1

"Set thee up waymarks, make thee high heaps, set thine heartToward the highway, even the way which thou wentest" (Jer 31:21)

THECHRISTADELPHIAN

WAYMARK

Volume 9 Issue 1Devoted to the Defence and Proclamation of The Way of Life

in Opposition to the Dogmas of Papal and Protestant Christendom

“I saw, and behold, a white horse; and he that satupon him had a bow; and a crown was given unto

him: and he went forth conquering, and toconquer” (Rev 6:2)

“The wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable … ” (Jas 3:17)“Earnestly contend for the faith which was once delivered unto the saints” (Jude 3)

The Song of the Redeemed ………………..….……………....…........… 2Substitution Versus Forgiveness ..…………………………………......... 8The Message of Malachi …….…..…………………………….............. 11Psalm 73 …..…….…..…...........................................................….....…. 17A Living Sacrifice ………………......……………………..…................ 22“Ho, Everyone that Thirsteth” ……….…………………………..….... 26Bible Metaphor ………………………………..………….…............… 31Secretary's Notes ..................................................................................... 33

2

The Song of the Redeemed

Whenwemeet together around the emblems of our Heavenly Father’s love, wemeetnot only to remember the Master’s sacrifice, but just as importantly to bring to mindhis great victory over sin and the consequences of that victory for us. For this is avictory that ensures that we are not the most miserable of men and women today:having hope in Christ in this life!

No, rather our hope grows and is confirmed, ever the surer each day, through everypassing week, month and year by the signs abounding all around us of our Lord’simminent return. That growing faith is equally supplemented by the providential careof our Heavenly Father both in our own lives and that of our brethren and sisters.These two precious strands of evidence, which emboldens our faith, calls upon andimplores us personally to exhort “one another: and so much the more, as we see theday approaching”.

Today our brother John, our “companion in tribulation, and in the kingdom andpatience of Jesus Christ”, brings before us a vision. That vision of the victory of ourfaith in overcoming the world through Christ Jesus in that glorious new song.

Revelation chapter 5 and verses 8 – 10

“The four living ones and four and twenty elders fell down before the Lamb,having every one of them harps, and golden vials full of odours, which are theprayers of saints. And they sung a new song, saying, Thou art worthy to takethe book, and to open the seals thereof: for thou wast slain, and hast redeemedus to God by thy blood out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, andnation; And hast made us unto our God kings and priests: and we shall reignon the earth”.

Our Heavenly Father is presenting each of us here with the surety of our victorythrough the faithfulness of our Lord Jesus Christ, if we remain steadfast unto the end.

Galatians chapter 2 and verse 20

“I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth inme: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith (or faithfulness)of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me”.

The faithfulness and the love of the Master motivated the Apostle to live for Christ,to imitate his example and to preach the truth. Is this what motivates us brethren andsisters? Do we have this same appreciation of the Master’s love and involvement inour daily lives? Do we have the same desire to loving respond as the Apostle did andso live for the Master, that Christ be formed in us?

Now chapter five of Revelation takes us symbolically in time from the ascension ofthe Lord Jesus Christ to the right hand of the Father, all the way to the end of theMillennium, when the earth will be truly full of the glory of Yahweh, as the waterscover the sea.

3

In verse one,we have the scroll,which contains the outworking of the purpose ofGodall the way from John’s day in the first century. Down through the ages, into our ownday, as we here await the second coming of our lord and right through to the end ofthe 1,000-year Millennial period, as symbolised in verse thirteen.

Verse 13

“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth,and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, andhonour, andglory, andpower, beuntohim that sittethupon the throne, anduntothe Lamb for ever and ever”.

The scope of this chapter is breathtaking brethren and sisters, as the vision ends at theend of the millennium before even the first seal is unloosed in chapter six. OurHeavenly Father is showing to us the end from the beginning, proving to us that wecan trust this more sure word of prophecy. Let us therefore take heed unto it as a lightthat shineth in a dark place, until the day dawn and the daystar arise in your hearts.For our Heavenly Father “calleth those things which be not as though they were”.

These kingdom visions in Revelation, as indeed all passages about the kingdom aregiven unto us to sustain us in hope. They are designed by our God to draw our mindsupward and forward in time. They are given too us tomeditate upon and contemplatethe joy and the glory held out for us in Christ Jesus our Lord.

We recall how our Lord was himself sustained by the joy that was set before him,which enabled him to endure the stake and despise the shame, so that now, he beingvictorious is set down at the right hand of the throne of God, as verse seven ofRevelation five makes clear. Working now to bring to fulfilment the next phrase ofthe purpose ofAlmightyGod, even the physical establishment of the kingdomofGodin the earth.

Revelation chapter 3 and verse 21

“To him that overcomethwill I grant to sit withme inmy throne, even as I alsoovercame, and am set down with my Father in his throne”.

That promise of chapter three, brethren and sisters is seen here in chapter five andverse ten, as a reality, “and hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shallreign on the earth”. Is this vision something, which will elate, uplift and sustain eachone of us through the trials of the coming week, as the Old Testament prophecies didfor our Lord? For this is the joy that is set before us, but will this picture of joy andglory so permeate our lives that we will endure our own stake and despise whatevershame we must each face?

2nd Timothy chapter 2 and verses 11 – 13

“It is a faithful saying: For if we be dead with him, we shall also live with him:If we suffer, we shall also reignwith him: if we deny him, he alsowill deny us:If we believe not, yet he abideth faithful: he cannot deny himself”.

4

As those words from Revelation five are read and as we read them privately, do weconnect with the vision? Does this and other similar visions impact our thinking andour lives, as they should?Yes these, visions, brethren and sisters depict in symbol thesurety of our hope, the joy and the glory to come in that great day. Yet the visions arealso are designed to createwithin eachoneof us a longing for somethingmuchgreaterthan the here and now.

Ecclesiastes chapter 3 and verse 11

“He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world(Hebrew Olam – word for the kingdom) in their heart, so that no man can findout the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end”.

Is therewithin each of us a longing for ourHeavenly Father to sweep all that is aroundus out of the way and to establish the kingdom, because that is what is best for ourworld and the men and women upon it (Holy discontentment). Is there a desire to bethere in that day, worshipping our God, with and before our Master in the greatcongregation?

Worshipping giving glory, and honour and thanks for the fulfilment of his promisesand the vindication of his righteousness?

Indeed is there within each one of us brethren and sisters a sense of growinganticipation of being part of thismighty throng. Surrounding the throne in the templeof the age to come? Experiencing the incredible high, the unrestrained joy andoverwhelming thankfulness that is evident in this section of scripture?

Revelation chapter 5 and verses 11 – 12

“And I beheld, and I heard the voice ofmany angels round about the throne andthe living ones and the elders: and the number of themwas ten thousand timesten thousand, and thousands of thousands; Saying with a loud voice, Worthyis the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom, andstrength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”.

Humour me brethren and sisters for a moment, close your eyes and do your best toimagine the scene depicted here: And I beheld, and I heard the voice of many angelsround about the throne, so firstly we hear the angelic choir. Those ministering spiritsthat sang together at the creation and again at the birth of our Lord.

Then the scene pans out and the living ones and the elders: and the number of themwas ten thousand times ten thousand, and thousandsof thousands.Now it includes thewhole company of the redeemed saints, now with their voices joining the angelicchoir. Can you see brethren and sisters you know and have known in the throng? Canyou see yourself brother, sister in this great crowd of jubilant witnesses?

Can you feel the energy? Can you hear the singing, as they sing these glorious wordsrecordedhere?Singingwitha loudvoice,Worthy is theLamb thatwas slain to receivepower, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing”.

5

What a sight this must have been, as the Apostle here tries to convey to us the size,scale andemotionof this incredible congregationandevent.Nowalthough this visionis one of sign and symbol brethren and sisters. I am convinced that, the variousworship scenes within the kingdom visions in Revelation contain valuable insight tothe worship of the saints in the glorious age to come.

I thinkwhatwe have here is the description of a real event. Interestingly, embrace thisfact that none of the songs referenced in theApocalypse are solos!We arewitnessinga united community who with one mind and one mouth glorifies our God.

Psalm 22 and verses 22 – 23 & 25

“Iwill declare thy nameuntomybrethren: in themidst of the congregationwillI praise thee. Ye that fear Yahweh, praise him; all ye the seed of Jacob, glorifyhim; and fear him, all ye the seedof Israel.Mypraise shall beof thee in thegreatcongregation: I will pay my vows before them that fear him”.

All of them singingwith one voice, as theGreek shows here totally united completelyin harmony and in unison. Singing no doubt with a loud voice out of heartfelt joy andgratitude. They repeatedly extol the character of the Lord Jesus Christ as Yahwehmanifested in the earth.

Once more the worthiness of the one we have come to remember is pointed out anddeclared. Because of his victory over the flesh, he is worthy to “receive” these sevenascriptions of praise given to him. The Greek word “receive” denotes something,which is his right, in that He has earned it. Seven the number of completeness inrelation to the covenants of promise. Signifying that our Master is indeed worthy ofthis complete praise. We have come once more to acknowledge in bread and winebrethren and sisters this truth.

Now these seven blessings given to theMaster are a complete unit, because as is clearin theGreek they are governed by one article, so it reads: “The power, and riches, andwisdom, and strength, andhonour, andglory, andblessing”.Note also the cumulativeeffect of that little word “and” emphasising each individual aspect of this blessing,rising up in like steps from power to form a crescendo at the word “blessing”.

Now the first four of these blessings are possessions as a direct result of our Lord’sfaithfulness to our Heavenly Father and the last three come as the result of everyoneelse acknowledging his worthiness.

We are reminded of Philippians chapter 2 and verses 9 – 11

“Wherefore God also hath highly exalted him, and given him a name which isabove every name: That at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, of thingsinheaven, and things in earth, and thingsunder the earth;And that every tongueshould confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father”.

