. Esau and Jacob met and buried their father next to Abraham in Hebron (Gen. 35:27-29). Isaac was 180 years old. 6. Jacob's funeral. Joseph and his brothers carried their father out of Egypt back into Canaan and buried him at Hebron (Gen. 50:1-13). Jacob was 147 years old. 7. Joseph's funeral. At his command, Joseph was buried by his sons in Egypt, but predicted that his bones would someday be carried back to Palestine (Gen. 50:22-26). Joseph was 110 years old. 8. Nadab and Abihu's funeral. There was to be no weep¬ ing at this funeral (Lev. 10:1-7). 9. Miriam's funeral. Moses and Aaron buried their sister at Kadesh (Num. 20:1). 10. Aaron's funeral. Moses and Aaron's son, Eleazar, bur¬ ied the first high priest of Israel on Mt. Hor. Israel then mourned him for thirty days (Num. 20:23-29). 11. Moses' funeral. God himself attended Moses' funeral and buried him on Mt. Pisgah. Apparently Michael the archangel and Satan were at this funeral (Deut. 34; Jude 1:9). Moses was 120 years old. 12. Joshua's funeral. Israel's great warrior was buried on a hill belonging to the tribe of Ephraim (Josh. 24:29, 30). Joshua was 110 years old. 13. Samuel's funeral. All Israel gathered at Ramah to bury their beloved prophet-priest. Both Saul and David may have attended but not at the same time (1 Sam. 25:1). 14. David's funeral. Solomon buried his great father in the city of David after hearing his dying words of admoni¬ tion (1 Ki. 2:1-11). David was seventy years of age. 15. The widow of Zarephath's son's funeral. This marked the first biblical resurrection from the dead. Elijah per¬ formed it (1 Ki. 17:17-24). 16. The Shunammite's son's funeral. This marked the sec¬ ond biblical resurrection (2 Ki. 4:18-37). 17. A nameless man's funeral in Elisha's day. This funeral doubtless caused the pallbearers to run for their lives from the graveyard (2 Ki. 13:20, 21). This is the third Old Testament resurrection. 18. The daughter of Jairus' funeral (Mk. 5:35-43; Lk. 8:41, 42, 49-56; Mt. 9:18-26). a. Peter, James and John attended. b. Flute players played. c. A large crowd beat their breasts and wept in their sorrow. d. The Savior was ridiculed.

This was the first New Testament resurrection of an individual from the dead. 19. The widow of Nain's son (Lk. 7:11-18). a. Many people attended. b. Our Lord told the mother to cease crying. c. The coffin was touched by Jesus. d. The corpse sat up and began to speak. This was the second New Testament resurrection from the dead. 20. Lazarus' funeral (Jn. 11:1-46). a. Many people attended. b. The sorrowing went on for at least four days. c. Jesus comforted both Mary and Martha. d. Jesus himself wept. e. Jesus offered a public prayer. f. Jesus raised Lazarus, calling him by name, and or¬ dered him to be loosed from the grave clothes. This was the third New Testament resurrection from the dead. 21. Dorcas' funeral (Acts 9:36-42). a. The corpse was laid in an upper chamber. b. Many rose to their feet and gave public testimony concerning the good works of Dorcas. c. Peter moved everyone aside, knelt down, prayed, and raised her from the dead. This was the fourth New Testament resurrection from the dead. Note: Some may object to this, claiming that the resurrection of Christ should be counted as the fourth New Testament example. But this is not true, for Christ's resurrection is the first (1 Cor. 15:20), as he never died afterward. (See Rev. 1:18.)

Gardens 1. The garden of God (Ezek. 28:11-17). a. Was the home of Lucifer before he became Satan. b. Had stones of fire. c. Was headquarters for God's holy mountain. d. Witnessed sin enter the universe. 2. The Garden of Eden (Gen. 2:8—3:24). a. Was the home of the first man. b. Was located in Mesopotamia to the east. c. Had all sorts of beautiful trees, including (1) The tree of life. (2) The tree of the knowledge of good and evil. d. Was watered by four rivers. e. Witnessed sin enter the human race. 3. The Garden of Gethsemane (Mt. 26:36; Jn. 18:1). a. Witnessed the three prayers of Jesus. b. Witnessed his kiss of betrayal and arrest. 4. The garden of the resurrection (Jn. 19:41—20:18; Mt. 28:2-4; Mk. 16:9-11; Lk. 24:12), where: a. Jesus was laid in a tomb cave. b. A great earthquake occurred. c. The Roman soldiers were blinded. d. Jesus appeared to Mary Magdalene. e. Peter and John saw the empty tomb.

Garments Introduction: There are a number of garments in the Bible worn by various individuals which carry either a historical or a theological significance. 1. The leafy garments with which Adam and Eve at¬ tempted to clothe themselves (Gen. 3:7). 2. The animal garments with which God later clothed them (Gen. 3:21). 3. The many-colored coat of Joseph (Gen. 37:3, 31, 32).

