There was no tolerance in the law of Moses for those who would kill innocent people:

“Show him no pity. You must purge from Israel the guilt of shedding innocent blood, so that it may go well with you” (Deu 19:13).

Even when it was not known who had committed the crime, the elders were called to make a sacrifice and declare their innocence:

“Then all the elders of the town nearest the body shall wash their hands over the heifer whose neck was broken in the valley, and they shall declare: ‘Our hands did not shed this blood, nor did our eyes see it done'” (Deu 21:6,7).

And the one who murdered the innocent for money was under a divine curse:

” ‘Cursed is the man who accepts a bribe to kill an innocent person.’ Then all the people shall say, ‘Amen!’ ” (Deu 27:25).

But that was exactly what happened in the murder of Jesus:

“When Judas, who had betrayed him, saw that Jesus was condemned, he was seized with remorse and returned the thirty silver coins to the chief priests and the elders. ‘I have sinned,’ he said, ‘for I have betrayed innocent blood.’ ‘What is that to us?’ they replied. ‘That’s your responsibility’ ” (Mat 27:3,4).

So, it was no news when Peter declared to the men of Israel:

“You killed the author of life, but God raised him from the dead. We are witnesses of this” (Acts 3:15).

And in Acts 2 Peter pointed out that they did not do this alone — they had joined themselves with the wicked to accomplish this:

“This man was handed over to you by God’s set purpose and foreknowledge; and you, with the help of wicked men, put him to death by nailing him to the cross” (Acts 2:23).

So it was an alliance of Israel and Gentiles that murdered the Lord Jesus. However, Jesus used an even broader brush when he held a whole generation responsible:

“Woe to you, because you build tombs for the prophets, and it was your forefathers who killed them. So you testify that you approve of what your forefathers did; they killed the prophets, and you build their tombs. Because of this, God in his wisdom said, ‘I will send them prophets and apostles, some of whom they will kill and others they will persecute.’ Therefore this generation will be held responsible for the blood of all the prophets that has been shed since the beginning of the world” (Luke 11:47-50).

“And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar” (Mat 23:35).

Abel, who offered God a better sacrifice (Heb 11), as Jesus would — murdered!

Zechariah, whom the LORD sent to warn the people about their disobedience, as Jesus did — murdered!

Killing the prophets

Let’s take a closer look at the stoning of Zechariah in the temple in 840 BC:

“After the death of Jehoiada, the officials of Judah came and paid homage to the king, and he listened to them. They abandoned the temple of the LORD, the God of their fathers, and worshiped Asherah poles and idols. Because of their guilt, God’s anger came upon Judah and Jerusalem. Although the LORD sent prophets to the people to bring them back to him, and though they testified against them, they would not listen. Then… Zechariah… stood before the people and said, ‘This is what God says: “Why do you disobey the LORD’s commands? You will not prosper. Because you have forsaken the LORD, he has forsaken you.” ‘ But they plotted against him, and by order of the king they stoned him to death in the courtyard of the LORD’s temple. King Joash did not remember the kindness Zechariah’s father had shown him but killed his son, who said as he lay dying, ‘May the LORD see this and call you to account’ ” (2Ch 24:17-22).

Refining the reference to idolatry, there is a parallel to Jesus’ time:

• The Jews preferred doing evil to doing what was right.

• God sent warnings through a prophet.

• But the people would not listen.

• And so they killed the prophet instead — to silence him.

Jesus spoke of the generation that would be condemned for the death of all the righteous (Luke 11:50 above), and he said that it was “this generation”, ie, the one to whom he was speaking then. The Greek word translated “generation” is the same word as in Matthew 24:34:

“I tell you the truth, this generation will certainly not pass away until all these things have happened.”

And while there was a more immediate fulfillment, much of what he described will be at the end of the age. Whatever “generation” means here, it lasts a long time!

The Greek “genea” may signify a period, a time, an age, or a race of people possessed of similar characteristics.

And the characteristics held in common between Jew and Gentile are wickedness, a refusal to listen, and acting against those whom God has sent.

Righteous judgment

“God’s wrath is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness” (Rom 1:18).

The righteous judgment about to fall on the earth will strike Jew and Gentile alike, with no partiality:

“For you, brothers, became imitators of God’s churches in Judea, which are in Christ Jesus: You suffered from your own countrymen the same things those churches suffered from the Jews, who killed the Lord Jesus and the prophets and also drove us out. They displease God and are hostile to all men in their effort to keep us from speaking to the Gentiles so that they may be saved. In this way they always heap up their sins to the limit. The wrath of God has come upon them at last” (1Th 2:14-16).

Hearing the truth is intolerable to the wicked. When they rise up to suppress it, they bring judgment on themselves. This happened in the murder of Jesus.

Jesus saw the division of men into two camps: not Jew and Gentile so much as those who would stand with him, and those who would oppose him:

“He who is not with me is against me, and he who does not gather with me scatters” (Mat 12:30).

Those who oppose the work of God are condemned:

“By his faith, he condemned the world and became heir of the righteousness that comes by faith” (Heb 11:7).

