Heavenly Things

“Heavenly Things" is a composite work, divided like Caesar's Gaul into three parts. Part 1 "From Earth to Heaven an Outline of the Race in Hebrews" is an orderly expansion of notes compiled from many years of Bible study. Part 2 "From Heaven to Earth An Outline of the Ephesian Letter" is the first English edition of my book on Ephesians published in India in 1974 in the Tamil language. Part 3 "Heaven and Earth at the end of the Bible" is a digest of addresses I have given on Revelation over the years. So much for the history of the composition of the book. Scanning it quickly might lead to the premature conclusion that its structure is haphazard. On the contrary the form it took arose out of the gradual understanding of the relationship of these subjects to one another. Part 1 is the race from earth to heaven in Hebrews whereas in Part 2 Ephesians man comes down from heaven to earth. Part 3 is an overview of those themes in Revelation which focus on these contrasting but complementary viewpoints. These are the 21 judgments and the Holy City Jerusalem. The 21 judgments originate in heaven but fall on the earth. They prepare us for the unveiling of the Holy City Jerusalem. Until then this city was hidden from the world's view like the believers who inhabit it whose life was hid with Christ in God Col. 3:3. It comes down from heaven to an earth purified by judgment. It was sin which separated heaven and earth morally. Once God judges man's world, heaven and earth will no longer be separated. That is why John witnesses the descent of the Holy City from heaven to earth at the end of the Bible.

Having pointed out these distinctions it becomes clear that our subjects are both heaven and earth. This being the case some readers might question the title "Heavenly Things" as not fully descriptive of this book. However we chose it for a number of reasons. Heaven is our destiny our eternal home. The Man in the glory is there, so it is the home of the heart to us. It is the source of the judgments on the earth and eventual rule over it. We are a heavenly people these things are our things.

Should we not, therefore, be interested in heavenly things? The Lord wanted to share heavenly things with Nicodemus but he wasn't ready. Jesus said "If I have told you of earthly things and you believe not, how shall you believe if I tell you of heavenly things?" So the Lord would like to instruct His people about heavenly things. But our ears must be opened to His words in the Holy Scriptures. If they are, He will surely show us "that which is noted in the Scripture of truth" Dan. 10:21. May Paul's prayer for Timothy "the Lord give you understanding in all things" 2 Tim. 2:7 be the earnest desire of the reader and the writer.

Part 1

FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN -AN OUTLINE OF THE RACE IN HEBREWS

Paul, the author of the epistle to the Hebrews *1 was a most remarkable man. He was perhaps the greatest man in the New Testament as Moses was the greatest man in the Old Testament. What constituted their greatness? Paul, through a superlative theological education, became a rabbi of rabbis Moses, educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, had a great future before him in Pharaoh's court. Was this what made Paul and Moses great then? No. They were great because they gave up all this world had to offer its religion and its politics and served God. Because they acted in faith God re-educated them in the desert. It was a divine education to prepare them for the fall of everything in which they had once trusted and to offer them something better. Moses lived to see the end of Pharaoh's power at the Red Sea Paul's life ended just before the destruction of the temple and the religious system of the Jews.

At the time Hebrews was written the Jewish Christians in the land of Israel were clinging to the law of Moses and the religious customs centering around the temple in Jerusalem. They did not understand that Moses' ministry was the shadow of things to come Paul's, because he wrote of Christ, the substance. God permitted this, but it was His mind that eventually His people should break with the system of Judaism and come on to Christian ground. God therefore chose Paul, a man versed in the religion of the Jews more than others of his time, to address this question. Hebrews reflects this, for it is really a treatise. It was badly needed, for the Christian Jews, particularly in Jerusalem, were almost indistinguishable from other Jews. They had their own synagogues, circumcised their sons, and attended the temple services. Indeed many believers were priests in the temple *2. Paul knew that it was incongruous for Christians to offer an animal in sacrifice at the temple and then go to their synagogues for the Lord's Supper. So the timing of the epistle was of God. Christ had come and gone and the memory of His life, death and resurrection was still fresh to many of Paul's readers. The epistle was written in 63 A.D., four years before Paul's death and seven years before the temple in Jerusalem was razed by Titus. Paul knew that the destruction of the temple would be an irreparable blow to the Jewish religion. He also knew this was soon to happen from the Lord's own words "Verily I say to you there shall not be left here one stone upon another that shall not be thrown down" Matt. 24:2.

Knowing that the temple must soon fall Paul wrote to those in Israel who professed Christ so they might cut off their ancient Jewish moorings and transfer their affections to their absent Messiah in glory. To do this he takes them back, not to the temple, but to their spiritual beginning the tabernacle in the desert where their fathers worshipped God. His purpose in doing this was to draw their attention to a spiritual tabernacle and Christ's services for them in it as their great high priest. Their ancient religion was based on the principle of sight. The house of God was visible to them. So was their high priest. Christianity however has a contrasting principle, faith, because it attracts the heart to unseen things. Hebrews is full of contrasts between the old and the new. In the tabernacle, for example, there were no seats for the priests. That was because the sacrifices offered there could not put away sins, so the work of the priests never ended. But in Hebrews we see Christ sitting down, not only because of the glory of His Person, but because of His finished work 3. Our rest is in Him and His work.

Moses begins Genesis with the words "in the beginning, God" Paul simply begins Hebrews with "God." Paul is writing to the Hebrews, a people to whom God has made Himself known and to whom He links Himself by claiming that God has spoken to "us." It is "our" sins which are purged. Thus the opening words fail to identify either the writer or his readers, but begin a process of suggesting who both are. As we advance in the epistle we will be able to establish both to our satisfaction. For the present we simply state our belief that this treatise was written by Paul to the Hebrews as a nation but more specifically to those in the nation who had made a profession of belief in Christ. This profession could be true or false. A false profession was based on the old Jewish principle of sight they saw the miracles which Jesus did, they ate the loaves and fishes. But this did not last, for many walked no more with Him John 6:66. In the same nation there were other people "born of water and the spirit." It is to this mixed company of false professors and true believers Paul is writing, and it is critical to the understanding of Hebrews to see this. It is a key to some of the otherwise obscure passages in this book, warning of the danger of not continuing to the end and the numerous clauses beginning with "if." These are warnings to hold the readers responsible for the truth Christ communicated to them when He taught Israel. They are warnings of the consequences of letting the truth slip away. Paul's readers then are viewed as the congregation of God but a mixed congregation. So neither Church truth nor Israel's temple are subjects in Hebrews. Rather the Hebrews are looked at like Israel gathered around the tabernacle in the desert. At that time the congregation had been saved by the Passover lamb's bloodshed in Egypt, but rebels arose who preferred to walk in their own ways.

Their fathers had rebelled at God's goodness. In the desert they wanted to return to the iron furnace of Egypt out of which He had redeemed them, rather than marching on to the promised land. In spite of this the people went into the Red Sea and out of the Jordan, fulfilling the purposes of God for them. He made known His ways for them between these events during their stay in the desert. God appointed the desert as a school for them so they could learn both their evil hearts and the goodness of the heart of God. Paul wants his readers to think of their position as analogous to their fathers in the desert. They left it behind and marched on to the Promised Land. Let the Hebrews then, leave the desert of this world behind for a better goal a heavenly land. This prize is so much better than the promised earthly land, that getting to it is not to be a march like Israel's, but a race. A race implies urgency, a keen desire to reach the finishing line, and a reward at the end. The race from earth to heaven is the theme of the epistle to the Hebrews.

Chapter 1.1

THE DIVINE PERSONAL GLORIES OF ISRAEL'S DEPARTED MESSIAH

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 1; 2:1-4)

The subject now opening before us is God speaking to the Hebrews in these last days by His Son, in contrast to the way He formerly spoke by the law and the prophets.

God had certainly spoken to their fathers on Mt. Sinai when He gave them the law. Then He continued speaking to them through angels, as we know from many stories in the Old Testament, the Acts and John 4. Stephen reminded the Sanhedrin of this when he told them that they had received the law by the ministry of angels Acts 7:53. So when Paul writes about "the word spoken by angels" 2:2 he means the law. They did not keep the law. In spite of this God brought them into the Promised Land on the principle of grace. But in view of their failure and misconduct in the land, He spoke to them again by the prophets 1:1 to bring them back to Himself. Paul reverses the natural order of the law and the prophets to demonstrate at the beginning of his treatise that God knew they would fail long before they actually did. When the testimony of the prophets did not bring them back to God, He decided to reach them by grace by speaking through His Son. God was determined that they should listen to Him as Stephen said "a prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your brethren, like unto me Him shall ye hear" Acts 7:37. This prophet was the Lord Jesus, God in the likeness of man's flesh. But what has all this got to do with God speaking now in His Son rather than through the law and the prophets?

To answer this question consider what happened on two different mountains in Scripture. God gave the law to Moses on a mountain but the people couldn't keep it. Then on another mountain the same God, now manifest in the flesh, was with Moses and Elias the representatives of the law and the prophets. Peter, James and John were also present as witnesses of what took place then for Peter tells us they "were eyewitnesses of His majesty. For He received from God the Father honor and glory, when there came such a voice to Him from the excellent glory, this is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased. And this voice which came from heaven we heard, when we were with Him in the holy mount." 2 Peter 1:16-18. Luke gives us more of the Father's voice "This is My beloved Son hear Him" Luke 9:35. God the Father made it clear that man was no longer to give priority to the voice of the law and the prophets (represented by Moses and Elias) in the presence of God the Son. From now on the message was clear hear Him God is speaking to us through His Son. When Jesus was on the earth God spoke to them in the Person of His Son. Now that He is in glory He is still speaking. Hear Him. The chain of divine authority in God's communications to the nation is established. God is speaking "in Son." In view of who He is who now speaks from the heavens His voice dare not be ignored.

God the Son Appointed "Heir of All Things”

Some of Paul's readers had heard God's Son speaking to them in their synagogues and in the temple others had reports from them of His words. How it must have astonished all of them to learn that God has appointed that Man "heir of all things" that is of all created worlds and whatever may be in them.

Then Paul tells us two distinctive glories of God the Son. First it was by His Son God made the worlds and secondly it is the word of His power which upholds everything He made. Men give this second aspect of things names such as the law of gravity and speculate about the origin of a universe held together just as it was once brought into being by God the Son. Enough for the believer that the universe obeys the voice of God the Son, but man doesn't. That is why, wedged in between the two verses telling us about the Son making and sustaining the worlds, we have this one referring to God's Son "who being the brightness of His glory and the exact expression of His substance" which is best understood when we connect it with what follows "when He had by Himself purged our sins." In other words the created universe obeys the voice of the Son of God but man does not. So the Son undertook another work purging our sins. For that reason He is "the brightness of God's glory" (glory is the manifestation of a natures *1. and God hates sin yet loves the sinner) and "the exact expression of His substance" the revealer, the very expression of God Himself.

Since the Son did all these things for God making and upholding the worlds and purging our sins at the cross it was only fitting that God should reward Him. What is His reward? First He sits down on the right hand of the majesty on high that is, on the throne of God the Father. This is supreme power but it is still a waiting position waiting until the time when He shall sit on His own throne see Rev. 3:21. Secondly, seated on that throne of power God has appointed Him "heir of all things." This too is future a day known to God has been appointed for its realization. But to faith the matter is settled God will see to it that all men honor the Son even as they honor the Father.

The last of the four verses which introduce the first chapter and deal with the authority of God the Son, the One who now speaks, makes mention of the angels. It tells us that "He has by inheritance obtained a more excellent name than they." This "more excellent name" is based on the work of the cross because it was by inheritance it was obtained. Even the Lord's enemies understood that an inheritance is transferred only by death. "This is the heir" they cried "come let us kill him and the inheritance will be ours" Matt. 21:38. But Paul tells us that He has not only obtained a more excellent name than the angels by inheritance but also that God has appointed Him the heir and not only that but "heir of all things.”

What Scripture Tells Us About God's Son and the Holy Angels

We will now examine God's thoughts in His word about the relative positions of the angels and God's Son. Paul supports what he writes with copious quotations from the Old Testament Scriptures with which his readers are familiar. This subject opens up with "but to which of the angels said He at any time" v.5 and ends with the same question v.13. The conclusion of the matter is in the following verse "are they not all ministering spirits, sent out to minister for those who shall be heirs of salvation. *"2

God's thoughts concerning His Son interest us more than those about the angels, interesting as these are. They are presented in moral rather than in chronological order. However we have re-arranged them in chronological order as an aid to understanding them. In v. 10 then we have God the Son making the worlds as given us in 1:2. Moses puts it this way "in the beginning God created the heavens and the earth." Paul reverses the order the earth first, then the heavens for the earth was where God the Son first spoke. Then in v. 8 we have the throne of God the Son and a scepter of righteousness the scepter of His kingdom. This is when God's Son, appointed heir of all things, rules the world for 1000 years. Not until then will the world experience righteous government. From Eph. 1:10, 11 we know that He shares this rule with the church and v. 9 is an oblique reference to that. But here we are called rather His "fellows" or "companions" i.e. those who will be with Him in glory. But a caution is introduced so that no creature should distract from the distinctive glory of God the Son. Just as He has a more excellent name than angels so God has anointed Him with the oil of gladness above His fellows. Then vs. 11-12 tell us how God the Son who is presently upholding His creation v.3 folds it up and changes it. Other Scriptures supply the details of His new heavens and new earth. It is sufficient to note that the end of Christ's 1000 year kingdom is the porch to the eternal state. For this reason Paul states twice that the Son is greater than the creation for while it perishes He abides "Thou remainest" v.11 and "Thou art the same and Thy years shall not fail" v.12. These beautiful verses comforted Mrs. G. Helyar when her husband died. She penned these lines to give expression to her feelings:

“O Lord and Savior we recline

On that eternal love of Thine

Thou art our rest and Thou alone

Remainest when all else is gone.

Yes 'Thou remainest' sea and land.

E'en heaven shall pass, but Thou shalt stand

Undimmed Thy radiancy appears

Changeless through all the changing years.”

God Speaking in His Son Closing Considerations

Paul has given the Jews abundant proof that Jesus, who is God the Son, is a heavenly rather than an earthly Messiah, for whom the Jews looked. He demonstrated His glorious position above the angels who had an administrative role under the law, and above us His fellows. He pointed out His throne of righteousness on which He shall reign forever and ever, and His power as the God of the old and new creations. Not only that but Paul had heard God the Son speaking to Him on the road to Damascus a heavenly Man calling out a heavenly man to Himself.

Many of Paul's readers had heard the words of God the Son when He walked the earth among men. An immense privilege! But now that He has ascended to glory He is still speaking yes, God is speaking in the Person of His Son. Exhortations are now in order. We find these in the first four verses of Chapter 2 which really close off Chapter 1 and belong to it. Because of the personal dignity of who is speaking God's Son and Apostle Paul warns the Hebrews who profess Christianity not to let divine truth slip away. God meted out just punishment to those who did under the angelic ministry of the law. How shall we escape if we neglect "so great salvation" that is, despise grace after breaking the law. Then Paul brings in those who preached this gospel of grace, and how God supported their testimony leaving them no excuse. This salvation was first spoken by the Lord then confirmed to others who heard His voice 2:3. When God gave the law to Moses He made it clear that He Himself was speaking by supporting His message with acts of power see Ex. 19:16-19. Similarly those who preached the gospel at the beginning of Christianity had their message confirmed by God Himself with supernatural powers. These are called here "various miracles and gifts of the Holy Spirit." This is a direct reference to the signs and miracles in the Acts of the Apostles. Since Christ had ascended to glory when these mighty works were done, their purpose was to authenticate the message to show men that God was still speaking to them in the person of God the Son from the glory now, though the works were on earth.

Chapter 1.2

THE IMPERISHABLE MANHOOD OF ISRAEL'S DEPARTED MESSIAH

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 2:5-18)

What is really the second chapter opens with verse 5, picking up the connection with the subject of angels in 1:14 sent out to serve those about to become heirs of salvation. How they carry out this service is not told us but it is a necessary work in a world opposed to God and His people. In 2:5 Paul tells us something more about the angels they are not to rule "the world to come" i.e. the millennium. Angels are servants then, not rulers. Once the Son of God assumed manhood the question of angelic rule came to an end. At the appointed time man in Christ will share the rule of the universe with the Son of the Father's love.

That is why direction shifts rapidly away from the subject of angels to man "but one in a certain place *1. testified saying, "What is man that Thou rememberest him, or the Son of Man that Thou visitest him?" Well, why should God remember man? To this question there is no ready answer until a second question makes an answer unnecessary. This second question is "or the Son of Man that Thou visitest Him?" The Son of Man, of course, is Christ. Son of Man is one of Christ's official titles. It means the rejected One in this world, but the Lord of the worlds to come. When did God visit Christ as man, though? Again the Jew is referred to his Holy Scriptures "Thou hast proved my heart, Thou hast visited me by night Thou hast tried me, Thou hast found nothing. My thought goeth not beyond my word" Psa. 17:3. The Gospel of Luke gives us a good illustration of this night trial and proving "and it came to pass in those days that He went out into a mountain to pray and continued all night in prayer to God" Luke 6:12.

We See Jesus

Two opposite views of Christ are given us in 2:7. One speaks of His incarnation and life as man on earth "thou madest Him a little lower than the angels" that is in becoming man. This makes it clear that man is lower in the sphere of creation than the angels, and Christ became man. But if Christ humbled Himself God exalted Him, for the latter part of the verse tells us, "Thou crownedst Him with glory and honor and didst set Him over the works of His hands "2.* This is Psa. 21 where God sets a crown of pure gold on Christ's head. This is God's answer to man's wickedness in cutting Christ off from the land of the living. But this is in resurrection. He asked for life and God gave Him life in resurrection length of days forever and ever. So God has reversed man's judgment on Christ. Man awarded Him a cross God awards Him a crown, and life as Man forever and ever. This the Christian sees by faith v.9. But it is not enough to reverse man's judgment He must be put over all creation and His enemies must be subdued. God sees this as already accomplished but as for us "we see not yet all things put under Him." What we do see however is Jesus, crowned with glory and honor.

By faith we see the glorified Man. He was once on this earth in flesh and blood v.14 that is He had a body capable of suffering, capable too of death but not subject to it. He was "made perfect through sufferings" i.e. by experiencing suffering in the body which He could not until incarnate. He tasted death "for everything... that through death He might destroy him who had the power of death, that is the devil." Stephen saw Jesus and was given grace to die for Him Paul saw Jesus and was given grace to live for Him Phil. 1:21.

Christ As the Leader of Our Salvation

Because Christ is the leader of our salvation we must follow Him. That was the Lord's parting message to Peter "Follow Me." Peter understood what the Lord meant for he wrote of "the sufferings of Christ" (the penalty for following a rejected Christ in this world) "and the glory that should follow" (the heavenly reward later) see 1 Peter 1:11. Paul starts with the glory of Christ Acts 9:3 then the sufferings Acts 9:16. Because Christ is the leader of our salvation in Hebrews, many sons are first brought to glory where He is now but we are not allowed to forget His former sufferings.

Even in glory, though, something is missing of what belongs to Christ, for "we see not yet all things put under Him." Until that time God compensates Him by giving Him the company of those whom He has redeemed. These were first called His fellows that is companions, which confirms this thought. Here they are known by other names sons 2:10 brethren 2:11 and children 2:13. So "it became Him" this expression is a revelation of God's character what was consistent with God Himself. But to continue "it became Him for whom are all things" (for He is heir of all things) "and by whom are all things" (for He created them) "to bring many sons to glory." We are brought to that bright glory as sons with God's Son a relationship of dignity, affection, understanding of God and liberty in His presence. Man was born to sonship see Luke 3:38 and the prodigal son discovered that he could only return to his father as a son not as a servant. Jesus has brought us-back in peace and free the leader of our salvation made perfect through sufferings. Because of this we know our Father's heart in a way that Adam never could in innocence. So the leader of our salvation will bring us home to His Father's house. He is not ashamed of us when we get there for the sanctifier (Christ) and the sanctified (us) are all of one *3. for which cause He is not ashamed to call them brethren. Brothers in the Lord are those who have had His life eternal life communicated to them, as the Lord told Nicodemus in John 3. To these brethren He would declare the Father's name and lead the songs of praise to the Father in the glory *4. As the leader of our salvation He brings us to glory as sons. Then in the glory, our salvation completed, He becomes the leader of praise in the center of the church. Next Paul comes to "children" those in the family of God 5* the godly of all ages. Admission to the family is based on the death and resurrection of Christ whether the children come from past, present, or future ages. That is why "I will put my trust in Him" precedes "children." Men railed, "He trusted in God let Him deliver Him now, if He will have Him" Matt. 27:43. The prophet said, "Who shall declare His generation? For He was cut off out of the land of the living" Isa. 53:8. Here we find that it is God who answers this question by giving Him His children in resurrection.

This blessedness is the fruit of the travail of Christ's soul. It is God's consolation to Him just as Joseph was given Asenath as a wife because He has lost Israel and is not yet ruling the nations. We are His companions now, and will soon join Him in songs of praise to His Father in the place He has prepared for us.

God has pulled the curtain back, so to speak, to the blessedness of future glory with Christ, and our present joy as His companions, till all be light. However the other side of things is that we are a needy people. To begin with we were born into this world in bodies of flesh and blood, corruptible bodies because of Satan's power of death over man. We needed a deliverer. Who would take up our cause, and who, after having delivered us, would help us in a world opposed to God when we ourselves are overloaded with infirmities?

Christ Our Sacrifice and Priest

The closing verses of Chapter 2- i.e. vs. 14-18 sum up what was before God in Christ assuming manhood. One object was to become the sacrifice the other to become the priest.*6 This could never be under the law of Moses. The office and its leading function were separated. Aaron was the priest but Moses could not be the sacrifice, for he could not make an atonement for the people's sins see Ex. 32:30-32. But in Christ the sacrifice and the priest are one. This is fitting since Israel's high priest performed two great functions sacrifice outside the tabernacle and burning incense inside it. But Christ's sacrifice is past. Today He is inside, performing the other function of the high priest burning incense inside on the golden altar as it were. Incense speaks of prayer and intercession going up to God on our behalf see Psa. 141:2 and Luke 1:9-11. The fire to burn the incense had to come from the brazen altar outside where typically Christ had been sacrificed. Connecting the two we see that Christ's intercession to God is only for His own people those who have been redeemed by the blood of His own sacrifice.

These closing verses give us the emerging principle of the whole book of Hebrews, and therefore merit close attention. Paul wants his readers to give up the temple and its ritual. To give them a proper orientation he brings them back in spirit to the tabernacle in the desert where their fathers had once worshipped God. This is a gradual development in the epistle. Paul has purposely brought before the Jews their threefold link with God. In Chapter 1 he pointed out that God spoke to them through the law and the prophets and finally in the Person of His Son. Chapters 1 and 2 are full of quotations from the Holy Scriptures, the oracles of God committed to them. When we come to Chapter 3 he will point out a summit privilege they enjoyed the tabernacle, God's house, where God Himself dwelt in the midst of His people.

Paul wants the Jewish Christians to think of a heavenly tabernacle in which Christ is the great high priest. On earth He had been the sacrifice so that will never be repeated. He goes into the holy and most holy places and burns incense. That means He intercedes to God for His people. It is not something we ask Him to do for us as when we pray for our needs. No. As high priest He goes to God for us. He is the intercessor. Why does He do it? Because of the yawning gap between our standing "sons," "brethren," "children," even "companions" and our feeble state in this world poor people who are sick, persecuted, bereaved, etc. This is a spiritual work in our souls to help us overcome the obstacles in the race to heaven. He strengthens us for conflict in the world and praise in the church. That is the essence of His high priesthood.

Christ then had two motives in coming into this world to be the sacrifice and to be the priest. Only one who was God's Son could be an acceptable sacrifice that is Chapter 1 and only the man of Chapter 2 Could be the priest.

“The atoning work is done

The victim's blood is shed

And Jesus now is gone

His people's cause to plead

He lives in heaven their great high priest

And bears their names upon His breast.

And though awhile He be

Hid from the eyes of men

His people look to see

Their great high priest again

In brightest glory He will come

And take His waiting people home.”

“Follow Me" the Leader of the Race From Earth to Heaven

At this point we would like to raise the question why God has been occupying us with the glories of His Son in Manhood when, as we understand it, the great subject of the epistle is running the race from earth to heaven. The answer is that you cannot run a race from one point to another unless someone else has trail blazed the path for you marked it out as a surveyor does, built the roadway and used it. Then and then only can others follow in his steps. This is what Jesus meant when He said "Follow Me" to Peter. Paul puts it this way, "For it became Him, for whom are all things, and by whom are all things, in bringing many sons to glory, to make the leader of their salvation perfect through sufferings" 2:11.

So God has gone to great lengths to point out the glories of the Man who has mapped out the route from earth to heaven and traveled it before we did. He is the Creator of all things. He upholds the created universe by the word of His power. He has created beings to inhabit the heavens the angels He has created other beings to inhabit the earth men. But in taking on manhood Himself He has made it clear that the world to come will not be in subjection to angels but to men 2:5-16, who, now on earth, are to follow the path He marked out from earth to heaven. How especially favored we are His "fellows" 1:9 those who are to be His companions in glory God's sons brought to glory 2:10 the brethren of Christ 2:11 and John 20:17 children in the family of God 2:13 those whom the Father gave to Christ cf also Isa. 8:18.

Having finished God's work perfectly on the cross, God has encircled the brow of His Son with glory. He has set a crown of pure gold on His head. In reciprocal affections Christ declares the Father's Name to His brethren and becomes the leader in praise to the Father in the midst of the Church.

Mrs. J. A. Trench captured these thoughts in her hymn:

“All the path the saints are treading

Trodden by the Son of God

All the sorrows they are feeling,

Felt by Him upon the road.

All the darkness and the sorrow

From around and from within,

All the joy and all the triumph,

He passed through apart from sin."

Chapter 1.3

JESUS AS THE APOSTLE

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 3 and 4)

In the structure of Hebrews Chapter 3 is linked to Chapter 1 where Christ is the Apostle the Word of God being spoken in the Person of His Son, and Chapter 4:14-16 to Chapter 2 since He must be a man to be a priest. In Chapters 3 and 4 Paul is digressing from his main flow of thought to warn the real and professing Hebrew Christians of the dangers of slipping away from Christianity of giving up revealed truth. In Chapter 3 he points out that their fathers had hardened their hearts against God in the desert. In Chapter 4 he points up the impediments to their progress toward God's rest Canaan for the Jews heaven for us. We might say that Chapter 4 then is loosely cross-indexed to Chapter 2 and Chapter 3 to Chapter 1.

Chapter 3 opens with an appeal to the holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling. The "heavenly calling" here is an invitation to all the Hebrews to respond not just those born again. This was because of their privileged position at the time. They lived when their Messiah walked the earth. He is now in heaven. Let them as individuals choose the path which leads to where the rejected Messiah now is heaven. This is not church position but rather a call to individual professing Hebrew Christians some of whom were saved others not. The latter could at least acknowledge that the Messiah had come and gone and was now in heaven (the minimum confession, incidentally, of many people in once Christian lands today). The appeal presented the Jews with a hard choice, for they were earthly men who looked for a Messiah on earth, not in heaven. Their links with earth are recorded in the Old Testament. What a history of unholiness! So Paul puts them in the new position God would have them in even though the temple was still standing and the nation not yet scattered. As holy brethren and partakers of the heavenly calling they were to consider the Apostle and High Priest of their confession, Jesus. This is their new position the consideration of Jesus in these two ways Apostle and High Priest. This is the fulcrum on which most of the epistle rests. As Apostle Christ is like Moses both were sent by God to the people as High Priest like Aaron in some respects. We are to weigh the similarities and differences then that is the thought in considering Christ as both Moses and Aaron the Apostle and the High Priest.

Since we are told to consider the Apostle and High Priest of our confession, Jesus, the third chapter begins the comparison in the order given Moses first and then Aaron. Moses had an apostolic character since he gave the Word of God to the people. Aaron needless to say was the High Priest. Christ unites both these offices in His own Person. He is both Moses and Aaron. These two things are needed to take the Christian through this world the Word of God and the High Priesthood of Christ. But the High Priesthood of Christ compared to Aaron's is a major subject commencing with Chapter 5. Paul therefore just touches upon it and puts the greater emphasis on the Word of God how it takes a rebellious people through the wilderness of this world. Moses revealed the mind of God to the extent that it could be revealed in his day Christ as the full expression of God's mind revealed God perfectly. So we commence with a contrast of Moses and Christ.

Two Views of the House of God in Relation to Christ and Moses

The third chapter features seven mentions of "house." Three of these are general and four specific. The general references are "as he who has built the house has more honor than the house" 3:3 and "every house is built by some man" 3:4. The specific references are designed to contrast Moses and Christ in relation to God's House. Moses, coming first historically, is considered first. Moses was "faithful in all his house" 3:2 and then, to emphasize this fact "Moses truly was faithful in all his house" a statement which is qualified with "as a servant, for a testimony of those things which were to be spoken after" 3:5. Christ is then brought in. He is "a Son over His own house" 3:6 not a servant like Moses. Then we are told that we are "His own house" provided we hold fast our confidence and the boast of our hope firm until the end" 3:6. There are two thoughts respecting the house dwelling in it and administration of it, as we shall see.

These mentions of the house bring before us the differences between the character of God's dwelling then and now, and the contrasting administrations of God's House by Moses and Christ. First, Moses. We connect him at once with the tabernacle in the desert God's House. Moses was not the architect of that building. He received the plans from God and was warned not to deviate from them. So he was a servant in this house, which was only a witness of divine oracular revelations at a later date. Now that we have God fully made known in His Son we can look at the Tabernacle and interpret the things in it. In the larger view of it the Tabernacle is a picture of the universe which God created and of God over and above His creation. The universe was created by God's Son He did not receive the plans as Moses did and so Christ is rightfully Son over His own house. The universe is our word for the creation but in Scripture language the creation is called "the heavens and the earth" Gen. 1:1. So in the Tabernacle the brazen altar and the laver are figures of things on earth physically separated from the tent proper but connected to it in the services of the priests. The tent itself was divided into the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies the latter cut off from the Holy Place by a separating veil. Access to it was severely restricted under the law, telling us that God was unapproachable until Christ died, when the veil was torn by God Himself. Since the Holy Place speaks of the heavens and the altar of burnt offering and the laver outside speak of the earth, these two figures brought together give us God's creation the universe, viewed as God's House, over which God presides, dwelling in unapproachable light, as typified by the Holy of Holies.

The larger view of God's House as the universe, administered by God's Son is given us in verses 3 and 4 "for this Man was counted worthy of more glory than Moses, inasmuch as He who has built the house has more honor than the house. For every house is built by some man, but He who built all things is God." "All things" means the created universe and what is in it, which is why Moses was cautioned to make "all things" according to the pattern showed him in the Mount see 8:5, for the pattern must be in harmony with what God Himself had created. The universe, in a broad sense, is the Father's house. True, Stephen and Paul insist that God cannot be confined in buildings made by men's hands, though in grace God has dwelt in them. But God is omnipresent. Solomon said that the heaven of heavens could not contain Him 2 Chron. 6:18. However let us return to the theme of Christ being Son over God's House. It was first necessary to understand what was meant by God's House. The next step is realizing that the great thought in Christ being Son over God's House is not so much His dwelling there as the character of His administration in it for God. It is based on a work which Christ has finished to God's satisfaction not this time the creation of the house but rather the greater work of redemption. This is pointedly illustrated by a missing feature in God's House on earth there were no seats for the priests. Their work was never done, for the law which was given by Moses made nothing perfect. This missing feature in the Tabernacle Moses erected helps us to compare the administration of Moses, in which there was no provision for rest, to that of Christ. Faithful as Moses was he was but a servant and the office of a servant is to stand and serve in a house. Christ sits down because He is not a servant but a Son and a Son who has finished the work His Father gave Him to do. This makes God the Son pre-eminent in the administration of God's House. When we are in glory we are seated. We are given an advance picture of this in Rev. 4 where the 24 elders who represent the 24 courses of priesthood and so the Old and New Testament saints are seated round the throne of God.

A man's house reveals much about his character, lifestyle, etc. That is why rich men have their houses designed by architects so that they can incorporate their own thoughts in them. So with God. He drew up the plans of God's house and as already mentioned revealed them to Moses, warning him that he must not deviate from them in the slightest degree. So God's house comes from the Word of God. In its first and larger sense the universe the Word of God brought that house into being Gen. 1. "He spoke and it was done He commanded and it stood fast" Psa. 33:9. Its later form the Tabernacle was a pattern of the first house the universe. It was a testimony too of those things which were to be spoken after the things of Christ. Briefly then the Word of God testifies to Christ and His glory. This is God's provision for us as we pass through a world which has become a desert because it crucified God's Son. When our passage ends we will have reached our goal heavenly glory.

The Desert Setting of God's House the Tabernacle and the Waywardness of Israel

The subject now shifts from God's faithful servant Moses and the Tabernacle to the unfaithful people in the wilderness who surrounded that tabernacle yet turned away from God. Looking at their history we see God made His ways known to Moses, His acts to the children of Israel. The people did not know God's ways as Moses did. They rejected faith, tried and proved God for forty years and in all that time turned against Him rejecting the Word of God spoken to them through His servant Moses. The Word of God preached to them did not profit them because it was not mixed with faith 4:2. That was the origin of their difficulties. Next their unbelieving heart became evil 3:12. Notice how the Spirit of God is giving us a picture of their hearts not in chronological order but from the root of their trouble, working backwards. First their fathers heard the Word of God but through lack of faith it did not take root 4:2. The result was an evil heart of unbelief in departing from the living God (3:12). That development took place when the spies showed them the good fruit of the land the cluster of grapes, the pomegranates and the figs and told them that the land flowed with milk and honey. But when the spies also reported that the land was defended by giants they drew back. Through lack of faith they compared the inhabitants of the land to themselves rather than to God who had promised them the land. Thus they called God a liar. They had no faith that He could overcome the foes who made them tremble. God swore in His heart that their fathers should not enter into His rest 3:11. He said "and your children shall wander in the wilderness forty years... until your carcasses are wasted in the wilderness. After the number of days in which you searched the land, even forty days, each day for a year, even forty and you shall know My breach of promise" Num. 14:33, 34. But they also erred in their hearts 3:10. Koran, Dathan and Abiram rebelled against Moses charging him that he had not brought them up to a land flowing with milk and honey and since he had failed in his promise his leadership was in question Num. 16. They wanted the land on their own terms the good things of the land without conflict and a reversal of God's judgment that they must wander in the wilderness until consumed because of lack of faith. Finally they hardened their hearts they became stubborn in self will. This final process is the end result of what we have been considering the beginning of which was unbelief. No wonder Paul mentions it twice 3:8 and 3:15 and concludes that is why they could not enter the land 3:19. The hardening of their hearts is traced to "the provocation, in the day of temptation in the wilderness" 3:8. This was at the waters of Meribah Num. 20:1-13. Moses brought water out of the rock to the murmuring people who not only complained that they weren't in a fruitful land (due to their own unfaithfulness) but even challenged God (through Moses) for bringing them out of Egypt in the first place. Moses lost his temper and hit the rock twice calling the people rebels and letting them know that he and Aaron because of their complaints must bring water out of the rock. Thus he failed to sanctify God before the people. Because Aaron was associated with him in this act God decreed that both of them should die Aaron first Num. 20:23-29 Moses later Deut. 34:1-6. Faithful men that they were they failed. Their mission and priestly service ended in death. When Jesus' mission was completed He sat down triumphantly on the right hand of the Majesty on high 1:3. And as a Priest He lives forever to bless His people. This contrast is really something to think about.

The great lesson in this is unswerving obedience to the Word of God. The heart the seat of the emotions must be watched. If unbelief is found in it that is, the absence of faith it is a wicked heart, and will turn us away from the living God. We are to end as we started companions of Christ. This is qualified by the practical consideration of holding the beginning of our assurance firm to the end v.14. Their fathers didn't listen to the Word and perished due to unbelief the opposite of faith. Faith is the positive thing unbelief the negative. So we move on to the linkage of faith and the Word of God. This is what God looks for in His people.

The Rest of God

In Hebrews the subject of rest is confined to the verses ranging from 3:11 to 4:11. Furthermore it is God's rest not ours which is in question.

This is spelled out for us in the references to "MY REST" and "HIS REST." The emphasis here is that God barred entrance into "MY REST." This is emphasized by a threefold repetition "they shall not enter into MY REST" 3:11 "they shall not enter MY REST" 4:3 "they shall not enter MY REST" 4:5. This theme is continued in "HIS REST" "they should not enter into HIS REST" 3:18 but a ray of hope emerges here "let us therefore fear, lest a promise being left of entering into HIS REST, anyone of you might seem to have failed of it" 4:1.

Why did God bar Israel from His rest? Simply because they disregarded the Word of God spoken to them. They were unbelieving and so did not act on it. Moses was a man of faith faithful in all his house 3:5. Not so the people. "The Word...did not profit them, not being mixed with faith in those who heard" 4:2. "Without faith it is impossible to please Him" 11:6. The dreadful example of their fathers is held up to the Hebrew believers as a warning, for they too had had glad tidings presented to them just as they had 4:2. For Israel the glad tidings offered a promised land on earth for the Hebrew believers a better land in heaven. But they must act on the glad tidings the report of the Word of God by mingling faith with the message. Their fathers failed to do this and so perished in the desert instead of entering into God's rest. On the other hand "we who have believed" and believing is an act of faith enter into rest. Never confuse this rest with the rest of soul which Christ has promised when we come to Him Matt. 11:28. The subject here is not our rest but God's rest. What does entering into it mean then? Perhaps an analogy might be helpful. Let us suppose the case of a man who, after a long walk, finally enters the road which leads to his home. He knows that at the end of that road is his home. So he has entered the pathway to rest. The point is God's rest is our rest His home ours too. We enter the pathway by believing then in Chapter 12 we come to the City of the living God and His rest becomes our rest. For the present that rest remains it is future. Paul was writing to readers skilled in the Old Testament Scriptures. Putting himself in their place he anticipates two possible challenges to what he has written. He answers these objections from the Old Testament Scriptures, thus silencing potential critics.

First the Jew might reason that God's rest was the Sabbath. "In a certain place" meaning Gen. 2:2 we are told that God rested from His works. And hadn't God given Israel the Sabbath? True, but He did so as a sign of His future rest for how could God rest when man sinned with the law and without the law. And so God must break His rest by commencing a fresh work redemption "My Father worketh hitherto and I work" the Lord said. However Paul does not quote John to prove this as we have done. He goes farther back to David to show that though God's works were finished from the foundation of the world, they could not enter into God's rest on that ground Psa. 95:11. But the Jew might say very well, but didn't Joshua give our fathers rest when with Jehovah's help he drove our enemies out of the Promised Land? And aren't we, their children, enjoying rest in that Promised Land? Going back to the same 95th Psalm which showed they could not enter into God's rest on the ground of creation and the Sabbath, Paul proves that Joshua's victories also couldn't have brought them into the rest God had in mind. For David lived long after Joshua and Paul quotes him "and in this again, if they shall enter into My rest" Psa. 95:11. Paul also quotes the seventh verse of the same Psalm "He again fixes a certain day 'Today' saying through David after so long a time just as has been said before "today if you hear His voice, do not harden your hearts." This is the last of triple exhortations 3:8, 3:15, 4:7 not to harden their hearts. Pharaoh hardened his heart and the result was that he said "Who is the Lord, that I should obey His voice... I do not know the Lord" Ex. 5:2. So the danger is there, which would not be true if God's rest had been entered by the Sabbath, or their residence in the land of promise.

The second exhortation in our Chapter follows “let us be diligent therefore to enter into that rest, lest any man fall after the same example of not hearkening to the Word." Israel's sorry conduct is before us, not to make us fear this time, as in 4:1 but rather to spur us on to press ahead to the rest not drop out like stragglers from a marching army. To go on we must listen to what the Word of God has to say to us for it is living and powerful and sharper than any two-edged sword. The sword in this passage is not to punish us for doing wrong but a deterrent to keep us from doing wrong. It is the same thought as "Thy word have I hid in my heart that I might not sin against Thee" Psa. 119:11. This sword pierces, divides and probes all that is going on inside us our real thoughts and hidden motives. No surgeon's scalpel ever reached a bodily disorder so quickly. Not only that, but every creature is exposed to that sword for "all things are naked and opened unto the eyes of Him with whom we have to do" v.13. Just as Christ is the living Word of God so the Bible is the written Word of God. In passing through this world where Christ is not, God has given us all the direction and warning we need by speaking to us in the written word.

The remaining three verses of our chapter, because of their uniqueness, are commented upon in a separate chapter of this book the chapter following this one. They are comparable to a bridge linking together 2:17 3:1 and Chapter 5:10-18. In 2:17 we are told that "it behooved Him in all things to be made like His brethren that He might be a merciful and faithful High Priest in things relating to God." In 3:1 we are to consider this High Priest a consideration which commences with verses 14 to 16 of Chapter 4. Then from Chapter 5 to 10:18 the doctrine of His High Priesthood is unfolded.

It is apparent then that more space is devoted to His High Priesthood in Hebrews than to His Apostleship though the separate offices are interconnected. This is because His work as Apostle ended at the cross. As Apostle then His work is finished as High Priest it is unfinished. As we shall see later on He is a High Priest forever.

Chapter 1.4

JESUS AS THE HIGH PRIEST

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 4:14-16)

Before we can understand the meaning of priesthood we must first understand the meaning of apostleship. We have briefly considered apostleship in the preceding chapters. Now we will consolidate our knowledge of apostleship and show how it contrasts with priesthood. It is important to do this because in Hebrews Christ is both the Apostle and the Priest. As Apostle God saluted Him "Thou art My Son"—as Priest He says "Thou art a Priest"—5:5-6.

The Difference Between Apostleship and Priesthood

In Scripture an apostle was a man sent from God with the Word of God. Since the apostle Paul completed the Word of God Col. 1:25 it was evident to the early Church that there could be no more apostles. When men claimed they were they were put on trial at Ephesus and proved to be liars Rev. 2:2. Apostles were sent out by each Person of the Godhead. God the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world and so Jesus is called an Apostle in 3:1. God the Son sent the twelve apostles out with the Word of God Matt. 10:5-7. God the Holy Spirit sent the apostles Barnabus and Paul out to preach the Word of God Acts 14:14. The reason why each Person in the Godhead sent out apostles is interesting for it reveals the universal scope of God's blessing for man. As an Apostle Christ was sent out by God the Father with a special mission the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world. Then God the Son sent out the twelve apostles to proclaim the gospel of the kingdom to the Jewish part of that world. Finally, when they refused it God the Holy Spirit sent Barnabus and Saul to the Gentile part of that world Acts 13:2. Thus an apostle was a man sent by God to bring the Word of God to the world.

A priest on the other hand had to be called. As just demonstrated that is precisely the opposite of an apostle who is sent. If I am called I come to the person calling. That is one great idea behind priesthood approach to God. As Apostle Christ came from God but as High Priest He goes to God. At this point we would be going too far ahead of our subject to explain why Christ enters God's presence as our High Priest. The important thing is to see that only those who have appropriated Christ's services as Apostle can have them as High Priest. The whole scope of His birth, life, death and resurrection the message of the gospel will be found in His Apostleship. Those who deny that the Father sent the Son to be the Savior of the world are not in living relationship to God and so have no High Priest to go to God for them. The man of the world must fight his way through the world. Believers are helped through the world by their High Priest.

The Compassion and Support of Our Great High Priest

The term "Great High Priest" here anticipates doctrine which will be found later on in Hebrews. But in brief the term "high priest" means the chief priest, as Aaron was over the other priests who served in the tabernacle. However the term Great High Priest means that He is alone in the office His is the lasting supremacy of a Great High Priest who lives forever in the Divine Presence. Aaron passed through the pattern of the heavens in the tabernacle on the Day of Atonement. But our Great High Priest has passed through the actual heavens. Does this awe us and make us say like Peter "depart from me for I am a sinful man, O Lord?" On the contrary one of the functions of His office is to remove things in our lives which would discourage us from coming to God in prayer. That is the thought in verse 15 "for we have not an high priest who cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities but was in all points tempted like we are, yet without sin." He is both the Son of God and Man. Had He remained Son of God without becoming a man how could He feel and sympathize for us? It takes a man to sympathize with another man's sorrows, troubles, etc. in life. And this Man, who is also Son of God has passed through the heavens. Such being the case we are to hold firmly to our confession. He can be affected when we suffer from human weaknesses. He suffered from hunger, thirst, fatigue of body in the days of His flesh just as we do. He suffered in spirit too at the grave of Lazarus, and wept there. Such is our Great High Priest.

Now the question is what does He do for us as we pass through a troubled world in a body of weakness. As High Priest He does not come to assist us if we sin. If that happens He may plead for us with God our Father as our Advocate. We must never confuse human infirmities i.e. weakness in the body with sin. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the Righteous" 1 John 2:1. So if we sin He may plead our case with God our Father as our Advocate. Rather what we have to consider here is the role of our Great High Priest in helping us in our infirmities in the body.

Infirmities show up in the entire span of life from childhood to old age so that we need an "all the way home" high priest. They are things which we cannot control by our own efforts or the efforts of others, and very often they represent losses of things we once enjoyed. We may suffer physically from accidents, war, disease or constantly diminishing bodily function due to age. We may suffer mental stress from loss of property, money, income, bereavement, the greatest of all losses, which often happens unexpectedly. Children lose their brothers and sisters or their parents, married couples their partners, older people their friends. Bereavement is more than the lost of loved ones and their companionship, for in its train comes loneliness. Some people spend much of their lives in loneliness. They may never have married. They may be blind, crippled, or forgotten in nursing homes. Infirmities then are very real, very distressing. Most people experience them in varying degree and often the burden is too heavy for us. But we are not alone. These circumstances of life come under the eye of our great high priest. He evaluates our problems and in the light of what is best for us spiritually either relieves us or strengthens us while permitting the trial to continue. The desert of this world is God's university and what our High Priest does for us here is done with the light of eternity before Him. This often distresses us because we prefer a solution in time. But the Scripture says He is a merciful and faithful High Priest in things pertaining to God. We are too much like Israel, not thinking of the Promised Land but complaining to God how difficult things are down here. Well, Christ was in this world too but unlike us He glorified God on the earth and all in view of the coming glory. Did it ever strike you, for example, that in the miracles Christ did in this world we get an intimation of the way He would help His people when He went back to heaven as their Great High Priest? In other words just as His miracles relieved and supported man physically while He was on earth so is He now performing the same works spiritually from His seat in heaven. These are works of relieving us when all seems hopeless (mercy) or sustaining us for a trial which He permits to continue (grace).

Mercy the relief given to the man who was beaten on the road to Jericho Jesus told "a certain lawyer" a parable about a man traveling from Jerusalem to Jericho who was ambushed by thieves who stole his clothes and beat him so badly that he was half dead. However, a certain Samaritan traveling that way saw him and had compassion on him. To have compassion is to show mercy to do something positive about a need which the needy person cannot do for himself. The Priest and the Levite the official representatives of the law passed by the wounded man. Human priesthood could not help man for it has nothing man needs no dressings for his wounds, no medication, no shelter and no Christ for companionship. But the Lord for He was the Good Samaritan has everything that is needed. He dressed the man's wounds with the medication of the day oil and wine bandaged them, provided him with transportation to an inn and prepaid his expenses there until He should return.

There are two parts to this story. First the Lord undoes Satan's work beating and robbing man. This is Heb. 2:14-15. Secondly He uses His own power as High Priest to put us beyond further damage from Satan by sheltering us in this world until His second coming for us (though there was no room for Him in the inn when He was here). Such is the doctrine. Now we will provide one out of many illustrations of how it applies in practical Christian life.

Years ago I knew a faithful Christian, now with the Lord, whose name was Thomas Holliday. This man was an official of an important power company. In his leisure hours he went street preaching. He had a good voice and was a gifted evangelist. One day his manager called him into his office and told him bluntly that his street preaching activities brought discredit to the company in the eyes of the public and that unless he stopped them he would be fired. Holliday refused to do so. Certainly there was Scriptural precedent for his refusal when other rulers had commanded Peter and John not to speak at all nor teach in the Name of Jesus, they refused Acts 4:17-31. His manager then told Holliday that he was going away on a business trip and when he returned the first thing he would do was take steps to fire him. We may be sure that in the interval Holliday was at the throne of grace to receive mercy (removal of the trial) and grace (to support him in it while it lasted). On the day of his return Holliday's manager walked into his office no doubt intending to execute his promise to fire the Lord's servant. Shortly after he came out of his office on a stretcher for he had suffered a massive heart attack. Another man replaced him as manager and Holliday continued to preach the gospel in the street.

Grace the support given us by our Great High Priest in a trial He does not see fit to remove Since God is sovereign He can work His will toward us without explaining why. For example He allowed Herod to kill James with the sword but He sent His angel to deliver Peter. Since we know that all things work together for good toward those who love God we must not question His ways. Having said this we will now turn to John 11, for this passage is a foreshadowing of how our Great High Priest supports us (grace) in sickness and bereavement.

The question of sickness and bodily disability comes up first. In considering such trials in the body we are to understand cases which physicians and surgeons cannot alleviate and the Lord's sustaining grace is needed. Evidently that was the case with Lazarus' terminal illness in John 11. The sisters of Lazarus sent the Lord a message that their brother was sick, for they knew His curing power. The Lord, however, appears to ignore the message. Actually He received it but it was not His purpose to heal Lazarus. He stayed away from Bethany for two days instead of traveling to it. Before He went there He told His disciples that Lazarus was dead now. On arrival He is reproached by the two sisters of the deceased that if He had only come earlier their brother would not have died. How true to life this is. How often we pray to the Lord for something which in His wisdom He does not wish to give us. Then the tendency of our hearts is to reproach the Lord for unanswered prayer. But the Lord does not forget us any more than Lazarus. Sometimes He gives us dying grace and Lazarus got that sometimes living grace when life seems hopeless. I cite the instances of two crippled women I know who are very bright Christians. One is confined to bed the other to a wheelchair. Yet they radiate the grace which supports them in otherwise unsupportable positions. Such is the effect of the High Priesthood of Jesus.

But let us continue with the story of the raising of Lazarus. It is critical to the understanding of Christ's High Priesthood because it shows its acting in three ways the infirmity of sickness, the supreme infirmity of bereavement and a third thing which we will consider later in this book because it is out of place here. Well the Lord finally goes to Bethany, there to be virtually accused by Lazarus' two sisters that Lazarus wouldn't have died if He hadn't been so slow see John 11:21 and 32. Their bereavement was real. However their words had tinges of accusation in them. Spiritual as these women were they, like Israel in the desert, and we in this world, are slow to realize that as for God His way is perfect. Mary though goes to meet the Lord. She remains silent at the grave unlike her sister Martha and listens to the Lord's words which raise Lazarus from the dead. The result is that "many of the Jews who came to Mary, and had seen the things which Jesus did, believed on Him." One of the things our Great High Priest does for us in the hour of bereavement is comfort us, not only as He comforted Mary on the way to the tomb but afterward with the consolation that the parting is not permanent but temporary. As He raised Lazarus so will He raise our loved ones. And so we sorrow not as others who have no hope. Grace strengthens us and the people of the world note this. The Mary's of our day who have walked with Christ display the superiority of Christianity to everything else in death's dark valley.

The Throne of Grace

This is our last consideration v.16. It is an allusion to the Mercy Seat on the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies in the Tabernacle. But that was a throne of judgment. The people dared not come near that. Once a year only could Aaron the High Priest come in there with the blood of a sacrifice to sprinkle on it and a censer of incense whose rising fragrance hid his flesh, so to speak. The blood was a figure of the shed blood of Christ in Aaron's time that was future. But under grace, with the blood of Christ shed, the character of God's throne has been changed from a throne of judgment to a throne of grace. The "mercy seat" anticipated Christ's death hence its name the throne is called a throne of grace. That is why these two things are written in v.16. We come boldly to the throne of grace to receive mercy. Since grace characterizes the throne the measure in which it is dispensed is the measure of God's heart a work wrought inside us to strengthen us. Mercy is measured according to our needs as individuals in the hostile outside world.

A closing comment is that we must not confuse the throne of grace with the office of our Great High Priest. In Israel the high priest had two principal functions offering sacrifice outside and burning incense inside. But Christ was both the Priest and the Sacrifice. He offered one sacrifice outside in this world in figure the brazen altar thus ending that part of the Priest's work. Then He went into heaven to burn incense on the golden altar, so to speak. When we draw near to the throne of grace He makes our prayers efficacious provided they are in harmony with the Word of God and God's will for us. But it is to God we go with our prayers whether individually or collectively. And it is to God our Great High Priest goes for us. If our prayers are mistaken even an apostle had difficulty discerning the will of God Acts 16:6-10 He is understanding, being both compassionate and full of grace.

Summary of the Digression Chapters 3 and 4

Chapters 3 and 4 are digressions to make the Christian position understandable to professing Hebrew Christians who still thought in terms of an earthly Messiah found in the writings of the prophets and an earthly ritual the need for which had passed. Christ had come to them as an Apostle with the Word of God. In obedience to that Word He purged our sins. Then by His own death He disannulled Satan's power of death and delivered us from the fear of death. His work as Apostle finished, He passed through the heavens as our Great High Priest 4:14 He sat down on God's throne on High 1:3. Our calling now is heavenly for our High Priest is in heaven. To reach Him we must pass through the wilderness in His power dependence and obedience. God gave Moses and Aaron to His people to support them as they went through the wilderness. They came with the Word of God and the services of the High Priest. These are the same things we get. Only their fathers failed, for faith was not mixed with the Word of God 4:2 so that the impediments along the way became insurmountable. The priesthood suffered from human infirmity. But we have the full Word of God and a priesthood which cannot fail. He may either relieve the pressure if the circumstances of life become unbearable, or support us in the trials. He may help or guide us. He knows what we suffer for He suffered Himself. He also knows which of these courses will be most beneficial to us spiritually. In view of this we are encouraged to come boldly to the throne of grace. Israel could not come at all because they had a throne of law. Now that Christ's blood is shed we can approach that same throne in holy boldness because perfect love (as expressed in His death) has cast out fear. But we musn't confuse coming to the throne of grace with the priest's office. We go direct to God to receive mercy and find grace. Mercy delivers from a trial and is for individuals grace sustains in a trial. This applies to both individual and collective prayer this holy boldness in entering God's presence to supplicate Him. However we don't go to the Priest for these things rather we approach God direct for them. Similarly the Priest goes to God for us to relieve us of our infirmities. He does not want us to be dragged down by them but wants us to be happy in God's presence.

Thus three things take the Christian through this world and on to heaven the Word of God, the High Priesthood of Christ and the throne of grace. Our passage through this world is to bring us to glory 2:10. The glory is the rest which "remains" to the people of God 4:9. To anticipate doctrine slightly, Jesus has gone there before His people 6:20 for He is the Captain of our salvation. Like troops we follow where our Captain leads us.

Chapter 1.5

THE SUPERIORITY OF JESUS' PRIESTHOOD TO AARON'S

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 5:1-10)

At the opening of Chapter 3 Paul exhorted the Jewish brethren to consider Jesus in two ways as the Apostle of our confession and as the High Priest of our confession. An Apostle is one sent by God. Their fathers knew Moses. He had an apostolic character for he had both spoken the Word of God to them and given it to them in writing. But Jesus is "the Apostle of our confession" for God is now speaking in the Person of His Son 1:2. The Father had never been revealed before until Jesus came, speaking the Words of God. He was the sent One of the Father. So much for the Apostle of our confession what now about the High Priest of our confession? Where in Hebrews do we find Jesus compared to Aaron? This is a wide ranging subject. Paul introduces it in the last three verses of Chapter 4. But the consideration of Jesus as the High Priest of our confession properly opens at the beginning of Chapter 5 and closes at 10:18. Because this large subject is subdivided we shall consider here only the first ten verses of Chapter 5.

The Priesthood of Aaron

The first four verses give us the character of the Aaronic priesthood, so we have a basis for comparing it with Christ's. Verse 1 is a general statement "for every high priest taken from among men is ordained for men in things pertaining to God that he may offer gifts and sacrifices for sins." The expression "every high priest" suggests a succession in the priesthood as the office is vacated by death. The first general characteristic of human priesthood then is weakness. However while the high priest holds the office his duties are defined "things relating to God" that is spiritual considerations. Then the two main duties are spelled out offering both gifts and sacrifices for sins." The word for gift here is DORON—gifts offered to God. Since it is distinguished from sacrifices for sins which were offered on the brazen altar outside, possibly the gifts refer to the high priest's duties within the holy and most holy place. In any event it is clear that priestly duties were both inside and outside. But the high priest was a sinner like other men and his exalted official duties did not exempt him from offering a sacrifice for his own sins v.3. And because he was a man he was able to exercise forbearance toward the ignorant and erring. Though clothed with a priestly garment he was also clothed with infirmity like other men. Still the official position was honorable. It was divinely established. Aaron did not usurp authority over his fellows in carrying out divine services into which the people dare not intrude. Aaron was called by God to the office. It was God Himself who conferred on Aaron the glory and dignity of the high priest's office. Nobody then could be a priest unless God called him to the office. But God called Christ to be a Priest also v.5. No man could assume the office of his own will. But this introduces in the reader's mind the thought of two high priests, without raising the question if one of them has been superseded. For the present it affords him an opportunity of comparing one order of priesthood with the other.

The Priest Whom God Called Is Also the Apostle God Sent

Paul once more reverts to the Old Testament Scriptures to prove what God has said about Christ. In Psa. 2:7 God had said, "Thou art My Son this day have I begotten Thee" and in Psa. 110:4 "Thou art a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedec." As Son He was the Apostle i.e. the Father sent the Son into the world as Priest He is called into God's presence in the heavens to establish a new order of priesthood. These divine utterances are repeated in verses 8 and 10 in slightly different form so there is no reason for misunderstanding them.

But why should God's eternal Son be told in time "this day have I begotten Thee" and what day is in mind? There can be little doubt that the day in the quotation was the day when Christ was baptized by John in the river Jordan. So great was His humiliation then and so unknown His Person that God the Father declared "Thou art My beloved Son, in Whom I am well pleased." As Son He was the Apostle the One Whom the Father had sanctified and sent into the world and in His own words the Son of God. His public service for God commenced after the Father's voice from heaven was heard at the Jordan. Aaron could have no such personal dignity yet Aaron was a priest on earth, which Christ was not, as we are told later on in the epistle. God saluted Him as a Priest when He returned to glory, the meaning of "being made perfect" at the beginning of verse 9. But He is a special kind of priest "forever" and "after the order of Melchizedec." "Forever" tells us that unlike Aaron and those who followed him in the priesthood He will be a Priest as long as the office is open. This High Priest will have no successors in the office as Aaron had, for He never dies. "After the order of Melchizedec" means that He brings a new order of things into the priest's office. The order of His priesthood is mentioned seven times in Hebrews four of which stress that the order is forever 5:6-6:20-7:17 and 7:21 and three the character of His order of priesthood 5:10 and 7:11 (twice). Melchizedec was a man of blessing Gen. 14. Now the first of all Christian blessings is the forgiveness of sins. Aaron's order of priesthood with its endless animal sacrifices could not give man this most essential of all blessings. But by one sacrifice His own Christ has purged our sins. Furthermore' it was God, not Paul, who spoke of the coming of this new order of priesthood. Paul merely showed the Hebrews, from their own Scriptures, what God had said. By inference the first order of priesthood must pass away if a new order is to be established.

The Holy Spirit now returns to the days of Christ's flesh. His first testing and suffering in the flesh was at the temptation. "If Thou be the Son of God, command these stones that they be made bread." Truly He was hungry and had the power to satisfy His hunger for He was the Son of God. "Man shall not live by bread alone" He replied "but by every word which proceedeth out of the mouth of God." He would not use His power to satisfy His needs unless His Father told Him that was the meaning of His reply. He knew Satan's underlying suggestion that surely the Father would not allow His Son to starve if He were His Son. Having overcome Satan, His Father attended to His bodily needs. Satan then disappeared for a season, reappearing at the Garden of Gethsemane. If he could not overcome Him in life perhaps he could do so by bringing across His soul the shadow of his power of death. Could this deflect Him from doing His Father's will if the price of obedience were death? He "offered up prayers and supplications with strong crying and tears unto Him who was able to save Him from death and was heard in that He feared." He feared from the full knowledge of what sin meant to God and how God must judge it. All this is prophesied of Him in Psa. 22. "And He said unto them 'My soul is exceeding sorrowful unto death. Remain here and keep watch.' And He went forward a little, and fell on the ground, and prayed that, if it were possible, the hour might pass from Him. And He said 'Abba Father, all things are possible unto Thee. Take away this cup from Me nevertheless not what I will, but what Thou wilt'" Mark 14:34-36. As Man He learned obedience through experiencing human sufferings for He was the Man of Sorrows yet truly Son of God and without sin. God's answer to His perfect obedience even the death of the cross was to make Him "perfect" that is not only to raise Him from the dead but exalt Him to His own throne in glory. There in the highest heavens He has sat down on God's throne. It is from this pinnacle of exaltation that He becomes "the author of eternal salvation to all those who obey Him." "The gospel of the glory of the blessed God" is so-called in Scripture because it originates from the throne of God in heaven.

This gospel is preached on earth "for the obedience of faith." We are to obey Him the Author of eternal salvation as He obeyed His Father. Obedience to God characterizes true Christian life and should be found in our pathway. The reward of His obedience was a special salutation from God when He returned to the glory... "addressed by God as High Priest according to the order of Melchizedec." Thus the Old Testament Scriptures were fulfilled "Thou art My Son" Psa. 2:7 at the beginning of the Lord's ministry at the Jordan and "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedec" Psa. 110:4 when He returned to glory. So the Lord ended His Apostolic office and took up His High Priesthood. Now the High Priesthood of Christ is according to the order of Melchizedec. Since Melchizedec was a blesser the new order of things Christ introduces into the High Priest's office is an order of blessing. When He was on earth Christ's blessings were material in character as the record of His miracles shows now that He is in heaven the blessings are spiritual. We might remark in closing that all blessing for-man is founded on the death and resurrection of Christ. However the character of the blessing depends on where the priest is. When the priesthood was on earth the blessing was limited, because it really looked forward to the death and resurrection of Christ. So you could bring the very finest bullock to the priest for sacrifice but he could not give you eternal salvation. He Himself had to die and leave His office to another. But now the priesthood is in heaven. This is proof that the blessing is perfect, for God is so satisfied with Christ's work that He has pronounced Him priest and He is seated on God's throne. The blessing then flows from the place where the Priest is heaven to the place where His needy people are earth.

For encouragement and strengthening, His people must look up. He is perfected that is Man in glory. He is both the Author of eternal salvation 5:9 and the Leader of our salvation 2:10. If we follow Him we shall be perfected in glory as He is. If we look up and that is the thought in coming boldly to the throne of grace we will see with the eye of faith the Man in the glory. So all closes on a note of triumph. The perfectly obedient Man has been glorified. As He had companions on earth so He would have them in heaven for that is the place where He is now. What a rich unfolding of grace this is to be companions of the Man in the glory of God.

In the High Priesthood of Christ two streams of blessing converge the human and the divine something not possible in the old established order of priesthood. We can consider our High Priest (3:1) in that light and so as a High Priest of good things to come 9:11. From the human standpoint He is a merciful and faithful High Priest 2:17 not one who is unable to sympathize with our infirmities but who has been tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart 4:15. Such an High Priest became us 7:26 and "we have such an High Priest "8:1. To these four human considerations the Holy Spirit has added three which are divine He did not glorify Himself to be made an High Priest 5:5 God did that, addressing Him as an High Priest according to the order of Melchizedec 5:10 and not only so but His High Priesthood according to that order of blessing is forever 6:20.

When Jesus was on earth He surrounded Himself with companions He loved them and wanted their company. Has He changed now that He has left this earth for heaven? Not at all. He wants our company now. To enjoy His company we too must leave earth for heaven. That is the race, but you might say that is for the future when Christ comes for us. Partly true. But to the extent that we realize that our citizenship is in heaven where Christ is, the heart is drawn away from earth. His Person becomes the center of our thoughts. In spirit, if not in actual fact, we are His companions, sharing His thoughts and interests.

Chapter 1.6

THE HEAVENLY CITY WITH ITS UNDYING HIGH PRIEST IS THE LAST CITY OF REFUGE FOR A GUILTY NATION

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 5:11-14; 6:1-20)

Paul's opening thrust is that he had much to say about Christ being a High Priest according to the order of Melchizedec. The trouble was that it was hard to explain those things to the Hebrews because they had become hard of hearing. They were not ready for the revelation of this truth. Their eyes were fastened on the golden temple of Jerusalem and its resplendent human priesthood. So Paul interrupts his main train of thought to admonish them and direct their gaze to a heavenly priesthood, not an earthly one.

Now some things which Paul wrote on this subject are hard to understand. Even the Apostle Peter had trouble understanding this epistle. He wrote to his Jewish flock "even as our beloved brother Paul also according to the wisdom given him has written to you as also in all his epistles... in which are some things hard to understand" etc. 2 Peter 3:15,16. Peter admits difficulty with some things, but certainly not with elementary truths. By this time the Hebrew Christians should have been teachers... exponents of the truth to others, for didn't Christianity start at Jerusalem. However the fact was they needed a teacher to instruct them over again in "the elements of the beginning of the oracles of God" meaning the presentation of the life of Christ in the Gospels as their Messiah. He compares them to babies who are dependent on their mothers for milk Paul wants them to crave the strong meat of a heavenly and unseen Christ. They should be like strong men by now independent of early tutors capable of working for and eating solid food. Paul also answers the question of how we graduate from a new born Christian to a mature one. We acquire skill in the word of righteousness by habitual use of it constant practice the same way musicians must constantly practice playing their musical instruments to retain and sharpen their proficiency in them. Growth results. We become full grown men with senses altered to detect what is good and what is evil.

The three verses which open Chapter 6 illustrate the teaching. "Wherefore, leaving the word of the beginning of the Christ, let us go on (to what belongs) to full growth... and this will we do if God permit." What Paul is saying is that, Lord willing, he now wants to write about those things which are the solid spiritual food of adult Christians. He wants to wean them away from milk as a spiritual food for that is the nourishment of babies figuratively of those incapable of providing for themselves. This spiritual milk, or elementary truth, is defined in terms of another figure a foundation. A foundation is a beginning. So they were not to lay again the foundation of repentance from dead works and of faith toward God. God had once laid the foundation on the earth 1:10. Did He lay it again? No. He went on to finish His work in the old creation. So should they who were in the new creation. Then there is the doctrine of washings and of laying on of hands, and of resurrection of the dead. Now "washings" refers to Jewish ceremonial purification by water and "the resurrection of the dead" to the limited Jewish understanding of resurrection before the Pauline epistles were written see John 11:21-24. All this was milk suitable for infants before the revelation of God in the Person of His Son. Then, to follow the natural analogy, they should have graduated to adult food meat. Verses 4 and 5 give us an intimation of what this strong meat is but it is introduced with a warning.

Whom does Paul address in the ominous verses from 4 to 8 which sound like the foreboding, dreadful sounds heard by their forefathers at Mount Sinai when the law was given? He is not addressing the Church at Jerusalem or in other locations in the holy land, but the general company of professing Christians, some of whom had accepted Christ as Savior while others had not. The emphasis in these verses is on those who had not. These professors of Christianity were convinced mentally of the truth of Christianity from the proofs of it which they had seen. They were in the especially favored position of having witnessed the miracles of Christ, the Apostles and others, and the great evangelical stirring of the nation recorded in the first twelve chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. They assented to the truth of Christianity in their minds and met together with companies of believers in the Christian synagogues of that day. But they had not believed with the heart they had not experienced the new birth.

