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People of The Living God |
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September 2019
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
INCONSISTENT CHRISTIANITY
Alfred King
There seems to be a strange phenomenon taking place in today’s Christianity that is not only puzzling but also alarming. The apparent effort to dislodge the law of God from Christian theology has run amuck in its own inconsistency. What is amazing is that Christians, in their desire to trust one another and believe the best of one another, especially those who teach the Word of God, rarely take the time to think about the discrepancies of the ideas they are following, for if they did they would certainly begin to see the substitution and altering of God’s law. The purpose of this article is not to cause confusion or to criticize those who have fallen victim of Satan’s deceptions but rather to expose his lies and cause those who might have been blinded by his subtle trickery to see the light.
Consider just a few of the inconsistencies that defy any reason and also notice the reactions of most Christians to such thoughts. All truly Bible believing churches today take a solid stand against homosexuality, speaking fervently against it, declaring it to be forbidden in God’s law. While this is as the church should do and teach, if we search the scriptures, we find it to be a law given by Moses, which law we claim is done away. The Ten Commandments do not mention homosexuality nor does Jesus ever speak specifically of it in all the commands He gave. He does speak against fornication, which includes homosexuality. Paul speaks against it in Romans the first chapter and other scriptures give strong indication that it is against God’s divine law. Any Christian who has read the scriptures knows that homosexuality is sin. Believing that homosexuality is sin is not the problem. The problem surfaces in that we take a strong stand against this sin while we overlook and excuse the sin of adultery and divorce. The rate of divorce among Christians in recent years has equaled that of non-Christians. The direct command not to commit adultery is not only one of the Ten Commandments that we fight to keep in the public halls of America, but is specifically and plainly spoken against by Jesus Christ, the One we claim is our Lord and King. While it is perfectly reasonable and proper to accept those who have lived in adultery or divorced before coming to Christ, knowing that those sins are forgiven, there is something wrong when separations and adulteries occur after one’s salvation. Even after salvation, if it were an occasional episode here and there throughout Christendom, one could possibly overlook it, but the problem has become epidemic. This brings us back to the original thought. Why is it that homosexuality is such an anathema to most Christians yet adultery and divorce is, to some degree, acceptable, when in all truth, the command to not commit adultery is more direct than homosexuality? Why is adultery an acceptable sin but homosexuality is not? There seems to be some inconsistency in our judgment.
In the Ten Commandments that we want to hang on our public halls is another law that is disregarded or changed. But again there is little thought given to the incongruity of the subject. The fourth commandment is to “remember the Sabbath day to keep it holy”. For most Christians this law means little or nothing. We have been taught, by our Bible teachers, that it has been changed or done away along with the Laws of Moses. But while we are taught to disregard the fourth command, we are encouraged to observe pagan holidays such as Christmas, Easter, in some cases Halloween and certain other heathen celebrations. The inconsistency is glaringly apparent when Christians will resist the fourth commandment, which was given by God and yet will hold onto pagan holidays that are neither mentioned in scripture nor commanded by Jesus or the apostles. Most will resist the direct command of God, to observe the seventh day, and at the same time fight to observe something that sprang from paganism and is nowhere found in scripture. It is the inconsistency that is most puzzling. Why would those who love Jesus and call Him “Lord and Master” refuse to observe His direct command and yet at the same time observe pagan practices and fight to defend those practices? One wonders whether the church is following Jesus Christ or paganism.
It is these types of inconsistencies that carry serious threat to the body of Christ. When the church is called to be a light in a dark world and to promote the teachings of Christ and His kingdom, but she instead follows the world more than Christ, decides what sins can be tolerated and which cannot, and which laws are to be observed and which are not, she no longer is following Christ but her own ideas and philosophies. Consider another inconsistent teaching, promoted by most Christian teachers today. The teaching is that the Law of Moses is done away. Yet tithing is carried over to the New Testament church. Tithing is an Old Testament law and is not mentioned in the New Testiment, nor is there commandment to tithe in the New Testament. The Apostle Paul does direct the Jesus’ disciples to give to the needy and to those who minister, and we all know that it takes finances to operate any ministry, but to bring in the commandment of tithing and instruct the people to do so while at the same time teaching the abolition of the Laws of Moses and the Old Testament is inconsistent.
These types of inconsistencies leave the church following the traditions of men rather than truly following Jesus Christ. While not all traditions are bad, we must be careful to apply the teachings of Jesus Christ to our lives and walk according to His words if we intend to be called good and faithful servants when He comes back to be glorified in His people. Those who truly love Him are those who keep His words and are obedient to all He has commanded us. It is to them He will manifest Himself and to them He will make His abode (Jn. 14: 21 & 23). While these are just a few of the inconsistencies in modern Christianity, it serves to alert us that we need to examine ourselves whether we are in the faith or just followers of other men’s philosophies.
THE TEMPORAL – THE ETERNAL
Harry Miller
It seems plausible to suppose that in the ages to come the saints will continue to study the wonders of the Word of the Eternal God. There is nothing else in all creation so marvelous in its simplicity and yet so profound in its mysteries as God’s Word. It is written in such a style and manner that great truths are hidden from those who are proud and vain, while the honest in heart are able with the help of the Holy Spirit to grasp these precious hidden jewels.
Parables, metaphors, symbols, signs, allegories, poetry, and all manner of “shadows” and “examples” can be found in the Lord’s sacred Book. Before the time of Christ, the mysteries of the writings of the prophets must have been most confusing. But since the advent of the Son of God and the gifts of His plain statements in the gospels, there is no more excuse for confusion. God spoke “in these last days…unto us by His Son” (Heb. 1:1,2). Those who “hear” (obey) the Son receive true understanding: “he that followeth Me shall not walk in darkness, but shall have the light of life” (John 8:12). But those who refuse the words of the Son are plunged into religious darkness, and “how great is that darkness.”
In order to comprehend the true meaning of almost any of the Old Testament prophecies, it is necessary first to understand the language of the prophets. The words of the prophets were filled with mysteries “hard to be understood.” Many times they contained hidden meanings of dual nature; sometimes they spoke of earthly things and then again of heavenly things. Great truths were deliberately hidden from the prying eyes of the wise of this world, but unto babes (in Christ) the Spirit revealed the secrets.
Countless scholars have stumbled and fallen by presumptuously assuming that they were able to unlock the secret things of the Lord. Many of those who call themselves fundamentalists (constituting the popular religious institutions of every age) have wallowed in the doctrinal mire of their own making because they “knew not the Scripture” but only presumed to know it.
Jesus Christ is “the key” to both the Old and New Testaments. When any other “key” is used, the wrong door is inevitably opened: “Woe unto you, lawyers! for ye have taken away the key of knowledge” (Luke 11:52); “These things saith…He that hath the key of David” (Rev. 3:7).
