THINK!
Awake and Think,
and God Will Give Thee Light
By Oscar L. Dunaway
What Must I Do to Be Saved?
The Kingdom of God
Covenants of Promise
Resurrection
The Judgment
A Summary
Decision Day
WANTED! Men and
women, boys and girls, who are capable of THINKING, and with a Berean Spirit to
search the Scriptures, to see whether the messages herein set forth are true or
not (Acts 17:10-11).
Search the
Scriptures:
Study to show yourself approved unto God: Come, let us reason
together (John 5:39; 2 Tim. 2:15; Isa. 1:18).
There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof
are the ways of death (Prov. 14:12).
Wisdom is the Principal thing: therefore get wisdom: and with all thy getting get understanding (Prov. 4:7).
By Oscar L.
Dunaway
920 Center Street
Conway, ARK.
Foreword
This message is
addressed to the sincere seekers after Truth -
To the thousands
of GOOD PEOPLE who believe that they will be saved if they do what THEY THINK
is right -
To the careless indifferent people who say "why should I worry about what to believe when Church People do not agree among themselves."
The Bible
Is True!
I, the LORD, speak righteousness, I declare things that are right.
(Isa. 45:19).
Whoso despiseth (neglects. loathes or dislikes) the word shall be
destroyed: but he that feareth (reverences) the commandment shall be rewarded
(Prov. 13:13).
Every word of God is pure - (Prov. 30:5).
The word of our God shall stand forever - (Isa. 40:8).
For thou hast magnified thy word above all thy name - (Psalms
138:2).
Oh, for a true knowledge and appreciation of God's Word!
What Must I Do to Be Saved?
A mother said to
me - "My daughter wants to be baptized and wants to know what she should
read and what she should believe." It is in order to ask Is
knowledge necessary before baptism?
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 this is life eternal, that they might know thee
the only true God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent (Jno.
17:3). If there is only one true God, would it be in order to ask those who
believe in a trinity of Gods, if the other two are not true?
Every sincere
believer will agree that whatever Jesus and the apostles preached ought to be
gladly received today. The trite saying of many professing Christians is,
"It does not matter what we believe, so long as we are sincere."
This is equivalent to saying that, if a man fights well, it
matters not on which side he fights. The liberal minded will perhaps quote -
"For forms and creeds let graceless zealots fight; He can't be wrong whose
life is in the right."
One who tries to
show the fallacy of such statements is dubbed a bigot or narrow minded. The
Word of God, however, offers salvation only to those
who believe and obey it.
Definite Statements
He that believeth and is baptized shall be saved (Mark 16:16).
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 (Jno.
3:16).
And they said, Believe on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be
saved, and thy house (Acts 16:31).
Jesus answered and said unto them, This is the work of God, that
ye believe on him, whom he hath sent (Jno. 6:29).
What Is It to Believe in
Jesus?
From the above quotations,
it is clear that one who wants to be saved must believe in Jesus. Does
believing in Jesus mean that a long time ago a man by that name lived in
Galilee, and that he was crucified on the old rugged cross, and if one wishes
to be saved he must trust in him? The people who killed him believed that such
a man existed and that he was an impostor. Jesus told them that they sought to
kill him because he told them the truth. If they had believed the teachings of Jesus they would not have
"crucified the Lord of glory." If one diligently seeks to understand the Christ of the Bible,
he will follow the plan outlined by the Master. "And beginning at Moses
and all the prophets he (Christ) expounded unto them (the two who trusted that
Christ was the one which should have redeemed Israel) in all the scriptures the
things concerning himself" 9Luke 24:21,27; see v. 44).
What Did Jesus and the
Apostles Preach?
Peter on the day of Pentecost, said to his Jewish brethren: Ye have taken, and by wicked hands have crucified and slain (Acts 2:23). Who was this? Christ. Who raised him from the dead? This Jesus hath God raised up, whereof we all are witnesses (Acts 2:32). Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he would raise up Christ to sit on his (David's) throne (Acts 2:30).
The Jews of
Christ's day were expecting the restoration of the Kingdom of Israel. This is
why they asked Christ after his resurrection - When they therefore were come
together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again
the kingdom to Israel? (Acts 1:6)
The Kingdom of God
The importance
of this subject cannot be overestimated - the very essence of the preaching of
Christ and the Apostles was about a Kingdom as the following quotations will
show:
And Jesus went about all Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing all manner of disease among the people (Matt. 4:23).
The Spirit of the Lord is upon me (Jesus), 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 (Luke 4:18).
And he (Jesus) said unto them, I must preach the kingdom of God to
other cities also: for therefore I am sent (Luke 4:43).
Now after that John was put in prison, Jesus came into Galilee,
preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God (Mark 1:14).
And it came to pass afterward, that he went throughout every city
and village, preaching and showing the glad tidings of the kingdom of God; and
the twelve were with him (Luke 8:1).
And he (Jesus) sent them (the twelve) to preach the kingdom
of God, and to heal the sick (Luke 9:2). And they went through the towns
preaching the gospel (Luke 9:6).
And the people, when they knew it, followed him: and he (Jesus)
received them, and spake unto them of the kingdom of God, and healed them that
had need of healing (Luke 9:11).
These and many
other passages of scripture could be given to show that long before Christ's
death and resurrection, Christ and the disciples were preaching the good news
of the kingdom. The nature of the kingdom was not disclosed. After Christ's
death, resurrection and ascension to heaven, did the Apostles continue to
preach about the kingdom of God? Let the Scriptures answer.
But when they (the Samaritans) 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).
After
Pentecost the Name (Jesus Christ) was added.
For there is none other Name under heaven given
among men whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
And he (Paul) went into the synagogue, and spake boldly for the
space of three months, disputing and persuading the things concerning the
kingdom of God (Acts 19:8).
And when they had appointed him a day, there came many to him into
his lodging, to whom he (Paul) expounded and testified the kingdom of God,
persuading them concerning Jesus, both out of the law of Moses
and out of the prophets from morning till evening (Acts 28:23).
And Paul dwelt two whole years in his own hired house, and
received all that came in unto him, preaching the kingdom of God, and teaching
those things which concern the Lord Jesus Christ, with all confidence, no man
forbidding him (Acts 28:30-31).
Is it important
to understand, to-day, the gospel that Paul preached? Listen:
But though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel
unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed (Gal.
1:8).
For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ, for it is the power
of God unto salvation to every one that believeth, to the Jew first, and also
to the Gentiles (Greek) (Rom. 1:16).
The gospel then,
whatever it is, "is the Power of God unto salvation to
every one that believeth." Is there any other power that will save? Just
what then is the kingdom of God? Is it the Church? Is it the supremacy of God
in the hearts of men? (The Kingdom of God is within you - Luke 17:21).
Let us take a
look at these questions.
IS THE CHURCH
THE KINGDOM?
