Bible teaching about the “little horn”:

1. It arises after the ten horns…
2. …but out of their midst;
3. it uproots three of the ten; and

4. it has eyes like a man, and a mouth speaking boastfully (Dan 7:8), against God (Dan 7:25).

5. It is a king, but different from the other kings (Dan 7:24).

6. It fights against the “saints” (God’s people, or Israel in this case) and defeats them (Dan 7:21).

7. It rules over them (Israel) until Christ comes (Dan 7:22).

8. it continues for “time, times, and half a time”, or 3 1/2 years (Dan 7:25).

Consider the Arab nations in prophecy:

1. the ten nations of Psalm 83, avowed enemies of God and His nation in Bible times;

2. their modern-day Arab counterparts; and
3. ten Arab nations surrounding Israel: These nations were “born” in the same generation as was Israel — from 26 years before 1948 to 23 years after: Egypt (1922), Jordan (1949), Syria (1946), Lebanon (1943), Iraq (1932), Saudi Arabia (1932), Kuwait (16963), Bahrain (1971), Qatar (1971), and UAE (1971). They are “all the trees” in the Middle East, to which Jesus referred when he prophesied of the Last Days: Luk 21:29-31.

Along with these, there is also a possible eleventh “horn” that may arise considerably after the other ten. This may well be the “little horn” of Palestine, newly struggling to independence in 1993, whereas the other ten “horns” have been independent since 1922 (the earliest) through 1971 (the latest). Now, more than 20 years later, there comes on the Middle Eastern scene an eleventh independent (or almost independent!) Arab nation. Does Palestine fit the Bible description of the “little horn”?

1. It does arise after the other 10.
2. It does arise out of their very midst.

3. Will it uproot three others? There are presently sizeable contingents of Palestinian refugees in Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan. In Jordan, in fact, the Palestinians pose a serious threat to the stability of King Hussein’s government. In many ways, Lebanon has already been consumed, by the 1982 war and the subsequent takeover by Syria.

4. The leader of the Palestinians — at this time Yasser Arafat — has made a career of speaking “boastful” threats against Israel (and, by implication, against the God of Israel) — just as did Goliath, the Philistine (or “Palestinian”) enemy of Israel in David’s day. If Arafat and the PLO were displaced as the leadership of an independent Palestine by even more radical leaders out of Hamas or other Muslim fundamentalist groups, such “boastful”, threatening, blasphemous verbal attacks against Israel would escalate.

5. This “little horn” is different in the way it is established: it has been legitimatized by Israel, and it is not initially an official state.

6. This “little horn”, by its threats and bluster, will bring about the last great “holy war” against the Jewish infidels!

7. The war against, and victory over, Israel…

8. and a brutal oppression of 3 1/2 years… are, of course, yet future events. But who better than the Palestinians to trigger such a final Arab “holy war” against Israel?

The Beast of Rev 13: The “little horn” shares characteristics with the Beast of Rev 13:

The little horn (Dan 7)	The beast (Rev 13)
“Different” from the others (Dan 7:24)	“Different” from the others (Rev 13:8)
“A mouth speaking boastfully” (Dan 7:8)…	“A mouth to utter proud words and blasphemies” (Rev 13:5)…
“…against the Most High” (Dan 7:25)	“…to blaspheme God and to slander his name” (Rev 13:6)
“To wage war against the saints and defeat them” (Dan 7:21)	“To make war against the saints and conquer them” (Rev 13:7)

This leads to one of two conclusions: Either…

1. The “little horn” becomes the whole Beast — ie, assumes headship of the whole Arab confederation; or

2. The “little horn” works so closely with the Beast that their objectives and actions are interchangeable.

The characteristics and activities of the “latter day” “horn” described in Dan 8:9-12,23-25 reinforce this conclusion.

At the very least, the “little horn” takes precedence over the other horns and acts as a catalyst for the last great defeat of God’s people Israel.

The “Fatal Wound”

The Beast of Revelation will suffer a “fatal wound”, but will be healed “miraculously” (Rev 13:3,12). If the Beast and the “little horn” are equivalent, then what “fatal wound” has Palestine suffered? Possibly, the seemingly insurmountable defeats suffered by the PLO in the 1970s and 1980s should be considered the “fatal wound”, from which the “phoenix” Arafat has recovered (even literally rising out of a plane crash to resume leadership of the PLO). Some thought the PLO had been effectively destroyed by the Israelis’ 1982 invasion. Perhaps the “fatal wound” was the doldrums in which the whole of the Palestinian nation had fallen, with no real hope of statehood, until quite recently.

Or is the final “fatal wound” yet in the future for Palestine — one tremendous defeat from which the nation, with a special leader, rises up again, still speaking great and blasphemous words against Israel and Israel’s God?

Conclusion

It is obviously too early in the process for anyone to fully identify and explain all the details. Certainly no one has “all the answers”. However, it is possible that the PLO will be the primary candidate for the “little horn” of Daniel. By implication, the PLO is also a major factor in the interpretation of the Revelation beast.

Some questions to be considered in the upcoming months and years:

1. Will Arafat survive the challenges to his authority, or even the threats on his life?

2. Will Hamas supplant the PLO as the “legitimate” political arm of the Palestinian people?

3. Will the rich Arab gulf states support the “new order” financially?

4. Will the Palestinians continue to grow in power in Jordan?

5. Will the “peace treaty” inspire a militant Jewish backlash?
6. How will ongoing discussions about the fate of Jerusalem affect the total picture?

7. Will the U.S. continue to provide economic and military support to Israel?

Some areas to watch:

1. The Middle East in general, and Israel in particular.
2. Jerusalem’s Temple Mount, where the conflicting claims of Muslims and Jews will never be reconciled.

3. Arafat, the PLO, Hamas, and the Palestinian peoples in Gaza and West Bank!

Today, since we have been reading the gospel of John, I’d like to concentrate on a few of what I call “the little things of John”. These are simple statements — almost deceptively simple — scattered like so many bright jewels upon the fabric of John’s gospel. Statements that are so very simple on one level, scarcely noticeable except on a second glance. But when we pause and look a bit more closely, then these “little things” take on different meanings, having what we might call “heavenly insights”. And depths of meaning are gradually revealed in what seem at first to be the most unlikely places.

The second meaning, the almost hidden meaning is there also — and, almost invariably, it lifts the passage out of time and into eternity. Lights go on, trumpets sound, and we realize that God’s word reaches across the expanses of time, from a little land in Roman-occupied Palestine, in the first century… to you and me sitting here today, in the twenty-first century, and to multitudes besides — in every age. And we are invited — no, we are commanded — to take these words personally!

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John 2:5: Jesus and his disciples have been invited to a wedding in Cana, and it transpires that there is not enough wine. Mary approaches Jesus, as if to say, ‘Now is the time!’ At first he seems unsure, but then he seems to understand that, Yes, now IS the time to perform the first of the miracles by which he will be made known to Israel.

“His mother said to the servants, ‘Do whatever he tells you’ ” (John 2:5).

Here we have a statement that is true enough in the quite limited parameters of the wedding feast itself. But it is also a statement that echoes down the corridors of history. The essence of obedience; condensed into five little words: “Do whatever he tells you!” Not what you choose to do, not what you would like to do, not a little of ‘this’, but leaving ‘that’ undone. “Do WHATEVER he tells you!”

And, the implication is surely there also… “Do it NOW!” Not tomorrow, not next week, not when you get around to it, or feel like it. Do it… NOW! Do not question the reasonableness of it. Do not say, “Maybe later — when my affairs are in better order… or the children are in school… or I have retired… or I have graduated.” Do not say, “Let George do it!” As if Moses were to have said, “Here I am, LORD. Now, please send Aaron instead!”

“Do whatever he tells you.” And if it seems too hard, remind yourself that a life of faith is not for the faint in heart. And he that questions what Jesus says is unstable, of two minds, and halting between two opinions — he is like a wave of the sea, being pushed first one way and then another. Don’t wait to see which way the wind is blowing, don’t stop to check the weather, don’t say to yourself, “There may be a lion in the streets!” Just… DO IT.

