Earlier text: WHY GOD RAISES THE DEADSCENE OF THE CONFLICT TRANSFERRED FROM HEAVEN TO EARTH
By R. C. P.
Man Took His Stand with the Rebel Leader — The Great Climax at the Cross — Satan's Rage and Vindictive Warfare — One Last Universal Call to Loyalty AFTER Satan had entered upon his career of rebellion, he first sought, in the most insidious way, to induce angels to join him, ostensibly to reform the government of God, but really to dethrone the King of the universe and establish himself as its head. Many of the angels were ensnared by the cunning of this artful deceiver. ALL MUST CHOOSE IN THIS CRISIS
Nor was the conflict confined to the angels; for God had made man as free as angels, as free as all other created beings throughout His vast universe. All must choose, in this crisis, between loyalty to God and loyalty to Satan, who was conspiring to overthrow God's government. Then was vindicated the wisdom of God in creating His subjects free; for since He gave to all the right of choice, and refused to compel the will of any in His service, Satan could not now force their wills in his effort to secure control of the free subjects of the kingdom of God. When the lines of conflict were sharply drawn, and angels had made choice of their leader, Michael (Christ) and His angels fought against Satan and his angels. In this conflict, Michael and the loyal angels prevailed, and Satan and his angels were cast out of heaven. This earth then became the scene of the conflict that had previously been waged in heaven. Since the risk of sin was universal, man must share in the choice between good and evil. Satan did not come to man with flourish of trumpets and a demand for surrender; he posed as a reformer. God had in wisdom so safeguarded man against attack, that only at the tree of knowledge of good and evil, which was in the midst of the Garden of Eden, was it possible to approach him with temptation. God had faithfully warned him not to eat of the fruit of that tree. Being convinced that man had been warned of the apostasy, Satan did not attempt to lead him into rebellion by personally appearing to him. He chose a beautiful, glittering serpent — not the wriggling, creeping serpent of our day, upon which a special curse rests, but one of the most fascinating creatures of God's universe. Through this medium, stationed in the forbidden tree, Satan spoke to Eve. Startled to hear it speak in a language intelligible, yet charmed by its beauty, she turned aside to converse with it, and tarried near the very tree which God had cautioned the innocent pair in Eden to avoid. THE BRIEF STORY OF MAN'S APOSTASY
The history of man's fall as delineated in God's record of the conflict between good and evil runs thus: "Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the Lord God had made.
"And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?
"And the woman said unto the serpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.
"And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die: for God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.
"And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat. And the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked; and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.
"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden.
"And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?
"And he said, I heard Thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself.
"And He said, Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree, whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat?
"And the man said, The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
"And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done?
"And the woman said, The serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.
"And the Lord God said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." Gen. 3: 1-15. Paul says, "Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived was in the transgression." 1 Tim. 2: 14. Eve was led into transgression through the medium of the serpent. She was deceived by sophistry that appealed to her pride and vanity. To be as gods, knowing evil as well as good, was the deceptive incentive that appealed to her. The argument that God was unjust in withholding a knowledge of evil, seemed to her plausible. Could she have lifted the veil that hid the future, and beheld the anarchy, strife, debauchery, crime, and sorrow that were to result from a knowledge of evil, she would have praised God for an infinite wisdom that had in mercy withheld a knowledge of evil and offered only good. TOOK THEIR STAND WITH THE REBEL LEADER
Through deception Eve had been led to partake of the forbidden fruit, and had thus taken her stand on the side of the leader of the rebellion against the government of God. Adam, who thought that through her transgression Eve must forever be separated from him, and the joys of her companionship must be lost forever, hesitated in his loyalty to God while debating if it were not his duty to cast his lot with his hitherto loving consort. But this meant that he should follow her in rebellion and sin. Although undeceived, he finally chose to follow her in transgression. Immediately the halo of light which had hitherto robed the innocent pair in garments of glory, such as adorned Moses and Elias on the mount of transfiguration, disappeared, and they were left naked to their shame. God's love for them, although they were transgressors, was unchanged; yet when He sought them, in fear they shrank from His presence, while they endeavored to provide, with their own hands, aprons of fig-leaves to replace the shroud of glory which sin had removed. When the Lord asked whether they had eaten of the forbidden tree, Adam at once admitted his guilt, but inferentially placed the blame upon God by saying, "The woman whom Thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." Instead of making a full confession of his sin, Adam sought to excuse himself for having done wrong. He insisted that his was not an overt act of rebellion, but rather an effort to be at peace with the creatures of God's kingdom. Eve in like manner attempted to fix the blame upon the serpent, and indirectly upon God for having placed the serpent in the garden. Her logic was that morally accountable beings would always be good if they were never assailed by a tempter. That God accepted no excuse for sin, that He admitted of no apology which sought to relieve the transgressors simply because they had been confronted by a tempter, is shown in their being sentenced to death and driven from the garden, and the earth's being placed under a curse. Gen. 3: 16-24. THE RESULT OF MAN'S APOSTASY