And when they (Paul and Barnabas) had preached the gospel to that
city (Derbe) and had taught many, they returned again to
Lystra, and to Iconium, and to Antioch, confirming (establish, settle) the
souls of the disciples, and exhorting them to continue in the faith, and that
we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom of God
(Acts 14:21-22).
Why continue in
the faith? "that we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom
of God."
WERE THESE
PEOPLE IN THE CHURCH? Read the next verse.
And when they had ordained them elders in every church,
and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they
believed (Acts 14:23).
And when they were come, and had gathered the church together,
they rehearsed all that God had done with them, and how he had opened the door
of faith unto the Gentiles (Acts 14:27).
Those not
blinded by tradition can see that the church is not the kingdom. The Church or
Ecclesia is a body of baptized believers. Paul exhorted them to continue in the
faith, that "we must through much tribulation enter into the kingdom
of God."
Neither shall they say, Lo here! or Lo there! for behold, the kingdom of God is within you (Luke 17:21).
Who is the
"you" in this verse? The Pharisees. Let Jesus tell you who they
were.
Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity (Matt. 23:28).
The marginal
rendering of "within you" is "among you." "The kingdom
of God is within you" in the Diaglott reads "God's
Royal Majesty is among you."
Christ is God's
Royal Majesty. He was among the Pharisees preaching the Gospel of the Kingdom,
but they were too blind to see that Christ was God's Royal Majesty. The angel
said to Mary:
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 forever; and of
his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:31-33).
This son of the
Highest, heir to David's throne, will yet - very soon we know - sit on the
throne of David to be restored and reign over the house of Jacob (the 12 tribes
of Israel restored) for ever - The Kingdom of God then will be the kingdom of
Israel restored. Did not Peter on the day of Pentecost refer to Christ as the
"fruit" of David's "loins" "raised up" to sit on
David's throne?
Therefore being a prophet, and knowing that God had sworn with an
oath to him, that of the fruit of his loins, according to the flesh, he
would raise up Christ to sit on his throne (Acts 2:30).
Did not Paul
connect Jesus Christ with the fulfillment of the "sure mercies of
David?"
And as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David (Acts 13:34).
Did not Paul's
enemies accuse him of saying that there is another king, Jesus, contrary to the
decrees of Caesar? (Acts 17:2-7). While preaching at Athens Paul declared:
Because he (God) hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge (i.e., rule) 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).
Since we have no
record of God raising any one from the dead except Christ, it is easy to see
who is to rule the world in righteousness. Is Christ ruling the world in
righteousness now? No. Where is Christ now? At the right hand of the Father. If
he is to sit on David's throne restored, will not he have to come back to the
earth? Yes, and we have a definite statement along this line.
And he (God) shall send Jesus Christ, which before was preached
unto you: Whom the heaven must receive until the times of restitution
of all things, which God hath spoken by the mouth of all his holy prophets
since the world began (Acts 3:20-21).
Restitution
means, according to Webster, to restore that which was lost. Note this
question: When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying Lord,
wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel? (Acts
1:6).
The disciples were taught to pray "Thy Kingdom Come." The Ecclesias, usually the poor of this world, were "rich in faith, and heirs of the Kingdom."
Hearken, my beloved brethren, 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? (James 2:5).
We read:
And I say unto you, That many shall come from the east and west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, in the kingdom of heaven (Matt. 8:11).
From what has been said concerning the kingdom of God so far, it
is safe to assume that it will be established here in the earth and that
"the kingdoms of this world" will some day "become the kingdoms
of our Lord and his Christ" (Rev. 11:15).
The second
chapter of Daniel speaks definitely on this point.
And in the days of these kings shall the God of heaven set up a
kingdom, which shall never be destroyed: and the kingdom shall not be left to other
people, but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms, and it
shall stand for ever (Dan. 2:44).
The God of heaven is to set up a Kingdom. Note what is said of it:
1. It shall never be destroyed.
2. It shall not be left to other people.
3. It shall break in pieces and consume all
these kingdoms of men.
4. It shall stand forever.
The locality of
this Kingdom is to be the whole earth - the present locality of the kingdoms of
men. The rulers in this kingdom will be immortalized - "Kings and
Priests" who reign on earth (Rev. 5:10). That is the reason the Kingdom
will not be left to other people. Being immortal they cannot die. Rulers in the
kingdoms of men die, and others take their places - not so in the Kingdom of
God.
In the Apostolic
days, before baptism, people "believed Philip preaching
the things concerning the Kingdom of God and the Name of Jesus Christ."
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).
Two things stand
out in this verse: The
1. Things
of the Kingdom of God, and
2. (things
of the) Name of Jesus Christ.
Let us look at
the things that concern a kingdom.
1. God's
Royal Majesty, Christ, is to be the King.
2. The territory
- And the Lord shall be king over all the earth; in that day shall there be one
Lord, and his name one (Zech. 14:9).
3. Rulers - the immortalized saints - Kings and
Priests. And hast made us unto our God: Kings and Priests: and we shall reign
on the earth (Rev. 5:10). And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them: and they
lived and reigned with Christ a thousand years (Rev. 20:4).
4. Subjects –
(a) The restored 12 tribes of Israel the
immediate subjects, who will be ruled over by the 12 Apostles. 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 (David's throne
restored) of his glory, ye (the 12 Apostles) also shall sit upon twelve
thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel (Matt. 19:28).
(b) Mortal
Nations - "All dominions shall serve and obey him" (Dan. 7:27).
5. The seat of government
- Jerusalem - the city of the Great King. The Lord "shall choose Jerusalem
again" (Zech. 2:12). Beautiful for situation, the joy of the whole earth,
is mount Zion, on the sides of the north, the city of the great King (Ps.
48:2).
6. Capitol City - In this City - Jerusalem - the throne
will be established. And the key of the house of David will I lay upon his
(Christ's) shoulder; so he shall open, and none shall shut; and he shall shut,
and none shall open (Isa. 22:22). For unto us a child is born, unto us a son is
given; and the government shall be upon his (Christ's) shoulder: and his name shall
be called Wonderful, Counselor, The mighty God, The everlasting Father, The
Prince of Peace (Isa. 9:6). He shall be great, and shall be called the Son of
the Highest: and the Lord God shall give unto him (Christ) the throne of his
father David (Luke 1:32).
7. Laws - And many nations shall come, and say,
Come, and let us go up to the mountain of the Lord, and to the house of the God
of Jacob; and he will teach us of his ways, and we will walk in his paths: for
the law shall go forth of Zion, and the word of the Lord from Jerusalem (Micah
4:2).
These seven
things should be understood and believed before one is ready for baptism into
the only "name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved."
Only One Name
Neither is there
salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among
men, whereby we must be saved (Acts 4:12).
Jesus made it
very clear before he went to heaven "that repentance and remission of sins
should be preached in his name among all nations (Jews and Gentiles), beginning
at Jerusalem" (Luke 24:47). Study every Bible conversion from the day of
Pentecost on through the Acts, and you will find all submitted to baptism into
the One Name.