They had been enlightened v. 4 but this meant no more than the effect of receiving the, truth in their minds. Christianity illuminates the minds of men who bow to its moral teachings, because it dispels the natural darkness of the human mind. Such people lack a saving belief in Christ. Still they are more responsible to God than those who had never been enlightened and tasted God's good things. Christ had tasted death for everything 2:9. In contrast they had tasted good things from God yet were turning back from Christianity. This is the background of the stern warning "for it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit" (professors of Christianity who had sampled the goodness of Christ and the power of the Holy Spirit) "and have tasted the good word of God" (eg. Simon Magus) "and the power of the world to come" (those miracles which nullified Satan's power in the world) "IF THEY SHOULD FALL AWAY to renew them again to repentance." These people were in a special class because they experienced a foretaste of the kingdom of God in power a privilege not granted to men before or since. If they should, after all this, fall away from Christianity and return to Judaism, that act of apostasy would be like them personally crucifying the Son of God all over again, and publicly disgracing Him. That is how God would look at their act if they returned to a religious system He had judged for crucifying His Son. It would be equivalent to sanctioning the nation's crucifixion of the Son of God. And yet they were assembling together with born again Christians. To point out the anomaly Paul gives them a simple lesson from nature. Surely everyone knows the effect of rainfall on the earth in the growing season. The rain comes from heaven to earth as Christ had done. The professing Hebrew Christians men of the earth had drunk in that heavenly rain. Good crops for the farmer i.e. fruit for God was the result for those with saving faith in Christ. Such received blessing from God v. 7. The others the thorns and thorn bearing plants of empty profession without life were almost at the point of being cursed. As for their end, it would be divine judgment the sense of being burned up v. 8.

Then in verse 9 Paul addresses true professors of Christianity. He is persuaded better things of them things connected with salvation. His tone is almost apologetic "even if we speak thus" for he felt it necessary to warn the others sternly first, due to the mixed nature of the congregation at Jerusalem. The others had been enlightened, but did not have life. Those who had life had tilled the ground to bring useful crops out of it v. 7 and a righteous God could not forget this v. 10. They had not only served God's true people in the past but were still doing so. He stresses this continuance in good works and diligence in them v.11 buoyed up by the full assurance of hope to the end. He stresses the same point in v.12 using a negative exhortation don't be lazy in whatever you do for God. Rather they should imitate those who in the past have been inheritors of the promises. In other words let their patient character in the face of promises not yet received be their example, for their own circumstances were very similar.

The introduction of the promises is blended with the heavenly hope characteristically Paul's line. Now this heavenly hope which all Christians have materially differs, in the case of these Hebrews, from our own. If we do not see this distinction the closing verses of Chapter 6 will be blurred to our vision. The Hebrew nation was guilty of the death of God's Son. The question arises then how does God classify their crime as an act of murder or an act of ignorance. If murder there is no hope "the murderer shall be put to death" Num. 35:30. If ignorance there is hope. Under the law a man who had killed another unintentionally could flee to a city of refuge and remain there in safety until the death of the high priest. If he ventured outside he lost his shelter and the blood avenger of the killed man could slay him. Well the question is answered by the Lord Himself "Father forgive them for they know not what they do" Luke 23:34. Since the Lord's words attributed their sin to a sin of ignorance they must flee to a city of refuge. The law established six such cities three on each side of the river Jordan read Num. 35, Josh. 20. But under Christianity a seventh is opened up heaven itself. Peter's sermon on the day of Pentecost convicted them and, by believing in Christ, they had, in effect, fled to this heavenly city of refuge. Peter confirmed their right to do this as the Lord Himself did on the cross "and now, brethren, I know that through ignorance you did it, as did also your rulers" Acts 3:17. But they must not leave this city of refuge or they will die. Such was not only the ruling of the law but the tenor of this epistle. Only when the High Priest dies can they leave this heavenly city. But you say Jesus, as our High Priest, can never die. Exactly. And so you Hebrew Christians are not permitted to leave the heavenly calling and return to Judaism. Why would they ever want to leave it? Jesus is there. He is our forerunner. The Savior man put to death is there to welcome to safety those who put Him to death. The Man in the glory is the anchor of the soul. Not only the anchor of these Christians but all of us. Storms may hit a ship but if it is securely anchored, it is reasonably safe. But our safety the safety of the soul is secured by an anchor which can never be moved. "Refuge failed me no man cared for my soul. O Lord... Thou art my refuge" Psa. 142:4, 5. Our High Priest can never die, so we can never lose our heavenly hope.

This ends the parenthesis refuge from blood guilt by fleeing to a city whose high priest can never die. The closing of the parenthesis opens the way for the uninterrupted consideration of "Jesus, made an High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedec.”

Chapter 1.7

THE CHANGING OF THE PRIESTHOOD AND THE LAW

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 7, Gen. 14)

The apostle now resumes the teaching interrupted by the parenthesis from 5:11 to 6:20. In Heb. 6:10 Christ is addressed by God as High Priest after the order of Melchizedec and in 6:20 we are told that Jesus has been made an High Priest forever after the order of Melchizedec. "Forever" means uninterrupted by death like the Aaronic priesthood was and so in transmissible. But you cannot have two orders of priesthood running simultaneously. As to Aaron's priesthood Paul tells us that he was called by God (5:4). But so was Christ, only not after Aaron's order but the order of Melchizedec and this is proved from the Old Testament Scriptures too Psa. 110:4. Since God is not the Author of confusion Paul now takes up this seeming duplication in the High Priest's office and resolves the question by showing how the priestly order of Melchizedec (Christ's order) has superseded the priestly order of Aaron. And since the priesthood and the law are interconnected the changing of the priesthood calls for a change in the law. This is the teaching of 7:12 The key verse in the seventh chapter.

The Greatness of Melchizedec

We are told that Melchizedec was King of Salem (i.e. Jerusalem) and Priest of the Most High God. He was, then, both a king and a priest, as Christ is. His history is given in Gen. 14 and his name divinely invoked in Psa. 110 as the order of Messiah's priesthood. These are the only two references to him in the Old Testament. The salient features of his personal history are summarized in Heb. 7, where initially we are told that he blessed Abraham after a battle, and Abraham gave him one tenth of the booty. This battle is a prophetic anticipation of Armageddon see Rev. 19 which establishes Christ's rule over the world.

It is amazing that in those far off days a man could occupy such an important political position as King of Jerusalem and yet be called "priest of the Most High God." The expression "most high" is a title of God's in reference to His future judgments on the haughty Gentile empires who began with Nebuchadnezzar and end at Armageddon. Daniel told Nebuchadnezzar that seven times should pass over him till he knew that the MOST HIGH rules in the kingdom of men see Dan. 4:25. In their pride the Gentiles think they can rule the world without God and historically have oppressed God's ancient people Israel. They will eventually be made to do what Nebuchadnezzar their head did at the end of God's personal judgment on him. King Nebuchadnezzar lifted up his eyes to heaven, his understanding returned to him and he blessed the MOST HIGH see Dan. 4:34. When Gentile power in the world is ended Christ will come out of heaven as Melchizedec Priest to bless Israel and through her all the world see Rom. 11:13-33.

Melchizedec's name means "King of Righteousness." His office is called "King of Salem" which means "King of Peace." It is remarkable to find a man's name synonymous with his office as with Melchizedec. Usually a man's name is given first followed by his title or office. Here is an exception however and the reason is that Melchizedec combined a dual kingship in his person "King of Righteousness" and "King of Peace." Little wonder then that Christ's Priesthood is after the order of Melchizedec. He will enforce peace on this earth as King of Kings and Lord of Lords. Just as Melchizedec blessed Abraham when he returned from the slaughter of the kings so will Jesus bless Abraham's seed when He establishes His kingdom the King of Salem the ruler of Jerusalem. Men will not willingly beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks. There can be no peace on earth until a King rules in righteousness. It is beautiful to see that of the seven mentions of righteousness in Hebrews three refer to Christ and Melchizedec (after whose order Christ is a Priest 1:8, 1:9, 7:2) the other four being general. Righteousness is giving God what is due to Him and the creature what is due to the creature see Luke 10:25-37. This world will be ruled perfectly one day by Christ, for a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of His kingdom.

Only when we come to the third verse do difficulties arise concerning Melchizedec. He is portrayed as without father, without mother, without genealogy, having neither beginning of days nor end of life, but assimilated to the Son of God, 1* abiding a priest continually. People say this is impossible. Man, born of woman, must die the Scriptures teach this and we know it from what happens in life. These difficulties arise from thinking as Gentiles rather than Jews. As a Jew writing to Jews Paul is simply using Melchizedec to prefigure Jesus as a new order of priest. The order of priesthood headed up by Aaron and passed on to his sons by death, was exercised on earth. Christ however never was a priest on earth, but only in heaven. Therefore His priesthood must be after a new order. God had said in Psa. 110 that His priesthood would be after the order of Melchizedec, a man who appears on the sacred page in Gen. 14. Paul says Melchizedec is "assimilated to the Son of God and abides a priest continually." This means that AS A PRIEST ONLY he is similar to God's Son, because looked at as a priest only Christ had no genealogy. Of course looked at as a Man He had Mary was His mother but not as a priest. Furthermore Christ abides a priest continually just as there is no record of Melchizedec's death in Scripture. So in the book of Genesis Moses intentionally omits what must have taken place in the way of nature the birth and death of Melchizedec. He is introduced and disappears from the Scriptures with just enough given of him to constitute him as the pattern of a new order of priesthood which would find its full realization in Christ. This order would differ in another important way from Aaron's. Aaron was never a king but Melchizedec was. So David was inspired to speak of the Christ to come as being a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedec and followed this in Psa. 110 with a declaration that the Lord at His right hand would crush kings in the days of His wrath. This Aaron never did, not being a king. After the order of Melchizedec Christ is a King. But during the Church period His kingly rule of the earth is deferred. He carries on His priesthood partially after the pattern of Aaron. We say partially because Aaron as a priest performed sacrificial duties outside the tabernacle and ministerial duties inside. Christ of course came into the world to be a sacrifice, not a priest, and performs His priestly services inside the tabernacle i.e. in heaven. But He does so as a priest not after Aaron's order but the order of Melchizedec. Now Melchizedec was a blesser. As a heavenly priest then Christ's priestly services are conducted for our spiritual blessing. The time will come though when the Church period will end and He will come out of heaven as Melchizedec—Priest with blessings for the earth. The slaughter of the kings must take place before Christ can do this that is, Gentile powers opposing Christ's rule over the world must first be destroyed. Such is the clear teaching of Gen. 14 which tells us much of what we know about Melchizedec. In that chapter he comes out to bestow the bread and wine of strength and blessing to Abraham as in the future day Christ will bless the Jew and through Him the whole Adam race. When He does He will be Melchizedec—King wearing His priestly garments of glory and beauty. We see in these figures the foundation truth that all blessing for heaven and earth flows from the death of Christ. Today Christ, like Aaron on the Day of Atonement, has entered the most holy place wearing the holy linen garments the garments of His blood sacrifice. Tomorrow He will come out to the Jews in His garments of glory and beauty with bread and wine this has a distinctly Eucharistic teaching a reminder that the Jew is on the same ground for blessing the death of Christ as the Church which He will have taken to glory was during her sojourn on this earth.

Does the reader find it difficult to follow this simple explanation? If so it is because he does not look at the Book of Hebrews through Jewish eyes. He must for this epistle was written to professing Hebrew Christians. An argument, to be effective with them, must be based upon their own Old Testament Scriptures. Now it is abundantly clear that in New Testament times the Jews understood Psa. 110 to teach that Messiah would be after the order of Melchizedec. The Lord used their understanding of this truth to silence the scribes when He was on earth Luke 20:41-44. Then when He returned to heaven Peter used it on the Day of Pentecost to urge them to repent and receive Christ which they did Acts 2:34, 35. Clearly then the Jews, in the days of the Lord and the Apostles, had no difficulty in understanding that Messiah would be a priest after the order of Melchizedec although they did not understand when this would be. They knew that Scripture had described Melchizedec in such a way that his human origin and descendants if any were veiled from their eyes by the procedure of deliberate omission from the written record in Gen. 14. They saw that by this technique he was made a figure of the order of their coming Messiah's priesthood. Because they had this key of knowledge they were free to meditate more on Melchizedec's power and greatness, hoping to derive from this study as much knowledge as possible concerning the coming Messiah. That is what we shall now do also.

Melchizedec Shown to Be Greater Than Their Father Abraham and Therefore a High Priest After Melchizedec's Order Greater Than a High Priest Descended From Abraham

Abraham! What that name meant to a Jew! The poor man was carried by the angels to Abraham's bosom for the Lord knew that no figure could carry greater weight to them than that association. But He also said "Your father Abraham rejoiced to see My day and he saw it and was glad... Verily, verily I say unto you before Abraham was, I am.”

But Abraham recognized in Melchizedec—God's representative. That is why he paid tithes to him. Tithes are paid to God or to His representative. To his Jewish readers Paul pointed out that the sons of Levi, who received the office of the (Levitical) priesthood following after their father Aaron, received tithes of their brethren as God's representatives. But if their genealogy were traced backwards it would end in Abraham and Abraham paid tithes to Melchizedec. No wonder Paul says "now consider how great this man was." For the priestly family of Aaron v.9 paid tithes to Melchizedec. By this act of tribute they acknowledged the order of Melchizedec as being superior to their own. But when we pay tithes God assures us of a blessing from Him so great that there will not be enough room to store it Mal. 3:10. So on paying tithes to Melchizedec, Abraham (and therefore his descendants in the Aaronic priesthood) received a blessing from Melchizedec. But the blesser has to be greater than the person receiving the blessing. On these two grounds therefore giving and receiving the order of Melchizedec is proved superior to the order of Aaron. Furthermore, Paul argues, perfection could not be by the order of Aaron under which the Jews received the law, or another priest would not have risen after a new and different order the order of Melchizedec. God not being the Author of confusion the order of Aaron has passed away to make room for the better order the order of Melchizedec. Proof that this is so is the categorical statement in v.12 That the priesthood has been changed. The rest of that verse tells us that (because of this change of priesthood) the law must be changed too. God cannot change His priesthood and at the same time leave His law unchanged. Since the moral principles of the law cannot be changed what is meant is a change in the way God will present it to His ancient people in the form of grace in the heart of man instead of commandments in stone outside man. Of this more later. What is taught here is that since the priesthood has been changed the law must be also. For the priesthood and the law are interconnected. If one changes the other must too.

Christ As Melchizedec Priest –the Man of Power –the Lion of the Tribe of Judah (Rev. 5:5)

In verse 13 Paul points out that Christ, of whom these things were spoken i.e. the things about the new order of priesthood belonged to another tribe than Levi's. Nobody from that tribe had ever officiated at the altar, for Aaron and his descendants belonged to the tribe of Levi. Then in v.14 he tells us that our Lord was of the tribe of Judah and Moses never connected Judah with the priesthood. Judah was a regal tribe. On his deathbed Jacob prophesied of Judah "the scepter shall not depart from Judah, nor a lawgiver from between his feet until Shiloh come and unto Him shall the gathering of the people be" Gen. 49:10. This agrees with what is written in Heb. 7 our Lord "sprang" out of Judah. A man does not spring but a lion does. He is the king of beasts. So in Rev. 5:5 when Christ is about to seize His mighty power and rule over the earth as Melchizedec-Priest, He is called "the Lion of the tribe of Judah." This future exercise of Christ's kingly power in the world is implied in Melchizedec's name and center of rule Jerusalem. Melchizedec's name means "King of Righteousness." He ruled over Salem (Jerusalem) as "King of Peace" as Christ will when He establishes His world dominion for one thousand years with Jerusalem as its capital the center of glory and government in the world. While this is future it is blessed to know the power and strength of our Great High Priest today. Tomorrow the world will know it but we know it today.

A Better Covenant Between God and His People Than the Law of Moses Which Has As Its Guarantee Jesus Who Is After a New Order of Priesthood

Not only has our Lord sprung out of Judah lion like but according to the similitude of Melchizedec He arises a different priest. Arising is another allusion to a lion's movements arising and springing suggesting awesome regal power in life. This power of indissoluble life v.16 is in contrast to the law of fleshly commandment. It is also in contrast to "him who had the power of death" 2:14. Then once again, as so often in this epistle, Paul reverts back to the underlying authority behind Christ's Priesthood the divine oath "Thou art a priest forever after the Order of Melchizedec." Christ's Priesthood then is a priesthood of power, indissoluble life and established by divine authority under oath. Therefore the legal system is set aside v.18 being weak and unprofitable that is, not able to help man and a better hope is introduced to replace it. By this better hope we approach God. Then too the better hope required the swearing of a divine oath to introduce the new order of priesthood which was not so with the old order. "The Lord has sworn and will not change His mind Thou art a priest forever." This is the last time this frequently quoted expression from Psa. 110 is found in Hebrews and so Paul re-emphasizes it in the closing quotation by asserting that the Lord will not change His mind about it. Christ's is the last and closing order of priesthood it is forever. The authority of this divine oath undergirds Christ's priesthood and along with it the better covenant soon to be spoken of. When the priesthood changes, God's covenant with His people changes too. The old covenant connected with the old order of priesthood was powerless because man could not keep its commandments. Jesus has become the guarantee of a better covenant a covenant of grace, as we shall see, secured by the divine oath which established His priesthood.

Finally there were many priests under the old covenant but now one only. They were many because they had to die and pass the priesthood on to others. Now there is one, who never dies and never passes the priesthood on.

Complete Help for Man—the Three Ways Our High Priest Intercedes for His People

Scripture gives us several views of Christ's High Priesthood. First we have the generalized viewpoint. In this He intercedes with God for all His people covering the whole span of the Church period plus the coming one thousand year kingdom on earth at the end of which time is no more and the future eternity begins. This generalized view covering God's people in both the Church period and Israel is the subject of Rom. 8:28 "but we do know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to purpose." This generalized view of our High Priest's function then, amounts to guidance—guidance both for our lives as such and for our service to God. It is seen most beautifully in the life of Paul, the author of the verse just quoted. In Acts 16 Paul got both negative and positive guidance. He wanted to preach in the Roman province of Asia but he was forbidden it wasn't God's time yet for that province. Then he tried to go into Bithynia but was barred there too. Then at night Paul has a vision and sees clearly where God wants him to preach Macedonia. That is how all things work together for good to those who love God. The forbidden territories received the gospel later but for the present the Lord had more urgent work for Paul in Macedonia. This part of Paul's experiences deserves study i.e. as it helps us understand guidance from God. Paul is often used as a figure of Christianity in Acts and in the latter part of the book we see how all things worked together for good for him in a time of great adversity. And all things work together for good for us too for we are the beneficiaries of his inspired letters written under circumstances which would have conquered a less trusting man.

When we pass from the general to the particular we are dealing with Christ's intercession with two distinct classes of people the Church, His heavenly people, and Israel in the future day His earthly people. The two classes of robes of the Jewish High Priest illustrate this. When Aaron entered the holy of holies with blood on the Day of Atonement he wore the holy linen garments of sacrifice. This is a figure of Christ's present priestly service performed in heaven the true holy of holies for us. But when he came out to Israel he took off his linen garments and put on his garments of glory and beauty. These are the garments in which Christ will appear on earth as Melchizedec-Priest ruler of an earthly people. The distinction between these garments is an important one. Men's garments indicate what they do a surgeon has a gown, a workman overalls, a soldier a uniform varying with his service army, navy, air force and rank. So as High Priest Christ wears linen garments for the Church and is a Priest in heaven, but He will wear garments of glory and beauty for Israel when He rules over them in the glory of His kingdom. No other garments would be suitable for an earthly rule when the kingdom has come.

The Lord's services for us as High Priest today . "Today" the Church period is largely the thought of 7:25. "He is able also to save completely those who come to God by Him, seeing He ever lives to make intercession for them." The character of this intercession has been given to us before this is a consolidation. First we were told that "He is able to help those who are being tempted" 2:18. This is our High Priest's shoulder the place of strength. Secondly we are told that our High Priest is not one who is unsympathetic to our infirmities 4:14, 15. That is, He is tender hearted to weak people like us whose circumstances of life may be difficult, who suffer in feeble bodies and who are continually bereaved in a world of death. These two things come together in 7:25 able to save completely and affection. "He is able" is stressed not that He always will. He is doing the best He can daily for all believers according to our state of soul. Our part is to approach God by Him His part is to go to God for us this is High Priestly intercession... The Lord's services for Israel as High Priest tomorrow- In the eleventh chapter of Romans Paul tells us that God has not discarded Israel. Rather their fall has enriched the world and especially the Gentiles. But if the Gentiles do not continue in God's goodness they will be cut off as the Jews were. Then the Jews will be returned to blessing, after acknowledging Christ as their King. There is a beautiful picture of this in the Old Testament. Athalia, on the death of her son, ordered all the seed royal killed, and usurped the throne. But unknown to her, Jehoiada the priest hid Jehoash, one of the royal seed, in the House of the Lord so that at the proper time he could be king. And so it happened. The true king was revealed, crowned and acclaimed with the shout 'God save the King.' Athalia the usurper was slain. So with Jesus, thought to be slain by those who usurp authority in the world, but actually hidden in the House of the Lord as our High Priest. At the proper time He will be revealed to Israel as their King and be publicly acclaimed. His enemies will be destroyed and His people will be willing in the day of His power. He will be Melchizedec Priest in public display.

Such an High Priest

Next in v.26 Paul says "such an High Priest” became us. In Heb. 2:10 "it became Him"..."to make the leader of their salvation perfect through sufferings." Here it becomes us to have such an High Priest "holy, harmless, undefiled, separated from sinners, and made higher than the heavens." It became us because we are looked at as His companions 1:9 and if we are to be His companions we must be where He is in the heavens. When Christ was on earth He had companions, Peter, James, John, Mary Magdalene, for example. Now He has us as His companions and if we want to enjoy His company we must be, in spirit, where He now is in heaven. But you say can I come there, really, and if so how. Well I can come because He made one offering for sin v.27 when on earth, so my sins are gone and I can have confidence in approaching God. And I come to where the Priest is now heaven not earth. For us today the priesthood is heavenly in character not earthly. The earthly priesthood made high priests out of weak men. The heavenly priesthood was established by the swearing of God's oath "Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedec." And who is this Priest? He is "the Son who is perfected forever" 7:28.

Chapter 1.8

THE GLORY OF OUR PRIEST AS THE MEDIATOR OF THE NEW COVENANT

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 8)

In the last chapter the key verse v.12 told us that since the priesthood was changed (i.e. from Aaron to Christ) the law must change too since it was connected to the priesthood. A better law or covenant was what God had in mind, guaranteed by Jesus v.22 whose Priesthood was in turn introduced by God swearing the oath of Psa. 110 that it should be forever v.28. In the eighth chapter the great thought is the glory of our High Priest as the Mediator of this New Covenant. The first two verses of Chapter 8 which we will now consider summarize what has been taught to date, and introduce our chapter.

The Present Position and Function of Our Great High Priest

The opening statement presents some difficulty to the spiritual mind. That is because it tells us that our High Priest has sat down on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens. Clearly this is in contrast to Chapter 1 where He sat Himself down on the right hand of the Majesty on high. In Chapter 1 He sits down personally in Chapter 8 He sits down as High Priest. In the ancient world most work was done standing, although a few privileged people such as scribes would sit down to work. Therefore Scripture uses the symbolism of standing to indicate work and sitting down to indicate rest. This works perfectly in the case of Chapter 1. In that chapter Christ sits down because His work of purging our sins is finished. He was the Apostle sent out by the Father and His work is done. But how can He sit down in Chapter 8 as High Priest since this work is not finished indeed is the very character of His present work for us. The difficulty vanishes when we realize that a King's working time is spent on His throne hearing petitions, judging cases, etc. In other words unlike other men he works sitting down. So Christ sits down as High Priest at the beginning of Chapter 8. He is a King because He is after the order of Melchizedec who was a King. That is why in verse 1 Paul prefaces his remark about our High Priest sitting down by telling us he is summarizing his teaching on the priesthood. His teaching was that our High Priest was also a King. Such is His official position Priest King with endless life and unlimited power.

Then in verse 2 we are told the functions of His office. He is "a Minister of the holy places, and of the true tabernacle, which the Lord pitched, and not man." The inspired writer never mentions the Temple, for his purpose in writing was to wean the Hebrew Christians away from the Temple and its services. Instead he attracts their thoughts to the position of their forefathers redeemed out of Egypt by blood the promised land their destiny but not yet there in the desert instead and gathered around the Tabernacle where God dwelt. But, he says, you must think in terms of a true tabernacle with its holy places. The old tabernacle was a tent which man pitched. The true tabernacle is a spiritual one.

Christ's services in it are inside in the holy places not inside and outside like Aaron but inside only because the interior of the tabernacle was a figure of the heavens and that is where our High Priest is now. It is there He performs His High Priestly services.

The "More Excellent Ministry" of Jesus the Mediator of a Better Covenant

In verse 3 the argument is that every High Priest has official duties to perform and so it must be with this man our High Priest. The question is what has He to offer? Well, certainly not visible earthly priestly functions for there were priests on earth at the time this was written who did that and besides Christ was never a Priest when He was on earth v.4.*1 The functions of the earthly priests were mere copies of heavenly things just as the tabernacle was a copy of what was in God's mind not Moses' mind v.5. Then in verse 6 we get the explanation of verse 2 Jesus as "a minister of the holy places" for surely we should want to know what this ministry is. In verse 6 we are told that His ministry is "more excellent" that is more excellent than the ministry of the earthly priests. Why? Because He is the Mediator of a better covenant, which was established upon better promises.

It is important to understand Christ's relationship to the New Covenant. In Heb. 7:22 Jesus was made the guarantee of this better covenant here in 8:6 the Mediator of this better covenant. When two nations sign a covenant, say, not to make war with each other, the worthless document (for man is fallen and his word unreliable) requires the signatures of the consenting parties. Should disputes arise they may call in a third party to arbitrate the argument or they may tear it up by going to war. Note the difference in a divine covenant. It does not require man's consent to make it operative. So Christ is first the guarantee of the better covenant guaranteeing the covenant itself. Secondly as the Mediator of the covenant He is the One who will see that it works, going between the parties involved God and man so that the terms of the covenant are fulfilled. Because of these features the blessing God has for man will be fully realized.

“the Better Covenant" Shown to Be the New Covenant God Will Establish With Israel in a Coming Day

What is meant by the "better covenant" of which Jesus is the Mediator? And why the comparative "better?" Would not "best" have described this covenant? For God once made a covenant with Noah and all flesh not to destroy the world again with water and sealed this covenant by setting His bow in the clouds Gen. 9:8-17. That covenant however simply defines the general idea of what a covenant is in Scripture language. It is a condition or principle of the relationship of earthly creatures to God as established on His terms. The brute creation could not understand this covenant that God would not bring a flood on the earth again anymore than they could understand the rainbow as the seal of it. So this covenant is excluded in the comparison. The new covenant is a "better covenant" because it is in contrast to the old. The mind of God only visualizes two covenants in man's moral relationships to Himself the Old Covenant, the law given at Sinai and the New Covenant to be established with Israel in a future day whose principle is grace. But you say if the New Covenant is future how can Christ be the Mediator of it now? Simply because we come into the good of Israel's blessings through her fall and departure from God as we are told in the Book of Romans. The seal of the New Covenant is Christ's blood as He Himself said before His death "This is My blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins.”

Notice how gradually Paul has introduced the thought of the new covenant. In Heb. 7:22 and 8:6 he speaks of "a better covenant." In Heb. 8:7 he tells us that if the first covenant the law had been faultless there would have been no need of another one. Then in v.8 the source of the fault is traced, not to the law, but to the people who couldn't keep it and needed something better. This is the sense of v.8 which introduces and unfolds the New Covenant prophesied by Jeremiah in his 31St chapter. In vs. 9 God reviews His ancient ways with Israel how He affectionately took them by the hand as a father would his children and led them out of the land of Egypt. Alas they responded by not continuing in the law and so He disregarded them. But only for a time. "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. And so "after these days" v.10 the days of being forsaken God comes back to Israel with a new covenant. Thus the two covenants are at the beginning and ending of Israel's history. What is the essence of the new covenant? Is it not grace? "I will put My laws into their mind and write them also in their hearts." The old covenant was written with the finger of God on two tablets of stone Ex. 31:18 figure of the mind and the heart set on obedience to God and loving Him. Being external to man, who was weak, they failed. The New Covenant is internal to man and the two tablets are put inside the mind and written on the heart. The result is "I will be to them for God and they shall be to Me for people." The remaining verses expand on this theme. The knowledge of God shall be universal and the preaching and teaching of this knowledge to others will, consequently end. As a result God's controversy with man because of his unrighteous conduct will end, and He will forgive the past v.11, 12. Since God has decreed a new covenant God Himself has made the first covenant old v.13: Old things, whether they be old people, old clothes or whatever eventually decay and disappear. So too with the Old Covenant.

To summarize, Jesus is the arbitrator, for us at the present day, of a new covenant which God will establish with His earthly people Israel in the millennial kingdom. That means that we come into the good of this New Covenant now we do not have to wait for it. God has truly written the moral values of the law into our minds and hearts now and given us all that is necessary for the enjoyment of divine things. Christ is in heaven now as the Mediator of this New Covenant and we His people are on earth. These relative positions must be clearly grasped to understand Hebrews. We are, so to speak, gathered around the tabernacle on the way to heaven, our spiritual Canaan. This subject opens up too in Chapter 9 the tabernacle but more in the way of divine services connected with it, as we shall see.

The World and God's People- a Digression

The world as we know it originated with Cain, the man who rejected a blood sacrifice for his sins, and killed his brother Abel who offered one. Cain built the world's first city to forget God and make this earth his home. God was not willing that Cain should claim the world uncontested. It was His will to have a people of His own in the world "and Adam knew his wife again. And she bore a son, and called his name Seth. For God, said she, has appointed me another seed instead of Abel, whom Cain slew. And to Seth, to him also there was born a son, and he called his name Enos. Then men began to call on the Name of the Lord" Gen. 4:25, 26. Such is the genesis of "the family of God," although "the people of God" is the term found in Scripture. In any event both God and the devil are looked at as having children, so effectively dividing the world "in this the children of God are manifest and the children of the devil" 1 John 3:10.

In Scripture the children of the devil first appear prominently in Egypt. In that land Satan spawned a priesthood which ministered to the carnal desires of fallen man. Egypt was the glory of Cain's world. It offered everything in the arts of civilization in exchange for the souls of men. The priesthood of the gods had two purposes to help men's needs so they could serve the gods and worship them. The physician— priests were highly skilled and cured many of their diseases. Other priests controlled education. The construction of the temples stimulated commerce. Surely the gods deserved worship in exchange for these benefits. The gods took material form as idols, and in bowing down to them man worshipped the creature rather than the Creator. In Egypt many of these idols were birds or animals which overturned God's ruling that man was to be over them, not under them Gen. 1:28. In Greece and Rome the idols were more likely to be in human form for their gods and goddesses represented human lusts and passions, such as love, wine, war. In short Satan organized the whole world to oppose God, to worship himself and his fallen angels, and to indulge in sin, his ruling principle.

Egyptians worshipping animal gods "their foolish heart was darkened”

Out of this moral quagmire God determined to have a people for Himself. He saved this people by the Passover lamb's blood figure of Christ our Passover who was sacrificed for us 1 Cor. 5:7. He delivered them from the power of Pharaoh figure of Satan at the Red Sea. He brought them into the desert, built a tabernacle in which He dwelt, and which the people surrounded in their tents. He instituted a divine priesthood, completely different from the priesthood of the gods in Egypt. Here there were no graven images but a holy God who dwelt unseen in their midst. One God no gods or goddesses. So they could serve Him He personally took care of their needs food, drink, clothing. So they could worship Him He established not many priests to many gods as in Egypt but a priesthood for the One True God. The function of Satan's priesthood was to keep man in communion with the devil and actively sinning against God the function of God's priesthood was to keep the people near God and to instruct them in His ways. Still it was a temporary thing until Christ' should come. This Aaronic priesthood has now been superseded by a superior one that of Christ as a Priest forever after the order of Melchizedec. That brings us to the subject of the people of God in our day we who in time past were not a people like Israel but are now God's people Rom. 9:25, 2 Cor. 6:16.

God's people need help in a world opposed to them. Three things help them prayer, which is talking to God, reading and meditating on the Scriptures which is God talking to us, and the High Priesthood of Christ, which sustains the eternal life God has given us so we can serve and worship the Lord. We get an advanced viewing of Christ's High Priesthood in the two sisters Martha and Mary in John 12 and Luke 10. The reason for this is that eternal life expresses itself in one of two ways service, of which Martha is the figure, and worship, of which Mary is the figure. But we are a weak people and if Christ did not help us through His High Priesthood we could easily be crushed by our burdens and settle down in the world, ignoring our responsibility to serve and worship Him.

Martha is prominent in Luke's gospel. She complains to the Lord about her lazy sister Mary, who wasn't carrying her weight in the kitchen. The Lord exonerated her sister, but did not sleight her busy activities either. The Martha story is preceded by the parable of the good Samaritan, for a reason. In modern language the good Samaritan dressed and bandaged the wounds of the man who was mugged, drove him to a motel, and prepaid his room rent until he should return. That is the gospel in capsule form, and the gospel is preached by the Marthas among Christians. We are told in John 11:5 that Jesus loved Martha. It is not a question of which sister is better, but simply of the two ways in which eternal life is expressed service (Martha) which calls for outer activity in the world or worship (Mary) which is an act of relative seclusion apart from the world. In John 12 we find Mary in a devoted act of worship which the Lord commends. Since all believers have eternal life, we should all be actively serving or worshipping the Lord. In practice this would never happen at all because of our double burdens the opposition of the world and the storms of life which often threaten to capsize us. That is where the High Priesthood of Christ intervenes to keep us on the road.

These observations are a digression from the main flow of thought we are pursuing. The reason they are brought to the reader's attention is that in Hebrews the emphasis on the work of the High Priest is to prepare believers for approach to the Holy of Holies as worshippers. However if we thought of Christ's High Priesthood exclusively that way we would only understand it partially.

Chapter 1.9

A STUDY IN CONTRAST

(Suggested Reading: Lev. 16)

Hebrews is a book of contrasts, in which Paul constantly compares the old with the new. Contrast is an effective teaching tool. To illustrate this let us suppose a sailing ship two hundred and fifty years ago is approaching the barren coast of Newfoundland in winter. The day is dawning but all on board are discouraged. Suddenly a lookout shouts "land ahead." The mood changes. The coastline though bleak is land a complete contrast to the unending sea. Consider another example a visit to the optometrist. While examining your eyes he asks you "which slide is clearer this one or this one?" The contrast helps him understand how to fill your prescription. So it is not surprising to find that the ninth chapter of Hebrews is a study in contrast.

The first ten verses tell us about the imperfection of Aaron's work. They are a highly abbreviated account of the tabernacle and the services performed there on the Day of Atonement. The Hebrews were so familiar with the ritual that these few verses were enough to conjure up a picture of it in their minds. That is not true of us today. Consequently we have dealt with this subject in Chapter 1.10 following. The knowledge of the old system is important as Hos. 4:6 reminds us "My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge.”

Verses 11-28 complete the chapter. In brief they speak of the perfection of Christ's work. We can understand this better when we compare it with the imperfection of Aaron's work.

Chapter 1.10

THE IMPERFECTION OF AARON'S WORK

(Suggested Reading Heb. 9:1-10)

Paul opens the ninth chapter with a brief comment about the first covenant having ordinances of service and a sanctuary. He expands his opening statement with an overview of this sanctuary, the tabernacle. He follows this up with a description of one of those services the Day of Atonement which illustrates the point he wants to make the inadequacy of the law and everything associated with it to meet man's needs.

This chapter then is an attempt to give the reader a general understanding of the tabernacle, and a specific understanding of the ritual performed there annually on the Day of Atonement.

The Tabernacle Preliminary Remarks

In Hebrews the subject of the tabernacle emerges at 8:2 and ends at 13:10. The word tabernacle means tent, suggesting an ever moving dwelling place, which it was. However since there was a separate tent inside the fenced off space also called "the tabernacle," descriptive confusion arises unless we separate the terms. Accordingly in this chapter "the tabernacle" is to be understood as meaning the enclosed space fenced off from the outside world and "the tent" as the separate structure within the enclosed space.

Before we can approach the study of the tabernacle intelligently we must have a basic understanding of what both it and its furniture represented to the mind of God conceptually that is, by-passing much detail. The tabernacle the House of God was a structure surrounded by the camp of God the tents of the children of Israel. They are at rest around this tabernacle. Three tribes have pitched their tents to the east, three to the south, three to the west, and three to the north. The only reason God can dwell among them, a sinful people, is that they are provisionally redeemed by the Passover lamb's bloodshed in Egypt, which looked forward to the blood of Jesus Christ, God's Son, which cleanses us from all sin. They are provisionally redeemed yes, and so God is pleased to dwell among them but what about the sins they have committed this past year? Obviously they need a sin offering. The setting for that is the tabernacle.

The Tabernacle—a Simplified View

A few general impressions of the tabernacle emerge from the artist's drawing. First we see that the rectangular area which constituted the Court the whole interior of the tabernacle was created by a fenced enclosure high enough to prevent anyone outside observing the inside. There were three objects in the Court. The first two were the Brazen Altar of sacrifice and the Laver filled with water where the priests washed *1. The third object was a tent 10 cubits high twice the height of the fenced enclosure. It was rectangular, partitioned into two rooms the Holy Place and the Holy of Holies and overlaid with four curtains which hid the interior from view.

The whole structure had three gates. Entering from the outside, the first gate led into the Court, where the Brazen Altar and Laver were located. Walking past these objects one comes to the tent, which is entered by the second gate. The third gate called "the veil" was the entrance to the Holy of Holies which contained God's throne the Mercy Seat, resting on the Ark of the Covenant. A simple but unique formula ties together the Mercy Seat and the Brazen Altar the furniture farthest separated from one another.*2

Suppose a man who did not know God were riding past the tabernacle on his horse. What would he think of it? Not very much. He would see the tent projecting above the tabernacle enclosure. He would dislike its appearance, noting that it was covered on top with badger skins see Ex. 26:14. That was because the tent spoke of Christ, who is despised and rejected by men Isa. 53:3. Closer up, the fence prevented the curious from viewing the inside. There was no flooring anywhere. Everything rested on the desert terrain on which the tabernacle was pitched. This tells us that if we look down at the desert sand or rock i.e. if we occupy our minds with earthly things, we will lose interest in heavenly things. In spirit we will become like the man of the world outside, who was offended by the badger skins the external appearance of the tabernacle. But if we look around and up, we see patterns of divine things ablaze with imperishable glory.

This brings us to an overview of what the tabernacle represented to God's mind God, His creation of heaven and earth, and the question of how to deal with sin, which had defiled the universe and challenged His throne. The holy places made with hands what were they but figures of the true? 9:23, 24. The Holiest of All is a pattern of God dwelling in unapproachable light, and the Holy Place is a pattern of the heavens. The Court is the earth. This explains why there are three gates. The third gate called the Veil barred man who was a sinner, from God's presence in the Holy of Holies. The second gate spoke of the separation of heaven and earth due to sin. But the first gate, which admitted man to the Court, led to the Brazen Altar. This piece of furniture was located in the Court because Christ died in this world of which the Court is a figure, putting away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. "I am the door," He said, "by Me if any man enter in he shall be saved" John 10:9.

If man were designing the tabernacle he would have made the Court small and the Tent enormous, to correspond to the earth's relative insignificance in size in the universe. Not so with God who looks at the earth as the place where His Son glorified Him in life and death. So He reverses the natural order. The new creation is the inverse of the old creation. God can be happy with His people clustered around His throne in the tabernacle, secure in the knowledge that His Son will shed His blood for them at the appointed time. The people saw two things which confirmed this, although they did not understand them at the time. They saw the smoke of the sacrifices from the Brazen Altar rising up to God, and the glory of God descending in the pillar of cloud over the Holy of Holies. Today we understand the meaning of these things. The Brazen Altar was located far away from God as sin must be but God was pleased with the sacrifice and showed His approval with the cloud of His glory, speaking of His presence among His people.

The Tabernacle Furniture Paul Mentions

A man's house needs furniture to give it character. It tells us much of what occupies his mind. So does God's house. But in Hebrews Paul is selective, and only writes about the tabernacle furniture which is pertinent to his theme. What then was before God's mind in His House? We believe the answer is the two ways in which He has made Himself known creation and redemption. The vacant House of God i.e. the house in its skeletal features without its furniture, is a figure of creation in its various spheres. The furniture of the house, however, represents the other and greater work of God redemption. In our chapter Paul ignores the Court except for a hint of it in the expression "ordinances of divine service" and starts with the heavenly figures, grouping them into those which are seen and those which are not seen:.. The visible things in the Holy Place In the Holy Place Paul singles out the Golden Lampstand and Table of Showbread for our consideration. The Golden Lampstand represents the death and resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ *3. Connect it with the Brazen Altar outside His death in the world and here in the heavens, the Holy Place you have not only His death but His resurrection. Figuratively the heavens are illuminated by the light of the man who died outside but who was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. The Golden Lampstand was placed opposite the Table of Showbread to illuminate it specially. The table had twelve loaves on it, representing the twelve tribes of Israel whose tents were pitched outside. Of the Golden Altar of Incense nothing is said. To the spiritually minded Jewish reader of Hebrews this way of presenting the furniture in the Holy Place would be convincing proof of the futility of the Jewish system. Since the nation had rejected Christ, what further need was there for an altar of incense? How could those who had crucified God's Son offer praise and worship to Him? The opposite side of this truth is God's faithfulness to them in spite of that. This is shown in the figure of Aaron lighting the lamps at evening, only to go out in the morning. Consequently, during the night of Israel's darkness the light of the lampstand shines on an Israel God has not forgotten. They are still before Him represented in the twelve loaves. So Paul says "our twelve tribes, instantly serving God night and day" although the outward evidence contradicted the statement. The light of the lamp-stand will shine until the night ends for Israel, and they are brought into the morning of a new day... The hidden things in the Holiest of All Here we have the Golden Censer *5 whose function when full of incense was to hide man from God, and the Ark of the Covenant whose contents were hidden from man but seen by God. The Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies is a figure of Christ in Manhood. But lest man in any way challenge His divinity it is also a figure of Christ as the Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end. It was the beginning for it was to be built before the tabernacle itself Ex. 25:10. It was the end for it went over the Jordan and came to rest in the Temple.

The contents of the Ark the golden pot containing manna, Aaron's rod which budded, and the tables of the Covenant were hidden from man's eye intentionally by a veil. The veil was a figure of Christ's flesh 10:20 He being Himself both the Holy of Holies John 2:19-21 and the Ark of the Covenant. But they were constantly before God's eye in the figures of the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy seat. The cherubim looked inward and downward telling us of God finding perfection in His blessed Son as Man.

The golden pot containing manna spoke of God treasuring up the remembrance of Christ as the bread of God come down from heaven to feed His people. Christ as the manna, the true bread of God which came down from heaven that man might eat it and not die, is the subject of John 6. Only God's real people, entering into God's thoughts of Christ, feed upon this bread. To those who know Him not, the bread is hidden from their sight.

“There on the hidden bread

Of Christ once humbled here

God's treasured store forever fed

His love my soul shall cheer.”

If the golden pot which had manna speaks of Christ's life, the tables of the covenant speak of death (as the penalty of a broken law) and Aaron's rod which budded (in this setting) of priesthood in resurrection. Christ alone kept the law and made it honorable, but bore in His own body on the tree the full penalty of God's judgment against sin "cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree" Gal. 3:13. We find Aaron's rod which budded in Num. 17. It "brought forth buds, and bloomed blossoms, and yielded almonds." As already mentioned the almond tree in Scripture is a figure of resurrection since it buds so early in springtime. Thus in these three figures we have the life, death and resurrection of Christ constantly before God's eye, as well as the priestly office He should assume in resurrection after a new order of priesthood.

The Day of Atonement—Introductory Thoughts

Paul ended his digest of the tabernacle and its furniture with "the cherubim of glory shadowing the mercy seat." Why? Because the cherubim symbolically guarded the throne of God. When man sinned they drove him away from God's presence. Here in the Holy of Holies they are a mute witness in pure gold that man cannot re-enter God's presence in the Holy of Holies because he is a sinner. He can, and does go into the Holy Place as Paul points out in the persons of God's appointed priests. But into the Holy of Holies where God was, dwelling between the cherubim? No. However there was one exception. The High Priest was permitted to go into the Holy of Holies once a year, on the Day of Atonement.

The Day of Atonement and its ceremonies is in the Book of Leviticus. This book is the Old Testament counterpart of the epistle to the Hebrews, for both deal with the same subject approach to God. The approximate center of each book is the Day of Atonement in Lev. 16 on one hand, and in the descriptive contrast to the Day of Atonement in Heb. 9:1-14 on the other.

The High Priest's Preparation for the Work of the Day of Atonement

Apart from the Day of Atonement, which fell only once a year, the High Priest went about his duties in the Holy Place wearing his garments of glory and beauty see Ex. 28. These were garments of representation, for he represented the people before God in the Holy Place. However he was not allowed to wear these garments when he entered the Holy of Holies once a year on the Day of Atonement. On that day he must take off his garments of glory and beauty, and wash himself with water an admission of his imperfection and uncleanness. Then he was to put on the holy linen garments which spoke of righteousness and sacrifice. The underlying thought behind all this was the sinfulness of the people including the High Priest and his sons. The High Priest, his sons, and all the people needed a sin offering. They had even defiled the sanctuary with their sins. This is the background to what follows.

In addition to his holy linen garments Aaron needed incense, and animals for sacrifice. The latter consisted of a young bullock, two kids of the goats, and two rams. Once inside the tabernacle Aaron was alone with God. No man could be present while the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement were going on. The question of sins before God and the High Priest required the tabernacle to be vacated. The meaning of true atonement is expiation of sins, propitiating a God offended at sinful man, pardon of the guilty righteously through the shed blood of Christ so that the sinner is reconciled to God. Since Christ had not yet come, atonement in Aaron's day could only be provisional. The ritual acknowledged that.

Aaron Enters God's Presence With Blood for His Own Sins and the Sins of the People

The High Priest had a double duty to perform. He had to sacrifice a bullock for his own sins and those of his family, and he also had to sacrifice one of the goats for the people's sins.

Aaron sacrifices the bullock for his own sins and those of his family Aaron takes the bullock's blood and a censer full of burning coals of fire from the Brazen Altar, into the Holy of Holies. When he enters he puts the sweet incense he was holding in his hands on the coals in the censer. Immediately the incense rises up in a cloud. It is not only fragrant, filling the Holy of Holies, but it hides his sinful presence from a Holy God. But that is not enough, for God requires blood i.e. life given and accepted in atonement for sin. The principle is established in Lev. 17:11 "for the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have given it to you on the altar to make an atonement for your souls, for it is the blood which makes an atonement for the soul." So with his finger Aaron sprinkles part of the bullock's blood seven times on the mercy seat and part before it.

.. Aaron sacrifices one of the goats for the sins of the people Aaron goes outside and casts lots to see which of the two goats shall be sacrificed. The goat on which the Lord's lot falls is killed. Aaron takes its blood into the Holy of Holies. With his finger he sprinkles the goat's blood seven times on the Mercy Seat and before it, just as he did with the bullock's blood.

Aaron Cleanses the Defilement of the Holy Things From the Uncleanness of the Children of Israel

The people had broken the law. They had worshipped a golden calf, but Aaron had his share in that too. His two sons Nadab and Abihu had been destroyed for offering strange fire before the Lord a great offense to God. *6 In short the people had defiled God's sanctuary with their sins. It must be cleansed.

.. Cleansing the Holy Place Aaron was to make an atonement also "for the Holy Place, because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and because of their transgressions in all their sins and so shall he do for the tabernacle of the congregation that remains among them in the midst of their uncleanness.”

.. Cleansing the Brazen Altar of Sacrifice Aaron now goes into the Court. He takes with him the blood of the two sacrifices. He puts part of the blood of the bullock and part of the blood of the goat on the horns of the altar. Then with his finger he sprinkles the blood on the altar seven times.*7 In this way the altar is cleansed from the uncleanness of the children of Israel, and hallowed.

The Release of the Living Goat

Up to this point one bullock, for Aaron and his sons and one of the two goats for the children of Israel had been sacrificed. They were both sin offerings, so that the sins of both the priestly family and the people had been dealt with. One of the two goats had not been sacrificed however. Aaron now puts his hands on the head of this live goat and confesses all the sins of the people over it. By this act he transfers their sins to the live goat in a figure. Then he has a capable man release the goat into the desert. The two goats taken together give us the meaning of atonement. It is one work looked at in two ways. The sacrificed goat is the death of Christ for our sins the live goat is God remembering them no more, in the figure of the goat lost out of sight in the desert.

The release of the live goat completes our understanding of the dual character of Christ's work for God and man. The blood sprinkled on the Mercy Seat was to propitiate God in His holy nature and character. Sin had entered and must be put away. The scapegoat is substitution for our sins. These are carried away by Christ and remembered no more. He has confessed them as His own and borne their judgment.

The Phasing Out of the Ritual

Sin having been dealt with, Aaron returns to the Holy Place. He takes off the linen garments of sacrifice and leaves them in the Holy Place indicating that this character of work is over. He washes himself and puts on his garments of glory and beauty. *8 He comes out to the people in these garments and sacrifices the two rams one for his house and the other for the people. The rams had been reserved for this moment. All the previous sacrifices had been sin offerings the rams were burnt offerings. *9 Sin has been dealt with, and the High Priest, a distinct figure of Christ as Melchizedec—Priest in His coming earthly glory, comes out at the end of the Church period to offer burnt offerings.

The Meaning of the Ritual

God delivered His people from the lash of their masters in the iron furnace of Egypt. Sheltered by the blood of the Passover Lamb they were a redeemed people. He took them through the Red Sea and into the desert because He loved them. They were clustered around His house the tabernacle. But until His Son came and shed His blood for their sins, He had to restrain the fullness of His love. They were near and yet distant. The nature of His relationship to His people comes out in the ceremonies of the Day of Atonement in several ways:.. Under the law man could not enter God's Presence. The great overall teaching is that Israel had no access to the presence of God at all not the people not the priests and most surprising of all, not even the High Priest on the Day of Atonement. We know of course that the people had to remain outside the tabernacle even though their tents were pitched around it and they could see the glory of the God of Israel rising in cloud form from the Holiest of All. What about their priests then could they not enter? Not at all. They could perform sacrificial duties at the Brazen Altar and priestly duties in the Holy Place. But always, when in the Holy Place, they saw the veil which prevented them from going into the Holy of Holies where God dwelt. How about Aaron, their High Priest then? To dramatize it let us put it this way for 364 days in the year he was just like the other priests. He could look at the veil but not enter. Well, you say, he did enter once a year, on the Day of Atonement, didn't he? Paul admits that he entered but in such a way that he acknowledged he had no right there "but into the second went the High Priest alone once every year, not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people. The Holy Ghost this signifying, that the way into the holiest of all was not yet made manifest while the first tabernacle was yet standing" 9:7,8. So Aaron had to sacrifice for himself and his house as well as for the errors of the people. He had to bathe his flesh in water signifying his personal unfitness for God's presence the way he was. Then he had to clothe his flesh with the special linen garments of righteousness and sacrifice. He had to enter with incense to hide his flesh, figuratively speaking, from the eyes of a Holy God. He had to enter with blood, for nothing less could propitiate God. This is mentioned three times in Hebrews 9:7 9:25 13:11. Finally the Holy Place and the Brazen Altar the two places to which alone there was access had to be purified because of the uncleanness of the children of Israel Lev. 16:16, 19.

Flowing from this overall teaching that under the old system of things Israel had no real access to the presence of God, is the revelation of the grace of God which bore patiently with them until the death of Christ, which these forms all spoke of, was accomplished. "For the remission of sins that are past through the forbearance of God" Rom. 3:25 describes the old order. Israel accumulated their sins for a whole year until the Day of Atonement, when they were added up and totaled, so to speak, and the people provisionally cleansed. Then they began sinning again and had to wait another year, when once more they were provisionally purified. And so the provisional sacrifices and outward cleansings continued on year after year until the death of Christ ended the need of them, for

“Not all the blood of beasts

On Jewish altars slain

Could give the guilty conscience peace

Or wash away its stain.”

.. The ritual looked forward to Christ our High Priest entering God's presence for us. This was unknown until God was revealed in Christ. Now we can understand Aaron's entrance into the Holy of Holies with incense as a figure of Christ in Manhood entering the presence of God in all the fragrance of His Person represented by the incense. Unlike Aaron He needed no blood sacrifice for Himself to enter, for the Divine Presence is His by right. But sin has entered God's universe and offends Him. It can only be answered for by the blood of a spotless sacrifice the blood of Jesus Christ, His Son. Three spheres are involved in each of which the question of sin must be taken up. These three spheres correspond to the threefold division of the tabernacle and the order of service on the Day of Atonement.

Aaron goes into the holiest of all first with the blood of the bullock and then with the blood of the goat. Here it is a question of meeting God's throne itself in the heavens beyond creation "Thus saith the Lord, the heavens are My throne and the earth is My footstool." Paul was caught up to the third heaven 1 Cor. 12:2 The other two heavens being respectively what we call outer space and the atmospheric heavens. While it is impossible to confine an infinite God physically, the general thought is approach to God in the Highest above and beyond the universe He has created. The majesty of God's throne is in question because sin has to be answered for. He has found full satisfaction in the blood of Christ. Aaron now leaves the holiest of all with blood and cleanses the Holy Place. Then he goes out to the Brazen Altar and makes atonement for it with blood. This speaks of heaven and earth the creation as the Holy of Holies spoke of God above and beyond His creation. Thus God, in the intrinsic holiness of His Person and the majesty of His throne, has been satisfied with the death of Jesus. The question of sin entering the universe has been dealt with. There remains only man, the crown of creation. Aaron takes up this question confessing all the iniquities of the children of Israel and all their transgressions in all their sins on the head of the live goat, just as Christ confessed His people's sins as His own when He bore them on the cross.

“Our sins, our guilt, in love divine

Confessed and borne by Thee

The gall, the curse, the wrath were Thine

To set Thy ransomed free.”

And so the live goat secures his freedom. He goes away into the wilderness out of sight. It is a beautiful figure of how God has been pleased not only to forgive us our sins and the judgment they deserved, but not even to remember them. "Their sins and their iniquities will I remember no more." The two goats are really one being two ways of looking at one work. In one way we look at His death and blood shedding in the other way the carrying our sins away from God's presence never to be remembered any more.

The typical teaching outlined above is confirmed in the three reconciliations in Col. 1:19-22 The things on the earth, the things in the heavens, and believing man. Are you a believer? Then God has forgiven your sins, because one goat was slain. He has also forgotten them because the other goat has gone far away from where God was away into the desert. That is why it is written "as far as the East is from the West so far hath He removed our transgressions from us" Psa. 103:12. You can't measure the distance between the East and the West and measurement is a figure of judgment. But suppose you are not reconciled to God through the death of His Son? Well, God can measure that distance "if the tree falls toward the South or toward the North, in the place where the tree falls there shall it be" Eccl. 11:3. Think about that. The distance between the North and South poles can be measured, but not the distance between the East and the West. The tree falls when it dies just as the sinner's state is frozen by death. The goat however is free. Such is the salvation which is in Christ Jesus a bright picture if accepted somber in the extreme if rejected.

The Church and Israel our common salvation. This is readily understood once we see that there are two classes of sacrifices one for Aaron and his house (figures of Christ and the Church as a company of heavenly worshippers) and another and distinct class for the children of Israel. Aaron has to bring the blood of each class of sacrifice in separately to God but when he goes out to the Brazen Altar the blood of both classes of sacrifice is applied to it. The separation of the blood in the holiest of all speaks of relative intelligence as to the work of Christ. As worshipping priests in the holiest of all (the veil having been rent in Christianity) the Church, being in the presence of God, is supremely intelligent as to the value of Christ's work. This is the bullock. So our song will forever be "to Him who loves us, and has washed us from our sins in His blood, and made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father to Him be the glory and the might to the ages of ages. Amen" Rev. 1:5, 6. With Israel there is much public confession of guilt outside. This is the goat. While we learned the value of Christ's sacrifice in the Holy of Holies, they will have to learn it in the world. The prophet Zechariah tells us that they will gaze both on the spear wounded side of Christ and the nail prints in His hands "And they shall look upon Me whom they pierced" Zech. 12:10. "What are those wounds in Thy hands? And He will say 'Those with which I was wounded in the house of my friends.'" Zech. 13:6. Then, with Christ fully made known to them as their Messiah, Israel comes into the blessedness of what we already have. The High Priest changes from His linen garments to His garments of glory and beauty Lev. 16:23, 24. That means that the character of Christ's Priesthood which is for help now will be changed to worldly power then. Christ will be Melchizedec—Priest on His throne.

Chapter 1.11

THE PERFECTION OF CHRIST'S WORK

(Suggested Reading Heb. 9:11-28)

In Chapter 1.10 we learned about the imperfection of Aaron's work. That taught us that the law was only a system of things imposed upon the early fathers of the Hebrews and those who followed them "until the time of setting things right" v.10. In other words God set up and tolerated the ritual until the death and resurrection of Christ, which would both explain it and set it aside.

Christ's Perfect Work Contrasted to Man's Imperfect Works Under Law—a Review

The blood of Christ does two things for man. First it gives him forgiveness of sins, so that he no longer is fearful of meeting God, and secondly it enables him to come into God's presence as a worshipper. Before Christ died these truths were conveyed to man by the shedding of the blood of animals. First the Passover Lamb was slain in Egypt. Because of this, which anticipated the sacrifice of Christ our Passover 1 Cor. 5:7 the Lamb of God. God could dwell with man for the first time. This would be in the Tabernacle, and the people rejoiced at the thought as they sang at the Red Sea "He is my God and I will prepare Him an habitation" Ex. 15:2. When Moses finished his work he erected a veil in the tabernacle to show that man could not approach God under law, but when Christ cried "it is finished" God tore the veil in half, allowing man to enter the Holy of Holies. The end of Moses' finished work is thus in contrast to the end of Christ's finished work. Now man is as sinful under Christianity. as under Judaism but the blood of bulls and goats did not speak of a finished work, so the veil had to separate man from God. The blood of Christ speaks of a finished work and under Christianity we have access to God's presence. So the Hebrews should forsake a system of things which kept them away from God and embrace the privileges of Christianity with its full access to God's presence.

The Jew should have been able to compare not only the work of Christ eternal rather than temporary when animals were sacrificed, but the glory of the contrasting priesthoods. Christ has gone on high and represents us in the presence of God. He is the Mediator of the New Covenant grace. The Old Covenant the law failed because of man's sinfulness. God now comes out in Christ in mediatorial glory. Indeed J.B. Stoney once remarked that the universe was made in order that it might be filled with mediatorial glory.*1 Indeed it was. Heaven and earth are no more than a stage for the display of God's glory found in all its fullness in His beloved Son in Manhood. Could Judaism offer anything like this? The ministry of its priests was confined to the Court outside and the Holy Place inside. Even the High Priest dare not break these confines. There was one apparent (not real) exception to this. Once a year, on the Day of Atonement, Aaron was permitted entrance to the Holy of Holies. But the conditions imposed "on him really showed that he had no right to be there at all. This was Judaism, the people, the priests, and even the High Priest must keep away from the God who dwelt in the midst of His people.

In vs. 7-10 Paul tells us what happened on the Day of Atonement without directly mentioning that day. The great teaching of the Day of Atonement is that the law made nothing perfect. Christ's work did. The contrast should help us appreciate the perfection of the finished work of Christ.

Perfection of Work Forgiveness of Sins and Approach to God by the Precious Blood of Christ We Have Seen How the Blood of Animals Sacrificed in the Jewish Ritual Could Not Open the Way to the Holy of Holies. Now We Come to One of Those Contrasts for Which Hebrews Is Noted, for the Rest of This Chapter Is Devoted to What God Really Required to Enable Man to Enter His Presence the Precious Blood of Christ. Here It Is Looked at in Three Ways. First for Purification It Purifies Our Conscience From Dead Works to Worship the Living God 6:14. Secondly As Confirming the Covenant 9:20 Moses' Action Looking Forward to the Lord's Words "This Is My Blood of the New Covenant." Thirdly It Gives Us Remission of Sins 9:22.

Christ's work and its consequence is eternal, not temporal Eternal things here are in contrast to temporal things the tabernacle and its services. "The things which are seen are temporal but the things which are not seen are eternal" 2 Cor. 4:18. Now in the tabernacle gifts and sacrifices were offered but they could not perfect the conscience of the worshippers v.9. The divine services of that day were imposed on the people as a temporary measure until Christ died.

“But Christ being come an High Priest of good things to come by a better and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to say not of this creation. Neither by the blood of goats and calves, but by His own blood, He entered in ONCE into the Holy of Holies, having obtained eternal redemption" vs. 11, 12. Notice the contrast with Aaron's priesthood here. Aaron entered the Holy of Holies once a year but the blood he took in was ineffectual since God could only be satisfied with the blood of His own Son. Aaron had to leave the Holy of Holies and return the next year repeating the same ceremony. Not so with Christ. He has entered ONCE with His own blood. He does not leave. He has obtained eternal redemption, which Aaron could not. No wonder He is called a High Priest of good things to come.

The next question raised is the purifying of the conscience. The law provided for this with the blood of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean 9:13 and this set aside in holiness (the idea behind sanctifying) the man who brought the necessary sacrifices but "to the purifying of the flesh only." But how much more efficacious is the blood of Christ and here the second eternal note is struck for He offered Himself in contrast to those who brought offerings through the eternal Spirit. He offered Himself to God a spotless sacrifice and through the eternal Spirit. Knowing this our conscience is purified not our flesh as in v.13. Our conscience is purified from dead works to worship the living God. So it is more than the first eternal thing eternal redemption. Because Christ offered Himself through the eternal Spirit spotless to God we become worshippers of God rather than those who only sought to appease Him with dead works.

The third eternal thing is the promise of eternal inheritance. It is still a promise. The land was a promise to the tribes of Israel gathered around the tabernacle as the glory is to us. But it is "an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled and that fades not away reserved in heaven for you" 1 Peter 1:4. Then in closing off the subject of our eternal inheritance Paul takes advantage of a dual meaning of the Greek word which can be translated either as "covenant" or "testament" (in the sense of a man's last will and testament) "for where a testament is, there must also of necessity be the death of the testator. For a testament is of force after men are dead: of no strength at all while the testator lives" vs. 16, 17. Clearly "covenant" would make no sense here for a covenant or treaty is effective as soon as it is signed and has nothing to do with whether the signatories are living or dead. All this is simply a beautiful figure. In his death Christ has, so to speak, willed us an eternal inheritance.

The value of the blood of Christ to God and man Now that the work has been accomplished and the blood of Christ shed, the Spirit takes up the question of the threefold application of that blood. First blood was required as the seal of the Old Covenant vs 18, 20 which only looked forward to "My blood of the New Covenant" Matt. 26:28. Secondly the tabernacle and the vessels of divine service were sprinkled with blood v.21. Sprinkling is for purification and since the tabernacle, as already stated, is a figure of the universe, the teaching here is that both earth and heaven have been cleansed from the defilement of sin having entered them by the sprinkling of Jesus' blood. This opens the way too for our entrance into the heavens, both God's people and their heavenly home having been purified from the defilement of Satan's sins. The "heavenly things" in v.23 are the things in heaven connected with the service and worship of God. The Lord told Nicodemus that He could not talk to him about these heavenly things because he did not even believe earthly things John 3:12. The Hebrews to whom this epistle was written had not advanced much beyond Nicodemus' state of soul when he came to Jesus by night.

Thirdly man is lost and "without the shedding of blood there is no remission" 9:22. Remission is the deliverance of the sinner from God's judgment of his sins because Christ shed His blood for him. Practically applied, remission becomes the forgiveness of sins. You could not get remission of sins under the Old Covenant. But at the institution of the Lord's Supper Jesus Himself said "this is My blood of the New Covenant which is shed for many for the remission of sins" Matt. 26:28.

How the Three Appearings of Christ Summarize the High Priest's Work on the Day of Atonement

The three appearings are not given in chronological order and the meaning of the appearings here differs from the general meaning in Scripture. *2 In the order in which they are listed here, they are present v.24 where Christ appears in the presence of God for us the past v.26 when He appeared on earth to put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself the future v.28 when He appears the second time to give us the salvation of our bodies.*3

The reason for the lack of chronological order is that the appearing of Christ in God's presence for us highlights the perfection of Christ's work for us in contrast to the imperfection of Aaron's work. Christ has entered God's presence in heaven with His own blood the proof of eternal redemption. While we understand the reason for the emphasis we can better understand the passage by reverting to chronological order.

The first appearing of Christ on earth The cardinal point in His appearing is that He came to deal with the sin question "in the consummation of the ages" as it should read v.26. This expression means at a time when God had tried man in every way without government, with government, without law, with law, etc. and man was found wanting. So Christ Himself must deal with man's condition and put away sin by the sacrifice of Himself. Christ has been offered once only v.25 and suffered once only v.26 in contrast to the Jewish system of perpetual offerings and sacrifices. Understanding this truth would cause us to reject any system of theology claiming to return Christ's actual body to earth to perpetuate His sufferings. Perpetual offerings and sacrifices could only be returning to a Jewish system which has passed away. This first appearing then is analogous to the sin offering on the Day of Atonement.

The second appearing of Christ this time in heaven As already pointed out this appearing is mentioned first Christ appearing in the presence of God for us because it is so momentous an event to God. A man in the glory of God representing us before God! Think of it. In time sequence it is analogous to Aaron wearing the holy linen garments of sacrifice appearing with the blood of atonement. The heavens are cleansed and sanctified. Moreover the veil is rent and the way opened for the High Priest to appear on earth "a second time.”

The third appearing of Christ this time on earth again The first time Christ appeared on earth He dealt with the question of our sins. Because we believed His word He gave us the salvation of our souls. So when He appears again He won't have to reconsider that question. It is settled. Why is it re-introduced in the text again? Simply because of the mixed condition of the Hebrews some real Christians, others only nominal professors. The wages of sin is death and since man is a sinner it is appointed to him once to die. He must collect his wages. Death only partly pays those wages. The judgment following death is the final installment.

“But every mortal has his day down here,

And when his time is up he must be going.

Death puts an end to willful man's career,

However stupid or however knowing.

From human haunts all men must disappear,

And reap beyond what they have here been sowing.“ *4

For us however there is no judgment, for we are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8:1. On His first appearing He took up the question of sin and we received the salvation of our souls. The second time He appears it is for the salvation of our bodies. Our present bodies of humiliation hide from the world and ourselves the greatness of God's salvation soul first and body later which lies ahead for His beloved. God will not rest until He has given us glorified bodies, and we are in His presence holy and without blame before Him in love. In the meantime He gives us the services of His High Priest in heaven to sustain us. When that service ends that is, at the end of the Church period He will put off His holy linen garments. Then He will put on His garments of glory and beauty and come out as Melchizedec—Priest in blessing to Israel.

Chapter 1.12

THE PERFECTION OF THE WORSHIPPERS

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 10)

In Chapter 9 we had the perfection of the work the blood shedding of Christ, without which there is no remission of sins. In Chapter 10 His sacrifice originates with God the Father, Christ is the means, and the Holy Spirit the witness. Flowing from this comes the perfection of the worshippers. The chapter then divides in two. To those truly born of God there are exhortations to go on. To those who were falling back mere professors of Christianity without the new birth stern warnings. They had originally given up Judaism for Christianity now they were in danger of giving up Christianity. If this happened nothing was left for them but judgment. This chapter is a stern warning to the modern West the nations which once publicly professed Christianity but have now largely fallen back into apostasy.

