Chapter XIII. The Judgments

            The common opinion that the Millennium is to be ushered in by the preaching of the Gospel, and that after the Millennium there is to be a “General Resurrection” followed by a “General Judgment,” and then the earth is to be destroyed by fire is not scriptural.

            There can be no “General” Judgment because the Scriptures speak of one Judgment as being in the “Air” (1 Thessalonians 4:16-17; 2 Corinthians 5:6-10); another on the “Earth” (Matthew 25:31-46); and a third in “Heaven,” the earth and its atmosphere having fled away. Revelation 20:11-15. And to make sure that these three separate Judgments should not be combined in one General Judgment scene, three different Thrones are mentioned.

1. The “Judgment Seat of Christ.” 2 Corinthians 5:10. “In the Air.” For “Believers” only.

2. The “Throne of Glory.” Matthew 25:31-32. “On the Earth.” For “The Nations.”

3.         The “Great White Throne.” Revelation 20:11-12. “In Heaven.” For the “Wicked Dead.”

            The Scriptures speak of

Five Separate Judgments.

They differ in five general aspects. As to “Subjects,” “Time,” “Place,” “Basis of Judgment” and “Result.”

JUDGMENT NO. 1

1. Subjects – Believers as to “SIN.

2. Time – A. D. 30.

3. Place – Calvary.

4. Basis of Judgment. Christ’s “FINISHED WORK.

5. Result –

1. Death as to Christ.

2. Justification as to the Believer.

This Judgment is PAST. The Bible proofs of the results of this Judgment are Romans 10:4.

“For Christ is the END OF THE LAW for righteousness to every one that Believeth.”

“There is therefore NOW no condemnation (Judgment) to them which are in CHRIST JESUS, who walk not after the flesh, but after the Spirit. For the Law of the ‘SPIRIT OF LIFE’ in Christ Jesus hath made me FREE From the Law of ‘Sin and Death.’” Romans 8:1,2.

“Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on Him that sent me, HATH EVERLASTING LIFE and shall not come into condemnation (Judgment) but IS PASSED From Death Unto Life.” John 5:24.

            The “Believer’s” Judgment for Sin then is PAST, and was settled at the Cross. But we must not forget that the Judgment of the Believer is threefold.

1. As a “Sinner.”

2. As a “Son.”

3. As a “Servant.”

As we have already seen his Judgment as a “Sinner” is Past. Let us look at his judgment

2. As a “Son.”

            As soon as the sinner accepts Christ as his personal Saviour that settles the “Sin” question for him. For if our iniquities are laid on Him (Jesus), then they are not on Us. Isaiah 53:5, Isaiah 53:6. But the “Sin” question, and the “Sins” question are two different things. Christ died on the Cross to atone for “sin,” to pay the penalty of Adam’s disobedience in the Garden of Eden. “Sin” is that tendency in mankind to do wrong which we call “Natural Depravity.” We do not get rid of this “tendency” by the “New Birth,” but we get a “counteracting force” called the “New Nature.” We become a “dual personality,” composed of the “Old” and “New Natures,” and which shall predominate depends on which we feed and which we starve. This explains the “warfare” that Paul describes as his experience, after his conversion, in Romans 7:1-25. This warfare will continue until the “Old” nature is eradicated at death. “Sins” are the outward acts of wrongdoing that we commit as the result of our tendency to sin. These sins must be put away daily by “confession.”

“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.” 1 John 2:1.

“If we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” 1 John 1:9.

            Our Judgment as “Sons” is for “unconfessed sins.” The punishment is chastisement. This explains much of the chastisement of Christians, and should show them that they are “Sons” and not “Bastards.” Hebrews 12:5-11. Paul says –

“If we would ‘judge ourselves’ we should not be judged. But when we are judged we are chastened of the Lord, that we should not be condemned (Judged) with the world.” 1 Corinthians 11:31-32.

Our duty then as “Sons” is to “self-judge” ourselves daily, “confess our sins,” and so avert the chastisement of our Heavenly Father.

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3. As a Servant. This leads us to –

JUDGMENT NO. 2

1. Subjects—Believers as to “WORKS.

2. Time—After The Church is caught out.

3. Place—“Judgment Seat of Christ” (in the Air).

4. Basis of Judgment—Their “WORKS.

5. Result—Reward or Loss.

This Judgment is FUTURE.

“We must all appear before the ‘Judgment Seat of Christ,’ that every one may receive the things ‘done in the body’ according to that he hath done, whether it be ‘good’ or ‘bad’ (worthless).” 2 Corinthians 5:10.

            The pronoun “We” occurs 26 times in the chapter, and in every instance it means the Believer, and the Epistle is addressed to the “Church” and “Saints” at Corinth, so the Judgment here spoken of is for Believers “only.” The “Time” of the Judgment is when the Lord comes (1 Corinthians 4:5), and the “Place” is “in the air” (1 Thessalonians 4:17) and before the Judgment Seat of Christ.

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 It will not be a Judgment in the sense of a “trial” to see whether the judged are innocent (saved) or guilty (lost) for it is a Judgment of the “saved only.” It will be like the Judges’ stand at a Fair, or Race Track, where rewards are distributed to the successful contestants. Paul describes such a scene in 1 Corinthians 9:24-27.

            It is not a Judgment for sin, but for “works.” This Judgment is described in 1 Corinthians 3:11-15.  

“Other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ. Now if any man build upon this foundation gold, silver, precious stones (valuable building stones, as marble, etc.), wood, hay, stubble; every man’s ‘Work’ shall be made manifest; for the ‘Day’ (Judgment Day) shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by ‘fire,’ and the fire shall try every man’s ‘work’ of what sort it is. If any man’s work ‘abide’ which he hath built there upon he shall receive a ‘reward.’ If any man’s work shall be ‘burned’ he shall suffer ‘loss;’ but ‘he himself shall be saved;’ yet so as by fire.”

            The result of this Judgment is “reward” or “loss.” All our “bad” and “dead works,” represented by the wood, hay and stubble, will be consumed, and only our “good works” shall remain. There is much which passes for Christian service which is merely human and secular, and does not count in our eternal reward. For those who deserve a “reward” it will be

The Crowning Day.

            After the Grecian games were all over the runners, wrestlers, and successful contestants assembled before the “Bema,” or Judges’ stand, which was an elevated seat on which the Umpire sat, and the winners received a ‘’corruptible crown” of “laurel leaves.” Some had no reward, they had lost the “Victor’s Crown.” But while there was no reward there was no punishment, they were not cast out.

            The New Testament speaks of Five Crowns. See Chart.

1. The Crown of “LIFE.”

This is the “Martyr’s” crown, and is mentioned twice.

“Blessed is the man that endureth temptation (testing), for when he is ‘tried’ (at the Judgment Seat of Christ), he shall receive the ‘Crown of Life’ which the Lord hath promised to them that love Him.” James 1:12.

“Fear none of those things which thou shalt suffer; behold, the Devil shall cast some of you into prison, that ye may be tried (tested) and ye shall have tribulation ten days; be thou faithful ‘unto death,’ and I will give thee a ‘Crown of Life.’” Revelation 2:10.

            Notice it does not say “until” death, but “unto” death. They were not to recant but to remain faithful unto a martyr’s death. To recant was to lose the crown. This refers to the martyrs of the Tribulation Period.

2. The Crown of “GLORY.”

            This is the “Elder’s” or “Pastor’s” crown, given by the Chief Shepherd when He shall appear. But it is not for those who serve for “filthy lucre” or “lord it over God’s heritage.” 1 Peter 5 :2-4.

