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The Bible Truth Review

Issue No. 18 (December 1991 - March 1992)

In This Issue

"Eternal Life #1" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor, vol. 6, circa 1916. A quest to discover as far as possible all that Scripture says regarding eternal (aionion) life.

"God the Son" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today, vol. 41 no. 4, December 1991. Some have denied that Christ was really the Son, and therefore not deity. So let us go to Isa. 45 for some background.

"The Good Shepherd" by Brian Kelso in Grace & Peace, February 1991. The Shepherd of Israel means more than the fundamental view of the Saviour gathering sinners in His arms and bringing them back to the fold.

"The Mystery Announced" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth for Today vol. 41, no. 3, October 1991. Abruptly in Eph. 1:3 is the announcement that a special chosen people will enjoy spiritual blessings in the heavenlies.

"The Parables. No. 13. The two Sons and the Vineyard (Matt. xxi.28-32)" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1915. This parable is not intended to teach the way of salvation, and failure to realize its primary setting, as in the case of most of the parables, has led to serious evangelical errors.

"The Ministry of Paul. Its relation to dispensational truth. No. 2. His Commission" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1912. In our last article we sought to examine the record of Saul of Tarsus. We now seek to understand his commission as an apostle.

"Who Are the Poor in the Spirit?" by P. Schafer in Bible Explorations vol. 2, no. 2, February 1988. ( Please read chapters 8 and 9 of Ezekiel.)

Subscription Information and Permission to Distribute by Leo Wierzbowski, editor of The Bible Truth Review.

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"Eternal Life #1" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor, vol. 6, circa 1916.

Among the doctrines which come before the student of Scripture in his search into its teaching regarding human destiny, is that of eternal or everlasting life. In order to avoid the traditional interpretation, and also to keep out of sight any ideas of our own, we shall transliterate the word translated "Eternal," and call it aionion throughout this enquiry. Our present quest is to discover as far as possible all that Scripture says regarding aionion life, to whom it is given, upon what basis, whether it is exclusively proffered to faith, or to works, or to both; whether it is a present possession, or a future one; whether it has to do with the final or a transition state, and anything further that may be learned by a careful and prayerful study.

The first occurrence of the words aionion life is in Matt. xix.16, "Good Master, what good thing shall I do that I may have aionion life." It will be observed that "doing good" is directly associated with "having aionion life." The Lord, it is true, corrects the error contained in the loose usage of the word "good," but does not correct the idea that good works, or keeping the commandments, were necessary for the attainment of this life, for He said:-

"If thou wilt enter into the life (the article seems to indicate the life under consideration, namely, aionion life), KEEP THE COMMANDMENTS."

Reading further, we find the Lord speaking of "being perfect," and of telling the young man to go and sell all that he had and give to the poor, to follow the Lord, and that he would have "treasure in heaven." We know how the young man failed. Although he had "kept from his youth up" all the commandments, yet he did not reach the standard necessary for "aionion life," or "for treasure in heaven."

One cannot help comparing these two expressions together, and asking whether they both refer to the same thing. In verses 27-29 Peter asks a question arising out of the failure of the young man, and is answered, and there again a twofold description is given of the result of "forsaking all and following." To the disciples the Lord held out the prospect of sitting upon twelve thrones in the regeneration, and supplements that by a promise to "every one that hath forsaken...," that they "shall receive an hundred-fold, and shall inherit aionion life." Here, in place of "treasure in heaven," is found "sitting on thrones" and "receiving a hundred-fold." We must also bear in mind that the Lord did not say that a rich man could not enter into the kingdom of heaven, but that he would only enter with great difficulty.

It will be observed that the Lord uses the word "inherit" with aionion life. He never misused words, and it will be our wisdom to keep this idea of an inheritance before us as we continue our study. Mark and Luke record the incident of the rich young man, and in their Gospels the word "inherit" is used by the young man himself. Readers must not think this to be a discrepancy. The young man in all probability spoke Aramaic, and the Holy Spirit has given us in the translation two Greek words, "to have" and "to inherit," to help us to understand the meaning of the term. Mark's record clarifies our conception somewhat as may be seen by the following slight variation from Matthew's record, Mark x.17-31, "what shall I do that I *may inherit* aionion life?"

We have heard it said that the young man was very wrong to have boasted that he had "kept all these things from his youth up," yet Mark tells us that when the young man had made this statement, "Jesus beholding him, loved him, and said, One thing thou lackest, etc."

Yet one other item is explained by Mark and Luke. Matt. xix.29 leaves us with no settled knowledge as to when the "hundredfold" should be received. The record in Mark is very explicit, "he shall receive a hundred-fold *now* in this time,...and *in the coming age* life aionion." So also in Luke xviii.30. Luke records two occasions when the Lord was definitely asked the way to obtain aionion life. In chapter xviii. we read of the rich young ruler as in Matthew and in Mark, and in Luke x.25-28 a certain lawyer asks the question tempting Him, but to him also it was shown that inheriting aionion life is linked with doing the commandments.