Adam, to whom the dominion of this world had been committed as to a prince, had, in disloyalty to the King of kings, surrendered to the deceiver his vested rights in the dominion of this earth. By this act, Adam demonstrated the wisdom of God in making him only a subordinate ruler. Satan usurped the dominion in defiance of God's supreme sovereignty; and the rebellion which had hitherto been conducted under cover of a purpose to improve the government of God, was now changed to an open and defiant challenge of the sovereignty of God over the universe of His creation. He who had questioned God's justice and declared His law arbitrary, now determined to demonstrate the superiority of a confederacy without a moral law, over the moral government of the kingdom of God. As prince of the world, he appeared in the councils of the sons of God. He had become the representative of this earthly dominion. Job 1: 6, 7. When Christ came to the earth as the Saviour of man, Satan tempted Him on the point of loyalty, by offering Him all the kingdoms of this world and the glory of them in exchange for one act of worship. Matt. 4: 8, 9. Christ met and defeated the tempter with a direct command from the sovereign law which Satan had repudiated. Verse 10. Afterward Christ said, "The prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in Me." John 14: 30. The climax of the conflict was reached at the cross. The character of the kingdoms was there seen in contrast in the characters of their representatives. The malicious spirit of Satan appeared in striking contrast with the beneficent character of Christ, when202 in love He died to save the lost. Until loyal angels beheld the scenes of Calvary, they did not all see clearly that God was perfectly justified in removing Satan from his position in heaven, and depriving him of the privilege of association with the unfallen angels except at the councils of the representatives of worlds. The time had now come when his character stood revealed before the universe. Every loyal angel now understood his deceptive purpose. After Christ's death upon the cross, He "was caught up unto God, and to His throne." Rev. 12: 5. "And I heard a loud voice saying in heaven, Now is come salvation, and strength, and the kingdom of our God, and the power of His Christ: for the accuser of our brethren is cast down, which accused them before our God day and night." Rev. 12: 10. Down through the weary centuries the conflict has been waged; but the cross was such a manifestation of the love of God for those who had been led into rebellion against His throne, that for angels the question was settled, and Satan is nevermore to distract and mar the peace of the councils of heaven by his discordant accusations. The original condition of the kingdom of God in heaven was restored. The battle had been fought, the victory won, and the rebellious impostors forever removed from the territory of the heavenly dominion. IT SETTLED THE MINDS OF THE ANGELS
The cross of Calvary had decided, in the minds of angels, the question of God's right to reign eternally as King. Four thousand years of patient waiting had been rewarded. Not a loyal angel would ever again consider it right that Satan should share in the councils of the universe; and as a habitation in heaven had previously been denied him and his followers, even so are they now excluded from the councils of heaven. Through a life of perfect obedience to the law of the kingdom of God which Adam had disobeyed, Christ, having met the death sentence for disobedience, purchased the lost dominion, and was prepared to take His place as the representative of this world in the heavenly councils as the second Adam or head of this earthly kingdom; but the time had not yet come for the restoration of the lost dominion. Satan was the more enraged when he saw that he had been defeated in the conflict at the cross. That this loss embittered him toward the loyal subjects of the kingdom on earth is plainly stated in verse 12: "Therefore rejoice, ye heavens, and ye that dwell in them. Wo to the inhabiters of the earth and of the sea! for the devil is come down unto you, having great wrath, because he knoweth that he hath but a short time." SPECIAL OBJECTS OF SATAN'S WRATH
Since that time, those who keep the commandments of God and have the testimony of Jesus are the special objects of Satan's wrath. Entirely excluded from heaven, he would do his worst to destroy God's loyal subjects on earth. "And the dragon was wroth with the woman, and went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which keep the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus Christ." Verse 17. Foreseeing that this fiendish onslaught awaited His disciples, Jesus taught them to pray daily: "Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven." Matt. 6: 10. The earthly conflict is not yet finished; but Satan knows that his time is short, and Christ's disciples should know that their prayers for the restoration of the earthly kingdom will soon be answered, that the invaders will finally be executed as traitors against God's government. 2 Peter 2: 2-4. DID THE OTHER WORLDS ESCAPE?
