Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB

OMNIPOTENCE OF THE FATHER

But with reference to the Spirit of God: it pervades all things whether animate or inanimate. He can command the clouds, the winds, the waves, the waters, the stones of the field, the rocks, the mountains, and the solid ground, and they obey him as implicitly as though the command were given to the angels of his power. He can, and has on two occasions suddenly stopped the earth in her revolutions, and at the same time held all things upon its surface in abeyance, so that nothing on the earth would be cognizant of the fact because of any convulsion, or catastrophe upon the face of the earth in consequence. For instance, when the Lord in answer to the prayer of Hezekiah, king of Judah, granted him an extension of fifteen years to his life, and the king desired a sign that this would be so, the Lord granted his request, and the prophet Isaiah said to the king, "Shall the shadow go forward ten degrees, or go back ten degrees? And Hezekiah answered, It is a light thing for the shadow to go down ten degrees: nay, but let the shadow return backward ten degrees. And Isaiah cried unto the Lord; and he brought the shadow ten degrees backward, by which it had gone down in the dial of Ahaz" (II Kings 20:8-11).

This remarkable manifestation of God's power the poor skeptic who is under the power of that sin which doth so easily beset us, namely the sin of unbelief, can scarcely believe, if he can believe it at all. The God which he, in his ignorance, has himself concocted and set up and that he worships, can hardly do such work as this, in so short a time, and in fact could not do it at all, for it is a principle in nature as well as in the Scriptures, that a creator is greater than the thing which he creates, because he who builds a house, is greater than the house. Therefore he who devises a god and sets him up in his own mind to worship is himself greater than the god which he has created, for there is really nothing of his god, while there is a little of himself, though we must admit that there is not much.

Again in the days of Joshua, he who upholds all things by the word of his power caused the sun to stand still upon Gibeon, and the moon in the valley of Ajalon, in answer to the prayer of Joshua, until the people of Israel avenged themselves upon their enemies. So the sun stood still in the midst of heaven and hasted not to go down about a whole day (Joshua 10). And although this was comparatively a small matter, yet men of skeptical minds who have not seen much, and believe very little more than they have actually seen, can scarcely credit it that God did this in answer to the prayer of a man. But when we consider the ponderous bodies that roll in the illimitable space beyond us in all directions, and whose numbers are all controlled by the spirit and power of God, to stop our little world a few hours in her revolutions would be no more for God to do than for us to turn an apple over in our hands, for "with God," said Gabriel to Mary, "all things are possible."

THE HOLY SPIRIT

But the old man of the flesh, as manifested in the sectarian ministry, has invented a name for the Holy Spirit of God and calls it the "Holy Ghost," a name which should never be applied to the Spirit of God, for the word

ghost is a contrivance of men who are skilful in inventing cunningly devised fables, for the world has been turned upside down by these dreamers and inventors of evil things from the apostles' days, down to the present period of time. These teachers in modern times have influenced the translation of the Scriptures far enough to insert a word which, with its present meaning, should never have been incorporated into the text of the Holy Scriptures in the translation into the English tongue. They at an early day foisted the ancient heathen fable of the immortality of human souls into the churches established by the preaching and labors of the apostles and their faithful fellow workers, assuming that they and all others have immortal souls which at death are. transformed into immortal ghosts, and therefore when men die they say they "give up the ghost" instead of saying, "they yield up their life" (called also spirit) and die, or expire. But this charm is all lost when it is known that the same word in the original Scriptures is applied to the death of beasts as well as to the death of men, so that if, when men die," they give up the ghost," when beasts die, "they give up the ghost " also.

We will furnish one illustration which should be sufficient. It is said. of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob when they died that "they gave up the ghost," but the identical word translated in these places "gave up the ghost" is found in Genesis (7:21) and to correspond to the translation in the above instances should read as follows, " And all flesh gave up the ghost, that moved upon the earth, both of fowl, and of cattle; and of beast, and of every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth, and every man, all in whose nostrils was the breath of life" (margin: "breath of the spirit of life"). And if any one has doubts on this matter, let him apply to a competent linguist, who will confirm the above statement.

