The Biblical Examiner
An Examination of Biblical
Precepts Involved in Issues at Hand |
November 1993
1) My People Are Destroyed
Hosea 4:6 seems to be a favorite text for many
who enjoy &/or make a business of exposing the deep, hidden
things of Satan (or things generally unknown). By justifying
their "discovery" and revelation of conspiracies with
this text, many raise vast sums of money to help bring the knowledge
of the "hidden things of dishonesty" into the light of
day.
Some people, even pastors, say that the Lord's people
are destroyed because they do not know enough about the
depths of the enemy's conspiracy. Though v. 6 may permit this
thought on a limited scale, is its primary teaching, "My
people are destroyed because they do not know enough about what
is going on around them"? Is this verse a legitimate
command to study the deep, hidden, conspiratorial things of evil
in society?
If so, we are confronted with a conflict in the
word of God: Hosea 4:6 & Matthew 28:19, 20. Whereas, Hosea
appears to teach that the answer to man's ills is knowing about
wicked men's secret conspiracies, the Lord, in Mat 28:19, 20,
teaches that the answer to man's ills is going and teaching
all nations the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, baptizing
them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost, and teaching them to observe all things whatsoever Christ
has commanded.
To hear some people use Hosea 4:6, evidently they
have cut our Lord's words in Matthew from their Bibles, and are
basing salvation (as do the secular humanists) in knowledge about
evil (besides, it raises money).
Rightly divide the Word
It seems that there are those who suppose that
rightly dividing the word of truth consists of knowing which
verses to pull out of what places in the total of God's word to
support favorite doctrines. This practice developed as
"Bible Readings" at the turn of the century, but the
word of God cannot be divided up into small portions of here a
little, there a little without destroying both the
"divider" and his follower. [EN1] (Note Rev 22:19 [Det
4:2; 12:32; Pro 30:6], And if any man shall take away from the
words of the book of this prophecy... Those who remove
passages from their context take away from the words of this
book.)
A Little here -
A Little There
Here a little..., Isa 28:9-13. The ones
Isaiah spoke to were babes; therefore, they had to be treated and
taught as babes with a little doctrine at a time. But even small
portions of doctrine were to them as a foreign tongue (Geneva
Bible margin). Isaiah gives the reason that the people were
unable to connect the whole of Scripture: that they might go,
and fall backward, and be broken, and snared, and taken, v.
13. The implication is that the division of Scriptures into here
a little, there a little (no continuity of texts, permitting
about anything to be taught) is for a Divine purpose: the
destruction of the sin-hardened people of God. One cannot take
small portions of Scriptures, mix them all together and arrive at
a proper conclusion; therefore, the context of my people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge must be developed and
maintained.
Obviously, Hosea spoke to the children of Israel,
those called by His name, still inhabiting the land of Palestine
(Hosea 1:1-2. In Micah, the people the Lord has a controversy
with are identified simply as his people, 6:3, 3). What
happened to this small group of people called by His name is
preserved to show us how God works in the lives of individuals
and nations. The application and substance of God's message
through the prophets (Hosea &c.) are for all His people of
all time, 1 Cor 10:11 (cf. Jn 14:15; 15:10; 1 Jn 2:3).
Who's at fault
The children of Israel, those identified
as the people of the Lord, had departed from Godliness and
stubbornly refused to forsake the pleasures of sin, 4:1-2. The
prophet Hosea, speaking for the Lord to His sinful people,
explains why and how the Lord is going to deal with those who
departed from Godliness. He calls for repentance (6:1-3. Cf. 2
Tim 2:19), and promises the renewal of the covenant, ch 14 (note
Whose work the renewal is, 14:4).
In order to properly understand v. 6, of course
we must develop its context:
The great controversy
V. 1, for the Lord hath a controversy...,
Hosea 4:1. [Feud, dispute-lawsuit, litigation, conflicts outside
of the courtroom use this term also.] God uses two illustrations
to describe His dispute with His people: Husband/wife &
Landlord/tenant.