How many inhabited worlds have escaped without loss in this conflict is not revealed. Doubtless the parable of the one lost sheep as compared with the ninety and nine remaining in the fold is designed to suggest that the other worlds continued entirely loyal throughout the controversy. Heaven sustained a loss of subjects; but Christ, the first leader of the heavenly host, and His angels, were ever loyal there. This world alone was surrendered in the disobedience of Adam, its representative head. Hence, here Satan's principles of accusation and condemnation, and his propaganda of destruction, may be seen in marked contrast with the love of God, who "sent not His Son into the world to condemn the world; but that the world through Him might be saved." THE SOURCE OF ACCUSING AND CONDEMNING
To accuse and condemn is satanic. To love and save is Christian. Satan's exhibition of principles during six thousand years of world history, together with the havoc they have wrought, has forever determined the matter, with loyal subjects of the kingdom of God, of their relation to rebellion and sin in the future. God still tarries to make one universal call to sinners before the conflict closes. When the conflict is ended, and rebels have met the extreme penalty for their transgression, no one in the universe will ever desire to see a repetition of the experiences of rebellion. No one will ever again desire to secede from the government of God. Eternity will therefore demonstrate the love and wisdom of God in creating intelligent beings free to make their own choice of kingdom and king.
R. C. P. THE DAYS OF MIRACLES NOT PAST
By E. E. A.
The Contrary Teaching Is Out of Harmony with Fact—Some Definite Cases of Miracles in Healing the Sick
IN commenting on Dr. Eliot's "twentieth century religion," the New York Sun says:
"Indeed, the mere existence of men, women, fatherhood, motherhood, childhood, love, faith, is a miracle. The atmosphere of wonder and incomprehensibility fills the universe; and the supernatural, so-called, may be stranger and more mysterious in degree, but not in kind, than the so-called natural and normal."
Paul said to the Athenians assembled on Mars' Hill: "He [God] giveth to all life, and breath, and all things. . . . In Him we live, and move, and have our being; . . . for we are also His offspring." Acts 17:25, 28. HE PRESERVES OUR HEALTH ALSO
God is therefore our Father. He not only brought us into being, but He preserves our health. We are entirely dependent upon Him, moment by moment, for all that we have. "The eyes of all wait upon Thee; and Thou givest them their meat in due season. Thou openest Thine hand, and satisfiest the desire of every living thing." Ps. 145:15, 16. We may well pray, "Give us this day our daily bread."
"The Spirit of God hath made me, and the breath of the Almighty hath given me life." "If He set His heart upon man, if He gather unto Himself His spirit and His breath; all flesh shall perish together, and man shall turn again unto dust." Job 33:4; 34:14, 15. THE PHYSICIAN AND THE NURSE MAY REMOVE CAUSES
If, through the violation of nature's laws—which are the laws of God—or for other reason, we become ill, and are restored to health, it is not the physician or the nurse, however faithfully they may perform their duty, who heals us, but it is God. "I am the Lord that healeth thee." Ex. 15:26. "Bless the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all His benefits: who forgiveth all thine iniquities; who healeth all thy diseases." Ps. 103:2, 3. Man may assist in the removal of the cause of disease, he may bring about better conditions for the restoration of health, but he can not heal. THE ONE WHO IN REALITY HEALS
If the Lord is the Physician who heals all our diseases in the natural way, He can, if He wills, heal instantaneously. He has many times brought the dead back to life; and therefore He can restore the one who has passed beyond the reach of human skill, and who, without a special interposition of divine power, must die.