The prophetic promises concerning the king, and the kingdom of God, must be distinguished from those predictions pertaining to political or natural Israel. When scholars fail to differentiate between the predictions that apply to spiritual Israel and those which have to do with natural Israel, they greatly err and wind up in confusion as a result.
The Jewish nation in Christ’s day failed to receive Him as their King because they misinterpreted the promises: they did not “rightly divide the word of truth.” In their blindness of heart they were hoping for an earthly and material fulfillment of promises of spiritual nature.
Strange as it may seem, a great many religious people today are expecting a manifestation of this same Jewish ideal. They look for a restoration of the political kingdom of Israel, with Christ upon the throne.
The only way to understand the figurative language of the prophets is to interpret their mystical words and figures in the light of Christ and the New Testament plain statements. “The tabernacle in the wilderness” and the Levitical priesthood are examples of spiritual truths hidden in figurative language, but now revealed by Christ and the words of the New Testament: “the law having a shadow of good things to come, and not the very image of the things” (Heb. 10:1); “Christ is not entered into the holy places made with hands, which are the figures of the true” (Heb. 9:24); “The Holy Ghost this signifying (making manifest by signs), that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest…which was a figure for the time then present” (Heb. 9:8,9).
In the tenth chapter of first Corinthians we are told that “all these things” happened unto natural Israel for ensamples (the margin says: “types”): and they are “written for our admonition” (verse 11). The mute testimony of the “examples” should be a witness and a warning to the saints of God under the new covenant.
“Examples” and “figures” are not complete or specific patterns of the things which they prefigure any more than the “shadow” of a building is like the actual structure.
The dead carcass of a sheep was a prefiguring “shadow” of the “Lamb of God,” but it certainly did not set forth all there was to know about Him. Likewise, the “first Adam” (I Cor. 15:45-47) was an earthly shadow of the heavenly Adam (Rom. 5:14). The earthly body of our flesh is but a shadow of the heavenly body which every faithful saint will inherit through Christ.
Spiritual realities are so incomprehensible to humanity that God often uses many physical and material things of this world to picture for His saints a few of the glories of the eternal world of the heavens. Remember, in God’s word our existing world is spoken of as “this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4), and concerning the “world to come,” it is written that one must be “accounted worthy to obtain that world” (Luke 20:35).
When the Scriptures speak figuratively about something good in this world, certainly the thing foreshadowed will be infinitely better in the world to come. That goat-hair covered tent in the wilderness was ordained by God to speak in a mystery concerning the glories of the heaven of heavens. The Levitical priesthood was but a temporary arrangement, for it “was changed” (Heb. 7:12). For a time, God used it as a shadow of that great universal priesthood. “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” (I Peter 2:9). “and hath made us kings and priests unto God and his Father; to him be glory and dominion for ever and ever” (Rev. 1:6).
David, himself, “after the flesh,” his throne “after the flesh,” and his kingdom “after the flesh,” were only figures, for a time. This earthly state is but a temporal affair, and everything relative to it is temporary: “the world passeth away” (I John 2:17); “the fashion of this world passeth away” (I Cor. 7:31).
Solomon was David’s son “after the flesh.” On the day that he dedicated the temple which he had built, this “seed of David” said: “I am risen up in the room of David my father, and sit on the throne of Israel.” In prayer to God, Solomon said, “Therefore now, Lord God of Israel, keep with thy servant David my father that thou promisedst him, saying, There shall not fail thee a man in my sight to sit on the throne of Israel” (I Kings 8:20,25).
David and all of his sons are dead (except one), the earthly throne was split before it was even a century old, and in less than three centuries every vestige of the kingdom of David had ended. For over 2500 years there has been no kingdom, no throne, and no son of David ruling in the earth.
Those who teach the doctrine known as “British Israel” are misinformed concerning the covenant promises which God gave to David in reference to his house and his son. God did not make a covenant with David concerning the throne and the kingdom – he made an absolute unconditional promise. Both David and his son Solomon “staggered” at the promise given through Nathan the prophet; for we find that they later spoke as though those promises were conditional, and based upon the obedience of the people, and David’s sons who would succeed him in their generations (I Kings chapter 8). The blessings promised David and his seed, of an earthly nature, were most certainly conditional; and if David’s heirs had obeyed the Lord, their kingdom would have continued to be blessed and prospered of God. But their sins and rebellion cut off their blessing and, finally, brought a complete end to their earthly kingdom. However, the unconditional promise which concerned Christ and His throne could never be changed or thwarted by man or devil: His advent was a heaven-determined event.
The passage of time has proved that neither the son of David “after the flesh,” nor his throne “after the flesh,” constituted the eternal things promised him by the Lord. Ezekiel prophesied concerning the end of the literal political kingdom of David: “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: exalt him that is low, and abase him that is high. I will overturn, overturn, overturn, it: and it shall be no more, until He come whose right it is; and I will give it Him” (Ezek. 21:25-27).
The “wicked prince of Israel” was a descendant of David; but the eternal crown was not for him. Notice that the kingdom was to be “no more, until He come whose right it is” (verse 27). The promise of an eternal crown was not for every son of David; it was to be given to but one, and He, only, had right to that crown.
The prophet Jeremiah is more specific in his prophecy concerning the “son of David.” He even gave Him a name: “The branch.” “Behold the days come, saith the Lord, that I will perform that good thing which I have promised unto the house of Israel and to the house of Judah. In those days, and at that time, will I cause the Branch of righteousness to grow up unto David; and he shall execute judgment and righteousness in the land. In those days shall Judah be saved, and Jerusalem shall dwell safely: and this is the name wherewith she shall be called. The Lord our righteousness. For thus saith the Lord; David shall never want a man to sit upon the throne of the house of Israel” (Jer. 33:14-17).
If the prophet Jeremiah meant a material, physical, literal throne, then his prophecy failed to come to pass; for the Branch has not reigned in the physical city of Jerusalem, neither has the city dwelt “safely.” To claim that some other nation of our present day fulfills this prophecy is to strain the imagination to the breaking point. The Hebrew nation left its name for a curse to God’s chosen, “And ye shall leave your name for a curse unto my chosen: for the Lord God shall slay thee, and call his servants by another name” (Isa. 65:15). The city which is “spiritually called Sodom and Egypt” (Rev. 11:8) is the place where the promised Son of David, who was also the Son of God, was murdered. His blood still stains that soil: why should this place be called “the holy city”?
By plain speech in the New Testament we are told that the earthly city of Jerusalem is like Hagar and her son, who are not to be heirs with the “free woman” (Gal. 4:22-30).
The expectation of the Christian should not be in the hope of a restored political Israel; neither should it be in looking for the restoration of the glory to the earthly city which is like Hagar. “We look not at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen: for the things which are seen are temporal; but the things which are not seen are eternal” (II Cor. 4:18).