These are the last recorded words of Mary the mother of Jesus. And we realize that she is speaking them to us!

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The next words are written by John the narrator; they were not spoken by Jesus. But they surely express the will of Jesus:

“The Lord… left Judea and went back once more to Galilee. Now he had to go through Samaria” (John 4:3,4).

Notice this: he “HAD TO” go through Samaria. Not… he “chose” to go through Samaria; but he “HAD TO” go through Samaria.

And why was this so? On one level, as we study a map, we might think, “Well, of course he would go through Samaria — it was the most direct route!” But it was apparently not as simple as that. We are told that many Judeans circled through Perea, east of the Jordan River (taking the long way around), rather than simply travel through Samaria. Why did they take a detour? Because their hatred of the Samaritans was so great. This hatred is expressed time and time again in the teachings and writings of the rabbis; one common prayer was: “May I never set eyes on a Samaritan… May I never be thrown into company with one.” Other rabbis said that to partake of the bread of a Samaritan was like “eating swine’s flesh” (Edersheim 1:401).

So, if anything, we might think that a devout Jew like Jesus would not only not “HAVE TO” go through Samaria, but that he would “HAVE TO” go some other way!

But not Jesus! He takes his disciples and journeys directly into the heart of Samaritan territory, deliberately defying Jewish social conventions. Why does he do this? Is it for typical reasons — that is, to foreshadow the preaching of the gospel to the Gentiles? That would certainly be a good reason.

But it is, I think, more personal, more immediate than that. He MUST go through Samaria because he MUST meet that woman at the well. It is God’s will that, at this time and in this place, he will meet this woman. Never mind that she is a Gentile, a despised Samaritan — never mind that she has been married five times and is currently living with a man who is not her husband. He is going to tell her that he, Jesus, is the Messiah, and to invite her to learn more of him, and to drink of the living waters that flow from him.

He is going to tell her that “I who speak to you am he [the Messiah]” (John 4:26). The first time Jesus directly proclaimed his Messiahship was to a woman, a Samaritan and a sinner! The devout Pharisee traditionally prayed, “I thank thee that thou didst not make me a Gentile, but a Jew… not a woman, but a man.” But Paul proclaimed that in Jesus there is neither Jew nor Gentile, neither male nor female (Gal 3:28)! All, whatever their social status or race or gender, whatever their past sins, may share equally in the blessings of the Messiahship of Jesus.

Do we believe this? We should.

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“Study diligently the Scriptures because you think that by them you possess eternal life” (John 5:39).

Here is an interesting verse; it is often read (or misread): “Study diligently the Scriptures because by them you possess eternal life.” In other words, it is treated as a ringing endorsement of the Bible, as the only source of eternal life. And that’s the thing: such a statement is so close to being true that we readily accept it. “Yes, that’s right. Read the Bible. That’s all you need!”

But here it’s important to read every word of this verse. “YOU THINK that by these Scriptures you shall have eternal life!” Remember that Jesus was speaking directly to his enemies, those who were persecuting him, even seeking his life. It was not going to be enough for them to “search their Scriptures” — they were doing this already, more diligently than were any other people. But all they were doing was combing through their scrolls looking for ammunition to use against Jesus! All they were doing was looking for “proof texts” to show this Galilean preacher-upstart how wrong he was… and thus the Scriptures were going to be their downfall and not their salvation… UNLESS they did one other thing! And this is explained in the last part of v 39: “These are the Scriptures that testify about me.”

In other words, the Pharisees were avid Bible students, but with their self-righteous attitudes and Bible trivia mentality, they had overlooked the most important point of all — their need for redemption through the coming Messiah. Here in plain view of these Bible students, before their very eyes, was the personal culmination of scores of Bible prophecies, and yet this escaped the attention of their hardened hearts. “Yet you refuse to come to me to have life” (v 40).

It is never enough to be knowledgeable in the Scriptures in a theoretical sense. The study of God’s Word must lead us to embrace Christ, with our whole heart and mind. We must see… HIM… in every book of the Bible — for surely he is there. Knowledge by itself is sterile; it may even puff us up in pride (1Co 8:1). But intimate, personal experience of Christ brings about deep and lasting changes in our lives, and leads on to the eternal life that may be possessed only through him.

That is the message of John 5:39!

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After the miraculous feeding of the 5,000, Jesus told his disciples, “Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted” (John 6:12).

Here is the evidence that, in ministering to others, Christ’s followers lost nothing themselves. (In the sacrifice of Christ, there is ample provision for all to be filled. God’s grace is a stream whose blessings never fail, a sea without a shore, a pot of oil that is continually replenished.)

This he says more plainly later in the chapter, when he prays to his Father: “That I shall lose none of all that he has given me” (Joh 6:39). Here, in this enacted parable of the miraculous multiplying of the loaves, the “bread” (which represents the body of Christ) will not be broken up and scattered — no parts will be lost. At the last day, all the “fragments” will be gathered together into one! And again, later in this same gospel, John recalls the conversation between the High Priest and the Sanhedrin, in which (inadvertently) the High Priest “prophesied that Jesus would die for the Jewish nation, and not only for that nation but also for the scattered children of God, to bring them together and make them one” (John 11:51,52).

We should recognize that the words of Jesus here, then, were not just for the disciples who went about through the crowd, gathering up all the fragments of the miraculously created bread. His words are for us too: an exhortation: remember to “gather up the fragments” of the body of Christ, that might otherwise be lost. Seek out the lost sheep, and bring it back to the shepherd’s fold. Leave no one behind. Remember that we are all in this together, and each of us — even those who seemingly are most insignificant — are a part of the One Body.

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“The words I have spoken to you are spirit and they are life” (John 6:63).

Here is perhaps the simplest answer to all the Holy Spirit “difficulties” and “questions” that occasionally arise. God’s Word, preached and believed, and acted upon, is the only real source of spirit-power and eternal life — and that of course, only if it leads us to Christ, and keeps us in the care of Christ.

But there is more to it than this. God’s spirit-word has the power to remake lives, to open the eyes of the blind, to open the ears of the deaf, and to raise the dead! Jesus performed no greater miracles, with the lepers, or Bartimaeus, or Lazarus at the tomb, than his “word” does every day, even today. There IS no greater “miracle” than a life recreated, and turned around, and lifted up from the natural to the spiritual realm — and this happens every time another person accepts Christ in baptism.

We come nothing short of the believers in the first century. True, we do not see the dead literally brought back to life — not quite yet, anyway! But we do see those who were dead in their sins raised up to walk in newness of life. Can we ever praise God enough for this most wonderful of all miracles? God’s Word — and God’s Spirit, through that Word — is just as powerful today as it ever was.

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The next “little thing” in John is the simple combination of two verses, one following the other. Why don’t we notice this as we should? Because the two verses are artificially separated by a chapter division:

“Then each went to his own home (John 7:53)… but Jesus went to the Mount of Olives” (8:1)!

In contrast to all the others, Jesus had no home to go to! “Foxes have holes and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head” (Mark 8:20; Luk 9:58).

If we find our lives a complex of tensions and pressures, and a source of distress and uncertainty, let us learn this lesson of living with God. Let us see Him in every aspect of our lives, in every part of our day. This was the case with Jesus who, though he had no permanent abode, no established residence, was more surely grounded than any man who ever lived. He always dwelt with God, and God with him. Here, at the end of one of his long days, we catch a glimpse of the meeting between Father and Son, as the Son retires to the mount of Olives to spend the night with his Father. Even though he had no “home” in the accepted sense, not any more, even though he was a stranger and a pilgrim in the earth — yet he made the Almighty God his home, and pitched his tent under the sheltering wings of the cherubim. The words of the psalmist are his words: “LORD, YOU have been our dwelling place throughout all generations” (Psa 90:1).

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At the time of the last Passover, there came Greeks up to Jerusalem to worship. And while the Jewish leaders plotted and schemed as to how they might arrest Jesus, and kill him, these Greeks sought out Philip: “Sir,” they said, “we would like to see Jesus” (Joh 12:21).

