Christ the Object of Prophecy: December 2013
Table of Contents
Christ: the Object of Prophecy
The glory of God is the object and end of all God’s dealings with men. Prophecy is the revelation of God’s ways for accomplishing His glory in Christ. All prophecy has for its object the glory of Christ, except so far as it relates to His sufferings. The right understanding of what is due to Christ’s glory unlocks prophecy. Where the affections to Christ are right, the understanding of what is due to Him becomes clear. When the eye is simple, the whole body is full of light. If we regard Christ as God regards Him, prophecy becomes sanctifying to the soul. If we regard prophecy apart from Christ’s glory, the mind is filled with unwholesome speculation. The Jews and the Gentiles are subjects of prophecy, but not the object of it. Christ is the object. The various subjects become important as they radiate to or from Him, the center. The calling of Israel was with a view to showing forth Christ’s glory on earth. The calling of the church was to show forth Christ’s glory in the heavens. The church’s relation to Christ and Israel’s relation to Christ open out different spheres of Christ’s glory. To confound them is to falsify both and to nullify Christ’s glory in each. God has purposed in Himself for the administration of the fullness of times to head up all things in Christ, heavenly and earthly.
Adapted from J. N. Darby
Object of Prophecy
Scripture itself lays down the object of prophecy very clearly. “We have the prophetic word more sure, whereunto ye do well to take heed, as unto a lamp shining in a squalid place, until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your hearts; knowing this first that no prophecy of scripture is of its own interpretation. For not by man’s will was ever prophecy brought, but men spoke from God, being moved by the Holy Spirit” (2 Peter 1:19-21 WK).
Here we learn that the prophetic word was confirmed by the vision on the holy mount, where the Father’s voice was heard from the excellent glory pronouncing his complacency in His Son, the center of the whole scene. The Apostle, in his making known the blessings of the gospel, admits the value of prophecy. It is like a lamp where all is dark, till the heart appreciates evangelic daylight and the heavenly hope of Christ coming to receive us to Himself. The Christian is to make good practically his own peculiar privileges, for as good as the lamp of prophecy is, the heavenly light far surpasses it.
But further, we have it laid down as a known first principle that no prophecy is of its own (that is, isolated) solution. Local and temporal circumstances give occasion, but it forms part of a great whole, of which Christ the King is the center. Taking it by itself is like severing a bough from a majestic tree, of which it is an integral part. All points to Him in that day, and hence the way in which both of His comings are connected habitually in the Old Testament, while the second is set forth prominently in the New. Hence the Spirit, when predicting the fall of Nineveh, Babylon, Tyre, Egypt and so forth, links them with the day of Jehovah when the Lord will inflict vengeance on ungodly Jews and Gentiles. Making these prophecies of their own solution is when men stop short with present fact and forget that day when Jehovah alone shall be exalted, by divine judgment.
The Interpretation of Scripture
He who inspired the prophets to write is the only source of sound interpretation, which interpretation views each prophecy of Scripture as a component part of God’s testimony to Christ, in and by whom His glory is secured and yet to be displayed. This, it ought to be evident, excludes the notion that history interprets prophecy. Of course, man’s history, as far as it is true, must coincide with prophecy, as far as it is accomplished, but prophecy was given as a lamp for the dark place all through. Now that Christ is come, the true light now shines for all who truly bow to Him. In fact, it would be truer to say that prophecy interprets history, for God’s mind is given in prophecy, which always looks to Christ’s glory, anything short of which is at best partial and misleading. The only effectual interpreter of prophecy, as of all Scripture, is His Spirit, who deigns to work in the believer.
It is only then, as we see the association of Christ with each subject coming before us in the prophetic word, that we really understand it as a whole or in detail, for the divine purpose is to display His glory on the earth, not only in a people called to the knowledge of Jehovah as His own, but with all nations yet to be blessed when His own people are blessed (Psalm 67; Isaiah 60).
Israel’s Calling
It is Israel that has the earthly call and purpose of God, but there is blessing for none apart from Christ, the object, center and security of all the promises of God. And this the Old Testament demonstrates. A curse came, not the blessing, as the law was violated, God’s witnesses were despised, and idolatry prevailed, “till there was no remedy.” God’s people vanished from the land of promise, and it was only a remnant of Judah and Benjamin, with individuals of other tribes, who were in time appointed to have their Messiah presented to them. He was rejected disdainfully to death, and when later the Jew rejected the testimony of the Spirit to the Messiah exalted in heaven, it was all over with the returned remnant.
