Correspondence

 •  8 min. read  •  grade level: 8
Answer: In this chapter we have a great cloud of witnesses to the path of faith, each one giving us a little bit of that path to encourage us to go on. In chapter 12 we have the Lord Jesus, the author and finisher of faith. He has gone through the whole path, and we are to consider Him. He is our life, our pattern, our strength, our goal, and we cannot take one right step without Him. It is in communion with Him that we can hear Him say, “This is the way, walk ye in it,” and there only can we get guidance.
“We cannot do without Him,
We would not if we could;
He is our daily portion.
Our medicine, and our food;
He’s altogether lovely,
None can with Him compare,
He’s chief among ten thousand,
The fairest of the fair.”
Question: What events are we to look for? T. E
Answer: “Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ” (Titus 2:1313Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Saviour Jesus Christ; (Titus 2:13)). The blessed hope is the first scriptural event that is to take place (John 14:33And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again, and receive you unto myself; that where I am, there ye may be also. (John 14:3)). Then His glorious appearing when Christ will reign for a thousand years—spoken of as the millennium.
Prophecy begins to be fulfilled after the saints are caught away (1 Thess. 4; 2 Thess. 2:11Now we beseech you, brethren, by the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and by our gathering together unto him, (2 Thessalonians 2:1)). Between the blessed hope, and the appearing in glory, there are “the beginning of sorrows,” and “the great tribulation” (Matt. 24:8-218All these are the beginning of sorrows. 9Then shall they deliver you up to be afflicted, and shall kill you: and ye shall be hated of all nations for my name's sake. 10And then shall many be offended, and shall betray one another, and shall hate one another. 11And many false prophets shall rise, and shall deceive many. 12And because iniquity shall abound, the love of many shall wax cold. 13But he that shall endure unto the end, the same shall be saved. 14And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. 15When ye therefore shall see the abomination of desolation, spoken of by Daniel the prophet, stand in the holy place, (whoso readeth, let him understand:) 16Then let them which be in Judea flee into the mountains: 17Let him which is on the housetop not come down to take any thing out of his house: 18Neither let him which is in the field return back to take his clothes. 19And woe unto them that are with child, and to them that give suck in those days! 20But pray ye that your flight be not in the winter, neither on the sabbath day: 21For then shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be. (Matthew 24:8‑21)), during which time the gospel of the Kingdom is preached to both Jews and Gentiles (Matt. 10:5-235These twelve Jesus sent forth, and commanded them, saying, Go not into the way of the Gentiles, and into any city of the Samaritans enter ye not: 6But go rather to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. 7And as ye go, preach, saying, The kingdom of heaven is at hand. 8Heal the sick, cleanse the lepers, raise the dead, cast out devils: freely ye have received, freely give. 9Provide neither gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses, 10Nor scrip for your journey, neither two coats, neither shoes, nor yet staves: for the workman is worthy of his meat. 11And into whatsoever city or town ye shall enter, inquire who in it is worthy; and there abide till ye go thence. 12And when ye come into an house, salute it. 13And if the house be worthy, let your peace come upon it: but if it be not worthy, let your peace return to you. 14And whosoever shall not receive you, nor hear your words, when ye depart out of that house or city, shake off the dust of your feet. 15Verily I say unto you, It shall be more tolerable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrha in the day of judgment, than for that city. 16Behold, I send you forth as sheep in the midst of wolves: be ye therefore wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 17But beware of men: for they will deliver you up to the councils, and they will scourge you in their synagogues; 18And ye shall be brought before governors and kings for my sake, for a testimony against them and the Gentiles. 19But when they deliver you up, take no thought how or what ye shall speak: for it shall be given you in that same hour what ye shall speak. 20For it is not ye that speak, but the Spirit of your Father which speaketh in you. 21And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death, and the father the child: and the children shall rise up against their parents, and cause them to be put to death. 22And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake: but he that endureth to the end shall be saved. 23But when they persecute you in this city, flee ye into another: for verily I say unto you, Ye shall not have gone over the cities of Israel, till the Son of man be come. (Matthew 10:5‑23); Matt. 24:1414And this gospel of the kingdom shall be preached in all the world for a witness unto all nations; and then shall the end come. (Matthew 24:14)); resulting in Romans 9:2727Esaias also crieth concerning Israel, Though the number of the children of Israel be as the sand of the sea, a remnant shall be saved: (Romans 9:27); also Revelation 7; Israel (vs. 4-8); Gentiles (vs. 9, 14-17; also Matt. 25:3232And before him shall be gathered all nations: and he shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd divideth his sheep from the goats: (Matthew 25:32)) Gentile sheep.