First, the Husband/wife relationship: the Lord
compares Israel's unfaithfulness in the covenant between Him and
their fathers to an adulterous wife. God's people (Jehovah's
wife) even paid her lovers to come to her, 8:9, &c. Jehovah
God establishes His right to "divorce" His wife and
turn her over to the mercy of her pagan lovers.
Second, the Landlord/tenant relationship: under
OT law, the covenant people did not own the land; they leased it
from its Owner. Therefore, the land, unless it was within walled
cities, could not be sold. The different tithes also established
(& still does) the Lord's ownership over all the earth and
the fullness thereof; therefore, He gives it to whomsoever He
will. And thus God's laws concerning the land continually
reminded them that they were only strangers and pilgrims
upon it, Heb. 11. The conditions for their continued
possession of the land was written into their "lease
agreement," cf. Deut chs 28-32. Also within the agreement
was what would happen for its violation.
Throughout the prophets, the Lord told the land's
inhabitants that He had a legal claim against them, 2 Chron
36:15. They were in open, deliberate and hardened violation of
the agreement, and thus the Lord had the legal right to remove
them from His land. He "threatened them with court
action" to have them evicted by a stronger nation if they
did not return to the covenant-agreement (Hosea 9:15-17), and
pleaded with them to return to their agreement. Furthermore, the
people's refusal to heed the word of the Lord caused the Lord to
say, thou hast destroyed thyself, Hosea 13:9. (For
they have sown the wind, and they shall reap the
whirlwind... 8:7.) Moreover, we are told that the Lord
Himself is the One Who sent the enemies against
His people; He sent them to destroy His people because
they violated the covenant, 2 Kgs 15:37; 2 Chron 36:17, &c.
Thus God's people had plenty of knowledge; the problem was
that they refused to act on that knowledge. And, as they
refused to act upon the knowledge they had, the knowledge
was removed from them: the knowledge of the Lord and His
law was lost in the House of the Lord, 2 Kgs 22; 2 Chron 34:14.
("But, Bro. Need, that is OT." So is My people are
destroyed for lack of knowledge. Paul very ably describes
those who separate passages from their context in order to make
the passage teach a pet doctrine as dishonest, crafty deceivers,
2 Cor 4:2.)
Legitimate court case
Mat 5:25-26, advises to settle conflicts quickly
and out of court because in court, the judge may force the guilty
party to pay everything; therefore, the tenant should make peace
with the landlord. Make an agreement with him before the tenant
ends up in court. In fact, kiss the Son lest he be angry, and
ye perish from the way, when his wrath is kindled but a little,
Ps. 2:12.
As one reads through Hosea, he sees the details
of why the Lord cast His people from the land: no truth, nor
mercy, nor knowledge of God in the land, 4:1.
"Truth: ...no
truthfulness, either in speech or action, no one trusting another
any more. Love: ...is not human love generally, but
love to inferiors, and to those who need help or compassionate
love... They both have their roots in the knowledge of God, of
which they are the fruit... "Truth cannot be sustained
without mercy; and mercy without truth makes men negligent; so
that the one ought to be mingled with the other" (Jerome)...
Such knowledge not only produces fear of God, but also love and
truthfulness toward the brethren (cf. Eph iv. 32, Col iii. 12).
Where this is wanting, injustice gains the upper hand." (1)
nor knowledge of God in the land, v. 1,
cf. 6:7, But they like men have transgressed the covenant... (Like
sinful Adam. See 1 Jn. 2:3-4.) Knowledge about God
and His word does not mean one knows God. It is said that
Karl Marx could quote the NT.
Because v. 2 goes on to properly define knowledge,
we will develop its meaning as used in both v. 1 and v. 6.
According to DBD:
1847 2. esp. in
WisdLt = discernment, understanding, wisdom:.. b. in the
highest sense, knowledge of God (incl. obedience) Ho 4:1, 6.
(2)
TWOT:
Particularly distinctive
is the prophetic concept of "knowledge of God"
which is particularly prominent in Hosea (4:1, 6, 6:6; cf.