What examples for us! While the Jews were rejecting their own Messiah, these Gentiles were humbly and diligently seeking him. Nothing else would do. They would not be put off.

Do WE desire to see Jesus… in every part of our Bibles?

Do WE desire to see Jesus… in every aspect of our lives?

Do WE desire to see Jesus… on Saturday night as well as Sunday morning?

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The Passover meal was ending; the lessons, and the warnings, had been given by Jesus. But Judas left early; his “cover story” was that he had some legitimate errand to accomplish; the other disciples supposed that — because he was the treasurer — he had business to attend to. But little did they know what that “business” was!

Now, “as soon as Judas had taken the bread, he went out” (John 13:30).

Judas “went out” — there is such a finality in that simple declarative statement. In this he was like Cain leaving the presence of God (Gen 4:16). In this he was like the unforgiving debtor — like Judas, also obsessed with money — who went out to acquire more (Mat 18:28). And in this “going out” he demonstrated irrevocably that he did not belong with the others — all this John saw. And he recalled this very incident when, years later, he spoke of those who abandoned their faith, and the family of believers: “They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us” (1Jo 2:19).

And then John adds the powerful “And it was night!” (John 13:30).

It was an utterly self-evident statement, for only the Passover — of all the Jewish feasts — was always celebrated at night. Why did John bother with such a statement?

As at the very first Passover, when some Jews did not abide in their blood-sprinkled houses, Judas went out into the Egyptian “darkness” of death. Inside the upper room, there was truth and love and joy and light. Outside, there was only error and hatred and sorrow and despair and darkness and, at last, death. Judas abandoned the only true Light, and went out to the place where the darkness of night evoked the darkness of death. The shadows in the streets were the shadow in his soul. “He went out, and it was night.”

John hears the door close on that night with an absolute and tragic finality — like a prison gate slamming shut, or a great stone rolling across the entrance of a tomb. And he wants us to hear it too — and never to forget how awful it sounds.

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“I tell you the truth, you will weep and mourn while the world rejoices. You will grieve, but your grief will turn to joy. A woman giving birth to a child has pain because her time has come; but when her baby is born she forgets the anguish because of her joy that a child is born into the world. So with you: Now is your time of grief, but I will see you again and you will rejoice, and no one will take away your joy. In that day you will no longer ask me anything. I tell you the truth, my Father will give you whatever you ask in my name” (John 16:20-23).

It was true: “In that day you will no longer ask me anything” (v 23). When the glorified Christ revealed himself to his disciples, their joy was such that all previous doubts and misapprehensions faded away, and they basked contentedly in the radiance of his love. Well enough, that’s easy to understand, we think to ourselves.

But is there something more? Is Jesus speaking, down through the ages, to us as well? John seemed to think so, for he added his postscript to the book: “These things are written, that YE (the readers) might believe… and have life” (John 20:31).

Have we not all had the pestering little thoughts, of the right or wrong of some complex moral tangle, or perhaps of some puzzling verse that seems to defy exposition? Or perhaps spent countless hours with some of those favorite Christadelphian time-killers: as, for example, who were the angels that sinned? is Elijah dead, or alive? or who, if anyone, was the tempter in the wilderness? Then we tell ourselves, “Someday, when Christ comes, we’ll know all those things!”

But what does Jesus say? “In that day (when the glorified Jesus reveals himself to his disciples)… your hearts shall rejoice… and ye shall ask me nothing.” There is a profound reassurance in his words: not so much that our perplexing questions will all be answered, but that they will disappear! Nothing else will matter when that day comes. At that time we might have anything we desire from the Father, but no matter! We will already have everything we need: we will have Christ!

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Even a man like Pilate could, from John’s perspective, contribute “little things” which convey something of value to John’s readers. For the cynical, worldly Pilate could ask the most profound of all questions, when he asked Jesus, “What is truth?” (John 18:38). And then, in John’s narrative, he could answer his own question, when first he presented Jesus to the crowds: “Pilate said to them, ‘Here is the man’ ” (Joh 19:5)… and yet a second time, when he said to the Jews, “Here is your king” (Joh 19:14).

John wants us to see that the man who is king of the Jews IS also the “truth” — and that there is no other. “Truth” in Greek, and as used by John in his gospel, means “that which is real, in contrast to that which is but a shadow or a pattern”. There is no other reality but Christ — he is “the real thing”! When gems and monuments and, yes, even royal crowns are all decayed into dust, Christ will remain. When all the accomplishments, all the buildings, and all the great projects of mankind are practically forgotten — a dim memory in the collective consciousness of a world that has been redeemed — Christ will remain. When sin and death are no more, and every tear has been wiped from every eye, and when God’s glory will fill the earth, Christ, and nothing else, will remain.

What is true? What is real? What is enduring? What will never fail?

The man who is King of the Jews.

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“Jesus did many other things as well. If every one of them were written down, I suppose that even the whole world would not have room for the books that would be written” (Joh 21:25).

At first glance this is a bit hard to swallow, and one good-naturedly dismisses it as a well-meant but extreme exaggeration.

But perhaps our failure to appreciate the greatness of Jesus’ work arises from our subconscious insistence on placing limits on this man. And here is THE ONE MAN who cannot be limited by time and space. His work continues to this very day, in all those who believe. Here we have the plausible explanation of what first seemed to be John’s rather silly attempt at exaggeration.

It is a real jolt to realize that WE are the “books” that are being written, every one of us who has chosen to follow Christ. There are so many of us, in fact, that the “world” could scarcely contain all of us; but nevertheless it will on the day of the saints’ glorification!

God has spoken and, miraculously, His word has been made flesh and dwelt among men, and does so still by the added force of the written word, in which are recorded the words and works of Christ. This incarnation of the Word of God, the man Christ, has worked within us, impressing upon the fleshly tablets of our hearts the principles of godliness. At the judgment seat Christ will open up each one of us and read us like “books”, to see if the word of God has indeed been imprinted in our lives.

If it has, then each one of us will become an individual, unique “gospel” of the Son of God, bound and stamped with the seal of immortality: “Herein is the word of God, which lives forever! Herein are the further works of Jesus!” “The Gospel according to Glenn… or Margaret… or Robert… or Ellen.”

And the “books” that have been “written” will then fill the earth with the living glory of God.

Brothers and sisters, we come together again today for our Memorial Service, to remember the death of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. One of the commandments which we are given in conjunction with this is to “examine ourselves”. In 1Co 11:

“Let a man examine himself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup…”

This naturally has very little appeal for us; we are afraid of what we might find in ourselves if we look too closely. But it can be very beneficial if we do look closely, and if we make an effort to correct the flaws which we find. For “If we would judge ourselves, we shall not be judged.”

Rom 12:1 is an often-quoted statement concerning our duties as brethren of Christ: “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.”

When we think of sacrifices, we normally think of the slaying of animals under the Law of Moses — something which has long since ceased. Therefore, we may (wrongly, of course) remove the idea of sacrifices far from our own times and circumstances — and feel prone to ignore the topic. But we must not forget what Jesus called “the weightier matters of the law”, which are still with us today. Among these matters is the lesson of the Mosaic sacrifice: It was in most cases first of all representative of the sacrifice of Christ, but secondly it stood for the services rendered by the offerer — his state of mind and devotion to his God, or his “living sacrifice”.

Peter speaks of this same type of sacrifice in 1Pe 2:5: “Ye also, as lively (living) stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ.”

And David, as well, expresses a similar thought in Psa 69:30,31: “I will praise the Name of God with a song, and will magnify Him with thanksgiving. This also shall please the Lord better than an ox or bullock that hath horns and hoofs.”

If the past sacrifices of the Jews can represent our present duties and services for the sake of the Truth, we should study them closely to see if we may gain other lessons from them which may apply to our “sacrifices” now.

One of the foremost characteristics of any animal sacrifice under the Mosaic Law was that it be “without blemish” — faultless, perfect, and of the best and strongest and most valuable of the herd or flock. The lesson here is so obvious that it scarcely needs to be mentioned. We are our own offerings. Are we “without spot or blemish” in God’s eyes? Of course, we recognize that we are all very much short of perfect, that we all have sinned and come short of the glory of the Lord. But this does not mean that we cannot try to come up to this ideal. And our imperfections will be overlooked if we ask forgiveness for them and if we work diligently to correct them. Also, we always have before us the spectacle of Christ and his spotless, life, for example and for encouragement.