The following is a list of things that are temporal, compared with things which are eternal. By using this list as a guide, any lover of Christ can “rightly divide the Word of truth”:
THINGS WHICH ARE SEEN ARE TEMPORAL THINGS WHICH ARE NOT SEEN ARE ETERNAL
Gal. 1:4 “This present evil world” Luke 20:35 “Obtain that world”
I Cor. 15:45 “The first Adam” I Cor. 15:45 “The last Adam”
I Cor. 15:44 “There is a natural body” I Cor. 15:44 “Is a spiritual body”
Heb. 11:9,15 “A strange country” Heb. 11:16 “A better country”
Rom. 9:6-8 Israel “children of the flesh” Gal. 6:16 “Israel of God.”
Rev. 3:9 They “say they are Jews” Rom. 2:28,29 “A Jew…inwardly”
Rom. 2:28 “Circumcision…in the flesh” Rom. 2:29 “Circumcision of the heart”
Deut. 27:8 Law “upon the stones” Heb. 8:10 Laws “in their hearts”
Heb. 8:7 “The first covenant” Heb. 8:8 “A new covenant”
Heb. 3:2 Moses “in all his house” Heb. 3:6 Christ and “His own house”
Heb. 9:1,2 Tabernacle – “a worldly sanctuary” Heb. 9:12,24 “Holy place” “heaven”
II Chron. 5:1 The temple of Solomon Rev. 21:22 “God” and the “Lamb” temple
Heb. 12:18 “The mount that might be touched” Heb. 12:22 “Mount Zion”
Rev. 11:8 “Spiritually Sodom” Gal. 4:25,26 “Jerusalem which is above”
Amos 9:8 “The sinful kingdom” Matt. 12:28 Heavenly kingdom
I Chron. 29:23 “Solomon…on the throne” Luke 1:32,33; Psalm 39:37; I Chron. 17:14
I Chron. 28:5-7 Son after the flesh Jer. 23:5,6 Son after the Spirit
Gen. 4:4 The lamb of Abel John 1:29 “The Lamb of God”
Matt. 21:25 “The baptism of John” Matt. 3:11 The baptism of the Holy Spirit
OUT OF THE MOUTH OF THE DRAGON
Lorraine Scullin
“And the serpent cast out of his mouth water as a flood after the woman, that he might cause her to be carried away of the flood” (Rev. 12:15).
The flood is here – a veritable deluge of all manner of teachings – to carry away, if possible, the church of Jesus Christ. “The God is dead" lie has come out of the dragon's mouth to cast down the word of God. What saith the Scriptures? “I am He that liveth, and was dead; and, behold, I am alive for evermore…and have the keys of hell and of death" (Rev. 1:18). Whoever has the keys of these realms is unquestionably the master and lord of these powers. "Now unto the king eternal, immortal…be honour and glory for ever and ever” (I Tim. 1:17). "And every creature…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 and twenty elders fell down and worshipped Him that liveth for ever and ever” (Rev. 5:13,14).
Because God has clothed Himself with secrecy, moving behind the scenes, people have concluded that He is dead or does not exist. They are not aware that He rules in the world of men, and that all things are under His control, including the devil and his agents. Even haughty Pharaoh of Egypt learned that there was none like God “in all the earth" (Ex. 9:14-16) after the ten plagues had swept through his realm and his horsemen with their chariots had been drowned in the Red Sea. This testimony was wrung from their lips as the sea waters began to cover them: “Let us flee from the face of Israel; for the Lord fighteth for them against the Egyptians” (Ex. 14:24-28).
Nebuchadnezzar of Babylon, another proud ruler, was taught a somewhat similar lesson. He received a dream from God, which he did not understand, but Daniel was given the interpretation of the dream, in which he was shown that judgment was to come upon Nebuchadnezzar because he had taken the honor to himself for building “this great Babylon.” He was driven from his place of power until he knew “that the Most High ruleth in the kingdom of men, and giveth it to whomsoever he will.” Nebuchadnezzar further added, after this humbling experience: “I blessed the Most High…whose dominion is an everlasting dominion…he doeth according to his will in the army of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth: and none can stay His hand or say unto Him, What doest thou?…and those that walk in pride, he is able to abase” (Dan. 4:25-37).
Another teaching from the serpent is the theory of evolution which has taken on greater proportions today than it had even a few years ago. The promulgating of evolutionary ideas used to be the work of the biologists, zoologists, and earth scientists. It was reported some years ago that most astronomical scientists could not be atheists or agnostics because the heavens themselves “declared the glory of God” to them as they probed the spaces where these vast, far-ranging galaxies of stars and planets moved in their precise orbits, never deviating in time or direction. Many such men acknowledged, at that time, that only one being of infinite intelligence and wisdom could create and sustain these immense masses of matter in such order and harmony. But now even the astronomers have dragged this wretched lie of evolution into their explanations of the origin of the heavenly bodies. Even the evaluations of the scientific data brought back from the trips to the moon have added to this monstrous lie and insult to the Great Creator God with the idea that the origin of the moon is the result of evolutionary processes.
This theory actually strains the credibility of man far more than does the majestic opening statement of the Bible: “In the beginning God created the heaven and the earth” (Gen. 1:1,16,17).
One of the Greek words for “create” means “made of nothing.” It is actually far easier to believe that this omniscient and omnipotent God was able to construct matter thus, rather than to accept the theory that particles of dust put themselves together in mathematical arrangement with the power to decide what form or change they should take, or that a blob of protoplasm through its own ability could finally become a complex creation, such as man, with a mind, soul, spirit and body! And it is still necessary to ask these theorists WHO made this first speck of cosmic dust? WHO created this bit of protoplasmic matter?
It is a fact that there are but few university campuses in this country that do not fill our youth with this tremendous lie. Then, what about the high schools and elementary institutions that daily give this myth to their students? Surely the dragon has had a great field day in polluting students' minds. When these young people become adults, is it to be wondered that, after such brainwashing, they do not know that He (God) lives? And that if they but touch Him in reality, He will fill the void that exists in every human soul, and will satisfy the heart of man in its longing so that he will never thirst again for any other kind of satisfaction (John 4:14; 6:35)? This marvelous God is a Being – a Person of indescribable moral beauty, of ravishing qualities of character that completely captivate the soul, so that worship and praise flow spontaneously from the one to whom such a revelation of divine nature has come.
“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 (Berry's Interlinear: 'Teachings of demons,' I Tim. 4:1,2); speaking lies in hypocrisy.” Out of the dragon's mouth there have been spewed forth, not only many other fables, but also a flood of evil spirits who “anoint” these doctrines of error, to destroy the people of God, particularly in these day before the end.
Any doctrine that is not built upon the plain statements of Jesus Christ is not “sound doctrine.” Its inspiration comes from the wrong source. It is imperative that people now dig deep – down to the Rock – to see if they are grounded on that which cannot be moved (that is, upon the words of Jesus Christ) – or if they are built on sand, the most easily moved earth substance, likened to the teachings of men (Matt. 7:24-27; Luke 6:46-49). “And the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house” (Matt. 7:25). We do not need to remind Bible students that the above three underlined words are figurative language for the word spirit. Never has such a flood of spirit power been unleashed as is beginning to be brought forth today, with demonic teaching to support it. “And the ruin of that house (built on sand) was great.”
Contrary to what thousands of Pentecostal people preach, Jesus did not teach the rapture theory – a so-called secret coming for the elect before the tribulation or before the end of the world. The word rapture is not even in the Bible. Listen to His words: “For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. And except those days should be shortened, there should no flesh be saved: but for the elect's sake those days shall be shortened” (Matt. 24:21,22). If, as according to the rapture teaching, there are no elect here to go through the tribulation, why are the days being shortened for the elect's sake?
This is none other than a doctrine of escapism – a teaching of evasion from the responsibility of preparation to stand in the time of upheaval, collapse, and universal decimation.
Noah made ready for his day of destruction. He walked with God (Gen. 6:8,9), was “warned…of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark to the saving of his house” (Heb. 11:7). Noah was not “raptured;” he went through the flood safely because he had prepared for it. “But as the days of Noe were, so shall also the coming of the Son of man be” (Matt. 24:37-39).
Just as the oil, which the wise virgins secured for their lamps, was an indispensable commodity for their admittance to the marriage before the door was shut, so is this preparation for the day of trouble an absolute requisite for the elect of this last hour (Matt. 25:1-13). The wise virgins' oil was bought: this preparation is purchased – at a price – that will cost the buyer all that he has. But it will keep him from the hour of peril, “which shall come upon all the world, to try them that dwell upon the earth” (Rev. 3:10), even while he is in it.
“And there was given unto him a mouth speaking great things and blasphemies” (Rev. 13:5). The dragon has already begun to speak, for he has a message for the unwary and the unprepared; and those things he speaks are being received by many who are claiming to be His servants.
One of the dragon's worst fabrications, most fraught with danger to those holding to it, is the big lie that there is no present kingdom of God (and consequently, no king), that His kingdom has been postponed indefinitely into the future, and the equally false idea that when it does appear, it will last but a thousand years! This diabolic set of lies has lulled people into a state of deep apathy and outright slumber, so that few are making any preparation for the end of all things.
This myth of the future thousand-year reign of Christ does violence to the word of God. Here is His testimony: “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” (Rev. 12:10). At the cross, Christ not only brought salvation to men, but He also brought to them the kingdom of God. “Therefore let all the house of Israel know assuredly, that God hath made that same Jesus, whom ye have crucified, both Lord (Supreme in authority – Master) and Christ” (Acts 2:36). His Kingly role was thus confirmed at the cross.
Peter said that he was an eye-witness of His majesty, the King: the Lord Jesus Christ, on the Mount of Transfiguration. He saw Him in His Kingship and Lordship at that time, along with the two other witnesses, James and John (II Peter 1:16-18). This experience of these three disciples was the direct fulfillment of the words Jesus had spoken to them six days before when He had said, “There be some standing here, which shall not taste of death, till they see the son of man coming in his kingdom” (Matt. 16:28 and 17:1-9). On the Mount, Peter, James, and John saw the great King in the power and majesty of His Kingdom. It was not future, but was in actual existence at that time. It was a kingdom in power, not in word (I Cor. 4:20). Jesus Christ demonstrated complete mastery over all realms. The elementary forces of nature were under His control – the winds and the waves obeyed Him – water supported Him – for He was Lord and Creator of these elements (John 1:1-4; Col. 1:16-20). The powers of the kingdom of darkness – sickness, disease, and death all did His bidding – evil spirits were cast out, confirming that the Kingdom of God had come (Matt. 12:28).
The so-called millennial kingdom of Christ, we are told, is to last but a thousand years. How is such a teaching to be reconciled with the following Scriptures? “And He shall reign over the house of Jacob for ever; and of His kingdom there shall be no end” (Luke 1:33). “Of the increase of his government and peace, there shall be no end…to order it, and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth, even for ever” (Isa. 9:7).
Before the end, God's great power shall again be revealed in the kingdoms of men as it was with the heathen kings of Egypt and Babylon, but on a scale of far greater magnitude. There must be a demonstration of the glory, the power, and the authority of His Kingdom in the earth, for men must see the superiority of God's government over all others and realize what they could have had if they had walked in obedience to Him. Then will be fulfilled that which John spoke of in Revelation 11:15-17, “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, And the four and twenty elders…fell upon their faces, and worshipped God, saying, We give thee thanks, O Lord God Almighty…because thou hast taken to thee thy great power, and hast reigned.”
WAKING IN DARKNESS
Alfred King
Jennifer Rothschild, who lost her sight as a teenager due to a rare eye disease known as Retinitis Pigmentosa, is a Christian writer and speaker who by the grace of God has overcome her handicap and become a great example of what God can do even in the worst of circumstances. At a conference in which she spoke, she began her speech with, “When you wake up every day in the dark…” She continued by saying that she was only in the world for a short journey and in eternity she will see very brightly. However, it was this first phrase that caught my attention, for I immediately thought about how many people in our world wake every day only to find their lives filled with darkness. They have not seen or heard the glorious Gospel of Jesus Christ nor had their eyes opened to His matchless love and grace. Instead they go through their lives searching for something that will satisfy, going from one thing to another, only to find the same emptiness they experienced the day before, the month before, and the year before. I thought of children in the Middle East who are taught to hate, murder, lie, deceive, and even prepare to be a human sacrifice by wearing an explosive device and blowing themselves up while they murder the “infidels” who are innocently gathered in a public place. All this is what supposedly pleases the Muslim god, Allah.
I thought about the millions in Africa who blindly listen to the witch doctors, the enchanters, voodoo priests, or those who communicate with the dead, living with no hope of things ever getting better. I thought about those enslaved in the caste system in India, who only live in hope that they will somehow obtain the favor of their gods and be reincarnated to a place better than the one they have found in this life. Such blindness bears hopelessness which tortures the hearts and minds of millions around the world, and they surely grieve over the future of their offspring in such a desolate wilderness of despair.
I thought about the young people in our own country who wake up each morning, only to find themselves craving another fix or maybe wondering why they are still alive. Darkness is their world and that’s all they know. I thought about the young people in our high schools and universities who are being taught evolution, humanism, atheism, and other falsehoods which hide the truth of the Gospel, of God, His love, and provision for mankind. Young people come out of these schools of higher learning without purpose other than to satisfy the cravings and appetites of a depraved soul. I think Viktor E. Frankl, a Holocaust survivor, expressed it best when he wrote, “If we present a man with a concept of man which is not true, we may well corrupt him. When we present man as an automaton of reflexes, as a mind-machine, as a bundle of instincts, as a pawn of drives and reactions, as a mere product of instinct, heredity and environment, we feed the nihilism to which modern man is, in any case, prone.” The idea that man is a product of evolution removes any moral compass to direct and guide his life. Man, then, is like a ship in the ocean without a compass, so he knows not which way to go. It leaves him with no real purpose. He then wakes up every day to another day of darkness and futility.