The Application of the Truth to the Conscience

The first four verses are negative. Like an admiral directing a naval battle Paul is training his long range guns, so to speak, on the fleeing, badly battered fleet of Jewish ceremonies. Having shown the perfection of Christ's work, his opening salvo is the imperfection of Jewish ritual. His purpose in attacking this imperfection is to free the conscience by relying on Christ's finished work only. If the conscience is freed we can be worshippers and his teaching is leading to that. There are two things then the forgiveness of sins and a spotless conscience. The blood of Christ is the foundation of both. The freed conscience is simply the sense in one's soul that God is no longer against it because sins have been put away forever from God's sight and therefore instead of fearing Him we can approach Him as worshippers. So it is the practical application of the one sacrifice in Chapter 9, freeing the conscience before God.

The law could not do this. It was a shadow of good things to come Christ the substance of good things to come 9:11. Jewish sacrifices never perfected those who would approach God by offering them. Because the offerings never ceased they made it clear that men were sinning continually and so needed continual sacrifices. If the sacrifices had any value their consciences should have been purified. So too on the Day of Atonement v.3 "there is a reminder of sins year by year." Then in v.4 comes a statement which destroys the foundation of Jewish ritual sacrifices "for it is impossible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins." So it was contrary to the will of God that such sacrifices and offerings should continue v.5, 10 and every priest who offered them could never take away sins by doing so v.11. Instead it was the will of God to prepare Christ a body v.5. This body the body of Christ the spotless heavenly Lamb was to be offered up once for all. Such was the will of God a will which has sanctified us because of this offering v.10 and perfected us forever v.14. Having accomplished the will of God Christ sits down on God's throne as Man. His enemies will be brought before Him at that throne for judgment one day His people brought into the blessings of the New Covenant. Such is, in summary, the teaching of verses 4 to 18. Verse 18 also terminates the doctrine of the High Priesthood of Christ in Hebrews.

The Divine Origin, Means, and Witness of Our Salvation

To establish the New Covenant and bring man into blessing, God must do two things. First, He must set aside the many sacrifices demanded by the religion He Himself had established, since it was impossible that the blood of bulls and goats should take away sins. Secondly He needed one perfect offering the death of Christ to satisfy Him fully and forever. These two great thoughts are unfolded in verses 5 and 6. Their setting is time, just as the setting of v.7 is eternity. The time is when Christ entered the world, disclosing the will of God no more sacrifices or offerings. They were not pleasurable to God because they did not settle the question of our sins they were unable to do so. Therefore to secure one offering of eternal value God prepared a body for His Son. It was the will of God that His Son should bear our sins in His own body on the tree 1 Peter 2:24.

God the Father, the Source of Our Salvation

It was in time, as we have just seen, that Christ spoke the mind of God to give us an eternal salvation. It is fitting then that an eternal salvation should originate in eternity. So in a past distant eternity God the Son addresses God the Father "Lo I come, in the roll of the book it is written of Me, to do Thy will O God." "In the roll of the book" i.e. somewhere inside the book is a figure of what is hidden until the book is opened and its message disclosed i.e. the counsels of God. These are now opened to us and we learn that God the Father was the Author of our salvation for it is twice stated that Christ came to do His will. This is a quotation from Psa. 40 which Jewish readers could not deny. When Psa. 40 was written its meaning was veiled. Now it is disclosed.

God the Son, the means of our salvation In verse 8 we are referred back to what Christ said when He entered the world v.5 God's displeasure at the Jewish sacrifices. Then in v.9 He comes to do God's will in contrast to the sacrifices which spoke of man's will for a man could offer a burnt offering "of his own voluntary will" Lev. 1:3. He takes away man's will as typified in the ceremonial sacrifices that He may establish the second thing the will of God. The moment God prepared Him a body His will was to do God's will. He became thus the means of our salvation. He established the will of God by once offering up the body God prepared for Him. The result of having established the will of God is that the same will of God which made Him the sin-bearer is now directed at us to sanctify us. To sanctify is to set apart in holiness to God and so bring into a place of favor. This was true of the Hebrews who professed Christianity true or false, for sanctification does not only apply to born again believers. For example Paul tells us that the children of a mixed marriage Christian and non-Christian are holy. This is not the same as saved. One in the household acknowledges Jesus as Lord and the children receive the blessing of the knowledge of God in the home. So here, with a mixed congregation of Hebrews some with eternal life, others professors in name only. Nonetheless as a company they are sanctified in contrast to the Jews outside who openly rejected the Messiah.

Next comes the contrast between the priests in the tabernacle and "this Man." In the tabernacle no seats were provided for the priests a figure that their work was never done. So "every priest stands daily ministering and offering often the same sacrifices which can never take away sins. But this Man after He had offered one sacrifice for sins, sat down forever on the right hand of God" vs. 11-12. This is the third time in Hebrews Christ is said to have sat down. In 1:3 He sat down personally in 8:1 He sits down as Priest, and here He sits down "forever" not here in the sense of to eternity but rather for as long as required. He does not have to stand up again like the priests in the tabernacle. They could only stand; He sits down. His one sacrifice is finished never to be taken up again unlike the priests in the tabernacle that is the thought underlying the figure. Then in v.13 Paul borrows another figure that of the oriental monarch who, sitting on his throne, used the bodies of his enemies as a footstool. So Christ sits down awaiting that day. He is Melchizedec—Priest "King of Righteousness" and "King of Peace." Paul ends with the note on which he began sanctification but confines it here to those who are truly God's people. Such are sanctified "forever" just as their High Priest has sat down "forever." "The sanctified and the sanctifier are all of one" 2:11.

.. God the Holy Spirit the witness of our salvation In our last chapter we noted three eternal things. Christianity is concerned with eternal things in contrast to the law which can only boast of temporal things. It is now time to connect all the eternal things in Hebrews, recognizing that the Holy Spirit is the bond who brings them all together. First we are told that "every High Priest is appointed to offer gifts and sacrifices...hence it is necessary that this Man also have something to offer" 8:3. What was it He offered then? It was Himself. He offered Himself without spot to God THROUGH THE ETERNAL SPIRIT in the 9th chapter. Therefore that same Holy Spirit becomes the witness of our salvation in the 10th chapter. His witness is to the blood as the seal and foundation of that New Covenant of which the prophet Jeremiah wrote about as quoted in verses 16 and 17. So "there are three who bear witness the Spirit, and the water, and the blood and the three agree in one" 1 John 5:8. That same Spirit inspires the writer of this epistle to close off the doctrine of the priesthood with the statement "now where remission of these is, there is no more sacrifice for sin.”

For those who accept the witness of the Eternal Spirit Christ has become the Author of eternal salvation 5:9 to those who reject His witness there is only eternal judgment to look forward to 6:2. Believers have obtained eternal redemption 9:12 and can look forward to an eternal inheritance 9:15.

Three Exhortations to Believers Based on the Doctrine of Priesthood Just Concluded

The first exhortation, in verse 22, tells us to draw near to God i.e. to approach Him in worship. The Book of Leviticus is the book telling us how man tried to approach God under the Old Covenant the Book of Hebrews tells us how we do approach God under the New Covenant. We approach God "with a true heart, in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water." The "pure water" referred to is the "water of regeneration" in Titus. Our hearts are purified by the blood of Christ and our heart (singular) is true, for God is true. By faith then we can approach God because our standing is perfect and our state the subject of our High Priest's concern the former because of the work of Christ on earth the cross the latter because of the work of Christ in heaven His High Priesthood. Verses 19-21 Constitute a preamble to this exhortation to approach God. We can do so boldly entering into the holiest by the blood of Jesus. This is something Aaron could not do for his sons but Jesus does for His 2:10. The way of approach to God is a new way in contrast to the old way and it is living in contrast to the Jewish ritual which was dead. The way is through the torn flesh of Christ, for here we are let into the secret that the body God prepared for Jesus 10:5 has been torn on the cross and the bloodshed. The veil in the tabernacle spoke of Jesus' flesh. When He died God tore the veil in two from the top, where He was, to the bottom where man was. By tearing it in two He divided the history of His earthly people from the call of Abraham to the crucifixion of Christ from their future restoration to the end of their history after one thousand years of kingdom glory with Him. Then there are two other ways of looking at the rending of the veil. In the gospels the veil is torn so God can come out to bless the sinner; in the epistles the veil is torn so man can come in to worship God. Furthermore we are assisted in our approach by "a Great Priest over the House of God" v.21. This is a different thing from our High Priest. The doctrine of the High Priesthood of Christ was concluded in 10:18. It is the same priest of course but looked at as "over the House of God" now. The function of the High Priest is to relieve us of our infirmities sufferings, persecution, bereavement, etc. or to give us help to sustain them. This is so we may rise above the difficulties of our bodies of clay and thus approach God in worship. It is at this point that the Great Priest comes in. The High Priest was for my needs the Great Priest to receive my worship. The High Priest is a priest for us the Great Priest a Priest for God. He is the Leader of our songs of praise Psa. 22:22 This Great Priest over the House of God. Nothing is said here as to the form worship takes for in Hebrews the subject is not the Church but the congregation of God looked at as gathered around the tabernacle a nation still addressed as God's people but mixed in character. Thus approach to God is entitlement without going into details.*1 It is as though someone bought me a house and gave me the keys to it. I have not yet entered the house but I have been given the keys and encouraged to do so.

The next exhortation is to hold tenaciously to the confession of our hope without wavering for He who promised is faithful. This hope is the Man in the glory, the anchor of the soul 6:18-19. So then the first two exhortations are, first of all to approach God in worship and secondly not to give up the truth that Christ is in the Holy of Holies to which our worship ascends since this is the anchor of the soul.

Then flowing from the fact that we are in God's presence comes the practical application-the third exhortation to stimulate one another to love and good works. The proof that you are in God's presence is love to others. Since God is love you cannot be in the Holy of Holies where Christ is without that love being contagious. It is not a love based upon entertaining our fellow Christians in our homes, or at a prayer breakfast or similar meal desirable as these things may be. "For if you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? For even sinners love those who love them" Luke 6:32. Rather what is in question is a holy love flowing from being in God's presence in the Holy of Holies an active rather than passive love a love which would stimulate one another to good works. Good works really flow from love, in contrast to the law which was unfruitful a principle beautifully illustrated in the story of the Good Samaritan.

Warnings to the Hebrews Who Professed Christianity Without Being Saved and Were in Danger of Open Apostasy to Christ

Verses 25-31 presuppose lifeless professors of Christianity. When Christians apply them to themselves they are confounded, question their salvation, etc. The difficulty is not with the writer of the epistle but with his readers who fail to "rightly divide the word of truth." Have you never preached to a mixed congregation? If so have you not told them that they would go to hell if they didn't believe the gospel (here you are addressing those in the audience outside Christ) and in the same sermon spoken of us soon being in heaven (here you are addressing genuine believers). Would a genuine believer interpret your message on the fate of the lost as questioning his salvation? Certainly not. He realized that you are addressing others. So here. As the apostle opens up his warning to those in the Hebrew nation who professed Christianity without saving faith in Christ he strikes the keynote in v.25. The born again believers no doubt continued to assemble together and encourage one another. But some professors were absenting themselves from the Christian company. This was happening with such frequency that it had become their custom. To these Paul's warnings are addressed. "For where we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remains no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery heat about to devour the adversaries." It is willful sin to turn one's back on the one sacrifice, and the result is just the opposite of a purified conscience it is the certain knowledge of future judgment and of having become God's adversaries. They could expect a worse punishment than Moses' law which, severe as it was, could not go beyond death without mercy. "Fear not those who kill the body and after that have no more than they can do. But I will forewarn you whom you shall fear, fear Him who after He has killed has power to cast into hell. Yes I say unto you, fear Him" Luke 12:4. "For we know Him who has said 'Vengeance belongeth unto Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord.' And again the Lord shall judge His people" v.30. The basis of this judgment is found in the preceding verse. They had publicly rejected the Son of God after having publicly professed to believe on Him. The Jews would not receive them back into the fold of Judaism until they recanted. There was a dual character to their rejection because Christianity proper contains two elements both of which they had rejected the one sacrifice of Christ and the witness of the Holy Spirit to it. It is noteworthy that at the beginning and ending of the doctrine of the High Priesthood of Christ Paul raises these two points concerning the willful sin of the professors without Christ. So in Chapter 6 he tells us that "it is impossible for those who were once enlightened" (those who heard the gospel without necessarily obeying it) "and have tasted of the heavenly gift" (a Christ not on earth now but in heaven) "and were made partakers of the Holy Spirit" (having witnessed the power of miracles and divine teaching pointing to Christ) "and have tasted the good word of God and the powers of the world to come. If they shall fall away, to renew them again unto repentance seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame" 6:4-6. In Chapter 6 then there is no forgiveness for these apostate and lost men. In Chapter 10 their fate is given judgment for their public recantation of Christianity is equivalent to walking over the Son of God, despising the blood of the New Covenant and insulting the Holy Spirit who is the witness to our salvation 10:15. "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God" 10:31.

Before closing off this line of argument we would draw the reader's attention to a beautiful structural element in the text which emphasizes the phasing out of law to which the Hebrew Christians were still clinging and its replacement by grace.

	2:9 He by the grace of God should taste
	4:16 come boldly unto the throne of grace
	16 and find grace to help in time of need
	10:28 He who disregarded the law of Moses died.
	10:29 Of how much worse punishment... has
	insulted the Spirit of Grace
	12:15 lest any man fail of the grace of God
	12:28 let us have grace whereby we may
	13:9 let the heart be established by grace
	13:25 grace be with you all. Amen

Note that the subject of grace in Hebrews is really presented seven times broken down into the customary division of 3 and 4 (or 4 and 3). At first glance we might think there were 8 presentations for does not 10:29 speak of "the Spirit of Grace." This however is a title of the Holy Spirit. Its inclusion here serves a double purpose first to draw our attention to the division with 3 and 4 secondly to make it clear that the law has been superseded by grace. The law was a prominent feature in Hebrews, commencing with 7:5 and ending with 10:28. In 10:29 the Spirit of Grace is introduced and the law never again appears in the text it is banished, so to speak, when the Spirit of Grace takes over. There is beautiful instruction too, in the last grouping of 4 mentions of grace exhortations to us when compared with the first three the grace of God to us. Should we fail of the grace of God 12:15 when by the grace of God Christ tasted death for everything? Indeed not! The epistle ends on the ringing note "grace be with you all. Amen" 13:25.

Illustration of how Paul varies his message in Hebrews depending on whether he is concerned with real Christians or former professors of the faith.|{}|


	APOSTATES
	“For it is impossible for those who were once enlightened and have tasted of the heavenly gift and were made partakers of the Holy Ghost and have tasted the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come. If they shall fall away, to renew, them again into repentance, seeing they crucify to themselves the Son of God afresh and put Him to an open shame. For the earth which drinketh in the rain that cometh oft upon it...receive blessing from God but that which bears thorns and briars is rejected, and is near cursing whose end is to be burned." 6:4-8
	BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS
	“But beloved we are persuaded better things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak. For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of LOVE which ye have showed toward His Name...and we desire that every one of you do dhow the same diligence to the full assurance of HOPE into the end. That ye be not slothful, but followers of them who through FAITH and patience inherit the promises." 6:9-12
	APOSTATES
	“For when we sin willfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remains no more sacrifice for sins. But a certain fearful expectation of judgment and fiery heat about to devour the adversaries. He who disregarded Moses law died without mercy under two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the Covenant wherewith He was sanctified a common thing and hath insulted the Spirit of grace. For we know Him that hath said Vengeance belongeth to Me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. And again the Lord shall judge His people. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God." 10:26-31
	BORN AGAIN BELIEVERS
	“Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of FAITH...Let us hold fast the confession of our HOPE without wavering...Let us consider how to stimulate one another into LOVE." 10:22-24

Following the Warning Paul Returns to Addressing the Mixed Company of Professing Hebrew Christians

The remainder of Chapter 10 is a review of the past history of the Hebrew Christians with emphasis on its commendable features. They should remember those former days, after they were enlightened. This word "enlightened" is not a casual word. It is the effect of the gospel on the soul of the individual and the collective conscience of a nation to which it is preached. It is not eternal life but light from God dispelling the natural darkness of man's mind. The effect of diffusing divine light among men is to improve the social standards of the individual and to favor enlightened legislation for the masses. Here however the effect of the light was that the professing Hebrew Christians were reproached by the Jews at large, were persecuted and became a public spectacle. Others of their company, while not suffering this way, identified themselves with those who suffered. They were sympathetic to those who were jailed. They accepted the plundering of their goods joyfully because they had done God's will and so could look forward to the fulfillment of His promise the eternal inheritance of 9:15 "a better possession and an abiding one" vs 32-34. This was practical Christianity. Why should they have identified with one another when persecuted and now forget to assemble together? What they needed now was endurance what they must not give up is their confidence. In the third chapter they were told to hold fast the confidence and the rejoicing of the hope firm to the end" 3:6 and again "if we hold the beginning of our confidence steadfast unto the end 3:14. Here they are exhorted not to cast away their confidence because the coming of the Lord is near and with that there will be great compensation for faithfulness. "For yet a very little while He who comes will come, and will not delay. But the just shall live by faith and if he draw back, my soul does not take pleasure in him. But we are not drawers back to perdition but of faith to saving the soul" vs. 37-39. Verse 39 gives us the watershed character of Chapter 10 following the concluding doctrine of the high priesthood in 10:18. Those who drew back had rejected both the Spirit's witness and the one offering of Christ. They were adversaries, apostates, lost men. Those who did not draw back were motivated by faith and had secured the salvation of their souls. This is the inlet to Chapter 11 The grand chapter on faith.

The Relationship of the New Covenant to the Will of God in Hebrews

From Chapters 8 to 10 the Holy Spirit has been occupying us with thoughts very close to the heart and mind of God. Apart from the doctrine, which we have considered, this fact is signaled by the arrangement of some of the leading considerations in clusters of seven. We find 14 references to "sins" grouped in 2x7 clusters (from 1:3 9:28 then from 10:2 10:26). What is the answer to sins is it not the shedding of blood? But whose blood the blood of bulls and goats or the precious blood of Christ? Blood is first mentioned generally (as the life principle) in 2:14 followed by 21 references (3x7). Here we will be satisfied with one remark. The last reference to sins was 10:26 which reminded us that there remains no more sacrifice for sins for those who sin willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth (i.e. apostates from Christianity). This refrain is picked up under "blood" in 10:29 the terrible punishment which is going to be inflicted on those who despise the blood of Christ. The believer is encouraged to compare his position in 10:18 with that of apostates in 10:27.

Once the question of sin and sins has been settled to God's satisfaction by the blood of Christ, God had before Him a righteous basis for establishing a New Covenant with His people. This New Covenant was prophesied by the prophet Jeremiah. God has not yet consummated this covenant with Israel it is future still for them but it is present now for us. God has introduced us to the blessings of the New Covenant now, before Israel gets it. The principle of the Old Covenant, the law, was works. The principle of the New Covenant is grace.

How We Are to Run the Race From Earth to Heaven

We have considered two out of the three main divisions of the book of Hebrews. The first division told us how Christ, the Leader of our salvation, ran the race from earth to heaven. However He was not content to be the only Man to run this race, for He would bring many sons to glory. So, like the petals of a flower opening in the morning sunshine the second main division of Hebrews tells us how Christ in heaven helps His people on earth to run the same race He ran so we will attain the same goal. This is achieved through what we term "the golden triangle" the Word of God (in which God talks to us) the throne of grace (in which we talk to God) and the High Priesthood of Christ by which He either strengthens us to bear the difficulties and trials of life, or makes them pass away. Relieved of these hindrances we then approach God in worship which ascends to heaven for the blood of Christ admits the Christian to God's presence in the Holy of Holies. In that way while we are still on earth we anticipate the time when we shall have reached our goal and in spirit, soul and body shall worship Him who lives forever and ever Rev. 5:14. The third great division of the book tells us how we ourselves are to run the race from earth to heaven. This race of course is only metaphorical language for the Christian life. Like Christian in Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress" we travel through a world opposed to God until we enter heaven itself. In a practical sense the race 'ends for us either with our death or the second coming of Christ. In addition to what has already been taught us, Paul unfolds other things to help us run the race from earth to heaven in the last section of Hebrews. These are faith, then discipline to enable us to complete the race. Discipline however is more the trial of faith needful only because we still have fallen flesh within us which resists the Holy Spirit. Then comes hope as the goal comes in view and love, the divine nature, as the goal is attained, for God is love and it is His presence which makes heaven home to us. "Now abides faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love.”

The predominantly Pauline theme of faith, hope and charity enables us to distinguish which class in the text is being addressed born again believers or apostates. This distinction is essential since the message addressed to apostates would, if interpreted as applying to believers, destroy the foundations of our salvation.

Chapter 1.13

FAITH HOW IT HELPS US RUN THE RACE FROM EARTH TO HEAVEN

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 11; Heb. 12:1, 2)

Paul's "faith" chapter the eleventh is his masterpiece the crown jewels of his writings. This chapter is a parenthesis. It interrupts his call to run the race from earth to heaven so we can think about faith the fuel, so to speak, which energizes us to start the race and run to the end. That is because our natural hearts love the world and are not interested in leaving it to go to heaven. God arrests us by sowing the good seed of the Word of God in our hearts. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" Rom. 11:17. It is God who implants faith within us, when we are saved "faith... is the gift of God" Eph. 2:8. But what is this gift? What is faith? John defines it this way "He who has received His testimony has set to his seal that God is true" John 3:33. This means that faith is believing because God has spoken in the Bible. To faith every mouth must be shut when God speaks every argument silenced. Faith understands God's thoughts and acts on them. Not so the world which lacks faith. But the just shall live by faith, and the life of faith never wins the world's approval.

Faith then brings us into conflict with the world because the world rejects God's thoughts, God's Word, and God's Christ. Jesus, the Author and Completer of faith, said, "Be of good cheer, I have overcome the world." Because we are one with Him we also say, "This is the victory that overcomes the world, even our faith." Is the life of faith always victorious then? Yes it is victorious. That is the message of Heb. 11 which gives us the two traits of faith patience and power. These are needed because the path of faith is often a rocky one. The Lord prayed for Peter that his faith should not fail Luke 22:32; the apostles asked Him "increase our faith" Luke 17:5. That is because faith is God-given and we are not to neglect any gift God has given us 1 Tim. 4:14.

Faith is to become the mainspring of the new life. We are the Spirit born, the blood redeemed. We are to live our lives in obedience to the Bible, for in His written Word God is speaking to us in His Son Heb. 1:2. And it is in proportion that we do or do not that our life of faith is increased or decreased.

Faith is a very ancient principle in God's dealings with His people. However if we read the history of the Jewish people in the Old Testament we might not think so. We would form the impression that the Jew was only influenced by what he saw. He had a visible priesthood and temple. His hope was a Messiah coming in worldly power and glory. Indeed the word "faith" is only found twice in the Old Testament. In Deuteronomy the Lord calls His people "children in whom is no faith" Deut. 32:20 in Habakkuk we find what God wanted from them "the just shall live by his faith" Hab. 2:4. Paul quotes this last Scripture in 10:33 as a preamble to his faith chapter which demonstrates that faith is an ancient principle. His argument is that faith is the principle which sustained every child of God from the very beginning. He draws upon the Old Testament Scriptures, so well known to his readers, to prove his point.

His argument is divided into four groupings. The first group takes in the first seven verses. It commences with the beginning of things. It gives us the full range of faith creation, redemption, and in figure the Church and Israel. The second part begins with verse 8 and ends at verse 22. It gives us the patience of faith acting in God's people from Abraham to Joseph. The third part begins with Moses in verse 23 and ends with Rahab the harlot in verse 31. The great thought here is the power of faith, since "faith without works is dead" James 2:20. So the second and third parts give us the range of faith from God's promise to Abraham that his seed should possess the land of Canaan until that promise was fulfilled in the days of Rahab the harlot. When Joseph died in Egypt he commanded that his bones be buried in the land of promise. Joseph is a figure of the dead in Christ who enter the promised land, the glory, just as Rahab is a figure of those alive at our Lord's second coming who enter the glory of God. The fourth grouping begins at verse 32 and ends at 12:2. Here the people are in the land of promise. The subject here is the endurance of faith under harsh trials when one would have thought warfare was over. Actually it only began when they entered the land. But this grouping ends with Jesus, the Author and Completer of faith, who has run the race, and won the victory.

The Complete Range of Faith—Creation and Redemption; the Church and Israel

Paul's opening word is about how faith works in the child of God to make unseen things realities to his soul. So "faith is the confidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen." Such is the range and power of faith going beyond the visible and making these things as true to the soul as if they could be seen and touched.

In this respect our faith is just as firm as that of the elders. The elders are the prominent men of faith who lived in the ancient world before the flood in the mists of remote history. They are commended by God. This is because, with them, all was of God. First they understood that the worlds were framed by the Word of God. Then Abel offered to God, Enoch pleased God, and Noah was warned by God. These elders lived and died thousands of years before we were born, but God hasn't forgotten them. He has enshrined their names in Scripture for that reason. Then, because He is God, He has arranged the record of their lives in such a way that they open up a great range of truth for our instruction. Two of the elders teach us about the works of God and two about the ways of God.

.. The works of God creation No man's name is given us in verse 3 but Adam is implied, for the subject in that verse is creation, and man is the crown of creation. Adam is the first of "the elders" here. When Adam was created he heard God's voice and they spoke to one another. He did not need God's works to testify to God's existence. Adam himself was the proof of that. His faith concerned the creation which he could not understand. Like later men he knew that "the heavens declare the glory of God and their expanse declares the work of His hands there is no speech; nor are there words (where) their voice is not heard" Psa. 19:13. Adam's faith concerning the creation is not shared by men of the world who attribute it to chance. The believer knows better "through faith we understand that the worlds were framed by the Word of God, so that things which are seen were not made of things which do appear.”

Adam's name does not head the list of elders because he sinned and dragged the creation down with him because of his fall. God blessed Adam and Eve Gen. 1:28 and because the gifts and calling of God are irrevocable they will be with us in the Holy City. But once, man fell God could not bless the human race on the ground that He was their Creator. He must find a way of bringing fallen man back to Himself.

The works of God redemption Abel is the first of the elders mentioned by name. He is also the first to die in faith. Like Abel his brother, Cain heard the witness of their parents. They must have told the two brothers how they had fallen by disobeying God. They must have told them how they tried to cover up their sin by clothing themselves with fig leaves. God later cursed the ground for man's sake perhaps as a memorial of that. They must have told them that God clothed their nakedness with the skins of animals. That spoke of the death of another to fit us for God's presence. Cain acknowledged God in a distant way but rejected the testimony that he was fallen and needed a sacrifice if he were to approach God. Lacking faith he took the fruit of the ground and offered it to God. But God had cursed the ground because of man. What an insult to God to bring Him what He had cursed. Cain is the father of human religion which denies the death and blood shedding of Jesus Christ, God's sacrifice for sin. Abel who was a shepherd, took the choicest sheep from his flock and sacrificed them to God. He acted in faith and God accepted his offering because it looked forward to the death of Christ, God's Lamb. Cain, displeased at God for refusing his offering, killed his brother Abel because God had accepted his. Cain is the father of the world away from God. The world does not deny that there is a God. It denies the fall of man and feels that man's works should be enough for God. Cain was the leader in this folly. He worked in the fields and gave to God the fruit of the ground God had cursed. God rebuked Cain and warned his followers "Woe unto them for they have gone in the way of Cain." The way of Cain begins with insulting God, evilly treating His children and building a world to keep himself happy without God. Much is written about Cain in the Bible but only for our instruction. How blessed to rest in the death of Christ as Abel did in type. God says of him "By faith Abel offered unto God a more excellent sacrifice than Cain by which he obtained witness that he was righteous, God testifying of his gifts, and by it he being dead yet speaketh.”

The purposes of God the Church, a heavenly people Enoch is the next of the elders. He is a figure of the Church raptured to glory at the end of her time on earth. "By faith Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and was not found, because God had translated him." Enoch lived in the days before the flood, just as we live in the days before the tribulation. Although God promised never again to destroy the earth by a flood His tribulation judgments "the day of vengeance of our God" will be almost as severe. They will just take a different form. "Unless those days should be shortened no flesh should be saved." The great hope of the Church is the second coming of Christ to take us out of this world before the storm of the great tribulation bursts on it. Enoch pre-figures this. He does not pass through the storm like Noah but is translated before it bursts. So the Lord's promise to the Church is "I also will preserve you from the hour of trial which shall come upon all the world to try those who dwell on the earth" Rev. 3:10. Enoch is translated that he should not see death. So at the end of the Church's time on earth "we who are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them" (the dead in Christ) "in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air and so shall we ever be with the Lord" 1 Thess. 4:17. People searched for Enoch but couldn't find him. They will search for us too. We will be missing from our jobs, our homes. Who will dispose of our property, pay the bills that come in? It isn't what man thinks about us when we disappear from this world which is important. It is what God thinks of us. May it individually be with us as with Enoch "for before his translation he had this testimony that he pleased God.”

.. The purposes of God the Jew an earthly people Noah is a figure of the godly Jews who will return to the Lord after the Church. The Jew will replace the Church as God's witness on the earth. They witness against the beast of Rev. 13:1. But they also witness for God, their message being "fear God and give glory to Him for the time of His judgments is come." They pass through the whole tribulation period. Some will be martyred others delivered. The tribulation is the birth pangs of a new world to be born. When it is over the Jews will do what Noah did after the flood sacrifice to the Lord. Then they will enjoy Christ's earthly kingdom for 1000 years.

A Summary of the Full Range of Faith

It is now time to review and consolidate what we have learned of the ways of God in this preamble to Paul's great treatise on faith. God has wrought two mighty works for the benefit of man creation and redemption. It follows then that He must have ways with man whom He has created and redeemed. He must enroll him in His school and educate him in His ways. In His infinite wisdom He has chosen to have two classes of people a heavenly people the Church, and an earthly people Israel. However in Heb. 11 we are given a glimpse of only the end of God's ways with His heavenly and earthly people. No doubt this is to contrast the beginning and the ending of faith. The contrast gives us the entire range of faith from beginning to end in capsule form. The beginning was the creation and in Abel the character of offering suitable to God the end is the rapture of the Church and the deliverance of Israel from the tribulation followed by the establishment of Christ's one world government over a renewed earth With this overall picture before us, we might consider two great thoughts which emerge from it. One is the necessity of the cross. Cain is ignored but Abel mentioned. All Cain's descendants were swept away in the flood just as all men must be judged who do not come to Christ. Noah offered a sacrifice at the end Abel at the beginning. Abel obtained witness that he was righteous in the beginning; in the end Noah became heir of the righteousness which is by faith. The other great thought is that God is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him. Faith is given us to seek Him the reward comes at the end, when faith is no longer needed. What was Enoch's reward? Heaven of course, the same as the Church for both are raptured. What was Noah's reward? Why a renewed earth, you say, the same as the Jew's reward after the tribulation is over. You don't need faith when the millennial kingdom is established in power. But you can look back at the wisdom of God in giving us faith to acknowledge Christ as both Creator and Redeemer and to understand His ways with the Church and Israel. We await the kingdom of God in power.

The Patience of Faith From the Call of Abraham to Joseph's Commandment Concerning His Bones

The world after the flood, and the commanding figure of Abraham is our next subject. The flood was brought about by the corruption of God's order in creation caused by the intermingling of "the sons of God" (the fallen angels) with the daughters of men details of which are spared us. After the flood the memory of these contacts with angelic beings lingered on in Noah's family, fostered by Satan. Eventually an elaborate mythology in prose, poetry and song grew up praising the heroes and gods of old *1. Idolatry took root in the world and overgrew it like a noxious weed. "The gods" were made visible as idols and men worshipped them. Idolatry blotted out the knowledge of the true God from the earth.

God was determined that His Name should not be forgotten in the earth and so called Abraham out of idolatry. God spoke to him and he obeyed. He left his own land where idols were worshipped to go to another land which he knew not. Where could this be since idol worship was now universal? Enough that God told him that he should receive an inheritance. Noah had inherited a cleansed world Abraham's inheritance was to be future. But like Noah he had faith that what God had said would one day come to pass. Arrived in the land of promise he lived there like a stranger, dwelling not in houses but tents the most temporary and shifting housing conceivable with his son and grandson *2. His family followed his example not settling down in the land but spurred on by the promise of a future inheritance. What a lesson this was to the Hebrew Christians to be reminded of the strangership of their fathers in the Promised Land, waiting by faith God's time to possess it. No doubt Abraham's faith must have been tested by dwelling in the Promised Land yet having no inheritance in it. God must have told him of something better, or he would not have looked for "a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." A heavenly kingdom then and not an earthly one should have been the goal of the Hebrew Christians, following the example of their father Abraham. Although verse 9 tells us of Abraham dwelling in tents with Isaac and Jacob that is only a statement of strangership. Up to this point Abraham has no son. He is an old man, his wife an old woman. How is God going to fulfill His promise to him? How can he have an heir, this stranger in the land of promise then? Faith does not look at the difficulties but at God, for with God all things are possible.

How gracious of God to count Sarah in the line of faith. For she laughed when she overheard the Lord tell Abraham that she would have a child. Afraid, she denied this to the Lord who reproved her gently saying "No but you did laugh" Gen. 18:9-15. She must have repented of her unbelief later because it is recorded here that "she judged Him faithful who had promised." And so the child of promise was born and called Isaac Gen. 21:1-7. Yet "these all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them distantly and were convinced of them." Now is this not "the confidence of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen?" Acting on their faith they admitted that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. A stranger is one who does not belong where he is a pilgrim is someone who is going to another place. The patriarchs were strangers. Inwardly they longed for the better and heavenly country v.16 outwardly they declared plainly they were looking for it. They all died in faith, not having received the promises v.13. Had God forgotten them then? Not at all. He was not ashamed to be called their God "the God of Abraham, of Isaac, of Jacob" Ex. 3:16. Not only that but God has prepared for them the city v.16 Abraham looked for v.10 whose builder and maker is God. What a difference from the city of Ur, which Abraham left in faith. Its builder and maker was man. It had no foundations and it has passed away.

The 17th verse, while continuing the overall theme of the patience of faith, also introduces the trial of that faith, but a trial within the general subject of the patience of faith. And so we read "by faith Abraham when he was tried offered up Isaac, and he who had received the promises offered up his only begotten son, of whom it was said that in Isaac shall your seed be called. Accounting that God was able to raise him up, even from the dead from which also he received him in a figure" v.17-19. These verses, obscure at first sight, become crystal clear when we tie them into the account of these happenings in Genesis and into 11:12 which we have by-passed up to this point. God had told Abraham that Isaac was the promised seed. How could this be if he must die on an altar? And if that happened he was too old to have another son. God could not contradict Himself. He could not lie. Abraham's faith in God was so great that he believed God would raise Isaac from the dead after he sacrificed him. In that way God would fulfill His promises in Isaac in resurrection. All this took place so it would give us an advance picture of the Father and the Son at the cross. But it was only a foreshadowing of the cross, for Abraham was told not to kill his only begotten son. At the cross God the Father did not spare His only begotten Son. And yet how beautiful the picture is, for in resurrection life the Lord Jesus Christ, the true Isaac, becomes the Blesser of heaven and earth to those who are justified on the principle of faith. "He who spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Rom. 8:32. "All things" means heaven and earth the universe in simple language. Staggering and stupendous thought, for we were once God's enemies. This is confirmed in v.12 "the stars of the sky in multitude, and as the sand which is by the sea shore innumerable." This blessing for a heavenly and earthly people is founded on the death and resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ. Isaac's death and resurrection in figure simply looked on to the cross. But it was an act of great faith on Abraham's part and God is a rewarder of faith. So God said to Abraham "because you have done this thing, and have not withheld your son, your only son, that in blessing I will bless you and...I will multiply your seed like the stars of the heaven" (Isaac the heavenly man, figure of the Church) "and like the sand which is on the sea shore" (Jacob, figure of the Jew, the man of the earth) Gen. 22:16, 17. While the blessing is divided this way Abraham is the father of us all. In other words he is the father of those justified on the principle of faith whether Jew or Gentile as Paul explains in Rom. 4.

Isaac and Jacob are given only a passing mention. In them the flame of faith is still flickering, because of God's faithfulness. The line of faith descends to Jacob through his mother's cheating, reversing the natural line of blessing. But the eyes of the Lord see all things. In the next generation Jacob reverses the blessing of Ephraim and Manasseh in spite of Joseph's remonstrance. Reason flows from nature faith from God. At the end of his days Jacob's natural strength was feeble but his faith in God never greater. He is the dependent man, leaning on the top of his staff, worshipping God.

The death of Joseph closes the subject of the patience of faith. The book of Genesis also closes with Joseph's death "they buried Joseph in a coffin in Egypt." Joseph represents the continuity of faith to the very end. On his death bed he spoke about the coming departure of the children of Israel from Egypt. This showed his complete faith that God would bring them to the land of promise. This was at a time when they were enjoying Pharaoh's smile and eating the fat of the land of Egypt. Why should they leave Egypt when they were so comfortable there? But Joseph had God's thoughts about this matter. He was so certain that he commanded that his bones should not be left in Egypt when the children of Israel left it. No they should take them with them and bury them in the promised land. This was carried out as it is written "and they buried the bones of Joseph which the children of Israel brought up out of Egypt in Schechem in a plot of ground... and it became the inheritance of the children of Joseph" Josh. 24:32. Thus the wheel had come full circle.

Joseph's dying commandment made it clear that he was a stranger and sojourner in Egypt just as Abraham declared publicly following the death of Sarah Gen. 23:4. The world has become a cemetery to faith which seeks in patience and much trial a city whose builder and maker is God. Joseph is a beautiful figure of Christ as the future ruler of the world. It is fitting that the subject of the patience of faith ends with him. Like Joseph we await a future glory, for we are in "the kingdom and patience of Jesus Christ" Rev. 1:9.

The Power of Faith Overcoming a World Opposed to God

Unlike Abraham, who was a mature man when he left his native land on his own faith, Moses was a baby when his parents' faith saved him. *3 This confirms the principle of "the household of faith" which we have already seen in the lives of the patriarchs. Pharaoh had commanded that all Jewish male babies be killed at birth. His parents disregarded the king's order and hid the baby Moses three months. Then by a ruse they had him raised in the household of the king who decreed that all Jewish male babies should be killed! He was adopted as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and educated in all the wisdom of the Egyptians an education much greater than empty modern man cares to admit.*4 He rose to greatness in the court. Then why didn't he use his influential position to relieve the oppression of his people? That is the way man reasons, but it leaves God out, whose purpose was not to make his people's lives more pleasant in a foreign land but to deliver them out of it and bring them into the land he had promised to Abraham. That would require power. So the patience of faith, long tried, now yields to the energy of faith in Moses and those who follow him up to Rahab the harlot. The key to this is found in verses 24 and 25, refusing the temptation of the world's glory and choosing to do the will of God instead. It takes power from God to refuse what appeals to our nature and to choose that which, while it is the will of God for us, is contrary to our natural desires. Now let us consider a number of choices Moses made.

The first choice which the life of faith demands is between God's will and man's. The world would assert its authority and claims over us, but faith gives us energy to overcome the world. Egypt in Scripture is a figure of the glory of the world its ruler Pharaoh is a figure of Satan, its prince. Moses' parents chose God's will. Then when Moses attains maturity he follows the faith of his parents. They disobeyed Pharaoh's commandment because it was contrary to God's will he rejected a worldly position which could only be an encumbrance to a man of God. The second choice now looms before Moses but he surmounts it. "Choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season" v. 25. If the court and its politics does not appeal to you Moses, why don't you take it easy and enjoy a life of pleasure as a nobleman? Certainly the stroke of the Egyptian lash which he could expect if he identified himself with God's people would be enough to make most men pause. Why suffer, when pleasure is freely offered? God does not deny in His Word that sin can be pleasurable. But He warns us that such pleasures do not last for long they soon pass away. Moses weighed the alternatives and made the right choice. He chose to identify himself with God's people and suffer with them. The third choice was between the reproach of Christ and the treasures of Egypt. But many years were to pass before Christ was born so what is meant by Moses choosing "the reproach of Christ"? Well the Scriptures Moses penned and the tabernacle and its furniture he had built all spoke of Christ. That is why Moses was so intelligent when he met Christ on the Mount of Transfiguration. The choice here is between lasting, eternal spiritual treasures and the beautiful gold, alabaster, jade and other Egyptian riches. They seemed so valuable at the time. But what happened to them? Thieves plundered them from the pharaohs' tombs. What is left is locked up in the museums of the world artifacts of the past for the gaze of the curious. The fourth choice was whether to leave Egypt entirely, so incurring the wrath of the king, or to accept one of a series of compromises the king suggested to maintain some link with Egypt. Moses' parents acted in faith, not fearing the king's wrath. Moses went further he endured that wrath. Both were sustained by seeing Him who is invisible this is faith in power. Moses' choice was to leave Egypt. His fifth and final choice was to observe the Passover. Knowing God he understood that there was no difference between the Jews and the Egyptians for "without shedding of blood there is no remission" (i.e. of sins) 9:22. The Passover lamb of Ex. 12 spoke of Christ. It must be perfect, for Christ is perfect. It must be seen by all the people for four days and then be killed (just as Christ is seen as God's sucking Lamb in four gospels at the end of which He is put to death). Its blood must be put in a basin. Then a clump of hyssop was dipped into the basin. The blood drenched hyssop was used to sprinkle the side posts and lintel of their doorposts with blood. Hyssop is a low, ground hugging weed, a figure of man's need of repentance and self judgment when accepting Christ as Savior. The blood was not applied on the door but the doorposts. The reason for this is that Christ is the Door and He is without sin. The doorposts surround the door as God's people surround Christ and we need the blood because we are sinners. "I am the door by Me if any man enter in he shall be saved." And so the blood on the doorposts witnessed to the Egyptians and anyone else in Egypt that if they walked through the door they would be saved. Some did. How else can we account for the mixed crowd who went with them out of Egypt Ex. 12:38? Nobody could be killed where the blood was, for God's guarantee was "when I see the blood I will pass over you.”

Once the Passover is observed the emphasis passes from Moses to the people. By keeping the Passover they now become God's people provisionally redeemed by the Passover lamb's blood. So it is they (not Moses, their leader) who are said to pass through the Red Sea like dry land. The Red Sea is a figure of death and judgment through which man must pass, for "it is appointed to men once to die and after this the judgment" 9:27. The Egyptians followed the Israelites into the passage in the Red Sea God had opened up for His people because they were sheltered by the Passover lamb's blood. The Egyptians were not under the protection of the Passover lamb's blood. They entered the Red Sea confident in themselves. They are like people today who think they can face death without Christ. Well the Egyptians were drowned but the children of Israel arrived safely at the other side. They proved the truth of Jonah's words "salvation is of the Lord" Jonah 2:9. Certainly that was the theme of their redemption song as they celebrated the victory of the Lord on the banks of the Red Sea. The desert journey historically came next. However it is not even mentioned because it was reviewed in Chapter 3 and shown to be only unbelief. The crossing of the Jordan is also ignored, because to faith the people went into the Red Sea and came out of the Jordan.

The land God promised Abraham now opens up. The trial of faith has proved God to be true. What next? "By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, after they had been encircled seven days." The order of events in verses 30 and 31 is reversed. That is because when Rahab received the spies in peace v.31 she already saw the walls of Jericho fallen down by faith v. 30.

The Faith of Rahab the Harlot

The greatness of Joseph shines out in Scripture when he replies to Potiphar's lusting wife "How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God" Gen. 39:9. What a contrast to our subject here Rahab who sinned against God not once but repeatedly for she is called Rahab the harlot. What is more she lied to her king twice and committed high treason against her country. In short a very wicked person. In spite of that her faith saved her.

The story of Rahab and the fall of Jericho is the story of the gospel in veiled form. For this reason some of the people and places are full of figurative teaching. Joshua is a figure of Jesus, his two spies of evangelists seeking the salvation of sinners who would bow to His authority. The king of Jericho is a figure of Satan. Jericho is a figure of the world as a pleasant place it was called "the city of palm trees." It barred the entrance to the Promised Land in figure heaven. Rahab received the spies in peace, being convinced of the message of coming judgment. She hid them from the wrath of the king as Moses' parents did an act of faith. She lowered them safely to the ground by a scarlet cord a figure of the blood of Christ. Man must be lowered when the death of Christ is in question for in God's eyes the spies in figure evangelists are only different in degree from Rahab "all have sinned and come short of the glory of God." Just as the evangelists reached safety by the scarlet cord so Rahab and her relatives could only be saved by displaying that same scarlet cord in the window. The blood of the Passover lamb was publicly displayed in Egypt on the side posts and lintels of the doors. It could be seen on the streets. Here the scarlet cord is just as publicly displayed in the window on the wall. The gospel is to be preached to the world it is not the secret of a few. As for the spies they left in peace, living in a mountain for three days. Then they came down and told Joshua what had happened. Joshua had sent them out as Christ sends out His evangelists. So they reported back to Joshua when their work was done just as an evangelist communes with the Lord about His work. As for Rahab we read "by faith the harlot Rahab PERISHED NOT with THOSE WHO BELIEVED NOT" a statement which should always be linked with those golden words in John 3:16 "For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him SHOULD NOT PERISH but have eternal life.”

The circle of promise began with Abraham. His wife Sarah conceived Isaac the heir of promise when natural hope had faded. But what began with Abraham ended with Rahab, who entered the Promised Land by faith. Sarah and Rahab are the only women mentioned in this passage. They are contrasting personalities. Sarah was a Jew, Rahab a Gentile. Sarah was a devoted wife to a man of God, Rahab a dissolute woman. In spite of this the harlot Rahab's faith shines brighter. Sarah laughed at the thought of conceiving a son in old age and then denied that she laughed to the Lord. Rahab, secure in a fortified city whose walls were built to keep God out, had faith that they must fall. Rahab, who was evil in the eyes of man for fornication and high treason, justified God, of whom it is written that "He is a rewarder of those who diligently seek Him" 11:6. Her reward is that her name is recorded in Holy Scripture, not only in the account we have been considering but in the genealogy of Christ Matt. 1:5, although Sarah's name is not found there.

Rahab is the watershed in this passage between the entrance to the land and their subsequent warfare in it. At the beginning Abraham believed God. At the end Rahab trusted in the ultimate victory of God's people. If Abraham had been alive he could not have been more astounded than Paul at Rahab's faith and the end of it. Paul exclaims "and what more shall I say?" He is speechless.

This brings us to the last grouping of the faith chapter which opens this way "for the time would fail me to write of Gideon and of Barak and of Samson, etc." As an old man Paul hasn't time to expound them so he gives us an outline.

The Endurance of Faith Under Testing in the Promised Land

Paul's readers would understand why he wrote this passage. When their fathers went through the desert they were at peace, but as soon as they entered the Promised Land they were at war. This is the story of the book of Joshua. True the Lord fought their battles for them but the land had to be taken by the sword just the same. Now the Jews who were reading this epistle were in the land. Like their fathers they were at war but not the kind of war their fathers fought. It was spiritual, not carnal warfare "for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds" 2 Cor. 10:4. Their fathers wanted to avoid war. They wanted to eat the grapes of Eschol the good fruit of the land but they did not want to fight gigantic men and storm fortified cities. Their spiritual warfare must be conducted along better lines than their fathers' carnal warfare. Paul exhorts them "we are not of those who draw back to perdition but of faith to the saving of the soul" 10:39. That is the great introductory thought of Chapter 11. It runs throughout the chapter and is prominent at its close.

The power of faith to overcome in times of indifference This part opens with Gideon in verse 32 The watershed verse partly in and partly out of the promised land and ends with the opening clause of verse 35 "Women received their dead raised to life again" another watershed death and life. Prevailing faith bridges death and life, the desert of this world and our Promised Land heaven.

The first four servants of God cited might look to us to be men of weak faith in contrast to David, Samuel and "the prophets." However God is not looking at His servants here through our eyes, but His own. Consider the times. Rahab the harlot brought us to the entrance of the land. With the goal of entering the land attained the subject of the patience and energy of faith comes to a close. But once in the land the people's faith grew dimmer. "And the people served the Lord all the days of Joshua and all the days of the elders who survived Joshua" Judg. 2:7. "In those days there was no king in Israel every man did what was right in his own eyes" Judg. 21:25. That was the setting in which Gideon, Barach, Samson, Jephthah worked the works of faith.

Gideon Judg. 6-8 overthrew Baal's altar and scattered the Midianites who oppressed God's people. In Barak's day Judg. 4-5 Israel was ruled by a woman Deborah. She ordered him into battle but he refused to go unless she went with him, which she did. He illustrates those who act on the faith of others. This is not the brightest aspect of faith. Consequently although he faced nine hundred chariots of iron with only ten thousand men, it was not he who killed Sisera, the general of the opposing army but Jael, another woman. Still Barak is celebrated in the joint song of Deborah and Barak as the one who led captivity captive. So he became a distinct type of Christ doing this in heaven "when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive" Eph. 4:8. Samson Judg. 13-16 was a Nazarite from his birth. We see in him how our fallen flesh is constantly opposing the faith God has given us. He triumphs more in death than in life as we do if we put our flesh to death. Jephthah Judg. 11-12 Championed the title of God's people to the inheritance God gave them, doing battle with the Ammonites. David the warrior king ends all further question of that title. He does not defend the inheritance he secures it with the sword and establishes the kingdom in power. Samuel and the prophets speak of testimony and warnings. God has been faithful will His people be? So Samuel is linked to David whom he anointed the prophets, unspecified, follow. Two of these prophets Elijah and Elisha can be identified in the short statement which closes this part on prevailing faith. Anyone reasonably familiar with the Old Testament Scriptures can identify those whose victorious faith is described in verses 33 and 34 for example Daniel and his friends, and the women in v.35 who received their dead raised to life again 5.

Man likes to nurture his faith on outward evidences of the Holy Spirit's triumphs such as revivals, or mass conversions. "Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power" is that thought Psa. 110:3. But it takes great faith to overcome in the midst of indifference. "If you faint in the day of adversity your strength is small" Prov. 24:10. The people were in the land but too indifferent to hold on to the inheritance God had given them. "Buy the truth and sell it not" we are told Prov. 23:23. For us the message is "let that therefore abide in you which ye have heard from the beginning. If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son and in the Father" 1 John 2:24.

The patience of faith to endure persecution, martyrdom, and apparent defeat a new and somber section opens with the words "and others were tortured, not accepting deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection." They would not recant from the truth God had given them. That truth was very little to what we have today in the New Testament. The point is they valued what they did have. Of these the world was not worthy. They are written in the book of life. Those who are faithful unto death are promised a crown of life see Rev. 2:10. Their names are not written on the pages of Scripture only the character of their sufferings and rejection. The record of their sufferings begins in v.35 "and others were tortured" and ends in v.37 "being destitute, afflicted, tormented." The relative positions of these saints and their persecutors will be reversed after death as the Lord warned "Now he (Lazarus) is comforted, and you are tormented" Luke 16:25. Those who lived in hiding without a home on earth are the last class. "They wandered in deserts and in mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth" 11:38. This is the faith of the outcast the faith not only to endure complete rejection but apparent defeat. To the world they were banished out of sight their cause lost. But God, as the result of the world's judgment of them, passes judgment on the world "of whom the world was not worthy.”

Then Paul reverts to the beginning of this treatise on faith. At the very beginning it was by faith that the elders obtained a good report 11:2; here at the end "all these having obtained a good report through faith received not the promise" 11:39. This is a sharp reminder to the Hebrews that these worthies in whom they boasted never did see their expectations fulfilled. Why then should they still prefer a visible Messiah to One in glory? They must see now that through all this great span of time God kept the flame of faith sometimes flickering, sometimes burning brightly, but always there never going out. It continues the same way in our time, sometimes waning, at other times increasing, but always displaying the patience and energy found in this eleventh chapter. But those who lived and died by faith in this chapter could not be "made perfect" without us. To be made perfect is to receive our glorified bodies in the resurrection of the just, of whom it is written "blessed and holy is he who has part in the first resurrection on such the second death has no power" Rev. 20:6. Those who went before us in the path of faith must wait until Christianity has gone from the earth.

Faith—Its Originator and Completer

The "faith" chapter ends at 12:2 not 11:40. How could we exclude Jesus from the consideration of faith He who is its "Leader" or "Author" or "Originator" as variously translated, as well as its Completer. That is, He is its beginner and ender. Those mentioned before Him in Chapter 11 walked different parts of the path of faith He all of it. No wonder He is called "Jesus Christ, the faithful witness" Rev. 1:5.

The Lord Jesus appeared "at the end of the age." The Hebrews to whom Paul wrote had seen His works. Although the faith chapter is primarily about the Old Testament saints, toward the end it seems to take in New Testament saints. The widow of Nain, Mary and Martha would be examples of women who received their dead raised to life again.*5 Stephen did not accept deliverance. He followed Christ until the heavens were opened and he saw Him in the glory. The end of faith is seeing Christ in glory. You do not need faith in heaven you need it here.

In closing the faith chapter Paul appeals to the good testimony of those who have preceded us in the path of faith those who are imperishably enshrined in his eleventh chapter. In view, of their witness laying aside every weight and the sin which so easily entangles us, we are encouraged to run the race which lies before us with endurance, fixing our eyes on Jesus. Paul set the example, running the race in Philippians. He knew two things are against us in running the race carnality and ritualistic religion. So he told the Corinthians, who were carnal, to subject the body in order to win a prize at the end of the race 1 Cor. 9:24, 27. He wrote the epistle to the Hebrews to advise them that their ancient earthly religion was hindering them running the race from earth to heaven. He exhorts them here to get rid of every weight and the sin which so easily besets us. A runner is slowed down by carrying weight sin diverts us from the race track. The weights are outside things but they are not defined. In this we see the wisdom of the Holy Spirit who looked down the ages and took into consideration their diverse character varying with the social and national traditions of a world into which people are born at different times. To the Hebrews the weights were those of their religious traditions which were contrary to Christianity sacrificing animals, temple rituals, etc. What about us today? We can only generalize and say they are encumbrances to Christian life. Sin is the inside thing. We still have a fallen nature which urges us to give up the race and settle down on earth.

And note that it is a race we run, not a walk or a trot. The Jews marched out of Egypt to the Promised Land. We run there. It is a matter of urgency for the prize is greater, and lasting. We are in a hurry. What is your goal the horizon of this world or running the race and attaining Christ in glory? The eye of the runner is to be fixed on Jesus for He is the goal. He has run the race from earth to heaven and if He were not there what would heaven mean to us? Others have run this race before us without this great knowledge that we have that Jesus is at the end of the race. God has provided a better thing for us that is Christianity that they without us should not be made perfect. Think of the race in terms of Isa. 40:31 "Those who wait on the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings like eagles they shall run and not tire and they shall walk and not faint" that is why the Apostle employs the heavenly figurative language of "a cloud of witnesses." The cloud is the eagle's domain and we are to soar heavenward in the clouds like the eagles the meaning of the figure. But we are also to run the race set before us, for while heaven is our goal we are on earth so "they shall run and not tire." But if we don't discard our weights we may slow down to a walk. Even if that should happen we "shall walk and not faint.”

The runner's eye is always to be on Jesus. How did he reach the goal? Why by the cross. He endured it, with all the agony such a cruel death meant. He despised the shame men heaped upon Him. Why? Because when He should ascend from this world to the glory of God He would sit down at the right hand of the throne of God. On earth He was on a cross in heaven on a throne. God reverses man's verdict and awards Him glory. With this prospect before Him no wonder He despised the shame which the man of dust gave Him. "In Thy presence is fullness of joy" and that was where He was going "by Thy right hand" the throne God awarded Him "there, are pleasures forevermore" see Psa. 16:11.

As the Author and Completer of faith Christ walked the path of faith perfectly. His people before Him, in patient faith had waited God's time to enter the land then in the energy of faith they began the journey out of Egypt which led them to the Promised Land. He retraced their pathway for He identified Himself with God's people. If Abraham was a stranger in the land of promise Christ was a stranger in the world His hands had made. For the major portion of His life He displayed the patience of faith. He was subject to His earthly parents. He was a carpenter. Only God the Father saw in Christ the plant whom He had planted. So He grew up before Him as a tender plant and as a root out of a dry ground Isa. 53:2. His baptism at the Jordan marked the end of the patience of faith and the beginning of the power of faith. That is because the Jordan, being the entrance to the land, had signaled that change in those who walked the path of faith before Him. Moses marked the energy of faith and he was tempted. So must Christ be, to display the energy of faith also. Moses was tempted by the offer of all the glitter of Pharaoh's court its wealth, power, education, delights and seduction of the flesh. Christ is tempted by the devil, not with a small part of the world like Pharaoh's court, but with the offer of the whole world. Having overcome Satan, His public ministry begins with power casting out demons, healing the sick, raising the dead. But it ended the same way as those of whom the world was not worthy that patient faith which endured even apparent defeat. So the Lord identified Himself with His people in these two traits of faith patience and power in the exact way they are presented to us in Heb. 11. And if Enoch was translated that he should not see death 11:5 it was only made possible for him as it may be for us because Christ by the grace of God tasted death for everything 2:9.

Faith connects the soul with God. It sees Him who is invisible 11:27. It sees the Lord, for the end of its trial produces peace and holiness for us 12:14. Faith refused what can be seen (the world, because it is opposed to God) and chooses what can't be seen (God's world to come).

A path always starts with some man walking the route first and marking it out for others to follow. So Christ is the Leader of our salvation. What He said to Peter He says to all of us "Follow Me." He gives us faith to do so. He walked the path we are now treading. He is now at home in His Father's house, and we are strangers in a world which cast Him out. So we do not merely walk the path of faith. Our feet speed up. We are in a race from earth to heaven. The end of the race is the end of faith, for the goal is attained seeing Christ in glory.

Faith—What Is It?

What a question to raise, after a detailed examination of Paul's faith chapter! But we do raise it, to summarize a subject which can so easily be lost in such a wide ranging study.

It might help us to understand faith by contrasting it with unbelief, the opposing principle, and tracing both back to their origin in the garden in Eden. Unbelief began with not listening to and obeying God's Word. It is the sad fruit of the reasoning of the human mind, aided and abetted by Satan Gen. 3:1-6 questioning God in self will. Because of the fall this is the natural tendency of every one of us. So God has to give us faith to believe that what He says is true rather than man, the world, and Satan. This gift enables us to accept Christ's words both for salvation and as the rule of our lives. Once believed power comes in to the Christian's life.

We see how the principle of faith works in the conversion of Saul on the Road to Damascus. "Who art Thou Lord?" he inquires. When told that Jesus is Lord he accepts His testimony as true because God has spoken, and God cannot lie. In this way he reverses what man did in the Garden of Eden believing the devil's lie. Instantly power comes in "Lord, what wilt Thou have me to do?" Acts 9:5,6. He goes on to turn the world upside down by preaching the gospel. The world began with Cain's unbelief but "this is the victory which overcomes the world, even our faith" 1 John 5:4.

Put succinctly, faith is unquestioned trust in the truth of God's Word, not only for salvation but to Carry on for God in a world opposed to Him until we reach the heavenly city.

Chapter 1.14

THE END OF THE RACE—WE ARRIVE AT THE HEAVENLY CITY

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 12:3-24)

This is the second and last time we are invited to consider our Lord Jesus Christ. The first time we were invited to consider Him in His dual capacity of Apostle and High Priest 3:1 i.e. as the One who was sent into the world by the Father and then the One who on returning to heaven became our High Priest. Here we are invited to consider Him in another dual capacity as the Leader (or Author or Originator) of faith and also as the Completer of faith. Considering Him as Apostle and High Priest is no doubt contemplating how He filled these offices to God's glory. Considering Him as the Leader and Completer of faith is more how the two characteristics of faith patience and power shone out in His earthly life without anything to dim their luster as with us. God has concealed the failures of the faithful ones recorded in Heb. 11 and recorded only how they overcame by faith. With Christ there was no possibility of failure. He retraced all that is found in Heb. 11 without any failure at all and is now in heaven. Therefore He personally becomes the goal the end of the race. That was the point of the first great exhortation at the opening of the 12Th chapter to fix our eyes on Jesus because He has run the race. The other great point was patience to run the race. Unlike Jesus we have an old sinful nature impatient longing to drop out of the race and settle down on earth. That being the case we need instruction on how to run the race.

God provides this instruction. He trains us for the race. God is bringing many sons to glory 2:10 and what son is not subject to a father's correction so that he may fittingly represent his father and his house and not disgrace him. But we have a part to play in the race it is not all left up to our Father's discipline. Our part is to strengthen our work and walk 12:12-13 to follow peace with all men and holiness 12:14 and not to lack the grace of God. The law is then brought in in the figure of Mt. Sinai as the great barrier to the grace of God. But we have not come to that, we are told but to Mt. Zion grace and the heavenly city. In spirit the race is over the goal attained. The epistle morally ends at the close of Chapter 12 with exhortations founded on that.

An appendix follows this chapter, summarizing our reasons for believing that Paul was the author of Hebrews. It is inserted here because Chapter 12 ends the race from earth to heaven, and at this point the reader should have a general understanding of the epistle to the Hebrews.

Disciplinary Training to Help Us Run the Race

Hebrews ignores the doctrine of the new man in Christ Jesus so prominent in Paul's letters. Instead it looks at us in mixed condition that is as having both an old and new nature. Perhaps this is because it is addressed to the Hebrews. Unlike the Gentiles who indulged in the desires of the flesh and of the mind the problem of the Hebrews was religious flesh. Their constant tendency was to long for the old religious traditions impediments to Christianity. In any event in Hebrews man is looked at as he is found in this world still with a body of flesh hindering his progress toward heaven. His fallen nature would anchor him to this world if God allowed it.

But God does not allow it and the subject opening before us is discipline to prevent our flesh from overcoming the faith God has implanted in us to strive for and attain our heavenly goal. Discipline in Chapter 12 is against the flesh but connected with the trials of faith. It is not primitive discipline as in Corinth where many had become sickly in body and others had been removed by death due to partaking of the Lord's Supper while living wicked lives see 1 Cor. 1:27-30. Rather its purpose is to help us run the race as a coach disciplines and encourages his athletes. It can be looked at in three ways as coming from "the Lord" first 12:5, 6 then "God" 12:7 and finally from "the Father of spirits" 12:9. These three ways give us some indication of the character and purpose of the discipline, which is not otherwise spelled out.

We are exhorted neither to slight the Lord's discipline on the one hand nor to crumble under it on the other, for it is a proof of the Lord's love. Paul is quoting from Prov. 3:11, 12. Proverbs is the book which gives us wisdom to pass through this world. The source of the quotation suggests that what we are considering is practical discipline in the affairs of this life; the setting of the quotation suggests guidance through this world as the reason for it Prov. 3:6. While guiding us in love He may pass us through experiences which try our faith. Suppose I am working for a firm which is in financial difficulties and finds it difficult to meet its payroll. I do not understand the problem but the Lord does. I love my job. Until some other employment is opened for me my faith is being tried. I can refuse to recognize the Lord's hand in what happened or on the other hand I can faint in my mind question His real love for me. Peter knew that the end of his life would be martyrdom because the Lord told him. The Hebrews had not yet suffered martyrdom striving against sin. If they did, that would be the end of their life in this world for Peter that end was always before him yet he wrote "that the trial of your faith, being much more precious than of gold that perishes though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise and honor and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ" 1 Peter 1:7.

The next subject is God dealing with us as with sons. When Moses reached maturity he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter. Before that time he was a son in Pharaoh's court, subject to the discipline of that court, the end object of which was to educate him in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. To be the son of Pharaoh's daughter he must endure the discipline of the world to make him a man of the world. God has called us to a higher court and a higher discipline. If He didn't we wouldn't be His sons but bastards 12:8. This discipline then has heaven not earth as its purpose. Those who are bastards the men of the world who reject Christ are not subject to God's discipline at all. They will be subject to His final judgment after death but in life they are left alone because they have no portion in heaven. But because God is calling many sons unto glory discipline has heaven in mind and is presumably connected with our spiritual life. We may be disciplined for associating with anything we know to be grossly wrong in doctrine or practice. The last consideration is "the Father of spirits." This term simply means God the Father "the Father of spirits" in contrast to "the fathers of our flesh." They corrected us using their best judgment which could be wrong. God the Father can never be wrong. The purpose of His discipline is to separate us from the world not in a monkish sort of way but in spirit. There are many things in this world which are not wrong in themselves. But if we allow them to displace God in our lives He may discipline us for that. The end result is that "we might be partakers of His holiness." He has in mind the heavenly scene to which He has called His many sons and there can be no unholiness there. The whole subject is summarized in v.11. We dislike discipline no matter what form it takes. It is what "seems to be" what is apparent that is what forms our judgment of it. But faith is based upon the link of the soul with God, and when tried passes through it. Then the peaceable fruit of righteousness is reaped. Fruit is the end result of a long process in nature, and God is patient with us. Alas some Christians despising the discipline, do not enjoy the taste of the fruit. "Ephraim has turned to idols, let him alone" Hos. 4:17-is the saddest thing that can be said about an indifferent Christian.

What We Must Do Ourselves to Help Us Run the Race

After giving us an insight into how divine discipline is used to help us run the race from earth to heaven the Spirit now turns to what we must do ourselves to run the race. Several exhortations are given simple but difficult to practice. We are to banish discouragement in our work for God and our walk with Him for such is the meaning of hands and feet. If we don't the lame (weak Christians) will be turned out of the way that is give up the race from earth to heaven. If you are discouraged yourself with what you are doing for God and your walk with Him, then your example will be contagious the weaker ones will be discouraged too. Instead let your example heal the lame brother that is encourage him to run the race. "Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord." Peace and holiness are mentioned in the passage on discipline. There the order is holiness first "partaking of His holiness" 12:10 then the peaceable fruit of righteousness, now viewed as ripe for tasting 12:11. They are repeated in reverse order here for emphasis, for seeing the Lord is the end of the race.

Warnings on Failing in the Race

Now the last part emerges "see to it that no one comes short of the grace of God." This means make sure that you retain confidence in the love of God not as an abstract thing but as a personal daily and practical thing the sunbeams flooding into the soul. But why grace then if love is the thought. It is because the law or the legal spirit will never help us understand the trial of faith through which God may pass us on the one hand or undergird us to do something practical to run the race. The grace of God meets all our needs. We don't deserve such a good God, but praise His Name He is our Father. But what if we do come short of the grace of God? Then our bad example will spread, just as it did to the lame brother. That is the meaning of "a root of bitterness" here. A plant well rooted will grow and spread out. The race then is lost, for all practical purposes. When a root of bitterness is firmly grounded on the earth, heaven is forgotten. How important then to retain our personal confidence in God. As to man we can have no confidence in him. So they are warned against the external wickedness of man which defiles "any fornicator" and finally internal wickedness profanity though it expressed itself in an outward act. A profane person is someone who values the world or something in it more than the grace of God. Esau sold his birthright for food, and was not forgiven. His show of repentance was only a change of mind. True repentance toward God is in the soul and consists of judging oneself sinful and God righteous and holy. Esau did neither he felt sorry for himself what he had lost. Men object to the Scripture "Jacob have I loved and Esau have I hated" Rom. 9:13, forgetting that it was God's verdict on both men long after they were dead.

Three Circles of Three

Notice the circles of threes in this chapter. Under discipline we had "the Lord" "God" and "the Father of spirits." Under the part dealing with our conduct we had "hands" "knees" and "feet." Under the part dealing with what we should avoid we have a "root of bitterness," "any fornicator" and a "profane person." These three circles of threes appear just before we reach the goal the end of the race in Hebrews. This is our next consideration.

Our Goal Is Not an Earthly City but a Heavenly City

As soon as man was expelled from the Garden of Eden his thoughts turned toward building a city on the earth. Cain built the first one a prototype of those which have followed. It contained every delight the flesh wanted. Cain was a farmer and so the city was surrounded by good land and named after his firstborn son Enoch whose name means dedicated. Ever since then men have been dedicated to building cities in the world. They are more elaborate than Cain's city but contain the same elements business (Gen. 4:20), music (Gen. 4:21), industry, science, technology (Gen. 4:22) and the art of war (Gen. 4:23). Except for war none of these things are evil in themselves it is the use to which they are put which is. God-given talents are prostituted used to shut God out of man's world and to camouflage sin which is corruption (Gen. 4:19) and violence (Gen. 4:23-24).