3. The Crown of “REJOICING.”

            This is the “Soul Winner’s” crown. Those brought to Jesus by us will be our “crown of rejoicing” at His Coming. 1 Thessalonians 2:19, 1 Thessalonians 2:20. Philippians 4:1.

4. The Crown of “RIGHTEOUSNESS.”

This is the crown of those who “love His appearing and will be given in “that day”—the Day of His Appearing. 2 Timothy 4:8.

5. The Crown “INCORRUPTIBLE.”

            This is the “Victor’s” crown, and is for those who “keep under their body” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27); who do not yield to their fleshly lusts; who do not permit themselves to be diverted from the Master’s work by worldly amusements and pleasure, nor saturate their body with drugs.

            If we do not want to be “ashamed at His Coming,” (1 John 2:28), let us see to it that we keep our body “under” and so live that we shall secure a crown.

JUDGMENT NO. 3

1. Subjects – The JEWS.

2. Time – “The Great Tribulation.”

3. Place – Jerusalem and Vicinity.

4. Basis of Judgment – Rejection of the Godhead.

5. Result – Their Conversion and Reception of Christ as Their Messiah.

            This Judgment is FUTURE.

            While the Church is being judged at the Judgment Seat of Christ in the air, the Jews will be judged under Antichrist on the earth. The Jews are an “earthly” people; and as all the promises to them are “earthly,” it follows that their Judgment must be of an “earthly” character. The basis of their Judgment is their “rejection of the Godhead.” In the days of Samuel they rejected God the Father. 1 Samuel 8:7. In the days of Christ they rejected God the Son. Luke 23:18. In the days of Stephen they rejected God the Holy Spirit. Acts 7:51, Acts 7:54-60. For their sin they have been scattered among the nations until the ‘Times of the Gentiles” are fulfilled. When the “Times of the Gentiles” are about to end the Jews will be gathered back to the Holy Land “unconverted,” and caused to “pass under the rod.” Ezekiel 20:34-38. They will be cast into God’s “Melting Pot” (Ezekiel 22:19-22), and pass through an experience spoken of by Jeremiah and Daniel as the “TIME OF JACOB’S TROUBLE.” Jeremiah 30:4-7. Daniel 12:1. Christ calls it “The Great Tribulation,” and He and Zechariah the Prophet associate it with the “Return of the Lord.” Matthew 24:21-31. Zechariah 14:1-11. The human agent the Lord will use will be Antichrist, the awfulness of whose rule will be supplemented by the pouring out of the “Vials of God’s wrath” upon the earth. Revelation 15:1, 5-8–16:1-21.

            The result of these terrible Judgments will be that the Jews will call in their misery upon the Lord. Zechariah 12:10. Then Christ will come back to the Mt. of Olives (Zechariah 14:4) and the Jews will look upon Him whom they “pierced” (Zechariah 12:10), and a nation, the Jewish Nation, shall be “born (converted) in a day.” Isaiah 66:8. This will complete the Judgment of the Jews.

JUDGMENT NO. 4

1. Subjects – The NATIONS (Gentiles).

2. Time – The “Revelation of Christ.”

3. Place – The “Throne of His Glory.” On the Earth – “Valley of Jehoshaphat.”

4. Basis of Judgment – Their Treatment of Christ’s Brethren – The Jews.

5. Result – Some Nations “SAVED,” Others “DESTROYED.”

            This Judgment is FUTURE.

            The account of this Judgment is given in Matthew 25:31-46. The description of this Judgment, and of the one given in Revelation 20:11-15 are combined by many, and taken to teach the doctrine of a general Judgment. But when we compare them they differ so widely that it is evident that they do not describe the same event. What God has put asunder let no man join together. The following comparison will show the difference in the two accounts:

Matthew 25:31-46.

1. No Resurrection.

2. Living Nations Judged.

3. On the Earth. Joel 3:2

4. No Books Mentioned.

5. Three Classes Named. “Sheep,” “Goats,” “Brethren.”

6. Time – Before the Millennium. 

Revelation 20:11-15.  

1. A Resurrection.

2. Dead Judged.

3. Heaven and Earth Gone.

4. Books Opened.

5. One Class Named. “The Dead.”

6. Time - After the Millennium.

            This comparison reveals the fact that one of these Judgments is “on the earth,” the other in the “heavens,” and that they are separated by 1000 years.

            The Greek word “ethnos” here translated “Nations” occurs 158 times in the New Testament. It is translated “Gentiles” 92 times, “Nation” or “Nations” 61 times, and “The Heathen” 5 times, but it is never in any instance (unless it be this) applied either to the “dead” or the “resurrected.”

            As this is a Judgment of nations only, the Jews cannot be in it, for they are not reckoned among the nations. Numbers 23:9. And as the Church will be associated with Christ in this Judgment, for the “Saints” (the Church) shall judge the “World” (the Nations), (1 Corinthians 6:2) the Church cannot be in this Judgment either. As we have seen the Church and the Jews have been already judged, so the “Judgment of the Nations” cannot be a general Judgment. Who then, is asked, are meant by the Sheep? Do they not represent the Righteous, and all the Righteous from the beginning of the world to the end of Time? And do not the Goats in like manner represent all the Wicked?

If the Sheep are the Righteous, and the Goats the Wicked, then who are the Brethren? If they are the “followers of Christ,” as some claim, they should be classed with the Sheep. The Scriptures teach that the Righteous are saved by “faith,” and the Wicked are lost because they “reject Christ,” but in this Judgment scene the Sheep inherit a “Kingdom” and the Goats are commanded to “depart,” because of their treatment of the Brethren.

            All the confusion is caused by trying to make a Judgment of “nations” mean a Judgment of “individuals.” The Sheep represent one class of Nations, and the Goats another class, while the Brethren represent the Jews (Christ’s brethren). We must bear in mind the time and place of this Judgment. The time is at the “Revelation of Christ” when He comes to set up His “Millennial Kingdom” on the earth. The place is the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” in the vicinity of Jerusalem.

“For, behold, in those days, and in that time, when I shall bring again the captivity of Judah and Jerusalem, I will also gather ALL NATIONS, and will bring them down into the ‘Valley of Jehoshaphat,’ and will plead with them there for MY PEOPLE and for my heritage ISRAEL, whom they have scattered among the Nations, and parted my land.” Joel 3:1-2.

            This prophecy clearly states that there is to be a “Judgment of Nations” on the earth in the “Valley of Jehoshaphat” at the time of the restoration of the Jews to their own land, and that the basis of Judgment is the treatment by the nations of Christ’s brethren – The Jews.

            During the “Tribulation Period” the Nations that treat the Jewish People kindly, feeding and clothing them, and visiting them in prison, will be the “Sheep Nations,” while those who neglect to do so will be the “Goat Nations.” At the “Judgment of Nations” the King (Christ) will say to the “Sheep Nations,” inasmuch as ye have been kind to My brethren (the Jews), “Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the Kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.” This Kingdom is the “Millennial Kingdom” that the “Sheep Nations” as Nations will “inherit” and possess during the Millennium. And as they are to be among the “saved nations” of the New Earth (Revelation 21:24) it can be said of them that they, or at least the righteous individuals of them, shall enter into life eternal. Matthew 25:46. Christ’s sentence upon the “Goat Nations” will be—“Depart from Me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the Devil and his angels,” and “these shall go away into everlasting punishment.” The “Goat Nations” will at once be destroyed as Nations, not one of them shall get into the Millennium, and the wicked individuals that compose them will perish and be eternally lost.

