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THE LAW OF GOD'S KINGDOM
By R. C. P.
It Has Been Definitely Announced—It Is Infallible and Eternal in Character—Christ Affirmed It Anew When Here—The Standard in the Judgment
THE character of the king indicates the character of the laws of the kingdom. And the character of the laws indicates the character of the subjects. For this reason, in the study of the kingdom of God, a study of its laws is of first importance.
God is perfect, holy, and just. A God whose ways and works are perfect (Deut. 32:4; Ps. 18:30), whose character is holy (1 Peter 1:16), and whose throne is founded upon justice (Ps. 89:14), can but enact laws in harmony with His character.
HIS LAW IS INFALLIBLE
We have, therefore, the most conclusive evidence that the laws of the kingdom of God, founded upon the infallible basis of God's character, are infallible. The psalmist emphasizes this view in the statement, "The law of the Lord is perfect"; and an apostle to the Gentiles, in the declaration, "Wherefore the law is holy, and the commandment holy, and just, and good." Rom. 7:12. God is also a spiritual being, and He requires that they who worship Him shall worship Him in spirit and in truth. John 4:24. He must therefore promulgate a spiritual law commanding worship. This He has done. "For we know that the law is spiritual: but I am carnal, sold under sin." Rom. 7:14.
AN INFALLIBLE GOD COULD NOT GIVE A FALLIBLE LAW
In these passages is revealed the axiomatic truth that a perfect, holy, just, and spiritual God has given a law in keeping with His character as the law of His kingdom. For an infallible God to give a fallible law as the great constitution of His kingdom, would be inconsistent. Such an act would impeach His wisdom and justice.
The fact that God made angels and men sinlessly perfect in the beginning, before giving them the laws of His kingdom, is evidence that as He created them, He designed them to live. His law must therefore maintain the standard of creation, or the law would be out of character with the workmanship of its Author. For the law to be altered and its standard lowered in order to harmonize with the standard of character of a transgressor would be to nullify the law and dethrone the Lawgiver. His right to govern lies in His unimpeachable wisdom, power, perfection, and justice. If God had been so unwise as to establish a law necessitating immediate alteration in order to meet unforeseen contingencies in the administration of His government, His subjects would have discredited His wisdom and ceased to worship Him as God. But105this Paul says God has not done. The law is still holy, just, and good, although subjects have become carnal, sold under sin.
THE LAW ETERNALLY DEMANDS HOLINESS
At the time the law of the kingdom of God was proclaimed from Sinai, the Lord said: "Now therefore, if ye will obey My voice indeed, and keep My covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto Me above all people: for all the earth is Mine: and ye shall be unto Me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation." Ex. 19:5, 6. In the twentieth chapter of Exodus follows the proclamation, by the King, of the law of Ten Commandments as the law of His kingdom.
The entrance of sin and the degradation of subjects as the result, has not in the slightest degree lessened the demand of the law of the kingdom of God for perfect holiness. The standard maintained in the law remains unchanged. A God "with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning," can no more alter the great constitution of His kingdom than He can change His own character; hence He declares, "My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of My lips." Ps. 89:34. The Ten Commandments written with the finger of God on two tables of stone, were the words that had proceeded from His lips in the audience of the people, "and He added no more." Deut. 5:22.
The unimpeachable wisdom of God is therefore forever settled in that His infallible law, as originally set forth, demands the same perfection of character since man has become carnal through sin, as it did in the beginning; and the Lawgiver leaves no room for question as to its unchangeable character, in that He declares that He will never alter it.
CHRIST PROCLAIMED THE LAW OF THE KINGDOM
When Christ came, His whole mission was the proclamation of the gospel of the kingdom. In proclaiming it, He recognized the necessity of proclaiming the law of the kingdom. This He did in the most emphatic announcement, "It is easier for heaven and earth to pass, than one tittle of the law to fail." Luke 16:17. "Think not that I am come to destroy the law, or the prophets: I am not come to destroy, but to fulfil. For verily I say unto you, Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no wise pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." Matt. 5:17, 18.
