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People of The Living God |
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August 2026
WATCHMEN ON THE WALLS
WILL THERE BE A MILLENNIUM?
Randall Walton
The very nature of the question in the above title indicates a futuristic viewpoint regarding a millennium, and it also identifies those who teach a millennium as futurists, or as those who believe in a future period of 1,000 years during which the ancient promises to Israel and the Jew will be fulfilled. The hypotheses surrounding the futuristic millennium are many and varied so we shall not attempt to deal with them all.
The popularity of this doctrine is nearly unparalleled, exceeded possibly only by the secret-catching-away myth; and the fame of these doctrines lies not on their Scriptural authenticity, but upon their fleshly, earthly, carnal appeal. It matters not to the futurist whether he has an unshakeable foundation of “Thus saith the Lord,” but rather he finds great pleasure in attempting to force the Scriptures to mean what he wants them to say. So-called “prophecy” is one of the most overworked clichés of the day.
Scriptural Honesty
Every student of the Word who possesses an honest heart must admit that there is but one and only one source in the entire Bible which gives one iota of credence to the futuristic view of 1,000 years. Not one of the Old Testament prophecies which are so forcefully heralded about the future age mentions a time of 1,000 years – no, not ONE! The famous “the desert shall blossom like a rose,” and “the lion shall lie down with the lamb,” etc., etc., do not even vaguely suggest that those conditions will exist in a future setting known as a millennium, or 1,000 years. Those passages have been lifted out of their original contexts by certain “doctors of divinity,” and have been transplanted into a futuristic utopian age of earthly and carnal splendor thats nowhere to be found in the Holy Scriptures.
It is absolutely astounding to hear these great Bible expositors “explain” how Zechariah 14 portrays the future Messianic kingdom of God on earth for one thousand years! The words one thousand years nowhere appear in the book of Zechariah, and yet we are encouraged to believe that the man of God was relating incidents that should take place in the millennium. The whole idea is based upon presumption, assumptions, and speculation.
The Cart Before The Horse
The millennial mirage has its roots in Revelation 20, a highly symbolic chapter in a highly symbolic Book, a very poor resource in which to establish a major doctrine. Once the idea of a future materialistic kingdom became formulated in men’s minds, the next step was to make all other “prophetic” utterances fit into the overall plan. The result of this method is that the plain, non-symbolic Scriptures have been brutally mutilated, torn apart, interpolated, removed from their proper setting, and made to mean the opposite of that which they state. If the same means were used in civil courts of law to determine actual fact, such tactics would be considered criminal.
The only safe way to approach the Word of the Lord is to go FIRST to the plain, non-symbolic portions of Scripture and analyze the contents word by word so as to arrive at a clear understanding of what is being stated. This makes for a solid foundation. It is foolish to wade into the deep waters of symbolic and allegorical writings and expect to come to a place of truth and verity. But this is exactly what men have done with the twentieth chapter of Revelation. Laying aside the plain words of Jesus Christ and the apostles, they have plunged headlong into the quagmire of dark speech and have built for themselves a foundation of mud and mire.
The Book Is Consistent
Inconsistency is the mark of the futurists. For example, Revelation 20 tells about an angel who has a great chain in his hand, as well as a key to the bottomless pit (or a pit without a bottom). The angel then laid hold on a dragon, bound him with the chain, cast him into the pit without a bottom, shut him up, set a seal upon him, and saw to it that the dragon would remain there for 1,000 years.
I have never read of nor heard of a commentator anywhere who believed that the above scene was 100% literal. The dragon, the key, the chain, the pit and the seal are universally conceded to be symbolic, i.e., they represent something other than what is stated. But then, with profound inconsistency, they all with one accord agree that the 1,000 years is a literal, actual time period of no less than 1,000 earth years and is not symbolic! Such incongruity is difficult to comprehend.
But then, in an effort to justify their daring inconsistency, they bull-doze their way through the rest of the Book, trying to make it conform to their previous erroneous conclusions.
For the sake of truth and consistency, let us accept the term “a thousand years” as just as much of a symbol as the key, the chain, the dragon, and the pit. And when you have thus admitted that “a thousand years” is symbolic, or that it represents something other than a literal 1,000 years, the mythical millennium becomes just that: a myth! Thus, the entire issue rests upon the question of whether “a thousand years” in Revelation 20:2 and 3 is symbolic or literal. We claim it is symbolic or figurative. Futurists say it is literal.
Since there does not exist one other verse in the entire Bible to substantiate the idea of a literal 1,000 years, and since “in the mouth of two or three witnesses” every word is to be established, we firmly state that the idea of a future millennium of peace and tranquility on this earth exists only in the imagination of those who refuse to adhere to the plain words of Jesus Christ and the apostles!
The Seven Thousand Years Theory
Most millennialists attempt to make an analogy of the seven-day week and a seven thousand years’ history of mankind on earth. The “reasoning” goes something like this: God worked six days and rested the seventh. Therefore, mankind will have 6,000 years to do his own thing, and the seventh 1,000 years will be the glorious millennium when Jesus will rule over His enemies and His saints will rule with Him.
