,the ,kingdom ,of ,promise ,and ,prophecy ,by ,,robertson ,l4 ,,whiteside #aief ,published ,by ,miss ,inys ,whiteside ,denton1 ,texas ,copyright #aief1 by ,miss ,inys ,whiteside1 ,denton1 ,texas ,printed in the ,united ,states of ,america ,printed and ,bound ,by ,,the ,,manney ,,company #ajda ,isbell ,road ,fort ,worth #ad1 ,texas ,,table ,,of ,,contents ,page ,preach the ,word #g ,part ,i--,questions ,have ,all ,prophecies of ,old ,testament ,been ,fulfilled8 #ba ,information ,on ,old ,testament ,kingdom #bc ,promise to ,abraham #be ,jews and ,their ,kingdom #bg ,will ,jews ,return to ,jerusalem8 #cb ,prophecy of ,amos #i3ac-ae #da ,matthew #af3bh ,explained #dc ,matthew #ai3bh2 #be3ca2 ,luke #bb3bh-cj2 #a ,corinthians #f3b #df ,the ,jews1 ,the ,kingdom and ,salvation #ea ,some ,questions ,considered #ed ,the ,olive ,tree ,figure of ,romans #aa #ei ,ends of ,the ,ages #fb ,the ,four ,beasts #fc ,points in ,revelation #ab #fd ,questions on ,revelation #bj #fg ,several ,questions #fi ,part ,,ii--,discussions ,prediction or ,prophecy #gc ,prophecy #ge ,shall ,we ,look for a ,literal ,fulfillment of ,prophecy8 #gi ,abraham and the ,land ,promise #hd ,the ,time of ,promise #hh ,rebellion of ,israel--,a ,kingdom ,born #ia 8,neither 444 ,nor0 #id ,future ,kingdom ,doctrine ,reflects on ,integrity ,of ,god #ajj ,the ,old ,testament ,prophets and ,christianity #ajb ,future-,kingdom ,perversions and ,dislocations ,of ,prophecy #ajf ,your ,faith and ,your ,confession #aaf ,the ,christ of ,the ,future-,kingdom ,advocates #aai ,is ,salvation ,now ,offered to ,all8 #abj ,the ,coming of the ,lord #abb ,the 8,two ,stages0 ,theory ,examined #abf ,hope of ,the ,lord's ,coming #acj ,paul to the ,thessalonians on the ,lord's ,return #acd ,resurrection ,from the ,dead #aci ,theory of ,two ,resurrections ,considered #adc ,church ,ages #adg ,philadelphia and ,the ,hour of ,trial #adi ,nebuchadnezzar's ,dream #aee ,milligan on ,nebuchadnezzar's ,dream #afj ,a ,leading ,doctrine of ,this ,current ,reformation #afc ,is the ,church the ,kingdom8 #aff ,this ,government and ,jehovah's ,witnesses #afh ,the ,new ,testament ,word ,flesh #agc ,future-,kingdom ,doctrines #agg ,a ,proposition and ,its ,proof #ahg ,,publisher',s ,,preface ,in editing and arranging the writings contained in this book1 ,i used some lifted from religious journals and some that was still in manuscript form4 ,for their courtesy extended to me in allowing me to lift from their papers the writings of my late father1 ,robertson ,l4 ,whiteside1 for publication in books1 ,i wish to express my deepest gratitude to the present managements of the3 ,,gospel ,,advocate1 ,,gospel ,,guardian1 and ,,firm ,,foundation4 ,to the many who have encouraged me in this effort1 thanks4 ,your comments have been a source of great joy and inspiration4 ,it is my hope that this 8,kingdom of ,promise and ,prophecy0 will1 along with the 8,commentary on ,paul's ,letter to the ,saints at ,rome0 and 8,doctrinal ,discourses10 fill the present need for sound and careful ,bible teaching4 ,to these will be added1 as soon as time will permit1 a compilation of questions and answers for which ,i have had many requests4 ,,inys ,,whiteside ,,introduction ,robertson ,l4 ,whiteside was a native of ,hickman county1 ,tennessee1 born ,december #bg1 #ahfi1 died at his home in ,denton1 ,texas--where he had lived more than forty years--,january #e1 #aiea4 ,early in his life 7#ag years of age71 he dedicated himself to the ,lord's service4 ,he was student1 educator1 and preacher and was ever on the firing lines in the fight against innovations and error4 ,the ,bible was his standard of faith and practice4 ,with him1 8to live was ,christ40 ,like ,jeremiah of old 7a character he so loved and admired71 there was a burning fire in his heart he could not contain4 ,i might write a conventional biography as introduction to this book2 however1 it seems to me that the following lesson from his pen is more revealing of the purpose of the life that he lived4 ,,preach ,,the ,,word 8,i charge thee in the sight of ,god1 and of ,christ ,jesus1 who shall judge the living and the dead1 and by his appearing and his kingdom3 preach the word2 be urgent in season1 out of season2 reprove1 rebuke1 exhort1 with all long-suffering and teaching4 ,for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine2 but1 having itching ears1 will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts2 and will turn away their ears from the truth1 and turn aside unto fables4 ,but be thou sober in all things1 suffer hardship1 do the work of an evangelist1 fulfill thy ministry40 7#b ,tim4 #d3a-e47 ,an old theme1 do you say8 ,what about it is old8 ,god1 ,christ1 truth1 sin1 salvation1 duty1 destiny--these never grow old4 ,there is something wrong with one who thinks any ,bible theme is old or out of date4 ,if there were a cure for all fleshly ailments1 would it ever be 8out of date08 ,would any sufferer say of it1 8,o1 that is too old for this progressive age08 ,but there is no such cure known to man4 ,but man has a nature more important and enduring than his flesh1 and ailments more far reaching in their results than any fleshly ills4 ,and the gospel of ,christ is a sure cure for all spiritual and moral ills4 ,as long as there are moral evils to be corrected1 sins to be forgiven1 sinners to be saved1 and downtrodden and discouraged to be inspirited1 sorrowing hearts to be comforted1 just that long will the gospel be fresh and 8up to date40 ,and what else is up to date8 ,we have made great advancement in material things1 but these do not meet the needs of the soul4 ,science has made great strides in material things1 but it has no remedy for sin and crime4 ,in fact1 it has put forces into the hands of the world that the world does not know what to do with4 ,in truth1 ,i think it can be safely said that science has made crime more plentiful and daring1 and has enabled the criminal to escape a hundredfold more easily4 ,i am not unmindful of the comforts science has brought to those who know how to use them2 it has also done wonders in combating disease4 ,but it has put powers in the hands of man that he does not know how to handle4 ,even now scientists are seeking ways and means to destroy whole cities with one blast4 ,science has just about perfected means by which civilization will destroy itself in the next great war4 ,it cannot cure one moral evil1 nor generate one spiritual force for the world's regeneration4 ,and when a scientist tries to become a philosopher1 he becomes a great injury to the world2 for he usually leaves ,god out of any scheme of philosophy that he tries to construct4 ,and psychology and sociology1 or any of the moral philosophies1 are equally helpless4 ,jesus is the ,great ,physician1 and the gospel is his remedy1 his only remedy1 for the evils that afflict the world4 ,nothing is up to date that does not meet the needs of the times4 ,many things are up to date in meeting our material needs1 but nothing that man has ever thought out or planned is up to date in a moral and spiritual sense4 ,along these lines man's theories are out of date before they are announced4 ,the most advanced person in the world along moral and spiritual lines is the one who adheres most closely to the word of ,god and relies most firmly upon it as the one and only remedy for sin and crime4 ,and the man who says that such a man is behind the times is himself so far behind that he does not know that any one has gone on before6 ,the one who faithfully preaches the word is far in advance of him who preaches something else4 ,and yet the majority of the people have never wanted the plain truth told4 ,they prefer things that please4 ,because some professed ,christians would not want the pure word of ,god preached is one of the reasons assigned by ,paul as to why the word of ,god should be preached the more diligently4 8,preach the word4444 ,for the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine40 ,at first thought it might seem that this statement was true in ,paul's day2 for did they not persecute and kill preachers then8 ,but ,paul was not here speaking of outsiders4 ,he had in mind the time when professed ,christians would not endure sound doctrine4 ,growing tired of the gospel they would long for something else4 8,having itching ears10 they 8will heap to themselves teachers after their own lusts2 and will turn away their ears from the truth1 and turn aside unto fables40 ,it is plain that he was talking about people who would accept the truth1 but later become tired of it1 and would employ preachers that would tickle their itching ears4 ,it is a dark picture1 but it is not a new picture4 ,after ,god's people came out of ,egypt1 they frequently drifted into the condition ,paul here mentions4 ,read the historical books of the ,old ,testament and also the testimony of the prophets1 and you will find that ,god's people never remained true to him very long at a time4 ,against them ,jeremiah testifies3 8,for my people have committed two evils3 they have forsaken me1 the fountain of living waters1 and have hewed them out cisterns1 broken cisterns1 that can hold no water40 7,jer4 #b3ac47 ,they had turned from the fountain of living waters as spoken to them by ,god's prophets1 and had procured for themselves false prophets4 ,and that was their folly and their sin4 ,isaiah delivers a terrific rebuke3 8,the ox knoweth his owner1 and the ass his master's crib3 but ,israel doth not know1 my people doth not consider40 7,isa4 #a3c47 ,they did not know as much about where safety and food could be found as did the ox or the ass4 ,is there not a need now for straight gospel preaching8 ,of course1 a preacher should be a ,christian gentleman at all times1 but he should not become too polished to preach the unadulterated word of ,god4 ,he may suffer for it1 but what of that8 ,and some misguided souls may say that plain preaching keeps people away and injures the standing of the church1 but the faithful preacher knows that that makes it the more binding upon him to preach the gospel straight4 ,because ,jeremiah spoke the word of ,god faithfully1 the people said3 8,this man seeketh not the welfare of this people1 but the hurt40 7,jer4 #ch3d47 ,and yet he was the best friend the people had4 ,but they wanted smooth things spoken to them4 ,they wanted him to tell them that no evil would come upon them4 ,it appears that ,jeremiah at times grew weary1 and felt as if he might as well give up the strife1 but he could not quit4 8,i am become a laughing-stock all the day1 every one mocketh me4 ,for as often as ,i speak1 ,i cry out2 ,i cry1 ,violence and destruction6 because the word of ,jehovah is made a reproach unto me1 and a derision1 all the day4 ,and if ,i say1 ,i will not make mention of him1 nor speak any more in his name1 then there is in my heart as it were a burning fire shut up in my bones1 and ,i am weary with forbearing1 and ,i cannot contain40 7,jer4 #bj3g-i47 ,jeremiah loved his people1 and could not be quiet as he beheld them plunging into ruin4 ,a more heroic figure than ,jeremiah does not grace the pages of ,old ,testament history4 ,these are perilous times4 ,man's schemes have broken down and the world is in chaos4 ,human wisdom has come up against a blank wall1 beyond which man cannot see4 ,the people are saying to their erstwhile leaders1 8,cry02 and the leaders call back1 8,what shall we cry80 ,we have left ,god out of our scheme of things4 ,we have dabbled in this monkey business till conditions have made monkeys out of our wisest men4 ,but there is balm1 there is healing1 there is a physician4 ,preach the word4 ,we want to convert sinners and edify saints1 but there is danger that we put the main emphasis on the wrong things4 ,we may become so busy as herdboys that we forget to feed the sheep4 ,we may become so absorbed in keeping the young folks interested that we forget to fill them with the word of ,god4 ,we may become so engaged in building fine meeting houses1 that we forget to build fine ,christian characters4 ,it is a fine thing for a church to have a house suited to its needs1 but a house is not one of the essentials4 ,the early ,christians owned no meetinghouses1 but they made the gospel ring throughout the land4 ,it is a sin for brethren to burden themselves with a church-house debt that requires all their energies and resources to meet4 ,some churches have so burdened themselves with debt that they have ceased any worthwhile effort to preach the word4 ,it is feared that pride contributed much to their present humiliation4 ,some of these monuments to pride or mistaken zeal will never be paid out1 and the church will be discouraged and weakened1 and all because they forgot that their main mission was to convert sinners and edify saints4 ,in trying to 8put things over0 they have gone under4 ,,preach ,,the ,,word4 ,do not worry about science4 ,it has its legitimate field1 and in its field it has done wonderful things4 ,we reap its benefits and are glad4 ,the average preacher knows little about science1 and the average scientist knows less about the ,bible4 ,the claim that science and the ,bible do not agree should disturb no one4 ,what is called 8science0 is not static4 ,each generation brings new light2 most of the old theories have been exploded by scientists themselves4 ,yet each generation of scientists boldly announces that science has disproved the ,bible4 ,but it can as easily be proved that science has disproved itself4 ,with all their dogmatism about the ,bible and science1 there are few theories that real scientists are willing to take their stand upon and say3 8,here is ultimate truth2 no future discoveries will contradict this40 ,so long as they cannot afford to affirm that they have arrived at ultimate truth1 how can they with honor say that science disproves the ,bible8 ,besides1 if the ,bible fully agreed with the scientific theories of one age1 it would not agree with the theories of the next age4 ,the ,bible is unchangeable and cannot keep up agreement with that which constantly changes4 ,some of the foremost scientists recognize the limitations of science and are firm believers in the ,bible4 ,,preach ,,the ,,word4 ,no known truth contradicts the ,bible4 ,but why preach the word8 ,why did the early ,christians preach the word in the face of such fiery persecution8 ,why did ,paul1 then about to be put to death for preaching the word1 urge upon his beloved ,timothy a course of action that was bound to bring suffering8 ,why do we now sacrifice that the word may be preached8 ,we notice some reasons why the word should be preached4 ,the word of ,god is the seed of the kingdom4 ,the parable of the sower sets forth this truth as plainly as language can do so4 8,the sower soweth the word40 ,that parable sets forth the truth that the word of ,god is to the spiritual kingdom exactly what seed is to the vegetable kingdom4 ,the word produces plants in the spiritual kingdom just as seed produces plants in the vegetable kingdom4 ,if this be not so1 then no one can tell what the ,savior meant to teach by this parable4 ,life is in the word just as life is in any other seed4 ,if the seed be not planted1 life will not spring up4 ,no matter how well the soil may be prepared1 there will be no life there till the seed be planted4 ,no matter how much the heart may be prepared by education1 culture1 sorrow1 or whatever may come1 there will be no spiritual life in the heart till the seed--the word of ,god--is planted there4 ,seed is able under suitable conditions to transform dead elements of the soil into life4 ,in nature1 this is the process of reproduction4 ,those who contend for a direct operation of the ,spirit in regeneration base their contention on the fact that the sinner is dead4 ,it is claimed that dead sinners must be made alive by this direct work of the ,spirit before they can obey the ,lord4 ,this is the heart of their contention4 ,grant their premise1 does their conclusion follow8 ,is the sinner's heart any deader than the soil into which the farmer sows his seed8 ,the farmer knows that the life inherent in the seed is able to transform dead soil into a living1 growing plant4 ,if the theologians were as wise as the most ignorant farmer1 they would sow the seed1 which is the word of ,god1 knowing that the deadness of the soil--the sinner's heart--is no barrier to an abundant harvest4 ,,preach ,,the ,,word4 ,there is saving power in the word4 ,an angel said to ,cornelius3 8,send to ,joppa1 and fetch ,simon1 whose surname is ,peter2 who shall speak unto thee words1 whereby thou shalt be saved1 thou and all thy house40 7,acts #aa3ac1 #ad47 8,wherefore putting away all filthiness and overflowing of wickedness1 receive with meekness the implanted word1 which is able to save your souls40 7,james #a3ba47 8,i am not ashamed of the gospel3 for it is the power of ,god unto salvation to every one that believeth40 7,rom4 #a3af47 ,of course1 no one thinks there is power in the material of which the ,bible is made4 ,the power that leads men to ,christ is the thoughts1 the ideas1 the motives1 presented in the word of ,god4 ,there is power in a thought2 and power in a motive4 ,by words men move men1 even whole armies and nations4 ,men's thoughts have been powerful enough to overthrow kingdoms4 ,if we want men to act a certain way1 we try to fill them with thoughts and motives tending to lead them in the direction we want them to go4 ,we stir up action along certain lines by filling the people with certain thoughts and motives4 ,in this way we work in people to induce them to will and do as we think they should4 ,a man lives out in his life the thoughts he has in his heart4 ,if we can fill people full of ,god's ideas1 ,god's thoughts1 we will induce them to do ,god's will4 ,in this way ,god works in people to get them to live different lives4 ,this helps us to understand what ,paul says in ,phil4 #b3ac3 8,for it is ,god who worketh in you both to will and to work1 for his good pleasure40 ,it is through the mighty power of the word that men are drawn to ,christ4 ,i fear that many preachers will never get forgiveness for the way they have treated what the ,lord says in ,john #f3dd1 #de4 ,they so often read verse #dd and stop for their usual argument on the direct drawing put forth by the ,spirit4 ,of course1 when ,god draws1 he draws by his power4 ,if they would read both verses1 they would defeat their argument made on verse #dd4 ,is that honest8 ,is that handling aright the word of truth8 ,read both verses3 8,no man can come to me1 except the ,father that sent me draw him3 and ,i will raise him up in the last day4 ,it is written in the prophets1 ,and they shall all be taught of ,god4 ,every one that hath heard from the ,father1 and hath learned1 cometh unto me40 7,john #f3dd1 #de47 ,it is through ,god's word that we hear and learn of the ,father2 in that way ,god's drawing power is brought to bear upon us4 ,the gospel is ,god's power to save1 because it draws men to ,christ1 who alone can save4 ,it is not necessary to put in much time following the rambling efforts of the debater to prove man's depravity4 ,some years ago ,i had a discussion with ,mr4 ,ben ,m4 ,bogard4 ,on the ,spirit question1 he made the usual arguments on the depravity deadness of the sinner4 ,in my first reply ,i made the statement3 8,i object to ,mr4 ,bogard's theory because it limits the power of ,god4 ,he has the sinner so dead that ,god could not make a gospel that would reach him4 ,i object to a theory that makes ,god so helpless40 ,mr4 ,bogard1 with more than usual bluster1 replied3 8,it is not a question of ,god's power4 ,god can do anything he wants to4 ,he could have made a gospel that would reach the dead sinner's heart1 if he had wanted to do so40 ,i replied3 8,the sinner is not so dead1 then1 as we have been hearing he was4 ,even this personal contact for which he contends would not have been necessary if ,god had made the right kind of gospel4 ,so the trouble is not in the deadness of the sinner1 but in the inefficiency of the gospel4 ,but ,god could have made a better gospel1 if he had wanted to4 ,my contention is that he made the very gospel that ,mr4 ,bogard says he could have made4 ,why waste further time discussing the deadness of the sinner80 ,of course1 ,i paid due attention to ,mr4 ,bogard's total-depravity notions1 but he did not recover from his admission4 ,god made a gospel that is perfectly adapted to man as he is4 ,,preach ,,the ,,word4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,if you become a little squeamish about denouncing false teachers1 read ,jeremiah4 ,if you think people are so hardened in sin that they hate you for preaching the word1 read ,jeremiah4 ,a careful study of ,jeremiah is good tonic for anyone4 ,jeremiah has been unjustly called the 8weeping prophet10 as if he were a sort of weakling2 whereas there was never a more heroic soul4 ,nothing turned him aside from his duty4 ,if he wept1 it was because he loved his nation1 and his heart was torn with the knowledge of what was coming to his people4 ,he would have been cold-blooded had he not wept4 ,part ,i ,,questions ,,have ,,all ,,prophecies ,,of ,,old ,,testament ,,been ,,fulfilled8 #a4 ,have all the prophecies of the ,old ,testament been fulfilled8--,beaumont ,and ,i might ask3 ,when is a prophecy fulfilled8 ,some prophecies are fulfilled in a simple act1 or event4 ,the prophecies concerning the birth of ,christ were fulfilled when he was born1 and the prophecies concerning his death were fulfilled when he was crucified4 ,other prophecies concerning single events will occur to the reader4 ,but some prophecies spoke of conditions that were to prevail over a long period of time4 ,study the prophecies concerning ,babylon and ,tyre4 7,isa4 #ac3ag-bb2 ,jer4 #ea3fj-fb2 ,ezek4 #bf3g-ad47 ,these cities were destroyed1 as foretold2 but they were to remain in desolation forever4 ,that part of the prophecy is still being fulfilled4 ,certain prophecies concerning ,christ1 which began to be fulfilled on the first ,pentecost after his resurrection1 will go on being fulfilled as long as time shall last4 ,he was to establish a kingdom2 that prophecy has been fulfilled4 ,but the prophecy further says3 8,of the increase of his government and of peace there shall be no end1 upon the throne of ,david1 and upon his kingdom1 to establish it1 and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from henceforth even for ever40 7,isa4 #i3g47 ,this prophecy began to be fulfilled when ,jesus took his seat upon ,david's throne and established his kingdom4 ,but the prophecy says he was to reign upon that throne forever4 ,that prophecy covers the whole period of time1 from the time ,jesus began to reign till he surrenders up the kingdom to his ,father4 ,and he is still saving the people1 as the prophets foretold that he would4 ,but the prophecies concerning the ,jews that the future-kingdom folks harp on so much have been fulfilled4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,one fact is made to stand out clearly in the ,new ,testament--namely1 that the ,law of ,moses1 with all its legal enactments1 all its forms1 ceremonies1 and penalties1 ended at the cross2 and it is surprising that any one who professes to believe the ,new ,testament should think otherwise4 ,if interested1 read ,rom4 #g3a-f2 #b ,cor4 #c3d-ah2 ,gal4 #c3aa-bb2 #d3ba-ca2 ,eph4 #b3ad-af2 ,col4 #b3ad4 ,a thoughtful reading of the letter to the ,hebrews will convince any one that the old covenant passed away and that we now have a new and living way4 ,christ loved the church1 bought it with his own blood1 and prayed for its oneness4 ,so far as we can1 we should love the church as he loved it4 ,,give ,,us ,,some ,,information ,,on ,,old ,,testament ,,kingdom ,it is some times difficult to determine just what information is wanted4 ,there are1 however1 some things about 8the ,old ,testament kingdom0 that should be carefully considered4 ,when ,god called ,israel out of ,egypt1 he said to them3 8,now therefore1 if ye will obey my voice indeed1 and keep my covenant1 then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples3 for all the earth is mine3 and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests1 and a holy nation40 7,ex4 #ai3e1 #f47 ,for a long period of time after they settled in ,canaan they had no king but ,jehovah2 they were1 therefore1 ,jehovah's kingdom4 ,but there came a time when they wanted a change2 they wanted a centralized government1 with a man as their king4 ,at that time they had an excuse for demanding a king4 ,read carefully the eighth chapter of ,first ,samuel4 ,samuel was old1 and his sons were corrupt4 8,then all the elders of ,israel gathered themselves together1 and came to ,samuel unto ,ramah2 and they said unto him1 ,behold thou art old1 and thy sons walk not in thy ways3 now make us a king to judge us like all the nations4 ,but this thing displeased ,samuel1 when they said1 ,give us a king to judge us4 ,and ,samuel prayed unto ,jehovah4 ,and ,jehovah said unto ,samuel1 ,hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee2 for they have not rejected thee1 but they have rejected me1 that ,i should not be king over them40 ,samuel was commanded to show them the nature of the government they were demanding4 ,when ,samuel had done so1 the people said3 8,nay2 but we will have a king over us1 that we also may be like all the nations40 ,jehovah selected ,saul as their first king4 ,when the day of his anointing came1 ,samuel said to the people3 8,see ye him whom ,jehovah hath chosen1 that there is none like him among all the people8444 ,then ,samuel told the people the manner of the kingdom1 and wrote it in a book1 and laid it up before ,jehovah40 7#a ,sam4 #aj3bd1 #be47 ,thus ,israel became a kingdom among kingdoms1 and was then reckoned as such4 ,israel had not only sinned against ,jehovah1 but had rejected him as their king4 ,the kingdom thus established was not ,jehovah's kingdom4 ,while ,saul reigned1 it was the kingdom of ,saul4 7#a ,chron4 #ab3bc47 ,it was transferred to ,david because of ,saul's sins2 it was then ,david's kingdom4 ,any time thereafter it was the kingdom of the man who was king4 ,it is strange that some people yet look for that kingdom to be restored--a kingdom that was conceived in sin and brought forth in rebellion against ,jehovah6 ,on one occasion1 when ,israel was in great distress1 ,jehovah said to them3 8,where now is thy king1 that he may save thee in all thy cities8 and thy judges1 of whom thou saidst1 ,give me a king and princes8 ,i have given thee a king in mine anger1 and have taken him away in my wrath40 7,hos4 #ac3aj1 #aa47 ,with what emotions do they expect the ,lord to restore that kingdom8 ,,promise ,,to ,,abraham3 ,,gen4 #ac3ad1 #ae ,,and ,,acts #g3e ,since ,abraham bought even a burying place for ,sarah1 and ,stephen1 in ,acts #g3e1 says1 8,he 7,god7 gave him none inheritance in it1 no1 not so much as to set his foot on10 in what sense1 if any1 did he receive the promise contained in ,gen4 #ac3ad1 #ae8--,mrs4 ,mary ,b4 ,robins4 ,personally1 ,abraham did not receive actual title to the land of promise1 though the ,lord1 in some sense1 did give him the land1 as will be seen by reading ,gen4 #bh3d2 #ce3ab4 ,he enjoyed its productiveness as fully as if he had been its actual owner4 ,his vast herds fattened on its grass and drank water from the wells which his servants digged4 ,had ,god driven out all the nations and turned the land over to ,abraham1 he could not have possessed it nor have made any more use of it than he did4 ,stephen certainly did not mean to say that ,god had failed in his promise to ,abraham4 ,it seems that ,stephen's point was that the promise was not to ,abraham as an individual1 but to him as the founder of a nation--to his seed4 ,the time for the promise to be fulfilled would come when ,abraham's posterity became sufficiently numerous to possess the land4 ,that was clearly ,stephen's point1 for he adds3 8,but as the time of the promise drew nigh which ,god vouchsafed unto ,abraham1 the people grew and multiplied in ,egypt40 7,acts #g3ag47 ,this shows that the time for the fulfillment of that promise was when the people grew and multiplied1 and that the time for its fulfillment was not in ,abraham's day1 nor is it yet in the future4 ,it was fulfilled when the nations were driven out of ,canaan and the land divided between the tribes of ,israel4 8,so ,jehovah gave unto ,israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers2 and they possessed it1 and dwelt therein4444 ,there failed not aught of any good thing which ,jehovah had spoken unto the house of ,israel40 7,josh4 #ba3dc1 #de47 ,yet in the face of all this1 it has been argued that the land promise to ,abraham must yet be fulfilled1 and that ,abraham must be raised and the ,jews restored to ,palestine in order for this promise to be fulfilled4 ,but the argument is mixed4 ,it starts out to prove that the land must be given to ,abraham1 and winds up with his sharing it with the ,jews4 ,but ,stephen's language destroys that conclusion1 for his language shows plainly that ,abraham and his seed were not to possess it jointly at the same time4 ,notice the language3 8,he promised that he would give to him in possession1 and to his seed after him40 ,not with him1 but 8after him40 ,the future-kingdom folks will have a hard time showing how ,abraham will possess the land of ,canaan during a millennium and then his seed possess it after him4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,there are only two things that a person can do with a command--he can obey it or disobey it4 ,one whose heart is right toward ,god will do whatever ,god commands him to do4 ,,the ,,jews ,,and ,,their ,,kingdom ,for some time ,i have had on hand some letters from an aged ,texas brother1 an ardent advocate of the future-kingdom theory and its allied theories4 ,these letters contain seven closely written pages--too much for this page4 ,in his last letter the brother says3 8,you answer questions for others1 but it seems that my questions are a little too hard for you4444 ,we recall that some months ago you said that the kingdom of ,david and the kingdom of ,jehovah were the same kingdom1 and that ,solomon sat on the throne of ,jehovah4 ,solomon sat on the throne of ,david40 7#a ,kings #b3ab1 #bd47 ,when a person asks for information1 ,i give his question attention as soon as possible2 but when a person is merely trying to flunk me on what he considers a hard examination1 ,i take the examination when it suits me4 ,besides1 those who ask for information should have first consideration4 ,the editor assigned me the task of answering questions1 and not to carry on debates2 but ,i must break over this time and stand the examination1 and also do a little debating4 ,but the brother's memory seems to be at fault4 ,i do not recall saying that the kingdom of ,david and the kingdom of ,jehovah were the same4 ,at least1 that is not my idea at all4 ,in a general sense ,god rules in all the universe1 but in a special sense he ruled ,israel for a time4 ,at ,mount ,sinai1 ,jehovah said3 8,now therefore1 if ye will obey my voice indeed1 and keep my covenant1 then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples3 for all the earth is mine3 and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests1 and a holy nation40 7,ex4 #ai3e1 #f47 ,later they rejected ,jehovah as their king4 ,jehovah said3 8,they have rejected me1 that ,i should not be king over them40 7,see #a ,samuel #h3d-bb47 ,god permitted them to have a king4 ,the resultant kingdom was conceived in sin and brought forth in rebellion against ,jehovah4 ,the people dethroned ,jehovah1 so to speak1 and organized a kingdom of their own4 8,it is thy destruction1 ,o ,israel1 that thou art against me1 against thy help4 ,where now is thy king1 that he may save thee in all thy cities8 and thy judges1 of whom thou saidst1 ,give me a king and princes8 ,i have given thee a king in mine anger1 and have taken him away in my wrath40 7,hos4 #ac3i-aa47 ,and yet all the time of that kingdom the right to rule the people was ,jehovah's4 ,the king sat on ,jehovah's throne over ,israel4 ,but our brother does not think ,solomon sat on ,jehovah's throne1 but on ,david's throne4 ,it is strange that these future-kingdom advocates can see #a ,kings #b3ab1 #bd1 but cannot see #a ,chron4 #bi3bc3 8,then ,solomon sat on the throne of ,jehovah as king instead of ,david his father40 ,this language shows also that ,david had sat on the throne of ,jehovah4 ,it was really ,jehovah's throne1 but was called ,david's throne because he occupied it4 ,and while ,solomon occupied it1 it was also his throne4 ,concerning ,solomon1 ,jehovah said3 8,i will establish his throne forever40 ,it was ,jehovah's throne1 ,david's throne1 and then ,solomon's throne4 ,hence1 ,god had allowed the people to have their way and put a king on his throne4 ,the management of the affairs of the kingdom was in the hands of the king4 8,now when ,saul had taken the kingdom over ,israel40 7#a ,sam4 #ad3dg47 ,the whole organization of the kingdom was in the king's hands4 ,but enough of this4 ,here are the questions3 #a4 8,was the kingdom of ,david a material1 visible kingdom1 or an invisible spirit kingdom80 ,it was a kingdom like other kingdoms4 ,the people said3 8,we will have a king over us1 that we may be like all the nations40 ,and ,jehovah said to ,samuel3 8,hearken unto their voice40 7#a ,sam4 #h3ah-bb47 ,that settles it4 ,it was a kingdom patterned after other kingdoms4 ,that kingdom was destroyed and how any sane person should expect ,god to restore a kingdom that was organized in rebellion against him is one of the mysteries4 #b4 8,god destroyed it1 but said he would restore it as in the days of old4 7,amos #i3aa-ae47 ,has it been restored as it was80 ,god did not say that he would restore that rebellious kingdom as it was4 ,the tabernacle of ,david was the royal family of ,david4 ,the royal house1 or family1 of ,david fell4 ,it was set up again when ,jesus1 of the royal family of ,david1 was exalted at ,god's right hand and made both ,lord and ,messiah4 7,acts #b3bi-cf47 ,according to ,james1 this had to be done before the gospel could be preached to the ,gentiles4 7,acts #ae3ac-ai47 ,that prophecy of ,amos has been fulfilled4 #c4 8,have all ,israel been gathered from the nations and given possession of their land1 with ,david as their king1 as prophesied in ,ezek4 #cg3aj-bd80 ,ezekiel uttered that prophecy while ,israel was in captivity4 ,any ,israelite who heard or read that prophecy would understand him to be referring to their then existing captivity4 ,our brother does not believe that the same ,david of old would be again their king1 but that one of the seed of ,david would be king4 ,jesus was of the seed of ,david1 and is now king4 ,neither are the ,jews now in captivity4 ,it is strange that any one would take a passage that speaks of delivering the ,jews from captivity and apply it to the ,jews of today or of tomorrow4 ,in the prophecy referred to1 ,jehovah said3 8,i will take the children of ,israel from among the nations1 whither they are gone40 ,they were among the nations at that time1 and from that condition ,jehovah would deliver them4 ,as to whether they then became a glorious nation would be determined by their own conduct4 8,and at what instant ,i shall speak concerning a nation1 and concerning a kingdom1 to build and to plant it2 if they do that which is evil in my sight1 that they obey not my voice1 then will ,i repent of the good1 wherewith ,i said ,i would benefit them40 7,jer4 #ah3i1 #aj47 ,this prophecy was spoken direct to ,israel as a warning to them4 #d4 8,if the kingdom was restored at ,pentecost1 why did every apostle after ,pentecost that spoke of the return of ,christ put it in the future80 ,the old kingdom was not restored1 but the kingdom of ,god was set up on ,pentecost4 ,christ is on the throne1 where he will sit till all his enemies are subdued4 7,acts #b3ce47 ,the last enemy to be abolished is death4 7#a ,cor4 #ae3bf47 ,death will be destroyed when the whole human family is raised from the dead4 ,jesus will occupy his present throne till that event is consummated4 ,he will deliver up the kingdom to the ,father4 7#a ,cor4 #ae3bf-bh47 ,that leaves no room for ,jesus to reign on another throne before all the dead are raised4 ,yes1 the apostles spoke of the return of ,christ as future2 but1 unfortunately for the future-kingdom theory1 they did not put the establishment of his kingdom in the future4 ,neither did these ambassadors for ,christ tell us that the ,jews would yet be restored to ,palestine4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,instead of recognizing that ,god was working out through them his plan for the redemption of the world1 the ,jews concluded ,god cared for no other people4 ,the promise to ,abraham and their own prophets should have taught them the truth1 but they were too much wrapped up in themselves to see the truth4 ,from the things we learn from ,god's dealings with nations1 it can be safely said that no nation falls so long as it serves a purpose in ,god's plans4 ,that was true anciently1 and it is true today4 ,,will ,,jews ,,return ,,to ,,jerusalem8 ,from ,tennessee comes this question3 8,do the ,scriptures teach that the ,jews will return to ,jerusalem and then ,christ will come and rebuild the temple there80 ,we learn from a note accompanying the question that a ,holy ,roller or some similar kind of preacher is creating a little confusion by teaching that the ,jews will return to ,jerusalem and ,christ will soon come and rebuild the temple4 ,there is no way to keep fanatics from making wild guesses1 nor to keep speculators from perverting the word of ,god4 ,but if