Next our attention is drawn to two contrasting expressions "you are not come" that is to Mt. Sinai and "you are come" that is to the heavenly city. Actually the heart of man would prefer an earthly city Cain and those who followed him showed that. But couldn't God have a city on the earth too to offset Cain's work? However if you would live in God's city you must do the works of God. Mt. Sinai is the city of law and a sinful people were so terrified with the mount which might be touched (the visible rather than the invisible city) the mount that burned with fire, which was characterized by blackness, darkness, tempest, the sound of a trumpet and the voice of words that they found it all unbearable. They didn't want the word spoken to them anymore. So God stopped speaking to them that way. At the beginning of Hebrews we are told "God, who at sundry times and in diverse manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by His Son" 1:1, 2. The voice of God the Son is calling all who will believe to come to the Holy City Jerusalem where He is Rev. 22:17. But man's heart still prefers an earthly city and so most likely the same angel who took John to see the heavenly city takes him to see the earthly city Babylon in all her corruption. It is remarkable how these cities are tied together by the invitation "come." In Hebrews we are not come to the earthly mount but we are come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God. "Come" says the angel to John and carries him away to the wilderness to see the harlot city Babylon in the wilderness. "Come" says the angel to John and he carries him away to a great and high mountain to see the Holy City Jerusalem. The sight of it and the thought of Jesus there again invokes the invitation to come "and let him who is athirst come." Well it is one thing to be there in spirit and another to be there actually this requires the coming of Jesus. So He says "Surely I come quickly" and our reply is "Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus" for we want Him to come and take us where He is. But the angel first took John, in spirit, to see the Holy City before the vision of it brought forth these responses. So would Paul here, in Hebrews, take us in spirit to see the heavenly city. The heavenly city in Hebrews, the city for which Abraham longed, is not the Church, for Abraham knew nothing about the Church then the unrevealed mystery. It is the whole scene of heavenly glory which includes the Church, and all who share it with us. Just before Paul takes us in spirit to the heavenly city he interjects a word about the earthly city, Jerusalem Mount Zion the center of the earth. It is as though we are looking down at it in its coming glory, when heaven and earth will be united under Christ Eph. 1-10. Mount Zion in Scripture is the place of grace in contrast to Mt. Sinai the place of law. Israel's long journey started with the law at Mount Sinai and then when they had broken all its precepts and failed miserably in their history God establishes the kingdom in power under David on Mount Zion. He would bless them on the principle of grace though they had failed under the principle of law. Then comes the heavenly city but not until the earthly city of God is brought in first. We are dealing entirely with great principles being afforded a summary of the entire blessing of earth and heaven under Christ the root and the offspring of David Rev. 22:16. Mount Zion the earthly city is the city of the Great King Ps 48:2 The joy of the whole earth Jerusalem the city of the Living God. The union of both in the coming day is the answer to the Lord's Prayer "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.”

An incident from my youth flashes back from time to time whenever I think of attaining our goal the heavenly city. An analogy of course, but a meaningful and encouraging one. It was the spring of.

1945. I was an airman in England awaiting demobilization. Without warning a number of us were told to pack immediately. We were to fly home to Canada in our bombers. About 2 a.m. we were alerted to put on flying clothes. After the engines were warmed up the pilot asked me over the intercom for a D.R. Compass reading and simultaneously I heard the control tower giving us take off clearance. We took off over water and in a few hours touched down on the Azores Islands for gas. The last leg of the flight was sheer delight. We flew low over a placid Atlantic, but there was nothing to see no ships, no aircraft. Only a copper colored sun which we seemed to be chasing. Our spirits were irrepressible, for the war was over and we knew we would soon be home.

We too can see the end of our warfare in this world. The multiplying signs predicted by our Lord in Matt. 24 tell us we are not far from home. But that home, that heavenly city means an eternal uninterrupted rest for us. There we shall see Christ and be like Him. There too we shall meet and associate with the Lord's people from every nation and generation. For the Christian that is attaining the goal.

The Heavenly City—the Goal—Comes in Sight at Last

To come to the heavenly city is to realize our hope the attainment of our goal. First we were called "holy brethren, partakers of the heavenly calling" 3:1. Until God called us from heaven the horizon of our hopes was confined to this earth. Next came the tasting of the heavenly gift 6:4 and we are told that "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" James 1:17. Then we are introduced to "heavenly things" 9:23 even though, like Nicodemus, we may not be ready for them John 3:12. The effect of these heavenly things taking root in our souls is searching for a better country we now live in that is a heavenly country 11:16. And the capital city of that heavenly country is the city of the living God the heavenly Jerusalem 12:22.

The heavenly Jerusalem' is the end of the race from earth to heaven in Hebrews. In our chapter heaven and earth are brought together. There are eight considerations, ranging from the one earthly consideration Mt. Zion 12:22 Through seven heavenly considerations terminating in 12:24. Morally Hebrews ends when we arrive at the heavenly city the remainder of the epistle being exhortations. The seven things descriptive of the heavenly city are broken down into 4 and 3 as is customary in Scripture. Four of these things relate to God, for it is His city the city of the living God and three to the inhabitants of His city.

God and His city The city is called "the city of the Living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." It belongs to God who is its builder and maker. A city is a system of administration and "of His kingdom there shall be no end." He is the living God the inhabiter of eternity, eternal in His being the "I am that I am.”

In this city God is known as the Judge of all. His throne is there Rev. 22:3 in the inner city the Holy City Jerusalem. Believers must appear before God for the review of their responsible lives on earth Rom. 14:10 2 Cor. 5:10. They will be rewarded or rebuked but not condemned since Christ has borne their sins Rom. 8:1. Unbelievers must stand before the throne Rev. 20:11 for eternal judgment. So God is the Judge of all see also John 5:21-27.

Then we find Jesus, the Mediator of the New Covenant. This is "the better covenant" of 8:6. It is better in contrast to the law which was the Old Covenant. Apart from other considerations the law was temporal by its very nature. At the end of Hebrews the New Covenant is called "the eternal covenant" 13:20. Jesus, who is God's Son, will enforce this covenant on earth from His throne in heaven. The New Covenant is introduced at this juncture to sound a note of blessing in contrast to the thought of God as the Judge of all for judgment is an unusual task for God, who delights to bless see Isa. 28:21. Still, God has these two characters the Judge of all and the Blesser under the New Covenant.

Finally we come to the basis of the blessing the blood of sprinkling which speaks better things than that of Abel. Both were shed on earth first the blood of Abel then the blood of Christ. Abel's blood cried to God for vengeance and Cain went away to build a city and forget God. Christ's blood cries to God for forgiveness and opens the way to a city which God has built for us. It is the blood of the New Covenant the foundation of blessing to man.

The inhabitants of God's city. At the close of Revelation an angel takes John on a guided tour of the Holy City Jerusalem. The most striking feature of this tour is that John tells us what the city is like but is silent about its inhabitants. True there are angels outside at the gates. But the city itself is vacant and unoccupied as far as the record informs us. The reason for this is the invitation "Come" which follows i.e. come to the city by believing the gospel, and live in this holy city. When we come to the heavenly city we discover that we are not the only ones who live there. John and Paul give us opposite but complementary views of the heavenly city. John tells us about the city but not its inhabitants Paul ignores the city and tells us about its inhabitants. Three classes of inhabitants are given to us the angels, the Church in glory, and the Old Testament saints. The order of presentation is intentionally designed to convey the impression of God's city in its coming rule over the earth "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven." This will be "in the administration of the fullness of times" Eph. 1:10 in the millennial kingdom soon to be set up and administered by Christ. We are first introduced to "an innumerable company of angels, the universal gathering." Heaven was home to them long before the world was created. In Hebrews angels are mentioned eleven times in the first two chapters. From Chapter 2 until now they are not spoken of, for Christ is calling many sons to glory. Now they are prominent once more for the glory is their home and we have arrived there.

Next comes "the Assembly of the Firstborn which are written in heaven." This is the Church (never the subject of teaching in Hebrews). Because we are "written in heaven" we precede the Old Testament saints in the order of presentation here. Historically they would come first but the point is not chronological order in time. It is our origin before time we were written in heaven. The Church is the moral center of the heavenly city, just as it is central in the three classes here. Being closest to Christ's heart as His bride it is the city within the city the Holy City Jerusalem of Rev. 21.

Finally we come to "the spirits of just men made perfect" the Old Testament saints. No New Testament saints are listed in the register of the "Faith" chapter Heb. 11 not even such a man of faith as Stephen. At the conclusion of Chapter 11 we are told "that they without us should not be made perfect." This statement is enshrined in a sevenfold presentation of what cannot make perfect and what can divided into the usual groupings of 4 and 3.

The three references to what cannot make perfect are introduced by the blanket statement that the law made nothing perfect. The other two references substantiate the general statement with the detail 9:9 and 10:1. God looked past the failure of the law to the coming of Christ and so these just men died in faith their spirits are with the Lord. Now we will look at the group of four Scripture

	WHAT "for the law made nothing perfect" 7:19
	CANNOT "unable to perfect as to conscience him that worshipped" 9:9
	MAKE "the law...can never...perfect those who approach" 10:1
	PERFECT CHRIST "to make perfect the Leader of their salvation" 2:10
	AND "and having been perfected became...the author of eternal salvation" 5:9
	HIS PEOPLE
	MADE "that they should not be made perfect without us" 11:40
	PERFECT "the spirits of just men made perfect" 12:23

verses in which Christ and His people are made perfect forever. (The thought in being made perfect here is having a glorified body.) This thought emerges with the references to Christ. First, the Leader of our salvation has been made perfect 2:10 secondly, having been perfected He became...the Author of eternal salvation. Christ being perfected means not only raised from the dead but ascended to the highest pinnacle of glory in heaven seated as Man on God's throne. It is from this point He becomes the Author, not of temporal but eternal salvation. He is not only the Savior of the soul but of the body also. And the bodies of the just men of the Old Testament are in the grave. However "they should not be made perfect without us" 11:40 this perfection should not be theirs in isolation but shared with us. But since we are looked at here as present in heaven in glorified bodies in the expression "the Church of the Firstborn" so they too are looked at as "made perfect" glorified along with us "the spirits of just men made perfect" 12:23.

The Better Things of Christianity

If we are correct in assuming that 12:24 is the moral ending of the epistle to the Hebrews this would surely be the point to look at two remarkable features of this verse. First of all, translators do not render part of this verse uniformly, not due to obscurity in the Greek, but to uncertainty as to the underlying thought. The language is highly figurative. The blood of Jesus is said to be speaking better things than that of Abel. In 11:4 we were told that though Abel is dead yet he speaks. Is that the contrast between Abel speaking and the blood of sprinkling speaking? Or is it between the sprinkled blood of Jesus speaking and the blood of Abel speaking? Or perhaps the language has been couched this way so both interpretations are valid. Whatever the case, raising the question draws our attention to the reference to Abel in 11:4.

Abel heads the list of those who died in faith in Heb. 11. He is the first man whose name is mentioned there and his name is the last word in the moral close of the epistle at 12:24. This must be intentional. Abel lived long before Moses and the giving of the law, long before Abraham the father of these Hebrews who boasted of their ancient religion, long before the flood even. He lived in the dawn of the Adam race. Abel continues to speak in the sense that his life's testimony was that man is a sinner and needs a blood sacrifice to redeem him, and bring him to God. Jesus has offered Himself now and the sacrifice Abel looked for has been made. And so, no matter how the verse is translated, it tells us clearly that something better has been brought to man. The moral close of the epistle thus brings together two great things Jesus' precious blood of sprinkling and, because of that blood, what is infinitely better for man than anything which preceded the blood of Jesus. So the word "better" is never found again in Hebrews. Nothing can be better than the blood of Jesus. It has satisfied God and it speaks to man of pardon.

Appendix to Chapter 1.14

An Argument for the Pauline Authorship of Hebrews as the Most Probable

The epistle to the Hebrews was written in A.D. 63, seven years before the Roman Emperor Titus destroyed Jerusalem and its temple. In a sense it was God's final warning to the Jew that the ancient temple worship was about to be swept away. Hebrews provides something better Christianity. Four years after it was written Peter and Paul, the two great apostles of the Church whose works dominate the Acts were both put to death. Their inspired writings were left behind to encourage believers who had to pass through these testing times. Hebrews is thus a watershed epistle. Because it is anonymous, an attempt to trace its author is a worthwhile exercise.

Logically Peter should have written Hebrews. He was the apostle to the Jews Paul to the Gentiles. Why should their roles be reversed? One reason might be that Peter turned back to the ancient Jewish religion which Hebrews insists has been superseded by Christianity. Paul had to rebuke him for this Gal. 2:11-21. Another reason is Peter's lack of formal education as compared with Paul's. God always prepares His servants for the line of truth with which He entrusts them. Paul was educated by Gamaliel, a famed Jewish teacher "and taught according to the perfect manner of the law of the fathers" Acts 22:3. He tells the Galatians that he "profited in the Jews' religion above many my equals in my own nation, being more exceedingly zealous of the tradition of my fathers" Gal. 1:14. Paul's background in divine things shines through in Hebrews when he compares the old religion with the new and better one. Familiarity with the old is a prerequisite to such a comparison. Peter openly admitted this. Speaking of Paul's writings he says "in which are some things hard to understand, which those who are untaught and unstable twist, as they do also the other Scriptures" 2 Peter 3:16.

Paul had a motive for writing Hebrews a motive not common to any of the inspired writers of the New Testament. He was the Apostle to the Gentiles by the will of God. He was a minister of the gospel Col. 1:23 and a minister of the Church Col. 1:25. He carried out these roles faithfully. He preached the gospel throughout the ancient world, he established and strengthened Churches. It was given to him to complete the Word of God Col. 1:25, and he is the major author of the New Testament. In carrying out these tasks his was no cloistered life "in stripes above measure, in prisons more frequent, in deaths often. Of the Jews five times received I forty stripes save one. Thrice was I beaten with rods, once was I stoned, thrice I suffered shipwreck, a night and a day I have been in the deep. In journeyings often, in perils of waters, in perils of robbers, in perils by my own countrymen, in perils by the heathen, in perils in the city, in perils in the wilderness, in perils in the sea, in perils among false brethren, in weariness and painfulness, in watching often, in hunger and thirst, in fastings often, in cold and nakedness" 2 Cor. 11:23-27. Did this mean anything to the Jewish Christians at Jerusalem? Not at all. They were keeping the law and sacrificing animals in the temple. They wanted Paul to do the same Acts 21:23, 24. Their insistence that Paul do this was the mainspring of his captivity in effect the chaining of the gospel. Clearly Paul had a motive for writing Hebrews not shared by others of his day correcting the legality of Jewish believers and urging them to turn to the better things offered by true Christianity.

The problem of authorship arises out of the absence of formal identification. There is no apostolic salutation at the close as in 2 Thess. 3:17 "The salutation of Paul with my own hand, which is the token in every epistle; so I write." Furthermore there is none at the opening, for the epistle begins with "God." Jesus is God manifest in the flesh and Hebrews opens with His glories. He is declared to be the apostle in 3:1. That is the prime reason for the lack of apostolic salutation at the opening of Hebrews. Since Jesus is the Apostle all other men must recede like the light of a candle in the light of the sun. Again Hebrews is not a letter but a treatise. It is not addressed to an assembly or an individual and so does not require an introductory and closing salutation. It is general "to whom it may concern." As we read it, we learn that it is written to the Jewish people as a whole some of whom are Christ's sheep and others who have professed to be, but who are in danger of giving up their profession.

It is reasonable to assume that the letter was delivered to James at Jerusalem, as the leading man there, or if not to someone of his stature. After public reading and discussion copies would be made and distributed, following the precedent in Acts 15:23. These must have been sent to all the synagogues throughout the ancient world. Certainly "the strangers scattered throughout Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, Asia and Bithynia" 1 Peter 1:1 to whom Peter wrote "this second epistle" 2 Peter 3:1 must have received a copy of Hebrews. We know this from Peter's closing words mentioning Paul by name as having written to them 2 Peter 3:15-16.

Internal Identification of Paul As the Author.

The faith chapter- Of the great writers of the New Testament John's ministry was love, Peter's hope and Paul's faith. Paul left us his faith chapter Heb. 11 as a spiritual legacy in his old age.

The author is an old man Twice in this epistle the author drops hints that he has become an old man. In 9:5, speaking of the cherubim of glory he says "concerning which it is not now (the time) to speak in detail." Then in 11:32 he repeats this refrain that the sand was running out of his glass, so to speak "the time would fail me to tell of Gideon" etc. Now Paul the aged hasn't got enough time to write about these themes for his life is ebbing away. Hebrews is to be Paul's last major project. What time he has left will be spent on pastoral work. He writes only three other letters after Hebrews. These are 1 Tim, Titus and the last words of Paul, 2 Tim. Peter too was aged, but 2 Peter 3:15 is a disclaimer against his authorship.

The author is writing from Italy Fables to the contrary, there is no proof that Peter ever visited Rome. Paul did, as a prisoner, and Acts 28 attests to the fact. While Rome is not mentioned specifically as the writer's residence, the epistle closes with "those of Italy greet you" 13:24, which is a more wide-ranging geographical expression, and an indication of how greatly the gospel had spread throughout that country.

The author wants to visit Jerusalem with Timothy Now let us look at 13:23. Paul informs the Hebrews that Timothy has been set free. No details of his imprisonment are given simply his release. Timothy was his son in the faith the faithful and devoted traveling companion in his evangelical campaigns from Acts 16 on. Paul was overjoyed at the prospect of another visit to Jerusalem this time with Timothy. However the mind of the Lord was that the epistle to the Hebrews should represent him at Jerusalem instead.

Numeric Proofs of Paul's Authorship of Hebrews

God is called "the God of Measure" in 2 Cor. 10:13, and there is much sound Biblical scholarship to support the view that the numbers used in the Scriptures have spiritual meanings. Our only interest in this field of study here however, is whether it can help us establish or refute Paul's authorship of Hebrews. The late Dr. E.W. Bullinger thought it could. He made a numeric proof of Paul's authorship of Hebrews. His proof ranges over several pages, and it is impractical either to reproduce it or to condense it here. Instead the interested reader is referred to his book "Number in Scripture" published by Kregel Publications, Grand Rapids, Michigan, USA.

Chapter 1.15

THE CHRISTIAN'S LIFESTYLE AS TAUGHT IN THE EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS

(Suggested Reading: Heb. 12:25-29; 13)

Morally the epistle to the Hebrews is concluded when we reach heaven 12:22-24 for the running of the race from earth to heaven was the theme of the epistle. Paul wanted them to leave the earthly Jerusalem and run the race to the heavenly Jerusalem. In the book of Hebrews the race is now over. Our hope has been attained when we come to the heavenly city in spirit our fondest prospects made good. The epistle concludes with comments, warnings, exhortations, prayer all based on that body of doctrine which is to be given effect to in our lives. Our character is sketched as it should be in the world the image we should make in men's eyes "you are our letter...known and read by all men" 2 Cor. 3:2. In the previous chapter the great thought was how God saw us here we are witnesses in the world and the great thought is how man sees us. But these are generalizations. What we should look for as well, is the application of the doctrine of the epistle to ourselves. And so it is not surprising to discover an immediate linkage with the beginning of the epistle as we come to its end.

The Opening Command and Warning From God Himself

The opening two verses here refer back to the opening two verses of the epistle, reversing the order. Let us compare them. "God, who at sundry times and in divers manners spoke in time past to the fathers by the prophets hath in these last days spoken to us by His Son" Heb. 1:1, 2. At the end we read "see that ye refuse not Him who speaks" 12:25 i.e. God the Son, followed by a quotation from the prophets "yet once more I shake not the earth only, but also heaven" Hag. 2:6. God is content to speak only at the beginning of the epistle at the end He insists on being heard and obeyed. "How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation, which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord" 2:3 is the great question posed at the beginning. It is answered here for such there is no escape "for if they escaped not who refused Him who spoke on earth, much more shall not we escape if we turn away from Him who speaks from heaven." The shaking of heaven and earth spoken of here as the result of God the Son pronouncing judgment on everything opposed to Him will introduce the millennial kingdom. Man will not bow to righteousness willingly it will be enforced. That state of things which now exists good and evil both contending must be swept away "that those things which cannot be shaken may remain." The result is that we shall receive a kingdom which cannot be moved. This is because "a scepter of righteousness is the scepter of Thy kingdom" 1:8. The world cannot have peaceful rule because it spurns righteous rule. Righteous rule will characterize Christ's kingdom.

A babe in Christ should know that the kingdom which cannot be moved is Christ's millennial kingdom, the principles of which were enunciated in the Sermon on the Mount. But it is important that we connect it to the two cities we have come to in 12:22 Mount Zion i.e. Jerusalem on earth and "the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem." When the kingdom has come, heaven and earth will be linked together in a divine administration involving Jerusalem on earth and the heavenly Jerusalem above as stated in Eph. 1:10. Jacob's ladder connecting heaven and earth with the angels of God ascending and descending was an earlier forecast of those good things still to come confirmed by the Lord when He was on earth to Nathanael see John 1:51. In summary Paul is directing the attention of the Hebrew Christians to something they never understood from the law and the prophets that the kingdom has a heavenly side. As Hebrews they thought only of an earthly kingdom. Quite true, Paul is arguing, but not for you. As belonging to the Church of the Firstborn, your place is in heaven and your role in the future administration of the kingdom will be played from heaven, not earth. Don't you see, he is saying, that that is why I have been telling you to run the race from earth to heaven, discarding the old earthly religion along the way?

Six Exhortations to Regulate Our Life in This World and to Serve and Worship God

The reader should now consult the chart captioned "The Six Exhortations at the Close of Hebrews." Notice how the subject of three of these exhortations the inner group is our life in this world. These three exhortations are bracketed by other Scriptures about the service and worship of God. This tells us that practical life in the body is central to the service and worship of God. How could we serve or worship Him if our life contradicts our testimony?

The first exhortation is "let us have grace." We saw what happens when this is lacking in 12:15. This is positive. If we preach the grace of God to others we must exhibit it ourselves. We must serve God acceptably that is to His satisfaction not our evaluation of ourselves with reverence and godly fear. Fear in the service of God? Yes "for our God is a consuming fire." At the judgment seat of Christ He will burn up the wood, hay and stubble in our lives. The gold will remain.

Next come exhortations to govern our lives in the Church 13:1, the family 13:4, and in the world 13:5. It is noteworthy that these exhortations lack an abrasive tone. First, brotherly love is assumed so it is to continue. Brethren in Christ are to show love to one another. But to confine it to an inner circle would breed sectarianism. We mustn’t neglect hospitality to strangers. Abraham didn't and we are his children by faith. We too may be rewarded for doing so. We must not forget those who are not at liberty like ourselves. We are to evangelize those in prison, comfort those who are in prison for Christ's sake, or who have been saved when imprisoned. We too are in the body and should feel for their sufferings. To remember them tells us of two things prayer for them and visitation too. So Paul wrote "the Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus for he often refreshed me, and was not ashamed of my chain. But, when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently, and found me" 2 Tim. 1:16, 17. Next come the exhortations that marriage is to be held in honor by all. Purity of life is to be maintained whether in or out of the marriage bond. God who is the Judge of all 12:23 will judge all who defile God's holy institution of marriage. Then comes our lifestyle in the world it is to be characterized as free from the love of money. It is not money which is in question for the Lord may give it to some believers for careful stewardship in His work but rather the love of money. Still the heart can use this as an excuse and the world will watch us. So "be content with such things as you have" don't accumulate unnecessary worldly possessions baggage which will weigh you down in the race an example of a "weight" in 12:1. The Lord will never leave you nor forsake you. David acknowledged as much when he said "I have been young, and now am old yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken nor his seed begging bread" Psa. 37:25. So that we may boldly say "the Lord is my helper and I will not fear. What shall man do to me?" The primary thought here is practical help in life. An old believer confirmed David's words to me by saying that the Lord sees His people through to the end whether they are rich or poor. Sometimes the rich end up poor for riches take wings and fly away. Wonderful then to have the Lord as our helper. Nor should we forget the spiritual side of this "the Lord is my helper" tells us also of His High Priesthood on our behalf.

Following these exhortations on life in this world come two verses concerning the worship of God 13:3 and 13:15, 16. One is negative accepting the reproach of Christ in this world, being identified with a crucified, not a conquering Christ, and the other positive praise and thanksgiving. The sacrifice of praise (worship) is to be followed by practical sacrifices doing good and sharing what we have with others. If you are in the presence of God as a worshipper you are to come out with the imprint of the divine presence and so doing good. These verses take us ahead of our subject but because of the unique connection shown in the chart cannot be ignored as a group. The teaching of the six exhortations is that to serve God you need grace to worship God there must be practical godliness in the Church, the family and the world and then identification with the cross (the outside place with man) to enjoy the glory in spirit the inside place with God as a worshipper.

A Closing Reference to the Day of Atonement—The Six Exhortations at the Close of Hebrews

SERVING GOD

REQUIRES GRACE Let us have grace whereby we may serve God.

OUR LIFE DOWN HERE IN THE

CHURCH IN THE Let brotherly love continue.

IN THE FAMILY (Let) marriage be held in honor by all.

IN THE WORLD (Let) our lifestyle be free from the love of money.

WORSHIPPING GOD

THE OUTSIDE PLACE WITH MAN Let us go out therefore unto Him without the camp bearing

His reproach.

THE INSIDE GOD Let us offer the sacrifices of praise to God continually.

A Closing Reference to the Day of Atonement

In Chapter 1:9 we touched upon the Day of Atonement. Much that is written in Hebrews would not be understood without an explanation of the meaning of the ritual of that day. Here at the close Paul reverts to that Day in a closing appeal to withdraw from the system of Jewish ritual and occupy full Christian ground and privileges. "We have an altar, whereof they have no right to eat which serve the tabernacle. For the bodies of those beasts, whose blood is brought into the sanctuary by the high priest for sin, are burned without the camp. Wherefore Jesus also, that He might sanctify the people with His own blood, suffered without the gate. Let us go forth therefore unto Him without the camp, bearing His reproach. For here we have no lasting city, but we seek one to come.”

Notice the many lines of truth which converge in this appeal. The Hebrew Christians were to run the race from earth to heaven and arrive at the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem 12:22. Therefore the earthly city Jerusalem and its temple were to be given up. Christ had suffered outside this earthly city on a cross while the ritual of Jewish services was being performed inside that city. So Paul takes them back to the days of their fathers when the tabernacle, not the temple, was the official structure for the worship of God. And of all the ritual of the tabernacle services he singles out that performed on the Day of Atonement. We know this because the blood which the high priest brought into the Holy of Holies for sin was the blood of the bullock and the blood of the goat in Lev. 16. That same chapter tells us that the bodies of the sacrifices whose blood was brought in were burned outside Lev. 16:27 which agrees with 13:11 here.

What then is the altar of 13:10? It is clearly spiritual in nature and sets forth Christ as the true sin offering whose blood alone is efficacious before God. The other reference to "altar" in this epistle is in 13:13 a turning point following the statement that the priesthood is changed and so the law must be too. Our High Priest does not offer continual blood sacrifices without value. The greatness of His Priesthood is attested to by the fact that He has sat (down) on the right hand of the throne of the Majesty in the heavens 8:1. Share His rejection by man then withdraw from the visible system which rejected Him and cleave to Him obtaining an inside place with God. This altar calls for two classes of sacrifices spiritual sacrifices rather than material ones. The first is continual sacrifice of praise to God the fruit of our lips giving thanks to His Name. The second sacrifice is manward 13:16 good works with which God is well pleased. We come out of the holiest of all and do good to men a proof to all men that we have been in God's presence for He is the Source of all good.

Principles Governing Leadership of the Flock of God

The exhortations on Christian leadership which are grouped together in the closing chapter of Hebrews are full of instruction. First of all we must divest ourselves of misconceptions arising from the reading of the authorized version which renders 13:7, 13:17 and 13:24 as "those who have the rule over you." This would imply elders who have local rule whereas the epistle is on Jewish rather than Church ground and there is no thought of confining the teaching in it to such a restricted group. The best modern versions render these passages "leaders" or "those leading you" (The American Standard Bible, The Modern Language Bible (Berkely Edition) J.N. Darby Translation, New International Version, and Young's Literal Translation). The distinction is an important one for as already stated the epistle is not addressed to one or more Christian assemblies but rather to the entire Hebrew nation a nation once in exclusive relationship to God, then blessed with the first introduction of Christianity in the world, now in danger of giving up this profession. Who among that nation, then, were the leaders, and what was the goal to which they were leading the flock of God. The verses which we will now consider group these leaders into those who are no longer with them (due to death), those still with them, and Jesus Christ the Leader and Great Shepherd of the sheep. The leaders are those who lead others to follow the great Leader from earth to heaven.

Remembering the leaders of the past Our first exhortation is "REMEMBER your leaders who have spoken to you the Word of God, and considering the outcome of their way of life, imitate their faith" 13:7. While these leaders are not named they are easily identified from the Acts of the Apostles. Perhaps of all the leaders those who were preeminently before Paul's mind were those of the twelve apostles who had laid down their lives for Christ's sake. This thought is reinforced by the allusion to their sufferings as a way of life among others of course "REMEMBER prisoners, as bound with them those who are ill-treated as being yourselves also in the body" 13:3. The apostles, more than others, had spoken the Word of God to them see 2:3, 4, and who were imprisoned more than they? Stephen's stoning tells us the cost of being a leading Christian in the early days of Christianity.

The class of leaders referred to here were now absent from the body and present with the Lord like James the brother of John whom Herod killed with the sword Acts 13:1, 2. The Hebrews were exhorted to weigh the outcome of their Christian life and testimony and to imitate the faith that made them leaders. Christian leadership here is for the purpose of helping others to attain the goal they have attained. For them the race from earth to heaven ended with their death. Let their faith encourage others to run the race to the same destination. God never forgets those who serve Him, as man does. Heb. 11 is God's shining recollection of those who died in faith those whom He remembers. As God's children the Hebrews were to remember their past leaders and imitate their faith. Having heard the Word of God from such leaders they would not be carried about with every fanciful doctrine that arose like a small sailboat in a gust of wind. The anchor of the soul 6:19 is both safe and secure a certain hope. Why listen then to fanciful doctrine about what to eat and what not to eat and other regulations of the law?

Obedience and submission to leaders still alive and salutations of grace to them A second exhortation follows "OBEY your leaders, and be submissive for they watch over your souls as those who shall give account; that they may do this with joy, and not groaning, for this would be unprofitable for you" 13:17. Clearly the reference here is to the living leaders to whom obedience and submission were due as the reference in 13:7 was to the dead leaders who were to be remembered. The dead leaders were to be remembered as having established them in the truth to which no man can add the living leaders are viewed more as pastors tending the sheep "for they watch over your souls." Because of that responsibility they have One over them to whom they report “that Great Shepherd of the Sheep" referred to in the closing prayer of this chapter but inferred in "Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever”

13:8. It is natural for the sheep to turn every one to his own way see Isa. 53 causing distress to the leaders discouraging them making them fall short of the example of the leaders of the past robbing them of their reward. If such misconduct occurred it would be recompensed on those who caused it. Their works would be burned up in the day when God judges the secrets of men. They should resist their natural tendencies so that their leaders could report to the Great Shepherd with joy concerning their pastoral work among them.

Their leaders were to be SALUTED also—something we shall briefly comment on later.

The leader of our salvation the Great Shepherd of the sheep Jesus Christ Between the dead leaders and the living leaders comes "Jesus Christ, the same, yesterday and today and forever" 13:8. Servants of God may come and go but He remains the same the Leader of our salvation through whom God is bringing many sons to glory 2:10. His Shepherd character as the leader of God's sheep is given to us in three ways in both the Old Testament and the New Testament. First He is "the Good Shepherd" John 10:11 in which character He gives His life for the sheep. The counterpart of this in the Old Testament is Psa. 22 in which His sufferings on the cross are prophetically forecast even to the piercing of His hands and His feet and the cry of abandonment by God when made sin on the cross a cry which opens the Psalm. Secondly in Paul's closing prayer in 13:20 He is "that Great Shepherd of the sheep" because as the leader of our salvation He has brought us to the goal at last heaven and satisfying approach to a God well known through the blood of His cross. The counterpart of this in the Old Testament is Psa. 23. In that Psalm the Lord is not only our Shepherd who provides for our wants down here but at the end He leads us home "surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the Lord forever." Thirdly He is "the Chief Shepherd" to whom the leaders in 13:17 must give account of their conduct in shepherding the sheep. So Peter writes in his first epistle "feed the flock of God which is among you...and when the Chief Shepherd shall appear, you shall receive a crown of glory which fades not away" 1 Peter 5:2-4. The Old Testament counterpart of this is Psa. 24 when the kingdom has come (and all our rewards are in connection with Christ's coming kingdom). The earth then is claimed for God "the earth is the Lord's and the fullness thereof the world and those who dwell in it" Psa. 24:1.

The Throne of Grace Appears at the End As at the Beginning

In the early part of the epistle Paul had written "for we have not an high priest not able to sympathize with our infirmities, but tempted in all things in like manner, sin apart. Let us approach therefore with boldness to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy, and find seasonable help" 4:15, 16. Here as the epistle closes we find Paul first of all requesting that the Hebrews pray for him and then his prayer for them. This is the beautiful reciprocal note on which the epistle closes although there are two 'Amens' one for the message of grace closing it all and the other at the close of Paul's prayer.

The apostle's request for the Hebrews' prayers. Just as in most of our own prayers or requests for prayer, we find here the general and the specific. "Pray for us for we persuade ourselves that we have a good conscience, in all things desiring to walk rightly." This is the general request. The specific request follows "but I much more beseech you to do this, that I may the more quickly be restored to you." Note, however, how Paul ties the specific request to the general. Before commenting on the specific request let us weigh 1 John 5:14 "and this is the boldness which we have toward Him, that if we ask anything according to His will, He hears us." Sometimes our requests are not according to His will although we do not know it at the time. It has been said that God always answers prayer but that sometimes He says no. I recall an esteemed teacher of the Word exclaiming at a Bible Conference "Do you want to pray a prayer that God will always answer? well here it is 'Teach me to do Thy will for Thou art my God'" Psa. 143:10.

Clearly it was not the will of God that Paul should be restored to the Hebrews sooner 13:19 or at any time for his life and ministry were drawing to a close. What value would there be in another visit to Jerusalem? Natural affections, national aspirations perhaps, a limited amount of teaching among them. Historically his three previous missions had all started at Antioch. Should another start instead from Italy with that destination in mind Jerusalem which ended his third mission so disastrously? Suppose God had said 'yes' rather than 'no' to the Hebrews' prayers for Paul what might have happened? He loved his own nation dearly and the temple was a magnet to his heart. Had he gone there he might have denied everything he had written in this epistle. God prevented this from happening, so that the close of Paul's life was in keeping with his teaching in the epistle to the Hebrews. Paul finished the race he wrote about in Hebrews with joy. Faith, hope, and love "these three things" see 1 Cor. 13:13 buoyed him up.

In Heb. 4 references to faith (4:2 6:12 10:22 13:7) are supported by 3 references to hope (3:6 6:11 10:23) and 3 to love (6:10 10:24 13:1). This does not exhaust the rich variety of ways in which faith, hope and love "these three things" are presented in the Word of God not by accident but by design. Finally there is the moral application of these design features. In Hebrews Paul links up "these three things" in an absolutely unique way "Love" 6:10 "Hope" 6:11 "Faith" 6:12. Then he reverses the chain, beginning with "Faith" 10:22 "Hope" 10:23 "Love" 10:24. In this way, though he links the chain together with his own principle of faith, he begins and ends with love, proving his own thesis that, of "these three things" the greatest of all is love.

So in the wisdom of God Paul was not diverted from finishing the race by turning aside to the trappings of that Judaism he had condemned in his epistle to the Hebrews. Writing to the Philippians he says "brethren, I do not count to have got possession myself; but one thing forgetting the things behind, and -stretching out to the things before, I pursue (looking) towards the goal, for the prize of the calling on high of God in Christ Jesus" Phil. 3:13,14. These three things, then, "faith, hope and love" helped Paul run the race from earth to heaven and obtain the cherished prize at the end. May they help us also.

“And when we've run the race

And fought the faithful fight

We then shall see Him face to face

With saints in light.”

The Apostle's closing prayer for the Hebrews peace, the will of God, the eternal glory of Jesus Christ. The Apostle started his epistle with God, but now addresses Him as the God of peace. This is because peace has been made by the blood of Jesus' cross see Col. 1:20. So the blood is brought in, Jesus having been raised from among the dead by the God of peace and this is the blood of the eternal covenant. It is eternal, as so often in Hebrews, in contrast to the transient things of the law, shadows about to pass away. It is in this way God is to be known to them.

Next, the God of peace would have them do His will. Sometimes we do not know what the will of God is for us. Even Paul didn't at a crucial juncture of his service for Christ see Acts 16:6-10. Here it is made clear to the Hebrews. First of all, as mature Christians, with "senses exercised to discern both good and evil" 5:14 they are to choose the good and do it "make you perfect in every good work to the doing of His will." The prayer continues "doing in you what is pleasing before Him through Jesus Christ." Unquestionably this refers to the main doctrinal thrust of the epistle. Should he not pray for them to separate from the shadow of Jewish ritual to the reality of Christianity? Surely the will of God was that they should approach God in the Holy of Holies with confidence, since the way of approach had been opened for them by the shed blood of Christ. This was the time Jesus foresaw when He told the woman of Sychar's well "the hour is coming when you shall neither in this mountain nor in Jerusalem worship the Father...but the hour is coming and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for also the Father seeks such as His worshippers" John 4:21-23.

The prayer closes with glory to Jesus Christ for the ages of ages. Amen. Paul's second prayer in Ephesians ended with "to Him be glory in the assembly in Christ Jesus unto all generations of the age of ages. Amen." That prayer was early in the epistle this one toward the close. Ephesians, being the epistle of Church truth, brought the Church prominently in view as associated with the glory; in Hebrews glory all belongs to God. There are seven mentions of glory in Hebrews, three of which are general 2:10, 3:3; and 9:5. The other four are in connection with Christ's glory. At the beginning He is called the brightness of God's glory 1:3 then God crowned Him with glory and honor 2:7 then we see Him thus crowned with glory and honor 2:9 then at the close we see that that glory is imperishable. It will never fade away nor will the crown of glory be transferred to another. God set a diadem of pure gold on His head Psa. 21:3 and so the prayer here closes with glory to Him forever and ever. Amen 13:21. This is beautifully expressed in an undated composition of E. Williams, someone unknown to the writer:

“Glory, Lord is Thine forever

Ever Thine- Thou art the Son

Great the glory Thou art given

Great the glory Thou hast won

Great the glory and the splendor

Of the holy heavenly place

Greater far the Godhead glory

Shining Savior in Thy face.

Lord of glory, Thou didst enter

This dark world of sin and woe

Veiled Thy glory, yet 'twas witnessed

By Thine own while here below.

Thou didst die, and now we praise Thee

In Thy glory, Lord, above

For in death Thou hast declared

All the fullness of God's love.

Yes, we see Thee crowned with glory,

Highest honor to Thee given

But the glory of Thy Person

Is the light that shines in heaven

Thou art greater, glorious Savior

Than the glory Thou hast won

This the greatness of Thy glory

Ever blest Thou art the Son!”

Following his prayer Paul asks his brethren to hear the word of exhortation in his brief letter. He passes on news about Timothy, greetings and a message of grace, closing the epistle like his prayer with Amen. The close of the epistle takes us in spirit to the beginning. In Hebrews Christians are never viewed as members of Christ's body, united to Him, as in Ephesians. Instead they are looked upon as Christ's fellows, or companions. In the beginning they are grouped into three great classes sons who are being brought to glory 2:10 brethren of whom Christ is not ashamed 2:11 and children in the family of God 2:13. These three classes are found again at the close of Hebrews, but looked at more or less in a corrective way. We are in the wilderness and learning lessons in God's school. As children and sons 12:5 and 12:7 it is a question of discipline to help us become partakers of God's holiness. As brethren we are simply called upon to listen to and act upon "the word of exhortation" in this letter and a most gracious one at that.

The epistle starts with God and ends with grace. Just before the end there was the prayer with glory to Jesus Christ for the ages of ages. Grace and glory are found in the Son of God.

Part 2

FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH -AN OUTLINE OF THE EPHESIAN LETTER

Our heading tells us that Ephesians is in some ways the converse of Hebrews. The Hebrews Part 1 of our book were exhorted to run the race from earth to heaven. In Ephesians Part 2 of our book we are viewed as seated in heavenly places in Christ at the beginning, but standing on earth wearing the full armor of God at the end. However these are generalizations. Since God gives us His richest thoughts at the beginning, we must examine the opening of Ephesians carefully.

The letter to the Ephesians is one of the two generic or "parent" epistles of the Apostle Paul the other being Romans. By "parent" we do not mean the chronological order in which the Pauline letters were written, for such a statement would be incorrect. What we mean is that these two letters stand by themselves, like twin pillars, as exponents of fundamental truth, not having their origin, like so many of Paul's letters, in the need to correct error in doctrine or practice in the primitive Church. As an inlet to the study of Ephesians, then, a few brief words contrasting this letter with Romans might be helpful.

Ephesians and Romans—Some Contrasts

As a created intelligence man has a unique place in the universe. In the order of creation the angels, who are heavenly beings, were given a home in the heavens; man who is an earthly being, a home on earth. But in redemption and at the cross itself, man was provided with a home both on earth John 19:26-27 and in heaven Luke 23:43. God had this in mind when Moses, under divine inspiration, penned the Genesis record of creation. This opens with the creation of the heavens and the earth and ends with the creation of man. For man was destined to fill both spheres, although Moses could not know this when he wrote his inspired account. It remained for Paul to complete the Word of God, the secret hidden from ages and generations, but now made manifest to us see Col. 1:25, 26. In Romans Paul takes up man on earth in Ephesians the heavenly man. Romans is the justified man on earth Ephesians the heavenly man chosen in Christ before there was a world. Romans considers the question of man's responsibility to God; Ephesians introduces us to the counsels of God in eternity before there was a responsible man. In Romans man and his world occupy center stage in Ephesians they largely disappear so God's thoughts and interests can dominate everything.

In Scripture man's relationship to God is expressed two ways man's responsibility to God, which is Romans, and the purpose of God for man which is Ephesians. Christianity properly begins when the questions raised in Romans are closed to God's satisfaction. In Romans man is alive in sin, in Ephesians dead toward God and needing a new creation. From this viewpoint justification, the great question in Romans, is never considered, for God does not justify His new creation "if any man be in Christ he is a new creature old things are passed away behold all things are become new" 2 Cor. 5:17. Because of these global considerations concerning man's relationship to God it is appropriate that neither of the two parent epistles is addressed to a Church. That would have reduced to too narrow a scope the subjects under consideration. The Apostle, instead, teaches his great foundation truths to "all who are in Rome, beloved of God, called saints" and "to the saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." The characteristic truth in each epistle met the need of the Christians at Rome and Ephesus respectively. The believers in Rome did not have direct apostolic teaching like those in Ephesus so the foundation truths of the gospel are the subject of the letter to the Romans. Ephesus, however, was a teaching center of the Apostle the crown of his ministry and the believers there were ready to receive the highest truth. So in his letter to the Ephesians Paul unfolds the mind of God in an unique way from the mountain tops, so to speak. He is not concerned with how the will of God brings us to heavenly places in Christ as he opens his letter. Indeed he omits all mention of the second coming of Christ in the Ephesian letter. He covers that subject adequately in his other epistles. Here Paul's grand subject is not the detail of how we will ultimately arrive in heavenly places but the will of God which has decreed that this is our destiny. More than anything else Ephesians is the epistle of the will of God.*1

The Opening of the Ephesian Letter—1:1, 2

The Ephesian letter opens with "Paul, an apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God" in contrast to Romans "Paul, a servant of Jesus Christ, called to be an Apostle." In Romans Paul stresses his service, for the gospel needs servants to preach it; in Ephesians he stresses his Apostleship by the will of God, for in this letter he is a heavenly man sent to the Gentiles by the will of God. Paul, (after Christ) is the pattern heavenly man, as we learn from his defense before Agrippa. At that time he quoted the Lord's own words to define the scope of his apostleship "delivering you from the people (that is from God's people, the Jews) "and from the Gentiles, unto whom NOW I SEND YOU." Acts 26:17. Since the world's population is made up of Jews and Gentiles, if a man is delivered from both he cannot be a man of this world. He is still a man, but a man after a new order a heavenly man. For the present, though, this heavenly man is not practically to reside in heaven. It is the home of his heart, the place from which he has received his commission to preach. But that commission, which Christ gave him, concerns the Gentiles only. This is the will of God for him. Paul, then, is an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God. He strikes the characteristic note in his letter at the beginning for the overriding thought in the Ephesian letter is always the will of God. Then the first verse closes with a reference to his readers "the saints who are at Ephesus and to the faithful in Christ Jesus." To these he gives a salutary message of grace and peace "from God our Father and (from) the Lord Jesus Christ." God was made known to us as our Father by the Lord Jesus Christ when He gave Mary Magdalene this message after His resurrection "go to My brethren and say unto them I ascend unto My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God" John 20:17.

To summarize, we have been introduced to Paul, who is to unfold the counsels of God, men who receive blessing as a result of them, a message of grace to such from a God known to them as Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ, the center of the divine counsels. Ephesians is a divine communication of the union of God and Man in Christ. Christ was the Man of God's counsels in a past and distant eternity and we are in Him in the Man in whom God's purposes centered in past eternal ages. Our union with this Man is the inlet to the fullness of blessing which belongs to the Church. The subject of the Church is not yet introduced although this is the epistle of the Church. This is because the Holy Spirit would first bring each of us as individuals into peace rest and happiness in the knowledge of God's thoughts towards us. Only then does He proceed to the collective thing the Church.

Chapter 2.1

DIVINE COUNSELS IN A PAST ETERNITY—OUR CHOICE, SONSHIP AND ACCEPTANCE IN CHRIST

Imagine man blessing God! Paul does, in verse 3, but at once turns to our God and Father as the source of our blessings. Yes, the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ "has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlies in Christ." This verse begins our spiritual blessings in a heavenly setting, and the means of sharing them. As already stated these blessings are individual. They range from verses 3-14 where they terminate, only to flow into an Apostolic prayer that we may understand them. We are about to consider seven of the Christian's blessings as given to us in Eph. 1.

The first three blessings. The source blessings which flow from the counsels of God We call the first three blessings "source blessings" because they flow from God's thoughts toward us the thoughts of God in the counsels of a past eternity. We get the principle in Jer. 29:11 "for I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the Lord, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end." This explains why each specific blessing can be traced to an appropriate part of the composite title "the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" in verse 3. To illustrate the first blessing is that THE GOD of our Lord Jesus Christ chose us in verse 4 to be holy etc., for holiness is an attribute of God; the second blessing is that THE FATHER of our Lord Jesus Christ predestinated us to sonship in verse 5 (sonship expresses relationship in affection the Father and His adopted sons); the third blessing is that it is OUR LORD JESUS Christ the beloved One of verse 6 in whom we have been taken into favor by our God and Father. We will now examine these blessings in detail.

	The Seven Blessings of the Individual Christian
	The three source blessings
	those which flow
	from the thoughts of God toward us

	“according as He has chosen us in Him before the world's foundation that we should be holy and blameless before Him in love" 1:4
	“having marked us out beforehand for adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself" 1:5
	“to the praise of the glory of His grace wherein He has taken us into favor in the Beloved" 1:6

	Four announcements that we are to rule the universe with Christ enjoying a complete salvation of both body and soul

	“For the administration of the fullness of times to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth in Him" 1:10
	“In whom we have also obtained an inheritance" 1:11
	“In whom also, having believed, ye have been sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise" 1:14
	“Who is the earnest of our inheritance to the redemption of the acquired possession to the praise of His glory" 1:14

The first of all our spiritual blessings is that God chose us in Christ in a past eternity before even the world was founded. Therefore we are not of the world, just as the Lord taught John 17:14 but a heavenly people who are to pass through the world unspotted James 1:27. We are a race of heavenly men because our origin was heavenly so too is our destiny. Now mark why God chose us. He was sufficient to Himself except for one thing an object for His affections. This is because His nature is love and love must have an object must have company. But because His nature is also light those who are in His presence must be holy (this speaks of character) "and without blame" (conduct) and 'in love" (His nature). The question of our sins is ignored here because we are viewed as "in Christ." It is implied that we will have Christ's nature, otherwise how could we be in fact the way God sees us holy, without blame, and "in love." We are in Christ, we possess His nature and we will enjoy God eternally as He will enjoy us.

The second blessing is sonship "the adoption of sons*1 by Jesus Christ to Himself." This applies to both Jew and Gentile. The Greeks, who represent the Gentiles in Scripture language, used the same word 'Abba' for father as the Hebrews. Hence Paul tells us that we have received the Spirit of adoption by whom we cry 'Abba Father' see Rom. 8:15. However in this past eternity there was neither Jew nor Gentile since the Adam race had not been created or the world founded on which they should appear. God had other sons then the angels and they shouted with joy when the world was founded Job 38:4-7. But the holy angels are never mentioned directly in Ephesians, and our sonship is different from theirs for it is "by Jesus Christ" whose Name speaks of the salvation we needed, whereas they never sinned. They are sons only by right of creation, as men are generally Luke 3:38. Basically the angels are servants.

The third blessing is that we are accepted in the Beloved One our Lord Jesus Christ. In a past distant eternal age the Son was ever accepted by the Father He was the Son of the Father's love. Then when He became Man a new motive arose for the Father's love "therefore doth My Father love Me, because I lay down My life, that I might take it again" John 10:17. Our acceptance with the Father rests with our identification with His work laying down His life on the cross. That is why the Apostle says "for we are unto God a sweet savor of Christ" 2 Cor. 2:15. Truly a cloudless favor rests upon us now and forevermore. God has put us in a position of grace and favor to which we should respond by praising Him. "The praise of the glory of His grace" here refers to the grace of God in choosing us and making us His sons. It is an expression of relationship. We didn't merit it—it was pure grace hence praise is called for. Later on we will meet the expression "to the praise of His glory" v.12, 14. This is related to the future the coming glory when we have our inheritance as the expression we have been considering is related to the past. Between the past and the future Christ came in, the Man in whom God found all His glory "in whom we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, according to the riches of His grace.”

By the preaching of the gospel God has caused to be saved in time those on whom He has set His love in a past eternity "who hath saved us, and called us with an holy calling, not according to our works, but according to His own purpose and grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus before the ages of time" 2 Tim. 1:9. Here the wisdom of God shines out: Because we were sinners and needed salvation, humility of spirit should characterize believers. On the other hand because God has called us with a holy calling we should be conscious of the dignity of our position as sons before the Father. Thus does God establish a beautiful balance which excludes pride or self glory.

Chapter 2.2

DIVINE COUNSELS IN A PAST ETERNITY OUR INHERITANCE—THE RULE OF THE UNIVERSE WITH CHRIST

The last four blessings introduce a new series of things revolving around "the inheritance." First we are introduced to the sweeping thought that Christ in Manhood will head up a government of the entire universe ("all things...in heaven...and on earth"). Secondly because of our union with Christ we will share in this divine administration. Thus does Paul unfold one of the richest truths in the Bible and gives us the great key to the intelligent understanding of Scripture. Our shared rule with Christ will be in glorified bodies. While we wait for these bodies we are given the Holy Spirit of promise. He is presented in two ways as the seal (the spring, energy and liberty of eternal life in the soul) and as the earnest (the pledge that our bodies, which are now purchased, will eventually be redeemed that is, changed into bodies like Christ's own glorious body). Once we receive our glorified bodies the exceeding greatness of God's power will be exerted to give us the kingdom (this is the subject of the Book of Revelation).

Here is a quotable quote from J.B. Stoney, which shows how he lived in the good of the inheritance awaiting believers "I do not go about the world as one deprived of the earth, but as one waiting for my time and turn to have and enjoy it. I am more than an heir-apparent because I have the earnest, and therefore a sensible participation of the property I shall enter on by and by."*1

The Inheritance—Christ's and Ours

God has never forgotten the way man treated the rightful Heir in this world. His own people the Jews understood well enough that He was the lawful Heir to the inheritance even if they misjudged the vastness of the inheritance, confining it in their thoughts to Israel. They said "this is the Heir; come let us kill Him, and the inheritance will be ours" Mark 12:7. They were wrong in thinking they could obtain an inheritance in the kingdom of God by evil deeds. They rejected Him as Heir twice first by crucifying Him on earth, although the title above His cross proclaimed Him their King secondly by rejecting Him in heaven after His resurrection and ascension Acts 7:51-60. As for the Gentiles, nation has lifted up sword against nation ever since, seeking world dominion the Gentile idea of-the inheritance. Only recently have they been more audacious, exalting themselves to the heavens in defiance of Psa. 115:16, landing on the moon and exploring the planets. One wonders if the seed of space travel wasn't planted in the minds of the Gentiles by Satan, who understands only too well the unrestricted scope of the inheritance. For the inheritance consists of the entire created universe. Scripture has no word for the universe it always uses the expression "the heavens and the earth" instead see Gen. 1:1. In this way these two separate spheres of creation can be both combined and separated in our minds depending on what God would teach us. Here the two spheres which were separated by sin are brought together under Christ. Because we are now sons God is willing to share His deepest secret with us the secret of His will for who would hide a 'secret from his son? This mystery (secret) of His will is in two parts, the first of which we will consider now. It is God's answer to man's humiliation of His Son. He is determined to reverse man's judgment on Christ. "What shall be done to the man whom the King delighteth to honor" Esther 6:6. The answer is found in v. 10. Christ's kingdom will last one thousand years,*2 during which time the devil will be chained see Rev. 20. This is the period of time envisaged in the expression "the administration of the fullness of times." But the sway of Christ is not confined to the earth during that period "both which are in heaven and which are on earth." Jacob's ladder is a figure of the closeness of heaven and earth in the coming kingdom. Joseph ruling over Egypt is a figure of Christ's earthly glory. Pharaoh said to Joseph "only in the throne will I be greater than you" Gen. 41:40. All must bow the knee to Christ. The character of the fourth blessing then, is that we see the final triumph of our Lord and Savior, the principles for which we stood while identified with Him in His rejection, and the public overthrow of evil by good.

The fifth blessing is that we share in Christ's inheritance. We have pointed out that the secret of God's will is in two parts. The first part is that the inheritance belongs to Christ; the second part is that we share it with Him "in whom also we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who worketh all things after the counsel of His own will." There will be a divine government in the millennial kingdom with Christ in Manhood heading it and the Church sharing it with Him. It is the will of God that the glory of the exalted Man on His throne who fills the heavens shall fill the earth also. Christ's administration will be universal in range heaven and earth something unknown to the prophets*3 The Apostle tells us that we shall judge angels 1 Cor. 6:3. And there will be rewards in the kingdom, based on faithfulness in service here. Laodicea was unfaithful and gets the minimum reward in the kingdom to sit with Christ on His throne which Eph. 1:10, 11 guarantees to every believer. The good servant receives authority over ten cities Luke 19:12-27 an important position of administration in line with his faithful administration of divine things on earth while the King was rejected. He will be an official of standing in the kingdom.

We are blessed because God is our Father and we are His sons. "He that spared not His own Son but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things" Rom. 8:32. So God our Father gives us a son's inheritance an inheritance such as a rich father would give his sons. Stupendous as this thought is, it must be kept in focus. The inheritance is dwarfed by the first three blessings since they reveal the innermost thoughts of God. Throughout eternity what we are in Christ, our place before the Father, and our relationship to Him as His sons, what Christ is to us, and our acceptance before our God and Father these are the things which will make our joy overflow in a way that our universal sway with Christ will not. For after all we only inherit because we are predestinated to sonship (predestination in Scripture is always to a state or condition not a choice of persons as frequently misunderstood). Here we are predestinated to both sonship and an inheritance. It is because we are predestinated to sonship that we have obtained an inheritance, being predestinated according to the purpose of Him who works all things after the counsel of His will. This expression "the counsel of His own will" terminates the revelation of the divine counsels which began in verse 4. Thereafter two additional blessings follow the seal and earnest of the Spirit necessary as the assurance that God's purposes toward His sons and heirs will be carried out.

The sixth blessing belongs first of all to the Jew "who first trusted in Christ" followed by the Gentiles who also trusted in Him after they heard the word of truth, the gospel of their salvation. Combining both Jew and Gentile then, all men who hear and believe the gospel are sealed by "that Holy Spirit of promise." He is called the Holy Spirit of promise because of the Lord's words "behold I send the promise of My Father upon you but stay in the City until you have been clothed with power from on high" Luke 24:49. These words were fulfilled on the day of Pentecost when believing Jews were sealed with the Holy Spirit see Acts 1:4; 2:33. Later believing Gentiles were sealed. The Holy Spirit Himself is the seal, for He dwells within us. Until the blood was shed to cleanse us from our sins the Spirit could not seal us. He sealed Christ who never sinned. Now He seals us as a witness that our sins are put away. We have "redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace" verse 7. Secondly we have the inner consciousness that this is so. The indwelling Spirit is the springing well of John 4:14, springing up into everlasting life. The story of Paul, Silas and the Philippian jailer in Acts 16 illustrates how men sealed by the Spirit manifest this truth in their lives when everything seems about to crush them.

The seventh blessing the Spirit as the earnest or pledge pertains to our bodies as the seal pertains to our souls. While we have the present salvation of our souls we have only the promised salvation of our bodies which suffer disease and death like others. This distinction is clearly maintained in our chapter. The redemption mentioned in verse 7 pertains to the soul "the forgiveness of sins"; the redemption in verse 14 pertains to our bodies "the purchased possession." The precious blood of Christ was the purchase price.

All that barred the way to the Ephesians obtaining the inheritance was their present bodies. These had once been controlled by Satan 2:1-3 but now were sealed by the Holy Spirit. What a paradox to have eternal life in the soul and yet corruptible bodies in which we suffer pain, anguish, exhaustion, thirst, hunger, and eventually death. We can never claim our inheritance in such bodies "flesh and blood cannot inherit the kingdom of God, neither doth corruption inherit incorruption...for this corruptible must put on incorruption and this mortal must put on immortality" 1 Cor. 15:50, 53. "For we know that the whole creation groans together and travails in pain together until now and not only that but even we ourselves who have the first-fruits of the Spirit, we also ourselves groan in ourselves awaiting adoption, that is, the redemption of our body" Rom. 8:22, 23. The redemption of the body the raising or changing it into a body of power and glory like the body of the Lord Himself, does not take place until the second coming of Christ. We cannot possess our inheritance, nor can the groaning of creation cease, until that event. In the meantime the Spirit is the pledge of our future likeness to Christ in glory 2 Cor. 5:1-5.

It is beautiful to see that all the mentions of praise in Ephesians are in the first chapter "to the praise of the glory of His grace" 1:6; "to the praise of His glory" 1:12 and 1:14. It is even more beautiful to note that it is the revelation of the mind of God given us in these verses which is the basis of all praise. This praise, then, flows naturally into the apostle's first prayer "wherefore I also, after I heard of your faith in the Lord Jesus, and love unto all the saints, cease not to give thanks for you, making mention of you in my prayers. "The first of two apostolic prayers follows. We will, however, defer consideration of it until we have first examined the way in which the Apostle takes up any challenges man might make to the revealed mind of God, and disposes of them. This is the subject of our next chapter.

Chapter 2.3

PAUL MEETS EVERY OBJECTION MAN MIGHT MAKE TO THE EXPRESSED WILL OF GOD After Paul's letter was read and discussed at Ephesus we may be reasonably certain that the tenor of his doctrine would soon be understood and opposed in the Jewish community resident there. The ties of nature between Christian Jews and those who remained in the synagogue after Paul and his followers left it for the school of Tyrannus these links would remain. Relatives would discuss the implications of Paul's teaching, and it would soon spread. For the Jews would never concede divine blessings such as Paul wrote of, poured out on Gentiles. Paul anticipated these objections through the Holy Spirit of course and demonstrated that all our blessings are according to that is in harmony with what God is in Himself. There are several harmonies in the first chapter.

Our blessings are first shown to be consistent with the will of God Paul commences by telling the Ephesians, not only that they are blessed with every blessing in the heavenly places in Christ, but also that this is according as God chose us in Christ that is, in harmony with that choice before the world's foundation. Since the Jews' blessings were earthly, how could they accuse God of unrighteousness in blessing the Gentiles when God willed to do so before the world's foundation? God's counsels to bless the Ephesians and other Gentiles who are in Christ vastly precede the existence of the Jew or even the world he loved. There is nothing in what God has done, then, which is in any way incongruous with what He is. Indeed all is in harmony with God's holy nature. He sees us holy and blameless in His presence in love. Then once more Paul points out God's sovereignty in a past eternity. Not content only to choose us in Christ He next predestinates us to sonship. This further blessing adoption through Jesus Christ to Himself that is to the relationship of sons to the Father, is in harmony with "the good pleasure of His will." God is not answerable to man in the exercise of His will. This is a divine principle "that Thou mightest be justified in Thy sayings, and mightest overcome when Thou art judged" Rom. 3:4.

Our blessings shown to be consistent with the grace of God Paul next anticipates another objection. The Jew cannot argue with God's sovereign will but surely he will object to those blessed by it, due to their evil conduct. "Why Paul" we can hear a Jew saying "you yourself admitted that these Ephesians were controlled by the devil in your own letter 2:1 and you proved it yourself when you were in their city. Didn't they cry out for nearly two hours 'great is Artemis of the Ephesians?' Didn't they worship the image which fell down from Jupiter? And while they were doing such things we kept the law, worshipped God in the Temple, and read the Holy Scriptures. Finally you admitted that God has blessed us in 2:12 of your letter yet you say they are taken into favor in the Beloved One.”

To counter such practical objections Paul tells us that we have redemption "through His blood, the forgiveness of sins according to the riches of His grace." Paul is fond of the word "riches" as descriptive of God and His attributes. He uses the word here to highlight our poverty toward God to make it clear that we needed a God rich in grace able to dispense it abundantly. It is a signal that God is proceeding on a new principle toward man not law but grace. Yet He does not compromise His righteousness in extending the golden scepter to us, for we have been redeemed by the precious blood of Christ. In the future day, when we will be displayed in glory, He will show "the exceeding riches of His grace" 2:7. The difference between these two expressions is one of time only.

Our blessings shown to be consistent with the purpose and counsels of God concerning the glory of His Son With every objection swept away and grace overflowing to us in all wisdom and intelligence, God has 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 times; to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things upon the earth; in Him, in whom we have also obtained an inheritance, being marked out beforehand ACCORDING TO THE PURPOSE OF HIM WHO WORKS ALL THINGS ACCORDING TO THE COUNSEL OF HIS OWN WILL verse 8. Wisdom and intelligence characterize God's counsels about His Son. The mystery of His will is the future universal rule of Christ and the Church not Christ alone, nor the Church alone, but Christ and the Church together. The mystery of His will is to end the present separation of the heavens and the earth, and unite them under the administration of Christ v.10 and the Church "we also" v.11. When this takes place we will have received the inheritance. The mystery is purposed "according to the good pleasure which He purposed in Himself"; the inheritance is purpose and counsel "according to the purpose of Him who works all things according to the counsel of His own will.”

Our blessings shown to be sure because based upon the power of God manifested in the resurrection and ascension of Christ At the end of the eleventh verse Paul speaks of the counsel of God's own will. Surely the divine counsels are fully revealed at this point. The Spirit then comes in as the seal and pledge that God has saved our souls now and will save our bodies later, upon which we shall receive our inheritance. All will be to the praise of His glory. The question is how will this take place? The answer is found in the nineteenth verse of the first apostolic prayer. Our bodies will be changed and the kingdom introduced by the exercise of divine power. The measure of this divine power is the resurrection and ascension of Christ. This is the inlet to the teaching of the second chapter, where we are seen as dead 2:5. The same power which raised Christ from among the dead raises us. It goes further just as Christ ascended so do we. The divine power is manifested in resurrection and ascension 2:6. And so all is "according to the working of His mighty power.”

God's Sovereign Grace

Now that the reasonings and disputings of the human mind have been anticipated and disposed of, let us turn back to verses 7 and 8 which form a fitting conclusion to the subject we have been considering in this chapter. In verses 7 and 8 Paul tells us that we have redemption through the blood of Christ and that our sins are forgiven. Paul makes it clear that in exerting His will to bless us God has not sacrificed His righteousness, for the blood of Christ has been shed. Again the critic might point out that though the angels never sinned and are as much God's sons as we, yet God is giving the inheritance to us not to the angels see Heb. 2:5.. True, but we have learned God's heart in a way the angels never can*1 and the price of making us sons is the precious blood of Christ. Perfect righteousness indeed and an outpouring of grace without parallel in fact "all wisdom and intelligence." For we will never forget, throughout all eternity, that everything we are and possess is founded on the death and blood shedding of God's beloved Son. This knowledge will keep us close to His heart forever, because it will temper our future greatness with humility. "God resists the proud and gives grace to the humble" 1 Peter 5:5. And so all is "according to the riches of His grace.”

An unknown author once wrote these lines at the end of his life to give expression to God's ways with him:

“God of my life, how good, how wise

Thy judgments to my soul have been

They were but blessings in disguise

The painful remedies of sin

How different now Thy ways appear

Most merciful when most severe.

Trouble and loss and grief and pain

Have crowded all these many years

I never could my wish obtain

And own at last with joyful tears

The man whom God delights to bless

He never curses with success."

Chapter 2.4

PAUL'S FIRST PRAYER THAT THE EPHESIANS MAY UNDERSTAND WHAT HE HAS JUST TAUGHT THEM

Paul temporarily ceases his teaching to tell the Ephesians he has heard of their faith in the Lord Jesus, their love to all the saints that is, faith in their invisible Head, love to His visible members. He is constantly thankful for this and mentions them in his prayers. Spiritual as they were they still needed his prayers, for the teaching in his letter was too deep for them. Isn't it too deep for most Christians today? And there is good reason for this, for Paul has been revealing the thoughts and purposes of God from a past eternity. So he prays unceasingly for them that they might receive a special gift from God to understand what he has written to them. And what is this gift? Why it is "the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the full knowledge of Him." The God of our Lord Jesus Christ to whom he prayed is also the Father of glory that is, the source, the originator of glory. He has found all His glory in Christ in Manhood the One who said "I have glorified Thee on the earth" John 17:4. The glory of the Father must be known not partially but fully. The gift of the spirit of wisdom and revelation would bring the Ephesians into the full knowledge of the Father of glory. He would have them know their privileges, the inheritance flowing out of them, and the power which brought them into them.

This is the first of two apostolic prayers in the Ephesian letter. The thoughts are so rich that they flood the soul like the rays of the rising sun, cheering us. If the lark soaring in the heavens bursts into song as the morning breaks, should not we with an infinitely greater prospect before us?

“And is it so! I shall be like Thy Son

Is this the grace which He for me has won?

Father of glory, thought beyond all thought

In glory to His own blest likeness brought.

O Jesus, Lord, who loved me like to Thee?

Fruit of Thy work, with Thee too there to see

Thy glory, Lord, while endless ages roll

Myself the prize and travail of Thy soul.”

And so in this prayer the prayer for conscious knowledge the apostle prays that the Ephesians might be enlightened "in the eyes of your heart." A strange expression that "the eyes of your heart" too literal a rendering for some translators who prefer "the eyes of your understanding" or something similar. But God is wiser than man. The eye is the inlet to discernment the heart, not the mind, the way in which the knowledge of God is imparted. We learn God not wholly through the mind as in the human learning process, but also and primarily from affections occupied with Christ where He now is. That is what is meant by "the eyes of your heart.”