JUDGMENT NO. 5

1.         Subjects – The WICKED DEAD.

2.         Time – During the Renovation of the Earth by Fire.

3.         Place – Before “The Great White Throne.”

4.         Basis of Judgment – Their “Works.”

5.         Result – Cast Into the “Lake of Fire.”

            This Judgment is FUTURE.

            The account of it is given in Revelation 20:11-15. It will take place at the close of the Millennium a 1000 years after the Judgment of the Nations, and before the “Great White Throne.” The “Great White Throne” will not be on the earth, for the “Great White Throne Judgment” will take place during the renovation of the earth by fire, for the “renovation” of this Earth is reserved or .kept until the time of that Judgment, which Peter calls “The Day of Judgment and Perdition of Ungodly Men” (2 Peter 3:7), because the Judgment of the “Great White Throne ‘ is the Judgment of the wicked dead.

            All the Righteous dead will arise at the First Resurrection. If any Righteous die between the First Resurrection and the Resurrection of the “wicked” or Second Resurrection, they will rise with the wicked dead at that Resurrection. The words—“Whosoever was not found written in the Book of Life” (vs. 15), imply that there will be “some,” probably very few, Righteous at the Second Resurrection.

            At the close of the Millennium and just before the renovation of the earth by fire, the living Righteous will probably be translated, and the living Wicked or Ungodly will be destroyed in the flames that will consume the earth’s atmosphere and exterior surface.

            The Wicked or Ungodly will not be judged to see whether they are entitled to Eternal Life, but to ascertain the “degree” of their punishment. The sad feature of this Judgment will be that there will be many kind and lovable people there who were not saved, and who will be classed among the “ungodly” because they rejected Christ as a Saviour. The “Books” will be opened in which the “Recording Angel” has kept a record of every person’s life, and they will be judged every man according to his “works.” Some will be sentenced to a more severe punishment than others, but none will escape. The worst of all is, that those who were not so bad must spend eternity with the ungodly, and that in the “Lake of Fire.” Their punishment includes the second death, which means that they shall lose their resurrection bodies, in which they were judged, and become “disembodied spirits” again, and so exist in the “Lake of Fire” FOREVER.

            The “Fallen Angels” (not the Devil’s angels), who are “reserved in everlasting chains under darkness” will be judged at this time, which Jude calls the Judgment of the “Great Day.” Jude 6.

Chapter XIV. The Two Adams

            The Scriptures speak of two “Representative Men.” The first is called “ADAM,” the second is called the “LAST ADAM” (1 Corinthians 15:45), or the “Second MAN,” the “Lord from Heaven.” 1 Corinthians 15:47. This identifies Him with the Lord Jesus Christ. The “First Adam” is charged with bringing sin into the world. “By one man sin entered into the world, and death by sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned.” Romans 5:12.’ The “Last Adam” came to reverse what the First Adam did, and to “put away sin.” Hebrews 9:26.

            “For if by one man’s offence death reigned by one: much more they which receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness shall reign in life by one, Jesus Christ.” Romans 5:17. To understand the Work of these two “Representative Men” we must study their history.

I. THE FIRST ADAM.

After the earth had been restored from its “formless and void” condition, and the air, sea, and earth been repopulated with bird, fish, and animal life, we read –  

“And God said, Let US make man in OUR IMAGE, after OUR LIKENESS: and let them have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon the earth. So God created man in His OWN IMAGE, in the IMAGE OF GOD created He him; male and female created He them.” Genesis 1:26-27.

From this we see that man is a CREATED being. That he was made in the “IMAGE OF GOD,” not in the image of an “Ape,” and was formed not from a brute, but of the “dust of the earth.” There is an “Impassable Gulf” between the lowest order of man and the highest type of beast that science has failed to bridge. The “Missing Link” has never been found. That the whole human race is of “One Species” and had a common origin (Acts 17:26) is clear from the fact that, when the different races of the earth’s- inhabitants intermarry, their offspring are not sterile but fertile. There is no contradiction between the first and second chapters of Genesis as to the creation of man. The first chapter (Genesis 1:26-28) gives the FACT of his creation, the second, the MANNER OF IT.” Genesis 2:7. One is supplementary to the other. In Genesis 2:7, we are told that – “the LORD GOD formed (fashioned) man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the ‘Breath of Life;’ and man became a ‘Living Soul.’ “ From this we see that the creation of man was “Threefold.” (1) The formation of the BODY. (2) The impartation of the SPIRIT. (3) The unification of the two through the SOULISH part of man. The two principal parts of man are the BODY and the SPIRIT, but as the functions of these are separate, one being physical and the other spiritual, a third part had to be supplied called the SOUL, intermediate between them, and through which they may communicate. This makes man a “Threefold Being.” 1 Thessalonians 5:23, Hebrews 4:12. See the Chapter on “The Spirit World,” and the Chart “The Threefold Nature of Man,”.

            In Adam as originally created the “Soul” was such a perfect medium of communication between the “Body” and the “Spirit” that there was no conflict between them. The three blended together in one harmonious whole. When man fell the “Soul” became the “Battlefield” of the “Body” and the “Spirit,” and the conflict began that Paul so graphically describes in Romans 7:7-24.

            Eve was not fashioned in the same way as Adam. She was “made” later. “The Lord God caused a ‘deep sleep’ to fall upon Adam and he slept; and He took one of his ‘RIBS,’ and closed up the flesh thereof: and the ‘RIB,’ which the Lord God had taken from man, made (builded) He a WOMAN, and brought her unto the man. And Adam said, this is now ‘bone of my bones,’ and ‘fiesh of my flesh;’ she shall be called WOMAN, because she was taken OUT OF MAN.” Genesis 2:21-23. The reason why Eve was not fashioned separately from Adam, but was taken out of Adam’s side, was to show that in their relation to each other as man and wife they were to be ONE FLESH. That is in their interests, sympathies, etc., they were to be one, and physically they were to be counterparts of each other. In this respect Adam and Eve. are a type of the Last Adam and His Eve – THE CHURCH. Ephesians 5:25-32.

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Adam was not created a baby or a primitive savage, but a full grown man perfect in intellect and knowledge, else he could not have named the beasts of the field and the fowls of the air. And the fact that his descendants had such skill in the invention of musical instruments and mechanical devices and could build cities and towers and such a vessel as the Ark, proves that the men of Antediluvian times were men of gigantic intellect and attainments, and that instead of man having “evolved upwards” he has “DEGENERATED DOWNWARDS.

            The first pair were happy in their sweet companionship, and doubtless believed that it would last forever. They knew nothing of the ruins of the Primeval Earth beneath their feet, now covered with the Edenic verdure of a renewed earth. Neither did they know that the heavens above them swarmed with fallen beings under the leadership of Satan, and that their happiness was to end in a “Fall” that would necessitate their expulsion from that “Garden of Delights,” and that sooner or later they should taste of physical death.

            If it be charged that God should have forewarned Adam of his danger of an attack by Satan, let it not be forgotten that the commandment not to eat of the “Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil” should have caused him to beware of any being who should tempt him to disobey the command of God and eat of it. To have plainly told him of the plan of Satan would have frustrated God’s purpose in the testing of Adam. True obedience is to obey without knowing why.

How long after Adam was created Eve was given to him we do not know. It must have been some time, for Adam required time to name all the living creatures that were brought to him, of cattle, of fowl, and of the beasts of the field. Neither are we told how long after Eve was given to Adam before the Temptation. It is hardly likely that it was immediately, for while they were mature physically they were but as children in experience, at least Eve was, and she was unfit to cope with the seductive wiles of the Serpent, the most powerful enemy of God and man.