people studied the ,bible as they should1 such fellows would create very little confusion4 ,it is hard to tell just why such a high fever has lately developed about the future of the ,jews4 ,some preachers seem not to have much thought for any one but the ,jews4 ,god promised ,abraham to make of his seed a great nation and to give to them the land of ,canaan4 7,gen4 #ab3a-c2 #ac3ad-ag47 ,after ,israel came out of ,egypt1 ,god entered into a covenant with them1 promising to make of them a kingdom of priests and a holy nation1 on condition that they obeyed his voice and kept his covenant4 7,ex4 #ai3e1 #f47 ,but as they neared ,canaan1 ,jehovah said to them3 8,and it shall be1 if thou shalt forget ,jehovah thy ,god1 and walk after other ,gods1 and serve them1 and worship them1 ,i testify against you this day that ye shall surely perish4 ,as the nations that ,jehovah maketh to perish before you1 so shall ye perish2 because ye would not hearken unto the voice of ,jehovah your ,god40 7,deut4 #h3ai1 #bj47 ,the nations spoken of perished permanently1 never to inhabit ,canaan again4 ,israel was to perish as they did1 if they turned from ,jehovah in rebellion against him4 ,i think one can safely say that not a future-kingdom advocate believes that ,scripture just as it reads4 ,some1 at least1 of those who look for the return of the ,jews to ,palestine and the restoration of their old kingdom tell us that the land promise to ,abraham and his seed was an unconditional promise4 ,if so1 why have the ,jews been deprived of their land for eighteen and a half centuries8 ,if the ,jews were driven out because of their conduct1 then the land covenant1 or promise1 was conditional4 ,it seems to me that their theory virtually charges ,god with a failure to carry out an unconditional promise4 ,just here the interested reader should read carefully ,deut4 #bg and #bh4 ,but some will tell us that the land promise and the national promises have not yet been fulfilled to the ,jews2 but in so contending they run squarely against plain statements of ,scripture4 ,after ,israel had conquered the land of ,palestine and each tribe had entered into its inheritance1 ,joshua called the people together and made an address to them1 in which he said3 8,and behold1 this day ,i am going the way of all the earth3 and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls1 that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which ,jehovah your ,god spake concerning you2 all are come to pass unto you1 not one thing hath failed thereof40 7,josh4 #bc3ad47 ,joshua had already declared3 8,so ,jehovah gave unto ,israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers2 and they possessed it1 and dwelt therein4444 ,there failed not aught of any good thing which ,jehovah had spoken unto the house of ,israel2 all came to pass40 7,josh4 #ba3dc-de47 ,hence1 they had come into possession of all that ,god had sworn to their fathers to give them4 ,all of ,god's promises to them have been fulfilled1 even though they never again see the land of ,palestine4 ,some centuries after they came into possession of ,palestine the ,israelites became so corrupt and rebellious that they were carried into captivity4 ,many of the prophets foretold this carrying away into captivity1 and there were numerous prophecies that they would be brought back into their own land4 ,these prophecies1 long ago fulfilled1 are now brought forward to prove that the ,jews will again be brought back into their own land4 ,it is a miserable perversion of prophecies that have had their fulfillment in the restoration of the ,jews from their ,babylonian captivity4 ,why should any one call it speculation about unfulfilled prophecy8 ,the contention that the ,jews are yet ,god's chosen people1 and that he yet has in store for them special blessings that are not obtainable by other people1 is in direct contradiction to ,god's whole plan of salvation through ,christ4 ,the plain teaching of the ,new ,testament is against such an idea1 and yet it is ,god's final revelation to man1 and shows the full development and perfection of all the plans and purposes which ,god began in the ,old ,testament to outline in promise1 prophecy1 and type4 ,hence1 if ,god has yet in store some special blessings for the ,jews1 he certainly would have told us about it in the ,new ,testament2 but instead of giving us such information1 the ,new ,testament distinctly and emphatically teaches that now fleshly relations count for nothing4 ,although ,paul was 8of the stock of ,israel1 of the tribe of ,benjamin1 a ,hebrew of the ,hebrews10 he counted such fleshly relations as but refuse1 and declared that he had no confidence in the flesh--that is1 in any fleshly relations4 7,phil4 #c3b-h47 ,in #b ,cor4 #e3ad1 #ae1 ,paul declares that ,christ died for all1 and because of that fact he adds1 8,wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh0--we give no distinction to any man because of his nationality4 8,even though we have known ,christ after the flesh1 yet now we know him so no more40 7verse #af47 ,no one thinks of ,christ as a ,jew with a ,jew's narrow nationalistic traits1 but as a world savior4 ,that he so often referred to himself as the ,son of man1 and not as a ,jew1 is more significant than many think4 ,it sets him before us as equally related to all men and as equally interested in all men4 ,jehovah is not a tribal ,god and ,jesus is not a tribal king1 as most of the future-kingdom folks seem to believe4 ,jesus himself gives us a picture of the latter end of the ,jews4 ,read ,matt4 #ab3dc-de4 ,the unclean spirit1 having been driven out of the man1 returns to the man with seven other spirits worse than himself4 8,and the last state of that man becometh worse than the first4 ,even so shall it be also unto this evil generation40 ,if the word here translated generation means race1 as it often does1 the future of the ,jewish race is dark indeed4 ,in applying the lesson of the parable of the householder1 ,jesus said3 8,therefore ,i say unto you1 the kingdom of ,god shall be taken away from you1 and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof40 7,see ,matt4 #ba3cc-dc47 ,this nation is the new ,israel of ,god1 the church4 ,christians are now the circumcision4 7,phil4 #c3c47 ,christians are now 8,abraham's seed1 heirs according to promise40 7,gal4 #c3bi47 ,the promises and prophecies that have not been fulfilled to fleshly ,israel are to be fulfilled to the church1 which is now ,god's ,israel4 ,it has already been shown that there is no ground for expecting the ,jews to return to ,palestine4 ,instead of finding any teaching to that effect in the ,new ,testament1 as we would expect to find if such is to take place1 we find the weight of ,new ,testament teaching to be against such an event4 ,the return of the ,jews to ,palestine1 the rebuilding of the temple1 and the restoration of the ,jewish kingdom are all so interwoven in the program of the future-kingdom advocates that they stand or fall together4 ,it is a significant fact that the prophecies relied on to prove the fore-going propositions were all uttered before the ,babylonian captivity or during that captivity4 ,the ,babylonian captivity had often been foretold4 ,therefore1 when any prophet spoke of the regathering of the ,jews to ,palestine and the rebuilding of their temple1 every ,jew of that time would understand the prophet to be speaking of their return from ,babylonian captivity and the rebuilding of their temple then4 ,ezekiel prophesied during the captivity1 being himself one of the early captives4 ,of course1 anything he said about the return of the ,jews and the rebuilding of the temple would be understood by every ,jew of that time as referring to their deliverance from their present captivity4 ,without some special words of explanation they could not have understood it otherwise4 ,but no such words of explanation were given4 ,the prophets knew how the ,jews would understand them1 and yet they let it go at that4 ,are we to understand that ,god1 through his prophets1 deceived the ,jews8 ,surely not4 ,the prophets foretold the return of the ,jews from captivity4 ,the ,jews would understand them to refer to their return from ,babylonian captivity4 ,what then8 ,sound principles of exegesis demand that these circumstances and conditions be taken into consideration in the application of these prophecies4 ,this the future-kingdom advocates fail to do4 ,but they tell us that some of the promises in these prophecies concerning the return of the ,jews from captivity have not yet been fulfilled4 ,but such an affirmation ignores the conditionality of ,god's promises4 ,it is the same blunder that is made by the advocates of the impossibility of apostasy4 ,even if it could be shown that some things promised to the ,jews on their return to ,palestine were never fulfilled1 that would not prove that they will yet be fulfilled4 ,the human side must be taken into consideration4 ,hear the ,lord through ,jeremiah3 8,behold1 as the clay in the potter's hand1 so are ye in my hand1 ,o house of ,israel4444 ,and at what instant ,i shall speak concerning a nation1 and concerning a kingdom1 to build and to plant it2 if they do that which is evil in my sight1 that they obey not my voice1 then ,i will repent of the good1 wherewith ,i said ,i would benefit them40 7,jer4 #ah3e-aj47 ,this is ,god's warning to ,israel1 but it has no weight with the future-kingdom advocates4 ,the ,lord brought the ,jews back from captivity and planted them in their land4 ,they would have had ,god's choicest blessings had they obeyed his voice2 but they failed him1 and plunged into the grossest sins4 ,this criminality culminated in their murdering the ,son of ,god and many of his saints4 ,it was not the crimes of individuals here and there1 but the deliberate crimes of the nation4 ,death is the punishment for deliberate murder4 ,national murder demanded national death4 ,the ,jewish nation suffered that death in the destruction of ,jerusalem4 ,when ,god sent his ,son into the world1 he did not send him to reorganize the ,jewish kingdom1 but to open up a way of salvation for sinners4 ,he did not fail to accomplish what he was sent to do1 as the future-kingdom advocates claim4 ,hear his own words3 8,i glorified thee on the earth1 having accomplished the work which thou hast given me to do40 7,john #ag3d47 ,that statement should settle a lot of speculation about the rejected king and the postponed kingdom4 ,when ,jesus comes again1 he will not come to rebuild the temple in ,jerusalem1 but to render judgment4 7,matt4 #be3ca-df2 #b ,thess4 #a3f-aj47 ,his temple is here now4 8,upon this rock ,i will build my church40 7,matt4 #af3ah47 ,that church is his temple4 8,know ye not that ye are a temple of ,god1 and that the ,spirit of ,god dwelleth in you8 ,if any man destroyeth the temple of ,god1 him shall ,god destroy2 for the temple of ,god is holy1 and such are ye40 7#a ,cor4 #c3af1 #ag47 8,being built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets1 ,christ ,jesus himself being the chief corner stone2 in whom each several building1 fitly framed together1 groweth into a holy temple in the ,lord2 in whom ye also are builded together for a habitation of ,god in the ,spirit40 7,eph4 #b3bj-bb47 ,in the old material temple1 animal sacrifices and other material sacrifices were offered2 in this new spiritual temple1 spiritual sacrifices are offered4 8,ye also1 as living stones1 are built up a spiritual house1 to be a holy priesthood1 to offer up spiritual sacrifices1 acceptable to ,god through ,jesus ,christ40 7#a ,pet4 #b3e47 ,can any one believe that we are to give up this glorious spiritual temple for the old material temple8 this spiritual worship for the carnal ordinances of the material temple8 ,if so1 he has poor taste for the spiritual4 ,the temple in ,jerusalem was but a type1 a shadow1 of this glorious spiritual temple4 7,heb4 #i3a-aj47 ,this spiritual house is a 8greater and more perfect tabernacle40 7,heb4 #i3aa47 ,now1 we are gravely told that in the millennium we will exchange this glorious spiritual temple for the material temple with its animal sacrifices1 give up the substance for the shadow1 give up the gospel of grace for the law of the temple1 which means the law of ,moses4 ,that temple1 we are informed1 will be again sanctified by the blood of animals4 ,such material conceptions as this whole future-kingdom idea suits very well such materialists as the ,russellites1 but has no place in the thinking of one who glories in the cross of ,christ and in his blood-bought church4 ,as a sample of the passages relied on to prove that the ,jews are yet to be restored to ,palestine and their temple rebuilt1 read ,ezek4 #cd3aa-ca2 also chapters #cg2 #ci3ba-bi1 and to the close of ,ezekiel4 ,remember1 as you read1 that ,ezekiel prophesied while he and his nation were in captivity4 ,in the temple of which ,ezekiel speaks there were to be all the offerings and ceremonies required by the law of ,moses4 ,the blood of the animal sacrifices served the same purposes as the law specified4 ,the priests were of the tribe of ,levi4 ,this cannot refer to the future1 for no ,jew now knows to what tribe he belongs4 ,with the blood of animals atonement was to be made for the people4 ,if a man can believe all this is yet future1 he can believe anything that suits his fancy2 facts will be no barrier to anything he wants to believe4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,from ,alabama comes this request3 8,explain ,ezek4 #cg1 concerning the dry bones and sticks4 ,when did this take place80 ,the children of ,israel were then in captivity2 from that captivity they were to be delivered4 7,see verses #ba1 #bb47 ,the dry bones coming to life represented their return from captivity4 ,their return would be as if they were coming alive from the dead4 ,their captivity was their burial2 their return would be as if they were coming from their graves4 ,they had been divided into two kingdoms4 ,joining the two sticks into one stick represented the joining of the two peoples into one nation after their return4 ,their return is told in ,ezra and ,nehemiah4 ,after that return they were one people4 ,and they would have had a glorious kingdom had they obeyed ,jehovah4 ,the prophecies of the ,old ,testament concerning the fate of the ,jews in their disobedience are being fulfilled all down the ages4 ,,prophecy ,,of ,,amos #i3ac-ae ,has the prophecy in ,amos #i3ac-ae been fulfilled8--,mrs4 ,x1 ,detroit4 ,amos #i3ac-ae3 8,behold1 the days come1 saith ,jehovah1 that the plowman shall overtake the reaper1 and the treader of grapes him that soweth seed2 and the mountains shall drop sweet wine1 and all the hills shall melt4 ,and ,i will bring back the captivity of my people ,israel1 and they shall build the waste cities1 and inhabit them2 and they shall plant vineyards1 and drink the wine thereof2 they shall make gardens1 and eat the fruit of them4 ,and ,i will plant them upon their land1 and they shall no more be plucked up out of their land1 which ,i have given them1 saith ,jehovah thy ,god40 ,amos had gone from his home at ,tekoa to ,bethel to prophesy against the kingdom of ,israel1 which had become very corrupt1 and to warn the people of their coming doom4 7,amos #a3a2 #g3g-ag47 ,they were to be sifted1 scattered1 among the nations4 ,as ,amos was speaking of their captivity1 which they later suffered1 it seems reasonable to conclude that the verses in question referred to their return from that captivity4 ,all who wanted to return from that captivity to their own land had abundant opportunity4 ,there is no evidence that the ,jews will again be carried out of their own land into captivity1 so as to be brought out of captivity in the future4 ,all the prophecies that speak of a return of the ,jews out of captivity have been fulfilled4 ,one thing is sure3 they are not now in captivity2 therefore1 they could not now be brought out of captivity1 unless again carried into captivity4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,,all ,,things ,,that ,,pertain 8,seeing that his divine power hath granted unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness1 through the knowledge of him that called us by his own glory and virtue40 7#b ,pet4 #a3c47 ,we are in the habit of saying that ,god has given us in the gospel everything that is essential to life and godliness2 but ,peter goes a little farther than that and affirms that ,god has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness4 ,there is a difference4 ,to illustrate3 ,there are certain things that are essential to an automobile2 and there are other things that pertain to an automobile2 but are not essential to it4 ,when you have all things that are essential to an automobile1 you can go to a supply house and purchase a lot of extras that pertain to an automobile4 ,but suppose you have all the essentials of an automobile1 and then you add all the things that pertain to an automobile1 nothing else could be added that would make it any more complete4 ,god has not only given us all things that are essential to life and godliness1 but he has given us all things that pertain to life and godliness4 ,but do religious people believe it8 ,if so1 why all these flummeries that ,god has said nothing about8 ,if you will read the verse again1 you will notice that he has given us all these things through the knowledge of ,christ4 ,the knowledge of ,christ means the knowledge that has been revealed about him--the gospel of ,christ4 ,hence1 through the gospel ,god has not only given us all things that are essential to life and godliness1 but all things that pertain to life and godliness4 ,if there is1 therefore1 anything in your religion that did not come to you through the gospel1 it does not so much as pertain to life and godliness4 ,is it not time to check up on our religion and see if we have anything that we cannot find in the ,new ,testament8 ,any person of intelligence can do that for himself4 ,,matthew #af3bh ,,explained ,please explain ,matt4 #af3bh4 ,i have to contend with the ,boll theory4 ,what ,i want to know is how the disciples were to 8see0 the ,son of man coming in his kingdom4--,w4 ,c4 ,anderson4 ,matthew #af3bh4 8,verily ,i say unto you1 ,there are some of them that stand here1 who shall in no wise taste of death1 till they see the ,son of man coming in his kingdom40 ,in this verse it is stated that some would taste of death--some of them would see the ,son of man coming in his kingdom4 ,taste and see--are these terms used literally8 ,a little study of both words will help4 8,oh taste and see that ,jehovah is good40 7,ps4 #cd3h47 8,sweet are thy words unto my taste40 7,ps4 #aai3ajc47 8,tasted of the heavenly gift02 8tasted the good word of ,god40 7,heb4 #f3d1 #e47 ,if you make see represent the actual functioning of one of the five senses1 why not make taste do the same8 ,no man actually tastes death as he tastes food4 ,the future-kingdom folks stress giving words their literal meaning1 but even they will not say that a man tastes ,jehovah1 his word1 or death1 as he tastes food4 ,so also the word see has a variety of meanings1 or uses4 ,to see often means to know4 8,taste and see 7know7 that ,jehovah is good40 ,to see often means to experience4 ,we see joy and we see a good time2 we see trouble and sorrow4 ,taste death--experience death1 or suffer death4 ,the parallel passages1 ,mark #i3a and ,luke #i3bg1 say3 8,verily ,i say unto you1 ,there are some of them that stand by1 who shall in no wise taste of death1 till they see the kingdom of ,god come with power40 8,but ,i tell you of a truth1 ,there are some of them that stand here1 who shall in no wise taste of death till they see the kingdom of ,god40 ,to see the ,son of man coming in his kingdom and to see the kingdom of ,god come with power and to see the kingdom of ,god are different expressions of the same idea4 ,when the kingdom of ,god came with power1 it was ,christ coming in his kingdom4 ,just as certain as some of those standing by would die before the kingdom came1 or the ,son of man came in his kingdom1 just that certain some would live till that event occurred4 ,ye--those standing by1 not those of some future date--shall see the ,son of man coming in his kingdom1 or see the kingdom of ,god come with power1 and they would see it before they died4 ,the future-kingdom folks do not see that part of what ,jesus said2 they see only 8see the ,son of man coming in his kingdom40 ,and yet no man literally sees a kingdom1 as he sees a material object2 for the 8kingdom of ,god cometh not with observation0--that is1 not in such a manner that it can be watched with the eyes2 i4 e41 in a visible manner4 7,luke #ag3bj47 ,jesus made that statement in answer to the ,pharisees' question as to when the kingdom of ,god would come4 ,hence1 some of the disciples to whom ,jesus was talking would see ,jesus coming in his kingdom2 yet they would not see with their eyes4 ,jesus himself declared that his kingdom would not come in that manner4 ,the future-kingdom folks put stress on the statement3 8,they shall see the ,son of man coming on the clouds of heaven with power and great glory40 ,but notice the change in pronouns--8ye shall see10 8they shall see40 ,they tell us that this coming on the clouds will be when he comes in his kingdom4 ,they also tell us that when he thus comes the wicked dead will not see him1 for they will not be raised till the end of a thousand years4 ,but there is a hitch in that4 ,certainly the high priest who condemned ,jesus to death belongs in the class of the wicked dead yet ,jesus said to him and to the court3 8,ye shall see the ,son of man sitting at the right hand of ,power1 and coming on the clouds of heaven40 ,notice the word henceforth--from now on4 ,notice1 too that this wicked court was henceforth to see the ,son of man sitting on the right hand of power4 ,no man sees him sitting with his natural eye4 ,the word see here has two objects1 sitting and coming2 or1 rather1 the same persons shall see ,jesus sitting and coming4 ,even a child should be able to see that the word see could not here mean a mental conception as to one of its objects and an actual seeing with the eyes as to the other object4 ,a word may have several meanings1 but it cannot have two meanings at one and the same time4 ,as some of the disciples then living were to see ,jesus coming in his kingdom and the ,sanhedrin were to see him sitting on the right hand of power1 the ,lord came in his kingdom during the lifetime of these people4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,the apostles were practical men4 ,some were fishermen2 one1 a tax collector4 ,both callings teach a person not to believe all he hears4 ,,matthew #ai3bh2 #be3ca2 ,,luke #bb3bh-cj2 #a ,,cor4 #f3b ,,explained ,matthew #ai3bh2 #be3ca2 ,luke #bb3bh-cj2 #a ,cor4 #f3b1 #c4 ,please explain--,owen ,w4 ,smith4 #a4 ,matt4 #ai3bh3 8,and ,jesus said unto them1 ,verily ,i say unto you1 that ye who have followed me1 in the regeneration when the ,son of ,man shall sit on the throne of his glory1 ye shall also sit upon twelve thrones1 judging the twelve tribes of ,israel40 ,read the context4 ,the rich young man had refused to follow ,jesus4 ,peter said3 8,we have left all1 and followed thee2 what then shall we have80 ,the reply of ,jesus does not mean that they had followed him in the regeneration1 for ,jesus had passed through no regeneration4 ,luke says they had followed him in his temptation4 ,jesus was telling his apostles what they would have in the regeneration4 ,the regeneration is that period of time in which people are being regenerated4 ,the other passage in which the word 8regeneration0 occurs shows that people are being regenerated in this dispensation4 7,tit4 #c3e47 ,but it was during this time of regeneration that ,christ was to sit on the throne of his glory and the apostles were to sit on thrones4 ,hence1 both ,jesus and his apostles are now on their thrones1 for all were to sit on thrones at the same time4 ,on ,pentecost1 ,peter declared that ,god had raised up ,jesus to sit on ,david's throne and had made him both ,lord and ,christ4 7,acts #b3cj-cf47 ,jesus himself declared that all authority had been given to him4 ,those who say that he has all authority1 but is not exercising it1 overlook the therefore in the next verse4 ,suppose ,jesus had expressed that idea1 it would have read something like this3 8,all authority has been given me1 but ,i am not exercising it2 and because ,i am not exercising it1 go into all the world and make disciples of all the nations40 ,the command was based on his having all authority4 ,some have overlooked the therefore4 ,as ,jesus is on his throne1 so are the apostles on their thrones4 ,but how are they judging8 ,mc,garvey says on this point3 ,this statement of ,paul that 8the saints shall judge the world0 7#a ,cor4 #f3b7 has led many to suppose that the judging here mentioned is to take place at the final judgment4 ,but clearly the judging and the sitting on the thrones are declared to be contemporaneous with the regeneration and with ,christ's sitting on his throne2 and1 therefore1 they must be regarded as now in progress4 ,if we are correct in this1 of which we entertain no doubt1 the judging consists in pronouncing decisions on questions of faith and practice in the earthly kingdom1 and the twelve are figuratively represented as sitting on thrones1 because they are acting as judges4 ,during their personal ministry they judged in person2 since then they judge through their writings4 ,true1 we have written communications from only part of them1 but judgments pronounced by one of a bench of judges with the known approval of all are the judgments of the entire bench4 ,on the twelve tribes he remarks3 ,the apostles have sustained no such relation to the twelve tribes of ,israel1 literally so called1 as the text indicates1 nor is there any intimation in the ,scriptures that they ever will4 ,their work is with the true ,israel1 and not with ,israel according to the flesh2 consequently1 we are to construe the terms metaphorically1 the twelve tribes representing the church of ,god of which they were a type4 ,in judging1 the apostles declare who is free from guilt and who is condemned4 ,this is made plain in ,john #bj3bc3 8,whose soever sins ye forgive1 they are forgiven unto them2 whose soever sins ye retain1 they are retained40 #b4 ,matt4 #be3ca3 8,but when the ,son of man shall come in his glory1 and all the angels with him1 then shall he sit on the throne of his glory40 ,this verse is incomplete1 and is really explained by the rest of the chapter4 ,he shall sit on the throne of judgment1 and before him will be gathered all nations for judgment2 but the people will be judged as individuals and not as nations4 ,it is not a judgment of nations1 or governments1 as has sometimes been said4 ,even a little attention to the gender of the ,greek words of the passage will show how ill-founded is that assumption4 8,nations0 is neuter in the ,greek2 it cannot1 therefore1 be the antecedent of them in verse #cb1 for it is masculine4 ,and so is ye blessed in verse #cd1 and ye cursed in verse #da4 ,both these and the righteous in verse #df are masculine4 ,it is1 therefore1 not a judgment of nations1 as such1 but of the people4 ,the passage is in perfect harmony with #b ,thess4 #a3f-aj4 ,here he comes to take vengeance on the wicked and to be glorified in his saints4 ,it is1 therefore1 the judgment at the last day4 #c4 ,luke #bb3bh-cj3 8,but ye are they that have continued with me in my temptations2 and ,i appoint unto you a kingdom1 even as my ,father appointed unto me1 that ye may eat and drink at my table in my kingdom2 and ye shall sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of ,israel40 ,read the context4 ,they had just eaten the ,passover and the ,lord's ,supper4 ,a contention had arisen between the disciples as to who would be accounted the greatest2 and ,jesus had told them that there was to be no one among them exercising lordship over the others1 but that service would be the thing that counted4 ,the apostles had faithfully followed him in his temptation2 he would1 therefore1 appoint them a kingdom1 and they would eat and drink at his table in his kingdom4 ,on account of the fact that they had just eaten the ,lord's ,supper we naturally associate the ,lord's table with the ,lord's ,supper4 ,they1 therefore1 would eat the ,lord's ,supper in his kingdom4 ,but the ,lord's ,supper will not be eaten after he comes again4 ,but as they were to eat it in his kingdom1 it is certain that they ate it in his kingdom while they lived4 ,the kingdom now in existence is1 therefore1 the kingdom he appointed them4 ,in ,luke #ab3cb1 ,jesus said3 8,fear not little flock2 for it is your ,father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom40 ,the ,father was to give this kingdom to the 8little flock40 ,this cannot mean that he will give his kingdom to his followers at the end of this dispensation1 when the little flock shall have swelled into 8a great multitude1 which no man could number1 out of every nation and of all tribes and peoples and tongues40 7,rev4 #g3i47 ,no2 it was to be given to a little flock and not to a numberless host1 and the language clearly shows that it was to be given to those who were then present4 ,and that was the kingdom which he appointed to them1 and in which they sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of ,israel4 ,on this last point1 see comments above on ,matt4 #ai3bh4 #d4 #a ,cor4 #f3b1 #c3 8,or know ye not that the saints shall judge the world8 and if the world is judged by you1 are ye unworthy to judge the smallest matters8 ,know ye not that ye shall judge angels8 how much more1 things that pertain to this life80 ,commentators have had no end of trouble over these verses1 and there is little agreement among them4 ,in some sense saints judge the world and angels1 but how8 and when8 ,it is a hazardous and foolish thing to build a theory on a difficult passage1 especially when little1 if any1 light on the point can be gained from other ,scriptures4 ,but it does not seem possible that ,christians will be judges in the last day1 when all shall be judged4 ,from ,matt4 #be3ca-df we learn that the righteous will be judged along with the wicked4 ,saints will not then occupy judgment thrones1 but will be gathered before the judgment throne4 ,they cannot be judges while being judged4 ,after that they cannot judge the world1 for the world will already have been judged4 ,and there is no ,scripture that teaches that the heavenly angels will then be judged by any one4 ,but the gospel is ,god's law1 and every time it is preached sinners are judged as guilty1 as are also the devil and his angels4 ,and saints have this same law by which to judge among themselves4 ,these are facts1 whether the passage in question has that meaning or not4 ,this view has the merit of not being out of harmony with the general teaching of the ,new ,testament4 ,but let us be sure not to build a theory on a difficult passage of ,scripture1 nor use it in support of a theory4 ,we might be found wresting the ,scripture to our own destruction4 ,,questions ,,about ,,the ,,jews1 ,,the ,,kingdom ,,and ,,salvation ,tell me3 ,when1 or how1 did ,christ offer the ,jews the kingdom8 ,what passage1 or passages1 or teaching as a whole do you think the earth-kingdom advocates rely on to prove the statement that the kingdom was offered the ,jews8 ,was the kingdom offered the ,jews in any sense that salvation was not offered them8 ,did they reject the kingdom in any sense they did not reject salvation8 ,if the kingdom was offered the ,jews1 and they rejected it1 and the ,lord for that reason postponed the kingdom1 why is it he did not also postpone the salvation offered8--,x ,perhaps ,i might as well answer the foregoing questions as a whole as to answer each one separately4 ,the querist has been doing some close thinking1 and his questions open up a field for some profitable investigation4 ,the querist evidently refers to the ,jews as a nation1 and not as individuals4 ,it is claimed by the kingdom speculators that ,jesus offered the kingdom to the ,jewish nation on condition that the rulers and people alike repent1 but the assertion is not backed up by any definite proof4 ,the advocates of that notion arrive at such a conclusion by assumptions and deductions4 ,they assume that the prophets foretold the restoration of the old kingdom of ,israel1 a kingdom that was born in rebellion against ,god and in rejection of him as ,king6 ,they assume that ,jesus offered the kingdom to the ,jews as a nation1 but they gave no proof that ,jesus offered that kingdom or anything else to a national ,israel4 ,but as such a kingdom did not come into being1 they conclude that both the king and his kingdom were rejected4 ,matt4 #c3b is quoted in this connection1 but they do not show how that ,scripture proves their contention4 ,john was preaching to individuals1 and not to the nation as such4 ,the fact is that he never did go and preach to the rulers1 nor did they come to him4 ,they did send a committee to inquire into his work4 ,i see no way to separate the kingdom from salvation1 nor can ,i see how one can exist apart from the other4 ,of course the old kingdom had citizens who were not in a saved state1 but ,i do not see how that could be true of the kingdom of ,christ4 ,however1 we are told that only ,jews who are born again will be citizens of the kingdom which they suppose ,christ will set up when he comes again4 ,in that respect1 as well as in many others1 this supposed kingdom will not be like the old kingdom4 ,that the future-kingdom advocates realize they have no certain proof of their rejection and postponement theory is shown by the fact that they do not agree on any certain ,scripture1 nor as to the time of this supposed rejection and postponement4 ,john ,r4 ,rice puts it in the tenth chapter of ,matthew2 ,scofield1 in the eleventh2 ,r4 ,h4 ,boll1 in the twelfth4 ,john ,r4 ,rice says the kingdom at hand was never preached after the tenth chapter2 the offer was then withdrawn4 ,he should have read what ,jesus a year later instructed the seventy to preach4 7,luke #aj3aa47 ,in a note on ,matt4 #aa3bj-bd ,scofield says3 8,the kingdom of heaven announced #8at hand' by ,john the ,baptist1 by the ,king himself1 and by the twelve1 and attended by mighty works1 has been morally rejected4 ,the places chosen for the testing of the nation--,chorazin1 ,bethsaida1 etc4--having rejected both ,john and ,jesus1 the rejected ,king now speaks of judgment4 ,the final official rejection is later4 7,matt4 #bg3ca-cg740 ,on verses #bh-cj he says3 8,the new message of ,jesus4 ,the rejected ,king now turns from the rejecting nation and offers not the kingdom1 but rest and service to such in the nation as are conscious of need4 ,it is a pivotal point in the ministry of ,jesus40 ,r4 ,h4 ,boll says3 8,in chapter twelve the antagonism of the ,pharisees1 stirred to its height by his ,sabbath healing1 came to a terrible climax3 they went out and took counsel against him how they might destroy him4 7#ab3ad47 ,this was a great turning point40 ,as they find no ,scripture which says what they claim1 they depend on assumptions and deductions1 and their deductions do not agree4 ,a ,,proposition3 ,the gospel plan of salvation is the scheme of redemption foretold in promise and prophecy4 ,,some ,,questions ,,considered ,a brother has presented to me a few questions for my consideration4 ,the questions are about matters that are being much agitated these days4 ,the first question indicates that somebody thinks the ,lord refused some people the privilege of believing1 lest he might get more followers on his hands than he needed for future rulers6 ,but to the questions3 #a4 8,was there ever a time when ,god refused any one the privilege to believe in ,christ1 as indicated in ,john #ab3ci1 #dj8 ,if so1 has he revealed the purpose thereof80 ,the passage mentioned says3 8,for this cause they could not believe1 for that ,isaiah said again1 ,he hath blinded their eyes1 and he hardened their heart2 lest they should see with their eyes1 and perceive with their heart1 and should turn1 and ,i should heal them40 ,the quotation is from ,isa4 #f3aj4 ,in ,isaiah's day the people of ,judah had become very corrupt1 and were growing worse4 ,to these people ,jehovah said3 8,ah sinful nation1 a people laden with iniquity1 a seed of evil-doers1 children that deal corruptly6 they have forsaken ,jehovah1 they have despised the ,holy ,one of ,israel1 they are estranged and gone backward40 7,isa #a3d47 ,they had reached the point where they were utterly unfit to manage their own affairs of government4 ,the great majority were beyond the hope of reformation4 ,they would not even consider ,jehovah1 and were more senseless as to their own good than the ox or the ass4 8,the ox knoweth his owner1 and the ass his master's crib2 but ,israel doth not know1 my people doth not consider40 7,verse #c47 ,when people reach that stage1 there is nothing to do but to hasten them on to their doom4 ,hence1 ,jehovah said to ,isaiah when he sent him to prophesy to the people of ,judah3 8,make the heart of this people fat1 and make their ears heavy1 and shut their eyes2 lest they see with their eyes1 and hear with their ears1 and understand with their heart1 and turn again1 and be healed40 7,isa4 #f3aj47 ,isaiah could do this only by his teachings and warnings4 ,they were so determined in their rebellion that the more ,isaiah warned them1 the harder their hearts became4 ,their sinfulness resulted in the ,babylonian captivity4 ,the ,jews had again become so sinful that a worse calamity was soon to come upon them4 ,the leaders rejected