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4. The tom coat of Joseph (in Egypt) (Gen. 39:12). 5. The garments of the high priest of Israel (Ex. 28:4-43; 39:1-31; Lev. 8:7-9; 16:4). 6. The garments taken from Aaron and put upon Eleazar (Num. 20:28). 7. The "goodly Babylonish garment" stolen by Achan (Josh. 7:21). 8. The garment with which Boaz covered Ruth (Ruth 3:9). 9. The little coat that Hannah brought for Samuel in the Temple at Shiloh (1 Sam. 2:19). 10. The robe given to David by Jonathan to seal their friendship covenant (1 Sam. 18:4). 11. The beautiful linen robe David wore when he carried the ark of God to Jerusalem (1 Chron. 15:27). 12. Tamar's many-colored garment which she tore after being attacked by Ammon (2 Sam. 13:18, 19). 13. Saul's robe which David cut during the wicked king's sleep (1 Sam. 24:11). 14. Jeroboam's tom garment. This was ripped into twelve pieces by the prophet Ahijah to symbolize the coming fragmentation of the kingdom of Israel (1 Ki. 11:29-31). 15. The robe of Ahab's which Jehoshaphat foolishly wore (2 Chron. 18:29). 16. The "filthy garments" of Joshua the high priest as he stood before God (Zech. 3:3). 17. The garments of John the Baptist (Mt. 3:4). 18. The robe given to the returning prodigal son by his father (Lk. 15:22). 19. The unused wedding garment (Mt. 22:11). 20. The linen cloth discarded by a young man at Gethsemane (Mk. 14:51). 21. The fisherman's coat of Simon Peter (Jn. 21:7). 22. The garments worn by the Savior. a. At Bethlehem, swaddling clothes (Lk. 2:7, 12). b. During his earthly ministry (Mt. 9:21; 14:36; 17:2; Jn. 13:4). c. At Calvary. (1) The soldiers placed a scarlet robe on him in mockery (Mt. 27:28; Jn. 19:2, 5). (2) Herod placed a "gorgeous robe" upon him in mockery (Lk. 23:11). (3) The soldiers gambled for his seamless gar¬ ment at the foot of the cross (Mt. 27:35). (4) Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathaea wrapped him in linen clothes (Jn. 19:40). d. His present-day garments (Rev. 1:13). e. His Second Coming garments (Dan. 7:9; Rev. 19:13; Isa. 63:1-3). 23. The cloak of Paul's that he requested while in a Ro¬ man prison (2 Tim. 4:13). 24. The robe of the righteous (Rev. 19:7, 8, 14). 25. The robe of the unrighteous (Isa. 64:6). 26. The white robes of those martyred during the tribula¬ tion (Rev. 6:11; 7:9).

Gates 1. The gate at Sodom—where Lot met the two angels (Gen. 19:1). 2. The gate at Bethlehem—where Boaz arranged to marry Ruth (Ruth 4:1). 3. The gate at Shalem—where Shechem agreed to be cir¬ cumcised, as requested by Jacob's two sons (Gen. 34:20). 4. The gate of Jericho—this gate was sealed to keep all Israelite soldiers out. But two spies had already entered (Josh. 2:5, 7).

5. The gate at Gaza. Samson ripped this gate from its foundations and carried it away (Jdg. 16:2, 3). 6. The gate at Shiloh. Here the aged Eli fell and died upon hearing the news concerning Israel's defeat and the capture of the ark of God by the Philistines (1 Sam. 4:18). 7. The gate of Gath. David scrabbled on this gate and pretended to be insane (1 Sam. 21:13). 8. The gate of Samaria—here four lepers made a decision that would later save the starving city (2 Ki. 7:3). 9. The palace gate in Persia. Here Mordecai overheard a plot against the king's life which later would be used by God in saving all the Jews in Persia (Est. 2:21-23). 10. The gate of the rich man—where Lazarus begged for bread (Lk. 16:20). 11. The Temple gate Beautiful—where Peter healed a cripple (Acts 3:2). 12. Gates in the old city of Jerusalem: a. The sheep gate (speaks of salvation) (Neh. 3:1). b. The fish gate (speaks of soul-winning) (Neh. 3:3). c. The valley gate (speaks of humility) (Neh. 3:13). d. The dung gate (speaks of unclean habits) (Neh. 3:14). e. The fountain gate (speaks of the Holy Spirit) (Neh. 3:15). f. The water gate (speaks of the Word of God) (Neh. 3:26). g. The horse gate (speaks of the believers' warfare) (Neh. 3:28). h. The east gate (speaks of the rapture and Second Coming) (Neh. 3:29). i. The Miphkad gate (speaks of the judgment seat of Christ) (Neh. 3:31). 13. Gates in the new city of Jerusalem (Rev. 21:12, 13). a. There are twelve gates in the New Jerusalem, three on the north, three on the south, three on the east, and three on the west. b. Each gate is guarded by an angel. c. On each gate is the name of one of the twelve founders of the tribes of Israel. 14. Symbolic gates in the Bible. a. The gate of salvation (Mt. 7:13). b. The gate of damnation (Mt. 7:13). c. The gate of death (Job 38:17; Isa. 38:10; Ps. 9:13; 107:18). d. The gate of heaven (Ps. 24:7, 9; Gen. 28:17). e. The gate of hell (Mt. 16:18).

Genealogies 1. The genealogy of Cain (Gen. 4:16-24). 2. The genealogy of Adam (Gen. 5:1-32). 3. The genealogy of Japheth (Gen. 10:1-5; 1 Chron. 1:5-7). 4. The genealogy of Ham (Gen. 10:6-20; 1 Chron. 1:8-16). 5. The genealogy of Shem (Gen. 10:22-31; 11:10-30; 1 Chron. 1:17-27). 6. The genealogy of Abraham (Gen. 25:1-4, 12-18; 1 Chron. 1:28-34). 7. The genealogy of Isaac (Gen. 25:19-23). 8. The genealogy of Jacob (Gen. 49:1-27; 1 Chron. 2:1, 2). 9. The genealogy of Esau (Gen. 36:1-43; 1 Chron. 1:35-42). 10. The genealogy of Judah (1 Chron. 2:3-12; 4:1-4). 11. The genealogy of Simeon (1 Chron. 4:24-38). 12. The genealogy of Reuben (1 Chron. 5:1-8).

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13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23.