Many have felt how diametrically opposed to the way of justification and life these passages are to the doctrine revealed through Paul, and, failing to discern the things that differ, they have attempted to make the Lord teach the rich young ruler that aionion life was to be attained only by faith and not by works. In no other branch of study would such biassed reading be tolerated. Nothing is clearer than that aionion life was connected with doing, keeping, forsaking, and following. Matthew, writing with the kingdom of the heavens before him, uses aionion life with special reference to that period. The Lord Himself links it with the kingdom and the regeneration, and the time when He shall sit upon the throne of His glory. Once again, and only once, He refers to that throne, and it is there we find the next and last reference in Matthew to aionion life. Matt. xxv.31,32, "He shall sit upon (the) throne of His glory and before Him shall be gathered all the nations." The nations are divided into two sections, the one section hear the words, "Come ye blessed of My Father, INHERIT the kingdom prepared for you since the overthrow of the world...the righteous into life aionion." Here it will be seen that these nations "inherit a kingdom," are "righteous," and enter into "aionion life." What is the basis of the entry? We unhesitatingly say, with the scripture before us, works! This is the Lord's own explanation. "FOR I was an hungered...thirsty... Then shall the RIGHTEOUS answer Him saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered...... thirsty, etc. ?" They had done it unto His brethren, and were not conscious that it was received by the Lord as being rendered unto Himself. This therefore rules out the idea often read into the passage that it was an act of faith; faith does not enter into the passage. The rest of the nations are addressed as "Ye cursed," and while the righteous inherit the prepared kingdom, they enter the prepared fire, "aionion fire prepared for the devil and his angels." "These shall go away into aionion punishment."

The basis for this punishment is the exact negation of the kind deeds shown by the righteous. This is the Lord's own explanation. "FOR I was an hungered...thirsty... Then shall they also answer Him, saying, Lord, when saw we Thee an hungered...thirsty, etc."

The way in which the Lord deals with these two classes shows how exactly He will keep to the law, "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." Failure to observe this cost these nations the kingdom and aionion life. Instead, they received aionion punishment in aionion fire. The relation which is observed between the subject of aionion life and the set of parables under consideration in other articles is important.

The parable which precedes the first reference to aionion life in Matthew is the parable of the wicked unforgiving servant. He is delivered to the tormentors (same root as the word used so often in the Revelation), till he should pay all that was due. This is parallel with the passage in Matthew v.26, "Verily I say unto thee, thou shalt by no means come out thence, till thou hast paid the uttermost farthing." The parable which immediately follows Matt. xix., and which commences with the word "For," is the parable of the householder and vineyard where the penny a day seems to be in the parable what the aionion life is in the plain statement of xix.29.

The parable that immediately precedes the last reference to aionion life in Matthew is the parable of the faithful and unprofitable servants. The faithful enters into the joy of his Lord, the unprofitable servant is cast into outer darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth. All these parables have service or manner of life before them, with their consequent rewards and punishments. It is so with regard to the way in which aionion life, punishment, and fire are used in Matthew.

There are many who do not hesitate to affirm that the aionion fire of Matt. xxv. is the second death of Rev. xx.14. Colour is given to this interpretation by the fact that in Rev. xx.10 we read that:-

"The devil that deceived them was cast into the lake of fire and brimstone, where the beast and the false prophet (are), and they shall be tormented day and night unto the ages of the ages."

Let us not be too hasty in our conclusions. In the one case the fire is for torment day and night unto the ages of the ages. In the other case it is definitely called the second death. Death and Hades are cast into the second death and nothing is said about Satan. So far as we have any knowledge, the devil has never yet died, and if he be cast into the lake of fire of Rev. xx.14, it would be the first death, not the second, for him.

The special emphasis upon "the overcomer" in the Revelation has already been pointed out in the articles dealing with that book. It should be kept in mind when considering the meaning of the passages relating to punishment. Note the alternatives in the addresses to the seven churches in chaps. ii. and iii. So far as we can understand the term, aionion life may be for a limited period, and may end. Life in Christ is another matter, and must on no account be confused with it.

In Matt. vii.14, and xviii.8,9 are the only other references to "life" found in Matthew. We there learn of the "strait gate and narrow way that lead to life" with its alternative "destruction"; and in xviii.8,9 we read that it is better to enter into life halt, or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet to be cast into the aionion fire. This *aionion fire* is further interpreted for us by the fact that the next verse says, "rather than having two eyes to be cast into *the Gehenna* of fire." The danger of the Gehenna of fire is first mentioned in Matt. v.22; a parallel passage with xviii.9 is found in Matt. v.29,30. The destruction of soul and body is referred to Gehenna in x.28 (this should be considered over against the losing of the soul in Matt. xvi.25, mistranslated "life"). The proselytes of the Pharisees and Scribes are spoken of as children of Gehenna, and the Pharisees and Scribes are asked, "How can ye escape the judgment of Gehenna?" (Matt. xxiii.33). Gehenna occurs only in Matthew, Mark, Luke, and James. It is exclusively used in connection with the kingdom, and never comes into sight in the Church Epistles; it is the divine explanation of the aionion fire as used by Matthew. Enough has been shown that aionion life and aionion punishment as found in Matthew have an entirely different aspect from that evangelical offer of life connected solely with faith in the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus. Neither faith nor the atonement are ever in view in the passages we have been studying. We hope to continue our studies in future issues.

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"God the Son" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth For Today, vol. 41 no. 4, December 1991.

Recently we considered the subject, God the Father. There has been little contradiction of the fact that the Father is God. But some have denied that Christ was really the Son, and therefore not deity. So let us go to Isa. 45 for some background.

Elohim is the word for God in Gen. 1:1. El is God in contrast to the gods of the heathen. See it in Gen. 14:18. Jehovah is the I AM that was revealed to Moses at the burning bush. Check these with the Companion Bible and read Appendix 4.