the preaching of ,john and dogged the steps of ,jesus every move he made4 ,they were so rebellious that the miracles and teaching of ,jesus hardened their hearts instead of converting them4 ,there was no direct operation on their hearts to keep them from believing4 ,the things that made believers of some hardened the hearts of others4 ,the ,lord never did keep any honest heart from believing4 ,the prophecy quoted in ,john #ab3ci1 #dj is quoted by the ,savior in ,matt4 #ac3ad1 #ae in such a way as to show that the people were responsible for their hardness of heart4 ,when people will not believe the truth1 ,god sends them strong delusions that they may believe a lie and be damned4 7,see #b ,thess4 #b3h-ab47 ,the reason there are so many fool notions believed now is because people will not believe the truth4 ,god will have all men to be saved1 but they will not4 #b4 8,did the crucifixion of ,christ depend upon the ,jews' rejection of him80 ,jesus came at a time when everything was ready for the working out of ,god's plans4 8,but when the fulness of the time came1 ,god sent forth his ,son1 born of a woman1 born under the ,law40 7,gal4 #d3d74 ,god was not experimenting to see if his plans would work out4 ,he knew what would be done1 and was not bothering his mind as to what he would have to do about it1 if the ,jews did not reject and crucify ,jesus1 for he knew what they would do4 ,then why should ,i worry my mind about it8 ,i cannot entertain an idea that implies that ,god did not know enough to know when to send his ,son1 or that he did not know what would happen when he did send him4 ,why people raise such questions is a puzzle1 for no one can do anything about it1 no matter what might or might not have happened4 #c4 8,did ,god anticipate their acceptance universally80 ,suppose he did or did not1 what can we do about it8 ,people raise questions that1 in various ways1 reflect on ,god4 ,being the all-wise ,god1 he knew that the ,jews would not all accept ,jesus as the ,messiah1 the ,son of ,god4 ,jesus himself said that only a few would find the narrow way4 ,paul showed that the prophets taught that only a remnant of ,israel would be saved4 7,see ,rom4 #aj3af-ba2 #aa3a-aj47 ,but what gives rise to such questions8 ,it grows out of the new speculation that ,jesus came to establish an earthly kingdom1 or rather to restore the kingdom of ,israel1 but failed in his purpose because the ,jews rejected him4 ,god knew the ,jews would crucify ,jesus4 7,see ,acts #b3bc2 #d3bg1 #bh2 #ac3bg47 #d4 8,if they had1 would he have set up an earthly kingdom80 ,there is not the least indication that ,god did not accomplish what he intended to accomplish by sending his ,son into the world1 nor that the kingdom he set up was not what he intended to set up4 ,on the other hand1 there is plenty of evidence that he inaugurated the very system he had in mind1 and which he had foretold through the prophets4 ,to say that his plans did not work out as he intended is equal to saying that the things he foretold through the prophets turned out to be false4 ,if it be replied that the prophets said nothing about what some call 8the church age10 it only shows that some people have read the ,scriptures with little profit4 ,the evidence is abundant that the apostles and other inspired preachers and writers taught that ,christianity1 or the gospel plan of salvation1 is exactly what the prophets foretold4 ,on ,pentecost1 ,peter referred to certain prophecies as fulfilled on that day4 ,again3 8,yea and all the prophets from ,samuel and them that followed after1 as many as have spoken1 they also told of these days40 7,acts #c3bd47 ,in preaching the gospel of ,christ1 ,paul said nothing but what the prophets and ,moses did say should come4 7,acts #bf3bb47 ,paul also affirms that the gospel which he preached ,god had 8promised afore through his holy prophets in the holy scriptures40 7,rom4 #a3b47 ,but why offer more proof8 ,the apostles knew what they were talking about1 or rather the ,holy ,spirit1 who spoke through them1 knew4 ,yet the future-kingdom advocates generally contend that the ,old ,testament prophecies center in an earthly kingdom1 and say nothing about ,christianity as revealed through the apostles4 ,one writer said3 8,but the ,old ,testament knows nothing whatever of ,christianity40 ,ponder this question3 ,if ,god did not set up the kingdom which they say the prophets foretold1 but instead gave them something the prophets said nothing about1 is it any wonder that the ,jews rejected it8 ,the wonder would be that any of them accepted it4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,notice the prayer of ,asa2 notice other prayers in the ,bible4 ,with the exception of ,solomon's prayer at the dedication of the temple and the prayer of ,jesus on the night of his betrayal1 all are very short4 ,notice the manner in which they addressed ,jehovah4 ,no endearing terms are used1 but terms expressive of reverence for the power and majesty of ,god4 ,such expressions as 8our dear heavenly ,father0 are not found in the ,bible4 ,such expressions should have no place in our prayers today4 ,christians need to know how to pray1 and a study of the prayers of the ,bible will help us to pray as we ought4 8,again ,i say unto you1 that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask1 it shall be done for them of my ,father who is in heaven40 7,matt4 #ah3ai47 ,here it is supposed that they agree on what to ask for before they pray4 ,would it not be a good thing for a group of worshippers to know what they are going to pray for1 rather than for someone to lead out in a long1 rambling prayer that is supposed to be appropriate to all occasions1 and is1 therefore1 never appropriate to any occasion8 ,delivering an oration to the ,lord1 under pretense of praying1 is not praying at all4 ,,the ,,olive ,,tree ,,figure ,,of ,,rom4 #aa ,i wish you would give an explanation of ,rom4 #aa4 ,the part that ,i am the most interested in is the figure of the olive tree4 ,is there anything in this chapter1 or in any other1 that teaches that the ,jews as a nation will ever accept ,christ8--,oklahoma4 ,we cannot at present give space to a discussion of the entire chapter4 ,the verses containing the olive-tree illustration read as follows3 ,but if some of the branches were broken off1 and thou1 being a wild olive1 wast grafted in among them1 and didst become partaker with them of the root of the fatness of the olive tree2 glory not over the branches3 but if thou gloriest1 it is not thou that barest the root1 but the root thee4 ,thou wilt say then1 ,branches were broken off1 that ,i might be grafted in4 ,well2 by their unbelief they were broken off1 and thou standest by thy faith4 ,be not high-minded1 but fear3 for if ,god spared not the natural branches1 neither will he spare thee4 ,behold then the goodness and severity of ,god3 toward them that fell1 severity2 but toward thee1 ,god's goodness1 if thou continue in his goodness3 otherwise thou shalt be cut off4 ,and they also1 if they continue not in their unbelief1 shall be grafted in3 for ,god is able to graft them in again4 ,for if thou wast cut out of that which is by nature a wild olive tree1 and wast grafted contrary to nature into a good olive tree2 how much more shall these1 which are the natural branches1 be grafted into their own olive tree8 7,rom4 #aa3ag-bd47 ,care should be used in dealing with another man's illustrations and figures of speech4 ,the language quoted is an illustration of ,god's dealings with ,jews and ,gentiles4 ,because of unbelief the ,jews had been severed from ,god's favor2 by faith the ,gentiles had been brought into union with ,god4 ,neither ,jew nor ,gentile has any special favors from ,god2 the standing of each depends on their faith4 ,that is the point ,paul is making1 and to make his illustration do service beyond the point illustrated is to do violence to his language4 ,but what is the olive tree8 ,it is ,god's favor4 ,read the connection4 ,the ,hebrews had been in ,god's favor all along till they were broken off because of unbelief4 ,their fall1 mentioned in verse #ab1 is the same thing as this cutting off4 ,but now1 to both ,jews and ,gentiles alike1 ,god's favor is manifested in ,christ1 and may be obtained by faith in him4 ,no people as a nation will or can accept ,christ4 ,any people as a nation must act as an organized government2 those in authority determine what shall be done4 ,but no constituted authorities can decide that the nation shall accept ,christ2 that is an individual matter4 ,but even if a nation could through its proper authorities accept ,christ1 the ,jews could not do so1 for they have no one with authority to speak for the whole people on anything4 ,it is hard for some to see that ,god totally and finally rejected and destroyed the ,jewish nation1 but did not irrevocably reject the ,jews4 ,paul gives himself as an example that ,god had not irrevocably cast off the ,jewish people4 ,that he referred to himself as an example shows that he had in mind the ,jews as individuals and not as a nation4 ,his case shows that the door of salvation had not been closed against the individual ,jew4 ,and his olive-tree illustration shows that he was speaking of the individual ,jew and not of the nation4 ,both ,jews and ,gentiles were grafted into the same olive tree1 and both by the same process4 ,paul's conclusion--8and so all ,israel shall be saved0--has been greatly perverted4 ,the future-kingdom folks put the emphasis on all ,israel2 ,paul put the emphasis on so4 ,so is an adverb of manner4 ,he had been showing how the ,jews might be saved1 and not that the nation would be restored4 ,he had shown that ,gentiles were grafted in by faith--saved by faith in ,christ4 8,and so0--in like manner--shall all ,israel be saved4 ,peter had made the same point before the ,jerusalem brethren3 8,but we believe that we shall be saved through the grace of the ,lord ,jesus1 in like manner as they40 7,acts #ae3aa47 ,how many ,jews may yet be converted to ,christ1 no one knows2 but those who are converted to ,christ will be in the one body with all converted ,gentiles1 8where there cannot be ,greek and ,jew1 circumcision and uncircumcision1 barbarian1 ,scythian1 bondman1 freeman2 but ,christ is all1 and in all40 7,col4 #c3aa47 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,much is said about preaching the truth in love1 and so it should be preached4 ,but in love of what8 ,the preacher should so love the truth that he will not sacrifice any of it nor pervert it1 and he should so love people that he will not withhold from them even an unpleasant truth4 ,he that does either of these things loves neither the truth nor the people4 ,we frequently fool ourselves2 we think we do thus and so to spare the feelings of others1 when it is our own feelings that prompt us4 8,preach the word2 be urgent in season1 out of season2 rebuke1 exhort1 with all longsuffering and teaching40 ,,ends ,,of ,,the ,,ages ,what does ,paul mean in the expression1 8,upon whom the ends of the ages are come08-- ,the dispensations are referred to as ages4 ,there have been the ,patriarchal age and the ,mosaic age1 and also we now have the ,christian age4 ,the ends1 or aims1 of both the ,patriarchal age and the ,mosaic age looked forward to the ,christian age4 ,christianity is the end of the ages--it is the last4 ,yet the future-kingdom advocates would have us believe that ,paul was mistaken2 that ,christianity is not the end of the ages1 but there will be at least two more ages4 ,but ,paul1 being inspired1 was right1 and ,christianity is the end of the ages4 ,and that settles the future-kingdom claims4 ,this is the ends of the ages4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 8,here am ,i2 send me40 ,to know the ,lord and to realize our dependence upon him makes us willing1 even anxious1 to do whatever he wants us to do4 ,there is something fearfully wrong with the heart of one who inquires concerning any duty4 ,will it pay8 ,is it pleasant work8 ,will ,i be thrown with the right sort of people8 ,will it enhance my reputation8 ,is the work below my dignity8 ,the true servant of the ,lord1 like ,isaiah1 says3 8,here am ,i2 send me40 ,like his ,lord he can say1 8,my meat is to do the will of him that sent me1 and to accomplish his work40 7,john #d3cd47 8,i delight to do thy will1 ,o my ,god2 yea1 thy law is within my heart40 7,ps4 #dj3h47 ,,the ,,four ,,beasts ,will you please give a scriptural answer as to who or what the four beasts refer in ,rev4 #d3f-i8 ,or give your idea as to what is meant by the four beasts4--,lee ,chumbley4 ,the ,scriptures do not tell us who or what the four beasts represent4 ,instead of beasts the ,american ,standard ,version has living creatures4 ,it could as well be translated living beings or living ones4 ,but that does not tell us who or what they represent4 ,if the querist will read on through the sixth chapter1 he will find some of the things these living beings did4 ,for one thing he will find that they had the power of speech4 ,but the person who tells who or what they represent tells that which he does not know to be true4 ,brother ,chumbley can find preachers who will tell him1 and he will also find that they do not agree4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,a tragedy1 to have any unity of action when played on the stage1 must be planned and written by one person--at least under the direction of one person4 ,imagine1 if you can1 a play written by several men1 neither of whom knew what the other was writing1 or that he was writing at all4 ,yet the tragedy of the trial and crucifixion of ,jesus was so written by the prophets4 ,and then the play--none of the actors in the drama1 save ,jesus1 knew that the part he was playing had been written1 yet each played his part according to the record4 ,god knew what would be done1 and had the prophets to write it down4 ,,points ,,in ,,revelation #ab ,a letter of some length from a good sister1 ,mrs4 ,l4 ,e4 ,jones1 tells about some things that came up in a class of which she is a member4 ,the teacher holds to the future-kingdom theory4 ,the class is going through the book of ,revelation4 ,the letter mentions several things that came up in their study of ,chapter #ab1 and from the letter ,i glean the following questions3 #a4 ,is the accuser of verse #aj the devil8 ,is it because of this accuser that ,christ intercedes for us8 ,it was so stated by a member of the class1 who also said that as ,god was not human1 he did not know what ,christ suffered4 ,is that true8 #b4 ,our teacher said that ,god was protecting and keeping the ,jews1 and that he had something special in store for them 7something nice74 ,i want you to answer in the ,gospel ,advocate as soon as convenient4 #c4 ,does the woman of verses #a-f1 #ac-ag represent the ,jews8 ,that was our teacher's idea4 #a4 ,from what is said in the context it seems clear that the devil was before ,god as the accuser of the brethren2 but as he was cast down from heaven to the earth1 how can anyone figure out that he is now before ,god accusing the brethren8 ,he is1 however1 doing all he can to lead them into sin4 ,hence1 the admonition3 8,be sober1 be watchful3 your adversary the devil1 as a roaring lion1 walketh about1 seeking whom he may devour40 7#a ,pet4 #e3h47 ,he is busying himself here on earth now4 ,jesus is our advocate with the ,father1 but ,i would not think he was before ,god engaged in a talk contest with the devil4 #b4 ,as ,god is no respecter of persons1 how can any believer in ,christ argue that a ,jew1 because he is a ,jew1 is yet to enjoy blessings that a ,gentile cannot hope to receive1 no matter how faithful he is1 simply because he is not a ,jew4 ,the theory contradicts the fundamental principles of the gospel4 ,those who hold to that theory judge after the flesh--a thing ,jesus condemned4 7,john #h3ae47 ,the theory encourages the ,jew to glory in his fleshly descent from ,abraham--to glory after the flesh4 ,such glorying ,paul said was foolishness4 7#b ,cor4 #aa3ag1 #ah47 ,it teaches the ,jew to have confidence in the flesh1 his ,jewish flesh4 ,paul had no such confidence2 to him such relationship was but refuse4 ,or1 as the ,king ,james ,version has it1 he counted such dependence on ,jewish flesh as but dung4 7,phil4 #c3b-h47 ,such is your teacher's theory4 ,christ died for all4 7#b ,cor4 #e3ae47 ,now notice the next verse 7verse #af73 8,wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh40 ,notice the force of the word henceforth--from now on4 ,yes1 the ,jews are still in the world2 so are the ,japanese and ,chinamen4 ,so what does that prove8 ,the person who assumes to know what ,god knows or does not know is about like a worm assuming to know what ,solomon knew and did not know4 #c4 ,any theory about the woman of chapter #ab is merely a guess1 for the record does not say who she was4 ,some commentators1 perhaps the majority of them1 say she was the church1 the dragon was the ,roman ,empire1 and the child was ,constantine4 ,i do not know4 ,but if the woman was the ,jewish nation and the child was ,jesus1 then she was a very unnatural mother1 for she killed her child6 ,but that leaves the dragon out of the picture1 and leaves us wondering about verse #f4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,,creating ,a ,,demand ,sometime ago a ,christian man asked a gospel preacher3 8,why do we not have great gospel sermons like those we used to hear80 ,the reply was3 8,there is no demand for them40 ,do that question and answer reveal conditions as they are8 ,have we reached the point where preaching is trimmed down to fit the demands of the times8 ,is preaching thus reduced to a matter of trade8 ,some factories make only those articles that are in demand4 ,but occasionally an article is offered for sale for which there had been no demand1 but the makers of such articles proceed to create a demand4 ,they do extensive advertising2 they extol the uses and virtues of their article till people want it4 ,and cannot we in the same way create a demand for the pure gospel in communities where there is no demand8 ,we cannot do it by dealing in religious soup4 ,there is a demand for the unadulterated gospel1 for great gospel sermons2 but the demand is not as extensive nor as intensive as it should be4 ,even in some churches of ,christ there is not as strong demand for gospel sermons as there should be4 ,when an elder can say1 as some of them have said1 8,so far as ,i am concerned1 ,i do not care whether our preacher can preach or not10 it is time we were waking up4 ,,questions ,,on ,,revelation #bj4 ,e4 ,b4 ,taylor asks seven or eight questions on the twentieth chapter of ,revelation4 ,to give answer to all these questions would require an exegesis of the chapter4 ,for me that is impossible4 ,the chapter abounds in figures of speech4 ,many have read into that chapter things that are not in it4 ,they also make some of it figurative and the rest literal1 as the needs of their theory require4 ,with them a day in some of the prophecies is a year1 but they take the thousand years as literal4 ,yet they will not say that the devil is a real snake1 nor that the chain is a literal chain1 nor that the beast is a real four-footed animal4 ,here are some of the things in this chapter that ,i do not know3 ,who the angel is1 what the key is1 the great chain1 why the devil is called a snake1 what the binding means1 the thousand years1 when the thousand years end1 the abyss and how it was sealed1 length of the 8little time10 who sat on thrones1 what judgment was given them1 the extent of that judgment1 what the beast is1 the image1 mark of the beast1 the war of verse #h1 ,gog and ,magog1 the camp of the saints1 how devoured by fire1 the lake1 the beast of verse #aj1 who the false prophet is1 nor how there can be day and night in eternity4 ,yet the chapter makes some plain statements4 ,we may not know who the martyrs are1 yet it is affirmed of them1 and of no one else1 that 8they lived1 and reigned with ,christ a thousand years40 ,when or where this reigning is1 was1 or is to be1 is not stated4 ,but it is stated in verse #f that those who have part in the first resurrection 8shall be priests of ,god and of ,christ1 and shall reign with him a thousand years40 ,hence1 they are to be priests and to reign at the same time--a royal priesthood4 ,it is plain that they were to reign while they were priests1 but ,christians are priests now4 ,leaving out to be1 words supplied by the translator1 ,revelations #a3f reads thus3 8,he made us a kingdom1 priests unto his ,god and ,father40 ,being kings and priests1 ,christians are a royal priesthood4 7,see #a ,pet4 #b3i47 ,in #bj3ab1 ,john saw the dead standing before the throne4 ,the dead1 not a part of the dead4 ,this is in perfect harmony with the ,savior's description of the judgment in ,matt4 #be3ca-df4 ,it is argued by some that this is a judgment of nations--kingdoms--instead of individuals4 ,but nations in the ,greek is neuter2 but the pronoun them in verse #cb is masculine1 and1 therefore1 refers to people1 and not to nations as such4 ,at the judgment1 therefore1 all--the small and the great--will stand before the throne4 ,this is also made clear in #b ,thess4 #a3g-aj4 ,there it is declared that ,jesus will take vengeance on the wicked 8when he shall come to be glorified in his saints40 ,and the last verse in the twentieth chapter of ,revelations shows that some will be at that judgment1 whose names are written in the book of life4 ,,several ,,questions #a4 ,do you believe in the 8secret rapture0 theory8 #b4 ,will there be any life on the earth during the millennium period8 #a4 ,the word rapture is from a ,latin word that means 8to carry off by force40 ,by some strange aberration some religious folks applied that term to the ,lord's taking saints from the earth1 as if they will have to be forced to go or somebody or power will have to be forced to let them go--a sort of seizing and carrying away4 ,but ,i could not believe in the 8secret rapture0 unless ,i had some evidence4 ,that evidence is lacking4 #b4 ,i have found no evidence that there is to be a thousand-year period in which there will be no life on the earth4 ,there is evidence1 however1 that there will be life on the earth so long as the earth continues4 8,while the earth remaineth1 seedtime and harvest1 and cold and heat1 and summer and winter1 and day and night shall not cease40 7,gen4 #h3bb47 ,a careful reading of #b ,pet4 #c3a-ad will show that so long as the earth remaineth ,christians are exhorted to be 8looking for and earnestly desiring the coming of the day of ,god1 by reason of which the heavens being on fire shall be dissolved1 and the elements shall melt with fervent heat40 ,any student can find other evidence to the same import4 ,but suppose one believes the affirmative of both these questions1 what is practical about such belief8 ,if you hold to a notion that helps neither your faith nor your practice1 why waste time with it8 ,why disturb others with it8 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,jesus came to save sinners1 not to make sinners4 ,people were sinners before ,jesus came1 and they would have continued to be sinners had not ,jesus come4 ,if people do not believe in him1 they continue sinning just as they would have done had he not come4 ,though ,jesus was moved with compassion at the sight of human suffering1 his miracles of healing were not performed primarily to relieve suffering4 ,if that were so1 he would cure all sick folks even now1 or cause that no one would ever be afflicted in any way4 ,his miracles were performed as signs that ,god was with him4 ,jesus put a higher value on man than on animals4 8,how much then is a man of more value than a sheep6 ,wherefore it is lawful to do good on the sabbath day40 7,matt4 #ab3ab47 ,there is something of vast worth in man1 else ,god would not have been mindful of him4 ,part ,,ii ,,discussions ,,prediction ,,or ,,prophecy ,the word 8predict0 comes from a compound ,latin word that means1 8to say10 or 8tell before02 hence1 to prophesy4 ,but many words in the course of time have somewhat changed in meaning2 8predict0 is such a word4 ,in giving synonyms under 8foretell0 ,webster says1 8#8,foretell' 7,saxon7 and #8predict' 7,latin7 are often interchangeable2 but predict is now commonly used when inference from facts 7rather than occult processes7 is involved40 ,hence when a man considers facts and trends and draws a conclusion as to what will be the outcome1 that is prediction4 ,did ,bible prophecies originate that way8 ,no2 8444 knowing this first1 that no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation4 ,for no prophecy ever came by the will of man3 but men spake from ,god1 being moved by the ,holy ,spirit40 7#b ,pet #a3ai-ba74 ,verse #ba really explains verse #bj4 ,prophecy was never a forecast of events based on conditions and trends of the times2 it was not a private interpretation of the culmination of trends4 ,it did not come 7,greek1 8was not brought07 by the will of man2 8but men spake from ,god1 being moved by the ,holy ,spirit40 ,hence1 no prophecy came as a result of a man's own private interpretation of trends and events of the times4 ,if a man should draw a conclusion from facts and trends1 such conclusion could1 in a loose sense1 be called a prophecy1 a prophecy of private interpretation1 a prophecy that came by the will of man2 but ,peter speaks of the prophecy of scripture4 ,such prophecy is not of the private interpretation of facts and trends4 ,notice the contrast--8no prophecy of scripture is of private interpretation 444 but men spoke from ,god1 being moved by the ,holy ,spirit40 ,the passage has no reference to what should be done about prophecy that had already been written1 but to weave together a mass of prophecies1 most of which have been fulfilled1 and make a scheme for the future1 practically amounts to a man-made prophecy--a prophecy that comes by the will of man4 ,even the prophets did not understand their own prophecies--did not know but that 8the sufferings of ,christ1 and the glory that should follow them1 8was meant for themselves10 till ,god revealed to them 8that not unto themselves1 but unto you did they minister these things0 7#a ,pet4 #a3aj-ab74 ,but it seems that a host of preachers and editors today think they know more about the prophecies than did the prophets who uttered them4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,a privilege is a right which we may exercise or not1 as we choose4 ,attending the annual feasts of the ,jews was a privilege with the women4 ,they could stay at home or go1 without guilt4 ,to the men1 attending these feasts was not a privilege1 but a duty4 ,to fail brought guilt4 ,christians should do some serious thinking to determine their privileges and their duties4 ,to say that a certain thing is both a privilege and a duty is about as sensible as to say that a certain thing is both black and white4 ,to be baptized1 to attend the ,lord's-day worship1 to give1 to study ,god's word1 and to obey all other commands are duties1 and are not privileges in any proper sense of the word4 ,,prophecy ,a prophecy is anything ,god reveals through an inspired spokesman4 ,it might be concerning future events or present duties and warnings4 ,but in this article ,i shall use the word in its common acceptation--namely1 as a revelation of things future as to the time the prophecy was given4 ,it was no uncommon thing for prophecies to be delivered in highly figurative language4 ,in such cases the prophecy was to be fulfilled in the sense conveyed by the figurative language4 ,it is a common saying that the ,bible means exactly what it says1 but that is never true when things are spoken in figurative language4 ,we all use figurative language4 ,when ,paul said1 8,beware of the dogs10 no one thinks he referred to literal dogs4 ,when ,jesus called ,herod a 8fox10 he used figurative language1 and no one thinks he meant that ,herod was a literal fox4 ,in his recent book on prophecy a certain brother says3 8,expect a literal fulfillment4 ,this is ,god's way of fulfilling prophecy4 ,every prophecy which the ,bible says has been fulfilled has been fulfilled literally40 ,that is a broad statement4 ,can he make proof8 ,let him try his dictum on ,isa4 #dj3c1 #d3 8,the voice of one that crieth1 ,prepare ye in the wilderness the way of ,jehovah2 make level in the desert a highway for our ,god4 ,every valley shall be exalted1 and every mountain and hill shall be made low2 and the uneven shall be made level1 and the rough places a plain40 ,a literal fulfillment of that prophecy would require mountains and hills to be torn down and valleys to be filled up4 ,now1 ,luke 7#c3d1 #e7 quotes this prophecy and applies it to the work of ,john the ,baptist4 ,and ,matthew distinctly says that ,john the ,baptist was the one of whom ,isaiah prophesied4 7,matt4 #c3c74 ,this one fulfillment of prophecy completely upsets his dictum1 unless the author contends that ,john had a contract to construct a literal highway1 and literally leveled mountains and hills and filled up valleys1 as highway builders do4 ,but we had never thought of ,john the ,baptist as a road contractor6 ,another highly figurative prophecy is the following3 8,and the wolf shall dwell with the lamb1 and the leopard shall lie down with the kid2 and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together2 and a little child shall lead them4 ,and the cow and the bear shall feed2 their young ones shall lie down together2 and the lion shall eat straw like the ox4 ,and the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp1 and the weaned child shall put his hand on the adder's den4 ,they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain2 for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of ,jehovah1 as the waters cover the sea40 7,isa4 #aa3f-i74 ,but we are told that this must have its literal fulfillment1 and that the time will come when all beasts of prey shall be thoroughly changed and gentled4 ,if all prophecies must be literally fulfilled1 what about the first verse of this chapter8 ,will a literal shoot and branch come up from the literal stock and roots of ,jesse8 ,and ,isaiah 7#ee3ab7 spoke of a coming time when 8the mountains and the hills shall break forth before you into singing2 and all the trees of the field shall clap their hands40 ,and we are gravely admonished to expect a literal fulfillment of all prophecies6 ,but what about the animals8 ,the kings of ,assyria and ,babylon are called 8lions40 7,jer4 #d3g2 #ej3ag47 ,the princes in ,jerusalem were called 8roaring lions10 and the judges 8wolves40 7,zeph4 #c3c47 ,the princes of ,israel were called 8whelps10 and their mother 8a lioness02 and one of these whelps became a lion6 7,ezek4 #ai3a-i47 ,david referred to certain of his enemies as 8bulls0 7,ps4 #bb3ab71 and ,amos refers to certain people as the 8kine of ,bashan0 7,amos #d3a74 ,jesus called certain people 8wolves0 7,matt4 #g3ae2 #aj3af71 and ,paul said to the elders of ,ephesus3 8,grievous wolves shall enter in among you1 not sparing the flock0 7,acts #bj3bi74 ,will the future-kingdom advocates contend that this prophecy of ,paul's was literally fulfilled8 ,had our brother been present1 would he have looked for literal wolves to destroy that church8 ,if so1 he would have missed the force of ,paul's words entirely4 ,if these elders had been guided by the above dictum1 they would have gone out on a literal wolf hunt6 ,men of ferocious disposition are to be tamed and gentled by the gospel of ,christ2 but even that will not be universal1 so far as this prophecy indicates4 ,the prophecy does not make any affirmation concerning the whole world4 ,the key to a proper understanding of the prophecy which is quoted above is found in the last verse3 8,they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain3 for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of ,jehovah1 as the waters cover the sea40 ,it is in ,jehovah's holy mountain where this gentleness shall be--where no hurt shall be done4 ,the mountain of ,jehovah1 in ,isaiah's language1 refers to ,jehovah's government3 8,and it shall come to pass in the latter days1 that the mountain of ,jehovah's house shall be established on the top of the mountains1 and shall be exalted above the hills2 and all nations shall flow unto it4 ,and many peoples shall go and say1 ,come ye1 and let us go up to the mountain of ,jehovah1 to the house of the ,god of ,jacob2 and he will teach us of his ways1 and we will walk in his paths2 for out of ,zion shall go forth the law1 and the word of ,jehovah from ,jerusalem40 7,isa4 #b3b1 #c47 ,it is in this holy mountain1 this church1 or house1 of ,god1 where 8they shall not hurt nor destroy02 and the reason is given3 8,for the earth shall be full of the knowledge of ,jehovah1 as the waters cover the sea40 ,certainly no one will contend that wild beasts will be so full of the knowledge of ,god that they will not hurt nor destroy4 ,but ferocious men do become gentle under the influence of the gospel2 they must be thus gentled before they can enter ,jehovah's holy mountain4 ,one more thought4 ,if1 in studying prophecy1 we are to expect a literal fulfillment1 and if that is ,god's way of fulfilling all prophecies1 then what are we to do with ,isa4 #b3b1 #c and #dj3c1 #d8 ,the mountains and hills are to be leveled down1 and yet ,jehovah's mountain is to be established on the top of the mountains and exalted above the hills4 ,how can both things take place literally8 ,so it appears that their dictum on the literal fulfillment of prophecies makes it impossible for prophecies to be literally fulfilled4 ,,shall ,,we ,,look ,,for ,a ,,literal ,,fulfillment ,,of ,,all ,,prophecy8 ,the future-kingdom advocates put great stress on the literal application of ,old ,testament prophecies4 ,a ,prophecy concerning ,israel must be applied to ,israel in the flesh1 and ,jerusalem means the ,jerusalem in ,palestine4 ,zion must have its literal application1 and so with 8throne0 and 8kingdom01 etc4 ,with them1 there must be no 8spiritualizing40 ,the lamb and the lion must refer to literal lion and lamb4 ,but will they stick to that line8 ,hardly4 ,isaiah said3 8,every valley shall be exalted1 and every mountain and hill shall be made low2 and the uneven shall be made level1 and the rough places plain40 7,isa4 #dj3d47 ,now1 the inspired historians of the ,new ,testament applied that ,scripture to the work of ,john the ,baptist2 yet we are told by the future-kingdom advocates that every prophecy must have its plain1 literal fulfillment4 ,if so1 the inspired ,new ,testament writers were mistaken on this point1 and that prophecy has not yet been fulfilled4 ,but we are told that the prophecies mean exactly what they say4 ,now1 is that really so8 ,then1 what about the four beasts in ,daniel #g8 8,four great beasts came up from the sea1 diverse one from the other40 ,yes1 it is true that these matters were interpreted for us1 but it is also true that the interpretation shows that the four beasts were not actually four beasts4 ,it also shows1 as do other passages1 that many prophecies are couched in highly figurative language4 ,the prophecy concerning the work of ,john 7,isa4 #dj7 shows how highly figurative some prophecies are4 ,or will the future-kingdom folks say that even this prophecy must yet have its literal fulfillment8 ,but it is contended that the throne of ,david means the rule over the fleshly house of ,israel in the land of ,palestine1 and that unless ,christ rules over the ,jewish nation in the land of ,palestine he does not occupy the throne of ,david4 ,he must have a civil government1 with ,israelites as citizens and the land of ,palestine as the territory2 otherwise1 he does not occupy the same throne ,david did4 ,this would imply that the kingdom over which ,christ rules must be an exact replica of the kingdom as it was in the days of ,david4 ,if not1 why not8 ,if it can be changed in one particular1 why not in others8 ,it is argued that ,god's oath to ,david 7,ps4 #hi3cd1 #ce7 precludes the possibility of any change in the kingdom4 ,but even after so arguing1 do our future-kingdom advocates outline a kingdom just like the kingdom of ,david8 ,they do not4 ,here are a few points wherein the kingdom of ,david differs from the future kingdom as outlined by its advocates3 ,david's reign was local2 ,christ's reign to be worldwide4 ,every kind of ,israelite1 good and bad1 citizens in ,david's kingdom3 only regenerated ,israelites to be citizens in ,christ's kingdom4 ,fleshly birth made citizens of ,david's kingdom2 a ,jew must be born again to be a citizen of ,christ's kingdom4 ,every child of ,hebrew parents was in ,david's kingdom2 children must be old enough to voluntarily accept ,christ to be in the future kingdom4 ,david was king1 family of ,aaron were priests then2 ,christ to be both ,king and ,priest4 ,some rather unruly men were helpers in ,david's kingdom2 only true and tried ,christians are to reign with ,christ4 7,here the future kingdom as outlined by its advocates radically differs from ,david's kingdom47 ,david's kingdom was constantly beset by its enemies2 no enemies to the future kingdom4 ,david's kingdom constantly organized for war2 nothing like that in the future kingdom4 ,in ,david's kingdom they learned war2 in the future kingdom they shall learn war no more4 ,david reigned while the devil was loose and doing his worst2 we are told that ,christ cannot begin his reign till ,satan is bound4 ,moses was the lawgiver of the old kingdom2 ,christ is to be the lawgiver for the future kingdom4 ,and that is not all2 but we grow weary of the task of enumerating the differences4 ,yet we are told that1 if there is any alteration1 the