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KINGDOM
BIBLE STUDIES
"Teaching the
things concerning the kingdom of God..."
THE SEVENTY
WEEKS OF DANIEL
Part 3
TO
MAKE RECONCILIATION
Now let us pause again to note the next thing the seventieth week is
appointed to bring to fruition. “Seventy weeks (of years) are determined upon
thy people and upon thy holy city… to
make reconciliation for iniquity…” (Dan. 9:24).
In the Bible there are a great number of words, phrases, and expressions
that are especially significant in the creative and redemptive plan of God. One
of the first such phrases was uttered by God Himself before ever He brought
mankind into being when He said, “Let us make man in our image.” This was the
purpose of God condensed into about as few words as can be used. Then there
were the inspired words of Isaiah when he prophesied, “Unto us a child is born:
unto us a Son is given.” Connected with this were the words of the angels unto
the shepherds, “For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Saviour,
which is Christ the Lord,” and the proclamation of the Voice from heaven at the
Jordan river, “This is My beloved Son in whom I am well pleased.” Now God and
man were united together in one body, never to be separated, never to be
divided. And there were the meaningful words spoken by Jesus on the cross, “It
is finished!” and then the wonderful words of the messenger at the tomb, “He is
not here, He is risen.” I am quite sure that no man as yet has ever plumbed the
depths of those words or their meaning to all mankind. Innumerable works have
been written, countless sermons have been preached, and many beautiful hymns
have been intoned about the unsearchable riches of Christ and the unspeakable
glories of redemption; but truthfully, no one has yet fathomed the depths of
such glorious and awe-inspiring realities.
There are many other examples of such words and phrases, but one we want
to consider in this message is the declaration of Paul in Colossians 1:20 “…by Him to RECONCILE ALL THINGS unto
Himself.” The full text reads, “For by Him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth,
visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or
principalities, or powers: all things
were created by Him, and for Him: and He is before all things, and by Him all
things consist… and having made peace through the blood of His cross, by
Him to reconcile all things unto
Himself; by Him, I say, whether they be things
in earth, or things in heaven.
And you, that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled”
(Col. 1:16-17, 20-21).
The word “reconcile” in the Old Testament means “to cover” or “ to make
atonement.” The many sacrifices made upon the altar served to cover over the
sins of the people, making a certain kind of peace between God and man. Yet
under the limited meaning of the word “atonement” we do not have the complete
answer to our need, for we need more than a covering over of sin, but a
complete and finished putting away thereof, never to be remembered any more.
“But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins every year”
(Heb. 10:3). “But now once in the end of the world hath HE appeared to put away sin by the sacrifice of
Himself” (Heb. 9:26). In Christ there is no more remembrance of sin, for HE
brings forth a new creation life, old things passing away, and behold, all
things becoming new.
The dictionary defines the English word “reconcile” to mean: to unite;
to bring back into harmony; to settle; to make consistent or compatible. The
basic Greek word dealing with reconciliation in the New Testament is ALLASSO.
This simple verb means “to change” or “to exchange”. From this verb comes the
compound KATALLASSO which is translated “reconciled” in Paul’s epistles.
KATALASSO is a word which had an interesting history of usage in secular
Greek before it was taken up by the Holy Spirit for use in the New Testament
writings. It early acquired the technical sense of money exchange or of
changing precious metals into money. Later it expanded to include the idea of
giving one’s life as a mercenary soldier in exchange or of changing precious
metals into money. Later it expanded to include the idea of giving one’s life
as a mercenary soldier in exchange for a small salary and adventure. Finally,
in the Hellenistic writers, the term is found in constant use to describe the
bringing together of individuals and nations who have been estranged. Have you
ever received your bank statement only to discover that the balance therein was
not in agreement with the balance shown in your checkbook? If so you know
something about the Bible teaching of reconciliation! When the balance shown by
the bank and the balance shown on your check stub are not identical, there is
bound to be error on the part of someone. In most cases you have probably
discovered, as have I, that the mistake was on your part – a simple error in
arithmetic, or, perhaps, a failure to register a deposit or a change of one
kind or another. At any rate, it became necessary to “reconcile” your balance
with that submitted to you by the bank. To do this you traced down the error,
corrected it, changed the sum, and brought the figure in your checkbook into
conformity to that given by the bank. The basic idea of reconciliation is,
therefore, “to change thoroughly, to cause to be conformed to, or adjusted to a
specified norm or standard.” In the case of your home bookkeeping you found it
necessary to adjust your check balance so that it “conformed to” the amount
published by your bank in their monthly statement. In the case of Divine
Bookkeeping there was found a necessity to have an adjustment made on man’s
books which were out of balance with the Divine Norm or Standard. God’s act in
bringing conformity of man’s account to the Divine Norm, by rectifying the
“errors” (sin) that brought about the imbalance, was accomplished through the
death and resurrection of Jesus Christ.
