The unity of the Bible is further shown by the one leading subject throughout, being Christ Jesus, the Son of God, full of brightness and blessing; while the history of man, side by side, tells in all ages the sad tale of his antagonism to God, and unbelief in His goodness and mercy.
Let us look at the dark background of this divinely drawn picture of man’s ways, though created in the image of God, whose delights were with the sons of men.
1. Man created upright, and in innocence, listened to the lie of Satan, instead of standing firm by the Word of the Lord God; he therefore sinned, and thus death came into the world, and death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned (Gen. 3).
2. From fallen Adam to Moses, man though now having a conscience, and knowing good and evil, showed increasingly his departure from God till he actually became a god-maker. (Rom. 1:20-23).
3. From Moses to Christ, Israel, though in foolish self-reliance and ignorance, promised to keep the law, yet had they the advantage of God’s immediate dealings and care, a religious ritual, priesthood, and prophets; but they became such abominable idolaters, and worse than the heathen, that God had to give them unto captivity; and those who returned from the Babylonish captivity, Judah and Benjamin, when their Messiah came received Him not, and openly preferred a known murderer, Barabbas, to Christ.
4. From Christ’s death, resurrection, and the preaching of the gospel in the power of the Holy Spirit come down from heaven, sinners are called and saved for eternal glory by Christ Jesus. The effect still is that “few” comparatively believe, and the “many” are going on the broad road to destruction. When the Lord comes to receive His saints, all who have believed through grace, will be caught up to meet Him in the air, and be taken to the Father’s house. But when He comes out of heaven with His saints, He tells us that the world will be as it was in the days of Noah, ripe for judgment, and meriting everlasting destruction (1 Cor. 15:23; Matt. 24:37-39; 2 Thess. 1:7-9).
5. Christ reigns, and His saints reign with Him. He will “reign in righteousness,” therefore He must judge first the living then put down all rule, all authority, and power, and finally at the close of the thousand years, judge the dead, small and great. The effect of our Lord’s personal reign as King of Israel, and King over all the earth, will be that the knowledge of the Lord will cover the earth “as the waters cover the sea”; but it will be knowledge instead of the new birth in many instances, and restraint from Christ’s personal reign, so that they will yield “feigned obedience” (Psa. 66:3, margin); the consequence will be, that when Satan, who has been bound during the millennium, is let loose again, myriads will fall away, and fire come down from heaven in judgment upon them (Rev. 20:8-9).
6. This is followed by “a new heaven and a new earth,” in which righteousness dwells. The works of the devil having been destroyed, sin and iniquity completely taken away, and all things made new, righteousness now abides. Before law men were “filled with all unrighteousness”; under law righteousness was demanded in the way of works; by the gospel righteousness is reckoned without works to everyone that believes on Jesus; during Christ’s reign He reigns in righteousness; in the eternal state righteousness dwells in heaven and in earth.
But before leaving this dark side of the picture, let us never forget than man has utterly failed in every trial to which he has been subjected, and will do so, more or less, till the new creation order of things is fully established by Him, who said, “Behold I make all things new.” Man in innocence, surrounded with every possible privilege and blessing, sinned. The Flood having long after this taken all away in judgment except eight souls, because all flesh had corrupted God’s way on the earth, the chief of the spared eight becomes drunk, and through it lasting shame was brought on some of his descendants. Abram called out to trust in God, at the first trial of faith so fails, that he goes down into Egypt for help. The children of Israel, so confident of their own ability, no sooner promised to keep the law, saying, “All the words which Jehovah hath said will we do,” than they made an idol of gold, and danced around it, saying, “These be thy gods, O Israel, which brought thee up out of the land of Egypt.” When priesthood after this is set up, perhaps the first thing they did was to offer strange fire, which God commanded them not, and there they died before Jehovah. Moses, the man who was specially noted for meekness, could not enter the land because of, his rashness in smiting the rock, and calling God’s people rebels. The sons of Israel, long after this, wished to have a king, but he soon lost his place because he acted as he thought best, that is, as a rationalist, instead of in obedience to God’s Word (1 Sam. 15:1-23). David, a man after God’s own heart, fell into grievous sin immediately all his enemies had been subdued. After all this, God sent prophets to His people, and the people persecuted, stoned, or slew them. Jehovah sent John the Baptist to the Jews, and first imprisonment, and then death was his portion. Our Lord came with grace and truth, going about doing good, delivering all that were oppressed, and saving all that came to Him; but they said, “This is the heir; come, let us kill Him, that the inheritance may be ours.” At last they cry, “Away with Him, crucify Him.” The Holy Spirit came down after Christ’s ascension, by whose power the apostles and others preached the gospel of the grace of God, and from that time to this many resist and few believe. Such is man, and, unless born of God, such he will be, for “they that are in the flesh cannot please God.” Hence Stephen, in his famous speech before the Sanhedrim, said they were “stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears,” and declared them guilty of not having kept the law which they had received, of having persecuted and slain the prophets, of having been the betrayers and murderers of the Just One, and of always resisting the Holy Spirit. And in the coming age, as we have seen, with Satan bound, creation delivered, Israel blessed and enjoying their own land beyond all description, the church in manifested glory over it, Christ Himself ruling and reigning, all persons and things in subjection to Him, even then, when Satan is let loose for a little season, myriads will fall away, and openly dishonor God. Well has it been said, “What is man that Thou art mindful of him?
(Continued and to be continued).