throne of the kingdom cannot be the throne of ,david4 ,when ,jehovah called ,israel out of ,egypt1 he told them that1 if they would obey his voice1 they would be unto him 8a kingdom of priests1 and a holy nation40 7,ex4 #ai3e1 #f47 ,but had not ,god always exercised universal dominion over all the works of his hands8 ,certainly1 but now he was to rule in a special way over a special people4 ,as this people were to have no earthly head1 they were not to be like the nations around them1 and were not to be reckoned among the ,nations4 ,god made their laws1 and gave direction for their execution4 ,this state of things continued till the days of ,samuel4 ,then the people asked for a king that they might be like the nations around them4 ,that was a rejection of ,jehovah as their king4 ,saul was put on the throne1 and the kingdom became his4 ,he was rejected and the kingdom given to ,david4 ,these men and the descendants of ,david occupied the throne that belonged peculiarly and specially to ,jehovah4 ,jehovah occupied that throne before ,saul or ,david1 and that throne continued after the last son of ,david reigned4 ,the royal family of ,david fell into decay1 but did ,jehovah's rule over ,israel cease8 ,did not his throne continue as it did before ,saul became king8 ,it is true that the ,jews were rarely independent1 but were they any less under the rule of ,jehovah when they were subject to other nations8 ,did not the kingdom continue with them8 ,before becoming excited at these words1 read ,matt4 #ba3dc3 8,therefore say ,i unto you1 the kingdom of ,god shall be taken away from you1 and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof40 ,how could the kingdom be taken from them1 if it was not then with them8 ,the ,lord was then developing that nation to whom the kingdom was to be given1 and to whom it was given on the first ,pentecost after his resurrection4 ,on ,pentecost1 ,peter preached that ,god had raised up ,jesus to sit on ,david's throne4 ,it has been argued that ,peter does not say that he then sat upon that throne4 ,if not1 what point was there in mentioning it8 ,after mentioning it1 ,peter says3 8,being therefore by the right hand of ,god exalted10 etc4 ,if that is not a conclusion from what he said about the throne of ,david1 why the 8therefore08 ,would ,peter--would any speaker--make an argument about the throne of ,david1 and conclude that 8therefore0 ,jesus had been exalted to something else1 something he had not even mentioned8 ,are we seriously expected to believe such absurdities8 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,by faith ,noah built the ark4 ,faith only--that is1 faith without works--is dead4 ,such faith never would have built the ark2 neither does it ever accomplish anything nor bring any blessings4 ,faith prompted and guided ,noah in building the ark1 and so it is said that he built the ark by faith--a faith made perfect by works4 ,god has always tested man's willingness to do his will4 ,to be a real test1 the thing commanded must be such that the person can see no connection between the thing commanded and the result to be obtained4 ,examples3 ,the brazen serpent 7,num4 #ba3d-i72 ,naaman's dipping in the ,jordan 7#b ,kings #e3a-ai74 ,baptism is such a test4 8,religion0 is a broad term4 ,there are many religions1 but only one true religion4 ,it would be better now to speak of 8,the place of ,christianity in a nation's life40 ,,abraham ,,and ,,the ,,land ,,promise ,when ,god called ,abraham out of the ,chaldees1 he made certain promises to him1 one of which is this3 8,in thee shall all the families of the earth be blessed40 7,gen4 #ab3a-c74 ,then when ,abraham stood the test about offering up ,isaac1 ,god added this to the other promises3 8,in thy seed shall all the nations of the earth be blessed40 ,that this promise refers to ,christ is made clear by ,paul3 8,now to ,abraham were the promises spoken1 and to his seed4 ,he saith not1 ,and to seeds1 as of many2 but as of one1 and to thy seed1 which is ,christ40 7,gal4 #c3af74 ,paul's language shows clearly that the promised seed of ,abraham was none other than ,christ ,jesus4 ,it is a perversion of the promise to make it refer to all fleshly children of ,abraham or to those who are children by faith4 ,christians are blessings to others only as they allow ,christ to use them as his instruments4 ,universalists use the promise to ,abraham in an effort to prove that all people will be saved1 but they ignore the conditionality of promises4 ,it is not my purpose to discuss ,universalism1 but call attention to these statements3 8,ye will not come to me1 that ye may have life40 7,john #e3dj74 8,he that disbelieveth shall be condemned40 7,mark #af3af74 8,and these shall go away into eternal punishment40 7,matt4 #be3df74 ,a person who will not believe these scriptures1 and others that might be cited1 will not believe anything he does not want to believe4 ,the future kingdom folks have twisted the land-promise in support of their future plans for the ,lord4 ,the land-promise to ,abraham did not produce the speculation about the future return of the ,jews to ,palestine2 but their return is an essential part of the future kingdom theory1 and that made it necessary to claim that the land promise still holds good4 ,let us look into this matter briefly4 8,and ,jehovah appeared unto ,abram1 and said1 ,unto thy seed will ,i give this land40 7,gen4 #ab3g74 8,and he said unto him1 ,i am ,jehovah that brought thee out of ,ur of the ,chaldees1 to give you this land to inherit it40 7,gen4 #ae3g74 ,but ,abram did not believe ,jehovah1 and said1 8,o ,lord ,jehovah1 whereby shall ,i know that ,i shall inherit it80 ,for that unbelief1 ,god required him to prepare three animals and two birds for a sacrifice1 and then ,jehovah did not honor his sacrifice with fire from heaven2 and ,abram had to protect his sacrifices from birds of prey4 ,then he fell into a deep sleep2 8,and lo1 a horror of great darkness fell upon him40 ,then ,jehovah revealed to him the future bondage of his seed1 and their deliverance4 ,this showed ,abram how ,god was displeased with ,abram's unbelief4 ,it is significant that ,god left ,abram out of his next promise3 8,in that day ,jehovah made a covenant with ,abram1 saying1 ,unto thy seed have ,i given this land40 ,you see1 ,abram would have died long before they returned from ,egypt4 ,as we proceed it is well to remember the wording of this covenant-promise1 and that ,abraham is not included in it4 ,yet so long as ,abraham lived1 he was included in the land promise4 7,see ,gen4 #ag3h74 ,and of course1 when the land-promise was made to ,isaac and to ,jacob after the death of ,abraham1 he was not included 7,gen4 #bf3b1 #c2 #bh3ac74 ,it is urged by some that ,god promised the land to ,abraham as an individual1 yet ,stephen says that ,god 8gave him none inheritance in it1 no1 not so much as to set his foot on40 7,acts #g3e74 ,it is affirmed that this promise must yet be fulfilled2 yet ,abraham had all the grazing rights he needed4 ,the land therefore was his to use4 ,but the future kingdom advocates overlook another statement ,stephen made3 ,after mentioning ,israel's going down into ,egypt1 ,stephen said1 8,but as the time of the promise drew nigh which ,god vouchsafed unto ,abraham1 the people grew and multiplied in ,egypt40 7verse #ag74 ,this was the land promise which ,god made to ,abraham--8,god vouchsafed unto ,abraham40 ,the time for the fulfilling of that promise to ,abraham had drawn nigh4 ,the language cannot be twisted to mean anything else3 ,so the ,lord led ,israel out of the land of ,egypt and into the land of ,canaan4 ,was this land promise which was 8vouchsafed to ,abraham10 and which had drawn nigh fulfilled8 ,joshua answers that question4 8,so ,jehovah gave unto ,israel all the land which he sware to give unto their fathers2 and they possessed it1 dwelt therein4444 ,there failed not aught of any good thing which ,jehovah had spoken unto the house of ,israel2 all came to pass40 7,josh4 #ba3dc-de74 ,in his farewell address ,joshua said1 8,and1 behold1 this day ,i am going the way of all the earth3 and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls1 that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which ,jehovah your ,god spake concerning you2 all are come to pass unto you1 not one thing hath failed thereof40 7,josh4 #bc3ad74 ,language could not be plainer2 or more emphatic4 ,and a man who will not believe what ,joshua says will not believe anything he does not want to believe4 ,we have been told that the land promise was unconditional2 but the fact that the ,jews were carried into captivity because of their sins and the further fact that they are not now in ,palestine1 and also the fact that at the beginning they had to drive the nations out1 show how foolish it is to say that the land promise was not conditional4 ,the ,jews increased in their wickedness till they crucified ,christ and tried to destroy his church4 ,for these crimes they lost the land and their national existence2 and now they have no more right to ,palestine than to ,italy1 or any other country4 ,notice the wording of ,god's promise to ,abraham3 8,i will give unto thee1 and to thy seed after thee1 the land of thy sojournings1 all the land of ,canaan1 for an everlasting possession40 7,gen4 #ag3h74 8,after thee0--does that preposition 8after0 mean any thing to you8 ,the land was given to ,abraham1 and to his seed after him--a succession of ownership1 first ,abraham and after him his seed4 ,so if that promise is yet to be fulfilled1 then ,abraham will first occupy the land1 how long no one knows1 then it passes to his seed4 ,look at the language carefully1 and it will mean something to you4 ,you cannot ignore that preposition 8after40 ,it is clear enough if you recognize the fact that ,abraham had full use of the land while he lived1 and that after him his seed had the land4 ,,the ,,time ,,of ,,promise ,in the discussion about the land promise made to ,abraham1 one plain statement seems to have been overlooked4 ,but1 first1 let us get before us an argument that some make on that promise4 ,it is argued that the promise was made direct to ,abraham and was meant to be fulfilled to him in person1 and yet ,stephen informs us that ,god 8gave him none inheritance in it1 no1 not so much as to set his foot on40 7,acts #g3e74 ,assuming that the promise to ,abraham meant that he would have title and right to the land in his own person1 it is therefore argued that he must yet have it in his possession4 ,it is therefore argued that the ,jews must return to ,palestine1 so that the promise to ,abraham may be fulfilled4 ,but in thus making ,abraham and the nation of ,israel joint-owners of the land at the same time--they overlook the promise as ,stephen stated it3 8and he promised that he would give it to him in possession1 and to his seed after him40 ,notice that word after--first to ,abraham1 then to 8his seed after him40 ,notice again this word after in ,gen4 #ag3h 8,i will give unto thee1 and to thy seed after thee1 the land of thy sojourning1 all the land of ,canaan40 ,abraham first1 then his seed after him4 ,i wonder how long these future kingdom folks think ,abraham is to possess the land before it comes into the possession of his seed after him6 ,the emphasis the future kingdom folks place on their idea that the land was to be given to ,abraham in person will not allow them to concede the truth that the promise was made to him as the head or father of a nation to be possessed by the nation of whom he was the father4 ,the head or father of a nation is sometimes put for the nation--is sometimes spoken of as a nation4 ,before ,jacob and ,esau were born1 ,jehovah said to ,rebecca1 8,two nations are in thy womb1 and two peoples shall be separated from thy bowels3 and the one people shall be stronger than the other people2 and the elder shall serve the younger40 7,gen4 #be3bc74 ,these statements or promises concerning these unborn sons were to be fulfilled centuries after they were born--fulfilled in their descendants4 ,to rebellious ,king ,saul1 ,samuel said1 8,jehovah hath rent the kingdom of ,israel from thee this day1 and hath given it to a neighbor of thine1 that is better than thou40 7#a ,sam4 #ae3bh47 ,yet that threat was never visited upon ,saul in person1 for he continued to be king so long as he lived4 ,now1 that threat to ,saul was as personal as was the land promise to ,abraham4 ,why does not some wild scribe argue that ,saul must be raised again and put on the throne of ,israel1 so ,god can fulfill his threat866 ,the threat was fulfilled in the family of ,saul just as the land promise to ,abraham was fulfilled to his descendants4 ,and that is exactly the way the land promise to ,abraham was fulfilled4 ,after ,stephen spoke of this land promise1 he said1 8,but as the time of the promise drew nigh which ,god vouchsafed unto ,abraham1 the people grew and multiplied in ,egypt40 7,acts #g3ag47 8,the time of the promise0 can mean nothing else than the time for the fulfillment of the promise4 ,that time had drawn nigh1 and things began to shape up for the fulfillment of that promise4 ,those who claim that the promise has not yet been fulfilled have a quarrel with ,stephen4 ,at the proper time ,moses was sent to lead ,israel out of ,egypt4 ,in giving instructions concerning the passover1 ,moses said1 8,and it shall come to pass1 when ye are come to the land which ,jehovah will give you1 according as he hath promised1 that ye shall keep this service40 7,ex4 #ab3be47 ,hence when they should come into their possessions in ,canaan1 that was exactly what ,god had promised4 ,again ,moses refers to ,canaan as the land which ,jehovah 8sware unto thy fathers to give thee40 7,ex4 #ac3e47 ,this same promise is referred to many times in ,deuteronomy4 ,a few of the many passages3 7#f3c1 #aj1 #ah1 #bc2 #h3a2 #ca3bj47 ,these passages teach plainly that the possession of the land of ,canaan by ,israel would be the fulfillment of the land promise made to ,abraham1 ,isaac1 and ,jacob4 ,joshua so understood it2 for when the tribes of ,israel came into possession of the territories allotted them1 he said1 8,and behold this day ,i am going the way of all the earth3 and ye know in all your hearts and in all your souls1 that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which ,jehovah your ,god spake concerning you3 all are come to pass unto you1 not one thing hath failed thereof4 ,and it shall come to pass1 that as all the good things are come upon you of which ,jehovah your ,god spake unto you1 so will ,jehovah bring upon you all the evil things1 until he have destroyed you from off this good land which ,jehovah your ,god hath given you40 7,josh4 #bc3ad1 #ae47 ,,rebellion ,,of ,,israel--,a ,,kingdom ,,born4 ,when ,jehovah led the ,israelites out of ,egyptian bondage1 he said to them1 8,ye have seen what ,i did unto the ,egyptians1 and how ,i bare you on eagles' wings1 and brought you unto myself4 ,now therefore1 if ye will obey my voice indeed1 and keep my covenant1 then ye shall be mine own possession from among all peoples3 for all the earth is mine3 and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests1 and a holy nation40 7,ex4 #ai3d-f47 ,of course1 ,god1 in a general way1 ruled over all the works of his hands1 but in a special sense he ruled over the nation of ,israel4 ,for a long time ,jehovah was their only king4 ,in emergencies he raised up judges to deliver them from their enemies4 ,but in the course of time they became dissatisfied with that sort of thing4 ,their sins brought them into trouble1 and they thought that it was the efficiency of the governments surrounding them4 8,then all the elders of ,israel gathered themselves together1 and came to ,samuel unto ,ramah2 and they said unto him1 ,behold thou art old1 and thy sons walk not in thy ways3 now make us a king to judge us like all the nations4 ,but the thing displeased ,samuel1 when they said1 ,give us a king to judge us4 ,and ,samuel prayed unto ,jehovah4 ,and ,jehovah said unto ,samuel1 ,hearken unto the voice of the people in all that they say unto thee2 for they have not rejected thee1 but they have rejected me1 that ,i should not be king over them40 7#a ,sam4 #h3d-g47 ,nevertheless1 ,jehovah told ,samuel to inform the people fully as to how the king which they desired would oppress them1 and ,samuel did so4 8,but the people refused to hearken unto the voice of ,samuel2 and they said1 ,nay2 but we will have a king over us1 that we also may be like all the nations1 and that our king may judge us1 and go out before us1 and fight our battles40 7,verses #ai1 #bj47 ,saul was selected as king1 though some were not pleased with the selection4 ,soon after being made king1 ,saul smashed the armies of the ,ammonites in a great battle4 ,then ,samuel knew that it was an appropriate time to gather the people together and 8renew the kingdom40 ,they were called together at ,gilgal1 and there ,samuel resigned as judge in a solemn address to the people4 ,he told them that1 although they had asked for a king when ,jehovah was their ,king1 ,jehovah would bless them and their king1 if they and their king obeyed his voice4 ,his speech and the rain that came at ,samuel's call so impressed the people that they said3 8,we have added unto all our sins this evil1 to ask us a king40 7#a ,sam4 #ab3ai47 ,this kingdom1 which was conceived in a desire to be like other nations1 born in open rebellion against ,god1 and tolerated through the forbearance of ,god1 is the kingdom that some people would have us believe ,god yet intends to restore and enlarge4 ,that kingdom restored is1 we are told1 the hope of ,israel6 ,that is the kingdom over which ,jesus and the church will yet rule1 and through which all the world will be blessed6 ,who can believe it8 ,i am aware that a question like this may occur to some one3 ,if that kingdom was established in rebellion against ,god1 how is it that ,jehovah promised the throne of ,david to the ,christ8 ,but if we were unable to give a satisfactory answer to that question1 it would not change what the ,lord says as to the spirit that brought that kingdom into existence4 ,but the question presents no real difficulty4 ,before the people called for a king so as to be like the nations1 ,jehovah was their king2 he alone occupied the throne4 ,of course you understand that 8throne0 means authority to rule1 rulership1 kingly authority4 ,when ,saul1 ,david1 or ,solomon ruled over ,god's people1 he occupied the throne of ,jehovah4 ,it was called ,david's throne because he occupied it1 and not because it was his by right4 ,if people could ever get it settled in their minds that ,david really sat on ,jehovah's throne1 it would save them from some confusion4 ,but these two quotations show that the throne of ,david and the throne of ,jehovah are the same3 8,and ,solomon sat upon the throne of ,david his father40 7#a ,kings #b3ab47 8,then ,solomon sat on the throne of ,jehovah as king instead of ,david his father40 7#a ,chron4 #bi3bc47 ,it is plain that ,jehovah's throne was called ,david's because he occupied it4 ,he who rules over ,god's people occupies the same throne that ,david occupied4 ,no one will deny that ,jesus now rules over ,god's people or1 if you like the expression better1 rules in the hearts of ,god's people4 ,to acknowledge that he does so rule is to acknowledge that he sits on the throne on which ,david sat4 ,this truth has nothing to do with the fact that the people of ,israel sinned in wanting a king so as to be like the nations around them4 8,i have given thee a king in mine anger1 and have taken him away in my wrath40 7,hos4 #ac3aa47 ,,neither--,,nor ,in the ,may issue of ,word and ,work1 ,stanford ,chambers writes under the above caption as follows3 ,one was recently heard to say publicly3 8,i am neither a premillennialist nor a postmillennialist40 ,i think ,i saw the same from the pen of some writer4 ,it is difficult to see how one can avoid being one or the other4 ,a man might say3 8,i am neither an immersionist nor a nonimmersionist40 ,how could that be1 unless he disregards baptism entirely8 ,just so in regard to the return of our ,lord2 it is either before the millennium1 that is1 premillennial1 or it is after it1 that is1 postmillennial4 ,whoever disavows the event of his coming until the close of the millennium1 whoever puts the millennium anywhere preceding the coming1 is a postmillennialist1 whatever he disavows or denies4 ,just because the ,lord ,jesus may come at any time1 and because it is an event he has commanded us to watch for and to pray about1 ,i dare not put a thousand years between me and the fulfillment4 ,hence1 ,i am a premillennial1 and can no more help it than ,i can help being an immersionist4 8,but what difference does it make whether ,i am #8pre' or #8,post'80 ,i should say not enough in and of itself1 merely1 for it to be made a test of fellowship as has been attempted even by some 8,neither 444 ,nor's40 ,but it might make a great deal of difference for a man to put a thousand years between him and the coming of ,jesus4 ,our ,saviour himself shows the likely effect for one to say3 8,my ,lord delays his coming40 ,again1 it might make a great deal of difference for him to teach men so4 ,it is a serious thing to oppose any one's quoting1 8,the ,lord is at hand10 or 8,the ,judge standeth before the door10 or 8,the end of all things is at hand10 or 8,when ye see these things1 know that he is near40 ,too much store is being set by this 8what difference does it make80 ,the postmillennial error has many attendant malinterpretations it were well to avoid4 ,as every truth of ,god's word is helpful1 so every error is harmful1 and any error may lead to fatality4 8,prove all things1 hold fast that which is good40 ,yes1 ,i have said publicly1 both orally and in print1 that ,i am neither a premillennialist nor a postmillenialist4 ,the ,gospel ,advocate has been all along making a heroic effort to steer clear of all party1 or class1 names4 ,but ,brother ,chambers thinks it cannot be done4 ,he does not see how a man can keep from being a premillennialist or a postmillennialist4 ,in his estimation a man cannot be simply a ,christian2 he must have some sort of a descriptive term to designate what sort of ,christian he is4 ,and so we have premillennial ,christians and postmillennial ,christians4 ,here1 then1 is partyism in religion1 the beginning of new denominations4 ,it will not help the situation any to say that these are merely descriptive words1 and not party names4 ,why the need of these descriptive terms1 if they are not intended to describe different parties8 ,methodist was first a descriptive term1 and then a party name4 ,premillennial ,christian1 postmillennial ,christian1 and ,baptist ,christian2 in principle1 what is the difference8 ,and herein we see one of the evils of preaching speculative theories that create groups1 classes1 or parties in the church4 ,what right has any man or set of men to create two parties1 and then tell me that ,i must belong to one of them8 ,that these brethren of ,word and ,work have created conditions that make it necessary in their judgment to use descriptive terms to designate groups of brethren condemns the whole movement as divisive in nature and sectarian in principle4 ,if they think they have created conditions in the church that make it necessary for the ,gospel ,advocate to line up with one of these parties and be labeled1 they are decidedly mistaken4 ,if1 as ,brother ,chambers says1 he cannot help wearing a party label1 he needs the help the ,gospel ,advocate is trying to give him4 ,but if he is just bound to be what he is1 and cannot help it1 what will he do about it when the ,lord comes1 if the ,lord does not follow the program these brethren have marked out for him8 ,and herein is another danger to these brethren4 ,before ,jesus came to earth1 the learned ,jews had things mapped out2 and because ,jesus did not follow their program1 they believed him to be an imposter4 ,yes1 there were program makers for his first coming1 and there are program makers for his second coming2 and the fatal blunder of the first program makers should be a warning to the present program makers4 ,but ,brother ,chambers thinks that neither 8pre0 nor 8post0 should be made a test of fellowship4 ,there is something pitiful and shaky about a plea that one's teaching or practice be not made a test of fellowship4 ,the plea itself is a confession of divergence4 ,we have often heard that same plea from the 8progressives40 ,no matter from whom it comes1 it sounds like a plea for forbearance and mercy4 ,the ,gospel ,advocate has never1 in its long history1 felt the least need of making such a plea4 ,can you imagine ,j4 ,c4 ,mc,quiddy1 ,t4 ,b4 ,larimore1 ,e4 ,g4 ,sewell1 or ,david ,lipscomb begging the brethren not to make some theory or practice of theirs a test of fellowship8 ,there has been a good deal of loose talk about tests of fellowship4 ,to raise the question as to an opinion or theory without giving any attention to what is done with the opinion or theory does not meet the issue4 ,an opinion or practice might be very innocent1 and yet a man might make a great deal of trouble with it4 ,it is not then his opinion you must consider1 but the use he makes of it4 ,suppose some man should decide that dark clothing is conducive to piety and sober-mindedness1 and that light clothing makes the wearer light-hearted and gay1 and that flashy dress makes the wearer frivolous and giddy4 ,would you feel disposed to make his notion or his practice a test of fellowship8 ,but suppose that peculiar notion of his becomes such an obsession with him that he feels that he must advocate it everywhere8 ,he becomes so carried away with the idea that he becomes a nuisance1 a trouble maker1 and a divider of churches2 what then8 ,what would ,brother ,chambers do about it8 ,suppose he1 while dividing churches with his peculiar theory1 pleads that the sort of dress a fellow wears should not be made a test of fellowship2 how would ,brother ,chambers answer him8 ,it is supposed1 of course1 that ,brother ,chambers cares enough for the peace and unity of churches to do something about such a situation1 but what would he do8 ,would he fellowship the fellow1 bid him ,godspeed1 and call him to hold meetings8 ,and it would be much worse if the fellow divided churches by preaching hurtful and untrue theories4 ,if brethren press a theory to the dividing of churches and then tell us that we must let them alone1 else they will have no fellowship with us1 what can we do about it8 ,they have drawn the line1 and issued a 8manifesto40 ,and yet they keep talking about tests of fellowship4 ,what is their object in talking so much about tests of fellowship8 ,do they live up to their plea8 ,when has a church which indorses whole-heartedly the ,word and ,work theory ever called one who opposed such theory to hold their meeting8 ,what fellowship do they extend to preachers who do not indorse them8 ,why do they not call ,foy ,e4 ,wallace1 ,jr41 ,c4 ,r4 ,nichol1 or men like these1 to assist them in meetings8 ,no longer ago than last year some friends of mine wanted me to teach a ,bible class of nights in their meetinghouse4 ,two of the elders are ardent admirers of ,brother ,boll and his teaching2 they refused to allow the class to be taught in the meetinghouse4 ,look at the matter any way you please1 and it was worse than a refusal to fellowship me4 ,and the only grounds of refusal was the fact that ,i was not a 8pre40 ,now1 until they show some fellowship toward those who oppose their theories1 all clear-thinking brethren will conclude that their talk about 8tests of fellowship0 is indulged in merely to create prejudice in their favor4 ,such a thing is cheap politics4 8,our ,savior himself shows the likely effect for one to say3 #8,my ,lord delays his coming4'0 ,brother ,chambers here quotes from the parable found in ,luke #ab3db-dh4 ,these brethren quote1 8,my ,lord delays his coming10 as if that was the real crime of that wicked servant2 whereas he merely took advantage of his lord's delay to give expression to the villainy that was already in him4 ,the use these brethren make of this seems to indicate that they think the only thing that keeps people out of all meanness is the expectation that the ,lord might come any moment4 ,but ,i have never said that the ,lord delays his coming1 and1 therefore1 do not belong in the class with that wicked servant4 ,the word translated delayeth means 8to linger1 delay1 tarry40--,thayer4 8,to spend time2 to continue or last long1 hold out2 to persevere in doing2 especially1 to tarry1 linger1 delay1 be slow2 to prolong1 put off40--,liddell and ,scott4 ,this word would not be used concerning an event that was not delayed beyond the time it was expected4 ,now1 these future-kingdom advocates tell us that the first ,christians were taught to expect ,jesus to come again while they lived4 ,but he did not come then4 ,according to their teaching1 the ,lord has delayed his coming several hundred years beyond the time expected4 ,who is it that says the ,lord did not come at the time he was expected8 ,they are the ones1 according to their own teaching1 who say3 8,my ,lord delays his coming40 ,brother ,chambers says3 8,it is a serious thing to oppose any one's quoting1 #8,the ,lord is at hand1' or #8,the ,judge standeth before the door1' or #8,the end of all things is at hand1' or #8,when ye see these things1 know that the end is near4'0 ,who opposes his quoting the ,scriptures referred to8 ,when a man makes an implied charge of that nature1 he is honor bound to name the parties1 when called on to do so4 ,will ,brother ,chambers give the name of the person to whom he refers1 or is he merely insinuating things to create prejudice8 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,to write the word of ,christ upon the heart1 or1 what is essentially the same1 to let it dwell in us richly1 means more than to commit it to memory4 ,it is to make it the dominant factor in our thinking and in our plans and purposes4 ,,future ,,kingdom ,,doctrine--,,reflects ,,on ,,integrity ,,of ,,god ,sometimes a wrong theory does not look so bad till you begin to examine its consequences and the side issues that are its necessary supports4 ,and sometimes theories so warp our thinking as to develop in us a wrong conception of ,jehovah and of his attitude toward man4 ,such theories are extremely hurtful4 ,there are some things about this future-kingdom theory that are hurtful in more ways than one4 ,the ,theory ,reflects on the ,integrity of ,god4 ,in his tract1 8,the ,kingdom of ,heaven10 page #ac1 ,arthur ,w4 ,pink says3 8,from a number of reasons which we shall state we are compelled to believe that our ,lord's message1 #8,repent2 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand1' signifies that an offer of the ,messianic kingdom1 as foretold by the ,old ,testament prophets1 was then being made to the ,jews4 ,let us remark that it is of the utmost importance that we pay careful attention to the word #8repent' here4 ,in this call to repentance1 our ,lord1 as the ,baptist before him had done1 laid down the fundamental terms on which the kingdom was being offered to ,israel40 ,others make the same plea4 ,if they are correct1 then ,god offered them the kingdom on condition that they repent4 ,thousands of them did repent2 but we are told that ,god deferred the establishment of the kingdom because not all repented4 ,but what about his promise to them who did repent8 ,god made them a promise on condition2 they performed that condition1 but ,god did not give them what he promised6 ,it does not help any to say that the nation rejected him4 ,what about his promise to those who accepted him8 ,it will not do to say ,god dealt falsely with some because others dealt falsely with him4 ,we are told that the offer of the kingdom was made in good faith4 ,some accepted the offer in good faith1 but we are told that they did not get what ,god had promised them4 ,there is a serious defect in a man's faith who can thus reflect on the integrity of ,jehovah4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,grubbing up false doctrines and unscriptural practices is as essential as grubbing up noxious growths in the field1 but a farmer can impoverish himself by putting in all his time grubbing4 ,and the man who puts in all his time in opposing false doctrine and exposing wrong practices will impoverish his character4 ,the fundamental doctrine1 or teaching1 is the framework around which the ,christian character is built4 ,the framework must be there1 or the character will not stand up2 the gentler graces must be built around the framework1 or the person is harsh and unattractive4 ,every time we judge a doctrine or another person1 we judge ourselves4 ,in condemning evil1 we declare ourselves righteous4 ,in condemning righteousness1 we declare our sinfulness4 ,in other words1 every judgment we deliver shows what sort of person we are4 ,our judgments on others reveal our own standards4 ,the character of the ,jews was revealed in their blaspheming the gospel4 ,,the ,,old ,,testament ,,prophets ,,and ,,christianity ,in his kingdom tract1 page #ae1 ,mr4 ,arthur ,w4 ,pink says3 8,the ,old ,testament knows nothing whatever of ,christianity60 ,so1 then1 there is not a type or a prophecy in the ,old ,testament that points to the religion of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ6 ,but that idea is not peculiar to ,mr4 ,pink2 it is a part of the future-kingdom doctrine4 ,to the ordinary reader of the ,new ,testament it sounds strange to hear some one argue that the prophets of the ,old ,testament tell us nothing of the gospel of ,christ1 the ,new ,covenant 7or ,new ,testament71 the kingdom as it now is1 or anything else that pertains to the present plan of salvation through ,christ4 ,but such teaching is one of the necessary supports to the future-kingdom theory4 ,it must be made to appear that the entire plan of ,god for the world's redemption centered in a material kingdom1 in which the ,jews would be the citizens and over which ,jesus would rule on the throne of ,david in ,jerusalem4 ,it would be the kingdom of ,david literally restored4 ,other nations would be blessed only through ,israel and in subservience to them4 ,of course the theory contemplates the return of the ,jews to ,palestine and their conversion to ,christ4 ,and we are taught by the future-kingdom advocates that the ,old ,testament prophets speak only of that sort of thing4 ,let the reader think closely as he reads the following quotation3 8,about the middle of ,acts occurs an event of first importance4 ,the acceptance of the ,gentiles into the church--into the favor of ,god as joint sharers of the blessings of ,israel's ,christ--was a most terrible perplexity to all believing ,jews4 ,it was1 in fact1 a mystery4 ,it had never been revealed that such a thing would happen4 7,eph4 #c3d-f47 ,that the ,gentiles were to be blessed in ,messianic days was no mystery2 that had been previously revealed4 ,but the observant reader of the prophets will notice that it is always after the national restoration and exaltation of ,israel1 and always through restored ,israel and in subservience to ,israel that the ,gentiles were to be so blessed40 78,the ,kingdom of ,god10 by ,r4 ,h4 ,boll1 page #fc47 ,so they would have us believe that the ,old ,testament prophets said nothing of the gospel as revealed in the ,new ,testament1 nothing of the new covenant of which the apostles are ministers and of which ,christ is mediator1 and that the covenant of which ,jeremiah prophesied 7chapter #ca7 has not yet been made4 ,yet ,paul quotes that prophecy in the eighth chapter of ,hebrews1 and informs us that ,christ is now the mediator of that covenant4 ,but the theory is wrong1 absurdly wrong4 ,in ,luke's record of the great commission 7#bd3df1 #dg7 ,jesus said3 8,thus it is written1 that the ,christ should suffer1 and rise again from the dead the third day2 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations1 beginning from ,jerusalem40 ,here ,jesus plainly declares that it had been written that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all the nations4 ,paul declares that he had been 8separated unto the gospel of ,god1 which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures40 7,rom4 #a3a1 #b47 ,here ,paul plainly declares that the gospel which he preached had been promised through the prophets4 ,in reporting ,paul's preaching at ,berea1 ,luke says3 8,now these were more noble than those in ,thessalonica1 in that they received the word with all readiness of mind1 examining the scriptures daily1 whether these things were so40 7,acts #ag3aa47 ,how could they determine that ,paul was preaching in harmony with the prophets1 if the prophets said nothing of the gospel which he preached8 ,in that case1 would not their searching the ,scriptures cause them to reject his preaching8 ,if ,paul had held to the future-kingdom theory1 his honesty would have led him to tell these honest-hearted ,bereans that they could not find anything in the ,scriptures about the gospel which he was preaching4 ,at the house of ,cornelius1 ,peter said3 8,to him bear all the prophets witness1 that through his name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins40 7,acts #aj3dc47 ,peter 7#a ,pet4 #a3aj-ab7 tells us that the prophets searched diligently to understand their prophecies concerning this salvation1 8,to whom it was revealed1 that not unto themselves1 but unto you1 did they minister these things1 which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the ,holy ,spirit sent forth from heaven40 ,paul preached the gospel--preached ,christianity in its fullness1 