Now this leads to a point of immense importance. We often hear it said
that “the death of Christ was necessary in order to reconcile God to man.” This is a pious stupidity, arising from
inattention to the language of the Holy Spirit, and indeed to the plain meaning
of the word “reconcile.” God never changed – never stepped out of His normal
and true position. He abideth faithful. There was, and could be, no
derangement, no confusion, no alienation, so far as He was concerned; and hence
there could be no need of reconciling Him
to us. In fact, it was exactly the contrary. Man had gone astray; he was
the enemy, and needed to be reconciled. Wherefore, then, as might be expected,
the Scriptures never speak of reconciling God to man. There is no such
expression to be found within the covers of the New Testament! “God was in
Christ RECONCILING T-H-E W-O-R-L-D unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses
unto them.” And again, “All things are of God, who hath reconciled US to
Himself by Jesus Christ” (II Cor. 5:18-19). In a word, it is God, in His
infinite mercy and grace, through the cross of Christ, bringing us back unto
Himself.
Every soul has been at war with God; in order for reconciliation to take
place, there must be a cessation of the warfare, the hostilities, which exist
between the individual and the Creator. The question that must be answered,
therefore, is: How is the warfare that exists between the soul and God to come
to an end? The first part of the answer is that we must realize that the war
exists and confess the fact. A man who tries to insist that there is nothing
wrong between him and God is dodging the truth. There is warfare between every
man and God by the very nature of man’s ego, his self-seeking, sinful heart.
God says that the warfare exists, and we have to admit it. Paul expresses the
matter with finality: “For they that are after the flesh do mind the things of
the flesh; but they that are after the Spirit the things of the Spirit. For to
be carnally minded is death; but to be spiritually minded is life and peace.
Because the carnal mind is enmity against
God, for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be” (Rom. 8:5-8).
Phillips graphically translates these verses: “The carnal attitude sees no
further than natural things; but the spiritual attitude reaches out after the
things of the Spirit. The former attitude means, bluntly, death; but the latter
means life and inward peace. And this is only to be expected for the carnal
attitude is inevitably opposed to the purpose of God, and neither can nor will
follow His laws. Men who hold this attitude cannot possibly please God.”
Let us examine how war between two nations comes to an end. A French
statesman once pointed out that there were only two types of peace that ever
followed a war: A peace imposed upon the defeated by a conqueror; or a peace
accepted by the defeated through surrender. There is a vast difference between
the peace which is imposed or the peace which one accepts. It should be evident
that if there is to be peace between man and God, the terms must be imposed by
God Himself. God, the eternal God, omniscient and omnipotent, must have His way
– it is the only right way in the universe. Every other way is the self-will of
the creature, the way of the earth, the way of limitation, blindness,
finiteness. Men who will not submit their wills to the Creator go their
horrible way into judgment.
Yet in spite of the fact that our position and our condition are
defenseless, there have been those who have talked about “making their peace
with God,” as if they had a right to
set the terms. The phrase has long been in use to describe settling differences
between men. Shakespeare, in Twelfth Night, has one of his characters
say, “I will make your peace with him, if I can.” Thomas Fuller seems to have
been the first man who ever spoke of making one’s peace with God. But the
phrase is incorrect and an absurdity in such a connection. If you are to know
the joys of what God has for you, you must get that idea out of your mind. You
must realize that GOD HAS ALREADY MADE THE PEACE and that you are simply to
accept it! And when you come to God, the wonderful thing is that you find Him
merciful toward you. The man who flings himself upon the promises of God finds
that God is the loving Saviour. God has already made peace and is ready to
receive that soul with all grace and tenderness. In the epistle to the Colossians,
we read of the Lord Jesus Christ that “it pleased the Father that in Him should
all fullness dwell; and HAVING MADE PEACE through the blood of His cross, by
Him to RECONCILE ALL THINGS unto Himself” (Col. 1:19-20).