A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE -

The genealogy of Levi (1 Chron. 6:1-53). The genealogy of Issachar (1 Chron. 7:1-5). The genealogy of Benjamin (1 Chron. 7:6-12). The genealogy of Naphtali (1 Chron. 7:13). The genealogy of Asher (1 Chron. 7:30-40). The genealogy of Jesse (1 Chron. 2:13-17). The genealogy of Caleb (1 Chron. 2:18-20, 42-55). The genealogy of David (1 Chron. 3:1-24). The genealogy of Ephraim (1 Chron. 7:20-27). The genealogy of Pharez (Ruth 4:18-22). The genealogy of the Lord Jesus Christ. a. The biological line through Mary (Lk. 3:23-38). b. The legal line through Joseph (Mt. 1:1-17).

Giants 1. Og (Deut. 3:11). This giant who was king of Bashan had an iron bed which measured thirteen and a half feet long and was six feet wide. 2. Sippai (1 Chron. 20:4). 3. Lahmi (1 Chron. 20:5). The brother of Goliath. 4. An unnamed giant (1 Chron. 20:6). He had six fingers on each hand and six toes on each foot. He was slain by Jonathan (David's nephew). 5. Goliath (1 Sam. 17:4). He was nearly ten feet tall. Note: The tallest man in recorded human history was Robert Wadlow, of Alton, Illinois. He was eight feet eleven and a half inches tall, and weighed 491 pounds. 6. Ishbi-benob (2 Sam. 21:16). 7. Saph (2 Sam. 21:18).

Gifts 1. The gift of Abraham to Melchizedek (Gen. 14:20). a. Nature of the gift—Abraham's tithes. b. Purpose of the gift—to show honor to the first ruler of Jerusalem. 2. The gift of Jacob to Esau (Gen. 32:13-15). a. Nature of the gift—400 goats, 200 ewes, 20 rams, 30 milk camels, 40 cows, 10 bulls, 30 donkeys. b. Purpose of the gift—to make up for cheating Esau out of his blessing. 3. The gifts of Israel's twelve tribal leaders to the taber¬ nacle (Num. 7:12-89). a. Nature of the gifts—each brought a silver platter, a silver bowl, a tiny gold box of incense, a young bull, six yearlings, two oxen, six rams, six goats. b. Purpose of the gifts—to please God. 4. The gifts of the queen of Sheba to Solomon (1 Ki. 10:1, 2, 10). a. Nature of the gift—spices, jewels, and $3,500,000 in gold. b. Purpose of the gift—to assure good relations be¬ tween Israel and Sheba. 5. The gift of Belshazzar to Daniel (which gift he refused) (Dan. 5:16, 17). a. Nature of the gift—the office of third ruler in the kingdom. b. Purpose of the gift—to have the handwriting on the wall interpreted. 6. The gifts of the Syrian king to an Israelite king (2 Ki. 5:4-6). a. Nature of the gift—$20,000 in silver, $60,000 in gold, and ten suits of clothing. b. Purpose of the gift—to secure the healing of Naaman the leper.

7. The gifts of the wise men to Christ (Mt. 2:11). a. Nature of the gifts—gold, frankincense, and myrrh. b. Purpose of the gifts—to offer honor and praise to heaven's King. 8. The gift of Mary of Bethany to Christ (Jn. 12:2-8; Mt. 26:7-13). a. Nature of the gift—a jar of costly perfume. b. Purpose of the gift—to show her adoration and to anoint the Savior. 9. The gift of an immoral woman to Christ (Lk. 7:37, 38). a. Nature of the gift—an exquisite flask filled with expensive perfume. b. Purpose of the gift—to seek his forgiveness. 10. The gifts of wicked unbelievers to each other during the tribulation (Rev. 11:10). a. Nature of the gifts—probably alcohol, drugs, por¬ nographic literature, etc. b. Purpose of the gifts—to celebrate the death of God's two witnesses. 11. The gift of the believer to the Lord (Rom. 12:1-3). a. Nature of the gift—his body, as a living sacrifice. b. Purpose of the gift—that the believer might prove God's perfect will for his life. 12. The gift of the Father to the world (Jn. 3:16; 2 Cor. 9:15). a. Nature of the gift—Christ. b. Purpose of the gift—"That whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life." 13. The gift of the Son to the sheep (Jn. 10:11; 14:3). a. Nature of the gift—"The Good Shepherd giveth his life for the sheep." b. Purpose of the gift—"That where I am, there ye may be also." 14. The gifts of the Holy Spirit to the believer (Rom. 12:6-8; 1 Cor. 12:4-31; Eph. 4:7-16). a. Nature of the gifts—some eighteen in number, which include: (1) apostleship (2) prophecy (3) miracles (4) healing (5) tongues (6) interpretation of tongues (7) knowledge (8) wisdom (9) discerning of spirits (10) giving (11) exhortation (12) ministering (13) showing of mercy (14) ruling (15) faith (16) teaching (17) evangelism (18) pastor-teacher b. Purpose of the gifts: (1) To glorify the Father. (2) To edify both the believer and the church.

Hills 1. The hill near Rephidim, where Israel won its first bat¬ tle en route to the Promised Land (Ex. 17:8, 9). 2. The hill at Moab, where Joshua circumcised the new male Israelite generation (Josh. 5:3). 3. The hill at Hachilah, where David spared Saul's life (1 Sam. 26:1).

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4. The hill at Samaria, where King Omri purchased and built his new capital, calling it by the same name (1 Ki. 16:24). 5. The hill near Samaria, where Elijah called down fire upon some soldiers sent to arrest him (2 Ki. 1:9). 6. The hill at Nazareth, where a furious mob from Jesus' hometown attempted to murder him by casting him down (Lk. 4:29). 7. The hill of Golgotha, a hill resembling a skull where the Savior was crucified (Mt. 27:33). 8. The hill of Areopagus, a hill in Athens where Paul preached his Mars Hill sermon (Acts 17:18-33).

