Stars: November 2023
Table of Contents
Stars
“I will give him the morning star” (Rev. 2:28).
Is not this blessed? Not merely association with Christ in the day of His power, when the stronghold of men shall be broken to shivers like the vessels of a potter, but “gathering together unto Him” before that day. This hope abides in all its fullness and as fresh as at the first. Christ only could so speak and act.
The sun, when it rises, summons man to his busy toil, but the morning star shines for those only who sleep not as do others — for those who watch as children of light and of the day. We shall be with Christ, doubtless, when the day of glory dawns upon the world, but the morning star is before the day, and Christ not only says, “I am ... the bright and morning star,” but, “I will give ... the morning star.” He will come and receive His heavenly ones before they appear with Him in glory.
May we be true to Him in the refusal of present ease and honor and power! May we follow Him, taking up our cross and denying ourselves daily! He will not forget us in His day, and He will give us, before it comes, the morning star.
W. Kelly
The Wonders of the Stars
“When I consider Thy heavens, the work of Thy fingers, the moon and the stars, which Thou hast ordained; what is man, that Thou art mindful of him?” (Psa. 8:3-4). The wonder with which King David looked up on a starry night remained with him as long as he lived. Not many people today see the stars as he did, because of smog, smoke and the effect of electric lights on the atmosphere.
Actually, without a telescope, the human eye can see only about 2,000 separate stars. However, when the Milky Way can be seen, about one hundred billion stars are visible, but they are so far away that no individual star can be picked out.
Our relatively small solar system — the sun with its nine planets and moons — is part of the Milky Way galaxy. But the earth, the sun and the Milky Way are a very small part of the total heavens. Current telescopes have uncovered an estimated one hundred billion galaxies which contain more than one hundred billion, billion stars. Astronomers admit they do not know what lies beyond, and some acknowledge that this vast display had to have a “superior power” to create and control it.
We know from the Bible that the Lord Jesus Christ is the “Superior Power.” “By Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible. ... All things were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all things consist” (Col. 1:16-17).
Count the Stars!
The next time you are at a beach, pick up a handful of sand. Do you think you could count the grains? Respected astronomers claim that the total number of stars in the universe is greater than the number of grains of sand on all the ocean beaches of the earth! They claim that there are 10,000 times as many stars as there are grains of sand in this world! What a staggering fact!
Who but the divine Creator could put all those stars in space, set them in motion and keep them in their orbits in perfect order? King David tells us, “He [counts] the number of the stars; He [calls] them all by their names” (Psa. 147:4). Men can only guess at the figure, but the Lord knows the exact number! Men give names to those they can see, but the Lord calls each one by name. How would you like to be asked to name all the grains of sand on this earth? Yet God has names for all the stars, which are far more numerous. What a reminder of His greatness and untiring interest in all things He has created!
Looking at this spectacular display, it is no wonder King David asked, “What is man that Thou art mindful of him?” Yes, God is mindful of every person, including you, and He invites you to share eternity with Him in a place of greater wonders than the starry skies. If you have admitted that you are a sinner and let Him wash your sins away in His blood shed on Calvary, you will be with Him forever in the wonders of heaven.
S. R. Gill
He Made the Stars Also
The title of this article is taken from Genesis 1:16, where, on the fourth day of creation, God made lights “to give light upon the earth.” It is significant that God spent one whole day, and only light was created; nothing else was made on the first day. God Himself did not need the light of the sun, moon or stars to be able to work, for on the first day He had said, “Let there be light” (Gen. 1:3). Because of this light, light was separated from darkness, and thus light became day, and darkness became night. But then, on the fourth day, God created the sun, moon and stars.
Quite a bit of information is connected with the sun and moon, for once again they were to divide the day from the night. More than this, they were to be “for signs, and for seasons, and for days, and years” (Gen. 1:14). The sun was to rule the day, and the moon was to rule the night; they were to give light upon the earth.
The Stars
But then, when it came to making the stars, the Word of God brings them in almost as an afterthought. It simply says, “He made the stars also.” In another translation, the reference to the stars is even briefer. At the end of verse 16, it reads, “And the stars” (JND). When we realize the vast numbers of stars that exist and the colossal size of many of them, the sun and moon seem insignificant in comparison. Yet the Spirit of God devotes much more space to them, describing their creation and function. Why is this?