This last passage was written about Noah, but it can also apply to Christ:

“For what the law was powerless to do in that it was weakened by the sinful nature, God did by sending his own Son in the likeness of sinful man to be a sin offering. And so he condemned sin in sinful man” (Rom 8:3).

God condemned sin in sinful man, or “sin in the flesh” (KJV). When He condemned sin in the flesh, He condemned sin, the works of sin, and the people of sin. Mankind and all its works and wonders were condemned.

No condemnation

The murder of Jesus was the ultimate rejection of God’s love, allowing God to be just or righteous in bringing His judgments on the world. And yet, even so, condemnation was not why Jesus was here…

“For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him” (John 3:16,17).

How can this be? Jesus came into a world that was already condemned by the sin of Adam, which had poisoned the stream of human life, leaving the human species in an abnormal, degenerate state.

And while the condemnation of sin in the flesh means the wrath of God for the wicked, for the believer it brings reconciliation with God!

“But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us. Since we have now been justified by his blood, how much more shall we be saved from God’s wrath through him!… when we were God’s enemies, we were reconciled to him through the death of his Son” (Rom 5:8-10).

Or, as it is stated in Rom 8:1,

“Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”

In the end, there is no Jew and there is no Gentile; there are only those in Christ — and the rest. In the death of Christ, there is judgment and reconciliation in a single stroke. Judgment for the world, and reconciliation for those who are Christ’s.

So what?

What does that mean for you?

“Settle matters quickly with your adversary who is taking you to court. Do it while you are still with him on the way, or he may hand you over to the judge, and the judge may hand you over to the officer, and you may be thrown into prison” (Mat 5:25).

Make your peace with God before you go to the judgment seat of Christ — you do not know what his judgment will be! Your salvation is conditional on your willingness to listen and act upon the gospel message.

There is a story of a young soldier brought to Confederate General Robert E. Lee for his misdeeds. The young man was obviously nervous in the presence of the great commander. General Lee told him, “There’s nothing to be frightened of, son. You’ll find justice here.” To this the young man replied, “I know, sir. That’s what I’m a-skeered of!”

In conclusion, those who are in Christ stand with him in the fight against sin:

“Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the sinful nature with its passions and desires” (Gal 5:24).

So, are you in Christ? Have you joined with him in the fight to the death against sin? The time to decide, and to make a commitment, is now.

(CR)

(1)	Isa 25:7,8: the glorification of the saints will take place at Jerusalem/Zion. (“This mountain” can only be Zion: see Isa 24:23.) If the righteous will be given eternal life there, what is more reasonable than to conclude that the site of their judgment will be there also?
(2)	Also, Christ speaks repeatedly of Gehenna as the scene of punishment for the responsible wicked (many refs). Christadelphians have always been quick to show believers in “hell-torments” that Gehenna is a known locality, adjacent to Jerusalem, where the bodies of criminals, animal carcasses, and other garbage were burned. Is it fair to take Gehenna as literal when convenient, and figurative at other times, only to suit our preconceived notions? If Gehenna is indeed the literal place where the responsible wicked will be destroyed after the judgment by Christ, what does this tell us about the location of that judgment? Are we really prepared to argue that Gehenna is in the Sinai desert?
	Note also that twice in Christ’s earthly ministry, the temple area was the scene of his cleansing judgment against hypocritical professors of the Truth. And the fig tree which he cursed was also adjacent to Jerusalem!
(3)	Other passages favor Zion as the location of judgment, because it will be the scene of the saints’ reward: Psa 133:3 for one: “There (Mount Zion) the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.”
(4)	Psa 87:5: The Lord’s people are counted as having been born in Zion, because all their hopes and aspirations are centered upon that place. By a similar figure, their “mother” is Jerusalem (see Gal 4:26; Isa 54:1,11-13; cp Rev 21:2). What more beautiful than the completion of the process of “rebirth” in Zion? If the saints are “born” at baptism to be prospective children of Zion, then why not truly “born” after judgment in the glory of immortal bodies, again at Zion? Common sense would suggest that “children” should not be “born” hundreds of miles away from their “mother”!
(5)	Mat 25:31-34: A careful reading indicates that the separation of the “sheep” and the “goats” takes place at the same place where Christ’s “throne of glory” is located. Again, Christadelphians argue eloquently against those of other persuasions that the throne of Christ and David can only be in Jerusalem, and not in heaven (or Rome or Salt Lake City). If that is so for purposes of first principle arguments about the nature of the coming kingdom, then let us not shrink from the implication of such a passage as this in regard to the location of judgment. Are we really prepared to argue that Christ’s “throne of glory”, where he will sit as a King (Mat 25:34), will be set up for a time on Mount Sinai?
(6)	“His feet shall stand in that day upon the mount of Olives” (Zec 14:4) — the same place where his feet last stood before his ascension into heaven (Act 1:9-12). Does it stand to reason that Christ will return first to the immediate locale of Jerusalem, and then immediately hustle off a couple of hundred miles to the southwest, for a special judgment at Sinai?
(7)	Other NT passages seem to call for the same interpretation: among them (a) Heb 12:18-24 (the context is certainly judgment: “Much more shall not we escape” — Heb 12:25); (b) Gal 4:24-28 (two covenants; Moses’ covenant at Sinai had to do with length of mortal days in the land, but Christ’s covenant at Jerusalem has to do with eternal life); and (c) Rev 5:6-10; 7:9-14; 14:1-5; and 19:1-9 (the scene of the saints’ reward is invariably the royal throne of Christ and Mt Zion).