4.

5.

6.

Hymns and Songs 1. The songs of Moses. a. After he had led Israel through the Red Sea (Ex. 15:1-19). b. Just prior to his death (Deut. 32:1-4). (See also Rev. 15:3, 4.) 2. The song of Israel as they dug some wells en route to the Promised Land (Num. 21:17, 18). 3. The song of Deborah and Barak, after their victory over Sisera (Jdg. 5:1-31). 4. The song of Hannah at the dedication of her son Sam¬ uel (1 Sam. 2:1-10). 5. The song sung by the Israelite women to celebrate Da¬ vid's victory over Goliath (1 Sam. 18:6, 7). 6. The song of the Levitical choir who sang at the Temple dedication (2 Chron. 5:12-14). 7. The song of Jehoshaphat's marching choir which led his soldiers into battle against Judah's enemies (2 Chron. 20:20-23). 8. The song of this Levitical choir during the great resto¬ ration of the Temple during Hezekiah's reign (2 Chron. 29:25-28). 9. The song of Mary, after learning of the future virgin birth. Her song is known as the "Magnificat" (Lk. 1:46-55). 10. The song of Zacharias, at the circumcision of his son John the Baptist. This is known as the "Benedictus" (Lk. 1:68-79). 11. The song sung by the disciples in the upper room (Mt. 26:30). 12. The song of Paul and Silas while in a Philippian jail at midnight (Acts 16:25). 13. The songs of praise God desires believers to sing (Eph. 5:19; Col. 3:16). 14. The new song sung by all believers to glorify Christ in heaven (Rev. 5:9, 10). 15. The song of the 144,000 (Rev. 14:1-3). 16. The song of the tribulational overcomers (Rev. 15:2-4).

7.

8.

9.

10.

11. 12. 13.

14. 15.

16.

17.

Idols and False Gods 1. Asherah—The chief goddess of Tyre, referred to as the lady of the sea. Gideon destroyed a statue of this lover goddess of Baal, which had been worshiped by his own father (Jdg. 6:24-32). 2. Ashtoreth—A Canaanite goddess, another lover of Baal. The prophet Samuel led Israel in a great revival which resulted in the people giving up the sexual prac¬ tices associated with the worship of Ashtoreth (1 Sam. 7:3, 4). 3. Baal—the chief male deity of the Canaanite pantheon. The struggle between Baal and Jehovah came to a dra¬ matic head on Mt. Carmel under Elijah (1 Ki.

18:17-40). Jehu later dealt a severe blow to Baalism (2 Ki. 11:18). Baal-zebub—the prince of the demons, according to Jesus (Mt. 10:25; 12:24). The name literally means "lord of the flies." Dagon—the chief Philistine agriculture god and father of Baal. The Ark of the Covenant destroyed an idol of Dagon in its own temple (1 Sam. 5:1-7). Later, Samson would destroy the very temple of Dagon (Jdg. 16:23-30). Diana—a grotesque many-breasted Asiatic goddess, who was believed to be the nursing mother of other gods, men, animals, and even plants. Paul encountered Diana while in Ephesus (Acts 19:27, 35). Jupiter—the chief Roman god of heaven (another name for the Greek god Zeus). The people of Lystra called Barnabas "Jupiter," perhaps because of his im¬ pressive appearance (Acts 14:12, 13). Mercury—the Roman god of commerce, speed, and eloquence. He was the son of Jupiter. As a messenger of the gods he had wings on his feet. Paul was mis¬ taken for Mercury at Lystra because of his speaking abilities (Acts 14:12). Merodach (also called Marduk)—he was the head god of the Babylonian pantheon and Nebuchadnezzar's fa¬ vorite god. Molech—the most horrible idol in the Scriptures. He was a detestable Semitic deity honored by the sacrifice of children who were cruelly burned alive. Solomon actually built an altar for this vicious monster at Tophet in the Valley of Hinnon (1 Ki. 11:7). Later both King Ahaz and his godless grandson Manasseh sacri¬ ficed their children to this fiendish blood-demanding idol (2 Chron. 28:1-4; 33:6). Nanna—the moon god of Ur, once worshiped by Abraham before his salvation (Josh. 24:2). Nebo—the Babylonian god of wisdom and literature (Isa. 46:1). Nishroch—the Assyrian god of Sennacherib. The king was murdered in the temple of his idol after returning from the death angel defeat at Jerusalem (2 Ki. 19:37). Rimmon—the Syrian god of Namaan the leper (2 Ki. 5:15-19). Satyr—a shaggy, goat-like idol worshiped by the an¬ cient world, made in the actual likeness of the demons it represented (Isa. 13:21; 34:14; Lev. 17:7; 2 Chron. 11:15). Tammuz—a Babylonian idol given over to the memory of Tammuz, who was the son of Nimrod and Semerimus. His wicked mother instituted a religious system which featured the mother-child cult which later spread all over the world (Ezek. 8;14; Jer. 7:18; 44:25). Nameless idols: a. Rachel's household gods (Gen. 31:19). b. The golden calf at Sinai (Ex. 32). (See also 1 Ki. 12:28.) c. The golden image in the plain of Dura (Dan. 2). d. The unknown god on Mars Hill (Acts 17). e. The statue of the beast (Rev. 13:14).

Inns 1. The Midian Inn, where Moses nearly committed the sin unto death (Ex. 4:24). 2. The Bethlehem Inn, where Joseph and Mary were re¬ fused lodging (Lk. 2:7). 3. The Jericho Inn, where a good Samaritan took his wounded friend (Lk. 10:34).