I would suggest that it is because the sun and the moon are involved with the blessing of God’s creation on this earth, and particularly the blessing of man. The universe, at least what we know of it today, is so vast that if a model of it were to be made that was large enough for this earth to be seen with the naked eye, the model would be too large for this earth to contain it. Yet God chose this earth, one of the smallest entities of His creation, to be fit for man to live on it, and He placed man on it. Then He proceeded to work out His purposes concerning His beloved Son on that same small earth.
The Earth Was Made for Man
When God made this earth suitable for man’s existence, He was interested in what would be for man’s comfort and enjoyment here. God’s beloved Son was “daily His delight” (Prov. 8:30), and His Son was destined to become a man and come down to this earth. Thus we also read that God rejoiced “in the habitable part of His earth” and that His “delights were with the sons of men” (Prov. 8:31). Surely God takes an interest in all of His creation, but His interest is particularly in this earth, and even more particularly in the part of it that is habitable. What grace on God’s part!
God created man in order to have a relationship with him, and thus that part of creation that affected man was important to God. When it came to making the stars, they were not as important in God’s eyes as the sun and moon, for the sun and moon are particularly connected with the earth.
The Creation of Stars
Why then should God create the stars? We know today that they are very numerous, and as we have noted elsewhere in this issue, astronomers know that there are 10,000 times as many stars in the heavens as there are grains of sand on this earth! This is mind-boggling, to say the least. What is even more mind-boggling is the size of some of the stars and the distance between them. The closest star to our solar system is about 4.25 light years away, and a light year is the distance light travels in a year. Since light travels at almost 300,000 kilometers per second (186,000 miles per second), we can easily see what huge distances are involved. All other stars are much farther away.
Most of the stars are larger than our sun (which is also a star), and the largest star known to date is called UY Scuti. It is so large that if it were an empty globe, it could hold five billion suns! Since more than 900,000 earths could fit inside the sun, you can imagine how big this star is. To make it more realistic to us, suppose that the earth were the size of a ping-pong ball. The number of earths that would fit into this huge star would cover the state of Texas (U.S.A.) to a depth of two feet!
The Display of God’s Glory
According to Scripture, God created these stars to display His glory in creation, for we read that “the heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament showeth His handiwork” (Psa. 19:1). On a clear night, we can see the beauty of the stars in the Milky Way, and when we realize how many there are and how large they are, they certainly create in us a sense of awe for the Creator of them. They move in harmony, for God controls them, and thus we read that “all things subsist together by Him” (Col. 1:17 JND). Even if man does not have a direct revelation from God or access to His Word, through the witness of creation he is responsible to recognize God’s “eternal power and Godhead” (Rom. 1:20).
However, the stars have other meanings in Scripture too. They are often used to represent individuals, and Abraham was told that his seed would be as numerous “as the stars of the heaven” (Gen. 22:17). Elsewhere in the Word of God, single individuals are represented as being stars. Most notably, our blessed Lord Jesus Christ is described as “a Star out of Jacob” and “He that shall have dominion” (Gen. 24:17,19). It is possible that it was an understanding of this scripture that prompted the wise men from the East to recognize the star that heralded the birth of our Lord into this world. That same Lord Jesus Christ will appear as the Morning Star to His church when He comes to take her home to Himself.
Negative Uses of Stars
However, the stars have been used in a negative way too. Men have invented zodiac signs that have connected the stars with the occult, and sadly, many put their faith in this nonsense. Stephen could accuse the nation of Israel of taking up “the star of your god Remphan, figures which ye made to worship them” (Acts 7:43). It was for the worship of idols that God allowed them to be carried into captivity.
In Revelation 8:10-11 we read that “there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp ... and the name of the star was called Wormwood.” While it is beyond the scope of this article to go into all the possible meanings of this star, yet it is evident from the context that it represents a ruler, or one given responsibility before God. His original authority comes from heaven, but he turns out to be a degraded apostate who falls under the judgment of God. Another star is described in Revelation 9:1: “I saw a star fall from heaven unto the earth.” This is another evil ruler, distinct from the one in chapter 8, and possibly the Antichrist. He is allowed to open the bottomless pit, from which issues a flood of demons who cause untold suffering to a select group on earth.
The Bright and Morning Star
But God does not end His Word on this note. Rather, in Revelation 22:16, the Lord Jesus reminds us that for His church, He can say, “I am the root and offspring of David, and the bright and morning star.” We can look up into the night sky — the present night of this world—and expect Him to appear as the Morning Star at any moment!
W. J. Prost
Is There Life in Outer Space?
A group of Christian students once took a field trip to visit a star lab. The school district’s director of science had set up the lab. It was a large bubble that the students could crawl into, and a series of lighted cylinders projected the stars of the Northern Hemisphere onto the ceiling of the bubble.