***

The location of the Judgment is called “an uncertain detail” by RR in Xd 35:185: “Where will Christ set up the judgment seat? Will it be in Palestine, or in Egypt, or in the Arabian peninsula, in the solitudes of Sinai? We cannot be sure… An uncertain detail must not be made a basis of fellowship. We must not insist upon a man believing the judgment seat will be set up at Sinai or any particular place so long as he believes that ‘Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom’.”

The traditional view that the resurrectional judgment will be at Sinai has been summarized by a number of writers. But the results are still far from conclusive. Only three passages, so far as I can determine, have ever been seriously advanced as “proof” of Sinai as the site of judgment: Deu 33:2,3; Psa 68:17; and Hab 3:3. Significantly, all three are in the Old Testament. Of course, we should interpret the Old by the New Testament, and by no means should Old Testament passages be ruled out in any study. But the resurrectional judgment, it must be admitted, is very much a New Testament doctrine otherwise — alluded to in the law and the prophets, but stated with clarity in all its particulars only in the New Testament. Then is it not a little strange that all the “evidence” for Sinai comes in the Old Testament?

First, a look at the three traditional “proofs”:

Deuteronomy 33:2,3: To Moses, Sinai was the place of God’s revelation to His people; he knew no other. The deliverance from Egypt and the wilderness trek were the focal points of his life. Therefore, when he speaks his final blessing upon the people, it is certainly fitting that “the Lord came from Sinai… with ten thousands of saints (certainly angels and not saints in this context! cp Psa 68:17)… and (with) a fiery law.” This same thing Yahweh had done before (Exo 19:16-19, etc)! So it would appear there are two reasonable interpretations of Deu 33:2,3: either (a) Moses is remembering what has already happened, or (b) the last revelation of God to Moses follows the patterns of the previous ones: ie, God coming out of the great fiery cloud atop Sinai.

Let us grant for a moment that, as some say, “the context calls for this to be a future blessing” — meaning, I take it, the distant future (from Moses’ day) of Christ’s return. (I would say this is possible, but not absolutely essential.) Then, since the words are addressed to the twelve tribes (just as Deuteronomy 28; 29, etc), is not the last-days fulfillment (if there is one) most likely to be a re-enactment of the Exodus and the giving of the Law for the remnant of the nation of Israel, imprisoned again in Egypt? To this Isaiah 11:11,15; 19:1,18-20; 63:11-19; and Micah 7:15 may well refer.

The other two passages quoted may be approached in the same way. Furthermore, as to Psalm 68:17: The context of the whole psalm is altogether concerning Zion! It was almost certainly written on the occasion of David’s bringing the ark of God to Zion at last (Psalm 24 is another with the same context). This was the culmination of an important phase in the Divine purpose which began with Israel’s deliverance from Egypt, proceeded to the giving of the Law at Sinai, and languished for several generations while the ark rested uneasily at a number of temporary locations. Now it was at last coming to its foreordained permanent dwelling place. With this background we now read Psalm 68:15-17:

* The “hill of God” is Zion (v 15), “… the hill which God desires to dwell in… forever” (v 16). These three verses contain two comparisons, ie:

* Zion is now (in David’s eye, and — prophetically — in the kingdom age) like the hills of Bashan (v 15), meaning majestic and towering and invincible. This is another way of saying that, when God dwells in Zion and His king (David or Christ) reigns there, Zion will be “lifted up”, first to rival and then to surpass the “mountains” (ie, kingdoms) of the Gentiles (Isa 2:2; Psa 48:2). This “lifting up” will be physical when Christ returns (Zec 14:4,8,10; Psa 48:2 again), but in David’s day the “lifting up” was just as real to him in the sense of Zion’s spiritual exaltation to the favor of God.

* Secondly, God is among the angels and the chariots (cherubim) there in Zion, like He was previously in Sinai (v 17). Zion is now (David’s day, and again of course with prophetic implications) like Sinai was — the scene of God’s glorious fiery manifestation.

With this understanding, v 17 may now be read, as it stands in the AV, with no need for modification: “The Lord is among them (the cherubim and angels), as (He had been) in Sinai, (but now) in the holy place (mount Zion!).” That this is the proper interpretation is borne out by such verses as 24 (“sanctuary” would be Zion) and 29 (temple at Jerusalem) and — as I have said — the whole of the psalm. So, if Psalm 68:17 proves anything in the matter of the location of the judgment seat, it proves that Zion and not Sinai will be the site!