The basis for this reasoning comes from the necessity to uphold the literal interpretation of Revelation 20, and it gets its impetus from II Peter 3:8 where the great apostle states that “one day is with the Lord as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day.” But notice, he did not say one day is equal to a thousand years, nor a thousand years is equal to one day. The context in which this verse is couched is concerning the coming of Jesus Christ to earth again. Peter lets us know that time, as we count time, is irrelevant to the Lord. His method of tracking time is totally different from ours.
No way is he promoting the idea that you can exactly equate one day with one thousand literal years. Those who draw such conclusions should read the chapter over more carefully. Peter berates those who scoff at the belief that the coming of Jesus is close at hand, and who say, “where is the promise of his coming? For since the fathers fell asleep, all things continue as they were from the beginning of the creation.” Simple respect for the word of God demands that we keep these verses within their intended meaning and not distort them to fit a preconceived notion about an imaginary time period of one thousand years. Such misuse and abuse of the Scriptures is most dangerous.
Efforts have been made to place the Old Testament era into exactly 4,000 years and the New Testament period to cover 2,000 years, thus, hopefully, establishing their theory as bona fide. But if the time periods missed their calculations by five years in either direction, that would not be enough accuracy to substantiate their speculation. It must be precise, or not at all.
The sad fact is that futurists have grabbed for any kind of straw to support their unfounded theory at the awful expense of truth. If only people were content to found themselves upon the plain words of Jesus and His apostles, the current confusion would not exist.
The Kingdom And The Present Age
All prophecy, from Genesis to Malachi, pointed to the advent of the Messiah as the beginning of a time of great blessedness for all nations which was to continue to the very end of time:
Jacob prophesied the coming of Shiloh, the Messiah, unto whom the gathering of the people would be (Gen. 49:10).
David wrote a wonderful account of the Messiah and His rule and reign in Psalm 72: “In his days shall the righteous flourish, and abundance of peace so long as the moon endureth. He shall also have dominion from sea to sea and from the river to the ends of the earth. They that dwell in the wilderness shall bow before him, and his enemies shall lick the dust” (verses 7-9).
Isaiah also speaks of the coming of the Messiah as the one glorious era to be looked for when God would save men and open the eyes of the blind, and cause the wilderness to break into singing. Isaiah and the other prophets spoke of the Messianic age as one of blessedness for all people. It is during this time that the “wolf shall dwell with the lamb” (Isa. 11:6), a condition which signifies the conversion of a person with a “wolf nature.” “If any man be in Christ Jesus, he is a new creature” (II Cor. 5:17).
Many times the Scriptures liken people unto animals: Jesus referred to Herod as a fox (Luke 13:32). Judah is called a lion’s whelp (Gen. 49:9). False prophets are known as wolves (Matt. 7:15). Jesus is called the Lamb of God (John 1:29). Rebellious people are termed “brute beasts” (Jude 10). Jesus also referred to some people as dogs (Matt. 15:26). And Paul warned the saints at Philippi to “Beware of dogs” (Phil. 3:2).
The blessings of this era are due only to the fact that the Messiah has come and has fulfilled His mission and ministry: “Yea, and all the prophets from Samuel and those that follow after, as many as have spoken, have likewise foretold of these days. Ye are the children of the prophets, and of the covenant which God made with our fathers, saying unto Abraham, “And in thy seed shall all the kindreds of the earth be blessed. Unto you first God, having raised up his Son, Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities” (Acts 3:24-26).
Bro. Paul seconded this statement by saying, “Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ” (Eph. 1:13).
He Reigns Now
When Jesus opened His ministry, He declared, “The time is fulfilled, and the kingdom of God is at hand; repent ye, and believe the gospel” (Matt. 1:14,15).
The good news, then, concerned the availability and accessibility of the Kingdom of God. Repentance was a necessary means of attaining the blessedness of the Kingdom, but it was (and is) available to those who would meet the initial requirements to repent and believe.
Jesus further affirmed that His first advent marked the glorious beginning of a time of blessing and fulfillment of prophecy: “Blessed are the eyes which see the things which ye see; for I tell you that many prophets and kings have desired to see those things which ye see, and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.” And He demonstrated His supernatural ability to reign over His enemies throughout His 3½ years of ministry. “He went about doing good and healing all that were oppressed of the devil” (Acts 10:38).
Furthermore, Peter affirmed that the resurrection of Jesus was equated with His sitting upon the throne of David (Acts 2:30-34), a spiritual fact which is denied by those who look for the restoration of the physical kingdom of David. When He ascended upon high, the Father “set him at his own right hand in heavenly places, FAR ABOVE ALL PRINCIPALITY, and POWER, and MIGHT, and DOMINION, and every name that is named, not only in this world (age), but also in that which is to come, and HATH PUT ALL THINGS UNDER HIS FEET, and gave him to be the head over all things to the church…” (Eph. 1:20-22).
So Jesus reigns in the earth and in the church, and the church reigns with Him, or as Paul said, “in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37). After His ascension, the disciples “went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them and confirming the Word with signs following” (Mark 16:20). A new kingdom with a new form of government had been inaugurated and set up, not a political nor a material kingdom, but a spiritual one which, of course, is far superior to any material kingdom.