Before the students crawled inside, the science director explained why the study of the stars is so interesting. He explained: “The sheer size of the universe fascinates us. Our galaxy alone contains billions of stars, and scientists are sure that there are billions of galaxies with countless billions of stars in each one.” The Christians smiled at each other upon hearing those astonishing numbers. Later one said, “Isn’t there a verse that says that God calls all the stars by name?” “Yes,” the others agreed, “and the Bible simply says, ‘He made the stars also,’ as though it was no great thing for God to make so many billions of stars!”
The science director continued: “Of course, one of the most fascinating parts about astronomy is the subject of extraterrestrial beings. The possibilities of life being somewhere out there are so high that we know there must be life there.”
Extraterrestrial Beings
And then he made a surprising statement: “You have to laugh at science fiction films because they have extraterrestrial beings coming to little old ladies or children. We know that if there are any out there, they will appear to someone important.”
Some of the Christians in the room were almost bursting by this time. How they would have liked to interrupt this man to tell him that, yes, there is indeed “Life” beyond this earth! In contrast to those who are searching the vast regions of outer space, we know that the source of life itself is in heaven and it is God. He sent His Son, the Lord Jesus Christ, to earth! Jesus told us, “I am the way, the truth, and the life” (John 14:6). He came all the way from God’s home in heaven to this world.
And, sir, they were thinking, He did appear to a little old lady! Her name was Anna and she was 84 years old! She saw the Lord Jesus as He was brought into the temple as a tiny baby, and then she went out and told others that the Redeemer had come! And children? Did He come to them too? You know He did! He even took infants up in His arms and blessed them.
The Appearance of Jesus Christ
What about the important men of those days? Jesus did not appear to Augustus Caesar, nor did He come to the governor, Pontius Pilate, or to King Herod. God did send an angel to tell some poor shepherds who were staying by their flocks during the night. But He did not send angels to the kings or governors of this world. The Lord Jesus Himself said, “I thank Thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because Thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes” (Matt. 11:25).
The science director also talked about those creatures he is expecting to find. “We hope those aliens will communicate with us.” Many other scientists have said similar things. The United States has spent billions of dollars on various space expeditions to search for life in the universe. Some say they hope that this life, when they find it, will be able to help with earth’s problems.
Communications We Have
But this “Life” has already communicated to us by His Word, the Bible. He has told us all that we need to know about the beginning of the world, about the end of the world, and all the problems in between. The Bible, God’s communication to us, says that “God so loved the world, that He gave His only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life” (John 3:16).
The science director finished his comments by saying, “We know that in a billion years it will be impossible for there to be life on earth. We don’t know where people will have gone, but they won’t be here.”
Those of us who believe God’s Word and have accepted the Lord Jesus as our Savior know where we will be! “The Lord Himself shall descend from heaven with a shout ... and the dead in Christ shall rise first: then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air” (1 Thess. 4:16-17).
And it won’t be for just a few billion years! “So shall we ever be with the Lord.”
Where will you be?
Messages of God’s Love (8/20/1995)
His Star in the East
The second chapter of Matthew opens with the visit of the wise men from the East. They come to Jerusalem asking, “Where is the King of the Jews that has been born? for we have seen His star in the east, and have come to do Him homage” (Matt. 2:2 JnD). How many there were in their company we are not told, but it is likely there were more than the three usually depicted in pictures.
Their coming was all the more remarkable, since at this time the Jews were under the sway of the Roman Empire, and they had a foreign king over them — Herod, an Edomite. This fact shows that the Lord was displeased with His people, for according to the law, an Edomite could not come into the congregation until the third generation, yet here was one who was their king.
Surely God Himself must have moved these Eastern men to undertake that long, weary journey of perhaps a thousand miles, more or less, for it is likely they traveled on camels over dangerous routes. We do not know how much spiritual intelligence they had. However, there is no doubt that the word that God had put into the mouth of that wicked prophet Balaam long before had spread abroad in Gentile lands: “There shall come a Star out of Jacob, and a Sceptre shall rise out of Israel. ... Out of Jacob shall come He that shall have dominion” (Num. 24:17,19). It has been said that many Gentiles in the East had long expected the rise of some great one in the land of Palestine. It may be that the wise men connected this report with the sudden appearance of the star; at any rate, they had set out for Jerusalem, the capital of the land of Israel.