888

A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE-

Invitations 1. To enter the ark of safety (Gen. 7:1). 2. To consider the benefits of being saved (Isa. 1:18). 3. To satisfy one's hunger and thirst (Isa. 55:1-3). 4. To test the claims of Jesus (Jn. 1:48; 4:29). 5. To rest upon Christ (Mt. 11:28-30). 6. To follow the Savior (Mt. 19:21; Mk. 10:21). 7. To attend a great supper (Lk. 14:16). 8. To attend a great wedding (Mt. 22:4). 9. To enter the kingdom (Mt. 25:34). 10. To drink of that living water (Jn. 4:10; Rev. 22:17).

Islands 1. The Isle of Cyprus, the home of Barnabas, which was evangelized by Paul and Barnabas during the first mis¬ sionary journey (Acts 13:4-13). 2. The Isle of Crete, where Paul assigned Titus as pastor (Titus 1:4, 5, 10-12). 3. The Isle of Melita, where Paul supematurally survived the bite of a deadly serpent (Acts 27:39—28:11). Here he also healed the father of Publius, governor of the island. 4. The Isle of Patmos, where the exiled John was given the book of Revelation vision (Rev. 1:9).

30. Jesus, from this sinful earth to the glory of heaven (Acts 1). 31. The wise men, from Persia to Bethlehem (Mt. 2:1-12). 32. Joseph, from Bethlehem to Egypt (Mt. 2:13,14). 33. Joseph, from Egypt to Nazareth (Mt. 2:23). 34. Philip, from Jerusalem to Samaria (Acts 8:5). 35. Philip, from Samaria to the Gaza Desert (Acts 8:26). 36. Paul, from Jerusalem to Damascus (Acts 9). 37. Peter, from Joppa to Caesarea (Acts 10). 38. Barnabas, from Jerusalem to Antioch (Acts 11:19-26). 39. Paul and Barnabas, from Antioch to their first mission¬ ary trip (Acts 13-14). 40. Paul and Silas, from Antioch to the second trip (Acts 15:36—18:22). 41. Paul, from Antioch to his third trip (Acts 18:23— 21:15). 42. Paul, from Jerusalem to Rome (Acts 21:16—28:31).

judgments 1. Past judgments. a. The Garden of Eden judgment (Gen. 3:14-19; Rom. 5:12; 1 Cor. 15:22). b. The Flood judgment (Gen. 6:5-7; 2 Pet. 3:1-6). c. The Calvary judgment (Mt. 27:33-37; Isa. 53:1-10; Ps. 22:1; Heb. 2:9; 1 Pet. 2:21-25; 3:18). d. The Israelite judgments. (1) At the hands of the Assyrians (2 Ki. 17). (2) At the hands of the Babylonians (2 Ki. 24-25). (3) At the hands of the Romans (Mt. 24:2; Lk. 19:41-44). (4) At the hands of Christ himself (Mt. 21:17-19, 33-46). 2. Present-day judgments. a. Upon local churches by the Savior (Rev. 2-3). b. Upon individual believers. (1) When the believer judges himself (1 Cor. 11:31; 1 Jn. 1:9). (2) When the Father has to step in and judge (Heb. 12:3-13; 1 Cor. 11:30; 1 Pet. 4:17; 1 Jn. 5:16; Acts 5:1-11). 3. Future judgments. a. The (bema) judgment seat of Christ (1 Cor. 3:9-15; 2 Cor. 5:10; Rom. 14:10; Rev. 22:12). b. The tribulational judgment (Rev. 6-19). (1) Upon man's religious systems (Rev. 17). (2) Upon man's economic and political systems (Rev. 18). (3) Upon man's military systems (Rev. 19:11-21). (4) Upon man himself (Rev. 6, 8, 9, 16). c. The lamp and talent judgment. This refers to Israel (Mt. 24:45-51; 25:1-30; Ezek. 20:33-38). d. The sheep and goat judgment. This refers to the Gentiles (Mt. 25:31-46). e. The judgment upon the antichrist and false prophet (Rev. 19:20). f. The judgment upon Satan. (1) In the bottomless pit for one thousand years (Rev. 20:1-3). (2) In the lake of fire forever (Rev. 20:10). g. The fallen angel judgment (1 Cor. 6:3; 2 Pet. 2:4; Jude 1:6). h. The great white throne judgment (Rev. 20:11-15).

journeys 1. Noah's descendants, from Mt. Ararat to Babel (Gen. 11:1-9). 2. Abraham, from Ur of the Chaldees to Canaan (Gen. 12:1-9). 3. Abraham, from Canaan to Egypt (Gen. 12:10-20). 4. Abraham, from Hebron to Mt. Moriah (Gen. 22). 5. Rebekah, from Haran to Canaan (Gen. 24). 6. Jacob, from Hebron to Bethel to Haran (Gen. 28-29). 7. Jacob, from Haran to Bethel (Gen. 32-35). 8. Joseph, from Canaan to Egypt (Gen. 37). 9. Jacob and his family, from Canaan to Egypt (Gen. 42-46). 10. Moses, from Egypt to Midian (Ex. 2:15). 11. Moses, from Midian back to Egypt (Ex. 3-4). 12. Israel, from Egypt to Canaan (Ex. through Josh.). 13. Ruth, from Moab to Bethlehem (Ruth 1). 14. Saul, from Gibeah to Ramah. (1 Sam. 9). 15. Samuel, from Ramah to Bethlehem (1 Sam. 16). 16. David, from Philistia to Hebron (2 Sam. 2:1). 17. David, from Hebron to Jerusalem (2 Sam. 5:7). 18. David, from Jerusalem to the eastern wilderness (2 Sam. 15:23). 19. Solomon, from Jerusalem to Gibeon (1 Ki. 3:4, 5). 20. The queen of Sheba, from North Africa to Jerusalem (1 Ki. 10). 21. Rehoboam, from Jerusalem to Shechem (1 Ki. 12:1). 22. Elijah, from the brook at Cherith to Mt. Carmel (1 Ki. 17-18). 23. Elijah, from Mt. Carmel to Mt. Horeb (1 Ki. 19). 24. Naaman, from Syria to Samaria (2 Ki. 5). 25. The captives of Judah, from Palestine to Babylon (2 Ki. 24-25; Ps. 137; Dan. 1). 26. The captives of Judah, from Babylon to Jerusalem (Ezra 1; Ps. 126). 27. Nehemiah, from Babylon to Jerusalem (Neh. 1-2). 28. Joseph and Mary, from Nazareth to Bethlehem (Lk. 2:4). 29. Jesus, from the glory of heaven to this sinful earth (Lk. 2:7; Phil. 2:5-8; Gal. 4:4).