WHAT IS THE HOLY SPIRIT?

It is an emanation from the Father. He possesses a fullness of the spirit in himself. Jesus said, "When the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me" (John 15:26). The spirit therefore proceedeth from the Father himself; and although the spirit is personified, yet the spirit is not an individual person, but it proceeds from a person, the person of the Father, and he is able to put his spirit upon others, so they can do the same works that he does, and by his spirit he can not only impart power, but knowledge and wisdom and intelligence of every name and nature, and the ability to speak and understand and interpret the different languages of the earth. But we will speak more particularly of this matter in another place.

"

CHAPTER IV

WHO IS JESUS CHRIST?

[ocr errors]

Anointed" to be Prophet, Priest and King Christ as a Prophet His prophecy, book of Revelation Christ as a priest - Offered sacrifice for himself and others - Order of Melchisedec - Imputing faith for right- Superiority of Melchisedec Priesthood - Christ as a King — A Son to inherit David's throne - Conception and birth of Christ - A sign signifying perpetuity of David's line - Duration of Christ's reign" Forever."

eousnesS

[ocr errors]

We have said before that the great body of religious teachers in the present age worship, and believe in, and teach a spurious Christ, and not the Christ that Paul and the apostles taught. But they are like unto their prototypes in the apostles' days, of whom Paul said, "We speak the wisdom of God in a mystery, even the hidden wisdom which God ordained before the world unto our glory: which none of the princes of this world knew for had they known it, they would not have crucified the Lord of glory" (I Cor. 2:7-8). Again he said, "For they that dwell at Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they knew him not, nor yet the voices of the prophets which are read every sabbath day, they have fulfilled them in condemning him " (Acts 13:27). We propose, therefore, to show the difference between the Jesus that Paul and the other apostles preached, and the one that is preached now. We ask, therefore, Who is Jesus Christ?

JESUS CHRIST, GOD'S ANOINTED

We reply, Christ is a descriptive word of doctrinal import, and signifies anointed, and is so used in the prophets. For instance, David in the second Psalm says, "Why do the heathen rage, and the people imagine a vain thing? The kings of the earth set themselves, and the rulers take counsel together against the Lord, and against his anointed." This is interpreted in the fourth chapter of the Acts, and what is in the Psalm called the anointed, is in the Acts called Christ.

We inquire again, From whence is the anointing derived, and what does it signify? When Moses was about to make the Tabernacle; and all things appertaining thereto, the Lord said unto him, "See that thou make all things according to the pattern showed thee in the mount" (Heb. 8:5). The reason for this is found in the fact that they were shadows of good things to come" (Heb. 10: 1). And among many things Moses was required to take principal spices of pure myrrh, sweet cinnamon, sweet calamus, and cassia, and olive oil, and make of it an oil of holy ointment, an ointment compounded after the art of the apothecary; it was to be an holy anointing oil. This oil was first employed to anoint the Tabernacle and all the

vessels of the ministry, which are patterns of things in the heavens (Heb. 9:21-23), which are purified by the blood of Christ, that is, the body of Christ, the saints. Then it was next employed to anoint Aaron and his sons to the priest's office, and after that it was used to anoint the prophet, the priest, and the king, to their offices in the house of Israel. Therefore this anointing oil was sacred, and no man was allowed to make the like, or to put it upon the flesh of any man, other than upon those whom God had appointed, under pain of death (Exod. 30: 22-33). This holy anointing oil represents the spirit of God, and was immediately manifest in the anoint ing of David as king of Israel, as it is said (I Sam. 16: 13), "Then Samuel took the horn of oil and anointed him in the midst of his brethren, and the spirit of the Lord came upon David, from that day and forward." As this anointing, therefore, signified the anointing by the spirit, when Christ came he was anointed not with the literal oil, but with that which the literal oil represented, namely with the Holy Spirit, and with power, as Peter shows in opening the door of salvation to the house of Cornelius where he says, "The word which God sent unto the children of Israel, preaching peace by Jesus Christ: (he is Lord of all:) that word I say ye know, which was published throughout all Judea, and began from Galilee, after the baptism which John preached; how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power; who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil: for God was with him" (Acts 10:36-38).