---

Habbakuk 3:3 may be prophetic, but again the effect of the mention of Sinai must be to draw an analogy between the mighty deeds of Yahweh in Moses’ day and the wonderful deliverance expected and prayed for by the prophet. However, where in all the chapter is the resurrectional judgment referred to — or even implied? It is not. We must make a far-reaching inference to use this passage as “proof” of the Sinai location. We must set up a dogmatic sequence of events, a sequence which may appear plausible, but about which we simply cannot be positive. It would be far more reasonable to interpret Scripture with Scripture, and surmise that the Sinaitic (and Egyptian) revelations of God in the last days will be for the purpose of saving the Jews out of Egypt (as the historical allusions imply), not for the judgment of the responsible out of all nations (see references in “1” above).

***

Briefly, then, these are the scriptural reasons for the judgment seat of Christ being at Zion:

* Isaiah 25:7,8 states clearly that the glorification of the saints will take place in Jerusalem/Zion. (“This mountain” can only be Zion: see 24:23). If the righteous will be given eternal life there, what is more reasonable than to conclude that the site of their judgment will be there also?

* But this is not all: Christ speaks repeatedly of “Gehenna” as the scene of punishment for the responsible wicked (there are many references). Christadelphians have always been quick to show believers in “hell-torments” that “Gehenna” is a known locality, adjacent to Jerusalem, where the bodies of criminals, animal carcasses, and other garbage were burned. Is it fair to take “Gehenna” as literal when convenient, and figurative at other times, only to suit our preconceived notions? If “Gehenna” is indeed the literal place where the responsible wicked will be destroyed after judgment by Christ, what does this tell us about the location of that judgment? Are we really prepared to argue that Gehenna is in the Sinai desert? Note also that twice in Christ’s earthly ministry, the temple area was the scene of his cleansing judgment against hypocritical professors of the Truth. And the fig tree which he cursed was also adjacent to Jerusalem!

* Other passages favor Zion as the location of judgment, because it will be the scene of the saints’ reward: Psalm 133:3 for one: “There (Mount Zion) the Lord commanded the blessing, even life for evermore.”

* Psalm 87:5: The Lord’s people are counted as having been born in Zion, because all their hopes and aspirations are centered upon that place. By a similar figure, their “mother” is Jerusalem (Gal 4:26; Isa 54:1,11-13; Rev 21:2). What more beautiful than the completion of the process of “rebirth” in Zion? If the saints are “born” at baptism to be prospective children of Zion, then why not “born” after judgment in the glory of immortal bodies, again at Zion? Common sense tells us that “children” cannot be “born” hundreds of miles away from their “mother”!

* Matthew 25:31-34: A careful reading indicates that the separation of the “sheep” and the “goats” takes place at the same place as Christ’s “throne of glory”. Again, Christadelphians argue eloquently against those of other persuasions that the throne of Christ and David can only be in Jerusalem, and not in heaven or even elsewhere on the earth (Salt Lake City, Utah?). If that is so for purposes of first principle arguments about the nature of the coming kingdom, then let us not shrink from the implication of such a passage as this in regard to the location of Judgment. Are we really prepared to argue that Christ’s “throne of glory”, where he will sit as a King (v 34), will be set up for a time on Mount Sinai?

* Other New Testament passages seem to call for the same interpretation — among them (a) Heb 12:18-24 (the context is certainly judgment: “Much more shall not we escape” — v 25); (b) Gal 4:24-28 (two covenants; Moses’ covenant at Sinai had to do with length of mortal days in the land, but Christ’s covenant at Jerusalem has to do with eternal life); and (c) Rev 5:6-10; 7:9-14; 14:1-5; and 19:1-9 (the scene of the saints’ reward is invariably the royal throne of Christ and Mount Zion).

***

One final point: We make a mistake if we elevate the location of the judgment to the status of a “first principle”, no matter which way we believe. In the first place, it was never intended so to be by our “pioneer brethren”.

[It might be well to note the following comment: “Where will (Christ) set (the judgment seat) up? Will it be in Palestine, or in Egypt, or in the Arabian peninsula, in the solitudes of Sinai? We cannot be sure… An uncertain detail must not be made a basis of fellowship. We must not insist upon a man believing the judgment seat will be set up at Sinai or any particular place so long as he believes that ‘Jesus Christ will judge the living and the dead at his appearing and his kingdom.’ ” — Robert Roberts, “True Principles and Uncertain Details”, The Christadelphian 35:185.]

And in the second place, there are no Scripture passages absolutely conclusive on the matter. We may think we know the exact order of future events, and exactly how and where each one will be fulfilled. But the true purpose of Bible prophecy is not to enable us to “bat 1,000” in our predictions, but to prepare us personally and as a body for the coming of Christ. Names and numbers and places and facts have a place in the study of prophecy, but they are only the framework. The heart of the matter is the love we hold for the Bridegroom and his appearing. But before he will be the Bridegroom, he must first be the Judge. It is not nearly as important where we will stand literally when he comes, as where we will stand spiritually in his eyes. “Depart from me” or “Come, ye blessed”? This we all know in theory, but it bears repeating, often and forcefully.