The Apostle Prays That We Might Know the Hope of Our Calling

In simple language the hope of our calling here*1 means the complete accomplishment of the purposes of God as made known to us in the first three blessings. This ranges from its origin in a past eternity to the present time and on to a future eternity which makes us heavenly men predestinated to sonship. The hope of our calling viewed as a present thing is the conscious realization of the dignity of our relationship to God our Father in choice and sonship. It goes on to a future eternity when all shall see the fruit of the divine counsels to make us one with Christ, and partakers of the divine nature. For in that heavenly glory, at ease in the presence of our Father, and beholding the glory of His Son, we shall share divine thoughts and affections.

The Apostle Prays That We Might Know That We Will Be Displayed Before the World in Glorified Bodies

The Apostle's next petition is that we might know the riches of the glory of God's inheritance in the saints that is that when the kingdom comes we will be publicly displayed before the world in radiant, glorified bodies. These are known as spiritual bodies in Scripture, which also calls our present bodies "natural bodies" 1 Cor. 15:44. Since an understanding of the natural body and its environment helps us to understand the spiritual body by way of contrast, we will consider both here.

The natural body. Our natural bodies belong to the Adam creation a passing flesh and blood condition. When man sinned God pronounced the judgment of death on his body but said nothing about his soul Gen 3:19. Born but to die, man also experiences in his body the effects of the fall in this world. Internally he suffers from hunger, thirst, disease, bodily weakness, the need for sleep; externally he suffers from the divided state of the world into which he is born. The Adam race is divided into male and female, into nations, religions, political systems, languages, wealth and poverty, literacy and ignorance, and so on. In every way, internally and externally then, man experiences the results of his departure from God in his body until finally he dies, and that body is sown in the earth in corruption, dishonor, and weakness 1 Cor. 15:42, 43. Still the question arises "if a man die shall he live again?" Job 14:14. Job, a Gentile, answers it this way "I know that my Redeemer liveth and that He shall stand at the latter day upon the earth. And though after my skin worms destroy this body, yet in my flesh shall I see God. Whom I shall see for myself and mine eyes shall behold and not another though my reins be consumed within me" Job 19:25-7. Martha, a Jew, met that Redeemer of whom Job spoke. She too believed in resurrection, but only in a general way. Jesus told her that His own would be resurrected if dead and would never die if alive (that is at His second coming, although He did not reveal that truth to Martha) John 11:24-26. That is why He is called the Savior of the body Eph. 5:23.

Peter tells us that our present body is only a tent 2 Peter 1:13, 14; Paul that our future glorified body is the house we await expectantly. For "in these" (our natural bodies) "we groan, earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven" 2 Cor. 5:2. Our present bodies are completely inconsistent with the dignity of sonship to which we are predestined and unsuitable for our future reign with Christ over the universe. So Paul tells us that we cannot enter into our inheritance in the kingdom of God in our natural flesh and blood bodies 1 Cor. 15:50. These will be resurrected from the dust if we have fallen asleep in Jesus or changed in a moment if we are alive when Jesus comes.

The spiritual body. While a great deal of the doctrine of the spiritual body is found in 1 Cor. 15, the teaching permeates the New Testament. We must, therefore, bring it together from the passages which refer to it, if we are to understand the subject. "There is a natural body and there is a spiritual body" 1 Cor. 15:44 is a plain statement that each body is separate and distinct. The spiritual body is incorruptible (negative) and characterized by power and glory (positive) 1 Cor. 15:42, 43 just the opposite of the natural body.

It was the Lord Himself who introduced the subject of the spiritual body when answering the Sadducees. To mock the doctrine of the resurrection they invented a story about a woman whose seven husbands died successively following which she also died. Who should have her in the resurrection this was their challenge. The Lord met this by pointing out that in the resurrection they neither married nor were given in marriage but are as the angels of God Mark 12:24,25 also Luke 20:35,36. The great mark of the Adam creation was the division of the race into male and female Gen. 1:27. But this was due to the need to continue life when the race itself was subject to death. How could such a division as male and female be perpetuated in a deathless scene the glory of God.*2 The Lord clearly told us that it won't be. While the woman is forbidden to teach in the Church now 1 Tim. 2:12 it is also true that "there is neither male nor female, for ye are all one in Christ Jesus" Gal. 3:28. So "let the woman learn" 1 Tim. 2:11 is in view of the eternal glory. Those who were women on earth will freely exercise their priesthood in the glory when the feeble state of the Adam body has yielded to the incorruptible, spiritual body. He has "made us a kingdom, priests to His God and Father" Rev. 1:6.

We now leave the subject of what the spiritual body is not that is, it is not male and female to what it is. Scripture makes it clear that our body is to be like the Lord's own glorious body Phil. 3:21. We will look at some of the Scriptures which tell us about the Lord's glorious body as a guide to what our own spiritual bodies will be like. First there is that familiar scene in John 20. The doors are shut but Jesus comes and stands in the midst. The ability to pass through matter, then, is a characteristic of the spiritual body. But this is so unnatural to our thinking that the disciples in the last chapter of Luke are terrified, and afraid at the Lord's appearance. They thought they had seen a spirit. To set their minds at rest the Lord invited them to gaze at His hands and feet and handle Him something they assuredly did as we know from the opening verse of the first epistle of John. He has a body of flesh and bone now, not flesh and blood, for the blood has been shed. Still, it is a man's body a spiritual body but not a spirit. As final conclusive proof He eats a piece of a broiled fish and of an honeycomb, which no spirit can do. And it was as a Man He ascended to heaven. We could not ascend to heaven in our natural bodies, the life principle of which is breath Gen. 2:7. But we can and will in our spiritual bodies. Because the life principle of the spiritual body is spirit, space means nothing to it. We will be able to ascend from earth to meet the Lord in the clouds 1 Thess. 4:17 and descend from heaven to earth as well Rev. 21:10. Such bodies will be needed in our role of administrators of the universe with Christ, the Last Adam, the life giving spirit, the heavenly Man. Another scene which is full of instruction on this subject is the Mount of Transfiguration. Jesus took Peter, James and John up into this high mountain "and was transfigured before them and His face shone like the sun, and His clothes became white as the light" Matt. 17:2. Now we are told that "as we have borne the image of the earthly we shall also bear the image of the heavenly" 1 Cor. 15:49. Here is a conferred glory "when we shall shine in light divine, in glory never fading." Yes, our bodies will be effulgent with light, clothed with light, as Christ was on the holy mount. This is the promise to the overcomer in Sardis Rev. 3:4.

“With Thee in garments white

Lord Jesus we shall walk

And spotless in that heavenly light

Of all Thy sufferings talk.”

Then too the language barriers erected at the Tower of Babel will be gone. We will all speak one heavenly language, communicated to us instantaneously, no doubt, like Adam following his creation. Gone too will be all national and racial distinctions. No wonder we sing a new song in heaven "Thou wast slain and hast bought us for God with Thy blood, out of every tribe and tongue and people and nation and hast made us kings and priests to our God and we shall reign over the earth" Rev. 5:9. Finally mental powers commensurate with glorified bodies, suited to the Spirit born, the blood redeemed, are conferred on us. As the body is radiant so is the mind transcendent. We get an intimation of this on the Mount of Transfiguration Matt. 17:1-9. We will know saints who have been with the Lord thousands of years and they will know us, just as those on the holy mount knew one another. These are "the powers of the world to come" Heb. 6:5 powers too which will enable vast throngs to see the Lord at the same time. In our natural bodies how difficult it is for even a few thousand people to see one man. True, television allows crowds to see one person, but even so it is a feeble thing compared to the powers we will receive which will allow untold millions to see Christ.

So our bodies will be in every way suited to that sonship to which we are predestinated to that share of Christ's universal rule which the will of God has purposed for us. Time means nothing to such bodies, nor space, nor matter, and they will be effulgent with Christ's conferred glory.

The Apostle Prays That We Might Know the Greatness of God's Power Demonstrated in Christ's Resurrection and Ascension and Also That This Power Is Operative Toward Us

The reader should now consult the chart we have prepared to help us understand this part of the prayer. This chart makes it clear that God Himself permeates the prayer. Notice the seven references to "His" which are organized structurally into four central or "core" references with a single theme, and three other references with different themes. Of the three other references two precede the core references and one follows. This system of internal division ranges from v.18 of Chapter 1 to v.23.

We will first look at the four core references. Very clearly they are all about God's power. Now our natural inclination is to think of God's power in terms of natural phenomena awesome displays in nature such as exploding stars, sunspots, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, and so on. The Old Testament certainly speaks of God's power that way. But in the New Testament the power of God is viewed in an entirely different way the raising of the

	The Seven References to "His" in 1:18-23
	so that you should know what is the hope of
	HIS calling and what the riches of the glory of
	HIS inheritance in the saints and what
	the surpassing greatness of
	HIS power toward us who believe according to the
	working of the might of
	HIS strength which He wrought in Christ when
	He raised Him from the dead and seated Him at
	HIS right hand in the heavenlies… and has put all things under
	HIS feet and gave Him to be head over all things
	to the Church which is
	HIS body.

Man Christ Jesus from among the dead and seating Him on God's throne. A Man on God's throne in the glory a risen Man this is new creation power and glory.

And this is the power which is brought before our souls as Paul prays "the surpassing greatness of His power toward us who believe according to the working of the might of His strength which He wrought in Christ when He raised Him from the dead and set Him down at His right hand in the heavenly places, far above all principality and power, and might and dominion, and every name that is named, not only in this world, but also in that which is to come" 1:21. Divine power, then, is looked at in two ways here resurrection and ascension. God has first of all raised a Man from the dead and secondly exalted that Man to His right hand (in Scripture always the figure of the place of power). In this prayer Christ is looked at as Man subject to the "Father of glory" and exalted by Him to the highest pinnacle of glory. "And has put all things under His feet" a figure derived from Oriental monarchs doing this literally to their subjugated enemies. But, you say, Christ has not subjugated His enemies yet. True, but possession of power and use of it are two different things. "All power is given unto Me in heaven and in earth" said the risen Lord Matt. 28:18 indicating not the use of that power as yet but its universality. So Paul writes "Thou hast put all things in subjection under His feet. For in that He put all in subjection under Him, He left nothing that is not put under Him. But now we see not yet all things put under Him. But we see Jesus, who was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death, crowned with glory and honor" Heb. 2:8, 9. This Scripture explains the division of the seven references to "His" in 1:18-23. God's power toward Christ (and so "toward us who believe") is the subject of the four core references. The three remaining references are split so as to surround the four core references to God's power toward Christ as the planets surround the sun.

The three split references give us what is and what is to be. What is speaks of Christ's corporate relationship to the Church. He is now in God's presence exercising His Headship over the Church from that exalted position. But we have not as yet seen our Head He is in heaven and we are on earth. This is the teaching of verses 22-23. What is to be is the subject of verse 18 when we are in glory with the Lord. At present this is a hope, but a hope fortified with the assurance that the same mighty power God used toward Christ He will yet use toward us. That mighty power is resurrection and ascension "and hath raised us up together" (the power of resurrection for we were dead in trespasses and sins) 2:1 "and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus" 2:6 (as Christ ascended to glory so will we). In 2:6 of course this is viewed as complete "in Christ" here it is rather a hope, awaiting the exercise of divine power to bring us into the Father's presence in the glory and the enjoyment of our inheritance.

And so the one thing which separates us from the future glory is the exercise of divine power to bring us into it. The way God eventually uses His power is to bring the world into a series of sweeping divine judgments unparalleled catastrophes, the shadows of which are beginning to fall upon the world as I write. They are foretold in the Book of Revelation. They commence with the four horsemen of the Apocalypse in the sixth chapter and continue on in ever increasing severity until none are left to challenge Christ's rightful claim to "all things" the universe and all created intelligences in it for "all things" were given into His hands by His Father see John 13:3.

The Introduction of Corporate Truth–Christ and the Church

Ephesians, although clearly the epistle of the Church, commences with the individual, his blessings, his future inheritance, his possession of the Holy Spirit as seal and pledge, followed by an apostolic prayer that we may understand these things in our hearts' affections. It is toward the close of this prayer that Paul introduces us to corporate truth the truth of the Church as the body of Christ. The reason for this is that in prayer we are in the presence of the Lord and it was in the presence of the Lord that Paul learned the truth that Christ is the Head of His body the Church. He was on the road to Damascus to persecute Christians when Christ appeared to him. He recounts the incident to Agrippa "I could not see for the glory of that light." "Saul, Saul," the heavenly voice called out, "why are you persecuting Me?" At that moment he learned that Christ and His people are one. Christ is the Head of His body the Church. In persecuting those poor Christians he was persecuting Christ for they were the members of His body. The Lord did not ask Paul why he was persecuting His people. No. While that would have been true it would not have shown him the enormity of his crime. "Why are you persecuting Me?" told him that while the Head of the body was speaking to him from heaven he had been persecuting the members on earth. The unity of Christ's body the Church meant that he was persecuting the Christ of God. No wonder he could not eat or drink for three days after that.

“What raised the wondrous thought;

Or who did it suggest?

That we, the Church to glory brought,

Should with the Son be blest

O God the thought was Thine!

(Thine only it could be)

Fruit of the wisdom, love divine

Peculiar unto Thee

For sure, no other mind

For thoughts so bold, so free,

Greatness or strength could ever find

Thine only it could be

The motives, too, Thine own,

The plan, the counsel Thine!

Made for Thy son, bone of His bone,

In glory bright to shine."*3

The central truth in the Ephesian letter is the counsels of God concerning Christ and the Church, which is His body. Christ is the object of the counsels of God, in whom the power of God is displayed and God's glory centered and we are united to Him. Indeed we were chosen in Him before the world's foundation to be members of His body. The body is the complement of the Head, and in this way its fullness. We are the body of Christ, the Man who divinely fills the whole universe the meaning of filling all in all. This truth was communicated to Paul with a light "above the brightness of the sun" blessed foreshadowing of the day when Christ, with His body the Church, will fill the whole universe with the light of His glory for He is Head "over all things" to the Church.

Summary of the First Apostolic Prayer

In the first apostolic prayer Paul retraces before God the truth which He caused him to reveal to us from 1:3-14. He agonizes before God that we might understand in our affections the objects God has set before us in the greatest revelation of His thoughts toward us. These divide into three our relationship to the Father (choice in Christ, son-ship, acceptance) the inheritance (Christ's and ours) and the Holy Spirit (the power of our new life, the pledge of our glorified bodies). Paul touches on these themes in his prayer without precisely repeating them in detail. It is more a revelation of what is in Paul's heart for us that we may understand the far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory of the things he has unfolded.

The Headship of Christ to the Church is a new thought. Yet it follows logically. Christ has ascended to heaven. So He must exercise His Headship of the Church from heaven. But the members who constitute His body are on earth. They are "the fullness of Him who filleth all in all." "The fullness of Him" means that they are the complement of Christ the Man who fills the universe "all in all." This is how God views us.

An intriguing question is where does the first prayer end? There is no 'Amen' to tell us, as in the second prayer. Does it end at Chapter 1 or does it end at 2:10? Or is it left this way to trail on to infinity, so to speak, since it is concerned with our understanding of eternal things, of which there can be no ending? We can ponder such thoughts "for the Spirit searches all things, yea, the deep things of God" 1 Cor. 2:10. He is also the power of prayer. This first apostolic prayer in Ephesians is preceded by a reference to "the Holy Spirit of promise" 1:4. Ephesians opens and closes 6:18 with prayer in the Spirit. Prayer in the flesh is vanity. Prayer must be in the Spirit to be effectual.

Chapter 2.5

THE PARTIAL FULFILLMENT OF DIVINE COUNSELS ON EARTH

(Suggested Reading: Eph. 2)

In the first chapter we were introduced to seven blessings of the individual believer flowing from God's thoughts from the will of God to bless us. The first three of these seven blessings are concerned with our relationship to our God and Father we were chosen in Christ in a past eternity, predestinated to sonship and accepted in the Beloved One. Because of the dignity in which this relationship places us, we are to receive an inheritance suited to this relationship a subject around which four further blessings center. Thus the secret of the will of God is unveiled. This secret, hidden in the Godhead, was that Christ and we are jointly to rule the universe when the kingdom is established in power. While we wait for the kingdom to come we have the Holy Spirit as the seal of the soul's salvation and as the pledge that we shall receive bodies of glory (without which we could not inherit the kingdom).

Then the Apostle, almost as in a reverie, gently opens his first prayer. He prays that these things might be understood in the heart's affections then that the mighty power God has to accomplish His will might be known. He demonstrated that power by raising Christ from among the dead and seating that Man on His throne in heaven. That is the measure of God's power and that power works for us. God's counsels to seat man in heavenly places are centered around Christ and have found their fulfillment in Him. Because He is seated in heavenly places, so are we, in God's eyes, for we are united to Him. In man's eyes though, the union can't be seen. It is a union between an unseen Christ in heaven and His visible members (believers) on earth, both comprising the Church, which is the body of Christ. The Holy Spirit, the bond of union, is unseen.*1 Because of this, Christ is sometimes spoken of as "the mystic Man" and the Church as "the mystic body of Christ." Paul now breaks away from the heavenly setting of Chapter 1 to the earthly setting of Chapter 2. The transition is necessary to understand the Church as it is now. The Head has been shown to be in heaven in Chapter 1 now we move on to the subject of the members on earth in Chapter 2.

So the second chapter is concerned with earth, not heaven. Chapter 2 tells us how God gives partial effect to His counsels on earth through the Church at the present time for the power and the glory of the kingdom in 1:10 are still future. Chapter 2 Completes the trinitarian linkage of heaven and earth. Chapter 1 gave us the individual relationship of believers to the Father and the corporate relationship of the Church to Christ as Man in heaven. Chapter 2 presents the Holy Spirit on earth in the house relationship*2 now. Indeed it is on this note Chapter 2 ends "in whom ye also are builded together for an habitation of God through the Spirit." But it was not always so. If Chapter 2 closes with the Holy Spirit it opens with Satan the unholy spirit under whose influence man, dead in trespasses and sins is shown to be. Between these two extremes is the story of the chapter God's work to bring us to Himself.

Grace—the Principle on Which God Acts to Implement His Counsels

In the first chapter the great thought was the will of God to bless us. But that was in heaven. In the second chapter we are on earth where God's will is opposed. Otherwise why pray "Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven?" So in the second chapter the subject of concern is how the will of God is to be brought about, since man both Jew and Gentile is shown to be lost, ruined, and controlled by Satan, who opposes the will of God to bless man. In the second chapter, then, Paul unfolds the principle on which God can bless us and the work God Himself has done in and for us when we were helpless to do anything for ourselves. In the third chapter, to go a little ahead of our subject, Paul tells us the method of blessing based on the principle of grace in the second chapter i.e. the preaching of the gospel under his ministry.

The Whole Adam Race—Jew and Gentile—Is Shown to Be Under Satan's Influence

As the first chapter opens with God, the second chapter opens with Satan. Satan is the evil one who has challenged God's throne, who opposes His will, and who has enlisted man in the flesh under his banner. In Chapter 2 he opposes the will of God on earth in Chapter 6 he opposes the will of God in heaven. Since heaven and earth speak of the universe in Scripture, Satan is revealed as the universal foe of God and man. He is a foe too who is armed with authority. He is the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience. The sons of disobedience are the whole Adam race in its natural state. The Gentiles are dead in trespasses and sins, subject to Satan's authority and activity. But the Jews the "we also" of verse 3, are no better.*3

The Apostle views the believers at Ephesus as preponderantly Gentile, opening his first verse with his moral estimate of the Gentiles "and you...who were dead in trespasses and sins." But in the third verse he tells the Ephesians that the Jews "we also" indulged their fleshly desires "doing what the flesh and the thoughts willed to do, and were children by nature of wrath, even as the rest." From the Book of Acts we learn that there were many Jews at Ephesus. So a common condemnation fell on both Jews and Gentiles there. If the Gentiles were directly under Satan's power, the Jews were just as much children of wrath as the Gentiles.

God Intervenes for Us in Mercy, Grace, and Power

How beautiful are these simple words "but God" which tell us that God would not leave us as we were. Mercy is for individuals, grace, more collective, gives us freely what we do not deserve. Power overthrows our natural state. God was rich in mercy and loved "us" (both Jews and Gentiles) with a great love even when we (both Jews and Gentiles) were dead in sins, "has quickened us together with Christ by grace you are saved, and has raised us up together, and made us sit together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus." Sin had united Jew and Gentile to crucify Christ. They were dead in sins. Just as God saw them in Christ according to His attributes in Chapter 1 so in Chapter 2 we are told that they once walked according to Satan. Grace now comes in to take those who were morally dead and raise them up together that is, resurrect them morally as God had done actually to Christ and finally again to correspond to what God had done actually to Christ go beyond resurrection to ascension "has raised us up together and has made us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus." "Together" tells us that the power of God in resurrection and ascension has been used on us as it was on Christ for we were dead to God but now are seated together in heavenly places in Christ Jesus. Scripture never says we are seated in heavenly places with Christ it would be folly to believe that. For we are not seated with Christ in heaven at all we are very much on earth. The expression "in Christ" is the mind of God visualizing us in His place in His purposes. Those seated are at rest.

“Rest of the saints above

Jerusalem of God

Who in thy palaces of love

Thy golden streets have trod?”

Thus God, having fully considered the common depravity of Jew and Gentile, has elevated to a common glory, on the principle of grace, those He called out of them to dwell with Him as saints in light. This magnifies the Father of glory. "That in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus. For by grace are you saved through faith, and that not of yourselves it is the gift of God not of works lest any man should boast" 2:7-9. "He who glories" says Paul, "let him glory in the Lord" 1 Cor. 1:32. Eternal ages will never exhaust the praises which will ascend to our God and Father for the exceeding riches of His grace.

“O God of matchless grace

We sing unto Thy name

We stand accepted in the place

That none but Christ could claim.

Our willing hearts have heard Thy voice,

And in Thy mercy we rejoice.”

The Seven Unities Characteristic of Our Heavenly Calling

This subject is introduced here because we have had a rich unfolding of the mind of God to bless us. This was followed by a brief summary of our opposition to His will, and our inability to produce works to please Him. So He must do all the work to bring us into the good of our heavenly calling the expression of His mind toward us in choice, sonship and acceptance in Christ. This heavenly calling is characterized by seven unities (which have their counterpart in seven further unities at the close of the doctrine in Ephesians, which are characteristic of Christianity on earth. The revelation of God is the great thing which produces unity. Chaos, division, breakup, are the sad fruits of ignorance of God.

	The Seven Unities of the Believer's Heavenly Calling
	The new creation in man unifies those who were once divided
	A New Place
	"has made us sit down together in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus" v.6
	A New Creation
	"for we are His workmanship having been created in Christ Jesus" v.10
	A New Man
	"that He might form the two in Himself into one new men" v.15
	A New Corporate
	Unit The One Body
	of Christ One
	"and might reconcile both in one body to God by the cross" v.16
	The new creation in man and unity in man
	and unity of worship in the House of God
	the dwelling place of the Holy spirit
	One Spirit
	"for through Him we have both access by one Spirit to the Father" v.18
	One Temple
	"in whom all the building fitted together increases to a holy temple in the Lord" v.21
	One Dwelling
	Place for
	the Holy Spirit "in whom ye also are built together for a habitation of God in the Spirit " v.22

In the first four unities the pervading thought is that God, in new creation, gathers together in Christ what was once scattered. So in verse 6 Jew and Gentile, who could not worship together in the old place the Temple are made to sit down together in a new place "the heavenlies" an expression suggesting wide ranging scope in heavenly realms. In verse 10 the old creation is superseded by a new one of which Christ Himself is the beginning Rev. 3:14. In verses 15 and 16 two things are brought together into one forming two in Himself into one new man v.15 then in v.16 one body but composed of Head and members. Once the last new thing is introduced that is the work of God finished the results of it become apparent in the last three unities. These flow not only from the work of new creation but the last part of that work the introduction here of the Church as the one body of Christ which opens the way, so to speak, for the thought of united worship in the House of God. There is one Spirit verse 18 the power of access to the Father in worship and two figurative edifices for worship the Holy Temple verse 21 and the tabernacle verse 22. These figures respectively convey the broad thoughts of worship and God dwelling with man the latter complementing verse 6 where we dwell where God is a wondrous combination of thought. We will now examine these subjects in more detail following the four and three pattern in which the Spirit has given these seven unities to us.

The four new things which comprise the unity of the new creation-The first of the four new things is the new place heaven. The old place was the Temple the only place on earth where the Lord had placed His Name Deut. 12 and 14. The Jew lost his privileged temple for rejecting the One who was greater than the temple. They resisted Christ on earth thinking that if the people believed on Him "the Romans will come and take away both OUR PLACE" (note their place not God's) "and our nation" John 11:48. Then when Christ went to heaven they said about His witness Stephen "this man ceases not to speak blasphemous words against this holy place”

Acts 6:13. But Stephen looked up and saw Jesus in glory and knew that was the new place for the Christian. So do we. If we are intelligent in our worship we know that though in a practical way it has to originate on earth, we truly worship in heaven. Ephesians commences with the counsels of God and views believers as already in heavenly places in Christ in God's presence. Divine counsels are immutable and nothing can stand in the way of their fulfillment. How we arrive at the heavenly places, therefore, is ignored in Ephesians. Actually, earth is merely a brief transfer point for us, linking a past eternity (our origin) to a future eternity (our destiny). We are heavenly men because of divine counsels in a past eternity, the wisdom of which will be displayed in a future eternity "that in the ages to come He might show the exceeding riches of His grace in His kindness toward us through Christ Jesus." Only God could unite, and elevate to a common glory, Jews and Gentiles who were united against Him in sins. In this way the overflowing grace of God will be declared to all created intelligences in a future eternity.

The second new thing is man viewed as God's workmanship. If God begins a work, once more it must be a new creation. Indeed it is. It is not the original creation of man but a new work in and for man. The new creation is a leading subject in the second chapter. Unlike Romans, where man is looked at as responsible, Ephesians considers him dead in sins 2:5 and a dead man isn't responsible. The two presentations are not in conflict but given to show in one case man's responsibility to obey the gospel and in the other case that man is so dead in sins that he needs a new creation there is no life to revive. This new creation which man needs so badly is a moral creation. It is a work of God in a soul dead toward Him. At the end of time there will be a physical new creation of the heavens and the earth to align them with the moral effects of the new creation in man. Christ is the beginning of the new creation "these things says the Amen...the beginning of the creation of God" Rev. 3:14. Also, “if any one be in Christ" (and we are told we are in Christ 1:3) "there is a new creation; the old things have passed away; behold all things have become new" 2 Cor. 5:17. The new creation is the inverse of the old creation. The old creation began with the heavens and the earth Gen. 1:2 and ended with the creation of man Gen. 1:27; the new creation begins with a new Man Rev. 3:14 and ends with a new heaven and a new earth Rev. 21:1.*4 Now this new creation is entirely God's work we have no part in it. The Apostle sets man's works aside "not of works lest any man should boast." That is because we are seated in heavenly places in Christ and "no flesh should boast before God" 1 Cor. 1:29. No, the workmanship is all of God. But once God has done His work in us we can begin our work. For God had a purpose in creating us anew "created in Christ Jesus unto good works which God has before ordained that we should walk in them.”

The third new thing is one new man out of two Jew and Gentile. It seemed impossible to the Jew that God could do such a thing as this to the Gentiles. A Jew in the Church would instinctively sense that he was breaking the law by associating with Gentiles. But now he is no longer a Jew. The great thought here is that Jew and Gentile are one. Now Paul made it clear at the beginning of this chapter that though the Gentiles were under Satan's power, the Jews "were by nature the children of wrath even as others." But while the Jews were morally as far away from God as the Gentiles, positionally this was not so. God's Temple was at Jerusalem alone. And so Paul takes up the question of how God can set aside their special privileges and bring the Gentiles into one new man out of two. First he points out the positional distance of the Gentiles from God 2:11-12 but then he clearly shows how the distance has been bridged. The blood of Christ has removed all positional distinction. This is his argument in 2:13-16. He alludes to the barrier separating Jew from Gentile in the Temple area, calling it "the middle wall of partition" only to tell us that Christ has broken it down. It was His blood which did this, through which alone man could have peace with God and by which Jew and Gentile were made one. The system of ordinances the law separated Jew and Gentile. But Christ has abolished this in His flesh and made peace by making one new man from two.

The fourth new thing is "one body." It is not only that the positional distinction between Jew and Gentile has been removed but "there is one body" 4:4 that is the Church with Christ the Head in heaven and His members here on earth. The chasm separating Jew and Gentile from one another was as nothing compared to the chasm separating both from God. But now man is reconciled to God through the work of the cross. Distance has been changed to nearness. This being so, what should logically follow but approach and worship. This is the subject of the last three of the seven unities characterizing our heavenly calling.

Three features of the house of God on earth In 2:14 the Apostle stated that Christ is our peace; in 2:15 that He has made peace; in 2:17 that He has come and preached peace to both Jew and Gentile. So the Gentiles are no longer strangers but fellow citizens with the (Jewish) saints and of the household of God. The great characteristic of the house of God is praise and worship. This involves the whole Trinity, for it is through Christ both Jews and Gentiles have access by one Spirit unto the Father. Praise and worship is the golden link binding together the House of God which is the Church of the Living God, the pillar and ground of the truth see 1 Tim. 3:15. The Church is viewed as the body of Christ in v.16, a Holy Temple in v.21 and the present dwelling place of God in the Spirit v.22 a figure which corresponds to the tabernacle in the wilderness. We will now consider these last two figures the Holy Temple and the tabernacle.

The Church is first viewed under the figure of a temple under construction only it is a Holy Temple. The old temple at Jerusalem had passed away as far as God was concerned in 2:14. Its great characteristic was the separation of Jew and Gentile in worship. The great characteristic of the Holy Temple is that Jew and Gentile are united in worship v.18, 19. Another feature is that it is growing. When did the growth begin and when does it end, you ask. Well the building commenced on the Day of Pentecost, for there was no Church before that. On that day the Holy Spirit filled all the house where they were sitting see Acts 2:2. Peter was prominent then because it was the Lord who revealed the truth of the Church to him as a building "and I say also unto you that you are Peter and upon this rock I WILL BUILD My Church" Matt. 16:18. The rock on which Christ builds His Church is the confession of His Person as the eternal Son of the living God Matt. 16:16. And so Peter writes "to whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men but chosen of God and precious you also as living stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices... wherefore also...I lay in Zion a corner stone" 1 Peter 2:4-6. The spiritual sacrifices are praise and worship 2:18. The Holy Temple is a figure of the church which the Lord gave to Peter on earth hence the suitability of using this figure in our second chapter, which concerns the Church on earth. The temple building, then, is not a material one made up of dressed stones and mortar, but a figure of spiritual things a holy temple whose living stones are believers. It is harmoniously proportioned, which infers a master plan. In this plan the Apostles and (New Testament) prophets*5 are the living stones who make up the foundation. But Jesus Christ is the cornerstone just as He is the Head of the body and the bridegroom of the bride. These three figures all speak of union the cornerstone unites two walls the Head is united to the members the bridegroom to the bride. The Apostles and prophets bear witness specifically to the death and resurrection of Christ an indestructible foundation truth. Then come all other believers living stones put into the places assigned to them in the divine blueprint. Although we are living stones we vary in size, shape, and location in the building just as much as real stones would. Paul says the building is growing, which tells us that construction is still in progress in this world. It will not halt until the last soul is saved and the Lord comes again for His Church. Then it will be ready for occupancy as a Holy Temple. How blessed are the ways of God.

“In Him it is ordained to raise

A Temple to Jehovah's praise,

Composed of all the saints who own

No Savior but the 'Living Stone'

View the vast building, see it rise

The work how great! the plan how wise!

O wondrous fabric! power unknown!

That rears it on the 'Living Stone.'”

The closing feature is the Church as the dwelling place of God in the Spirit. This view corresponds to the tabernacle where God dwelt with Israel in their desert journey from Egypt to Canaan. Now that Christ is largely rejected by His ancient people, the Holy Spirit dwells with a Church which is predominantly Gentile. Although there have always been Jews in it "from the rising of the sun even to the going down of the same, My Name shall be great among the Gentiles" Mal. 1:11. The great thought in the tabernacle was that God would dwell there with man. "He is my God, and I will prepare Him an habitation" Israel sang after their deliverance at the Red Sea Ex. 15:2. So they built a tabernacle and God dwelt among them, marking His presence with a cloudy pillar. It was all grace, based upon the future shedding of the blood of Christ see Rom. 3:25 without which God could not dwell with sinful man. Now the mighty work is done and God dwells in the Church by His Spirit. As a more spiritual mind than mine has put it "the Spirit dwells in the Church; she becomes the vase of that which nothing can contain.”*6

What Hath God Wrought?

God had predetermined the blessing of man in Christ in a past eternity. Can we now, at this juncture, ask ourselves the question to what extent has He carried out His will in other words what hath God wrought? Num. 23:23. Clearly He hasn't yet given us the promised inheritance our share of Christ's universal rule. We know His Son as the Creator of all things and our Redeemer. But again we ask the question what hath God wrought of His eternal purposes? Well, He has secured our heavenly calling when man and Satan opposed it. Truly we are chosen in Christ, predestinated to sonship and accepted in the Beloved One.

But God has also wrought a wondrous work in sending His blessed Holy Spirit down to earth to dwell with us 2:22 precursor of the time when we shall go to heaven to dwell with our Father 1:4. The Apostle 'John writes "and we have known and believed the love that God hath to us. God is love; and he that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God and God in him" 1 John 4:16. That blessed portion is for the individual here it is collective. The Church, the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit now shall dwell with the Father later in yonder glory. Surely we can thank God for the presence of the Holy Spirit with us now.

“What moved Thee to impart

Thy Spirit from above

Therewith to fill our heart

With heavenly peace and love.

'Twas love, unbounded love to us

Moved Thee to give Thy Spirit thus.”

God knows the end from the beginning so that when He wills anything it is as good as done.*7 So the question "what hath God wrought" has really many answers. He has brought us into relationship with Himself this is our heavenly calling choice, sonship and acceptance. He has predestinated us to an inheritance 1:11 Christ's future rule of the universe. He dwells with us now on earth as we shall with Him in heaven one day. The presence of God with us produces worship which is uninhibited the whole Godhead is linked together in it "for through Him" (Jesus) "we both have access by one Spirit unto the Father" 2:18.

We might then summarize the results of God's work in bringing His counsels to fruition as UNIVERSAL RULE and UNIVERSAL WORSHIP. When Christ rules over this universe with His Church the whole universe will be filled with the praise of His glory.

Chapter 2.6

STRUCTURE OF THE CONCLUDING DOCTRINE

(Suggested Reading: Eph. 3; 4:1-16)

Up to this point our consideration of the doctrine of the Ephesian letter has followed the traditional chapter division in our Bibles. However the doctrine from Chapter 3 up to its conclusion in Chapter 4 verse 16, is an unbroken unity. Consequently Chapter 3 of this book departs from the conventional chapter arrangements and covers the remaining doctrinal passages as a whole. Furthermore, because the unity of these passages is not at once apparent, an overview of the unifying structure follows, to clarify it in the reader's mind. Our first consideration is the parenthesis with which the third chapter opens.

The Boundaries and Content of "the Great Parenthesis”

The third chapter opens with a reference to Paul "the prisoner of Jesus Christ" as the fourth chapter opens with a reference to the same Paul as "the prisoner of the Lord." Everything in between is a great parenthesis, in which Paul turns aside from his line of thought only to resume it in 4:2, 3, and terminate the doctrine in 4:16. The references to Paul as the prisoner of the Lord Jesus Christ are the perimeter lines which enclose what we call "the great parenthesis." We use the term "great parenthesis" because of the proportion of the Ephesian letter which it spans.

The great parenthesis tells us a great deal about the revealed secret, of the admission of Gentiles to the Church on equal terms with Jews (an unheard of thing till then), of Paul's role in the administration (or government) of the revealed secret (the Field Marshal of the armies of Jesus Christ if you will). Isn't this then the history of the primitive church under Paul's leadership as recorded in the Acts of the Apostles? Assuredly it is. But it leaves unanswered one great question why is it that Paul, the representative of the all-powerful God who created and controls the universe, is languishing in prison. Indeed this letter was written during his imprisonment, not to puny man, but to God. He tells us that he is "the prisoner of Jesus Christ" 3:1 and "the prisoner of the Lord" 4:1. So it was the will of God that the great teaching Apostle of the Church should be imprisoned. But why?

Well, the answer revolves around his role as administrator of the mystery (secret). This unquestionably began when a glorified Christ met him on the road to Damascus and revealed to him the truth that He was Head of His body the Church. But the Head was in heaven. How did He get there? Ah! He was crucified and slain by man, who rejected all His rights. God reversed man's judgment by raising Him from the dead, seating Him on His own throne in glory and making Him Head over the Church. True His headship is exercised from heaven, although we His members are on earth. But that only makes the picture more complete. WE SHARE THE REJECTION OF OUR HEAD FOR WE ARE HIS MEMBERS! This is the startling truth and the explanation of why Paul is a prisoner. It gives character to the whole subsequent history of the Church. The Pauline administration shares the rejection of its Head, just as the future public administration of 1:10 will share the exaltation and glory of its Head. As soon as we see this gap between the two administrations the reason why the truth of the Church is embodied in a great parenthesis shines out. It is because THE CHURCH ITSELF IS A PARENTHESIS. In the divine purposes its origin is a past eternity its destiny a future eternity. Time, the factor spanning these two eternities, is a parenthesis during which the Church is gathered out of the world to the eternal glory.

Thus the way is paved for the eventual introduction of the practical part of the epistle. The will of God sees us at rest in heavenly places in Christ but on earth we can expect rejection and conflict.

The Linkage of Thought Before and After the Great Parenthesis

Two things precede the great parenthesis two things which the Apostle immediately reverts to following the great parenthesis. These two things are the Holy Temple and the Tabernacle.

The opening of Chapter 4 is definitely connected to the reference to the Tabernacle at the end of Chapter 2. Paul writes "I the prisoner in the Lord exhort you therefore to walk worthy of the calling wherewith you have been called." Now this calling is not our heavenly calling the choice and relationship of 1:4, 5 but rather what is connected with our walk on earth which is "a habitation of God in the Spirit" 2:22. This is the obvious linkage. In plain language Paul is telling us to walk worthy of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church. God once dwelt with Israel in the desert and His presence was marked by a pillar of cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. Although ours is a religion of faith, not sight like Israel's, the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church is a real thing. The sin of Ananias and Sapphira proved this Acts 5:9. So much then for picking up the chain of thought before the parenthesis. Now what is the linkage after the parenthesis?

Well, when the parenthesis ends Paul tells us to be diligent in keeping the unity of the Spirit in the uniting bond of peace. This is a metaphorical allusion to the spiritual mortar bonding together the living stones in the Holy Temple 2:22. (Note that Paul doesn't say the unity of the body God keeps that but the unity of the Spirit our part. God never entrusts anything vital to man). When Christ was on earth He was the Temple. "Destroy this Temple" He said, "and in three days I will raise it up" John 2:19. When the building of the Holy Temple ends, the prison character of the Church ends also. In Ephesians Paul leaves us with the Holy Temple under construction, stone being mortared to stone by the uniting bond of peace. The construction of the Holy Temple ceases when the second coming of Christ takes place. But Paul ignores the second coming in the Ephesian letter because the Church is viewed as represented in heaven already, since Christ its Head is there. Consequently the Holy Temple is looked at as under construction.

As we are conscious of being both the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit and living stones in the Holy Temple of which Jesus Christ Himself is the cornerstone, there will be produced in us what the Apostle looks for "all lowliness and meekness, long-suffering, bearing with one another in love." There is no place for the pride of man in the presence of such a God as ours.

The Seven Unities and the Nourishment of the Body of Christ

Seven unities follow unities which relate to earth as the seven unities of Chapter 2 relate to our heavenly calling. The insertion of these unities at this juncture can be simply explained. The knowledge of God produces unity, just as ignorance of God produces disunity, division, chaos. The Apostle has just given us an unhindered flow of God's thoughts toward us for our blessing. Even though we are still on earth and the realization of some of our blessings still future, Paul would have us understand seven unities applicable to the present time.

Following the seven unities comes a picture of how Christ, the Head of the body in heaven, nourishes His members on earth through various gifts so His body might grow in other words so the Church on earth may flourish. Here the final structural beauty of the doctrine in the Ephesian letter becomes striking. For inserted in the great parenthesis is the second apostolic prayer. Both apostolic prayers are answered in the Ephesian letter, as we might expect from the Lord's own assurance "if you shall ask anything in My Name, I will do it" John 14:14. In the first prayer something intervened between the prayer that the Ephesians might understand God's mighty power and the answer God's mighty power displayed toward them 2:5,6 man influenced by Satan against God. In the second prayer something also intervened between the prayer that the Ephesians might be strengthened with might by His Spirit in the inner man and the answer Christ's gifts to His body to do just that this was the seven pronged unity characteristic of Christianity on earth.

Chapter 2.7

PAUL'S ADMINISTRATION OF THE REVEALED SECRET

I once had a visit from a spiritual Christian from New Zealand. During our conversation he remarked "there are no 'ifs' in Ephesians." Actually there are two 'ifs' in Ephesians here 3:2 and 4:21 but I think he must have known this too and was really commenting on the absolute, unqualified nature of Ephesian truth. "The letter kills but the Spirit gives life" 2 Cor. 3:6. What is remarkable is that the 'if' in 4:21 is in connection with learning Christ, the 'if' in 3:2 is in connection with hearing what had been given to His Apostle. There are Christians today who deny the Apostle's greatness in the Church and the authority of his words. Their password is 'only Paul said that.' Consequently they suffer from a governmental blindness. They simply are incapable of understanding the great truths of the (revealed) secret. This is the force of the Apostle's word "if indeed you have heard of the administration of the grace of God which has been given to me toward you." The Apostle simply states the truth it is not boasting but humility God gave him this gift for the good of the Ephesians. Then he emphasizes this further by stating "that by revelation the (revealed) secret has been made known to me." Furthermore Paul was not alone in receiving the revelation for "it is now revealed unto His holy Apostles and prophets by the Spirit." (The prophets mentioned here are New Testament prophets, the same as in 2:20. This is clear from the first part of verse 5 "which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men" 3:5). The story of Peter and Cornelius in the Acts of the Apostles should be re-read not only to see how God made the secret of Christ known to him as one of His holy Apostles, but also how Peter resisted the revelation because he was a Jew and Cornelius a Gentile. However though Paul points out that the secret of Christ was made known to others, it is his part in it we are to consider here.

The Secret of Christ—What Is It?

The meaning of this expression is given to us in Col. 1:27 Christ in the Gentiles the hope of glory a hope completely unknown to the prophets. It is spelled out in the sixth verse "that the Gentiles should be fellow-heirs, and of the same body, and partakers of His promise in Christ by the gospel." The Gentiles? The very thought was stunning to the Jew. Fellow-heirs of the Kingdom of God the inheritance with them? Search as he might through the Old Testament Scriptures he could find no such thought as this. As for the inheritance, he confined it to the promised land in his thinking. An inheritance consisting of the universe itself was incomprehensible to him. As for the Church "the same body" united to its Head in heaven, a rejected Messiah where was that? He was looking for a triumphant Messiah on earth, not a rejected one in heaven. And to think that Christ should be no more a purely Jewish Messiah! As for God's promise in Christ by the gospel, all he knew about was the promise of life on earth "this do and you shall live" Luke 10:28. But here is a different promise "and this is the promise that He has promised us eternal life" 1 John 2:25. And eternal life in the soul brings with it the promise of the incorruptible body in which, as we have previously pointed out, we receive the inheritance.

Could the Jew not have read Isa. 53 you say, and seen in that how Messiah must suffer first and be glorified after? Well, Peter tells us that the prophets inquired diligently into these matters (as the angels also desired to do) only to be told that they concerned us, not themselves 1 Peter 1:10-12. When the Ethiopian eunuch went to Jerusalem to inquire, he found no help in its famed rabbinical schools Acts 8:34 so God sent Philip to him to open his eyes.

The thought of the Church containing Gentiles "the secret of Christ" could never be understood by man until it was divinely revealed, for it was hidden in God 3:9 not even hidden in the Scriptures. God conceived the thought of the Church in a past eternity and destined it for a future eternity. Thus although the Church, as a practical matter has to be gathered out in time by the preaching of the gospel, in the mind of God it belongs solely to eternity. Time is related to Israel the Church to eternity. This statement can be proved by quoting two Scriptures which give us our respective origins. For Israel Christ says "come, you blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world" Matt. 25:34. On the other hand we are chosen in Christ "before the foundation of the world" 1:4. The kingdom is the climax of God's ways in the earth the Church of His purposes. The Church will always be closer to His heart because of its purchase price

“Thy Father, in His gracious love,

Did spare Thee from His side;

And Thou didst stoop to bear above,

At such a cost, Thy bride.”

The Two Ministries of the Apostle Paul

In his Colossian letter Paul throws light on the passage we are about to consider. He tells us there of his two ministries. He was a minister of the gospel Col. 1:23 and a minister of the Church Col. 1:25. As a minister of the gospel Paul's commission was primarily to the Gentile world 3:8 but the gospel itself has no boundaries Col. 1:23. As a minister of the Church Paul was responsible to complete the Word of God Col 1:25*1 and in our Chapter to enlighten all with the knowledge of the administrative government of the revealed secret in his hands.

To bring these comments into perspective, what Paul is talking about is his personal role in the world and Church of New Testament times. The other apostles and prophets had their role this is Paul's. What we are about to consider then is historical and can best be understood by re-reading that portion of the Acts of the Apostles which records the Apostle's life and ministry.

Paul Preaches the Unsearchable Riches of Christ Among the Gentiles

Paul had a divine commission as a minister of the gospel which was never laid on other servants of the Lord with such force. He dared not ignore it "Woe to me if I do not preach the gospel" 1 Cor. 9:16. Still he anticipates objections to him personally because of his former role as a persecutor of the Church. So he frankly admits his past history, taking the ground that he is less than the least of all saints because of it. But this in no way disqualified him from being a minister of the gospel, for the gift of the grace of God was given to him. So much for the objections. On the positive side we find the working of divine power in Paul. The foundations of the prison were shaken when he brought the gospel into the jail at Philippi Acts 16:16.

But perhaps you think why does Paul use such an expression as "the unsearchable riches of Christ" to describe his gospel preaching. Why doesn't he stress the fundamentals of the gospel instead the ruin of man forgiveness of sins through the blood of Christ and so on. We may depend upon it he did. But the gospel Paul preached took in the widest possible range of things not only the fundamentals but such themes as the second coming of Christ and the revealed secret too. Unsearchable riches indeed! The gospel is like a rainbow. We might compare the red in the rainbow to the fundamentals of the gospel but what fools we would be to ignore the other colors. Paul never did. "I have not shunned to declare unto you all the counsel of God" he told the Ephesian elders Acts 20:27. He commended them to God and the Word of His grace, which was able to build them up and give them an inheritance. He had faithfully preached the Kingdom of God among them. Note the recurrence, in this address to the elders, of the leading truths found in the Ephesian letter the divine counsels, the inheritance, the Kingdom of God. Clearly the gospel starts in the world but continues on in the Church as our understanding of all it contains is expanded. We progress to the other colors of the rainbow, learning more daily of "the unsearchable riches of Christ." Such is the range of the gospel the full gospel Paul preached.

Paul's Administration of the Revealed Secret in the Early Church

Now we come to the administration (or government) of the revealed secret which Paul was to make all see that is, all created intelligences in heaven and on earth not men only but also angels the "principalities and powers" of verse 10. And what they would see was the mind of God in the union of Jew and Gentile in the mystical body of Christ, the Church. This would be opposed by the Jew who wanted to maintain his exclusive religious privileges Abraham, Moses, the law, the Temple, the inspired Scriptures. God, however, instituted a governmental administration of His revealed secret through His Apostle Paul to enforce His will. Thus we have the stage, the actors, and the audience. The play was staged in New Testament times, for this is the history of the early Church. And the play script is the Acts of the Apostles. Paul was the Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God 1:1. In three missions he administered that will in the world of his day, displaying the government of the revealed secret.

Paul's first mission. This met violent Jewish opposition to the revealed secret the union of Jew and Gentile in one body, the Church. At Antioch in Pisidia the Jews contradicted and blasphemed. Paul had to tell them that he was turning to the Gentiles because they judged themselves unworthy of eternal life. It was hatred of the revealed secret which made the Jews stone Paul at Lystra. But Paul returns to Antioch, the missionary center, with his first mission accomplished.

Paul's second mission Paul made it clear that although he was administering the revealed secret he was doing so under divine direction. When God overruled his preaching plans Paul obeyed and patiently waited for the Lord's mind. In a night vision he was told to go to Macedonia. This shows us the beauty of Paul's administration of the revealed secret. Although he doesn't understand why he is forbidden to go to Asia and Bithynia, he obeys and waits for marching orders, so to speak. The door into Europe is opened and with it great gospel blessing. Out of weakness a few women praying at the river side Acts 16:13 came strength the foundations of the prison were shaken Acts 16:26. But this minister of the gospel also preached the revealed secret that God intended to bless the Gentiles equally with the Jews. He explained the common inheritance of all believers in the coming reign of Christ. Having listened to such sermons in the synagogues at Thessalonica, the Jews accused him before the rulers of the city of proclaiming Jesus as King. Clearly envy of God's purposes to bless the Gentiles was behind their "forbidding us to speak to the nations that they might be saved" 1 Thess. 2:14-16. But all was grace to the Gentiles. Before the Areopagus at Athens Paul summarized the history of the Gentiles as Stephen had once summarized the history of the Jews before the Sanhedrin. It began with forgetfulness of God and ended with the unknown God. But why shouldn't God, who is rich in mercy, call them back to Himself? When the Jews opposed him at Corinth Paul told them "your blood be upon your head I am pure; from henceforth I will go to the nations." Undeterred, they turned to violence, dragging Paul before Gallio's judgment seat. Paul finally left Corinth, visited Ephesus and Jerusalem and concluded his second mission at Antioch once more.

Paul's third mission Paul now received the fruit of the harvest fields of Europe. Because he obeyed the Holy Spirit previously (he did not preach in Asia when the Holy Spirit told him not to) God now gives him Asia, the capital city of which was Ephesus, as the crown jewel of his work. When his testimony in the synagogue at Ephesus was rejected, he separates the disciples from the synagogue. By this act he publicly "makes all see the administration of the (revealed) secret" 3:9. For now believing Jews and Gentiles meet together on the ground of their union into one mystical body of which Christ is the Head in heaven and they the members on earth. Out of the Church flows healing power to the world. "God wrought no ordinary miracles by the hands of Paul" Acts 19:11. It is important to see the reason for this. Christ performed great miracles to relieve man when He was personally on the earth. But now He is represented on the earth by His body, which is indwelt by the Holy Spirit the same power by which He performed His miracles. Then just as Christ overthrew Satan's power when He was on earth, now the devil is attacked at the seat of his power, relieving man of his oppression, so that the Ephesians burn their occult books. Satan reacts by stirring up a riot at Ephesus, although the people thought they were championing the waning fortunes of their goddess. But the power of God prevails.

Paul departs for Jerusalem in spite of warnings. The elders of the Church at Jerusalem accuse him of teaching the Jews abroad apostasy from Moses. The Jews from Asia (the seat of his teaching ministry) see him in the Temple and he is beaten in the outer court. The soldiers of Rome rescue him. Then he addresses the Jews in his defense. They listen to him until he speaks of the revealed secret, at which point their anger becomes uncontrollable Acts 22:21, 22. It was the revealed secret they hated the will of God to bless Gentiles also. To protect him from the frenzy of the Jewish mob the Roman soldiers escort him to the safety of a nearby prison. While this incident is under review in a meeting convened by the Roman military, the Jewish High Priest unlawfully commands Paul to be struck in the mouth. More than forty Jews conspire to assassinate him. He publicly testifies before high public dignitaries but ends in Rome as a prisoner. Here he calls together the leading Jews and gives them a parting testimony. Here too he writes the prison letters Colossians, Ephesians, Philippians and Philemon.

Such then was Paul's administration of the revealed secret an administration now past, but enshrined in immaculate detail on the inspired pages of Holy Scripture.

The Two Administrations

The observant reader will by now have noticed that two administrations or systems of government have been presented for our consideration in the doctrinal part of Ephesians the Divine administration of 1:10 and the Pauline administration of 3:9. The Divine administration is presented first for it is a revelation of the thoughts and purposes of God; the Pauline administration is presented last, but comes first in point of time. We have already considered both these administrations in this book, but the question arises what can we learn from them.

The first lesson is that, under Paul's administration, the early Church expressed the mind and purpose of God that the body of Christ should be an undivided unity on earth subject to its Head in heaven. All created intelligences could observe that unbroken organic unity. Angels could look down and see the members of the body on earth 3:9 and learn the all-various wisdom of God from it; man could look up and see the Head in heaven, as Stephen did Acts 7:55. This is what Paul meant when he wrote "and to make all see what is the administration of the (revealed) secret" 3:9. True, the seeds of division existed there were schools of opinion at Corinth 1 Cor. 11:18 trouble makers like Diotrophes who threw people out of the Church 3 John: 10 infiltrators with evil teachings Jude 4. But the spiritual energy of the Apostles, who never forgot that Christ was the Head of the Church, held everything together.

After the departure of the Apostles from the Church the Headship of Christ was soon forgotten and the passage of time brought in division and breakup. No wonder that miracles ceased. The expression of the unity of the body of Christ before the world ceased. How then could power flow out to the world when the members of Christ's one body denied their unity to their Head and to one another? Today if I were in the City of Bombay and asked a Christian in that city to direct me to the Church of the living God, the body of Christ, where could he send me? Alas neither men, nor principalities and powers can see such a thing today. But God can. Looking down on Bombay He can identify each one of Christ's members in that city, regardless of how scattered they now are. All will be gathered together to meet Christ on the cloud 2 Thess. 2:1 at His coming. Then the unity which was originally seen by all on earth in apostolic times will be seen by all in heaven. And that unity will never be broken.

This brings to mind a story of my youth. As a young boy my father took me to the deathbed of an old believer. He had been an engineer in his day and had built many great bridges. But he was also a man who deeply loved our Lord Jesus Christ. I vividly remember how his mind wandered to the bridges he thought he was erecting once more over great rivers. "Quite a rig" he would, repeat. But father brought him back to divine things and the response showed that the new man never dies. He seemed to think he was in heaven and exclaimed in great satisfaction of spirit "Oh the oneness of that ONE BODY oh the unity of it." Soon we too shall see that unity in glory a unity never to be broken throughout eternal ages a unity of God. Hallelujah! May that day be hastened, Lord Jesus. Come, precious Savior, and take us to Thyself. Amen and amen.

The Goal Attained

Blest victory day for Him when we

His saints shall first His glory see

The Man who died to set them free

Bearing their sins upon the tree.

Free from the chains of sin and death

From Satan's kingdom, life of breath

To life of spirit, body of power

We've waited long for this blest hour.

The trumpet sounds, the dead are first

All those who shared the second birth

Both rise, this vast triumphant throng

To where they rightfully belong.

Assembling shout 'tis all of grace

The cloud our glorious meeting place

With this same Jesus promised long

Our Captain leads in victory's song.

Then from the clouds where gathered we

To other scenes, like crystal sea

To Father's house, to City Holy

To dwell with Christ, our object wholly.*2

Chapter 2.8

PAUL'S SECOND PRAYER—THAT DIVINE POWER MIGHT WORK IN THE EPHESIANS TO PRODUCE A SUITED STATE OF SOUL

Paul had told the Ephesians that he was a minister of the gospel to the Gentiles and they were Gentiles. They had believed the gospel, which told them they were to share equally with the Jews in the coming inheritance. But faith is a fragile plant, needing constant watering. Even the faith of the spiritual Ephesians could be shaken by the apparent inconsistency of the Apostle's position. He had told them they were to rule the universe with Christ but he himself was in chains and the kingdom he preached seemed remote. Paul implores them not to be discouraged because of the trials he suffered for them. They need to be strengthened by inner power, which only God can give. Such is the inlet to the Apostle's second prayer.

He begins with "for this cause I bow my knees unto the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ." But for what cause does he do this? Why for the same cause as in 3:1 The last link with the revealed secret before the great parenthesis is introduced. This shows that the Apostle has the revealed secret before him in both cases. Also each of the two apostolic prayers flows from the title of "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ" at the beginning of the first chapter. In the first prayer God is addressed as "the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory" here as "the Father" (of our Lord Jesus Christ) "of whom every family in the heavens and on earth is named." When Christ took "a bondman's form in the likeness of men" Phil. 2:7 God became the Father of glory to Him. "Father" implies a spring or source and it was God's thought to find glory in a Man that is, in His own Son as Man. But as a Father God would have a family, standing in the same relationship to Him as the Man in whom He has found all His glory. The family here however goes far beyond the Church, although we are included in it as those closest to His heart. It embraces all God's family in that universal sphere which the Church shall rule every family in the heavens and on earth. The Name of "Father of our Lord Jesus Christ" is now universal as the Name of Jehovah was localized as the Name of covenant relationship between God and the Jew. As already mentioned "every family" goes far beyond the Church, although including it. For example the Old Testament saints constitute a family although they form no part of the church. Babes, and children who died too young to hear or understand the gospel would constitute a family mentally retarded people too for God's principle is that He only judges responsible man.*1 Think how vast a family "the Church of the Firstborn" must be Heb. 12:23. The holy angels who never sinned are another family for it is "every family in the heavens and on earth" a wide expression. And then there is Israel on earth.*2

But out of all these great families Paul prays especially for the Ephesians that God would give them a gift. God had given Paul a gift to administer the grace of God to them 3:2. Further God had given Paul a gift of the grace of God 3:7 and finally a gift of "this grace" to preach the gospel to the Gentiles -.3:8. Now he asks from the same God who had given gifts to him so liberally, that the Ephesians might be given "according to the riches of His glory to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man." The inner man is the new man in Christ Jesus the holy and spiritual nature which receives, understands, and obeys divine communications. Our old nature cannot. The inner man is capacity the Holy Spirit is power. Notice how the power and the glory go together here verse 16 and at the close verse 20. Engines vary in size and kind that is capacity but they are all useless without some source of power to energize them. So with Christians. We remain idle, unable to do useful work for God unless the energy of the Holy Spirit moves us. It is sad to see a great turbine rusting in idleness sadder still to see a Christian whom God has endowed with capacity lying idle because the power of the Spirit is missing in his life. This always happens when we grieve the Spirit 4:30 by allowing the flesh in our life.

Now we move on from capacity the new man and power the Holy Spirit to another subject love. In the first prayer the eyes of the Ephesians' heart were to be enlightened. But here Christ is to dwell there through faith. "Being rooted and grounded in love in order that you may be fully able to apprehend with all the saints what is the breadth and length and depth and height" 3:17 it does not say of what but probably of the revealed secret, although we cannot dogmatize here. However we do know that the common thought that the love of Christ is meant is not tenable because this is considered separately after "height." But the effect of Christ dwelling in our hearts cannot be debated. It will stir our hearts' affections toward every other member of Christ's body on earth. We will love them as Christ loves us. If we are rooted and established in love we can, with all saints, grasp what is the breadth and length and depth and height. God does not communicate His thoughts to those who fail to display His nature as love toward "all saints" for He has no favorites in His family. But to return to "the breadth and length and depth and height." The measurements are not stated, but the terms would be meaningless unless they existed in some mind. The thought is that only God can measure what is involved. Nor are we told what is to be measured. We form a spiritual conception of these things, then, as Christ dwells in our hearts a knowledge of what is infinite, immeasurable to us but known to God the display of the divine glory in the revealed secret. The Apostle continues "and to know the love of Christ which surpasses knowledge." The revealed secret gives us the scope of God's counsels. This is knowledge. But the love of Christ surpasses knowledge for it fills instead of merely measuring. It is also a measure we understand for the fullness of God is Christ. Oh to be filled with Christ. With such a thought we come to the doxology verses 20 and 21.

The second prayer may now be briefly summarized. It concerns the effects of our union with Christ. Christ dwells in our hearts by. faith v.17 then we survey the outreach of His glory Isa. 7:11 et seq. can be connected with this then we are filled with Christ v.19 and then at the close the power of God in us but here it is that God may be glorified "unto Him be glory in The Church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen." because Christ dwells in our hearts by faith. All is to deepen our practical enjoyment of the love of Christ.

A Comparison of the Two Prayers

From what we have considered of the second prayer it can be clearly seen that it is subjective as the first prayer was objective. It is about our state, as the first prayer was about our standing. Each prayer can be better understood by comparison with the other. Many of the expressions used stand in contrast to one another, and a comparison of them is worthwhile.

The power and the glory are the parent thoughts of both prayers. The Apostle, for example, begins and ends both prayers with "glory." In the first prayer he begins by addressing "the Father of glory" i.e. God seeking His glory and ends with the glory of Christ (a Man in supreme authority sitting on God's throne, and Head of the Church the Man in whom God has found all His glory): It is the glory of Christ of which the. Apostle writes. It is God's thoughts about the glory of His own Son.

“O God! Thou now hast glorified

Thy holy, blest, eternal Son

The Nazarene, the Crucified

Now sits exalted on Thy throne.”

The second prayer begins with "the riches of His glory" and ends with glory in the Church by Christ Jesus throughout eternal ages. This is the application of the knowledge imparted to us in the first prayer to our actual state so we may glorify God. Again the second prayer is based on the riches of His glory while in the first prayer we are to be to the praise of His glory. The first prayer is concerned with the power which worked for us in Christ's resurrection, raising us up with Him the second prayer is concerned with the power working in us "now unto Him who is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power which works in us." From these comparisons two common themes, differing in their application, emerge the power and the glory. In both prayers these parent thoughts are cemented together by love "the bond of perfectness" Col. 3:14. Thus it was the love which the Ephesians had to all the saints 1:15 which made the Apostle bow his knees in the first prayer. In the second prayer it is the love of Christ which is the spring of the doxology at the close a note of worship, which, now it has been struck, will continue throughout eternal ages.

In the first prayer the Apostle is concerned that we might see certain truths he sets before our eyes for example the inheritance and have our affections stirred by them so we understand our portion. In the second prayer it is more the working of divine power in us to produce a state of soul ending in the worship of the One who transcends all knowledge and leads us into what exceeds knowledge 3:19 the love of Christ. It is remarkable that the second prayer differs from the first in that it has a clearly defined termination "Amen." You cannot go beyond divine love. "There abideth these three faith, hope, and love." "Faith in the Lord Jesus" 1:15 was followed by "the hope of His calling" 1:18 and ends with "the love of Christ" 2:19. "And now these three remain faith hope and love. But the greatest of these is love." 1 Cor. 13:13. Love "is the bond of perfectness" Col. 3:14.

Paul's Two Prayers for the Ephesians and His Two Requests for Their Prayers

Later on in Ephesians we will come across an astonishing thing. Just as the Apostle prays twice for the Ephesians, so he makes two requests for their prayers. Even an Apostle needed the prayers of other believers. What is even more astonishing is that the Apostle's prayer requests are related to his own two prayers. We know that both of the Apostle's prayers were answered and those that were offered up for him too although this is going ahead of our subject. Prayer, while simple, and ever efficacious before the throne of grace, has thus a special teaching in Ephesians. It is related to the doctrine of the one body. Paul prays to the Head who answers his requests through His members they in turn pray to the Head for Paul and the Head answers their requests in Paul. What a golden link of unity prayer is in Ephesians.

Chapter 2.9

THE SEVEN UNITIES ON EARTH

The first three verses of Chapter 4 are really one in content, although broken down in our Bibles. They must be linked to the last three verses of Chapter 2 which precede the parenthesis as these three verses terminate it.

A Brief Glance at the First Three Verses

Verse 1—In this verse Paul implores the Ephesians to walk worthy of the vocation with which they are called. We know what this calling is because this is "the cause" Paul writes about in 3:1 That the Ephesians "are built together for an habitation of God in the Spirit" 2:22. This link brings us back to the subject of ourselves on earth, that is to Chapter 2 not ourselves in heaven and our heavenly calling 1:4, 5. In plain language then, Paul is imploring the Ephesians to walk worthy of the presence of the Holy Spirit in the Church on earth. As Paul nears the close of the doctrine of this letter he tends to emphasize the practical side of things on earth.

Verse 2—In this verse Paul tells us how to walk worthy of our vocation. Our vocation is that the Holy Spirit is present in the Church on earth, and since He is God we are to display "all lowliness and meekness" because these qualities alone are suited to man in the presence of God the Holy Spirit. But in the Church we are also in the presence of men, who often offend us, so we are to display "long-suffering, forbearing one another in love.”

Verse 3—In this verse Paul re-establishes the link with the Holy Temple in 2:20, 21. Living stones are continually being added to this Holy Temple as souls are saved. It is not completed yet, but growing, just like the body of Christ is. In Verse 3 Paul tells us how the stones are mortared together in the building. It is by the bond of peace. Note that Paul does not tell us to endeavor to keep the unity of the body but the unity of the Spirit. This is connected with our vocation again the Spirit dwells in the Church. God keeps the unity of the body. It has never been broken and never can be. As for the unity of the Spirit, it was publicly displayed at the beginning Acts 2:1-4 but was broken by division of the Church. We ignored the apostle's fervent plea that we should keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. It is from this point this exhortation to keep the unity of the Spirit the mortar of peace which holds together the living stones of the Holy Temple that the Apostle proceeds to the subject of the seven unities on earth.

The Seven Unities—Introductory Considerations

It is an important principle that true unity flows from the knowledge of God. When this is given up division, chaos, disintegration follow. In the Holy City Jerusalem "the street of the City was pure gold, as it were transparent glass." The meaning of this language is that in the glory everybody will walk the same way for there is only one street because it is a city of light where God is perfectly known. This explains why the seven unities are located precisely in this part of Ephesians, because the mind of God has been perfectly revealed in the doctrine preceding the 7 unities. Unity is of God.

The fourth chapter opens with a plea for unity. Then follows a consideration of seven unities which are of God and therefore cannot be broken. These unities are characteristic of Christianity on earth. Thus we have seven unities characterizing our heavenly calling, and seven unities pertaining to earthly things.

	The Seven Unities Characterizing the Profession of Christianity on Earth
	There is ONE body and
	ONE Spirit as ye have been also called in
	ONE hope of your calling
	ONE Lord
	ONE faith
	ONE baptism
	ONE God and Father of all Eph. 4:4:6

As a help in understanding these unities we will propose an illustration. Suppose you are standing at the rim of a pool of quiet water. You throw a stone in the center of the pool and a series of concentric circles form in it, beginning where the stone hit the water and ending at the pool's edge. Now let us apply the illustration to the seven unities of Eph. 4.

The Three Unities of the Inner Circle—Those Who Are Members of Christ's Body

Church always closest to Christ. Three unities characterize it. The first two one body and one Spirit the indissoluble unity of the body. It is the Holy Spirit who unites Christ the Head of the body to His members on earth. In Chapter 2 Paul told us there is one body 2:16 and one Spirit 2:18 but there the emphasis is on our heavenly calling here it is on the earth. The third thing characterizing us is that we are called in "one hope of your calling." The hope of our calling here is receiving the inheritance with Christ. Christ, the Head of His one body the Church, to whom we are united by one Spirit, will make this one hope good to us through grace, in the Kingdom of God publicly displayed.