Note especially the tense of the verb: Having made peace. This is of
paramount importance: God has made
peace! There is no other peace that can be made except that which God has made.
A man who talks about making his peace with God is ignorant and denies that
peace which God has already made. God will have no other peace with man than
that which He made at the cross. God established the terms for this peace. He
set these terms BY THE DEATH OF HIS SON. He declared that only by the death of
man’s ways, the death of man’s will, the death of man’s attitude and hostility,
could there be peace. In all this God does not change at all. But God works a
mighty work upon man, placing him in the Christ upon the cross, crucifying all
that he is and all that he does, and bringing him forth out of that death into
the resurrection of a new creation in Christ Jesus. Oh the wonder of it! And
now, if you will come with an absolute capitulation and unconditional
surrender, you will find that God is all peace toward you. It is then that you
can go on to find that FULLNESS OF PURPOSE which God fulfills in all who
surrender to Him.
What a hideous affront it is to the God of our salvation to wickedly
accuse Him of needing to give His own Son as a propitiation TO APPEASE HIS OWN
WRATH, though this is the inexcusable lie we hear continually from the pulpit
and over the air waves! God is portrayed by the preachers as so mad at sin and
sinners, so violently angry and beside Himself that He is metaphorically
foaming at the mouth with uncontrollable rage which can only be appeased by
looking upon the bloody sweat and cruel, ugly death of His Son upon a Roman
cross. All sermons and songs that picture God as a God of rage who must be
“appeased” and “soothed” by blood are heathenish and should be piled on a
bonfire and burned.
The Old Testament sacrifices serve as a beautiful revelation of God’s
love towards us, in His reconciliation. Whatever Israel brought to God was
brought at HIS COMMAND and was an expression of their dependence upon Him.
Sacrifice was not intended to make God gracious; it was brought in recognition
of a grace which He Himself had assured. Every sacrifice was offered from this
point of view, and free from any thought of appeasing an angry and hostile God.
The idea of man being able through the death of a victim, or through some act
of self-immolation, to appease the anger of an offended deity or to change His
mind toward the worshipper, has clung persistently to most pagan religions. How
alien it was to the Israelitish conception of the relation between God and man
is clear from the statement in Leviticus 17:11. “For the life of the flesh is
in the blood: and I HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOU UPON THE ALTAR TO MAKE AN ATONEMENT
FOR Y-O-U-R S-O-U-L-S.” Ah, God gave the sacrifice, and not to change His
attitude toward man, but to CHANGE SOMETHING ABOUT MAN! How could the blood of
the sacrifice appease the wrath of God and make Him merciful toward man? It was
the gracious, loving character of God that gave
the sacrifice! “I have given it to you upon the altar.” How clear that the
blood of the sacrifice was not God-ward, it did not avail to make God gracious,
for HE AGAINST WHOM THE OFFENCE HAD BEEN COMMITTED HAD HIMSELF PROVIDED THE
MEANS OF RECONCILIATION!
Never was holiness more vindicated, than at the cross, when Jesus
“suffered for sins, the Just for the unjust, that He might bring us to God” (I Pet. 3:18). Never was love more lavishly
outpoured than when “God SO LOVED the world that HE GAVE His only begotten Son,
that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have the life of the
ages” (Jn. 3:16). Notice, dear reader, it does not say that God was so mad at the world, or so offended by the world, or so angry with the world, or so vengeful toward the world, or so caught
in a dilemma because of His justice – but GOD SO LOVED the world that HE GAVE.