It is a kingdom which knows no bounds nor limits, and it offers perfect peace, universally, to all who come under its domain. “Righteousness, peace, and joy in the Holy Spirit” are but some of the blessings afforded in this heavenly kingdom (Rom. 14:17), and these blessings are available NOW, not in some far-off distant, future, imaginary utopia.
He “has made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reign on the earth” (Rev. 5:10). This is also a NOW condition: we now, presently, live and reign with Jesus Christ on the earth, and we triumph over our enemies and the sins of the flesh. This is the “day of salvation,” the day for the overcomers to overcome every human weakness and to glorify the Lord with their lives and their testimony. Pay close attention to the following verses:
“thanks be unto God, which always causeth us to triumph in Christ and maketh manifest the savor of his knowledge by us in every place” (II Cor. 2:14).
“thanks be to God, which giveth us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ” (I Cor. 15:57).
“Whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world; and this is the victory that overcometh the world, even our faith” (I John 5:4).
“The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds, casting down imaginations and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing into captivity every thought to the obedience of Christ” (II Cor. 10:4).
“The Spirit itself beareth witness with our spirit, that we are the children of God: And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ…” (Rom. 8:16,17).
It is plainly evident from the above as well as other Scriptures that the church is now in the kingdom age and is enjoying all of the blessings and the benefits of the kingdom. Nowhere in Scriptures are we told that there will ever be a visible, earthly, material, physical kingdom of God. Revelation 20 says nothing about a visible return of Jesus to this earth to rule in a visible kingdom. In fact, Jesus emphatically rejected the idea of a visible kingdom:
“The kingdom of God cometh not with observation (visibly), neither shall they say, Lo, here! Or, Lo, there! For, behold the kingdom of God is within you “ (Luke 17:20).
“My kingdom is not of this world” (John 18:36).
“When Jesus therefore perceived that they would come and take him by force to make him a king, he departed again into a mountain, himself alone” (John 6:15).
The expectation of a visible, material kingdom of God on this earth is a carnal, earthly idea contrary to all the plain teachings of Jesus and the apostles. Jesus Christ and His church reign now, and the rule of the kingdom of God is evident in the lives of the true church citizens. “The sceptre of His kingdom, is a sceptre of righteousness” (Heb. 1:8), a condition which is made manifest in the hearts of those who have been translated into the kingdom of God’s dear Son (Col. 1:13).
Scriptures Fulfilled
Every one of the major points of Revelation 20:1-6 can be shown to have been either fulfilled or in the process of being fulfilled. (We’ll explain this later.) We will make a list of these points with sufficient Scriptural references to certify this claim.
The Binding of Satan:
Gen. 3:15: “And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between
Thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.” Luke 13:32: “And he said unto them, Go ye, and tell that fox, Behold I cast out devils, and I do cures to day and to morrow, and the third day I shall be perfected.” Mark 1:34: “And he healed many that were sick of divers diseases, and cast out many devils; and suffered not the devils to speak, because they knew him. John 16:11: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” John 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” Matt. 12:28,29: “But if I cast out devils by the Spirit of God, then the kingdom of God is come unto you. Or else how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and spoil his goods, except he first bind the strong man? And then he will spoil his house.” Luke 11:20,21,22 “But if I with the finger of God cast out devils, no doubt the kingdom of God is come upon you. When a strong man armed keepeth his palace, his goods are in peace: But when a stronger than he shall come upon him, and overcome him, he taketh from him all his armour wherein he trusted, and divideth his spoils.” Heb. 2:14,15: “Forasmuch then as the children are partakers of flesh and blood, he also himself likewise took part of the same; that through death he might destroy him that had the power of death, that is, the devil; And deliver them who through fear of death were all their lifetime subject to bondage.” I John 3:8: “He that committeth sin is of the devil; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil.” Col. 2:15: “And having spoiled principalities and powers, he made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them in it.” Matt. 10:1: “And when he had called unto him his twelve disciples, he gave them power against unclean spirits, to cast them out, and to heal all manner of sickness and all manner of disease.” Col. 1:13: “Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of his dear Son:” Luke 10:17-19: “And the seventy returned again with joy, saying, Lord, even the devils are subject unto us through thy name. And he said unto them, I beheld Satan as lightning fall from heaven. Behold I give unto you power to tread on serpents and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy: and nothing shall by any means hurt you.” Matt. 28:18: “And Jesus came and spake unto them, saying, All power is given unto me in heaven and in earth.”