Effects of Christ’s Presentation
Herod and all Jerusalem were greatly troubled to have these representatives of an Eastern nation come and inquire after One who had been born as their King. And to think that they in the religious center of that nation knew nothing of His birth! In the gospel of Luke, it tells us that an announcement of this wonderful event had been given by the angels to some poor shepherds watching over their flocks by night in the country near Bethlehem. But the angels had passed Jerusalem by. Their message to the shepherds was announced as “good tidings of great joy,” and the shepherds had received it with joy. But different effects are produced in souls when Christ is presented. The shepherds praised God, and later the wise men rejoiced, but Herod “was troubled, and all Jerusalem with him.” It seems they did not share the desire of the shepherds to go and see. Still the high priests and scribes had the intelligence of the Scriptures. They could tell Herod that Bethlehem of Judea was the place where Messiah was to be born, according to Micah 5:2. This shows that it is possible to have a certain knowledge of the Scriptures and yet have no love for Him of whom they testify. These men from the East had only a little light, but they acted on what they had, and they got the blessing. That is the way faith will always act.
Bethlehem means “the house of bread,” and Ephratah means “fruitful.” Many precious memories were connected with Bethlehem-Ephratah. Rachel died there; Ruth first met Boaz there; David was born there, and, best of all, Jesus was born there. Those who seek Him find in Him the place of all blessing and fruitfulness.
S. R. Gill
The Morning Star
“I will give him the morning star” (Rev. 2:28). And who is it that sees the morning star? He who watches while it is night. All see the sun in its brightness, but only those who are not of the night, yet knowing that morally it is night, see the morning star and get it as their portion. When the star rose that hailed Jesus, who was born King of the Jews, there were Annas and Simeons waiting for the consolation of Israel. And who were Anna’s friends in that day of darkness? Simply those who were looking for redemption in Israel, and to them she spoke of Him. In them was made good that word in Malachi, “They that feared the Lord spake often one to another.” They knew each other, and they enjoyed the comfort of what follows in the prophet: “To you that fear My name shall the Sun of righteousness arise with healing in His wings.” These were a poor, despised few, but they were “waiting” for redemption in Israel, sensible of the ruin and of the evil, because alive to God’s glory and to the privilege of being His people.
The Annas and Simeons had the secret of God in their souls and were speaking to all that were waiting for consolation in Israel. But were they content with the state of things? No, but in separation from evil they waited for the One who could alone set the evil right. And just so it is in our day; the Christian cannot change the so-called religious systems. He walks in quiet separation from all the evil, patiently waiting for the morning star of the day of glory.
This morning star is Christ Himself, and it is gone before the day appears, but it is there for those who are watching in the night. So we shall be gone to be with the Morning Star before the day of Christ appears to the world, and when Christ shall appear, then shall we also appear with Him in glory.
The Morning Star in Your Hearts
There are three passages which refer to this morning star, to which it is important to refer you. In 2 Peter 1:19 JND he says: “We have the prophetic word made surer, to which ye do well taking heed (as to a lamp shining in an obscure place) until the day dawn and the morning star arise in your hearts.” Israel’s prophets had prophesied the full day of blessing on the earth, and they did well to take heed to this, until the morning star arose in their hearts, because it was the light in a dark place. But the morning star itself was something yet more excellent.
The prophecies, indeed, are plain; their warning is clear. They guard me from being mixed up with the spirit of the world, whose judgment is announced. They are thus a light shining in a dark place, the night of this world’s history, during the absence of Christ. But the morning star is Christ Himself. He will be the Sun of righteousness to the world when He appears, but then there will be judgment. I can understand by the prophetical warning that this dark place is going to be judged. But “the night is far spent, the day is at hand” (Rom. 13:12).
I want the morning star in my heart to cheer my soul through the long and dreary night, which is yet darker now than it was then. And what, then, do we want of the things of this dark place, which is now under judgment for having nailed God’s Son on the cross? One ray of the glory of Christ will at once wither up all the glory of this defiled world like an autumn leaf. My whole portion for time and eternity is in Christ; the morning star has arisen in my heart. I am separated from the world by affection, and not by fear.
To the Overcomer
In Revelation 2, Christ as the morning star is given to the overcomer, for the failure had become so pronounced that it could not be remedied. Yet the Lord could see, even in Thyatira, those who “had not known the depths of Satan” (Rev. 2:24) and who would be overcomers. They could not expect the evil in the professing church to be corrected, but they could look forward to Christ as the morning star.