This is the Lawgiver announcing in a portion of His kingdom, where rebellion has swept every subject into transgression, that the dominion of the law remains unchanged in every "tittle." In verses twenty-one and twenty-seven He quotes two precepts, that all may know that the law to which He refers as the law of His kingdom is the Ten Commandments; and in verse nineteen He draws His conclusion in terms that not only a jurist, but even a child familiar with the meaning of law, can understand. "Whosoever therefore shall break one of these least commandments, and shall teach men so, he shall be called the least in the kingdom of heaven: but whosoever shall do and teach them, the same shall be called great in the kingdom of heaven." Matt. 5:19. He did not set all His disciples to teaching the law abolished. On the contrary, He emphasized its unaltered perpetuity, in the strongest and simplest terms that human language could express. Ignorance of its meaning is therefore inexcusable.
NOT ALTERED TO ACCOMMODATE TRANSGRESSORS
James, in like manner, speaks of the same "royal" or kingly law, quoting the same commands used by the Master as the basis for his reasoning (James 2:8, 11), and concludes with the statement, "For whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Verse 10. Here again the infallible wisdom of God is proclaimed in the unqualified announcement that every precept of the "royal" law as originally given remains unaltered. Who can conceive of a perfect law being altered to accommodate transgressors? Such a charge against God would be little less than blasphemy. It would be to declare that He had become intimidated by a rebellion with which He was unable to cope on just grounds, and had yielded right principles of law in order to compromise with transgressors. When one remembers the statement that at His word every one that is proud shall be brought low, such a conclusion is impossible.
THE JUDGMENT-DAY STANDARD
James draws another conclusion that leaves any change or abolition of the law absolutely out of the question for eternity: "So speak ye, and so do, as they that shall be judged by the law of liberty." Verse 12. The Judgment settles all cases for eternity. The same law by which all shall be judged, will be the standard by which loyal subjects shall live eternally. Restoration to the kingdom, beyond the Judgment, must be by acquittal in compliance with the same law for the transgression of which subjects were originally expelled as rebels against the government. If this is not the case, then the law is admitted to be imperfect, and the original sentence was unjust. Solomon, whose wisdom is proverbial, writing by inspiration of God, therefore wisely concludes his book of Ecclesiastes with the solemn appeal to all mankind: "Let us hear the conclusion of the whole matter: Fear God, and keep His commandments: for this is the whole duty of man. For God shall bring every work into judgment, with every secret thing, whether it be good, or whether it be evil." Eccl. 12:13, 14. R. C. P.
ONE HUNDREDTH ANNIVERSARY OF PEACE
Proposed Celebration Among English-Speaking Peoples
It was on Christmas eve, 1814, that representatives of this nation and representatives from Great Britain together signed the Treaty of Ghent, which ended the war of 1812. Mr. John Quincy Adams was one of those who, on behalf of the United States, signed this treaty, and shortly afterward he expressed the hope that the peace thus restored should be enduring. Soon thereafter, peace societies came into being in both America and England, and "within three years, by formal agreement, the boundary-line between the United States and Canada became a mere political limitation, like the peaceful boundaries that separate the states of the American Union, instead of a series of fortifications between two nations mutually distrustful of one another."
England and the United States now for a full century have been able to settle all their disputes and difficulties by diplomacy and arbitration. And the suggestion was made four years ago, by the American Peace Committee, that there be a general celebration, not only in this country, but in Great Britain, and in all her self-governing colonies, of this century of peace between English-speaking nations.
To be sure, these nations have had rebellions among themselves, as, for instance, the great war of 1861-64 in this country; and both this country and England have had wars with other nations since that time. But as between the English-speaking peoples themselves, they have not been at war with each other; and so it is proposed that a great celebration shall proclaim to the world the benefits of this era of peace. The whole world has been invited to enter into it, and it is hoped that such a celebration of such a world-wide character may tend toward permanent international peace.
We appreciate the aims and purposes that we are sure many of these large-souled men and women have in putting forth such efforts to create a sentiment in favor of peace. There is nothing so demoralizing, so brutal, and so barbarous as war. It is entirely foreign to every sentiment and principle of the great Prince of peace; and while recognizing these principles, and while seeking to labor in every way that we possibly can to promote and perpetuate peace, yet we can not be blind to the fact that the spirit of war is as strong in this generation as it ever was in the history of this world. Commerce and trade on the one hand, and religion on the other, have been the two great incentives to practically all the wars of history. This age is commercially mad. Men are struggling for commercial supremacy, and great princes of commerce are combining the world through interlocking confederacies for securing and holding trade.