The Position of the Church
Then God began a new call above, believers from among Jews and Gentiles united to Christ on high, as the one body. They are not of the world, and this explains why the church of God is not properly an object of prophecy, for prophecy regards the earth and living man upon it. But the members of Christ are exhorted to set their minds on things above, a state not at all contemplated by the prophetic word. This lamp we can use, but we have by grace already a better light in our hearts, and we are waiting for Him to take us where He is. But has God cast away His people? This the Apostle has answered elaborately in the Epistle to the Romans (ch. 11). The day is coming when “all Israel shall be saved” (Rom. 11:26), that is, all Israel who survive the tremendous judgments of that day. There will be the true restoration of Israel in the day of Jehovah, when the Gentiles meet with judgment at His hand. “The gifts and calling of God are without repentance” — God will assuredly restore His people yet. Then does Isaiah join Paul: “For a small moment have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid My face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer” (Isa. 54:7-8).
As grace called Gentiles, when the Jews rejected the Messiah, so prophecy shows us Him in glory the Head of Israel and the Gentiles here below. The key of all is Christ seen in His various glories, not only Son of God in His personal right, but Christ Jesus a Man, dead, risen and glorified in virtue of His work as well as His person. He is Son of David, Son of Man and, withal, Head over all things to His church, “the fullness of Him that filleth all in all” (Eph. 1:23). It is this fact which emerges with heavenly brightness in Ephesians and Colossians, as well as elsewhere. The proper character of Christianity cannot be intelligently apprehended without it. Thus it is a far larger question than prophecy, for it affects all things spiritual, individual and corporate, inasmuch as we ought to be now on earth, as by and by in heaven, the answer and witness to Christ at God’s right hand.
The Display of Christ’s Kingdom
Hence we can leave adequate room and time for the displayed kingdom of Christ over the world to come, which is therefore neither the present age nor yet eternity, but between the two. Then the Jews and the Gentiles shall be blessed under Christ’s reign — Jehovah King over all the earth, the peoples all sovereignly blessed, and none confounded one with another. The bride, the Lamb’s wife, will be the new Jerusalem metropolis, not of earth only but of the universe in heavenly glory, yet specially connected with the earth. Even now on earth there is neither Jew nor Gentile in that body of Christ, but He is all and in all.
Now there ought to be not the smallest hesitation about this great truth, for it is no question of prophecy as to its full revelation, but of Scripture, as in Ephesians 1:9-10: “Having made known to us the mystery of His will, according to His good pleasure which He purposed in Himself for the administration of the fullness of the times, to sum [or head] up all things in the Christ, the things in the heaven, and the things on the earth — in Him, in whom also we were allotted [or obtained] inheritance, being foreordained according to the purpose of Him that worketh all things according to the counsel of His own will.” Thus it is sure that God’s purpose in the coming economy is to put all the universe, heavenly and earthly, under Christ as head, we who believe (whether Jews or Gentiles) being His joint-heirs in this unbounded and glorious inheritance.
It is thus the special relationship with Christ that makes all clear in Scripture and assigns the just place to each, whether to Israel or to the Gentiles. As the church was part of “the mystery,” which is expressly declared to be hid from ages and generations and hid in God, it is never as such the subject matter of the prophets, though principles of the glorious future are already verified in and applied to the gospel now. She, in the heavenly places, will reign with Christ over the earth; Israel will be reigned over, but the inner circle on earth, as the Gentiles also more distantly but blessed indeed.
What throws all prophecy into confusion is making ourselves, the church, its object. Give Christ, the true center, His place; then everything falls into order and shines in the light of God before our souls. Such is the effect of God’s Word intelligently enjoyed by His spiritual power.
Adapted from W. Kelly
Prophecy and the Lord’s Coming: Its Practical Effect in Our Lives
Prophecy is important to us; it is “the testimony of Jesus,” showing how He will have His rightful place. Because He has called us His friends, He wants us to know what is coming. He said to His own, “All things that I have heard of My Father I have made known unto you” (John 15:15). The Christian is the only person who has an intelligent outlook on what is taking place in the world.
Peter speaks of prophecy as “a light that shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn, and the day star [or the morning star] arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). Prophecy has particularly to do with the earth — with the kingdom being established, where the Lord Jesus will be known as “the King of kings, and Lord of lords.” It tells us that the kingdoms of this world will become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ. All the prophecies point on to that time when this will be fulfilled. But before that — just as the morning star arises before the day — we look for the Lord Jesus to come. As we see events moving onward (I do not say prophecy actually being fulfilled, but movements in that direction), we can say that the moment is drawing near. Prophecy is a light that shines in a dark place. So the Christian, instead of being surprised by developments in this world, knows that God has foretold them.
Light in a Dark Place
But what should be the result of this? It is a dark place in which we live; if it were not for the light of prophecy, it would indeed look gloomy. Man trembles as he sees the breakdown of everything committed to him, but prophecy is “a light that shine[s] in a dark place.” All these events are only to cause us to look up, to lift up our heads, knowing that our redemption draws nigh.
Peter says, “Until the day dawn, and the day star [the morning star] arise in your hearts” (2 Peter 1:19). The Lord Jesus comes for us as the “bright and morning star.” For Israel He is spoken of as the “Sun of righteousness ... with healing in His wings” (Mal. 4:2), because when Israel shall be delivered, it will be for earthly blessing. But just as the morning star arises before the sun comes up, so we look for the Lord Jesus to come as “the bright and morning star.”
The Reign of Christ
At the commencement of the thousand-year reign of Christ, often called the millennium, God will deal with all those nations who have left God out, who thought that they could get along and treat the world as if it belonged to themselves (see Matt. 25:31-46). Then, as we read in Revelation 11:15, “The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ; and He shall reign forever and ever.”
Because of this, “what manner of persons ought ye to be, in all holy conversation and godliness” (2 Peter 3:11)? How should this affect us? We know what is coming. If we know the Lord Jesus as our Saviour, can we be indifferent to all this? I believe that the time is drawing very, very near. We do not know the day nor the hour, but we should be a waiting and watching people.
Adapted from an address
by G. H. Hayhoe
Prophecy - Christ and Satan
Let us be reminded, in treating of prophecy, of its great end — a double one. One end is that of detaching us from the world, while the other end is to make us intelligent of the character of God and of His ways towards us. These are two precious fruits which spring from the knowledge of prophecy. Satan suggests the neglecting of prophecy, because in it is found the judgment of this world, of which he is the prince. But God, who has given prophecy to us, has even attached a particular blessing to the reading of that part of prophecy (the Book of Revelation) reputed the most difficult. Prophecy throws a great light upon the dispensations of God; in this sense, it does much as regards the freedom of our souls towards Him, for what hinders that freedom more than the error so often committed, namely, that of confounding the law and the gospel and mixing past economies or dispensations with the existing one?
The difference between the position of the saints of old and that of the saints during this dispensation may trouble the minds of many. Now the study of prophecy clears up such points and, at the same time, enlightens the faithful as to their walk and conversation, for prophecy, while it always maintains free salvation by the death of Jesus, enables us to understand this entire difference between the standing of the saints now and formerly, and it lights up with all the counsels of God the road along which His own people have been conducted, whether before or after the death and resurrection of Jesus. It is always the hope which is presented to us which acts upon our hearts and affections, for that which occupies the heart of man as hope makes the rule of his conduct. Of what vast importance then to have our souls filled with hopes according to God!
The Object of Prophecy
Revelation 12 presents to us the great object of prophecy and of all the Word of God, that is, the combat which takes place between the last Adam and Satan. It is from this center of truth that all the light which is found in Scripture radiates. This great combat may take place either for the earthly things (they being the subject, and then it is in the Jews) or for the church (that being the subject, and then it is in the heavenly places). It is on this account that the subject of prophecy divides itself into two parts: the hopes of the church and those of the Jews, though the former is scarcely prophecy, for, properly speaking, prophecy concerns the earth and God’s government of it.
But before coming to this great crisis, namely the combat between Satan and the last Adam, it was necessary that the history of the first Adam should be developed. This has been done. And in order that the church, that is, Christians, may be in a position to occupy themselves with the things of God, it was needful, first of all, that they should be in happy certainty as to their own position before Him. At His first coming, Christ accomplished all the work which the wisdom of the Father, in the eternal counsels of God, had confided to Him; this effected the peace of the church. The Lord Jesus came, in order that the certainty of salvation, by the knowledge of the grace of God, should be introduced into the world, that is, into the hearts of the faithful. After having accomplished salvation, He communicates it to His followers in giving them life. His Holy Spirit, which is the seal of this salvation in the heart, reveals to them things to come, as to the children of the family and heirs of the family estate. During the period which separates the first coming of the Lord from the second, the church is gathered by the action of the Holy Spirit to have part in the glory of Christ at His return.
Salvation
These are the two great subjects which our hearts need to lay hold of. Christ, having done all that is needful for the salvation of the church and having saved all those who believe, the Holy Spirit now acts in the world to communicate to the church the knowledge of this salvation. He shows that Jesus has already accomplished the salvation of all those who believe, and when the Holy Spirit communicates this knowledge to a soul, it knows that it is saved. Being then put in relationship with God as His children, we are His heirs, “heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ.” All that concerns the glory of Christ belongs to us, and the Holy Spirit is given to us, in the first place, to make us understand that we are children of God. He is a Spirit of adoption, but more, a Spirit of light, who teaches the children of God what their inheritance is. As they are one with Christ, all the truth of His glory is revealed to them, and the supremacy which He has over all things, God having also constituted Him heir of all things and us coheirs.
After Christ has fulfilled all that was necessary, the church, until the second coming of its Saviour, is taken from out of all nations and united to Him. It has, while here below, the knowledge of the salvation which He has accomplished and of the coming glory. The Holy Spirit in those who believe is the seal of salvation accomplished and the earnest of the future glory. These truths throw a great light upon the entire history of man. But let us ever remember that the great object of the Bible is the conflict between Christ, the last Adam, and Satan.
Adapted from J. N. Darby
Christ, the Central Feature of the Feasts of Jehovah
Embedded in the instructions for the feasts of Jehovah is a prophetic picture of the three times the Lord Jesus would come to meet His people on earth. A central feature of these feasts was that all the men of Israel were to go up to Jerusalem three times a year to celebrate before Jehovah. These three feasts — unleavened bread (Passover), weeks (Pentecost) and tabernacles — occurred in the first, third and seventh months and are prophetic of the three times the Lord Jesus comes to earth. The first coming took place when He came in the character of the Passover lamb who gave His life for us. The second coming will take place when He returns to claim the firstfruits of resurrection life by raising all those who died in faith and changing those of us alive at the rapture into His likeness. The third time (sometimes referred to as part of the second coming), as pictured in the feast of tabernacles, will take place when the Lord comes to reign over this world with His earthly people Israel. These three celebrations, of which Christ is the central feature, reveal how God had all this planned from the beginning. They were occasions of rejoicing before the Lord, and none were to appear before Him empty; they were to give as they were able.
The Feast of Unleavened Bread
The celebration of unleavened bread, which includes the Passover, is readily perceived as a picture of how the Lord Jesus came the first time. He did not come to reign but to give His life as a ransom. John the Baptist, while contemplating Jesus, announced, “Behold the Lamb of God, which taketh away the sin of the world” (John 1:29), and in the first miracle the Lord Jesus performed in Cana of Galilee, He said to His mother, “Woman, what have I to do with thee? Mine hour is not yet come” (John 2:4), indicating that His time of reigning with Israel had not come. The New Testament Scriptures make it very clear that the first coming of Christ was for Him to fulfill what was pictured in the first of the feasts. Although He was presented to be received as King, God knew it would not happen until later when He would reign as pictured in the last feast (tabernacles). In the remembrance of the Lord in His death, the verse, “Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us” (1 Cor. 5:7), is sometimes read while we worship Him. We look back in remembrance of the Lord. Beforehand, when Israel celebrated this feast, it was seen as representing their deliverance from Pharaoh and Egypt, but it also was a picture looking forward, in the full extent of its meaning, to Christ. Because of His death as the Lamb of God, we have fellowship with God in holiness. “Therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness; but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth” (1 Cor. 5:8).
Two particular commandments were given in connection with these feasts. “Thou shalt not offer the blood of My sacrifice with leavened bread; neither shall the fat of My sacrifice remain until the morning” (Ex. 23:18). The first command reminds us that every sacrifice that speaks of Christ’s death must not have any taint of sin, for He was sinless. The second, concerning the fat of the sacrifices, all of which was to be burnt as a sweet savor to God, is commanded because everything the Lord did for God had its proper reason and was properly appreciated by God. Christ never did anything unnecessarily or as a waste of time. There were no “leftovers”; all was perfectly completed.
The Feast of Weeks — Pentecost
The second time the men were to go up was in early summer, fifty days after the sheaf of firstfruits had been presented as a wave offering to Jehovah. As the presentation of the sheaf of firstfruits marked the beginning of the grain harvest (barley and wheat), so the feast of weeks was the end (except for some grain that was to be left in the corners of the field). These two feasts have to do with resurrection life. They rejoiced before Jehovah with tokens of grain they had harvested. Every family was to bake two loaves of bread from the grain and give them to the priest at Jerusalem, who waved them as an offering to Jehovah. With the two loaves, the priest offered burnt offerings, a sin offering and other offerings that speak of Christ (Lev. 23:17-21). The loaves baked with leaven speak of the saints; they represent the heavenly fruit that will be presented to the Lord when He comes for His saints at His second coming. This includes the living saints and all those who have died in faith since Abel. All these will have a heavenly portion with Christ in glory. (The earthly portion follows for those alive on earth.) The presentation of all these saints in heaven is possible because the Lord Jesus has gained the victory over death. The Lord Jesus, who will accomplish this, is the firstfruits of them that sleep, “for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive. But every man in his own order: Christ the firstfruits; afterward they that are Christ’s at His coming” (1 Cor. 15:20-23). “Our conversation is in heaven; from whence also we look for the Saviour, the Lord Jesus Christ: who shall change our vile body, that it may be fashioned like unto His glorious body, according to the working whereby He is able even to subdue all things unto Himself” (Phil. 3:20-21). “He is the head of the body, the church: who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; that in all things He might have the preeminence” (Col. 1:18).
This feast was seldom celebrated in Old Testament days, but for us today it is very significant; it reminds us of the second coming of Christ. We are living close to the time when the Lord will take His heavenly people to the Father’s house. We have good reason to rejoice in the expectancy of the Lord’s coming. We have reason to rejoice before the Lord, not just once a year as they did on this feast, but every day. The mutual joy of the Lord and His people is pictured in the drink offering that accompanied the sacrifices and offerings presented to Jehovah at the feast of weeks. Heaven will be full of rejoicing saints, and we may begin while yet on earth.
The Feast of Tabernacles
The last of the three feasts was often celebrated throughout Old Testament times, and its meaning to them seems to have been appreciated as representing the time when there would be peace and righteousness on earth. This feast took place in the seventh month when the fall harvest was gathered in. It speaks of the earthly blessing that the Lord will bring when He returns to reign over the earth with His people Israel. There will be great joy when the Lord comes to set up His kingdom — see Psalm 122. At His first coming, the Lord Jesus refrained from going up to fulfill the prophecy of this feast. He said to the Jews, “I go not up yet unto this feast; for My time is not yet full come” (John 7:8). But later he went up secretly and proclaimed how He was the source of life and joy of this feast. “In the last day, that great day of the feast, Jesus stood and cried, saying, If any man thirst, let him come unto Me, and drink. He that believeth on Me, as the scripture hath said, out of his belly shall flow rivers of living water” (vss. 37-38). New birth through the operation of the Holy Spirit is necessary for the present time of heavenly blessing, as it will be for the earthly people in Christ’s kingdom. The Lord is the object of all prophecy. May we give Him that preeminent place.
D. C. Buchanan
The Misuse of Prophecy
As we have noted elsewhere in this issue, a renewed interest in prophecy began in the early part of the nineteenth century. This coincided with a work of God in arousing believers to see the proper hope of and the truth connected with the church of God. Many took a great interest in all this, and especially in the study of prophecy. Meetings were held and conferences convened, and the Spirit of God used these to reveal to many “things which must shortly come to pass” (Rev. 1:1). This interest in prophecy has continued, and today there are many books, Internet sites and conferences disseminating various views on prophecy.
We can be thankful for all this, for God has surely used the study of prophecy to alert unbelievers to the fact that Christ is coming. The cry, “Behold, the bridegroom cometh” (Matt. 25:6), has gone out, and even many worldly people know that Scripture foretells the coming of the Lord Jesus to take all His own to be with Himself, even if they themselves do not want to believe it. More than this, many believers have embraced this blessed hope — a hope that was lost for centuries to the church — and are now once again energized “to serve the living and true God” and “to wait for His Son from heaven” (1 Thess. 1:9-10).
However, as with many good things God has given to His people, prophecy has been used in the wrong way, and it has sometimes occasioned difficulties rather than being a “light that shineth in a dark place” (2 Peter 1:19). I would like to look at several ways in which the study of prophecy can be undertaken in an unsuitable way and thus fail to produce its desired effect.