We have the coming of Christ as the morning star as a distinct thing from the sunrise. He is manifested for the judgment of this world, and therefore the thunders of judgment cannot touch us, because we are seated with Him in heaven. In Revelation 4, we have a most blessed and comforting picture of the position of the church. There are the 24 elders sitting on their thrones, round about the throne from whence the thunders, the lightnings, and the voices come, and they continue perfectly unmoved. But was this insensibility? Certainly not, for when God Himself in His holy character is mentioned, immediately they fall down and cast their crowns before Him. Neither is this holiness the cause of any fear; it is their worship that breaks forth in the full sense of the blessedness of Him who sits alone upon the throne.
Jesus the Morning Star
At the end of the Revelation we have the place of the star again (Rev. 22:16). The Lord brings us back from the prophetic testimony to Himself: “I Jesus have sent Mine angel”; “I am the root and the offspring of David” (this is in connection with His being the source of promise, and heir of it, as King in Zion), “and the bright and morning star.” But the moment He presents Himself as the bright and morning star, “the Spirit and the Bride say, Come; the Holy Spirit in the church says, Come.” This response is what is connected with Himself; the mention of Himself attracts and awakens the answer of the Spirit. This is the character in which the church herself reacts to His coming. God, in the love of His own heart, has associated the church with Jesus, and the very mention of His name awakens the cry, “Come!” for it touches a chord which gives an immediate response. Therefore He does not say here, “Behold, I come quickly!” The question here is not when He will come, but that it is Himself that is coming. He does not speak of His coming — blessed though that thought is — but He reveals Himself, and this it is that awakens the response of the heart by the power of the Holy Spirit. We are for Himself and shall be with Himself. It cannot be anything short of this, for He calls us “His body.” What a glorious place this is! Not merely wonderful, but glorious identification with the Christ of God! No explanation of prophetic scripture, however nice and true it may be, however useful as a solemn warning as regards this world, can ever take the place in the soul that is taught of God of knowing its living union with a coming Jesus, of the present waiting for Himself. No mere explanation of His coming as a doctrine is the proper hope of the saint. That hope is not prophecy; it is the real and blessed and sanctifying expectancy of a soul that knows Jesus and waits to see and be with Himself.
The Bride of Christ
The bride alone hears the voice of the Bridegroom, which at once calls out the expression of her desire of His coming. To this He responds, assuring her of it, and then the revelation closes, leaving this as her own expectation. Paul closes 1 Thessalonians 4 with these words, “So shall we ever be with the Lord.” And is that all? Yes, that is all, for to the heart that has learned to love Him, He can say no more. No explanation of this as a doctrine can ever reach the heart. You cannot make a person understand a relationship; to understand it, he must himself be in it. An unsaved soul may understand, in a manner, what prophecy means, but nothing short of the sense and taste of being connected with Christ Himself can give the desire of His own personal coming. And why? Because for this the relationship must be known.
The Effect of Looking for Jesus
Now mark the practical effect of this looking for Jesus. It takes us clean out of the world up to heaven. There are plenty of things around in the world, plenty of bustle and turmoil, but it does not disturb the blessed calm of my soul, because nothing can alter our indissoluble relationship with a coming Jesus.
To see this coming of the Lord Jesus for the church changes the character of a thousand scriptures. Take the Psalms, for instance, those which speak about judgments on the ungodly. I shall leave them to be with Him. I belong to the bride, a member of His body, of His flesh, and of His bones. When we have hold of this blessed center, Christ, and with Him, therefore, of God Himself, then every scripture falls into its proper place, and above all, our hearts get into their proper place.
May the Lord give us such an apprehension of redemption and of our position in Him as may so fix our hearts on Himself that we may be daily walking down here like unto men that wait for their Lord, who has promised to come and take us to Himself. May the Lord keep us from idols, that we may not grieve Him in any of those things which have come in to spoil and corrupt that which He once planted so beautiful, to be for the manifestation of His glory in this dark and evil world.
J. N. Darby (adapted)
A Star Out of Jacob
Surely there is contained in the account of Balaam’s prophecy (Numbers 22-24) a very solemn consideration for those who are now used in the service of God. To be a prominent servant and a useful one in the greatest of all works is no proof even of conversion. No zeal or success in preaching can compensate for the absence of life. There are those who will say in a coming day, “Lord, Lord, have we not prophesied in Thy name? and in Thy name have cast out devils? and in Thy name done many wonderful works?” (Matt. 7:22). The Lord’s answer to such reveals the sad and solemn fact that their activity in such labor and zeal was without the knowledge of the Lord, and as without this saving knowledge, all their labor and zeal was nothing else than the work of iniquity. “I never knew you: depart from Me, ye that work iniquity” (Matt. 7:23). There is only one ground of salvation (and indeed for acceptable service), that as lost sinners we are saved only by Christ — by faith in Him. The great apostle himself had no other plea but this, the common ground of all. “This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners, of whom I am chief” (1 Tim. 1:15).