Prov 2:5). Knowledge of God is derived from those outstanding
historical events in which God has evidenced and has revealed
himself to chosen individuals such as Abraham and Moses.
These revelations are to be taught to others. "Knowledge
of God" appears in parallel with "fear of the
Lord" (Isa 11:2; cf. 58:2; Jer 22:16) as a description
of true religion. The man who has a right relation with God
confesses him and obeys him. To do justice and righteousness
and to judge the cause of the poor and needy is to know God
(Jer 22:15-16). On the other hand where there is no knowledge
of God there is swearing, lying, killing, stealing,
committing adultery and breaking all bonds (Hos 4:1-2). Such
will bring destruction upon a people (Hos 4:6; cf. Isa 5:13).
Knowledge of God is more pleasing to him than sacrifice (Hos
6:6) The prophetic view of the messianic age is of a time in
which the knowledge of God covers the earth as water
covers the sea (Hab 2:14; cf. Isa 11:9). [Emp added. Note
that knowledge of God is equated with righteousness, or right
living, Isa 45:8, &c. Ed.] (3)
Observe: Samuel, when
confronting King Saul, summed up the Biblical definition of
knowledge as used in Hosea 4: Behold, to obey is
better than sacrifice, and to harken than the fat of rams. For
rebellion is as the sin of witchcraft, and stubbornness is as
iniquity and idolatry. Because thou hast rejected the word of the
Lord, he hath also rejected thee..., 1 Sam 15:22, 23 (Hos
6:9).
Knowledge Defined
Thus knowledge is knowing the Lord,
knowing His law-word and doing His will [righteousness] as
revealed in that word. A lack of knowledge is identified
in Hosea as: 1) swearing, 2) lying, 3) killing, 4) stealing, 5)
adultery, 6) whoredoms, 7) pride, 8) unlawful sacrifice (to the
gods of the pagans, 4:12,), 9) unlawful training of children,
4:13, 10) intermarriage with pagans (unbelievers), 5:7, 10)
permitting ungodly civil rulers, 8:4, 11) seeking guidance from
sources other than the inspired word of God, 4:12, &c. [EN 2,
3.]
Whoredom
Furthermore, the Lord, through the prophet Hosea,
identifies sin as whoredom, eg., a wife's (Israel)
unfaithfulness to her husband (Jehovah God). Sin is basically
God's people's refusal to recognize His sovereign authority over
them, Rom 1:21.
God's warning is always over the same issue. That
issue is not really immorality as such; rather, it is over His
people ignoring His authority to tell them how to act and how to
do His work; it is over God's people ignoring His law, Hosea 4:6;
Mal 4:4; Jer 9:14; Isa 50:1, &c. The controversy is
compounded because the spiritual leaders, much to the delight of
God's people, say it is okay to ignore His law (my people love
to have it so, Jer 5:31; Mal 2:1, 7; Isa 30:9-10). The
leaders say, peace, peace when there is no peace ("We
are in the midst of a revival!"), Jer 6:14. Can one blame
the Lord for His hot wrath against the shepherds, Zech.
10:3?
Therefore, Knowledge (Hos 4:1, 6)
cannot be separated from Godly action according to the
law of thy God, v. 6.
One of the results of Israel's rejection of
knowledge (and thus hardness in sin) was that the Lord
would give them "spiritual leaders" after their own
sinful hearts, 4:9. God's people rejected His covenant-law in
their hearts, so He sent teachers justifying their rejection.
These "leaders" would speak smooth things and deceits
to comfort His people in their rejection of knowledge (cf. Isa
30:9ff), so the Lord could reward them for their doings.
(But the Lord made it very clear, they destroyed themselves,
Hosea 13:9.)
V. 3, all the land and its inhabitants pay the
price for God's people's refusal to glorify Him as God.
These words affirm not
only that the inanimate creation suffers in insouciance of
the sins and crimes of men, but that the moral depravity of
men causes the physical destruction of all other creatures.