The great crescendo of praise that began in verse nine with continues to build up toa fitting climax. Prefiguring at first the subduing of the nations and the establishment

6

of peace in the kingdom, but extending finally to the end of the Master’s millennialrule, when God shall be all and in all.

Psalm 72 and verse 17

“His name shall endure for ever: his name shall be continued as long as the sun:and men shall be blessed in him: all nations shall call him blessed”.

These verses brethren and sisters in Revelation chapter five present us with a highview of the Lord Jesus Christ whomwe shall shortly remember in the bread andwinebefore us upon the table. As a brother recently remarked to me in conversation,“Wayne. As you get older your appreciation of the victory and the prevailing of theMaster over sin. Grows in the light of the realisation of your own many failures andconstant weaknesses, his victory becomes all the more majestic and astounding”.

The universality of the redemptive work of our Heavenly Father through the LordJesusChrist requires a universal response of praise.A response,whichbeganwith thesaints in verses nine and ten, extends to the angels in verses eleven and twelve.Now flows out in an everwidening circle as ripples on a pond to thewhole of creationin verse thirteen.

Verses 13 – 14

“And every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth,and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, heard I saying, Blessing, andhonour, andglory, andpower, beuntohim that sittethupon the throne, anduntothe Lamb for ever and ever. And the four living ones said, Amen. And the fourand twenty elders fell down andworshipped him that liveth for ever and ever”.

This is the praise brethren and sisters, which is hinted at in:

Romans chapter eight and verses 19 – 22

“For the earnest expectation of the creaturewaiteth for themanifestation of thesons of God. For the creature wasmade subject to vanity, not willingly, but byreason of himwho hath subjected the same in hope, Because the creature itselfalso shall be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious libertyof the children of God. For we know that the whole creation groaneth andtravaileth in pain together until now”.

Brethren and sisters, whatever you think of the symbolic language of this fifthchapter; understand this that the praise and the jubilationwitnessed too in these elatedverses will be very real and very personal to those blessed to be involved in that day.

So the whole creation repeatedly sings or chants this fourfold ascription of praise toGod through his ruling Son the Lord Jesus Christ. “Blessing, and honour, and glory,and power, be unto him that sitteth upon the throne, and unto the Lamb for ever andever”.

7

Now here in verse thirteen these four ascription’s of praise are not governed by justone article (one the), like those in verse twelve. But here each of them has its ownarticle (the) for added emphasis. So theGreek reads “The blessing and the honour andthe glory and the power”. Againwe have that step like effect through the repeated useof the word “and” giving a cumulative and crescendo effect to the praise rendered.

Then in the final verse of the vision, fourteen we have the saints prostratingthemselves, just as they did at the end of chapter four in devotion and humility beforethe throne. They bring a fitting conclusion to this tremendous crescendo of praisefrom verse nine to fourteen with the use of the transliterated Hebrew word “Amen”,so be it, let this be so. For here in symbol and prophetically is all their desire nowfulfilled. We recall that this word “Amen” is actually one of the titles of our belovedMaster (usedearlier in thebook),who is the fulfilmentofourHeavenlyFather’s entirepurpose in the new creation.

Colossians chapter 1 and verses 17 - 20

“And he is before all things, and by him all things consist. And he is the headof the body, the ecclesia:who is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead; thatin all things he might have the preeminence. For it pleased the Father that inhim should all fulness dwell; And, havingmade peace through the blood of hisstake, by him to reconcile all things unto himself; by him, I say, whether theybe things in earth, or things in heaven”.

Interestingly some Greek scholars say that the word “said” in this final fourteenthverse is iterative, meaning that the “Amen” sung would be done (possiblyantiphonally) after each of the four ascription’s of praise in verse fourteen. So it oughtto be “The blessing Amen and the honour Amen and the glory Amen and the powerAmen”.

1st Corinthians chapter 15 and verses 24 & 28

“Then cometh the end, when he shall have delivered up the kingdom to God,even the Father; when he shall have put down all rule and all authority andpower. And when all things shall be subdued unto him, then shall the Son alsohimself be subject unto him that put all things under him, that God may be allin all”.

This is exactly the point we reach in verse fourteen of Revelation five. For theinstructions on the scroll,which shall nowbe loosed in chapter six and beyond. Teachus clearly the sovereignty of our Heavenly Father over history and the certainty ofthese things.

Therefore brethren and sisterswecrywith those earlier brethrenmentioned in chaptersix who suffered for the truth, “How long, O Lord, holy and true, dost thou not judgeand avenge our blood on them that dwell on the earth?”

Now as we turn our attention to the emblems upon the table before us brethren andsisters.We consider theMasterwho indeed isworthy of our praise. For none of us are

8

worthy, none of us were able (have the virtue) to perform that which our Lord hasdone. All of us are disqualified due to our own sinfulness and the nature that we bare.

Therefore our Heavenly Father saw that there was no man, and wondered that therewas no intercessor: therefore his arm brought salvation unto him; and hisrighteousness, it sustained him”. As Abraham stated to Isaac in Genesis twenty-two,“my son, God will provide himself a lamb” and indeed he has done so as Revelationfive makes wonderfully clear.

So in the bread we are brought face to face with the word made flesh brethren andsisters. That word, which is powerfully able to impart unto us faith and to transformand renew our minds to be conformed to his image. Likewise in the wine we see thepoured out blood of our Lord sacrificially given both for himself and for us in love.That example, which is able to motivate each of us to sacrifice and serve one anotherin love, after his example. That wemight in our own individual way emulate him andwalk worthy of God, who hath called us unto his kingdom and glory.

Wayne Marshall

Substitution Versus Forgiveness (1)

It is a primary principle for believers to understand, that Jesus Christ laid downhis life in order to save his brethren. Note the following passages:

"This is a faithful saying, andworthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus cameinto the world to save sinners" (1 Tim. 1:15)

"... Thou shalt call his name Jesus, for he shall save his people from their sins"

" God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten son, that whosoeverbelieveth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life" (Jno. 3:16)

But the question that needs to be asked, is How does the sacrifice of Christ effect thesalvation of sinners? What is the basis upon which forgiveness can be extended tothe ungodly (Rom. 5:6)?

THE COMMON BELIEF

The common belief is that Christ died as a substitute for us. The comparison is madewith a man who is about to be hung for an offence. However, another man comes up(i.e.Christ), andoffers to behung instead, as a substitute. So the innocent is punished,and the guilty is allowed to go free.

Again, another comparison is made: a man owes a debt that he cannot repay.However, anotherman pays the debt for him (i.e. Christ) and so the debtor is allowedto go free.

9

This is a popular explanation, and although it is not Christadelphian teaching, it hasbeen expressed on online Christadelphian discussion groups thus:

"Christ substituted for Abraham and Robert Roberts, just as much as you andme""On the first Good Friday, Christ was crucified between two thieves. It was hischoice to die in this way and from his death and resurrection three days later,comes all our life and hope.He died in our place in this way so that we wouldnot have to die."

"I can recommend many books which speak volumes of the bible teachingabout grace. The simple fact is that the verses 'snatched' from various booksdepict what truly I deserve; yet the Lord suffered for my transgressions.We are like Barabbas; awaiting execution; but Jesus has taken my place.And folk wonder why I call Jesus my friend, why I try and have a relationshipto Him. "Greater love hath no man ...."

"I believe You are God and that your son Jesus Christ died on the cross to payformy sins. I knowYou are alive. I askYou to bemySAVIOR!Come intomyheart right now and forgive me so I can have free everlasting life. Amen!"

There are, however, a number of major problemswith this position. firstly, If Christhas taken our place and died instead of us, then we ought not to die: death is thepunishment, and the sentence has been carried out. In fact, this logical outcome is soobvious in the position cited above, that the writer himself said "he died in our placeso that we would not have to die". The problem is that in fact, we do still die,something which is within the experience of us all. Another objection is that if thepenalty had to be paid by someone, either us, or someone else, then that flatlycontradicts the Bible doctrine of forgiveness. By definition, if the debt is paid by athird party, the debt is not actually forgiven, or cancelled out - it still has to be paid.

BIBLE TEACHING REGARDING FORGIVENESS

There are many passages of Scripture that illustrate the concept of forgiveness.Matthew chapter 18 deals with disputes between brethren, and concludes with theparable of the unmerciful servant. A certain king was owed a vast amount by one ofhis servants, who was unable to pay the debt. But then, "the servant therefore felldown, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay theeall. Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, andforgave him the debt" (see Mat. 18:23-35).

Notice what happens here: the lord does not require the debt to be paid at all, whetherby the servant, or another man instead. The debt is simply forgiven: It is cancelled.His compassion is shown by loosing him from the debt, not by insisting thatsomebody else must pay in his place.

Again, in Luke chapter 7, we read of Messiah's forgiveness of a particular woman inSimon the Pharisee's house. Jesus spoke another parable:

10

"There was a certain creditor which had two debtors; the one owed fivehundred pence, and the other fifty. And when they had nothing to pay, hefrankly forgave them both. Tell me therefore, which of them will love himmost? Simon answered and said, I suppose that he, to whom he forgave most.And he said unto him, Thou hast rightly judged" (Lu. 7:41-43).

Again, we see the compassion of the creditor in forgiving, or as some versions renderit, "cancelling", the debt. He did not require someone else to pay it instead: it wassimply cancelled: "he frankly forgave them both".

FORGIVING OTHERS

There is another point that comes out from both of these parables: they are designedto be examples of how the believers ought to forgive trespasses against them. In hismodel prayer, Christ instructed his disciples to ask: "forgive us our debts, as weforgive our debtors" (Mat. 6:12). But howarewe to forgive our debtors? By insistingthat they find somebody else to pay the debt (i.e. "substitution")? By no means, it isby cancelling the debts themselves. SoMatthew 18 concludes by describing how theforgiven servant would not blot out the debt of another man who owed him money,and therefore had his own debt reinstated, and he cast into prison until he paid it all:

"So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your heartsforgive not every one his brother their trespasses" (Mat. 18:35).

Here is the principle: "even as Christ forgave you, so also do ye" (Col. 3:13). Todemand a substitute to pay the debt, by definition, is contrary to the Bible doctrineregarding forgiveness.

SUBSTITUTION REFUSED

There is an interesting account in Scripture of a substitutionary sacrifice beingrefused. Moses besought Yahweh to forgive the sin of Israel, and offered himself tobear their punishment himself:

"Oh, this people have sinned a great sin, and havemade themgods of gold. Yetnow, if thou wilt forgive their sin - and if not, blot me, I pray thee, out of thybookwhich thou hast written. AndYahweh said untoMoses,Whosoever hathsinned against me, him will I blot out of my book" (Exo. 32:32-33).

There are a number of pointswhich comeout from this: firstly,Moses offered himselfas a substitute for the people, yet this was rejected with the declaration "whosoeverhath sinned against me, him will I blot out of my book". Yahweh will not allow anyman to take the punishment of another: people are personally accountable for theirsins, and no-one can be a substitute for them.

The second point is that the offer of a substitute is directly contrasted withforgiveness: "if thou wilt forgive their sin - and if not not, blot me, I pray thee out ofthy book". If sin could not be forgiven, then Moses offered himself to bear thepunishment instead. Substitution then, is presented in this case, as something whichis the opposite to forgiveness.

11

In our considerations, we have seen how that the popular explanation of the sacrificeof Christ is left wanting, when compared with the Holy Word. Substitution is not aScriptural teaching, and in fact, it directly contradicts the Bible teaching offorgiveness. Here is the real power of the sacrifice of Christ: It is not the case that avengefulDeity requirers a legal sentence to be inflicted upon an innocentman, rather,it is the love of Yahweh extended to those whowould come to Christ in humility andhope, forgiving their sins, and blotting out their trespasses. And the reasons why itis so is something we will consider if the Lord permit, in our next issue.

(To Be Continued)

Christopher Maddocks

The Message of Malachi

Our daily readings (according to theBibleCompanion reading plan) bring us towardsthe end of the Old Testament, and the message of Malachi. The name “Malachi”literally means “my messenger”, and the prophecy is primarily concerned with thepriests, who had fallen away from the true temple worship. The priests themselvesshould have been messengers, for it is written of them that: “the priests should keepknowledge, and they should seek the law at his mouth: for he is the messenger ofYahweh of armies” (Mal. 2:7). But the priests failed in their duty, and so the Wordof Yahweh came to the people though the work of another messenger instead:Malachi (my messenger) the prophet.

The opening chapter of Malachi deals with the contrasting issues of love and hate:

“I have loved you, sayeth Yahweh. Yet ye say, Wherein hast thou loved us?Was not Esau Jacob’s brother? Saith Yahweh: Yet I loved Jacob, and I hatedEsau, and laid his mountains and his heritage for the dragons of thewilderness” (Mal. 1:2-3).

There are those who teach that God loves everybody, and that it is our responsibilityto show that love to everyone around us. But these sentiments are not in accordancewith the holy writ: Yahweh states that “I hated Esau”, as well as loving Jacob. Itlogically follows that our Father loves his children, but hates those who areabandoned to disobedience, andwho are lovers of pleasure rather than lovers ofTruthand Righteousness. And it is part of our love towards God, that we should hate thosethings that he hates: “I hate them with perfect hatred: I count themmine enemies” isthe position of the Psalmist (Psa. 139:22). We must hate those who He hates, andcount as our enemies, those who are enemies to the Truth. Indeed, it is written that:the fear of Yahweh is to hate evil: pride, and arrogancy, and the evil way, and theforward mouth, do I hate” (Prov. 8:13). By definition, we cannot truly love Truth,unless at the same time, we hate that which opposes Truth.

12

POLLUTED SACRIFICES

Chapter two of Malachi focuses upon the work of the priests, demonstrating theircontempt for the holy things of God:

“yeoffer pollutedbreaduponmine altar; andye say,Wherein havewepollutedthee? In that ye say, The table of Yahweh is contemptible. And if ye offer theblind for sacrifice, is it not evil? And if ye offer the lame and the sick, is it notevil …?

The priests offered “polluted bread” upon the altar, in that they offered sacrificeswhich were defective before the Almighty, who requires the best that we can offer.Interestingly, the altar is described as: “the table ofYahweh”,which indicates that theofferings were part of a fellowship meal, with Yahweh being served upon the tablefirst,with the choicest portion.Elsewhere in theMosaicLaw, this idea of a fellowshipmeal was expressed in the peace offerings, which was the only altar offering that theofferer himself could eat. Similarly, Yahweh was served first, seen in the way inwhich certain parts of the animal were placed, and burned upon the Altar, before theofferer and the priests could take their portion.

But in reality, none of us are perfect: none of us can truly bring a perfect offering tofellowshipwith theAlmighty. We all have blemishes –yet through the grace of God,and the sacrifice of Christ, we can draw nigh to the throne of grace, for “truly ourfellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 Jno. 1:13). God willfellowship with us, despite our imperfections. This was taught under the sacrificialcode under the Law. The sacrifice of praise, one of the peace offerings, was the onlysacrifice which did not have to be perfect in a particular circumstance: “either abullock or a lamb that hath anything superfluous or lacking in his parts, that mayestthou offer for a freewill offering; but for a vow it shall not be accepted” (Lev. 22:23).

Under the Law then, for a freewill offering (a type of the sacrifice of praise), a personcould offer an animal that had a deformity, whether lacking in some way, or havingsomething “superfluous”. Blemishes in the form of physical deformities wereallowed.

This reflects our situation before God: Hewill accept our sacrifices of praise, despitethe fact that they are notwithout blemish. Our physical nature is “sinful flesh” beforeHim, and as a consequence, we cannot render a perfect sacrifice. But the priests towhom Malachi spoke misused this merciful provision. They not only offered thatwhich had physical deformities, but also those that were blind, lame and sick.Keeping the best for themselves, they sacrificed those things that were of little use tothem. The provision under the law it would seem, was that if the very best animal aman had to offer was deformed, because they were giving their best, it would still beaccepted. Bu the priests missed the point entirely. They assumed that becauseYahwehwasGracious theycouldcontinueoffering imperfections, and thatHisGracewould continue to abound. In some ways, this is similar to the charge held againstPaul by some: so he asked “shall we continue in sin, that grace may abound?” (Rom.6:1). The attitude of mind is similar, and there is a danger that we can unwittingly do

13

the same thing.Wemight think thatwecancontinue in sin, becauseweknow thatGodcan forgive us, rather than striving to offer the very best service we can before ourFather.

We too come before the Lord’s table (1 Cor. 10:21) each Sunday, upon which isplaced the emblems of Messiah’s sacrifice. At that time, a man must “examinehimself, and so let him eat of that bread, and drink of that cup” (1 Cor. 11:28). Hereis the real spirit of the peace offering and fellowship, partaking of the emblems of truesacrifice, and examining our own standing before God. We must therefore seek toidentify ourselves with the sacrifice of Christ, desiring to offer the very best that wehave before the Almighty.

SERVING GOD FOR NOUGHT

Malachi 1:10 brings to our attention another aspect of the priest’s failure to upholdthe righteousness of God: they would not engage in their reasonable service (Cp.Rom. 12:1-2), unless they saw a personal benefit from their work:

“who is there even among you that would shut the doors for nought? Neitherdo ye kindle fire on mine altar for nought. I have no pleasure in you, saithYahweh of armies, neither will I accept an offering at your hand” (Mal. 1:10).

Again, the prophet Micah identified the same failing:

“the heads thereof judge for reward, and the priests thereof teach for hire, andthe prophets thereof divine for money …” (Mic. 3:11).

Seeking temporal advantage, the priests were more interested in their own affairs,rather than the benefit of the flock of God. By contrast, Peter exhorted the elders ofthe ecclesia: “feed the flock ofGodwhich is among you, taking the oversight thereof,not by constraint, but willingly; not for filthy lucre, but of a ready mind” (1 Pet. 5:2).

This is thedifferencebetween the true shepherd andahireling. The true shepherdwilllay down his life for the sheep, whereas the hireling will forsake the flock when hethinks he is in personal danger:- “he that is an hireling, and not the shepherd, whoseown the sheep are not, seeth the wolf coming, and leaveth the sheep, and fleeth: andthe wolf cachet them, and scattereth the sheep. The hireling fleeth, because he is anhireling, and careth not for the sheep.” (Jno. 10:12-13). Seeking only his self interest,the one who is a shepherd for the glories of this life, will run and forsake the flockwhen danger comes: which contrasts, of course, with our Master who is the trueshepherd, who lay down his life for the flock.

THE IMPORTANCE OF KNOWLEDGE

Another of the priestly responsibilities was to teach the knowledge of God – yet thepriests who taught for hire neglected in this duty also:

14

“the priest’s lips should keep knowledge, and they should seek the law at hismouth: for he is the messenger of Yahweh of armies. But ye are departed outof the way: ye have caused many to stumble at the law; ye have corrupted thecovenant of Levi, saith Yahweh of armies” (Mal. 2:7-8).

Having “corrupted the covenant of Levi,” the priests no longer taught the Truth, orthe righteousness of the Law, and so the people could not longer go to them to learnthe Word of God. Instead, they were caused to stumble and fall. The consequenceof this, was as Yahweh spake by Hosea: “my people are destroyed for lack ofknowledge: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also reject thee, that thoushalt be no priest to me …” (Hos. 4:6).

There are those of our day, who disparage Bible Study, claiming that it is what theheart is like, andnot our “doctrinal correctness” thatmatters. But thismisses thepointthat Israelwere “destroyed” for their “lack of knowledge”. Lacking knowledge, theywould not knowwhat theWill of Godwas in particular circumstances, and so did notdo thatWill. Another point that is missed is that the condition of our hearts is a directconsequence of howwe fill ourselveswith the principles of theWord. So theApostlespoke of true believers: “that their hearts might be comforted, being knit together inlove, and unto all riches of the full assurance of understanding of themystery of God,and of the Father, and of Christ…” (Col. 2:2). “the full assurance of understanding”then, is important for theunityof truebelievers: a commonhopeandzeal for the thingsof the spirit of God.

YAHWEH AS WITNESS

Another failing, is that the people divorced theirwives in order tomarrywomen fromthe nations around them. But the iniquities of the priests did not go unnoticed: Godwill not bemocked, andHewitnessed to their sins, thoughhis Prophet: “Yahwehhathbeen witness between thee and the wife of youth against whom thou hast dealttreacherously: yet is she thy companion, and the wife of thy covenant” (Mal. 2:14).

The fact thatYahwehsees all of our circumstances, and the things thatwedo, canhavetwo effects. It can motivate us to do better: the knowledge that our Father seeseverything is somethingwhich encourages us not to do those things that we know arewrong in His Sight. But another aspect is that we can have peace of mind in adversecircumstances: because Yahweh knows our afflictions, we have the confidence thathe will watch over us for our ultimate good. Speaking of this, the sweet Psalmist ofIsrael sang:

“If I ascendup into heaven, thou art there: If Imakemybed in hell, behold thouart there. If I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost partsof the sea; even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall holdme.” (Psa. 139:8-10).

Again, the Apostle wrote concerning both aspects:

“the eyes of the Lord are over the righteous, and his ears are open unto theirprayers: but the face of the Lord is against them that do evil” (1 Pet. 3:12).

15

MY MESSENGER

We saw earlier that the name “Malachi” signifies “MyMessenger”, and as such, theprophet foreshadowed another “messenger” that would come:

“behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way beforeme” (Mal. 3:1).

This, of course, had a preliminary fulfilment in John the Baptist, and is assigned asa future work of Elijah the prophet. But this verse goes on to describe anothermessenger again: the Lord Jesus Christ as the “messenger of the covenant”:

“the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple, even themessenger of the covenant, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saithYahweh of armies” (Mal. 3:1)

The Lord Jesus is the one through whom the New Covenant came, and that fact issomething that gives added responsibility for men to heed the message:

“Thereforewe ought to give themore earnest heed to the thingswe have heard,lest at any timewe should let them slip. For if the word spoken byAngels wassteadfast, and every transgression and disobedience received a justrecompense of reward; How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation,which at the first began to be spoken by the Lord, and was confirmed unto usby them that heard him …” (Heb. 2:1-3).

The message of the Lord Jesus then, involves principles that we must earnestly giveheed to; else we will not escape condemnation in his sight. He shall come again asa judge as well as a messenger, to purge the priesthood of Levi:

“and he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver: and he shall purify the sonsof Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto Yahwehan offering in righteousness” (Mal. 3:3).

DO WE DELIGHT IN HIM?

The priest were said to “delight in him,” that is, the Messenger of the covenant whowas to come. But though they professed to be looking for, and waiting for him, hewould come to judge them, and purge them as gold and silver. They said “where isthe God of judgment” (Mal. 2:17), assuming that he would plead their cause – butinstead he would purge them. There were also those in Amos’ day who thoughtlikewise:

“woe unto you that desire the day of Yahweh! To what end is it for you? Theday of Yahweh is darkness and not light” (Amos 5:18).

We, who form the body of Christ in the latter days, look forward to the coming dayof Yahweh – but on what terms? Messiah taught: “seek ye first the kingdom of God,

16

and his righteousness” (Mat. 6:33). Notice, there are two aspects to seek after, notone. Whilst we look towards, and yearn for the kingdom to come, we should also beseeking the Righteousness of the Almighty. The kingdom is not going to beestablished in order to solve our problems, or even to solve the world’s problems. Itis to be established in order that theWill of our Father shall be done on earth even asit is done in heaven – and in order to be part of that time to come, we need to upholdthe righteousness of God in this generation. And the blessings that follow will be aconsequence of that righteousness being established in all the earth.

The day of Yahweh to come will be a day of darkness and gloominess to those whodo not allow their light to shine, and who not bring oil with their lamps when they goout tomeet him (Mat. 25:3).But towhosewho apply theword received, shall not onlyshine as lights in an otherwise darkened world, they shall become part of theluminance of the Age to Come: “Then shall the righteous shine forth as the sun in thekingdom of their Father” (Mat. 13:43). Or as Daniel has it, “they that be wise shallshine as the brightness of the firmament, and they that turn many to righteousness asthe stars for ever and ever” (Dan. 12:3).

This latter phase is described in Malachi chapter 4, again with this twofold aspect ofthat Great Day: destruction and healing:

“behold, the day cometh, that shall burn as an oven; and all the proud, yea, andall that do wickedly, shall be stubble: and the day that cometh shall burn themup, saithYahwehof armies, that it shall leave themneither root nor branch. Butunto you that fear my name shall the Sun of Righteousness arise with healingin his wings; and ye shall go forth, and grow up as calves of the stall” (Mal.4:1-2).

We saw earlier that due to the nature of the physical makeup that we each share, wecannot render to ourMaster a perfect sacrifice. But when ourMaster comes, he shallheal us from our mortal weakness, like the healing rays of the sun.

Our readings (following the Bible Companion reading planner) bring us to the end ofthe Bible, both Old and New Testaments. We look forward to a new year, trustingin the power of God to keep us until the new day will break, and every shadow andwork of darkness shall be dispelled by the shining of the Sun of Righteousness. Aswe come to the end of the year, we look forward to a new year, with new trials, newchallenges, and newways to serve ourMaster, the comingKing. Let us therefore, liftup our heads, knowing that our redemption draweth near. Let us walk forwardwithout fear of what the future will hold, earnestly desiring above all things that thiskingdom shall indeed be established, with theWill of our Father being done on earth,even as it is in heaven.

Christopher Maddocks

17

Psalm 73

Speaking of the characteristics of his true disciples, our Lord Jesus Christ said:“Blessed are the pure in heart: they shall see God” (Mat. 5:8). Psalm 73, the secondportion of our readings for the day similarly commences with the benefits of havingapurifiedheart: “TrulyGod is good to Israel, even to such as are of a cleanheart” (Psa.73:1). But there are times when it might seem that the blessing and goodness of ourFather have forsaken us. It is part of our preparation for the comingKingdom, that assons anddaughters through faith inChrist Jesus,weundergoperiods of chastisement:“for whom the Lord loveth he chasteneth, and scourgeth every son whom hereceiveth. If ye endure chastening, God dealeth with you as with sons; for what sonis he whom the Father chasteneth not?” (Heb. 12:6-7).

It is further written that: “no chastening for the present seemeth to be joyous, butgrievous …” (Heb. 12:11), and it is during those grievous times that it is sometimesdifficult for us to remember that Yahweh is still with us, and that our Father iscontinuing to watch over us. This was the situation with Asaph in the Psalm beforeus. Men and women of the world seemed to be prospering, whilst he endureddifficulties and distress. The shortsighted view is to say: “Verily, I have cleansedmyheart in vain … for all the day long have I been plagued, and chastened everymorning” (Psa. 73:14). The same can be true of our own day: whilst we seek tomaintain personal integrity in a day of evil, when all around us men and women arebowing down before the altar ofMammon, the situation can seemmost unfair. Whatprofit is there in serving Yahweh, when whilst the wicked prospers on all side, weundergo difficulties and distresses?

We need to take a long-term view of these things. The ultimate end is that thewickedshall pass awaywith theworld that they love somuch, and thatwe shall live in joyousunity with our Master throughout the ages to come. So the Preacher spake:

“Though a sinner do evil an hundred times, and his days be prolonged, yetsurely I know that it shall be well with them that fear God, which fear beforehim: but it shall not be well with the wicked, neither shall he prolong his days,which are as a shadow; because he feareth not before God” (Eccl. 8:12-13).

When we take account of our position in the unfolding plan of Yahweh, we are ablelookbeyond thedayof present distress to the future time,when the former things shallbe no longer remembered,when there shall be nomore sorrownor crying, or any suchthing. In that day, there shall be only joy, and rejoicing in the presence of theOnewhoredeemed us with his own blood.

But generally speaking, men andwomen are too short sighted to see their place in thegreater picture. Instant gratificationmarks the expectation of our age, when becauseof the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, folk seek only theirpresent good. Like Esau, who sold his birthright for a bowl of pottage, the men andwomen of our age esteem present comforts more than the promises that take usbeyond the temporalpresent, to theeternal future. Beingdrivenby theirown lust,menseek to “succeed” in this present life, with “success” being measured in monetary

18

means, large houses, and expensive cars. But our Lord Jesus cut to the heart of theissue in saying: “take heed, and beware of covetousness: for a man’s life consistethnot in the abundance of the things which he possesseth” (Lu. 12:15). And again, theApostle wrote:

“godliness with contentment is great gain. For we brought nothing into thisworld, and it is certainwe can carry nothing out. And having food and raimentlet us therewith be content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation anda snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men indestruction and perdition” (1 Tim. 6:6-9).

Contentment with our lot in life is truly great gain. Rather than to become stressedand burnt out in a quest to multiply earthly goods, the contented man only looks tothe future kingdom, with scant regard to the riches of this life. Like Paul, wemust becontentwithwhatsoevercircumstancewefindourselves in, counting the richesof thislife to be but dung, when compared with the glory to come (Phil. 3:8). The Preacherspoke of this:

“Better is an handful with quietness, than both the hands full with travail andvexation of spirit” (Eccl. 4:6).

Rather than be envious of the apparent prosperity of the wicked, we look away fromthe pleasures of sin, towards the greater glory to be granted to those who havepatiently continued in well doing.

Turning back to Psalm 73, we find Asaph beginning to lose his footing in spiritualthings, confessing: “I was envious at the foolish, when I saw the prosperity of thewicked” (Psa. 73:3). But he only entertained such thoughts until he went into thehouse of God:

“when I thought to know this, it was too painful for me; until I went into thesanctuary of God; then understood I their end” (Psa. 73:17).

There is somethingabout theHouseofGod that sets things in their properperspective.Being the centre of holiness, and part of a schoolmaster teaching redemption throughJesusChrist, theSanctuarywas a placewheremen andwomenwent to offer sacrifice,and learn the principles of righteousness. In our day, the ecclesia of Christ shouldfulfil such a function, being the “pillar and ground of the Truth” (1 Tim. 3:15). It isa placewhere brethren and sisters can assemble tomemorialise the crucifixion of ourMaster, and learn the meaning of a true sacrifice. There is no other place upon earthwhere such things can be learnt, for the world at large remains in a darkness that maybe felt. Let us therefore not neglect the assembling of ourselves together, as themanner of some is. We must join together with those of like precious faith, to thinkupon eternal things, and exhort one another whilst the day of opportunity remains.

In the case of Asaph, however, these words would appear to be a specific referenceto an incident recorded in Numbers chapter 16. Just as Asaph considered theprosperity of the wicked, so Numbers 16 speaks of certain men who were “two

19

hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men ofrenown” (Num. 16:2). This men assembledwith Korah, Dathan, Abiram, andOn, tooppose the position ofMoses as a leader over all the people of Israel. Thesemenwereof a short-sighted view, considering the present difficulties as evidence of MosesAaron’s poor leadership:

“… thou hast not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, orgiven us inheritance of fields and vineyards: wilt thou put out the eyes of thesemen?” (Num. 16:14).

Here was their argument: men could see with their own eyes that the promisedblessings had not materialised – yet they could not see the reason why this was so.Because of the presumptuous rebellion of the people, the inheritancewould not comebefore a 40 year trial in the wilderness, yet Korah and his company wanted instantgratification, and present blessedness.

There is a danger thatwe can become like this in thewaywedirect our own lives. Thepromise is that should we patiently continue in faith, we will be given the Kingdomat the appropriate time. But today is the day of trial and chastisement, whichwemustpass through in order to reach the blessings. But no chastisement is joyous, butgrievous (Heb. 12:11), and the natural way is to regard this as evidence that God isno longerwith us –when in actual fact, the chastisement serves to confirmGod’s lovefor us, that we might be developed in our faith to become suitable for that kingdomto come.

The record in Numbers 16 proceeds to recount the process by which it was to bedemonstrated that Yahweh was indeed with Moses and Aaron, having chosen themto lead His people. Korah and his company were to offer incense in their brazencensers, and Aaron would offer incense in his golden censer. Yahwehwould choosewhich offering would be acceptable. So the offerings were made, and the brazencenserswere rejected. After thepeoplewere firstwarned to separate themselves fromthe apostasy of Korah’s company, “the ground clave asunder that was under them:And the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and allthe men that appertained unto Korah, and all their goods. They and all thatappertained to them,went downalive into the pit, and the earth closed upon them: andthey perished from among the congregation” (Num. 16:31-33).

This graphically signified the rejection of their offering: not being based upon faith,their incense could not be accepted. Even so, in Psalm 73, we read of the faith of thewicked: “surely thou didst set them in slippery places: thou castest them down intodestruction. How are they brought into desolation, as in a moment! They are utterlyconsumed with terrors” (Psa. 73:19).

But Numbers chapter 16 continues to describe what happened to the brazen censersthat the “men of renown” had offered before Yahweh:

“thecensersof these sinners against their ownsouls, let themmakebroadplatesfor a coveringof theAltar: for theyoffered thembeforeYahweh, therefore theyare hallowed: and they shall be a signunto the childrenof Israel” (Num.16:38).

20

Here, then,was a sign to Israel: the censers of the sinners beaten out and used to coverthe altar of sacrifice. As men went into the sanctuary to offer their sacrifice, theywould be confronted with this sign that brought to mind the destruction of therebellious, cast down before the presence of Yahweh. So the Psalmist describes hisown experience, being frustrated at the apparent prosperity of the wicked: “until Iwent into the sanctuary of God; then understood I their end” (Psa. 73:17). Here is theend of those who do not trust in the Almighty, who view current difficulties asevidence that God was not with the princely leader of the people. Let us learn fromthis sign, and the example of unbelief, lest we fall likewise.

There is another passage that alludes back to these events of Numbers 16. The bookof Jude refers to false brethren, who had crept into the ecclesia unnoticed, as having“perished in the gainsaying of Core” (Jude 11). Of these, it is written that they“despise dominion, and speak evil of dignities,” just like Korah, Dathan and Abiramspoke evil of Moses and Aaron, despising their dominion. But Jude ends bydescribing how the power of God is directed towards those who trust in Him: “Nowunto him that is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before thepresence of his glorywith exceeding joy. To the onlywiseGod our Saviour, be gloryand majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.” (Jude 24-25). Withamarked contrast to thosewhowere cast down in slipperyplaces, ourFatherwill holdus by the hand, and keep us from falling, if we but trust inHim, and his power to save.

Returning to Psalm 73, after seeing the end of the ungodly as portrayed in the brazenplates upon the altar, Asaph continues to describe how he was being held up by thegrace of God: “Nevertheless I am continually with thee: thou hast holden me by myright hand …” (Psa. 73:23). This is the promise to those who endure the trials thatcome from the Almighty by way of chastisement: He will hold us by the hand, andguide us through them. This was the promise to Israel:

“Fear thou not; for I am with thee: be not dismayed; for I am thy God: I willstrengthen thee; yea, Iwill help thee; yea, Iwill uphold theewith the right handof my righteousness… for I Yahweh thy God will hold thy right hand, sayingunto thee, Fear not; I will help thee” (Isa. 41:10, 13).

Divine help and guidance comes both from the written word, and the angelicministrations. The Angels are “all ministering spirits, sent forth to minister for themwho shall be heirs of salvation” (Heb. 1:14). They will be with us in our trials, andwill keep us from falling, if we but trust in them, and the power of our Father whosends them to us.

The Psalm ends by describing the situation of two groups of people: those who arefar from Yahweh, and those who draw near to Him. Of the first group it is said:

“Lo, they that are far from thee shall perish: thou hast destroyed all them thatgo a whoring from thee” (Psa. 73:27).

Notice the language used here: those who are “far from” Yahweh are those who goa whoring from him. This same language is picked up in the book of James, who

21

describes the temptation common to all men, in terms of a woman leading us astray:

“Every man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed.Thenwhen lust hath conceived, it bringeth forth sin: and sin,when it is finishedbringeth forth death” (Jas. 1:14-15).

Here, the lust of aman is likened to awoman – awhore, leading him astray. Leading himon, the woman conceives a child – sin – which is brought forth out of her, and sin bringsforth death. This is the process of temptationwhich befalls allmen andwomen,with ourLord Jesus Christ being the only exception. In his experience of temptation, althoughbeing tempted in all points like as we are, hewas not “drawn away”. He experienced thedesires of the flesh, but never allowed them todrawhimaway fromunionwithhisFather.According to Psalm 73, those who are drawn far from Yahweh “shall perish” withouthope, despite their apparent prosperity in the sight of men in this life.

The second class of men described in the closing verse of this Psalm comprise thosewho draw near to God:

“But it is good for me to draw near to God: I have put my trust in the LordYahweh, that I may declare all thy works” (Psa. 73:28).

This again alludes to the account of Korah’s rebellion. Numbers 16 recounts thewords of Moses to Korah:

“he spake unto Korah and unto all his company, saying, Even tomorrowYahweh will shew who are his, and who is holy; and will cause him to comenear unto him: even himwhomhe hath chosenwill he cause to come near untohim” (Num. 16:5).

Yahweh’s choice was graphically demonstrated as we have considered above, butAsaph now recognized the end of the wicked, and the advantage to having a cleanheart in the sight of God. Now taking the long-term view, Asaph acknowledged theprivilege of being able to draw nigh to the throne of grace, and the blessings that willcome to thosewho desire reconciliationwithYahweh. A similar exhortation is givenin Hebrews chapter 10:

“having an high priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heartin full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience,and our bodies washed with pure water” (Heb. 10:22).

Here is the chosenHighPriest, evenMessiah himself. Throughhismediation,we can“draw near” to Yahweh, having been cleansed by his offering. This is indeed a greatprivilege, but it is also the reality of the situation. When we consider the apparentprosperity of those around us, we ought not envy their opulence: rather we choose toendure chastening, as a token of God’s love towards us. This is the end of thematter:“truly God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean heart” (Psa. 73:1).

Christopher Maddocks

22

A Living Sacrifice

“I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that yepresent your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God,

which is your reasonable service” (Rom. 12:1)

The Psalmist defines those who will be united with Messiah at his coming, as thosewho have entered into a sacrificial covenant with him: “Gather my saints togetherunto me; those that have made a covenant with me by sacrifice” (Psa. 50:5). Theoffering of sacrifice then, marks out those who will be gathered to Christ in the dayof coming glory. But what sacrifice can the saints offer, in an age when animalofferings are not accepted? Romans chapter 12, cited above, contains the answer:“present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God”, which is our“reasonable service”. We lay down our lives in a life of sacrificial service before ourMaster. This citation from theApostle’s inspired letter to theRomans is derived froma number ofOldTestament sources, and for our exhortation today,wewill look at thebackground passages to this verse.

OFFERING UP THE LEVITES

Numbers chapter 8 describes how that the Levites were separated from the rest ofIsrael in order tominister before the priests in their service. Interestingly, this processis described as the offering up of a sacrifice:

“thou shalt bring theLevites beforeYahweh: and the childrenof Israel shall puttheir hands upon the Levites: andAaron shall offer the Levites beforeYahwehfor an offering of the children of Israel, that they may execute the service ofYahweh” (Num. 8:10-11).

Notice the description here: whereas sacrifices were usually dead, being killed, theLevites were to be a collective offering whilst alive – a living sacrifice. And just asRomans 12 speaks of our offering as a “reasonable service”, even so the Leviteswereto “execute the service of Yahweh”. Moreover, Romans chapter 15 describes theposition of ourselves (as Gentiles) in similar terms, when Paul prayed that: “theoffering up of theGentilesmight be acceptable…” (Rom. 15:16). In these things,wesee our own situation: separated to the service of Christ, by devoting our lives toserving theGreat High Pries, living out the spirit of sacrifice in our day to day affairs.

Numbers chapter 8 speaks of the Levites as being a “gift” to Aaron: “I have given theLevites as a gift to Aaron and to his sons from among the children of Israel to do theservice …” (Num. 8:19). And Messiah speaks of his disciples likewise:

“I have manifested thy name unto the men which thou gavest me out of theworld: thine they were, and thou gavest them me; and they have kept thyword” (Jno. 17:6).

Again, verses 12 and 15 of Numbers 8 describe how that in order to be an acceptableoffering, the Levites had to associate with a sacrifice “to make an atonement”, and a

23

cleansing at the hand of Moses. Even so, Romans chapter 6 describes how thebelievers are cleansed through the waters of Baptism, something which associatesthem with the sacrifice of Christ, and a sharing of the likeness of his resurrection.Putting to death the “Old Man” of the flesh, we walk “in newness of life”. Havingdied to sin,wenowliveuntoGod, andare thereforepart of a sacrifice that died inorderto live.

SHADRACH, MESHACH AND ABED-NEGO

Romans 12 continues to describe the condition of our separateness: “be notconformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind…” (Rom. 12:2). These words bring to mind the circumstances of Shadrach,Meshach and Abed-nego, the three friends of the prophet Daniel, living in thekingdom of Babylon. Daniel chapter 3 describes how a decree was made which wasdesigned to bring about the destruction of those whoworshipped any other God thana gigantic Idol that Nebuchadnezzar had made: “whoso falleth not down andworshippeth shall the same hour be cast into the midst of a burning fieryfurnace” (Dan. 3:6). Here was the challenge to the Jews in Babylon: would they falldown in obeisance to the false deity of Babylon’s king, or would they stand tall andrefuse tohonour the idol? These threemenof faithproved tobe the latter: they refusedto bow the knee before the idol, evenwhen threatenedwith being cast into the burningfiery furnace:

“O Nebuchadnezzar, we are not careful to answer thee in this matter. If it beso, our God whom we serve is able to deliver us out of thy hand, O king. Butif not, be it known unto thee, O king, that we will not serve thy gods, norworship the golden image which thou hast set up” (Dan. 3:17-18).

With regard to the “burning fiery furnace”, the question suggests itself, What was itconstructed for? The image that the faithful trio refused to bow before was made ofmolten gold, and to construct such a large image would require the construction oflarge furnaces to prepare all the gold. Interestingly the Babylonians alsoworshippeda god of fire. This means that when Nebuchadnezzar threatened to cast any non-worshippers into the fire, he was effectively threatening that if any refused to bowbefore his Image, they would be made a burnt offering themselves, in being offeredto the god of fire, from whence the Image came. But when cast into the fire, we findthat the Angel of Yahweh protected them, preventing even the smell of fire to passupon them.

TheApostlePeter described the trial of our faith in terms that alludeback to this event:

“…now for a season, if need by, ye are in heaviness through manifoldtemptations:That the trial of your faith, beingmuchmore precious thanof goldthat perisheth, though it be tried with fire, might be found unto praise andhonour and glory at the appearing of Jesus Christ” (1 Pet. 1:7).

Just asDaniel’s three friendswalked through the fire, andwere not burned (Isa. 43:2),even so the trial of our faith is likened to a trial with fire. But the faith of these men

24

was so much more precious than the golden idol of Babylon, and although theirrefusal to submit brought upon them the condemnation of the world, their faith wasrewarded by being “promoted … in the province of Babylon”, as we hope to beelevated in the reign of Jesus, the great king. Just like this event which took place solong ago, the angel ofYahwehwill standwith us in our trials, ensuring that if we holdfast, wemight be elevated to be given praise, honour, and glory in the presence of ourKing whom we serve.

Returning to Romans 12, we see the allusions to Daniel chapter 3. The exhortationis to “benot conformed to thisworld,”whichmatches the spirit ofShadrach,Meshachand Abed-nego, in refusing to conform. Rather than to die as a sacrifice to the idol,they remained alive, as a “living sacrifice”. Just as Romans 12 instructs the believersto “present your bodies,” as a sacrifice, even so these three “yielded theirbodies” (Dan. 3:28) in their confident trust in Yahweh’s ability to save. Theirexample in standing up for the Truth whilst all around them were bowing before thegod of Babylon is a powerful example to us. Even thoughwe are few in number, we,like they, refuse to bow before the altar of mammon, and we refuse to conform to theimage of thisworld. Even so,we look to the praise of theGreatKingwho has securedour salvation.

ONE SACRIFICE

An interesting feature of the Living Sacrifice is that it is one offering, yet made up ofmany parts. Notice the terminology: “present your bodies” (plural) “A (singular)living sacrifice”. In other words, the ecclesia as a whole represents a single sacrifice– like the Levites that we considered above. The language is reminiscent of the lawconcerning the burnt offering, and the Psalmist’s exposition of it’s principles.Leviticus chapter 1 states:

“if his offering be a burnt sacrifice of the herd, let him offer a male withoutblemish: he shall offer it of his own voluntary will at the door of the tabernacleof the congregation before Yahweh …” (Lev. 1:3).

Notice here, the burnt offeringwas not a compulsory sacrifice; it had to be offered “ofhis own voluntary will”. Even so, our “living sacrifice” is something we present outof our own free-will, with no compulsion. Verse 9 records how the animal was to bewashed:

“his inwards and his legs shall he [i.e. the priest] wash in water: and the priestshall burn all upon the altar, to be a burnt sacrifice, an offering made by fire,of a sweet savour unto Yahweh” (Lev. 1:9).

The entire body was consumed upon the Altar, teaching that we must give our all inthe service of Yahweh. But it’s inward parts were to be given special attention, andbe washed thoroughly. Psalm 51 captures the spirit of this, being a Psalm of Davidin the context of his sin with Bath-sheba:

“wash me throughly from my iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin”

25

And again:

“behold, thoudesirest truth in the inwardparts: and in thehiddenpart thou shaltmake me to know wisdom” (Psa. 51:2, 6).

The Psalm continues to describe how that there was no sacrifice under the Law thatwould atone for his sin:

“thou desirest not sacrifice; else would I give it; thou desirest not in burntoffering. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and contrite heart,O God, thou wilt not despise” (Psa. 51:17).

Here is the point: Yahweh did not delight in the offering up of animals, so much asthe repentance of a sinner. There were no animal offerings that could cover David’ssin, and there were not burnt offerings that could make up for what he had done.Instead, he was to be the sacrifice himself, offering up a broken spirit, and a contriteheart. He was the offering, to be cleansed inwardly, just like the burnt offering, butin the form of a living sacrifice, cleansed by the power of the Word of God.

THE SLAIN LAMB

Ordinarily, for themost part, a sacrificewas dead. Butwhenwe come to consider ourLord Jesus Christ, though he died, yet he lives. Being raised up from the dead by theglory of the Father, he is a living sacrifice who bears the marks of his crucifixion, ashe showed to his disciples, and particularly Thomas. So John saw in his apocalypticvision:

“I beheld, and, lo, in the midst of the throne and of the four beasts, and in themidst of the elders, stood a Lamb as it had been slain…” (Rev. 5:6)

Again, the voice of the redeemed:

“worthy is the Lamb that was slain to receive power, and riches, and wisdom,and strength, and honour, and glory, and blessing …” (Rev. 5:12).

We saw earlier the principles of our baptism: a death and resurrection to a newnessof life – which can only be brought about by our association with the sacrifice ofChrist. His offering is the ultimate example; it is his disposition of mind to do hisFather’s Will that provides an example to us. The Lamb was slain to receive thissevenfold blessing, a theme that permeates the apostle’s Epistle to the Philippians:

“let thismind be in you, whichwas also in Christ JesusWho, being in the formof God, thought it not robbery to be equal with God: But made himself of noreputation, and took upon him the form of a servant, and was made in thelikeness ofmen: and being found in fashion as aman, he humbled himself, andbecame obedient unto death, even the death of the cross. Wherefore God hathalso highly exalted him, and given him a name which is above every name…” (Phil. 2:5-9).

26

We come together to memorialize the offering up of Messiah as a sacrifice for oursins. But we need to let His mind be in us: crucifying the flesh daily, and willinglyoffering up ourselves as living sacrifices, looking towards that day of coming glory,when it will be given to us, to live and reign with the Slain Lamb throughout the agesto come

Christopher Maddocks

“Ho, Everyone that Thirsteth”

From speaking of the sufferings ofMessiah (Isa. 53) and the glory of the kingdom tofollow (Isa. 54), the prophet Isaiah sets forth an invitation to those who hunger andthirst, to partake of a spiritual feast of sumptuous things:

“Ho, every one that thirsteth, come ye to thewaters and he that hath nomoney;come ye, buy and eat; yea, come, buy wine and milk without money andwithout price …” (Isa. 55:1).

It is evident that this thirsting and the satisfying thereof speaks of something moresignificant than the natural desire for water and its physical nourishment. David inthe Psalms also speaks of this:

“as thehart panteth after thewater brooks, sopantethmysoul after thee,OGod.My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God: when shall I come and appearbefore God?” (Psa. 42:1-2).

“OYahweh, thou art myGod; early will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee,my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water is…” (Psa.63:1).