Isaiah 45:1. THUS SAITH JEHOVAH...

3. I, JEHOVAH...AM THE ELOHIM OF ISRAEL.

5. I AM JEHOVAH...THERE IS NO ELOHIM BESIDE ME.

6. I AM JEHOVAH, AND THERE IS NONE ELSE.

7. I, JEHOVAH DO ALL THESE THINGS.

8. I, JEHOVAH HAVE CREATED IT.

11. THUS SAITH JEHOVAH, THE HOLY ONE OF ISRAEL, AND HIS MAKER.

13. SAITH THE JEHOVAH OF HOSTS.

14. THUS SAITH JEHOVAH...SURELY EL IS IN THEE; AND THERE IS NONE ELSE, THERE IS NO ELOHIM.

15. VERILY THOU ARE AN EL THAT HIDEST THYSELF, O ELOHIM OF ISRAEL, THE SAVIOUR.

17. BUT ISRAEL SHALL BE SAVED IN JEHOVAH.

18. FOR THUS SAITH JEHOVAH THAT CREATED THE HEAVENS; ELOHIM HIMSELF THAT FORMED THE EARTH AND MADE IT...I AM JEHOVAH; AND THERE IS NONE ELSE.

19. I, JEHOVAH SPEAK RIGHTEOUSNESS.

21. HAVE NOT I, JEHOVAH? AND THERE IS NO ELOHIM BESIDE ME; A JUST EL AND A SAVIOUR; THERE IS NONE BESIDE ME.

22. FOR I AM EL, AND THERE IS NONE ELSE.

24. SURELY IN JEHOVAH HAVE I RIGHTEOUSNESS AND STRENGTH.

25. IN JEHOVAH SHALL ALL THE SEED OF ISRAEL BE JUSTIFIED, AND SHALL GLORY.

Now read the chapter through and tell me, are Jehovah, El, and Elohim one and the same? Is there only one God? And is not that one God Creator, Saviour, and the only One to be worshipped? And did you note that in verse 23 El says something that is repeated in Ph'p 2:10? According to this, Christ is El. And El is both Elohim and Jehovah. Then who is Christ?

The Word made flesh is God. Not a god, as some would say, for that brings in other gods and that is contrary to the very first commandment and has to do with idolatry. As true Christians we have to recognize the fact that Jesus of Nazareth was God, or no god at all.

Only God is to be worshipped, according to the law of Israel. That has not been changed. Worship is ordained for Christ in Ph'p. 2:10. "And let all the angels of God worship Him." So says Hebrews 1:6.

We purposely used Isaiah 45 here because some have even tried to make Jehovah a lesser god. The chapter speaks for itself. Jehovah is God and there is none else. Take away Jehovah and there is no God. Take away Jesus Christ and there is no God. The implications are plain. There is one God, but three persons.

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"The Good Shepherd" by Brian Kelso in Grace & Peace, February 1991.

Last issue we thought about the importance of The Saviour's birth for Israel. All their hopes and aspirations will be realised in The Son of God, even though they rejected him. 2 Cor 1:20. Moses & Joseph were rejected too, but were accepted the second time and used by God to bless His people. See Acts 7.

Traditional view says that because Israel were foolish enough to turn away from the Son of God, and many a Crusade slaughtered Jews as well as the Moslems, all their blessings were directly or spiritually transferred to The Church, or that the church became spiritual Israel.

Study will show that this was never the case, & such practice obscures the hope for us gentiles today. Salvation is one thing which was transferred.

The Shepherd of Israel, means more than the fundamental view of the Saviour gathering sinners in His arms and bringing them back to the fold, which is the saved. See Matthew 18:11-14.

While this thought is a perfectly legitimate application, it is not the complete picture, not the understanding Israel had of the type. As we look at these Old Test. passages, let us rejoice together in all the wonderful blessings which God has promised to Israel. Don't feel left out just because you will not share in them. He has some wonderful things in store for you as well. Praise His name.

The Lord is My Shepherd I shall not want; He maketh me to lie down in green pastures, He leadeth me besides the still waters, He restoreth my soul; He leadeth me in the paths of righteousness for His name's sake.

JEHOVAH ROI. The Lord, my shepherd. This beautiful Psalm is so familiar but, I want you to read it this time without injecting the concept of heaven. It belongs with Psalm 22 & 24, read them together. The thrilling three. Israel will rest & rejoice when He reigns, but it will be, beside still waters, green pastures, and they shall not want. God's law will be written on their hearts so they will walk in His ways. Jer. 31:33. Ez. 11:19-20. Read all verses.

"And Moses spake unto The Lord saying, Let The Lord, the God of spirits of all flesh, set a man over the congregation, which may go out before them, and in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in; that the congregation of The Lord be not as sheep which have no shepherd. And The Lord said unto Moses, Take thee Jesus...." Numbers 27.

"Behold, the Lord God will come with strong hand, and his arm shall rule Him; behold His reward is with Him, and His work before Him. He shall feed his flock like a shepherd: He shall gather the lambs with His arm. . ." Isaiah 40:1-11.

"Hear the word of The Lord, O ye nations, and declare it in the isles afar off and say, 'He that scattereth Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock.'" See Jer. 31:1-14. Notice wheat wine & oil in verse 12. Also Deuteronomy 30:1-5. OT Scriptures point to Israel's coming Shepherd who gathers.