Hallelujah! We stand in awe before this fulfillment of Genesis 22:8, when by
the Spirit Abraham prophesied to Isaac, “GOD WILL PROVIDE HIMSELF a lamb for
the burnt offering.” As one has pointed out: “And that is just what He did, He
provided HIMSELF! Stripping Himself of His glory, He who was in the form of
God, took upon Himself the form of man, and offered that form in that great
sacrifice, yea, POURED OUT THE LIFE CONTAINED IN THAT FORM, which life was
freely given to reconcile all things back into Himself. Never was grace more
majestic in its operation, than when ‘He made Him to be sin (Greek, literally,
A SIN-OFFERING) for us, Who knew no sin, that we might be made the
righteousness of God in Him’ (II Cor. 5:21).” How inspired the words of John
the Baptist when he declared of Jesus, “Behold the LAMB OF GOD, which taketh
away the sin of the world” (Jn. 1:29). Ah, this Lamb was no sacrifice to
appease – it was the perfect and purposeful embodiment of God’s grace and mercy
and love and life to reconcile a hostile world unto Himself!
“For by Him were all things
created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible,
whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers; all things were created by Him and for Him:
and He is before all things, and by
Him all things consist. And, having
made peace through the blood of His cross, by Him to RECONCILE ALL THINGS unto
Himself, by Him, I say, whether they be things in earth, or things in heaven.
And you that were sometime alienated
and enemies in your mind by wicked works, yet now hath He reconciled” (Col. 1:16-17, 20-21). “And all things are
of God, who hath reconciled us to
Himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to US the ministry of reconciliation; to wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself by
Jesus Christ, and hath given to US the word
of reconciliation. Now then we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God
did beseech you by us: we pray you in Christ’s stead, be ye reconciled to God” (II
Cor. 5:18-20).
It is utterly impossible for any man or any creature on earth or in
heaven to exclude himself from this most precious ministry – the ministry of reconciliation. Before the
reader can shut himself, or any other man or being out from the application of
this grace, he must prove that he does not belong to either the earth or
heaven, or that he is not a part of the “all things” that were created by and
in the Christ in the beginning, and that therefore he is excluded from being
reconciled, since he has no identification with any of the “all things” that
were created and that are being reconciled into the Christ. This he cannot do,
and hence he must see that God is beseeching him and all to be reconciled!
Every foot of this earth and every man upon this earth belongs to Christ, for
He made the earth and He made every man. On that wonderful day when God created
“all things” in earth and in heaven He also said, “Let us make man in our
image, and after our likeness.” Christ made every man and tasted death for
every man, and therefore every foot of the earth and every man on the earth
belongs to Christ my Lord, first by right of creation, and second by right of
redemption.
Consider now Colossians 1:16 from the Emphatic Diaglott: “Because IN Him
were created ALL THINGS, those in the heavens and those on the earth; the
visible and invisible, whether thrones or lordships, or governments, or
authorities; ALL THINGS HAVE BEEN CREATED THROUGH HIM AND FOR HIM.” The King
James version says that all things were created BY Him, but the more literal
Diaglott says that all things were created IN Him. Paul is here speaking of God
as the Creator and as creating everything IN THE SON.
I must emphasize that God is the Creator of ALL THINGS. Notice the
things that the inspired apostle includes in creation. ALL things in the
heavens, or all things that are in and constitute the RULING ELEMENT – “the
heavens do rule” (Dan. 4:26). ALL the things in the earth, or all things that
are in or constitute those elements which are ruled, or under authority. ALL
things that are visible, or that are discernable to the physical senses – ALL
that the eyes can see, ALL that the ears can hear, ALL that we can touch, feel,
taste or smell – has been created by God. ALL things that are invisible were
created by our God – ALL the wisdom, ALL the knowledge, yea, even that which
has not yet been tapped or conceived of by the mind of man – GOD CREATED. ALL
of the myriad machines and devices that shall yet come out of the mind of man,
were created by God. ALL of the vast forces and powers and universal laws that
science has not yet discovered, were created by God. ALL the thrones, and the
glory and the power of those who occupy them, were created by God. ALL the
dominions or lordships, the mastery and the supremacy, were created by God. ALL
the principalities and powers, angels, intelligences, chief ones, in heaven and
in earth, were created by God. And it is not just the fact that all of these
were created by God that startles us the most, but it goes on to say that BY
THE BLOOD OF HIS CROSS ALL THESE THINGS ARE RECONCILED TO GOD IN HEAVEN AND IN
EARTH. This implies that the principalities and powers in the heavenly realms needed reconciling and are reconciled by the blood of God’s
Son. This is why the redeemer was both a HEAVENLY BEING and an EARTHLY BEING. He was the Word from heaven made flesh upon
earth, heaven and earth blended into one, so that the Son could say, “No man
hath ascended up to heaven, but He that came down from heaven, even the Son of
man which is in heaven” (Jn. 3:13). Praise God, even the principalities and
powers IN THE HEAVENS are included in the glorious reconciliation and peace
secured by the blood of His cross, the Man who was from heaven, born on earth,
reconciling both realms into one IN HIMSELF. Glory!