A half-hearted effort

The Jews in the time of Malachi were condemned by God. The reason is given in Mal 1:7,8:

“Ye offer polluted bread upon My altar; and ye say, Wherein have we polluted Thee? In that ye say, The table of the Lord is contemptible. And if ye offer the blind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and sick, is it not evil? Offer it now unto thy governor; will he be pleased with thee, or accept thy person? saith the Lord of hosts.”

When we give a half-hearted effort to some service of the Truth, or no service at all — are we not simply offering the blind, and the lame, and the sick to the Lord? Common sense dictates that, if we are working for a tough and exacting boss, we will give him the best possible work — or else we should find an employer who will be more lenient toward us. If this is true in the natural sense, it is much more true in the spiritual sense: If we are not willing to give God the best effort we are capable of, we might as well renounce the truth altogether and make the best of the present life, for that is all we will have.

Our service

We shall examine briefly a few services, or sacrifices, which we should render to God — which we must render to Him.

One of the best and simplest services we can give to the service of God is to speak of the truth to our friends and neighbors. We should certainly never be ashamed of our beliefs, and we should never make lame excuses to ourselves for failing to mention some point of the Truth at a good time. Perhaps we will not be listened to. Perhaps we may even be ridiculed. But in view of what happened to Christ and the disciples — who died for what they taught — we would be getting off light, in comparison, even if we suffered loss of friendship or persecution. We must always be a “peculiar people, zealous of good works”.

In 1Pe 3:15, “Be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear.”

In Jude 1:3, “Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints.”

The best way to make someone we know understand and appreciate the Truth is to live the Truth ourselves. Peter speaks of this especially concerning wives and their unbelieving husbands, but it may apply as well to others:

“Likewise, ye wives, be in subjection to your own husbands; that if any obey not the word, they also may without the word be won by the conversation (or, entire way of life) of the wives.”

Paul has the same thing in mind when he speaks in Rom 12:20 —

“Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fire upon his head.”

That is, the person will recognize his wrong. He may be regretful for opposing the Truth, as Paul was, and he may decide to change his ways — which is the desired result. Or he may remain unrepentant, and perhaps be punished — but at least we have fulfilled our duty to him and to Christ.

Inside the Ecclesia

If giving witness to the Truth to outsiders is important, then our service to the Truth inside the ecclesia is even more important. There are many positions to fill, and many services to perform. We must remember that “God loveth a cheerful giver.” Any service we do — such as speaking, presiding, acting as treasurer or secretary, playing the piano, or singing -any of these services is important. They should be done graciously, enthusiastically, even eagerly.

There are many ways in which we might try to avoid serving in some capacity. We may try to fool others, and we may do it successfully. We might oven fool ourselves into actually believing that we have a very good excuse. “Let us examine ourselves” in this matter:

Maybe we feel that we are too busy, or that we are being saddled with too big a burden of the duties. And we try to put work off on others in this way. Are we being honest in this? How much time do we spend on useless activities? Are we “always abounding in the work of the Lord”?

One of the most common means that we use to avoid tasks is one in which we often fool even ourselves. This is by false humility — believing that we lack the necessary ability, or that someone could do it better. But everyone has some special ability or capacity. Usually we just do not look close enough to find it. If we hid behind such a pretense to avoid work for the Truth, can we honestly say that we are presenting ourselves as “living sacrifices”?

Finally, we should mention also that there are many services which the sisters can perform — even if they cannot take a part in speaking, presiding, and so forth. And there are many things which they can do far better than the brethren. Being a woman is no excuse either not to “abound in the work of the Lord”.

The presiding brother

One of the biggest burdens in the ecclesial meetings — whether the Memorial Service or the other classes — is upon the presiding Brother. There are two rules to follow especially:

“Let all things be done unto edifying” (1Co 14:26); and

“Let all things be done decently and in order” (1Co 14:40).

Only when the presiding brother follows these rules will the meeting have any spiritual benefit. In a Bible class, he must keep worthless discussions from taking up valuable time. And he should turn the attention of the class to the most profitable aspects of the lessons. And in the breaking of bread especially, he should follow a set pattern and not let himself or others be distracted by unimportant details. He should conduct the service with dignity and solemnity. But he should not be showy, or else he will detract from the message of the speaker and the meaning of the service. Finally, any Bible readings or announcements should be done with interest and enthusiasm.

Regular attendance

One of the worst faults of which we can be guilty is to be absent from meeting without a good excuse. (Also, other meetings are just as important in this respect as the Memorial meeting.)

The ecclesia as a group may possibly withdraw from a brother who is habitually absent from the Table of the Lord. But if this is not warning enough, we should consider that Christ will certainly withdraw from those who thought so little of Him and of his death — that they could not remember these things even once a week.

Bible study

One of the many ways in which we can offer sacrifice to God is to demonstrate our “delight in the law of the Lord”, to study His word at all times and especially be prepared for the Bible classes. Why is study of the Bible so important? There are many reasons. It is the means whereby we may cleanse our ways and draw nearer to our Heavenly Father:

“Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his way? by taking heed according to Thy word. With my whole heart have I sought Thee: O let me not wander from Thy commandments” (Psa 119:9,10).

Jesus told his followers, “Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you” (John 15:3).

It is not enough either to simply read a little of the Bible every day or so, like we might glance through a newspaper. If we are not careful, our daily readings may come to be only a chore, to be done quickly and forgotten. We must study God’s word carefully, and work at it. Solomon said in Pro 25:2: “It is the glory of God to conceal a thing; but the honour of kings is to search out a matter.”

Our hope is that we may become “kings and priests with Christ”, and reign on the earth. It is therefore our duty to search out the matters contained in the Scriptures. Many important lessons are contained in the writings of the Bible. These writings are unique among all the writings of the world, not only because they are God’s word, but because of their remarkable unity and the great depth of their subjects. They are unique also in that they require no special intellectual or educational training to understand. They merely require constant effort, and a willing heart. Many valuable thoughts lie just below the surface, and they require only some attention to discover. Jesus spoke to his fellow Israelites through many parables. He did this, he said, because it was not given unto them to understand such things. At first glance, such a statement might seem cruel — until we remember that the people’s understanding was darkened only because they wanted it that way.

Christ’s disciples, just like the others, did not at first understand the significance of many of his statements. But they had a deep, continuing interest in his words, and they asked questions and received explanations. As Peter asked Christ, “To whom shall we go? Thou hast the words of eternal life.” The disciples, although they were far from perfect in their knowledge, did not turn away from Christ, as the others did, at the first sign of difficulty.

We too, like so many before us, may turn away from the Bible. We may become discouraged quickly at what seem to be difficulties in the word of God. Let us not forget that we can pray to God to give us understanding and support in such matters as Bible study:

“Ask, and it shall be given you: seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you…” (Mat 7:7).

“Give me understanding, that I may learn Thy commandments” (Psa 119:73).

We should always prepare for a Bible class by reading the lesson beforehand. And not only reading it, but studying it. Try to resolve the difficulties in your mind. Decide upon good questions to ask or good points to bring up and discuss. If we cannot think of anything to say upon a chapter or even a verse of the Bible, then we are just not trying hard enough. And it will be our own fault if we learn nothing from the lesson.

Some of the things mentioned here can apply to the sisters. Although they may not be allowed, to speak in the class itself, they should certainly study beforehand to be in a better frame of mind to appreciate what the brothers might say upon the lesson.

Finally, our Bible classes should be only the beginning. Most of the profit of a class is determined afterward, in whether we remember and apply what we have heard. It is often good to follow up in more detail what has been said in the class. The things that we remember best are Chose things which we have learned well, and have thought about a lot, and have become thoroughly convinced of — for ourselves!

