Note: J. Preston Eby,
in order to continue to devote his full energy to writing no longer works in
the office and does not receive this email. He does, however, respond to any
urgent correspondence via snailmail.
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KINGDOM BIBLE STUDIES
"Teaching the things concerning the kingdom of
God..."
FROM THE CANDLESTICK TO THE THRONE
THE THREE ANGELS’ MESSAGES
(continued)
“And
the third angel followed them, saying with a loud voice, If any man worship the
beast…the same shall drink of the wine of the wrath of God, which is poured out
without mixture into the cup of His indignation; and he shall be tormented with fire and brimstone in the
presence of the holy messengers, and in
the presence of the Lamb” (Rev. 14:9-10).
“Tormented with fire and brimstone…in the
presence of the Lamb.” What an
amazing divine paradox! The Lamb —
precious embodiment of the very character of innocence, patience, meekness,
gentleness, holiness, sacrifice, and redemption — being made TORMENT unto His
people and to men for whom He died! The
very thought seems incongruous. You see,
dear ones, IT IS NOT THE NATURE OF A LAMB to torment anyone. It is simply not in the nature of the lamb to
want to hurt in any way. Really! What could a lamb do to torture anyone? It has no capability for such a thing. And so it is with the LAMB OF GOD! The Lamb of God has no desire, no ability to
inflict torture in any way — His desire is entirely redemptive — that men might
have life and have it more abundantly!
I
cannot imagine, as the churches teach, One with the nature of a lamb packing
poor lost souls like brick into a kiln, standing there blowing the fires of
hell through them forever. Yet that is
how this passage is interpreted by almost every church on earth! No wonder the church systems of man are
called “daughters of the harlot” in the book of Revelation! Where did such hideous ideas originate? They originated with the “mother of harlots,”
the apostate church which began to form early in the centuries after
Christ. The great apostasy actually
began with the so-called “Church Fathers.” Some
who read these lines are familiar with Tertullian’s words (around the year A.D.
200) concerning those in torment, “How shall I admire, how laugh, how rejoice,
how exult, when I behold so many proud monarchs…groaning in the lowest abyss of
darkness.” Such a grotesque representation, if we say this reflects the
attitude of our Lord, attributes to the Lamb of God the character of a monster
worse than Adolph
Eichmann!
Ah, the
torment comes not from the Lamb. In our
previous Study on this subject, we pointed out that the word “torment” comes
from the Greek word basanizo which actually
refers to the “touchstone” and the principle “to test, to examine the quality of a thing.” Jesus is our touchstone, the standard by
which all men and their works are tested!
Because of the ancient custom of testing persons by torture, as for
instance, when the chief captain told one of his men to examine the apostle
Paul by scourging (Acts 22:24), the word
gradually took on a secondary meaning, testing
by torture. In whatever measure that applies here, these are tormented “in
the presence” of the Lamb, but the torment lies within the bosoms of the
tormented. To be “rubbed against the
touchstone” is not a pleasant experience! The scripture does not say that the
Lamb torments them! If you think it
does, you are mistaken. It states that they are tormented in the presence of
the Lamb. What a thought! TORMENTED IN THE PRESENCE. The Lamb is merely present. He does not torment. The condition is within themselves.
Because
the carnal Christians, who are worshippers of the beast, are wrong and
resistant to the spirit of the Lord, rebellious in their hearts against the
truth, selfish in their minds, and fleshly in their desires, they are condemned
in their consciences by the very presence of the pure, heavenly,
spiritual, selfless, sinless, sacrificing Lamb of God. It has been said that hell is at its fiercest
when it sees heaven, and not till then.
When these realize the presence, or the character of the Lamb, they are
tortured in their consciences, for in the Light of the Lamb they see themselves
for the wretched little devils they are.
The very presence of truth torments the deceived and those who love the
lie. The very presence of holiness is
torment to the immoral and corrupt. The
very presence
of unconditional love greatly disturbs and agitates the one full of
condemnation, legalism, and judgmentalism.
The very presence of peace and joy torments
those who see religion as something stern, exacting, and demanding, that must
be endured with a long face and a sour countenance. The very presence of the life of the Lamb is
the most awful torment to all the opposing forces of the world, the flesh, and
the devil, until all the deceit and hostility has been taken out of them, and
they come to know the Lord in the power of the spirit.