Religious combinations which may seem fair, and promise much on the surface, are making their appearance; and he who has carefully noted how history repeats itself, must regard them as ominous. Thus we have these two great elements, commerce and religion, occupying positions in the world that indicate, to the careful observer, that the materials for war are still with us, and in as great proportions as ever.
But regardless of all appearances that would mark the tendencies of war, the prophets of the Bible have declared, not merely in some isolated or obscure text, but in numerous passages, that the closing days of this world's history would be marked by the intensities of war preparations that would finally lead to the great and final battle-fields of Armageddon.
And more striking still, if such could be the case, these same prophets point out the fact that while these war-clouds are gathering and the nations are making their great war preparations, yet there will be such outward enthusiasm in favor of peace that finally the position will be reached where the whole world will be107saying, "Peace and safety," just before the great, sudden destruction of Armageddon's war.
The prophets make these things plain, and we can see in the world the conditions that fit the prophetic declarations accurately. There never was a time in the world's history when there were such awful preparations for war, and never was there a time when more was said in favor of peace, and when there were greater or more influential peace societies and peace organizations. It is a strange medley of contradictory conditions, and the marvelous thing of it all is that the prophets thousands of years ago should have foretold these things that appear to be so opposite in character as to render them wholly unlikely ever to occur.
Isaiah and Micah tell of the many people who will be saying that they will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning-hooks; and John the seer of Patmos, and Jeremiah, and Joel, tell us that at the time of the Judgment the nations will be angry, and that the spirits of demons will be stirring the kings of the earth to war preparatory to the rush into the furies of Armageddon.
All Christian peoples must do everything within their power to work for peace, because they are marshaled under the banner of the great Prince of peace. But while working for peace, we must not close our eyes to the prophetic utterances which reveal to us the true meaning of the conditions of this time; because through that prophetic Word we look beyond the turmoil of Armageddon to the glorious scene of the coming of Christ, bringing with Him an immortal crown of glory for every individual who accepts Him and who through His power has been prepared to receive Him.
SYSTEMATIC BIBLE STUDY
SYSTEMATIC BIBLE STUDY
By Editor
IN our reading last week we found, among many other precious things, this wonderful promise:
"God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and though the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea; though the waters thereof roar and be troubled, though the mountains shake with the swelling thereof." Ps. 46: 1-3.
In these times when storm, earthquake, and flood are spreading destruction in so many parts of the world, how assuring and restful it is to stand upon such promises! And how good it is to know that the Infinite One has given them! It is only when we carefully read the entire Bible by course that we can make sure of finding all these gems of divine inspiration.
Read a chapter in each of these books on each week-day, and on the Sabbath read two chapters in Exodus and two in Luke.
The reading in Exodus contains some important statements on the Sabbath question. "The Lord's Day the Test of the Ages," by Wilcox, and "History of the Sabbath," by Conradi, are two of the most helpful works on this subject.
4262 — OFFERED BY MAN OR BY GOD — WHICH?
By Editor
Was the suffering and death of Jesus as a sacrifice for sin an offering made by God Himself, or was Christ an offering made by mankind? E. M. M.
"God so loved the world, that He gave His only-begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in Him should not perish, but have everlasting life." John 3:16. This text very plainly says that God gave His Son; therefore He was an offering from the Father Himself. Another one of the many similar texts reads, "He that spared not His own Son, but delivered Him up for us all, how shall He not with Him also freely give us all things?" Rom. 8:32.
God, in His love to humanity, did not withhold His most precious treasure. God gave His Son, and the Son was willing to be given as a sacrifice for the redemption of mankind. The love of both the Father and the Son was so great that They did not stagger at paying an infinite price to redeem these objects of Their love. Humanity had nothing to offer. The offering came from the great Father Himself.
