The Present Truth, vol. 15

November 23, 1899

“The Blood of Sprinkling” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

The longsuffering of God had waited on Pharaoh in vain, so far as he was concerned. Through many and grievous plagues God had preserved him, to show His power in him, that the name of God might be declared throughout all the earth. And truly the power of God was manifested, and manifested, as it always is, for salvation; but Pharaoh would not believe, and so it was ineffectual in his case. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 737.1

Delay was no longer of any avail. Judgments were unheeded, and mercy was despised; and the Lord was about to send all his plagues upon the heart of Pharaoh, and to put him off from the earth. Yet one more chance would be given him. By one act every person, both of the children of Israel and of the Egyptians might show their faith in God if they had any. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 737.2

Directions were given concerning the preparation of a lamb. Each family was to have one, and to kill it in the evening. And so the order ran: “They shall take of the blood, and strike it on the two side posts and on the upper door post of the houses wherein they shall eat it.” “It is the Lord's Passover. For I will pass through the land this night, and will smite all the firstborn in the land of Egypt, both man and beast; ... and the blood shall be to you a token upon the houses where ye are; and when I see the blood I will pass over you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt.” Exodus 12:6, 7, 11-13. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 737.3

The directions were very specific. Moses called for all the elders of Israel, and told them how to kill a lamb, and continued: “Ye shall take of a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side posts with the blood that is in the bason; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. For the Lord will pass through to smite the Egyptians; and when He seeth the blood upon the lintel, and on the two side posts, the Lord will pass over the door, and will not suffer the destroyer to come in unto your houses to smite you.” Verses 21-23. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 737.4

Here was perfect equality. There was no difference made between Jew and Gentile, because the same Lord over all is rich unto all that call upon Him. Romans 10:12. If the Jew did not believe, he would suffer with the unbelieving Egyptians; and by the same rule if the Egyptians believed, he would be saved with the believing Jew. Faith is the distinguishing mark of the true Israelites. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 737.5

What is all this to us? What interests have we in the history of that affair that took place nearly thirty-five hundred years ago? Just this: “Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning, that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope.” Romans 15:4. The lamb that was slain signified Christ, who is our Passover, and who is sacrificed for us. 1 Corinthians 5:7. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 737.6

God's people are still in Egypt, and the Lord has set his hand again the second time to deliver them from the house of bondage. Isaiah 11:15, 16. The darkness that covered the land of Egypt was but a sign of the darkness that covers the earth, and the gross darkness that covers the people, when the Lord shall arise upon them, and His glory shall be seen upon them, as the Sun of Righteousness arises with healing in His wings. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.1

Therefore we come to Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling. We are not redeemed from our vain manner of life by corruptible things as silver and gold, but by the precious blood of Christ, as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot. 1 Peter 1:18, 19. We have all sinned, and therefore sentence of death has been passed upon us, but we are justified freely by the grace of God, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, “whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation, through faith in His blood, to show His righteousness, because of the passing over of the sins done aforetime, in the forbearance of God.” Romans 3:23-25. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.2

The blood is the life, and this is what Christ poured out to us and for us on the cross. “Being now justified by His blood, we shall be saved from wrath through Him. For if, when we were enemies, we were reconciled to God by the death of His Son, much more, being reconciled, we shall be saved by His life.” Romans 8:9, 10. He died for all, so that all, without exception, may appropriate the blood. And He lives for all, so that all may take shelter under His life. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.3

Faith takes hold of the sacrifice, made “once for all,” and appropriates it. Everywhere we may see it, for the drops of blood shed by Christ have fertilised the soil even of the sin-cursed earth, so that it brings forth bud, and flower, and fruit, the stalk and the ear and the full corn in the ear. But for that blood, which flows from the throne of God in a “pure river of water of life, as clear as crystal,” and distils to the earth in the dew and the rain, the earth would be but a desert-a chaotic mass. Christ Himself has sprinkled the blood upon us; for “as by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation; even so by the righteousness of One the free gift came upon all men unto justification of life.” Romans 5:18. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.4

What have we then to do? Abide in the house! God is and has been our dwelling place in all generations. Life only by the faith of the Son of God, who loved us, and gave Himself for each one of us. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto Himself (2 Corinthians 5:19); hence He has purchased us “with His own blood.” Acts 20:28. If we abide under the blood,-the life of God,-He must pass over us when He goes out to destroy, for “He cannot deny Himself.” “He that dwelleth in the secret place of the Most High shall abide under the shadow of the Almighty,” and be as secure as He is. Living by faith in Him, it is no longer we, but God living and working in us, so that He sees not us, but His own life. What a sure dwelling place! PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.5

“Rock of Ages, cleft for me,
Let me hide myself in Thee;
Let the water and the blood,
From Thy riven side which flowed,
Be of sin the double cure,
Save me from its guilt and power.” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.6

“The Gospel of Isaiah. God's Witnesses. Isaiah 43:8-13” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

(Isaiah 43:8-13.)