There is, then, a particular category of men who desire to partake of the benefits ofMessiah’s kingdom: only those who hunger and thirst after spiritual things. Thenatural man has no interest in spiritual nourishment, and does not know his state ofdeprivation of those things. This is the Laodicean attitude: “… thou sayest, I am rich,and increased with goods, and have need of nothing; and knowest not that thou artwretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked” (Rev. 3:17). By contrast,the man of the spirit seeks first the kingdom of God, and His Righteousness with astrong longing, comparable with the innate desire for food and water. Just as naturalfood andwater is essential to sustain amortal existence, even so the bread of life, andthe water of the Word is essential to sustain the “new man” which is fashioned afterthe image of his Maker. It truly is a blessing to receive these spiritual blessings: inSamuel’s day, we are told, there was a scarcity of the Word (1 Sam. 3:1), and Amosdescribes how that in his day, there was a spiritual famine:

“Behold, the days come, saith Adonai Yahweh, that I will send a famine in theland, not a famine of bread, nor a thirst for water, but of hearing the words of

27

Yahweh:And they shall wander from sea to sea, and from the north even to theeast, they shall run to and fro to seek the word of Yahweh, and shall not findit” (Amos 8:11-12)

In our day, like Samuels, there is no open vision. The only source of moral guidanceand knowledge of the Almighty is contained within the pages of Scripture alone.True, Creation itself testifies to the greatness of itsMaker, but it does not describeHisMoral attributes, or His Purpose for the earth. In one sense, there is a dearth of theWord in our day, in that there are fewwho uphold it’s teachings in spirit and in truth:it’s meanings and teachings are hidden before all, save for that small remnant whoearnestly seek after the narrowwaywhich leads to eternal life. But paradoxically, inanother sense there is an abundance of the Word in that Bibles are readily availablein most countries of the world. This contrasts greatly with the situation in the not toodistant past, before mass printing came into being. Being rare in those days, it wastreasured more, and men were willing to lay down their lives to ensure that it wastranslated into the vernacular language. In our day, there is no shortage of Bibles, yetit’s message is hidden from the masses, through their indolence and refusal to openits pages, and study its contents. Only those who thirst after righteousness will takethe trouble to familiarize themselves with it, and become wise unto the salvation itoffers.

Our Master spoke of the blessedness of this latter class of men: “Blessed are theywhich do hunger and thirst after righteousness: for they shall be filled” (Mat. 5:6).There is no limit to the nourishing effect of the Oracles of God, when understood andbelieved. Here is the promise to the faithful: “they shall be filled” with therighteousnesswhich they seek. Toquote again from thewordsofChrist to thewomanof Samaria:

“whosoever drinketh of thiswater shall thirst again: butwhosoever drinketh ofthe water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up intoeverlasting life” (Jno. 4:13-14).

Here, the source of spiritual water is identified. Jesus himself is the fountainhead ofthe Water of Life, able to permanently quench the thirst of his brethren with livingwaters. His word is nourishing and healing. He proclaimed himself to be “the breadof life”, saying that “he that cometh to me shall never hunger; and he that believethon me shall never thirst” (Jno. 6:35, Cp Jno. 7:37). Only in Jesus can we find truesustenance, and true satisfaction for all of our needs.

“He that hath no money”

James informs us that God has “chosen the poor of this world rich in faith, and heirsof the kingdomwhich he hath promised to them that love him” (Jas. 2:5). The appealof the Spirit though Isaiah is to those who are lacking in material things:

“…he that hath nomoney; comeye, buy and eat; yea, come, buywine andmilkwithout money and without price …” (Isa. 55:1).

28

In spiritual concerns, the lack of finance is no hindrance to salvation. TheWaters ofSalvation cannot be purchased by natural means: it is just not possible to buy thesewaters in the same way that natural commodities might be obtained. Simon thesorcerer found this out, attempting tobuy theHolySpirit gifts –SoPeter rebukedhim:“Thy money perish with thee, because thou hast thought that the gift of God may bepurchasedwithmoney…” (Acts 8:20). There is a tendency in our day to regardmenof means as being ‘successful’ and somehow better than the poor who lack dailyprovisions. This is the short-sighted view of the flesh, for our salvation can beobtained by grace alone, and not of our own means, as it is written: “by Grace are yesaved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God” (Eph. 2:8).

But there is another sense in which the spiritual waters must be bought. Not withmoney, as in a natural transaction, but there is something else that we must give inorder to obtain it. Notice the words of Isaiah 55: “Come ye, buy, and eat; yea come,buy wine and milk without money, and without price: (Isa. 55:1). There is a buyinginvolved, but which is not to do with the giving of money.

Matthew chapter 13 describes theWord in terms of a treasure, or a pearl that is found:

“the kingdom of heaven is like unto treasure his in a field; the which when aman hath found, he hideth, and for joy thereof goeth and selleth all that he hath,and buyeth that field. Again, the kingdom of heaven is like unto a merchantman, seeking goodly pearls Who, when he had found one pearl of great price,went and sold all that he had and bought it” (Mat. 13:44-46).

Notice that here, somethingmust be given in order to obtain the treasure, or the pearl:“all that he hath”. Here is the principle: we can only partake of the spiritual benefits,ifwearewilling togiveour all toobtain them. In thewordsofPaul,wemustbewillingto present ourselves as “a living sacrifice,” laying down our entire lives in service toour Master.

There are a number of allusions to Isaiah 55 in John chapter 6, where Messiahidentifies himself as being the “bread of life”. In this chapter, we read of how themultitudes had followed our Lord into the wilderness to be taught by him. However,they lacked physical sustenance, and so Jesus provided for their needs by feeding thethousands with 5 barley loaves and 2 small fishes. The bread was multiplied in theirpartaking of it, ensuring that all were satisfied from their hunger. Jesus then taughtthe spiritual principles being displayed in these things: Just as they had received foodwithout paying for it, so the bread of life was freely available as a gift:

“Labour not for the meat that perisheth, but for that meat which endureth untoeverlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you” (Jno. 6:27).

“Jesus said unto them, I am the bread of life: he that cometh to me shall neverhunger; and he that believeth on me shall never thirst” (Jno. 6:35).

Again, there is a contrast with the provision of Manna; physical bread provided tosustain the nation of Israel in their wilderness wanderings:

29

“Verily, verily I say unto you,Moses gave you not that bread from heaven; butmy Father giveth you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is hewhich cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world” (Jno.6:32-33).

And again:

“…sohe that eatethme, evenhe shall livebyme. This is that breadwhichcamedown from heaven: not as your fathers did eat manna, and are dead: he thateateth of this bread shall live for ever.” (Jno. 6:57-58)

There is a limit to the nourishment that natural food can give: even when Divinelyprovided, like the Manna from heaven. But to feed upon the Lord Jesus Christ is toeat of bread which sustains life for ever.

BREAD THAT SATISFIETH NOT

By contrast to the Bread of Life, the natural bread offered by theworld cannot satisfythe searcher of Truth. Speaking of this, Bro CC Walker writes:

“The word of truth says, “Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear and yoursoul shall live.” The perverted word in the mouth of the clergy says your“soul” (meaning thereby a phantom unknown to the scriptures” doth livewhether you incline your ear and “hearken diligently” or not. It must liveeternally. “O the value of one ‘immortal soul.’ Countless worlds cannot beplaced in the balance with it”! And so forth, in the style which is only toofamiliar.

Does this “satisfy”? Some of them say (withoutmuch favour or certainty) thatit does. But in truth it “satisfieth not,” as many can truly testify who have triedit. See them over a dead body or a grave, and their sorrow (or rejoicing) is thatof ignorance and hopelessness. The sham gospel sends a phantom to heavenapart from resurrection and judgment, in the face of the plainest testimoniesthat both are indispensable before eternal life can be entered, and that heavenis forbidden to men, and that the Lord Jesus is returning to cause the righteousto inherit the earth for ever, and further that these things relate not to a ghostor phantom, but to men and women of angelic bodily nature such as the Lordpossesses, and such as he revealed to his disciples after his resurrection”

(The Ministry of the Prophets, page 666).

The prophet exhorts us to “buy wine and milk without price”, and this is picked upby Peter, in describing the blessedness of those babes who are nourished by the milkof the Word: “As newborn babes, desire the sincere milk of the word, that ye maygrow thereby: if so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious…” (1 Pet. 2:2-3). TheWord is able to provide for all our needs. To begin with, it contains milk for thenurture of spiritually newborn babes, and it also provides solid food for those whogrow into mature adults. For those who hunger and thirst, it is satisfying, and iseagerly devoured in order to obtain the benefits thereof:

30

PARTAKING OF CHRIST

Wemeet together eachweek to partake of the emblems of bread andwine: a spiritualfood anddrink,which edifies us aswe consider the sacrifice represented by them. Wecome to the emblems thirsting with a thirst that the world cannot know. As we sawearlier, theLaodiceanapostasy is ignorant of its impoverished state, as it is insensitiveto the Truth of Scripture.We however, come to Christ for full satisfaction, even as hetaught: “Whoso eateth ofmy flesh, and drinkethmyblood, hath eternal life; and Iwillraise himupat the last day. Formy flesh ismeat indeed, andmyblood is drink indeed.He that eateth my flesh and drinketh my blood dwelleth in me, and I in him. As theliving Father hath sentme, and I live by the Father: so he that eatethme, even he shalllive byme” (Jno. 6:54-57). Regardless as to our position in society, or our possessionof this world’s goods, we come to Christ laying down our lives in service before him,buying meat and drink without money and without price, to find eternal salvation atthe last.