THE KINGDOM OF
ISRAEL - or THE COMMONWEALTH OF ISRAEL, or THE HOPE OF ISRAEL - The thing for
which Paul was "Bound" with a chain (Acts 28:20);
all such expressions meant much to Jews in Apostolic days.
For this cause therefore have I called for you, to see you, and to
speak with you: because that for the hope of Israel I am bound
with this chain (Acts 28:20).
If you ask
people today what Paul meant by being bound with a chain for the Hope of
Israel, they will look with pity upon you. What difference does it make what Paul
hoped for, so long as our hope is Heaven - the "saint's
secure abode?"
A person who
understands what is meant by the Kingdom of God will tell you that God had at
one time a Kingdom and that "he (God) hath chosen Solomon my son
to sit upon the throne of the Kingdom of the Lord over Israel" (I
Chron. 28:5).
Then Solomon sat on the throne of the Lord as
king instead of David his father, and prospered; and all Israel obeyed him (I
Chron. 29:23).
Is that kingdom still
in existence? No. What happened to it? When Solomon died (slept with his
fathers) Rehoboam came to the throne. To keep up all his wives and concubines,
Solomon needed a full purse. Taxes were high. The people demanded relief.
Rehoboam refused to arbitrate.
And the king (Rehoboam) answered the people roughly, and forsook
the old men's counsel that they gave him; And spake to them after the counsel
of the young men, saying, My father (Solomon) chastised you with whips, but I
will chastise you with scorpions (I Kings 12:13-14).
This caused a revolt. Ten tribes led by Jeroboam went North to Samaria, the Capitol of the northern kingdom. Two tribes - Benjamin and Judah, remained at Jerusalem. It is an interesting study to trace the history of these two kingdoms. Hoshea was the last king to reign over the ten tribes and Zedekiah was the last king to reign over the two tribes. Note carefully what Ezekiel said about this wicked king, Zedekiah:
And thou, profane wicked prince of Israel, whose day is come, when
iniquity shall have an end; Thus saith the Lord God; Remove the diadem, and
take off the crown: this shall not be the same (omitting italics) exalt low
(i.e. Gentile governments) and abase high (i.e. Israel) I will overturn,
overturn, overturn it (the Kingdom); and it shall be no more until he (Christ)
come whose right it is; and I will give it him (Ez. 21:25,27).
God's word provides for a restoration of the Kingdoms of Israel and Judah - the House of Jacob - or the whole twelve tribes. Note what the angel said to Mary:
He (Jesus) 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 (Luke 1:32-33).
What is meant by the House of Jacob? The whole 12 tribes of Israel.
Note what the
following says:
"Turn, O backsliding children,***I will give you pastors
(teachers, the 12 Apostles over the 12 tribes and saints over the whole earth in
the Age to Come) according to mine heart, which shall feed you with knowledge
and understanding (the way then will be so plain that a wayfaring man, tho' a
fool will not err therein) (Isa. 35:8).
At that time, they shall call Jerusalem the throne of the Lord.
And all the nations shall be gathered unto it, to the Name of the Lord, to
Jerusalem; neither shall they walk any more after the imagination of their evil
heart. In those days the house of Judah (two tribes) shall walk with the house
of Israel (ten tribes) and they shall come together out of the land of the
north to the land that I have given for an inheritance unto your fathers
(Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) (Jer. 3:14-15,17-18).
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 (two tribes) shall be
saved, and Israel (ten tribes) shall dwell safely; and this is his name whereby
he shall be called, THE LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS (Jer. 23:5-6).
Dense indeed is
the person who shuts his eyes to these glorious promises - all yet future - and
all to be fulfilled right here on the earth.
READER - Is it
clear now to you what Paul meant when he said "For the Hope of Israel I am
bound with this chain?"
Israel (the ten tribes and the two tribes) have suffered untold miseries.
The time of
Jacob's Trouble - spoken of in Jeremiah is perhaps now (February 16, 1947) - but
read the last part of God's promise - it cannot fail: Alas! for that day is
great, so that none is like it: it is even the time of Jacob's trouble; BUT HE
SHALL BE SAVED OUT OF IT (Jer. 30:7). Israel's deliverance is only a matter of
time, believe it or not.
For the doubting
Thomases, let one more quotation be given: Behold I will take the children of
Israel (the 12 tribes) from among the heathen (Gentile Nations) whither they be
gone, and will gather them on every side, and bring them into their own land:
And I will make them one nation (when Saul, David and Solomon reigned, Israel
was one nation) in the land upon the mountains of Israel; and one king (Christ)
shall be king to them al: and they shall be no more two nations (the 2 tribes -
kingdom of Judah and ten tribes - the kingdom of Israel) neither shall they be
divided into two kingdoms any more at all (Ez. 37:21-22).
THE KINGDOM OF
GOD is a Divine Institution to be set up by the Almighty - the purpose being to
"gather in one all things in Christ."
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).
RIGHTEOUS RULERS - those taken out by the gospel will rule the world in righteousness - CHRIST is the King of this "New Order" - He must reign until all enemies - even the last enemy "death" shall be destroyed.
For he must reign, till he hath put all enemies under his feet. The last enemy that shall be destroyed is DEATH (I Cor. 15:25-26).
And I saw thrones, and they sat upon them, and judgment was given
unto them: and I saw the souls of them that were beheaded for the witness of
Jesus, and for the word of God, and which had not worshipped the beast, neither
his image, neither had received his mark upon their foreheads, or in their
hands; AND THEY LIVED AND REIGNED WITH CHRIST A THOUSAND YEARS (Rev. 20:4).
The whole earth
shall be filled with God's glory -
And blessed be his glorious name for ever: and let the whole earth be filled with his glory; Amen, and Amen (Ps. 72:19).
"THERE
SHALL BE NO MORE CURSE."
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).
No wonder God's
people pray "THY KINGDOM COME."
Covenants of Promise
Paul used the
above expression: That at that time ye were without Christ,
being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the COVENANTS
OF PROMISE, having no hope, and without God in the World (Eph. 2:12).
WHAT TIME?
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: Among whom also we all had our conversation in
times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and
of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others (Eph.
2:2-3).
When one walks
according to the course of this world he is without GOD, without CHRIST, having
NO HOPE - a most pitiful condition. Is it important to know about these
Covenants before baptism?
Covenant With Abraham,
Isaac and Jacob
A Covenant is an
agreement entered into between two parties. God said to Abram –
Get thee out of thy country, and from thy kindred, and from thy
father's house, UNTO A LAND THAT I WILL SHEW THEE (Gen. 12:1).
And I will bless them that bless thee, and curse him that curseth
thee: and in thee SHALL ALL FAMILIES OF THE EARTH BE BLESSED (Gen. 12:3).
The last clause
is the GOSPEL (Good News) –
And the scripture, foreseeing that God would justify the heathen
through faith, preached before the GOSPEL unto Abraham, saying, IN THEE SHALL ALL
NATIONS BE BLESSED (Gal. 3:8).