The Thrones of Judgment:
I John 4:1: “Beloved, believe not every spirit, but try the spirits whether they
are of God: because many false prophets are gone out into the world.” Matt. 18:17-19: “And if he shall neglect to hear them, tell it unto the church: but if he neglect to hear the church, let him be unto thee as an heathen man and a publican. Verily I say unto you, Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven. Again I say unto you, That if two of you shall agree on earth as touching any thing that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of my Father which is in heaven.” John 20:23: “Whose soever sins ye remit, they are remitted unto them; and whose soever sins ye retain, they are retained.” I Cor. 14:24: “But if all prophesy, and there come in one that believeth not, or one unlearned, he is convinced of all, he is judged of all:” Matt. 7:15-16: “Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Acts 5:1-11: “Then Peter said unto her, How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of the Lord? behold, the feet of them which have buried thy husband are at the door, and shall carry thee out.” I Cor. 5:11-13: “But now I have written unto you not to keep company, if any man that is called a brother be a fornicator, or covetous, or an idolater, or a railer, or a drunkard, or an extortioner; with such an one no not to eat. For what have I to do to judge them also that are without? Do not ye judge them that are within? But them that are without God judgeth. Therefore put away from among yourselves that wicked person.” Eph. 5:11: “And have no fellowship with the unfruitful works of darkness, but rather reprove them.” I Cor. 6:2,3: “Do ye not know that the saints shall judge the world? and if the world shall be judged by you, are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters? Know ye not that we shall judge angels? How much more things that pertain to this life?” I Cor. 5:3-5 “For I verily, as absent in body, but present in spirit, have judged already, as though I were present, concerning him that hath so done this deed, In the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, when ye are gathered together, and my spirit, with the power of our Lord Jesus Christ, To deliver such an one unto Satan for the destruction of the flesh, that the spirit may be saved in the day of the Lord Jesus.” I Tim. 1:20: “Of whom is Hymenaeus and Alexander; whom I have delivered unto Satan, that they may learn not to blaspheme.” Acts 13:10-12: “And said, O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord? And now, behold, the hand of The Lord is upon thee, and thou shalt be blind, not seeing the sun for a season. And immediately there fell on him a mist and a darkness; and he went about seeking some to lead him by the hand. Then the deputy, when he saw what was done, believed, being astonished at the doctrine of the Lord.” Acts 16:18: “And this did she many days. But Paul, being grieved, turned and said to the spirit, I command thee in the name of Jesus Christ to come out of her. And he came out the same hour.”
The Reign of Christ and His Saints:
Already covered under “He Reigns Now.”
The First Resurrection:
John 5:24,25: “Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that sent me, hath everlasting life, and shall not come into condemnation; but is passed from death unto life. Verily, Verily, I say unto you, The hour is coming, and now is, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God: and they that hear shall live.” Eph. 2:1,2: “And you hath he quickened, who were dead in trespasses and sins; 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:” Col. 3:1: “If ye then be risen with Christ, seek those things which are above, where Christ sitteth on the right hand of God.” Col. 2:12: “Buried with him in baptism, wherein also ye are risen with him through the faith of the operation of God, who hath raised him from the dead.” It is plain to see through these verses that every person who comes to Jesus Christ and receives eternal life has taken part in a “spiritual resurrection.” This has not only been fulfilled, it is still being fulfilled, or as Jesus stated in John 5:25, “The hour is coming, AND NOW IS, when the dead shall hear the voice of the Son of God, and they that hear shall live.” Every sinner who is saved by grace has been resurrected from a state of spiritual death to a state of spiritual life. Of these, it is stated that they are: 1. Blessed; 2. Holy; 3. The second death has no power over them; 4. They are priests of God; 5. They live and reign with Christ.
All five of these prerogatives belong to the people of God now. They are a part of their inheritance, even though most are unaware of this tremendous truth because of the depth of error that as dominated the religious scene for centuries. But God wants His people to believe and to accept these bountiful and glorious truths so that they may truly become “the light of the world: a city set on a hill which can not be hidden.”
May the good Lord anoint your eyes with eye salve that your understanding “may be enlightened: that you may know what is the hope of his calling, and what the riches of the glory of his inheritance in the saints, and what is the exceeding greatness of his power to usward who believe…” (Eph. 1:18,19).
THE SABBATH OF GOD
George A. Main
There is no one subject in the entire Scriptures, probably, so highly exalted as the Will and the Law of God; generally known as the Ten Commandments. All of these Commandments are being continually disregarded and disobeyed. Only one of them, however, is widely repudiated the world over – the one which enjoins the observance of the specific Seventh day of the week.
The statement (Exodus 20:10) that, “The Seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord,” is in itself in no sense a command. It is, instead, an affirmation of fact. If anyone conceives it to be an incorrect statement, then it is that one's duty to prove its error. Until disproven, however, it should be regarded as true – for we are repeatedly assured in Scripture that God is unchangeable.
In the 11th chapter of Genesis it is recorded that the whole world was of one language and one speech until its confusion by divine order therein mentioned. From secular history we learn that as early as 3,800 years before Christ, hundreds of years before the confusion of the then one language, the word used for the Seventh day of the week was sa-ba-tu, meaning Sabbath or Rest Day – the same day that is recorded in Genesis 2:3 as having been “in the beginning” divinely blessed and hallowed. These facts prove beyond all doubt that the Seventh day was at first and, therefore, must still be, “The Sabbath of God,” and that it was originally given, not to one race of people as some affirm, but to all mankind.