“Bring forth the blind people that have eyes, and the deaf that have ears. Let all the nations be gathered together, and let the peoples be assembled; who among them can declare this, and show us former things? let them bring their witnesses, that they may be justified; or let them hear, and say, It is truth. Ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, and My Servant, whom I have chosen; that ye may know and believe Me, and understand that I am He; before Me there was no god formed, neither shall there be after Me. I even I, am the Lord; and beside Me there is no Saviour. I have declared, and I have saved, and I have showed, and there was no strange god among you; therefore ye are My witnesses, saith the Lord, that I am God. Yea, before the day was, I am He; and there is none that can deliver out of My hand; I will work, and who shall let it?” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.7

A NEW CHALLENGE

This lesson brings us to the very heart of the trial. All nations are challenged to come into court with their witnesses, and justify themselves in their opposition to God. They refuse to submit to His authority. In that case therefore they ought to be able to show themselves superior to Him. This is a repetition of the call made in the forty-first chapter, but the student will notice that the Lord abates something of His demands upon them. In the former instance He called upon them all to come, and to produce their strong reasons, saying, “Let them bring them forth, and show us what shall happen; let them show the former things, what they be, that we may consider them, and know the latter end of them; or declare us things for to come. Show the things that are to come hereafter, that we may know that ye are gods.” That was altogether too much, and there was none that could utter a word. Now the Lord says, “Who among them can declare this, and show us former things?” They cannot tell things to come; very well, try something easier: show what has happened. Surely that is the least that could be asked of proud boasters. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.8

THE PROPHET THE ONLY TRUE HISTORIAN

But they cannot do even that. It requires just as much prophetic power to tell correctly what has happened as it does to tell what shall take place in the future. There are thousands of histories written, but after one has read all of them, he does not know the truth of the things concerning which they treat. Even many of the events recorded never took place, but are merely local gossip that grew with the telling, and after the lapse of hundreds of years, is taken as fact. Everybody knows how a rumour will grow, and how in a very few days it will be repeated in all seriousness by the most well-intentioned persons as a veritable fact. It is said that Von Ranke, one of the greatest historians, has an object lesson in this, which made him very careful in his writing. He was absent from home for a few days, and during his absence an accident occurred, by which several persons were injured. On his return he tried to ascertain the facts in the case, but none of his informants, all of whom saw the affair, agreed in their accounts of it. One had one story, and another had another. Of course all could not be correct, and it was quite likely that all were more or less wrong. Then the historian said, “If I cannot get the exact facts about a thing that happened in my own neighbourhood within a few days past, when I can talk with the eyewitnesses, how can I be sure of what happened hundreds of years ago?” We do not need to go abroad for an experience in this respect; who has not had many similar experiences in trying to learn the details of any affair? Carlyle, himself, an historian, says, “Foolish History, ever, more or less, the written epitomised synopsis of Rumour, knows so little that were not as well unknown.” Even when we have the exact facts recorded, the human historian cannot tell us the truth of what lay behind the events: the motives of the actors. He draws inferences, but he cannot read the heart; and so the real history remains a sealed book. Only in the Judgment will the exact truth of all things be known. When the hidden things of darkness are brought to light, and the counsels of the heart are made manifest (1 Corinthians 4:5), at the coming of the Lord, then we can study the history of the world with certainty. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 738.9

HOW TO STUDY HISTORY

But can we not know anything of the past? Must we discount everything that we read in history? Is all study of history useless? Yes and no. We may study history profitably or we may study it to no profit whatever. We may know some of the things that have happened in the past, if we study in the light of the Word of God, who was, and is, and is to come, and who therefore knows things past and present and future equally well. He can do what He challenges the heathen to do; tell former things and also what shall be. Whoever studies history, and ignores the revelation which God has given, might far better let the study alone. It is to him worse than useless. God, who knows the hearts of men, always tells the exact truth, and He alone can do it. If one will first become acquainted with God's Word, knowing it not merely as a record of facts, but as a living power, he may read history written by men with profit; for being filled with the Spirit of truth, he will be able to discern the truth and error, even of things of which the Bible has not spoken particularly. When we say that the Bible is the place to study history, we do not mean that the Bible contains an account of all that has happened in the past, nor even of all that it may be useful to know; but the Bible does contain an outline of all history, even of what are called “pre-historic times,” so that it is a faithful guide, and it enables one to know the truth. This is the promise of Jesus, “If ye continue in My Word, then are ye My disciples indeed; and ye shall know the truth.” John 8:31, 32. Man cannot tell the truth even of what is passing in his own heart; how foolish then are his assumptions of wisdom in the face of God! PTUK November 23, 1899, page 739.1