There was a man named Nicodemus who came to Jesus at night. Nicodemus was a ruler of the Pharisees. He was a man of honor, prestige, highly regarded by the populous as well as other leaders of the Pharisees. Nicodemus, being a Jew, was raised on the scriptures. He had memorized the Pentateuch as a young lad and attended the Hebrew schools of learning, gradually working his way to being accepted as a teacher in the Pharisee camp. He was well respected, had earned many friends among the Pharisees as well as those whom he taught. He earned a very nice salary and his family was well provided for. Life overall was good. But Nicodemus had heard of a man named Jesus and ventured out to hear Him teach the multitudes. He saw some of Jesus’ miracles and healings which he could not rationalize or reconcile with many of the things which he had been taught in those years of education. So Nicodemus sought Jesus out at night. He addressed Jesus with these words. “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.” (John 3:2) Jesus, knowing this man’s heart, did not answer him in the way one might expect but rather addressed the question of his heart. “Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God” (John 3:3)
Jesus then began to speak to Nicodemus of His kingdom. Nicodemus held to the common Jewish belief that the Messiah would come and set up His kingdom in Jerusalem. But Jesus informs Nicodemus that His kingdom was not of this world but was (and is) a spiritual institution and that, in order for one to have part in that kingdom, he must be born again.
Notice the flow of this conversation between Jesus and Nicodemus. First, Jesus informs Nicodemus of the spiritual nature of the kingdom. He then tells Nicodemus of the only way one enters this kingdom, he “must be born again”. As Jesus continues, He is almost pleading with Nicodemus to understand that to enter this kingdom he had to be born again, or born from above. It was a spiritual rebirth. Jesus uses the word “must” here. This word expresses two thoughts. There was no other way, and it conveys the idea of One who is pleading with Nicodemus. Pleading with Nicodemus to believe and receive this great salvation that Jesus was offering. As the conversation progressed, Jesus makes an astounding statement in John 3:16-17. “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. For God sent not his Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through him might be saved.” Such gracious words flowing from the lips of this man who claimed to be the Son of God must have shaken Nicodemus to his very core. This wasn’t what he was taught throughout his life. God appeared to be a God of law, a God which demanded perfect obedience. He had disciplined himself for years in order to please his God and now this Jesus speaks of God’s love. He tells of a God who sent His Son into the world, not to condemn it or judge it, but in order to save mankind.
What was this message that this man taught? How was Nicodemus to react? What a monkey wrench was thrown into the turning gears of his mind and heart as he listened to this man whose words were not like that of the Pharisees, harsh and demanding, but with compassion and conviction. Somehow, in spite of all his learning, these words from the Master rang true. No doubt Nicodemus departed that evening with many more questions than he had when he came to Jesus. His whole doctrinal foundation was shaken. The words he had just heard fought against all his preconceived ideas. The scriptures that he thought he was firmly established in were now thrown into confusion. No doubt Nicodemus slept little that night as he wrestled in trying to assemble the theological puzzle he had previously put together but which Jesus had turned upside down and was now scattered in pieces all over the table of his mind. He knew in his heart that what Jesus had spoken that night was true and, yet, he must somehow get the scriptures sorted out so he might come to a full knowledge of that truth.
As Nicodemus began to piece together those scriptures which he knew so well under this new light, he began to see that the Messiah was not prophesied to be the king of an earthly kingdom but was ordained to a much higher and more lofty position than anything this world could provide. This kingdom of which scripture spoke was an eternal kingdom, a heavenly state, and one that would exist in the hearts of those who would believe. What a glorious revelation must have come to this man as the word of God unfolded before his mind. What excitement and joy must have filled his heart as the truth drew together the divine plan of God.
But now Nicodemus faced a serious difficulty. Would he accept this new understanding, this new revelation? What would his family think? How would they respond to this new teaching? And what about his associates, the other rulers and teachers of the Pharisees? How would all this affect his position among the Jews, and what effect would this have upon his salary? Nicodemus was now faced with a most difficult decision. It doesn’t appear from scripture that Nicodemus made any serious decision at this time but, with much fear and trepidation, allowed the truth to gradually change him. By the time Jesus was crucified, Nicodemus had fully grasped the truth that this Jesus was unquestionably the Son of God. As Jesus hung dying on the cross, Nicodemus was certain that Jesus came not to condemn the world but that the world through Him might be saved. Nicodemus decided it was time to lay his life down and leave the future to God who was (and is) able to provide. We don’t know how Nicodemus’ family responded to his new convictions, but we know full well that it was not acceptable to his associates, the Pharisees and, like the Apostle Paul, Nicodemus “suffered the loss of all things” that he might win Christ.
Nicodemus did not realize he was blind until his blind eyes were opened. He was once blinded by religious doctrines and false ideas, but God mercifully opened his eyes and he found salvation, just like all men do, at the foot of the cross. Nicodemus paid a tremendous price, but he will receive a great reward. He found that the sufferings of this life do not begin to compare with the glory that would be revealed in him when Christ returns and gathers His saints together where they will be forever with the Lord.
Today, millions get up each morning to walk blindly through the day. They know nothing of the life that is in Christ Jesus. They ignorantly stumble along life’s pathway through that wide gate and down the broad way that leads to destruction. Oh, that the glorious Gospel of Jesus should shine unto them. Oh, that a great spiritual revelation would be given to the church that we might boldly declare the Gospel throughout the world. Jesus said, “this Gospel of the kingdom shall be preached into all the world,” and certainly this is man’s only hope for his blind eyes to be opened. Let the church bear a burden and pray for the salvation of men and women throughout the world, that they be brought out of their spiritual darkness.
“THIS PRESENT EVIL WORLD”
Harold Scullin
There are three Greek words that define our present world. One of these words speaks of the world as an “age” or “a period of time.” We have a reference to this in Matthew 28:20, “and lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world” (The end of the “age”). Another word used in the Scriptures has to do with the soil or dust. “Till heaven and earth (soil or dust) pass” (Matt. 5:18). The third use of the word world has to do with this present arrangement or order of things. “The field is the world.” This could read, “The field is the present arrangement or order.” Let us consider this last use of the word.
First of all, we must understand that this world or the universe did not come into existence as the theory of evolution explains it. There is too much evidence that testifies to divine intelligence and wisdom in the design, and the function, and the beauty of life found in plants, animals, and human beings.
The universe is endless. It is so vast that men cannot explain or understand it, even though they may try. So exact and minute are the billions of galaxies in their movements and interrelationship in space that men of science can plot and chart their exact position in the heavens to within a fraction of a second, months and years in advance. So precise and absolute are the laws that control these heavenly bodies in their orbits, that the inhabitants of the earth, without exception, are dependent upon the solar system for the reckoning of time, the seasons, the night for rest and the day for labor. In the creation of the universe, we see perfect order functioning century after century, millennium after millennium.