The Four Unities of the Next Circle—the Public Profession of Christianity

The first three of these four unities characterize the public profession of Christianity the last is even more wide ranging. First one Lord, one faith, one baptism. A person who publicly embraces Christianity must acknowledge the Lordship of Christ, the Christian faith, and submit to the ordinance of baptism. But at this point we come across an anomaly. There are people who have publicly professed Christianity and been baptized who were never born again and will never be in heaven. Simon Magus was one Acts 8:24 and he has many followers. Attracted by the benefits accruing to man from leading a Christian life, multitudes over the centuries "joined the Church" as the expression goes, without being joined to the Lord in His one body. True Christians and nominal believers met together in an outward public unity the common profession of the Christian faith. With some the profession was real with others feigned. Here then is a unity of profession not like the first unity the inner circle. Yet it was allowed by God, not as the expression of His mind for His people, but as a means of sheltering them from the storms of persecution which so often assailed the true Church. Furthermore it extended creature blessings to man generally as the fruits of Christianity such things as the abolition of slavery, torture; piracy and on the positive side the passing of just laws based often on Scripture precepts, the founding of hospitals, universities, etc. (Remarkable confirmation of this is the way the old evils have returned in the twentieth century as the public profession of Christianity has waned.) The Lord visualized these conditions prevailing in those parts of the world where Christianity was publicly professed in His parable of the mustard tree Matt. 13:31-32. The mustard seed, like Christianity, started out small in the earth, but as it grew great in outward profession it sheltered the birds of the air.

We will now consider the last unity of the second circle "one God and Father of all." This last of the seven unities has a wide ranging outreach. For this reason we must clearly understand the distinction between God as a Father of all men in creation and as a Father to His adopted sons in redemption our special relationship, which is not shared by any except the blood-redeemed. When I was a young man liberal theologians used to prate about "the brotherhood of man and the Fatherhood of God." They still do, but nobody listens to them. Two world wars and the gathering darkness in the world have shattered delusions of human brotherhood, and as for God they have forgotten Him. Men are only truly brothers who have salvation through the blood of Christ. Only such know God as their Father through that redemption which also makes them His sons. On the other hand God is undeniably a Father to all men in nature which is the correct interpretation of the Scripture here. "Have we not all one Father? Hath not one God created us?" Mal. 2:10. Read Paul's speech to the Athenians Acts 17:25-28 it is enlightening in this regard. God fills the earth with minerals, oil, water, timber, crops, a variety of life forms, and riches of every conceivable form for our use and enjoyment. He makes no distinction as to His sun shining and His rain falling on just or unjust. This is because man was made in the image and likeness of God, and so has a relationship to God in nature. But as already stressed, to have a relationship to God in sonship we must love God John 8:41-42.

Before closing off this last of the seven unities we might distill a lesson from the theme of expansion underlying their presentation. Surely the great thought is that the ever-expanding circles are foreshadowings of God's plans for man in the future. The Church, because of its union with Christ, the Heir of all things, will be the center from which blessing will radiate to man. In the coming kingdom the world will be so filled with blessing that "they shall teach no more every man his neighbor, and every man his brother, saying 'know the Lord' for they shall all know Me, from the least of them unto the greatest of them, saith the Lord: for I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sin no more" Jer. 31:34. "For the earth shall be full of the knowledge of the Lord as the waters cover the sea" Isa. 11:9. It is the writer's belief that the Scripture "that in all things He might have the preeminence" Col. 1:18 is an assurance that more will be saved than lost.*1 The reasons Christians think otherwise is that they narrow their thoughts of salvation down to the Church their own experience level instead of looking at it as only one of the families in heaven and earth. Of those who are saved, however, the Church will always be the crown jewel in the diadem of the King, understanding God's thoughts, loving Him, and being cherished by Christ. This calls to mind Sir E. Denny's lines:

“Hope of our hearts, O Lord, art Thou

The glorious Star of day

Thou wilt shine forth, and chase the night

With all our tears away.

No resting-place we seek on earth

No loveliness we see

Our eye is on the crown above

Prepared for us by Thee.

But blessed Lord however bright

The crown of joy above

What is it to the brighter hope

Of dwelling in Thy love?

There near Thy heart upon the throne

Thy ransomed bride shall see

What grace was in the suffering

Lamb Who died to make us free.”

Chapter 2.10

THE GROWTH OF CHRIST'S BODY THROUGH GIFTS

A new subject gift the last element of doctrine in Ephesians, now engages our attention. "But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ" 4:7. Grace, then, is a gift from Christ, given to each of us, but measured that is, not equally distributed. Some get more, some less, according to the sovereign will of the Giver. Paul tells us of the gift of the grace of God which made him a minister of the gospel 3:7. Paul in turn had prayed that God would give the Ephesians "according to the riches of His glory, to be strengthened with power by His Spirit in the inner man" 3:16. The gifts distributed here by Christ in heaven to His members on earth are the direct answer to the Apostle's prayer.

It is clear from Scripture that one purpose of gift is the growth of the Church down here. It will not be needed in the glory for then growth will have ceased. This can be seen in the way the Holy Temple and the body of Christ are pictured. The Holy Temple, the figure of the Church as a building grows because it is not yet completed. Similarly with the body of Christ we are to grow up into Him in all things, who is the Head, even Christ 4:15. Thus the body grows, like the building. Our subject here, though, is how the body grows, not the Holy Temple. The body grows through gifts supplied by Christ, its Head. Since Satan does not want to see the Church flourishing, he can be counted on to oppose all gifts Christ gives to it. For example Paul told the Thessalonians "we would have come unto you, even I Paul, once and again, but Satan hindered us" 1 Thess. 2:18. When the Lord revealed the figure of the church as a building to Peter, He also told him that Satan's power would oppose it but would not prevail see Matt. 16:18. Now the same Lord, who revealed to Paul the figure of the Church as His body has prevailed 4:8. The meaning of this apparent digression by Paul from the subject of gift, is to show that Satan cannot prevent Christ from giving gifts to the Church, for he is a defeated foe.

Satan's Opposition to God and His Kingdom

Before his fall Satan was the anointed cherub who was on the holy mountain of God, who walked up and down in the midst of the stones of fire. He once held high administrative office in the divine scheme of things. Our intelligence of these things is derived from a veiled reference to him in Ezek. 28:13-17, a passage which also gives us a general insight into the reason for his fall pride.

Satan is presented to us in different guises in Scripture, each with its own distinctive meaning. As Satan his "roaring lion" character 1 Peter 5:8 he is the adversary as the devil his "angel of light" character 2 Cor. 11:14 he is the deceiver as "the dragon" Rev. 12 and 13 he is the persecutor as to his authority he is "the god of this world" 2 Cor. 4:4 that is its religious head and "the prince of this world" John 14:30 that is its political head as to the sphere of his authority it is the air Eph. 2:2. In Ephesians the name 'Satan' (adversary) is not used because he is viewed as a defeated foe in this letter. Instead he is called "the wicked one" 6:10 because he opposes the will of God and "the devil" 4:27 and 6:11 because he tries to divert us from the will of God by subtlety.

When Satan fell many of the angels followed him. Thus he established a kingdom in opposition to God, whose throne he challenged. Then when God created man Satan sensed a threat to his usurped authority in the mandate God gave man Gen. 1:28. So he tempted man in the garden in Eden, overcame him and organized a world system over which he presides, governing it by his principle of sin, which is lawlessness. Furthermore he obtained a great weapon over man because of the fall the power of death Heb. 23:15. This roughs out the scope of Satan's realm the world and lost man to whom God offers forgiveness because he sinned when tempted and the fallen angels and demons who sinned without being tempted, for whom there is no forgiveness. The latter are called "universal lords of darkness" because like Satan they roam both heaven and earth freely.

It comes as a surprise to some believers that the seat of Satan's authority is the heavens, not the earth. The earth is where he wields his authority but he is the prince of the power of the air a wide expression. While some of his former privileges have been curtailed Ezek. 28:16 his fall no more barred him from heaven than the fall of man barred man from earth. Satan appeared before the Lord with the other angels Job 1:6 and descended to earth to persecute Job. At present he accuses believers before God day and night Rev. 12:10 and will do so until he is cast out of heaven Luke 10:18; Rev. 12:9. Satan's angels are not mentioned directly in Ephesians. Instead they are referred to by the administrative offices they hold "principalities, authorities, universal lords of darkness" which we cannot precisely define. However, in general terms they tell us of fallen angels who wield specific power in Satan's kingdom, lawless and wicked spiritual forces. They are in the heavenlies, according to this verse, which informs us that the source of evil on earth can be traced to their continued presence in heaven. Until they are expelled along with Satan, these universal lords of darkness pervade heaven and earth the heavens the seat of their power the earth where it is wielded. This can be seen in the story of the wicked spirit in heaven who came to earth to entice Ahab with lies 2 Chron. 18:18-22.

Like Goliath, Satan was an unchallengeable foe the leader of an army which made man tremble until Christ the root and the offspring of David came into this world to take up our cause. At the temptation Satan tried to deceive Him, remembering how he had successfully corrupted the first man. He had to flee in defeat. Having failed as an angel of light at the temptation he re-appeared as a roaring lion at the cross. Satan thought he had got the victory there. But Christ rose in triumph in resurrection, breaking Satan's power of death over man on earth. Then in ascension He openly flaunted His victory over Satan in the heavens "when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive.”

The Transfer of Power From Angels to Man

It should now be clear to the reader that the heavens are the source of good and evil influences affecting the earth. Satan commands his legions of fallen angels and, subject to God's overall restraint, leads the world in opposition to God. He even boasted of his power in this world to the Lord Luke 4:6 a power which is checked to some extent by the presence of God's people in the world. In heaven too Satan's power is restrained by the holy angels (for an insight into the clash of good and evil angels in a matter affecting the earth read Dan. 10). Now while angelic influence was permitted in the ways of God, it is clear from the first chapter of Ephesians that it is the will of God that man in Christ shall have universal rule. The role of angels as servants, not sons like us, might have been better understood if translators had followed Young's usage. Young dispenses with the word 'angel' and renders it literally as 'messenger.' "And unto which of the messengers said He ever 'sit at My right hand, till I may make Thine enemies Thy footstool?' Are they not all spirits of service for ministration being sent forth because of those about to inherit salvation?"*1

Once Christ came into this world and overcame Satan in life and death it became the mind of God to transfer power from angels to man. But not to man in Adam to man in Christ. This was what Satan did not understand when he had Christ put to death. His triumph over Adam and his race was meaningless since Christ the Last Adam triumphed over him. So Christ the Last Adam has set aside angelic rule. He "is gone into heaven, and is on the right hand of God, angels and authorities and powers being made subject unto Him" 1 Peter 3:22. "For unto the angels has He not put in subjection the world to come, of which we speak" Heb. 2:5. The reason we find no mention of angels in Ephesians is that power is here viewed as vested in man in Christ.

The breaking of Satan's former power over man is the subject of verse 8 "wherefore He says, when He ascended up on high, He led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men." Satan had led man captive, but now a Man enters heaven who has been raised from the dead. Satan's power over man is broken, and Christ flaunts His victory before Satan's hosts in the heavens ... It is an allusion to Judg. 5:12. Next the Apostle emphasizes the magnitude of His triumph “now that He ascended, what is it but that He also descended first into the lower parts of the earth?”

Verse 9. The Apostle is pointing out two extremes here the grave which Christ entered in the earth, and the Father's throne on which He sits in heaven. This being so, his argument in verse 10 is that He fills all things that is all things between the two extremes the grave and the throne in the glory. Now the reason Paul introduces this theme is that man, under the influence of Satan, thought to get rid of Christ by crucifying Him. "Away with this Man" they cried Luke 23:18. But they did not get their wish. First Christ displayed His victory over Satan's hosts in heaven. Then He displayed His victory over Satan's forces -on earth when He formed the Church as His body. If His body is perpetuated on earth and He its Head is in heaven, what folly the cry "away with this Man" is shown to be. He is on earth now, represented in His body the Church, not banished from it. And from heaven the Head of the body succors the members of that body on earth. He does this with gifts which edify and build up the body. Such is the inlet to the subject of gift in Ephesians. God is a giver "every good gift and every perfect gift is from above" James 1:17.

All Gifts Come From Christ in Heaven to His Body on Earth

The Church is passing through a wicked world. Christ is its Head. Surely He will care for it "for no man every yet hated his own flesh; but nourishes and cherishes it, even as the Lord the Church, for we are members of His flesh, and of His bones" 5:29, 30. The Lord nourishes His body, dispensing gifts to believers in measure. We must not confuse these gifts with natural ability, leadership qualities, church office, attained degree of education, or other marks of human distinction though these things often shine through as in Paul's case, making discernment of the gift more difficult. But a spiritual gift is a sovereign gift from Christ given to whomsoever He chooses, without reference to man. The gift makes the holder of the gift an instrument of divine power within the particular sphere in which the gift is intended to be used. Sometimes a gift will arouse jealousy, or criticism from other believers, who are actually quarreling with the Head of the body who gave the gift although they would shudder at such a thought. Jealousy is the sin of the elders as idolatry is the sin of the common people. The Head of the Body is not accountable to any of His members. He gives the gift for the common benefit they must acknowledge that fact. In the eyes of Ananias, Saul of Tarsus was the most unlikely of men to receive a gift from Christ. Godly as he was he had to be told "go your way, for he is a chosen vessel unto Me" Acts 9:15. This same Saul of Tarsus, known to us as the Apostle Paul, wrote later "and say to Archippus, take heed to the ministry which you have received in the Lord, that you fulfill it" Col. 4:17. This tells us that the recipient of a spiritual gift is not accountable to the Church for its use, but to the Lord who gave it to him, for He is the Head of the Church.

This raises the question of how Christ exercises His Headship of the body. One way is by nourishing His body through gifts. The mouth is located in the head how simple the figure is and so the head is the source of nourishment for the body.

The Four Classes of Gifts

Four classes of gifts are mentioned each class being distinctly identified by the word 'some' coming between them. The first two classes are the Apostles and New Testament prophets. We know these are not Old Testament prophets because the Lord told us that the law and the prophets were until John the Baptist see Luke 16:16. The ministry of John the Baptist introduced Christ, just as the ministry of the New Testament Apostles introduced His Church. The Apostles and prophets are the foundation gifts of the Church never again to be repeated. The foundation of a building is laid once only. The Ephesians understood this truth and tried those who falsely claimed to be Apostles at a later date Rev. 2:2. We tend to take the foundation gifts for granted just as we might walk into a building every day in our life without seeing or thinking about the foundations on which it rests. But every time we read the New Testament we revert to the foundation gifts of the Church. Paul certainly (and Peter probably) had all the gifts in his person Apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. Peter received an evangelical gift from the Lord to be a fisher of men and later a pastoral and teaching gift John 21 (although these gifts in Peter's case actually preceded the Head being in heaven the gifts were largely used after that time as we see from Acts). There are prophetic tinges in some of Peter's writings, too, though to a much lesser degree than Paul's. The Apostle John had a prophetic gift as the author of the Revelation. Paul and Silas in the jail at Philippi give us a good example of the linkage of an Apostle and prophet in the preaching of the gospel. The written and oral ministry of the apostles and prophets then, constitute the foundation gifts of the Church.

Next come the continuing gifts after the Apostles and prophets have left the Church. It was a simple matter to recognize the foundation gifts because of the powers such as miracles of healing which accompanied them. To recognize a continuing gift now requires a spiritual enough mind to identify a person through whom the Holy Spirit is working. The continuing gifts are evangelists for outside work pastors and teachers for inside work. The evangelist goes out from the Church to bring souls in the pastor to shepherd them, the teacher to instruct. Apart from gift there will always be a continuing need for such work by qualified persons until the end. But that need is not Paul's subject here. He is writing about performing this work in such an outstanding way that it is recognized as a gift from the Lord and a specific gift at that. Timothy is an example of a gifted man 2 Tim. 1:6. But the Lord did not give him the gift of an evangelist. We know this because he was told to do the work of an evangelist 2 Tim. 4:5 a plain indication that he hadn't received an evangelical gift but was to work at it in any event. The Lord has many faithful preachers of the gospel, but if we look back over the last two centuries, for example, what names stand out? Why the gifted men, of course men such as Moody, Spurgeon, Graham, etc. An evangelical gift has a purpose over and above the salvation of souls. A gifted gospel preacher stirs up God's people to the freshness of the gospel message and fills their souls with the love of God. Then they can set others on fire. Next there is the gift of the pastor-teacher. Like the Apostles and prophets the pastor and teacher may be grouped together (it is so in the Greek) but not necessarily. Again the Lord's servants may have to perform this service without a gift. If they do may they be quick to recognize those who have. D.L. Moody was a fine example of this. He spotted the teaching gift of W.R. Newell and encouraged him greatly to write and teach. Gift comes from-the sovereign will of Christ the Head of the body and can be explained no other way. Even in natural things God proceeds on this principle. How many musicians lived in the days of Bache, Mozart, and Beethoven but who knows about them today? how many mathematicians in the days of Newton and Einstein? All were useful but the great names are transcendent. But in spiritual gifts the object is not, as in natural gifts, the intellectual enjoyment of the things of this life. It is not building up the fleeting vanity of this world but building up the body of Christ. Anything done for Christ is lasting and eternal.

But now that the Church is fragmented beyond repair, we may well raise the question what about gifts now? Be assured that the Lord never ceases to raise them up. If man erects barriers between Christians Christ ignores them in giving gifts. The body is never divided in God's sight although the visible expression of it on earth certainly A. Recognizing this the gifted man should never confine his gift to where he ministers; conversely all members of the body of Christ who know about the gift should use the man's ministry for their blessing.

The Practical Application of Gift

The first reason for gift is "for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry." This is the pattern of Chapter 1, where the individual's blessings are stated before the subject of the Church is introduced. Only after the saints have been "perfected" that is, have become mature Christians do we hear about "the edifying of the body of Christ." Before proceeding further a side remark might be helpful here. Although the Bible calls all believers "saints" they themselves seldom take this name. The reason may well be that they sense the contradiction in their lives which using the term "saint" would imply.

The unity of the faith is now stressed 4:13. Previously it was the unity of the Spirit 4:3. The unity of the faith is the result of gift it binds us together. The encouraging message of the evangelist stirs us up in the glad tidings, the pastor helps the weak, the teacher strengthens everybody.

No doubt the work of the pastor-teacher is more before the Apostle in verse 14 for he desires that we not be carried about by "every wind of doctrine." Again in verse 15 Paul speaks of "growing up into Him in all things" in contrast to the deception of false doctrine in verse 14. Just as the body of a man requires nourishing food to be strong, so does gift feed the body of Christ. Here the method of feeding is important "speaking the truth in love." We can speak the truth without love for example by displaying our intellectual grasp of it before others (self exaltation) or being legal or fault finding. Truth preached that way, even if doctrinally sound, does not edify or build up the body. That is why, although growth and edification call for gift, the doctrinal part concludes with the efforts of those who have no gift we are told about verse 16 but perform these two functions growth and edification in love.

Every joint in the body of Christ i.e. every moving, active member, is fitted together into its assigned place in the body just like the stones in the Holy Temple. Because of this plan each individual makes some contribution to the working of the body in harmony with the part occupied in the body. Anything we do however humble must be done in love, showing a genuine interest in everybody an outflowing Christian love. Each Christian has a part in this "making increase in the body unto the edifying of itself in love." "Love" is the last word which closes off the doctrinal part of Ephesians. The reason for this is that gifts do not continue in the glory they are for the building up of the body on earth. The body grows until complete when the last soul is saved just as the Holy Temple grows until the last stone is put in place again when the last soul is saved. In the glory gift will no longer be -needed as it was during the growing phase of the Church in this world. So Paul writes "love never fails...but whether there are prophecies they shall fail...whether there is knowledge it shall vanish away...for we know in part, and we prophecy in part...for now we see through a glass darkly, but then face to face...and now abideth faith, hope, love, these three, but the greatest of these is love" 1 Cor. 13:8-13.

Chapter 2.11

THE CONDUCT OF THE CHRISTIAN

(Suggested Reading: Ephesians 4-17 to 5:20)

Now we enter the practical part of the Ephesian letter. The practical part commences with the individual like the doctrinal part, but here the similarity ends. The doctrinal part tells us the privileged position of the Christian. There must, then, be a holy walk, so doctrine and practice agree. Before the Ephesians were converted they lived like other Gentiles "in the vanity of their mind" philosophical vaporings, emptiness, vacuum, nothingness. Pride of intellect went hand in hand with the most scandalous of lives. "Being darkened in understanding, estranged from the life of God by reason of the ignorance which is in them, by reason of the hardness of their hearts." The result was that they lost all sensitivity, gave themselves over to sensuality "so as to indulge in every kind of impurity, with a continual lust for more." The contrast between the opening and closing of the doctrinal part and the practical part is interesting. The doctrinal part commences with light 1:18, the will of God, holiness, and ends with love 4:16. The practical part commences with Gentile darkness, ignorance of God, unholiness, and ends with peace, love with faith and grace.

Nearly two thousand years have passed since Paul wrote the Ephesian letter, years in which society has been changed in every conceivable way. Looking backward, modern man concedes the intellect of the ancient Greeks, but remarks on the gap between their philosophically oriented society and his own materialistic one, which boasts advances in medicine, surface and air transportation, space travel, and other fruits of science and technology.

When closely scrutinized, however, the apparent progress over the ages is seen to be superficial, for man himself is unchanged. His understanding is darkened. Consequently there is the same cleavage today between the supposedly intelligent but really depraved man of the world and the enlightened Christian that there was in Paul's day. Now as then good and evil co-exist in the world, but evil tends to overwhelm the good. Swords and spears expressed the evil heart of man in Paul's time missiles with hydrogen warheads, bombers, submarines, not to speak of germ and chemical warfare, do the same thing today. Man's heart is hardened both to God and to his fellow man "am I my brother's keeper?" Gen. 4:9. Ignorant of God and His ways, abandoning the right feelings God put into the creature, they turn instead to moral degradation and debauchery. Then a shaft of light breaks through the dark clouds "but you have not thus learned the Christ, if you have heard Him, and been instructed in Him according as the truth is in Jesus.”

The Two Great Principles of Christian Walk

We will now consider the expression "the truth (as it) is in Jesus" which can be variously rendered "the truth is in Jesus" and "as truth is in Jesus." This expression is preceded by the second and last "if" in Ephesians. The first "if" was if they had heard about the Apostle's administration of the grace of God; the last "if" is if they had heard Christ and been instructed in Him. These two "ifs" are important, because Ephesian truth is unconditional and at first glance they appear to be exceptions to this principle. But this is not so. The Apostle has inserted the two "if" clauses in the text so the Ephesians would not complacently accept the truth without applying it. Had they really heard Christ and His Apostle is the question he is asking in the two "if" clauses. "Faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God" Rom. 10:17. "He who has an ear let him hear what the Spirit says to the Churches" Rev. 3:22. Only those who apply the truth they heard have ears to hear the others have ears but are deaf.

So here "as truth is in Jesus" is in contrast to the Gentiles in whom was untruth. Their sins are listed in 4:17-20. Pilate stood before the Truth and asked "what is truth?" John 18:38 but walked away so as not to receive an answer. Such were the Gentiles. But the Ephesians had not learned Christ that way. The way they had heard Christ and been instructed in Him was that the old man was put off'-and the new man put on. How? Well, the old man Adam and his fallen race was ended by God's judgment of him at the cross. By faith they accepted God's judgment on that man the man of sin and shame so he was put off. But Christ, the new Man, who bore their judgment at the cross, has been raised from the dead by God Himself and they accept that too by faith. They are risen with Christ, the new Man. So He is put on. This explains the meaning of the expression "as truth is in Jesus" that by faith we accept God's verdict that our old man is put off and the new Man put on. "I am crucified with Christ nevertheless I live, yet not I but Christ lives in me" Gal. 2:20.

Such is the doctrine. But it must be applied. Since my old man is ended at the cross and I am risen in the new Man I must not own the flesh in my life as a Christian. True it is there, for the carnal mind is enmity against God. There is another principle warring in my members, as Paul reminds us in Rom. 7:23. But I do not recognize it much like a nation breaking diplomatic ties with an unfriendly nation. Christ has died for sin, so I consider myself as a man in Adam dead too. The life that is in me now is the life of the risen Christ. This is the life which is to be seen in me as I pass through this world. This life is, first of all, created in truthful righteousness and holiness intelligent as to the difference between good and evil as God Himself is for it is patterned after God. It is not like Adam in innocence who did not understand the difference between good and evil. We do but walk in the truth. Coming between the putting off v.22 and the putting on v.24 is the renewing of the mind v. 23 which is in the present tense, unlike the other two expressions. This is because the spirit of our mind must constantly be renewed by communion with God through prayer and reading of the Scriptures to reproduce the freshness of Christ in the life. The imprint of the eternal must be displayed in time.

The next consideration is the other great principle of Christian walk "and do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, with which you have been sealed for the day of redemption" v.30. Note the unique title the life of God 4:18 the new man after God 4:24 the forgiveness of God 4:32. "Sealed for the day of redemption" takes us back to Chapter 1 and the will of God. To grieve the Holy Spirit of God would be to tolerate the flesh in a body sealed with the Spirit a denial that we are dead with Christ and risen with Him. What God purposed in the new Man was the reproduction of God in man. His counsels with respect to this will only come to fruition when we are in His presence in glory "holy and blameless before Him in love" 1:4. But God is looking for the practical application of this now. The Apostle has brought into focus the two great principles of Christian life the having put off the old man and the having put on the new Man (this is done for us) and renewing the spirit of our mind and not grieving the Holy Spirit of God (this is our part what we must do). Note that Paul does not mention the earnest (pledge) of the Spirit, for that looks on to receiving our glorified bodies in the future. He speaks of sealing only. He is concerned with us walking as Christ walked in this world at the present time. The seal is the Holy Spirit Himself, who indwells the body of the Christian. If we grieve Him we lose power. But we are not to grieve Him.

Exhortations for a Christ-Like Walk

Following each of the two great principles of Christian walk just outlined come the exhortations in 4:2-29 and 4:31 to 5:6.

	Four exhortations concerning the old and the new man
	Seven Exhortations for a Holy Walk
	LET not the sun set upon your wrath 4:26
	LET the stealer steal no more but rather
	LET him toil 4:28
	LET no corrupt word go out of your mouth 4:29
	Three exhortations about not grieving the Holy Spirit
	LET all bitterness and heat of passion and wrath
	and clamor and injurious language be removed
	from you with all malice 4:31. But fornication
	and all uncleanness or unbridled lust,
	LET it not be even named among you 5:3
	LET no one deceive you with vain words 5:6

There are seven exhortations grouped in four and three the common grouping of seven things in Scripture. The first group commences with an action “putting away" and then what is to be put away wrath and anger. These three elements are found in the second group also 4:31 tying the two groups together. What separates the two groups is that four are located after one of the great principles of Christian walk 4:22-24 and three after the other 4:30.

The first four exhortations In the first exhortation we are told "wherefore, having put off falsehood, speak truth every one with his neighbor, because we are members one of another" v.25. This having put off falsehood should be connected in our minds with "your having put off...the old man" v.22. Since the old man has been put off and the new man has been put on, falsehood must not be spoken by us. Truth should "speak truth every one with his neighbor because we are members one of another." This exhortation is founded on the fact that the new man speaks truth as the old man speaks falsehood. If Christians lie they err from the faith and deny their standing in Christ. Paul's exhortation to us is founded on the new position out of Adam and in Christ. This is the way God sees us. Continuing, Paul writes "be angry and do not sin, let not the sun set upon your wrath, neither give room for the devil." Righteous anger is permissible as when Christ expelled the money changers from the Temple area. But it is not to be carried over another day. To do so, however righteous the anger may have been in the beginning, would change the anger to hate in short we would have let it seethe. Then the devil would come to fan the embers, reminding us of how righteous our original anger was. We have opened a door to his victory over us because we failed to drop the matter the same day it occurred. Treasured up grudges lead to ill health a present governmental judgment of God. The Christian has no immunity from this because he has acted contrary to what God has told us to do here.

Next come two sets of injunctions with a common teaching bringing good out of evil always a divine principle. The hand of the robber stole v.28 let it work instead and become a giver to the needy. The tongue of man is ready to speak filthy words which is really robbing God, apart from the defilement, for man was made for God. Now like the robber, the tongue is to be a giver too, edifying and giving a message of grace.

The last three exhortations. The first four exhortations follow the truth that the old man has been put off and the new man put on; the last three follow the warning not to grieve the Holy Spirit of God. The putting off of the old man and the putting on of the new man is viewed as an accomplished fact whereas not grieving the Holy Spirit of God is something we must be careful about. At the beginning of the first group it says "having put off falsehood" etc. (because the old man is put off) whereas at the beginning of the second group it says "let...be put away from you" that is, they must do it—it isn't done for them. This is the practical part, which concerns us we must not grieve the Holy Spirit of God. That is why the apostle's theme now changes. In the first four exhortations he had pointed out what conduct was suitable for men no longer in Adam but in Christ. In the last three exhortations our speech is paramount. The pattern of our speech is to be Christ, of whom it is written "My thought goes not beyond My word" Psa. 17:3. He was the perfect expression of the divine nature in man. Never did He grieve the Holy Spirit of God. Neither should we, Paul says. Striking this note he tells us what is pleasurable to the nature of the Holy Spirit of God and what is not. Because He is God He is love 1 John 4:8 and light 1 John 1:5.

The first exhortation in the last group tells us what we are to put away, because it is offensive to the Holy Spirit of God bitterness, wrath, anger, clamor, and evil speaking. Then Paul tells us what is pleasurable to the Holy Spirit of God "and be kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake, has forgiven you. Be you therefore followers of God, as dear children, and walk in love as Christ also has loved us, and has given Himself for us, an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet-smelling savor" 4:31 to 5:2.

The second exhortation in the last group is "but fornication and all uncleanness or unbridled lust let it not be even named among you as it becomes saints; and filthiness and foolish talking, or jesting, which are not suitable, but rather thanksgiving." Then he follows this admonition with warnings that those who indulge in these sins can have no part in the inheritance he spoke of in Chapter 1. They are "the sons of disobedience" and the wrath of God is their portion. The Ephesians were therefore not to be fellow-partakers with them in time since they could never be fellow-partakers with them in eternity. But in what way could they be fellow-partakers with them in time, you ask. The answer is not in sharing their sins for Paul never had to rebuke the Ephesians about carnal sins as he did the Corinthians. The danger was in making the sins of those round about them a topic of gossip, or joking about them. The City of Ephesus boasted one of the finest open air theaters of the day, with excellent acoustics, talented actors and ample seating capacity. Even a casual acquaintance with the tastes of the Greeks would tell us what the attractions of this theater would be the unholy emotions Paul warns about here the very opposite of divine love. But unholiness in the body v.3 and unholiness in language v.4 are forbidden as topics of conversation among Christians or the center of their interests. Instead we are to use our tongue to give thanks. Giving of thanks is spoken of here and in v.20. Here we give thanks no doubt in prayer, praise, worship in v. 20 in song.

“No more the heirs of wrath

Thy sovereign love we see

And Father in confiding faith

We cast our souls on Thee.”

The last exhortation in the group is founded upon God being light. For this reason we are children of light. There are others who are of the darkness. This contrast between the light and the darkness goes on to the end in 5:20. The last exhortation commences "let no man deceive you with vain words for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience." The Ephesians were once darkness too but are now light in the Lord. They are to walk now as children of light. We are partakers of the divine nature 2 Peter 1:4 which, as already pointed out, is light and love. Here we are exhorted to walk as children of light, as in the beginning of the chapter we were exhorted to walk in love (not as children of love). The distinction is that we can imitate divine love but never attain to it. The fountain of the water of life Rev. 21:6 is the Father's heart alone. But we are children of light. Verses 9-11 are parenthetical. Paul tells us what the fruit of the light is but not the unfruitful works of darkness. We can have no fellowship with them-they are to be reproved. Next we are told it is shameful even to speak of those things which they do secretly that is in the dark. This is another way of saying that they are not to be the topics of conversation among God's people, as in verse 3. "But all things having their true character exposed by the light are made manifest; for that which makes everything manifest is light.”

Different Ways of Looking at a Christian

In Ephesians the Christian is seen in three victorious and one failing posture.*2 As the epistle opens we are seated the position of sonship in heavenly places in Christ. Then in 5:1 we are walking and this is to be in love. The epistle closes with the standing position 6:14 wearing the whole armor of God in combat with Satan's forces. But if we do not abound in love the heart will not be established in holiness before God see 1 Thess. 3:12, 13, and this will result in practical failure the sleeping posture. Eutychus in Acts 20:9 is a figure of that. We can sleep even when sitting in heavenly places in Christ because that is our standing and we can't lose that. We may be so smug about our standing that we are actually snoring away on our heavenly seat. But we can't sleep and walk or sleep and stand that is, be of practical use to the Lord. Normally we sleep at night, not in the light of day. A superficial glance at a sleeping person suggests a resemblance to death. Life is there, though, as we would quickly discover if we shook the sleeper but he is inactive. So with the backsliding Christian the man who ignores Paul's exhortations. The sleeper is told to wake up "and arise up from among the dead and Christ shall shine upon you." He is surrounded by those morally dead as the Ephesians once were 2:1. He is told to wake up because he isn't dead but actually has become a companion of those who are spiritually dead contrary to Paul's two warnings 5:7; 5:11. He has life but needs to walk in the light. His tongue is stilled for God.

The next picture is the drunkard. The Lord tells us what this figure means in Matt. 24:48-49 "that evil servant...shall begin...to eat and drink with the drunken" (that is the world). The backslider is now a full fledged man of the world. His tongue speaks folly like a drunk man. Control lost, knowledge is submerged until he is sober.

The final picture is in contrast to all this not drunk with wine but filled with the Spirit "speaking to yourselves i.e. to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, then individually singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord." "In your heart" speaks of an inner joy in contrast to the false levity which the wine of this world induces. Then follows outgoing thanksgiving "giving thanks always for all things to God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ." Thanksgiving closes off the subject of how we are to regulate our speech as dear children walking in love 5:4. "In everything give thanks" 1 Thess. 5:18.

The View From the Mountain Tops

Having made an inroad into the practical part of the Ephesian letter, let us climb to the mountain peaks, so to speak, and examine the vista spread before us the relationship of the first practical part the inlet to the whole to the overall doctrine of the Ephesian letter. This way the detailed study we have just completed can be better kept in perspective. We will know, in a broad sense, where we have been and where we are going or at least the general direction.

It helps us greatly, in the understanding of Ephesians, to revert to God's promise to Abraham that his seed should possess the Promised Land and to their warfare later with the inhabitants of that land to turn this promise into reality. In God's purposes the land was to be given to Abraham's seed, but in His ways He made them fight for it with carnal weapons.

Now while the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, we too must experience conflict in a promised land. Our Canaan is the glory. It is more than promised God sees us there already seated in heavenly places in Christ. This is the great thought in the doctrinal part of Ephesians. But in the practical part of Ephesians we must fight Satan's hosts, who do not want us there. Our actual warfare is on earth but we will see, as we come to the sixth chapter, that God views it as taking place in the heavens because the seat of Satan's power is there for the moment he is the prince of the power of the air. Ours is a spiritual warfare against Satan's hosts who, as universal lords of darkness pervade heaven and earth. Heaven and earth is our inheritance, which they would deny us, and heaven and earth is the battlefield. It is as though I am an artilleryman whose country is occupied by a foe and who is fighting them from the territory of an adjacent nation. I fire my salvoes from the territory of the nearby country but I direct the shells at the batteries of my enemies, who are in my country for it has become the seat of the enemy's power.

But how do you carry on spiritual warfare? The answer given in the practical part of Ephesians is to obey the orders of our Commanding Officer the Lord Jesus Christ. He is experienced in warfare with Satan. When Joshua was at Jericho, the entrance to the Promised Land, he met the Captain of the Lord's armies and Joshua is a type of Christ here. The Captain had a drawn sword in his hand. Christ has met Satan, our great enemy, in every kind of conflict, long before He called us to the battle. All the exhortations in the practical part of Ephesians then, are founded on our displaying Christ. There are two great lines in these exhortations to display Christ in our lives (which we have just considered in this chapter) and to display Christ in our earthly relationships (which we will consider in the next chapter). To Satan this is outright war fare, for he has ruled this world by sin, operating in the fallen flesh of man. To be victorious over Satan we must not only be in Christ the great thought of the doctrinal part but we must live Christ the great thought of the practical part.

This gives us the overview of Ephesians we need, just as a map guides a man in unfamiliar country. The doctrinal part of Ephesians is the equivalent of God's promise of the land to Abraham (except that what has been promised to us is universal rule with Christ); the practical part corresponds to the warfare of the book of Joshua (except that our warfare is spiritual not carnal consisting of the display of Christ in our lives in a world Satan has organized to oppose Him).

Chapter 2.12

THE HEAVENLY MAN AT WAR—THE SOLDIER OBEYS ORDERS

(Suggested Reading: Eph. 5:21 to 6:9)

In Chapter 3:4 we raised the question of how Christ exercises His Headship of the body. We pointed out that one way is by nourishing His body through gifts. The mouth is located in the head a simple enough figure and so the head is the source of nourishment for the body. Appropriately enough this presentation of Christ as Head of the growth of His body is at the end of the doctrinal part 4:15 and how the full light of Ephesian doctrine feeds and strengthens us.

In the practical part Christ is presented as Head of authority 5:23. The figure is again apt for the activities of the human body are responses to the direction of the head of the body. So the subject here is our natural response to the authority of Christ's Headship. This is because we are the members of His body, and so subject to the direction of our Head.

The Meaning of "Submission" and "Obedience" in the Ephesian Letter

Until now the exhortations have been general and related to our conduct now they relate to the subject of submission and obedience to authority in specified earthly relationships. We cannot help being impressed by the number of times "the Lord" and "the Christ" titles of authority occur. This is fitting for the subject here is the Headship of the body in authority.

We are responsible to the Lord to fulfill these relationships to His satisfaction, for "each of us shall give an account concerning himself to God" Rom. 14:12. These relationships involve "doing the will of God from the soul" 6:6. Now there are times when we do not know what God's will is. But here there is no such problem. The relationships God asks us to fulfill are outlined clearly and simply. There are seven.*1 The first three concern submission and love; the last four obedience and light (spiritual education 6:4). Of the word used for submission in the original, Vine says it is primarily a military term, meaning to rank under.

Quite simply we are being trained for war as good soldiers of Jesus Christ. This is not the world's kind of war for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal. It is spiritual war with Satan. We are looked at as united to Christ, being members of His body. He is the directing Head of His members who are soldiers. He feeds His members with gifts spiritual food to strengthen His soldiers for battle. Then as the Head of authority He directs the battle. He calls us to submission and obedience. A soldier must obey orders before he can go into battle.

Indeed submission and obedience are the first demands on a new recruit. How can he ever be a soldier if he has not learned to submit to the authority of his superior officers and obey their orders. To be good soldiers of Jesus Christ we must submit and obey also. We are heavenly men at war. To submit to and obey the practical part of Ephesians is to make war against Satan who is opposed to it.

In our fifth chapter the training ground is earth in the sixth chapter the battlefield is heaven. The sixth chapter is open war, and we are told to put on the whole armor of God so we may stand in the day of battle. But only a trained soldier puts on armor and draws the sword. He must first have learned to submit to his officers and obey their orders. This is the fifth chapter the barracks square the training maneuvers.

Chapter 2.13

THE SUBMISSION AND OBEDIENCE OF THE HEAVENLY MAN IN HIS EARTHLY RELATIONSHIPS

(Suggested Reading: Eph. 5:21-6:9)

The relationships to be considered in this chapter concern our practical life on earth. There are seven, but we have grouped them in this chapter because the Apostle addresses both sides of a relationship. The Christian may or may not be involved in one of these relationships at any given time but he must honor them. For example the relationship of husband and wife only applies if one is in the married state of employer and employee if working, etc.

The relationships involve submission and love obedience and light. Since God's nature is love and light this is what we are called on to display in submission and obedience. Submission means acknowledging and honoring these temporary earthly relationships obedience is to the will of God.

Submission and Love—the First Three Relationships

Relationships in the Christian circle. The first exhortation is "submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ" 5:21. This fear is the dread of offending Christ our Head through lack of grace to those who are His members on earth. Paul learned Christ's love to His members on earth on the road to Damascus Acts 9:3, 5. He wants us to apply it practically. If we do not submit ourselves to one another we have forgotten our common membership in the body of Christ and the love of Christ for His body 5:29. Our submission to one another in the fear of Christ is how the Church expresses its subjection to Christ 5:24.

Earlier, the Apostle had prayed for the Ephesians. Because they loved all the saints the Apostle continually gave thanks for them "making mention of you in my prayers, that the God of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of glory, may give unto you the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of Him" 1:16,17. This earlier prayer had been answered. For the way in which the spirit of wisdom and revelation in the knowledge of God was seen among the Ephesians was in their submission to one another in the fear of Christ. They were not only conscious of their union with Christ, but of their membership of one another. As J.B. Stoney said "membership implies activity and life, responsibility to the Head, and care for the members."*1 It is because he is convinced that his earlier prayer has been answered that the Apostle encourages the Ephesians to give thanks always as he did to God and the Father in the Name of our Lord Jesus Christ, submitting yourselves one to another in the fear of Christ.”

The relationship between husbands and wives- The wife is to submit to her husband v.22, and respect and honor him v.33. This tests the wife if her husband is not her equal in natural or spiritual things. But the principle must be honored. Exceptions which seem to challenge the principle can never be made the rule. The husband is called on to love his wife. If he does this in the role God has given him head of the wife v.23 the marriage will be crowned with the blessing of the Lord. Paul insists on the headship of the man in marriage, comparing it to Christ being the Head of the Church. He adds what appears to be an extraneous thought in v.23 "and He is the Savior of the body." On the contrary this assures us of Christ's fervent love for us. We are not forgotten in a grave, should we die, or our loved ones. He will raise the body in power and glory, for He is the Savior of the body as well as of the soul. Having assured us of His love even in death, lest we question it like Martha and Mary John 11:21 and 32 The Apostle continues "therefore as the Church is subject unto Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything." The natural man, who is all chaos, rejects this teaching as tyranny. But in Christian marriage no trace of that should show. Any tendency to it is checked by a commandment to husbands to love their wives. This is to be an overriding love, like the love of Christ for the Church.

Divine order is beautiful, as we perceive it intellectually but more beautiful when put into practice. One is viewing the beauty of a flower the other smelling its fragrance.

In writing of the relationship between husband and wife it is clear that Christian marriage is predominantly before the Apostle's mind. Needless to say these verses in Ephesians are read as frequently at Christian wedding ceremonies as the passage in John's gospel which tells us how Christ graced the wedding at Cana of Galilee with His presence. The institution of marriage antedates both Christianity and the law of Moses for it was God's provision for man as a creature from the beginning. But in Christianity there is no provision for divided affections. David and Solomon had many wives, but now that the light of Christianity has reached man the institution of marriage rests on the principle "husband of one wife" 1 Tim. 3:2; Titus 1:6. This is the teaching here too. In the other earthly relationships covered in the Ephesian letter there are exhortations of great weight, but nothing as profound as this. Paul has deliberately intertwined the marriage relationship with the relationship of Christ and the Church, making the separation of the two subjects virtually impossible.

Obedience and Light—the Last Four Relationships

Obedience here is listening to and doing the will of God in two distinct relationships the family and the work-a-day world. The light is the light of God which is to be maintained in the Christian home. It is clearly spelled out as the spiritual education of our children. "The children of Israel had light in their dwellings" Ex. 10:23. So with Timothy "from a child you have known the Holy Scriptures, which are able to make you wise unto salvation, through faith which is in Christ Jesus" 2 Tim. 3:15.

.. The relationship between children and parents. Like marriage, out of which it flows, the relationship between children and parents antedates both Christianity and the law. Under the law these relationships were harsh. In Christianity grace rules. There is brevity in precept and mutual consideration in practice. Children are to obey their parents in the Lord 6:1. Christian children living in a pagan household must honor their parents. The only limits to their obedience would be if the parents infringed on the Lord's rights, say by demanding sacrifice to an idol. Then we ought to obey God rather than men Acts 5:29. Both father and mother are to be honored. The quotation from the Old Testament following this verse does not promise long life now for doing so but rather shows how highly God esteemed children who did so long ago. His ways did not change so the quotation is inserted to encourage children to please God by obeying their parents.

Fathers—Fathers are addressed next. Mothers have their role an important one covered elsewhere in Scripture. The reason the Apostle only addresses fathers here is that his subject is headship and authority, and the husband is the head of the wife 5:23. Fathers are given two admonitions one negative, one positive. They are not to abuse their authority over their children. Instead they are to "bring them up in the discipline and admonition of the Lord." Over-discipline has been warned against necessary discipline is commanded the form of it left to the father's discretion. Admonition, on the other hand, is a mild reproof, the giving of warning, counsel, or reprimand. The principles only are laid down. If the father loves his child he will seek wisdom from the Lord to carry them out. The writer recalls with sadness the case of a Christian father who thought he loved his children but ignored this teaching. He wore himself out working day and night so each would have a superlative education. Now an old man he has no comfort, for his children are in the world.

Occupational relationships When Paul wrote the Ephesian letter the relative terms were slaves and slave-owners not servants and masters.*2 His letter to Philemon gives us a general picture of the social structure of the time. In the Roman Empire whole classes of professional people were slaves. Slavery or freedom hung on the fortunes of war and failure or success in business ventures. Depending on the age in which they lived slaves in the Empire might rise to positions of prominence and become rich or else be treated worse than animals. Paul's purpose in writing the Ephesian letter was not to reform the society of his times. He is concerned with the principles which are to guide the Christian in future generations during which society will assume ever changing forms. Scripture is a book of principles, and these do not vary although generations come and go establishing and overthrowing social forms to suit the needs of the age. The overriding principle here is the subjection of a subordinate person to the person who employs or supervises him not the social mold in which these relationships are cast. The society may be capitalist, socialist, or communist it may be agrarian or highly industrialized the employer may be harsh or benevolent, or even worse incompetent. None of these things are to sway our obedience to Scripture teaching. The same teaching applies to free men who do good 6:8 so that the scope of these verses cannot be restricted to slaves.

Obedience to the employer, whoever that may be, is the duty of the employee, servant or slave. But the work is to be performed as though Christ Himself were ordering it to be done. It is especially objectionable for a Christian to flatter his superior, be servile, or seek promotion using these or other devices of worldly men. God values uprightness of heart. Man doesn't. But the Christian isn't cheated. If he has been a good workman under adverse conditions, slighted by man, his reward is only deferred. "Whatsoever good thing any man does the same shall he receive from the Lord.”

The instructions to masters or employers are very brief. Basically Paul repeats his injunctions to servants or slaves. In other words they are to be upright too, seeking God's approval in their supervisory capacities, not fawning on their superior officers. The Christian employer has to report to a Master in heaven who gives him no special consideration as men do. If the employer is not a Christian he is still not absolved from answering to God for abuse for "the Head of every man is Christ" 1 Cor. 11:3.

Application of these principles to everyday life. If men had followed the simple guidelines the Apostle established here, their societies would not have been plagued by the strikes, lockouts and lawlessness which have endlessly torn their fabric. Let us see that we, as believers, honor these principles in our lives, even if men brush them aside as worthless. They will have to account for their transgressions in the Day of Judgment. "The righteous shall have dominion over them in the morning" Psa. 49:14.

Chapter 2.14

CHRIST—THE PATTERN HEAVENLY MAN—IN ALL HIS RELATIONSHIPS

The temporary earthly relationships given to us in the Ephesian letter are written in the light of our eventual role as rulers of the universe with Christ. This rule is bitterly contested by Satan who resents any erosion of his own authority. He is still "the ruler of the authority of the air, the spirit who now works in the sons of disobedience" 2:2. Satan is opposed to the will of God, which is the keynote to the Ephesian letter. To emphasize the theme of the will of God certain subjects are prominent in Ephesians, while others we might have thought important are ignored. Why is it, for example, that Church rule is found in Corinthians and ignored here in the epistle of the Church? Or why is our obedience to government in the world not mentioned when the Lord Himself told us to render to Caesar the things which are Caesar's? The answer is that these subjects are treated in their proper place. Here Paul's subject is the warfare of the heavenly man against Satan and his hosts. Only trained soldiers can wage war and the beginning of every soldier's training is obedience to the orders of his commanding officer.

Our obedience must be tested. How can we rule others if we are rebellious ourselves? "For be sure of this, that none guilty of unchastity or of impurity or of greed which is idolatry enjoys inheritance in the kingdom of the Christ and God" 5:5. Those who would rule with Christ must first demonstrate submission and obedience in this world. If I am a married woman I am to submit to the order of the natural creation and acknowledge my husband as my head. If I am a child I am to obey my parents in the Lord. If I am a husband I am to love my wife and educate my children in divine things. If I am an employee I am to obey my supervisor. If I am an employer I am to rule my subordinates in the Lord. If I do these things well I will receive the future approval of the Lord and present persecution of men, who unwittingly are mere agents of Satan. This is because we have obeyed Christ's marching orders, and Satan is opposed to Christ. Also we tend to look at the visible, which is a mistake. We look at men, who are rewarding us evil for good, failing to see the real source of the persecution spiritual forces of evil headed by Satan, who use men as tools. This is why Peter warns us not to be surprised "at the painful trial you are suffering, as though something strange were happening to you. But rejoice that you participate in Christ's sufferings, so that you may be overjoyed when His glory is revealed" 1 Peter 4:12, 13. That is the key Christ has been there before us. The best trained soldiers depend on the strategy and experience in war of their Commanding General to crown their warfare with victory. Christ is our Commanding Officer. The Ephesian relationships which we are called upon to acknowledge and honor are ones He Himself has fulfilled some actually, some figuratively. As the pattern Heavenly Man He does not ask us to do what He did not do Himself. He is the Captain of our salvation the Commanding Officer in our warfare against Satan. In World War 2 The Royal Air Force had a top bombing squadron known as "the pathfinders" whose task was to locate a target for following bombers, marking it with flares. Its Commanding Officer was dubbed "the King of the Pathfinders." So it is with the Lord, who has marked the path out for us. He is truly "the King of the Pathfinders" in our war with Satan.

“All the path the saints are treading

Trodden by the Son of God

All the sorrows they are feeling

Felt by Him upon the road.

All the darkness and the sorrow

From around and from within

All the joy and all the triumph

He passed through apart from sin.”

The Perfect Submission and Love of Christ. Christ's first great act of submission was to become a Man. Although equal to the Father in the Godhead, He subjected Himself to His God and Father when He became a Man. He was made a little lower than the angels for the suffering of death see Heb. 2:9 for man ranks lower than the angels in the order of creation. Now if the woman is asked to submit herself to her husband in this world, how little God is asking of her compared to Christ's submission. "A body hast Thou prepared Me" Heb. 10:5. It was a body in which He should suffer and die supreme humiliation supreme suffering but supreme submission.

In Ephesians husbands are told to love their own wives. This is a pale figure of the immeasurable love of Christ for the Church the love of Jesus Christ the Same yesterday and today and forever Heb. 13:8. Yesterday He gave Himself for it v.25 today He sanctifies and cleanses it with the washing of water by the Word v.26 forever He shall enjoy the Church as His spotless bride after her presentation to Himself. So we have the Church in three time aspects past, present and future. Christ seeking her in love so great that He gave Himself is the first consideration He poured Himself out in all the richness of His divine eternal being. The Lord Himself gave us an illustration of this in the merchant who sold everything he owned to buy one pearl of great price. The pearl was the Church, the great price was the cost to Himself He gave Himself. This is the past, and how we rejoice that grief can never more be His portion for He is risen from the dead.

“Came from Godhead's fullest glory

Down to Calvary's depth of woe

Now on high we bow before Thee

Streams of praises ceaseless flow.”

But what of the present? What does Christ do now for the Church? Well, He sanctifies and cleanses it with the washing of water by the Word applying the Holy Scriptures to our needs. To sanctify is to set apart in holiness. The Lord anticipated 5:26 in His prayer to the Father in John 17:19 "and for their sakes I sanctify Myself that they also might be sanctified through the truth." Finally the future of the Church is given us in 5:27 "that He might present it to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that it should be holy and blameless." "Holy and blameless" these are the words used in 1:4 where we are seen in heavenly places in the Father's presence in love. Here God's purpose is realized holy and blameless, Christ presents the Church to Himself where she can be seen. Later Christ and the Church will be publicly displayed when the time comes to make war on our enemies Rev. 19:7-14. But here the beauty of the Church as the result of Christ's work for her, and in her, is our subject. The brown spots and creases which show up as our skin ages and which disfigure the beauty of an earthly bride "or any such thing" will never be found in the bride of Christ. Instead she will be "holy and blameless" which as already pointed out was God's thought in choosing us in Christ before the foundation of the world 1:4.

“Savior come, Thy saints are waiting

Waiting for the nuptial day

Thence their promised glory dating

Come and bear Thy saints away

Come Lord Jesus

Thus Thy waiting people pray.”

The Lord Jesus, then, in His deep love for the Church, is the pattern for husbands to love their wives. The love revolves around our union with Christ. As the woman is united to the man the Church is united to Christ. "This is a great secret but I speak concerning Christ and the Church" v.32 must be connected with v.30 "for we are members of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones." There could be no unity in flesh and blood which cannot inherit the kingdom of God 1 Cor. 15:50. The Lord shed His blood and is now a Man of flesh and bones Luke 24:39. Paul is directing our thoughts back to how Adam secured his bride and Adam is the figure of Him who was to come Rom. 5:14. "And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept and He took one of his ribs and closed up the flesh in its stead" Gen. 2:21. In figure this is the death of Christ the purchase price of His bride. The rib was removed this would come out of Adam's side (it was the side of Christ which was pierced on the cross when He was already dead fulfilling the type of Adam's 'deep sleep'). Then the Lord God built the rib He had taken from man into a woman. No other female creature ever came into being that way. It was His sovereign act in creation to show how Christ the last Adam was to receive His bride union with Christ based on His death and the blood which flowed from His pierced side. Woman in Hebrew (Isha) means "out of man" (Ish), so Adam exclaims "this time" (he is contrasting Eve with the animal creation which passed before him with which union was impossible) "it is bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh this shall be called woman because this was taken out of man." How perfect this type is Adam, no doubt instructed by God as to what had taken place, does not call Eve his flesh and blood. He speaks of bone and flesh as Christ the Last Adam did in resurrection Luke 24:40 and as His Apostle Paul does here. The blood of Christ was shed in redemption when the Roman soldier pierced His side. Even as he is a Man of flesh and bone so shall we be when we receive our glorified bodies. In Ephesians we are viewed as "members of His body, of His flesh and of His bones.”

Such are God's thoughts of us. Now what are our thoughts of God? Have our meditations deepened our understanding of the love of Christ to His bride the Church, or have we merely acknowledged the truth intellectually? God the Father would have us worship Him in spirit and in truth John 4:23. He has given us the Holy Spirit and to the extent we find joy in the love of Christ He touches the strings of the harp of the renewed heart to respond to that love in praise worship and adoration. Well did J.G. Deck the hymn writer pen the following lines:

“Lord Jesus are we one with Thee

O height, o depth of love

And crucified and dead with Thee

Now one in heaven above.

Such was Thy grace that for our sake

Thou didst from heaven come down

With us of flesh and blood partake

and make our guilt Thine own.

Our sins, our guilt, in love divine

Confessed and borne by Thee

The gall the curse the wrath were Thine

To set Thy ransomed free.

Ascended now in glory bright

Life-giving Head Thou art

Nor life, nor death, nor depth, nor height,

Thy saints and Thee can part.

And soon shall come that glorious day

When seated on Thy throne

Thou shalt to wondering worlds display

That we with Thee are one.”

The Perfect Obedience and Rule of the Lord Jesus

Having submitted to the will of God to become a Man, Christ became perfectly obedient to His Father. "I came down from heaven, not to do My own will, but the will of Him who sent Me" John 6:38. He learned obedience by the things which He suffered see Heb. 5:8. This means that He experienced obedience as a blessed Man passing through a hostile world something He could not learn until He became a Man.

He learned obedience in Ephesian relationships our subject here the relationship of a child to His earthly parents in the relationship of servants and masters.

Children and parents His Apostle's injunctions are "children, obey your parents in the Lord, for this is right. Honor your father and mother" 6:1, 2. As a child of twelve the Lord went down to Jerusalem to celebrate the Passover, and remained behind with doctors of the law in the Temple, discoursing with them over the Scriptures. When His mother told Him how distressed she and Joseph were He replied "did you not know that I ought to be occupied in My Father's business?" Luke 2:49. Having satisfied the higher claims of God He then returned to Nazareth and was subject to His parents. Here we find a beautiful blend of submission accepting the role of a child to parents in the order of creation and obedience to His Father's will, whose business occupied Him in the Temple. A closing thought on this phase of the Lord's earthly relationships is that the Savior not only obeyed His parents in the Lord but also honored them. At the end of His life, on the cross, He provided a home for Mary in the Apostle John's house John 19:26-27.

Servants and masters When the Creator of the universe came to dwell with man He did not choose to be a renowned architect and leave great works behind. Instead He became a lowly carpenter like His earthly father Matt. 13:55 Mark 6:3. A carpenter must execute the designs of others submit to their will. Amazing grace that God would so humble Himself before His creatures. If we are called to do the same thing perhaps working for a man of lesser capabilities than our own let us think of Christ our example and glorify God in the midst of our humiliation. "Let this mind be in you which was also in Christ Jesus. Who, being in the form of God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God. But made Himself of no reputation and took upon Him the form of a servant, and was made in the likeness of men. And being found in fashion as a Man He humbled Himself, and became obedient unto death, even the death of the cross" Phil. 2:5-8.

He is the perfect Master as well as the perfect servant. Masters were to do "the same things toward them" i.e. toward the servants. The Lord told us to do to others as we would have them do to us see Matt. 7:12. And there is no respect of persons with Him. He will reward us with administrative office in His coming kingdom according to our faithfulness to Him in this world where He is rejected. While even the least of Christians will sit on His throne Rev. 3:21 That is, share the reign of the universe with Christ they won't share equally. High office, positional distinction in the kingdom, is awarded to the faithful. This is a searching thing for all of us. The Lord Himself told us it will be so. "He said therefore, a certain high born man went to a distant country to receive for himself a kingdom and return. And having called his own ten bondmen he gave to them ten minas and said to them Trade while I am coming. But his citizens hated him, and sent an embassy after him saying we will not that this man should reign over us." Here we will pause and comment that this was the stoning of Stephen. To continue "and it came to pass on his arrival back again, having received the kingdom, that he desired these bondmen to whom he gave the money to be called to him in order that he might know what everyone had gained by trading. And the first came up saying My Lord, your mina has produced ten minas. And he said to him Well done, you good bondman, because you have been faithful in that which is least, be you in authority over ten cities. And the second came saying My Lord, your mina has made five minas. And he said also to this one, And you be over five cities. And another came saying My Lord, lo, there is your mina which I have kept laid up in a towel. For I feared you because you are a harsh man...He says to him. Out of your mouth will I judge you, wicked bondman...why did you not deposit my money in the bank and I should have received it at my coming with interest? And he said to those who stood by, Take from him the mina and give it to him who has ten minas" Luke 19:12-24.

The great lesson in this parable is that the Lord gives us administrative positions in His coming kingdom (in figure rule over cities) in proportion to what we have done with the gifts we have received from Him. He gives us the interest we earned on his capital if we are faithful. If we are unfaithful we lose the capital itself. It goes to the most productive servant, who knew how to invest it. He who has ears to hear, let him hear that warning.

Chapter 2.15

CHRIST AND THE CHURCH IN FOUR FIGURES

In the previous chapter we looked at the Church as the object of Christ's love and devotion to her. Precious as this is we would miss the big picture if our thoughts stopped there. Ephesians is the epistle of the Church and affords us a composite picture of the union of Christ and the Church in four figures the body of Christ, the Holy Temple, the Tabernacle, and the Bride. When the Lord was on earth He fulfilled three of these figures in His Person the Body, the Tabernacle and the Temple. He will one day be the bridegroom of the bride the complement of the remaining figure. But that is future in heaven, not earth. On earth "the Word was made flesh and dwelt among us" John 1:14. This gives us His body and the Tabernacle ("dwelt" is literally "tabernacled"). Then in the following chapter the Lord states that His body is the Temple John 2:19-21. However the teaching implicit in these figures could not be understood until Christ was glorified and the Holy Spirit sent down to earth to become our Teacher John 14:26. Just as the Holy Spirit is our Teacher, so is the Ephesian letter our textbook.

Ephesians is the epistle of the Church not in its practical setting that is Corinthians but as God sees it. Paul spent much time in Corinth and Ephesus laying the foundation of His Church work in Corinth and attaining the zenith of that work in Ephesus, where he taught the elders "all the counsel of God" Acts 20:27. In his letter to the Ephesians we find four views of the Church the object of God's counsels in Christ which we have considered one at a time as they arose in the text. The Church was viewed as the body and bride of Christ figures of living things and as the Holy Temple and Tabernacle figures of buildings, but specifically of buildings associated with worship and God's presence.

While it has pleased God to give us four separate figures of the Church, it was clearly not His thought that we should look at them in isolation from one another. For there is another way to look at these four figures that is to group and compare them. When they are related to one another and to their setting in the display of God's purposes, still further instruction is afforded us. In this connection our approach will be to study the origin of the four figures of the Church following which we will see what we can learn from grouping and comparing certain of the figures. May this deepen our understanding of our union with Christ, our longing for His presence, wean our affections from this present evil world, and cause our hearts to burn with love for Christ.

“O Jesus Christ, most holy

Head of the Church, Thy bride

In us each day more fully

Thy Name be magnified.

O may in each believer

Thy love its power display

And none among us ever

From Thee, our Shepherd stray.”

The Origins of the Four Figures of the Church

The Tabernacle (tent) stands apart from the other three figures on several counts. It is the only figure of the Church not conveyed to an Apostle by the Lord. Further, it is not confined to the Church as the others are. It is used as a figure both in time and in eternity which the others are not. It is God's earliest thought of dwelling with man, conveyed to Moses on the mount, and God's last thought when we are on high Rev. 21:3. The Tabernacle is taken up in 2:22 as a figure of the Church being the dwelling place of the Holy Spirit. Thus it is used as a figure first of God dwelling with the Jews and then with the Church which is predominantly Gentile. The only basis on which God can dwell with man is the shed blood of Christ. God looked ahead to this when He sheltered Israel from His hatred of sin by providing a provisional sacrifice the blood of the Passover Lamb in Egypt. The final view of the Tabernacle is the dwelling of God, not with Israel or the Gentiles, but with men the race in a future eternity. This is the closing thought of the Church the Tabernacle of God with men.

This leaves us with the three figures of the Church which the Lord conveyed to His Apostles. Peter received his figure of the Church from the Lord on earth the figure of the Holy Temple. Paul received his figure of the Church from the Lord in glory the figure of the one body.*1 These revelations agree with the roles of each Apostle. Peter was the Apostle to the Jews the man of the earth Paul the Apostle to the Gentiles the heavenly man. John, received his figure of the Church as the bride of Christ by vision in the isle of Patmos Rev. 1:1. This too was fitting, for John lay in Jesus' bosom when He was on earth. Additionally, all four figures of the Church are found in Paul's writings, since he was a minister of the Church Col. 1:25. In Ephesians he presents his own distinctive line of truth first the body 1:23 then Peter's line the Holy Temple 2:20, 21 next what came to us through Moses the Tabernacle 2:22. He presents the bride last in the fifth chapter. Partly this is because the bride is the last of the three figures in time sequence. Partly too it leaves room for the more detailed coverage of the bride in Revelation. So it is excluded from the doctrinal part of Ephesians and presented in the practical part, with the emphasis on Christ's love to the Church.

How Certain Figures of the Church in Combination Illustrate Rejection, Rule and Rest.

Rejection the Church on Earth Under the Figures of the Body of Christ and the Holy Temple the Body and the Holy Temple Go Together. Since Both Are Viewed As Growing and Therefore Incomplete, the Linkage Is Obvious. Growth Comes From the Continuous Addition of Saved Souls to the Church in the Period From Pentecost to the Rapture. During This Period the Things Which Characterize the Body and the Holy Temple in Combination Are the Rejection of Christ and His People by the World, Our Physical Distance From Christ Who Is in Heaven While We Are on Earth, but Our Union With Him in Spite of This.

The rejection is very pointed in the figure of the body, for Christ our Head is in heaven because man crucified Him. They cried 'away with this Man,' seeking to banish Him from the world. He is still here though, in the members of His body, the Church, but we share His rejection in the world for we are one with Him. So too with the figure of the Holy Temple. Every temple has a priesthood and Peter tells us that we are royal priests that is rulers in a kingdom. The Holy Temple in its future setting will be the seat of our rule but for the present we cannot exercise our royal priesthood as it is intended because the world has rejected the Cornerstone of the Holy Temple Christ.

Next there is the thought of our physical distance from Christ. In the figure of the body He is pictured in heaven whereas we His members are on earth. The figure of the Holy Temple suggests worship at a distance for there are barriers to temple worship. Not that there are any hindrances to our worship, of course, but simply that we are not physically present before the Lord as worshippers as we will be in Rev. 4:4,10,11 That is the thought.

Finally there is the compensation for rejection and physical separation in the common thought of union. In the figure of the body we gaze into heaven as Stephen did and see our glorified Head in heaven. We see ourselves united to Him and represented there in the dignity of sonship. In the figure of the Holy Temple we see ourselves united to Christ our Cornerstone on earth and to the other living stones in the Holy Temple. To complete the golden chain of unity think of it as a divine system in action. First there is Christ the Head of the body in heaven. From heaven He directs His members on earth. Then on earth those members worship Him in the Holy Temple as His holy priests. This completes the cycle, for the worship ascends to Christ our Head in heaven. While figurative, this sketches in our minds a picture of how the Church operates now it affords us a vision of the linkage between heaven and earth while we are left here awaiting the return of our absent Lord.

Rule the Church in heaven during the millennial reign of Christ under the figures of the holy temple and the Bride As soon as the rapture takes place the body and the Holy Temple, which were both growing on earth, cease to grow. We are in heaven the Church is complete. Furthermore, the physical distance which separated us from our absent Lord has ended we are present before Him. To indicate this a new figure is introduced to replace that of the body. This figure is the bride, which speaks of union in nearness as the body spoke of union at a distance. The figure of the Holy Temple is retained. It assumes a new and more important role than when it was on earth.

The Temple in Scripture is figurative of divine rule. Solomon's temple in Jerusalem was God's throne on earth. Every temple has a priesthood and so has the Holy Temple. Peter tells us that believers are holy priests for worship 1 Peter 2:5 and royal priests for rule 1 Peter 2:9. There is no change in our role as worshippers in glory, but there is in our royal priesthood. When we were on earth our royal priesthood was confined to the discernment of events in the world as they related to prophecy a passive role for we are not to reign as kings now 1 Cor. 4:8. When we take our place in the Holy City God begins a series of divine judgments on the earth which end with the crushing of all Christ's foes and the introduction of His millennial kingdom. Then we actively become royal priests wielding authority over the earth from the seat of power the Holy Temple in the heavens. The inheritance of 1:10 our rule with Christ over the universe has its center in the Holy Temple.*2 How we should covet the reward of the overcomer in Philadelphia in that day to be made a pillar "in the Temple of My God" Rev. 3:12.

Rule too is the leading thought of the bride in association with Christ. The woman is to rule the house 1 Tim. 5:14 in the sense of managing its affairs. That is why the bride is called the Holy City Jerusalem in Rev. 21:9, 10. The Holy City Jerusalem IS THE BRIDE OF CHRIST ASSOCIATED WITH HIM IN UNIVERSAL RULE. A city is a system of administration and this is "the administration of the fullness of times" 1:10 that is the millennium, when the heavenly city is to rule over the world with Christ. The thought is a simple yet profound one.