and yet he affirmed that he said 8nothing but what the prophets and ,moses did say should come40 7,acts #bf3bb1 #bc47 ,he preached salvation through faith in ,christ1 and that there was no distinction between ,jew and ,gentile3 8,but now apart from the law a righteousness of ,god hath been manifested1 being witnessed by the law and the prophets2 even the righteousness of ,god through faith in ,jesus ,christ unto all them that believe2 for there is no distinction40 7,rom4 #c3ba1 #bb47 ,so this very plan of salvation which ,paul preached1 in which there was no distinction between ,jew and ,gentile1 was foretold in both the ,law and the prophets4 ,paul quotes ,moses as prophesying that disobedient ,israel would be provoked to jealousy by the obedience of a people other than the ,jews4 7,rom4 #aj3ai47 ,paul applies that prophecy to the obedience of the ,gentiles4 ,and then he shows that ,isaiah foretold that the ,gentiles would be blessed while ,israel remained rebellious3 8,and ,isaiah is very bold1 and saith1 ,i was found of them that sought me not2 ,i became manifest unto them that asked not of me4 ,but as to ,israel he saith1 ,all the day long did ,i spread out my hands unto a disobedient and gainsaying people40 ,and yet we are told that the prophets foretold that only through restored ,israel were the ,gentiles to be blessed4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,we can know that ,deity united with humanity in the person of ,jesus1 though we cannot understand just how the two natures were united4 ,but we can believe what the ,bible says and adjust our lives to its teaching4 ,herein lies our salvation4 ,we can know that there are three persons in the ,godhead1 though we cannot comprehend their nature and unity4 ,the finite cannot understand the infinite4 ,,the ,,future-,,kingdom ,,perversions ,,and ,,dislocations ,,of ,,prophecy ,much is said these days about modernism and fundamentalism4 ,i hope to be allowed to live in a modern world without being called a 8modernist0 and to hold to fundamental truths without being dubbed a 8fundamentalist40 ,these 8fundamentalists0 have formed a program for the ,lord1 mixed in a few truths1 and named the mixture 8fundamentalism10 and its advocates 8fundamentalists40 ,if their theory is as old as the ,bible1 why the new names for it and its advocates8 ,old ideas and doctrines do not require new names3 anything new requires a new name4 ,now1 8modernism0 and 8modernist0 are older words than 8fundamentalism0 and 8fundamentalist40 ,religiously1 ,i am no 8modernist02 and the term 8fundamentalism0 is too new for a ,bible lover to accept4 ,it is even newer than the term 8modernism40 ,it would be interesting to hear ,mr4 ,rice explain how his doctrine is so ancient1 since the name of it is more modern than is the term 8modernism40 ,in name1 they out modern the modernists6 ,when a doctrine is more modern than modernism1 it is too modern for me4 ,in ,mr4 ,rice's tract1 8,christ's ,literal ,reign on ,earth from ,david's ,throne at ,jerusalem10 he claims to prove 8from the ,scriptures the premillennial coming of ,christ2 that he has not yet set up his kingdom on earth1 but that he will reign from a literal throne at ,jerusalem1 in his literal human body1 over the entire earth40 ,he assumes much1 argues little1 and makes many scattering assertions4 ,it would be easier to review his tract1 if more care and thought had gone into its making4 ,the trouble with him and his future-kingdom advocates1 is not speculating about unfulfilled prophecies1 but a perversion and dislocation of prophecies that have been fulfilled4 ,when a man takes prophecies that have been fulfilled and makes them do service in some future program1 he is not speculating about unfulfilled prophecies4 ,to call such perversion 8speculation about unfulfilled prophecies0 is to yield to him his claim that they have not been fulfilled4 ,this is not1 therefore1 a discussion on 8unfulfilled prophecies10 but an effort to show that ,mr4 ,rice and others have1 in the interest of a theory1 dislocated promises and prophecies1 some of which have been fulfilled4 ,mr4 ,rice quotes ,gen4 #ac3ad1 #ae2 #ag3h1 and comments3 8,you will notice from the context that it was the literal land over which ,abraham walked and which he saw1 called by the name1 #8the land of ,canaan4' ,the promise is unconditional1 and utterly without time limit4 ,it is #8for an everlasting possession'40 ,and if ,mr4 ,rice will read ,josh4 #ba3dc-de2 #bc3ad1 he will notice both from the text and the context that ,god fulfilled this promise to the letter--not one thing failed of all that ,god had promised4 ,yet the ,jews are not in that land now4 ,why8 ,mr4 ,rice says the promise of the land to ,abram's seed was unconditional and without time limit4 ,who broke the covenant8 ,if ,mr4 ,rice is correct1 the seed of ,abraham did not break the land covenant1 for there were no conditions for them to break4 ,if ,mr4 ,rice is correct1 ,god was the only one that could break the covenant4 ,god promised them unconditional possession of the land1 and then dispossessed them of it4 ,that is a reflection on the integrity of ,jehovah4 ,mr4 ,rice says3 8,the ,lord foretold in ,deut4 #bh3fc-fh the dispersion of ,israel #8among all the peoples1 from one end of the earth even unto the other2' but in ,deut4 #cj3a-f1 the regathering of ,israel to their own land to possess it is plainly foretold40 ,why did ,mr4 ,rice refer to so small a part of each of these chapters8 ,was he afraid the reader might discover something in the rest of these chapters that would upset his theory8 ,their dispersion was one of the curses that would come upon them if they disobeyed the law ,moses gave them4 7,see ,deut4 #bh3ae47 ,read ,deut4 #cj3h1 #aj1 and you will see that their return was conditioned on their keeping the commandments which ,moses commanded them1 and that after their return they were to keep all the commandments of the law of ,moses4 ,this condition is now impossible of fulfillment1 for the law of ,moses is not in force4 ,if ,mr4 ,rice will read ,neh4 #a3h1 #i1 he will find that the regathering here spoken of took place when the ,jews returned from ,babylonian captivity4 ,surely he will not take issue with ,nehemiah4 ,the other passages relied on to prove the future gathering of the ,jews to ,palestine refer to the same event4 ,moses plainly told the ,israelites that if they forgot ,god and turned from his commandments1 they would as surely perish as that the nations whom they drove out of ,palestine perished4 7,deut4 #h3ai1 #bj47 ,these nations perished utterly as nations1 and ,moses said the nation of ,israel would perish as they did4 ,because of their sins they were carried into captivity4 ,later1 all who desired to return to ,palestine were permitted to do so4 ,they again fell into sin2 and in ,john's day they had again grown so corrupt that he told them the ax then lay at the root of the tree4 7,matt4 #c3aj47 ,then the ,jewish nation murdered the ,son of ,god--that is1 the high court of the nation procured his murder4 ,under ,god's law the penalty for murder was death4 ,as this was murder by the nation1 nothing but national death would satisfy divine justice4 ,the tree had become wholly bad1 and ,god used the ,roman armies as the ax with which to cut down that tree4 ,according to these future-kingdom advocates1 the most glorious period of ,jewish history is yet to be2 but ,jesus tells us that the last state of that race will be worse than the first4 7,see ,matt4 #ab3dc-de47 ,the ,jews were broken off from ,god's favor because of sin--unbelief4 ,now both ,jew and ,gentile stand on an equal footing before ,god4 ,god is not a respecter of persons4 ,religiously1 we know no man after the flesh4 ,these future-kingdom folks seek to keep up this racial distinction which ,christianity was meant to destroy4 ,in ,paul's allegory 7,gal4 #d3ba-ca7 the handmaid and her son represented ,jerusalem and the ,jewish nation1 and ,paul uses that allegory to show that the handmaid and her son were cast out4 ,christians are children of the free woman4 ,paul then affirms3 8,the son of the handmaid 7,jewish nation7 shall not inherit with the son of the freewoman40 ,hence1 the ,jewish nation1 as such1 is left out of any further inheritance4 ,jesus plainly told the ,jews3 8,therefore say ,i unto you1 ,the ,kingdom of ,god shall be taken from you1 and shall be given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof40 7,matt4 #ba3dc47 ,believers in ,christ are now 8sons of ,abraham0 7,gal4 #c3g7 8and heirs according to the promise0 7,gal4 #c3bi74 ,the ,jewish nation1 as such1 is not now an heir of anything4 ,by unbelief the ,jews were broken off from ,god's favor4 7,rom4 #aa3bj47 ,gentiles were grafted in by faith4 8,and so0--in the same manner--8all ,israel shall be saved40 ,there is not a hint in the ,new ,testament that the ,jews will be restored to ,palestine and be the only citizens of this fantastic future kingdom1 with other people subject to them4 ,that would be fleshly distinction with a vengeance4 8,behold1 now is the acceptable time2 behold1 now is the day of salvation40 7#b ,cor4 #f3b47 ,think of the nature of this kingdom these men set forth as the object of our highest hope3 8,the kingdom of ,christ is to be as literal as ,david's kingdom4444 ,it is to be as literal and earthly as ,babylon1 ,medio-,persia1 ,greece1 and ,rome40 ,so says ,mr4 ,rice4 ,that would please well the carnal nature of man4 ,it is a pitiful thing to see men delude themselves with such false hopes4 ,mr4 ,rice says3 8,jesus1 ,david's son1 is to restore ,david's kingdom40 ,yet he says3 8,the present world system will have to be destroyed before ,christ can have his kingdom on this earth40 ,david ruled without having the present world system destroyed4 ,if ,christ is to have the same kingdom1 why cannot he do the same8 ,is it possible that ,mr4 ,rice thinks ,david could do a thing that ,christ will be unable to do8 ,the theory belittles ,christ4 ,here are two statements from ,mr4 ,rice3 8,jesus will restore all ,israel to their own land1 the land of ,canaan1 and will rule over them from ,david's throne40 8,jesus is not now sitting in his throne1 but in his ,father's throne1 according to ,rev4 #c3ba40 ,his idea is that when ,jesus comes again he will descend from that universal throne which he now occupies with the father and sit on ,david's throne as king of the ,jews1 thus exchanging a higher for a lower4 ,and they call that exaltation of ,christ6 ,exalted to a lower place6 8,throne0 means kingly authority4 ,david's throne and ,jehovah's throne are the same4 ,in ,i ,kings it is said that 8,solomon sat upon the throne of ,david his father40 ,in #a ,chron4 #bi3bc it is said that 8,solomon sat upon the throne of ,jehovah as king instead of his father40 ,that which was called ,david's throne was ,jehovah's throne4 ,it was called ,david's throne simply because he ruled over ,god's people4 ,the effort to make a distinction between ,god's throne and ,david's throne is a miserable perversion of ,bible truth4 ,as ,jesus now rules over ,god's people1 he occupies the same position that ,david occupied4 ,when did ,jesus begin his reign8 ,on ,pentecost1 ,peter reminded his hearers that ,god had promised ,david to place one of his seed upon his throne1 and that ,david1 foreseeing this1 spoke of the resurrection of ,christ4 ,jesus was therefore raised up to sit on ,david's throne4 ,read ,acts #b3bi-ch4 ,verse #cc3 8,being therefore by the right hand of ,god exalted1 and having received of the ,father the promise of the ,holy ,spirit1 he hath poured forth this1 which ye see and hear40 ,to ,peter the coming of the ,holy ,spirit on that day was proof that ,jesus had been exalted to ,david's throne4 ,from ,john #g3cg-ci we learn that the ,holy ,spirit would be given when ,jesus was glorified4 ,read ,mat4 #bj3bj1 #ba and ,mark #aj3ce-cg1 and you will see that sitting with ,jesus in his kingdom and sitting with him in his glory mean the same thing4 ,as the giving of the ,holy ,spirit on the day of ,pentecost was proof that he had entered into his glory1 it is also proof that he had been exalted to rulership in his kingdom4 ,but it has been said that ,jesus was then anointed1 but did not then begin to reign1 just as ,david was anointed some time before he began his reign4 ,but here is a fatal defect in that illustration3 ,not one thing was done in the name of ,david as king till he actually assumed the reins of government4 ,acts were to begin to be performed in the name of ,christ at ,jerusalem when the ,holy ,spirit came4 7,luke #bd3df-di47 ,on that day ,peter commanded the people to repent and be baptized in the name of ,jesus ,christ for the remission of sins4 7,acts #b3ch47 ,was ,peter guilty of forging the name of ,christ to a pardon proclamation8 ,he had no right to so do1 and his act was forgery1 if ,jesus had not authorized him to do so4 ,and ,jesus could not have authorized him to proclaim pardon in his name1 if ,jesus was not then occupying the throne4 ,not one future-kingdom advocate1 nor all of them together1 can answer this one argument1 neglected or overlooked though it has been4 ,it settles the whole matter as to the fact of his reigning now and as to when his reign began4 ,mr4 ,rice says3 8,john the ,baptist came preaching #8,repent ye3 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand4' 7,matt4 #c3b47 ,jesus began to preach from the same text in his early ministry4 7,matt4 #d3ag47 ,we find that the command to repent is repeated many times on through the rest of the ,new ,testament1 but the statement1 #8,the kingdom of heaven is at hand1' was dropped and not repeated any more1 though the kingdom is mentioned dozens of times4 ,the reason is that the ,jews rejected ,christ1 their ,king1 and the kingdom was postponed4 7,luke #ac3cd1 #ce470 8,at hand0 means 8near40 ,in the third year of his public ministry ,christ sent the seventy out to preach1 8,the kingdom of ,god is come nigh unto you40 7,luke #aj3a-aj47 ,that was during the last year of his ministry4 ,certainly1 after the first ,pentecost after the resurrection the kingdom was not preached as 8at hand0 any more1 for the simple reason that it had come4 ,paul says that ,christians have been 8delivered out of the power of darkness1 and translated into the kingdom of the ,son of his love40 7,col4 #a3ac47 ,christ is now 8,the blessed and only ,potentate1 the ,king of kings1 and ,lord of lords40 7#a ,tim4 #f3ae47 ,as he is the 8only ,potentate10 he alone rules in this kingdom4 ,hence1 it is his kingdom1 and the throne is his throne4 ,but ,mr4 ,rice would have us believe that when ,john and ,jesus announced that the kingdom had come nigh they missed it a long way4 ,jesus also preached 8,the time is fulfilled1 and the kingdom of heaven is at hand40 7,mark #a3ae47 ,if ,mr4 ,rice is correct1 the kingdom was not at hand--the time for it to come was not fulfilled4 ,he would have us believe that ,jesus did not know what he was talking about4 ,but that is not the worst reflection on ,jesus that this theory makes4 ,they were assured of the kingdom on condition that they repent and believe the gospel--that is1 that they repent and accept ,christ4 ,some of them1 in good faith1 trusting the words of ,john and ,jesus1 did repent1 and accepted ,christ4 ,but1 according to the adherents of the future-kingdom theory1 they did not get what ,god had promised them4 ,it will not relieve the situation to say that most of them rejected him4 ,what about his word to those who did accept him8 ,they did their part2 did ,god do his8 ,mr4 ,rice says he did not4 ,i am unalterably opposed to any theory that thus makes out ,god a liar to those who faithfully do his commands and trust his promises4 ,the postponement theory belittles the church and makes it an afterthought1 a sort of emergency measure4 ,according to ,mr4 ,rice1 ,god meant to establish a material kingdom just like other world kingdoms1 but the ,jews did not make it possible for him to do so4 ,the church was then established to continue till the time was ripe for the kingdom1 according to the theory4 ,the church1 then1 was not ,god's original plan4 ,but what saith the ,scriptures8 ,was that ,god's original intent8 8,to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in the heavenly places might be made known through the church the manifold wisdom of ,god1 according to the eternal purpose which he purposed in ,christ ,jesus our ,lord40 7,eph4 #c3aj1 #aa47 ,thus we see that it was the eternal purpose of ,god to make known his wisdom through the church4 ,and how long will this continue8 8,unto him be the glory in the church and in ,christ ,jesus unto all generations forever and ever40 7,eph4 #c3ba47 ,the church1 then1 will not be superseded by another institution so long as generations come and go4 ,mr4 ,rice quotes ,acts #ae3ac-af to prove that 8the restoration of the kingdom of ,david is to be after this ,gentile church age40 ,had he given the full quotation ,james made from ,amos1 it would have proved the very opposite of what he claims4 ,james was justifying the acceptance of the ,gentiles1 and quoted ,amos to prove that since the royal family of ,david was re-established the ,gentiles might come into the church4 ,read verses #ag and #ah and see how miserably ,mr4 ,rice perverts the argument of ,james4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,a life spent in entertaining and being entertained is an empty and useless life4 ,the satisfaction that comes from knowing that one is of help to his fellow man is some reward within itself4 ,how useless must a person feel who never does anything useful6 ,how boresome such a life must be6 ,people sometimes say that this plan or that plan will not work4 ,certainly not2 no plan will work4 ,but people may work a plan1 or work according to a plan1 or they may work without any prearranged plan4 ,a plan is not as necessary as a purpose4 ,,your ,,faith ,,and ,,your ,,confession ,the promises and prophecies recorded in ,god's revelation to the ,jews led them to confidently expect the coming of a ,deliverer1 the ,messiah4 ,they have planted that expectation in the hearts of many ,gentiles4 7,of course the reader understands that 8,messiah0 in ,hebrew is the same as 8,christ0 in ,greek47 ,but the ,jews had no clear conception as to what the ,christ would be and do4 ,in fact they had many very erroneous ideas about the promised ,christ4 ,hence1 when ,jesus appeared in their midst1 they were so blinded by their theories that they rejected him as the ,christ--that is1 the majority of the ,jews would not accept him as the ,christ1 while many of them believed on him as the ,christ4 ,to the most of them ,jesus was a puzzle1 a stone of stumbling4 ,they could not deny his mighty miracles nor controvert successfully his teaching4 ,denying the only truth that would have explained him1 they dealt in many conjectures as to who he was4 ,some said he was ,elijah2 some ,john the ,baptist2 others1 that he was ,jeremiah1 or one of the prophets4 ,but when ,jesus put the question direct to his disciples1 8,but who say ye that ,i am80 ,peter unhesitatingly answered3 8,thou art the ,christ1 the son of the living ,god40 ,but the majority of the ,jews refused to believe that ,jesus was the ,christ1 and looked forward to the coming of the ,christ4 ,upon the great truth that ,jesus is the ,christ the church is built2 upon that truth the whole system of ,christianity rests4 ,if he be not the ,christ1 the gospel is a baseless fabrication and the church is without excuse for existence4 ,it is this foundation truth that we believe and confess4 ,there was no controversy among the ,jews as to whether the expected ,christ would be called 8the ,son of ,god40 ,any ,jew would confess that he believed the expected ,christ to be the ,son of ,god4 ,but they deny that ,jesus was the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,any of those ,jews who rejected and crucified ,jesus would have readily said3 8,i believe the ,christ is the ,son of ,god40 ,i was startled to hear a preacher ask a number of candidates for baptism this question3 8,do you believe that ,christ is the ,son of ,god80 ,now that question misses the point entirely4 ,any orthodox ,jew could give an affirmative answer to that question2 but ask him if he believes that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god1 and he will answer with an emphatic 8,no40 ,the great question is3 8,do you believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god80 ,the great answer1 the great confession of faith is3 8,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god40 ,that confession should not be so abridged as to leave any doubt as to who you believe is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,if you believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 say so4 ,to say that you believe that ,christ is the ,son of ,god is really no confession at all4 ,the confession should not be extended so as to include more than this great truth4 ,mr4 ,russell extended that confession4 ,he taught that the ,christ is ,jesus and the church2 with him1 ,jesus was only the head of a body that is called 8the ,christ40 ,with him1 it took both the head and the body to constitute the ,christ4 ,some gospel preachers took up with that idea and thus weakened their faith by extending their confession4 ,certainly1 if a man believes that theory1 his confession is not full and complete when he says3 8,i believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of the living ,god40 ,that is really not what he believes4 ,if he makes his confession as broad as his faith1 he will say3 8,i believe that ,jesus and the church is the ,christ40 ,do the foregoing points seem to you to be matters of small import8 ,if so1 ,i envy not your discernment4 ,notice carefully the purpose for which ,john wrote3 8,many other signs therefore did ,jesus in the presence of the disciples1 which are not written in this book3 but these are written1 that ye may believe that ,jesus is the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god2 and that believing ye may have life in his name40 7,john #bj3cj1 #ca47 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 8,for ye were going astray like sheep40 ,the idea expressed in the original ,greek is not that they were going astray1 but they were astray4 ,when a living thing is astray1 it is lost2 at least1 it is not in its proper place1 not where it belongs4 ,sin is not the proper element for people2 they do not rightly belong there2 it is not their natural habitat4 ,righteousness is man's natural habitat2 that is where ,god originally placed him4 ,when he wanders off into sin1 he is on foreign soil4 ,the ,hebrew kingdom never would have been divided if all had adhered strictly to the law of ,god4 ,people do not divide when all are determined to do right4 ,when churches divide1 there is unrighteousness somewhere4 ,,the ,,christ ,,of ,,the ,,future-,,kingdom ,,advocates ,one of the great evils of the future-kingdom advocates is their idea as to the ,christ4 ,when ,i first read ,pastor ,russell's idea of the ,christ1 ,i was astonished1 but later ,i found that others had adopted his idea4 ,mr4 ,russell says3 8,thus the saints of the gospel age are an anointed company--anointed to be kings and priests unto ,god 7#b ,cor4 #a3ba2 #a ,pet4 #b3i72 and together with ,jesus1 their chief and ,lord1 they constitute ,jehovah's ,anointed--the ,christ40 78,the ,divine ,plan of the ,ages10 pages #ha1 #hb47 ,also 8,the ,christ includes all anointed of the ,spirit40 ,now note the following from 8,the ,book of ,revelation10 by ,r4 ,h4 ,boll3 8,that the man-child of chapter #ab3e is none other than the ,christ2 but not the individual ,christ alone1 but his body1 the church1 also1 seen as connected with him40 ,page #dd3 8,this mystic man-child is not simply the ,child that was born at ,bethlehem1 but the ,christ as including both himself1 the head1 and the church1 his spiritual body1 which is one with him40 ,in the estimation of these writers the ,christ is composed of ,jesus and the church4 ,if a person espouses that theory1 he should make his confession as comprehensive and extensive as his faith4 ,if he says1 8,i believe that ,jesus is the ,christ10 his confession is not full4 ,to fully confess his faith in the ,christ1 he must say3 8,i believe that ,jesus and his church is the ,christ40 ,that is evident to any one who will read carefully what these writers say4 ,read the quotation again4 ,now1 shall we revise our confession to make it fit this future-kingdom idea8 ,,is ,,salvation ,,now ,,offered ,,to ,,all8 ,a man does not always realize fully the consequences of his doctrine4 ,it seems to me that a person cannot believe the future-kingdom theory as now advocated and also believe that ,god now seeks the salvation of all men4 ,if ,i understand this theory1 and ,i think ,i do1 the faithful ,christians are to be rulers with ,christ1 and that to each one will be given territory commensurate with his development as a servant of ,god4 ,some1 at least1 seem to take the parable of the pounds 7,luke #ai3ac-bg7 in a very literal sense4 8,have thou authority over ten cities02 8,be thou also over five cities40 ,as there will be a limit to the number of cities1 there will1 of necessity1 be a limit to the number of rulers needed4 ,mr4 ,russell was consistent and bold enough to plainly and openly declare that ,god is not now seeking to convert the mass of mankind1 but is only getting a ruling class ready4 ,his position on this point is so well known that ,i shall not here take space to quote from him4 ,some do not speak so plainly on this point as ,mr4 ,russell1 and yet they speak plainly enough to be understood1 as the following from ,brother ,r4 ,h4 ,boll will show3 8,that the #8new song' of ,rev4 #e3i1 #aj views the work of purchasing unto ,god with his own blood men out of every nation as finished4 ,the selection is seen as completed2 the full number of the chosen ones seen as constituting a kingdom of priests unto ,god1 as reigning on earth4 ,this then prophetically foreviews the time when ,god shall have done visiting #8the ,gentiles' 7the nations7 to take out of them a people for his name4 7,acts #ae3ad47 ,the church is an election1 called out40 ,again3 8,he has a mystery--that is1 a secret--to tell us3 to wit1 that ,israel's hardening is limited as to extent and as to time3 as to extent1 for it is #8in part2' as to time1 for it is #8until' something is accomplished--namely1 until the full count of the elect ,gentiles shall have come in4 ,then ,israel's tide shall turn40 ,so it seems that the ,lord has a certain number of ,gentiles to be called1 and the present order must continue till the 8full count of the elect ,gentiles shall have come in40 ,but all such teaching is essential to the future-kingdom theory as now advocated4 ,the theory necessitates the doctrine that now is the time of salvation for only the needed number of rulers4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,that the gospel succeeded so well in superstitious ,ephesus need not surprise anyone4 ,in superstition there is reverence for supernatural things4 ,in fact1 superstition is ignorant reverence4 ,by teaching these people the gospel1 ,paul guided their reverence to the right objectives4 ,superstition is reverence without reason2 rationalism is reason without reverence4 ,it is easier to enlighten ignorant reverence than it is to reestablish reverence in a heart from which it has been banished4 ,with some religionists of today custom and tradition have greater weight than the plain word of ,god4 ,assail baptism1 a thing positively commanded1 and they applaud2 assail their unscriptural teachings and practices1 and they become greatly offended4 ,some churches of ,christ have had troubles over customs and traditions4 ,,the ,,coming ,,of ,,the ,,lord ,in the ,christian ,standard of ,march #ai1 #aicb1 ,brother ,h4 ,h4 ,peters1 secretary of the ,illinois ,christian ,missionary ,society1 says3 8,as already intimated1 the plan of the ,millenial ,harbinger was different from that of its predecessor4 ,it was unique in the journalism of ,america1 religious or otherwise4 ,its very name indicates that its editor partook somewhat of the spirit that was abroad in the land1 which expected the immediate return of the ,lord and the establishment of his millenial reign4 ,mr4 ,campbell never became a dogmatist on this point1 nor did the brotherhood ever take up any of the fantastic views of ,miller and others1 but it was impossible in that day to do any kind of religious work without partaking somewhat of the spirit that expected the immediate return of the ,lord40 ,it would be hard to crowd into fewer words more historic errors than the foregoing extract contains4 ,mr4 ,campbell did not believe that ,jesus would return to earth and then reign a thousand years4 ,he did believe that1 before the coming of the ,lord1 there would be a thousand years of universal peace and righteousness4 ,mr4 ,campbell was not a premillennialist2 neither did he believe the ,lord would return immediately4 ,on these matters he wrote extensively4 ,he cited a number of prophecies which he believed had not been fulfilled1 but must be fulfilled before the coming of the ,lord4 ,one wonders where ,mr4 ,peters got authority for his statements4 ,however1 when a person gets intoxicated with the future-kingdom idea1 he can see authority for statements that no sober-minded person can discover4 ,they even tell us that the apostles taught the early ,christians to expect the immediate return of the ,lord4 ,because some do not hold to the theories propagated by the premillennialists1 they are charged with not believing in the second coming of the ,lord at all4 ,from one writer we have the following3 8,the thought of his coming has faded out of the minds of men40 ,again3 8,in the eighteenth century1 however1 there came a man named #8,daniel ,whitby4'444 ,he taught that the gospel would spread and spread until the whole world would be converted2 then would follow a thousand years of blessedness and peace1 and after all this ,jesus would come and wind things up4 ,then the hope of his coming died again everywhere as this doctrine became the general teaching40 ,that is such a manifest misrepresentation of the great body of ,christians that ,i shall make no attempt to disprove it4 ,as ,mr4 ,campbell was accused of holding the same views as ,whitby1 it will be seen that ,mr4 ,peters misrepresents him in the quotation at the beginning of this article4 ,we are told that 8they were hoping for him1 and they were looking for his return in the days of the apostles40 ,we are asked to believe that the ,christians began to expect his return any moment after he went away1 and that they were taught by the apostles to do so4 ,they think they find such teaching in what the apostles said about looking for his coming and hoping for his coming2 but the theory discredits the inspiration of the apostles4 ,jesus did not come again during that period4 ,if the apostles were mistaken on that point1 how can we be sure they taught the truth on anything8 ,if the infidel were to point to this as evidence that the apostles were not infallible in their teaching1 how would these men meet the argument8 ,on this point the learned commentator1 ,james ,mc,knight1 says3 8,grotius1 ,locke1 and others1 have affirmed that the apostles of ,christ believed the end of the world was to happen in their time1 and that they have declared this to be their belief1 in various passages of their epistles4 ,but these learned men and all who join them in that opinion have fallen into a most pernicious error4 ,for thereby they destroy the authority of the gospel revelation1 at least so far as it is contained in the discourses and writings of the apostles2 because1 if they have erred in a matter of such importance1 and which they affirm was revealed to them by ,christ1 they may have been mistaken in other matters also1 where their inspiration is not more strongly asserted by them than in this instance4 ,in imputing this mistake to the apostles1 the deists have heartily joined the learned men above mentioned1 because a mistake of this sort effectually overthrows the apostle's pretensions to inspiration4 ,it is therefore necessary to clear them from so injurious an imputation40 ,such use has been made of the parable recorded in ,luke #ab3db-dh as to make it appear that the servant was unfaithful1 in that he said3 8,my ,lord delayeth his coming40 ,but they miss the point4 ,as a matter of fact1 the ,lord has delayed his coming far beyond the time they tell us the inspired apostles said he might come4 ,there was certainly nothing sinful in what the servant said1 when it was true that his lord had delayed his coming4 ,there could be no unfaithfulness in his saying what was actually true4 ,but his unfaithfulness consisted in his taking advantage of that delay to do wrong4 ,his wrong doing was his unfaithfulness4 ,not what he said about that delay1 but what he did during that delay1 constituted his unfaithfulness4 ,but their use of this parable illustrates the strained interpretations men will put upon the ,scripture to propagate a theory4 ,but another statement in that parable has some bearing on the matter under discussion3 8,the lord of that servant shall come in a day when he expecteth not1 and in an hour when he knoweth not1 and shall cut him asunder1 and appoint his portion with the unfaithful40 ,this statement applies to all unfaithful servants1 and not simply those who will be alive when the ,lord comes again4 ,to make this apply only to those who are alive at the ,lord's second coming would leave many unfaithful servants that would not suffer the fate that this one did1 for more shall have died before the ,lord comes again than will be alive when he does come4 ,it can apply to all unfaithful servants only in the sense that the ,lord comes to all at death4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,instead of being afraid of our enemies1 let us trust in ,jehovah4 ,why worry overmuch about the evils that we cannot possibly remedy8 8,fret not thyself because of evil-doers1 neither be thou envious against them that work unrighteousness40 7,ps4 #cg3a47 ,,the 8,,two ,,stages0 ,,theory ,,examined ,it would not be fair to myself nor to the reader to charge that any ,christian does not believe that the ,lord will come again4 ,that event is so plainly taught in the ,bible that no one who believes the ,book thinks otherwise4 ,but some have engaged in so much speculation about what will occur when the ,lord does come that1 so it seems to me1 their theories virtually deny much of what has already taken place4 ,in some respects the various angles of their theory fail to connect1 or even to harmonize4 ,i have a rather artistic diagram1 prepared by a ,baptist preacher of some ability1 in ,houston1 ,texas4 ,in this diagram the ,lord is represented as coming to the air surrounding the earth1 where he is met by the living saints1 now changed1 and the dead saints1 now raised from the dead2 and there the diagram represents them as remaining some years1 or during the time of the 8great tribulation0 on earth1 after which they come on to the earth4 ,brother ,r4 ,h4 ,boll has a diagram in which he sets forth the same idea4 ,the coming of the ,lord is thus represented as composed of two 8stages0--coming for his saints1 and then coming on to earth with his saints4 ,but another angle to the theory does not fit into this1 as will be seen4 ,the theory has the ,lord with his saints back in heaven between the two 8stages0 of his coming4 ,because we so represent matters1 some1 who do not consider all the angles of the theory1 say we are guilty of serious misrepresentation4 ,let us not be too hasty4 ,there is another angle to this theory4 ,the theory represents the whole of the book of ,revelation from the beginning of the fourth chapter to the close as dealing with things yet future1 and that from the beginning of chapter four to the end of chapter nineteen it tells of things that will occur between the 8two stages0 of the ,lord's coming2 and that is at the time another angle of the theory has the ,lord with his saints in the air surrounding the earth4 ,if a man believes that ,rev4 #d3a to chapter #ai1 inclusive1 speaks of what is to occur between the two 8stages0 of their theory1 he cannot believe that the ,lord remains in the air with his saints during that time4 ,brother ,boll himself does not so believe4 8,to see these future things ,john is called up to heaven4 ,for it is in heaven that the plans and counsels of ,god are laid2 and the things that transpire on the earth have their secret source and origin there4444 ,so all the great events of which the book of ,revelation tells come from above1 first decreed and decided on in ,god's council chamber in heaven40 ,john first saw ,god sitting upon his throne surrounded by twenty-four other thrones1 upon which sat twenty-four elders4 8,that these are saints1 representatives of all saints1 seems perfectly evident40 ,and so there were saints in heaven1 around the throne of ,god1 while another angle of the theory has them in the air that surrounds the earth4 ,then ,john saw in the right hand of ,god as he sat on the throne a book1 close-sealed with seven seals4 ,none other than the ,lord ,jesus ,christ was found that could open that book4 ,he came and took the book out of the hand of him who sat on the throne4 ,so ,jesus was up in heaven1 in the presence of the throne of ,god1 at the very time one angle of the theory has him in the air4 ,and ,brother ,boll believes he was there1 for he says3 8,when ,john lifts up his eyes to see the mighty ,lion1 he discerns1 for the first time1 in the