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Satan was foiled in his attempt to turn the King aside from His divine path, but he succeeded with the servants (Satan can cause a believer to commit sin—but the sin will not be willful, as a sinner’s is—NC); and so the highest and best gift of God (salvation—NC) has been the occasion for the development of the worst evil (the greater the gift, the greater the wrong by not receiving it - 1Pe 4:18—NC). For man under the responsibilities which flow from this dispensation of grace has done worse than during that of law (because more information has been given in the New Testament about God’s will than in the Old Testament, thus making Christians more accountable—NC). The wickedness of Israel caused the heathen to blaspheme the name of Jehovah (via poor examples of obedience to God—NC). But now, within the sphere of Christian profession, a worse thing is found.
The Jews always professed reverence for the Law, though he practically disobeyed. What do we see now in the lands of Christendom? The Word of God is esteemed by some no other than a myth, classed with the legends of paganism. By others the Lord is spoken of as a good, though mistaken man, esteemed as a
Hero who really wished to raise man morally, but who allowed His disciples to believe and propagate a lie to accomplish the end He had in view; as an enthusiast who suffered death rather than withdraw His offer. And the literature of the present day teems with writings containing this terrible doctrine, a blasphemy as absurd as horrible.
Nor is this confined to such writers as are professed infidels; for the truth of the Word is undermined, if not openly denied, by those who take the place of being theological teachers. All such books, by traitorous professors, are far more pernicious and dangerous than the vulgar infidelity of the last century. A distinguished feature of the present-day is that every shade of infidel thought has its representative and teacher. Theism is made the groundwork of science and taught in its halls, and being exalted to the rank of science, is applied as a corrector of God’s Book; it stops not at material things, but enters boldly the moral domain, and dares to judge what God must be, and what He must not be; decides how much—rather how little of the creation belongs to God and how much to “evolution.” God bears with this, for the present day is salvation, not judgment, and His longsuffering is the proof.
The kingdom of heaven (whenever the word “kingdom” is used it almost always refers to the New Earth, i.e. ”Thy kingdom come,” we never see the word “kingdom” when referring to the New Heaven—NC) is the rule of Christ the King over this world. But how does He reign when He is rejected? The principles of the kingdom were in grace made known to man (Eph 2:8), and after he had cast out the King, he used His name and the inherent subjugating authority belonging to it, to establish a system for himself, where the name of the King is freely used, but His rights practically ignored; where instead of righteousness reigning, all the worst corruption of nature is dominant, the name of Christ is on their lips, the truth of Christ in its life-giving power is all but unknown. Hence the present time discloses the mystery of the kingdom of heaven.
The kingdom as the scene of Christ’s power and glory was no secret; it was abundantly and clearly foretold by the prophets. Godly Jews were waiting for it, rejoicing in the hope of it (Jews who believed in God for the coming kingdom on the earth—NC). Further, it was predicted, though perhaps imperfectly apprehended, that the coming King should be despised and rejected, wounded in the house of His friends, valued at thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave. But it was not revealed that the King should be more than nineteen hundred years absent, and that during His absence men should arrogate to themselves His authority, and establish human power buy its use (human power not God’s power); still less, that the Jews rejection of their King should be, in the wisdom of God, the occasion for the calling out of a people for a heavenly portion, who, while here passing through a path of predestined suffering, would be of all men most miserable if in this life only had they hope in Christ (1 Co 15:19). It is these two things we see now—the absence of the Lord from the scene of His future glory, and the hidden working by which He secures to Himself a people who, in spite of suffering, nay, using it rather as a means, are destine for a higher than kingdom glory (2 Co 4:177—the New Heaven will be far greater and glorious for the believers in Christ than the New Earth for the Jews who presently believe in God but not in Christ—NC).
—Roger Beacon (1220-1292)
MJS daily devotional excerpt for March 31
“Romans Six reveals our position as having died unto the principle of sin; Romans Seven teaches us our position as having died unto the principle of law. Both must be counted upon if we are to abide in Christ, and walk in the Spirit, as set forth in Romans Eight.
“We have to look at ourselves and see how far we are devotedly following the Lord Jesus, with full purpose of heart—how we can say, ‘This one thing I do’; but we must take care at the same time not to get into legal bondage by this standard. If I say, ‘Here is a rule of conduct: follow it,’ this cannot reach the heart, the affections. The ministration of the letter brings only failure, and condemnation; for it prescribes a rule which man, being a sinner, can never follow. It does not change a man; it proves him ‘ungodly and without strength’ (Christians should love God, not because of salvation, but just because of who He is. Thus having eternal gratitude to Him—NC).