Addendum

A scarcely-explored thread runs through the whole of the Bible, which provides a further rationale for the basic premise of this article. This suggestion is certainly worth an entire study by itself, but we must be content here with the suggestion alone. There are some strong reasons for supposing that the garden of Eden was located at present-day Jerusalem. If this were so, then all sorts of Biblical allusions fall into place, many “loose ends” are surprisingly harmonized, portions of Genesis and Revelation fit together like pieces of a puzzle, and the coming judgment of the responsible — “where it all began” — appears the most reasonable thing in the whole world!

When President Reagan came to see Margaret Thatcher, she went to Heathrow Airport to meet him.

The Greeks and Romans had a similar custom. When a VIP came to visit some other dignitary, the local man was expected to travel outwards with his retainers until the two parties met. Then they would reform into one mass procession, with the local bigwig escorting his honored guest to his own provincial seat of government, in triumphal procession with great pomp.

There is a special Greek expression which was always (and only) used to describe this ceremony of meeting the incoming VIP. It occurs three times in the New Testament, thus:

1. “…We went towards Rome. And from thence, when the brethren heard of us, they came TO MEET [eis apantesin] us, as far as Appii Forum” (Acts 28:14,15).

Here, the Greek expression is used with its ordinary, earthly meaning. This shows that Luke and, presumably, the first-century church in general were familiar with the specialized use of this Greek phrase.

2. “The Lord himself shall descend from heaven… 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: and so shall we ever be with the Lord” (1Th 4:16,17).

This presents us with a big problem that, as far as I am aware, has never been squarely faced. The Greek clearly indicates that the saints will be miraculously lifted up to meet the returning Lord at some point in the upper atmosphere, and then caused to escort him back, in joyful, triumphant procession, to the earth’s surface — there to be “ever with the Lord”. But wherever can we fit a literal judgment seat into this sequence of events? It can’t be before we are “caught up”, as this would then mean the “meeting in the air” would not be a “meeting” at all, in the sense of the Greek expression used. And it can’t be after we “meet the Lord in the air”, because there could be no joyful, triumphant meeting and procession if the wicked are still present and all concerned are still wondering whether they are destined for life or death!

3. “And at midnight there was a cry made, Behold the bridegroom cometh; go ye out TO MEET him… And while they [the five foolish virgins] went to buy, the bridegroom came, and they that were ready went in with him to the marriage…” (Mat 25:6,10).

This clinches the deduction made above from 1Th, that the unrighteous will not be present when the righteous meet their Lord. The invitation to “meet” him (in the special Greek sense of traveling outwards to meet an incoming potentate) went to both classes — but only the wise virgins were in a position to accept the invitation. The foolish virgins were left behind, and later found themselves locked out of the scene of rejoicing. It seems impossible to fit a literal judgment seat into this sequence, either.

So what are we to make of all this? Does Scripture intend us to regard the judgment seat as real in essence, but symbolic rather than literal in its nature? (Just as the Biblical devil is real enough in essence, but is a symbolic devil and not a literal one.) Or is there some other explanation that fits the facts better? (AH)

When our son Adam was baptized, a sister in our ecclesia, Julie, went looking for a card to celebrate the baptism. Julie worked in downtown San Antonio, a city which is predominantly Hispanic and Catholic. She knew there was a “religious” shop near her office, and she assumed that she would be able to find a suitable card there. So off she went at lunch.

“Yes,” said the shopkeeper, an elderly and well-meaning lady, “we have many baptismal cards!” And she directed Julie to the card display. And there were many cards for “baptisms”, but they were all cards for the parents of infants who had been “baptized”, or more properly “sprinkled”! With growing exasperation, Julie looked through card after card of beautiful babies, with sweet, sentimental words for the parents of such newborns.

And Adam was a “newborn” too. But he was a sixteen-year-old, six-foot, 200-pound “newborn”! None of these cards would work!

“Don’t you have any other cards?” Julie asked the shopkeeper. “Something for an adult who is being baptized?” Now the little lady was clearly puzzled; one could only imagine her confusion as she tried to fit a grown manchild into the Catholic stereotype: smiling parents and godparents standing around a berobed priest as he held a little 200-pound bundle of joy in his arms and made the sign of the cross with holy water on his forehead!

So while the lady rummaged around under her counter, Julie went exploring. And, sure enough, in no time at all she found just what she wanted. In another rack of the card section, a lovely card with these words: “God bless you as you enter into the Lord’s service.” And on the inside:

“In loving dedication You’ve set your life apart To serve our Lord and teach his word With an ever-faithful heart. And may his richest blessing Come to you day by day As devotedly you do his work And follow in his way.”

The card closed with the quotation of 1Co 7:22: “He that is called, being free, is Christ’s servant.”

“This one will do just fine,” Julie said as she reached for her purse.

But now the clerk had a horrified expression. “No! You can’t take that card!” She was adamant. “That’s a card for the ordination of a priest!”

Julie persisted. “Oh yes, I’ll take it!” she replied. “It’s perfect. You see, when he’s baptized, he will be a priest.” And off she went, leaving behind what by now must have been a thoroughly bewildered salesperson.