midst of the central glory of the ,throne1 the figure of #8a lamb standing4'0 ,from that time on we see ,jesus taking an active part in all that transpires around the throne in heaven4 ,and then we come to chapter #ai4 ,we here quote some comments made by ,brother ,boll on that chapter3 8,with him are armies--the armies which are in heaven4444 ,but who are these #8holy ones' 7that is1 saints71 and who are these armies of heaven that follow in his train #8upon white horses clothed in fine linen1 white and pure'8 ,the answer is indicated to us a few verses above 7#a-i74 ,in heaven1 the saints previously taken up1 have joined their ,lord in an eternal wedlock4444 ,it is in this #8fine linen1 white and pure1' that we see the armies of heaven arrayed1 who follow him as he comes forth4 ,these armies are not angels2 they are his saints composing ,his ,bride1 #8the ,lamb's wife4'0 ,here1 then1 we have ,jesus in heaven with his saints ready to come forth from heaven1 but another angle of the theory has the ,lord and his armies of saints in the air ready to make the second stage of his journey6 ,again3 8,so from heaven1 riding forth for ,israel's help1 comes their ,messiah at the head of the heavenly host40 ,i do not refer to these matters to provoke any controversy1 but to show that we have not misrepresented any one1 and also to show that one angle of the future-kingdom theory does not harmonize with another angle of the theory4 ,if a theory contradicts itself1 we should be excused if we contradict the theory4 ,both angles of this theory cannot be true1 and no man can put these angles together in such a way as to make the theory look good to one who knows that ,god's truth is in perfect harmony with itself4 ,but the theory has the marriage of ,christ to his bride yet future4 ,according to the theory1 the church is only engaged to ,christ now4 ,if that be so1 in what sense is he now ,lord of his bride8 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,the ,bible does not idealize humanity--not even its heroes4 ,it impartially records the good and the bad4 ,it records the drunkenness of ,noah and the falsehood of ,abraham1 and gives us a full picture of the awful sin of ,david4 ,it tells of ,peter's denial of ,christ and of his hypocrisy at ,antioch4 ,it tells how ,moses tried to find a way to keep from carrying out ,god's orders4 ,no human productions are so impartial4 ,there is something radically wrong with a man's religion when it drives out of his heart all sympathy1 kindness1 and mercy4 ,the hatred of the lawyers and the ,pharisees toward ,jesus was greater than their desire to see a sufferer healed4 ,forbearance is characteristic of a ,christian4 ,it is to be exercised toward those who in some way make themselves unpleasant in a personal way4 ,,hope ,,of ,,the ,,lord',s ,,coming ,inspired men did teach that the ,lord is coming again2 but when men affirm that the ,holy ,spirit taught the early ,christians to expect the ,lord to come the second time in their day1 they virtually accuse the ,holy ,spirit of raising hopes that they knew would not be realized4 ,we would expect infidels to argue that inspired men taught things that turned out not to be true4 ,but the idea is so abhorrent to any one who believes in the infallibility of the ,holy ,spirit and the absolute truthfulness of everything he taught that it seems that no one could for a moment regard it as a harmless guess or as a matter about which we need not be concerned4 ,however1 if the apostles did teach such doctrine1 we will have to acknowledge that they did1 even though it leads us to discredit the certainty of their teaching4 ,but did they teach it8 ,is there any justice1 reason1 or foundation for putting them under such a cloud of suspicion8 ,emphatically1 no6 ,an argument to support the theory is built on a misunderstanding of the word 8hope40 ,we are told that the apostles taught the early ,christians to hope for the ,lord's coming1 and that hope is made up of desire and expectation1 all of which is true4 ,but they assume that to hope for a thing is to expect it immediately1 or at any moment4 ,their own contention on the word 8hope0 robs them of any hope of a millenial kingdom2 for they all contend that the ,jews must return to ,palestine1 ,rome be developed again into a great empire1 and then some years of great tribulation must pass before the millenial kingdom is set up4 ,with their idea of hope1 they can hope for nothing except that which may occur at any moment4 ,but they are wrong in their contention on hope4 ,we plant a crop1 hoping for a good harvest2 but no one is simple enough to think the harvest may come at any moment4 ,the man who gives a large sum of money to build a college or hospital hopes to benefit generations unborn4 ,we may lend1 hoping to receive4 ,certainly no one makes a loan expecting the return at any moment4 ,they are1 therefore1 wrong in assuming that imminency inheres in expectancy4 ,and they are wrong also as to the basis of expectation4 ,expectation must have more than conjecture1 more than mere probability1 for a basis4 ,i earnestly desire the ,lord to come while ,i live1 but ,i do not expect him to do so1 for ,i have nothing on which to base such an expectation4 ,but you ask1 8,do you not think that the ,lord might come while you live80 ,certainly1 but expectation must be based on something more substantial than what may or may not be4 ,if the ,lord should plainly tell me that he would come while ,i live1 ,i would have grounds for expecting him to come before ,i die4 ,but the ,lord has never told any generation that he would come during the life of that generation1 and for that reason no one has ever expected the ,lord to come while he lived4 ,if the apostles had taught the early ,christians that the ,lord would come in their day1 then they could have expected him to come4 ,but if the apostles had so taught1 they would have taught falsely1 for the ,lord did not come then4 ,but they did not so teach1 and therefore the early ,christians did not expect his return in their day4 ,and yet they did1 as do all ,christians today1 expect him to come at some period1 for he said he would4 ,they may have desired that he come in their day1 and we may desire him to come in our day2 but they had no grounds upon which to expect him to come then1 neither have we any grounds for expecting him to come in our day4 ,the coming of the ,lord is to be earnestly desired1 and yet the thought of his coming fills one with dread and awe4 ,yet we are told that such feelings indicate that there is something wrong with us1 just as there is something wrong with a wife if she feels uneasy at the home-coming of a good husband4 ,we are reminded that the faithful wife gladly meets the devoted husband when he returns from a journey1 and that children joyfully run to meet their father when he comes home1 and this should be our attitude and feeling when the ,lord comes4 ,if we tremble at his presence1 there is something wrong6 ,is it possible that any one so thinks8 ,does any one really think that we can meet the ,lord on the same basis that one human being meets another8 ,to teach that we should have such feeling of familiarity as a wife has toward her husband or as children have toward their father is hurtful to piety and reverence4 ,if the author of the foregoing illustrations does not mean all this1 his illustrations do not mean anything4 ,for years ,i have had an earnest desire that the ,lord come while ,i live1 and yet ,i know that when ,i appear before him in his majesty and glory1 ,i shall1 like the beloved ,john1 fall at his feet as one dead4 7,rev4 #a3ag47 ,i cannot think that any ,christian will feel otherwise4 ,when ,jehovah spoke to ,moses out of the burning bush1 8,moses trembled1 and durst not behold40 7,acts #g3cb47 ,was there something wrong with ,moses and the beloved ,john8 ,but the author who presented the aforementioned illustrations is wrong1 as he himself will learn when he appears in the presence of the ,judge of all the earth4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,perhaps you have wondered what people do in heaven4 ,the redeemed are before ,god's throne1 ready always to do his bidding4 ,in teaching his disciples how to pray1 ,jesus put in this petition3 8,thy will be done1 as in heaven1 so on earth40 ,heaven is not1 therefore1 a place of idleness4 ,but obedience is a thing that must be learned4 8,though he was a ,son1 yet learned obedience by the things which he suffered40 ,the service of ,god in this life is the school in which we learn obedience2 we must learn to serve here1 or we will not have the joy of service over there4 8,he that sitteth on the throne shall spread his tabernacle over them40 ,they will be secure in his service--have his constant care4 ,are all people subject to their environs in the development of their character8 ,yes and no4 ,environment makes some people what they are2 others1 like ,asa1 get busy1 and make their environment4 ,,paul ,,to ,,the ,,thessalonians ,,on ,,the ,,lord',s ,,return ,these ,thessalonians had 8turned unto ,god from idols1 to serve a living ,god1 and to wait for his ,son from heaven40 ,to wait for the coming of the ,lord does not mean that we are to remain in idleness till he comes4 ,to wait on the ,lord in any matter is to remain steadfast in the hope that he will fulfill that which he promised4 ,it is a forward-looking attitude of mind and heart1 with confidence that ,god will fulfill his word1 whether soon or late4 ,in reading the ,bible1 we frequently allow the chapter divisions to influence our conclusions4 ,we forget for the time that writers of the ,bible made no division into chapters and verses4 ,in our study we should absolutely disregard the chapter divisions1 for the discussion of a point begun in one chapter frequently runs into the next4 ,in the first ,thessalonian letter ,paul's discussion of the events connected with the ,lord's return begins with the thirteenth verse of the fourth chapter and ends with the eleventh verse of the fifth chapter4 ,if we ignore this fact1 we deal unfairly with ,paul4 ,when ,paul planted the church at ,thessalonica1 he did not have time to fully instruct the new converts1 for he was soon driven away by fierce persecution4 ,before he wrote his first letter to them1 some of their number had died4 ,they did not know what would become of these at the ,lord's coming4 ,concerning them1 they had no hope2 for they had no information upon which to base any hope4 ,paul's purpose in writing the section under consideration was to teach them that they would 8sorrow not1 even as the rest1 who have no hope40 ,through or by ,jesus1 ,god would bring these dead saints to heaven2 for the dead saints would be raised from the dead1 and1 together with the living saints1 would be caught up in the clouds to meet the ,lord in the air4 8,wherefore comfort ye one another with these words40 ,then ,paul says that it is not necessary to say anything to them about the times and seasons4 8,the times and the seasons0 of what8 ,of that concerning which he had just told them about--namely1 the coming of the ,lord and the resurrection of the dead saints1 and the ascension of all saints to meet him in the air4 ,but that day would come as a thief in the night2 then what8 8,when they are saying1 ,peace and safety1 then sudden destruction cometh upon them1 as travail upon a woman with child2 and they shall in no wise escape40 ,so1 then1 in that day in which the ,lord comes to gather to himself his saints1 sudden destruction will come upon the rest of mankind4 8,but ye1 brethren1 are not in darkness1 that that day should overtake you as a thief40 ,what day8 ,the day of which he was speaking1 the day in which the saints shall be taken up and the wicked shall suddenly be destroyed4 ,some would have us believe that the saints will be secure in the day when sudden destruction is visited upon the wicked1 because they shall have already been taken up to meet the ,lord in the air some years before that day of destruction of the ungodly4 ,but ,paul tells us that that day of destruction will not come upon them as a thief1 for they are all sons of light--they are ready and watching4 ,to fit the theory1 ,paul should have said that that day would not overtake them1 because they would not be there1 having already been caught up to meet the ,lord in the air4 ,some people look at this ,scripture so carelessly that they actually think that ,paul says the dead saints will be raised before the wicked are raised4 ,one good brother1 a friend of mine1 quoted ,scripture1 to me as follows3 8,the dead in ,christ shall rise first1 and the rest of the dead lived not again till the thousand years are passed40 ,but ,paul was not contrasting the resurrection of the saints and the wicked1 but was speaking of the dead saints and those living when ,christ comes4 ,will the living saints leave the dead in their graves8 ,no1 the dead saints will be raised first--that is1 before the living ascend2 and then all shall be caught up to meet the ,lord4 ,whether the wicked were to be raised then1 or were never to be raised1 was not so much as hinted at4 ,but the passage does teach this3 ,when the ,lord comes1 the saints will be caught up to meet him in the air1 and the wicked will be destroyed in that day4 ,and that agrees with what ,paul says in his second letter to the ,thessalonians4 ,in ,paul's second letter to the ,thessalonians he gives some additional information concerning the coming of the ,lord and our gathering together unto him4 ,from the first verse of the second chapter we learn that the coming of the ,lord referred to is that coming in which the saints are gathered together unto him4 ,paul would not have them troubled by thinking that that day was 8just at hand40 ,one writer1 well known to the ,gospel ,advocate readers1 makes this comment on the phrase1 8at hand03 8,in every translation known to me1 except the ,douay1 the ,king ,james1 and the ,american ,revised ,version1 this reads #8the day of the ,lord is now present4' ,some one had made those ,thessalonians believe that the day of the ,lord had already broken in upon them40 ,i know that some translations have 8present0 instead of 8at hand01 but they are not so numerous as the foregoing quotation would have us believe4 ,the following translations have 8at hand03 ,latin ,vulgate1 ,bible ,union1 ,living ,oracles1 ,sharpe1 ,george ,r4 ,noyes 7,harvard ,university teacher71 ,anderson1 ,syriac1 ,sawyer1 and ,james ,mac,knight4 ,so far as scholarship goes1 it is very likely that the scholarship back of the ,american ,standard ,version outweighs the scholarship of all the translations referred to in the foregoing quotation1 with the exception of the ,english ,revision4 ,but it matters little to us what those ,thessalonian brethren thought about the matter2 it does not affect ,paul's teaching on the subject4 ,paul tells us that a falling away must come first and the man of sin be revealed4 ,this must be1 he tells us1 before the coming of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ and our gathering together unto him4 ,but the theory that is now so attractive to some people has this man of sin developed after the saints are taken up to meet the ,lord in the air2 the man of sin is then to be destroyed at what is termed the second stage of his coming4 ,but ,paul plainly says that the coming he is here talking about is the coming in which the saints are gathered together unto the ,lord4 ,it is strange that a theory will so blind people that they cannot see a plain statement in the very passages from which they claim to deduce their teaching4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,jesus and ,paul were not contentious1 yet they contended earnestly for the truth4 ,they were the greatest fighters of all time4 ,they were moved by two ,loves4 ,they loved man so much that they fought with determination anything and everything that would hurt man4 ,they loved the truth so much that they fought everything that was in the way of its progress4 ,and they stirred people as none others ever did4 ,it has been said that it is useless to quote the ,bible to one who disbelieves it4 ,but ,jesus quoted it to the devil4 ,there is power in an appropriate passage of ,scripture that even a disbeliever cannot evade4 ,before following any advice it is better to find out the character of him who gives the advice and what possible interest he may have in our following his advice4 ,,resurrection ,,from ,,the ,,dead ,the following question came to me recently3 ,brother ,whiteside3 ,do you not think that the expression1 8resurrection from the dead10 has reference to the death state1 rather than the meaning that some will come 8out from among0 the other dead ones8 ,say something to us in the ,gospel ,advocate along this line4 ,john ,s4 ,clark4 ,in the growth of language it is common for words to take on additional meanings4 ,this1 of course1 is common knowledge and needs no proof4 ,in the phrase1 8from the dead0 7ek nekron71 the word 8dead0 is plural in the ,greek1 but by a sort of figure of speech1 or extension of the meaning of the word1 it applies to the state of death2 at least1 some passages of ,scripture set forth that idea4 ,in ,rom4 #f3ac we have the phrase1 8alive from the dead10 and in ,i ,john #c3ad we have the phrase1 8passed out of death into life40 ,in both passages the meaning is the same2 yet in ,romans the ,greek word from which we have 8dead0 is plural1 and in ,john we have another word in the singular4 ,the ,romans had been dead in sins1 but were made alive from that death4 ,the ,cambridge ,greek ,testament has this note3 8,ek nekron1 as men that are alive after being dead40 ,bloomfield3 8,ex nekron zontas1 as those who1 after having been 7spiritually7 dead1 are now alive40 ,thayer3 8,zeen ek nekron1 tropically1 out of moral death to enter upon a new life1 dedicated and acceptable to ,god 7,rom4 #f3ac470 ,in defining 8ek10 ,thayer has this3 8#e4 ,of the condition or state out of which one comes or is brought3 444 zontes ek nekron1 alive from being dead--i4 e41 who had been dead and were alive again 7,rom4 #f3ac470 ,it is plain1 therefore1 that the word 8dead0 in ,rom4 #f3ac refers to the death state4 ,it is true that it refers here to spiritual death1 but its use in describing the state of the sinner is a figurative use of the same expression that is applied to the state of those who are dead physically4 ,we have the same phrase in ,rom4 #aa3ae--8life from the dead0 7ek nekron74 ,on this passage ,thayer has this3 8,zoa ek nekron1 life breaking forth from the abode of the dead40 ,bloomfield gives the following as the sense of the whole verse3 8,if their sin1 which occasioned this casting away1 has been the means of reconciling the world1 by bringing about the death of ,christ1 what shall the receiving of them again into the divine favor be 7whenever it shall take place71 but so happy a change1 both to themselves and to the ,gentiles1 as may1 in a manner1 be said to raise the whole world from death to life8 ,zoe ek nekron1 by a figure common to all languages1 denotes 7as ,turretin and ,stuart explain7 something great and surprising1 like what a general resurrection from the dead would be40 ,so1 according to ,bloomfield1 8life from the dead0 is life from death4 ,but it is contended by all the future-kingdom folks that the phrase1 8resurrection from the dead0 7ek nekron71 applies to the righteous and never to the wicked4 ,their cause depends upon their repudiating the idea that the word 8dead0 refers to the death state4 ,they tell us that the righteous are raised before the wicked1 and are1 therefore1 raised 8out from among0 dead ones4 ,but their contention is not conclusive1 even if 8ek nekron0 should be rendered 8out of the dead ones40 ,in the first place1 to make 8ek0 mean out from among is stretching that little word too much4 ,again1 before the resurrection1 the dead ones are made up of both the righteous and the wicked4 ,their contention will not allow that the righteous come 8out from among0 the righteous dead4 ,they do not1 then1 come 8out from among0 the dead1 but 8out from among0 only a part of the dead4 ,but 8out from among0 is not even good ,english4 ,again1 granting1 for argument's sake1 that 8from the dead0 means 8out of dead ones10 their contention then does not hold good4 ,we view the field of the dead2 they are all there--the righteous1 the sinners1 the infants1 and all irresponsible people4 ,they all arise at once2 have they not come out of the dead8 ,they were dead ones1 now they are live ones2 out of the dead ones came the living ones4 ,the apostles preached a resurrection of both the just and the unjust4 7,acts #bd3ae74 ,in ,acts #d3b 8ek nekron0 is used in connection with the resurrection of all the dead4 ,the ,sadducees were sorely troubled because the apostles 8proclaimed in ,jesus the resurrection from the dead40 ,i have never seen any provision1 or place1 for the resurrection of infants and irresponsibles in the future-kingdom theory1 nor have ,i seen any place for such in their future-kingdom4 ,they cannot be rulers1 for they have not been tested and proved worthy of such place2 the most of them cannot be citizens1 for they are not ,jews4 ,will they be raised before the millennial kingdom begins8 ,if so1 what will be their status in that kingdom1 or will they be any part of it8 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,contrary to all human tendencies1 ,god would have us celebrate the death of ,christ instead of his birth4 ,had he wanted us to celebrate his birth1 he would not have left its date in obscurity4 ,a little attention to the history or manner of shepherding in ,palestine will convince anyone that ,december #be is not the correct date4 ,in the ,lord's ,supper1 we celebrate his death2 in observing the ,supper on the ,lord's day1 we celebrate his resurrection4 ,we honor ,jesus by following in his steps and by doing his will2 we dishonor him and disgrace his cause by celebrating his birth in the way it is usually done4 ,abraham did not want ,isaac to marry any daughter of the heathen surrounding him2 neither did ,isaac and ,rebekah want their two sons to do so4 ,the marriage relation is so close that no ,christian should marry a person whose influence would be hurtful instead of helpful4 ,,theory ,,of ,,two ,,resurrections ,,considered ,in a former article it was shown that the word 8dead0 in the phrase1 8resurrection from the dead10 sometimes1 at least1 refers to the death state4 ,people are raised from the dead--that is1 the death state4 ,but it is contended by the future-kingdom folks that there will be two resurrections--the righteous to be raised from among the dead1 and the rest of the dead will be raised later4 ,they insist that the phrase1 8from the dead10 shows that some of the dead will be left4 ,but their arguments have never seemed conclusive to me4 ,it would be hard to get two resurrections more than a thousand years apart out of the following language of the ,savior3 8,marvel not at this3 for the hour cometh1 in which all that are in their tombs shall hear his voice1 and shall come forth2 they that have done good1 unto the resurrection of life2 and they that have done evil1 unto the resurrection of judgment40 7,john #e3bh1 #bi47 ,there is to be an hour1 or period1 in which all1 both good and bad shall come forth from the dead at the call of ,jesus4 ,the same thought--that is1 that both will be raised at the same time--is presented in ,acts #d3a1 #b3 8,and as they spake unto the people1 the priests and the captain of the temple and the ,sadducees came upon them1 being sore troubled because they taught the people1 and proclaimed in ,jesus the resurrection from the dead40 ,here we have the phrase1 8resurrection from the dead0 7ek nekron74 ,the priests and the captain of the temple were ,sadducees4 ,the ,sadducees did not believe in the resurrection of anybody4 ,with them death ended all4 ,are we to believe that they stirred up all this trouble because the apostles taught that the righteous would be raised before the wicked8 ,that point did not concern them1 but to preach that the dead would be raised did disturb them4 ,the apostles preached in ,jesus a universal resurrection from the dead4 8,for as in ,adam all die1 so also in ,christ shall all be made alive40 7#a ,cor4 #ae3bb47 ,before ,felix1 ,paul preached that he had hope toward ,god that there would be a resurrection both of the just and the unjust4 7,acts #bd3ae47 ,it was that sort of preaching that so exasperated the ,sadducees4 ,hence1 when the apostles at ,jerusalem preached that all would be raised from the dead 7ek nekron71 it infuriated the ,sadducees4 ,but the ,pharisees believed in a universal resurrection4 ,paul took advantage of this difference between the ,sadducees and ,pharisees1 when he was brought before the council in ,jerusalem1 and said3 8,brethren1 ,i am a ,pharisee1 a son of ,pharisees3 touching the hope and resurrection of the dead ,i am called in question40 7,acts #bc3f47 ,the two-resurrectionists seek to make a point on ,paul's effort to 8attain unto the resurrection from the dead40 7,phil4 #c3aa47 ,after quoting ,phil4 #c3aj-ad1 ,charles ,m4 ,neal says3 8,to present and emphasize this thought1 ,paul invents a new word4 ,this word1 #8exanastasis1' occurs but this one time in the ,new ,testament4 ,the phrase #8resurrection from the dead1' is translated by ,rotherham as #8out-resurrection from among the dead1' and in the ,emphatic ,diaglott as #8resurrection from among the dead'40 ,it is true that the word occurs in the ,new ,testament only in this one place4 ,but we become somewhat doubtful of one who quotes as authority the ,emphatic ,diaglott1 a translation that is printed and sold by the ,russellites4 ,and surely no one would seriously put ,rotherham up against the great body of scholars who gave the ,american ,standard ,version4 ,but to seek to make 8exanastasis0 mean out-resurrection from is to venture beyond the lexicons4 ,liddell and ,scott gives the ,new ,testament meaning as the resurrection4 ,thayer3 a rising up2 a rising again2 resurrection4 ,thus it is seen that ,thayer1 though himself a premillennialist1 gives no support to the idea in defining the word4 ,when a man gives a definition of a word that is not sustained by either of these lexicons1 nor by the greatest body of scholars that was ever gathered for any purpose1 he puts entirely too much stress upon himself4 ,it is true that 8ek0 or 8ex0 when standing alone as a preposition1 usually has the general meaning of 8out of02 but when used as a part of a compound word1 as in 'exanastasis'1 it sometimes merely intensifies the meaning of the word to which it is joined1 giving the idea of 8utterly1 entirely40 ,see ,thayer and ,liddell and ,scott4 ,if one has the time and opportunity1 he may also examine ,winer 7page #dbi7 and ,robertson's ,grammar of the ,greek ,new ,testament 7pages #efb-d1 #eif74 ,if 8ex0 adds any meaning to the word here1 it merely means that ,paul was striving to obtain a complete resurrection1 a perfect resurrection--that is1 a resurrection to life that is life indeed4 ,in that respect there is a decided difference between the resurrection of a faithful ,christian and a sinner1 for a sinner is not raised to real life4 ,sometimes the preposition adds nothing to the meaning of the word with which it is compounded--that is1 so far as we can see4 ,take1 for illustration1 the verb from which we have 8exanastasis40 ,it occurs in ,mark #ab3ai and ,luke #bj3bh--8raised up seed unto his brother40 ,here we have 8ex0 joined to the verb2 but in the parallel passage in ,matt4 #bb3bd1 where the meaning is bound to be exactly the same1 the preposition 8ex0 is left off4 ,if adding 8ex0 to the verb does not change this verb1 how can one dogmatically argue that it changes the noun that is derived from the verb8 ,the argument built on 8exanastasis0 is about as flimsy an argument as one could find4 ,a cause that depends on such arguments cannot have a substantial basis4 ,but a wild theory is often supported by very tame arguments4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,one preacher can do very little toward establishing a church in a great city4 ,it is perhaps harder now than ever4 ,we have seen it tried4 ,it would be better to take ,antioch as an example4 ,notice the number of workers that concentrated their efforts on that city4 ,they got results4 ,paul generally had a group of helpers with him4 ,together they did work in cities where one man would have failed1 or practically so4 ,ignoring this divine example and putting one man in a city without real help1 we have wasted much effort4 ,,church ,,ages ,when a man tries to sustain a false theory in religion he cannot do so by correct application of the scriptures4 ,he will make false arguments and pervert the scriptures4 ,a striking example of this is seen in the efforts of some to find prophetic symbolisms in the letters to the seven churches in ,asia4 ,these letters were written to seven churches in seven cities of ,asia ,minor1 and they are recorded in the second and third chapters of ,revelation4 ,here is what ,scofield says in his ,bible3 8,the messages to the seven churches have a fourfold application3 7#a7 ,local1 to the churches actually addressed2 7#b7 admonitory1 to all churches in all time as tests by which they may discern their true spiritual state in the sight of ,god2 7#c7 personal1 in exhortations to him #8that hath an ear1' and in the promises #8to him that overcometh'2 7#d7 prophetic as disclosing seven phases of the spiritual history of the church from1 say1 ,a4 ,d4 #if to the end40 ,of course1 when these men talk about the church they include all that they call branches of the church4 ,they claim that we are now living in the period symbolized by the church at ,laodicea4 ,there is not even a hint that there were any prophetic symbolisms in the condition of these churches4 ,of course they do not claim that the condition of the church at ,ephesus was prophetic of a future period--its condition merely portrayed the condition of the churches then4 ,that is absurd1 for the six other churches mentioned were not like ,ephesus--in fact1 there is not a hint that the ,ephesus church was like any other church of that day1 and yet the theory requires that the condition of the church at ,ephesus correctly represented all the churches of that period4 ,and then the other six churches are said to represent1 or symbolize1 or forecast the condition of the church at certain periods4 ,the marking off the period that each church is supposed to represent is purely arbitrary4 ,no one can prove1 even if the theory were true1 that we live in the ,laodicean period4 ,but the whole theory is fantastic1 absurd1 and a reflection on ,god4 ,think what the theory involves4 ,how could a church then determine the character of the whole church during a certain period hundreds of years later8 ,or did ,god by direct miraculous power make these churches to be like what he knew the whole church would be at different periods8 ,or did he by direct power make the periods to be like the churches of ,asia8 ,in either case people had to be what ,god by direct power chose to make them4 ,where then is there room for freedom of will1 or freedom of action8 ,any one who can believe that each of these churches was a forecast of the whole church at a certain period can believe any foolish1 fantastic1 absurd thing that the wildest imagination can conceive4 ,he does not have to have any evidence--he just lets his imagination run riot4 ,i would like for some of its advocates to tell me when that notion was hatched out1 and by whom4 ,,philadelphia ,,and ,,the ,,hour ,,of ,,trial ,foy ,e4 ,wallace1 ,jr41 passes over to me a document which was written in ,detroit with a request that ,i say something about it4 ,the document would fill my page4 ,as much of it has no special bearing on the points sought to be made1 ,i will make liberal and fair quotations from it4 ,the passage commented upon first is ,rev4 #c3aj3 8,because thou didst keep the word of my patience1 ,i also will keep thee from the hour of trial1 that hour which is to come upon the whole world1 to try them that dwell upon the earth40 ,i quote3 8,the promise4 #8,the hour of trial' was ahead1 but ,philadelphia was to be kept from it4 ,not saved through it1 but kept from it4444 8,that ,hour4 7#a7 ,it is the #8hour of trial' with emphasis on #8the'4 7#b7 ,it is the #8hour of trial' with emphasis on #8trial'1 for it is #8to try them that dwell upon the earth4' 7#d7 ,it is yet future2 #8to come upon the whole world4' ,nothing has since occurred in history filling out this picture4444 7#e7 the ,philadelphia type of saints will escape4444 ,those who keep his word are of the ,philadelphia type of saints4 ,the church that is true to the word is a church of the ,philadelphian type and can lay claim to this same promise40 ,john wrote seven letters1 dictated by the ,lord1 to seven churches in ,asia2 the church at ,philadelphia was one of these churches4 ,the ,lord made a definite promise to the church at ,philadelphia4 ,naturally the members of that church would understand that the promise was to them2 but that church long ago ceased to exist4 ,and yet we are told that the promise made to those brethren is yet future4 ,if that be so1 then that promise was not for those brethren at all6 ,they are all dead2 was that the way the ,lord was going to keep them from the hour of trial8 ,no1 no2 according to the foregoing quotation1 the promise was not meant for the church at ,philadelphia at all1 but for the churches of the ,philadelphian type6 ,such juggling with the record is both taking away from and adding to the words of the book4 ,the promise was not made to the 8,philadelphian type of saints01 but to the church at ,philadelphia4 ,it is true that some promises1 general in their nature1 though not to one individual or group of individuals1 are to be enjoyed by all who fulfill the conditions2 but certainly the ones to whom the promise is directly made are included in the promise6 ,but1 strange to say1 according to the foregoing quotation1 the church at ,philadelphia to whom the promise was made was not included in the promise made directly to them6 ,that promise is yet future1 so we are told4 ,but the implication of the quotation is that the promise was made to the ,philadelphian type of churches1 and that it is to be fulfilled in 8the rapture40 ,and what is it that a person cannot prove1 if he is allowed to juggle words to suit his theory8 ,if the hour of trial is yet future1 the ,lord kept ,philadelphia from it by deferring it till all those saints died4 ,but he conjures up a peculiar method of escape for those saints who long ago died3 7#g7 8,the method of escape is found in such passages as #a ,thess4 #d3af1 #ag4 ,it is often called the rapture1 and properly so1 from the expression #8caught up1' which rapture means40 ,but would not the saints of ,philadelphia escape that supposed three and a half years of tribulation if they should remain in their graves8 ,i quote again3 8,other ,designations4 ,jesus used the term #8that day1' also the term #8tribulation4' ,daniel calls it #8a time of trouble' such as is unequaled and never repeated4 ,in ,jer4 #cj3g it is #8the time of ,jacob's trouble2 but he shall be saved out of it4' ,here is a parallel to the escape of the three ,hebrews from the fiery furnace4 ,those who are #8saved out of it' are distinct from those who are kept from it4 ,john has a vision of a number who #8come out of the great tribulation1' but the ,philadelphians are kept from it60 ,he affirms that the various terms he names applies to one certain period that is yet to be2 but he gives not one word of proof4 ,the terms1 8that day10 8in that day10 8day of trouble10 8tribulation10 8tribulations10 8that hour10 are used many times in the ,bible1 and certainly do not all refer to the same period of time4 ,why then pick out a term here and there and arbitrarily apply them to one certain time8 ,,the ,,reason3 a certain theory demands it4 ,and if the writer will examine the ,greek in ,jer4 #cj3g and ,rev4 #c3aj1 he will find apo1 from1 in ,jeremiah1 and ek1 out of1 in ,revelation1 which completely reverses the point he seeks to make on the use of prepositions4 ,again ,i quote3 8,chronology4444 ,the order of some outstanding things foretold is revealed4 ,to get this order saves confusion4 ,from ,jesus' prophecy on the mount 7,matt4 #bd and #be2 ,mark #ac2 ,luke #ba7 avoiding all forced interpretations1 we learn #8the tribulation of those days' leads up to the darkening of the sun and moon1 the falling of the stars of the heaven1 the powers of the heaven being shaken1 and the glorious appearing of the ,son of man4 ,note the expression #8immediately after' in ,matt4 #bd3bi4 ,note also ,mark #ac3bd-bg 444 even up to the tribulation there are foretold #8wars and rumors of wars1' and #8nation shall rise against nation1 and kingdom against kingdom4' ,again1 attention is called to the fact that those days of unprecedented tribulation #8shall be shortened4' ,obviously they are terminated by the ,son of man in connection with his appearing4 ,the times foretold in this connection constitute #8the days of the ,son of man4' 7see ,luke #ag3bf47 ,the #8rapture' precedes #8the tribulation of those days1' #8the days of the ,son of man4' ,and the rapture awaits nothing that is foretold40 ,there are difficulties in the discourse ,jesus delivered to the disciples on ,olivet2 but it is certain that no one will get a correct idea of what was said if he ignores the questions that gave rise to the speech4 ,jesus was answering questions put to him by the disciples4 ,the disciples had called his attention to the