Rest the Church in heaven and earth in the eternal state under the figures of the Bride and the Tabernacle We have pointed out that during the millennium the figure of the body on earth yields to the figure of the Bride in heaven, although the figure of the Holy Temple remains. The Holy Temple remains as the seat of rule because man in the flesh does not willingly submit to Christ's millennial rule, even though Satan is not there to tempt him Rev. 20:2, 3. Man is a fallen creature in his own right. When Satan is released from the abyss at the end of the millennium, man rebels against the kingdom, but his rebellion is quickly crushed Rev. 20:7-9. In quick succession the earth and the works in it are burned up 2 Peter 3:10 and the Great White Throne is set up in space to judge the unsaved dead who are then cast into the lake of fire. Having perfectly administered the kingdom as Man for one thousand years, Christ delivers it up to the Father "that God may be all in all" 1 Cor. 15:24-28. Time ceases. Eternity begins. This is what Peter calls "the day of God" 2 Peter 3:12 when God finds perfect rest. In vision John sees a new heavens and a new earth. Righteousness dwells there 2 Peter 3:13 it is not enforced as in the kingdom it dwells, because all who are counted worthy of that blessed scene have eternal life. Their portion is to enjoy God forever. In the eternal state the Church is seen coming down from God out of the new heaven to the new earth Rev. 21:2 for the range of the universe is ours in Christ Hallelujah!

The consequence of this is that the Holy Temple fades from the scene as a figure of the Church, for rule is not needed where righteousness dwells. The figure of the body on earth (distance) yielded to the figure of the bride in heaven (nearness); the figure of the Holy Temple in heaven (rule over the earth) yielded to the figure of the Tabernacle (God's dwelling with man). The bride finds rest in the home of her husband see Ruth 1:9; the Tabernacle of God is with men. Thus at the end God has returned to His original thoughts a bride for Christ Gen. 24 and the tabernacle Ex. 40. The two final figures of the church then the Bride and the Tabernacle are the same as God's original thoughts of Christ and the Church in type at the beginning.

God's original thoughts of Christ and the Church are important because, as we have just seen, they shine forth in all their beauty in a coming, future eternity. They could not be understood by Moses, even though he was inspired to write the story of the call of the bride in Gen. 24 and to set up the tabernacle after the pattern revealed to him on the mount. For the secret of Christ was hidden in God now it is revealed. But he told us how Abraham, figure of God the Father, instructed his servant Eliezer of Damascus, figure of God the Holy Spirit, to seek a bride for Isaac his risen son, figure of God the Son as Man risen from the dead. The bride, Rebecca, is a figure of the Church, the bride of the risen Son. We use the expression "the risen son" because it is the key to a great truth. In Gen. 22 Abraham obeyed God, bound his son Isaac to the altar, and prepared to slay him. The explanation of Abraham's act is given us in Heb. 11:17-19. It was that God had promised him that his only son Isaac would have children and he knew that God could not lie. If God then told him to sacrifice Isaac he was confident that God would later resurrect him from the dead. His risen son Isaac, therefore, would begat children. God prevented Abraham from slaying his only begotten son, although He Himself gave up His only begotten Son for us all. Only after Abraham had received Isaac from the dead as in a figure could Abraham's servant Eliezer seek a bride for the risen son. It is remarkable that Eliezer came from Damascus, the city to which Paul, the great Apostle of the Church, was traveling when Christ arrested him. So the Holy Spirit could not seek a bride for Christ until He too was a dead and risen Man.

There is another great thought in the call of the bride. This is that Abraham's command to his servant was that the bride must be "of his own kindred" other women, no matter how fair, were unsuitable Gen. 24:3,4. So we, the Spirit-born, are "of His own kindred" sharers of Christ's own life eternal life, which life is in the Son. "He who believes on the Son has eternal life" John 3:36. After Rebecca was found to be "of his own kindred" she mounted a camel and started on an unknown way to an unseen man, guided by Abraham's servant. So we go through this world on an uncharted pathway, guided by the Holy Spirit, to a Christ whom we have not yet seen, but love see 1 Peter 1:8. At the end of the journey Rebecca dwells in a tent as Isaac's wife, the object of his love, just as the Church does at the end Rev. 21:3.

It is beautiful to see, in this account, how God was visualizing the completion of His purposes in a future day the bride and the Tabernacle (tent) God dwelling in love with man and man with Him all founded on the death and resurrection of Christ.

The Great Thought of the Church—God Dwelling With Man and Man With God

We are now ready to summarize what we have learned from the four figures of the Church. Three of the figures, those conveyed to the Apostles, all have one common teaching union with Christ. In the figure of the body the Head and members are united in the Holy Temple the living stones are united to Christ the cornerstone and to one another in the bride the bridegroom and the bride are united. The body as a figure of the Church at the present time gives us union with a rejected Christ who is in heaven (Paul's line). The Holy Temple carried on to its ultimate in the glory gives us the answer to the rejection of the body rule with Christ (Peter's line). The bride gives us union in glory union in nearness and affection (John's line).

These three figures then, with their varying truths, stand as one highlighted against the Tabernacle. The three figures all speak of one thing union with Christ. The figure of-the Tabernacle links up with the great thought of union with Christ, though different from it. The thought of the tabernacle is that God dwells with man and man with God. If we link all four figures together, then, this truth emerges that as the result of our union with Christ (the first three figures) God dwells with us and we with-God (the Tabernacle the fourth figure). Such is the great thought of the Church which we can never repeat too frequently, because it is so little understood THAT AS A RESULT OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST GOD WILL DWELL WITH MAN AND MAN WITH HIM wondrous thought.

Note that this great thought of the Church does not emerge in time but in the future eternity. John saw it in vision. The rejection of the body is answered by rule in the Holy Temple. But that is time in both cases. In the eternal state we find only the Bride and the Tabernacle. Why should the figures of the Church lead up to this great thought only in eternity? The answer is that THE CHURCH HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH TIME IT BELONGS TO ETERNITY. It was destined in a past eternity to dwell with God and God with it in a future eternity.

Thus the figurative teaching, elaborately scattered throughout Scripture and brought together here in our deliberations, agrees with Ephesian doctrine. This is that AS A RESULT OF OUR UNION WITH CHRIST GOD DWELLS WITH US 2:22 AND WE DWELL WITH HIM 1:4. The only reason God can dwell with us and we with Him is our union with Christ. This union is a holy union SO THAT GOD DWELLS WITH US IN HARMONY WITH HIS OWN NATURE WITHOUT ANY LOSS OF HIS GLORY.

Chapter 2.16

REMARKS INTRODUCTORY TO THE LAST CHAPTER

Like an airplane making a rough landing, jolting the passengers in their seats, the closing chapter comes as a distinct shock to the unobservant reader the reader who has not noticed the prominent part played by Satan in the Ephesian letter. Much of the sixth chapter concerns warfare a subject which a superficial study might suggest is disconnected from the main body of the Ephesian letter. Actually this is not so, for as far back as the second chapter we were warned that Satan, the ruler of the authority of the air, holds sway on earth. Here at the close we find warfare in heavenly places. This is appropriate. Heaven and earth in Scripture language comprise the universe. Satan's evil spiritual powers are called "universal lords of darkness" for their evil sway is not confined to either sphere. We are called "children of light." The battle between light and darkness, then, must be joined. The battlefield is the universe. The reason for this is that the great subject of Ephesians is the will of God, which of necessity must prevail in God's universe. Satan opposes the will of God in a universal sense. And we are of God, and therefore Satan's foes.

Now the will of God is centered in Christ as Man. God's purpose is the reproduction of God in man which He has realized in Christ. It is the will of God, then, that Christ in Manhood shall inherit the universe. But that will also chose us in Him in a distant eternity to share His position of sonship, His blessedness before the Father, His universal inheritance in bodies of power and glory. These individual blessings have been merged into corporate blessing the Church, nearest to His heart and figured in the four ways we have just considered.

The Church belongs to eternity, not to time. Its origin was a past eternity its destiny a future eternity. But in time it shares the rejection of its absent Head. Its compensation for its present rejection is the knowledge of its indissoluble union with Christ. From that union flows its coming exaltation and glory with Christ when He enters into His inheritance. Then there will be universal praise and universal worship through the Church to Christ Jesus, world without end. From that union too we derive the eternal and abiding portion closest to God's heart that He will dwell with man and man with Him for we are one with the Son of the Father's love.

The mind of God thus expressed is virulently resisted by Satan. In Chapter 2 God delivered us from his power on earth and wrought a mighty work in us. We are no longer his subjects. In spite of that, Chapter 3 found Paul in prison the Pauline administration sharing the rejection of the body's Head. In Chapter 4 Christ cares for that body it must be strengthened to pass through a world ruled by Satan. In the remainder of that Chapter, in Chapter 5, and in the opening part of Chapter 6 we are called on to walk through this world as Christ walked. This is intolerable to Satan and in the remainder of Chapter 6 he opposes us as he opposed Christ first with subtlety (as he did at the temptation) then with force (as he did at the cross). But Christ, who overcame him, has bequeathed His armor the whole armor of God to us so that we too may overcome him.

To be good soldiers of Jesus Christ we must first be trained. We learn to obey. Before we can go into battle we must carry out Paul's precepts in our domestic and other circles and in the world. The world is where Satan rules, and if he sees men obeying God rather than him, war is imminent. He is opposed to the core teaching of Ephesians the will of God and will certainly attack those who obey it. That is why we are firmly exhorted to put on the whole armor of God. We are at war with Satan, although not always in battle. Like a skilled general he will choose the most suitable moment to attack us when He detects failure in us. The armor is needed in battle "the evil day" when Satan singles us out for attack.*1 Such is the inlet to the chapter which follows.

Chapter 2.17

WAGING WAR IN HEAVENLY PLACES WITH THE UNSEEN HOSTS OF DARKNESS (Suggested Reading: 6:10-24)

Paul tells us that all Scripture is given by inspiration of God. That is, it is God breathed it comes from the Holy Spirit, is the imperishable written Word of God, and is for eternal service. But God also allowed it to be written by men like us, with distinctive styles of writing, whose thoughts, under God, were molded by impressions from their daily lives. These impressions came both from education and training in divine things and from their circumstances and experience of life. We see this in Paul, who wrote this letter to the Ephesians from his prison in Rome. One indelible impression was that of the Roman soldiers who guarded him constantly covered in armor which he vividly describes here. The other impression was his recollection of Israel's wars with the seven nations in Canaan, in Joshua's time. Both these impressions run into one another in the passage we are about to consider.

Carnal Warfare in Canaan and Spiritual Warfare in Heaven

The cause of war is the clash of opposing wills. And the great subject in Ephesians is the will of God*l which is vigorously resisted by Satan. The will of God for Israel His earthly people was to bring them into Canaan; the will of God for the Church His heavenly people is to bring us into the heavenly places where He already sees us.

But in divine wisdom God does not exert His will until He first teaches us His ways. When God saved Israel from the slavery of Egypt He could have brought them instantly into the promised land for such was His will for them; when God saved us He could have taken us to heaven at once, for that is His will for us too. But in His ways toward both Israel and the Church He chose to test His people in this world. This testing makes clear the poverty of our hearts toward Him and the richness of His heart toward us overflowing in grace. That is why He let Israel wander forty years in the desert, and why we have to pass through this world too. Wasn't the walk of the Christian the subject of the preceding chapters? Of course it is not wilderness experience there but rather the walk of the heavenly man on earth. Still, what figure can walking convey to our minds except going from one point to another? It is not the will of God that we should settle down in this world but rather that we should walk through it as Christ walked until we too reach the same destination as our Head. Again, when Israel entered the Promised Land their battles began. When Joshua was near Jericho he met a man with a drawn sword, who told him he had come as Captain of the Lord's army Josh. 5:13, 14. So with us. Ephesians finds us in heavenly places in Christ at the beginning where the will of God is unfolded. It is fitting that we should be found in heavenly places at the end too. We cannot lose our standing in heavenly places in Christ. At the beginning, though, we are before God in rest; at the end we are before the devil in combat. He opposed Israel's entrance into the land and he opposes us in the True Canaan the heavenly places.

There are important differences, however. First, the weapons of our warfare are not carnal as Joshua's were. Secondly, Israel drove out the original inhabitants of the land with the sword. But the original inhabitants of heaven are the angels, many of whom are fallen and, under Satan's leadership, in rebellion against God. We are not called upon to drive them out as Joshua did. Michael and the holy angels will do that for us some day Rev. 12:7-12. All God asks us to do is to stand to hold firm against them in this evil day when Satan accuses us before God day and night Rev. 12:10. Satan's hosts are against us but we are not to yield heavenly ground for it belongs to us "our struggle is not AGAINST blood and flesh, but AGAINST principalities, AGAINST authorities, AGAINST the universal lords of this darkness, 'AGAINST spiritual power of wickedness in the heavenlies." The mind of Christ is that we take the whole armor of God in our struggle against the powers of darkness.

If Paul reverted in his mind to Joshua's war in Canaan, surely his circumstances made another and equally strong impression. This would be the battle gear of the Roman soldiers who guarded him, the clank of their armor, the tramp of armed soldiers. But the thoughts which formed in his mind were not of these carnal weapons but of the spiritual ones God has given us. So he opens the subject of "the whole armor of God." This contains a sword an offensive weapon which might make us wonder why it is included as armor. But the expression is a wide ranging one just as soldiers today call tanks "the armor" or talk about "the first armored division" etc. even though tanks are really designed for attack, not defense. "The whole armor of God" in Ephesians then, is the spiritual counterpart of what a combat soldier would draw from Quartermaster stores if his regiment were mobilized his complete fighting kit. He would be responsible to maintain every item and carry it in its proper place. He would not be properly dressed, as soldiers say, if a single item were missing. With us the armor is all figurative, but it has deep moral teaching.

Our Struggle

The full armor of God speaks of the Christian's state of soul. This is what he must pit against the devil who may know him better than he knows himself. He only has to detect some piece of armor we have forgotten to put on and he is ready to probe the weak spot. The devil doesn't care how much truth you have as long as you don't practice it. We cannot fight the Lord's battles unless we are in communion with Him. What we really are before God shows up when we are in combat with Satan. If we are walking with God the Scripture will apply "resist the devil and he will flee from you" James 4:7. He flees because he has no armor to shield him from our great offensive weapon the Sword of the Spirit, which is the Word of God. That is the weapon the Lord used against Satan in the temptation. On the other hand if we do not resist him he will soon make us run away from him. Then he can wound us easily for God does not issue us armor for our backs. In other words Satan can only wound us if he can reach our flesh. He cannot harm us if our practical life clearly shows that we are in Christ.

To stand against an enemy a soldier must know something of his battle tactics. The Scripture briefs us about these. We are told that Satan always comes at us in one of two ways as an angel of light to deceive, to corrupt with guile or subtlety as he did to Eve in Eden see 2 Cor. 11:14 or if that tactic fails, as a roaring lion 1 Peter 5:8 attacking us and persecuting us violently. The whole armor of God is our only protection against either form of attack. We put it on to protect us from his angel of light character 6:11 and against his roaring lion character too 6:13, 16. His wiles are traps, lures, ambushes raising doubts in our minds as to the purpose of life or whether God cares for example when we see incomprehensible things happening like a promising young man killed accidentally and an apparently useless old man living on and on. Or it may be stirring up heresies and evil doctrines in the Church, or getting Christians to dissipate their strength by fighting one another on remote points of doctrine. He has his bait ready for the careless in the world too success, promotion, ambition, the love of money, carnal and mental allurements. These are only a few examples of the hidden traps he springs on the unwary. His fiery darts are more offensive weapons. He might raise up enemies against us, or tribulation in the flesh as in Job's case. How successful he was with Job's wife, whose advice to her husband was "curse God and die" Job 2:9, not understanding that Satan caused Job's troubles.

The devil also has innumerable evil spirits under his command in this spiritual warfare. Our struggle is not with men of flesh and blood. Hitler once wrote a book called "Mein Kampf" "my struggle" which became a Bible to his followers. But this is "our struggle" 6:12 and it has been written for Christ's soldiers. Our struggle is not against men we can see but against the devil's armies "against spiritual (power) of wickedness in the heavenlies." In God's eyes they are usurpers there for He sees us seated in heavenly places in Christ. Therefore we are not to give up the heavenly ground on which He sees us but to hold onto it against our diabolical enemies. They will try to coax us off it by subtlety or force us off it by open warfare. We are not ordered to advance against them that is take the offensive but to stand. This is because we are seated in heavenly places in Christ. It goes without saying that there can be no advance beyond that standing. So Paul commands us time and again TO STAND not to give up in practical life the standing in the heavenly places God has given us. This command TO STAND rings out time and again, as from a soldier's superior officer when his men are under fire. First it is that we may be able to stand verse 11 Then that we may be able to withstand verse 13 that is resist both appeals in connection with putting on the first three parts of our armor. Then having accomplished all things we are to stand verse 13. "Stand, therefore" says Paul.

The order in which the parts of the armor is put on is moral. It is unlikely that a Roman soldier would pick up his shield before putting on his helmet, for example. But this is divine armor, and the order of dress is arranged to teach us how to survive in spiritual warfare. Our battle orders begin with "be strong in the Lord, and in the might of His strength.*2 It is His armor we are to wear the armor of God not our armor. We are exhorted to put on the armor so we can stand against the devil. Then the devil's fighters are identified wicked spirits and this is given as an additional reason to take the armor of God "in the evil day." Finally Paul describes the armor of God.


	The Seven Parts of “The Full Armor of God" 6:14-18

	The four things which maintain our state of soul when attacked
	Stand, therefore, having girt about your loins with…….TRUTH
	And having put on the breastplate of …………RIGHTEOUSNESS
	And shod your feet with the preparation of the glad tidings of………PEACE
	Besides all these having taken the shield of……..FAITH
	The three things which help us repulse our foes
	Receive the helmet of……….SALVATION
	And the sword of the……..SPIRIT
	Praying at all seasons in the……….SPIRIT

Paul first writes about those parts of the armor which morally strengthen the Christian soldier against the stratagems and assaults of the unseen enemy. The armor serves three purposes to protect us against the devil's cunning v.11 to protect us against his spiritual allies in evil, the wicked spirits vs. 12, 13, and to protect us against his outright attacks v.16.

Truth, Righteousness, Peace and Faith—the Things Which Maintain Our State of Soul When Tempted or Attacked

The girdle of truth. From ancient times men knew that they could amplify their physical strength for a task by girding their bodies "gird up now your loins like a man" Job 38:3. In modern times we strengthen sagging muscles with belts, trusses, corsets, braces, etc. and athletes brace their firm muscles with specially fitted girding devices. So did the Roman soldiers. When on duty they wore the engirdling belt to which Paul refers here, buckled around the waist.

The spiritual application is the heart aroused to attention and expectancy see Luke 12:35 or the mind kept sober 1 Peter 1:13. Our emotions and wills inner thoughts, feelings, affections, purposes whatever is circulating in the heart and mind, must be girded that is subjected to the Truth to the revelation of God to divine principles and precepts. This will produce practical godliness. Just as a belt around his waist strengthened the Roman soldier, so the application of the truth to our inner thoughts and emotions strengthens us in combat with Satan. What do I want of his world, for example, when my desire for it is bridled by a Scripture such as "love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him" 1 John 2:15.

If we do not control our thoughts and emotions we are like the soldier who neglects to buckle on his engirdling belt, and so cannot amplify his strength in battle. When Satan is expelled from heaven with his hosts Rev. 12:7-9 and we are in our Father's house we can un-gird ourselves like the Roman soldier at rest in his barracks. For then we will not have the flesh in us to contend with the inner enemy or Satan the outer enemy. Then our warfare will be over. But in the meantime the warning note sounds out "but be doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves. For if any man be a hearer of the Word, and not a doer, he is like a man observing his own face in a mirror who looks at himself and goes away, and immediately forgets what he looks like James 1:22-24.

The breastplate of righteousness. This is practical righteousness, not the righteousness of God we have in Christ. Conclusive proof of this is that we don't wear the armor before God but before Satan. The righteousness of God is the subject of Romans, not Ephesians, which does not consider the question of man's responsibility. In Romans we are told to put on the armor of light Rom. 13:12 needed in the night. Nothing is said about it, for the devil cannot touch those who are protected by the light of divine righteousness.

However Satan is quick to see failure in practical righteousness in a Christian's life. Here failure to put on the breastplate is more related to neglect of the exhortations in Chapters 4, 5, and the beginning of Chapter 6. But an attack can come even if our motives seem unclear to worldly people, who after all are only Satan's pawns although they do not know it. As a boy I recall a wealthy old Christian whom I will call 'Sam' here to prevent identifying him. In spite of his riches Sam dearly loved the Lord and liked to preach the gospel on the street. The regular crowd of trouble makers who came to the preaching tried to discourage him. Their tactic was to fill all their pockets with coins before they arrived. Then when Sam started to preach they would jingle the coins and chant "how about the money, Sam, how about the money?" Since Sam made his money honestly he did not let this opposition stop him. But the devil knows our weak spots. He wants to wound as many of Christ's soldiers as possible. We must wear the breastplate of righteousness. Note too that each piece of armor we put on is one step closer to the use of all the armor in open warfare... Army boots The Roman legions were famed for long, forced marches over rugged terrain. Their sturdy boots were built to take this punishment. Our feet are fitted with the preparation of the gospel of peace. We must have applied the girdle of truth and the breastplate of righteousness to ourselves before we are prepared to preach the gospel to others. Bruce says*3 that the Greek word we translate 'preparation' is used of a ship's tackling, is best rendered 'equipment' but may carry the abstract sense of readiness. But if a peaceful walk with God prepares us to carry the gospel of peace to others, open war is near, for Satan is opposed to the gospel. Up to this point we have been considering how to meet the wiles of the devil his 'angel of light' character. But as soon as we put our army boots on and are ready to march into Satan's territory, he changes from an angel of light to a roaring lion, and is now called "the wicked one." We face him in "the evil day" v. 13 his day.

The shield of faith- The weapons of the wicked one are inflamed darts which he hurls at us. In ancient warfare these darts were tipped with incendiary material. When masses of soldiers hurled them they filled the air like a shower of arrows, burning and wounding the unprotected. This form of warfare was the ancient equivalent of the modern flamethrower.

These inflamed darts of the wicked one speak of random, distant, harassing warfare. It is field warfare now, and these weapons are dangerous if they penetrate. They could represent any assault of Satan against the heavenly man. Trials now arise in the circles Paul wrote about the Christian circle, the family circle, the occupational circle. We are to meet them by lifting up the shield of faith with which we will be able to extinguish all the inflamed darts of the wicked one. The shield of faith as a piece of military equipment is distinct from the body armor. It speaks of confidence in God when Satan assails us, and we are having a hard time. We rely on what God has told us of Himself in the Bible. These things are invisible, but that is just the point. The fiery darts are visible faith, the guiding principle by which the just lives, is invisible. Faith counts on the ultimate triumph God has promised us and extinguishes the fiery trials of the moment.

The Assurance of Salvation, the Scriptures and Prayer—the Things Which Help Us Repel the Attacks of Our Foes

There has been a gradual progression in Satan's warfare. First he engaged in skirmishes guerrilla warfare traps and ambushes. This is implied in "the wiles of the devil" 6:11. When the whole armor of God foiled this he came into the open in field warfare. He was met once more with the whole armor of God 6:13. Now he prepares for close, hand-to-hand fighting. But we have the helmet of salvation to protect us the sword to drive him away. Satan has no sword. He is at a disadvantage if we know how to wield the Sword of the Spirit against him. His weapons are fiery darts, which speak of distant warfare. If he comes close to us as the imagery suggests he does, we have a weapon for hand-to-hand fighting, and he has none.

The helmet of salvation is linked with the last two pieces of armor the Sword of the Spirit and prayer. The helmet of salvation is confidence that we are secure. This assurance comes from reading the Bible the Sword of the Spirit. Here we receive battle orders from our superior officer and then report back to Him in prayer. We do not fight alone any more than the Roman soldier, who was in constant communication with his Centurion in battle. If we try warfare in our own strength we may share the sad fate of a Christian man whom my father-in-law found in a jail where he used to preach. Asked how he ever got into such a place he replied "lack of reading the Word of God and prayer.”

The helmet of salvation -Though the soldier holds his shield up and quenches the fiery darts, he still wants to know where they are coming from. To look out he must expose his head. But this is covered by the helmet of salvation, saving him from a serious wound. The helmet of salvation speaks of absolute confidence in our personal salvation in the finished work of Christ on the cross who died for our offenses but was raised again for our justification. We know that the blood of Christ has washed our sins away and so Satan has no real power over us now cannot deliver a vital blow. We are assured of victory, for Christ has met Satan before and overcame him, and we are in Christ. Note that this is the knowledge of these things not the things themselves, which are dealt with in Romans.

It is the knowledge that all is settled to God's satisfaction. My responsibility as a man is never the subject in Ephesians.

The Sword of the Spirit. The most feared of all weapons at close quarters was the Roman short sword in the strong trained hands of the legions. It was pointed at the end for a piercing thrust, and tapered to a cutting edge on both sides. It is this latter feature which the Scriptures draw to our attention "the Word of God is living, and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing even to the dividing asunder of soul and spirit, and of the joints and marrow, and is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart" Heb. 4:12. It is two-edged because it can cut at our flesh as well as at our enemies. The Lord used the Sword of the Spirit against Satan in the temptation driving him away. We find Him judging the Church and smiting the nations with it in Rev. 1:16 and Rev. 19:15 respectively.*4

The Sword of the Spirit is not meant to be kept in its scabbard. From earliest youth our children are to be taught how to fight with this weapon -6:4. Parents must read the Bible to their children constantly, teach it to them, encourage them to memorize Scripture so they can quote it later. This may be compared to oiling and honing the sword. Then when our children are saved, the Scriptures they have imbibed from infancy will be explained to them by the Holy Spirit, who will then indwell their bodies. He is the real Teacher. It is His sword not ours. The Bible is the Sword of the Spirit, the Word of God.

We also profit from those who give us instruction in the use of the Sword of the Spirit. The young soldier must learn swordsmanship, and honor those who have instructed him Heb. 13:7. Our fencing masters are to be counted worthy of double honor 1 Tim. 5:17. Diligence in studies brings God's approval 2 Tim. 2:15. Then the time comes when we leave the training barracks behind and go out with drawn sword on the battlefield to meet the wicked one and the evil spirits under his command. We tend to think of the battlefield as the world because in a practical sense that is where we meet conflict. But God looks at the source of the opposition to us the wicked one and his fallen angels in heavenly places. It is the heavenly places we now occupy in God's eye which Satan contests. He does not want man to stand on heavenly ground.

Prayer and supplication in the Spirit Prayer is our great unseen weapon against Satan. Paul stresses earnestness in prayer "praying at all seasons" "watching unto this very thing with all perseverance." It is the fervent supplication of the righteous man which has much power see James 5:16 for great is our adversary. The end of Ephesians finds us praying before God and armed before Satan. If we are to enjoy our standing at the beginning of Ephesians then our moral state at the end of Ephesians must correspond to it, or we cannot resist Satan. Satan will not allow us to enjoy heavenly things undisturbed. Christ, on the other hand, gives us His place (heaven) and His power (the Holy Spirit) to repel Satan's attacks. The Christian soldier arms himself for conflict, but it is Satan who launches the attacks on him. Why? There are several reasons but they really center on one our union with Christ in the heavenlies. Because of this we displace Satan and his fallen angels, in God's eyes, from the heavenly realms they now occupy. But morally we also displace them from the earth too, by obeying God's precepts in a world he still rules as god and prince. Morally, then, he finds the heavenly man displacing him in both heaven and earth that is universally. He knows that one day we will displace him actually from both places when we receive our inheritance 1:10. He will not willingly surrender his authority, which he wields not only over evil spirits but over the world and the flesh.

Victory Over the World, the Flesh, and the Devil

THE WILL OF GOD

1:4 according as He has chosen us in Him

5 according to the good pleasure of His will

7 according to the riches of His grace

9 according to His good pleasure

11 according to the purpose of Him who works all things

PAUL'S FIRST PRAYER

19 according to the working of the might of His strength

THE WORLD AND THE DEVIL

2:2 according to the age of this world

2:2 according to the ruler of the authority of the air

3:3 according as I have written before briefly

7 according to the gift of the grace of God 11 according to the purpose of the ages

PAUL'S SECOND PRAYER

16 according to the riches of His glory

20 according to the power which works in us

PAUL AND THE EPHESIANS

4:7 according to the measure of the gift

16 according to the working in its measure

21 according as the truth is in Jesus

THE FLESH

22 according to the former lifestyle

22 according to the deceitful lusts

24 according to God is created

6:5 according to the flesh

We have prepared a chart which makes this startlingly clear to the eye. Here the setting of the verses visually demonstrates the battle between prayer and Satan's efforts to nullify the power of prayer. The natural man thinks prayer is weakness but "My strength is made perfect in weakness" 2 Cor. 12:9. If it took a strong man to wield a Roman short sword, it takes a stronger man to wield the Sword of the Spirit. Prayer and the Sword of the Spirit go together. Prayer supplies the strength and energy to wield the Sword of the Spirit against Satan. Notice how the divine arrangement of the verses in the chart illuminate the battle between prayer and the devil's attempts to oppose it. What is of God and what is of the devil is in harmony with ("according as" or "according to") good or evil. The workings of God and the workings of Satan clash openly. Following the first apostolic prayer the world and Satan's authority over it is introduced in the text, showing him as the evil influence who would hinder the first prayer if possible. How? By offering the present world as an alternative to the heavenly places and our inheritance the very things Paul was praying that the Ephesians might understand. Paul's second prayer was that the Ephesians might be strengthened with power by the Holy Spirit in the inner man 3:16 our holy and spiritual nature. Satan counters this by offering the flesh instead the corrupt old man with his deceitful lusts. The world, the flesh and the devil, then, are the things which Satan offers to lure the Christian away from the understanding of Ephesian truth and the practical application of it in his life. The Apostle's prayers are still efficacious against these allurements.

Paul, As the General of the Lord's Armies, Longs to Besiege Satan's Fortifications in the World in Scripture the Battle Between David and Goliath Is a Distinct Foreshadowing of the Warfare Between Christ and Satan. David Stunned Goliath With One Stone, and He Fell a Figure of Christ Overcoming Satan at the Temptation. Then David Cut off Goliath's Head With His Own Sword a Figure of Satan's Power of Death Annulled at the Cross "That Through Death He Might Destroy Him Who Had the Power of Death, That Is the Devil, and Deliver Those Who Through Fear of Death Were All Their Lifetime Subject to Bondage" Heb. 2:14,15. That Is Why, As Ephesians Closes, the Christian Has a Sword but Satan Hasn't, and Must Fight From a Distance, Hurling Fiery Darts.

Paul exhorted the Ephesians to fight defensive warfare, holding their ground when attacked. He himself wanted to take the offensive. He wanted to be certain that the Ephesians wouldn't yield ground so he would be free to make further conquests. So he urges the Ephesians to pray for him to make war against Satan in the world "that utterance might be given to me, that I might open my mouth boldly, to make known the mystery of Christ, for which I am an ambassador in bonds. That therein I may speak boldly, as I aught to speak." The acts of the Apostles is the record of Paul's open warfare against a world ruled by Satan. It explains the siege warfare he wrote about in 2 Cor. 10:4 "for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds." The two church epistles, Ephesians and Corinthians, thus give us a picture of a militant Church in Ephesians standing against Satan's attacks in Corinthians attacking and demolishing his fortifications in the world. Our study here really ends with Paul, a prisoner of war, longing for combat as the chief soldier of Jesus Christ. So he asks the Ephesians to pray for him that he might speak boldly again in renewed warfare against Satan.

Chapter 2.18

PAUL'S CLOSING BENEDICTION

A reciprocity of divine interest and affection between Paul and the Ephesians shines out at the close. He takes for granted their interest in his welfare as a prisoner. Tychicus ministered to the aged Apostle, Timothy not being in Rome at the time. So Tychicus is called not only a beloved brother but a faithful minister in the Lord. Paul sends him from Rome to Ephesus but does not mention him here as the undoubted bearer of this priceless letter. Instead his mission is to inform the Ephesians of Paul's affairs, and to encourage their hearts also. Apart from Tychicus the letter closes without Paul's customary salutations so noticeable at the end of Romans. Surely he must have known the brothers and sisters at Ephesus as well or better than those in Rome. He had not visited Rome at the time he wrote that letter, but he had spent so much time in Ephesus he must have known it and the Christians there as well as his own town of Tarsus. What explains this silence at the end of the Ephesian letter, broken only by Tychicus? One wonders if it is not the mountain top character of the Ephesian letter the most profound truths calling for the utmost brevity.

And so the closing benediction is "peace to the brethren and love with faith from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption." Notice how Paul's message from God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ reverses the order of the words "grace" and "peace" at the beginning. The letter opens with grace and peace 1:2 but closes with peace and grace 6:23, 24. The reason is that our blessings in Christ at the beginning, are unqualified. At the end, too, peace is unconditional. It is the portion of every believer through the blood of the cross. But grace is looked at in a slightly different light now that the Ephesian letter has been made public. Paul told the Corinthians that many corrupted God's Word see 2 Cor. 2:17. So the message of grace that is the enjoyment of divine grace is extended only to those who "love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption." Such see themselves as God sees them as heavenly men, seated in heavenly places in Christ. They deport themselves that way in the circles of this temporary life's activities and relationships chapters 4, 5, 6 to verse 9 and face Satan with courage in the armor and with the weapons God has provided them. May God keep us the reader and the writer in this incorruptible love, in Jesus' precious Name. Amen.

Chapter 2.19

THE TRIUMPH OF THE COUNSELS OF GOD

The Ephesian letter may be summarized this way Chapter 1 is heaven Chapter 2 earth Chapter 3 the wisdom of God made known to heaven through the Church on earth Chapters 4,5, and the opening of Chapter 6 is living a heavenly life on earth the remainder of Chapter 6 is waging spiritual warfare in heaven. Heaven and earth, then, is the theme of Ephesians, but since heaven and earth in the language of Scripture means the universe, the theme of Ephesians is a universal one. Its keynote is the will of God, for God created and sustains the universe also Christ has title to all things by right of redemption. But a discordant note intrudes in Ephesians Satan, who is opposed to the will of God and challenges His throne. Because Satan, his evil spirits and fallen man oppose the will of God, the whole universe has become the arena of an epic struggle for dominance.

The purpose of this chapter is to trace and synopsize the spiritual warfare between God, Satan, and man from the Apostle's time to the close of Christianity on earth and to relate this conflict to Paul's Ephesian letter. The note on which the Ephesian letter closed was spiritual warfare, and the entire history of the Church since Paul left it has continued that theme.

The Rise and Fall of Paul's Work at Ephesus

At the beginning of Christianity man was in darkness. God turned him to the light. He was under the power of Satan. God broke Satan's chains with miracles which proved the gospel came from God. The souls who were saved were transferred from Satan's kingdom to God's and added to the Church as members of Christ's body. Then God instituted a responsible human administration of the Church under Paul. The doctrine of this Pauline administration is given to us in 3:3-10, its salient point being that Christ and Christ alone is the Head of the Church. The details of this administration will be found in those chapters of the Acts of the Apostles which record the life and works of Paul.

At first the Church obeyed its Head in heaven. That is, the members on earth read the Holy Scriptures, which gave them directions from their Head in heaven, and applied what they read to their lives. The result was that the Church was an unbroken unity and expressed practically God's mind for it as the body of Christ on earth. Now when Christ was bodily present on earth demons were cast out, diseases healed, the dead raised, and so on. Such evils, as manifestations of Satan's power, had to go when God was present. That is why these mighty works were continued in the Acts of the Apostles. The Church as Christ's body on earth was endued with the same power the Holy Spirit as when He was bodily present on earth. At Philippi, for example, Paul finds a girl possessed by a demon and casts it out. He preaches the Word of God to a woman, Lydia, and to a man, the jailer. Both are converted and Satan's power to imprison man in darkness, symbolized by the jail, is rocked to its foundation, as man calls for a light Acts 16. Then at Ephesus the whole Roman province of Asia, whose capital it was, hears the word of the Lord. Another seat of Satan the Temple of the goddess Artemis, is threatened. The demons show that while Jesus and Paul had authority over them, Satan's slaves in the world had none. Turning from darkness to light the people then burned their occult books. The Word of God grew mightily and prevailed.

Satan counter-attacked, stirring up a riot at Ephesus. This failed. He then turned to his "angel of light" character as a corrupter. He began by corrupting man in the Garden of Eden and then organized the world system to keep man away from God. God was overturning this in Paul's administration. Indeed this was the charge against the early Christians "these who have turned the world upside down" Acts 17:6. What was wanted in Satan's eyes then, was to weaken the power of the Church displayed as Christ's body on earth. If he could not subdue that power with the riot perhaps there was a way to corrupt it. If Paul knew the danger of "not holding the Head" Col. 2:19 the source of direction and organization in the body we may be sure Satan saw the weakness as well. But the spiritual energy of the Apostles held the Church together until the savage wolves Paul warned of ravaged it when they departed.

At the close of his life Paul wrote Timothy that everyone in the Roman province of Asia the capital of which was Ephesus had deserted him see 1 Tim. 1:15. The love of present things had dimmed the prospect of the heavenly inheritance. Paul's closing words to them had been "grace with all those who love our Lord Jesus Christ in incorruption" 6:24. This incorruptible love was what the Lord Himself was looking for and found lacking when He walked among the seven golden lampstands and judged their responsible corporate walk "I hold this against you. You have forsaken your first love. Remember the height from which you have fallen" Rev. 2:4, 5. Ephesus fell from the height of the Ephesian letter and the incorruptible love on which it ended. The corporate declension of the Church stemmed from Ephesus.*1 In referring to the height from which they had fallen the Lord may have been reminding them of the depths from which they had begun as well. Had they not worshipped the great goddess Artemis and the image which fell down from heaven Acts 19. From that depth Paul had elevated them to the apex of Ephesian truth. How far did they fall from that? Why all the way back to their old idolatry in another form for it was Ephesus which decreed the worship of another goddess the Virgin Mary. "The Council of Ephesus, in 431, in declaring that Mary was the Theotokos- she who gave birth to God ratified the fervor of the Copts who had worshipped her as such, suckling the new-born Jesus" to quote a recent writer.*2 This gives us the failure of the brightest spot in the early Church, whose loss of first love for Christ incorruptible love was the source of the general decline of the Church. We will now trace that general decline, mostly along moral lines, although brief historical references may intrude. Our aim is a panoramic view of the professing Church over the centuries of all that bore the Name of Christ in public profession, whether true or false. As J.G. Bellett once remarked "we want largeness of thought; and largeness of thought need not take us out of accuracy of thought."*3

How the Ephesian Doctrine That Christ Is the Head of the Church Was Attacked and Overthrown

In Paul's day there were no organic divisions in the Church. However the spirit of division existed in the form of internal dissensions as at Corinth. Man tends to divide to the left or right to use modern terminology that is, he departs from the center, where God is, in different ways see Isa. 53:6 or opposing opinions. In Israel the Sadducees were the left the Pharisees the right. In the early Church the right wing emerged first those who wanted to subject Christianity to the law and its ordinances. The Acts of the Apostles records this conflict and the epistle to the Galatians is the answer to it. Later on the left wing emerged false teachers who denied Jesus Christ come in the flesh evil doctrine which is refuted in the Apostle John's writings (their successors, with suitable variations in doctrine are the liberal theologians of today). The opposing schools of thought continued their conflict after the Apostles had left the Church, whose leadership thought the way to resolve the difficulty was to strengthen the oversight. This was a grave error, though well intentioned, and often advocated by godly men, for as already pointed out the inspired writings of the Apostles had settled the questions. Why not turn to them? The practical meaning of bowing to the authority of Christ as Head of the Church was to read and obey the canon of inspired Scripture, now closed and apostolically commended even before it was closed Acts 20:32. We get an insight into the prevailing view that a strengthened oversight of the people was the answer to their divisive tendencies in the letters of Ignatius, third Bishop of Antioch in Syria. Ignatius loved the Church and meant well. He was faithful to death for Christ's sake. On his way to Rome and a martyr's crown he wrote letters of encouragement to several Christian assemblies. In one of these letters to the Church at Tralles in Asia he writes "nobody's conscience can be clean if he is acting without the authority of his bishop, clergy and deacons." If this were literally true there could have been no Reformation. Indeed it was the literal carrying out of this viewpoint which so corrupted the Church as to make the Reformation necessary. There are two reasons for this. First, while not an outright denial that Christ was Head of the Church, it was the first step in that direction. It was a step in the formation of a human organization which would replace a divinely instituted one. Power is in the Head, who is divine, not in the clergy who are human. Second, it was a delaying tactic, a transfer of the problem from the congregation to those who were thought to be more spiritual, and therefore better able to control the unruly elements. It did not work, for the same type of fragmentation arose in the clergy as in the laity. Moses smote the rock, David numbered the people, Peter denied the Lord, Paul visited the Temple. Apart from doctrinal considerations an inevitable power struggle arose among the Bishops. What now who should rule the unruly Bishops? Obviously there must be a Bishop of Bishops, and so the Papacy gradually evolved. Outward unity seemed finally to have been attained by this organizational expedient, but the price paid was the substitution of a human organization for a divine one. Organization is certainly not wrong in itself. God implanted the concept of organization in man. The formal way in which man carries out the divine edict to subdue the earth Gen. 1:28 is by organizing the abilities and activities of other men. Every government, large business enterprise etc. must have a head at the top from whom power flows down to others, and conversely various levels of responsibility must report back upwards to the head. Now God is not the author of confusion and when He established the Church He gave it an organization too, but with an incorruptible Head His Son. A human organization is just the opposite of this. A friend once remarked to me that men work their way up the human power structure by competing with other men at lower levels, where corruption is rife. He suggested that for this reason people should not be surprised at corruption in high political and business offices, for men cannot be less corrupt at the top than when they were striving for mastery in the corruption at the bottom. Knowing this, God organized the Church along the lines of the human body, all of whose members are directed by its Head. He gave the Church an incorruptible Head. The Head still speaks to us now through the Holy Scriptures and vitalizes the members if we are responsive to His direction.

The carnality of the early Church was manifested in giving up its invisible Head in heaven for a visible one on earth. Heaven was far away, and the inheritance too. Christ could be acknowledged as the Head of the Church in heaven, if necessary, as long as the Pope was the head of the Church on earth. But because Scripture denied such doctrine, its interpretation would be safer in the hands of the Church. The authority of Scripture diminished as tradition was added to it and as its circulation was restricted to approved circles.

The end result was the spiritual captivity of the people a captivity as real as Israel's when they were bodily carried away captive to Babylon. The similarity between the corruption of Israel and the corruption of the Church is remarkable also the judgments of God on both for giving Him up. The judgments on Israel were physical for they are an earthly people the judgments on the Church were spiritual for we are a heavenly people. For Israel's sin God allowed Nebuchadnezzar to destroy the Temple at Jerusalem and to carry away captive the people and the holy vessels. For the Church's sin the souls of men have been carried away captive to a spiritual Babylon Rev. 18:13 rather than their bodies. And the holy vessels? Ah! they spoke of the form in which the Word of God was cast the parables, symbols, figures etc. by which Scripture teaches us truth. Who understood Ephesian truth after the fourth century? Who knew or cared about the four figures of the Church? Such things were carried away captive to a spiritual Babylon imprisoned in sculpture or stained glass windows. Who could answer the child's wondering gaze at some Bible story the artist had captured in a church building? It was in inanimate form when God meant it to be living. Who knew the underlying teaching not just the story itself and could explain it simply to a child? The Bible was chained to a pulpit and the people were too illiterate to read it anyway. Truly both the people and the holy vessels were captive.

God brought the Church's captivity to an end, like Israel's. They returned to their land, we returned to the Scriptures. The Holy Spirit stirred up the reformers against the corruption in the Church. They wielded the Sword of the Spirit Paul told us to take at the close of Ephesians. Men began once more to listen to the words of the Head in heaven rather than those of the head on earth. Ironically this led to what the early fathers most feared when they took the first steps which led to the papacy open division. The Church shattered into Roman Catholic and Protestant wings. Carnal warfare followed in Europe. Out of this the Western nations aligned themselves into Roman Catholic or Protestant powers. All of this was a denial of the Lord's words that His kingdom was not of this world which denies Christ's Headship in practice. Rome says if you cannot agree, the Pope is the court of last appeal for the difficulty. Thus one wing of the divided Church is wrong in doctrine and the other in practice. Such is man.

How the Restored Authority of the Bible Over the People Was Attacked Again and Overthrown

Although man is responsible for his conduct, it would be mistaken to attribute all the failure in the Church we have been recounting to man alone. At the close of the Ephesian letter Paul told us that our struggle was not with flesh and blood but with wicked spirits universal lords of darkness. Men are merely their puppets. The failure on man's side was in not wearing the full armor of God provided for this spiritual warfare. In the next phase of the struggle Satan's strategy became bolder. If he could not keep the Bible away from the people by chaining it to a church pulpit he would discredit it in the world so people would think it not worth reading.

For Satan seemed to have suffered a great reversal in the world. Just as God graciously gave Israel two revivals after their captivity Hezekiah's Passover (2 Chron. 30) and the reading of the Word of God under Josiah (2 Kings 22, 23) so with the Church. Hezekiah's Passover had its counterpart in the Reformation when the truth of justification by faith was re-established. The devoted study of the Scriptures followed, but not until the bloody religious wars which sought to overthrow the work of the Reformation ceased, and a measure of peace returned to the Western world. The 19th Century what men call the Victorian age was probably the greatest period of enlightenment in the history of man. It produced Biblical teaching and scholarship of the highest caliber, and in the world just legislation, liberty, freedom, and economic expansion. What tactic would Satan take to reverse this? He persecuted the early church and failed he succeeded with deceit and corruption. He had tried persecution again with the reformers and failed would deceit and corruption be the better weapon once more? It was.

England and Germany were the two Western nations which featured prominently in the Reformation. Satan chose them as his targets to destroy what the Reformation had accomplished—re-establishing the authority of the Word of God over the people. England spawned Darwin and his evolutionary teachings—Germany spawned the higher criticism of the Scriptures. Now while the intelligent Christian should not rule out change in nature*4 the tendency of evolutionary teachings is to shut God out of His creation. The higher criticism challenged the inspiration of the Scriptures and therefore the fall of man, the deity of Christ and the need of redemption through His blood.

How the Giving-up of the Bible Prepared the Way for the Sodom and Gomorrah World of the 20th Century

The twentieth century is the blackest period of time in the history of man. Its horrors cannot be fully described—two world wars, genocide in gas chambers, atom bombs, and moral corruption so great that Sodom and Gomorrah, on which fire from heaven fell, pale into insignificance. Of course, it is headed for the same fate. The origin of this nightmare come true, as already pointed out, was the rejection of the Biblical light of the nineteenth century and the acceptance of the fables of Darwin and the higher critics. Each guise of unbelief fed the other. The insidious poison of the higher criticism worked its way through once sound theological seminaries, many of whose graduates used their pulpits to diffuse their own doubts among their congregations. It is natural for man to doubt God's Word. So when its authority was questioned by those he thought should know, he willingly embraced Darwin's speculations. "If therefore the light that is he thought should know, he willingly embraced Darwin's speculations. "If therefore the light that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness" Matt. 6:23.

The liberal Protestant churches were now weighed in the balances and found wanting. As their congregations deserted them in droves their membership became more theoretical than real.*5 England, with empty and abandoned church buildings dotting the landscape, provides visual evidence of the predicted "falling away" 2 Thess. 2:3. Having no real gospel now, the liberal churchmen began to preach "the social gospel" an attempt to improve the world by influencing its affairs something which Scripture views as spiritual fornication Rev. 17:2. Paul said "but though we, or an angel from heaven, preach any other gospel unto you than that which we have preached unto you, let him be accursed" Gal. 1:8. Little wonder that two severe judgments now fell on England and Germany World Wars 1 and 2. These were the lands of the Reformation and the lands which had rejected the Reformation for the teachings of evolution and the higher criticism. Darwin's teachings had prepared the way for the lifestyle of modern Western man living like a beast without God in his life. The partial evidence of this surfaced in the brutality of the two world wars. The total war concept featured World War 2 no mercy shown to civilian populations from the air or on the ground. This culminated in the release of atom bombs on Japan. This was a portent of the hideous nature of future conflicts if there were no repentance. But the modern world hardened its heart to the judgments as Pharaoh did. Enjoying a temporary respite from war it turned to unparalleled moral corruption becoming as beast like in peace as it had been in war. Paul's letter to the Ephesians had laid down the order of earthly relationships. But this has been scorned. Because Paul's instructions on marriage and the family have been ignored, families have been broken in divorce, children abandoned or allowed to grow up without proper training. Because Paul's instructions to employers and employees have been scorned, vital services are cut off by strikes or disinclination to work. Because Paul's doctrine that Christ is the Head of the Church is spurned, man takes over. Man has his own thoughts. He can borrow some of Paul's, of course those which suit him. For example the Church's rule over the world that is an excellent thought also its unity. Why shouldn't man bring these things about not just talk about them? Can we not now discern the shape of things to come as we listen to liberal churchmen and men of the world talk about the one-world Church and the one-world government?

Preparations for the Marriage of the Lamb in Heaven—the Judgment Seat of Christ

Up to this point we have been considering the professing church as a whole that is, the Roman Catholic Church and all Protestant denominations, sects, groups (but excluding cults such as Jehovah's witnesses, Christian Science, etc.) In this view of the Church those who are born again believers and those who are not but still profess Christianity are all grouped together and viewed the same way as included in the professing church in the world. This is the way the Lord judges the Church on earth otherwise how could you explain Rev. 2:13, 2:23 and 3:16? But when the second coming of Christ takes place only genuine believers will be raptured to heaven. The lifeless professors will be stranded on the earth left in a dead carcass the traditional organizational groupings of what was once the professing church. But with true believers gone and only unbelievers in it, it will no longer be a professing church but an apostate church. Then with the removal of fundamentalist objections there will in all probability be a rapid consummation of a worldly ecumenical marriage. This will embrace all viewpoints. The resulting apostate church will represent the complete triumph of liberal theology man's views of what the church should be. This views of what the church should be. This is the harlot of Rev. 17 whose judgment is described in Rev. 18. Two great events follow in rapid succession the marriage of the Lamb and the crushing of all opposition to Christ's kingdom on earth. "The kingdoms of this world have become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ and He shall reign forever and ever Rev. 11:15.*6

Judgment must begin at the house of God before the world can be judged see 1 Peter 4:17. It begins when the second coming of Christ automatically divides the professing church into true and false professors wise and foolish virgins. Paul tells us about one of the first things we may expect when we get to heaven "we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God...every one of us shall give account of himself to God" Rom. 14:10, 12. Christ will sit on this judgment seat for the Father has committed all judgment to the Son John 5:22. Two things are necessary for every believer the blood of Christ to wash his sins away and the judgment seat of Christ to deal with his responsible life in the world and in the Church. Without this how could we rule the world when we hadn't ruled ourselves? Many in heaven will have contributed to the development of the harlot below. But since there is no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus Rom. 8:1 The character which the judgment seat takes is a review of our responsible life. It is where rewards are given for faithfulness and rebukes for unfaithfulness "if any man builds on this foundation using gold, silver, costly stones, wood, hay or straw, his work will be shown for what it is, because the day will bring it to light. It will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test the quality of each man's work. If what he has built survives, he will receive his reward. If it is burned up he will suffer loss; he himself will be saved, but only as one escaping through the flames" 1 Cor. 3:12-15. This is what is meant by "the marriage of the Lamb is come AND HIS WIFE HAS MADE HERSELF READY, and to her was granted that she should be arrayed in fine linen, clean and white, for the fine linen is the righteousnesses of saints" (note the plural) Rev. 19:7,8. This is what has survived the judgment seat and the spotless beauty of the Bride now shines out.

The judgment seat of Christ is presented in two ways in Revelation. Chronologically it precedes the opening judgments on the world, for in Rev. 4:10 we cast our crowns before the throne and we know these are varied awards for faithfulness presented at the judgment seat. Morally it is wedged between the culminating judgment on the world Rev. 19:11-21 and the judgment on the apostate church the harlot which seduced it. As already pointed out many who are in heaven will have been responsible for the development of the apostate church on earth. We tend to think of judgment in terms of carnal things, forgetting that to defile the Temple of God the Church with heresies, evil doctrines, etc. is to invite destruction 1 Cor. 3:17. Christ cannot in faithfulness judge the apostate church on earth until He has first judged in heaven those whose conduct in the Church produced it. It is a frightening thought too that all the sorrows coming on the world now, and in the prophesied judgments, can be traced to the apostasy of the Church, which in turn originated with Ephesus giving up its first love.

The Harlot Church on Earth Contrasted With the Lamb's Bride in Heaven

The lesson of the apostate church is such a deep one that the Apostle John was taken to see both the true and apostate church by "one of the seven angels which had the seven bowls" in both cases Rev. 17:1 and 21:9. The angel carries John away in the spirit to a desert to see the apostate church Rev. 17:3 for she had no heavenly springs. The angel carried John away in the spirit to see the true church descending out of heaven Rev. 21:10. Evidently then the Holy Spirit would have us compare the true and the false the genuine and the imitation.

The apostate church has many names "the woman" "the whore" "the great whore" "Babylon the Great" "that great city Babylon" "that mighty city" "Mystery, Babylon the Great, the mother of harlots and abominations of the earth." The bride of Christ is called "the Holy City Jerusalem." These appositive names tell us much about the respective churches. Both are depicted as women (a female denotes a moral state in Scripture) and both also as cities Babylon and Jerusalem (a city is a figure of rule, being an administrative center). Babylon was the city which carried Jerusalem into captivity and so it was with the false church. The titles of the apostate church indicate moral corruption on the earth of the true church holiness things. As "the woman" she was dressed to call attention to herself for she was a harlot. She sought rule and honor in the world which crucified Christ. The purple and scarlet, the gold, precious stones and pearls, are figures of things she misappropriated. Babylon, for example, wore pearls, but the Holy City knows only one pearl the pearl of great price Matt. 13:46. Christ had descended to the ocean depths like Jonah in type to secure the Church, the pearl of great price, by His death. We cannot walk in and out of the gates of the Holy City without being reminded of that fact. We find other pieces of Babylon's jewelry in the Holy City but in their proper settings. The Holy City has precious stones like Babylon, not to draw attention to herself but to Christ and His work for us. For the precious stones in the Holy City are set in the foundation of the city walls that is, they speak of the death and resurrection of Christ, our foundation. Babylon not only wore gold on her person to attract men but had a cup of gold to seduce them once they were attracted. This cup of gold was filled with the stupefying wine of idolatry and spiritual fornication. Holding it in her hand suggests the character of her works. Is this seducing wine not a blend of idolatry, liberal theology, and the social gospel? Rulers and ruled alike have got drunk on it. But in the Holy City gold fills its proper role. In Scripture gold symbolizes divine righteousness (as can be seen in its use in the Tabernacle). Since the whole of the Holy City is pure gold, we should not be surprised that its street is pure gold also, like transparent glass. The street is where men walk and that is the proper use of gold, a walk according to divine righteousness, and absolutely transparent not in a hand holding a golden cup full of seducing wine corrupt works. The Holy City has only one street for all in it will walk the same way. There will be no hidden motives all will be transparent. Light, unity, and moral beauty characterize the Holy City it has the glory of God and lightens the earth. Babylon corrupted the earth by drawing mens' attention to herself, seducing and stupefying them with evil works. The adornment of the Holy City is to draw mens' attention to God and to produce a holy walk as a result of that. The Holy City Jerusalem is the Church itself as the bride of Christ depicted as the seat of rule in the future kingdom over heaven and earth- 1:10, 11.

One final word as to the apostate church. Babylon has "mystery" (secret) on her forehead that is, where the world can see it. Her claim to being the bride of Christ is therefore a public one, but the mystery (secret) of the true church was hidden in God. This is enough to expose her claim as false. Again, how can Christ be joined to an harlot 1 Cor. 6:15. The bride of Christ is holy. The false claimant to Christ's affections had added to the Word of God and taken away from it. So God shall add to all its false teachers the plagues in the Book of Revelation. Not being raptured they shall taste them to the full. God shall also take away their part out of the book of life, and out of the Holy City, and from the things which are written in His book see Rev. 22:18-19. The servant who knew God's will but didn't do it shall be beaten with many lashes see Luke 12-47. Blessed is the servant who enters the Holy City and feeds upon the tree of life.

The Divine Administration of Heaven and Earth Ushered in After the Destruction of Satan's Power

Satan seems to be victorious today but the will of God will prevail. How is this to be? Simply by destroying Satan's power and purifying the world by judgment, following which the divine administration of 1:10, 11 will be introduced. The God of heaven shall set up this kingdom which shall never be destroyed or left to successors see Dan. 2:44.

The Ephesian letter closed with a warning that our conflict is not with flesh and blood but with Satan and his evil spirits. They still inhabit the heavenly places and influence men and events on earth from there. But the will of God is that we should not only inhabit these heavenly places but rule earth from them. Satan's first loss of power comes from his ejection from heaven "and there was war in heaven. Michael and his angels fought against the dragon and the dragon fought and his angels, and prevailed not, and his angels were cast out with him" Rev. 12:7-9. Heaven rejoices because Satan is thrown out but earth will taste Satan's wrath "rejoice you heavens and you who inhabit them. But woe to the earth and the sea because the devil has come down to you. He is filled with fury because he knows that his time is short" Rev. 12:12. So he comes down to the world, whose god and prince he still is.*7 But God touches his power there too. As the god of this world he sees his religious masterpiece, the apostate church, destroyed. As the prince of this world his political power ends in total defeat at the hands of the King of Kings and Lord of Lords Rev. 19. Then he himself is seized and bound in the abyss for one thousand years the duration of Christ's kingdom Rev. 20:1-3. Thus do we receive the inheritance God promised us in 1:10, 11.

What a wondrous period this will be. Man lost the tree of life in Eden he could not eat it because he sinned. Then comes the promise to the overcomer in Ephesus "to him who overcomes will I give to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of God" Rev. 2:7. This promise is fulfilled in the Holy City Rev. 22:1, 2

“In eternal counsels founded

Perfect now in fruit divine

When the last blest trump has sounded

Fruit of God forever mine!”

The universe will be filled with the light of Christ's glory. God will have found what He sought the reproduction of Himself in man in Christ and the Church. In this divine administration the fruit of God's eternal counsels will be UNIVERSAL RULE AND UNIVERSAL WORSHIP OF A GOD REVEALED TO US AS FATHER.

Part 3

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST—HEAVEN AND EARTH AT THE END OF THE BIBLE Ephesians closed with a state of war between the heavenly man and principalities, powers, the rulers of the darkness of this world, and spiritual wickedness in high places Eph. 6:12. The Christian was exhorted to put on the whole armor of God and stand firm against the fiery darts of the wicked one. The universe is really a battlefield, and the contending forces are good and evil, the throne of God and the throne of Satan.

There can be no resolution to this conflict until God Himself intervenes in judgment on the earth. The trigger to His judgments, so to speak, is the second coming of Christ. We are given a picture of this in Rev. 4:1, 2 "after this I looked and behold a door was opened in heaven, and the first voice which I heard was as it were of a trumpet talking with me which said come up here and I will show you things which must be hereafter. And immediately I was in the spirit, and behold a throne was set in heaven, and one sat on the throne." Once the throne is set up in heaven, we are given a new, judgmental vista of heavenly things. The 24 elders who surround the throne acknowledge the Lord as the Creator of all things, who is worthy to receive glory and honor and power. In the next chapter the Lamb takes the book sealed with seven seals out of the right hand of Him who sits on the throne. This book symbolizes the Lamb's title to the world He created, but the ownership of which Satan contests. As soon as He does this the 24 elders sing a new song "Thou art worthy to take the book and to open its seals, for Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by Thy blood out of every kindred and tongue, and people and nation" Rev. 5:9. The appearance of the throne in heaven is symbolical. It tells us that God is now about to judge the world.

The elders know this. They are intelligent as to God's mind. They acknowledge God as Creator 4:11 and Redeemer 5:9 the two ways in which we know God. This is a confession that the throne of judgment is occupied by the Man to whom God has given authority over all flesh. They fall down and worship Him who lives forever and ever. Their worship is the signal for the Lamb to open one of the seals 6:1 in other words to begin divine judgments on the world. Why? Because all heaven has bowed to the Lamb's rights, but in the world below they have been trampled on or ignored. The people on whom the judgments will fall are termed in Revelation "those who dwell on the earth." They are the class of people who have heard the clarion call of the gospel for 2000 years, summoning them from earth to heaven. They spurned it, like the people in Luke 14:16-24, making this world their home instead.

Part 3 of this book flows out of these considerations. Chapter 3:1 is an overview of the 21 judgments in Revelation. It was written as the inlet to Chapter 3:2 on the Holy City' Jerusalem, so unveiling the great thought in Revelation. This great thought is that when Christ overthrows Satan's power in the earth, He gives the world, purified by judgment, to His Bride the Church as an inheritance. It is His inheritance rightly, but we share it by grace. Thus John at the end of the Bible amplifies Paul's statement of this in principle in Eph. 1:9-11 "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 times to head up all things in the Christ, the things in the heavens and the things on the earth in Him in whom we have also obtained an inheritance.”

Chapter 3.1

THE 21 JUDGMENTS IN REVELATION—THEIR RELEVANCE TO THE CHURCH'S FAILURE AND FUTURE GLORY

Opening Themes of The Book of Revelations with Christ judging seven churches in the Roman province of Asia beginning with Ephesus, the capital of that province. These seven assemblies were chosen out of many because Asia was the pinnacle of Paul's work so that they represent what man did with Paul's administration of the Church see Col. 1:25-28. While the Lord found many things to commend, great failure crept in too. The responsible church on earth ends with the rapture, the figure of which is the call "come up here" Rev. 4:1. The judgment seat of Christ follows i.e. the individual review of our responsible Christian walk while we were on earth. Some things will be burned up for others there will be an appropriate crown. We know that this sequence of events is chronologically correct for how could we cast our crowns before the throne 4:10 unless these had previously been awarded at the judgment seat? Tying these two things together we note that the church corporately and individually has been judged, fulfilling the requirement that judgment must begin at the house of God 1 Peter 4:17. Once this is done the world, which is Satan's work, as the assembly is Paul's, must be judged. Paul predicted that a time would come when God would judge the world by Jesus Christ Acts 17:31. Now that time has come. We find 24 elders 1 Chron. 24 i.e. the Old and New Testament saints gathered around God's throne in heaven. Out of the throne warnings of the coming wrath lightnings and thunderings.

So 21 judgments, executed by the Lamb whose great day of wrath has come, fall on the earth. These are given to us in the symbols of 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls. Whenever 7 things are mentioned in the Bible they are broken down into 4 and 3, or inversely, as in the case of the 7 churches. The judgments of the 7 seals, 7 trumpets, and 7 bowls are interrupted by parentheses which throw light on them. These judgments are not in sequence because they are presented to us as the revealed mind of God on moral and spiritual matters. God's manner of presentation in which His thoughts take precedence to chronological order is given to us in the beginning in Gen. 3:15 so it is not surprising to find it at the end. Some writers have tried to arrange the judgments chronologically to make the order of events easier to follow. We have not attempted to do so here. This outline begins with the opening of the seals in Chapter 6.

Judgment of the 7 Seals

The Lamb now begins to execute God's judgments on the earth:

The first 4 seals—The 4 horses of the Apocalypse. The white horse is bloodless conquest. The white horse and the crown are symbols of victory. Antichrist sits on the white horse here as Christ does at the end 19:11. The bow symbolizes distant (perhaps psychological) war. He is victorious, intimating world acceptance of his claims. The red horse is war. The great sword, unexplained, might be nuclear war, but this is conjectural. The black horse is the famine conditions which accompany war, and the pale horse follows Death and Hades. Details are not given only enough to explain the world's cry "who can make war with the beast?” world's cry "who can make war with the beast?

The last 3 seals—The 5th seal is about the martyrs who will lose their lives in the time of the beast—the 6th seal gives us a great earthquake -6:12. There are many earthquakes in Revelation so that we must decide whether to interpret them as actual earthquakes or symbolically as the shaking of what is established on earth. Verses 15-17 help us to understand that the latter interpretation applies here. It is God's vengeance on those who have killed His people. This is confirmed in what follows in Chapter 7, which is a parenthesis. 144,000 are sealed. When the 7th seal is opened there is silence in heaven for about half an hour, contemplating the awesome judgments still to proceed out of God's throne.

Judgment of the 7 Trumpets

The judgments increase in severity when man refuses to repent. The symbol of this is the trumpet, which normally everyone can hear. As Chapter 8 opens, Christ under the figure of "another angel" intercedes before God, with the saints, for those of His people who will suffer under the trumpet judgments:

The first 4 trumpets. The first trumpet is hail and fire mingled with blood. All green grass is burned up 8:7. This means business prosperity ends. The 1929 stock market crash preceded the depression, and today the world banking system is almost bankrupt so it is not difficult to interpret this judgment. In the second trumpet 8:8 there is a judgment on a great power and the destruction of trade and commerce. In the 3rd trumpet 8:10 and the 4th trumpet 8:12 moral death seems to be implied bitterness and darkness as man's security vanishes with the dissolution of the institutional structures in which he trusted, and the poisoning of society with Satanic things like the mark of the beast. This is a commercial control 13:17 only possible in the computerized world of today. It will probably be introduced to overcome the effect of God's judgments on world trade initially.

The last three trumpets—The "woe" trumpets—In the first woe trumpet the abyss is opened and locusts are released. The locust eats everything in its path and the figure is strengthened from 9:7-11. They are demons whose king is Satan. They afflict the wicked so greatly that they attempt suicide but are prevented from doing so. Just as locusts fly away, so this plague on the apostate Jews who were not sealed lasts 5 months. It is followed by the 6th woe trumpet in which 4 angels are freed, not from the abyss like the locusts, but from a river which confined them. This is a judgment on the West, thought to be a plague of Eastern religions, but in any case connected with 16:12, where the Euphrates is dried up to become the highway of the kings of the East to Armageddon.

The Heart of Revelation -Who Is Worthy to Rule the World for 1000 Years?

Before the 7th trumpet is sounded we come to a great parenthesis in Chapter 10 and Chapter 11:1-13. We can't understand these chapters without referring to Jer. 32:9-12. Here we learn that in ancient Israel title to ownership of real estate was established with a sealed book and a small open book. These figures are carried over into Revelation. The Lamb owns heaven and earth. When He takes the sealed book, all heaven acclaims Him as worthy to open it Rev. 5 but when He comes down to earth (in figure as a mighty angel) with the little book, the world will not bow to His claims. Judgments must fall on earth then, so those on it will be in harmony with those who acknowledged His property rights in heaven.

The Lord raises up two witnesses to represent Him in His royal city Jerusalem. Then the 7th angel sounds and His 1000 year world kingdom is introduced in principle 11:15-18 because the 7th trumpet does that cf 10:7

Background Chapters- Helping Us Understand the Necessity of the Last 7 Judgments

Before the Last 7 Judgments us a picture of Satan and the beast the 2 great enemies opposing Christ's property rights on the earth. In Chapter 12 Satan is pictured as a great red dragon. He is the fierce enemy of Israel and tries to destroy the Man-child (Christ) born of Israel. He fails. The Man-child (Christ) ascends to God's throne. Israel is providentially sheltered by God. The dragon is thrown out of heaven. He comes to earth, giving his power and authority to the beast, the subject of Chapter 13. Another beast appears who deceives men into making them worship the image of the beast through miracles which Satan makes possible. He compels men to accept the mark of the beast. This control seems total, but God in some unexplained way must make it possible for the godly to circumvent it. The chapter closes with a challenge to calculate the number of the (first) beast 666. The next chapter opens with the 144,000 who, instead of having the mark of the beast on their foreheads, have the Father's name written instead. So the 14th and 15th chapters tell us about the conflict between those on earth who worship the beast and those 15:2 who became victorious over the beast, his image, his mark, and the number of his name. It is time for God to bring the war to a victorious conclusion 15:6-8, with the 7 last plagues. Verse 15:6 tells us that angels are not without feelings, but the wrath of God must be executed. The sea of glass before the throne is now mingled with fire 15:2 and one of the 4 living creatures which represent the throne hands the 7 angels 7 bowls full of the wrath of God.