What a blessing it is to know the Truth! To realize that we have no need of a specially consecrated human “priest” to see that our prayers reach heaven. To know that “there is (only) one mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus” (1Ti 2:5). And to know that all of us who are baptized into Christ, even the newly-baptized, are truly “kings and priests” (Rev 5:10), and a holy priesthood dedicated to offer spiritual sacrifices to God (1Pe 2:5), to declare the praises of him who has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light (v 9).

Typical history of Joshua through Samuel: Four OT books typify first and second advents of Christ, and our duties:

• Joshua: First work of “Joshua/Jesus”: making it possible for others to enter Land of promise: Josh 24:31; typical of Heb 2:14; Eph 1:11.

• Judges: No visible king, wicked society, failure of many.

• Ruth: A small remnant (both Jew and Gentile) remain faithful in the midst of wickedness and indifference.

• Samuel: “David” establishes kingdom at Jerusalem: Typical of 2nd coming, judgment, reward, reign of Christ and saints: Rev 5:9,10.

There is one thing which makes the study of prophecy of such immense practical importance. It is, that we shall be on earth when God’s judgments are executed.

Our scriptural hope is to be caught up to meet the Lord, and so to come with him when he comes to execute judgment on the wicked. But we are surrounded by those principles, influences, and systems, which are ripening to that maturity of evil which mankind will reach before those judgments come. God will judge them at the coming of Christ when they are fully ripe.

But has acquaintance with these subjects no tendency to keep us apart from such evils now? Surely it has; and that we might be so sanctified, or kept apart from evil, is one object God has in view in revealing these things to us.

It is not by exciting applications of prophecy to passing events that true edification is secured. The natural mind may feel the deepest interest in prophetic inquiries conducted in this way; but Scripture was not designed merely to instruct us as to what transpires in the arena of political factions, or to occupy our souls with such subjects. “Our citizenship is in the heavens.” “Let the potsherds strive with the potsherds of the earth.” It is not with such contentions that God’s revelation of the future concerns itself.

It forewarns us, in general terms, that wars and rumors of wars may be expected, till the scepter of universal dominion shall be wielded by the Prince of peace. But it is God’s judgment, and the approaching climax of iniquity which renders it inevitable, about which prophecy instructs us.

And even as to this, it is because the church will be on earth, amid the desolations of the crisis which is so rapidly approaching, that she receives those revelations respecting it. The church is thus enabled morally and spiritually to judge those things now, which in their maturity of evil God will judge by the righteous retributions of His wrath.

There are three very distinct spheres on which the judgments will fall when the Lord cometh out of his place “to punish the inhabitants of the earth for their iniquity”: Israel, the nations, and professing Christendom.

If we are to understand why judgment comes upon Israel, we must know what Israel’s calling and testimony is, and how it has failed therein.

If we are to discern the grounds of God’s righteous judgment upon the Gentile nations, we must be acquainted with His past and present dealings with them, and with their conduct under their special responsibilities.

So also, to understand the guilt of professing Christendom, we must know what the calling of the true church is, what is its testimony, and in what respects Christendom, while assuming the place and claiming the responsibilities of the church, has acted contrary thereto.

There are solemn subjects of inquiry. May our hearts be prepared for them. Much that is brighter remains beyond.

John Thomas (1805-1871)

THE THIRD EPISTLE OF PETER,

TO ALL PREACHERS AND RULERS OF CONGREGATIONS, A Looking Glass for the Clergy.

One of the best proofs that a prophecy is what it purports to be, is its exact fulfilment. If this rule be adopted in relation to the “Third Epistle of Peter,” there can be no doubt that it was written in the true spirit of prophecy. We thought it worthy of being preserved, and have therefore given it a place in this work.

PREFACE.

How the following epistle came to be overlooked by the early saints of christendom and by all the Fathers, or whether it was purposely suppressed by the Council of Nice, and why it was at last destined to be found with other old mss among the ruins of an ancient city by a miserable wandering monk, are all circumstances which my limited knowledge of these subjects does not enable me to explain. I am answerable only for the accuracy of the translation from a French copy presented by the monk himself. Neither can I prove the authenticity of the original, unless it be on the strict correspondence of the actual state of the church with the injunctions contained in the epistle, a correspondence which seems to hold with as much veracity as that which is found in the fulfilment of any prophecy with the prediction itself.

TRANSLATION.

CHAPTER 1. The Style and Manner of Living.

Now ye who are called and chosen to go forth to all nations and among all people, in time present and time to come, to preach the word, see ye take unto ourselves marks, nay many outward marks, whereby ye shall be known of men.

Be ye not called as men are called; but be ye called Pope, Archbishop, Archdeacon, or Divine, or Reverend and Right Reverend or some like holy name; so may you show forth your honor and your calling.

And let your dwelling places be houses of splendor and edifices of cost; and let your doors be decked with plates of brass and let your names, even your reverend titles be graven thereon; so shall it be as a sign.