“We may turn even Christ into that letter of condemnation; we may take His life, for instance, and make it our law. Nay, we may turn even the love of Christ into our law; we may say, ‘He has loved me, and done all this for me, and I ought to love Him, and do so much for Him, in return for this love,’ etc. Thus if we turn His love into a rule of life, it becomes the ministration of condemnation” (loving God for Who He is, is the greatest of all—NC).
—Miles J Stanford
The Jews always professed reverence for the Law, though he practically disobeyed. What do we see now in the lands of Christendom? The Word of God is esteemed by some no other than a myth, classed with the legends of paganism. By others the Lord is spoken of as a good, though mistaken man, esteemed as a
Hero who really wished to raise man morally, but who allowed His disciples to believe and propagate a lie to accomplish the end He had in view; as an enthusiast who suffered death rather than withdraw His offer. And the literature of the present day teems with writings containing this terrible doctrine, a blasphemy as absurd as horrible.
Nor is this confined to such writers as are professed infidels; for the truth of the Word is undermined, if not openly denied, by those who take the place of being theological teachers. All such books, by traitorous professors, are far more pernicious and dangerous than the vulgar infidelity of the last century. A distinguished feature of the present-day is that every shade of infidel thought has its representative and teacher. Theism is made the groundwork of science and taught in its halls, and being exalted to the rank of science, is applied as a corrector of God’s Book; it stops not at material things, but enters boldly the moral domain, and dares to judge what God must be, and what He must not be; decides how much—rather how little of the creation belongs to God and how much to “evolution.” God bears with this, for the present day is salvation, not judgment, and His longsuffering is the proof.
The kingdom of heaven (whenever the word “kingdom” is used it almost always refers to the New Earth, i.e. ”Thy kingdom come,” we never see the word “kingdom” when referring to the New Heaven—NC) is the rule of Christ the King over this world. But how does He reign when He is rejected? The principles of the kingdom were in grace made known to man (Eph 2:8), and after he had cast out the King, he used His name and the inherent subjugating authority belonging to it, to establish a system for himself, where the name of the King is freely used, but His rights practically ignored; where instead of righteousness reigning, all the worst corruption of nature is dominant, the name of Christ is on their lips, the truth of Christ in its life-giving power is all but unknown. Hence the present time discloses the mystery of the kingdom of heaven.
The kingdom as the scene of Christ’s power and glory was no secret; it was abundantly and clearly foretold by the prophets. Godly Jews were waiting for it, rejoicing in the hope of it (Jews who believed in God for the coming kingdom on the earth—NC). Further, it was predicted, though perhaps imperfectly apprehended, that the coming King should be despised and rejected, wounded in the house of His friends, valued at thirty pieces of silver—the price of a slave. But it was not revealed that the King should be more than nineteen hundred years absent, and that during His absence men should arrogate to themselves His authority, and establish human power buy its use (human power not God’s power); still less, that the Jews rejection of their King should be, in the wisdom of God, the occasion for the calling out of a people for a heavenly portion, who, while here passing through a path of predestined suffering, would be of all men most miserable if in this life only had they hope in Christ (1 Co 15:19). It is these two things we see now—the absence of the Lord from the scene of His future glory, and the hidden working by which He secures to Himself a people who, in spite of suffering, nay, using it rather as a means, are destine for a higher than kingdom glory (2 Co 4:177—the New Heaven will be far greater and glorious for the believers in Christ than the New Earth for the Jews who presently believe in God but not in Christ—NC).
—Roger Beacon (1220-1292)
MJS daily devotional excerpt for March 31
“Romans Six reveals our position as having died unto the principle of sin; Romans Seven teaches us our position as having died unto the principle of law. Both must be counted upon if we are to abide in Christ, and walk in the Spirit, as set forth in Romans Eight.
“We have to look at ourselves and see how far we are devotedly following the Lord Jesus, with full purpose of heart—how we can say, ‘This one thing I do’; but we must take care at the same time not to get into legal bondage by this standard. If I say, ‘Here is a rule of conduct: follow it,’ this cannot reach the heart, the affections. The ministration of the letter brings only failure, and condemnation; for it prescribes a rule which man, being a sinner, can never follow. It does not change a man; it proves him ‘ungodly and without strength’ (Christians should love God, not because of salvation, but just because of who He is. Thus having eternal gratitude to Him—NC).
“We may turn even Christ into that letter of condemnation; we may take His life, for instance, and make it our law. Nay, we may turn even the love of Christ into our law; we may say, ‘He has loved me, and done all this for me, and I ought to love Him, and do so much for Him, in return for this love,’ etc. Thus if we turn His love into a rule of life, it becomes the ministration of condemnation” (loving God for Who He is, is the greatest of all—NC).
—Miles J Stanford