As God has given to man the dominion over all beasts, and
over all the earth, that he may use it for the glory of God;
so does He punish the wickedness of men by pestilences, or by
the devastation of the earth. (4)
Thus all creation, creatures included, suffers
when God judges man's sin; He judges in the form of unseasonable
rain, storms, droughts, earthquakes, &c. His judgment affects
all of creation, not just guilty man.
V.4, Yet let no man strive, nor reprove
another... V. 3 speaks of judgment against God's sinful
people; v.4 says that in the midst of judgment, one can neither
blame God nor others. Rather, each must look to his own sin (they
destroyed themselves). How like fallen nature to view surrounding
judgment against sin with the assurance that the judgment is the
fault of others. The individual needs to check his own
relationship according to God's Word. (We regularly hear of
people who are willing to fight and even die to see civil
government return to God, but they themselves are unwilling to do
what they demand of those in civil authority. Such hypocrisy has
not escaped God's notice.)
strive with the priest. "... the
nation resembled those who are described in the law as rebels
against the priest." (Keil.) The priests passed judgment
upon sin according to the law, but the people rebelled against
righteous judgment, Deut 17:12, 13. If striving against a priest
is presumption worthy of death, how much more is presumptuous
striving against God worthy of death, He 10:29? The people to
whom Hosea was sent strove against their Maker with no
more concern than if they were striving against a man of God or
another person (cf. Isa 45:9).
V. 5, false prophets, men who profited by
purporting to prophecy for God (eg. 1 Kg 22:24, 25), were
numerous in Israel ("Prophets for Profit"). Led by
these Profiting Prophets, the people departed from the law of the
Lord. The Lord promises that both the prophets and followers will
fall. And thus "...the destruction of the whole nation and
kingdom is announced." Keil.
V.6, My people are destroyed for lack of knowledge...
(...nor knowledge of God, v. 1). The
people of God, encouraged by their Profiting Prophets, refused to
obey the law-word of God.
The speaker is Jehovah;
my nation, that is to say, the nation of Jehovah. This nation
perished for lack of the knowledge of God and His
salvation... This knowledge Israel might have drawn from the
law, in which God had revealed His counsel and will (Deut
xxx. 15), but it would not. It rejected the knowledge and
forgot the law of its God, and would be rejected and
forgotten by God in consequence... (5)
God's people's lack of knowledge was
exhibited by the sins previously mentioned. Their lack of
knowledge: first, lacked Godliness according to
the law-word of God, 8:1, 12, &c., and, second, mixed
Godliness with worldliness, 8:5, &c.
Furthermore, My people are destroyed...
will not stand alone because it is followed with the reason for
destruction: because thou hast rejected knowledge, I will also
reject thee... God wrote great things of His law
to His people, but they counted it as a strange thing,
8:12. His people knew/know what was/is required of them, but they
refused/refuse to act on that knowledge. God's controversy
is over His people's constant refusal to do what His word says
(& what they know to do); it is over their refusal to
recognize and submit to His authority over their every thought
and action.
The Lord continues by explaining the results of
their rejection: thou hast forgotten the law of thy God, I
will also forget thy children. Forget - neglect - neglect to
look into His law-word to find out what pleases Him in order to
do it. Forgotten implies such absorption in the things of this
world that one neglects His laws. If we neglect what is dear and
important to Him, He will neglect what is dear and important to
us, our children. (Ps 138:2. Cf.Mat 6:33.) EN4
Obedience replaced by Sacrifice
Note Hosea 6:6 (I Sam 5:22; Isa 1:11; Jer 7:22,
23): His people ignored His Word, refused to obey Him, and then
they substituted sacrifice in a vain attempt to appease Him. The
Lord warned them of the results of disobedience through His
prophets, but rather than turn back in obedience, they simply
made sacrifices to Him in a foolish hope of appeasing His wrath
and avoiding the results of their sin. Saul substituted a huge
sacrifice for obedience, I Sam. 15. How many people attempt to
cover their self-willed ways with giving or good works?
(Hosea 6:6 is not separating mercy from sacrifice.