Let it
be thoroughly known that John has not changed the subject here — we are still
in the scene involving the Lamb upon mount
Zion and the 144,000 who
are with Him. The LAMB is on mount Zion! The manifest sons of God are on mount Zion! To be “in the presence of the Lamb” is to
stand before mount Zion, just as Israel of old stood before mount
Sinai. Mount Sinai
was ablaze with the awful fiery presence of Yahweh. Mount
Zion is ablaze with the
fire and brimstone of the holy presence and glory of the Lamb! When the worshippers of the beast have been
exposed for a sufficient time to the “holy angels” or the “holy messengers” who
are the manifest sons of God, and to the full, blazing glory and majesty of the
Lamb, the Lamb will overcome them; His love, truth, righteousness, and power
will conquer their hearts; the carnality, deceit, rebellion, waywardness, and
the spirit of Babylon
will be taken from them and they will at last enjoy the Presence of the
Lamb!
When
the maniac of Gadara
encountered the Christ the devils cried out, saying, “Art Thou come hither to torment us before the time?” (Mat.
8:29. It was not that the devils
supposed that Jesus was there that day to cast them into eternal hell-fire — it
was simply torment for a possessed person to stand in the presence of the Christ! It
is torment for any enemy of God to be ushered into the presence of God. Anyone who is unacquainted with God and
happens to come into a group that is worshipping and praising God, is in
torment all the time he is there. Yet no
one there is tormenting him! But the
sooner such a person can leave, the better he likes it. Such an atmosphere is hell to that
person. Why is it so hard to get an
unsaved person to attend an evangelistic crusade, or to get your dear
fundamentalist friend to come to a gathering
of the sons of God? They are unhappy and
miserable in such a setting! They are
tormented when the saints are worshipping and moving in the Spirit of God! They are estranged from the life of the
Spirit, from the glory and power of God, from the truth of His present kingdom
and purposes, and cannot relate to the unveiling of Christ in the midst of His
body. This all makes them uncomfortable
and unhappy.
Suppose
a few filthy, vile men and a few immoral women from a house of prostitution
were forced to sit in a large
congregation of singing, shouting, worshipping saints. This
certainly would be torment to most of them!
They would be tortured in the flames
of the blazing glory of God in that place!
If they were not held in their seat by
force, most of them would rush out of there. I have been in meetings where I witnessed
three responses to the glorious manifestation of the Lord’s presence. First, the saints who loved the Lord rejoiced
and adoringly worshipped. Some who were
not believers, but whose hearts were tender toward the Lord, came under deep
conviction and, weeping and broken, gave themselves into the loving hands of
Jesus. But others, filled with self,
haters of righteousness, I have seen jump up and literally run out of the meeting — TORMENTED IN THE PRESENCE OF THE
LAMB! Yes, they would rush, even run to get away from the power of the Holy Ghost!
A
person under deep conviction of the Holy Spirit is tormented. Tormented with what? He is tormented with the fire of God’s holy
presence, the fire of His penetrating, burning word. He has no peace or rest, day or night. His soul troubles him continually. When some who read these lines were under
deep conviction for your sins and past life were you not tormented by the Holy
Spirit, the presence of God? And you had
no rest day or night! When you were
finally broken by the Holy Spirit’s dealing and repented, you cried and shed
many bitter tears of remorse and also tears of joy. I have seen religious
people go through the same torment as God was drawing them out of the systems
of man and bringing them into new truth and experience in Him. In some cases it took months or even years of struggle, fears, and
inner conflict and torment before the Lord conquered our hearts and firmly
planted His new day in our lives with great peace and joy and praise in our
mouths! And I do not doubt that it will
take many dealings along with the mighty working of His power to win the hearts
of the Babylon
dwellers who persist in worshipping the beast!
To all
the fleshly and carnally minded religionists HIS GLORY IS A LAKE
OF FIRE AND BRIMSTONE — divine, cleansing, purging, purifying, consuming
fire! In ages yet unborn God shall
expose all men to the sweet abiding
presence of the Lamb. They will come
under such severe processings, under such profound conviction that they will be
tormented and have no rest day or night until their hearts are conquered. And when they do yield to Him who is worthy,
their wonderful Creator, Father, Redeemer, and Lord, many fountains of tears
will flow with weeping, thanksgiving, and praises unto the name of the
Lord. I believe it! God hasten it!