            Satan’s purpose in the “Temptation” was to thwart God’s purpose in the creation of man (the peopling of the earth with a holy race of beings), and to regain the earth, which he had lost by his rebellion. His hope was to excite God to destroy the first pair for their sin before they could populate the earth. He played his game with consummate skill. Fearing that if they were approached together they might withstand him, he awaited the time when Eve should be alone.

            It is not improbable that Eve, curious to know the cause of the prohibition, had stolen away from Adam and gone off by herself to examine the Tree, and that Satan, discovering her there, was not slow to take advantage of his opportunity.

            If Eve had avoided the vicinity of the Tree, she would not have been able to cast that look at it which made her desire to eat of its fruit. Satan saw that Eve was disgruntled about something. He wisely surmised that it was because God had forbidden Adam and Eve to eat of the Tree, so he approached her and spoke to her. The fact that Eve was not afraid to talk with the Serpent is an indication that it was not a loathsome creature, and that it was no stranger to her. She had seen it often, and probably talked with it before, for Satan does not make his supreme effort until he has first prepared the way. What the Serpent was like before it was cursed and caused to crawl instead of stand upright, we do not know, but it must have been a beautiful creature. Whether it had the power to talk, or simply became the mouthpiece of Satan we are not told. What we do know is that Satan incarnated himself in it.

            Observing that Eve was casting longing glances at the “Fruit” of the Tree, the Serpent (Satan) opened the conversation by craftily asking – “Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the Garden?” The subtility of this question is seen in its insinuating suggestion that God did not love them, and was unfair and unkind to forbid them anything. In her answer Eve betrays her feeling toward God by adding to the prohibition, saying —“Neither shall ye TOUCH it,” as if God was afraid to trust her. She also altered the penalty from – “thou shalt surely die,” to “lest ye die,” thus expressing doubt as to the certainty of death. It is a dangerous thing to add to or subtract from God’s word. Revelation 22:18-19. The commencement of the Fall was the “deceitful handling” of the Word of God. 2 Corinthians 4:2.

            Satan was the first “Higher Critic.” He was the creator of the “SEED OF DOUBT.” It was deposited in the heart or mind of Eve by Satan’s question – “Yea, hath GOD said?” This led Eve to question the love of God. This “MICROBE OF UNBELIEF” the human race has inherited from Eve. Men do not openly deny the goodness of God so much as they question the statements of the Word of God. They say – “Has God really said we must not do thus and so? Have we not misunderstood what He has said, or misinterpreted His meaning? Surely God is too loving and merciful to eternally punish the wicked.”

            Satan having sown the “Seed of Doubt” and perceiving that the poison was working, next declared that God was a liar by saying – “Ye shall not surely die.” This is the “DEVIL’S LIE,” and it has been incorporated into the religious systems of today that teach that man shall not be eternally punished. Satan then impugned God’s motive by declaring that God did not want them to have a knowledge of “Good” and “Evil” lest they become “gods” like Himself. This appealed to Eve’s curiosity and ambition, and stirred up a “torrent of desire” in hei heart, and when she saw that the “Tree” was “good for food” (the Lust of the Flesh), and “pleasant to the eyes” (the Lust of the Eye), and “desirable to make one wise” (the Pride of Life), she did not wait to consult her hus band, but put forth her hand and plucked and ate the fruit, and the days of her innocence were ended; and when Adam appeared, without contrition of heart, she in turn tempted him, and he not willing to be separated from her also ate, the result the ruin of the race. The Woman was deceived, but Adam was not deceived, nevertheless, the Apostle tells us, it was the “woman’s” fault. 1 Timothy 2:13-14.

            The inducement that Satan held out to Eve, that the acquisition of knowledge would put her and Adam on the same plane with God, and make them GOD-LIKE, is the same inducement that Satan offers to ambitious men today, and he is seeking through his dupes to build up a magnificent civilization on the discoveries and inventions of men, and exalt man without God, and his aim is the final

“DEIFICATION OF MAN,”

that will find its culmination in his

“SUPERMAN,”

“THE ANTICHRIST,”

who will sit in the Temple at Jerusalem and proclaim himself GOD. 2 Thessalonians 2:3-4. This accounts for all the “World Systems” of today for the social, religious, political and commercial betterment and advancement of the race.

Adam and Eve were created “INNOCENT. “ ”Innocence” is not “RIGHTEOUSNESS.” ”Innocence” cannot become “Righteousness” until TESTED. If Adam and Eve had stood the “Test” they would have become “Righteous” or “Holy,” they failed and became SINNERS. There is but one step from “Innocence” to “HOLINESS,” or from “Innocence” to “SIN.” Adam and Eve took the step from “Innocence” to SIN and became SINNERS. If they had taken the opposite step they would have become “Holy” and been beyond the possibility of “Sin.” Now man cannot become “Holy” without the New Birth.

            In the Fall of man the triumph of Satan was complete. The first effect of the disobedience of Adam and Eve was “SELF-CONSCIOUSNESS.” “They saw that they were NAKED.” The result of this knowledge led them to invent clothing made of “FIG LEAVES.” All living creatures are clothed by nature. Fish have scales, birds have feathers, beasts have hair, or fur, or wool; even serpents have a beautifully colored skin. Many are naked when ushered into existence, but it is not long until nature provides clothing. Man alone of all Good’s creatures is left without clothing, and is compelled to have recourse to artificial covering. Why is this? It is the result of SIN.

            Adam and Eve at first wore no clothing, nor did they need to. Their state of innocence made them not ashamed. Some claim that their unfallen nature was clothed in a veil of radiant glory that hid their nakedness. This they lost in the Fall. At once, conscious of their shame, they resorted to artificial clothing. Clothes are the trappings of guilt. The style and character of clothing may change, but the guilt remains. Clothing may hide our shame from the eyes of man, but not from the eyes of God. A black heart may hide behind a white vest.

            The sun set that day upon a scene that witnessed the downfall of the human race. It was a dark and fearful night. They both dreaded to meet God and so hid themselves in the forest when the Lord God came down to take His usual walk in the Garden in the cool of the day. Heretofore they had looked forward to the daily visit of the Lord God, but now they feared to face Him. Thus sin makes cowards of us all.

            By questioning them the Lord God got them to sit in judgment on their own conduct. Adam blamed his fall on Eve, she blamed her fall on the Serpent. God patiently listened to them and gave them an opportunity to justify their conduct, then He passed judgment on them. But to the Serpent He gave no opportunity for justification, but said –  

“Because thou hast done this, thou are cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field; upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust thou shall eat all the days of thy life; andIwill put enmity between thee and the woman, and between THY SEED and HER SEED, IT (her seed – CHRIST) shall bruise thy HEAD, and THOU shalt bruise His HEEL.

            In the expression THY SEED (Satan’s seed) we have a prophetic reference to THE ANTICHRIST who as Satan’s seed is called in 2 Thessalonians 2:3 the “SON OF PE’RDITION.”

            These are the words of a Judge to a condemned criminal who is awaiting sentence, and is a confirmation of Satan’s previous rebellion, who here hears his doom. At once the Serpent, the tool of Satan, is changed into a crawling, loathsome, venomous reptile. The Woman’s sentence was that she should lose her position as man’s equal and become subject to him, and that untold sorrow and misery in motherhood should be her lot. Unto Adam God said, “Cursed is the ground for thy sake, . . . thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee, . . . in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground.” So what had been a pleasure to Adam, the care of the Garden, was henceforth to be a task, for driven out from the Garden he must make a living by tilling a soil that brought forth naturally nothing but thorns, thistles and weeds.