Three times the enemy tried and failed in his attempt. Now Satan in the person of Balak, king of the Moabites, appears in more open opposition and seeks as if he would be revenged upon his helpless servant Balaam, for Balak here is but the mouthpiece of Satan. He had his rewards for the prophet, but they were offered in vain. In anger and disappointment, he tells Balaam to flee to his place. “I thought to promote thee unto great honor; but lo, Jehovah hath kept thee back from honor.” It is against Jehovah that Balak speaks; it was against His will that the king now openly declares himself.
The Answer to Righteousness and Grace
It was a question between righteousness and grace. Satan was not ignorant of the demands of righteousness, and he knew that Israel deserved to lose the promised inheritance. But he knew nothing of the purposes of grace or how these purposes could be fulfilled without setting aside the demands of righteousness. He is, as it were, challenging God, whether He can bless a people hitherto rebellious. And wondrously have the Wisdom and the Power (1 Corinthians 1) met the challenge. The great question is settled before God, though the time was not then come for the public setting forth of Christ Himself as the propitiatory for sin (Rom. 3:25). It is in view of the cross that God can declare Israel blessed. The book of types and shadows had been unrolled before Israel, but unread by them. The true Light had not to them illuminated the page, but all was before God, and the people who most deserved to be cut off are those to whom the highest and greatest (earthly) blessings are assured. Nor could Satan read the record any more than man could; he never knew it till the great fact of atonement was accomplished. God did not make Satan the depositary of His counsels. But on the cross Christ was lifted up as the answer to all Satan’s charges, as well as to assure every believer, and then Satan knew how God could be just and the Justifier of the ungodly.
Satan and the Star
Now though Satan was the prime mover in the attempt to curse Israel, stirring up the evil in the hearts of these two men to accomplish his purpose, yet after all it was not so much the people, as the fearing and hating Him who was to come from them. Satan knew the meaning of the first word given in Eden. The Lord who was to come should crush his head. The word was renewed to Abraham: Satan saw that it was connected somehow with Israel. If he could destroy Israel, the promised Seed could not come. But the counsel of God as to His Christ is eternal, and “hath Jehovah spoken, and shall He not make it good?” (Num. 23:19). Satan was vanquished and disappears. His two servants, Balak and Balaam, may each go their way. Nay, not yet; God has not done with Balak; this great controversy is not to be left so. God, as it were, now takes the initiative, and the curse Balak sought for Israel is pronounced upon himself. “Come, I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days” (Num. 24:14). And now it is not Israel, but the STAR out of Jacob that is before the eye of God. It is in Him and by Him that the future victories and greatness of Israel will be achieved. Moab and every other power of the world that has stood up against Christ and His people shall be subdued under His mighty power. The ships of the West may afflict Asshur and Eber, but their leader shall perish. It is the judgment of the living at the end of the age, even then and thus pronounced.
The scene closes; the curtain drops upon this wonderful drama: Satan for the time is vanquished, and the everlasting counsels of grace stand firm in the power of God, which is yet to make all good for Israel.
Did Israel know how wondrously God, their Jehovah, was maintaining their cause, yea, His own sovereign right of grace against the enemy? Nay, they, unconscious, dwelt at ease in their tents, while the battle was fought and won upon the high places of Moab.
R. Beacon
One Star Differeth From Another Star in Glory
Shall we know each other in heaven? It may astonish some of our readers to realize that there is any confusion about this, but if they were asked to set forth from Scripture a solid explanation of the matter, they might be hard pressed to do it.
First, let us have it clearly before us that we are speaking of the time when all the saints will be at home in the Father’s house, all in bodies of glory like unto Christ’s. The subject of the knowledge of the souls and spirits of those who have already departed from this life to be with Christ is another matter. But the topic before us concerns not the unclothed state but the clothed state (spoken of in 2 Corinthians 5), when we shall have our house which is from heaven — glorified saints in the glory with Christ.
There are not many express statements in Scripture on this subject, but there are enough that bear on it that we should not be in doubt.
Variety Without Duplication
Perhaps one of the causes of lack of understanding is the supposition that the saints in glorified bodies will be lost in one indistinguishable throng and that all the redeemed will look alike and be alike. A little consideration will dissolve this misconception, for even in this world which we all recognize as greatly inferior to the heavenly scene, there is an infinite variety without duplication.