***

So we have tried briefly to examine ourselves and to learn how we may become “living sacrifices, holy and acceptable unto God”. While we sit in our meeting, let us remember what Christ tells us:

“Where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them” (Mat 18:20).

We have no greater incentive than to know that we are actually in the presence of Christ, and that he can see everything we do, and even know our thoughts.

And let us remember, as we leave our meetings, that Christ is still with us — and that he is observing whatever we might be doing, and thinking:

“These things saith he that holdeth the seven stars in his right hand, who walketh in the midst of the seven golden candlesticks: I know thy works” (Rev 2:1,2).

The Greek for “Word” is, of course, “logos”. As this phrase occurs in the Gospel records. it doesn’t mean the whole Bible. It means clearly enough and without any dispute the Gospel message (eg Mar 2:2; 4:33; 16:20; Luk 3:2; Joh 12:48; 14:24; Acts 4:4; 11:19). The Gospel was preached to Abraham in that it comprises the promises to Him and their fulfillment in Jesus (Gal 3:8). That word of promise was “made flesh” in Jesus; “the word of the oath” of the new covenant, of the promises made to Abraham, “maketh the son” (Heb 7:28). This is just another way of saying that the word of the promises, of the Gospel, was made flesh in Jesus. Note how in Rom 9:6,9 “the word” is called “the word of promise” — those made to Abraham. John’s Gospel tends to repeat the ideas of the other gospel records but in more spiritual terms. Matthew and Luke begin their accounts of the message by giving the genealogies of Jesus, explaining that His birth was the fulfillment, the making flesh, of the promises to Abraham and David. And Mark defines his “beginning of the gospel” as the fact that Jesus was the fulfillment of the OT prophets. John is really doing the same, in essence. But he is using more spiritual language. “In the beginning” there was the word — the word of promise, the word of prophecy, all through the OT. And that word was “made flesh” in Jesus, and on account of that word, all things in the new creation had and would come into being. Luke’s prologue states that he was an “eyewitness and minister of the word from the beginning”; he refers to the word of the Gospel that later became flesh in Jesus. John’s prologue is so similar: “That which was from the beginning, that which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, that which we beheld — the word of life” (1Jo 1:1 RV). Joh 1:14 matched this with: “The word was made flesh, and we beheld his glory”.

“Was made flesh”

“The word” is often put for the preaching of the word (Acts 6:2,4,7; Tit 2:5; Rev 1:9; 6:9; 20:4). The man Christ Jesus was the word of the Gospel made flesh. He was and is the epitome of what He and others preached. This is why another title for Jesus was “the Kingdom” — he thus described himself when He said that he, the Kingdom, was amongst them in 1st century Israel (Luk 17:21). “The word of the Kingdom” is paralleled with “the word” (Mat 13:19; cp Mat 13:20-23). The things of the Kingdom and the things of Jesus are inextricably linked. Likewise John calls Jesus “the eternal life” (1Jo 1:2). The life that he lived was the quality of life which we will eternally live in the Kingdom. The personality of Jesus was the living quintessence of all that he preached — as it should be with the living witness which our lives make. To preach “Christ” was and is therefore to preach “the things concerning the Kingdom of God”, because that Kingdom will be all about the manifestation of the man Christ Jesus (Acts 8:5,12). So Jesus was “the word” in the sense that He epitomized the Gospel. This is why Jam 1:18 says that we are born again by the word of the Gospel, and 1Pe 1:23 says that the word who begets is the Lord Jesus.

“The word was God”

“The word”, the “word of the Kingdom”, “the Gospel”, “the word of God” are all parallel expressions throughout the Gospels. The records of the parable of the sower speak of both “the word of God” (Luk 8:11-15) and “the word of the Kingdom” (Mat 13:19). The word / Gospel of God refers to the message which is about God, just as the “word of the Kingdom” means the word which is about the Kingdom, rather than suggesting that the word is one and the same as the Kingdom. “The gospel of God” means the Gospel which is about God, not the Gospel which is God Himself in person (Rom 1:1; 15:16; 2Co 11:7; 1Th 2:2,8,9; 1Pe 4:17). So, the word of God, the Gospel of God, was made flesh in Jesus. “The word of Jesus” and “the word of God” are interchangeable (Acts 19:10,20; 1Th 1:8; 2:13); as is “the word of the Gospel” and “the word of Jesus” (Acts 15:7,35). The word was not directly equivalent to Jesus; rather, he manifested the word, he showed us by his life and words and personality what the Kingdom was like, what God is like; for the word which he “became” was about God, and about the Kingdom. He was the entire Gospel, of God and of His Kingdom, made flesh. And our witness should be modeled on his pattern — we should be the living embodiment of the doctrines we preach.

“He came unto his own”

The context here speaks of both the word which was “in the beginning”, and of Jesus personally, whom John had witnessed to. Acts 10:36-38 RV puts this in simpler terms: “He sent the word unto the children of Israel, preaching the gospel of peace by [in] Jesus Christ — that word, I say, ye know, which was published throughout all Judaea, beginning from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; even Jesus of Nazareth”. The sequence and similarity of thought between this and Joh 1:1-8 is so great that one can only assume that John is deliberately alluding to Luke’s record in Acts, and stating the same truths in spiritual terms: In the beginning was the word of the Gospel which was with God. And then John came witnessing to Jesus, and then the word as it was in Jesus came to the Jews. Paul pleaded with his fellow Jews: “Brethren, children of the stock of Abraham to us is the word of this salvation sent forth” (Acts 13:26 RV). Yet he also wrote that in the fullness of time, God “sent forth His Son, made of a woman” (Gal 4:4). The Son of God was “the word of this salvation” / Jesus.

“All things were made by him”

By the time John was writing his Gospel [somewhat later than the others], the idea of believers being a new creation in Christ would have been developed in the early ecclesia. The Greek translated “made by” occurs often in John’s Gospel. It clearly describes how the Gospel of the Lord Jesus made new men and women; lives were transformed into something new. The phrase is used in the immediate context of John 1: “to become [be made] the sons of God” (Joh 1:12), in that grace and truth came [were made] by Jesus (Joh 1:17). “All things” therefore refers to the “all things” of the new creation. Note how Jesus came unto “his own things” (Joh 1:11 RV mg), ie to the Jewish people. “All things” therefore comfortably refers to the “all things” of the new creation — which is just how Paul uses the phrase (Eph 1:10,22; 4:10; Col 1:16-20). Quite simply all of us, in “all things” of our spiritual experience, owe them all to Gods word of promise and its fulfillment in Christ. This is how totally central are the promises to Abraham!

Consider other occurrences of “made by” in John’s Gospel: (a) Joh 4:14: The water of the life of Jesus shall be [made] in the believer “a well of water springing up into everlasting life”; (b) Joh 5:9,14: the lame man “was made” whole; (c) Joh 10:16: the believers shall be made (RV shall become) one flock; (d) Joh 12:36: may be [made], RV become, “the children of light”; (e) Joh 15:8: So shall ye be [made] my disciples; (f) Joh 16:20 Your sorrow shall be turned [made] into joy.

In this sense Jesus can be described as the creator of a “new creation” (2Co 5:17). But in practice, it is the word of the Gospel, the message of Jesus, which brings this about in the lives of those who hear and respond to it. We are born again by the word, the “seed” of the living God (1Pe 1:23 RV mg). In this arresting, shocking analogy, the “word” of the Gospel, the word which was made flesh in the person of Jesus, is likened to the seed or sperm of God. We were begotten again by “the word of truth, that we should be a kind of firstfruits of his creations” (Jam 1:18). In God’s word, in all that is revealed in it of the person of our Lord Jesus, we come face to face with the imperative: as we know of him, then we should be like him. In this feature of God’s word, as it is in the Bible record and therefore and thereby as it is in and of His Son, we have the ultimate creative power, the dynamism so desperately needed by humanity, to transform lives. (DH)

Paraphrase of John 1

Initially there was a pattern for everything. The pattern was God’s; God was the pattern. The pattern was always God. Everything came from that pattern. There isn’t anything else. The pattern is both the source of life and the meaning of life. It is a way of being alive in opposition to death, and death cannot overcome it.