Keys 1. The key to the kingdom of heaven (Mt. 16:19). 2. The key of knowledge (Lk. 11:52).

889

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

3. The key of the Davidic throne (Isa. 22:22; Rev. 3:7). 4. The keys of hell and death (Rev. 1:18). 5. The key to the bottomless pit (Rev. 9:1; 20:1).

Kisses 1. The kiss of deceit, by Jacob upon Isaac (Gen. 27:26, 27). 2. The kiss of introduction, by Jacob upon Rachel (Gen. 29:11). 3. The kiss of reconciliation, by Esau upon Jacob (Gen. 33:4). 4. The kiss of forgiveness, by Joseph upon his brothers (Gen. 45:14, 15). 5. The kiss of farewell, by Jacob upon his two grandchil¬ dren (Gen. 48:10). 6. The kiss of two brothers by Aaron upon Moses (Ex. 4:27). 7. The kiss of return, by Moses upon Jethro (Ex. 18:7). 8. The kiss of sorrow, by Naomi upon Ruth and Orpah (Ruth 1:9). 9. The kiss of coronation, by Samuel upon Saul (1 Sam. 10:1). 10. The kiss of friendship, by David upon Jonathan (1 Sam. 20:41). 11. The kiss of a subdued welcome, by David upon Absa¬ lom (2 Sam. 14:33). 12. The kiss of politics, by Absalom upon the citizens of Israel (2 Sam. 15:5). 13. The kiss of murder, by Joab upon Amasa (2 Sam. 20:9). 14. The kiss of salvation, by the believer upon Christ (Ps. 2:12). 15. The kiss of righteousness and peace (Ps. 85:10). 16. The kiss of lovers (Song of Sol. 1:2). 17. The kiss of repentance, by a harlot upon the feet of Christ (Lk. 7:45). 18. The kiss of restoration, by a father upon his prodigal son (Lk. 15:20). 19. The kiss of betrayal, by Judas upon Christ (Mt. 26:49). 20. The kiss of church leaders, by the Ephesian elders upon Paul (Acts 20:37).

Lamps

(lights and torches) 1. The burning lamp of the Abrahamic Covenant (Gen. 15:17). 2. The golden lamp of the tabernacle (Ex. 25:37). 3. The lamps of Gideon (Jdg. 7:16). 4. The lamp of Samuel and Eli (1 Sam. 3:3). 5. The golden lamp of the Temple (1 Ki. 7:49). 6. The lamps of the ten virgins (Mt. 25:1).

Last Words 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15.

As As As As As As As As As As As As As As As

spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken

by Jacob (Gen. 49:10). by Joseph (Gen. 50:24). by Moses (Deut. 33:27-29). by Caleb (Josh. 14:7-12). by Joshua (Josh. 23:14; 24:15). by Samson (Jdg. 16:28). by Eli (1 Sam. 4:15-18). by Saul (1 Sam. 31:4). by David (2 Sam. 23:1-4; 1 Ki. 2:1-9). by Elijah (2 Ki. 2:8-11). by Elisha (2 Ki. 13:14-19). by Belshazzar (Dan. 5:13-16). by Daniel (Dan. 12:8). by Simeon (Lk. 2:25-35). by Jesus (Mt. 28:18-20; Acts 1:8).

16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

As As As As As As

spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken spoken

by by by by by by

Stephen (Acts 7:59, 60). Paul (2 Tim. 4:6-8). James (Jas. 5:19, 20). Peter (2 Pet. 3:13-18). Jude (Jude 1:24, 25). John (Rev. 22:18-21).

Letters 1. David wrote to Joab concerning Uriah (2 Sam. 11:14, 15). 2. The king of Syria wrote to the king of Israel concern¬ ing Naaman (2 Ki. 5:5-7). 3. Jezebel wrote to the rulers of Jezreel concerning Na¬ both (1 Ki. 21:8). 4. Jehu wrote to the rulers of Jezreel concerning Ahab's seventy sons (2 Ki. 10:1, 2). 5. Sennacherib wrote to Elezekiah concerning surrender (2 Ki. 19:14). 6. Hezekiah wrote to the Israelite leaders concerning the Passover (2 Chron. 30:1). 7. Elijah wrote to King Jehoram predicting judgment upon his sinful reign (2 Chron. 21:12). 8. The enemies of Zerubbabel wrote letters to the Persian king attempting to smear him (Ezra 4:6-16). 9. The Persian king thereupon wrote a letter to Judah's enemies, giving them permission to stop the work of the Temple by the remnant (Ezra 4:17-22). 10. Darius wrote a letter granting permission to continue the Temple construction (Ezra 6:6-12). 11. Artaxerxes wrote a letter to the manager of the royal forest, ordering him to provide Nehemiah with build¬ ing material for Jerusalem's walls (Neh. 2:8). 12. Mordecai wrote to the Jews concerning the new Feast of Purim (Est. 9:20). 13. Nehemiah's enemy, Sanballat, wrote to him, attempt¬ ing to discourage him (Neh. 6:5). 14. The Jewish high priest wrote to the religious leaders in Damascus concerning the Christian problem (Acts 9:2). 15. James wrote to the Christian churches concerning the Jerusalem Council decision on circumcision (Acts 15:23). 16. The believers in Ephesus wrote a letter of recommen¬ dation to the Corinthian believers concerning Apollos (Acts 18:27). 17. Claudius Lysias wrote to Felix concerning the Apostle Paul (Acts 23:25). 18. Paul wrote Philemon concerning Onesimus (Phile¬ mon). 19. Jesus wrote to his seven churches in Turkey concern¬ ing their spiritual condition (Rev. 1-3).