The Good Shepherd of Ezekiel.

Ezekiel 34 is an incredible passage of hope and inspiration for the beleaguered nation Israel. Adoni Jehovah is speaking and condemns the "fat & the strong" who have only looked after No. 1.

The Lord asks, 'should not the shepherds feed the flock?' Verses 3-6 describe the state the false shepherds have created. (Remember His 3fold plea to Peter in Jn. 21 & Peter's words 1 P. 5:2-4?)

God Himself will be the Good Shepherd. (Ez.34:11-31.) Who then is Jesus speaking about in Matt. 18 & Jn 10?

Look at the blessings He will provide according to Ez.34. My Servant David could be David in resurrection or Messiah. Here is a covenant of peace. Animals, hills, & crops are included in the blessing. Enemies subdued. How can this be heaven? How can we spiritualise this to mean something else. Let Israel rejoice in these promises. No stealing thank you.

Please Read: Ezekiel 36:22-32. 37:11-28. 1 Peter 2:25. Heb. 13:20. Pray Ps 80 for Israel. Wonderful isn't it?

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"The Mystery Announced" by Oscar M. Baker in Truth for Today vol. 41, no. 3, October 1991.

Up to the great divorce of Acts 28:25-28, both spiritual and material blessings had to do with the earth, the land that was promised to Abraham and to his descendants. Even the New Jerusalem comes down to the earth to be inhabited by a chosen people. Among those will be Abraham and those who are children of the promise made to Abraham.

But abruptly in Eph. 1:3 is the announcement that a special chosen people will enjoy spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. This is a part of the great secret that was hid in God from ages and generations. This must have been a great surprise to the believers of that time. Not even a hint of such a thing had ever before been uttered.

We wonder what the Galatians thought of such an announcement! The Gentile believers of that district were told that by faith they had become children of Abraham and so could partake of the promises, but apart from keeping the law. They were under grace. The Roman church was told that they had partaken of the spiritual blessings of Israel. This church was mainly Gentiles. So all these Gentile believers would go to the synagogues or assemblies every Sabbath (Saturday) and hear Moses and the prophets and all about the material and spiritual blessings that were theirs by virtue of being a wild olive branch grafted into the true olive tree, Israel.

Suddenly Israel is cut off. There is no source anymore for blessings for the Gentiles that believe on the God of heaven. And then comes the good news from a Roman prison that by a special revelation to the Apostle Paul, the scene of God's operations has shifted for the time being from the earth to the heavenlies; that there is a purpose in the great plan of redemption that also includes a realm of principalities and powers far above the earth. Had man ever imagined such a thing?

On the earth today are multitudes that have believed according to John 3:16 and have life and the hope of resurrection. But that resurrection pertains to the last day and the earth as its sphere. Many of these may want to know how one can obtain membership in the little band that is blessed with spiritual blessings in the heavenlies. This is something that is beyond the will of man. He cannot join the invisible church. The fact that a man may desire this membership shows that he may be in some such relationship in some way. But God does the choosing and the adopting of those that belong to the chosen people of today. And that is no different from the case of His chosen people, Israel, of yesterday. As soon as any person takes an interest in these spiritual blessings and wants to know how to obtain them, we feel assured that they have been chosen from before the overthrow and predestinated to the adoption. If they take no interest, then God must have foreknown it and they have not been chosen. Simple, is it not?

We proclaim the good news hoping that it will fall on good ground and produce fruit.

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"The Parables. No. 13. The two Sons and the Vineyard (Matt. xxi.28-32)" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1915.

We have already pointed out that the central theme developed, enlarged, and illustrated in this set of parables is service with reference to the kingdom, and that sometimes it is viewed nationally, and sometimes individually. Three parables use the illustration of the vineyard, but the vineyard as a place of service, not as a place of growth. In other words, the emphasis is not on the thought that those addressed are members of the true vine, but on those who are servants and labourers in the vineyard. In xx. 1-16 the idea uppermost is the difference of service, yet the equality of the reward. In xxi. 28-32 it is not degrees of service, but the sharp contrast between serving or not serving, while in xxi. 33-46 the emphasis is the wickedness of serving oneself, and of robbing God. It is further of importance to a true interpretation that we observe the close connection that is intended between the two parables in Matt. xxi. This will be made evident by noticing the structure as follows:-

The relation of the two parables (Matt. xxi. 23-46).

A | 23-. Chief priests and elders.

B | -23-25. | a | Question - "By what authority?" | b | Question regarding John's baptism.

C | 26. | c | We fear the multitude. | d | All hold John as a prophet.

D | 28-32. | e | The parable. | f | The question - "Whether of the twain?" Parable of | g | The answer - "They say unto Him, two Sons. | | The first." | h | Jesus saith - Publicans and harlots | | go into the kingdom *before you*. | i | Statement concerning John's | | baptism.

D | 33-44. | e | The parable. | f | The question - "What will he do?" Parable of | g | The answer - "They say unto Him, the Wicked | | He will destroy." Husbandmen | h | Jesus saith - "The kingdom of God | | taken *from you* and given to a | | people producing fruit." | i | Question and statement regarding | | "The stone."

A | 45-. Chief priests and pharisees.

B | -45. Perception - "He spake of them."

C | 46. | c | They feared the multitude. | d | They held Him as a prophet.