"He that cometh to God must believe that He is, and that He is a rewarder of them that diligently seek Him." Heb. 11:6. I trust I may be pardoned for referring to my own experience in healing by prayer. A number of times have I knelt with others beside the bed of one who apparently must die, whose physician said there was no human help for him; and after committing the case to God in harmony with His word, in some instances immediate relief was sent from heaven, and in others, while the change for the moment was not so marked, yet when faith grasped the promise of God, recovery began, and in time the sick were completely restored. In still other instances, while the presence of God's Holy Spirit was consciously felt in a marked degree, bringing the blessed assurance of sins forgiven and of acceptance with God, no change in the physical condition of the sick one was apparent, and death followed; but the prayer of faith will yet be answered fully in the resurrection of the consecrated sufferer at the last day.
One or two experiences may be of interest to the reader. A few years ago, I was called to the bedside of a young man who had203 been stricken with typhoid fever, and who at the time had been confined to his bed twenty-seven days. When I arrived, I found him entirely unconscious, and he had been in that condition for some time. Two physicians were in attendance, but they gave no hope of his recovery. Hemorrhage of the bowels had been in progress for about sixteen hours. He had been a devoted Christian worker, and, like the young man whom Jesus raised from the dead, he was "the only son of his mother, and she was a widow." Luke 7:11-16.
While, with a few friends, including the elder of the church, we were engaged in prayer, the conviction came clearly that it was the Lord's will to heal him. His consciousness returned, and he began to pray. After prayer, he fell into a restful sleep. Within two weeks from the time when prayer was offered and he was anointed, he was able to be up and to walk about, although his strength had not yet fully returned; and he was able to attend a camp-meeting held in his town. Another case was that of the wife of a minister of the gospel. At the time of my visit, she was very low. Her physician told her husband that he must be prepared for her death at any time. I remained with them overnight, and in the morning the husband and I knelt beside her bed and prayed over her, anointing her with oil in the name of the Lord, in harmony with the instruction in James 5:14, 15. The Lord heard our earnest entreaty in behalf of the sorely afflicted wife and mother, and she was immediately restored to health, and arose from her bed and dressed. This was more nearly like the cases of healing recorded in the Scripture than any it has been my privilege to witness. A council of physicians had been called the evening before, and they stated that she might not live through the night. From that morning, she was perfectly well.
It was not any power or holiness we possessed that restored that mother to her family of little ones, who so much needed her care; but it was faith in the blessed name of Jesus, and in His precious promise to the sick, that wrought the change. To Him shall be all the praise forever.
"Jesus answering saith unto them, Have faith in God. For verily I say unto you, that whosoever shall say unto this mountain, Be thou removed, and be thou cast into the sea; and shall not doubt in his heart, but shall believe that those things which he saith shall come to pass; he shall have whatsoever he saith. Therefore I say unto you, What things soever ye desire, when ye pray, believe that ye receive them, and ye shall have them." Mark 11:22-24.
We have not passed the days of miracles. God still lives, and hears and answers the prayer of faith. As we return to apostolic living, and apostolic faith, we shall see apostolic power manifested in the miraculous healing of the sick, and in other signs and wonders to confirm the Word. 4286—DOES IT REFER TO THE CHRISTIAN?