God sent a man named John to tell people about the possibilities of this way of being alive in opposition to death so everybody would trust the source of life. John wasn’t the source of life; he taught how to recognize the pattern. The true pattern, the source and meaning of everybody’s life, was coming to people.

To some people, however, life, and what life is all about, is unrecognizable. Some who could be expected to see the possibilities of this way of being alive select death instead. Others embrace life. They trust what life offers.

Life offers something more intense than the strongest family ties: obtaining a new parent, God, the source, the meaning of life itself. The initial pattern for everything that is became a human being and lived among us. We experienced how awesome that is: as awesome as a newborn baby is to its daddy, the gift of life and all its possibilities.

“It is not good that a man should be alone” (Gen 2:18).

How true these words are. With the exception of the hermit or proverbial “loner”, nearly all human beings crave the comfort of companionship. In fact, it has been common throughout history to punish people by depriving them of companionship and human interaction. They call this solitary confinement. This punishment is so devastating and severe that it is used on only the most uncontrollable and incorrigible inmates as a matter of last resort.

Everyone has at some time in his life experienced the emotion we call loneliness. For a few, the experience is short-lived and insignificant, while for others the experience is a tremendous burden and seems to last forever. There is a difference between being alone and loneliness. Being alone simply means not having anyone else around. This can be a very positive experience. A young mother may cherish a few hours alone to recharge her batteries. Jesus himself on several occasions left the crowds to go into the mountains to be alone. In contrast, loneliness is a feeling. You can be in a room full of people and still feel lonely.

Since loneliness is a feeling, it is a mistake to project our definition and concept of loneliness upon other people. Loneliness is really our need for human interaction minus the interaction we actually get. It is as individual as the individual. For some it is the depth of relationships that is missing from their lives, while for others it is the breadth of relationships.

It is intuitive for us to think of a certain type of person as lonely: a person who has been searching for — but never found — a mate, a person who after years of raising children finds herself in an empty house, a person who has physical limitations which do not allow him to get out much. Yet, many of these people might be quite content in their condition. On the other hand, some whom one might assume to be anything but lonely may be the loneliest people of all: the young mother who craves adult conversation, the leader on whom everyone depends, but who has no one to which to turn, the ‘life of the party’ person who never develops deep friendships, or the spouse in a loveless marriage.

The ecclesia should be a haven for the lonely. The ecclesia is supposed to be one big family. As anyone knows who ever grew up in a big family, being alone is difficult in a house full of people. Too often we fall short of this ideal. People get busy with their lives and fail to realize that an ecclesial member is lonely. People tend to hide things such as loneliness fairly well — so that to the casual observer everything seems fine. You don’t have to pry into people’s personal lives to see if they are lonely. If you suspect someone is lonely and you wish to help, even the smallest efforts can make a huge difference. Invite the older widow to come with you to your child’s soccer game. Ask the young mother if she would like to grab some lunch and chat in a place where the kids can play. See the young man who is far from home if he has plans for the coming holiday, and would like to spend it with your family. Tell your friend in the difficult marriage that you are there for them if they ever want to talk.

If you are one of those lonely people, perhaps the best way to relieve your loneliness is to find a way to help people in an interactive way. Go and serve once a week in a soup kitchen, nursing home or orphanage. Get involved with the youth at your ecclesia by taking them on outings or helping with your youth group. Think specifically what it is that you feel you are missing from your life and what behaviors contribute to that state — and put a plan in place to change it.

No, it is not good that man should be alone. Maybe TOGETHER we can overcome it.

---

“And the LORD God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him.” Following this observation, God created woman and thus the institution of marriage. From this simple chain of events, we could easily draw the conclusion that marriage is the Divine answer to loneliness and since loneliness is “not good” in the eyes of God, everyone should marry. It is the highest ideal for which we should all strive.

If this is true as a blanket statement, it seems odd that the Apostle Paul would suggest to us that, “I would that all men were even as I myself. But every man hath his proper gift of God, one after this manner, and another after that. I say therefore to the unmarried and widows, it is good for them if they abide even as I. But if they cannot contain, let them marry: for it is better to marry than to burn” (1Co 7:7-9). The Apostle has suggested to us that remaining chaste and single is a higher calling than being married. Doesn’t this fly in the face of what we have read in Genesis?

We can’t make that judgment without examining Paul’s reasoning.

So what are Paul’s reasons for remaining single?

• It is a matter of TIME. He tells us in v 29 that the time is short. One can sense in Paul that things concerning the Son of God and the Gospel message are incredibly urgent as we are racing forward toward the culmination of human history — the Kingdom of God on earth.

• It is a matter of PRIORITY. Things of this life, including taking a wife or husband, are wasting precious time and energy that could be devoted to “the Lord’s affairs”. Paul declares, “What I want is for you to be free of concern. An unmarried man concerns himself with the Lord’s affairs, with how to please the Lord; but the married man concerns himself with the world’s affairs, with how to please his wife; and he finds himself split. Likewise the woman who is no longer married or the girl who has never been married concerns herself with the Lord’s affairs, with how to be holy both physically and spiritually; but the married woman concerns herself with the world’s affairs, with how to please her husband. I am telling you this for your own benefit, not to put restrictions on you — I am simply concerned that you live in a proper manner and serve the Lord with undivided devotion” (vv 32-35, Complete Jewish Bible).

• It is a matter of WILL. Some people are stronger than others and more ready to endure suffering for the sake of Christ. There is no sin in “doing well” (marrying) and doing better (not marrying). Paul makes the distinction very clearly when he states, “Now if a man thinks he is behaving dishonorably by treating his fiancee this way, and if there is strong sexual desire, so that marriage is what ought to happen; then let him do what he wants — he is not sinning: let them get married. But if a man has firmly made up his mind, being under no compulsion but having complete control over his will, if he has decided within himself to keep his fiancee a virgin, he will be doing well. So the man who marries his fiancee will do well, and the man who doesn’t marry will do better” (vv 36-38, Complete Jewish Bible).

• Finally, it is a matter of FEELING THE PRESENCE OF THE LORD. Paul does not deal with it in the 1Co 7 passage, but he does deal with it elsewhere. We are the bride of Christ. We are to be to Christ as the wife is to the husband. If we feel the real and tangible nature of this relationship, we are never truly alone. Jesus has promised us that “I will never leave thee, nor forsake thee” (Heb 13:5). The good shepherd is always with us. “Yea, though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil: for thou art with me; thy rod and thy staff they comfort me” (Psa 23:4). Yes, it is true that it is not good for man to be alone. Yet, once we come into the saving name of Jesus Christ, how can we ever again be truly alone? (KT)

* OUR humble prayer, in Jesus’ name, In faith, on bended knee;

* FATHER of mercies, God of truth And love, we bring to thee.

* WHICH of thy creatures, Lord, do not Thy gracious goodness share?

* ART Thou not mindful of all thy works, Thy presence everywhere?

* IN HEAVEN above, on earth beneath, Thy Majesty shines forth;

* HALLOWED BE thy holy name, East, West, South and North.

* THY NAME is great, thy word stands fast Eternal as thy days

* THY rule extend o’er all the earth, Send Jesus back again,

* KINGDOM and empire shall submit, And he the right maintain.

* COME quickly then, thy kingdom come, Eden again restore;

* THY word send forth from Zion’s height, Let sinners be no more

* WILL not the waiting sons of men Obey thy high command?

* BE loyal to the King of Kings, Supreme in all the land?

* DONE as by angel hosts above Thy glorious will shall be

* ON all the earth Thy glory spread As waters o’er the sea.

* EARTH cursed and marred through sin and death, Shall yet again be blest.

* AS truly as I live, thou say’st, There yet remains a rest.

* IT IS IN Thine own power, O Lord, The mighty work to do;

* HEAVEN condescends to make it known, And ratifies it too.

* GIVE US to understand thy word, And daily may we feed;

* THIS would we ask, all-gracious Lord, Supply our every need.

* DAY after day in prayer we seek The help thy grace imparts.