Let your garments in which you minister be garments not as the garments of men, neither let them be “seamless garments woven throughout,” but let them be robes of richest silk and robes of fine linen, of curious device and of costly workmanship; and have ye robes of black and robes of white that ye may change the one for the other; so shall ye show forth wisdom and humility.

Let your fare be sumptuous, not plain and frugal as the fare of the husbandman who tilleth the ground; but live ye on the fat of the land, taking “good heed for the morrow and wherewithal ye shall be fed.”

And drink ye of the wines of the vintage brought from afar, and wines of great price; then shall the light of your spirits be the light of your countenances, and your faces shall be bright, even as the morning sun shall your faces glow in brightness thus shall ye show forth your moderation and your temperance in all things.

Let the houses in which you preach be called churches, and let them be built in manner of great ornament without, and adorned with much cost within: with rich pillars and paints, and with fine altars and pedestals and urns of precious stones, and cloths and velvet of scarlet, and vessels of silver.

And let there be rooms for the changing of robes, and places for the precious metals and mitres.

And let the houses be divided into seats for the congregation, and let every man know his own seat; and let the first seats in front of the altar be for the rich that pay by thousands, and the next for the poorer that pay by hundreds; and the last for those that pay by tens. And let the poor man sit behind the door.

And let the seats be garnished with cushings and crimson cloth, and with fine velvet; for if the houses of players and vain people who deal in idle sayings and shows of mockery, be rich and gorgeous, how much more so should be the houses that are dedicated to him “that is meek and lowly of spirit.”

CHAPTER 2. The Choosing of Ministers.

When ye go out to choose holy ones to be of your brethren, and to minister at the altar, choose ye from among the youth, even those whose judgments are not yet ripe, and whose hearts know not yet whether they incline to God or Mammon.

But ye are wise, and ye shall know the inclining of their future spirits, and ye shall make them incline to the good things which the church hath in store for them that are called, even those that shall be called of you.

Then shall ye have them taught exceeding many things. They shall not be as “ignorant fishermen,” or husbandmen, or men speaking one tongue, and serving God only by the knowledge of this law.

Nay, ye shall make them wise in the things of your wisdom; yea exceedingly cunning in many mysteries, even the mysteries which you teach.

Then shall they be fitted for the “laying on of hands”, and when the bishop hath done his office then shall they be reverend divines.

But if any man believe that he is called of God to speak to his brethren “without money and without price,” though his soul be bowed to the will of the Father, and though he work all righteousness, and “speak as with the tongue of an angel” — if he be not made a Divine by your rulers and by the hands of a bishop, then is he not a divine, nor shall he preach.

He that is chosen of you shall give you honor, and shall be honored of men, and honored of women; and verily he expects his reward.

CHAPTER 3. The Performance of Preaching.

When ye go to the church to preach, go not by the retired way where go those that would shun the crowd, but go in the highway where go the multitude, and see that ye have on the robes of black, and take heed that your pace be measured well, and that your march be stately.

Then shall your “hearts be lifted up,” even as the hearts of mighty men shall they be lifted up. And ye shall be gazed upon by the multitude, and they shall honor you; and the men shall praise you, and the women shall glorify you, even by the women shall ye be glorified.

And when you go in, go not as the ordained, prepared only with a soul to God and with a heart to men, and a spirit filled with the Holy Ghost; but go ye with your pockets full of papers and full of divine words: even in your pockets shall your divinity be.

And let your sermon be full of “the enticing words of man’s wisdom,” and let it be beautiful with just divisions, with tropes, and with metaphors, and with hyperbole, and apostrophe, and with interrogation, and with acclamation, and with syllogisms, and with sophisms, and throughout let declamation be.

And take good heed to your attitudes and your gestures, knowing when to bend and when to erect, when to lift your right hand and when your left, and let your motions be graceful, even in your attitudes and in your gestures let your grace be. Thus shall ye be pleasing in the eyes of the people and graceful in their sight.

Let your voice at times be smooth as the stream of the valley and soft as the breeze that waves not the bough on its bank; and at times let it swell like the wave of the ocean, or like the whirlwind on the mountain top.

Then shall ye charm the ears of your hearers and their hearts shall be softened, and their minds shall be astounded, and their souls shall incline unto you; and the men shall incline unto you, and likewise the women; yea unto your sayings and unto your persons shall they be inclined.

And be ye mindful not to offend the people; rebuke ye not their sins; but when ye rebuke sin, rebuke it at a distance: and let no man apply your sayings to his own case; so shall he not he offended.

If a brother shall raise up the banner of war against a brother, and christians against christians, rebuke them not; but he some of you on the one side and some on the other; and tell the one host that God is on their side, and the other host that he is on their side; so make them bold to kill. And even among swords and lancets let your black robes be seen.

Preach ye not “Peace on earth and good will to men,” but preach ye glory to the victor and victory to the brave.

If any man go into a foreign land and seize upon his fellow man, across the great deep into bondage; nay, if he tear asunder the dearest ties of nature, the tenderest leagues of the human heart, if he tear the wife from the husband, and force the struggling infant from its mother’s bleeding breast, rebuke him not!