Mercy speaks of our relationship to others; therefore, one cannot
obey God without showing mercy toward others. On the other hand,
one can show mercy toward others without a proper relationship
toward God. One of the main complaints the Lord has in Hosea is
His people's failure to show proper mercy to the needy. Faith
cannot be separated from godly action, James 2.)
Conclusion
As we note the following, keep in mind that
Hosea is addressed to God's people.
1) V. 6 is not speaking of a lack of knowledge
about:
First, the secret, conspiratorial plans of
the wicked. There are many ministries today apparently built
around uncovering secret conspiracies of the wicked who desire
and work for a one- world government. My people are destroyed
for lack of knowledge is often misused to justify
"uncovering" secret conspiracies and to influence
people to give of their time and money and unite to help
"uncover" hidden conspiracies. Using this verse in such
a manner is totally contrary to the word of God, De 29:29; Eph
5:12.
Certainly, there is a conspiracy behind every
evil taking place. It started in the Garden of Eden as a
conspiracy against the authority of the word of God ("You
don't need His law to tell you how to act and think. You can
determine that for yourself!"), enlarged soon after the
flood to include a desire for a one-world government, and is
easily traced to the present time. What we see today in
conspiracies is not new, nor should it surprise us.
Conspiracies of wicked men not the
problem
The root cause of conspiracy is found in those
called by the name of the Lord. The conspiracy is against God and
His law, Jer 11:9. The conspiracy is centered in the church, and
the conspirators are led by supposed men of God who turn God's
people away from His law-word (primarily by ignoring the context
of passages they teach). We will add that the conspirators
against God's law conspire in the name of "We are NT
Christians," in spite of Paul's clear admonition in Rom
13:8-14 (the true conspiracy says, as it did in the Garden,
"You are no longer accountable to the entire word of
God."), Ez 22:25. Thus the salt has lost his savour, and the
light is under a bushel.
But the real conspiracy is against going into all
the world, teaching the gospel to every person, baptizing the
converts and teaching them all that the Word of God commands.
Although this is the conspiracy that must be dealt with, we hear
very little about it.
Therefore, knowledge about the world's
conspiracies will do nothing to stop them. The only thing that
will stop the conspiracy is Godly knowledge, ie.,
Godliness according to the total of God's word by God's
people (cf. Ja 3:4, &c.).
Second, the word of God. There are many
verses which command thorough, in-depth study of Scripture (eg.,
2 Tim 2:15). But teaching and learning, thus knowledge, about
God's word concerning every area of life is only half the answer.
Biblical knowledge that pleases God must include action
according to that knowledge.
The ungodly say that "knowledge is
power," when, actually, it is godly action according to
godly knowledge that contains God's power. Knowing and not doing
the truth is hated by God and only adds to the judgment of God,
Ja 4:17.
2) belief that knowledge will prevent destruction
is anti- Christ.
First, knowledge alone about God will not
prevent destruction; rather, it leads to deception, more sin and
harsher judgment, James 1:22.
Second, knowledge about the secret things
of satan (conspiracies) in the world will not prevent
destruction. As previously mentioned, those conspiracies are not
the problem; the problem is in the church.
Third, knowledge about sin will not
prevent destruction.
The ungodly say that the lack of knowledge about
sex leads to pregnancy, the lack of knowledge about sodomy leads
to AIDS, the lack of knowledge about drugs leads to more drugs,
&c. The fallacy of the foolishness of the lack of
knowledge is readily apparent as pregnancy, sodomy and drug
use increase as knowledge in these areas increase. The "in
thing" now among young people is "bi- sexual"
experiments with sodomy.
3) when my people are destroyed for lack of
knowledge is used apart from its context (knowledge is
defined as godliness according to the total of God's word), we
fall into the same "education is the answer" trap which
has the ungodly ensnared.
Hosea shows us that God's wrath came against His
people, not be- cause they didn't have knowledge (ie.,
know what to do; they had an abundance of prophets from God), but
because they did not put action to their knowledge.
Our Problem
We must honestly say that our major problem is
not that we do not know enough about the word of God or about
what "conspiracy" is currently taking place around us.