            The Edenic Dispensation was perfectly unique. It was characterized by the “absence of sin,” and the “presence of God.” There will be nothing like it again until “The Tabernacle of God is with men,” and He will dwell with them on the New Earth. . Revelation 21:3. In the Edenic Dispensation God dealt with Adam on the basis of “INNOCENCE,” and He can never treat with man again on the same basis until the curse of sin shall be removed from the earth. Man is no longer under probation, but under condemnation. John 3:18. Ever since the Fall God has had to deal with man as a guilty, lost, helpless and ruined sinner. And not only a ruined sinner, a ruined CREATURE. There is no good thing in him, he is at “enmity with God,” and is not “subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be.” Romans 8:6-7.

            In mercy God drove the guilty, but forgiven pair, from the Garden lest they eat of the “Tree of Life” and be doomed to live “forever” in their sinful mortal bodies. Men claim that innocence and a perfect environment are safeguards against wrong-doing, but the catastrophe of Eden proves that this is not true.

II. THE LAST ADAM

            The Fall of the “First Adam” demanded the coming of the “Last Adam.” It is self-evident that a fallen creature cannot redeem itself. It must be redeemed by a power outside itself. Therefore no human being of the Adamic race could redeem the race. Such a redemption demanded a Divine interposition. But the Redeemer must have the same nature as the Adamic race. He must be a MAN. To this end he must be born into the human race and yet be free from the “taint of Sin.” This was accomplished by the “Virgin Birth.” See the Chapter on “The Mystery of Godliness.”

            The “Last Adam” having taken upon Himself human nature it was necessary that He be put to the same test as the “First Adam.” To this end we read that immediately after His Baptism, before He had preached a sermon or called a disciple, He was led of the Holy Spirit into the “.Wilderness” to be tempted (tested) of the Devil. Matthew 4:1. It was not then a case of it “happened so.” It was a part of God’s plan as to the “Last Adam.” The Temptation was not planned by the Devil. He doubtless would have avoided it, for he knew who Jesus was, but Jesus having been led into the rendezvous of the Devil, the Devil could not well avoid the meeting. That he was not over-anxious to make the test is evident from the fact that he waited until Jesus was physically worn out from fasting.

            Notice the “Place of Temptation.” It was not in a “Garden” like that in which the “First Adam” was tested. It was in the “Wilderness,” a place uninhabited except by wild beasts, and with no means of satisfying hunger. It is profitable to compare the “Forty Days” of fasting with those of Moses and Elijah. Moses and Elijah both had GOD with them. Jesus had the DEVIL.

THE FIRST TEMPTATION

            Mark says He “was in the Wilderness 40 days tempted of Satan.” Luke says “being 40 days tempted of the Devil.” Matthew says “and when he had fasted 40 days and 40 nights, He was afterward an hungered, and when the Tempter came to Him, he said,” etc. The probability is that the Devil skirmished from ambush with Jesus during the 40 days, and then when he saw Jesus weakened by fasting, and believing the “Psychological Moment” had come he attacked him in the open. The matter of hunger was neither incidental nor accidental. It was ordained. If it had not been a feature of the Temptation Jesus might just as well have been tempted in Capernaum or at Jerusalem after a feast. While the Temptation of Jesus was to show that He was qualified to be the Head of a New Race, the time of the Temptation, between the declaration of His Sonship and the proclamation of the Kingdom, is not without significance, for it explains the character of the Temptations as having a bearing on the setting up and feeding the subjects of the Kingdom.

            The “First Temptation” is similar to the one in Eden. It raised the question of doubt. “IF Thou be the SON OF GOD.” It had been but six weeks since God the Father had said at Christ’s Baptism – “This is my beloved SON in whomIam well pleased,” and the force of the Devil’s argument lay in the fact that Jesus, being hungry, and with no visible means of supplying His need, could test the fact of His Sonship by performing a miracle, for that was the Old Testament sign of Messiahship. The Devil may have gone farther and said – “You will die if you do not eat, how then can you carry out your Kingdom plans? Do you not know that the way to get the ascendency over men is to feed them? How can you set up a Kingdom without a ‘Commissary Department?’ If you know that you have power to turn stones into bread, all you will have to do is to say:—‘Come unto me all ye that are hungry andIwill give you food and supply your needs,’ and you will have a multitude of followers.” Was not this true when Jesus fed the 5000 and they wanted to take Him and make Him King and he had to flee to prevent the premature setting up of the Kingdom?

            For Jesus to have turned a stone into bread to satisfy His own need would have been illegitimate, for the power to work miracles was given Him not to supply His own needs but the needs of others. For Jesus to have turned a stone into bread to satisfy His own hunger would have been disobedience. God’s purpose in having the Holy Spirit drive Jesus into the Wilderness was that He might be made to hunger, and He had no right to satisfy His hunger until God saw fit to satisfy it Himself, so to have turned stones into bread would have been an Acts of disobedience. This is clear, for when the purpose of the Temptations was fulfilled angels came and ministered unto Him and supplied all His physical needs.

            In Jesus’ reply to the Devil – “It is written MAN shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceedeth out of the mouth of God,” Jesus, by the use of the word MAN, classes Himself with humanity and takes the position of trust and dependence upon His Heavenly Father, declaring that man needs something more than physical food, he needs the kind of food of which Jesus spake at the well of Samaria, “I have meat to eat that ye know not . . . my meat is to do the will of Him that sent me.” Jesus in His reply took the “impregnable position” that what God the Father had said as to His SONSHIP needed not the corroborative proof of a miracle.

THE SECOND TEMPTATION

No length of time is given between the Temptations, and the inference is that they followed one another in quick succession as suggested by the word – “then.” It would be interesting to know what the second and third Temptations of Adam and Eve would have been if they had not fallen to the first. Probably they would have been different. Having failed in his effort to get Jesus to disobey the “Will of God,” the Devil changes his tactics. He takes Jesus from the Wilderness to Jerusalem and sets Him on a Pinnacle of the Temple, and says – “IF Thou be the SON OF GOD, cast Thyself down; for it is written, He shall give His angels charge concerning Thee; and in their hands they shall bear Thee up, lest at any time Thou dash Thy foot against a stone.” Psalm 91:11-12.

            This Temptation is a challenge to Jesus to make His faith in God’s protecting care visible. If He trusted God in all things let Him cast Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple and test the promise of God to give His angels charge over Him and bear Him slowly down to the ground. The Kingdom idea is also seen in this Temptation. The Prophet Malachi (Malachi 3:1) had foretold that the Messiah would suddenly come to His Temple. What could then be more spectacular than for Jesus to float down, apparently out of the heavens, into the Court of the Temple filled with the representatives of the people. Surely such an apocalypse would dazzle the multitude and they would at once accept Him as their Messiah. This was a temptation for Jesus to test His Deity and Sonship by presuming on the protective care of God. The Devil’s hope was that if Jesus yielded and threw Himself down from the Pinnacle of the Temple, that His presumption would have put Him outside the pale of angelic assistance and that He would have been dashed to death on the marble pavement of the Temple.

Jesus’ reply was – “It is written again, Thou shalt not tempt the Lord thy God.” This was a rebuke and for the second time the Devil found himself foiled.

THE THIRD TEMPTATION 

“Again, the Devil taketh Him up into an exceeding high mountain, and sheweth Him all the Kingdoms of this world, and the glory of them; and saith unto Him, All these things will I give Thee, if Thou wilt fall down and worship me.” Matthew 4:8-9.