Christ therefore was anointed of God by the spirit, to fill three principal offices, the offices of prophet, priest and king; to be a prophet like unto Moses, a priest like Melchisedec, and a king like to David. We will therefore consider Christ first as a prophet.

CHRIST AS A PROPHET

[ocr errors]

The law came by Moses not only inwith great diligence

Peter says, "Holy men of old spake as they were moved by the Holy Spirit." They instructed people in the way of the Lord, and foretold by inspiration of God what should arise and be manifested in the world in future times, down to the final end of the world. Moses was the most important prophet before Christ; he occupied the position of mediator of the covenant from Mount Sinai, and the Lord gave to Israel by his hand a constitution and laws, so that it is afterward said, Moses," and Jesus said, "Moses gave you the law." structed Israel in the statutes and judgments of the law and care, but he foretold that people what should befall them in the latter days. He pointed out by the spirit of inspiration of God the judgments which are to be visited upon that people in the future, and showed the wonders that are yet to be manifested among the mighty nations of the earth in connection with that people, which will fill them with consternation and astonishment to such an extent that it will make the ears of men tingle to hear the report of it.

Christ was raised up to be a prophet like unto Moses. Christ also is a mediator of a covenant, called the new covenant, which was established upon better promises; Christ also instructed Israel in the terms and con

ditions and principles of the new covenant during the term of his ministry, and spake many things in prophecy like unto Moses. But his most remarkable prophecy was given after his resurrection from the dead, for the Lord had said to Israel by Moses (Deut. 18: 15-19), "I will raise them up a prophet from among their brethren like unto thee, and I will put my words in his mouth, and he shall speak unto them all that I shall command him, and it shall come to pass, that whosoever will not hearken unto my words which he shall speak in my name, I will require it of him."

[ocr errors]

Now this word "raise up" not only refers first to raising him up in the sense in which he first appeared unto his people during the term of his ministry before he suffered, but the full meaning of that term was that he would raise him up from the dead, to be a prophet unto Israel. Peter shows this in the same way as he showed the meaning of what the Lord said to David (I Chron. 17:11), 'And it shall come to pass, when thy days be expired, that thou must go to be with thy fathers, that I will raise up thy seed after thee." This, Peter, in his speech on the day of Pentecost, says was fulfilled in raising Christ from the dead to sit on David's throne. And in the same way Peter again shows that when the Lord said to Israel by Moses, "I will raise them up a prophet of their brethren like unto thee," by the word "raise up" he meant he would raise him up from the dead, and so after God had raised him from the dead, Peter says, "Unto you first, God having raised up his son Jesus, sent him to bless you in turning away every one of you from your iniquities" (Acts 3: 22-26).

Therefore Christ was raised up from the dead to be a prophet to Israel, and Peter says, "It shall come to pass that every one who will not hear that prophet shall be destroyed from among the people." Now a great prophet is known by the greatness of his prophecy, and since Jesus has been raised up from the dead as a living prophet who dies no more, and as he is sent as a prophet to his people, we respectfully inquire, Where is his great prophecy which he has given to his people since his resurrection from the dead? By his people, I mean, those who are his by having entered into the covenant which he brought into force by his death, by the obedience of faith, by being baptized into his name. What prophecy has he delivered to them since his resurrection from the dead? We answer, it is known as the last book of the Bible, and is called the Revelation of Jesus Christ.

THE PROPHECY OF JESUS CHRIST

The preface to the Revelation reads as follows, "The Revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave unto him, to show unto his servants things which must shortly come to pass; and he sent and signified it by his angel unto his servant John: who bare record of the word of God, and of the testimony of Jesus Christ, and of all things that he saw. Blessed is he that readeth, and they that hear the words of this prophecy, and keep those things which are written therein: for the time is at hand."

Now in this preface there is pointed out the peculiar feature of this prophecy. First it is called, "the revelation of Jesus Christ which God gave unto him," and then the object is stated which God had in view in giving to him this revelation, namely, "To show unto his servants, things which

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »