The accurate study of the Kingdom in the Old Testament and the New affords the only
comprehensible approach to the New Testament doctrines of "This present evil age" ( Gal_1:4 ),
"The church which is his body" (Eph_1:22-23), and "Things to come" (Joh_16:13).
It has been pointed out that two distinct revelations were given to the Apostle Paul.
In Arabia he received directly from GOD the gospel of grace (Gal_1:11-12) which he has
presented, in the main, in the Roman and Galatian letters. This is a revelation of a new order, a
new relationship to GOD, which is neither a perpetuation of Judaism, nor a modification of that
system. Judaism remains intact and follows its predicted course, according to Scripture, to the
end. The new revelation of "the grace of God which hath appeared," and which is made
possible only by the Cross, should not be colored by the Judaic teaching. It is a complete system
in itself and, like Judaism, continues intact to its predicted end. For what else is Paul contending
in Galatians if it is not that these two distinct systems shall not be mixed? And yet to what
seeming avail are those pleadings to law-ridden, Judaized Protestantism to-day?
The second revelation came, in the main, from Paul's two years of imprisonment. This body of
truth embraces the plan of the ages, the whole doctrine of the Church and the present out-calling
of a heavenly body and Bride as recorded in the Ephesian and Colossian letters. It is this advance
body of truth which is never comprehended apart from the exact lines of distinctions laid down
in Kingdom revelations.
Theology, as usually presented, is disproportionately concerned with the Arabian revelation and
a grave harm is done when such theology, creeds or catechisms, built largely on one aspect of
New Testament teaching, are supposed to be adequate interpretations of the whole divine
revelation. The theological student who enters his ministry with such presuppositions and
limitations, inaccurate in many of his conceptions and prejudiced toward whole bodies of truth
about which he knows little, will be incompetent to minister the whole Word.
An illustration of this may be drawn from 1Ti_4:1-6. It is set forth here that the young
Timothy may win the high title of "a good minister of Jesus Christ," if he is faithful in putting
the brethren in remembrance of the awful apostasy with which the present age must end (see also
2Th_2:1-10). How shall any minister discern an age-closing apostasy with its
divinely ordered relations to the final triumph of GOD in the earth if he does not know these
exact revelations which form the whole program of the Kingdom according to Scripture?
No minister, therefore, can "preach the Word" in its right proportions, or be a "good minister
of Jesus Christ" who habitually ignores the great prophetic themes. Nor is he excused in his
neglect, or prejudice, by virtue of the fact that he represents a majority, or that other ideals have
been set before him by his teachers. What is the particular knowledge that gives proficiency to
the minister of CHRIST if it is not a thorough understanding of the Scriptures? Successful men
of other professions apply themselves continually to the acquirement of accurate knowledge
covering every phase of their chosen calling. Are these the accepted standards of the ministerial
profession? Would we choose to be operated on by a physician who knows no more of surgery
than the average theological student knows about prophecy? Yet the knowledge of prophecy, in
its main features, is distinctly a part, and a very large and qualifying part, of the material
committed to those who are called to "preach the Word."
2. Knowledge of prophetic truth qualifies all intelligent Christian life and service.
The careful student who distinguishes the various purposes of GOD in the ages has discovered
that there is a distinct rule of life and program for service in the present age which can never,
reasonably, be confused with that which has gone before, or that which is to follow. It is a
serious mistake to press law-observance in the face of repeated revelations that the believer of
this age is not under law as his rule of life (Rom_6:14; Rom_10:4-5; Gal_5:18; 2Co_
3:11, 17). So also it will be found that, at present, service is the accomplishment of divine
undertakings never before revealed, and its motives are alone the mighty governing principles of
grace. A real zeal in service will result and a beginning of interest in Bible study will develop
when these plain distinctions are carefully taught and observed.
3. Kingdom and prophetic truths are being falsely represented.
The country is being swept by "Russellism" (so-called" Millennial Dawn," "International Bible
Students' League," etc.), and the appalling progress of this system which so misrepresents the
whole revelation of GOD can only be accounted for in the unsatisfied hunger of the people for
the prophetic portions of Scripture. Such a false system, mixing truth with untruth, and designed
to interpret all of the divine revelation, is evidently more engaging to the popular mind than only
the Scriptural presentation of the fundamental doctrines concerning GOD, Man and Redemption.