Is all of this heavenly array of order, exactness, and beauty the result of “natural selection”? “Natural selection” is the explanation given by the theory of evolution for the existence of the universe, the earth, the plants, the animals, and for man. This theory can be likened to the law of the jungle – “the survival of the fittest.” In other words, only the strongest will survive. Evolution is a lie spawned and brought forth from the regions of hell to blind the eyes of many of God’s people as to God’s real purpose in creation. “Let this major premise be firmly established in the mind of every professing Christian: the object of all of earth’s activities is the creation of a divine family. With this premise in view, we are better able to cooperate with the work of the Holy Spirit, and thus assist the angels of the Lord in accomplishing the will of the Father.” His desire is to share His Divinity and Nature with other creatures who would become like Him. Even though this lie, evolution, is accepted in many of our schools and religious organizations, this does not mean that it is true or that it has triumphed over the Word of God. NEVER! Men also once believed the earth to be flat, but that did not make it to be so! Scientists may say that evolution is a fact, but the Word of God will be vindicated. It is rank foolishness and presumption for men to think or to teach that the order, the design, the pattern, the function, the law, and the life found in the universe do not presuppose divine planning and intelligence. Evolution does help to ease the consciences of people and blind them as to why they are here on this earth. Men and women have been duped into believing this lie. “Because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie” (II Thess. 2:10-12). The days just ahead will reveal who has stood on truth. Satan will use many devices and instruments to deceive and to blind men, and they will be most susceptible to these deceptions.
God created the heavens and the earth. The Scriptures are specific and very positive in their declaration that “all things” were created “by Jesus Christ” (Eph. 3:9). “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). “For thou hast created all things…for thy pleasure” (Rev. 4:11). “I have made the earth, and created man upon it” (Isa. 45:12). “He created it not in vain” (Isa. 45:18). “He formed it to be inhabited” (Isa. 45:18). The heavens and the earth testify to mankind of the creator God, “The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament sheweth His handywork…There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world” (Psalm 19:1-4). It is so foolish of men to try to explain away the purposes of the Mighty God in His creative power and might. “For this they willingly are ignorant of, that by the word of God the heavens were of old, and the earth standing out of the water and in the water…But the heavens and the earth, which are now, by the same word are kept in store, reserved unto fire against the day of judgment and perdition of ungodly men” (II Peter 3:5,7). Neither men nor devils shall ever thwart or change the purposes of God – these purposes shall be fulfilled.
The Lord made man from the dust of the earth (Gen. 2:7). He was placed in Eden – the Garden of God. This was a place of beauty, a place to be desired, a place where the law of God was supreme, a place without sin. Because of his transgression, Adam was driven from this sublime state of existence to a lower realm of life – the earth. Through his own deliberate choice against the known will of God, Adam disobeyed the commandment of the Lord. Adam lost his first estate, including his heavenly nature. At the time of his expulsion from the Garden of Eden he was given a nature that would be compatible to the earthly realm of his exile – a human nature. In this new sphere of being Adam found that his new nature was attracted by, and drawn into, many situations and conditions for which he had an affinity. He still retained his free moral agency and his knowledge of good and evil. As a moral being he was able to evaluate conditions and make a choice between that which was right and that which was wrong.
This is true of all who pass through this world. At birth each individual comes into this world a free moral agent. He possesses the knowledge of good and evil and the ability to discern between right and wrong. He becomes guilty before God, not because of Adam’s transgression, but because of his own disobedience to moral law. Moral law is law that is given to control and protect moral beings. It consists of rules of action that are best suited and in harmony with moral nature. Observance of these laws is beneficial to all who keep them. A disregard of moral law brings loss to the transgressor. The small child knows instinctively that he should not steal or lie. His conscience bears witness to this fact. The adult knows innately that to commit adultery is wrong, and that he should not kill or bear false witness. These are moral laws given to every individual at birth for his protection in “this present evil world.” They are also an expression of the great mercy of God to creatures who are in need. God is a moral being and, as such, He must protect His throne and His creatures by maintaining standards and insisting that all moral beings obey them.
To say that man is born without knowledge of moral law is to deny the Scriptures. The Word of God plainly states: “That was the true light which lighteth every man that cometh into the world” (John 1:9). “There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard” (Psalm 19:1-3). “For the invisible things of Him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and godhead; so that they are without excuse” (Rom. 1:20). “For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves: which shew the work of the law written in their hearts” (Rom. 2:14,15). “Nevertheless death reigned from Adam to Moses, even over them that had not sinned after the similitude of Adam’s transgression” (Rom. 5:14). “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” (Gen. 3:22,23). The above Scriptures attest to the truth that, innate within each individual that comes into the world, there is light, a comprehension of good and evil, a law that distinguishes between right and wrong – and the fact that the creature is responsible to God for his own acts and conduct.
We are told in I John 3:4 that “sin is the transgression of the law,” and in Romans 5:12 that “all have sinned.” This gives evidence that all men have a knowledge of law, in order to sin – “for where no law is, there is no transgression” (Rom. 4:15). This knowledge of moral law, and the transgression of it, makes all men guilty before God. Regardless of what men teach concerning the law – including those who teach that we are not under the law – the fact remains that each individual will be judged upon the merits of his own works. “The Son of man…shall reward every man according to his works” (Matt. 16:27). “Who will render to very man according to his deeds” (Rom. 2:6). “Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap” (Gal. 6:7,8). “For we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ; that every one may receive the things done in his body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad” (II Cor. 5:10). “And I saw the dead, small and great, stand before God…and the dead were judged out of those things which were written in the books, according to their works” (Rev. 20:12,13). Each person is responsible for his own actions, for his own transgressions.
This cosmos, which is also called “this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4), is characterized as a realm of lawlessness and independence. The glamour and aura of this age exert their illusory attractiveness and power over the inhabitants of the earth and encourage the expression of the self-life, the I, the ego, self-realization, self-achievement, and all that is sensual. Confusion is one of the main ingredients that makes up the conglomeration of earthly activities. It is in “this present evil world” that each one decides and chooses the kind of life he wishes to live. Some will live by high moral standards – they are honest, trustworthy; they have a fine character and, in all probability, they are very religious. Other individuals will live in the filth and scum of debauchery. Both classes have transgressed. The very fact that they have lived for themselves is proof of their sin. Both groups need the Saviour. It is in this inferior state that the flesh can exhibit itself and all of its putrid levels of existence. John wrote, “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” (I John 2:16). “This present evil world” belongs to the age associated with time. It is a temporal affair.
It is plain to see and understand that this world and human nature are quite in harmony. And yet in this realm, where darkness, sin, and rebellion hold sway, and where “the god of this world” (II Cor. 4:4) uses the power of the lie and subterfuge, and where “the carnal mind is enmity against God” (Rom. 8:7) – the Father has deigned to perform His work. “For the Lord shall rise up as in Mount Perazim, He shall be wroth as in the valley of Gibeon, that He may do His work, His strange work; and bring to pass His act, His strange act” (Isa. 28:21). What is this strange work and this strange act that the Lord will perform?