Christopher Maddocks

Bible Metaphor

The Apocalypse is not a revelation of natural appearances, or extraordinaryphenomena, in earth, sea and sky; but a sign representation of things extant in John'sday, and of thingswhich should be after his time, in relation to theHolyNation of theDeity planted in the territory of Daniel's Forth Beast, until the coming of the Ancientof Days. The apocalyptic symbolisation it illustrative to them who can "see" of theconflict of the saints with pagan Rome until they "conquered" it; with Catholic, andafterwards with Papal Rome until it conquered them; and hereafter, with all "thepowers that be," until they in turn conquer andabolish themfor a thousandyears. Thisbeing the nature of theApocalypse,wemust not look to the natural, but to the politicalUniverse for the interpretation of its signs.

Andherewe find it necessary to remark in this so-called enlightenedcentury, that "thesigns of the times" vouchsafed by theDeity for the use ofHis genuine servants in theirseveral generations, are not in the sky. He has not placed them there. No intelligentbeliever of the gospel looks overhead for a darkening of the solar system, and thefalling of stars, as a sign of the great day of the Lamb's wrath being near. The allegeddarkening inNewEngland,AD1780, and falling of stars,AD1833,were phenomenathat none but Laodicean Heathen would regard as signs of the times. The Deity'srevealed signs are not manifested in America. Wemay feel the working of them; butthey arenot in theseheavens, natural or political. Awickedandadulterousgenerationseeks signs in the sky like the signs of the weather with which they are familiar; butno sign shall be given it. Let the reader, then, not "learn the way of the Heathen; andbe not dismayed at the signs of the heaven; for the Heathen are dismayed at them; forthe customs of the people are vain (Jer. 10:2). Neither John nor Peter represented or

31

taught thedissolvingof thephysical universe, and the "burningupof the earth." "Theearth is Yahweh's", for He made it; it is temporarily "given into the hand of thewicked," till the King shall come to possess it with his Saints to the uttermost partsthereof. "He hath established it for ever." No interpretation of Scripture that wouldfalsify these statements canbe true. All theories of the kindmust therefore be rejectedas mere idle tales in which only the children of the Apostasy can take delight.

No, the Deity's signs are in the political universe. This, in a sense analogous to thematerial, hath its earth, sea and firmament, or aerial expanse; in which are set itsgreater and lesser lights, and constellations - its Sun, Moon and Stars. it hath itshurricanes, shakings, eclipses, hailstorms, and so forth,whichaffect injuriously thosewho belong to the Body Politic, whether they be rulers or the common people.

The territory of Daniel's Fourth Beast, styled by John, "the Great Red Dragon," wasthe arena of a political system "diverse from all the beasts that were before it." Thewhole extent of this wide domain was decreed to be "the great Roman City." Thedominion of this power centred in Rome, covered the whole territory as a sheet ofparchment over a surface equal to itself. This parchment lifted up over that surface,would symbolise the aerial expanse, firmament, or constitution of the State; andwoulddivide "thewaters"orpeoplesof the system, fromthewaters. Thewatersundertheaerialwouldbe"theearth," "sea," "rivers and fountains," "mountainsand islands";and the waters above, the ruling classes, "thrones, dominions, principalities andpowers," or sun, moon, stars and constellations. Suchwas the RomanUniverse in itsapocalyptic symbolisation. In the creation, "Elohim called the firmament Heaven";and so in the political system the Spirit styles the aerial "heaven," and all who liveunder the dominion are said to be "under the whole heaven."

There have been several political universes in the past; as, the Babylonian, Idumean,Egyptian, Israelitish, and so forth. When the Eternal Spirit decreed their overthrow,the epoch of judgment upon each was styled "the day of Yahweh." There have beenasmany such days as there have been powers destroyed. Therewas a day of YahwehonBabylon predicted in as highlymetaphorical a style as theDayof theLamb'swrathin this (sixth) seal. In Isaiah 13, the conquest by theMedes andPersians is styled, "theDay of Yahweh coming as a destruction from Shaddai ... to lay the land (of Chaldea)desolate; for the starsofheavenand theconstellations thereof shall notgive their light;the sun shall be darkened in his going forth; and the moon shall not cause her light toshine." Then follows in the next verse the interpretation, towit, "and Iwill punish theworld (of Babylon) for their evil, and the wicked for their iniquity; and I will causethe arrogancy of the proud to cease, and will lay low the haughtiness of the terrible."And to show how intense the judgment was intended by the metaphors, it is added,"Iwillmake amanmore precious than fine gold ... Therefore Iwill shake the heavens,and the earth shall remove out of her place, in the wrath of Yahweh Tz'vaoth, and inthe day of his fierce anger". All of which was accomplished by Cyrus, as Yahweh'sanointed commander and leader of his sanctified ones, the Medes and Persians.

Theprediction in Isaiah34of a similar dayon Idumaea is expressed in the samegrandand magnificent style: "The indignation of Yahweh is upon all nations, and his furyuponall their armies; heutterlydestroys them,hedelivers themto the slaughter. Their

32

slain also shall be cast out, and their stench shall come up out of their carcasses, andthe mountains shall be melted with their blood." Then follows the same predictionexhibited in hieroglyphics strikingly similar to theSixthSeal, towit: "And all the hostof heaven shall be dissolved, and the heaven shall be rolled together as a scroll; andall their host shall fall down, as the leaf falleth off from the vine, and as a falling figfrom the fig tree. For my sword shall be bathed in heaven". Then the less figurativestyle is resumed, and is made expletive of the metaphorical, saying, "Behold it (thesword) shall comedownupon Idumaea, andupon thepeopleofmycurse to judgment.The sword of Yahweh is filled with blood, it is made fat with fatness, with the bloodof lambs and goats, with the fat of the kidneys of rams; for Yahweh hath a sacrificein Bozrah, and a great slaughter in the land of Idumaea."

Christ Jesus and Peter adopted the same metaphorical style in predicting the Day ofthe Lord upon the Commonwealth of Judah. The former blended the literal and thefigurative after the manner in Isaiah; but the one is so easily distinguishable from theother, that no confusion need result in the comprehension of the discourse.

Now, the Deity in the Sixth Seal decreed the fate of the Roman Universe, asconstituted under Jupiter, in a style identical with the formula he pronounced againstBabylon under Bel, and Idumea under Chemosh. He declared that "the Heaven"should "depart as a scroll rolled up." Illustrative of this, the reader may imagine oursymbolical parchment rolling up like a scroll. As it curled up, the surface beneathwould be proportionately uncovered, until the rolling up should be completed, whenthe whole subjacent superficies would be exposed. The heathen firmament, or aerialexpanse, of the Roman Universe, having thus "departed", room would be providedfor aNewHeaven to expand itself over the same geographical limits of earth and sea.Thus, one heavenwould be exchanged for another, in which the sun, moon, and starswould shine forth again with a light in harmony with the new parchment, or aerialconstitution of the Body Politic.

But the firmaments, or heavens, of orbs political, do not pass away, or suffer radicalchange,without violence. Babylon, Persia, Greece andRome are all evidential of thetruth of this. The violence may proceed directly from the oppressed peoples, or theearth and sea; or from a conflict generated in the rivalries of the powers in the heaven;or from both causes in co-operation ....

When "the heaven departed as a scroll rolled up," another heaven took its place. Thiswas "the Holy Catholic" Heaven, with sun, moon and stars, to suit. Thecommencement of this heaven was characterized by "silence in it about the space ofhalf an hour" (Rev. 8:1). Jupiter's heavenwas subdivided by four; while the Catholiccame transiently to be distributed into thirds. Upon this heavenly organisation camethe judgments of theTrumpets and theVials. The threefolddivisionobtains at the endaswell as in its earlier times; for under the SeventhVial, which is concurrent with theresurrection-period, "the Great City" is said to be "divided into three parts: (Rev.16:9). And when the Seven Thunders shall have uttered their voices, and thejudgments of the last vial shall have had their full effect upon "the air," firmament,aerial expanse or constitution of things in the Gentile World, then the ApostateLaodicean "earth and heaven flee away; and no place is found for them" (Rev. 20:11).

33

They are abolished in a time of trouble, far exceeding in the intensity of its distressthe terrors of the Sixth Seal; for it will be "a time of trouble such as never was sincetherewas a nation even to that same time (Dan. 12:1). When this old RomishHeavenand Earth shall have fled before the face of the Lamb and his Associates, "a NewHeaven and a New Earth in which dwells righteousness" (2 Pet. 3:13) will take theirplace; when "Jerusalem shall be a rejoicing and her people a joy" (Isa. 65:18). TheseHeavens and Earth "shall remain before me, saith Yahweh," even, saith the Spirit byJohn, "a thousand years": at the end whereof they will "pass away" to make room fora new and improved constitution of things upon earth, when there shall be no moresin or evil - when death shall be abolished, and every curse shall cease.

John Thomas, Eureka, Vol 2

Secretary's Notes

NEW BOOK

At the request of some readers, we have edited and collated the series of articles onthe BASF into a 138 page book entitled "Handbook to the ChristadelphianStatement of Faith". This book considers the doctrines described by the BASFclause by clause, demonstrating that what Christadelphians believe is indeed theteachingof theBible. Theaskingprice is £5.00plusp&p,but free to thosewhocannotremit the requested amount. The book can be ordered from our website(www.christadelphian.uk.com), or from the secretary.

SUNDAY EXHORTATIONS

We continue to provide Sunday exhortations online and via e-mail as and when weare able to do so. Feedback indicates a preference forMP3Audio files, which can bedownloaded from our website here: www.christadelphian.uk.com/exhorts.html.

THE CHRISTADELPHIAN WAYMARK MAGAZINE

There has been an unavoidable delay in resuming production, but this issuecommences a new volume of the magazine, which we aim to produce monthly ascircumstances permit - Yahweh Willing. The cost for the paper copy is £15.00 (for12 issues), and free of charge by e-mail. To join ourmailing list for the e-mail copiesjust go to ourwebsite here:www.christadelphian.uk.com/mail.html.We are thankfulto the generous support of subscribers which enables our work to continue, and lookforward to when our work will end with the appearing of our Messiah from heaven.

Christopher Maddocks