The Object of Prophecy
First of all, we can study prophecy with an emphasis on ourselves, rather than on Christ. In Revelation we read that “the testimony of Jesus is the spirit of prophecy” (Rev. 19:10 JND). We must remember, as another has aptly said, that “all prophecy has for its object the glory of Christ and that the right understanding of what is due to Christ’s glory unlocks prophecy.” When we make ourselves the focus and center of prophecy and look at future events primarily as to how they will affect us, we fail to see the full scope and importance of what God has revealed to us. When man starts with himself, God does not receive the glory due to Him, and man does not realize the fullness of blessing God has for him. When Christ is given His rightful place, God is properly glorified, and man is far more blessed. We must always look at prophecy with the glory of Christ in view.
The Sphere of Prophecy
Second, and connected with this first wrong viewpoint, we must remember that prophecy has largely to do with this world. It is concerned with the judgment that will be necessary to vindicate Christ’s glory down here and to set up His kingdom. The church is not properly the subject of prophecy, because it has a heavenly, not an earthly, calling. It is for this reason that the church period is not reckoned in prophetic time. For the children of God in this dispensation to become overly occupied with prophecy will tend to focus our thoughts on this world, rather than on heavenly things. It will occupy our hearts with judgment, which is God’s strange work. William Kelly makes some good remarks along this line:
“The prophetic word nowhere reveals those heavenly counsels which the mystery (hid from the ages) made known through Paul. Nor does Peter here (2 Peter 1:19) do more than allude to it under the strikingly distinct figures of ‘day’ and ‘morning star.’ The lamp is excellent to cast adequate light on this dark world, its evil and its doom, and they did well in paying it heed, ‘till day dawn and a [or, the] morning star arise in your hearts.’ That is to say, till they apprehend with enjoyment the bright heavenly relationship which Christianity fully understood gives us now in Christ, and the heavenly hope of His coming to introduce us into the Father’s house. The prophetic lamp is good to help us against the squalid place, but how much more is ‘daylight’ in Christ to lift us above the world in all our associations of faith, and the bright hope, Christ as Morning Star, which He not only is, but has promised to give the overcomer (Rev. 2:28; 22:16-17)!”
It is very clear that God has given us prophecy in order that we may see how God will order everything for Christ’s glory, and, of course, in His glory the church has every interest. It is for this reason that Paul talks about the crown of righteousness which will be for all those who “love His appearing” (2 Tim. 4:8). God wants us to be intelligent observers of what is happening in this world. However, He has even better things in mind for us — things which occupy us with our heavenly portion and lift us above this present world.
The Heavenly Calling
Third, it is a common error not to see the heavenly calling of the church and thus to expect prophecy to be fulfilled during this period of God’s grace. As already mentioned, the church period is not reckoned in prophetic time, for the church is not the subject of prophecy. For this reason, we do not see prophetic events being fulfilled in this day of God’s grace, and some, in seeking to force this kind of interpretation on the prophetic scriptures, have greatly distorted what God is seeking to teach us. We must remember that it is in the full knowledge of “the mystery of God” that “all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge” are hidden (Col. 2:2-3 JND). Without an understanding of the mystery (or secret) of Christ and the church, prophecy cannot be interpreted correctly.
Of course, this does not mean that events in the world today have no bearing on prophecy. The establishment of Israel as a sovereign state in 1948, after they had ceased to be such more than 2500 years before, was certainly a momentous event and showed that we were in the end times. Likewise, other events in this world, such as the formation of the European Union, show how God is ordering events in the present time with a view to the fulfilling of prophecy after the church is called home. But this is not the same as the fulfillment of prophecy.
The Scope of Prophecy
Finally, there is the danger of getting too involved in the details of prophecy, rather than seeing the broad picture and how it is all “the testimony of Jesus.” If we become too concerned with small points, we will tend to make “the scope of prophecy” to be dependent on “its own particular interpretation,” thus limiting the Word of God (2 Peter 1:20 JND). The details of prophecy are important and will become clearer to those who are in this world when the prophecy is fulfilled. To see how God has foretold all this before will greatly encourage their hearts and strengthen their faith in a very difficult time. But for us in this dispensation to be too taken up with such details and trying to figure out exactly how everything will happen is perhaps not the best use of our time.
Present Events
Likewise, it is easy to go beyond Scripture in our thoughts and to use present events to impose a meaning on Scripture that is not warranted. For example, some years ago, when Germany was divided into East Germany and West Germany, there were some who strongly insisted that this division was along the lines of the old Roman Empire and that part of Germany would be in the kingdom of the beast, while another part would not. Likewise, there were others who insisted that the European Union would have only ten members, to comply with the description of the kingdom of the beast in Revelation 17:12. As we well know today, Germany has become reunited, and the European Union has twenty-eight members to date, with several others having applied for membership. So we need to be cautious about making didactic statements as to how events today fit into prophecy, for it is only unto God that “all His works from the beginning of the world” are known (Acts 15:18).