God’s strange act and strange work will be that which will close the mouths of the hypocrites and gainsayers. The workers of iniquity will stand speechless in the presence of His mighty work. The magnitude of God’s work in this end time will be so great and majestic that “every knee should bow, of things in heaven, and things in earth…and that every tongue should confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father” (Phil. 2:10,11). Understand, this great work of righteousness will not take place in those who are babes in Christ, or in those who are mere professors, or in those who have not let the Word of God dwell and abide in them to bring forth fruit.
“Whom shall He teach knowledge? And whom shall He make to understand doctrine?” (Isa. 28:9) Here are two very important questions. Many in this day would have us believe that knowledge and doctrine are not necessary. Oh yes, “they want to be called by His name to take away their reproach,” but they do nothing to lift the reproach that is upon the work of God and His name. Such are spiritual parasites. They will take of the good things of the Kingdom of God for their own selfish desires but fail to give anything that is profitable in return. “Whosoever transgresseth, and abideth not in the doctrine of Christ, hath not God…If there come any unto you, and bring not this doctrine, receive him not into your house, neither bid him God speed” (II John 9-11). Those “that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts” (Isa. 28:9) will God teach knowledge and doctrine. “For every one that useth milk is unskillful 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. 5:13,14). So strange will the acts and work of God be in these days that multitudes who profess to know Him will attribute the work of the Holy Spirit to the devil.
God’s strange work will consist of demonstrating in and through His Sons, before “principalities and powers” (Eph. 3:10), before angels, and before men, the power and work of His love in their hearts and lives and His ability to deliver them from “this present evil world” (Gal. 1:4). Rest assured, this deliverance will not be by the “Rapture,” but “according to the will of God and our Father” (Gal. 1:4). God’s thoughts are not our thoughts, neither are God’s ways our ways (Isa. 55:8). “The foolishness of God is wiser than men” (I Cor. 1:25). “God hath chosen the foolish things of the world to confound the wise” (I Cor. 1:27). FOOLISHNESS! Yes, God’s means of deliverance may seem so to men, and they certainly are antipathetic to “all that is in the world.” “For the preaching of the cross is to them that perish foolishness; but unto us which are saved it is the power of God” (I Cor. 1:18). “The preaching of the cross” – certainly to the carnal mind, the message of the cross of Calvary on which Jesus died is foolishness; but not so in the realms of darkness – this spirit realm knows that the shedding of the blood of Jesus completely destroyed the work and the power of the devil (I John 3:8)! Jesus taught that His servants also had a cross to bear – “and he that taketh not his cross, and followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Matt. 10:38). Bearing our cross will bring death to our carnal mind, the carnal nature, the carnal appetites. The Father has designed it to be so. To the carnal mind, that is “enmity against God,” it is not only “foolishness” – but suicidal – “to deny self,” “to lose your life for His sake,” “to make no provision for the morrow,” “to make no provision for the flesh,” “to forsake all,” “to be perfect, even as your Father in heaven is perfect,” “to love your enemies,” “to turn the other cheek,” and many other commandments.
Foolish? Moronic? Not to those who know the touch of Jesus and the power of His love in their lives. As they strive, labor, travail, contend, to measure up to His standards, they find a transforming work taking place in their lives. They find within themselves a peace the world cannot give, strength to meet and face every issue, the abiding presence of the Saviour, a knowledge and assurance in the stability and authority of the Word of God, and a great desire to please Him in all things. This is the work of the love of God in the heart of an individual who will surrender to Him. The allurement of “this present evil world” no longer exists.
So powerful is the love of God that His servants will come to the place where they will know exactly what it means to “love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind” (Luke 10:27). Then love will have completely triumphed over “this present evil world.”
TRUTH OR A LIE
Harry Miller
There is a theme that runs throughout the Bible, from the first book to the last – and that theme is the subject of law, and the necessity for obedience to it. God's first command was to the first man, Adam; His last commands are to all of us, telling what is required of every man in order that he might enter Paradise.
Many people have invented a severe God of the Old Testament, who is the God of law; and they have created another entirely different God of the New Testament: the God of license.
There are numerous effeminate, soft, sentimental religionists in this, our day; dreamers who have refused the plain commands of our Lord and have fashioned for themselves various systems of fantastic doctrines based upon what they are pleased to call “the grace of God.” Such “self-willed” individuals who are, actually, “servants of corruption,” promise great “liberty” in the faith they have disgraced. They “despise government” (law, commandments, control); and, like the “sow that was washed” (II Peter 2:22), they continue “wallowing in the mire.”
High moral standards and true depth of Christian character are not likely to be found among those who are ever seeking license to temper the rigid requirements of “the faith once delivered unto the saints.”
There is, also, a vast difference between sentimental infatuation and genuine love. Many sentimental people are incapable of true love. They so enjoy the selfish feelings of emotionalism that they can never acquire real love, for love is not a self-gratifying passion. Those who are devotees of self-gratification can never know that selfless devotion to God – which is the love of God.
God “so loved the world” that He had His own Son murdered in order to save the world (John 3:16). That was the greatest possible manifestation of true love; and it is also absolute proof that our Heavenly Father honors His law even above his own feelings.
“The law of the Lord is perfect”: it is the foundation of His throne; the most stable and eternal thing in the universe, and it is worthy of the utmost respect by any of His creatures.
The very first number in the book of “songs” (Psalms) is concerning the blessings bestowed upon the man whose “delight is in the law of the Lord; and in his law doth he meditate day and night.”
There must surely be some very diabolical reason why certain individuals actually hate the law of God.
QUESTIONS FROM A READER ON PLG WEBSITE
Hi,
My name is R. M. We are a biblical Sabbath church. I recently received a couple of your newsletters from a subscriber. I logged onto your website and read some of your information about your organization.
I would like to know how legalistically you observe the Sabbath, and what scripture clearly removes the requirement for Christians to observe and follow Mosaic Law, or what says we follow the new covenant. I’m just trying to be sure in what I’m allowed to do without sinning against the Law. I would appreciate a reply.
Thanks, R. M.
OUR REPLY
Hello R. M.
I am responding to your recent email regarding our views on Sabbath observance and other laws contained in the Old Testament. It’s good to hear from you, and I can give you my understanding of the law and what is to be observed today under the New Testament.
First of all, we do observe the seventh day Sabbath, and we observe the Feast of Passover but none of the other feasts.
Determining which laws are to be observe and which are no longer required is difficult in many respects because hardly anyone agrees perfectly. However, most agree that any law which relates to the temple worship such as washings, sacrifices, etc. are no longer required, since Jesus fulfilled all those things when He became the sacrificial Lamb. When we go to the other laws which were given by Moses, we find some very difficult decisions which must be made, UNLESS you do away with all the Mosaic law, then the problem is not so difficult, you only observe the laws given in the New Testament. Let us break this down so it is simply stated and we can come to an understanding of the various views which exist among Christians today.