GOD ALONE SPEAKS TRUTH

“Let them bring forth their witnesses that they may be justified.” If men could tell the truth, the whole truth, then it follows that they would be justified. That is self-evident. If men could substantiate their statements, if they could make their words stand for ever, then there could be no case against them. In that case, God would be disgraced, because their words are against Him. But every day proves how utterly unable man is to tell the truth, even when he does not mean to deceive. On the contrary, the Word of God is settled for ever in heaven, and even the thoughts of His heart endure to all generations. Psalm 119:89; 33:11. The instead of our seeking to justify ourselves, let us hear the Word of God, and say, “It is truth.” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 739.2

MEN TO BE GOD'S MOUTHPIECES

Now God speaks to the people whom He has called from the north and the south, and from the ends of the earth, even every one that is called by His name, and says, “Ye are My witnesses.” God has spoken, but His word is denied; His character has been impeached; it is evident, therefore, that He must have somebody to testify in His behalf, if He shall win His case. This is not theory, but actual fact. If there could be no one found to testify for God, He would lose His case; for the charge against Him is that He is not able to save. He started out by making man, and placing him over the earth as its lord; man has lost the dominion; he has turned against the One whom he was designed to represent; if therefore God were unable to win anybody back to Him, to be faithful and true witnesses for Him, that would prove that He was not God. So God must have witnesses, and have them He will, even if he should be obliged to make new men out of stones. Although God has spoken, He rests His case on the testimony of men. It is by the lives of men, that the world is to learn the truth of God. John 17:21. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 739.3

We are associated with Jesus as witnesses in this case. The Lord says, “Ye are My witnesses, and My Servant whom I have chosen.” See chapter 42:1-4. From Him we are to learn the kind of witness to be rendered. “No man hath seen God at any time; the only begotten Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, He hath declared Him.” John 1:18. Only in Christ can we know who God is, so that we can testify in His behalf, and we can know Him only as He is revealed in us. Let us first then study Christ as a witness for God. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 739.4

CHRIST THE FAITHFUL AND TRUE WITNESS

His name is the Word of God, and He is also called Faithful and True. Revelation 19:11-13. He is “the faithful and true witness, the beginning of the creation of God.” Revelation 3:14. Before Pontius Pilate He “witnessed a good confession” (1 Timothy 6:13), and said to him, “To this end was I born, and for this cause came I into the world, that I should bear witness unto the truth. Every one that is of the truth heareth My voice.” John 18:37. He Himself is the truth. John 14:6. In Him all fulness dwells, therefore He tells the whole truth; and there is no unrighteousness in Him, so that He tells nothing but the truth. He is therefore a perfect witness, He does not testify of hearsay, but says, “We speak that we do know, and testify that we have seen.” John 3:11. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 739.5

Jesus was able to render perfect testimony, because “God was with Him.” “God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto Himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them.” 2 Corinthians 5:19. But God is with us, beseeching by us as He was by Christ, and we are ambassadors in the stead of Christ. Therefore if we do not properly represent the Lord it is because we reject His presence. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.1

THE SPIRIT OF THE TRUE WITNESS

When God calls our attention to His Servant whom He upholds, He says, “I have put My Spirit upon Him.” Isaiah 42:1. “It is the Spirit that beareth witness, because the Spirit is truth.” 1 John 5:6. Without the Spirit of truth, no one can tell the truth; his very life is a lie. So before Christ sent His disciples forth, He said, “Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you, and ye shall be My witnesses both in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and unto the uttermost part of the earth.” Acts 1:8. We are therefore placed on an equality with Christ, in the matter of witnessing, since we have the same Spirit given to us that He had. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.2