Prophecy has been given to us by God and is intended for our study, so that we may see, as those whom our Lord Jesus calls His “friends” (John 15:15), all that God purposes for the Son of Man’s glory. We ought to have an intense interest in it, for it concerns the glory of the One who is our Saviour, friend and bridegroom. But let it be a means to an end and our hearts’ affections rather centered on Him, whose glory is the subject of all prophecy.
W. J. Prost
Cremation Revisited
Among Christians, the subject of cremation versus burial has been discussed a number of times in the past, and various pamphlets and articles are available. An article appeared in the December 1990 issue of Christian Treasury on this topic, in response to a request from a reader. Since that time cremation has become increasingly popular in North America and also in Western Europe. A recent article in Time magazine (June 24, 2013) pointed out that the percentage of those choosing cremation over burial had increased in every state of the U.S.A., with the national average being over 40%. In other countries such as Canada, Australia, and some western European countries, the rate is close to 70%, while in Japan over 95% of the dead are cremated.
There are several factors postulated for this rise, perhaps the major one being cost. A cremation funeral is approximately one-third of the cost of a burial funeral. However, there are other factors that enter into the decision, reflecting the change in the way the world lives and views death. At least in North America, people are more mobile and increasingly do not end up living in one area for a lifetime. Most important, western cultures are giving up the Word of God, and biblical considerations often do not enter into the decision. As the article in Time magazine observes,
“The U.S.’s history as a predominantly Christian nation has arguably been the one true barrier holding cremation back.”
Cremation goes all the way back to ancient Greece and Rome, and it has been practiced by false religions, such as Buddhism and Hinduism, for many centuries. It was also popular among the ancient Druids in Britain. However, the practice gradually died out in areas where Christianity took hold, and it was only reintroduced in both Europe and North America in the latter part of the nineteenth century. People were relatively slow to embrace it, and even in the 1960s, cremations in the U.S.A. were less than 5%. However, there has been a rapid rise in its popularity in the last 15-20 years. What, then, should be the attitude of believers toward this ever-increasing tendency, not only in North America, but also in other parts of the world? As always, I would suggest that we get light from God’s Word.
As with many other questions that arise in our Christian lives, we do not find any definite scripture that clearly forbids cremation of a dead body. However, I would suggest that Scripture does give us light as to God’s thoughts on the matter.
Desecration of the Body
First of all, we find several references to burning a body in the Word of God, and all are connected with judgment for serious wrongdoing. Achan and his family were burned with fire, after being stoned (Josh. 7:15). Judah wanted his daughter-in-law to be brought out and burnt, when he suspected her of immorality (Gen. 38:24). The graven images of heathen gods were to be destroyed by burning (Deut. 7:25), and Moses destroyed the golden calf by burning (Ex. 32). Moab was to come under severe punishment from the Lord, because “he burned the bones of the king of Edom into lime” (Amos 2:1). (This was obviously done as an act of desecration against the body.) Finally, in the judgment at the great white throne, the wicked will be bodily “cast into the lake of fire” (Rev. 20:14).
Preservation of the Body
On the other hand, whenever a saint of God died, whether in the Old or New Testament times, the body was always buried. Abraham, who possessed no other land in this world, bought a burial place for his family. Joseph gave careful instructions that his body was not to be buried in Egypt, and although it was nearly 150 years until the exodus, we read that the children of Israel carefully took Joseph’s bones with them (Ex. 13:19). God Himself buried Moses, when He might have disposed of the body in some other way (Deut. 34:5-8). When the Lord allowed a famine in the land of Israel in David’s time, God was not “intreated for the land” until the bones of Saul and his sons had been given a proper burial (2 Sam. 21:14). After John the Baptist was beheaded, his disciples took up his body and buried it. Finally, the body of the Lord Jesus was accorded a loving and reverent burial, in the tomb of a rich man. Throughout the Word of God, cremation is connected with sin, while burial is connected with the people of God.
We know, of course, that many dear believers have suffered martyrdom by burning, and others have had their bodies cremated, through no wish of their own. Many have had their bodies desecrated in other ways, and every conceivable insult heaped upon them. Of all this we can only say that those who have been “faithful unto death” will receive a “crown of life” (Rev. 2:10). The Lord Jesus at His coming will raise those bodies “in a moment, in a twinkling of an eye,” for “the dead shall be raised incorruptible” (1 Cor. 15:52).