Our problem is that we do not take godly action according to what
we know from God's word. If all people would act upon what
they know is right, society would be transformed. (Note that
godly action upon godly knowledge results in more knowledge, He
5:13, 14.)
4) the enemy well understands how anxious fallen
nature is to separate knowledge from godly action, so he
works to increase the separation through his false Profiting
Prophets. The people gladly receive the smooth, deceitful words
they love to hear: words that require no confession of sin,
personal responsibility, self- sacrifice, dedication and/or work.
5) sacrifice without obedience is unacceptable to
the Lord. Far too many people feel that their
"spirituality" is measured by how many notes they have
in their note books or Bibles, or how many "Bible
facts" they can recall. Biblical knowledge
is measured by how much of His Word we have in our lives. There
is no knowledge of God apart from obedience, and
thus, My people are destroyed for lack of obedience to my
word, Ps 37:3; Rom 6:16; Heb 3:7-14; 10:26-33.
Today, Bible studies abound. It is popular to
"take a scenic tour through the Bible," but very few
want to be bound by consistency to its strict laws, statutes and
precepts; very few want to know their responsibility to God. The
appealing message for the masses is "this is what God owes
you." This message not only draws people and money, but it
draws God's vengeance, judgment and anger against the society
that condones the message, Heb 8:10-13; 10:15-20.
It is important to note that the child of God
will not be judged according to how much he knows, but according
to how he applies what he knows. Knowledge about a subject will
do nothing toward avoiding the consequences of not doing. EN5
6) what will stop the destruction of society? Knowledge
and godliness in every area of life and thought.
If just the Christians would be consistent in their stand (eg.
remove their children from pagan, anti-Christian schools &c),
paganism would fall. Modern Christianity is quite similar to our
government's action toward Communism. Communism would have
collapsed many years ago if the "West" would refuse its
continual finance. Paganism would have collapsed many years ago
if Christians would not support pagan programs.
God has a controversy with His people because
they refuse to acknowledge His total and complete authority and
law. His people need to settle the controversy quickly or it will
be too late.
Yes, there is a conspiracy that is killing
Christianity; it must be examined, revealed, dealt with and moved
upon. It is the conspiracy against the Lord's words of Matthew
28:19, 28. Only when this conspiracy is conquered by God's grace
will the conspiracies of wicked men in high places be nullified.
Hosea does not leave Christians in a hopeless
situation. He points us to the wonderful grace of God: I will
heal their backsliding, I will love them freely..., 14:4.
God, in His good time, promised to move and settle the
controversy in the hearts of His people and in His favour. What a
wonderful day that will be.
EN1 The "Bible
Reading" method of study of God's word was a new method of
study which took a theme and searched for Scriptures to support
or teach that theme. "Bible Reading" can be extremely
disastrous to Christianity because it permits one to ignore the
context of the verses used to support the preconceived idea or
thought being pursued. Thus through the "Bible Reading"
method of study, the Word of God can be made of none effect and
used to support any theory that the teacher wishes to promote.