That there was, and still is, a confusion of the languages, must be obvious to anyone who tries to converse in an unfamiliar tongue. It is not so generally known, however, that while most of the words in the different languages are so different that few would recognize any similarity, the words for the Seventh day of the week in most of the world's leading languages (in over 100 of them), not only mean “Sabbath,” or Rest Day, but are so near like the original sa-ba-tu as to suggest that the Creator had miraculously retained for the Seventh day of the week in most of the leading languages, after the confusion of tongues, words so nearly alike that these words would be at once recognized as referring to His Sabbath, no matter where one might be; Spanish, Sabado; Italian, Sabbato; Russian, Subbota; etc. It should also be especially noted that in none of the world's leading languages is the word “Sabbath” used to designate any other day of the week than the Seventh.
The importance of the Law of God, and consequently of its Sabbath, in the mind of Christ, is clearly illustrated by His responses to the question as to how one could attain eternal life. His reply was, “Keep the Commandments:” and one of these commandments requires rest on the Seventh day, and work on all of the other six, both of which were ideally exemplified in His own life.
Those who desire to know the attitude of the Apostles towards observance of the Sabbath of God can best determine it by studying those passages, the meanings of which are unmistakable, rather than by referring to those of questionable interpretation. We are, for example, often told that we are free to disobey the Sabbath Commandment because Paul plainly taught that we are no longer under the law but under grace, regardless of the fact that nullification of the law of God would permit violation of all Ten of the Commandments, not merely the Sabbath Commandment, and regardless of the fact that Paul, in the very next verse thereafter, makes it clear that being under grace does not make right the disobedience to any of the Commandments.
Neither the customs of the time, nor the teachings of Christ or the Apostles, nor any other portion of Scripture, furnish any ground for rejection of the Sabbath, or for Sunday-observance. In fact, if a vote were taken of all believers in the One God, as to which day of the week the BIBLE teaches should be observed, the large majority would vote for the Seventh day. Few, indeed, these days try to defend Sunday observance from the Bible, but rely mainly on the erroneous assumption that the entire law of God has been done away, or that it makes no difference which day we keep.
Actually, Sunday observance did not enter the Christian Church until the fourth century after Christ. Christ's admonition to His followers, that they should pray that their forced flight many years later should not come on the Sabbath, proves that Christ was well aware that there was to be no change in the Sabbath of the changeless God.
Of special significance is the fact that the portion of the early Christians who were known as “Nazarenes” after their founder, Christ the Nazarene, were mercilessly persecuted because of their Sabbath observance. Since the Sabbath-observing Paul had already become known (Acts 24:5) as a member of that group, it is obvious that the Sabbath of God, observed throughout the entire Biblical era, was carried on into the customs of the early Church.
Further proof that the early Church was a Sabbath-observing one is to be found in the records of the Church Historian, Socrates. (Editor's Note: The Socrates referred to here is a church historian who lived in the fifth century, A.D. He should not be confused with the great Athenian philosopher, Socrates, who lived about 400-470 years before Christ.) He records that as late as the close of the fourth century after Christ, the whole known world, with the exception only of the cities of Rome and Alexandria, observed the Seventh day – ample verification of other historical records which reveal that Sunday-observance had no connection whatever with any teaching, custom, or event of Scripture.
Thus, we have briefly traced the observance of the Seventh-day Sabbath from the very beginnings of human history, back to as early as 3,800 years before Christ, and find no Biblical grounds for desecrating the Seventh-day Sabbath of God, or for the observance of any other weekly rest day.
THE ALTERNATIVE
Curtis Dickinson
When one looks down the long road of history, he sees it strewn with the vanquished kingdoms, the frustrated emperors who perished in humiliation and misery after a brief heyday of glory and power, the bloodied fields of battle where the youth were sacrificed for the greed of leaders who waved the flag and spouted clichés of freedom and patriotism, of the broken lives of those who gained pleasure at the price of virtue and traded character for success. This grief-laden road can be traced all the way back to Adam, and it looks the same today. Into this world of failed efforts, broken hearts, and wasted lives came Jesus of Nazareth, and He came to offer an alternative.
The message of Jesus began with the word, “repent” (Matt. 4:17). This means not merely to be sorry for sin, but to change one’s mind. It requires a transformed mind, a transformed way of viewing things, and a transformed way of behaving. To become a Christian is to turn “from darkness to light and from the power of Satan to God” (Acts 26:18). Paul’s words are, “Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind” (Rom. 12:2).
If there is anything that Jesus made clear in His preaching for three and a half years, it is this: there can be no compromise, no blending of good and evil; that in life’s journey there are only two roads, and they lead in opposite directions and to opposite destinations. The broad way leads to destruction, while the way to life is narrow. There are two masters: God and Mammon, and one cannot serve both. One either seeks to save his life and ultimately loses it, or he willingly loses it in Christ’s service and finally gains it for eternity.
With Jesus, there was never a moment of compromise with the travelers on the great broad road, so well traveled by the multitude, including the rich, the powerful and influential, and the highly esteemed and worldly famous. He deliberately made His choice with the common people, the people with no power, no wealth, and nothing to commend them to the world. In fact, He made Himself of “no reputation,” so much so that He was despised and rejected and finally murdered in the most cruel and disgusting manner possible.