NO REST DAY OR NIGHT — FOR AGES OF AGES
“And
the smoke of their torment ascendeth up for
ever and ever: and they have no rest day nor night, who worship the beast
and his image, and whosoever receiveth the mark of his name” (Rev. 14:11).
The
best way to arrive at the true meaning of a word is to study carefully the way
it has been used. If we are to study a
Greek word, we must go to the Greek text
and not to a translation, nor to a definition which has been derived from an
interpretative translation. If, in the
original text,
the word appears in different forms, surely these forms must have some special
significance. A singular form cannot
have the same meaning as the plural. Since both forms are used they should be
distinguished when they are translated.
In English, for example, anyone knows there is a difference between the
expression a dog and dogs.
Yet in certain places in scripture the singular form is translated
by exactly the same words as the plural form and thereby the true import of the
words is hidden. For example, compare
the following passages where “for ever and ever” appears: “Thy throne, O God, is for ever and ever” (Greek: for the aion of
the aion). “To Him be glory… for ever and ever” (Greek: for the aions of the
aions). “Unto all generations for ever and ever” (Greek: for the aion of
the aions). In I Corinthians 10:11 we have the expression: “the
ends of the aions.” Then in Hebrews 9:26 we have, “the end of the aions.” How can a period that is definitely said to
come to an end be endless? How can a group of periods, each said to
come to an end, be for ever?
I
am aware that some people will oppose us on the grounds that the Greeks of
today use the phrase “the aions of the aions” as meaning eternal,
everlasting. A Greek gentleman told me
several years ago that “the ages of the ages” is how they express eternity in
Greek, and that when the book of Revelation says, “and the smoke of their
torment ascendeth up for ages of ages” it
means forever. Ah, that sounds
convincing, conclusive, final, and unanswerable, does it not? Who can argue with a Greek? But, precious friend of mine, in studying
Bible language we are studying ANCIENT GREEK, not MODERN. The Greek language in two thousand years has
changed to such an extent that the ancient tongue is altogether unintelligible
to a modern Greek. The fact is, for over
a thousand years, up until the year A.D. 1453, Greek was almost unknown or
forgotten in most of Europe. Even in Italy, which formerly had been
dominated by Greek, it became almost unknown.
Ancient Greek has been a dead language for 1500 years! Anyone who knows anything at all will at once
see the utter ridiculousness of this form of argument. Ancient and modern Greek are as different as
day and night.
As
well might we teach our children the English of 2,000 years ago, and then
expect them to be proficient in modern English, as to apply modern meanings to
ancient Greek. The older the English,
the more unintelligible it becomes. The spelling changes, word meanings change,
sentence structure changes, until finally one is hopelessly lost in a morass of
undecipherable hieroglyphics. Even in
the four centuries since the translation of the King James Bible, what changes
have taken place! “Thee” and “thou” have
been replaced by the more familiar “you” and are no longer used except in
classical literature and religion. “Let”
meant to “restrain, hinder, or prevent” in King James’ day; now the word means
the exact opposite, to “permit or allow”!
So with Greek. Ancient Greek is a
dead language, while modern Greek is a living language, with about as much
similarity as there is between German and English. And if you want to know what an ancient Greek
word means you must first of all examine its usage!
It
was the false doctrines of the apostate church that caused the meaning eternal be placed upon the Greek phrase
“the ages of the ages.” And don’t think
for one moment, dear friend, that religion doesn’t influence language! The English word “hell” once meant “a dark
hidden place,” and people “helled” their potatoes when they covered them to
preserve them through the winter. But
church dogma has through the years caused the word to take on an altogether
different connotation. Ask any church
member, or even an unbeliever, for that matter, what “hell” is and they
certainly won’t tell you it’s a dark hidden place for potatoes! Word meanings do change! And religious
dogma has effected many such changes!