"Bible
Reading," though, did not develop and spread unopposed. As
it developed in the late 1800s, Francis L. Patton, of Princeton
Seminary, said:
... I particularly
object to their [the "Bible reading" school of
thought of which Mr. Moody was a leader, Ed.] arbitrary and
unhistorical system of interpretation. . . But few, I fear,
know the English Bible as they do. I advise you to learn
their secret in this regard, but do not adopt their
shibboleths; and I warn you against supposing that you have
given an adequate substitute for a sermon when, with the help
of Cruden's Concordance, you have chased a word through the
Bible, making a comment or two on the passages as you go
along. (6)
[Moody] was greatly
influenced in his style of preaching by the English Plymouth
Brethren evangelist Harry Moorhouse, who astounded Moody by
preaching for a whole week from the same text. One of Moody's
biographers described the addresses, all based upon John
3:16, as "not a sermon so much as a string of related
texts of passages briefly commented upon to form what came to
be known, rather oddly, as a 'Bible Reading.'" About
that series of sermons Fleming Revell, Moody's
brother-in-law, wrote, "D.L. Moody has great power
before, but nothing like what he had after dear Harry
Moorhouse came into our lives and changed the character of
the teaching and preaching of the chapel." That the
Bible reading was popularized if not invented by the Plymouth
Brethren seems quite clear. Darby, as noted previously,
preferred private reading meetings to preaching and carried
out his most successful work through this form of teaching,
very frequently in homes rather than in churches. Every
Brethren teacher and evangelist used this method; its
popularity is both contemporaneous with Brethren expansion to
North America and coexistent with those millenarians which
the Brethren were known to have influenced. Furthermore, as
in Moody's case, the American ministers' adoption of the
Bible reading can often be directly traced to an encounter
with a Brethren preacher. (7)
"Bible Reading"
greatly corrupted the term, Rightly dividing the word
of truth (it is ludicrous to think that Paul intended [2
Tim 2:15] to equip Timothy so Timothy could support any doctrine
he desired to teach. "A text without a context is a
pretext," and "Bible Reading" encourages "a
pretext"):
The role of the
interpreter, according to the same Baconian assumptions, was
not to impose hypotheses or theories, but to reach
conclusions on the basis of careful classification and
generalization alone. [Emp added.] The disposition to
divide and classify everything is one of the most striking
and characteristic traits of dispensationalism. C.I.
Scofield, the great systematizer of the movement, epitomized
this tendency. In "Rightly Dividing the Word of Truth,"
an authoritative summary of his views, Scofield interpreted
the phrase of his title from the King James Bible to mean
that "The Word of Truth, then, has right divisions . . .
so any study of that Word which ignores those
divisions must be in large measure profitless and
confusing." [Revell paper edition, Westwood, N.J., n.d.
1896, p. 3.] The work sketched out a series of distinctions:
"The Jew, the Gentile, and the Church of God,"
"The seven Dispensations," "The Two
Advents," "The Two Resurrections," and
"Law and Grace." Regarding the last distinction to
take an example that became a source of conflict with other
Calvinists who insisted on the primacy of grace in all ages,
Scofield said characteristically, "It is ... of vital
moment to observe that Scripture never, in any dispensation,
mingles these small variations in Biblical language. So, for
instance, Scofield placed great weight on the distinction
between "the kingdom of God" and "the kingdom
of heaven" and on the differences among in, with, and
upon as used with reference to the Holy Ghost.
Dispensationalist leaders regarded these methods of dividing
and classifying as the only scientific ones. Scofield, for
example, contrasted his work to previous "unscientific
systems." Similarly, Reuben Torrey regarded ideas
basically as things to be sorted out and arranged. One of his
major works, What the Bible Teaches (1898), is an
incredibly dry five-hundred-page compilation of thousands of
Biblical "propositions" supported by proof text.
The closest analogy would be to an encyclopedia or
dictionary. Torrey explicitly defended this utter lack of
style or elegance. "Beauty and impressiveness," he
said in the preface, "must always yield to precision and
clearness." As usual, his model was the scientist.
Torrey depicted his work as "simply an attempt at a
careful unbiased, systematic, thorough-going, inductive study
and statement of Bible truth. . . . The methods of modern
science are applied to Bible study - thorough analysis
followed by careful synthesis." (8)
Thus "Scientific Bible
study" - "Bible Reading" is a matter of finding
proper verses to prove particular theories as a scientist in a
laboratory.
EN2
[OT] Moloch worship was
thus a political religion... Moloch worship was thus state
worship. The state was the true ultimate order, and religion
was a department of state. The state claimed total
jurisdiction over man; it was therefore entitled to total
sacrifice... The Moloch state is the product of apostasy.
When a people reject God as their King, and make a man or
state their king (I Sam 8:7-9), God declares the
consequences... The Molech state simply represents the
supreme effort of man to command the future, to predestine
the world, and to be as God... Molech worship seeks a
no-theistic, a non-Biblical way to
Pastor Need.
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