REPROOFS OF INSTRUCTION

Wisdom cries, and says, “Turn you at My reproof; behold, I will pour out My Spirit upon you, I will make known My words unto you.” Proverbs 1:23. This is in keeping with the message of comfort. The Holy Spirit, the Comforter, comes with conviction; if we turn at His reproofs, then we receive the fulness of the Spirit, and thus we know the words of God; and then the Spirit dwelling in us will testify of the truth. This testimony will not be merely verbal, but will be the testimony of the life, revealing itself in “love, joy, peace, long-suffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance” (Galatians 5:22-23); in short, all the attributes of God. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.3

THE WITNESS OF CREATION

All nature testifies of God. His everlasting power and Divinity are revealed in everything that He has made. Romans 1:20. Even among heathen peoples, where the Scriptures were never seen, He left not Himself without witness, in that He did good, and gave rain and fruitful seasons, providing food and joy for the people. Acts 14:17. “The heavens declare the glory of God.” From inanimate creation we learn the kind of witness that the Lord desires. It is simply the revealing of His indwelling presence. It is simply to let the world know that He is. In that He is, He is in us; therefore if our lives do not reveal the character of God, we are false witnesses; we make Him seem to be other than He is. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.4

God has a claim upon all men; all are rightfully His witnesses. He has summoned all, and has given to all the witnesses, even the blood of Christ-His own life. There is not a soul on earth that does not live solely by the life of God, the life that is secured to us by the death of Jesus Christ whom He has sent. Since all receive life from Him, and it is His own life, it is self-evident that the character of God, and that only, ought to be revealed in all. If any do not reveal the character of God, they say either that it is not the life of God which they have (which is a lie), or else that God is such an one as they are, which is also a lie. Every one who testifies against God is therefore one of God's witnesses who has perjured himself. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.5

GOD ALONE HAS POWER

In what God has done for us when there was obviously no other helper, He has given evidence that He is God. Verse 2 was specially enacted when Israel came out of Egypt, and crossed the Red Sea. All the idols of Egypt had been overthrown, and the things in which the Egyptians trusted, were shown to be useless, and were destroyed. God saved His people when there was no strange god among them, and they acknowledged that Jehovah was a great King above all gods. By His working among them they were witnesses that He is God. We ourselves are in the same position. Every day are we unconscious witnesses that He is God. Whatever gods men serve besides the only true God, are gods of their own making, and therefore of less power than the men themselves. Every day men breathe, without giving the matter a thought; they even lie down at night and sleep, losing all consciousness, yet they continue breathing. Every breath is therefore a witness to the presence and loving power of God. Then when men speak against God, or speak that which is not truth, they prove themselves to be false witnesses, because their witness is contradictory. With the breath which is evidence of the love and power of God, they deny Him. God's case is sure; there is none but He that can deliver, and there is none that can pluck one of His saved ones out of His hand. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.6

There is the most blessed comfort imaginable in this, that all are of right witnesses. All are “accepted in the Beloved.” He has not cast off a single soul. It is on the fact that He in no wise casts any out, but that He receives and pardons and cleanses all, making them new creatures, kings and priests, that God rests His case. God is obliged to receive all who come to Him, or else the charge against Him will stand good. But it is not merely a question of whether or not God will receive a man. He does not leave it uncertain. That is, He does not give anybody cause to wonder if He will receive him. No; God Himself goes out to seek the lost, and whenever He finds one who is dishonouring His name, it may be by lying drunk in the gutter like a beast instead of standing upright like the king that God made man, He says, “You belong to Me; you are one of My witnesses; I have a right to your testimony, for I have given you My life.” And by the power of His own life; by the power by which He is from everlasting to everlasting, and by which He upholds all things, He will show His perfect character in that degraded man's life, if the man will surrender to Him. He says, “I will work, and who shall let it?” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.7

“Notes on the International Sunday-School Lessons. Keeping the Sabbath” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

“In those days saw I in Judah some treading wine presses on the Sabbath, and bringing in sheaves, and lading asses; as also wine, grapes, and figs, and all manner of burdens, which they brought into Jerusalem on the Sabbath day; and I testified against them in the day wherein they sold victuals. There dwelt men of Tyre also therein, which brought fish, and all manner of ware, and sold on the Sabbath unto the children of Judah, and in Jerusalem. Then I contended with the nobles of Judah, and said unto them, What evil thing is this that ye do, and profane the Sabbath day? Did not your fathers thus, and did not our God bring all this evil upon us, and upon this city? yet ye bring more wrath upon Israel by profaning the Sabbath. And it came to pass, that when the gates of Jerusalem began to be dark before the Sabbath, I commanded that the gates should be shut, and charged that they should not be opened till after the Sabbath; and some of my servants set I at the gates, that there should no burden be brought in on the Sabbath day. So the merchants and sellers of all kind of ware lodged without Jerusalem once or twice. Then I testified against them, and said unto them, Why lodge ye about the wall? if ye do so again, I will lay hands on you. From that time forth came they no more on the Sabbath. And I commanded the Levites that they should cleanse themselves, and that they should come and keep the gates, to sanctify the Sabbath day.” Nehemiah 13:15-22. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 740.8

This lesson is called “Keeping the Sabbath,” but it should rather be called “Breaking the Sabbath,” for that is what it is all about. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.1

In order to understand the acts of Nehemiah, it is necessary to put ourselves in his place. Therefore we must consider the Jewish State, and note the difference between it and nations generally. The great mistake that most people make in reading this account, is in supposing that his action is a model for rulers in these days. Let us see why it is not. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.2

In the first place, Israel was not a nation in the ordinary sense of the term. When Balaam tried to curse Israel, God made him bless them, so that we know that whatever he said was directed by the Spirit of the Lord. Looking at Israel, he said, “Lo, the people shall dwell alone, and shall not be reckoned among the nations.” Numbers 23:9. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.3

Then what did Israel constitute?-Simply “the household of God,” the church. It was never God's design that His people should be governed as other people are, but that He should be their sole ruler. If they had lived by faith in God, as Abraham did, there would never have been any need for judges or any sort of officers of the law. All these things came in solely as a result of that lack of faith which rejected God as ruler. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.4

The family is the one institution which God has designed. The head of every family was to be the priest for the family, and each family, including all the dependents, would form a congregation, or what in modern language is erroneously called a church. That this family plan was to be perpetuated, is seen in the promise to Abraham, “In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed.” Genesis 12:3. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.5

In harmony with this plan God was bringing Israel out of Egypt-a great collection of families constituting God's great family, which was to be added to as others accepted the faith. That the family is still the unit of God's Government, and that His people all form one family, is seen by the fact that we come into the kingdom of God only by a new birth. “Except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.” John 3:3. God's subjects are all His children, and His kingdom consist solely of His family. “The whole family in heaven and earth” is named from Christ, who has been placed over it as Head. Ephesians 3:14, 15. God is the Father of all. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.6

When the children of Israel called for a king, like other people, God said that it was a rejection of Him. 1 Samuel 8:7. They wanted a king, that they might be like the nations, or, literally, like the heathen around them. All the nations were heathen, and in fact the formation of nations is in itself heathenism,-the rejection of God as ruler. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.7

Although the people rejected the Lord, He did not reject them. He still claimed them as His children. He reserved the right to select their king, and the family idea was still maintained as far as possible. We must remember that it was religion, and that alone, that made the people of Israel. The name itself signified victory over sin, the victory of faith. There were no different “denominations” in the kingdom, as in England, for instance, for the entire nation was simply the church of God, although they had deviated from God's plan for them. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.8

At the time which our lesson covers, Nehemiah was at the head of this family government. Israel had returned from the Babylonian captivity, wither they had been taken because they kept not the Sabbath. See 2 Chronicles 26:14-21. Now that the seventy years of captivity were at an end, and the people were in their own land again, it was a terrible thing to begin at once to do that which had before brought such calamities upon them. It is not to be wondered at that Nehemiah was greatly aroused over it. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.9

Remembering that the whole people were really one family, for Jacob was the father of all, we read the commanded concerning the Sabbath: “Remember the Sabbath day, to keep it holy. Six days shalt thou labour, and do all thy work; but the seventh day is the Sabbath of the Lord thy God; in it thou shalt not do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy daughter, thy manservant, nor thy maidservant, nor thy cattle, nor thy stranger that is within thy gates; for in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea, and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day; wherefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day, and hallowed it.” Exodus 20:8-11. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.10

There is no question that every man has the right to demand that the Sabbath shall not be profaned in his house, either by servants or visitors. It is his duty to do this. It is his duty to see that tradesmen do not deliver goods on that day. He has no right to enter into the homes of others and say how they shall do on the Sabbath, but he himself must keep the Sabbath, and that means that he must not allow the Sabbath to be profaned on his premises. Nehemiah was under God the leader of this family. He was the leader of the church. As such it was his province to exhort all the members of the family, and to warn strangers that they must not come upon the premises for the purpose of doing business on the Sabbath day. But this no more gives the rulers of ordinary governments the right to legislate concerning Sabbath-keeping, than it gives them the right to say whether or not men shall be Christians. The two cases are not at all parallel. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.11