No two people look or act exactly alike. No fingerprints are alike in all the millions that the United States Bureau of Investigation has on file. No, not even in identical twins are they alike. Some such cases have been claimed to exist, but when examined carefully they were shown to differ. Those who have studied the blades of grass, the leaves of the trees, the snowflakes, and the grains of sand tell us that the same variation is true. When man makes pins, needles, or other objects, they come out uniformly the same.
Since this creation is stamped by such infinite variety and lack of duplication, why should one suppose that the heavenly scene — “that which is perfect”—will be otherwise? The deduction is unavoidable that there will be the same distinctions and personalities evidenced when we in bodies of glory will be with Christ. The “spiritual body” is not going to lack the distinctive individuality that has been in the “natural body.” The chapter from which this last is quoted calls attention to various glories, even to saying “one star differeth from another star in glory” (1 Cor. 15:41). How could we suppose that the glorified body—the “spiritual body”—will lack personal identity which this body of our humiliation has possessed?
Not Phantoms
Were not Moses and Elijah distinguishable when displayed in the glory with Christ on the transfiguration mount? Was this only a mirage or an illusion? No, for Peter says, “We ... were eyewitnesses of His majesty” (2 Peter 1:16), whereby we had the Old Testament prophecy confirmed to us. Moses and Elijah were not phantoms, but the actual men who talked with Jesus and “spake of His decease which He should accomplish at Jerusalem” (Luke 9:31).
They represent the heavenly side of the coming glory, just as Peter, James and John in natural bodies portrayed the earthly side of the kingdom.
Furthermore, Moses and Elijah were not angels, nor did they appear as angels, for “there talked with Him two men, which were Moses and Elias.” Another point to discover here is that even those in natural bodies, such as Peter, James and John, needed no introduction to those in glorified bodies, although they had never seen them on earth.
Another scripture that deals with this subject and is irrefutable in combating the idea that we will not know one another in heaven is found in 1 Thessalonians 2: “What is our hope, or joy, or crown of rejoicing? Are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at His coming? For ye are our glory and joy” (vss. 19-20). Not only will the Apostle Paul know those Thessalonian believers in the glory and they know him, but they are to be manifestly his joy and crown of rejoicing. They will be there as the evident trophies of Paul’s labors at Thessalonica.
Trophies of Paul’s Labors
And if this is true of the saints at Thessalonica, is it not to be true of all the saints who were saved through Paul’s labors? Why should only the saints in one locality be singled out for this place? Surely it will be so in all of Paul’s labors, and if of Paul, why not of all the saints who have labored and seen souls saved through their ministry? Is there not a similar thought in John’s second epistle, where he says, “Look to yourselves, that we lose not those things which we have wrought, but that we receive a full reward” (vs. 8)? John is speaking of his labors, and he hoped this “elect lady” would go on in the truth as he had taught her, so that he might have a full reward.
The Judgment Seat of Christ
This brings us to another point. What about the judgment seat of Christ where all the saints in glory will have their works reviewed by Him who knew and understood all their thoughts, motives and deeds? We are very poor judges of our own doings, but there is One who knows the thoughts and intents of the hearts. We are to be manifested before Him when we are with and like Christ. The Lord whom we serve is going to reward each one of us according to His perfect wisdom and love. If there is no distinct personality of the saints, who is there to reward? And what is there to reward? Furthermore, there will be rewards that will be bestowed in common with other believers. This would necessitate the knowledge of each other.
There will be rewards that will be distinctly personal and individual, as with the stone in which there will be a new name which no one will know but the one receiving it (Rev. 2:17). This will be for some personal devotedness to Christ that no one else knew of. It will receive His private commendation — a beautiful thing to anticipate, as of something personal between the individual and the Lord.
Then there are those who will be made pillars in that day, that is, something that stands out for all to see. Surely the rewards will be commensurate with the devotedness to the Lord, and according to the trials that made it difficult. In Revelation 3:9 the Lord commends some who in great weakness held fast to His Word and did not deny His name. He says to these,
A Public Acknowledgment
“I will make them to come and worship before thy feet, and to know that I have loved thee.” Has this taken place yet? Will there not be a public acknowledgment of His approval of those who were faithful in the “day of small things” even though they were despised at the time by others? He is to make it plainly evident that they had His approval.
