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TOPIC: Gordon, Samuel Dickey - Quiet Talks About Our Lord's Return (Other Topics in this Collection)
SUBJECT: 71. The Prophetic Key
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The Prophetic Key
There is a simple key that will help to unlock these doors to us. We need to use the knee-key, and the child-spirit-key constantly. These are the master-keys that open all doors. There's an individual key, however, to this particular prophetic door. The Book itself provides this key; and the bit of study we have been doing in the chapter, "On our Knees with the Book," puts that key into our hands. The central events connected with our Lord's return open these pages. Broadly, there is a group of six of these events,—(1) a Jew Kingdom, (2) a break in the Kingdom, (3) a Gentile leadership in the earth, and (4) a Church bearing witness during this break, (5) a time of terrible tribulation, (6) a restoration of the Kingdom in the earth in connection with the King's return, during which the Jew is the premier nation and a medium of marvellous blessing to all the nations, while the Church reigns over the earth with the King. This is the full group of events we have found.
Now it must be noted that three of these things are wholly omitted, or almost so, in the Old Testament. The Church is never mentioned. The break in the Kingdom, and the Gentile leadership is hardly included in the outlook, except in Daniel. These come later. As a rule, their coming is not anticipated.
Leaving out these items gives this main key to the prophetic books:—(1) A Jew-Kingdom then existing whose iniquities the preacher-prophet continually points out, (2) some terrible experience of suffering and judgment, (3) the Kingdom in great future glory, with all other nations tributary, and being wondrously blest. It is characteristic that everything is seen from the Jewish standpoint. The long period of history, from the break-up of the nation after Christ's death, until its restoration with His return,—the time we are so familiar with as making up the bulk of all our history books, is quite omitted.
And the reason is plain. It is the story of God's people—the Jew, and God's plan of a Kingdom, that is being told. This long Gentile period is like a great broad valley between two mountain ranges. Looked at from a distance, you see only the two tall ranges of mountains. You are not conscious of the great valley till you come to it. We are down in the valley, and have difficulty in seeing anything else. The Jew prophet is off where he sees only the two great mountain ranges, and not the valley at all.
It becomes a matter of intensest interest to trace the line between the near and the far mountain ranges in these books. Sometimes they seem as one in the prophets' outlook. The phrase, "the day of the Lord," is used to refer to the time of great tribulation and judgment, as well as to the time of glory following. Some phrase is usually used to indicate the second of the mountain range views, such as "the latter-days" in Isaiah; [Note: Isa_2:2.] "at that time" in Jeremiah; [Note: Jer_31:1.] "in that day" in Amos; [Note: Amo_9:11.] "afterward" in Joel. [Note: Joe_2:28.]One prophet is more immersed in one of these events, another emphasizes another. Jeremiah is full of the awful condition of sinfulness among the people, but now and then lifts his eyes to the glory beyond. The second Isaiah is full of the glory coming. Habakkuk is distressed over the wickedness of the nation, and then the wickedness of its coming conqueror, but has a wondrous closing vision of the glory.
One wants to read thoughtfully and broadly and prayerfully, key in hand, and so become skilled in getting each prophet's point of view, and looking through his eyes. This key opens up the rich meaning of many of the Psalms, such as the Second, the One Hundred-and-tenth, the Seventy-second, the Sixty-seventh, and many others. It likewise gives the explanation of those strange passages in some Psalms where the spirit of revenge seems to breathe so strongly. [Note: Psa_55:15; Psalms 59; Psa_69:22-28; Psalms 109; Psa_139:19-22.] In the tribulation period the issue between right and wrong, between God and Satan, will be so sharply drawn as never before. Compromise of any sort is utterly out of the question. These Psalms express the recoil of God's people from the intensest form which outright hatred to God has ever openly taken. These Psalms doubtless had a local original meaning in circumstances where such conditions existed. They are prophetic; they will be found to fit in exactly to the awful conditions of the tribulation time.
It will be found that this full key, with its six wards, unlocks many passages in the New Testament. Look a moment at a few. The talk to the disciples in Matthew ten follows the old prophetic line. It is a bit of instruction to the seed-Church regarding its witnessing to the Jew. From verse five to the close of verse fifteen, has to do with the particular errand on hand at that time. Then the eye of our Lord looks beyond the long Gentile gap, and sees them as the Church witnessing again to the Jewish nation, as well as to the surrounding Gentiles, and says, "ye shall not have gone over all the cities of Israel till the Son of Man be come," and then goes on to speak of the tribulation experiences coming at that time.
The Church is to be the administrative part of the Kingdom, from its position above the earth, ruling with Christ over the nation of Israel, and through Israel controlling the affairs of the earth. This gives the key to the binding and loosing passages in Matthew; [Note: Mat_16:19; Mat_18:18; Mat_19:28.] and to others, such as Luke, chapter twenty-two, verse thirty; and I Corinthians, chapter six, verse two.
These are, however, only a few of the parts and passages which yield fresh meaning and beauty under the light of this candle. Here is the master-key to God's plans through past and coming ages, and so the key to the Book unfolding those plans. And the great purpose of the true life is to find and fit into God's plans.