Why is it that the more passionate one becomes in his Christian faith, the less he is impressed by the dignitaries of his denomination? The fact is that the closer one follows Jesus, the more he is able to see the world the way Jesus saw it. Jesus was derided by all the minions of the all-powerful Roman state. Had He been acceptable to them, and had He been held in favor by the likes of Pilate and Herod or the corrupt High Priest, He would never have been crucified, would not have served the purpose of The Father, and we would be without a savior.
How is it that the one perfect man who preached and practiced love was so despised and vilified and shamefully treated? Was He not as wise as modern religious VIPs who are celebrated in the press and entertained by heads of state? It was because in His wisdom He spoke the truth, and truth is always unwelcome to evil. In His wisdom Jesus saw the true condition of people and exposed their sins to the light of God’s purity and purpose.
The church is continually sidetracked by the illusion of building a better world rather than delivering people from “this present evil world” as Jesus did (Gal. 1:4). Rather than challenging Caesar with the alternative Jesus offered, modern churches seek to erase any line of distinction between God and Caesar. Then there are the inane proposals by some ministers that there is some kind of agreement possible between Christ and Mohammed. The goal of many is to create an environment without any obstacles to overcome, with no foes to threaten, and no persecution to fear. As Malcolm Muggeridge put it, “In a materialistic society, pleasure alone is sacred, and its instruments (money, contraceptives, drugs, etc.) are invested with sanctity and regarded with veneration…”
How unlike the Master, whose disciples we are. When we read the four Gospels, it is like reading of One whose life was one great struggle against the world. His every teaching was contrary to the popular mindset, and His every action was contested or criticized by those who set the social standards in His day. He made no effort to make the world safe for Christianity, but warned that the walk of faith would always incite the world’s hatred.
Jesus challenged young people to take up the cross, deny self, to leave the comfortable lifestyle, to give up the fun and games, and to exercise self-control over the body and its lusts in order to seek first the kingdom of God and His righteousness. But the modern church is afraid to challenge the youth, and instead, competes with the secular world to offer them the same fun and games, only baptized in religion.
Many churches have tried selling Christianity as a formula for success and affluence. “Name-it-and-claim-it” promises of health and wealth were never part of the gospel, but rather the practice of pagan religions that believe they can manipulate their gods, something far from the teaching of Christ. Still, such churches continue to grow. In too many instances, were it not for the cross as a symbol, and the garb worn by the clergy, one would never guess that the assembly had anything to do with following Jesus Christ, either in faith or in practice.
The early Christians, including those who had been taught by the apostles themselves, had a different attitude. The world sees affliction as a curse; the saint sees it as a stepping-stone to purity of heart and character. To those on the broad road affliction is an obstacle to pleasure and success; to the saint it is the way to know Christ, the power of His resurrection, and the fellowship of His suffering that they may attain their own resurrection (Phil. 3:8-11).
In the early years, from Nero to Diocletian, confessing faith in Jesus as the Christ was a statement that labeled a person as one who stood outside of and opposed to the accepted customs and traditions of the society in which he lived and moved every day. For taking this stand, Christians were imprisoned, beaten, disemboweled, torn apart by wild beasts, and maltreated in every possible way. Such ill treatment caused their faith to stand out as a challenge to the world, saying, “The way of Christ is the only way to life and reality. It is worth whatever price it costs. Come see the joy we possess in giving our lives to God who has granted us mercy and pardon through Jesus His Son.”
The blessings of life in fellowship with the Father and His Son are still the same, and so is the price tag.
In the past five or six decades, there has been a strong “church growth” movement that encourages churches to go with the culture, to reach out to the lost sinner by offering him just what he has been seeking from the gods of this world. As a result, a good church program caters to people’s “felt needs,” and sermons address issues of addiction, physical fitness, marital problems, and money management. The person and work of Jesus is shoved to the background. It is no wonder that in the United States millions who profess Christ are materially rich, but spiritually impoverished.
In contrast to this popular format, Jesus challenges us to lose life for His sake and the gospels, and in return receive peace that passes understanding, a purpose that transcends all other ambitions, and finally, eternal life in the new creation.
The difference between God and Caesar is crystal clear to anyone who takes Jesus and His teaching seriously. And when one views the world in the light of what is revealed about God, His purity, His holiness, and His purpose, he would rather be despised by the world than be embraced by it.
The long road of history finally comes down to our time, with our fantastic technology, superior military power, riches undreamed of by generations past, and still the battlefields of blood, the prisons overcrowded, and lives broken by sin.
Jesus gives us the alternative to this present dying society. There is no other help but Him. On His last night, before the authorities were to demonstrate secular justice by torturing Him to death, He told His disciples, “In the world you have tribulation; but be of good cheer; I have overcome the world” (John 16:33). Pilate, Herod, Caiaphas, and the religious hierarchy that demanded His death are all gone in defeat and shame. But Jesus is alive, in power and great glory.
He overcame by sticking to the Father’s purpose in complete obedience to Him. This is the alternative to chaos and destruction. His promise still stands: “He that overcomes I will give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the Paradise of God” (Rev. 2:7).
NO SUBSTITUTES ACCEPTED?
A.W. Tozer
Have you noticed how much praying for revival has been going on of late – and how little revival has resulted?