This was the Devil’s “TRUMP CARD,” his Masterpiece of Temptation. Having failed to get Jesus to satisfy His hunger in an illegitimate way, or to test His Father’s protecting care, the Devil bluntly offers Him the Kingdoms of’This World if He will transfer His allegiance from His Father and fall down and worship him. It is clear that this was a compromise offer. The Devil knew that he was doomed to defeat and he wanted to make the best bargain he could. It is worthy of note that Jesus did not dispute his claim of Lordship over the “Kingdoms of this World.” In fact, Jesus called him, the “Prince of this World.” And it is further worthy of note that when Jesus refused the offer it was to still leave the “Kingdoms of this World” under the Devil’s dominion, and they” will remain there until He comes whose right it is to rule and reign over them in Millennial Glory.

            The Devil knew that Jesus had come into the world to get control of the “Kingdoms of the World,” and what he practically said to Jesus was—“You came into the world to die on the Cross that you might win back these Kingdoms to God. Now if you will bow down and by worshipping me acknowledge my supremacy over these Kingdoms,Iwill give them to you without the sufferings of the Cross.”

            To dazzle Jesus with the grandeur of his proposition the Devil took Jesus up on to an exceedingly high mountain, and in a “moment of time” (Luke 4:5), as if he feared a prolonged view would dispel the illusion and disclose the worthlessness of those Kingdoms, the Devil showed Jesus the “Kingdoms of the World” and the “Glory of them.” But Jesus saw farther than the Devil. He saw the Kingdom that He Himself was destined to set up and that in comparison with those Kingdoms would far excel them, and He knew the offer was not worth the price. Furthermore He knew the promise – “”Ask of ME (the Father), and I shall give Thee the Heathen for Thine inheritance, and the uttermost parts of the earth for Thy possession” (Psalm 2:7-9), so it was not necessary that He accept the Devil’s offer.

            The Devil’s proposition was his undoing. Immediately Jesus said—“Get thee hence, Satan.” This was a command, and at once Satan, now unmasked and called by his right name, like a whipped cur, foiled and defeated, slunk away, and the angels came and ministered to Jesus. By His victory over Temptation Jesus passed from the “FULNESS of the Spirit” to the “POWER of the Spirit.” Luke 4:1, 14.

            We are told that Jesus was “tempted in ‘all points’ like as we are, yet without sin.” Hebrews 4:15. These “all points” may be summed up under three heads, represented by the “Three Temptations” of Jesus, and were included in the “One Temptation” of Eve – (1) “The Lust of the FLESH;” (2) “The Pride of Life,” and (3) “The Lust of the EYES.” 1 John 2:16. All the temptations of mankind may be summed up under three heads, represented by the Wilderness Temptations.  

1. The Temptation to Secure the Supply of Our Natural needs by ILLEGITIMATE MEANS.

2. The Temptation to Presume on God’s Protection When We WILFULLY RUN INTO DANGER.

3. The Temptation to Secure This World’s Goods and Honors, Without Toil or Suffering, by Entering Into a League With the FORCES OF EVIL.

The lessons for the Christian Church are – (1). Do not turn your church into a “Soup Kitchen” or a place of “Suppers” to get the funds to supply the needs of the Church. (2). Do not use spectacular and sensational methods to get an audience. (3). Do not enter into an alliance with the powers of state, wealth and society, or into Federations of Antichristian Forces for world supremacy. Eve, the bride of Adam, was tempted first, fell, and pulled her husband down with her. Christ the Last Adam was tested first and because of His victory over temptation He is able to keep His Bride the Church from falling. The Last Adam will recover the Kingly Sceptre the First Adam lost. The Devil tempts us to make us UNUSABLE. God tests us to show that we are USABLE. The instrument of victory is the “WORD OF GOD.” We must be able to answer the Devil with – “IT IS WRITTEN.”

COULD JESUS HAVE SINNED?

            There are those who claim that Jesus could not have been tempted in all points like as we are if it were not possible for Him to sin. Others claim that while it was possible for Jesus to sin there was no probability that He would, and therefore there was no risk incurred in His Temptation. Those who claim that it was possible for Jesus to sin compare Him with Satan and Adam, who, though created pure and sinless, had in them the possibility of sinning as is evidenced by their fall. But Satan and Adam were created beings, while Jesus was the Only Begotten SON OF GOD, born of the “Virgin Mary,” and it was said of the body of Jesus that it was “THAT HOLY THING.” Therefore the humanity of Jesus was SINLESS, and when joined to the Eternally Holy Personality of the SON, there could have been no possibility of Jesus sinning.

            If Jesus could have sinned then the whole scheme of Salvation hung in the balance until after the Wilderness Temptation. Such a thought is not only unthinkable but unscriptural. Jesus was the Lamb – “foreordained before the foundation of the world (1 Peter 1:18-20), and a lamb accepted for sacrifice must be “without spot or blemish.” The Scriptures declare that “Whosoever is born of God CANNOT SIN.” 1 John 3:9. Therefore Jesus could not sin. If He could have sinned at the Temptation, since there has been no change in His nature since then, for He took His humanity back with Him to Heaven, what is there to prevent His yielding to Temptation in the future? What guarantee have we that the whole plan of Salvation shall not yet be upset? The thought is contrary to the whole trend of the Scripture.

            What then was the purpose of the Temptation if it were not possible for Jesus to have fallen ? The purpose was simply to show that Jesus was a PERFECT SAVIOUR, and that there was NO SIN IN HIM, nor possibility of failure. He was thus set before us, not as an example to be followed when we are tempted, but as an object of Faith to whom to look as our DELIVERER when we are tempted. A simple illustration will make this plain. We will suppose that a double track “Suspension Bridge” has been built over a deep canyon connecting two mountain ranges. To the people in the valley the Bridge seems to be but an “airy nothing” hardly capable of carrying its own weight and they are afraid to trust themselves to it, but one day to their amazement two long trains of freight cars loaded with pig-iron approach from opposite directions, and when both have reached the centre of the Bridge they stop. At once they expect the Bridge to collapse. But no, it remains intact. And when, after remaining 24 hours on the Bridge, the trains continue on their way, they no longer lack faith in the safety of the Bridge. So with the Temptation of Jesus. It was the test of His Sonship and of His power to overcome and destroy the works of the Devil, and we need no longer fear but that He is a Perfect and All-Powerful Saviour.

            As we have seen the First Adam brought upon the human race guilt, condemnation, separation, so the Last Adam reverses all these and the standing of the Believer is that of “not guilty,” no longer under condemnation, and for him there shall be “no separation” from God. Romans 8:33, Romans 8:34, Romans 8:38-39. The “wages of sin” is Death, but we read in Paul’s immortal chapter on the Resurrection of the body (1 Corinthians 15:22), and he is speaking only of the body and not of the soul, so the Universalist cannot find an argument here for universal salvation, “As in Adam all die (physically), so in Christ shall all be made alive (physically).” So as the First Adam brought death into the world, the Last Adam brought “Resurrection,” “Life,” and “Immortality” to light through the Gospel.

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Chapter XV. Atonement and Redemption

The Christian Religion has been charged with being a “BLOODY” Religion; that it savors of the Abattoir, turned the Temple into a “Slaughter House,” and is a “Religion of the Shambles” because it demands the “Blood of Christ,” and therefore is revolting to persons of refined sensibilities. What the blood is to our bodies (life), the “Blood of Christ” is to the Bible. Take the “scarlet word” out of the Bible, and the Bible is a DEAD book. If you were to take a brush and dip it in red ink and go carefully through your Bible from Genesis to Revelation and mark out all the passages that refer to the “Blood,” and are associated with it in any way, you would be surprised at how little of the Bible you would have left. In fact its value would be gone. The historical portions would be meaningless, the ethical teaching powerless, and the prophetical statements unfulfilled. Every doctrine in the Bible is dependent on the “Blood.” Without it there would be no “Forgiveness,” no “Regeneration,” no “Justification,” no “Sanctification,” no “Peace,” no .”Joy,” no “Rest,” no “Hope,” no “Resurrection,” no “Heaven,” no “Robes Washed,” no “New Song.” Twenty-eight times in the Book of Revelation Jesus is called THE LAMB, and that title is always associated with His atoning work. So we see if we take the “Blood” out of the Bible the Doctrine of the Atonement must go.