Now, note the
agreement entered into by God and Abram –
And the Lord said unto Abram, after that Lot was separated from
him, Lift up now thine eyes, and look from the place where thou art northward,
and southward, and eastward and westward: FOR ALL THE LAND
WHICH THOU SEEST, TO THEE WILL I GIVE IT, AND TO THY SEED (Christ) FOR EVER
(Gen. 13:14-15).
How do we know
that the SEED here is Christ?
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises
made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed,
which is Christ (Gal. 3:16).
NO GUESS WORK AS
TO WHO THE SEED IS.
Now this
identical promise was made to Isaac:
Sojourn in this land, and I will be with thee, and will bless thee;
for unto thee (Isaac), and unto thy seed (Christ), I will give all these
countries, and I will perform the oath which I swear unto Abraham thy father
*** and in thy seed shall ALL NATIONS of the earth be blessed (Gen. 26:3-4).
And to Jacob:
And God Almighty bless thee (Jacob), and make thee fruitful, and
multiply thee, that thou mayest be a multitude of people; And give thee the
blessing of Abraham, to thee, and to thy seed with thee; that thou mayest
inherit the land wherein thou art a stranger, which God gave unto Abraham (Gen.
28:3-4).
How do we know
that the SEED in the above quotations is CHRIST?
By faith Abraham, when he was called to go out into a place which
he should after receive for an inheritance, obeyed; and he went out, not knowing
whither he went. By faith he sojourned in the land of promise, as in a strange
country, dwelling in tabernacles with Isaac and Jacob, the heirs with
him of the same promise (Heb. 11:8-9).
Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not,
And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed which
is CHRIST (Gal. 3:16).
From the above
we learn that Paul in referring to the promise made to Abraham says the seed
is Christ. Isaac and Jacob were heirs of the same promise, so the seed
must be Christ.
Have these
promises ever been fulfilled? No. We read - And he (God) gave him (Abraham)
none inheritance in it (land), no, not so much as to set his foot on: yet he
promised that he would give it to him for a possession, and to his seed after
him, when as yet he had no child (Acts 7:5).
Read again -
These (Abraham, Isaac and Jacob) all died in faith, not having received the
promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and
embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on earth
(Heb. 11:13).
Paul stood
before King Agrippa and said: And now I stand and am judged for the
hope of the promise made of God unto our fathers (Acts 26:6).
Who are the
fathers? - The God of Abraham, and of Isaac, and of Jacob, The God of our
fathers, hath glorified His Son Jesus; whom ye delivered up, and
denied him in the presence of Pilate, when he was determined to let him go
(Acts 3:13).
If these
promises have been fulfilled, why was Paul hoping for them 2,000 years after they
were made? Why did Christ have to die "to confirm the promises
made unto the fathers? (Rom. 15:8).
Why should
Gentiles today bother themselves with promises made 4,000 years ago? Have we
any interest in these promises? Listen to Paul! - For as many of you as have
been baptized into Christ have put on Christ. And verse 29 says "And if ye
be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the
promise (Gal. 3:27).
WHAT PROMISE? Those
who THINK will know. These promises can never be fulfilled with resurrection.
Neither can they be fulfilled if mortality is not changed to immortality
at the resurrection. Worthy people at the resurrection are made equal unto the
angels - Neither can they die any more: for they are equal
unto the angels; and are the children of God, being the children of
the resurrection (Luke 20:36).
Can any one have
the Abrahamic faith and be ignorant of the Abrahamic Covenant? Without the
faith you cannot please God, and unless you please God, do you think
you will be saved? No wonder Paul said - Examine yourselves, whether ye be in
the faith; prove your own selves. Know ye not your own selves, how that Jesus
Christ is in you, except ye be reprobates? (II Cor. 13:5).
THE KINGDOM OF
GOD IS BASED UPON THE COVENANTS OF PROMISE - the Abrahamic guaranteeing the
land for an EVERLASTING POSSESSION and the Davidic Covenant promising a THRONE.
Covenant Made with
David
How we treasure
the last word spoken by our loved ones before they die. Listen
to David's last words –
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 psalmist of Israel, said - The God of Israel said, the Rock of
Israel spake to me, He that ruleth over men must be just, ruling in the fear of
God. And he shall be as the light of the morning, when the sun riseth, even a
morning without clouds; as the tender grass springing out of the earth by clear
shining after rain. Although my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with
me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure:
for this is all my salvation, and all my desire,
although he make it not to grow (II Sam. 23:1-5).
The substance of
the covenant, whatever it is, contains all David's salvation and all his
desire. He associates its realization with a just King, ruling over man in the
fear of God, the advent of whose day he compares to a morning without clouds.
David said –
And this was yet a small thing in thy sight, O Lord God; but thou
hast spoken also of thy servant's house for a great while to come. And is this
the manner of man, O Lord God? (II Sam. 7:19).
It was not to
grow or unfold in David's lifetime.
Now to the words
of the everlasting covenant which was all David's salvation and desire - read –
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 establish 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 (David's) house and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before
thee (David): thy throne shall be established for ever (II Sam.
7:12-16).
Did Solomon
fulfill the conditions laid down in this covenant? We must admit that his was a
glorious reign, but was it a period without a cloud? Did not Solomon sin and
lead Israel into idolatry? While the wisdom of Solomon was great, his passion
for outlandish women led to his downfall and the rending of the kingdom. His
achievements in no way secured David's salvation and desire. If Solomon was not
the seed referred to in the covenant, then who is it? Is it important to know?
Since God's people have been promised the "sure mercies of David" it
must be important.
Now let us take
a look at certain statements in the Covenant.
When thy days
(David's) be fulfilled, and thou shalt sleep with thy fathers (II Sam. 7:12).
When David died, says the objector, did not he go to heaven? Let Peter answer –
Men and brethren, let me freely speak unto you of the patriarch David, that he is both dead and buried, and his sepulchre is with us unto this day (Acts 2:29).
For David is not ascended into the heavens: but he saith himself,
The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thy foes
thy footstool (Acts 2:34-35).
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 establish the throne of his Kingdom forever
(II Sam. 7:13).
Can we be sure
who the seed is in this covenant? Paul says –
And when he had removed him (Saul), he raised up unto them David
to be their King; to whom also he gave testimony, and said, I have found David
the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfill all my will.
Of this man's seed hath God according to his promise raised unto Israel a
Saviour, Jesus (Acts 13:22-23). So Jesus is the seed.
II Sam. 7:16
reads - "And thine house (David's) and thy kingdom shall be established
forever before thee:" i.e. in David's presence. For this
to be done, David must be raised from the dead, which will not take place unto
Christ's second coming. Then, the Kingdom will be set up, and the Angel's
promise to Mary will be fulfilled.
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 (the 12 tribes restored) forever; and of
his kingdom there shall be no end (Luke 1:32-33).