Considering the volume of prayer that is ascending these days, rivers of revival should be flowing in blessing throughout the land. That no such results are in evidence should not discourage us; rather it should stir us to find out why our prayers are not answered.
Everything has its proper cause – in the kingdom of God as well as in the natural world. The reason for God's obvious refusal to send revival may lie deep, but surely not too deep to discover. We need only be realistic and honest as we confront the undeniable fact.
I believe our problem is that we have been trying to substitute praying for obeying; and it simply will not work.
A church, for instance, follows its traditions without much thought about whether they are scriptural or not. Or it surrenders to pressure from public opinion and falls in with popular trends which carry it far from the New Testament pattern. Then the leaders notice a lack of spiritual power among the people and become concerned about it. What to do? How can they achieve that revitalization of spirit they need so badly? How can they bring down refreshing showers to quicken their fainting souls?
The answer is all ready for them. The books tell them how – pray! The passing evangelist confirms what the books have said – pray! The word is echoed back and forth, growing in volume until it becomes a roar – pray! So the pastor calls his people to prayer. Days and nights are spent begging God to be merciful and send revival upon His people. The tide of feeling runs high and it looks for a while as if the revival might be on the way. But nothing happens, and the zeal for prayer begins to flag. Before long, the church is back where it was before and a numb discouragement settles over everyone. What has gone wrong?
Simply this: Neither the leaders nor the people have made any effort to obey the Word of God. They felt that their only weakness was failure to pray, when actually in a score of ways they were falling short in the vital matter of obedience. “To obey is better than sacrifice.” Prayer is never an acceptable substitute for obedience. The sovereign Lord accepts no offering from His creatures that is not accompanied by obedience. To pray for revival while ignoring or actually flouting the plain precept laid down in the Scriptures is to waste a lot of words.
It has been quite overlooked in recent times that the faith of Christ is an absolute arbiter. It preempts the whole redeemed personality and seizes upon the individual to the exclusion of all other claims. Or, more accurately, it makes every legitimate claim on the Christian's life conditional and without hesitation decides the place each claim shall have in the total scheme. The act of committal to Christ in salvation releases the believing man from the penalty of sin, but it does not release him from the obligation to obey the words of Christ. Rather, it brings him under the joyous necessity to obey.
Look at the epistles of the New Testament and notice how largely they are given over to what is erroneously called “hortatory” matter. By dividing the epistles into “doctrinal” and “hortatory” passages we have relieved ourselves of any necessity to obey. The doctrinal passages require from us nothing except that we believe them. The so-called hortatory passages are harmless enough, for the very word by which they are described declares them to be words of advice and encouragement rather than commandments to be obeyed. This is a palpable error. There is no advice in the New Testament except three passages in the seventh chapter of Paul's first epistle to the Corinthians – and these are specifically marked as not bearing the credentials of divine inspiration (verses 6, 12, 25)
Apart from these, the “exhortations” in the epistles are to be understood as apostolic injunctions carrying the weight of mandatory charges from the Head of the Church. They are intended to be obeyed, not weighed as bits of good advice which we are at liberty to accept or reject as we will.
If we would have God's blessing upon us we must begin to obey. Prayer will become effective when we stop using it as a substitute for obedience. God will not accept praying in lieu of obeying. We only deceive ourselves when we try to make the substitution.
The Alliance Weekly
THE PRESENCE OF THE LIVING GOD
Curtis Dickinson
“If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 3:23).
This is an amazing promise, repeated in the gospels and in the New Testament letters, and yet generally either neglected or never fully believed by a great number of Christians. It is a fact that greatly needs to be realized by every believer today.
It would be hard to exaggerate the seriousness of problems bedeviling the world right now. Global terrorism, corrupt leaders, international conspirators, corporate criminals, and a media controlled by anti-Christian powers all add to the prevailing fog of multiculturalism and general unbelief. The result is a depressing weight of despair and apathy that has seeped into the lives of many Christians, eroding their joy and confidence.
What is needed is the childlike faith in Christ’s promise, that God is with us and that His Spirit is in us to give us the strength to stand against all the evils of the day, and not only to stand but to do so with joy and peace in our hearts.
This is no more than we should expect, given the character of God and His desire and purpose. First, He created man in His own image, and up until Adam and Eve rebelled, God not only provided all their needs but also was in fellowship with them in the Garden of Eden, showing His desire to be close to His highest creation.
Second, He gave His only begotten Son to lift man from the shameful and destructive state of sin. Jesus demonstrated what it is to live in perfect harmony with God, saying “I am not alone, because the Father is with me” (John 16:32). He revealed God’s intense love for people, with loving concern for the lowliest, with mercy on the worst, and healing all who sought His help. Then He died to atone for sin that we might escape righteous judgment and have life and immortality in fellowship with God forever.
All of this is generally recognized and believed by the church. But what is not so well recognized and believed is the promise that God even now abides with each believer, as promised by Jesus: “If a man love me, he will keep my word: and my Father will love him, and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him” (John 14:23). God was no longer to be seen as an external all-powerful sovereign. It is not uncommon for people, even unbelievers, to recognize that God is all-powerful. Christians sing and talk about God’s great power. But what is not so readily believed is that He actually operates in their own lives, not as an external authority but as the One who lives (abides) in them, supplying moral strength and transforming their minds. What Jesus revealed is that God works within us, empowering us to be what He wants us to be. Paul put it this way: “It is God who works in you both to will and to work, for his good pleasure” (Phil. 2:13).