So
usage is the fundamental key to unlocking the meanings of ancient
Greek words. That the expression “for
ages of ages” cannot mean an endless succession of ages, or eternity, is
clearly revealed by comparing Revelation 11:15 with I Corinthians 15:24-28. Many, many other passages could be cited
also. In Revelation 11:15 our Lord is
said, in the Greek text,
to reign “for the ages of the ages.” But
in I Corinthians
15:24-28 His reign is said to end. He
only reigns until, and then He delivers the kingdom up to the Father. So, comparing the two passages, Christ does not reign “for ever and ever” though He does reign “for the ages of the
ages.” Therefore, “for the ages of the
ages” is a limited, specific time involving ages. It cannot denote eternity! As the Son, God reigns unto the ages of the
ages through a process of subjecting, subduing all things unto Himself. When that work is completed and there is
nothing more in all God’s vast universe to subdue and reconcile unto Himself,
God reigns no longer as the Son, but His indwelling
life in all things and all creatures will constitute His government, for
God will be ALL IN ALL! Oh, the mystery
of it!
Endlessness
is expressed in the scriptures by simple phrases like “no end,” “endless (indissoluble),” “incorruptible,”
“immortal,” “perpetual,” etc. Had the
Holy Spirit wanted to convey unendingness in reference to man’s torment in the
fire and brimstone in the presence of the Lamb, He could have used words that plainly denoted
that, rather than words which plainly denote time periods (ages) as
“for the age,” “for the ages,” “for the age of the ages,” “for the ages of the
ages,” etc.
Notice,
my beloved, that these are tormented day
and night for the ages of the ages, and have no rest day nor night. The very
terms day and night and ages show
beyond question that we are dealing with the realm of time. There is no day nor night in eternity! Both are creatures of time. There is no way of knowing how long a time
this will be, but since it unquestionably speaks of day and night and ages, it
does therefore belong to time and no endeavor must be made to equate it with
eternity. Ages can be long dispensations
covering centuries or millenniums, or ages can transpire within ourselves as we
move from one dealing of God to another in our experience. I know brethren who have lived under the age
of law, the age of grace, and the age of the kingdom within their own
experience during the short span of a few years. I have passed through a number of “ages”
within the scope of my experience with God, and I have become a different
person, and been related to God in a different way, in each of those ages!
Once
we understand that the Greek word aion and
all the forms and compounds of that word denote time, how clear everything becomes!
And how ridiculous the ignorant pratings of men! In an effort to harmonize the scriptures with
the false doctrines of the apostate churches, the translators rendered “for
ages of ages” as “for ever and ever.”
This one little mistake once and for all exposes their folly. Even in English we can see that “for ever”
cannot be endless if “and ever” may
be added to it. Eternity cannot be added
to! You cannot make “for ever” any
longer by adding another “ever.” Only
time may be compounded. Eternity is
absolute timelessness. Eternity is without beginning or end. There cannot be more than one eternity, nor
can one eternity be added to another eternity, nor can an eternity end. Ah, but ages are time and time, my friend, can be added to and it can and does and shall end! When the Greek speaks of “ages of ages” it is
speaking of aggregated periods of time — not eternity! And you cannot get eternity by compounding
all the time periods of the past and the future, for time began and time ends. The ages and all the time and times
combined do not equal eternity. There
simply is no such thing as “the endless ages of eternity” as the preachers love
to say, for the phrase is a complete contradiction of itself. No one who is sane and reasonable can maintain
otherwise. To do so is to contradict
all the known facts and to contradict
God’s own word.
One
final thought before we pass on to another passage — a strict adherence to the
tense of the verb makes our text
read, “They have no rest day nor night who are worshipping the beast…” It denotes a continuous action, as long
as they persist in worshipping the beast, while the testing of God is upon
them, they have no rest day nor night.
Their state of agitation, trouble, restlessness, and distress is co-extensive
with their continuing to worship the beast.
Can we not see by this that just as soon as they repent, take a new
mind, turn from their worship of the beast, and yield under the mighty hand of
God all the confusion, vexation, and torment is washed away by the quickening
stream of HIS LIFE. Isn’t it wonderful!
THE PATIENCE AND FAITH OF THE SAINTS
“Here
is the patience of the saints: here
are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus” (Rev.
14:12).
The
Lord’s called and chosen elect must have patience concerning the work of God in
us, in all of the Lord’s people, including those now imprisoned in Babylon, and indeed in all
of creation! Once we hear the “gospel of
the ages,” the good news of God’s great plan of the ages, and see the fiery
dealing of God with men “for the ages,” it is here that we learn the
great need for patience! Oh, yes!