I. THE ATONEMENT

             The word means “AT-ONE-MENT.” The “Fall of Man” put man and God “AT-TWO-MENT,” that is, alienated and separated them. The purpose of the Atonement is to make them one again. It is a principle of law that the “Penalty” of a broken law must fall on the breaker of the law or on his substitute or bondsman, otherwise the law is of no effect. A law without a penalty would be useless. It is not the law but the penalty that men stand in fear of. An “Atonement” then is anv “Provision” that may be introduced into the administration of a Government, whereby that Government may, upon just, safe, and honorable grounds, release an offender from the “Penalty” of a broken law. Now God made a “Law” to govern the conduct of Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden. The “Law” was—“Of every tree of the Garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the ‘Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil’ thou SHALT NOT EAT.” The “Penalty” was – “In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely DIE.” Genesis 2:16-17. When Adam and Eve ate of the forbidden fruit they broke that “Law” and were doomed to die. But their death would frustrate God’s purpose in their creation, which was to repopulate the restored earth. Genesis 1:28. Now God could not withhold the “Penalty” of death without breaking His Holy Word, and in the future cause Adam and Eve to doubt his truthfulness. It became necessary therefore that the “Penalty” of the Law, if it was not to fall on Adam and Eve, should fall on some one who should take their place. The substitute that God in His love and justice provided was HIMSELF in the person of His Son Jesus, for Jesus was no other than God manifest in the flesh. 1 Timothy 3:16. But this substitute was not provided immediately. It was not until 4000 years later that Jesus paid the “Penalty” of Adam’s disobedience by His death on the Cross.

            But during those 4000 years, by the shedding of the blood of bullocks, goats, and innocent lambs, whose bodies were laid smoking and quivering on Hebrew altars, God, in one great “Object Lesson,” kept before the people the fact that without the SHEDDING OF BLOOD there could be no remission for sin. The sprinkling of the blood of every Passover Lamb was a reminder of Him who was to be the “Lamb of God” who should take away the sin of the world. John 1:29. And when the hour had come for the offering up of THE SACRIFICE, we see Justice and Mercy standing on the Hill Calvary, and hear Justice say to Mercy—“Where is He who, over 4000 years ago, in the Garden of Eden, offered Himself a SUBSTITUTE for the sin of the world ?” “Behold Him,” says Mercy, “coming up the Hill bearing His Cross.” When He reached the top of the Hill Justice presented the “Bond,” executed centuries before, and demanded its payment. The Son of God replied—I will this day cancel it.” Soon all the preparations for the sacrifice were complete, and the “Lamb of God” was laid on the ALTAR OF THE CROSS. As Jesus laid His hand upon the crossbar of the Cross, He held in it, invisible to human eyes, the “Bond” to be cancelled, and when the Roman soldier drove the nail through that hand there were fulfilled the words of the Apostle –  

“And you, being dead in your sins and the uncircumcision of your flesh, hath He quickened together with Him, having forgiven you all trespasses; BLOTTING OUT THE HANDWRITING OF ORDINANCES that was against us, which was contrary to us, and took IT out of the way, NAILING IT TO HIS CROSS.” Colossians 2:13-14.

            By the cancellation of the “Bond” the Law and Justice of God were satisfied, and it was possible for God to – “Be JUST and the JUSTIFIER of them who BELIEVE IN JESUS.” Romans 3:26.

            But some one may say, “How could an innocent person assume the guilt of another?” This can only be done by the innocent person entering into “Corporate Oneness” with the guilty person, and thus becoming IDENTIFIED WITH HIM. For illustration the debts of a poor widow could not be justly charged up to a millionaire neighbor, but if he entered into “Corporate Oneness” with her by marrying her, and thus assuming all her obligations, then he could justly and legally be held responsible for her debts. Now this is just what the Apostle says –  

“Wherefore, my brethren, ye also are become DEAD TO THE LAW (our first husband) by the body of Christ (that is by Christ’s death); that ye should be MARRIED TO ANOTHER, even to Him (Christ) who is RAISED FROM THE DEAD.” Romans 7:4.

This union with Christ results in a “LEGAL ANSWERABLENESS” by Him for all our debts to the Law, and Jesus recognized the justice of all His sufferings on the Cross, when He said to the two disciples on the Road to Emmaus – “O fools, and slow of heart to believe all that the prophets have spoken: OUGHT NOT CHRIST TO HAVE SUFFERED THESE THINGS, and to enter into His Glory?” Luke 24:25-26. We see then that the Atonement of Christ means more than mere “Substitution,” it means a “CORPORATE ONENESS,” a union in which it was perfectly just for God to exact from His Son the penalty of death in satisfaction of the broken Law. We are therefore as believers to “RECKON OURSELVES DEAD TO THE LAW.” (Romans 7:4.) That is, we are to believe and Acts as those who have been freed from the Law, for “there is therefore now NO CONDEMNATION to them who are in Christ Jesus,” (Romans 8:1), for we were judged for sin in Christ on the Cross, and our Judgment for “Sin” IS PAST.

            The efficacy and “Substitutionary” character of the Atonement is beautifully illustrated in the story of Barabbas. Barabbas had been condemned to die, he was to have suffered the penalty of his crime on the cross between the two thieves, but when the multitude was given the choice between Christ or Barabbas, they chose Christ, and He as a SUBSTITUTE took Barabbas’ place on the central cross, and His death satisfied the Law, and Barabbas was free. If Barabbas had gone out to Calvary that day and witnessed Christ’s death in his stead, and had accepted Jesus as his personal Saviour from sin, he would have been the first man to understand the substitutionary character of the Atonement.

            As sinners we were under the “curse of the Law,” but as believers – “Christ hath redeemed us from the CURSE of the Law, being made a CURSE for us: for it is written, CURSED IS EVERY ONE THAT HANGETH ON A TREE.” Galatians 3:13. The “Tree” that Christ hung on was the CROSS. We are therefore DEAD to the Law; not physically dead, but JUDICIALLY dead, for the “Penalty” of a law cannot be exacted twice. If Jesus “bare our sins in His own body upon the Tree” (1 Peter 2:24), then they are no longer upon us and we are free from sin. The death of Christ was no mere accident or incident, it was predetermined. “Ye were not redeemed with corruptible things, as silver and gold . . . but with the PRECIOUS BLOOD OF CHRIST, as of a lamb without blemish and without spot: who verily was foreordained BEFORE THE FOUNDATION OF THE WORLD.” 1 Peter 1:18-20.

            From this we see that there was a purpose in Christ’s death; that Calvary and the Cross were a necessity, and that the mission of Christ was not simply to bear witness to the Father, and reveal God to men, but to die upon the Cross for the Salvation of the World.