He has so barricaded it against error, that if we desire to know His truth we will find impregnable forts into which we may enter and from which we may readily perceive and understand the meaning of every other text. As already suggested, to have the robes washed is equivalent to keeping the commandments of God. They mean one and the same thing. The far-fetched excuses that some people invent to cast discredit upon the clear duty of the keeping of God's commandments will present themselves to all in their great absurdity in the Judgment-day, and there are many people who can see the absurdity of them now.
Is the popular version of Rev. 22:14 correct? Does the original script read "do His commandments," or "wash their robes"? H. T.
The Greek word from which "commandments" in Rev. 22:14 is translated in our King James Version is entole, and every time that entole occurs in the New Testament it is translated in the King James Version by either "precept" or "commandment." But some manuscripts read stole, and stole is translated by "clothing," "dress," "robe," etc. It all depends on which of the manuscripts we are following as to whether the translation is a correct one or not.
But what difference does it make which of these original manuscripts we follow in this particular text? Those who have washed their robes and those who do His commandments are one and the same. Such things are only quibbles; for the manuscript of Tischendorf, and that of Westcott & Hort, both of which use stole in Rev. 22:14, agree in saying that Rev. 14:12 is entole in all the best manuscripts. And Rev. 14:12 reads, "Here is the patience of the saints; here are they that keep the commandments of God, and the faith of Jesus." Concerning this text, which describes a leading characteristic of the church that will be prepared to meet Christ when He comes, there can be no questionings; and so long as Rev. 14:12 stands as a mighty Gibraltar in defense of the observance of God's holy commandments, we can allow people to take their choice of translations and manuscripts in Rev. 22:14, for there is nothing involved that is essential.
These verses give a prophecy of how complete will be the annihilation of the Israelites' enemies. The burning of their weapons would indicate that God designed that nothing belonging to them should be left to pollute the land.
But there were a great many things prophesied for ancient Israel that were dependent for their fulfilment upon certain things that Israel herself was to do; but she did not fulfil her part, and so the prophecies remain without a fulfilment, so far as ancient Israel is concerned. But many of these prophecies, while having a local and incidental reference to ancient Israel, look forward for their great and complete accomplishment at the close of time, when all the true Israel of God will be redeemed and placed in possession of their everlasting reward. The setting of this prophecy would indicate that in the main it was pointing forward to the complete victories that will be given to the true Israel of God. By keeping this thought in mind when reading many of the prophetic utterances of Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel, we will see much light in passages of Scripture that otherwise might seem obscure to us.
4265 — CLIFF-DWELLERS
I am sending you some views of the ancient cliff-dwellers of Colorado. Have been told that like things are found in Arizona. Will you please tell us what is known of the origin of that race of people? J. W.
Better still than to tell you what is known of this race of people, we will suggest to you how you may investigate for yourself all such cases. You live in one of the large cities of our nation. There is no large city but has its extensive public library. These libraries may be found in most of our small villages, also, so there are very few people anywhere in the nation who do not have access to these storehouses of knowledge. The librarians in charge of these public libraries are usually able to direct you promptly to what books they have upon their shelves on any given subject, and thus you can study any question of this character much more extensively and much more satisfactorily than we could give it to you through the question department of the SIGNS OF THE TIMES. And the same principle involved in the question of the cliff-dwellers would apply in any similar matter that you might want to know. About all we would have space to say concerning these dwellings is that they are found in Arizona, Utah, New Mexico, and western Colorado. Some of the most modern investigators have reached the conclusion that the cliff dwellers are ancestors of the Pueblo Indians.
This suggestion in regard to visiting public libraries for information must not lead to the conclusion that we are averse to answering questions, and we particularly invite any question upon topics that specifically pertain to the Bible. But in reference to certain kinds of questions, we believe it is more helpful to suggest ways by which individuals may themselves find them out, than merely to answer single questions.
4266 — SUPPER AT BETHANY
In Matt. 26:6-13 the text speaks of the head of Jesus being anointed, but in Luke 7:36-50 and John 12:3-8 the feet only are mentioned. Would you please enlighten me about this? E. T. H.
There is no contradiction in these texts. The ordinary anointing of hospitality was of the feet and head. Mary did both, but the apostles did not all record all the details. One mentioned one thing, and one another; but the omission of one detail in one account does not necessarily imply that it did not occur.