It will be observed that, like so many parables, this one concerning the two sons was given partly as a result of the questions of the chief priests and elders. They asked, "By what authority? and Who gave the authority?" to the Lord to perform the miracles that attested His Messiahship? His reply took them back to the testimony of John the Baptist. We often lose sight of the prime object of John's baptism. Matt. iii. is devoted to the beginning of John's ministry, and the concluding verses show us that its goal was the manifesting of the Son of God. This is plainly expressed in the account given in John's Gospel. John i. 19-34 tells of the questions put to John by the Jews, and John's answers. John said:-

"This is He concerning Whom I said, After me cometh a man, who has become before me, because He (was) before me. And I knew Him not, but in order that He might be made manifest to Israel, I am come baptizing in water....He Who sent me to baptize in water, He said unto me, Upon whomsoever thou shalt see the Spirit descending and abiding upon Him, the same is He who baptizeth in holy spirit, and I have seen and testified that this One is the Son of God."

John i. 35-51 gives us some examples of those who received this testimony. The Pharisees, however, set this counsel aside, not being baptized of John. Luke vii. 29-35 shows us the two classes that are set forth under the image of the two sons:-

"All the people that heard Him, and the publicans, justified God being baptized with the baptism of John. But the Pharisees and the Lawyers frustrated the counsel of God with regard to themselves, being not baptized of him."

The two sons in Luke xv. set forth the same people and lesson. We must be careful to keep within the limits of the divine Word. Much of our failure to understand the Word results from that mischievous practice of taking that which is true of the particular as true of the whole. Many words are addressed to "*this* generation." Matt. xi. 16, "Whereunto shall I liken this *generation*?" xii. 39, "An evil *generation* seeketh after a sign"; xii. 41,42, "The men of Nineveh, and the Queen of the South shall rise in judgment with this *generation*"; xii. 45, "The last state of that man is worse than the first; even so shall it be with this wicked *generation*"; xvi. 4, "A wicked and adulterous *generation* seeketh after a sign." So in Mark and Luke. In Luke vii. 31 the Pharisees' attitude toward John the Baptist and the Lord is introduced by the words, "Whereunto then shall I liken the men of this *generation*? and to what are they like?" In Luke the Pharisees are likened to peevish, refractory children. In Matt. xxi. they are likened to a disobedient son.

"But how does this seem to you? A man had two sons: coming unto the first, he said, Son, go, to-day, work in my vineyard. And he answering said, I (will) do it, and went not. And coming unto the second he said the same. And he answering said. I will not: but afterwards repenting he went. Which of the two did the will of the father? They say, The latter. Jesus saith unto them, *Verily I say unto you, the tax collectors and the harlots go before you into the kingdom of God*. For John came unto you in a way of righteousness, and you believed him not; but the tax collectors and the harlots believed him; but you having seen it, did not afterwards repent so as to believe him."

The difference between the words of Matt. xxi. 31, "go before" and those of xxi. 41, "miserably destroy," must be kept clear. "Go before," as used by Matthew, never means going before to the exclusion of others. ii. 9; xiv. 21; xxi. 9,31; xxvi. 32 and xxviii. 7 are all the occurrences of the word. There are other passages where more drastic words are used.

"Many shall come from the east and the west, and shall sit down with Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven, But the children of the kingdom shall be cast out into outer darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth" (Matt. viii. 11,12).

A superficial reading may leave us with the idea that the message of Matt. viii. 11,12 is practically the same as that of xxi. 31. This is not so, however. With the inspired precision of Holy Scripture, one passage says, "cast out," the other says, "go before." The one says, "the kingdom of *heaven*," the other says, "the kingdom of *God*." Now while the parallel passage of Luke xiii. 28 uses the words kingdom of God, we must not forget that Matthew uses the two expressions, and it is for us to observe the difference. Taking Matthew's witness as complete in itself, we may learn that, difficult as it may be for our limited knowledge to enable us to grasp it, a difference is intended. Matthew tells us that some of the children of the kingdom will be cast out of the kingdom of the *heavens*, but he does not say they will be cast out of the kingdom of *God*, but that the despised publicans will "go before" them. The kingdom of God is infinitely wider than the kingdom of the heavens. The generation whose carcasses strewed the wilderness, who failed to enter into the land, may be used as an illustration of the distinction intended. They were cast out of the kingdom of heaven, but not necessarily out of the kingdom of God. For them Ps. xc. was written, and numbered with them was Moses himself, who though shut out of the land of promise was not cast out of the wider sphere of God's love.

Repentance was the great emphatic note of John Baptist and the Lord with reference to the kingdom of the heavens. Repentance involved *deeds* as well as *words*. To the Pharisees and Sadducees John had to say, "Bring forth therefore *fruits* worthy of repentance, and think not to *say* . . . " (Matt. iii. 8,9). Here, as in the parable of the two sons, we have the contrast between "saying" and "doing." The omission from the parable of the penalty falling upon the unrepentant son is noteworthy. In other parables which are somewhat parallel, "outer darkness" and "weeping and gnashing of teeth" are spoken of. Here, a milder case is intended, "the publicans and harlots go into the kingdom of God *before* you." To observe the distinction which Scripture draws between different *servants* is an important item in true interpretation. While many will not be *lost*, they shall suffer *loss*, and this parable of the two sons seems to have that aspect before it. This parable is not intended to teach the way of salvation, and failure to realize its primary setting, as in the case of most of the parables, has led to serious evangelical errors. We may all, nevertheless, take heed to the lesson and see to it that, by grace, we are not "hearers of the word only," but doers also.

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"The Ministry of Paul. Its relation to dispensational truth. No. 2. His Commission" by Charles H. Welch in The Berean Expositor circa 1912.

"A chosen vessel .... to bear My name" (Acts ix.15).

In our last article we sought to examine the record of Saul of Tarsus. We now seek to understand his commission as an apostle.

We have already called attention to Acts ix. No record is given us there of what the Lord told Paul other than that he was to go into the city of Damascus and there receive instruction. No word is recorded of the feelings of this stricken man during the three days' blindness in the house of Judas. It is not at all improbable that we get a reminiscence of his feelings in Rom. vii. At the end of Rom. vii. we hear the agonizing prayer, "Who shall deliver me from the body of this death?" In Acts ix. 11 it is written, "Behold, he prayeth"!

In answer to this prayer the Lord sent a certain disciple named Ananias. Ananias was at first loath to go to the man who had persecuted and ravaged the church, but the Lord said unto him, "Go thy way, for he is a chosen vessel unto Me, to bear My name before the Gentiles, and kings, and the children of Israel; for I will shew him how great things he must suffer for My name's sake." The one emphatic note in the commission is the *name* of the Lord. This name Paul was to bear, and for this name he was to suffer. Nothing is said here about apostleship, preaching or teaching, but just bearing and suffering in relation to that very name he had so intensely hated. From henceforth the name of, "The Hung" (the name of reproach heaped upon Christ by the Rabbis) was his glory. The "Crucified" was henceforth Master and Lord.

We are allowed a glimpse of Saul in Damascus and we can see that the same zealous, consuming temperament is there, but sanctified and mellowed by saving grace and overwhelming mercy. We see in Paul the apostle, not only the impetuous eagerness and vehemence of Saul the pharisee, but we discern something to which Saul was a stranger -- humility. That distrust of self and of his gifts and powers, that consciousness of some humiliating appearance, the shrinking and tender spirit that pervades his sternest messages, all tell of the marvelous change. "And straightway he preached in the synagogues *Jesus* (R.V.), that He is the Son of God." *The name* of Jesus was the object of his unconverted hatred, the spring of his converted effort, and the cause of the sufferings which he bore.

The Jews at Damascus tolerated such men as Ananias, but they sought to kill such as Paul. One able writer has said:-

"It was, throughout life, Paul's unhappy fate to kindle the most virulent animosities, because, though conciliatory and courteous by temperament, he yet carried into his arguments that intensity and downrightness that awakens dormant opposition. A languid controversialist will always meet with a languid tolerance, but any controversialist whose honest belief in his own doctrines makes him terribly in earnest, may count on a life embittered by the anger of those on whom he has forced the disagreeable task of re-considering their own assumptions ....Out of their own Scriptures, by their own methods of exegesis, in their own style of dialectics by the interpretation of prophecies of which they did not dispute the validity, he simply confounded them. He could now apply the same principles which in the mouth of Stephen he had found it impossible to resist."

Take the word "name" in Acts ix. above, and notice the witness of the word:-

Verse 14. Saul has authority to bind all who call on *the name*. 15. He is chosen to bear *the name*. 16. He is to suffer for *the name*. 21. He destroys those who call on *this name*. 27. At Damascus he preaches boldly in *the name* of Jesus. 29. At Jerusalem he speaks boldly in *the name* of the Lord Jesus.

When besought not to go up to Jerusalem Paul said, "What mean ye to weep and break mine heart? For I am ready not to be bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the *name* of the Lord Jesus" (Acts xxi. 13). When recounting before King Agrippa the days of his unregeneracy, he prefaced the account of his violence by the words, "I verily thought with myself, that I ought to do many things contrary to *the name* of Jesus of Nazareth" (Acts xxvi. 9). The very memory of the persecutions which he had directed against the believers was rendered odious to him ever after by the recollection of the words from heaven, "I am Jesus Whom thou persecutest."

In Romans i. 5 he tells of his apostleship with a loving touch, "for *His name*." The carnal believers at Corinth were loved, for they called upon "*the name* of Jesus Christ our Lord"; and when the apostle would beseech them to be "perfectly joined together," he knows no term more powerful than, "by *the name* of our Lord Jesus Christ" (1 Cor. i. 10). How he must have rejoiced as he wrote the words of Eph. i. 21, that Christ was raised above "every *name* that is named." How he must have looked forward to that day when, "in *the name* of Jesus every knee should bow" (Phil. ii. 10). Or, turning to the practical side, he could enter with all his heart into the exhortation of Col. iii. 17, "Whatsoever ye do in word or deed, do all in *the name* of the Lord Jesus."

His last recorded use of the word emphasizes the fact that that name has lost none of its power or its sweetness. "Let every one that nameth *the name* of Christ, depart from iniquity." The use of the word "name" in the epistles of the mystery which have reference to Christ is instructive.

A | Eph i.21. Every *name* that is named. Resurrection (noun | and verb).

B | Eph. v.20. Giving thanks ... in the *name*. Thanksgiving.

C | Phil. ii.9. The *name* above every name. Exaltation. C | Phil. ii.10. In the *name* of Jesus ... bow ... | confess. Exaltation.

B | Col. iii.17. Do all in the *name* ... giving thanks. | Thanksgiving.

A | 2 Tim. ii.19. Nameth the *name*. Resurrection (noun and verb).

In this last reference Paul seems to look back to Acts ix. 15, and the connection between the "vessel" and the "name" (2 Tim. ii. 19-21) is suggestive.

Ananias was told that Saul was to bear the name of the Lord Jesus before the Gentiles and kings and the children of Israel. The word "Gentile" is used in a bad sense in the two occurrences in Acts prior to chapter ix. "Herod, and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles" (Acts iv. 27). "The Gentiles, whom God drave out before the face of our fathers" (Acts vii. 45). The Jew is prominent in the early chapters of the Acts, and it is not until the stoning of Stephen that the first step Gentileward is definitely taken.

The persecution in Jerusalem sent the believers into Judea and Samaria, where they preached the Word, but this did not in any sense indicate that the scattered believers preached to the Gentiles, such a thing was undreamed of by them. Should any reader object to this statement of fact, he has only to read Acts xi. 19:-

"Now they which were scattered abroad upon the persecution that arose about Stephen, traveled as far as Phenice and Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the Word to none but unto *the Jews only*" (The "Grecians" of vi. 1, ix. 29 and xi. 20 refer to Greek-speaking Jews, Hellenists. They used the Septuagint instead of the original Hebrew).

Peter and his associates were "astonished" to find that the holy spirit was poured out upon Cornelius and his household; the ministry of Peter was strictly to the circumcision (Gal. ii. 7,8), the case of Cornelius being exceptional and for a special purpose. Cornelius, however, was not a Gentile in the sense of the word as applied to Paul's apostleship, Cornelius was a "Proselyte of the Gate," he gave alms and prayed, and was held in good report "among all the *nation of the Jews*" (Acts x. 1,2,22).

It was reserved for Saul of Tarsus, a man who was an Hebrew of the Hebrews, who would sooner have died than associate with a dog of a Gentile, to be the chosen vessel of grace to the barbarian and Scythian, the bond and the free, the Greek as well as the Jew. That which would have been looked upon as his lowest degradation is looked upon as his highest glory.

"I am the apostle of the Gentiles, I magnify mine office" (Rom. xi. 13).

"That I should be the minister of Jesus Christ to the Gentiles" (Rom. xv. 16).

"He that wrought effectually in Peter to the apostleship of the circumcision, the same was mighty in me toward the Gentiles" (Gal. ii. 8).

"Unto me ... is this grace given, that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ" (Eph. iii. 8).

"I am ordained a preacher and an apostle (I speak the truth in Christ and lie not), a teacher of the Gentiles in faith and truth" (1 Tim. ii. 7)

The last reference to the Gentiles in the Acts is in that solemn passage, where, quoting the sixth of Isaiah to the elders of Israel at Rome, Paul closed the door of the kingdom, and opened the door of the mystery. "The salvation of God is sent unto the Gentiles, and they will hear it" (Acts xxviii. 28). Henceforth he was the "prisoner of Jesus Christ for you Gentiles." In view of his approaching death, he wrote to Timothy his last message, thanking the Lord Who had stood with him and strengthened him to finish his course, that *by him* the preaching might be fully known, and that all the *Gentiles* might hear (2 Tim. iv. 17). Have we thanked the Lord for His gift to men? He gave some apostles, and in Paul we have the chiefest sinner made to be the chiefest of the apostles, and the champion of grace.

Not only does the passage in Acts ix. tell us of Paul's commission to the Gentiles, but it also adds, "and kings." Paul, as we well know, was brought before king Agrippa, and nobly testified to the saving grace of the name of Christ. His appeal unto Caesar gave him audience with the emperor at Rome, and although we have no record of his witness, we feel sure that he delivered himself of his testimony in the power of the name of his Lord. That his witness was faithful is evidenced by that marvelous expression in Phil. iv. 22, "The saints salute you, chiefly they that are of Caesar's household." Saints in *Caesar's* household! Saints in the employ of that monster! How this rebukes us! If there could be saints there, saints can be found *anywhere*. Dear troubled brother or sister, your business, your home, your surroundings surely are not quite so bad as was the case of those slaves of Caesar. Let us take courage from their example.

The last clause of the commission which we will consider here is "and the children of Israel." One has but to read the record of the Acts, or the Epistles written during that period, to see how large a place Israel had in the heart of the apostle to the Gentiles. Such passages as Acts xiii. 14; xiv. 1; xvii. 2; xviii. 4,19; xix. 8; xxvi. 20, and xxviii. 17 will demonstrate how faithful the apostle was to the terms of Rom. i. 16, "to the Jew first." The prominence given to the Jew by Paul in his early Epistles may be demonstrated as follows:-

Paul's peculiar dispensation of the grace of God to the Gentiles depended, humanly speaking, upon the foreseen defection of Israel, and had a gospel whose terms did not commend it to Jewish exclusiveness. This laid him open to many bitter attacks. His sensitiveness is everywhere apparent. They said his gospel was of his own invention, hence the moment he mentions it in Rom. i. 1,2 he adds, "which He had before promised by His prophets in the Holy Scriptures;" so also in Rom. iii. 21. This accounts for the solemn introduction to Rom. ix.:-

"I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart for my brethren, my kinsmen, according to the flesh (for I used to wish myself to be a cursed thing from Christ)."

His own experiences taught him to pity rather than to chide. His own experiences, typical of Israel in each case, figure also in Rom. x. 1-4 and xi. 1,2. The next few verses of Rom. ix. bear witness to the pre-eminent position of Israel.

Israel's dispensational privileges (Rom. ix. 3-5).

A | According to the flesh (kata sarka). Brethren.

B | Who are Israelites (descendants of Jacob).

C | To whom the sonship.

D | Glory.

E | Covenants.

E | Legislation.

D | Service.

C | Promises.

B | Whose are the fathers (Abraham, Isaac, Jacob).

A | According to the flesh (kata sarka). The Messiah.

The time for the cutting down of the olive tree of Israel's favour was seen by the apostle to be approaching nearer and nearer. He tells us, however, that God's purposes are by no means thwarted. Israel shall yet be righteous, even though but a remnant believed during the transitional period:-

"For the gifts and calling of God are not subject to a change of mind; for as indeed ye were formerly not believing in God, but now have been objects of mercy, by reason of the unbelief of others (Jews), so they too have now become unbelieving, that they may also obtain mercy, by reason of the mercy shown to you" (Rom. xi. 29-31).

Here the apostle witnesses to a mystery of grace and magnificent mercy beyond our wildest dreams. Truly, our God *delighteth* in mercy. The Jews gave occasion for greater mercy by their unbelief, the Gentiles by their faith. The promises are yet to be fulfilled. God hath not cast away His foreknown people. All Israel shall yet be saved, ungodliness shall be turned away from Jacob. "As regards the gospel, they are enemies on your (Gentiles) account, but as regards the election, *beloved because of the fathers*" (xi. 28). Here are God's own words. Here are the words of the One Who is working out His mighty purpose. "Blinded," "hardened," "broken off," "scattered," wanderers for centuries, yet "*beloved* because of the fathers." They were not forgotten, "for God hath shut up *all* in unbelief;" Why? Orthodoxy would say, "In order to pour out upon them His wrath," but God says, "That He might show mercy upon *all*" -- and the "all" is the same in each case. No wonder, in such a sea of grace, the apostle should feel out of his depth. It was beyond him, he could not trace it out, but he rejoiced in it, and added his hearty, Amen:-

A | "Oh the depth of the riches (riches),

B | both of the wisdom (wisdom),

C | and knowledge of God (knowledge),

D | how unsearchable are His judgments (unsearchable),

D | and His ways past finding out (untraceable).

C | For who hath known the mind of the Lord? (knowledge)

B | or who hath been His counseller? (wisdom)

A | or who first gave to Him and it shall be recompensed unto him again? (riches)

for *of* Him, and *to* Him, are all things, *to* Him be glory for ever and ever, Amen" (Rom. 11:33-36).

We must leave the final clause of the commission for consideration next time. Meanwhile, may many be stirred up to follow Paul in so far as he followed his Lord.

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"Who Are the Poor in the Spirit?" by P. Schafer in Bible Explorations vol. 2, no. 2, February 1988.

( Please read chapters 8 and 9 of Ezekiel.)

Before Nebuchadnezzar destroyed Solomon's Temple in Jerusalem in 479 B.C., (Companion Bible dating), Ezekiel was enabled to see the terrible abominations the leaders of Israel were committing.

In chapter nine the Lord told the guardian angels over Jerusalem to go out with their destroying weapons and kill everyone who did not have the mark upon his forehead (vs. 4). The angel with the writer's inkhorn was told to put a mark upon the forehead of every person who sighed and cried because of the terrible abominations being committed. These people knew God's Word. They understood the consequences which would result from such actions and the terrible sufferings that would have to be endured. These also knew the wonderful peace and blessings that could be had if the people would repent and turn from their wicked ways. Surely all who sigh and cry over sin and the consequences it brings are the poor in spirit.

Ez. 13:22 "Because with lies ye have made the heart of the righteous sad, whom I have not made sad; and strengthened the hands of the wicked, that he should not return from his wicked way, by promising him life."

Isaiah 66:2 "... but to this man will I look, even to him that is poor and of a contrite spirit, and trembleth at My word."

A person poor in spirit could enter into the kingdom of heaven. Matt. 5:3. He would be one who sighed and cried because the people, and especially the leaders, were not recognizing that Jesus of Nazareth was truly the Messiah. To recognize Him would mean that Israel could become the head nation of the world instead of Rome. To reject Him would mean terrible suffering out among the nations. Deut. 28 states it very clearly to those who will believe it.

This poor in spirit attitude can be felt in the words of the Lord when He said, "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!" (Matt 23:39)

It is easy to believe that the 144,000 Jews, who will be sealed in their foreheads (Rev. 7), will be those who will sigh and cry over the spiritual condition of Israel as their leaders in blindness make a covenant with the Antichrist. But these marked Jews will know and believe God's Word for the latter days. They will have angel protection as they preach the "gospel of the kingdom in all the world for a witness unto all nations..." Matt. 24:14. This is the sowing of seed in the good ground in Matt. 13:8.

We who are members of the church Which is His body (Eph. 1:22-23), are not members of the kingdom of heaven which was preached before the close of the Acts period, and which will be preached by the 144,000 Jews. We are members of His heavenly (epouranios) kingdom (II Tim. 4:18) which is far above all heavens where the Lord is now. Eph. 1:21; 2:6. Yet, how could we help but have this same attitude as those who are called the poor in spirit when we see how the world is haughtily and blindly headed for terrible destruction, but which could very easily be avoided by a true turning to the Lord Jesus Christ for His Wisdom and guidance?

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