All those who refused the gospel of the grace of God during this day of grace, are lost, the strong delusion of Satan carries them away (2 Thess. 2:10-1210And with all deceivableness of unrighteousness in them that perish; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. 11And for this cause God shall send them strong delusion, that they should believe a lie: 12That they all might be damned who believed not the truth, but had pleasure in unrighteousness. (2 Thessalonians 2:10‑12)). Satan is bound during the reign of Christ (Rev. 20:22And he laid hold on the dragon, that old serpent, which is the Devil, and Satan, and bound him a thousand years, (Revelation 20:2)), and loosed again (v. 7) to gather up the rebels against God (vs. 8, 9), then Satan and his angels are consigned to the lake of fire (v. 10). The Great White Throne is set up, and heaven and earth flee away (v. 11). The judgment of the wicked dead takes place (vs. 12-15), and then the new heavens containing all the heavenly saints and hosts; and the new earth containing all the earthly saints, and in these new heavens and new earth, righteousness dwells; this is the eternal state of blessedness wherein God is all in all (2 Peter 3:1313Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwelleth righteousness. (2 Peter 3:13); 1 Cor. 15:2828And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son also himself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be all in all. (1 Corinthians 15:28)).
All unfulfilled prophecy will be fulfilled after the Lord comes for His heavenly saints, and during the reign of Christ.
Answer: Read carefully John 5:22, 23, 26, 2722For the Father judgeth no man, but hath committed all judgment unto the Son: 23That all men should honor the Son, even as they honor the Father. He that honoreth not the Son honoreth not the Father which hath sent him. (John 5:22‑23)
26For as the Father hath life in himself; so hath he given to the Son to have life in himself; 27And hath given him authority to execute judgment also, because he is the Son of man. (John 5:26‑27); Acts 10:42; 17:3142And he commanded us to preach unto the people, and to testify that it is he which was ordained of God to be the Judge of quick and dead. (Acts 10:42)
31Because he hath appointed a day, in the which he will judge the world in righteousness by that man whom he hath ordained; whereof he hath given assurance unto all men, in that he hath raised him from the dead. (Acts 17:31). Every soul that has lived in this world must give account to Him. He is the judge of the living and the dead (Rom. 14:10-1210But why dost thou judge thy brother? or why dost thou set at nought thy brother? for we shall all stand before the judgment seat of Christ. 11For it is written, As I live, saith the Lord, every knee shall bow to me, and every tongue shall confess to God. 12So then every one of us shall give account of himself to God. (Romans 14:10‑12); 2 Tim. 4:11I charge thee therefore before God, and the Lord Jesus Christ, who shall judge the quick and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom; (2 Timothy 4:1)). But every soul does not stand before Him at the same time, or for the same purpose.
It is plain (John 5:2424Verily, 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. (John 5:24)) that believers shall not come into judgment, because our blessed Redeemer has borne the judgment for us. All has been settled, and by His one sacrifice, we are perfected forever (Heb. 10:1414For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)). “The Father has made us meet to be partakers of the inheritance of the saints in light: has delivered us from the power of darkness, and translated us into the Kingdom of the Son of His love: in whom we have redemption, the forgiveness of sins.”
We are children of light. We have had everything out with God, and when we stand at the judgment seat we are in our glorified bodies, where no thoughts of evil can ever intrude. We do not stand there for judgment, but for manifestation of the things done in the body, whether they be good or bad. And 1 Corinthians 4:55Therefore judge nothing before the time, until the Lord come, who both will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts: and then shall every man have praise of God. (1 Corinthians 4:5) tells us nothing will be hid, the Lord “will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the hearts.” We will thus see our whole life pass before us in survey, and thus the grace of God to us will shine out to our souls as never before. As one wrote long ago:
“When I stand with Christ in glory,
Looking over life’s finished story,
Then, Lord, shall I fully know—
Not till then, how much I owe.”
Manifestation means that nothing is hid, neither bad nor good, and the knowledge of this was to act on the Corinthians, and exercise their consciences. And then shall each one have his praise of God in all that God can approve of.
Paul the Apostle was manifested already unto God and to their consciences; it was no terror to him, but knowing the terror of the Lord, he persuaded men. Every one must give an account to the Judge.