THE EXTENT OF THE ATONEMENT

            Some would limit the Atonement to the elect only. They look upon the Atonement as a “Commercial Transaction,” and quote the words – “Ye are bought with a price” (1 Corinthians 6:19-20), and claim that as in a commercial transaction there must be a buyer and seller, a thing to be bought and sold, and a price to be paid, that God was the “Buyer,” that the Law was the “Seller,” that the “elect” were the “Thing” sold, and that the “Blood of Christ” was the “Purchase Price.” Now as in a commercial transaction there must be a mutual understanding as to the price to be paid, and the quality and quantity of the articles to be delivered, the “Commercial View” of the Atonement implies that God bargained for a certain number of persons that He personally would choose, and that He would insist on the delivery of not only the exact number, but the same ones. To illustrate if a man bought 100 horses, it would not suffice when the animals were delivered to merely count them to see whether there were 100, but he would want to know if they were the same horses that he had purchased.

From this we see that the “Commercial View” of the Atonement limits the “purchasing value” of Christ’s Blood to the elect only. But Christ did not die to save a few individuals, He died to pay the “Penalty” of Adam’s disobedience, which was DEATH. In other words He died to redeem the human race from the “curse of sin,” and put it in a salvable position. “He is the propitiation of our (the Righteous) sins: and not for ours only, but also for the sins of the WHOLE WORLD.” 1 John 2:2. The word “Propitiation” means the “Acts of reconciliation.”“ The “Death of Christ” was the ground on which God can deal, and does deal in mercy with the whole world. “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 5:10. Or as Paul puts it in Colossians 1:20. Christ “MADE PEACE through the ‘Blood of the Cross,’ and has reconciled ALL THINGS unto Himself, whether they be on earth or in Heaven.” We see then that the Atonement of Christ on the Cross is sufficient for the whole human race and places it in a SALVABLE position. But this does not mean “Universal Salvation,” for all men are not saved, because they do not comply with the condition of Salvation, which is to accept the FINISHED WORK OF CHRIST.

II. REDEMPTION

            The words Atonement and Redemption are used as if they meant the same thing, but they are different as to time and act though they are both the result of the “Finished Work” of Christ on the Cross. Redemption means to redeem a thing that is rightfully our own, but for the time being is in the possession of another, whose claim upon it must be legally met. Writing to the Ephesians Paul said—“Ye were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, which is the earnest of our inheritance until the REDEMPTION of the PURCHASED POSSESSION.” Ephesians 1:13-14. Then there is a POSSESSION to be REDEEMED. What this is Paul tells us in Romans 8:22-23 – “We know that the WHOLE CREATION GROANETH AND TRAVAILETH IN PAIN TOGETHER UNTIL NOW. And not only they, but ourselves also, which have the ‘First-fruits of the Spirit/ even we ourselves also groan within ourselves, waiting for the adoption, to wit, the REDEMPTION OF OUR BODY.” From this we see that something belonging to “Creation” and to “Man” has slipped out of their possession and needs to be redeemed. What this was we are told in the third chapter of Genesis. When Adam sinned he lost the immortality of his body, and his inheritance of the earth. The latter passed into the possession of Satan to the disinheritance of all of Adam’s seed. Adam was impotent to redeem what was lost, but the Law (Leviticus 25:23-34) provides that a kinsman may redeem a lost possession. That “Kinsman” has been provided in the person of JESUS CHRIST. To become a kinsman He had to be born into the human race. This the “Virgin Birth” accomplished. Jesus paid the REDEMPTIVE PRICE, which was His own BLOOD on the Cross (1 Peter 1:18-20), but He has not as yet claimed that which He then purchased. Redemption is not the Acts of a moment, but requires a period of time. This is the “Day of Salvation,” but it has extended over nearly nineteen centuries. The “Day of Redemption” will be at least a 1000 years long. It will begin with the Resurrection of the bodies of the Righteous dead, and continue until the New Heaven and Earth appear.

THE REDEMPTION OF THE BODY

            We cannot conceive of the glory of the “Resurrection Body.” The Transfiguration of Christ gives us a faint conception of it, for we are told that when He shall appear we shall be like Him. Paul attempts to give us an idea of it in his immortal chapter on the Resurrection. 1 Corinthians 15. He says –

            1. “It is sown in ‘corruption;’ it is raised in INCORRUPTION.” That is the unvarnished truth, it is sown in foul rottenness. Paul called it a “VILE BODY.” Philippians 3:21. Whence cometh this corruption? It is simply SIN MATERIALIZED AND CONSUMMATED. But it is to be raised in INCORRUPTION. O happy day, when the bodies of the “Dead in Christ” shall come forth from the tomb in immortal bodies and fadeless beauty, and the living saints shall be changed and clothed in the garments of Glory, and caught up to meet their Redeemer in the air!

            2. “It is sown in ‘dishonor,’ it is raised in GLORY.” How many a body has been sown in dishonor through sin, that has caused disfigurement, but the Resurection will change all this, for we shall then be raised in GLORY, and have a body like unto His “Glorious Body.”

            3. “It is sown in ‘weakness;’ it is raised in POWER.” A corpse is the very embodiment of weakness. Nothing else seems to have such a dead weight as a lifeless body. But if that lifeless body be the body of one of God’s saints He will raise it with POWER. Not only shall God display power in the breaking of the tombs of the dead, but the raised body shall be possessed of power. Not simply power as to strength, but new powers of sight, hearing, memory, etc. It shall be able to travel with the speed of light, and run and not be weary, and walk and not faint.

            4. “It is sown a ‘natural’ body; it is raised a SPIRITUAL body.” This does not mean that our “Spiritual Body” shall be an “Etherealized Spiritlike Structure,” but a real body of “flesh and bones,” not blood, for it is the blood that causes corruption, but a body like Christ’s resurrection body, of which He said – “Handle me and see, for a Spirit hath not flesh and bones as ye see me have.” Luke 24:36-43. Now our bodies are controlled by natural laws; then they will be governed by the laws of the Spirit World. Then we shall bask in the sunshine of God’s presence in a land where there is no sorrow, pain or death.

            But Jesus did not die simply to redeem our bodies but to redeem the brute creation, and the earth. We read that in the “Day of Redemption”—“The wolf also shall dwell with the lamb, and the leopard shall lie down with the kid; and the calf and the young lion and the fatling together; and a little child shall lead them. And the cow and the bear shall feed; their young ones shall lie down together; and the lion shall eat straw like the ox. And the sucking child shall play on the hole of the asp, and the weaned child shall put his hand on the cockatrice’ den.” Isaiah 11:6-8.

            The effect of the Fall of Man was far-reaching. Not only was the human race involved, but the whole earth and atmosphere was affected. “And unto Adam He (the Lord God) said, Because thou Hist hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of whichIcommanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for Thy sake; in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life: THORNS also and THISTLES shall it bring forth to thee.” Genesis 3:17-18. From this we see that “Thorns” and “Thistles” are the result of sin. And from other scriptures we learn that animal life suffers, and the land fails to give its increase on account of sin. It is not without significance that the one who is to be the Redeemer of the earth from its sin-cursed state was crowned with THORNS. It was symbolic of His office as Redeemer. But the day is coming when the earth shall be redeemed from its sin-cursed condition and the exterior surface of the earth go through ‘a “Baptism of Fire,” that will consume and destroy the thorns and thistles and all disease germs and insect pests, all the result of sin, and the Atmosphere will also be purified with fire, and cleansed of evil spirits, and out of it all will come the “New Heaven” and the “New Earth” wherein shall dwell righteousness, and on it shall rest the “New City,” the home of the redeemed of God. Then all discord shall cease, and Eternal Harmony shall prevail throughout the Universe of God. No, God is not going to destroy this earth on which His Son died. It is too sacred and holy a spot. So he saw to it that the work of the Cross should include not only the Salvation of man’s SOUL, but the Redemption of his BODY and of the EARTH as well.