Heathen Origins
Second, cremation has heathen origins and is still practiced among false religions in the world. Both Hindus and Buddhists continue to cremate their dead, and even in Western countries the word is frequently connected with the occult. A blasphemous and Satanic Internet site is entitled “Cremation World.” Among many in Western countries, cremation is an attempt to deny the resurrection, and those who discount God’s power doubtless feel that if their ashes are scattered widely, their bodies can never be resurrected. In recent years, one wealthy woman in North America left a will directing that her ashes be taken up in a satellite and scattered in outer space! In view of all this, believers must consider the admonition to “abstain from all appearance of evil” (1 Thess. 5:22). Surely God foresaw this attitude towards the resurrection, for Scripture takes care to record in Revelation 20:13 that “the sea gave up the dead which were in it.” The many bodies that have perished at sea will surely be brought back together again by the God who is all powerful and who emphasizes by this scripture that He is able to reconstruct the human body, no matter where its substance has ended up.
The Sanctity of the Body
Third, there is a sanctity attached to the human body in the Word of God. Man is a tripartite being — body, soul and spirit — and each of these is to be honored in the sight of God. While he is alive, the believer’s body is “the temple of the Holy Ghost” (1 Cor. 6:19), and he is exhorted to “possess his vessel in sanctification and honor” (1 Thess. 4:4). After death, the body of the believer awaits, not replacement, but change. Our present body is “sown in [dishonor],” but will be “raised in power” (1 Cor. 15:43). Our bodies are not our own (1 Cor. 6:20), and they are to be used to glorify the Lord. We do not have the right to do as we will with them, even after death.
Another verse that speaks to us on the subject is Romans 8:23: “We ourselves groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body.” God gave us the body we have, and He values it so highly that He, through His Son, has paid the price to redeem that body. That is why at the rapture it is “changed” and not replaced (that is, we do not receive a “new” one). We would do well if we, even in death, would respect it as that which God has redeemed.
We see this reverence for a dead body exemplified in the death of the Lord Jesus. After the soldier pierced His side, the work of redemption was complete. Then, in honor to that body, which the Lord Jesus will have for all eternity, God would not allow wicked hands even to touch the body of His beloved Son.
Some Exceptions
For these reasons, I suggest that cremation is not appropriate for Christians and that the practice should be avoided. However, in saying this, we do recognize that practical difficulties may arise. The question of cost is increasingly a factor, although the cost of a burial is probably no higher than it was fifty years ago, if inflation is taken into account. However, this cost can be a real hardship for some, and it is easy to see why cremation would be an attractive alternative. Perhaps this is an opportunity for other believers to help out, rather than seeing cremation embraced for economic reasons.
Likewise, in some countries today cremation is almost universal due to lack of space. In Hong Kong, for example, almost all bodies are cremated, and only the very wealthy can afford a burial. Even those who are willing to cremate must sometimes wait for months in order to secure a place in a columbarium in which to place the urn containing the ashes. When facing such situations, believers must look to the Lord for a solution, and surely we can count on Him to guide us. We cannot make a rigid rule about cremation versus burial, but we suggest that anyone considering cremation look carefully into the Word of God and make it an earnest matter of prayer.
W. J. Prost
Worthy Art Thou, O Son of Man
The heavens with all their hosts
proclaim
Their great Creator’s glorious name;
His wisdom, goodness, power divine,
They celebrate where’er they shine;
But God Himself — oh, wondrous
plan!
Thine image is “the Son of Man.”
The Son of Man, the Son of God,
The woman’s seed, and David’s rod;
The incarnate Word, the life, the light,
Son of Thine infinite delight;
Eclipsed is all creation’s blaze,
When on His glorious face I gaze.
Lord, what is man? ’Tis He who died
And all Thy nature glorified;
Thy righteousness and grace displayed
When He for sin atonement made;
Obedient unto death, was slain:
Worthy is He o’er all to reign.
Thy counsels ere the world began
All centered in THE SON OF MAN:
Him destined to the highest place —
Head of His church through sovereign
grace:
To Him, enthroned in majesty,
Let every creature bend the knee!
Worthy, O Son of Man, art Thou
Of every crown that decks Thy brow;
Worthy art Thou to be adored
And owned as universal Lord:
Oh, hasten that long-promised day
When all shall own Thy rightful sway.
J. G. Deck