“Here is the patience of the saints.” If you’ve taken a trip with young children,
you’ll recognize the question, “Are we almost there yet?” It’s an annoying question for parents,
especially when it comes about twenty minutes into a day-long drive. But the Lord’s children are not innocent of
such questioning either! “O God, aren’t
we there yet? Haven’t we been through
enough? Isn’t it time for you to do
something about the shame of the church and the sin of the world? Are the sons about to be manifested? Do we have to endure this night much longer? Isn’t it time for our change? Is the work
about finished? What about the words
that have been spoken to me by prophecy, and in visions and revelations? When will I begin to see them come to
pass? Will I make it in to the high
calling before I go by way of the grave?
Are we almost there yet?”
The
three most common words heard among believers in time of crisis are: “Lord, do something!” It is completely contrary to our nature as
human beings to stand still and do nothing when we face perplexing trials. In fact, waiting patiently for God to act is
probably the most difficult thing about the walk of sonship! Can you imagine how Jesus felt for thirty
years in Nazareth
working in the carpenter shop — waiting for His sonship to be revealed while
the world was rushing onward to hell! The
Father raised up patience in His life, for even at the last minute, before His
glory was shone forth, He said, “Mine hour has not yet come.” Even those with deep dealings of the Lord in
their lives sometimes panic when the Lord doesn’t move according to their
timetable. We are prone to give God
deadlines and time limits. We cry,
“Lord, when are you going to do something about this? If you don’t act now, it will be too
late!” But I do not hesitate to tell
you, my beloved, God is never too late! Mary and Martha found that out when their
brother, Lazarus, died and was buried!
“Lord, if Thou hadst been here, my brother would not have died.” “Martha, I AM the resurrection and the
life!” He always acts — not according to
our schedule, but His.
The
Lord is calling a people unto Himself in this new kingdom day who will truly
trust Him for all things. Indeed, He often leads
us into situations that are frightening, critical, difficult, in order to teach
us His ways. He tests us to reveal in
our hearts whether we are able to stand still and see the salvation of
God! Every called out one should pray
that the Lord will open his eyes and show him the eternal truth of these words
of scripture: “The steps of a good man are ordered
by the Lord: and He delighteth in his way” (Ps. 37:23). The Hebrew word for “ordered” here means
“prearranged, step by step, fixed, ordained by God.” This means it is God, not the devil, not some
freak accident, not our lack of faith, but God Himself who leads us even in the
difficult places. We may cry out, “Lord,
why are you allowing this to continue?”
But the truth is, not only does He allow our circumstances, He arranges them! And that is hard on the carnal mind!
I
firmly believe that every step I take is ordained by our heavenly Father. And if that is indeed
true, then I know that God will never
lead me to the brink of a difficult situation only to abandon me. He wouldn’t say, “Okay, Preston,
I’ve directed you up to this point. Now
you’re on your own!” No! Our wonderful Father is absolutely faithful
to every one of His sons, in every situation and circumstance. Whenever God requires anything of a person,
there is always a reason for it. The
reason so many people fail to attain to great heights in the Spirit is because
they are unable to see God’s purpose, and
therefore they fail in the faith that lays hold upon the great heights that are
in Him. His word to you today, precious
one, is just this: “Will you be the one who will not waver — who won’t charge
God with forsaking, abandoning, and failing you? Will you stand still in your crisis, in your
testing, when it seems that all the Lord has promised has fallen to the ground,
leaning upon the faithfulness of your Father, trusting Him to reveal His power
in you?” That is the stuff sons of God
are made of!
A
dear brother shared the following. “In
this fast-paced age, to tell someone to wait brings some difficult
problems. A child sees all his presents
for his birthday and yet must wait until the date arrives. Oh, the excitement that he feels, for he
contemplates the pleasures hidden just under those pretty wrappings for
him. In like manner we know some joys of
the kingdom. They are like the outer
wrappings of the child’s gifts. We
anticipate the full glory of the kingdom
of God,
but also know that must wait. The first
picture the word ‘wait’ sets before our eyes is as the child and his
presents. Time holds him back from
receiving what is his. He sits and with
anxiety waits for the hour when he will be free to possess them. His waiting is an exercise in patience.
Our waiting upon the Lord has this element, yet is much
greater! When we wait upon the Lord, we
twist together with the One for whom we wait.
The boy aims his sight on receiving what is his by the promise of a
birthday. Time passes, and with each
moment of thought upon his gifts, he is uniting to his ownership of them. He sees the big wrapped box in the corner and
thinks, ‘This is mine. I wonder what it is?’ Whatever it is, he unites to his possession
of it. So also do we wait upon God!