Lies 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13.

890

Satan lied to Eve (Gen. 3:4). Abraham lied to Pharaoh (Gen. 12:13). Abraham lied to Abimelech (Gen. 20:2). Sarah lied to God (Gen. 18:15). Jacob lied to Isaac (Gen. 27:19). Isaac lied to Abimelech (Gen. 26:7). Laban lied to Jacob (Gen. 29:18-24). Jacob's sons lied to Jacob (Gen. 37:32). Potiphar's wife lied to her husband (Gen. 39:17). Pharaoh lied to Moses (Ex. 8:8). An Amalekite soldier lied to David (2 Sam. 1:2-10). David lied to Abimelech and Achish (1 Sam. 21:12). Rahab lied to the Jericho searching party (Josh. 2:4).

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A TOPICAL SUMMARY OF THE BIBLE ~

14. Michal lied to her father Saul (1 Sam. 19:13-17). 15. Saul lied to David (1 Sam. 18:17). 16. Ananias and Sapphira lied to Peter (Acts 5:1).

Marriages

Literature Styles of the Bible 1. Historical (many Old Testament books, and a few New Testament books). 2. Prophetical (the books of Daniel, Revelation, etc.). 3. Poetical (Psalms, Proverbs, etc.). 4. Legal (parts of Exodus, Deuteronomy, Hebrews, etc.). 5. Biographical (Matthew, Mark, Luke, John, etc.). 6. Autobiographical (Nehemiah, parts of Daniel, etc.). 7. Doctrinal (Romans, Ephesians, etc.). 8. Fables (see under proper heading). 9. Similes (see under proper heading). 10. Metaphors (see under proper heading). 11. Allegories (see under proper heading). 12. Parables (see under proper heading). 13. Types and foreshadows (see under proper heading). 14. Symbols and emblems (see under proper heading). 15. Paradoxes (see under proper heading).

1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21.

Adam to Eve (Gen. 2:21-25). Lamech to Adah and Zillah (Gen. 4:19). Isaac to Rebekah (Gen. 24:63-67). Esau to Judith (Gen. 26:34, 35). Abraham to Keturah (Gen. 25:1). Jacob to Leah and Rachel (Gen. 29:18-23). Joseph to Asenath (Gen. 41:45). Moses to Zipporah (Ex. 2:21). Samson to a Philistine girl (Jdg. 14). Boaz to Ruth (Ruth 4:13). David to Michal (1 Sam. 18:20, 28). David to Abigail (1 Sam. 25:39). David to Bath-sheba (2 Sam. 11:27). Solomon to Pharaoh's daughter (1 Ki. 3:1). Ahab to Jezebel (1 Ki. 16:31). Ahasuerus to Esther (Est. 2:17). Hosea to Gomer (Hosea 1:2, 3). Joseph to Mary (Mt. 1:24). Herod to Herodias (Mt. 14:3, 4). A Cana couple (Jn. 2). Christ to the Church (Rev. 19:7, 8).

Longevities 1. 2. 3. 4. 5. 6. 7. 8. 9. 10. 11. 12. 13. 14. 15. 16. 17. 18. 19. 20. 21. 22. 23. 24. 25. 26. 27.

Adam lived to be 930 (Gen. 5:5). Seth, 912 (5:8). Enos, 905 (5:11). Cainan, 910 (5:14). Mahalaleel, 895 (5:17). Jared, 962 (5:20). Enoch, 365 (5:23). Methuselah, 969 (5:27). Lamech, 777 (5:31). Noah, 950 (9:29). Shem, 600 (11:10, 11). Arphaxad, Shem's son, 438 (11:12, 13). Salah, 433 (11:14, 15). Eber, 464 (11:16, 17). Peleg, 239 (11:18, 19). Reu, 239 (11:20, 21). Serug, 230 (11:22, 23). Nahor, 148 (11:24, 25). Terah, 205 (11:32). Sarah, 127 (23:1). Abraham, 175 (25:7). Ishmael, 137 (25:17). Isaac, 180 (35:28). Jacob, 147 (47:28). Joseph, 110 (50:26). Moses, 120 (Deut. 34:7). Joshua, 110 (Josh. 24:29).

Memorials 1. The rainbow (Gen. 9:13-16)—reminder: that God would never again destroy the world by a flood. 2. The Passover (Ex. 12:11-14)—reminder: that the blood of a lamb saved sinners from judgment. 3. Some brazen censors (Num. 16:39, 40)—reminder: that no one except Aaron's seed must attempt to offer in¬ cense. 4. The Sabbath (Deut. 5:15)—reminder: of a completed creation. 5. Twelve stones (Josh. 4:7)—reminder: of God's mighty power in bringing Israel across the Jordan into Pales¬ tine. 6. The manna in the Ark of the Covenant (Ex. 16:32)— reminder: of God's supernatural provision in the des¬ ert. 7. The feast of Purim (Est. 9:28)—reminder: of salvation from wicked Haman. 8. The feast of tabernacles (Lev. 23:39-43)—reminder: of Israel's deliverance from Egypt. 9. The anointing of Jesus' head and feet by Mary, the sister of I-azarus (Mt. 26:6-13; Jn. 12:1-7)—reminder: of Mary's devotion to Christ. 10. The Lord's Supper (Lk. 22:19)—reminder: of the bro¬ ken body and shed blood of Christ.