Peter said on
the day of Pentecost that God had raised up Jesus to sit on David's throne.
Since the Kingdom and Throne are to be established before David (i.e. in his
presence) those who THINK, will know that this cannot take place until the
resurrection, which is yet future.
Resurrection
One of the
oldest questions on record was asked by Job. "If a man die, shall he live
again" (Job 14:14)? I stood at the casket where my friend lay cold and
lifeless. The minister in charge of the funeral said, "Thank God, there is
no such a thing as death; what seems like death is transition, a shuffling off
of this mortal coil and freeing the immortal soul which wings its flight to
realms above." If this be true, then the Serpent's statement, "Ye
shall not surely die," is true, and God's statement, "Thou shalt
surely die," is false. Whom shall we believe, the Serpent and immortal
soul advocates; or God, and forty or more writers of the Bible, none of whom
ever mention that man possesses by nature an immortal soul, an immortal Spirit,
or a never dying soul, or a never dying Spirit?
Importance of
Resurrection
The apostles
evidently thought that the resurrection was a very important element of the
gospel. "And as they (Peter and John) spake unto the people, the priests,
and the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees, came upon them, being grieved
that they taught the people, and preached through
Jesus the resurrection of the dead" (Acts 4:1-2). Two things
stand out in verse 2:
First, the
religious leaders of that day were grieved because Peter and John taught
the people, and
Second, because
they preached through Jesus the resurrection of the dead.
So far as I
know, the Christadelphians are the only religious body on earth today that
preach resurrection only through Christ. Why did the Greeks at Athens, who
taught that the soul is immortal, mock Paul when he "Preached unto
them Jesus, and the resurrection" (Acts 17:18)? Paul's defense
before the Jewish Council and before Felix, shows what he thought about
resurrection. "Of the hope and resurrection of the dead I am called in
question" (Acts 23:6). "And have hope toward God, which they (Jews)
themselves also allow, that there shall be a resurrection of the dead,
both of the just and unjust" (Acts 24:15). "Toughing the resurrection
of the dead I am called in question by you this day" (Acts 24:21). Paul's
defense before Agrippa in Acts 26 is a master stroke. In verse 6 we read,
"And now I stand and am judged for the hope of the promise made of God
unto our fathers" (Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob). What promise had God made
to the fathers? That they should inherit the land forever. Was
this promise made to anyone else besides the fathers? Yes, to Abraham and his seed,
to Isaac and his seed, to Jacob and his seed.
Paul in Gal. 3:16 says the seed is Christ. Have we any
interest in these promises that Paul was hoping for? If ye be Christ's, then
are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise" (Gal. 3:29).
What promise? Those who THINK will know. There is only one hope.
Paul was hoping for the promise made of God unto the fathers. Note this
question: "Why should it be thought a thing incredible with you (Agrippa),
that God should raise the dead" (Acts 26-8)? Has raising the dead got
anything to do with the promises made to the fathers? If they are never
resurrected and immortalized, do you think they can ever inherit the land
forever? Oh, how important is resurrection!
Will All Who Have Died
Be Resurrected?
"By man
(Adam) came death, by man (Christ) came also the resurrection of the dead. For
as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive" (I Cor.
15:21-22). "But every man in his own order: Christ the first fruits;
afterward they that are Christ's at his coming" (Verse 23). What about
those who are not Christ's? Will they be resurrected too? In Christ shall all
be made alive. Are all in Christ? If any man be in Christ he
is a new creature. Is there any one who will claim that all in
Adam are new creatures? The Jews (excepting Sadducees) believed in "A
resurrection of the dead, both of the just and the unjust." Why then did
they oppose Paul? Because he "preached through Jesus the
resurrection of the dead." To admit resurrection through Jesus
would necessitate a belief that the one they crucified was the Son of God and
the promised Messiah.
The just
are those who "hath walked in my statutes, and hath kept my judgments, to
deal truly; he is just" (Ez. 18:9). The unjust, of
course, are those (church members) who sow to the flesh and reap corruption or
second death at the judgment. Shallow thinkers quote II Cor. 5:10 to prove
universal resurrection. "For we (the Church of God at Corinth, II Cor.
1:2) must all (just and unjust) appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that
every one (in Christ but not in Adam) may receive the things done in his body,
according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad."
Paul in writing to the Galatian Church says in verses 7 and 8, Ch. 6 "Be
not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man (Church members in
Christ) soweth, that shall he also reap. For he that soweth to his flesh shall
of the flesh reap corruption; but he that soweth to the Spirit shall of the
Spirit reap life everlasting." It is easy for those who THINK to see
who are the just and who are the unjust in the verses just quoted. Believers in
universal resurrection quote the Saviour's words in John 5:28, "Marvel not
at this: (this what? see verse 25) for the hour is coming, in the which all
that are in the graves (not their graves) shall hear his
voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good (sown to the flesh), unto
the resurrection of damnation." If you will look up in any good analytical
concordance the phrase "all that are in the graves"
you will find "Memorial" or "marked graves." These marked
or memorial graves contain those who have heard in verse 25.
In this verse the dead (in trespasses and sins as in Eph. 2:1)
hear the gospel as preached by the Son of God and accept it - and they
constitute the ALL in verse 28, in marked or memorial graves that will be
resurrected both good and bad, just and unjust - those who have sown to the
spirit and those who have sown to the flesh.
The Scriptures
must harmonize. The idea of universal resurrection contradicts John 3:16, which
teaches that those who do not believe in God's only begotten Son will perish.
It contradicts Isa. 26:14 "They (the lords that had
dominion over Isaiah - see verse 13) are dead, they shall not
live; they are deceased, they shall not rise: therefore hast thou visited and
destroyed them, and made all their memory to perish." No resurrection
here. Reader, do you believe God's Word? In this same 26th chapter of Isaiah in
verse 19 we read, "Thy dead men (in Memorial graves) shall live, together
with my dead body shall they arise. Awake and sing, ye that dwell in dust: for
thy dew is as the dew of herbs, and the earth shall cast out the dead."
The Prophet
Jeremiah in Ch. 51, vs. 39 and 57 did not believe in a universal resurrection.
Note vs. 57, "And I will make drunk her princes, and her wise men,
her captains, and her rulers, and her mighty
men: and they shall sleep a perpetual sleep, and not wake,
saith the King, whose name is the Lord of hosts." Think, dear readers, on
these verses. In Psalms 49 we read in verse 12 - "Nevertheless
man being in honor (such as mentioned in last verse quoted as princes,
rulers, wise men, captains, mighty
men) abideth not: he is like the beasts that perish." Verse 14;
"Like sheep they are laid in the grave - and their beauty shall consume in
the grave from their dwelling." Verses 19-20, "They shall never see
light." "Man that is in honor and understandeth not, is like the
beasts that perish." In contrast to the verses quoted read verse 15 -
"But God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave:
for he shall receive me." The soul and me
the same. David said in Psa. 16:10 - "For thou wilt not leave my soul
(i.e. me) in hell (hades, the grave in Greek, and Sheol in
Hebrew) neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One (Christ) to see
corruption." Read Acts 2:25-27.