“In
the spring of 1979 I attended the graduating ceremony of the Bible school I attended
before God sent me back to Missouri. Now, they had a guest speaker at their
meeting. He was recognized as one who
hears from God and shares what’s on his mind for the moment. As he came to the podium, before him sat the
young graduates. Without an introduction
or even an hello, he began to speak in a mild voice the word God wanted these
to hear. His voice became louder and
more intense with each sentence.
Finally, his concluding statements were at the top of his vocal range,
yet without breaking
the richness of his voice. He went
through several Old Testament characters attaching the word wait to each one. He said, ‘Abraham, God has called you to
birth the son of promise, but you must wait. Wait you must! Isaac, you must wait for the time for Rebecca to come. You must wait! Jacob, wait and wait and wait for Rachel your love. And wait
you will to have your name changed to Israel. You will wait! Joseph, you must wait for the day of deliverance. Yes, Joseph, you must wait! Wait, yes wait David you shall to be King David,
you will wait. Wait!
Wait! You must wait!’”
— end quote.
To
all who treasure the beautiful hope of sonship to God, who hunger to see the
fullness of God revealed in His elect; to all who yearn to see the leaders of Babylon repent, to see the slaves of Babylon come out of her with great rejoicing,
and to see the end of God’s fiery dealings with all His people until His bride
has made herself ready; to all who long to see creation set free from the
bondage of corruption, and all peoples and all nations marching up to Zion to learn
the ways of the Lord and to walk in His paths; to all who hope in Christ for
the perfection, completion, and fulfillment of all He has promised those who follow on to know Him in the Day; to
one and all I say “wait!” “Rest in the
Lord, and wait patiently for Him” (Ps. 37:7).
“But if we hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for
it” (Rom. 8:25). “Be not slothful, but
followers of them who through faith and patience inherit the promises” (Heb.
6:12). “Cast not away therefore your
confidence, which hath great recompense of reward. For ye have need of patience, that, after ye
have done the will of God, ye might receive the promise” (Heb. 10:35-36).
That
much time is required for God to work out His purposes is clear from the three
angel’s messages. The first angel
proclaims the “gospel of the ages,” bringing the revelation that not all things
will be concluded at once, but step by step, age after age, until all things
are subdued, reconciled, and restored into God again. The third angel reveals that even the dealing
of the Lord with His people in Babylon
requires precise time cycles (ages of the ages) through which He accomplishes
His great work unto victory. Patience is
often lacking when God does not seem to finish His work in our lives, or in
others, or in the church, or in the earth as quickly as we think He
should. But every son must understand
this great truth — God seems to use delay as a choice process in the
development of character and faith! Wait!
Be patient, saith the
Lord! Every promise of God shall be fulfilled in His appointed
time, when every necessary preparation has been completed in each son and in
every purpose. God will finish His work
and show forth His glory in us, and deliver
all the captives. He will do it! He is doing
it! The work of God in us today is
setting the stage for God’s great tomorrow.
Not one thing shall fail of all that
He hath spoken! “HERE is the patience of the saints…”
BLESSED ARE THE DEAD WHICH DIE IN THE LORD
“And
I heard a voice from heaven saying unto me, Write, Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord from henceforth: Yea,
saith the Spirit, that they may rest from their labors; and their works do
follow them” (Rev. 14:13).
These
words have been often misunderstood, and preached at many a funeral. They have been wrongly interpreted —
interpreted literally rather than spiritually.
It has been generally thought that here we have a proof that the
soul or spirit is blessed immediately after death. “From henceforth” was taken to mean: from the
time they depart from this earth, immediately after physical death. Of course, this is true in itself. The dead shall be blessed, and shall rest
from their labors as they enter into that eternal spiritual realm from whence
they came. But it is not true that this word refers to that
fact! In the first place, we might
remark that in that case it would be very ambiguously expressed. Instead of “from henceforth” an expression
like “from death on,” or “immediately after death,” would have been much
clearer. In the second place — and this
is a far weightier objection — the expression “the dead which die in the Lord”
is a very strange statement indeed if the Holy Spirit is speaking of physical
death. How can a physically dead person die?