It must not be lost sight of that it was the Sabbath, and not Sunday, that was in question here. It was the seventh day of the week, the day before the first day of the week, commonly called Sunday. The people in those days had no more thought of the first day of the week as the Sabbath, than they had of the fourth. It was not until long after the crucifixion and ascension of Christ, that Sunday began gradually without any precept or authority, to take the place of the Sabbath of the Lord. Remember that God does not change. His ways are equal. Ezekiel 18:25, 29. He once punished Israel severely for violating the Sabbath-the seventh day of the week. This is well known. Now can anybody say that there would be equal dealing if He should now look upon labour on that day as a lawful thing, and should punish men for labouring on a day on which He then allowed and commanded them to labour? If God did so, how could He judge the world? No; depend upon it, God does not change, and not one jot or tittle of His law has changed. The same day is now the Sabbath that was the Sabbath in the days of Nehemiah, and so it will be to all eternity. Do you think it is not a light thing to disregard God's commandments? If so, read Isaiah 42:24, 25. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 741.12

“The Knowledge of God Is Power” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

Jesus said, “If any man willeth to do His [God’s] will, he shall know of the teaching, whether it be of God, or whether I speak from Myself.” John 7:17. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 743.1

There is no knowledge but the knowledge of God; and the knowledge of God is given for use, for action, and not for speculation. God wishes men to do His will, and to this end He makes known the knowledge of it. But it is God who works both to will and to do, so that the real knowing of God's will is the doing of it. The knowledge of God is power, even the power of an endless life, since to know Him is life eternal. John 17:3. Hence he who really knows the Lord is one with Him-one in thought, in spirit, in life. When the new covenant is finally made with men, all will know God from the least to the greatest, and His will then will be done on earth as it is in heaven. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 743.2

“For Little Ones. The Second Adam” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

“By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sin.” You know who is the one man through whom sin and death came upon the whole human family,-the first Adam, of whom we were talking last week. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.1

What a change from the happy condition of things as God first created them! Think of all that he lost through sin. In the beginning he was a perfect man. If we want to know what a perfect man is, we must look at Adam before the fall, for there we see just what God meant man to be. He bore the image of God; he was a king, and had dominion over all things in the earth. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.2

But when he fell from this position because of disobedience to the Word of God, he lost everything. He lost the image of God, his kingly nature; and with that went his royal robes of light and his crown of glory; his kingdom also, for when he lost the power to rule himself, and became the slave of sin and Satan, he could no longer rule the earth and all other creatures, but these also passed under the power of Satan. The sad proofs of this are seen in the marks of the curse and of death everywhere in the earth; everything shares man's imperfection. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.3

But what now? Was the plan of God when He made a perfect man and gave him the earth to be his home and kingdom, all upset by the wicked work of his enemy Satan? No; for nothing can hinder the purpose of God, but everything that is done to stop His work He will use to make it all the more glorious. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.4

He says: “My Word... shall accomplish that which I please, and it shall prosper in the thing were unto I sent it.” And His Word has gone forth saying, “Let us make man in our image, and let them have dominion” over the earth. “Whatsoever God doeth it shall be for ever.” So the earth must for ever be the home and kingdom of the children of men, bearing the perfect image of God. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.5

But where can such be found? for all the family of Adam share his sins, his imperfection, and his death. They are all, as we found last week, a part of himself, “bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh,” and so “by one man's disobedience many were made sinners,” and “in Adam all die.” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.6

Ah, but thank God there is One Man, one perfect Man, “the Man Christ Jesus,” through whom all God's plan of love for the children of men, and for this whole world, can be carried out. Jesus is called “the Second Adam,” for He takes the place of the first Adam, as King of the earth, and Father of a family of perfect human beings who shall live and reign with Him on the earth. “The Son of man is come to seek to save that which was lost.” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.7

Through no fault of our own, but “by one man's disobedience,” through the sin of our first father Adam, we are all born sinners. This is why even little children have naughty thoughts and ways, and are sometimes disobedient, and unkind to each other. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.8

But there is a way of escape for us out of the old sinful nature that makes us do these naughty things. Listen:- PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.9

“For as by one man's disobedience many were made sinners, even so by the obedience of One shall many be made righteous.” To be made righteous is to be made again into the beautiful image of God, able to obey His Word and do His holy will. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.10

We did nothing to make ourselves sinners; we are born so, but the first Adam dragged us all down with him in his fall. Neither can we do anything to make ourselves good; but the Second Adam, the Lord Jesus Christ, by His perfect obedience to every word of His Father, has redeemed us all, and lifted the family of man back again to the place where God meant for them. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.11