Capstone of
Christianity
The Christina's
hope is based upon the resurrection of Christ who said to his followers,
"Because I live, ye shall live also" (John 14:19). He said this
before he went into the death state. Christ's soul was not left in hell (the
grave,) why? This Jesus hath God raised up (Acts 2:31-32). Peter told the Jews
that they had "Killed the Prince of life, whom God hath raised from the
dead; whereof we are witnesses" (Acts 3:15). Jesus is the only man that
ever went to hell (the grave) and came back and said anything. What did he say?
"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). If you, reader, want to be resurrected, you had better
get in touch with the man who has the key to the grave, for "the
gates of hell (grave) shall not prevail against it (the Church) (Matt.
16:18).
First Corinthians
Chapter 15
The Church at
Corinth had some members who denied the resurrection. In his first letter Ch.
15, Paul tried to correct this fallacy. In vs. 1-5, "Moreover, brethren, I
declare unto you the gospel *** by which also ye are saved, if ye keep in
memory what I preached unto you *** For I delivered unto you first of all(For I
delivered to you among the Chief Things - Diaglott) that which
I also received, how that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures;
and that he was buried, and that he rose again the 3rd day according to the
Scriptures. Drop down to verse 12, "Now if Christ be preached that he rose
from the dead, how say some among you that there is no resurrection of
the dead?" Paul's argument follows, verses 13-21. If there be no
resurrection *** Christ is not risen. Our preaching is vain *** Also your faith
*** We are false witnesses *** because 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 Christ not 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." Paul in effect said "Of course all in Adam will
perish, but if there is no resurrection then they Also in Christ
will perish too." Paul's argument is too plain to be misunderstood.
"Christ the first fruits - afterward they that are Christ's at his
coming." If there is no first-fruit, do you think there will be a harvest?
A true knowledge
of the resurrection and a hope based thereon, will lift you above the cares and
trials of this life. It will be a comfort to you while you live, and cheer you
when death, the great enemy, knocks at your door. Jesus said to Martha, "I
am the resurrection and the life; he that believeth in me, though he were dead,
yet shall he live." Do the above Scriptures cause you, dear reader, to THINK?
The Judgment
In Acts 10:43,
Peter told Cornelius and others that Christ is the one, "Appointed
by God the Judge of the living and the dead"
(Diaglott rendering). In Second Timothy 4:1 we read, "I charge thee
therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick (the
living when he comes) and the dead (those in the death state) at his appearing
and his Kingdom. From the above Scriptures and from the Parables of our Lord,
it is easy to see that Christ is to judge the living and the dead - spoken of
in various places as "servants" (faithful and unfaithful);
"virgins" (wise and foolish); "just and unjust," those who
have "sown to the spirit," and those who have "sown to the
flesh." To those approved, Christ says, "Come ye blessed
of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared
for you from the foundation of the
world" (Matt. 25:34). In verse 32 we read, "And before him (Christ)
shall be gathered all nations." Are the all nations the same as those
referred to above as "just and unjust," "wise and foolish,"
etc.? The commission was to "Go teach all nations,
baptizing them" (the taught ones), so it is easy to see who the all
nations are. They are the taught ones out of all nations who have been
baptized. Those not approved by Christ," shall go away into everlasting
punishment: but the righteous into eternal life" (Matt. 25:46). If
everlasting punishment means conscious existence in a burning hell as taught by
some - then those who go away into everlasting punishment have eternal life
just like the righteous, only in a different place. Please note one phrase in
verse 46, that those not approved by Christ, "go away into
everlasting punishment," a completed something.
It does not read, everlasting punishing, something going on and on. Let me
illustrate: Is death by hanging considered capital punishment? Yes. Suppose a
judge had the power to put a criminal to death for one year, then bring him
back to life. How long was the man punished? For one year. If the judge never
brings the criminal out of the death state he would go "into everlasting
punishment." "The wages of sin is death." "Be
not deceived," wrote Paul to the Church at Galatia, Ch. 6:7, "God is
not mocked: For whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap." So to
the flesh and you reap corruption, which is the second death. Sow to the Spirit
and you reap life everlasting. The reaping in both cases is at the Judgment.
Those, "accounted worthy," put on immortality, "Neither
can they die any more for they are equal unto the Angels" (Luke
20:35-36).
The Judgment
which God commanded the apostles to proclaim is quite different to the judgment
of modern theology, which sends immortal souls - the good to heaven at death,
the bad to hell, and at the resurrection brings the good souls out of heaven
and the bad souls out of hell, to judgment, to see if they
have been in the right place.
Jesus Christ
Peter said on
the day of Pentecost, Acts 2:22, "Jesus of Nazareth, a man approved of God
among you, by miracles and wonders and signs which God did by him," and
further down in the same chapter verse 30, speaks of him as the "fruit of
David's loins according to the flesh," i.e., a descendant through the
Royal line of the Israelitish nation. Peter reminded the household of Cornelius
that, "God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with Power"
(Acts 10:38). Is it possible for this "man approved of God," this
man, "whom God anointed with power," to be the second person of the
triune God as taught by popular theology? A thousand times, No.
Christ acted in such a way as to meet his Father's approval. he did always
those things which pleased the Father.
Did Christ
pre-exist, i.e., did he exist as a person before he was born of the virgin
Mary? No, He existed only in Promise as the seed of the woman, as the seed
of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, as the seed of David, 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" (Gal.
4:4-5). Was Christ under the law, i.e., of sin and death? Did he need to be
freed from the dominion of death? Yes, and we read in Romans 6:9, "Knowing
that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more, Death Hath No
More Dominion Over Him." Did death ever have dominion over him?
Those who THINK will know.
What was
Christ's nature? "Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh
and blood, he (Christ) 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" (Hebrews 2:14). Christ had the same nature as those he came to
redeem. If he had been God the Son, second person in the Trinity of popular
theology, he could not have died. Was Christ tempted? Yes. Can God be tempted?
No. Forget theology for a moment and do a little thinking, and you will see
that Christ was not God, but the Son of God, "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 dying? No. death,
and was heard in that he feared" (Heb. 5:7). Christ
"suffered, being tempted, he is able to succor them that
are tempted" (Heb. 2:18). Our high priest was touched with the feeling of
our infirmities, "tempted in all points like as we are, yet without
sin" (Heb. 4:15). With this view of the Saviour, don't you think his words
to Peter have a deeper meaning, "The cup which my Father hath given me,
shall I not drink it" (John 18:11)? Oh! the love of the Father
in giving his only begotten son, "that whosoever believeth in him should
not perish, but have everlasting life" (John 3:16). Oh! the love of Christ,
"the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me" (Gal. 2:20).
down through the ages his message to his followers reverberates, "Be of
good cheer, I have overcome the world" (John 16:33). As a man of sorrows,
under the dominion of death, he was mortal; now he is immortal, pure, and holy.