Judgments of the Seven Bowls

The symbolism of the bowls is contrary to that of the trumpets. The trumpets audibly warned men that God was behind the calamities falling on the earth. But they wouldn't listen and hardened their hearts. When we pour a bowl out, its entire contents go. So the bowls speak of no tempering of judgment. The pouring out of the judgments in the bowls ends the wrath of God in judgment:

The first 4 bowls. These fall, symbolically on creation the earth 16:2 The sea 16:3 the rivers and fountains of waters 16:4 the sun 16:8. Since Satan has always been worshipped as a serpent and the sun god they are judgments on those in Satan's kingdom a kingdom which he has usurped in God's creation. The first bowl 16:2 is retribution on those who received the mark of the beast a "grievous sore." The second bowl is moral death on such people. The third bowl is probably by extension the same judgment on their rulers. The fourth bowl is man tormented by the unbearable tyranny of the beast.

The last 3 bowls- those in Satan's kingdom like the first four bowls, but at those ruling it the beast and Satan. So the fifth bowl falls on the seat of the beast. The sixth is a direct blow at his empire for the Euphrates is dried up so the Eastern powers can attack him. The seventh falls on the air Satan's seat for he is the ruler of the authority of the air. The introduction of Babylon in 16:19 makes it clear that this is not' in chronological order, for Babylon's judgment is long past at this point of time. This passage is the reverse of 11:15-18, with Satan's kingdom in dissolution.

The Parenthetical Teaching Following the Bowls

Rev. 17 and 18 break the flow of thought which would have taken us from the bowl judgments to Armageddon. Here we have the judgment of the harlot church. Christ judged the true church "in the midst of the 7 lampstands" Rev. 1:13. He is not in the midst here and the judgment falls on the pretender. The harlot is in the wilderness for there are no heavenly springs in her. Rather she commits fornication with the kings of the earth. She is also seen sitting on the beast as a rider would sit on his horse to show that he is the master. These two figures unite to tell us that by corruption and figures unite to tell us that by corruption and power the harlot governs the world.

The principal use God makes of the beast is to destroy the harlot. She is intolerable to God, for she claims to be the true church and so Christ's Bride. But Christ cannot be married to a harlot 1 Cor. 6:15. So the marriage of the Lamb cannot take place in heaven until the harlot is destroyed on earth. This is clear from Rev. 19, particularly v. 7. When this question is settled (but again the order is moral, not chronological) the logical sequence asserts itself. Heaven is opened. Christ is seen on a white horse (the symbol of victorious power) and the saints with Him. The time has come to crush the serpent's head. We are at Armageddon Rev. 19:11-21 and 20:1-3.

The Simplicity Which Is in Christ—2 Cor. 11:3

The Revelation opens with this statement "the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave to him to show His servants things which must shortly come to pass. The Revelation was written for three classes of servants. First there are those who serve during the church period. These have been given a general understanding that God is going to judge the world after we have left it. It is not a specific understanding i.e. answering all our curious questions. For example we wonder about the meaning of Paul's "sudden destruction." Could this be a strategic missile exchange between the two superpowers? If so would this explain the massive depopulation of the world Revelation predicts? We cannot be certain. The second class of servants will be the godly Jewish remnant who replace the Church as God's witness in the world. They will pass through the tribulation and will have a specific understanding of Revelation which we lack. In other words they will see things happening before their eyes and will understand the difference between what is symbolic and what is literal. Once the 1000 year kingdom has been established, Revelation will become largely, though not entirely, an historical book like Acts, since the majority of its predictions will have been fulfilled. Even so there will still be a third class of servants the godly in the world as the 1000 year kingdom comes to its end. They know that Satan will soon be released from the abyss to lead a rebellion against God and the consequences. Thus the Revelation retains some of its prophetic character to the end of time.

When on earth the Lord used simple illustrations in His parables to make them easily understood. Borrowing this principle the Revelation can be understood by comparing it to a two story house with a basement. The basement is analogous to the failure in the Church which the Lord exposed in His addresses to the seven churches or even, where repentance was spurned, to the harlot church for nothing lowers a heavenly church like worldliness. The street level of the house is analogous to the world the place on which the 21 judgments falls. The upper level of the house is analogous to the Holy City Jerusalem failure past, all glorious, elevated above the earth, and ruling over it. With this basic understanding behind us, we will conclude our meditations on "heavenly things" with the vista of the Holy City Jerusalem. This is the subject of the last chapter in this book.

Thy Kingdom Come

O separation soon to end

From Him who leaving called us friends

We absent are while present in the body.

Yet naught from love of God can sever

From Jesus Christ the Same forever.

Head of the body here we've known

Bridegroom of bride in glory Stone

Rejected by the builders.

In twinkling eye, assembling shout

This will remove the feeblest doubts.

Christ in the midst all then will see

On cloud of glory, crystal sea

The home of life forever.

No more the tree of life is barred

His right hand holds the seven stars.

Home of the heart where Jesus is

In courts of love and light and His

Our life so we'll enjoy it.

Receive us Savior Great eternal

Who saved us from a fate nocturnal.

The kingdom bright with promise now,

The crown of gold upon His brow

Is evidence of splendor.

There's none but He the seals can break

And make the world with fear to shake.

The beast will reign months forty-two

But what has even this to do

With Him who reigns forever?

Hitting the image on its feet

A mountain great will then us greet.

From mountain great to city of light

With street of gold and never night

Where bright shall stream the river

Out of God's throne the Kingdom come

The sin of earth now overcome

Judge of all flesh the Father gave

Whether alive or in the grave

At kingdom start, or kingdom end

Then to the Father he will hand

A perfect rule o'er sea and land.

O new creation stainless scene

Where saints with Christ in light supreme

Shall worship and adore Him.

A thousand years of bridal glory

Ends and yet starts this wondrous story.

Chapter 3.2

THE HOLY CITY JERUSALEM—HOME OF THE SAINTS IN LIGHT

It was paradise which man lost when he sinned against God. True it was an earthly paradise, but it was paradise just the same. For "God saw everything that He had made, and behold it was very good" – Gen. 1:31. We are told that "the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there He put the man whom He had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life also in the centre of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil. And a river went out of Eden to water the garden; and from there it was divided and became four rivers"—Gen 2:8-10. This theme of the tree of life and the river should be noted, for it recurs at the end of the Bible. For the present let us just say that man lost his earthly paradise because he sinned. He was evicted. "The Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from which he was taken. So He drove out the man; and He placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim’s, and a flaming sword which turned every way to guard the path to the tree of life"—Gen. 3:23,24. There seemed to be no way back.

Paradise Lost—Facing the Fact

In the dawn of man's history two brothers -Cain and Abel—faced the fact that man had not only been expelled from paradise_ but from God's presence. There was no way back to paradise but could there be a way back to God? Cain the elder brother offered God the fruit of the ground. God rejected Cain's offering, because He had cursed the ground due to man's sin and so didn't want the fruit of what He had cursed. Cain offered it to God anyway. He tried to approach God on his own terms. Didn't he work hard plowing the fields? Then why shouldn't the crops he grew be good enough for God? Abel, who was a shepherd, offered God the firstborn of his sheep. God accepted Abel's offering because he acknowledged man's sin and need of a sacrifice. Abel admitted that someone else must die for what he had done—a truth both Cain and Abel learned from their parents—Gen 3:21. Cain denied this. Angered that God had accepted Abel's offering he murdered him. When God brought him to account he complained. Then he "went out from the presence of the Lord...and he built a city"—Gen 4:16, 17.

The First and Last Cities of the Bible

Cain had been a farmer but God told him he was cursed from the earth, stained with his murdered brother's blood. He wanted to make a fresh start so he built the world's first city. Here he could forget his crime and display his abilities constructively. Better still he could forget about God, banish Him from his thoughts—and live as he wanted. His descendants were just like him. We see this in Lamech, five generations removed from Cain. Lamech's life began with corruption—he took two wives—and ended in violence—he killed two men. Corruption and violence together constitute sin, which is lawlessness. This is what rules the world, a sketch of which is given us in the intervening verses. Lamech had two sons by Adah—Jabal and Jubal. Jabal was the father of business, Jubal of music. Lamech had a son and daughter by Zillah, Tubal-Cain and Naamah. Tubal-Cain was the father of technology and science. Lamech himself is a picture of the spirit of war and strife which should later fill the world—his two wives at the beginning and Naamah at the end—of the seductive beauty of women extolled to this day in love songs in T.V. etc. to cheer the natural heart. Lamech is the last one of Cain's descendants—all of whom were destroyed in the flood—whose activities Scripture chronicles. The record of his works is how a prototype world was built. It is a package—crude perhaps in its beginnings—sophisticated at the end—but still the world system. Of this John writes "love not the world neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world the love of the Father is not in him"—1 John 2:15.

The last city in the Bible is Babylon the Great, which we can read about in Rev.17 to 19:3. This account helps us trace the development of many of the things found in the first city of the Bible, which Cain founded and Lamech developed. The city is depicted as a sensuous woman—a harlot to be specific—and yet violent like Cain and Lamech—Rev.17:6. We can see Jabal, the father of business, in the story of the harlot's commerce—Rev.18:11-19. We can see Jubal, the father of music, in Rev. 18:22. We can see Tubal-Cain the father of technology and science in the adornment of the harlot which called for skilled workmanship.

What is remarkable is that both cities are destroyed by divine judgment—the first city, unnamed, by the waters of Noah's flood—the last city, Babylon the great, by fire. The fire, though, is figurative, for the city in Revelation is actually destroyed by the beast from the abyss.

The World and God's People

God has always had a people who passed through the hostile world Cain founded on their way to a better world. Cain killed Abel but his brother Seth replaced him as the line of faith in the earth. The line of Seth splits into the two spheres of blessing—heavenly and earthly—which God had in mind from the beginning. The heavenly line is represented by Enoch, figure of the Church, raptured before the tribulation—"Enoch walked with God, and he was not—for God took him"—Gen 5:24. The earthly line is represented by Noah, figure of the godly Jew who passes through the tribulation, the figure of which is the flood. After the flood Noah inherits a cleansed world as the Jew will after the world has been purified by the 21 end time judgments outlined in Revelation. After the flood Abraham, the father of those justified on the principle of faith, united the heavenly and earthly blessing in his person. Before the flood this had been figuratively split between Enoch and Noah but God blessed Abraham "as the stars of the heaven"—the heavenly hope—and "as the sand which is on the seashore"—the earthly hope—see Gen 22:17. The basis of this blessing was sacrifice looking on to the death of Christ in the future. Understanding this, Abraham looked for a city which has foundations, whose builder and maker is God." He repudiated the thought of settling down in the cities men had built which shut God out. He loved God and wanted to be in His presence—in a city of His making.

The scene now shifts to the cross. A thief, crucified beside Christ, confesses Him to be Lord and asks Him to remember him when He came in His kingdom. Jesus told him that he should be with Him that very day in paradise—Luke 23:43. That takes us back to the garden in Eden. God had blessed man whom He created male and female in His image—Gen 1:27, 28. When man ate the fruit of the tree the only way God could carry out the blessing was for His Son to bear our sins in His own body on the tree—1 Pet. 2:24. Sin came in through the tree and had to be put away on the tree. God had blessed man but cursed the ground for man's sin—on the tree God's Son wore a crown of thorns, speaking of that curse, for "cursed is everyone who hangs on a tree"—Gal 3:13. Christ fulfilled everything of which the ancient sacrifices spoke. And so though Satan cheated man out of his earthly paradise God opened the way to a heavenly paradise in the death of Christ.

So it is that the last city in the bible is not an earthly city but a heavenly one—the Holy City Jerusalem. Its symbolism takes us back to the paradise man lost on earth. In that paradise there was both the tree of life and a river—Gen 2:9,10—in this one we find the tree of life and a pure river of water of life. No one bars our way to the tree of life—its twelve different fruits are for our enjoyment. Eden had a river with four tributaries—but here we have a pure river of water of life of which we freely drink. "He who comes to Me shall never hunger, and he who believes on Me shall never thirst." Abraham long ago looked for the city which had foundations whose builder and maker was God. John does more. He sees both the city and its foundations. Not only that but he enters the city. He has given us a written account of his visit to the Holy City Jerusalem. He has also given us an account of His visit to an unholy city Babylon the Great—to help us understand how they differ.

Babylon the Great—the World's City

John is not allowed to visit the Holy City Jerusalem on his own terms. Instead he must first look at a counterfeit of the Holy City which the Bible calls Babylon the Great. A counterfeiter tries to imitate the genuine so closely that most people will be deceived. The city of Babylon, the forerunner of Babylon the Great, was surrounded by a great wall and divided by a river like the Holy City Jerusalem. It was also a counterfeit of the garden in Eden, for it was famed for its hanging gardens and like Eden had a river to irrigate it. Babylon, the garden in Eden, and the Holy City Jerusalem each have a common ruling element—the man and the woman.

The figure of a woman is used for both cities—a harlot in one case—a pure woman in another. Precious stones and metals adorn the harlot—they also adorn the Holy City. John is carried in spirit into the wilderness to see an infamous woman—the false bride of Christ living off the spoils of this world's riches. The angel carries John away first to see the harlot so he can study her characteristics and compare them with the Bride of Christ. Comparison and contrast is an effective teaching tool.

John Looks at the Holy City Jerusalem—From Outside

An angel carries John away in the spirit to a great and high mountain, and shows him the Holy City Jerusalem, the Bride of the Lamb. The setting is like that of Jacob's ladder—heaven and earth coming together. John is above the earth on a great and high mountains—the city is descending to earth which tells us she belongs to heaven. From his vantage point John forms an overall impression of the Holy City. But John is not alone. He is accompanied by an angel familiar with the city.

The angel draws John's attention to the Holy City as it descends to earth. John sees a city of light, radiant with the glory of God. The overall impression of the Holy City is that God fills it. That is why the Holy City is a light bearer to the earth. The city is like the sparkle of a jasper stone. The angel must then have taken him round outside, for John notices that it is a square, surrounded on all four sides by a great high wall. Set in this wall are twelve gates—three in each direction of the compass. The wall is supported by twelve foundations. John is thus given the honor of seeing the city with foundations Abraham looked for. He notices that twelve angels are posted—one at each of the twelve gates. He also observes the names of the twelve tribes of Israel at the gates and the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb in the foundations.*2 John and the angel are engaged in a running dialog over these things—21:15. And no wonder. John's account is written in such a way that you must understand certain things before you are told what they are. For example the materials out of which the city is built are given us in 21:18-21, but you must understand their meaning first.

The city wall—Let us first consider the wall. A wall is basically a fortified barrier. Before W.W.2 France's best engineers designed the Maginot Line which they considered impregnable. It fell because it stopped short of the territory it was to protect. The wall of the Holy City is continuous. In ancient times a wall was a fortification preventing enemies from entering a city, or from seeing what is behind it. A wall has strengths and weaknesses. Its strength is its structure, and that of its foundations—its weakness its gates. Here we find that the wall is great and high and has not one massive foundation but twelve. Its gates are guarded by angels so no unauthorized persons may enter the Holy City—22:27. The wall gives us the impression of an overpowering barrier against evil ever entering and challenging the throne of God and the Lamb in the Holy City. We are told that the material of which it is constructed is jasper. Now the glory of God illuminates the city and the Lamb is its light. This light inside the city bathes the jasper wall. That is why the city has the glory of God "and her light was like a most precious stone, even like a jasper stone, clear as crystal." Jasper in Scripture is a symbol of the communicable glory of God. For example it was in the High Priest's breastplate—Ex 28:20—and the breast is the seat of the affections. The wall speaks of the glory God has communicated to His people. To be specific the walls of Jericho fell because they were built to protect the world, keep God out, and prevent God's people from entering the Promised Land. The wall of the Holy City excludes the evil and eternally shelters the just. .. The twelve gates of the Holy City—The wall is pierced by twelve gates. "And the twelve gates, twelve pearls; each one of the gates, respectively, was of one pearl"—Rev.21:21. Now it is a remarkable fact that pearl in the singular is found only here and in Mat 13:45-46 where the kingdom of heaven is compared to a businessman looking for beautiful pearls. He finds one pearl of great price and sells everything he has to buy it. The one pearl came out of the sea. What a beautiful figure of the death of Christ this is.*3 Now what does Christ do with this one pearl after He has bought it? Why He takes it to His Bride the Holy City Jerusalem. It becomes the material out of which the city's gates are built. In this way when you enter the city's gates you are reminded that it was the death of Christ which made this possible. Another thought about the gates is that they face each point of the compass, indicating the universal appeal of the gospel which, if believed, leads us to the Holy City. That is why the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed on the gates, for salvation is of the Jews—John 4:22. In ancient cities the gates were shut at night to keep enemies out. In the Holy City the gates are never shut, for in this city of light there is no night. Entrance to the city is barred to sinners—21:27 and 22:15, for each gate is guarded by an angel .4* Outside are dogs—shameless persons who rejected Christ as Savior. Only those who have drunk the water of life freely, whose names are written in the Lamb's book of life, can enter the city and eat the fruit of the tree of life inside it. Those who enter never depart, but are eternally in God's presence—see Rev.3:12. "Whosoever will may come" is the reason there are three gates in each of the four directions of the compass for the gospel invitation is a universal one going out to all the world. .. The foundations of the City's wall—A foundation normally rests on the earth. Here twelve massive foundations rest on the heavens. This tells us that God is satisfied with the work of Christ, the Heavenly Man. This conclusion was arrived at because the foundations are inscribed with the names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb. Since the twelve were eyewitnesses of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ, the foundations speak of God's satisfaction of Christ's work at the cross by resurrecting Him from the dead. Anticipating this the word prayed for the apostles in John 17 and the answer to this prayer is the Holy City Jerusalem. But in that prayer Jesus told His Father "neither pray I for these alone, but for those also who shall believe on Me through their word"—John 17:20. Since we have believed on Jesus through the apostles' word we are entitled to see ourselves in the precious stones of the foundations.

Precious stones are characterized by two things. First they must be taken out of the mire of the earth at which time they are anything but beautiful. They must be cut to size and shape by a skilled lapidary. So with us. We were taken out of the earth—our natural surroundings—and worked on by the Holy Spirit—"Now then He who has wrought us for the self-same thing is God, who also has given us the pledge of His Spirit"—2 Cor. 5:5. Eventually we will all shine as precious stones in the Holy City. Not only that but precious stones, like the moon in Gen. 1, have no light of their own. To illustrate, suppose you enter a darkened room and are guided to a seat before a table. On the table is a tray full of the precious stones of Rev.21. Could you see their beauty or distinguish them from cut glass? No, it requires light shining on them to reflect their rich colors and distinctive beauties. And that is the thought in the Holy City. God and the Lamb illuminate the city. This light radiates onto us—precious stones removed from the earth and cut to shape by the Holy Spirit for display in heaven. In a world of darkness and night this beauty could not be seen. In our appointed setting our preciousness will be of Christ—our light His reflected light.

A summary of the building materials of the Holy City—An exterior view—God has given us the key to understanding the joint meaning of the wall, gates, and foundations. We are told in 21:18 that the material out of which the wall was built was jasper and in 21:19 that the first foundation was jasper. In other words the foundations and the wall are bonded together with the same material—jasper which speaks of the communicable glory of God. The gates of pearl speak of the death of Christ—the foundations of the resurrection of Christ—and God has communicated this to His people. That is why a jasper stone was in the high priest's breast-plate. The death of Christ is inseparably linked with His resurrection for the Father loveth the Son. He was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father. This city of light displays Christ's glory throughout the universe—heaven and earth in Scripture language. Out of the world come two things pearl from the seas, precious stones from the land. The jewel box in which both are displayed is the heavens, thus uniting the three spheres of creation—heaven, earth and sea.

The God of Measure—1 Cor. 10:13

Out of the world come two things pearl from the seas, precious stones from the land. The jewel box in which both are displayed is the heavens, thus uniting the three spheres of creation heaven, earth and seas the city in stadia. The wall is 144 cubits (high) protecting a city which is a cube of 12,000 stadia. The thought is that the entire Holy City is a Holy of Holies but one to which all have access.*5

The most interesting thing about the measurements is that the angel does not measure the gates or the foundations with his golden reed. This tells us that no creature, be he man or angel, can measure that which speaks of the death of Christ. Only God Himself can take the measure of that.*6

John's moves have been perfectly logical. He is like a man accompanied by a real estate agent in this case the angel. He has looked at the city as a potential buyer would first look at a house from the outside. He has been informed of the building materials out of which the city is constructed just as we would like to know the same thing about a house. He has been given the measurements of the Holy City just as we would like a block plan and measurements of a house. He is now ready to enter the Holy City to inspect it just as we, armed with the same information, would now like our real estate agent to show us over our house. In both cases—John and our home buyer—the reason for doing these things is to see if we want to live there. The angel knows the Holy City. He talks freely to John—21:15 explaining it to him.

John Enters the Holy City Accompanied by the Angel

John enters the Holy City because his name is written in the Lamb's book of life. No one else can—21:27. He is shown a pure river of water of life flowing out of the throne of God and the Lamb. He observes the one-way street of the city. It is of pure gold like transparent glass—just as the city wall, though of jasper stone, is clear as crystal. Gold and jasper are not naturally transparent and clear like crystal. Exactly. No evil thought, nothing to divide us from one another will ever obtrude in the Holy City. The street of the city is pure gold and everyone in the Holy City walks the same way according to divine righteousness of which gold is the symbol. The city itself is pure gold.

Now that John is in the Holy City he starts to look around. As a good Jew he looks for the temple but sees no temple in the city. But he is not disappointed because he remembers that God dwelt in the Holy of Holies in the temple but the Holy City is his home now. Then he discovers there are no street lamps in the Holy City. It is never night there because the glory of God and the Lamb lights up the city. Perhaps at this point John is perplexed because so many things seem to be missing.

The angel now shows John a trinity of blessing—the throne of God and of the Lamb, a pure river of water of life flowing out of the throne, and on each bank of the river the tree of life? Because the river of water of life flows out of God's throne we know that it is no longer death to be in His presence. Aaron could only enter God's presence once a year "not without blood, which he offered for himself and for the errors of the people"—Heb. 9:7. That is all past because Christ died for us. The river of water of life and the lustrous pearl gates speaking of Christ's death tell us that Christ's death gave us life. That is why there is no temple (in which was God's throne) for there is no longer any separation between God and His people.

Then there is the tree of life. Man was allowed to eat its fruit until he fell by eating the forbidden fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, bringing death—in Gen 2:16, 17. Because death came in man could no longer eat the tree of life which was guarded by cherubim’s with a flaming sword turning every way—Gen 3:24. But Christ bore our sins in His own body on the tree so the tree of life has been restored to man, but more bountifully than in the beginning. In Eden it bore fruit but in the Holy City twelve kinds of fruit. It is everywhere—in the centre of the street and on both banks of the river.

The mention of the tree of life, our food, and the water of life, our drink, completes our understanding of the city proper—it is a city of light and life. The tree of life and the water of life—the food and drink of the redeemed—must be connected with the Lord's assurance—"He who comes to Me shall never hunger and He who believes on Me shall never thirst"—John 6:35. This city of food and drink is vacant, unoccupied. That's right. The angel conducted John through the city and as far as the record shows no people are living in it. But a city is built for people to dwell in it. That explains the invitation to come to it—to come and live in the city of gold.

Even though we are invited we cannot enter the city until we have run the race and it is God's time to let us in. That is why we are told who will dwell in Paul's heavenly city in Heb. 12:22-24 when the race is over, but are not told what the city is like. Here we are told what the city is like, but it is unoccupied. The emphasis here is on the appeal to enter it.

The Invitation to Take up Residence in the Holy City

John gives us four classes of people, who, before the second coming of the Lord are invited to drink the water of life. It flows out of the throne of God and the Lamb, out of the gates of pearl speaking of the death of Christ. The throne of God in this the acceptable year of the Lord offers us life because Jesus died. So in 22:17 "and the Spirit and the Bride say come"—the first class, those who are in the good of bridal affections to Christ. Next "and let him who hears say come." Since faith comes by hearing and hearing by the Word of God this second class composes Christians, perhaps Christians who need to be stirred up, but Christians just the same.

“Drink of life's perennial river

Feed on life's perennial food

Christ the fruit of life and giver

Safe through His redeeming blood.”

Then he gives us those not yet saved but over whom God yearns, for He is not willing that any should perish but that all should be saved. "And let him who is thirsty come." This is the man who is worried about his soul's salvation. He can't say come because he hasn't got the Spirit. Perhaps the last class—the indifferent—will listen to those words, for "whosoever will, let him take the water of life freely."

John also gives us, in reverse order, four classes of people in v.11 who correspond roughly to the four classes of people in v.17. To use an analogy, the water of life cascading out of the gates of pearl in v.17 has frozen like water does in winter. Verse 11 assumes the second coming of Christ has taken place. If you belonged to the two classes of people who said come in v.17 then you belong to the two classes of people who are righteous and holy in v. 11. If you didn't come in v.17 you will be unjust and filthy in v.11, and cannot enter the Holy City.

The Bible closes with the vista of the Holy City fading from our eyes and being replaced by Christ, the Bridegroom of the Church. John was so astonished by what the angel showed him that for the second time he attempted to worship him. In each case he was warned not to do it—19:10 and 22:9. Instead he is told to worship God. In his gospel John told us that "the Father seeketh such to worship Him"—John 4:23. Here the Father has secured worshippers. This being so not only does the vision of the Holy City fade away but also the angel who showed the city to John—"I Jesus have sent Mine angel to testify unto you these things in the churches. I am the root and the offspring of David and the bright and morning star"—22:16. The Bible closes on a responsive note—the bride's reply to come and take her to His Holy City—"Amen. Even so come, Lord Jesus."

From Time to Eternity

The view of the Holy City we have been considering is that of the Church reigning over the world with Christ for one thousand years—the time commonly called the Millennium. Its Scriptural name is "the administration of the fullness of times"—Eph. 1:10—during which God will head up all things in Christ—the things in the heavens and the things on the earth. Before this divine administration is introduced the nations of the world will have been badly scorched by the 21 judgments of Revelation. These judgments originate in heaven but fall on the nations on the earth. For this reason they too must be classified as "heavenly things." The nations are healed by the leaves of the tree of life.*8

At the end of the 1000 year kingdom in which God will have blessed man by abolishing war and multiplying the good things of the earth, God will test him by releasing Satan from the abyss. Rev.20 tells us how man joins Satan in a final rebellion against God, how God quells the rebellion and then sets up a great white throne in space to judge the dead. Heaven and earth flee away. A concise picture of these events, the future destiny of the human race, and the earth which was man's home, is given us in contrasting pictures from Rev.20:11 to 21:8.

The fate of the lost brackets the entire prediction. The opening account tells us that no matter how the body may be destroyed—even by burial at sea—it will be raised for judgment. Hades' power to hold the soul comes to an end. A record of their works has been kept. This is opened and from this they are individually judged. The closing account tells us what these works are. The list of sins is headed up by "the fearful and unbelieving"—those who would not confess with their mouth Jesus as Lord and believe in their heart that God had raised Him from the dead. This is the greatest of all sins. The list of sins which follows could have been forgiven but not this one. Because of this their names are not found written in the book of life and this is the reason given, rather than their sins, why they are cast into the lake of fire, which is the second death. It is solemn to think that just as it was God's words "Let there be light" which ushered in the present heavens and earth so the light of the great white throne ushers in the new heavens and new earth.

The Holy City in eternity is wedged between the two accounts of the doom of the lost at the end of time. This suggests that the account of the Holy City which follows is the eternal city. This is perhaps just one of several ways the Holy Spirit is alerting us that the first view of the Holy City is in the eternal state and the second in time. What other arguments can we advance that this is the case? Notice how John tells us—the Holy City in time—that the kings of the earth bring their glory and the glory and honor of the nations to the Holy City—21:24, 26. The nations pass away with time. How could God carry into eternity the dissonant babble of nations with different languages, customs etc. It is arrant nonsense to suggest it. The kings of the earth also end with time for Christ will put down "all rule and all authority and power" at the end—1 Cor. 15:24-28. But it might be argued that the New Jerusalem is out of chronological sequence, for John tells us about it in 21:1-8 before his account of the Holy City in time. However the reason for this is that God always introduces the thought closest to His mind and heart first. We see this at the beginning of the Bible in the judgment on the serpent—Gen 3:14. The crushing of Christ's heel—figuratively ending Christ's walk as man at the cross—must historically precede the crushing of the serpent's head—yet because that was uppermost in God's mind it comes first. Man may, by his actions, be allowed to defer God's purposes for a while, but never to frustrate them. Finally the Scripture says "the things which are seen are temporal, but the things which are not seen are eternal"—2 Cor. 4:18. This principle is applied by John—who himself saw both views of the city. The Holy City viewed in time is described in great detail—in eternity only vaguely. Let us however look at what John does tell us.

God's Eternal City—the New Jerusalem

The overall impression of the Holy City Jerusalem was that it was a city of light because God dwelt there. The overall impression of the Holy City New Jerusalem is of unity in contrast to division, and blessedness in contrast to wretchedness—in other words of indissoluble love. These two views of the Holy City tell us of the full revelation of God's nature, for God is light—1 John 1:5 and God is love –1 John 4:8.

In the beginning God had created the heavens and the earth, "and the gathering together of the waters called He seas." At the end those heavens and earth, we are told, are "made new" which probably means that they were purified by fire and refashioned to remove all traces of sin. So Peter writes—"the world also and the works that are in it shall be burned up"—2 Pet 3:10. From Ps 78:69 it is unlikely this means complete destruction but rather the removal of all evidences of man's sinful works in the earth such as temples to pagan gods, military cemeteries and hallowed battlefields and the moral corruption of the cities of the dead. When the first heaven and the first earth have passed away the dead will be brought before the great white throne so that the first man too will pass away. As for the sea it too passes away. It is no more, for it is a symbol of division, separating land from land. Unity, not division characterizes the new creation. The heavens and the earth were morally divided—sin separated them. They are brought together in visible unity by the act of the Holy City New Jerusalem "coming down from God out of heaven"—i.e. to earth. After one thousand years of rule over the earth with Christ she is found in spotless purity—prepared as a bride adorned for her husband." So the overall impression is divine unity, with the presence of God filling all things.

Apart from these brief glimpses of the divine unity of the eternal state John says little—like Paul, who "was caught up into paradise, and heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for a man to utter"—2 Cor. 12:4. When he wrote about the Holy City in time his analogies were all positive—its street of gold and gates of pearl, etc.—here they are all negative—no death, 9 no tears, etc. The Lord showed His power to bless men in raising the dead and healing those with diseases, because these things are inconsistent with the presence of God. His miracles were only tokens of the blessing that could have been introduced if Israel had accepted Him as Messiah. Instead we read "some began to spit on Him, and to cover His face, and to buffet Him, and to say to Him prophesy 10. And the servants struck Him with the palms of their hands"—Mark 14:65. The cross followed. Having rejected the Prince of Peace man was left in his wretchedness. How vividly this is described—distress, a sorrow by itself—then tears and crying, which go together as do death and mourning. But these "former things" have passed away because God is present in this scene. This explains the great voice out of heaven—"behold the tabernacle of God is with men, and He will dwell with them, and they shall be His people, and God Himself shall be with them, their God."

"It is done"—21:6—tells us that to God these eternal things are already viewed as accomplished. They should be to us too—and will be, as we enter into God's mind. He promises us "the fountain" of the water of life. "The fountain" is the Father's heart, for it speaks of the spring or energy of that living water, and it was the Father who sent the Son. Even this great blessing is not enough for God to shower upon us. We shall inherit all things but they would be meaningless unless in God's company, so "I will be His God, and He shall be My Son." God's great thought is that we should be in the liberty of sonship before our Father's face. Surely our response to this should be "blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who has blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ, according as he has chosen us in Him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and without blame before Him in love"—Eph. 1:4, 5. John tells us much about eternity. His gospel begins with a past eternity in which God was unknown—John 1:1—his revelation ends in a future eternity in which God is fully revealed.

Since "it is done" already in God's eye may we not only understand this but apply it to our walk—keeping the eye on the man in the glory and the occupation of the heart "heavenly things." Twenty-five years ago my Father wrote the following verse in my Bible –which I now pass on to my readers as we come to the close of "heavenly things"—"If that which ye have heard from the beginning shall remain in you, ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father"—1 John 2:24.

Notes and Bibliography

Preface

The careful reader may note certain inconsistencies in style throughout this book such as variations in capitalization. These arose because of the lengthy periods of time between the manuscripts. The author deems the matter inconsequential and was unwilling to invest the time to secure uniformity.

Part 1

1 A summary of the reasons for this belief will be found in an appendix to Chapter 1.14. It is located there because Heb. 12 is the moral conclusion to the epistle and so lends itself better to an examination of the question.

2. See Acts 6:7. In the beginning Christian Jews met in synagogues of their own cf James 2:2 where "assembly" should read "synagogue." For further understanding of the ancient world and early Christianity, consult "No King But Caesar”

3. The epistle opens with Christ sitting down on the right hand of the Majesty on high 1:3 and closes with Him seated at the right hand of the throne of God 12:2. The opening statement means that He is entitled to sit there personally because of the greatness of His Person the closing statement means that God has sat Him there as His answer to the cross. This dichotomy appears in the internal structure of the epistle also, even to the similarity in the words used to describe the throne. So in 8:1 He sits down as a priest on "the throne of the Majesty in the heavens." And in 10:12 He sits down on "the right hand of God" by virtue of His one sacrifice for sins.

Chapter 1.1

1. Since the employment of nuclear weapons in 1945, men have downplayed the "glory" of war. But the history of the human race tells us that man does glorify war. Statues of great military men are found in every nation, military titles are held in great esteem, and history books record the strife of the world. So man glories in his shame. Man also glories in his mind and venerates great scientists. In summary, glory being the manifestation of a nature, human glory and divine glory are opposing concepts. Human glory consists in the exaltation of man divine glory in the exaltation of Christ the Man who humbled Himself see Phil. 2.

2. Angel is an invented word a convenient theological handle. The word in the original is messenger. The role of the angels is that of ministering spirits, going out from God's presence to serve those who shall be heirs, not of all things, as Christ, but of salvation. The angelic deliverance of Peter from prison is an illustration of this. However we cannot count on this kind of intervention in our lives, for God allowed James the brother of John to be killed with the sword. What Paul is saying is that they are available for service if it is the will of God to use them. It may not be.

Chapter 1.2

1. Note the vagueness of the reference—characteristic of New Testament quotations of the Old Testament—cf Peter's sermon in Acts 2 also. Verification of these quotes would require great diligence in an age before chapter and verse divisions of Scripture, and the compilation of Bible concordances. In ancient times this vagueness partly assumed knowledge of the Scriptures. Today it should encourage us to search the Scriptures for ourselves as the Bereans did. In any case "the certain place" is Ps 8:4-6.

2. In the second chapter God the Son has become Man, and it is as Man that the creation—"all things"—is made subject to Him, although as yet we do not see this—2:8. Man, the crown of creation in this world, is the end of creation. But in creating man God had in mind His own Son in Manhood. Like the petals of a flower unfolding, the Word of God gives us a many fold presentation of the glories of God's Son with respect to "all things"—the creation and man its crown. Christ is heir of creation—1:2, and sustains what He has created—1:3. Within this sphere which He has created and upholds, "all things" are made subject to Him, though this is not apparent to the natural eye—2:8. However we are brought into association with 'Him as a first step in this direction, so to speak. First we are associated with Him as the Heir and Sustainer of "all things"—2:11. Then there is His assumption of our humanity, apart from sin, of course, that He might be made like His brethren—2:17. The reason for this is explained in the last two verses of Chapter 2.

3. To sanctify is to set apart in holiness. We know that God has done this to us but the reader might wonder how it could apply to Christ even though here He is called "He who sanctifies." The meaning is that He sanctifies Himself by becoming our High Priest—a subject referred to at the close of this Chapter. That is the explanation of John 17:19 "and for their sakes I sanctify Myself, that they also might be sanctified through the truth."

4. It was from the horns of the—a savage extinct animal like a buffalo, only fiercer—i.e. from the piercing of the cross—that the Father answered Christ's cries in Ps 22:1,2, 20 and 21. Immediately the response is "I will declare Thy Name to My brethren—in the midst of the congregation will I praise Thee." In resurrection the Lord fulfilled the first part of this Scripture, saying to Mary Magdalene—"go to My brethren and say to them I ascend to My Father and your Father, and to My God and your God"—John 20:17.

5. Although the term "the family of God" is not found in Scripture it is implied in the many references to God's children. Perhaps the closest to it is "the whole family which I brought up from the land of Egypt"—Amos 3:1. It is a handy expression like "the Trinity"—also not found in Scripture. "The family of God" in common usage means the people of God in all ages.

6. The question of suitability for these tasks is taken up and answered here too. To deal with sin and sins God prepared Christ a body of flesh and blood, not subject to death like ours, but capable of it. In this body He was made sin, He who knew no sin, that we might be made the righteousness of God in Him. But in this body He also displayed all the tender sympathies of a true Man under adverse circumstances. Only by experiencing all the trials we must face could He sympathize with our trials. That is what Paul means when he writes "for in that He Himself has suffered being tempted, He is able to succor those who are being tempted."

Chapter 1.7

The sum of the expression "this Melchizedec, King of Salem, priest of the most High God" in Greek is 7980 which factors into (354 God) + (961 and the beast was taken) + (929 it shall crush head) + (2368 Jesus Christ) + (3368 Lord Jesus Christ).

Chapter 1.8

Except when He was both priest and sacrifice on the cross. But at that time "He was lifted up from the earth" – John 12:32.

Chapter 1.10

This symbolizes the death of Christ, for when the soldier pierced His side "forthwith came there out blood and water." John writes—"This is He who came by water and blood, Jesus the Christ, not by water only but by water and blood"—1 John 5:6. The blood expiates from sin. The water cleanses because it reminds us that the world caused our Savior's sufferings. It cleans us by teaching us what the world really is, and so how our natural longing for the world and the things in it is wrong. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." ¤ John 1:15.

2. The formula is—(Perimeter measurement of God's throne) x [(Plane measurement of God's throne) + (Cubic measurement of the Ark):]= (Cubic measurement of Brazen Altar). The meaning of the formula is that man is reconciled to God—as symbolized by the Mercy Seat, His throne, through the cross of Christ—as symbolized by the Brazen Altar.

3. Like any other tree the Almond is barren in winter but bursts out in beauty in spring. In the land to which Israel was going the Almond comes out early in the spring. So God chose it to represent "Christ the Firstfruits." The Golden Lampstand then, speaks of the death and resurrection of Christ. The death of Christ is brought before us in the hammered work on the gold—Ex 25:36 which speaks of His suffering and death. The Almond knobs and flowers speak of His resurrection from among the dead.

4. Ex 30:4 tells us that the Golden Altar of incense had rings to receive the staves which carried it. Because authorities disagree as to their location they have not been shown in the drawing of the Holy Place.

5. Saltau believes the Golden Censer was one of the vessels connected with the service of the Golden Lampstand (see his note to the altar of incense p 105) which was stored in the Holy of Holies with the handle protruding into the Holy Place to procure it on the Day of Atonement. This is significant. It would reinforce the thought that only by a cloud of incense covering the High Priest's flesh could he enter God's presence. The storage of the Golden Censer in the Holy of Holies emphasizes this truth.

6. "Strange fire", is offering false worship to God. To be acceptable, approach to God must be linked to the Brazen Altar, the symbol of the work of Christ on the cross. The fire from the altar—i.e. the judgment of God for sin borne by Christ at the cross—alone meets God's holy requirements. To take one's own coals of fire to approach God means to ignore the cross. That has been the sin of the liberal clergy, who deny the fall of man, and preach instead a social gospel to "improve" a world under judgment. Paul tells us there are those who preach "another gospel"—2 Cor. 11:4. They will be accursed at the coming of the Lord—1 Cor. 16:22 and cut off like Nadab and Abihu—Lev.10:1, 2.

7. This tells us that God will judge the world for shedding His Son's blood. That is because the last sprinkling of the blood, from the throne to the horns of the altar, makes 21 applications—an allusion to the 21 judgments of Revelation seven seals, seven trumpets, and seven bowls. These judgments proceed out of the throne. The horns of an animal are its offensive strength -i.e. symbolically power to execute the judgments of the throne.

8. See Collected Writings of J.N. Darby Vol. 19 p 369 Morrish edition.

9. The Burnt Offering is the highest kind of offering, for it tells us of Christ doing the will of God even to death and that the death of the cross. It was the earliest of offerings. Job offered burnt offerings for his sons—Job 1:5. Noah offered burnt offerings after the flood. This was a sweet savor to the Lord, who pronounced a blessing on the earth afterward—Gen 8:20,22. Here we find the Burnt Offering at the end for it is God's side of the cross.

Chapter 1.11

1. Vol. 5 page 96 Ministry of J.B. Stoney.

2. In the epistles Christ's appearing is generally looked at as His coming on the world in judgment accompanied by His already raptured saints—see Col 3:4, 2 Ti 4:1,2, Jude 14, 15. But in Hebrews 9 the sense in which the three appearings are presented is a simple one—much like "the Lord is risen indeed and has appeared to Simon"—Luke 24:34.

3. God's salvation is spirit, soul and body for that is the way man fell. But in this present earthly tabernacle we groan "earnestly desiring to be clothed upon with our house which is from heaven"—2 Cor. 5:2. When the Lord appears from heaven we will receive our glorified bodies. In the meantime "now is our salvation nearer than when we believed"—Rom 13:11—for each heart beat brings us closer to that blessed event.

4. The Story of the Glory and Other Poems—J. Boyd, Morgan and Scott, London 1911.

Chapter 1.12

1. J.B. Stoney once remarked that in Chapter 9 the Lord has gone into heaven itself and in Chapter 10 the figure was changed into the Holy of Holies—“through the veil” and “into the Holy of Holies” in Chapter 10 being moral expressions. He also commented—“His presence makes this—and then I say, I am always in His presence. I may not be in the enjoyment of it, but I am there, and if I am in His presence I am in the holiest of all, morally.”

Chapter 1.13

1. Classical literature and the ruins of the temples of the gods throughout the world are silent reminders of Satan's rule over man. Additional evidence has come to light since archaeologists have uncovered the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum buried in volcanic ash by the eruption of Vesuvius in A.D. 79.

In the shops and public places paintings of serpents were everywhere. In the villas of the rich, mosaics and wall paintings depicted mythological scenes of the union of humans with both the lower animals and the gods. A favorite theme was Leda, the wife of the king of Sparta, who bore two children to Zeus, the king of gods and men—i.e. Satan. Same murals depicted a woman flying in pitched darkness, or mythical beings with the body of a horse and a human head, flying in mid heaven, and so on. Modem man too hankers after the ancient sins as can be seen in his attempts to contact "intelligent beings from outer space"—the contemporary euphemism for the fallen angels.

2. This is analogous to the Church's position. We too are passing through a world opposed to God but over which we shall one day rule—see Eph. 1:10, 11.

3. We see the same principle at work in the story of the palsied man in Mark 2—"when Jesus saw their faith"—Mark 2:5. This is a picture of evangelists who have faith God will save others.

4. Much knowledge especially in the field of mathematics and astronomy attributed today to Greece as its source actually originated in Egypt. The Egyptians used this knowledge in the construction of their pyramids and temples. They were world leaders in medicine—see Science and Secrets of Early

Medicine Jurgen Thorwald—Harcourt, Brace and World.

5. See 1 Ki 17:17-24 for Elijah's miracle and 2 Ki 4:18-37 for Elisha's.

Part 2

1. The grand subject of the Ephesian letter is the will of God to which there are seven references—"Paul an Apostle of Jesus Christ by the will of God" 1:1—"the good pleasure of His will" 1:5—"the mystery of His will" 1:9—"the counsel of His own will" 1:11—"the will of the Lord" 5:17—"the will of God" 6:6 and "with good will doing service" 6:7. The first four references are more to the will of God per se; the last three are the practical side of things.

Chapter 2.1

This is the preferred rendering. The distinction between children and sons is succinctly stated thus in the words of a highly qualified man—"children puts them in the place of relationship, but sons are considered as of full age. John speaks of children—Paul of sons." Miscellaneous writings of J.N. Darby Vol. 4 p 143 Morrish Edition.

Chapter 2.2

1. Ministry of J.B. Stoney—out of print Vol. 10 p 263.

2. It is remarkable how the devil has counterfeited the thousand year duration of Christ's kingdom. This should be expected for John tells us there are already many antichrists. Hitler repeatedly spoke of his 1000 year Reich (Empire). Winston Churchill said "If the British Empire and Commonwealth should last 1000 years." Guru Maharaj Ji, who spoke at the Houston Astrodome, U.S.A., advertised "a thousand years of peace for people who want peace" Millennium '73.

3. The inheritance was the subject of prophecy but the prophets could not visualize an inheritance so immense, without limits, nor were they intended to. Their vision was confined to this world and so in fact will Israel's part be—"cure, blessed of My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world"—Mat 25:34. On the other hand we were chosen in Christ before the foundation of the world 1:4—a fact on which our universal inheritance is founded.

Chapter 2.3

This is beautifully illustrated in John 20. At the sepulcher the two angels asked Mary Magdalene why she was crying. Never having sinned they could not understand Mary's feelings. The Lord repeated the angels' question to Mary but also asked her who she was searching for. Then He reveals Himself to her by saying 'Mary' (for He calls His own sheep by name). She replies 'Teacher.' Those whom God teaches are fallen sinners redeemed by grace.

Chapter 2.4

1. In 4.4 the hope of our calling is connected with 2:22—"in whom you also are built together for an habitation of God in the Spirit"—which relates to earth as this to heaven. 2. It has been suggested that in heaven one's wife would be one's sister, alleging that God does not depart from His order in creation. This is a poor argument for it does not distinguish between the old and new creations. At the end of the Bible we find the Man (Christ, the Man of God's purposes—see Rom 5:14) and the woman (the Church, the Lamb's bride). These are the counterparts in new creation of the man and woman in the old creation in Gen 1. God maintains the substance while discarding the shadow.

3. Composed by G.V. Wigram—a 19th Century classical scholar whose works on the Hebrew and Greek are still in print.

Chapter 2.5

1. The union is effected by the Holy Spirit given to us in answer to Christ's prayer to the Father—John 14:16, 17. However the Holy Spirit could not come to earth until Jesus was glorified in heaven, as we learn from John 7:39. Then on the Day of Pentecost He descended to link the Head in heaven with His numbers on earth, thus forming the Church. So although man had cried 'away with this Man' they discovered that they were unable to expel Christ from the earth by crucifying Him. He is still here in His members the Church which is His body—1:23.

2. Note that while we find the Holy Spirit in Chapter 1 as the seal and earnest (pledge) this is in relation to the individual believer—not what is corporate.

3. The Apostle uses "you" "we" and "us" to denote Gentiles, Jews, or both in this part of the text so that the context must be weighed to understand to whom he is referring.

4. This beautiful thought is not mine but J.B. Stoney's. It helped me greatly to understand the principle God uses to communicate His thoughts on the new creation to us, that is, that He reverses the images of the various shades of suffering we have formed in this creation as the result of our life experiences in it. At the opening of Rev.21, for example, we are given a brief description of the eternal state. It is in tens of negatives—no death, no sorrow, etc. This is because now we see through a glass darkly—1 Cor. 13:12—we are not ready yet for a communication of what will be.

5. Under no circumstances could the Old Testament prophets be included, for the Lord said "for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John"—Mat 11:13. Agabus is an example of a New Testament prophet—others are listed in Acts 13:1.

6. From "The Collected Writings of J.N. Darby" Vol. 27 p 43 Morrish Edition.

7. A striking instance of this principle is found in John 17:4. Although the cross was future at the time, the Lord said—"I have finished the work which Thou gayest Me to do."

Chapter 2.7

1. The notes to J.N. Darby's translation, cross-indexed to Net 5:17 are helpful here. He says—"Give the fullness of." "It is not to fulfill a command in the way of obedience, nor to complete another thing by adding to it; but to fill up some system sketched out, or that which is expressed in the thing fulfilled, as a whole. Thus the doctrine of the Church completed the Word of God, made full what was expressed by it Col. 1:25."

2. Poem by T.L. Mather.

Chapter 2.8

1. In Luke 19:10 we are told that "the Son of Man has come to seek and to save that which is lost." This refers to responsible man. Being lost he must be sought for first, then saved. However in Net 18:11 we are told that "the Son of Man has come to save that which was lost." Here there is no seeking, for the irresponsible cannot be reached—e.g. infants, children too young to understand the gospel, the insane, etc.

Such are assuredly saved by the precious blood of Christ. The Judge of all the earth shall do right. They could not, of course, form part of the Church, but do constitute a distinct family in heaven.

2. Bellett writes in the Bible Treasury Volume 17—"Every family, then, though part is in heaven and part on earth, shall be one, as owning one Father, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. The heavenly branch of it is to be with the Firstborn in the Father's house, His God their God, His Father their Father, His dwelling their dwelling, His inheritance theirs also, the fullness of the Father's love theirs as His (John 17:26; 20:17). 'Ye shall be My sons and daughters, saith the Lord Almighty.' And the branch of it which is to be found on earth will be gathered by and into a Father's love also; for the true Solomon, Christ as David's Son, the Head of Jewish glory, shall enjoy that ancient promise of His God—'I will be to Him a Father and He shall be to Me a Son'; and this joy resting in fullness on His head shall circulate among the thousands of His Israel...for Jehovah of old spake of Israel as His son, as His firstborn—Ex. 4:22." In the same volume he writes further "Jacob's vision of the ladder, whose foot was set upon the earth, and the top of which reached into heaven, also gives us another image of the same fellowship. The heavens were seen, as it were, shining in their brightness, high above the earth on which the patriarch was resting, but all the while the angels of God were travelling up and down the ladder. So shall the saints, the children of the resurrection, who shall be 'as the angels' and shall become sharers of the Son's throne, pass and re-pass throughout the regions which acknowledge Him the Heir of all things; and what less shall the earth then be than 'the gate of heaven'?"—Gen 28:17.

Chapter 2.9

1. Compare Peter's words in Acts 10:34, 35 and in his epistle—2 Peter 3:9.

Chapter 2.10

Young's literal translation. See also "The Calling and Hope of the Christian" (reprinted in the German edition of the Bible Treasury—1969 Vol. 7 page 90). The editor William Kelly writes "angels are servants—they never rise above the nature of servants. The archangel even never rises above the place of a servant. The angels are called the sons of God in a certain sense, as all men are by virtue of creation. Angels are a spiritual class of beings, but they have not the intimacy of those born of God, the place of children, the Spirit of adoption, etc. Now I call your attention to this, because it is but feebly understood by Christians in general."

Chapter 2.11

1. J.N. Darby writes—"if I say I have put off the old man, this is the same as that I am dead with Christ. I have passed through death, and been circumcised with the circumcision of Christ, and row I can fight the battles of God with Satan"—Collected Writings of J.N. Darby Vol. 10 p 169 Morrish Edition.

2. Note the three postures of the Man of Ps 1—i.e. Christ—"Blessed is the Man who walks not in the counsel of the ungodly, our stands in the way of sinners, our sits in the seat of the scornful."

Chapter 2.12

The seven temporary earthly relationships to which we must submit and be obedient are listed from 5:21 to 6:9. Of the first three one is general—submitting yourselves to one another in the fear of Christ—then wives are to submit themselves to their own husbands—and husbands are to love their wives. Of the last four, children are to obey their parents—fathers are to bring up their children in the discipline and admonition of the Lord, employees are to obey their managers and employers are to treat their employees fairly and not threaten them. Both have the same master.

Chapter 2.13

Ministry of J.B. Stoney Vol. 9 page 61—out of print. 2 But note how God has guarded against those who would try to twist His Word. In 1 Pet 2:18 the word "domestics" is used—that is household servants, not slaves—and these are to be as obedient as the slaves to whom Paul refers here.

Chapter 2.15

1. The time sequence is interesting. The Church began on the Day of Pentecost. Christ had been glorified and the time had come to send the Holy Spirit down to earth to link the glorified Head of the body in heaven to His members on earth, so forming the Church. But Peter's view of the Church—the Holy Temple—preceded that event—(Mat 16:18)—whereas Paul's view of the Church—the body of Christ—followed that event—Acts 9:5.

2. Solomon's Temple was erected after David's victorious wars introduced government in peace under Solomon. Solomon's Temple at Jerusalem was God's throne in the world until He allowed the Gentiles to seize power because of Israel's sin. That Temple was symbolical of what was regal, austere—of measured dignity. Its setting, as already mentioned, was a world at peace. So it will be when Christ the true Solomon reigns in His kingdom. Solomon's Temple foreshadowed the coming glory of Christ's kingdom in the way the wings of the cherubim were extended in blessing to the whole world—see 1 Ki. 6:27. In Christ's kingdom there will, of course, be an actual Temple on the earth at Jerusalem—this is described in Ezekiel—but there will also be a Holy Temple above. We are concerned only with the latter here, and what we can learn saints, the children of the resurrection, who shall be 'as the angels' and shall become sharers of the Son's throne, pass and re-pass throughout the regions which acknowledge Him the Heir of all things; and what less shall the earth then be than 'the gate of heaven'?"—Gen 28:17. about it from the study of the earthly Temple in Scripture.

Chapter 2.16

The two Church epistles—Ephesians and Corinthians—give us opposite views of our warfare. In Ephesians, we are under attack by the wicked one; in Corinthians we are on the offensive, laying siege to his fortresses—"for the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty through God to the pulling down of strongholds"—2 Cor. 10:4.

Chapter 2.17

In his classic book "On War" Clausewitz, the Prussian interpreter of Napoleon, defines war as "an act of violence intended to compel our opponent to fulfill our will." We might comment that war is almost always the will to seize the territory of another nation or to defend one's own. Pulling these two observations together the warfare in Ephesians is nothing less than the clash of God's will and Satan's over the rule of heaven and earth.

2. As -J.B. Stoney pointed out—"these are the very words used in 1:19—the power is first toward you, in 3:20 it is in you, and in 6:10 it is from you." Ministry of J.B. Stoney—New Series 1966 Vol. 7 page 434.

3. Commentary on the epistles to the Ephesians and Colossians by Simpson and Bruce—Eerdman's Publishing—Grand Rapids, Michigan—page 148. Bruce is a contemporary authority on the Greek.

4. The sword is a close quarter weapon. Goliath's sword, figuratively Satan's power of death over man, was taken away by David, a type of Christ. So Satan must resort to fiery darts—distant warfare.

Chapter 2.19

1. The moral declension of the Church stemmed from Ananias and Sapphira. But at that time corporate truth was not known. Paul was God's vessel to reveal it. Hence corporate declension stemmed from Ephesus. It received the apex of Paul's corporate teachings both orally and in writing. That is why, when Christ judges the seven Churches in Asia He begins with Ephesus, for it received the highest truth. The seven churches in Asia have a protracted character, ranging from the Ephesus of John's day to the close of the Church's 'corporate history on earth represented by Laodicea. It is remarkable that Christ, in vision, judges these seven churches or phases of the Church on earth. This is because the Church is the body of Christ, a figure Scripture uses to depict the Church on earth. The Lord is judging what man has done with Paul's work in the Church on earth.

At the end of Revelation John takes up another figure of the Church—the Bride. Appropriately she is in heaven as the body was on earth. This distinction is important to the prophetic student, for it shows that the Church cannot pass through the tribulation. Chapter 3 ended the Church's history as a corporate entity on earth with the Lord's pronouncements on her from Ephesus to the end. Chapter 4 opens in heaven where John sees an open door and hears the invitation 'come up here.' Only then do the judgments follow. They are poured out on the earth from heaven where we will be.

2. "The World of Late Antiquity"—Peter Brown—Thames and Hudson, London, 1971.

3. "Brief Notes on the Epistle to the Ephesians and the Church at Thessalonica"—p 23 Morrish Edition.

4. For example the measurements of the Ark are given us in Scripture. We also know that the species on the earth today could not be accommodated by a vessel of the Ark's dimensions. The conclusion is inescapable—that the animal and bird life which entered the Ark were in effect prototypes of life forms on the earth today. Even in man there is the greatest diversity—height, skin coloration, bone structure, intelligence, and other variables. God built the ability to change into living creatures so they could adapt to varying environments—hence the proliferation of forms in life. Rather than using this as an argument against a Creator God, man should see divine wisdom in it all and glorify God.

5. U.S. News and World Report of April 18, 1966 says—"In Britain only 15% of the population is believed to attend Church although 70% of all Britons are listed officially as Church members...Declining attendance is seen as pushing churches toward merger." Twenty years later the picture is darker. Writing in the Globe and Mail, Toronto, Feb 10, 1986, a St. John's writer O'Flaherty comments—"Britain is no longer a Christian country, and makes no pretence of being one...there is as little attention paid to God in Britain as in Cuba. We see emerging there the grim paganism of twentieth century life. The jettisoning of Jesus Christ does not mean there is no object of public adoration. Nowadays the growing religion is animal worship."

6. Since the razing of, Solomon's Temple by Nebuchadnezzar, the Gentiles have built empires in the world in the vain hope of world dominion. But God will never allow any man to rule this world except Christ. He may allow man to rise up to a point but will then intervene, for the power and the glory belong to Christ alone. This is clearly stated in the Bible—"I will overturn, overturn, overturn it! This also shall be no more, UNTIL HE COME WHOSE RIGHT IT IS, AND I WILL GIVE IT TO HIM" Ezek. 21:27. There is an interesting parallel between the end of professing Israel and the Church. When the Lord was on earth the Temple had been outwardly restored just as Christianity today has returned from its spiritual Babylonian captivity. But because He was rejected He had to pronounce judgment on the Temple, calling it "your house" not God's and that it should be left to them desolate—Mat 23:38. When the judgment fell not only was the Temple razed again but Israel's political power came to an end also. This pattern is repeated in Revelation for the Church and the World. Babylon falls—the spiritual Temple no longer recognized as God's House—and the political power of the world comes to an end afterwards. The kingdom is introduced by judgments on everything in the world which misrepresents God.

7. Nothing is more instructive than noting the gradual erosion of Satan's power leading on to its complete disappearance. It began with the divine sentence on the serpent in Eden "because thou past done this...I will put enmity between thee and the woman and between thy seed and her seed; it shall crush thy head and thou shalt crush His heel"—Gen 3:14,15. But who was this woman's seed and when would He appear in the world? Generation after generation entered and left the world but this question remained unanswered. Finally God made another prediction—this time about the manner of His birth "behold a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son and shall call His name Immanuel"—Isa 7:14 meaning "God with us" just as 1 John 1:1,2 describes Him. This prospect makes Isaiah almost burst out in song as he writes shortly afterward "For unto us a Child is born, unto us a Son is given and the government shall be upon His shoulder—and His Name shall be called Wonderful, Counselor, the mighty God, the everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace. Of the increase of His government and peace there shall be no end, upon the throne of David, and upon His kingdom, to order it and to establish it with judgment and with justice from henceforth even forever. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will perform this"—Isa 9:6, 7.

So Isaiah tells us that the woman's seed, born of a virgin, should rule in power in the world—David's Son and David's Lord—and thus by inference crush the serpent's head.

When the Lord is born into the world the angels tell the shepherds that "this shall be a sign to you"—the Babe in the manger. Clearly they were referring to the predicted sign of the virgin birth in Isaiah, for a Babe in a manger by itself could not be a sign of anything. Then when the Lord was taken into the temple Simeon said to Mary "Behold this Child is set for the fall and rising again of many in Israel, and for a sign which shall be spoken against. Yea a sword shall pierce through your own soul also"—Luke 2:34, 35—an allusion to the cross. The Lord Himself expanded on this sign when the Jews challenged Him—"What sign showiest Thou unto us, seeing that Thou doest these things?"—John 2:15. The Lord replied "Destroy this temple" (i.e. His body) and in three days I will raise it up." Elsewhere He called this "the sign of the prophet Jonas." It is instructive to note how these two signs (a sign in Scripture language is a miracle with special teaching) differ from the signs the Lord did in the world. The latter were immediate—water into wine, multiplying the loaves and fishes, etc. The two signs concerning Him were prophetic, stretching out over a vast period of time in the case of His birth and from His Manhood to His death in the sign of the prophet Jonas. His birth was miraculous—born of a virgin but so was His death—see John 10:17,18. Once Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father the overthrow of Satan's power in the world became only a question of God's appointed time. That will be when the glorified saints exclaim "The kingdoms of this world are become the kingdoms of our Lord and of His Christ"—Rev.11:15.

Part 3

Chapter 3.1

1. Poem by T.L. Mather.

Chapter 3.2

Why does John initially view the Holy City Jerusalem from the vantage point of "a great and high mountain" on earth?—Rev. 21:10. It is because the mountain is Christ, the stone cut out without hands—Dan 2:34. To understand this we must read the story of Nebuchadnezzar's dream—which Daniel Interpreted—in Dan 1. The image in the dream was a figure of Gentile rule which Christ, "the stone cut out without hands" terminates in the 21 judgments in Revelation which precede the account of the Holy City Jerusalem. Then the stone "became a great mountain, and filled the whole earth"—meaning that Christ's earthly kingdom has been established. Jerusalem will become the centre of glory and government on the earth—the delayed answer to the Apostles' question—"Lord wilt Thou at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?"—Acts 1:6.

We know that in the Millennium there will be an earthly city Jerusalem with a temple—and a heavenly city Jerusalem with no temple. But to make this knowledge living in our souls God pulls back the curtain and shows us the destruction of His enemies and the triumph of good over evil. That is why Ezekiel's write up of the temple in the earthly Jerusalem is delayed until the last of Israel's enemies are destroyed. Similarly John does not see the Holy City Jerusalem until God's enemies are destroyed in the 21 judgments of Revelation. To connect these two events in our minds both Ezekiel and John are taken to a very high mountain to see the fruition of the exalted thoughts of God after He has triumphed over His enemies.

2. As a young Christian this used to puzzle me. Why no mention of Paul, the minister of the Church—Col. 1:24, 25—the man whose writings constitute the bulk of the New Testament? The answer is that the twelve Apostles were witnesses of the death and resurrection of Christ—the foundation doctrine on which everything is built. The Lord gave them a signal place of honor when He said "Ye are they which have continued with Me in My temptations. And I appoint unto you a kingdom, as My Father hath appointed unto Me that ye may eat and drink at My table in My kingdom, and sit on thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel"—Luke 22:28-30. Here that kingdom has come.

3. The Holy Spirit gives us the figure of Christ passing through the waters of death in Ps 69:1-2—"Save Me O God, for the waters are come in unto My soul. I sink in deep mire, where there is no standing—I am come into deep waters, where the floods overflow Me." The Lord confirmed this as applying to Himself when He called His death and resurrection "the sign of the prophet Jonah"—the man who went down into deep waters but was delivered.

4. The angels are ministering spirits—Heb. 1:14. They ministered to the Lord on earth—Luke 22:43—and to His people now—Heb. 1:14. Stephen pointed out that Israel had received the law by the ministry of angels but they did not keep it—Acts 7:53. In Rev.21:12 The association of the angels with the twelve tribes of Israel tells us that Israel is restored and angelic ministry to the Jews has been resumed.

5. The Holy of Holies in the tabernacle measured 103 cubits—in the temple 203 cubits. The Holy City measures 12,000 stadia. In the tabernacle and temple cubits are used—in the Holy City stadia—(the stadium was 400 cubits or 700 feet). This may be to draw our attention to an important contrast. In the tabernacle and temple the death of Christ was future—in the Holy City past. The Holy of Holies was an enclosure in the tabernacle and temple for God could not come out to man until Christ died and He tore the veil of the temple. The Holy City however is only a cube by visualization since it is open at the top as the ark would be if not supporting the mercy seat, the figure of God's throne. In the Holy City the throne of God and of the Lamb is inside and God is free to go outside with the invitation "whosoever will may come."

6. A reed was an ancient measuring device. The Roman soldiers thought they had the measure of Christ when they put a reed in His right hand—Mat 27:29. So did Judas Iscariot, who sold Him for thirty pieces of silver. By way of contrast the angel holds a golden reed—the standard of divine righteousness. His task was to measure the city and its gates and its wall—see 21:15. However he does not attempt to measure the gates, for they speak of the death of Christ. No creature—man or angel—can measure that, for it is known only to God. Furthermore the angel's commission does not include the measurement of the foundations—the resurrection of Christ. The resurrection is the seal of God's approval of Christ's work. It is our hope in Christ too—1 Cor. 15:12-23 realized at last in the Holy City.

7. The river of the water of life which flows out of God's throne must have gone out of the gates—or its refreshing waters could not be offered to the thirsty—22:17. Death and life meet at the gates. Waters will also flow out of the earthly temple in Jerusalem during Christ's millennial kingdom—Ezek. 47:1-5—the throne moves outside the city to judge those who preferred death to life. Light and life go together and death and darkness go together. In Gen. 1 The light and darkness are physical—in Revelation moral.

Christ died outside His royal city. He judges the lost outside His royal city—22:15. The lake of fire is called "the second death" or "outer darkness"—Mat. 8:12. There was nothing but God or darkness at the beginning—there can be nothing but God or darkness at the end.

While each of the things in the Holy City has to be considered by itself it is also true that taken together some beautiful unities emerge. Consider, for example, the three unities—one wall, one street, one pearl. The pearl is linked to the river which is clear as crystal and belongs to one of four transparencies. Just as the river is clear as crystal so is the city viewed from the outside, the inside view being "like clear glass." The street of the city is "like transparent glass." The meaning of this clarity and transparency is that nothing is hidden or will ever need to be hidden in the Holy City. NO evil thoughts, no distrustfulness of one another, will ever obtrude there. Fallen man does not enter that city—only man in Christ. God finds rest in us for that reason—and we in Him. This is our eternal home.

8. The baneful influence of Satan and his evil spirits in heavenly places was what wounded them. In Rev. 12:7-9 they are cast out of heaven to earth—in Rev.20:1-3 they are consigned to the abyss, and in Rev. 21:10 the Holy City descends out of heaven. Those inside the Holy City eat the fruit of the tree of life—the nations in the world below are sheltered by its leaves—the display of a divine administration characterized by life, as Satan's had been characterized by death and destruction.

9. This is another proof that the New Jerusalem is the eternal state. Death does not entirely disappear in Christ's 1000 year kingdom—Ezek. 44:22—the curse is not completely dispelled—Ezek. 47:11 and at the end man rebels against God—20:7-9.

10. The sum of the following Greek words in Rev.21:4—(776 every tear) + (701 death) + (414 mourning) + (532 crying) + (470 distress) = 2893 or (1110 this is the interpretation of the thing—Dan 5:26) + (1783 prophesy—Mark 14:65). Thus the interpretation is confirmed by the united testimonies of the Old and New Testaments—each written in different languages and separated from one another by great periods of time.

Heavenly Things

Table of Contents

Preface

Part 1

Chapter 1.1

Chapter 1.2

Chapter 1.3

Chapter 1.4

Chapter 1.5

Chapter 1.6

Chapter 1.7

Chapter 1.8

Chapter 1.9

Chapter 1.10

Chapter 1.11

Chapter 1.12

Chapter 1.13

Chapter 1.14

Appendix to Chapter 1.14

Chapter 1.15

Part 2

Chapter 2.1

Chapter 2.2

Chapter 2.3

Chapter 2.4

Chapter 2.5

Chapter 2.6

Chapter 2.7

The Goal Attained

Chapter 2.8

Chapter 2.9

Chapter 2.10

Chapter 2.11

Chapter 2.12

Chapter 2.13

Chapter 2.14

Chapter 2.15

Chapter 2.16

Chapter 2.17

Chapter 2.18

Chapter 2.19

Part 3

Chapter 3.1

Chapter 3.2

Notes and Bibliography