He has won back the kingdom and the crown, and has power to restore the image of God in men, making them again the sons of God. But there is only one way that we can become His children, and sure all these blessings with Him. We became the children of the first Adam by being born so, and that is the only way that we can ever be the children of the Second Adam. He Himself tells us, “Ye must be born again.” “For as many as received Him to them gave He power to become the sons of God, even to them that believe on His name, which were born ... of God.” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 746.12

“Items of Interest” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

-Over 8,000 British emigrants went to the United States last month. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.1

-On June 1st, 1900, the United States will begin taking the twelfth Census of that country. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.2

-During the last month there were seventy-one British vessels lost, involving the loss of 109 lives. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.3

-When soaked in liquid air, cotton wool and absorb so much oxygen that forms an explosive as strong as dynamite. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.4

-It has been about 390 years since Russia pastor decree of banishment to Siberia. During that time 1,500,000 persons have been sent into exile. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.5

-The plague of locusts is unabated in Argentine, myriads of these in sects depositing their aches in wheat centres, which is producing a very depressing effect on the agricultural populace. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.6

-There were eighty-seven fresh cases of the plague reported by the Governor of Mauritius during the week ending Nov. 9, sixty-two of which were fatal. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.7

-Immense damage has been done in Mandalay by floods, caused by heavy rainfall. There has been a host cell destruction of property and great loss of life to cattle. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.8

-The largest egg known to exist in the world was sold last week at an auction room in London for forty-two guineas. The egg is equal in size to six ostrich eggs. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.9

-According to the report of the inspectors of lunatic asylums in Ireland just issued, there are now confined in insane establishments in that country 20,304 persons, which is an increase of nearly 1,000 over the report of the previous year. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.10

-By virtue of a treaty, Great Britain has renounced all her rights in Samoa, and Germany and United States to buy the islands between them. England received compensation in the Tongan Islands and the Solomon group, and also in West Africa. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.11

-When the Cape to Cairo railway is made, it will be the longest stretch of line in the world. The Canadian Pacific line is to 2,906 miles long; the Siberian railway, when completed, will be 4,741 but the Cape to Cairo line will be nearly 6,000 miles in length. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.12

-It is estimated that the gold obtained from there to the end of 1998 amounted to three and three quarter millions of pounds. But the estimate is also made that 30,000 people went to obtain it, and that their expenses would not be less than ?10,000,000. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.13

-As an illustration of how a man can fail from a trusted position by misconduct, the papers state that one day last week Francis Hewitt was sentenced to a month of Leamington Spa for public begging. Only a few years ago he was a bank manager drawing a salary of 1,500 a year. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.14

-Submarine boats the past week have made very successful trials. The Holland ran a mile in nine minutes in the New York, on an even keel submerged to a depth of ten feet, and the Goubet under water for five hours with a crew of three men, without accident. These boats are doubtless destined to become very important adjuncts in naval warfare in the future. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.15

-The Russian Government owns a remarkable vessel. It is a boat called the Ernack, was built with the object of cutting passages through the ice. It is a steamer of 8,000 tons, with a propelling force of 10,000 horsepower. For propellers are employed, three behind, and one on the fore part of the ship. This vessel will work its way through a ice eight and nine feet thick. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.16

-As an indication of the growth of the tea trade, Mr. John Ferguson read before the Royal Colonial Institute a paper concerning the development of trade in Ceylon tea. The export trade began in 1873, with 23 pounds. By 1879 it arose to 100,000 pounds of, and at the close of 1899 the export trade will have reached 125,000,000 pounds. There are now 380,000 acres under tea cultivation. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.17

-The relations between Russia and Japan are reported to be in a very critical condition, the point being that Japan has refused Russia possession of land on the sea front held by Japanese subjects at Masampo, which is a port on the coast of Korea. Japan has made a special demand on the shipbuilders of Glasgow, who are constructing for that government a battleship which will be one of the largest afloat, and the force of workmen has been doubled. Other things indicate that unless a satisfactory adjustment of matters is arrived at, there may be a settlement of the difference by war. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 750.18

“Back Page” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

There are few if any living ministers of the Gospel, who have preached and written more real Gospel than Dr. Theodore L. Cuyler. In a recent letter to young pastors he gives this good advise: “Never defend your Bible; preach it boldly in love, the whole of it. God's Word is its own vindication.” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.1

“Substitution of Ceremonies for Reality” The Present Truth 15, 47.