* OUR way commit to thee, O Lord, Who only knows our hearts;

* DAILY do thou that prayer regard, Our every way control.

* BREAD give, which lasts for ever more, Quick’ning the inmost soul.

* AND if thou seest aught amiss, In thought, in deed, or word.

* FORGIVE US for thy mercy’s sake, Through Jesus Christ our Lord.

* OUR DEBTS thou never canst forgive, If we should see revenge;

* AS WE FORGIVE this may we learn, Jehovah will avenge.

* OUR DEBTORS would we pray for, Lord, With kindness treat our foes;

* AND seek to know and learn of him, Who ne’er resented woes.

* LEAD US in pastures fresh and green, That we may grow thereby;

* NOT INTO that which leads astray, And causes men to die.

* TEMPTATION may we always shun, And if it comes, endure;

* BUT may we always this hold fast, Deliverance is sure.

* DELIVER US FROM wicked men, Who cast Thy word behind,

* EVIL stands thick through all the land To fascinate the mind.

* FOR all we ask in Jesus’ name, According to Thy will;

* THINE is it, Lord, to grant request, And thine own word fulfill.

* IS not thy truth in every age A shield and buckler, too?

* THE promises which thou hast given Are faithful, firm, and true.

* KINGDOM, crown and might shall fall, While truth shall still remain;

* THE poor shall yet be raised to power, And in they kingdom reign.

* POWER shall be given to those once weak, Who shall awake and sing,

* AND live through him who coped with death, And drew its fatal sting.

* THE saints of every age and clime, Redeemed by his own blood,

* GLORY and might ascribe to him Who brings us unto God.

* FOR EVER shall the song be sung, Of Moses and the Lamb;

* AMEN. And angels and men shall bow, And shout aloud, Amen!!

(From “The Christadelphian”, Dec 1882).

“The three parables of Luke 15 are treated as one, for introducing them Luke wrote: ‘He spake this parable (not parables) unto them’ (Luk 15:3). Each parable adds to the one that went before it, so that they follow one upon another without specific introduction (Luk 15:8,11). They illustrate three different aspects of one subject: The work of redemption. Consider the different causes of the loss in the three parables. The sheep was lost through its own action; it strayed from the shepherd through curiosity or desire for better pasture. The coin was lost, not through its own fault, but that of the woman who possessed it. The son was lost through deliberately, willfully, and consciously leaving the house of his generous father, and squandering the inheritance granted him. The first represented a one per cent loss of the flock; the second, a ten per cent loss of the woman’s hoard; the third, a fifty per cent loss of the family. These figures are significant. They suggest that whilst comparatively few may stray through curiosity or desire for better pasture, the greater number are lost by the carelessness of others, whilst even more leave through wilful, fleshly desire. Now consider the three mediums of reconciliation in each parable. The shepherd represents the Lord Jesus; the woman, the ecclesia; and the father, Yahweh. The first parable centers attention on the loss, the second on the search, the third on the restoration, so that the dominant verbs throughout are ‘lost, seek, find, and rejoice’. If these principles are kept in mind whilst the parables are studied, many wonderful points of exhortation will be revealed” (SB 10:7:108).

The reason for Christ’s use of the three related parables of Luke 15 is given in Luk 15:2, where the Pharisees are heard to murmur, “This man receiveth sinners, and eateth with them.” Here was a question of “fellowship”; this itinerant preacher, this rabbi who was soliciting their discipleship, was asking them — the “separated ones” — to follow his example in taking to their bosom “sinners” of every sort! It was absolutely unthinkable!

The third of the three parables is usually known as “The Prodigal Son”. It may also be called “The Lost Sons” (plural) because, in actual fact, at the beginning both of the sons were lost. Like the one hundredth sheep, the younger son was lost outside the fold, away from home. But, like the tenth coin, the elder was “lost” inside the house. He never strayed physically from his father, but his mind and his heart were miles away!

The parable of the lost sons introduces personal factors which cannot be found in the two preceding parables. “A sheep might realize it is lost — but it cannot rise to any sense of folly in having strayed” (PM 233).

And a coin is completely without thought or feeling. But both sons are capable of realizing their relative positions in regard to the father; they are both capable of repentance, and of taking the initiative to bridge the gap. Whether the elder brother ever succeeded in aligning himself with the mind of his father is the lingering, unanswered question at the close of the parable. And it was the question which lingered in the air, from that day forward, for every one of the proud Pharisees who heard the story.

There is a great urgency of love and reconciliation in Christ’s picture of the waiting and watching father, as he daily and even hourly stares down the road, looking for the familiar figure. There is not one shred of formality or legality in his reception of his returning son. Even while he is a great way off, his father sees him, and with compassion, runs and falls upon his neck and kisses him (Luk 15:20).

“He did not stand upon his dignity, or remain coldly aloof demanding proof of repentance. He did not force an apology. He loved him and he wanted him back and he was willing to forget the past and hope for the future. He showered every display of affection and attention upon him, in his intense joy at reconciliation” (GVG, Ber 48:158,159).

Here is the divine example for the ecclesial attitude toward any sinning brother who makes the first, faltering steps toward repentance. The members should never question the sincerity of those who seek to return (for they would not like their own sincerity to be questioned), nor should they make the barriers to fellowship more difficult for such than for new converts. The ecclesia should rejoice in that the withdrawal of fellowship collectively administered has by God’s grace achieved its hoped-for outcome: the reclamation of the one who has strayed.

In this consideration of the parable we shall concentrate upon the attitude of the elder son, so that at all costs we will avoid his failings. When the younger brother had returned and been received by the father, the elder “was angry, and would not go in” (Luk 15:28). He chose to absent himself from his brother’s feast with the father. In the spiritual application of the parable, he not only put his repentant brother “out of fellowship” but also all those who were “in fellowship” with his brother! In a “clean sweep” he rejected all who sat down to eat with him. But in drawing such a rigid line between himself and his brother, he accomplished one other thing: he unwittingly placed himself outside the father’s house!

The elder brother rudely voiced his own righteousness in rather extravagant terms: “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment” (Luk 15:29). Here is the extreme Pharisaical attitude that often goes arm-in-arm with the “touch not, handle not” school of “fellowship”: “I thank thee, Lord, that I am not as other men, especially this miserable sinner.”

“How ungracious the older brother seems in contrast with his father’s love! But it did not seem so to him. He felt quite justified in his self-righteous indignation. He had no qualms at distressing his father, or marring the joy of reconciliation. He could only see one point of view and that was that he had worked hard and faithfully and here was this returned wastrel being shown favors that he had never received” (GVG 159).

How could the elder son claim perfect obedience? It was impossible. And even as he stood there in his bitterness and jealousy, he was at that very moment disobeying the father’s will! May it never be our folly to stand upon our “accomplishments” and blindly overlook, at our very fingertips, the simple work we have left undone: that is, reconciliation with our brethren.

“And yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends.” The elder son, just like the younger, had associates outside the family circle, characters that he had not brought to his father’s table. This in itself suggests something less than a perfect obedience. And how true it is, that when we measure ourselves against our brethren, and say secretly, “I am better than he”, we are really only saying, “I was smart enough never to sin openly”! But we have all sinned — of this there can be no doubt. It is fatal to look upon one’s own sins as not being as “serious” as another’s.

The elder contemptuously disclaimed kinship with the younger in Luk 15:30: ‘He may be your son, but he is not my brother’, he seems to be saying. But the father patiently and gently responds, “For this thy brother was dead, and is alive again; and was lost, and is found” (Luk 15:32). “He is your brother and my son, whether you disown him or not!” It is certainly not without significance that the fatted calf (the special sacrifice of communion typifying Christ) was slain on behalf of the repentant sinner, not the proud “Pharisee”! How tragic it is that by his own hateful words the elder son admits that the “fatted calf” is not for him! He could have shared in it with his brother if only he had swallowed his pride and come into the house!

So we see in the elder brother some rather unlovely characteristics. May they never, even subconsciously, be ours! Here is unbridled jealousy: bitterness at the inclusion of his brother in his own previously exclusive benefits. Here is also greed, the latent fear: ‘He has already thrown away (on harlots, a gratuitous assumption — or was it true?) one-half (or one-third?) of your property, and now he wants mine!’