Nowhere
in all the word of God can we find a more definite and profound statement than
that given us in these meaningful words. Call
to remembrance here that we are dealing everywhere in the Revelation with
symbols, and when the voice from heaven says, “Blessed are the dead which die
in the Lord,” it cannot in its spiritual meaning signify the death of the
physical body. It is my deep conviction
that it is not a blessing to
die. Death is our enemy, says the Lord, and death is the last enemy to be
destroyed. I prefer not to go to heaven
by means of physical death. There is no
need to give me that story, “I’m homesick for heaven,” because just as soon as
you get sick and it appears it might be time for you to go there, you’ll spend
every dollar you’ve got to keep from going there. A brother related the story of a friend of
his who was a hypochondriac, she was always sick; if you mentioned some
disease, the next week she had it. One
day he went to the hospital to visit this dear sister. He walked into the room and said, “How are
you doing, sister?” “Oh, brother,” she
responded sobbing, “I’m homesick for heaven,” and she sobbed some more. “I wish
the Lord would just take me on home.”
The brother placed his hand upon her head and prayed, “Father, in Jesus’
name, just kill her right now!” At once
she cried out, “No! No! No!”
The message is clear — she wasn’t as homesick as she thought she
was. Death wasn’t as blessed as she supposed. And after her moment of truth the dear lady never went back into the
hospital for years!
I
make the following declaration with confidence, knowing that only in a couple
instances in all of scripture is there mention of the spirit returning to God
or entering into the presence of Christ following the death of the body — the
testimony of scripture is clear that it
is not necessary to die physically in order to get to heaven! To the apostle Paul it was given to
reveal the great truth, “Blessed be the
God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings IN HEAVENLY PLACES in
Christ Jesus” (Eph. 1:3). The
word “blessed” is the Greek word eulogeo
which means “to speak well of.” We think
of blessing as something good that we receive from the Lord, be it a spiritual
feeling, spiritual gift, or a temporal blessing of provision, healing,
etc. But that is not the meaning of this
Greek word! Eulogeo is something which is spoken, “to speak well of,” and it
is especially instructive to observe that it is the word from which comes our
English word “eulogy.” A eulogy is
something one says over a person who is dead!
And do we not usually speak “good things” over a deceased person? Old uncle Joe may have been a scoundrel, but
when we say a few words at his funeral we try to think of the one good thing he
said or did in his lifetime, and that is what we share. I remember when I was a kid in the Pentecostal Church, at the funeral of some
unspiritual, obstinate old man the preacher would preach him “straight into
heaven.” Ah, yes, a eulogy — speaking
well of! And what a blessing, what a
eulogy the apostle spoke over the saints when he said, “You are dead, and your (new)
life is hid with Christ in God.” That is indeed a wonderful eulogy! And when the almighty Father Himself
eulogized us in the passage quoted above HE PLACED
US IN THE HEAVENLIES IN CHRIST JESUS AT THE RIGHT HAND OF GOD — so, my beloved
brother, my precious sister, you have already died and gone to heaven!
One
has to be born into the kingdom of God,
and by that birth a man is translated out of the kingdom of darkness into the kingdom of God’s
beloved Son. But just as one must be born into the kingdom of the
Son, one must die to get out of this
present evil world! “How shall we that are dead to
sin, live any longer therein? Know ye
not, that so many of us as were baptized into Jesus Christ were baptized into His death? For he that is dead is freed from sin.
Now if we be dead with Christ,
we believe that we shall also (now) live with Him” (Rom. 6:2-8). “Wherefore
if ye be dead with Christ, from the
rudiments of the world…” (Col. 2:20). “It is
a faithful saying: For if we be dead with
Him, we shall also live with Him” (II Tim. 2:11). My God, what beautiful words! To die this death in the Lord, man must die
to himself and to all that he has from Adam, all that is outward, human, and
possessing him. Oh, happy death indeed
that sweeps away all that is not of the spirit!
Oh, blessed death, bringing the soul out of itself, into God, into
marriage with the spirit! Blessed death,
the beginning of true life, the Christ life!
What a wonderful revelation is ours when we discover the great truth
that we
are dead and our life is hid with Christ in God!
There’s
not a thing that I like about physical death.
