Q.-What is the thought in Rev. 16:1616And he gathered them together into a place called in the Hebrew tongue Armageddon. (Revelation 16:16) as to the use of the name “Armageddon,” as the place of the gathering of the confederate kings in the last great battle of the age?
A.-It has been generally understood, and, doubtless, rightly so, that it referred to the “Megiddo” of Judg. 5, when Barak defeated the confederate kings of Canaan in that day of Israel’s weakness—(see also Zech. 12, &c.)—the Hebrew “Har” (דַר) being prefixed to denote the mountain of that name. But the following explanation seems still more to the point:—
The word is literally Hormah-Gideon (הׇרְמָח׳גִּדְון), i.e., The destruction of Gideon, and would refer to the well-known total route of the hosts of Midian by Gideon the Judge, after Israel’s seven years captivity to the Midianites (Judg. 6:11And the children of Israel did evil in the sight of the Lord: and the Lord delivered them into the hand of Midian seven years. (Judges 6:1)).
This victory was characterized by the turning of every man’s sword against his fellow (Judg. 7:2222And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord set every man's sword against his fellow, even throughout all the host: and the host fled to Beth-shittah in Zererath, and to the border of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. (Judges 7:22)), and furnished a grand and impressive type of this last great battle of this age, when Israel will be delivered, and the confederate powers of the world destroyed. That moment is referred to in Ezek. 38:2121And I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man's sword shall be against his brother. (Ezekiel 38:21): “I will call for a sword against him throughout all my mountains, saith the Lord God: every man’s sword shall be against his fellow.” And in Hag. 2:2222And I will overthrow the throne of kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen; and I will overthrow the chariots, and those that ride in them; and the horses and their riders shall come down, every one by the sword of his brother. (Haggai 2:22), “I will overthrow the throne of the kingdoms, and I will destroy the strength of the kingdoms of the heathen, ... every one by the sword of his fellow.”
“The day of Midian” is also definitely named, and referred to by way of analogy, in Isa. 9:4,54For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian. 5For every battle of the warrior is with confused noise, and garments rolled in blood; but this shall be with burning and fuel of fire. (Isaiah 9:4‑5), as characterizing this complete route of the enemy by the judgment of God. “For thou hast broken the yoke of his burden, and the staff of his shoulder, the rod of his oppressor, as in the day of Midian,” &c.
W. F. W., Rhode Island, U.S.A. —How did Jacob prevail over God? (Gen. 32:24-2824And Jacob was left alone; and there wrestled a man with him until the breaking of the day. 25And when he saw that he prevailed not against him, he touched the hollow of his thigh; and the hollow of Jacob's thigh was out of joint, as he wrestled with him. 26And he said, Let me go, for the day breaketh. And he said, I will not let thee go, except thou bless me. 27And he said unto him, What is thy name? And he said, Jacob. 28And he said, Thy name shall be called no more Jacob, but Israel: for as a prince hast thou power with God and with men, and hast prevailed. (Genesis 32:24‑28).)
A.-By earnest weeping and supplication. God suffered Himself, in mercy to be prevailed over, thus showing His acceptance of Jacob’s strong crying and tears; and when the wrestling had reduced Jacob to the sense of powerlessness in himself, he clings to the angel in his weakness, and God suffers him thus to prevail over Him.
This scene is referred to in Hos. 12:44Yea, he had power over the angel, and prevailed: he wept, and made supplication unto him: he found him in Beth-el, and there he spake with us; (Hosea 12:4):— “Yea,, he had power over the Angel, and prevailed; he wept, and made supplication unto him.” Jacob’s history remarkably unfolds that of a saint who did not walk with God; yet he was a saint, and valued the promises of God, but sought to enjoy them by human means which were not upright. We need faith for the means as well as for the end which God has in view. He had halted morally for twenty-one years, and now the moment came when God brings His controversy to an issue with him. His dividing of the flocks and his present for Esau showed that he had no real faith in God’s care, though he prays earnestly enough at the same time. He was a froward man, and we read, “With the froward thou wilt wrestle.” (Psa. 18:2626With the pure thou wilt show thyself pure; and with the froward thou wilt show thyself froward. (Psalm 18:26), margin.) God meets Jacob alone and wrestles with him to bring him to the sense of weakness and nothingness, but does not prevail. At last he touched the hollow of his thigh, and it was dislocated.
Now he is reduced to the extremity of weakness and powerlessness, yet he clings to the Angel, conscious of who was there, and with weeping and earnest entreaty he seeks a blessing from Him whose strength is “made perfect in weakness,” and he prevails. He is blessed, and for the name “Jacob,” i.e., “Supplanter,” he receives that of “Israel,” i.e., a prince with God, who had power with Him and prevailed. God answers now with His blessing, having reduced His servant to the consciousness of entire weakness and inability to do without Him. But Jacob bears the marks of the controversy, and he halts upon his thigh for life.
How often we see this! God’s controversy with the souls of His people slighted, and at last they are brought to a moment when all is gone but God Then the blessing flows freely, but the mark of the discipline which was needed to reduce the soul to that point is seen for a lifelong after. Yet the day dawns and the sun rises on one who has had a deep and blessed lesson from a faithful God.
How all this puts us in mind of our perfect Lord and Saviour! His weeping and supplications— “strong crying and tears”—mark the perfection of One who felt in its verity the place He had undertaken in love; yet He must go through and drink the cup, and be forsaken of God. Yet here was perfection perfected. If it must be so, He will have the cup from no hand but His Father’s. He goes on to the cross, and “all my bones were out of joint” was His cry at that solemn moment, when God was averting His face from His Son when made sin for us; and He bears the marks of His sufferings in glory, and forever!
M. P.-Please, define a little between Priesthood and Advocacy.
A.-Priesthood is the divine provision of grace to sustain those who have been set in God’s righteousness before Him in Christ. It reconciles the condition of a poor feeble creature on earth, liable to fall at any moment, with the glorious position which is his in Christ. I believe that Hebrews is the complement of the Epistle to the Romans—the one setting us, through redemption, before God in Christ, the other maintaining us there. In its prime aspect it is preventive and sustaining. “Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe.” You Lind at the end of Heb. 4 the provisions made in order that we may not fall in the wilderness—the detective power of the Word of God to deal with the will, the supporting priesthood of Christ to support us in our weakness. So we are to go boldly to the “throne of grace and find timely help” to sustain, that we may not fail. Priesthood, then, branches out in the other activities of Christ for us into two great divisions: Advocacy, and washing of water by the Word (1 John 2, and John 13) The former is for absolute fat’s. “If any sin, we have an advocate.” He is engaged before and with the Father for us, and the result of His advocacy is to turn the Word, by the Spirit, in its convicting power, on the conscience; and then, when confession is produced, the soul having bowed under His action, restoration follows. A double action takes place-conviction for the failure, and, on confession, restored communion.
In Num. 18 you have priestly service in grace to maintain communion. In chapter 19 the provision, not of maintaining communion by priestly grace, but for the restoration of communion individually when lost—the double application of the ashes and water on the third and seventh days answering to that of advocacy-the third day showing what sin is in respect of grace—the seventh what grace is in respect of sin. The ashes and water used here point, the first to the impossibility of the sin being imputed, as the victim on whom they were was wholly burnt—the latter to the Word of God in its convicting and restoring power by the Holy Ghost. This answers now to the thought of advocacy.
I do not like the word, One-who-manages-your-affairs-it is too long. Solicitor, though good, is not suitable, from its associations in common use-(Advocate is the same word in Greek as Comforter, in John 14)—but, One who manages your affairs is the thought.