temple and its adornments4 ,jesus said3 8,as for these things which ye behold1 the days will come1 in which there shall not be left here one stone upon another1 that shall not be thrown down40 ,when they had crossed to the mount of ,olives1 ,peter1 ,james1 ,john1 and ,andrew said to him3 8,teacher1 when therefore shall these things be8 and what shall be the sign when these things are about to come to pass80 ,put yourself in the place of these disciples3 would you not understand that everything ,jesus said was in answer to those two questions8 ,would ,jesus confuse them by saying a lot of things which they would understand to be in answer to their questions1 but were not8 ,in ,mark's record we have3 8,tell us1 when shall these things be8 and what shall be the sign when these things are about to be accomplished80 ,to say that most of the answer ,jesus gave related to something about which they had not inquired is to accuse ,jesus of not dealing fairly with them4 ,in ,matthew's record we have3 8,tell us1 when shall these things be8 and what shall be the sign of thy coming1 and of the end of the world80 ,for the last clause the marginal reading has1 8,or1 the consummation of the age40 ,to say that ,matthew's report of these questions does not mean the same as the reports of ,mark and ,luke is to accuse some one of making a false report of the questions4#a ,it is singular that so many commentators take it for granted that the disciples were1 in ,matthew's report1 asking about the second coming of ,christ2 but that could not be4 ,jesus had not taught them anything about his second coming2 besides1 they had never believed that he would be put to death6 ,the ,jews held to the idea that when the ,messiah came1 he would abide1 forever1 ruling as a great king in ,jerusalem4 ,how then could the disciples have been asking questions about the second coming of ,christ1 when they did not believe he would go away8 ,it is astonishing that commentators have overlooked this plain fact4 ,the disciples referred to his coming in judgment on ,jerusalem4 ,the tribulation was the suffering of the ,jews when the ,romans destroyed their nation and ,jerusalem4 ,the temple was utterly destroyed4 ,the ,jewish nation ended2 darkness and gloom settled down over the people4 ,the fulfillment of what ,jesus had said was a sign that he was what he claimed to be--that the ,son of man was also the ,christ1 the ,son of ,god4 ,for the natural phenomena mentioned you get some explanation by reading ,isa4 #ac3a-aj4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,the treatment ,joseph received at home would tend to make him arrogant and overbearing4 ,to serve the purpose ,god had in view1 these traits had to be toned down4 ,a period of slavery1 followed by a rather long stay in prison1 would reduce his pride and feeling of importance4 ,in both slavery and imprisonment he learned to work under men1 and at the same time he learned to manage men4 ,he also learned business principles4 ,a petted son does not have much opportunity to learn any of these useful things4 ,joseph had to be torn away from his father in order to learn to be useful4 ,,nebuchadnezzar',s ,,dream ,nebuchadnezzar had a wonderful dream1 and required1 on penalty of death1 that the wise men tell him the dream and its interpretation4 ,none but ,daniel could do so4 ,to the king ,daniel said3 8,thou1 ,o king1 sawest1 and1 behold1 a great image4 ,this image1 which was mighty1 and whose brightness was excellent1 stood before thee2 and the aspect thereof was terrible4 ,as for this image1 its head was of fine gold1 its breast and its arms of silver1 its belly and its thighs of brass1 its legs of iron1 its feet part of iron and part of clay4 ,thou sawest till that a stone was cut out without hands1 which smote the image upon its feet that were of iron and clay1 and brake them in pieces4 ,then was the iron1 the clay1 the brass1 the silver1 and the gold1 broken in pieces together1 and became like chaff of the summer threshing floors2 and the wind carried them away1 so that no place was found for them3 and the stone that smote the image became a great mountain1 and filled the whole earth40 7,dan4 #b3ca-ce47 ,before we read the interpretation of this dream1 let us observe3 7#a7 that ,nebuchadnezzar saw the complete image1 as if all its parts existed at the same time2 7#b7 that the stone smote the image on the feet2 7#c7 that the whole image from feet to head was broken in pieces and scattered as dust2 7#d7 and that no place was found for them--no place for such parts as composed that image4 ,the ,interpretation--8,thou art the head of gold4 ,and after thee shall arise another kingdom inferior to thee2 and another third kingdom of brass1 which shall bear rule over all the earth4 ,and the fourth kingdom shall be strong as iron1 for as much as iron breaketh in pieces and subdueth all things2 and as iron that crusheth all these1 shall it break in pieces and crush4444 ,and in the days of those kings shall the ,god of heaven set up a kingdom which shall never be destroyed1 nor shall the sovereignty thereof be left to another people2 but it shall break in pieces and consume all these kingdoms1 and it shall stand forever4 ,for as much as thou sawest that a stone was cut out of the mountain without hands1 and that it brake in pieces the iron1 the brass1 the clay1 the silver1 and the gold2 the great ,god hath made known to the king what shall come to pass hereafter40 7,verses #cf-de47 ,this dream and the interpretation have furnished a starting point for many sermons by gospel preachers4 ,till recently they all contended that the kingdom of this prophecy was set up in ,jerusalem on the first ,pentecost after the resurrection of ,christ1 and then and there entered upon the work which ,daniel said it would accomplish4 ,it is now argued by a few brethren that when ,jesus comes again the kingdom of this prophecy will then have its real beginning1 and will then destroy the image of ,nebuchadnezzar's dream4 ,but is there anything in the interpretation to warrant such a radical change from a century of gospel preaching8 ,the four world kingdoms represented in the image--,babylon1 ,medo-,persia1 ,greece1 and ,rome--came and fell in the order mentioned4 ,yet ,nebuchadnezzar saw them in the image1 as if all existed at the same time4 ,the stone is represented as breaking in pieces the whole image--that is1 the kingdom of ,god is represented as destroying all of the four world kingdoms4 8,it broke in pieces the iron1 the brass1 the clay1 the silver1 and the gold40 ,in truth1 it was an image of world empire1 and that was broken in pieces1 never to be made whole again4 ,every attempt at world empire1 since ,rome1 has ended in failure1 and will continue to fail4 ,it is also plainly stated that in the days of these kings--that is1 while the image still remained--the ,god of heaven would set up a kingdom1 and that this kingdom would destroy the image4 ,the ,roman ,empire embodied all that was in the other three kingdoms of the image4 ,so long as ,rome existed the image stood4 ,the stone smote the image on the feet1 but destroyed every part of the image4 ,every kingdom represented in that image has ceased to be2 the image has been entirely destroyed--not a vestige of it remains4 ,it follows1 then1 with the force of a demonstration1 that the kingdom of ,god has been set up4 ,even though it be claimed that another world empire is yet to be1 it cannot1 by any juggling of words or flight of the imagination1 be made a part of the image of ,nebuchadnezzar's dream4 ,in that image each kingdom merged into the one following it till ,rome2 then the stone smote the image and destroyed it4 ,as the kingdom was to be set up during the existence of that image1 and as that image has been destroyed1 it proves beyond a doubt that the ,god of heaven has set up his kingdom4 ,so far as the interpretation of the dream shows1 the kingdom of ,god was to destroy only the kingdoms of the image2 and it could destroy the first three only as they were represented in the ,roman ,empire4 ,world ,empires died with ,rome4 ,the principles of the kingdom of ,christ have so modified human thinking as to destroy the possibility of world empire4 ,but we are told that ,daniel's language shows that these kingdoms are to be destroyed suddenly1 and by violent impact4 ,but it cannot be shown that ,daniel's language requires such method of destruction4 ,the kingdom was to grind them to dust4 ,does that only imply destruction8 ,besides1 the future-kingdom idea is that the kingdom of ,god will be ushered in in full power2 whereas the dream represents it as a stone that destroyed the image and then grew into a mountain that filled the earth4 ,if you still insist that ,daniel's language shows that the kingdoms are to be destroyed by violent impact1 then ,i ask you to consider carefully the language of ,jer4 #a3i1 #aj3 8,then ,jehovah put forth his hand1 and touched my mouth2 and ,jehovah said unto me1 ,behold1 ,i have put my words in thy mouth3 see1 ,i have this day set thee over the nations and over the kingdoms1 to pluck up and to break down and to destroy and to overthrow1 to build and to plant40 ,that is as strong language as ,daniel uses in describing the work of the kingdom of ,god2 yet we know that ,jeremiah destroyed nothing by violent impact4 ,yet how these future-kingdom advocates would have stressed this language if it had been used to describe the work of the kingdom instead of the work of ,jeremiah6 ,it would be interesting to see them try to show how ,dan4 #b3dd1 #de requires violence1 but ,jer4 #a3i1 #aj means 8peaceful penetration40 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,a thing gained through deceit or fraud cannot bring contentment and satisfaction4 ,jacob never enjoyed any real happiness in possessing the birthright1 and the blessings he obtained from ,isaac by fraud made him an exile and caused him much worry and distress4 ,one cannot see wherein it was any real satisfaction to him4 ,we get into trouble when we scheme and plan to help ,god work out his plans4 ,when ,god announced1 even before ,esau and ,jacob were born1 his purposes concerning these two prospective sons of ,isaac and ,rebekah1 ,rebekah should have realized that ,god would work out his plans in his own way2 but she thought she must do some scheming to help ,god work out his plans4 ,in so doing she lost the company of her beloved son and caused him untold misery4 ,,milligan ,,on ,,nebuchadnezzar',s ,,dream ,after ,i wrote my recent article on 8,nebuchadnezzar's dream and its interpretation10 ,i found a series of articles on the kingdom1 written by ,robert ,milligan and published in the ,millenial ,harbinger of #aheh4 ,that the reader may see that the positions set forth in my article are neither new nor fanciful1 ,i quote some extracts from ,bro4 ,milligan's articles4 ,concerning the establishment of the kingdom foretold in ,daniel's interpretation of the dream1 ,mr4 ,milligan says3 ,the prophet limits the chronology of the event to 8,the days of these kings40 ,but who are they8 ,when did they reign8 ,what was the beginning1 the duration1 the end of their administration8 ,many writers on prophecy1 and even some of our own brethren1 for whose opinions we entertain very great respect1 refer all this to the future4 ,they suppose by 8these kings0 are meant the ten kingdoms into which the ,roman ,empire was divided1 and which they suppose were symbolized by the ten toes of the image4444 ,but with all due respect for these good brethren1 we are constrained to dissent from such an interpretation of the passage4 ,to us there appear to lie against it many objections1 some of which are the following3 #a4 ,the notion that the toes of the image were designed to represent the ten fragments of the ,western ,roman ,empire is a mere hypothesis4 ,it may possibly be true2 but certain it is that the evidence is wanting4444 ,but ten toes on one foot would be rather incongruous4 #b4 ,but even if it could be satisfactorily shown that the ten toes were designed to represent the fragments of the ten kingdoms that arose out of the ,western ,empire1 it would by no means follow that these are identical with the kings named in the text4 ,the reverse of this is certainly true4 ,the limiting adjective1 8these10 implies that the subject to which it refers had been clearly designated4444 ,but the only kings fairly implied in the whole connection are those of the four universal monarchies4444 ,from these premises we infer that the phrase1 8these kings10 has no reference to the monarchs of modern ,europe4 ,nor does it1 as some have supposed1 refer exclusively to the ,caesars4 ,these are not in this connection made the subject of a distinct prophecy4 ,the phrase evidently refers to all the rulers of the four universal monarchies1 and comprehends the kings of ,babylon1 and ,persia1 and ,macedonia1 as well as those of ,rome4 ,the meaning of this passage1 then1 is simply this3 that at some epoch during the lifetime of that human monster1 or between the time of ,nebuchadnezzar and the fall of the ,roman ,empire in the year of ,christ #dgf1 the ,god of heaven would set up a kingdom in the world4 ,after some discussion of the events of the first ,pentecost after the resurrection of ,christ1 ,brother ,milligan says3 ,according1 then1 to the testimony of ,peter1 ,jesus ,christ was1 on the day of ,pentecost1 seated on the throne of ,david1 not in ,jerusalem1 as the ,jews anticipated1 but in heaven at the right hand of ,god4 ,he was exalted to the rank and dignity of a ,prince as well as a ,savior4 ,and hence1 for the first time in the history of the world1 those who gladly received his word were commanded to be baptized in the name of ,jesus ,christ for the remission of their sins4 ,in his second article ,brother ,milligan quotes ,nebuchadnezzar's dream and ,daniel's interpretation thereof1 and then comments as follows3 ,the image was then smitten upon the feet4 ,the wound was mortal4 ,the tyrant that had governed the world from the days of ,nebuchadnezzar till that hour was slain4 ,his spirit was subdued1 and his whole physical organization1 consisting of gold1 and silver1 and brass1 and iron1 and clay1 was then broken into fragments4 ,since that time ,charlemagne1 ,napoleon1 and many others1 have attempted to revive the spirit and reunite the scattered fragments of this fallen image4 ,but all such attempts have been in vain4444 ,it is true1 the spirit of war still exists3 blood is often shed for the most trivial causes4 ,but let any prince or potentate now attempt to revive the spirit of this fallen image2 let him attempt1 like ,nebuchadnezzar1 ,cyrus1 ,alexander1 and ,caesar1 to subdue the world1 and to govern it on the principle that 8might makes right20 and if not treated as a maniac by his own subjects1 he will1 at least1 find arrayed against him the combined powers of ,christendom4 ,in view of what happened to the ,kaiser when he tried to conquer the world1 the last statement of ,brother ,milligan looks almost like prophecy4 ,but it was not a prophecy1 but merely a statement based on ,daniel's interpretation of ,nebuchadnezzar's dream4 ,i invite the future-kingdom advocates to consider the following3 #a4 ,the image1 as it stood before ,nebuchadnezzar1 represented four world empires4 ,that is1 of course1 admitted4 #b4 ,the kingdom of ,god was to be set up while that image stood1 and was to destroy the image4 ,on that point no one can mistake what ,daniel says4 #c4 ,that image has been destroyed--there has not been a world empire since the days of ,rome4 #d4 ,it is certain1 therefore1 that the kingdom of ,god has been established1 and that the principles of that kingdom have broken down and destroyed world empires4 ,it is a pity that a man will become so obsessed with a speculative idea as to say that the image has been destroyed1 but the kingdom of ,god had nothing to do with its destruction4 ,to me it looks like a flat denial of what ,daniel says4 ,a ,,leading ,,doctrine ,,of ,,this ,,current ,,reformation ,when ,i was a young man1 the gospel preachers who were then active in preaching the ancient gospel preached often on the establishment of the kingdom4 ,as ,i recall those sermons1 they usually began with the dream of ,nebuchadnezzar and ,daniel's interpretation thereof1 as recorded in the second chapter of ,daniel4 ,it was argued that the kingdom foretold in verse #dd began on the first ,pentecost after the resurrection of ,christ4 ,that was one position on which there was no disagreement among 8,christians only0 in those days4 ,it is true that there had been some speculations to the contrary in the days of ,alexander ,campbell4 ,one ,dr4 ,john ,thomas was a leading spirit in that agitation4 ,it was contended that the restoration of the ,israelites to a kingdom of their own in ,palestine was the hope--the ,elpis--of ,israel4 ,while we do not recognize ,mr4 ,campbell as authority in matters of faith1 we do recognize him as a teacher of great ability4 ,it will do us good to read carefully some things ,mr4 ,campbell wrote on the kingdom question4 ,note how the following fits into the present agitation on this question3 ,i will receive it as a favor from any person1 to be informed of any people or preacher1 on this continent or in the ,european world1 that clearly or definitely stated or announced1 in unequivocal affirmation1 that the ,christian church did not commence1 and1 consequently1 was never organized1 till the first ,pentecost after the crucifixion1 death1 burial1 resurrection1 ascension1 and glorification of the ,lord ,jesus ,christ2 that then placed upon the throne of ,david1 and upon the throne of ,god1 he commenced his reign personally in heaven and spiritually upon the earth1 by the mission of the ,holy ,spirit to his apostles1 and through them to his church1 which is now his natural and earthly body--the fullness1 or manhood development1 of ,him who fills all things1 in all places1 with life1 and beauty1 and happiness4 ,the foregoing is taken from the ,millenial ,harbinger of ,february1 #aheb4 ,in a footnote to the foregoing quotation we have the following from ,mr4 ,campbell3 ,to prevent misconception of this allusion to the throne of ,david1 ,i simply remark for the present1 to be developed1 probably more fully again1 that the throne of ,david was1 in fact1 the earthly throne of ,god1 in the midst of ancient ,israel4 ,david was his viceroy--that is1 the ,lord's anointed--a fact not well understood by the church1 and still less by some untaught and unteachable dogmatists of the present day4 ,it was necessary to the plans of ,jehovah1 which are all sublimely grand and wonderful1 that he should have two thrones--one on earth and one in heaven--for a time occupied one above1 by himself1 and one below1 by his vicegerent1 called or constituted by him2 and therefore his solemn oath or covenant with ,david1 that he would raise out of his person1 in fullness of time1 one that would occupy both thrones4 ,hence1 said the inspired bard of ,israel1 8,jehovah said to my ,jehovah1 ,sit thou on my right hand till ,i make thy foes thy footstool40 ,it is beautifully in accordance with this fact that ,mary the ,virgin was the last bud on the tree of ,david which could blossom and fructify1 and bring forth a representative of ,david4 ,so that1 if ,jesus be not the heir of ,david's throne1 there never can be one born1 and ,god's covenant has failed4 ,this is a death blow to ,jewish infidelity1 if their eyes were not closed and their ears sealed4 ,but ,jesus was the ,son of ,david1 and born to be a ,king1 as he told ,caesar's representative4 ,on the throne of ,david1 as ,king of kings1 he now sits1 and also on the throne of ,god2 for he has all crowns upon his head1 and affirms that all authority in heaven and on earth is given him4 ,any one who desires to peruse the most conceited1 consequential1 and dogmatical treaties1 based upon hallucination1 and parody of the words 8,elpis ,israel10 will1 if he have a dollar to throw away1 have a demonstration of a disease called in ,kentucky 8the big head10 probably unequaled in this century2 making the hope of ,israel--indeed1 the hope of the gospel in full development--to consist in raising up again a throne of ,david in ,palestine in ,jerusalem2 as if that throne had been vacant now for eighteen hundred years1 or as if ,jesus ,christ would remove his throne out of the heavenly ,jerusalem1 to rebuild and locate it in old ,jerusalem1 and there to aggrandize the empire of the universe6 ,but this only in passing1 as one of the specimens of the power of the love of notoriety or of the marvelous1 in wrecking and bewildering the human mind4 ,we regard this development of the passion for notoriety as one of the most admonitory dispensations in our immediate circle of observation4 ,it has made a man1 that might have been useful1 worthless to himself1 worthless to his friends1 and worse than worthless to the world4 ,in the ,january ,harbinger 7#ahea7 ,mr4 ,campbell reports a sermon which he preached at ,bloomington1 ,ind41 from which ,i glean the following excerpts3 8,on ,saturday night our subject was the promised advocacy of the ,spirit1 after the return and coronation of the ,messiah in heaven2 the commencement of his kingdom1 and the peculiarities of the ,christian dispensation1 in contrast with the patriarchal and ,jewish institutions4 ,we gave reasons why ,christianity1 or the kingdom of ,christ1 could not be developed till he received all authority in heaven and earth--till he received the kingdom and government of the universe40 8,the kingdom has come1 and the king has been on the throne of ,david now more than eighteen hundred years3 still1 myriads are yet praying1 #8,thy kingdom come'60 8,thus ,jesus1 after he had expiated our sins on earth1 entered heaven1 and basing his intercession1 as our high priest1 upon his sacrifice1 he sat down a priest upon his throne1 #8after the order of ,melchizedek2' a high priest forever1 #8according to the power of an endless life4' ,this1 as set forth1 is a leading doctrine of this current reformation4444 ,it is pregnant with great revolutionizing and regenerating principles40 ,if ,jesus is not now our anointed ,prophet1 ,priest1 and ,king1 he is not yet the ,christ4 ,do you believe ,jesus to be the ,christ now1 or the ,christ that is yet to be8 ,,is ,,the ,,church ,,the ,,kingdom8 ,bro4 ,ira ,c4 ,moore1 in ,f4 ,f4 of ,june #ag1 7#aij87 says 8,no40 ,he reasons that because these two words are from ,greek words of different meanings1 and because the two words themselves have no meaning in common1 therefore they can not apply to the same thing4 ,he says the meaning of a word may be substituted by the word and make sense1 and refers to our use of this principle in reference to baptism and sprinkling4 ,the principle is true in the main1 but ,bro4 ,moore's reasoning from it is as fallacious as can be4 ,no one claims that the words kingdom and church mean the same4 ,to describe or define a specific act words must of necessity be synonymous1 yet words very different in meaning may be applied to the same person or thing1 owing to the different relations that a person or thing sustains to the world4 ,man1 husband1 father1 citizen1 author1 and president are words very different in their meanings1 yet all of them apply to one person ,theodore ,roosevelt4 ,in the different positions of life he occupies the relation that each of these words indicates4 ,because all these words are appropriately applied to him does that mean that you can take a sentence in which one of them is used and replace it with either of the words and make sense4 8,i1 ,theodore ,roosevelt1 husband1 or author1 or father of the ,united ,states10 etc4 ,how is that8 8,nonsense10 did you say8 ,just so4 ,apostle1 ,author1 ,shepherd1 ,bishop1 ,bread of ,life1 ,bridegroom1 ,star1 ,captain1 ,christ1 ,corner ,stone1 ,counselor1 ,governor1 ,head of the ,church1 ,high ,priest1 ,king1 ,master1 ,mediator1 ,prophet1 ,physician1 and a number of other names and designations apply to one ,being yet they differ in meaning4 ,in different relations different words apply to ,him4 ,just so with the church4 ,it is called body1 family1 temple1 house1 kingdom1 etc4 ,viewing it from different standpoints1 you use different scripture words4 ,being 8called out10 it is the church1 as an organization1 it is the body of ,christ2 as a government1 having ,christ as its ,king2 it is the kingdom of ,christ4 ,this is enough--you see the point4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,people spend much time and energy in worrying about things that are entirely in the hands of ,god4 ,we worry about the weather1 and we worry about how ,god will work out his plans in the final windup of all earthly matters4 ,if we believe in ,god and in ,christ1 why worry8 ,wherein ,god invites us to trust him1 he will not betray us4 ,to doubt him is sin4 ,he is not slack concerning his promises4 ,he rewards abundantly those who put their trust in him--those who love him serve him4 ,if by faith we could see the ,lord as he is and could realize our own weakness and dependence upon him1 all the praise and adulation that men could heap upon us would seem empty and vain4 ,to know that our ,lord looked upon us with favor would be sufficient4 ,,this ,,government ,,and ,,jehovah',s ,,witnesses ,dear ,brother ,whiteside3 ,it seems to me that we ought not to oppose any move upon the part of the government to respect the conscience of sincere individuals4 ,there are too many people in this country who would like to see us stop preaching for us to help further any movement which would deny the right to preach to certain religious groups4 ,there have been efforts in some cities to make it illegal for the 8,jehovah's ,witnesses0 to distribute their literature or to sell it on the streets4 ,these1 in so far as they have come to my attention1 have been declared unconstitutional4 ,for this ,i am thankful1 for ,i know once such laws are placed upon the books that they will be used by people against us in certain sections of the country4 ,i have met people who would have invoked legal aid1 if they had the power to do so1 to prevent us from preaching in certain places by means of the tract4 ,it seems to me that laws which might be passed and used against 8,jehovah's ,witnesses0 could be easily used in the hands of vested interests and tricky lawyers to rob the church of ,christ of the liberty of free speech4 ,then1 too1 it would be easy for an intense patriot to label the teachings of the ,new ,testament1 and thus of the church of ,christ1 as subversive4 ,they could point out that the ,new ,testament teaches that-- #a4 ,christians are kings and priests4 7,rev4 #a3f47 #b4 ,that we are endeavoring to establish a kingdom in the ,united ,states which is world-wide in its mission and which acknowledges as its supreme ruler ,jesus ,christ instead of ,washington4 #c4 ,that this kingdom has been antagonistic1 to say the least1 to some governments of the past4 7,dan4 #b3dd47 #d4 ,that members of this kingdom believe that it was prophesied by ,isaiah1 who said that1 among other things1 its members would beat their swords into plowshares and cease to learn the ways of war4 7,isa4 #b3b-d47 #e4 ,that they are not allowed to take vengeance4 7,rom4 #ab3ai47 ,from this they could draw conclusions which would lead many people to take steps to curtail our religious freedom4 ,for these reasons1 if for no other1 it seems to me that your article in the ,gospel ,advocate for ,march #bf1 #aidb1 was unnecessary4 ,it helps encourage a movement which could easily result in opposition to the gospel4 ,of course ,i do not accept the peculiar doctrines of the 8,jehovah's ,witnesses40 ,i think we ought to teach them1 among other things1 ,paul's teaching concerning the proper attitude to civil powers4 7,rom4 #ac3a47--;,james ,d4 ,bales4 ,brother ,bales surely has not thought this thing through4 ,as ,i see it1 if 8,jehovah's ,witnesses0 are to be allowed unmolested to distribute their literature of opposition to all human governments1 neither should a rabid ,german propagandist be molested in this country4 ,i made no effort to 8oppose any move on the part of the government to respect the conscience0 of any citizen of this government4 ,so far the government has been as considerate as could be expected4 ,but suppose a citizen of ,germany1 one wholly loyal to his government1 were doing propaganda work on the streets of our cities1 he would certainly be conscientiously opposed to doing military service for this government4 ,would ,brother ,bales think this government should so respect his conscience as to let him go on with his subversive activities8 ,he is an individual1 and he has a conscience1 and he would certainly be sincere in his devotion to his government4 ,brother ,bales makes no exceptions when he speaks of 8the conscience of sincere individuals40 ,do you say he was speaking of citizens of this government8 ,if so1 he leaves 8,jehovah's ,witnesses0 out1 they themselves being witnesses1 as a glance at their teaching will show4 ,both ,russell and ,rutherford taught that 8the times of the ,gentiles10 of which the ,bible speaks1 is the time in which ,god permitted the ,gentiles to rule in the governments of the earth4 ,their language is too plain to admit of any misunderstanding4 ,mr4 ,russell taught that the saints should be submissive to ,gentile governments up to the close of the times of the ,gentiles1 or to the limit of their right to rule4 ,with these people the times of the ,gentiles began 8when the diadem was taken from ,zedekiah10 and lasted till ,a4 ,d4 #aiad4 ,in the #aiab edition of ,the ,time ,is at ,hand1 ,vol4 #b1 78copyright #ahhi071 ,mr4 ,russell says3 8,in this chapter we present the ,bible evidence proving that the full end of the times of the ,gentiles--i4 e41 the full end of their lease of dominion--will be reached in ,a4 ,d4 #aiad2 and that date will be the fartherest limit of the rule of imperfect men40 7,pages #gf1 #gg47 8,so1 then1 ,gentile rule had a beginning1 will last for a fixed time1 and will end at the time appointed40 7,page #gh47 ,during the times of the ,gentiles the saints were to 8render to them due respect and obedience10 but 8to keep separate from the kingdoms of this world as strangers1 pilgrims1 and foreigners40 ,that eliminates them from citizenship in any government of the world1 in so far as one can eliminate himself4 8,foreigners0 are not citizens4 ,and their submission to ,gentile governments was to end when the times of the ,gentiles ended1 when this new order would enter in full force4 ,in the 8,finished ,mystery10 published in #aiag1 we have this3 8,their united testimony is that the times of the ,gentiles have expired1 the reign of ,christ has begun1 all earthly potentates--civil1 social1 ecclesiastical1 and financial--must give way to the new order of things1 and will not give way peaceably1 but must be ejected40 7,page #bca47 ,this volume was written and published after ,russell's death4 ,after all the date setting for the end of ,gentile governments1 we have this3 8,there is evidence that the establishments of the kingdom in ,palestine will probably be in #aibe1 ten years later than we once calculated40 78,finished ,mystery10 page #abh47 ,in 8,our ,lord's return0 ,rutherford says3 8,the word #8world' means the social and political order or rule governing the people40 7,page #ce47 8,the end of the ,gentile rule1 therefore1 would mark necessarily the legal end of the present order2 therefore1 the end of the world0--that is1 the end of the 8social and political order or rule governing the people40 7,page #cg47 8,this does not mean the end of trouble1 but it does mean1 according to ,jesus' words1 that the old world legally ended in #aiad40 78,millions ,now ,living ,will ,never ,die10 page #ai47 ,hence1 according to ,rutherford1 no government now has any right to exist2 they are all usurpers and in rebellion against the world's rightful ruler4 ,who is the rightful ruler8 ,in passages too numerous to quote they tell us that ,christ would be the universal king when the times of the ,gentiles ended in #aiad4 ,but who is the ,christ of ,rutherford8 8,the ,christ consists of ,jesus glorified1 the head1 and the members of his body1 which constitute the church40 7,page #gf47 ,russell taught the same4 ,the church and ,jesus constitute the ,christ1 and they are now the rightful rulers of the world2 no other government has any right to exist4 ,that is their teaching4 ,they1 therefore1 claim to owe no allegiance to any human government1 but are opposed to all human governments4 ,if any of our brethren who are conscientious objectors hold to positions similar to the foregoing1 then they should have registered as aliens1 as should all followers of ,rutherford4 ,at the risk of making this too long1 ,i wish to notice by number the items listed by ,brother ,bales4 #a4 ,read the ,american ,standard ,version on ,rev4 #a3f1 then look at the ,greek4 8,kingdom10 not 8kings40 #b4 ,i am not endeavoring to establish a kingdom in the ,united ,states4 #c4 ,i know not what ,brother ,bales means by 8antagonistic02 that is a strong word4 #d4 ,we have not space here to discuss this passage1 7,isa4 #b3b-d7 but trust to do so later4 #e4 ,no individual is allowed to take vengeance2 even this government forbids that4 ,god takes vengeance through his appointed channel1 the human government4 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,israel fell because of its own internal corruption1 and so has many another nation fallen4 ,that is the greatest danger facing our nation today4 ,when ,god is ruled out of the educational1 social1 and business life of a nation all sorts of corruption follows1 and corruption means decay and death4 ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,word ,,flesh ,in the ,new ,testament the word flesh does not always have the same significance4 ,sometimes it refers to our material bodies1 and sometimes to the bodies of other living things4 7#a ,cor4 #ae3ci47 ,it sometimes refers to that state or condition in which the gratifying of the appetites and passions of our bodies is our chief concern--strictly a worldly life4 7,romans #g3e1 #h3f-i47 ,it is to mind the flesh--a contrast with a spiritual life4 ,and some times the word flesh refers to a race or nation1 as distinguished from another race or nation4 ,paul speaks of the ,jews as 8my flesh04 7,rom4 #aa3ad47 8,as concerning the flesh01 ,christ was of the fathers of the ,jewish race--that is1 as to his flesh he was a ,jew4 ,after stating that ,christ died for all1 ,paul adds1 8,wherefore we henceforth know no man after the flesh3 even though we have known ,christ after the flesh1 yet now know him so no more40 ,in ,christ there are no fleshly distinctions--no race discriminations4 8,for there is no distinction between ,jew and ,greek3 for the same ,lord is ,lord of ,all40 7,rom4 #aj3ab47 ,and as ,christ is the savior of both ,jew and ,gentile1 and is ,lord of all--king over all1 we can no longer regard him as a ,jew--we no longer think of him as a ,jew1 or in any way identified with fleshly ,israel4 ,yet the future ,kingdom advocates still identify him with fleshly ,israel and speak of him as 8,israel's ,christ10 8,israel's ,messiah10 8,israel's ,king40 ,they encourage the ,jew to glory in the fact that he is a ,jew4 ,they would have the ,jew to believe that the ,jewish nation is even yet ,god's chosen people1 a nation with glorious future1 exalted above all others subservient to them4 ,but not so with ,paul4 ,some of the early professed ,christians gloried in the ,jewish nation with all its traditions and every thing ,jewish1 and tried to bind these on ,gentile ,christians4 ,concerning their attitude and his own ideal ,paul said1 8,for not even they who receive circumcision do themselves keep the law2 but they desire to have you circumcised1 that they may glory in your flesh4 ,but far be it from me to glory1 save in the cross of our ,lord ,jesus ,christ1 through which the world hath been crucified unto me1 and ,i unto the world4 ,for neither is circumcision anything1 nor uncircumcision1 but a new creature4 ,and as many as shall walk by this rule1 peace be upon them1 and mercy1 and upon the ,israel of ,god40 7,gal4 #f3ac-af47 ,these ,judaizers gloried in the flesh1 gloried in the fact that they were ,jews3 and they were prototypes of those who now encourage the ,jews to glory in the fact that they are ,jews2 but ,paul gloried only in the cross of ,christ1 and pronounced peace upon all who followed his rule4 ,disturbance and strife followed those ancient ,judaizing preachers1 as it does those today who glory in the modern version of that nation4 ,the ,judaizers did so much harm in the churches of ,galatia where ,paul had done so much labor1 that it so stirred ,paul's feelings that he said1 8,i would that they that unsettle you would even go beyond circumcision10 or as the marginal reading has1 8,greek1 mutilate themselves40 7,gal4 #e3ab47 ,concerning this same class of men1 he said to the ,philippians1 8beware of the dogs1 beware of the evil workers1 beware of the concision10 and then adds1 8for we are the circumcision1 who worship by the ,spirit of ,god1 and glory in ,christ ,jesus1 and have no confidence in the flesh40 ,the context shows plainly that ,paul had no confidence in his ,jewish flesh--no confidence in the fact that he was a ,jew1 even though he had more grounds for such confidence than did the ,judaizing disturbers4 8444 if any other man thinketh to have confidence in the flesh1 ,i yet more40 ,and then ,paul gives the grounds on which he might1 if it were worth anything1 have more confidence in the flesh than his ,judaizing enemies3 8circumcised the eighth day1 of the stock