Lots

(the casting of) 1. To determine which sacrificial animal would be the scapegoat in the tabernacle (Lev. 16:8). 2. To determine the land area for Israel's twelve tribes (Num. 26:55; Josh. 18:10). 3. To determine the Levitical work load and responsibil¬ ity in the Temple during Nehemiah's time (Neh. 10:34). 4. To determine who would live in Jerusalem during Ne¬ hemiah's time (Neh. 11:1). 5. To determine who should be thrown overboard in a storm (Jonah 1:7). 6. To determine who would receive the Savior's seamless coat (Mt. 27:35). 7. To determine who would replace Judas (Acts 1:26).

Metaphors

(figures of speech in which the subject is described by identification with something else) 1. Judah is a lion's whelp (Gen. 49:9). 2. Dan shall be a serpent (Gen. 49:17). 3. Go and tell that fox (Lk. 13:31, 32). 4. This is my body . . . this is my blood (Mt. 26:26-28; Mk. 14:22-24). 5. I am the bread of life (Jn. 6:35). 6. I am the true Vine (Jn. 15:1). 7. You are the salt of the earth (Mt. 5:13). 8. I am the Light of the world (Jn. 8:12). 9. I am the Door (Jn. 10:9). 10. I am the Good Shepherd (Jn. 10:14).

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WILLMINGTON'S GUIDE TO THE BIBLE-

2. Brimstone—a highly combustible sulphur substance. a. God used burning brimstone to destroy Sodom (Gen. 19:24; Deut. 29:23; Lk. 17:29). b. He will use it during the tribulation (Rev. 9:17,18). c. He will use it to destroy Russia (Ezek. 38:22). d. He will use it during the battle of Armageddon (Isa. 34:9). e. He will use it upon all sinners in the lake of fire (Ps. 11:6; Isa. 34:9; Rev. 14:10; 19:20; 20:10; 21:8). 3. Brass—a reference to bronze or copper. This mineral was mined in the ancient world by the Phoenicians. a. Some of the tabernacle furniture was made of brass (Ex. 38). b. Some of the Temple furniture was made of brass (1 Ki. 7). c. The serpent in the wilderness was made of brass (Num. 21:9; Jn. 3:14). d. Part of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was made of brass (Dan. 2:32). e. Samson was bound with fetters of brass (Jdg. 16:21). f. Goliath's armor was made of brass (1 Sam. 17). 4. Chalkstone—or limestone (Isa. 27:9). 5. Clay—a compound arising from the decomposition of certain rocks. a. Man is viewed as clay by God (Isa. 45:9; 64:8; Rom. 9:21). b. Israel is described as a broken clay vessel (Jer. 18:4-6). c. Part of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was made of clay (Dan. 2:33). d. The sinner is pictured as being in a pit of miry clay (Ps. 40:2). e. Jesus used clay and spittle to anoint the eyes of a blind man (Jn. 9:6). 6. Coral (Job 28:18; Ezek. 27:16). 7. Flint—a reference to any very hard compact rock (Ex. 4:25; Deut. 8:15; Josh. 5:2, 3; Isa. 50:7). 8. Iron a. A giant named Og had a huge bed made of iron (Deut. 3:11). b. The Canaanite chariots were made of iron (Josh. 17:16; Jdg. 1:19; 4:3). c. Goliath's spearhead was made of iron (1 Sam. 17:7). d. Elisha caused an iron axe-head to float (2 Ki. 6:6). e. Joseph was bound with iron in Egypt (Ps. 105:18). f. Part of the statue in Nebuchadnezzar's dream was made of iron (Dan. 2:33). 9. Lead (Ezek. 2:18). 10. Marble (Est. 1:6; 1 Chron. 29:2). Marble is recrystal¬ lized limestone. 11. Salt a. Lot's wife became a pillar of salt (Gen. 19:26). b. The Levitical offerings were to be seasoned with salt (Lev. 2:13; Mk. 9:49). c. A special covenant was performed by using salt (Num. 18:19; 2 Chron. 13:5). d. Abimelech destroyed a city and sowed it with salt (Jdg. 9:45). e. Elisha purified some polluted waters by using salt (2 Ki. 2:20, 21).

Metrology (the science of weights, measurements, and

money) 1. Bath—6 gallons (1 Ki. 7:26). 2. Bekah—XU ounce (Ex. 38:26). 3. Bushel—1 peck (Mt. 5:15; Mk. 4:21; Lk. 11:33). 4. Cab—2 quarts (2 Ki. 6:25). 5. Cubit—18 inches (Gen. 6:15; 1 Sam. 17:4; Est. 5:14; Dan. 3:1). 6. Cor—6V2 bushels of dry measure, or 61 gallons of liq¬ uid (Ezek. 45:14). 7. Dark (dram)—$5.00 (Neh. 7:70; Ezra 2:69). 8. Day's Journey—around 20 miles (Lk. 2:44). 9. Denarius (penny)—a day's wages (Mt. 20:2; 22:19; Lk. 10:35). 10. Didrachmon (didrachma)—32« (Mt. 17:24). Also equivalent to a Jewish half-shekel of silver. 11. Drachme (Drachma)—16