He sits at the right hand of the Father making intercessions for his followers.
A most wonderful thought.
The Death of Christ
We have already discussed
resurrection and the prominence it occupied in apostolic preaching. This great
event could not take place if Christ did not die. Peter, filled with the
Spirit, looked into the faces of his Jewish audience and told them that they
had, "by wicked hands, crucified and slain," Jesus
of Nazareth, but declared that this was by the "determinate counsel"
and foreknowledge of God" (Acts 2:23). This is in harmony with the
statement that the Seed of the woman should be bruised in the heel by the seed
of the serpent (Gen. 3:15). God, "loosed the pains of death: because it
was not possible that he should be holden of it" (Acts 2:24). Christ died,
he was bruised, he rose again the third day according to the scriptures (I Cor.
15:3-4). Rid your mind of the Trinitarian doctrine, and then, belief in the
death of Jesus Christ is a matter of faith.
Is It
Important to Have a True Estimate of Christ?
We read in the
Gospel of John "and many other signs (Example - Turning water to wine,
Healing Nobleman's Son, Feeding the 5,000, Giving sight to the blind, Raising
Lazarus from the dead, etc.) truly did Jesus in the presence of his disciples
which are not written in this book: But these are written, that ye might
believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God; and that believing ye might
have life thru his name" (Jno. 20:30-31).
To understand
Christ scripturally we must recognize him as Son of God, as well as Son of Man.
What Christ says of himself ought to be convincing to those who THINK. Jesus
says, "I am the Son of God" (Jno. 10:36). "I am not of this
world" (Jno. 8:23). "I proceeded forth and came from God *** He sent
me" (Jno. 8:42). "I and my Father are one" (Jno. 10:30), i.e.
one in purpose, for the son did always those things that pleased the Father.
"I came down from heaven" (Jno. 6:38). In what sense did he come down
from heaven? Mary was overshadowed by the Holy Spirit which came from God,
whose dwelling place is in heaven, and thus he came down from heaven.
Did Christ ever
claim co-equality and co-eternity with the Father in the Trinitarian sense? No.
He says, "He (the Father) sent me" (Jno. 8:42). "He hath given
me authority" (Jno. 5:27). "The Father is greater than I" (Jno.
14:28); "Holy Father" (Jno. 17:11); "O righteous Father"
(Jno. 17:25) are terms Jesus used in referring to God. Do you think it
presumptuous for any mere mortal man to allow himself to be called "Holy
Father?" Call no man your father upon earth: for one is your Father, which
is in heaven (Matt. 23:9). Christ was God's son brought into existence by the
power of the Highest over-shadowing Mary (Luke 1:35), yet, he was nevertheless
truly the "Son of man." Is there a reason why Christ should be
"Son of man" and not an angelic being of immortal nature? Ans.
"He (God) hath given him (Christ) authority to execute judgment also,
because he is the Son of man" (Jno. 5:27). When you, reader, stand before
Christ in Judgment, do you think He will be sympathetic toward you? Has he not
been tempted in all points like as his brethren? Was he not compassed with
infirmity? Was he not made perfect by the things which he suffered? Though
"touched with the feeling of our infirmities" and "tempted in
all points like as we are" and "in all things *** made like unto his
brethren," yet he never committed a sin. His nature was flesh and
blood. He could die and did die, and thru his death "he destroyed
him that hath the power of death, that is, the devil" (Heb. 2:14). God
sent his son in the likeness of sinful flesh (i.e. in flesh I Jno. 4:3) and for
sin, condemned sin in the flesh" (Rom. 8:3). Whose flesh? Picture a
perfectly righteous man so far as Character was concerned, whose death God not
only permitted - but "commanded." John 10:18 and John 3:16 have a
richer meaning. Christ "loved me and gave himself for me" (Gal.
2:20). "The gospel writers picture him wrestling in the wilderness with
temptation, wearing and asleep, hungry, moved with compassion towards the sick;
showing tender love to Martha and Mary; weeping at the tomb of Lazarus; sharing
the common joys and sorrows of mankind. Never does Jesus appear in the gospels
as a demi-god, an angel or a being from another race; always he is a man among
men; the master among his disciples; the elder brother among his brethren. So
the Son of God is also a Son of Man. Here is the mystery of the "word made
flesh" and the source of much contention and bitterness in later ages.
Before one is baptized, do you think a true knowledge of the Christ of the
Bible is necessary?
A Summary
How much does
one need to know before Baptism? This question has never been fully answered.
Surely one must
believe in a Supreme being, for "He that comes to God must believe that he
is (exists), and that he is a rewarded of them that diligently seek him."
And again, "This is life eternal that they might know thee, the only true
God and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent." From these two Scriptures, we
can safely draw the conclusion, that ignorance of God and of Christ will not
save one. "By grace are ye saved through faith, not of yourselves lest
anyone should boast." How often have we heard this quoted. Before grace
can save, one must be lost or in an unsaved condition, death-doomed. "By
one man (Adam) sin entered, and death by sin." "As in Adam, all
die." Death passed upon all men. Condemnation came upon all through one
man's disobedience. If we believe this, we can now begin to see God's grace, or
favour, in providing a Saviour, the seed of the woman. If man had been
instrumental in bringing this Saviour into existence, he might have room for
boasting. If God had not intervened with his grace, or love, no one could be
saved. "God so loved the world (in Adam, lost) that he gave his only
begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have
everlasting life (John 3:16). Two things about this Scripture stand out:
If we live
forever, we must be somewhere. Is the place Heaven? No, the Scriptures are too
plain on this point. "The meek shall inherit the Earth" (Matt. 5:5).
"The righteous shall inherit the land and dwell therein forever"
(Psa. 37:29). No scripture can be found that teaches that heaven is to be the
future abode of the righteous.
Paul declared in
Romans 1:16 that the Gospel is the Power of God unto Salvation to everyone that
believeth. If it is, can there be any other power to save? We think not. How
very important then is it to know what the gospel is. Can we believe the gospel
if we do not know what it is? The apostles, the immediate followers of the
Master, were commanded to "Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel
*** he that believeth and is baptized shall be saved." Does this Scripture
teach that a man has to do something to be saved? Yes, he must first believe
the gospel which is the power of God unto salvation, but suppose he stops there
and refuses to be baptized. Can he be saved? If one refuses to obey in baptism,
does he really believe the gospel? We think not. We are in Adam by nature; we get
into Christ by baptism. "As many of you as have been baptized into Christ
have put on Christ." Is there any other way to put him on?