By Editor
Please explain Rom. 7:15-19. Do these texts refer to the converted, or to the unconverted person? E. H. L. This scripture is outlining ordinary human experience, and of course especially refers to those who are seeking to break away from the lusts of the flesh and of sin in general, and to enter into the liberty of the gospel of Christ. The unconverted person may know from experience that this scripture is true; and the individual who has accepted Christ knows that he has to combat these same tendencies. We make a mistake when we believe that the converted person passes beyond the place where he has to war against the flesh. The same apostle who wrote this letter to the Romans says in his letter to the Philippians: "Not as though I had already attained, either were already perfect: but I follow after, if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not myself to have apprehended: but this one thing I do, forgetting those things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those things which are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus. Let us therefore, as many as be perfect, be thus minded: and if in anything ye be otherwise minded, God shall reveal even this unto you." Phil. 3:12-15. Paul does not claim perfection, except as is indicated in the fifteenth verse of this last quotation. That is the perfection that consists in being "thus minded," and his mind was that he had not attained to perfection, but must "press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God." In one of his letters to the Corinthians Paul says: "Every man that striveth for the mastery is temperate in all things. Now they do it to obtain a corruptible crown; but we an incorruptible. I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air: but I keep under my body, and bring it into subjection: lest that by any means, when I have preached to others, I myself should be a castaway." 1 Cor. 9:25-27. In this scripture, Paul recognizes that the Christian race is a struggle. We are to strive for the mastery. We are to be temperate in all things. We are to fight, not as one that is beating the air, that is fighting imaginary foes. The works of the flesh against which we contend are real foes. Then he says he was under the necessity of keeping under his body, and bringing it into subjection, so that he might not be a castaway, even after he had preached to others. This striving that Paul speaks of is in perfect harmony with the Master's instruction, "Strive to enter in at the strait gate: for many, I say unto you, will seek to enter in, and shall not be able." Luke 13:24. The whole tenor of the Word is to the effect that the Christian warfare is a constant battle; but it is God's plan, and it may be our experience, that every one of these battles is an assured victory. God's word to us is: "My little children, these things write I unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous. And He is the propitiation for our sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the whole world." 1 John 2:1, 2. So God sends His word to us in order that we may "sin not." But "like as a father pitieth his children, so the Lord pitieth them that fear Him. For He knoweth our frame; He remembereth that we are dust." Ps. 103:13, 14. Hence He makes the provision to give us more than one opportunity. "If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous." The gospel provides against our falling under discouragement in the battle with sin; we are also admonished against the exaltation of the self-righteousness of the scribes and Pharisees. 4287 — What Country Is Meant?
Kindly explain Heb. 11: 15. What country referred to? What lesson for us?
F. O. O. Heb. 11: 15 reads, "And truly, if they had been mindful of that country from whence they came out, they might have had opportunity to have returned." The thirteenth verse, speaking of individuals from Abel on down, says they have "confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth." The fourteenth verse states that "they that say such things declare plainly that they seek a country." The sixteenth verse says that the better country they are seeking is the heavenly. Therefore the apostle is comparing this earth, with its transitory and fading conditions, with the heavenly country, which is permanent; and many scriptures unite in showing that the heavenly country is the new earth that is to be given to the redeemed. The lesson for us would be to devote all of our time and energies in this life to serving God, so that we may enter that heavenly country. Careful study of just what the Scriptures say enables the student to grasp their clear meaning. That is the one great secret of all true Bible study. It is not to seek to know what the Scriptures mean, but to seek to understand clearly what the Scriptures say. The individual who acquires the habit of studying to know just what the Scriptures say, is the one who is in the path for gaining true Bible knowledge. SYSTEMATIC BIBLE STUDY
By Editor
IN reading the Bible, it is well to form the habit of noting carefully the contents of chapters, and then thinking over the contents of the various books. In noting the contents of chapters, for instance, in our reading for this week, in Leviticus 19 we find, to mention just a few of the things that might be noted, that the offerings were to be "at your own will." In harvest-time the corners of the field were to be left, and no gleaning was to be done, so that the poor and the stranger might find something to eat. Particular care should be given to the deaf and the blind. We are to be no respecters of persons, be they poor or rich. The talebearer is reproved. We are to guard against holding grudges. The cuttings in the flesh for the dead, so commonly practised among some heathen nations, are reproved. Warnings are given against those who have familiar spirits. We are to pay respect to the hoary-headed, the aged. The stranger that sojourns with us is to be treated courteously, and justice in weights and righteousness in judgment are called for. When we begin in this way to note the contents of some of the chapters of the divine Book, how full of meaning and instruction they are found to be! Read a chapter in Leviticus each week-day and two on the Sabbath. Read a psalm each day. Read a chapter in Acts each week-day and two on the Sabbath.