E. J. Waggoner

The incongruity of two “Christian nations” engaged in deadly conflict at the same time celebrating what they suppose to be the birthday of the Prince of peace, and listening to the message, “Peace on earth, goodwill to men,” appeals very forcibly to some people, and accordingly it has been suggested to the authorities in South Africa, both at Cape Town and the Transvaal, that “on that day, at any rate, there should be peace from midnight to midnight.” PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.2

It is sad that any Christian should have so little knowledge of the Gospel as not to see the incongruity of such a proposal. What a caricature of peace it would be, what a travesty of upon the Gospel of peace, for two armies to cease all hostilities on midnight of the 24th of December, expecting to resume them at midnight on the 25th, and in the meantime solemnly to announce that they were celebrating the birthday of the Prince of peace! It would be awful mockery. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.3

The proposal, evidently made in all sincerity, shows how much the Gospel has come to be considered as a mere form and ceremony, as satisfied by the observance of certain days and certain ceremonies. Such religion is essentially heathenism, differing from that which is ordinarily known as such only in kind. If the suggestion were adopted, it would doubtless be hailed as an evidence of the hold that Christianity has on the people of the world, whereas it would simply show how greatly people are controlled by superstition in spite of centuries of Gospel preaching. We are reminded of the man who reckoned himself a good Christian, for while he would usually swear till the air was blue with oaths, he never swore on Sunday! PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.4

Even supposing that the 25th of December were the day on which Jesus was born in Bethlehem, which it most certainly is not, the mere observance of that day, in any way whatsoever, would have no element of Christianity in it. Christianity is a life, and if it exists at all in any person, must be the whole of his life. People often have enough perception of the fitness of things to say that it is useless to give one day of the week to God and all the rest to the world and the devil; but the fact is, such a thing is impossible. Such an idea is on a par with the stories of dead men who on certain occasions come out of their graves and walk about. It is just as impossible for a man to render real acceptable service to God on only one day in the year, or in the week, and to serve himself and the devil all the other days, as it would be for a man to come from the grave in full vigour one day in each year or each week, and lie lifeless all the rest of the time. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.5

God can raise the dead, but when He does it, it is to the end that death shall no more have dominion over them. The Spirit of God can quicken into life those who are “dead in trespasses and sins;” but He does not do this periodically. Christ “ever liveth,” but His life is nothing to us unless He lives in us; and while He is longsuffering, and will come back even after having been received and again thrust out, it is not conceivable nor possible that any soul should open the door at midnight to receive Him, with the express understanding that He must leave at the next midnight to come again if called for at any time. That would be but to make a plaything of the Lord. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.6

The birth of Christ must be regarded, but not by celebrating a day. We are left in utter ignorance of the day when Jesus was born in Bethlehem, so that there need be no temptation to substitute the celebration of it for real acceptance of Him; just as God did not allow the Israelites to see any form when He talked with them from Sinai so that they could not attempt to make a likeness of Him, and substitute that for Him. Deuteronomy 4:15-19. Yet men have presumed to do both. The birth of Christ is to and for each individual. If Jesus be not born in a man's heart and life, it will be of no avail to him that He was born in Judea nineteen hundred years ago. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.7

The Gospel is “Christ in you the hope of glory.” Colossians 1:27. If He be not in us we have no hope. And the new birth which makes the sons of God, is the beginning of Christ in us. We become the sons of God, because Christ, the only begotten Son, is conceived in us, and brought forth in our lives. So Paul said to the Galatians, who were losing the faith, “I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you.” Galatians 4:19. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.8

Not more to Mary in Nazareth and to us is the Word spoken, “the Holy Ghost shall come upon thee, and the power of the Highest shall overshadow thee.” Luke 1:35. Compare Acts 1:18: “Ye shall receive power, when the Holy Ghost is come upon you.” When that takes place, then are we truly children of God, because Christ is born in us, not to live apart from us, but to be our life. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.9

This must be celebrated, not in form, but in fact, every day. For “though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.” 2 Corinthians 4:16. Not merely one day in the year, but every day is the message to sound to us, and through us to the world: “Peace on earth, it goodwill to men;” for the peace of God is to rule in the hearts (Colossians 3:15), and is to keep our hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” Philippians 4:7. Let this be so in you, and you can continually give the glad news of the birth and resurrection of Christ, as surely as did the shepherds, and the women who came to visit the sepulcher. You can bear witness to the fact that Christ lives, because you will know in your own body the power of His birth and resurrection. This, and this only, is Christianity. PTUK November 23, 1899, page 752.10