The gospel,
whatever it is, pertains to the Kingdom of God as shown above. Christ went
throughout every city and village preaching and showing the glad tidings of the
Kingdom of God (Luke 8:1). He sent his twelve to preach the Kingdom of God
(Luke 9:2), and verse six says they went throughout the towns preaching the
Gospel. The Gospel then is the glad tidings concerning a Kingdom. In Daniel
2:44, we read that the God of heaven will set up a Kingdom that is to break in
pieces the Kingdoms of men, and that it will stand forever. We read further in
the seventh chapter of Daniel verse 18, "that the time came when the saints
possessed the Kingdom," and in verse 27, "that the Kingdom and
dominion and the greatness of the Kingdom under the whole heaven (not in
heaven) shall be given to the people of the saints of the most High."
Christ taught
his disciples to pray, "Thy Kingdom come." Some are to "sit down
with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the Kingdom of God." "Come ye
blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation
of the world." So the Kingdom is something we can pray for, inherit,
possess. What is our relationship to this Kingdom now? Are we in it? Are we now
possessing it? James 2:5 tells us, "Hearken, my beloved brethren, 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?" No language could be plainer.
After Jesus'
death, burial, and resurrection, he spent forty days on earth speaking of the
things pertaining to the Kingdom (Acts 1:3). Just before his ascension to
Heaven, the disciples asked him, "Lord, wilt thou at this time, restore
again the Kingdom to Israel?" Did Israel ever have a Kingdom? "For
the Hope of Israel, I am bound with this chain," says Paul. We read in
Ephesians 2:12 of people who were, "Aliens from the commonwealth of
Israel, and strangers to the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without
God in the world."
The Kingdom of
Israel once existed. Zedekiah was the last ruler to sit on David's throne. When
it was overturned, the prophet said, "It shall be no more, until he come whose
right it is; and I will give it him" (Ez. 21:27). When Christ came, he
claimed to be king. Yes, king of the Jews. Over his head on the cross, we read,
"Jesus of Nazareth, the king of the Jews." The Jews said, "Do
not write it that way, Pilate, but that he said he was king of the Jews."
Pilate said, "What I have written, I have written," and so it stands.
But has Christ ever been king of the Jews? No. But he will be one of these
days, and we believe the time is near. We pray, "Thy kingdom come."
The troubled condition in the Holy Land today (1947) is one of the surest signs
we have that Christ's coming is nigh.
The twelve
apostles are to sit on twelve thrones and judge or rule the twelve tribes of
Israel, at that time, restored (Matt. 19:28). Are the Jews gathering back into
the Holy Land? Yes, more than 600,000 are there now and they have established
over two hundred Jewish colonies. In that land God will realize his plan. The
covenants of promise, to David, and to the Fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob,
will be fulfilled; and the work of restitution under Christ and the saints will
begin and continue until every enemy is put down; and the last enemy to be
destroyed is death. The whole earth is to be filled with God's glory. Grace!
Grace! by grace are ye saved through faith in God's plan, believed and obeyed.
The Scriptures
clearly point out the conditions of the world just prior to Christ's second
appearing. "Distress of nations with perplexity." Has history ever
recorded such times as we now have? The sanctity of the home is undermined by
the rapid increase of divorce. The mad craze for pleasure, jazz, excitement,
and thrills are on the increase. People love pleasure more than God. The war is
over but do we have peace? No. As I write these lines, March 10, 1947, the four
power foreign Ministers' conference is meeting in Moscow. Can men bring Peace
to the world? No. Why? Those who THINK will know.
Truly, darkness
covers the earth and gross darkness the people. Brethren and Sisters, are we growing
weary of waiting for the Master? "They all slumbered and slept." If
there ever was a time when we should "Watch and be ready," it is now.
Surely we are entering on Daniel's time of trouble such as never was, and it
won't be long until we will be called to give an account of things we have
done. "Well done thou good and faithful servant." Are we ready for
the joyful news?
What about you,
dear reader, who believe, but have never been baptized? Are you satisfied to
drift along and neglect so great salvation that is offered to you without money
and without price? Delay is dangerous. Gladly accept the Divine commands,
render the loving obedience required, such as was practiced in Apostolic days.
We read Acts 8:12, "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." "Then they that gladly received his word were
baptized" (Acts 2:41).
Decision Day
Do you believe
the things of the kingdom and the name as expressed in Acts 8;12? Yes, but I'm
afraid I can't hold out. Then, too, there is so much confusion among the
members of the church, and so many hypocrites that I don't like to join in with
them. Listen, my friend, that may be true, but when you come in, you may be
able to help someone live a better life, and one thing is sure, at the judgment
each one must answer for himself.
"They that
gladly received his word were baptized" (Acts 2:41). One brother made up
his mind and asked for baptism. He wrote in his daily diary the following: On
Friday night, Aug. 1, 1902, the Fraternal Gathering of the Christadelphians of
Arkansas convened at Martinville. This proved to be one of the most important
occasions of my life, for on Sunday afternoon, August 3, 1902, about 5:30 p.m.
I was "buried by baptism" into Christ's death. On rising I came up to
walk in "newness of life."
Living the Truth
I'm going to try
to conform my life to the 13th Ch. of I Corinthians. It means much to live a
Christian in a "crooked and perverse generation," but by the help of
God and his son, Jesus Christ, our High Priest, and intercessor, I need not
fear, if I only do my part.
What I Was Baptized For
While personal
sins are "not reckoned" in the sight of God, yet they must be
"repented of" turned away from - a state of mind reached by a
knowledge of the gospel and a determination to turn away. All this amounts to
nothing tho' as far as change of relationship is concerned. Your relationship
from Adamic condemnation to justification takes place when you are buried by
"baptism into Christ's death."
Christ's Death
What kind of
death did Christ die? It was a sacrificial death. Then that is the kind of
death that I must die, and did die in putting off the "old man with his
deeds" and putting on the "new man."
Repentance
Col. 2:11-13 is
repenting or having your mind changed by God's Word - Knowledge of the
"things concerning the kingdom of God, and the Name of Jesus Christ"
(Acts 8;12). We get into his name by being "buried with him in
baptism" thereby changing our relation from a condemned state of Adam to a
justified state in Christ. This having been done, I must walk worthy, add to my
faith virtue and, to virtue knowledge, etc.
Reason for This Step
It meant much
for me to take this step. Nothing but the love of Christ and God would ever
have induced me to take it. I did it deliberately and in reason, and I pray God
that I may so live that I may be "clothed with immortality when I am
called to give an account of things done in the body." Amen. Has this
brother been happy? Ask him.
In Christ a new
life sets in - The Command is, to "walk worthy." You are now in the
world but not of it. "Set your affection on things above and not on things
on the earth" (Col. 3:2). "Be kindly affectioned one to another with
brotherly love, in honor preferring one another." Be sincere, patient,
loyal, daily read - and meditate upon the Word, attend all services and keep
your eye on the Master for he is our intercessor at the Throne of Grace. Can we
fully appreciate now what it will mean to hear the Master say, "Well done,
thou good and faithful servant: thou hast been faithful over a few things, I
will make thee ruler over many things: enter thou into the joy of thy
Lord?"