This is the mystery which Paul said had been hid for ages and generations, but now has been manifested to God’s saints, “to whom God was pleased to make known what is the riches of the glory of this mystery among the Gentiles, which is Christ in you, the hope of glory: whom we proclaim, admonishing every man and teaching every man in all wisdom, that we may present every man perfect in Christ; whereunto I labor also, striving according to his working, which works in me mightily” (Col. 1:27-29).
This is the revolutionary truth that Paul sought to reveal throughout his ministry, the amazing fact that God is not only an external power who sets the rules, but One who lives in His people, renewing their minds, strengthening their wills, and transforming them into His own image after the likeness of Christ.
Unfortunately, many of us think of this great power as something available only to specially gifted people. But God has always used common people for special tasks by faith, and He abides with each believer on the same basis. Paul wrote that God chooses the weak and base things of the world to confound those that the world considers wise (I Cor. 1:27-28). There are plenty of examples. Gideon was a farmer. David was a shepherd boy. Peter was a fisherman. Each one was able to perform a great task in spite of great obstacles, because each one believed that God was with him.
There is no claim to deserve such an honor. No one is worthy of His presence. It is a matter of God’s generosity and grace. Jesus said, “Abide in me and I in you…He that abides in me, and I in him, the same brings forth much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing” (John 15:4,5). Jesus emphasized the fact that He abides in us, and that this is the only way His work is to be done.
The wars and social upheavals may bewilder us, but they do not bewilder God. He knows how each action will all turn out, and we have only to abide in Him and accept responsibility for what part we can carry. God is not at all frustrated or dumbfounded by the sins and follies of men. His eternal purpose will be carried out in spite of all the efforts of evil people to abolish the truth and destroy man’s faith in Him. With God all things are possible. He can change your life to conform to His purpose, but it can only be done through faith. God does not use force to bring men into subjection.
When you were baptized you were buried with Christ into death, “that like as Christ was raised from the dead, through the glory of the Father, so we also might walk in newness of life” (Rom. 6:4). You became a new creature, the very temple of God in which His spirit dwells (I Cor. 3:16). No longer can you be a slave of sin; no longer are you led by the spirit of the times and dictates of the world’s fashion, because the sons of God are “led by the spirit of God” (Rom. 8:14).
Being transformed to the likeness of Christ is such a big order that it isn’t even considered a possibility by most. We have become accustomed to seeing ourselves as products of the besmirched world about us, and easily excuse ourselves by comparing ourselves with each other. Nobody’s perfect, we boast. Some take a morbid pleasure in emphasizing their sinfulness, but heaven takes delight in the fact of one being saved from sin. John says that one who is begotten of God is able not to sin, because “God’s seed abides in him.” Never again can the Christian think of himself as worthless and a failure when God himself dwells with him.
To help us cope with our failures, we have modern psychology and a myriad of methods to motivate us to self-improvement. The church is enamored with psychology as a means of overcoming imperfections and transforming lives. Religious bookstores offer hundreds of “How To” books, all supposed to give the saints the keys to coping with sins and failures and the opposition of the world about us. Instead of relying on these inferior tools to fulfill God’s purpose, we can rely on God Himself.
How can we be sure that God abides with us and fills us with His spirit? Must we hear a voice, or see a vision, or have some other physical sign such as speaking in “tongues”? None of this is any proof of God’s presence. Many pagan religionists speak in tongues, see visions, and have strange emotional experiences.
God promises nothing on the basis of how our emotions are stirred. Rather, the promise is to those who believe and obey. “Everyone that hears these words of mine and doeth them” (Matt. 7:24). How does one know he is saved? Did he experience a physical change? Did he hear a voice from heaven, or witness some other material sign? No, we are assured of salvation in only one way: by faith. Jesus promised, “He that believes and is baptized shall be saved” (Mark 16:14). Peter announced, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ, and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit” (Acts 2:38). These are solemn promises, and it is only by faith that we know God keeps them. When we come under these terms, we believe, without any proof, without any sign from heaven, that God has kept the promise, that our sins are forgiven, and we bank our eternal salvation on that promise.
In the same faith we believe Christ’s promise, “Lo, I am with you always.” There is no need to try to arouse emotions to “feel” God’s presence. We simply put our faith in His promise.
A letter from a reader tells of his struggle with temptation: “I have fears about the future that I won’t be able to finish my course in the Christian race.” Such fears are common. There is a world of evil confronting each believer. But the infinite God Almighty is alive and powerful and present within every Christian.
Whatever your circumstances, you have cause to rejoice, because: (1) You are God’s temple. He is with you; (2) When you cooperate with Him, you are being transformed to the very likeness of Christ; (3) You are on the road, however narrow, that leads to the glory of eternal life and immortality.
“We are more than conquerors through him that loved us” (Rom. 8:37; also Gal. 3:27; 4:7; Col. 1:11; Rom. 15:13).