There is a similar thought in Malachi. The Lord had a special record made of those who feared Him and thought upon His name in the day of ruin. He says of them, “They shall be Mine ... in that day when I make up My jewels.” Then it will be seen who pleased God and who did not.
Motives
Another side to the judgment seat of Christ must also be considered. There are, sad to say, injustices and evil acts of Christians toward Christians now in this world. Many of these have never been cleared or settled, nor will be until the coming judgment seat when all of our deeds pass in review before Him. Will there be no redress of such injuries?
Will the Lord not make it manifest what He saw and what He knew of the motives which were at work? We will all be happy to have these things cleared away then, for there will be no flesh in any of us. But how could all this take place if the saints in glory were one indistinguishable throng? After the rapture, and before the marriage of the Lamb, everything that could possibly sully one atom of glory will have been judged and cleared in His presence. In the light of this, how important it is to judge ourselves now before Him and to walk with a pure conscience day by day!
It is sad to witness some Christians being involved in altercations and quarrels with other Christians and saying, “This will have to go to the judgment seat of Christ.” Should we not judge it before the Lord NOW and where necessary, before our brethren too? And, if it ought to be done, make restitution now? It is a solemn thing for Christians to allow difficulties with other Christians which remain unresolved until the day of Christ.
We Shall Know
When that which is perfect is come, then we shall know also as we are known (1 Cor. 13:10,12). We can little comprehend the wonders of those scenes into which we are soon to enter. “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love Him” (1 Cor. 2:9).
Was it only for the Israelites that God said, as the end of the wilderness came into view, “Thou shalt remember all the way which the Lord thy God led thee these forty years in the wilderness” (Deut. 8:2)? Is there not an application for us as we too near the end of the wilderness journey? Shall we not review all His ways with us and shall they not magnify His grace and His goodness? When we behold how His grace cared for us and brought us safely to Himself amid all our failures, we shall praise Him as we should.
The story has been told of the preacher of old, Rowland Hill, who was one day asked by his wife, “Rowland, do you think we will know each other in heaven?” He replied tersely. “Do you think we will be bigger fools there than we are here?” Surely we await the coming of “that which is perfect.”
P. Wilson
Stars of the Seven Churches
Question: What do the “stars” of the seven churches represent (Rev. 1:20)?
Answer: The “stars” of Revelation 1 and Revelation 2-3 are symbols of those who rule in the assemblies subordinately to Christ. They are called “angels,” because they represent, in the way of moral responsibility, the sphere in which they are called to act for Christ, and they are thus identified, each, with the state of the assembly in which he may be thus set.
The Star Wormwood
Upon the sounding of the third trumpet “there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; and the name of the star is called Wormwood . ... and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter” (Rev. 8:10-11). A star is the symbol of authority in government, not supreme (for this is represented by the sun), but subordinate, and one therefore, from the very emblem employed, who should have been the source of light and order to men. But he falls “from heaven,” from the place in which he had been set by God (for the powers that be are ordained of God); that is, he is now by his fall severed from all connection with God, though he still burns, not as a star, but as a lamp, and thus attracts by his light and radiance. He falls upon and corrupts all the sources — the moral sources, of life, as set forth by the rivers and fountains of waters. Accordingly his name indicates the effects of his action, for a third part of the waters (the sphere and range of his influence) become wormwood, bitter and poisonous to those who drink of them, and consequently many die. (Compare Deut. 29:18; Prov. 5:4.) An illustration of such an effect may often be seen when one who has been prominent in the church of God becomes unfaithful or apostate, and morally destroys his hearers by infidel teachings. In manifold ways it is possible for those who have fallen from high places, whether among men or in the church, to poison the sources of life, and it is just this that will take place on a grand scale at the fall of the star Wormwood.
E. Dennett
The Bright and Morning Star
Thou “bright and morning Star,”
Arise within our hearts,
Before the day,
Shed forth Thy ray,
Which heavenly joy imparts;
Though darkness reigns around,
Our hearts anticipate
That hour so near,
When we shall hear
Thy shout, for which we wait.
Thou “bright and morning Star,”
We wait to see Thee shine;
Then we shall be
Made like to Thee,
And wholly, wholly Thine;
“The Spirit and the bride,”
To Thee, blest Lord, say come;
Oh! let Thy beam
Of glory stream,
And take us to Thy home.
Thou “bright and morning Star,”
Oh! with what deep delight,
Thou’lt come again,
And claim us then,
To dwell in cloudless light;
And oh! what boundless joy
Shall fill each raptured heart,
When we abide
At Thy dear side,
No more from Thee to part!
G. W. Frazer, 1882