If God be the Creator of ALL THINGS, then it must of necessity follow
that GOD IS THE SOURCE OF ALL THINGS. We read in Romans 11:36, from the
Diaglott, “Because OUT of HIM, and THROUGH HIM, and FOR HIM are ALL THINGS, to
Him be the glory for the ages, Amen.” All things are out of God, all things are through
Him, all things are for Him, and
all things are unto Him, ending in Him. The clearest possible rendering
is given by Goodspeed, “For from Him everything comes; through Him everything
exists; and in Him everything ends!
Glory to Him for ever! Amen.” The Amplified Bible also expresses it
beautifully, “For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. For all
things originate with Him and come from Him; all things live through Him, and
all things center in and tend to CONSUMMATE AND TO END IN HIM. To Him be glory
for ever! Amen – so be it.”
Some misguided individuals have argued that the reconciliation of all
“things” does not mean men or beings. But, pray tell me, what “things” in the
whole vast universe, apart from men
and other creatures, are described in the Word of God as “enemies” of God,
“alienated” from God, “blasphemers” of God, “haters” of God, etc. in need of
reconciliation? These are not mere “offices” or “governmental positions” for
they carry the qualities of personality and being. And it is an important and
incontrovertible fact that the Colossians were themselves part of the “all
things” to be reconciled! “… by Him to reconcile all things to Himself… and
YOU, that were sometime alienated and enemies in your mind by wicked works, YET
N-O-W hath He reconciled” (Col.
1:20-21). The internal evidence within these verses demonstrates beyond
question that the “all things” to be reconciled are LIVING CREATURES. That
persons is meant is clear to all except those who do always resist the Holy
Ghost, ever searching for some excuse not to embrace the all-inclusive scope of
God’s reconciliation. To say that “things” is not persons, or that “all things”
does not include all persons is to violate the whole testimony of the
Scriptures. Of course ALL THINGS includes ALL PEOPLE! Numerous passages could
be cited, but I share only two briefly, to establish the point. “Therefore let
no man glory in men. For ALL THINGS are yours; whether PAUL, or APOLLOS, or
CEPHAS, or THE WORLD, or LIFE, or DEATH, or THINGS PRESENT, or THINGS TO COME;
ALL are yours” (I Cor. 3:21-22). It should be clear to anyone that people –
Paul, Apollos, and Cephas – are among the ALL THINGS that Paul enumerates as
belonging to the saints. Such other items as “the world” and “life” and “death”
are included with them as “things”. No less illustrious a personage than our
blessed Lord Jesus Christ is called in Scripture a “thing”. “The angel answered
and said unto her… that HOLY THING which shall be born of thee shall be called
the Son of God” (Lk. 1:35). It is deceitful to say that “all things” is
something other than people! Paul was teaching us and all who have ears to hear
that there is coming a time of UNIVERSAL RECONCILIATION in which all things –
all men, and every created spirit, whether they be in heaven or on earth,
whether they be visible or invisible – shall abide in the conscious awareness
of having been wonderfully and gloriously CONCILIATED TO GOD!
This magnificent provision was made by our Lord Jesus Christ at Calvary
in the spring of A.D. 31 “in the midst (middle) of the (70th) week”
just as Daniel had prophesied more than 486 years before it happened. Oh, the
wonder of it!
To be
continued… J.
PRESTON EBY
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