of ,israel1 of the tribe of ,benjamin1 a ,hebrew of ,hebrews40 ,in his fleshly relations he had all the advantages that any ,jew could have had4 8,howbeit what things were gain to me1 these have ,i counted loss for ,christ4 ,yet verily1 ,i count all things to be loss for the excellency of the knowledge of ,christ ,jesus my ,lord3 for whom ,i suffered the loss of all things1 and do count them but refuse1 that ,i may gain ,christ1 and be found in him40 7,read ,phil4 #c3b-aa47 ,paul gave up his fleshly connection and all that pertained to it1 as refuse1 or dung1 that he might gain ,christ2 he could not gain ,christ and justification by faith in him without so doing4 ,and yet all over this country1 in the press1 in the pulpit and over the radio1 men are teaching that to the ,jew belongs the glory of that supposed kingdom4 ,in that kingdom only the ,jews will be citizens2 other people will be subservient to them1 and will have to come to the ,jews for favors6 ,that really teaches the ,jew to have confidence in the flesh--to glory in the fact that he is a ,jew4 ,it cannot develop in him a spirit of humility1 and therefore hinders his conversion4 ,he must1 as ,paul did1 give all that up1 or he can never gain ,christ4 ,recently ,i heard ,david ,l4 ,cooper1 who1 ,dr4 ,weber said1 is the greatest living ,bible scholar1 answer some questions in a radio speech4 ,in giving answer to a question as to the setting up of the kingdom1 he said that the spiritual kingdom which ,john announced as at hand was set up on the first ,pentecost after the resurrection of ,christ1 but that when ,christ returns to earth he will set up his visible kingdom1 and that there would be no peace on the earth till that was done4 ,in answering another question he said that ,christ will not come till national ,israel confess their national sin of rejecting him4 ,if this last statement is true1 then the coming of ,christ is not imminent1 but likely it is far in the future1 for there are no signs now that the ,jews will ever make such a confession4 ,and if ,cooper is right the ,jews have the peace of the world in their keeping2 for according to him the peace of the world depends on ,christ's second coming1 and his coming depends on the conversion of the ,jews4 ,so ,christ's second coming is not imminent1 and the ,jews hold the destiny of the world in their hands6 ,and ,i see no chance for the ,jews to act nationally in anything--how can they8 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,here is one lesson that ,israel never did learn1 nor has the world yet learned it3 8,o ,jehovah1 ,i know that the way of man is not in himself2 it is not in man that walketh to direct his steps40 7,jer4 #aj3bc47 ,,future-,,kingdom ,,doctrines ,a brother in ,tennessee wants to know the difference1 if any1 between the church and the kingdom of ,christ4 ,a brother in ,florida writes an article about long enough to fill my page1 seeking to prove that the prophets foretold a kingdom yet future4 ,occasionally a brother over in ,arkansas has written me along the same lines4 ,the scheme argued by these two brethren is along the same lines argued by other future-kingdom advocates4 ,in its broadest sense the church is that body of people who have been called out of sin into the service of ,christ4 ,as ,jesus rules over this body of people1 it is his kingdom4 8,now when ,john heard in the prison the works of ,christ1 he sent his disciples1 and said unto him1 art thou he that cometh1 or look we for another80 ,in similar fashion let us ask1 ,is ,christianity the scheme of redemption that was to come1 or look we for another8 ,the future-kingdom advocates have answered1 ,no1 we must look for another4 ,on that point they speak in no uncertain terms4 ,it is argued that1 though ,jesus came to establish his kingdom in ,jerusalem and to deliver the ,jews from oppression1 they rejected him1 and he postponed the establishment of his kingdom till the time of his second coming4 ,on this assumption their use of the prophecies is a puzzle4 ,if the prophecies foretold the establishment of his kingdom at his first coming1 then they did not foretell its establishment at his second coming2 and the future-kingdom advocates discredit the prophets by seeking to make it appear that their prophecies can be shifted from one period to another4 ,and yet they have the audacity to tell us that if things do not work out according to their theory1 no dependence can be placed in what the prophets say4 ,well1 half of their theory has failed--the kingdom was not established1 we are told1 at his first coming6 ,now they must shift the prophecies to some future date4 ,arthur ,pink represents ,f4 ,w4 ,grant as saying1 in the 8,numerical ,bible10 that ,matthew shows1 that because ,israel rejected ,christ1 the kingdom of heaven would be taken from them1 8and assume the mystery form in which it was unknown to the prophets of ,israel40 7page #b74 ,again 7p4 #ac7 ,pink says1 8,but the ,old ,testament knows nothing whatsoever of ,christianity60 ,all future-kingdom advocates from whom ,i quote hold this same idea4 ,in fact their theory makes it necessary for them to deny that any ,old ,testament promise or prophecy referred to the scheme of redemption preached by the apostles4 ,in the ,word and ,work 7,january #aide7 ,j4 ,edward ,boyd says1 8,the prophets had clearly seen and foretold the kingdom gloriously triumphant1 all opposition crushed1 universal in its sway2 but this present aspect of the kingdom1 the church1 although in the mind of ,god all along1 they had not been permitted to see40 ,it is a well known fact that the ,jews expected the old kingdom to be restored and enlarged with the ,messiah on the throne in ,jerusalem2 and ,r4 ,h4 ,boll says1 8,their expectations and conceptions of the king and kingdom had their origin in these ,old ,testament prophecies40 7,kingdom of ,god1 p4 #be47 8,they saw in him that promised ,coming ,one of ,david's line who would free his nation from the ,gentile's yoke and reign over the house of ,jacob1 and through it over all the nations of the earth4 ,for so it was promised40 7p4 #bf74 8,the ,old ,testament prophecies and promises of the kingdom were the theme of our preceding studies4444 ,by such predictions as those was the kingdom-hope of ,israel created2 and that most justly and nationally4 ,when ,john the ,baptist lifted up his voice in the wilderness of ,judea and announced #8the kingdom at hand' he used a phraseology which was already common and current among the ,jews1 and which was perfectly understood by all40 ,read that again4 ,if the phrase 8the kingdom of heaven0 was 8common and current among the ,jews10 it was a phrase of their own invention1 for no ,old ,testament prophecy contains the phrase4 ,matt4 #c3b is the first place it occurs in the ,bible4 ,again 7p4 #cd73 8,but if the ,jewish expectations had been utterly wrong 7which1 as we have seen in our former articles1 was not the case71 even then a sense of justice would suggest that ,god would not have left the people under such misapprehension without a clear protest and correction40 ,read that again4 ,does he mean to say1 that if ,god announced a kingdom different from what the ,jews expected without telling them so1 he did not have a proper sense of justice8 ,or does he mean that his own sense of justice would suggest that ,god should have made the explanation suggested8 ,in either case1 he crosses himself up2 for he says that ,jesus began in ,matthew thirteen to talk about the mystery form of the kingdom4 ,but ,jesus did not give any hint1 that as the ,jews had rejected him1 the kingdom they expected was now postponed and an entirely new sort of kingdom would be presented4 ,and strange to say1 he kept on using the term 8kingdom of heaven10 without telling them he was now using the term in an entirely new sense4 ,in fact the ,jewish idea remained with the disciples up to the ascension of ,christ4 ,now1 what about that sense of justice8 ,,at ,,hand3--,john the ,baptist preached1 8,repent ye2 for the kingdom of heaven is at hand40 7,matt4 #c3b74 ,jesus preached1 8,the time is fulfilled1 and the kingdom of ,god is at hand40 7,mark #a3ad1 #ae7 ,this plain language gives the future kingdom advocates a lot of trouble4 ,according to ,john ,r4 ,rice1 they soon quit preaching 8the kingdom at hand40 ,he presents this question3 8,is there a single time after tenth chapter of ,matthew 444 that they preached that the kingdom of heaven is at hand8 ,i say it isn't there40 ,again1 8,after ,jesus was rejected definitely by the nation1 the kingdom was no longer at hand40 ,he argues that the kingdom was postponed till the second coming of ,christ4 ,but he overlooked what ,jesus told the seventy to preach4 7,luke #aj3a-aa74 ,verse #i3 8,the kingdom of ,god is come nigh unto you40 ,verse #aa3 8nevertheless know this1 that the kingdom of ,god is come nigh40 ,this preaching was done during the last year of ,christ's personal ministry4 ,so what ,rice says 8isn't there10 is there2 and he would have seen it if he had been looking for truth instead of proof to sustain a theory4 ,the following sentence from ,brother ,r4 ,h4 ,boll shows that he realized the difficulty and tried to hedge against it3 8,if it be felt a difficulty that the kingdom1 though announced as #8at hand'1 has never yet appeared1 we shall find an explanation unforced and natural1 and one which will cast no reflection on the truth and goodness of ,god40 7,k4 p4 #cd74 ,that statement shows clearly that he realized some explanation was needed to keep his theory from casting reflection on the truth and goodness of ,god2 but it seems to me that his attempt at an 8unforced and natural0 explanation helps not at all4 ,hear him3 8,since the kingdom promise was national1 the preparatory repentance must of course also be national3 the rulers and the rank and file of the people to all of whom the kingdom was dear1 must now sincerely turn and return to ,god40 ,passing by his assertion that 8the kingdom promise was national10 ,i call attention to the 8national repentance0 idea4 ,nowhere is there even a hint that ,john and ,jesus told the people that the establishment of the kingdom depended on 8national repentance40 ,neither said1 8,the time is fulfilled and the kingdom is at hand1 provided the nation repents2 otherwise it will be postponed to some future time40 ,but not a word about national repentance1 not a word about national rejection and its results1 not a word about postponing the kingdom2 and yet in the absence of any such warning1 we are told that the kingdom was postponed4 ,now1 what about that sense of justice8 ,quoting again3 8,the announcement of the kingdom thus became the basis of the call to repentance40 ,one motive to cause them to repent was the promised kingdom4 ,vast multitudes were moved by that promise to repent and be baptized4 7,mark #a3e2 ,john #d3a1 #b74 ,multitudes did as commanded2 and yet according to the future kingdom advocates none of them received what was promised of them4 ,it seems to me that the explanation reflects seriously on their proposition1 and really charges that ,god did not make good on his promises4 ,the explanation does not explain4 ,what about that sense of justice8 ,paul preached the gospel to ,jews and ,gentiles without distinction4 ,boll says this was a terrible perplexity to all believing ,jews4 ,he adds3 8,that the ,gentiles were to be blessed in ,messianic days was no mystery2 that had been previously revealed4 ,but the observant reader of the prophets will notice that it is always after the national restoration and exaltation of ,israel1 and always through restored ,israel and in subservience to ,israel1 that the ,gentiles were to be blessed40 ,but why quote more4 ,for a long time ,i have been preaching that all that the prophets said about a plan of human redemption is fulfilled in the plan of salvation preached by ,christ and his apostles and is recorded in the ,new ,testament4 ,i have offered to affirm this proposition3 ,,the ,,plan ,,of ,,salvation ,,set ,,forth ,,in ,,the ,,new ,,testament ,,is ,,the ,,scheme ,,of ,,human ,,redemption ,,foretold ,,by ,,the ,,prophets2 or1 for foretold by the prophets substitute foretold in promise and prophecy4 ,here is a fair proposition that covers every point involved in the discussion of the future-kingdom theory4 ,when it is proved to be true1 then the whole future-kingdom theory is proved to be false4 ,why put in time showing that the various phases of the theory are false when one proposition fully established proves the whole theory false8 ,why show that their use of this prophecy and that prophecy is wrong when you can with even more ease show that the ,new ,testament contradicts their use of the prophecies8 ,before giving the proof of the correctness of my proposition ,i wish to mention another matter4 ,perhaps a few personal words will not be out of place4 ,when ,i was in the ,nashville ,bible ,school out on ,spruce street1 ,i had a family--my wife and two children4 ,we had very little money1 but we managed by much self-denial to pay rent on a little house1 to buy enough groceries to keep us alive1 and to pay every dollar of tuition4 ,my youngest brother was with me1 and he paid his part of board and rent1 and his tuition4 ,some of the able bodied boys 7students7 paid neither board nor tuition4 ,during those days ,brother ,r4 ,h4 ,boll and ,i became good friends1 and continued to be so for years4 ,he played the mandolin and his pal ,robert ,mahan played the guitar4 ,frequently they would come to our little home and entertain us with music4 ,we enjoyed their music1 and was glad for them to come4 ,i liked the two ,roberts1 but became more intimate with ,robert ,boll4 ,some years later he began to write for the ,gospel ,advocate1 but a break came between him and the ,advocate over what the ,advocate called his 8speculating about unfulfilled prophecies40 ,brother ,boll started up his ,word and ,work1 but ,i did not see many copies of it4 ,there continued to be references to ,boll's 8speculating about unfulfilled prophecies40 ,i remember distinctly that ,i thought1 8,well1 if speculating about unfulfilled prophecies is all that is the matter with him1 why worry8 ,what he said about unfulfilled prophecies might be as near right as what any body else said4 ,no one could be sure about an unfulfilled prophecy4 ,so why the fuss80 ,you cannot imagine my surprise when ,i began to study his booklets to see what he did say4 ,i found that 8speculating about unfulfilled prophecies0 was not what was the matter with him at all4 ,with him the land promise to the ,jews is yet to be realized1 the ,jews are yet to return to ,palestine1 the kingdom of ,daniel #b3dd has not yet been set up1 that ,christ has not been seated on ,david's throne4 ,to say that his teaching is speculation about unfulfilled prophecy is to concede the point4 ,if his teaching that the prophecies concerning the throne of ,david are yet unfulfilled is speculating about unfulfilled prophecy1 then ,christ is not yet on ,david's throne4 ,if he is on ,david's throne1 then ,boll is misapplying prophecy instead of speculating about unfulfilled prophecy4 ,his trouble is speculating about fulfilled prophecy--making prophecies that have been fulfilled apply to some imaginary future scheme of things4 ,speculating about unfulfilled prophecy indeed6 ,you have an argument with him about prophecies that you believe have been fulfilled1 and he says they are yet to be fulfilled2 and then you virtually give up your contention by calling it an argument about unfulfilled prophecy6 ,it makes the heart sick4 ,what unfulfilled prophecies has ,boll been speculating about8 ,when a man seeks to prove by the prophets that the ,jews are yet to be restored to ,palestine1 that ,christ is yet to be placed on ,david's throne1 that the new covenant is yet to be established1 that ,christ is to be a world ruler with the ,jews as citizens of his kingdom and all others as serfs1 that the ,gentiles were to be blessed only through restored ,israel and in subservience to ,israel1 that ,christ is now seeking to convert and train only enough people to supply the needed number of rulers for a future kingdom1 is he speculating about unfulfilled prophecy8 ,it seems to me that ,boll does very little speculating about unfulfilled prophecy compared with his use of prophecies that have been fulfilled4 ,how can intelligent people be so dense8 ,in the early part of #aibe ,brother ,c4 ,r4 ,nichol and ,i made the first real attempt that was made to review ,brother ,boll's teaching4 ,we worked together1 and no two men ever tried harder to understand exactly what another man had written4 ,and yet some people1 who should have known better1 said we misrepresented ,brother ,boll and did much to hinder the effectiveness of our work4 ,an example3 ,a few brethren were talking together on the sidewalk in ,nashville4 ,an aged preacher of considerable ability and fame charged that we misrepresented ,brother ,boll1 and was very caustic in his remarks4 ,one of the group1 a friend of ours1 said3 8,did you ever read their review80 ,critic3 8,no1 no2 ,i never read it40 ,friend3 8,well1 did you read what ,boll said80 ,critic3 8,no1 no1 ,i never read it40 ,friend3 8,well1 you are not in a position to say anything about it40 ,and that ended the conversation4 ,no1 we did not misrepresent ,brother ,boll4 ,but herein is a peculiar thing4 ,many who said we misrepresented ,boll said they did not believe his theories4 ,if so1 then they believed he misrepresented the ,bible--misrepresented ,god2 and yet in the estimation of some of them he was a very godly and pious man1 even though he did misrepresent ,god4 ,but they fancied that we misrepresented ,brother ,boll1 we greatly sinned6 ,can you beat it8 ,i can honestly claim that we were as sincere and honest in dealing ,with ,brother ,boll's writings as his most devoted friends can claim honesty and sincerity for him in his dealings with the inspired writings4 ,one of the strangest1 if not the zaniest things in all this controversy is that some brethren not only misrepresent themselves1 but actually contradict themselves4 ,an example out of many3 ,a written discussion was had with ,brother ,boll in which ,brother ,boll contended that the land promise to ,abraham is yet unfulfilled1 that the prophecies concerning the seating of ,christ on ,david's throne are unfulfilled1 and so on4 ,then that debate was published in a book form with the title1 8,a ,debate ,about ,unfulfilled ,prophecy60 ,and thus unwittingly the whole issue was surrendered1 virtually saying to ,brother ,boll1 8,you are right2 the prophecies we have been debating about are unfulfilled40 ,can you top that8 ,pointed ,paragraphs3 ,if you are inclined to think that denominations are the branches ,jesus spoke of1 a little reflection will show you how impossible that is4 ,he meant individuals1 not denominations4 ,and the diversity among the denominations also shows that they are not branches of the vine4 ,no one ever saw a vine with branches so different as are the denominations4 ,they are not alike1 and they bear different kinds of fruit4 ,it is impossible for them to be natural branches of the same vine4 ,a ,,proposition ,,and ,,its ,,proof ,,the ,,proposition3 ,the plan of ,salvation preached by ,christ and his apostles is the scheme of redemption foretold in promise and prophecy4 ,this proposition needs no defining4 ,i am aware of the fact that some future-kingdom advocates do not go so far as to say that none of the prophecies referred ,christianity2 but the ones from whom ,i quoted in the preceding article1 as well as many others1 boldly teach that ,christianity is unknown to the prophets4 ,in so arguing they commit themselves to the fact that only one scheme of redemption was foretold by the prophets4 ,on this point we agree4 ,hence1 to prove that ,christianity was foretold by the prophets is to eliminate any other scheme yet to be4 ,in establishing my proposition ,i shall rely solely on what is said in the ,new ,testament1 for ,jesus and his inspired representatives are the infallible interpreters of the prophets4 ,they tell us that ,jesus1 in ,matt4 #ac1 began to set forth a new plan1 the plan of which the prophets said nothing2 yet in his speech ,jesus said3 8,but blessed are your eyes1 for they see2 and your ears1 for they hear4 ,for verily ,i say unto you1 that many prophets and righteous men desired to see the things which ye see and saw them not2 and to hear the things which ye hear1 and heard them not40 7,matt4 #ac3af1 #ag47 ,now how could these prophets and righteous men have desired to see and to hear what these disciples were then seeing and hearing if it had never been revealed to them that such things would be8 ,late in the day on which ,jesus arose from the dead two of his disciples went out to ,emmaus4 ,they knew that the body of ,jesus was missing1 but it seems that they did not know he had been seen alive4 ,along the way ,jesus joined them1 but they did not recognize him4 ,they related to him what they knew of recent events1 and added3 8,but we hoped that it was he who should redeem ,israel40 7,luke #bd3ba47 ,they had hoped for freedom from ,rome--redemption for the nation from ,roman rule4 ,these are the opening words of a speech that ,jesus made to them3 8,o foolish men1 and slow of heart to believe in all that the prophets have spoken60 7verse #be74 ,does not that virtually say that they1 in thinking the prophets spoke of political deliverance1 had not really believed what ,moses and the prophets had foretold8 ,they had believed that ,jesus would give them an earthly kingdom2 they had not believed what ,moses and the prophets had foretold4 ,they needed a better understanding of ,moses and the prophets4 8,and beginning from ,moses and all the prophets1 he interpreted to them in all the scriptures the things concerning himself40 ,if we had that speech6 ,in the great commission ,jesus commanded the apostles to make disciples of all the nations--to preach the gospel to the whole creation4 ,this was a demand for world-wide evangelism1 regardless of race or nationality4 ,had such evangelism been foretold by the prophets8 ,what saith the ,lord8 ,in ,luke's account of this commission he quotes ,jesus as saying3 8,thus it is written1 that the ,christ should suffer1 and rise again from the dead the third day2 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all nations1 beginning from ,jerusalem4 ,ye are witnesses of these things4 ,and behold1 ,i send forth the promise of my ,father upon you2 but tarry ye in the city1 until ye be clothed with power from on high40 7,luke #bd3df-di47 ,notice what ,jesus says had been written in the prophets--his death and resurrection1 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in his name unto all nations1 and that this preaching should begin from ,jerusalem4 ,so then1 this world-wide evangelism1 which was commanded by ,christ and preached first by his apostles at ,jerusalem1 had been foretold by the prophets4 ,and this began to be preached on ,pentecost1 the day the ,holy ,spirit filled them with power from on high4 ,here a plan of salvation was preached1 and this plan had been foretold by the prophets4 ,as only one plan was foretold by the prophets1 they foretold no other plan than the one which began to be preached at ,jerusalem4 ,in his sermon on the day of ,pentecost1 ,peter showed that ,joel had prophesied of that day4 ,he also quotes a prophecy of ,david1 which he interprets to refer to the resurrection of ,christ and his being seated on the throne of ,david1 and then draws this conclusion3 8,being therefore by the right hand of ,god exalted1 and having received of the ,father the promise of the ,holy ,spirit1 he hath poured forth this1 which ye see and hear40 7,acts #b3cc47 ,his argument was that ,jesus had been raised up to sit on ,david's throne1 and he concludes that he had1 therefore1 been exalted4 ,yet ,boll says3 8,to him1 and to him exclusively1 the throne of ,david belongs by every right4 ,but that he is now already occupying that throne is precisely that which ,peter does not say40 ,what1 then1 is the connection between ,peter's argument and his conclusion8 ,peter's argument followed immediately by therefore is significant4 ,can any one believe that ,peter argued from ,david's prophecy that ,jesus had been raised up to sit on ,david's throne1 and conclude that he had therefore been exalted to something else8 ,on that day1 and in the city of ,jerusalem1 repentance and remission of sins in the name of ,christ began to be preached1 and ,jesus tells us that the prophets had foretold this very thing4 ,because he was now anointed--made both ,lord and ,christ--things began to be done in his name4 ,hear ,boll again3 8,he is the anointed ,king of ,david's line1 the ,christ appointed for ,israel4 7,acts #c3bj47 ,but neither is that saying that he now sits and reigns on ,david's throne4 ,david had been anointed ,god's king long before he actually sat upon his rightful throne over ,israel1 suffering indignities and persecution at the hands of ,saul1 and rejection at the hands of the people2 and he never took the government until the people themselves willingly sought his rule and chose him and submitted40 ,but ,bro4 ,boll overlooks the decisive point4 ,nothing in the kingdom was done in the name of ,david till he actually 8took the government40 ,when he actually became king1 things began to be done in his name and by his authority4 ,if ,boll could show that nothing is yet done in the name of ,christ1 there would be some point in what he says about ,david4 ,the fact that pardon was offered the enemies of ,christ on the condition that they would repent and be baptized shows that he was then actually the reigning king4 ,in ,boll's theory ,jesus is only the heir apparent4 ,when ,peter first preached to the ,gentiles1 he went against the prejudices of all ,jews1 including himself4 ,could he quote any prophecy to fit the occasion8 ,he was preaching to the ,gentiles independent of ,israel and against the prejudices of ,israel1 and yet he said3 8,to him bear all the prophets witness1 that through his name every one that believeth on him shall receive remission of sins40 7,acts #aj3dc47 ,this inspired apostle understood that the prophets foretold the very thing that he was then doing--namely1 offering salvation to the ,gentiles independent of ,israel4 ,hence1 the only plan of salvation foretold by the prophets was then in operation4 ,when the ,jews of ,antioch of ,pisidia 8contradicted the things which were spoken by ,paul1 and blasphemed10 he said to them3 8,lo we turn to the ,gentiles4 ,for so hath the ,lord commanded us1 saying1 ,i have set thee for a light of the ,gentiles1 that thou shouldest be for salvation unto the uttermost part of the earth40 ,hence1 in preaching salvation to the ,gentiles1 ,paul was carrying out the prophecy of ,isaiah4 7,acts #ac3dd-dg47 ,paul preached to ,jews and ,gentiles alike1 and affirmed that there was no distinction2 and the people of ,berea searched the ,scriptures daily to see whether his preaching was so4 ,this led many of them to believe4 7,acts #ag3aj-ab47 ,now1 if the prophets had said nothing concerning the plan of salvation ,paul was preaching1 but had always foretold that ,gentiles would be blessed only through ,israel restored and in subservience to ,israel1 their searching the ,scriptures would have led these ,bereans to the conclusion that ,paul was wrong4 ,paul was sent to preach especially to the ,gentiles2 he was the apostle to the ,gentiles4 ,not only did he preach to the ,gentiles independent of the ,jews1 but in spite of them4 8,for this cause10 said he to ,agrippa1 8the ,jews seized me in the temple1 and assayed to kill me4 ,having therefore obtained the help that is from ,god1 ,i stand unto this day testifying both to small and great1 saying nothing but what the prophets and ,moses did say should come3 how that the ,christ should suffer1 and how that he first by the resurrection of the dead should proclaim light both to the people and to the ,gentiles40 ,the gospel which he preached was foretold by the prophets and ,moses1 and he preached nothing that had not been foretold by them4 ,because of this he said to ,agrippa3 8,king ,agrippa1 believest thou the prophets8 ,i know that thou believest40 8,paul1 a servant of ,jesus ,christ1 a called apostle1 separated unto the gospel of ,god1 which he promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures40 ,paul's call is recorded in ,acts #bf3ab-bj4 ,concerning this call he later said3 8,but when it was the good pleasure of ,god1 who separated me1 even from my mother's womb1 and called me through his grace1 to reveal his ,son in me1 that ,i might preach him among the ,gentiles2 straightway ,i conferred not with flesh and blood40 7,gal4 #a3ae1 #af47 ,and ,paul fought hard to keep the gospel of ,christ free from all taint of ,judaism and to maintain his right to preach the gospel to the ,gentiles2 and he pronounced a curse upon those ,judaizing ,christians who would corrupt the gospel by mixing it with ,judaism 7,gal4 #a3f-i72 and he affirms that this gospel which he preached was the gospel which ,god 8promised afore through his prophets in the holy scriptures40 ,the whole theory of the future-kingdom advocates1 as well as some things they boldly affirm1 is an emphatic denial of what ,paul here says4 ,it is plain to any thoughtful person that the plan of salvation which ,paul preached is the scheme of redemption foretold by the prophets4 ,notice the now in the following3 8,but now apart from the law a righteousness of ,god hath been manifested1 being witnessed by the law and the prophets2 even the righteousness of ,god through faith in ,jesus ,christ unto all them that believe2 for there is no distinction40 7,rom4 #c3ba1 #bb47 ,this righteousness of ,god1 which had now been manifested1 was to all believers without race or national distinction2 and this righteousness through faith in ,jesus ,christ is witnessed by the law and the prophets2 and as the law and the prophets gave witness to only one scheme of redemption1 it is plain that the future-kingdom hopes have no basis4 ,paul shows that the promise made to ,abraham is fulfilled in those who are children of ,god by faith in ,christ4 7,gal4 #c3bb-bi2 #d3bh-ca47 ,and it seems that the book of ,hebrews was written to counteract the teaching of the ,judaizers of the church4 ,that letter plainly shows that the types and shadows of the law pointed definitely to the church--to this plan of salvation through ,christ4 ,and in the eighth1 ninth1 and tenth chapters the writer shows that the new covenant1 or ,new ,testament1 foretold by ,jeremiah is now in force2 yet ,boll says concerning the new birth3 8,it is the universal requirement of acceptance with ,god1 and characteristic of the new covenant which now in its principle applies to the church1 and which the ,lord will make with the house of ,israel and with the house of ,judah #8after those days'40 ,the new covenant now applies to us only in principle--it is yet to be made6 ,to what extremes people will go to maintain a groundless theory6 ,jesus is now the mediator of a better covenant1 8which hath been enacted upon better promises10 not will be enacted4 8,he taketh away the first1 that he may establish the second4 ,by which will we have been sanctified40 7,heb4 #aj3i1 #aj47 ,the man who can read the book of ,hebrews and not see that the types and shadows of the law pointed to ,christianity as we have it now simply does not see what he reads4 ,they desire to be teachers of the prophecies and the law1 8though they understand neither what they say1 nor whereof they confidently affirm40 8,concerning which salvation the prophets sought and searched diligently1 who prophesied of the grace that should come unto you3 searching what time or what manner of time the ,spirit of ,christ which was in them did point unto1 when it testified beforehand the sufferings of ,christ1 and the glories that should follow them4 ,to whom it was revealed1 that not unto themselves1 but unto you1 did they minister these things1 which now have been announced unto you through them that preached the gospel unto you by the ,holy ,spirit sent forth from heaven40 7#a ,pet4 #a3aj-ab47 ,while the prophets were foretelling the blessings that were to come1 they were 8searching what time or what manner of time the ,spirit of ,christ which was in them did point unto40 ,many of the future-kingdom advocates do not profess to know the time of the fulfillment of what they say these prophets foretold1 but they1 with one accord1 profess to know exactly the manner of the time--a thing the prophets themselves did not know6 ,they have that all figured out--oh1 so much wiser than the prophets6 ,they tell us in no uncertain terms the manner of that time1 as they have it figured out4 ,but ,peter explodes their theory by telling us that these prophets were ministering to us1 and that the things they foretold had been announced through them that preached the gospel by the ,holy ,spirit sent forth from ,heaven4 ,as the prophets foretold only one scheme of redemption1 and that scheme has been announced through them that preached the gospel by the ,holy ,spirit1 it is certain that there will be no future scheme in operation4 ,hence-- ,the plan of salvation preached by ,christ and his apostles is the scheme of redemption foretold in promise and prophecy4 ,nor have ,i relied on my interpretation of the prophecies to prove the proposition4 ,,footnotes #a;,for a full discussion of these questions1 see 8,doctrinal ,discourses0 pp4 #bid-bih4 ,,scripture ,,index ,,genesis ,page #h3bb #fi #ab3a-c #cb1 #hd #ab3g #he #ac3ad-ag #cb #ae3g #he #ag3h #he1 #hg1 #hh #be3bc #hi #bf3b1 #c #hf #bh3d #be #bh3ac #hf #ce3ab #be ,,exodus #ab3be #ij #ac3e #ij #ai3d-f #ia #ai3e1 #f #bc1 #bh1 #cb1 #ha ,,numbers #ba3d-i #hc ,,deuteronomy #f3c1 #aj1 #ah1 #bc #ij #h3a #ij #h3ai1 #bj #cc1 #ajh ,chs4 #bg #bh #cc #bh3ae #ajh #cj3h1 #aj #ajh #ca3bj #ij ,,joshua #ba3dc-de #bf1 #cd1 #hf1 #ajg #bc3ad #cc1 #hg1 #ajg #bc3ad1 #ae #ij ,i ,,samuel ,ch4 #h #bc #h3d-g #ia #h3d-bb #bh #h3ah-bb #bi #h3ai1 #bj #ib #aj3bd1 #be #bd #ab3ai #ib #ad3dg #bi #ae3bh #hi ,i ,,kings #b3ab #ic #b3ab1 #bd #bg1 #bh ,,ii ,,kings #e3a-ai #hc ,i ,,chronicles #ab3bc #bd #bi3bc #bh1 #ic1 #aaa ,,nehemiah #a3h1 #i #ajh ,,psalms #bb3ab #gg #cg3a #abe #cd3h #dc #dj3h #fb #hi3cd1 #ce #hj #aai3ajc #dc ,,isaiah #a3c #aj1 #ee #a3d #ed #b3b1 #c #gh #f3aj #ed1 #ee #i3g #ba #aa3f-i #gf #ac3a-aj #aed #ac3ag-bb #ba #dj3d #gi #dj3c1 #d #ge1 #gh #ee3ab #gf ,,jeremiah #a3i1 #aj #aeh1 #aei #b3ac #aj #d3g #gg #ah3e-aj #cg #ah3i1 #aj #cj #bj3g-i #aa #cj3g #aea ,ch4 #ca #ajc #ch3d #aa #ej3ag #gg #ea3fj-fb #ba ,,ezekiel #ai3a-i #gg #bf3g-ad #ba #cd3aa-ca #dj #cg3ba1 #bb #dj ,chs4 #cg to #ci3ba-bi #dj ,,daniel #b3ca-ce #aee #b3cf-de #aef #b3dd1 #de #aei #b3dd #afc ,ch4 #g #gi ,,hosea #ac3i-aa #bh #ac3aj1 #aa #bd #ac3aa #ic ,,amos #a3a #da #d3a #gg #g3g-ag #da #i3aa-ae #bi #i3ac-ae #da ,,zephaniah #c3c #gg ,,matthew #c3b #eb1 #agi1 #ahj #c3c #gf #c3aj #aji #g3ae #gg #aj3af #gg #ab3dc-de #ce1 #aji #ac3ad1 #ae #ee #ac3af1 #ag #ahg #af3ah #ch #af3bh #dc #ah3ai #eh #ai3bh #df1 #di #bj3bj1 #ba #aab #ba3cc-dc #cf #ba3dc #hb1 #aaj #bb3bd #adf #be3ca-df #ch1 #ej1 #fh #be3ca1 #cb1 #da1 #df #dh #be3df #dh1 #hd ,,mark #a3e #aha #a3ad1 #ae #ahj #a3ae #aac #i3a #dc #aj3ce-cg #aab #ab3ai #adf #af3af #hd ,,luke #c3d1 #e #gf #i3bg #dc #aj3a-aj #aac #aj3a-aa #ahj #aj3aa #ec1 #ahj #ab3cb #di #ab3db-dh #ih1 #abd #ag3bj #dd #ai3ac-bg #abj #bj3bh #adf #bb3bh-cj #dh #bd3ba #ahh #bd3be #ahh #bd3df1 #dg #ajc #bd3df-di #aab1 #ahi ,,john #c3ad #aci #d3a1 #b #aha #d3cd #fb #e3bh1 #bi #adc #e3dj #hd #f3dd1 #de #af #g3cg-ci #aab #h3ae #fe #ab3ci1 #dj #ed1 #ee #ag3d #ch #bj3bc #dg #bj3cj1 #ca #aah ,,acts #b3bc #eg #b3bi-cf #bi #b3bi-ch #aaa #b3cj-cf #df #b3cc #aaa1 #ahi #b3ce #ca #b3ch #aab #c3bd #eg #d3a1 #b #adc #d3b #ada #d3bg1 #bh #eg #g3e #hf1 #hh #g3ag #be1 #hf1 #hi #g3cb #acc #aj3dc #ajd1 #aia #aa3ac1 #ad #ae #ac3bg #eg #ac3dd-dg #aia #ae3aa #fa #ae3ac-af #aae #ae3ac-ai #bi #ae3ag1 #ah #aae #ag3aj-ab #aia #ag3aa #ajd #bj3bi #gg #bc3f #add #bd3ae #ada1 #add #bf3ab-bj #aib #bf3bb #eg1 #ajd #bf3bb1 #bc #ajd ,,romans #a3b #eg #a3a1 #b #ajd #a3af #ae #c3ba #bb1 #aje1 #aic #f3ac #aci #g3e #agc #g3a-f #bb #h3f-i #agc #aj3ab #agc #aj3af-ba #ef #aj3ai #aje #aa3a-aj #ef #aa3ab #fj #aa3ad #agc #aa3ae #adj #aa3ag-bd #ei #aa3bj #aaj ,i ,,corinthians #c3af1 #ag #ci #f3b1 #c #di #ae3bb #add #ae3bf-bh #ca #ae3ci #agc ,,ii ,,corinthians #c3d-ah #bb #e3ad1 #ae #ce #e3ae #fe #e3af #ce1 #fe #f3b #aaj #aa3ag1 #ah #fe ,,galatians #a3f-i #aic #a3ae1 #af #aib #c3g #aaj #c3aa-bb #bb #c3af #hd #c3bb-bi #aic #c3bi #cf1 #aaj #d3d #ef #d3ba-ca #bb1 #aji #d3bh-ca #aic #e3ab #agd #f3ac-af #agd ,,ephesians #b3ad-af #bb #b3bj-bb #ci #c3aj1 #aa #aad #c3ba #aae ,,philippians #b3ac #ae #c3b-h #ce1 #fe #c3b-aa #age #c3c #cf #c3aj-ad #add ,,colossians #a3ac #aac #b3ad #bb #c3aa #fa ,i ,,thessalonians #d3ac-e3aa #acd ,,ii ,,thessalonians #a3f-aj #ch1 #dh #a3g-aj #fh #b3a #acf #b3h-ab #ee ,i ,,timothy #f3ae #aac ,,ii ,,timothy #d3a-e #g ,,titus #c3e #df ,,hebrews #f3d1 #e #dc ,ch4 #h #ajc1 #aic ,chs4 #h1 #i1 #aj #aic #i3a-aj #ci #i3aa #ci #aj3i1 #aj #aid ,,james #a3ba #ae ,i ,,peter #a3aj-ab #gd1 #ajd1 #aid #b3e #ci #b3i #fh #e3h #fd ,,ii ,,peter #a3c #db #a3ai-ba #gc #c3a-ad #fi ,,revelation #a3f #fh1 #agb #a3ag #acb #c3aj #aea #c3ba #aaa #d3f-i #fc #g3i #di ,ch4 #ab #fd1 #fe1 #ff #bj3h1 #aj1 #ab #fg1 #fh ,transcriber's ,notes --,silently corrected a few typos4 --,retained publication information from the printed edition3 this e,book is public-domain in the country of publication4 --,in the text versions only1 text in italics is delimited by underscores4