Let’s begin with the most common view by most Protestants today, that being that all the laws of Moses have been done away and only those in the New Testament are required. Among this group, there are those who don’t believe in any law whatsoever, stating that we are not under the law and but under grace (Rom. 6:14). Those who teach this idea believe that if one attempts to observe the law, he is attempting to work his way to heaven. This is probably the most common teaching among Protestants. While this is probably the most common idea, there are those who believe, if one is truly saved and born again, he will desire to serve God and be obedient to God’s law, not because he has to in order to gain heaven, but because he is given a new heart and desires to please God. There are several variations of this view but these two are the most common.
The second group are those who believe that all the laws of Moses have been done away. But they believe the Ten Commandments are still in effect and must be obeyed. These are generally Sabbath keepers, although some Sunday keeping churches believe in the Ten Commandments, yet believe that God changed the Sabbath from the seventh day to the first. They hold this view primarily because they claim that Jesus rose from the dead on the first day of the week and, therefore, the first day is the “Lord’s day.” (This claim can easily be proven to be false and, even if Jesus did rise on the first day of the week, that in no way changes the fourth commandment.) Those who hold this view and observe the seventh day as the Sabbath teach that the Ten Commandments were not a part of the law of Moses. (This is pretty much our view.) We believe that, while Moses did include the Ten Commandments at times when he was presenting his laws, they were distinct and separate from the Mosaic laws. First, God had all the people of Israel gather at the foot of Mount Sinai and, as they stood there, God spoke out of the mount and gave the Ten Commandments. All the people heard the voice of God. This was God’s law, not Moses’. God then wrote those Ten Commandments with His own finger on tables of stone, which Moses then took down from the mountain and presented to the people. Those two tables were afterwards placed in the Ark of the Covenant, which was in the holy of holies when the tabernacle was completed. So the Ten Commandments are God’s eternal law and were not given by Moses. In Galatians, Paul wrote about certain laws which were given in the hand of a mediator (Gal. 3:19). That mediator was Moses. However, the Ten Commandments were given directly by God to the people and there was no mediator. That makes all the difference in the world when we consider which laws are to be observed and which are not.
Under the New Covenant, Christians are to observe the commands given us directly by God. Jesus was and is God, so all of His commandments we are accountable for. However, we must consider that many things Christians are required to do (or not do) are not directly spelled out. For instance: Jesus said, “whosoever shall smite thee on thy right cheek, turn to him the other also” (Matt. 5:39). Does this command literally mean in this scenario only? Of course not. It applies to any circumstance which arises where this principle needs to be applied. So, the one command could affect many similar situations where one is not smitten on the cheek, but something similar occurs. Consider the command which Jesus said was the greatest of all the commandments. “Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment.” He then adds to this the second great command saying, “And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets (Matt. 22:37-40).
These two commands contain the whole of the law that is to be observed by those who call themselves “Christian”. These two commandments contain a myriad of other requirements which arise every day in our lives, and who can list them all or number them? The Sermon on the Mount contained in Matthew chapters 5,6, & 7 can keep us busy and, if we live by those, we are safe.
Now there are those, who are generally termed, “legalists,” who believe that we must observe many of the laws of Moses which have to do with clean and unclean meats, not mixing certain cloths together, they are not to light a fire on the Sabbath, they are only allowed to travel a certain distance on the Sabbath, and men were unclean if they touched a dead body (this even refers to the body of an animal, such as the case of Sampson who slew the lion but did not go to be cleansed afterward), and on and on the list goes. Not one of those groups who believe and teach that Christians are to abide by the law of Moses fully observe everything Moses gave. According to what I have read, there are 613 Mosaic commandments. (If you would like to read them all, here is a link: http://www.gods-word-first.org/bible-study/613commandments.html) They pick and choose. Some just take a few very basic things while others get very deep into it, but no one observes all of those laws. For one thing, we don’t have priests as they did under the Old Testament. Jesus is our High Priest and He pleads our cause before the throne of the Father. We need no earthly priest. Read the book of Hebrews. Jesus is our High Priest; we are told that we are now allowed to go boldly before the throne of grace (Heb. 4:16). The blood of a lamb and the work of a carnal priesthood cannot cleanse our sinful hearts; it takes the blood of the only begotten Son of God whose blood alone is sufficient for cleansing man’s sinful heart. His blood is sufficient for all our needs. The laws of Moses were done away at the cross. “For the law made nothing perfect, but the bringing in of a better hope did; by the which we draw nigh unto God” (Heb 7:19).
This does not mean the Ten Commandments are done away. Let me quote from a man named Gail Eckard, who lived at the turn of the 20th century, in reference to the two great commandments referred to above. “The law of God still stands in glorified form. But the Lord hath so filled His people with a love for God and the love for man that only these two laws stand out before the People. For lo, the others are covered with that mighty love that moves and controls every child of God. But the duty of the law becometh a great pleasure and a delight through the love of Jesus Christ and this pleasure and delight is what men call ‘living under grace’. This is the way that the Lord hath told His people He would write His laws within their hearts. Lo, He hath written it with the finger of love. When the love of a man’s heart is actuated by the Spirit of Jesus Christ, he is so filled with love for his brother, that it is such a joy unto him to serve his brother that he realized no law in the affair at all.” Read this carefully and thoughtfully. Can it be summed up any better than that?
The great problem today in Christianity is that too many people who sit in the pews and pastors who stand in the pulpits do not experience this love of God which the Apostle Paul said “is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost” (Rom. 5:5).
To sum up what I have written and, hopefully, place the law in its proper place and grace, likewise, God’s law is written in every truly born again believer’s heart. A true Christian and disciple of God does not have to have a list of do’s and don’ts for him in order to walk with God; we know intuitively, or through the Holy Spirit. However, we cannot earn our way to heaven. We are granted salvation by faith in the perfect and finished work of Jesus Christ. We obey the commands because we love God and desire to please Him. We so appreciate what Jesus provided for us in salvation and deliverance from that path upon which we were walking, that we desire to please God. Notice how Jesus says it in John 14:23-24, “Jesus answered and said unto him, If a man love me, he will keep my words: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings.” The secret then is to allow God’s love to fill our hearts, and obedience to His law will be the automatic result. The more we love Jesus Christ, the more we will be obedient and keep His commandments.
This is a little long even though the answer is brief and simple. The fact that there are so many diversions from the simplicity that is in Christ makes it necessary to present other ideas and doctrines in order that we can see the truths within each idea and weed out the error, which error distorts the simple truth. I pray this will give you a few things to consider and pray about. Don’t accept anything just because someone says they have the truth, including me. Examine it in the light of scripture and then determine what the scriptures teach. If you desire to discuss this more or have questions regarding anything written, feel free to ask. May God bless you as you search through this topic.
The Editor