I don’t think it’s our friend, and I am certain it is our enemy and has
to be overcome. So when the Spirit says,
“Blessed are the dead that die in the Lord,” what I see implied here is
something more than physical death. It
is the dead which die and the place where they die is in the Lord. The Spirit is speaking of the death of the
“old man,” death to the self-life. By
“the dead” are meant those who have died and
are dead in Christ — “in the
Lord.” It signifies those who are crucified with Christ, who have
afflicted their soul, and crucified their flesh. They have been crucified unto the world, and
the world is crucified unto them. “Whosoever taketh not his cross, and
followeth after me, is not worthy of me” (Mat. 10:38). “If any
one will come after me, let him deny himself, take up his cross, and follow me”
(Mat. 16:24). “And they that are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with the
affections and lusts” (Gal. 5:24).
It will
be useful to us to notice that there are many deaths referred to in the
scriptures, each one being, fundamentally, nothing more than a separation from
something. All humans in Adam are born
dead, dead in “trespasses and in sins” (Eph. 2:1), that is, in their minds, by
wicked works they are dead to God, dead to the spirit, dead to truth, dead to
righteousness, thus separated from God, out of fellowship with Him. And then for such as come into the blessings
of salvation, this original death is counteracted by another death, which is a
separation from the world and sin and self, and leads to union with Christ in
the spirit (Rom.
7:9-11; Gal. 2:19-20). Then there is the
death we all know so well, physical death, which is the separation of the
spirit from the body. After one is
regenerated, there are many deaths all along the way, that is, if one is to
follow the Lord all the way into perfection and the fullness of God. Paul
said, “I die daily” (I Cor. 15:31). By
this He meant his ongoing and complete separation from all that adhered to him
of his own will, his own way, his own mind, his own desires, his own thoughts,
his own ambitions, his own plans, and separation from all that might defile,
from every vestige of the world, the flesh, even religion, for he spoke of
being dead to the law by the body of
Christ. He had given up all, with his
nature changed from glory to glory as he was transfigured into the image of
Christ.
And
we conceive that this is what is meant
by “dying in the Lord,” we conceive that it means a separation from all that falls short of the glory of God, in order that the nature,
character, wisdom, power, and glory of the Lord alone may be manifested in
one’s life. A literal rendering of the
verse would read, “And I heard a voice
out of heaven, saying, Write thou: Blessed
ones, the dead ones, those who are dying in the Lord from henceforth…” If we can lay aside the tradition of
the theologians we will see by these words that the expression, “the dead ones, those who are dying,” points
clearly to those who have died with Christ and now continue to die daily.
When we
have talked about the ongoing death to the carnal mind and the self-life we have
sometimes imagined restricting and restraining ourselves, denying ourselves all kinds of
pleasures, desires, emotions, and actions.
But that’s not dying to Self!
That’s an effort at restraining the outer man which in the final
analysis changes nothing! Sixteen hundred years of the law of Moses
demonstrated infallibly man’s inability
to either restrain or reform the Adamic
nature. Death to the self-life comes
only by the raising up within ourselves of a new dimension and higher power of
Life! It was the apostle Paul who taught us the wonderful truth that it is the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus
that makes us free from the law of
sin and death (Rom.
8:2). I have some corruptible flesh with
corruptible desires and things that would take me captive to the law of sin and
death. But I’m looking past it! I’m looking at Him who is invisible, the
Christ life, my inner son. I’m looking
at Him who is mighty within me, who is able to subdue all things unto Himself,
who is able also to keep me from falling and to present me faultless before the
throne of His glory! I’m not dwelling
upon my flesh, for the outward man is
perishing, and there is no covenant with that dying man. But there is a promise to Isaac, there’s a promise to the seed, to the new man who is the nature and image of God in my spirit, and I’m
looking unto Him who is my life!
These things I write and these blessed hopes I set before you
that your spiritual eyes might behold the blessed truth that WE DO NOT DIE IN
ORDER TO LIVE — WE LIVE IN ORDER TO DIE!
“Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord
from henceforth: Yea, saith the Spirit, that
they may rest from their labors…”
The
only way we can rest from our labors of self-effort is to truly be dead in Christ. Dead men don’t labor! I think that’s good news! It’s a blessing
to be dead in Christ! He has blessed
us with a eulogy! The eulogy is not
about the old man who is perishing and passing away, but the new man who is
seated in the heavenlies in Christ Jesus!
To
be continued… J. PRESTON EBY
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by Sharon Eby 02/27/2015 04:06:08 PM