Satan's lies are always garnished with truth and how much more attractive they seem to be when
that garnishing is a neglected truth! And insurance against the encroachment of such false
teaching lies only in correctly presenting the whole body of truth rather than in treating any
portion of it as impractical or dangerous. No minister need greatly fear any false system when he
is intelligently and constantly feeding the people on the Word in all its symmetry and due
proportions. This is not only true concerning the teachings of "Millennial Dawn," but is equally
true of the teachings of "Christian Science," "New Thought," "Spiritism," "Seventh Day
Adventism" and all unscriptural doctrines of Sanctification.
4. Unfulfilled prophecy is as credible as history.
No one will question that faith is taxed in the study of prophecy more than in the study of
history. It is not difficult to believe what has assuredly taken place: it is quite another thing to
believe confidently that unprecedented events will occur when based only on the bare
predictions of Scripture. This failure in faith doubtless underlies much neglect of the prophetic
Scriptures and accounts for a prevalent habit of allegorizing and qualifying prophecy until it is
reduced to the limitation of a human opinion. Under this pressure men otherwise clear on the
interpretation of the Bible have gone so far as to assert that what Paul wrote in his early ministry
was abandoned or qualified in his later ministry. Revelation requires no such surgery. Such
efforts reveal a state of mind which finds it easier to diminish Biblical authority than to increase
personal confidence in the accuracy of Scripture. The mighty revelations of the purpose of GOD
cannot be apprehended until the issue of believing His Word has been faithfully met.
5. Prophetic language is equally as accurate as other scriptures.
While some prophecy is couched in symbolic language, those portions which trace the forward
movements of the Kingdom in the earth are largely free from problems presented by such
symbolism, and that body of truth appears in language and terms the meaning of which cannot
reasonably be questioned. The pity is that Origen ever conceived the allegorizing method of
interpretation, and that his misleading and violent liberty with the text has since found such
fertile soil in which to propagate.
A mixture of the teachings concerning Israel, as a nation, with the revelations concerning the
Church, the body of CHRIST, is groundless in Scripture. It is hopelessly confusing and
grotesque, for under this plan only Israel's blessings are borrowed; her curses and penalties are,
naturally, not wanted. No progress can be made in the Kingdom studies unless plain words are
taken in their obviously plain meaning.
In the Bible:
-"Israel" is not the "Church";
-"Zion" is not the body of saints of this dispensation;
-the "throne of David" is not Heaven, nor will it ever be;
-the "land of your fathers" is not "Paradise" and
-the "house of Jacob" is not a host of Gentiles ignorantly attempting to force an entrance into
Judaism.
All such borrowed habits of interpretation must be faithfully judged and abandoned if ever the
Kingdom portions of GOD's Word are to assume any order or meaning.
6. Scripture must be rightly divided and applied.
It has been said "All Scripture is for us, but all Scripture is not about us." It all bears a message
to us, but is not all our rule of life. It will not do for Gentile believers to read themselves into the
great portion of the Bible which treats distinctly of a chosen nation, still a separate people in the
earth, under the special unbroken purpose of GOD and exactly where GOD intended them to be
at this very hour.
So with CHRIST: He was "a minister of the circumcision for the truth of God to confirm the
promises made unto the fathers" (Rom_15:8). This describes a strictly Jewish mission and
purpose. He was also the grounds of personal justification to the Gentile believers (I Corinthians
1:3-8; 2Co_5:21); but the two are separate. Because He was great enough to fulfill the
predicted requirements for both Jew and Gentile is no warrant for Gentiles to attempt to intrude
into those divine ministrations which were evidently only for the Jews. A right division and
application of Scripture demands that a portion of the earthly life and ministry of JESUS be
recognized as belonging to the divine covenants with one nation in which Gentiles have no part
(Eph_2:11-12). During these ministrations Gentiles were not in view (Mat_10:5) nor
can they be made to so appear by any fair method of interpretation.
7. There can be but one true system of interpretation.
It is for the faithful student to discover this for himself. Accepted inferences of so-called
Postmillennialism and Premillennialism as possible coexisting systems of interpretation
constitute a serious challenge against the dignity and purpose of the Bible itself. Either the divine
revelation follows a definite order in the development of the Kingdom in the earth, or it does not.
If it does, there could hardly be two distinct programs coexisting in the mind and purpose of
GOD. If there is but one order, an individual who confessedly knows nothing of the Kingdom
body of truth falls far short of being an approved workman, rightly dividing the Word of Truth,
when he, through prejudice or preconceived conclusions, is not willing to be moved and molded
by the exact and accurate words of revelation. And how much greater is his failure when guilty
of withholding these mighty transforming themes from others!
~ end of chapter 1 ~
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