And although he sell them in foreign slavery to toil beneath the lash all their days, tell him not that his doings are of Antichrist: for lo he is rich and giveth unto the Church: and is esteemed pious, so shall ye not offend him, lest peradventure he withdraw himself from your flock.

Teach them to believe that you have the care of their souls and that the saving mysteries are for your explaining; and when you explain your mysteries, encompass them round about with words as with a bright veil, so bright that through it no man can see.

And lo! ye shall bind the judgments of men, (and more especially of women,) as with a band of iron; and ye shall make them blind in the midst of light, even as the owl is blind in the noon day sun; and behold ye shall lead them captive to your reverend wills.

CHAPTER 4. The Clergy’s Reward.

“In all your gettings” get money! Now, therefore, when ye go forth on your ministerial journey, go where there are silver and gold, and where each man will pay according to his measure. For verily I say ye must get your reward.

Go ye not forth as those that have been sent, “without two coats, without gold or silver, or brass in their purses; without scrip for their journey, or shoes, or staves;” but go ye forth in the good things of this world.

And when ye shall hear of a church that is vacant and hath no one to preach therein, then be that a call unto you, and be ye mindful of the call, and take ye charge of the flock thereof and of the fleece thereof, even of the golden fleece.

And when ye shall have fleeced your flock, and shall know of another call, and if the flock be greater or rather if the fleece be greater, then greater be also unto you the call — Then shall ye leave your old flock, and of the new flock shall ye take the charge.

Those who have “freely received” let them “freely give,” and let not men have your words “without money nor without price,” but bargain ye for hundreds and bargain for thousands, even for thousands of silver and gold shall ye bargain.

And over and above the price for which ye have sold your service, take ye also gifts and be mindful to refuse none saying, “Lo! I have enough!” but receive gifts from them that go in chariots, and from them that feed flocks, and from them that earn their morsel by the sweat of their brow.

Yea, take ye gifts of all, and take them in gold and in silver, and in bread; in wine and in oil; in raiment and in fine linen.

And the more that the people give you the more will they honor you; for they shall believe that “in giving to you they are giving to the Lord;” for behold their sight shall be taken from them and they shall be blind as bats, and “shall know not what they do.”

And ye shall wax richer and richer, and grow greater and greater, and you shall be lifted up in your own sight, and exalted in the eyes of the multitude; and lucre shall be no longer filthy in your sight. And verily ye have your reward. In doing these things ye shall never fail. And may abundance of gold and silver and bank notes, and corn and wool, and flax, and spirits and wine, and land be multiplied unto you, both now and hereafter. Amen.

Christian Baptist.

THE APOSTOLIC ADVOCATE. June 1835, ed JT

The paradox of Job is: why does a “righteous” person need to repent?

Consider the typical teaching of the Book of Job as a prelude to answering that question:

• Job: sym the Law of Moses and the nation of Israel, striving to keep that Law.

• Job’s children: sym the children of Israel.

• Satan: sym the angel that watches over Israel.

• Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar: sym the Arab nations descended from Abraham.

• Elihu: sym the Messiah, a young man who comes on the scene only late in the story, shows to Job and his 3 friends the true way, and prepares Job for a greater understanding of the ways of God.

1. Job 1:4,5: Job diligently offers sacrifice for himself and his children. Does his trust in these sacrifices, and his own righteous life, rather than God’s promises of mercy and forgiveness through the Abrahamic covenant, repr the same mistake of self-righteousness that Israel makes?

2. Job clams to be righteous because he has kept a set of laws perfectly (Job 31). Cp Israel in Rom 9:31; 10:3. But no man can save himself by his own righteous deeds only: Gal 3:1-9; Rom 11:8-12; 1Co 1:23; Rom 4:1-8; Gal 2:15,16.

3. Job tries to justify himself rather than God (Job 27:1,2; 9:20,21). Likewise, with Israel: Eze 18:25; 33:17; Jer 2:23,29.

4. Job’s incurable wound (Job 9:17; 34:6). Israel’s incurable wound: Jer 10:17-20.

5. Job a witness (Job 16:7-14). Israel as a witness (Isa 43:10; 44:8,9).

6. God is a witness against Job (Job 10:17). God is a witness against Israel (Jer 29:23; Mic 1:1-3).

7. Both Job and Israel long for an arbitrator, but there is no one (Job 9:32-35; Jer 30:13).

8. Job pleads with God, but seems to receive no response (Job 16:20,21; 30:20-26). Likewise, with Israel (Jer 3:21; Eze 36:37; Amo 8:11,12; Hos 3:4,5).

9. Finally, God speaks to Job (Job 38-41). Likewise, with Israel (Isa 54:7,8; Mic 7:9; Eze 20:35-38).

When Job finally repents of his self-justification, and realizes that only God can deliver him, then he is once again blessed by God, and that even more abundantly than before (Job 42). Likewise, Israel will do the same (Isa 59:20; Zec 12:1-14).

Job thus becomes a witness to the righteousness and blessings of God, to all his neighbors round about — and a means by which they in turn might draw closer to God (Job 42:7-9).