All that the elder brother had he had received from the father. Should he not go out of his way now to welcome his brother (thus pleasing the father)? There is joy in heaven, with the Father and His angels, when one sinner repents (Luk 15:7,10). What might the Father think of us, if we are angry or jealous or proudly aloof upon an occasion that gives Him joy?

The theme of the Pharisaic attitude toward repentance and reconciliation, which begins with Christ’s three parables in Luk 15, continues through the next two chapters, providing other insights into the mind and character of the brother who was “lost” while still “at home”:

• Luk 16:13: “No servant can serve two masters.” In his scarcely-hid concern for wealth and privilege, the elder son was demonstrating that he was not a single-minded servant of the Father. He was really a clandestine servant of “mammon”, a “hireling” who sought his own reward (Joh 10:12,13), not a son who rejoiced above all else in the work of the Father.

• Luk 16:15: “And he said unto the Pharisees: ‘Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.’ ”

• Luk 17:3-5: “Take heed to yourselves” — Examine yourselves as severely and more so than you examine others. If your brother trespasses, then rebuke him; but always stand ready to forgive him — not just once or twice, but seven times in one day if need be! And the apostles, recognizing that such an attitude requires faith, pray Jesus to increase their faith. It is for us from time to time to exercise this kind of faith — faith that, despite perplexing problems, all things will work together for the good of Christ’s ecclesias; faith that our brethren will by God’s mercy stand firm in the faith despite ever-present failings; faith that God will realize His plan without our constant brooding and worrying, or our presumptuous intervention in matters that do not directly affect us. Can we not develop such faith that God will do His part? This is the faith that pleases God, and without which He cannot be pleased!

• Luk 17:10: “When ye shall have done all those things which are commanded you, say, ‘We are unprofitable servants: we have done that which was our duty to do.’ ” Here is the reason for the command that we should receive repentant sinners, and for the command that we should seek reconciliation with our brethren despite their imperfections: we are ALL unprofitable servants; the most we can possibly do is but our duty. Our Father has for each of us an inheritance infinitely greater than we could ever earn. Let us not be found in the position of appearing to deny that inheritance to others who have, in the last analysis, applied for it upon the same basis as we: not by works — lest any man should boast — but by the unlimited mercy of a loving Father.

If I live in a house of spotless beauty with everything in its place, but have not love, I am a housekeeper, not a homemaker.

If I have time for waxing, polishing, and decorative achievements, but have not love, my children learn cleanliness — not godliness.

Love leaves the dust in search of a child’s laugh. Love smiles at the tiny fingerprints on a newly cleaned window. Love wipes away the tears before it wipes away the spilled milk. Love picks up the child before it picks up the toys. Love is present through the trial. Love reprimands, reproves, and is responsive.

Love crawls with the baby, walks with the toddler, and runs with the child, then stands aside to let the youth walk into adulthood.

Love is the key that opens salvation’s message to a child’s heart.

Before I became a mother, I took glory in my house of perfection. Now I glory in God’s perfection of my child. As a mother, there is much I must teach my child, but the greatest of all is love.

(Anonymous)

“Let the reader understand.”

This parenthetical remark by Matthew urges the reader of the Mount Olivet prophecy to pay special attention to Jesus’ reference to Daniel’s prophecy. The context is:

“So when you see the desolating sacrilege spoken of by the prophet Daniel, standing in the holy place (let the reader understand), then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains; let him who is on the housetop not go down to take what is in his house; and let him who is in the field not turn back to take his mantle” (Mat 24:15-18).

Jesus is clearly emphasizing the need to get out fast, not even stopping to get one’s coat, much less some prized possession. When forewarned disciples perceived that destruction was about to burst upon the province of Judea and everyone in it, they were to flee. Luke’s version of Jesus’ words are:

“But when you see Jerusalem surrounded by armies, then know that its desolation has come near. Then let those who are in Judea flee to the mountains, and let those who are inside the city depart, and let not those who are out in the country enter it; for these are days of vengeance, to fulfil all that is written” (Luke 21:20-22).

This added detail points out the city which is doomed to destruction — Jerusalem! God was taking vengeance upon it, as prophesied earlier in Scripture. Where had this been written? In Daniel, certainly, since Jesus explicitly alluded to him. The probable reference is Daniel 11:31, which says:

“Forces from him [the king of the north] shall appear and profane the temple and fortress, and shall take away the continual burnt offering. And they shall set up the abomination that makes desolate.”

This verse is part of a lengthy passage (Dan 10:1 — 12:13), of which Daniel was explicitly told by the interpreting angel, “[I] came to make you understand what is to befall your people in the latter days. For the vision is for days yet to come” (Dan 10:14).

So Daniel had to be given angelic help to understand events yet future to him and the people of Israel. The exact fulfillment of “the abomination that makes desolate” is not recorded in Scripture. Some Bible students contend that it was fulfilled in 168 BC when Antiochus Epiphanes erected a pagan altar to Zeus on the sacred altar in the temple of Jerusalem. Jesus evidently saw a fulfillment of it subsequent to his prediction around AD 30, and the destruction of Jerusalem by the Romans in AD 70 certainly fits. Yet surely there is another fulfillment to come “in the latter days”, ie, OUR DAYS. How should we understand it?

The point of focus must be Jerusalem. The outworking must involve the people of Israel who live there. And the circumstances must include things that Jesus went on to say in the Matthew and Luke record of the Olivet prophecy:

“For then there will be great tribulation, such as has not been from the beginning of the world until now, no, and never will be. And if those days had not been shortened, no human being would be saved; but for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened” (Mat 24:21,22).

“Alas for those who are with child and for those who give suck in those days! For great distress shall be upon the earth and wrath upon this people; they will fall by the edge of the sword, and be led captive among all nations; and Jerusalem will be trodden down by the Gentiles, until the times of the Gentiles are fulfilled” (Luke 21:23,24).

Since AD 70, and up until 1967, Jerusalem was “trodden down by the Gentiles”. But now the city is back in the hands of the Jews. This is significant, for it sets the stage for ANOTHER FULFILLMENT of Daniel’s prophecy!

As modern-day readers of the Bible texts quoted so far, we are encouraged to understand what Daniel (and by implication, Jesus) meant. What was the “abomination that makes desolate”? Ezekiel and Jeremiah, both contemporary prophets of Daniel, are a big help here. They make it plain that the abominable practices of the Jewish people made the desolation of their temple, city and land inevitable (see Eze 5:11; 7:20-23; 8:5,6; Jer 7:8-11,30; 27:17; 44:22). To cite but two of these passages:

“…Because you have defiled my sanctuary with all your detestable things and with all your abominations, therefore I will cut you down; my eye will not spare, and I will have no pity” (Eze 5:11).

“The LORD could no longer bear your evil doings and the abominations which you committed; therefore your land has become a desolation and a waste and a curse, without inhabitant” (Jer 44:22).

So for a modern-day fulfillment, we can first expect to see the Israeli people living in such a way as to be abominable before God. Scripture suggests we look at their religious convictions and practices. In Jeremiah’s day, one example of defilement was the hypocritical religion that made mockery of God’s house — it had become a den of robbers (Jer 7:11)! Jesus picked up exactly the same idea when he cast the money-changers out of the temple (Luke 19:46). While there is no temple in Israel today to be defiled, a populace which is reportedly 80% agnostic / atheistic indicates a nation that has turned its back on God. Few try to live according to the principles taught by the prophets. And those Israelis who espouse Judaism are openly hostile to Christianity. It would seem, therefore, that a faithless nation of Israel is positioned for the wrath of God to be poured out upon it one more time.

Note the irony. Because His own people were an abomination to Him, and because they had become no better than the Gentiles whom they hated, God would bring upon them a Gentile abomination to leave their city and land desolate!

But take somber note. Observers of Israel’s predicament and impending destruction must realize that when Israel’s judgment comes, the judgment of the whole world is soon to follow, by the Coming of Christ. “Let the reader understand!”