Matthew 25:3131When the Son of man shall come in his glory, and all the holy angels with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his glory: (Matthew 25:31) to 46 gives the judgment of living nations, or Gentiles. The sheep are saved, they are some of God’s earthly people. Revelation 7 is another picture of more of God’s earthly people. All the Old Testament saints, and all believers during this present period, and also the godly martyrs of the tribulation period, are God’s heavenly people.
Reader, are you saved or lost?
Do you know the Lord Jesus as your Savior? or will you meet Him in your sins to receive the wages you have merited?
Answer: In Matthew 26:26, 27, 2826And as they were eating, Jesus took bread, and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, Take, eat; this is my body. 27And he took the cup, and gave thanks, and gave it to them, saying, Drink ye all of it; 28For this is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many for the remission of sins. (Matthew 26:26‑28); Mark 14:22, 23, 2422And as they did eat, Jesus took bread, and blessed, and brake it, and gave to them, and said, Take, eat: this is my body. 23And he took the cup, and when he had given thanks, he gave it to them: and they all drank of it. 24And he said unto them, This is my blood of the new testament, which is shed for many. (Mark 14:22‑24); Luke 22:19, 20,19And he took bread, and gave thanks, and brake it, and gave unto them, saying, This is my body which is given for you: this do in remembrance of me. 20Likewise also the cup after supper, saying, This cup is the new testament in my blood, which is shed for you. (Luke 22:19‑20) we find the narrative of the Lord instituting the Lord’s Supper; and in 1 Corinthians 11:2323For I have received of the Lord that which also I delivered unto you, That the Lord Jesus the same night in which he was betrayed took bread: (1 Corinthians 11:23) to 26, we find the apostle saying. “I received of the Lord that which I delivered unto you,” so that Paul received it straight from the Lord in glory, not from the twelve, who were present when it was instituted. And in v. 26, he adds, “For as often as ye eat this bread and drink this cup, ye do show the Lord’s death till He come,” thus in plain language telling us that we are to go on with this feast of remembrance as showing His death till He come.
In the feet washing we do not find an ordinance, but what is a figure of a spiritual action of Christ in glory, which neither Peter nor the disciples could at the time understand. “What I do thou knowest not now, but thou shalt know hereafter,” —in this time: the hereafter is now come, and in the Lord laying aside His garments and girding Himself with a towel, we are to learn that He is taking for us the lowly place of a servant. He is now interceding for us on high, as our great high priest (Heb. 7:2525Wherefore he is able also to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by him, seeing he ever liveth to make intercession for them. (Hebrews 7:25)); and if we sin, He is our advocate with the Father (1 John 2:11My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous: (1 John 2:1)).
The water in the basin signifies the Word of God (see John 3:55Jesus answered, Verily, verily, I say unto thee, Except a man be born of water and of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of God. (John 3:5); John 15:33Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you. (John 15:3); Eph. 5:2626That he might sanctify and cleanse it with the washing of water by the word, (Ephesians 5:26)). It is by the Word and Spirit that we are born of God (compare James 1:1818Of his own will begat he us with the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creatures. (James 1:18); 1 Peter 1:2323Being born again, not of corruptible seed, but of incorruptible, by the word of God, which liveth and abideth for ever. (1 Peter 1:23)), so we can see it is by the ministry of the Word, this cleansing of the feet is carried out. We are once washed in the blood of Christ (Heb. 10:1414For by one offering he hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified. (Hebrews 10:14)), but our feet, meaning our walk and ways, need the ministry of the Word continually, and as the Lord took this lowly place on earth, so He gives us also the privilege of ministering to each other, in leading the heart of the saints to walk with the Lord, and thus help Him in His daily ministrations to His people.
Peter said, “Thou shalt never wash my feet,” and the Lord replied, “If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with Me.” Then Simon Peter made another mistake, “Lord, not my feet only, but also my hands and my head,” but this was not needed, so the Lord answered, “He that is washed (bathed all over) needeth not save to wash his feet, but is clean every whit.” Every true believer is clean every whit, because washed in the blood of Christ, so there is no such ordinance in Scripture as washing one another’s feet in literal water.
If we are to wash each other’s feet spiritually, as this means, we will need to pray for them, laying aside our own importance, and seek to enter into their need before God.
The ministry needed to change His disciples from walking with the Messiah on earth, to walking with Christ in glory, is also seen in John 13, for Christ was going up on high. We can think of how important chapters 13 to 17 would be to them after He had gone away.